"Root Bone is too poor, unqualified!"

The loud voice buzzed in the ears of many young people, causing quite a few of them to wince from the pain in their eardrums.

A middle-aged man with a tiger's back and bear's waist, tall and sturdy, stood in front of the young people, assessing the Root Bone talents of these youths.

Next to the middle-aged man stood a gray-clothed elder with a smile on his face, watching the crowd of youths and nodding slightly from time to time.

Most of the youths present showed signs of nervousness and trepidation, with only a few maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.

"With such a strict Bone assessment, I'm afraid only Young Master Fang Yang among us is likely to pass."

"That's right, Young Master Fang Yang is the most gifted in our Fang Family. He's bound to enter the Purple Mist Sect."

"As long as Young Master Fang Yang becomes a disciple of the Purple Mist Sect, our Fang Family's status will rise with the tide."

...

In the crowd, a group of youths surrounded a handsome young man, their faces filled with flattery, and their words were mostly sycophantic.

Listening to their conversation, the young man's face was adorned with a proud smile, clearly enjoying the adulation.

Meanwhile, beside this group stood a slightly thin-faced youth, silently watching, with a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"What a bunch of kids!" The youth, looking at the one called Fang Yang and the sycophants from the Fang Family around him, felt contempt in his heart.

The youth was named Fang Lin, a member of the Fang Family, and he had come with Fang Yang and the others to the Purple Mist Sect to participate in the disciple assessment.

However, aside from Fang Lin, the other Fang Family youths were all clustering around Fang Yang, making Fang Lin appear somewhat isolated and alone.

Fang Lin did not care to associate with these Fang Family youths, considering them all to be kids.

Fang Yang, hearing the flattering remarks of the Fang Family members, felt light and airy while also noticing Fang Lin standing to the side with a smile on his face.

Seeing this, Fang Yang felt a sudden displeasure and huffed softly.

Several Fang Family youths, noticing Fang Yang's displeasure, turned their gaze toward Fang Lin.

"What are you laughing about, Fang Lin? Do you really think you can enter the Purple Mist Sect?"

"Exactly, you, Fang Lin, are nothing but a filler. Yet you seem to think highly of yourself."

"Young Master Fang Yang is the true Talent of our Fang Family. What are you, Fang Lin?"

...

The Fang Family youths began to attack Fang Lin verbally. Fang Yang did not intervene and coldly observed Fang Lin's response.

Fang Lin maintained his smile, as if he hadn't heard the voices of the Fang Family youths at all.

The more Fang Yang saw this, the more irritated he became.

The reason why Fang Yang disliked Fang Lin was that, unlike everyone else who was fawning over him, Fang Lin alone did not.

Fang Lin's attitude infuriated Fang Yang. Fang Lin was just an ordinary member of the Fang Family while Fang Yang was the foremost Talent of the family and the one most likely to become a disciple of the Purple Mist Sect. Fang Lin should be rushing to fawn over him, just like the others.

Yet, Fang Lin did not. He did not seek to ingratiate himself with Fang Yang and stood apart from the rest of the disciples, resulting in his exclusion by the other Fang Family youths.

To this, Fang Lin was indifferent; in his eyes, Fang Yang and the other Fang Family youths were nothing but immature kids.

"Heh, who knows, maybe I can enter the Purple Mist Sect too," Fang Lin said with a smile.

Hearing Fang Lin's words, Fang Yang merely scoffed disdainfully, the smile on his lips tinged with scorn.

The other Fang Family youths burst into laughter, hurling various mocking insults.

Fang Lin just smiled and did not bother to argue with them.

The Bone assessment continued, with only those passing the examination qualifying to enter the Purple Mist Sect and become disciples.

Most of the youths who had come were full of confidence, but after witnessing the Bone assessment, many of them lost faith in themselves.

Too difficult!

The majority of those assessed before had been eliminated, with less than ten passing.

Those few who passed did so by a narrow margin; they too might have been eliminated had they performed even slightly worse.

At this moment, the middle-aged man was pressing a hand on the shoulder of a young girl who was incredibly tense, her forehead covered in sweat, her body trembling slightly.

The middle-aged man had an expressionless face, his eyes cold and indifferent as if the frail girl before him was not a living person but an inanimate stone.

"Root Bone is too poor, unqualified," said the middle-aged man, his voice emotionless.

The girl's complexion instantly turned deathly pale, her legs wobbled, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.

Just as the middle-aged man was about to call the next person, the gray-clothed elder suddenly spoke, "Young lady, come over to me."

The middle-aged man glanced at the elder but said nothing. Overjoyed, the girl hurried over to the elder and respectfully bowed.

The elder's face wore a grin, and he stretched out his hand, on which lay three withered herbs.

"Place your hand on top, young lady," the elder said kindly.

The girl did as instructed, placing her hand on the three withered herbs.

Moments later, the elder asked, "Do you feel anything?"

The girl hesitated, seeming afraid to answer.

"Don't be afraid. Whatever you feel, just say it," the elder encouraged with a smile.

The boy mustered his courage, but his voice was still faint, "I feel a very faint qi moving in the palm of my hand."

Hearing this, the elder nodded and put away the herbs, saying, "Young miss, my name is Meng Wuyou. You may choose to join the Pill Sect."

Whoosh!

At those words, the many young people present all showed expressions of surprise and envy.

The girl's face was full of excitement as she nodded hurriedly and said, "I am willing to join the Pill Sect!"

The elder known as Meng Wuyou nodded and had the girl stand behind him.

Fang Lin, who was in the crowd, also witnessed the scene, and his smile grew even broader.

The entry assessment of the Purple Mist Sect was actually divided into two parts, with the middle-aged man performing the bone verification. Those who passed could become disciples of the Martial Meridian.

If one did not pass the bone verification, it wasn't the end. There was another chance, which was to undergo another test with Meng Wuyou.

But what Meng Wuyou tested for was not the Root Bone talent but the qualification for Pill Refining.

Without Root Bone talent, if one had the talent for Pill Refining, they too could become a disciple of the Purple Mist Sect, only not of the Martial Meridian but the Pill Pulsar.

Even if one could not become a Martial Meridian disciple, it was still excellent to become a Pill Pulsar disciple.

However, in reality, it was even more stringent to become a Pill Pulsar disciple than a Martial Meridian disciple.

As long as one's Root Bone talent was suitable and met certain standards, they could become a Martial Meridian disciple.

But to become a Pill Pulsar disciple, one must possess the qualification for Pill Refining, and this so-called Pill Refining qualification could not be enhanced later in life, as it was innate to a person.

While Root Bone talent could still be cultivated and nurtured with extraordinary resources and treasures, Pill Refining talent was something one was born with; you either had it or you did not.

In the subsequent assessments, a few other individuals were also recognized by the elder Meng Wuyou and chose to join the Pill Sect.

But without exception, these individuals were ones who had failed the bone verification—they, in their hearts, still wished to become Martial Meridian disciples, as Martial Arts were considered orthodox.

After a long wait, it was finally Fang Yang's turn to step forward for the bone verification.

Fang Yang's demeanor was calm, and he even wore a faint smile as he approached the middle-aged man.

"Go for it, Young Master Fang Yang!"

"You can definitely pass!"

A few members of the Fang Family shouted out, causing others to roll their eyes in annoyance.

"Silence!" the middle-aged man bellowed, glaring at the shouting Fang Family members.

Chastised by the middle-aged man's glare, they immediately fell silent, trembling and barely daring to breathe.

Fang Yang was also dissatisfied with these Fang Family members. What were you thinking, shouting and carrying on like that in this setting? It was utterly embarrassing.

Consequently, Fang Yang acted as if he didn't know these fools and stood respectfully in front of the middle-aged man.

The man reached out and pressed onto Fang Yang's shoulder. Immediately, Fang Yang felt his body sink as if a huge stone was pressing down on him.

However, Fang Yang was not distressed; he had confidence in himself.

After a short while, the middle-aged man lifted his hand and said in a muffled voice, "Root Bone qualified."

At these words, Fang Yang couldn't help feeling a bit excited, but he restrained himself, merely bowing slightly towards the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man waved his hand, indicating that Fang Yang should stand behind him.

Fang Yang stood there, a look of self-satisfaction on his face. When he looked at Fang Lin in the crowd, his mouth curled into a scornful smile.

"Fang Lin, I am destined to soar to the heavens, while you will only be as mediocre as your father, forever insignificant within our family," Fang Yang thought to himself.

"See that? Young Master Fang Yang passed the assessment, he is destined to become a disciple of the Purple Mist Sect—that is our Fang Family's greatest honor!"

"Even if we can't be like Young Master Fang Yang, we are proud enough."

"Fang Lin, stop staring. Even though you're Young Master Fang Yang's cousin, he is destined to be a prodigy among men. You might as well honestly go back and take over your father's family business."

···

The Fang Family members unabashedly mocked and ridiculed Fang Lin, seeming more pleased about Fang Yang becoming a disciple of the Purple Mist Sect than if they had become disciples themselves.

Fang Lin just smirked and didn't bother arguing with them.

The assessments continued, and one by one, the Fang Family members stepped forward for the bone verification, with none passing. Although they were dejected, they soon let it go, having mentally prepared for this outcome.

The last of the Fang Family to come forward for bone verification was Fang Lin. He approached the middle-aged man with a smile, showing no sign of nervousness.

The middle-aged man frowned; he disliked the smile on Fang Lin's face, feeling as if his authority was being challenged.

Bang!

The middle-aged man's hand pressed down heavily on Fang Lin's shoulder, nearly knocking him to the ground.

"This guy!" Fang Lin grimaced, cursing inwardly. Just perform the assessment—why use so much force?