"Heh, so you've returned, but whether or not you've passed the examination is still another matter!"

Ge Buqi naturally didn't want to see anyone from Lushan City pass the first round, so he sarcastically interjected right after Lu Liancheng finished speaking.

This was also the reason why the branch presidents nearby wore cold smiles because, aside from those Meridian Refining Masters standing in the middle of the square, there were hundreds of them at the perimeter as well. Judging by their appearances, they clearly hadn't found all ten types of herbs.

The examination for the disciples of Refining Cloud Mountain isn't just about failing to return if you haven't found all ten herbs. Even if they haven't gathered all, many come to watch the excitement, or they're extremely interested in who managed to find all the herbs.

Thus, just because someone returned doesn't mean they've gathered all the herbs. At least, most of these Meridian Refining Masters haven't found all ten, so Ge Buqi's words weren't entirely baseless.

"Hmph, as long as Yun Xiao has returned, he's certainly gathered all the herbs. Just wait and see!"

For some reason, Lu Liancheng wasn't angry at Ge Buqi's words but rather felt a thrill of anticipation for a comeback. After all, he had personally witnessed Yun Xiao's Meridian Refining skills in Lushan City.

Considering what Lu Liancheng knew about Yun Xiao, if this young man had returned at the last moment, it meant he completed the task. These old guys like Ge Buqi, in Lu Liancheng's eyes at that moment, seemed like jesters.

Indeed, after Lu Liancheng finished speaking, that boy in rough clothes seemed to have figured out the situation inside and outside the square. Instead of mingling with the spectators on the perimeter, he walked straight to the center of the square with his companion, joining the dozens of others there.

"Haha, didn't I say so? Old Ge, did you see clearly?"

Seeing Yun Xiao standing firmly in the center of the square, Lu Liancheng couldn't help but burst into laughter, turning his head towards Ge Buqi. Immediately, he noticed the face of the Shiyun City branch president turning a bit sullen.

"Hmph, this is just the first round. If you want to beat me, get into the top ten first!"

At this moment, Ge Buqi had nothing more to say. Fortunately, their bet was whether the Meridian Refining talent sent by Lushan City could make it into the final top ten. Now, it seemed that entering the top ten would require going through another brutal round of elimination.

"Don't worry, I won't let you down!"

Lu Liancheng was in high spirits, but upon hearing the words "won't let you down" leave his mouth, Ge Buqi's expression turned even gloomier, clearly not the result he desired.

......

Among the disciples at the Refining Cloud Mountain Headquarters, a black-clad enchanting figure finally saw the two figures walking to the center of the square, her fragrant shoulders trembling slightly.

"You truly didn't disappoint me!"

Mo Qing murmured to herself, although she also saw the Jade Pot Sect Master Yu Shu accompanying Yun Xiao, at that moment, her eyes could only see the rough-clothed boy carrying a wooden sword.

A month ago, there were nearly ten thousand people in the square, making it difficult to find even someone extremely familiar. Until now, she had finally seen the true self of the person she yearned for in this Hidden Dragon Continent.

Unlike Lu Liancheng, Mo Qing's confidence in Yun Xiao never wavered, and she never thought Yun Xiao would fail, because on the Hidden Dragon Continent, she had seen too many extraordinary deeds by that boy.

Sometimes, Mo Qing even wondered if there was no word "failure" in Yun Xiao's life because whatever the boy did, the result would be a sweeping victory without exception.

"Tsk, that bumpkin of a kid is Yun Xiao, is he?"

Beside Mo Qing, Bai Wushuang, the first genius of Heavenly Hospital who had been keeping an eye on her, naturally followed her gaze and noticed the rough-clothed boy carrying a wooden sword, disdain unhidden in his eyes.

Yun Xiao's features were decent, but only average, and his long-standing coarse clothing indeed made him look like a country bumpkin. In terms of demeanor, compared to Bai Wushuang, Yun Xiao was far inferior.

Moreover, knowing Yun Xiao was also from the Hidden Dragon Continent, Bai Wushuang felt this boy posed even less threat to him. If Yun Xiao didn't pass the Refining Cloud Mountain disciple selection, it would be fine, but once he did, Bai Wushuang would make sure Yun Xiao realized the disparity between them.

Bai Wushuang harbored a peculiar possessive feeling towards Mo Qing, but what was becoming more apparent was that the woman beside him was pining for a country bumpkin from the Hidden Dragon Continent, something he couldn't reconcile with.

He was determined to crush this Yun Xiao in front of Mo Qing, ensuring he could never rise again. As the favored genius of the Meridian Refining Master Association of Tenglong Continent, Bai Wushuang felt entitled to such pride.

......

"I knew it, there's no way you could fail!"

Over at Sky Poison Institute, Liu Hanyi couldn't help but smile like a blooming flower upon seeing the rough-clothed boy walk into the square, though even she hadn't realized the subtle relief in her tone.

But what Liu Hanyi hadn't noticed was the faint green glow in the eyes of a young man in green attire not far from her when he heard the joy in her voice.

"Yun Xiao, is it? I wonder how strong your resistance to poison is?"

A low muttering sound came from this person's mouth, and no one knew that just by passing the first round of the test, Yun Xiao had managed to draw quite a bit of animosity towards himself. It's truly remarkable how skilled he is at attracting hostility.

...

"Is that boy Yun Xiao?"

In the northern seats, the Dean of the Sky Poison Institute, Qingmu Wu, cast a sidelong glance at the boy in plain clothes in the middle of the square, muttering to himself, making it unclear if he was asking a question or simply talking to himself.

"Yes, that's Yun Xiao. Back on the Hidden Dragon Continent..."

Beside him, Qian Sanyuan also noticed Yun Xiao. Upon hearing Qingmu Wu's question, he nodded slowly. Though he didn't finish his sentence, his thoughts drifted back to that scene in the Meridian Refining Master Guild in Cold Moon City.

At that time, Qian Sanyuan was merely a Meridian Refining Master at the Peak of Earth Rank Advanced Level, so the technique he exhibited was only refining an Earth Rank Advanced Elixir.

Unexpectedly, after some changes, he eventually succeeded in refining a true Heaven Rank Elixir, the Five Elements Pu Pill, and all of this was closely related to that boy in plain clothes, Yun Xiao.

"He doesn't look like much. I wonder how his Poison Meridian Skill is?"

Qingmu Wu glanced in a certain direction and posed another question, which reminded Qian Sanyuan of what he had heard about Yun Xiao.

"Yun Xiao is probably adept in both Medical and Poison Cultivation. Maybe this time, both your Sky Poison Institute and the Heavenly Hospital will be vying tooth and nail for someone again!"

Although Qian Sanyuan specializes in the Medical Vein as a Medical Pulse Master, as the Vice President, with the President absent, he was not overly biased towards the Heavenly Hospital.

"Vying tooth and nail?"

Upon hearing Qian Sanyuan's statement, before the Second Elder Guan Rufeng could comment, Qingmu Wu had already sneered.

"While he may have a method to cure Innate Pulse Cutting, capturing Qingmu Wu's attention is not so easily done!"

It seems Qingmu Wu was already aware of how Xue Ningxiang's Innate Pulse Cutting was cured, but being an expert in the Poison Meridian Path, he wasn't easily impressed by Yun Xiao's healing skills.

"If none of you are interested, perhaps you could leave him to my Xuanyin Hall!"

As Qingmu Wu finished speaking, a sudden female voice chimed in. Upon hearing the words "Xuanyin Hall," it was clear Xue Ningxiang had interjected.

The moment she spoke up, Qingmu Wu fell silent. No matter the disputes between Sky Poison Institute and Heavenly Hospital, those were internal matters. When it came to external forces, he didn't want to be laughed at by others.

Qingmu Wu was well aware that Xue Ningxiang had always set her sights on Yun Xiao, and her intentions for attending this ceremony were obvious. However, if a Meridian Refining Master participating in the Refining Cloud Mountain disciple selection was snatched by Xuanyin Hall, that would undoubtedly be a slap in the face to the Meridian Refining Master Association.

"Let's just wait and see. There are still two more rounds!"

Qian Sanyuan glanced at Xue Ningxiang but didn't continue the conversation. Instead, he pointed in a direction, prompting everyone to shift their gaze back to the center of the square.

...

"Huh?"

As these individuals were engaged in conversation, a sudden exclamation sounded from somewhere, followed by the hurried sound of wind-breaking. A large group of figures suddenly appeared around the Refining Cloud Mountain Headquarters.

"Li Gongnian? Xu Changgui? They actually returned together?"

Many branch Presidents of the Meridian Refining Master Guilds were sharp-eyed, noticing the figures leading the group belonged to the talents of the Spirit Fighting Commerce and Sky Thunder Valley.

"Where's Lu Zhang? Why isn't he here? Could he not find the necessary herbs?"

People looked around, and someone familiar with Sky Thunder Valley raised a query. But just as the question was asked, there was a sudden exclamation: "Ah, what am I seeing? Is that... Sky Thunder Valley's protector, Yao Tiansha?"

"Yao Tiansha? I've heard he reached the Peak of the Seeking Origin Realm years ago, and he's also an Earth Rank Middle Level Meridian Refining Master. Isn't this unfair?"

With that reminder, many Branch Presidents immediately focused their gaze on the silver-robed middle-aged man. Their discussions were filled with indignation.

Although the Refining Cloud Mountain disciple selection didn't have age or rank limits for Meridian Refining Masters, generally, a Meridian Refining Master of Earth Rank Middle Level wouldn't participate unless under special circumstances.

Such Meridian Refining Masters have special means to join the Meridian Refining Master Association directly and do not need to compete for the few spots with those mostly at the Earth Rank Low Level.