"You,"
As she spoke, Yue Yan reached out and pinched Bing's cheek. Bing's face instantly turned red, unsure if it was from Yue Yan's pinch or from embarrassment at her own reaction just now…
Immediately after, Yue Yan turned her head and looked at Ye Feng, who wore a look of confusion. "It's a woman named Yue Fei Xue!"
"What, it's her!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Feng couldn't help but be taken aback. His mind recalled a woman draped in a white fur cloak, wearing a jade green hairpin, her dark hair coiled high at the back of her head. She looked like a figure stepped out of a traditional Chinese landscape painting.
He remembered that in the Frost City, she had appeared mysteriously, saved him, and then vanished just as mysteriously… Later, they met again at the Sand Dune Ancient Battlefield… She had inexplicably put out a bounty on him, seemingly to push him to grow stronger faster…
And after the Sand Dune Ancient Battlefield, he hadn't seen her again…
"Why did she ask you to pay attention to me?"
Ye Feng looked at Yue Yan with a hint of bewilderment.
"Hmph, ask that old woman yourself!~"
Yue Yan snorted and turned her head away, appearing quite displeased with Yue Fei Xue.
"Old woman?"
Ye Feng looked perplexed. "Yue Fei Xue is about the same age as you and Bing… How is she old?"
"Besides, she's a nice person. Is there… some misunderstanding between you two?"
Yue Fei Xue had left a good impression on Ye Feng, so seeing Yue Yan seem to have an issue with her, he wanted to mediate.
"What, you're calling me old?"
Hearing Ye Feng's words, Yue Yan's eyes widened. She glared at Ye Feng, clearly angered.
"I…"
Ye Feng was speechless. When had he ever called Yue Yan old?
"Cough, cough, Sister Yan, you still haven't told us about the first three trials,"
At this moment, Bing spoke up, changing the subject and easing the slightly tense atmosphere.
"Too lazy to bicker with you, brat!"
Yue Yan shot Ye Feng a glance. "The three trials for the young talents of Arcane City correspond to things of great importance to Arcane City!"
"The first trial was to find someone who could help maintain the great protective array of Arcane City!"
As she spoke, a light flashed in Yue Yan's hand, and a dark, spherical object instantly appeared. It was the same crystal ball Ye Feng had used in the golden hall to test his talent.
"This crystal ball isn't actually for testing the talent of some Archon, but to find someone who can resonate with the primal energy emanating from the Concealed Qi Stone!"
Yue Yan pointed at the dark crystal ball in her hand and explained.
"Primal energy?"
Ye Feng was quite surprised.
"Mm!"
Yue Yan nodded slightly. She formed a seal with her hands, and the dark crystal ball glowed, unfolding to reveal a small, fingernail-sized piece of Concealed Qi Stone within.
"All Archons know that advancing from Silver to Gold, and from Gold to Diamond, requires something special. Simple cultivation isn't enough!"
"Advancing from Silver to Gold involves shattering the meridians and source points that Archons rely on, plunging them into a state of near death to be reborn. Only then can one advance… The process is extremely perilous. A slight misstep can not only prevent advancement but also cripple one permanently, or even result in immediate death…"
"This immense risk prevents many high-level Silver Archons from daring to attempt the breakthrough. They choose to continue cultivating and become Mithril… This is also why, even among the Seven Great Powers, there are not many Gold-level experts…"
Yue Yan paused here. "As for what's needed to advance from Gold to Diamond, very few people know… Even those who have ascended to Diamond can rarely explain precisely what they comprehended to achieve it…"
"After reaching Diamond, the faint, elusive mystical aura that Archons perceive during cultivation… that is the primal energy!"
"And a few individuals, even at lower cultivation levels, have an extraordinary affinity for the primal energy. The first round of selection for the young talents of Arcane City was to find such people…"
As her words fell, Yue Yan formed another seal with her hands. The dark crystal ball in her hand flickered, returning to the clear, translucent state Ye Feng had first seen in the golden hall.
Almost simultaneously, Yue Yan's voice rang out again, "Archons with an extraordinary affinity for primal energy, who cover the crystal ball with their arcane energy, will cause it to turn black if they can resonate with the primal energy emanating from the Concealed Qi Stone within!"
"The primal energy emanating from the Concealed Qi Stone… Was that the reason the primal energy surged from the core of the Arcane City's protective array back then…?"
"And the Concealed Qi Stone can be used to conceal things… appearing completely natural externally… with almost no perceptible anomaly… Is that also due to the dual nature of primal energy – both ordinary and mystical…?"
Listening to Yue Yan's explanation, Ye Feng pondered, and a lot of things became clear.
"As for the second trial, observing that gold medal was to decipher the secret of the treasure left by the Flame Ranger…"
"Too many unforeseen events occurred back then… which caused the plan to be completely disrupted… The Flame Ranger could only leave clues in this manner…"
At this point, Yue Yan spoke again, a distinct hint of regret in her voice.
"Hoo!"
Yue Yan let out a soft sigh and spoke again, "The embroidery in the third trial was to find someone capable of creating the final pattern…"
"The second and third trials are related, both concerning the treasure left by the Flame Ranger!"
"These three selections were all to choose the true young talents of Arcane City. Each one holds extraordinary significance for Arcane City…"
As she said this, Yue Yan looked at Ye Feng with surprise. "It's just that I never expected the same person to meet the conditions for all three selections!"
"So that's how it is…"
Ye Feng scratched his head, finally beginning to understand.
He looked at Bing, then turned to Yue Yan with a serious expression. "Yue Yan, you just said Bing was in mortal danger. What's going on?"
"It's the Divine Stone!"
Yue Yan frowned slightly. "All explorers believe that the Divine Stone can grant them immense power, even make them gods… But very few people know… that the Divine Stone is highly toxic!"
As she spoke, Yue Yan grabbed Bing's hand and rolled up her sleeve, revealing her fair arm to the three of them.
"Buzz!"
The next second, a pale blue light flashed from Yue Yan's hand. Dark veins instantly appeared on Bing's fair arm…
The black veins started from her palm, snaking upwards along her arm, wriggling as if alive…
"This…"
Seeing this, Ye Feng frowned and looked at Yue Yan questioningly.
…