Inside the hall, Gao Ying's sudden move had brought a noticeable quiet. A series of eyes kept shifting between her and Xiao Yan, as if the young Gao, stirred by Xiao Yan's repeated achievements that had consistently surpassed her own records, was now eager to make a move. For those who still harbored hopes for the Ye family, this scene evoked a sense of quiet envy—by now, they clearly understood that, thanks to Xiao Yan's support, the Ye family had once again secured their place among the Five Great Families. Even with Gao Ying stepping in, Xiao Yan would surely take second place, regardless of whether he won first or not. Thus, the overall outcome was now firmly set. While the situation was settled, it was also a form of subtle retribution to witness Xiao Yan being outperformed by Gao Ying. Immediately after Gao Ying spoke, murmurs of agreement began to rise throughout the hall. Senior Sheng furrowed his brow, his expression somewhat helpless. He knew that although Cao Ying always appeared cheerful, her heart was actually cold and aloof. Her sudden move might indeed stem from a desire to be active, but more importantly, it was likely intended to dampen Xiao Yan's sharp momentum. After a moment's pause, Senior Sheng turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan. While he wasn't overly resistant to such matters, he did believe that Xiao Yan's exceptional talent was undeniable—yet a slight tempering of his ambition would not be amiss. The attention of everyone in the room was now focused squarely on Xiao Yan, eagerly awaiting his decision. Xiao Yan stared intently at Cao Ying, who was smiling gently at the corner of her lips. After a moment, Xiao Yan smiled softly and said, "Since Miss Cao has already expressed such a sentiment, if I were to simply stand by and not join in, it would indeed seem rather ungraceful of me." Hearing Xiao Yan's words, the refined and graceful expression on Cao Ying's face instantly bloomed into a charming smile. She masked her smile and said, "Mr. Xiao truly knows how to speak." As she spoke, Cao Ying lightly tapped the table with her jade hands, her figure then drifting gracefully like a butterfly, landing softly on the ground. She turned her beautiful eyes toward Cao Xiu and softly said, "Brother Cao, let me have a go." Cao Xiu shook his head helplessly. Cao Ying held an exceptionally high status within the Cao family, to the point that even the family patriarch had to take her words with great seriousness. This journey had been formally and seriously organized under Cao Ying's leadership, with her every instruction treated as an order. Although he recognized that Cao Ying's actions carried a touch of impatience and independence, he could only slowly retreat from the scene and return to the Cao family's seating area. Seeing Xiao Yan nod, Senior Sheng didn't say much more, pointing to the red circles on the ground beside them and saying, "Since everything is settled, then let's proceed..." Upon hearing this, the five of them nodded in turn and entered the circles one by one, maintaining a safe distance from each other—everyone knew that at such a moment, they were all opponents, and keeping a certain distance was essential. The five settled themselves at the five positions marked by the red circles, sitting cross-legged. This test focused on their soul power rather than their qi. By this stage, each of them had soul power strong enough to project and attack opponents while detached from their physical bodies, so they didn't need to move much. Observing that all five were ready, Senior Sheng slowly stepped back and, with a powerful wave of his hand, declared solemnly, "The assessment begins!" "As the elder Sheng's voice had just fallen, five mighty soul forces surged forth from the five bodies, each settling upon the surface of their respective figures and scanning the surroundings with vigilant eyes... The powerful, intangible soul forces enveloped the plaza, creating a subtle soul pressure that pressed upon some of the attendees within the hall. This sensation originated deep within the soul, entirely independent of the strength of their qi flow—thus, the current clash had already transcended into a battle of another realm." "Ah!" The tense standoff that had lasted for half a moment was suddenly broken by a cough that seemed to rise from nowhere. The five mighty soul forces, like five invisible giant serpents, erupted instantly from the foreheads of each individual, then collided chaotically in the central area. "Boom!" An intangible surge of spiritual energy radiated outward from the point of impact, suddenly taking form as a fierce gust of wind that roared through the upper half of the hall, causing a series of rustling sounds throughout the chamber. The forceful clash of souls sent the figures within the red circle trembling—Xiao Yan and Cao Ying remained relatively steady, their shoulders only slightly quivering before returning to normal. In contrast, Dan Xuan, Bai Ying, and Qiu Ji, who had been seated in meditation, were abruptly pushed backward by varying distances. Xiao Yan's gaze remained fixed on Cao Ying, some dozen paces away, knowing she was the true strongest opponent. The initial spiritual clash had clearly been directed specifically at him, though fortunately, he had been well-prepared and had not appeared overly disheveled in their first encounter. As for Dan Xuan and the other two, they had been completely caught off guard—Xiao Yan and Cao Ying's spiritual prowess far surpassed theirs. For this situation, Danxuan and the others had also noticed it, though they were a bit reluctant, the facts were clear—there was no way around it. The gap remained evident, no matter how hard they struggled, their efforts made little difference. This soul confrontation was entirely a battle between Xiao Yan and Cao Ying! They were truly the protagonists! Bai Ying stood in a corner, his gaze cold and stern upon Xiao Yan, full of resentment. Once a celebrated figure in the Bai family, he now found himself relegated to a supporting role beside Xiao Yan—how could he possibly be content with that? "Indeed, not to be underestimated..." Cao Ying gently brushed a strand of silvery hair from her forehead. Her graceful smile grew even more alluring as she subtly formed a hand seal, then suddenly solidified it. As Gao Ying's seal solidified, the vast spiritual energy swirling around her instantly condensed rapidly, transforming within a blink into a soul phoenix. With each flutter of its wings, the space around it twisted violently, and subtle dark fissures in the fabric of space began to spread outward. Though the soul phoenix was formless, the immense pressure it radiated caused many of the attendees in the hall to pause their serious gazes, fixed on the empty space before Gao Ying. As one character fell into place, a massive, intangible soul fist suddenly coalesced and struck the soul phoenix squarely on its head. "Boom!" The impact sent forth a fierce surge of soul storms, tearing the solid floor into jagged cracks several arms wide. The soul storm came swiftly and departed just as quickly. The body of Xiao Yan, who had been seated on the floor, was forcefully pushed back three steps by the terrifying force. In contrast, Cao Ying, taking advantage of the momentum of the attack, only retreated two steps—yet even this still astonished many in the crowd. They had never expected Xiao Yan to truly hold his own against such a formidable female opponent. The storm not only pushed back Xiao Yan and Cao Ying but also caused the three uninvolved Dan Xuan, Qiu Ji, and their companions to be pushed back several meters. They all sighed in resignation. Dan Xuan and Qiu Ji rose first, bowed respectfully to Sheng the Elder, and then naturally stepped out of the red circle. In this situation, staying on the field would only leave them as mere spectators. Both of them withdrew their participation, yet the White Eagle clenched his teeth tightly, fixing his gaze on Xiao Yan—who had been solely focused on Cao Ying—his eyes flashing a cold, determined intensity. With a sudden shift in his hand seal, he unleashed his soul energy in full force from within, transforming it into an invisible, serpentine giant that surged forward with sharp, deadly momentum, charging directly at Xiao Yan! "Unwise!" Feeling the White Eagle's abrupt intervention, Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, then turned his gaze coldly to the former. With a sweeping motion of his sleeve, he launched a powerful soul-energy ribbon that struck with tremendous force against the invisible serpent. "Boom!" The two clashed, and the seemingly powerful spirit great python instantly collapsed. The white eagle, meanwhile, turned pale instantly, spewing out a fountain of blood from his mouth, his body then falling like a kite with its string cut, spiraling backward before crashing heavily onto the floor. "You're strong. In the previous evaluations, you clearly didn't give your full effort..." Gao Ying slowly extended her long, graceful arms, her body soft and sinuous, evoking a sense of longing in many men. Yet, while Gao Ying teased him, Xiao Yan remained composed. He knew that before him stood a beautiful woman—beautiful, yet a serpent that would devour her prey. Any lapse in focus during their encounter would become the spark that ignited failure. "Now that only you and I remain, there's no further delay. If you can successfully receive my three Soul Palm Imprints in succession, I shall step aside. Of course, even if you choose to withdraw now, you will still secure the second place—ensuring the safety of the Ye family." "So, will you accept, or will you choose to leave on your own?" Gao Ying smiled gently, her hands gently spreading out before her, flawless and elegant—like a work of art—so beautiful it stirred the very heart.