His voice though soft sounded next to everyone's ears whether they were at the front or the back, the volume was the same.
His whole demeanor turned regal and inviolable which made the eyes of the two siblings widen in shock especially Zou Liqin who had seen him goofing around with Zou Yi just a few moments ago. She found it hard to reconcile if the playful person from before was the same person she was seeing right now. She had detected such an aura from her late father, grandfather, and other prominent seniors of the clan.
"Is it still big brother Yang Qing?" Zou Yi muttered.
The rest of the members went silent as the atmosphere turned somber. The young lady who would be evaluated had her pupils tremble as Yang Qing's solemn gaze turned her way.
"Don't look down, it's your moment along with the clan. Look ahead the journey has only begun."
Yang Qing's voice sounded in her mind when he saw she was about to lower her head.
The young lady looked up with even more shock as she looked around only to find out she was the only one who seemed to have heard that voice. She even suspected she had hallucinated the voice since she was so anxious.
Prior to this, she thought she'd breeze through the evaluation. Even when she saw Yang Qing at most she was just a bit curious and apprehensive about him but that was only because he was from the Order. Because of Yang Qing's easygoing aura, she didn't feel as much pressure, unlike the rest of the elders who were on tenterhooks because they knew a few things or two about those who conducted evaluations.
This was why, when Yang Qing's demeanor changed as he unleashed a bit of his aura, among the members on the platform she was the only one who had the most intense reaction despite being the strongest. The other elders other than being excited were calm.
A few of the elders even took in the young lady's reaction with the look of a senior purposely letting a child learn the lesson a hard way.
"It seems they purposely withheld a bit of the information. Mmmh may be as a means to reign her pride in," Yang Qing thought as he watched the interaction of the elders and the young lady.
"Since you have entrusted her to me I should do a good job of it lest she gets careless out there and brings calamity upon herself and the clan," thought Yang Qing as he released a tiny bit more of his aura which he centered on the young lady.
It would not harm her since it was just a wisp of his aura but it would give her a tiny exposure to the might of a palace realm cultivator.
The young lady felt her whole body compress like there was a huge mountain above crushing even the very air out of her lungs. The Yang Qing before her had suddenly turned into the blazing sun. Just when she thought she was about to pass out, the pressure disappeared like it was never there to begin with, all she felt was a calm lightness.
However even though outwardly she felt that way, inwardly her heart was beating madly.
"Hold on to that feeling and let it be your motivation to push forward. There will always be a mountain above a mountain, don't slack off and let down your talent and the hopes of your seniors. I wish you luck on the journey ahead and I hope when I come back here it would be when the Murong clan finally has a core formation expert."
Yang Qing's voice echoed in her head once more. This time she knew the voice she heard before was no hallucination.
The clan leader noticed something from the young lady's expression before a knowing look appeared on his face. He bowed slightly in thanks to Yang Qing who returned a nod in return.
"No matter the rank, these leaders are usually perceptive," thought Yang Qing as he decided to proceed with the show.
"I Yang Qing, judge of the superior core court of the Order hereby begin my evaluation of the Murong clan for a rank 5 promotion in accordance with article 34 ranking protocols and guidelines.
The clan is to present a member with a foundation establishment cultivation for evaluation.
Clan Murong, bring forth your member," Yang Qing's voice boomed as it reverberated around the hall room that even the walls vibrated.
The atmosphere in the hall room had reached its peak at the moment.
The clan patriarch solemnly walked out as the young lady followed behind him.
"Patriarch Murong Jie presents Murong Yan who will be representing the family in the rank evaluation for the rank 5 promotion.
The Murong clan wholly submits to the ruling of the Order and its punishment should we be found to be in infringement of those rules."
Murong Jie loudly said as he moved to the side for Murong Yan to walk ahead of him toward Yang Qing.
"Murong Yan presents herself for the evaluation," Murong Yan stopped before Yang Qing as she cupped her fists.
"The evaluation will be a two-step process. First, you will pour your qi into this foundation white haze stone," Yang Qing said as he presented a palm-sized round cloudy white stone.
"The stone will only react if you have strength that is at the foundation level and above. You don't need to pour out a lot just a tiny bit will do," Yang Qing said as he handed the stone over.
Murong Yan held it tightly between her hands as she poured her qi into it.
The clan members all inadvertently gulped in anxiety despite already knowing she was a foundation establishment.
The moment her qi seeped into the stone, a swirling circle was formed in the stone as its cloudy white color got swallowed in the swirl as it started changing colors. It went from cloud white to pristine white, then light red as the shade got darker and darker, and then the color jumped to light orange as the swirling finally stopped.
