The elder frowned, clearly disagreeing with his statement and not taking Shi Miao seriously at all. "Do you think someone who grew up outside the clan and only returned after a long time can be compared to someone like Shi Ying who has experienced all kinds of training and trials?"

Shi Song's eyelids twitched, but he couldn't possibly tell him about Shi Miao's affairs, so he could only emphasize again, "That's true, but we should still be careful."

The elder narrowed his eyes slightly, suddenly sensing something was amiss. He looked at him sharply and asked, "When did you become so timid and hesitant?"

Shi Song's eyes flickered slightly, his face expressionless, revealing nothing of the matter. He said in a serious tone, "Nothing of the sort. It's just that this successor assessment is of great importance, and we cannot be careless."

The Grand Elder hummed in agreement, no longer questioning Shi Song's explanation.

Shi Song glanced down at Shi Si's name on the list and said, "Actually, Shi Si doesn't need to be on the candidate list."

Although he didn't know the full extent of the situation, generally speaking, losing one person meant losing a competitive edge.

The elder withdrew his gaze and waved his hand dismissively, "No problem, I'm afraid he won't even pass the most basic assessment."

Shi Song didn't respond, but he knew exactly what the elder was up to. In the elder's eyes, having one more or one less name made no difference; he simply wanted to embarrass Shi Jing's lineage in public through this assessment.

The First Elder tapped his fingers lightly on the table, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "No matter what, the position of heir must not fall into the lineage of the family head."

"Of course, let's just wait for the assessment in two days." Shi Song picked up the Buddhist prayer beads that were lying on the table, slowly wrapped them around his wrist, and said in a calm voice, "If there's nothing else, let's call it a day."

Grand Elder: "Hmm."

Shi Song stood up, flicked off non-existent dust from his clothes, then put his hands behind his back and left the council hall.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shi Miao and the others had already returned to the main villa.

"Master, why did those elders add the young master's name to the list?" Butler Shi handed the brewed tea to Shi Jing.

Shi Jing took the drink, bowed his head, and took a sip. He wasn't in a hurry at all. "What else could it be? They just want to see us make a fool of ourselves."

Butler Shi frowned and asked, puzzled, "Then why didn't you stop it back then, Master?"

Shi Jing put down his teacup. "Since Shi Si is the eldest young master of our Shi family, he cannot stay out of it. So there is no need to stop him. The important thing is to participate."

He paused, then looked up at Shi Miao sitting diagonally opposite him. "The first test is shooting and combat skills, which are basic requirements. However, neither you nor your brother have received training in these areas, and it's obviously impossible to learn them in just two days. It's okay if you give up, but focus on the later tests."

I had asked Shi Miao before if she knew martial arts and shooting. Although she answered that she did, there was probably a big gap between her and the other members of the Shi family who had been trained since childhood.

As for shooting, Shi Ying's marksmanship is the best among the younger generation, making the chances of victory even lower for the brother and sister.

Upon hearing this, Shi Miao raised her beautiful eyebrows slightly, but didn't say anything more, only obediently nodding, "Okay."

Shi Jing: "By the way, Miao Miao, go upstairs later and tell your brother about the assessment."

Shi Miao hummed in agreement, glanced at the time on her phone, then stood up and said, "Dad, if there's nothing else, I'll go back to my room."

Shi Jing nodded, "Okay."

After Shi Miao went upstairs, she happened to pass by Shi Si's room. Thinking that he should still be sleeping, she didn't go up to disturb him and planned to tell him about the assessment after he woke up.

The door was suddenly opened the next second.

Shi Si scratched his slightly messy hair, looked at the girl a few steps away, and asked with some surprise, "I remember you were going to that meeting or something?"

Shi Miao's lips twitched slightly, her expression quite complicated. "It's over."

Shi Si coughed lightly, clearly not expecting that Shi Miao's session had already ended just as he woke up. "So fast."

Shi Miao took a few steps back and stopped in front of Shi Si. "By the way, you will also be participating in the successor assessment in two days."

Shi Si frowned, quite speechless. "Me?"

Shi Miao nodded slightly and explained, "The elders' council has also added you to the list of candidates."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Dad said it's all about participation."

Shi Si clicked his tongue lightly, "Alright then."

*

Two days later, on the day of the successor assessment.

The assessment took place at the Shi family's special training ground.

At 10 a.m., everyone gathered at the training ground. In addition to the elders and deacons of various branches, there were also some elite members of the Shi family.

The elder raised his eyes and glanced at the two empty seats on the heir's platform not far away. He frowned and asked, "The young lady and the young master haven't arrived yet?"

Upon hearing this, the subordinate beside him glanced in that direction and then replied in a low voice, "Not yet, they might be delayed on the way."

The elder raised his hand and glanced at his watch. His eyes were devoid of any warmth as he coldly said, "If you are not here by 10:00, this assessment will be considered a forfeit."

No sooner had the words been spoken than Shi Miao and Shi Si appeared on the training field, almost arriving just in time.

"Elder, they're here," his subordinate reminded him.

The elder snorted coldly upon seeing this, and although he was somewhat dissatisfied, he did not say anything more.

Soon, the assessment officially began.

The first test was physical strength, and opponents were determined by drawing lots.

Shi Si stretched lazily, looking quite nonchalant, clearly not taking the assessment seriously. He turned to look at Shi Miao beside him and whispered, "Do you think I should go easy on her or just admit defeat?"

"No need, just play normally." Shi Miao patted his shoulder. "Go up and draw lots."

Shi Si raised an eyebrow slightly, then slowly stood up and walked towards the Grand Elder.

At the same time, Shi Ying, who was two seats away from Shi Miao, also stood up. Dressed in a simple and neat outfit, she glanced at Shi Miao indifferently before going up to draw lots.

Shi Miao naturally noticed Shi Ying's gaze and suddenly had a premonition that the two of them would make eye contact.

As expected, the draw results came out, and Shi Miao was matched against Shi Ying.

Shi Ying walked up to Shi Miao with a note in her hand, chin raised, looking confident. "I hope you won't be crying and begging to admit defeat later."

Shi Miao's lips curled up casually as she slowly took off her coat, rolled up her shirt sleeves to reveal a section of her fair arm, and said in a clear, cold voice without a trace of impurity, "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've done anything."

Shi Ying frowned, assuming she was just being stubborn and putting on airs, and didn't bother arguing with her anymore. She then walked towards the competition stage.