Invincible Soul Emperor-Chapter 64: The Bet

"Brother Qingchen, are you home?"

Not long after Ye Qingchen had his breakthrough, Ye Ying’s voice came from the gate of his small courtyard.

"Miss Ye Ying, the Young Master is cultivating in his room. Do you need something? Please, come in!" Xiao Xiao said with a smile, sticking her head out of the kitchen. One small hand held a plucked, four-legged "chicken," while she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her other hand.

"Okay!"

As Ye Ying walked into the courtyard, Ye Qingchen emerged from his room at the same time. "Sister Ye Ying, did you need me for something?"

Ye Ying smiled and said, "You’re just in time! Let’s go to the Sect Square. They’re holding the comprehensive ranking test for new outer disciples. The higher your rank, the more and better Cultivation Resources the Sect will grant you each month!"

Ye Qingchen’s eyes lit up. The higher the rank, the more Cultivation Resources? Such a good deal actually exists? I absolutely have to participate in this test!

By the time Ye Qingchen and Ye Ying arrived at the Sect Square, it was already swarming with people. Nearly all the new outer disciples had gathered, waiting for something to begin.

Just as Ye Qingchen stepped into the crowd, a mocking voice sounded from nearby. "Huh, isn’t that the trash Ye Qingchen, who got in through the back door? What, a good-for-nothing who faints just from selecting a Cultivation Technique thinks he can get a good rank? I advise you to crawl back where you came from and stop embarrassing yourself!"

Ye Qingchen looked toward the voice and saw it was none other than the burly youth, Liu Wenzhuang, who had mocked him before at the Transfer Technique Hall.

As Liu Wenzhuang finished speaking, a predictable roar of laughter erupted in the square. Many outer disciples stared at Ye Qingchen, their eyes filled with mockery and contempt.

Ye Ying shot Liu Wenzhuang a disgusted look. "You can be careless with what you eat, but not with your words. With which eye did you see Ye Qingchen faint while choosing a Cultivation Technique?"

Liu Wenzhuang’s interest was piqued. "He’s just a piece of trash who was specially recruited through connections. Do I even need to provide evidence?"

With that, Liu Wenzhuang gestured with his chin toward a youth standing beside him. "Huang Xiaoshuai, I hear you and Ye Qingchen are from the same town. You were the champion of your town’s trial competition, while he ranked ninety-ninth. Is that not an indisputable fact?"

Huang Xiaoshuai glanced at Ye Qingchen, then warily back at Liu Wenzhuang, and spoke cautiously, "That’s right. Ye Qingchen did rank ninety-ninth in the trial competition."

He did not mention why Ye Qingchen had ranked so low, nor the fact that he had been defeated in a single move. For one, he didn’t want to offend Liu Wenzhuang. For another, he found the idea of publicly admitting his one-move defeat to Ye Qingchen utterly humiliating and could not bring himself to say it.

"Did everyone hear that? Ninety-ninth in the trial competition!" Liu Wenzhuang laughed, his pride swelling. "I really don’t understand why trash like him would come to our Qingyun Sect. What a waste of food!" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Exactly! Why would trash like that be specially recruited into our Qingyun Sect!"

"If he were a genius, being specially recruited would be one thing! But his strength is mediocre at best. I’m ashamed to be in the same sect as him!"

"And he dares to show up for the ranking test? Has he no shame?"

Faced with the widespread mockery, Ye Qingchen simply shook his head with a smile, saying nothing. After being called trash for ten years, his mindset had long since been tempered. The insults of these youths could not affect him. Besides, joining the Qingyun Sect was merely a stepping stone. His ambitions were far greater, and the likes of Liu Wenzhuang were utterly beneath his notice.

Seeing Ye Qingchen besieged by the crowd without even daring to retort, Liu Wenzhuang’s contempt grew even stronger. "What a wimp! Too scared to even make a peep! A person like that is doomed to never become a powerful expert!"

Even a clay Buddha has a temper. Liu Wenzhuang’s relentlessness finally made Ye Qingchen frown. "Since you’re so eager to perform, how about a little bet? If my test ranking is higher than yours, all the Cultivation Resources the Sect gives you for the next year belong to me! Conversely, my year’s worth of Cultivation Resources will be yours!

"Do you dare to take the bet?"

Since Liu Wenzhuang doesn’t know what’s good for him, I’ll make him bleed for this.

Liu Wenzhuang was overjoyed. "Hahaha, a bet! Of course, we’ll bet! Since you’re handing Cultivation Resources to my doorstep, why wouldn’t I? Even though your rank is bound to be pathetic, a mosquito’s leg is still meat. I’ll gladly accept!" he roared with laughter.

"Enjoy your laughter now," Ye Ying said, casting a pitying glance at Liu Wenzhuang. "You’ll be crying soon enough!"

"Me, cry?" Liu Wenzhuang scoffed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "Impossible!"

As they were speaking, an Elder in official attire stood up on the high platform at the front of the square. It was Elder Huang, the one who had previously handled the new disciple registration.

"Everyone, quiet down!"

As soon as Elder Huang spoke, the noisy square fell silent, all eyes turning to him. He gestured to a massive black stone behind him, over two meters tall, and announced in a resonant voice, "In a moment, you will each come up and press your palm against this testing stone. It will conduct a comprehensive assessment of your talent, Soul Power, age, physique, potential, and more to produce a final score.

"The maximum score is five hundred points. Outer disciples who score above four hundred will receive first-tier Cultivation Resources from the Sect and will be designated for focused nurturing!

"Those who score between three hundred and four hundred points are second-tier, and the Cultivation Resources they receive each month will be a level below!

"Those scoring between two hundred and three hundred are third-tier, and their monthly Cultivation Resources will be even less!

"As for outer disciples scoring below two hundred, you will be in the final tier, receiving the least amount of Cultivation Resources each month!

"Of course, all of your scores will be ranked and updated in real-time! Once the test is over, the top ten disciples will also receive additional monthly rewards from the Sect! Now, the test begins! Good luck to you all!"

Following Elder Huang’s announcement, the outer disciples began lining up to ascend the stage one by one. Each pressed a hand against the giant black stone, and their scores appeared.

"Wang Lin, four hundred and one points, first-tier!"

"Li Teng, three hundred and forty-five points, second-tier!"

"Xue Kai, one hundred and ninety-nine points, final tier!"

As the scores were announced, the high-scoring disciples grew ecstatic, while those with lower scores looked utterly dejected. Some of the female disciples even began to cry on the spot. It was a scene of both jubilation and despair.

The testing proceeded quickly. Half an hour later, it was Liu Wenzhuang’s turn.

He ascended the platform with confident strides, placed his hand on the stone, and a moment later, his score appeared on the black monolith: "Liu Wenzhuang, four hundred and forty-four points, first-tier, temporary ranking: fourth!"

A smug smile spread across Liu Wenzhuang’s face at the result. He stepped off the stage, pausing beside Ye Qingchen to sneer, "See that? Fourth place overall! You’re bound to lose, you piece of trash!"