Sensing Steward Wangâs hesitation, Li Zongrui glared and said, "I am the Young Master of the Qingyun Sect. Donât I even have the right to look at the list? Donât forget, rules are made by people! And sooner or later, I will be the one making them."
Steward Wang felt a chill run down his spine under Li Zongruiâs intense gaze and, as if possessed, handed over the roster from the table.
Itâs just looking at a list, after all. No big deal,
he could only reassure himself.
Li Zongrui flipped through the roster and quickly found Ye Qingchenâs name. He couldnât help but sneer.
To commit such a despicable act and still dream of becoming an Inner Sect Disciple of our Qingyun Sect? If people found out our great sect recruited such a scoundrel, wouldnât we become a laughingstock!
With this in mind, Li Zongrui beckoned to Steward Wang. "Steward Wang, come here for a moment."
Steward Wang immediately stood up. Ignoring the impatient crowd that had formed a long line, he walked over to Li Zongrui. "Young Master, what are your orders?"
Li Zongrui pointed at Ye Qingchenâs name and said coldly, "This person has a vile character. If he participates in the Apprentice Alchemist Convention, our Qingyun Sect will become a laughingstock!"
Steward Wang looked at Li Zongrui, feeling conflicted. Ye Qingchen had just left, so the stewardâs impression of him was still fresh. Both Ye Qingchenâs strength and his Alchemic Talent were exceptionally rare. It would be the Qingyun Sectâs loss if he wasnât chosen as an Inner Sect Disciple. Furthermore, Steward Wang knew their Young Master rarely cared about sect affairs. For him to suddenly appear and speak so righteously about the sectâs reputation made the steward suspicious. He suspected that Li Zongrui was only acting this way due to a personal grudge against Ye Qingchen.
When Steward Wang didnât reply, Li Zongrui frowned and said coldly, "Steward Wang, this is the second time today youâve questioned me. There are some things I donât like to repeat. I trust you know which matters are more important."
Steward Wang couldnât help but shiver. Li Zongrui was right. Ye Qingchen was a stranger to him, so how could that manâs future be more important than his own? As the Young Master, Li Zongrui would one day control the entire Qingyun Sect. If Steward Wang wanted to keep his post, offending him was not a wise move.
Steward Wangâs tone changed in an instant. He spoke ingratiatingly to Li Zongrui, "The Young Master is truly perceptive. Iâve also heard that this Ye Qingchen relies on his considerable strength to bully the weak and kill the innocent. Such a person is indeed unworthy of participating in our sectâs grand event."
Li Zongrui nodded in satisfaction, patting the stewardâs shoulder. "Itâs good that you understand," he said meaningfully. "Serve the Qingyun Sect well, and the sect will not forget your contributions."
After saying his piece, Li Zongrui turned and left. He was confident his obvious hint was enough for Steward Wang to handle the matter to his satisfaction. After all, no one who wasnât a slick operator could become a steward.
Sure enough, not long after Li Zongrui departed, Steward Wang secretly erased the information Ye Qingchen had just registered.
Registration was still ongoing, but Li Zongrui had already rushed to Li Susuâs side to claim his credit. After being injured by Ye Qingchen, Li Susu had been complaining to Li Zongrui. He had considered giving her more Spirit Pills to enhance her strength, but Elder Liu Qin had stopped him.
Ultimately, strength gained through Elixirs would destabilize oneâs foundation, creating hidden dangers when attempting to break through to higher Realms later on. Since Li Susu possessed a Six-star Vermilion Bird Martial Soul, Elder Liu Qin hoped she could go much further.
Li Susu accepted Elder Liu Qinâs advice and instead goaded Li Zongrui into finding ways to cause trouble for Ye Qingchen. As the Young Master of the Qingyun Sect, Li Zongrui was well aware of all the paths to becoming an Inner Sect Disciple. He had blocked Ye Qingchenâs promotion route of defeating an Inner Sect Disciple, so he deduced Ye Qingchen would inevitably have to participate in the Apprentice Alchemist Convention to find another way. Although Li Zongrui didnât know the extent of Ye Qingchenâs Alchemic Talent, he had orchestrated the scene at the registration plaza to eliminate any potential threats.
When Li Susu learned that Li Zongrui had someone remove Ye Qingchenâs registration, a flicker of malice flashed through her eyes. But she put on a coquettish air and said to him, "Brother Zong Rui, is doing this really okay? You mustnât get punished by the Sect Master for my sake. If that happened, I would be heartbroken."
Li Zongrui felt his bones melt at her cloyingly sweet voice. He immediately puffed out his chest and promised, "Punished? Thatâs ridiculous! Iâm the Young Master. Who would dare say a word if I decide to deal with a mere Outer Sect Disciple? Besides, even if my father did decide to assign blame, it would never land on me. Donât you worry, Su Su. Iâll go ask Father for some Mysterious Rank Martial Arts for you. That way, your strength will increase even faster."
"Brother Zong Rui, youâre too good to me. Iâm merely a ruined woman, not worthy of all this effort..."
Hearing this, Li Zongrui felt both pained and moved, and his resolve to help her hardened.
ă...ă
Still unaware of the deception, Ye Qingchen had already begun a new round of closed-door cultivation. There was only one week until the Apprentice Alchemist Convention, and he had to use every moment to comprehend the Pill Emperorâs Heart Sutra and increase his chances of success.
Xiao Xiao understood how important this convention was to their young master and dutifully avoided disturbing him, even going so far as to unceremoniously turn away a Venerable who came to visit. This left the Venerable thoroughly exasperated. He was a Venerable of the Qingyun Sect, an existence on par with the Sect Master himself! How had he become so worthless here?
Ye Qingchen sat cross-legged and began to review the Pill Emperorâs Heart Sutra once more. As a new Outer Sect Disciple, he was completely unaware of the rules for the Apprentice Alchemist Convention. Although Ye Ying had tried to gather information about it, the rules for this yearâs event had apparently been set by the Sect Master himself and were different from previous years. Therefore, it was practically impossible for Ye Qingchen to focus his training on specific areas within the seven-day time limit.
However, after some calm analysis, he began to form a rough plan. Since it was the Apprentice Alchemist Convention, it was highly unlikely the competition would involve refining Immortal Pills. The tests would therefore have to focus on the fundamentals of Alchemy. Based on the experience of past years, purification techniques were a guaranteed part of the competition, an area where Ye Qingchen was extremely confident. The other likely test would be knowledge of medicinal herbs. This was his weak point. Coming from a small place like Qingyun Town, his knowledge and experience paled in comparison to that of disciples from major families.
Fortunately, the Pill Emperorâs Heart Sutra had a dedicated Chapter on medicinal herbs, so Ye Qingchen decided to devote most of his energy over the next seven days to studying it.