Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 100: Chapter 100 Erase the Quota

Sensing Steward Wang’s hesitation, Li Zongrui glared and said, ”I am the Young Master of the Qingyun Sect. Don’t I even have the right to look at the list? Don’t 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 Zongrui’s intense gaze and, as if possessed, handed over the roster from the table. It’s 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 Qingchen’s name. He couldn’t 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, wouldn’t 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 Qingchen’s 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 steward’s impression of him was still fresh. Both Ye Qingchen’s strength and his Alchemic Talent were exceptionally rare. It would be the Qingyun Sect’s loss if he wasn’t 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 sect’s 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 didn’t reply, Li Zongrui frowned and said coldly, ”Steward Wang, this is the second time today you’ve questioned me. There are some things I don’t like to repeat. I trust you know which matters are more important.”

Steward Wang couldn’t help but shiver. Li Zongrui was right. Ye Qingchen was a stranger to him, so how could that man’s 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 Wang’s tone changed in an instant. He spoke ingratiatingly to Li Zongrui, ”The Young Master is truly perceptive. I’ve 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 sect’s grand event.”

Li Zongrui nodded in satisfaction, patting the steward’s shoulder. ”It’s 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 wasn’t 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 Susu’s 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 one’s 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 Qin’s 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 Qingchen’s 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 didn’t know the extent of Ye Qingchen’s 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 Qingchen’s 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 mustn’t 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? That’s ridiculous! I’m 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. Don’t you worry, Su Su. I’ll go ask Father for some Mysterious Rank Martial Arts for you. That way, your strength will increase even faster.”

”Brother Zong Rui, you’re too good to me. I’m 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.

「...」

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 Emperor’s 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 Emperor’s 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 year’s 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 Emperor’s 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.