Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 460: Chapter 460: Tricked by Old Yang Again

”What a country bumpkin. He marvels at everything he sees, yet he has the gall to pester Senior Sister Zi Xing,” Liu Feng said with disdain, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Ye Qingchen chose to ignore Liu Feng. He could tell at a glance that Liu Feng was undoubtedly Zi Xing’s lapdog. Moreover, Zi Xing clearly had no feelings for Liu Feng; she was only being considerate because they were from the same sect, preventing the situation from getting too ugly.

Ye Qingchen stopped at various shelves in the hall, looking for an artifact he liked. However, with so many artifacts to choose from, he was momentarily overwhelmed.

”Ye Qingchen, I don’t know how you managed to become an advanced disciple,” Liu Feng said, seeing that Ye Qingchen was ignoring him. Thinking Ye Qingchen was afraid, he followed him and continued to taunt him. ”You’ve only been at Central Celestial Academy for a few days. Even if you can enter this Contribution Hall, do you have any contribution points to exchange for artifacts? Or did you just beg a sect elder for an Identity Token so you could come here to gawk?”

Ye Qingchen couldn’t be bothered to defend himself. Elder Yang had once said that the contribution points in the Divine Wood Order were more than enough for him to exchange for any artifact that caught his fancy. Given Elder Yang’s discerning eye, any artifact he considered desirable was surely remarkable. On this matter, Ye Qingchen had confidence in Elder Yang; given his status, the elder was unlikely to jest about such an affair.

After some indecision, Ye Qingchen finally settled on a mid-grade artifact sword. Noting the sword’s number, he took his Divine Wood Order and went to the instructor at the counter.

”Instructor, I’d like the sword numbered 763,” Ye Qingchen said, handing over his Divine Wood Order.

The instructor nodded, took a ledger from a cabinet, and flipped through it for a moment before saying, ”Number 763. That’s the mid-grade artifact, the Wood-Fire Twin Swords. It requires 50,000 contribution points.”

Ye Qingchen had chosen this artifact precisely because its Wood-Fire Attribute was a good match for him. However, he was momentarily taken aback when the instructor mentioned twin swords.

The instructor noticed Ye Qingchen’s confusion and explained with a smile, ”Actually, it’s a set of mother-son swords. The mother sword has the Wood Attribute. When the son sword is joined with it, this Wood Attribute is enhanced. However, they can also be wielded separately, at which point both swords take on the Fire Attribute.”

Ye Qingchen was somewhat astonished. This was different from what he had anticipated. He had assumed it was a single sword embodying both the Wood and Fire Attributes, but it turned out to be far more complicated.

Seeing Ye Qingchen’s hesitant expression, Liu Feng assumed he was intimidated by the high price and sneered, ”If you don’t have the contribution points, then stop putting on airs. Do you have any idea how many Spirit Beasts you’d have to kill to earn 50,000 points?”

Ye Qingchen frowned. Although the Wood-Fire Twin Swords weren’t exactly what he had expected, they were still the most suitable artifact for him at the moment. Since I’m spending Elder Yang’s contribution points anyway, I might as well get it now. If something better comes along later, I can always exchange it then.

With that thought, Ye Qingchen said to the instructor, ”Instructor, I’ll take this set of swords. How do I complete the transaction?”

The instructor pointed to an energy orb on the table. ”Just place your Identity Token on it, and the contribution points will be deducted automatically. Once the points are deducted, I will fetch the Wood-Fire Twin Swords for you.”

Ye Qingchen nodded and placed the Divine Wood Order on the energy orb. After a flash of green light, he asked curiously, ”Instructor, is it done?”

The instructor stared at the energy orb, dumbfounded, before speaking to Ye Qingchen with growing impatience. ”Look here, student, I’m a very busy man. Don’t come here to waste my time.”

The instructor’s words left Ye Qingchen puzzled. He asked in confusion, ”Instructor, I just joined the Central Celestial Academy. Is there a problem?”

The instructor replied irritably, ”You have the nerve to ask? Your Identity Token only has three contribution points! Even a newly issued token comes with 100 initial points. You’ve already used yours up, and now you’re telling me you’re new? If you keep causing trouble, believe me, I’ll report you to your dean!”

”HAHAHA! Ye Qingchen, just as I thought!” Hearing the instructor’s words, Liu Feng burst into laughter and began hurling all manner of insults. ”You don’t have any contribution points, yet you dared to pick out an artifact? Why don’t you take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself if you’re even worthy of owning one?”

The commotion drew the attention of others in the hall, who curiously gathered around to see what was happening. After learning the details, they all cast disdainful looks at Ye Qingchen.

Everyone here was an advanced disciple. To them, Ye Qingchen’s behavior was, at best, a desperate plea for attention. At worst, it was a deliberate act of disrespect toward an instructor and a disruption of the academy’s order.

As for Ye Qingchen, he was completely stunned. The bit of trust he had managed to build in Elder Yang began to crumble. He never imagined that the contribution points Elder Yang had mentioned—supposedly enough to exchange for a coveted artifact—would amount to a mere three points.

In your eyes, is the artifact I desire really worth so little?

In reality, Ye Qingchen had wronged Elder Yang. The Divine Wood Order the elder had prepared for him contained a whopping 500,000 contribution points—enough to exchange for even the most precious artifact in the entire Contribution Hall. It was just that... Elder Yang had accidentally grabbed the wrong Divine Wood Order.

I’m getting old, after all. A small mistake like this is understandable, isn’t it? Elder Yang mused to himself.

But Ye Qingchen didn’t know any of this. By rashly choosing a mid-grade artifact and now being unable to produce the required contribution points, it appeared as if he were deliberately toying with the instructor. Furthermore, the surrounding Central Celestial Academy disciples all looked eager for the drama to escalate, which put the instructor, who hadn’t been that angry at first, in a difficult position. If he didn’t deal with Ye Qingchen, his authority would be greatly diminished in the future.

The instructor’s voice turned cold. ”Student, if you don’t give me a reasonable explanation today, you will accompany me to the academy’s Enforcement Department to clear this up.”

Ye Qingchen felt a pang of guilt. Knowing he was in the wrong, he asked timidly, ”Um, Instructor... would you believe me if I said I grabbed the wrong Identity Token?”

”Stop your nonsense! Identity Tokens are incredibly precious. How could you possibly grab the wrong one?” Liu Feng cackled, reveling in Ye Qingchen’s misfortune. Deliberately causing trouble in the Contribution Hall and making a fool of the person in charge... For that alone, he could be expelled from the academy!