Chapter 26: 250? A Fated Disciple, Bloodletting!

The system flapped its wings in excitement.
“This host, such a sly fox! You really have some tricks up your sleeve!”

The alchemy cultivator nearby stared wide-eyed, completely dumbfounded.
He was so shocked that he shivered and swallowed his saliva multiple times.

The sword cultivator he had struggled so hard to defeat was knocked out cold by a giant rock?!
He let out a howl and collapsed on the spot!

Just hearing that sound made his scalp tingle in pain!

Now that his identity token had fallen into the hands of the sudden female assessment candidate, he was no different from fish on a chopping board—ready to be carved.

He didn’t even think about struggling.
No way he was taking that kind of hit!

What if his brain got smashed and he lost his memory?
How would he remember spirit herbs in the future? How would he refine pills?

His brain was still a brain, after all!

Anyway, the identity token had all his information and name. She just needed to verify it and eliminate him.
He could just sign up for the assessment again in three months!

And honestly, even if his points got stolen, so what?
That sword cultivator who robbed him got eliminated too, didn’t he?
That actually made him feel a bit better.

“This Alchemy Cultivator Senior Brother, it’s my turn to verify you now. I truly apologize.
Sometimes luck is also a part of strength. Wishing you a safe journey,”

Ye Qingning smiled sweetly, her tone extremely polite.
Like copying an answer sheet, she wrote the name from the alchemy cultivator’s token onto the back of her own.

From the identity details, she also learned that this alchemist had come from out of town to attend the Yu Residence’s birthday celebration, and he was staying in a guest courtyard.

In the next second, a teleportation array lit up under the alchemist’s feet.
The moment he vanished, the assessment notification rang in Ye Qingning’s ears.

[Correct identity verified. 50 assessment points gained. Total points: 100. Current ranking: 348. Keep up the good work!]

Ye Qingning was delighted.
She had been ranked 444 before, now she was 348. That was nearly a hundred places gained!

Once she wrote down the sword cultivator’s name, she’d get another 50 points—her ranking would rise even more.

Good thing she waited for the sword cultivator to take out his identity token before making a move.
Otherwise, just finding that token would’ve been a huge pain.

If it had been on him, fine. But if it were in a spirit-marked mustard pouch or ring, she’d never have found it.

[Correct identity verified. 50 assessment points gained. Total points: 150. Current ranking: 250. Keep up the good work!]

[Hahahaha, 250! Ningning, you’re so shady the system thinks you’re literally a ‘250’*!]
The system laughed itself silly.

A/N: “Er Bai Wu” (250) is slang in Chinese for “idiot” or “fool.”

The sly host makes one move—and bam, certified 250!

Ye Qingning’s mouth twitched, ignoring the system that was laughing itself breathless.
Once the two eliminated cultivators were teleported out of the secret realm, she quickly left the courtyard.

To be precise—she left the Yu Residence.

They’d already made a bit of a scene.
If she stirred up more trouble within the estate, other assessment candidates might start targeting her.

Leaving the Yu Residence would actually make things easier for what she planned to do next.

---

Outside the secret realm, atop the trial hall’s high platform—

In addition to Outer Sect Elder Qiu and Inner Sect Executive Elder Tianji Daoist, both Xuan Yangzi and Sect Master Pei Yin had shown up to join the fun after the trial began.

After all, both had potential disciples they were eyeing, so of course, they had to check out the exam.

Just in time to see Ye Qingning knock someone out cold with a giant rock.
All of them were utterly stunned.

Female cultivators usually gave off a gentle, graceful vibe.
Even if they were strong, few would go around bashing people’s heads in with rocks.

Just—well, it was quite something! Very unique!

When it comes to taking disciples, you want the ones who stand out!

Though her ranking still wasn’t ideal, Xuan Yangzi remained optimistic about Ye Qingning.
He especially hoped she could squeeze into the top fifteen.

After raising a disciple for so many years, he was about to win a wager and see some return on investment—this girl had to give it her all!

Elder Qiu, an old fox himself, naturally noticed Xuan Yangzi’s pleased expression.

That gaze—wasn’t it the same as looking at a prized disciple?

He thought to himself:
“That old thing Xuan Yangzi… don’t tell me he’s got his eyes on this Ye girl and wants to make her his disciple?!”

Once the idea took root, comparisons inevitably followed.

Just last month, he’d promoted Yun Mengyao to an Outer Sect disciple, and he was genuinely considering taking a student.

If he recalled correctly, Yun Mengyao and this Ye girl had joined the sect during the same recruitment.

He had thought Yun Mengyao was already an outstanding talent—gifted and capable, recently admitted into the Talisman Path.
She should’ve had a fair chance in this outer sect assessment.

But now, compared to Ye Qingning, Yun Mengyao suddenly seemed a lot less impressive.

He was an elder of the Outer Sect, a senior figure in Penglai Sect.
How could he lose to Xuan Yangzi in disciple recruitment?

---

Tianji Daoist, being the Inner Sect Executive Elder, was also famously one half of a comical pair with Xuan Yangzi—the sect’s beloved frenemies.

They were equally powerful but polar opposites in temperament.

Xuan Yangzi was easygoing, approachable, always cheerful—he was not only a senior Grand Elder but also Penglai Sect’s most popular elder.

Tianji, though strong in cultivation, had an eccentric personality.
Many inner sect disciples privately called him “the weirdo old man.”
He was extremely strict.

Whenever Inner Sect disciples saw him, they acted like mice spotting a cat.
No one dared to take him as their master, and so, Tianji had remained disciple-less—a rare case in the entire sect.

One was desperate to find a disciple.
The other somehow picked up three and still wasn’t satisfied—so they naturally didn’t see eye to eye.

Every time they met, they argued.
Even if they were all smiles on the surface, they were secretly hurling curses at each other through sound transmission.

Still, they knew each other well.

Even if one had stomach trouble that day, the other could guess what kind of crap he’d had.

Just one glance, and Tianji Daoist was sure—Xuan Yangzi had taken a liking to Ye Qingning and definitely wanted to make her his disciple.

Unfortunately for him, Tianji had done a divination that morning.

The result?
The fated disciple he lacked was about to appear!

A female cultivator with dual lightning and fire spiritual roots.

This was it—his destined disciple!

Heaven had ordained it! What could Xuan Dogzi do to compete?

Besides, what good was alchemy anyway? You couldn’t use it in the trial!
Look how badly that alchemist got beaten up!

But formation cultivators were different.
Step by step, setting up arrays—they could attack or defend, one-on-one or one-vs-many.
Once someone fell into an array, they were at your mercy!

This girl was born to be a grand array master!
He would fight Xuan Dogzi for her, no matter what!

---

Back in the secret realm, about half an hour later—

Ye Qingning finally found a centuries-old Chinese scholar tree in a secluded alleyway.

The night was thick, and pale moonlight filtered through the dense branches, scattering faint shadows.
The gnarled trunk was covered in deep cracks, its branches stretched like withered fingers in all directions.

The night wind rustled the leaves, echoing like a beast’s low growl.

A strange, oppressive aura filled the air—something indescribable and eerie moved silently in the shadows, cloaking the alley in a creepy, sinister atmosphere.

The system had no idea why its host insisted on finding such a spooky old tree.

Could it be because it had mentioned a woman pregnant with a ghost in her past life and brought up old scholar trees?
Did that trigger something in the host?

Could it be that she wanted to…

Just as the system began speculating, it saw Ye Qingning take out the Summon Yin and Gather Evil Talismans she had previously torn from the Yu Residence.

She began pasting every single one of them on the tree.

But that wasn’t enough for her.

She extended her left hand, and with her right, conjured a blade of fiery red spiritual energy.

Before the stunned system could react, she swiftly sliced open her left palm.

Scarlet blood gushed forth, running along her pale palm lines and dripping to the ground.

The scent of blood mingled with the earthy aroma of grass and soil, spreading swiftly in all directions…