"Hmph. The Young Sect Master gave us specific instructions, and we intend to follow them," Chang Wei said. "Even if you could talk the sky down, we’re not letting you in."
Lai Fu added, "The Young Sect Master is quite generous. He gave us each a Low-grade Spirit Stone just for hassling this little brat. This is a great deal!"
It’s that Young Sect Master, Li Zongrui, again!
Ye Qingchen was left speechless. Why does he keep targeting me? And his methods are so... childish! Yes, that’s the only word for it: childish. This kind of harassment is no different from children playing house.
Ye Qingchen had thought about this before. Judging by his methods, Li Zongrui probably wasn’t a bad person at heart. He certainly hadn’t done anything to offend the guy, so this had to be some kind of misunderstanding! But Ye Qingchen didn’t dwell on it. He would deal with whatever came his way. It’s not like he was afraid of them, was he?
Now that he knew Chang Wei and Lai Fu were intentionally giving him a hard time, Ye Qingchen actually felt calmer. He raised his disciple token and said, "Senior Brothers, my name is Ye Qingchen. I just won the Apprentice Alchemist Competition. According to the rules, anyone who places in the top ten is qualified to certify as an Alchemist. I’m sure you two are aware of this, right?"
"The Apprentice Alchemist Competition?" Chang Wei scoffed disdainfully. "You said it yourself. Even as the champion, you’re still just an Apprentice Alchemist!"
Liu Fu also added with a sneer, "Ye Qingchen, you’re right, the top ten are qualified. But you seem a little too eager, don’t you think? Alchemists require patience! With your arrogant and impetuous nature, I doubt you’ll get far on the path of alchemy, much less achieve anything in your cultivation!"
"We’re blocking you for your own good! Our intentions are noble! Shouldn’t you be thanking us?"
Ye Qingchen just smiled, unfazed. "How far I go on the path of alchemy is none of your concern, Senior Brother. Right now, I just want to know one thing: am I qualified to enter the Alchemy Pavilion to certify as an Alchemist, or not?"
Seeing that Ye Qingchen wasn’t angry and was even smiling, Chang Wei felt a surge of irritation and snapped, "Ye Qingchen, is that any way to speak to a Senior Brother? Let me tell you something. So what if you won the Apprentice Alchemist Competition? In our eyes, your alchemy skills are still garbage. You’ll definitely fail the certification, so I suggest you quit now before you embarrass yourself!"
Ye Qingchen let out a cold laugh. "Whether or not I pass is my business. But thank you for your concern, Senior Brother."
Chang Wei was trembling with rage at his words, but he couldn’t lash out. Seeing this, Liu Fu quickly chimed in, "Ye Qingchen, with an attitude as insolent as yours, you’ll never amount to anything!"
Ye Qingchen just smiled and fell silent. The two of them were clearly out of things to say. Wasting more breath on them was less important than getting himself certified as an Alchemist. With that in mind, he stopped engaging with them, simply walking around them and heading straight into the Alchemy Pavilion.
Chang Wei and Liu Fu exchanged a look and quickly moved to block his path again.
They never imagined this would happen. Li Zongrui had told them to give Ye Qingchen a hard time, but now they were the ones fuming while Ye Qingchen seemed completely unbothered. If they let him just swagger into the Alchemy Pavilion now, what would they tell Li Zongrui?
"Ye Qingchen, are you trying to force your way into the Alchemy Pavilion? Do you have any idea what crime that is?" Chang Wei blustered, his voice turning fierce.
At this point, Chang Wei and Liu Fu were practically hoping Ye Qingchen would lose control and try to force his way in. If that happened, they wouldn’t have to do a thing. The Qingyun Sect’s enforcement team would naturally come to deal with the presumptuous brat. And after that, Ye Qingchen’s chance to certify as an Alchemist would be gone forever.
Ye Qingchen looked at the two men, who were now braced and on guard. "What is the meaning of this, Senior Brothers?" he asked calmly. "I’ve shown my identification, and you’ve both confirmed I have the right to enter. To block me at every turn like this... could it be that you’re abusing your position to settle a personal grudge?"
Exposed so bluntly, Chang Wei and Liu Fu’s faces burned, and they stammered, unable to come up with a response.
Still, seeing Ye Qingchen was determined to enter, they stood their ground, blocking him completely. This left Ye Qingchen with two options: turn back or force his way through. Whichever he chose, they would have successfully completed the task the Young Sect Master had given them.
By now, Chang Wei and Liu Fu realized Ye Qingchen was too sharp-tongued for them to win a verbal battle. Their only option was to resort to this kind of shameless obstruction.
Ye Qingchen frowned. He knew he was caught between a rock and a hard place. His opponents were using an overt scheme, twisting the rules to trap him.
Just as he was wondering what to do, a familiar voice called out, filling him with relief. "Qingchen, what are you doing here?"
Ye Qingchen turned his head and saw Steward Du Pengcheng walking toward him.
Steward Du Pengcheng holds me in high regard, and his position in the Qingyun Sect isn’t low. If he takes me into the Alchemy Pavilion, there’s no way Chang Wei and Liu Fu will dare to stop us.
"Steward Du, I came to be certified as an Alchemist," Ye Qingchen said, respectfully bowing to Du Pengcheng.
Du Pengcheng laughed heartily. "You rascal! Your performance at the Apprentice Alchemist Competition was spectacular. I knew it wouldn’t be long before you became a true Alchemist! Come, let me witness this moment myself."
Du Pengcheng was thrilled. Recruiting Ye Qingchen to the Qingyun Sect was the wisest decision I’ve ever made. The boy not only has incredible cultivation talent, but his aptitude for alchemy is just as high!
Ye Qingchen glanced at the trembling Chang Wei and Liu Fu, then said to Du Pengcheng, "Steward Du, these two Senior Brothers have been blocking me from entering the Alchemy Pavilion. I guess I won’t be able to get certified today after all. Perhaps I should just come back another time."
Hearing this, Du Pengcheng finally turned his gaze toward Chang Wei and Liu Fu. "What’s going on here?" he asked coldly.
Chang Wei was so frightened he couldn’t speak. If Steward Du found out they had intentionally hassled a junior brother, he couldn’t imagine what the punishment would be. He could see how highly Du Pengcheng regarded Ye Qingchen. Once the Steward knew Ye Qingchen had been wronged, he would definitely step in!
It was clear that stopping Ye Qingchen was now beyond their power. We have to think of another way!