Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 459 Contribution Hall

Ye Qingchen’s ambiguous words were clearly not enough to convince Zi Xing. She stared at him with an intense gaze, and Ye Qingchen could only feign indifference, trying his best to appear natural. After a moment, Zi Xing sighed and said, "You may not know this, Junior Brother Ye, but the Fire Spirit Charm Shadow is our family’s secret technique, one that is never taught to outsiders. Even within our family, not everyone is permitted to cultivate it."

After she finished speaking, she continued to stare unblinkingly at Ye Qingchen, but his expression remained calm and unchanged. Internally, Zi Xing calculated. Could it be true? Did he really obtain the Fire Spirit Charm Shadow in a Secret Realm?

With this in mind, Zi Xing added, "Junior Brother Ye, if you have time, please take me to that Secret Realm. It’s quite possible that the predecessor who left it behind was an elder of our clan."

Ye Qingchen laughed and vaguely agreed. I just made it up. Where am I supposed to find a Secret Realm for you?

However, the thought that he would be leaving Central Celestial Academy after finding Qin Yue put him at ease. He would probably never have to deal with Zi Xing again. Still, he made a mental note to use the abilities of the Blood Wheel Eye less in the future. Explaining it was too troublesome, and he especially couldn’t use it carelessly on his own people.

Does Zi Xing count as one of my own? She should. After all, she’s my senior sister in name, and I’ve... seen her completely.

Ye Qingchen shook his head, casting the impractical thoughts aside. "Senior Sister Zi Xing, let’s head to the Contribution Hall first. After we’re done, Master is waiting for me to return."

Zi Xing nodded and continued to lead the way. This time, Ye Qingchen didn’t dare look at her back, afraid he would get distracted again and find himself in another situation that was difficult to explain.

To his surprise, the Contribution Hall wasn’t located in the center of Central Celestial Academy but was closer to the Training Mountain Range. After a moment of thought, however, it made sense. Most disciples from the academy trained in the Training Mountain Range, so it was only natural that the missions in the Contribution Hall were related to it.

The fact that Zi Xing had just returned from that direction and claimed to be taking him there "on the way" still felt a little suspect. However, Ye Qingchen wasn’t narcissistic enough to think she was interested in him. He figured she had personally brought him here to find an opportunity to ask about the Fire Spirit Charm Shadow.

When they arrived at the entrance to the Contribution Hall, a teacher from the academy stopped them. The teacher clearly recognized Zi Xing and greeted her warmly, "Zi Xing! I heard you killed a Willow Soul Tree Demon in the Training Mountain Range this time. You’ve more than completed your mission objectives. I’m sure the academy’s reward will be generous."

Zi Xing smiled, exchanged a few pleasantries, and presented her Identity Token. But the teacher waved it away. "We can skip your identity verification."

After thanking the teacher, Zi Xing stood aside to wait for Ye Qingchen. At that moment, the appearance of the beautiful Zi Xing had drawn a small crowd of disciples. When they saw her stop and wait for another male disciple, they began shooting envious glares at Ye Qingchen.

So it’s true what they say: beauty brings disaster. Just by coming to the Contribution Hall with Senior Sister Zi Xing, I’ve already made so many enemies without even trying. It seems I should keep my distance from beauties like her in the future. Ye Qingchen sighed inwardly, lamenting his situation as he took out his Divine Wood Order and handed it to the teacher.

The teacher took the token and frowned. "What is this?"

"Hahaha! Ye Qingchen, I knew you were a fraud with no right to enter the Contribution Hall! Stop dreaming if you think you can get close to Senior Sister Zi Xing this way!" Hearing the teacher’s question, Liu Feng, who had been following from a distance, ran over and pointed mockingly at Ye Qingchen.

Ye Qingchen pursed his lips. This Liu Feng is as persistent as a ghost. But getting into the Contribution Hall was more important, so he quickly explained, "Teacher, I’m a disciple of the Divine Wood Academy. This Divine Wood Order was given to me by Elder Yang."

The teacher looked at the token in his hand, still puzzled. "I’ve seen a Divine Wood Order before, but I remember them being green. This one is pitch-black; that doesn’t seem right." With that, the teacher channeled his Spiritual Energy into the token. As he did, the pitch-black object began to turn crystal clear. Its grimy outer skin peeled away, revealing its original green color.

Witnessing this, Ye Qingchen felt the corners of his mouth twitch fiercely. That Elder Yang is completely unreliable! This Divine Wood Order was covered in a layer of black sludge from sitting with him. I feel itchy all over just thinking about how I’ve been carrying the token in my robes. Good heavens, how many years has it been since this was washed? How could it get this dirty!

The teacher’s expression was strange, but he was somewhat familiar with Elder Yang’s eccentricities. He awkwardly handed the token back to Ye Qingchen, wiped his hands with a towel in disgust, and then incinerated the cloth with a flash of Spiritual Energy.

His face flushed red, Ye Qingchen took back the Divine Wood Order and asked awkwardly, "Teacher, may I enter now?"

The teacher nodded, confirming Ye Qingchen’s status as an advanced disciple.

Ye Qingchen pocketed the Divine Wood Order, shot a glance at Liu Feng, and entered the Contribution Hall with Zi Xing.

Liu Feng was stunned that Ye Qingchen had obtained the status of an advanced disciple so soon after joining. Worried that Zi Xing might be taken advantage of, he quickly presented his own Identity Token for verification and followed them inside.

Only the teacher remained behind, his gaze deep as he watched Ye Qingchen’s back. He murmured to himself, "It has been so many years since I’ve seen a Divine Wood Order. Now that one has appeared again... it seems the heavens of Central Celestial Academy are about to change!"

Once inside, Zi Xing went straight to turn in her mission. Meanwhile, Ye Qingchen felt like a wide-eyed country boy seeing the big city for the first time; everything was new and fascinating. There were dozens of Earth Rank Cultivation Techniques and Martial Techniques on display—items rarely seen in the outside world. With just a casual glance, he spotted several precious artifacts available for exchange.

"Tsk, tsk. Truly worthy of being Central Celestial Academy," Ye Qingchen couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. "If this collection were ever brought outside, it would make people die of envy."

His words only earned him a disdainful look from Liu Feng.