Chapter 118: Selecting a Primal Technique

Baimei observed what Ye Jiuyao had written and then glanced at Yu Xiu, who was still scribbling away, stopping every now and then to fret, clearly unable to find the answer. At a single glance, Baimei could see the disparity between them. He had intended to tell Yu Xiu to concede, but Ye Jiuyao waved him off; he wanted to see for himself just how capable someone from a major sect of the Thousand Emperor Realm truly was.

Half an hour passed.

"I have finished," Yu Xiu announced, his tone filled with pride, as if completing it this quickly were an achievement in itself. However, when he saw the two men exchanging looks, he realized he was late again. His face flushed with embarrassment, but he refused to back down. "Kid, prepare to concede," Yu Xiu said arrogantly.

"Well..." Baimei, feeling a bit awkward for his friend, wanted to speak up, but seeing how pleased Yu Xiu was, he could not bear to dampen his spirits.

"Old Man Baimei, show them," Ye Jiuyao prompted.

Baimei took out the papers and placed them on the bed. When Yu Xiu caught a glimpse of Ye Jiuyao’s work, the smile on his face instantly froze. Baimei compared the two, and his expression shifted immediately; Yu Xiu had only gotten one item correct. However, to avoid crushing his friend, Baimei said tactfully, "It’s about right. Not bad."

"Heh, I knew it! How could I be wrong?" Yu Xiu brightened up immediately, looking at Ye Jiuyao with renewed haughtiness.

"Let’s reveal it all. Let him lose with clarity," Ye Jiuyao said to Baimei, watching the mischievous old man with a mix of pity and a hint of smugness.

"See for yourselves."

Baimei produced four sheets of paper containing their respective answers. As they compared them one by one, Yu Xiu’s body began to tremble.

"Golden Seed... Correct."
"Southern Gourd... Correct!"
"White Silk Vine... Correct!"

Yu Xiu read them aloud, each one matching his own answers without exception, right down to the very last one. Yu Xiu’s body shook, a trace of fear creeping into his eyes. His gaze toward Ye Jiuyao changed, turning respectful. This pill formula was the result of over a thousand failed experiments, and even then, the quality he produced was mediocre. Pills were ranked in thirteen tiers, and his creation was barely a third-tier entry-level pill.

The pill Baimei had shown earlier, judging by its luster and quality, was at least a third-tier high-quality pill—the two were simply not in the same league. Moreover, the fact that Ye Jiuyao had written out the formula without a single error proved his foundation was deep enough to rival an elder of a major sect like himself.

"Look at Ye Jiuyao’s," Yu Xiu thought, clinging to a final shred of hope. "If I got his right, it’s a draw. I haven't lost yet; there’s still a chance."

But when he finished reading, the hope on his face vanished, replaced by utter dejection. He gripped the two papers tightly, his face filled with disbelief as he fell into a heavy silence. Baimei saw this and felt a sense of relief; he had already anticipated his friend’s reaction, having gone through it himself just moments before.

"If you three hadn't been so shameless as to try and withhold my belongings, I might have been willing to negotiate. But you were just too shameless..." Ye Jiuyao muttered to the two men. Hearing this, Baimei’s heart ached. Why had he been so foolish as to try and skim off this kid’s share? This fellow’s grudge was smaller than the eye of a needle. Even though he had compensated him later, the boy had clearly held onto the resentment. Baimei felt as if he were suffering a myocardial infarction.

"Well? Did you lose?" Ye Jiuyao asked, tilting his head as Yu Xiu sighed.

"I lost. But there are still twenty-some days left. I am determined to take you as my disciple."

"We shall see."

The two left, looking dejected, and headed in the direction where Cao Zheng had gone. Despite their disappointment, they felt a sense of luck and excitement; the competition with Ye Jiuyao had been immensely beneficial to them.

"I might as well go collect my... benefits as an outer sect disciple." Ye Jiuyao remembered that promotion to the outer sect came with one hundred origin crystals and a chance to select an origin technique. That was exactly what he lacked. He had been using the same few moves over and over; if he happened to run into some "acquaintances," it would be awkward and lead to trouble. If he learned a few more techniques and rotated them, he could mask his identity. This benefit was a must-have.

...

Ye Jiuyao sprinted along the way. After the previous day’s battle, one could get away with not knowing the Sect Master, but not knowing Ye Jiuyao was impossible. His performance in combat had been too striking. Soon, he reached the place where origin techniques were kept.

"Old man, outer sect disciples are allowed to collect an origin technique, right? I just need to go in and choose one?" Ye Jiuyao asked, looking at the slovenly old man dozing with his eyes narrowed. He maintained a respectful demeanor; according to the usual tropes, this old man was likely a hidden powerhouse. He didn't want to miss the chance to befriend a big shot.

"Go in. You know the rules, don't you?"

"I do." Ye Jiuyao replied and walked inside. Once he entered, he sensed the presence of numerous technique scrolls.

"These techniques are stored in a void space, and without a certain level of strength, you can't even retrieve them. As expected of a major sect," Ye Jiuyao mused. "Since time is limited and I can't afford to waste it, I’ll have to take them out one by one to learn them."

He sighed helplessly, walked to the first storage spot, and punched out!

"Got it." Ye Jiuyao reached in, retrieved the scroll, opened it, and scanned it with a single glance. Relying on his superior memory, he quickly committed it to mind. "Next!"

He punched again, and soon memorized another. Ye Jiuyao’s speed was blistering, drawing the attention of others in the training hall, especially those who had been promoted to the outer sect the day before.

"Is that... Ye Jiuyao?"
"What is he doing?"

Many recognized him, especially his former dorm-mates. Those with eighth-grade talent naturally had special channels to enter the outer sect. Under everyone’s gaze, Ye Jiuyao pulled out scroll after scroll, took a hurried look, and quickly put them back before leaving. People were baffled but dared not approach him; Ye Jiuyao’s temper was known to be eccentric, and the events of the morning were still fresh in their minds.

Ye Jiuyao was aware of their gaze but had no time to spare. He only had two hours and needed to make the most of them.

...

As time passed, the two-hour mark approached.

"Starfall?" Ye Jiuyao muttered, having spotted a scroll that caught his interest. "Wait, why can't I imprint this into my soul? I can't memorize it? Fine, I'll just copy it out and learn it later."

Ye Jiuyao took out the "Starfall" scroll, found a spot, grabbed a pen, and began to write.