Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 484: Chapter 484: This contestant please come on stage quickly

Xiao Xiao, Zi Xing, and Xue Zhao exchanged glances before stepping onto the arena.

Ye Qingchen inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. The feeling of being the center of attention had been unbearable, especially with the predatory gazes from the male Martial Artists. If looks could kill, he would have been sliced into a thousand pieces by now.

He looked around for an empty seat, wanting to watch Xiao Xiao’s match properly. At that moment, however, the host’s gaze fell upon him. ”This contestant,” the host announced, ”the match is about to begin. Please enter the arena at once!”

Ye Qingchen was slightly stunned. When he confirmed the host was indeed calling him, he was completely dumbfounded.

When did I become a contestant? Just a moment ago, I was worried about how to even get into the venue, and now I’m a competitor?

This abrupt turn of events was difficult for him to process.

The host was clearly growing impatient and urged, ”Contestant, please get on the stage! Don’t hold everyone else up.”

This time, the surrounding audience was also dumbstruck.

The Saint Heir of the Wuji Immortal Palace watched Ye Qingchen with deep suspicion, wondering if the host had made a mistake. Just a moment ago, that guy didn’t even have the credentials to enter the venue. How could he possibly be a contestant?

Liu Feng and his group blurted out in shock, ”Impossible! It has to be a mistake! How could a poor brat like Ye Qingchen be qualified to compete? Besides, he’s only at the Third Level of the Martial King Realm!”

Liu Feng and his group knew Ye Qingchen’s history inside and out. Before joining the Central Celestial Academy, he was just a country bumpkin from a backwater place like the Northern Region. Moreover, he had only been at the academy for a short time. Even if the Central Celestial Academy had competition slots, one definitely wouldn’t have gone to him. It was even more unlikely that he’d brought a slot with him from the Northern Region, which was why they were so certain the host had made a mistake.

”The young master is also a contestant?”

At this moment, even Xiao Xiao looked completely bewildered, while Xue Zhao pursed her lips to hide a smirk.

This is exactly the effect I wanted!

The host’s attitude, however, was firm. ”I have not made a mistake,” he stated with conviction. ”Every contestant’s token has a special mark, and I can clearly sense the token’s aura on this young man.”

After speaking, the host formed a Seal Formula with his hands. A faint blue light began to emanate from all the contestants on the stage, and the same blue light appeared on Ye Qingchen as well.

Ye Qingchen frowned. He could feel the blue light coming from his storage ring, so he extended his Divine Sense inside to search. Sure enough, among a pile of discarded clothes, he found a brightly glowing token.

Staring at the token in his hand, Ye Qingchen was stunned once again. Liu Feng and the others were equally dumbfounded, never expecting him to actually possess a contestant’s token.

On the stage, Xue Zhao looked utterly triumphant, the very picture of a cunning plan coming to fruition.

Noticing the change in Xue Zhao, Ye Qingchen belatedly put the pieces together. Initially, he had been puzzled that he hadn’t crossed paths with Wu Zhengyang from the Divine Sword Sect, as enemies often do. Now that the stage was up, it all made sense. Given Xue Zhao’s status, she would never let Wu Zhengyang’s blatant disrespect go unpunished. Ye Qingchen recalled chasing them to the side of the road, where she and her companions had stood with calm expressions. He remembered how she had used the excuse of being too weak to stand and collapsed into his arms.

She must have dealt with Wu Zhengyang then and slipped the token into his clothes at that same moment. At the time, he had simply seen her as an ordinary person and hadn’t thought twice when changing clothes, which was why he never knew the token was there.

”Impossible! That token can’t be his!” Liu Feng cried out.

The host, however, waved his hand impatiently. ”The tokens for the Sect Newcomer Competition are unnamed. As long as you hold one, you can participate. Anyone who can’t even protect their own spot has no right to compete in the first place!”

The host’s words allowed Ye Qingchen to breathe a quiet sigh of relief. Since the tokens were unnamed, no one would discover his grudge with the Divine Sword Sect. Although he wasn’t afraid of them, fewer complications were always better.

Hearing the host, Liu Feng was stunned, not expecting Ye Qingchen to actually have the right to compete.

However, the disciples from the Central Celestial Academy spoke with disdain. ”So what if you have a spot, Ye Qingchen? You’re only at the Third Level of the Martial King Realm. If you go up on that stage, you’ll only bring shame to our Central Celestial Academy!”

The disciples’ words sparked a flurry of discussion among the audience members who didn’t know Ye Qingchen.

”Third Level of the Martial King Realm? How does someone with that kind of strength have the nerve to show his face and embarrass himself?”

”Exactly! The weakest competitor this time is at the Fifth Level of the Martial King Realm. A Third-Level Martial King joining the competition? He’s just serving himself up as an easy kill for everyone else.”

”And he’s from the Central Celestial Academy? If he actually competes, the academy is going to become a laughingstock!”

Only Xue Zhao, on the stage, knew that Ye Qingchen had once faced Wu Zhengyang—who was at the Eighth Layer of the Martial King Realm—and still gained the upper hand. For him, participating in this competition would be a walk in the park.

Every word of discussion and mockery sparked an idea in Liu Feng’s mind. He walked over to Ye Qingchen and said, ”Ye Qingchen, with your strength, going up there is just asking to die. Why don’t you transfer the token to me? I won’t take it for free. I’m willing to offer you five hundred thousand low-grade Spirit Stones for it.”

Ye Qingchen considered it for a moment. It was just a spot; he didn’t really care. He had only come to fulfill his promise to Xiao Xiao. As for competing or how he would rank in the end, he wasn’t concerned. Now he had a chance to get five hundred thousand low-grade Spirit Stones for free. Why not?

With that in mind, Ye Qingchen nodded. ”Since Senior Brother Liu Feng wants it, we have a deal.”

Hearing Ye Qingchen agree, Liu Feng’s contempt for him grew. He looked at Ye Qingchen and thought disdainfully, He really is just a money-grubbing country bumpkin. The Sect Newcomer Competition is a massive event watched by tens of thousands in the Central Domain. If you can make a name for yourself here, it’s a golden opportunity for fame and fortune, yet this idiot is willing to give it all up for five hundred thousand low-grade Spirit Stones. I’ve never seen anyone so foolish. A person with such a narrow worldview dares to pursue Senior Sister Zi Xing and get entangled with Xiao Xiao and Xue Zhao? Absolutely pathetic!

Liu Feng took a storage ring from his clothes and said to Ye Qingchen, ”Here are five hundred thousand low-grade Spirit Stones. Give me the token, and they’re all yours!”