Free Web NovelChapter 262: Chapter 257: The Outrageous Reward
Seeing Mu Chen finish his assessment so quickly, even Xu Fei, who already knew the outcome, was amazed. If he hadn’t known that Mu Chen had no relationship with the Spirit Selection Master Guild’s Grand Elder, Xu Fei would have suspected Mu Chen was related to Elder Cui and had used some backdoor connection.
Elder Cui also activated his Pupil Technique. A dazzling yellow light shone from his eyes as he scanned the pile of Original Stones and the ones Mu Chen had selected on the table several times. He then looked at Mu Chen in astonishment, because Mu Chen was absolutely correct. Among the one hundred and seventy-four Original Stones, aside from the sixteen he had picked out, the rest were all ordinary rocks. Not even a trace of a Spirit Crystal could be found.
And among the sixteen Original Stones Mu Chen had chosen, there was indeed an Attribute Spirit Crystal. Moreover, it was a Rare Attribute Spirit Crystal of the Ice Attribute. Elder Cui had accidentally mixed it in with the stones for a later assessment and never expected Mu Chen would spot it.
’No wonder this kid couldn’t identify the Attribute of this Attribute Spirit Crystal. Looks like the rest of the assessment is basically unnecessary.’ After spending about a minute to finish assessing all the Original Stones, Elder Cui laughed heartily. "The young are truly to be feared! In all my years, this is the first time I’ve ever met a Third-Grade Spirit Selector as young as you. Given time, you’ll undoubtedly surpass us old-timers!"
Elder Cui was filled with emotion, and for good reason. The Mu Chen before him was only about fifteen, yet his speed and accuracy were completely unmatched by his peers. He recalled the two children from Stone City’s Gambling Stone Family who were also Second-Grade Spirit Selectors. When the guild president assessed them, they were already twenty-one or twenty-two. Now, two years later, the pair would come every so often to attempt the assessment for Third-Grade Spirit Selector, but due to their lack of experience and high error rate, they failed every time. freewēbnoveℓ.com
In reality, Elder Cui had no idea that Mu Chen’s claim of not being able to identify it was a lie. It was just an Ice Spirit Crystal. Not only had he identified it, but he had also seen its size and shape. If he were to truly appraise its Grade, it was definitely Fifth Grade or higher.
But Mu Chen knew the title of a Third-Grade Spirit Selector was sufficient to enter the Spirit Selection Conference. As long as his actual skill was there, what difference was there between Third Grade and Fifth Grade? Being high-profile and flashy went against his character. Besides, a Third-Grade Spirit Selection Master wouldn’t draw too much attention, allowing him to catch others by surprise later on.
Having been Stone City’s representative for so many years, Xu Fei had just now completely figured out Mu Chen’s way of thinking. He couldn’t help but feel a deeper understanding of and heartfelt admiration for this fifteen-year-old. ’To be so mature and polished at such a young age... If he’s allowed to fully develop, he’ll undoubtedly become another monstrous talent!’
After leaving the Spirit Selection Master Guild, Mu Chen was wearing a new set of clothes. They were still the same unchanging pure white, but now a feather-shaped insignia, inlaid with three Spirit Crystal fragments, adorned his cuffs. It was the mark of a Third-Grade Spirit Selector.
It’s worth noting that the happiest person during the entire assessment was neither Mu Chen, who took it, nor Elder Cui, who administered it. It was Xu Fei, the man who had brought Mu Chen there. Elder Cui’s final words and the look Yu Lei had given him on her way out kept replaying in his mind.
"Xu Fei, you’ve found quite a prospect. At this year’s Spirit Selection Conference in the Imperial Capital, Stone City certainly won’t suffer the same humiliation as in years past."
’Heh, we’ll do more than just avoid humiliation,’ Xu Fei thought excitedly. ’With Mu Chen’s strength, breaking into the top ten is practically guaranteed!’
Just as Xu Fei was reveling in his excitement, Mu Chen suddenly asked, "Brother Xu, you still haven’t told me what the rewards are for placing in the Spirit Selection Conference."
Xu Fei smiled upon hearing the question. "Ah, so that’s what you wanted to know. When it comes to the placement rewards, only the top three are really noteworthy. The contestants from fourth to tenth place just get some Attribute Spirit Crystals. For Spirit Selectors who can make it into the top ten, they can find Attribute Spirit Crystals on their own. Why would they care about a reward like that?"
"The rewards for the top three, however, are very tempting. Let’s start with third place, which is just a set of Attribute Spirit Crystals. Of course, it includes Rare Attribute Spirit Crystals. A ’set’ here means seven crystals—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind Thunder, and Ice. As for Light and Dark, the rarest of the Rare Attributes, no one has ever heard of a Spirit Crystal for them being found in an Original Stone."
"As for second place, the reward is a bit better. They get a set of Attribute Spirit Crystals and the position of an acting Elder in the Spirit Selection Master Guild. If they make significant contributions to the Guild, they have a high chance of being promoted to an official Elder—a position every Spirit Selector yearns for! You see, once a Spirit Selector reaches the Fourth Grade, wealth becomes meaningless to them. Status, position, and power are the only things they truly desire, and the second-place prize perfectly satisfies that craving."
At this, Xu Fei paused for breath. "As for first place... tsk tsk, the reward is downright insane. In the past, even the champion only got three rewards. But for some reason, perhaps a happy occasion for the Spirit Selection Master Guild, they’ve unprecedentedly revealed four rewards this time, and their quality is simply outrageous. The first is the unchanging set of Attribute Spirit Crystals, nothing special. But the second reward is incredible. It’s an Original Stone containing the Eighth-Grade Medicinal Herb, the Stone Immortal. (Eighth Grade is equivalent to Holy Grade.) This herb is said to be priceless, though no one knows its exact value. Just the fact that it’s a Holy-Grade Medicinal Herb tells you how valuable it must be."
Xu Fei paused again, his eyes filled with anticipation. "The third reward is something no Spirit Selector could possibly refuse! It’s a position, a symbol of power and status! An Honorary Elder of the Spirit Selection Master Guild!"
"Honorary Elder?" Mu Chen was confused. ’Aren’t those usually just fancy, powerless titles given to outsiders to limit their authority?’
Xu Fei saw the confusion on Mu Chen’s face and explained, "An Honorary Elder of the Spirit Selection Master Guild isn’t the powerless position you think it is. On the contrary, it’s an exceptional honor that very few can achieve. In the past thousand years, from what I know, the Guild has only issued the status of Honorary Elder three times, and only two people have actually held the title. The first was the president of the Central State’s Spirit Selection Master Guild himself—the most authoritative person in the entire organization. In fact, he was the one who created the position. Of course, a minor figure like me would never have the chance to meet such a mysterious and powerful president. But you... if you make it to the Central State one day, you might be able to."
"The other one is the Grand Elder of our own Fenglan Empire’s Spirit Selection Master Guild—Lin Xiao! Yes, he’s that Spirit Selection Master I told you about, the one who can identify the Spirit Crystal inside an Original Stone using nothing but his experience!"
Xu Fei’s face beamed with pride. Stone gambling was a practice found all over the continent, yet one of only two Honorary Elders in existence came from their Fenglan Empire. Such a distinction was enough to make every citizen of the Empire feel a deep, heartfelt pride.
"So, what does this Honorary Elder do? Or, what are the rights and responsibilities?" Mu Chen asked again. ’I’m not particularly interested in being an Honorary Elder,’ he thought, ’but I have to win first place to get the Stone Immortal. And winning means becoming this Honorary Elder. If the position is too troublesome or restricts my freedom, I’ll have to find a way to refuse it.’
To his surprise, Xu Fei simply patted his shoulder and laughed. "Brother Mu Chen, you’re overthinking things. The Honorary Elder position is one of complete freedom, without any restrictions. There are no obligations to speak of. Well, if there is one, it’s to exercise your authority to punish any Guild branches that abuse their power. But even that is only if you voluntarily choose to get involved. If you don’t want to, no one will force you. As for the rights... heheh, they’re enough to make anyone burn with envy! Let me just give you one example. As an Honorary Elder, you can serve as the acting president of the Spirit Selection Master Guild in any city. In other words, with the exception of another Honorary Elder, you automatically outrank any official you meet. Tell me, isn’t a status like that enough to make any Spirit Selector go wild?" freēwebnovel.com
Hearing this, Mu Chen gulped. "That... is a little insane."
’Outranking every official...’ he thought. ’If I really had that kind of authority with no strings attached, I wouldn’t mind being an Honorary Elder. But... I’m so young. I wonder if the other masters will have a problem with it.’
Shaking his head, Mu Chen touched his nose with a wry smile. ’What am I thinking about?’ he chided himself. ’The conference hasn’t even started, and I’m already acting like I’ve won first place? Besides, I only came here for the Stone Immortal. What does it matter if I become an Honorary Elder or not?’
With a self-mocking smile, Mu Chen asked, "Brother Xu, what about the last reward? You said there were four, right? If the third is becoming an Honorary Elder, the fourth must be something absolutely heaven-defying, no?"
Xu Fei shook his head. "Not really. The fourth reward isn’t particularly enticing to Spirit Selectors, but it’s unbelievably tempting for the most common profession on the continent: Martial Artists!"
"Martial Artists?" Mu Chen’s interest was instantly piqued. After all, if he had to name his primary profession, it was undoubtedly being a Martial Artist. As such, he placed immense importance on anything related to them. He immediately asked, "Is it a High-tier Combat Skill? A High-tier Secret Technique? Or maybe a High-tier Cultivation Method?"
Xu Fei shook his head, rejecting all three of his guesses. This left Mu Chen even more confused. He had a strong dislike for guessing games—not because he was bad at them, but because he hated the suspense. Fortunately, Xu Fei didn’t drag it out. He leaned in and said mysteriously, "It’s an admission ticket to an Ancient Ruin. The right to enter an Ancient Ruin!"
