Chapter 200: Second Minor Competition, Ethereal Green Robe

“Who dared to call me domineering and arrogant behind my back? Damn, slandering the Chief like this, they really don’t want to live! Once I find out, none of the disciples in that line will get into Tianshu Hall—they’ll all get failing marks in virtue!”

Ye Rong fumed silently. The Chief was still a temporary position, which gave him life-and-death authority over ordinary Qingcheng disciples. The Virtue Record was like a king of hell’s ledger that could seal fates, but it was less effective against ‘premium employees’ like Tianshu Hall disciples.

His moral assessments only applied to Qingcheng’s Formal Disciples, while Tianshu Hall members were off-limits.

Besides, since he received the Virtue Record, he had never actually used it to mark anyone as morally deficient or ill-behaved.

The power was great, but using it carelessly could easily stir up resentment. He had to be cautious; if he messed up and provoked widespread anger and opposition, it would be a disaster. A tool like this only needed to be drawn occasionally, just to remind Qingcheng disciples whose hands their futures were in—that was deterrent enough.

“In two months, once I become the official Chief of Tianshu Hall, even Tianshu Hall disciples will be under my jurisdiction. Hmph, I want to see how Houdao Xiaosheng, Red Dust White Hair, and others will react then. Will they still dare to stay so close to Long Wushuang?”

It wasn’t hard to guess which Tianshu Hall disciples didn’t get along with him.

After showing the Gilded Dragon Key to Chen Taizhen, the latter had become even more attentive to Ye Rong, sometimes sharing information even without being asked. It finally let him feel a long-lost sense of satisfaction.

The perks of being a Sect Leader’s disciple and a Third-Generation Disciple of Qingcheng were slowly starting to show.

The second month’s Sect Minor Competition clearly didn’t compare to the first in terms of importance. Neither Sect Leader Demon-Subduing True Lord Jiang Shu nor Short Elder Zhu Mei showed up; only a few sect elders came to observe.

Even the audience numbers dropped sharply, since this competition excluded the original top sixteen disciples—it just wasn’t as exciting. Though some newcomers stood out, most Qingcheng disciples still believed in the previous batch’s strength.

Ye Rong arrived quietly, just as the competition ended and the crowd began to disperse.

But members of the Green Emperor Alliance quickly spotted him and crowded around.

With over three thousand members, the player Faction had a presence throughout Qingcheng—their members could be found almost anywhere.

“How did the Sect Minor Competition go? How did our people do?”

He glanced around but didn’t recognize any of them; not a single face looked familiar. Ye Rong didn’t know how to address them.

As the boss of the Green Emperor Alliance, he spent too little time on it. Aside from the core members, he didn’t know anyone else, which often drew complaints from Pecking Chicken and Hengheng Haha about his laziness.

“Trail-breaking Pony made it to the top four, and Chicken Boss reached the top eight… Five of our Green Emperor Alliance members made it into the top sixteen. They all went to the Main Hall to claim their rewards.”

“Yeah, our Green Emperor Alliance was the talk of the event! Two of the top sixteen aren’t in a Faction yet, and they already showed interest in joining. Looks like we’ll gain two more strong members soon!”

…

After listening to the clamor from these Qingcheng disciples, he finally understood the situation.

“That many? Not bad, really not bad!”

Five members making the top sixteen and qualifying as Tianshu Hall disciples exceeded Ye Rong’s expectations. He had thought two or three would be a good result, but this was way better.

Trail-breaking Pony especially, reaching the top four, meant rewards on a whole different level, boosting his strength even more.

“Too bad Hengheng Haha has been too busy managing things and fell behind in level. Otherwise, he could’ve easily cleared the Sect Minor Competition and made the top four, no problem. He would’ve snagged some rewards too.”

Ye Rong sighed a little. But if Hengheng Haha went off to grind monsters and level up, Faction duties would go unmanaged. Making him spend most of his time on tedious tasks went against his original intent.

He created the Green Emperor Alliance so others could handle Faction work. His main role was as the leader, the top expert.

He felt secure, not worried about being sidelined if he stayed away from Faction management too long. As long as he remained the Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple and Qingcheng’s top expert, that wouldn’t happen.

The whole Green Emperor Alliance gathered under the banner of Yijian Kurong. Without him, they couldn’t even compete with Houdao Xiaosheng, let alone the ambitious Long Wushuang.

…

“Yijian, got a moment? I’d like to talk.”

Ethereal Green Robe, still in his green robe and as charismatic as ever, had a completely different attitude than before.

When they explored the Golden Cabinet Water Manor together, he was the leader, and Yijian Kurong was just a random player brought in to fill numbers—not someone he took seriously.

But in just two months, though he too was a Qingcheng Tianshu Hall disciple and gained rare opportunities in the Ancestral Hall, what he gave up was far greater. If he had just followed the Closed Beta path and chosen Southern Sea Xuan Turtle Hall, his achievements surely would’ve been much higher by now.

Meanwhile, Yijian Kurong was already Qingcheng Top Disciple, on the Heavenly Ranking, and had a bit of fame across Far Shore. The Green Emperor Alliance he founded was vibrant, the most dynamic and united Faction in Qingcheng, and the most likely to become a formal Player Organization.

And after that one exploration, the Golden Cabinet Water Manor exploration team quietly dissolved. Everyone seemed to agree without saying a word—no one mentioned getting together again for another expedition.

“Sure, I had something to say to you too.”

Ye Rong was startled. He hadn’t expected Ethereal Green Robe to seek him out first; he had been planning to talk to him soon.

They found a stone pavilion to sit in. Both were well-known figures in Qingcheng, so no disciple would be foolish enough to bother them.

“You go first. What’s up?”

“In that case, I’ll be brief—is the Golden Cabinet Water Manor access token in your possession?”

Ethereal Green Robe went straight to the point, his eyes fixed intently on Ye Rong.

“Why do you say that?” Ye Rong was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Ethereal Green Robe’s topic to be the same—both about the Golden Cabinet Water Manor. “Yes, it’s with me.”

There was no need to hide it now. His strength was more than enough to secure a Golden Cabinet Water Manor, especially since it was in the Tuojiang River Basin, his own territory.

Ethereal Green Robe gave a bitter smile and shook his head slightly. This was the result he least wanted to see.

“Your luck… is really something!”

Indeed, without the Minor Divination Art, Ethereal Green Robe had spent a lot of time searching but found no trace of the Golden Cabinet Water Manor. And after obtaining the Minor Divination Art, only two or three days passed before Ye Rong got there first.

There was no other explanation besides good luck.

Ethereal Green Robe had already checked out each of the companions from that trip, investigating them thoroughly without missing a detail.

Shinai Zuigao had another cooperative relationship with him; the Golden Cabinet Water Manor was already partly his anyway. Unlike the others who were just there to fill spots and wouldn’t have been allowed into the Water Manor itself. Besides, Shinai spent those two days with him, so there was no way he could have taken it.

Pudu Taoist went back to Huangshan that very day due to a Sect Mission. By the time he reappeared near the Dujiangyan Water Mansion, it was already three days after the discovery of the Golden Cabinet Water Manor, so the timing didn’t match.

Lingding Yang, however, visited the Tuojiang River Basin multiple times and stayed for long periods, which made him a suspect. But afterward, he never returned to the Tuojiang River Basin, as if he’d completely forgotten about it. If he had really obtained the Golden Cabinet Water Manor, such behavior seemed unlikely.

Changkong Wuhen was also a Qingcheng disciple, making him easier to investigate. Ethereal Green Robe quickly confirmed that the Golden Cabinet Water Manor wasn’t in his possession.

Ye Rong’s suspicion was initially the lowest because his displayed strength was too weak. How could a Player without Closed Beta experience possibly snatch the Golden Cabinet Water Manor?

The other veterans vaguely understood they were being used, but since they owed him favors, they cooperated. After searching for a while and finding nothing, they obediently withdrew and never brought up the topic again.

Only Ye Rong seemed kept in the dark, probably still thinking there really was an exploration team for the Golden Cabinet Water Manor.

Later, as Ye Rong’s displayed strength grew stronger, until he became the Tianshu Hall Chief Disciple and took full control of the Tuojiang River Basin as Green Emperor Alliance territory, Ethereal Green Robe’s suspicion shifted toward him.

Now he had the answer he was looking for, but it was the one he least wanted!

If it were in someone else’s hands, Ethereal Green Robe might have had a chance to trade for it. But in Yijian Kurong’s hands, he really didn’t see how. Being a Qingcheng disciple himself, he knew all too well Yijian Kurong’s current strength—even the part shown on the surface was already hard to match. Persuading him would be extremely difficult.

Moreover, Ye Rong had clearly centered the Green Emperor Alliance’s efforts on the Tuojiang River Basin, signaling his intent to develop the Golden Cabinet Water Manor seriously. Why would he be willing to part with it?

“Name your terms. What would it take for you to trade the Golden Cabinet Water Manor access token?”