All in all, with the lure of ten thousand taels of silver, the dozen or so candidates were like chickens injected with adrenaline, scattering in all directions to hunt down that kid named Leon Huang.
By the stream.
In less than fifteen minutes, Ryan Chen came back carrying a freshly killed tier-two Demonic Beast.
However, this beast was huge—at least a thousand pounds.
"You're not going to make me roast the whole thing, are you?" Song Yan joked with a laugh.
Ryan Chen chuckled awkwardly. "No need for that—just roast part of it!"
Skinning, gutting, washing—
Soon enough, Song Yan had threaded over fifty pounds of beast meat onto a thick branch and started roasting it over the fire.
The beast Ryan had killed was a Barbaric Bull, a tier-two mid-stage Demonic Beast. Its meat was much better than leopard meat. From what Song Yan knew, tier-two Demonic Beast meat sold for one to three taels of silver per pound. This Barbaric Bull’s meat was worth at least two taels per pound.
Demonic Beast meat wasn’t just delicious—it could also strengthen an ordinary warrior’s physique.
It had to be said—Song Yan’s cooking skills were no joke. In just half an hour, the Barbaric Bull meat was giving off an incredibly mouthwatering aroma. Ryan Chen stared at the roast, afraid to blink in case it disappeared the moment he looked away.
After another five minutes, Song Yan started rubbing spices evenly over the meat, making the aroma even richer...
Yuan Sheng, age seventeen, had already reached Qi-Refining tier five—a standout among his generation.
Unfortunately, he didn’t come from a wealthy family. Getting this far had already drained all his household’s money, leaving nothing for further cultivation.
That’s why he came to take the Pristine Way Sect entrance exam.
He was confident about this trial, and as expected, breezed through the first and second rounds. In the third round, he killed a tier-two Demonic Beast and got its monster core in less than fifteen minutes.
All he had to do now was find a place to rest and wait for the formation to open tomorrow—then he’d become an outer disciple of the Pristine Way Sect.
But unexpectedly, a rich kid came looking for him.
He’d always held a grudge against those born into wealth, but he couldn’t refuse the offer: catch a guy named Leon Huang, and he’d get ten thousand taels of silver.
He could feel it—his breakthrough to Qi-Refining tier six was close.
But with that ten thousand taels, he could buy a mystic pill and break through to Qi-Refining tier six even faster.
Once he reached Qi-Refining tier six, he could advance to inner disciple.
Out of all the outer disciples, being the first to become an inner disciple was a huge honor. It would attract attention from the higher-ups—after all, everyone only notices whoever comes in first.
He wanted the title of first outer disciple in this batch to advance to inner disciple.
Just thinking about it made him excited.
So right now, he was desperate. As long as he found Leon Huang and caught him, he’d get not just ten thousand taels, but endless honor as well.
"What's that smell?"
While searching for Leon Huang in the forest, Yuan Sheng caught a whiff of that aroma. He paused, suddenly realizing he hadn’t eaten in almost five hours.
Almost without thinking, he started walking toward the source of the smell.
"No, finding Leon Huang is more important!"
He’d only taken two steps before stopping himself.
"Gurgle!"
Right then, his stomach started growling, as if rebelling against him.
"Forget it, I'll go check it out first!"
So Yuan Sheng cautiously headed toward the direction of the delicious aroma.
It didn’t take long for him to find the source.
Two candidates were roasting meat.
"Huh, why does that guy roasting meat look so familiar?"
Suddenly, Yuan Sheng’s face lit up with wild joy—because the young man roasting meat was exactly the person he was looking for: Leon Huang.
"Heaven really does reward the diligent!"
He felt an urge to howl at the sky.
But he quickly calmed down—there was more than just Leon Huang over there. The young man crouched beside him radiated a strong presence, probably another Qi-Refining tier five cultivator.
One against two.
He wasn’t completely confident.
His mind raced, and after a moment, he came up with a plan. He walked boldly out of hiding and headed straight for the two.
"Who’s there?"
Ryan Chen grabbed his broadsword and stood up, staring warily at Yuan Sheng.
Song Yan, on the other hand, stayed calm and kept roasting meat, unfazed.
"Don’t misunderstand, friends—I was just drawn here by the smell of meat." Yuan Sheng flashed an innocent smile. To get stronger, he’d once worked as a bandit and a thief.
So his experience far surpassed others his age.
Seeing Yuan Sheng’s smile, Ryan Chen lowered his guard a bit.
"Friends, could you sell me some of your meat? I haven’t eaten in almost five hours, I’m starving!" As he spoke, Yuan Sheng eyed the roast and swallowed theatrically.
Ryan Chen glanced at Song Yan.
"Once we pass the exam, we’ll all be fellow disciples. I don’t need much—just a pound or two to fill my stomach." As he spoke, Yuan Sheng pulled out a ten-tael silver ingot from his pocket.
"Huang, could we spare him some?" Ryan Chen was completely at ease now—Yuan Sheng’s acting was just too good.
"You caught the beast, you decide!" Song Yan said indifferently.
Ryan Chen was a straightforward guy. Seeing Song Yan had no objection, he said, "Alright, since we’ll be fellow disciples soon, I’ll give you five pounds!"
"Thank you so much! By the way, my name’s Yuan Sheng. How should I address you two?" Yuan Sheng looked genuinely grateful.
Before Song Yan could answer, Ryan Chen blurted out, "I’m Ryan Chen from Dongyan City, and this is Leon Huang from New Dawn City!"
Yuan Sheng became even more enthusiastic. "So it’s Brother Huang and Brother Chen. Here, please take this ten-tael silver ingot, Brother Chen. I’m short on money, or I’d give you more!"
As he spoke, Yuan Sheng walked over and handed Ryan Chen the silver ingot.
Ryan Chen waved it off with a smile. "Forget the silver. We’ll be fellow disciples soon, and a few pounds of meat is nothing. Right, Huang?"
"That’s true!" Song Yan nodded in agreement.
"I couldn’t possibly accept!"
But just then, Yuan Sheng suddenly made his move—without warning, he hurled the silver ingot at Ryan Chen’s face.
He’d infused the ingot with true qi; it whistled through the air toward Ryan Chen’s face. Ryan was shocked—he couldn’t dodge in time and could only try to catch the ingot, furious at Yuan Sheng’s treachery.
The moment he threw the ingot, Yuan Sheng moved. His smile vanished, replaced by a cold, ruthless look.
"Bang!"
With a punch full of true qi, Yuan Sheng smashed Ryan Chen in the chest. With the sound of bones breaking, Ryan’s body flew out like a snapped kite.