Unfortunately, the system's Junk Talent Rating could only begin after this disciple recruitment ceremony ended.
In other words, tomorrow was the earliest the system could begin its assessment, once this recruitment ceremony was completely over.
Still, that did nothing to stop Li Shouyi from looking forward to the system's payout right now.
After all, the disciples he had found were already such hopeless good-for-nothings. Surely the system would have to give him an incredibly generous reward?
Of course, that was precisely why Li Shouyi wanted such worthless disciples.
After all, only a month remained before his scheduled duel with that Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. Breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm on his own within a month was a fool's dream!
Thus, he could only pin his hopes on the system's rewards to help him enter the Nascent Soul Realm within that month!
Never mind defeating his opponent—he at least had to save his own skin!
Just as he was pondering this, a series of shouts suddenly rang out nearby.
"Place your bets, no more bets once they're down!"
"This is the Fourth Prince of the Great Zhou Imperial House! They say Orchid Clouds filled the sky on the day he was born."
"So just how exceptional is this Fourth Prince's cultivation talent?"
"Heavenly Spiritual Root pays two to one, True Spiritual Root pays three to one! Earthly Spiritual Root or False Spiritual Root, the house takes all! Come on, place your bets!"
Following the voice, he found a playfully cute girl in luxurious clothes with one foot planted on a table, vigorously calling out.
"Who is she?"
Li Shouyi's eyes lit up at the sight, and he hurriedly stopped a disciple to ask.
"Greetings, Elder Shouyi!"
"Her? That's Shen Wan'er, daughter of the fabulously wealthy Shen Household!"
"She's been addicted to gambling since childhood, a notorious squanderer in the Cultivation World. Her nickname is 'Never Wins a Bet.'"
"You heard her say it herself: a heavenly phenomenon appeared when the Fourth Prince was born. How could his talent possibly be poor?"
"She's practically handing out money! Apparently, she's already lost nearly a million Spirit Stones here this morning!"
"Only the Shen Household could afford that. What ordinary family could let her squander so much?"
"Enough chatter, Elder Shouyi. I'm off to scoop up some money."
As he spoke, the disciple slung a burlap sack over his back and rushed toward the swarming crowd.
Good grief!
A charitable gambling king!
The very picture of someone terrible at the game, hopelessly hooked, and still eager to play!
Li Shouyi's eyes lit up. Ordinary sects would never dare accept a disciple like Shen Wan'er.
She might well squander the sect's entire foundation, but he wasn't afraid!
A spendthrift disciple was exactly what Li Shouyi wanted—the more wasteful, the better!
With that in mind, Li Shouyi hurriedly squeezed into the crowd and called to Shen Wan'er, "May I ask if you're the young lady of the Shen Household?"
"What?"
"Want to gamble?"
To his surprise, Shen Wan'er couldn't even be bothered to lift her eyelids and simply replied lazily.
"I am Li Shouyi, an elder of the Cloud Cliff Sect!"
"I see that you lose again and again, yet keep coming back to gamble. Such an unwavering Dao heart is truly rare."
"Why not become my disciple and cultivate at the Cloud Cliff Sect?"
Li Shouyi spoke with a beaming smile. He was determined to secure this girl!
"Huh?"
At those words, Shen Wan'er froze, staring fixedly at Li Shouyi with utter disbelief.
Her cultivation aptitude was so poor that she had hit wall after wall during the various sects' tests. Eventually, disgust took root in her heart, and she had fallen into this state of compulsive gambling.
But...
Had she heard wrong? This man before her actually said... he wanted to take her as his disciple?
"I said... why not become my disciple and cultivate at the Cloud Cliff Sect!"
Li Shouyi raised his voice and repeated himself, afraid Shen Wan'er hadn't heard him clearly.
"Huh?"
"Y-you... really want to take me as your disciple?"
"You're not some kind of con artist, are you?"
Shen Wan'er was so nervous that she even began to stammer.
No matter what, she could hardly believe that anyone in the Cultivation World would still be willing to take her as a disciple!
"How dare you!"
"This is Elder Shouyi, the youngest elder of our Cloud Cliff Sect! Say another reckless word, and I'll tear out your tongue!"
Fortunately, several disciples among the onlookers stepped forward at that moment to vouch for Li Shouyi's identity.
Only then did Shen Wan'er finally become certain that Li Shouyi wasn't joking. He truly, genuinely wanted to accept her as his disciple.
At that thought, she couldn't help recalling the hardships of her years spent seeking a master, suffering setbacks at every turn until everything before her seemed bleak. She had abandoned herself to ruin and nearly given up all hope!
Two trails of clear tears slipped silently down her cheeks. Whatever else happened, Li Shouyi's willingness to accept her today had finally fulfilled the heartfelt hopes of her closest family in the Shen Household.
"Master, please accept your disciple's bow!"
Casting aside her earlier lax demeanor, Shen Wan'er performed the formal bow of discipleship before Li Shouyi with utmost solemnity. With that, it was settled!
"All right, no more dawdling here."
"Your eldest senior sister, Lin Shuishui, should already have been taken to my Endless Cliff Peak. Come along with me."
Seeing the reverence on Shen Wan'er's face, Li Shouyi felt deeply gratified. With this Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix in hand, how could he possibly fail to earn the system's rewards?
"Elder, please wait!"
Yet before he could leave, someone suddenly blocked his path.
Taking a closer look, he saw a handsome young man in luxurious clothes, with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes!
"Hmm?"
Li Shouyi frowned. He didn't seem to know this person.
"I am Zhou Kangyong, Fourth Prince of the Great Zhou Imperial House. My final result in this aptitude test was a superior True Spiritual Root!"
"I admire your distinguished bearing, Elder Shouyi, and sincerely wish to become your disciple!"
"I beg you to accept me!"
Zhou Kangyong's posture was impeccably respectful, yet a trace of arrogance lurked between his brows.
A superior True Spiritual Root would certainly make him someone the elders of any sect scrambled to claim.
Coupled with his exalted status as the Fourth Prince, Zhou Kangyong believed Li Shouyi had no reason to refuse.
Of course, he merely regarded Li Shouyi as a stepping stone. His ultimate goal was to become a disciple of the sect master or a supreme elder, someone truly groomed as a core talent!
Moreover, Zhou Kangyong had calculated his move carefully. In his view, since Li Shouyi was willing to accept trash like Lin Shuishui and Shen Wan'er...
That proved Li Shouyi's requirements for disciples weren't particularly high. Furthermore, he was the youngest elder.
If Zhou Kangyong could become Li Shouyi's disciple, that would be even greater proof of his boundless prospects!
Yet what Zhou Kangyong never could have expected was...
After hearing him out, Li Shouyi cast him a sidelong glance and said irritably.
"A superior True Spiritual Root?"
"You think that's enough to become my disciple?"
"Who gave you the nerve?"
With that, he took Shen Wan'er and flew away on his sword without looking back!
Rejected?
The dignified Fourth Prince of the Great Zhou Imperial House had actually been rejected?
At that moment, not only Zhou Kangyong but even the spectators watching from the sidelines were stunned!
"Wh-what are we supposed to do now?"
"Everyone says Elder Shouyi is reclusive and eccentric, but who would have thought he'd dare offend the Great Zhou Imperial House!"
"Legend has it that the Great Zhou Imperial House has an ancient monster in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm hidden away!"
Hearing this chatter, Zhou Kangyong felt a suffocating pressure in his chest and nearly spat blood from anger!
As he watched Li Shouyi's departing figure sail away so effortlessly, Zhou Kangyong's eyelids kept twitching.
He truly hadn't expected Li Shouyi to reject him!
He was a genuine genius, damn it!
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