Waste material? The World Tree!

Inside the main hall of Lingchen Peak, there was a deathly silence.

The crisp notification sound of "Conscription Failed" still echoed in the air, sounding exceptionally harsh.

Langya Xuan's eyes widened, his heart filled with extreme shock.

Subconsciously, he blurted out:

"True Disciple? Ye Qing? How is that possible!"

"How can Ye Qing be a True Disciple? He clearly entered the Holy Academy at the same time as me... Senior Brother Xiao Chen, this identity token... could it be a mistake?"

As his voice fell, he did not receive the expected response.

Langya Xuan was taken aback and looked up.

He saw that the maid beside Xiao Chen, who had previously been full of pride, was now pale and desperately signaling him with her eyes.

She was gesturing for him to shut up immediately.

Langya Xuan's heart skipped a beat, and he followed the maid's gaze toward the main seat.

He saw Xiao Chen gripping that purple-gold identity jade plate, his knuckles turning slightly white from excessive force.

That face, which was originally handsome and arrogant, was now gloomy and unsightly, looking as if it could drip water.

A mistake?

How could there be a mistake with a Disciple identity token from the Holy Academy!

A mere junior had actually become a True Disciple! His status was now equal to Xiao Chen's!

Silence reigned in the hall for a long time.

"Heh..."

Xiao Chen suddenly laughed.

Although he was laughing, the smile was far from warm; instead, a bone-chilling coldness flickered in the depths of his eyes.

"Interesting... truly interesting."

Xiao Chen slowly set down the teacup in his hand, the porcelain cup making a sharp clink as it hit the tabletop.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze piercing through the dome of the hall.

He stood up with his hands behind his back, his voice carrying a hint of irrepressible fury:

"I, Xiao Chen, went through immense hardships and countless life-and-death trials to defeat the competitors of my generation."

"Step by step, I fought my way from the trials to the Inner Court, then from the Inner Court into the ranks of the elites, and finally ascended to this position of True Disciple!"

"How much of a price did I pay for this? How much blood and sweat did I shed?"

"But he, Ye Qing..."

Xiao Chen slammed the table, causing tea to splash everywhere.

"A newcomer who just entered the Holy Academy, who hasn't even spent a single day as an ordinary Disciple, is directly a True Disciple?!"

"Ha! What a grand gesture! What 'special care' from the Headmaster!"

Seeing this, Langya Xuan shrunk his neck and lowered his head, not daring to even breathe loudly.

But listening to Xiao Chen's words, he couldn't help but put himself in those shoes and felt a slight sense of sympathy.

Yes, this was far too unfair!

Everyone else had to work themselves to death to climb up, yet this Ye Qing could directly ascend to the throne of a True Disciple upon arrival?

This True Disciple status came far too easily!

Anyone would feel a sense of psychological imbalance seeing this!

"Whew..."

Xiao Chen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart, his eyes flashing with light.

"Since that's the case, I truly want to see this Ye Qing now!"

"I want to see just how much of a Prodigy this person is! On what grounds can he stand shoulder to shoulder with me and become a new True Disciple of this Holy Academy!"

He believed his talent and brilliance were second to none; in his generation, Xiao Chen was an absolute top Prodigy who suppressed an entire era!

Even so, he had never received such treatment of ascending to the heavens in a single step!

"Hmph!"

Xiao Chen let out a cold snort.

As a Prodigy, he possessed his own pride, and at this moment, a strong desire to compete with Ye Qing arose in his heart.

"Since I cannot conscript him, then we shall battle!"

He immediately picked up the identity token, his fingers operating it rapidly.

It was no longer the high-and-mighty "Conscription," but rather he clicked on the "Challenge" option.

Target: Ye Qing!

"I will just wait for Ye Qing's response. I will fight him and defeat him! I'll let him know what a real True Disciple is!"

Seeing this, Langya Xuan's eyes darted around, thinking this was a good opportunity to show his closeness.

He immediately stepped forward, filled with righteous indignation, and flattered him:

"Exactly! Senior Brother Xiao is right!"

"What kind of thing is that Ye Qing? To directly become a True Disciple and stand shoulder to shoulder with you, Senior Brother?"

"Hmph! Is he even worthy? It's simply a disgrace to the title of True Disciple!"

However.

The expected sound of agreement did not come.

Xiao Chen's hand, which was still operating the token, paused slightly. He slowly turned his head, his cold, piercing eyes staring chillingly at Langya Xuan.

He said not a word.

Langya Xuan: "Uh..."

He felt like something was not quite right!

The temperature in the hall seemed to drop instantly.

For a moment, Langya Xuan felt a chill all over his body and his scalp went numb, somewhat confused.

He stammered:

"Se... Senior Brother Xiao? Did I say something wrong?"

"Hmph! Are YOU even worthy?"

Xiao Chen coldly spat out those four words.

"What?"

Langya Xuan was stunned.

Xiao Chen's gaze was contemptuous as he said coldly:

"Although Ye Qing displeases me, since he is now a True Disciple, he is of the same rank as me."

"How noble is the status of a True Disciple? Is it something you can casually criticize behind his back?"

"What kind of thing are you to dare judge whether a True Disciple is worthy or not?"

"This..."

Hearing this, Langya Xuan's face instantly turned the color of pig liver, his expression shifting between green and white, so embarrassed he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

He hadn't expected that his flattery would backfire so spectacularly!

At the same time, he thought to himself:

"Is this Xiao Chen sick? I was clearly speaking up for him..."

However, in reality.

Xiao Chen was someone who placed extreme importance on status and class!

Since Ye Qing was already a True Disciple.

Then in Xiao Chen's eyes, before he had defeated Ye Qing.

He and Ye Qing were "nobles" of the same class who could fight each other.

But he would never allow a "low-class" Disciple like Langya Xuan to pass judgment on them!

"Get out now!"

Xiao Chen waved his sleeve, not even bothering to spare Langya Xuan another glance.

The maid nearby saw this.

She immediately stepped forward with a smile and made a "please" gesture to Langya Xuan:

"Young Master Langya, Senior Brother Xiao Chen is tired today and does not wish to see any more guests. Please!"

Langya Xuan gritted his teeth, his heart filled with humiliation.

But taking a deep breath, he still forced a smile, then bowed his head and turned to take his leave... Meanwhile.

Inside the Holy Academy's treasury space.

Ye Qing was unaware of the external affairs; he was immersed in the joy of treasure hunting.

"This sword is not bad."

Ye Qing held a longsword that shimmered with a faint green light. With a flick of his finger, the blade vibrated, letting out a clear dragon's roar.

"You're the one!"

"Oh? Medium Grade Rank Six, named 'Asking the Willow'."

"Light and sharp, it feels quite handy to hold."

Ye Qing nodded with satisfaction and put it into his storage ring.

That counted as using his first opportunity.

Next was the second selection opportunity.

However, although this Holy Academy treasury was as vast as a sea with so many treasures it was dizzying.

Ye Qing wandered around for a long time but didn't find anything that particularly moved his heart.

Cultivation Techniques? He had the Tai Xuan Golden Chapter and the Heavenly River Sword Canon; he didn't care for anything else.

Medicinal Pills? He didn't need them for now, and they were all like mystery boxes; he didn't know what he would get.

Magic Treasures? He was too lazy to take ordinary ones; he had no use for them.

Spiritual materials? Hmm... "Forget it, I'll just pick one at random."

Ye Qing had obtained a sword and was now feeling a bit disinterested, preparing to just grab a high-grade Ore to make up the numbers.

Suddenly.

As he passed by an inconspicuous shelf in a corner.

Buzz!

His Prison Suppressing Immortal Body vibrated slightly without any warning!

It was a strange sensation!

"Hmm?"

Ye Qing's footsteps stopped abruptly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

If not for the sudden reaction of the Prison Suppressing Immortal Body, he would have definitely overlooked this corner.

He followed the sensation and looked over.

He saw that on the bottom level of that dust-covered shelf, there lay quietly a piece of withered wood only three inches long.

This withered wood was charred black all over, as if it had been struck by lightning, its bark cracked and dull.

It didn't even have a hint of Spiritual Qi fluctuation.

It looked like a piece of rotten wood that could be found anywhere on the roadside, not even worth throwing into a fire to make it burn brighter.

"Is it this thing... that caused a reaction in the Immortal Body?"

Ye Qing scanned his surroundings, then crouched down and reached out to pick up the piece of withered wood.

It was cold to the touch, yet it possessed a heavy texture.

"The Prison Suppressing Immortal Body is a supreme Physique; anything that can cause it to react is definitely no ordinary object!"

"This withered wood must have something extraordinary about it!"

A sharp light flashed in Ye Qing's eyes.

"You're the one!"

As he made his choice, the seemingly weak but actually profound Restriction around the withered wood slowly dissipated.

The withered wood remained plain and unremarkable, showing no extraordinary state.

Ye Qing held it in his hand and toyed with it for a bit.

He couldn't see anything special, but he trusted his intuition, so he directly walked out... The treasury gates rumbled open.

Ye Qing stepped out.

Cang Yuanzi, who had been waiting outside, quickly came forward and asked with a beaming face:

"How was it, Young Friend Ye? What good treasures did you pick?"

As he spoke, he caught sight of the charred withered wood Ye Qing was playing with.

The smile on Cang Yuanzi's face froze for a moment, and then he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh loudly:

"Hahahaha! It seems my little friend wanted to take a gamble and try his luck?"

"However... if I may be blunt, this piece of withered wood, in my view, should be an unknown spiritual material that has been in the treasury for who knows how many years, and because it was left for too long, its Spiritual Qi has completely dissipated."

"Other than being a bit hard, it has no other use."

"Using a precious opportunity to exchange for a piece of rotten wood, what a pity, what a pity..."

He shook his head, clearly thinking that Ye Qing's luck was a bit poor this time.

Ye Qing only smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying it.

"It's fine, I find it pleasing to the eye, so I'll just keep it for fun."

Saying so, he calmly put away the withered wood.

Seeing this, Cang Yuanzi instead showed a hint of approval in his eyes.

"No regrets once the move is made, neither arrogant nor rash."

"Young Friend Ye's Heart-Nature is indeed extraordinary!"

Then, Cang Yuanzi warmly invited him:

"Young Friend Ye, how about coming to my courtyard for a seat? I have a few ounces of treasured spiritual tea there..."

Hearing this, Ye Qing shook his head and declined politely:

"Thank you for your kind offer, Headmaster, but I have been in the Nether Abyss for several months and am physically and mentally exhausted. I would like to go back and rest first."

"That's fine too."

Cang Yuanzi did not force him, nodded, and said:

"It just so happens that you are now a True Disciple. According to the rules, the Holy Academy has already assigned 'Phoenix Cry Peak' to you as your cultivation grounds."

"Yesterday, I privately sent a batch of rare spiritual plants and arranged for Utility Disciples to plant them on Phoenix Cry Peak."

"You can go back and take a look. If there's anything you're unsatisfied with or that needs adjustment, just let me know at any time."

Ye Qing was slightly surprised to hear this.

Giving a mountain and even providing the landscaping?

This service was quite thorough.

"In that case, thank you, Headmaster!"

Ye Qing thanked him again, then bid farewell to Cang Yuanzi and turned into a streak of light.

He flew toward Phoenix Cry Peak... Soon, at the main hall on the summit of Phoenix Cry Peak.

Ye Qing sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, then flipped his palm and took out that piece of charred withered wood again.

"The old Headmaster said you were Trash, but I always feel..."

In Ye Qing's eyes, a golden light faintly flickered.

Under the perception of the Prison Suppressing Immortal Body.

Ye Qing carefully examined it inch by inch.

He discovered that in the deepest part of this seemingly dead wood, there actually seemed to be hidden a trace of vitality that was extremely weak yet incredibly resilient!

It was like the last spark in the ashes that hadn't been extinguished!

"There really is something to this!"

Ye Qing pondered for a moment.

Suddenly, he thought of something.

"When I bestowed the 'Purple Spirit Milk Marrow' I got from the Heavenly Wolf Sect to my Disciple earlier, the System triggered a critical hit return..."

"It rewarded me with three pots of Low Grade Immortal-tier 'yin yang divine water'!"

"This yin yang divine water is an immortal water from the Upper Realm. Bringing the dead back to life and regrowing flesh on bones are just common feats for it; it contains a majestic power of life Origin and creation!"

"If I use it to water this..."

No sooner said than done!

Ye Qing immediately found a jade basin, dug up some spiritual soil, and carefully planted the withered wood inside.

Then, he took out the jade bottle containing the yin yang divine water.

Drip!

Drip!

Drip!

Extremely extravagantly, Ye Qing dripped three consecutive drops of the divine water onto that withered wood!

In an instant!

A great divine light burst forth!

The originally charred and cracked withered wood seemed like it was meeting sweet rain after a long drought, instantly absorbing those three drops of divine water completely.

Immediately following.

Crack!

The originally dead bark split open, and a touch of tender green sprouted out at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Spring had returned to the withered wood!

In just a few moments, that piece of withered wood grew two crystal-clear tender sprouts that looked like emeralds, swaying in the wind and radiating vibrant vitality.

What surprised Ye Qing even more was that.

With the growth of the sprouts, an ignorant and pure consciousness within this withered wood was actually slowly awakening!

As soon as that consciousness woke up, it sensed the aura on Ye Qing's body.

Just like a young beast opening its eyes for the first time.

The consciousness within the withered wood immediately developed a natural and intense feeling of admiration and attachment toward Ye Qing.

Thus, a childish and soft thought.

Resonated directly in Ye Qing's mind:

"Daddy... Daddy!"

"..."

Ye Qing's hand shook, and he almost dropped the basin.

He stared wide-eyed at those two tender sprouts.

"What on earth?"

"Daddy?"

"I don't even have a Dao Companion yet, and I'm already becoming a father?"

Ye Qing's mouth twitched, and he quickly shook his head, then transmitted through his Divine Thought:

"Stop! Hold it! Don't call me Daddy!"

"I am not your father!"

Hearing this.

The two sprouts that had just grown on the left and right sides of the withered wood, which had been full of energy.

Instantly drooped down listlessly.

"Oh..."

That thought seemed extremely aggrieved.

"Then... then what should I call you?"

Ye Qing felt a bit of a headache and could only change the subject, asking:

"What kind of thing are you? What is your Origin?"

The consciousness seemed to fall into thought, and after a long while, it answered in a daze:

"I... I can't remember clearly either..."

"Many memories seem to be sealed away, all pitch black..."

"However... in my memory, many people seem to have called me..."

"World Tree... Original Wood... Heaven-Reaching Divine Tree..."