Chapter 45: The Contest

Had she really taken everything he had taught her for so long as nothing more than words blown past her ears?

Zhao Erdong, however, was not bothered in the slightest. She merely cast the Hall Master of the Spiritstone Palace a cool glance and said, “The Great Moon Kingdom has an explicit law: anyone who enters the martial path is exempt from the ritual of kneeling.”

Her words drew sidelong glances from everyone present. Anyone could see that only those incapable of cultivating in the martial path would choose to study the art of treasure appraisal. If this girl could cultivate martial energy, why would she learn treasure appraisal? Trying to pursue two paths at once—was that not simply ruining her own future?

Yue Moli studied Zhao Erdong intently. From the very first moment he saw her, he had found her strangely familiar, yet he could not recall who she was.

“What is your name?” His face revealed neither anger nor delight. He appeared gentle and composed, yet beneath that gentleness seemed to lurk a tempest capable of overturning the heavens.

“Erdong.”

Zhao Erdong met his gaze. Her cool, indifferent eyes seemed able to see straight through the human heart, yet at the same time they appeared veiled in a faint confusion.

Erdong? He was certain that among all the people he knew, there was no one by that name. Absolutely no one.

Without saying anything more, Yue Moli gave Zhao Erdong one last searching look before turning and leaving.

He truly had not recognized her.

Zhao Erdong laughed inwardly. The day she had risen from the dead, she had been in a wretched state, and her appearance now was utterly different. Naturally, he would not remember her.

The eighteen treasure appraisers were divided into eight groups and matched against one another. The winners would remain, while the losers would be eliminated.

Zhao Erdong was paired with a middle-aged man in his forties.

The man had a greasy, swarthy face and a pair of beady eyes. He was hardly the sort of person who inspired goodwill at first sight.

He seemed not to regard Zhao Erdong at all. After merely sweeping his eyes over her from the corners of them, he went straight to choose his stone, looking as though victory were already assured.

Zhao Erdong merely shrugged and followed behind him, glancing this way and that. She had no intention of making her move too quickly. She did not want to reveal too much of her ability; winning was all that mattered.

The man searched high and low before finally selecting a massive stone weighing nearly a hundred pounds. Apparently quite pleased with himself, he kept throwing provocative looks in Zhao Erdong’s direction.

Zhao Erdong laughed inwardly. The fellow thought he had found a treasure, when in fact it was merely a piece of ore containing a crimson Origin Spirit Crystal. Was there really any need to be so excited?

With a casual sweep of her eyes, she spotted a stone in the corner and lifted it. It was about the size of a monkey’s head and also contained a crimson Origin Spirit Crystal—only hers was somewhat larger than her opponent’s.

When the stones were cut, the man’s was the largest, and naturally took the longest. The boulder weighing nearly a hundred pounds was reduced to a small stone weighing only a few pounds, yet there was still no sign of an Origin Spirit Crystal. The arrogance he had displayed earlier had long since been replaced by sweat pouring down his face. He kept muttering under his breath, “That’s impossible. I clearly chose it according to what Master taught me. How could I have been wrong? Impossible. Impossible…”

“There it is!”

The stonecutter called out, slowing the movement of his blade.

A faint red glow seeped through the increasingly thin layer of stone. With each stroke of the knife, the radiance grew stronger. Sure enough, it was a crimson Origin Spirit Crystal—though a very small one, no larger than an infant’s fist.

Seeing the smile on Zhao Erdong’s face, the beady-eyed man snapped angrily, “What are you laughing at? Your stone is so small. Do you really think you can cut out a crystal larger than mine?”

Zhao Erdong shrugged and glanced at the stone in her hand. It was indeed small—about the size of a monkey’s head, and a particularly small monkey’s head at that. She ignored the man and simply handed her stone to the cutter.

What was the point of arguing with someone like him? She would simply cut out a larger Origin Spirit Crystal and seal his mouth with it.