58: Chapter 58. Ignorance is truly terrifying!

Chen Zilong watched Ye Wushuang's hesitant, evasive expression and couldn't help but feel a flicker of suspicion.

He slightly furrowed his brows and lightly tapped his slender fingers on the table, urging:

"What's wrong now, Junior Brother Ye? Hurry up and fill out the form. Everyone's waiting."

Ye Wushuang's head hung even lower, almost burying itself in his chest, a faint, barely noticeable flush of embarrassment coloring the tips of his ears.

That thin piece of paper felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in his hand, his fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of his robe.

To admit with his own mouth that he was an illiterate who couldn't recognize a single character?

That was even more unbearable than killing him.

Especially in front of Chen Zilong, this person he saw as a thorn in his side.

Amidst the silence, a voice as clear as spring water striking stone sounded leisurely, carrying a trace of imperceptible chill, breaking the deadlock:

"He doesn't know how to read."

Ye Xishui stood gracefully, a spotless plain white dress adorning her like a lone, proud snow lotus atop a mountain peak.

Her gaze was clear and cold, calmly stating the fact as if it were a trivial matter unrelated to her.

The sunlight outlined the perfect contours of her profile, her aloof, transcendent aura causing the surrounding clamor to settle.

Ye Wushuang's body stiffened violently, as if struck by an invisible hammer, his head nearly burying into his chest.

The words 'illiterate' pierced his self-esteem like an ice pick, leaving him utterly mortified.

"Huh?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zilong opened his mouth in surprise, his face filled with disbelief, "The child of destiny... can't read?"

He subconsciously stroked his chin, his eyes filled with a strange, probing look, "No way?"

He rapidly searched through the so-called 'original plot' in his mind, trying hard to recall:

This character Ye Wushuang...

Was there ever a 'completely illiterate' setting for him?

Seems like...

I really never noticed?!

I was too busy watching him act cool, slap faces, and bask in endless glory.

Who would have thought that this child of destiny, haloed by protagonist luck and walking with an air of grandeur, couldn't even read?

This is practically a classic plot from an absurdist play!

Wait...

A point of doubt instantly flashed through Chen Zilong's mind:

Doesn't know how to read?

Then how did he understand what was written on the form just now?

As the thought raced through his mind, the answer surfaced.

It must be that old dragon soul hidden in Ye Wushuang's storage ring acting as an 'illiteracy translator'!

So, while this guy is functionally blind to words, he can 'hear' what's written on paper.

But when it comes to doing it himself, he's completely lost.

Having figured this out, Chen Zilong's mood immediately soured, as if he'd swallowed a fly.

His meticulously prepared 'HR-style brainwashing technique'.

First, use procedural jargon to confuse you, then overwhelm you with form-filling until you question your existence, finally psychologically crushing the defenses of this child of destiny.

This perfect plan hadn't even officially started before it was broken by Ye Wushuang's 'illiteracy' attribute!

Can't write?

Then he needs someone to write for him.

This troublesome task would, in all likelihood, fall right back onto him, the very instigator!

Wasn't this like lifting a rock only to precisely drop it on his own toes?

The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt.

Chen Zilong couldn't help but inwardly scorn:

"The perils of illiteracy!"

"A child of destiny is indeed a child of destiny. Even being illiterate can become a masterstroke to break a deadlock."

"This kind of cheat is utterly shameless!"

Chen Zilong irritably rubbed the space between his brows, his index finger unconsciously stroking his chin.

His brain cells worked at lightning speed, pondering what other tactics he could use to deal with this troublesome Ye Wushuang.

If it weren't for that damned dragon soul cheat, he would dare to accept the challenge right now.

He'd grind Ye Wushuang into the dust on the arena a hundred times over!

But the problem was, that old dragon was there!

Forget his current Golden Core stage. Even if he were a Nascent Soul powerhouse right now, he'd probably still take a fall against a Ye Wushuang 'possessed by the dragon soul'.

That script was all too familiar:

Ye Wushuang can't win.

The old dragon immediately possesses him, his combat power skyrocketing exponentially!

Then this kid, in front of everyone, would defeat the stronger opponent, putting on a grand face-slapping show of 'don't bully the young for being poor'.

Finally, he'd step on his face and roar that legendary line:

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't bully the young for being poor!"

"A golden carp is no ordinary creature in a pond."

"My fate is in my hands, not heaven's!"

...

Just imagining this scene...

Ye Wushuang's arrogant face.

The surrounding disciples' jaws dropping in shock.

And his own dignity being trampled underfoot.

Made Chen Zilong's stomach churn nauseously, almost making him vomit.

At that moment, Ye Wushuang suddenly looked up.

His face was twisted and flushed with extreme shame and anger, his eyes blazing with fury, almost ready to erupt.

He roared, viciously tearing the form in his hands to shreds, the white paper scraps scattering like startled butterflies.

"Chen Zilong!"

His voice was hoarse, saturated with humiliated rage, "You go too far!"

"You knew damn well I can't read, yet you deliberately used this trash to make things difficult for me!"

"You have courted death!"

At this moment, only one thought raged wildly in Ye Wushuang's heart:

He must grind Chen Zilong into the dirt!

Under Ye Xishui's cold gaze.

Amidst Tu Shan Xiaoxiao's implicitly mocking stare.

Even in front of the many fellow disciples who hadn't yet dispersed.

When had he, Ye Wushuang, ever suffered such a profound humiliation!

This humiliation was etched into his bones!

He would make Chen Zilong repay it a hundredfold later!

Hearing Ye Wushuang's murderous declaration, an inexplicable chill ran up Chen Zilong's spine, his scalp tingling slightly.

To be honest, in terms of pure personal strength, he, Chen Zilong, at the Golden Core stage, wasn't afraid of Ye Wushuang.

But the problem was...

This guy shamelessly uses cheats!

He didn't even have the standard-issue system for a transmigrator. What could he use to fight a cheater with a 'dragon soul substitute fighter' VIP service?

Once that old dragon possessed him, forget Chen Zilong, even if their master, Liu Mei, came, she'd have to temporarily avoid the Sharpness!

Although the dragon soul might only be at the Mahayana stage of cultivation now.

But in the mortal realm, Mahayana was a ceiling-level existence!

The damned child of destiny.

Was simply the most shameless of the shameless!

"Chen Zilong!"

Ye Wushuang's aura surged like a rainbow. He took a step forward, as if invisible currents of air churned around him, brimming with absolute confidence and arrogance, "If you're a man, step onto the arena!"

"If I can't defeat you within ten moves, I, Ye Wushuang, will perform eating shit for you on the spot!"

The corner of his mouth hooked into a cruel, provocative arc, his voice resounding across the training grounds, "If you lose, you eat it! Do you dare?!"

Chen Zilong was choked by this 'shit and piss' obsessed wager, his throat clogging, almost making him vomit for real.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes, internally ranting:

Where's the style of this child of destiny?

The taste?

Why is he always fixated on shit and piss?

Couldn't he have some more refined pursuits?

And, most crucially...

Only a fool would fight you!

You're literally using an invincibility cheat. How am I supposed to win with my life on the line!?

Chen Zilong felt a deep, overwhelming wave of exhaustion wash over him.

He raised a hand and helplessly rubbed his temples, the corner of his mouth twisting into a bitter smile uglier than crying.

His eyes were filled with the world-weariness of 'this is too hard for me'.

This situation was truly like a rope snapping at its thinnest spot, a cheater exclusively targeting the honest man!

Beside them, Ye Xishui and Tu Shan Xiaoxiao, their two exquisitely beautiful faces were already covered in frost, pale with anger.

Ye Xishui tightly pressed her pale lips, cold fury blazing in her clear eyes.

The lazy charm had vanished from Tu Shan Xiaoxiao's enchanting fox-like eyes, replaced now only by icy disgust and contempt, her slender fingers unconsciously clenching within her sleeves.

They both knew, from their vague 'precognitive' memories, that a dragon soul lurked within Ye Wushuang's storage ring.

Every time he was cornered, that dragon soul would possess him, causing his combat power to explode instantly.

This was Ye Wushuang's greatest trump card, allowing him to run rampant in the mortal realm, boldly declaring 'who dares claim invincibility before me, who dares speak of being undefeated'.

In the current mortal realm where Mahayana cultivators were almost extinct, he indeed had the capital to be arrogant.

But it was precisely this 'capital' that made Ye Xishui and Tu Shan Xiaoxiao even more furious.

Why were they, and indeed all proud geniuses, destined to become stepping stones for such a vulgar, crude fellow who used bodily waste as wagers at the drop of a hat?

What lingered even deeper in their hearts was a sense of confused:

The 'selves' in their memories—obsessed, worshipful, even infatuated with Ye Wushuang—could those really be their future selves?

That feeling was so alien, so utterly repellent.

Meanwhile, the many observing disciples, seeing Chen Zilong remain silent for so long, merely rubbing his forehead with a helpless expression,

began to murmur, the sound growing from small to large, like stones dropped into a lake, ripples spreading out.

"What's going on with Senior Brother Chen? Why isn't he accepting the challenge? Could it be... he's afraid of Ye Wushuang?"

"That shouldn't be! Ye Wushuang's strength is decent, maybe enough to beat an ordinary inner disciple, but Senior Brother Chen is a Personal Disciple, his cultivation profound. There's no reason for him to be afraid!"

"Exactly! Senior Brother Chen, hurry up and agree! Teach this guy a lesson about the power of a Xuantian Sect Personal Disciple!"

"Right! To the arena! To the arena!"

...

More voices joined in, surging like a tide, converging into a wave of urging.

The atmosphere in the square instantly ignited, becoming heated and clamorous.

All eyes were focused on Chen Zilong's face, etched with helplessness, waiting for his response...