Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time
Chapter 69: The Appraisal

Chapter 69: The Appraisal

It took Xu Qing nearly ten minutes to feel satisfied. She had beaten Han Yu black and blue—his face was covered in bruises, one eye had gone full panda-mode, and his head was sprouting more bumps than a porcupine in puberty.

Thankfully, the ever-lurking medic disciple was nearby, and with the speed of someone used to this exact scenario, patched Han Yu up. Soon, he was good as new—if you ignored the faint, lingering pain and the occasional twitch.

’Man, she’s much scarier than Elder Nie Jing,’ Han Yu thought, silently swearing to never cross Xu Qing again unless absolutely necessary. Like, if the world was ending. Twice.

"HUMPH!" Xu Qing harrumphed, arms crossed, as she watched Han Yu get bandaged like a discount mummy.

She really wanted to give him another round for good measure, but now wasn’t the time. The Appraisal of the recruits was about to begin—and that was serious business.

It wasn’t just important for Han Yu, but for Xu Qing too. This was where the true worth of a recruit would be revealed, and depending on the results, inner court disciples like her would receive a proportionate amount of sect merits.

Sect merits were the official currency of cool within the sect. Sure, spirit stones were used in the common markets for basic trade, but when it came to serious purchases—like pills, weapons, or renting a fancy alchemy room with better lighting—merit points were king.

They could be exchanged for guidance from elders, exclusive cultivation techniques, custom weapons, or even rare pills. Want to rent a training hall that smells faintly of enlightenment and despair? You’d better have enough merit points.

Xu Qing needed those points badly. She was stuck at a cultivation bottleneck, her progress as slow as a turtle in a tar pit. A breakthrough pill would help, but they didn’t come cheap. And she didn’t want a repeat of last time.

’I won’t let a fellow disciple become my senior again,’ she vowed, her eyes gleaming with determination and mild PTSD.

Han Yu, meanwhile, had clearly recovered from both the pain and the trauma.

"Hey, when do we get the rewards for the combat assessment?" he asked, rubbing his chin with the self-assurance of someone who’d forgotten he got clobbered not ten minutes ago. "I came first, so I should be getting something awesome, right? Maybe gold, spirit stones, herbs, pills... or maybe even a secret inheritance?"

Xu Qing gave him a look that could curdle milk. "That comes after the appraisal. They also give out a bonus depending on your results. So, both rewards are handed out together."

"Ah, I see." Han Yu nodded, clearly pleased with himself. "No worries then. I’m sure I’ll come out on top again. There’s no way I, Han Yu, would be mistaken for some common rabble!"

"Ugh," Xu Qing cringed. "Someone mute him, please."

DING!

As if the heavens themselves were fed up with the conversation, a loud bell rang through the sect.

"All disciples and their recruits are to head to the gathering area!" boomed a voice like thunder, unmistakably belonging to Elder Nie Jing.

"Finally," Xu Qing muttered before promptly grabbing Han Yu by the wrist and dragging him along like a sack of overly confident potatoes.

"Hey! I can walk, you know!" Han Yu protested, flailing slightly.

Xu Qing ignored him, her grip as unyielding as a steel vice. Soon enough, they arrived at the central dais, where other inner court disciples were assembling with their equally nervous recruits.

In under ten minutes, the crowd had gathered. Elder Nie Jing stood before them, radiating the kind of authority that made even the air feel disciplined.

"The disciples already know the process," he began, his voice clear and sharp. "But I shall explain it for the new recruits."

"We request the elder for his guidance!" the disciples chorused, Xu Qing included, sounding eerily synchronized—like a cult, but with better fashion.

The elder nodded in approval and gestured behind him to a massive five-meter-tall stone tablet, flanked by a glowing crystal mounted on an ornate pedestal.

"This is the sect’s Talent Seeking Tablet. Below it is the Appraisal Crystal. These sacred artifacts are treasures of our sect, the inheritance left behind by our forefathers. Respect them well."

The children stared with wide eyes, some intrigued, others visibly terrified. One kid looked like he was about to bolt.

"You will approach the dais one by one, in reverse order of your performance in the combat assessment. Lowest to highest."

Elder Nie Jing’s gaze casually landed on Han Yu for a moment. A brief flicker of irritation passed over his face like a cloud on a sunny day.

"You will touch the sharp point of the Appraisal Crystal and draw blood. This blood will awaken your spiritual potential and the Tablet will display your talent level."

The elder pointed to the tablet.

"There are seven recognized ranks: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. Red is the lowest—indicating you should probably consider farming—and Violet is the highest, signaling a future of fame, power, and being pestered by too many marriage proposals."

Han Yu was already daydreaming about being chased by noble ladies.

"To qualify as an Outer Court disciple, you must possess at least Orange talent. Those below that will only be eligible to serve the sect in... alternative ways."

Several kids paled visibly.

"Of course," the elder added with the faintest smirk, "you are free to leave if you choose. But know this: should you walk away now, you forfeit your only chance to join the sect. Forever."

The air thickened. A heavy silence fell upon the recruits.

Han Yu, completely unfazed, leaned toward Xu Qing. "How do you think I’ll score? Violet, right? I mean, I do give off a mysterious prodigy vibe, don’t I?"

Xu Qing stared at him like she was debating whether to hit him again.

"I swear, if the Tablet breaks from sheer delusion, I’m not paying for it."

And thus, the Appraisal began.

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