Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time
Chapter 70: Appraisal Of Talents

Chapter 70: Appraisal Of Talents

The children were quite nervous as they all looked at the Elder, waiting for his next words.

"Now then, we shall begin the process," Elder Nie Jing announced before picking up a jade slip.

He held it in his hand for a moment and scanned it, reading the names within.

"The first recruit to be appraised shall be... Jun Ruo!" the Elder declared. "Approach!"

"Go," the inner court disciple who had brought Jun Ruo said, giving him a gentle push forward.

The fourteen-year-old, sheepish-looking boy carefully approached the dais. He was sweating like he was trapped in a desert, and his legs wobbled like jelly left out in the sun. If the crushing pressure he felt weren’t stronger than his desire to flee, he’d have already bolted halfway across the sect.

Step. Step. Step.

The boy climbed the dais and stood before the towering Talent Seeking Tablet.

"Draw blood," the Elder instructed.

Gulp.

Jun Ruo summoned every last ounce of courage in his tiny frame, extended his trembling finger, and pricked it on the sharp point of the Appraisal Crystal.

"Ouch!" he yelped, flinching. He tried his best to hold back tears, but his expression said he was one emotional push away from a full-on sob-fest.

Drip.

A drop of blood fell from his finger, landing delicately on the crystal.

SHUA!

The Appraisal Crystal glowed instantly, and the Talent Seeking Tablet began to stir.

HUALA!

A moment later, the tablet shone brightly.

"Red! Look, it’s red!" the other recruits cried out.

"Oof, that’s rough. Looks like someone’s headed for mop duty," an outer court disciple muttered under his breath.

"Not so fast, it might not be done yet," another disciple countered.

HUALA!

And right on cue, after a suspenseful five seconds, another color emerged.

"ORANGE!" shouted the inner court disciple who had brought Jun Ruo, clearly more excited than the kid himself.

He had been sweating bullets himself, hoping the boy wouldn’t get locked into a lifetime of scrubbing latrines.

The Elder watched the tablet closely for a moment, waiting to see if another color would follow. But the display settled.

"Jun Ruo, orange-ranked talent. You pass," Elder Nie Jing declared.

"I passed... I PASSED!" Jun Ruo cried, joy crashing over him like a tidal wave.

"Collect your rewards from the Junior Elder and stand to the side," Elder Nie Jing instructed.

"Yes, Elder!" Jun Ruo said, practically skipping over to the Junior Elder.

The Junior Elder appeared to be in his thirties, which felt positively youthful next to the silver-haired Elder Nie Jing, who looked like he was one philosophical thought away from turning into a sage tree.

"Jun Ruo, you will receive ten spirit stones, one Spirit Qi restoration pill, and your sect robes," the Junior Elder said, handing over a small pouch.

"T-thank you, Elder!" Jun Ruo stammered, bowing awkwardly.

"Go stand there," the Junior Elder pointed to a designated area.

The boy rushed over, a dopey grin plastered on his face. Even the tiny puncture on his finger seemed to have vanished from his awareness.

"Next person, Lin Tan!" the Elder called.

A taller boy approached, about sixteen years old and trying desperately to appear confident.

"You know the instructions," Elder Nie Jing said, clearly done with repeating himself.

"Of course," Lin Tan nodded, trying to look composed as he pricked his finger.

SHUA!

The crystal glowed. The tablet responded.

HUALA!

It flashed red.

Everyone stared, breath held, hoping for an upgrade.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Nothing.

Lin Tan’s hopeful expression wilted like a wet dumpling.

"Lin Tan, fail," the Elder stated with all the warmth of a stone wall. "You may choose to become a servant or return to your home."

"I... I choose to be a servant," the boy said after a painful pause.

"Return to your guide. Further instructions will be given after the appraisal concludes," the Elder instructed.

"Y-yes," Lin Tan murmured, blinking back tears as he trudged back to his spot.

Watching all this unfold, Han Yu felt a shiver run down his spine.

’I won’t be like that,’ he reassured himself. ’No way I’m cleaning latrines.’

"Next, Peng Suyan!" the Elder called.

SHUA!

Another orange-rank talent was revealed.

"Peng Suyan, pass!" the Elder confirmed, prompting a relieved smile from the boy.

He quickly received his reward and moved to the waiting area.

More and more recruits stepped up. Most landed in the orange tier, which seemed to be the talent equivalent of "adequate, but don’t get cocky." Yet, red-ranked kids still popped up here and there, proving that combat skill alone didn’t guarantee talent.

After thirty minutes of the same back-and-forth, even Han Yu was getting bored.

Yawn.

He was midway through his third yawn in a single minute when suddenly—

HUALA!

"GREEN! IT’S GREEN!"

"No way! Is it really green? Not yellow!?"

Gasps and cheers erupted.

Even Elder Nie Jing cracked a rare smirk. "Finally, some good seeds," he muttered, eyes softening as he looked at the tiny girl before him. "Xiao Ming, green-ranked talent. Pass."

"WOO!" Cheers rang out, especially from the inner court disciple who had guided her here like a proud older sibling.

Han Yu blinked. "Isn’t that the little girl who cheered for me earlier?"

It was. The doe-eyed girl was grinning ear to ear, looking like she’d just won the spirit stone lottery.

’Nice,’ Han Yu thought, genuinely happy for her.

The Junior Elder stepped up. "Xiao Ming, you shall receive three hundred spirit stones and five Spirit Qi replenishing pills."

"WHOA!" the girl exclaimed. Her entire family’s combined wealth probably couldn’t match that.

Beaming, she took the pouch with both hands and hopped her way to the designated area like an overjoyed bunny on sugar pills.

Han Yu chuckled. ’Alright, now I really can’t flop this.’

The process continued, but the crowd’s energy had been recharged, all eyes flicking toward the Talent Seeking Tablet with hope for the next big surprise.

Somewhere, hidden behind his cool facade, Han Yu was already preparing his victory pose.