C14 Defeated

Su Xueqing couldn't contain her excitement, her fists clenched tightly at her side.

Ye Chen had done it!

He had actually defeated Sun Mingyuan and become Tang Tianshan's disciple.

With such a status, his future was undoubtedly boundless.

Sensing Su Xueqing's emotional shift, Ye Chen patted her hand reassuringly.

He signaled to her that the task had been easy for him, and she needn't get too worked up about it.

This was the first time Ye Chen had touched Su Xueqing's hand. His heart raced, nearly leaping from his chest.

Her skin was so soft and smooth, irresistibly so!

Flushed, Su Xueqing shot Ye Chen a fierce glare. He had seized the moment to get a little too close for comfort.

"No, I haven't lost. Just now, Ye Chen said that if I answered his question correctly, I would be declared the winner. He hasn't posed his question yet," Sun Mingyuan interjected.

He was beyond caring about face now; his sole focus was on winning today.

"You're truly shameless. You've already been defeated."

"Do you really need to be injured before you'll be satisfied?"

"Young Master Ye, don't bother with him. He's beyond shameless."

"Mission announcement: Since Sun Mingyuan is so eager for a beating, you must ensure he's thoroughly dealt with."

"Mission reward: 5 points of mental energy."

"Mission difficulty: One star."

Ye Chen accepted the mission in silence, his expression one of mockery as he regarded Sun Mingyuan.

"Fine, I'll pose the question."

The crowd buzzed with confusion.

Ye Chen had clearly already won; why continue?

Tang Tianshan was ready to take Ye Chen as his apprentice.

Wasn't he worried about potential repercussions?

Even Tang Tianshan was taken aback. He had no choice but to accept Ye Chen as his disciple now, without any room for change.

Yet here was Ye Chen, ready to pose another question. If Sun Mingyuan got it right, Ye Chen would have to hand over such a golden opportunity.

Ye Chen looked at Sun Mingyuan and spoke calmly, "You enjoy delving into analysis and historical minutiae, don't you? I'll ask you a question that is both analytically challenging and steeped in historical detail."

Sun Mingyuan's spirits lifted.

He hadn't anticipated a last-minute twist.

Although Ye Chen was well-versed in history, Sun Mingyuan was no slouch.

He was confident that he could answer Ye Chen's question.

"Alright, pose your question."

"I'm sure you've read 'The Amorous Lotus' and are familiar with the sordid affair between Golden Lotus and Ximen Qing. My question is, do you know what color underwear Golden Lotus was wearing when she first met Ximen Qing?"

Ye Chen, ever the epitome of grace, actually posed such a question.

Everyone was mortified.

But who would fuss over such a triviality?

Sun Mingyuan pondered deeply.

'The Amorous Lotus' was a legendary tome of ancient times. He had, of course, pored over it countless times.

His interest lay in the narrative it contained.

Yet, despite wracking his brain, he couldn't come up with an answer.

After much deliberation, he finally conceded.

Sun Mingyuan demanded, "Are you just spouting nonsense? You need to state the answer and provide evidence to back it up."

"There's no need for evidence. Once I reveal the answer, it will become clear to you," Ye Chen replied.

He went on, "In ancient times, underwear hadn't been invented yet. People didn't wear any. If you can't even discern such a minor detail, you're not fit to challenge me."

Sun Mingyuan was instantly overwhelmed, collapsing to the ground in a stupor.

He was thoroughly vanquished!

The crowd's faces lit up with understanding; they had all been duped.

Tang Tianshan nodded in silence, admiring Ye Chen's intellect.

He laughed softly, his face creasing into a smile, "Ye Chen, would you like to become my disciple?"

Tang Tianshan was ready to take Ye Chen under his wing.

Ye Chen was surely on the path to greatness.

Relief washed over Su Xueqing. If Ye Chen became Tang Tianshan's disciple, he would undoubtedly excel.

"No, he doesn't deserve to be your disciple."

Sun Mingyuan's voice was fierce, his expression twisted with anger.

Was he still looking to stir up trouble?

Now scorned by all, Sun Mingyuan had not only humiliated himself but had also crossed the line with the literati.

A man like Sun Mingyuan had no place among them.

Sun Mingyuan was indifferent to the onlookers' opinions. His sole aim was to tarnish Ye Chen's reputation.

"Teacher Tang, the disciple you seek should not only be erudite but also possess exceptional moral fiber, correct?" he asked.

Tang Tianshan, unsure of Sun Mingyuan's intentions, nodded. A disciple's integrity was his top priority in selection.

"Ye Chen approaches his work lackadaisically and shirks responsibility for his juniors. Would you still consider him for discipleship?"

Sun Mingyuan's statement was startling, casting doubt on Ye Chen's integrity.

"What are you implying?" Tang Tianshan asked, his tone icy.

Sun Mingyuan had repeatedly lowered Tang Tianshan's opinion of him, now reaching new depths of shamelessness. He was still intent on slandering Ye Chen.

"I have proof. Teacher Tang, please watch!" Sun Mingyuan said, pulling out his phone to play a video.

The footage showed Ye Chen reviewing history books, flipping through them one by one.

"Is this his idea of organizing history books? Does this look like diligence? All I see is careless scribbling," Sun Mingyuan accused.

"Such behavior is a desecration of history, a mockery of his duties."

The crowd turned their gazes to Ye Chen, their faith in Sun Mingyuan having eroded.

Ye Chen, with his wealth of knowledge and talent, how could he act so carelessly? They awaited his explanation.

Unruffled, Ye Chen responded, "This is my method for arranging history books."

"Rubbish! You're just killing time, disrespecting history. What makes you worthy of being Teacher Tang's disciple?" Sun Mingyuan taunted, laughing triumphantly.

Sun Mingyuan was determined to take Ye Chen down with him. If he couldn't have something, he didn't want Ye Chen to have it either.

"Don't project your inadequacies onto others. Haven't you ever heard of Reading a hundred lines at a glance?" Ye Chen retorted.

The crowd was taken aback by Ye Chen's claim. Such a feat was unheard of, something only a computer could achieve.

Sensing their skepticism, Ye Chen smiled and pointed at a stranger. "We've never met or seen each other before, correct?"

The individual nodded in agreement. "Correct, I don't know you."

"Feel free to pick out any book for me."

Ye Chen took the chosen book and began to leaf through it, page by page, in front of everyone. His speed was so astonishing that it left the onlookers dumbfounded.

"Just now, I flipped through the book for ten seconds and read fifteen pages. In that span, I found 130 typos and ten missing plot segments. Please, check for yourselves!"

Driven by curiosity, the group quickly set to work to verify his claims.

It wasn't long before the data was tallied up, and it matched Ye Chen's account down to the last detail.

All of these books were unique handwritten manuscripts; there wasn't a second copy of any of them in the world.

This meant that Ye Chen truly possessed the ability to read a hundred lines at a glance.

Calling him a genius would be an understatement; he was beyond what any genius could aspire to be!