I'll take you as my pupil.

Upon hearing Xiao Jin's response, all the hunters present were stunned.

Mad Dog, in particular, had already imagined killing the chief and Xiao Jin thousands of times in his mind. Although it was only a thought, on the surface, he remained respectful.

After all, this bounty mission had nearly cost Mad Dog his life.

Originally a muscular man with a bare chest, he was now reduced to skin and bones.

Apart from those who died, Mad Dog suffered the most significant loss, forfeiting much of his cultivation.

If not for his solid foundation from his martial sect background, the tiger demon would have drained his essence dry.

At least before setting out, everyone had thought that a C-level mission wouldn't be too difficult.

But it wasn't until they reached Longhu Abyss that they realized how deadly it was.

Ye Chuan couldn't help but mutter to himself, "What a trap."

At least the bounty was substantial enough.

Xiao Jin handed the bounty, worth 100,000 gold coins, to Han Qianye and Mad Dog.

Mad Dog carefully picked up his share of 50,000 gold coins, looked at it, and swallowed hard.

Ye Chuan stood beside him, and just a glance from him was enough to make Mad Dog voluntarily hand the bounty over to Ye Chuan.

"That's more like it!"

Everyone knew that the success of obtaining the tiger heart was due to the life-risking efforts of Ye Chuan and Han Qianye.

Moreover, they had detoxified the two teams.

"Ye Chuan, you deserve the most credit for this mission. Half of the bounty should go to you, and we will divide the rest," Han Qianye sensibly acknowledged Ye Chuan's significant contribution.

"I agree!" Lin Ruomei was the first to raise her hand in support of this plan.

"Indeed, this distribution is the fairest," Zhang Chen nodded in agreement.

At this moment, everyone looked at the masked man. Seeing that he neither spoke nor opposed, they took his silence as consent.

"What about me? How are we splitting the money? Did anyone ask for my opinion?" Mad Dog pointed at himself, clearly dissatisfied.

"What? Who do you think you are? Your opinion doesn't matter," Ye Chuan walked over and kicked Mad Dog in the butt.

This scene made Lin Ruomei chuckle softly as she shyly covered her face, looking very innocent.

During the mission, Mad Dog had even boasted about getting rid of Ye Chuan. Such divisive comments had been openly made.

Now he wanted a share of the bounty? No way!

Mad Dog rolled on the ground, yelping in pain.

At Longhu Abyss, Mad Dog had loudly conspired to eliminate Ye Chuan, but Ye Chuan hadn't taken it to heart. Instead, he saved Mad Dog's life when he was about to be drained dry.

In reality, Mad Dog was very grateful to Ye Chuan.

"Alright, alright, you're the boss. I'll listen to you!" Mad Dog no longer harbored any hostility toward Ye Chuan and instead willingly became his subordinate.

"Boss, you can't give me nothing at all," Mad Dog clung to Ye Chuan's leg like a newborn monkey holding onto its mother, refusing to let go.

He was like a stubborn leech!

"Since you did some work, here's a potion for you."

Ye Chuan took out a bottle of elixir and flicked it into the air. Mad Dog quickly picked it up and swallowed it without hesitation.

In an instant, Mad Dog's lost essence and cultivation began to visibly restore.

His emaciated body started regaining its vigor.

"Take this Grade Eight elixir and meditate for three months, and you'll be back to your peak," Ye Chuan said calmly to Mad Dog.

"From now on, whatever you command, I'll follow, boss. I'll be at your beck and call," Mad Dog expressed his gratitude to Ye Chuan with excitement.

To Mad Dog, Ye Chuan had not held a grudge against him. Instead, Ye Chuan saved his life and gave him the most precious elixir from the bounty, aiding in his recovery to peak condition.

How could he not be grateful!

The Chief silently observed all of this from the side, feeling quite gratified. He saw a reflection of his younger self in Ye Chuan. Someone whose cultivation surpassed peers, who remained composed in the face of crisis, and who had an innate ability to win people's hearts.

Seeing such a potential genius, he couldn't hold back any longer. "Since you are unwilling to become my adopted son, how about I take you as my disciple?"

"What? You want to take me as your disciple?" Ye Chuan was initially shocked and then fell into deep thought.

What Ye Chuan had learned so far came from the small techniques taught by the village chief of Flame Mountain. He believed that these skills were enough to keep him alive and make money, and he never considered apprenticing under anyone.

Ye Chuan was also acutely aware that he was an obscure small-time cultivator without any backing or resources to aid his cultivation. Everything depended on his unwavering determination to cultivate.

"You should accept it," Zhang Chen was the first to urge Ye Chuan.

"Yes, the Chief has personally extended the offer. Many wish to serve under him but don't get the chance!" Han Qianye also thought highly of Ye Chuan and hoped he could improve further under the Chief's guidance.

If Ye Chuan became the Chief's disciple, he would not only receive ample cultivation resources within the renowned bounty sect but also get high-reward tasks that were less demanding. More importantly, the Chief would look after him.

The key point was that Ye Chuan was a member of the Money Picker Squad. This connection would be advantageous to everyone.

"Thank you for the kind offer, Chief. Please allow me some time to consider," Ye Chuan currently had no intention of apprenticing under anyone.

The Chief smiled and said, "No problem. When you decide you want to be my disciple, come find me anytime."

Becoming the Chief's disciple meant gaining the protection of the entire renowned bounty sect.

Upon hearing Ye Chuan's refusal of the Chief's kind offer, Zhang Chen felt deeply disappointed. He thought that if the Chief had made such an offer to him, he would have immediately knelt and called him 'Master.'

"Indeed, you have the air of a dragon among men. Facing such a sudden opportunity, you didn't accept it right away. You've got some strong will, kid," Xiao Jin commented, somewhat impressed.

Initially, during the selection process, Xiao Jin had not thought highly of this kid from Flame Mountain, looking at Ye Chuan with disdain. But now, Ye Chuan had impressively completed a B+ level task during the mission, something Xiao Jin couldn't quite fathom.

Moreover, anyone the Chief had his eyes on was bound to be highly talented.

Xiao Jin felt somewhat ashamed but, being a person who faced things head-on, he didn't dwell on these feelings.

"It's getting late. You should all return to your respective camps," said the Chief, dismissing the hunters.

As Ye Chuan left the tent, he noticed a few people staring at him and Han Qianye from a distance.

They whistled to catch Ye Chuan's attention.

Han Qianye recognized them as members of the first-tier Phantom Assassins team.

At this moment, they were whispering among themselves.

"We're in the first tier, but these guys have stolen all the spotlight. We should have been the ones getting recognition at the meeting. Now, they're not only talking privately with the Chief but also walking away with such a large bounty. It's infuriating!"

"Why?"