“I object!”
The abrupt voice rang out from among the crowd, like a stone cast into the center of a lake, instantly shattering the solemnity of the moment. The disciples all turned their heads to look, and a wave of whispering immediately rippled through the plaza.
A young girl wearing the green robes of an outer sect disciple strode out from the crowd, her brows and eyes carrying a hint of stubborn defiance.
Li Xiaolan took large strides forward, walking straight toward the high platform.
Atop the platform, the sect leader frowned. For someone to dare interrupt his words at such a grand and solemn occasion was already a highly rebellious act.
However, displeasure aside, the matter still had to be addressed.
“What is your name? What do you object to?” His voice was majestic and authoritative, suppressing the commotion in the plaza.
Li Xiaolan stopped. Though her heart was filled with anxiety, she forced herself to suppress it and raised her hands to bow toward the high platform.
She had no path of retreat.
“Outer sect disciple of the Spirit Gathering Sect, Li Xiaolan, pays respects to the Sect Leader. I am naturally convinced and accepting that the others are chosen talents, one in a hundred. But I do not believe Lin Lumi is. She merely scored full marks in the simplest, easiest-to-cheat written exam, and was thus exempted from the three tests of talismans, elixirs, and martial combat. I do not believe she possesses sufficient ability to enter the Eastern Ridge Lingshu.”
As her words fell, the crowd broke into an uproar once again.
The Sect Leader’s expression faltered, and a trace of gloom flickered across his face.
The name Lin Lumi left a deep impression on him. After all, the difficulty of the final question was such that even elders might not have produced a perfect answer. Therefore, he had felt that allowing Lin Lumi to pass exceptionally was perfectly appropriate.
He had originally assumed that all the candidates present understood the difficulty of that question; even if some felt unsatisfied, they wouldn’t openly challenge it. Who would have thought that someone would stand up at this moment—and a disciple of his own Spirit Gathering Sect at that? Was this not equivalent to slapping his own face as the Sect Leader?
His lips tightened and his gaze grew a few degrees colder: “By saying this, are you questioning the judgment of the eighteen sect leaders and the elders?”
Li Xiaolan shook her head, her expression stubborn: “No! This disciple does not question the Sect Leader and the elders, but rather Lin Lumi’s actual strength. This disciple worries that if she sneaks into the inner sect relying solely on a written exam, she will eventually drag down the sect’s reputation and deceive everyone. Therefore, this disciple wishes to duel her in public. Since she was exceptionally admitted, her strength must not be low—surely she can at least defeat an outer sect disciple like me?”
As soon as her words fell, a flurry of whispers broke out across the plaza, and the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.
The Sect Leader’s face darkened as he barked in anger: “Absurd! If you wish to raise a challenge, you must have proof! What evidence do you have to prove she cheated? Where is the evidence!?”
Li Xiaolan’s knees buckled, nearly bringing her to her knees, but she gritted her teeth and held her ground. Her voice was choked yet fierce: “This disciple cannot produce evidence of her cheating. However, everyone else had to go through four rounds of competition, slaying generals at every pass to remain, while she was exceptionally admitted through a single written exam without lifting a finger. Is this fair? Does this make sense!? If she were going to another sect, I would naturally have nothing to say, but the sect she wants to join is the Spirit Gathering Sect. Since that is the case, how can I sit idly by? I absolutely refuse to belong to the same sect as such a person. Wouldn’t everyone agree!?”
Wen Jing had already laid her plans in secret, spreading rumors for today’s farce. Hundreds of Spirit Gathering Sect disciples had long been lying in wait around the plaza. Seeing Li Xiaolan finish her speech, they chimed in and shouted together, their voices rising like rolling waves: “Unfair! Unfair! We object! We object!”
For a moment, the atmosphere in the arena spiraled out of control.
The originally solemn and grand inner sect admission ceremony was disrupted into a street-side riot. Angry shouts, questioning voices, and clamors intertwined, sweeping over the entire plaza like a tidal wave. The disciples looked at one another; some wavered, some remained silent, and others joined in the chanting, throwing the atmosphere into gradual chaos.
The spark of doubt had been ignited, and the scene was completely out of hand.
On the high platform, the eighteen sect leaders whispered among themselves, their gazes sweeping over the commotion below with cold or indifferent expressions.
One sighed lightly, his tone carrying a hint of teasing: “Changheng, the disciples of your Spirit Gathering Sect are indeed a bit too individualistic, going so far as to demonstrate in public just to oppose Lin Lumi’s admission. This matter is truly a bit unbalanced.”
Another sect leader shook his head, a trace of disdain showing in his eyes: “Indeed. When the assessment results came out, wasn’t it already publicly announced that Lin Lumi would be exceptionally admitted? Why did everyone keep their mouths shut then, only to pick this exact moment to make a fuss?”
A third sect leader sneered, her cold gaze sweeping across the bickering disciples below as she spoke in a clear, chilly voice: “Perhaps they didn’t react in time back then, and the more they thought about it afterward, the more indignant they became? After all, the sect she is joining is no ordinary one, but your Spirit Gathering Sect. The disciples of the Spirit Gathering Sect are proud and unwilling to be overshadowed, so it is within expectations for them to cause such a scene.” She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly as her tone shifted, “However, that leader, Li Xiaolan—I don’t have much of an impression of her. Why would she willingly act as the bird that sticks its head out in front of everyone?”
The discussions from the crowd rose and fell, sounding like fine needles dropping beside the ears of Zhao Changheng, the Sect Leader of the Spirit Gathering Sect.
Those voices of objection came like waves, layer upon layer, causing the veins on his temples to throb slightly.
Sitting in the primary seat, Zhao Changheng’s face was dark, and his brows were knit tightly together as if they might twist into a permanent knot at any moment. He felt a wave of irritation in his heart, yet he could not lose his composure in front of the other sect leaders.
At this moment, a white-bearded sect leader gently patted his shoulder, his voice deliberate yet carrying an underlying probe: “Changheng, this matter… how do you plan to resolve it?”
Zhao Changheng remained silent for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. After a long while, he spoke slowly, his tone deep and resolute: “In this matter, we can only go along with their wishes. Very well, I also wish to see just what Lin Lumi’s strength is like. We shall test it on the spot today.”
At this point, a flash of coldness crossed his eyes, and he turned to instruct the attendant beside him: “Go, register the names of all the disciples causing trouble below. Also, call the elder of that instigator, Li Xiaolan, over. I do not believe an ordinary disciple would dare to speak so boldly in this place. Either she has an extraordinary background with someone backing her, or someone is pulling the strings from behind.”
The attendant felt a chill in his heart and quickly bowed in acknowledgment: “Understood!” With that, he bowed and withdrew, his hurried steps quickly vanishing behind the crowd.
Then, Zhao Changheng took a step forward, looking down at Li Xiaolan: “Since you cannot produce any evidence, it is utterly impossible for me to accommodate your wild behavior here simply because you are angry!”
Li Xiaolan suddenly fell to her knees: “According to the assessment rules of the Eastern Ridge Lingshu, an incoming disciple has the right to challenge the strength of candidate Lin Lumi. This disciple is willing to wager my identity as a disciple of the Spirit Gathering Sect to duel Lin Lumi!”
Zhao Changheng narrowed his eyes: “Do you know what this implies?”
“I do. If this disciple loses, I am willing to withdraw from the Spirit Gathering Sect.”
“Very well!” Zhao Changheng agreed, then called out: “Lin Lumi, step forward.”