"Elder Shen, let’s not get ahead of ourselves." Kong Ye’s gloomy voice drifted into the arena.
"Even if disciple Han Xuhan has violated such a major rule, an expulsion is a punishnt too heavy to award without a proper trial. Our sect does not take in many disciples, to begin with.
Discarding one we’ve already invested resources into requires due consideration. This matter must be adjudged by the Sect Master himself."
Elder Shen’s lips curled up. Glancing at Kong Ye, he said, "If you’re hoping for the sect master to bail out disciple Xuhan-"
"Let’s not get ahead of ourselves," Kong Ye repeated himself in a tone that left Elder Shen choking on whatever scathing response he wanted to offer.
As if to take that repressed rage out on an easier target, he turned back to Han Xuhan.
"What’s with that look? Not happy with our decision, I assu?
You should’ve thought about the consequences then, when you ca up with this lowly tactic to cheat your way to victory.
Now, do us all a favor; don’t stage another dramatic scene here. Go back to your cabin and prepare for your trial... and the inevitable expulsion."
Han Xuhan’s eyes were bloodshot. Unwillingness was written all over his face. Even Chen Yan was frozen in his spot, unable to believe this sudden turnaround.
Who could’ve predicted that Han Xuhan would win the second round against all odds, only to be discovered to have been cheating?
In hindsight, this result indeed made sense!
Chen Yan’s devastated heart quickly latched onto this thread of consolation.
He hadn’t been defeated by fair ans! He had only lost because his opponent had a tool capable of harnessing the power of a DaoGenesis Realm expert!
This very thought enveloped his cracked Dao heart like a healing elixir. Spirit flowed back in his gaze. Thanks to the mask, nobody saw the smile of relief on his face.
Han Xuhan opened his mouth a couple of tis, lips trembling, but no words ca out.
"Still not leaving?" Elder Shen frowned, finally showing a silver of temper. "Don’t think you have any room to argue, brat!
You’ve cheated so blatantly and violated so many rules that it almost made us think you were afraid of NOT being caught red-handed. How do you still have the face to keep standing here? You’re not worthy!"
A deep sigh left Han Xuhan’s chest. That sigh seed to echo among the crowd of nurous disciples, juniors and seniors, in the gallery. To many of them, this duel was the most eye-opening experience since their entry into the outer court of the Crimson Snow Sect.
Shaking his head helplessly, Han Xuhan said, "Give back my combat tool. I’ll leave."
Elder Shen sneered. "What gall! Did you not hear explain the rules against possessing anything tainted by an Abomination? You’ll get it back once it’s been purified by experts."
Shoulders slouching, Han Xuhan turned around and started walking towards the nearest exit of the dueling field. A faint grin of victory ghosted across Elder Shen’s wrinkled face, but right as he was about to take his eyes off Han Xuhan’s retreating back, a detail left his thoughts stuck.
He, Shen Haoran, was at the peak of the SoulReformation realm. After refining his dual-core soul form, he had remained stuck at the breakthrough point for many years.
The dao he sought to generate was not simple. It was a branching path of the great dao of deception. His soul form’s two cores—BodyofTruth and ShadowofFalsehood, were extrely sensitive to deceptions of all kinds.
And at this mont, this sensitivity seed to have encountered a trigger!
He could vaguely sense that among all the emotions and spiritual fluctuations radiating from Han Xuhan...
Joy was on the rise.
Anger and Sorrow were overwheld under boundless Joy!
Narrow threads of Fear pulsed under Joy, like vessels pumping blood, enveloping his ssy spiritual form like coiling serpents.
Beads of Hatred dissipated like winter’s mist under a joyful dawn!
This Five-Passions Formation...
Elder Shen’s heart trembled. He was far too familiar with this human heart diagram.
This was, down to the most minute details, an identical image of a deceiver’s heart after a long-planned, successful deception!
But how? How could this conclusion make any sense?
The current situation was completely unfavorable to Han Xuhan.
His countless deceptive tactics hadn’t managed to get him the crown of the victor of this contest. Rather, he had been kicked off the race and exposed!
Now, he was on the verge of losing not only everything he had fought to defend, but also his status as a disciple of the sect!
How exactly could this outco fill his soul with Joy?
Why could this outco help him let go of his hatred?
Why did he not feel Sorrow or Anger?
Unless...
Unless he had orchestrated this outco himself! Unless his goal had never actually been to win this contest!
Whatever his goal might be, his plans for it were flowing right in that direction, unobstructed!
Elder Shen’s hands began to shake inside the long sleeves. Wheels started turning rapidly inside his head as he deduced in reverse, taking that logic-defying conclusion as the truth!
Throughout his long life, in his years of pursuit of the dao, what manner of deception had he not witnessed? Among the old cultivators whom he considered his opponents, whose trickery had he not seen through?
Relying on his exceptional mory, he began tracing back each interaction Han Xuhan had had with everyone involved in this matter. His sensitivity towards elents of deception flared up, finally knowing what to look for.
Sure enough, he detected the familiar diagram of a deceptive human heart in those turbulent mories, like a great mountain hiding underneath the surface of a chaotic ocean.
And the sches produced from this heart were like petals of a monstrous lotus flower, tightly wrapped around the mountain to hide its true nature.
Details began to line up one by one. They were so obvious!
Indeed, how could soone as cunning as disciple Xuhan not familiarize himself with the major and minor rules of the duel?
How could he not know that any kind of association with an Abomination could lead to severe consequences? In the entire outer court, he was one of the few who had already co into contact with an Abomination before!
Why would soone, who could predict his opponent’s deepest sches, not be prepared to be caught red-handed while cheating so openly?
The truth was... He definitely knew those rules and understood the gravity of violating them. He still did it!
He wouldn’t have been stupid enough to assu that so many instances of rule-breaking would go unnoticed. He still did it!
It was clear that he had never truly intended to enter the third round. He had no issues with being disqualified and losing the contest. Rather, he wanted it!
Ruefully, Elder Shen recalled the way he had just taunted this brat.
’You’ve cheated so blatantly and violated so many rules that it almost made us think you were afraid of NOT being caught red-handed.’
Who could’ve known that those words of mockery were the actual truth?
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