The disciples crowded around Liu Wuxie, who froze in confusion when they heard that they must submit all Wisdom Stones. Blank faces turned toward the twelve elders for an explanation.
The voice came from Xiao Li of the War Dragon Institute, his eyes glinting with venom. Liu Wuxie had trampled on his institute's pride when he harvested so many Wisdom Stones and even used them to elevate his soul technique to a terrifying height. Worse still, Liu Wuxie had slain countless disciples from the War Dragon Institute. Now that the wilderness training was over, Xiao Li finally had the chance to strike at him.
Everyone's gaze shifted toward Liu Wuxie. Most of them had failed to obtain even a single Wisdom Stone; only a handful had managed one or two. Liu Wuxie, by contrast, had refined more than fifty and still carried nearly eighty with him. One Wisdom Stone sold for five hundred thousand astral stones, and eighty amounted to a fortune beyond measure. Yet even with wealth, Wisdom Stones remained scarce, and no amount of astral stones could guarantee a purchase.
Liu Wuxie, however, had no shortage of resources. Even if he did, he would never sell the stones. They were priceless tools that allowed him to expand his soul sea endlessly.
"Xiao Li, what do you mean by this? According to the rules, submitting Wisdom Stones is voluntary," Elder Ding countered coldly. He saw through Xiao Li's ploy instantly. The elder's true aim was Liu Wuxie.
As a disciple of the Heavenly Martial Institute, Liu Wuxie's performance had brought glory to their branch. Ding Yi refused to allow him to treat him unjustly.
"Isn't it obvious?" Xiao Li snapped. "He acquired more than one hundred and thirty Wisdom Stones. I suspect he cheated. Therefore, we will confiscate them all."
His accusation rang out across the field. To Xiao Li, no one could find so many stones in so few days without deceit.
"What a joke!" Liu Wuxie's lips curled into a cold smirk. "Which of your eyes saw me cheat?"
By now, no one was blind to the truth. The War Dragon Institute and the Dharma Institute wanted to bring him down. The outcome of the wilderness training determined future resource allocations. With the Heavenly Martial Institute dominating the lead, the scales of favor would tilt heavily against them.
"Senior Brother Liu is right. On what basis are you accusing him of cheating?" Li Liang stepped forward in support. It was absurd to brand someone a cheater simply because he excelled.
His stance emboldened others, and disciples of the Heavenly Martial Institute moved to Liu Wuxie's side. He had many Wisdom Stones on hand, and if he surrendered them, they would lose the chance to purchase even a few. More importantly, their institute's honor was at stake. They rose and fell together.
The wilderness training represented collective glory, and both officially and personally, they had every reason to defend him.
"Liu Wuxie, I now suspect you are a spy another sect sent to cause destruction on Avatar Star," Xiao Li said with a venomous smile. "You will come with me to the Law-Enforcement Hall to verify your identity."
Once there, they could twist even innocence into guilt, and his fate would become worse than death.
"How authoritative. Elder Xiao, who gave you that right?" Liu Wuxie asked, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. He was certain a mastermind stood behind these moves, someone even Primal Origin Realm elders obeyed.
"Xiao Li, what right do you have to seize a disciple of the Heavenly Martial Institute? If there's an issue, the sect's upper echelons will make the decision. Who are you to brand him a spy with your words alone? Don't you find that ridiculous?" Elder Ding retorted. He stepped forward, shielding Liu Wuxie with his presence. If the War Dragon Institute succeeded in dragging Liu Wuxie away, they would humiliate the entire Heavenly Martial Institute.
The confrontation froze in a deadlock. Neither side yielded an inch.
"Liu Wuxie is suspicious, and what Elder Xiao said carries weight," Huang Shan interjected, siding with Xiao Li. "If he's innocent, the Law-Enforcement Hall will release him."
His intent was transparent: to see Liu Wuxie dead and to seize his Wisdom Stones.
Mu Heng's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. Shen Yue practically hopped with delight, eager for Liu Wuxie to die on the spot.
The tension thickened. This was Avatar Star, not the sect itself. The upper echelons would not intervene. If violence erupted, the Heavenly Martial Institute would be at a disadvantage.
The War Dragon and Dharma Institutes had already decided to get rid of Liu Wuxie. Eight elders pressed forward, piling pressure onto Elder Ding.
Although the Heavenly Martial Institute had four elders, three of them shrank back, unwilling to risk their lives for a single disciple. None wanted to offend the other institutes' power for Liu Wuxie's sake.
"This Liu Wuxie is too arrogant. He's killed too many and hoarded too many Wisdom Stones. Let's see how he dies today," War Dragon Institute disciples mocked.
"This is Avatar Star. Who will stop us from killing him?" Dharma Institute disciples jeered. They could already envision his death.
He Yingwu's fists shook with fury. He had not expected such shamelessness—that elders would fabricate accusations to rob Liu Wuxie.
Liu Wuxie clenched his fists. His strength was not yet enough, or he would have cut these elders down already. He swore that one day he would cut them down and trample them beneath his feet.
"Try taking another step forward!" Elder Ding roared. He finally understood that the eight elders had colluded from the start. They had no intention of letting Liu Wuxie walk away, no matter how many Wisdom Stones he had found.
At the same time, far away in the sect, a burly elder appeared outside Liu Wuxie's courtyard. He had been tracking the Heavenly Dragon Seal for half a month and learned from disciples that it had last appeared here.
"It truly is the aura of the Heavenly Dragon Seal," the elder muttered, catching stray laws in his palm. For an instant, that hand turned into a dragon's claw before fading back into human form.
"How strange. Where did the owner go?" The law dissipated, and the elder began inquiring about the courtyard's resident.
Xu Guang, the deacon in charge of this section, was resting when the gate suddenly burst open. He tumbled from his chair in fright and scrambled forward when he saw the visitor.
"E-Elder Long... W-Why have you come?" Xu Guang stammered.
This elder's status towered above others in the Heavenly Dragon Sect. Xu Guang, though only an outer sect deacon, would not usually fear even inner sect elders. But Elder Long was different. Inner sect elders had reached the Void Realm and served as pillars of the sect, but Elder Long held an even higher status. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel•fire.net
"Where's the disciple who lived here?" Elder Long asked.
"H-He went to Avatar Star," Xu Guang answered honestly. This was a training region for new disciples; they should all be on Avatar Star by now.
Elder Long nodded, turned, and stepped onto the teleportation array. With a flash of light, he vanished.
"What business brings Elder Long to the outer sect?" Xu Guang muttered in confusion. His nerves rattled even as excitement swirled within him.
Back on Avatar Star, hostility surged as the eight elders pressed forward and Ding Yi stood alone to block them.
"Xiao Li, are you truly determined to trample the sect's rules?" Ding Yi roared. He had not expected them to cast aside all propriety for their own gain.
"We're only suspecting he's a spy. How is that against the rules? If he's clean, the Law-Enforcement Hall will release him," Xiao Li declared.
But Ding Yi knew the truth. It was absurd to suspect Liu Wuxie. He hailed from the Laman Astral Domain, a region with little contact with the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain. No force would be foolish enough to send a spy across such a distance.
The situation grew worse by the moment. Even Ding Yi could not guarantee Liu Wuxie's safety when eight elders bore down on them.
"Wuxie, I'll hold them off. Run for the teleportation array when you get the chance. You'll be safe once you return to the sect," Ding Yi urged. Within the sect, elders could not easily move against their disciples. Here on Avatar Star, they dared to act with impunity.
"Thank you, Elder Ding. But this is my affair, and I won't flee," Liu Wuxie said, shaking his head. He had no habit of running.
With the Soul Fire and the Heaven-Severing Strike, he believed he could at least inflict grievous wounds on a Primal Origin Realm cultivator, even if killing one outright was unlikely.
"Don't be reckless!" Ding Yi barked. "You only have a future if you live. They won't dare touch me."
He was right—the Heavenly Martial Institute elders would stand together. But Liu Wuxie could not accept running. If he fled now, his dao heart would shatter.
As the eight elders advanced, disciples, including those of the Heavenly Martial Institute, retreated, unwilling to get caught in the storm.
Only Liu Wuxie and He Yingwu remained standing in the open.
The Heretic Blade slid into Liu Wuxie's palm. Soul Fire ignited within him as he raised the blade, taking the stance of the Heaven-Severing Strike.
At that moment, a burly old man stepped from the teleportation array onto Avatar Star. His figure flickered once and vanished, shuttling through space itself, a feat only those at the high levels of the Void Realm could achieve.