Su Mingyuan's words caused the atmosphere in front of the Heart-Interrogation Platform to shift once again.
The accusation of theft had already been disproven by the past shadow. The broken jade on Yun Heng's person had been there since she entered the Xuanxiao Sect's mountain gate, whereas the jade Su Mingyuan lost had vanished briefly after the Spirit-Testing Platform. The two were not the same item.
But now that Su Mingyuan had brought up the Shadow-Tracing Talisman, it was no longer a simple matter of theft.
He Lansong did not speak immediately.
The Xuanxiao Sect's Grand Selection had never been solely about spiritual roots; it also considered one's background. While it wasn't rare for ordinary rogue cultivators to participate in the Grand Selection, it was indeed highly unusual for a young girl of unknown origin to produce a perfectly intact Shadow-Tracing Talisman before the Heart-Interrogation Platform.
Yun Heng stood in the center of the high platform, the ashes of the talisman in her hand already completely dispersed.
This Su Mingyuan was truly difficult to deal with. Seeing that framing her for the stolen jade had failed, she immediately shifted her target to the talisman paper in her hand. If Yun Heng couldn't explain its origin, the suspicion she had just cleared would quickly return to her in another form.
“Yun Heng, where did that Shadow-Tracing Talisman come from?”
What else could she say? That she had just bound a System and opened a Starter Pack?
She spoke calmly, “It is a personal possession.”
“The Grand Elder was questioning the stolen jade just now, and the Shadow-Tracing Talisman has already proven that the matter has nothing to do with me. Questioning the talisman paper now—are you trying to interrogate me all over again?”
Those participating in the Sect Grand Selection were allowed to bring personal belongings. The Xuanxiao Sect only banned evil artifacts, poisons, and items that drained spiritual energy. Although a Shadow-Tracing Talisman was rare, it was not a banned item. If they continued to interrogate her about its origin simply because she had produced one, it would not be justified by the rules.
“Miss Yun, you misunderstand. The Grand Elder is merely asking, not accusing you of any crime.”
“Miss Su was also ‘merely asking’ earlier. And after she asked, I ended up standing on the Heart-Interrogation Platform.”
He Lansong raised his hand to stop them both. “Enough.”
He looked at Yun Heng. “The Shadow-Tracing Talisman contains no evil energy, and the Heart-Interrogation Platform did not reject it. For now, we will not pursue the origin of this talisman.”
But Su Mingyuan was not about to let her off. “Grand Elder, Miss Yun said just now that the Shadow-Tracing Talisman is a personal possession. If it is a personal possession, it must have a source. You come from a border city and have no master or inheritance. How could you possess such a talisman?”
“What exactly are you trying to ask, Miss Su?”
“I am merely concerned,” Su Mingyuan said, lowering her voice. “Today is the Sect Grand Selection, and many have come to join the Xuanxiao Sect. If someone uses the selection to sneak into the mountain gate and something happens in the future, who will bear the responsibility?”
Many below the platform understood the implication of her words.
When recruiting disciples, the Xuanxiao Sect feared nothing more than individuals of suspicious origins sneaking in. Since Yun Heng could not explain the origin of her broken jade and had produced a rare talisman, she indeed easily aroused suspicion.
He Lansong looked at Yun Heng. “Yun Heng, are you willing to declare your master or heritage?”
“I have no master.”
“Family?”
“None.”
“Then where did the talisman paper come from?”
Yun Heng raised her eyes. “The Grand Elder said just now that the Shadow-Tracing Talisman has no evil energy and was not rejected by the Heart-Interrogation Platform. Since that is the case, it is not a banned item.”
“If I were already a disciple of the Xuanxiao Sect, I would naturally answer if the sect questioned my heritage and origin. But today, I am merely someone who came to participate in the selection. The matter of the stolen jade has been cleared, and the talisman paper has also been verified by the Heart-Interrogation Platform. If the Xuanxiao Sect still insists on investigating my personal belongings, there must be a proper justification.”
After speaking, she looked at He Lansong.
“Please enlighten me, Grand Elder. Which sect rule am I currently violating?”
A green-robed elder beside him whispered, “Grand Elder, though this girl's words are sharp, she does have a point. Interrogating her too deeply in public today might damage the reputation of the Grand Selection.”
“But her origin is unknown.”
The green-robed elder replied, “Among the rogue cultivators who come to participate in the Grand Selection, how many actually have clear, traceable origins?”
Listening to the conversation between the elders, Su Mingyuan slowly clenched her fingers inside her sleeves.
The scheme of the stolen jade had already failed. If she continued to press on the Shadow-Tracing Talisman, the Xuanxiao Sect would instead appear to be in the wrong.
She had to find a more serious accusation.
“Grand Elder,” Su Mingyuan raised her voice. “If it were just an ordinary talisman paper, Mingyuan would naturally not dare to speak further. However, the broken jade on Miss Yun's person is of equally unknown origin. Everyone on the Heart-Interrogation Platform should have seen that the Shadow-Tracing Talisman appeared from that broken jade.”
Yun Heng's heart sank.
Her action of retrieving the talisman just now had been very swift, and the broken jade had been covered by her palm, so most people only saw the talisman paper appear between her fingers. But Su Mingyuan had been staring at her the entire time, so she naturally wouldn't have missed it.
He Lansong's gaze fell back onto Yun Heng's waist.
“Is this true?”
Su Mingyuan said softly, “Mingyuan does not dare to make a definitive claim, but what I saw just now was indeed the case.”
Whispers broke out among the crowd below the platform once again.
Su Mingyuan's tricks were truly endless, clinging as stubbornly as a plaster.
Yun Heng pressed her hand against the broken jade. She knew she could not let them take it away.
He Lansong said, “Yun Heng, may I inspect this jade?”
“No.”
He Lansong's eyes darkened slightly.
“The theft is unproven, and the talisman is not banned. If the Grand Elder wishes to inspect my personal belongings, you must first state your reason.”
Zhou Chen couldn't help but speak up, “You refuse again and again. Do you really have something to hide?”
Yun Heng's tone was cold. “If I demanded that you hand over your natal sword for me to inspect, would you hand it over?”
Sure enough, Zhou Chen's expression shifted. “How can a natal sword be casually handed over to someone else?”
“Then my jade naturally cannot either.”
He Lansong raised his hand, gesturing for Zhou Chen to step back.
Just as he was about to speak, a soft sound suddenly resonated from beneath the Heart-Interrogation Platform.
Yun Heng looked down.
Deep within the broken jade, the second aura lit up.
A black-gold command projection rose from the jade, hovering above her palm. The moment the projection appeared, the array runes at the edge of the Heart-Interrogation Platform froze for a breath.
He Lansong stood up abruptly.
At the exact same moment, the cold voice of the System resounded in Yun Heng's sea of consciousness.
【External interrogation detected.】
【Risk level rising.】
【Broken Command activated.】
The black-gold command projection hovered in Yun Heng's palm.
It had no physical form, yet its edges were as sharp as a blade. There was no writing on its surface, only a few extremely faint patterns, like old marks worn away by time.
The array runes of the Heart-Interrogation Platform froze in midair. The spiritual light that had been slowly flowing around the high platform ceased to move forward once the command projection appeared.
Several Xuanxiao Sect elders stood up one after another. The Discipline Command in He Lansong's sleeve also lit up for a brief moment before quickly dimming.
Feeling this change, Yun Heng's heart grew steadier instead. The Broken Command was no ordinary object; at the very least, the Heart-Interrogation Platform could not suppress it.
He Lansong stared at the command projection and asked, “Yun Heng, where did this command come from?”
She didn't know either! The System had only said the Broken Command was activated, without giving her any of its history. If she fabricated a story on the spot, the Xuanxiao Sect would easily spot the flaws. But if she remained completely silent, the situation would only continue to worsen.
A nearby elder whispered, “Grand Elder, with the Heart-Interrogation Platform's array runes restricted, the grade of this command is likely not low.”
Another elder agreed, “I have never seen such command patterns before.”
He Lansong fell silent.
The Xuanxiao Sect had been established for a thousand years, and the Heart-Interrogation Platform before the mountain gate had been personally set up by the founder. It was not an offensive magical treasure, yet it could discern spiritual breath, verify oaths, and suppress disputes. If an ordinary talisman or command appeared before the Heart-Interrogation Platform, it would at most trigger a reaction from the array runes, not cause them to freeze.
Yet the command projection in Yun Heng's palm seemed entirely exempt from the Heart-Interrogation Platform's jurisdiction.
This realization made the elders grow cautious.
Standing to the side, Su Mingyuan shifted her gaze from the command projection to Yun Heng's face. “Grand Elder, Mingyuan has something to say.”
“Speak.”
“Miss Yun first possessed a broken jade of unknown origin, then a Shadow-Tracing Talisman, and now she has even conjured this command projection. If these were merely ordinary opportunities, it would naturally be fine. However, the array runes of the Heart-Interrogation Platform are restricted, and even the elders cannot recognize the command patterns. Today is the Xuanxiao Sect's Grand Selection. If this item originates from the demonic path, the consequences would be unimaginable.”
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