Chapter 1041 - Taking Control of the Situation

If anyone else had stepped forward to question, people likely wouldn't have taken their words seriously.

However, Shi Yuan was no ordinary person. He was an elder of the Spirit Jade Pavilion, highly regarded by the Pavilion Master. The other elders and guests had to take his words seriously.

Long Chen frowned upon hearing Shi Yuan's words. He couldn't understand why Shi Yuan had decided to interfere.

The accusation clearly put the Heavenly Dao Society at a disadvantage. If the accusation stuck, the Pavilion would immediately expel the Heavenly Dao Society from the plaza.

Everyone in the Heavenly Dao Society glared at Shi Yuan, especially the alchemists. They knew better than anyone that they had refined the pill.

"Heavenly Dao Society, aren't you going to explain yourselves?" another elder from the Spirit Jade Pavilion stepped forward, asking for clarification.

"Fabricating charges requires no justification," Xu Yilin replied.

His words made his meaning clear: Shi Yuan was falsely accusing them.

Just then, the Communication Talisman in Tian Xing's clothes lit up, and the messages that came in darkened his expression. The news was grim for them.

"Wuxie, Elder Qin has been reassigned elsewhere," Tian Xing reported.

As the head of the Law-Enforcement Hall, Tian Xing was also responsible for gathering intelligence. But the message had come too abruptly.

"It seems the Spirit Jade Pavilion doesn't wish for us to rise. Or rather, they had no intention to work with us, to begin with," Liu Wuxie said after a brief pondering.

The Pavilion had forced Elder Qin to sever ties with the Heavenly Dao Society. If he had remained in the Spirit Jade Pavilion, it would have been inevitable for him to interact with Shi Yuan. Given Elder Qin's somewhat righteous disposition, keeping him in the same place as Shi Yuan would eventually have led to conflict.

Meanwhile, a fierce debate erupted in the plaza. Members of the Heavenly Dao Society defended themselves with logical arguments, but no one listened.

Even those who had initially supported the Heavenly Dao Society now doubted them, wondering if this ragtag group could have truly produced a pill with purple pill runes.

Everyone from the Liu Clan watched this sight anxiously. If the Pavilion upheld the charge of cheating, the consequences would be catastrophic for the Heavenly Dao Society. They wouldn't be just expelled from the plaza, but would likely get suppressed by the Spirit Jade Pavilion under the guise of a trade infraction.

"Since the Heavenly Dao Society claims that they refined the pill, they should prove it on the spot to ensure fairness. If they can still refine a pill containing purple pill runes, then it's genuine. Otherwise, it's proof of cheating," proposed an elder from the Nine Profound Sect.

Although his words didn't directly support Liu Wuxie, the suggestion was beneficial to the Heavenly Dao Society. They would have the opportunity to prove themselves if they could produce a pill on the spot.

"No! Why should the Spirit Jade Pavilion give them a chance to refine it now? Cheating is cheating," Shi Yuan was the first to object.

He had personally sabotaged the Heavenly Dao Society's goods by substituting them. How could he not know the true quality of their pills? He was determined to obstruct the Heavenly Dao Society today.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Exactly! We should throw people like them out immediately!" Wang Yuanhou stood up to back Shi Yuan, and a tide of condemnation echoed from the surroundings.

The crowd soon drowned the members of the Heavenly Dao Society in their condemnation.

Suddenly, Liu Wuxie rose to his feet and began applauding. Each clap, infused with his true essence, reverberated across the plaza, suppressing the surrounding voices.

"Elder Shi Yuan, you claim that our Heavenly Dao Society has cheated in this segment. Do you have any evidence to back up your words?" Liu Wuxie looked at Shi Yuan with a smile. Since Shi Yuan claimed they had cheated, he should provide evidence to support it, or it would be slander.

"My word is evidence. Since I say that you've cheated, then you've cheated!" Shi Yuan sneered coldly.

"What arrogance. Elder Shi Yuan, I suppose the Pavilion Master has instructed you to do this?" Liu Wuxie asked, wearing his usual smile. He showed no hint of anger even at this moment and maintained his composure.

"Liu Wuxie, you better watch your mouth! The Pavilion Master isn't someone you can slander," Shi Yuan said, with unease flickering across his eyes.

Everyone present was highly perceptive, especially experts at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm. They could infer a great deal from even the subtlest reaction.

"If you want to accuse our Heavenly Dao Society of cheating, back your words up with solid evidence. Otherwise, even if the Pavilion Master himself came today, I'll demand an explanation from the Spirit Jade Pavilion," Liu Wuxie said, his voice echoing across the plaza like thunder.

He unleashed a terrifying burst of aura across the plaza. The shockwave was so intense that even those at the lower levels of the Earth Profound Realm staggered back under the pressure.

He stood like a demon god.

What of the Spirit Jade Pavilion? If they wanted to accuse him, they would need to present evidence to support their claim. Without it, their claims were nothing but baseless lies.

Ever since he had heard the news of Elder Qin's transfer, he had been suppressing his anger.

He had only received the invitation because of Elder Qin, and he owed the man a favor.

As Liu Wuxie spoke with righteous conviction, his voice thundered through the plaza. So what if it was the Spirit Jade Pavilion? That didn't give them the right to hurl false accusations at them.

"I agree with Liu Wuxie. Since people are accusing the Heavenly Dao Society of cheating, they must present objective evidence to support the claim. We can't rely on hearsay alone," Qu Su, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

In truth, Qu Su was somewhat partial toward Liu Wuxie, who was a disciple of the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy. How could he allow Liu Wuxie to be humiliated by others?

"What's there to fear? Let them refine another pill in front of everyone. It's a simple matter," the other neutral forces chimed in, suggesting that the Heavenly Dao Society produce a pill on the spot rather than waste time on arguments.

But what they didn't realize was that Shi Yuan's true goal was to prevent that from happening. He wanted the Heavenly Dao Society expelled outright.

"Liu Wuxie, it's useless. I won't give you the chance to refine anything. You can get lost now," Shi Yuan sneered, blatantly ignoring the voices around him.

"If anyone forces the Heavenly Dao Society to leave without proper cause, then the Liu Clan will also withdraw from this event," Liu Xiucheng declared.

After all, based on the results of the alchemy assessment, the Heavenly Dao Society was ranked first, and the Liu Clan was second.

If the Liu Clan withdrew from the commerce fair, the Spirit Jade Pavilion would lose access to their pills, something neither the other forces nor the cultivators could accept.

"We, the Nine Profound Sect, support allowing the Heavenly Dao Society to refine another pill. If judgment is passed based on mere words, it would make a mockery of this event. If that's the case, we will withdraw as well," declared the sect master of the Nine Profound Sect.

Zhao Chao, seated beside him, gave Liu Wuxie a subtle nod.

With the Nine Profound Sect voicing their support, those who relied on or were allied with them quickly followed suit. Their stance was clear: either the Spirit Jade Pavilion presented concrete evidence, or allowed the Heavenly Dao Society to refine another pill.

If no one accepted either option, they promised to withdraw from the commerce fair entirely. In that scenario, the Spirit Jade Pavilion would face public disgrace.

Shi Yuan's expression turned grim. He hadn't anticipated that so many would stand behind Liu Wuxie. He had underestimated Liu Wuxie's connections and his ability to rally support.

Over the past five days, Liu Wuxie has not only helped everyone in the Heavenly Dao Society increase their cultivation but also assisted them in achieving their goals. He had exhausted hundreds of Communication Talismans in the process.

Most importantly, he had successfully established a teleportation array to the Southern Province.

They could now travel between the Heavenly Dao Society and the Pavilion in just half a day, making round trips easy to complete within a day.

With support from the elder of the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy, the sect master of the Nine Profound Sect, the Liu Clan, and several other forces, their collective withdrawal from the commerce fair wasn't something the Spirit Jade Pavilion could afford to risk.

"Since this is a commerce fair, I believe we must ensure fairness and impartiality," said a representative from the Dragon Emperor Academy. They made their stance clear purely out of principle, not to support either side.

The situation had now turned against the Spirit Jade Pavilion.

"Something doesn't seem right. It looks like the Spirit Jade Pavilion is deliberately making things difficult for the Heavenly Dao Society," murmured the surrounding cultivators.

Though many weren't fond of the Heavenly Dao Society, most of that animosity stemmed from jealousy. After all, the founders had established the society only a year ago, and yet they had already earned the right to participate in the commerce fair.

Still, a sense of fairness prevailed among the majority.

"Elder Shi, can you provide any evidence to support your claims?" Elder Long Chen asked, his voice laced with impatience. It was clear he didn't like Shi Yuan.

Shi Yuan hesitated for a long time, unable to come up with a single piece of evidence. A flicker of panic crossed his face.

The Pavilion Master had instructed him to obstruct the Heavenly Dao Society, but time had been too tight, giving him no opportunity to fabricate any evidence. Worse yet, he had never expected their pills to contain purple pill runes.

If it had only been blue pill runes, he could've found a way to block the partnership. But purple? That was far too rare.

Now that he had no evidence, Shi Yuan ended up humiliating himself.

"Since Elder Shi is unable to provide any evidence, we will request the Heavenly Dao Society to refine another pill on the spot to confirm its authenticity," Elder Long Chen said, narrowing his eyes.

"We can refine one on the spot," Liu Wuxie replied with a devilish smile, "but I have a condition."

If the Heavenly Dao Society had to comply every time the Spirit Jade Pavilion made a demand, wouldn't that make them nothing more than pushovers?

"Liu Wuxie, don't get ahead of yourself! We're already being generous by allowing you to refine another one!" barked an elder from the Yuan Clan, unable to tolerate Liu Wuxie's attitude.

"And who the hell are you to speak here?" Liu Wuxie snapped, his gaze like a dagger piercing through the elder's composure.

The elder shrank back into his seat instantly, his composure shattered by Liu Wuxie's glare infused with soul energy.

His soul energy alone rivaled that of a fourth or fifth-level Earth Profound Realm cultivator. If combined with his Soul Spear, it would be nothing short of terrifying.

He now held the upper hand. The Heavenly Dao Society didn't refuse to refine another pill; they simply set a condition for doing so.

If the Spirit Jade Pavilion rejected that condition, the Heavenly Dao Society would leave.

If they left, it would trigger a domino effect. If the Nine Profound Sect, Liu Clan, and other allies followed suit, the commerce fair would become a farce. That was a consequence that the Spirit Jade Pavilion could not afford.

With a few well-placed words, Liu Wuxie had cornered them and seized control of the situation. If the Pavilion agreed, it would mean yielding to him. If they refused, they would turn their event into a mockery.

And now, with the support of the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy and representatives from the Dragon Emperor Academy, the momentum was entirely on his side.

No matter how fiercely the Wang Clan or Yuan Clan protested, it was all in vain as they had slandered the Heavenly Dao Society without evidence.

"Liu Wuxie, state your condition," Elder Long Chen finally said, taking a deep breath to suppress his rising anger.

He needed to know who had given the green light for the Heavenly Dao Society to participate in this event, especially at a time like this.