Chapter 353: Test And Public Trial?

"It seems I’ve underestimated that little country dog," Su Yuncao muttered, a hint of malice flashing across his now-calm face.

There was no need to guess; he knew exactly who was behind this entire situation. At the same time, he understood that this was not the time for hesitation. The situation had escalated to a point where it had to be dealt with swiftly and decisively.

This wasn't the first time Su Yuncao had faced such challenges. Once one walks down dark paths for too long, one is bound to encounter ghosts. So he had long been prepared with ways to exorcise such ghosts.

The solution was simple. Crush them with power and crush them with influence. After a series of phone calls, the heated discussions about the incident on the light-network began to rapidly cool down. Many videos were immediately taken down while popular links became inaccessible. The trending topics on Weibo disappeared almost instantly.

Certain forums were temporarily shut down without explanation. Even the top streamers, who had been discussing the situation live, were shocked to find their streaming rooms forcibly closed by the platform. Su Yuncao had wielded his influence like a hammer, and the effect was immediate.

This is the power of influence. Su Yuncao's reach was so vast that he could block out the sun with a single hand in a small base city. Then, he could easily turn black into white. He didn’t bother tracking down Zhou Ruomin's whereabouts, nor did he concern himself with Cao Huayun or Zhang Renjie’s guilt. Instead, his first order of business was to track down Li Xiaofei.

“Master Su, we’ve located him. Li Xiaofei has been attending classes all day.” One of his student aides quickly reported back.

Su Yuncao was momentarily taken aback.

That little country dog is this bold? He went straight back to school after causing all this trouble? Did he really think a regular routine would absolve him of suspicion? How foolish.

Su Yuncao stepped onto the balcony of his suite and looked up at the sun hidden behind thick clouds. A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Let this game end in an instant.” He murmured.

In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared from sight. At almost the same moment. Su Yuncao appeared above Red Flag High School. His qi spread like tidal waves, sweeping over the entire campus, and within seconds, he locked onto Li Xiaofei, who was practicing alongside his teammates in the special training facility.

“Li Xiaofei, come out at once!” Su Yuncao’s voice echoed clearly across the campus.

Immediately, countless people looked up to the sky. A figure cloaked in dazzling green light hovered above them, radiating a brilliance so intense it resembled a miniature sun. The pressure emanating from him was overwhelming. It felt like a god from the heavens had descended to the earth. The teachers and students of Red Flag High School felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

“Su Yuncao!” Li Xiaofei’s figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the school grounds. He looked up at Su Yuncao as he shouted, “You disgraced and corrupt dog! You still dare to show your face after committing such heinous acts to deceive the world?”

“Hahahaha...” Su Yuncao laughed wildly, his voice booming across the sky. “You foolish child, your methods are too immature. You don’t understand how the world truly works. Do you really think threatening a few small-time gang members and conspiring with Zhou Ruomin to fabricate videos can turn truth into lies?”

“You know very well whether it’s fabrication or not, you old dog.” Li Xiaofei sneered. “Just wait. The Education Department and the Disciplinary Inspection Department will come to investigate. When they do, we’ll see who’s crying then.”

“There’s no need for that. The Education Department and Disciplinary Inspection won’t be coming.” Su Yuncao replied calmly. “Your little tricks won’t fool them. Come with me to the police department and confess your crimes, boy.”

Su Yuncao attacked as he spoke. Four green seeds sprouted from his palm and grew at a visible speed. The young shoots transformed into four vines that descended from the sky. They grew rapidly until they transformed into four green spirit dragons that charged toward Li Xiaofei.

Li Xiaofei didn’t submit quietly. Streams of sword qi burst forth with a swift flick of his fingers as he used the Six Meridian Divine Sword. The sword qi shot out like lightning, some agile, some fierce, some grand, and others graceful, each strike colliding with the green spirit dragons.

Clang, clang, clang!

Sparks flew wildly as the sword qi shattered. He had disrupted the trajectory of the green spirit dragons for a brief moment, but then they surged forward even faster.

With a swift movement, Li Xiaofei drew the Longya short sword.

Swish, swish!

He slashed continuously, but the short sword shattered into pieces. The blade that had accompanied Li Xiaofei for more than half a year had reached its limit.

A cold chill crept into his heart, but he quickly sidestepped with Graceful Step of the Waves, narrowly evading the grasp of the green spirit dragons. He then pulled out the famed sword, Flying Dragon.

This sword had been his prize when he killed Guan Shanyue during a gang conflict. Its cold gleam could slice through hair with ease. It was the pinnacle of ordinary weapons and stood just below powered weapons.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sword clashed against the green spirit dragons, sending more sparks flying.

Li Xiaofei’s wrist trembled with each impact. When he glanced down, he saw that the blade of Flying Dragon had chipped, leaving several broad, bean-sized gaps. Cracks had formed along the sword’s body as well. This sword was now useless.

In the next instant, the green spirit dragons split into eight smaller dragons and accelerated, spiraling toward Li Xiaofei and wrapping tightly around him. Li Xiaofei abandoned his sword. Summoning all his strength, his muscles bulged, and a monstrous force exploded from within him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The green dragon-like vines snapped instantly under Li Xiaofei’s brute strength.

"Pitiful brute strength," Su Yuncao sneered, a faint smile curling his lips as he activated his inner qi.

The severed green vines suddenly came to life, wrapping around Li Xiaofei's shoulders, arms, waist, legs, and feet even tighter than before. Li Xiaofei’s muscles bulged as he exerted his formidable physical strength again, but the vines now possessed an incredible elasticity.

No matter how much strength he used, the vines clung to him like a straitjacket, binding him like a tightly wrapped rice dumpling. The battle was over. Li Xiaofei had lost.

“All that strength, yet you're no different from a beast,” Su Yuncao said with a calm smile.

The green vines lifted Li Xiaofei into the air.

"Boss!" Bai Longfei charged out and slashed at the vines with his longsword.

Clang!

Sparks flew as he was sent flying back by the force of the vines. Bai Qiqi, Ren Dong, Du Heng, and Zhuge Long all rushed forward, attempting to stop Su Yuncao from taking Li Xiaofei. But how could they possibly stop him? Suddenly, Yan Chiyu fused with her sword, launching herself into the sky, thrusting directly at Su Yuncao.

"Eh?" Su Yuncao's expression shifted slightly.

He hadn’t noticed before that Red Flag High School had harbored a young sword cultivator. He could feel a faint trace of sword intent within this sword strike. He was surprised to find so many talented individuals in such a small, unremarkable place. Chen Fei had gathered such promising students over the years. But soon, they would all be under his control.

Su Yuncao casually flicked his hand and an overwhelming, invisible force surged out. Yan Chiyu’s sword qi was instantly broken as she was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

Bai Qiqi cried out, "Master Su, please... Please let Li Xiaofei go! I... I'm willing to become your disciple..."

Su Yuncao smiled faintly, his expression calm and gentle. "Students, you’ve all been deceived by Li Xiaofei. This boy has attempted to ruthlessly frame me by colluding with the city’s gangs to commit countless heinous acts. Today, I am not here to administer private justice but to arrest him for a public trial. Rest assured, there will be no injustice."

His words were spoken with a demeanor that radiated authority, which stood in stark contrast to his earlier ruthlessness.

After he finished, he took Li Xiaofei and disappeared into the sky.

Bai Longfei stomped his feet in frustration. "What do we do? What should we do now?"

Ren Dong shouted, "Let’s go after that old scoundrel and fight him!"

However, Fang Buyi said uncertainly, "We can’t act recklessly. We need to come up with a plan and find someone to help."

Yan Chiyu stood still, her mind replaying the moment right before she tried to strike again, when Li Xiaofei had given her a meaningful glance. For some reason, the moment she saw that look, she understood exactly what it meant.

"No need to panic," Yan Chiyu said quietly. "Wait for the public trial."