Chapter 44 - 19: Sword Domain?

Chang Le’an clamored.

Li Shuang gave him a cool glance.

That single glance seemed to see through everything, as if it could peer into all the secrets buried deep in his heart.

Chang Le’an subconsciously fell silent.

"Vile people always assume others are just as vile," Luo Mingyue said, glaring at Chang Le’an.

Chang Le’an’s expression shifted. He said defiantly, "So many people were watching. A Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator beating someone at the Mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, and so easily at that? Who would believe such a thing? In my opinion, Li Shuang must have bribed her opponent to throw the match!"

Before Li Shuang could say a word,

Shi Chuyun could no longer hold back. She gritted her teeth and said, "Brother Chang! I just spoke to Senior Sister Li for the first time today, so how could I have been bribed? I’m a disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall. If you have evidence, I’ll go to the Law Enforcement Hall with you myself! If I truly did something to disgrace the sect, I’ll accept any punishment. But if you have no evidence, then you will apologize to me."

Shi Chuyun felt incredibly wronged.

Not only had she lost, but now she was being subjected to such malicious speculation!

Chang Le’an’s expression froze. He had been so focused on attacking Li Shuang that he’d forgotten his accusation also implicated Shi Chuyun.

Shi Chuyun was a disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall. And while she was just an ordinary disciple, the members of the Hall were known for their solidarity. He had likely just kicked a hornet’s nest.

Sure enough.

The moment Shi Chuyun finished speaking, Jiang Yunge stepped out from the crowd. She looked calmly at Chang Le’an. "The Law Enforcement Hall upholds the sect’s laws. Impartiality and fairness are the first principles every disciple of our Hall must follow. Since Junior Brother Chang has raised such doubts, I’m afraid we’ll have to ask you to explain yourself thoroughly for the sake of our Hall’s reputation."

’Jiang Yunge!’

Chang Le’an couldn’t help but let out a cold snort. It was Jiang Yunge who had carried out Zhaozhao’s punishment on Lingxu Peak that day!

If Jiang Yunge had just gone a little easier on her, Zhaozhao wouldn’t have been hurt so badly.

But no, she had to be completely by-the-book, beating Zhaozhao so severely that she was bedridden for days!

Anger flared in Chang Le’an’s heart, and he shot back, "Fine, I’ll explain! What, is the Law Enforcement Hall above reproach now? If you ask me, it’s not just Shi Chuyun. Senior Sister Jiang, you were probably bribed by Li Shuang too! Otherwise, why would you have been so deliberately vicious on Lingxu Peak and beaten Zhaozhao into such a state!"

Chang Le’an was now speaking completely without restraint!

Even Li Shuang was stunned for a moment.

She had long known Chang Le’an’s personality: impulsive and reckless.

That was why, back on Lingxu Peak, she had always made a point of reining him in to keep him from offending people.

And now...

Without her to restrain him, Chang Le’an’s character flaws were being magnified without limit.

His careless accusations had offended Shi Chuyun, an offense that could have been smoothed over with a simple apology.

But after Jiang Yunge stepped forward, he had gone and offended her as well.

As the Chief Disciple of the younger generation in the Law Enforcement Hall, Jiang Yunge held considerable prestige there.

What good could it possibly do him to offend her like this?

Li Shuang watched Chang Le’an, her expression tinged with confusion.

’What is going on?’

’Do the people from Lingxu Peak feel their lives are too easy? Are they actively trying to make enemies?’

It wasn’t just Li Shuang; even Ye Zhaozhao was a bit stunned. She couldn’t help but tug on Chang Le’an’s sleeve. "Third Senior Brother! Senior Sister Jiang was just enforcing the rules. She wasn’t deliberately targeting us..."

"Zhaozhao! First you defended Li Shuang, and now you’re defending Jiang Yunge! You’re just too kind-hearted; you have no idea how sinister the world can be." Chang Le’an snorted. "I’m telling you right now, Li Shuang and Jiang Yunge fixed this match! I recorded the entire thing with a Memory Stone. Since none of you are convinced, I’ll submit the Memory Stone and let the Law Enforcement Hall take a good look at whether this fight was normal or not!"

Jiang Yunge’s expression was icy. "If you have a Memory Stone, then all the better!"

A glint appeared in Ye Zhaozhao’s eyes, but she said nothing more.

She also felt Li Shuang’s victory was strange. Letting Chang Le’an cause a scene might yield some unexpected benefits.

"Senior Sister Jiang, I did nothing wrong, and I’m willing to go to the Law Enforcement Hall and confront him directly," Shi Chuyun said.

Li Shuang nodded. "I’ll go as well."

"Enjoy putting on an act while you can! When the results come out, you can just wait for your punishment! I hope when it’s Li Shuang’s turn to be punished, you’ll be just as merciless, Senior Sister Jiang," Chang Le’an said.

Jiang Yunge shot him a cold look.

She had no real connection to Li Shuang. During the Lingxu Peak incident, she had simply felt that Li Shuang was being treated unjustly. The punishment she’d carried out was strictly by the book, without a shred of personal bias.

Seeing Chang Le’an’s disgusting attitude now, however, actually made her start to lean toward Li Shuang’s side.

’It truly can’t have been easy for Li Shuang, living for so many years with such unreasonable sect-mates!’

However, personal feelings were one thing. As a disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall, she followed only laws and regulations. Right was right, and wrong was wrong; things would be as they should be.

Seeing that there was more drama to watch, the other Sword Sect disciples eagerly followed along.

They hadn’t understood the fight between Li Shuang and Shi Chuyun either. Since Chang Le’an was sticking his neck out, they were also curious to find out how exactly Li Shuang had done it.

「Law Enforcement Hall」

A Steward at the Divinity Transformation Stage received Chang Le’an’s accusation.

"Steward Lin, I believe this fight was absolutely fixed! I have the Memory Stone to prove it," Chang Le’an said, directly handing over the stone.

Shi Chuyun gritted her teeth in anger. "I don’t know how Senior Sister Li got in front of me, but I swear I used my full strength."

Li Shuang thought for a moment before explaining, "On the stage, I deployed a Sword Domain. Within the Sword Domain, all techniques are revealed in perfect detail. That was how I was able to pass through her attacks and get close to Junior Sister Shi."

"Sword Domain?" A mocking sneer spread across Chang Le’an’s face. "What Sword Domain? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Are you just making things up?"

"Silence!" Before the words were even out of his mouth, a sharp voice barked out the order.

Chang Le’an froze.

He saw that Steward Lin, who had looked completely casual just a moment ago, was now staring intently at Li Shuang. "You said... a Sword Domain?"

Li Shuang nodded. "Yes."

Steward Lin’s lips trembled.

’This...’

’How could this be possible?’

’If I recall correctly, Li Shuang is only just over thirty!’

’In the Cultivation World, that’s barely the beginning of one’s journey on the path of Cultivation!’

’A Sword Domain!’

’She has already condensed a Sword Domain?’

’I achieved Nascent Soul Formation at fifty and reached the Divinity Transformation Stage at one hundred.’

’An aptitude like that is considered above average within the sect.’

’And yet...’

’I still haven’t been able to condense a Sword Domain!’

’According to legend, only when one’s Sword Dao Understanding reaches a critical point can one naturally condense their very own Sword Domain!’

’Li Shuang has condensed a Sword Domain... What does that mean?’

’Does it mean that in terms of Sword Dao Understanding alone, she has already surpassed me?’

’Our Sword Sect! Has actually produced such a peerless genius?’

’No, no, no, no!’

’I have to verify whether it’s a true Sword Domain or not.’

With trembling hands, Steward Lin activated the Memory Stone.