With the so-called "joint testimony" of Ning Fengzhi, Dai Tianfeng, and Emperor Xue Ye, the final trace of doubt lingering over Spirit Hall was completely erased from the plaza.
What replaced it was a violent eruption of rage.
Like a mountain collapsing.
Like a tsunami crashing ashore.
"This Yu Xiaogang is utterly shameless! The evidence is already ironclad, yet he still dares to argue!"
"I actually doubted Spirit Hall earlier—I must have been blind!"
"Stop wasting time! Just execute him already!"
Countless voices merged into a terrifying roar, surging toward the cross as if they wanted to tear Yu Xiaogang's frail body apart on the spot.
Listening to the fury of the masses, the Cardinal's eyes flashed with satisfaction. He raised one hand slowly, pressing it downward.
The plaza gradually quieted.
"Everyone," he said solemnly,
"I understand your anger."
"I understand how enraged you feel after being deceived for so long by Yu Xiaogang!"
He paused deliberately.
Then, the corners of his mouth curled upward into a strange, chilling smile.
"But what I am about to announce…"
"Is far from over."
What?
There's more?!
The entire plaza froze.
Hundreds of thousands of gazes locked onto the Cardinal at the same time, eyes filled with disbelief.
This useless level-twenty-nine waste—
Besides assassinating the Supreme Pontiff, could he really have committed other crimes?
Under those puzzled and expectant gazes, the Cardinal calmly reached into his robes and withdrew a thin book.
Its cover was old, the pages slightly yellowed.
On it were written several elegant yet eye-catching words:
"The Ten Core Competencies of Spirits."
The instant Yu Xiaogang saw that book—
His pupils shrank violently.
A chill colder than death itself shot up from his tailbone, straight to the crown of his head.
No…
No, it shouldn't be this…
An unprecedented sense of dread flooded his heart. He began struggling wildly against the iron chains, the metal clanging harshly as his body thrashed.
Even the accusation of "assassinating the Supreme Pontiff" was forgotten.
Using every ounce of strength he had left, he let out a hoarse, panicked roar.
"What are you doing?!"
"What exactly do you want to do?!"
The Cardinal looked down at him, eyes full of icy ridicule.
"What do I want to do?"
He sneered.
"Of course, I am carrying out Her Excellency the Supreme Pontiff's will—"
"To expose your most disgusting, most shameless crime."
"Plagiarism."
He raised the book high above his head, spirit power surging as his voice rang out like a great bell, echoing through every corner of the square.
"Everyone here," he declared,
"has surely heard of 'The Ten Core Competencies of Spirits,' authored by this so-called 'Grandmaster,' Yu Xiaogang—am I right?"
At least half of the commoner Spirit Masters in the crowd subconsciously nodded.
Indeed.
Thanks to the tireless promotion of the once infatuated Bibi Dong, the name Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang had spread far and wide among commoner Spirit Masters, his influence astonishing.
Seeing this reaction, the sneer on the Cardinal's face deepened.
"Then let me ask you all another question."
"Do you know that this so-called 'golden rule,' which you treasure like scripture—"
"Was shamelessly plagiarized by Yu Xiaogang from the secret archives of Spirit Hall?!"
His accusation fell like thunder.
And yet—
Nothing happened.
No explosion of anger.
No surge of curses.
Instead, the plaza fell into a strange, awkward stillness.
People exchanged glances.
Whispers spread quietly.
Faces showed confusion… hesitation… even indifference.
It was as if—
They didn't care.
No.
It wasn't as if they didn't care.
They truly didn't.
For these commoner Spirit Masters with no background, no sect, and no backing—
If Yu Xiaogang had not published The Ten Core Competencies of Spirits, then the knowledge monopolized by great sects and powers would have remained forever out of reach.
Who cared where it came from?
Who cared whether it was plagiarized?
They had benefited.
That was enough.
This eerie calm instantly darkened the Cardinal's expression.
On the cross, Yu Xiaogang also sensed the subtle change in the air.
At first, he froze.
Then—
An overwhelming ecstasy surged through his heart.
I understand…
I finally understand!
"Hahaha… hahahahaha!"
Yu Xiaogang suddenly threw his head back and burst into wild, unrestrained laughter.
Tears streamed down his swollen face as he laughed until his body trembled.
He stared at the Spirit Hall figures on the viewing platform—at faces that were beginning to lose composure—and laughed even harder.
"Do you see?!"
"Do you all see this?!"
With the posture of a triumphant victor, he mocked the Cardinal—mocked Bibi Dong—with unbridled arrogance.
"No matter how much dirt you Spirit Hall tries to throw on me!"
"The masses have eyes!"
"They will always stand on the side of justice!"
The situation was slipping out of control.
The Cardinal's face turned ashen. Instinctively, he lifted the whip in his hand, ready to strike this madman into silence.
But—
A slender, pale hand stopped him.
Bibi Dong stood up.
The moment she rose, an invisible pressure descended upon the plaza.
The murmurs vanished.
The whispers died.
Even Yu Xiaogang's manic laughter seemed to be seized by an unseen hand, choking it off mid-breath.
Every gaze in the square turned toward her.
She did not shout.
She did not scold.
She did not display anger.
She simply stood there, calm and dignified, her amethyst eyes slowly sweeping over the sea of faces below.
Finally, her gaze settled on the commoner Spirit Masters—those who had benefited, and therefore chose to excuse everything.
"I know," she said.
Her voice was clear and cool, yet carried a strange, calming authority.
"I know what you are thinking."
"As commoner Spirit Masters, you rarely have the chance to access such knowledge."
"You believe that no matter where it comes from, as long as it gives you direction, it is a good thing."
Below the platform, countless commoner Spirit Masters nodded subconsciously.
Their expressions showed surprise—
And a sense of being understood.
On the viewing platform, Ning Fengzhi's eyelids twitched slightly.
What a terrifying woman…
With just one sentence, she had closed the distance between herself and the masses, standing beside them instead of above them.
Such control of hearts—
Far more effective than any coercion.
On the cross, Yu Xiaogang's unease surged violently once again.
Then—
Bibi Dong's tone changed.
The calmness faded, replaced by a trace of pity… and sorrow.
"But have you ever thought about this?"
"What if—"
"This so-called 'knowledge'…"
"Is wrong?"
Boom!
The words exploded like a thunderclap in the minds of the crowd.
Wrong?!
The foundation of everything they believed in—wrong?!
"The most lethal lies," Bibi Dong continued slowly,
"are often composed of ninety percent truth—"
"And ten percent falsehood."
Her voice struck again and again, like a heavy hammer smashing into everyone's hearts.
"What Yu Xiaogang plagiarized," she said coldly,
"was indeed the theoretical foundation of Spirit Hall."
"But because of his own ignorance, his own arrogance—"
"There are countless omissions."
"And even fatal errors…"
"In The Ten Core Competencies of Spirits."