Chapter 20 The cat shows off
When the last name was said, the deliberate omission plunged the huge square into an eerie silence.
Countless gazes, filled with pity and gloating, pierced Bai Qingchen like real needles.
His posture remained straight, his expression calm and almost indifferent, as if the huge humiliation and loss that would crush an ordinary person had not fallen on him.
However, just as Lin Feng was about to roar out.
Bai Qingchen moved.
Instead of stepping back, he took a small step forward.
The step was light, but like a stone thrown into a stagnant pond, it instantly attracted all attention.
He didn't look at those gloating faces, but just raised his head slightly and looked calmly at Elder Zhang on the platform.
His voice was not loud, even a little low, but it had a strange penetrating power and resounded clearly in the Wendao Square.
"May I ask the elder?"
Those four words, like ice beads falling to the ground, shattered the frozen atmosphere.
Elder Zhang frowned, obviously not expecting this useless person with five spiritual roots to speak up. He asked impatiently, "What's the matter?"
Bai Qingchen's voice remained steady, no anger could be heard in it, but every word was clear.
"The notice states that all members of the team with the highest trial points will enter the inner courtyard. Does this rule still apply?"
His questions went straight to the point without any detours.
Bai Qingchen had no intention of entering the inner courtyard. In comparison, the outer gate was more suitable for him to hide his identity.
But blindly giving in will only make people become more demanding.
There was no crying and complaining about grievances as everyone expected, no questioning of qualifications, only questions about the rules themselves.
This unexpected calmness made Elder Zhang choke, and the prepared words were stuck in his throat.
"This..." Elder Zhang's face turned grim, and he forced himself to remain calm.
"Rules are rules! But Bai Qingchen, your situation is special. You have five spiritual roots and are at the seventh level of Qi Refining. It would be a huge waste for you to enter the inner courtyard!"
"The sect's rules are fixed, but people are alive. We should prioritize the sect's long-term interests..."
"What the elder means is," Bai Qingchen interrupted him, his tone still calm, but as sharp as an ice cone.
"Can sect rules be arbitrarily abandoned due to personal likes and dislikes or so-called long-term interests?"
He paused, his eyes sweeping over the disciples below who also looked thoughtful because of his questioning, and finally fell back on Elder Zhang's face.
"If the rules can be abolished today because of my qualifications, can they also be abolished in the future because of someone else's origin, background, or even the whim of an elder?"
"Where is the word 'faith', the foundation of Ling Xiao's sect, placed?"
These words were logically clear and hit the nail on the head, putting Elder Zhang and others in an awkward position that would destroy the sect's foundation.
"Well said!" Lin Feng took a step forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Bai Qingchen, his voice like a loud bell resounding throughout the venue.
"Rules are rules! Brother Bai got first place based on his own abilities, so why shouldn't it count?"
"If you think Brother Bai is not talented enough, then you are blind! I, Lin Feng, am making this clear today: if Brother Bai doesn't want to enter the inner courtyard, then I don't want to be in this inner courtyard either!"
Su Yue immediately followed suit, her face flushed with excitement and anger, her voice clear and resolute: "That's right! Without Brother Bai, we wouldn't have been able to get first place."
"Such a large sect can't even abide by the rules it has set. How can we talk about trust and loyalty? How can we talk about training disciples? It's better not to enter this inner courtyard!"
"How dare you!" Elder Zhang was so angry that his whole body was shaking. He pointed at Lin Feng and Su Yue, then at Bai Qingchen, "You...you are threatening the sect?!"
"I'm not threatening you, I'm just asking for justice." Bai Qingchen spoke again, his voice still calm, but with an unquestionable power.
He looked at Elder Zhang with a deep gaze, "I know that my talent is mediocre, and I dare not aspire to be on par with geniuses."
"But the rules of the trial are in place. Only by working together with your companions can you achieve first place."
"All I ask for is fairness. If the sect can't even give me this most basic principle."
He paused slightly, his eyes swept over Lin Feng and Su Yue, his voice lowered, but with a sense of determination, "It's better not to join this Lingxiao Sect."
These words are very powerful!
He simply stated the facts calmly, pointed out the core demands, and was fair.
The choice is thrown back to the elders: whether to abide by the rules and give fairness, or to force away the two extremely talented disciples.
Especially the last sentence, "It doesn't matter if you don't join", the power contained in the calmness made everyone feel the unshakable determination.
The discussions in the square became louder, and the wind direction was clearly changing.
"What a fair word!" A hoarse voice came from the corner.
Elder Feng, who was dressed in gray, had opened his eyes at some point, but his cloudy gaze was now as sharp as an eagle.
He stood up, his hunched figure exuding a strong sense of oppression, and his turbid eyes swept across the audience.
It finally fell on Bai Qingchen, with a hint of imperceptible approval.
"The little guy is right. Rules are rules. He relied on his own abilities to lead the team to first place, so the qualification to enter the inner courtyard should be his!"
"As for his future, that is up to his fate. You think he has poor aptitude, but I don't think so."
"If you force three promising talents away due to your short-sightedness, I wonder how you will explain this to the Sect Master!"
"Over at the Law Enforcement Hall, I wouldn't mind going there for a cup of tea and chatting about what happened today!"
As soon as the words "Law Enforcement Hall" were uttered, Elder Zhang and the others' faces turned from green to white, and cold sweat oozed from their foreheads. They felt that they were in the wrong.
Elder Zhang's lips trembled, and he finally sighed dejectedly, and announced to the people below in a dry and weak voice.
"Elder Feng is absolutely right. I was just being stubborn. Bai Qingchen...according to the trial rules, enter the inner courtyard!"
The dust has settled.
Lin Feng patted Bai Qingchen's shoulder heavily, grinning, with pure joy and admiration in his eyes.
Su Yue also breathed a sigh of relief, and her eyes looking at Bai Qingchen were full of sparkling admiration.
Bai Qingchen's tense body relaxed slightly.
He bowed deeply in the direction of Elder Feng.
Elder Feng nodded slightly: "Okay, follow me to the treasure pavilion."
Inside the treasure house, the atmosphere was heavy and solemn.
Lin Feng and Su Yue were quickly attracted by the dazzling array of magical weapons.
Bai Qingchen still walked slowly, his eyes calmly sweeping over those objects that were either dazzling or simple and restrained.
Each magic weapon is separated by an invisible membrane that cannot be touched at all.
Until he walked to that secluded corner and his eyes swept across the dusty ancient sword.
Buzz!
The throbbing deep in his soul erupted like a dormant volcano, and the sound of the sword that seemed to travel through time and space exploded directly in his sea of consciousness.
My feet were instantly nailed to the spot, and my heart was tightly grasped by an invisible hand.
He turned around abruptly, his eyes fixed on the gray sword.
He stretched out his hand almost instinctively, with a barely perceptible tremor at his fingertips.
The thick dust on the sword was brushed away, revealing the ancient and cold cloud pattern, and the hilt was inlaid with a dark blue crystal.
His fingertips touched the cold hilt of the sword.
Clang——!
The clear sound of sword echoed throughout the treasure pavilion, and a stream of ice-blue light, like a cold dragon breaking free from its restraints, shot up into the sky from the dark blue crystal.
The light was not dazzling, and instantly wrapped around Bai Qingchen's wrist, strands of it, icy yet with a touch of childish intimacy.
He gripped the cold hilt tightly.
"Frost and Snow..." A name that had been buried in the dust for four hundred years passed silently through his heart.
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