Chapter 271 - 269: World-Shocking, Shaking Yunxiao

’I must be hallucinating...’

This was the only thought left in Ying Feihang’s mind.

His eyes were glued to the number one spot on the Creation Points List. Luo Tian’s name was written there!

As for the score next to it... Fifty thousand!

Fifty thousand Points!

Ying Feihang felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. A storm raged in his heart, his mind went blank, and he even forgot to breathe!

"Fifty thousand Points?"

"How... how is that possible?"

Broken questions and doubts echoed from the crowd.

Everyone was in a state of shock, staring dumbly at the top of the Creation Points List!

An uninformed bystander might have thought there was a peerless, naked beauty standing there.

Fifty thousand Points!

This not only surpassed Han Yuan’s twenty-eight thousand points, but it was a full twenty-two thousand points higher—a complete and utter blowout!

Some even wondered if the difficulty of the Creation Grotto Heaven had been lowered several times over!

But Han Yuan’s score, and Ying Feihang’s score, were both so low by comparison.

Han Yuan was completely dumbfounded and couldn’t process what he was seeing for a long time.

He wondered if he had fallen for an Illusion Technique, or if everything that had happened today was just a dream.

"Everyone, no need to be so surprised. With my talent and strength, this score is pretty normal, don’t you think?"

At this moment, the only calm person was Luo Tian. He raised the corner of his mouth in a confident smile and spoke nonchalantly.

Those words struck a nerve with everyone!

It was as if a bomb had suddenly detonated on the spot, setting off a massive uproar!

"Heavens, am I seeing things? Fifty thousand Points!"

"Th-this is impossible! No one in the history of the Creation Grotto Heaven has ever scored fifty thousand Points!"

"It must be cheating! He cheated!"

"But in the history of the Creation Grotto Heaven, I don’t think anyone has ever successfully cheated."

Everyone was so shocked they were speechless, even babbling incoherently.

The six Core Disciples present still had looks of astonishment on their faces.

This included Yi Jingwen, the number one beauty of the Upper Sect. With her elegant and delicate features, her small mouth was slightly agape in stunned surprise, revealing a charm no one had ever seen from her before.

Ying Feihang stood there, utterly devastated.

He finally understood why everyone had looked so shocked when he first came out.

Ying Feihang suddenly felt that his speech after emerging had been nothing more than a clown putting on a ridiculous, laughable performance.

Look at his own score: twenty thousand three hundred.

It should have been a score to be proud of, but right now, Ying Feihang only felt a profound sense of shame.

He was so mortified that he wanted to find a hole to crawl into and hide.

But Ying Feihang suppressed the humiliation in his heart, glared at Luo Tian, and demanded loudly, "Luo Tian, with your abilities, how could you possibly get such a high score?"

"Luo Tian, did you cheat? Spit it out and confess the truth!"

Han Yuan shouted sharply, his face contorted with embarrassment.

Fifty thousand Points was a score that even the current number one of the ten Core Disciples would find difficult to achieve.

Even many Stewards of the Yunxiao Sect would struggle to reach that score.

All eyes in the crowd fixed on Luo Tian, filled with deep suspicion, forming an immense, invisible pressure.

But Luo Tian remained perfectly calm and retorted, "Weren’t you the ones who said I was the strongest genius of this generation in the Yunxiao Sect, first place in the entrance exam, the first to enter the Upper Sect, and the biggest dark horse of the Four Grotto Heavens?"

"Er..."

Ying Feihang and Han Yuan were instantly stumped, not knowing how to respond.

They had indeed said those words with their own mouths, but that wasn’t what they actually meant.

"And didn’t you also say that with my Innate Ability, I would surely rank among the very best, surpass Brother Han, and shake the entire Upper Sect?"

Luo Tian asked again.

"..."

Ying Feihang and Han Yuan were completely stunned.

They had said that too, and many disciples present had heard them.

But they had done it on purpose, wanting to set Luo Tian up for a fall with false praise!

But now, they couldn’t reveal the truth. To do so would be tantamount to plotting against a fellow disciple—a capital crime!

Luo Tian’s questions had silenced not only Ying Feihang and Han Yuan but also the others who had jeered along with them.

"Now, I’ve done exactly as you said I would!"

"And you turn around and ask me how I did it... Are you morons?"

Luo Tian looked exasperated, but a faint, mocking smile hung on his lips.

PFFT!

Ying Feihang and Han Yuan wanted to spit blood.

They felt stifled, irritated, and furious, but had no way to vent.

They had dug a pit to bury Luo Tian, only to discover that they had buried themselves in it.

The crowd’s suspicious gazes were all thrown back in their faces by Luo Tian’s few questions!

They had said all those things. They had tried their best to flatter and praise Luo Tian, lauding him to the heavens.

As a result, when Luo Tian was actually standing in the heavens, they had no grounds to question him.

"So, how was it? My performance didn’t disappoint your expectations of me, did it?"

Luo Tian looked at the disciples who had been praising him so fervently before.

When his gaze swept over them, they all lowered their heads, too ashamed to meet his eyes.

"Oh, Senior Brother Ying! You joined the Sect before me and are even the Third Elder’s disciple. How did you only manage to get so few points?"

Luo Tian shot back at Ying Feihang.

"I..."

Ying Feihang was stunned, not expecting this turn of events.

"You’re a complete disgrace to the Third Elder!"

As Luo Tian spoke, Ying Feihang felt as if his heart had been struck by a heavy fist, leaving his chest tight and uncomfortable.

"Brother Han, your score is also a bit low, really!"

Luo Tian then turned to Han Yuan.

When the Creation Grotto Heaven had just opened, Han Yuan had twisted Luo Tian’s words, using the opportunity to lecture him, calling him arrogant and even uncultured.

Now, it was Luo Tian’s turn to lecture him.

"As one of the ten Core Disciples, your score is too low compared to mine. Why don’t you just give your Core Disciple status to me?"

Luo Tian teased.

"The status of a Core Disciple is incredibly noble. What makes you think you’re worthy of it?"

Han Yuan said angrily.

"I have over twenty thousand more points than you!" Luo Tian stated.

"A Core Disciple is a symbol of the most outstanding genius in the Yunxiao Sect. You’re still a long way off."

Han Yuan felt a toothache coming on as he continued.

"I have over twenty thousand more points than you."

"..."

Han Yuan fell silent.

A dignified member of the ten Core Disciples was being lectured into silence by a newly promoted Upper Sect Disciple at the Peak of Spirit Sea Realm Fifth Layer.

"Don’t go silent on me now. Has Brother Han forgotten that you once said if my score surpassed yours, you would give me five thousand Spiritual Essence Coins as a congratulatory gift?"

’Did you think it would be over just because you kept your mouth shut?’

Luo Tian was letting him know it wasn’t that simple.

"I..."

Han Yuan’s eyes turned bloodshot, veins bulged on his forehead, and a terrifying, boundless aura radiated out from him, startling everyone around.

"Whoa! Han Yuan, one of the ten Core Disciples, is going back on his word and trying to silence me by killing me!"

Luo Tian shouted.

"Shut your mouth!"

Han Yuan roared, his tone carrying a deep despair and even a hint of pleading.

His body swayed, his mind dazed.

"The Spiritual Essence Coins! You won’t be shorted!"

Han Yuan said through gritted teeth, desperately trying to suppress his rage, afraid he would lose control and kill Luo Tian.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, a powerful aura capable of suppressing everything in its path descended from the sky.

A dozen or so figures floated down; they were all Stewards and Elders from the Yunxiao Sect’s Upper Sect.

"Greetings, Elders!"

All the disciples bowed respectfully.

"Luo Tian!"

A deep, cold voice rang out.

The Third Elder turned, his murky, pitch-black eyes, like bottomless black holes, fixing on him.

In that moment, he released the spiritual pressure of the Earth Element Realm. Though it was faint and difficult for others to detect, Luo Tian, the target of his gaze, suddenly felt the illusion of falling into an abyss as an icy chill and overwhelming fear washed over him.

"Tell me the truth. What is the deal with your score?"

The voice seemed to belong to the lord of the abyss.

"My score, naturally, was earned through my own strength!"

Luo Tian slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with determination.

A strange look appeared on the Third Elder’s face.

He had secretly used his spiritual pressure to try and crush Luo Tian’s mind, forcing him to show a flaw and confess everything.

Although he had only used less than thirty percent of his power, it was something no one below the Earth Element Realm should have been able to resist.

But Luo Tian had actually withstood it and answered rationally!

"If you don’t believe me, the Elders can check for themselves."

Luo Tian said with open honesty.

’I feel a little lucky. If not for my strong Spiritual Will and the tempering I went through in the Heart Demon Grotto Heaven—where I even confronted an illusory Third Elder—I might have really been intimidated by him just now.’

"Third Elder, Luo Tian is right. We’ll know for sure once we investigate,"

the Law Enforcement Elder spoke up.

Although he also suspected that Luo Tian’s score was fraudulent, he couldn’t figure out how Luo Tian could have faked it.

Recalling the Sect Leader’s messages, he decided to speak up for Luo Tian.

"Falsifying scores in the Four Grotto Heavens is a serious crime!"

The Third Elder left this parting shot and walked into the canyon, with the other Elders following close behind.

They came to the inner part of the canyon, where the floor suddenly sank, allowing the Elders to enter an ancient palace underground.

This was already the second time the Third Elder, the Law Enforcement Elder, and the others had entered the Celestial Level Array to investigate an image recording because of Luo Tian.

"Law Enforcement Elder, surely you don’t believe that a mere disciple at the Peak of Spirit Sea Realm Fifth Layer can actually score fifty thousand Points in the Creation Grotto Heaven?"

the Third Elder retorted.

If the other Elders hadn’t been present just now, the Third Elder wouldn’t have bothered with any of this and would have just seized Luo Tian directly.

"I also find it somewhat incredible. But any accusation requires concrete evidence. That is the fundamental principle of the Law Enforcement Hall when enforcing the Sect’s laws!"

the Law Enforcement Elder said righteously.

"Then let’s have a look."

The Third Elder’s expression was calm.

He wasn’t worried at all, because he was certain Luo Tian had cheated. There had to be clues and evidence in the image recording.

"Array Spirit, bring up the image recording of Luo Tian’s participation in the Creation Grotto Heaven!"

the Third Elder commanded.

This time, the image wasn’t fast-forwarded. The Third Elder watched intently, determined not to miss a single detail or suspicious point.

...

「Outside.」

News of Luo Tian scoring fifty thousand Points in the Creation Grotto Heaven spread even further.

The other four Core Disciples who were not present also received the news.

「Inside the Cultivation Tower.」

A man with a cold expression walked out.

He had sharp, heroic sword-like brows, and a brilliant light flickered in his deep, dark eyes, giving him an extraordinary and imposing air.

This person was none other than the number one of the ten Core Disciples!

"Creation Grotto Heaven, fifty thousand Points?"

The sword-browed man muttered to himself as his figure floated out, stepping onto the void itself and soaring into the air.

「At the same time.」

More of the Yunxiao Sect’s upper echelons received this information and immediately rushed toward the Four Grotto Heavens.

Fifty thousand Points in the Creation Grotto Heaven was simply astounding!

Although the score was so high that the suspicion of cheating was great, how could one even cheat in the Creation Grotto Heaven?

All of these factors combined attracted almost everyone living in the Upper Sect.