The weakest martial artist? One punch and he's leveled up a whole realm!

Lin Xiuwen narrowed his eyes: "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is..."

Ye Xiao's voice was calm and unhurried, as if he were stating a common sense fact.

"Every inch of spiritual jade beneath your feet, every breath of spiritual energy you take, every bit of cultivation you are so proud of—may not be a gift from Heaven, but rather the ashes from the burning of 300,000 lives!"

silence.

A deathly silence.

At this moment, several talented young people on the field...

They all stared in shock, their pupils widening.

Ye Xiao's words were incredibly impactful.

It's completely shattering their values!

Lin Xiuwen's expression changed: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Nonsense?"

Ye Xiao looked at him with a sneer on his face.

"Then tell me, what was the foundation of the capital city made of?"

"From which spiritual veins does the spiritual energy that floats above the nine-tiered palace originate?"

"Why were those spiritual veins able to transform from turbid to clear overnight, hundreds of years ago?"

"Have you read any books that mention this?"

This series of questions came like a machine gun.

Ye Xiao shot at the group of aristocratic scions without any mercy.

Undeniably, these scions of prominent families had read many classic texts.

But at this moment.

Their prized knowledge suddenly failed them.

No one could answer Ye Xiao's question.

The young men from prominent families exchanged glances, a hint of unease flashing in their eyes.

It wasn't because they knew the answer, but because they suddenly realized that they might not actually know.

"Do you know what the consequences are for spreading rumors?"

"Do you have any evidence to support your claims?"

"How could you, an outsider, possibly know more about the Immortal City than those of us who grew up here?"

"......"

Ye Xiao looked at the anxious expressions on these people's faces.

He simply smiled faintly: "Isn't it possible that those involved are often blinded while bystanders see things clearly? You're in the Immortal City, how could you possibly know about the negative aspects of it?"

Ye Xiao completely silenced the players on the field.

And at this time.

Lin Xiuwen gritted his teeth: "These matters will be handled by the Immortal City Engineering Bureau. We scholars should focus on self-cultivation and not concern ourselves with trivial matters!"

"You're just a martial artist, why aren't you practicing your boxing? Are you trying to stir up trouble?"

Judging from Lin Xiuwen's attitude and these words.

Ye Xiao knew that Lin Xiuwen was already anxious.

Lin Xiuwen has begun to dodge the question Ye Xiao just posed by changing the subject.

"I have no interest in sowing discord."

Ye Xiao looked at him coldly and indifferently.

"I'm just curious, you read so many books, yet you don't even know what you're standing on. What are you reading then? Are you learning how to pat yourself on the back?"

"You!" Lin Xiuwen's face flushed red.

And just then...

A girl in a blue robe standing nearby sneered.

"A warrior is just a warrior, crude and rude. He's read a few unofficial histories and thinks he can debate with us."

"Do you know that my Sun family ancestor once wrote 'The Theory of the Origin of Spiritual Energy,' which is a classic text?"

"What right do you have to question me when you don't even have spiritual power?"

And at this time.

The old man in black finally couldn't help but speak up.

"A bunch of immature kids. You just haven't seen it before, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

The group looked at the old man in black with unfriendly expressions.

"What's wrong?"

The old man said, "For example, the construction records of the nine-tiered palace, or the death list of the engineering department."

"How could I possibly let you see something like that?"

"The books you're reading are what others made you read!"

"The history you believe in was written for you by others!"

"Your nobility and pride have never been tested in any way; you merely stand atop piles of corpses, defending them!"

This was a series of three resounding questions.

This left Lin Xiuwen and the others pale-faced, their lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

At this moment, the old man from the black family also managed to reason with someone, which was quite rare for him.

If it weren't for Ye Xiao's prior preparations...

According to Grandpa Hei's temperament.

He would never explain such profound truths to these kids.

Because he knew it very well.

These people, who grew up in the Immortal City, have been deeply indoctrinated by the city's brainwashing education since childhood.

They showed complete trust in everything about the Immortal City, without any doubt.

They show absolute criticism and resistance to anything negative.

At this time.

Lin Xiuwen's voice lowered, tinged with suppressed anger: "You are insulting our ancestors!"

His words clearly indicated that he wanted to escalate the conversation.

It has escalated to the point where Ye Xiao and Uncle Hei are at odds with the powerful families.

However, these people did not expect this.

Ye Xiao and Grandpa Hei didn't care about this matter at all.

"What your ancestors did is none of my business."

Ye Xiao's voice also lowered, but it was deeper and colder than Lin Xiuwen's.

"If your ancestors really did those things, then your pride is only their shame."

"If your ancestors didn't do those things, then why are you afraid of me saying anything?"

Lin Xiuwen's chest heaved violently.

"you--"

But he couldn't find any rebuttal.

At this moment, his classics, his philosophical works, and his moral theories came to mind.

Faced with "300,000 lives," it suddenly becomes insignificant, as thin as paper.

Another silence followed.

Lin Xiuwen clenched his fists and took a step back.

"I will report what you said today to the Elders. You had better have evidence, otherwise it would be a serious crime of defamation."

"Report it," Ye Xiao said. "I also want to see whether the elders' first reaction after the truth is revealed is to cover their mouths or admit it."

He walked past Lin Xiuwen.

But this time, no one stopped him.

After Ye Xiao walked away.

Behind him, Lin Xiuwen was still standing there, his face turning pale and then flushed.

His fingers were clenched so tightly in his sleeves that they turned white.

An inexplicable chill rose in my heart.

Because he suddenly realized that his childhood pride, his knowledge, his background...

Compared to Ye Xiao's words, it seemed like nothing at all.

Those few words contained no insults or humiliation.

He simply said some things that he had never heard of or even thought of before.

He didn't know whether those things were true or false.

But the calmness with which Ye Xiao spoke those words instilled in him an even greater fear.

Because anger may be feigned, while calmness is often genuine.

Behind him, several scions of prominent families whispered among themselves.

"Is...is he telling the truth?"

"I don't know. But I'll have to check the engineering department's old files when I get back."

"Are you crazy? Those files aren't something you can just access casually..."

"Whether I can find out or not is another matter, but I need to know where the spiritual energy I breathe comes from."

Soon these scions of noble families dispersed.

Silence returned to the long bridge.

The only sounds were the wind whistling through the sea of ​​clouds and the faint rustling of pages turning in the distant pavilion.