Everyone waited silently in the Punishment Hall. The two Punishment Hall Elders stood impassively at the entrance, showing no intention of speaking. Their only task had been to bring Lin Yun and the others here. As for the verdict, that would naturally be decided by their superiors.

Lin Yun leaned casually against a nearby pillar. Elder Wang glanced at him from time to time. ’This kid has been brought to the Punishment Hall, yet he isn’t the least bit nervous?’

He snorted inwardly. ’Little beast,’ Elder Wang swore to himself, ’I’ll make you kneel and beg for mercy soon enough.’

In Elder Wang’s eyes, Lin Yun was just a servant disciple. He couldn’t understand why someone at the Qi Sea Realm Eighth Layer was still a servant disciple, but that was irrelevant. Compared to an Elder like himself, Lin Yun was far too inexperienced.

Besides, Lin Yun had indeed killed people—many had seen it with their own eyes. As far as Elder Wang was concerned, there was no way Lin Yun would be walking out of the Punishment Hall.

After a wait of about fifteen minutes, a figure materialized out of thin air on the main seat above. This person’s aura was completely contained. He was a middle-aged man with a square jaw and an imposing, dignified air.

"Greetings, Vice Hall Master." Upon seeing the man, the two Punishment Hall Elders bowed respectfully.

’One of the three Vice Hall Masters of the Punishment Hall, a Main Seat Elder of Flawless Palace... I can’t believe a Vice Hall Master himself is interrogating us?’ At this realization, Elder Wang hurriedly bowed. As for the crowd of Two-Stars Stewards, they were simply scared witless.

When had they ever seen a Main Seat Elder of Flawless Palace before? After offering a stammered, clumsy bow, the Two-Stars Stewards stood frozen in place, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

"Lin Yun pays his respects to the Vice Hall Master." After everyone else had finished their salutations, Lin Yun also offered a respectful bow.

An imposing gaze swept over the crowd. As the Vice Hall Master’s eyes fell upon them, everyone’s heart, including Elder Wang’s, began to race. This was a Celestial Spirit Realm expert. Before him, Elder Wang felt as if he’d been stripped bare, with no secret left to hide.

Only Lin Yun remained perfectly composed. After all, he had spent time with powerhouses like Du Ying and Luo Feng. While he was respectful of the Celestial Spirit Realm, he was not in awe of it.

"You are Lin Yun?" the Vice Hall Master finally asked, his gaze settling on Lin Yun, his voice even.

Hearing the question, Lin Yun replied respectfully, "This disciple is Lin Yun."

"Alright," he said, his voice still calm. "Tell me what started this."

Before Lin Yun could utter a word, Elder Wang jumped in. "Lord Vice Hall Master, this boy, Lin Yun, is bloodthirsty by nature! He not only maimed his fellow disciples, but he even dared to murder a Steward of the servant disciples. Today, even my own right-hand man, a Three-Stars Steward, fell victim to his viciousness!"

Elder Wang listed Lin Yun’s many crimes, painting him as a bloodthirsty, lawless thug.

After this rapid-fire barrage of slander, Elder Wang dropped to his knees. "Lord Vice Hall Master, you must bring justice to the deceased! They were all loyal to the Flawless Palace. Who would have thought that after surviving our enemies, they would end up dying at the hands of one of our own?"

"Someone like Lin Yun must be put to death! Otherwise, how can our Flawless Palace maintain its prestige? How can we answer to those beneath us?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

As he spoke, two streams of tears actually welled up and trickled from Elder Wang’s eyes. ’This old bastard is a true master of theatrics,’ Lin Yun thought. ’Just look at him now. He really plays the part of a kind old man.’

As Elder Wang wept and pleaded from the floor, the Vice Hall Master on the main seat said impassively, "Rise." With a slight lift of his arm, an unseen force lifted Elder Wang back to his feet.

Having thoroughly painted Lin Yun as an unpardonable villain, Elder Wang shot him a subtle glance. The triumphant glint in his eyes seemed to say, ’Trying to fight me? You’re still far too naive, kid.’

Completely ignoring Elder Wang’s provocation, Lin Yun waited for him to finish. He then took a single step forward, bowed once more to the Vice Hall Master, and began to speak in a calm, unhurried tone.

"Lord Vice Hall Master, it is true that I killed people today. However, the situation was not as Elder Wang described. I acted purely in self-defense."

"In the entire servant disciple area, from Boss Tang all the way down to Fatty Kong, the corruption runs from top to bottom. As Stewards of the servant disciples, they not only failed to act in the Flawless Palace’s best interests, but they also repeatedly murdered servant disciples. A group like that is nothing short of a cancer on the Flawless Palace."

"Earlier today, I was unloading cargo at the docks. Fatty Kong’s brother not only refused to help, but he also tried to conspire with others to murder me. To protect myself, I had no choice but to fight back. After killing Fatty Kong, his brother, and their eight accomplices, I accompanied a group of Two-Stars Stewards to see Boss Tang."

"But who would have thought? As a Three-Stars Steward, Boss Tang didn’t even bother to ask what had happened. He blindly covered for the crimes of the Kong brothers and used his authority as a Three-Stars Steward to attack me. In the end, he was killed by me as well."

"Lord Vice Hall Master, the servant disciple area is a pit of corruption. Tens of thousands of servant disciples live in dire straits every day. The number of fellow disciples slaughtered by Boss Tang and his men is likely a hundred times greater than the number I killed today. However, I believe the root of this entire problem lies with Elder Wang."

"As the Elder in charge of the servant disciples, he not only turned a blind eye, he actively condoned his subordinates’ wanton murders. An Elder like that is ten times, no, a hundred times more despicable than Boss Tang and his cronies..."

Lin Yun spoke calmly and methodically, each word making Elder Wang’s expression grow darker. He never imagined that this young boy could be so eloquent.

He kept pinning one damning label after another on Elder Wang, painting him as a villain for the ages.

Finally, Lin Yun produced a document from his Space Ring that he had prepared beforehand—the very confession signed and thumb-printed by the Two-Stars Stewards.

"Lord Vice Hall Master, I have evidence. Numerous Two-Stars Stewards can testify on my behalf."

Hearing this, the Vice Hall Master, who had been silent all this time, made a grasping motion in the air. The paper in Lin Yun’s hand immediately flew into his grasp.

He scanned the contents. It was essentially identical to what Lin Yun had just described. And at the bottom were the signatures and handprints of several Two-Stars Stewards.

Staring at the evidence in the Vice Hall Master’s hands, Elder Wang shot a murderous glare at the crowd of Two-Stars Stewards behind him. He never expected Lin Yun to have a trump card like this.

"Lord Vice Hall Master, although I am merely a new servant disciple, I believe that a person like Elder Wang cannot be allowed to remain. A man like him is a black sheep who harms the entire flock..."

The moment he opened his mouth, Lin Yun seized control of the entire situation. Having said his piece, he looked toward Elder Wang and gave him a wicked grin, as if to say, ’Trying to out-talk me, old bastard? You must have a death wish.’

Seeing Lin Yun’s smile, Elder Wang was so furious he could have spat blood. This brat was pushing things way too far! And his verbal skills were top-notch; Elder Wang was completely outmatched.

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