Inside the Grand Judge Council Chamber, Chief Arbiter Yan Baichuan stood at the head of the black glass table like a prosecuting attorney delivering an indictment against reality itself.
In his hands, the black dragon-hide scroll radiated faint violet tendrils of crushing weight foul fog. The twelve Domain Saint arbiters remained pressed against their high-backed chairs in the crimson glow of the ancient quarantine runes.
“Look at the evidence!” Yan Baichuan said, slapping the parchment against the dark stone table. “Look at the records of this mortal! Three months ago, he was a crippled fighter in the southern marshes, discarded by his clan. That was because his spirit veins were blocked. He possessed zero spiritual root, zero Dao bone, and zero old family heritage.”
Yan Baichuan swept his gaze across the elders.
“And now? In less than ninety days, he has produced five students who dismantle heaven-grade formations with shovels and steam wands. He treated the flagship of the Zhang Clan like a stranded cart. He took the Number One Fairy of the Southern Continent and dressed her as a town road worker.”
“Chief Judge...” Elder Ouyang ventured timidly. “Could he not be an ancient reincarnated immortal? A hermit master returned to the mortal realm to establish a traditional lineage?”
