I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

"You're spouting nonsense!" Zhao Yuan pointed at Li Hanshan and shouted angrily, "You're clearly retaliating! Just because I pointed out your suspicious behavior, you're trying to turn around and bite me!"

Li Hanshan stood there, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his expression calm. He didn't rush to refute, but waited until the other finished speaking before slowly saying, "Where did I make false accusations? I was merely requesting an investigation."

His words made Zhao Yuan's words get stuck in his throat.

Li Hanshan continued, "You reported me, and I didn't stop you; you requested to verify my cultivation level, and I released my spiritual power in front of everyone. Now it's my turn, and I'm requesting the Enforcement Hall to investigate the whistleblower's motives and background—that's perfectly reasonable. It can't be that you're allowed to accuse me, but I'm not allowed to question you."

The surrounding cultivators began to whisper among themselves. Some nodded, some exchanged glances, but no one spoke up in rebuttal. Li Hanshan's words were indeed flawless; one person reported, and the other was investigated, so both should be examined under the same rules.

Zhao Yuan's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but he found that he could not find any reason to stand in the gazes that were gradually gathering around him.

"Deacon Zhao, your Enforcement Hall has always been fair in its enforcement of the law. Tell me, isn't Li Hanshan's behavior retaliation?" Zhao Yuan turned his gaze to the deacon of the Enforcement Hall.

Deacon Zhao glanced at Elder Gong, hesitated for a moment, and was about to speak when a streak of light flew in from afar.

As the light faded, a tall, middle-aged man stood in the morning light. His silver-gray robe was thicker than the uniforms of all the other disciples of the Enforcement Hall present, and two parallel silver patterns were embroidered on the collar, gleaming with a restrained, cold light in the sunlight. The token at his waist had dense and intricate patterns, with a ring of fine runes around the edge—a mark only elders of the Enforcement Hall possessed.

At first, there was a deathly silence in the crowd. Then, murmurs spread rapidly from the center outwards.

"Elder Zhou? How did we disturb Elder Zhou?"

"One of the seven elders of the Enforcement Hall... Why would he personally come to this island instead of staying at the main hall?"

"It seems Elder Gong is truly enraged, otherwise Elder Zhou wouldn't have come in person."

A Nascent Soul cultivator dressed in a deep blue robe from the Biluo Sect whispered to his companion, "Elder Zhou has worked in the Enforcement Hall for hundreds of years, handling at least a thousand cases. He's known for his fairness and impartiality. With him personally taking over this case, Zhao Yuan is likely to be thoroughly investigated."

The companion asked in a low voice, "Elder Zhou and Elder Gong have a very good relationship?"

"The two have been friends for hundreds of years," the Biluo Sect cultivator shook his head. "Zhao Yuan has really messed up this time."

Duan Hong, standing at the edge of the front row, raised an eyebrow the moment Elder Zhou appeared, then relaxed and whispered to Liu Qing beside him, "Elder Gong's move was quite shrewd. Having Elder Zhou personally intervene means that even if someone tries to sabotage things, they'll have to get past the Elder of the Enforcement Hall first."

Liu Qing nodded slightly.

Deacon Zhao's expression changed visibly the moment he saw who it was. He quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, and spoke with even greater deference than when facing Elder Gong: "Elder Zhou, why have you come in person? This is a minor case; I can handle it myself—"

"No case is too small; all procedures must be followed," Elder Zhou interrupted him. "Besides, Elder Gong personally summoned me to take over; I have to give my old friend face."

He turned to Zhao Yuan, his gaze calmly settling on Zhao Yuan's face, which was now deathly pale. "You're the whistleblower? Come with me."

Zhao Yuan trembled, his gaze darting back and forth between Elder Zhou and Li Hanshan. His lips moved a few times, his voice becoming extremely dry: "Elder Zhou... I just... I really thought his behavior was suspicious, that's why I reported him... I had no malicious intent..."

"Whether there was malicious intent or not, we'll only know after the investigation." Elder Zhou's tone remained calm, neither reprimanding nor comforting, as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact. "Just cooperate with the investigation. If it's found that you genuinely reported it with good intentions, your innocence will naturally be cleared. If other things are found—that's another matter."

Zhao Yuan's face turned completely ashen. His gaze swept over the surroundings one last time, over the silent, retreating cultivators, over the expressionless faces of Duan Hong and Liu Qing, over Li Hanshan's composed figure standing in the morning light, and then he lowered his head as if crushed.

Elder Zhou raised his hand and made a gesture. Two disciples of the Enforcement Hall in silver-gray uniforms silently stepped forward and stood on either side of Zhao Yuan, restraining him.