"It's over…it's over…it's over," Naelia continued to mumble to herself, crouched up in a ball on the floor. Her eyes were distant and vacant, lips trembling as she mumbled to herself. "I'm going to be exiled, and no other sect will take me in after that. I'll need to change my identity to escape this shame. I'll need to become a mercenary to make a living, or I'll need to…."
Naelia continued to ramble to herself, completely forgetting everything and everyone around her. The others nearby stared at her with a curious expression, wondering why she was making such a fool of herself.
"It's going to be alright," John said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You're not going to get in trouble, and you're not going to be exiled. Stop worrying so much."
Naelia stopped mumbling, her head peering upwards towards his relaxed face. She stared at him for a moment, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
"It's not going to be alright!" she groaned. "How can you be so calm? They're going to punish you severely for doing such a thing. You need to flee now!"
Her eyes then widened in realization, and she curled up once more in her ball. "Why am I helping the cheater who ruined my life? Well, I suppose it's better to have company in exile than no company at all. We need to leave, now, before we are found. Come with-"
"Are you John Fenix?" a stern, deep voice sounded out, causing Naelia to jump with fright. She peered out of her ball, looking up at the three World Expansion Yang-Dao Sect Elder's who had appeared before them. "Ah….it's over!" she sighed, flopping to the ground, splaying out in defeat.
"I am," John said, ignoring Naelia's antics.
"You need to come with us," the Elder said sternly, then glanced at Zuri, then Naelia on the ground. He frowned upon seeing her lying on the ground, eyes wide and vacant. "Both of you will need to join us as well," he said to Naelia and Zuri.
Zuri crouched next to Naelia, a comforting hand resting on her shoulder. Naelia looked towards her, face still filled with disbelief at the situation. Zuri smiled at Naelia, then helped her stand up.
"You're going to be completely fine," Zuri said comfortingly. Her words seemed to break through Naelia's shock, who finally calmed down. Naelia nodded, then followed Zuri as the group was led away by the Elders.
…
John was escorted out of the Yang-Sphere, and back into the Yang-Dao Sect above the lake of lava. The group was led towards the tallest building in the middle, which was grand beyond compare. It pierced upwards like a flame, unmoving, and yet seemed to almost dance like a true flame.
The interior was even more impressive, with walls and carpets of fire everywhere, giving a vibrant, energetic atmosphere to the building. After taking a transportation formation on the first floor, the group arrived in a large hallway, standing directly before a double-door made of pure yang flames.
The door parted open for them, revealing an impressive throne room on the other side. The Elders escorted John and company into the throne room, ushering them before a group of cultivators at the other end who were clearly waiting for them.
John's eyes shifted from cultivator to cultivator, each one more impressive than the last. Each of them had a Holy Manifestation cultivation, and one of them even gave off the same feeling as the Prime Shadow; the Yang-Sovereing.
'Late Holy Manifestation!' John thought, awed by the Yang-Sovereign who sat atop his throne of fire. It was like he was looking at a blazing star, one so powerful and bright that his mere aura alone could smite him with ease should the Yang-Sovereign release it.
He paused for a moment on a beautiful, alluring woman with long, purple hair, who gave off almost the same feeling as the Yang-Sovereign. The woman stared at him with a curious expression, as if trying to peer through all his secrets. Her gaze made him feel naked before her, as if nothing could escape her arcane gaze.
'The Mage-Sovereign, no doubt,' he thought, impressed by this group of powerhouses who had summoned him. As Zuri had guessed, his score had truly stirred up quite a commotion. His eyes passed over two other middle-aged cultivators, one from the Yang-Dao Sect and one from the Mage-Dao Sect, and then fell onto the cultivator at the edge of the group.
He knew instantly who this was. The Sword-Saint.
The Sword-Saint stared daggers at John, as if he wanted nothing more than to cut him down right here and now. John gave him a similar look, narrowing his eyes with enmity. The others were surprised to see John not only able to give a Holy Manifestation cultivator such a look, but having the gall to do so as well.
Almost all youths his age, even the geniuses of the world, felt overwhelming anxiety and trepidation standing before one of them, let alone a group of six Holy Manifestation cultivators. To the side, Zuri fidgeted nervously, unable to contain her nerves upon meeting the powerhouses she had heard stories told of her entire life.
As for Naelia, she was a complete mess, almost unable to stand upright. Only the fear of disrespecting the powerhouses before her kept her on her feet, but she leaned on Zuri as a brace, making sure she didn't fall.
"I'm sure you know why you have been summoned here," the Yang-Sovereign said, his voice commanding and firm, to which John nodded.
"Then, would you mind explaining how your score came to be?" the Yang-Sovereign asked. His throne flared with power, as if pulsating like a raging star. The fires enveloped the Yang-Sovereign, who completely ignored them as if they didn't exist.
John merely shrugged. "My score came to be the same way everyone else gets their score. I just took the test."
"Insolence," the Sword-Saint said, unable to hold his tongue. "I told you interrogating this youth would bear no fruit. If one is willing to cheat, then one is willing to lie. We will garner no truth from this boy. He must be interrogated, then punished accordingly."
"And I'm assuming you are requesting to do this interrogation, as well as administering the punishment?" the Yang-Sovereign asked.
"If you wish me to carry out this task, then I will gladly do so," the Sword-Saint replied, staring daggers at John. "One who besmirches the sanctity of the Three Dao Tournament must be made an example of swiftly. Otherwise, we will become the laughingstock for the rest of the world."
John gave the Sword-Saint an amused look of emnity. His first encounter with the man was exactly as he had been expecting. He hated his guts and wanted nothing more than to personally silence the man himself. John only sighed, as he was far too weak to do so himself.
The Sword-Saint took a step towards John, mouth curling into a smile. He was no doubt going to enjoy 'interrogating' the one who had cast a shadow on his son's score.
"We have yet to determine the path forward," the Yang-Sovereign said, his words pausing the Sword-Saint's step.
"What is there to determine?" the Sword-Saint asked, looking towards the Yang-Sovereign. "He is guilty."
"And where is your proof?" the Yang-Sovereign asked calmly. "You have yet to present any proof. Until we get to the bottom of this matter, we will hold this boy in custody, but no harm will befall him. After the investigation, if he is determined to be guilty, he will be punished accordingly."
"A waste of time and effort," the Sword-Saint sneered. "The score alone is proof of guilt!"
"I agree," John said, his words surprising the others.
"You agree?" the Sword-Saint asked, clearly taken aback, while the others looked at John with slight surprise. "You admit to cheating the test?"
John shrugged nonchalantly, while Naelia nearly collapsed to the ground in shock and disbelief, stopped only by Zuri keeping her upright.
"No. I only agree that an interrogation is a waste of time," John shrugged again. "If you want proof, then there's an easy way to prove my innocence," John said calmly.
"What method would that be?" the Yang-Sovereign asked after a short silence.
John smiled, then turned his gaze to the Sword-Saint.
"Just summon Ji'Han here, and I'll wipe the floor with him right here and now. That alone should prove my innocence," he said, smiling as he watched the Sword-Saint's expression change. The other's present looked at John with surprise, while the Sword-Saint glared at him furiously.
"I will have your head for speaking to me, and for speaking of my son, like that," the Sword-Saint growled and stepped towards John.
Suddenly, and without warning, a dark mass of black shadows like billowing smoke permeated the room, appearing from everywhere at once. The shadow had appeared so quickly and so unexpectedly that even the Holy Manifestation powerhouses were startled by its appearance. Only the Yang-Sovereign was unsurprised, as if he had been half-expecting this to happen.
An amused laughter echoed from within the smoke as an elderly man stepped out of it, appearing before the others.
"If you move against my successor," the Prime Shadow said, smiling at the Sword-Saint. "The only head that will fall today will be yours."
