Chapter 530: Doubt

A wave of conflicting emotions washed over him.

"Let's count them for fairness."

Would it expose Jiang Fan's true achievements, making him the target of public scorn and bringing him disgrace?

"Or should we manipulate the results?"

Vice-Pavilion Master Ye was watching closely. Even if they succeeded, let alone if they failed, they would certainly be questioned by the disciples present. After all, one person slaying hundreds of beast kings was an excessively exaggerated number. Even Luo Dongcheng, with his seventh-level Core Formation cultivation, wouldn't dare claim he could slay so many beast kings in a month. Let alone Jiang Fan, who had only just reached the second level of Core Formation.

"Commissioner Luo, please count them quickly."

Jiang Fan listened to the mounting doubts and felt secretly speechless. He was genuinely concerned about these people's intelligence. "Stones in the bag? And hundreds of them? The nerve of them to even imagine that!"

If he had truly fabricated so many achievements, it wouldn't just be these people who would question it. The elders and grand elders from all the sects present, and even Ye Cangyuan himself, would have their doubts. If confronted on the spot, Jiang Fan would be ruined, and Luo Dongcheng would be too. Even thinking with his toes, Luo Dongcheng wouldn't possibly cooperate with Jiang Fan in such an obvious fraud that was guaranteed to be exposed!

Hearing the repeated urgings, Luo Dongcheng opened the bag with a troubled expression. He still hadn't decided whether to help Jiang Fan cheat. If he didn't cheat, he'd offend Jiang Fan, and the thousand-year spirit meat would be out of the question. But cheating... how could hundreds of demon cores be concealed? He would certainly be asked to verify them in the end. "Should I just report a few more demon cores? Just enough to help Jiang Fan save a little face and avoid complete humiliation?"

On second thought, Luo Dongcheng secretly shook his head again. The bag clearly contained more than just a few demon cores. Reporting too few would still raise suspicions. This put him in a very difficult position!

With a heavy heart, he untied the bag and immediately heard the clattering sound of countless objects jostling inside. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Just how many stones did Jiang Fan manage to stuff in there? It sounded like more than two hundred."

However, the moment his gaze fell inside, Luo Dongcheng froze. A dazzling array of colorful demon cores, varying in size, lay before his eyes. Some were as small as human eyes, while others were as large as an infant's fist. Their colors were diverse, some even a mottled mix he couldn't describe. And these, astonishingly, were all demon cores! Every single one of them was a beast king level demon core! A few were even from late-stage Core Formation beast kings!

As for the stones he had imagined... there wasn't a single one!

After being stunned for a long moment, he finally remembered his official duty. With a sense of immense relief, he began to count.

Xue Wanzhong scoffed as he watched. "See? They're going through the motions of counting. I'd like to see what achievements Jiang Fan will end up with!"

Disciples who were still dissatisfied with Jiang Fan also sneered. "No rush. Let them cheat. We're not afraid of them fabricating too high a number; we're afraid they'll fabricate too few, making it harder to challenge them later! An unawakened Spirit Root from the Qingyun Sect, does he really think he can keep stepping on us true prodigies? On this merit list, he must be exposed for what he truly is!"

The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly strange as Luo Dongcheng continued his long count. The elders and grand elders, initially, also didn't believe Jiang Fan would cheat. The reason was simple: fabricating one or two wouldn't be a major issue. But to falsify such a large quantity of demon cores? Were they treating everyone present as mere fools? It would simply be impossible to get away with!

However, as Luo Dongcheng continued counting without seemingly finishing, they couldn't help but start murmuring among themselves. "How many demon cores could there possibly be?" "Even if it were two hundred, he should have finished counting by now, shouldn't he?" "Could there possibly be three hundred demon cores in there?" "Even if we elders were to go, such a quantity of demon cores would be impossible, wouldn't it? Not to mention finding so many beast kings, just slaying them would be extremely difficult. After all, these are genuine beast kings, not scarecrows for us to hack at."

Li Qingfeng, Wen Hongyao, and Zhao Wuji's expressions were grim. A few elders from the Qingyun Sect who had rushed over asked with some trepidation: "Elder Li, Jiang Fan isn't in trouble, is he? If this turns out to be cheating, all the reputation he's accumulated will be utterly ruined."

This time, Jiang Fan had brought immense glory to the Qingyun Sect. He had allowed the Qingyun Sect to finally stand tall among the Nine Sects. As disciples of the Qingyun Sect, they were now met with envious glances from members of other sects wherever they went. However, if Jiang Fan were discovered to have cheated, all this glory would instantly crumble.

Human nature is complex. It can be magnanimous and tolerant, yet also petty and envious. Thus, a person who has done bad deeds his entire life might suddenly do one good deed and inspire others' goodwill, gaining their approval. Conversely, someone who has been righteous their entire life might suddenly commit one bad act and be reviled and condemned as if defying all natural order. This is precisely because human hearts are fickle. The same applied to Jiang Fan. He was currently adorned with glory. A special merit recipient, a young hero, a rising star of the Nine Sects. But if he committed one misdeed, all that glory would instantly collapse. He would become a pariah, condemned by thousands. Reputation could build a person, but also destroy them. Jiang Fan was currently in an extremely vulnerable position. He couldn't afford any blemish.

Li Qingfeng also recognized the seriousness of the situation. He took a deep breath and said, "I believe in Jiang Fan's character." His tone, however, wasn't firm. He, too, found the number of demon cores implausibly high. Jian Linyuan was formidable, wasn't he? A disciple of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, young master of a mysterious family, with invisible protectors. Yet when he distributed his demon cores, he only had a little over a hundred. There was no way Jiang Fan could possibly have more than Jian Linyuan, could he?

Hearing his hesitant tone, the Qingyun Sect elders grew increasingly worried. In contrast, Kong Yuanba, not far away, noticed the expressions on the Qingyun Sect elders' faces and felt considerably more pleased. "Jiang Fan is still too young, after all. Reputation, while enjoyable when it's good, can be deadly when it backfires. The Qingyun Sect disciples were so arrogant just now; their faces will be utterly deflated soon. Heheheh."

Ye Cangyuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, remaining silent. However, the initial smile on his face had, at some point, given way to his usual stern expression. One could tell his mood was not particularly good at that moment. Nangong Xiaoyun, standing nearby, even faintly heard Ye Cangyuan sigh. She understood that Ye Cangyuan was lamenting Jiang Fan's potential downfall. A rising new star, ruined by a single act of cheating. It was truly a pity. She looked towards Jiang Fan, sharing a deep sense of regret. He had such a promising future, yet a moment of greed had led to the destruction of his reputation. Why would he do that?

Liu Qingxian couldn't help but feel nervous as well. But she didn't loosen her grip on Jiang Fan; instead, she held onto him even tighter. Regardless of whether Jiang Fan would become a pariah, or if she would be implicated, since she had chosen Jiang Fan, she would remain loyal to him. Let alone merely cheating, even if one day Jiang Fan was compelled to betray humanity, she would still follow him without hesitation, becoming an enemy of all humankind!

It was in this somewhat oppressive atmosphere that Luo Dongcheng finally straightened up, letting out a long breath. He stretched his aching, stiff waist. Then he announced, "The counting is complete."