Chapter 531: Cheating I Also Support Him

A sudden silence fell over the entire area.

Everyone was eager to see what number Luo Dongcheng would announce.

It seemed that, no matter if the number was high or low, it would invite skepticism.

The moment Jiang Fan produced such a large bag, he had no way out.

Unless all his demon cores were genuine.

Otherwise, he would inevitably face disgrace and ruin today.

However, the possibility of so many demon cores being genuine was so infinitesimally small it could be ignored.

Luo Dongcheng scanned the crowd, a faint smile on his face:

“Qingyun Sect disciple Jiang Fan, Beast King demon cores: three hundred and fifty!”

On the quiet Boundless Mountain, the words “three hundred and fifty” swirled like a whirlwind above them, resounding in everyone's ears.

“How many? Three hundred and fifty?”

One of the Grand Elders let out a low, aged gasp.

Even powerful Grand Elders were astonished by this number.

The elders, too, gasped repeatedly.

“Three hundred and fifty cores? Is that... even possible?”

“Since the demon invasion began, surely there haven't been that many Beast Kings in total, have there?”

“I rather like this child, Jiang Fan. I could understand him cheating a little, but this number... it's just too outrageous.”

“He's young after all, his temperament isn't stable. After achieving such an unparalleled feat, he's become a bit too conceited.”

“Ah, what a shame for such a promising talent.”

All the elders speculated similarly.

What about the disciples?

Xue Wanzhong burst into loud laughter.

“Three hundred and fifty cores! Hahahaha!”

“One truly dared to bring them out, and the other dared to announce it!”

“Whether you believe it or not, I certainly do!”

“Hahaha!”

The disciples who were jealous of Jiang Fan, at this moment, all erupted in sarcastic taunts.

“As expected of the number one on the Merit Ranking List, his gains are so immense they'll make your jaw drop.”

“Just say if you're convinced or not!”

“Convinced! Of course I'm convinced! He's a meritorious official, a hero. Even if he brought out three thousand five hundred, or thirty-five thousand cores, I'd still be convinced!”

Li Qingfeng and the others sighed silently, feeling the strange looks cast by the elders of the other sects.

They all felt a suffocating sense of humiliation.

As proud as they were of Jiang Fan just moments ago, they were now equally embarrassed.

For a hundred cores, they could have still tried to speak up for Jiang Fan and supported him.

But three hundred and fifty cores left them utterly speechless, unable to offer a single word of defense.

Kong Yuanba, even more mercilessly, scoffed:

“The Qingyun Sect certainly knows how to raise disciples.”

“This sect is truly impressed, deeply impressed!”

“Hahaha!”

The female disciples who once looked at Jiang Fan with glowing admiration, at this moment, were not without disappointment.

“Junior Brother Jiang's appearance and talent are impeccable, but his character... sigh!”

“There are no perfect people in this world after all; I should have realized that sooner.”

“I had wanted to interact more with Junior Brother Jiang, but now it seems best to forget it.”

The female disciples who were jealous of Liu Qingxian all, in turn, gloated.

“Didn't I tell you? She's getting her just deserts.”

“Will she still have the nerve to call herself the Nine Sects' Foremost Fairy in the future?”

“Heh, she should be called the Foremost Blind Fairy now.”

“With so many excellent and outstanding talents available, she chose a cheater.”

Liu Qingxian clenched her fists.

She could tolerate slandering her.

But slandering Jiang Fan, she could not endure. She said coldly:

“What if he cheated? I'm happy to be with him. Is that any of your business?”

The eyes of several tall, attractive female disciples turned cold.

They immediately formed a group and shouted, “Liu Qingxian, do you want to fight?”

Liu Qingxian wasn't afraid of their numbers.

Releasing Jiang Fan, she decisively drew her sword.

Its cold gleam illuminated them, and sword energy like frost emanated from it.

“Perfect, I'll make you all shut up!”

Liu Qingxian raised her sword and pointed it at the tall, beautiful female disciples.

“Hmph! We have more people, are we supposed to be scared of you?” one of the female disciples snorted, drawing her own sword.

She didn't believe anyone would risk getting tarnished by stepping forward to defend Jiang Fan and Liu Qingxian.

Before swords could be drawn, a peerless figure calmly stepped out from the crowd.

“What about me?”

Xia Chaoge calmly walked to Jiang Fan's side, standing firmly beside Jiang Fan, with Liu Qingxian on his left and her on his right.

The expressions of the fault-finding female disciples shifted.

Xia Chaoge, who was usually so unconcerned with worldly affairs, was actually standing up for Jiang Fan?

She was typically someone who avoided even the slightest involvement in lively gatherings!

Yet, at this critical moment of right and wrong, she was willing to tarnish her own reputation to support Jiang Fan!

“Senior Sister Xia, you... are you also supporting Jiang Fan's cheating?”

Xia Chaoge replied calmly, “Whether he cheats or not, he is still my martial uncle.”

“And anyone who draws a sword against my senior brother, I will draw my sword against them.”

*Clang*—

She drew her chillingly cold longsword.

With the support of the Nine Sects' Foremost Prodigy, the pretty female disciples' momentum faltered.

At this moment, Xue Wanzhong strode forward with heavy steps:

“Can the Nine Sects' Foremost Prodigy just act however she pleases?”

“I, Xue Wanzhong, will be the first to disagree!”

He positioned himself behind the pretty female disciples, giving them immense encouragement.

But before they could rejoice, Liang Feiyan, carrying her sword, walked coldly from the outer edge of the crowd.

“Is this a place for you, Xue Wanzhong, to speak?”

“When it comes to shamelessness, your Giant Sect disciples have committed far more despicable acts!”

He came to Xia Chaoge's side.

His stance was unequivocally clear.

“Exactly! What if Junior Brother Jiang cheated?”

“Are you trying to cast someone into an abyss of despair for a small mistake?”

Ouyang Jun strolled out from the crowd with his hands behind his back, positioning himself beside Liu Qingxian.

“Right? What's the big deal?”

“I flirt with women from other sects every day, does that stop me from being the chief disciple of the Joyful Union Sect?”

Xie Liushu walked out of the crowd with a cheeky grin, coming to stand behind Jiang Fan.

Yi Lianxing also came to stand behind Jiang Fan, her face cold and resolute.

Her sharp gaze glared at the tall female disciples:

“You magnify others' flaws endlessly, yet you don't even have the courage to look in a mirror and examine yourselves!”

Immediately after, Hua Xiangchen, Li Shiqian, Ji Ruyue, and the disciples who had fought alongside Jiang Fan during the battle of Boundless Mountain.

Finally, all of the Qingyun Sect disciples stepped forward.

In a short while, nearly a hundred people had gathered around Jiang Fan.

They admitted that Jiang Fan's actions were indeed questionable.

But they could not accept these individuals exaggerating the matter, not only attacking Jiang Fan but also his female companion!

In contrast, on Xue Wanzhong's side, it was still just the same few people.

The disciples who had been chattering incessantly and disliking Jiang Fan, seeing him so widely supported by the Nine Sects' disciples, all of them recoiled, not daring to speak up.

The pretty female disciples stuck out their tongues, only then did they realize that Jiang Fan and the women with him were beyond what a few of them could handle.

Jiang Fan held extremely high prestige among the disciples.

Nearly all the named elite disciples unequivocally supported Jiang Fan.

This was something that would have been almost impossible before.

Even Xia Chaoge might not have garnered so much support from disciples if she had made a mistake.

Xue Wanzhong scoffed in anger.

Seeing that he couldn't resolve the situation himself, he cupped his hands towards Ye Cangyuan and said:

“Deputy Pavilion Master Ye, do you think this is appropriate?”

“To what extent has the integrity of the Nine Sects' disciples deteriorated?”

“So many disciples are openly shielding a shameless cheater!”

“This disciple requests Deputy Pavilion Master Ye to uphold justice, punish evil and promote good, and cleanse this impurity!”

Many disciples cast disdainful side glances at Xue Wanzhong.

If members of other sects had said such things, it would have been convincing.

But did the Giant Sect disciples have the right?

Hadn't they been involved in numerous incidents of snatching from other sect disciples just a few days ago?

Ye Cangyuan sighed softly.

With things having escalated to this point, he could no longer afford to not intervene.

However, just as he was about to speak, Luo Dongcheng, with his hands behind his back and an air of quiet authority, spoke first:

“What exactly do you mean?”

“You keep saying Jiang Fan cheated.”

“His demon cores were counted one by one by this commissioner.”

“Are you implying that this commissioner is also cheating?”