When system cheat becomes rampant!

The others were also intimidated by Elder Luo's domineering aura, his sudden outburst due to Ren Jianghai's attitude caught everyone off guard. Those who initially harbored suspicions towards Liangzhou University and Yongzhou University extinguished such thoughts.

For a while, no one dared to gossip at the scene because the issue indeed lay with Ren Jianghai. It was fortunate enough that the students survived; to label them as suspects was excessive on Ren Jianghai's part, and Elder Luo's anger was justified.

Most people there were well aware of Elder Luo's temperament; he was just that kind of person. However, to suggest he had any connection with desolate beasts was impossible, as it was he who had led everyone to stem the tide of beasts and protect Jiuzhou in those years.

They understood that Elder Luo was not angered because he felt guilty but because his students were being unfairly singled out and labeled.

Ye Changfeng also spoke out indifferently, "President Ren, by your logic that survivors are suspects, may I interpret it to mean—because the teams from Xuzhou University and Yuzhou University were lucky not to enter the Withered Forest and none of their members were injured, you would not suspect them of orchestrating the entire operation? Will you also treat them as criminals later? Such accusations would implicate everyone!"

Ye Changfeng's words were also quite clear, reminding the professors from Xuzhou University and Yuzhou University.

The professors from Xuzhou University and Yuzhou University changed their expressions slightly; they immediately grasped what Ye Changfeng meant.

Indeed, with Ren Jianghai's attitude, once they started interrogating Liangzhou University's Xiang Beifei and others as suspects, they would soon view these two universities as the masterminds behind the ordeal.

Everyone present in Jiuzhou held a respectable status; why should they be slandered by someone like Ren Jianghai?

At this moment, Sun Heshun, who initially found Xiang Beifei and the others, spoke, "Professor Ren, it's acceptable to investigate, but the principle should be objective and fair, not subjective speculations with personal bias, please refrain from asking such questions."

Sun Heshun was a highly respected SSR within the alliance and also the chief referee for this event; his words carried significant weight.

The current situation was clearly not right; with such an incident, everyone was furious.

Elder Luo's intimidation made Ren Jianghai much more subdued.

Seeing the situation turning sour, Mu Yiqing said, "Everyone, there's no need to be angry. This incident is something none of us wanted to see happen, and the professors, being senior members, must want to investigate this matter thoroughly. President Ren is just overly anxious because of the trouble his students are in, and spoke too harshly, which surely wasn't his true intention. How about this—let me ask the questions instead?"

Mu Yiqing was also an SSR, not very old and nowhere near Elder Luo or Ren Jianghai in cultivation or qualifications, but as someone holding a significant position within the alliance, she handled matters quite appropriately.

She also graduated from Qingzhou University, naturally giving Ren Jianghai a way to step down.

"If you want to handle this officially, you can ask however you want, but if you are biased, I am not so easily fooled. We should be working together to investigate the desolate beasts, but if any of you dare to start disputes over personal grudges, causing internal strife, just try me!"

Professor Luo's words were filled with an indisputable tone, and his sharp, eagle-like eyes swept over everyone present, making everyone feel uneasy.

Whether it was the SSRs of the alliance or professors from other universities, none dared to meet his gaze.

As a commander who had once led martial artists to fend off the beast tide, even though he had retired for many years, his deterrent power was still present.

Once he exerted his authority, he took control of the entire situation.

His word was more effective than that of any high-level personnel in the alliance!

——

"Lucky for me, I'm just an accessory on the big fish's leg."

Xiang Beifei looked at the imposing Elder Luo and felt quite emotional.

Elder Luo, usually at school, would either nap, eat sunflower seeds, or listen to the birds and count ducks, occasionally bursting into song and throwing Xiang Beifei into the Yellow River—truly a big idle fish.

But when he got serious, he was an absolutely untouchable figure.

Daring to decapitate an SSR in front of alliance members showed he was not just an ordinary person.

With such a protective elder by his side, Xiang Beifei was spared a lot of trouble. Until he gained strength, he was content to be just an accessory.

Of course, Xiang Beifei, this accessory, was not so simple after all.

Mu Yiqing, who seemed adept at dealing with people, spoke politely, "Certainly! Please rest assured, Professor Luo! What you said is most correct, now is a time for unity, and internal strife is not allowed."

She looked at Xiang Beifei, pondered for a moment, then said, "Because you are the team that succeeded in surviving the desolate beasts, especially student Xiang Beifei, as the leader of both teams, ensuring that both teams were safe is highly commendable."

Mu Yiqing looked at Xiang Beifei with appreciation and continued, "So, before I start questioning, I must clarify. It's not that I don't trust you, but I want to make it clear: sometimes, high-intelligence desolate beasts might control you to say things against your will, and you might not even realize it."

That is to say, you might think you are telling the truth, but in reality, your memory has been altered by the desolate beast, and you are unaware that what you are saying is not the fact.

However, you can rest easy on one point—you are currently low in cultivation, and even if you unintentionally lie, it won't matter as long as it's not intentional. The alliance will not pursue it as everyone can testify; you just need to honestly speak what's on your mind, and I will determine whether your words are related to the desolate beast or not."

The power of "Word Spirit" lies in this—if a student's memory is affected by a desolate beast, leading to statements that do not match the facts, even if they believe they are telling the truth, "Word Spirit" will detect the discrepancies.

This ability is effective not only against desolate beasts but also against other martial artists.

Just like before, when Yu Lei tried to control Xiang Beifei and his grandfather to lie, if his control talisman and memory talisman had taken effect, causing their memories to change, they would have treated Yu Lei's false statements as the truth.

And in this situation, the "Word Spirit" could immediately discern that they were being controlled.

"Please proceed," Xiang Beifei said.

Mu Yiqing placed the Word Spirit Sphere on Xiang Beifei, which glowed white and pulsed slowly, faintly emitting a Spiritual Power circle, as if binding Xiang Beifei within a ring.

She considered for a moment before asking, "I believe the desolate beast did not control you, nor did it force you to do anything by brute force, is that correct?"

Mu Yiqing's question was clever. Although the essence of her question was much the same as Ren Jianghai's, the addition of "I believe" and the use of a negative form made it sound more acceptable than Ren Jianghai's straightforward approach.

"No."

Xiang Beifei said.

The Spiritual Power ring around him rotated, and the Word Spirit Sphere was quiet.

Mu Yiqing's system interface displayed:

[Current Word Spirit detection value: Truth]

[Xiang Beifei has spoken the truth in front of you, speech value +2]

"So you did indeed rely on your excellent ability to help the team avoid the attack of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage?" Mu Yiqing asked again.

"We relied on teamwork," Xiang Beifei simply replied.

[Current Word Spirit detection value: Truth]

[Xiang Beifei has spoken the truth in front of you, speech value +9]

Mu Yiqing nodded slightly and continued to ask, "I heard from others that they encountered you in the Withered Forest, were you then kindly alerting the other teams?"

"Yes."

[Current Word Spirit detection value: Truth]

[Xiang Beifei has spoken the truth in front of you, speech value +1]

"I heard that you met three teams, namely Jingzhou University, Yangzhou University, and Yongzhou University. What was the situation like then? Why did Jingzhou University and Yangzhou University not trust your warning, while only Yongzhou University trusted what you said?"

"You should ask them," Xiang Beifei said, "they are also here."

[Xiang Beifei did not directly answer, speech value +13]

The other students were clearly separated; aside from professors and teachers, the other students couldn't know what Xiang Beifei was being asked here.

Mu Yiqing said, "I will ask them later, but one thing at a time, I must ensure what the difference is between your statement and theirs, so as to judge whether their distrust at the time was influenced by the desolate beast's abilities. This allows us to make the most of the collective wisdom and knowledge of all the professors present to analyze the capabilities of the desolate beast."

Her words were persuasive, and even Xiang Beifei found no grounds to refute.

Mu Yiqing repeated the question, "So when you met them, what was their reaction? What do you think was most likely the reason Jingzhou University and Yangzhou University did not trust your warning?"

"They were more cautious," Xiang Beifei said.

"So by your account, Yongzhou University's team trusted you right away and followed you because they were less cautious?" Mu Yiqing's eyes flickered slightly as she looked meaningfully at Xiang Beifei.

"They had stronger judgment," he said.

Xiang Beifei looked at Mu Yiqing calmly.

Mu Yiqing's way of asking questions was filled with various verbal traps, attempting to coax Xiang Beifei into speaking in ways that if he misspoke, she could seize the flaw and continue questioning.

However, Xiang Beifei's manner of speaking was always clear-cut.

Simple and impeccable.

Jingzhou University and Yangzhou University did not trust his warning due to their strong caution, whereas Yongzhou University trusted his warning because of their strong judgment.

From a procedural standpoint, being cautious was not wrong – without strong caution, accidents are likely.

From the standpoint of the outcome, strong judgment ensured the team's survival.

Praising each side with a word, leaving right and wrong for the present professors to judge, he did not need to explain any further. Thus, Mu Yiqing couldn't continue to dwell on this issue. Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire

Xiang Beifei, with just two simple sentences, effectively closed off the discussion on this matter.