Chapter Twelve: An Unexpected Twist in the Selection, Chang Feng’s Counterattack

Dong Changfeng’s footsteps were firm and resolute, each step punctuated by the faint sound of his shoe striking the ground, as if announcing his determination to all present.

On the main stage of the selection arena, several elders watched the contestants with expressionless, stern gazes—cold and sharp as blades, daring no one to meet their eyes.

Below, the disciples whispered among themselves, their voices rising and falling, creating an invisible pressure that buzzed like a swarm of flies circling near the ears, gnawing at one’s patience.

Dong Changfeng noticed many disciples staring at him with resentment and jealousy, especially Senior Brother Li standing off to the side, whose eyes burned with hatred as if aflame, ready to consume him whole.

“Dong Changfeng, you’re doomed this time,” Senior Brother Li muttered under his breath, a sinister smile curling at his lips. His low voice pierced Dong’s ears like an ice pick.

At the elders’ command, the selection officially began.

The first test was the spiritual power assessment.

One by one, the disciples stepped onto a massive spiritual power detection platform, where instruments would glow in different colors according to the strength of their spiritual energy.

Dong Changfeng stood in line, took a deep breath, and let the cool air calm his nerves, striving to steady himself.

When his turn came, he stepped onto the platform. The surface felt slightly cold beneath his feet. Silently, he prayed, “May everything go smoothly.”

His spiritual power flowed within him like a winding stream, gently coursing through his meridians and gradually converging into a formidable force.

Yet, just as his spiritual power neared its peak, he sensed a subtle disturbance—an unseen force secretly meddling with his energy, as if invisible hands were tugging at the currents inside him.

On the detection platform, the instrument, which should have glowed pale blue, flickered erratically before settling on a faint green.

The disciples around exchanged puzzled looks, some even sneering with contempt; those eyes stabbed at him like arrows, making him deeply uneasy.

Confusion and disbelief flooded Dong Changfeng’s heart. He clearly felt nothing wrong with his spiritual power—why was his result so poor?

“What’s going on?” he muttered inwardly, scanning the crowd. Suddenly, he caught Senior Brother Li’s sinister smile.

Everything became clear—it was a covert sabotage!

Dong Changfeng’s gaze shifted from confusion to fury. His fists clenched tightly, nails digging into his palms, sharp pain radiating through his hands.

A flame of unwillingness blazed in his chest. He would not let this conspiracy succeed.

“Dong Changfeng, this is your result. Do you have anything to say?” The elder’s voice was cold and authoritative, as if pronouncing his fate—a hammer striking his heart.

“This can’t be!” Dong Changfeng shouted, his voice charged with anger and defiance, echoing across the arena.

His eyes unwavering, he looked straight at the elder. “I demand a retest!”

At that moment, Senior Brother Li swaggered forward, his face twisted into a mocking grin. “Dong Changfeng, what else do you have to say? If you’re weaker, don’t make excuses.”

“Weaker?” Dong Changfeng’s eyes hardened, his expression turning icy. He slowly turned to face Li, his gaze resolute and determined. “What a joke. I, Dong Changfeng, will never admit defeat so easily!”

The surrounding disciples began whispering and pointing fingers, their gossip buzzing like angry ants, stabbing at Dong’s ears like sharp needles. Their words cut into his pride like blades.

“I told you this kid wouldn’t make it. With a common spiritual root, he still wants to join the outer sect? What a fool’s dream!”

“Exactly. He should know his limits. What a disgrace!”

Some even laughed maliciously, their cold laughter like icy water extinguishing the faint warmth left in his heart.

The elders shook their heads in disappointment. Dong Changfeng felt as if stripped bare and thrown onto the street—chilled to the bone, overwhelmed by a wave of helplessness that threatened to drown him, the cold seeping deep into his very marrow.

He gritted his teeth, the faint sound of grinding filling the silence, holding back the tears.

The indifferent stares around him were like knives, carving wounds into his soul. Their coldness could freeze him solid.

Yet he did not bow his head. His spine straightened, standing tall like a small tree that refuses to bend in the storm.

Taking a deep breath, the cool air filled his lungs, forcing calm upon himself.

He knew this was no time for sorrow; he had to find proof of his innocence.

Closing his eyes, he recalled every detail of the test: the flow of spiritual power, the fluctuations inside his body, even the subtle changes in the air currents—all played vividly in his mind, thoughts racing at lightning speed.

Suddenly, a crucial detail struck him—at the moment his spiritual power reached its peak, he sensed a faint ripple, as if...

As if something had interfered.

Senior Brother Li noticed Dong Changfeng’s composed demeanor and felt a flicker of unease.

Why was this kid so calm and collected?

Had he discovered something?

He instinctively touched a small vial hidden in his sleeve, his palm becoming clammy with sweat, the stickiness prickling his nerves.

The murmurs among the disciples gradually quieted, their curious gazes fixed on Dong Changfeng. They wondered how this ordinary-rooted youth would handle this sudden crisis.

Dong Changfeng’s eyes snapped open, blazing like sharp flames as they locked onto Senior Brother Li, a cold smile curling at his lips.

“Senior Brother Li, what are you hiding in your sleeve?”

Li’s face changed instantly. Reflexively, he tried to hide his hand behind his back, moving stiffly like a machine.

“What? What are you talking about? I don’t understand,” he stammered, his eyes flickering nervously. Though he tried to maintain composure, beads of sweat traced down his forehead, betraying his guilt.

Dong Changfeng sneered and pressed forward. “Don’t understand? Then what is this?”

With lightning speed, he grabbed Li’s hand and pulled from his sleeve an exquisite small vial.

The moment the vial emerged, it emitted a strange, dazzling light that immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Inside was a pale green liquid, faintly reeking of a fishy stench that made noses wrinkle in displeasure.

“What is this?” Dong Changfeng raised the vial high, his voice ringing out loud enough for all to hear. “This is ‘Spirit Corrosion Powder,’ a forbidden concoction that temporarily suppresses spiritual energy fluctuations. Senior Brother Li, do you dare claim this isn’t yours?”

A shocked uproar swept the crowd, their chatter scattering like startled sparrows.

“Spirit Corrosion Powder? That’s a banned substance!”

“I knew it! No wonder his spiritual power test failed—he was sabotaged!”

“Senior Brother Li is truly despicable, using such methods to frame a fellow disciple.”

The hall buzzed with accusations, the truth laid bare for all to see.