The applause surged like ocean waves, rolling on and on, relentless and deafening.
Jiang Chen hadn't expected this kind of reaction. When he stepped off the stage and spotted Liu Wencai and Lu Xiaopang, their faces were flushed crimson, clapping so hard it looked like they were trying to shatter their own palms.
"Brother Panshi, you were absolutely incredible!"
"Brother Panshi, you're our pride!"
Liu Wencai's eyes were rimmed red, clearly on the verge of tears from sheer excitement. Lu Xiaopang was discreetly wiping his eyes with his sleeve.
"Brother Panshi, see? Those who follow the right path gain many allies; those who abandon it find none. This Purple Sun Sect manipulated the competition, stirred up public outrage, and acted against all principle—they were never going to win anyone's respect. Haitian was digging his own grave!" Liu Wencai was practically shouting, the veins on his neck writhing like worms in mud.
Indeed, what Liu Wencai said echoed what most of the examining martial artists were thinking.
Truth be told, every one of these candidates was a sect prodigy. They weren't necessarily thrilled to see a worldly martial artist steal the spotlight, nor were they eager to watch one rise to prominence right in front of them.
But these were rational people. Once they realized this worldly fighter's talent and strength genuinely far surpassed their own, the envy and jealousy would eventually give way to acceptance.
However, what the Purple Sun Sect did—manipulating the competition to suppress him—was an entirely different matter.
If examination matches could be freely rigged, what was even the point of the other three major sects competing? How could anyone compete fairly?
It could be said that the mild disdain toward worldly martial artists stemmed purely from the competitive spirit of fighters. But the revulsion toward rule-breaking, brazen match-fixing came from the depths of their hearts. This was a matter of principle.
If principles could be bent at will, the selection tournament had no meaning whatsoever.
It was precisely their hatred of the Purple Sun Sect that tilted every last one of their hearts firmly in Jiang Chen's favor.
And so, seeing him obliterate Haitian in such an unbelievable fashion, everyone felt a tremendous rush of satisfaction and applauded like mad.
In truth, this was a show of defiance against the Purple Sun Sect—an outpouring of the protest emotions buried deep within their hearts.
Had this been before, under Master Shuiyue's oppressive authority, they might not have dared to make such a racket. But right now, Master Shuiyue had just lost two of her top disciples in quick succession, and she was stunned.
As for this worldly martial artist—he had managed to make Master Shuiyue lose face again and again. Clearly, he had dragged her down from the lofty pedestal she stood on, making her seem far less invincible in the eyes of the other fighters.
Once authority is questioned, it crumbles fast.
Master Shuiyue's authority was being destroyed bit by bit, one blow at a time, by Jiang Chen.
At this moment, Master Shuiyue had gone completely cold.
She checked Haitian's breath. Long since gone.
"Ah…" Master Shuiyue threw her head back with a low, anguished howl. Layers of frost flickered across her face, and rings of white ice spread outward from her body at an alarming rate in every direction.
"Despicable beast! You've wounded two of my disciples—one dead, one crippled. Good, good, good!"
She ground her silver teeth, and a towering fury surged outward with her aura, tearing through the void and surging straight toward Jiang Chen.
"Master, what are you doing?!"
The other examiners were horrified. They could see that Master Shuiyue was on the verge of losing control. Come on—she was the chief supervisor. Was she really going to attack an examination candidate?
The other examiners weren't pushovers. Seeing her like this, they all jumped forward to block her.
"You lot—trying to stop me?" A layer of frost settled over Master Shuiyue's face.
"Master, you may be the chief supervisor, but if you openly violate the rules, we absolutely will not stand by and watch," the other examiners declared one after another.
What a joke—she had already rigged the matches, and that was shameful enough. Now she wanted to attack a candidate? If she got away with it, this entire Earth Spirit Region examination would become the biggest laughingstock in the land.
"Get out of my way!" Master Shuiyue barked, her aura flaring once more.
"Master, see the error of your ways! Wake up!"
"Rigging the matches, ignoring the rules, and now openly attacking someone—this is lawless beyond measure. We may have no choice but to report this to the patriarchs of our respective sects."
"That's right. We must impeach her. If this continues, the Earth Spirit Region will become an utter joke."
Master Shuiyue laughed coldly. "Impeach me? You think I'm afraid of your impeachment? So what if you impeach me? You think I care about this position as Earth Spirit Region supervisor?"
"Step aside! Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless." Master Shuiyue's rage erupted skyward—she had truly lost control.
The other examiners exchanged glances, their expressions resolute.
Just then, martial artists from all around surged in, crowding closer and closer.
"If you want to fight, then have the guts to kill every last one of us!"
"That's right—this Earth Spirit Region isn't your personal dictatorship. You think you can silence the world just by killing someone?"
"Let's all sign a joint petition to impeach her!"
"Exactly! This tyrannical woman has been biased toward the Purple Sun Sect all along. Someone like her deserves to be chief supervisor? I've been putting up with her for far too long!"
The crowd was in an uproar, every face etched with fury and pent-up emotion finally boiling over.
Jiang Chen certainly hadn't anticipated the situation spiraling into something this dramatic. He sighed inwardly—this old woman truly was despised by heaven and earth.
I thought being a worldly martial artist made me the most unpopular person here.