The Truth Revealed: A Chilling Demand for Verification

Sunlight pierced the thin morning mist, casting a brilliant golden sheen upon every face on the arena and the high platform, whether they brimmed with excitement or envy.

The air was thick with the fragrant scent of spirit herbs, the fervent energy of the crowd, and the unique crisp aroma of medicinal pills.

Buried deep in his master’s fragrant embrace, Lin Mo felt an unprecedented sense of security and warmth, his taut nerves slowly unraveling.

It was as if he truly meant to completely immerse himself in this ‘tomb’ – to relax and savor this hard-won freedom and glory.

Then, a voice, more grating than cracking dry wood and colder than a thousand-year-old glacier, sliced through the thunderous clamor.

Like a poisoned icicle, it pierced every eardrum with chilling precision, instantly freezing the boiling air.

“Wait!”

The voice was not loud, even slightly hoarse and weak, yet it held an undeniable penetrative force.

The entire bustling square, at the instant those two words fell, seemed to be seized by an invisible hand at its throat.

Cheers and discussions ceased abruptly, leaving only the monotonous echo of banners flapping in the wind.

Every gaze, filled with astonishment and bewilderment, simultaneously swiveled towards the source of the sound – Old Ancestor Qiu Ku, who sat enthroned like a piece of decaying wood at the center of the Qiu Family’s viewing platform.

She slowly rose from her chair, her dark-robed, intricately gold-patterned attire seeming to absorb all light, appearing particularly heavy on her withered, hunched form.

A coiled dragon staff, so fragile it seemed it might shatter at any moment, had appeared in her hand.

She made her way to the edge of the platform, her steps halting and faltering.

Her eyes, though cloudy, were as sharp as a hawk’s, piercing through the myriad bobbing heads to fix themselves intently upon Lin Mo, who stood within Mu Qingli’s embrace on the arena.

In that instant, Xian Chengyue’s gaze from the high platform sharpened like a sword.

Mu Qingli’s arm, wrapped around Lin Mo, instantly tensed, almost unconsciously drawing him closer and shielding him more thoroughly.

Behind her beaded curtain, Empress Ji Fengyi’s eyes reflected confusion, wondering what else Qiu Ku intended to do.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely, and the air grew thick with a suffocating density.

Qiu Ku’s gaze remained unwavering, cold and indifferent.

The polite smile she had donned earlier to ‘keep the peace’ had vanished without a trace.

In its place was a cruel, all-knowing sneer, radiating an air of certain victory.

This mockery appeared particularly eerie and chilling on her heavily wrinkled face.

In the deathly silence where a falling needle could be heard, Qiu Ku’s lips, shriveled like tree bark, parted slightly.

Every word, sharp and grating like dry bones rubbing together, yet each one distinct, reverberated across the square, akin to the tolling of a funeral bell:

“Your Majesty… this old one has just verified a piece of news from the Qiu Family.”

She paused deliberately, her gaze sweeping over the astonished and uncertain faces, like a malevolent spirit relishing the fear of its prey before the kill.

“I presume many of you are wondering why my granddaughter did not attend the sect she was previously arranged to join, but instead came to the Xuan Nv Sect. And why she reached a certain agreement with the Grand Elder here.”

At once, an ominous premonition blossomed in the hearts of Lin Mo, Mu Qingli, Ji Xue, Lin Ruoli, and Xian Chengyue!

Qiu Ku’s staff tip tapped lightly against the stone platform, emitting a dull thud.

This sound, imbued with a strange, dark magic, seemed to tug at everyone’s hearts, causing them to involuntarily tremble.

“Please, everyone, observe the conditions of the residence where this old one’s granddaughter, Qiu Yue, once lived.”

“I frequently sent people to check on Qiu Yue’s situation, to ensure her living environment, food, and lodging were not neglected. However, inadvertently, this scene was captured.”

Her cloudy yet piercing gaze finally settled on Lin Mo’s face.

A chilling smile stretched across her lips, and her fingers, like withered branches, pointed with the precision and cruelty of a death sentence directly at the figure in Mu Qingli’s arms:

“—This one on the stage, Sect Master Mu’s beloved disciple, the ‘Heavenly Martial True Lord’ Lin Wan’er…”

Another pause, and the deathly silence threatened to crush everyone’s chests.

Everyone held their breath, intuiting that a shocking truth was about to be laid bare.

Astonishing cold light erupted from Qiu Ku’s cloudy eyes, and her voice, like tearing silk, ripped through the frozen air:

“This is absolutely not a woman! This person is a man, through and through!”

“Furthermore, this is the male servant brought back by this old one’s granddaughter, Qiu Yue, ten years ago, who later secretly fled the Qiu Family manor!”

Her words were like a spark igniting a fuse, instantly detonating a pent-up thunderclap.

Boom—!!!

The entire audience erupted in an uproar!

A collective gasp of countless breaths echoed through the square.

The myriad gazes, moments ago filled with excitement and worship, instantly transformed into looks of shock, doubt, and utter disbelief.

Mu Qingli’s beautiful face drained of all color in an instant, turning deathly pale.

The arm she held around Lin Mo began to tremble violently, not from fear, but from an explosion of extreme fury and fierce protectiveness!

She spun around abruptly, completely shielding Lin Mo behind her.

Her voice, cold as ten thousand years of ice, erupted in a furious roar, carrying the terrifying pressure of a Nascent Soul peak cultivator, sweeping towards Qiu Ku like a raging torrent:

“You old wretch! You spew baseless slanders!”

“Wan’er is my personal disciple; his bone structure and innate talent were personally verified by this Sect Master, completely without error!”

“How dare you fabricate such a malicious lie, defiling my disciple’s good name and disgracing the reputation of my Xuan Nv Sect!”

“Slander?” Qiu Ku let out a chilling sneer that set teeth on edge, as if she had heard the greatest joke.

“Sect Master Mu truly possesses a fervent love for her disciple!”

“Though, I wonder if it’s merely a master’s devotion, or… is there something else you wish to hide?!”

She no longer looked at Mu Qingli, but turned towards the high platform, bowing deeply to the Empress.

Her posture appeared respectful, yet her tone was aggressive:

“Your Majesty, please observe!”

The projection behind her flickered to life, displaying a scene viewed from high above.

In the bottom right corner of the image, within Qiu Yue’s manor, a man was captured.

He was bare-chested, using a strip of coarse cloth to tie his hair—it was unmistakably Lin Mo!

Crucially, the angle of the shot, focused on his chest, left no doubt about his male physique.

To make matters worse, Lin Mo looked up at that moment, his face illuminated with stark clarity within the frame, making the evidence even more precise, even more damning.

Instantly, the entire square fell silent.

A profound, suffocating stillness descended, as if all the air had been sucked away.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment.

Tens of thousands of gazes were fixed on the enormous projection screen, specifically on the bare-chested man depicted there.

On Qiu Ku’s withered face, a twisted, sinister grin solidified into a truly horrifying expression.

A ghostly gleam of victory flickered in her cloudy eyes.

This image was the ultimate ironclad proof she had long awaited, enough to nail the Xuan Nv Sect and Lin Mo together to the pillar of shame!

“Presumably, everyone can now finally understand why this old one’s granddaughter came to the Xuan Nv Sect, and why she wouldn’t let this person go.”

High on her platform, behind the Empress Ji Fengyi’s imperial crown, her deep, star-like pupils, for the first time, clearly mirrored a chilling storm of ‘fury’ and ‘scrutiny.’

However, this anger was not directed solely at Lin Mo and the Xuan Nv Sect, but also… at the Qiu Family.

Had Lin Mo’s identity remained concealed, the Empress could have easily taken him into her palace, gaining a significant asset!

But now that the truth was laid bare, she could no longer say anything more.

The invisible Imperial Dragon’s Might, at this moment, grew heavy as lead, pressing down on every heart.

“Your Majesty! The Xuan Nv Sect also has an ironclad rule, its core tenet being: No males are permitted entry! Violators shall be executed without mercy!”

“And this person, by impersonating a woman, not only defiles the Xuan Nv Sect’s precepts but also gravely blasphemes the Imperial Family.”

Qiu Ku’s withered finger once again pointed directly at Lin Mo, her voice like a venomous curse:

“This fiend is audacious beyond belief! Not only did he steal from the Qiu manor, but now he deceives the world for fame, impersonates a woman, and deludes his superiors! His heart deserves to be punished!”

“Sect Master Mu and the Xuan Nv Sect elders, for their inability to discern and for harboring him, are guilty of a grave offense!”

“Nonsense!” Xian Chengyue’s icy voice rang out as she stepped to Mu Qingli’s side.

Her aura, deep and profound as an abyss, coalesced into immense spiritual pressure, which she unleashed without reservation towards the Qiu Family’s viewing platform.

Her gaze, sharp as a blade, locked onto Qiu Ku.

“Qiu Ku, because of your junior’s incompetence, their dao heart was utterly destroyed within my sect’s secret realm, and you’ve harbored resentment ever since. Are you now deliberately stirring up trouble and slander, what is your true intention?!”

“Do you wish for the Xuan Nv Sect and the Qiu Family to completely sever ties, or do you intend to provoke an even greater upheaval that would shake the very foundations of the dynasty?!”

On the Empress’s high platform, behind the beaded curtain, the atmosphere grew incredibly tense.

Ji Fengyi remained silent, but the invisible Imperial Dragon’s Might subtly permeated the entire hall, suppressing the surging emotions.

It maintained a precarious balance, for she required facts.

Qiu Ku, facing Xian Chengyue’s immense pressure, did not retreat an inch.

A twisted, sinister grin contorted her withered face:

“Facts speak louder than words!”

“Sect Master Mu, whether your disciple is innocent, and whether this person is truly Lin Wan’er or a man—”

“Let us verify it here! Right now! Under His Imperial Majesty’s sacred gaze, and with a personal examination by Her Majesty’s imperial guards, let us strip and inspect this body! All will be revealed then!”

“Right and wrong will be clear! What need is there for further empty debate?!”

“Verify their true identity!”

These four words struck like four cold daggers, plunging deep into the hearts of all who knew the truth.

Even Lin Mo’s body trembled involuntarily.

He recalled the man who, like himself, had attempted to infiltrate the Xuan Nv Sect disguised as a woman, only to have his head crushed on the spot, his flesh incinerated into nothingness.

If even he met such a tragic end, what treatment awaited him now that his identity was exposed?

Qiu Ku’s final phrase, “Verify their true identity,” resonated like the resounding final toll of a funeral bell, echoing incessantly across the deathly silent square.

It drew everyone’s complex gazes to the subtly trembling white figure at the center of the arena.

Countless eyes — some shocked, some scornful, some scrutinizing, some bewildered, some filled with rage — fixed upon him like invisible chains, binding him tightly.

The ‘Heavenly Martial True Lord,’ who had been so resplendent moments ago, now seemed a prisoner awaiting judgment.

Sunlight poured over him, yet it could no longer bring a trace of warmth; instead, it highlighted a heartbreaking pallor.

The dawn of liberation, barely risen, was utterly swallowed by a deeper shadow.

After the peak of joy, the scene abruptly plunged into an abyss of eternal damnation, leaving behind a deathly silence and a suffocating heaviness in the square.

Lin Mo became the focal point of every gaze in the entire square.

Those heavy gazes, laden with various meanings, pressed down on his shoulders like tangible shackles, layer upon layer.

His heart pounded wildly in his chest, and his blood seemed to instantly congeal before boiling and rushing to his head, bringing waves of dizziness.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes, and the wind, blowing across his skin, sent shivers of bone-chilling cold through him.

With the eerie silence, it seemed… the outcome was sealed.

“Where is the Imperial Attendant?” the Empress softly inquired.

A formidable guard, clad in golden armor, emanating an aura as profound as a mountain and with a face as stern as carved stone, materialized in front of the Empress, half a step away.

They knelt on one knee, bowing their head respectfully:

“Your subordinate is here.”

The Empress’s voice was devoid of ripples, yet it carried a coldness that seemed to freeze space:

“Since Senior Qiu insists on questioning the identity of the True Lord appointed by the court, and to uphold justice, I bid you, immediately and on the spot—verify Lin Mo’s true body! There must be no error!”

“As you command!”

The Imperial Attendant’s emotionless voice fell, and their cold gaze locked onto Lin Mo in the arena.

All Xuan Nv Sect disciples and all guests involuntarily held their breath.

The Attendant finally approached Lin Mo, cupping their fists and saying, “Sect Master Mu—”

Mu Qingli’s body swayed, her face ashen as golden paper, and the Profound Yin Qi within her surged uncontrollably.

She bit her lower lip tightly until she tasted the metallic tang of blood.

Her eyes were filled with despair and indignation, and a frantic thought immediately surfaced in her mind.

She slowly lowered her arm, turned around, and shielded Lin Mo behind her.

Her meaning was unmistakable.

“Sect Master Mu, please reconsider,” the golden-armored Imperial Attendant advised, their voice the first to break the silence.

The heavy battle boots echoed dully on the polished stone slabs.

This sound, like a funeral bell, struck at the heart of every Xuan Nv Sect disciple.

If the Sect Master stubbornly obstructed the order, the Xuan Nv Sect would instantly be deemed to be challenging imperial authority and would face utter annihilation.

On Qiu Ku’s withered face, a triumphant and cruel smile finally bloomed, like a vulture spotting its dying prey.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo, at the center of the storm, slowly closed his eyes.

He understood what Mu Qingli intended to do.

He took Mu Qingli’s wrist, then stepped forward.

His heart pounded, cold sweat streamed down his face, and his breathing became ragged.

At this moment, what trump cards did he have left?

What could he possibly do to escape this?

This examination would be thorough, impossible to evade with Profound Yin Qi.

Moreover… his Profound Yin Qi had long since been used to boost his cultivation and in his battle against Qiu Yue, leaving not a single trace.

Despair flashed in Lin Mo’s eyes.

From beginning to end, could he truly not escape the Qiu Family’s persecution?

Ten years…

Ten years had passed…

Was this truly the final outcome?

He had no trump cards left.

Nothing at all.

As bare as when he first arrived in this world, utterly—

Suddenly, something long forgotten, something Lin Mo had cast to the back of his mind, abruptly surfaced.

‘That damn unreliable thing.’

Now, as the Imperial Attendant’s hands slowly reached out, Lin Mo had no time to hesitate.

He regulated his breathing and solemnly invoked that accursed system.

He called up the system interface!

At this moment, that damned system interface was finally no longer displaying “Awaiting Activation.”

Instead, it read:

[Welcome, Host, to this system! This system will soon bring you to the pinnacle of life! Experience an incredible new life! Cast aside the broken husk of your old world and be reborn!]

‘Holy crap!’

‘It’s… it’s here!’

‘It’s finally here!’

[This system is named: Super Transformation~]

[Host: Lin Mo]

[Gender: Male]

[Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Late Stage]

[First-time system activation grants one transformation opportunity. Would you like to use it? Effect lasts for one hour.]

[Note: This system aims to forge the Host into the cutest mighty man! It absolutely will not turn the Host into a sissy! Please use it with confidence to overcome difficulties!]

Heh, ‘cutest’? ‘Mighty man’? ‘Those two don’t even go together, do they!?’

But, did he have a choice now?

No, rather, it had arrived at just the right time!

Lin Mo clicked [Confirm] without hesitation!

The Imperial Attendant’s hands fully rested on Lin Mo’s body.

Aside from the Empress, everyone else was plunged into deep despair.

They tightly closed their eyes, awaiting the final ultimatum, the declaration of Lin Mo’s death sentence.

The Imperial Attendant pondered for a moment, then turned to face the Empress on the high platform:

“Reporting to Your Majesty—”

‘It was coming!’

‘It was coming!’

Qiu Ku’s aged face couldn’t suppress her smile, her cracked cheeks spreading into a truly terrifying grin.

She rubbed her hands together, barely containing her wild joy, awaiting the news of Lin Mo’s demise!

“Well?” the Empress asked.

“It is a woman.”

…Huh?

Not just Qiu Ku, but everyone from the Xuan Nv Sect was dumbfounded.

Especially Mu Qingli.

‘A woman?’

‘How was that possible?’

‘She had even grabbed him before, hadn’t she?’

And Lin Ruoli.

‘A woman?’

‘How was that possible?’

‘She was his birth mother; how could she not know? He was definitely a man!’

The remaining Ji Xue was even more astonished.

‘A woman?’

‘How was that possible?! Then how did she get pregnant?! How did this child come about?!!’