Chapter Twenty-Five: The Verification Begins

Wang Changsheng’s knowledge of Cloud Palace Peak came precisely from Li Fusheng.

Back on the Cloud Ark, Li Fusheng simply couldn’t hold his tongue and told Wang Changsheng many things about the Divine Firmament Realm. The topic he spoke of the most was Cloud Palace Peak. According to Li Fusheng, Cloud Palace Peak was not famed for its overwhelming strength.

Instead, Li Fusheng placed emphasis on the fact that Cloud Palace Peak was dominated by female cultivators! The sect’s gender ratio was severely skewed, with women making up ninety percent of its members. The remaining ten percent, the men, were not ordinary disciples—they could almost be called the sect’s sons-in-law.

Of course, what Li Fusheng spoke of most was Cloud Palace Peak’s Saintess.

“Silence!”

The noisy crowd was again hushed by the attendant, and the woman standing at the front began to speak once more.

“I believe many here have heard of Cloud Palace Peak and know a little about us,” she continued. “So I’ll keep it brief!”

“This Dao Conference has a purpose beyond the exchange of Dao with our fellow cultivators. More importantly, Cloud Palace Peak has lost something, and we hope our fellow Daoists will help us recover it,” the leading woman announced.

After she finished, she surveyed the crowd below with a scrutinizing gaze.

None of the cultivators present were fools; upon hearing her words, they immediately understood her meaning.

“May I ask if Cloud Palace Peak suspects that one of those present has stolen this item?” inquired one cultivator standing on the periphery.

The empires surrounding Cloud Peak were at least aware, once the Dao Conference became known, that a Divine Firmament powerhouse had descended to search for something lost. They simply hadn’t expected that the powerhouse would belong to Cloud Palace Peak.

Some of the more distant empires hadn’t had time to gather information; they only knew that this conference involved the entire Celestial Realm and was presided over by a mighty figure from the Divine Firmament Realm, so they came without hesitation.

Now, understanding the matter at hand, quite a few cultivators showed resentment. After all, the approach taken by Cloud Palace Peak essentially cast suspicion on every cultivator in the realm as a thief.

“Yes, Cloud Palace Peak may be powerful, but that doesn’t mean they can insult us!”

“A scholar may be killed but not humiliated! What Cloud Palace Peak is doing shows no regard for our dignity!”

“What Dao Conference? This is a criminal investigation—are we all to be treated as thieves?”

With the first objection raised, the discontent swelled. Ordinarily, no one would dare challenge Cloud Palace Peak—its power was too great, and with experts capable of opening the meridians, a casual strike from one of them would leave even the strongest here at death’s door if not dead outright.

“Silence!”

A thunderous command echoed from the attendant atop the platform. Suddenly, an overwhelming aura swept forth from her, and the faces of the cultivators below showed nothing but shock.

“This… at least the peak of the Meridian Opening Realm…”

“No, I think she’s surpassed that already!”

“Roughly so—she must be at the very summit of the Meridian Opening Realm!”

Even an ordinary attendant possessed such cultivation. Among those present, only a handful could match her. In other words, of all these cultivators, the strongest among them were barely on par with Cloud Palace Peak’s attendants.

As for those standing in the center, though none revealed their true strength, if even the attendants were so formidable, how could their mistresses possibly be weaker?

Once the crowd quieted, the leading female cultivator spoke: “It is true that Cloud Palace Peak is a great power of the Divine Firmament Realm. As disciples of Cloud Palace Peak, we are deeply proud of this.”

“However, we never use our power to oppress others!” she declared gravely. “But this time, what has been lost is of such importance that we must play the villain!”

Her stance was clear: Cloud Palace Peak had lost something of tremendous value, and the potential loss was so severe that they could no longer care about their reputation. As long as they could recover the missing item, they would resort even to heavy-handed measures.

“Of course, as long as you can prove your innocence, Cloud Palace Peak will not treat anyone unfairly!” the lead woman said. “Spirit stones, cultivation techniques—we will compensate you handsomely and ensure your satisfaction!”

“How will we be compensated?”

“How many spirit stones? Are the techniques invincible?”

“I want an invincible technique for my compensation—can you give me that?”

Upon hearing there would be compensation in the form of spirit stones and techniques, the onlookers became restless! Cultivation was, at its core, a pursuit of resources—Wang Changsheng himself now understood this, and how much more so those who had been grinding their way through the world of cultivation for years?

With spirit stones and techniques, one’s strength would increase at a terrifying rate!

“So… how can we prove our innocence? And what exactly was lost?”

At that moment, a timid voice rose from the crowd.

The voice was not loud, but as soon as it was heard, the crowd fell silent.

Indeed, everyone was eager for spirit stones and techniques, but no one had considered how to prove their innocence. Was it enough just to say, “I didn’t steal it”?

Certainly not that simple!

What’s more, no one yet knew exactly what Cloud Palace Peak had lost.

“Whatever it was, I didn’t steal it. Those spirit stones and techniques are as good as mine!”

“I didn’t steal it either—I don’t care about techniques, just give me spirit stones. With them, I’ll break through my current realm!”

“I want techniques—what I need most right now are techniques!”

Once again, the crowd broke into chatter. In Wang Changsheng’s eyes, the moment spirit stones and techniques were mentioned, everyone grew impatient; no one brought up the matter of Cloud Palace Peak insulting their dignity anymore.

When faced with immense benefit, nothing else mattered. Even before proving their innocence, they were already thinking of what reward they would choose.

What truly astonished Wang Changsheng, however, was the scale of Cloud Palace Peak’s generosity.

There were nearly five thousand present, and more cultivators kept arriving. In the end, the number would certainly exceed five thousand. Even if they found the culprit, the compensation Cloud Palace Peak would have to offer to pacify the crowd would be substantial.

Even just handing out a single spirit stone per person would require five thousand stones!

Such largesse—Cloud Palace Peak was truly a top-tier sect!

And even if there were complaints, what of it? They could simply silence the dissent with resources, buying everyone’s cooperation and peace of mind.

“The method of proving your innocence is simple!” The woman on the platform announced, and the crowd quieted at once—even the attendant’s intervention was unnecessary now.

The prospect of learning the method made everyone’s eyes light up, and they listened intently. After all, this would determine whether they could obtain spirit stones and techniques.

More importantly, if one failed to prove their innocence, what if Cloud Palace Peak falsely accused them of theft?

As the crowd waited, a spirit stone appeared in the woman’s hand. Brilliant light swirled within it, dazzling to behold.

“You need not know what was lost. Simply place your hands upon this spirit stone, and we will know whether you are the culprit,” the lead woman said gravely. “Once your innocence is proven, you may choose spirit stones or techniques as you wish!”

“Of course, should you confess now and return the stolen item, Cloud Palace Peak promises to let bygones be bygones.”

With that, she looked over the crowd.

“I’ll go first!” A burly man strode forward, stretched out his hands before the woman, and declared, “I want a technique—prepare one for me. Once I’m cleared, I expect to receive it!”

“Verification first,” the woman said, supporting the spirit stone with her true essence. “As for the technique, there’s no rush; once everyone has been tested, we will distribute them accordingly.”

The burly man had no doubts; after all, Cloud Palace Peak was a great and reputable sect—hardly the sort to cheat someone.

He put his hands on the spirit stone.

“Hmm?”

The moment his hands touched the stone, his brows furrowed, and he quickly withdrew them.

“Do not be alarmed, friend,” one of the attendants assured him. “The spirit stone will absorb a small portion of your true energy—nothing to worry about.”

The burly man nodded and placed his hands on the stone once more.

Soon, he withdrew his hands. At that moment, the attendant announced, “Congratulations, friend—you are not the culprit. Please stand to the side. When everyone has been tested, you will receive the technique as promised.”

The burly man nodded and went aside to recover his true energy.

Seeing he was unharmed, the crowd breathed a sigh of relief. Immediately, many cultivators surged toward the platform, eager to be tested. After all, only they knew whether or not they were guilty. Once cleared, a handsome reward awaited—who wouldn’t want that?

As for having a bit of true energy drained, it was nothing; a brief meditation would restore it.

Wang Changsheng, however, was in no rush and simply sat cross-legged on the spot. With so many people, it would take a while before everyone was tested. He could wait for Fang Qing and explain things to him when he arrived.

As for the thief, Wang Changsheng was certain—it was absolutely not him.

But what truly caught his attention was the spirit stone held aloft by true essence. There was something familiar about it.

“That’s an Ethereal Stone!” Wang Changsheng suddenly realized, surprise flashing across his face.

He had suspected that any stone capable of absorbing true energy would be extraordinary, and with so many cultivators’ energy being drawn, the amount stored within the stone would be terrifying.

Now that he recognized it as an Ethereal Stone, it all made sense.

According to Li Fusheng, the Ethereal Stone was unlike any ordinary spirit stone—a true treasure. Otherwise, Li Fusheng would never have risked his life to steal one.