"Yue Yihuo, have you thought this through?"

The Martial Pavilion Elder serving as the arbiter of the fifth bout said expressionlessly, "If you accuse your opponent of cheating without concrete evidence, and it turns out to be a false accusation, then you must take full responsibility!"

Accusing an opponent of foul play is a very serious matter. Yue Yihuo’s frustration after losing to Zhang Yuan partly stemmed from questioning and attacking Zhang Yuan’s character and reputation, and partly from mistrusting the arbiter.

The latter is especially grave!

So, if Yue Yihuo wanted to initiate an investigation into Zhang Yuan’s alleged cheating, he had to bear the unfavorable consequences.

This is the rule that ensures fairness!

Yue Yihuo’s heart skipped a beat. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

He knew he was being a bit impulsive.

But at this point, Yue Yihuo had no possibility of backing down.

Moreover, he truly suspected Zhang Yuan!

Thus, the Tier Six expert answered resolutely, "Elder, I have thought it through clearly. I must have an answer today; otherwise, this heart demon cannot be eradicated!"

"Understood."

The Martial Pavilion Elder nodded and turned his gaze to Zhang Yuan, "Zhang Yuan, are you willing to accept the investigation? If it is determined that you used underhanded techniques during the duel, you will also bear all responsibility."

"At the very least, expulsion from the sect!"

Upon hearing this final sentence, Yue Yihuo couldn’t help but clench his fists.

The Tier Six expert had never been as nervous as he was at this moment.

It was his last chance to overturn the battle and restore his reputation.

The next moment, without hesitation, Zhang Yuan replied, "I am willing."

"Very well."

The Martial Pavilion Elder said in a deep voice, "Please wait."

Shortly after, two Upper Scenic Celestial Mages hurried to the fifth arena.

The Martial Pavilion Elder, serving as arbiter, needed to avoid a conflict of interest, so the task of investigating Zhang Yuan for cheating was handed to them.

One of the Mages formed a magic formula with his fingers and cast a talisman at Zhang Yuan.

The talisman paper had not yet approached when it suddenly burst silently in mid-air, transforming into a ball of spiritual light that enveloped Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan allowed this ball of light to hover and flicker around him until the mana aura completely dissipated.

Subsequently, another Mage took out a jade mirror and asked him to drip a drop of blood onto it.

Zhang Yuan cooperated fully.

After undergoing both the mana test and the blood test, one of the Upper Scenic Celestial Mages declared solemnly, "Upon investigation, Martial Artist Zhang Yuan did not consume any prohibited elixirs, nor did he use any profound artifacts or magic talismans. His battle records are accurate!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Yihuo, who was anxiously awaiting the result, turned ashen.

Zhang Yuan had truly not cheated.

He had bet wrong!

The Martial Pavilion Elder then announced loudly, "Zhang Yuan’s battle record is authentic. Yue Yihuo falsely accused his opponent; he is to be expelled from the sect immediately, with all of his Daoist merit compensated to Zhang Yuan."

The peak of Chessboard Peak was in an uproar, no one expected Yue Yihuo’s punishment to be so severe!

Yet upon reflection, it seemed quite natural.

Because this Tier Six expert essentially challenged the authority of the Upper Scenic Celestial.

To walk away unscathed was already lenient.

After the Martial Pavilion Elder announced the verdict, he looked at Yue Yihuo again, "Yue Yihuo, do you accept my arbitration?"

Yue Yihuo shook his head in despair, "I sincerely accept it!"

He had no choice but to accept.

If he continued to argue and brought it to the attention of the Upper Scenic Celestial’s higher-ups for investigation, the price he would pay could be much higher if the result remained unchanged.

A Tier Six expert might be a hero outside, but within this sect, he was nothing.

If he continued to provoke, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Now, Yue Yihuo had calmed down. He cast a deep glance at Zhang Yuan, then removed the identity token hanging from his waist, and presented it to the Martial Pavilion Elder with both hands.

Indicating his submission.

The heart of the Tier Six expert bled.

If he could do it over again, he would never be tempted by the conditions offered by the Yang Family, ending up losing both dignity and face.

In truth, losing face was nothing compared to the tremendous loss of being expelled from the sect.

In the Upper Scenic Celestial Martial Pavilion, there were very few Tier Six Martial Artists; each one was here to pursue the ultimate martial arts, aiming for the Divinity Realm as the true goal.

The general does not chase after rabbits on the road!

Yue Yihuo was precisely lured by the interests at hand, forgetting his own pursuits.

It must be understood that he had paid a great price just to enter the Upper Scenic Celestial back then.

And now, with his cultivation unfinished, he was leaving in the most dishonorable way.

What a bitter pill to swallow!

After submitting his identity token, the Tier Six expert left the arena in a daze.

He soon vanished from everyone’s sight.

Many who witnessed the scene felt a pang in their hearts.

They turned their gaze back to Zhang Yuan, who still stood on the stone platform, and felt a sense of awe.

Strictly speaking, Zhang Yuan did not actually defeat Yue Yihuo, the Tier Six expert, as luck played a significant role in his victory in this duel.

In everyone’s view, Yue Yihuo clearly underestimated his opponent.

If it had been a fight to the death, Zhang Yuan would have had little chance of winning.

Of course, Zhang Yuan’s ability to knock Yue Yihuo out of the arena undeniably demonstrated his strength.

No Tier Five could have achieved that.

In fact, people were unaware that while Yue Yihuo might have lost in vain, Zhang Yuan hadn’t even reached his limit, let alone used his trump card.

From this duel with Yue Yihuo, Zhang Yuan’s greatest gain was not winning but gaining a clearer understanding of his current combat strength.

It also boosted his confidence immensely!

In the subsequent competitions, he won match after match effortlessly, sweeping to final victory.

Zhang Yuan’s opponents, when facing him, seemed to have little fighting spirit; some conceded on the spot, while others willingly admitted defeat after a few rounds.

Zhang Yuan won with ease, which left the spectators shouting in boredom.

Without any suspense, he secured the position of Martial Pavilion External Guardian of the Upper Scenic Celestial.

His battle record ranked first!

After this competition, Zhang Yuan’s reputation soared again, even catching the attention of some people within Upper Scenic Celestial.

The name of the prodigy echoed throughout the Martial Pavilion!

However, many were still waiting in the shadows for the next move by the Yang Family of Qianjing.

No one believed that the Yang Family would retreat so quietly.

But since even a Tier Six expert couldn’t deal with Zhang Yuan, under the rules of the Upper Scenic Celestial, what methods could the Yang Family employ against Zhang Yuan, now promoted to Protector?

Everyone watched eagerly!

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan himself wasn’t thinking about the Yang Family’s schemes; he went to the Merit Hall to claim his new identity token.

Along with the over three thousand Daoist merits "compensated" by Yue Yihuo!

Truthfully, Zhang Yuan hadn’t expected that this Tier Six expert had accumulated so many Daoist merits.

A truly unexpected delight.

In the days that followed, he didn’t venture into Mo Yuan but went into closed-door training to refine the remaining Qilin Pills one by one.

By the time he finished, Zhang Yuan’s "Six Harmonies Qilin Body" had nearly reached the Great Success Realm!