Nine-Faced Literary World

As the Night Watchman finished speaking, countless lotus-dais-shaped colored clouds drifted above the Literary Temple, transforming into a stream of seven-colored light that enveloped all two hundred people below at once.

The students temporarily composed themselves and focused on receiving the Literary World's baptismal rite.

Lin Su sank his consciousness into the space between his brows. A Literary World suddenly appeared, settling upon the tree within his mind. The Literary World had nine faces, red as its foundation and blue as its surface, grand yet solemnly murderous. Suddenly, stars filled the sky, and the poems he had written descended one after another, engraving themselves upon the Literary World. In the Blink of an Eye, one face of his Literary World was filled with seven-colored rosy clouds—the poems he had written before, including the one he had just composed, "Ten Thousand Banners Slay Yama."

Another ci appeared and landed upon a second face. It was precisely the "Butterfly Also Flower" he had written.

Of the Nine-Faced Literary World, two faces bore poetry, while the other seven remained empty.

The Literary World connected to his entire body. Wherever its power reached, his strength multiplied; when it entered his brain, his mind became unprecedentedly sharp.

The sacred light dispersed, and all the students opened their eyes together, delight shining in them. Sacred Light Infusion, a newly bestowed Literary World—their abilities had all greatly increased, whether in knowledge, learning ability, physical fitness, or social standing...

The glow of the Literary Temple faded. The Night Watchman's figure slowly merged into the wall behind him and vanished!

The ceremony was over!

A man appeared before Zhang Haoyue. It was Lin Su!

"Everyone, it is time to settle the wager!"

All twenty-three students went pale, and even the Literary Worlds they had just received trembled faintly...

Yesterday, they had feared Lin Su would refuse to gamble. Today, they finally understood who the massive pit they had dug yesterday was meant to bury!

"L-run? No rush! We'll take things one at a time!" Lin Su said. "Let's settle the second wager first!"

The twenty-three men inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. Though they knew L-run was still a noose hanging over their heads, the moment he said there was no rush, a ray of hope rose in their hearts...

L-run was too terrifying. That truly was not something a gifted Literary World scholar should do.

"Zhang Haoyue, You First. I have a question for you!" Lin Su pointed directly at Zhang Haoyue.

Zhang Haoyue's face alternated between green and white, but he finally stepped forward. "A wager is a wager—what is there to say? Ask!"

Though his words sounded righteous, he ultimately lacked confidence, and his voice was very soft.

Lin Su frowned. "That voice is a little too quiet. The people outside cannot hear it clearly. Which expert would be willing to lend a hand and let the whole city witness today's fine tale of the Literary World?"

"I'll do it!" someone from the outskirts said with a smile.

As the voice fell, a huge golden character suddenly flew into the center of the grounds. Lin Su looked up—it was Qiu Mochi! The character he had written was: Expand!

Qiu Mochi already held Juren status and possessed a Literary Mountain. With a casual stroke of a character, its mysteries manifested.

"Excellent, many thanks!" Lin Su said. "The question I wish to ask Zhang Haoyue is this: what cruel and immoral deeds has your father, Minister of War Lord Zhang Wenyuan, committed?"

Though his voice was ordinary, it spread throughout the entire city!

Everyone who heard it stiffened. His very first question was asking what cruel and immoral deeds the other man's father had committed? The question was exceedingly rude, exceedingly sharp, exceedingly... Unaware of Danger!

"Utter nonsense! My father walks upright and sits straight, with nothing he cannot tell others. When has he ever committed any cruel or immoral deed?"

His voice, too, was amplified by the golden character overhead, heard throughout the city.

Lin Su said coldly, "You are seeking your own death!"

As the voice fell, the page of the wager in his palm suddenly blazed with golden light and soared into the sky. In an instant, it linked the Literary Temple with the twenty-four people in the arena bound by the wager, including Lin Su himself and Zhang Haoyue.

A beam of sacred light shot out from the Literary Temple and struck Zhang Haoyue between the brows. With a Boom, his Literary World shattered!

Zhang Haoyue let out a miserable scream and fainted on the spot.

Everyone retreated at once, their faces deathly pale.

Lin Su said, "The wager stated it clearly: the truth must be told. If one attempts to deceive with lies, how could the sacred will spare him?"

The entire venue fell silent.

Ding Hai stared fixedly at Lin Su, as if he had only truly recognized him at this moment.

Zhang Yiyu's delicate brows furrowed slightly, as though she had gained a different understanding of him as well...

Lin Su turned to Zhao Ji. "Zhao Ji, it's your turn!"

The serene expression Zhao Ji always wore had completely changed...

"Your literary talent is indeed not bad, and ten years of hard study were not easy. I do not wish to cut off your future, so I will give you an opportunity to leave unscathed. Do you want it?"

Zhao Ji was like a man finding life at the brink of death. "Brother Lin, please instruct me!"

"Name one crime of the Zhang Family, and I'll reduce your L-run by one lap. Name three, and there is No Need To L-run. Name four, and you need only stand where you are and shout nine times, 'I am trash.' Name five, and shout it eight times. Name thirteen, and you may leave unscathed!"

Zhao Ji's entire body trembled.

He had associated with the Zhang Family since childhood and knew much of the evil they had done. He only needed to expose thirteen crimes, and he could leave unscathed—escape this nightmare he would never bear to look back upon for the rest of his life?

It was an opportunity, but... if he did this, he would utterly offend the Zhang Family...

On one side was the Zhang Family; on the other was himself!

By this point, the answer to that choice was obvious...

"Fine! I'll speak..." Zhao Ji said. "Three years ago, around May, Old Master Zhang forcibly seized Liu Xing'er of West Willow Village. The Liu Family refused, and Old Master Zhang ordered his household servants to kill three members of the Liu Family..."

Everyone was utterly shocked.

At the edge of the crowd, a strange light flashed in Zhang Yiyu's eyes once more. Her mind had finally caught up with the pace. She finally understood Lin Su's true intention—he was eliminating violence and bringing peace to the good!

"Fine, the first charge!"

Zhao Ji wiped away his sweat, yet his heart settled instead. So what? One charge was an offense, ten charges were an offense. In any case, my Old Master holds a higher office than Zhang Wenyuan—why the hell should I fear him?

"It was also three years ago, in June. The Zhang Family's steward forced Sun Tavern to close, then killed Sun Tavern's shopkeeper at the West Street night market..."

"..."

One charge after another, one crime after another—in the blink of an eye, thirteen charges had been laid out.

"Congratulations, Brother Zhao. You may leave now!"

Like a homeless dog, Zhao Ji covered his face and slipped into the crowd, disappearing. Yet as he stepped out of the crowd, he still sensed something amiss within his Literary Altar. A shadow had fallen over it.

Though he had escaped unscathed, this humiliation had ultimately stained his Literary Altar. Still, it was far better than Zhang Haoyue's situation, because his Literary Altar could yet be repaired. Cultivation sects and the Holy Land of the Demon Race both possessed spiritual medicines capable of treating such strange injuries. Of course, if he could achieve something on the Literary Way, he could naturally repair it himself.

His escape unscathed dealt a tremendous blow to the remaining twenty-one people.

"Brother Lin, let me speak!" A man named Sun Xian proactively stepped forward.

This was a man who understood the situation. Though the Zhang Family had committed many crimes, not everyone knew them all. What if those ahead of him said everything he knew? Wouldn't he die an unjust death? He had to speak first!

Once he stepped forward, he spoke at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, another thirteen charges emerged.

The moment he left, those behind him realized the danger and began scrambling to speak!

Their conversation, amplified by the sound-enhancing effect, spread across the tens of thousands gathered outside!

All ten thousand of them stood dumbstruck. How could such a bizarre thing be happening? Those scions of noble families who had been close to the Zhang Family all turned against them, desperately fighting to expose the Zhang Family's heinous crimes.

In the blink of an eye, the Zhang Family already bore responsibility for more than thirty deaths...

And the number was still climbing!

The Zhang Family's steward had long since gone pale as death. By the time people noticed him, he had already fled back to Zhang Prefecture.

The Zhang Family's Old Master had already changed into celebratory robes, his face radiant with joy as he waited for someone to bring him good news. Like everyone else in the city, they sat at home and could only see the Golden List, not the scene itself. He had never imagined that things had already become completely different from what he expected.

The steward stumbled and crawled inside, shouting the moment he entered, "Old Master, disaster has struck..."

"What?" The Old Master abruptly rose to his feet, his face darkening. "On such a joyous day, what nonsense are you spouting?"

The steward said, "The Ninth Young Master's Literary Altar has shattered. He has collapsed at the Literary Temple, and whether he lives or dies is unknown..."

"What?" The Old Master reached out and seized the steward's right arm, snapping it clean in two! The Old Master was a master of the Literary Heart. In his prime, he had held the rank of third-grade official. Though he was old now, and years of indulgence in wine and women had clouded his Literary Heart, his Literary Way Cultivation was still anything but ordinary!

After the steward explained what had happened, the Old Master's whole body greatly shook!

That Lin Su, the man at the top of the list, was actually the very target of their wager. All twenty-three had collectively lost the bet, and the entire populace was now recounting the Zhang Family's great crimes...

You bastard spawn of the Lin clan, you ignorant little brat—how dare you oppose the Zhang Family?

"Men, kill him! At once..." The Old Master issued the order, and countless household retainers obeyed in unison. Killing intent surged for a time, but the steward stretched out his left arm to stop them.

"Old Master, he... he is in the Literary Temple right now!"

The Literary Temple!

The Old Master's white beard trembled. Killing was forbidden in the Literary Temple! Anyone in the world who dared kill someone in the Literary Temple would suffer Divine Punishment!

That included the highest Great Confucians, peerless great demons! Even... the reigning Son of Heaven!

While he was delayed here, progress on Lin Su's side raced ahead. They were already at the eleventh person, and the Zhang Family now bore the blood debt of a hundred lives!

A suffocating aura spread throughout the entire city!

The Zhang Family was this vile?

They truly acted without restraint, lawless and unbridled!

A woman threw back her head and cried out, "Such tyrants deserve to die!"

Her furious roar tore open the curtain on the citywide rage...

"Slice that old Zhang thief into a thousand pieces!"

"Expel them from Haining!"

"Wipe out their entire family!"