Seven-Ring Soul Tool, Mirror of Truth, What is Your Value

White Tiger Lin Qing met Jing Hongchen's gaze without the slightest evasion.

Jing Hongchen asked him why he wanted to join the Sun Moon Empire.

He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

"For a better future."

His voice rang out clearly and calmly in the cramped detention room.

"The Star Luo Empire is strictly hierarchical, prioritizing bloodline above all else, and the White Tiger Duke Mansion is even more so."

His tone carried a trace of imperceptible coldness.

Yet that coldness was not directed at Jing Hongchen, but at the environment he described.

"There, birth determines everything; the direct line is always the direct line, and the collateral branch is always the collateral branch."

"No matter how good my talent is, in the eyes of those people, I am merely a 'somewhat useful collateral descendant'."

"The best outcome is nothing more than becoming a guard or a retainer for some young master of the direct line."

"My ceiling was nailed shut by my bloodline the moment I was born."

White Tiger Lin Qing's eyes turned sharp as he stared straight at Jing Hongchen.

"But the Sun Moon Empire is different."

"I have studied your country's history and understand your country's system."

"Here, although there are classes, there is more emphasis on strength, ability, and the value a person can create."

"Soul Tools are far more dazzling than ancient martial soul bloodlines."

"I want a place that allows me to climb up step by step based on my own merits."

"A place that won't impose a ceiling on me just because of my background."

"This is my reason."

[My words were logically clear and emotionally sincere, but clearly not enough to fully convince a cunning old fox like Jing Hongchen.]

Jing Hongchen finished listening.

There was no expression on his face.

He neither expressed agreement nor offered a rebuttal.

He simply took a deep look at White Tiger Lin Qing.

Then, he made a move that caused White Tiger Lin Qing's pupils to constrict.

He took a palm-sized, shimmering silver metal disc from the inner pocket of his silver-white robe.

The disc was exquisitely crafted with smooth edges, its surface engraved with extremely complex, layered, honeycomb-like soul tool circuits.

Those fine, dense patterns emitted a faint, deep blue glow in the dim light.

Embedded in the very center of the disc was a crystal-clear, red, diamond-shaped crystal the size of a pigeon egg.

At this moment, that red crystal was emitting a soft and steady red light, as if the heart of some living creature were slowly beating.

"It is called the 'Mirror of Truth', a level 7 Spiritual Detection type Soul Tool."

"Its function is simple—to detect the surface spiritual fluctuations of a target and judge the truth or falsehood of their words."

As he spoke, he aimed the red crystal at the center of the disc toward White Tiger Lin Qing's forehead.

"Although it cannot read specific thoughts, it is extremely sensitive to the subtle spiritual ripples caused by lies."

The red light enveloped White Tiger Lin Qing's head as if it had a life of its own, bringing with it a strange, faint sensation of being pried into.

"Now, look at it."

Jing Hongchen said in an irresistible tone.

"Answer my question again."

"Lin Qing, why did you betray the Star Luo Empire to defect to my Sun Moon Empire?"

The atmosphere in the detention room instantly became even more oppressive.

The light from the red crystal reflected in White Tiger Lin Qing's calm eyes.

He showed no anger at being offended, nor panic at being exposed.

He simply took another deep breath, adjusted his breathing and heartbeat, and kept his mental state as steady as possible.

Then, staring at the red "Mirror of Truth", he said clearly, word for word:

"Because the rules of the Star Luo Empire have shackled my future."

"Because the environment of the Sun Moon Empire can allow me to become stronger faster."

"Because I want to know what height I can reach on this path relying solely on my own talent and hard work."

"I am unwilling to have my fate decided the moment I am born."

Every word was resolute and decisive.

It was a clarity and resolve that transcended his age.

Jing Hongchen's gaze remained locked firmly onto the red crystal of the Mirror of Truth.

The red light emitted by the crystal remained as steady as it had been from the start, without the slightest abnormal flicker or fluctuation.

This meant that, according to the feedback from the Soul Tool, every word the youth before him had just spoken was a genuine thought from the heart.

At least, it was true within the scope of his own perception and logic.

[These are indeed my heartfelt words.]

[As a transmigrator, what deep feelings could I possibly have for that cold White Tiger Duke Mansion or that rigid, hierarchical Star Luo Empire?]

[From beginning to end, all I have ever wanted is a stage that allows me to run with all my might, unburdened by my origins.]

The sharp, blade-like light in Jing Hongchen's eyes seemed to soften just a fraction.

But he clearly would not let it end there.

[He then subjected me to nearly half an hour of detailed interrogation that felt almost like torture.]

Questions were thrown out like a barrage of cannon fire.

They covered every aspect of White Tiger Lin Qing's past life.

They even included details that seemed trivial or irrelevant.

"What were the specific living conditions of your branch family in the Duke Mansion? Who provided your daily cultivation resources?"

"What was the attitude of your parents and elders toward your talent? Was it support or indifference?"

"What is your opinion on the Star Luo Empire's royal family and the Dai Family?"

"Which important figures did you come into contact with during your time studying at the main White Tiger Duke Mansion, and what were your relationships with them?"

"If a full-scale war were to break out between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire in the future, and you met on the battlefield, what would your choice be?"

Every question struck at the heart of the matter.

He was attempting to verify the purity of his defection from different angles.

He was also searching for any logical contradictions or loopholes that might exist in his words.

White Tiger Lin Qing's answers maintained the same rhythm and style throughout.

His tone was calm.

His logic was clear.

He was detailed when necessary and concise when appropriate.

He frankly admitted when he did not know or could not confirm something.

As for hypothetical questions involving stances and the future, he deduced his answers based on the core motivation of "pursuing personal strength and freedom."

Throughout the entire process, the red light of the Mirror of Truth remained steadily cast upon him, without any abnormal flickering that would signify a "lie" or "intense emotional fluctuation."

[In the end, relying on the Mirror of Truth and his own seasoned judgment, Jing Hongchen barely confirmed that my willingness to defect was genuine—at least, it was genuine for the current stage.]

Jing Hongchen stopped his questioning.

He looked silently at the Mirror of Truth in his hand, its red light still steady.

Then, he looked at the youth before him, whose eyes remained clear and calm despite having endured such a long, high-intensity interrogation.

After a long while.

He put away the silver disc.

The red light vanished.

The confinement room returned to its previous dimness.

The stern expression on Jing Hongchen's face seemed to loosen slightly.

His scrutinizing gaze now held a trace of something extremely complex.

There was appreciation for a genius.

There was an instinctive wariness toward a "defector from a foreign land."

But there also seemed to be a faint expectation of some kind of "possibility."

However, this was only testing his sincerity.

It did not mean that White Tiger Lin Qing had passed all the tests.

Immediately after, Jing Hongchen posed the final and most critical question.

"Very well, Lin Qing. Your answers are logically consistent, and the Mirror of Truth's reaction leaves no room for complaint."

Jing Hongchen's voice lowered.

"But, this is not enough."

"Trust requires capital and bargaining chips."

He took a small step forward.

The invisible pressure of a Title Douluo, though not fully unleashed, had already made the air in the detention room grow stagnant.

"Tell me, and prove it to me—"

"Why should I believe you are worth cultivating? Worth the Sun Moon Empire investing resources in you and bearing the potential risks?"

"Your talent, your determination, I have seen them."

"But there are too many people with such talent and determination."

"Bring out something concrete, something that can make my eyes light up—in other words, your value."