White Tiger Lin Qing met Jing Hongchen's gaze without the slightest hint of evasion.
Jing Hongchen asked why he wanted to join the Sun Moon Empire.
He took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
"For a better future."
His voice rang out clearly and calmly within the cramped detention cell.
"The Star Luo Empire has rigid social ranks and places bloodlines above all else. The White Tiger Duke Mansion is even more so."
A faint, barely perceptible chill entered his tone.
But that chill was not directed at Jing Hongchen. It was directed at the environment he was describing.
"There, one's birth determines everything. The direct line will always be the direct line, and collateral branches will always be collateral branches."
"No matter how talented I am, in their eyes, I am merely 'a somewhat useful collateral descendant.'"
"The best possible outcome would be becoming the guard or retainer of some young master from the direct line."
"My ceiling was nailed down by my bloodline from the moment I was born."
White Tiger Lin Qing's gaze sharpened as he looked directly at Jing Hongchen.
"But the Sun Moon Empire is different."
"I have studied your nation's history and learned about your systems."
"Here, though there are still social classes, strength, ability, and the value a person can create matter more."
"Soul Tools shine far brighter than ancient martial soul bloodlines."
"I want a place where I can climb upward step by step through my own abilities."
"A place that will not place a ceiling over me simply because of my origins."
"That is my reason."
My words were logical and sincere, but they were clearly not enough to completely convince someone as shrewd and calculating as Jing Hongchen.
Jing Hongchen listened.
There was no expression on his face.
He neither voiced agreement nor offered rebuttal.
He merely gave White Tiger Lin Qing a deep look.
Then he made a move that caused White Tiger Lin Qing's pupils to contract slightly.
From the inner pocket of his silver-white robe, he took out a palm-sized metallic disc that gleamed with silver light.
The disc was exquisitely crafted, with smooth edges and extremely complex, layered honeycomb-like Soul Tool circuits engraved across its surface.
Those fine patterns shimmered with a faint, ghostly blue light in the dimness.
At the very center of the disc was a translucent red diamond-shaped crystal the size of a pigeon egg.
At that moment, the red crystal emitted a soft, steady radiance, like the slowly beating heart of some living creature.
"It is called the Mirror of Truth, a level-seven spiritual detection Soul Tool."
"Its function is very simple—it detects a target's surface-level spiritual fluctuations and determines whether their words are true or false."
As he spoke, he aimed the red crystal at the center of the disc directly at White Tiger Lin Qing's forehead.
"Though it cannot read specific thoughts, it is extremely sensitive to the subtle spiritual ripples caused by lies."
The red glow enveloped White Tiger Lin Qing's head as though it were alive, bringing with it a faintly unsettling sensation of being peered into.
"Now, look at it."
Jing Hongchen's voice brooked no refusal.
"Answer my question again."
"Lin Qing, why did you betray the Star Luo Empire and defect to my Sun Moon Empire?"
The atmosphere in the detention cell instantly grew heavier.
The red crystal's light reflected in White Tiger Lin Qing's calm eyes.
He showed neither the anger of being offended nor the panic of being exposed.
He merely took another deep breath, adjusting his breathing and heartbeat to make his mental state as steady as possible.
Then, staring at the red Mirror of Truth, he spoke each word clearly.
"Because the rules of the Star Luo Empire constrain my future."
"Because the Sun Moon Empire's environment will allow me to grow stronger faster."
"Because I want to know just how high I can climb on this path with my own talent and effort."
"I refuse to have my fate decided from birth."
Every word was resolute.
It was a clarity and determination beyond his years.
Jing Hongchen's gaze locked tightly onto the red crystal of the Mirror of Truth.
From beginning to end, the crystal's red glow remained as steady as before, without the slightest abnormal flicker or fluctuation.
This meant that, according to the feedback from the Soul Tool, every word the boy before him had spoken was a genuine thought from his heart.
At the very least, it was true within his own understanding and logic.
That truly is how I feel.
As a transmigrator, what deep feelings could I possibly have for that cold White Tiger Duke Mansion, or for that rigidly stratified Star Luo Empire?
All I ever wanted was a stage where I could run at full speed without being held back by my origins.
The blade-sharp light in Jing Hongchen's eyes seemed to soften ever so slightly.
But he clearly had no intention of leaving it at that.
Afterward, he subjected me to a detailed interrogation that lasted nearly half a day.
Questions came one after another like a barrage.
They covered every aspect of White Tiger Lin Qing's past life.
They even included seemingly insignificant details.
"What were your specific living conditions in the collateral branch of the Duke Mansion? Who provided your daily cultivation resources?"
"What was the attitude of your parents and elders toward your talent? Did they support you or neglect you?"
"What do you think of the Star Luo imperial family and the Dai Family?"
"Which important figures did you come into contact with during your studies in the main branch of the White Tiger Duke Mansion? What were your relationships like?"
"If the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire were to wage an all-out war someday, and you encountered each other on the battlefield, how would you choose?"
Every question struck directly at the heart of the matter.
They sought to verify the purity of his motives for defecting from different angles.
They also sought out possible logical contradictions or loopholes in his words.
White Tiger Lin Qing's answers maintained the same rhythm and style throughout.
His tone was calm.
His reasoning was clear.
He went into detail when necessary and remained brief when appropriate.
For matters he could not confirm or did not know, he openly admitted that he did not know.
For hypothetical questions concerning allegiances and the future, he reasoned out his answers based on the core motivation of "pursuing personal strength and freedom."
Throughout the entire process, the Mirror of Truth's red glow steadily enveloped him, never displaying any abnormal flicker that represented a "lie" or "intense emotional fluctuation."
In the end, relying on the Mirror of Truth and his own seasoned judgment, Jing Hongchen reluctantly confirmed that my willingness to defect was genuine—at least for now.
Jing Hongchen stopped asking questions.
He silently looked at the Mirror of Truth in his hand, its red light steady.
Then he looked at the boy before him, whose eyes remained clear and calm despite enduring such a long, intense interrogation.
After a long while.
He put away the silver disc.
The red light vanished.
The detention cell returned to its former dimness.
The stern expression on Jing Hongchen's face seemed to relax somewhat.
His scrutinizing gaze now carried an exceedingly complicated meaning.
There was appreciation for a genius.
There was instinctive wariness toward a "defector from a foreign nation."
Yet there also seemed to be a faint expectation for some kind of "possibility."
However, this had only tested his sincerity.
It did not mean that White Tiger Lin Qing had passed every test.
Immediately afterward, Jing Hongchen raised the final and most crucial question.
"Very good, Lin Qing. Your answers are logically consistent, and the Mirror of Truth's reaction reveals no flaws."
Jing Hongchen's voice lowered.
"But this is not enough."
"Trust requires capital and bargaining chips."
He took half a step forward.
Though the invisible pressure of a Title Douluo was not fully unleashed, the air in the detention cell grew even more stagnant.
"Tell me, and prove to me—"
"What makes you worthy of my belief that you are worth cultivating? Worth the Sun Moon Empire investing resources in you and bearing the potential risks?"
"I have seen your talent and determination."
"But there are too many people with such talent and determination."
"Show me something tangible, something that will make my eyes light up—your value."
Before you continue