The hall fell deathly silent.
Only the disciple's ragged, terrified breathing and the steady "knock, knock" of Ning Fengzhi's fingers tapping the armrest broke the silence.
Ning Fengzhi's expression darkened.
After a moment, he slowly spoke:
"Did you see clearly? A Soul Saint who had activated his Martial Soul Avatar... was torn apart by someone, with their bare hands?"
"E-Entirely true, Sect Master! I wouldn't dare utter a single false word!"
"The other brothers keeping watch from higher ground saw it too!"
"We... we were terrified at the time. We didn't dare stay any longer, so we fled back at top speed to report!"
The disciple crouched on the floor, kowtowing again and again.
A sharp glint flashed in Chen Xin's eyes. He interjected in a low voice, "Did that burly man release his Martial Soul? How many Soul Rings did he have?"
"N-No!" The disciple hurriedly shook his head, his tone certain. "I saw it clearly. At no point did the man show any Soul Ring light, nor did he seem to summon his Martial Soul."
"He just appeared out of thin air, then... then he used his hands..."
Gu Rong furrowed his brow, disbelief written across his face. "That's strange... Who could tear apart a Soul Saint who had activated his Martial Soul Avatar with bare hands, without releasing a Martial Soul or Soul Rings?"
"Even a Titled Douluo could crush a Soul Saint with ease, but doing so with such casual ease, almost like slaughtering them, would be no simple matter. They couldn't possibly leave no trace of Soul Power fluctuations."
He turned to the trembling disciple on the floor, his voice edged with suspicion and authority. "Are you sure... you haven't made up this unbelievable lie to deceive the Sect Master and us because you failed