Soul Power Lockdown Room

"You cannot leave this branch hall."

After the hall master spoke, the two deacons beside him moved to the doorway.

Xu Zhou looked at them, then at the Soul Tool fragment on Xu Yan's wrist.

"When was this thing planted in him?"

"Half an hour ago."

"Who did it?"

"The person in charge of the interrogation."

Xu Yan tugged his sleeve down.

"They said it was to stop me from running away."

"A Tracking Soul Tool isn't used to prevent escapes."

Yu Xiaogang took the fragment.

Luo Sanpao lay at his feet, bringing its nose close to the fragment before immediately turning away with a dissatisfied cry.

"There is positioning Soul Power on it."

Yu Xiaogang looked at the hall master.

"You planted a tracker on an ordinary hunter. Was it really to stop him from escaping, or to track someone else?"

The hall master did not answer.

People in the hall had already begun whispering among themselves.

Xu Yan was just an ordinary hunter.

He had no Soul Power.

He had no Martial Soul.

If they truly wanted to stop him from escaping, Soul Power Shackles would have been enough.

Planting a Tracking Soul Tool specifically for him did not look like something one would do to an ordinary person.

The Black Ancient Book landed on the table.

Its pages turned softly.

[Proofreading found an obvious contradiction.]

[Interrogation record: Xu Yan possesses Soul Power and is suspected to be a member of the Soul Beast Protection Faction.]

[Retest file: Xu Yan's Innate Soul Power is zero, and he has not awakened a viable Martial Soul.]

[Search record: Blue Silver Grass communication traces were discovered at Xu Yan's residence.]

[Scene record: The Blue Silver Grass leaves came from Spirit Hall's reserve herb garden.]

Xu Zhou scanned the records.

"Your case file is wrong."

The deacon in charge of the interrogation stepped forward.

"What is wrong?"

"It says here that my father possesses Soul Power."

Xu Zhou pointed at the first sheet of paper.

"Do you have any test results?"

"He refused the examination."

"Refusing an examination does not mean he possesses Soul Power."

"Then why would he refuse to be tested?"

"He doesn't like being touched."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Xu Yan glanced at Xu Zhou.

"That's true."

"Don't interrupt."

Xu Zhou lowered his head and continued reading.

"It says here that my father controls a Blue Silver Grass communication network."

"Nothing looks wrong on paper."

"The problem is on the next page."

Xu Zhou pulled out a search record.

"You said forty-two Blue Silver Grass leaves were found in my father's home."

"Is there a problem?"

"Yesterday's search inventory listed thirty-seven."

"Perhaps some were missed during the count."

"Then why do all forty-two leaves now have the blue markings from the Spirit Hall Herb Garden?"

The interrogating deacon's expression changed.

Blue Silver Grass leaves were usually similar in color.

But to distinguish medicinal herbs, the Spirit Hall Herb Garden left faint blue markings along the leaf veins.

The markings were not poisonous and did not affect growth.

Ordinary people would have a hard time noticing them.

But Xu Zhou had seen them before.

The Blue Silver Grass in Holy Soul Village did not have them.

The Blue Silver Grass in the Spirit Hall Herb Garden did.

"When you searched Holy Soul Village, did you search your own herb garden into the evidence as well?"

Xu Zhou raised his head.

Someone in the hall failed to hold back a laugh.

They quickly shut their mouth again.

The hall master looked at the deacon.

"Explain."

"They are merely different shades of leaf color."

"Then bring someone from the herb garden here."

"The person in charge of the herb garden has already left the city."

"He ran away?"

"He went to purchase supplies."

"Where did he go to purchase them?"

"It is not known for the moment."

Xu Zhou set the papers back on the table.

"Very good."

"The person is gone, and the leaves cannot be explained either."

"Then continue interrogating my father."

The hall master finally spoke.

"Xu Zhou, you are very skilled at finding flaws in records."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"But problems with the records do not mean your father is innocent."

"I never said he was innocent."

Xu Zhou looked at Xu Yan.

"I only said that you currently have no evidence."

"The evidence will be found eventually."

"Then how long do you intend to keep him locked up before you find it?"

"Until the investigation is complete."

"How long will the investigation take?"

"Seven days."

Xu Zhou glanced at the hourglass in the hall.

"What about after seven days?"

"If he is innocent, he will naturally be released."

"And if he is guilty?"

"He will be handed over to the City Lord's Residence."

Xu Yan raised his head.

"What crime have I committed?"

The hall master did not reply.

Xu Zhou supplied the answer for him.

"Harboring a Soul Beast, assisting with communications, and refusing to cooperate with the investigation."

None of those three charges had anything to do with his father.

But once they were written into the case file, all of Holy Soul Village would be implicated.

"I can cooperate with a retest."

Xu Zhou suddenly spoke.

Yu Xiaogang looked at him.

Tang San turned his head as well.

Xu Zhou continued, "But you must release my father."

"You are not qualified to negotiate terms."

"Then don't test me."

"Think this through."

The hall master pointed toward the center of the hall.

"As long as you enter the Soul Power Lockdown Room, all Soul Power will be suppressed. If you truly have no Soul Power, you naturally will not be affected. If you have hidden Soul Power, that place will force you to reveal your true form."

"The Lockdown Room?"

"A place Spirit Hall specifically uses to examine Soul Masters."

"What would happen if an ordinary person went inside?"

"Nothing would happen."

"Then has my father been inside?"

"No."

"Why not?"

The hall master fell silent for a moment.

Xu Zhou finished the answer for him.

"Because you are afraid that he has no Soul Power, and the Soul Power detection inside the Lockdown Room would show no reaction."

The hall fell silent again.

Those words were far from polite.

Yet no one could refute them.

Xu Yan stepped forward.

"I'll go in."

"No."

Xu Zhou stopped him.

"The tracker on your wrist is still there."

"It is only a fragment."

"A fragment can still transmit messages."

The Black Ancient Book moved close to the fragment.

A line of text appeared on its page.

[Residual Soul Tool functions: positioning, recording Soul Power fluctuations, transmitting short-range signals.]

Xu Zhou placed the fragment on the table.

"It will send the data from the Lockdown Room out."

"While claiming to retest me, who are you planning to send my Soul Power records to?"

The hall master tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"This is a security measure of the branch hall."

"Then my father definitely cannot go in."

Xu Zhou closed the black book.

"I'll go."

"Xu Zhou."

Yu Xiaogang frowned.

"The Lockdown Room is not something to fool around in."

"I have no intention of fooling around."

Xu Zhou raised his head and looked at the hall master.

"I will undergo testing inside with the crystal ball, testing stone, and Soul Power lamp."

"We still need the metal disc."

"The disc is already broken."

"We still need to use it, even if it's broken."

"Why?"

"I want to break it again."

The Hall Master stared at him.

After a while, he finally nodded.

"Fine."

"But Xu Yan must remain in the main hall."

"He will be guarded."

"Guards are acceptable."

"Yu Xiaogang and Tang San cannot accompany you."

"They will stay here."

Xu Zhou turned to look at the two of them.

"Don't follow me in."

"I disagree."

Tang San clenched his fists.

"This is Spirit Hall."

"Precisely because this is Spirit Hall, you can't go in with me."

Xu Zhou lowered his voice.

"You and Yu Xiaogang will stay in the main hall. At least then you can keep an eye on my father. If all three of us enter the sealed room, there'll be no one outside to watch our backs."

Tang San did not answer immediately.

Yu Xiaogang nodded.

"I'll watch Xu Yan."

"I will too."

Tang San finally agreed.

Xu Zhou was led toward the back by two deacons.

The sealed room's door was thick, carved with patterns that suppressed Soul Power.

Before Xu Zhou entered, he glanced back at the main hall.

Xu Yan stood beside Yu Xiaogang.

Tang San guarded the entrance.

The Hall Master sat high above.

Everyone looked as though they were waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

The Black Ancient Book rested against Xu Zhou's side.

[Public Script forming.]

[Current misconception: Xu Zhou is hiding powerful Soul Power.]

[Participants: 399.]

Only one hundred and one more were needed.

Xu Zhou entered the sealed room.

The door closed behind him.

There was only a chair, a Soul Power lamp, and a testing stone in the room.

A black Soul Tool was embedded in the wall.

Once the Soul Tool lit up, the Tracking Fragment on Xu Zhou's wrist began to heat up as well.

"Just as I thought. They're connected."

Xu Zhou raised his hand and pressed down on the fragment.

Soul Power flowed from his palm, entering the black Soul Tool through the fragment.

He did not stop it.

Instead, he deliberately made that Soul Power more obvious.

Outside the wall, the gauge recording Soul Power fluctuations began to turn.

One point.

Two points.

Three points.

At last, it stopped at ninety-nine.

A burst of muffled cheers came from outside the sealed room.

"They detected it!"

"He really was hiding his Soul Power!"

"Record it, quickly!"

Xu Zhou looked at the gauge and lightly tapped the Black Ancient Book.

A pale yellow Soul Ring projection rose beneath his feet.

That was not a Soul Ring.

It was merely a Script Projection.

But the people outside could not see the difference.

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice suddenly came from the black Soul Tool.

"Target confirmed."

"Innate Zero Soul Power. Source of Soul Power fluctuation unknown."

"Recommend immediate transfer to Spirit Hall Headquarters."

Xu Zhou's hand froze.

That was not the voice of the Notting City Branch Hall.

Someone had been monitoring them all along.

Meanwhile, in the main hall, the Soul Tool fragment on Xu Yan also began to heat up.

Almost at the same moment, a thunderous boom came from the direction of Holy Soul Village.

Ah Yin's final words, transmitted through the Blue Silver Grass Network, crawled across the walls of the sealed room.

"Xu Yan being taken away was a lie."

"What was truly taken away was all the Blue Silver Grass in Holy Soul Village."