The Grandmaster Zhu Zhang's overpowering presence left the onlookers mute. He clicked his tongue, loud in the silence, and addressed Li Meirong.
"Years ago, I took you into my own coalition. I saw potential in you, and yet here you stand before me, accused of murder. Do you have anything to say to refute the allegations against you?"
Li Meirong already knew that telling the truth would get her nowhere. An explanation would not be enough to prove her innocence. That much was obvious, solely from the way she had been manhandled, shackled, and forced to kneel on the cold floor.
Additionally, this 'judge' was lying through his teeth. He had to be.
What potential was he talking about? She had never been given any guidance or lessons, just left to handle menial chores on the outskirts of the island. If he saw potential in her, why had she not had any training?
Clearly, he'd only picked her to observe her, though she had no idea why. Maybe he was suspicious about her aura, her power, or something else entirely?
A part of her lamented her decision to come back. It would have been much easier to escape through the forest, but her wish to prove her innocence had brought her back. However, she had lived here for five years, and grew attached to the place. She liked the sect, her self-made cabin, the herb garden, her acquaintances… yet in the end, she had been accused of murder.
She knew she needed to stall for time, and hopefully would be able to do so long enough to find a way to unlock the spirit-sealing chains on her wrists.
Luckily, it appeared nobody had even considered that she could potentially possess the ability to harness her internal power, and with their ignorance, the security methods remained lax.
Li Meirong wriggled her shackled wrists, it hurt to try to squeeze her limbs out of the restraints, but if she managed to keep rubbing against the iron bindings, then perhaps, eventually, her sweat would help her slip out.
Carefully calculating her next words, Li Meirong ground her teeth and directed her gaze at the marble floor.
"It was not murder, but self-defense. Senior Wei and Senior Ying Yue plotted violence against me, and struck a deal with a demonic cultivator named Sheng Jing Wu. I managed to save myself, with the help of my spirit beast, after they summoned a Fire Drake in an attempt to kill me."
The crowd raged as Li Meirong finished her speech. A Fire Drake was no simple beast; they were considered high-ranked, intelligent spirits, and were capable of mass destruction.
"Who's going to believe this crap?" one of the attending disciples snorted behind Li Meirong.
"Do you think we're all as clueless as you are?" Another disciple scoffed. "For a cultivator to take down a Fire Drake, even with the assistance of a spirit beast familiar, they would at least need to be in the early stages of Core Formation! You don't even have the ability to cultivate! What would you know?"
The disciple's nasty words brought a chatter of responses of general agreement.
"That's right, that's right! You're such a vicious woman! You staying in our sect will pollute our noble reputation!"
"Who knows what she did to her Seniors? Turns out she's not only a slut, but a scheming murderer!"
"Captain Liang was right: we should have expelled her years ago…"
Li Meirong sighed deeply. She refused to be affected by the idiotic chatter, but that was easier said than done.
"Silence!" Zhu Zhang's voice abruptly cut through the rabble, thundering mercilessly across the hall. "This is a trial, not a marketplace! Behave yourself accordingly."
He lifted his hand high, clenching it into a tight fist. A powerful surge of his oppressive aura, radiating outwards, knocked the breath out of the babbling attendees.
The Bestiary Division Grandmaster's stern expression halted all those who had jumped to share the accusation like a flock of sheep.
Grandmaster Zhu Zhang's obsidian eyes locked onto the audience, the final action needed to take to bring order back to the hall. He leisurely went to take his designated seat, beside which sat a cup of warm tea on a low table.
He steadily lifted the cup to his lips, breathing in the fragrance. Finding the scent acceptable, he took a small sip and then continued the proceedings.
"Raise your head. Look at me," he said.
Flustered, and unwilling to witness the accusing stares she knew were waiting for her, Li Meirong hesitated. Zhu Zhang did not continue speaking until she looked up, although she avoided meeting his eyes.
"You claim a spirit beast assisted you, but all spirit beasts in the sect are accounted for. You are merely an outer sect disciple, and thus, have not been granted a spirit nor demonic beast companion. Who was it, then, that aided your battle against the drake?" asked Grandmaster Zhu Zhang.
Li Meirong focused only on the Grandmaster, but continued to avoid his eyes as she kept rubbing her wrists against the restraints. Her wrists were going raw, but she didn't dare give up.
Her mouth felt dry. She hadn't thought that after all those years of keeping Chou's existence a secret, it would come out now of all times.
The Grandmaster's condemning stare was enough for a confession to spill from her lips, though.
"I have a companion that I found in the Wild Lands years ago," she admitted, forcing herself not to stammer. "He's a plant spirit named Chou. When the Seniors summoned the Fire Drake, Chou grabbed them and hurled them into the drake's mouth, causing the explosion."
Another collective murmur sounded among the crowd. Even the ever-composed Captain Liang widened her eyes in surprise.
For a cultivator to make a contract with a spirit beast, or a plant spirit, they must have at least some basic knowledge of cultivation. Otherwise, why would the spirit bother to make the contract to begin with?
Additionally, the stronger the cultivator's foundation, the higher the level of the spirit they would be able to contract with.
For a plant spirit to have sufficient power to battle against a Fire Drake was unheard of. Not only would the plant spirit need to be of superior rank, but it would be fighting against a spirit of the fire element. Plants were known to be notoriously weak against fire.
As for Li Meirong, she had only the average spiritual roots, the most basic of foundations and absolutely no practise in cultivation. And apparently, she was contracted with a plant spirit that had won against a Fire Drake?
The story sounded less credible the more Li Meirong spoke!