"Is the Spirit Hall really that important?"
Liu Erlong, still in Slaughter City, felt a bit taken aback by Lin Yu's words. Although she found it hard to believe, memories surfaced from when she first became a Spirit Master. At the time, she was still young and not very powerful, and her livelihood had indeed largely relied on the Spirit Hall's stipends for Spirit Masters.
It seemed… maybe the Spirit Hall was friendly to civilian Spirit Masters. She didn't want to admit it, but seeing Jiang Nan-nan's situation in the live stream, Liu Erlong had to concede that with her talent, had Jiang Nan-nan been born into the current era and received the Spirit Hall's support, she would never have been driven to sell herself to save her mother.
Could it be that the Spirit Hall wasn't as bad as she'd thought?
A wave of mixed emotions hit her, and she wasn't alone. Many civilian Spirit Masters watching the live stream, some who'd held grudges against the Spirit Hall for various reasons, started to reconsider their assumptions.
Even Flender, who had long believed the Spirit Hall was no good, was suddenly silent. He too had come from humble beginnings and initially felt some gratitude toward the Spirit Hall, which had enabled him to become a Spirit Master through free Spirit awakenings for the public. Any Spirit Master with a conscience ought to appreciate such generosity.
But over the years, influenced by his friend Yu Xiaogang and later by Zhao Wuji's endless criticism, Flender's view of the Spirit Hall had grown darker. However, Zhao Wuji had never explained that his grudge against the Spirit Hall stemmed from their pursuit of him due to his violent temper, which had endangered civilians during past battles.
Having lived with the belief that the Spirit Hall was oppressive, Flender couldn't deny that their public assistance was invaluable, especially after seeing Jiang Nan-nan's tragic circumstances. In a world without the Spirit Hall, there would be no stipends, and ordinary people wouldn't even have free access to Spirit awakenings.
After seeing the livestream, Flender could no longer ignore the Spirit Hall's contribution. "Xiaogang," he thought, "could it be that you're just a hypocrite?"
In the live stream, he also reflected on Yu Xiaogang's betrayal of Bibi Dong, manipulating her emotions in the past to gain information on Spirit evolution. Flender grew increasingly unsettled. If Yu Xiaogang truly was that deceitful, then his third sister, Liu Erlong, was likely deceived by her feelings for him.
[Lin Yu: That's all I have to say. While the Spirit Hall has its flaws, as you can see from this livestream, they've done much for the continent.]
[And frankly, if someone like that conniving Tang San were to destroy the Spirit Hall, then the future would be bleak. Civilian Spirit Masters would suffer fates similar to Jiang Nan-nan's.]
With one final jab at Tang San, Lin Yu went silent.
Is he defending the Spirit Hall?
In the live stream, Bibi Dong couldn't help but feel a bit strange. However, she reasoned that Lin Yu's comments were likely more a reflection of his disdain for Tang San and Yu Xiaogang than any real support for the Spirit Hall.
Where was Tang San anyway? Ever since he entered Slaughter City, he hadn't spoken once, leaving Lin Yu's criticisms unanswered.
As Lin Yu's words resonated, the livestream fell into silence. Finally, blood-red text floated in front of everyone.
Simultaneously, a chilling voice echoed around them:
[Ding! This live stream and Q&A session have now ended. The livestream room will close in three minutes. Please feel free to exit as you wish.]
[The next livestream will occur in six months.]
What? Another six months until the next live stream?
Everyone froze, filled with both frustration and disappointment at the long wait.
Leaving with lingering thoughts from the live stream and hopeful anticipation for the next one, people started to exit the room, including Tang San and his companions in Slaughter City.
"Tang San, don't take this livestream too personally. Considering your history with the Spirit Hall, it's only natural for you to want its downfall. No one can blame you for that," Yu Xiaogang reassured him. "As for Jiang Nan-nan, she only ended up that way because her talent wasn't sufficient. If she'd been valuable enough, Shrek Academy would have helped her mother without a doubt."
Tang San nodded, unaffected by Lin Yu's words. "I understand, teacher. Don't worry—Lin Yu's comments don't bother me."
As a disciple of the Tang Sect in his previous life, he hadn't concerned himself with notions of heroism or public duty. Tang Sect people had always walked a fine line between right and wrong, doing as they pleased.
What others thought of him? Tang San couldn't care less.
Beside him, Liu Erlong's face grew sour upon hearing Yu Xiaogang's words.
Note: If you are interested, read up to chapter 380 at patreon.com/MythMosaic.