Although Shen Cuiyu had long had a hunch that all of Liu Ruyan's abnormalities in both past and present lives must be related to stealing her spiritual power, she had never been able to figure out the exact mechanism.
How on earth did Liu Ruyan steal her spiritual power?
Now, after Shen Cuiyu voluntarily dissipated her own spiritual power, Liu Ruyan was unexpectedly unable to perform the rain - praying spell!
Shen Cuiyu understood clearly that the truth was as clear as a mirror before her eyes.
In both past and present lives, Liu Ruyan had somehow managed to perfectly replicate her spiritual power through some unknown method!
What was even more hateful was that the spiritual power Liu Ruyan obtained through this method was always a bit higher than Shen Cuiyu's own.
It was precisely this extra bit of spiritual power that allowed Liu Ruyan to always be one step ahead in revealing the truth of metaphysical events.
However, since Liu Ruyan herself had no foundation in cultivation, to those with cultivation skills, there was naturally no spiritual power on her.
Liu Ruyan then lied that she was the reincarnation of the Mysterious Goddess, packaging the fact that she had no spiritual power as a special constitution that had not yet awakened...
Thinking of this, Shen Cuiyu suddenly felt a chill rising in her heart.
Liu Ruyan was like a blood - sucking leech, firmly tied to her cultivation. When Shen Cuiyu advanced, she advanced; when Shen Cuiyu declined, she declined.
This was just like the academy's assessment. A mediocre student could always score exactly one point higher than the genius every time. There was only one reason for this: cheating.
If one wanted to expose such a trick on the spot, there were two ways: either hand in a blank paper and get a zero score, or get a full score.
If the genius got a zero score, all would suffer together, and the mediocre student would surely be exposed.
If the genius got a full score, since the mediocre student would always score one point higher than the genius, on a 100 - point paper, they would score 101 points. It would be obvious at a glance who was cheating.
However, the cultivation of spiritual power was boundless, and there was hardly ever a full - score situation. Therefore, Shen Cuiyu resolutely chose the most extreme and effective move—going back to zero on the spot.
The result was exactly as she had guessed.
"Liu Ruyan," Shen Cuiyu wordlessly stared at the disheveled figure on the altar from the crowd. A cold smile played on her lips as she clearly mouthed the words, "Stolen things always have to be returned."
Liu Ruyan caught sight of Shen Cuiyu's expression. She was stunned at first, and then her eyes almost popped out of their sockets in rage!
What did Shen Cuiyu mean... Had she actually guessed the truth of the matter?!!
How could she, of all people, have managed to do this?!!
Liu Ruyan was both shocked and terrified. She even wanted to rush off the stage to confront Shen Cuiyu, but as soon as she moved, the imperial guards standing on both sides of the altar instantly drew their swords and stood guard. The cold glint of the blades forced Liu Ruyan back half a step, not allowing her to leave the altar!
For a moment, the scene was extremely quiet. Everyone was waiting for the emperor and the empress to react!
The grand ceremony that the palace had carefully prepared for months was about to be ruined in full view of everyone. Emperor Suren looked down condescendingly at this messy farce. His voice was calm but carried a bone - chilling coldness as it clearly reached the ears of everyone present:
"Is this the so - called reincarnation of the Mysterious Goddess that the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Myriad Phenomena Academy strongly recommended to me?"
"Is this the auspicious sign that can bless our Great Xia and communicate with heaven and earth?"
"What a disgrace!!"
Every word was like an ice pick, hitting the hearts of everyone related to Liu Ruyan.
The chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial had already turned ashen. Hearing the emperor's words, he suddenly shivered and fell to his knees with a thud, banging his forehead hard on the cold stone floor: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Please calm your anger! It was truly this servant's oversight and incompetence in handling this matter! But, but this Liu Ruyan is really sly and vicious! During the previous selection, she somehow used some kind of sorcery and truly showed extraordinary signs in full view of everyone. This servant... this servant was deceived and thought it was a blessing from heaven upon Great Xia! This servant is absolutely loyal. Please, Your Majesty, see my loyalty clearly!"
Tears streaming down his face, he completely distanced himself from the matter, shifting all the blame onto the figure slumped in the middle of the altar.
Liu Ruyan's knees gave way, and she could no longer support herself. She collapsed to the ground!
She looked at the kowtowing eunuch in disbelief, and was terrified by the brief flash of cruelty and determination in his eyes!
When he had accepted countless gold and silver treasures from her Liu family back then, he had been so confident... But now, he actually...
Meanwhile, the disciples of the Myriad Phenomena Academy who had originally admired Liu Ruyan all looked as if they had eaten a fly.
"So, it turns out that Liu Ruyan is not the reincarnation of the Mysterious Goddess at all. She has been using this gimmick to deceive us?!"
"No wonder she always just talked but never took action in the previous tasks. I thought it was because Liu Ruyan was so highly - skilled that she disdained to take on the junior tasks. It turns out she simply didn't know how and was just waiting to reap the rewards..."
The disciple who had just been loudly saying that he took Liu Ruyan as an example was now extremely regretful. He was constantly spitting on the ground and muttering, "All the gods above, what I just said doesn't count..."
The empress, who had been sitting upright on the phoenix throne with a solemn expression, slowly stood up.
Her phoenix eyes were full of authority, and her gaze was like a cold blade as it swept across the shivering Liu Ruyan slumped on the ground. Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable determination that resounded throughout the venue: "Miss Liu." Just these three words had completely stripped away the title of "reincarnation of the Mysterious Goddess". "You have falsely claimed the power of heaven, deceived the emperor, and almost ruined the fortune of our Great Xia. You have defiled the sacred place of the heaven - worshiping ceremony. Your crimes are unforgivable!"
She slightly tilted her head and said sharply to the court lady standing beside her:
"Strip her of the priestly robes and remove her jade crown! Such a sinful woman is not worthy of standing on the altar, let alone enjoying this glory!"
Two agile court ladies immediately stepped forward and mercilessly grabbed Liu Ruyan from the ground, one on each side.
Amidst Liu Ruyan's desperate sobs and struggles, the elaborate priestly robes that symbolized supreme glory were roughly stripped off, and the delicate jade crown in her hair was removed and heavily thrown onto the cold stone floor, making a crisp sound of shattering!
At this moment, Liu Ruyan was only wearing a plain white undergarment. Her long hair was in disarray, and her makeup was a mess. The aura of the goddess from before had completely shattered, leaving only a guilty person as pale as death and shaking like a leaf.
"Arrest this impostor and hand her over to the Supreme Court for strict interrogation!" The empress's cold voice drove in the last nail.
The guards roared in agreement and stepped forward to take her away.
It was precisely at this desperate moment when the punishment had been decided, everyone was in a panic, and the ceremony was almost irreparable that Ren Daoyuan, the dean of the Myriad Phenomena Academy, finally concealed the gloomy look on his face, straightened his clothes, and strode forward in the oppressive silence.
Liu Ruyan had caused this catastrophic disaster. According to the law, she deserved to be executed. Although she deserved her punishment, she was still a disciple of the Myriad Phenomena Academy. As the dean, it was his responsibility and his way to protect every student under his care.
He walked steadily to the middle of the altar, calmly bypassed the ashen - faced Liu Ruyan without even looking at her.
He then pinched a Taoist hand - seal, his eyes shining with divine light, and recited an ancient and solemn incantation. His voice was not loud, but it was clear and sonorous, as if it carried a strange rhythm that reached straight to the sky. Then, he waved his robe sleeve and loudly proclaimed, his voice echoing far and wide:
"Please, the heavens, send down the sweet rain to bless our Great Xia with good weather, peace, and a long - lasting national fortune—!"
As soon as his voice fell, strange phenomena suddenly occurred!
The originally cloudless blue sky instantly darkened! Wisps of inky - black cloud energy rushed in from all directions, like a mighty army gathering. It quickly enveloped the entire area above the altar, and the light dimmed.