A few minutes later, Mu Chen made his way with the messenger towards the Elder Hall.

The Elder Hall was the place where the Patriarch held his meetings with the Council of Elders regarding the management or development of the family. It was not really a place for settling disputes. Because Mu Chen's appeal could only be resolved by the Patriarch, the Patriarch just had Mu Chen come to the Elder Hall.

The messenger led Mu Chen through the pathway to the hall. At its end was a huge double door.

The messenger first knocked on the door, to announce their arrival. Then he slightly opened one half of the double door. "Lord Patriarch! I've brought Mu Chen."

"Send him in!" A voice came over. It sounded as if the owner was bored.

The messenger held open the door and nodded at Mu Chen. Mu Chen took a deep breath and straightened his posture as he walked in. The door closed behind him.

The Elder Hall was very wide and spacious. It was horseshoe-shaped in design with a seat for each elder on the perimeter. Even the tables themselves were arranged in a similar shape.

There were several elders already present in the room. It looked like they had just finished their meeting and were just casually chatting with each other. However, the moment Mu Chen entered the room, they stopped chatting and looked at him with some interest.

Mu Chen stood at the center of the hall. Directly opposite the entrance was the seat of the head, also known as the Patriarch. The several elders sat in their respective seats surrounding him following the design of the hall.

"Greetings! Patriarch! Greetings! Elders!" Mu Chen first greeted Mu Xuefeng who was sitting in the chair directly opposite him, with a slight bow before greeting the rest of the elders.

"I was notified that you had an objection against the decision made by the Council?" Mu Xuefeng asked in a casual tone.

"Yes!" Mu Chen acknowledged. "I wasn't informed about the change in the schedule of the competition. So revoking my status because I failed to attend the internal competition, isn't justified."

Hearing Mu Chen, Mu Xuefeng didn't reply immediately, but simply looked at him.

"If I had been able to participate in the competition, I would have definitely been able to defend my position." Mu Chen continued.

Mu Xuefeng leaned back into his chair and sighed. "We both know that is not the real reason you are being—"

"The decision to withdraw my status is not in accordance with the rules, so I formally request the Patriarch to invalidate the decision made by the Council of Elders." Mu Chen continued as if he didn't hear what the Patriarch said.

"How outrageous! You dare to interrupt the Patriarch!' One of the elders couldn't help but say out loud in anger.

"This kid doesn't even respect his elders..."

"Yes, having him in the Mu Family will only bring shame…" Some of the other elders also nodded in agreement.

"Everyone, calm down. Mu Chen is obviously in a bad mood due to his expulsion from the Family. He has nowhere to vent. As elders, we have to be understanding…" Mu Xuefeng shook his head.

"The Patriarch is wise!" Although it looked as if a few elders were unconvinced, since the Patriarch himself didn't mind, nobody else pursued the matter and the room turned peaceful again.

Mu Xuefeng looked at Mu Chen once again. "As I was saying, you yourself are aware of the real reason behind your expulsion. Although according to the rules the decision is indeed a bit unfair, even if I agree to rescind it, it would be just delaying the inevitable. As the Patriarch, I have to maintain the reputation of the family. Having someone like you at a position you don't deserve, not only sets a poor example but also makes the members of the family question the integrity of the family. Leave now and you will be able to preserve what little dignity you have left. In addition, I will also compensate you for your cooperation."

"Dignity? Does the Mu Family even care about dignity?" Mu Chen questioned.

"Brat! Mind your tongue before I rip it off!" It was the same elder who had been annoyed at Mu Chen interrupting the Patriarch. Mu Chen felt the air surrounding him compress and an invisible pressure exerted on him making him uncomfortable.

"Elder Jun!" Mu Xuefeng raised his hand and the pressure surrounding Mu Chen immediately vanished.

"Mu Chen, you should stop making things difficult for the Family." Mu Xufeng persuaded.

"I am making things difficult for the Family?" Mu Chen sneered and almost burst out laughing. "I should be one asking this question! Why is the Family making things difficult for me?"

Mu Chen's words immediately caused an uproar. Even those elders who had been just observing the situation passively frowned.

Mu Xuefeng raised his hand again to calm the elders, not letting them take any action.

"What are you trying to say?" Mu Xuefeng asked Mu Chen.

"Do you know why I couldn't make it to the tournament?" Mu Chen said.

Mu Xuefeng narrowed his eyes. Obviously, he was irked by Mu Chen's attitude, but he was still patient and asked. Because he had noticed that faint anger that was behind Mu Chen's seemingly calm visage, his voice was somewhat somber. "Why?"

"Because, a few days ago, when I was on my way back, I was assassinated." Mu Chen paused. "Moreover, the one who assassinated me was a cultivator."

The room became incredibly quiet. Then all of a sudden.

"Hahaha! Are you kidding? A cultivator assassinated you? Which cultivator would bother to assassinate someone like you?!" It was Elder Jun who had lambasted.

Other elders also felt Mu Chen was just making up a story to portray himself as the victim, in order to gain their sympathy.

Mu Chen didn't speak. Instead, he took out the token that had been found in the ring, and showed it to Mu Xuefeng. "A few miles away in the direction of the Falling Stones City, you can find the dead body of the assassin. This token was found on his body." Mu Chen shrugged.

Mu Xuefeng stared at the token that was in Mu Chen's hands. Seeing it he didn't have any doubts about what Mu Chen had claimed, because his next question was, "How did you survive?"

"Zhou Mei saved me. If not for her, I would have already been dead." Mu Chen said as he received the token back. "She managed to catch the assassin off-guard and kill him in a single strike."

Mu Xuefeng called an attendant and gave him some instructions. The attendant soon left. Although Mu Chen had a token he got from the assassin, they would still confirm it themselves. But Mu Chen was prepared for this, before they recovered the body, Zhou Mei would erase any evidence that would expose him as the one who killed the assassin.

"Is there anything else you would like to add?" Mu Xuefeng probed. Since the assassin was dead, the trace was lost. Although Mu Chen reporting the incident was expected, Mu Chen seemed to be insinuating at a certain possibility.

Mu Chen instead looked at Elder Jun. "Elder Jun. Don't you find it unbelievable that someone would hire an assassin to kill me? You are not the only one who thinks so. I too find it hard to believe."

Mu Chen looked at Mu Xuefeng, and said slowly, "I've had a few rivals within the younger generation. But I don't have any life or death enmity with any of them. Especially after I lost my ability to cultivate. For outsiders, there is even less of a reason to assassinate me..."

Although Mu Chen didn't directly say, the meaning was clear. Mu Chen hadn't even finished speaking when he suddenly felt as if the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees.

"It's not just that-I've always suspected that the bandit attack that I've encountered over a year ago was not an accident. Someone wanted to kill me back then, but fortunately I survived, even though I lost my ability to cultivate. But now, someone wants to kill me again. And that someone is from Mu Family." Mu Chen declared.

"Mu Chen! Do you know what you are saying?! The Mu Family glorifies its pride and dignity over everything else! How dare you even say something like this? That's blasphemy!" One of the elders stood up from his seat as he interrupted Mu Chen. Many of the elders also nodded their heads to indicate their disapproval. They too believed that Mu Chen's conjecture was ridiculous. Only a few elders seemed to take Mu Chen's words seriously.

"The Mu Family advocates its pride and dignity. Then why is that someone from the Family is trying to get me killed?" Mu Chen roared in anger.

The room became noisy once again, due to Mu Chen's explosive statement. But Mu Chen ignored the chatter and stared at the Patriarch who had been quiet and deep in thought.

"Do you have any proof that it was someone from our Family that orchestrated both attempts?" Finally, Mu Xuefeng asked. The moment he began to speak, the room became silent.

"I don't." Mu Chen admitted.

"Do you suspect anyone?" Mu Xuefeng asked.

"I don't." Mu Chen said after hesitating for a bit. If he really said the name of the person he had in mind without any evidence, he might instead lose all credibility.

"So you don't have any evidence, nor do you have any suspects. So all of this...is just your speculation?" Mu Xuefeng inquired.

"Are you going to ignore it, just because it's a speculation?" Mu Chen asked.

"I didn't mean that." Mu Xuefeng said as he waved his hand. "However, without any proof, such an accusation would be unreasonable. And because you don't even have any suspects, it's not easy to investigate."

"I don't have any evidence, but I have a lead." Mu Chen finally said. He decided to make a bet on his guess.

"Oh?" Mu Xuefeng became interested and leaned forward. "Why didn't you say so first? What is it?"

"A person!" Mu Chen said.

"A person? You mean a witness?" Mu Xufeng asked.

"Not a witness, more of an accomplice." Mu Chen shook his head. "He is also from our Family, so I want him to undergo the Trial of Truth."

Mu Xufeng fell silent. Even the elders became silent after what Mu Chen had said.

"The Trial of Truth has very detrimental and serious consequences that may persist for a lifetime. So it can not be conducted on a whim. Your request is unreasonable." Mu Xuefeng finally said.

The Trial of Truth, as the name implied, was a technique that could force the victim to speak the truth. However, it was a very invasive technique and could damage the victim's mind and spirit, affecting their future cultivation. As such, it was usually used on people who had already been confirmed as criminals, to force out one final confession. It was rarely used as the primary method to acquire evidence.

"Serious consequences? Could they be any worse than what happened to me?" Mu Chen insisted, causing everyone to frown. "That person is not even talented, so it's not like the Family would damage the potential of a genius."

"Even if you say that, it is unfair to the person in question." One of the elders said.

Damn! These old fogies! Mu Chen couldn't help but curse. They were such a stickler for the rules. He both liked and hated this aspect.

"If I am wrong, I will be willing to compensate with my life." Mu Chen gritted his teeth and decided to go all in. This might be his only opportunity.

"Bet your life?! That's bold!" One of the elders said.

"Youngsters these days! They don't know how to cherish their lives. They are in such a haste to bet their own lives..." Another elder lamented.

"Maybe he is really confident?" Another elder suggested.

"Who cares? It's his life, he can do what he wants."

"..."

Hearing Mu Chen's gamble, the room had become noisy once again as the elders began to discuss among themselves.

Some elders were still against resorting to using such a technique. Others felt moved by Mu Chen's boldness and confidence. Moreover, if Mu Chen was right and if things had indeed happened like he had said, it was of paramount importance to find the culprit.

Finally, Mu Xuefeng raised his hand and the room slowly became silent.

"Mu Chen. Since you are willing to go so far as to stake your life, we will consider your request seriously." Mu Xuefeng said. "Everyone please make a vote. Those in agreement with Mu Chen's request, please raise your hand!"

Out of the thirteen elders, six of them raised their hands for a while, before lowering it down.

"Those that are against Mu Chen's request, please raise your hand!" Mu Xuefeng said once again.

Five of the remaining elders raised their hand. Two of the elders had decided to remain neutral.

"Six against five, with two neutral. The council has approved Mu Chen's request to conduct the Trial of Truth against…" Mu Xuefeng looked at Mu Chen. In order to prevent bias, they hadn't asked the identity of the person.

"That person is Mu..." For a while, Mu Chen was tempted to take another name, but gave up. It would instead backfire on him. "...Yukong!"

"Bring Mu Yukong to the Elder Hall!"