The hall went dead silent after Jin Dan’s words. Every eye turned toward Elder Mo, whose face had lost all color. The proud grin he had worn earlier was now gone, replaced with panic.

  Wang Tian’s expression remained calm, but the cold pressure from his gaze made many in the hall lower their heads. Slowly, he rose from his seat, his movement quiet yet commanding.

  “Elder Mo,” Wang Tian said, his voice low but cutting like a blade, “can you explain what my man just said?”

  Elder Mo’s lips trembled. “T-That’s impossible,” he stammered, trying to hold his composure. “How could the Radiant Cloud Sect bring a defective pill as a gift? This man must be slandering our sect!”

  Jin Dan stepped forward, his expression calm and his tone firm. “I have no need to lie,” he said clearly. His voice carried quiet confidence.

  A faint pressure spread through the hall. It wasn’t strong enough to threaten anyone, but it was heavy enough that Elder Mo’s knees shook. Even Elder Shen and Elder Wu felt an invisible weight pressing on them. They looked again at the green-robed man with unease. Whoever he was, he was clearly someone they shouldn't offend.

  Wang Tian’s eyes narrowed. His tone was calm, but anger filled each word. “So this is the Radiant Cloud Sect’s sincerity? To bring a fake pill as a gift and pretend it’s real?”

  His voice was cold, and it echoed through the hall like thunder.

  Elder Shen quickly stepped forward and bowed. “Patriarch Wang, please calm down! This must be a misunderstanding. I’m sure Elder Mo didn’t mean—”

  “Didn’t mean to?” Wang Tian interrupted, his tone sharp. “You came here to break off a marriage, humiliated my clan before the city, and now you bring a defective pill as a so-called gift. Do you think my Wang Clan is blind or foolish?”

  His words struck heavily. The Wang Clan elders clenched their fists tightly, their anger barely contained.

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  Wang Tian then suddenly smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “Alright,” he said coldly, “let’s say it truly is a misunderstanding, and the pill is real. Then we shall test it now.”

  He paused, the silence before his next words thicker than stone.

  “Let Elder Mo take the pill himself. If it’s as genuine as you claim, then he’ll surely benefit from it.”

  Elder Mo’s face turned white with fear. His earlier arrogance vanished completely, replaced by panic. Everyone in the hall turned to look at him. His silence told them everything—they understood that what Wang Tian said was true.

  “Elder Mo,” Wang Tian continued, his tone calm but laced with sarcasm, “you’re also at the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm, are you not? Go on then. Take it. It will help you reach the next realm.”

  Elder Mo lowered his head in shame and fear. He wanted to protest but found no words. Under Wang Tian’s cold gaze, he couldn’t even raise his eyes.

  Elder Shen exhaled sharply and turned to glare at Mo Jin. “You’ve embarrassed us enough. Step back.”

  Mo Jin quickly stepped back, his face pale and full of regret. But everyone in the hall had already seen what happened. The humiliation of the Radiant Cloud Sect was now clear to all.

  Elder Shen turned again to Wang Tian and forced a bitter smile. “Patriarch Wang, I sincerely apologize on behalf of the Radiant Cloud Sect. This was Elder Mo’s mistake. Please forgive us for this matter.”

  He hesitated for a moment and continued in a smoother, seemingly polite tone, though his words carried a hidden edge. “As an apology, we can offer anything within our means—spirit pills, weapons, treasures—you name it. There’s no need to turn our two powers into enemies. It wouldn’t be wise for the Wang Clan to oppose the Radiant Cloud Sect.”

  Though Elder Shen’s tone sounded courteous, everyone in the hall could hear the threat behind his words.

  Especially, Elder Wu and Wu Ruolan’s expressions turned even gloomier. Their faces showed deep regret and helplessness. They realized that the situation had gone far beyond repair. What had once been a close friendship between their two families was now shattered completely.

  The air between the Wang and Wu clans had turned heavy with bitterness. Even if they wished to explain themselves or reconcile one day, it would no longer matter. The trust was broken, and the bond that had once been strong as steel now lay in pieces.

  Elder Wu lowered his head in silence, feeling as if the years of friendship between the clans had turned into dust before his eyes. Wu Ruolan’s heart also trembled; she wanted to speak but could not form the words.

  Everyone in the hall could clearly sense it—there would be no peace between the Wang and Wu families from this day onward.

  Wang Tian’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes turned colder, their depths reflecting quiet fury.