The entire place fell silent.
Apart from the sound of everyone's breathing, no one spoke.
All eyes were fixed on the lingering sword radiance, filled with shock and disbelief, like petrified statues.
After a long while, the sword radiance slowly dissipated.
Heaven and earth returned to their original appearance.
The stars continued to twinkle, and the night remained deep.
However, the mood of everyone present could no longer return to normal.
At this moment, not a single person questioned the authenticity of this treasure sword anymore!
This was the Youxi Precious Sword!
This was the sword of the God of Slaughter, Bai Qi!
Only the sword of someone like Bai Qi could condense such powerful killing intent and form such terrifying sword radiance!
"The Youxi Precious Sword reappears in the human world!"
Someone impatiently took out their phone and posted these eight characters on their social media.
Elder Dong, who had vehemently accused Professor Li of forgery just moments before, was now speechless.
He couldn't utter a single word.
His face was filled with shock and dejection, as if he had aged ten years.
His eyes were fixed on the Youxi Precious Sword, unmoving.
After an unknown amount of time, Elder Dong suddenly let out a "thump" and collapsed to the ground!
A surge of frustration blocked his chest, and he fainted.
Seeing this, the few people who had accompanied Elder Dong rushed to lift him.
Whether they were eager to save him or eager to escape this embarrassing place, they quickly left the tomb, started their car, and disappeared into the night.
"Teacher, we won! That scoundrel Dong lost!" Liang Yu cheered excitedly.
"Professor Li, thank you! Thank you for adding a significant cultural landmark to our Weihe City! Thank you for allowing me to take another step forward in my lifetime!"
The influential figure also bowed to Professor Li.
Others surrounded Professor Li, offering congratulations: "Congratulations, Professor Li, you stuck to your principles and sought the truth, creating a miracle!"
"I have a premonition that Professor Li's actions will cause a huge earthquake in the archaeology circles! The archaeology world is about to change!"
"Although Elder Dong fainted and did not apologize as promised, Professor Li, rest assured, we are all witnesses! If Elder Dong refuses to keep his word, we will stand up and testify for you!"
"Yes, yes, justice is in the hearts of the people! No one can deny it!"
Listening to the flattering words, Professor Li's expression was calm and unfazed.
Justice is in the hearts of the people?
After all he had been through, he no longer believed such naive notions!
The one who truly gave him justice was not the hearts of the people, but—
Ying Chen!
Without Ying Chen's support, no matter how right or justified he was, he would never have obtained justice!
"Thank you, Mr. Ying," Professor Li murmured, looking up at the starry sky.
...
Meanwhile, within the Shouyang Mountain villa.
Ying Chen suddenly opened his eyes as if sensing something.
He looked at the distant starry sky and said leisurely, "Sealed for two thousand years, finally reappearing in the human world!"
"It's a pity that even someone as powerful as the Lord of Wu'an used a sword that was not a true magical artifact, but merely an ordinary sharp blade."
"It only became imbued with a strong killing intent and gained some semblance of a magical artifact because it accompanied the Lord of Wu'an and saw countless battles."
"After the release of the sword radiance this time, the killing intent has dissipated, and it has returned to its original state."
"People always think that the weapons used by war gods like the Lord of Wu'an must be divine weapons. They don't realize that it's not the weapons in their hands that are powerful, but they themselves!"
After his感慨, Ying Chen no longer paid attention to Professor Li's side and re-entered his contemplation.
One night passed.
The next morning, bright and early.
Min Ziqiong, as if she had discovered a new continent, ran towards Ying Chen's room with her phone in hand.
"Mr. Ying, Mr. Ying!"
"Look, big news!"
"Professor Li is on the front page of the media!"
Creak.
The door opened, and Ying Chen appeared before Min Ziqiong.
Unable to stop herself, Min Ziqiong almost ran into Ying Chen's arms.
"Sorry, I was too anxious..." Min Ziqiong apologized.
Then she held out her phone screen.
"Professor Li discovered Bai Qi's tomb! The real Bai Qi's tomb!"
"It turns out the tomb excavated decades ago was fake! The one excavated by Professor Li is the real one!"
"Not only were Bai Qi's coffin, armor, and bronze and jade artifacts unearthed, but also Bai Qi's sword, the Youxi Precious Sword!"
"The sheer quantity and completeness of the unearthed cultural relics have astonished countless experts at home and abroad!"
Min Ziqiong spoke excitedly, non-stop.
However, Ying Chen seemed uninterested, or perhaps he had expected it, and remained indifferent throughout.
"It's been so many years since the Dragon Country's archaeology circle has had such inspiring news. Professor Li has truly brought honor to the archaeology circles and boosted the confidence of the nation."
"Even the highest-level newspaper in the Dragon Country has praised Professor Li as 'a pioneer among scholars, the light of archaeology'!"
Min Ziqiong spoke to herself.
The next second, she suddenly retracted her phone as if she remembered something.
"Right, I almost forgot about another big scoop!"
"I need to quickly see if that scoop is ready yet."
Listening to Min Ziqiong's words, Ying Chen frowned.
Why could he understand every word, but when put together, he didn't understand?
Or had technology advanced to the point where one could grow scoops on a phone?
A moment later, Ying Chen finally understood what Min Ziqiong meant by "big scoop."
It turned out to be gossip and revelations!
"It's ready, it's ready! The revelation is true, Elder Dong, a titan of the archaeology world, once obstructed Professor Li's excavation of Bai Qi's tomb! He even vowed that if Professor Li could truly find Bai Qi's tomb, he would publish an apology in the newspaper for Professor Li!"
"From last night until now, Elder Dong has been hiding in the hospital, playing dead, refusing to respond. Now that public opinion has blown up, he can't hide anymore. Coupled with the testimony of many who were present at the time, he has finally admitted it in person!"
"And in front of the media cameras, he has unprecedentedly admitted that Professor Li's academic level is far superior to his! He is prepared to abdicate and retire from the archaeology circles to enjoy his old age..."
Listening to Min Ziqiong's chirping, Ying Chen remained silent.
This Elder Dong was not stupid; he chose to admit the matter instead of stubbornly denying it.
In this way, although he would bear some criticism, he would more likely receive forgiveness and praise for "admitting his mistakes and retreating wisely."
Especially his act of abdication could win over many onlookers.
Since Professor Li would not be able to take his position, he gained goodwill for nothing and incurred no actual losses.
Truly cunning!
Of course, that was all he could do.
Professor Li's momentum was unstoppable. From now on, he would no longer be able to hinder Professor Li and could only watch as Professor Li gradually replaced his position and reputation in the circle!
"Alright, stop looking at these."
"We have guests."
At this moment, Ying Chen's eyes flashed, and he looked towards the villa gate.
Even though there was no one there, Ying Chen, as if he had foreknowledge, said with certainty.