"You're not worthy!"
Buzz buzz buzz!
A much louder clamor than before instantly erupted, causing the crowd to express their surprise, mingled with varying degrees of schadenfreude.
Song Qilian's face darkened as he stood alone on the stage. He had already inquired carefully, knowing Xu Ziying seemed arrogant but wasn't overbearing, and handled matters with appropriate measures; Rong Zhi was famously gentle and kind.
To challenge publicly in this way - even if declined, it would typically be with polite refusal. Yet, the outcome was completely unexpected! Xu Ziying was brutally direct, stepping forward and straightforwardly crushing him.
And that wasn't all; Rong Zhi also stood up slowly and said, "To bully the weak and fish for fame under false pretenses, it's a shame to call yourself a Sword Cultivator, you really aren't worthy!"
...
This statement was even harsher. Song Qilian couldn't help but harden his gaze, his mind clearing up a bit.