154: Chapter 154 Master, your Xuanyuan Sword looks like it was bought on Pinduoduo for 9.9 yuan with free shipping.

The air inside the gymnasium seemed to freeze.

Master Ye stared fixedly at the System panel in front of him that suggested he "surrender himself." Cold sweat trickled down his temples and dripped onto the floor. He couldn't understand it; he was clearly the chosen protagonist of destiny, so how could he be pushed into such a corner by a mere civil servant?

"I don't believe it! My fate is mine to control, not the heavens'!"

Master Ye suddenly let out a roar and snatched a shimmering golden longsword from the wide sleeve of his Hanfu. Intricate patterns were carved into the blade, reflecting a piercing light under the spotlights.

"Ignorant Mortal! How dare you provoke Divine Might!"

Master Ye gripped the sword with both hands, pointing the tip directly at Gu Changan, his face contorting into a hideous expression. "This is the ancient Divine Artifact, the xuanyuan sword! Once drawn, blood must be shed; it can slay both gods and demons! Gu Changan, since you seek death, this seat shall fulfill your wish!"

Seeing this, the believers below felt their wavering hearts leap again. That was the xuanyuan sword! The legendary sword of the Human Emperor! Could Great Master Ye really have been framed?

The Special Police immediately raised their riot shields, and the sounds of firearms being chambered rang out.

However, Gu Changan raised his hand, signaling the Special Police not to fire. He looked at the "Divine Artifact" in Master Ye's hand with an expressionless face, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, and then began to walk toward Master Ye at an unhurried pace.

"Don't come any closer! If you come any closer, I'll cast a spell!" Master Ye shouted with forced bravado, though his feet instinctively retreated.

Gu Changan turned a deaf ear and continued to close in, step by step.

"You're looking for death!" Seeing he had no way to retreat, Master Ye steeled his heart, let out a strange cry, and swung the "xuanyuan sword" down toward Gu Changan's head.

The strike was heavy and powerful, carrying Master Ye's desperate madness.

However, Gu Changan didn't even blink. At the exact moment the blade was about to touch his forehead, he extended two fingers like a bolt of lightning and steadily caught the blade between them.

Buzz—!

Master Ye felt as if he had struck a massive mountain. The shock numbed the webbing of his thumb; no matter how hard he pulled, the sword remained motionless, as if it were welded into Gu Changan's hand.

"This... how is this possible?" Master Ye's eyes nearly popped out of his head. This was something he had spent a lot of money on... granted, it was bought on Taobao, but it still cost over three hundred yuan! How could it be caught by two fingers?

"This is your Divine Artifact?"

Gu Changan gave a light chuckle and applied a slight pressure with his two fingers.

Crack.

A crisp sound of metal snapping echoed throughout the venue.

Under the gaze of thousands of eyes, the shimmering golden "xuanyuan sword" was snapped as easily as a biscuit. The break revealed a cross-section of low-quality, grayish-white zinc alloy, still showing unpolished burrs.

Clang.

Half of the blade fell to the ground with a dull thud. It didn't sound crisp at all; instead, it was filled with a sense of cheapness.

Gu Changan casually tossed the remaining half into a trash can and pulled out a wet wipe to clean his hands. "An unsharpened handicraft made of low-quality zinc alloy, plated with industrial gold paint. Taobao wholesale price is 9.9 yuan with free shipping, and it even comes with a free sword tassel."

A deathly silence fell over the entire venue.

Gu Changan looked coldly at the dumbfounded Master Ye. "Possession of a controlled weapon and attempting to assault a police officer with a weapon in a public place—that's an additional charge."

"No! This isn't fake! It's a matter of 'sincerity brings efficacy'!"

Master Ye completely broke down. He clutched his hair, defending himself hysterically. "You don't understand! This is quantum mechanics! When you believe it's a Divine Artifact, it collapses into a Divine Artifact! It's because your faith isn't pious enough that the divine sword has been tarnished!"

"Enough."

Gu Changan interrupted his nonsense. "Chen Xiao Bei, let him understand exactly why he's finished."

The image on the large screen switched again. This time, it was no longer medical reports, but dense pages of bank statements and consumption records.

"This is the flow of funds for the corporate account named 'Heavenly Mystery Pavilion' under Master Ye."

Gu Changan pointed at the screen and read them out one by one.

"May 1st, 3 million yuan received as 'Awakening Fees.' Expenditure: Fishy Live Streaming Platform, tipped female streamer 'Sweetie Slightly Chilly,' note: Wear black stockings tonight."

"May 3rd, 5 million yuan received as 'Divine Liquid Fees.' Expenditure: A mobile game top-up center, 648 yuan top-up x 1000 times, note: Must pull a max-constellation character."

"May 10th, 10 million yuan received. Expenditure: Lamborghini 4S dealership, car purchased in full."

"May 15th, expenditure: Donghai City Heaven on Earth Foot Massage Parlor, Supreme VIP annual card registration, service item: Emperor's Package."

As Gu Changan read the entries one by one, the faces of the believers who still held a sliver of hope for Master Ye turned paler and paler, then shifted to a dark green, and finally became as red as a pig's liver.

Particularly the elderly woman who had sold her house for the Awakening; looking at the record of "tipping a female streamer," her entire body trembled.

"My retirement money... my grandson's tuition... you took it to buy black stockings for some vixen?"

The elderly woman let out a shrill wail. Like an enraged lioness, she grabbed a water bottle from her side and hurled it at him.

"Scammer! Give me my money back!"

This roar instantly ignited the pent-up fury of the entire crowd.

"I ate salted vegetables for half a month and gave you all my wages, just for you to top up a game?"

"Beat him to death! Kill this bastard!"

Thousands of victims snapped out of their delusions. The shame of being fooled and the physical pain of financial loss intertwined, transforming into the most primitive violent impulse. They broke through the cordon and surged toward the high platform like a tide.

Master Ye's Soul was Flying Away and his Spirit was Scattering; he curled into a ball, clutching his head. "Don't hit me! Not the face! I have a divine body! I am... Ouch!"

A smelly shoe hit him squarely in the face, followed by a rain of punches and flying kicks.

"Director Gu, should we stop them?" the Special Police Captain asked from the side.

Gu Changan watched Master Ye being submerged by the crowd and slowly adjusted his cuffs. "No rush. Let him experience the 'vast ocean of people's warfare' first. Just don't let them kill him; after all, this is 470 million yuan of walking stolen goods."

It wasn't until Master Ye was beaten black and blue—to the point where even his own mother wouldn't recognize him—that Gu Changan finally waved his hand.

"Alright, pull them apart. Any more and it really will become a 'physical Ascension'."

The Special Police then stepped forward, struggling to drag the dog-like Master Ye out from the crowd.

Gu Changan walked up to Master Ye. By now, Master Ye's face was covered in blood, and his elegant Hanfu had been torn into rags, making him look more pathetic than a beggar.

"I... I have a System... I am the protagonist..." Master Ye was still muttering to himself, his eyes vacant.

Gu Changan crouched down and whispered in his ear, "This world does indeed have a protagonist, but unfortunately, that person isn't you. Also, just to inform you, your cheat has expired."

Gu Changan reached out and pressed his hand against Master Ye's brow.

[Detected illegal wild System 'Divine Rank Appraisal and Deception System'...]

[Executing stripping procedure...]

[Stripping successful.]

Master Ye's whole body jolted. He felt as if something had gone missing from his mind. That pleasure of having everything under control vanished instantly, replaced by an endless void and terror.