Wu Kong's face turned ashen, his pride wounded. Gritting his teeth, he declared, "You'd best not be ungrateful. Following Ji Mo will only ruin your future. Only a renowned master like myself can teach according to aptitude and help you succeed."
"Ji Mo, what dark arts have you used on these poor students to make them so devoted to you?" Zhuang Changming accused sternly.
"Elder Zhu, we must ask you to uphold justice now," Cui Pei said respectfully, bowing to Zhu Chang.
They had often curried favor with Zhu Chang and were confident he would side with them.
Zhu Chang, who had remained silent, cast a meaningful glance at Ji Mo. He had expected this mortal to be easily dealt with, but he proved to be quite troublesome. He was also surprised, unable to understand why Lin Mengmeng and Wang Wenjian would rather follow Ji Mo than Wu Kong. This was highly unusual. However, he had already accepted a bribe from Wu Kong beforehand, so he knew who to favor.
"Ji Mo, as a mere mortal, do not cause further trouble. Hand over the students," Zhu Chang cleared his throat and, with an air of seniority, spoke in an irrefutable tone. In his opinion, once he spoke, this young man would be at his mercy.
Ji Mo glanced at Zhu Chang and said indifferently, "I have no objections. Let them decide for themselves."
Song Wei Qian found it somewhat strange, not expecting Ji Mo to be so agreeable. Logically, he should have strongly objected. After all, given Ji Mo's personality, he was not one to suffer losses.
Ji Mo's thoughts were actually quite simple: If you wish to leave, I will not stop you. If you choose to stay, I will treat you with sincerity. He would not force Lin Mengmeng and the other two to follow him, willing to abide by their wishes. Of course, if Wu Kong resorted to underhanded tactics to snatch them, he would not stand for it.
"Our original intention remains unchanged. We shall only pledge allegiance to Master Ji for this lifetime," Lin Mengmeng and the other two declared in unison, their stance unwavering.
This time, even Zhu Chang was at a loss. Having said all that, the three seemed resolute in recognizing only Ji Mo as their master.
"I am not convinced. I believe they are not acting of their own free will. I request a Heart-Questioning Trial for them," Wu Kong said with a contorted expression, unable to accept that the three would choose a mortal over him. What right did Ji Mo have?
Upon hearing this, everyone present showed surprise. The Heart-Questioning Trial, as the name suggested, was a test of the student's true heart, to ascertain their genuine thoughts and verify whom they trusted more as a teacher. This method could most directly test a student's trust in their teacher and whether they were willing to become their disciple. In academies, disputes over students were common, especially for outstanding talents, which often led to teachers vying for them. Therefore, for fairness and impartiality, the Heart-Questioning Trial was generally used to ascertain the students' true intentions, seeing whom they trusted more, and assigning them to that teacher.
However, this method was only applicable before a student had formally taken a master. Conducting a Heart-Questioning Trial after a student had already pledged allegiance to a teacher carried a completely different meaning. It was akin to telling a man, "The child your wife is carrying is not yours but mine," which was extremely insulting.
"Teacher Wu Kong, it is unnecessary," Song Wei Qian quickly interjected to dissuade him. If the Heart-Questioning Trial were to proceed, it would be equivalent to publicly humiliating Ji Mo. She knew Ji Mo's terrifying potential, possibly being in the Mortal Immortal Realm. If the results of the trial caused him embarrassment, the consequences could be unimaginable. If Ji Mo were to fly into a rage, the situation might become unmanageable.
"My decision is made. Ji Mo, do you dare to accept?" Wu Kong shouted.
"Why would I not dare?" Ji Mo had some understanding of the Heart-Questioning Trial. Since the other party was being so aggressive, he decided to play along.
"Since that is the case, I shall preside over this Heart-Questioning Trial. I believe everyone understands the rules. As this concerns the reputation and dignity of both parties, the losing side shall bear all consequences unconditionally," Zhu Chang reminded everyone.
He then retrieved two crystal balls, each the size of a human head, from his storage pouch. He extracted a wisp of Qi from Ji Mo and Wu Kong and injected it into each crystal ball. The crystal balls emitted a soft glow, displaying the visages of Ji Mo and Wu Kong respectively. Simultaneously, a vast spiritual energy emanated from them. These special crystal balls were single-use consumables, very rare and expensive, and the losing party would be responsible for the cost. Wu Kong believed that as a mere mortal, if Ji Mo lost, he would have to work as a beast of burden for his entire life to afford the cost. This was his deeper, insidious scheme to plunge Ji Mo into an abyss of no return.
The surface of each crystal ball was evenly distributed with one hundred light points. The more points that lit up during the test, the stronger the trust indicated. Based on past experience, students generally showed three to four points of trust towards their teachers. Those who viewed their teachers as parents could reach fifty to sixty points. If they shared honor and shared life and death, they could reach around ninety points. A perfect score of one hundred points had never been achieved. After all, humans possessed emotions and desires, and even the closest of loved ones could not achieve one hundred percent trust.
"Let's begin. Simply touch the crystal ball with your hand, and you will be guided by the spiritual energy within, revealing your true inner thoughts," Zhu Chang indicated that it was time to start.
Lin Mengmeng glanced at Ji Mo, offering a sweet smile. She stepped forward and placed her hands on both crystal balls. Her eyes slowly closed, her consciousness sinking into them.
"Ji Mo, the Heart-Questioning Trial cannot be faked. Although this girl spoke for you just now, she might secretly resent you to the bone. The teacher she desires in her heart must be me, and only me," Wu Kong laughed triumphantly, appearing utterly confident of victory. He could not fathom any reason for himself to lose.
Soon, the results were displayed. The crystal balls lit up with a dazzling array of points, blindingly bright.
"See? This is the weight I carry in this girl's heart," Wu Kong blurted out, assuming the lit points belonged to his crystal ball. A wave of incredulous gasps erupted from the surrounding crowd. He looked closely and nearly collapsed onto the ground.
Impossible, how could this be?
The two crystal balls presented completely opposite results, one like heaven and the other like earth. One crystal ball remained dim and lifeless, with no points lit, while the other had all one hundred points illuminated. The fully lit one belonged to Ji Mo, and the unlit one to Wu Kong. This indicated that Lin Mengmeng had one hundred percent trust in Ji Mo and harbored deep loathing for Wu Kong, not a shred of goodwill. This outcome surprised everyone and deeply shook their hearts. One hundred percent trust—this was an unprecedented phenomenon!