“There’s no way this is fake. Didn’t you see the entire Disciplinary Department show up? I’ve never seen anyone get taken away by them and come out unscathed!” Amidst this discussion, quite a few people ran out, following behind, wanting to witness the whole process. After all, because of Brian Brooks’s special admission status, this incident had a huge impact.

It wasn’t just the Department of Armaments paying attention anymore—students from other departments, upon hearing that Brian Brooks had been taken away, also began to pay close attention.

Ignoring the crowd trailing behind him, Brian Brooks walked forward with an unprecedented calmness, following the two Disciplinary Department seniors straight toward the peak of the Armaments Department.

The two seniors walking ahead sneered inwardly. Over the past few years, they had escorted away quite a few people. There had been others as tough as Brian Brooks, but in their eyes, if Brian Brooks could come out later still acting like this, then he’d truly be something extraordinary.

The journey was silent, except for the fact that the number of people following behind kept growing. It wasn’t until they reached the grand hall at the mountaintop that the two Disciplinary Department seniors finally stopped, stepped aside, and signaled for Brian Brooks to enter on his own.

Staring at the closed doors of the grand hall, Brian Brooks took a deep breath. It was impossible not to be nervous, but he understood that he had to get through this ordeal. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward, pushed open the doors, and walked in.

The moment he entered the hall, Brian Brooks immediately sensed dozens of gazes falling upon him. In front of him, dozens of teachers sat in the hall—some middle-aged, some elderly—all with solemn expressions, and some even looked regretful.

Among them were Dr. Carter and Goatee. Compared to Dr. Carter’s calmness, Goatee’s expression was more complicated, tinged with reluctance.

Seated at the center, clearly presiding over this investigation, was a thin, middle-aged man. He wore a black Daoist robe, his eyes sharp, lips thin, and his entire being exuded a chilling aura, making the temperature in the hall seem noticeably lower than outside.

Not all of these people were teachers from the Armaments Department. It was only because Brian Brooks was a special admit of the Armaments Department that the investigation into his cheating was being held here.

“Brian Brooks!” As soon as Brian Brooks entered, the black-robed supervisor spoke in an icy tone.

“Disciple present!” Brian Brooks took a deep breath, stepped forward, cupped his fists, and replied in a deep voice.

“Upon investigation, you did indeed commit serious and egregious cheating during the division assessment. According to academy regulations, you should be immediately expelled. However, since you are a special admit, you have been summoned here to attend this hearing!” The black-robed man finished speaking without giving Brian Brooks any chance to explain, turning instead to address the others present.

“Fellow colleagues, we may now begin. As for Brian Brooks’s punishment, my personal recommendation is to revoke his special admission status, expel him from the academy, and notify the Four Great Dao Academies to never admit him again!” His words were resolute and icy, echoing through the hall. Brian Brooks’s expression changed—he thought to himself that this was their first meeting, with no prior grievances, yet this was far too ruthless, as if determined to destroy his future.

After a brief silence in the hall, a teacher spoke coldly.

“He should indeed be expelled. Such despicable and shameless conduct is unworthy of the Dao Academy!”

“That’s right, I also recommend expulsion!”

“Though the punishment is harsh, if we don’t deal with this severely, allowing such behavior to go unchecked would be irresponsible to the Federation!” One after another, teachers voiced their opinions. To them, Brian Brooks was just an insignificant figure. Since the black-robed supervisor had already set the tone, there was no need for them to object.

Listening to the teachers’ words, Brian Brooks breathed slowly and stood motionless, as if in a daze, though his hands were clenched tightly, until Goatee finally let out a sigh.

“Just revoke his special admission. Who among us is without fault? There’s no need for such a harsh punishment.”

But Goatee’s suggestion found no support. Soon, as more teachers spoke up, the call for expulsion became the dominant voice in the hall.

Only Dr. Carter remained silent, and the black-robed man didn’t seem to seek his opinion either. At this moment, he stood up, about to announce the verdict, when suddenly Brian Brooks looked up sharply, his eyes filled with grief and indignation.

“Respected teachers, may I have a chance to speak?”

The black-robed man frowned. The reason he was being so ruthless was because he had originally planned to recommend someone else to the Armaments Department as a special admit, but before he could act, Brian Brooks had taken the spot. Now, he snorted coldly, about to ignore the request, when Dr. Carter suddenly spoke.

“Let’s hear what he has to say.”

With Dr. Carter’s intervention, the black-robed man could only acquiesce and looked toward Brian Brooks.

“Respected teachers, I did indeed know that everything in the assessment was fake, but what could I do?” Brian Brooks took a deep breath, his body trembling.

“Was I supposed to tell all the students that this so-called assessment was actually fake? Could I do that?!” The last sentence was almost a shout.

Before the teachers could rebuke him, swept up in his emotions, Brian Brooks seemed almost frenzied.

“If I told them, the academy’s entire assessment plan would be ruined. At that point, I’d become the academy’s scapegoat. You tell me—what was I supposed to do?!”