Chapter 6 · The Gatekeeper's Gambit - Chapter 6: A Win on Borrowed Time

Mo Han didn't have time to catch his breath before Wei Tiegu's voice cut through the crowd like a blade through silk.

"You orchestrated this entire spectacle." Wei stood at the center of the trial platform, one hand still gripping Yun Sheng's shoulder. Blood dripped from her nose, slow and dark. "Tampering with trial formations is grounds for immediate dismissal. And execution, if the Tower Council decides you've endangered disciples."

The other Keepers were already moving into position around the platform's edge. Mo Han counted five of them, all wearing the silver-trimmed robes that marked them as Wei's faction. He could smell the charged spiritual energy in the air, sharp and metallic, like a storm about to break. His own core still ached from whatever the hell that door had done to him, and his legs wanted to fold, but he locked his knees and kept his face blank.

"Tampering?" Mo Han kept his voice level and bored, like Wei had just accused him of miscounting paperwork. "I invoked Statute Forty-Seven, subsection three. Any Keeper may request an emergency adjudication if a disciple's life is at immediate risk during active trial proceedings.