Heiress Unmasked: Shaking the World With Geomancy novel Chapter 1170

With recognition from Shannon's team, Baxter acknowledged Team Demon's contribution to the round.

Then, he turned back to Shannon and asked, "Do you think your team has fulfilled the requirements of this round?

"Though you uncovered the evil spirit's lingering attachment and dispelled its malevolent energy, you should understand that the most direct way to do that is to annihilate the evil spirit."

Once the evil spirit was gone, so was its lingering attachment. The fact that Shannon had asked during the briefing suggested she understood the requirements.

Team Seastone felt uncertain now that Baxter asked. As he'd pointed out, dispelling the malevolent energy didn't mean the lingering resentment was resolved.

Only if Callum entered the Pool of Evil now, endured its trials, and completed his reincarnation, that would signify the complete resolve of his lingering attachment.

Their team turned anxiously to Shannon, who remained calm and replied, "If all man-eating evil spirits are meant to be annihilated, why did the school include investigating the lingering attachment as part of the contest?"

Without waiting for a reply, she continued, "Because we all understand that not all evil spirits willingly become what they are, and not all of them deserve annihilation."

If an evil spirit's lingering attachment stemmed from pure malice, she wouldn't hesitate to eliminate it.

But in Callum's case, he'd died holding despair toward the world. His transformation into an evil spirit was further exacerbated by witnessing his dismemberment.

Just like what she'd told Myah, there were death penalties and life imprisonment in the human law. To her, Callum's circumstances didn't warrant death unless it was his choice.

Baxter showed no disapproval after hearing her explanation. Instead, he seemed unsurprised. "You're right."

He turned toward everyone and continued, "That's the purpose of the second round. As mystic masters, we must take the annihilation of evil spirits as our duty, but we must avoid blind zealotry. Killing every evil spirit is not the right thing to do.

"Our actions should follow the laws, but beyond that, we must understand karma and judge what malice is. This is a part of cultivating your spiritual heart."