The two "tortures" struck together.
In just a short while, the white-robed scholar's soul had grown at least 50% weaker than before. The pain on his face also became increasingly intense.
What surprised Wei Tu, however, was that even at this point, the white-robed scholar still refused to give in. It seemed like he had already accepted the worst outcome—complete soul annihilation.
'This guy's temperament is nothing like Bai Zhi. He might really be set on dying,' Wei Tu thought to himself.
In the cultivation world, cultivators came in all kinds. There was no single mold.
Cowards like Bai Zhi, who would rather live in humiliation than die, weren't uncommon. But that didn't mean every cultivator was like him—willing to endure servitude just to survive.
"Fellow Daoist Zhu, you've cultivated to this point. Who knows how many years you've lived. Are you really willing to die here and throw away any chance at rebirth?"
Since threats didn't work, Wei Tu smoothly changed tactics and used persuasion instead. He let out a few hearty laughs, acting like he meant no harm, and tried to sway the white-robed scholar with tempting words.
First, he proposed changing the "master-servant soul contract" to an "equal soul contract."
Second, he promised that once he reached the white-robed scholar's former cultivation realm, he would set him free.
And, he even offered to help find him a better host body than Sun Chixin—someone with far greater potential.
Wei Tu wasn't backing down because he desperately needed this scholar.
It was because he had already experienced firsthand how helpful Bai Zhi was during the Golden Core stage. So now, at the Nascent Soul stage, he certainly wouldn't give up the chance to gain another assistant of that level.
"Set me free?" The white-robed scholar sneered. Wei Tu's smiley face meant nothing to him.
He didn't believe that Wei Tu could reach his previous cultivation level before his own remaining lifespan ran out.
And even if Wei Tu somehow did reach it, by then he'd probably only have a few years left to live anyway.
So, instead of suffering through humiliating servitude with no hope of freedom, he'd rather have his soul scattered and be done with it.
But just then—
When he heard Wei Tu's next sentence, the resolve in his heart wavered a little.
"What? You're not even 400 years old? A Nascent Soul cultivator under 400?"
The white-robed scholar blurted out in shock.
He had met plenty of so-called geniuses in his life. But a Nascent Soul cultivator under 400 years old? That was almost unheard of.
After all, for ordinary cultivators, it usually took at least 100 years of effort to get through Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core.
Especially the Golden Core stage—it typically required over 200 years of solid cultivation just to reach its peak.
Sure, rare resources could shorten training time, but there was no escaping the foundational effort required. Rushing it too fast would lead to unstable cultivation, impure spiritual power, and failure to condense a proper Nascent Soul.
Bottom line—
New Nascent Soul cultivators in their 500s or 600s were common. But trimming even more years off that? The difficulty and rarity skyrocketed.
"Please don't laugh, Fellow Daoist Zhu," Wei Tu said modestly. "Back when I was still in the Foundation Establishment stage, I developed the secret technique 'Yuan Gravity Law Seal.' Then, at the Golden Core stage, I refined it further into the divine ability 'Yuan Gravity Divine Light.' Afterward, I used Iceheart Spirit Dew to purify my body and spirit…"
"Besides that, I'm also a third-rank top-grade alchemist."
Wei Tu smiled slightly as he explained, "For those three reasons, I didn't waste much time at the Golden Core stage before advancing to the Nascent Soul realm."
As he spoke, he flipped his palm, summoning a ray of gray-golden light, which hovered in front of the white-robed scholar.
"Yuan Gravity Divine Light?"
"This is definitely Yuan Gravity Divine Light!"
At first, the white-robed scholar was stunned. But when he saw the gray-golden glow before him, his face immediately lit up with excitement.
However, as if remembering something, the excitement on his face faded. He quickly returned to his usual aloof expression, like a stranger keeping others at arm's length.
Wei Tu was curious, but he didn't press the issue. His priority now was persuading this white-robed scholar to sign an equal soul contract, so he didn't steer the conversation elsewhere.
"Yuan Gravity Divine Light is a supreme divine ability for purifying magic power. With this, and Fellow Daoist Zhu's guidance, I figure I can reach your peak cultivation realm in a relatively short time."
"By then, maybe I can help you take revenge for your death too."
Wei Tu threw out another tempting offer.
He didn't know exactly why the white-robed scholar had ended up hiding inside the Longli Pearl, but it was easy enough to guess—there was no way he did it willingly. Most likely, it involved a powerful enemy.
"Revenge for my death…" At those words, a flicker of emotion crossed the white-robed scholar's face.
…
Half a day later—
Hard work paid off.
After enduring both threats and bribes, the white-robed scholar finally agreed to sign an equal soul contract with Wei Tu.
However, during the actual contract signing, Wei Tu made one thing clear, which hadn't been discussed earlier: once he reached the white-robed scholar's former cultivation level—late Nascent Soul—he would decide whether or not to help him get revenge.
When asked about this clause, Wei Tu's explanation was blunt and pragmatic.
"I don't even know what you can offer me yet. Getting myself tangled in your vendetta for no reason? You'd have to be an idiot to do that."
His message was simple—if the scholar wanted revenge, he'd have to prove his worth first.
The white-robed scholar couldn't do much about it. Aside from silently cursing Wei Tu for being sly, he had no other choice.
After all, signing this soul contract was the only way he could come back to life and have even a sliver of hope for revenge.
And the terms of this "equal soul contract" weren't entirely unacceptable to him either.
Once the soul contract was completed, Wei Tu finally asked the question that had been on his mind: who exactly was this white-robed scholar, and why had he appeared inside the Zunwang Palace?
"Hah, typical youngster. You don't even know what the Zunwang Palace is."
The white-robed scholar let out a scornful laugh.
But right after, he noticed the coldness on Wei Tu's face and the frost in his eyes.
He instantly remembered the earlier tortures. A chill ran down his spine, and he quickly corrected his attitude.
"The Zunwang Palace isn't just that little island Sun Chixin stumbled into. That place was only an entry point… The Zunwang Palace is actually the only high-level secret realm in this barren land of the Great Cang Cultivation World."
"Every single Divine Transformation cultivator in our Great Cang Cultivation World, without exception, obtained their breakthroughs thanks to the opportunities found in the Zunwang Palace."