"Now it all depends on how Daoist Wei decides to handle it."
Cao Mi's clear eyes turned toward Wei Tu.
If he let it slide too lightly, it could make people think a Nascent Soul cultivator like him was easy to push around. But if the punishment was too harsh, it might hurt personal relationships.
…
After Qin Yuling finished speaking, Wei Tu remained silent.
He wasn't thinking about how to punish her—he was waiting for Kou Hongying's stance, or maybe a plea for mercy.
Wei Tu understood clearly that Kou Hongying was caught in the middle between him and Qin Yuling. It was hard for her either way.
Still, how harsh he would be depended a lot on Kou Hongying's attitude. Because without her connection, he wouldn't have entertained any compromises toward an enemy like Qin Yuling.
If he could kill, he would.
Better to remove future threats entirely.
But—
He waited a long time and never heard a word of pleading from Kou Hongying.
'So, Hongying still stands with me,' Wei Tu thought, a trace of warmth rising in his heart.
Only he knew how miserable he'd been back then, when he discovered Qin Yuling's intentions and had to flee from her Golden Core ceremony.
Even though time had passed and things had changed, and he no longer had the same burning need for revenge as he did over 200 years ago, that hatred had never fully faded.
"Fellow Daoist Qin is Hongying's master, and she's sincerely come to admit fault today… If I refuse forgiveness, Pavilion Lord Ning might think I'm being petty."
"But…"
At this point, Wei Tu's tone turned cold. He looked sharply at Qin Yuling, who was kneeling inside the hall.
"But death can be spared—punishment cannot!"
"You'll take one palm from me. After that, our grudge is settled!"
He spoke calmly.
As soon as his words landed, the whole hall fell quiet. Not a single sound remained—so silent one could hear a pin drop.
Everyone present knew just how serious a Nascent Soul cultivator's strike was.
With one palm, how could Qin Yuling survive?
Even if she didn't die, her body and cultivation would suffer. Her future would be completely ruined.
"I'm willing!"
At this point, Qin Yuling had no right to say no. She bit her lip and, without hesitation, accepted it.
The next moment, a solid green palm imprint appeared in the air and struck her chest.
Puh-wa!
Blood spurted from her mouth as her body flew backward, slamming hard against the hall doors.
When she managed to get up, her chest clothing had torn. A bluish palm print was clearly branded into her delicate skin.
"Th… thank you, Senior Wei, for holding back."
Face pale, Qin Yuling forced herself upright and bowed deeply to Wei Tu in gratitude.
That palm had severely injured her, but Wei Tu had obviously held back. He hadn't damaged her foundation much.
By her estimate, she'd need at most 40 years to fully recover.
To her, that was already a huge mercy.
After all, the rumors of Old Demon Wei torturing Yao Chongshan's soul for seven days and nights still echoed in her mind.
Compared to Yao Chongshan's horrific end, she had clearly gotten the better deal.
Beside them, Kou Hongying let out a silent breath of relief after seeing it all.
She hadn't begged Wei Tu for mercy on behalf of her master Qin Yuling.
But that didn't mean she didn't care.
It was just that, in her heart, Qin Yuling had clearly been the one in the wrong. And the victim back then was Wei Tu—someone even closer to her.
That was why she had no choice but to stand aside.
…
With the grudge settled, Qin Yuling had no reason to stay in the main hall.
With Kou Hongying personally supporting her, she left and returned to her own cave dwelling to recover.
Not long after Qin Yuling departed, the host of the event, Master Hongjing, finally arrived to meet with Wei Tu and Cao Mi.
"That palm strike you gave Yuling just now—I saw it clearly."
"It seems that after all these years, your cultivation has advanced again. Your control over your mana is even more precise than during the Nascent Soul ceremony."
With a smile on her face, Master Hongjing spoke her praise.
There were many factors that influenced a cultivator's strength.
Realm, magic tools, and divine abilities had the biggest impact.
Control over one's mana, however, was usually considered less important.
Typically, only in duels between cultivators of the same realm could such control provide a slight edge.
But that only applied to current strength.
When it came to potential in cultivation, those who could precisely control their mana were far beyond others in the same realm.
After all, there were usually two reasons behind such control: the purity of one's mana, and the spiritual refinement of the Nascent Soul.
Both of these factors were major indicators of a cultivator's future potential.
One could see the bigger picture from small clues.
Just based on this alone, Master Hongjing could tell that Wei Tu was different from ordinary newly-advanced Nascent Soul cultivators. His strength and potential stood out.
"Daoist Hongjing, you flatter me."
"I've just spent a lot of time refining pills and crafting talismans. I've picked up a few tricks about controlling mana, that's all."
Wei Tu smiled mildly and denied her compliment outright.
Then he smoothly shifted the conversation toward the main reason he and Cao Mi had come.
"I heard from Junior Sister Cao that Ancestor Luo had gone out seeking fortune with you. But now… why is it that only you have returned?"
He looked at her and asked.
Strictly speaking, this question would have been more natural coming from Cao Mi.
But if she asked, Wei Tu, as an 'outsider', would seem out of place in this discussion.
By raising it himself, he made it impossible for Master Hongjing to use the excuse of 'avoiding outsiders' to shut him out.
This clearly showed that between her and Master Hongjing, he and Cao Mi were the ones truly on the same side.
"Junior Sister Cao?"
Hearing this close and familiar form of address, Master Hongjing raised her brows slightly. It confirmed her suspicion—there was definitely something unusual about the relationship between Wei Tu and Cao Mi.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
She let out a gentle sigh and began detailing everything that had happened after she and Ancestor Luo left the sect.
They had indeed gone to the Desolate Nether Death Sea.
However, the place they explored wasn't some kind of hidden realm or treasure land.
It was… the overseas cultivation world!
"What?"
"The overseas cultivation world?"
Even with all of Wei Tu's self-restraint, he couldn't help showing visible shock.
Over ten years ago, when Divine Master Du Long and Divine Master He Di visited him just after he formed his Nascent Soul, they had spoken of the poverty of the Great Cang cultivation world—and the prosperity of the overseas cultivation world.
That place was rich in resources suitable for Nascent Soul cultivators.
Cultivating there was far easier than in the Great Cang cultivation world.
You could say, it was the dreamland of every Nascent Soul cultivator in Great Cang.
Now, Master Hongjing had just told him that she and Ancestor Luo had found the gateway to this very land—and had successfully reached it!
"Incredible!"
It took Wei Tu quite a while to digest such a shocking revelation.
"No wonder Ancestor Luo suddenly came into possession of a Nascent Transformation Pill."
At this moment, some of his past doubts were cleared up.
Even Cao Mi couldn't hide her excitement. Her face lit up uncontrollably.
After all, the overseas cultivation world meant she had a real chance at making further breakthroughs.
"As for Senior Sister Luo…"
Once Wei Tu and Cao Mi calmed themselves a bit, Master Hongjing continued. She slowly recounted their experiences in the overseas cultivation world and revealed what had happened to Ancestor Luo.
Just like the rumors, the overseas cultivation world truly was much richer.
Although it wasn't literally "Nascent Souls everywhere and Golden Cores as common as dogs," when compared by population base, the number of Nascent Soul cultivators there was indeed three times greater than in the Great Cang cultivation world.
And even cultivators of Divine Transformation Realm—extremely rare in Great Cang—could be found in the overseas realm. There were no fewer than a full handful of them.
In recent years, Master Hongjing and Ancestor Luo had been active in the outer seas of the overseas world, in a place called the Red Algae Sea.
There, a demonic sect called the Yin Ghost Sect held sway.
And it was this sect that was closely tied to Ancestor Luo's disappearance.