Then without warning Wei Zhao's voice came drifting down from overhead once more: "Oh, right... there's one more thing I forgot to mention..."

"Whatever you say, Chief," Big Feng said, snapping to attention at once, his face fairly radiating a willingness to charge through fire and water without a second thought.

"You've stepped in shit..." Wei Zhao's tone was exceedingly complicated. If not for this, he might well have been willing to linger a while longer, but as things stood he simply could not bear to watch.

"My god! Who the hell relieves themselves wherever they please?! Have people no sense of public decency anymore?!" Big Feng erupted in a torrent of curses—so loud that even Dr. Glasses, far off in the distance, caught the commotion and was left utterly baffled.

Wei Zhao fled in silent mortification, leaving behind one faint, ghostly remark: "I do believe that was your own..."

After leaving, Wei Zhao did not head straight back to the little island reserved for the Cangwu Sect of North Island. Instead he made his way to the Snow Sword Sect's territory, and after carefully evading every watchful eye, he found Bing Wushuang.

Bing Wushuang was startled the instant he heard Wei Zhao's primordial-spirit transmission. With his late Golden Core cultivation and his signature Heartless Ice Force, he had sensed nothing at all—and inwardly he could not help but grow wary. This Wei Zhao might be only at the great perfection of Foundation Establishment, but his methods were truly unfathomable.

Wei Zhao did not show himself on the spot; after all, Xue Jianming was not far away. Having sent his primordial-spirit message, he waited in another quiet corner of the island.

Bing Wushuang understood at once and rose to head for that quiet spot—only to turn and run straight into Xue Jianming, who wore a look of thorough suspicion. "And where might Senior Brother Bing be going?"

"Do I need to report my every move to you?" Bing Wushuang shot him a glance. He had always been that sort of man, and besides, the gulf in their strength was hardly a small one—whatever he did, he naturally had no need to mind Xue Jianming's displeasure.

"That's not it at all—it's only that the two of us advance and retreat as one. If Senior Brother Bing has some business, why not give me a heads-up beforehand? Who knows, perhaps your humble junior could even be of help?" Xue Jianming said, shamelessly fawning. It was nothing more than this: he simply feared that Bing Wushuang might do as he himself had done and go seek private tutelage from Dr. Glasses—and if the man snatched away his spot in the key-training program, would that not be a colossal loss?

Bing Wushuang frowned and said, "I am going into seclusion."

"Seclusion?" Xue Jianming remained half convinced, and only after confirming that Bing Wushuang was not heading off to see Dr. Glasses did he set his mind at ease, secretly gloating: Go on, then, shut yourself away. By the time you come out and find my strength utterly towering over yours, we shall see whether you still dare wear that corpse-face of yours!

Only after making certain that Xue Jianming had not secretly followed him did Bing Wushuang find Wei Zhao. He bowed respectfully and asked, "What orders does the superior have for me?"

"Nothing much. I have just learned that the center intends to put Xue Jianming into a key-training program, so I thought I would give you a heads-up," Wei Zhao said mildly.

"Is that so?" Bing Wushuang was startled at the news, and recalling Xue Jianming's strange behavior a moment ago, he suddenly understood—the little wretch meant to steal private tutelage behind his back. Rage surged in his heart, though none of it showed on his face. He said in a low voice, "This subordinate was slow and failed to notice in time. I ask the superior to punish me."

"Punish you?" Wei Zhao laughed at that, casually tossing him two pills and saying with a teasing air, "Very well, then. Your punishment is to swallow these two poisons and take your own life in atonement."

"This..." Bing Wushuang's expression changed. He struggled and hesitated for a moment, but then he took the pills and stuffed them into his mouth—not the slightest sign of resistance from first to last. Of course, he knew resistance was useless; he had not forgotten the gu that Lin Dongfang had planted in his body. If he dared resist, his death would be all the more gruesome.

Seeing this, Wei Zhao was rather taken aback. Bing Wushuang's action could hardly be called unwavering loyalty, but it at least showed that the man knew exactly how to read the times—and dealing with such a person was easy enough, so long as one always maintained the upper hand in strength.

At the very last moment Wei Zhao finally stopped him, and said with a laugh, "Don't you even look at what kind of pill this is before you go shoving it into your mouth?"

Bing Wushuang started at that, and only then did he look closely at the two pills in his hand. When it dawned on him, he was struck dumb, and he cried out in shock, "Top-grade Golden Core Pills?!"

"If you really swallowed both at once, never mind whether you could withstand it—even if you could, you would regret it to your dying day," Wei Zhao said, amused.

"Er, this subordinate has lost his composure..." Bing Wushuang said, uncharacteristically abashed. Just as Wei Zhao said, if he truly took both top-grade Golden Core Pills at once he would regret it forever. He might originally have broken through to the great perfection of the Golden Core—but taking them together, he might at best reach the peak of the late Golden Core.

"Think nothing of it. If even a display like yours counts as losing composure, then I daresay no one under heaven could remain composed," Wei Zhao said, shaking his head. Bing Wushuang's reaction just now had genuinely startled him. Though he could not entirely rule out an element of playacting, a reaction like that was not something an ordinary person could feign. He had to admit—this one was indeed a talent.

"Thank you for your cultivation, Superior!" Bing Wushuang clutched the two top-grade Golden Core Pills tightly, a gleam of excitement flickering in his eyes. And how could he not be excited? These two pills practically guaranteed him two consecutive breakthroughs in the shortest possible time—a stroke of fortune he would never have dared dream of.

"Since you are my man, naturally I must give you a little sweetener. Otherwise, if even a wretch like Xue Jianming were to climb over your head, would I not lose all face?" Wei Zhao said with a smile.

"Rest assured, Superior. This subordinate will keep a tight watch on Xue Jianming and will not let him slip beyond my control," Bing Wushuang said, taking the point at once.

"Very good. In that case, go and shut yourself away in proper seclusion. I shall be off," Wei Zhao said, and with that he dissolved into his primordial-spirit form and vanished.

Bing Wushuang remained where he was, silent for a moment—what he was thinking, none could say. Then all at once a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he sat down cross-legged on the spot and began to regulate his condition. There was still a month and a half before the Primordial Trial began, and if he meant to fully digest the medicinal power of those two top-grade Golden Core Pills, he would have to make haste.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Xue Jianming shuddered for no apparent reason, then eagerly betook himself to Dr. Glasses's door—the key training he had long awaited was finally about to begin.