He had long been mentally prepared for this. Since he had dared to say such things to his face, he must already have had some confidence in his heart—after all, from their conversation just now and from what he had previously known of Yu Taikang, this Grand Supreme Elder was hardly a rigid, hidebound old fool.

"Oh? Then this old man would be all ears." As expected, Yu Taikang was only putting on a show. Purging the sect was merely a slogan to hoodwink people—something to be hauled out and shouted whenever it served a purpose; as for the present moment, things had clearly not yet reached that point.

"With the organization's power, since it could turn me into a peak early-Nascent Soul expert in less than two years, it can naturally raise you a level or more with ease, Elder Yu. By then, not to mention the late Nascent Soul stage—even the unprecedented Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul is not out of the question. Wouldn't you like to give it a try, Elder Yu?" Xue Jianming coaxed.

Though this notion had come to him on the spur of the moment, it was not entirely his own impromptu scheme. Before this, Doctor Spectacles had mentioned the possibility of recruiting Yu Taikang—only, first, the man had been in seclusion all along, and second, his strength was too great, so without a fitting opportunity it would have been difficult to approach him. That was why no attempt had ever been made.

Now, with Wei Zhao pressing close, here was a rare opportunity—a perfect chance to go with the flow and push the boat along.

Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul!

To any Nascent Soul old monster, those words were a fatal temptation, and Yu Taikang was no exception—especially at such a juncture, having just failed in his attempt to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage. The impact of this temptation was all but irresistible.

Yu Taikang lapsed into silence, as expected. Had anyone else said such a thing, he would have scoffed without a second thought—but Xue Jianming, a living, breathing example, was standing right before him. He had no choice but to believe.

After a long while, Yu Taikang raised his head, his breathing somewhat ragged: "You truly have a way to let this old man touch the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul?"

"Of course. I've never been in the habit of wasting my breath. I am now, on behalf of the organization, formally extending an olive branch to you. Whether you wish to become the foremost figure in the entire Tai Gu minor martial world—that depends on your decision, Elder Yu." Xue Jianming continued his coaxing with a smile. Inwardly, he was secretly calculating: if he could persuade Yu Taikang to join them this time, it would be a tremendous merit—and then Doctor Spectacles would not only refrain from punishing him but would reward him handsomely!

As for that so-called foremost figure of the Tai Gu minor martial world, that was just a line to fool Yu Taikang, who knew nothing of the inside story. Once the Center truly mastered that technology, he, Xue Jianming, could become a Great Perfection Nascent Soul expert in no time—and with focused cultivation, he might even grow stronger still. What was a so-called "foremost figure" worth, anyway?

Silence again. At this point, silence itself was an attitude—Yu Taikang was clearly moved.

And yet, in the end, he was still an old monster whose nature was to doubt everything. A few casual words alone were not enough to hook Yu Taikang completely; there was still a ways to go.

"Elder Yu, there is one more thing I must remind you of. That Wei Zhao's strength is no small matter. Do you know how many moves he needed to reduce me to this state?" Seeing this, Xue Jianming pressed his advantage while the iron was hot.

"How many moves?" Yu Taikang asked instinctively.

"One move. I had no power to resist before him. This left arm of mine was destroyed by my own hand under compulsion..." To lure the other into the trap, Xue Jianming finally spoke the truth for once, smiling bitterly. "Though your strength far exceeds mine, I'll speak plainly: even if you fully recover your peak mid-Nascent Soul strength, you may not necessarily be a match for that Wei Zhao. When that time comes, whatever you do, you'll have to look to the face of an outsider—will you endure it, or won't you?"

"Is this true?" Yu Taikang gasped sharply. To dispatch a peak early-Nascent Soul expert in a single move with ease, leaving the other utterly without power to resist—even he, restored to his peak, could never accomplish such a thing.

"Absolutely true. Ask anyone and you'll know." Xue Jianming spoke with utmost certainty. Though domestic shame should not be aired in public, this matter had after all occurred in full view of everyone; far too many people knew of it already, and one more—Yu Taikang—made no difference.

With that, the final line of defense in Yu Taikang's heart at last began to give way.

On one side was the temptation of Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul; on the other, the unfathomable threat of Wei Zhao. Staying on Snow Peak Summit would do him no good at all—after all, what use was healing his wounds?

"Very well. This old man agrees." Yu Taikang made his decision swiftly.

"Excellent! Let us slip down the mountain quietly, then. I'll take you to meet my superior." Xue Jianming was overjoyed—now at last he could atone for his failures!

Descending from Snow Peak Summit, the two concealed their auras the whole way, slipping noiselessly out of the Xuejian Sect's territory and heading straight for Que Luo Mountain.

The Xuejian Sect remained utterly unaware of all this. As for Wei Zhao, he was personally healing Bing Wushuang. Ambushed by Xue Jianming during his earlier seclusion, Bing Wushuang had been wounded far too severely—this was no longer something a mere Great Return Pill could resolve, and if handled carelessly, it could easily leave lasting after-effects.

Fortunately, Wei Zhao was there; such injuries were nothing beyond his skill. After the treatment, Bing Wushuang entered seclusion once more and, aided by the effects of the finest infant-condensing golden elixir, soon advanced another level to become a peak early-Nascent Soul expert!

Thus he once again trampled Xue Jianming beneath his feet. Given the gulf in their innate talent and foundation, at the same level Xue Jianming could never possibly be his match—of that there was no doubt whatsoever.

Bing Wushuang's successful breakthrough set Wei Zhao's mind somewhat at ease. Lately he had been staying by Leng Leng's side the whole time. Apart from a few days of sightseeing at the beginning, the rest of their days had turned into Wei Zhao instructing Leng Leng in cultivation—not merely in realm and level, but more importantly in developing her Shattered Ice constitution. After all, both of her trump-card techniques, Drawing the Prison and the Ice Prison Mirror Shatter, had been developed with Wei Zhao's help.

Of course, with Leng Leng's comprehension, she could certainly have explored them on her own—but lacking Wei Zhao's experience and breadth of vision, she would inevitably have taken detours, and any results would have been hard to see in the short term. So, even at the risk of seeming to pull the seedlings up to make them grow faster, Wei Zhao ultimately took on the role of hands-on coach.

The Center was watching like a tiger, and he could not stay by Leng Leng's side forever. Finding a way to raise her strength as much as possible was the only option.

Even so, Leng Leng's strength could not be raised to the point of true self-sufficiency in a short time—especially against a Nascent Soul opponent like Xue Jianming, her choices were truly limited. It was fortunate that Bing Wushuang was there beside her to look after her; unless the other side made some explosive leap in strength, Bing Wushuang's current power should be enough.