Since the Right Virtuous King's estate was now secretly an enemy—and Wolfslayer was already dead, with no evidence left behind—of course Wei Tu intended to take full advantage of the situation and extort a hefty sum from the Right Virtuous King's estate.
Twenty-seven thousand spirit stones.
To a Golden Core cultivator, that was no small amount, but to a major faction, it was still relatively minor.
Wei Tu's quoted amount was reasonable, falling well within an acceptable range.
Besides, he didn't believe that asking for twenty-seven thousand spirit stones would enrage Princess Yuan Ying.
After all, Princess Yuan Ying had come all the way to the Fen Shan Tribe for reconciliation. If she got angry over such a small matter, then there was no reason for the estate to send her in the first place.
If one couldn't endure minor matters, they would ruin greater plans.
"Twenty-seven thousand spirit stones?" Princess Yuan Ying's lips parted slightly in surprise when she heard the amount.
She had already suspected before arriving that Wolfslayer may not have been truthful about the amount he extorted from Wei Tu. What she hadn't expected was that the discrepancy would be as much as twenty-two thousand spirit stones.
Thinking it over, Yuan Ying concluded that Wei Tu's number was likely accurate.
Five thousand spirit stones wasn't much for a young Golden Core cultivator skilled in both pills and talismans.
If Wolfslayer had really wanted to enrage Wei Tu, there was no way he would've asked for so little.
Moreover, with how cautious and mild-tempered Wei Tu was, it seemed unlikely he would lie about the figure just to deceive her or the estate.
"It was my mistake to believe Wolfslayer's claims. I never imagined he would be so brazen, using the estate's name to act so arrogantly outside."
With a look of regret, Princess Yuan Ying took out another spirit stone pouch and handed it to Wei Tu.
"These are the remaining twenty-two thousand spirit stones. I hope High Priest Wei can forgive the Right Virtuous King's estate."
Upon hearing this, Wei Tu's tense expression immediately softened. A look of gratitude appeared in his eyes as he looked at Yuan Ying.
"These are Beautifying Pills and Fragrance Infusing Pills I refined myself. They're not particularly valuable, but… I hope the Princess will accept them."
Princess Yuan Ying's cultivation was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
Setting aside her status, these two bottles of pills could be considered generous gifts.
Seeing the two new pill bottles on the table, Princess Yuan Ying's gaze remained calm, but her face lit up with joy as she happily accepted them.
She pulled out the stoppers, took one pill from each bottle, and gracefully tilted her neck to swallow both pills right in front of Wei Tu.
"Does Ying'er smell nice now?" she asked with a playful smile, rising gracefully. She walked up beside Wei Tu, her steps light, and stretched lazily on purpose, showing off her alluring curves.
There was barely a hand's width of space between them. If Wei Tu leaned forward slightly, he would easily brush against the soft outline swaying just in front of him.
At the same time, a faint fragrance unique to mature women wafted from Yuan Ying's body, gently brushing past Wei Tu's nose. The effect was intensified by the Fragrance Infusing Pill she had just swallowed.
"Trying to seduce me?" Wei Tu frowned slightly, calmly watching Yuan Ying's performance.
He had joined the Cangkong Alliance decades ago. Getting too close to the Right Virtuous King's estate now would be inappropriate—let alone engaging in intimate behavior with Princess Yuan Ying.
As someone deeply cultivated on the path of immortality, he had long been exposed to various beauties. A bit of charm was far from enough to make him lose his composure.
To him, Yuan Ying was hardly as tempting as that Madam Zhu he had once met in Fragmented Star City in Jing Kingdom.
When Wei Tu didn't react, the princess cursed him inwardly as a "cowardly turtle." But she became more convinced of his timid nature.
Her seduction techniques had always worked like a charm. Rarely had any male cultivator escaped her grasp.
She had made herself more than clear.
Wei Tu wasn't the first to reject her advances, but in her mind, men like him were all the same—timid and afraid of trouble.
Someone like that would most likely never retaliate against Wolfslayer's bullying.
"But I still have to follow my brother's instructions and give him the Sword Trial Competition slot," Princess Yuan Ying thought to herself, her eyes flickering.
She returned to her seat with not a hint of embarrassment on her face and said with a cheerful smile, "Besides compensating High Priest Wei's losses, I also have another matter I'd like to ask for your help with."
"What matter would that be?" Wei Tu asked calmly, his tone curious.
"As High Priest Wei knows, there's less than five years until the Sword Trial Competition. Now that Wolfslayer has been expelled from our estate, it's become difficult for the Right Virtuous King's estate to find a suitable candidate."
Princess Yuan Ying sighed gently as she spoke.
Though she didn't directly force Wei Tu to participate, the implication was clear—Wolfslayer's "departure" had something to do with Wei Tu.
According to her fabricated story, the Right Virtuous King's estate had expelled Wolfslayer to clear its name and to make things right with Wei Tu, after learning about the extortion.
Now that the estate lacked a representative for the Sword Trial Competition, it would seem inappropriate if the person who benefited from their so-called goodwill—Wei Tu—refused to participate.
"There are plenty of powerful cultivators in the estate," Princess Yuan Ying added, "but not a single Golden Core cultivator under four hundred years old remains."
"Wei Tu's strength is too shallow to shoulder such responsibility," Wei Tu replied, shaking his head with a polite refusal.
Before, he had been forced to back down because he feared Wolfslayer. Now, with insufficient strength, not participating in the Sword Trial Competition was entirely reasonable.
"I do know a few young Golden Core cultivators," he added. "If the Princess doesn't mind, I could represent Yingding Tribe and invite them to participate."
"It seems High Priest Wei isn't very familiar with the rules of the Sword Trial Competition," Princess Yuan Ying said with a shake of her head. "Besides the age limit of under four hundred, there are two more requirements. First, the participant must have cultivated in the tribe for over thirty years. Second, immortal sect disciples are not allowed—rogue cultivators are an exception."
Wei Tu hadn't been interested in participating to begin with and only had a vague idea of the rules. Now, after hearing her explanation, he realized that he might actually be the most suitable candidate to represent the Right Virtuous King's estate in the Sword Trial Competition.
"It's just that Wei Tu's strength is lacking, and he's not skilled at combat," he said after a moment of thought, continuing to decline.
In truth, participating in the competition between the "Three Tribes" wasn't a huge problem for him, as long as he didn't aim for a top ranking. At worst, it would cost some time.
But what bothered him was not knowing the true reason behind the Right Virtuous King's estate insisting he enter the Sword Trial.
"There's a powerful treasure in the estate called the 'Chongshan Seal,'" Yuan Ying said with a gentle smile. "Its power is immense—no weaker than a top-tier third-grade artifact. Yet, it only consumes as much energy as an ordinary mid-grade one."
"If High Priest Wei is willing to participate in this Sword Trial Competition, I'll personally authorize the loan of the Chongshan Seal to you."
"With a few years, there'll be enough time to refine it."
She had just resolved Wei Tu's concern about his lack of strength. She didn't believe he had any more excuses left to refuse.
Wei Tu was tempted, but still found a reason to decline. "Wei Tu answers to Divine Master Du Long. Whether or not I participate in the Sword Trial should depend on Divine Master Du Long's decision."
"That…" Yuan Ying faltered.
In name, the priests of each tribe and the mages of the royal court were all under the jurisdiction of the Divine Masters. But in practice, this was usually only nominal.
No Divine Master had the time or interest to meddle in such minor matters.
Still, now that Wei Tu had said this, she couldn't outright claim he was wrong.
Consulting the Divine Master was indeed part of the proper procedure.
"Then the estate will wait for High Priest Wei's response," Yuan Ying finally said, pausing for a moment before agreeing with some reluctance.
She hadn't expected that after coming all the way to the Fen Shan Tribe, Wei Tu would eat the honey but not bite the bait.
"Maybe he really isn't good at combat," she thought with a quiet sigh.
…
After Princess Yuan Ying left, Wei Tu mulled over the matter of whether or not to participate in the Sword Trial Competition.
With the Chongshan Seal and his own current abilities, he might indeed secure a decent ranking.
But what about the rewards?
Outside the top ten, the rewards were meager.
And if he didn't place in the top three, the rest of the prizes weren't anything worth cherishing.
But to place in the top three with just the Chongshan Seal… Wei Tu knew that wasn't realistic.
"The gains don't outweigh the risks. I'm not doing it," Wei Tu decided.
He couldn't figure out the estate's motive. Entering recklessly would be walking into a trap.
And if he fell for it, he'd have more to lose than gain.
"The spirit materials in Wolfslayer's secret cave are no worse than the top three rewards."
"Progress steadily. Improve strength step by step. There's no need to gamble. Right now, the priority is converting my accumulated resources into power—not hoarding more."
Wei Tu's gaze sharpened.
Back in the Yunze Secret Realm, he had chosen to take a risk because it held Foundation Establishment-grade spiritual materials. If he hadn't fought for them, he might never have reached Golden Core.
But the Sword Trial was different. The gains wouldn't significantly impact his path.
After making his decision, Wei Tu didn't avoid the Right Virtuous King's estate or leave them without an answer. He made a trip to Hujie Immortal City to seek out Great Mage Qu Bei and asked him to recommend a suitable young Golden Core candidate for the Sword Trial.
Of course, Wei Tu understood that with the estate's connections, finding a replacement young Golden Core cultivator wouldn't be difficult.
But he had to show the proper attitude.
—This wasn't him refusing them on purpose. He truly wasn't skilled in combat and didn't want to participate.
Golden Core cultivators under four hundred years old were rare in the Yingding Tribe, but with some searching, a few could be found.
Wei Tu then visited the Right Virtuous King's estate and handed the list recommended by Great Mage Qu Bei to the Second Prince in person. With a bitter smile, he said, "Since advancing to Golden Core, Wei Tu has never once fought a duel with a peer. I'm afraid I'll delay the royal court's important affairs, and so I have no choice but to decline."
"There's no need for self-blame, High Priest Wei."
The Second Prince wasn't sure if Wei Tu was just pretending, or if he really lacked the courage to enter a duel.
Still, he reassured Wei Tu, saying, "It's enough that you have the heart to assist the royal court, High Priest. There's no need for you to fight personally. Compared to dueling, your pills and talismans are far more valuable to the court."