Chapter 906
Chapter 906
"I am Frost Soul, a seeker of the Way of Contracts. In my later years, feeling my life was nearing its end, I left this Mystic Palace to await those destined to form a contract. Within the palace lie three trials. Passing them will grant you the essence of my life's learning and the secret method to purify evil contracts. Failure will leave you forever within the palace, transformed into an ice spirit to guard this hall. Enter with caution."
Below the inscription are three portals that shimmer with different lights: the left portal is ice blue, the middle portal is ghost white, and the right portal is dark gold.
"Three trials..." Fu Shaoping had already anticipated this. A powerful figure like Venerable Frost Soul would never easily give away the legacy he left behind.
He took a moment to adjust his state to its best, and then selected the ice-blue portal on the left.
The scenery changes with every step you take.
Before him stretched an endless expanse of ice, howling winds and raging blizzards. In the center of the ice plain floated a massive "contract ice crystal," within which were sealed hundreds of struggling, wailing phantoms of vengeful spirits. These spirits emanated intense resentment, pain, and curses, forming a powerful "evil force field" that assaulted Fu Shaoping's mind.
An aged voice rang out: "First trial: Purification of the heart. The way of the contract begins with a righteous heart. This place is sealed with the 'residual resentful souls' I captured when I purified the evil contract years ago. Use the power of the contract to purify them, quell their resentment, and deliver their souls. Time limit: three days."
“Purify the vengeful spirits…” Fu Shaoping stared at the contract ice crystal. The vengeful spirits were numerous and deeply resentful. Forcibly purifying them would not only be extremely costly, but could also backfire due to their resentment.
He sat down cross-legged, not immediately taking action, but first carefully sensing the "core of obsession" of these vengeful spirits with his contracted spiritual sense.
He soon discovered that these vengeful spirits were not without pattern. Their resentment mostly stemmed from tragic experiences related to the contract, such as being "betrayed," "enslaved," or "sacrificed." At its core was a distorted hatred of the "contract" itself.
“Simple purification spells have limited effects. Perhaps… we need to start with the contract itself and resolve their obsessions.” Fu Shaoping pondered the methods of “contract solace” and “prayer for salvation” in the “Secret Records of Witchcraft Contracts”, and combined them with his own orthodox contract power, and came up with an idea.
He formed hand seals, and the power of the contract condensed before him, transforming into a vast, pale golden "web of contracts." At each node on the web, a tiny contract rune appeared, representing positive contract concepts such as "understanding," "forgiveness," "liberation," and "reincarnation."
"Use the contract as a bridge to help you overcome your suffering."
The pale golden net of contracts slowly enveloped the contract ice crystal. The moment the net touched the ice crystal, the vengeful spirits within stirred. Then, some of the spirits sensed the "understanding" and "forgiveness" emanating from the net, their struggles subsided, and the resentment in their eyes was gradually replaced by confusion.
Fu Shaoping closed his eyes and concentrated, using the power of the contract as a medium to transmit his thoughts: "A contract is a fair and equal agreement; evil originates from the human heart, not from the contract itself. Let go of resentment, and you will find liberation and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation..."
This was an extremely exhausting process. Fu Shaoping needed to communicate with, soothe, and guide the obsessions of hundreds of vengeful spirits simultaneously. His forehead was soon covered in a fine layer of sweat, and his soul felt increasingly weary.
As the day passed, about one-third of the vengeful spirits were successfully appeased, turning into specks of white light and dissipating into the ice crystals.
Two days later, another half of the vengeful spirits were released from their suffering.
On the third day, only a few dozen of the most resentful spirits remained, stubbornly resisting. Their hatred was almost tangible, turning against Fu Shaoping and eroding his web of contracts.
Fu Shaoping knew this was the most crucial moment. He no longer simply tried to appease them, but instead activated the dual cores of the "Contract," drawing upon the "order judgment" power of the dark gold fragments within.
"The contract is binding, and good and evil will be rewarded accordingly. Your grievances will be brought to light by Heaven's justice. However, indulging in resentment will only harm yourself and others, which is not the right path. In the name of the contract, I hereby declare—your resentment shall be dispelled, and your souls shall return home!"
The dark golden light of judgment poured into the web of contracts, causing the runes on the web to shine brightly, like a divine decree! Under the illumination of the light of judgment, those stubborn vengeful spirits let out their final wails, their resentment finally dissipated, and their souls turned into white light and vanished.
"boom--"
The contract ice crystal shattered with a crash, turning into countless ice crystal light spots that merged into Fu Shaoping's body. He felt as if his soul had been cleansed, becoming more solid and transparent, and his understanding of "purification" and "transcendence" type contracts had also greatly deepened.
"First test passed. Reward: Purification Mantra Seal."
A beam of icy blue light entered Fu Shaoping's brow, and a complex purification-type contract seal was imprinted on his sea of consciousness. It could be activated at any time to purify himself or others from negative emotions and evil thoughts.
After a moment of rest, Fu Shaoping stepped into the second ghostly white portal.
This time, he found himself in a vast ice crystal library. The library contained countless ice shelves, upon which lay countless ice-blue jade slips. But upon closer inspection, the contents of these jade slips were incomplete; many crucial parts had been deliberately erased or scrambled.
An aged voice: "Second Trial: Completion of Contractual Principles. This contains my life's collection and organization of difficult contractual cases, incomplete contractual secrets, and records of failed contractual experiments. You must complete three of these secrets or resolve three difficult cases within the time limit. Time limit: seven days."
“Deduction and completion…” Fu Shaoping walked to the nearest row of ice shelves and casually picked up a jade slip.
It contains a secret technique called the "Blood Soul Slave Contract," an evil pact, but the crucial control and countermeasure parts are incomplete. Requirement: Complete the secret technique and deduce the corresponding "method to break the contract."
This is extremely difficult. Not only must one understand the principles of evil contracts, but one must also be able to reverse-engineer them and find their flaws. Fortunately, Fu Shaoping has the "General Outline of Contracts" and the "Secret Records of Witchcraft Contracts" as a foundation, and he has a broad knowledge of various types of contracts.
He calmed down and began to deduce the results.
The first chapter, "Blood Soul Slave Contract," took two days to complete, and the method for breaking the contract was successfully derived.
The second technique, "Ice Soul Symbiosis Contract," is a rare ice-based egalitarian symbiotic contract, but the balance part is incomplete. It took three days to complete.
The third difficult case involves an ancient contract dispute: two cultivators made a "Heavenly Oath" to not infringe upon each other, but one of them indirectly caused the death of the other's partner by exploiting a loophole in the contract. Does this constitute a breach of contract? How should it be adjudicated?
This involves the "intentional interpretation" and "causal determination" of contracts. After pondering for a day, Fu Shaoping, combining the fundamental principles of "fairness" and "good faith" in contracts, gave his verdict: it was a breach of contract, because his behavior violated the fundamental principle of "good faith performance" of the contract, and he should suffer the backlash of Heaven and compensate the other party.
"Second stage passed. Reward: Contract deduction experience 'Ice Soul Contract Evolution'."
Another jade slip of inheritance entered his mind, containing the insights and experiences of the Frost Soul Venerable in deducing contracts throughout his life, its value immeasurable.
Fu Shaoping, invigorated, stepped into the final dark gold portal. The third level had no complex scenery. There was only a pure dark void, in which three things floated: a drop of suspended dark gold liquid, a flickering black flame, and a grayish-white, broken stone tablet.
The phantom of the Frost Soul Venerable slowly coalesced in the void. It was the image of an old man with a gaunt face and wise eyes. Although it was only a residual image, it still exuded a profound and boundless Daoist aura.
"You, a newcomer, have managed to pass two trials in a row, which shows that you do indeed have a talent for the Way of Contracts." The illusory figure of Frost Soul Venerable spoke, his voice gentle. "The third trial has no specific task. The three items before you are what I obtained when I explored the secrets of the 'Contract Pivot' back then."
He pointed to the drop of dark golden liquid: "This is 'Contract Source Blood,' which is said to be the essence blood of an ancient contract master. It contains the purest contract source power and has a transformative effect on contract practitioners. However, one must withstand the impact of the contract source when absorbing it. Those with weak will will be assimilated by the contract and lose their own identity."
He then pointed to the wisp of black flame: "This is the 'Evil Contract Origin Fire Seed,' which is a trace of the evil contract origin stripped from the corrupted part of the 'Contract Pivot.' It is extremely evil and can erode all contracts. However, if one can control it, it can also be transformed into powerful evil contract power or used to research purification methods. But it is extremely dangerous; if one is not careful, one's soul and spirit will be destroyed."
Finally, pointing to the gray-white stone tablet, it said: "This is a fragment of the 'Purification Heavenly Tablet,' a part of an ancient purification treasure. It is inscribed with an incomplete 'Great Purification Divine Incantation,' which has a miraculous effect on purifying evil spirits and curses. However, the incantation is incomplete, so its power is greatly reduced, and it requires a massive amount of pure spiritual power and divine soul power to activate."
"Choose one of the three as your final reward for passing the test. After you make your choice, my core legacy—the Frost Soul Codex—will also be bestowed upon you."
Fu Shaoping stared at the three objects, quickly weighing his options in his mind.
The blood of the contract source can greatly enhance contract cultivation, and may even allow him to directly break through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, but the risk is "losing oneself"—which is unacceptable to Fu Shaoping, who pursues his true self and controls his own contract path.
The primordial flame of the evil pact is the most dangerous, but it might directly help in purifying the evil energy of the "Pincer's Pivot." However, he already has the power of the evil pact contained in the black fragments of the "Pincer's Decree" within his body; absorbing this flame again might make it difficult to maintain balance.
The fragment of the Purification Stele may seem the most "useless," containing only a broken divine incantation with stringent activation conditions. However... it may be the only treasure directly related to "purification," and being a fragment of an ancient purification treasure, it may hold even greater value.
More importantly, Fu Shaoping's goal is to "purify the Qishu," rather than simply to increase his strength or control evil power.
"I choose the fragment of the Heavenly Stele for purification," Fu Shaoping decided.
A hint of approval flashed in the eyes of the Frost Soul Venerable: "A wise choice. In the way of the contract, power is secondary, and the heart is paramount. You were able to restrain your desire for power and choose something that might be more helpful to the 'Purification Pivot'. Your character has passed the test."
He raised his hand and pointed, and the gray-white stone tablet transformed into a stream of light, entering Fu Shaoping's brow and imprinting itself on his sea of consciousness. At the same time, an ice-blue inheritance jade slip flew into Fu Shaoping's hand, which was the "Frost Soul Contract".
"The Frost Soul Codex contains all the ice-based contract techniques I created throughout my life, my purification insights, and research records on the 'Combine Pivot.' Among them, the 'Ice Soul Purification Array' and the 'Origin Purification Technique' might be of some help to you." The illusory figure of the Frost Soul Venerable began to slowly dissipate. "Those who come after, the path of contracts is vast and boundless. May you uphold your true heart, use contracts wisely, resolve the calamity of the 'Combine Pivot,' and bring blessings to all living beings..."
The sound faded away, and the phantom disappeared.
Fu Shaoping bowed and said, "This junior will remember."
The third level of space collapsed, and he returned to the Ice Soul Mystic Palace.
In his hand, the jade slip of the Frost Soul Codex emitted a warm, icy blue light. In his sea of consciousness, the fragment of the Purification Stele floated quietly; though incomplete, it exuded a sacred, pure, and all-encompassing aura of righteousness.
"This trip was a complete success." Fu Shaoping was filled with the joy of his accomplishment.
He did not leave immediately, but sat cross-legged in the main hall of the Xuan Palace and began to study the "Frost Soul Codex" and the fragments of the Purification Heavenly Stele.
Within the Xuan Palace, spiritual energy is abundant, and the flow of time seems to differ from the outside world (due to the time array left by Venerable Frost Soul), making it an ideal place for seclusion.
Fu Shaoping decided to thoroughly digest what he had gained here and attempt to break through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm!
The Ice Soul Palace once again fell into eternal silence.
Only that faint, icy blue light illuminated the solitary yet resolute figure of the seeker of the Dao.
The century-long promise is beginning to take shape.
Tianyuan Rift Valley and the "Origin Stone"
Within the Ice Soul Palace, time passes silently.
When Fu Shaoping opened his eyes again, they were no longer a blend of ice blue and pale gold, but a deeper, more restrained dark gold. Deep within his pupils, subtle contract runes occasionally appeared and disappeared, as if reflecting the profound mysteries of the myriad contracts of the heavens.
"Late stage of Golden Core... I've finally broken through."
He exhaled softly, and his breath, long and deep like a dragon, transformed into a white ribbon in the hall, lingering for a long time.
With the aid of the Xuan Palace's time array, only three months passed in the outside world, while he actually secluded himself in the palace for nearly three years. During these three years, he not only successfully broke through to the late Golden Core stage, but also fully comprehended the "Frost Soul Covenant," especially gaining a profound understanding of the "Ice Soul Purification Array" and the "Origin Purification Technique."
Although the "fragment of the Heavenly Stele of Purification" in his sea of consciousness was still incomplete, it had been initially refined by him under the inspiration of the "Frost Soul Contract Codex" and the nourishment of his own contract origin. The "Great Purification Divine Incantation" contained in the fragment, though incomplete, gave him the most crucial direction for purifying the evil energy of the "Contract Pivot"—using the pure contract origin as a guide, drawing upon the righteous energy of heaven and earth, and cooperating with a specific formation to peel away and transform the root of the evil contract layer by layer.
This requires his own contractual origin to be strong and pure enough, and to have a sufficient understanding of the contractual structure of the "Spiritual Pivot". He can continue to improve with the former; with the latter, he needs to personally explore the deeper state of the "Spiritual Pivot" seal.
“It’s time to leave.” Fu Shaoping stood up, and the icy spiritual energy that filled the Xuan Palace automatically bypassed his body, as if he had become one with the place.
He took one last look at the palace that had given him such a great opportunity, bowed, then turned and left along the way he had come.
Having traversed the labyrinth of ice peaks, they returned to the endless ice plains. Outside, it was still polar night, but less than half a month remained until its end. Fu Shaoping didn't linger, heading straight back towards the observatory.
One month later, at the observatory. (End of Chapter)