"Perhaps it was because of that ritual?" the man asked.
The All-Knowing One nodded. "That's highly possible."
"At the very least, her current state proves that in that ritual, the chosen ones were not the only ones who could survive. As long as the physical body did not perish—or the soul remained alive even after the body dissipated—there would be far more room to maneuver."
"Then do we still need to continue trading with her?"
The Federation was clearly more concerned about this. "Her usual self has some integrity, but if she falls and becomes a believer, she will have no credibility whatsoever."
Uncertainty also appeared between the All-Knowing One's brows. "If possible, I truly want to meet her in person."
"Though she has been contaminated, she has not fallen directly. I even vaguely feel that she is still hesitating."
"Hesitating?" The man sounded confused, with a hint of disbelief.
"Anyone who is contaminated falls directly into becoming a believer, even a powerful Precognitive—" He paused there, saying no more and skipping over that subject. "Could contamination from the Cup be resisted?"
This had never happened before.
"Perhaps it could. We simply have not yet reached the level where we can resist Temptation. Or perhaps she is special."
Either possibility was difficult to accept.
The former meant that the entire Federation could not find a Transcendental stronger than Xu Zhi. Otherwise, why could she resist the Cup's Temptation and corrosion while they could not? The latter was even more unacceptable.
"In any case, please remain in Brocade City until she appears again."
"If, by the time she appears again, she has completely fallen and become a believer, we will kill her immediately—no matter how many times—and forbid anyone from coming into contact with her. If not—"
He did not finish,