Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

Wei Tu's expression softened upon hearing the explanation, but he didn't agree to Qii Chengchu's request.

"Your words are sincere, Fellow Daoist Qii," Wei Tu said slowly, choosing his words with care. "It's just… I received a favor from Huang Xinglie when I left the Yunze Secret Realm. If I were to help you seize the Huang Family's Inheritance now, I would inevitably face public criticism."

He had only just broken through to the Golden Core Realm; the Nascent Soul Realm was still a world away. Helping the Loose Immortal Alliance with this matter offered him limited benefits and would tarnish his reputation.

Wei Tu wasn't foolish enough to get involved.

However, at this point, Wei Tu changed his tune. "If you wish to obtain the Huang Family's Inheritance, Fellow Daoist Qii, you don't necessarily have to seize it by covert means. Perhaps it can be acquired through a trade."

"Huang Xinglie is grievously injured, and the Hee Mountain Huang Family is in peril. If our Loose Immortal Alliance were to offer them aid, the Huang Family would be unlikely to stubbornly cling to what they have and simply wait for their own destruction."

"I am willing to go to the Hee Mountain Huang Family on behalf of the Loose Immortal Alliance and persuade Huang Xinglie to trade the Huang Family's Array Inheritance."

An outright refusal would have been offensive.

It was far more appropriate for him to first decline and then propose an alternative.

And indeed, it was so.

After Wei Tu offered his alternative, the tense atmosphere in the pavilion eased somewhat.

"The plan you've proposed, Fellow Daoist Wei, is logical and certainly aligns with the methods of the Righteous Dao."

"But it is far too idealistic."

Qii Chengchu rejected it outright.

His voice grew slightly cold. "And what if the Huang Family refuses? A rash attempt to trade would only tip them off and put them on high alert."

With that, Qii Chengchu rose and walked to a window, looking down at the clusters of rockeries in the mansion's garden and the various Spirit Flowers blooming in a riot of color.

"With a trade, success is not guaranteed. But with a covert plot, the Loose Immortal Alliance… will only succeed. It will not fail."

Qii Chengchu's tone was indifferent, a far cry from the modest Gentleman he presented himself as in public.

…

「Half a day later.」

Wei Tu flew away from the Qii Mansion.

Once Qii Chengchu expressed his unwillingness to trade with the Huang Family, Wei Tu knew better than to press the issue. After all, his ties with the Hee Mountain Huang Family were long since severed; speaking a good word for them was already a nod to their past relationship.

Fortunately, this meant Qii Chengchu didn't ask Wei Tu to get further involved with the Huang Family. Instead, he turned the conversation to the "internal affairs" of the Loose Immortal Alliance.

Thus, after chatting for a few hours, Wei Tu found an opportune moment to take his leave and departed from the Qii Mansion.

'Was the matter of the Huang Family both a request from Qii Chengchu and a test?'

Back at his own mansion, Wei Tu mulled over his conversation with Qii Chengchu, pondering its implications.

Having spent so long in the Loose Immortal Alliance, he knew full well that many of its Golden Core True Monarchs were not united.

The Golden Core True Monarchs within the Loose Immortal Alliance were roughly divided into two factions based on their origins: the Zheng Country Sect and the Jing Country Sect.

For example, Qii Chengchu, Che Gongwei, and Bao Siyan—people Wei Tu had interacted with—were all Golden Core True Monarchs belonging to the Jing Country Sect.

Over forty years ago, precisely because of the growing friction between the two factions, a brilliant mind had proposed that the factions take on disciples from each other's territories. The goal was to increase the Loose Immortal Alliance's cohesion and cultivate a new generation of talent.

Wei Tu himself had benefited from this policy back then, becoming a Disciple of True Monarch Che despite his status as an Independent Cultivator from Zheng Country.

And now, as the first of these "new Disciples" to break through and become a Golden Core True Monarch, Wei Tu's factional allegiance was a very sensitive matter.

Therefore, Qii Chengchu's invitation to discuss the Huang Family was very likely an attempt to make him declare his allegiance and recruit him into the Jing Country Sect's inner circle. But unexpectedly, he seemed to have said the wrong thing regarding the Huang Family, rejecting Qii Chengchu's request.

'What do factional struggles have to do with me? If I misspoke, then I misspoke.' Wei Tu wasn't concerned. He was an Ascetic and had no interest in power struggles.

The Loose Immortal Alliance was currently only a Quasi-Nascent Soul Influence. Even if the two major factions excluded him from their "inner circle," they would still afford him High Level treatment.

As long as he was strong enough, a neutral party like him wouldn't be excluded; on the contrary, both factions would do their utmost to win him over.

As for targeting him…

No matter how foolish the Loose Immortal Alliance's two factions were, they wouldn't cripple themselves in these chaotic times.

If anything happened to him, it would mean the conflict between the two factions had become truly irreconcilable. The Loose Immortal Alliance might as well dissolve at that point.

'Still, speaking of Tier Three Inheritances…' Wei Tu rubbed his chin, a thoughtful look on his face.

He currently possessed three complete Tier Three Inheritances: the *Divine Wood Origin Technique*, the *Demon Slayer True Skill*, and the Tier Three Alchemist Inheritance he had obtained from Alchemist Shu.

As for the *Profound Nether Yin Fire*, he only had the Cultivation Technique for the first three levels, so it didn't count as a complete inheritance.

For a newly promoted Golden Core Cultivator, having three complete Tier Three Inheritances was quite good. Unfortunately, he was a Talisman Master, and the one thing he was missing was a subsequent Tier Three Talisman Master Inheritance.

'A Tier Three Talisman Master Inheritance is the lifeblood of a Talisman Master. Even though I became Che Gongwei's disciple, our relationship is merely superficial…'

A troubled look crossed Wei Tu's face.

He didn't believe for a second that Che Gongwei would simply hand over his personal Inheritance.

After all, if he used Che Gongwei's Talisman Master Inheritance to become a Tier Three Talisman Master, they would become direct competitors occupying the same niche.

'I also don't have the various Secret Skills that go with the *Divine Wood Origin Technique*.'

Wei Tu sighed to himself.

This was the hardship of being an Independent Cultivator. Without a proper lineage, every step forward brought one to the predicament of having "no path ahead."

'I'll write to those two masters first and see if they're willing to teach me. Even if it comes at a price, it's better than having nothing.'

With this in mind, Wei Tu began to write. He then had his Steward, Duu Wenshu, deliver the two letters to the respective mansions of Che Gongwei and Bao Siyan.