Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

Unfortunately, he was different from the old man. He still had six hundred years of lifespan and was striving for the Nascent Soul Realm—and an even higher Immortal Path. He couldn’t afford to be so carefree in his actions; instead, he had to be even more cautious and meticulous.

After this moment of reflection, Wei Tu waved his sleeve, dissolving the Restriction on the envelope, and looked at its contents.

The first half of the letter was identical to the first one Zhao Jiangwu had sent him, explaining that Zheng Country was to be abandoned by the Seven Kingdoms Righteous Alliance.

However, after this explanation, a passage in the letter answered Wei Tu’s earlier question: why the first letter Zhao Jiangwu sent was an ordinary one, without any secrecy measures.

"Karmic fortune! Those in ancient times who achieved great things were always protected by some unseen karmic fortune."

So wrote Zhao Jiangwu.

Destiny, fate—it wasn’t just ordinary mortals who believed deeply in such things. Cultivators in the Cultivation Realm also held strong faith in them.

When fortune arrives, heaven and earth work in concert.

When fortune departs, even a hero loses his freedom.

Zhao Jiangwu’s actions were a test to see if Wei Tu was protected by karmic fortune—if he would receive the first letter on time without it getting lost, and then arrive at Bauhinia Forest in time.

Zhao Jiangwu had entrusted the second letter to the old man, who was to keep it for a period of three years.

If Wei Tu had been late, he would have never received this second letter.

’Perhaps I am protected by karmic fortune, but receiving this second letter is a result of my own cautious nature.’

’If I weren’t so careful, even if I had received the first letter, I might have overlooked the details and missed the chance to get the second.’

Wei Tu shook his head inwardly, not feeling complacent because of his good luck.

After all, the example of his second brother, Weii Fei, was still fresh in his mind. If he hadn’t stepped in to help, Weii Fei would have died of old age long ago like Tong Peipei, let alone have had the chance to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Having come this far and successfully formed his Golden Core, Wei Tu refused to believe his achievements were forged from good luck alone.

Good luck is only temporary.

The life-and-death battle with Si Qing, ambushing and killing Alchemist Shu, defending Chaning Cliff—all these crises occurred after Heaven had taken back his good luck. He had survived each and every one of these bouts of misfortune, narrowly escaping disaster through his own strength and resources.

In short, both he and Weii Fei were lucky individuals blessed by immortal fortune. The difference was that his personality allowed him to seize his opportunities, while Weii Fei’s personality caused him to miss his chances time and time again.

Wei Tu continued reading the letter.

In the second half of the letter, Zhao Jiangwu explained the truth behind the Qiyue Zhao Family sealing their mountain.

He also revealed a secret passage for Wei Tu to escape the Righteous Demon Battlefield.

’The Ancestral Family in Xiao Country, Holy Cliff Mountain.’ Wei Tu raised an eyebrow, repeating the words to himself.

He hadn’t expected the Qiyue Zhao Family’s origins to be so extraordinary—to actually hail from Holy Cliff Mountain in Xiao Country.

Xiao Country was the most powerful nation within the Seven Kingdoms Righteous Alliance.

In terms of top-tier experts, the strength of the cultivators in Xiao Country was roughly five times that of the Cultivation Realm in Zheng Country.

Compared to Xiao Country, the three border countries of Jing, Zheng, and Liang were nothing more than minor nations.

And Holy Cliff Mountain was the most powerful Immortal Sect within Xiao Country.

The number of Nascent Soul Cultivators in the sect was more than ten.

’The Ancestor of the Zhao’s "Ancestral Family" is also a Nascent Soul Cultivator.’ Wei Tu was secretly astounded as he read about the "Ancestral Family’s" background, which Zhao Jiangwu had revealed in the letter.

Only then did he understand why the Qiyue Zhao Family had always held the top position among the Golden Core Families of Zheng Country.

With the "Ancestral Family," a Nascent Soul Influence, constantly providing support, it would have been difficult for the Qiyue Zhao Family *not* to be powerful.

’Second Brother really is lucky...’

After putting the letter away, Wei Tu shook his head and sighed with emotion.

Although the letter didn’t mention Weii Fei’s whereabouts, he could guess that Weii Fei, like the other Family Cultivators of the Qiyue Zhao Family, had been taken to Xiao Country via a Teleportation Array.

After all, the Qiyue Zhao Family didn’t have many Foundation Establishment Cultivators, only a little over ten. Taking Weii Fei to Xiao Country was a small favor that cost them nothing.

Although Weii Fei’s strength was lacking, there were many ways a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could be of service; value wasn’t measured in combat prowess alone.

...

「After leaving Bauhinia Forest.」

Wei Tu did not return to Red River Mountain. Instead, his streak of light changed direction, and he headed for the Hann Mountain Tao Family.

This time, he was going to the Hann Mountain Tao Family to use the last two smuggling spots.

A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall.

A crisis was imminent in Zheng Country, and he wasn’t foolish enough to stay and wait to fight the Demon Cultivator army.

There were three reasons why he hadn’t smuggled himself into Kang Country with Wei Yan and the others over thirty years ago.

First, the crisis in Zheng Country hadn’t yet manifested, so there was no imminent danger of collapse. As a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator, he had the strength to protect himself within the country.

Second, he had just returned from defending Chaning Cliff after completing a Recruitment Order. Even if the Righteous Demon Battlefield was dangerous, he wouldn’t be sent there.

Third, the Loose Immortal Alliance could provide him, a Golden Core Disciple, with a place for Core Formation and even provide a Protective Daoist to guard him during the process.

But in Kang Country, he would be a stranger in a strange land, and it would be very difficult to find a Core Formation site as excellent as the one provided by the Loose Immortal Alliance.

’I wonder if the Loose Immortal Alliance knows about this? They probably don’t,’ Wei Tu thought to himself as he flew.

He guessed that among the major influences in Zheng Country, only the Loose Immortal Alliance—a grassroots, Quasi-Nascent Soul Influence—was unaware that Zheng and the other border countries were to become "sacrificial pawns" on the Righteous Demon Battlefield.

The other Five Great Immortal Sects had most likely already begun an orderly withdrawal from the perilous lands of Zheng Country, just like the Qiyue Zhao Family.

The Loose Immortal Alliance, just like Zheng Country itself, had also been turned into a "sacrificial pawn" to resist the Demon Dao’s invasion.

’If I get a chance, after weighing the pros and cons, I could secretly leak this information to the Loose Immortal Alliance before I leave Zheng Country,’ Wei Tu thought.

Even setting aside the debt he owed the True Monarchs of the Loose Immortal Alliance for acting as his Protective Daoists, the favor of Che Gongwei teaching him the Dao was enough reason to lend the Alliance a hand.

「A few days later.」

Wei Tu arrived at the Hann Mountain Tao Family.

This time, he wasn’t just greeted by the people he knew, like the Tao Family’s Clan Leader Tao Jingwen and the Tao Family Elder Tao Shisheng.

The Tao Family Ancestor, Tao Chongzhou, had specially come out of seclusion to meet Wei Tu upon hearing that the newly advanced Golden Core True Monarch had arrived.

After some brief conversation, Tao Shisheng learned of Wei Tu’s purpose and said with a wry smile, "Elder Wei, my wife’s third brother, Nie Wenjing, has already left Chishui Pass. He’s no longer a Defending Cultivator there."

"Originally, if it were just Nie Wenjing leaving, our Tao Family’s smuggling channel wouldn’t have been affected too much. We could have just bribed another Cultivator."

"But... for some reason, over the past decade, Kang Country has become increasingly strict about cracking down on smuggling across the border."

"After our Tao Family lost more than ten Family Cultivators, we gave up on the idea of smuggling entirely."

Tao Shisheng sighed.

As he spoke, Tao Shisheng handed Wei Tu a smuggling ledger to prove he wasn’t lying.

A Golden Core True Monarch already possessed the ability to perform Soul-Searching and Soul-Seizing on Low-Tier Cultivators to steal their memories.

Wei Tu figured that the Hann Mountain Tao Family wouldn’t dare deceive him on this matter.

He took the smuggling ledger, and after glancing at the information recorded over the past several decades, he believed Tao Shisheng’s words.

’Kang Country tightening its border security is also indirect proof that what Zhao Jiangwu said was true,’ Wei Tu thought to himself.

"Is there any hope of reopening the smuggling channel?" Wei Tu asked, handing the ledger back to Tao Shisheng.

"In a word: difficult!" Tao Shisheng shook his head repeatedly. "The patrols along the Kang Country border are several times stronger than in previous years. Unless we bribe the Immortal Sect Envoy defending Chishui Pass, it will be impossible to open this smuggling channel."

The Immortal Sect Envoy was the "Commanding Officer" defending Chishui Pass. The position was the same as that held by the Fake Pill True Monarch, Xi Ying, whom Wei Tu had encountered at Chaning Cliff.

However, there was a difference.

The Cultivator defending Chishui Pass was a Golden Core True Monarch, whose Realm was far higher than Xi Ying’s.

"Bribing the Immortal Sect Envoy of Chishui Pass is no easy task." The Tao Family Ancestor, Tao Chongzhou, took over the conversation. He sighed, "The current Immortal Sect Envoy is named Ren Su. He’s a famous Golden Core Great Cultivator in Kang Country, and he’s defending Chishui Pass in pursuit of an opportunity to reach the Nascent Soul Realm..."

"It’s unlikely our financial resources would be enough to sway him."