Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

After all, this secret passage was much less dangerous than the Demon Dao invasion.

Having made his decision, Wei Tu returned to the Red River Mountain Marketplace to do two things.

First, he would take all his belongings from his Cave Mansion.

Second, after he left, he would use a puppet to leak the intelligence on Zhao Jiangwu to his master, Che Gongwei, as repayment for teaching him.

A short while later, Wei Tu finished packing his bags.

After hanging a wooden sign that read "Seclusion" on the door of his Cave Mansion, he prepared to use his old trick to sneak out of the Red River Mountain Marketplace.

The last time he left his Cave Mansion, he had specifically left a Seven-Colored Illusion Moth behind.

Through the Seven-Colored Illusion Moth's surveillance, he found that everything was normal. Du Wenshu and the other maids in the residence hadn't noticed his activities, nor had they gone elsewhere to report him.

However, just as Wei Tu was about to leave,

a Talisman fell before him.

"Bao Siyan?" Wei Tu frowned slightly when he saw the signature on the Talisman.

Wei Tu stopped, reached out to draw the Talisman into his hand, and read it.

After reading it, his face grew thoughtful. He mulled it over for a moment and decided to meet with Bao Siyan after all.

This time, Bao Siyan's letter was much more cordial than the last. She revealed a significant amount of information about the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion.

To Wei Tu's surprise, the location of the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion that Bao Siyan mentioned seemed to overlap with the location of the "secret passage" Zhao Jiangwu had told him about.

However, Wei Tu couldn't be sure if the two locations were actually the same place.

After all, the location Bao Siyan had revealed for the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion was only a general area.

In addition,

this time, Bao Siyan had also promised to teach Wei Tu two of the three great Secret Skills before they set out for the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion.

Wei Tu felt that these two Secret Skills alone were worth delaying his journey for a meeting.

...

A short while later, at the Yangxin Pavilion in the Bao Mansion.

After nearly forty years, Wei Tu once again saw Bao Siyan, wearing her conical hat, inside the Yangxin Pavilion.

"Master Bao." Entering the Yangxin Pavilion, Wei Tu bowed to Bao Siyan with a calm expression before taking a seat inside.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, you are now a Golden Core Cultivator. There's no need to call me Master. Addressing me as you normally would is fine." Bao Siyan, from beneath her white conical hat, covered her crimson lips and chuckled coquettishly.

Wei Tu readily accepted this suggestion.

Unlike Che Gongwei, who had taught him the Talisman Dao, Bao Siyan had taught him a Cultivation Technique for her own purposes; it was a transaction. For him to continue observing the etiquette of a disciple and call her Master would seem hypocritical.

After they started addressing each other as Fellow Daoists, they got down to business with open and honest discussion.

"Two hundred years ago, I explored this Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion once with my husband. Unfortunately, my husband fell inside that very cave."

"This time, besides wanting to obtain the treasures and inheritance within the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion to advance my cultivation, I also hope to take this opportunity to retrieve my late husband's remains and allow him to enter the cycle of reincarnation."

As Bao Siyan spoke, a hint of sorrow flickered in the depths of her eyes.

This expression, combined with Bao Siyan's charming and beautiful face, would inevitably stir feelings of pity in any normal man.

However, Wei Tu, who stood to the side, felt no such tenderness for the beautiful woman; his expression remained completely placid.

"I don't understand why Fellow Daoist Bao chose me. Within the Loose Immortal Alliance, my strength is mediocre and not at all outstanding."

Wei Tu said calmly.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, you should understand how treacherous the Cultivation Realm is. Among all the Fellow Daoists in the Loose Immortal Alliance, my strength is merely average. If I were to ask them to go, let alone obtaining any treasures, I might even be killed for what I have." A bitter smile touched the corner of Bao Siyan's mouth.

"Furthermore, inside this Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion, there is a pass that must be broken by a Tier Three Talisman Master with profound attainments in the Talisman Dao."

"After thinking it over and over, only Fellow Daoist Wei meets this condition."

Bao Siyan added.

After she said this, Wei Tu's expression relaxed slightly.

'Weak, but with high attainments in the Talisman Dao.' He surmised that these were the only two things about him that would interest Bao Siyan.

'Bao Siyan's cultivation is a bit stronger than mine, but not by much. She should be at the peak of the early Core Formation stage... If she wanted to ambush and harm me, she wouldn't have the ability to do so.' Wei Tu weighed the pros and cons, considering the situation.

His thoughts mirrored Bao Siyan's.

If a Golden Core expert like Qii Chengchu had asked him to explore the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion, he would never have dared to go rashly, fearing the danger.

Bao Siyan, however, was different.

Bao Siyan was drawn to Wei Tu's "weakness," and right now, Wei Tu was also drawn to Bao Siyan's "weakness."

There was a gap in their strength, but they were within the same small realm. Unless one of them had some other trick up their sleeve, neither could easily defeat the other.

Furthermore, Wei Tu didn't believe that Bao Siyan harbored any ill intent or was luring him out to act as some kind of Tribulation Cultivator.

As someone who had just broken through to the Core Formation realm,

his wealth was, by common logic, less than that of some Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators. He was practically a "pauper."

"Are there any other dangers inside this Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion? If so, I hope Fellow Daoist Bao will state them clearly as soon as possible."

Wei Tu continued to inquire.

"There are no dangers on the path leading to the Talisman Pass. As for dangers beyond that, I cannot guarantee anything. After all, I have never been inside myself."

Bao Siyan's face was full of sincerity.

"As long as Fellow Daoist Wei agrees to this, I am willing to teach you all three Secret Skills of the Divine Wood Origin Technique."

As her voice fell, Bao Siyan saw a flicker in Wei Tu's eyes, indicating he was tempted. She decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"This matter..." Wei Tu hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

Just now, during his conversation with Bao Siyan, he had roughly confirmed the precise location of the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion. It was in the same area as the "secret passage" he was headed for.

The two were a hundred *li* apart.

Since it was on the way, Wei Tu didn't mind making a detour to explore this Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion while heading to the secret passage.

After all, since the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion had a "Talisman" Pass, it meant it was highly likely to be an inheritance left behind by a High-Tier Talisman Master.

Back then, Alchemist Shu had gone from being an unknown Independent Cultivator to a Fake Pill True Monarch precisely because he had obtained the inheritance from an Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion.

"Here are the two Secret Skills from the Divine Wood Origin Technique that I promised you, Fellow Daoist Wei. As for the third Secret Skill, as long as you accompany me to the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion, I will deliver it as promised."

Bao Siyan took out a Cyan Jade Scroll, channeled her Magical Power, and sent it floating before Wei Tu as she spoke.

She wasn't worried about Wei Tu breaking his promise.

After all, the two Secret Skills she was giving him were not particularly precious to her.

Besides, the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion also held benefits for Wei Tu.

"Once Fellow Daoist Wei becomes a Tier Three Talisman Master, come find me to discuss this matter." Bao Siyan added this reminder after Wei Tu accepted the Jade Scroll.

"Of course."

Wei Tu nodded.

Promoting to a Tier Three Talisman Master wasn't too difficult for him. After all, he had already successfully crafted High-Quality Wood Thunder Talismans and Water Thunder Talismans.

One had to know that a "High-Quality Talisman" among Tier Two Upper-Grade Talismans was even more difficult to craft than a standard Tier Three Lower-Grade Talisman.

Although Tier Three Lower-Grade Talismans were slightly more difficult to craft than Tier Two Upper-Grade Talismans, the most crucial factor was having Golden Core Magical Power.

...

「Two and a half years later.」

Wei Tu and Bao Siyan snuck out of the Red River Mountain Marketplace and flew together toward the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion.

A month later, the two arrived at the Southern Wilderness Ancient Plain, at the border of the Zheng, Jing, and Liang Countries.

Wei Tu was no stranger to the Southern Wilderness Ancient Plain.

The Yunze Secret Realm of the Hee Mountain Huang Family was located here. Years ago, he had come to the Southern Wilderness Ancient Plain once before, riding Huang Xinglie's Cloud Crowned Crane.

After arriving at the Southern Wilderness Ancient Plain,

Bao Siyan and Wei Tu got their bearings and made their way to a grayish-yellow hillside.

Once at the grayish-yellow hillside, Bao Siyan took out three gray Array Flags from her Storage Bag and planted them in the ground.

Next, Bao Siyan took out a White Jade Array Disc and channeled several streams of Magical Power into it.

Before long, several beams of light shot out from the Array Plate, shining between the gray Array Flags.

As the Array activated, Wei Tu quickly sensed the passage to an Underground Palace beneath the grayish-yellow hillside.

At that moment, Wei Tu also used the vision of his Sky-Splitting Carving to see a cliff over a hundred *zhang* high, a hundred *li* away.

On the face of the cliff, he could faintly make out a dark mountain cave.

That cave held the secret passage Zhao Jiangwu had told Wei Tu about.

Although the secret passage wasn't as dangerous as the Black Blood Swamp, the path still passed through several treacherous areas, two of which were even inhabited by Tier Three Demon Beasts.

'I'll explore this Ancient Cultivator's Cave Mansion first.' Wei Tu reined in his thoughts and recalled his Sky-Splitting Carving.

However—

The very instant the Underground Palace opened,

Wei Tu suddenly sensed the presence of a Seven-Colored Illusion Moth he had released over forty years ago.

...