Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

Poor men.

They were lucky just to get a wife.

They had no right to be picky.

For him, a pretty maidservant with delicate skin was far better than a plain, unmarried woman.

Not to mention, Caixia was connected to the "Chief Clerk Wei" before him. To get on Wei Tu’s good side, he would have been willing even if Caixia were ugly.

"Alright then. I’ll ask a matchmaker to go to your house and propose the marriage on a chosen day. Be ready..."

"I can lend you some money to build a new house. You can pay me back later..."

"I can’t let my little sister here be wronged."

Wei Tu studied Yue Jing’s expression carefully. Seeing it was unchanged, he nodded and began to arrange the wedding process for the two of them.

「Two months later.」

The ninth day of the eighth month was an auspicious day for a wedding.

Yue Jing and Caixia were married as they wished.

As the ones who brought them together, Wei Tu and Xinghua attended the wedding, bringing gifts to congratulate the couple.

Because of Wei Tu, many Military Officers from the Xiang Army Government Office also sent people with wedding gifts.

Although the gifts from the Military Officers weren’t valuable—mostly inexpensive trinkets—the show of respect alone was enough to greatly shock the Yue Family.

The members of the Yue Family no longer dared to look down on the bride, Caixia. Their words and actions toward her became respectful.

However, Caixia didn’t become arrogant or conceited because of this. On the day after the wedding, she went to the main hall early to serve tea to her parents-in-law and pay her respects, without a hint of haughtiness.

When the soldiers of the Xiang Army Government Office heard about this, they often expressed their envy for Yue Jing in their private conversations.

「Three months after their wedding.」

Wei Tu found a pretext to use his authority to promote Yue Jing to Centurion in the Xiang Army Government Office, putting him in charge of the army’s mess hall.

This position was a lucrative one.

He could skim a lot off the top each year, bringing in a considerable income.

After doing all this, besides telling Xinghua and Caixia to visit each other often, Wei Tu stopped paying attention to Yue Jing and Caixia.

He wasn’t Caixia’s father, after all.

He had done enough.

Besides, Yue Jing was too much of a schemer, always looking for an angle. He wasn’t like Quanshun, who was diligent and down-to-earth.

’Helping Yue Jing too much within the Government Office and elevating his status so drastically might not necessarily be a good thing for Caixia...’

’Even if I am to help him...’

’I should wait. Time will reveal his true character.’

...

Time passed.

「A year later, it was the 27th year of Qing’an.」

「Autumn, the eighth month.」

This was the year the provincial Military Examination was held in Shannan Dao.

Nearly six hundred Martial Scholars from the various prefectures and counties of Shannan Dao poured into the Prefecture City of Qingfeng Prefecture to participate in this Military Examination.

Like in previous years, these Martial Scholars ranged from young to old.

Young Martial Artists between twenty and thirty years old made up about seventy percent of the candidates.

Of the rest, middle-aged Martial Artists in their forties and fifties accounted for another twenty-five percent, while the final five percent were elderly Martial Artists over fifty.

During the preliminary rounds, Wei Tu even saw an elderly Martial Artist of seventy years participating.

Although this seventy-year-old Martial Artist’s steps were still nimble, he was knocked down by a younger opponent with just a few punches during his match due to his slow reflexes.

Fortunately, however, the old Martial Artist wasn’t seriously injured. He was still full of life after leaving the ring.

In terms of pure Martial Arts skill, Wei Tu didn’t think the old scholar was much worse than the young Martial Artist.

But age is no match for youth in a fight. The later in life an External Martial Master got, the more their physical Constitution declined.

「A few days later.」

After the preliminary and secondary rounds, only fifty Martial Artists remained in the Military Examination’s arena to compete for a spot on the ranking list.

The other five hundred-plus Martial Artists had all been eliminated in the previous matches, failing to reach the finals.

Among these fifty, of course, was Wei Tu, the one with the highest Martial Arts Realm.

After three consecutive days of competition, only the final ten people were left from the initial fifty, ready to fight for the top ten positions in the provincial Military Examination.

’The Martial Champion of the provincial examination can be appointed a Seventh-Grade Military Officer. Those in the top ten can be appointed Eighth-Grade Military Officers, and the rest are all Ninth Grade...’

Standing on the ring, Wei Tu silently contemplated the rules for official appointments after the Military Examination.

With his current Martial Arts strength, combined with the competition experience Fu Zhizhou had taught him, he was confident he could win the title of Martial Champion in this year’s provincial examination.

But then—Wei Tu recalled the moment he was targeted by the giant with the iron hammer back in Siyang Town.

If not for his Refined Armor and his timely evasion, he would have been either crippled or killed in that battle. The best-case scenario would have been to live out the rest of his life paralyzed.

Back then, he had secretly sworn never to stand out again. He had to act with extreme caution.

’A Seventh-Grade Official... do I really have to fight for it? Fourth Brother said that even Governor Wang has to be polite, almost reverent, when facing an Innate Martial Master...’

’In thirty years, I’ll become an Innate Martial Master. By then, my status... will naturally see a massive boost...’

’There seems to be no need to fixate on this Seventh-Grade Military Officer position from the provincial Military Examination.’

Wei Tu’s thoughts churned as he began to analyze his current and future situation.

A governor was a true, high-ranking official of the Zheng Country Court, a Purple-Robed High-Ranking Official of the Second Grade.

And even if he became a Seventh-Grade Official, it was highly unlikely he could rise through the ranks so quickly as to reach Governor Wang’s position within thirty years.

Furthermore, he still needed to focus on his Cultivation, both his Martial Arts Technique and the Immortal Skill, *Five Elements Spirit Body*. Where would he find the time and energy to bother with the affairs of Officialdom and waste time on such things?

Once he became an Innate Martial Master, his status would soar, putting him on "equal footing" with Governor Wang. There was no need to struggle in Officialdom.

’The Martial Champion of the provincial examination is too conspicuous. In the entire Zheng Country, across the Two Capitals and Thirteen Provinces, there are only fifteen provincial Martial Champions every three years...’

’Once I become the Martial Champion, I’ll inevitably become famous nationwide. Trouble will follow... and for me, the benefits clearly don’t outweigh the risks.’

After contemplating for fifteen minutes, Wei Tu finally made up his mind. He would give up the title of "Martial Champion" and aim only for a place in the top ten.

An Eighth-Grade Military Officer was enough for him; it was sufficient to raise his status.

A Seventh-Grade Military Officer was better than an Eighth-Grade one—a whole rank higher, with boundless prospects in Officialdom. But the risks involved were simply too great, clearly exceeding the "gains" of a Seventh-Grade Military Officer.

With his goal set, Wei Tu fought much more relaxedly in the final matches. He no longer had to worry about his opponents’ Sects, moves, weapons, or Martial Arts.

「Half a day later.」

The dust settled.

With Wei Tu intentionally holding back, he secured seventh place in this year’s provincial Military Examination.

This ranking was neither high nor low; it wouldn’t attract too much public attention.

"Third Brother, you’ve considered this well. It truly isn’t worth inviting risk to yourself for the sake of a Seventh-Grade Military Officer position..."

After the competition, Fu Zhizhou drove a carriage to pick up Wei Tu from the gates of the Martial Examination Hall.

On the way, when he learned of Wei Tu’s rank, he was first surprised and confused. But after hearing Wei Tu’s explanation, he was immediately filled with admiration, thinking that Wei Tu had the bigger picture in mind.

From Wei Tu’s perspective, making this rational choice seemed perfectly reasonable.

But who could truly ignore the fame and fortune that came with being the provincial Martial Champion and a Seventh-Grade Military Officer?

Fu Zhizhou reflected that if he were in Wei Tu’s shoes, he probably couldn’t have made such a decisive choice.