Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

They entered the Supreme Profound Sect’s pavilion.

Hu Yao walked up to a counter. The moment she saw the gray-robed old man sitting behind it, her eyes lit up. She rushed forward and clung tightly to his arm.

"Steward Liu, you haven’t paid me any attention these past few months," Hu Yao cooed. "My newly learned Dual Cultivation Skill has gone completely to waste."

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" As Hu Yao snuggled up to him, the trace of impatience in Steward Liu’s eyes vanished completely. His face flushed, and he repeated the word "excellent" three times.

"Then shall I go to your private residence and wait for you?" Hu Yao asked tentatively, her eyes brightening.

"Well..." Steward Liu hesitated for a moment upon hearing her words, then finally nodded. "Alright. Go to my private residence and wait for me."

"Thank you, Steward Liu."

Hu Yao smiled.

Only then did Hu Yao find the opportunity to introduce Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou to Steward Liu.

"These two are new here," she said. "I’ll have to trouble you, Steward Liu, to arrange a good place for them."

"Newcomers?" Steward Liu nodded slightly, his gaze falling upon Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou. Stroking his beard, he smiled. "Independent Cultivators who come to Danqiu Mountain have two choices. The first is to lease a Cave Mansion from the Supreme Profound Sect... but from the looks of you, I doubt you can afford one."

"After all, even the cheapest Cave Mansion costs one Spirit Stone for a three-year lease."

"The other choice is to settle in the shantytown on the outskirts of Danqiu Mountain."

"The shantytown is rent-free, but every year, you’ll be required to help the Supreme Profound Sect tend to one mu of their Spirit Fields. Are the two of you willing?"

Wei Tu nodded. He didn’t try to show off by revealing the "fortune" of over fifty Spirit Stones he possessed.

’I’ll settle down in the Danqiu Mountain shantytown for now,’ he thought. ’Later, I can decide whether to lease a Cave Mansion from the Supreme Profound Sect.’

Seeing this, Fu Zhizhou followed Wei Tu’s lead and also nodded in agreement.

"Fellow Daoist Hu just asked me to look after you two, so I can’t very well refuse."

After registering Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou for the shantytown, Steward Liu pondered for a moment before taking a token from his sleeve.

"This is a Lease Order for Spirit Fields. It allows you to lease ten mu. You two can decide how to divide it... Take it."

He tossed the token to Wei Tu.

...

Next, seeing her good deed through to the end, Hu Yao took Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou to the second floor of the Supreme Profound Sect’s office. Using her connections, she helped them secure a plot of Spirit Fields close to their new residence.

"The Spiritual Qi inside the Supreme Profound Sect’s Cave Mansions, even the lowest-grade ones, is far more abundant than what you’ll find in the shantytown..."

"Fellow Daoists, if you make it big in the future, just be sure to invite me over for a visit."

As they left the pavilion, Hu Yao bid farewell to Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou with a charming smile and those parting words.

...

「A few months passed.」

Wei Tu settled down in the shantytown. In his conversations with Hu Yao, he learned that it was possible to bring his mortal family to Danqiu Mountain, but it required an annual payment of Spirit Stones for a "Washing Marrow and Sinews" fee.

Danqiu Mountain was rich in Spiritual Qi, and mortals who lived there for extended periods could prolong their lives.

For Martial Artists who hadn’t yet reached the Innate Realm, the benefits were even greater.

Seemingly sensing what was on Wei Tu’s mind, Hu Yao told him about an Immortal Talisman called the Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman, which could spare him the pain of his relatives passing away.

This Immortal Talisman could freeze a mortal in ice for a hundred years, and during this process, the person would not die.

Upon being unfrozen, their Divine Soul would be completely intact.

However, the Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman was expensive, costing hundreds of Spirit Stones each.

Moreover, they were often unavailable for purchase even if one had the money.

After learning of this Immortal Talisman, Wei Tu secretly made a resolution. If he ever gained the ability, he would do everything in his power to obtain these talismans for Xinghua and his two children before they died of old age.

’It takes forty years to form the Thick Earth Body. If the Spiritual Qi is abundant enough, that time should be shortened considerably...’

Inside his shack, Wei Tu gazed at the words on his Golden Purple Destiny Chart and pondered. They read: "Five Elements Spirit Body: Thick Earth Body: With eight training sessions a day, mastery is achieved in forty years."

’However, to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, the ideal time for the breakthrough is at the Age of Two Armors—one hundred and twenty years old...’

’I spent too long in the mortal world.’

Reading this, Wei Tu sighed to himself.

He had thought that with his "Late Bloomer" Destiny Chart, everything would be smooth sailing once he entered the Cultivation Realm, that he would easily achieve immortality.

Unexpectedly, compared to his progress in martial arts, his cultivation speed was painfully slow, like a crawling turtle.

At nearly eighty years old, he had only reached the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer. His aptitude was only marginally better than that of an ordinary cultivator with a Lower-Grade Spirit Root.

The difference was minimal.

With the roughly 120 years of life he had left, Wei Tu was no longer confident he could smoothly reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.

’Looked at another way, what I lack isn’t the aptitude to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage,’ he thought. ’It’s the lifespan to reach it and realms beyond.’

’However...’

Wei Tu’s gaze shifted to another line of text on his Golden Purple Destiny Chart.

"Earth Spike Talisman (37/100): With five practice sessions a day, mastery is achieved in seven years."

’Compared to my inferior Spirit Root and slow cultivation, my talent for the Talisman Dao seems pretty good, though.’

Wei Tu raised an eyebrow.

’As long as I develop my talent for the Talisman Dao and master that skill, I can use it to earn Spirit Stones. That should be enough to make up for my poor Spirit Root.’

Besides, he knew there were cultivation techniques and elixirs in the Cultivation Realm that could extend one’s lifespan.

’There’s a path forward!’

Confidence swelled in Wei Tu’s heart.

Just then, a knock came at the door of his shack.

"Third Brother!"

It was Fu Zhizhou’s voice from outside.

Wei Tu stood up and opened the door to greet him.

"I’ve bought the Spirit Testing Talismans," Fu Zhizhou said with a smile, taking out a stack of talisman paper.

Spirit Testing Talismans could determine the grade of a mortal’s Spirit Root.

Even after coming to Danqiu Mountain to cultivate, Fu Zhizhou hadn’t forgotten the family he’d left behind in the mortal world.

"Good. Let’s head down the mountain right now."

Wei Tu nodded. After quickly packing a few things and securing his shack with a copper lock, he set off with Fu Zhizhou, heading away from Danqiu Mountain.

...

Soon, the two of them were out of Danqiu Mountain.

Outside Danqiu Mountain, they each rented a swift horse and rode toward the capital of Luonan Dao, Jade Dragon Prefecture.

Several months prior, the entire territory of Shannan Dao had been conquered by the rebel army of the Xiao Mountain King.

As a result, Wei Tu and the others had moved their families from Xiaoyi Prefecture to Jade Dragon Prefecture in Luonan Dao to escape the war.

「Five days later.」

A private villa in Jade Dragon Prefecture.

Inside the room, Wei Tu took a brocade box from within his robes and handed it to Kou Liang. "This is a Moon Condensing Pill from the Immortal Marketplace. It can accelerate the refinement of a Martial Artist’s True Qi in the Inner Qi Realm. It’s also a Tier-Breaking Elixir to help a Martial Artist reach the Innate Realm."

The previous year, he had promised Kou Liang that if he had the opportunity and the means, he would help him reach the Innate Realm.

Moon Condensing Pills weren’t cheap in the Pill Shops of Danqiu Mountain, costing seven Spirit Stones each.

If it weren’t for the windfall from the Wuyun Tower, it would have taken him at least four or five years to save up seven Spirit Stones from his Spirit Field income alone, after covering his daily cultivation expenses.

Low-level Qi Cultivators mostly used Spiritual Sand for their cultivation, not Spirit Stones.

"Thank you, Third Brother." Kou Liang’s expression was one of pure excitement as he looked at the brocade box, his voice choked with emotion.

Although he never believed Wei Tu would go back on his word, the feeling of seeing the promise fulfilled was something else entirely.

Seeing this, Weii Fei’s eyes burned with envy.

"Second Brother..."

"This is for you."

Fu Zhizhou chuckled and also took out a brocade box, placing it in front of Weii Fei.

Years ago, he had taken Weii Fei’s Blood Food Pill and promised to do everything in his power to help him become an Innate Realm Martial Artist.

Unlike the box Wei Tu had given Kou Liang, which contained only a single Moon Condensing Pill, the one he gave to Weii Fei also contained a Small Gathering Qi Pill.

Of course, this was a detail he didn’t need to share with Kou Liang.

After all, he was merely repaying a debt to Weii Fei, whereas Wei Tu was simply helping Kou Liang out of generosity.

"Also, here are the Spirit Testing Talismans that Third Brother and I bought."

"First Brother, Second Brother, you should each take a few for your families," Fu Zhizhou added.

As he spoke, he placed a stack of yellow paper talismans on the table.

"I don’t need any," Weii Fei said, shaking his head. "I don’t have any family..."

"Thank you, Third Brother and Fourth Brother," Kou Liang said, taking five of the Spirit Testing Talismans.

His wife had passed away long ago. Although he later took a concubine, he held no particular affection for her.

The five Spirit Testing Talismans were for his two sons and three daughters.

After the talismans were distributed, Wei Tu didn’t linger in the main hall. He took three for himself and headed to the villa where his own family was staying.

「A short while later.」

The three Spirit Testing Talismans were placed on the foreheads of Xinghua, Wei Yan, and Wei Xiuwen.

The talisman papers flashed with spiritual light.

The talisman on Xinghua’s forehead emitted a faint cyan glow, only about the size of a thumb.

The one on Wei Yan’s forehead shone with two colors, faint cyan and deep blue, in a glow half the size of a fist.

The talisman on Wei Xiuwen’s forehead gave off a faint golden light, also about half the size of a fist.

’All Lower-Grade Spirit Roots.’

Wei Tu shook his head. The sliver of hope he had felt on the journey was completely extinguished by the flashing lights.

’A Spirit Root’s grade might be a matter of fate, but it’s also heavily influenced by one’s parents. If the parents have good Spirit Roots, their children most likely won’t have poor ones.’

「About ten minutes later.」

The four sworn brothers gathered once more.

Disappointment was written all over the faces of Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou as they shook their heads and sighed.

Weii Fei, having no children of his own, didn’t look particularly sad.

But First Brother Kou Liang was a different story entirely.

"Third Brother! Fourth Brother! Hongying... Hongying’s Spirit Root is Middle-Grade!"

Kou Liang’s face was alight with joy as he delivered the good news to Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou.

"What?"

"A Middle-Grade Spirit Root?"

Hearing this, Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou exchanged a look of stunned surprise.

Most of the cultivators on Danqiu Mountain were Independent Cultivators, nearly all of whom had Lower-Grade Spirit Roots.

In other words, a Middle-Grade Spirit Root was good enough to join an Immortal Sect. She wouldn’t have to be an Independent Cultivator.

"Congratulations, First Brother."

Wei Tu suppressed a pang of jealousy and cupped his hands in congratulations to Kou Liang.

’Why couldn’t I have a child with a Middle-Grade Spirit Root?’ he lamented inwardly.

...

...