Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

He had met the daughter Kou Liang mentioned, "Hongying." She was the Kou Family’s second daughter, currently only fourteen years old.

Based on her aptitude and age, Kou Hongying was perfectly suited to walk the Immortal Path.

How far one could go on the Immortal Path was also related to the age they started their Cultivation. The earlier one set foot on the Immortal Path, the more time they could secure for their Cultivation.

"My Spirit Root aptitude is low, so it will be difficult for me to achieve much in Cultivation in the future..."

Once the congratulations died down, the smile on Kou Liang’s face faded. Sitting on the stool, he looked at Wei Tu and the other two and said, "There’s only one thing on my mind right now. I want to see Hongying join a Sect and make a name for herself."

"That way, I can finally put my lifelong dream of seeking immortality to rest."

Hearing this, Wei Tu and the other two exchanged glances, wondering what Kou Liang was getting at.

Then, Kou Liang’s next words completely dispelled their confusion.

"My intention is to have Hongying join our Yee Society, or this Cultivation Alliance, so we can all help each other..."

"Hongying has a Middle-Grade Spirit Root. You three sworn brothers won’t be getting the short end of the stick," Kou Liang said in a low voice.

By this point, he had learned some basic knowledge of the Cultivation Realm. He knew how difficult it would be for someone with his Lower-Grade Spirit Root to successfully reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.

He basically had no chance of advancing to the Foundation Establishment Stage in his lifetime.

If he were lucky, his Cultivation might reach the Late-Stage Qi Cultivation before he died of old age.

Without some great Opportunity, he would be stuck at the Middle-Stage Qi Cultivation, or even the Early-Stage Qi Cultivation, for his entire life.

Rather than let that happen, it was better to make a decision now and fully support his daughter, who had a real chance at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

As his words fell, the expressions on the faces of Wei Tu and the other two varied.

Wei Tu frowned. He had no intention of agreeing to Kou Liang’s request to let Kou Hongying into their circle.

The four of them had become sworn brothers and formed the Yee Society by a strange twist of fate.

Later, because Weii Fei had obtained an Immortal Skill, it evolved into the Cultivation Alliance.

After more than twenty years of friendship, plus having gone through several life-and-death trials together, the four of them had finally built a foundation of mutual trust.

Even though Kou Hongying was a child all three of them had watched grow up, and they had a decent grasp of her character, understanding and trust were two entirely different matters.

They could not be conflated.

Besides the issue of trust, Kou Hongying’s youth was also a major drawback. It meant that in the initial stages of her Cultivation, she would inevitably need "support" from her three uncles.

If Kou Hongying could repay this "support" in the future, the three of them would naturally be happy to provide it; they would be thrilled to have more promising juniors like her.

But the crux of the matter was—Kou Hongying wasn’t Kou Liang, and she hadn’t built that foundation of trust with them. How could they lend the Cultivation resources they relied on for their own survival to her for her Cultivation?

Wei Tu and the other two exchanged looks. After a moment, it was Weii Fei, the second brother whose relationship with Kou Liang was only average, who steeled himself to step forward and play the bad guy.

Weii Fei cupped his hands and said, "Eldest Brother, we know Hongying’s temperament, but... for her to join the Alliance right now seems a bit inappropriate..."

"Besides, you’re already in the Alliance, Eldest Brother. It makes no difference whether Hongying joins or not."

"If you truly want Hongying to join the Alliance, the three of us will need time to observe her character... before we can decide whether to let her in."

Weii Fei’s first two sentences were tactful, but his last one was not so polite, and the meaning was clear.

"You’re right. It was my oversight; I didn’t think it through." Hearing this, Kou Liang’s face flashed with embarrassment, and he scratched his head.

As Kou Liang brought up the matter of the Alliance, Wei Tu and the others began to wonder whether they should even continue with this Cultivation Alliance.

Initially, they had established the three great pacts and formed the Cultivation Alliance because they believed finding a path to immortality was difficult, and the strength of a group surpassed that of an individual.

But now, things were different.

Times had changed.

They had already entered an Immortal Marketplace and truly set foot in the Cultivation Realm. It seemed there was no longer a need to maintain the Cultivation Alliance.

After all, their goal had been achieved.

The once like-minded friends had now achieved their common goal, and it seemed it was time to go their separate ways.

All good things must come to an end.

Furthermore, Xuanhe Tower, where they used to meet on the thirteenth of the sixth month every year, had been burned to the ground by the Rebel Army during the war.

...

「An hour later.」

After some discussion, the four of them decided to maintain the Cultivation Alliance and continue to help one another.

It came down to the same old saying.

It was better to huddle together for warmth than to fight alone.

However, the four of them also revised their old pacts to suit the current circumstances.

Pact One: Every ten years, the four of them would meet at an agreed-upon location to gather and exchange their Cultivation insights.

This included, but was not limited to, Immortal Skills.

Pact Two: If one of the four had a chance to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, the others must do everything in their power to support them.

After successfully reaching Foundation Establishment, that person must also help the other three.

Pact Three: If one of the four were to die unexpectedly, the remaining members must help look after their descendants.

Furthermore, if there was a suitable candidate among those descendants, they could also be brought into the Yee Society.

The three new pacts.

Wei Tu and the other three now set their sights on the Foundation Establishment Stage, rather than their previous goal of "seeking immortals and tracking their paths."

...

「After spending half a month in Jade Dragon Prefecture.」

Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou did not stay for long. After leaving their respective families with suitable Cultivation Methods, they returned to Danqiu Mountain.

Neither of them brought their children with them to cultivate on Danqiu Mountain.

As the saying goes, don’t flash your wealth.

They were currently at the bottom of the Cultivation Realm. Logically speaking, it was already difficult enough for them to maintain their own Cultivation. How could they have the residual power to spend Spirit Stones to let their children cultivate on Danqiu Mountain?