Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

...

Back at the shanty.

Wei Tu took out the Talisman Pen, Spirit Ink, and a stack of Talisman Paper he had bought from a shop in the Marketplace some time ago.

He knew that after the small market, he would have a stable, low-cost supply channel through Hu Yao.

Therefore, he needed to quickly use up the Talisman Paper and Spirit Ink he’d previously bought and turn them into capital.

Furthermore,

he planned to use the Earth Spike Talisman as his own Spiritual Product, trading it for other resources at the small market.

This would accomplish two things.

First, by appropriately displaying his talent, he could raise his status in the Shantytown and deter troublemakers.

Talisman Masters, Pill Masters, and Array Masters were professional Cultivators who enjoyed a high and respected status within the Cultivation Realm.

This was even truer among the lower-level Cultivators.

Second, he could also use the small market to find a good outlet for the Talismans he painted.

Wei Tu spread out a sheet of Talisman Paper, dipped his Talisman Pen in Spirit Ink, and began to carefully trace the Earth Spike Talisman’s runes onto the paper.

Over an hour passed.

Only then did Wei Tu finally complete the runes on the Blank Talisman Paper.

A moment later,

the Spiritual Light from the runes on the Talisman Paper receded, and it didn’t spontaneously combust as it often had when he practiced Talisman Painting in the mortal world.

Wei Tu’s progress with the Earth Spike Talisman had reached 37%, roughly equivalent to the Minor Success stage of painting it.

At this stage, his success rate for painting the Earth Spike Talisman was about forty percent.

In other words, with ten sheets of Talisman Paper, as long as he was cautious and careful enough, he could produce four Earth Spike Talismans—an encouraging success rate.

Of course,

of those four Earth Spike Talismans,

one or two would turn out Substandard due to his unrefined technique.

Substandard ones were still usable.

But their power and value were greatly diminished compared to a normal Earth Spike Talisman.

’To paint a Basic Talisman like the Earth Spike Talisman in one go, you have to be at least a Tier One Talisman Master. I’d better be steady and avoid waste...’

Wei Tu didn’t rush his Talisman Painting, maintaining a steady, unhurried pace.

A month and a half later,

he had finally used up all his previously purchased stock, converting all the Talisman Paper and Spirit Ink into sellable Earth Spike Talismans.

[Earth Spike Talisman (42/100): Practice five times a day to master in seven years.]

’My progress increased by 5%.’

’At this rate, it won’t take seven years. I should be able to perfect the Earth Spike Talisman in another two or three years at most.’

A look of delight appeared on Wei Tu’s face.

Once he could skillfully master the painting of a Basic Talisman, he would have a chance to create a "High-Quality" version of it.

The price of a High-Quality Earth Spike Talisman was comparable to that of an ordinary Tier One Talisman.

Tier One Talismans were mostly used by Cultivators at the Middle-Stage or Late Stage of Qi Cultivation.

Being able to create a High-Quality Basic Talisman meant he would be able to trade with these "high-end customers" in the Middle and Late Stages of Qi Cultivation and earn Spirit Stones from them.

’Besides that—’

After a moment of contemplation, Wei Tu took out a Spirit Testing Talisman from inside his shanty and placed it on his forehead.

At the same time, he glanced at the bronze mirror on the table.

In the mirror’s reflection, two colors of light—a faint cyan and an earthy yellow—gradually appeared on his forehead, forming a glow about the size of half a fist.

’Earth and Wood Dual Spirit Root...’

’The ball of light is a bit larger than before... It seems my previous guess was correct. The Late Bloomer Destiny Chart is still slowly changing my aptitude...’

Wei Tu mused to himself.

Back in the mortal world, when he practiced the Turtle Breath Qi Cultivation Technique, a small, warm current from his Golden Purple Destiny Chart had gradually altered his Martial Arts Root Bone, turning him into a Martial Arts genius in the eyes of his master, Shan Wuju.

Now in the Cultivation Realm, he had reckoned that the aptitude-altering effect of his Golden Purple Destiny Chart wouldn’t just disappear.

Therefore, he used a Spirit Testing Talisman to measure his aptitude periodically.

And just as he’d expected,

after more than a year,

his aptitude had indeed improved.

’At this rate, in another hundred years, my aptitude might be equivalent to a Middle-Grade Spirit Root...’

Wei Tu thought to himself.

According to his original plan, he would only barely touch the edge of the Foundation Establishment Stage by the end of his lifespan, with no chance of actually reaching Foundation Establishment.

But now that his aptitude was improving, even gaining an extra ten years to prepare for Foundation Establishment was a significant step forward for him.

...

About half a month later,

it was time for the Shantytown’s semi-annual small market.

Because the "small market" wasn’t officially recognized by the Marketplace, the low-level Cultivators didn’t set up stalls in the streets but instead gathered inside several adjacent shanties.

Small wooden plaques hung at the entrances of these shanties, with words like "Pill House," "Artifact House," "Beast House," and "Medicine House" written on them.

Wei Tu called for Fu Zhizhou, and the two of them went to this part of the Shantytown together.

’The price is twenty percent lower than the Marketplace shops, but it’s still a bit expensive.’ Wei Tu walked into the "Talisman House" and saw Talisman Paper and Spirit Ink for sale at a small stall.

After comparing the prices, he shook his head.

The Marketplace shops were expensive for a reason; their quality was much better than what was sold at these small stalls, making the twenty percent premium seem reasonable.

’But if the price were forty percent lower, I wouldn’t have to worry too much about the quality,’ Wei Tu thought. ’There’s no such thing as an unsuitable product, only an unsuitable price.’

"How many Spirit Stones for a stack of Talisman Paper?" Wei Tu approached the stall owner and began to ask for prices.

The stall owner was a skinny old man. He looked up at Wei Tu upon hearing his question, and seeing an unfamiliar face, he said coolly, "The price is marked up there. One Spirit Stone for a stack of Talisman Paper."

"A little cheaper. How about twenty grains of Spiritual Sand?"

Wei Tu haggled, slashing the price by a third.

The skinny old man lowered his eyelids and ignored Wei Tu, turning to greet other customers instead.

"Twenty-three grains of Spiritual Sand? How about it?"

Wei Tu raised his offer.

"Not selling for less than twenty-seven grains of Spiritual Sand," the skinny old man replied casually, his brow furrowed.

’This deal is as good as done,’ he thought. ’If he’s willing to raise the price, he’s serious about buying.’

However—

The next moment, he was dumbfounded.

Upon hearing the price, Wei Tu didn’t buy from him. Instead, he walked away from the stall and headed straight for another one, where he began a new round of negotiations with a different owner.

「A quarter-hour later.」

Wei Tu had a general idea of the market prices for a Talisman Master’s supplies in the small market.

They were quite a bit higher than the prices Hu Yao had quoted him.

The most he could haggle for was a twenty-five percent discount off the original price.

As soon as he tried to go below thirty percent off, the stall owners’ refusal became plain as day.

’Some money can only be earned by certain people,’ Wei Tu sighed to himself. He turned and walked out of the Talisman House, preparing to head to the "Yanwu" where Hu Yao and the others stayed to ask for her help with an introduction.

Yanwu was the place where Secret Prostitutes like Hu Yao conducted their business.

Just as Wei Tu left the Talisman House, he saw Fu Zhizhou, who had split up with him after they arrived at the market, walk into the "Beast House" and start chatting with a stall owner at the entrance.

The two seemed to be getting along very well.

The Beast House was where the market sold Spirit Beast cubs and Spirit Beast Flesh.

Wei Tu moved closer and overheard that Fu Zhizhou was asking about how to get in and out of the Yaolang Mountain Range and the precautions for slaying Demon Beasts.

’Looks like my Fourth Brother can’t sit still in the Shantytown anymore. He doesn’t want to live a mediocre life.’

Wei Tu instantly understood Fu Zhizhou’s intentions.

There were generally three paths for Independent Cultivators on Danqiu Mountain to reach Foundation Establishment.

First, have a special skill and stand out among the Hundred Cultivation Techniques.

Then, step-by-step, accumulate Spirit Stones, raise one’s Realm, and purchase a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object.

This was the path Wei Tu was currently on.

Second, be blessed with Immortal Fate.

One could obtain precious Spirit Medicine, or Treasures like Magical Treasures or Cultivation Techniques, and exchange them with the Supreme Profound Sect for an Opportunity to advance to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Third, become an Assassin.

Instead of living a peaceful life in the Shantytown, one would accept missions from the Marketplace and brave life and death outside as a "War Cultivator."

’Everyone makes their own choices. With my Late Bloomer Destiny Chart, choosing to be a Talisman Master is the safe and steady option for me.’

’But Fourth Brother is different. If he wants to reach Foundation Establishment, his only choice is to become an Assassin.’

Wei Tu stopped in his tracks and quietly left, not wanting to disturb Fu Zhizhou’s conversation with the Beast House stall owner.

To each their own.

He still needed to help his mortal family embark on the Immortal Path; how could he have the spare energy to also help his sworn brother, Fu Zhizhou?

In his heart, his family came first.

Although his wife Xinghua and their two children didn’t have high aptitude and would find it difficult to achieve much in Cultivation, that wasn’t a reason for him to "abandon his wife and children."

In a word,

he would do his best and leave the rest to fate.

Just as with Kou Liang, he couldn’t be so heartless as to not even give his wife and children a single chance at Cultivation.

...

Soon,

Wei Tu arrived at the "Yanwu," which was located a little distance away from the small market.

Upon reaching Yanwu, he happened to see a man in a long robe emerge from a shanty with a wooden plaque bearing the character "Hu," pounding on his lower back as he walked.

The man saw Wei Tu coming toward him and, caught off guard, his legs went weak, and he nearly stumbled to the ground.

"Fellow Daoist Wei?" The man in the long robe clearly recognized Wei Tu. He gave an awkward laugh and greeted him.

"Please, don’t tell my wife about this."

"You know how ferocious that tigress can be."

He pulled a few grains of Spiritual Sand from his pocket, shoved them forcefully into Wei Tu’s hand, and hurried away.

Seeing this, Wei Tu couldn’t help but smile.

He hadn’t expected an unexpected windfall from this trip to Yanwu.

The man in the long robe was surnamed Wang and was a well-known Pill Master in their section of the Shantytown.

Although he could only refine three or four types of Basic Elixirs used for Cultivation, he was still a sought-after figure in the Shantytown.

When Wei Tu was buying the Moon Condensing Pill last time, he had gone to see this Alchemist Wang once. Later, out of caution, he decided against buying the Moon Condensing Pill from him and went to a Marketplace shop instead.

But that experience had allowed him to get acquainted with Alchemist Wang, as well as the "tigress" at his home.

’Could it be that Hu Yao is blackmailing these Male Cultivators? Is that how she’s confident she can get me Talisman Paper and Spirit Ink at a forty percent discount?’

The thought occurred to Wei Tu.

He shook his head, pushing aside the stray thoughts, and continued toward the shanty with the "Hu" plaque.

Just then, Hu Yao happened to come out. Perhaps she had just finished with a client, as she was only wearing a thin, translucent robe. Her curves were faintly visible, swaying slightly as she moved, a sight that would make anyone’s blood boil.

Hu Yao, carrying a wooden basin, emptied the dirty water inside before smiling and welcoming Wei Tu into her room.

Then, she shut the main door, slid the bolt, turned around, and with a RUSTLE, began to take off her clothes.

Halfway through undressing, Hu Yao seemed to realize her visitor was Wei Tu. She put her thin robe back on and apologized, "It’s just a habit of mine. I hope Fellow Daoist Wei doesn’t mind."