Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

"Master, have some tea."

Weii Fei attended to him, lifting the pot to refill Immortal Master Wuk’s tea. His expression was a little awkward.

In terms of seniority, he was Wei Tu’s second older brother. But now that Wei Tu addressed Immortal Master Wuk as a peer, Weii Fei was, by extension, a generation below his own younger brother.

"This Spirit Tea alone isn’t quite hitting the spot."

"It’s no substitute for the Peach Blossom Brew from Jingyun Inn."

Immortal Master Wuk took a few sips of tea, but it still wasn’t enough for him. He couldn’t help but glance up at Wei Tu, a hint of craving in his eyes.

One of the reasons his friendship with Wei Tu had grown so quickly was because Wei Tu, as a Talisman Master, had plenty of Spirit Stones and could treat him to a few meals with Spirit Wine.

"Master..."

"I’ll pay for our visit to the Jingyun Inn."

The corner of Weii Fei’s mouth twitched when he heard this, and he quickly jumped in.

’I’m already taking advantage of Wei Tu,’ he thought. ’How could I have the gall to let my third brother pay to treat my own master?’

Hearing Weii Fei offer to pay, Wei Tu simply nodded, not feeling the need to play the big spender.

’A banquet at the Jingyun Inn wasn’t terribly expensive, but if he treated them too often, the cost would add up. Even he wouldn’t be able to bear it.’

And so, the three of them set off for the Jingyun Inn.

「Less than an hour later.」

Full of food and wine, Weii Fei grinned with his robes open at the chest. "Becoming a disciple today calls for a celebration! Third Brother, I’m off. I’m going to see Fellow Daoist Yao."

"Fellow Daoist Yao?" Immortal Master Wuk was baffled. He looked to Wei Tu, his eyes searching for an explanation.

He didn’t recall Wei Tu and Weii Fei having a friend named Yao.

"A female acquaintance."

Wei Tu answered evasively.

’He hadn’t expected this either. After more than a decade in the mortal world, Weii Fei had become increasingly unrestrained, speaking without any filter whatsoever.’

"Fellow Daoist Yao?"

"Ah, so she’s the object of my disciple’s affection?"

Immortal Master Wuk immediately understood.

He glanced at Weii Fei’s expression, sighed, and shook his head. "I was just thinking about how you’re single, without a wife or children. I was even planning to use my connections to arrange a marriage for you with a legitimate daughter of the Qiyue Zhao Family..."

"But now, it seems that won’t be necessary."

’The Qiyue Zhao Family?’ Wei Tu was taken aback. He remembered that the Qiyue Zhao Family was one of the Seven Great Cultivation Families of the Zheng Country, and also its current Imperial Race.

’If Weii Fei could marry a legitimate daughter of the Qiyue Zhao Family, it would be a tremendous boon.’

At this thought, Wei Tu intended to give Weii Fei a reminder. But just as he was about to speak, he saw that Weii Fei had already left his seat and was about to walk out of the Jingyun Inn.

’Forget it.’

Seeing this, Wei Tu shook his head, abandoning the idea of chasing after Weii Fei.

’In time, as Weii Fei’s master, Immortal Master Wuk would surely find out about his... proclivities. There was no point in him trying to hide it.’

...

「The next day.」

When Weii Fei returned to the small courtyard on Lark Street with unsteady steps, rubbing his lower back, he immediately gave away the fact that he had gone to find a secret prostitute.

Immortal Master Wuk sighed dramatically and shot several glares at Wei Tu, as if to ask why he hadn’t been told about Weii Fei’s little hobby sooner.

Feeling helpless, Wei Tu could only pretend he had made a breakthrough in his cultivation and hide away in the Cultivation Room to get some peace and quiet.

「Five days later.」

Wei Tu finished his cultivation. ’The courtyard should have quieted down by now,’ he thought, and pushed open the door to the Cultivation Room.

Unexpectedly, just as he pushed open the door, he saw Immortal Master Wuk and Weii Fei in the courtyard, animatedly debating whether "Fellow Daoist Yao" or "Fellow Daoist Lan" had superior dual cultivation techniques.

’Do those two really have some kind of special affinity? Is that why they ended up as master and disciple?’

Seeing this, Wei Tu was dumbstruck for a moment before this thought occurred to him.

He shook off the distracting thoughts and prepared to return to his room to practice drawing the Tier One Thorn Cage Talisman.

While practicing the Earth Spike Talisman, he had already discovered that drawing attribute-based talismans not only improved his skill but also provided a slight boost to his Spirit Root’s aptitude.

Therefore, practicing the Wood Attribute Tier One Thorn Cage Talisman would also be beneficial for his transition to a new cultivation technique.

"Fellow Daoist Wei." Immortal Master Wuk called out, stopping Wei Tu as he emerged from the Cultivation Room.

Before Wei Tu could ask, he continued, "In a few days, I’ll be taking Weii Fei away from Danqiu Mountain to travel the mortal world."

"I’ll probably choose a place in the mortal world to pass away and live out the rest of my days."

"Take care, Fellow Daoist Wuk!" Hearing this, Wei Tu was surprised, but he also understood.

Danqiu Mountain was like a cage, trapping Qi Cultivators like them.

Low-level cultivators were revered as Immortal Masters by mortals in the outside world. But within the Cultivation Realm, their lives were bleak—far worse than those of the nobles who treated them with such reverence.

This psychological disparity could be ignored as long as one still had the hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment Immortal Dao to strive for.

But once that hope was gone, one would be consumed by regret.

—regret for settling in the Marketplace, for wasting the years they could have spent enjoying mortal riches, only to be forced to become fodder for the Marketplace’s prosperity.

At that moment, Wei Tu finally understood. Perhaps Immortal Master Wuk had chosen Weii Fei as his successor not for any of the reasons he had previously considered, but simply because... in Weii Fei, he saw the other life he could have lived, the path he hadn’t taken.

’This was the true bond between Weii Fei and Immortal Master Wuk.’

A faint smile touched Immortal Master Wuk’s face at Wei Tu’s words. He retrieved a foot-long Jade Scroll from his sleeve and placed it on the stone table in the small courtyard.

"This contains all that I have seen and learned in my life."

"Consider it a gift to you, Fellow Daoist Wei."

"I hope... that you, Fellow Daoist Wei, will have a long and prosperous journey on the Immortal Dao, and one day step onto the path of Foundation Establishment."

Immortal Master Wuk performed a deep, formal bow.

With that, Immortal Master Wuk let out a few laughs, picked up his satchel, called Weii Fei over, and the two of them walked out of the small courtyard on Lark Street.

’Didn’t he say they were leaving in a few days? Why are they leaving right now?’

Wei Tu was puzzled.

After locking the door to his room, he left the courtyard and used his Xiangluo Nose’s keen sense of smell to track the two of them.

A moment later, his steps halted in front of Fellow Daoist Yao’s door in the Shantytown.

Standing outside, he heard lewd sounds unfit for decent ears coming from within.

...

Returning to the small courtyard, Wei Tu hid in the Cultivation Room, took out the Jade Scroll Immortal Master Wuk had left, and pressed it to the center of his forehead, using his Guardian Map Divine Sense to probe its contents.

A Jade Scroll was a far more advanced medium for storing information than the paper and ink of the mortal world.

Just as Immortal Master Wuk had said, the Jade Scroll only contained his personal observations about the Cultivation Realm. There was not a single word about any kind of Inheritance, such as Cultivation Techniques or Secret Skills.

"The Great Cang Immortal Realm..."

"The Seven Kingdoms Righteous Alliance, comprising the Zheng, Jing, Liang, Chu, and Kang Countries..."

"To the north, beyond the Yaolang Mountain Range, is the territory of the Demon Dao..."

"The Five Demonic Sects..."

From Immortal Master Wuk’s Jade Scroll, Wei Tu finally glimpsed a magnificent corner of the vast Cultivation Realm.

After arriving at Danqiu Mountain, he had tried to find records on the geography and history of the Cultivation Realm, but his long search had yielded nothing.

Combined with the residence registration system, Wei Tu had realized at the time that this was likely one of the methods used by the Supreme Profound Sect and other Immortal Sects to control Independent Cultivators.

It was just like how, in the mortal world, the Government Office deliberately restricted the circulation of maps.

’But even knowing the vastness of the Cultivation Realm, without a high enough cultivation level, my speed at the Qi Cultivation Stage is so limited. I’m afraid I couldn’t visit every country on this map even if I spent my entire life trying...’

Wei Tu shook his head.

This much was evident from the contents of Immortal Master Wuk’s Jade Scroll.

Immortal Master Wuk’s records only detailed the local customs, culture, and special resources of the Spiritual Lands within the Zheng Country.

Beyond the borders of the Zheng Country, the scroll was completely blank.

...

The years passed.

In the blink of an eye, two years had gone by.

A new neighbor had moved into the small courtyard on Lark Street since Immortal Master Wuk’s departure.

Wei Tu already knew this new neighbor. It was none other than "Alchemist Wang," who had built up quite a reputation for himself in the shantytown.

Alchemist Wang’s reason for moving to Lark Street was simple enough.

The small courtyard, originally meant for four residents, now only housed Wei Tu. Moving in offered excellent value.

Wei Tu didn’t mind this at all.

He was currently transitioning to the Little Spring and Autumn Technique. Mastering it would take fifteen years. The majority of that time was needed for his Golden Purple Destiny Chart to enhance the Geomagnetic Wood Spirit Seed, a process that didn’t require an especially dense concentration of Spiritual Qi.

In other words, at this stage of his cultivation, what he needed most was time. He had to wait for the Geomagnetic Wood Spirit Seed to absorb the faint golden aura flowing from his Golden Purple Destiny Chart and complete its transformation.