Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

Moonlight from outside the main hall pierced through the cracks of the doors and windows, mingling with the glow of the oil lamp and scattering across the room.

The light was pale and tinged with a sallow yellow.

Hearing Wei Xiuwen’s words, Wei Tu fell silent for a moment.

At that moment, many thoughts raced through his mind: gratification for Wei Xiuwen’s filial piety, happiness at his family’s reunion...

But what stood out most was the memory of his master, Shan Wuju, and the sorrowful look on his face decades ago when Shan Fang had stormed out, slamming the door behind her...

Judging from Shan Fang’s devastated expression at Shan Wuju’s passing, he didn’t believe the father and daughter had been at odds from the very beginning.

Mortals scheming for inheritance could turn a father and daughter into enemies.

And cultivators... were not necessarily free from such trappings.

’An immortal without humanity is no longer an immortal, but a cold, unfeeling mountain.’

As a father, he was naturally pleased to see Wei Xiuwen’s devotion to Xinghua. But he wondered if, in ten or several decades’ time, Wei Xiuwen would come to regret today’s decision.

After all, it was one hundred Spirit Stones.

That was no small sum.

...

"Get up first," Wei Tu said with a sigh.

"Yes, Father."

Wei Xiuwen rose at his father’s words, wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, and stood with his hands clasped respectfully.

"Your mother is a mortal. She’s old and hasn’t practiced martial arts from a young age..."

"Even if she uses this Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman, she will have no chance at the Immortal Path."

"Furthermore, after using the Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman, without a God Shaping Pill to reconstruct her Physical Body and Divine Soul, your mother will still die after a hundred years."

Wei Tu chose his words carefully, explaining the various drawbacks of the Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman.

Xinghua was only sixty-three now. With proper care, living another twenty or thirty years wouldn’t be a problem.

But if they used the Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman now, and a hundred years later they had no God Shaping Pill to help... not only would it be a waste of Spirit Stones, but it would also erase the final twenty to thirty years of Xinghua’s Lifespan.

It was for this very reason that he had been unable to decide whether to buy the Ice Profound God-Locking Talisman and place Xinghua in a frozen state.

"There’s also a God Shaping Pill?" Wei Xiuwen was stunned to hear this.

Seeing this, Wei Tu couldn’t help but shake his head.

’Just as I expected. Wei Xiuwen has been in the Cultivation Realm for too short a time. He never found out about the talisman’s drawbacks.’

"The God Shaping Pill is a Tier Two Elixir. Even a Foundation Establishment Master would have a hard time obtaining one," Wei Tu glanced at Wei Xiuwen and said in a heavy voice.

"And let’s say, against all odds, we, father and son, get lucky and obtain a God Shaping Pill a hundred years from now... helping a mortal in her sixties embark on the Immortal Path... is no easy feat."

"I’ll reimburse you for half of what you spent on the Spirit Stones this time. Consider it a lesson bought and paid for. Don’t act so rashly in the future."

Wei Tu closed the Talisman Box and took his own Spirit Stone Bag from his waist.

"Father, I see things differently," Wei Xiuwen interrupted.

He said, "Helping Mother embark on the Immortal Path... how can we dismiss that with a simple phrase like ’it’s difficult for a mortal to cultivate’ or ’she should accept old age and death’?"

"If there were no immortals in this world, and my parents fell ill, should I just use ’everyone has their own fate’ as an excuse and do nothing?"

"If I did that, the Government Office and the neighbors would all condemn me, calling me an unfilial son."

With a trio of self-deprecating laughs, Wei Xiuwen stepped forward, took the Talisman Box from the table where Wei Tu had placed it, and strode out.

Then, from a distance, he left Wei Tu with a final sentence: "Since Father is unwilling, then I am willing to bear this responsibility."

...

「A few days later.」

Wei Xiuwen and Mei Zhen held their wedding in Nanhang City.

After the wedding, Wei Tu met Wei Xiuwen’s father-in-law—the Pavilion Master of the Hundred Soldiers Pavilion, Mei Yuanfeng.

In their conversation, Mei Yuanfeng expressed high hopes for Wei Xiuwen. He said, "Fellow Daoist Wei, you’ve raised your son well. With time, Xiuwen is sure to achieve great things."

Wei Tu was surprised and asked Mei Yuanfeng why he held Wei Xiuwen in such high regard.

"Xiuwen is a down-to-earth worker. When he was an apprentice at my Hundred Soldiers Pavilion, he was always the last to leave and was quick on the uptake..." Mei Yuanfeng said, stroking his beard.

"Is that the only reason?" Wei Tu was a little confused. He had thought Wei Xiuwen had earned Mei Yuanfeng’s admiration due to a talent for Artifact Refining.

He hadn’t expected Mei Yuanfeng’s high opinion of Wei Xiuwen to be based solely on his character.

Mei Yuanfeng seemed to see through Wei Tu’s confusion. He laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist Wei, the Hundred Soldiers Pavilion has countless Artifact Masters with a talent for Artifact Refining. On that point alone, it would be difficult for Xiuwen to stand out and win my favor."

Wei Tu nodded at his words and didn’t argue.

’From the letters Wei Xiuwen sent home, I could tell that marrying Mei Zhen wasn’t as easy as one might think.’

’There must be more to the story that I don’t know.’

’But it wouldn’t be appropriate to mention any of this to Mei Zhen’s father, Mei Yuanfeng.’

...

「After the wedding.」

Wei Tu did not plan to stay long in Nanhang City.

Before leaving, Wei Tu spoke with Xinghua as planned, asking if she was willing to be frozen for a hundred years to wait for that slim chance at immortality.

Xinghua shook her head and refused. She walked to the altar, offered a bundle of incense to Shan Wuju’s Spiritual Position, and then said, "In this life, being able to marry a man like you has been more than enough. If I were to enjoy any more blessings, I’m afraid I’d incur Celestial Punishment..."

"Xiuwen asked me about this a few days ago, too, but I turned him down."

She had a smile on her face.

Seeing this, Wei Tu sighed and didn’t press the matter further.

He knew it wasn’t that Xinghua didn’t want to step onto the Immortal Path; she was just worried she would become a burden to him and Wei Xiuwen.

’After all, who in this world doesn’t envy the immortals?’

...

「After another three days at the Wei Mansion.」

Wei Tu departed.

Unlike last time, Fu Zhizhou was not traveling with him, nor did he need to ambush the Tribulation Cultivator, Ying Bing.

Therefore, to avoid drawing attention, he followed his usual practice of traveling in disguise and deliberately avoiding the main roads.

Seven or eight days later, he returned safely to the Danqiu Mountain Marketplace.

’Geng Wen didn’t send anyone to kill me. That’s rather surprising.’

Back on Lark Street, Wei Tu took off the robe lined with Talismans and sighed to himself.

When he had left the mountain, even though he knew Zhao Qingluo had severely injured Geng Wen, he had prepared for the worst—an ambush from Geng Wen.

But unexpectedly, his entire journey from leaving the mountain to returning was peaceful. He didn’t even encounter a single Tribulation Cultivator.

’If I had run into Geng Wen, I wouldn’t have been afraid of his Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer strength.’

Wei Tu glanced at his Dantian, where the Geomagnetic Primordial Light was already the size of a baby’s fist.

For several years, his Geomagnetic Spirit Seed had been producing Geomagnetic Primordial Light almost constantly.

With this accumulation over time, his Geomagnetic Primordial Light was now sufficient to keep him Flying in the Sky for several hours.

’With the ability to fly and so many Talismans on me,’ Wei Tu reflected, ’my strength within the Qi Cultivation Stage can no longer be considered weak.’

’Even if I can’t win a fight, I can escape with ease.’

’At this rate, it looks like I won’t have to wait the full fifteen years. In two or three more years, the transformation to the Geomagnetic Spirit Body will be complete.’ Wei Tu composed himself and checked the progress of his Spirit Body’s transformation, thinking to himself.

The time limit specified by his "Late Bloomer" Destiny Chart was mostly based on his situation at the time and had a certain margin of error.

Now that his Cultivation had reached the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, the efficiency of his Spirit Body transformation was much faster than before.

...

「Two and a half years passed in the blink of an eye.」

One day, a powerful wave of Spiritual Pressure suddenly erupted from the Cultivation Room in the small courtyard on Lark Street, sweeping up the surrounding Earth and Wood Spiritual Qi.

’Did Helian Xiong break through to the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer?’ Tong Peipei, who was in her room, wondered after sensing the Spiritual Pressure.

Generally speaking, only a cultivator in the Late-Stage Qi Cultivation could emit such a tyrannical Spiritual Pressure.

But soon, Tong Peipei also sensed the violent surge of Earth and Wood Spiritual Qi around her.

’How is that possible?’

’Did Wei Tu break through?’

Tong Peipei was utterly shocked.

As far as she knew, Wei Tu was still at the Middle-Stage Qi Cultivation; it should be impossible for him to have the Spiritual Pressure of someone in the Late-Stage Qi Cultivation.

’Just how profound is his foundation that breaking through a Realm generates Spiritual Pressure equivalent to the Late-Stage Qi Cultivation?’

A look of envy appeared on Tong Peipei’s face.

For a cultivator, having a good cultivation foundation meant they could go further on their path.

At this moment, Wei Tu was breaking through from the Middle-Stage Qi Cultivation, yet his Spiritual Pressure was equivalent to the Late Stage. She knew all too well what that implied.

「Meanwhile.」

Helian Xiong, who was resting in his room, also sensed the commotion from Wei Tu’s breakthrough.

’Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, and it’s causing such a huge disturbance? This Talisman Master Wei is even more mysterious than I imagined...’

Helian Xiong’s gaze turned toward the Cultivation Room, his expression thoughtful.

He had previously believed that Wei Tu’s Cultivation lagged a step behind Fu Zhizhou’s due to his limited aptitude.

’After all, with the wealth of a Talisman Master, buying an elixir for Breaking Realm should be all too easy.’

But now, it seemed he had been completely wrong.

Not only had Wei Tu’s Cultivation now caught up to Fu Zhizhou’s, but in terms of foundation, his was more solid than Fu Zhizhou’s by a wide margin.

’When Wei Tu breaks through to the Late-Stage Qi Cultivation, he might just have what it takes to become a Tier One Upper-Grade Talisman Master and be able to draw my family’s heirloom Talisman.’

Helian Xiong’s gaze was profound.

...

’Sixty-three years old, Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.’

In the Cultivation Room, Wei Tu’s Divine Sense left his body. After looking at his own Geomagnetic Spirit Body, which emanated a cyan-yellow glow, a faint smile touched the corners of his mouth.

Back at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, he had worried that if his Cultivation didn’t increase within fifteen years, he would have frittered away his time and wasted his Lifespan.

He never expected that thirteen years later, not only would he have transformed his Thick Earth Body into the higher-tiered Geomagnetic Spirit Body, but his Cultivation would have also broken through two consecutive layers to reach the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.

It had far exceeded his expectations.

Next, Wei Tu composed himself and carefully felt how his Geomagnetic Spirit Body absorbed the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

Under the watch of his Divine Sense, the surrounding Earth and Wood Spiritual Qi surged toward him like rivers returning to the sea, three to four times faster than his previous absorption rate.

Just as he had predicted.

After his Geomagnetic Spirit Body solidified, his aptitude was now equivalent to that of a Middle-Grade Spirit Root Cultivator.

’Breaking through from the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer to the Fifth Layer was because my accumulation had reached its peak, a natural result of building a solid foundation...’

’And breaking from the Fifth Layer to the Sixth Layer must be the effect of the Geomagnetic Spirit Body...’

’A Middle-Grade Spirit Root has the potential to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage. The bottlenecks in the Qi Refining Realm are practically nonexistent for a Middle-Grade Spirit Root Cultivator.’

Wei Tu pondered the reasons for his latest breakthrough in Cultivation.