Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

Second, since the Demon Refining Talisman is so important to the Helian Family, why doesn’t Helian Xiong have a large stockpile of them for emergencies?

"If... Fellow Daoist Helian fails to clarify these two points, then I will not accept this job..."

Wei Tu’s tone was slightly cold.

In truth, this was merely a negotiating tactic, a way to gain Helian Xiong’s trust by feigning retreat to advance his position.

He could come up with plausible answers to both questions with just a little thought.

The moment he heard how reliable the Demon Soul Foundation Establishment Method—an Abnormal Foundation Establishment Technique—was, Wei Tu had already decided he could not let this "Opportunity" slip away.

After all, the Foundation Establishment Pill was only enough for him.

And he still had a son and a daughter.

He had no choice but to plan ahead for them.

When Wei Yan and her brother embarked on the Immortal Path, he had stated bluntly that he would not provide them with further assistance.

His own Cultivation was a struggle, and he had no spare resources.

Trying to support two others would mean severing his own Immortal Path.

But—a Foundation Establishment Technique was different.

It was a treasure trove of knowledge, an inheritance that could be passed down.

...

Lark Street Courtyard.

Inside the house.

Helian Xiong gave a bitter laugh. "Fellow Daoist Wei, you overestimate my relationship with Uncle Ren. My father merely offered him a helping hand once. A small favor like that is nowhere near enough to convince Uncle Ren to help me hunt a Tier Two Demon Beast."

"Most Tier Two Demon Beasts possess innate bloodline Divine Techniques. They’re not as easy to kill as Tier One Demon Beasts."

"And there’s a reason why the Helian Family doesn’t keep a large stock of Demon Refining Talismans."

"Although a Talisman’s shelf life is longer than an Elixir’s, it’s still limited. Its power slowly diminishes over time."

"If a Demon Refining Talisman’s power weakens, it becomes impossible to elevate the Essence Soul of a Tier One Demon Beast to the level of a Tier Two Demon Beast."

Both reasons were perfectly reasonable.

Especially the latter.

As a Talisman Master himself, Wei Tu was well aware of this fatal flaw—that a Talisman’s power degrades.

Tier One Talismans were divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower Grades. The Demon Refining Talisman, though known as a Top Tier One Talisman, was in reality a High-Quality version of a Tier One Upper-Grade Talisman, just like the Golden Light Talisman Geng Wen had once used.

Only a High-Quality Tier One Upper-Grade Talisman possessed enough power to approach the threshold of the Foundation Establishment Stage and elevate the Essence Soul of a Tier One Demon Beast to that of a Tier Two Demon Beast.

Not only were such Talismans incredibly difficult to create, but they were also hard to preserve for many years without their power degrading.

"If Fellow Daoist Wei agrees to research this Demon Refining Talisman, I am willing to bestow my family’s Talisman Dao Inheritance upon you as well."

Tong Peipei interjected.

Researching the Demon Refining Talisman was time-consuming and laborious; she worried Wei Tu would refuse the task without a significant incentive.

Upon hearing this, a look of interest immediately appeared on Wei Tu’s face.

He nodded,

indicating his agreement.

「A quarter of an hour later.」

When Wei Tu left the Lark Street courtyard, he had two new Jade Scrolls in his possession.

One of the Jade Scrolls contained Tong Peipei’s ancestral Talisman Dao Inheritance; the other held the method for creating the "Demon Refining Talisman."

As for the Demon Soul Foundation Establishment Technique,

Helian Xiong did not give it to Wei Tu. Instead, he promised to gift it to him only after Wei Tu successfully crafted the "Demon Refining Talisman."

...

Back at Luoxue Courtyard.

Wei Tu gave the method for creating the "Demon Refining Talisman" a cursory glance before setting the Jade Scroll aside, not looking at it again.

He knew how to prioritize.

His most urgent task right now was to reach Qi Cultivation Perfection and then find a place to attempt Foundation Establishment.

It was not to improve his skill in the Talisman Dao.

Even when it came to Talisman Painting, he would prioritize the Sect mission commissioned by Kou Hongying.

The "Demon Refining Talisman" would have to wait.

「Three years later.」

In the Cultivation Room at Luoxue Courtyard, Wei Tu smiled as he observed the significant increase in his Spiritual Power. ’Sixty-seven years old, Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.’

Unlike Fu Zhizhou, he had successfully switched his Cultivation Technique, giving him a much more solid foundation.

Therefore, he did not experience the minor bottleneck that usually occurred when transitioning from Middle-Stage to Late-Stage Qi Cultivation.

Advancing to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer had been about as difficult for him as advancing from the Fifth to the Sixth Layer.

He spent several days consolidating his Spiritual Power.

Then, Wei Tu emerged from his seclusion.

Just then, the Wind-Splitting Carving cried out, swooping over with an invitation card in its beak and dropping it into Wei Tu’s palm.

Perhaps because it knew it was a "prisoner of war," the Wind-Splitting Carving didn’t dare put on the airs of an Upper-Grade Spirit Beast at Luoxue Courtyard. It often performed small tasks to curry favor with Wei Tu.

’Hundred Treasures Pavilion Auction?’

Wei Tu’s heart stirred as he read the invitation’s contents. ’I guess I’m finally a person of some repute on Danqiu Mountain,’ he thought, ’to actually receive an invitation to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s auction, held only once every five years.’

The Hundred Treasures Pavilion was one of the foremost merchant guilds in the Danqiu Mountain Marketplace.

It held a grand auction once every five years.

For each auction, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion would send out invitations far and wide, inviting all the notable figures on Danqiu Mountain to attend.

When Wei Tu lived in the small courtyard on Lark Street, he had never received an invitation from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

’Might as well go and have a look.’

Wei Tu opened the invitation and saw the auction was in seven days. After so much time in seclusion, he felt the urge for a change of pace.

After obtaining the Blood Elder Demon’s collection of treasures,

he had all the Protective Magical Artifacts and other such items a Qi Refining Realm Cultivator could need. He had no need to spend money on anything else to outfit himself.

If he lacked anything, it was only a "Foundation Condensation Pill" and some Realm-Breaking Elixirs used by Late-Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators.

’A Foundation Condensation Pill, an essential Elixir for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, is something I can buy.’

’But I don’t need to buy any other Realm-Breaking Elixirs.’

Wei Tu mused, closing the invitation.

He was still shaken by the memory of how Geng Wen had used a poisoned Elixir to assassinate the Blood Elder Demon.

The Blood Elder Demon’s combat prowess was plain for all to see, yet he had been unable to withstand the poison from Geng Wen, a Pill Master, and had died an ignominious death.

If the Blood Elder Demon had been the sole survivor of their internal conflict a few years ago, Wei Tu would never have dared to show himself, let alone fight him.

...

「Seven days later.」

The auction was held as scheduled.

On this day, the tightly shut gates of Cave Mansions along the various streets of Danqiu Mountain swung open.

Hundreds of Cultivators emerged, converging into a stream of people that flowed toward the Hundred Treasures Pavilion on the mountainside of Danqiu Mountain.

Wei Tu was among them.

As the crowd moved, Wei Tu saw young scions on Spirit Horses charging recklessly through the streets, as well as Foundation Establishment Masters Flying in the Sky.

Most of the Cultivators, however, were like him, walking on their own two feet at a moderate pace.

After entering the main gate of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and passing through a grand hall and several corridors, Wei Tu saw the venue for the auction: a three-story Jade Tower.

The entrance to the small tower was open.

Wei Tu followed a maid inside.

The three floors inside the Jade Tower were interconnected. The second floor was an open balcony filled with rosewood chairs, while the third floor was comprised of small, private boxes.

He was a Tier One Middle-Grade Talisman Master. Although the Hundred Treasures Pavilion had sent him an invitation, his status was not yet high enough to warrant a private box.

After a quick survey of his surroundings, Wei Tu found a seat in a remote corner.

The spot was out of the way, but it still offered a clear view of the first-floor auction stage and the people coming and going.

As time passed,

Wei Tu spotted many well-known Foundation Establishment Masters from around Danqiu Mountain.

"Third Brother." Just then, a slightly surprised voice sounded in Wei Tu’s ear.

Wei Tu looked up to see Fu Zhizhou and invited him to take the seat next to him.

"Fourth Brother, is there something you’re hoping to bid on at this auction?"

he asked curiously.

The Hundred Treasures Pavilion auction generally only invited Cultivators at Late-Stage Qi Cultivation and above.

Other Cultivators had to purchase a ticket to enter.

Therefore, unless there was something specific they wanted to buy, lower-level Cultivators would not waste their money on a ticket to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s auction.

From Fu Zhizhou’s aura, Wei Tu could tell he was still stuck at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer and had not yet broken through.

Of course, compared to his unstable foundation three years ago, Fu Zhizhou’s foundation was now undoubtedly much more stable. His aura was restrained, and his Spiritual Pressure was approaching the level of the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.

"There’s a Qi Removing Pill at the auction," Fu Zhizhou replied as he sat down. "Pharmacist Chen once told me that with its help, I could completely purge the impurities left in my body by the Blood Food Pills."

As the two of them were chatting,

a young woman in a white dress, led by a maid, flew through the air to one of the private boxes on the third floor.

Seeing the young woman’s face, both Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou were stunned for a moment.

"Zhao Qingluo... she’s broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage?"

Fu Zhizhou said with a hint of envy.

Although he had long known that a Celestial Pride of the Immortal Race like Zhao Qingluo would break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage any day now, knowing it was one thing, and seeing it was another entirely.