Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

The two of them compared the Spiritual Materials they had gathered.

After taking inventory,

they found they had slightly more than two complete sets of the Spiritual Materials.

Next, Wei Tu and Kou Hongying assessed the value of the Spiritual Materials each of them still needed.

Kou Hongying compensated Wei Tu with four Spirit Stones.

Seeing that they had enough Spiritual Materials, Wei Tu wasted no time. He immediately called over Wei Xiuwen, who was standing nearby, and asked him to take him and Kou Hongying to see Mei Zhen.

Mei Yuanfeng was a Tier One Upper-Grade Refiner. His status during the Qi Cultivation Stage was exceptionally high, second only to that of a Foundation Establishment Master.

It was better to contact him through Mei Zhen.

...

Half an hour later.

Mei Zhen agreed to Wei Tu’s commission.

She didn’t hesitate for long.

When she had last met Wei Tu, his generosity had left a deep impression on her.

This was very important.

It proved that Wei Tu wasn’t the type to take advantage of their Hundred Soldiers Pavilion.

"My father is an Upper-Grade Refiner, and many Cultivators seek him out to refine Magical Artifacts. If you want to cut in line... it might cost some extra Spirit Stones..."

Mei Zhen gave Wei Tu and Kou Hongying a heads-up, explaining Mei Yuanfeng’s fee for refining Magical Artifacts, as well as the cost of cutting in line.

"I’ll cover the extra Spirit Stones," Kou Hongying said, her beautiful eyes glancing toward Wei Tu.

She was at most ten years away from reaching Qi Cultivation Perfection and needed to cut in line to have the One Qi Pouch refined to nurture her Spiritual Power.

Wei Tu, on the other hand, did not.

He was at least twenty years away from Qi Cultivation Perfection.

There was no need for him to waste money refining a One Qi Pouch ahead of schedule.

Therefore, it was only right that she pay the extra Spirit Stones for cutting in line, rather than splitting the cost with Wei Tu.

Wei Tu nodded in agreement, not playing the part of a rich benefactor and insisting on splitting the cost.

To be precise, Kou Hongying was using the connection forged by the marriage between the Mei and Wei families to get Mei Yuanfeng to let her cut in line for the refining of the One Qi Pouch.

In the process,

she was using up the Wei Family’s social capital.

In the future, he, Wei Tu, might have to repay this favor.

Therefore, even if he were just as desperate as Kou Hongying to cut in line, it was still right for her to pay the bulk of the extra Spirit Stones.

...

「The next day.」

Under Mei Zhen’s guidance, Wei Tu and Kou Hongying arrived at the Artifact Refining Workshop behind the Hundred Soldiers Pavilion and met Mei Yuanfeng.

"A One Qi Pouch?" Mei Yuanfeng was taken aback for a moment when he heard this was the Magical Artifact the pair wanted him to refine.

Apparently, Mei Yuanfeng had heard of this Magical Artifact, which was recorded in the Cultivation Technique Jade Scroll from Immortal Master Wuk.

"Would you be willing to change the Spirit Contract, to one that doesn’t require keeping the refining method for this item a secret?"

"I would like... to add the refining method for this item to my Mei Family’s inheritance."

Mei Yuanfeng mused for a moment, his gaze landing on Wei Tu, who was clearly the one in charge.

Generally,

when an Artifact Refiner is commissioned to create a unique Magical Artifact, they sign a confidentiality Spirit Contract with the client.

This contract stipulates that they must not leak the refining method or create the same Magical Artifact for anyone else.

Spirit Contracts came in many forms.

It all depended on the client’s choice.

There were Spirit Contracts that forced the Artifact Refiner to take the refining method to their grave, and others that only restricted them from making the unique Magical Artifact for a set period of time...

The Spirit Contract Wei Tu and Kou Hongying had chosen was of the strictest type: after refining the One Qi Pouch, Mei Yuanfeng would be forbidden from ever making it again or revealing its secrets to anyone.

Now, Mei Yuanfeng was proposing to lower the confidentiality Level of their Spirit Contract.

He wanted to add the refining method for the One Qi Pouch to the Mei Family’s inheritance.

"Does Fellow Daoist Mei know the origin of this One Qi Pouch?" Wei Tu didn’t answer immediately, changing the subject instead.

"The One Qi Pouch was a unique Magical Artifact from the Hongri Sect, a sect that existed in the Zheng Country Territory ten thousand years ago."

"After the Hongri Sect fell, this unique Magical Artifact was lost to time."

"But that’s not for certain. Perhaps the three great sects still have the refining method hidden away somewhere."

Mei Yuanfeng explained, stroking his beard.

’Hongri Sect?’

Wei Tu mentally nodded, committing the sect’s name to memory.

’Immortal Master Wuk might have had a significant connection to this Hongri Sect,’ he guessed.

"I obtained this refining method from a Fellow Daoist I know. If Fellow Daoist Mei is willing to pay a price to purchase this method from my acquaintance... I certainly have no objection..."

Wei Tu replied.

’A Spirit Contract is merely a commercial agreement; it isn’t absolutely binding.’

’Especially when it comes to a family’s inheritance. It wasn’t unheard of for a family to honor a contract during one’s lifetime, then simply wait a few hundred years to outlive the seller, thereby minimizing the Spirit Contract’s constraints.’

’The fact that Mei Yuanfeng was telling him this upfront and was willing to renegotiate the Spirit Contract was a sign of great integrity.’

’Of course,’

Wei Tu wasn’t sure.

’if Mei Yuanfeng’s decision had something to do with their families’ connection.’

’All he could do now was try to get the best deal for Weii Fei.’

"Two hundred Spirit Stones."

Mei Yuanfeng gave the number without hesitation.

"And I guarantee that this refining method will only be passed down within my Mei Family. Any resulting Magical Artifacts will only be for our descendants."

"They will not be sold,"

he added.

Two hundred Spirit Stones was not a low price.

Plus, Mei Yuanfeng had given his guarantee.

After a moment of thought, Wei Tu agreed on behalf of Weii Fei.

"The One Qi Pouch is an Upper-Grade Magical Artifact, and a Flesh and Blood one at that. It’s not easy to refine."

"I’ll charge you fifty Spirit Stones for each one."

After they signed the new Spirit Contract, Mei Yuanfeng glanced over the refining method for the One Qi Pouch and quoted his fee.

The two of them paid the Spirit Stones.

They agreed to return to the Hundred Soldiers Pavilion in three months to retrieve the artifacts.

"Here are your two hundred Spirit Stones."

With that, Mei Yuanfeng took two Upper-Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and handed them to Wei Tu.

A single Upper-Grade Spirit Stone was worth at least one hundred Lower-Grade Spirit Stones.

Seeing these two Upper-Grade Spirit Stones, Wei Tu couldn’t help but inwardly praise Mei Yuanfeng for his integrity.

After leaving the Spiritual Materials, Wei Tu and Kou Hongying did not linger in the Artifact Refining Workshop and soon departed.

...

「In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.」

Wei Tu met up with Kou Hongying, and they went to the Hundred Soldiers Pavilion to pick up the One Qi Pouches Mei Yuanfeng had refined for them.

Wei Tu noticed that his One Qi Pouch was of a slightly higher quality than Kou Hongying’s.

After a moment’s thought, he understood why.

’There’s an order to refining Magical Artifacts.’

’Mei Yuanfeng was acquainted with him, so he had shown some personal bias. He must have refined Kou Hongying’s One Qi Pouch first as a practice run.’

However, seeing that Kou Hongying didn’t seem to mind, Wei Tu pushed the stray thought aside and didn’t dwell on it.

...

After leaving the Hundred Soldiers Pavilion, Wei Tu and Kou Hongying walked and talked as they were heading in the same direction.

After Kou Liang’s passing,

Wei Tu noticed that Kou Hongying talked to him a lot more than she used to.

Previously, she would only send him a letter every two or three years.

But now, she sent him a letter every few months, telling him about her recent goings-on at the Jingshui Pavilion.

"Uncle Wei, I’ve almost gathered enough sect contribution points. In about ten years, I estimate I can begin preparing for Foundation Establishment."

"When that time comes, I might not have time for the next gathering..."

As their conversation turned to Foundation Establishment, Kou Hongying stopped walking and voiced her concern.

She was worried that if she missed the next Yee Society gathering, Wei Tu and the others would be offended, thinking that her higher Cultivation had made her arrogant and that she was looking down on her "poor elders."

"Hongying, you don’t need to worry about that."

"I will explain it to our second and fourth brothers."

Wei Tu reassured her.

The Immortal Path grew lonelier the further one walked.

When Kou Liang was alive, Kou Hongying didn’t have to worry about such things. As her father, he would have arranged everything for her.

But unfortunately, Kou Liang was now gone.

Kou Hongying had to face these "trivial matters" on her own.

"Thank you, Uncle Wei."

Hearing his words, the sadness vanished from Kou Hongying’s face. She gave Wei Tu a graceful bow, a smile gracing her lips.

The two then bid each other farewell.

Wei Tu left the Bai Shihu Marketplace, disappearing into the thick fog.

’I don’t know why, but whenever I see Uncle Wei and talk with him, I always feel a sense of peace...’

’Perhaps that’s why he’s become the backbone of the four members of the Yee Society.’

Kou Hongying thought to herself as she watched his broad back retreat.

She wasn’t sure when it had started, but she found herself increasingly wanting to hear his opinions and writing letters to seek his perspective.

Everything

seemed to be changing imperceptibly.

...

「Seven days later.」

Wei Tu returned to Danqiu Mountain.

After returning to his Cave Mansion, the first thing Wei Tu did was begin the Refinement of the One Qi Pouch.

The One Qi Pouch in his palm was only the size of a walnut and glowed with a deep green light.

After switching to the Little Spring and Autumn Technique and forming his Geomagnetic Spirit Body, Wei Tu’s Spiritual Power had become more aligned with the Wood Attribute than the Earth Attribute.

Therefore, when having the One Qi Pouch refined, Wei Tu had chosen the stomach of a Wood Attribute Demon Beast as its main Spiritual Material.

After a preliminary Refinement of the One Qi Pouch,

Wei Tu didn’t hesitate. He opened his mouth and swallowed the Magical Artifact.

Catalyzed by his Spiritual Power, the One Qi Pouch quickly took root near his Dantian and began to slowly absorb the Spiritual Power within.

Nourished by the Spiritual Power from his Dantian, the shriveled, walnut-sized pouch gradually filled up.

’Thirty-five percent.’

’The One Qi Pouch can hold, at most, thirty-five percent of my total Spiritual Power.’

A month and a half later, Wei Tu had finally filled the One Qi Pouch completely with his Spiritual Power.

He estimated that the amount of Spiritual Power it could hold was equivalent to thirty-five percent of his total reserves as a Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer cultivator.

’Once I reach the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer,’

’the Spiritual Power stored in the pouch will probably only be about twenty percent of my total.’

’But even twenty percent is a significant boost to my Spiritual Power.’

’It’s enough to improve my potential for Foundation Establishment.’

A pleased expression appeared on Wei Tu’s face.

After completing the Refinement of the One Qi Pouch, Wei Tu’s daily routine, aside from meditation and Cultivation, now included drawing the Tier One Middle-Grade Talisman: the Illusion Wood Talisman.

This was the last of the two tasks Kou Hongying had given him.

「Three or four years passed in the blink of an eye.」

During that time, Wei Tu easily completed the task of creating the Illusion Wood Talismans.

’Hongying broke through to the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer.’

’Is she about to attempt Foundation Establishment?’

After delivering the talismans, Wei Tu received a letter from Kou Hongying the very next month.

In the letter, Kou Hongying told him she had broken through to the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer. After another two years of refining her Spiritual Power, she could attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Wei Tu wrote back, congratulating her in advance on reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage and becoming a Foundation Establishment Master.