Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

’In my view,’ he thought, ’of the three of them, only Fu Zhizhou and I have a real shot at reaching the next Realm and breaking through to Foundation Establishment, barring any unforeseen circumstances.’

’The bottleneck Fu Zhizhou hit twenty years ago was both a setback and a stroke of luck.’

’As a result, although his cultivation speed stagnated for nearly ten years—and he was still only at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer—’

’his foundation was now solid enough to rank among the very best of his Same-Tier Cultivators.’

’Furthermore, Kou Hongying’s successful Foundation Establishment meant Fu Zhizhou’s investment had paid off.’

’In the near future, he would receive a Foundation Condensation Pill.’

’With a Foundation Condensation Pill and the help of the Demon Soul Foundation Establishment Technique that I am set to acquire, Fu Zhizhou’s chances of a successful Foundation Establishment are not low.’

’Weii Fei, on the other hand...’

’He has neither a solid foundation nor any investments.’

’In his current state, even if he managed to reach the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer and was fortunate enough to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, a successful breakthrough would be far from guaranteed.’

’At this moment...’

’On the surface, Weii Fei had also reached the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, seemingly not far behind us. In reality, however, Fu Zhizhou and I have already left him in the dust.’

’This is a gap that the few hundred Spirit Stones of profit from the One Qi Pouch could never hope to close.’

’After all, a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object or a Foundation Condensation Pill—either one is far more valuable than the crafting method for the One Qi Pouch.’

Wei Tu was reminded of two adages.

"Heaven does not forsake the diligent."

"Every drink and every peck is preordained."

’Back then, the four sworn brothers all had Lower-Grade Spirit Roots and could see almost no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment.’

’So, Weii Fei gave up early on, heading to the mortal world to live a life of leisure.’

’Only Fu Zhizhou and I remained, working diligently and taking one steady step at a time...’

’Now, times have changed.’

’Both Fu Zhizhou and I have a chance to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, but... because of his earlier lack of effort, Weii Fei will find it difficult to defy the heavens and change his fate, even if an opportunity falls into his lap.’

’The choice made over forty years ago...’

’...wasn’t right or wrong.’

’But it did result in a winner and a loser—’

’If Fu Zhizhou and I had failed in our pursuit, then Weii Fei’s choice would have been the wise one.’

’But today’s outcome...’

’...is precisely the opposite.’

...

「Seven days later.」

Wei Tu returned to Danqiu Mountain.

Upon his return, Wei Tu took stock of his possessions. He sent a batch of Talismans, along with the apology gift from Zhuu Renjie, to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to be auctioned.

The jade box from Zhuu Renjie contained a Tier One Middle-Grade Magical Artifact called the Ghost Head Mother and Child Blade.

Back when he was in the Middle-Stage Qi Cultivation, Wei Tu might have considered refining the Ghost Head Mother and Child Blade for self-defense.

Now, however, his only goal was Foundation Establishment.

Selling the Ghost Head Mother and Child Blade to gather enough Spirit Stones for a Foundation Condensation Pill was the only logical course of action.

On the open market, a single Foundation Condensation Pill cost around twelve hundred Spirit Stones.

Although Wei Tu’s current wealth was sufficient to afford it, he would have to sell some valuable treasures with questionable origins.

「Two years later.」

At the Hundred Treasures Pavilion auction,

the Ghost Head Mother and Child Blade that Wei Tu put up for sale was auctioned for one hundred and sixty-three Spirit Stones.

His stockpiled Talismans also sold for over three hundred Spirit Stones.

If he had sold the Talismans individually, he could have earned over a hundred more Spirit Stones, but it would have been nearly impossible to sell them all piecemeal in a short amount of time.

The Marketplace would quickly become saturated with the same type of Talisman.

His only option was to sell them at auction.

The Cultivator who bought Wei Tu’s Talismans was from the Shengjiang Hex Family.

Wei Tu recognized the family name. The Fire Fruits that Louu Hong had auctioned during his first visit to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion had come from this very family.

After the auction ended,

the Shengjiang Hex Family sent someone to find Wei Tu, wanting to discuss purchasing more Talismans.

"In another forty years, the once-every-five-hundred-years beast tide will strike the Yaolang Mountain Range."

"My family’s Spiritual Land is adjacent to the Yaolang Mountain Range, so we need to stock up on Talismans..."

The cultivator sent by the Shengjiang Hex Family was named Hex Junpeng. After stating his purpose for coming to buy Wei Tu’s Talismans, he was also frank about the reason he needed to acquire such a large batch.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, your Thorn Cage Talismans, Earthquake Talismans, and Rejuvenation Talismans... my Hex Family is in urgent need of all three."

"I was hoping you might be willing to lower the price a little."

"If you can, my Hex Family would be willing to help introduce you to several other families for business..." Hex Junpeng said.

"A beast tide in the Yaolang Mountain Range?" Wei Tu’s expression flickered upon hearing this news.

As an Independent Cultivator, this was the first time he had ever heard of this "common knowledge."

After all, a five-hundred-year cycle was a very long time.

And the next beast tide was still over forty years away.

"Fellow Daoist Hex, what price did you have in mind for my Talismans? If you can introduce me to a significant amount of business, the price..."

Business that came knocking on his door was something Wei Tu certainly wasn’t going to refuse.

After settling on the terms with Hex Junpeng, he sold his remaining Talismans to him for two hundred Spirit Stones.

Over the next five years,

Wei Tu made contact with several other small Foundation Establishment Clans like the Shengjiang Hex Family, all of whom were based near the Yaolang Mountain Range.

By selling Talismans to them, he finally managed to scrape together just enough Spirit Stones to purchase a Foundation Condensation Pill.

During this time, the ten-year reunion came around.

Wei Tu decided to do as Kou Hongying had last time: he wrote a letter to cancel.

Ever since he had started selling Magical Artifacts and Talismans at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, he had become a hot commodity, and many people had their eyes on him.

It was simply too dangerous for him to leave Danqiu Mountain at the moment.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, I heard they recently discovered a new palace in the Xiaoyao Mountain Secret Realm. There might be Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects inside..."

One day, Shenn Yao, a Steward at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, came to find Wei Tu, wanting to invite him on an expedition to search for Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects.

In recent years, Wei Tu had been selling off his assets and tirelessly earning Spirit Stones. Anyone could see that his sights were set on Foundation Establishment.

Therefore, the allure of a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object for Wei Tu was obvious.