Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

"Fellow Daoist Wei, the year is up. Shall we depart today?"

Huang Changkong paid no mind to the reaction of Mei Yuanfeng and his daughter. After putting Mei Yuanfeng in his place, he went straight to asking Wei Tu about his plans.

One year ago.

He had followed Wei Tu to Nanhang City.

One year later.

It was time to leave.

Wei Tu said nothing more. He glanced at his children's reluctant faces and nodded.

"Have a safe journey."

Though shocked by the importance the Hee Mountain Huang Family placed on Wei Tu, Mei Yuanfeng recovered quickly and said his goodbyes.

"Father, may your... Immortal Path be everlasting."

Wei Yan and her brother knelt and kowtowed in farewell.

They were now in their seventies. And though they lived in the Bai Shihu Marketplace, where they were safe from conflict and could live peacefully to the end of their days, they knew that after this separation, they would see Wei Tu very few times in the future.

This was to be expected.

They would be apart more than they were together.

Every reunion meant one less in the future.

"Stop this foolish sentimentality," Wei Tu reprimanded, his face stern. "Once you reach Foundation Establishment, you'll have plenty of time to see me."

He had given the Demon Soul Foundation Establishment Technique to Wei Yan and her brother as well, not just Weii Fei and Fu Zhizhou.

There were still fifty years until Wei Yan and her brother reached the Age of Double Armors.

Fifty years.

'With my abilities, getting two Foundation Condensation Pills won't be difficult.'

Back when he had Wei Yan and her brother enter the Innate Realm, he'd told them to be self-reliant. That was because he lacked the ability to help them further.

But times had changed.

Now that he was at the Foundation Establishment Realm—

He didn't have the ability to find two Foundation Establishment Pills, but purchasing two Foundation Condensation Pills was a simple matter for him.

The Foundation Condensation Pill was crucial for Wei Yan and her brother.

'As their father, since I have the ability now, of course I have to help them this time. With the help of the Foundation Condensation Pills and the Demon Soul Foundation Establishment Technique, their chances of reaching Foundation Establishment, while not as high as mine had been, will still be far greater than that of ordinary Independent Cultivators.'

...

After leaving Nanhang City, Wei Tu and Huang Changkong traveled continuously westward.

They traveled for nearly a month.

Finally, near the border of the Zheng Country, they saw a continuous mountain range, its solitary, jagged peaks soaring into the clouds.

"This is Cloud Crane Mountain, where the Huang Family resides. Our clan's name is actually derived from this mountain."

"There's a Tier Three Middle-Grade Spirit Vein beneath Cloud Crane Mountain. It's the reason my Huang Family was able to become a Golden Core Family..."

As their Escape Lights came to a halt, Huang Changkong proudly began to tell Wei Tu about the exceptional qualities of the Spiritual Land of Cloud Crane Mountain, all while sending a Talisman message back to his family.

As they spoke,

A beautiful woman holding a White Jade Array Disc emerged from the dense mountain mists.

"Third Uncle, Fellow Daoist Wei." The beautiful woman greeted them with a slight curtsy.

"That's the second lady of our Huang Family, Huang Caiyu," Huang Changkong sent via voice transmission, a grin in his tone. "Decades ago, she married into the Zheng Family, but their personalities clashed. She left him and has been living a solitary life since..."

Over the past year, he had followed Wei Tu to Nanhang City and observed his character. He knew Wei Tu was a man who valued his relationships deeply.

Now, with Wei Tu's wife deceased and Huang Caiyu conveniently single, it seemed like a match made in heaven. He was more than happy to play matchmaker and help them become Dao Companions.

"You jest, Fellow Daoist Changkong."

"I have no plans to remarry at the moment."

Wei Tu shook his head, politely declining Huang Changkong's well-intentioned offer.

He had no desire to just settle.

Still, as he spoke, Wei Tu found himself subconsciously looking Huang Caiyu over.

Huang Caiyu appeared to be in her thirties. Her dark hair was swept up high, revealing delicate, beautiful features. She possessed a mature allure that a younger woman would lack, making her captivatingly beautiful.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, the Huang Family is protected by a Tier Three Clan Protection Array. Without this Array Plate to guide you, it's impossible to enter our territory."

Huang Caiyu channeled a stream of Magical Power into the White Jade Array Disc. It instantly pulsed with a soft, clear light, parting the dense fog that shrouded Cloud Crane Mountain to reveal a wide path.

The three followed the path indicated by the Array Plate, winding along several mountain trails and passing a few lakes before they finally arrived at the Huang Clan Territory.

Along the way,

As Wei Tu's official Guide, Huang Changkong began to brief him on the general state of the Hee Mountain Huang Family.

The Hee Mountain Huang Family, as a Golden Core Family of the Zheng Country, had two Golden Core Ancestors and fifteen Foundation Establishment Masters within the clan.

Among the fifteen Foundation Establishment Masters, three were Tributors from outside the family, holding the same status that Wei Tu would.

These three recruited Tributors each possessed a unique expertise: one was a Puppet Master, one an Artifact Master, and the other an Array Master.

Wei Tu wasn't surprised by this arrangement.

'A Foundation Establishment Family might recruit Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivators for security, on the principle of "the more hands, the better." But a Golden Core Family has no such need. As long as a Golden Core Ancestor is alive, no one would dare to covet the family's assets, even if its entire middle echelon were wiped out. Therefore, any Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivator a Golden Core Family recruits must be an "Artisan" with a specific skill that can benefit the family.'

"The Huang Family used to have a Tier Two Talisman Master, but unfortunately, he passed away of old age eighty years ago..."

Huang Changkong sighed.

"With Brother Wei joining us, the family will no longer be short of Tier Two Talismans."

He smiled.

With the resources and foundation of the Hee Mountain Huang Family, training a Tier Two Talisman Master wasn't actually that difficult.

However, a Tier Two Talisman Master wasn't an essential "resource" for a Golden Core Family. It was simply more cost-effective to recruit one from the outside than to train one themselves.

—Nurturing the next Golden Core True Monarch was the absolute top priority for Golden Core Families like the Hee Mountain Huang Family.

Back when he was in the Qi Refining Realm, Wei Tu had already been recorded creating Tier One Upper-Grade Talismans.

A genius Talisman Master like this, with just a little nurturing, could easily reach Tier Two.