Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

SCREE! SCREE!

On this day, Wei Tu emerged from his seclusion. The Sky-Splitting Carving swooped down from the sky outside the courtyard and delivered a letter from its beak into Wei Tu's hand, its expression fawning.

After being captured by Wei Tu,

'I thought I'd get special treatment from Wei Tu,' it had thought. 'After all, I was the Blood Elder Demon's most trusted aide.'

If it weren't for its knack for snatching cultivators' Storage Bags, the Blood Elder Demon would have perished in battle long ago.

But the Sky-Splitting Carving was disappointed.

First, Wei Tu had left it to fend for itself in the Yaolang Mountain Range for several months. Then, he had abandoned it at Luoxue Courtyard on two separate occasions, leaving it to starve for years.

This time, at Talisman Heart Residence, this "Foundation Establishment Elder" Wei Tu seemed to look down on it even more, entrusting the great task of caring for it to a mere Servant...

Wei Tu paid no mind to the Sky-Splitting Carving's petty thoughts. With the Beast Taming Token in hand, no matter how dissatisfied the creature was, it couldn't cause any real trouble.

He took the letter and saw it was from Fu Zhizhou, which made him raise an eyebrow.

He had just met with Fu Zhizhou on Danqiu Mountain a year ago. Given Fu Zhizhou's quiet nature, it was unlike him to write so frequently.

'When something is out of the ordinary, there's always a reason.'

Wei Tu opened the letter and read it.

He skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the important matters mentioned in the letter.

'Helian Xiong achieved Foundation Establishment?'

In the letter, the first thing Fu Zhizhou mentioned was Helian Xiong's Foundation Establishment.

A month ago, Helian Xiong had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, becoming a Foundation Establishment Master.

Afterward, Fu Zhizhou had asked Helian Xiong for details about using the Demon Soul Foundation Establishment Technique.

Upon learning that Helian Xiong had succeeded with only the Foundation Condensation Pill and the Demon Soul Foundation Establishment Technique—

Fu Zhizhou wrote that he too was now thinking of attempting Foundation Establishment and didn't want to wait another twenty years to search for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

After all, Foundation Establishment Pills were hard to come by.

If he spent twenty years searching and still didn't find a Foundation Establishment Pill, he would have wasted two decades of his life.

A Hundred-Year-Old Foundation Establishment.

Compared to achieving Foundation Establishment when nearing the Age of Two Armors, the difference in potential was immense.

Everyone makes their own choices.

Wei Tu strongly agreed with the trade-off Fu Zhizhou was making.

Some things couldn't be delayed.

The sooner the decision was made, the more advantageous it would be.

...

The letter was long.

Wei Tu continued to read.

This time, besides informing him of Helian Xiong's successful Foundation Establishment and his own plans to attempt it, Fu Zhizhou had written to him about two other matters.

First, he would be too busy to attend the "Ten-Year Reunion" in two years and would likely have to break his promise to be there.

The second matter concerned the arrangements for after his death, should his Foundation Establishment attempt fail.

In other words, his last will and testament.

The Foundation Condensation Pill was not a Foundation Establishment Pill; it did not have the effect of protecting a Cultivator's heart meridian and Dantian.

If the Foundation Establishment failed, there was a high probability the Cultivator would die in the process.

Fu Zhizhou's will was written in great detail.

At the beginning of the will, Fu Zhizhou mentioned Wei Tu's many years of help.

He stated that if he were to die, the remaining three hundred Spirit Stones on his person would be gifted to Wei Tu.

His remaining Magical Artifacts and other items were to be held by Wei Tu until a suitable opportunity arose to pass them on to the younger generations of the Fu Family.

At the end of the letter,

Fu Zhizhou wrote, "Eighty years of friendship, a pact of brotherhood, supporting one another. Zhizhou has no regrets."

...

After finishing the letter,

Wei Tu was silent for a long time.

Fu Zhizhou's resolve on the Dao was something he couldn't compare to.

'If I were in his shoes, without a Foundation Establishment Pill, I would have definitely waited until I was approaching the Age of Two Armors before choosing a time to break through.'

At that point, whether he lived or died, he would have no regrets.

But Fu Zhizhou was different. He was "throwing away" twenty years of his Lifespan to gamble on the possibility of greater potential after achieving Foundation Establishment...

"I hope Zhizhou's Foundation Establishment goes smoothly."

Wei Tu sighed softly.

Folding the letter, Wei Tu walked out of the Cultivation Room and headed to the front courtyard of the Sacrificial Hall.

"Grand-uncle," Huang Chengfu greeted him, stepping forward and bowing to Wei Tu.

When he saw the Sky-Splitting Carving perched on Wei Tu's left shoulder, he looked like he wanted to say something but held his tongue.

Just now, the Sky-Splitting Carving had snatched the letter and flown directly into the Cultivation Room, which had given him quite a scare.

But he didn't have the authority to enter the core area of the small courtyard, so all he could do was worry anxiously outside.

"From now on, when the Sky-Splitting Carving brings me letters, you don't need to stop it. It can sense when I'm coming out of seclusion."

Wei Tu saw what was on Huang Chengfu's mind and chuckled, speaking casually.

A Demon Beast's Spiritual Sense was far keener than that of a Human Race Cultivator; the aura he released after emerging from seclusion couldn't be hidden from the Sky-Splitting Carving waiting outside.

Of course, if he deliberately concealed his aura using the Thousand-Faced Illusion Technique, that would be another matter entirely.

"Yes, Grand-uncle."

Huang Chengfu accepted the order and stood with his hands clasped.

"The Demon Beast Hides I asked you to tan, are they finished yet?" Wei Tu asked.

Unlike Danqiu Mountain, Cloud Crane Mountain didn't have many shops selling Tier One Talisman Paper, and the prices were higher.

Therefore, after Huang Chengfu came to Talisman Heart Residence as an attendant, he had delegated the task of "making Talisman Paper" to him.

Although Tier Two Talismans were expensive, for him, they weren't as profitable as Tier One Talismans.

Firstly, he had only recently obtained the Tier Two Talisman Master Inheritance, so his creation of Tier Two Talismans was not yet consistent.

He was actually losing money on Talisman Painting.

Secondly, the market for Tier One Talismans was larger than for Tier Two. He could reliably produce them, earning money for every talisman he painted.

Thirdly, Tier Two Talisman Paper was hard to find. Even if he had the ability to create Tier Two Talismans, without the materials, he could only sigh in vain.

"Grand-uncle, that batch of Demon Beast Hides was finished tanning half a month ago. I... I'll deliver them to your Talisman House shortly," Huang Chengfu said with a bow.

Wei Tu nodded, a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

It was just as Huang Peng had said.

Huang Chengfu might not be the cleverest, but he was more than reliable. He always completed every task assigned to him ahead of schedule and never slacked off.

However,

Wei Tu didn't offer any extravagant praise.

After uttering a simple "Good," he took the Sky-Splitting Carving and left Talisman Heart Residence.

'The craft of tanning Demon Beast Hide to make Tier One Talisman Paper might be trivial to me, but for low-level cultivators, it's a skill they can rely on to make a living.'

...

After leaving Talisman Heart Residence,

Wei Tu went to the Clan Affairs Hall of the Hee Mountain Huang Family to report his progress on the Talisman Dao.

"What? In just two years, Talisman Master Wei can already create the Stone-Breaking Talisman?"

Clan Leader Huang Changshun was astounded.

The Stone-Breaking Talisman was one of the Tier Two Lower-Grade Talismans from the Talisman Dao Inheritance Wei Tu had received.

"When I was in the Qi Refining Realm, I painted the Rock Shield Talisman, the Earth Spike Talisman, and other Earth Element Talismans. These talismans share some common principles with the Stone-Breaking Talisman..."

Wei Tu explained simply.

With the blessing of his "Late Bloomer" Destiny Chart, as long as he reached a basic level of proficiency in creating a Tier Two Talisman and persevered, he could gradually master it.

Although the Tier Two Stone-Breaking Talisman was difficult, he was no longer the little Qi Refining Realm Talisman Master he used to be, but a Foundation Establishment Master with a wealth of experience in the Talisman Dao.

"Good, good, good." Hearing Wei Tu's explanation, Clan Leader Huang Changshun harbored no further doubts. He laughed heartily and said "Good" three times.

Wei Tu was not an outsider, but a Tributor of their Hee Mountain Huang Family. His high talent in the Talisman Dao was a good thing for them.

"From this day forward, Talisman Master Wei's compensation can be raised by another level. You will receive two portions of Tier Two Demon Beast Hide every three years..."

"Additionally, you will receive one Green Splendor Pill every fifty years."

Clan Leader Huang Changshun said thoughtfully.

Being able to create a Tier Two Lower-Grade Talisman in two years meant that Wei Tu could, within his lifetime, help the Huang Family create a Tier Two Upper-Grade Talisman.

A Tier Two Upper-Grade Talisman would be quite useful even to a Golden Core Realm Cultivator.

It could be considered a clan-guarding treasure.

Hearing this,

Wei Tu was delighted. 'My move to save Cultivation time by creating a Tier Two Lower-Grade Talisman ahead of schedule was the right one,' he thought to himself.

Previously, his compensation had been one Green Splendor Pill every eighty years.

Now, that time had been shortened by thirty years, becoming fifty years.

To put it simply,

If he stayed with the Hee Mountain Huang Family for the next three hundred years, the number of Green Splendor Pills he would receive would increase from "four" to "six."

That was a full two more pills.

The Green Splendor Pill was a common Elixir used to increase Magical Power during the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Each one was incredibly valuable.

...

「Half a year later.」

The Hee Mountain Huang Family's exchange gathering, mentioned by the Steward Huang Yu'er, was about to begin.

Wei Tu had inquired about this gathering afterward. Its nature was similar to their Yee Society's "Ten-Year Reunion," aiming to foster relationships, exchange cultivation insights, and promote mutual benefits.

It was held once every eight years.

Furthermore, there was another point worth noting.

Each of the Hee Mountain Huang Family's gatherings was not only attended by the family's Foundation Establishment Cultivators but also attracted other Foreign Race Cultivators.

The exchange gathering was also a trade fair.

These Foreign Race Cultivators had varying statuses. Some came from the Three Immortal Sects and the Seven Golden Core Families, while others were Ancestors from Foundation Establishment Families.

In preparation for this gathering,

Wei Tu had spent the last six months diligently practicing Talisman Painting, accumulating a batch of Tier One Talismans and three Tier Two Lower-Grade Stone-Breaking Talismans.

...

The gathering was held outside the Hee Mountain Huang Family's clan lands—at Golden Moon Cliff.

Golden Moon Cliff was adjacent to Cloud Crane Mountain and was a Tier Two Spirit Land belonging to it.

Many pavilions had been built on Golden Moon Cliff. By the time Wei Tu arrived, he could already see many Huang Family Members setting up stalls in the pavilions to trade Spiritual Objects.

As a Tributor of the Huang Family and a renowned "Artisan," Wei Tu's assigned pavilion was located in the core area of Golden Moon Cliff.

"Yu Kui Master?"

After arriving at the pavilion marked with the words "Sacrificial Hall," Wei Tu noticed someone had already set up a stall. On the cloth were some strangely shaped Puppets, including both humanoid and beast-shaped ones.

Living in Talisman Heart Residence, Wei Tu immediately guessed the stall owner's identity.

He clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and greeted him.

Yu Kui Master was a white-haired elder. When he heard Wei Tu greet him, he lifted his bowed head, glanced at Wei Tu, and asked in surprise, "And who might you be, Fellow Daoist?"

Wei Tu was a new face he had never seen before.

"The master of Talisman Heart Residence."

Wei Tu introduced himself simply.

"So it's Talisman Master Wei." Understanding dawned on Yu Kui Master. He invited Wei Tu to sit beside him. "I heard from Yu'er that a Talisman Master moved into Talisman Heart Residence three years ago, but I never had the chance to meet him."

"I didn't expect Talisman Master Wei to be so young."

"Still with the appearance of a young man."

His tone was quite astonished.