Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

...

「Two years later.」

Wei Tu had just come out of seclusion on Cloud Crane Mountain when he received news that Weii Fei had gotten married and had a child.

Weii Fei hadn't held a large, extravagant wedding ceremony. Similar to Helian Xiong's wedding, he had simply hosted a small banquet for his guests.

The wife Weii Fei married was a female cultivator from a branch of the Qiyue Zhao Family named Zhao Ting, who was at the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.

Because Wei Tu had been in seclusion, he missed Weii Fei's wedding and his child's full-moon celebration.

"Weii Xian'er."

Wei Tu opened the letter and couldn't help but shake his head when he saw the name Weii Fei had chosen for his daughter.

'The character for "Xian" undoubtedly carried Weii Fei's hopes for his daughter's Immortal Path.'

'It was just that in the Cultivation Realm, such a name was far too common—a dime a dozen, really.'

After placing Weii Fei's letter into a jade box for safekeeping, Wei Tu looked up to see the Sky-Splitting Carving drop another letter for him.

"A letter from Fourth Brother?"

Wei Tu's face lit up with joy when he saw the signature. He hastily tore open the envelope and began to read its contents.

"Thank goodness! Thank goodness!"

After finishing the letter, Wei Tu repeated "thank goodness" several times and breathed a sigh of relief.

Fu Zhizhou's letter brought the good news of his successful Foundation Establishment, not the bad news of failure.

Wei Tu turned the letter over and saw it was dated half a month ago. He thought for a moment, then decided to make a trip to Danqiu Mountain.

「Back then.」

He had successfully reached Foundation Establishment.

Kou Hongying had helped him plan for what came after, advising him to join a Cultivation Family.

Now that he had already established his foundation, it was his turn to help Fu Zhizhou plan his own path after Foundation Establishment.

Whether Fu Zhizhou listened or not was secondary. He had to make the effort.

Moreover, on this trip down the mountain, he also planned to gather some Iron Magnetic Spirit Wood.

The Primordial Forbidden Light, produced when the Geomagnetic Primordial Light absorbed Iron Magnetic Spirit Wood, could not only be used against enemies but its "gravity" could also be used to purify his own Magical Power.

With this in mind, Wei Tu returned to his Cultivation Room. He collected a stack of Talismans that were laid out and a silver shortsword hovering in the air, which emanated a chilly aura.

This silver shortsword was the very Talisman Sword he had forged using the method for the Ice Flood Dragon Sword.

Of course, in its current half-finished state, the Talisman Sword was far from possessing the power comparable to a Magical Treasure that Chai Ping had described. By Wei Tu's estimation, its power was probably slightly stronger than a full-force attack from a Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

'With my many Talismans and this half-finished Ice Flood Dragon Sword,' Wei Tu thought to himself, 'I should now have the ability to escape unscathed from a confrontation with Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.'

Since his strength was now sufficient, he shouldn't delay his trip to the Yaolang Mountain Range to acquire the Iron Magnetic Spirit Wood any longer.

The clues that Yu Kui Master and the others had given him about the Iron Magnetic Spirit Wood all pointed to Spiritual Lands deep within the Yaolang Mountain Range.

...

「Half a month later.」

Wei Tu arrived at Danqiu Mountain.

The small courtyard on Lark Street, Wei Tu's former residence, had been sublet to Fu Zhizhou decades ago.

Years had passed, but Fu Zhizhou had never moved, continuing to live in the Lark Street courtyard with Helian Xiong and the others.

Sensing Wei Tu's approaching aura, the cultivators in the Lark Street courtyard came out to greet him.

Wei Tu took a look.

Among them, besides Fu Zhizhou, were Helian Xiong and his wife, Ren Yifeng, and other famous Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Danqiu Mountain.

"It has been many years, Fellow Daoist Wei. You look as distinguished as ever," Helian Xiong said, being the first to greet Wei Tu.

Compared to the fear and anxiety he felt the last time he saw Wei Tu, he was much more composed this time.

"Fellow Daoist Wei."

Ren Yifeng gave a Daoist salute but didn't recognize Wei Tu as the Qi Cultivation Junior Cultivator who had shared a table with him at Helian Xiong's wedding.

The other cultivators greeted him one by one.

"Third Brother." After Helian Xiong and the others finished greeting Wei Tu, Fu Zhizhou stepped forward and gave him a tight bear hug.

Though no words were spoken, the hug's meaning was clear.

Wei Tu was still his closest brother, a bond that no one could ever replace.

"As for what we discussed, we hope Fellow Daoist Fu will consider it carefully and give us a reply."

Seeing this, Ren Yifeng and the others exchanged a glance, bowed to Fu Zhizhou, and took their leave.

At the original spot, only Wei Tu, Fu Zhizhou, and Helian Xiong and his wife, who lived on Lark Street, remained.

"Ren Yifeng and the others... why did they come to the Lark Street courtyard?"

Wei Tu asked, slightly surprised.

He clearly remembered that at Helian Xiong's wedding years ago, Ren Yifeng had given Helian Xiong a Foundation Condensation Pill and left the Lark Street courtyard without a backward glance.

Now that Helian Xiong had reached Foundation Establishment... the two of them shouldn't be very close.

Just now, he could tell that Ren Yifeng and the others had come for Fu Zhizhou, but the relationship between Ren Yifeng and Helian Xiong... seemed a bit ambiguous.

"Fellow Daoist Wei may not know, but besides joining a Cultivation Family, Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivators have another option... the Independent Cultivator Alliance."

Helian Xiong seemed to read Wei Tu's mind, shaking his head as he explained.

"The Independent Cultivator Alliance that Ren Yifeng and the others belong to is called the Shuyun Alliance. Its core figures are Alchemist Shu and a Fake Pill Master... Ren Yifeng and the others are all members of this Shuyun Alliance..."

"I also joined this Shuyun Alliance a few years ago," he added.

Wei Tu knew a little about Independent Cultivator Alliances, but he hadn't known that one existed within Danqiu Mountain.

"Then why hasn't the Shuyun Alliance invited me to join?" Wei Tu's brow furrowed slightly.

He had always been cautious and discreet in Danqiu Mountain, never making enemies, let alone offending a behemoth like the Shuyun Alliance.

As for the animosity with Geng Wen—Alchemist Shu and the others didn't know he was the one who killed Geng Wen. Any publicly known feud wouldn't have stopped the Shuyun Alliance from sending him an invitation.

"The Shuyun Alliance already has a Tier Two Talisman Master," Fu Zhizhou explained, clearing up Wei Tu's confusion.

Wei Tu had a sudden realization. 'So it's a case of professional rivalry. That's why the Shuyun Alliance never sent an invitation for me to join.'

As they spoke, the three of them entered the Lark Street courtyard.

Tong Peipei poured tea for them.

"A cultivator like you, Fellow Daoist Wei, with a specialized skill, is easily favored by Cultivation Families and recruited as a Tributor."

"But for Assassins like us, it's different. Our only option is to join an Independent Cultivator Alliance and huddle together for warmth."

Helian Xiong's face was tinged with bitterness.

'How could an Independent Cultivator Alliance compare to a deep-rooted and powerful Golden Core Family?'

In the Zheng Country's Cultivation Realm, the Three Immortal Sects and the Seven Golden Core Families were the true rulers. The other Independent Cultivator Alliances, big and small, could only feed on the scraps left behind by these major influences.

In front of Helian Xiong, Wei Tu did not interject about the Shuyun Alliance or ask about Fu Zhizhou's future plans. He merely nodded in agreement and offered no comment.

When evening came, he and Fu Zhizhou were finally alone.

Only then did Wei Tu begin to ask about Fu Zhizhou's intentions and his opinion of the Shuyun Alliance.

"I came to Danqiu Mountain this time not only to congratulate you, Fourth Brother, but also to ask about your plans for the future," Wei Tu said honestly.

"Joining the Shuyun Alliance seems to have its benefits—access to Alchemist Shu's elixirs and some of the Alliance's resources... but from my perspective, we Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivators would just be their pawns, fodder to help them break through to the Golden Core Realm..."

Unlike the interest he had shown in front of Helian Xiong, Fu Zhizhou's face was now filled with a cold sneer.

Time reveals a person's true heart.

By now, he had seen Helian Xiong's true nature.

Helian Xiong wasn't an evil person, but his treatment of him was far from sincere.

...

Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou discussed the matter until midnight, and the two decided to deliberate further after Kou Hongying arrived.

Right now, Fu Zhizhou's options weren't limited to the Shuyun Alliance being the best choice, as Helian Xiong had suggested.

He could also join a Golden Core Family.

The Chisong Jia Family and the Qiyue Zhao Family, these two great Golden Core Families, didn't just recruit Artisans like Talisman Masters; they also recruited War Cultivators like Fu Zhizhou.

Compared to the Shuyun Alliance, the prospects offered by the two Golden Core Families were undoubtedly far greater.

The only point of concern was that if the two Golden Core Families went to war, Foundation Establishment Cultivators from a foreign race like Fu Zhizhou would be easily killed.

「Several days later.」

Kou Hongying rushed to Danqiu Mountain.

"If the two Golden Core Families go to war, there's danger in joining them, Uncle Fu, but it also means greater opportunities..."

"I cannot say much about matters of life and death. Ultimately, Uncle Fu, the decision is yours."

"Success would be a blessing from Heaven!"

"Failure should not lead to blaming fate or others!"

Kou Hongying laid out the analysis clearly.

Hearing this, Fu Zhizhou's face showed his hesitation.

Back in the Qi Refining Realm, he had truly had no other choice, which was why he had been forced to become an Assassin.

Now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, he thought he could finally live a carefree life, but unexpectedly, the next part of his Immortal Path had dealt him a heavy blow.

If he retreated, he might face the same "dilemma" in the Foundation Establishment Realm that Weii Fei was currently experiencing.

But if he advanced, his life would be in danger.

And this danger was far more terrifying than the Demon Beasts of the Yaolang Mountain Range.

"The Immortal Dao is a difficult path to walk."

Fu Zhizhou looked out the window and sighed with deep emotion.

He felt like a caged bird that thought it had escaped its prison into the outside world, only to find that this outside world was just another room that held him captive.

Seeing this, Wei Tu and Kou Hongying exchanged a knowing glance, as if of one mind, and sighed inwardly.

One could say that of the four members of their Yee Society, Fu Zhizhou's Immortal Dao was the most arduous.

No spiritual roots, no Immortal Fate, no special skills—he could only rely on fighting to earn his ticket to Foundation Establishment.

But unfortunately—even after Foundation Establishment, he was still in a predicament.

"It seems Uncle Fu is going to give up." Kou Hongying saw in Fu Zhizhou the same look of desolation she had seen on Weii Fei a few years ago.

It was the despair of one who had lost hope in the Immortal Path!

"I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first." Kou Hongying knew how to read the room. She gathered her skirt and stood up, preparing to leave the room as before to let Fu Zhizhou and Wei Tu be alone.

However, at that moment, Fu Zhizhou spoke up. His voice was weary, but it carried an undercurrent of resilience.

"I have been in Cultivation for so many years. I won't give up this easily."

"The Immortal Path?"

Fu Zhizhou let out a crazed laugh. He flicked his sleeve, his Magical Power shattering the window. With a cold gaze fixed on the sky outside, he spoke four words.

Those four words were resolute and decisive—"Death, and nothing more!"