Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

After leaving the Dragon Bone Forest, Wei Tu found a secluded mountain forest. He dug a cave beneath it and hid himself away to recover the Magical Power he had expended in the previous battle.

He had purchased Elixirs to restore his Magical Power before entering the Yunze Secret Realm, but Wei Tu had no intention of wasting them now.

「Half a month later.」

Wei Tu was full of vigor, his Essence Qi abundant. His Magical Power was fully restored and had even improved slightly.

As usual, he used the Shuangming Jade to sense Master Qin's location before taking out the two Storage Bags tucked inside his robes.

The Storage Bags had Magical Power Seals on them.

After a moment of thought, Wei Tu set aside the tall, thin man's Storage Bag and first used his Magical Power to grind away the Magical Power Seal on the square-faced man's bag.

He sent his Guardian Map Divine Sense into the Storage Bag.

Just as Wei Tu expected, the square-faced man's Storage Bag was rather "barren," containing no significant Magical Artifacts or Treasures.

Aside from a pile of Spirit Stones in a corner and some miscellaneous Jade Scrolls, the square-faced man had placed three stacked jade boxes in the center of the Storage Bag.

"Earth Dragon Flesh?" After opening the three jade boxes, Wei Tu saw they were filled to the brim with chunks of bloody meat and was instantly stunned by the square-faced man's bountiful harvest.

Earth Dragon Flesh was a specialty of the Dragon Bone Forest. Despite its appearance, it was a type of Spirit Grass. Consuming it could increase a Cultivator's Qi and Blood, making it a Body Refining Treasure.

'Then again,' Wei Tu thought, 'I was guarding the Sky-Splitting Carving during its breakthrough and arrived at the Dragon Bone Forest over a month late. It's normal for this square-faced man to have harvested so much.'

'Body Refining is time-consuming and arduous, but with these three boxes of Earth Dragon Flesh, my efforts will be twice as effective,' he mused.

After his Foundation Establishment breakthrough, he had considered practicing a Body Refining Technique more than once, but was constrained by time and resources, forcing him to postpone it until now.

Body Refining would not only give him more ways to save his own life, but also increase his chances of survival in battle.

More importantly, having powerful Blood Qi would be of great help in forming a Golden Core Pill.

Ancient texts recorded that the Golden Core Pill was the product of the fusion of a Cultivator's three treasures: Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Only through the fusion of these three could the "Jade Liquid Rejuvenation Pill" be formed.

"Huh? Is this the method for raising the Alien Insect, the Seven-Colored Illusion Moth?"

Just then, Wei Tu took out a light Cyan Jade Scroll from the square-faced man's Storage Bag. He let out a soft sound of surprise after seeing its contents.

His near-demise at the hands of the square-faced man and his partner was directly related to this Alien Insect, the Seven-Colored Illusion Moth.

The Seven-Colored Illusion Moth was an Alien Insect that could elude his Guardian Map Divine Sense and the tracking of his Xiangluo Nose. In terms of concealment, it was unmatched by ordinary Demon Beasts and Cultivators.

If he could cultivate his own Seven-Colored Illusion Moth, he would be able to completely inherit the square-faced man's techniques.

"The Seven-Colored Illusion Moth is cultivated from the Mist Moth..." Wei Tu frowned slightly after finishing the Jade Scroll's contents.

The Mist Moth, a type of Spirit Moth, was like the Iron Magnetic Spirit Wood—not precious, but rare.

'Wait, besides using a Mist Moth, this insect breeding method can also use the corpse of a Seven-Colored Illusion Moth?'

'The Corpse Body Insect Breeding Technique?'

Wei Tu pulled out another Jade Scroll and found this information on it.

'No rush. I'll cultivate this Seven-Colored Illusion Moth after I leave the Yunze Secret Realm.'

After putting away the Jade Scrolls, Wei Tu composed himself and shook his head.

Cultivating a Seven-Colored Illusion Moth couldn't be done overnight. It wasn't wise to invest too much mental energy into it right now.

「A quarter of an hour later.」

Wei Tu opened the tall, thin man's Storage Bag.

Like the square-faced man, the tall, thin man also had Earth Dragon Flesh in his Storage Bag, though he had one less box—only two.

Besides the Earth Dragon Flesh, there were also a dozen or so Purple Cloud Fruits in the Storage Bag.

"What is this?"

Wei Tu pulled a Pitch-Black Finger Bone from the Storage Bag. It seemed utterly out of place with the other miscellaneous items inside.

He tried to probe inside the Pitch-Black Finger Bone with his Guardian Map Divine Sense to investigate.

But soon, a look of disappointment crossed Wei Tu's face. To his Guardian Map Divine Sense, the black finger bone was just an ordinary object, with nothing strange or unusual about it.

Suddenly, on a whim, as if guided by some unseen force, Wei Tu infused a strand of Magical Power into the Pitch-Black Finger Bone.

To his surprise, once his strand of Magical Power entered the Pitch-Black Finger Bone, it vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

"Something's strange?" Wei Tu raised an eyebrow. He tossed the Pitch-Black Finger Bone a good distance away, summoned his Earth Rock Shield, and continued to infuse Magical Power into it from several yards away.

「Half a day later.」

After Wei Tu's continuous infusion of Magical Power, the Pitch-Black Finger Bone finally began to change.

The Pitch-Black Finger Bone gained Spirituality. A bloody glow emanated from it as it floated in the air and began to write lines of bloody words on the ground.

After writing several hundred bloody words, the wisp of bloody light surrounding the Pitch-Black Finger Bone vanished. It fell to the ground, returning to its previous inert state.

'A secret transmission of the Demon Dao?' Wei Tu stared at the Pitch-Black Finger Bone, a thoughtful expression on his face.

A dozen years ago, after learning that the Demon Dao was about to invade the Zheng Country, he had begun to consult a large number of texts related to the Demon Dao.

These texts described the methods by which High-Tier Cultivators of the Demon Dao passed on their teachings.

High-Tier Cultivators of the Demon Dao often used Bone Scrolls to pass on their teachings, rather than Jade Scrolls.

A Bone Scroll was created when a Demon Cultivator, using materials at hand, carved their Cultivation Technique Inheritance into their own body before death.

It wasn't unusual for the Spirituality of a High Tier Bone Scroll to survive for a thousand years without dissipating.

Wei Tu guessed that this Pitch-Black Finger Bone was likely a "Bone Scroll" used by a Demon Cultivator to pass on teachings, not some kind of Evil Magical Artifact.

However, just in case, Wei Tu released his Sky-Splitting Carving and had it test the Pitch-Black Finger Bone to see if it would react in any other way.

The Sky-Splitting Carving flapped its wings and walked over to the Pitch-Black Finger Bone. Its eyes darted around, and after a moment's hesitation, it picked up the Pitch-Black Finger Bone in its beak.

Then, after a moment of contemplation, Wei Tu ordered the Sky-Splitting Carving to swallow the Pitch-Black Finger Bone.

'If this Pitch-Black Finger Bone... has some other "profundity" to it, it shouldn't be able to resist the Temptation of the Sky-Splitting Carving's Flesh and Blood.'

He didn't use another Demon Beast because he was worried it wouldn't be able to lure out the "Spirituality" within the Pitch-Black Finger Bone.

The Sky-Splitting Carving, however, was a Tier Two Demon Beast and was mentally linked to him. Even if the Pitch-Black Finger Bone acted up, he could suppress it immediately.

—After advancing to a Tier Two Demon Beast, the Sky-Splitting Carving's potential was exhausted. Thus, in Wei Tu's mind, its value was far less than that of the Demonic Bone Scroll before him.

Time slowly passed.

When he saw that the Pitch-Black Finger Bone still showed no unusual reaction, Wei Tu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He walked over to the bloody words to observe what the bone had just written.

'Profound Nether Yin Fire?'

Just as Wei Tu had guessed, the content written by the Pitch-Black Finger Bone was indeed a Demonic Cultivation Method, or rather, a Demonic Divine Technique.

Unfortunately, the Pitch-Black Finger Bone had only written down a portion of this Demonic Cultivation Method.

After committing this part of the "Profound Nether Yin Fire" to memory, Wei Tu used his Innate True Flame to wipe away the bloody words, leaving no trace.

Then, a hesitant look appeared on his face, unsure whether he should discard the "Pitch-Black Finger Bone" or keep it.

—Profound Nether Yin Fire. For a Demonic Divine Technique like this to be passed down via a Bone Scroll, it was certainly no ordinary thing.

"SKREEE, SKREEE." At that moment, the Sky-Splitting Carving flapped its wings, trying to spit out the "Pitch-Black Finger Bone" stuck in its throat.

"This is a Creation. Swallow it."

Wei Tu's eyes showed resolve. No longer hesitating, he commanded the Sky-Splitting Carving.

If the Pitch-Black Finger Bone was merely a Bone Scroll, then it made no real difference whether the Sky-Splitting Carving kept it or he did.

But if the Pitch-Black Finger Bone posed a "threat" to him—then leaving it with the Sky-Splitting Carving would make the beast his shield, buying him enough time to react.

...

「Several days later.」

Wei Tu finished his rest and set out again with the Sky-Splitting Carving, heading for the core region.

Along the way, he finally sensed Master Qin's location with the help of the Shuangming Jade.

Seeing this, Wei Tu quickened his pace and hurried toward where Master Qin was.

"Fellow Daoist Wei."

"Uncle Wei."

Master Qin and Kou Hongying both greeted Wei Tu.

After the greetings were exchanged, Wei Tu began to ask Master Qin about her specific plans.

Core Formation Spiritual Objects could only be found in the core region. If they were to compete for one, they would inevitably have to face Tier Two Great Demons and Cultivators from various factions.

"I entered the Yunze Secret Realm precisely to vie for a Core Formation Opportunity..."

"How could I cower and hold back simply because of a matter of life and death?"

Master Qin said with a gentle smile.

Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded in agreement.

Core Formation Spiritual Objects were even rarer than Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects, the kind of thing that has a price but no market. Hoping to obtain a Core Formation Spiritual Object in the outside world without personally braving danger was basically a fool's dream.

After all, even the Immortal Sect Cultivators from the Three Immortal Sects had entered the Yunze Secret Realm to seek a Core Formation Opportunity.

Over a decade ago, when Clan Leader Huang Changshun asked if he was willing to enter the Yunze Secret Realm, this was precisely why he had hesitated.

If he missed this Core Formation Opportunity, he might never encounter such an Immortal Fate again in his entire life.

Next, Wei Tu and Master Qin began to compare the information they had gathered to identify the potential dangers within the core region.

"The closest Core Formation Spiritual Object to us is the Ten Thousand Spirits Mushroom, guarded by the Red Armored Tiger. However, the Ten Thousand Spirits Mushroom is near three other Spiritual Lands in the inner perimeter. If Cultivators from other factions want to seize a Core Formation Spiritual Object, they will definitely target this Ten Thousand Spirits Mushroom first..."

"Therefore, seizing the Ten Thousand Spirits Mushroom is too dangerous. Our best option is to head for the Yellow Essence Grass, which is the most remote from the other Spiritual Lands."

"Among Core Formation Spiritual Objects, the Yellow Essence Grass is considered one of the less valuable types, so not too many people will be fighting over it."

Master Qin said, pointing to a map drawn on the ground as she slowly analyzed the situation.

"Alright, let's go for the Yellow Essence Grass first," Wei Tu said with a nod, agreeing with Master Qin's decision.

Although killing and Treasure Stealing was the fastest way to obtain a Spiritual Object, it wouldn't be so easy to make a move once the Cultivators from all factions gathered. No one could be confident of winning in a chaotic melee and being the last one standing.

Therefore, after the initial period of chaos, the order within the Yunze Secret Realm would gradually stabilize.

Of course, this was based on the experiences of Cultivators in the Yunze Secret Realm from two hundred years ago. Whether it still applied today was another question.

However—

Just as Wei Tu's group of three was heading toward the core region where the Yellow Essence Grass was located...

They stumbled upon an unexpected battle midway.

Within a dense mountain forest, two Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Hee Mountain Huang Family lay dead on the ground. Standing nearby was a young woman in flowing white robes.

The young woman's right hand was stained with blood, and her expression held a hint of Evil Qi. Upon seeing Wei Tu's group arrive, she shot Wei Tu a sidelong glance, then vanished into the jungle as a flickering afterimage.

"Si Qing!"

A look of shock appeared on Wei Tu's face.

As a fellow Tributor, he hadn't met Si Qing many times, but that fleeting glance was enough for him to recognize that the young woman who had slaughtered the Huang Family's Foundation Establishment Cultivators was none other than Si Qing, the Tier Two Array Master.

"Huang Changkong!"

"Huang Wenqing!"

Walking over to the two corpses, Wei Tu recognized their identities.