Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

...

...

After leaving Cloud Crane Mountain, Kou Hongying asked Wei Tu about his destination.

She said, "My fellow disciple, Senior Sister Chii, and I are stationed at Hongyan Mountain Marketplace. If Uncle Wei goes to Bai Shihu Marketplace, there’s a risk of being conscripted by the Three Immortal Sects, but you wouldn’t have that to worry about at Hongyan Mountain Marketplace."

Hongyan Mountain Marketplace was also on the front lines of the Righteous Demon Battlefield in Zheng Country, so it wasn’t without its dangers. However, compared to the unpredictable perils faced by Independent Cultivators after being conscripted, it was a relatively safe haven.

Wei Tu was tempted by the offer.

Since the Righteous Demon war began five years ago, the Three Immortal Sects had taken control of all the passes leading out of Zheng Country’s territory. It was not an easy feat for Independent Cultivators within Zheng Country to avoid getting involved in the war.

Currently, there were only three ways for Independent Cultivators to avoid conscription by the Three Immortal Sects.

First, they could flee Zheng Country and go to other nations where there was no war.

Second, they could become recluses to avoid the war, hiding deep in old forests where Spiritual Qi was scarce and staying away from the Marketplaces and Spiritual Lands controlled by the Three Immortal Sects.

Third, they could find connections within an Immortal Sect and have the high-level members issue an order to cancel their Recruitment Order.

At present, with Wei Tu’s current strength, all three of these options were difficult to achieve.

Therefore, going to Hongyan Mountain Marketplace and exposing himself to a limited degree of danger had become a viable option for Wei Tu after leaving the Hee Mountain Huang Family.

"Let’s not be hasty." Wei Tu suppressed his interest, pondered for a moment, and said, "In the eyes of the public, I’m still a Tributor of the Hee Mountain Huang Family. News of my resignation won’t spread for another three to five months..."

"After that time has passed, if I still have nowhere else to go, I’ll come join you at Hongyan Mountain Marketplace, Hongying."

Information had a delay. The Three Immortal Sects’ registry management wouldn’t update immediately either; there would be a significant lag.

Therefore, during this time lag, he was not at risk of being conscripted by the Three Immortal Sects.

In fact—

if he was lucky,

the Righteous Demon war might even end before the Three Immortal Sects remembered a person like him even existed, and they would never conscript him to the front lines. After all, he was only slightly famous in the Zheng Country Cultivation Realm, far from being a household name.

"What Uncle Wei says is reasonable." Upon hearing this, Kou Hongying agreed with Wei Tu’s opinion and didn’t try to force him to go to Hongyan Mountain Marketplace.

Although Wei Tu accompanying her to Hongyan Mountain Marketplace would bolster her strength and increase her chances of survival in the war, she was unwilling to put him in danger for her own selfish reasons.

After a few more words of casual conversation, Kou Hongying gave Wei Tu a graceful bow and took her leave.

She transformed into a pale blue Escape Light, vanished over the horizon, and rejoined the main army of Jingshui Pavilion cultivators several miles away.

...

「Seven days later.」

Wei Tu arrived in Nanhang City, riding the "Huang Yanzhou" and bringing the Huang Chengfu siblings with him.

"Father, you’re back."

As soon as he entered the Wei Mansion, Wei Yan emerged from the rear courtyard to greet him.

Several years ago, after reaching Foundation Establishment, Wei Yan had left her Cave Mansion and returned to the mundane "Wei Mansion" to live in seclusion, all to avoid conscription by the Immortal Sects.

That was why she was able to greet Wei Tu the moment he returned to the Wei Mansion in Nanhang City.

When the topic came up, a complex look appeared in Wei Yan’s eyes. "If it weren’t for Brother Fu’s letter informing our four families of the news, I wouldn’t have hidden away at the Xiaya Mei Family’s home to attempt Foundation Establishment before the Battle of Righteous and Demons began..."

"I have to thank Brother Fu. He’s the one who gave me the courage to risk everything."

—On the battlefield, Foundation Establishment cultivators had a degree of autonomy, unlike Qi Cultivation Realm cultivators, who could only serve as cannon fodder.

In truth, there was another reason for her Foundation Establishment that she didn’t mention.

Four years ago, not long after the Yunze Secret Realm opened, the Wei, Fu, and Kou families in Nanhang City fell into a brief panic. Everyone was afraid that Wei Tu and Kou Hongying, their two Foundation Establishment cultivators, would perish in the Secret Realm.

Wei Tu and Kou Hongying were now the pillars of their three families. If anything happened to them, their worlds would come crashing down.

As for Fu Zhizhou, although he was also a Foundation Establishment Master, he was a Tributor for the Qiyue Zhao Family. Furthermore, with his precedent of "abandoning his wife and child," the younger generations of the three families didn’t place much hope in him.

Under these circumstances, for the sake of her own potential and to protect her family and friends, Wei Yan had no choice but to go to the Xiaya Mei Family’s clan lands and risk attempting Foundation Establishment.

Of course, in Wei Yan’s eyes, this attempt at Foundation Establishment wasn’t really a "risk."

Her Cultivation was sufficient, her foundation was not shallow, and she had the help of a Foundation Condensation Pill and the Demon Soul Foundation Establishment Technique. Her chances of success were countless times higher than those of other Independent Cultivators attempting Foundation Establishment.

As for the "Foundation Establishment Pill," which would guarantee a safe breakthrough, she might not have been able to obtain one even if she waited another twenty years.

Given the circumstances, she was better off breaking through sooner rather than waiting until she reached the Age of Double Armors.

"In the past few years, have there been any other letters from Fu Lin?" Wei Tu asked.

He was still completely in the dark about Fu Lin’s identity and had no idea which Demon Sect he was a disciple of.

"No." Wei Yan shook her head.

"If you hear anything from him, inform me immediately," Wei Tu instructed Wei Yan.

With the war underway, the situation in the Zheng Country Cultivation Realm was far more complex than before. The slightest misstep could result in utter demise.

At this moment, if they could get intelligence support from Fu Lin, establishing a foothold would become much easier for them.

"Yann’er, it’s difficult for you to practice your Cultivation here in Nanhang City where the Spiritual Qi is so thin. This is the corpse of a Seven-Colored Illusion Moth and the scroll for the Corpse Body Insect Breeding Technique. I need you to help me raise this Seven-Colored Illusion Moth as quickly as possible."

"If we succeed in raising this Seven-Colored Illusion Moth, it will be of great use to both of us."

After a moment’s thought, Wei Tu took out the Seven-Colored Illusion Moth corpse and the Jade Scroll for the "Corpse Body Insect Breeding Technique"—both of which he had obtained from the Black-Faced Man on Qingzhu Mountain—from his Storage Bag.