Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

Cultivating Spirit Insects was a time-consuming and laborious endeavor.

He was currently pressed for time and could hardly afford to engage in such "side projects." Fortunately, Wei Yan had just reached Foundation Establishment and was at home with time on her hands, making her the perfect person to handle these tasks.

Besides, the cultivated Seven-Colored Illusion Moths could serve as a valuable combat tool for Wei Yan in the future.

It was a win-win situation.

"Yes, Father." Wei Yan nodded and agreed without much hesitation.

’On the path of cultivation, having a trusted confidant or two not only eases the loneliness but also provides mutual support...’ Wei Tu thought to himself as he watched the scene unfold.

A cultivator’s time was limited.

If not for his daughter, Wei Yan, who had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, he would have had to postpone cultivating the Seven-Colored Illusion Moths indefinitely.

Who knew when he would have finally been able to cultivate this powerful tool for reconnaissance.

...

After discussing business with Wei Yan,

Wei Tu went to the study in the Wei Mansion. He began writing a letter to a fellow sect member of Kou Hongying’s—the "Junior Sister Gongg" he had met at Kou Hongying’s Foundation Establishment celebration.

Years had passed, and the "Junior Sister Gongg" from back then had also advanced from the Qi Cultivation Realm to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

When he had parted ways with Kou Hongying,

Wei Tu had asked if she had anyone she trusted within her sect. Kou Hongying had recommended "Junior Sister Gongg"—Gongg Suzhen.

He was writing to Gongg Suzhen this time with two objectives.

First, he wanted to use Gongg Suzhen as a channel to exchange the two Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects he possessed for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Second, he hoped to use her as an intermediary to find a Jingshui Pavilion cultivator from whom he could purchase elixirs to increase his Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment Magical Power, paying with Spirit Stones.

The Foundation Establishment Pill from the first exchange was for his only son, Wei Xiuwen, to use for his breakthrough.

The latter was for his own cultivation needs.

Originally, before the trip to the secret realm, he and Master Qin had already established a mutually beneficial channel for exchanging elixirs.

However,

not long after their return from the secret realm, Master Qin had entered a life-or-death seclusion to attempt a breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm.

This channel of his was thus severed.

As for Kou Hongying, she was stationed at the Hongyan Mountain Marketplace and couldn’t handle this crucial task for him.

Therefore, he could only pin his hopes of acquiring the elixirs on Gongg Suzhen.

’I hope Hongying didn’t misjudge her, and that Gongg Suzhen is reliable.’ After sending the letter via the post station at the Bai Shihu Marketplace, Wei Tu gazed in the direction of Jingshui Pavilion and mused.

Two Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects were no small sum. If Gongg Suzhen decided to embezzle them, there was truly little he could do.

Still, Wei Tu reasoned that Gongg Suzhen was unlikely to be so short-sighted. After all, his relationship with Master Qin and his disciple was fairly close. If she were to embezzle the Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects, she would find it hard to maintain any future dealings with them.

Her reputation within the sect would be ruined as well.

As for going directly to the marketplace for the exchange?

He wasn’t a fool.

A Foundation Establishment Pill was essentially the equivalent of a future Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator like him were to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill, Jingshui Pavilion would undoubtedly turn its suspicions toward his children, Wei Yan and her brother.

At that point, all the efforts Wei Yan had made to conceal her cultivation and avoid the Immortal Sect’s conscription would be for naught.

Therefore,

this Foundation Establishment Pill,

he could only acquire through private channels.

...

「Several days later.」

Gongg Suzhen, wearing a wide-brimmed conical hat, arrived at the Wei Mansion and knocked on the main gate.

"It’s been over sixty years. Your bearing is as impressive as ever, Talisman Master Wei. I’m truly envious." After entering the main hall and taking a seat, Gongg Suzhen glanced at Wei Tu, who was seated in the host’s chair, and sighed with emotion.

Back at the Foundation Establishment celebration, when she had seen Wei Tu, Weii Fei, and Fu Zhizhou, she hadn’t looked down on them, but she also never imagined that these three older men who had helped Kou Hongying could ever reach the Foundation Establishment Realm themselves.

Yet, unexpectedly,

over sixty years had passed.

Of the three men, only Weii Fei had yet to achieve Foundation Establishment; the other two had both succeeded.

Reaching Foundation Establishment himself was one thing.

But now, Wei Tu even had the resources to spare to provide his own child with a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Wei Tu perceived her thoughts and shook his head with a smile. "During the trip to the secret realm, I barely escaped with my life. It was only through great peril that I managed to obtain these two Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects for my son’s breakthrough. My gains are nothing compared to what Fellow Daoist Qin achieved."

Hearing this,

Gongg Suzhen secretly nodded.

Under normal circumstances, even though a Tier Two Talisman Master like Wei Tu had an abundance of Spirit Stones, that wealth was typically just enough for his own needs. Raising a descendant to the Foundation Establishment Realm was an incredibly difficult task.

However, for someone who had gone to the Yunze Secret Realm and returned alive, such a reward was perfectly normal—one might even call it meager.

After all, Master Qin had obtained a complete Core Formation Opportunity from that venture and would likely achieve Core Formation any day now.

Compared to Master Qin, Wei Tu’s gains were indeed not worth mentioning.

"I can help you acquire the Foundation Establishment Pill, Fellow Daoist Wei, but it will cost an additional three hundred Spirit Stones."

Gongg Suzhen got down to business.

"Three hundred Spirit Stones?" Wei Tu’s brows twitched upon hearing the price, and he waited for her explanation.

While three hundred Spirit Stones wasn’t an enormous sum for him, it was no small amount for a typical Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Merely acting as his proxy shouldn’t cost that much.

"Times are different now. Before the Battle of Righteous and Demons, Jingshui Pavilion’s control over the exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills was strict, but there were still loopholes..."

"But things have changed. With the war underway, Realm-Breaking Elixirs like the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Immortal Transformation Pill have become strategic resources for every sect."

"To make the exchange happen, many connections must be utilized. Out of that fee, I’ll only make one hundred Spirit Stones at most. The other two hundred are for the stewards of the various sects."

At this point, Gongg Suzhen added, "This also applies to the Ice Crystal Pills and Golden Yuan Pills you want, Fellow Daoist Wei. The current market price for those is also considerably higher than before."