Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

A Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could casually cast a Magic Skill with power equivalent to a Tier Two Lower-Grade Talisman.

Therefore, Tier Two Lower-Grade Talismans weren’t very popular in the Foundation Establishment Realm’s market. Compared to Magic Skills, their only advantage was being instant-cast.

Hearing this, Wei Tu wasn’t too disappointed. He was now a Tier Two Middle-Grade Talisman Master, and most of the Talismans he crafted were Middle Grade.

He had no worries about selling Lower-Grade Talismans.

"Besides the Talisman trade, I have a few Magical Artifacts I happened to acquire in the Yunze Secret Realm. I wonder if the Jiuyun Commerce Association would be willing to take them."

After discussing the Talisman trade, Wei Tu changed the subject, bringing up the "stolen goods" he had on hand.

This time, he had sought out the Jiuyun Commerce Association for two reasons.

First, to attend the Underground Auction, purchase Treasures, and increase his strength.

Second, to offload the stolen goods he had acquired from "killing and stealing treasures" in the Yunze Secret Realm.

Back then, when Chai Ping had invited him to the Underground Auction, she had made it clear that some of the Treasures at the Underground Auction didn’t have clean origins.

"Magical Artifacts you happened to acquire in a Secret Realm?" Shopkeeper Fann’s eyebrows arched upon hearing his words. As a veteran, how could she not understand Wei Tu’s hidden meaning?

’As expected, Wei Tu didn’t survive the Yunze Secret Realm on luck alone,’ Shopkeeper Fann thought.

"The Jiuyun Commerce Association has special channels for handling Magical Artifacts. We can take them all, even items from the Three Immortal Sects. It’s just that... the price will inevitably be a little lower," Shopkeeper Fann said, choosing her words carefully.

She wasn’t lying.

The Magical Artifacts from within the Three Immortal Sects were different from those sold in outside Marketplaces. They had unique "markings" inside them that had to be removed by an Artifact Refiner or a Core Formation True Monarch before they could be sold.

Therefore, the purchase price for Magical Artifacts seized from the Three Immortal Sects was never too high.

"Mm... Very well." Wei Tu nodded and took out the Magical Artifacts he had seized from the two Qingzhu Mountain cultivators.

There were seven Magical Artifacts in total: five Tier Two Middle Grade, and two Tier Two Lower Grade.

As for the Magical Artifacts taken from Si Qing, Wei Tu didn’t plan to sell them. He intended to keep them for his own use.

The Magical Artifacts from Si Qing were, without exception, all High-Quality items. The Turtle Shell Shield and the Blood-Colored Sword were both Tier Two Upper-Grade Magical Artifacts of considerable power.

Besides, he was also worried that Si Qing’s Magical Artifacts might bear the "markings" of the Celestial Maiden Sect, which could bring him trouble if he sold them.

After all, killing was permitted by the various influences within the Yunze Secret Realm. Selling the Qingzhu Mountain Magical Artifacts was a traceable action, so he didn’t need to worry too much about future repercussions.

——When he left the Yunze Secret Realm, he had already publicly shown the Magical Artifacts in his Storage Bag.

A short while later, after the transaction was complete, Wei Tu had an additional 3,800 Spirit Stones in his Storage Bag.

...

Leaving the Marketplace, Wei Tu returned to the Xiaya Mei Family to wait for the Underground Auction next year.

However, the arrival of a letter threw Wei Tu’s mind into disarray.

This was the second letter he had received from Fu Lin since the warning about the Demon Dao’s invasion.

"Huyan Peng, Supreme Elder of the Jing Country Beast Taming Sect and a Nascent Soul Cultivator, has been killed in battle. The Beast Taming Sect and Cangqiong City are preparing to retreat to Zheng Country..."

"Soon, Zheng Country will become the next Jing Country..."

These few short lines of text threw Wei Tu’s mind into utter chaos, and he didn’t know what to do.

Jing Country, unlike Zheng Country, had only two Major Immortal Sects: the Beast Taming Sect and Cangqiong City.

And these two sects were slightly stronger than the Three Immortal Sects of Zheng Country.

Now, with the Beast Taming Sect and Cangqiong City defeated and soon to retreat to the neighboring Zheng Country...

Wei Tu knew very well what this meant.

Originally, Jing Country was the main battlefield for the Demon Dao invasion. But with the retreat of the Beast Taming Sect and Cangqiong City, Zheng Country would inevitably become the second main battlefield after Jing Country in the near future.

The intensity of a main battlefield would be far more brutal than the fighting Zheng Country had seen before.

’I have to leave Zheng Country before it completely turns into the main battlefield and head for other countries in the rear.’

Wei Tu made his decision.

He knew this plan would be difficult. After all, the Three Immortal Sects had already sealed all the checkpoints leading out of Zheng Country.

Now, with the news of the defeat on the Jing Country battlefield and that Zheng Country would become the second main battlefield——

The Three Immortal Sects would surely tighten their control over the checkpoints to prevent cultivators from fleeing.

"Ten Thousand Spirits Sect," Wei Tu murmured, his gaze falling on a "black ribcage" symbol on the letter.

The black ribcage was the symbol of the Ten Thousand Spirits Sect, one of the Five Demonic Sects, and it was infamous throughout the Great Cang Immortal Realm.

Fu Lin using stationery with the Ten Thousand Spirits Sect’s symbol made his meaning perfectly clear: he was telling Wei Tu that he was now a member of the Ten Thousand Spirits Sect.

’It’s difficult to escape Zheng Country through the checkpoints of the Three Immortal Sects... so, would it be possible to escape by taking a detour through territory occupied by the Demon Dao?’

Wei Tu pondered the feasibility of this plan.

After all, he possessed the Demonic Cultivation Method, Demon Slayer True Skill, so it wasn’t entirely impossible for him to disguise himself as a Demon Cultivator to leave Zheng Country.

’Let’s not be hasty.’ Wei Tu shook his head, temporarily dismissing the wild plan from his mind.

The checkpoints of the Righteous Dao were hard to pass, but that didn’t mean the Demon Dao’s rear was easy to enter. Once he was in their territory, his cries to heaven and earth would go unanswered.

’I’ll wait for Fu Lin’s next letter,’ Wei Tu thought.

Fu Lin had mentioned in the letter that he would write again within three years, or... meet with them.

...

「One year later.」

Wei Tu came out of Seclusion and, following the location on the invitation, went to attend the Underground Auction.

This time, the Underground Auction was being held not at Canglong Mountain, but near Xiaoyao Mountain.

Xiaoyao Mountain was a branch of the Yaolang Mountain Range.

Before Wei Tu reached Foundation Establishment, "Shopkeeper Shenn" of the Danqiu Mountain Hundred Treasures Pavilion had tried to trick him into coming to Xiaoyao Mountain to act as a Tribulation Cultivator and kill him for his treasures.

However, Wei Tu had seen through the plot in advance and politely declined.

Thinking of this, Wei Tu recalled "Shopkeeper Shenn’s" face and thought to himself that if he had the chance, he would settle this minor score.

Just like last time, after arriving near Xiaoyao Mountain, Wei Tu didn’t rush to enter the Underground Auction. Instead, he planned to wait until the last few days to go in.

「Two days later.」

He saw several acquaintances attending the Underground Auction.

Shuyun Alliance cultivators.

Hee Mountain Huang Family Cultivators.

Qiyue Zhao Family Cultivators.

Xuefeng Zheng Family Cultivators.

This time, they had all sent someone.

’Alchemist Shu isn’t even in disguise. Does he have some kind of backing?’ Wei Tu couldn’t help but wonder when he saw Alchemist Shu appear before him, swaggering about.

As a Tier Two Talisman Master, he was worried about people coveting his wealth and trying to rob and kill him.

But Alchemist Shu, a distinguished Tier Two Alchemist, had a far greater Wealth than him, yet he clearly wasn’t worried about this at all.

’I’ll have to be careful of him from now on.’ Wei Tu instantly became more wary of Alchemist Shu.

Another half a day passed. Wei Tu waited for Kou Hongying, and after communicating with her using his Guardian Map Divine Sense, he entered the Underground Auction one day after she did.