Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

"Father, these are the Seven-Colored Illusion Moths." Wei Yan opened her Cave Mansion and led Wei Tu into the "Insect Room."

Inside the Insect Room, several thumb-sized moths flew about. Strangely, the moment they became still, they seemed to vanish completely, leaving no trace.

"They’re a little lacking compared to that other Seven-Colored Illusion Moth, but with more time spent cultivating them, it shouldn’t be difficult for them to match it." Wei Tu’s Guardian Map Divine Sense swept across the wall where the Seven-Colored Illusion Moths were resting. After searching for a moment, he barely managed to spot the outlines of a few of the moths.

Clearly, the abilities of these Seven-Colored Illusion Moths were still somewhat inferior to the one held by the dark-faced man from Qingzhu Mountain.

"I’ll take these few Seven-Colored Illusion Moths. The rest are for you, to use as a tool at your disposal." Wei Tu counted the number of Seven-Colored Illusion Moths in the Insect Room, took half, and gave the remaining ones to Wei Yan.

"Thank you, Father." Upon hearing this, Wei Yan’s face lit up with joy.

After all, cultivating these Seven-Colored Illusion Moths had not only cost her several years of Hard Work, but also a considerable amount of Spirit Stones.

"Take this bottle of ’Snow Spirit Water’ as well." After a moment of thought, Wei Tu took a Pill Bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Wei Yan.

The "Snow Spirit Water" in the Pill Bottle was, in reality, a Spirit Liquid he had obtained by diluting "Immortal Spirit Dew."

However, to be safe, he didn’t call it "Immortal Spirit Dew," but instead named it "Snow Spirit Water."

According to ancient texts, Snow Spirit Water was also a type of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures used for nurturing Spirit Beasts.

Wei Tu actually trusted his daughter, Wei Yan. It was just that the "Immortal Spirit Dew" and the "Ten Thousand Spirits Demon Infant" were too important—they were Treasures that even a Golden Core True Monarch would covet.

Golden Core True Monarchs possessed the "Soul-Searching and Soul-Seizing" Secret Skill, a threat one had to guard against.

"I obtained this Snow Spirit Water in the Yunze Secret Realm after killing a Disciple of an Immortal Sect. Other than you and I, you must not mention this to anyone else, lest you invite disaster," Wei Tu instructed Wei Yan.

"That includes Xiuwen!"

Wei Tu added after a moment of thought.

There was a huge difference between a son with a family of his own and a daughter without one.

A few years ago, after Wei Xiuwen reached Foundation Establishment, he had chosen to remain with the Mei Family to protect them. Although Wei Tu didn’t mind this, it revealed one thing: in Wei Xiuwen’s heart, his wife, Mei Zhen, held a high position and could influence his decisions.

That was why, at this moment, Wei Tu was warning Wei Yan not to reveal anything about the "Snow Spirit Water" to Wei Xiuwen.

Of course, this didn’t mean... he thought Wei Xiuwen was untrustworthy or unfilial.

It was just that family matters were a messy affair.

On one side was his own father, and on the other, a devoted wife who had stood by him through thick and thin. Anyone would be at a loss when forced to choose.

Similarly, this incident also had a significant impact on Wei Tu’s own mindset and inclinations. From now on, if he were to look after his children, Wei Yan would be his first priority, and Wei Xiuwen would be second.

"Yes, Father!" Wei Yan nodded heavily at his words. "I will be careful. I won’t tell Xiuwen about this."

She also understood what Wei Xiuwen’s choice from several years ago meant. It had inevitably created a "distance" between him, her, and Wei Tu.

The Wei Xiuwen of today, while still her younger brother and Wei Tu’s son, also had another identity: Mei Zhen’s husband and a Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Xiaya Mei Family.

...

After taking the Seven-Colored Illusion Moths, Wei Tu returned to his Cave Mansion. He set up an Insect Room to raise them.

There were seventeen Seven-Colored Illusion Moths in total. Wei Tu fed each of them some diluted Immortal Spirit Dew.

Then, Wei Tu left the Insect Room and summoned the Sky-Splitting Carving.

"Drink this drop of Spirit Water," Wei Tu commanded.

Unlike the Seven-Colored Illusion Moths, the Sky-Splitting Carving was a Tier Two Demon Beast, so the Immortal Spirit Dew Wei Tu gave it was completely undiluted.

Wei Tu had no qualms about giving the Immortal Spirit Dew to the Sky-Splitting Carving.

After all, the Sky-Splitting Carving only had a Profound Tier Bloodline. The possibility of it advancing to Tier Three and becoming a Golden Core Great Demon was minuscule.

Having it consume the "Immortal Spirit Dew" to increase its strength now was the perfect course of action.

When the Sky-Splitting Carving heard Wei Tu’s command, a trace of fear appeared in its eyes. The memory of Wei Tu making it swallow the "Pitch-Black Finger Bone" was still fresh in its mind.

However, as it drew near the drop of "Immortal Spirit Dew," its expression instantly changed from fear to pleasant surprise.

It was as if the "Immortal Spirit Dew" before it was a Miracle Elixir.

The Sky-Splitting Carving hastily swallowed the "Immortal Spirit Dew" and began circulating its Demon Power to start the Refinement.

Half a day later, the Sky-Splitting Carving’s Demon Qi had surged, and its Cultivation advanced from Early-Stage Tier Two to "Minor Success."

One must remember that only a little over a decade had passed since the Sky-Splitting Carving had broken through to become a Tier Two Demon Beast.

And unless they possessed a special bloodline, the advancement of Demon Beasts was generally slower than that of Human Race Cultivators.

A single drop of Immortal Spirit Dew had achieved such an effect. This couldn’t help but make Wei Tu feel eager to try it himself, thinking he could quickly break through to the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Realm.

After all, everyone knew how incredibly rare a Tier-Breaking Elixir for reaching Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment was. And now, in these chaotic times, the price of all Elixirs for the Foundation Establishment Realm had skyrocketed...

Besides, his concerns about the drawbacks of the Immortal Spirit Dew were only speculation; he had no proof.

’No! I can’t consume this Immortal Spirit Dew!’ Wei Tu bit the tip of his tongue, using the sharp pain to force himself to calm down.

Then, as he looked at the Immortal Spirit Dew before him, a trace of fear appeared in the depths of his eyes.

’With my disposition, I shouldn’t have been tempted just now into thinking about consuming this "Immortal Spirit Dew" that likely has drawbacks.’

The only explanation was that the fragrance of the Immortal Spirit Dew, just as it had tempted the Sky-Splitting Carving, had also just tempted him.

After all, humans were also animals and possessed beast-like instincts.

"SCREECH! SCREECH!" At that moment, the Sky-Splitting Carving flapped its wings and cried out, clamoring to consume more of the "Spirit Liquid" from before.

Seeing this, Wei Tu didn’t hesitate. He took out the Pill Bottle and, with a flick of his finger, sent two drops of "Immortal Spirit Dew" toward the Sky-Splitting Carving.

’The Immortal Spirit Dew might have hidden consequences, but right now, it is undeniably a powerful tool for increasing my combat strength. To abandon it would be needlessly worrying.’

After the Sky-Splitting Carving swallowed these "two drops" of Immortal Spirit Dew, its aura surged again, advancing from "Minor Success" at Early-Stage Tier Two to the verge of "Great Success."

"After you’ve completely refined its effects, I’ll feed you more," Wei Tu said after checking the Sky-Splitting Carving’s condition with his Guardian Map Divine Sense.

’In the Sky-Splitting Carving’s current state, taking another one or two drops wouldn’t be a problem, but it’s important to do things step-by-step. Consuming too much Immortal Spirit Dew would affect its foundation. At that point, the Sky-Splitting Carving would have ample Magical Power but would struggle to cross the Realm boundary and reach Middle-Stage Tier Two.’

...

「In the following days.」

Wei Tu spent his time on his own Cultivation while also raising the Sky-Splitting Carving and the Seven-Colored Illusion Moths.

During this time, Wei Tu heard that the Xiaya Mei Family possessed the refining method for a Tier Two Magical Artifact called "Shadow Silk."

So, he gave the Lifebound Spider Silk he had obtained from the "Flying Fox Demon Spider" to the Mei Family’s only remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivator, "Meilang," and asked him to forge the Magical Artifact for him.

—The Tier Two Magical Artifact "Shadow Silk" didn’t have a grade. It was simply a type of Hidden Weapon used by Cultivators to assassinate enemies without them ever knowing.

Therefore, the difficulty of crafting "Shadow Silk" was slightly lower than that of a Tier Two Lower-Grade Spiritual Artifact.

The Xiaya Mei Family was an Artifact Refining Family.

Although Meilang, the Mei Family’s sole remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivator, was not as skilled in the Artifact Dao as the other Foundation Establishment Ancestor from the Mei Family who had died in battle, he was still a Tier Two Lower-Grade Artifact Refiner.

Therefore, Wei Tu was not worried that Meilang would fail in refining the "Shadow Silk."

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Nourished by the "Immortal Spirit Dew," the Sky-Splitting Carving’s Cultivation soared.

In a short period, it had reached the point where it was about to break through to become a Middle-Stage Tier Two Demon Beast.

And it was at this very moment that Kou Hongying, whom Wei Tu had not seen for a long time, finally sent him a letter.

The letter, besides letting him know she was safe, also informed Wei Tu of another matter: the long-awaited news about Master Qin’s Core Formation.

After more than a decade, Master Qin had finally emerged from his seclusion, broken through to the Golden Core Realm, and become a Golden Core True Monarch.