Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

"Uncle Wei, that person just now... was that Princess Qingluo?" Weii Xian'er walked over from the side. She gazed in the direction Zhao Qingluo had left, covering her mouth with her hand as she exclaimed in surprise.

She didn't have a very clear sense of Wei Tu's status.

But as a descendant of a Zhao Family Cultivator, she couldn't be more aware of Zhao Qingluo's standing.

Zhao Qingluo not only had a noble birth as the legitimate daughter of Clan Leader Zhao Tinghai, but she also possessed outstanding talent. She was the Celestial Pride of this generation of the Zhao Family, a true "Golden Core Seed."

In the Qiyue Zhao Family, even her father, Weii Fei, a dignified Foundation Establishment Master, would find it difficult to get a meeting with Zhao Qingluo. To say nothing of herself.

In all her years with the Zhao Family, she had only ever caught a distant glimpse of Zhao Qingluo from within a crowd.

But now, her "Uncle Wei" actually had such a close relationship with Zhao Qingluo. For a moment, Weii Xian'er found it hard to believe.

'Mother was right. The relationship between Uncle Wei and Princess Qingluo really is unusual.'

A young girl's heart is easily stirred. As a young girl herself and a clear-eyed bystander, Weii Xian'er could see the affection Zhao Qingluo held for Wei Tu just now.

"We're just old friends," Wei Tu said casually, glancing at Weii Xian'er.

Weii Xian'er held Princess Qingluo in awe. Hearing Wei Tu's explanation, she didn't dare ask any more questions. She just nodded her head like a chick pecking at rice and dropped the subject.

...

「Two days later.」

Wei Tu departed from Qiyue Mountain and set out on the road to Chaning Cliff.

"Qingluo, aren't you going to see him off?" Amidst the clouds and mist, Zhao Tinghai and Zhao Qingluo stood side by side. Zhao Tinghai glanced at his daughter and asked softly.

As someone with experience, he could see Zhao Qingluo's feelings for Wei Tu.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have considered using Zhao Qingluo's marriage to win Wei Tu over to the Qiyue Zhao Family before the Yunze Secret Realm opened.

He would not trifle with his daughter's happiness.

Besides, even if he wanted to, he didn't have the authority to do so. Once Zhao Qingluo's cultivation reached her current stage, even he, as both Clan Leader and father, could hardly make unilateral decisions for her.

"There's no need." Zhao Qingluo retracted her gaze from Wei Tu and shook her head.

"I helped him this time because he has saved me several times, and a debt of gratitude must be repaid. Besides, I am also about to attempt Core Formation."

"Repaying this kindness severs this strand of karma. It will be beneficial for my state of mind as well."

Zhao Qingluo said slowly.

However, upon hearing this, Zhao Tinghai, who was standing beside her, didn't just let the matter drop.

He chose his words carefully. "Qingluo, Father has seen how you've changed over the years. And I can roughly guess the reason for that change."

"After being tempered by the world, your temperament has become a little gentler, but in reality, you're just as strong-willed as before. You haven't changed one bit in that regard."

As the Clan Leader of a Golden Core Family, Zhao Tinghai could see Zhao Qingluo's "character flaw" at a glance.

"Being strong-willed is a good thing for cultivation, which is why Father has never interfered with you. Although you were arrogant, you still abided by the rules in your conduct and wouldn't bring great disaster upon the family."

"As for offending some Independent Cultivators or low-level Cultivators, it wasn't a big deal."

"But being strong-willed is not a good thing in a relationship between a man and a woman."

"As a Talisman Master who distinguished himself from the ranks of Independent Cultivators, Wei Tu has a calm temperament, not arrogant like you. But deep down, people like him are just as strong-willed as you are."

"An Independent Cultivator who isn't strong-willed could never have made it this far."

Zhao Tinghai stopped there, believing in saying just enough.

As Clan Leader, he hoped Zhao Qingluo would have no romantic entanglements and could devote herself to the family's interests.

But as Zhao Qingluo's biological father, he didn't want her to be "alone and helpless" for the rest of her life, guarding Qiyue Mountain by herself.

His meaning was already quite blunt.

In terms of personality, Wei Tu and Zhao Qingluo might seem very different, but in truth, they were the same kind of person at their core. And since they were the same kind, they were destined to be as incompatible as fire and water.

The implication was—

if Zhao Qingluo and Wei Tu wanted to be together, one of them had to change their personality and become less "strong-willed."

After all, it's said that for a woman to pursue a man is like piercing a thin veil.

After hearing Zhao Tinghai's words, a small smile appeared on Zhao Qingluo's face. "Father, since you group Wei Tu and me as the same kind of person, then you must also understand the devotion people like him have for the Immortal Dao."

As her voice fell, Zhao Tinghai was left speechless.

He certainly understood that for Independent Cultivators like Wei Tu, whose dao hearts were resolute, romantic love was nothing more than a fleeting visitor.

They would cherish it, but never indulge in it.

Now, Zhao Qingluo was using his own argument to question him, undoubtedly making her own point clear.

—that she and Wei Tu were the same kind of person.

"It seems Father won't have to worry about you during your seclusion for Core Formation this time." Zhao Tinghai paused, then stroked his beard and smiled.

A moment ago, when he urged Zhao Qingluo to see Wei Tu off, his intention wasn't just to indulge his daughter's feelings. His greater purpose was to help her resolve the knot in her heart, so she could face the perilous pass of Core Formation.

The Divine Sense Barrier of the Core Formation Realm.

It was far easier to encounter a Heart Demon there than in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

...

Wei Tu knew nothing of the discussion between Zhao Tinghai and his daughter.

After leaving the Qiyue Zhao Family, Wei Tu didn't linger on his journey. Instead, he headed directly for Chaning Cliff, the place he was assigned to defend.

Chaning Cliff was on the front lines of the Righteous Demon Battlefield.

Therefore, with over a hundred li left to go, Wei Tu stopped riding his Huang Yanzhou. He put on a disguise and flew at a low altitude, proceeding cautiously toward Chaning Cliff.

On the way, just as Wei Tu expected, he encountered several skirmishes between Righteous and Demon Cultivators.

However, to avoid trouble, Wei Tu did not aid these Righteous Cultivators. He hid nearby and waited for their battle to end before reemerging to continue on his way.

They were neither friends nor family. Wei Tu wasn't about to put himself in danger for the sake of these strange Cultivators.

Wei Tu understood that in chaotic times, kind-hearted and chivalrous Cultivators often didn't live long.

These Demonic Cultivators might look unremarkable, but who knew if there was a "Second Generation Demon" among them, related to some expert from the Demon Dao.

Killing a Second Generation Demon would be a great merit for a disciple of an Immortal Sect, but for an Independent Cultivator, not necessarily so.

Therefore, as he headed to Chaning Cliff, Wei Tu made up his mind to keep a low profile. He would avoid any fight he could and simply get through his ten-year conscription period safely.

The rest of the journey was uneventful, until Wei Tu was about ten li from Chaning Cliff and the fluctuations of Magical Combat reached him.

Wei Tu sent out his Sky-Splitting Carving to investigate.

In a valley four li away, five Demonic Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Realm were besieging a woman in a colorful dress and a man in a Daoist robe.

Wei Tu had met this woman in the colorful dress twice before. She was the Female Cultivator Guan from the Supreme Profound Sect.

The first time they met, this Female Cultivator Guan had helped him go to the Supreme Profound Sect to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills. And as a favor to Kou Hongying, she had let him rent a Tier Two Cave Mansion on Danqiu Mountain for free to achieve his Foundation Establishment.

The second time was in the Dragon Bone Forest of the Yunze Secret Realm, where the Female Cultivator Guan was in a standoff with two disciples from Qingzhu Mountain.

'What a coincidence,' Wei Tu thought to himself, the idea of helping her forming in his mind.

Unlike the other Cultivators, the Female Cultivator Guan was an old friend of sorts, one who had shown him kindness in the past.

Secondly, this place was quite close to Chaning Cliff, which meant there was a high probability that the Female Cultivator Guan shared his status as one of Chaning Cliff's Defending Cultivators.

Lending a hand and saving the Female Cultivator Guan's life would be of great benefit to him.

—The intelligence Zhao Qingluo had given him about Chaning Cliff was two years old, not the most up-to-date information.

As a result, Wei Tu didn't know who the current Defending Cultivators at Chaning Cliff were.

The final point was, based on his judgment, his overt strength, combined with the power of his Sky-Splitting Carving, was enough to turn the tide of the current battle and decide the outcome.

To say nothing of his hidden strength.

"A Barrier Array has already been set up here. With Elder Xi's Guardian Map Divine Sense, it's impossible for him to sense what's happening from Chaning Cliff..."

"Guan Zhenying, Shen Changfeng, stop wasting your energy. Surrender now. It'll be better for all of us."

"Once you join the Demon Sect, you two might even have the creation to attain Golden Core Pills!"

The lead Demon Cultivator, dressed in a blood robe and possessing Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, let out a few sinister cackles. He then tried to both intimidate and entice them.

Hearing this, Shen Changfeng was slightly swayed.

But just then, Guan Zhenying, who was beside him, spat and snarled, "In your dreams! We know the tricks of the Demon Dao. Any Cultivator who surrenders to you is refined into Spiritual Materials once they're no longer useful."

"We'd rather die fighting than end up like that."

As soon as she said this, Shen Changfeng's resolve hardened once more. He continued to channel energy into a Sun Wheel Magical Artifact in his hand, holding the Demon Cultivators before him at a stalemate.

However, even though Guan Zhenying and Shen Changfeng were determined to fight to the death, they were still losing ground and suffering heavy injuries against the assault of five Demon Cultivators.

"Fairy Guan, you're different from those useless trash who join our Demon Sect. You're young, beautiful, and have a curvaceous figure. If you're willing to surrender and become my concubine, and serve me well, we can consider sparing your life."

The Demon Cultivator from the Blood God Sect tried to entice her again.

He had seen Shen Changfeng waver, so now he just needed to deal with Guan Zhenying for this guerrilla attack to be a complete success.

And for most female cultivators, sacrificing their beauty was not an unacceptable proposition.

However, at that very moment, several streaks of sword light suddenly shot out from outside the valley, flying toward the man in the blood robe and his cohorts.

At the same time, a loud shout echoed, "Fairy Guan, I sent a Talisman to Elder Xi for help a quarter of an hour ago! It won't be long before Elder Xi arrives!"

Hearing this, the faces of the five Demon Cultivators besieging Guan Zhenying immediately changed.

If reinforcements arrived from Chaning Cliff, not only would they fail to kill Guan Zhenying and her companion, but they would also risk being surrounded and attacked by Righteous Cultivators.

However, these Demon Cultivators were not so frightened by Wei Tu's words that they panicked and fled immediately.