Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

The One Qi Pouch is a Blood and Flesh Magical Artifact that increases a Cultivator’s total Magical Power by storing it. The Ninefold Golden Lock Spell operates on a similar principle. By forming Golden Locks, it intercepts and retains a Cultivator’s Essence, thereby increasing their total Essence and reducing the difficulty of breakthroughs.

Cultivators possess the Three Treasures: Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Qi refers to Magical Power.

Cultivators from Ancient Times were also known as Qi Refiners.

Spirit refers to the Divine Soul and Divine Sense.

And the last of the three, Essence, refers to the Physical Body and to one’s vital essence. This vital essence is the quintessence of the Physical Body. A Cultivator’s Qi and Blood are also a form of Essence.

Generally speaking, Cultivators who are not Body Refining Cultivators, or those without a systematic Body Refining Inheritance, find it difficult to generate Essence from their Physical Body and utilize it.

The Ninefold Golden Lock Spell, in addition to being a Body Refining Secret Skill, also contained the secret to helping Body Refining Cultivators tap into their own Essence.

And this was the true core, the most closely guarded secret, of any Influence’s Body Refining Inheritance.

It was the barrier that held back Independent Body Refiners.

These closely guarded secrets could not be bought even with Spirit Stones; one had to rely on fortuitous opportunities.

This was also why there were many Body Refiners in the world, but the top-tier ones often came from major sects and were rarely seen among Independent Cultivators.

The reason was simple: Body Refining Treasures available in the outside world were limited.

Without the essential techniques for refining Essence, Independent Body Refiners faced a steep cost. For them to raise their Body Refining Cultivation to the Golden Core Level, they had to pay a price several times greater than that of a Body Refiner from a Sect.

Previously, the Body Refining Techniques Wei Tu had encountered, including the Tier Three Cultivation Technique, the Demon Slayer True Skill, lacked this core component. In other words, they were missing the Desolate Mountain Sect’s closely guarded secret.

Having thoroughly understood the principles, Wei Tu began to practice the Ninefold Golden Lock Spell.

...

「Four years passed in the blink of an eye.」

The situation was different from over twenty years ago. Back then, after the Battle of Righteous and Demons, the Righteous Alliance had suffered a crushing defeat, losing the entire territory of Jing Country. Now, after the two major Immortal Sects of Jing had retreated to Zheng Country, the Righteous Alliance had not only stabilized the front but had also achieved numerous victories in smaller-scale battles.

It seemed they were on the verge of turning defeat into victory.

Chaning Cliff was one such example.

No one noticed that Wei Tu’s name appeared on the roster of Cultivators for each of these victorious battles.

After all, a mere Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator couldn’t possibly play a decisive role in a battle at the Foundation Establishment Level.

During this time, Wei Tu successfully cultivated the Ninefold Golden Lock Spell and formed three Golden Locks within his meridians.

’Three Golden Locks should be enough for me to break through to the seventh layer of the Hundred Veins Blood Refining Spell,’ Wei Tu thought.

The Hundred Veins Blood Refining Spell was a Top Tier Two Body Refining Technique, divided into nine layers. A Blood Pill could be formed every three layers.

After successfully forming three Blood Pills, a Cultivator’s chances of breaking through to the Golden Core Realm would increase by ten percent.

However, Body Refining was difficult. Over ten years ago, he had relied on a box of Earth Dragon Flesh from an Underground Auction and the Qir Family’s Cold Crystal Flower to successfully break through to the sixth layer of the Hundred Veins Blood Refining Spell. He had formed his second Blood Pill, and his Body Refining Cultivation had reached Middle-Stage Tier Two.

However, since then, without any Body Refining Treasures, his Body Refining Cultivation had still been improving, but at a snail’s pace compared to before.

The Ninefold Golden Lock Spell was a Body Refining Secret Skill from the Hongri Sect. Although it couldn’t increase his Body Refining Cultivation as quickly as a Body Refining Treasure, its normal rate of improvement was still three to four times faster than Wei Tu’s previous pace.

Years of accumulation, combined with the boost from the Ninefold Golden Lock Spell, gave Wei Tu hope that he could break through the Seventh Layer Realm Barrier of the Hundred Veins Blood Refining Spell.

Just as—

Just as Wei Tu was about to enter Seclusion, a loud eagle’s cry suddenly came from the Beast Room next to his Cultivation Room.

At the same time, a powerful pressure of Demon Power radiated out from the Beast Room.

’Peak of Middle-Stage Tier Two?’ Wei Tu raised an eyebrow, greatly surprised.

He recalled that the Sky-Splitting Carving had only broken through to Middle-Stage Tier Two eight years ago.

In just eight years, the Sky-Splitting Carving had advanced from Middle-Stage Tier Two to the Peak of Middle-Stage Tier Two.

Such a speed of Realm advancement was difficult to achieve even for a Human Race Cultivator, let alone a mere Profound Tier Bloodline Demon Beast like the Sky-Splitting Carving.

’Ten Thousand Spirits Demon Infant, what on earth is this thing?’ Wei Tu’s brow furrowed as his gaze fell upon the Divine Altar in his Cultivation Room.

On the Divine Altar rested a fist-sized, cyan-colored wooden statue of an infant. The infant statue was seated cross-legged, its eyes tightly shut, its hands forming a strange seal.

And in the mouth of the wooden infant statue, there was a slender, finger-length Pill Bottle.

This was precisely the Ten Thousand Spirits Demon Infant that Wei Tu had obtained from the Xuanhou Qir Family.

After obtaining the Ten Thousand Spirits Demon Infant, Wei Tu had been wary of the side effects of the Immortal Spirit Dew that seeped from its mouth. Thus, he only used the Immortal Spirit Dew to raise his Seven-Colored Illusion Moths and the Sky-Splitting Carving.

After all, he was wealthy and saw no need to gamble like the Ancestors of the Xuanhou Qir Family, betting that the Immortal Spirit Dew had no negative side effects and wouldn’t affect his Core Formation.

Over a decade passed. Thanks to the effects of the Immortal Spirit Dew, the Seven-Colored Illusion Moths had successfully reproduced. Furthermore, some of the mature Spirit Insects showed great potential for breaking through to become Tier Two Spirit Insects.

The Sky-Splitting Carving’s Cultivation had also progressed by leaps and bounds over the years due to the miraculous benefits of the Immortal Spirit Dew. It was now just one step away from breaking through to Late-Stage Tier Two.

But—

At this moment, Wei Tu felt a hint of worry amidst his happiness. After all, the effects of the Immortal Spirit Dew were too powerful, too unreal.

If the Immortal Spirit Dew had such effects at every Realm, the Ten Thousand Spirits Sect would surely be the absolute ruler of the Great Cang Immortal Realm today, not just one of the Five Demonic Sects.