Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

Times had changed.

Wei Tu was now a "trusted confidant" of the Loose Immortal Alliance's True Monarch Che.

Even without the protection of the Beast Taming Sect, the Loose Immortal Alliance would do its utmost to reduce Wei Tu's risk of dying in these final three years.

...

Time flew by in a flash.

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

The ten-year term of Wei Tu's assignment to defend Chaning Cliff was finally over.

During these last three years, because Wei Tu had pledged allegiance to "True Monarch Che," he received special treatment at "Chaning Cliff." The missions he undertook were far less dangerous than in previous years.

Thus, Wei Tu made it through the final three years without any major incidents, surviving until the ten-year term of the Recruitment Order expired.

"But compared to me, the other defending cultivators... had it much worse." After packing his belongings, Wei Tu stood on Chaning Cliff, gazing at the many caves dotting the cliff face, and let out a sigh.

The strong grew stronger, while the weak remained weak.

Over the past ten years, almost none of the Foundation Establishment Powerhouses, like Xi Ying and Zuo Kui, had fallen.

During that time, although Xi Ying and the others had encountered life-threatening dangers, they had overcome each one with their formidable strength.

Among these Foundation Establishment Powerhouses was, naturally, Wei Tu, a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who had slain a Fake Pill True Monarch.

Without strength, Wei Tu would have perished despite having a patron.

After all, "good luck" alone couldn't keep you alive.

A weakling might be lucky a hundred or a thousand times, but if they encountered a single misfortune that wasn't a "death tribulation," that misfortune would become one for them.

The death of Chu Huan, for example, was a case in point.

During Wei Tu's ten-year assignment at Chaning Cliff, almost none of the Foundation Establishment Powerhouses like Xi Ying had died, but four or five of the other "Foundation Establishment Weaklings" had already fallen.

Even more Qi Cultivators below the Foundation Establishment Realm had died.

Their bodies practically littered the ground.

The high mortality rate of the Foundation Establishment Realm was propped up by these Foundation Establishment Weaklings like Chu Huan.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Wei, on completing your service. You can finally return to your homeland." Li Daoyuan and his wife walked over from their cave mansion. A trace of envy was visible in their eyes as they bowed with clasped hands to congratulate Wei Tu.

Unlike Wei Tu, an Independent Cultivator from Zheng Country who had a home to return to, the couple, as Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivators from Jing Country, had lost their homeland. They were now homeless and forced to "reside" at Chaning Cliff, fighting against Demonic Cultivators.

The Three Immortal Sects permitted cultivators from the Beast Taming Sect and Cangqiong City to enter the Zheng Country Mainland, but they strictly forbade Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivators from Jing Country from doing so. Violators would be killed on sight.

Qi Cultivation Independent Cultivators, while numerous, were weak and posed a limited threat. The local powers of Zheng Country could easily deal with those coming from Jing Country.

Cultivators at the Golden Core Realm and above were rare, and the Three Immortal Sects of Zheng Country lacked the power to stop them. Thus, it was better not to restrict this group, as managing their flow was more effective than trying to block it entirely.

That left only the mid-tier Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivators, who were the most difficult group to manage.

They were numerous and dangerous, but still within a controllable level.

Currently, if Li Daoyuan and his wife wanted to enter the Zheng Country Mainland and live a peaceful life, they only had two options.

One: amass a great deal of merit in battle and exchange it for a permit to enter the Zheng Country Mainland.

Two: wait for the Loose Immortal Alliance's influence to grow significantly, for a Golden Core True Monarch to successfully advance to the Nascent Soul Realm and become an existence on par with the two major immortal sects of Jing Country, who could then lead them away from Chaning Cliff.

The first option was nearly impossible.

Therefore, Li Daoyuan and his wife could only pin their hopes on the Loose Immortal Alliance.

This was also one of the reasons why Li Daoyuan held the Loose Immortal Alliance in such high esteem.

"Fellow Daoist Li, Fellow Daoist Geng, take care. I will take my leave." Wei Tu bowed slightly in return.

With that, Wei Tu flicked his wide sleeves and transformed into a yellow streak of escape light, shooting straight into the clouds. A moment later, he vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, on the face of Chaning Cliff, Li Daoyuan and his wife stared unblinkingly at the disappearing escape light.

Only after a long while did they let out a soft sigh.

As for Guan Zhenying and Shen Changfeng, the two men Wei Tu had saved upon his arrival, they were not there to see him off because they had completed their own assignments several years prior and returned to the Supreme Profound Sect.

...

After leaving Chaning Cliff, Wei Tu was a free man again.

However, he didn't rush back to the Xiaya Mei Family to reunite with his sister, Wei Yan. Instead, he changed the direction of his escape light and headed for the Loose Immortal Alliance's headquarters in Zheng Country—the Red River Mountain Marketplace.

He had something more important to do: report to "True Monarch Che" and officially join the "Loose Immortal Alliance."

The Red River Mountain Marketplace was located near the front lines of the battlefield.

Therefore, it only took Wei Tu four days to travel from Chaning Cliff to the Red River Mountain Marketplace.

The moment he entered the Red River Mountain Marketplace, Wei Tu was stunned by its prosperity.

The Danqiu Mountain Marketplace and Bai Shihu Marketplace were not small by any means, but they paled in comparison to the Red River Mountain Marketplace.

The Red River Mountain Marketplace was nearly ten times the size of the Danqiu Mountain Marketplace and seven times the size of the Red Stone Lake Marketplace.

Unlike other marketplaces that preferred to plant Spirit Valley and Spirit Grass on their outskirts, Red River Mountain had almost no Spirit Fields from its base to its peak. Instead, layer upon layer of buildings were constructed along the mountainside.

Extending down from the foot of the mountain were more massive clusters of buildings.

The streets bustled with cultivators of every realm, while other cultivators and Spiritual Birds occasionally streaked across the sky.

'The Red River Mountain Marketplace is practically the only sanctuary for Independent Cultivators from both Jing and Zheng Country in these chaotic times,' Wei Tu thought.

Decades ago, Wei Tu had passed through the Red River Mountain Marketplace on his way to the Yaolang Mountain Range.