Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

Compared to decades ago, the Pitch-Black Finger Bone was now slightly larger, and a black membrane had formed over its surface.

The black membrane clung tightly to the Pitch-Black Finger Bone, making it resemble the grim, desiccated finger of a corpse that had been dead for many years.

"SKREEE! SKREEE!" Just then, the Sky-Splitting Carving, which Wei Tu had anesthetized, let out a few cries, completely unaware that a part of it was now missing.

He stared at the Pitch-Black Finger Bone for a few moments.

An idea struck Wei Tu. Mimicking what he had done in the Secret Realm, he injected several streams of Magical Power into the Pitch-Black Finger Bone.

Just as in the Secret Realm.

Once replenished with Magical Power, the Pitch-Black Finger Bone gained Spirituality. A bloody light glimmered from the bone as it levitated in the air and began to write line after line of blood-red words on the ground.

However, unlike the first time, the number of blood-red words the Pitch-Black Finger Bone wrote this time exceeded a thousand—several times more than before.

'The first three levels of the Profound Nether Yin Fire Cultivation Technique?' Wei Tu swept his Divine Sense over the blood-red words and recognized the content the Pitch-Black Finger Bone had written.

Back in the Secret Realm, the several hundred blood-red words the Pitch-Black Finger Bone had produced only constituted the Heart Method for the first level of the Demonic Divine Technique, Profound Nether Yin Fire.

It was not the complete Cultivation Technique.

'It seems that to get this Demonic Bone Scroll, the Pitch-Black Finger Bone, to write out the complete Cultivation Technique, I'll have to use a Blood Sacrifice to fully restore it.' After recording the blood-red words onto a Jade Scroll, Wei Tu carefully examined the Pitch-Black Finger Bone, thinking to himself.

Things were different now.

His perspective was far broader than it had been over thirty years ago when he first entered the Yunze Secret Realm.

Back then, he had made the Sky-Splitting Carving swallow the Pitch-Black Finger Bone as a precaution against the unexpected.

To his surprise, the Pitch-Black Finger Bone had latched on like a parasite inside the Sky-Splitting Carving.

But in truth, this wasn't a case of parasitism. Rather, by a twist of fate, the Sky-Splitting Carving had become a natural sacrifice for the Pitch-Black Finger Bone.

However, because it wasn't forcibly offered up via the Blood Sacrifice Technique, the drain on the creature's Primordial Qi was minor and didn't damage its core lifeforce.

'Should I cultivate this Profound Nether Yin Fire? After all, unlike the Demon Slayer True Skill, it isn't an absolute necessity for me.' Wei Tu felt conflicted.

The Demon Slayer True Skill was a Body Refining Technique. By cultivating it, he could pose as a Demon Cultivator, giving himself another escape route in these chaotic times.

The Profound Nether Yin Fire, however, was different. It was merely a powerful Demonic Divine Technique. While it would grant him another means of survival, it wouldn't significantly change his current circumstances.

And yet—

The potential of the Profound Nether Yin Fire was simply too high.

It could be a peak Tier Three Divine Technique, or even a Tier Four one—a technique on the Nascent Soul Level.

The allure of a Nascent Soul Divine Technique to any cultivator was easy to imagine.

'At the Foundation Establishment Realm, I already have enough techniques to ensure my survival. I don't need to add Profound Nether Yin Fire. Even if I were to master this Demonic Divine Technique, the increase in my power would be limited. On the contrary, it would just take up precious cultivation time.'

After a moment of consideration, Wei Tu calmed down. He shook his head, suppressing the impulse to cultivate the Profound Nether Yin Fire while still in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

A cultivator's time was finite.

Even with his Late Bloomer Destiny Chart, which made cultivating techniques and Divine Techniques far easier for him than for other cultivators, he couldn't be in two places at once. It would be nearly impossible to learn something like Profound Nether Yin Fire without it negatively impacting his own cultivation progress.

The Primordial Forbidden.

The Hundred Veins Blood Refining Spell.

The Demon Slayer True Skill.

These three techniques already consumed a great deal of his energy. It would be difficult to take on an even higher-level Demonic Divine Technique on top of them.

Decades ago.

He had once purchased a Tier One Pill Cauldron at the Hee Mountain Huang Family's Golden Moon Cliff Exchange, intending to practice Alchemy Skill in addition to his Talisman Skill and achieve the Dual Cultivation of Pill Talisman.

And yet, many years had passed.

Yet he had fired up his cauldron for alchemy fewer than a hundred times. His proficiency in the Alchemy Dao was roughly equivalent to that of a Tier One Middle-Grade Alchemist—a very limited level of skill.

This wasn't because he was lazy, un-diligent, or had planned poorly. The simple truth was that one's energy is finite. The time he had set aside to practice his Alchemy Skill was often usurped by other, more important matters.

...

「Nearly half a year later.」

On this day, a Talisman arrived from Gao Chen, telling Wei Tu to come to his Cave Mansion at once and not to delay.

'True Monarch Che must be out of seclusion.' The thought had barely formed when Wei Tu's body flickered, vanishing from Yunyan Residence in an instant.

「A short while later.」

Wei Tu arrived at Gao Chen's Cave Mansion.

However, Gao Chen was not the only cultivator in the Cave Mansion. With him was a dwarf with rosy lips, white teeth, and green eyebrows.

The dwarf was dressed in the black robes of a Daoist.

'Late-Stage Foundation Establishment?' Wei Tu sensed the green-eyebrowed dwarf's cultivation and was inwardly shocked.

The cultivation level alone wouldn't have been enough to faze Wei Tu; he had seen plenty of Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

But this green-eyebrowed dwarf's appearance was far too youthful. He looked to be only seven or eight years old, and what's more, his bone age was under two hundred years.

A Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator under two hundred years old would be considered a genius, even in an Immortal Sect.

"This is Pei Ye. Like you, Junior Brother Wei, he is one of the disciples our Master intends to accept," Gao Chen said, glancing at Wei Tu as he took a seat.

"Wei Tu... Talisman Master Wei?" The green-eyebrowed dwarf repeated the name, clearly having heard of Wei Tu's reputation before.

'Green eyebrows, the appearance of a child...'

At that, Wei Tu had a guess as to Pei Ye's identity.

True Monarch Che was accepting disciples from among the Independent Cultivators of Zheng Country this time. And when it came to famous Independent Cultivators in Zheng Country, you could count them on one hand; their numbers were limited.

'Master Qingmei.' Wei Tu searched his memory and recalled the moniker the green-eyebrowed dwarf had made for himself in the Zheng Country's Cultivation Realm.