Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

A Tier Two Spirit Land.

It is the most important asset of a Foundation Establishment Family.

The distinction between a Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivator and a Foundation Establishment Family lies in the possession of a Tier Two Spirit Land.

Now that the Xiaya Mei Family had abandoned their Tier Two Spirit Land, the factions and cultivators coveting their fortune no longer had a reason to hunt them to extinction.

After all, the Xiaya Mei Family had only lost their Ancestor, not their entire clan. They still had the strength to fight against those in the Foundation Establishment Realm. A fight to the death with the Mei Family would not necessarily end well for their enemies.

'For any other family, this decision would still be a gamble. But not for the Mei Family. They have Yann'er and Xiuwen protecting them in secret.'

Wei Tu mused.

Giving up the Tier Two Spirit Land would reduce the covetous gazes of some powerful enemies, but it didn't mean they could escape everyone's greed.

After all, the accumulated wealth of a Foundation Establishment Family over many years was still a considerable fortune.

But with Wei Yan and her brother secretly standing guard, the Xiaya Mei Family had no such worries.

In fact, the Mei Family's hidden strength was now more than just a notch above their apparent power when Meilang was still alive.

In truth, given the strength of Wei Yan and her brother, they were more than capable of openly stepping forward to protect the Xiaya Mei Family.

However, the siblings had secretly reached Foundation Establishment. They were "unregistered" in the eyes of the Immortal Sects. Exposing their identities would do more harm than good.

...

After gathering information from the Jiuyun Commerce Association, Wei Tu urged his Huang Yanzhou onward, heading directly for Cuiping Valley, the Tier One Spiritual Land where the Xiaya Mei Family was currently staying.

Cuiping Valley was over a thousand li from Xiaya Ridge and was a vassal spiritual land of the Changling Huo Family.

The Changling Huo Family was a Foundation Establishment Family, and also related to the Xiaya Mei Family by marriage.

The two great families had intermarried for generations.

Mei Yuanfeng's Dao Companion was from the Changling Huo Family, and the Dao Companion of Mei Zhen's eldest brother was also a Huo Family cultivator.

If Wei Xiuwen hadn't intervened back then, Mei Zhen would have most likely married a Huo Family cultivator and become a member of the Huo clan.

「The next morning.」

Wei Tu was about halfway there, still several dozen li from Cuiping Valley.

Suddenly, two streaks of cyan escape light shot toward him from the northwest, closely pursued by a large, purple-robed man at the Middle-Stage of Foundation Establishment.

Seeing this, Wei Tu flicked his sleeve and moved aside, giving the two cyan escape lights a wide berth.

Just now, Wei Tu had observed that the figures enveloped in the two cyan escape lights were strangers he didn't recognize.

Both were Qi Cultivators.

The purple-robed man, however, was someone Wei Tu recognized. He had run into him at an underground auction and knew him to be a "fierce character" in the Zheng Country's Independent Cultivator Realm.

Therefore, Wei Tu naturally wanted to avoid such trouble. He wasn't about to stick his neck out for some so-called "sense of justice."

The strong killing the weak was not necessarily an evil act.

"Elder Wei, this junior is Tao Jie, a cultivator of the Hann Mountain Tao Family. The one chasing me, Shang Ming, is trying to kill me for my treasure! I hope Elder Wei can lend a hand. The Tao Family will be sure to reward you generously afterward!"

Unexpectedly, the two cyan escape lights didn't just fly past. They curved around and stopped right in front of Wei Tu.

Inside the leading cyan escape light was a young master with a dignified bearing, dressed in magnificent brocade robes.

In the escape light following close behind was a young woman. She looked frail and delicate and bore a strong resemblance to Tao Jie, suggesting she was likely his sister.

Upon seeing Wei Tu, Tao Jie acted as if he had grasped a life-saving straw. He bowed deeply and spoke in a rushed tone.

Times had changed.

Wei Tu had already completed the garrison duty assigned to him by the Immortal Sect and was now a "free agent." Traveling through the Zheng Country mainland with his true face was more convenient than concealing his appearance.

Therefore, the moment Tao Jie saw Wei Tu, he recognized him as the renowned "Talisman Master Wei" from the Zheng Country's Cultivation Realm.

Wei Tu frowned inwardly, displeased that the "tactless" Tao Jie and his sister had dragged their trouble right to his doorstep.

Whether this act of diverting disaster was intentional or not, justified or not, he, as the one being implicated, was not going to be happy about it.

But now was not the time to dwell on such things. Wei Tu looked up to face the purple-robed man, Shang Ming, who was fast approaching.

If he had been in disguise today, Wei Tu wouldn't have bothered with Tao Jie and his sister at all; he would have just fled. He had no relationship with the Hann Mountain Tao Family.

However, since he was using his real face, simply turning and leaving in the face of such a situation would be unbecoming and could potentially bring trouble to his door.

The Hann Mountain Tao Family was no mere Foundation Establishment Family, but a Golden Core Family on par with the Hee Mountain Huang Family.

"Fellow Daoist Shang, I wonder why you are relentlessly pursuing these two juniors from the Tao Family? Could there be some misunderstanding?"

Wei Tu looked at Shang Ming, whose escape light had now stopped, and clasped his hands in a polite gesture, his tone courteous.

"I am merely passing by. I know nothing of the grievances between you, Fellow Daoist Shang, and these two Tao Family juniors."

As he spoke, Wei Tu communicated with Shang Ming via voice transmission, placing special emphasis on the words "passing by."

Wei Tu's meaning was blunt.

Once he was gone, Shang Ming could resume his pursuit of the Tao siblings.

Holding back for now would be a way of giving him face.

"Wei Tu?" Shang Ming halted, studying Wei Tu's face with a deep frown.

Ten years ago, Wei Tu's reputation in the Zheng Country's Cultivation Realm was already quite significant.

Among Talisman Masters, he was especially famous.

With his own strength, his chances of winning against a Tier Two Upper-Grade Talisman Master like Wei Tu were not high.

In other words, a "Foundation Establishment Powerhouse" like Wei Tu was worthy of him giving some face.

"Wasn't Talisman Master Wei conscripted by the Immortal Sects and sent to the battlefront?"

Shang Ming reined in his thoughts and asked probingly.

If Wei Tu were a deserter being hunted by the Immortal Sects, then he wouldn't need to be so wary of him. On the contrary, it would be Wei Tu who should fear him.

"Ten years have passed. My term of service is complete, and I am now a free man," Wei Tu said with a faint smile, speaking without reservation.

"Term of service complete?" Hearing this, Shang Ming's heart skipped a beat. The Independent Cultivators who could survive their full term of service and return alive to the Zheng Country mainland were, without exception, not to be trifled with.

In Wei Tu's eyes, he was a fierce character. But in his own eyes, Wei Tu was the *truly* fierce one—someone not to be provoked at all.

"Those two Tao Family juniors and I have a grudge. It's not convenient to say more. However... for Fellow Daoist Wei's sake, I will not pursue the matter with them for now."

Shang Ming clasped his hands toward Wei Tu, said, "Farewell," and then transformed into a streak of escape light, disappearing over the horizon.

However, as Shang Ming left, Wei Tu noticed that he had secretly placed a tracking mark on Tao Jie and his sister.

But Wei Tu didn't warn the siblings about it, choosing to ignore it.

"You two can leave now," Wei Tu said, glancing at Tao Jie and waving his hand dismissively.

He had no interest in the grudges or secrets between Shang Ming and the Tao siblings.

Shang Ming's concession just now was also an indirect sign that the "great treasure" on the Tao siblings was of limited value.

It wasn't worth his attention.

"Elder Wei, please wait a moment."

Tao Jie was a smart person. He knew the danger had only been temporarily averted. Once Wei Tu left, Shang Ming would surely return to hunt him down.

However, Wei Tu didn't stop. With a flash of his escape light, he had already covered a considerable distance.

Tao Jie was stunned by this. It was the first time he had ever met an Elder as difficult to handle as Wei Tu.

"Elder, please wait! This junior has a secret to share! This secret will absolutely be of value to you, Elder Wei!" Tao Jie shouted, gritting his teeth. He burned some of his Essence Blood to perform a Blood Escape, catching up to Wei Tu and calling out to his distant figure.

Hearing this, Wei Tu raised an eyebrow, a flicker of interest rising within him. He angled his escape light and flew back to Tao Jie.

"What secret?" Wei Tu glanced at Tao Jie's deathly pale face, casually took out a Tier One Elixir, and tossed it to him.

After taking the elixir, color returned to Tao Jie's face. He took a few deep breaths and said, "Elder Wei, have you heard of the Nanhua Sect?"

'The Nanhua Sect?'

Wei Tu was startled.

He was more than just familiar with the name "Nanhua Sect"; the sect's Spiritual Treasure, the Heaven-Mending Bowl, was in his possession right now.

However, as an Ancient Immortal Gate within the Zheng Country territory, there were many stories about the Nanhua Sect circulating in the Zheng Country's Cultivation Realm.

The secret about the "Nanhua Sect" that Tao Jie was about to reveal might not necessarily be useful to him.

After many years of cultivation, Wei Tu's Qi Cultivation Skill was profound. He gave Tao Jie an impassive look and said in an indifferent tone, "The Ancient Immortal Gate, Nanhua Sect? And what secret about this sect do you claim to possess?"

"As long as Elder Wei escorts my sister and me safely to the Hann Mountain Tao Family, I will definitely tell you this secret..." Tao Jie said, a smile appearing on his face.

However, before Tao Jie could finish his sentence, Wei Tu cut him off with a cold snort.

"Junior, do you think I am weaker than Shang Ming, or that I'm afraid of you?" Wei Tu's expression turned cold as he spoke bluntly.

He was now the apprentice of True Monarch Che, with the Loose Immortal Alliance backing him. He had no reason to fear the "mere" Hann Mountain Tao Family.

To put it bluntly, compared to the Loose Immortal Alliance, the Hann Mountain Tao Family was just a minor power, not even worth a second glance.

When he saw the Tao siblings being chased by Shang Ming and getting him involved, he had only helped them because he didn't want to get into trouble.

It wasn't that he was afraid of the Hann Mountain Tao Family and had no choice but to help.

"This junior was rude. Please forgive me, Elder," Tao Jie's expression changed instantly upon hearing this, and he hurriedly apologized to Wei Tu.

Tao Jie was silently cursing his misjudgment. Not only had he failed to secure an ally, but he had also offended another Foundation Establishment Elder.

If he didn't handle this well, Wei Tu could be far more trouble than Shang Ming, the Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

"What I meant before was that I only wished to host you in Hann Mountain, Elder Wei..." Tao Jie said, trying to save face with an awkward smile. "As for the secret of the Nanhua Sect, if Elder Wei wishes to hear it, I will tell you right now..." he added.

"Speak!" Wei Tu's command was short. He gave Tao Jie a cold look.

"This secret about the Nanhua Sect is something I accidentally overheard from my grandfather. It's said that back in the day, the Nanhua Sect built four secret herb gardens..."

"Each garden was planted with countless Spirit Grasses. Any power that obtained even one would flourish greatly."

Tao Jie spoke with great confidence.