Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

"Sunx Chixin?"

"The dead cultivator... he was actually True Monarch Sunx’s direct grandson?"

The assembled cultivators turned pale with fright, shrinking back like quails with their heads bowed, not daring to look up at the brocade-robed elder.

As cultivators from Qingsong City, they were well aware of this True Monarch Sunx’s volatile temper and didn’t dare to cross him.

Sunx Chixin swept his gaze over the cultivators present, then snorted coldly. Extending his right palm, he reached toward Sunx Yu’s corpse.

A moment later, Sunx Chixin extracted a drop of Essence Blood from within Sunx Yu’s corpse.

This drop of Essence Blood was precisely the Essence Blood of "Lü Xiuxian" that Wei Tu had injected into Sunx Yu’s corpse before he fled.

Next, Sunx Chixin retrieved a White Jade Array Disc from his Storage Bag and dripped the Essence Blood onto it.

After a few breaths, the Array Plate was coated in a bloody hue. As time passed, the color grew more vibrant and crimson until it leaped from the plate, forming an arrow of light that pointed northwest.

If Wei Tu had been there, he would have recognized it at a glance. The Magic Technique Sunx Chixin was using was the very Blood Attraction Secret Skill he coveted.

"Demon Slaughter Sect... Lü Xiuxian." Sunx Chixin’s expression was dark as his gaze fixed on the distance.

As one of the more prominent Golden Core Cultivators, he had met Lü Xiuxian of the Demon Slaughter Sect on the Righteous Demon Battlefield and had memorized his aura.

Therefore, when using the Blood Attraction Secret Skill to find his grandson’s killer, he immediately locked onto "Lü Xiuxian" as the culprit.

Of course.

Sunx Chixin didn’t believe Lü Xiuxian would bully a junior and personally attack his grandson.

The one who attacked must have been one of Lü Xiuxian’s descendants or younger clan members.

However, every debt has its debtor.

Sunx Chixin pinned the blame squarely on Lü Xiuxian.

...

At this moment, a hundred miles away, Wei Tu was unaware that Sunx Chixin had truly fallen for his scheme to divert the blame and had pinned the debt on Lü Xiuxian.

After all, framing Lü Xiuxian had been a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Besides, his method of framing was not particularly sophisticated and wouldn’t hold up to scrutiny.

His fight to kill Sunx Yu had been a complete rout. Sunx Yu never had a chance to take his Essence Blood to identify the killer later.

But logic is logic, and emotions are emotions.

The arrogant Sunx Chixin refused to believe that the direct grandson he had so carefully nurtured would fall at the hands of an ordinary Independent Cultivator.

He would rather believe that Sunx Yu had died after unfortunately losing by a single move in a great battle against one of Lü Xiuxian’s descendants.

...

「More than ten days later.」

Wei Tu arrived at the Tao Family of Hann Mountain.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, you’ve finally arrived. About the matter of the smuggling channel..." Tao Shisheng walked to the entrance of the family grounds to personally greet Wei Tu.

"Elder Wei." The Tao Jie siblings followed behind Tao Shisheng and bowed to Wei Tu.

Upon seeing Wei Tu, Tao Jie’s expression was neutral, his reaction unremarkable.

But Tao Ya was different. She kept her head lowered in front of Wei Tu, occasionally stealing a glance at him.

Her cheeks were also slightly flushed.

Wei Tu raised an eyebrow at the sight, feeling a little confused.

Last time, although he had rescued the Tao Jie siblings, he hadn’t shown them a pleasant expression from start to finish.

Moreover, he had even disciplined them.

Tao Ya, being weaker, couldn’t withstand his spiritual pressure, and her clothes had become soaked through, leading to a deeply embarrassing moment in front of him.

Wei Tu had no time to dwell on this. ’I have more important things to do right now.’

Hearing Tao Shisheng’s words, he waved his hand and said, "Regarding the matter of smuggling into Kang Country, please let us discuss it later. On my journey here, I had a sudden insight, and my bottleneck has loosened..."

"I must ask Fellow Daoist Tao to arrange a temporary rental of a Cave Mansion in the Tao Family estate for me to make a breakthrough."

Wei Tu said, clasping his hands in a salute.

"What? Fellow Daoist Wei is about to break through in his Cultivation?" Tao Shisheng was startled, and a look of envy immediately appeared on his face.

As far as he knew, Wei Tu’s Cultivation was already at the Great Success level of the Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment. If he broke through now, wouldn’t that mean he was about to reach the Peak of the Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment?

Minor Success, Great Success, and Peak are the three cultivation stages within a Small Realm.

Only after reaching the Peak of one’s cultivation does one have the ability to break through to the next Realm.

’No, it’s possible he’s breaking through to the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment,’ Tao Shisheng thought, shaking his head.

From the fact that Wei Tu had killed Shang Ming, it was clear his Cultivation was not as simple as it appeared on the surface. He must have been hiding his true level.

After all, Shang Ming was a Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, no matter how you looked at it.

A moment later, Tao Shisheng collected himself. He nodded slightly and smiled, "Fellow Daoist Wei and my Tao Family are allies. Why talk of renting a Cave Mansion? The Tao Family is willing to lend you a Cave Mansion for free for your breakthrough."

The Spiritual Qi from a Tier Three Spirit Vein was nearly inexhaustible. The Tao Family wasn’t so petty as to charge for the temporary use by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Tao," Wei Tu said gratefully.

"But for Fellow Daoist Wei to gain such an epiphany from just one trip out is truly enviable..."

Tao Shisheng chatted with Wei Tu as he led the way.

In the Cultivation Realm, it wasn’t unheard of for cultivators like Wei Tu to have their bottlenecks loosen and break through while traveling, but most such individuals were those with solid foundations who had accumulated power over a long period.

Tao Shisheng had previously been biased against Wei Tu, believing he had relied on Elixirs for Breaking Realm, which was how his Cultivation had reached the Great Success of Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment in such a short time.

A hundred-and-sixty-something-year-old at the Great Success of Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment was common among Sect Cultivators and Family Cultivators, but rarely seen among Independent Cultivators.

"It was just a sudden feeling, a moment of clarity," Wei Tu said with a smile.

He wasn’t lying.

After killing Sunx Yu, his mind had become unburdened and his whole body felt invigorated. The decade of frustration pent up in his heart had been released all at once.

At the same time, after switching to the Divine Wood Origin Technique, a Tier Three Cultivation Technique, his bottleneck had become much smaller.

With these factors combined, he had begun showing signs of a cultivation breakthrough on his way to the Tao Family of Hann Mountain.

"This is my personal Cave Mansion. I’ll lend it to you for your breakthrough, Fellow Daoist Wei." Tao Shisheng walked to the entrance of an exquisite Cave Mansion on the back of Hann Mountain, took an Array Talisman from his sleeve, and handed it to Wei Tu.

Wei Tu thanked him, turned, and walked into the Cave Mansion. Then, under the watchful eyes of Tao Shisheng’s family, he activated the Cave Mansion’s Array.

’If I weren’t just breaking through a Small Realm, I wouldn’t dare attempt a cultivation breakthrough right under the noses of the Tao Family of Hann Mountain...’ Wei Tu thought, rubbing his chin after the stone door of the Cave Mansion closed.

This time, the breakthrough he was attempting in Seclusion was not to a Small Realm within the Middle-Stage Foundation Establishment as Tao Shisheng thought, but to a Small Realm within the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.

Wei Tu’s Cultivation had already reached the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment over twenty years ago.

Entering the Cultivation Room, Wei Tu first meditated to regulate his breathing, restoring his Magical Power to its optimal state.

A few days ago, when he killed Sunx Yu, he had used nearly a third of his body’s Magical Power to activate the Demon Buddha Bell.

After finishing his meditation, Wei Tu mobilized the Divine Wood Seal in his Dantian and, through his meridians, began to absorb the Spiritual Qi that was swarming in from his surroundings.

Time passed slowly.

「Two months later.」

As the Spiritual Energy Vortex outside the Cave Mansion dispersed, Wei Tu, inside the Cultivation Room, slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile on his face.

’Great Success of Late-Stage Foundation Establishment. Just one Small Realm away from the Peak of Foundation Establishment. At that point, I can attempt to break through to the Golden Core Realm.’

Wei Tu glanced at the Magical Power Lake within his Dantian, which had expanded by nearly twenty percent.

His current Cultivation speed had far exceeded his own expectations from five years ago.

At this rate, he might be able to glimpse the Golden Core Realm in another thirty years at most.

’However, before reaching the Peak of Foundation Establishment, I need to advance my progress in the Hundred Veins Blood Refining Spell as much as possible,’ Wei Tu thought.

In terms of timing, by the time his Cultivation reached the Peak of Foundation Establishment and he began preparing for Core Formation, his Divine Wood Origin Technique would probably have reached the Third Layer.

The only thing lagging behind now was the Hundred Veins Blood Refining Spell.

Wei Tu hadn’t forgotten that, just like the Divine Wood Origin Technique, the Hundred Veins Blood Refining Spell could increase his chances of successful Core Formation by ten percent.

Afterwards, with the help of an Immortal Transformation Pill, his chances of Core Formation could reach over seventy percent.

...

「Five days later.」

Wei Tu stabilized his Realm and emerged from his Seclusion.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Wei, on advancing your Cultivation once again." Tao Shisheng, having heard the news, came to congratulate Wei Tu and presented him with a gift.

Wei Tu accepted the gift and expressed his thanks.

After the two exchanged pleasantries for a short while.

Wei Tu brought up the main topic, asking Tao Shisheng for the specifics regarding smuggling into Kang Country.

"Last year, my Tao Family sent a letter to inform you, Fellow Daoist Wei... that the channel for smuggling into Kang Country had been opened..."

"My original intention was to invite your family, Fellow Daoist Wei, to leave with my Tao Family’s cultivators, but you did not arrive..."

Tao Shisheng said, shaking his head.

"Fortunately, however, the channel is still open. The key figures at the various nodes who were bribed are still in their positions," he added.