I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

certainly--

In specific matters, Wei Tu did not appear to be in such a hurry.

He understood the principle that "haste makes waste".

Five days later, after handing the "Little Monkey Puppet" over to Gong Shulan for repairs, he patiently cultivated for another seven years before flying out of the cave and heading to the "Kuidou Merchant Guild" to carry out his planned actions.

Just as he expected.

When Cai Xiaozhu learned that he was preparing to break through to the Demon Lord realm, she was not surprised by his "borrowing of magic crystals".

"Master Kou is an 'old-timer' in our Kui Dou Merchant Guild, and he is quite skilled in alchemy... Based on his qualifications, he can probably borrow five hundred mid-grade magic crystals from the guild..."

"Interest...one percent every ten years, one percent every hundred years."

Cai Xiaozhu sat calmly in the accounting office of the Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce. She flipped through the account books in her hand, then looked up and glanced at Wei Tu, speaking in a businesslike manner.

"Five hundred mid-grade magic crystals?" Wei Tu was surprised; this number was lower than he had expected.

After all, as a sixth-tier high-grade alchemist, his earning ability is exceptionally fast. If he fails to advance and focuses on making money, he can quickly pay back even a thousand mid-grade magic crystals, let alone five hundred.

However, an interest rate of one percent over ten years is already quite cheap, considered an internal employee rate. For this alone, he owes the Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce a debt of gratitude.

"Moreover, this amount of magic crystals is almost complete."

Wei Tu considered the requirements for the promotion, nodded secretly, and was about to agree.

What he lacks are only auxiliary cultivation resources like spirit crystals. He has already prepared most of the "Five Essence Pills," the breakthrough resource for advancing to the "Integration Realm."

but--

Before he could even speak.

At this moment, Consort Cai suddenly added another sentence.

"Of course, if Master Kou Dan is prepared to deeply bind himself to my Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce... this magic crystal loan will not only have a much higher amount, but the interest will also be waived."

Cai Xiaozhu said meaningfully.

She was planning to invest in Weitu, but she was also worried that she might do something wrong and scare Weitu away... So at this moment, it was necessary to test the waters with words.

Secondly, "pleading" and "giving" are two completely different things.

She will only continue speaking if Wei Tu expresses his opinion first.

However, upon hearing this, Wei Tu did not follow Cai Xiaozhu's lead. Instead, he frowned slightly and politely declined.

"My pursuit of the Demon Lord realm is for the sake of unfettered freedom, not for being confined to a corner of the world. This is my bottom line for now..." he said sincerely.

"Temporarily?" Upon hearing this, Consort Cai's heart skipped a beat.

When she heard the first half of Wei Tu's sentence, she thought that this "rare commodity" investment would fail, but she never expected that Wei Tu's bottom line was much more flexible than she thought.

The reason why it is not "submitting its allegiance" to her and the Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce now is not because it is unwilling to be subordinate to others, but because it has not yet reached the end of its rope... Once its path is blocked, it will be just as she expects, and will willingly "ask for help" from her.

"Advancing to the rank of Demon Lord is no easy feat. It's not something that can be accomplished with just a few magic crystals... Those breakthrough spiritual items are all treasures of the various Demon Lords, and very few of them have been scattered outside." Thinking of this, Cai Xiaozhu was no longer as anxious as she had been at the beginning.

She believed that after Wei Tu encountered setbacks and difficulties in this matter, he would eventually come to her for help again.

Being hasty in this matter now would be a bad idea.

……

After the loan was settled.

Wei Tu, who had a huge sum of money in the form of magic crystals, also took the opportunity to mention his desire to buy a "spirit slave".

The Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce has two main businesses: the business of magic pills and the business of spirit slaves.

On his way to the "Heavenly Abyss Holy City", the Kui Dou Merchant Guild's flying ship he was on was a slave ship.

Naturally, in this matter, the employer's business should be taken priority.

“Spirit slaves…” Upon hearing this, Consort Cai was not particularly surprised by Wei Tu’s ‘request’. Most high-level alchemists have several spirit slaves on hand to test medicines.

On the contrary, Wei Tu's mention of this at this time seems a bit late.

"I wonder what kind of spirit slave Master Kou desires?"

"Here at the Chamber of Commerce, apart from those high-level spirit slaves who have been reserved by major customers, you can buy anyone else you like at a 20% discount... After all, your willingness to improve your alchemy skills is a blessing for our Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce."

Cai Xiaozhu tapped the table in front of her lightly and asked casually.

As she spoke, she also took out several jade slips of different colors and handed them to Wei Tu using her magic.

"They're all...male cultivators?"

Wei Tu took the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and then his brows furrowed slightly.

He vaguely felt that Consort Cai's actions seemed to have a deeper meaning.

He wouldn't mind choosing a male cultivator as his spirit slave.

But... it seems a bit strange that Miss Cai did this on purpose, only giving her a list of male spirit slaves.

"Hmm... Doesn't Master Kou know that beautiful female spirit slaves are often quite expensive and not suitable for use as test subjects..."

"The male spirit slaves in this jade slip are all carefully selected by me; they are inexpensive and of high quality."

Cai Xiaozhu smiled slightly and explained.

She could not possibly reveal that she had any intention of "valuing Wei Tu as a rare commodity" or "seeking a son-in-law from among the successful candidates."

Under these circumstances, it's impossible for her to create obstacles for herself or increase her "competitors"—of course, all she wants is the glory Wei Tu will receive after becoming the Demon Lord, not Wei Tu's "chastity." Mere spirit slaves are no match for her.

But humans are not cold machines. Countless ancient demons in the Primordial Demon Source Realm have developed feelings for their spirit slaves after spending a long time with them. Naturally, she had to be wary of this.

Secondly, she wasn't entirely lying. Since Wei Tu wanted test slaves, it wouldn't be worthwhile to go and select female spirit slaves.

“What Lady Cai says makes sense.”

Wei Tu did not insist on this matter. After only asking one question, he immediately nodded in agreement.

In any case, his desire for spirit slaves was merely a pretext to rent a "spiritual cultivation cave" for himself, rather than a genuine intention to "carefully select" spirit slaves.

"A spirit slave from the Purple Palace Realm..."

Wei Tu's eyes flickered slightly, and his attention lingered for a moment on the information panel of a Nascent Soul spirit slave named "Lin Tianqi".

Zichen Realm is one of the "Five Minor Realms" of the Ancient Demon Realm, and it is also the outpost for the ancient demons of the Ancient Demon Realm to invade the Spirit Realm.

Before leaving the "Black Mist Swamp", he always thought that the place he was in belonged to the "Purple Chen Realm", rather than the larger and more distant "Primordial Demon Source Realm" in the Ancient Demon Realm.

At this moment, the gaze lingered on the information of "Lin Tianqi" as a spirit slave. The reason was simple: he planned to use the Zichen Realm as a springboard to see if he could use this place to return to the Spirit Realm.

—After killing Mr. Jingkong, he did not intend to take the path of the [Boundary Stone] and the "Space Node" of the Holy Spirit Kingdom back to the Spirit Realm unless absolutely necessary.

Therefore, it is important to forge new paths.

He is not in a hurry to return to the spirit world at present, but he can make some plans in advance in this matter.

This "Lin Tianqi," as a native of the Zichen Realm, has a moderate cultivation level and status, and possesses a deep understanding of the Zichen Realm, making him a suitable guide for the region.

"This is the one." Wei Tu pointed his finger and used his magic to circle Lin Tianqi's name on the jade slip.

"Lin Tianqi..."

Cai Xiaozhu had no suspicions. After glancing at Lin Tianqi's name, she paid no further attention to it.

The "Five Minor Realms" are the primary source of spirit slaves. Secondly, there are the "Blood Feast Lands" where various ancient demons have imprisoned them.

Among the "Five Minor Realms," the "Zichen Realm," being the closest to the Spirit Realm, bears the brunt of the attack. This is not because the Zichen Realm failed to be successfully corrupted by the ancient demons, but because it was a territory specifically designated to cultivate "spiritual traitors" in order to plan an attack on the Spirit Realm.

Naturally, those spiritual practitioners who were unwilling or unqualified to become "spiritual traitors" were reduced to even lower-status spiritual slaves, at their mercy.

Because of its location in the "Primordial Demon Source Realm," the Kui Dou Merchant Guild doesn't have many spirit slaves from the Zi Chen Realm. But at least, spirit slaves with such "regional characteristics" aren't worth her much attention or concern.

"Hmm... I'm not busy right now, so I'll personally take Alchemist Kou to the Spirit Slave Camp and take Lin Tianqi away..."

Cai Xiaozhu intends to cultivate a closer relationship with Wei Tu, and in this matter, she will certainly not entrust it to others.

She summoned the steward outside, asked for a spirit tablet marked with the name "Lin Tianqi," and then, with a sway of her slender waist, left the accounting office with Wei Tu, chatting and laughing.

A quarter of an hour later.

Among the crowded and bustling spirit slaves, who looked like lambs to the slaughter, Wei Tu spotted Lin Tianqi, a spirit slave whose information matched the one on the jade slip.

The jade slip described this cultivator as a handsome and refined young nobleman.

But at this moment, he huddled listlessly in the corner of the room, his body hunched over like a dog in his luxurious yet tattered robes.

It seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally concealing the large "slave" demonic script on his forehead.

"The consequences of defeat..." Upon seeing this, Wei Tu narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression indifferent.

Throughout his thousand-year journey, he had seen many powerful cultivators who had reigned supreme for generations, but who, on the verge of death, desperately begged for mercy and humbled themselves like dogs...

Perhaps it is not as shocking as the large number of cultivators in front of him who have been reduced to spirit slaves and have no dignity.

But for him, it made little difference and didn't cause him any particular emotional reaction.

After all, there are countless ordinary people in the mortal world who are far more miserable than these cultivators.

It is only because it suddenly fell into the dust that it has such a huge "contrast".

"I've met the master..."

After the accompanying steward roughly kicked Lin Tianqi, who was standing in the corner, Ci Xiu learned that Wei Tu, who was following Cai Xiaozhu, had become his buyer.

He stood up and bowed to Wei Tu in a daze.

I didn't even really look at Wei Tu's face.

Wei Tu didn't care much about this. He bowed to Cai Xiaozhu, gave a slight nod, and then flicked his sleeve, putting the cultivator directly into the "slave bag" given to him by the Kui Dou Merchant Guild.

After exchanging pleasantries with Cai Xiaozhu for a while, he took his leave and departed from the Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce.

……

Half a day later.

With the help of his "spirit slave," Wei Tu successfully rented a high-level cave dwelling imbued with spiritual energy, much to the surprise of the broker.

"The concentration of spiritual energy is roughly at the mid-grade of the sixth rank. After consuming some more spirit crystals and setting up a spirit-gathering array, it should be able to be raised to the high-grade of the sixth rank..."

Stepping into the cave, Wei Tu exhaled a long breath after feeling the abundant spiritual energy within.

God knows how far he went to avoid arousing suspicion when renting this "spiritual retreat"!
"Moreover, the rumors about Tianyuan Holy City are not wrong. Every spiritual cultivation cave within it contains, to varying degrees, the spiritual remains of a spiritual cultivator..."

Wei Tu's brow flashed with green light as he peered into the "fused remains" hidden beneath the magical restrictions of this cave dwelling with his "Hun'e Evil Eye".

After years of providing spiritual energy for cultivation, the spirituality within this "fused remains" is far less than it once was. One can only judge its former powerful realm by the aura emanating from it.

But what Wei Tu cares about more and pays more attention to is...

The colorful storage bags and spirit beast bags at his waist were still there, and the deep purple storage ring on his finger was faintly glowing.

They all appeared to be under no-break orders!

"They're way too rich and powerful."

Wei Tu looked slightly taken aback, and was greatly shocked.

However, upon further reflection, he realized that this was not such an unimaginable thing after all.

The cultivators who built the 'Heavenly Abyss Holy City' were the Demon Ancestors and Demon Gods of the 'Primordial Demon Source Realm'. These people had already reached the top of a realm, so they would not be interested in the treasures of those with lower realms.

In their eyes, a Nascent Soul cultivator views a Golden Core cultivator in the same way that a Golden Core cultivator views a Foundation Establishment cultivator or a Qi Refining cultivator.

His wealth is negligible.

Furthermore, it's also because of the different fundamental magical powers they cultivate. The spiritual objects used by spiritual cultivators are useless to these ancient demons, so they naturally have no interest in plundering the storage artifacts from these dead bodies.

"A sixth-tier cave dwelling is the remains of a fused body..."

"That seventh-tier cave dwelling should be close enough to the Mahayana spirit remains that were implanted in this sub-city. I just wonder... if those Mahayana spirit remains... still have any storage artifacts left from their lives..."

Wei Tu's eyes flickered, and he secretly swallowed.

Even though the storage artifacts on these "Mahayana spirit remains" have been taken by those demon ancestors and demon gods, given the nature of these powerful beings... it's highly unlikely they'll take them all.

The little bit of "residue" left on top would probably be enough to fill him up.

Of course—this is on the premise that he can bypass the "magical restrictions" deep within these cave dwellings and spiritual veins and come into contact with these spiritual remains.

These "magical restrictions" are far stronger than the restrictions he encountered in the "Three Races Secret Realm," and all of them are equipped with anti-air formations comparable to those in the "Dragon Refining Cave" of the Dinghai Immortal Ruins...

Bound by this magic array, there was absolutely no possibility for him to use the spatial escape technique of the Sky-Splitting Eagle to "steal treasures".

"Once I break through to the Integration stage, I'll need to intensify my research on formations... Perhaps, within this Heavenly Abyss Holy City, there are ancient demons like me, coveting the spiritual treasures on these spirit corpses..."

"At that time, we may be able to obtain the method to break these magical restrictions from them and seize this opportunity!"

Wei Tu thought to himself.

Spiritual objects at the Integration Realm are insignificant to Demon Ancestors and Demon Gods, but they are a different story to Demon Lords.

For example, the "Little Monkey Puppet" in his hand, this "seventh-tier spirit puppet," when it appeared at the Lianwu Puppet Workshop, quite shocked Cai Xiaozhu, the legitimate daughter of the Demon Lord...

A glimpse into the whole picture – a seventh-tier spiritual item, though greatly diminished in the hands of these demon lords, is still better than nothing!

He, like him, would likely be greatly interested in, and even covetous of, these "fused spirit remains" and "Mahayana spirit remains" under the demonic restriction of the "Spiritual Cultivation Cave." (End of Chapter)