I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

"The Golden Cloud Demon Lord is dead?"

"These two... Lianwu is alright, that woman is notoriously ruthless, but this Alchemist Kou... isn't he the newly ascended Demon Lord?"

Upon seeing the mangled corpse of the Golden Cloud Demon Lord, the "Big Boss" fell into deep self-doubt.

First, he misjudged Wei Tu's wisdom, not expecting Wei Tu's cunning to be no less than his own. Wei Tu used a "trick-or-treat" tactic to lure Lianwu Demon Lord into the battlefield, and then used his arrival to force Jinyun Demon Lord and Yeyu Demon Lord to flee without a fight...

Second, misjudging Wei Tu's combat strength.

His arrival was perfectly timed. He anticipated that even if the Golden Cloud Demon Lord was overwhelmed by the combined power of the two, he would not perish.

However, to everyone's surprise, before they could even arrive, Demon Lord Jin Yun had already been "swiftly killed," and his estate was completely divided up by Demon Lords Wei Tu and Lian Wu...

The Demon Lord Lianwu is a veteran Demon Lord, and his combat strength is verifiable.

The only variable is Wei Tu, the newly crowned Demon Lord!

The war is now long over.

Given the current situation, he couldn't tell how much magic power Wei Tu and Lianwu Demon Lord had lost, or whether they were doomed to defeat him in his prime, or... had plenty of room to maneuver.
"Master Kou, I didn't expect you to have already asked Fellow Daoist Lianwu for help. It seems... even without my reminder, Master Kou could have easily handled this crisis..."

After a moment's thought, the "Big Boss" decided not to take the risk. His chances of winning in a two-on-one situation were too low. He gave a wry smile and stepped forward to greet Wei Tu.

"The leader arrived just in time... but not as timely as Fellow Daoist Lianwu..."

But upon hearing this, Wei Tu did not "let it go." He smiled slightly and looked at the "Big Boss" with a playful expression.

"This kid still has something to rely on... Although he might be bluffing, it's not advisable to take the risk!"

The "Big Boss" had a thought flash through his mind, and he became increasingly wary of Wei Tu.

He took a deep breath and voluntarily stepped back:

"...It was my fault for not supervising my brother properly. If he hadn't acted on his own initiative, Master Kou wouldn't have suffered this calamity..."

"These are the mid-grade magic crystals that Master Kou used to redeem Cai Qing. I have added another thousand as an apology."

After speaking, the "Big Boss" raised his hand and waved it, and a bulging spirit crystal bag flew out from his sleeve and flew towards Wei Tu.

however--

To his surprise...

Wei Tu did not take the bag of magic crystals.

Upon seeing this, the "Big Boss's" face immediately turned ugly, and his expression became somewhat cold.

In his view, this was Wei Tu being somewhat shameless.

Although he had some schemes against Wei Tu this time, they didn't succeed! Wei Tu himself was unharmed.

Now, instead of turning around and leaving, he chose to "apologize," which, considering his status, is already a great concession to Wei Tu.

"Magic crystals are useless to me... I am somewhat interested in seventh-order formations. At the Star Luo Trade Fair, the Boss searched extensively for seventh-order formation masters to introduce to the Demon Lord Can Yuan, and even went so far as to come to me, hoping that I, a pill refiner, could introduce him to some... I suppose... outside of the trade fair, he must know quite a few seventh-order formation masters, and even have some knowledge of their lineages..." Wei Tu's lips moved slightly as he spoke these words to the "Boss" using telepathy.

"Are you interested in the Dao of Formation?"

The "Big Boss" was slightly taken aback, somewhat incredulous.

It's not unusual for alchemists to dabble in other fields. But he remembered that Wei Tu had only recently been promoted to a seventh-level alchemist.

Nowadays, instead of focusing on consolidating his alchemy skills and making a fortune and acquiring resources, he's dabbling in array formations... which inevitably seems a bit like neglecting his proper duties.

"Slightly interested."

"More than anything, it's about replenishing the foundation for becoming a newly ascended Demon Lord."

Wei Tu explained calmly.

Inheritance becomes increasingly difficult to acquire as one progresses through generations.

Moreover, unlike the Spirit Realm where numerous races coexist, the Ancient Demon Realm is a unified entity formed by a few supreme demon gods. Its control over knowledge is far more severe than that of the Spirit Realm.

Moreover, the only two demon lords who were close to him were Kui Dou Demon Lord and Lian Wu Demon Lord.

One of them was waiting for his "return on investment" after he advanced to the seventh-level alchemist, while the other had just been fooled by his boastful claims and his identity as a "disciple of the Demon Ancestor"...

That's impossible; in this regard, we must seek help from the two of them.

Even before he became a Nascent Soul cultivator, he had been obsessed with the remains of spiritual cultivators within the Heavenly Abyss Holy City... Naturally, the sooner he got involved in demonic arrays, the better.

"That's it."

The "boss" had no suspicions, taking it as Wei Tu giving him a way out, because accepting the apology gift would be tantamount to turning cold and becoming enemies.

On the contrary, by taking a step back from each other, it seems as if the grudges have been wiped clean.

—One thousand one hundred mid-grade magic crystals, while not a huge sum for him, would still sting quite a bit… Compared to that, the seventh-order array inheritance was insignificant. After all, it was a replicable form of knowledge.

"This is a seventh-order array formation inheritance that I have collected..."

"I'll give it to Master Kou."

The "Big Boss" was quite generous; with a flick of his sleeve, he took out seven jade slips of different colors and handed them to Wei Tu using his magic.

"If you have any questions, you can go to the 'Green Bamboo Pavilion' in the main city of the Holy City. The owner of this pavilion is a near-eighth-tier array master, and he is quite greedy... As long as you are willing to spend magic crystals, he will be willing to answer your questions..."

Finished saying this.

The "Big Boss" did not linger. He bowed to Wei Tu and the Demon Lord Lianwu, then immediately soared into the sky, transforming into a beam of demonic light and disappearing into the distant horizon.

The remaining two, Wei Tu and Lianwu Demon Lord, along with Cai Xiaozhu, did not say anything more. After exchanging glances, they silently embarked on their journey back to "Tianyuan Holy City".

……

After bidding farewell to the Demon Lord Lianwu.

This time, Cai Xiaozhu dared not say again that she was looking for another place to break through to the Demon Lord realm. She followed Wei Tu and obediently returned to the Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce. Then, in front of all the cultivators, she confirmed the fact that she had been saved by Wei Tu.

However, just when Wei Tu thought it was all over.

Then, Cai Xiaozhu, who had just entered the tent, soon flew out of it with a flash of light and headed straight for the main city of Tianyuan Holy City.

"This is..." Wei Tu was surprised. He scanned the area with his divine sense and instantly saw the rows of spirit crystal bags, each bearing the logo of the Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce, hanging inside Cai Xiaozhu's outer garment.

"This woman is quite clever."

Wei Tu's eyes flickered slightly, understanding Cai Xiaozhu's plan.

Upon her return to the Kui Dou Merchant Guild, the first person to refuse her entry will undoubtedly be none other than the Kui Dou Demon Lord, whose dignity has been tarnished…

In the ancient demon circle, it is not uncommon for people to kill their offspring. The Demon Lord of Kui Dou may not go that far, but it is not hard to predict that he would forcibly seize the "breakthrough spiritual item" from this woman and cut off her path to cultivation.

and so--

in turn.

For Cai Xiaozhu, breaking through to the Demon Lord realm within Tianyuan Holy City became her only way to save herself.

Ironically, the "main city" of Tianyuan Holy City could provide this woman with an excellent environment for breakthrough without being disturbed by the Demon Lord Kui Dou.

only……

The secluded cultivation caves there are all extremely expensive, far beyond the reach of ordinary demon generals.

"That damned, rebellious daughter!"

Half an hour later, the belatedly aware Demon Lord Kuidou finally reacted. He blasted open the cave door and looked angrily at his "accounting room," which had been completely looted by Cai Xiaozhu.

The magic crystals in the accounting room, though less than 11% of his net worth, contained all the working capital of the Kui Dou Merchant Guild... basically equivalent to most of the magic crystals he possessed.

However, upon seeing Wei Tu standing to the side, he forced a smile, bowed respectfully, and thanked Wei Tu, saying, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Kou, for your generous help in rescuing my beloved daughter... I am deeply grateful..."

The Demon Lord Kuidou's words were half true and half false.

Thank you so much!
Because Wei Tu rescued Cai Xiaozhu without any ulterior motives or seeking any reward, but entirely out of gratitude towards Cai Xiaozhu and him, it was an act of loyalty and righteousness... The private conflict between the father and daughter really shouldn't involve Wei Tu.

But... the hatred is also real.

Wei Tu suddenly became a major threat to him, and caused serious damage to his wealth as a result.

If Wei Tusi weren't such an important seventh-level alchemist to him... he wouldn't have swallowed this resentment so easily.

"It was just a coincidence that I learned about some of the connections needed to rescue Consort Cai."

At that moment, Wei Tu's reply to his thanks also reached his ears.

Upon hearing this, even the greatest dissatisfaction and resentment of the Demon Lord Kuidou were instantly wiped away by his reason.

"Hmph, connections—"

Kui Dou Demon Lord sneered inwardly. He was an old and shrewd man, how could he not guess that Wei Tu was subtly reminding him that he was not an ordinary newly promoted Demon Lord who was easy to manipulate. Besides the Kui Dou Merchant Guild, there were other potential clients waiting for him.

Of course, he didn't think that Wei Tu intentionally parted ways with him; rather, he believed it was more likely that Wei Tu was using this opportunity to raise his own value.

That was said rather subtly.

"Forget it, loyalty is always better than ingratitude. He was willing to save that rebellious woman... let alone me, his benefactor who invested in his advancement to the seventh-level alchemist..." Thinking of this, the Demon Lord Kui Dou gradually felt relieved.

Since reality had already presented itself, and he could not bear to part with Wei Tu, he had no choice but to accept this cruel twist of fate.

He took a deep breath, his face softening into a gentle smile, and like an elderly neighbor, he began discussing a remedial plan with Wei Tu.

"With just a few seventh-tier magic pills, the magic crystals that rebellious daughter... my daughter took can all be recovered..."

"I'll leave this matter to Fellow Daoist Kou."

"Of course, I won't shortchange Fellow Daoist Kou on the matter of compensation..."

With a friendly expression, the Demon Lord Kui Dou took out some seventh-tier magic potions that he had prepared over the past hundred years from his storage artifact and handed them to Wei Tu one by one.

And to this.

Wei Tu naturally agreed without hesitation.

After all, his advancement to "Seventh-Rank Alchemist" was inseparable from the investment of the Demon Lord Kui Dou. In terms of alchemy, he naturally had to abide by the agreement and give the Demon Lord Kui Dou and the Kui Dou Chamber of Commerce the corresponding returns.

Secondly, refining pills for the Demon Lord Kuidou was not necessarily a bad thing for him.

He also urgently needed to earn alchemy "commissions" from the Demon Lord Kui Dou to enrich himself.

—Only with magic crystals can he purchase enough spiritual cultivation resources within the Heavenly Abyss Holy City.

……

After bidding farewell to the Demon Lord of the Dipper.

Wei Tu then returned to his cave dwelling, took out the array jade slip given to him by the "Big Boss," and carefully examined it.

But after a while.

His expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

The reason is simple: there are many of these array jade slips. But basically, they are all low-grade or mid-grade seventh-order magic array inheritances. There are none involving "high-grade seventh-order magic arrays".

"The chief... wouldn't deliberately play tricks on me in this matter. If he really wanted to offend me, he wouldn't have given me so many array jade slips... After all, just copying these 'array slips' would take a lot of time. Unless he's a seventh-level array master, it would be difficult for him to copy these 'array slips' that have been deliberately erased of the seventh-level high-grade array Dao inheritance in such an instant..."

"It seems that the Ancient Demons' higher-ups' control over various kinds of knowledge far exceeds my imagination... Even someone as noble as the Demon Lord is extremely lacking in access to higher-level knowledge..."

Wei Tu looked thoughtful as he pondered.

However, after thinking about it for a moment, he also felt it made sense.

The Spirit Realm is not free from knowledge blockades; it's just that as a "prodigy" of the Ten Spirit Clans, and possessing the inheritance of the Mysterious Spirit Fairy, he encountered no obstacles whatsoever in acquiring knowledge resources such as cultivation techniques and secret arts...

After leaving the human realm, the cultivators he encountered were either like him, members of the Ten Spirit Race, or direct descendants of the three great hegemonic races...

However, looking at the "Big Boss" and the Demon Lord of Kui Dou, although they are high-ranking Demon Lords, in fact, they are only considered to be at the "bottom" of the Demon Lords, and they do not have any major clans or forces behind them as their backing.

All resources must be earned through one's own hard work.

And coincidentally, the Ancient Demon Realm is an extremely closed pyramid structure—all resources are concentrated in the two holy cities, Tianyuan Holy City and Yuanguang Holy City. The strong remain strong, and the weak remain weak. This also makes it very difficult for lower-level Demon Lords to accumulate enough knowledge and resources to leapfrog to the level of "High-Level Demon Lord" or Demon Ancestor on their own.

Unless... you go and make a fortune by killing and robbing!
However—even if one harbors ruthless intentions and intends to kill and steal treasure, who would dare to make a move under the very noses of the Demon Ancestor and the Demon God?
"However, that's precisely why seventh-tier alchemists who can cross 'classes' through legitimate means... receive so much respect and courtesy from so many lower-level demon lords..." Wei Tu suddenly realized.

In a society where resources are highly concentrated, and... the upper echelons have the ability to suppress everything.

Social class, or "realm," becomes difficult to transcend.

Therefore, only those "spiritual professions" that possess a special skill, can earn a lot of magic crystals, and are different from other ordinary ancient demons can shine.

And coincidentally, alchemists are the profession most conducive to "class mobility" among all kinds of spiritual professions.

"but--"

"For me, this doesn't seem so bad; it's actually a great thing."

Wei Tu narrowed his eyes, pondering from the perspective of a beneficiary. (End of Chapter)