I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

"Thank you for your help, Senior Zi."

After a flash of thought, Wei Tu suppressed his emotions, and with a grateful expression, cupped his hands and bowed to the sky.

As soon as he finished speaking, the powerful Mahayana divine consciousness belonging to Zi Chi Jun, which had been lingering nearby, slowly disappeared in front of him.

Then, Wei Tu did not hesitate and immediately released his divine sense to investigate his current location.

He could vaguely sense that he had not left the spirit world, but he did not know the exact location he was in.

"We haven't left the Wind and Fire Continent yet; we're in the central part of it. This place... seems quite close to the Nanming Market where I last secluded myself?"

Half an hour later, after surveying the terrain over a thousand miles, Wei Tu finally gained a clear understanding of where he was.

Nanming Market was the place he chose to live in seclusion after he returned to the Spirit Realm and left the Xiayang Mountains where the Dark Serpent Clan lived.

There, he refined the 'Eighth-Order Dragon Marrow' obtained from the Three Races' Secret Realm and successfully comprehended the 'Dark Laws'...

“That’s right. Although this place is on the border of the territory controlled by the Snow Infant Clan, it is not far from the Human Race’s ‘Bloodstone Immortal Realm’... It can be considered the closest place to the Human Race’s territory in the Wind and Fire Continent.”

"If I were Zi Chi Jun, I would probably choose this place as my final resting place before I leave."

After a moment's thought, Wei Tu felt relieved.

The human realm is the only lower-level realm currently controlled by the human race in the spirit realm. Although it is not constantly 'monitored' by the human race's Mahayana cultivators, it is unlikely that Zi Chi Jun would risk offending Tie Tou Tuo by sending him directly to the human realm.

Because this involves diplomacy between the two ethnic groups.

Moreover, the treasures of the Nanhua Sect are extremely sensitive items... It is not advisable to let the human race in the spirit world know too much about them.

Even if he fails in his journey to the human realm, there is still room for maneuver. However, if the Purple Dragon Lord is involved, the problem will likely escalate to several levels.

Under normal circumstances...

Whether it's the spirit realm or the human realm to which the human race belongs, with his strength at the Integration Realm, he can come and go freely without worrying about any dangers or difficulties.

Of course, this is a rational consideration, and to put it bluntly and cruelly.

That is, no matter how much care Zi Chi Jun, a senior from the same realm, takes for him, it is impossible for him to be as meticulous as he is for his 'bloodline offspring'.

The fact that he was able to come to this 'Nanming Market' was already the greatest help he could give to his junior in the same field.

Although Zi Chi Jun didn't say what the road ahead would be like, the meaning was already very clear—he would have to rely entirely on his own efforts to get there.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have limited the timeframe to "within a hundred years." After all, reaching the human realm and retrieving the Nan Hua treasures wouldn't take a hundred years at all.

Fortunately, Wei Tu did not have too many "expectations" for Zi Chi Jun in this matter. After all, he was well aware of the principle that "mountains may crumble and people may run away."

Back in Longyan Immortal City, he only thought that Zi Chi Jun could help him escape the 'supervision' of the Feathered Dragon Clan and help him return to the human race... He never even considered that he could 'gain benefits' from cultivating himself.

"Besides, I am a human cultivator from the human realm who has ascended to the spirit realm. I don't need to rely on Lord Zichi's help to go to the human realm..."

Thinking of this, Wei Tu couldn't help but smile.

"However, it is not appropriate to go back directly under the name of Wei Tu in terms of specific identity."

Wei Tu gazed at the distant human territory, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.

This is not because he is hiding his true identity and unwilling to make a name for himself.

He is a genius who cultivates both body and magic at the Integration Realm, and there are very few like him in the entire Spirit Realm... If he becomes famous among humans again, it will inevitably arouse the suspicion of Lord Zi Chi.

It doesn't make sense. He just 'disappeared' from the Feathered Dragon Clan, and then a human prodigy named Wei Tu suddenly appeared on the other side.

Second.

These were the enemies he had made among the human race.

Ancient sage families are not to be trifled with.

Once his whereabouts are exposed, with the protection of Duan Jiu and others, their revenge will be difficult to bring upon him.

But... correspondingly, it will be difficult for him to avenge the years he was hunted down.

No one would be foolish enough to sit and wait for him to come to their door for revenge.

Moreover, given the relationship between the upper echelons of the human race and these ancient holy families, there is a considerable possibility that they might choose to protect Tianyan Shangren and others.

The normal approach is to assign blame to both sides equally.

In his eyes, it was a blood feud.

However, it is not the case in the eyes of others.

“We need to conceal our identities… First, we’ll use this identity to take the inter-realm teleportation array to the ‘Divine Fire Immortal Realm.’ Then, after settling matters in the human realm, we’ll return to the Holy Emperor Realm and seek an opportunity to deal with our enemies, such as Heavenly Flame Venerable…” Wei Tu stroked his chin, finalizing the plan one by one.

"This identity requires the assistance of someone who is a stranger to me but holds a high position among the human race. Otherwise, it will be difficult to evade the human race's scrutiny and obtain the qualification to ride the inter-immortal realm teleportation array."

After a moment's thought, Wei Tu quickly remembered the female weapon refiner from the human race whom he had met in the immortal city near Nanming Market last time—Lady Hai. She was the one who helped him repair the little monkey puppet.

Although this woman's origins are mysterious, the realm she has revealed and her extraordinary skill in weapon crafting are enough to prove that she comes from a prestigious family among the human race in the spirit realm.

……

Based on memories from hundreds of years ago.

Wei Tu quickly found the familiar weapon-refining workshop in the immortal city near Nanming Market.

Unfortunately, time flies, and the old shopkeeper who knew him has long since passed away. The shopkeeper in charge of this weapon-refining workshop has been replaced by a new person.

This man did not recognize his customer from hundreds of years ago.

"However, if you are referring to Madam Hai, our shop can still make some connections." After learning Wei Tu's purpose, the new shopkeeper hesitated for a moment before accepting the business.

"Oh? Fellow Daoist, aren't you afraid I'll hold you accountable because of this Lady Hai?" Wei Tu asked, slightly surprised.

Lady Hai is a human weapon refiner.

Because of the war between the human race and the Snow Infant Clan, this woman usually only serves regular customers in order to avoid suspicion and trouble. If it weren't for the fact that hundreds of years ago, he visited many weapon-refining workshops in the Immortal City and was quite sincere in repairing the little monkey puppet, and offered a generous reward, the old shopkeeper would not have easily agreed to that business.

But right now, he hasn't revealed his Nascent Soul realm, nor has he offered any substantial benefits...

"It seems that what you said earlier was true. You really did look for Lady Hai hundreds of years ago."

Upon hearing this, the new manager couldn't help but smile, and his gaze towards Wei Tu held a newfound trust.

"However, that matter is ancient history. Ever since the Refining Void Little Divine Lord kidnapped that Snow Clan Chief who was as beautiful as a celestial being... the Snow Infant Clan abandoned the Mist Ghost Clan and switched allegiance to the Human Clan, forming an alliance with them."

"After all, the hatred of having one's wife stolen is irreconcilable. No matter how arrogant the Snow Infant Clan is, they would not dare to stay with the Mist Ghost Clan for long."

"Therefore, human artisans like Lady Hai no longer need to hide their tracks and secretly take on business."

The new manager explained.

"So that's why." Upon hearing this, Wei Tu's face immediately showed a look of realization.

However, he never expected that the reason for this matter was closely related to his kidnapping of Xue Qiongyu back then.

It was he who forced the Snow Infant Clan to reverse its strategy, abandon the Mist Ghost Clan, and re-ally with the Human Race. This led to the gradual opening of the weapon-refining business in the Immortal City under the Snow Infant Clan's rule to human weapon makers.

Therefore... he could meet with Mrs. Hai directly without having to prove anything.

“But… the title of Refining Void Lesser Divine Lord…” Wei Tu’s expression became slightly strange.

This was the first time he had ever known his nickname.

"This name must originate from the Six Divine Sovereigns of the Fusion Realm. I wonder if, in the future, I will be the first to attain the Great Ascension Realm, or if the Six Divine Sovereigns of the Fusion Realm will be the first to attain the Great Ascension Realm..." Wei Tu thought boldly, his ambition growing in his heart.

The Six Divine Lords of the Fusion Realm are the six people considered by the 'Old Man of Goodness,' who is the first person below the Tribulation Transcending Realm, to be the most promising to break through to the Fusion Realm among all races in the Spirit Realm in the last ten thousand years.

When Elder Cunshan commented on these six people, they all possessed the late stage of the Integration Realm.

Now, four or five thousand years have passed.

It is speculated that these six individuals have likely reached the peak of the Integration Realm and are preparing to break through to the Mahayana Realm.

However, the Great Ascension Realm is not as simple as 'breaking through from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment' or 'breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core'. Breaking through these three realms cannot be achieved simply by accumulating time.

It is possible that this seemingly insurmountable step may be impossible to cross, even in death.

And this is the norm in the cultivation world.

The myriad races of the Spirit Realm are not lacking in Nascent Soul prodigies—at least over a period of tens of thousands of years, they are not lacking. However, for these Nascent Soul prodigies, breaking through to the Mahayana realm is extremely difficult, with only one in a hundred succeeding.

For example, the Panjiang Dragon Marquis that Wei Tu met when he followed the Great Princess to Xianlong City was a peerless genius in his youth.
However, after reaching the peak of the Fusion Realm, his momentum for breakthrough came to an abrupt halt, and he remained trapped in this state for who knows how many years.

If not.

At this moment, Wei Tu dared not be so arrogant as to think he could rival the "seniors" like the Six Divine Lords of the Integration Realm in terms of attaining the Mahayana Realm.

After all, the time it took him to reach the peak of the Fusion Realm was negligible compared to the time it took for the Six Divine Sovereigns of the Fusion Realm to attain the Mahayana Realm.

Although... this situation was extremely difficult for him as well.

……

The new manager of the weapon-refining workshop had no idea that his simple words involved Wei Tu's 'past'.

After a brief conversation with Wei Tu and receiving a sum of spirit crystals needed for Lady Hai's weapon crafting appointment, he didn't waste any time and immediately turned back to his house to contact Lady Hai using a communication artifact.

Two days later.

Wei Tu finally got to meet this old friend he had only met once hundreds of years ago.

The woman remained unchanged, still dressed in the same white cloak, her face shrouded in mist, with no trace of skin visible.

"It's you, fellow Daoist?" Madam Hai recognized Wei Tu. She looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected that Wei Tu would come to her again after hundreds of years.

"This time... are you planning to repair the puppet, or are you planning to forge some kind of magical artifact or spiritual treasure?"

She became wary, took a step back, and asked.

Hundreds of years ago, the 'puppet component' she helped Wei Tu forge was enough for her to see that Wei Tu was no ordinary person. After all, a puppet that could be so extravagant as to use 'Meteorite Heart Iron' as a puppet component... one can only imagine that its owner was extraordinary.

Now that Wei Tu has approached her again, it's easy to tell that it's not something "good news".

Because while there are few sixth-grade high-level weapon refiners like her in the world, they are not so rare that they are hard to find or indispensable.

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be nervous. I've come to see you this time simply to... borrow the human race's inter-immortal realm teleportation array in your name to travel to the Thunder Swamp Continent."

Wei Tu frankly stated his purpose for coming.

"A teleportation array across immortal realms?" Upon hearing this, Madam Hai couldn't help but frown.

As far as she knew, the long-distance teleportation array connecting the Windfire Continent to the Thunder Swamp Continent was not only possessed by the human race; other forces also rented it out to outsiders...

There was no need for Wei Tu to travel thousands of miles to the human realm and then, in her name, borrow the 'Inter-Immortal Realm Teleportation Array' to the Thunder Swamp Continent.

See this scene.

Wei Tu wasn't in a hurry. He narrowed his eyes, carefully examined Madam Hai in front of him, and then chuckled, "I wonder if Madam Hai knows... the name Wei Tu?"

"What? The name Wei Tu?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Hai's expression immediately changed.

She was not some closed-minded old-fashioned person; having mingled in various markets and immortal cities, her knowledge of news from all over the world far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators.

Wei Tu is precisely the most renowned human prodigy in the human realm over the past thousand years.

He is hailed as the second Jiang Lingzi.

He is recognized by all human cultivators as a cultivator with a very high chance of achieving the Body Integration Ascension within the next millennium!
"However... as far as I know, Wei Tu seems to have offended someone and was hunted down to his death. He hasn't shown his face for six or seven hundred years. That's what my fellow practitioners in Dangyang Mountain are secretly talking about."

Lady Hai gave Wei Tu a deep look and then, half-truthfully, revealed the information she knew.

"If I were to say that I was Wei Tu, and not only did I not die, but I also gained an opportunity and greatly improved my cultivation, would you, Madam, be willing to believe me?"

Wei Tu smiled faintly. He raised his hand and placed a restriction in the private room to block the surrounding senses. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he revealed his true face.

Upon seeing this scene.

Even though Mrs. Hai was somewhat prepared, she was still greatly shocked.

But she was also a smart woman. In that instant, she saw the "danger" here. After taking a small step back, she immediately put up a magical shield and looked at Wei Tu with a very wary expression.

They immediately adopted a posture of fleeing at the first sign of danger.

"What exactly does Fellow Daoist Wei mean?"

Mrs. Hai swallowed hard and asked warily.

Although she did not know Wei Tu's current level or strength, she knew that Wei Tu dared to say those words just now because he was definitely prepared to deal with any unexpected changes.

In Xiu's view, her counterattack was probably pitifully weak.

“Now that you know, Madam, I was hunted down and killed. Now that I have achieved great success in my cultivation... I must take revenge on those enemies…” Wei Tu smiled slightly and released his combined power during the conversation.

"A combined powerhouse..."

Instantly, Lady Hai's expression changed drastically.

At the same time, she also vaguely realized where the "enemy" Wei Tu mentioned came from.

Apart from the human race itself, there is no other choice!

Only enemies within the human race would seek out her, an 'old friend' they'd only met once hundreds of years ago, and ask her for help.

Because only with the help of someone with whom he has no vested interest can he travel to the human realm and approach his enemies in the least suspicious way.

"However, how did this cultivator determine that I have no connection with his enemies and would not be of any harm to him?" Madam Hai frowned secretly, unable to understand the profound reasoning behind this. (End of Chapter)