I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

"By resolutely refusing Fairy Jade Frost's invitation, Lin Tianqi is truly a powerful cultivator and a Mahayana disciple..."

At the same time, the group of powerful beings who had witnessed the triangular conversation between Wei Tu, Pei Hong, and Da Yuanshuang were also secretly amazed by Wei Tu's cold-heartedness.

Because not everyone has the confidence and self-control to refuse the tempting invitation from a beautiful and alluring fairy from the Ten Spirit Clan.

……

The unpleasantness with Da Yuan Shuang was merely a minor incident during a conversation between Wei Tu and Pei Hong.

After exchanging pleasantries for a short while...

At the invitation of Pei Hong and Consort Dayuan, Wei Tu flew into the inner island area of ​​Silver Canopy Island and sat in the second seat of the 'Combination Ceremony' to participate in the celebration of Pei Hong's breakthrough to the Combination Realm.

however.

Not long after I sat down...

Da Yuan Shuang then secretly apologized to Wei Tu via telepathy for her previous rudeness.

This apology was unexpected by Wei Tu. After all, given the Four-Armed Ape Clan's strength, they didn't need to be as cautious as the Mist Ghost Clan, afraid of displeasing him.

It should be noted that he had previously made his stance clear to Da Yuanshuang that he would not have any further entanglement or contact with such a 'malicious' female cultivator.

But soon, he realized something, and after a flash of insight, he readily accepted the woman's advances.

Firstly, times have changed.

Now, it's even more 'discreet'! There's no need to worry about angering Pei Hong, who was once engaged to this woman, and thus 'bringing trouble upon himself'.

Secondly, Da Yuan Shuang still has some use for him.

—The Mirage Realm is jointly governed by the two major 'Ten Spirit Clans': the Four-Armed Ape Clan and the Howling Sky Clan.

He wanted to enter this realm and find the hidden 'land of human inheritance' within it. The simplest way to do this was to use the power of this woman.

Previously, he had planned to leverage his past relationship with this woman to get her to help him. But now that she's so 'fickle,' using her is the quickest and most convenient way.

By establishing good relationships using this identity, one can seize the opportunity to secretly retrieve treasures from the 'Mirage Realm' next time.

……

The banquet for the 'Joint Ceremony' lasted for about half a day.

Pei Hong, who intended to befriend Wei Tu, seemed to have received permission from someone and finally made a bold move, speaking out about naked interests in an attempt to 'move' Wei Tu.

Of course, this statement was quite subtle and did not explicitly state that it was an attempt to lure someone with benefits.

"Brother Lin, are you aware of the 'Flying Cloud Gathering' held by the Eight Fiend Sea Clan in the distant sea? To be honest, my Mist Ghost Clan also participated in this Flying Cloud Gathering... and we have quite a bit of influence within it..."

"Brother Lin, since this trip is for travel, then taking the opportunity to visit the Eight Fierce Sea Clan and attend the Flying Cloud Gathering... will make the trip worthwhile."

"I, Pei, can make the decision to give Brother Lin a 30% discount on the final item in the auction."

Pei Hong smiled faintly and said.

"30% off?" Upon hearing this, Wei Tu's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but secretly marvel at Pei Hong's generosity.

He didn't know much about the "Flying Cloud Gathering" that the other party mentioned, but he did know a little about the "Eight Fierce Sea Clan" that the other party mentioned.

The Eight Fierce Sea Clan is a wild and untamed race located in the distant seas of the Spirit Realm, independent of the "Three Hegemons and Ten Spirits" system.

Unlike the former, whose 'racial bloodline' is passed down in an orderly manner, the 'Eight Fierce Sea Clan' is a huge group formed by various kinds of sea beasts in human form.

Or rather, they are not a distinct race, but merely a group called the Sea Clan. They are more like a powerful 'unaffiliated alliance' formed by sea beasts or sea monsters.

The leader of this "Rogue Cultivator Alliance" is none other than one of the "Eight Fiends" of the Eight Fiend Sea Clan, who has a formidable reputation in the Spirit Realm.

Among the Eight Fiends, there were no cultivators who had transcended tribulation, but there were quite a few immortals at the Mahayana realm, as many as two.

It is comparable to the powerful Ten Spirits Clan.

The remaining 'eight fierce beasts' were all at least at the peak of the Integration Realm, and were quite renowned in the Spirit Realm.

Therefore, it's not hard to imagine how high the grade and rarity of the treasures traded at the "Flying Cloud Festival" jointly held by the Mist Ghost Clan and the "Eight Fierce Sea Clan" would be.

This 30% discount is an absolute steal for Pei Hong and the Mist Ghost Clan.

"However, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice." Wei Tu frowned secretly, glancing at his storage magic artifact hidden in his sleeve, which was practically impoverished.

The grand finale item is 30% off – a rare and incredible opportunity.

Unfortunately, having just 'ascended', he had no spare resources to bid on any treasures before reclaiming his wealth hidden in the Divine Fire Immortal Realm.

However—Wei Tu's 'silence' was seen by Pei Hong as an invisible rejection.

"This Lin Tianqi is neither greedy for money nor lustful. It seems that he is valued by Lord Zichi far more than I imagined," Pei Hong thought to himself, his eyes flashing slightly.

"Of course, Brother Lin, there's no need to rush to reply to me on this matter. This Flying Cloud Gathering is held about once every hundred years, and there's still half a 60-year period before the next one... No need to rush."

"As long as Brother Lin is present, the 30% discount can be redeemed at any time."

Pei Hong pondered for a moment, then added this sentence.

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was naturally unwilling to let go of this opportunity easily.

What's more, this is actually gaining an advantage from Pei Hong, this 'enemy'.

"If time permits... half a century from now, I, Lin, will return to Silver Canopy Island and attend the Flying Cloud Gathering with Fellow Daoist Pei."

Wei Tu nodded in response.

Although Pei Hong thought these words sounded like empty boasting, he was still very happy and excited about them.

Building connections from the bottom up is never an easy task, no matter the time.

Although Wei Tu didn't give him a 'definite answer', the fact that he responded was already a big step forward in this direction.

"Half a century from now, regardless of whether Brother Lin comes or not, I, Pei, will host a banquet on Silver Canopy Island to await your esteemed presence..."

Pei Hong took a deep breath and, with a slightly humble tone, uttered this statement that greatly damaged his reputation.

Certainly, in his view, his path and prospects were no worse than Wei Tu's 'Great Clan Union,' and perhaps even better.

—Because his grandfather was doing everything in his power to train him to be the next Mahayana disciple of the Mist Demon clan.

In this respect, the 'resource advantage' is more than enough to make up for any gap in qualifications.

Moreover, he did not believe that there was such a large, unbridgeable gap in talent between himself and Wei Tu.

however--

Say a thousand words and ten thousand words.

As a member of a small clan who needed something from others, even if he had great potential to reach the Great Ascension stage, he had no choice but to bow his head and show obsequiousness in the face of Wei Tu, this 'dominant clan member'.

But Wei Tu heard these words.

His expression remained unchanged, calm and composed.

At that moment, he nodded slightly, indicating that he had taken the words to heart.

His arrogance was palpable.

This is simply the behavior expected of a powerful being from the Feathered Dragon Clan who has achieved a combined power.

"As expected of a combined power of the overlords..."

Seeing this, Pei Hong felt a chill in his heart, and a barely perceptible cold glint appeared deep in his eyes. At this moment, the corner of his slightly pursed lips was also 'humiliated', with a shallow bloodstain appearing from being bitten.

……

half a month later.

The 'Combination Ceremony' celebrating Pei Hong's breakthrough has come to an end.

Faced with Pei Hong and Consort Da Yuan's attempts to persuade him to stay, Wei Tu only said a few polite words before resolutely declining.

Then, he mingled with the crowd, amidst the praise and effusive words of the cultivators of the same level around him, and soared into the sky, transforming into a streak of azure light, leaving Silver Canopy Island.

But at that moment, Da Yuanfei, whose eyes flashed with blue light and who was quite skilled in the Spirit Eye Technique, also saw Wei Tu, who had transformed into a blue rainbow and left. He joined forces with the four-armed ape clan delegation led by Da Yuanshuang outside Silver Canopy Island, and together they flew towards the direction of the Wind and Fire Continent.

"That girl knows how to seduce men. I wonder what method she used to seduce Lin Tianqi into traveling with her..."

Empress Da Yuan sneered and, as if no one else was around, said this to Pei Hong beside her.

"Lin Tianqi is not interested in women and is full of arrogance, a combination of the traits of a powerful clan... No matter how much my cousin tries, I'm afraid she will have a hard time luring Lin Tianqi into a trap."

However, Pei Hong, upon hearing this, seemed to disregard his former fiancée's 'betrayal,' and spoke with a faint, cold smile.

"Indeed, there are countless beautiful female cultivators within the Feathered Dragon Clan. As a non-direct descendant of the Feathered Dragon Clan, Lin Tianqi, according to the clan's tradition, would be betrothed to a princess of the same clan... as a Daoist partner..."

"Even if your cousin wanted to climb up this social ladder, she wouldn't have the chance."

Upon hearing this, Consort Dayuan nodded in deep agreement, harboring no concern whatsoever about the relationship between Wei Tu and Dayuan Shuang.

"However, what pleases your mother the most is the rapid growth of your character after what happened with Shuang'er and Xue Qiongyu..."

Princess Da Yuan looked at her beloved son, whom she regarded as her savior, with a look of satisfaction in her eyes.

"I understand the principle that women are like clothes. Lou Boyang abducted Xue Qiongyu... This matter has already made me a laughing stock in the spirit world..."

"No matter how bad things are in the world, there is probably nothing more humiliating than this, which can temper me more."

Pei Hong shook his head slightly. Standing in mid-air with his hands behind his back, he exuded an unusual calmness and composure.

It seemed that apart from the 'path' and 'family business', nothing else could hold his attention anymore.

……

same moment.

Wei Tu, who was traveling with Da Yuanshuang back to the 'Wind and Fire Continent', also mentioned Pei Hong more or less during their conversation.

After all, Pei Hong was the main protagonist of this 'Joint Ceremony'. The 'connection' between the two of them originated from Pei Hong.

"As far as I know, Fellow Daoist Pei Hong's momentum to break through to the Integration Realm was almost completely severed a thousand years ago after the human race suffered a setback..."

"How could you suddenly break through to the Integration Realm?"

Wei Tu casually and indirectly inquired about information regarding Da Yuan Shuang's affairs.

"It seems that Fellow Daoist Lin's sudden interest in going to Silver Canopy Island to attend my cousin's Body Integration Ceremony... stems from his interest in the legendary opportunities on Silver Canopy Island..."

Da Yuan Shuang's eyes flashed, and she immediately guessed Wei Tu's thoughts.

“Fairy Yu Shuang is wise. My trip to Silver Canopy Island to attend Pei Hong’s fusion ceremony was a pretense; my real purpose was to investigate the inside story of this matter…”

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu smiled faintly and admitted his 'little thought'.

However, things didn't go as Oobuchi Shimo had imagined.

His inquiry was not only out of genuine interest, but also to deliberately mislead Da Yuanshuang and conceal the true reason for his presence on Silver Canopy Island.

The excuse of traveling cannot fool a clever person like 'Da Yuan Shuang'.

If his interactions with Da Yuanshuang ended on Silver Canopy Island, the matter would be insignificant. But the key issue is... in the subsequent 'Illusory Realm,' he would more or less need to rely on this woman's background and deal with her extensively.

The sooner potential problems are resolved, the better.

And being "driven by profit" is infinitely better than any other excuse.

"This matter involves the secrets of the Mist Ghost Clan. Even though I have a close relationship with the Mist Ghost Clan... I cannot know everything... However, tens of thousands of years ago, when Ancestor Pei broke through to the Mahayana Realm, as far as I know, he seemed to have used some bloody demonic methods..."

Da Yuan Shuang pondered for a moment before replying.

These words seemed to offer no explanation, yet they also seemed to answer everything.

"The answer lies in the riddle itself?" Upon hearing this, Wei Tu raised an eyebrow and instantly understood the matter.

"The power of a clan is indeed extraordinary."

Wei Tu narrowed his eyes, gazing at the large, isolated spiritual island overseas, shaped like a hibiscus flower and enveloped by the 'Mahayana Restriction', and muttered to himself, "Ruthless."

From beginning to end, there were no opportunities or good fortunes on Silver Canopy Island.

Pei Hong's breakthrough was not due to anything else, but rather to the millions of fellow cultivators on Silver Canopy Island who had been slaughtered by human cultivators...

With such a huge 'sacrifice', a minor injury to the soul at the Void Refinement stage is naturally not difficult to heal.

However, just as Wei Tu was about to end the conversation and take the opportunity to bid farewell to Da Yuan Shuang and go alone.

Suddenly—a sentence spoken by the woman caught his attention.

"More than six hundred years ago, Lou Boyang stirred up trouble within the Xueying Clan and abducted Xue Qiongyu... I wonder if Fellow Daoist Lin has heard of this?"

"I've heard that this cultivator is Lou Boyang, the demonic cultivator who once slaughtered an entire city in Dingyuan Immortal City. And this demonic cultivator... has been hunted down by the Feathered Dragon Clan for hundreds of years since the Dinghai Immortal Ruins Secret Realm closed. I wonder if this fiend... has perished by now?"

The words fell.

Wei Tu felt a slight tremor in his heart.

The reason is simple: because of the [Boundary-Severing Stone] and the [Seven Mystic Demonic Bodies] in his possession, all the races of the Spirit Realm will mistakenly believe that the cultivator who abducted Xue Qiongyu is Lou Boyang, the Fusion Demonic Cultivator whose 'reputation' was previously known in the Spirit Realm...

But... on this matter, Da Yuan Shuang, who had worked with him in the 'Little Spirit Realm', would never mistake him.

This woman must know that the so-called 'Lou Boyang' is Wei Tu, the human cultivator who ascended to the Spirit Realm.

“She is… my only weakness.” Wei Tu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold glint and a hint of killing intent flashed deep within them.

The frost of the Great Abyss will not be removed for even a day.

His identity as "Wei Tu" must remain hidden from the light of day.

"Fortunately, my current identity as a 'Lin Tianqi' from the Zichen Realm is enough to deceive her and protect me."

A moment later, thinking of Wei Tu here, he suppressed the murderous intent in his heart. With his excellent self-control, he still showed a faint smile on his face at this moment, unchanged in the slightest.

"To be honest, I am new to the Spirit Realm and not very familiar with its past."

Wei Tu sighed softly, and then recounted his past as a 'remnant of the Purple Palace Realm'.

After explaining.

He then tentatively asked, "Is it because Fairy Yu Shuang is so interested in Lou Boyang that he has done something to harm the Four-Armed Ape Clan, or... has he had a grudge against Fairy Yu Shuang?"

After speaking, he stared intently at Da Yuan Shuang, trying to discern her true thoughts from her face. (End of Chapter)