I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

Even though he still has a 'Yinlingzhi Horse' that he hasn't used, with just this one item, he can only reach the late stage of the Fusion Realm at most... He is far from the peak of the Fusion Realm.

Moreover, cultivation also takes time, and this time is destined to be quite long; several hundred years is nothing unusual.

"Let's take it one step at a time..."

Wei Tu shook his head, took a deep breath, suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and began to devote himself wholeheartedly to recovering from his injuries.

One year.

Two years...

In the blink of an eye, spring has gone and autumn has come.

Wei Tu's injuries also began to gradually heal. Although he was still far from being at his peak, the new flesh and blood on his body proved that his physical depletion was not as severe as it had been two years ago.

Meanwhile, during these two years, with his vast divine sense at the Integration Realm, Wei Tu gradually learned some information about this place and found out where he was.

At this moment, the oasis he was in was named after the spiritual lake at its very center, and was called 'Xiaolu Lake Island'.

Of course, this is not the only place that uses this naming convention; other oases further afield also use the name of the Linghu Lake within their borders, hence the name Huzhou.

It seems that every oasis in this desert is near a sizable sacred lake.

As for larger geographical units...

The natives of Xiaoluhu Prefecture knew nothing about it.

Even this vast desert, which they named the 'Cloud Mist Desert,' seems to have been completely explored by these low-level native cultivators, who have ventured out to other parts of this world.

“Logically speaking, cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage should already possess the ability to travel through a realm, and would not be so short-sighted… Moreover, the Nascent Soul stage is merely the pinnacle of cultivation for cultivators in Xiaoluhu Prefecture.”

Wei Tu raised an eyebrow, vaguely understanding that this Cloud Mist Desert was no ordinary place; it was very likely a dangerous and impassable wasteland in this world.

Only this reason can explain why the natives in the 'Cloudy Desert' are so ignorant, unable to even know the name of the realm they live in.

However, this has little to do with Wei Tu.

With his current strength, most dangerous places are practically flat ground for him, so there is no need to worry too much about them or fear that he will have difficulty leaving.

Time continued to flow slowly like this.

until--

Several rainbow-like rays of light descended from the sky and landed on 'Xiaoluhuzhou'.

These rainbow-like auras were all extraordinary, including both men and women, and most of them were at the Nascent Soul stage.

"Selecting true disciples within the sect..." Wei Tu, with his keen senses, easily picked up on this information from the conversation of the group of cultivators.

At first, he didn't take it seriously. After all, it was a common occurrence for powerful forces to come to their territories to select cultivators and absorb fresh blood.

But soon, when he heard that the selection criteria were based on some kind of 'sacred beast bloodline', he could no longer sit still.

The reason is simple: within the several realms near the Radiant Realm, it seems only the Heavenly Demon Realm, a major power, values ​​those 'demon cultivator bloodlines' in such a way…

The Heavenly Demon Realm happens to be adjacent to the Radiant Glory Realm.

"Could it be... that this time, tearing open the spatial rift, I was accidentally teleported to the Heavenly Demon Realm?" Wei Tu's heart stirred, and he was secretly delighted.

Firstly, the 'Heavenly Demon Realm' is a secluded place for demon cultivators, and under normal circumstances, it does not get involved in the struggles between the major forces of the Ancient Demon Realm.

Therefore, his reputation is not known to the world, and most cultivators are unaware of it.

Ironically, the woman he offended, Lady Wanmiao, was from the 'Qihuo God Clan,' one of the divine races, and her influence in the ancient demon realm was extremely strong.

Therefore, if this place is the 'Heavenly Demon Realm', it would be a good place for him to hide from pursuit.

Secondly, there was his Daoist partner, 'Luqiu Qingfeng'.

After this woman ascended to immortality, she was apparently guided by cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Realm and joined the Heavenly Demon Realm.

If he were in this realm, he would have a good chance of finding Luqiu Qingfeng again.

"But... under what identity should we legitimately contact the forces here?" Wei Tu frowned, pondering this question.

In such a remote place, a cultivator from elsewhere, especially a Nascent Soul cultivator, would inevitably attract too much attention.

He didn't want to be tested by the local forces so soon after arriving, or even to harbor ill intentions.

But soon——

As he saw that with the arrival of this group of cultivators, various kinds of escape lights gradually appeared near 'Xiaoluhu Prefecture', participating in this 'True Inheritor Selection', and he gradually had some ideas in his mind.

It is clear that this selection of true disciples, although based on the bloodline of sacred beasts, is not limited to a single family or clan... but rather expands to cultivators from all realms in the entire Xiaoluhu Prefecture and even other nearby oases.

“And I happen to possess the ‘True Dragon Bloodline’…” Wei Tu’s eyes flashed, and with a flick of his sleeve, he stepped out of the inner space of the pearl, blending into the group of cultivators from other states who had come to participate in this grand event, all at the Golden Core stage.

With his shrewdness, he quickly became acquainted with several cultivators from other states and gleaned more information about the matter from them.

Just as Wei Tu had initially thought, these cultivators from other states, like the cultivators from Xiaoluhu State, knew nothing about the Heavenly Demon Realm or its name.

All he knew was that he possessed a hidden sacred beast bloodline from birth, and that this bloodline offered a chance to stand out in the Feather Saint Sect's 'True Disciple Tournament'...

It can allow you to defy fate and change your destiny!

Without a doubt, those Nascent Soul cultivators who suddenly appeared belonged to the Feather Saint Sect.

“Descendants of demon cultivators! Or rather… descendants of great demons!” Only then did Wei Tu realize that these seemingly ordinary native cultivators all possessed this extraordinary quality.

However, because the Xiaoluhu Prefecture where he lived was too remote, or perhaps the talented descendants of demon cultivators had already been selected by the Yusheng Sect, he had not discovered this in the past few years.

"Could it be that this place is a forbidden zone set up by the Feather Saint Sect to 'raise' these demon cultivator descendants?" Wei Tu's eyes flickered, harboring a secret guess.

One can tell that autumn is coming just by seeing a single leaf.

If the cultivators of the Feather Saint Sect who are responsible for testing these descendants of great demons are all so extraordinary, mostly at the Nascent Soul stage, then wouldn't there possibly be cultivators at the Integration stage among the higher-ups of this sect?
If you reach the first stage of the Fusion Realm...

Logically and emotionally, if someone truly cared about these native cultivators in the Cloud Mist Desert, they wouldn't withhold any information from the outside world.

However, despite realizing this and guessing that the so-called 'selection of true disciples' was potentially dangerous, Wei Tu remained calm and appeared not particularly afraid.

After all, he was now powerful enough to contend with the 'Demon Ancestor', so he wouldn't be afraid of the mere Feather Saint Sect.

"Furthermore..." Wei Tu glanced at the group of Nascent Soul cultivators from the Feather Saint Sect floating in the air in the distance, their faces exuding nobility, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

He never fights a battle unprepared.

This time, he disguised himself as a native to participate in this 'True Disciple Selection' only to obtain a suitable identity in this world for easier movement, and it does not mean that he will not use any despicable means during this period.

"Suanni bloodline...inferior grade, unqualified."

"Red Demon Bloodline... Inferior grade, unqualified."

"..."

Meanwhile, as Wei Tu mingled into the crowd and lined up to participate in the 'Sacred Beast Bloodline' test, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Feather Saint Sect also began to use their magical artifacts to examine the Sacred Beast Bloodline within the bodies of the native cultivators in front of them.

Unsurprisingly, the 'sacred beast bloodline' within these native cultivators was extremely weak, mostly of inferior quality, with very few capable of catching the eye of the Nascent Soul stage cultivators of the Feather Saint Sect.

During this period, as Wei Tu expected, the 'True Dragon Bloodline' was also detected among these native cultivators.

After all, dragons are inherently lustful, and as the most numerous true spirits in the cultivation world who also enjoy dual cultivation, the bloodline of the dragon descendants will naturally not be absent from this Cloud Desert.

soon.

After passing by nearly a hundred native monks.

Then it was Wei Tu's turn to step forward.

"True Dragon Bloodline, Top Grade?" Instantly, the Nascent Soul cultivator from the Feather Saint Sect, who was in charge of examining the 'Sacred Beast Bloodline' within Wei Tu's body, had his eyes light up and a look of surprise on his face.

Unlike other bloodlines, the descendants of the true dragon are the most numerous, and also the most prone to having mixed or inferior bloodlines.

Conversely, if it is a superior true dragon bloodline, it also means that its value is the highest among all the 'sacred beast bloodlines'.

Because its numbers are far too many among all the 'sacred beast bloodlines,' naturally, the supernatural powers, secret techniques, cultivation methods, and spiritual objects created based on this bloodline will also be the most numerous.

"My name is Zhong Yi. From now on, you will be a cultivator of my Iron Wing Peak."

A moment later, the Nascent Soul cultivator from the Feather Saint Sect seemed to realize something. His expression changed, and he quickly took out a jade tablet engraved with the words "Iron Wing Peak" from his robes and handed it to Wei Tu, instructing Wei Tu to refine it with his blood.

Upon seeing this, the native cultivators around Wei Tu immediately showed envy in their eyes.

He was able to gain the favor of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

For Wei Tu, whose Golden Core was only a small elixir, this was a meteoric rise.

"Thank you very much, Senior Zhong." Wei Tu bowed and expressed his gratitude.

Then, at Zhong Yi's prompting, he, as a member of Iron Wing Peak, silently stood on this cultivator's back.

Half a day later.

This round of testing has now concluded.

Wei Tu then followed Zhong Yi to meet the other Nascent Soul cultivators of the Feather Saint Sect on this trip.

These Nascent Soul cultivators from the Feather Saint Sect congratulated Zhong Yi with cupped hands and then told him about their gains from the trip.

"Top-grade Moon Fox bloodline?" Wei Tu's eyes widened in surprise, and he followed the gazes of the other cultivators to the charming young girl standing in the corner, looking somewhat lost.

This woman's cultivation level was one level lower than the 'Golden Core' level he had revealed; she was only at the Foundation Establishment level.

In terms of age, he doesn't seem to be under 100.

Therefore, in terms of mindset, she is closer to a girl of real age than to a shrewd old man like him.

"Although both are of fox clan blood, she is quite different from Xu Qingxuan..." Wei Tu shook his head secretly, subconsciously recalling the charming female fox clan cultivator he had met in the spirit realm.

And after this identity was revealed.

Soon, the group of native cultivators who had been brought here also surrounded the woman like stars around the moon, and began to socialize with her.

There's no other reason than that this woman, possessing the finest Moon Fox bloodline, is destined to shine brightly and have a promising future within the Feather Saint Sect.

At this moment, Zhong Yi, seeing Wei Tu's indifferent expression, frowned slightly and immediately reminded Wei Tu to interact with this woman more.

“Female cultivators with the Moon Fox bloodline have the most nourishing Yin energy, making them the most suitable candidates to be cultivation partners. If you can establish a relationship with this Ruan Shui’er and welcome her into your family, you can save at least half of your cultivation time in the future…” Zhong Yi said in a tone of disappointment.

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Zhong, but I feel... this might not be the right time." Wei Tu cupped his hands in thanks, not refuting the words, but instead expressing his gratitude to Zhong Yi.

only--

Perhaps it was Wei Tu's unconventional behavior that made Ruan Shui'er, who was being 'besieged' by everyone, notice him to some extent at this moment.

However, due to the entanglement of those around her, the woman hesitated for a moment and did not immediately go up to speak to Wei Tu, so as not to cause him any trouble.

Half an hour later.

After their meeting ended, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Feather Saint Sect stopped talking and, led by the native Nascent Soul cultivator from Xiaolu Lake Prefecture, went to their temporary cave to rest.

At this moment, Wei Tu, who remained in Zhong Yi's cave, also had a flash of inspiration and immediately took action.

With a flicker of his figure, he silently left the cave and arrived at another adjacent cave.

This cave dwelling was actually inhabited by another Nascent Soul cultivator of the Feather Saint Sect, who was of the same generation as Zhong Yi.

"Go!" Wei Tu raised his sleeve, and the red-feathered ghost insect king that he had taken from the Seven Treasures Demon Ancestor immediately flapped its wings and flew out from his sleeve, landing gracefully inside the cave.

Next, after the insect spewed out a mouthful of red illusionary mist, the Nascent Soul cultivator within it seemed to be under some kind of illusion, and his expression immediately became quite dazed.

"Without the Rebirth Realm, and without those hundreds of millions of red-feathered ghost insects casting spells together, this 'Rebirth Realm Illusion' is unlikely to cause a Nascent Soul cultivator to fall instantly... but it's still more than enough to deal with a mere Nascent Soul cultivator..." Wei Tu smiled faintly.

After doing all this.

Then, without hesitation, he immediately inquired about everything concerning the 'Feather Saint Sect' and its connection to the 'Heavenly Demon Realm'.

Wei Tu, after hearing this intelligence...

His expression gradually became more serious.

Just as he suspected, the Feather Saint Sect was indeed deliberately imprisoning these native cultivators of the 'Cloud Mist Desert'.

However, it was not out of 'malice', but to ensure the purity of the 'sacred beast bloodline' in the bodies of these native cultivators and to prevent these native cultivators from flowing out.

Because—the more 'ignorant' someone is, the easier it is for the Feather Saint Sect to 'control' them, turning them into a talent pool for the Feather Saint Sect to collect 'sacred beast bloodlines'.

The Feather Saint Sect has two purposes in collecting this talent pool:

Besides training their own sect's cultivators, the purpose was to provide tribute to higher-level 'powers'.

This power is none other than the infamous 'Heavenly Demon Realm'!
Indeed, the Cloud Mist Desert and the place where the Feather Saint Sect is located are not the 'Heavenly Demon Realm', but a smaller realm that is adjacent to the 'Heavenly Demon Realm'.

This realm is called the 'Black Cloud Minor Realm', a small interface controlled by the Heavenly Demon Realm.

What made Wei Tu frown deeply was...

The Heavenly Demon Realm's demand for the Feather Saint Sect to offer these 'sacred beast bloodlines' seems to have a more complex purpose than it appears.

Some of them seemed to have had their bloodlines stripped away by cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Realm, leading to their deaths.

For this reason, in the last thousand years, the Feather Saint Sect has shifted a significant portion of its cultivation of 'sacred beast bloodlines' to clandestine training, severing their contact with the forces of the Heavenly Demon Realm...

In this respect, Yu Shengzong has certainly done nothing wrong.

However, this also seems to have indirectly cut off his direct contact with the 'Heavenly Demon Realm'.

Because he, and Ruan Shui'er, and this group of 'sacred beast bloodlines' were also being secretly cultivated by the Feather Saint Sect as future sect seeds. (End of this chapter)