I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

Meanwhile, Wei Tu, who was eavesdropping on the conversation between the two, only frowned slightly after hearing what Shaluo Nu said, and did not say anything more.

Firstly, with his divine sense, he could only hear the voice of the Shaluo woman who was at the same level as him. He could hardly hear the old woman's voice transmission, which was at the late stage of the Void Refinement realm.

His divine sense, which was slightly above the peak of the Void Refinement stage and comparable to the half-step Integration stage, was far from being that powerful.

Therefore, he only knew half of the logic behind their conversation, and he would not be prejudiced against the woman because of this one-sided account.

Secondly, it judges actions rather than intentions.

Whispers about third parties are never pleasant to hear.

Fortunately, their conversation ended quickly, and Wei Tu did not hear any further "bad words" directed at him.

Next, the woman dismissed the old woman and her maids, and as she had just said, she began to personally receive Wei Tu and escort him to the guest cave to stay.

This woman was very approachable. Along the way to the guest elder's cave, many snake-man cultivators greeted her, and she responded to each one with a kind expression, without any airs.

This changed Wei Tu's opinion of the woman considerably.

"Fellow Daoist Fu, the Dark Serpent Clan's territory also has many interesting places... If you have time before the Dragon Transformation Assembly begins, I can act as your host and take you on a tour..."

Half a day later, after helping Wei Tu with the miscellaneous tasks of settling into the guest cave, Sha Luo Nu's eyes flickered slightly, as if she had thought of something, and she invited Wei Tu with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu did not hesitate to politely refuse Sha Luo Nu.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Princess."

"At this moment, although there are only two years left until the Dragon Transformation Conference, I, Fu, am not willing to waste them..."

As soon as these words fell.

The woman's pink face stiffened slightly.

Although she made it clear to "Aunt Zuo" that she would not consider Wei Tu as a future husband, she was still quite upset that Wei Tu had rejected her so decisively after just one invitation.

You must know, she is a rare beauty among the snake people. Apart from the nine noble tribes, she can only refuse others.

However, considering Wei Tu's "ascetic" persona, she gritted her teeth for a moment before holding back.

For ascetics, romantic love is far less important than spiritual cultivation.

In the eyes of the ascetic, she was probably no different from Aunt Zuo.

Little did she know that if it weren't for her private conversation with Aunt Zuo earlier, Wei Tu wouldn't be behaving so coldly at this moment.

This wasn't because Wei Tu was petty, but because of his closeness to this woman, and since there was a risk of interfering in the internal affairs of the Dark Serpent Clan, he naturally chose to distance himself from her.

His only goal was to use the Dark Serpent Clan's ultra-long-distance teleportation array to save time in getting to the Snow Infant Clan!

As for the opportunity at the "Dragon Transformation Pool"...

Whether you get it or not is not that important.

……

"This guy surnamed Fu has a really bad personality."

After bidding farewell to Wei Tu and flying away from the guest elder's cave, the bright smile on Sha Luo Nu's face immediately disappeared, replaced by a look of displeasure.

She understood, but she was still annoyed and secretly angry at Wei Tu's blunt rejection.

Secondly, this also goes against her plan to develop Wei Tu into a future connection. After all, if they can't even get close to each other, how can she ask him for help in the future?

However, from a distance, "Aunt Zuo" and several older snake-man cultivators, who had been observing this scene through their magical artifacts, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"This fellow surnamed Fu is quite sensible; he knows the princess is not someone he can approach... unlike Li Yang and Du Hai, who are like toads trying to eat swan meat, desperately trying to win the princess's favor..."

The old woman snorted coldly, her face turning ugly.

The two people she mentioned, "Li Yang" and "Du Hai," were other external aids that the Dark Serpent Clan had invited for this Dragon Transformation Conference.

Like Wei Tu.

These two are also Void Refinement prodigies under ten thousand years old.

However, he is still a long way from being the ideal husband for the Dark Serpent Clan.

After all, a prodigy from a small place is insignificant to a powerful clan. Moreover, the resources and opportunities that a powerful clan can provide are far beyond what one could obtain by investing in a Void Refinement cultivator from a humble background.

"After the Dragon Transformation Ceremony concludes, if these two still don't know what's good for them, then secretly play the villain and teach them a lesson, so they'll stay away from Shaluo Nu on their own..."

"We cannot let them ruin the clan's grand plan!"

At this moment, an old cultivator in red robes with withered white hair and a gloomy aura suddenly appeared beside Aunt Zuo and the others. He sighed softly and said in a cold tone.

"Yes, old man."

Upon hearing this, the older snake-man cultivators surrounding Aunt Zuo were visibly delighted and nodded in agreement.

These words had barely left his lips.

In the scene that appeared from the magical artifact, two streaks of light suddenly appeared in the air above where the Shaluo woman was. These two streaks of light landed on the left and right of the Shaluo woman, eager to get close to her.

After the light faded, two handsome young cultivators emerged from within.

One of them had bat wings and black snake scales on its arms, and its spiritual pressure was at the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm.

One of them, like the Shaluo woman, had a snake tail, but had an extra single horn, and his spiritual pressure was at the early stage of the Void Refinement realm.

These were the two people, "Li Yang" and "Du Hai," mentioned by Aunt Zuo and other high-ranking members of the Dark Serpent Clan.

"Lan'er, did that newly recruited guest elder anger you? Tell me, and I'll go find him and get back at him." The bat-winged youth said angrily and indignantly.

This statement also came from his heart.

He was eager to prove his strength to the Shaluo woman and tell the high-ranking members of the Dark Serpent Clan that he was the strongest among the external aids invited by the Dark Serpent Clan.

Hearing this, although Shaluo disliked the man's "recklessness," she felt a little more comfortable.

Right or wrong is not important; what matters is one's stance.

However, before she could reply and rebuke the bat-winged youth—after all, she couldn't really let him make a move—the one-horned youth standing next to her also spoke up in a sinister tone.

“Fellow Daoist Li, the Dragon Transformation Assembly is an important event for the Dark Serpent Clan. You are now stirring up internal strife and targeting Fellow Daoist Fu... If you don’t know, you might think you are standing up for Lan’er. If you do know, you would probably think differently.”

"Du Hai, don't try to scare me. Are you worried that this place is inhabited by the Dark Serpent Clan? Just because of what you said, I, Li, will hunt you down for decades..." The bat-winged youth sneered and threatened.

In an instant, the two were locked in a fierce confrontation.

This made the woman, who had just felt comfortable, furrow her brows slightly, sensing that the two were being too obvious in their intentions.

"Far inferior to Fellow Daoist Fu." She shook her head inwardly, mentally condemning the two of them to death.

Even though she knew that these two weren't as foolish and jealous as they seemed—they approached her not only for her beauty, but also out of ambition to inherit the Dark Serpent Clan's vast legacy and gain more cultivation resources...

But this underlying reason undoubtedly made her even more disgusted.

In comparison, Wei Tu, who focused solely on his cultivation, never competed or fought for anything, and even avoided talking to her, was clearly on a completely different level than the other two.

……

Two years have passed in a flash.

Soon, they arrived at the "Dragon Transformation Assembly" of the Dark Serpent Clan, Red Dragon Clan, and Wood Lizard Clan in the Xiayang Mountains.

On the eve of departure, Wei Tu emerged from his seclusion in the cave, maintaining his aloof personality and keeping everyone at arm's length.

Seeing this, Shaluo Nu naturally wouldn't bother talking to Wei Tu anymore. After leading Wei Tu into Aunt Zuo's spirit boat and taking a seat, she closed her eyes to rest with a cold expression.

A moment later, the bat-winged youth and the one-horned youth, who had never met Wei Tu before but had been detected by him with his divine sense, arrived inside the spirit boat under the guidance of other snake-man cultivators.

Of course, the number of cultivators participating in this Dragon Transformation Conference was far more than just the four Void Refinement cultivators, including Wei Tu.

Besides Wei Tu and others, the Dark Serpent Clan also has other cultivators at the Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation stages, as well as external support.

However, to show the prestige of Wei Tu and the others, these lower- and middle-level cultivators were not allowed to crowd into the flying boat together.

"Can't see through."

After taking their seats, the bat-winged youth who had previously intended to cause trouble for Wei Tu also secretly used his divine sense to spy on Wei Tu, wanting to find out Wei Tu's background.

But after observing for a while, his expression changed slightly, and his gaze toward Wei Tu became more serious.

In his divine sense, Wei Tu was like a wisp of fog, impossible to see clearly. His cultivation level seemed to be either the early stage of the Void Refinement realm or the middle stage.

"I heard this kid is only eight thousand years old... There's a world of difference between an early-stage Void Refinement cultivator and a mid-stage Void Refinement cultivator at eight thousand years old." The bat-winged youth narrowed his eyes, no longer having any intention of competing with Wei Tu.

Although he was also at the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm, which was "limited to ten thousand years old," he was only one or two hundred years away from ten thousand years old, and was two thousand years older than Wei Tu!
The difference in aptitude is far greater than the difference between him and an ordinary cultivator.

"Fortunately, this boy doesn't care about the Shaluo woman." The bat-winged youth secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Like the bat-winged youth, the one-horned youth had stopped paying much attention to Wei Tu two years ago after learning that Wei Tu hadn't pursued Sha Luo Nu like he had. Now, sensing that Wei Tu was quite powerful, he dared not cause any trouble.

But this scene, as seen by Shaluo Nu, undoubtedly made her even more convinced of her judgment from two years ago.

The four people inside the airship lived peacefully without exchanging a word.

More than ten days later, they arrived at a huge square surrounded by mountains on all sides.

Meanwhile, the Wood Lizard Clan, one of the three clans, had already arrived. Several Wood Lizard Clan elders, hovering in the air, looked at the flying boat carrying Wei Tu and his companions. After a moment, a relaxed expression appeared on their faces.

"Just like the intelligence reports, in the battle at the Void Refinement level, in addition to their own clan's Shaluo Nu, the Dark Serpent Clan also invited Li Yang and Du Hai from other clans... Although the remaining person has never been seen, his cultivation level is only at the mid-Void Refinement stage, and he is not worth mentioning."

"Indeed! This time, my Wood Lizard Clan has traveled a great distance to invite a cultivator from the 'Two-Winged Serpent Clan.' In terms of talent and bloodline, the Two-Winged Serpent Clan is a major clan second only to the nine great tribes..."

As soon as the words fell, the elders of the Wood Lizard Clan involuntarily turned their divine senses toward a bald man holding a sword sitting among their people, and a hint of satisfaction appeared on their faces.

At the same time, Aunt Zuo, who was standing on the deck of the flying boat, also sensed the Void Refinement combat power of the Wood Lizard Clan.

She frowned slightly and asked the Shaluo woman telepathically, "It's Mao An from the Twin-Winged Serpent Clan—I never imagined that after defecting from the Twin-Winged Serpent Clan, he would become an ally of the Wood Lizard Clan… Princess, are you confident in dealing with this cultivator? I heard that three hundred years ago, he took a mysterious evil cultivator as his master, and now, judging from his cultivation level, he has already advanced to the late stage of the Void Refinement Realm…"

"With the spiritual treasure passed down by my master, I still have the strength to fight against a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator. However, evil cultivators often have many tricks up their sleeves... It's hard to say who will win."

The woman shook her head slightly and replied.

"Then we can only rely on Fellow Daoist Fu and Fellow Daoist Li. Both of them are extraordinary and may be able to put up a fight." Aunt Zuo nodded slightly and sighed softly.

And just as the two were talking.

In the distance, a dragon's roar suddenly resounded through the sky. When the cultivators turned around, they saw a crimson dragon thousands of feet long, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, rapidly approaching the plaza.

On the back of the crimson dragon were hundreds of cultivators with varying auras and protruding dragon horns.

"The Crimson Dragon Clan."

In an instant, both the Dark Serpent Clan cultivators and the Wood Lizard Clan cultivators showed a more solemn expression.

The Crimson Dragon Clan is the most powerful dragon descendant among the three clans.

The name "Red Dragon" itself reveals this.

Although this clan's bloodline is very thin and not considered mainstream, compared to the Dark Serpent Clan and the Wood Lizard Clan, the Crimson Dragon Clan's "Crimson Dragon Bloodline" is far superior.

Fortunately, this race has always been small in number of cultivators. Although it produces many strong individuals, it can still fight to a standstill with the combined efforts of the Wood Lizard Clan and the Dark Serpent Clan.

"I wonder who the Crimson Dragon Clan has invited as an outside helper this time, and what their background is..." The elders of the Wood Lizard Clan looked at a purple-robed youth standing with his hands behind his back at the horn of the Crimson Dragon and couldn't help but frown.

This cultivator, like Mao An of the "Twin-Winged Serpent Clan" they invited, was also at the late stage of the Void Refinement realm.

But... they didn't believe that, given the Crimson Dragon Clan's domineering ways, they would invite an ordinary late-stage Void Refinement cultivator as an outside helper.

"No matter who it is, just kill them all."

"Since you fellow Daoists have invited me, you should trust my abilities..." The bald man sneered as he heard the whispers around him and lightly flicked his sword.

As soon as he finished speaking, an extremely dense aura of demonic energy and malevolent energy appeared on his body, forcing the nearby cultivators to change color and retreat.

Ancient demons are a "taboo" in the spirit world.

But demonic cultivators are far less dangerous.

However, this was the first time these Wood Lizard Clan cultivators had encountered a powerful Void Refinement Demonic Cultivator like the bald man.

"Good! If you can achieve first place in this Dragon Transformation Tournament, as previously agreed, my clan will also give you three drops of Sacred Heart Elixir from the Secret Realm..." Upon seeing this, a Supreme Elder of the Wood Lizard Clan took a half-step back in fear and nodded.

……

With cultivators from the Dark Serpent Clan, Wood Lizard Clan, and Crimson Flood Dragon Clan all present, the higher-ups of the three clans naturally wasted no time. After finalizing some specific rules for the contest, they convened the Dragon Transformation Assembly half a day later.

The Void Refinement Competition among the three races is undoubtedly the focus of each Dragon Transformation Conference.

Unlike the group battles fought by Nascent Soul and Transformation Nascent Soul juniors.

The Void Refinement Competition is quite simple. Void Refinement cultivators from the three races are randomly selected to compete by drawing lots. After the results of the draw are disregarded from their own race, the winners naturally advance to the next round.

"The results of the lottery."

"Round 1: Dark Serpent Clan 'Li Yang' vs. Crimson Dragon Clan 'Mao Jianming'."

The contest then began.

As expected, Liyang won.

As the Dark Serpent Clan's top ally besides Wei Tu, the Batwing Youth's strength naturally far surpasses that of the mediocre members of the Crimson Dragon Clan.

—Although the Crimson Dragon Clan is the number one of the three clans in the Xiayang Mountains and has several prodigies of the same clan who are within the age limit of ten thousand years, in terms of actual combat strength, it is difficult to defeat external aids like the Bat-Winged Youth who were carefully selected and introduced by the Dark Serpent Clan.

This is also the "consensus" reached by the three races over the past tens of thousands of years!
The Dragon Transformation Conference of the Three Clans is a grand competition to see who has the most connections and who has the most external support!
"Round 2: Mao An of the Wood Lizard Clan versus Fu Liang of the Dark Serpent Clan."

The high-ranking officials of the three races drew lots again, and after seeing the results, they announced them to the public.

"It's over! We've encountered reinforcements from the Wood Lizard Clan in our very first battle. Our Senior Fu, whom we invited, is in danger..."

The Dark Serpent Clan cultivators watching the battle could not hide their disappointment. After all, realm is strength, which is an irrefutable truth in the cultivation world for thousands of years.

—Wei Tu, being only at the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm, no matter how extraordinary his methods, according to common sense, would find it difficult to compare with a demonic cultivator at the late-stage of the Void Refinement realm whose strength is already quite remarkable.

"A demonic cultivator? A demonic cultivator with the blood of the Demon Ancestor?" Wei Tu flew to the dueling platform in the square, and with a flash of green light in his palm, he had already discerned the background of the bald man in front of him.

Combining this with the known information, his eyes flashed slightly, and he could easily guess the origin of this cultivator.

“That mysterious demonic cultivator must be Lou Boyang, who accidentally visited the Twin-Winged Serpent Clan using the [Boundary-Severing Stone]…” Wei Tu thought to himself.

At this moment, the bald man standing on the dueling platform was unaware of Wei Tu's ulterior motives. Upon hearing the sound of a chime, he unhesitatingly drew his magic sword and pounced on Wei Tu, who was not far away, seemingly intending to end this battle of bullying the weak with sheer strength.

But Wei Tu did not dodge or evade at this moment.

As Xiu arrived, he snorted coldly and summoned his [Frosty Dragon Sword].

At the same time, he made a hand seal, and more than ten sixth-order talismans flew out from his sleeve, blocking the bald man's retreat and putting him in a dilemma.

"Seven Wonders Demon Body!" Upon seeing the fierce attack of the [Frosty Dragon Sword], the bald man's expression changed, and he immediately used his trump card without hesitation.

Several phantom figures emerged from his body, appearing as if they were his real form, making it impossible to distinguish which one was the real one. They helped the bald man defend against the sword light of the [Frosty Dragon Sword] while also helping him defend against the various supernatural powers and spells formed from sixth-order talismans.

Unfortunately, these phantoms were not a threat to Wei Tu.

After a brief flash of light, he quickly approached the bald man's body, and then, with a cold glint in his eyes, he mercilessly grabbed at the man's dantian!
With a "crack," the magical shield blocking the bald man's path was easily pierced by Wei Tu.

The right claw, adorned with golden snake scales, gleamed in the sunlight, and was less than a palm's width away from the bald man's dantian.

"A sixth-tier body refiner?"

Instantly, the cultivators present erupted in an uproar. (End of Chapter)