I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

"What a powerful force..."

Half an hour later, after roughly refining the first drop of eighth-order dragon marrow, Wei Tu instantly felt the terrifying power of this thing, its "rank" was enough to crush him.

Before it, he was as insignificant as an ant. After all, it was the primordial relic left behind by an eighth-order dragon comparable to a Mahayana immortal.

Fortunately, this eighth-tier dragon marrow was already inanimate and did not have the drawbacks of "Demon Ancestor's Holy Blood" that would corrode the human body. Otherwise, the moment he absorbed this substance into his body, he would have suffered severe damage to his vital energy, or even exploded and died.

“The innate talisman has changed.” Wei Tu noticed that the innate talisman that had been nurtured within his True Spirit Immortal Bone had begun to draw upon the primordial power of the eighth-order dragon marrow.

In addition to the innate talisman that resembled the "Mountain-Leaving Turtle" from before, another innate talisman resembling a four-clawed dragon has now appeared. The two, one yin and one yang, float and shine brightly within the True Spirit Immortal Bone.

However, this innate talisman in the shape of a four-clawed dragon is still very weak at this moment, only a quarter the size of the "Lishan Turtle" innate talisman.

At the same time, with the appearance of this four-clawed dragon innate treasure talisman, Wei Tu's "True Spirit Immortal Bone" also changed. It was visibly more abundant and larger than before.

"I have successfully refined the innate treasure talisman of this eighth-order flood dragon into my body..." Wei Tu's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Body Refiners, also known as Ancient Cultivators, are cultivation methods created by cultivators in ancient times in order to trace the power of the ancient true spirits.

Therefore, the first spiritual bone of a body cultivator is called the "True Spirit Immortal Bone" after transformation. The deeper primordial power born and nurtured from the "True Spirit Immortal Bone"—the "Innate Treasure Talisman"—is equivalent to the "bloodline power" of the true spirit.

Or rather, the essence of the true spirit bloodline comes from these "innate treasure talismans"!
The reason why the Feathered Dragon Clan and Ghost Phoenix Clan, two of the three dominant clans, have so many geniuses is because their ancestors seized the "Innate Treasure Talismans" of the True Dragon and the Heavenly Phoenix respectively, and passed them down to their descendants as part of their bloodline...

Therefore, cultivators of the Feathered Dragon Clan and the Ghost Phoenix Clan, from the moment of their birth, possess bloodlines comparable to those of True Spirits, each one a "True Spirit of Heaven and Earth" walking in the cultivation world.

Unfortunately, the "Innate Treasure Talisman" that Wei Tu seized from this eighth-order dragon is far from comparable to the "Innate Treasure Talisman" born from the bloodline of the legendary true dragon.

However, the appearance of this treasure talisman is enough to make Wei Tu stand out among body cultivators of the same level.

After all, in the past, powerful true spirits of heaven and earth, such as true dragons and heavenly phoenixes, have long since disappeared. To be able to obtain the "innate treasure talisman" of an eighth-order flood dragon is already an unimaginable stroke of luck among body cultivators.

Like Qian Fei, despite his amazing background and talent, he had to obediently use the "dragon marrow" of the eighth-order flood dragon to rebuild his foundation, rather than seeking the "dragon marrow" of a higher-level true dragon.

At this moment, Wei Tu was extremely grateful that he had taken a bold gamble in the Three Races Secret Realm and obtained the same starting resources as Qian Fei in the Void Refining Realm.

"Continue refining!" Wei Tu made a hand seal and once again activated the power of the True Spirit Immortal Bone to refine the remaining eighth-order dragon marrow.

He had a premonition that once all the eighth-order dragon marrow was completely refined, his body refinement realm, though still at the peak of the mid-sixth order, would be no less powerful than the late-sixth order of body refinement.

In short, ordinary True Spirit Talismans like the Mountain Tortoise are easy to obtain, but a Dragon Talisman of the eighth rank... there are probably very few body cultivators in the world who have such an opportunity.

The "Dragon Talisman" has been refined into the body.

What remains is the long process of rebuilding the foundation.

During this time, Wei Tu did not waste any time. He raised his hand and opened the red jade box, taking out the soul pill of the one-eyed ghost clan.

The One-Eyed Ghost Clan is a renowned clan among all ghost clans. Although its Soul Core is not as precious as that of the Heavenly Ghost Clan or the Hundred-Weapon Ghost Clan, it is not much different.

Wei Tu has always been selective about the seven soul cauldron positions for the "Seven Eyes of the Nether Cauldron Technique," preferring to have none at all.

—Even in the Spirit Realm, a naturally born spiritual eye is an extremely rare existence. He certainly wouldn't squander the potential of the Chaotic Evil Eye for a moment's pleasure.

Otherwise, with his wealth, he would have already purchased the soul pills and soul seeds of ordinary ghosts to replenish the power of the "Hun'e Evil Eye".

"I wonder what innate secret techniques I will obtain by refining the soul core of this one-eyed demon clan as my Spirit Eye Soul Cauldron..."

Wei Tu made a hand seal as he absorbed and refined the One-Eyed Ghost Clan's Soul Pill, secretly filled with anticipation.

The Heavenly Ghost Soul Seed granted him a secret technique to amplify his divine sense; after becoming a ghost, his divine sense was greatly enhanced.

The Hundred-Weapon Ghost Clan granted him the "Soul Splitting Technique," allowing him to multitask for a short period, splitting his soul into two separate entities to deal with enemies or for cultivation.

"A secret technique for attacking the soul?"

Six months later, Wei Tu looked on in surprise as he observed the specific changes that occurred to the "Hun'e Evil Eye" after the Soul Cauldron marked with the words "One-Eyed" was activated.

After a flash of green light, its pupils instantly blazed with red light, from which a thin white thread shot out and plunged into the void.

This thin white thread may seem ordinary, but Wei Tu sensed an astonishing divine power and a suffocating pressure within it.

After a moment's thought, he flicked his fingers and took the "Hun'e Evil Eye" from between his eyebrows. Using the Soul Splitting Technique, he remotely controlled the eye, allowing it to unleash this secret technique of attacking the soul on him.

Instantly, as the white thread penetrated, his face turned deathly pale.

"It contains the ability to annihilate a cultivator's soul, and can also corrode a cultivator's physical body to a certain extent..." Wei Tu's eyes flickered slightly, and his complexion regained its rosy hue.

According to his own testing, this soul attack technique, if used at the right time, is enough to seriously injure a cultivator at the peak of the Void Refinement stage.

And that is already quite remarkable.

The peak of the Void Refinement realm represents a soul at the peak of the Void Refinement realm... already having a commanding view of all others within the Void Refinement realm.

Those who are half-step into the Integration Realm are essentially cultivators at the peak of the Void Refinement Realm, only they have mastered the rules and laws domain earlier than ordinary cultivators at the peak of the Void Refinement Realm.

As for those below the peak of the Void Refinement stage...

Not to mention.

While he wasn't quite at the level of Qian Fei, who could directly render Sha Luo Nu powerless and writhe in agony using only a divine soul technique, it wouldn't be difficult for him to use it as a sneak attack to kill a cultivator of the same realm as Sha Luo Nu.

“The origin of each of the seven soul techniques of the Nether Cauldron Seven Eyes Technique is inseparable from the ghost race that it was refined… Since this one-eyed ghost race has such abilities…” Wei Tu pondered for a moment, then searched through the books on his body for information about the one-eyed ghost race.

Half a day later, he saw a similar soul-attacking secret technique in a miscellaneous note about this one-eyed demon clan.

Its name is "Ghost Needle," a high-level soul technique that can only be performed by one-eyed ghost cultivators with pure bloodlines.

"Ghost Needle?" Wei Tu raised an eyebrow and secretly memorized the name of this secret technique.

……

Two years later.

With the last drop of eighth-order dragon marrow being refined by Wei Tu's true spirit immortal bone, Wei Tu's secluded cultivation finally came to an end.

This period was more than ten years shorter than the sixty years he had predicted.

"There's still enough time. I hope this trip will be fruitful." Wei Tu glanced at a small, golden monkey puppet, about half a person's height, hidden in his storage bag.

This item was an extra gain for him in the "Spiritual Palace". If he could repair this puppet, his chances of finding Xue Qiongyu in the Snow Infant Clan would undoubtedly increase.

Decades ago, when he went to a nearby immortal city to inquire about the human race in the spirit realm, he also left tasks in some weapon refining workshops and puppet shops to find sixth-order high-grade puppeteers and sixth-order high-grade weapon refiners.

Sixth-tier puppeteers and sixth-tier weapon refiners are easy to find, but... once you reach the "high-grade sixth tier" level, they are all core figures of major forces, beings that ordinary rogue cultivators and forces cannot come into contact with.

However, even a sixth-grade high-level weapon refiner or puppeteer would be struggling to repair this seventh-tier puppet. Lowering the requirements further would be less effective than Wei Tu simply doing it himself.

With a flick of his sleeve, he collected all the spiritual items in the secluded cultivation room, and then, in a burst of light, flew straight towards the immortal city closest to "Nanming Market".

However, when he went to the weapon-refining workshops and puppet shops he had contacted, without exception, the answer was "no," even though he had paid a lot of money and made a solemn promise.

Clearly, even if a "core figure" of such a powerful force knew about his mission, he wouldn't easily take on a "private job." After all, even among major races like the human race, sixth-grade high-quality magical artifacts and puppets are strategic weapons...

However, there is always a way out. Just when Wei Tu was at his wit's end, a shopkeeper from a weapon-refining workshop hesitated for a while before secretly telling Wei Tu that he could introduce him to a sixth-grade high-quality weapon refiner... but on the condition that Wei Tu must keep it a secret and not reveal a single piece of information about this weapon refiner.

Wei Tu would certainly not refuse such a request.

But soon, after hearing the reason for this condition, he couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

"Is this cultivator a human?" Wei Tu was taken aback.

He never expected that in this land of alien races, his search for a sixth-tier high-grade weapon refiner who could help him repair the "Little Monkey Puppet" would lead him to a fellow member of his own race.

"It is precisely because this cultivator is human that I instructed you to conceal this information. The place where you and I reside has suffered greatly from the ravages of the human race... The powerful clans of the Snow Infant Clan also deeply resent human cultivators. If it were known that you and I were colluding with human cultivators, there would surely be consequences..."

"If it weren't for your sincerity and the continuous increase in rewards, I wouldn't have been tempted to recommend that weapon-refining master."

The old shopkeeper gave a wry smile and told the truth.

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu thought about it for a while and gradually felt relieved.

As a "prodigy" of the human race, he has always enjoyed the benefits brought by the human race and the stability of staying in the Holy Emperor Domain... But to the alien cultivators who live near the human race, the human race, one of the Ten Spirit Races, is a group that "does no evil."

Moreover, unlike the other ten spirit races, the human race is quite large, and its plundering of resources from the surrounding areas is unmatched by the other ten spirit races. Over time, these alien races, which live quite close to the human race, naturally harbor both deep hatred and fear towards them.

Secondly, and for this reason, it is far easier for him to find a sixth-grade high-level weapon refiner from the human race here than to find a sixth-grade high-level weapon refiner from another race.

After all, the human race's "talent reserves" are far greater than those of these weaker alien races.

“Hehe. Fellow Daoist, you’re overthinking this. I’m not one of your local natives, so what does it have to do with my interactions with humans… Compared to other races, I trust the skills of human weapon refiners more…” Wei Tu tossed out a spirit crystal pouch to show his stance.

Upon hearing this, the old shopkeeper secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Since Wei Tu had no enmity or prejudice against the human race, this business deal could be done.

"Please wait a few days, esteemed guest."

The old shopkeeper bowed and invited Wei Tu into the shop's private room. Then, he took out a communication device and began communicating with the person on the other end in front of Wei Tu.

The person opposite him was not the human weapon-refining master the old shopkeeper had mentioned, but rather his "upstream supplier".

a few days later.

With Wei Tu's patient waiting.

A graceful female cultivator, wearing a white cloak and with her face shrouded in mist, arrived at the shop, led by a cultivator in a black robe.

"This is the land of foreign races. In order to protect myself, I cannot reveal my appearance or tell you my origins and name. I hope you will not take offense." The female cultivator bowed and greeted Wei Tu with a tone full of apology.

After a moment's thought, she added, "Fellow Daoist, you may address me as Madam Hai."

“Mrs. Hai?” Wei Tu pondered the name for a moment, then nodded, realizing it was just a pseudonym.

"I wonder what kind of magical artifacts or spiritual treasures you would like me to refine?" After exchanging a few pleasantries, Madam Hai got straight to the point and asked directly.

Wei Tu had naturally made preparations for this matter long ago.

He pondered for a moment, then took out a pale blue jade slip from his sleeve and handed it to Madam Hai.

"The diagrams inside the jade slip resemble the core components of a puppet..."

As expected of a sixth-grade high-level weapon refiner, Lady Hai immediately recognized the origin of the item entrusted to her by Wei Tu.

"The difficulty lies in the fact that it must withstand the ravages of combined magical power for a long period of time..." Lady Hai raised her eyebrows slightly, let out a soft exclamation, and a hint of difficulty appeared on her face.

Puppet parts, unlike magical artifacts and spiritual treasures, are difficult to embed into complete spiritual seals.

In other words, a sixth-grade high-quality spiritual treasure can be blocked by the spiritual restrictions set up by the weapon refiner to block the combined magical power.

But when it comes to the puppet parts, the "main body" has no choice but to take the hits.

However, it is very difficult to find "spiritual materials" that can withstand the combined magic power and are compatible with the puppet parts of Wei Tu.

Even with her profound experience as a sixth-level weapon refiner, it was difficult for her to find a high-grade sixth-level spiritual material among the many spiritual materials she possessed that could meet Wei Tu's requirements for crafting puppet parts.

“Unless the requirements are lowered…” Mrs. Hai pursed her thin lips and discussed with Wei Tu.

However, if the requirements for the core components of a seventh-tier puppet could be lowered, Wei Tu would have already forged them himself. Why would he waste time searching for a sixth-tier high-grade weapon refiner?

"I would like to add some more spirit crystals." Wei Tu waved his hand, and several mid-grade spirit crystals immediately appeared on the octagonal table between the two of them. (End of this chapter)