I am a late bloomer in the world of cultivating immortals

"Fellow Daoist is actually a sixth-level alchemist?" Upon seeing the jade slip, Madam Hai was slightly surprised and couldn't help but take a closer look at the young male cultivator who had accompanied her in the weapon-refining room for several months.

Compared to the poor and struggling weapon refiners, alchemists are much more refined and noble, and it is also easier for them to amass wealth and gain popularity.

"Hmm... but most of your elixirs are low-grade and mid-grade sixth-rank, none of which I need." After her initial surprise, Madam Hai politely declined Wei Tu's offer to sell her elixirs.

That's half true and half false.

As a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator, she could consume low-grade and mid-grade sixth-rank elixirs. While their effects weren't as good as those of elixirs of the same rank, they weren't useless either.

However, unlike buying magical artifacts, elixirs are things that are ingested, so people are more worried about whether the refiner will tamper with them. Therefore, they usually only buy them from acquaintances.

Therefore, no matter how cheap and high-quality the elixirs Wei Tu had were, she would not be tempted to buy them.

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu was not surprised. He tried to sell elixirs to Madam Hai to prove that he was a sixth-level alchemist, simply to lay the foundation for future friendship.

Acquaintances all start as strangers and develop step by step.

He nodded and ended the conversation.

After chatting for a while, the two said goodbye and left the weapon-refining workshop.

……

The city of immortals is crowded and noisy.

To prevent anyone from spying on him, Wei Tu returned to the cave he rented in Nanming Market and tried to repair the "Little Monkey Puppet" he had taken from Lingyan Heavenly Palace.

The reason why this "little monkey puppet" stopped working was because its core component was destroyed by him with the [Five Elements Demon-Slaying Ring], so it was not difficult to repair; it only needed to be replaced.

But... all of this is theoretical.

For high-level creations like seventh-order puppets, even the slightest difference can lead to vastly different outcomes.

"I hope it succeeds..."

After replacing the core components, Wei Tu took a deep breath and looked nervously at the little monkey puppet, which now resembled a lifeless object and remained motionless.

Having mastered the rules and domains of the Seven Mystic Demonic Bodies and the "Dark Laws," he already possessed no shortage of escape techniques to deal with those at the Integration Realm.

His "half-step fusion" level is only different from a fully fused powerhouse in terms of the means to directly confront them.

To reach this level, the "Little Monkey Puppet" from the Lingyan Heavenly Palace is undoubtedly the key.

Fortunately.

Wei Tu's efforts were not in vain.

After a few breaths, the monkey puppet, which had been like an inanimate object, finally came to life. Its fingertips trembled slightly, and then its eyes lit up quickly. With a "click-clack" sound, it flipped off the jade platform and floated in the air, staring blankly at Wei Tu.

"It's alive?" Wei Tu was overjoyed. He reached out and grabbed the little monkey puppet, using his divine sense to examine each puppet component inside its body inch by inch.

The "core component" that he replaced seemed somewhat out of place, and the flow of spiritual energy was slightly stagnant, but due to the characteristics of the spiritual material, it still perfectly withstood the enormous spiritual energy of this little monkey puppet, which was comparable to the combined power of a magic user.

Then, he made a hand seal and began to control the little monkey puppet to unleash its attack methods.

Just like what I saw in the Lingyan Heavenly Palace.

Driven by magic, this little monkey puppet has two attack methods.

The first type is mental assault, which uses immense mental pressure to suppress the opponent.

Its power is at the level of the Fusion Realm, and when fully activated, it can reach the "Mid-Fusion Realm"!
The second type is the dark golden light threads that shoot out from the tips of its two fingers.

Unfortunately, perhaps because this little monkey puppet was used by the Lingyan Heavenly Palace for assessment, or perhaps because the core component that Wei Tu replaced had a problem... the power of these dozen or so dark golden light threads was quite ordinary, equivalent to a casual strike in the early stage of the Fusion Realm.

It seems rather "ordinary".

However, Wei Tu was not disappointed by this.

Against a fully-fledged powerhouse, he and this little monkey puppet would only be able to escape, but against a "half-step fully-fledged" powerhouse of the same realm, this little monkey puppet could be surprisingly effective.

"It's almost time."

"It's time to go to the Snow Infant Clan to find Xue Qiongyu..."

After testing the power of the little monkey puppet, Wei Tu's fear of the Snow Infant Clan, a major clan in the Spirit Realm, was far less than before. His eyes flashed slightly, and he immediately transformed into a ball of azure light, shooting towards the depths of the Snow Infant Clan.

……

at the same time.

Human race, Holy Emperor's Domain.

An ancient, but desolate sect.

Lady Hai, her face veiled by a white cloak, appeared at this moment, looking exhausted, inside the sect's "teleportation hall."

To her surprise, the main hall was not empty as usual. Near the array platform, a male cultivator with fiery hair and an aged face was sitting cross-legged.

"Junior sister, did you finish refining the puppet parts for that person?"

The aged male cultivator opened his eyes and asked in a calm tone.

Upon hearing this, Madam Hai remained silent, only nodding her head quietly.

"Good! Good! You did a great job... As long as that cultivator uses this puppet component, he will activate the sect's 'tracking restriction.' At that time, you and I will be able to see the puppet's true appearance..."

"Even the spiritual materials used to refine the puppet parts are carefully selected, using 'Meteorite Heart True Iron'. This puppet... is at least a high-grade sixth rank, or even a seventh rank... One can imagine how wealthy this cultivator is."

The aged male cultivator muttered to himself, becoming more and more agitated as he spoke.

“Senior brother… I didn’t implant the ‘Tracking Restriction’ into the puppet component.” At this moment, Madam Hai, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

As soon as these words fell.

The elderly male cultivator was slightly taken aback, and the excitement on his face vanished, replaced by a gloomy expression.

"Junior Sister Shi, are you saying that you took my 'Meteorite Heart Iron' just to help that cultivator refine puppet parts? You didn't do anything underhanded?" The old male cultivator's eyes turned cold, and he said in a low voice.

"It's not that my junior sister refused..."

Upon hearing this, Madam Hai did not back down and immediately retorted, "Senior brother did not personally visit the weapon-refining room and does not know the strength of that cultivator's spiritual sense... His spiritual sense is far superior to mine. At least at the peak of the Void Refinement stage. Who knows if we might die if we act recklessly in front of such a cultivator?"

"Besides, it's just a puppet. That cultivator also said that the puppet parts he asked me to create are only a part of that puppet... There's still a considerable distance to go before it's complete..."

"To risk offending a peak Void Refinement expert for something so vague and uncertain... Senior Brother, do you want your little sister to go and die?"

Mrs. Hai questioned him.

At that moment, the white mist that had been obscuring her face disappeared, revealing her true appearance—not the young woman befitting her name "Lady Sea," but a beautiful and charming girl around twenty years old with skin as white as snow.

At this moment of arguing, her expression was far less composed and experienced than when she was with Wei Tu; instead, it showed more eagerness and naivety befitting her appearance and age.

As soon as he finished speaking, the old male cultivator's expression softened. He sighed softly and said, "I know you are kind-hearted, Junior Sister, and you don't want to be a bad person. But in this vast cultivation world... if you want to go further, you will inevitably have to do some things that go against your conscience, like murder and robbery."

"Even with my savings over the years, relying solely on weapon crafting, it would be difficult to accumulate enough resources for you to advance to the Integration Realm... The 'Five Essence Pills' needed to break through to the Integration Realm are extremely rare and hard to come by; even with spirit crystals, it would be difficult to buy just one."

“But… Senior Brother, you almost got yourself killed last time you made a move.” Madam Hai pouted, a hint of regret in her eyes.

Contrary to Wei Tu's assumption, she didn't only engage in legitimate business. Previously, under the earnest persuasion of "Fire-Haired Taoist," she had also engaged in several risk-free ventures, including murder and robbery.

However, she stumbled when she made her move four hundred years ago... Although she and her senior brother "Fire-Haired Taoist" did not die, Fire-Haired Taoist destroyed his own foundation and lost all hope of advancing to the Integration Realm.

"Without breaking the fusion, one will remain an ant. If we follow the will of Heaven, neither of us will ever be able to fathom the mysteries of the fusion until death."

The Fire-Haired Taoist sighed, shook his head, and said nothing more after uttering those words.

He had no intention of investigating whether Mrs. Hai was telling the truth or not.

After all—his advancement was hopeless, and all his schemes were for Lady Hai's benefit. Once she comes to her senses, she will understand and beg him to help her again.

“But that cultivator’s divine sense is truly at the peak of the Void Refinement stage… not someone you can easily deal with, as you imagined, senior brother.”

Mrs. Hai spoke softly, offering another explanation.

……

Wei Tu, who was heading to the heart of the Snow Infant Clan, was naturally unaware of the "conspiracy" of Lady Hai and her senior brother.

However, even if he knew, he would disregard it.

Regardless of whether these two are determined to make a move, he can easily handle them with his strength.

The difference is that after killing these two, he will have the life savings of two Void Refinement Realm experts, further enriching his wealth.

"Is this the ancestral home of the Snow Infant Clan's direct lineage?"

Half a month later, Wei Tu arrived at a high-altitude snowfield. Beneath the white snow, he gazed into the distance at a massive fortress shaped like a blooming snow lotus, crafted from ice crystals.

Unlike the Dark Serpent Clan.

The Snow Infant Clan is a powerful clan at the Integration level, with no fewer than a handful of Integration cultivators within the clan. Therefore, under the construction of its core territory—"Ice Lotus Fortress"—it is not only extremely luxurious but also covered with spiritual restrictions to strictly prevent cultivators from infiltrating.

At this moment, when Wei Tu looked up, the various colored halos on the surface of the snow lotus were not the aurora on the plateau, but spiritual light refracted by powerful spiritual barriers.

"It won't be easy to sneak into this fortress and meet Xue Qiongyu without anyone noticing..." Wei Tu frowned, pondering where to begin.

Using his cultivation techniques, he could certainly impersonate other cultivators and infiltrate this fortress, just as he had done in the Lesser Spirit Realm.

But... there were difficulties afterwards.

Firstly, how to find Xue Qiongyu without alerting the Snow Infant Clan's combined-stage powerhouse.

Secondly, after finding Xue Qiongyu, how can he guarantee that she will obediently leave with him and go to "Dinghai Immortal Ruins"?
The former can be accomplished with some time and effort.

The latter, however, is more difficult.

It all depends on that woman's decision.

Once inside this fortress, the powerful members of the Snow Infant Clan are alerted, no matter how superb his escape techniques are, he will find it difficult to escape being trapped like a turtle in a jar under the formation.

"Ideally, we could get Xue Qiongyu to leave this Ice Lotus Fortress and then abduct her..." Wei Tu thought to himself, his eyes flashing slightly.

He wouldn't place his hopes on Xue Qiongyu's kindness towards him.

This woman had shown him affection on several occasions before, but all of that was based on "Dinghai Xianxu".

The environment has changed, and while past events cannot be completely erased, necessary vigilance is still required.

More haste less speed.

Wei Tu did not rush to take action immediately, but instead went to a nearby market town not far from "Ice Lotus Castle" to gather information.

This place is a gathering place for non-direct descendants of the Snow Infant Clan, as well as some independent cultivators and merchants from the outside world.

Therefore, he was not worried that his disguised identity would arouse too much suspicion from the Snow Infant Clan cultivators.

"Soon after, there will be a celebration for breaking through to the late stage of the Void Refinement Realm..."

Soon, Wei Tu found out some information about Xue Qiongyu in the market.

Among them, what the Xueying Clan cultivators are most proud of and talk about is that Xue Qiongyu, the clan leader's eldest daughter, broke through to the late stage of the Void Refinement realm more than ten years ago.

The speed of this advancement surprised Wei Tu quite a bit.

Although he is currently at the "half-step Integration" stage, this "half-step Integration" is not the "half-step Integration" that ordinary people know. In terms of true realm, he is only at the "mid-stage of Refining Emptiness"!
Even so, his breakthrough in realm is something that ordinary people can hardly achieve.

It should be noted that back in the Stone Cocoon Secret Realm, Xue Qiongyu was at the same "early stage of Void Refinement" as him, although she deliberately suppressed her Void Refinement stage... which was very different from his newly advanced Void Refinement.

However, as Wei Tu inquired further, he gradually came to terms with it.

Logically speaking, Xue Qiongyu's breakthrough in realm shouldn't be this fast.

Although her father had been using all the clan's resources to nurture Xue Qiongyu for the sake of the Dinghai Immortal Ruins, the Xueying Clan still couldn't provide the top-tier resources required for her to break through to the "late stage of Void Refinement" without damaging her foundation.

The person who truly helps Xue Qiongyu is suspected to be her fiancé, Pei Hong!
According to rumors, Pei Hong suffered a serious injury to his soul during a magical battle and has not yet recovered.

Therefore, the fusion realm, which should have been a sure thing, has not yet been broken through.

Xue Qiongyu was chosen by the Mist Ghost Clan as a "superior furnace vessel." The pure Yin energy of the Xueying Clan female cultivators could greatly alleviate and heal Pei Hong's soul injury during intercourse.

In order to cultivate this excellent furnace, Pei Hong and the Mist Ghost Clan behind him naturally spared no expense in providing Xue Qiongyu with cultivation resources...

They have powerful clans comparable to the "Ten Spirit Clan" providing them with their full support.

Even if Xue Qiongyu were to break through to the late stage of the Void Refinement realm, Wei Tu would not believe that this would be difficult.

As for the furnace and cauldron...

Although Wei Tu didn't know if the news was true or false, he knew a lot of inside information about Pei Hong's injury and the damage to his foundation, and he was certain that the news was true.

After all, he was one of the main forces in the "war between the two races" in the human realm. Secondly, the fact that Da Yuanshuang, Pei Hong's former fiancée, broke off the engagement is a fact that cannot be faked.

It can be inferred from this that the Snow Infant Clan's ability to connect with Pei Hong and the Mist Ghost Clan is inseparable from the "sacrifice" of Xue Qiongyu.

Of course, such a sacrifice is hardly a sacrifice for Xue Qiongyu herself.

Becoming the fiancée of the "Holy Son" of the Mist Demon clan is an immense benefit. (End of Chapter)