I am a Late Bloomer in the Immortal World

Wei Tu took the jade slip and infused it with his divine sense, scanning its contents.

Inside, Kou Hongying had compiled a list of seventeen small cultivation families that possessed second-tier Talisman Master inheritances, along with an analysis of the pros and cons of joining each one.

Among these families, Wei Tu spotted "Xia Ya Mei Clan," which was where his in-law, Mei Yuanfeng, belonged.

"Uncle Wei has reached Foundation Establishment at a hundred years old, making him someone with considerable potential. Before this, he had already been capable of crafting first-tier high-grade talismans…"

"He can afford to wait for the best offer rather than making a hasty decision about which family to join."

After Wei Tu finished reading the jade slip, Kou Hongying added this remark.

With that, Kou Hongying gave a graceful bow, bid farewell to Wei Tu, and left Luo Xue Courtyard.

Originally, she had come to Danqiu Mountain solely to deliver compensation to both Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou.

However, she had unexpectedly arrived at the moment of Wei Tu's breakthrough and ended up staying at Danqiu Mountain for five years to protect him.

Although these five years had not significantly hindered her cultivation, they had delayed several of her important affairs.

Once Kou Hongying left, Wei Tu put away the jade slip and turned to Fu Zhizhou, making a solemn promise that he would repay the Foundation Establishment Pill within five years.

"Thank you, Third Brother."

Hearing this, Fu Zhizhou finally felt at ease.

It was not that he doubted Wei Tu's integrity, but the Foundation Establishment Pill was simply too crucial for him.

His entire hope of advancing to Foundation Establishment depended on this pill.

Shortly after, Fu Zhizhou also took his leave.

With that, Luo Xue Courtyard was once again left with only Wei Tu.

"A shame… I don't possess a second-tier talisman master inheritance. Otherwise, staying in the Danqiu Mountain marketplace like Pill Master Shu and others would have been a solid choice."

Wei Tu gently rubbed the jade slip Kou Hongying had given him, deep in thought.

Besides joining a cultivation faction, there was another viable path for Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators.

That was—staying in the marketplace and becoming a true artisan, detached from any major sects or cultivation clans.

Take Pill Master Shu, for example.

As a second-tier alchemist, Pill Master Shu had yet to formally align himself with any faction, yet his wealth far surpassed that of most minor cultivation families.

However, to follow in Pill Master Shu's footsteps, one had to first possess a second-tier cultivation skill.

"But, compared to Pill Master Shu, joining a cultivation faction isn't necessarily a worse option."

"It's easier to thrive under a strong backer."

Wei Tu reasoned.

He did not believe that Pill Master Shu's supposed "freedom" was truly free.

Drifting between different factions without having absolute power—on the surface, it might seem like he was highly valued by everyone, but in reality, it meant being perpetually cautious, never offending anyone.

Back when Geng Wen was exposed for attempting to rob Zhao Qingluo, Zhao Qingluo had directly gone to Pill Master Shu to exact revenge.

And Pill Master Shu—despite being a senior second-tier alchemist—had absolutely no way to resist.

If Pill Master Shu had the backing of one of the seven great cultivation families, would Zhao Qingluo have dared to attack him so openly?

Definitely not.

"Besides, I have no deep secrets to hide. My path to advancement can withstand scrutiny, so joining a cultivation family as a guest elder shouldn't attract too much unwanted attention."

Wei Tu reassured himself and finalized his decision—to seek out a suitable cultivation family and join as an esteemed guest elder.

The only secrets worth hiding were his loot from Blood Elder Mo and Geng Wen, as well as the Foundation Establishment Pill he had taken from Zhao Qingluo.

But those risks…

Now that he had successfully reached Foundation Establishment, they were no longer worth worrying about.

Different status, different treatment.

Back when he was in the Qi Refinement Realm, Zhao Qingluo had the power to decide whether he lived or died.

But now?

She would never dare to harm a Foundation Establishment cultivator—especially one who had saved her life.

More importantly, joining a cultivation faction was also the most beneficial choice.

Now that Wei Tu had reached Foundation Establishment, he not only lacked a second-tier talisman inheritance, but he also needed to switch to a second-tier cultivation technique to continue progressing.

After feeding the Wind-Cleaving Eagle, which had gone without food for five years, Wei Tu walked into the Talisman Chamber and began his closed-door session to refine talismans.

Taking advantage of his newfound free time, he decided to finally complete Helian Xiong's commission—the top-tier Demon Refining Talisman.

Before his Foundation Establishment breakthrough, despite spending several years crafting talismans, he had only focused on attack and defense talismans that could be easily sold for spirit stones. He had not yet attempted talismans with special functions like the Demon Refining Talisman.

Furthermore, the Demon Refining Talisman was exceptionally difficult to create. Drawing an ordinary talisman was easy, but crafting a high-grade version capable of nurturing beast souls was far more complex.

However, things were different now.

With his cultivation now in the Foundation Establishment Realm, the enhancement of his divine sense made drawing the Demon Refining Talisman significantly easier than before.

After half a month, Wei Tu finally succeeded in creating a high-grade Demon Refining Talisman.

He immediately sent out a talisman message to inform Helian Xiong and Tong Peipei.

The next day, Helian Xiong personally came to visit.

Unlike his previous casual demeanor, this time, Helian Xiong appeared rather uneasy as he arrived at Luo Xue Courtyard.

"Senior Wei… did you really craft a high-grade Demon Refining Talisman?"

Helian Xiong stood in the hall, his head slightly lowered, his voice filled with nervousness.

He feared that Wei Tu had merely used the talisman as bait to lure him in—only to coerce him into handing over the Demonic Soul Foundation Establishment Method.

As he spoke, Helian Xiong couldn't help but regret his past decision.

Why had he chosen Wei Tu, of all people, to study the Demon Refining Talisman?

Back then, no matter how he looked at it, Wei Tu did not seem like someone who could achieve Foundation Establishment.

Now, all Helian Xiong could do was hope that Wei Tu was a man of integrity and that, after handing over the Demonic Soul Foundation Establishment Method, he would be spared.

"Friend Helian, please take a look."

Wei Tu, unaware of Helian Xiong's inner turmoil, smiled slightly. He reached into his sleeve, pulled out a high-grade Demon Refining Talisman, and placed it on the table beside him.

"A high-grade Demon Refining Talisman?"

Seeing this, Helian Xiong's expression shifted between delight and disbelief.

"Now that I have successfully crafted the high-grade Demon Refining Talisman for you, it's time for you to fulfill your end of the deal."

Wei Tu's tone deepened.

"The Demonic Soul Foundation Establishment Method—I trust you haven't forgotten?"

For Wei Tu, this method was useless—he had already reached Foundation Establishment.

But for his close friends, it was extremely valuable.

"Senior Wei, please examine it carefully."

Helian Xiong, no longer hesitating, took out a blood-colored jade slip from his storage pouch and handed it to Wei Tu.

Taking the jade slip, Wei Tu immediately scanned it with his divine sense, carefully reviewing the Demonic Soul Foundation Establishment Method while also analyzing its effects on cultivation.

After half an hour, Wei Tu slowly shook his head and sighed.

This alternative Foundation Establishment method was indeed as Helian Xiong had once described—it could slightly increase the success rate of advancing to Foundation Establishment.

But the improvement wasn't significant.

At most, it could raise the success rate by two levels.

Compared to using a Foundation Establishment Pill, it was far inferior.

More importantly—even if a cultivator succeeded using this method, there were severe consequences.

The biggest drawback was—cultivators who established their foundation using this method would have their lifespan capped at 350 years.

That was 50 years less than a normal Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Friend Helian, you never mentioned this drawback when we first discussed the Demonic Soul Foundation Establishment Method."

Wei Tu's tone carried a hint of displeasure.

Before reaching Foundation Establishment, he had seriously considered refining a high-grade Demon Refining Talisman just to obtain this method.

Had Kou Hongying not arrived in time to deliver a Foundation Establishment Spirit Fruit, forcing him to change his plan, he would have wasted valuable time refining this talisman—only to receive a flawed method in return.

Spending months for nothing and obtaining a technique that reduced lifespan—if he had still been in Qi Refinement Realm, he would have been absolutely furious.

"Senior Wei, we rogue cultivators… we don't have your kind of luck."

Helian Xiong forced a bitter smile.

"We don't have access to Foundation Establishment Pills. Having this method at all is already a blessing."

In other words—this was better than nothing.

Despite knowing its flaws, rogue cultivators had no better option.