Chapter 136: Qi Refinement Tenth Layer, Wei Fei’s Failure

Watching Gong Zhenjun leave, Wei Tu and Kou Hongying made their way to reunite with Fu Zhizhou. After making a copy of the second-rank puppet technique's inheritance for Fu Zhizhou, Wei Tu and Kou Hongying divided the contents of Chen Tang's storage pouch. Once the division was complete, Wei Tu acquired a third-rank beast bone and 800 spirit stones, while the remaining miscellaneous items went to Kou Hongying. —For itinerant Foundation Establishment cultivators, aside from those like Pill Master Shu, who possessed a specialized craft, most were penniless. Finding wealth worth nearly 2,000 spirit stones in Chen Tang's storage pouch was already quite decent. Midway, Kou Hongying parted ways, heading towards the Baishi Lake Marketplace. Wei Tu, on the other hand, continued traveling with Fu Zhizhou to Qiyue, home to the Zhao Clan of Qiyue. Both Qiyue and Cloud Crane Mountain housed third-rank spiritual veins, making them some of the top blessed lands in Zheng Kingdom. Upon learning that Fu Zhizhou intended to join the Zhao Clan of Qiyue, the clan leader, Zhao Tinghai, personally welcomed them, treating Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou as honored guests. Furthermore, he arranged for his daughter, Zhao Qingluo, to accompany them at the banquet. Much like the Huang Clan of Cloud Crane Mountain, while the Zhao Clan of Qiyue had a higher number of Foundation Establishment cultivators, they still numbered fewer than twenty. Fu Zhizhou’s decision to join the Zhao Clan was a significant event, particularly since the clan was preparing for an impending conflict. During casual conversation, Wei Tu emphasized that Fu Zhizhou was not just an ordinary recruit but a sworn ally—a blood brother to him and a close elder to Kou Hongying, the Foundation Establishment cultivator of Mirror Water Pavilion. This was a crucial distinction. If left unspoken, the Zhao Clan might see Fu Zhizhou as nothing more than a dispensable soldier. If they treated him as mere cannon fodder during wartime, Wei Tu would regret not having made things clear. “From mere mortals to this day, walking the path of immortality together.” “The bond between Wei Daoyou and Fu Daoyou is truly enviable.” Zhao Tinghai expressed admiration. Inside his mind, however, he had already elevated Fu Zhizhou’s status, ranking him above several of the clan’s own Foundation Establishment cultivators. After all, a lone family cultivator was expendable, and their deaths carried little consequence. But if Fu Zhizhou were to die, the Zhao Clan would have provoked not one, but two formidable cultivators. Especially Kou Hongying— Zhao Tinghai was well aware that Kou Hongying was regarded as a potential Golden Core candidate within Mirror Water Pavilion. She was not someone to offend lightly. “Besides that, does Clan Leader Zhao know about the Shuyun Alliance of Danqiu Mountain?” After a moment of contemplation, Wei Tu decided to sell this information to the Zhao Clan as a means to further solidify Fu Zhizhou’s standing. “The Shuyun Alliance?” Zhao Tinghai furrowed his brows, evidently unfamiliar with this faction. This ignorance was unsurprising. Much like how the Zhao Clan was unaware of Wei Tu, Fu Zhizhou, and Kou Hongying’s small alliance, a group of itinerant cultivators forming a faction in secrecy would naturally go unnoticed. Wei Tu exchanged a glance with Fu Zhizhou, signaling for him to speak. Fu Zhizhou carefully chose his words and disclosed the Shuyun Alliance’s cooperation with the Chisong Jia Clan. “This is… quite serious.” Hearing this, Zhao Tinghai’s expression immediately changed, and he began pacing restlessly. Ordinarily, the Shuyun Alliance was insignificant in the eyes of Golden Core clans. However, under the current circumstances, if the Shuyun Alliance had truly joined forces with the Chisong Jia Clan, the Zhao Clan of Qiyue would undoubtedly suffer a major setback. “This matter will be recorded as a merit for Fu Daoyou.” “When the time comes for selecting second-rank inheritances, Fu Daoyou may choose two instead of one.” “Additionally, I will grant Fu Daoyou an Emerald Radiance Pill.” Zhao Tinghai made his stance clear. “Thank you, Clan Leader Zhao.” Fu Zhizhou smiled, visibly pleased. Unlike Wei Tu, Fu Zhizhou had limited rights as a new recruit within the Zhao Clan. He was originally allowed to choose only one second-rank inheritance. However, with Zhao Tinghai’s reward for his intelligence, he now had the chance to select two, meaning he could finally choose the body-refinement technique recommended by Kou Hongying. “Zhao has other matters to attend to.” “Qingluo, I leave the arrangements for Wei Daoyou and Fu Daoyou in your hands.” A short while later, Zhao Tinghai excused himself and left the hall. Zhao Qingluo nodded in acknowledgment and personally escorted Fu Zhizhou to the cave residence designated for the Zhao Clan’s honored guests. On the way back, Wei Tu took the opportunity to bid farewell. “Wei Daoyou… do you think the Shuyun Alliance defected to the Chisong Jia Clan because of me?” “Was it my actions—my relentless pressure on Pill Master Shu—that pushed him into their camp?” Zhao Qingluo ignored Wei Tu’s farewell, her voice carrying a hint of melancholy and regret. Wei Tu was slightly puzzled. After all, his relationship with Zhao Qingluo wasn’t particularly deep. He speculated that due to her arrogance and difficult personality, she had few people she could confide in. And as one of the few who never openly opposed her, Wei Tu had always humored her whims, never directly rejecting her, even if he found her attitude difficult. Additionally, the situation with Pill Master Shu also involved his apprentice, Geng Wen, who had developed a grudge against Zhao Qingluo. And it was Wei Tu who had first caused friction between Geng Wen and Zhao Qingluo. “Princess Qingluo, I wouldn’t know.” “I’m not inside Pill Master Shu’s mind.” Wei Tu shook his head. He understood one fundamental truth—aside from family bonds, one should never lecture others about their personal troubles. Even if one’s advice was correct, it was rarely welcomed. Zhao Qingluo fell silent. Neither spoke as they made their way forward. Upon reaching the exit of Qiyue’s territory, Wei Tu clasped his hands in a respectful farewell before flicking his sleeve and soaring into the sky. After leaving Qiyue, Wei Tu adjusted his flight path toward a first-rank spiritual land nearby—Zijing Forest. A few years ago, after Wei Fei had married and started a family, he relocated to Zijing Forest, choosing to live with his wife’s family. “Third Brother, you’re here!” Wei Fei was enthusiastic when he saw Wei Tu arriving with gifts in hand. He quickly called out to his wife, Zhao Ting, asking her to prepare a meal for their guest. Inside the hall. After briefly playing with Wei Fei’s young daughter, Wei Xian’er, Wei Tu got straight to the point. “Previously, I promised Second Brother that I would gift him Beast Refining Talismans along with the necessary beast essence.” “This is the essence of a second-rank Scarlet-Eyed Python.” Wei Tu retrieved a jade bottle from his sleeve and placed it on the table. A high-quality Beast Refining Talisman could catalyze a first-rank beast essence into a pseudo-second-rank, but it would still fall short of a true second-rank beast essence. However, the Scarlet-Eyed Python’s essence that Wei Tu had acquired from their recent hunt perfectly matched Wei Fei’s fire attribute, making it ideal for his Foundation Establishment breakthrough. “A second-rank beast essence…” Wei Fei was stunned by Wei Tu’s generosity. Second-rank beast essence was extremely rare—in certain circumstances, its value could even rival a Foundation Establishment Pill at an auction. “This was merely a small effort.” Wei Tu shook his head, downplaying his contribution. Expecting Wei Tu to risk his life just to hunt a second-rank spirit beast for Wei Fei’s Foundation Establishment breakthrough was unrealistic. Hunting the Scarlet-Eyed Python was primarily for his own path of cultivation. "Even if it was done in passing, it is still a rare act. There are few people in this world like you, Third Brother, who would go out of their way for such a thing." Wei Fei clenched the jade bottle tightly, his tone filled with gratitude. "Spirit beast essences must be used within a limited timeframe, or they risk dissipation. I suggest that Second Brother begins preparations for Foundation Establishment within the next few years." Wei Tu reminded him. This was one of the reasons why he had chosen to gift the Scarlet-Eyed Python's essence to Wei Fei. Even if he had been more selfish and kept it for himself, he wouldn’t have been able to sell it at a high price in the short term, nor would he have been able to fully utilize it. Rather than letting it go to waste, it was better to honor the bond of brotherhood and help Wei Fei this time. Wei Fei nodded firmly, taking Wei Tu's advice to heart. As Wei Tu soared into the sky, leaving the Wei residence, Wei Fei watched his disappearing streak of light and bowed deeply toward him, unmoving for a long time. One month later. Wei Tu returned to Cloud Crane Mountain. Upon his return, he immediately began the process of refining the Iron Magnetic Spirit Liquid. However, refining Iron Magnetic Spirit Liquid was no easy task. After six months, he had only managed to refine half a box of it. Moreover, Wei Tu realized that refining this material severely drained both his internal energy and focus, comparable to inscribing talismans. Even so, remembering the benefits of the Yuan Gravity Law Seal, Wei Tu persisted. Each time he recovered his Qi and spiritual power, he immediately resumed refining the Iron Magnetic Spirit Liquid. Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, three years had gone by. "Finally… it's done." "This is… Yuan Gravity Law Seal." After refining three full boxes of Iron Magnetic Spirit Liquid, the Geomagnetic Yuan Light in Wei Tu’s dantian underwent a transformation. The grayish magnetic light took on a faint five-colored radiance. This multi-colored glow moved at his will, able to take any shape. When Wei Tu stretched the glow to its limit, he could see countless intricate runes densely packed within it. These mysterious runes were what composed the natural law seal of the Yuan Gravity Law Seal. "Wait… there's a new line of text on my Late Bloomer destiny trait." As Wei Tu was about to withdraw his Yuan Gravity Law Seal, he noticed that his golden-purple destiny trait had revealed a new inscription. And it was related to the Yuan Gravity Law Seal. [Yuan Gravity Law Seal (1/100): Meditate for five hours per day, and it will be perfected in 500 years.] The Yuan Gravity Law Seal wasn’t a cultivation technique. Wei Tu couldn’t immediately comprehend what this "500 years to completion" meant, but he assumed it referred to a higher-level transformation of the Yuan Gravity Law Seal. However, the phrase "meditate for five hours per day" immediately made him think of a possibility. Sitting cross-legged, Wei Tu activated Lesser Spring and Autumn Art, drawing spiritual energy from the surroundings. Sure enough. His assumption was correct. With each cycle of Lesser Spring and Autumn Art, the Yuan Gravity Law Seal in his body subtly expanded, though the increase was microscopic, far less efficient than refining Iron Magnetic Spirit Liquid. But with enough accumulation over time, this tiny growth could eventually lead to an overwhelming power. Wei Tu could already imagine himself unleashing thousands or even millions of jin of gravitational force in battle. When the Yuan Gravity Law Seal was fully refined, a single pulse of energy could crush his enemies into pulverized blood mist. "For now, I’ll hold off on refining the rest of the Iron Magnetic Spirit Liquid. There's no rush." Wei Tu waved his sleeve, opened the door to his cultivation chamber, and stepped out. —In another year, the Huang Clan of Cloud Crane Mountain would hold their once-every-eight-years cultivation exchange. And he still had pending orders from the previous exchange that needed to be completed. He had already finished some of the commissions, but his journey hunting spirit beasts had caused losses. "Two letters?" The moment Wei Tu exited his cultivation chamber, he saw two letters sitting on a small table outside his door. The envelopes had gathered dust. He brushed off the dust and picked up the first letter. It was from Wei Yan. Opening it, he began reading. Wei Yan wrote about the progress of her cultivation alongside Wei Xiuwen, as well as some minor incidents in Baishi Lake Marketplace. Regarding their cultivation: After consuming the spiritual apricot gifted by Fu Lin, Wei Yan had broken through to Qi Refinement Eighth Layer. As for Wei Xiuwen, though he had not consumed a spiritual apricot, he had still managed to catch up due to Mei Yuanfeng’s guidance, and had also reached Qi Refinement Eighth Layer six months ago. At the end of the letter, Wei Yan also mentioned that Fu Lin had sent her a letter, inquiring about her marital status. The second letter was from Wei Fei. The date on the envelope indicated that it had been sent a year ago. "It seems Second Brother is truly blessed. He must have successfully broken through to Foundation Establishment." Wei Tu smiled with anticipation as he opened the letter. Without a Foundation Establishment Pill, failure in the breakthrough process usually meant instant death. A cultivator who failed would not have been able to write a letter. So the moment Wei Tu saw Wei Fei’s letter, he assumed that his brother had succeeded. However— As he read, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, his expression eventually shifting into a deep sigh. This breakthrough… Wei Fei had indeed survived. But he had not successfully reached Foundation Establishment. Instead, he had unexpectedly reached Qi Refinement Tenth Layer—an extremely rare state, comparable to a False Core cultivator, but even rarer. For a moment, Wei Tu didn’t know whether Wei Fei’s breakthrough was a blessing or a tragedy. The blessing was that he did not perish. The tragedy was that he failed Foundation Establishment, and all of his accumulated resources had been exhausted. Moreover, there was another unfortunate reality: —Wei Fei could no longer use Qi Condensation Pills or spirit beast essences to attempt Foundation Establishment again. If Wei Fei had succeeded, his injuries from the breakthrough would have healed naturally. But because of his failure, the hidden damage in his meridians remained. Taking another Qi Condensation Pill would be no different from consuming poison. "This time… the one left behind…" "Is Second Brother." Wei Tu sighed and put the letter away. Unless a miracle occurred, Wei Fei’s cultivation path would end at Qi Refinement. Foundation Establishment Pills were rare treasures, not easily obtainable. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators struggled to acquire just one. And even if Wei Tu somehow obtained one, his first priority would be his own children. Not Wei Fei. Previous Chapter || Next Chapte