This time, Wei Fei’s reply caught Wei Tu by surprise, though the contents of the letter were something he had long anticipated.

Back when Wei Fei failed to reach Foundation Establishment, Wei Tu had already foreseen that this day would eventually come.

There’s an old saying: A dragon does not dwell with snakes.

As harsh as this statement may be, it holds undeniable truth.

Even though the Righteous Society would continue to accept Wei Fei and would not outright reject him, the reality remained that every gathering of the sworn brothers would center around discussions of cultivation progress, Foundation Establishment insights, and future paths. Whether intentional or not, Wei Fei would inevitably be left out of such conversations.

Now that Wei Fei had voluntarily withdrawn from the Righteous Society and chosen not to participate in their “Ten-Year Reunion,” it was, in a way, a relief for him.

“Indeed, when we first founded the Righteous Society, it was nothing more than four sworn brothers banding together for survival.”

“Only after obtaining cultivation techniques did it gradually evolve into an alliance dedicated to the path of immortality.”

Wei Tu shook his head and pondered.

“Still, looking back at how we established the Righteous Society a century ago to where we stand now… it’s as if it were all just a dream.”

Wei Tu sighed.

In the early days of the Righteous Society, the four of them had joined forces to resist the oppression of Prefect He, supporting each other through hardship.

Later, after learning of the existence of immortals, they vowed to reunite once a year and swore three great oaths.

When they finally stepped into the world of cultivation, the annual gathering was extended to a “Ten-Year Reunion,” and their aspirations shifted from merely seeking immortality to reaching Foundation Establishment.

During this time, Kou Liang’s daughter, Kou Hongying, joined them.

Now, a hundred years had passed.

Kou Liang had perished, and his daughter, Kou Hongying, was the first among them to achieve Foundation Establishment, fulfilling her father’s dying wish.

Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou followed closely behind, one before the other, successfully reaching Foundation Establishment and accomplishing their original goal.

In truth, apart from Wei Fei, all three had achieved what they set out to do.

From this perspective, Wei Fei’s departure from the Righteous Society and his choice to forgo the “Ten-Year Reunion” was completely understandable.

—After all, the Righteous Society no longer shared a common goal, and the matter of Wei Fei’s Foundation Establishment was now solely his own concern.

…

“In two more years, it will be time for the next Ten-Year Reunion. Since Second Brother has withdrawn, there is no longer any need to hold it.”

Wei Tu thought to himself.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, ten years was far too brief.

A single period of closed-door cultivation could nearly span an entire decade.

Even if they wished to maintain the “Ten-Year Reunion,” they would need to adjust the time frame—perhaps extending it to twenty or thirty years instead.

However, Wei Tu believed that there was no longer any need to establish another “Twenty-Year Reunion” or “Thirty-Year Reunion.”

Back in their early days, the reunions served as an opportunity to exchange cultivation insights and trade spiritual resources, benefiting all members.

But now—

Things were different after reaching Foundation Establishment.

Cultivation techniques beyond this stage became increasingly private, with few insights that could be shared.

As for trading spiritual resources, there was no real need to gather in a set location to do so.

Moreover, there was another crucial factor.

Back when they were all Qi Refinement cultivators, the goal of reaching Foundation Establishment was something they could unite around. But now, the road to Golden Core was entirely different—it was a solitary journey, one that no amount of external assistance could easily overcome.

With this in mind, Wei Tu picked up a brush and wrote letters to Fu Zhizhou and Kou Hongying, informing them that the “Ten-Year Reunion” would no longer be held. Instead, he let them know that if they ever needed to purchase talismans at a discounted price, they could always find him at the Heshan Huang Clan.

“From now on, the Righteous Society will exist in name only.”

Wei Tu set down the brush and gazed at the lines of ink on the paper, lost in thought for a long time.

In the future, he would still maintain contact with Kou Hongying, Fu Zhizhou, and even Wei Fei.

But their interactions would now be purely personal.

…

Time passed swiftly.

In the blink of an eye, six years had gone by.

During these six years, Wei Tu gradually consumed the remaining two Jade Marrow Pills and even purchased another early-stage Foundation Establishment pill, the Essence-Boosting Pill, from Qin Zhenren.

With the assistance of these pills, Wei Tu was now just one step away from breaking through to mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

However, instead of forcing a breakthrough, he chose to continue refining his spiritual energy, waiting for the perfect moment to make his advance.

Another year passed.

That morning, Wei Tu had just finished drawing a Second-Tier Lower-Grade Talisman, the Heavy Stone Talisman, when he suddenly felt a disturbance in his dantian.

He immediately put down his talisman brush, stepped into his cultivation chamber, and activated the Small Spirit Gathering Array.

Moments later, just like when he first broke through to Foundation Establishment, a swirling vortex of spiritual energy appeared above Talisman Heart Residence.

Under Wei Tu’s control, the vortex began pulling in spiritual energy from all around, slowly channeling it into his body.

…

This strange phenomenon immediately attracted the attention of the three elders of the Consecration Hall and the various Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Heshan Huang Clan.

“Mid-stage Foundation Establishment?”

“Is Wei Tu breaking through to mid-stage Foundation Establishment?”

The first to react was Master Yu Kui. He could hardly believe it—something he had struggled with for years had been so effortlessly achieved by Wei Tu, his neighbor.

“No wonder Qin Zhenren values Wei Talisman Master so highly. She must have already seen that he was on the verge of breaking through…”

Master Yu Kui felt a sour bitterness in his heart.

The other two elders, Master Xia Qi of Hundred Refinements Workshop and Master Si of Formation Pavilion, each had their own reactions.

“Luckily, I made amends in time and gifted him a flying boat to repair our relationship,” Master Xia Qi thought, relieved.

For a cultivator to reach Foundation Establishment at a hundred years old and advance to mid-stage Foundation Establishment within twenty years, even with the aid of pills, demonstrated remarkable potential.

If Wei Tu had been a member of the Heshan Huang Clan, he would have already been cultivated as a Golden Core seed, elevating his status significantly.

“A second-tier mid-grade talisman master… perhaps I can use him to my advantage.”

Master Si’s eyes gleamed as she glanced toward the Talisman Heart Residence, a smile playing on her lips.

…

“A breakthrough to mid-stage Foundation Establishment… and it’s Wei Tu?”

Outside the Consecration Hall, Clan Leader Huang Changkong gazed at the expanding vortex of spiritual energy in the sky, his tone filled with surprise.

Before coming to the Consecration Hall, he had assumed the one breaking through would be Master Si or Master Yu Kui—he had never even considered Wei Tu, who had only recently reached Foundation Establishment.

“Reaching mid-stage Foundation Establishment at this age… if his spiritual energy is well-refined, then his potential is far from low.”

Huang Changkong’s expression flickered as he began to contemplate how to tie Wei Tu more closely to the Heshan Huang Clan.

He turned his gaze toward his daughter, Huang Caiyu, deep in thought, before shaking his head.

A second marriage to Huang Caiyu might be suitable for Master Xia Qi or Master Yu Kui, as they would consider it an honor.

However, for Wei Tu, such an arrangement would be inappropriate.

“My fifth granddaughter will also reach Foundation Establishment soon. Perhaps I can match her with Wei Tu.”

“But all of this depends on whether he survives his upcoming expedition to the Cloud Ze Secret Realm…”

Huang Changkong thought to himself.

…

“One hundred seventeen years old, mid-stage Foundation Establishment. It took exactly twenty years.”

Inside the Talisman Heart Residence, Wei Tu observed the liquid spiritual energy in his dantian, which had expanded by more than fifty percent, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

This advancement, despite relying on pills—costing him over four thousand spirit stones to break through—was still a great success. Trading spirit stones for cultivation time was a worthwhile exchange.

More importantly, he had achieved the breakthrough without compromising the purity of his spiritual energy, making it a significant milestone.

“Also, thanks to my Qi Pouch, my total spiritual energy is at least twenty percent deeper than other cultivators of the same realm.”

Wei Tu thought to himself.

At this moment, the advantages of his solid foundation had finally begun to show.

During his initial Foundation Establishment breakthrough, he had used an additional Foundation Establishment Pill to solidify the extra twenty percent spiritual energy stored in his Qi Pouch.

Back then, this investment had not been particularly noticeable.

However, now that he had reached mid-stage Foundation Establishment, where spiritual energy naturally doubles upon advancement, his previously stored twenty percent reserve had also doubled, amplifying the gap between him and his peers.

Because of this—

The difference between him and other mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators was now truly apparent.

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