One final factor—

Zhao Qingluo had simply caught the right timing.

The conflict between the righteous and demonic sects, for cultivators from family clans, was both a crisis and an opportunity.

Clans like the Xiyue Zhao Clan, despite being Golden Core clans, didn’t lack the heritage or means to cultivate more Foundation Establishment cultivators—or even to raise another Golden Core Patriarch.

But in ordinary times, for the sake of sustainable long-term development, these clans wouldn’t exhaust their reserves just to boost their current strength.

Now that righteous and demonic sects were at war, one wrong move could mean the fall of the entire clan.

In such a volatile situation, it was only natural to dip into their reserves and raise more Foundation Establishment cultivators—and perhaps even new Golden Core cultivators. That would be the most logical path forward.

And Zhao Qingluo—

Was very likely one of the Zhao Clan’s internal picks for that “Golden Core candidate” role.

…

Realizing that he had unknowingly grown close to a future Golden Core cultivator, Wei Tu couldn’t help but reveal a faint smile.

He knew better than anyone how important connections were.

This time, he had been able to safely leave the Heshan Huang Clan, and then stay hidden in the mundane world of Nanhang City to carry out his trades with Gong Shuzhen—all thanks to those connections.

As for hiding and cultivating in the Mei Clan’s estate on Xia Ya Ridge…

That was thanks to his son Wei Xiuwen’s connections.

“Earth Dragon Flesh boosts a cultivator’s blood and qi—it’s a body refining treasure.”

“This natural treasure is especially effective when cultivating the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art. But for the True Demon Refinement Art… I doubt the effect would be all that noticeable…”

After pondering briefly, Wei Tu opened the jade box containing the Earth Dragon Flesh, then began cultivating the body refinement art according to the meridian circulation described in the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art.

He planned to fully cultivate the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art first, before moving on to study the True Demon Refinement Art.

The order in which one practiced body refinement arts was important.

While the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art might seem average, it was steady and safe—and even boosted the chances of forming a Golden Core.

Once his decision was made, Wei Tu swept his sleeve and drew out a chunk of Earth Dragon Flesh from the jade box. He swallowed it, wrapping it in his qi, and began refining the medicinal power slowly.

Not long after, his skin turned a deep red—like a prawn just boiled in hot water. At the same time, his blood and qi surged like roaring rivers, producing a thunderous “crash-crash” sound inside his body.

That sound—

Was a sign that his blood and qi had reached the boiling point.

As Wei Tu turned his senses inward and examined his body, he saw that with the flow of blood through his meridians, a faint glow of red light had appeared across his limbs and bones.

Although the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art focused mainly on forging one’s qi and blood like a body cultivator, it also brought a proportional enhancement to physical strength.

“This pain is hard to endure, sure, but compared to the agony of training the Marrow Refining Sutra back in my martial days, it’s still not quite as bad,” Wei Tu murmured as he pulled out a Tranquility Talisman and stuck it to his chest.

Having come from a martial arts background, he had endured brutal torment during his early training. The pain he felt now while refining his body was no worse than what he’d endured back then.

Three days later.

Wei Tu’s skin finally returned to normal. He exhaled deeply, beads of sweat rolling in waves across his forehead.

“I’ll continue training after some rest. Just like qi cultivation, body refinement also requires consistent, day-by-day accumulation. You can’t expect overnight results.”

Recalling the training insights Fu Zhizhou had once given him, Wei Tu halted his practice of the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art.

“I’ve already started cultivating this art. I wonder if it’s been recorded in the Golden-Purple Destiny Seal yet?”

Wei Tu sank his consciousness into his spiritual sea and examined the characters imprinted on his destiny.

Soon enough, among the many lines of script, he found the five characters for Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art.

“Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art (2/100): Train once every five days, reach mastery in one hundred fifty years.”

“Once every five days?”

“So that’s the optimal training frequency based on my current body?” Wei Tu mused.

The Golden-Purple Destiny could assess his body constitution and spiritual root aptitude, then display on the golden seal how long it would take to reach full mastery of each technique, along with the best frequency of training.

Of course, the timing didn’t account for external factors.

“If I fully master the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art, I’ll be as physically strong as a Foundation Establishment peak cultivator.”

“To think I’d only need a hundred fifty years to reach that…”

“Looks like my spiritual root aptitude has improved a bit again lately.”

Wei Tu quietly analyzed this.

Progress in body refinement was closely tied to spiritual root quality.

Despite having no background in body cultivation, if he could reach the peak of Foundation Establishment body cultivation in just one hundred fifty years…

Then reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment in qi cultivation would probably take even less time.

Next—

Wei Tu didn’t waste any more time. He pulled out one of the Ice Crystal Pills he’d gotten from his trade with Gong Shuzhen and swallowed it, beginning to refine its medicinal power.

Three years passed in a flash.

After refining two boxes of Earth Dragon Flesh, Wei Tu’s Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art quickly reached Minor Accomplishment in a short span of time, and he successfully condensed the first “Blood Pellet.”

With that Blood Pellet, his body cultivation realm officially stepped into early second rank—equivalent to early Foundation Establishment.

“There’s still two boxes of Earth Dragon Flesh left. But with just these, I might only be able to push my body cultivation to the peak of second rank early stage. Condensing a second Blood Pellet will still be a stretch.”

Wei Tu stared at the dwindling supply of Earth Dragon Flesh in his hand, his expression gradually turning serious.

The Earth Dragon Flesh turned out to be even more effective than he had anticipated.

However, his progress in body cultivation had relied entirely on the Earth Dragon Flesh. Bitter cultivation only played a minimal role…

Because of that, even with four boxes of Earth Dragon Flesh, he could at most push his cultivation to the peak of second rank early stage.

Of course—

If given enough time…

Another twenty to thirty years…

Wei Tu figured he could definitely break through to mid-second rank in body cultivation.

“But… what I lack now is time,” he sighed, shaking his head.

The reason he chose to dual cultivate with body refinement was to quickly increase his combat strength in the shortest time possible—strengthen his means of survival.

To prepare for the chaotic state of Zheng Kingdom’s current situation.

But body cultivation at early second rank would hardly offer much help in a real battle.

After all, his current realm was already mid-Foundation Establishment.

“Still, Earth Dragon Flesh isn’t the only kind of natural treasure that helps boost body cultivation…”

Wei Tu rubbed his chin, and thought of the Jiu Yun Merchant Guild he had come across during his time at Danqiu Mountain.

If he remembered correctly, in another year or two, it would be time for the underground auction the Jiu Yun Merchant Guild held once every twenty years.

The last time he had attended the auction—

He had gained quite a lot.

He’d obtained the forging method of the Ice Jiao Sword, and information about the Iron Magnetic Spirit Wood.

Both of those things had greatly helped him on his cultivation path.

This time, by participating in the underground auction, he could not only sell off some of the loot he’d acquired during his “kill-and-loot” spree in the Cloud Ze Secret Realm—but also perhaps gain access to natural treasures similar to Earth Dragon Flesh, or at least information about them.

However, just as he was pondering what loot to sell that wouldn’t draw attention from the Jiu Yun Merchant Guild—

A message talisman suddenly landed in front of him.

“Xiuwen reached Foundation Establishment?”

Wei Tu picked up the talisman. After reading the contents, a smile spread across his face.

Three years ago, when he was temporarily residing in the spiritual land of the Mei Clan at Xia Ya Ridge, Wei Xiuwen had also chosen to enter closed-door cultivation in that same spiritual land to attempt breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

Now, after three full years—

Wei Xiuwen had succeeded in his cultivation and smoothly broken through.

Finishing the message, Wei Tu flicked his sleeve, opened the door of his cultivation chamber, and stepped out.

“Senior Wei.”

Two Mei Clan cultivators who were stationed outside to guard the door bowed with respect when they saw Wei Tu exit his closed-door cultivation.

Times had changed.

Things were no longer like they were decades ago.

Back then, when Wei Xiuwen had married Mei Zhen and become a son-in-law of the Mei Clan, he was constantly humiliated by the Mei Clan’s direct descendants. There was no end to the slights.

But now—

Everything had changed.

The Wei Clan now boasted three Foundation Establishment cultivators under one roof. Their reputation was so grand, it didn’t pale in comparison to the Mei Clan even in its most glorious days.

Three years ago, when Wei Tu came to reside at the Mei Clan, Clan Head Mei Yuanfeng had treated him with such deference it was almost comical—more like a supplicant than a fellow in-law.

Seeing all this, Wei Tu merely nodded slightly and stepped onto a ray of flying light, heading toward the Mei Clan’s Ancestral Hall.

“My good in-law,” Mei Yuanfeng hurried out to greet him the moment Wei Tu landed outside the hall.

“Now that Xiuwen has successfully reached Foundation Establishment, both your son and daughter have become Foundation Establishment cultivators.”

“Such a scene is rare—even among Golden Core clans and great sects!”

With a bright smile, Mei Yuanfeng led Wei Tu to sit inside the hall, personally pouring him a cup of spiritual tea.

“It’s all just good luck. When I heard about Yan’er’s breakthrough after returning from the secret realm, I was just as stunned—I didn’t believe it at first.”

Wei Tu waved it off with modesty.

Three Foundation Establishments in one family—

It might be uncommon in Zheng Kingdom’s cultivation world, but it wasn’t unheard of either.

There were quite a few cases if you counted carefully.

For example, Huang Changshun of the Heshan Huang Clan—he and his two daughters were also considered a family of three Foundation Establishment cultivators.

After all, for powerful clans or sects, Foundation Establishment Pills weren’t exactly rare or hard to obtain.

“Yan’er might’ve been lucky, sure—but for you and Xiuwen to both reach Foundation Establishment, that’s not just luck.”

A glimmer of envy flickered in Mei Yuanfeng’s eyes as he sighed emotionally.

His words weren’t suggesting that Wei Tu and Wei Xiuwen had relied on some kind of mysterious fortune to achieve Foundation Establishment—

Rather, it was an acknowledgment of Wei Tu’s strength.

Of the three Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Wei family, aside from Wei Yan whose breakthrough involved some luck, both Wei Tu and Wei Xiuwen had clear paths leading up to their breakthroughs.

Wei Tu reached Foundation Establishment thanks to his investment in Kou Hongying, that Foundation Establishment cultivator from the sect, and the returns that brought.

Wei Xiuwen, on the other hand, broke through because of the benefits his father Wei Tu had gained from the Cloud Ze Secret Realm.

These two reasons—

Even if others wanted to be envious, they’d have no grounds to be.

The two chatted idly for a while.

A short while later—

Wei Xiuwen and Mei Zhen walked in through the main hall doors. Both bowed to Wei Tu and Mei Yuanfeng, then stood respectfully in the hall.

“There’s something I’d like to ask Father to approve.” After standing quietly for a moment, Wei Xiuwen hesitated, then finally plucked up his courage and looked at Wei Tu, voicing his request.

From the moment Wei Xiuwen entered, Wei Tu had already sensed he had something on his mind, so he wasn’t surprised in the slightest by this development.

“My breakthrough to Foundation Establishment may have relied on… the Foundation Establishment Pill you gave me, Father, but over these past years, the Mei Clan has also supported my cultivation heavily…”

“That’s why I’ve decided—I’m willing to remain here in the Mei Clan to protect them…”

“Please forgive your unfilial son!”

Wei Xiuwen gritted his teeth as he said this.

After all, Wei Tu only had one son—him.

Back when he was still at Qi Refinement stage, the path of cultivation was rough, and it was understandable that he chose to marry into the Xia Ya Mei Clan.

But now, Wei Tu had gained quite a reputation in Zheng Kingdom’s cultivation world. How could he still allow his only son to remain as a live-in son-in-law of the Mei Clan?

It wasn’t that his father was ungrateful—

Rather, the Mei Clan’s kindness could easily be repaid with spirit stones. There was no need for him to remain their son-in-law forever.

“This matter—I agree.”

Wei Tu’s answer came quickly, unexpectedly catching both Wei Xiuwen and the Mei Clan cultivators off guard. He didn’t hesitate, and what he said didn’t match what they had imagined at all.

“You agree?” Mei Yuanfeng was surprised.

If he were in Wei Tu’s shoes, he definitely wouldn’t have let his only son stay on as a son-in-law.

“Back then, when you married Mei Zhen of the Mei Clan, I thought you were just seizing a chance to turn your life around…”

“Now it seems—I was wrong.”

Wei Tu slowly shook his head.

People change and grow.

Decades ago, when Wei Xiuwen had married Mei Zhen, he had believed his son’s motives weren’t pure.

But because Wei Xiuwen was his son, and the marriage was beneficial to his cultivation path, Wei Tu hadn’t said much. He had only warned him with a single line—

“Life isn’t a gamble. Once might be acceptable, but never twice.”

Time flew by.

Seventy or eighty years had passed.

Now, Wei Xiuwen had learned what it meant to take responsibility. He was willing to bear the consequences of the impulsive decision he had made all those years ago.

That’s why, after reaching Foundation Establishment today, he had the courage to admit his choice to stay and protect the Mei Clan.

To Wei Tu, this was something to celebrate. At least his son wasn’t like Li Xingye in the past—someone who refused to take responsibility and ultimately brought disaster to his entire clan.

After all, being a “son-in-law” was not a favorable title for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

It invited mockery from fellow cultivators.

“I helped you because you are your mother’s son—and mine. That’s all.”

Wei Tu spoke again.

To him, helping his child because he expected something in return wasn’t real family love.

That would make the relationship one of investor and recipient.

And based on that understanding—

Wei Tu chose to respect Wei Xiuwen’s decision.

Just like he had respected Wei Xiuwen’s choice to marry into the Mei Clan for the sake of cultivation all those years ago.

—The motives could be impure, but one’s actions must never be base or disgraceful.

“Thank you for understanding, Father.”

Tears filled Wei Xiuwen’s eyes as he knelt down, bowing deeply to Wei Tu.

He knew how incredibly fortunate he was to have Wei Tu as a father.

At the start of his cultivation journey, his father had helped him avoid ending up like Fu Lin.

After helping him reach Foundation Establishment, he didn’t interfere with his life—instead, he respected his decisions.

“Father… your daughter-in-law… before long, we’ll try for a child. The first one will carry the Wei surname. The second can take the Mei name.”

Seeing Wei Xiuwen kneel down, Mei Zhen also followed suit, kneeling beside him and making a solemn promise.

She knew that Wei Xiuwen had held a grudge for many years because she had refused to bear children.

—Back when Wei Xiuwen’s mother passed away, her greatest wish had been to see her son’s children and live to see three generations under one roof.

“You two can decide that yourselves. I won’t interfere.”

Wei Tu shook his head.

He helped Wei Xiuwen because he was his son. That connection was enough.

But when it came to the descendants of the Wei Clan…

He no longer had the energy—or obligation—to help them.

Since he didn’t plan to help his future descendants—

Then whether they carried the Wei surname or not had nothing to do with him.

After all, he wasn’t an ordinary man.

He was someone with a lifespan reaching several centuries—a long-lived cultivator.

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