After the ruckus caused by Huang Xuewei at the Talisman Heart Residence, Wei Tu undoubtedly developed a bit more trust in Huang Chengfu.

Though he hadn’t elevated him to the status of a true confidant, for less critical matters like delivering letters, he was still comfortable leaving it to Huang Chengfu.

Not long after the letters were sent, replies from both Fu Zhizhou and Zhao Qingluo arrived.

From their combined responses, Wei Tu learned that the Zhaos of Xiyue had a total of four second-tier body refining techniques.

Among them, one called the Elephant Bone Art had even reached third-tier level.

However, this body refining art required the bloodline of a demonic beast known as the Rockhide Elephant or a similar close relative to be successfully cultivated, which was a major limitation.

The other three body refining techniques each had their own advantages and flaws.

Fu Zhizhou recommended that Wei Tu cultivate the same technique he was currently practicing—Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art.

This technique’s refining effects might not necessarily be stronger than the others, but it had one particular benefit that made it stand out.

The Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art had a total of three layers, and with each breakthrough, a "Blood Pellet" could be condensed within the body.

These blood pellets not only replenished a cultivator’s vitality, but also provided a notable boost to the Core Formation process. If all three Blood Pellets were successfully formed, the odds of forming a Core could be increased by 10%.

Furthermore, the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art followed the path of "nourishing vitality and strengthening the body."

This meant the technique didn’t carry the same kinds of irreversible risks to the Dao body that many other body refining arts did.

—A good number of body refining arts, while enhancing physical strength, also brought side effects such as shortened lifespan, body rigidity, or hidden internal injuries in specific areas.

The effects of Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art might seem modest, but it came with no harmful consequences and left room for long-term potential.

With this in mind, Wei Tu added the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art to his list of potential choices for cultivation.

As the saying goes, compare before you buy.

He would wait to see what body refining techniques Gong Shuzhen could offer through her network before deciding whether or not to cultivate this one.

That said...

In addition to listing the pros and cons of each technique, Zhao Qingluo’s letter also included some miscellaneous updates.

For example, the outcome of how the Three Grand Sects dealt with the Chisong Jia Clan after the secret realm incident.

After it was exposed that the Jia Clan had colluded with the Blood God Cult, Qingzhu Mountain quickly dispatched multiple Golden Core cultivators to eradicate this threat—but by then, the main branch of the Chisong Jia Clan had already vanished without a trace.

All that remained at their ancestral grounds were a few unimportant branch lineages.

As for why the Jia Clan betrayed the orthodox path and turned to demonic cultivation, Zhao Qingluo speculated it might have something to do with the Chisong Jia Clan Patriarch approaching the end of his natural lifespan.

Compared to orthodox cultivators, those who walked the demonic path certainly had more options for life extension.

"Between life and death lies great terror," Wei Tu mused, remembering how during his first visit to the Baibao Pavilion auction on Danqiu Mountain, a crowd of Foundation Establishment cultivators had scrambled over themselves to bid on longevity pills.

Back then, Fu Zhizhou had been shaken by the scene and began to question his path to immortality—because at the time, the Foundation Establishment realm was something they had only dared to dream of.

Now, many years later, Fu Zhizhou had steadied his Dao heart and successfully reached Foundation Establishment.

In Wei Tu’s eyes, the patriarch of the Jia Clan, who had defected to survive, was probably just like Fu Zhizhou decades or centuries ago—once a man of unshakable conviction.

But sadly, the fear of death had eventually crushed his Dao heart, pushing him to surrender and take the path of demonic cultivation.

“I have the ‘Late Bloomer’ destiny and a complete Core Formation opportunity in hand, so I need not worry,” Wei Tu reminded himself.

The Late Bloomer destiny ensured his lower limit would remain secure.

And everything he’d gained from the secret realm significantly raised his ceiling.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator’s natural lifespan was four hundred years.

Within orthodox sects, cultivators usually attempted Core Formation between the ages of two hundred and three hundred.

In contrast, those from family clans or loose cultivators typically broke through at even later ages—often beyond three hundred.

As with the Foundation Establishment realm, the younger one formed a Core, the greater their potential.

Wei Tu estimated that if he didn’t rely on pills and just cultivated diligently, he’d reach the peak of Foundation Establishment in at most one hundred years.

And once there, unlike Qin Zhenren who had to search painstakingly for a Core Formation opportunity, Wei Tu already had everything in hand.

Therefore, he was confident he would reach Core Formation somewhere between the ages of two hundred and three hundred.

With that timeline, his prospects would be on par with those of sect disciples—he’d be considered a Core cultivator with high potential.

This kind of cultivator had a real chance of reaching Nascent Soul in the future.

Unlike those old Golden Core ancestors from family clans, who had little hope of advancing and could only wait out their remaining years while preparing successors for the next generation.

After finishing the letter, Wei Tu thought for a while and drafted a reply to Zhao Qingluo.

In it, he inquired about the Xiyue Zhao Clan’s opinion on their ally—the Huang Clan of Heshan.

The moment Huang Caiyu cried out for help atop the altar during the secret realm expedition, she called out to him—her supposed “enemy” with a blood feud—before turning to Zhao Qingluo and the other Zhao clan cultivators for aid.

That detail alone made one thing very clear: the alliance between the Zhaos of Xiyue and the Huangs of Heshan was already cracked and teetering on the edge of collapse.

At the very least, in the few years right after he joined the Heshan Huang Clan, the relations between the cultivators of the Zhao and Huang Clans weren’t this distant.

—Otherwise, Zhao Qingluo never would’ve recommended he take up the position of retainer within the Huang Clan.

As for how this rift came about...

Wei Tu had some guesses of his own: any ally whose loyalty isn’t absolute, isn’t a real ally.

For years, the Jia and Zhao Clans had been enemies in open conflict. That the Heshan Huang Clan avoided taking sides could still be understood. But for Huang Xinglie to later uphold a promise made with True Monarch Wanhai and allow Jia clan cultivators into the secret realm of Yunze... that act, without question, had thoroughly offended the Zhao Clan of Xiyue.

Later, the “Three-Clan Pact” formed between the Huangs, Zhaos, and Jias became the final blunder.

According to the pact, the Huang Clan treated both the Jias and Zhaos equally, giving them the same number of slots and cultivation level limits for entering the Yunze secret realm.

But this so-called equal treatment between an ally and the enemy of that ally? In the eyes of a true ally, such behavior was anything but just.

How could the Zhaos still treat the Heshan Huangs as brothers-in-arms?

All for a little short-term gain, they tossed aside long-standing loyalty.

It was no different than how Huang Changshun forced Wei Tu to leave the clan—cut from the same cloth.

The events that played out during the secret realm further confirmed all of this.

The Zhao clan cultivators only cared about their own gains inside the stone hall, showing no intention of helping the Huang clan disciples in distress.

Now, when Wei Tu wrote this letter to Zhao Qingluo, it was to ask a very specific question—would the Zhao Clan of Xiyue still uphold its duties as an ally to the Heshan Huang Clan by exposing the connection between the Shuyun Alliance and the Chisong Jia Clan?

He wasn’t asking because he intended to make a move against Master Pill Master Shu or the Huang Clan.

Cultivator robbery was no easy business.

A single misstep could get you killed.

He was simply trying to gather intel and prepare for whatever might come.

After all, the Heshan Huang Clan was one of the seven great Golden Core clans of the Zheng Kingdom. Even a small ripple could cascade outward, stirring the waters of the entire cultivation world across Zheng, perhaps even impacting the Three Grand Sects.

…

Just as Huang Chengfu left to deliver the letter...

Gong Shuzhen, the Foundation Establishment cultivator from Mirror Water Pavilion, arrived at Wei Residence.

She brought with her two Ice Crystal Pills and one Golden Yuan Pill.

After settling the spirit stone exchange—with surplus refunded or additional collected as needed—Gong Shuzhen gave a satisfied nod. With a flip of her hand, a jade slip appeared in her palm.

“These are the body refining techniques I managed to gather from several friendly senior fellow disciples of mine,” she said.

“You can take a look, Fellow Daoist Wei.”

“If there’s one that suits you, I’ll go negotiate with those seniors to arrange a proper exchange.”

As she spoke, Gong Shuzhen handed over the jade slip.

“Much appreciated, Fairy Gong,” Wei Tu said, thanking her as he accepted the item.

Just from scanning the contents, Wei Tu could already feel that Mirror Water Pavilion’s foundation far surpassed that of the Zhaos of Xiyue.

This time, Gong Shuzhen had only contacted around twenty fellow disciples.

Yet even so, the variety and grade of the techniques listed already outclassed what the Xiyue Zhao Clan had offered.

One was the accumulation of inner-sect disciples.

The other was the legacy of a thousand-year-old Golden Core family clan.

The gap between the two was plain to see.

Among the techniques listed in the jade slip, there were five at the second tier, and two more at the third tier.

Wei Tu skipped over the ones with serious flaws or steep entry barriers and focused his attention on a third-tier technique called True Demonic Refinement Art.

“This technique… I assume your sect obtained it after slaying some demonic cultivators?” Wei Tu asked, setting the jade slip down and tapping the tea table lightly.

Despite being a demonic path technique for body refinement, the True Demonic Refinement Art had surprisingly few defects—fewer than most second-tier techniques he’d seen.

Not all demonic techniques were reckless, short-sighted power grabs. Some of them, in terms of cultivation timeline and foundation-building stability, were actually superior to their orthodox counterparts.

“I was surprised too when I came across this True Demonic Refinement Art,” Gong Shuzhen admitted with a light smile. “But according to the senior who gave it to me, so long as your main cultivation path isn’t built on demonic techniques, mixing in a few side-path divine abilities isn’t a big deal within the sect.”

“This technique is top-tier even among body refining arts, with very few flaws. That’s why I included it in this list for you to consider.”

Mirror Water Pavilion, being a righteous sect, certainly possessed its own third-tier body refinement techniques that could rival the True Demon Refinement Art. However, no one in their right mind would dare trade those to a rogue cultivator like Wei Tu.

“True Demon Refinement Art...” Wei Tu murmured to himself several times, his expression showing a trace of hesitation.

Among all the body refinement techniques listed in the jade slip, this was the only third-tier one that caught his eye. The others each had their merits, but none surpassed the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art from the Zhao Clan by any meaningful margin.

Besides, he already held the inheritance of Profound Nether Yin Fire, a demonic divine ability that required cold and yin-based energy to fully unleash its power.

Other types of energy could work, yes, but the result would be significantly weaker.

In that case, the True Demon Refinement Art wasn’t some useless technique—it could be extremely useful for him.

“This True Demon Refinement Art, I heard from that senior fellow disciple, comes from the demonic sect known as the Desolate Mountain Sect. While the sect isn’t one of the five major demonic sects, it’s still a fairly renowned powerhouse among demonic cultivators.”

“The Desolate Mountain Sect is the only sect—among both the righteous and demonic paths—that has a body refinement cultivator who reached the Nascent Soul Realm,” Gong Shuzhen explained upon seeing Wei Tu’s growing interest.

“The only sect with a Nascent Soul body cultivator?” Wei Tu’s mind stirred at her words.

To have a Nascent Soul body cultivator…

That meant the Desolate Mountain Sect's refinement path had a clear future—a road that could truly be followed all the way. Unlike other body refinement techniques that often hit a dead end halfway through.

That fact alone made purchasing the True Demon Refinement Art a must.

“How much is your sect’s senior asking for this body refinement art?” Wei Tu asked, feigning a troubled look. “If it’s too expensive, I’m afraid I’ll have to pass. After all… despite being a third-tier technique, it’s still a demonic art…”

Seeing his attitude, Gong Shuzhen knew better than to play hardball. Wei Tu had wide connections, and body refinement arts weren’t exactly rare either, so she quoted a reasonable price.

The two haggled back and forth for a while.

In the end, Wei Tu purchased the True Demon Refinement Art for one thousand three hundred spirit stones—a price slightly higher than most second-tier techniques.

“Three days from now, I’ll deliver the complete text of the True Demon Refinement Art to you,” Gong Shuzhen said, rising to take her leave.

…

Two months later.

At the cave dwelling of the Mei Clan in Xia Ya Ridge.

Wei Tu sat cross-legged, pulling out two jade slips from his storage pouch.

One was pale red—Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art.

The other was pitch black—True Demon Refinement Art.

After Gong Shuzhen’s departure, Wei Tu had sent a second letter to Zhao Qingluo, expressing interest in purchasing the Hundred Veins Blood Tempering Art.

But surprisingly…

Zhao Qingluo refused to take a single spirit stone from him.

She gifted him the art outright, claiming it was a gesture of thanks for the talismans he’d given her when she boarded the teleportation array at the stone hall.

Wei Tu didn’t turn her down.

He accepted the gift without pretense.

After all, besides that talisman gift, he had saved Zhao Qingluo’s life once within the stone hall—or at the very least, lent a crucial hand when she was in danger.

Given those two favors, accepting the cultivation method from Zhao Qingluo was more than justified.

“She didn’t ask for spirit stones… Looks like her standing in the Zhao Clan has improved quite a bit,” Wei Tu thought.

“I wonder if they’re grooming her as the next Golden Core candidate.”

Ever since the secret realm expedition, the Zhao Clan had lost five Foundation Establishment cultivators—just like the Heshan Huang Clan, they had suffered serious losses.

Before that, Zhao Qingluo didn’t have enough seniority to stand out among her clan’s juniors.

But now, she had become one of the few remaining notable Foundation Establishment cultivators within the Zhao Clan of Xiyue.

Her only real competition for forming a Golden Core…

Was her father, Zhao Tinghai.

And so long as the Zhao Clan’s Golden Core Patriarch, Zhao Jiangwu, wasn’t completely senile, he would definitely pass the clan’s next Golden Core opportunity to Zhao Qingluo—not to Zhao Tinghai, an old Foundation Establishment cultivator whose potential had already run dry.

In truth, the Yunze Secret Realm expedition had been a kind of trial for the disciples of every major faction.

Those who made it out were bound to receive special attention and resources going forward.

Zhao Qingluo, having survived, surely owed part of that survival to Wei Tu’s assistance—but that didn’t take away from her own strength and good fortune.

After all—

Connections were a form of strength too.

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