"We use the Heaven-Mending Bowl?" Wei Tu shook his head when he heard Bai Zhi’s suggestion. "With my cultivation, I can barely activate the Heaven-Mending Bowl."

Just now, he had thought about using the Heaven-Mending Bowl, but dismissed it because it was too difficult to activate.

Spirit Treasures were exclusive to the Nascent Soul Realm.

With his current level, using it would be extremely forced. If he had the help of an artifact spirit, it might be barely possible to attempt.

According to Wei Tu’s estimation, he would have to wait until he reached the Nascent Soul Realm to fully unleash the power of this Spirit Treasure.

At the Golden Core Realm, his level was simply too low.

"The Heavenly Maiden Sect has a formation called the 'Mystic Nether Spirit Offering Array'. With this array, it should be possible to activate the incomplete Heaven-Mending Bowl," Bai Zhi offered a solution.

Clearly, she had considered Wei Tu’s cultivation level before bringing this up.

"As expected of a Heavenly Maiden Sect Golden Core cultivator." Wei Tu was delighted when he heard this, feeling fortunate that he had spared Bai Zhi back in the Southern Desolate Wastes and taken her under his command.

The most valuable thing about a veteran Golden Core cultivator from a major sect like Bai Zhi wasn't just the information they possessed, but the knowledge, secret arts, and various techniques they had accumulated over the years.

If Bai Zhi hadn’t taken the initiative to reveal this, even if Wei Tu used soul-searching techniques, he wouldn’t have been able to fully extract her memories about the 'Mystic Nether Spirit Offering Array'.

—Soul-searching a cultivator of the same realm would at most reveal a few fragmented memories, making it extremely difficult to extract complete knowledge.

"Do you know how to reforge the artifact spirit of the Heaven-Mending Bowl?" Wei Tu took the opportunity to ask.

Initially, he thought that by soul-searching, he had already obtained all of Bai Zhi’s knowledge regarding the Heaven-Mending Bowl.

But now that she had proactively mentioned the 'Mystic Nether Spirit Offering Array', he suddenly realized that his earlier soul-searching had not been 'complete'.

"Reforge the artifact spirit of the Heaven-Mending Bowl?" Bai Zhi laughed softly upon hearing this. "Fellow Daoist Wei, I am no 'Heavenly Maiden' elder, just a mere Golden Core cultivator. How could I possibly know the method to reforge the artifact spirit of the Heaven-Mending Bowl?"

—'Heavenly Maiden' was the honorary title given to the Nascent Soul elders of the Heavenly Maiden Sect.

Currently, there were three surviving Heavenly Maidens in the sect.

"However, aside from the three Heavenly Maidens, there is someone in the Heavenly Maiden Sect who might know how to reforge the artifact spirit," Bai Zhi added after thinking for a moment.

Just as Wei Tu was about to press further, he noticed that outside the reception hall, Nan Zi and her master, Elder Hong Zhi, had arrived.

He immediately cut off the voice transmission with Bai Zhi, stepped forward, and respectfully greeted Elder Hong Zhi.

"Junior Wei Tu greets Elder Hong Zhi." Wei Tu bowed deeply, showing a humble attitude.

Unlike other Golden Core cultivators, he had heard rumors within the Loose Immortal Alliance—that Elder Hong Zhi was rumored to be a former romantic companion of his master, Che Gongwei, in their younger days.

So in terms of seniority, it was inappropriate to treat her as just any other elder.

"You are Wei Tu?" Elder Hong Zhi wore a phoenix hairpin, dressed in a red robe that reached her feet. She appeared to be in her thirties, exuding a gentle and elegant aura with a subtle intellectual charm.

When she saw Wei Tu bowing, a hint of appreciation flickered in her eyes.

"Years ago, I heard Che Daoist mention you in a letter. He spoke highly of you... Now that I see you in person, your reputation is well-deserved." Elder Hong Zhi smiled warmly, offering a compliment.

Wei Tu had just addressed her as 'Elder', clearly acknowledging the connection between their lineages.

After all, courtesy benefits both parties.

Naturally, she wouldn’t reject Wei Tu’s gesture of goodwill.

Then, Elder Hong Zhi glanced at Nan Zi beside her. Her expression turned slightly cold as she scolded lightly, "Zi’er, why are you just standing there? Go brew some tea for your Senior Brother Wei. Haven’t I taught you how to conduct yourself properly?"

"Yes, Master," Nan Zi nodded obediently, took out a tea set, and began brewing tea with graceful movements. She no longer displayed the arrogance Wei Tu had seen earlier as a disciple of a major sect.

"Please, Nephew Wei, have a seat." Elder Hong Zhi gestured politely, inviting Wei Tu to sit.

After Wei Tu took his seat, Elder Hong Zhi glanced at Qiu Buchen standing behind him.

She asked with some confusion, "Nephew Wei, you’re already a Golden Core cultivator. Since you have such a talented disciple, why not train him yourself? Why send him to our Beastmaster Sect?"

It was common knowledge that even the most capable cultivator needed helpers.

High-level cultivators also relied on lower-level disciples for gathering resources, gathering information, maintaining connections, and more.

Especially for someone like Wei Tu—a craftsman cultivator—the more disciples he had, the more productive he could become.

Once a disciple became a talisman master, the initial investment would yield long-term returns.

For example, if Wei Tu had remained in the Loose Immortal Alliance, based on his earlier agreement with Che Gongwei, he would have had to pay one thousand spirit stones to his master every five years.

So, logically, a craftsman like Wei Tu wouldn’t easily give up on a promising disciple like Qiu Buchen.

"I am focused on advancing my cultivation and have no plans to take on disciples at the moment," Wei Tu replied with a casual smile, giving a simple explanation.

Taking on disciples was more suitable for Golden Core cultivators who had little hope of advancing further in the short term. It wasn’t something that suited him at this stage.

Of course, Wei Tu also understood why Elder Hong Zhi would raise this question.

The first reason was that, in the eyes of outsiders, his low-grade spiritual root cultivation exactly matched the description of someone with low potential and little hope for advancement.

He seemed like the perfect candidate among Golden Core cultivators to take on disciples.

The second reason was that even if he didn’t accept disciples, his master Che Gongwei would be unlikely to let a talented disciple like Qiu Buchen, or even a disciple's disciple, slip away.

By sending Qiu Buchen to the Beastmaster Sect, it inevitably seemed like he was favoring outsiders.

If these two points were not clarified, the Beastmaster Sect wouldn’t dare to casually take in Qiu Buchen.

After all, a high-grade spiritual root cultivator, as long as they didn’t die prematurely, was essentially guaranteed to reach the Golden Core Realm.

—The manpower and resources the Beastmaster Sect would have to invest wouldn’t be trivial.

"As for my master, he has other important matters to attend to," Wei Tu explained with a thoughtful pause.

"Qiu Buchen also leans toward joining the Beastmaster Sect," he added.

If this were a time of peace, it wouldn’t make much difference whether Qiu Buchen became a disciple of Che Gongwei or of the Beastmaster Sect.

But the situation was far from peaceful now.

Even the Loose Immortal Alliance could barely keep itself afloat.

At present, only the three great sects of Zheng Kingdom or the two great sects of Jing Kingdom had the capacity to take someone like Qiu Buchen across borders to cultivate in peace.

"I see."

Elder Hong Zhi nodded slightly, her face showing a trace of contemplation.

The earlier implied doubts in her words hadn’t been fully answered by Wei Tu—he had only said that neither he nor his master Che Gongwei planned to take on disciples.

This left the decision of whether or not to accept Qiu Buchen into the Beastmaster Sect entirely up to her.

Accepting a disciple required more than just looking at their talent; their loyalty also mattered. Otherwise, they might just be preparing someone to benefit another faction.

"Nan Zi, you’re lacking a disciple. Are you willing to take Qiu Buchen as your disciple?" After a moment of thought, Elder Hong Zhi passed the decision to her own disciple—Nan Zi.

She and Wei Tu didn’t have a particularly deep relationship. If she agreed to take in Qiu Buchen, it would only be for the sake of Che Gongwei.

With Wei Tu, there wasn’t much favor to be gained.

But if Nan Zi took him in, it would be a different story.

After all, they were cultivators of the same generation.

"Me?" Nan Zi was taken aback. "I’m still young, barely a little over one hundred years old. Why would I need a disciple?"

She flatly refused.

However, after receiving a secret voice transmission from Elder Hong Zhi, Nan Zi quickly changed her mind. A slight blush appeared on her face.

"If this is Brother Wei’s request, it would be rude of me not to accept," she replied softly.

She knew full well how important connections were for a Golden Core cultivator. She also understood how wealthy a third-rank talisman master could be.

This was not an opportunity she could afford to miss.

"Qiu Buchen, kneel and pay your respects," Nan Zi raised her chin and glanced at Qiu Buchen.

Qiu Buchen stood frozen for a moment, stunned by what he had just witnessed.

He might have been young, but he wasn’t entirely clueless.

In the end, he came to the conclusion—could it be that this Nan Zi had feelings for Immortal Master Wei?

…

With Qiu Buchen’s apprenticeship completed, Wei Tu had fulfilled his agreement with Venerable Master Shentu.

Afterward, Wei Tu originally planned to bid farewell to Elder Hong Zhi and leave the Beastmaster Sect’s residence.

But just then, Nan Zi stopped him, asking him to assist her one more time to complete the breeding of the Wind-Cleaving Eagle.

"Very well," Wei Tu nodded and agreed.

Decades ago, after Nan Zi failed to breed the Wind-Cleaving Eagle, Wei Tu had made a three-year agreement with her.

However, that matter had been left unresolved after Nan Zi and Hua Xianlong were injured while hunting the Thunderhorn Rabbit, and Wei Tu had gone into closed-door cultivation at Cloudsmoke Residence.

Now that Wei Tu had returned to the Beastmaster Sect and owed Nan Zi a favor, it was only proper for him to agree.

Of course, the most important reason was—

Wei Tu was no longer the same person he had been decades ago.

Back then, he had worried that the bloodline mutation in the Wind-Cleaving Eagle would be discovered by the Beastmaster Sect, potentially bringing trouble upon himself.

But now, such a trivial matter wasn’t worth mentioning. Even if the Beastmaster Sect did find out, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

In fact, even if the Myriad Spirits Demon Infant was exposed, it would no longer be a fatal threat to him.

"Decades ago, it might not have been Miss Nan’s lack of skill in beast taming. It could have just been that my eagle… wasn’t capable," Wei Tu made sure to lay the groundwork in advance, in case Nan Zi learned the truth and lost her composure after being deceived for so many years.

Back then, he had taken advantage of his experience as a seasoned cultivator while Nan Zi was still inexperienced, leading her to believe it was her lack of skill that had caused the two failed attempts at breeding the Wind-Cleaving Eagle.

"Rest assured, Brother Wei. Over the past decades, I’ve practiced my beast taming day and night. This time, I will surely succeed in breeding the Wind-Cleaving Eagle!" Nan Zi patted her chest confidently.

She led Wei Tu to the rear mountains of the Beastmaster Sect, took out a long jade flute, and began to play a series of beautiful melodies.

Before long, a flock of female Wind-Cleaving Eagles flew out from the forest in the rear mountains, landing in front of Wei Tu and Nan Zi.

These female eagles varied in size and appearance, embodying the phrase "some slender, some plump".

Upon hearing the flute, the Wind-Cleaving Eagle in Wei Tu’s spirit beast pouch could no longer contain itself. It flapped its wings and let out loud cries from within the pouch.