Right now, his mastery of alchemy was close to that of a top-grade third-rank alchemist. If he studied this pill recipe a bit longer, he might have the confidence to succeed in refining it.
The Purple Candle Pill was a superior pill for boosting late-stage Golden Core cultivation. Once he managed to refine it, the time it would take for him to reach the peak of the Golden Core stage would shrink greatly, and breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm would be within reach.
…
Time passed slowly.
Wei Tu kept researching the Purple Candle Pill recipe while monitoring Wei Yan's core formation process with his divine sense.
During this time, Wei Xiuwen's family, who were staying temporarily in the Jade River Market, came over to pay their respects to Wei Tu.
Wei Tu noticed that Tao Ping'er, who had been a young girl eighteen years ago, had now become a married woman.
Her hairstyle had changed from a maiden's hanging style to a married woman's updo, tied high atop her head.
Obviously, Tao Ping'er had married Wei Changshou and become his wife.
As for Wei Changshou, his cultivation had advanced from Qi Refinement to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Eighteen years felt like a brief moment for him, a Golden Core True Lord traveling abroad, but for the juniors like Wei Changshou and Tao Ping'er, it was anything but short.
"Grandfather missed your wedding since I was abroad. Hmm… here's a piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade I got in the Xiao Kingdom. Take it as a wedding gift for you both."
Wei Tu thought for a moment, patted his storage pouch, and took out a brocade box, handing it to Wei Changshou.
This piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade had been given to him as an apology gift by Fu Dalu back in Immortal Peach City, Liao Prefecture.
The jade was worth over ten thousand spirit stones. It could calm the mind, nourish the spirit, and aid cultivation—especially effective for Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators, perfect for nurturing younger family members.
Though Wei Tu had helped Wei Changshou with his cultivation before, including giving him some support and gifts, this time, Wei Changshou had broken through to Foundation Establishment mostly through his own ability and his father Wei Xiuwen's help.
—The pill Wei Changshou used to reach Foundation Establishment was a Foundation Establishment Pill.
That pill had been obtained by Wei Xiuwen, a second-rank top-grade artificer, using his years of accumulated resources.
It didn't have much to do with Wei Tu.
Of course, without Wei Tu's prestige, it wouldn't have been so easy for Wei Xiuwen to acquire the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Still, no matter what, Wei Changshou was Wei Tu's eldest grandson, his only grandson.
If Wei Tu didn't look out for Wei Changshou, who else would he look out for?
"Thank you, Grandfather."
"Thank you… Grandfather."
Seeing the gift, Wei Changshou and Tao Ping'er's faces lit up with joy, and they stepped forward to thank him.
"Father, isn't this a bit too precious?" Wei Xiuwen, standing to the side, was startled.
Wei Changshou didn't know how valuable Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade was, but as an artificer, Wei Xiuwen knew very well.
This item was considered a rare spiritual treasure even at the Golden Core level, let alone for someone at the Foundation Establishment stage.
"This thing is useless to me."
Wei Tu shook his head with a smile and explained.
Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade and Iceheart Spirit Dew had almost identical effects, except the jade didn't have the special ability to cleanse the physical body.
If he hadn't gone to Little Cold Mountain, the jade might still have been useful to him. But after going there, the jade's value to him had become negligible.
Hearing that, Wei Xiuwen hesitated to speak.
The jade's value was one concern.
He was also worried that carrying such a valuable treasure would put Wei Changshou at risk, like a child walking through a market with gold, attracting disaster.
But after thinking about it, he realized that among the four cultivators present, aside from Wei Changshou and Tao Ping'er, only he and his father Wei Tu knew the secret.
That meant if Wei Changshou and Tao Ping'er kept quiet, the secret wouldn't spread.
'Once we're back home, I need to remind Changshou and Ping'er repeatedly, especially Ping'er.'
Wei Xiuwen thought to himself.
When it came to Tao Ping'er, he was still cautious and hadn't fully trusted her yet.
As a former clan leader of the Xia Cliff Mei Clan, he wasn't foolish—he knew perfectly well why Tao Ping'er had originally approached Wei Changshou.
But considering the Han Mountain Tao Clan was a decent match for marriage, he'd chosen not to interfere much.
Seeing all this, Wei Tu quietly nodded to himself.
Wei Changshou was different from him—he wasn't a rogue cultivator but a second- and third-generation immortal-born.
It was almost unavoidable for someone like him to carry precious treasures.
After all, as an elder, it was impossible not to give some protection and care to his junior.
If not Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Jade, there would be other treasures.
Besides, just one piece of jade wouldn't attract the greed of a Golden Core True Lord. The dangers Wei Changshou would face in the future would mostly come at the Foundation Establishment level.
And with the talismans he'd given him, Wei Changshou could handle those threats without much trouble.
If he ever faced a threat from a Golden Core cultivator…
At that point, Wei Tu would simply step in himself.
…
Half a year later.
Inside Wei Yan's secluded cultivation cave, something finally changed. Signs of core formation appeared.
Above Moon Condensation Palace, dark clouds suddenly gathered. Silver lightning snaked through the sky, and the daylight turned ominous.
At the same time, the spiritual energy near the spiritual land surged like a tide, rushing madly into the cave where Wei Yan was secluded.
"Someone's forming a core?"
Seeing this strange phenomenon, cultivators around Moon Condensation Palace instinctively looked up. A trace of envy appeared on their faces.
After all, the Golden Core Realm was practically the endpoint of cultivation for 99% of cultivators in the Da Cang Immortal World.
Breaking into the Golden Core Realm didn't just mean doubling one's lifespan. It also meant a huge leap in status and power.
"It's Wei Yan forming a core?"
The higher-ups of Mirror Water Pavilion and Moon Condensation Palace raised their eyes to the signs hanging in the sky. A hint of surprise showed on their faces.
Father and daughter both reaching the Golden Core Realm.
No matter the kingdom or place, that was always something worth celebrating in the cultivation world.
They hadn't expected that after years in seclusion, Wei Yan was truly about to succeed in forming her core.
After all, compared to her father Wei Tu, Wei Yan had always been rather ordinary. With her temperament and talent, even reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm was already impressive.
"It's the Mortal Shedding Pill!"
"Eighteen years ago, Alchemist Wei exchanged a core-formation spiritual item in our sect for a Mortal Shedding Pill."
Dressed in a purple dress, as ethereal as a celestial maiden, Moon Condensation Palace's Palace Master "Cao Mi" flew out from the back mountain. She explained things to the puzzled cultivators gathered around.
The chance to form a core was one of the rarest and most precious opportunities in the cultivation world.
Whether rogue cultivators or major sects, everyone coveted it.
If things weren't explained clearly, the father and daughter could easily find themselves in serious trouble.
Of course, what she said was also true.
Still, Moon Condensation Palace wasn't obligated to explain anything.
But right now, Cao Mi chose to give Wei Tu this valuable favor to forge a deep friendship.
"Thank you, Palace Master Cao, for explaining."
At that moment, Wei Tu, who was staying in a cave next to Wei Yan's, flew out too. He stood with the Golden Core True Lords from Moon Condensation Palace and Mirror Water Pavilion who had arrived upon hearing the news.
Hearing Cao Mi's explanation, Wei Tu looked grateful and thanked her right away.
"Alchemist Wei, you're too polite. This is just something within my duty as palace master." Cao Mi smiled softly, signaling there was no need to make a big deal of it.
Wei Tu instantly found himself feeling more favorably toward this dignified, graceful palace master who carried herself like an immortal.
But—
Right then, inside Mirror Water Pavilion, a second vortex of spiritual energy suddenly rose up. It started sucking in the surrounding energy and pressing toward Moon Condensation Palace's area.
"What?"
"Two cultivators forming cores at the same time?"
The crowd looked stunned.
When a cultivator formed a core, the swirling spiritual energy wasn't just to gather qi. It also created spiritual pressure to compress the cultivator's mana, helping them succeed in the key step of "turning liquid jade into a pill."
In other words, if the spiritual energy being pulled was limited and the vortex's pressure wasn't enough, it could easily cause the "liquid jade returns to pill" step to fail.
That's why major immortal sects always did their best to avoid having two cultivators break through to the Golden Core at the same time.
Even if they couldn't avoid it, they'd stagger the timing to keep them from affecting each other.
"Pavilion Master Ning, is someone in your sect currently trying to break through to the Golden Core Realm?"
Cao Mi frowned and asked.
She had just extended a friendly hand to Wei Tu, and now this mess from Mirror Water Pavilion had cropped up.
If it caused Wei Yan's core formation to fail, even if Wei Tu didn't blame Moon Condensation Palace, all her earlier efforts would have been wasted.
"This matter…" Ning Xuefeng looked troubled, unable to explain.
As the Pavilion Master of Mirror Water Pavilion, she was completely confused. She hadn't known someone in the pavilion would happen to pick this exact time to break through, overlapping with Wei Yan.
"It's Senior Sister Shen's aura!"
Just then, a Golden Core cultivator from Mirror Water Pavilion, sensitive to spiritual fluctuations, sensed the source of the second vortex.
"What? Senior Sister Shen?"
Ning Xuefeng's face changed slightly.
If it had just been a Foundation Establishment cultivator forming a core, then with the combined efforts of Mirror Water Pavilion and Moon Condensation Palace, they could have tried to fix the situation.
But if it was a Golden Core True Lord breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm, the spiritual vortex that formed was beyond their ability to control.
Mirror Water Pavilion couldn't possibly abandon their own Nascent Soul candidate just to ensure the success of an outsider's Golden Core formation.
As pavilion master, even if Ning Xuefeng personally disliked the overbearing Shen Yunqiu, she couldn't afford to act rashly right now.
"In at most half a day, the spiritual vortex from Senior Sister Shen's Nascent Soul breakthrough will reach Moon Condensation Palace…" The Mirror Water Pavilion Golden Core cultivator's face showed deep worry.
If things weren't handled well today, it would become a huge diplomatic disaster for Mirror Water Pavilion.
They might end up offending Wei Tu completely!
"This matter…"
Hearing that, Ning Xuefeng's face filled with hesitation. She had no idea how to resolve this.
She was stuck in an impossible situation.
But just then—
Ning Xuefeng and the others suddenly saw Wei Tu make a move. He patted his storage pouch and took out over a dozen three-rank array flags of various colors.
Did Wei Tu actually know array techniques?
Everyone was stunned. Given the situation, if a master who understood third-rank arrays stepped in, there was indeed a chance to resolve the crisis. It could save Wei Yan's core formation without interfering with Shen Yunqiu's breakthrough.
But… a third-rank array master was extremely rare, even in Moon Condensation Palace.
Of the four great immortal crafts—alchemy, talismans, artifacts, and arrays—arrays were the hardest to master.
Alchemy was the second hardest but also the most profitable!
Yet none of them could believe that Wei Tu, already exceptional in both alchemy and talismans, also dabbled in arrays. His talent for immortal arts was terrifying.
Of course—
In reality, Wei Tu didn't know arrays. His understanding only went up to basic knowledge of first- and second-rank formations, just scratching the surface.
He'd picked up even that much only by learning from Bai Zhi while she worked.
After all, his cultivation time was limited. Just mastering talismans and alchemy was already pushing his limits. His "Late Bloomer" destiny wouldn't let him become an expert in immortal arts overnight.
Still, even if he didn't understand third-rank arrays, Bai Zhi did. She could guide him in placing the flags.
All he needed to do was follow her instructions and set the flags in the right spots.
"Fellow Daoist Wei, half a day is too short to finish laying the array foundation…"
"I have an array called the Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array. It has two modes: the positive formation, which can absorb external spiritual energy and convert it into pure energy, and the reverse formation, which can convert a cultivator's mana into corresponding spiritual energy…"
Bai Zhi's idea was simple. By setting up the Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array, they could use it to block Shen Yunqiu's spiritual vortex and also supply pure spiritual energy to Wei Yan.
That would basically solve all the dangers threatening Wei Yan's core formation perfectly.
"But to activate this array, we need the help of 'Five Immortals'—that is, five Golden Core True Lords in the late Golden Core stage."
Bai Zhi added thoughtfully.
"Five Immortals?" Wei Tu paused for a moment.
Right now, the only Golden Core True Lord he fully trusted nearby was Kou Hongying, but her cultivation was only in the early Golden Core stage, far from enough to meet the array's requirements.
"Wait! There's still Yu Gongshou and the other two."
Wei Tu suddenly remembered that Yu Gongshou's group happened to be lingering at the border of Moon Condensation Palace at this very moment.
Given their cultivation levels, getting them to come within half a day after receiving a talisman message wouldn't be an issue.
"One more person is still needed?"
Wei Tu looked up and turned his gaze to the current palace master of Moon Condensation Palace, Cao Mi.
At this point, with Shen Yunqiu breaking through, the person most frustrated besides him was definitely this palace master.
First—
Moon Condensation Palace wanted to befriend him, but Shen Yunqiu's breakthrough at this time was clearly putting the palace in an awkward spot.
Second—
Even though Moon Condensation Palace and Mirror Water Pavilion had a long-standing relationship, that didn't mean there wasn't secret competition between the two sects.
If Shen Yunqiu succeeded in forming a Nascent Soul now, the balance of power between the two sects could easily flip, with guest and host switching places.
Thinking of this, Wei Tu didn't hesitate. He immediately told Cao Mi about his plan to set up the Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array and asked for her help.
"Today's mishap is partly Moon Condensation Palace's responsibility. Since Alchemist Wei asks… of course I'm happy to help…"
Cao Mi gently brushed aside a strand of hair near her temple and smiled.
At this moment, she was also upset by Shen Yunqiu's overbearing timing, which was putting her in a difficult position.
She didn't want to see Shen Yunqiu's "plot" succeed and lead to a successful Nascent Soul breakthrough.
Now that Wei Tu had asked for her help, it fit perfectly with what she wanted.
"Many thanks, Palace Master Cao."
Hearing her clear answer, Wei Tu finally felt relieved and let out a long breath.
"As for contacting Fellow Daoist Yu and the other two…"
"Moon Condensation Palace has the right communication artifacts to reach the border instantly."
"They're much faster than your talisman messages."
Cao Mi took the initiative to offer, easing Wei Tu's worries.
"Excellent!" Wei Tu nodded slightly, his eyes showing a hint of gratitude.