The venue for the Nascent Soul Ceremony was set at the Divine Master's Mansion, where Wei Tu resided.
According to the arrangements made by Wei Yan and the others, the banquet for the ceremony was divided into three sections: the private banquet, the inner banquet, and the outer banquet.
The private banquet was primarily for Nascent Soul Elders and leaders or important figures from the major factions.
The inner banquet was reserved for Golden Core True Lords. As long as one's cultivation was at the Golden Core stage, they were welcome to enter.
As for the outer banquet, it was much simpler.
As long as guests came with sincere blessings, they were allowed into the Nascent Soul Ceremony to enjoy a casual banquet.
On the day of the ceremony, Wei Tu, the host, did not act arrogantly. Before the guests for the private banquet arrived, he was already there early.
He waited for less than half an hour.
After the entrance of Yuan Jie, Fairy Bao Hua, and others, the three great Divine Masters of Ying Ding Tribe—Du Long, He Di, and Dong Lai—arrived together to attend the spiritual feast.
"Du Long Divine Master, congratulations to Wei Divine Master for successfully achieving Nascent Soul and reaching the revered status of Nascent Soul. As a gift, I present three Chi Blood Stones and two Soul Cleansing Bamboo segments."
"He Di Divine Master, congratulations to Wei Divine Master for successfully achieving Nascent Soul and reaching the revered status of Nascent Soul. As a gift, I present a set of third-tier top-grade robes and a storage ring."
"Dong Lai Divine Master, congratulations to Wei Divine Master for successfully achieving Nascent Soul and reaching the revered status of Nascent Soul. As a gift, I present five thousand-year-old blood ginseng roots and seven taels of Golden Spirit Mud."
As with the previous Nascent Soul Ceremony for the Right Virtuous King's Dao partner, the three great Divine Masters' gifts were announced by their disciples.
However, there was a difference this time.
The gifts from the three great Divine Masters to Yuan Jie and Fairy Bao Hua were considered "gifts from the Divine Masters" rather than presented on equal terms like now.
A single word difference marked the vast difference in status.
"Thank you, three friends," Wei Tu said as he heard the list of gifts, his face showing moved expression. He stood up from his seat and bowed in gratitude.
Chi Blood Stones and thousand-year blood ginseng were not particularly rare treasures, but they were highly necessary for his current body refining techniques.
With these two refining treasures, Wei Tu was confident he could push his body refinement to the third-tier peak in a short amount of time.
As for the other items, although not urgently needed, they were the most precious things Wei Tu could offer besides the fourth-tier cultivation resources.
After all, the three great Divine Masters were only at the early Nascent Soul stage. They couldn't sacrifice their own cultivation paths to aid Wei Tu.
Regarding the Chi Blood Stones and the Golden Spirit Mud, these were part of Ying Ding Tribe's new Nascent Soul elders' customary gifts, which differed in meaning from the current gifts.
"Please take your seats, Divine Masters."
At that moment, Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen, who were standing below the throne, stepped forward to seat the three great Divine Masters and the others.
"I didn't expect that Wei Daoist would have such a fine pair of children. These small trinkets are my gift to you both."
Seeing Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen, Du Long, He Di, and Dong Lai Divine Masters immediately smiled and took out small gifts from their sleeves, handing them over with their spiritual energy.
For cultivators at the level of Du Long and the others, resources below Nascent Soul were no longer of much interest to them.
Thus, offering these small gifts didn't matter much to them.
Seeing this, Wei Tu did not stop them, silently watching everything from the high platform.
This time, he had arranged for Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen to serve as attendants at the private banquet for important guests. Besides the fact that they were his only children and easy to manage, he also wanted them to take the opportunity to receive gifts and gather wealth.
After all, if something is offered for free, one should take it.
The small gifts given by these important guests at the private banquet, while not particularly valuable, would accumulate into a substantial sum when collected by Wei Yan and Wei Xiuwen.
It was not an exaggeration to say that the gifts they received this time would allow them to avoid hundreds of years of struggles and accumulate hundreds of years' worth of Golden Core progress.
Half a day later.
Representatives from other factions began entering the private banquet.
Many of these cultivators were acquaintances of Wei Tu, or people he had met a few times in the past.
For example:
Cao Mi, the Palace Master of Moon Condensation Palace.
Ning Xue Feng, the Pavilion Master of Mirror Water Pavilion.
The direct elders of Ancient Sword Mountain, Situ You and Tian Qiu Yun.
Elder Yu Tong from Five Blessings Merchant Guild.
The remaining representatives from other factions, though unfamiliar to Wei Tu, were nonetheless well-known in the immortal cultivation world.
For example, Princess Yuwen Liangu from She Ri Tribe and the Fourth Prince Lou Yuangang from Feng Wu Tribe.
In addition to these Golden Core True Lords, there were also five Nascent Soul cultivators present from other factions.
Among them were Hong Jing from Mirror Water Pavilion and Ancestor Luo from Moon Condensation Palace.
"Strange! Why haven't any disciples from Earth Sword Mountain arrived yet?"
At this moment, Du Long, He Di, and Dong Lai Divine Masters, who were seated at the higher table, suddenly noticed something unusual.
—The Earth Sword Mountain, one of the six major Nascent Soul factions in Kang Kingdom, was conspicuously absent today?
They couldn't recall any major conflicts between Ying Ding Tribe and Earth Sword Mountain that would make them enemies.
"Perhaps it's because a few years ago, I killed the couple Yao Chongshan from Earth Sword Mountain, which caused Earth Sword Mountain to harbor hatred and not come to my Nascent Soul Ceremony."
Seeing this, Wei Tu did not panic. He smiled lightly and began to explain the situation to Du Long Divine Master, He Di Divine Master, and Dong Lai Divine Master.
"It was for this reason."
"I didn't expect that Old Ghost Mo from Earth Sword Mountain would be so petty and hold a grudge."
"However, since Fellow Daoist Wei was in the right, there's no need to worry. With our tribe's strength, we don't need to fear Earth Sword Mountain."
Upon hearing this, Du Long Divine Master and the other two did not hesitate. They immediately expressed their support for Wei Tu.
After all, compared to the good news of Ying Ding Tribe gaining a new Nascent Soul divine master, the trouble Wei Tu had caused didn't seem like a big deal.
The three great divine masters weren't foolish enough to let something trivial like this ruin their support for Wei Tu.
At their level, the boundaries of power and influence were irrelevant. The real crucial benefit lay in the number of Nascent Soul and their cultivation level.
Even the entire Golden Core faction of Ying Ding Tribe was less important than a newly ascended Nascent Soul.
With a newly ascended Nascent Soul, even if all the Golden Core True Lords were wiped out, they could be trained again and the tribe wouldn't fall into a crisis.
The longevity of a Nascent Soul was the greatest assurance for a Nascent Soul faction.
A Nascent Soul's lifespan was several times that of a Golden Core!
Unlike the clear-cut boundaries for the lifespans of Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators, a Nascent Soul's lifespan was distinguished by "Heavenly Life" and "Supplementary Life."
Generally speaking, a Nascent Soul's Heavenly Life alone grants a lifespan of 1,600 years.
If supplemented with Secret Techniques to extend one's life, their lifespan could easily exceed 2,000 years, and in some cases, even reach 3,000 years.
Therefore, even if Wei Tu were in the wrong for killing Yao Chongshan and his wife, even if he had killed the Sword Master of Earth Sword Mountain, Du Long Divine Master and the others, for the sake of their tribe, would still stand by Wei Tu without hesitation.
"Thank you for your support, my friends."
Upon hearing this, Wei Tu showed a grateful expression, clasping his hands and thanking the three divine masters.
However—
At this moment.
Wei Tu suddenly sensed a familiar aura approaching from outside Hu Jie Immortal City.
This aura belonged to Sun Chixin, whom he had parted ways with a hundred years ago at Xiao Kingdom's Mingwang Sect.
"Sun Chixin?"
"What is he doing here in Ying Ding Tribe?"
Wei Tu couldn't help but be surprised.
His relationship with Sun Chixin wasn't particularly deep. When they parted ways, he even forced him to sign a soul contract to ensure that the Nascent Transformation Pill he obtained wouldn't be leaked.
If Sun Chixin knew about his Nascent Soul Ceremony and wanted to come to Ying Ding Tribe for shelter, Wei Tu wouldn't believe it for a second.
After all, Sun Chixin was not young and had already passed the point of advancing to Nascent Soul. He was content with his Golden Core cultivation.
Since he had no desire for further power, why would he need to rely on Wei Tu and entrust his life to a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor?
"Unless his life is in danger?"
"Choosing the lesser of two evils?"
Thinking about this, Wei Tu muttered the phrase "Know Heaven Crossing" and focused on sensing Sun Chixin's surroundings.
In an instant, four black-clad cultivators appeared, closely following Sun Chixin.
These four cultivators were all at the late Golden Core stage, with one of them even reaching the Golden Core peak.
"No! This is the Fake Nascent Soul Old Ancestor!"
Wei Tu sensed the subtle fluctuations in Fake Nascent Soul's power, surpassing even that of the Golden Core Great Cultivators.
"Strange, how did Sun Chixin manage to escape the pursuit of the Fake Nascent Soul Old Ancestor?"
Curiously, Wei Tu focused on sensing Sun Chixin's cultivation level.
"Golden Core peak?"
Upon seeing this, Wei Tu was taken aback.
He clearly remembered that when he parted with Sun Chixin, his cultivation was only at the mid-Golden Core stage. How could he have advanced to the Golden Core peak in just a hundred years, becoming a Golden Core Great Cultivator?
Such rapid progress was clearly abnormal, almost as fast as his own.
"Let's not dwell too much on his cultivation. Right now, Sun Chixin is coming to Hu Jie Immortal City, clearly aware of my Nascent Soul breakthrough, and seeking my help."
After a brief moment of thought, Wei Tu secretly mused.
However, he didn't hesitate. He immediately took out a green soft sword from his sleeve and threw it.
As soon as the sword left his hand, it turned into a streak of green light and shot out of the Divine Master's Mansion, heading towards the outskirts of Hu Jie Immortal City.
"What's happening?"
"Why has Wei Divine Master suddenly drawn his weapon?"
The gathered cultivators were surprised upon seeing this.
After all, they had attended many ceremonies, but this was the first time they had seen their host suddenly draw a weapon.
"It's just a small matter outside the city," Wei Tu smiled slightly and explained.
"Everyone, don't worry, continue drinking and feasting."
He added.
Upon hearing this, the cultivators exchanged glances. However, when they thought of Wei Tu's Nascent Soul cultivation and the Nascent Soul Old Ancestors present in the hall, they immediately felt reassured.
When the heavens fall, there's always someone tall to hold it up.
With so many Nascent Soul Old Ancestors present, even if it was a big deal, it was not for them to worry about.