The Nascent Soul Ceremony lasted for three days.
It would take at least seven days for the Golden Core True Lords from Earth Sword Mountain to travel to the Ying Ding Tribe using their fastest escape speed.
This time frame would undoubtedly cause them to miss the ceremony.
Therefore, when the decision was made to attend the banquet, Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi never considered sending Ye Shouyi and the others in their place. Instead, like Hong Jing and Old Ancester Luo, they personally attended the banquet as Nascent Soul elders.
One day later.
Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi personally carried their gifts from Earth Sword Mountain and rushed to the Divine Master's Residence, where Wei Tu was located.
"Earth Sword Mountain's Mo Changqing congratulates Wei Divine Master on successfully condensing the Nascent Soul and attaining the rank of Nascent Soul Elder. We present two third-grade middle-tier magic swords and one third-grade upper-tier magic sword."
"Earth Sword Mountain's Yu Tongzi congratulates Wei Divine Master on successfully condensing the Nascent Soul and attaining the rank of Nascent Soul Elder. We present one third-grade alchemy furnace and ten foundation-building sword concubines."
Soon, the ceremonial proclamations rang out.
Upon hearing these words, the Nascent Soul elders and Golden Core elites who were drinking and celebrating inside the hall were momentarily stunned. They looked at each other in confusion for several breaths.
After all, Earth Sword Mountain's absence had already become a major headline for this Nascent Soul Ceremony.
During this time, they had also learned from rumors about the conflict between Wei Tu and Earth Sword Mountain.
Now, just as the banquet was nearing its end, Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi arrived in person and brought such extravagant gifts, making their arrival feel extremely abrupt.
Such behavior, from arrogance to respect, was a perfect example of what they were witnessing!
Moreover, they knew that Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi were known for their eccentric personalities among the Nascent Soul cultivators of Kang Kingdom.
"The first day of the ceremony, Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi are still not here, but their informants have probably already arrived."
"After hearing of Wei Tu's victory over the fake Nascent Soul cultivator, Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi changed their attitude, coming personally to congratulate."
Dong Lai Divine Master sneered and secretly transmitted to Wei Tu, sitting at the head of the table.
Unlike the elder Nascent Soul cultivators, Dong Lai Divine Master had achieved the Nascent Soul status six hundred years ago, making him a middle-aged cultivator among Nascent Soul practitioners. He had a long lifespan, which made him feel more inclined to befriend Wei Tu, unlike the polite and formal approach of Du Long and He Di.
That's why he felt more open in his remarks regarding this matter.
"However, even so, Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi's visit is a good thing... It keeps me from being completely pushed to the opposite side of Earth Sword Mountain."
Wei Tu smiled lightly and responded.
In truth, this was also his honest opinion.
Although he had no fear of Earth Sword Mountain, if the conflict over Yao Chongshan and his wife were to escalate and make them enemies, it would be a significant disadvantage for him.
Therefore, regardless of whether Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi were genuinely showing respect now, as long as this "gap" could be smoothly resolved, it would be beneficial to him.
After all, the behavior of being rude and later respectful, though somewhat power-driven, was still better than someone who showed him respect initially and later turned hostile.
"Well said!" Dong Lai Divine Master slightly nodded in approval.
Once Wei Tu and Dong Lai Divine Master had finished their conversation through secret transmission, Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi arrived at the inner hall.
"To make Wei Divine Master and all the fellow cultivators laugh, Mo originally planned to attend Wei Divine Master's Nascent Soul Ceremony two days ago, but..."
"Unexpectedly, my subordinates made a mistake and wrongly assumed that Yu Tongzi and I were dissatisfied with Wei Divine Master, and did not report the matter in time…"
"Fortunately, Yu Tongzi was observant and noticed the issue, and we were able to rush here in time."
Old Ghost Mo greeted Wei Tu and the fellow Nascent Soul cultivators with a bow, then casually fabricated a story to explain their late arrival.
The cultivators, though aware of the true reason, did not expose it, simply chuckling a few times.
However, Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi noticed that many of the fellow cultivators were looking toward Wei Tu at the head of the table, seemingly waiting for him to speak.
"Nascent Soul cultivators are not common, but to receive such attention, it seems that the battle two days ago was far from simple."
Seeing this, Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi's pupils constricted slightly, and they silently thought to themselves.
After a brief pause, Wei Tu at the head of the table finally spoke.
He stood up with a smile and said, "I am deeply grateful for Daoist Mo's and Daoist Yu Tong's presence at my Nascent Soul Ceremony. I would never hold any grudges against you."
With that, Wei Tu ordered, "Yanyan, Xiuwen, please arrange a separate seating for Daoist Mo and Daoist Yu Tong."
As soon as his words were spoken, the previously silent cultivators in the hall finally returned their smiles, greeting Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi warmly.
"Not all Nascent Soul cultivators are the same."
At that moment, the Golden Core cultivators in the room couldn't help but think to themselves.
Especially Cao Mi, the Palace Master of Condensing Moon Palace.
As someone who was expected to break through to Nascent Soul, she had been trying to curry favor with Wei Tu and Wei Xiuwen, but deep down, she also harbored thoughts of getting back at them after reaching the Nascent Soul realm.
However, after witnessing this, Cao Mi no longer dared to entertain such thoughts.
After all, once she broke through, she, as a weak Nascent Soul cultivator, would likely treat Wei Tu with the same deference as Old Ghost Mo and the others.
…
After Old Ghost Mo and Yu Tongzi of Earth Sword Mountain arrived, it didn't take long for the Nascent Soul Ceremony, which had lasted for three days at the Divine Master's Residence, to come to an end.
After the banquet dispersed.
Representatives of the various factions gradually left.
However, due to Wei Tu's identity as an alchemist, some cultivators stayed behind, hoping to establish alchemy cooperation with him.
To this, Wei Tu politely declined.
He didn't want to waste his precious time, now that he had broken through to Nascent Soul, on such trivial matters as earning Spirit Stones.
After all, with his cultivation level, aside from top-grade Spirit Stones, any other types of Spirit Stones were of little value to him.
Items like top-grade Spirit Stones are scarce resources in the major factions, and they certainly wouldn't easily give such precious resources to him.
Aside from the cultivators who stayed on purpose, Wei Tu also personally intervened, persuading some of his former "connections" to stay longer.
Among these connections were Cao Mi, Situ You, and others.
Seeing this, Cao Mi and Situ You were, of course, flattered. They thought to themselves that Wei Tu hadn't forgotten them, and they happily agreed to stay.
For these people, Wei Tu didn't set up a separate banquet to entertain them all at once. Instead, he chose suitable times to meet them in groups.
The first person Wei Tu met with was Situ You.
In the Divine Master's Residence, in the main hall.
Wei Tu glanced at Situ You in the hall. Seeing that Situ You had listened to his instructions and hadn't brought his partner Tian Qiuyun, he nodded to himself, thinking that Situ You still had hope.
"Brother Situ, the reason I called you here is not only to thank you for the information you gave me about Yao Chongshan and his wife two years ago... but also to give you something."
Wei Tu paused for a moment before continuing.
"Something?" Situ You was startled, not knowing what Wei Tu was referring to.
"Please, Wei Divine Master... Wei Brother, enlighten me."
Situ You clasped his fists and bowed, speaking respectfully.
He didn't remember making any agreements with Wei Tu about spiritual items, so he was a bit confused about the matter Wei Tu was referring to.
"It's Wei Hua's Golden Core."
Wei Tu shook his head with a smile and clarified.
Saying that, he flipped his palm and took out a pill bottle that sealed Wei Hua's soul and Golden Core.
"Ah, so it's this."
Upon hearing this, Situ You immediately understood.
After thanking him, Situ You took the pill bottle from Wei Tu's hands.
During the exchange, Situ You didn't show any sign of confusion or surprise on his face.
This was because, in Situ You's mind, as a Nascent Soul Elder, Wei Tu solving the problem with Wei Hua was just a minor task.
"If you're not too busy, Brother Situ, you can search Wei Hua's soul."
Wei Tu hinted with a suggestion.
Hearing this, Situ You was puzzled but didn't overthink it. He nodded and began to search Wei Hua's soul as Wei Tu had advised.
Soul-searching a cultivator of the same rank wasn't easy.
It took Situ You half an hour to finally invade Wei Hua's soul with his divine sense, sifting through the deep memories stored in Wei Hua's soul.
At first, Situ You's expression was normal.
But after a while, his expression began to shift between dark and light.
"Tian Qiuyun, I must kill you..."
Situ You's face turned ashen, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
He never expected that the childhood friend he cherished would have such hidden motives.
And now, he had been manipulated ruthlessly by her.
"Thank you, Wei Brother, for informing me."
After the initial shock and anger, Situ You regained his calm, bowed deeply to Wei Tu, and expressed his thanks.
After all, if it weren't for Wei Tu, he would have been kept in the dark for many more years about Tian Qiuyun's true nature.
"Now that you know the truth, there's no need to keep Wei Hua's soul alive."
Wei Tu nodded slightly and waved his sleeve, using his magic to destroy Wei Hua's soul and Golden Core.
The memories in Wei Hua's soul regarding the "Lifesaving Star Lamp" had already been erased by Wei Tu in advance.
However, if Wei Hua's soul were to fall into the hands of other Nascent Soul Elders, there was still a chance that the erased memories could be restored.
To avoid any future complications, Wei Tu was naturally not going to leave Wei Hua's soul behind.
He didn't want to have his trump card exposed to other cultivators of the same rank.
"Brother Situ, how do you plan to deal with Tian Qiuyun in the future?"
Wei Tu asked in a deep voice, curious about Situ You's exact plans.
He was worried that, driven by anger, Situ You might deal with Tian Qiuyun too rashly, which would not only add a charge of wife-killing to his name but also implicate Wei Tu, exposing their past collaboration to harm Wei Hua.
Unlike the case with Yao Chongshan and his wife, Wei Tu didn't have much justification when it came to Wei Hua.
After all, Wei Hua had no personal grievances with him. In fact, Wei Hua had even helped him in Ancient Sword Mountain, purchasing Su Bing'er's freedom.
Therefore, if their collaboration to harm Wei Hua were exposed, it might not pose a direct threat to his life, but it would certainly bring significant trouble and ruin his reputation.
"This matter..."
Situ You hesitated, unsure how to respond.
At this moment, after learning Tian Qiuyun's true nature, Situ You didn't feel any more attachment to her. If he could kill her, he wouldn't hold back.
However, unlike Wei Hua, who came from a humble background, Tian Qiuyun was the legitimate daughter of an elder and had connections with many elders in Ancient Sword Mountain.
If she died, those same elders would hold him accountable, and the connections he had gained through marrying her would disappear.
At that point, he would have lost everything.
Seeing Situ You hesitate, Wei Tu's face showed a trace of disappointment. He raised his hand, preparing to dismiss Situ You.
At this moment, Situ You's hesitation made it clear to Wei Tu that he still had feelings for Tian Qiuyun and wasn't ready to sever that connection.
As someone decisive and ruthless, Wei Tu didn't think much of Situ You's indecision. He didn't want to maintain close ties with him anymore.
But then, after a long pause, Situ You finally spoke.
His words made Wei Tu stop his hand and listen.
"Killing Tian Qiuyun cannot be rushed. If she dies, my position in Ancient Sword Mountain will be in jeopardy."
"So, my plan is to temporarily spare Tian Qiuyun's life. Once I become the Sword Master, I will kill her!"
Situ You spoke coldly, revealing his plan.
With one sentence.
'A small loss now will avoid greater problems later.'
After some calm reflection, he realized that compared to the humiliation Tian Qiuyun had caused him, what mattered more to him now was the position of Sword Master in Ancient Sword Mountain.
This decision wasn't about not taking revenge on Tian Qiuyun, but about maximizing his own benefits first, then planning for revenge later.
"Brother Situ, you've thought this through," Wei Tu said with a satisfied nod.
At this moment, Situ You's words, though somewhat crafty, were understandable given how badly Tian Qiuyun had treated him. It was a situation he could sympathize with.
Besides, even if Situ You had deep schemes, with his strength, he couldn't threaten Wei Tu. On the contrary, once Situ You became the Sword Master, his position in Ancient Sword Mountain could be beneficial to Wei Tu, who was an outer sect Nascent Soul.
In other words, Situ You maximizing his benefits was also beneficial to Wei Tu.
This choice was advantageous to both of them.
After Situ You left, Wei Tu met with Cao Mi.
This time, Wei Tu was direct and got straight to the point with his request.
"True spirit flesh..."
Upon hearing this, Cao Mi frowned slightly and didn't respond immediately.
"Is there a problem?" Wei Tu asked gently, not in a rush.
"There is," Cao Mi replied without hesitation.
"The true spirit flesh of the Moonshadow Snow Phoenix, although I have the authority to use it, the two boxes of true spirit flesh I gave to Fellow Daoist Wei were the extent of my permissions."
"If you want more, you'll have to consult the Ancestor."
She added.
"I see," Wei Tu said, not disappointed.
After all, he already had the Red Blood Stone and Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng that Master Du Long and Master Dong Lai had given him. These two treasures were enough to push his body refinement to the peak of third-grade.
At this point, asking Cao Mi for more true spirit flesh was just precautionary.
"Palace Master Cao, many years ago, I borrowed a Mortal Shedding Pill from you."
"It's time to return it."
Then, Wei Tu flipped his palm and took out a green pill bottle, passing it over with his spiritual energy.
The Mortal Shedding Pill, at the Golden Core stage, was a rare item for him. Because of his position, he couldn't easily access this precious resource within Ying Ding Tribe.
But now, after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, things were different.
Wei Tu didn't struggle much to "borrow" a Mortal Shedding Pill from the clan's treasury.
So, when he saw Cao Mi attending his Nascent Soul Ceremony, he decided it was the right time to return the pill and settle the debt.
"Fellow Daoist Wei is truly a trustworthy person!"
Seeing this, Cao Mi slightly bent over, her expression showing respect as she praised Wei Tu.
Afterward, she kept her word and took out the item Wei Tu had used as collateral for the pill—the Talisman Heart Tablet.
After exchanging items, Cao Mi couldn't hide a slight sense of disappointment.
But she quickly regained her composure and moved on to the next topic.
"Please, Fellow Daoist Wei, forgive my boldness."
"I'd like to ask about your current alchemy skills."
Cao Mi asked seriously.
"Alchemy skills?" Wei Tu raised an eyebrow, unsure why Cao Mi would ask about this.
However, with his current level, revealing his true alchemy skills wasn't a big deal.
"I'm a third-grade upper-tier alchemist."
He answered honestly.
After refining the Purple Candle Pill, his alchemy skills had naturally reached the third-grade upper-tier level.
"A third-grade upper-tier alchemist?"
Upon hearing this, Cao Mi's face lit up with joy.
"I am currently six hundred and twelve years old, with about two hundred years left before I can break through to the Nascent Soul realm. Given your skills, you can reach the quasi-fourth-grade level in this time."
"At that point, I'd like to ask Fellow Daoist Wei to help me refine a Transformation Pill."
Cao Mi said quickly.
Third-grade upper-tier alchemists were not rare in Ancient Sword Mountain, but the essential condition for refining the Transformation Pill—a quasi-fourth-grade alchemist—could only be met by a Nascent Soul cultivator.
This was also the reason why various factions were eager to offer gifts to Wei Tu during his Nascent Soul Ceremony.
Simply put, a third-grade upper-tier alchemist who could reach the Nascent Soul realm was incredibly rare.
Most third-grade upper-tier alchemists who reached that level had little time left and had no hope of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.
"Of course!"
"As long as Palace Master Cao provides the materials, once I reach quasi-fourth-grade, I will definitely try to refine the pill."
Wei Tu immediately agreed, not hesitating.
The higher the grade of the pill, the fewer opportunities there were for the alchemist to try refining it. Refining the Transformation Pill would also enhance his alchemy skills, so it was a win-win for both him and Cao Mi.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Wei."
Upon hearing this, Cao Mi bowed deeply, thanking him before she left.
Afterward, in the Divine Master's Residence, Wei Tu glanced at Cao Mi's retreating figure. He appeared deep in thought before stepping into another hall within the residence.
This hall didn't contain the guests Wei Tu had personally invited, but instead, it was where Sun Chixin, who had been rescued from outside Hu Jue Immortal City three days ago, was healing.
"Sun pays his respects to Ancestor Wei."
Seeing Wei Tu enter, Sun Chixin, who was healing, immediately got up, bowed deeply, and respectfully addressed Wei Tu.
However, Wei Tu didn't acknowledge his respect. He looked at Sun Chixin coldly and said, "Fellow Daoist Sun, I don't want to say anything unnecessary. After all, you must have thought about how to explain yourself for coming to Ying Ding Tribe for help."
"Just speak directly!"
After speaking, Wei Tu crossed his arms and silently waited for Sun Chixin to speak.
"Yes, Ancestor Wei!" Hearing this, Sun Chixin didn't hesitate. He gave a bitter smile and nodded before beginning to explain everything that had happened since his parting from Wei Tu decades ago.