Wei Tu took the jade slip and infused it with his divine sense, scanning its contents.
Inside, Kou Hongying had compiled a list of seventeen small cultivation families that possessed second-tier Talisman Master inheritances, along with an analysis of the pros and cons of joining each one.
Among these families, Wei Tu spotted "Xia Ya i Clan," which was where his in-law, i Yuanfeng, belonged.
"Uncle Wei has reached Foundation Establishnt at a hundred years old, making him soone with considerable potential. Before this, he had already been capable of crafting first-tier high-grade talismans…"
"He can afford to wait for the best offer rather than making a hasty decision about which family to join."
After Wei Tu finished reading the jade slip, Kou Hongying added this remark.
With that, Kou Hongying gave a graceful bow, bid farewell to Wei Tu, and left Luo Xue Courtyard.
Originally, she had co to Danqiu Mountain solely to deliver compensation to both Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou.
However, she had unexpectedly arrived at the mont of Wei Tu’s breakthrough and ended up staying at Danqiu Mountain for five years to protect him.
Although these five years had not significantly hindered her cultivation, they had delayed several of her important affairs.
Once Kou Hongying left, Wei Tu put away the jade slip and turned to Fu Zhizhou, making a solemn promise that he would repay the Foundation Establishnt Pill within five years.
"Thank you, Third Brother."
Hearing this, Fu Zhizhou finally felt at ease.
It was not that he doubted Wei Tu’s integrity, but the Foundation Establishnt Pill was simply too crucial for him.
His entire hope of advancing to Foundation Establishnt depended on this pill.
Shortly after, Fu Zhizhou also took his leave.
With that, Luo Xue Courtyard was once again left with only Wei Tu.
"A sha… I don’t possess a second-tier talisman master inheritance. Otherwise, staying in the Danqiu Mountain marketplace like Pill Master Shu and others would have been a solid choice."
Wei Tu gently rubbed the jade slip Kou Hongying had given him, deep in thought.
Besides joining a cultivation faction, there was another viable path for Foundation Establishnt rogue cultivators.
That was—staying in the marketplace and becoming a true artisan, detached from any major sects or cultivation clans.
Take Pill Master Shu, for example.
As a second-tier alchemist, Pill Master Shu had yet to formally align himself with any faction, yet his wealth far surpassed that of most minor cultivation families.
However, to follow in Pill Master Shu's footsteps, one had to first possess a second-tier cultivation skill.
"But, compared to Pill Master Shu, joining a cultivation faction isn't necessarily a worse option."
"It's easier to thrive under a strong backer."
Wei Tu reasoned.
He did not believe that Pill Master Shu’s supposed "freedom" was truly free.
Drifting between different factions without having absolute power—on the surface, it might seem like he was highly valued by everyone, but in reality, it ant being perpetually cautious, never offending anyone.
Back when Geng Wen was exposed for attempting to rob Zhao Qingluo, Zhao Qingluo had directly gone to Pill Master Shu to exact revenge.
And Pill Master Shu—despite being a senior second-tier alchemist—had absolutely no way to resist.
If Pill Master Shu had the backing of one of the seven great cultivation families, would Zhao Qingluo have dared to attack him so openly?
Definitely not.
"Besides, I have no deep secrets to hide. My path to advancent can withstand scrutiny, so joining a cultivation family as a guest elder shouldn't attract too much unwanted attention."
Wei Tu reassured himself and finalized his decision—to seek out a suitable cultivation family and join as an esteed guest elder.
The only secrets worth hiding were his loot from Blood Elder Mo and Geng Wen, as well as the Foundation Establishnt Pill he had taken from Zhao Qingluo.
But those risks…
Now that he had successfully reached Foundation Establishnt, they were no longer worth worrying about.
Different status, different treatnt.
Back when he was in the Qi Refinent Realm, Zhao Qingluo had the power to decide whether he lived or died.
But now?
She would never dare to harm a Foundation Establishnt cultivator—especially one who had saved her life.
More importantly, joining a cultivation faction was also the most beneficial choice.
Now that Wei Tu had reached Foundation Establishnt, he not only lacked a second-tier talisman inheritance, but he also needed to switch to a second-tier cultivation technique to continue progressing.
After feeding the Wind-Cleaving Eagle, which had gone without food for five years, Wei Tu walked into the Talisman Chamber and began his closed-door session to refine talismans.
Taking advantage of his newfound free ti, he decided to finally complete Helian Xiong's commission—the top-tier Demon Refining Talisman.
Before his Foundation Establishnt breakthrough, despite spending several years crafting talismans, he had only focused on attack and defense talismans that could be easily sold for spirit stones. He had not yet attempted talismans with special functions like the Demon Refining Talisman.
Furthermore, the Demon Refining Talisman was exceptionally difficult to create. Drawing an ordinary talisman was easy, but crafting a high-grade version capable of nurturing beast souls was far more complex.
However, things were different now.
With his cultivation now in the Foundation Establishnt Realm, the enhancent of his divine sense made drawing the Demon Refining Talisman significantly easier than before.
After half a month, Wei Tu finally succeeded in creating a high-grade Demon Refining Talisman.
He imdiately sent out a talisman ssage to inform Helian Xiong and Tong Peipei.
The next day, Helian Xiong personally ca to visit.
Unlike his previous casual deanor, this ti, Helian Xiong appeared rather uneasy as he arrived at Luo Xue Courtyard.
"Senior Wei… did you really craft a high-grade Demon Refining Talisman?"
Helian Xiong stood in the hall, his head slightly lowered, his voice filled with nervousness.
He feared that Wei Tu had rely used the talisman as bait to lure him in—only to coerce him into handing over the Demonic Soul Foundation Establishnt thod.
As he spoke, Helian Xiong couldn’t help but regret his past decision.
Why had he chosen Wei Tu, of all people, to study the Demon Refining Talisman?
Back then, no matter how he looked at it, Wei Tu did not seem like soone who could achieve Foundation Establishnt.
Now, all Helian Xiong could do was hope that Wei Tu was a man of integrity and that, after handing over the Demonic Soul Foundation Establishnt thod, he would be spared.
"Friend Helian, please take a look."
Wei Tu, unaware of Helian Xiong’s inner turmoil, smiled slightly. He reached into his sleeve, pulled out a high-grade Demon Refining Talisman, and placed it on the table beside him.
"A high-grade Demon Refining Talisman?"
Seeing this, Helian Xiong's expression shifted between delight and disbelief.
"Now that I have successfully crafted the high-grade Demon Refining Talisman for you, it's ti for you to fulfill your end of the deal."
Wei Tu's tone deepened.
"The Demonic Soul Foundation Establishnt thod—I trust you haven’t forgotten?"
For Wei Tu, this thod was useless—he had already reached Foundation Establishnt.
But for his close friends, it was extrely valuable.
"Senior Wei, please examine it carefully."
Helian Xiong, no longer hesitating, took out a blood-colored jade slip from his storage pouch and handed it to Wei Tu.
Taking the jade slip, Wei Tu imdiately scanned it with his divine sense, carefully reviewing the Demonic Soul Foundation Establishnt thod while also analyzing its effects on cultivation.
After half an hour, Wei Tu slowly shook his head and sighed.
This alternative Foundation Establishnt thod was indeed as Helian Xiong had once described—it could slightly increase the success rate of advancing to Foundation Establishnt.
But the improvent wasn’t significant.
At most, it could raise the success rate by two levels.
Compared to using a Foundation Establishnt Pill, it was far inferior.
More importantly—even if a cultivator succeeded using this thod, there were severe consequences.
The biggest drawback was—cultivators who established their foundation using this thod would have their lifespan capped at 350 years.
That was 50 years less than a normal Foundation Establishnt cultivator.
"Friend Helian, you never ntioned this drawback when we first discussed the Demonic Soul Foundation Establishnt thod."
Wei Tu's tone carried a hint of displeasure.
Before reaching Foundation Establishnt, he had seriously considered refining a high-grade Demon Refining Talisman just to obtain this thod.
Had Kou Hongying not arrived in ti to deliver a Foundation Establishnt Spirit Fruit, forcing him to change his plan, he would have wasted valuable ti refining this talisman—only to receive a flawed thod in return.
Spending months for nothing and obtaining a technique that reduced lifespan—if he had still been in Qi Refinent Realm, he would have been absolutely furious.
"Senior Wei, we rogue cultivators… we don’t have your kind of luck."
Helian Xiong forced a bitter smile.
"We don't have access to Foundation Establishnt Pills. Having this thod at all is already a blessing."
In other words—this was better than nothing.
Despite knowing its flaws, rogue cultivators had no better option.
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