I am a Late Bloomer in the Immortal World

With Cao Mi’s current strength, it was almost impossible for her to rescue Ancestor Luo from such dire straits.

So learning this possible lead might be more a curse than a blessing.

But soon, Wei Tu steadied his resolve. He decided to tell her anyway.

After all, having known Cao Mi for so many years, he understood her character well. She was not some ordinary woman ruled by emotions.

…

"Ruyi Tower?"

"So… after Martial Uncle Luo came to the overseas cultivation world, she was captured by this group."

Half a day later, when Cao Mi heard about Ancestor Luo’s possible whereabouts, her face immediately darkened with sorrow.

Though Luo was her martial uncle, she had always treated her no differently from her master.

The Nascent Transformation Pill she used to break through into the Nascent Soul Realm had been personally gifted by Ancestor Luo.

Now, with her master in trouble… how could she ignore it?

But just as Wei Tu expected, Cao Mi did not act rashly. She bit her lip for a long time. Apart from the growing firmness in her eyes, she showed no impulsive reaction.

"This hatred, I, Cao Mi, will repay!"

"But Fellow Daoist Wei, you may rest assured. I won’t let emotions rule me. I won’t risk myself… or the Righteous Society’s safety."

It was as though she had guessed Wei Tu’s thoughts. She lifted her head, meeting his gaze, and spoke solemnly.

"Junior Sister Cao truly lives up to being Palace Master of the Moon Condensation Palace."

Hearing this, Wei Tu gave a slight nod, his expression full of approval.

Cao Mi was not some mythical prodigy. She was like any other female cultivator. But with hundreds of years of experience leading the Moon Condensation Palace, her mindset was calmer and more rational than most.

After those words, Wei Tu said no more. Instead, he pulled a jade slip and a pouch of spirit crystals from his sleeve and handed them to her.

"This is…"

Cao Mi swept her divine sense across them and was slightly startled.

The jade slip was one thing. But what was the meaning of giving her a spirit crystal pouch now?

Was he pitying her?

Though it pleased her to be cared for by a friend, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

For pity meant impermanence.

She still wished to keep working alongside Wei Tu.

'Yes… Fellow Daoist Wei doesn’t really need me anymore. The battle against Fireburn Sect already proved he can kill a peer-level cultivator on his own.'

Cao Mi sighed inwardly.

Sensing the difference was easy. But facing it head-on was never comfortable. After all, she had personally watched Wei Tu rise step by step, from her equal to something far greater.

"The jade slip contains the Fireburn Sect’s guarding technique, the Three-Flame Fire Control Technique. And this pouch of spirit crystals… is my repayment to Junior Sister Cao."

"Double the return!"

Wei Tu explained calmly.

At first glance, it seemed she was profiting. But in truth, that wasn’t so.

Without Cao Mi lending him spirit crystals, he never could have broken through to mid-stage Nascent Soul so quickly.

And without that breakthrough, some of his current opportunities might have slipped past him.

That debt had been an investment, high-risk by nature.

So now, repaying her one-to-one would be meaningless. Double the return was only proper.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Wei."

Hearing this, Cao Mi managed a faint smile.

Earlier, she had guessed the spirit crystals inside the pouch might be Wei Tu repaying her.

But the count was four—clearly twice what she had lent. That was why she thought he was pitying her, treating her like some poor soul.

‘I was too sensitive.’

Cao Mi sighed inwardly.

Yet soon, with Wei Tu’s next words, her expression shifted from gloom to joy.

Her heart felt as sweet as honey.

She hadn’t expected that Wei Tu still valued her, unwilling to cast her aside so easily.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, are you serious?"

"This technique truly has such effects?"

Cao Mi hesitated, unable to fully believe, and asked.

"Did Junior Sister Cao not see the details of my battle with the Fireburn Sect Patriarch?"

Wei Tu countered calmly.

At his words, she instantly recalled the Spirit Flame Incarnation the Patriarch had used, trying to evade Wei Tu’s Law of Heaven and Earth.

"I will devote myself to cultivating this technique, so that in future battles, I can aid Fellow Daoist Wei…"

Cao Mi’s eyes welled with tears of joy as she raised her hand and swore to him.

There were differences even among Nascent Soul cultivators.

Earlier, when she learned of Ancestor Luo’s fate, all she had felt was grief. She knew that with her strength alone, she could never turn the tide.

But now, with Wei Tu gifting her the Three-Flame Fire Control Technique, things had changed.

This technique wouldn’t make her combat power soar overnight, but if it allowed her to support Wei Tu…

Then one day, through him, she might truly have a chance to rescue Ancestor Luo.

…

After giving her some pointers on cultivating the Three-Flame Fire Control Technique, Wei Tu didn’t linger in her cave. He exchanged a few more words, then took his leave.

"Fourth Brother’s Nascent Soul transformation… in half a year, he should be emerging."

On his way back, Wei Tu glanced toward Fu Zhizhou’s cave, where a whirlpool of spiritual energy swirled in the sky.

The three trials of forming a Nascent Soul began with the Opening Spirit trial. That stage never took long—one or two months at most.

By Wei Tu’s reckoning, Fu Zhizhou was still in seclusion because he was preparing for the lightning tribulation.

Lightning tribulation was the final test of forming a Nascent Soul. For righteous cultivators, it was relatively simple.

But for demonic cultivators, it was like crossing the gates of hell.

Especially since Fu Zhizhou’s hands were still stained with much blood.

"Still, with Ji Zhang’s Stellar Soul Golden Gong guarding him, Fourth Brother should be fine."

Wei Tu shook his head.

The Stellar Soul Golden Gong was a fourth-rank lower-grade magic treasure given to Ji Zhang by his father Ji Yifeng for tribulation crossing.

For Wei Tu, the so-called "Treasure Boy," it wasn’t worth much. But for Fu Zhizhou, it was a life-saving tool.

That was why, before Fu Zhizhou began his retreat, Wei Tu had lent him the treasure for this very purpose.

"I just wonder how long it’ll take Fourth Brother to repay his debts."

Thinking of how he had just repaid Cao Mi, Wei Tu chuckled at the thought.

Right now, Fu Zhizhou owed him more than a little.

Without his help, Fu Zhizhou’s path to Nascent Soul would have been nearly impossible.

Still, Wei Tu wasn’t worried.

They had been brothers-in-arms for years. He knew Fu Zhizhou’s nature—he was no man to shirk a debt.

It was only that the chance to repay had yet to come.

And Wei Tu didn’t mind helping a brother he trusted, as long as it didn’t hinder his own cultivation.

Before long, he returned to his own cave dwelling.

There, he put aside worldly concerns and focused wholly on cultivation.

He had nearly thirty spirit crystals at hand, enough to push his realm forward another step.

Two months later, as Wei Tu remained in seclusion, Fu Zhizhou finally faced his Nascent Soul lightning tribulation.