Yu Jianglongâs eavesdropping might fool Nan Zi, who was only at early Golden Core, but trying to fool Wei Tu was like reaching for the sky. Wei Tuâs divine sense had already reached the peak of Golden Core more than a hundred years ago, after devouring Venerable Master Shen Tuâs âGhost Infant.â
So the moment Yu Jianglong used his Spirit Ear secret art to eavesdrop, Wei Tu noticed immediately.
Of courseâWei Tu didnât act rashly. He first asked Nan Zi about Yu Jianglongâs background and got her opinion before he borrowed the Split Sky Rocâs hand to strike fiercely.
Yu Jianglong sounded impressive, coming from the âGuangyuan Yu Clan,â one of the seven great Nascent Soul families of Chu. But in reality, Guangyuan Yu Clan had already declined badly. The only reason they gave up Shengyang Mountainâs fourth-tier spiritual land to Beastmaster Sect and established a new branch inside it was, first, to use Beastmaster Sectâs fresh blood to revive their clan and restore their former glory, and second, to rely on Beastmaster Sectâs power to shelter their clanâs dwindling prospects.
Right now, the Guangyuan Yu Clan had only a single Nascent Soul early-stage ancestor left. And this ancestor didnât have much lifespan remainingâif he didnât resort to demonic means of extending life, he had at most three hundred years left.
Thatâs why, faced with Yu Jianglongâs provocation, Wei Tu, as an outsider who had every reason on his side, had no need to give face or swallow his anger. As long as he didnât kill Yu Jianglong and only punished him a bit, the Guangyuan Yu Clan, no matter how angry, couldnât do anything to him.
In the end, who didnât have a Nascent Soul ancestor backing them these days? Thereâs no way the Yu Clanâs old ancestor would burn his own lifespan chasing Wei Tu over such a trivial matter.
âŠ
âYou⊠who are you?â
âWhat kind of person are you?â
Seeing Wei Tu step out, Yu Jianglongâs eyes filled with fear. Clutching his chest, he looked flustered and panicked. With his cultivation, he couldnât see through Wei Tuâs exact realm, but he wasnât stupid. From the fact that Wei Tu owned a mid-third-tier spirit beast, he could guess that Wei Tuâs strength was at least at mid-Golden Core, probably even late-Golden Core.
This was completely different from what Qiu Bucheng told him about Wei Tu being a âweaklingâ or âpoor relative.â
Thinking of this, Yu Jianglong instantly felt a surge of hatred toward Qiu Bucheng. If Qiu Bucheng had told him earlier that the man meeting his master Nan Zi was a late-Golden Core expert, he would never have been foolish enough to rush in like this.
He mightâve even given up on Nan Zi altogether and gone to pursue another suitable female cultivator within Beastmaster Sect. Nan Zi wasnât his only option.
Without Nan Zi, he could always chase someone else.
âKang Kingdom Ying Ding Tribeâs Chief Alchemist, Wei Tu.â
Hearing Yu Jianglongâs words, Wei Tuâs lips curled into a cold smile as he casually revealed his identity.
The Ying Ding Tribe wasnât some small sect. It was a powerful division with three Grandmasters. Its strength, even in Xiao Kingdom, placed it firmly among the top major sects.
Compared to Ying Ding Tribe, Guangyuan Yu Clan was undoubtedly a minor force.
Moreover, within Ying Ding Tribe, Wei Tuâs status was nearly among the top ten most valued individualsâno ordinary figure.
âChief Alchemist of Ying Ding Tribe?â
Hearing this, Yu Jianglongâs face changed slightly, and he realized he had stirred up big trouble. If Wei Tu were just an average Golden Core cultivator of Ying Ding Tribe, the Guangyuan Yu Clanâs strength might not match the division, but he wouldnât have much fear.
Just one phrase, and it was clear there was nothing Yu Jianglong could do.
But if Wei Tu was really the Chief AlchemistâŠ
That changed everything.
Yu Jianglong knew exactly what the title of Chief Alchemist of a Nascent Soul-level power meant. Those words alone implied Wei Tuâs alchemy skills were at least at third-tier.
Judging by his cultivation and the level of his spirit beast, Wei Tuâs alchemy was likely mid-third-tier, maybe even higher.
A mid-third-tier alchemist could leverage power far beyond that of an ordinary Golden Core cultivator. If Wei Tu was willing to pay the price, he might even convince a Nascent Soul ancestor from another force to step in for him.
For their Guangyuan Yu Clan, that would be a disaster.
Sure, they might handle it, but the cost would heavily wound their already declining clan, sapping what little strength they had left.
Meanwhileâ
Nan Zi was stunned after hearing Wei Tuâs self-introduction.
A hundred years ago, knowing he was a third-tier talisman master had already made Wei Tu look like the perfect catch in her eyes.
Now, he carried the heavy title of âChief AlchemistââŠ
That wasnât just a golden gooseâit made him a Nascent Soul seed!
With such skill backing him, even if his talent was average, Wei Tu could steadily push his cultivation to the peak of Golden Core. With the right opportunity, he could break through to Nascent Soul in one step.
At that moment, Nan Zi finally understood why Wei Tu had given her those Dissipating Essence Pills as a gift when they met.
It was simple: he wasnât short on pills at all.
âI have to secure Wei Tu. If I can, Iâll not only have hope of reaching Nascent Soul myself, but even my master Elder Hongzhi might have a chanceâŠâ
Nan Zi calculated inwardly, planning to get ahead of other women by having her master Elder Hongzhi visit Wei Tuâs master, Che Gongwei, to propose marriage.
In the cultivation world, though people rarely followed âparental orders or arranged matches,â since Che Gongwei was Wei Tuâs master, bringing up the marriage might well sway Wei Tuâs mind.
âŠ
After thinking for a long time, Yu Jianglong finally made up his mind.
He cupped his hands to Wei Tu and said, âToday I was blind and offended Alchemist Wei. I would like to host a spiritual feast at my cave to apologizeâŠâ
When he said âspiritual feast,â he saw Wei Tu didnât respond for a long time. Yu Jianglong sighed inwardly, flipped his palm, and took out a brocade box, pushing it toward Wei Tu with his magic.
âFor offending both of you today, I must offer something. Here are three Purple Sun Seeds, excellent materials for raising spirit beasts. Consider them my gift⊠for your dao companion celebration.â
As the founder of the Northern Moon Yu Clanâs branch, Yu Jianglong not only understood the situation but also how people thought.
Today, after making a complete fool of himself before Wei Tu and Nan Zi, he knew there was no hope left of marrying Nan Zi.
He also knew exactly why Nan Zi had been avoiding him.
So he realized framing this apology gift as a celebration gift for their dao companion was the smart move.
The unspoken meaning was: he openly gave up pursuing Nan Zi and willingly handed her over to Wei Tu.
Only by doing this could he truly resolve the core conflict between him, Wei Tu, and Nan Zi.
Howeverâ
Yu Jianglong had misunderstood.
Wei Tuâs attack wasnât really about marriage prospects. Sure, Nan Zi played a part, but mostly it was because Yu Jianglong had deliberately provoked him by using the Spirit Ear secret art.
And then, by barging straight into the cave, Yu Jianglong forced Wei Tu to act to establish authority.
âDao companion celebration?â
Hearing that, Nan Ziâs heart leapt with joy. But as a female cultivator, she couldnât show it openly, so she turned her eyes to Wei Tu, full of hopeful anticipation.