After Yuan Jie was chosen as the new Right Virtuous King, the internal strife within the Ying Ding Tribe came to an end, and things gradually returned to peace.
Just like before, Wei Tu focused most of his energy on managing Wei Clan Pill and Talisman Hall, determined to raise his alchemy skills as fast as possible.
—Unlike the Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment stages, cultivation breakthroughs for Golden Core cultivators are extremely slow. Without external help, it's common to spend decades or even over a hundred years just to advance a single minor stage.
For example, Grand Priest Mu Feng remained at the mid-Golden Core stage his entire life.
That's why Wei Tu spent more time working at the shop than meditating in his cave residence.
In his spare time, he also kept his promises, doing his best to guide the alchemists and talisman masters of the Tao family who worked in the shop.
With Wei Tu's instruction, Tao Zhongjing made rapid progress in alchemy. In just six years, he advanced again and reached the level of a second-rank high-grade alchemist, becoming one of the new pillars of the Wei Clan Pill and Talisman Hall.
In contrast, the progress of Tao Jie and Tao Ya in talisman crafting was far slower.
It's worth mentioning—
During this time, some rival shops in Hujie Immortal City offered Tao Zhongjing generous deals to try and lure him away. But he refused them all.
He even publicly declared that he would follow Senior Wei for life, and serve as an alchemist for the Wei Clan Pill and Talisman Hall forever.
Such a pledge stunned many cultivators in Hujie Immortal City. It was hard to believe.
After all, alchemists held lofty status. No matter how outstanding Wei Tu was, or how senior he was in the field, it was unheard of for a second-rank high-grade alchemist to make such a public vow of loyalty.
When curious cultivators looked into it, they finally uncovered the connection between the Tao family of Hanshan and Wei Tu. That's when they understood the real reason behind the Tao family's loyalty.
Soon, word of Wei Tu's noble character spread throughout Hujie Immortal City and even beyond the three major tribes.
With his growing reputation, even unfamiliar cultivators began to trust him more. Some traveled thousands of miles just to ask Wei Tu to refine pills for them.
Of course, the surge in Wei Tu's fame wasn't entirely accidental.
Tao Zhongjing's loyalty had started out as a personal act from the Tao family. It spread naturally due to Wei Tu's generosity.
But later on, both Wei Tu and the Right Virtuous King's household quietly began to push the narrative.
Wei Tu, as a third-rank alchemist, wasn't just the face of Wei Clan Pill and Talisman Hall—he also represented the prestige of the Right Virtuous King's household.
Boosting Wei Tu's reputation meant boosting theirs as well.
As for Wei Tu himself—
He also needed good standing in the industry. The better his name, the more high-grade pill commissions he would receive.
So, it all aligned perfectly by chance.
Thanks to that, his alchemy skills steadily advanced. He was now nearing the level of a third-rank mid-grade alchemist.
However—
Just when Elder Situ You of Ancient Sword Mountain made the long trip to Hujie Immortal City to request a pill, Wei Tu suddenly went into seclusion a few days prior.
"Senior Situ, please be patient a little longer. Before closing off, Senior Wei said his seclusion would last no longer than three months…"
On the fourth floor of the shop, in the reception hall, Tao Fangde smiled politely as he looked at the handsome man with sharp brows and star-like eyes seated across from him.
As the saying goes, even a seventh-rank official gains status when stationed by the prime minister's gate.
Thanks to Wei Tu, Tao Fangde had hosted nearly a hundred Golden Core cultivators over the years.
So by now, facing someone like Situ You no longer filled him with fear. He maintained a more equal attitude.
"Alchemist Wei's in seclusion?"
"For three months?"
Situ You hesitated. Three months wasn't long or short—it was fairly typical for a Golden Core cultivator.
"Very well, I'll wait three months."
After a brief pause, considering Wei Tu's reputation, Situ You nodded and agreed to stay in Hujie Immortal City for the time being.
…
Hujie Immortal City, at Cloud Lark Residence.
In a secret chamber—
Wei Tu, whom Situ You was anxiously waiting on, now sat cross-legged, focused on the center of the room where the "Ten Thousand Woods Thunder-Nurturing Array" flickered with faint purple lightning.
Within the dozen array flags, a thick branch the size of a man's arm was glowing with arcs of lightning. Complex lightning runes shimmered on its surface.
This branch was a piece of Thunder Spirit Wood that Wei Tu had obtained from Yuan Xian years ago.
After being nurtured in the Thunder-Nurturing Array for over fifty years, the dying Thunder Spirit Wood finally stirred with vitality ten days ago and began to show signs of rebirth.
From a dead object, it was now reviving into a spiritual item.
"Too bad the Thunder Spirit Wood was so damaged. And since it's not the root, even after revival, it'll only reach fourth-rank. That's still a big drop from the fifth-rank mentioned in ancient texts."
Dressed in black robes, Bai Zhi stood in the corner of the chamber, sighing softly at the sight of the reviving wood in the array.
The Thunder Spirit Tree grows in strange places and is formed from pure lightning and wood spiritual forces. It's a rare treasure created by heaven and earth.
Its usual grade is above fifth-rank—high enough to tempt even Divine Transformation cultivators.
But this one was different. This broken branch could only become a fourth-rank low-grade spiritual wood.
"Fourth-rank low-grade is already good enough. In the cultivation world of Great Cang, even fourth-rank spiritual wood is incredibly rare. Most are kept by great sects and rarely seen in the outside world."
Wei Tu shook his head.
Wei Tu wasn't greedy. Being able to get a fourth-rank Thunder Spirit Tree branch from Yuan Xian for just thirty thousand spirit stones was already a stroke of fortune.
Fifth rank?
Even the current third-rank Ten Thousand Woods Thunder-Nurturing Array wouldn't be able to restore the Thunder Spirit Tree branch to fifth rank even after another hundred years of nurturing.
Besides, a fourth-rank Thunder Spirit Tree branch was already more than enough for his use.
This seclusion wasn't just for observing the branch's recovery. Wei Tu was preparing to use it as a key material to craft his natal treasure—the Imperial Butterfly Ruler.
The Divine Wood Origin Technique had two methods for forging a natal treasure: the "Rainbow Cloud Thorn" and the "Imperial Butterfly Ruler."
He already acquired the Rainbow Cloud Thorn from Bao Siyan, so he didn't need to craft that again.
The main materials for crafting the Imperial Butterfly Ruler were a third-rank spirit butterfly and a fourth-rank spiritual wood.
By chance, the Thunder Spirit Tree branch fit perfectly.
Moreover, the branch originally ranked above fifth. Using it as a base would make it easier to upgrade the treasure in the future.
As for the third-rank spirit butterfly…
A year ago, Wei Tu had asked Yuan Jie to find one for him in the Ying Ding Tribe.
While spirit butterflies like these were rare in the cultivation world, in the Ying Ding Tribe, they weren't too hard to obtain.
The Kang people's spirit path was rooted in secret gu arts fused with Immortal Dao. Among the various gu insects, spirit butterflies were rare, but they had long maintained systematic breeding within the tribe.
"Rain Sun Butterfly."
Wei Tu reached into his spirit beast pouch and pulled out a fist-sized butterfly with yellow and blue wings.
This Rain Sun Butterfly was the third-rank spirit butterfly he'd requested from the Ying Ding Tribe.
It was one of the rare yang-type spirit insects in the cultivation world. While its innate techniques were fairly ordinary, it had the benefit of not clashing with the Thunder Spirit Tree's attributes. In fact, it was the best match among the available third-rank butterflies in the tribe.
Unlike normal artifacts, natal treasures didn't require the cultivator to have forging experience. As long as one had the correct cultivation method and invested the time, they could gradually refine a natal treasure on their own.
Although Wei Tu had never focused on the artifact path, he had obtained a third-rank artifact inheritance from Bai Zhi years ago. With that knowledge, he was already as skilled as a typical second-rank artifact craftsman.
So there was no need to hire anyone else to forge the Imperial Butterfly Ruler.
"Thank you for guarding me, fellow Daoist."
Wei Tu bowed to Bai Zhi, then took out a forging cauldron and began his work.
He composed himself, took a deep breath, and pointed at the Thunder Spirit Tree branch inside the array, drawing it into his palm.
Next, he opened his mouth slightly and released a stream of blazing pill fire into the cauldron.
Once the cauldron was glowing red, he tossed in the Thunder Spirit Wood and the other materials needed to craft the Imperial Butterfly Ruler.
After more than ten days—
The lid of the cauldron shimmered with treasure light, occasionally flashing with faint purple lightning. From inside came the low rumble of something like a thunder beast, deep and booming, as if thunder rolled from the heavens.
Sitting cross-legged on a mat, Wei Tu remained calm as still water. With precise control of his divine sense, he kept the internal pill fire stable and slowly refined the materials.
When the materials melted and began to take shape, gradually forming into a ruler as thick as a baby's arm, he finally made his move. With a flick of his sleeve, he tossed in the Rain Sun Butterfly.
The butterfly died instantly from the intense heat. Its body fused into the forming ruler, while its spirit essence floated nearby, refusing to merge.
"This is the critical step now."
Bai Zhi looked on with concern.
Just like artifacts, natal treasures for Golden Core cultivators varied in quality.
One of the most important distinctions was how much spiritual essence the treasure contained.
A treasure like the Imperial Butterfly Ruler, which absorbed a beast's spirit essence during forging, was considered a high-grade natal item.
But it came at a price.
The forging difficulty was much higher than ordinary natal treasures. Failure was common.
Time passed.
In a blink, over two months had gone by.
With only five days left until the three-month mark—
That day, the cauldron in front of Wei Tu began to vibrate slightly. Glimmers of light escaped the lid, and wisps of spiritual energy seeped out.
"Open."
With a low chant from Wei Tu—
The cauldron lid popped off. A long ruler, the thickness of a baby's arm, shot out of the radiant light and hovered in the air.
It shimmered in hues of green and purple, with a thumb-sized golden butterfly etched into the base of the handle—beautiful and ornate.
Wei Tu reached out and pulled the ruler into his palm. After a moment's thought, he ran a stream of qi across the surface.
In an instant, the ruler changed form. It turned pitch-black, its surface plain and unadorned—simple and inconspicuous.
"This way, it'll be harder for others to guess the treasure's origin."
Wei Tu looked pleased.
Since he couldn't change the natural Dao markings, this disguise was the best he could do after forging.
"Let's test the treasure's power."
Holding the ruler in his hand, Wei Tu infused it with spiritual power. His right palm glowed bright green as he sent qi into the ruler.
Suddenly—
Thunder roared.
Several green-blue phantoms burst out from the ruler, scattering in all directions. They vanished in the blink of an eye.
One of them stopped just short of hitting the chamber wall.
"Way better than I expected. When using the Imperial Butterfly Ruler for the Ant Mimicry Escape Technique, the speed is incredible. And these phantoms—it's nearly impossible to tell them apart from the real thing."
Wei Tu was thrilled.
This natal treasure wasn't just for offense. Its biggest strength was boosting the Ant Mimicry Escape Technique, a powerful escape art.
This secret technique used a fourth-rank spiritual wood to generate perfect clones of the caster, allowing for swift escape.
Wei Tu realized that because he had used Thunder Spirit Wood, his Imperial Butterfly Ruler provided even faster escape than what was described in the original technique.
He quickly understood why.
In the cultivation world, thunder and wind-based escape arts were the fastest.
His Imperial Butterfly Ruler was crafted from a downgraded fourth-rank Thunder Spirit Tree. That meant the ruler held thunder essence.
So by using it for the Ant Mimicry Escape Technique, he was essentially borrowing lightning escape speed.
"I shouldn't call it the Imperial Butterfly Ruler anymore. That name makes it too easy for others to figure out what cultivation technique I use. From now on… I'll call it the Thunder Spirit Ruler."
Wei Tu pondered a moment and made up his mind.
Next, he tested its offensive capabilities.
Compared to escape, the Thunder Spirit Ruler's attack wasn't anything special.
Among Golden Core mid-stage powers, its attack strength was above average.
But that didn't mean the treasure was weak—Wei Tu was simply too strong.
As someone who cultivated both body and qi, his combat strength far exceeded most Golden Core cultivators. To him, the ruler felt mediocre.
However, if a regular Golden Core cultivator used the Thunder Spirit Ruler, they'd instantly become one of the strongest in their realm.
In the end, the ruler's speed-based escape abilities gave Wei Tu a serious boost to survival—like adding wings to a tiger.
…
Two days later.
Wei Tu emerged from seclusion and returned to the shop.
"Elder Situ You from Ancient Sword Mountain…" Tao Fangde rushed over to report.
"Ancient Sword Mountain?"
Wei Tu was slightly surprised.
The Three Tribes, Two Mountains, and One Palace—these were Kang Kingdom's six top powers. Ancient Sword Mountain was one of the two mountains, and its strength was at least double that of Mirror Water Pavilion.
By that logic, they should have no shortage of third-rank alchemists. Situ You shouldn't need to come all this way for a pill.
Over the years, the cultivators from outside the Ying Ding Tribe who asked Wei Tu for pills were mostly rogue cultivators, rarely someone like Situ You from a proper sect.
"Invite him in."
Wei Tu set aside his doubts for now.
Situ You had waited three months. Even if he planned to refuse the request, he still needed to meet the man to maintain his reputation.
Half an hour later.
Situ You arrived at the Wei Clan Pill and Talisman Hall.
After greetings, he stated the reason for his visit.
"I've heard much of Alchemist Wei's great reputation. I came to ask if you would be willing to refine a Golden Marrow Pill for me. Would you be confident in crafting this pill?"
As soon as Wei Tu heard the name of the pill, he paused and swallowed his initial rejection.
Why? Because the Golden Marrow Pill was far too valuable.
It was also incredibly useful for him.
This was one of the rare third-rank pills in the cultivation world that benefited the physical body.
Whether it was the pill itself or the leftover materials during refining, all of it would be useful for Wei Tu's future body cultivation.
So far, the Vajra Fruits from the Xiao Kingdom were still effective for him. But he had already consumed two and was building resistance, lowering their cost-effectiveness.
The Golden Marrow Pill was the perfect replacement.
"Daoist Situ, since you're from Ancient Sword Mountain, why not seek one of your sect's alchemists?"
Wei Tu voiced his concern.
If Situ You didn't explain clearly, then no matter how badly he wanted the Golden Marrow Pill, he wouldn't rush into something so unusual.
Unusual meant risky.
"I have enemies in the sect. One of them is named… Wei Hua. To be frank with Alchemist Wei, I have a blood feud with that man."
"If I refine this pill inside the sect, my actions will be known immediately. But here in the remote Ying Ding Tribe, I can grow stronger in secret."
Situ You hesitated briefly, then gave his answer.
"That's your only reason?"
Wei Tu raised an eyebrow.
It was a reasonable explanation. After all, Fairy Shuang from Moon Condensation Palace had also befriended him for a similar reason.
A heretic is worse than an outsider.
Where there's profit, there's conflict. And the bigger the sect, the messier the politics.
"Daoist Situ, before I refine pills for anyone, I investigate. If your story isn't true… I absolutely won't refine it."
Wei Tu made his stance clear.
"That's my only reason."
Situ You nodded sincerely.
"Then give me half a month. If your situation checks out, I'll accept the job."
Wei Tu didn't agree immediately. He paused to think before replying.
The more attention something draws, the easier it is to make enemies.
He wouldn't act without being sure.
"Alright. I'll wait half a month."
Situ You wasn't upset at all. He nodded and left politely.
In the cultivation world, alchemists held great status. And Wei Tu was the Right Virtuous King's chief alchemist—not some lackey you could order around.
If he said wait, then wait. There was no point getting angry.