Back then, Kou Liang likely never imagined that one day, his daughter would actually reach the point of forming a Golden Core.
After all, a mid-grade spiritual root was only considered a Foundation Establishment seed. Most cultivators with mid-grade roots spent their entire lives unable to break through to the Golden Core realm.
"If Hongying manages to break through to the Golden Core realm and becomes a high-level cultivator in Mirror Water Pavilion, it'll benefit me quite a bit."
"I could also leverage some of Mirror Water Pavilion's resources…"
After his initial joy, Wei Tu began to consider what changes Kou Hongying's breakthrough might bring to his own situation.
Just like the sibling duo of True Monarch Queyue.
If not for the resources funneled to the Jiu Yun Merchant Guild by the Queyue siblings, that guild never would have grown so rapidly into one of the top ten merchant guilds in the Zheng Kingdom. Nor would it have joined forces with other guilds to form the Yunyan Merchant Guild.
During the rise of the Jiu Yun Merchant Guild, the Queyue siblings had made a massive profit.
If Kou Hongying reached the Golden Core realm—
Then for Wei Tu, it would be like gaining another "True Monarch Queyue" within Mirror Water Pavilion.
…
With Mirror Water Pavilion cultivators protecting her during the process, Wei Tu wasn't worried about Kou Hongying being disturbed by outsiders while forming her core.
After finishing her letter, he turned his attention back to his alchemy.
Effort always pays off.
Through relentless days and nights of refining, the success rate of his Blood Tempering Pill grew higher and higher.
He even managed to produce a high-grade Blood Tempering Pill.
That pill wasn't given to the Mountain-Crushing Bear, but instead to the Wind-Cleaving Eagle.
"Screech!" After taking the high-grade Blood Tempering Pill, the Wind-Cleaving Eagle finally underwent a visible change. The bloody mark on its brow pulsed with blinding light, and violent demonic energy surged from its body, flooding the beast chamber.
After several days of transformation—
The demonic aura of the Wind-Cleaving Eagle stabilized. It spread its wings, now nearly ten feet wide, and with a sharp cry, its figure vanished and reappeared over thirty feet away.
Only a burst of chaotic wind was left behind.
"Innate divine ability: Wind Rift Escape." Wei Tu raised an eyebrow, surprise flashing across his face.
Just now, the escape speed displayed by the Wind-Cleaving Eagle using Wind Rift Escape was already comparable to an early-stage Golden Core cultivator.
Flight speed comparable to Golden Core early-stage.
It might not be very useful to him at present, but one had to remember: the Wind-Cleaving Eagle was still only a second-rank demon beast.
If it advanced to the third rank—
Its speed might rival even late-stage Golden Core cultivators.
Wei Tu's own maximum escape speed could reach that level too, but only when he fully unleashed both his spiritual power and physical strength—it wasn't sustainable.
But it was different for the Wind-Cleaving Eagle.
A demon beast's innate divine abilities were nearly instinctual. At lower realms, the energy cost was high, but as its cultivation rose, the drain became minimal.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just then, the blood mark on the eagle's brow flashed again. Its wings were enveloped by a pale yellow aura, its flight speed rose another notch, and its attack power was also significantly enhanced.
"Though its speed is still within early Golden Core level, it's at least thirty percent faster than before. Earth-rank bloodline beasts really are no joke."
Wei Tu smiled as he commented.
Truthfully, an earth-rank demon beast wasn't that rare. He'd already killed three such beasts, each roughly equal to a Golden Core cultivator.
But when paired with a human cultivator, their combined power could be greater than the sum of their parts.
"Once the array flags arrive, this Wind-Cleaving Eagle can attempt to break through to third-rank."
Bai Zhi's soul drifted out. She walked up to the eagle, which had folded its wings, scanned its body with her divine sense, and smiled.
"Just wait patiently."
Wei Tu's expression remained calm.
By now, it had already been two years since Che Gongwei agreed to help him find a third-rank artifact refiner to craft a magic artifact and several formation flags.
Yet there was still no word of the "Fixed Light Pearl" or the third-rank array flags being completed.
Still, Wei Tu didn't believe Che Gongwei or the Rogue Cultivator Alliance would go back on their word in this matter.
Time passed.
Another two months went by.
Che Gongwei finally sent word, saying the artifact had been completed.
"Over two years… still within a reasonable timeframe for refining," Wei Tu set the letter down, his worries easing slightly.
"But who should go collect the artifact?" Wei Tu frowned.
Because of his tension with Qi Chengchu, he didn't want to go to Golden Long Valley where the Rogue Cultivator Alliance was based.
Qi Chengchu had no bottom line.
Just because he hadn't turned on him yet didn't mean he wouldn't later, especially if it suited his interests.
Sending Wei Xiuwen in his stead was also risky—Wei Tu feared that the Rogue Cultivator Alliance might detain Wei Xiuwen and use his son as leverage against him.
After weighing his options, Wei Tu decided to write back, explaining that he had taken on the role of High Priest of the Fen Shan Tribe and was currently tied up with many matters, making it inconvenient to travel. He asked Che Gongwei to send a fellow sectmate to deliver the artifact instead.
He also promised a reasonable payment for the trouble.
The request was perfectly reasonable.
Wei Tu wasn't worried that Che Gongwei would refuse.
Once the letter was finished, he had it delivered through the post station in Ying Ding Tribe.
—In the Kang Kingdom, various merchant guilds handled the delivery of letters across regions.
A little over a month later.
Wei Tu, still in Fen Shan Tribe, received a reply from Che Gongwei.
In the letter, Che Gongwei agreed to his request and said he had sent Su Bing'er to Fen Shan Tribe to deliver the refined artifact.
"Su Bing'er? So it's her? Looks like I was right. Over these past few decades under Che Gongwei's tutelage, Su Bing'er really did gain his full trust. She's now clearly one of his closest people," Wei Tu thought to himself.
"Judging by the distance, she should be arriving soon."
He did a rough calculation.
With that in mind, he dispatched the Wind-Cleaving Eagle to scout the road from Golden Long Valley to Fen Shan Tribe, looking for any trace of Su Bing'er.
A third-rank artifact wasn't cheap.
Even though the mission was confidential, transporting a third-rank artifact still posed risks.
Of course, this was just Wei Tu being cautious. He didn't actually believe anyone would dare target Su Bing'er and kill Che Gongwei's prized disciple.
However—
Less than half a day after the eagle departed, Wei Tu's expression suddenly shifted. He took flight from Fen Shan Tribe, racing toward the location sensed through his divine sense.
"Who's so bold as to try and rob an artifact that belongs to me?" Wei Tu's face turned grim as he sped toward the scene, mind racing with possible suspects.
Only Su Bing'er knew about his meeting with Che Gongwei. She obviously wouldn't sell him out—doing so would be a death sentence.
So the culprit, Wei Tu concluded, had to be someone connected to the artifact refiner, Yan Qing.
And yet—
When he arrived at the scene, he was shocked to find that the attacker was none other than Liu Moqun—the yellow-faced brute he'd seen two years ago in Golden Long Valley.
"So back then, Liu Moqun's divine sense wasn't just passing by—he was tracking Su Bing'er?"
Wei Tu suddenly understood.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
He looked toward the sky, where Su Bing'er, her skirt stained with blood and face pale, was being hunted down by Liu Moqun.
Su Bing'er clutched several talismans in her hand, a protective barrier shimmering around her, sustained by the talismanic power.
That barrier was the only reason Liu Moqun hadn't succeeded in finishing her off yet.
"Wei-shixiong, save me!" Su Bing'er's eyes lit up the moment she saw him, as if she had just grasped a lifeline. She cried out desperately.