Half a day later.
Outside Moon Condensation Palace, Wei Tu, Palace Master Cao Mi, and the three who had rushed over with Yu Gongshou formed the Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array to handle the crisis during Wei Yan's core formation.
Actually, with Wei Tu's strength or that of any late-stage Golden Core cultivator, a single casual strike could have wiped out Shen Yunqiu's swirling vortex of spiritual energy.
But doing that would have meant completely offending Mirror Water Pavilion, since stopping their cultivator's breakthrough to the Nascent Soul was the kind of thing that could turn into a blood feud.
—Shen Yunqiu sabotaging Wei Yan's breakthrough could be brushed off as ignorance, but for Wei Tu and the others, it would be nearly impossible to come up with a good excuse.
Of course, if things got desperate enough, Wei Tu might have taken that last resort.
But for now—
He had a much better plan.
…
Moments later, the five floated in midair, forming a pentagram pattern and each holding an array flag.
As they made hand seals, the flags gave a pop and unfurled, sending beams of five-colored spiritual light soaring into the sky.
These beams of the five elements gathered and intertwined, creating a strange formation in the air.
The next moment, thick misty spiritual energy started gushing out from the formation.
"Such pure spiritual energy!"
"This energy is like what you'd find in a near-fourth-rank spirit land. And it's completely free of impurities."
All the cultivators around were amazed, unable to hide their awe at Wei Tu's bold move.
Neither a third-rank array nor gathering these high-level Golden Core cultivators for help were things an ordinary Golden Core True Lord could accomplish.
But Wei Tu had done both alone.
"Is Wei Tu's cultivation actually late-stage Golden Core? That's impossible!"
Compared to the others, Palace Master Cao Mi, who was inside the array with Wei Tu, was even more shocked by his true cultivation.
The Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array worked by drawing on the power of five late-stage Golden Core True Lords to catalyze spiritual energy.
So right now, inside the formation, she couldn't help sensing Wei Tu's real realm.
She clearly remembered that a century ago, when Wei Tu moved to the Kang Kingdom, he'd only been at early Golden Core stage.
Breaking through two realms in just over a hundred years—Wei Tu was now on par with the top talents from the great sects of the Xiao Kingdom.
'He might even have the potential to reach Nascent Soul!'
Cao Mi thought privately, appraising him.
That was almost the same as the evaluation given to Wei Tu by the Zhao Clan on Shengya Mountain. The only difference was that Cao Mi didn't know Wei Tu cultivated both body and qi, and his power wasn't limited to just late-stage Golden Core.
As for Yu Gongshou and the other two…
They weren't surprised at all about Wei Tu's cultivation.
According to post-battle reports from Yu Jianglong, the Guangyuan Yu Clan had long suspected that Wei Tu's realm was far beyond the publicly known "mid-stage Golden Core."
Otherwise, they wouldn't have worked so hard to befriend him.
After all, cultivation realm and alchemical ability were closely tied.
Reaching top-grade third-rank alchemist status without late-stage Golden Core strength was harder than climbing the heavens.
Standing inside the array, Wei Tu had no idea what Cao Mi or the spectators were thinking.
Once enough pure spiritual energy had accumulated from the Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array, he waved the main flag and started channeling the energy directly into Wei Yan's vortex.
With this influx of pure spiritual energy, Wei Yan's vortex stabilized. Its size and speed settled into an optimal state.
But just then, Shen Yunqiu's swirling vortex started sweeping toward Moon Condensation Palace, on the verge of colliding with Wei Yan's vortex.
The clash was going to happen in the very next instant.
"Pavilion Master Ning, if your sect's cultivator ruins my daughter's breakthrough, I will never let this go!"
Wei Tu's eyes turned cold as he looked at Ning Xuefeng in the distance and spoke in a chilling tone.
He had used the Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array to solve Wei Yan's spiritual energy problem entirely on his side, without crossing any lines.
Now it was Mirror Water Pavilion's turn—they should handle Shen Yunqiu's vortex so it wouldn't interfere with Wei Yan's breakthrough.
"My sect…"
Ning Xuefeng faltered, not knowing what to do.
Mirror Water Pavilion had no third-rank array master to set up an array, nor five late-stage Golden Core cultivators willing to sacrifice their cultivation to act as array cores and supply spiritual energy.
Also, thinking logically, she was more inclined to believe—Shen Yunqiu's breakthrough attempt was a fake, aimed at sabotaging Wei Yan's path as revenge for Qin Yuling's lineage.
So providing Shen Yunqiu with extra help would only harm Mirror Water Pavilion and waste the sect's precious resources.
"Fellow Daoist Shen's Nascent Soul breakthrough might not succeed with just the local spiritual energy… I suggest our five join forces through this array to help him."
Just then, Palace Master Cao Mi's eyes flashed as she offered a perfectly timed suggestion.
As soon as she spoke—
All the Golden Core True Lords from Mirror Water Pavilion burst into an uproar, exchanging shocked looks with each other.
If you ignored the deep grudge between the Wei Clan and Shen Yunqiu, Cao Mi's suggestion was actually perfect. It could have become a story praised across the cultivation world.
But the problem was, the two sides were already mortal enemies.
Having Wei Tu help now was basically digging Shen Yunqiu's grave. How could he truly offer sincere help?
Even Wei Tu himself was shocked by Cao Mi's suggestion.
But after thinking it over for a moment, he realized her idea was probably the best way to handle the current situation.
After all, he couldn't demand Mirror Water Pavilion do something impossible like crippling their own cultivator.
As for his grudge with Shen Yunqiu…
He could take his time settling that later.
Wei Tu didn't believe for a second that even with his help, Shen Yunqiu would actually succeed in forming a Nascent Soul today.
Breaking through to Nascent Soul wasn't something that happened easily.
"Fellow Daoist Wei, if we do go to help Shen Yunqiu… with our cultivation and this Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array, it would be nearly impossible to pull off any underhanded tricks without her noticing."
"But with this rare chance, by using the reverse mode of the array, it would be easy to snatch a wisp of her aura."
Bai Zhi reminded him right on cue.
Normally, a cultivator's aura was tightly restrained inside their body and impossible to steal.
But during a breakthrough, that rule didn't apply.
The swirling spiritual vortex acted like a giant hole in a cultivator's defenses.
Hearing this, Wei Tu's eyes lit up instantly. He felt no hesitation about "helping" Shen Yunqiu anymore.
In the cultivation world, apart from a few special tracking techniques, there were only three ways to hunt a cultivator:
1. Searching mountain by mountain, sea by sea—large-scale manhunts.
2. Using a divine sense mark or a stolen aura to track and kill the target precisely.
3. Blood-binding secret techniques.
The first method wasn't practical against someone of equal cultivation. The third was a demonic path tactic.
In the righteous environment of the Kang Kingdom, if Wei Tu wanted Shen Yunqiu dead, only the second option was feasible.
If this plan worked, then what looked like a crisis for the Wei Clan would turn into a blessing in disguise.
…
"If we can do that, it would truly be a great fortune for Mirror Water Pavilion. But, considering the old grudge between Alchemist Wei and Senior Sister Shen…"
Ning Xuefeng tactfully declined.
Though she personally agreed with Cao Mi's idea—letting Shen Yunqiu suffer the consequences of her own actions—as Pavilion Master, she had to act for her sect's interests, which meant rejecting it.
"Then what about this swirling vortex of spiritual energy?"
"How does your sect plan to resolve it?"
Yu Gongshou spoke up for Wei Tu. He shouted angrily, releasing the full pressure of his late-stage Golden Core cultivation.
Immediately, the other two late-stage Golden Core cultivators from the Yu Clan turned as well, glaring fiercely at Ning Xuefeng.
Normally, they wouldn't dare provoke a Nascent Soul-level sect like Mirror Water Pavilion, which could bring huge trouble for the Guangyuan Yu Clan.
But this time was different—they had a righteous cause.
Besides, Shen Yunqiu's reckless actions had already angered both Wei Tu and Moon Condensation Palace. Even within Mirror Water Pavilion, few cultivators supported Shen Yunqiu.
If not for the fact that Shen Yunqiu was their fellow disciple, Ning Xuefeng would have already given up on her.
So, offending Shen Yunqiu didn't necessarily mean offending the entire Nascent Soul-level Mirror Water Pavilion.
From Yu Gongshou's point of view, Wei Tu had a much greater chance of reaching Nascent Soul than that old hag Shen Yunqiu.
"This…"
Ning Xuefeng hesitated, unable to decide.
If she pushed forward, she would completely turn the Wei Clan into Mirror Water Pavilion's sworn enemy, and it would be nearly impossible to reconcile in the future.
Plus, she risked offending Moon Condensation Palace, their longtime ally.
But if she retreated and let Shen Yunqiu fail—regardless of whether Shen's breakthrough attempt was real or fake—yielding at the sect level would be a terrible precedent for her and Mirror Water Pavilion.
There was, of course, one other option.
That was to call out the sect's Nascent Soul ancestor.
But once a Nascent Soul expert stepped in, things would spiral out of control fast.
That would be a situation that offered her no good outcome.
"This Shen Yunqiu… it was one thing to get revenge on Qin Yuling and Kou Hongying, but why won't she let go of the Wei Clan?"
Ning Xuefeng felt helpless.
She understood clearly that Shen Yunqiu wasn't targeting the Wei Clan because of some deep, irreconcilable hatred—it was simply that, at her current age and cultivation, she was at the critical point where she could act recklessly without caring about consequences.
Her words and actions now were just a small show of abusing her power.
Wei Yan had simply stumbled into her path at the worst possible moment.
If Wei Yan had formed her core just ten or twenty years earlier, the entire situation would have been completely different.
…
"While there's still time left, fellow sect members, let's decide together!"
After thinking it over, Ning Xuefeng realized she couldn't take the blame alone, so she looked around at the other Mirror Water Pavilion Golden Core True Lords, signaling them to vote.
"If none of you have a better idea, do you agree to let Wei Tu use the Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array to help?"
Ning Xuefeng asked in a firm voice.
Hearing this, Palace Master Cao Mi quietly thought, 'Ning Xuefeng is clever.'
Right now, it looked like Ning Xuefeng was giving the other Golden Core elders authority to decide. But in reality, they had no other choice but to agree.
No one could come up with a better way to handle the deadlock they were in.
Of course—
Ning Xuefeng wasn't doing this to help Wei Tu. She was just choosing the lesser of two evils.
At the moment, Wei Tu had the moral high ground.
If she stubbornly refused to compromise, things could blow up into a major diplomatic incident in minutes.
On the other hand, by letting Wei Tu, Cao Mi, and the others use the Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array to stabilize Shen Yunqiu's spiritual vortex, Mirror Water Pavilion would gain room to maneuver. Ning Xuefeng herself could also shift some of the responsibility onto others.
Besides, with Mirror Water Pavilion watching closely, someone like Wei Tu wouldn't dare go too far just out of spite.
And if he did…
Then she could always hold him accountable in the name of the pavilion afterward.
…
Moments later.
Under Ning Xuefeng's pressure, the Golden Core True Lords of Mirror Water Pavilion were forced to agree. They allowed Wei Tu's group to use the Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array to resolve the crisis of Shen Yunqiu's spiritual vortex.
With permission granted, Wei Tu and the other four didn't hesitate. They immediately shifted the array's formation, gathering spiritual energy and channeling it into Shen Yunqiu's vortex.
Actually, with the five's cultivation, unless they were willing to massively deplete their own power, the converted spiritual energy would be just a drop in the ocean for Shen Yunqiu's Nascent Soul attempt.
But thankfully, the point of the Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array wasn't to ensure Shen Yunqiu's success. It was only to defuse the timing conflict between Wei Yan's core formation and Shen Yunqiu's breakthrough. They just had to hold things together until Wei Yan finished.
That window would usually last about half a month.
As the pure spiritual energy from Wei Tu and the others flowed into Shen Yunqiu's swirling vortex, she, deep inside her secluded cave on Jade Screen Mountain, instantly sensed the strange surge.
"Strange! The spiritual energy my vortex is drawing in feels so pure. It doesn't seem like it's from the spirit land here."
Shen Yunqiu's brows furrowed slightly.
She immediately spread her divine sense outward, trying to find the source of the anomaly.
Just as Ning Xuefeng had guessed, this breakthrough was fake. Shen Yunqiu's goal was simply to disrupt Wei Yan's path and sabotage her core formation.
But because of the secluded nature of her closed-door cultivation, she couldn't casually send out her divine sense before. Doing so would have exposed her intentions.
That's why only now, after Wei Tu's group set up the Five Immortals Spirit-Gathering Array and started feeding spiritual energy into her vortex, was she able to notice the change outside.
"They actually used a third-rank spirit array to defuse the crisis? This Wei Tu's methods are impressive."
"Wait, there are three unfamiliar Golden Core cultivators? One of them is even at the same stage as me, peak Golden Core?"
Seeing all this, Shen Yunqiu's heart filled with unease and disbelief.
Originally, she'd targeted the Wei Clan precisely because she thought they were weak and easy to bully.
She figured even if she offended them, it wouldn't matter.
After all, the strongest person in the Wei Clan—Wei Tu—was supposed to be only mid-stage Golden Core, not someone who could survive a single strike from her.
But now, the reality had turned out completely different.
The "ants" she'd planned to crush had turned into enemies on par with her own cultivation.
The power they could muster was enough to make even her, a powerful Golden Core cultivator, feel intimidated.
"As long as I stay inside the sect and don't go out, there's nothing Wei Tu can do to me."
Shen Yunqiu decided firmly that until she succeeded in reaching Nascent Soul, she would not leave Mirror Water Pavilion for even half a step.
"Once I become a Nascent Soul, Wei Tu? He'll go back to being an ant!" Shen Yunqiu sneered coldly.
Knowing her plan had completely failed, she stopped pretending. With a wave of her jade sleeve, she directly dissolved her swirling vortex, rejecting any further spiritual energy input from Wei Tu's group.