Had she failed and perished?
Wei Tu was somewhat stunned and couldn't help but sigh at Qi Feng's misfortune.
If Qi Feng had attempted her breakthrough a few years later, after he had come to Kang Kingdom, the outcome would have... been very different.
On Qi Feng, there were only the "Consolidation Pill" and the high-quality Demon Refining Talismans that Wei Tu had given her years ago.
These two standard items for breaking through the Foundation Establishment realm carried a considerable failure risk during the breakthrough.
Moreover, if she had failed and lacked Wei Fei's luck, who had managed to break through to the Tenth Layer of Qi Refinement, the only possible outcome would have been failure and death.
The value of the Foundation Establishment Pill lies in its ability to protect the cultivator's heart veins.
Even if the breakthrough failed, there would be no risk of death.
If Qi Feng had attempted her breakthrough a few years later...
Given Wei Tu's current strength and wealth, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to get her a Foundation Establishment Pill in Kang Kingdom.
Even without the Foundation Establishment Pill, as long as he acted as her protector during the breakthrough, he could use his cultivation to protect her heart veins, preventing her from dying from failure.
"Bad luck."
Wei Tu reined in his emotions, shaking his head with a sigh.
Life is a collection of joys and sorrows.
He could only be thankful that the cultivator who perished from the failed breakthrough was Qi Feng, with whom he had little emotional attachment, rather than his daughter, Wei Yan, who had always been by his side.
That would have been far more sorrowful.
With the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Demon Refining Talismans, Wei Tu had only seen five people use them to break through the Foundation Establishment realm.
They were Helian Xiong, Fu Zhizhou, Wei Yan, Wei Fei, and Qi Feng.
Of those five, only Helian Xiong, Fu Zhizhou, and Wei Yan succeeded.
The other two failed.
In Wei Tu's view, the success of Helian Xiong and Fu Zhizhou's breakthroughs was partly due to their previous experiences as scribes and notaries. They were both cultivators with solid realms and firm Dao hearts, so their chances of success were higher. For them, the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Demon Refining Talismans merely assisted their breakthroughs.
As for the other three, their cultivation environments had been too peaceful. In terms of foundational cultivation and Dao hearts, they were significantly inferior to Helian Xiong and Fu Zhizhou.
Their chances of success were correspondingly lower.
Wei Yan was fortunate and succeeded in her breakthrough.
Wei Fei and Qi Feng were not so lucky, both failing. However, Qi Feng was the unluckiest, as she perished due to her failed breakthrough.
...
After discussing Qi Feng's matter, Wei Yan continued and told Wei Tu about some famous cultivators from the Zhá Mǎ Tribe.
For example, the high priest of the Zhá Mǎ Tribe, "Tì Yà," was a mid-Golden Core cultivator and held great power.
The tribe leader, "Hēi Gǔ," was a direct disciple of the great mage "Gǔ Chán" from the Yìng Dǐng Tribe. His name was well-known in the affiliated tribes of the Yìng Dǐng Tribe.
"In Kang Kingdom, there is a mix of immortals and mortals. Foundation Establishment cultivators in the tribes are all called priests. The higher-ranking priests are Golden Core cultivators. They are generally the heads of the various tribes. But in the case of the three major tribes, the cultivators are given the title of mage instead..."
"The tribe leader has the power to rule the tribe, but most of his power is secular. His control over the cultivators is limited."
While speaking, Wei Yan led the Wei family to the tent where she and Wei Xian'er were staying.
"Uncle Wei, you've arrived in Kang Kingdom?" Wei Xian'er heard the voices of the others and hurried out of the tent. Her tone carried a slight surprise.
Although Wei Xian'er hadn't met Wei Tu often, due to the connection between their parents, Wei Tu was almost the closest elder she had, aside from her own parents.
From Wei Tu, Wei Xian'er felt a sense of security and protection, something that calmed her heart.
"Xian'er." Wei Tu smiled and nodded in greeting.
After many years, Wei Xian'er had grown more mature compared to when she was a young girl. She had become a graceful beauty, no less striking than the first time Wei Tu had seen Kou Hongying in Bai Shi Lake Market a hundred years ago.
After all, cultivating immortality was the best way to preserve one's beauty.
"Uncle Wei, how is the situation in Zheng Kingdom? And what about my father, is he still at Qi Yue Mountain..." After the pleasantries, Wei Xian'er quickly asked about her parents' well-being.
The saying goes that a mother worries about her child who travels a thousand miles.
The same concern applied in reverse.
Additionally, she also had worries. She feared that changes might have occurred in Zheng Kingdom, and that her parents might have been stranded there, with Wei Tu unable to help them. After all, the number of smuggling spots was limited, and the costs were steep.
She had used her talent for perception to join the ranks of those smuggling.
That was how she had managed to use the Tao family's smuggling channel to reach Kang Kingdom's Zhá Mǎ Tribe.
"Your father and mother are lucky. They used the Zhao family's teleportation array and have gone to Xiao Kingdom," Wei Tu replied, a hint of envy in his tone.
He had to admit, his journey to Kang Kingdom was risky. If it hadn't been for his strong strength and the opportunities he found in the underground palace and Great Void Realm, he might have faced certain death.
Two Golden Core demon beasts weren't easy to deal with.
However, Wei Fei and his wife... had caught a free ride with the Zhao family, leaving Zheng Kingdom without danger and heading to Xiao Kingdom, a land rich in resources and an even more prosperous immortal cultivation world.
"Thank goodness! Thank goodness!" Wei Xian'er took a wooden pendant off her neck, clasped her hands together, and bowed to the pendant as if it were a sacred idol, muttering "thank goodness" repeatedly.
Wei Tu was slightly surprised by this.
He hadn't expected that, despite growing older, Wei Xian'er still retained some innocence in her actions, just like when she was a girl.
"A pure heart." Wei Tu thought to himself.
He speculated that perhaps it was precisely this purity that made her perception talent so extraordinary, far surpassing ordinary people's.
A pure heart reflects in the soul, which leads to a powerful spiritual sense and heightened awareness.
"Father, the wooden puppet on Xian'er's neck is not simple. She found it at a temple outside Zhá Mǎ Tribe. Because of it, High Priest Tì Yà thought of taking her as a disciple."
At this point, Wei Yan quietly reminded Wei Tu.
Wei Tu was taken aback.
He raised his eyes to carefully examine the wooden puppet pendant hanging from Wei Xianer's neck.
The pendant was yellowed and darkened, engraved with an image of a god with three faces and six arms.
The three faces represented sorrow, joy, and anger, while the six arms held a long sword, a vajra mace, a pagoda, an axe, a copper mirror, and an ancient scripture. It looked somewhat eerie.
"The Mourning God?" Just as Wei Tu was contemplating the origin of the wooden idol, Bai Zhi suddenly exclaimed, revealing the god's name.
Before Wei Tu could ask further, Bai Zhi continued to explain: "The Mourning God has many followers in Kang Kingdom. The three major tribes of Kang Kingdom regard it as one of the immortals in the Long Life Heaven..."
"However, in our demon sect, we see it differently. The Tian Nv Sect's generations of female disciples have speculated that the Mourning God should be a Transformation God who cultivated the Soul Path. After reaching the end of his lifespan, he divided his soul into thousands of pieces and used secret arts to reside within this idol, thus prolonging his life."
"Your niece, the idol of the Mourning God around her neck, should be storing a fragment of the Mourning God's soul..."
"However, Fellow Daoist Wei need not worry. The Mourning God does not have the ability to seize a cultivator's body. On the contrary, possessing this idol will allow her to receive the Mourning God's teachings through dreams."
Dream transmission of teachings?
Wei Tu furrowed his brows. He instinctively felt that this might not be a good thing for Wei Xian'er, but he also didn't want to interfere with her opportunity.
After all, his position was only that of her uncle.