"It's just a shame… I can no longer walk the path of immortality…"
Wei Fei's eyes dimmed.
He was the first among the four brothers to obtain the immortal cultivation technique, yet he had now fallen the farthest behind.
The gap between expectation and reality was unbearable.
Moreover, he had been the most outspoken among them—boasting that he would only marry and have children once he achieved immortality.
But in the end?
He had achieved nothing.
Not only had he fallen behind in cultivation, but at over thirty years old, he was still unmarried and without children—completely alone in the world.
"Second Brother, give me your wine."
Wei Tu dismounted his horse and reached out toward the wine gourd hanging from Wei Fei's waist.
Wei Fei was momentarily stunned.
Wasn't Wei Tu chasing after him to console him?
Suppressing his thoughts, Wei Fei dismounted and handed the wine gourd over without hesitation.
However…
What happened next left him completely dumbfounded.
Wei Tu accepted the wine gourd—but instead of drinking, he crushed it with a single grip.
The gourd shattered, spilling wine everywhere—drenching both of them in the process.
"Second Brother, you were the one who discovered this immortal technique first. Among the four of us, you are the most destined for immortality. Falling behind now… is only temporary."
At this point, Wei Tu paused deliberately, then added with a sly smirk,
"Or… do you not want to surpass Fourth Brother Fu Zhizhou? At the banquet earlier, he certainly did not hold you in high regard."
"Fourth Brother?"
Wei Fei couldn't help but chuckle.
"Third Brother, there's no need to provoke me like this. I know Fourth Brother's personality well. Even if he looked down on me, he wouldn't show it outright, let alone in front of you…"
"It's not that I dislike Fourth Brother personally… but ever since we were children, his life has always been smooth sailing. I suppose I just find that… unfair."
After more than a decade of brotherhood, he knew not only Wei Tu's temperament but also Fu Zhizhou's and Kou Liang's.
None of them were bad people.
Wei Tu fell silent.
After a few moments, he sighed and said, "I misunderstood you, Second Brother."
"But… are you really giving up on the path of immortality?"
"Maybe the problem isn't you, but rather that this particular cultivation technique isn't suited to you. If you could find the right technique, you might just succeed in sensing Qi."
"The issue isn't the person—it's the technique!"
Wei Tu spoke with conviction.
Had it not been for Wei Fei sharing the Five Yuan Spirit Body manual after the battle at Si Yang Town, Wei Tu might never have had the chance to even touch an immortal cultivation method.
For over ten years, they had used their influence to search all over Southern Mountain Dao for other immortal techniques.
Yet, they had found nothing.
That alone showed just how rare and valuable Wei Fei's discovery had been.
"The issue isn't the person—it's the technique…"
Wei Fei murmured the words to himself, and a faint light rekindled in his eyes.
"You're right!"
"Maybe the Earth Yuan Body isn't suitable for me, and that's why I haven't been able to sense Qi!"
Wei Fei didn't want to worry Wei Tu or have him continue persuading him, so he forced a confident smile and nodded.
"When I get back to Qingmu County, I'll keep looking for another technique. Maybe I'll have some luck!"
After speaking, Wei Fei clasped his hands in farewell and rode away on horseback.
Before long…
The dust stirred up by his horse's hooves settled back onto the road.
Wei Tu watched him go, but soon, Wei Fei's figure disappeared into the distance.
"Do what you can, and accept what comes."
"This phrase sounds simple, but how many people throughout history have actually been able to live by it?"
Wei Tu glanced at the golden-purple destiny hovering in his mind.
If he hadn't possessed the Late Bloomer fate, could he have persisted in the martial path for over a decade without a single breakthrough?
By sheer determination, Wei Fei had already surpassed more than ninety percent of the warriors in the world.
After Wei Fei left, Wei Tu did not linger on the official road for long. He turned his horse around and returned to the prefectural city.
At the western gate, just as he was about to resume his post, he found Kou Liang and Fu Zhizhou waiting for him inside his office.
"Third Brother, how is Second Brother? Has he regained his resolve?"
Fu Zhizhou was the first to speak.
Although he had not witnessed Wei Tu chasing after Wei Fei, he could easily guess what had happened. Given their brotherly bond, Wei Tu would undoubtedly have gone after Wei Fei to console him.
"It's hard to say."
Wei Tu shook his head, walked to the tea table, poured himself a cup of cold tea, and continued,
"Second Brother seems disheartened. I did my best to encourage him, but… a few words from me can't erase over a decade of disappointment and frustration."
When he had pursued Wei Fei earlier, he had already been aware of the limitations of his own persuasion.
Ten years of persistence without results—the accumulated sense of failure couldn't be undone by a few comforting words.
All he could do was fulfill his duty as a brother.
Doing something was always better than doing nothing.
"If we reach the Xiantian Realm, we may be able to help Second Brother find his Qi sense…"
"If that doesn't work… then in the future, we should at least support his descendants."
Fu Zhizhou sighed.
"That's all we can do," Wei Tu agreed.
Xiantian Martial Scholars were known to possess extraordinary abilities. Among them, one of the most well-known was helping other martial artists awaken their Qi sense.
After this brief exchange, the room fell into silence.
Back when they had made their three great oaths at Xuanhe Tower, they had anticipated that one of them would eventually fall behind.
But none of them had expected that the one to be left behind… would be Wei Fei, the very person who had discovered the immortal cultivation technique.
…
Half a year passed.
It was once again time for their next gathering at Xuanhe Tower.
Following tradition, Wei Tu sent an invitation to Wei Fei, inviting him to stay at the Wei residence and spar with him.
He had expected no reply—assuming that Wei Fei would decline, considering how distant he had become since their last meeting.
However…
To Wei Tu's surprise, this time, Wei Fei replied.
And the contents of his letter were just as warm as before.
"Has Second Brother had a change of heart?" Wei Tu wondered, feeling that perhaps Wei Fei had finally moved on.
Ten days later.
Wei Fei arrived at the Wei residence on horseback, greeted by the household servants.
"Second Uncle!"
Six-year-old Wei Yanyan ran up excitedly as soon as she saw him, clinging to his leg and begging for sweet pastries.
"Yanyan, go play with your brother for now. I need to talk to your father."
Wei Fei ruffled the little girl's braided hair and smiled.
Then, he strode forward, arriving at Wei Tu's study and knocking on the door.
"Third Brother, I did it. I, Wei Fei, have finally succeeded in sensing Qi!"
The moment he saw Wei Tu, he rushed forward and embraced him tightly—his eyes brimming with tears.
A man does not cry easily.
But after ten years of effort, his moment of success had finally arrived. How could he not be overwhelmed?
This was tears of joy.
"Second Brother? You… sensed Qi?"
Wei Tu was momentarily stunned.
He had assumed that Wei Fei had given up on cultivation, but half a year later, he had not only persisted but had also broken through.
However, Wei Tu quickly snapped out of it, clapping Wei Fei on the shoulder with a wide grin.
"Congratulations, Second Brother!"
After exchanging congratulations, Wei Tu naturally asked for details about how Wei Fei had awakened his Qi sense.
Sharing cultivation experiences was a core agreement among the four brothers.
"This time, I didn't use the Five Yuan Spirit Body manual to sense Qi. Instead, I used another immortal cultivation technique."
"And I have to thank you, Third Brother. It was your words that made me realize… maybe the issue wasn't with me—but with the technique itself."
"The problem wasn't the person—but the method!"
Wei Fei beamed with excitement.
"What? Another immortal technique?"
Hearing this, Wei Tu was utterly shocked—his entire body stiffened in disbelief.
At the time, he had only casually suggested that perhaps Wei Fei needed a different cultivation method.
He had never expected that Wei Fei would take it seriously—and actually find a second immortal technique.
Thinking back, Wei Tu couldn't help but wonder…
Does Wei Fei truly have a destiny for immortality?
After all, out of the four of them, only Wei Fei had managed to discover not just one—but two immortal cultivation methods.
Neither he, Fu Zhizhou, nor Kou Liang had been able to find even a trace of another technique…
Yet Wei Fei had.
Twice.
Could this truly be coincidence?