Chapter 130: A Missed Encounter with Destiny

Cangwu City has returned to tranquility—true, genuine tranquility.

Even the inn waiters, restaurant staff, and pharmacy apprentices can afford to stop working. Everyone is in seclusion, yet during this period, their wages are still being paid. Those annoying, dim-eyed, senile, and muddled shopkeepers, doctors, masters, and brothel madams no longer seem quite so insufferable.

Wei Cheng sat in his small courtyard with a calm gaze, though his spiritual energy remained locked onto the house next door.

Xu Shan was as good as her word; within an hour of returning, she had completed the transition from the Nine-Cycle Spirit Swallow to the Five-Cycle Green Wood. The entire process went incredibly smoothly. At the same time, she pushed the "Green Wood Decree" to the third level in one breath. The speed was remarkable, though this was naturally an advantage of her current 5.5-level spiritual energy.

In her hands, the Green Wood internal energy could easily condense into a cyan long needle, striking true at any target within a hundred meters. Compared to others, who could only condense one needle at a time, she could condense as many as she wanted, provided her Green Wood energy held out. Furthermore, this Green Wood needle could disperse immobilization heads and nightmare heads, nullify poisonous gu, and was particularly effective against the lingering effects of demonic shadow curse erosion. While its healing efficacy was harder to quantify, Zhou Wu’s associate, that woman named Lily—also a Four-Cycle Green Wood—had been able to easily save those on the brink of death during the previous battle.

Finally, it could stabilize cultivation, making it the best protective measure for any profession undergoing a breakthrough. It is no exaggeration to say that with Xu Shan as a Five-Cycle Green Wood, Wei Cheng could easily lead a qualified hundred-man team.

"Old Wei, Old Bai, Old Chen, Old Tang, Old Yu, Old Mei, I'm fine, you don't have to peek anymore!" Xu Shan shouted from her courtyard.

Wei Cheng stood up nonchalantly, walked back into his room, and closed the door. As long as she was fine.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Wei Cheng did not enter a meditative state but fell into deep thought. After today's battle, Bai Han’s spiritual energy had broken through to level 6.5, successfully condensing a spiritual seed on the battlefield. Besides him, six others in their B-5 District had also succeeded: Qin Douzi, Zhou Wu, Wen Yu, Liu Wenli, Xu Guoliang, and Hu Weiye.

Reflecting on the catalysts for their breakthroughs, Wei Cheng found it quite intriguing. Of these seven, Bai Han, Qin Douzi, Zhou Wu, and Hu Weiye were all Mountain-Moving class. They broke through because, while facing a world-ending barrage of fireballs and fire spears as part of a shield wall composed of hundreds or thousands of people, they did not retreat; they persisted. In that moment, they fully grasped the essence of being a Mountain-Moving warrior. In that instant, they cast aside their previous petty calculations and schemes. They truly became part of the shield wall. Consequently, their spiritual energy, faith, and will unified, allowing them to ignite the spiritual fire and condense their spiritual seeds.

Zhou Wu was slightly different. His spirit and will fluctuated violently during the battle, going from peak to trough with signs of giving up, yet he ultimately succeeded in pulling himself out. Resonating with the shield wall, he redefined his position and found the meaning of his existence. It was a stoic change of heart, a classic case of a prodigal son returning. Indeed, he had finally matured.

Xu Guoliang and Wen Yu were of the Purple Haze class, and their paths to igniting the spiritual fire were different again. Xu Guoliang was the quintessential ruthless, decisive fighter who spoke little and struck hard. Such people find it easiest to condense a spiritual seed once their spiritual energy is sufficient, because their will and conviction are more unified. In other words, condensing a spiritual seed has nothing to do with good or evil, nor justice.

Wen Yu, however, was a talent-type. She was genuinely intelligent, capable of drawing inferences, seeing the essence beneath the surface, and possessed clear, firm values. She was organized, resilient, and methodical. Once she deemed something worth doing, any difficulty or pain became trivial. Such people often appear naturally cold-blooded, creating a sense of distance. In reality, it is simply because they see through the nature of the world. Thus, it was only natural that Wen Yu condensed her spiritual seed.

As for the last one, Liu Wenli, he was of the Spirit Swallow class. Like a venomous snake, he was unfortunate in that Wei Cheng could not read him. He could only confirm that he had indeed ignited his spiritual fire and condensed his spiritual seed. Wei Cheng did not want to be friends with such a person, but he certainly did not want to be his enemy—that would be truly unsettling.

Beyond these seven, Wei Cheng had spotted other promising targets during the battle who were only one step away from igniting their spiritual fire. He estimated that in two months, their B-5 District would have at least twenty trial-takers who had condensed spiritual seeds. By then, at least five would succeed in becoming First-Turn Spirit Root cultivators—that is, quasi-immortals.

Thinking of this, Wei Cheng checked his own spiritual seed. It remained exactly as it had been before, unchanged. Yet, since condensing it, the amount of divine light he had absorbed was considerable. According to the Earth government's standards, his spiritual energy strength had already reached nearly level 9. This was terrifying. One must realize that level 9 is double level 8, level 8 is double level 7, and level 7 is double level 6. Currently, the strongest spiritual energy in B-5 District belonged to Liu Wenli, who, after receiving battle rewards, was barely level 7.

Wei Cheng could not understand why his spiritual seed showed no change. Fortunately, it didn't seem to affect anything. Perhaps, it was simply meant to be this way.

With his mind at ease, Wei Cheng’s thoughts calmed instantly. The earlier worries vanished like clouds. From this day forward, he would prepare for his Second-Turn Earth Spirit Root. He would seclude himself for ten days.

But just then, his heart skipped a beat, as if someone had glanced at him from a great distance. It was a very peculiar feeling. That single gaze disrupted his tranquil mind—not with frantic anxiety, but with a sense of sudden loss, as if he were about to miss something important.

Wei Cheng immediately stopped meditating and pushed the door open, hearing Xu Shan talking to someone in the neighboring yard. Strangely, he felt no presence of a second person. There was only a faint, ethereal aura, which immediately reminded him of that aide in the City Lord’s mansion whose name he couldn't even remember.

He rushed out to look, only to see Xu Shan standing at the gate of her courtyard with a look of astonishment and joy. The person she was speaking to was a woman in a moon-blue gown. At the moment Wei Cheng pushed his door open, she turned to leave. He could only see her back—he could not tell her age or appearance—as she walked away step by step. Even though she appeared to be only a dozen meters away, with every step she took, Wei Cheng felt the distance between them growing. And this distance did not seem to be spatial, but rather a spiritual drifting apart. It was as if a woman who should have belonged to him was gradually walking out of his life.

In just a few moments, the woman had taken five or six steps, and her figure became hazy and faded. After another step, she vanished completely, as if she had never existed in this world.

Wei Cheng snapped out of his trance. A sharp pain stung his left wrist. He looked down and saw that, without him noticing, a magnificent silk ribbon had appeared there, but at that very moment, it was turning to ash and drifting away in the wind. It was then that he noticed a similar ribbon on Xu Shan’s right wrist.

"It's a celestial opportunity, Old Wei. You missed it," Xu Shan said with a happy smile, raising her right hand to show off.

"What celestial opportunity?" Wei Cheng asked, stunned.

"This. I don't know how the mechanics of these trial levels work, but there is no doubt that these worlds are operating in an orderly, synchronized manner. For instance, immortal sects in these worlds will come down from the mountains to recruit disciples." She paused, then added, "Like the Purple-Clad Abode."

Xu Shan laughed heartily. "Haven't you figured it out? Back in Floating Cloud City, if you hadn't been so stubborn, if you had possessed even a shred of a helpful heart—if you had just helped me complete that side quest—you could have joined the Purple-Clad Gate and become an outer disciple."

"Old Wei, I have now obtained the third level of the 'Green Wood Heart Method.' They said that once I complete the First-Turn Wood Spirit Root, I will be an outer disciple of the Purple-Clad Gate." Xu Shan murmured to herself, feeling as if she were in a dream.

"Was it that woman you met in Floating Cloud City? The Purple-Clad Abode quest?"

"That's right! Regretful, aren't you? A celestial opportunity that should have been yours was missed purely because of your own stubbornness. Hahaha! Finally seeing you, 'Big Fool Wei,' come up short makes me so happy!"

"Alright, I'm joking. This opportunity probably wouldn't have suited you anyway. You, Wei Cheng, deserve a better one..."

"Damn! That sounded so awkward, like I'm your ex-girlfriend. I'm off!"

Xu Shan left happily, dancing with joy, wanting the whole world to know she was about to become an immortal cultivator.

Wei Cheng, however, was lost in thought. So, the third level of the Mountain-Moving Heart Method must be obtained by finding a suitable master. As for the Purple-Clad Gate’s opportunity, he hadn't just missed it once—he had missed it twice.

"So that's how it is. And that violent emotional fluctuation I felt earlier, like a breakup, was the celestial opportunity being severed."

"But when did this thing wrap around my wrist? Or is this just how the trial mechanism works? That as long as you do certain things or reach a certain level of strength, various celestial opportunities automatically come knocking?"

Thinking of this, Wei Cheng considered something even more important: Are the immortal sects in these trial worlds just alt-accounts for the immortals conducting the trials, or are they native NPCs created with great divine power to serve the trial? This distinction was crucial.

"Could there be third-party trial-takers? Or perhaps, are they survivors from the real immortal world..." A bold thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Forget it, he couldn't cultivate now.

Sighing, Wei Cheng closed his gate and stopped thinking about these matters. He wandered aimlessly through the small alleys of the city, and before he knew it, he found himself in front of the Floating Cloud Iron Works.

It was quiet here as well, except for the wooden board that changed its prices according to the market. The purchase price for Flame Stones had now fallen to a single Copper Dragon coin. That old profiteer was truly detestable.

Though he thought this, Wei Cheng still walked into the shop. The old shopkeeper was not napping this time; the moment he saw him, he wore a radiant smile—Wei Cheng was certain this was due to their +20 favorability rating.

"Shopkeeper, I want to buy some Flame Stones, a lot of them. Can you give me a discount?"

"Of course! Since the young officer is buying, I'll go all out—even if I have to sell everything I own, I'll give you half price!" The old man shouted with conviction, his white beard twitching. His acting was subpar.

Wei Cheng curled his lip and walked back out to check the board. As he expected, in the blink of an eye, the price of Flame Stones had risen to fifty Copper Dragon coins each.

Damn it all!

Wei Cheng didn't even want to speak. If it was going to be like this, wouldn't it be better to buy them directly from other trial-takers?

"Old man, have you considered that starting tomorrow, a new iron shop might open next door, with a sign out front offering two copper coins for a Flame Stone?"