Chapter 132: The First Transformation: Fire (Bonus Chapter 6/10 for Alliance Leader Wuliang Mountain Dormitory Old Five)

Inside the room, Wei Cheng sat cross-legged, carefully contemplating the fragments of information imparted by the Transmission Stele moments ago.

The twelve characters—"Heaven has nine suns, Earth has nine virtues, Mountains have nine transformations"—could almost certainly be identified as the general outline of the Mountain-Moving Heart Method, or perhaps an even more advanced Mountain-Moving Immortal Method.

Wei Cheng set aside the first eight characters for now; he could not comprehend them, and the stele offered no explanation. However, the section on the "nine transformations of mountains" was quite detailed, and he understood it at a glance.

The concept mirrored a philosophy from Earth: "To see a mountain as a mountain, to see a mountain not as a mountain, and finally, to see a mountain as a mountain again."

Applied to the nine transformations, it followed the same logic:
The first stage: Seeing a mountain as a mountain. This means an Earth Spiritual Root is merely an Earth Spiritual Root.
The second stage: Seeing a mountain not as a mountain. This means an Earth Spiritual Root can manifest in nine ways: water is a mountain, fire is a mountain, wood is a mountain, metal is a mountain; even wind, lightning, rain, snow, and all things are mountains.
The third stage: Seeing a mountain as a mountain again. This means the Earth Spiritual Root is the essence of all spiritual roots, and likewise, all spiritual roots are Earth Spiritual Roots.

It was bold and domineering.

The initial understanding was simple, but achieving it was destined to be incredibly difficult—perhaps even impossible. Wei Cheng felt that he would never reach it. This had nothing to do with anything else; he only had three hundred years. In this regard, he even began to understand the trial mechanism deployed by the Immortal who created these trials.

A trial mode that could grant over eighty percent of ordinary mortals a First-Turn Spiritual Root within a mere few months to a year was truly terrifying. Wei Cheng would bet that in the true world of cultivation, not even eight out of ten mortals would possess spiritual roots. Finding one in eight hundred would be considered good. What a horrifying ratio this was.

"Strange Demons must have flaws; they must have weaknesses. Anything that exists leaves a trace. This is certain."

Whatever had happened in the cultivation world, a terrifying miracle of cultivation was occurring within this trial zone.

"Our generation of trial-takers must be paving the way for the next, and the one after that. But who paved the way for us?"

Wei Cheng did not dwell on the answer; it was unnecessary. The truth of some things was always cruel. Yet, they had no choice. Was it truly safe not to be a trial-taker?

Previously, in S City, neighboring P City, Strange Demon infiltrators had silently developed thousands of thralls. Most of these thralls were ordinary people, and a few were trial-takers. When Liu Sui, Xu Shan, Cheng An, Yu Liang, and Mei Renli returned from participating in the suppression, they described the scene with great relish and enthusiasm, boasting of their heroism. Had they ever stopped to consider that these thralls were once ordinary people too?

"The Three Thousand Worlds... who is truly innocent? Under the crushing wheels of the Strange Demons, can any egg remain unbroken?"

Wei Cheng pondered for a long time. Then, he looked at his Blazing Ring. "Mountains have nine transformations, and fire is the first."

He possessed a magical artifact that allowed him to transform into a Flame Giant; it seemed he had indirectly completed the first transformation. But it was not enough. He still needed to use his Mountain-Moving internal energy as the lead, base it on his first innate meridian, expand the Mountain-Moving Visualization Map, and even micro-tune his entire Earth Spiritual Root until the process was complete.

Even if the Blazing Ring were destroyed, he could still rely on the visualization to manifest the truth, just as he had condensed the Immovable Golden Bell to become a Flame Giant. No, not just a Flame Giant—the word "transformation" encompassed everything.

"Therefore, I must explore the 'poison zone' again, as close to the underground of Floating Cloud City as possible. My first transformation of the mountain lies with that ancient Great Demon, the Crimson Radiance. According to old man Tie Xing, that is actually a spark of fire."

"However, this goal seems to run counter to the trial mission. Right now, the task is the defense of Cangwu City. Unless I can save the city, I will be forced onto a path of exile, running all the way to Tiannan County, further and further away from Floating Cloud City."

"Oh well, deal with the future in the future."

Wei Cheng centered his mind. He first circulated his Mountain-Moving internal energy, then drew upon the thread of pure flame energy attached to the Blazing Ring—the foundation of the Flame Giant transformation. This was not merely raw fire energy; it was supported by internal seal rules. Fire had no fixed form; one could not simply become a Flame Giant by wishing it. It required constraints, like channels or pipes.

"Whoosh!"

A tiny, pure golden flame flickered to life. It was so pure, so refined, so bright, yet so dangerous. This tiny flame could destroy half the city. The only reason it remained still was because of the seal rules constraining it from within, and Wei Cheng’s Mountain-Moving internal energy suppressing it from without.

Normally, he could already transform into the Flame Giant and wreak havoc. But this time, Wei Cheng needed to perceive its "truth." His Level 9 mental power silently gathered around it, attempting to record every detail. Suddenly, he felt a genuine sensation of being scorched, which struck a deep terror into his heart.

It was different. Previously, his mental power could move through ordinary flames at will, as if they were nothing. But such fire and magma could not be compared to this pure flame energy. Wei Cheng’s mental power could only hover on its surface; trying to delve deeper was impossible. He tried several times, racking his brain and using various methods, but to no avail.

Unable to penetrate, he could not record or analyze the structural rules, let alone master the associated seals. This seemed to be a dead end.

"Unless I take a risk! Or find a way to recover from mental damage."

After much deliberation, Wei Cheng decided to play it safe. He left his small courtyard and headed straight to one of the only two pharmacies in Cangwu City, the only one selling various medicinal pills.

The pharmacy was quiet today. The apprentices were absent—having just finished the great battle, they were all busy in seclusion. It was rare to see an old apothecary with a white beard sitting there, dozing off. Having learned his lesson with old man Tie Xing of the Floating Cloud Ironworks, Wei Cheng dared not underestimate these old shopkeepers or apothecaries. He would even be respectful to the madam next door, just in case.

"Old master, excuse me!" Wei Cheng stood a few steps away, cupping his hands and calling out softly.

After waiting about seven or eight seconds, the old apothecary woke from his doze, looked up with a dazed expression, and only recognized Wei Cheng after a long while.

"Who are you looking for?"
"Old master, I'm not looking for anyone. I'm buying medicine."
"You don't look sick to me!"
"I'm not sick, but I—"
"Are you about to get sick?"
"No—"
"Then is someone in your family sick?"
"No, it's just—"
"Is your friend sick?"
"No, old master—"
"I'm not sick, so it's definitely not me."

Wei Cheng was speechless. Was he in a comedy routine? He had no choice but to pull out a Golden Dragon coin and place it in the old man's hand.

"Speak, what are you buying?"
"Pills to treat mental exhaustion, or anything of the sort."
"You don't look sick to me."
"But I am about to be."
"What kind of sickness?"

*Damn it, is this never-ending?*

Wei Cheng had to take out another Golden Dragon coin and stuff it into his hand. Sure enough, this was effective. The old man immediately said: "There are three methods—upper, middle, and lower. Which do you choose?"

Wei Cheng didn't answer, instead handing over a third Golden Dragon coin. "I know, old man. Let's not waste any more breath."

The coin vanished into the old man's hand instantly.

"The upper method: continue strengthening your mental power. The middle method: find a top-grade spirit jade, engrave it with a calming spell, and wear it. The lower method: a Calming Pill."

"I choose the Calming Pill!"

Wei Cheng laid out his final seven Golden Dragon coins. It wasn't that he didn't want the first two, but that was all he had. If this old man charged a Golden Dragon coin just to ask a question, the others must be astronomically expensive.

The old apothecary swiped the money, stood up shakily, and peered at Wei Cheng with dim eyes for several seconds. For some reason, he sighed, reached into his robes, and fumbled around. Just as Wei Cheng was about to lose his composure, the old man produced a small medicine gourd with a cyan luster.

"My Calming Pills cost one copper coin each. You gave so much that my kind heart can't bear it. I've spent my life doing good deeds, practicing medicine to help the world, living a life of integrity; I cannot have such a stain on my record. So, I'll give you the gourd for free."

Wei Cheng didn't care what the old man said. If he believed even half a punctuation mark of that, he would have lost. As long as the pills were effective, that was all that mattered.

"Many thanks, old master." Wei Cheng bowed politely to leave.
"You're welcome. When you're out and about, watch out for fire!" the old apothecary called out.

The old man was a chatterbox. Besides, what did he mean by that? Had he seen through him? Wei Cheng didn't dare respond and hurried back to his courtyard. Regardless of anything else, he had to complete the first transformation of fire.

Back in his courtyard, Wei Cheng steadied his mind and cleared away distracting thoughts. Once settled, he reactivated the tiny cluster of pure flame energy. This time, he resolutely, and in the face of indescribable terror, pushed his mental power into the pure flame energy. In that instant, he felt as if he could hear himself being roasted.

Countless anomalies erupted, nearly causing him to collapse on the spot. His mental barriers activated automatically, and even his condensed mental seeds were affected. However, the structural seals inside the pure flame energy were incredibly clear.

In an instant, Wei Cheng frantically withdrew his mental power. He felt as if he were going insane; his mind was filled with fire—boundless, endless fire, burning and burning. The pain and madness didn't end when he withdrew; they intensified.

Just as he was about to lose control, he desperately opened the medicine gourd and took the Calming Pill—only the size of a sesame seed—but before he could even swallow it, it vaporized into a wisp of blue smoke that seeped into the crown of his head.

Silently, like a gentle, lingering spring rain, it washed over him. His mental power, which had been scorched to ash, was reborn and restored to its original state.

This thing was truly effective. It was just a shame there was so little of it.

A deep sense of fatigue washed over him. That was the last thought in Wei Cheng's mind before he fell into a deep sleep.