Chapter 25: The All-Cleaver Squad

Wei Cheng listened to the commotion around him, but his steps did not pause for a moment. He moved through the chaotic crowd like a fish in water, unhindered. When the man reputed to be the strongest Mountain Mover in the district, Zhou Wu, appeared, Wei Cheng cast him a distant glance and instantly judged that Zhou Wu had already grasped the Mountain Moving Visualization Diagram. This was no secret—when one’s spiritual strength reached a certain threshold, comprehension naturally followed.

“Seven cycles of Mountain Moving internal force, and he’s already mastered the Mountain Moving Visualization Diagram, but hasn’t delved deeper into its intricacies. It must be due to insufficient spiritual strength. By my calculations, he should have been exposed to the divine radiance two fewer times than I have.”

With just a few glances, Wei Cheng roughly assessed Zhou Wu’s strength. A powerful team had its advantages, but there were also inevitable drawbacks. Most simply, if every member was a powerhouse, would the first kill on the inheritance stele have to be taken in turns?

Zhou Wu’s personal potential for physical growth was exceptional—as the saying goes, a dragon among men—so with the same resources, he could cultivate seven cycles of internal force. Yet, in consideration for his companions and other professions, he inevitably had to make some sacrifices.

But how about Wei Cheng’s previous weak team, where he reigned supreme? He single-handedly faced all the mainline challenges, claiming every first kill on the inheritance steles for himself—a rare advantage indeed.

Spiritual strength was critical!

“Everyone, I am Zhou Wu!” His voice rang out like a great bell, instantly silencing the murmurs in the square. All eyes were drawn to him as he held aloft a token gleaming with golden light.

“By the grace of Lord Mayor of Cloud City, I have been appointed Demon-Quelling Captain, commanding five hundred able-bodied heroes—ten teams in all. Now, I will select three hundred from among you: one hundred and fifty Mountain Movers, each requiring at least four cycles of internal force.

“Fifty Swift Swallows, each needing at least three cycles.

“One hundred Purple Mist practitioners, each with at least two cycles. All who are chosen will immediately receive three large coins.”

At these words, the square was filled with sighs of disappointment, for most could not meet these standards.

But those who had already formed teams were delighted. Joining Zhou Wu’s squad was clearly more promising than joining others—after all, it’s always best to shelter beneath a great tree.

Even so, quite a few remained uninterested—their strength was not lacking, but their sights were set on claiming the first kill on the inheritance stele.

Wei Cheng was among them.

He slipped quietly from the crowd and soon found Cheng An, Yu Liang, and Wang Wei, all looking rather dejected—but there was no sign of Zhang Yong or Han Dong. Clearly, everyone had found better opportunities.

“Boss—” The three were pleasantly surprised to see Wei Cheng, having worried he might not show up. After all, with five cycles as a Mountain Mover, he would be a star member on any team.

“Boss, Longfeng Jun joined his college friend’s team, and Shang Zhi went to his relative’s. They asked me to tell you they thank you for your past help—may our paths cross again in brighter days,” Cheng An said.

“Hmph! What nonsense. Those guys are ungrateful—Boss always treated everyone well, and yet they jump ship the moment they get a chance. Damn it!” Yu Liang grumbled, half bitter, half regretful. Previously, he’d been proud to have chosen the fast-track Mountain Moving method, but now the profession was everywhere—seven or eight out of ten were Mountain Movers. Purple Mist, on the other hand, had become the favored child.

Han Dong, with just two cycles, was poached by a strong team for five large coins a day.

“All right, I’m going to form my own team. You three help recruit solo players. With my five cycles as a Mountain Mover, I should still have some influence,” Wei Cheng said with a smile, revealing nothing about having advanced to six cycles.

He was in no hurry to find powerful teammates now. No matter what, even with just a team of soloists, he would first secure the position of squad leader.

Besides, if you recruited strong teammates, how would you split the first kill on the inheritance stele? It was better to nurture talent from the ground up.

Still, Wei Cheng underestimated people’s determination to rise higher.

The four of them called out and recruited for ages, yet not a single person was persuaded to join them.

The competition was simply too fierce.

Most Purple Mist practitioners with just two cycles had already been taken by Zhou Wu and other strong teams. Even those with only one cycle were in high demand.

Forget about three-cycle Swift Swallows—even two-cycle Swallows were snatched up before you could blink.

“Boss, should we take in a few one-cycle Swift Swallows and train them up ourselves?” Wang Wei asked, troubled.

“The problem is, there aren’t any. Swift Swallows are too weak early on and drop like flies, so now those guys are driving up the price. Damn it, that two-cycle Swallow just now asked for a ten-coin signing bonus. For a moment, I thought I was back on a matchmaking date,” Yu Liang cursed, his mood swinging wildly.

“That’s nothing. The Swallow I just met—when I told him our boss is a five-cycle Mountain Mover, he still wasn’t reassured. He insisted on a ‘five-five-four-four’ team. I asked him what that meant—are you playing football? Guess what he said: two five-cycle Mountain Movers plus two four-cycle Mountain Movers—that’s the only tank formation that makes him feel safe. Otherwise, as a Swallow, he can’t relax!”

“I swear, these Swallows are little demons—if you don’t cause trouble, you won’t die!”

Wei Cheng, Cheng An, Yu Liang, and Wang Wei sat at the edge of the square, grumbling as negative energy radiated from them.

“Maybe we should just go all Mountain Movers. Surely, gathering fifty three-cycle Mountain Movers isn’t too hard?” Wei Cheng decided to settle. There was no rush to develop other professions—an all-Mountain Mover team wouldn’t be so bad.

Though, it did feel a bit like putting together an all-melee team...

“All right! An all-Mountain Mover squad it is!” they agreed, rallying their spirits and returning to the task of recruitment. The requirement was simple: any Mountain Mover with at least three cycles.

“Brother Wei! You’re a hard man to find!”

In the distance, Longfeng Jun spotted him and eagerly pulled Wei Cheng over to a group.

“Brother Wu, this is the one I told you about—a five-cycle Mountain Mover, fifth-tier Iron Shirt, absolutely formidable!

“Brother Wei, this is my cousin, Wu Ke—P City’s sports elite, known as the ‘Gentle-faced Little Tyson,’ a national second-tier boxing champion who once held the seventy-five kilo gold belt. He’s now a three-cycle Purple Mist, a rare find. Our team already has a three-cycle Swallow, a five-cycle Mountain Mover, and two four-cycle Mountain Movers—our combined strength is tremendous…”

“Sorry to interrupt, but my team is also looking for members. Mr. Wu Ke, would you be interested in creating a glorious future together?” Wei Cheng interjected with a grin.

The so-called “Gentle-faced Little Tyson” smiled as well.

“Brother Wei, was it? A five-cycle Mountain Mover, right? I’m afraid you don’t quite grasp what a three-cycle Purple Mist means, or what the fifth-tier Soaring Dragon Palm entails. Or what it means to have Zhou Wu come to invite me personally. I look forward to seeing you again in P City.”

Wei Cheng chuckled, nodded politely, and walked away.

Look forward to it or not—does it really matter?