Chapter 31 Fine-Tuning the Course

Suppressing the surge of delight in his heart, Wei Cheng carefully contemplated and found that he had two directions for fine-tuning.

One was to use the seventh innate meridian as a foundation, transforming it into a reservoir for internal energy, allowing him to store additional Mountain Moving force—up to three cycles’ worth. This meant that, although his cultivation level was at seven cycles, he could mobilize ten cycles of Mountain Moving force, a tremendous advantage.

For instance, in the recent battle, had the antlered demon unleashed more fire spears, or had there been more purple-skinned demons, he would have been doomed. But with this extra reserve of three cycles’ energy, he could handle such threats with ease.

The other direction was to refine the seventh meridian into a purification workshop for internal energy, a furnace that would slowly compress and purify Mountain Moving force, raising its quality from one to about one and a half. This would greatly enhance his defenses, especially when faced with massive harm in an instant. Moreover, the higher-quality Mountain Moving force would increase his immunity threshold—any attack below a certain limit would be rendered useless against him.

The advantages and drawbacks of these two directions were clear. The first option had lower efficiency but was swift; in his current state, with the bottleneck loosened and sufficient food, he could accumulate three cycles of force in about three days.

The second option was highly efficient, and the benefits would compound as his internal energy grew. If he eventually cultivated to nine cycles, it would be as if he gained an extra four and a half cycles. This did not even account for the increased immunity and the capacity to withstand stronger, more peculiar forms of harm. Wei Cheng had not forgotten the antlered demon’s petrifying head and the snow ape’s icy spikes, both capable of breaching his Golden Bell shield. The purple-skinned demon’s belly could dissolve his shield in mere seconds.

The Golden Bell shield was not omnipotent. Until he obtained a superior defensive technique, improving the quality of his internal force was a wise path. The only drawback was the time required—even with enough quality food, it might take a month, or two to three months, if not longer.

If he chose this path, he could not hope to overcome the current stage soon. After brief consideration, Wei Cheng quickly made his decision: he would pursue the second direction.

Though the time required was a significant disadvantage, he believed his accumulated advantages were sufficient to risk unlocking this mid-late stage skill tree.

He was no longer the destitute novice who needed rapid growth.

Seven cycles of internal energy put him far ahead of most trial participants. The Mountain Moving visualization diagram gave him an additional edge, and its progress had reached thirty percent. This further strengthened his Uncontested Path, making his defenses sturdier and his abilities more effective. If he could reach full completion in the future, it might even become an invincible trump card.

Regrettably, for now, he could only activate the Uncontested Path once in a short period.

Lastly, he had reached the sixth tier of the Golden Bell technique, which seemed to differ from the previous five tiers.

Reflecting on this, Wei Cheng stepped out of his room and found the night deep. He had spent about six hours cultivating, and this breakthrough had come rather quickly.

“Is that you, Boss Wei?”

In the inn’s main hall, several people stood up, as if they had been waiting there. Wei Cheng swept his gaze over them; their faces were familiar, for that morning, they had been prominent figures among the trial participants, second only to Zhou Wu, who had cultivated to seven cycles.

Without exception, each was a Mountain Moving master at six cycles, formidable leaders in their own right.

“It’s me. What brings you here?” Wei Cheng cupped his hands, feeling increasingly like a native.

“Xing Wen Zhang, captain of Alpha Twenty-Four, Mountain Moving at six cycles.”

“Ye Ming, captain of Beta Thirteen, Mountain Moving at six cycles.”

“Zhang Qian, captain of Beta Fifteen, Mountain Moving at six cycles.”

“Tang En, captain of Beta Sixteen, Mountain Moving at six cycles.”

After a round of formal introductions, Xing Wen Zhang spoke first: “At present, all three demon scout squads in the Alpha district have been exterminated by Zhou Wu’s team. The battle was easy, casualties were few, and we didn’t get a chance to participate.”

“Zhou Wu’s team is expected to produce two more seven-cycle experts and nine six-cycle experts, thanks to the generous rewards.”

“Though I don’t wish to judge maliciously, it’s clear that Zhou Wu’s team will dominate this server without question.”

He paused, awaiting Wei Cheng’s response.

Wei Cheng remained calm, though inwardly he was shaken. Zhou Wu’s team numbered ten, five hundred people, nearly encompassing the best among five thousand trial participants, including the most promising Ling Yan and Zi Xia.

The notion of “server” was easy to grasp: according to the Trial Immortal, Earth’s billions—regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or nation—would all face this trial eventually. Even with most eliminated or retreating into mediocrity, the remaining numbers would still be staggering.

Perhaps at this moment, countless people were trapped at the first or second stage, while others had already cleared the fourth stage and were in the fifth.

The fifth stage could only accommodate five thousand trial participants.

How could Wei Cheng be certain that his group was the first batch? With such a vast global population, what if someone advanced even faster?

Wei Cheng was but an ordinary man, while Zhou Wu reportedly had military ties. Yet, the military surely held many hidden talents; Zhou Wu could not be the only one. And what about the rest of the world?

“Are you asking me to join Zhou Wu?” Wei Cheng asked quietly.

“No, we want to cooperate. Now, of the twelve demon scout squads outside the city, eight have been destroyed, and four have quickly regrouped north of the city. Their combined strength is such that, unless Zhou Wu’s team intervenes, no single team can prevail. That’s why we sought you out.”

“Is Zhou Wu’s team unwilling to act?” Wei Cheng asked, curious.

“No, Zhou Wu has shut himself away once more, likely attempting a breakthrough to eight cycles. This is our only opportunity—once he emerges or the demon army arrives, we’ll miss our chance.”

“As for how to divide the rewards, we’ll do so according to contribution.”

Having listened to Xing Wen Zhang’s account, Wei Cheng glanced at the pitch-black night outside and resolutely declined. “Sorry, I believe we’ve already missed the best opportunity. Now, no one knows when the main demon force will arrive, nor what changes might occur among the regrouped demon scouts. If we act now, I have no confidence in success.”

“Boss Wei, surely you know fortune favors the bold?” Ye Ming interjected, but Wei Cheng merely shook his head. After a few more attempts to persuade him, Xing Wen Zhang and the others departed in disappointment.