Chapter 56: Solo Run

On the city wall, a dense divine radiance poured over Zhou Wu, and his body, nearly scorched, visibly recovered to its original state. At the same time, Zhou Wu slowly awoke, tears shimmering in his eyes. Whether it was gratitude or a sense of wonder at surviving, even Wei Cheng had to admit that this man possessed remarkable qualities.

The divine light shone for a full twelve seconds—unprecedented. Zhou Wu was already fully healed halfway through the radiance. This blessing had likely paved the way for him to advance through nine cycles of cultivation. Yet the greatest gain seemed to be his spiritual strength. Wei Cheng, watching quietly, estimated Zhou Wu’s mental power had increased by nearly a third, now surpassing Wei Cheng himself, making Zhou Wu the strongest in this regard. Clearly, the rewards for passing this trial were generous.

“Wei Cheng, this time you deserve the highest merit. Though I took your place, I promise—next time, when we conquer another demon stronghold, you’ll be the first to touch the stone tablet,” Zhou Wu declared loudly, his sincerity unmistakable.

Wei Cheng managed a weak smile, saying nothing, and, with Liu Sui’s help, placed his hand on the transmission stone tablet. Moments later, a slightly less potent divine light crashed down. In just one second, Wei Cheng’s wounds were fully healed. After two seconds, his inner force was restored. Three seconds later, his spiritual strength surpassed Zhou Wu’s. By the fourth second, the gap widened. The radiance continued for ten seconds before ending.

The gains were unprecedented, though he didn’t acquire the third tier of the Mountain-moving Technique, only the eighth tier of the Golden Bell Shield. Evidently, a perfect completion of the trial was required for the higher-level technique. Wei Cheng felt no regret—he wondered if Yang Yufeng would feel remorse now. Such courage, to risk alienating everyone for one’s own ambition, was worthy of admiration.

Stepping back, Wei Cheng glanced at Liu Sui and then at Xu Shan. Suddenly, he turned to Zhou Wu and said, “You owe me a favor—so, how about letting Liu Sui be the fifth to touch the tablet?”

“That’s not appropriate. Liu Sui’s contribution in this battle barely ranks in the top fifty. Wei Cheng, the rules must not be broken,” Qin Douzi said, smiling.

“If you include my feat of luring away and slaying a pig demon? Don’t tell me killing a few black giant apes outweighs my achievement!” Xu Shan retorted angrily. Qin Douzi fell silent.

“Agreed,” Zhou Wu said, rare to see him smile, but his gaze was meaningful. “I’ve decided.”

Soon, Yang Yufeng and Xu Guoliang took their turns, and Liu Sui, overwhelmed with emotion, received four seconds of divine light. Qin Douzi and Qu Xiong claimed the last two slots. As for the top-tier external techniques, there were a full hundred available. Such generous rewards matched the trial’s high difficulty.

“Wei Cheng, do you regret it?” Minutes later, in a corner of the Floating Cloud Pass city wall, Xu Shan asked with a touch of reluctance, still dissatisfied that Wei Cheng hadn’t been the first to touch the transmission stone tablet. Considering the entire battle, Wei Cheng’s merit was undeniable. His earlier generosity in sharing the second tier of the Mountain-moving Technique was enough to earn gratitude from all practitioners. But when faced with true interests, ugly faces always emerge.

“If I hadn’t shared it, do you think we could have conquered this demon stronghold with our previous combined strength?” Wei Cheng replied calmly.

Xu Shan said nothing; of course, they couldn’t have. Zhou Wu and Tang Xiaojun had each endured six fireballs—second only to Wei Cheng in contribution. Moreover, without Zhou Wu’s insights into the seventh tier of the Golden Bell Shield, Wei Cheng couldn’t have advanced so far. Zhou Wu’s team had acted greedily, but Wei Cheng believed that, as long as they could reach Cangwu City sooner, everything was worth it. He was certain that place would be a crucial juncture; to break through to eight or nine cycles, he would need to reach Cangwu City.

“Osmanthus wine! There’s actually osmanthus wine stored here!” An excited cry drew everyone’s attention, nearly inciting a commotion. Anyone who had spent time in Floating Cloud City knew the miraculous effects of osmanthus wine.

Wei Cheng was surprised, but after thinking it through, it made sense. The Immortal’s trial wasn’t meant to kill them outright; after a brutal battle, providing essential supplies was only reasonable.

“Quiet! No looting!” Zhou Wu quickly stepped forward, joined by Qin Douzi, Xu Guoliang, Qu Xiong, and the calm Tang Xiaojun. After the recent events, Tang Xiaojun seemed to have made a choice—no longer competing with Zhou Wu, but submitting completely rather than hoping for equality.

Order was soon restored, as no one could best Xu Guoliang in close combat.

“Rest assured, everyone will get their share. Douzi, you’re in charge of counting and distributing the wine. We need to withstand the shadow curse, stay here for half a day, and ensure everyone’s strength rises another level,” Zhou Wu’s words calmed the crowd for now—who wasn’t holding their breath at this moment?

Those lacking strength couldn’t even participate in the fight.

Qin Douzi efficiently distributed the osmanthus wine, proving himself a capable steward and logistics chief. Perhaps the supplies within Floating Cloud Pass were ample, or Zhou Wu sought to restore morale, but the distribution was fair and transparent, leaving everyone satisfied.

Additionally, perhaps to compensate Wei Cheng, Qin Douzi gave him five extra jars of osmanthus wine, speaking with notable courtesy.

Qin Douzi then swiftly arranged the patrol roster. Originally, Wei Cheng’s squad wasn’t included, but Wei Cheng approached him.

“If there’s a patrol, count me in.”

“How can that be? Wei Cheng, your team is for scouting, not sentry duty.” Qin Douzi was surprised, but recalling the widely circulated nickname of “Wei the Fool,” he seemed to understand.

“I’ve reached seven cycles, but hit a bottleneck. No amount of osmanthus wine will help me break through. Once my inner force is restored, I have nothing else to do. Right now, time is precious—many people are just a step away from advancing, and from the team’s perspective, my choice benefits everyone,” Wei Cheng declared righteously, leaving Qin Douzi speechless. Truly, Wei the Fool’s resolve was admirable.

Of course, he guessed that Wei Cheng intended to search for demon scout teams to solo the transmission stone tablet—a reasonable ambition, shared by more than just Wei Cheng.

But Qin Douzi didn’t care; after the recent divine radiance, Zhou Wu’s team had gained immensely. Xu Guoliang was on the verge of advancing to the sixth cycle as a Violet Mist cultivator. He and Qu Xiong were close to breaking through to the eighth cycle, and with Tang Xiaojun’s submission, their team now had the ability to solo a demon stronghold.

Losing a strong competitor like Wei Cheng was no bad thing.

“If that’s the case, how do you plan to patrol? With whom?”

“No need, I’ll go alone, roaming around Floating Cloud Pass.” Wei Cheng replied vaguely—but everyone understood.

Exchanging smiles with Qin Douzi, Wei Cheng arranged for Liu Sui, Xu Shan, Cheng An, and others to focus on cultivation. With resources and time, it was the perfect opportunity to break through.

As for himself, aside from searching for demon scout teams, his main purpose was to explore the collapsed mines nearby.

The value of rice in Chang’an was well known—so, was it the same in Cangwu City? Taking this opportunity to gather some ore to sell in Cangwu would be a worthwhile gain.

Of course, only Wei Cheng had the qualifications and the daring to act so freely; others, even if they had the idea, lacked the time. Wouldn’t it be better to seize the chance to cultivate and advance their realm?

Even Zhou Wu had to hurry and comprehend the Golden Bell Visualization diagram.