Chapter 100: The Enigmatic Stone Tablet

"I see now!" Wei Cheng suddenly understood, though a faint worry stirred within him. If the increasing realism was a benefit so far, then surely at the seventh stage, the challenges brought by this heightened realism would also intensify. Perhaps the demons would grow stronger and more cunning, or the trials would become more complex and unpredictable.

In that case, the newly introduced Qingmu profession might be even more crucial than he had imagined. His earlier reckless use of that mysterious power now seemed shortsighted and foolish.

"Well, it doesn't really matter," Wei Cheng said with a helpless smile, not dwelling too much on it. After all, advancing the Mountain Moving Visualization Chart was equally important to him—95% progress in deep refinement was truly something to cherish.

But this time, he couldn’t afford to be reckless. After a moment’s thought, Wei Cheng made a firm decision. He would first fully restore his Mountain Moving inner strength and Lingyan inner strength, then focus on cultivating the Qingmu Heart Method.

In just ten minutes, Wei Cheng astonishingly restored eight Jiazi cycles’ worth of Mountain Moving inner strength and six Jiazi cycles of Lingyan inner strength. The energy here was incredibly abundant, second only to the divine light’s illumination. He had to exert great effort to suppress the wild joy rising in his heart.

"Just give me one day, and I’ll surely advance to nine Jiazi," he thought, but he eventually restrained himself. The Mountain Moving Heart Method, being his main profession, could be cultivated anytime, anywhere, and with sufficient resources, a breakthrough to nine Jiazi could be achieved in a few days. However, this miraculous secret realm only appeared once per stage.

If he didn’t seize this chance to advance the slowly progressing Qingmu Heart Method, it would be foolish indeed.

Resolutely, Wei Cheng banished all distractions and began slowly circulating the Qingmu Heart Method. Its progression was sluggish and heavy, as if he had truly become a tree, growing slowly and steadily in place.

Too slow.

It felt as if he had to endure the cycles of spring, summer, autumn, and winter just to complete one full circuit.

Wei Cheng even regretted switching to the Qingmu Heart Method, but quickly realized this was a grave mistake in cultivation—dwelling on such thoughts was forbidden.

He quickly held his breath, cleared his mind, banished all idle thoughts, and strove to remain calm and steady.

"Just one full circuit, no big deal!"

Yet as the sun rose and set, then rose again, twelve hours passed before Wei Cheng finally completed a full circuit of the Qingmu Heart Method, successfully obtaining a small cluster of Qingmu inner strength.

This energy was truly extraordinary—it could cross barriers and merge with his Mountain Moving inner strength, entering the mountainous world formed by the Mountain Moving Visualization Chart. It could also blend with Lingyan inner strength. These two types of inner strength did not repel the Qingmu inner strength at all.

Even more amazing was that this small cluster of Qingmu inner strength automatically circulated slowly around Wei Cheng’s body, gradually smoothing his meridians and muscles, giving him an inexplicable sense of security.

Moreover, this Qingmu inner strength did not seem to diminish despite its continual circulation.

Just this alone made Wei Cheng feel it was well worth it.

When he circulated the Qingmu Heart Method for another full circuit, the Qingmu inner strength doubled, but it was still only about two years’ worth of inner strength—far from a full Jiazi cycle.

Given the slow pace of cultivation even in this secret realm, one could imagine how arduous it would be under normal conditions.

As the stone tablet marking the secret realm gradually faded and the rich vitality around him vanished, Wei Cheng saw Liu Sui, Xu Shan, Cheng An, Yu Liang, and Mei Renli appear. Their faces were bright with joy, as if they too had just emerged from the secret realm with great gains.

"Old Wei, did you advance?" Liu Sui asked, elated. His aura had changed once more—he had successfully broken through to seven Jiazi in the secret realm.

Seven Jiazi with purple mist—that was impressive! The secret realm was truly potent.

Wei Cheng gritted his teeth, feeling a bad premonition.

Looking at the others, it was the same story: Xu Shan had advanced to eight Jiazi Lingyan, and Cheng An, Yu Liang, and Mei Renli had all advanced to eight Jiazi Mountain Moving.

"You all—" Wei Cheng wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin. Only those who had cultivated would understand.

The one full circuit of Qingmu Heart Method he had just cultivated would take a full year under normal circumstances without the secret realm’s enhancement.

From his perspective, it was a good deal—forty-eight hours for two years’ worth of inner strength.

Though the Qingmu inner strength was scant, it was like installing a fully equipped rescue room inside his body; the sense of security it brought was beyond words.

He even felt that the greatest advantage of the Qingmu profession was its compatibility with dual cultivation; neither pure specialization nor dual cultivation alone could match such cost-effectiveness.

Everyone else also felt they had won big because cultivation under this state felt like flying.

In short, they had all hit the jackpot.

Yet they also sensed a deeper meaning.

Nothing happened without reason. Since the Trial Immortal had given them the chance to cultivate the Qingmu Heart Method before entering the seventh stage, releasing the secret realm tablet now was probably a form of support.

"Damn it, it’s just a trial, but it’s like a brain teaser. The Trial Immortal doesn’t even give a hint or warning; the trial’s rules change each stage and don’t play by the usual script!" Yu Liang complained bitterly. He had hoped to spend a few peaceful days in Cangwu City, enjoying the atmosphere of the cultivation world’s cities and admiring the charm of the immortal maidens, to better inspire their determination to protect and save the cultivation world.

But no—straight into brain teasers with no buffer.

"Well, it’s fine. Anyway, the problem shouldn’t be serious. Wait, you three, have you completed the fine-tuning of the seventh innate meridian?" Wei Cheng suddenly asked, frowning.

Cheng An, Yu Liang, and Mei Renli exchanged uneasy glances and nodded sheepishly.

Previously, Wei Cheng had encouraged them to choose the second fine-tuning option. They had intended to do so, but that option was too energy- and resource-intensive.

They had tried it but found it too complex and difficult to control—half a million variables; even with their greatly enhanced mental strength, they couldn’t guarantee success.

Moreover, their secret realm tablet only lasted ten hours, and they worried time would run out.

So, they had unanimously chosen the first fine-tuning option, which was simpler, allowing them to quickly complete it and gain an additional four Jiazi Mountain Moving inner strength.

They then rushed to breakthrough to eight Jiazi successfully and even smoothly fine-tuned the eighth innate meridian—truly a streamlined process.

They felt quite pleased with themselves. After all, had they chosen the second option, they would have barely completed the seventh meridian’s fine-tuning by the time the secret realm ended.

Even the clever Xu Shan had chosen the same path.

"Alright, it’s not that it’s impossible. But we shouldn’t linger here. We need to see if we can head to Cangwu City," Wei Cheng sighed inwardly. What else could he say? He had said what needed to be said.

It was understandable if they didn’t want to cultivate the Qingmu Heart Method, but to think of rushing through in such a rare secret realm state was a bit petty.

He only hoped they wouldn’t regret it in the future.

Afterward, Wei Cheng and his group walked several miles toward Cangwu City. Upon crossing a small hillock, they were all taken aback. On the other side, Zhou Wu, Tang Xiaojun, Qin Douzi, Xu Guoliang, and several hundred others were engaged in a fierce argument.

Zhou Wu’s face was gloomy.

Interesting. Hadn’t he led the team to Southwest Province’s F City? How was he here? It seemed that roaming on Earth didn’t affect the actual trial login location.

Just a false hope, then.

But when Zhou Wu, Tang Xiaojun, Qin Douzi, and the others saw Wei Cheng’s group of six, their expressions turned as if they had seen a ghost.

"Old Wei, look," Liu Sui whispered, and Wei Cheng looked down to see a faint golden sword scar tracing across the ridge of the small hillock.

So, in Zhou Wu’s group’s view, these six had just emerged from the poison zone?

No—there was more.

Recalling the secret realm state they had experienced, Wei Cheng sensed some differences.

"Wei Cheng, why are you still at eight Jiazi?" Zhou Wu hurried over, first casting a sharp glance at Liu Sui and Xu Shan, then looking at Wei Cheng with deep frustration. "You’ve been held back so badly by those guys, it’s no wonder you’re called 'Big Fool Wei'! You should have come with us at the sixth stage."

"Do you know what you missed out on?"

"If you had come with us, the secret realm tablet would have lasted at least eight hours for you—enough time to complete fine-tuning and advance to nine Jiazi."

Faced with Zhou Wu’s reproach, Wei Cheng felt too embarrassed to reveal the truth.

What a proud man he was—too bad.

Xu Shan, ever straightforward and proud, interjected confidently, "Sorry, but our secret realm tablet lasted a full twelve hours!"

Wei Cheng rubbed his forehead and turned away, pretending not to hear.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wu was stunned, and his already sullen face paled momentarily.

He was a top scholar and clever; naturally, he understood the implication.

(The chapter ends)