Chapter 116: Hello, Brother-in-Law

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Wei Cheng pondered briefly and chose the fifth option.

The reason was simple: fire resistance was the easiest attribute to stack and enhance.

As for fireballs or the blazing spear, he wasn’t particularly eager; even the flame shield that could protect allies was unnecessary. After this round, everyone in his squad would likely have at least +15 fire resistance on average.

Only the transformation into a fiery giant, which required coordinating with the Mountain-Moving internal energy, sparked his anticipation.

Taking a step back, Wei Cheng first put away the small wine cup before turning to the eagerly expectant group nearby.

“Wei Cheng, is it still possible for me to join your team now?” Bai Han rubbed his hands together. Despite being a burly man, he looked rather sly at this moment. Even a fool would know that such a boss-level transmission stone tablet was extraordinary.

Beside him, Chen Ce blurted out, “Hello, brother-in-law!”

Damn, they really had no sense of decency at all.

Who do they think I am, Wei Cheng?

Clearing his throat, Wei Cheng scanned everyone before saying, “I just touched the first level of the Iron Prison Law. You all know what that means. So the next slot likely also yields a result, and the Lingyan profession might even get an ‘Shadow Clone’ with 90% compatibility.”

“But I can’t promise there will be a third slot. You get my meaning.”

At this, Wei Cheng glanced at Bai Han; this was a message for him.

Within his squad, Yu Liang and Mei Renli were also Mountain-Moving professions. Although they hadn’t mastered the perfect Golden Bell Shield, with continued training, it was possible.

Similarly, Xu Shan was in the same position.

So why should Bai Han and Chen Ce deserve this slot?

“My character’s good; Chen Ce, you speak,” Bai Han urged anxiously. Opportunities like this, with a 90% compatible external martial art like Iron Prison Law, could definitely turn the tide of battle.

“I can vouch for him. Although he’s not quite qualified to be my brother-in-law, in other aspects he’s reliable. Chen Ce and I have been classmates since childhood; he just looks too mature for his age,” Chen Ce said seriously, which was rare.

“Old Wei, I also think we need a second strong Mountain-Mover. Of course, I’m not saying Yu Liang and Old Mei aren’t qualified, but don’t you think all our battles rely too much on Wei Cheng? If defense isn’t enough, he steps up; if offense falls short, he carries the load. That’s not a good thing.”

“If we face stronger enemies in the future, and if Old Wei gets trapped, the rest of us will only face total annihilation.”

“Of course, I’m not saying two strong Mountain-Movers means we can slack off; instead, it provides better cover and creates more offensive opportunities, making our team more resilient.”

Liu Sui spoke earnestly, casting a vote for Bai Han.

“I agree,” Xu Shan added in harmony; at times like this, she never contradicted Liu Sui.

Yu Liang and Mei Renli, originally eager to try, now wore thoughtful expressions.

Soon Yu Liang laughed casually: “No need to say more. I feel that following the boss means opportunities will come. Old Bai is better than me; he contributed a lot in this battle. I have no objections if he takes the slot.”

“Then, I, the old man, have no objections either. I’m realistic. As a Mountain-Mover, I can only protect myself; caring for one or two others is fine, but the whole team — I can’t manage that.”

Mei Renli quickly gave his opinion, and Bai Han was delighted, bowing repeatedly.

“Thank you, thank you. My brother-in-law and I are very grateful to everyone.”

“By the way, I’m only 25 this year. So, Boss Wei, Brother Wei, please take care of me!”

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“Enough talk, let’s see for ourselves.”

Wei Cheng felt deeply moved. Bai Han, who appeared steady and mature with a scruffy beard, was actually only 25. Fate truly was a strange thing.

Soon, a divine light fell like a silken ribbon, enveloping Bai Han.

Wei Cheng watched calmly, seeing clearly through Bai Han’s reality and illusion at this moment.

The most obvious was the explosive growth in spiritual power. Before igniting the spiritual fire and condensing the spiritual seed, everyone’s spiritual power was like a golden chain hanging from the neck—dazzling and unrestrained.

Thus, compared to Wei Cheng, Bai Han was the true expert, while Wei Cheng was just an ordinary martial artist because his spiritual power was all contained within the spiritual seed.

After fifteen seconds, the divine light vanished. Bai Han’s spiritual power had reached its peak—ready to ignite the spiritual fire and condense the spiritual seed.

According to official standards, this would be considered level 6 spiritual power.

Just this once, he had risen more than a full level.

“I’ve obtained the first level of Iron Prison Law! I feel like I’m about to break through! I can’t describe it, but it’s so miraculous!” Bai Han was so excited he could hardly speak coherently.

Wei Cheng glanced thoughtfully at him and then continued assigning ranks, hoping someone in his team could obtain a Shadow Clone.

“Xu Shan is third, Chen Ce fourth, Liu Sui fifth, Yu Liang sixth, Old Mei seventh.”

Unfortunately, although Xu Shan was bathed in divine light for twelve seconds, she still didn’t obtain Shadow Clone, let alone Chen Ce.

Even so, everyone was overjoyed.

Bai Han’s Flame Ring fire resistance rose to +20, Chen Ce’s to +18, and the others all reached +16.

Moreover, Xu Shan, Liu Sui, Chen Ce, Yu Liang, and Mei Renli’s spiritual power nearly reached level 5, and even the nameless Mountain-Mover still unconscious received two seconds of divine light.

A complete victory!

As the transmission stone tablet dissipated, Wei Cheng and the others felt somewhat unreal. Looking at the raging lava river below the cliff ahead, it was gradually cooling. The thick black fog drifting toward Cangwu City also slowly dispersed and lightened.

At the same time, a familiar energy fluctuation came from the cooled lava river.

“Flame Stones! Flame Stones! Wow, so many Flame Stones!” Yu Liang shouted excitedly. Even Wei Cheng was thrilled. Everyone rushed over to find the cliff’s base glowing bright red, extending far and wide—an astonishing number of Flame Stones.

Was this the reward for passing?

No need to say more; everyone began mining the Flame Stones. How many they could gather, they gathered. By now, all veteran trialers were accustomed to carrying a miner’s backpack. This item had undergone a tortuous journey from curious novelty to annoyance, and now to indispensability.

If a trialer didn’t carry a miner’s backpack, they were either a newcomer or a fool.

The backpack resisted water and fire, was tough, rarely damaged by ordinary blades, had large capacity, and could even be used as a shield in emergencies. Everyone who used it praised it.

Just as they happily mined, voices came from upstream and downstream—many trialers were rushing in.

Wei Cheng’s group exchanged glances but immediately and tacitly quickened their mining.

Though they had killed the lava boss and caused the Flame Stones to appear, no one would believe they deserved it.

Within minutes, nearly five or six hundred veteran trialers arrived, diving beneath the cliff, eyes gleaming as they dug for Flame Stones.

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Following that, even more veteran and novice trialers flooded in. In less than half an hour, the lava river’s upstream and downstream stretches—fifty or sixty miles—were packed with people. Almost all trialers had come.

It was a veritable feast of plunder.

No one paid attention to Wei Cheng’s squad, who were quite taken aback.

Fortunately, by then, Wei Cheng’s team had mined the largest Flame Stone vein completely.

All their miner’s backpacks were stuffed full, with at least a hundred pieces each.

Wei Cheng himself had mined over four hundred pieces.

“Old Wei, I’ve got some news,” Xu Shan said with a strange expression. Chen Ce, who had also gone to inquire, looked the same.

“This lava river and the boss’s real name is ‘Fire Demon.’ The lord of Cangwu City issued a bounty… Anyway, this is a large-scale team mission. The Fire Demon alone requires a hundred-person team to kill, and the rewards are said to be quite generous.”

“I think—”

Xu Shan hesitated, while Bai Han and Chen Ce tacitly flanked the nameless Mountain-Mover on either side, scaring the poor guy into a bitter smile.

“Everyone, everyone, I get it—I know nothing. Besides, Wei Cheng saved my life. From now on, if you tell me east, I’ll never go west. I’ll be obedient. I, Tang Yuanshan, promise to be obedient.”

“That’s more like it!”

Bai Han patted him mischievously on the shoulder, then whispered to Wei Cheng, “Wei bro, we have to keep this low-key. Although killing the Fire Demon will surely be known eventually, at least we can buy some time. No one wants to become the top assassination target for the demons, right?”

All shook their heads, including Wei Cheng.

It was clear everyone understood this, which was excellent.

They exchanged glances and tacitly agreed not to discuss it further.

“Old Wei, should we return to Cangwu City or continue?” Liu Sui asked, a question on everyone’s mind.

“Haste makes waste. We need to go back and consolidate for a while.”

Wei Cheng looked up toward the opposite cliff—a towering wall several hundred meters high shrouded in black fog, making the situation unclear.

No one in their right mind would think of climbing it.

“Such a pity about so many Flame Stones,” Mei Renli muttered. The surface Flame Stones were all snatched up, but if they dug deeper, there was still a good chance of finding more. The novices had become frenzied miners, completely forgetting their original purpose.

Wei Cheng took this in stride, seeing it as an opportunity to enhance all trialers’ overall strength.

After all, the defense of Cangwu City was three months away.

No one wanted a repeat of the old disaster at Fuyun City, right?

(The End of this Chapter)