Chapter 121: The Half-Baked Cultivator

Under the constant accompaniment of Qingmu’s inner strength, Wei Cheng smoothly completed the fine adjustments of the eighth group of mountain ranges.

Yet, the sixty-year reservoir of Qingmu’s inner strength showed no sign of depletion, continuing to flow gently, like a mighty tree silently growing.

A sudden understanding dawned in Wei Cheng’s heart, but he did not force it; instead, he let things take their natural course and continued the fine-tuning.

After completing the fine adjustments of the sixth group of mountains, the energy within the first Golden Dragon coin was entirely exhausted. The coin silently disintegrated into dust, vanishing without a trace.

Wei Cheng immediately retrieved the second Golden Dragon coin, unwilling to interrupt the ongoing fine-tuning.

At the same time, a sense of relief washed over him—the major trend of the fine-tuning had been established.

The fine-tuning began with the ninth group of mountains.

However, the greatest resistance, backlash, and pressure were endured by the eighth group of mountains, where the sensation of imminent death and the disappearance of the Dao was almost palpable.

By the time he reached the seventh group, the resistance and backlash had diminished.

Upon arriving at the fifth group, the momentum of the fine-tuning had taken shape, allowing it to press down with unstoppable force.

Then came the smooth adjustments of the fourth, third, and even the second group of mountains.

As a result, the consumption of the Mountain-Moving Inner Strength was significantly reduced.

When the tide of fine-tuning finally reached the first group of mountains, the entire momentum was fully formed. The vast amounts of Mountain-Moving Inner Strength Wei Cheng had injected earlier rebounded sharply, breaking through barriers. This phase appeared most perilous but was, in fact, the safest.

Because it involved the decomposition and reconstruction of the Mountain-Moving Visualization Map—a profound trial for his body that would bring agonizing pain, yet was the best process for tempering, refining, and deepening the visualization map.

Having experienced two prior fine-tunings, Wei Cheng activated all his mental focus without hesitation, forming a mental barrier so he would not miss a single detail in the decomposition and reconstruction of the Mountain-Moving Visualization Map.

It was akin to watching a surgical operation, except that the patient on the table was himself.

The difficulty was self-evident.

Yet Wei Cheng remained confident, achieving a level of complete concentration, memorization, and refinement of every detail.

Until the ninth group of mountains was thoroughly reconstructed.

A thunderous spring dawn burst forth across the plains, with rays of light streaming over the mountains like the rising sun in the east, transforming heaven and earth anew.

At this moment, Wei Cheng’s will, faith, and mental power resonated perfectly with the mountains!

Whether it was the morning glow atop the peaks, the verdant trees across the ranges, or the streams and vast rivers winding through the valleys, all became a part of him.

He could ascend to the heavens or delve into the earth.

He had finally completed the 100% deep-level refinement of the Mountain-Moving Visualization Map and obtained a first-level Earth Spiritual Root.

The nine innate meridians, nine groups of mountains, the great river, and even the morning glow all fused into one, forming a ladder to the heavens. With just one step, Wei Cheng could become the legendary half-baked cultivator.

—

Dawn broke.

The morning breeze carried the fresh scent of earth and a faint fragrance of flowers.

The entire Cangwu City became lively; from afar, the shop attendants’ vigorous calls could be heard.

Yes, it had already been five days.

Wei Cheng’s fine-tuning had lasted four days and three nights, giving him a bittersweet taste of the feeling that inside the cave, a single day had passed, but outside, five days had elapsed.

Pushing open the door, Wei Cheng had already changed into a set of coarse cloth clothes, surprisingly well-fitted, left behind by the previous house owner.

At this moment, his gaze was calm and composed, but no trace of inner strength fluctuated from his body; by all appearances, he was a genuine native.

Opening the courtyard gate, Bai Han, Liu Sui, Chen Ce, Xu Shan, Yu Liang, Mei Renli, and Tang Yuanshan entered in single file, all beaming with joy and delight.

After all, their gains in these five days had been considerable.

Wei Cheng’s eyes swept over them.

Bai Han had completed the fine-tuning of the ninth innate meridian. This time, he chose to enhance quality, and it went smoothly. After all, his mental power had reached level six, and this was his first quality fine-tuning, reducing difficulty by at least 300%.

Additionally, his Mountain-Moving Visualization Map was currently deepened to 35%, still lacking some maturity.

Regardless, Bai Han had unquestionably become the team's second Mountain-Mover.

As for the third Mountain-Mover, it could only be Tang Yuanshan. He had completed his third fine-tuning, although his mental power was only at level 5.5, and his visualization map was deepened to 15%. Still, this was enough to easily surpass Yu Liang and Mei Renli.

After all, he had been the cream of the crop from District 15.

Yu Liang and Mei Renli, after five days of seclusion, had both raised their cultivation to nine Jiazi but had not completed their third fine-tuning. Their mental power barely reached level five.

Neither had begun deep-level refinement of their Mountain-Moving Visualization Maps, currently only achieving the Golden Bell Shield’s Great Perfection.

They were an entire tier behind.

Without mastering the Way of Non-Contention, what kind of Mountain-Mover could they be?

Chen Ce had replaced Xu Shan as the team’s foremost Spirit Swallow, mainly because Wei Cheng had taught him the second level of the Spirit Swallow Heart Method.

During this seclusion, Chen Ce completed his third fine-tuning, choosing quality, with mental power around level 5.5. His Spirit Swallow Visualization Map had deepened to 20%.

Notably, he seemed to have achieved the Great Perfection of Cloud Ladder Vault. Combined with Spirit Swallow inner strength, he could almost catch helicopters in the sky.

Xu Shan was the second Spirit Swallow, currently at eight Jiazi cultivation, having only completed the second fine-tuning, with mental power at 5.5 and visualization map deepened to 15%. She had yet to reach the Great Perfection of Cloud Ladder Vault.

However, considering her upcoming three fine-tunings would be rapid advancement, then quality, then quality, her potential for growth was higher than Chen Ce’s unless the latter encountered greater opportunities.

The most promising prospect belonged to Liu Sui.

He was still at seven Jiazi Purple Haze, but this time, he had completed his first quality fine-tuning. With many others ahead, he was forced to think carefully—rapid advancement was a trap; quality was the true path.

Moreover, Liu Sui’s mental power was also at level six, as Wei Cheng had specifically nurtured him. Like Bai Han, once his faith and will crossed a certain threshold, he would ignite the fire of the mind and crystallize the seed of spirit.

This was a crucial point.

“Congratulations to all. Your strength has taken a step forward, but beware of arrogance and impatience, for the power we have now is insignificant compared to what lies ahead,” Wei Cheng said.

“Has anyone gone out these days?” he asked casually; all seven nodded.

“Alright, Old Bai, you speak first. Can you still control the situation in District 13?” Wei Cheng pointed to Bai Han, the leading figure in District 13, akin to Zhou Wu, so he should have the widest information network.

Of course, Wei Cheng hoped Bai Han could rally the troops, shake his mighty presence, and attract dozens or hundreds of new followers.

Expanding influence was necessary; only then could they decide how to defend Cangwu City in three months.

Back in Fuyun City, Wei Cheng had neither fame nor strength and could not influence the battle’s outcome, but this time, he wanted to try.

Unexpectedly, when Wei Cheng asked, Bai Han’s expression turned somewhat awkward.

Chen Ce spoke up.

“Brother Wei, there’s a bit of trouble. That initial notice seemed unseen by anyone, so no one knew we killed the Fire Core Demon. After Liu Wenli returned to District 13, he exaggerated and slandered Bai Han and me as traitorous deserters, throwing all kinds of dirt on us. We’ve been secluded these days, and now, there’s nowhere to explain ourselves.”

“Moreover, Cangwu City has formed preliminary interest factions, with territory already divided. We missed everything during our four or five days of seclusion.”

“Interest factions? What do you mean?” Wei Cheng was momentarily stunned.

At this, Xu Shan hurriedly explained:

“It’s like this, Old Wei. After we killed the Fire Core Demon, the rules for entering Cangwu City changed. We were busy secluded then and returned too early, so we didn’t know that in the demon’s territory, dozens of magma monsters spawn daily.”

“Although the kill rewards aren’t as high as magma giants, they add up and can be exchanged for merits at the City Lord’s Mansion. These merits can redeem not only squad leader badges but also patrol battalion officer badges and patrol battalion captain badges.”

“The captain’s badge even grants command over troops guarding a city gate.”

“So far, Zhou Wu in District 14 has acquired a patrol battalion captain’s badge and occupies the East Gate of Cangwu City; Liu Wenli in District 13 holds the South Gate; Zhao Xiong in District 15 controls the West Gate. And you guess who controls the North Gate?”

“It’s Qin Douzi. He had a rift with Zhou Wu and, with a group of senior and many new trialists, set up his own faction. Their slogan is to support newcomers and develop together.”

“Although many newcomers have been lured away by the other three factions, Qin Douzi still commands over five thousand steadfast supporters.”

“Long story short, the situation is too complicated now, Old Wei. If you want to intervene and become a martial alliance leader, it’s highly unlikely.”

At this, Bai Han added, “Exactly, Brother Wei. I didn’t expect that after our hard-earned first kill of the Fire Core Demon, we would have empowered these people.”

“Currently, the demon’s map is divided into four monster spawn zones, controlled by the four factions. Each day, they earn profits by killing spawning magma monsters and mining Flame Stones. You probably don’t know, the price of Flame Stones has dropped to ten Copper Dragon coins.”

“But even so, an average new trialist can mine seven or eight stones daily, much more profitable than working in the city.”

“The four factions have already clashed in over a dozen minor skirmishes. Zhou Wu, Liu Wenli, Zhao Xiong, and Qin Douzi are all still sane enough to know that while conflicts exist, large-scale internal strife must be avoided. Otherwise, Brother Wei, you might witness a gangland-style bloodbath.”

“Also, Cheng An, the leader—you don’t need to worry about him. He joined Zhao Xiong’s team and is doing quite well.”

Yu Liang chipped in with a hint of melancholy, “Sigh, brothers who lived and died together just parted ways so easily.”

(End of chapter)