Chapter 58: Investment in Liu Sui

Wei Cheng soon found Liu Sui, Xu Shan, Cheng An, and the others in a corner of the fortress. They were largely unharmed, though Han Dong, who had only reached the third cycle, looked rather miserable and sickly. At that moment, however, he was already gulping down a jug of osmanthus wine, desperately cultivating.

Though the osmanthus wine no longer provided any special effects for Wei Cheng, for those at the third, fourth, or even fifth cycle, it was a peerless resource for cultivation. Take Han Dong, for instance—barring any mishaps, by dawn he would almost certainly advance to the fourth cycle, attaining the Violet Mist stage. Similarly, both Yu Liang and Wang Wei would be able to break through to the fifth cycle, becoming Mountain Movers.

Cheng An and Xu Shan were also progressing well. Thanks to the divine radiance they’d received earlier and their unrestricted access to the osmanthus wine, both were set to advance by morning—Cheng An to the sixth cycle as a Mountain Mover, and Xu Shan as a Swift Swallow of the sixth cycle.

Only Liu Sui faced a challenge in reaching the fifth cycle as a Violet Mist. This had nothing to do with innate potential or resources, but rather with the inherently slow cultivation speed of the Violet Mist profession. Even Xu Guoliang, who held a key position in Zhou Wu’s team, was only at the fifth cycle. Yet, this was a profession worth heavy early investment.

As far as Wei Cheng could see, Liu Sui’s character was still reliable. “Liu Sui, focus on your cultivation. I’ll shield you from the Shadow Curse tomorrow morning,” Wei Cheng assured him, setting aside three jugs of his own osmanthus wine for Liu Sui. No matter what, his team needed someone to reach the fifth cycle as Violet Mist.

Around ten in the morning, Wei Cheng once again left the battered Floating Cloud Fortress alone. Like an outlier, he plunged into the chaotic mining district while everyone else was either frantically cultivating or poring over martial arts manuals. For him, every extra piece of Flame Stone he could find was a gain—not just for the ring’s fire resistance, but because it also proved effective against the Shadow Curse. If he could further increase his fire resistance, he might be able to linger longer in the cursed areas.

But searching for ore was a matter of luck. Even though he worked tirelessly among the rubble for hours, Wei Cheng found nothing. Though a little discouraged, he accepted it as normal, pausing regularly to rest and restore both his inner strength and mental focus.

Finally, just before nightfall, he discovered a piece of Jadeite beneath a rock.

He had mined this before in the previous stages—it was as valuable as Flame Stone, though he still wasn’t sure of its specific use. By the time he dug it out, night had already fallen. He placed it in his basket, took a short rest, and decided not to return yet, instead continuing to scan the mines with his spiritual sense.

In the distance around Floating Cloud Fortress, the explosions of fireballs rang out from time to time—likely teams hunting demons, everyone striving to strengthen themselves as quickly as possible. In fact, that afternoon alone, at least seven demon scout teams had been annihilated, while the ruins near Wei Cheng were devoid of any such patrols, likely due to their proximity to Floating Cloud City.

He was tempted more than once to join the action—after all, hunting monsters was always a draw.

Suddenly, under the cover of night, Wei Cheng’s face lit up with excitement. His spiritual sense had finally detected a Flame Stone deep within the rocks—the energy radiating from it was impossible to miss. After a cautious look around, he began to dig. Within minutes, a Flame Stone slightly larger than his fist was in his hands. With a gentle wipe, a faint fiery aura shimmered to life—excellent.

Moments later, the stone crumbled to ash in his grasp, but his Flame Ring was now enhanced to +8—a higher tier than the +7 Frost Ring wielded by Xu Guoliang.

“Worth it!” Wei Cheng grinned, diving back into his search.

By daybreak, when he returned to Floating Cloud Fortress, his Flame Ring had reached +9. He’d also found another piece of Jadeite and a chunk of Black Iron Ore. The latter had no energy signature and was discovered purely by chance during digging.

He planned to take these to Cangwu City to see if he could trade them for higher-quality cultivation resources.

The moment he returned, Xu Shan hurried over—her aura entirely transformed, having finally advanced to the sixth cycle as a Swift Swallow. Yet her face was anxious.

“Old Wei!”

“What is it?”

“Liu Sui is still cultivating—he’s in great shape and might reach the fifth cycle by dusk. But Zhou Wu’s team is about to set out,” Xu Shan said quickly and quietly, and Wei Cheng understood at once.

“Xu Guoliang advanced?”

“Yes, late last night he reached the sixth cycle and his Violet Mist visualization technique also broke through. Qin Douzi, Qu Xiong, and Tang Xiaojun all advanced to the eighth cycle as Mountain Movers, and four others in Zhou Wu’s team broke through to the seventh cycle. Their overall strength has reached a new level—they’re now capable of raiding demon strongholds on their own.”

“Yesterday afternoon, a solo team returned and reported another demon stronghold discovered eighty miles away.”

Xu Shan relayed all this in one breath, her eyes filled with worry—it was clear what troubled her.

“Wei Cheng, we found a demon stronghold eighty miles out. Interested in joining us?” Qin Douzi approached, grinning as though he wasn’t the least concerned about whether Wei Cheng would accept or not.

Xu Shan immediately shot Wei Cheng an anxious look. If he agreed, Liu Sui’s advancement would be interrupted, or he’d be left behind alone. Either way, it was a poor outcome.

Wei Cheng looked at Qin Douzi—an eighth-cycle Mountain Mover, with strength that now surpassed his own, especially combined with the second level of the Mountain Mover technique.

So, they’d all chosen the fast-track refinement, had they? No wonder Zhou Wu’s team was already preparing to attack a second demon stronghold—their advantage was enormous.

“Thank you, but I have other plans,” Wei Cheng replied without hesitation.

“Very well. Still, I hope you’ll join us soon. This place is strange—it’s not wise to linger,” Qin Douzi said simply, nodding politely to Xu Shan before leaving with a refined air. Yet Wei Cheng knew that, having refused Zhou Wu’s invitation, their paths would likely diverge from here on out.