"Hehehe, the first level of the Wandering Dragon Palm Method, it's fantastic! A perfect match for my Purple Cloud Method!"
In the cave, Zhang Yong stifled a hearty laugh, then remembered something and asked Wei Cheng, "Brother Wei, what did you get? The Iron Head Skill or the Iron Cloth Shirt?"
Wei Cheng ignored him, picked up the unburnt backpack, and went over to the bald-haired man who didn't manage to touch the Stele.
"Brother Xu, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, as long as I'm still alive." The bald-headed man gave a simple-hearted smile, showing pretty good spirits.
"What did you get, little Wei?"
"The first level of the Golden Bell Shield."
Wei Cheng said simply, his voice quiet, but it drew an intake of breath and admiring looks from the group.
Among the ten people who touched the Stele, four practised the Method of the Agile Swallow and four practised the Method of the Moving Mountain. But the best among them only touched the Iron Cloth Shirt, and the remaining three touched the Iron Head Skill.
Although each of these three external cultivation methods is compatible with the Method of the Moving Mountain, they greatly varied in dynamics.
The Iron Head Skill only enhances head defense and occasionally can be used for attacks. It only has a 60% compatibility with the Moving Mountain Method.
Since the Iron Cloth Shirt is a shirt, it enhances the torso's defense and its compatibility rate is 70%.
The only true overall defense, without any weaknesses, is the Golden Bell Shield.
This point was vividly and concretely explained by the compatibility rating given by the trial giver.
Besides that, being the first to touch the Stele gave him extremely huge benefits. Not only did it heal all his burn injuries, but it also cleared his mind. His spirit felt different, utterly transparent, as though he had an epiphany.
The most direct impact of this was his complete understanding of the first level of the Golden Bell Shield in no time. Just by circulating the Moving Mountain's Inner Strength, a faint golden light could be seen enveloping his whole body from head to toe.
The defensive capability has increased by more than twice compared to before.
This should be the effect of both the mental method and its compatible outer techniques exerted together.
By this time, everyone who had hidden in the cave had already crawled out. There were thirty-eight people in total. Nobody dared to speak loudly, but some of them were salivating at the sight of the burned spider. This was, after all, the only edible thing in the mine up to now.
"Folks, let me go first. If I don't get poisoned, then it's safe for everyone else to eat. Besides, there's a huge chunk, more than enough for us."
A middle-aged man jumped out first, whispered, and claimed. He had been practising the Moving Mountain method but had failed to touch the Stele, and was now regretting it terribly.
Initially, gaining the most benefit was as simple as being the first one to touch the Stele.
Poor Mr. Shen, such an unjust death!
So, why restrain ourselves? Dare a little more, even more, dare!
However, as all the people understood this principle, once this man charged forward, the rest of the crowd swarmed the burned spider and immediately started chewing regardless of whether it was a spider or a crab. Surprisingly, it tasted quite good.
After a few seconds, the second wave of people couldn't hold back either. In the end, even Wei Cheng and the bald-headed man joined the fight for food.
Yes, the giant spider was indeed edible, especially after being grilled by the flames. Its taste was so delicate, the texture so unique, that it was absolutely unforgettable.
Furthermore, this grilled spider could greatly restore physical strength.
Those who practiced the Purple Mist method began to cultivate immediately while sitting cross-legged. Everyone else did the same. It was just the beginning for the Innate Realm Martial Artist, and nobody minded having more Inner Strength.
Since the grilled spider was big enough and plentiful, nobody fought over it for the time being. Everyone focused on cultivating. Whenever anyone felt hungry after a cultivation cycle, they would go eat the spider, get filled up, and continue to cultivate.
Their fervor was comparable to the final hundred days before the national college entrance examination.
Wei Cheng was among them. What was slightly different was that he gained a deeper understanding of the Moving Mountain method due to his enlightening clear-mindedness.
So, at this moment, practicing the Method of the Moving Mountain seemed particularly smooth and proficient.
The pace of his practice increased by nearly half as compared to before. Where others could only practice for two cycles, he was already capable of practicing for three cycles.
Moreover, the inner strength gained from the Moving Mountain for each cycle was slightly more than before. As a result, he could essentially gain the inner strength equivalent to seven cycles from practicing for four cycles.
About three days later, when everyone else had practiced five to six cycles, the roasted spiders were almost completely consumed.
By this time, everyone who chose the Purple Cloud Method had successfully cultivated a cycle of sixty years of inner strength and became an Innate Realm Martial Artist.
This increased their combat power significantly over others.
In particular, Zhang Yong, who had received the first level of the Wandering Dragon Palm Method, was now the top combatant without dispute.
He assembled everyone who practiced the Purple Cloud Method and claimed to form an assembly called the Association of Purple Qi from the East. Although the name was a bit cheesy, they took control of the remaining roasted spiders efficiently.
The rest could only seethe with resentment.
Because they really had no means to fight back.
Some pinned their hopes on Wei Cheng, but he merely sat there in silence.
In the past three days, while others could only practice six cycles at most, he had effectively practiced for ten cycles. In terms of total inner strength, he had already accumulated the strength of twenty years, which was one-third of a full cycle.
Moreover, he still had two vegetable cakes left.
He carefully crumbled these and, unnoticed by others, stealthily ate them. Although extremely bitter, the energy they supplied was excellent.
even better than plain water.
One vegetable cake could roughly allow him to practice two cycles, and two cakes could increase his inner strength by ten years.
Thus far, he had already obtained ninety years of Moving Mountain inner strength. And because he now had the foundation of an Innate Realm Martial Artist, the inner strength he currently practiced will not disappear permanently due to consumption, and can be recovered as physical strength is regained.
"Brother Wei, let's have a talk."
On the fourth day, while Wei Cheng was silently contemplating the first level of the Golden Bell Shield, Zhang Yong and his group approached. They had finished off all the remaining roasted spiders, allowing each person in the group to practice another two cycles on average. This represented their shared interests, so this Association of Purple Qi from the East looked quite impressive.
Out of the thirty-eight survivors, twenty were now on Zhang Yong's side. The name "Brother Yong" was pretty well-known.
Wei Cheng looked up at him.
"What do you want to say?"
"Brother Wei, I owe what I am today to your help. I am a principled man, and I know how to repay a favor. But please wait, our current primary objective is to escape from this mine. Given the situation at large, Brother Wei, I ask for your consideration. Let's cooperate together."
Zhang Yong squatted in front of Wei Cheng, his face full of sincerity.
"Okay!"
"Brother Wei is generous!"
Zhang Yong snapped his fingers, stood up, gestured to the group around him, "This is my Brother Wei, and from now on, he is also your Brother Wei. Remember this and show some respect."
"Brother Wei."
"Hello Brother Wei!"
In the dim light, there were scattered responses. Some had smiles on their faces, but their eyes were cunning. Some didn't smile, their eyes cold.
No matter who they looked at, Zhang Yong or Wei Cheng, there was a sense of scrutiny in their gaze.
They are still too young.
Wei Cheng glanced at Zhang Yong, who seemed to be at the peak of his life, and the bald-headed man with a naive smile on his face nearby. Perhaps on Earth, in the constraints of civilization and law, social morality, everyone would consciously restrain their sharp edges, their claws and teeth.
But now, as they were getting more familiar with the rules here, in order to survive, in order to gain more, no one was easy to deal with.