"Control!"
In the silent cave of the first level, Wei Cheng shout resonated like a roaring thunder. He merged the Moving Mountain inner strength into a majestic range of mountains, integrating it with the third level Golden Bell Shield, transforming instantly into a tangible golden bell.
At the same time, a shadow attacked like a bolt of lightning, only to end up colliding with the bell.
"Ding!"
The golden bell cracked, forming more than a dozen fissures before restoring itself to the original state.
The Monster Stone was knocked out cold.
This Moving Mountain Visualization Diagram combined with the third level Golden Bell Shield significantly enhanced the defensive capabilities.
Wei Cheng turned around and punched thrice. With each deafening impact, the Monster Stone was beaten to death on the spot. Quickly turning into stone, a fresh Flame Stone soon fell into the knapsack.
The whole process went uncharacteristically smoothly.
"Control!"
...
"Ding!"
——
"Control!"
"Ding!"
——
After innumerable times, Wei Cheng shouted until he was hoarse. In this lonely mine tunnel, only his echoing voice was left. There were no more Monster Stones appearing, causing him immense grief. He never expected that, one day, he would mourn the loss of a staunch enemy!
Wei Cheng heaved a long sigh inwardly. In his knapsack he held twelve Flame Stones.
Should be enough, right?
He headed back to the Skeleton Demon Cave, where, apart from the central mine, there were two other passages. Yu Liang and Hu Hailong defied the odds to eagerly clear northern passages.
Wei Cheng paid no heed to them, meditating as he practiced the Moving Mountain Method. Given his currently hidden resources, he could accumulate thirty years of inner power.
Just as he completed one practice cycle, he saw a dejected Yu Liang and Hu Hailong emerging from the northern mine.
"Brother Wei, we ran into some acquaintances. The opposing team has forty-four members left. They have crazily split into three small teams, each clearing the demon caves from three different directions. At the moment, they are preparing to step into the fourth-level demon cave."
"Additionally, we tried but different teams cannot collaborate. As soon as they seized control of the northern demon cave, we lost the opportunity to enter. We could not do anything besides attempting to negotiate."
"The fourth level?"
Wei Cheng raised his eyebrows. If the Spider Demon was considered the first level, the Bat Monster the second, and the Skeleton Demon the third, then indeed, the Monster Stone would be the fourth.
"That means we aren't lagging far behind in terms of progress."
"But Brother Wei, eight people from the other side have already connected their third innate meridian, and sixteen people have connected the second one. Moreover, they have members practicing all three professions. Sigh, we can't compare." Hu Hailong's concern led him to tug at his hair.
Comparing themselves to others was killing them. Why was their team so underwhelming?
For a moment, their gaze fell once again on Zhang Yong, their one-time reckless and domineering figure.
Damn this guy. He used to naively believe that practicing the Purple Cloud Method was the most formidable, and monopolized all the resources. Look what happened - in the battle in the Bat Monster Cave, he ended up penniless. It impeded the growth of those who were practicing the Moving Mountain Method and led to those studying the Method of the Agile Swallow being unprotected.
What a jerk!
They should have realized earlier that the three professions complemented each other.
Depressing!
Wei Cheng also sighed inwardly. It was indeed frustrating.
"If we pass the fourth level, Zhang Yong will not touch the stele."
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
Everyone raised their hand unanimously, venting some of their anger.
"Let's hope the fourth level can be controlled by the Method of the Agile Swallow."
The thick-skinned bald man suddenly spoke, causing everyone's spirits to plunge deeply into a pit of despair.
Oh, how infuriating!
Despite their regret, they still had to wait for Zhang Yong and Han Dong to accumulate two Hook levels of inner power and connect the second innate meridian.
In the meantime, Wei Cheng could occasionally practice his Moving Mountain Method until his private resources were fully consumed.
By then, he would have accumulated three Hook levels, plus thirty years of Moving Mountain inner power. Coupled with the third-tier Golden Bell Shield and the Moving Mountain Visualization Diagram, he was quite confident about taking the fourth level.
Two days later, Zhang Yong and Han Dong successively unlocked their second innate meridians. Their momentum was noticeably stronger. The Purple Cloud Method truly was formidable. When Zhang Yong exercised the Wandering Dragon Palm Method, the purple aura actually formed a foot-long purple glow that could cover more than ten targets simultaneously—like a roaming dragon.
Zhang Yong was feeling proud of himself until he heard about the situation of the other two teams and immediately felt as deflated as an eggplant smashed by frost.
"Go on, keep in mind, once the mine path opens up, do not rush forth. The Golden Bell Shield goes to the front. The Iron Cloth Shirt guys are on the two sides. Zhang Yong and Han Dong are in the middle. If those with the Iron Head Skill get knocked out, don't panic and never ditch your teammates to escape. We're already way behind, we can't afford more setbacks."
Wei Cheng repeatedly instructed and had everyone practice several times.
Generally speaking, their goal was not to achieve something momentous but to stay alive.
However, it should be fine.
Wei Cheng planned to dash out himself to attract hatred, while in the rear, coordinates Brother Xu and Hu Hailong both had the second layer of the Golden Bell Shield. Yu Liang had the first layer of the Golden Bell Shield.
Wang Wei, Cheng An, and Zhao Shuxin had the Iron Cloth Shirt. They were not fit to be on the front line, but they could manage on the sides.
Zhang Yong and Han Dong would bide their time in the center, poised for both offensive and defensive actions.
Soon, Wei Cheng cleared the stones blockading the entrance of the mine, and the path ahead opened up. The bright and familiar glows from the stele filled the area.
The only thing missing was the monster guarding this level.
Wei Cheng made a gesture, took a step forward, and screamed out loud.
"Guide!"
The loud shout echoed back and forth inside the colossal mine as if it was thunder. Currently, he wasn't afraid of the Monster Stone anymore, however, he was rather scared since this level was oddly peculiar...
But, the mine was still quiet. Nothing was there. Oh, well, it can't be said that there was nothing actually. There were stone tables and chairs, stone beds, and benches. Bags filled with water and assorted pastries were placed on them. That was perfect!
But the stage monster was still missing.
Wei Cheng cautiously moved forward, until he came to the stele. He cautiously placed his hand on it but there was still no monster in sight.
Swipe!
a magical glow shined down, illuminating him for at least five seconds. It provided him with more vitality and a purer spiritual power, and the fourth layer of the Golden Bell Shield method.
Then, it stopped!
Wei Cheng stood stiffly in place, he could not believe such good luck.
After a long while, when he summoned the others to come forward, still no monster appeared. At this moment, Wei Cheng suddenly considered a possibility.
"Could it be that the fourth level's stage monster is the Stone Monster?"
And the Stone Monsters along this path had long become his bitter rivals...
"Zhang Yong won't go this time, stand back."
"Han Dong is the first."
"Coordinate Brother Xu is the second, Hu Hailong is the third, Yu Liang is the fourth, Wang Wei is the fifth."
Even though his heart was in deep grief, Wei Cheng still maintained his peaceful expression. The nice guy could also be inscrutable.
The others became more anxious. Zhang Yong still wanted to grumble a little, but immediately shut up after receiving glares from everyone. He quickly readied his mentality.
As expected, Han Dong had taken out the third layer of the Wandering Dragon Palm Method.
As for Brother Xu and Hu Hailong, they each had the third layer of the Golden Bell Shield. Yu Liang had the second layer of the Golden Bell Shield. Wang Wei had the first layer of the Golden Bell Shield.
Unexpectedly, Cheng An also had the first layer of the Golden Bell Shield. The rewards from this level were really generous.
Next, Zhao Shuxin, Long Fengjun, Shang Zhi, and Liu Yan surprisingly all had the Iron Cloth Shirt skill. They finally bid farewell to the Iron Head Skill altogether.
Or perhaps it's because the fourth level's difficulty was so high that the stele has granted an extra generous boon.
"Brother Wei, should we try to invade the mine's stages on the other two sides?"
Zhang Yong who had earned nothing free was eager to give it a go. Everyone else was also interested. They were not sure why this test stage had a bug in it, but what if the parallel twins stages also had those bugs!
But Wei Cheng categorically turned down the idea. He was joking, the straightforward head of Brother Xu was not mistaken. Theoretically, the fourth stage required players who had practiced the Method of the Agile Swallow to execute it. One can easily imagine a scenario where the Monster stone randomly attacks regardless of any cause.
If he hadn't lured the Monster Stone prior and killed it, would you believe that their group might have been wiped out on this level?
Even Wei Cheng's substantial Golden Bell Shield could not stand up to simultaneous attacks from three Monster Stones.
For these main line stages, the other two offshoot stages should probably primarily require agility to clear.
In their group, there was not a single person who had the Method of the Agile Swallow at present. Going there was a death wish.
Wei Cheng didn't believe that he could handle everything alone.
Even if they did manage to get through, how many of them would have to die in the process?
Instead, it would be better to concentrate on breaking through to the fifth level.
"Practice. We are running out of time. We should work on generating enough inner strength to break through the third innate meridians."
This is Wei Cheng's decision. Here at the fourth level were provided fifty portions of clear water and vegetable pies as rewards, exactly what they desperate needed right now.