East Ridge is located in the southeast of Yunzhou, where the weather is hot all year round.

The seasons cycle, but even entering into winter, the temperature never drops too low.

It’s just a pity that there’s a prevalence of poisonous miasma within East Ridge. Despite the already rather warm temperatures, it makes one feel unbearably cold and gloomy.

Fortunately, those who live here are mostly Qi Cultivation practitioners, all strong of body and impervious to the cold and the heat, at worst just feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Scripture Pavilion, third floor.

Chen Mu, dressed in a gray long robe, sat quietly at a long desk by the window.

He was encompassed by Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles, rendering him impervious to the chill and dreary wind outside the window.

In his hands, he held "Through-Rhino Hundred Miasma Pill Detailed Explanation," browsing carefully, occasionally stopping to jot down some thoughts and key points in a blank book next to him.

After a long while, Chen Mu finally lifted his head and blinked.

"An interesting Elixir Pill," he murmured.

This wasn’t his first time studying the Through-Rhino Hundred Miasma Pill. Unlike the Fasting Pill and Rejuvenation Pill, this Elixir was not to be ingested, but worn.

Once the Elixir is refined, it produces an Exotic Force that autonomously envelopes the surrounding area of two to three meters in radius.

Within this range, it can filter and absorb the poisonous miasma from the air, allowing the wearer to avoid the harm of the miasma.

The more types of poisonous miasma infused into the Elixir, like samples, the stronger the pill’s effectiveness, and the greater the variety and amount of miasma it can filter. It’s a type of Elixir with an extremely high potential.

Currently, All-Disease Pills effectively cover nineteen types of poisonous miasma, but this is already enough for one to traverse East Ridge unimpeded.

"Uncle Master Rong Qiu is impressive," Chen Mu exclaimed.

"As the Pavilion Master of Pill Treasure Pavilion, not only did he come up with something like All-Disease Pills, which have a structure similar to Magic Artifacts, but he also gained insight into the poisonous miasma Talismans of East Ridge."

"I have Pharmaceutical Techniques to deduce the Essence Talismans from Elixirs using Gray Wall reverse inference. I wonder how Uncle Master Rong learned of the Essence Talismans for poisonous miasma." Continue reading at

"A method of a Condensing Aperture expert? Or a special Divine Secret Skill?"

Chen Mu shook his head and thought no further, silently summoning the Gray Wall.

Alchemy (Through-Rhino Hundred Miasma Pill): 5340/10000;

Qing Lu would appear and disappear within Scripture Pavilion like a ghost, and even with Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles, one could capture his figure. But to avoid unnecessary trouble, Chen Mu never practiced secret techniques like Netherworld Grand Summary within the pavilion.

The business of Scripture Pavilion wasn’t much; there was plenty of free time. Aside from reading various books to broaden his knowledge, Chen Mu spent most of his time pondering the Through-Rhino Hundred Miasma Pill. ʀáΝÒꞖĚṡ

This Elixir he had legitimately exchanged from within the Scripture Transmission Institute, it served as an excuse for him to switch between different peaks, which allowed him to bring it into the open to study.

More than three months have passed, and within the Jade Seed, all nineteen poisonous miasma Talismans had been fully refined.

Next, only the Through-Rhino Talisman needed to be refined. Coupled with the Golden Pearl Elixer Talisman he had already condensed, he could try to begin the pill furnace alchemy.

"I need to find time to collect some essence of the poisonous miasma," said Chen Mu, turning his head and looking through the window towards the mist-enshrouded Mist Smoke Mountain.

Initially, it wasn’t entirely an excuse to come to Mist Smoke Mountain to study the All-Disease Pill; just like Eagle Grief Cliff, this place was also suitable for collecting poisonous miasma.

"Once I’ve gathered the miasma essence, how can I preserve it? It’s not like I can direct stuff it into the pill furnace, can I?" he pondered about going to the Market District in Mist Smoke Mountain, when suddenly a streak of light flashed across his vision like lightning.

Chen Mu instinctively leaned out to look.

He saw a tall and thin old man in a black robe with an intimidating air landing in the front courtyard of Scripture Pavilion’s entrance.

The stranger waved his hand to dissipate the force from his landing, glanced at the surprised and inquisitive onlookers around him, and then strode into the Scripture Pavilion.

Chen Mu felt a tremble all over, as if an electric current had passed through him.

Sun Jian!

What was this old ghost doing at Mist Smoke Mountain again?

He immediately pricked up his ears to listen.

Before long, another burst of Escape Light rose outside the window. The luminescent white brilliance, carrying the air currents, shot up into the sky.

With a complex expression, Chen Mu withdrew his gaze.

"Relentless pursuit," he muttered.

"Is that Red Gourd so important?" Chen Mu was somewhat annoyed.

Sun Jian’s visit was to demand Scripture Pavilion’s ledger for secret technique sales registrations.

Last time the search was only for practitioners of Point Ground into Steel, but this time the scope was broader, including all practitioners of Earthly Movement Secret Technique.

"Thank goodness my ’Point Ground into Steel’ was learned against a gray wall."

"Otherwise, I’d definitely be on the interrogation list," Chen Mu felt relieved.

Leaving Mist Smoke Mountain? The Sun Family had just started checking, and if I ran now, it would clearly look suspicious.

"I can only hide."

"What can I do if I’m just a small shrimp with temporary low strength?" He decided to minimize unnecessary activity. Even if there were excitement, he wouldn’t join in, and would try to avoid encountering anyone from the Sun Family as much as possible.

"They’re Condensing Aperture powerhouses, what can I do?" Chen Mu shrugged helplessly.

...

A few days later.

The bustling Mist Smoke Mountain midway at the Yunxia Market District, was crowded with people.

With the development of Jilong Road, Mist Smoke Mountain had long since lost the deserted sight it had when it was first conquered.

Many disciples from the Lower Courtyard had migrated there, and various shops from Jade Spring Market District had also opened branches here. On the empty ground at the edge, there were quite a few stalls.

Yellow Bud Rice, Exotic Beast Meat, Spiritual Medicine, and Spirit Materials were available in abundance.

Chen Mu walked through the Yunxia Market District, observing the goods at the stalls along the road while pricking up his ears for news.

The Truthful Listening Technique was in operation, and the noisy market sounded clear and distinct.

Not far away, a dark-skinned, short and skinny vendor was fiddling with the herbs on an oilcloth in front of him while chatting with a brawny man next to him, "Why didn’t you set up a stall yesterday? Did you go digging in Jilei Mountain?"

"I wish I did," the brawny man huffed as he straightened up the reddish-brown ore on his stall.

"I didn’t provoke anyone, and suddenly I was hauled over by the Inspection Courtyard. They questioned me back and forth for a whole day."

"Not only did I waste time, but to get away, I also spent ten White Jade Coins!"

"I work hard digging and at most, I can get three or two pieces of Thunder Attracting Stone a day. Even after a month of labor, I can’t earn many White Jade Coins, and nearly half of it was gone in a day," the brawny man complained bitterly, "That fatso from the Sun Family is really a rotten egg!"

"The Sun Family?" the skinny vendor showed interest, "The guy’s been dead for almost a year, right? They’re still checking?"

"If it were just a person dying, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But they say a treasure was lost," the brawny man lowered his voice with a hint of schadenfreude, "It’s rumored that the Sun Family’s ancestral Magic Artifact was on that guy. The man is gone, and the Magic Artifact is lost too. Heh!"

"The first ones dragged in for interrogation suffered quite a bit, and you this time..." the skinny vendor measured the brawny man with his eyes.

"If I hadn’t used White Jade Coins, I wouldn’t have gotten out so soon," the brawny man said, his face full of resentment, "Now I see it clearly, the Sun Family’s looking for the treasure is one thing, but those black-clad Patrolling Inspectors using it as a chance to fish for money is even more real!"

"Take it as spending money to escape disaster," the skinny vendor consoled cheerfully.

"It would be great if that Sun Family treasure could be found, it’s definitely worth a fortune."

"I’d like that too..."

Even if you find it, it’s useless, Chen Mu thought helplessly as he paid for his items nearby.

The Sun Family had markings on the Red Gourd Sword Box, and having possessed that precious gourd for so long, he had kept it buried deep underground, not daring to take even a glance at it.

"What a waste of a good treasure," Chen Mu shook his head but felt a sigh of relief in his heart.

Not far from Mist Smoke Mountain is Jilei Mountain, shrouded in smoke year-round with thunder striking from time to time.

On the mountain there is a reddish-brown ore called Thunder Attracting Stone, a commonly used Artifact Refining material.

The rich ore zones on the mountain top are controlled by the Administrative Affairs Institute of Jilong Road, but there are no restrictions on the scattered smaller hills outside. Many disciples go to the vicinity of Jilei Mountain to dig and mine, earning White Jade Coins.

The brawny man selling ore was adept at a secret technique called ’Earthly Movement Secret Technique,’ which he used to mine Thunder Attracting Stones for a living.

Chen Mu had already guessed that the man might be taken away for questioning. He had come to the market specially to gather information.

"The black-clothed Patrolling Inspectors have begun to use this as a means to extort money, which shows that although the search is extensive, the intensity isn’t strong," he thought.

Thinking about it, Chen Mu felt relieved, "Jilong Road isn’t dominated by the Sun Family alone; they can’t cover the sky with one hand."

At first, everyone paid lip service and let the Sun Family search extensively. But after so long, inevitably some started to express concerns.

Chen Mu hummed an unknown tune, happily leaving the brawny man’s stall.

"Concerns are good."

If there are concerns at the top, people below will slack off. Chen Mu even anticipated that this search would become a corruption fest for the black-clothed Patrolling Inspectors.

"Hehe! Old Ghost Sun might just be wasting his effort after all!"

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