"It really is the Five Elements Escape Technique, that’s just wonderful."

He liked secret techniques for escaping the most.

Like the Longitudinal Rainbow Light or the Five Ghosts Phantom Flame Escape Technique.

But these two were only good at flying, competing in speed.

The Five Elements Escape Technique, however, could traverse through various environments, specializing in all-terrain adaptation.

If he really mastered it, his ability to escape and survive would greatly improve.

"I need to ponder over the Kui Water Yin Thunder," Chen Mu thought, stroking his chin.

The Thunder Law was extremely beneficial for opening apertures secretly.

It is said that the fourth stage of the Heavenly Demon Path is called Transcending Tribulation, which is about how to withstand lightning strikes.

The power of heavenly lightning couldn’t be controlled, countless members of the Heavenly Demon Path died from being struck.

If one could control the Thunder Law by oneself, it was always better than seeking out heavenly lightning to try one’s luck.

As long as he increased his proficiency with the Kui Water Yin Thunder, he might be able to control its power. A slow stimulation could allow the apertures to be opened gradually and in order.

Having made up his mind, Chen Mu adjusted his cultivation schedule.

The morning practice of the seventh layer of the Netherworld Grand Summary remained unchanged. In the afternoon, aside from the Mechanical Technique and the Giant Spirit Divine, he specially allocated some time to practice the Kui Water Yin Thunder.

...

Three days later, in front of the wooden house’s porch.

Chen Mu lay in a rocking chair, holding the True Meaning Jade Slip of the Kui Water Yin Thunder in front of his eyes, blocking out the slightly blinding sunlight.

The origins of this Thunder Law were untraceable; it was only known to be a secret passage from the Sun Family.

According to the Jade Slip, Yin Thunder was powerful but difficult to cultivate, and its destructive force was proportional to the mana consumed. Ordinary cultivators had insufficient mana, and the Thunder Law would at most cause numbness. With that amount of mana, it was better to reserve it for the activation of Magic Artifacts.

"Isn’t this convenient?"

"The Netherworld Grand Summary I’m practicing doesn’t have many other benefits, but it does provide ample mana!"

"The Sun Family are all such good people. Haha!" Experience tales at

Chen Mu cheerfully activated the Jade Slip.

The true intent of the secret technique immediately seeped backward into the Jade Seed, stirring the mana to surge and swirl.

In the blink of an eye, a peculiar talisman rapidly appeared.

Its appearance was unique, resembling countless branches gathered into a mass, with strands of blue and white light coursing over it.

Chen Mu stared at the talisman, memorizing and observing it carefully.

After a good while.

The talisman slowly faded, leaving only a small section of branch-like talisman within the Jade Seed, seemingly on the verge of falling apart at any moment.

Chen Mu’s eyes lit up; he immediately brought up the grey wall and indeed found a new entry had appeared.

Kui Water Yin Thunder: 3/10000/First Rank;

"It worked."

"I’ll keep practicing it."

"Once I gain more experience, I’ll try to use it to assist in opening secret apertures."

He delightfully looked at the experience bar of the Kui Water Yin Thunder for a while longer.

Chen Mu’s gaze gradually moved up, looking at another entry on the grey wall.

Truthful Listening Technique: 1/10000/Eighth Rank;

He had been continuously cultivating this Investigative Secret Technique, constantly using it in his daily life as well.

For half a year, he had been using it more frequently to help Mo Wuzhou explore water veins.

Day by day, it finally entered a new stage today.

"The detection range hasn’t changed, but the listening effect seems to be more subtle."

His eyes moved slightly as he looked down at the terraces of Yellow Bud Rice below the mountain.

A gentle breeze passed, the Yellow Bud Rice swayed from side to side, and the rustling sound of the leaves, as usual, entered his ears slowly.

What seemed like ordinary sounds he heard before, now gave him a sense of secret whispers.

It was as if the countless stalks of Yellow Bud Rice had come to life!

Chen Mu immediately activated the Truthful Listening Technique.

A secret rhythm spread out like a breeze towards the rice below the mountain, and he increasingly felt that the Yellow Bud Rice seemed to be whispering softly.

Complaining about the scarcity of Earth Spirit Element, expressing disdain for the dryness of the Spiritual Field.

He felt as if he could hear the emotions of the rice stalks.

"Brilliant!"

After a good while, Chen Mu came back to his senses, finally having a detailed understanding of the new changes in the Truthful Listening Technique.

"Although the detection range hasn’t changed, I can truly hear more intricate and profound details, and the secrecy has been greatly enhanced."

Back on Mist Smoke Mountain, it was because he was discovered using the Truthful Listening Technique that he was caught by Liang Yi to be conscripted for the construction of the restrictions.

"If I run into cultivators like Liang Yi and Mo Wuzhou who have Condensed Apertures, even if I use it in front of them, I don’t have to worry about being discovered."

...

The sun rose and set, and the weather gradually grew cold.

The first batch of Yellow Bud Rice planted had its verdant spikes slowly turning golden, and Chen Mu’s work also gradually unfolded.

A large quantity of Yellow Bud Rice entered the storage of the Administrative Affairs Institute. As one of the three Pill Masters currently at Jilong Mountain’s branch, Chen Mu had to fulfill his duty to concoct Fasting Pills.

Following the usual practice, he first visited the Administrative Affairs Institute to choose two Alchemist Apprentices.

Hmm, with hair graying, quite a bit older than him... old apprentices.

These two were tasked with refining the Essence of the Five Grains, which could save him time, and he only had to pay a small amount of White Jade Coins.

If he could explain some of their alchemy confusions, he could immediately make them feel extremely grateful and overwhelmed with emotion.

In the past, he had felt like he was exploiting others, but now it had become second nature.

"Alas, this evil world, I’ve been assimilated," he sighed.

"No wonder I keep thinking of visiting the brothels to listen to songs."

"It’s not my fault at all, it’s entirely the world’s fault!"

Chen Mu finally understood a question that had puzzled him for a long time, and his mind felt unburdened.

After setting a delivery time cheerfully with the two old apprentices, Chen Mu left the Administrative Affairs Institute.

He went straight to the Market District at the foot of the mountain, ready to get a bigger furnace for alchemy.

...

In front of Sunrise Mountain, the once bustling and vast Market District had shrunk by half.

With the Upper Court moving away and consumption decreasing, many shops closed and moved to Jade Spring Mountain.

Empty shops and towers in the peripheral areas were demolished and rebuilt into accommodation rooms for the new Lower Courtyard disciples.

Chen Mu casually wandered around observing the changes of the Market District and finally strolled into a store called Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

The store was backed by the Upper Court’s Hundred Workshops Hall and sold Magic Artifacts and Talismans. Although the prices were a bit steep, the quality was indeed high.

"An Alchemy Furnace? Are you an alchemist, sir?" the storekeeper with a red nose asked, his casual expression becoming more serious.

"I dare not claim to be an alchemist, I just concoct some Fasting Pills," Chen Mu said, waving his hand indifferently.

"Ah, it’s Pill Master Chen from the Pill Treasure Pavilion." The red-nosed storekeeper revealed a smile.

Chen Mu raised his eyebrows; he had not expected the other party to recognize him.

"Don’t be offended, Pill Master Chen," the red-nosed storekeeper said with a smile and a cupped fist. "In our line of business, we have to pay attention to the personnel changes on Jilong Road."

"On Jilong Mountain, there are only three of you Pill Masters who practice alchemy."

"And you are the youngest among the three."

"It’s hard for us not to know about you."

Chen Mu came to a realization.

It wasn’t that he had done anything outrageous; it was simply that the personnel on Jilong Mountain had been reduced too much and too quickly. With large numbers of people moving away, those who remained became rather conspicuous.

"You’ve come just at the right time, sir. We happen to have a large Pill Furnace in the store," the storekeeper said as he stepped out from behind the counter.

He tapped the Mustard Seed Talisman on his wrist.

A huge, pitch-black Alchemy Furnace, half the height of a man with three legs and two handles, appeared.

Chen Mu’s eyes lit up immediately.

"If I used it to braise a furnace full of meat, I could certainly have a feast to my heart’s content!" he thought.

"What’s the price?" he inquired.

The red-nosed storekeeper chuckled, spread his five fingers, and flipped his hand back and forth.

"One thousand White Jade Coins."

"That expensive?" Chen Mu couldn’t help but exclaim.

"You won’t find such a large Pill Furnace elsewhere," said the storekeeper.

After some hesitation, Chen Mu thought of his 100% success rate with the Fasting Pills and eventually paid, though it pained him to do so.

"At worst, I’ll just keep more Fasting Pills for myself."

"A private sale, and in two or three months, I should be able to earn back the cost."

...

At the entrance of Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the red-nosed storekeeper was smiling broadly as he stood by Chen Mu.

A noisy group of people bustled past the entrance of Hundred Treasures Pavilion, drawing Chen Mu’s attention.

"Who are they...?" he wondered.

"Pill Master Chen is not aware?" The red-nosed storekeeper explained with a smile, "Just recently, our Jilong Road just took care of two small sects and acquired two new territories."

"They are called to develop the brand-new Lower Courtyard."

"Of course, not just anyone can go there; one must have skills."

"These days, people are going every day to take tests, attempting to pass."

"Developing new territories always allows one to earn more White Jade Coins than farming."

Chen Mu couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

It had been quiet for just half a year, yet Jilong Road was already expanding outward and engaging other sects in proactive conflicts.

Although they were just minor sects, were the other four powers in Yunzhou truly just watching idly?

"Is it going to fall into chaos again?" he wondered.

Chen Mu had a bad feeling.

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