In the left sixth Yi Mao cabin, Chen Mu sat cross-legged on the ship, doing his best to keep his breathing natural.
An hour later, Chen Mu opened his eyes.
“Two points!”
“It really increased!”
“Is it because Bai Gongsuo entered a special region?” Chen Mu speculated.
Two months had passed, according to the news heard in the tea house.
Bai Gongsuo had completed its set route and was now heading back to Yunzhou at full speed.
“Is this what makes overseas different?” Chen Mu’s eyes shone with excitement.
“It must be a treasure site similar to the Tianyi Studio in Qingshan County, otherwise the proficiency of the Spirit Armor Technique wouldn’t have changed.”
“No wonder I’ve been feeling hungrier lately, eating more and more.”
Ever since he began practicing Spirit Armor Technique, his skin had become tougher, his appetite had increased, and he had gained more strength.
On his skin, you could occasionally see silver lines, like the blue veins under the skin.
But these changes were all subtle and silent, appearing without notice.
…
Chen Mu carefully examined his whole body, and finally focused on the Divine Intent Diagram.
The Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique’s Divine Intent Diagram had become clearer!
What used to look as if seen through frosted glass now only appeared to be separated by a thin veil.
“Should I brush for a few days?”
The Pharmaceutical Technique had advanced, he shouldn’t even think about the Fasting Pill for a short time, and he would have to go back to Yunzhou to copy and monetize the Calming Pill.
“Then I shall brush for a few days!”
The Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique can be practiced passively or actively.
Investing all one’s spirit can also speed up the accumulation of experience.
There used to be regional restrictions, only in Qingshan County could he do so.
Now, approaching Yunzhou, he could finally cultivate on his own.
…
Three days later.
Chen Mu sat cross-legged on the cabin bed.
In his mind, the barrier that stood before the Divine Intent Diagram had become almost imperceptible.
The next moment, as proficiency increased once again,
A bright star suddenly pierced the thin veil.
It was like a firefly, or the myriad stars in the sky, Chen Mu saw the stars within the Divine Intent Diagram so clearly for the first time.
The next moment, the stars rushed towards him, as if the fireflies were heading straight for his face.
Chen Mu was startled and suddenly opened his eyes, only to find that everything seemed like an illusion.
But when he calmed his spirit, he discovered a sudden cool sensation at the base of his skull, as if a piece of ice had been placed there.
Chen Mu instinctively roused his Soul Strength.
However, he unexpectedly found that the Jet Black Soul Strength at the base of his skull had vanished.
When he reached out to touch, an invisible barrier clung tightly to the surface of his skin.
“The Soul Strength didn’t disappear, it has undergone a qualitative change!”
“Could this be Spirit and Soul Unification?!” Chen Mu’s face was one of disbelief.
Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique, a Spirit and Soul Unification Secret Method?!
Chen Mu felt like he was hit by an enormous pie from the sky!
A fragmentary Shape Cultivation Technique had actually piled up into a Spirit and Soul Unification Secret Method through proficiency?!
“Sure enough, sweat does not lie!” Chen Mu was excited.
“This unexpected joy is the best reward for my diligent study and hard practice!”
“Whatever True Sun Scripture, it can be dismissed!”
“Whatever trade by barter, the person who can swindle me hasn’t been born yet!”
Chen Mu was brimming with confidence for a moment.
“And that damn Silver Moon House, asking for two hundred taels just for an entrance fee, who do they think they are!”
“Today I’m happy, whatever I say…”
“Forget it, my appetite’s getting bigger, I should save a bit.”
“Hmm… then I’ll go to Xianxian Tea House and learn two more dishes.”
…
Da Liang 643rd year, 29th of the first month.
Inside cabin number left six Yi Mao.
Transparent tubes, as thick as a thumb, were embedded around the top of the walls.
Inside them, fluorescent algae drifted slowly, emitting a soft, warm light.
On the small desk, there was a fist-sized, three-legged incense burner.
Wisps of smoke that were almost invisible drifted out through the hollowed holes.
A faint scent that calmed the spirit filled the cabin.
Chen Mu opened his eyes and slowly came to his senses.
Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique: 7117/10000/Sixth Rank;
“Still not as good as the original Calming Pill,” Chen Mu regretfully looked at the incense burner.
He opened the incense burner, and at the bottom, the charcoal was merely speckled with crimson, most of it had already burned into white ash.
He flipped the lid of the incense burner, and connected by a ring clasp below, hung a hollow copper ball the size of a ping-pong ball.
Unscrewing the copper ball, inside was the Calming Pill.
However, it was not the original version, but a modified version he had made using the Pharmaceutical Technique.
Nightshade could calm one’s spirit, and a small amount of Mesmerizing Divine Smoke had a similar effect.
Thus, the Calming Pill 1.0 version was launched.
“Using the modified version of the Calming Pill for incense, the proficiency of the Spirit Armor Technique only increased a little extra in four hours, half less than the original version.”
“A long way to go, the formula needs further changes.”
“What about trying a Soul Condensing Pill?” Chen Mu was tempted.
“Forget it, I always feel that anything with ‘pill’ in its name is trouble.”
He had taken a tumble with the Fasting Pill before.
…
After replacing with a brand new Calming Pill, cleaning the white ash at the bottom of the incense burner, and adding new charcoal, Chen Mu began to feel the variations in the Spirit Armor Technique.
“Similar to the Shape Cultivation Technique, continue to transform the body.”
Chen Mu touched the back of his head.
Starting from there, the Soul Strength cultivated through the Cloud Mirage Shape Cultivation Technique was gradually disappearing and transforming.
Merging with the Divine Intent Diagram, it infiltrated the skin and flesh, remodeled the body’s structure, leaving only faint silver threads.
With a flip of his right hand, an Ebony Dagger appeared.
He gently jabbed his shoulder, then gradually increased the force.
The Ebony Sword that could pierce Soul Strength was blocked outside the skin.
“Has the body tissue gained the unbreakable nature of Soul Strength?” Chen Mu raised his eyebrows.
In the past, it was equivalent to wearing external armor. Now the entire body’s structure has become unbreakable.
Even if the Ebony Sword could pierce the skin, it would be stopped by the muscles!
“Now I truly am impervious to swords and spears.”
“It just feels like I’m becoming less and less human.”
…
Even though the White Clam Shuttle was spacious and bright, with plenty to eat, drink, and entertain oneself, it was still a closed space. If one stayed long enough, one would invariably feel bored and suffocated.
Chen Mu, however, was completely indifferent to this. Being a hermit, he had his own ways to pass the time.
Incremental improvements in proficiency always filled him with a sense of achievement.
In the time that followed, Chen Mu would take two 3.0 version Bigu Pills every morning and evening, only going out for lunch at noon. The rest of the time, he would hide in his cabin to cultivate.
He had originally wanted to make a batch of Calming Pill 2.0 and exchange it for some White Jade Spirit Money. But as soon as the thought occurred to him, he dismissed it.
All stores within the White Clam Shuttle belonged to the owner of the White Clam Shuttle.
Market disrupting with his own imitation elixir pills, what if someone found out and threw him into the sea?
Now, with the Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique, his desire for the True Sun Scripture had dwindled. With safety as his top priority, he had even less motivation to hustle for money.
Of course, he didn’t spend all his days in seclusion. Every five days, he would go out for a walk.
He especially liked to go to the transparent curtain wall in front of the White Clam Shuttle to watch the underwater scenery.
Once, he even saw an eye bigger than the entire curtain wall itself!
Fortunately, the White Clam Shuttle was sufficiently hidden and safe. The terrifying leviathan merely glanced once before vanishing.
But this left Chen Mu profoundly shocked, and amidst the fear, an unspeakable excitement surged within him.
Such a sight would have been impossible to see even if he had stayed in Da Liang for a hundred years.
“When I’m strong enough one day, I must travel the world and witness all its wonders,” he thought.
Then he became even more engrossed in his cultivation.
…
Chen Mu, living a life that appeared to others as austere as that of an ascetic practitioner, was thoroughly enjoying himself.
More than half a month later, according to the Da Liang Era, on the fifteenth day of February.
The White Clam Shuttle finally docked.
In front of the transparent curtain wall, land finally appeared again.
A thronging crowd gathered in front of the curtain wall to watch.
Several hundred people, under the gaze of thousands, slowly ascended the departure stairs and exited the White Clam Shuttle’s interior space.
Chen Mu stood in a corner, finally letting out a sigh of relief in his heart.
Yunzhou, I’ve arrived!