“`
Two days later.
Low Hill Courtyard.
By the western stove, Chen Mu moved a millstone-sized rock from a little hollow, hollowed out a round pit in the middle, covered it with a wire mesh, and thus, a fine grill was made.
He spread a finger-thick slice of marinated meat across the wire mesh.
A ball of black smoke appeared out of nowhere, slowly enveloping the slices of meat.
Three breaths later, Chen Mu dispelled the black smoke of the Spirit Armor Technique.
Without sound or scent, a charred layer formed on the surface of the meat. The delicious aroma was overwhelming, and it was thoroughly cooked.
Chen Mu pinched a slice and tossed it into his mouth.
The taste exploded in his mouth, the crispy exterior giving way to the tender inside, with a spicy saltiness assaulting his taste buds.
“Delicious!” Chen Mu’s eyes lit up.
“The Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique’s splitting method is fantastic!” Chen Mu thought happily.
“The black smoke feels cool to the touch, but its actual effect is high-temperature scorching.”
“With this effect, I won’t have to worry about Exotic Beast Meat being difficult to cook.”
…
Not long after the meal was served, Old Hao arrived, hands clasped behind his back, sauntering over.
Seeing the neatly arranged large plate of roast meat, Old Hao couldn’t help but frown: “Eating like this every day, you’re going to pass away!”
“Wasteful!” Saying so, he pinched a piece of roast meat and threw it into his mouth.
Chen Mu rolled his eyes: “Then don’t eat it.”
“That I cannot do, why wouldn’t I eat a meal that’s offered for free,” Old Hao squinted his eyes and savored it slowly.
“Spit it out, what do you want to know by coming to me?”
Chen Mu cleared his throat: “You misunderstand, I mainly wanted to express my gratitude for your guidance.”
Old Hao wore a look of disbelief: “For someone as honest as you to invite me over for a meal, there must be something you need.”
Me? Honest?
Chen Mu nodded with a face full of agreement: “You really know how to read people!”
…
After the meal, the two of them lay in their rocking chairs, drinking tea to aid digestion.
“I just heard that the Scripture Transmission Institute has some old cultivators teaching for years; I was wondering what these lessons are like.”
Those anxiety-inducing ads may be small, but they sure are mighty.
In his past life, he’d been swayed into buying quite a few classes.
Fooled by that old man with flower-like hair, he didn’t dare look at the Hundred Intentions Spirit Light Technique for two days after buying it!
What if it blew his head off?
“They’re useful,” Old Hao nodded: “They teach the principles of Secret Techniques, cultivating skills that can reasonably speed up one’s cultivation time.”
“You don’t need to listen to them now.”
“First practice for a year and a half, attempt Spirit and Soul Unification several times, then go seek advice from those old cultivators. The combination of the two will yield better results.”
Chen Mu couldn’t help but nod. It’s the combination of theory and practice, after all.
“But I’ve heard that there are many nuances in the beginning stages of cultivation.”
“If not careful, one could blow their head off!”
Old Hao’s face twitched, and he turned to stare at Chen Mu: “You went to the Scripture Transmission Institute?”
Chen Mu scratched his head: “I just went to look at the secondary volumes of Secret Techniques, to feast my eyes a little.”
“It was that old man at the gate who told you, wasn’t it?” Old Hao laid back in his rocking chair, looking up at the sky with a complicated expression: “It’s been damn twenty years, and the Talisman Supervision Institute still hasn’t come up with new lines.”
What does that mean?
“Twenty years ago, after my Jade Seed reached perfection, I went to buy a Spiritual Light Secret Technique, and that old man with the surname Fu conned me the same way!” Old Hao said indignantly.
Chen Mu: “…”
“As long as you have a Jade Seed, your head won’t explode. At worst, you injure your spirit, causing a headache for three to five months.”
“That old man is the overseer of the Scripture Transmission Institute, always scheming to make money, the best at duping people. Don’t mind him!” Old Hao was full of resentment.
Whoa!
Old Hao was really conned terribly! Haha…
“What kind of Spiritual Light Secret Technique did you choose?” Chen Mu asked curiously.
“The ‘Little Galaxy Spiritual Light Scripture,’ it cost me four hundred and twenty-three White Jade Coins,” Old Hao said wistfully, both distressed and proud.
“Have you heard of the ‘Hundred Intentions Spirit Light Technique’?” Chen Mu asked nonchalantly.
“Ah, that one, I’ve heard of it, said to come from Ancient Times, with a long lineage. But when it comes to practicing it…” Old Hao casually rubbed his belly and shook his head.
“Balanced and stable, with a solid foundation, but it takes too long to cultivate – it’s simply impossible to achieve.”
“Just like the True Sun Scripture.”
Immediately he frowned and looked at Chen Mu: “Why are you always interested in these kinds of Secret Techniques?”
“`
“Is it because their heritage is long and esteemed?”
Chen Mu shook his head with a complex expression, “No, it’s because they are cheap.”
Old Hao: “…”
…
To the north of Tongtian Square, on the cliffside Daoist temple.
Liang Yi scratched his head with an awkward grin, “Brother Lin, I’m really sorry.”
“I didn’t expect that person to have just perfected his Spiritual Light.”
“It’s all my fault for not handling things properly.”
“If the master had returned that day, I would have gone to ask for the Round Light Mirror, and then none of this would have happened,” Liang Yi said, full of guilt.
Lin Su was half-believing, half-doubtful. Are you trying to swindle more money from me?
Thinking of his own predicaments, he felt stifled.
His face was tight, wishing he could immediately beat up this little bastard.
You took so much money from me and still managed to mess up my affairs!
“My poor clansmen!” Lin Su’s eyes were bloodshot as he lamented loudly and sorrowfully, “Your deaths are truly unjust!”
Liang Yi’s face twitched.
This shameless guy is here crying and moaning!
It’s over!
I’ll definitely get scolded by the master later!
Seeing that the guy was about to shout his throat hoarse, Liang Yi’s mind raced.
I need to get this guy out of here quickly!
“Brother Lin, why not go to the Scripture Transmission Institute and find the Talisman Oversight?”
“He has all the records of those who purchased Perceptive Secret Techniques.”
“If you follow this clue, combined with the direction the Round Light Mirror previously pointed you, you might be able to find traces of that person!”
Lin Su’s heart stirred, and he immediately dropped the sorrow from his face, thanking Liang Yi with a grateful fist and palm salute.
“Thank you for the reminder, junior brother.” With that, he leapt out of the wooden pagoda-like Daoist temple and disappeared between the cliffs in the blink of an eye.
…
Five days later.
Low Hill Courtyard.
Chen Mu was nestled in a rocking chair.
In his right hand, he held a white jade tablet as long as a forearm and as wide as four fingers.
The edges of the jade tablet were adorned with gold silk clouds.
In the middle, there was a complex pattern of starry silver threads inside.
A faint voice seemed to emerge in his mind.
Gradually, the complex pattern also began to appear and disappear around the Jade Seed.
Chen Mu stared at the increasingly clear starry silver thread pattern, and a sudden sense of enlightenment surged in his heart.
It took him a good while to come back to his senses.
After recalling slightly, a strange, low chant that seemed like a thousand people reciting curse words spilled out.
At the same time, around the Jade Seed, a half-transparent mesh ball made of starry silver threads the size of an egg, encapsulated the Jade Seed at its center.
Chen Mu projected the gray wall.
Hundred Intentions Spirit Light Technique: 19/10000;
“Only First Rank?” Chen Mu squinted his eyes.
“The Scripture Transmission Institute breaks it down and separates cultivation practice into stages, charging for each level?”
Chen Mu sighed.
They really don’t miss any opportunity to squeeze you for money.
This is still in Jilong Road. I don’t even want to know how harsh the living conditions for the wild cultivators outside are.
Chen Mu looked at the pattern on the jade tablet, which was becoming more and more blurred: “Useless?”
No wonder they were so generous in allowing him to take the secret technique out from the Scripture Transmission Institute.
So there’s a limit on the number of times it can be used, no fear of people making secret trades.
He suddenly realized a problem: “If the pattern disappears and I can’t even begin to cultivate the Hundred Intentions Spirit Light Technique, then what should I do?”
Chen Mu couldn’t help but think of the meaningful look on the face of the Talisman Supervision Institute official.
“You can only buy another and continue to cultivate!”
“And perhaps you’ll even be coaxed into buying a cultivation guidance lesson!”
Chen Mu: “…”
Truly a masterful method!