The next day, in the morning.
Chen Mu went about his usual routine of tending to the Yellow Bud Rice fields.
Around ten o’clock, he returned to the wooden porch and settled into the rocking chair to drink tea.
His hands held a wooden teacup, but his gaze was somewhat unfocused as he pondered the Illusion Breaking Technique.
“The body and the Jade Seed exist in two separate worlds.”
“One is the tangible world that we can see and touch.”
“The other can only be observed through the perception of consciousness—a virtual world.”
“And the purpose of the Black Orb Talisman is to bridge these two worlds, both virtual and real!”
The understanding brought by Proficiency gave him a deeper insight into the Perceptive Illusion Breaking phase.
“So the Divine Will Talismans of the Secret Technique Dharma Curses are not in the mist but in the body on the other side of the mist.”
His previous observations of the Divine Will Talismans were as if looking through frosted glass, and this feeling was not incorrect.
Chen Mu had an epiphany.
The mana cultivated from the Spirit Armor Technique resided in the space between his eyebrows, within the body.
He was able to initiate Dharma Curses like the Five Ghosts Possession because the Divine Will Talismans were originally within the body too.
Now that the Divine Will Talisman had been absorbed into the Jade Seed…
“The Dharma Curses won’t become unusable, right?!”
“Five Ghosts Possession Technique!”
Chen Mu quickly activated his most powerful secret technique.
Accompanied by the turning of his thoughts.
Inside the Jade Seed, the Divine Will Talisman belonging to the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse was instantly pulled into the Black Orb Talisman.
The next moment.
His body inflated as if filled with air, morphing into a two and a half meter tall burly man in the blink of an eye.
His skin turned indigo, his muscles bulged and rippled, and silver light swirled at his brow.
Feeling the constant onslaught on his consciousness, his voracious desire to consume and destroy remained nearly unchanged.
Chen Mu quickly canceled the Five Ghosts Possession Technique and couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness, thank goodness…”
Without this trump card, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at ease.
Next, Chen Mu tested various Secret Technique Talismans such as the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse, United Heart Curse, Fire Cloud Curse, Void Cloak Technique, and Sand Containing Technique by pulling them into the Primordial Talisman one by one, experimenting with the changes and having a great time doing so.
…
For three consecutive days, he didn’t practice anything.
Every day after tidying up the Yellow Bud Rice, he’d return to the wooden porch, collapse into the rocking chair to enjoy the breeze and tea, and when mealtime came, he’d busily experiment with new dishes.
With Fifth Rank culinary skills, his sense of taste became increasingly sharp, and he discovered many more methods to prepare ingredients.
The declining price of Exotic Beast Meat from Peng Yue Mountain allowed him to attempt various recipes without worry.
If it tasted bad, it went to the Five Ghosts Bag; if it was delicious, he kept it for himself.
After loafing around for a couple of days, Chen Mu picked up the Fire Cloud Curse again.
“Being too idle isn’t good either.”
Increasing Proficiency was more enjoyable.
Whenever he had nothing else to do, he would practice for a while, and when tired, he would continue to drink tea and enjoy the view.
“After all, I’m not in a hurry to max it out,” he mused.
He had already reached Perceptive Illusion Breaking, and the next step was to prepare for Condensing Aperture.
But he was completely clueless about Condensing Aperture. He didn’t even know where to obtain the Condensing Aperture Technique.
“Take it slow,” he thought.
…
“The Oversight Courtyard?”
“The Oversight Courtyard definitely belongs to the Illusion Breaking Cultivation.”
“And then there’s that old gatekeeper at the Scripture Transmission Institute.”
“Don’t be fooled by his greedy appearance, always after money; I heard he’s actually the second best expert in the Lower Courtyard,” Old Hao said as he nibbled on a bird wing.
“Liang Yi from the Minor Supervision Court has also received the true teachings of the Oversight Courtyard,” Shang Huan added, perched on a long bench.
“What about that Brother Mo?” Chen Mu asked curiously.
“He’s not one,” Old Hao shook his head.
“Little Mo has only recently achieved Illusion Breaking, and lately, he’s been busy refining White Jade to accumulate Daoist Cultivation.” Read new chapters at empire
“In the vast Lower Courtyard, there are only these three Condensing Aperture experts?” Chen Mu scratched his head.
They seemed rarer than endangered animals.
“Do you think Condensing Aperture masters are cabbage?” Old Hao rolled his eyes.
“There are thousands of disciples in the Lower Courtyard, and it takes years for just one to perceive the Spiritual Light, let alone achieve Condensing Aperture.”
Chen Mu suddenly realized.
It was like in his previous life, various short videos and minor articles, constantly mentioning so-and-so with an annual salary of millions.
But in second and third-tier cities and even more so in ordinary small towns, among thousands or even tens of thousands of people, having one with an annual salary of millions was already pretty rare.
There are thousands of disciples in the Lower Courtyard, with only a few hundred perceptive disciples, and even fewer Illusion Breaking ones, only about forty or fifty people.
His current Cultivation had already surpassed ninety percent of Peng Yue Mountain’s disciples.
My Perceptive Illusion Breaking Cultivation…is actually not bad?
“Haha! Eat up, eat up!”
…
After the meal, Chen Mu hung a plate of Insect Repellent Incense Stick under the eaves of the wooden veranda.
Three rocking chairs were lined up in a row, and the three of them slumped in their chairs, drinking tea and digesting while watching the stars gradually brighten in the sky.
“Didn’t Brother Mo become a disciple of master? Didn’t his master teach him the Condensing Aperture Technique?” Chen Mu still couldn’t forget about the Condensing Aperture Technique.
“Little Mo doesn’t have enough money, his Daoist Cultivation is insufficient, how could his master just give away the Condensing Aperture Technique for nothing?” Old Hao glanced at Chen Mu.
Chen Mu was stunned.
He suddenly remembered the specialty of Jilong Road.
There is no shortage of Secret Techniques, but you have to pay.
He just didn’t expect that even between master and disciple, teaching Secret Techniques would also require payment.
And that Daoist Cultivation. Contribution to the Dao? Does it mean making contributions to Jilong Road?
“That Secret Technique must be expensive, right?”
“Tsk tsk… it’s not just expensive, it’s very expensive.” Shang Huan said with eyes shining, “It’s said to cost over a hundred Red Jade Money!”
Red Jade?
The kind that’s worth a thousand White Jade Coins each?
Hiss… so damn expensive!
Can’t afford it, can’t afford it.
I better just keep my head down for a few years before considering it.
…
“This Insect Repellent Incense of yours works pretty well.” Shang Huan, having lain down for a while, noticed the spiral incense hanging under the eaves and his eyes lit up.
“I’ll give you the formula later,” Chen Mu said nonchalantly, knowing that this fatso was trying to get something from him again.
But for those who do Planting in the Lower Courtyard, who doesn’t have some insect repellent formula? Even if made, nobody buys.
“That’s a deal then!” Shang Huan’s eyes sparkled.
“Is this thing really profitable?” Chen Mu didn’t understand.
“Not on the mountain, of course.” Shang Huan chuckled, “But out in the wild, powerful Insect Repellent Incense becomes very useful.”
“Those wealthy guys in the hunting teams, they don’t care about spending a piece or two of White Jade Money just to be more comfortable in the wilderness.”
That actually made sense. Chen Mu nodded involuntarily.
Just like in his previous life. Those players who loved going outdoors wouldn’t blink an eye when spending money on equipment.
“Alright then, I’ll modify the process and formula for you later to cater to the outdoor environment.”
Having an extra source of income was certainly good.
…
Time passed.
Perhaps because the Earth Spirit Element at Cold Moon Pond was abundant, Yellow Bud Rice grew very quickly.
Although they missed the optimal Planting time, in just over a month, it had already shot up to a person’s height.
The once barren and bald Peng Yue Mountain, due to logging and mountain-clearing, suddenly donned a layer of green foliage.
Chen Mu sat under the wooden shed, retracting his gaze from inspecting the Yellow Bud Rice.
He looked at a piece of Jade Slip in his hand, lost in thought.
This item was his gain from the chaotic night at the Tongtian River Lower Courtyard.
The original owner was a sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked disciple from Zhongshan Path.
The Jade Slip recorded the method to create a Magic Artifact, the “Wood Spirit Boy,” used for surveillance and alerting.
“The cost isn’t high.”
“If it can be made to help guard the fields…”
Chen Mu felt this was doable.
After all, it’s over a hundred Red Jade.
Although he needed to keep a low profile for a few years, it was time to start slowly saving up.