Night.
Underground Secret Chamber, along with a deep Curse Command, blue flames flickered ceaselessly.
After a good while, Chen Mu stopped practicing.
Fire Cloud Curse: 9930/10000/First Rank;
“Pioneering hunts really hold things up.”
Ever since he left the Lower Courtyard of the Tongtian River, he was either traveling or clearing land, greatly slowing down his experience grinding progress.
Experience more on empire
During the day when there were many people around, he could only mutter the United Heart Curse a few times for amusement.
Only at night did he have a bit of free time, but he also had to condense his Mana.
“There’s really no good solution,” Chen Mu sighed after thinking for a long time.
Even revealing his Illusion Breaking Cultivation was useless.
Those who faced Exotic Beasts at the very front were those Lower Courtyard disciples with Illusion Breaking Cultivation.
“Everyone’s in the same boat, endure it for a few years.”
He wouldn’t get the Condense Aperture Secret Method in the short term, so there was no need to rush into taking risks.
“First, get the Secret Technique at hand to the top.”
“Then pick a few more suitable Secret Techniques to increase survival methods.”
“Take advantage of the years of turmoil to see if I can save up a bit more money.”
Peng Yue Mountain was newly established, lacking everything, and with the right eye for discovery, one could always make money.
Just like this time with the Wood Spirit Boy.
“Can’t get carried away, need to consider safety more,” Chen Mu warned himself.
On his journey, he had seen far too many incidents of murder for wealth.
“It’s a good thing Mo Wuzhou doesn’t know my identity.”
Each time, he appeared as Gongsun Sheng. His height, weight, face shape, and attire would all be altered.
“One is a mysteriously powerful Illusion Breaking expert.”
“The other is an utterly ordinary Lower Courtyard farmer.”
“Ordinary people would never associate the two.”
Even if the identity of Gongsun Sheng attracted trouble, the identity of Chen Mu would remain absolutely safe.
…
Three days later, the second pioneering squad in Yiyou District.
Chen Mu, Old Hao, and others were leaning in a row against the tree trunks.
Some chatted, some smoked, all leisurely watched a few people carrying big clay jars, driving waves of gray worms to sweep the path ahead.
Chen Mu reached out to pick up a yellow-skinned gourd, took a sip of cool tea, and the stuffy heat brought by the dense forest began to ease.
In his mind, he habitually recited the United Heart Curse.
Inside the Jade Seed, the talisman of the United Heart Curse flickered with a faint light, and the Mana drifting around as if receiving orders, quickly surged to its perimeter.
Gathering, condensing, linking, twisting.
The already complex talisman was suddenly adorned with a few more offshoots.
Chen Mu was accustomed to this phenomenon.
These offshoots were part of the United Heart Curse talisman, and with each practice session, they could be completed.
But due to insufficient Proficiency, they would soon start to disperse on their own.
However, they wouldn’t vanish completely, with each session leaving behind something, like the experience progression that he gained every time, making the talisman more and more perfect.
A sudden insight emerged in his heart.
Chen Mu’s heart stirred, and he glanced subconsciously at the grey wall.
United Heart Curse: 9976/10000/Eighth Rank;
Wow!
It wouldn’t be long before I advance!
Chen Mu couldn’t help but smile.
With Fire Cloud Curse before and United Heart Curse now,
this monotonous pioneering life finally had a bit of interest.
“Brother Chen, good fortune is upon us.”
“We just caught a nest of rabbit pigs, look…” Old Yang, who was driving the worms, came over grinning.
In his hand, he carried a rabbit that was one meter two in length, as round as a barrel, and fatter than a pig.
Chen Mu also couldn’t help but smile.
“Just watch and see!”
…
As evening approached.
A huge clearing was cut out of the dense forest, and Old Yang’s worms had gobbled the weeds clean off the ground.
Poisonous insects and snakes hidden underground were smoked out and killed or driven away with special characteristic medicines.
Tents were erected on the clearing, a hole was dug in the ground, a few sturdy branches were laid on top, and they made a simple hearth.
Seven or eight people gathered around a bonfire, each holding a wooden plate as big as a human head, piled high with small mountains of roasted meat slices.
“After the pioneering hunt is over, why doesn’t Brother Chen go to Red Sleeve Square and open a restaurant?”
“With these culinary skills, it would be more profitable than farming.”
The group praised him with various comments.
Chen Mu walked by, eating a slice of roasted meat, drinking a sip of cool tea, complemented with another plate of roasted wild vegetables, smilingly enjoying his meal without speaking.
“`
He honed his culinary skills for the simple pleasure of eating well.
As for starting a restaurant to make money… he’d rather not.
…
After a hearty meal, a few people gathered by the campfire to chat.
Chen Mu used the excuse of taking a digestive stroll and wandered around the campsite.
It didn’t take long before he strayed far from the camp and arrived at the day’s collection of log piles that resembled small hills, instantly assailed by the strong, pungent scent of sap.
Chen Mu’s eyes swiftly scanned the area and located two large unidentified trees, each over a hundred years old; these were the materials he had specifically chosen during the day.
He glanced at the distant camp.
The next moment, smoke billowed.
The seven- to eight-meter-long trunk hollowed out in the center, its heartwood vanishing without a trace.
Within the Five Ghosts Bag, the feeding shaft had been re-engineered by Chen Mu once again.
A large water bladder, stitched from beast skins, filled the shaft.
Inside was pitch-black Spiritual Pulp, with five to six cucumber-slice-thick, over four-meter-long tree hearts soaking within.
“I need to stock up on a batch of medicinal herbs and Exotic Beast blood as soon as possible.”
“Once the sales of Wood Spirit Boys commence, users will need to craft the attracting Spiritual Pulp, and the required materials are highly likely to surge in price,” Chen Mu calculated in his mind.
Magic Artifacts require a price to use, just like cars need fuel and computers need power.
The cost for the Wood Spirit Boys is the attracting Spiritual Pulp.
Every so often, they must be immersed in it.
The scroll he initially handed over to Shang Huan mainly described the method of crafting the attracting Spiritual Pulp.
“Perhaps, I could also stock up on a batch of materials and sell them when the price increases?”
After some thought, Chen Mu shook his head.
The materials were fairly common, so their value as strategic reserves wasn’t that high.
Hmm… Directly selling the attracting Spiritual Pulp?
After pondering, he shook his head again, “There are risks.”
Selling attracting Spiritual Pulp is like selling gasoline, involving a huge supply chain that can’t be operated efficiently with too few people.
Yet, with too many people involved, things get complicated and troublesome.
He simply wanted to make a tidy sum of quick, trouble-free profit.
“Let’s go meet Shang Huan,” Chen Mu decided without further deliberation.
In three days’ time, there should be some news from Mo Wuzhou.
…
“One hundred?”
“The first batch?”
In the dense forest outside the campsite of the Yiyou District’s fourth reclamation team.
Chen Mu struggled to control his emotions, to keep his voice as calm and gentle as it always sounded.
But…
One hundred Wood Spirit Boys—that was ten thousand pieces of White Jade!
Even after deducting the costs and the shares for Mo Wuzhou and Shang Huan, there were still over eight thousand pieces of White Jade!
One deal, nearly one-tenth of the Condense Aperture Secret Method’s earnings?!
And this was only the first batch.
There were definitely more than a hundred reclamation teams!
This…
If only there were a Red Sleeve Square here!
“Indeed,” Chen Mu’s voice was as placid as water.
With a wave of his right hand, five Wood Spirit Boys appeared on the ground.
“Four for Mo Wuzhou to examine the goods.”
“One for you to keep for scouting.”
“Tell me, this business won’t encounter any glitches, right?” Chen Mu asked with a meaningful tone.
To establish the persona of Gongsun Sheng, he had intentionally adjusted his inflection.
To make his words sound gentle yet tinged with a creepiness that sent shivers down one’s spine.
The effect was exceptional!
At that moment, Shang Huan stiffened.
His eyes darted around, and soon after, he trembled as he assured, “Please, Mr. Gongsun, rest assured, I will execute your plan to the letter!”
“I won’t cause you any trouble!”
Chen Mu nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed the chubby man had understood his intent.
Finish the order quickly and cleanly, make a quick profit, and then get out.
Making money without any trouble – how wonderful.
He nodded slowly at Shang Huan and continued with that unsettlingly mild voice as he took his leave.
He then drifted away amidst swirling black smoke.
He still had materials to prepare.
One hundred Wood Spirit Boys.
The wood hearts he had prepared earlier were hardly enough.
“`