Below Cold Moon Pond, Scripture Transmission Institute.
“Director, something’s not quite right.” Guo Xiating’s round face was full of confusion.
“Previously, we could still faintly detect the trail of the Cold Moon Toad. But now…”
Fu Zi frowned as he looked at the snowflakes outside the Scripture Cave: “We’ve miscalculated.”
“The Cold Moon Toad is a Condensing Aperture Great Demon, but it’s still just a toad.”
Fu Zi gave Guo Xiating a strange look. “Toads need to hibernate.”
“This…” Guo Xiating couldn’t help but falter.
This reason was truly unexpected.
“After opening its aperture and cultivating demonic power, it should no longer fear seasonal changes.”
“But in this kind of icy and snowy weather, it definitely dislikes it.”
Fu Zi sighed, “To combat the severe cold, it might even use extra mana. To some extent, this weakens its strength.”
“Although many great demons who’ve opened their apertures lack experience due to living in the wild for years…”
“They ultimately have wisdom no less than ours.”
“It certainly longs for the Cold Moon Pond and enjoys the summoning incense.”
“But wisdom makes it understand that with its strength limited, not only can it not defeat Song Wujie, but it could also very likely perish.”
“Hence, it restrains its instincts and no longer shows itself.”
“This Song Wujie’s luck is really good!” Guo Xiating said resentfully.
“Yeah, truly good luck.” Fu Zi’s eyelids drooped down involuntarily.
It seemed they would have to wait until next spring.
Guo Xiating looked at Fu Zi with doubt, wanting to speak but holding back.
Fu Zi glanced at him, didn’t speak, and dismissively waved him away.
…
“You want me to take action?” Fu Zi sighed: “What a pity, I can’t.”
He had been consolidating his Condensing Aperture to Perfection for decades.
Beating two Song Wujies would probably be difficult, but one and a half was surely manageable.
But what if Song Wujie usually pretended to be a pig to eat a tiger? That short fatty had a look of slyness about him.
Although last time he deliberately used a beast tide to interrupt his breakthrough, it seemed as if he was injured and not yet recovered.
But what if Song Wujie was turning the tables, feigning injury?
And there was Song Wujie’s disciple, Liang Yi.
What if he was an exceptional genius, even more formidable than Song Wujie?
If I act rashly, wouldn’t I be doomed?
“Still have to use that big toad to test Song Wujie again,” Fu Zi seriously thought: “After all, a 99% chance of success isn’t the same as a sure thing.”
…
Five days later, the Wu letter initiate field.
“Damn!” A strange shout suddenly resonated within the field.
Your journey continues with empire
Ai Ji, sitting on a gray linen meditation mat, sprung up like a shot skyward.
“Are you freaking asking to die?” Xu Rao’s face darkened as he stared down Ai Ji.
Today, Ai Ji had already disturbed him three times in the same way!
“This damn cave definitely has something tricky!” Ai Ji said tensely, scanning the uneven rock walls of the cave.
“That thing’s squatting behind me; I can feel its gaze, sharp as needles, as if it’s about to unsheath a knife and kill me any moment!”
Yet, the cave, half the size of a basketball court, lay bare before them. Six of them scanned the area but found nothing.
“I’ve been watching out of the corner of my eye the whole time, and there was nothing behind you,” said Yu Lin in a deep voice.
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!” said Ai Ji, his face red with conviction.
“It’s unlikely there’s anything tricky,” Wu Ruo said gently.
“But, untrustworthy people are certainly possible.”
Saying that, she grinned and cast a glance in Chen Mu’s direction.
Chen Mu also grinned, feigning concern. “Is it possible, dear brother, that you haven’t slept well?”
“These past few nights, I’ve noticed your spirits aren’t quite right.”
“You see, once a person doesn’t rest well, problems tend to arise.”
“I happen to have some sleeping pills here, at a great price – want them?”
Ai Ji’s face darkened, and he suddenly turned his head, glaring fiercely at Chen Mu: “I’m gonna freaking…”
“Shut up!” Lu Ku suddenly burst out, interrupting Ai Ji’s outburst.
“See, I said it’s due to lack of sleep,” Chen Mu continued with an ‘I told you so’ expression: “This is a classic symptom of excessive insomnia – irritability, far too irritable!”
“Thanks for your kindness, junior brother,” Lu Ku said warmly.
“My brother here truly hasn’t slept well, and he does tend to be impatient. If he’s been inappropriate, I hope you can forgive him.”
“Forgiveness, of course, forgiven,” Chen Mu chuckled.
“You see, I’m really easy to get along with, right?”
The Wu Mountain siblings exchanged speechless glances at the frustrated Ai Ji.
“You might not believe it, which is only natural since we’ve only met for five days,” Chen Mu said empathetically.
“But as we get to know each other, you’ll see that I really am very kind.”
“We have a whole month, plenty of time!” Chen Mu’s voice was soft, his smile as gentle and benevolent as ever.
The Wu Mountain siblings: “…”
Shit!
…
Chen Mu’s mouth curved into a slight smile as he gently caressed the brown suede skin bag tied to his right waist belt.
The palm-sized bag was bulging, trembling slightly as if it were a living creature.
He immediately ignored the various looks from others, whether cold, calm, resentful, or indifferent, and slowly closed his eyes.
In the darkness, a grey wall emerged.
Spirit Nourishing Curse: 218/10000/Third Rank;
Over a month had passed, and the Spirit Nourishing Curse had advanced once again.
“What a treasure,” he murmured.
The Second Rank Spirit Nourishing Curse awoke the spiritual nature of the Yang Judge Bone Sphere.
Upon entering the Third Rank, the Yin Error Moon Blade seemed to come alive as well.
The Yang Judge Bone Sphere could defend automatically.
Chen Mu hadn’t thoroughly tested the Yin Error Moon Blade, but it was likely capable of pursuing and slashing at targets on its own.
Just like earlier, it wasn’t some strange entity that was fixated on Ai Ji and wanted to slash him to death; it was the Yin Error Moon Blade.
If it hadn’t been for Chen Mu’s suppression, the belligerent Moon Blade would have surged out of the waist pouch the moment it locked onto Ai Ji.
“Scaring people could actually come in handy!” Chen Mu chuckled to himself.
…
After a cheerful interaction, the atmosphere within the number eleven cave of the Wu Mountain range instantly turned harmonious and wonderful.
Each time they made eye contact, the six siblings’ glances were different, but all were filled with intense emotion.
Chen Mu believed this to be a display of friendliness.
Thus, he grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth generously, and returned a genuine smile.
As days went by, the atmosphere in the cave became increasingly ineffable, thanks to the efforts of both parties.
One midday, everyone stopped their cultivation to consume Fasting Pills, as they usually did.
Then, as usual, they exchanged meaningful glances loaded with emotion.
As they were engaging in this exchange of emotions with their eyes, a chubby middle-aged man with the surname Sun barged in carelessly.
He was greeted by seven pairs of friendly eyes.
The chubby man stiffened.
“So… sorry to intrude!” he exclaimed.
After a loud yell, he turned and fled.
It took a good while before he cautiously returned and stood behind the brown latticed screen at the entrance, peering into the cave.
“Not to check on the plates, I just came to tell you something,” said the chubby middle-aged man with an obedient expression. “If any of you decide to leave on your own, remember not to forget to turn in your bronze plates.”
“Is something the matter?” Chen Mu asked curiously.
The chubby man glanced at the group again, sighed with relief, cleared his throat, and slowly moved out from behind the screen.
“Yesterday, during the plate check, we found two people missing.”
“We thought they sneaked off to some other cave, but we didn’t find them.”
“They must have left early without turning in their plates, hoping to come back again next time.”
“The institute says, people can leave, but the bronze plates must stay; you have to complete a full month before you can leave.”
“Those who leave midway won’t get a refund or an extension, and not turning in their plates results in a fine!”
“So if any of you want to leave, you must not forget to return the bronze plate.”
“Leave before the time is up?” Chen Mu said, surprised.
In this freezing weather, there’s nothing to do even if you go back home.
Having paid the money, why would they leave early?!
“Exactly, just like fools,” the chubby middle-aged man complained.
Because of those two, they had to check each cave one by one in the snow.
“Probably couldn’t stand the solitude of harsh cultivation,” Chen Mu mentioned offhand.
Without the proficiency cheat, even he couldn’t endure such intense training for long.
…
After sending away the middle-aged man named Sun, Chen Mu took a good look around the spacious and simple cave.
Fist-sized glowing algae lamps were embedded in the three-meter-high cave ceiling, twinkling like stars in the sky.
The walls were of grey rock, and the floor was tamped earth.
The Lower Courtyard had provided only one large grey meditation cushion.
If you wanted to sleep at night, you had to make do with a makeshift bed on the ground.
Most people, however, chose to rest on the cushion in meditation instead of sleeping.
To make full use of the Earth Spirit Vital Energy, they cultivated without wasting a second.
With their spirits constantly on edge, it was inevitable to feel restless after a while.
It was not surprising that some people quit halfway.
“Next time I come, I’ll bring my own bedding,” Chen Mu quietly decided.
“Can’t have decent food, and can’t even get a good night’s sleep?”
In cultivation retreats, every second counts. Eating leads to excretion, wasting time on both ends.
And preparing a month’s worth of food in advance is not feasible.
Therefore, most people just drink water and take Fasting Pills to minimize their trips to the restroom and the time spent there.
“I have to come here at least another eleven times. It can’t always be this difficult, right?”
“After all, it’s just for laying the groundwork.”
“It’s not worth paying money and suffering for nothing,” he thought.
“Since I can’t eat properly, I should at least sleep comfortably.”
“Hmm… I can’t eat regular meals, but bringing some durable jerky and snacks is still feasible.”
Chen Mu glanced over at the six siblings from Wu Mountain, shaking his head and sighing.
He had jerky and dried fruit in his Five Ghosts Bag.
If it wasn’t for these six siblings, he would have already taken them out to eat.
Unfortunately…