By the bonfire.
Chen Mu held up his right hand before his eyes.
Truthful Listening!
Hum!
A fist-sized black sphere emerged in the palm of his hand.
With a thought, the black sphere suddenly expanded and dispersed. Centering on Chen Mu, it swept through the dense forest like a breeze.
At the same time, an image in black and white appeared in his mind.
In the heart of the camp, Song Wujie rested with closed eyes; Liang Yi fiddled with some unknown potion; Mo Wuzhou cultivated with closed eyes.
Two miles east, a slowly writhing snake on a big tree.
Five miles south, a pig rabbit with more than half its body buried in the mud, only its legs kicking on the outside.
Above in the sky, an owl glided silently with a wingspan of one meter.
Even the Cold Moon Toad hidden underground could be faintly discerned.
After ten breaths, the image shattered and vanished.
“What a great Secret Technique,” Chen Mu marvelled.
Discover hidden content at empire
“Just a bit taxing on the spirit.”
Handling so much information at once left his brain with a feeling of swelling and pain after overload.
Moreover, because of the overload of information, the memory gleaned from the exploration became somewhat jumbled after the image collapsed.
“It seems Shi Xian has a special talent, particularly suited for the Truthful Listening Secret Technique.”
Chen Mu glanced at the experience on his gray wall.
Truthful Listening Technique: 9653/10000/Second Rank;
“Yet another Secret Technique about to advance,” Chen Mu sighed.
The Triple Yin Slaying Demon Technique was the same last time. It was evident that the siblings of Wu Mountain had put in hard work on their respective secret techniques.
“A five-mile range is still a bit too small.”
To feed more than three hundred hungry men, this hunting ground wasn’t quite sufficient.
“No chance of sleep tonight,” Chen Mu shrugged. “Time to grind.”
…
Two days later, in the evening.
Chen Mu sat with closed eyes by the bonfire.
In his palm, a fist-sized black sphere suddenly appeared and then vanished just as quickly.
Not far away, Lu Ku watched Chen Mu thoughtfully.
“No wonder he is so quick with his United Heart Curse,” Yu Lin said in admiration, standing beside Lu Ku. “This kind of mechanical, tedious repetition is something that ordinary people absolutely cannot endure.”
“Do you think our defeat was unjust?” Lu Ku tilted his head slightly, his expression inscrutable.
“Yesterday he only rested for two hours, and today he hasn’t even started to rest.”
“With such perseverance, we can’t compare,” Wu Ruo said softly from the other side.
Lu Ku fell silent.
All the while, Chen Mu, whom the siblings of Wu Mountain thought to possess astonishing perseverance to endure the drudgery, was currently staring at the virtual gray wall with bloodshot eyes.
Rest?
To hell with rest!
The Truthful Listening Secret Technique was just 82 points away from advancing in proficiency, so he continued to grind!
He was like a teenager addicted to the internet, repeatedly grinding for skill experience.
…
The next day, Chen Mu, who hadn’t slept all night, quietly sought out Mo Wuzhou.
Without waiting for him to speak, he handed him a scroll as long as a forearm.
“Inside is a map of the distribution of fierce Exotic Beasts nearby. Please pass it on to Director Song for me,” he said, not waiting for a reaction.
He went straight back to his tent.
After grinding for three days straight, despite his sturdy physique, he was still weary in spirit.
After a hasty wash-up, eating something, he went straight to sleep.
When he woke up again, it was already well into the afternoon.
The camp was bustling with noise and commotion.
Chen Mu crawled out of his tent and, as expected, saw many spoils of the hunt, with everyone busily attending to them in a lively scene.
Chen Mu summoned the gray wall.
Truthful Listening Technique: 23/10000/Third Rank;
“Third Rank Truthful Listening, the exploration range has reached over ten miles.”
“Although it won’t fill everyone’s bellies, with careful planning and the addition of wild vegetables and fruits, at least no one will starve,” Chen Mu thought with a sense of achievement.
“I wonder what kind of Secret Technique Director Song will offer me,” Chen Mu anticipated hopefully.
He wasn’t picky; as long as it could earn White Jade Coins, it would suffice.
The Condense Aperture Secret Method was expensive, and he needed to find a new way to make money.
With that in mind, Chen Mu walked back to his tent and took out the Mustard Seed Talisman that Mo Wuzhou had given him.
Mana lightly touched the Mustard Seed Talisman, and a large wooden box appeared out of thin air with a thud.
Upon opening it, it was full to the brim with White Jade Coins.
Chen Mu’s spirits immediately lifted, and he counted the coins one by one.
“Thirty thousand?”
This was far more than a simple return on what was cast out!
He had originally scattered about sixteen thousand pieces of White Jade.
He hadn’t expected Director Song to nearly double what was returned to him.
“Director Song is indeed a man of principle!” Chen Mu’s face beamed with joy.
Since the big toad gulped down Director Song’s valor in one bite, it seemed it could no longer be shared with others.
…
With food available, and Song Wujie backing the team.
The trek through the Primitive Jungle suddenly became much less arduous.
An hour and a half later, a mighty river with no visible end appeared before everyone’s eyes.
“We finally found the Tongtian River,” Chen Mu exhaled in relief.
Wandering through the deep mountain forests without a sight of the goal was truly exhausting.
Finding the Tongtian River brought them one step closer to the Heavenly River Water Mansion.
Walking along the riverbank for a while, they found a relatively flat area where Song Wujie ordered the team to set up camp.
Early the next morning, Chen Mu slipped away from the others to find Mo Wuzhou.
Just like always, he handed him a scroll.
“Junior Brother’s secret techniques are becoming more and more exquisite,” Mo Wuzhou unfolded the scroll, admiring the ever-broadening range and finer details of the map, his words full of admiration.
“It’s just some little tricks,” Chen Mu smiled. “They’re nothing compared to Brother Mo’s divine secret techniques.”
“We don’t know how long we will have to stay here.”
“The prey within the dense jungle nearby won’t be enough to support us for too long.”
“However, Tongtian River is abundant with aquatic products that can be caught for food.”
“I’ve made some medicinal bait here, which is suitable for luring various fish. Brother, you can send someone to try it out.” While speaking, he passed a Mustard Seed Talisman to Mo Wuzhou.
“Junior Brother is thoughtful,” Mo Wuzhou took it.
Chen Mu hesitated slightly, then voiced his doubt.
“How do we plan to go to the Heavenly River Water Mansion? Surely we’re not going to build our own boat?”
Mo Wuzhou’s face was expressionless, but his words carried a hint of humor, “Junior Brother need not worry. The Oversight Courtyard has a way to summon the Ling Boat.”
Chen Mu’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
There was such a method?
“The Lingboats of the Heavenly River Water Mansion are meant to ferry people to the mansion.”
“Ordinary people can only wait at fixed locations.”
“But if one gives sufficient White Jade Coins, they can also obtain a token to summon the Ling Boat.”
“Our Oversight Courtyard possesses the highly cultivated Condensing Aperture masters, who receive several such tokens from the Heavenly River Water Mansion every year.”
Chen Mu understood.
To ordinary people, the Ling Boat is like a public bus.
But as long as one pays enough, the Ling Boat can also be a taxi.
To someone like Director Song, a Condensing Aperture master, the Ling Boat is essentially a free private car.
Heh! Interesting.
“It’s just that the Tongtian River is so vast, it’s unknown how long the Ling Boat will take to arrive,”
“I was previously concerned about the food supply. But with Junior Brother’s medicinal bait, that’s no longer an issue,” Mo Wuzhou thanked him with cupped hands.
Chen Mu waved his hand, “It’s part of my duty.”
How well he did was related to what secret techniques he could acquire, so how could Chen Mu not be diligent?
…
They had thought the Ling Boat would arrive soon.
But the wait turned out to be more than twenty days.
That morning, the motionless surface of the Tongtian River suddenly exploded with a burst of water.
A spiked white behemoth with a fierce appearance burst out of the water.
Everyone in the camp couldn’t help but stop and watch.
They then cheered and leaped with joy.
Chen Mu too looked over at the Ling Boat eagerly, resting on the handle of the chopping knife he had put down from cutting firewood.
Even though the camp lacked nothing in terms of food and drink.
It was just that – only food and drink were ample.
Despite Chen Mu’s thorough preparations, after nearly two months of wilderness survival,
they had not been able to replenish various living supplies, and the quality of life had plummeted swiftly.
Some people in the camp were even dressed like beggars.
“Whatever we say, we’ve got to check out Red Sleeve Square… hmm, no, we need to have a good meal!” Chen Mu gazed at the Ling Boat, his eyes shimmering with anticipation.