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Accompanying the recruitment notices of the Tangshan Army and Startling Swan Gang, Nanyang Prefecture City buzzed with activity.
Wandering martial artists, seldom seen on normal days, flocked to Nanyang in droves.
The numerous prominent martial arts guilds in the city saw a surge of apprenticeship applications.
After all, weren’t the Tangshan Army and Startling Swan Gang recruiting anyone skilled in martial arts?
Chen Mu had thought that once they recruited a certain number of people, both factions would quiet down.
But on the contrary,
Gossip about a recruitment deadline circulated daily, but whenever someone with talent showed up, both factions took them in without hesitation.
It was as if they would take as many as there were available.
“Could it really be leading to a war?” Chen Mu muttered to himself.
Then he dug a hole in the next-door residence and stored a large amount of living supplies.
…
Due to the gathering of a large number of jianghu drifters, brawls and fights became frequent occurrences.
Chen Mu once would stroll outside every few days, but now he stayed indoors unless it was necessary to purchase supplies.
Even when going out, he would return quickly.
“With such chaos outside, hiding at home to grind experience points is more comfortable.” Chen Mu enjoyed himself in his seclusion.
Nevertheless, Nanyang Prefecture City’s recruitment frenzy didn’t show any sign of slowing down.
Wealth, power, beauties, cultivation techniques, and secret medicines for training were among the many enticing offers thrown about by both factions.
Every time he went shopping, he could hear about some jianghu high roller striking it rich or some martial arts guild master who had made great progress after consuming a Dragon Transformation Pill.
Chen Mu observed everything with detached interest.
Watching the revelry of jianghu high rollers in the pleasure towers, he would sigh to himself, “Another batch of ripe leeks.”
Dragon Transformation Pill? There are still twenty of them lying in my Five Ghosts Bag.
He wouldn’t touch these pills that could potentially ruin one’s future.
…
One month later.
In the Shanglin Neighborhood, Chen Residence.
Three peculiar syllables escaped Chen Mu’s lips.
Five paper figures appeared out of thin air.
“Success!”
Writing: 1840/10000/Second Rank;
Drawing: 1707/10000/Second Rank;
Throwing: 2133/10000/Fourth Rank;
Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique: Maximum;
Cooking: 6026/10000/Second Rank;
Pharmaceutical Technique: 6576/10000/Third Rank;
Sleeve Sword Technique: 6356/10000/Third Rank;
Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse: 14/10000/Sixth Rank;
Blue-eyed Golden Ape Shape Cultivation Technique: 4140/10000/Second Rank;
Shapeshifting Technique: 2840/10000/First Rank;
…
“The Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse can still be improved?!” Chen Mu was quite surprised; he had considered Fifth Rank to be the limit.
Hesitating, he wondered if he should continue grinding.
After some thought, Chen Mu shook his head and gave up: “Shape Cultivation Technique is the foundation.”
If it weren’t for the hidden menace of Ghosts, he wouldn’t have practiced the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse incessantly for three months.
“Soul Strength can also suppress Ghosts.”
He had initially stopped his Shape Cultivation to concentrate on this secret technique because it paid off faster.
“It’s time to return to the Shape Cultivation Technique.”
Chen Mu looked up at the fifth paper figure.
With a body covered in red patterns, the exquisitely crafted figure had a black “中” character on its back.
Unlike the other four paper figures which had smiles—be it a cold smile, a silly smile, a muted smile, or a big grin—the fifth paper figure was slim and handsome yet wore no expression, appearing quite indifferent.
At the same time, a blurry image formed in his mind.
Amid swirling mists, the sun, moon, and stars appeared as if hidden behind a veil.
When Chen Mu tried to concentrate and see it clearly, the image became even more blurred, like looking through frosted glass.
This was not unfamiliar to him; there was another one beside him.
“The Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse comes with a Divine Intent Diagram too?”
“I still know too little.”
“It must be some special feature of a magic artifact.”
This involved the deeper applications of magic artifacts, not something ordinary people could access.
“Probably only the prominent families possess such knowledge.”
Chen Mu’s eyes shifted: “Jie Jia probably knows.”
The old man’s origins were unknown. As mysterious as they come, he was privy to numerous jianghu secrets.
“`
“I’ll spare some money to ask around when I have the chance,” Chen Mu said, focusing his attention on the swirling white mist within the diagram.
“Let’s try what this thing can do first.”
Suddenly, he felt as if a vacuum cleaner was attached to his forehead, a powerful suction force spreading throughout his mind.
The ghost paper effigies, already connected to his five senses, became even more tightly linked.
The little paper figure floating leisurely in mid-air suddenly snapped to attention, standing up straight.
The five paper figures formed a circle and then exploded into five whirls of black smoke, spinning continuously.
Chen Mu’s mouth began to salivate uncontrollably.
He eyed the stone table in front of him, and the more he looked, the more something seemed off. Why did he feel the urge… to take a bite out of it?
This thought appeared in an instant.
The swirling Five Ghosts Black Smoke sped up, lunging towards the stone table.
Gurgle gurgle…
Sounds similar to the croaking of frogs echoed in his mind.
Chen Mu came back to his senses.
A corner of the stone table had vanished.
The break formed a smooth arc, as if an invisible giant mouth had taken a bite out of it.
The cut surface was as sleek as ice cream scooped out with a spoon.
Looking at the Five Ghosts Bag, which had somehow acquired half of the stone table, Chen Mu swallowed reflexively.
…Did it really chew?
Gurgle gurgle!
Gurgle gurgle!
Gurgle gurgle!
The stone table was completely devoured.
Chen Mu, like a child with a new toy, tried it again and again.
A large water jar, wooden shelves, flat baskets, and even the dirt on the ground—he didn’t spare any of them, and in a short time, they were all chewed up into a pitted landscape.
It wasn’t until he was pale, weak all over, and his stomach growled with hunger that he reluctantly stopped his exciting activity.
Despite a splitting headache, Chen Mu still smiled, “This is the joy of grinding to increase proficiency.”
All five ghosts were out, and there was an extra ability!
“Let’s continue with the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse!” Chen Mu was eager to continue.
Yet, with great willpower, he suppressed this tempting thought.
Magic artifacts are indeed amazing. But using them isn’t without cost.
At the moment, he felt as drained as if he had been hollowed out.
It wasn’t until after consuming five Bigu Rice Balls that his stomach felt a bit better.
With his eyes closed, focused on the Red Falcon Divine Intent Diagram, he opened them a quarter of an hour later, feeling somewhat rejuvenated.
“Like activating the Five Ghosts Bag, it consumes some sort of mental or soul strength.”
“And consuming the stone table clearly takes more than the wooden shelves.”
Currently, the only way to recover or even enhance this kind of strength was through the Shape Cultivation Technique’s Divine Intent Diagram.
“Shape Cultivation Technique really is the foundation,” Chen Mu mused.
“This must be what the true Five Ghosts Moving Mountain is about,” Chen Mu had some realization.
The Five Ghosts connected, creating a certain cutting and devouring force. The more spent, the stronger the devouring power.
It’s just that the sensation of activating it felt a bit strange.
“What is this? Five Ghosts… eating mountain, nibbling mountain?”
“Thankfully, the bag only gives me the idea of eating, not the actual feedback after eating.”
Thinking back to his excited actions earlier—eating stones, wood, and mud.
If he had received real feedback, ugh… disgusting!
…
Over the next few days, Chen Mu conducted gradual tests with the Five Ghosts Bag.
All the ghost paper effigies materialized into five figures.
The black smoke could transport up to nine meters.
Only three syllables left in the incantation.
There was also the addition of the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Secret Art, with an extremely powerful devouring ability.
Chen Mu had tested it.
The Five Ghosts Black Smoke could easily gnaw through a high-quality broadsword.
If it were to cut into a person…
“I’ve got an extra card up my sleeve to save my life!” Chen Mu thought gleefully.
“If only the cutting range were a bit larger,” Chen Mu’s greed wasn’t satisfied.
“Continue upgrading, and maybe the range could increase.”
Every time he thought of this, Chen Mu felt the urge to continue with the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse.
“I better diligently work on my Shape Cultivation Technique instead.”
The Blue-eyed Golden Ape has already been delayed for too long.
“`