MTL NOVEL Chapter 530 Progress
As the lanterns were lit and the night turned hazy, the hubbub outside the City God Temple came to a halt.
In front of the gate tower, within the Yicui Tower of Luandu County, the projection on the water screen took center stage, where a group of girls dressed in thin red and green gauze danced gracefully.
"What a pity, after all, it's just a remote little county. The girls are pretty, but the choreography and music are so-so."
"Hmm... I don't want to watch it at all."
An hour later, Chen Mu calmly turned off the projection of Yicui Tower, waved his hand to release the Five Ghosts to clean up the leftovers on the table, and turned around to walk back to the East Cross Yard of the City God Temple.
In the courtyard, next to the Jade Dew Well, Chen Mu took out a rocking chair. He placed the Exquisite Jade Plate on the edge of the well, inserted a White Jade Coin into the central groove, and then lay in the chair to gaze at the sky.
In the pitch-black vastness of the night, countless bright stars twinkled, clear and brilliant.
Despite having looked at it for over ten years, he never grew tired of this night sky.
The Exquisite Jade Plate was covered with threads of luminescence, and the Earth Spirit Vital Energy began to emerge around it.
Feeling the faint joy radiating from inside out, Chen Mu felt the comforting sense of meeting an old friend.
"After going around in circles for several years, I can finally start Qi Cultivation to Cultivate Immortality again."
Previously, with only a little over two hundred White Jade Coins in his possession, he didn't dare to cultivate even after returning to the Yang Realm.
Now that Sun Ke had successfully sold the first batch of Fasting Pills, and with the Breath Ending Divine Ability to protect him, as long as Sun Ke remained careful, he could help him exchange for an unending supply of White Jade Coins, only then did he dare to restart his practice using the Netherworld Grand Summary.
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With a thought, a gray wall materialized.
Netherworld Grand Summary: 9914/10000/Eighth Rank;
"Today, the Eighth Layer of the Divine Orifice Talisman will reach Perfection."
Taking a deep breath, Chen Mu closed his eyes.
Within the Jade Seed, a silver hollowed-out sphere was suspended in the middle, with seven layers of Talismans constantly and slowly rotating disorderly, like the moon in the sky, exuding a sense of eternal antiquity.
As Chen Mu willed it, mist-like Mana surged like waves, rapidly rushing towards the side of the hollowed-out sphere.
Suddenly, it blossomed like flowers, quickly condensing and accumulating into intricate silver nets that spread, fused, and expanded continuously. A new layer of the Divine Orifice Talisman swiftly emerged.
Time slowly passed, the night grew deeper, and a bright moon hung in the sky, casting down a blanket of luminous white light.
At that moment.
Hum!
Chen Mu's muscles trembled, as if waves were rolling and spreading under his skin. Cells rapidly divided and replaced themselves, and in the time it took to breathe, he had been renewed from inside out.
The Jade Seed expanded outward once more, now as large as a human head. In the center, the eight nested layers of the Divine Orifice Talisman slowly rotated.
"Finally, it's done..." Chen Mu opened his eyes, somewhat excited.
"How about... going to Yicui Tower in Luandu County to celebrate tomorrow?"
"Hmm, my main goal is to give some advice on choreography and music, can't let the girls' good looks go to waste."
…
Days went by, one by one.
The sun shone high, and the weather warmed.
To the east of Jiangyang County, among the Southern Forest Mountains, the melting snow revealed patchy yellow-brown earth.
Thud!
A black boot stepped into the muddy ground, sinking halfway and splashing droplets of mud.
Sun Ke shook the mud off his boots and looked up at the imposing snowy mountain not far away.
He had received news that the former Pingfu Square staff had rebuilt a base, hidden and safe, suitable for resource exchange.
Following the guidance of a Secret Technique, he trekked through mountains and waters for days to reach the depths of the Southern Forest Mountains near Jiangyang County.
"Such a remote location chosen, scared out of their wits by Lock Dragon Courtyard? Tch..." Sun Ke with a monkey-faced mask pursed his lips, glanced at the faint black glow on the green bird pattern on the back of his left hand, and immediately felt reassured.
He had successfully practiced the Breath Ending Divine Ability using the secret embroidery records.
On the shady side of the mountain, Sun Ke entered a narrow cave entrance and, after going down a low passage about fifty to sixty meters, it suddenly opened up. A series of wide passages unfolded like an ant colony.
Specks of glow moss dotted the walls of the tunnels, dispelling the darkness.
Following the route in his mind, Sun Ke zigzagged downwards. After quite some time, along with the sound of the trickling stream, several deep pools appeared at the junctions of the passages.
"These pools, they don't connect to an underground river, do they?" Sun Ke raised an eyebrow.
"Placing the meeting point deep within the mountain, covered by thick layers of rock to shield from Lock Dragon Courtyard's probing."
"The entrance passages are complex and changeable, plus these pools likely connected to underground rivers. Even if discovered, escaping wouldn't be hard."
"Not bad, the folks from the original Pingfu Square have the experience!" Sun Ke's heart swelled with anticipation: "With such a hidden and safe location, customer flow must be quite considerable."
This time he brought over two hundred bottles of Fasting Pills, requiring a large clientele to sell them all at once. Additionally, he needed to purchase Yellow Bud Rice, which only a large market district could provide.
Just as he was pondering, after turning a corner, a vast underground space filled with oddly shaped stones of various sizes appeared.
In a corner on the left side, seven or eight transparent spherical beads were embedded in the stones, illuminating a small area the size of half a basketball court.
At the moment, over twenty masked individuals were gathered, conversing with one another.
Sun Ke barely glanced at it before his steps involuntarily slowed, and a huge wave of disappointment welled up inside him.
A small Pingfu Square? Is this it?
With so few people, can they really sell off all the Fasting Pills I've brought?
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Suppressing his disappointment, he stepped forward and paid an entry fee of one White Jade coin, engaging in exchanges with everyone in turn. In the end, he only managed to acquire about three hundred jin of Yellow Bud Rice and sold forty-one Fasting Pills.
"They're all freaking paupers!" Sun Ke's countenance was sullen.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I will be leaving Jiangyang County for the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains soon, so I will no longer be hosting this gathering," declared a fat man enshrouded in black robes, wearing a Bronze Ghost Mask.
The crowd buzzed with discussion, and Sun Ke's face grew increasingly grim.
He had spent seven to eight days finding this gathering spot for Qi Cultivators, and not only were the attendees few, but now the meetings were about to be discontinued?
With no Yellow Bud Rice to gather and no Fasting Pills to sell, how could Mr. Gongsun let him off easily?!
As he contemplated his possible fate, the spine on his back suddenly itched intensely, as if something was squirming and growing inside him.
United Heart Gu?!
Sun Ke instantly felt a chill in his heart!
No, he had to sell the Fasting Pills quickly in exchange for White Jade coins!
He couldn't help but glance at the man with the Bronze Ghost Mask, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
This little Pingfu Fang must not disband!
Not only must it not disband, it needed to expand further to attract even more Qi Cultivators to exchange resources!
...
Half a month later.
Divine Statue Cave Heaven, West Cross Yard.
Most of the green stone slabs on the ground were overturned by Chen Mu, leaving only two intersecting stone paths that divided the courtyard into four plots for vegetables.
At this moment, the rich brown soil in the vegetable plots was covered with an assortment of lush green vegetables.
Chen Mu stood on the northern gallery at noon, and under the control of Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles, a large group of Jade Dew fluttered above the vegetable plots, sprinkling droplets of Jade Dew.
"The local vegetables from Luandu County are not bad, but after all, they are not as tasty and fresh as the ones I plant myself."
In his more than ten years of migrating, Chen Mu had been to the Netherworld and even ventured into Nether Demon Heaven. He had tasted countless wild vegetables and whenever he came across tasty ones, he always kept their seeds as treasure.
The Divine Statue Cave Heaven was like spring all year round, and there was a well of Jade Dew that provided high-quality nutrient solution. Not long after arriving at Divine Statue Cave Heaven, he had turned the West Cross Yard into a vegetable garden, varying the cultivation of different vegetables to enjoy.
With a thought, a grey wall materialized in front of him.
Netherworld Grand Summary: 799/10000/Ninth Rank;
"Upon careful consideration, this Divine Statue Cave Heaven is also extremely suitable for Condensing Aperture cultivation, which is quite curious."
Condensing Aperture cultivation consumes the original essence, and ordinary people need Rejuvenation Pills to solidify and nurture the origin. Chen Mu used to substitute with Replenishing Origin Soup.
Inside the Divine Statue Cave Heaven, there was a Jade Dew Well, whose Jade Dew could also replenish the origin continuously, and he did not even need to use the Dew Harvesting Spell to collect and refine it.
Moreover, as the Cave Heaven was isolated from the outside world, no danger could come in, making it an excellent location for seclusion and cultivation.
"It's just that there's a lack of Earth Spirit Vital Energy, requiring the expenditure of White Jade coins," Chen Mu lamented while smacking his lips.
After half a month of cultivation, the final layer of the Netherworld Grand Summary progressed by one-tenth, but the one hundred and fifty White Jade coins from selling Fasting Pills had all been spent. The more than two hundred White Jade coins he originally had were also largely depleted.
"Hasn't Sun Ke come yet? Could he have been captured by the Lock Dragon Courtyard?" Chen Mu frowned.
"It shouldn't be possible; with the Breath Ending Divine Ability to conceal him, as long as Sun Ke is careful, he won't be discovered by the Lock Dragon Courtyard."
"That man can be both stooped and stretched. He's discreet and cautious in his actions, clearly one to grovel his way through life; there should be no issues."
"Well, he's probably just delayed due to the long journey." Recalling Sun Ke's performance, Chen Mu's mind became at ease.
...
"Rebuild Pingfu Fang—are you insane?" a fat man with a swollen blue face stared incredulously at Sun Ke.
"The lesson of the past is right before our eyes. The great Pingfu Fang was completely taken down by the Lock Dragon Courtyard, and you want to die without dragging me down!"
"Hm?" Sun Ke glanced at him emotionlessly.
The fat man's body trembled instantly, his facial fat twitching unintentionally.
Considering his situation, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth, but he had to speak up to dissuade him: "Mr. Sun, this really can't be done! It's fine to gather thirty or fifty people, but attracting one or two hundred people at once is too easily detected, and it will lead to deaths!"
"Then have I wasted my time for the past half-month digging and constructing this stronghold for nothing?" Sun Ke stared coldly at the other person.
Then, putting on a smile, he approached and leisurely helped adjust the man's collar while persuading him.
"We might as well have a bit more courage."
"You know the use of the Extinguishing Breath Stone as well. With it, no matter how many people gather, there's no fear of being probed."
"Besides, even if you don't have confidence in me, you should have faith in the person behind me, Mr. Gongsun. He can confront the Lock Dragon Courtyard head-on. With him backing us, what are you afraid of?" Sun Ke's voice was steady and unhurried.
"What's more important is, with more people, the entrance fee is also higher. Charging two White Jade coins per person, a steady and continuous income, do you realize how many White Jade coins that would be?"
"Fifty percent goes to Lord Gongsun, but the rest, we split half each. Now tell me..."
The fat man's expression changed instantly, and he slammed a Bronze Ghost Mask onto his face, declaring loudly, "Just tell me how many people you want to summon."
"Of course, the more the merrier!" Sun Ke revealed a smile.
There was a soft thud as a small, forearm-high wooden box appeared at Sun Ke's feet. Kicking open the box, a pile of pitch-black goose egg-sized stones covered in patterns appeared.
"Distribute all these Extinguishing Breath Stones."
"Give two to each participant, have them arrive secretly and leave safely, assuring that they won't be detected by the Lock Dragon Courtyard!"
"Just holding one event, Pingfu Fang would be completely reestablished, and from then on, we'll be able to lie back and collect money!" Sun Ke's eyes glittered ceaselessly.
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