I am grinding experience in another world

Chapter 823: Chapter 811: Settling In

"Chant scriptures ten thousand times, and divine powers will naturally arise?"

"Isn’t there anything fishy in this?" Chen Mu was skeptical.

"How could there be? We’ve been reciting the Rootless Scripture since childhood without a single problem." The two brothers, Duocai and Duobao, shook their heads with confidence.

"Since childhood? Then why haven’t either of you awakened a divine skill?" Chen Mu looked at the two with suspicion.

"We are the late-bloomer type," Duocai said earnestly.

"Yes, late bloomers!" Duobao nodded firmly.

Chen Mu: "..."

Well, aren’t these two overconfident oddballs.

"What kinds of divine powers are you talking about?" he asked curiously.

Chen Mu was quite knowledgeable about the Underworld’s Yin Spirits cultivation methods, but this chanting cultivation method the two brothers spoke of didn’t seem to be the same thing.

"Divine powers? There’s plenty," Duocai replied, his face full of longing.

"The most common one is great strength. Once awakened, you’ll have immense power. Seventy percent of the City Defense Camp soldiery have this divine power."

"And then there’s iron body, impervious to blades and bullets, and resistant to water and fire," Duobao added.

"The most amazing has to be Divine Movement, crossing a thousand miles in a day with ease." His eyes, one large and one small, were filled with eagerness.

"No, the most impressive should be Drilling Wind, able to travel with the wind."

"Even when encountering the Black Wind Demon, you can escape effortlessly," Duocai countered.

"I say, Divine Movement is better. Traveling a thousand miles a day is just the initial speed; when fully mastered, it’s ten thousand miles a day," Duobao shook his head in disagreement.

"Can’t Drilling Wind do that?" Duocai squinted at Duobao.

"Regardless of what it can do, it’s definitely not as good as Divine Movement," Duobao retorted, sticking his neck out.

"You’re full of nonsense!"

"You’re the one talking nonsense!"

"Drilling Wind is number one!"

"Divine Movement is unbeatable!"

Chen Mu watched the two brothers redden in the face, arguing vehemently, feeling utterly speechless.

They’re arguing so seriously as if they possess these divine skills themselves.

"Alright, enough." Chen Mu waved his hand to interrupt the two.

Watching them close their mouths but continue elbowing each other, he was filled with helplessness.

He initially intended to probe for more information, but seeing these not-so-bright brothers, Chen Mu figured he wouldn’t get anything useful from them.

"Consider the longevity rice for the rent as my loan to you. I’ll pay you back eventually."

Without waiting for their response, he started waving them away.

...

After watching the two depart into the distance, Chen Mu closed the courtyard door, walked around the wall, and looked at the newly rented yard.

On the west side of the courtyard were some cluttered plants, while on the east stood two lush Moonlight Trees. In the center, a path paved with cobblestones lent some order to the overall layout.

Chen Mu took out the few Extinguishing Breath Stones he had and walked around the two-meter-high courtyard wall, burying the stones as he did.

"It’s a pity I don’t have more Forget River Stones. Who knows if there’s any in this Mist Ridge, similar to the Netherworld."

The Extinguishing Breath Stones need to be refined using stones from the River of Oblivion as a carrier. If he had enough materials, he’d pave the whole courtyard with these stones.

Chen Mu didn’t think he was the only one who possessed secret techniques similar to Truthful Listening Divine Power.

"And there’s the Small Three Talents Light Concealing Technique too."

After circling the courtyard once, Chen Mu returned to the center, forming seals and chanting spells. The earth in the corners of the courtyard gathered and rose like liquid, rapidly taking shape and solidifying.

In just a few breaths, five pillars inscribed with dense talismans appeared, enveloping the entire courtyard.

With several White Jade Coins embedded in the grooves at the tops of the pillars, the air shifted slightly, then calmed.

"With this prohibition law concealing everything, from the outside, one can only see the plants in the courtyard, not my movements."

"It’s just like a fixed surveillance frame."

"For experts, it might not suffice, but it should prevent most ordinary people nearby from peering in."

Chen Mu felt a bit regretful.

As his cultivation grew, these two concealment techniques were no longer adequate.

At least, they couldn’t shield against his current Truth Listening Divine Power.

"This is how it is for now."

"When I get the chance, I’ll learn more advanced concealing secret techniques someday."

...

A few days later.

On the east side of the courtyard, under the massive Moonlight Tree, Chen Mu, lying in a rocking chair, opened his eyes.

Next to him hung a fist-sized black hole, from which wisps of mysterious demon aura drifted down, being refined and absorbed by him.

The mana, largely depleted from extracting Pure Yang Qi, quickly replenished.

"Thankfully, a large stockpile of demon aura in Thousand Lanterns City has enabled my cultivation in Nourishing Primordial Spirit to continue."

Having been in Mist Ridge for quite some time, he had confirmed that there was no Heavenly Star Earth Spirit Vital Energy around.

To extract Pure Yang Qi to nourish the Daoist Foundation, he could only rely on the stored Mysterious Heavenly Demon Qi.

"But the root cause for being stranded here is probably these demon auras too."

"Whether it’s luck or misfortune, I don’t know."

For days, Chen Mu reviewed and speculated on his encounters in Mistaken Heaven.

"Most likely, a Qi Cultivator used the All Heaven Star method to perform the Ground Shrinking Secret Technique."

"Their aim was to banish the local Demon Clan of Mistaken Heaven."

"I had stashed too much demon aura within Thousand Lanterns City, thus becoming collateral damage."

"Sigh, bad luck indeed," Chen Mu shook his head helplessly.

"Never mind, let’s make the best of where we are."

"After all, cultivation is cultivation, regardless of the location." He shrugged, maintaining a relaxed attitude.

Thousand Lanterns City had an abundance of demon aura and wouldn’t hinder his seventh stage Nourishing Primordial Spirit cultivation in the short term.

Moreover, the area’s unique environment, similar to the Netherworld, accelerated Yin Spirit Divine Power recovery, enhancing the refinement of the Yin Spirit Divine Fetus.

"But the Plague Immortal Technique must be set aside for now."

"Demon aura, after all, has its limits, so conserving mana is wise."

"Best to cast spells primarily using the Yin Spirit Heavenly Demon Body Secret Technique."

...

Moments later, once his mana fully recovered.

The consumed Yin Spirit Divine Power from extracting Netherworld Qi was automatically replenished.

Chen Mu looked up at the bountiful Moonlight Tree overhead.

"Got to find a way to get some Longevity Rice."

He might very well continue living in Mist Ridge for a long while.

Longevity Rice serves as currency, having some on hand will facilitate many tasks.

Moreover, he still owed a debt to Duocai and Duobao.

"According to Duocai and Duobao, only Moonlight Trees native to Mist Ridge, after growing for over three decades, can transform into Longevity Rice."

"The Moon Beet Pearls hanging on this tree right now will just remain Moon Beet Pearls no matter how long they hang."

"Relying on their natural growth to become Longevity Rice is hopeless."

"But using them to craft Jade Dew Pearl impersonating Longevity Rice isn’t impossible." Chen Mu pondered.

The main body of Jade Dew Pearls is also Moon Beet Pearls; once they absorb enough Yin Spirit Jade Dew, they transform into Jade Dew Pearls.

Their purpose is similar to Longevity Rice, consumed as Yin Spirit food.

"The key is how to extract Yin Spirit Jade Dew."

"Or, rather... what can substitute for Yin Spirit Jade Dew?"

Though Mist Ridge resembles the Underworld, it’s not exactly so. Chen Mu had unsuccessfully attempted the Dew Harvesting Spell multiple times.

"Have to find a new approach."

Chen Mu summoned a gray Stone Gate, scanning a long list of secret techniques.

Then he retrieved a Longevity Rice grain, scraped off a bit of powder with his fingertip, and put it into his mouth.

He had reserved this particular Longevity Rice precisely to see if it could be artificially replicated.

As soon as the powder entered his mouth, his seventh-ranked culinary skill began to work.

This skill, accompanying him for decades, not only satisfied his appetite but also greatly assisted his cultivation.

The Replenishing Origin Soup used for nourishing essence and strengthening the foundation and the Nourishing Spirit Wine, both originated from the culinary secret techniques.

"Replenishing Origin Soup? Nourishing Spirit Wine?"

"Exactly, while Yin Spirit Jade Dew is lacking, if these two can be crafted to mimic Yin Spirit Jade Dew..."

"There’s hope!" Chen Mu’s eyes lit up as his long-neglected sixth-ranked Pharmaceutical Technique started functioning.

Shortly thereafter, several concocting plans popped into his mind.

He immediately opened the Five Ghosts Bag, casting the Seven Turns Banquet Primordial Curse and the Ninth Transition Soul Capturing Spell towards the Bottomless Pool at the center of the bag.

To sustain those hundred thousand Ghosts, Chen Mu lost count of how many Monster Beasts’ corpses he had tossed into the Bottomless Pool.

The spells had just begun working not long before a gourd of Replenishing Origin Soup and a gourd of Nourishing Spirit Wine were extracted.

He reached above for a handful of Jade Dew Pearls from the Moonlight Tree and began experimenting one by one.

After about fifty to sixty attempts, he held in his hands a wholly snow-white Moon Beet Pearl, reddened slightly at the stem attachment.

"Hey, it worked!"