Chapter 404 - 373: True Understanding Pavilion

Most of the day flew by in the blink of an eye.

As a deal was struck, the shop occupying several acres was immediately torn down.

In just a few hours, a brand-new pavilion took shape amid the brilliant light of Magic Techniques.

"True Understanding Pavilion."

The young woman gazed at the plaque hanging high on the pavilion, whispering the words softly. She then looked up to see Chu Mu floating in the sky. With a wave of his hand, he sent streams of light from Array Prohibitions cascading down. A dazzling light flickered in the young woman's eyes.

About a quarter of an hour later, Chu Mu descended from the sky, and the brilliant light surrounding him slowly dissipated.

"Congratulations, Brother Chu."

The young woman was beaming.

"Congratulations, Senior."

Chang Er bowed respectfully.

"Hahaha, the joy is mutual."

Chu Mu laughed heartily, his smile growing even brighter as he looked at the shop pavilion before him.

"Come, let's go have a look inside."

With a wave of his hand, Chu Mu eagerly stepped into the newly built True Understanding Pavilion.

The pavilion was quite spacious. The first floor served as the street-front shop, with counters on display. Against the walls were shelves shrouded in Array Prohibitions, although they were all currently empty.

Behind the counter was a staircase leading to the second floor. The second floor was open and spacious, an ideal place for an exchange fair.

Behind the shop was a large courtyard where a wide-open space had been reserved for a Spirit Field. A rockery and a stream of flowing water wound around the Spirit Field. A stone pavilion was nestled within a bamboo grove. A gentle breeze rustled through, creating a rather serene and tranquil atmosphere for anyone within.

"I've already settled things with the Mountain Alliance. Besides this shop, they will also present a gift when the apprenticeship begins."

"In addition, they will offer a tuition fee every year."

"Hong'Er has already told the Mountain Alliance your requests, Brother Chu. The apprenticeship gift and the annual tuition will all be converted into an equivalent value of Demon Beast Spiritual Materials and Demon Pills..."

"I've troubled Miss Hongyi with many things recently."

Chu Mu nodded, then took out several Jade Bottles and handed them to the young woman.

"These are Qingning Pills. I used my True Flame to refine them, completely purging their Demon Nature. Their medicinal properties are quite gentle. They're perfect for supplementing Cultivation at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment. As long as you don't overuse them, there shouldn't be any problems."

The young woman glanced at the Jade Bottles, the corners of her mouth turning up. "Is this a transaction too?"

"I wouldn't call it a transaction. Think of it as a small token of my appreciation."

Chu Mu shook his head with a smile and offered the Jade Bottles to her again.

"Alright then. In that case, it would be rude of me to refuse."

With a brilliant smile, the young woman snatched the Jade Bottles and placed them in the Beast Hide Bag hanging at her waist.

Just as Chu Mu was about to say something, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly approached.

He turned to see Chang Er rushing over.

"Senior, an Elder from the Mountain Alliance has arrived."

The young woman looked at Chu Mu. "Brother Chu, you should go attend to your business."

"Alright."

Chu Mu nodded and followed Chang Er into the shop.

Inside the still-empty shop, an old man was drinking by himself. Behind him stood a small, thin boy.

"Fellow Daoist Chu."

Seeing Chu Mu walk in, the old man put down his teacup and rose to greet him.

The boy was clearly nervous. He peeked timidly at Chu Mu before quickly looking away, burying his head like an ostrich.

"Xiaofang, hurry up and greet your master!"

The old man barked. The boy stepped forward nervously and bowed respectfully. "Changfang pays his respects to Master."

"There's no need for such formalities."

Chu Mu gestured with his hand, and a surge of Magical Power created an invisible force that lifted the boy to his feet.

"Fang'er is young and ignorant. I will have to trouble you to look after him from now on, Fellow Daoist."

"It's my duty. You can rest assured, Fellow Daoist."

Chu Mu smiled and extended his Divine Sense toward Changfang. Suddenly, he seemed to detect something, and his brow furrowed.

He took a step forward and waved his hand, and the invisible force instantly imprisoned Changfang.

Changfang was horrified, but the old man acted as if he saw nothing. At the same time, a wisp of Chu Mu's Magical Power entered the boy's body, circled through it once, and then returned with his Divine Sense.

The Power of Imprisonment dissipated. Chu Mu's brow was slightly furrowed as he looked at the old man with a hint of confusion.

The old man explained, "Fang'er's bloodline was transplanted using a Secret Technique while he was still an embryo in the womb. The bloodline awakens as his Cultivation progresses. His Cultivation is still low, so the bloodline hasn't fully awakened yet. That's why it appears incomplete..."

"If I'm not mistaken, this is the bloodline of an Earth Tier Middle Grade Flame Bird, isn't it?"

"Your insight is incredible, Fellow Daoist. Fang'er's bloodline is indeed that of a Flame Bird."

"The Flame Bird is born with a Spirit Flame, and the Fiery Sun Spirit Flame possesses considerable Mighty Power. It's a top choice for both Alchemy and Artifact Refining. To transplant it with the Spirit Embryo Technique without diminishing its power... Fellow Daoist, you truly have gone to great lengths."

Chu Mu sighed inwardly. 'Spirit Flames are already exceedingly rare, and Demon Beasts born with them are even more scarce in today's Cultivation Immortal Realm.'

'The Spirit Embryo Technique is even more difficult. It requires fusing the bloodline with the fetus at the very beginning of a pregnancy, allowing the bloodline to grow along with the fetus and become a natural part of it.'

'This is extremely beneficial for both the use and the growth of the bloodline.'

'But obviously, the greater the benefits, the greater the risks.'

'After all, at the embryonic stage, everything is extremely fragile. The slightest mistake could lead to the fetus's Divine Soul being annihilated, turning it into a dead Demon fetus and resulting in a total loss.'

'Moreover, even if the fusion succeeded, one had to ensure the Demon Beast Bloodline didn't erode the fetus's own developing Spiritual Wisdom.'

'Otherwise, a Spiritual Wisdom that developed under the bloodline's corrosive influence would inevitably assimilate the fetus completely, turning it into a monster in a human body.'

'Not to mention the risks and difficulty of such an operation, the resources and wealth consumed would clearly not be a small sum.'

"I have frittered away my life, and now, I am powerless to advance any further."

The old man sighed, his gaze toward the boy now filled with much greater expectation.

Chu Mu couldn't help but feel a little wistful.

'An Earth Tier Middle Grade bloodline, fused with the Spirit Embryo Technique, and now they've spent a fortune to have me teach him the Artifact Refining Skill.'

'Such a legacy, expectations passed down from one generation to the next...'

'This father and son, with such a vast age gap between them, seemed to be a microcosm of it all...'

"I entrust Fang'er to you, Fellow Daoist."

The old man clasped his hands and bowed, his words sincere.

Chu Mu acknowledged him. The old man didn't linger; after giving Changfang a few instructions, he hurried away.

The shop felt empty. Chang Er stood respectfully to one side while the boy was clearly anxious and uneasy.

Before, Chu Mu might have been puzzled by the boy's timid nature, but now that he knew his situation, the reason was obvious.

'Fusing a bloodline in the womb while also preventing it from eroding one's consciousness... that would undoubtedly have a significant impact on a person's development.'

"Chang Er, tidy up the second floor. If anything is missing, make a list first. We'll go buy everything at once later."

Chu Mu ordered. Chang Er immediately accepted the command and hurried toward the staircase.

Only then did Chu Mu turn to the boy before him: the legitimate son of a Mountain Alliance Elder, no more than fifteen years old, with a Cultivation at the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation.

"Have you had any prior experience with Artifact Refining?"

"Reporting... Reporting to Master, this disciple has read many Artifact Books."

Changfang bowed respectfully.

Chu Mu asked, "Can you refine a Lower Grade Magical Artifact?"

Changfang looked troubled. "This disciple is dull..."

Chu Mu asked again, "Can you repair a broken Magical Artifact?"

Changfang looked embarrassed and shook his head in silence.

Chu Mu frowned. He casually took out a Demon Ink Black Bone, as thick as an arm, and handed it to the boy. "Stay here and melt this Spiritual Material. Remember, remove its Demon Nature, but preserve thirty percent of its Spirit Essence."

"This disciple obeys."

Changfang took the bone and sat down cross-legged on the spot.

The Fiery Sun True Flame, originating from his Flame Bird bloodline, surged forth, enveloping the ink-black bone and slowly refining it.

Chu Mu watched in silence. The requirement he had set was not difficult.

Melt the Spiritual Material, remove its Demon Nature, and only retain thirty percent of its Spiritual Material Essence.

After observing for a moment and seeing the boy methodically meeting the requirement, the frown on Chu Mu's face finally relaxed.

'Although it's just a master-disciple relationship in name—a Named Disciple in a transaction of benefits that anyone with eyes can see—since it is a transaction, and the Mountain Alliance has paid the price I wanted, I naturally have to give something in return.'

'If he were too dull-witted, that would be rather unfortunate.'

"Chang Er."

Chu Mu called out, and the sound of hurried footsteps immediately came from the top of the stairs.

"Senior."

Chang Er hurried down the stairs.

"Take him to familiarize himself with the shop, and prepare a room for him in the back courtyard."

"I understand."

Chang Er replied, then looked cautiously at Changfang. "Young Master Chang, if you please."

Once the two had left, Chu Mu's attention returned to the empty shelves in the shop.

He pondered for a moment, then sent his Divine Sense into his Storage Ring.

Inside the Storage Space, there was a large pile of Artifacts and Puppets. A considerable portion of them were practice pieces he had made while honing his Artifact Refining Skill back in Jingmen.

Although they were just practice pieces, with his level of skill, these Artifacts were naturally not too shabby.

The rest were items accumulated over the years, as well as Magical and Spiritual Artifacts he had taken as spoils of war and then modified.

The variety of Artifacts was vast. There were both Magical and Spiritual Artifacts, and the Puppets were even more diverse, serving all sorts of purposes.

In the past, these Artifacts and Puppets that he didn't need, or that were the byproducts of his repeated experiments and studies, were usually just piled up in his Storage Space. He typically dealt with them whenever he felt like it.

Now that this shop was open...

Chu Mu glanced around at the empty shelves. With a thought, a continuous stream of Artifacts and Puppets flowed out from his Storage Space like running water, finally landing on the shelves one by one.

In just a few moments, the rows of once-empty shelves were now filled with all kinds of Artifacts and Puppets.

To him, these Puppet Artifacts were nothing remarkable, but that was clearly only from his perspective.

For example, ever since he reached Foundation Establishment, for every Cultivator he killed, he would basically obtain several Spiritual Artifacts.

He specialized in Sword Intent and True Flame, and with his wide array of skills, he naturally looked down on ordinary Spiritual Artifacts. He would usually modify them slightly to avoid trouble, then either sell or trade them, or just let them pile up in his Storage Space.

Although he had no use for these Spiritual Artifacts, to ordinary Cultivators, they were undoubtedly treasures.

Chu Mu glanced around but didn't pay it too much mind. The shop's main purpose was simply to cast a wide net.

The true core of the operation was still himself.

Just like back in Jingmen, once he made a name for himself and proved his skills, a steady stream of income would naturally follow...

...