I am grinding experience in another world - Chapter 755 - 743: Departure
A few days later, in the evening, at the mountainside cabin, Chen Mu leaned against a wooden pillar, sitting at the edge of the porch.
The petite Dragon Bone Boat darted around in front of him, its movements agile; if you didn’t look closely, you would never think it was an inanimate magic artifact.
With the Truthful Listening Divine Power in operation, the scene within the Tangshan Institute appeared in his mind.
At this moment, all the disciples were being led by the Tang Sect in a painstaking search of the mountain.
Lazy Double Flower Rabbits grazing were caught into bamboo cages.
A large patch of purple Four-leaf Flowers was uprooted entirely, along with the soil like peeling off turf.
Even the sedimentary mud from the riverbed was being sorted and collected by someone.
Witnessing such thoroughness that seemed to scrape the earth three inches deep, Chen Mu couldn’t help but twitch his lips.
He shook his head and retracted his gaze, then looked at the gray stone gate before him.
Manipulation: 176/10000/Fourth Rank;
Yellow Springs Gourd: 9833/10000/Seventh Rank;
Spiritual Treasure Pivot Scripture: 8699/10000/Eighth Rank;
Loach Dragon Spell: Limit.
“It’s good to have a high Dao; makes controlling artifacts easier.” Chen Mu nodded with satisfaction.
These past few days, he did nothing else, spending all his time practicing the Loach Dragon Spell, which yielded promising results.
With the Loach Dragon Spell reached its peak, his manipulation skills advanced to the Fourth Rank, and even the Spiritual Treasure Pivot Scripture he used to assist in his training showed significant improvement.
“The gathering of Tangshan Institute’s resources is nearing completion. Even departing tomorrow wouldn’t be an issue.”
“However…”
Chen Mu glanced at the Secret Technique Yellow Spring Gourd.
Since arriving at Tangshan Institute, he had been diligently condensing the Spirit Treasure Talisman. Gradually, his experience steadily increased over time.
Today, he’s on the verge of entering the next stage. He felt reluctant to leave just like this.
After all, in the upcoming period, he would need to manipulate the Dragon Bone Boat and split his focus to guide the Vermilion Feather Sword.
Moreover, without the endless Earth Vein Technique Ban channeling Heavenly Star Essence, he couldn’t freely use his mana to condense Spirit Treasure Talismans.
“For the next couple of months, it will be difficult to concentrate on cultivating.”
“And with just seven or eight days in seclusion, I’m sure I can complete it.”
Having made up his mind, Chen Mu immediately began meditating to refine the Yellow Springs Gourd.
…
A few days later, in the morning.
Below Tangshan, at a certain stream.
Black serpent-like smokes churned continuously in the water. Large and small Silver-scaled Fish were rapidly devoured by the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Technique.
Once the Silver-scaled Fish in the stream were completely consumed, Chen Mu’s consciousness sank into the Five Ghosts Bag. Looking at the newly added dozen or so black smoke-colored clumps, each half as tall as a person, he shook his head with regret.
“If I could stay for another two months, this batch of Netherworld Worms could have matured completely.”
“Harvesting and devouring them prematurely does result in significant loss.”
He didn’t wish to be so rushed.
But just yesterday, two hundred miles southeast of Tangshan, a severely injured and dying Great Demon White Deer appeared.
First the Earth-digging Golden Toad, now the Great Demon White Deer. If they stayed any longer, who knows what other monsters might appear. Leaving without a battle seemed impossible.
Rather than waiting until a swarm of monsters attacked and being forced to leave, it was better to leave early.
It was this mindset that led Chen Mu to harvest the Netherworld Worms prematurely.
Even though he anticipated the outcome, seeing the conversion rate so dismal was still painful. Over two thousand Silver-scaled Fish only converted into three or four hundred Ghosts.
If he hadn’t controlled the Dragon Boat fully and chose not to leave in a hurry, aside from wanting to gain experience with the Yellow Springs Gourd, he also wanted to allow the Netherworld Worms in the Silver-scaled Fish to grow a few more days.
But unfortunately, there simply wasn’t enough time.
“Fortunately, not all news is bad.” Gathering his emotions, Chen Mu summoned the gray stone gate.
Yellow Springs Gourd: 1/10000/Seventh Rank;
“Another step closer to fully crafting the Yellow Springs Gourd.” A smile couldn’t help but surface on his face.
…
Enjoying his success for a moment, Chen Mu used a secret technique to slip underground and retrieve the Soul-Calming Stake he’d buried earlier.
Though it was no longer useful, since he had crafted it, he felt he should take it with him.
Next, he returned to the mountainside, storing the thatched cabin into the Thousand Lanterns City, then dug up the small Green Root Tea Tree, only as tall as a finger.
After carefully transplanting it into a pre-prepared large clay pot, he shimmered with golden light and arrived at Tingchao Cave.
By this time, several hundred disciples of Tangshan Institute had all gathered there.
The leaders were the Inspection Institute Director Tang Sect, the Administrative Affairs Institute Director Li Chou, and the Scripture House Director Tang Zhimu.
Li Chou was Tang Sect’s junior brother, while Tang Zhimu was Tang Sect’s second uncle.
“No wonder they’ve guarded Tangshan Institute for generations.”
Though Chen Mu remained expressionless, inwardly he clicked his tongue in admiration.
Half of Tangshan Institute’s disciples were somehow connected to the Tang Family.
Either by family ties or by master-disciple transmission.
The legacy of Tangshan Institute was indeed substantial.
Heh!
…
“Capital Institute!” Seeing Chen Mu, Tang Sect and the others cupped their hands in salute.
Chen Mu solemnly waved his hand, intending to skip any formalities, directly tossing out the Dragon Bone Boat.
The palm-sized black iron loach expanded rapidly with the wind, transforming within a few breaths into a colossal entity, several stories high and dozens of meters long.
Its whole body was covered in black scales, moving with a clanking sound resembling mechanical gears in motion. The large loach’s mouth opened to an exaggerated height of over two meters, revealing a dark tunnel.
Tang Sect, somewhat excitedly, watched the Dragon Bone Boat in its full form, saluting Chen Mu once more, then led his people orderly inside.
Before long, the few hundred disciples all disappeared into the loach’s mouth.
Chen Mu used the Truthful Listening Divine Power to sweep over the entirety of Tangshan Institute.
At this moment, the mountain valley was silent, with only the sound of trickling water remaining.
The mountain was pockmarked, bare stones exposed, as if patched up with numerous holes.
Everything of value within Tangshan Institute had been excavated by Tang Sect and his men.
An otherwise fine Tangshan Institute now looked as though someone had used a secret technique to bombard it inch by inch.
“And they call themselves Qi Cultivators, not even as good as bandits!” Chen Mu shook his head in disdain.
Then…
Then he waved towards the far-off Tangshan, and a mass of black smoky clouds suddenly appeared atop the mountain.
Accompanied by a rumbling sound, within merely half an hour, the towering peak of Tangshan was moved into the Thousand Lanterns City by him.
“The Thousand Lanterns City is vast and always lacked soil.”
“The summit of Tangshan, soaked in Earth Spirit Vital Energy for years, is far more fertile than ordinary rock and soil.”
“Bringing it into Thousand Lanterns City to grow vegetables, they are sure to flourish!”
“Hmm, since I must abandon it, leaving it for the demon beasts, I might as well dig it away myself.” Chen Mu chuckled gleefully.
Bandit?
What bandit!
I’m deeply attached to Tangshan Institute and want to flee with the sect’s mountain head!
Chen Mu nodded firmly with a determined face.
The Vermilion Feather Sword transformed into several red lines and flew into his sleeve. Taking one last glance at Tangshan Institute, Chen Mu turned and entered the Dragon Bone Boat.
In the next moment.
The hulking, black loach’s scales slowly wiggled.
With clanging sounds, the entire Dragon Bone Boat slowly floated in mid-air.
Then, as the black and white lights flickered, the massive Dragon Bone Boat rapidly shrank, in mere breaths, to a loach as thick as a wrist and only three to five meters long, serpentine in appearance.
The fine scales wiggled once more, as the Dragon Bone Boat waved its head and tail, morphing into a shadow, darting into the depth of Tangshan Mountain Valley.
It reached the top of the largest hot spring pool and, with a swish, dived into the depths of the water, disappearing without a trace.
In the mountain, the stream trickled, outside the strange wind howled, and the entire Tangshan Mountain Valley was devoid of human presence.
