Nanyang Prefecture City, Shanglin Neighborhood, Chen Residence.
Chen Mu walked calmly past the doorway, glancing at the weeping willow not far away which was becoming increasingly lush.
After traversing five streets, he pushed open the gates of a two-courtyard residence.
He had already been back in Nanyang Prefecture City for three days. New housing and furniture were all neatly arranged.
"If only the Five Ghosts Bag were a bit bigger," Chen Mu complained.
That way, he could carry his home with him wherever he went.
Instead of having to buy a new set of pots and pans every time he moved.
...
At dusk, as the sun set, Jie Jia arrived at the new courtyard on time.
Chen Mu moved a weathered, paint-peeled square table from his room to the center of the courtyard to serve as the dining table.
"You could move back to your previous residence," Jie Jia said, looking around.
"What if someone comes looking there?" Chen Mu rolled his eyes.
"You have a new identity," Jie Jia handed Chen Mu a thick envelope.
Chen Mu pulled out the letter: "Ningliang County, Chen Yi? Isn't this name a bit too casual?"
Jie Jia, not even sparing Chen Mu a glance, proceeded to wipe the utensils with his customary white handkerchief.
"Different name, different face, different height; you can move back there to live," Jie Jia insisted.
This residence was spacious, too. But it clearly wasn't as quaint and comfortable as the wooden loft courtyard.
"The big search has stopped," Jie Jia thought for a moment before adding, "Both overtly and covertly, it has stopped."
Chen Mu remained silent.
Even if it had stopped, he dared not return.
After what had happened with Zhuo Yinghai, his feud with the Startling Swan Gang was growing ever deeper.
"What have you done now?" Jie Jia's eyelids involuntarily rose a fraction.
"Yeah, what have I done?" Chen Mu looked at Jie Jia, bewildered.
Jie Jia's amber eyes shifted, glancing at Chen Mu: "I see."
Now it was Chen Mu's turn to be confused.
You know what, you know!
...
After dinner, Chen Mu diligently brewed tea for Jie Jia, bringing out five types of soft and sticky pastries copied from Xin Yuan Tea House.
"Ask," Jie Jia said indifferently, sipping tea and nibbling pastries.
"Heh heh!" Chen Mu rubbed his hands together: "I just want to know whether the Divine Intent Diagram of the Blue-eyed Golden Ape Shape Cultivation Technique has been tampered with by the noble families."
"No," Jie Jia replied impassively.
"Then why do I feel like it's incomplete?" Chen Mu did not believe him.
"Illusion," Jie Jia remained unfazed.
"It's impossible for me to be mistaken," Chen Mu insisted, staring at Jie Jia.
Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu and said calmly, "Failing to cultivate is not the reason you should doubt the Divine Intent Diagram..."
Buzz!
Chen Mu grinned and waved his pitch-black right hand in front of Jie Jia.
"The clans have it," Jie Jia said indifferently.
"It's the damn clans again!" Chen Mu cursed inwardly.
These damn bastards have too many good things!
He must find a way to get it!
Chen Mu was itching with ambition. The Hundred Intentions Spirit Light Spell, ah, the ancestor of all Shape Cultivation Techniques. It must be incredibly precious.
"Forget about it, you can't cultivate it," Jie Jia glanced and knew what Chen Mu was thinking.
"How do you know I can't cultivate it?" Chen Mu was unconvinced.
"You said it yourself, you're just an ordinary person," Jie Jia said lightly.
Chen Mu: "..."
"Only those who possess Daoist Bone can cultivate it; you should stop dreaming," Jie Jia said calmly, taking a sip of his tea.
Damn it, Daoist Bone again? What in the world is this thing? Is it really that powerful?
"No use talking more about it, just honestly cultivate your Soul Strength," Jie Jia said as he put down his chopsticks and stood up to leave.
...
Chen Mu could only open his mouth in resignation.
"I thought I had found a shortcut, but it ended up being a dead end," Chen Mu sighed.
"I might as well keep grinding my Shape Cultivation Technique," Chen Mu shrugged.
Thinking about it, he had been in this world for two and a half years now.
Officially practicing martial arts for almost two years.
In two years, he had mastered two Shape Cultivation Techniques, and he was already more than halfway through the White Ape Shape Cultivation Technique.
With nearly eighty years left until he turned one hundred, he could surely master eighty Shape Cultivation Techniques.
With these eighty Wandering Souls as his foundation, he simply didn't believe he couldn't cultivate a Shell Soul.
"I should start thinking about collecting Shape Cultivation Techniques," Chen Mu pondered, stroking his chin.
Eighty kinds, that's not easy to find.
The clans might have them, but they won't just give them away for free.
Sell one's life for a Manual? Forget it... we'll talk about it later, much later.
...
Chen Mu re-entered the familiar and simple life of grinding at the Chen Residence.
The White Ape Shape Cultivation Technique smoothly completed the Bone Transformation and entered the Third Rank.
This time, he didn't grow taller, but his joints became more flexible, and his ligaments tougher.
It was only his arm bones that seemed to become a bit thicker and harder, informing Chen Mu that he was indeed cultivating the Shape Cultivation Technique.
"I really shouldn't expect too much from these ordinary Shape Cultivation Techniques."
The speed of Marrow Transformation was also astonishingly fast.
Chen Mu estimated that in just over twenty more days, he would achieve great success in Marrow Transformation and officially begin cultivating the Soul.
Altogether, it would be less than two months to reach major achievements in Shape Cultivation.
"Such a small fry..."
"It's a pity I can't cultivate the Hundred Intentions Spirit Light Spell," Chen Mu lamented.
That was when he realized, compared to the favored children of heaven, he was truly just an ordinary person.