"No, I didn't curse wrongly!" Chen Mu quickly recovered his senses.
Not reaching the limit only means that the Cloud Mirage Shape Cultivation Technique has a high upper bound. It doesn't mean that the clan hasn't tampered with it.
"No wonder cultivation has been so difficult." Chen Mu realized suddenly.
"Exactly, because of its great potential, the modifications are substantial!"
Damn them for changing it beyond recognition!
If he didn't have the proficiency cheat, who knows how long he would have to practice.
"To achieve Shell Soul within thirty...?!"
"Ha!"
"I'm not staying in Lijiang City anymore!"
With Shell Soul within reach, he needed to hurry and ask Jie Jia about the Thousand Mechanism Token.
Maybe he would have to seek out the Thousand Mechanism Token very soon!
"Could these Shell Soul masters that have come to Lijiang City have something to do with the Thousand Mechanism Token?"
...
Chen Mu often seemed hesitant.
But when it came to fleeing, he was more decisive than anyone else.
The next day in the afternoon, he was outside the Ji'an Gate of Nanyang Prefecture City.
In the evening, in the backyard of Hesheng Hall in the North Market, Chen Mu personally cooked a large table of delicious dishes.
He also took time and effort to roast a Lijiang Tower duck. Its strong aroma made the clerks in the front hall of Hesheng Hall swallow their saliva greedily.
Chen Mu happily tossed a duck leg to one of them to send him away.
He knew this clerk in his twenties. For the past three months, every delivery of the Blue Medicine Pill had been completed by this man heading to Lijiang City.
"Ask." Jie Jia was very familiar with Chen Mu's routine.
"Several Shell Soul masters appeared in Lijiang City; it's not quite normal," Chen Mu expressed his confusion.
"Their target is Shouyang Mountain," Jie Jia said indifferently.
"The Shouyang Mountain eighty li east of the city in Lijiang?" Chen Mu was surprised.
Living in Lijiang City, he could see it from a distance. The mountain wasn't particularly tall but was always shrouded in mist and surrounded by verdant greenery. From afar, it resembled a dwelling of immortals.
"Hmm," Jie Jia nodded.
"Does it have something to do with the Thousand Mechanism Token?" Chen Mu stated his guess.
"Yes."
"What's the connection?" Chen Mu asked eagerly.
"You haven't cultivated Shell Soul yet; what's the point of asking so much?" Jie Jia said softly. Find exclusive content at M V L
I'll be able to cultivate Shell Soul very soon! But I can't say that...
Others take a hundred years to develop their Shell Soul. With my talents, my perception, if I suddenly cultivate Shell Soul, wouldn't that just scream suspicion?
"How can I get you to tell me?!" Chen Mu said, feeling frustrated.
Jie Jia put down his chopsticks, lifted his eyelids a fraction, and his bright yellow eyes solemnly looked towards Chen Mu. Then... he slowly made a scissor gesture with his hand.
Chen Mu: "..."
Two hundred taels?! This price hike is just ridiculously excessive!
Thinking of the Shell Soul experts battling in Lijiang City, Chen Mu immediately shook his head.
He was no match for those old coins.
Chen Mu's eyes lit up: "How about I hire you to snatch one for me?"
"Name your price!" Chen Mu said with a grand gesture.
"You can't afford me," Jie Jia said without even looking at Chen Mu.
"Looking down on me?" Chen Mu was not convinced.
Right now, he was a wealthy man with more than twenty thousand silver notes!
"The Thousand Mechanism Token appears once every hundred years."
"One hundred and seven tokens in total across the thirteen states of Da Liang."
"Tell me, how little would it be appropriate for me to take from you?" Jie Jia stated flatly.
Chen Mu: "..."
Is it... that rare?!
Can't afford it...
"Guess I'll have to find it myself," Chen Mu suddenly felt overwhelmed.
Thinking about those densely packed, dark and ghostly figures, Chen Mu couldn't help but shiver.
If he encountered them, it would be deadly!
"Do the Startling Swan Gang and Tangshan Camp have ways to deal with the ghosts?" he remembered what his neighbor Kui Tuo had told him about his experiences traveling north.
"Hiring so many people just to send them to their deaths? That doesn't seem reasonable."
"There are special devices that can gather a person's Vital Energy."
"Although ghosts can devour Vital Energy..."
"If there is too much of it..." Jie Jia said evenly.
"They'll burst! They'll drown!" Chen Mu was struck by a thought.
He narrowed his eyes, "Looks like I need to hire a Liang Mountain hero to come out of retirement. Either go to the Tangshan Camp or blend in with the Startling Swan Gang for a while."
...
In Nanyang Prefecture City, near the South Gate of Jingxing Alley in the North Market.
Chen Mu rented a small, two-section courtyard to settle down.
He had wanted to have more than one hideout, but unfortunately, all the surrounding places were already rented out.
"Luckily, I hadn't planned to stay long."
He wasn't in a hurry to apply for a job at the Tangshan Camp or the Startling Swan Gang.
"First, I need to try out the Cloud Mirage Shape Cultivation Technique."
After breaking through to the Fifth Rank, the effect of the Shape Cultivation Breathing Method weakened.
Fortunately, as his Proficiency slowly increased, insights came continuously.
The original Breathing Method of one hundred and eight variations had now expanded to one hundred and sixty-nine, and it was still increasing.
"I'll stay here for a while, wait until I fully understand the new Breathing Method before making a move," Chen Mu planned silently.
"No rush to apply for a job either; who knows what kind of tricks those two families might have."
Listening to Kui Tuo, it seemed that those who joined the Startling Swan Gang were somehow controlled by a mysterious method and turned into mummies if they tried to escape.
Without a clear understanding, Chen Mu dared not dive in headfirst.