Chapter 157: Chapter 156: A Flaw in the Perfection

"Am I being watched?"

Chu Mu leaned against the door, muttering to himself.

The Restriction offered complete isolation, so he didn’t need to worry much. He had found out long ago that even though the rent for this house was cheap and it had no Spiritual Qi supply, the house’s Array Restriction was the real deal.

The Array Restrictions of the entire new Housing District were all interconnected. In other words, anyone who wanted to break down his door would be attempting to break through the Grand Array that enveloped the entire new Housing District!

Moreover, the isolating effect of the Restriction was far stronger than the miniature one in his room at Li’s Trading House.

It didn’t just block sound; it also had a one-way isolation Restriction, similar to the one-way glass of his previous life. Looking out from the inside, his view was unobstructed, but looking in from the outside, one was blocked by the Restriction.

But regardless... he was certain he was being watched!

Although he hadn’t detected the person watching him, this feeling... or rather, this warning, was very clear and accurate.

’Did the Sword Technique affect my spirit?’

Chu Mu recalled the sense of warning from just now—a sudden wave of palpitations, as if a life-or-death threat was descending upon him.

Although Divine Sense had a warning effect, that kind of warning was limited to reacting only when others were probing with their Divine Sense or staring with a focused gaze.

It was completely different from the feeling of palpitations he just had!

Recalling the strange transformation that occurred when his Sword Technique broke through to the Peak of Perfection, the answer seemed quite clear.

That keen edge of the blade had indeed had some kind of unknown effect on his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

That was why he had been able to so keenly perceive that hostile gaze from the shadows just now.

Chu Mu thought silently, reviewing the time from his first entry into the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace to him entering this room now.

He didn’t know many people and had made even fewer real friends. As for enemies...

Who could he have offended? Who would he dare to offend?

As a mere Qi Cultivation First Layer, his self-awareness was more than sufficient!

The only things he had that could attract attention were those two Jade Scrolls. But ever since coming to Jade Emperor Valley, he hadn’t even dared to carry them on his person, let alone expose them. It was simply impossible.

Chu Mu surveyed the house before him, lost in thought.

The possibility of him having offended someone, or being targeted for personal reasons, was practically nonexistent.

That meant the most likely source of the trouble was this house, the seal on its door, and its previous owner.

One by one, the possibilities flashed through his mind, and Chu Mu’s expression grew increasingly solemn.

If he himself had offended someone and was being targeted, it wouldn’t be so bad. After all, since he hadn’t exposed anything, anyone targeting a mere Qi Cultivation First Layer like him couldn’t have a very high Cultivation.

But if he was being targeted because of this room’s previous owner, then the trouble would be immense!

Chu Mu searched the room meticulously again, over and over, but still found nothing.

Finally, Chu Mu stood in the middle of the room, pondering for a long time, before looking out the window again.

Without hesitation, he decisively pushed open the door and walked out.

An inexplicable wave of palpitations surged the moment he pushed open the door.

This undoubtedly proved once again that his premonition was not wrong.

Chu Mu’s expression was normal as he walked alone down the street.

He wasn’t afraid of anything here in the Marketplace.

In all his time in the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace, he had never once seen a Cultivator dare to make a move inside the Marketplace.

The feeling of being watched, which he had clearly sensed the whole time, finally dissipated only after he stepped into the Magic Experiment Hall.

Chu Mu pondered for a moment before suppressing the anxiety in his heart.

’No matter what, my plan can’t change.’

’I refuse to waste another day!’

After three hours of Magic experiments, under the "Spiritual Radiance Blessing," his Fireball Skill reached the state of Refined Skill as he had hoped.

However, the strange transformation he had anticipated didn’t happen.

When the Fireball Skill entered the state of Refined Skill, the changes compared to the Entering the Hall and the Room stage were significant!

But no matter how great the changes, they were limited to the Fireball Skill itself, unlike the Sword Technique, which had caused a transformation that affected his spirit.

’Both reached the state of Refined Skill, so why the difference?’

Chu Mu pondered silently. This wasn’t a world of idealism; everything had a reason behind it.

Not being able to figure it out or see through it was only because his own understanding was insufficient and his knowledge was lacking, not because it was truly inexplicable.

After a moment of contemplation, Chu Mu didn’t dwell on it any longer. He took out his experiment manual and silently recorded the changes to his Fireball Skill after it reached the state of Refined Skill.

The most obvious change was another reduction in casting time, shortening from about two seconds to roughly one second—nearly half the time.

As for the Magic’s power, under optimal casting conditions, it stabilized at close to 0.4 degrees.

’Casting distance...’

Chu Mu thought for a moment. A Fireball condensed, and with a flicker of his will, it shot out.

The Fireball’s speed wasn’t fast. Under the control of his Divine Sense, he tested the limits of his casting distance bit by bit.

He had already adjusted the target settings according to his actual abilities.

The first target was at six meters, the second at ten meters, the third at fifteen meters, and the fourth at twenty meters.

The blazing Fireball slowly passed the first target and then gradually approached the second. Normally, as the Fireball neared the second ten-meter target, he would clearly feel his Divine Sense reaching its limit, and his control over the Fireball would become visibly weaker.

But now, the Fireball steadily passed the second ten-meter target. In the end, it even passed the third fifteen-meter target, only to collapse with a BOOM about one meter shy of the fourth twenty-meter target.

His maximum casting distance had leaped from ten meters to nineteen meters!

His Divine Sense extended from his body and directly enveloped the fourth target at twenty meters.

This twenty meters was a twenty-meter radius with him at the center!

’My Divine Sense... it’s doubled!’

It was quite obvious that such a doubling of his Divine Sense couldn’t be a change from his Fireball Skill’s breakthrough.

After all, the strength of his spirit was limited by his Cultivation, and there was no trace of it being influenced by the Fireball Skill.

’The most likely possibility... is that this is one of the changes brought about by the breakthrough in my Sword Technique.’

Clearly, the influence of that keen edge of the blade, rooted in his spirit, on his Essence, Qi, and Spirit was far greater than he had imagined.

After thinking for a moment, he didn’t linger. He walked out of the Magic Experiment Hall and paused for a moment at the entrance. That feeling of being watched descended upon him once again.

Chu Mu’s expression remained calm. Just like any other day, he wandered through the Marketplace, nonchalantly glancing at the shops along the street while also trying to discern the source of that prying gaze.

As his observation continued, the gloom in Chu Mu’s heart grew heavier.

He could clearly sense the gaze, and his surroundings were completely open, yet... he just couldn’t find its source.

This undoubtedly proved that the one watching him from the shadows either possessed some kind of secret spying technique or had a Cultivation far superior to his own.

Either way, it was obviously not good news for him.

It wasn’t until he returned to his room, closed the door, and the Restriction took effect that the feeling of being secretly watched disappeared again.

"Three months..."

Chu Mu frowned. According to his plan, he could stay in the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace for at most three more months before he had to begin his trip to the Fengming Mountain Black Market.

Otherwise, he would have to find another job to earn Spirit Stones.

This sudden, unseen observer had undoubtedly disrupted his plans.

Pacing back and forth in his room, Chu Mu pondered silently. But even if he racked his brains, there was one undeniable reality he couldn’t escape.

That was, with his current Cultivation and strength, there were many things he was powerless to do, even powerless to resist.

"I’ll just have to take it one step at a time!"

In the end, Chu Mu could only comfort himself this way.

If things really went south, he would just have to terminate his plan and tough it out in the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace for a while longer.

As long as he didn’t leave the Marketplace, his safety was guaranteed, and the hidden observer would be absolutely powerless against him.

Having made his decision, Chu Mu suppressed the heaviness in his heart. He sat on the edge of his bed, closed his eyes, and began to silently experience the keen edge of the blade rooted in his spirit.

In just a few hours, he had achieved breakthroughs in two Skills. The changes to his Fireball Skill were traceable and had been thoroughly figured out after a few hours of experimentation.

Only the effects on his Essence, Qi, and Spirit from the Sword Technique’s breakthrough to the Peak of Perfection remained somewhat mysterious and clearly required further, careful analysis.

For the next few days, Chu Mu holed up in his room without taking a single step outside, focusing intently on analyzing the changes to his Essence, Qi, and Spirit under the influence of his Sword Technique.

He recorded each piece of data in his experiment manual, creating a clear comparison with his previously recorded personal data. This gave Chu Mu a clear grasp of his own changes and strength.

It wasn’t until the sixth day that Chu Mu finally walked out of his room.

The expected gaze from the shadows was, this time, nowhere to be found.

Chu Mu didn’t pay it too much mind. His thoughts were clearly still engrossed in the analysis of the past few days. At a glance, he even seemed absent-minded.

The changes were huge, completely exceeding his expectations.

His Essence, Qi, and Spirit had all been affected by that keen edge of the blade.

His Divine Sense had gained a sharpness, and his Magical Power had also gained a measure of that same sharpness.

He could even clearly perceive that this sharpness was still continuously affecting his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

To use a clear analogy, that keen edge of the blade, after its sudden surge, was like a radiation source. And this radiation source, located upon his Divine Soul, was constantly emitting radiation, affecting his body and Divine Soul.

However, based on his analysis so far, this radiation was beneficial.

The quality of his Divine Sense increased, and it even gained a Divine Soul Attack ability. His Magical Power also became noticeably more condensed. As a result, the Attack power of his Magic grew much stronger.

Furthermore, that keen edge of the blade was clearly tempering his Divine Soul, Magical Power, and even his physical body at every moment, improving the quality of his Divine Soul and Magical Power bit by bit.

Although the effect of this tempering was very subtle—so much so that he would have found it hard to notice without several days of constant observation.

But over time, the cumulative effects of this tempering were bound to be extremely impressive.

For example, his current Divine Sense was already nearly double that of an ordinary Qi Cultivation First Layer Cultivator.

Under the tempering of the blade’s keen edge, his gaseous Magical Power had already condensed, being refined bit by bit into a misty state. Although the quantity hadn’t increased, the quality had already undergone a transformation.

In practical terms, this was reflected in the increase in his Fireball Skill’s power and the decrease in the Magical Power required to cast it.

As the tempering effect of the blade’s keen edge continued, this change would undoubtedly become more and more obvious in the future.

’What does this mean for me?’

’It means that within the same Cultivation Realm, I will have more abundant Magical Power and a stronger Divine Sense. Naturally, my Combat Power will also be greater.’

It also meant that when he faced the law of the jungle outside the Marketplace one day, he would have a greater guarantee of survival. If he encountered danger, he would have more confidence to face it.

All the changes he had analyzed were wonderful for him.

The only fly in the ointment was that he still didn’t know what had caused this change.

’Why... only the Sword Technique?’

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