’I’ll just take it slow.’

Chu Mu shook his head to himself. Even with the Spiritual Radiance Blessing, he couldn’t expect to achieve everything overnight in just a few short months.

However, over the past few months, the progress in his Body Refining Cultivation had caused the bottleneck at the Peak of Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer to naturally dissipate.

His stagnant Cultivation broke through to the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer, all without the help of a single Elixir, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Meanwhile, bolstered by a steady supply of Elixirs, his Body Refining Cultivation had also smoothly advanced to the Body Refining Second Layer, a realm equivalent to the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation.

The changes from his Body Refining breakthrough were far more pronounced than those from his Qi Cultivation advancement, as they were directly reflected in his physical body.

Even though some time had passed since he broke through to the Body Refining Second Layer, Chu Mu still found it difficult to adapt to the sudden surge in his physical capabilities.

The most obvious change was that a Grain Avoidance Pill, which could previously sustain him for five days, now had its effects reduced by more than half.

A single, ordinary Grain Avoidance Pill could now sustain him for two days at most!

He felt a constant, brimming power, as if a single punch could bring down a mountain!

Although he knew it was just an illusion, such a staggering surge in physical power was truly intoxicating.

However, with his Body Refining Cultivation now lagging behind his Qi Cultivation, he had intentionally slowed his progress in the latter.

He stopped popping Vein Nourishing Pills like candy, hoping to maintain a relative balance and prevent the Erysipelas from becoming too complex.

After all, he wasn’t sure if other negative factors contributed to the formation of bottlenecks.

Until his Body Refining and Qi Cultivation were on par with each other, it was essential to remain cautious.

VMM...

The Sound Transmission Talisman tucked in his robes vibrated. Chu Mu pulled it out, and a slightly unfamiliar voice reached his ears.

After a moment of contemplation, Chu Mu glanced around the room, placed all his valuables into his Storage Bag, then pushed open the door and stepped out.

"Heading out, are we?"

Old Chen, who had just returned with his dung cart, stopped and asked with a chuckle.

Chu Mu nodded. As he subconsciously held his breath, he noticed something. His gaze shifted and locked onto the dung cart. "Old Chen," he said, raising an eyebrow, "when did you get a new setup?"

"Heh!"

Old Chen chuckled. "Just trying to be considerate of the neighbors. Saves me from stinking up the whole street every time I make my rounds..."

"Ha..."

Chu Mu smiled without saying a word.

’Knowing Old Chen, he’d never spend the money unless he absolutely had to.’

The man would rather get cursed out and beaten up than part with his coin; he’d shamelessly keep pushing that shabby old cart, stinking up the whole street with every collection.

If this line of work weren’t part of the city’s gray economy, Chu Mu had no doubt that a cheapskate like Old Chen wouldn’t have lasted three days on the job.

Though the work of a dung collector might seem demeaning, the pay was actually quite good.

The hours were especially flexible, with one round in the morning and one in the evening. He was responsible for about a hundred households, which at most took a little over half an hour.

There was more than enough time to take on a second job without any conflict!

As if seen through by Chu Mu’s knowing smile, Old Chen finally admitted sheepishly after a moment,

"I had no choice! A few of the other collectors stopped playing fair. I don’t know where they got them, but they bought some second-hand carts from the Marketplace."

"If I didn’t upgrade too, I’d lose all my customers."

Chu Mu shook his head with a smile and didn’t press the matter.

’Competition really does breed innovation,’ he thought.

They used to just slack off, stinking up the streets every time they collected filth. Now that there was some competition, they were all upgrading their equipment.

He had, of course, seen the dung carts from the Marketplace before. Even though they were just for hauling filth, they came with built-in dividers and purification Restrictions to prevent the odor from spreading everywhere.

"Alright, Old Chen, I’ll let you get to it. I have some things to take care of."

Chu Mu didn’t linger. With a wave of his hand, he headed off in the direction of the Marketplace.

A short while later, just outside the Marketplace, Chu Mu dropped his disguise and reverted to his true appearance.

After more than half a year, the name "Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace" no longer fit the reality.

Once, it was the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace, aptly named for being a market in the Jade Emperor Valley.

But now, the valley was gone.

The surrounding mountains had vanished, leveled by the immense power of Cultivators.

What was once a natural barrier of peaks had been transformed into towering city walls.

For miles in every direction, the land was flat and empty. The mountains were gone, and in their place, a single, colossal city stood where the peaks once were.

The so-called Jade Emperor Valley was now Jade Emperor City!

Even from several hundred meters away, it was difficult to make out the city’s true scale.

But based on the rumored statistics, one could begin to grasp the sheer magnificence of Jade Emperor City.

Eight li from east to west, and twelve li from north to south!

It had eight city gates and thirty-six Tier Three Giant Divine Cannons.

Legend had it that each Giant Divine Cannon was powered by Middle Grade Spirit Stones. A single blast consumed ten of them and could even threaten a Golden Core True Master.

Furthermore, the walls themselves were said to be constructed from Tier One Lower Grade Spirit Iron. Artifact Refiners had reportedly forged the materials on-site, inscribed them with Artifact Pattern Array Prohibitions, and raised the magnificent city that now stood before him.

It was no exaggeration to say the entire city was one massive Artifact Creation.

On top of that, the Marketplace’s original Tier Three Lower Grade array had supposedly been replaced with a Tier Three Upper Grade Defense Array.

’Why are they so determined to defend this place?’

The city was so majestic and imposing that words like "fortress" or "stronghold" hardly did it justice. But what Chu Mu couldn’t understand was why the Longevity Sect was so dead set on digging in here.

While Jade Emperor Valley possessed a Tier Three Spirit Vein, such a thing was hardly a rarity for a powerhouse like the Longevity Sect.

Furthermore, in terms of territory, the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace was a complete exclave for the Longevity Sect—an isolated outpost.

Anyone with half a brain could see that if open conflict ever broke out, an isolated territory like this would be the first to be targeted. It was painfully obvious.

To go to such lengths to fortify an exclave clearly showed they intended to defend it to the last man.

This defied all common sense.

And if something defied common sense, there had to be a hidden reason.

Lost in thought, Chu Mu silently made his way toward the city gate.

Regardless, the appearance of this fortress-like city seemed to prove one thing: the current situation in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World was not as peaceful as the Longevity Sect’s Imperial Gazette made it out to be.

The conflict between the Sects and the Clans, two powers that were once intertwined, had likely spilled out into the open.

’I just don’t know who will win in the end: the central powers crushing the vassals, or the vassals ’purging the court’ and seizing control...’

Entering the Marketplace was no different than before, except that the single humanoid Puppet at the gate had been replaced by two.

Atop the gate tower, he could even see disciples of the Longevity Sect on patrol.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, over here!"

Just as he stepped through the city gate, a voice called out from not far away.

Chu Mu turned to see a man in the conspicuous Magic Robe of the Longevity Sect.

It was the same Longevity Sect disciple he had met on the way to the Black Market. They had been caught in an unexpected disaster and, by a stroke of luck, had fought side by side.

Just as Chu Mu had expected, he had only needed to give his name for the man to track him down.

However, Chu Mu hadn’t lived at that address for a long time, so Sun Tao had found Xu Yuan, who then put them in touch.

And so, they had reconnected.

Chu Mu wasn’t particularly concerned with networking, but this Fellow Daoist Sun was far more enthusiastic.

After several contacts and some back-and-forth, they had become quite familiar with one another.

...