I am grinding experience in another world-Chapter 688 - 676: Heavenly Craft Camp

Three days later.

Chen Mu arrived at Demon Dispel Alley with a pale face.

"You didn't spend the past three days sleeping at the Magnolia Stockade in the city's south, did you?" Manager Wu's eyes widened.

"Those ladies there practice the 'Desire Heaven Longevity Technique.' Being able to last three days there without dying—Brother, you're something else!" He looked at Chen Mu with both amazement and admiration written all over his face.

I wish I could.

But I'd need the strength to pull that off first.

Chen Mu tugged the corners of his mouth into a polite smile, cupped his hands as a gesture of respect, and then slipped to the edge of the crowd, squinting as he rested his mind.

Jade Cicada Secret Scripture: 115/10000/Fourth Rank;

"Not easy at all."

Staring at the experience value displayed on the gray wall in front of him, he let out an inward sigh of relief.

Finally, after three sleepless days and nights, he had managed to push the Jade Cicada Secret Scripture to the fourth level.

Inside the Jade Seed, the originally semi-transparent white jade inner wall was now covered with exquisite, mysterious golden patterns.

His Vital Energy flowed steadily and harmoniously. Unless Lv Yue probed him up close, his cultivation of the Jade Cicada Secret Scripture would remain undetected.

"But my Heavenly Demon Body has taken a hit." Chen Mu directed his inner focus toward the secret acupoint in the center of his eyebrows.

In order to ensure he had sufficient Vital Energy for cultivation, he had used the Soul Capturing Return to Origin Technique to extract Vital Energy from his Heavenly Demon Body, diverting it to his main body to nourish and reinforce his foundation.

Three days of consecutive extraction had left the Divine Fetus pearl within the secret acupoint looking somewhat dull and grayish.

Even so, his main body still could not completely escape Vital Energy deficiency.

"It'll need some proper time to recover."

Thankfully, his core essence wasn't damaged. With enough Replenishing Origin Soup and Nourishing Spirit Wine, he reckoned he'd be back in shape within ten to fifteen days.

By then, he'd also extract Yin Spirit Divine Power from Ghosts to refine into frosty white mist, nourishing his Heavenly Demon Body. The Divine Fetus pearl would soon regain its brightness and luster.

"Hmm, I'll have to trouble the Inheriting Heaven Gourd a bit more."

...

The Heavenly Pass Star was the foremost among the Heavenly Gate Eighteen Stars.

The main city, Heavenly Pass City, was already massive. Surrounding it were seven or eight satellite Guard Cities, their Daoist Soldier numbers beyond measure.

This time, a significant number of Daoist Soldiers had been mobilized. Chen Mu originally thought there would be overwhelming chaos as a result.

But after observing for a while, he realized that the entirety of Heavenly Pass City was surprisingly well-organized.

The departure times and routes for people were meticulously planned, as though an invisible hand was orchestrating everything.

"It's Jiao Mu Star Lord," the murmurs within the crowd continued.

"As long as the stars are undestroyed, the Star Lords are undying, their lifespan near infinite—they're practically divine spirits born of the cosmos."

"Tsk tsk, I've heard that even the daylight and night cycles of our Heavenly Pass Star are but manifestations of the Star Lord's Divine Skills."

"But their rise and fall are tied to the stars. Ultimately, their potential is capped."

"Don't boast carelessly. The limits of a Star Lord are an unattainable height for nearly all Qi Cultivators in a lifetime."

"True that..."

Chen Mu blended into the crowd, squinting his eyes as he listened with great interest.

His curiosity about this Jiao Mu Star Lord was immense.

A Star Spirit—rarer still than monsters becoming spirits. What on earth would it look like?

As he listened to the chatter, time passed quickly. Before long, the Yellow Jade Identity Token dangling from Chen Mu's waist gave a faint tremble. A set of departure routes and times appeared in his mind out of nowhere.

"Not only does it record Daoist Cultivation and verify identity, but now it even lets me receive information from a Star Lord. Impressive!" Chen Mu toyed with the Yellow Jade Token, intrigued. Following its guidance, he stepped away from the Xinsi Courtyard and slowly made his way toward Heavenly Market Street with the crowd.

From a high vantage, countless Daoist Soldiers could be seen moving through the streets and alleys.

Each of them wore close-fitting combat attire, armed with blades or swords. Their pouches bulged at their waists, filled with Mustard Seed Talismans.

Like streams converging into a river, they moved in an orderly manner onto Heavenly Market Street, eventually lining up to pass through the White Jade Heavenly Gate at the end of the street.

Chen Mu followed in no hurry, crossing through the White Jade Heavenly Gate. A chill swept over him, and the scenery shifted in an instant. Within a single breath, he had left Heavenly Pass City, now standing within a sprawling military camp.

The camp was stationed upon a hillside. Gazing into the distance, he saw an endless forest stretching far beyond the horizon.

Looking upward, an unimaginably massive star hung suspended like a moon within arm's reach, dominating the sky.

In just the blink of an eye, Chen Mu had already arrived at some faraway border star.

The Heavenly Craft Camp on Border Star had prepared well for the arrival of Chen Mu and the other Daoist Soldiers—everything from food and lodging was promptly sorted out.

Then… then Chen Mu was immediately handed a basket of Eagle-beaked White Jade Snakes and, with barely a moment to catch his breath, was dragged off straight to work.

...

Two days later, Chen Mu appeared at the westernmost side of the camp, his face pale.

Following the information contained within his Yellow Jade Token, he located a jade-green, one-person-tall snail shell—the accommodation allocated to him by the camp.

Without putting much thought into it, he glanced briefly at his equally exhausted companions nearby, then mimicked their actions, pushing open the round door panel on the snail shell and stepping inside.

Immediately, an interior space far exceeding the shell's external dimensions, roughly the size of two bedrooms, came into view.

"The Thousand Miles Domicile Technique?" Chen Mu noted the white jade-like patterns on the snail shell's inner walls and nodded.

"Looks like I'm really cultivating a dojo inside a snail shell now." Chen Mu couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Pulling out a clean bedding set, he spread it out on the wooden bed. Then, after taking a long swig of Nourishing Spirit Wine from his gourd, Chen Mu collapsed into bed and fell asleep immediately.

The past two days of processing Eagle-beaked White Jade Snakes nonstop weren't physically taxing. However, he truly felt worn out.

The relentless three days spent grinding the Jade Cicada Secret Scripture without rest, on top of insufficient sleep, had left his Vital Energy severely depleted and his entire being listless.

At this moment, with some stability restored, he had no desire to do anything but bury himself in sleep.

...

Several days later, in the afternoon.

At the Heavenly Craft Camp on Border Star, Chen Mu returned to his snail shell from the Demon Dispel Department as usual.

Over the span of a few days, he had become mostly accustomed to this new life on Border Star.

Every morning, he worked at the Demon Dispel Department. In the evening, he returned to his snail shell home. Apart from a change in his workplace, there was little difference from his time in Heavenly Pass City.

"According to the camp's rumors, it seems Lv Yue is indeed no longer on Border Star."

"Not even a single Black Armor Warrior under his command has been left—they've all gone to Heavenly Gate Star."

"That's a good thing." Chen Mu rubbed his slightly throbbing temples, taking a sip of Nourishing Spirit Wine.

"The demons on Border Star have largely been expelled. What remains are minor creatures like Eagle-beaked White Jade Snakes; safety is essentially guaranteed."

He had feared two things: Lv Yue discovering his cultivation of the Jade Cicada Secret Scripture, and the chaos and peril of rampant demons.

Now that these two threats had essentially disappeared, Chen Mu could finally set his mind at ease.

"It's just a different environment. Once my body recovers, it won't delay the remolding of the Jade Seed one bit."

At this point, he was finally able to genuinely relax, allowing himself to observe his accommodations with some interest.

"I heard these Green Jade Snails are exotic creatures bred by the Thousand Mechanisms Sect, possessing some innate mystical abilities to compress spatial dimensions."

"With a bit of refinement, they make excellent living quarters."

"When I have free time, maybe I'll take a closer look at the talismans on the walls. It might even help improve my Mustard Seed Spell." Chen Mu chuckled as he surveyed the room.

Back in Yunzhou's Goose Sheep Path, he had been involved in crafting the Water Avoiding Shuttle, which had greatly boosted his proficiency with the Mustard Seed Spell. However, his progress had stalled after that.

"Of course, the most important thing is continuing to remold the Jade Seed."

Chen Mu raised his right index finger in front of his eyes. A flicker of golden light appeared in the depths of his gaze, and a needle-sized speck of golden stardust materialized at his fingertip.

This was none other than the Primordial Qi unique to the Jade Cicada Dao Foundation.

"Candle Dragon Transformation, Five Thunders Spell, Heavenly Demon Armor—each of these secret techniques has its own remarkable qualities, all modeled after Divine Demon Qi."

"As powerful as they are, they remain just techniques. Their essence differs, and their ceilings are fixed."

"But this speck of stardust is uniquely mine, encapsulating my true Spirit."

"Though it's weak now, its future potential is limitless." A broad smile spread across Chen Mu's face.

The past three days of frenzied cultivation, which had pushed his Vital Energy to its limits, seemed in retrospect like a futile battle of wits against thin air—Lv Yue wasn't even stationed on Border Star. It felt as if he had been wrestling with ghosts for nothing.

Yet as he gazed at the golden Primordial Qi before him, Chen Mu felt it had all been worth it.

The emergence of the Primordial Qi signified that the foundation of his being had launched into its initial stage of transformation and reconstruction.

With the enhancement of his life essence, his Mana had become more agile and spiritual. Even his Truth Listening Divine Power had received a boost.

With a mere thought, all sounds within a thirty-mile radius entered his ears.

"The passive range has expanded from twenty miles to thirty, and I can hear more clearly and deeply as well."

"Sure enough, the Dao Foundation is the root of everything."

"When the essence improves, supernatural abilities naturally follow suit."

"And this is only the third level of the Jade Cicada Secret Scripture. If I go even further…"

Chen Mu stared at the golden speck on his fingertip, his face radiant with anticipation. "I need to recover my Vital Energy as soon as possible."

If not for his physical limitations, he would have jumped into cultivation right then and there.