I am grinding experience in another world-Chapter 682 - 670: Oversights

Half a month later, at the Sixteenth Alley of Demon Dispel, Xin Si Courtyard.

In a compartment with three walls enclosed and one side open.

A short and stout man in a brown short-sleeved outfit scrutinized Chen Mu up and down.

"New here?"

"Manager Wu, your keen eye never fails." Chen Mu respectfully cupped his fists.

"Spare me the bootlicking." Manager Wu's face remained impassive. "Skin and dismember it. You have an hour."

As he spoke, he tossed a two-meter-long Eagle-beaked White Jade Snake onto the stone table before Chen Mu.

Chen Mu cupped his fists again, grabbed the forearm-length slim blade by the table, and promptly got to work.

The Triple Yin Slaying Demon Technique activated silently, and a verdant green light enveloped the blade.

Splk.

It was as if the hot blade was cutting through solidified butter, as the protective energy enveloping the snake's body was instantly penetrated.

The slender blade entered the eagle beak, and with dexterous wrist movements, it made smooth, even progress beneath the snake's skin.

After a quarter-hour, Chen Mu set down the blade and used both hands to easily peel off the scale armor from the snake's head.

Standing nearby, Manager Wu raised an eyebrow, nodding in satisfaction.

The head structure of the White Jade Snake was the most intricate and error-prone. Once the head was handled, the rest would be relatively simple.

Sure enough, in less than another quarter-hour, Chen Mu had smoothly skinned the entire snake.

He then picked up the blade and began deftly removing the flesh from the crimson sinews of the exposed snake carcass.

Although he hadn't learned the precise butchering techniques for carving flesh, he had practiced a myriad of blade techniques for combat. In his early days of cultivation, he had trained in more than one Shape Cultivation Technique.

Using the Truth Listening Divine Power to map out the tendon and bone structure, his long blade navigated skillfully through the blood-red sinews. Within less than a quarter-hour, Chen Mu extracted a pure white snake skeleton.

"Not bad." Manager Wu's face broke into a slight smile.

"I'm short of someone to process White Jade Snakes. You're hired."

"Many thanks for taking me in, Manager Wu." Chen Mu's face lit up with joy as he cupped his fists.

Afterward, under Manager Wu's guidance, Chen Mu completed the registration process and received specialized tools along with onboarding procedures.

Half an hour later, he returned to the very compartment where he had undergone the assessment.

Around the courtyard, there were many similar compartments. In them, numerous people wearing leather aprons were busy skinning and dismembering animals.

Chen Mu glanced at the slightly grimy, greasy little room, then at the stone table stained with blotchy purple and black blood. He pursed his lips but nodded nonetheless.

"The working conditions aren't great, but it's sufficient for navigating the Thousand Mechanisms Sect."

With the Jade Cicada Secret Scripture in hand, he'd rather stay in his room and focus on cultivation. Unfortunately, the Thousand Mechanisms Sect wouldn't allow such luxury.

Once you sign the Daoist Soldier Contract, you're bound to serve the Thousand Mechanisms Sect.

If you didn't seek out work on your own, the sect would assign it to you forcibly.

To cultivate in peace, Chen Mu had paid special attention during the Demon Dispel Technique lectures.

The position at Xin Si Courtyard was carefully chosen through his Truth Listening Divine Power.

"Processing ten Eagle-beaked White Jade Snakes a day? With the Triple Yin Slaying Demon Technique, it won't even take me a quarter-hour."

"The remaining time can be wholly dedicated to reshaping the Jade Seed."

"As long as I make it look convincing enough to avoid suspicion from others."

...

From that point on, Chen Mu's life became routine once more.

Each morning, he would report to Xin Si Courtyard early.

If someone passed by, he would diligently work on processing the White Jade Snakes. If no one was watching, he'd slack off and focus on cultivation.

By evening, he'd finish work alongside the other butchers.

Skipping recreational activities within Heavenly Pass City, he returned directly to his residence to continue refining Primordial Qi for reshaping the Jade Seed.

Day by day passed, the golden patterns on the Jade Seed expanded continuously, and his experience with the Secret Scripture accumulated rapidly.

...

One day, Chen Mu sat on a high stool as usual, working on a White Jade Snake.

He leaned forward, holding the slender blade, his movements as delicate as embroidery. Focused entirely, he didn't even have time to wipe away the bead-sized sweat drops rolling down his forehead.

From a short distance away, Manager Wu observed with satisfaction, clasped his hands behind his back, and turned to leave.

Chen Mu's eyelids raised slightly, catching a glimpse of the stout figure disappearing around the corner, and he straightened up immediately.

A fine, thread-like green Qi Blade zipped into the Eagle-beaked White Jade Snake's mouth.

He grabbed the snake by the tail and gave a shake. With a slick sound, its sinew and muscle fell away effortlessly from the mouth. An entire sheet of intact snake skin was peeled off with ease.

With a thought, Chen Mu directed dozens of thumbnail-sized miniature Qi Blades to dance around the crimson sinews.

Within just a few breaths, he had easily extracted a spotless pure white snake skeleton.

"Never expected all that practice cutting meat for roasting would come in handy here. Not bad, not bad..." Chen Mu chuckled to himself.

With a wave, he swept the foul-smelling blood and flesh into a specially-designed odor-sealing wooden bucket by the table. Sweeping the area with his Truth Listening Divine Power to ensure no one was watching, he turned his focus inward toward the Jade Seed.

Expertly reversing the River Car Divine Acupoint, he generated nine streams of Primordial Qi.

Next, following the Jade Cicada Dao Foundation Map, he began reshaping the Jade Seed.

The nine streams of Primordial Qi burrowed into the Jade Seed's inner walls, causing the golden patterns on its surface to expand further.

Seeing the golden patterns gradually cover one-third of the Jade Seed's inner walls, Chen Mu felt immensely satisfied.

As he admired his progress, a torrent of insights suddenly emerged within his mind.

Chen Mu froze, then broke into a smirk.

The gray wall in his mind surfaced, and he looked at one of the panels.

Jade Cicada Secret Scripture: 2/10000/Second Rank;

"All that relentless effort day and night this past month hasn't been in vain." Chen Mu grinned as he carefully sorted through the newfound insights.

The more he read, the brighter the smile on his face grew.

He discovered the feedback from the gray wall bore subtle discrepancies with the Dao Foundation Map within the Jade Cicada Secret Scripture.

"Flawed but intentional omissions? So Meng Qingchan left traps after all." Chen Mu understood deeply.

Just like the first version of the Secret Technique given to him, the second version of the Secret Scripture was similarly missing many details.

"Trying to use these oversights to control me?"

"Heh!"

...

By evening.

Chen Mu hummed a tune, strolling leisurely back to Xin Si Courtyard.

At the entrance, however, he encountered a burly man nearly two meters tall.

Though robust and muscular, the man's face was pale, and his lips were bluish. He walked lightly, as if he'd collapse at any moment.

"Daoist Zhong?" Chen Mu greeted in surprise. "It's been a few days. Why do you look so unwell?"

The man's name was Zhong Qing, Chen Mu's neighbor, living in Room Seventeen of the East Wing Courtyard, right next door.

Having lived so close to each other, they had crossed paths before and exchanged names.

"Ah, Daoist Chen." Zhong Qing seemed to come to his senses, though his reaction was sluggish.

"Earning Daoist Cultivation points is truly grueling." He shook his head bitterly.

"Eating Fasting Pills, generating Sealing Demon Power, extracting mana five times a day, and it only amounts to three Daoist Cultivation points."

"I feel like I've become a living Magic Artifact."

The Heavenly Workshop squeezes so hard?

Good thing I didn't go there!

Chen Mu counted himself lucky.

"During the demon extermination campaign in Hai Province, didn't Daoist Zhong earn some Daoist Cultivation points?"

"Combined with over a month of accumulation, you must have at least five to six hundred Daoist Cultivation points."

"That's sufficient to hire an experienced Daoist Soldier for a month of hands-on tutoring."

"Many in our yard have already started learning. Why haven't you…" Chen Mu asked curiously as they walked.

Zhong Qing's face grew even more bitter at Chen Mu's words.

"I injured my leg during that time and only followed the Thousand Mechanism Sect Elders for half a month before I was forced back to the sect. I didn't manage to save much Daoist Cultivation at all!"

What a misfortune.

Chen Mu clicked his tongue in sympathy.

"Daoist Zhong, don't overstrain yourself. Rest when you need to recover," Chen Mu advised.

"Thank you, Daoist Chen, for your kind advice." Zhong Qing cupped his fists in gratitude. "I do plan to take a day off."

"Daoist Chen, you should take care of your health as well. If your Vital Energy gets damaged, it could greatly affect future cultivation."

With that, he excused himself and returned to his room.

Damaged Vital Energy, taking care of health?

Is he talking about me?

Chen Mu froze.

Even after he locked his door, activated the Silence Talisman, and sat on the low couch to begin his evening routine of cultivation, his mind was still puzzled.

Just as he was about to immerse himself in his practice, his peripheral vision unintentionally caught his reflection in the Jade Window.

Chen Mu was stunned.

Pale complexion, dark circles under the eyes… this… is this really me?

When did I start looking so haggard?!