I am grinding experience in another world

"Chen Mu, seven years ago, you had mastered the Primordial Talisman having discerned the falsehoods and could refine the Grain Avoidance Pill..." said a burly man with a full beard carelessly, as he channeled his mana into a palm-sized, pale yellow jade token that was flat on the top and round on the bottom.

Before long, the burly man handed the jade pendant to Chen Mu. "Check if the information recorded inside is correct. If there's no issue, from today onwards, you can consider yourself a member of the Hundred Illusion Sect."

Chen Mu respectfully received the jade token and began to pretend to check it.

Having decided to join the Hundred Illusion Sect, he had no more hesitations; he had gotten up early in the morning and rushed to the Hundred Illusion Pavilion to enroll.

"Tell me, why didn't you go to the Taoshan Temple?" the burly man asked with an amused stare.

"My family has passed down the butcher's craft; I enjoy this skill!" Chen Mu stated seriously.

"Nonsense! I see it's clearly fear of death, and all these detours," the burly man flatly remarked with a curl of his lip.

Chen Mu put away the jade token and smilingly said, "I just think that those Taoist priests are not reliable. If demons were that easy to kill, the Thousand Mechanisms Sect wouldn't have a continuous need for Daoist Soldiers year after year."

"Smart man..." the burly man pointed at Chen Mu, his face a picture of smiles.

"The Immortal Ape Treasure Scroll Condensing Aperture Skill of the Taoshan Temple is indeed marvelous. After achieving the River Chariot Perfection, reversing the process yields three strands of Primordial Qi each time."

"But our Hundred Illusion Sect's Spiritual Fox Secret Scripture Condensing Method is not simple either, although it only produces one strand of Primordial Qi each time, our recovery is quick!"

"It takes them three days to recover their mana, but we only need one day to fully replenish ours. Not only can we continuously generate Primordial Qi, but we can also restore our mana in time to cope with various dangers."

"Compared to them, our Spiritual Fox Secret Scripture is more flexible and versatile," the burly man said with pride.

Yes, yes, you're right, I have no objections...

Chen Mu nodded along vacantly to the burly man, though he felt an absurd sense of déjà vu, as if they were chickens pecking at each other.

Before the Netherworld Grand Summary, neither of their secret techniques seemed particularly impressive.

He only knew of the robust mana of the Netherworld Grand Summary before, but its advantages only truly emerged after mastering the River Chariot.

Had it not been for Old Ghost Sun acquiring the Netherworld Grand Summary, he wouldn't have been able to obtain this scripture from Sun Jian's descendants.

Thanks again to that tough buddy, Sun Jian.

...

As evening approached, in Chao Feng Alley.

Chen Mu stood in the middle of the courtyard, surveying the small yard.

To the left was a grape arbor and pavilion, to the right, a water well and vegetable garden, entirely ordinary. There were even some corners where he felt a strange sense of novelty. Yet, he had lived here for over half a year and had even safely transcended the Fourth Level of Qi Cultivation.

"It has indeed been a rare period of tranquility over the past half a year," Chen Mu sighed as he looked around the yard.

Over more than ten years of cultivation, he had moved from place to place. Yet, whenever he arrived in a new location, he would soon encounter various upheavals and dangers.

"It's not my bad luck; it's just that the world is too unpredictable."

"I would like to cultivate in peace, but who can fully control external changes?" Chen Mu shook his head and sighed.

He had already arranged with that burly man named Lu Han from the Hundred Illusion Pavilion. In four days' time, he would follow him to the mountain gate of the Hundred Illusion Sect.

About to leave this familiar yet foreign little courtyard, a tangle of reluctance filled his heart.

"Places as peaceful as the Dingyou Water Mansion are rare these days..."

While he was sentimentally surveying various parts of the courtyard, a sudden drowsiness surged in his mind. An overwhelming wave of sleepiness attacked, and Chen Mu felt as though lead had been poured into his eyelids.

This feeling... It felt as if his spiritual deity was under a nightmare attack.

Could someone have done to me what I have done to others by sticking a Nightmare Victory Spell effigy?

This is bad!

By now, Chen Mu knew that he had fallen into someone else's scheme.

These locals are truly impolite!

And I had just praised this place for its simplicity.

Damn, I praised too soon!

Before he could gather his thoughts, Chen Mu blacked out and fell flat on the ground with a thump.

A breeze created by the Water Mansion Breathing Technique restriction swept through, and the whole courtyard lay eerily silent.

An hour, an hour, half a day... time kept passing, the sky brightened then darkened.

Twelve hours later, Jiao Shi, dressed in white clothes embroidered with golden threads, suddenly appeared in the courtyard.

Looking at Chen Mu, who lay unmoving on the ground, Jiao Shi was solemn as he pulled out a human-head-sized yellow clay pot.

Mana flowed in, and a large black "plague" character slowly emerged in the middle of the round belly of the clay pot.

An invisible force spread out, and accompanied by a breeze, some sort of invisible dust particles slowly entered the yellow clay pot.

After a full half hour, as the character on the pot turned black as ink, as if about to flow out, he finally ceased his mana infusion.

Then he hastily pulled out a dry yellow oiled paper, covered in bright red patterns, to cover the pot. After making sure the pot was completely sealed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, turning his gaze to the ground.

"To put you down, I even had to use the immature Yellow Millet Plague Poison..."

Jiao Shi immediately pulled out the amber-colored Seeking Spirit Pearl and recited a long and convoluted incantation from his lips.

Buzz!

A faint sound, resembling the flutter of a mosquito's wings, flashed within the Spirit Mechanism Pearl.

"The Dragon Ball's Spirit Mechanism indeed isn't completely refined!"

"It's fitting that I obtain this opportunity! Haha!"

Jiao Shi burst into joyous laughter.

He tapped his toes and flipped Chen Mu, who was laying on the ground, over. Following the vibrations of the Seeking Spirit Pearl, he raised his hand, preparing to press the pearl against Chen Mu's forehead.

Slap!

A hand shrouded in black smoke suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Jiao Shi shifted his gaze and immediately met Chen Mu's cold and chilling eyes.

He was instantly drenched in a cold sweat by this unexpected turn of events.

"I say it's a misunderstanding, do you believe me?" Jiao Shi tugged at the corner of his mouth, forcing an ugly smile.

"After I kill you, I'll believe anything you say," Chen Mu responded, his smile sinister.

Bang!

The air roiled, and dust filled the small courtyard.

Jiao Shi had already broken free from Chen Mu's grasp and retreated to the door.

He looked at Chen Mu from a distance, regaining his composure.

"If you had just lain there quietly, letting me extract the Dragon Ball Spirit Mechanism, how nice that would have been."

"I would have been pleased and maybe even put in some effort to turn you into a Yan Master Spirit Puppet, allowing you to continue living in the human world."

"Now..."

Flexing his neck slowly like he was stretching, Jiao Shi's mouth, which was slightly open, was suddenly filled with rapidly growing sharp teeth.

His eyes, clear black and white, instantly transformed into vertical pupils of purple and blue, resembling a ferocious beast on the hunt, spreading a chilling malice throughout the courtyard.

Chen Mu felt a shiver in his heart, and goosebumps instantly covered his arms.

He stared emotionlessly at Jiao Shi, his tone flat: "Where is Qiu Jinwu?"

"Ah yes, Qiu Jinwu," Jiao Shi's smile cracked wider, stretching to his ears, his face growing increasingly sinister and fierce.

"That old fool is arrogant but actually just a fool who thinks too highly of himself. With a little trick, I fooled him completely."

"He thought he could control me with a Daoist Soldier Contract, expecting me to seriously help him find the Spirit Mechanism."

"That contract was drafted by us. Naturally, we followed our own interpretation. Just a slight alteration of the text, and I had him going around in circles!"

"That Spirit Mechanism Pearl is right here, but he's been wasting over a month nearby in Bixi Alley, unable to ever discover it from the beginning. He had mistaken the place entirely!"

"Ha ha!"

A rough roar-like laughter erupted from Jiao Shi's mouth, the skin on his fingers sprouting fine scales, nails growing rapidly and sharpening. In just a few words, his hands had become like dragon claws!

Chen Mu suddenly became more alert, his hair nearly standing on end.

It was not only the shocking transformation of Jiao Shi's body that alarmed him, but also the content of his words.

He had not expected that, over the past month, Qiu Jinwu had been so close to him!

Too dangerous, exceedingly dangerous!

Had he not secluded himself at home for cultivation, he might already have been discovered!

Looking up again at the bright yellow sphere in Jiao Shi's grasp, Chen Mu narrowed his eyes.

Neither the pearl nor the man could be allowed to leave!

"What are you looking at, the Seeking Spirit Pearl?" Jiao Shi teased with a full face of mockery.

"Why don't you come closer? I'll let you have a better look!"

"No, I prefer to snatch it and see for myself!" Chen Mu revealed a playful smile.

"So much talk and still no action, what are you waiting for?" He said smilingly, "You've reached Transcending Tribulation Perfection, transforming your body is just a mere trick, why should it take so long?"

"I'm setting up the Absolute Breath Method Ban to mask my presence. You, you wouldn't be waiting for reinforcements, would you?" Chen Mu continued cheerfully.

"Relying on your dispersed aura to attract the Water Mansion Warriors?"

"That might be rather difficult to achieve," Chen Mu grinned, revealing a chilling smile.

Five Dragon Dharma Body!

Roar!

Five heads, each as high as two or three floors and as black as cast iron, suddenly appeared in mid-air.

Jiao Shi felt a sudden tightness throughout his body, an immense pressure descending, pinning him in place, rendering him immobile.