I am grinding experience in another world

Flame Moving Division, Yi San Banner Camp.

Chen Mu was sitting cross-legged on a cushion, turning a palm-sized clay figurine over in his hands. @@novelbin@@

The figurine was a miniaturized version of a Red-eyed Water Ape, with four arms, protruding fanged teeth, and its eyes seemed to be embedded with two crystal-clear, blood-red jewels.

Whenever he looked into those blood-red eyes, a roar full of malice would abruptly emerge in his mind.

"Could this clay ghost soldier have been made from the corpse of a Red-eyed Water Ape?" Chen Mu couldn’t help scratching his head. "If that’s the case, then this is quite sinister."

He took out another humanoid clay figurine and examined it carefully, turning it over and over.

"Luckily, this is just an ordinary clay puppet; otherwise…" Chen Mu couldn’t suppress a shiver.

Both soldier figurines were from Hong Xiu.

The first was acquired from looting and was likely purchased in Antiquity City. The second ape soldier figurine came from the opponent’s Qi Bag, and he feared it had been recently obtained in exchange for military merits.

"No wonder Hai Character Camp is so fixated on Water Apes." He felt that his previous guess was correct; Hai Character Camp’s encampment here was for the purpose of hunting Water Apes.

Shaking his head, he put those thoughts aside and took out a bamboo tube about the length of his palm and as thick as a child’s wrist.

The bamboo tube also came from Hong Xiu’s Qi Bag, sealed with a wooden stopper and beeswax, completely green, with the words Netherworld Guide engraved in three simple characters in the middle.

He pulled out the stopper to find the liquid inside clear as water, with several thin threads floating and drifting, occasionally flashing a silvery light.

"All this time thinking about earning military merits to buy Secret Techniques, and yet the Secret Technique comes knocking on my door?" Chen Mu chuckled as he stared at the silvery threads inside the bamboo tube. "That Hong Xiu truly is a generous man."

This liquid, filled with silver threads, was called Soul-departing Soup, and it was similar to a Qi Cultivator’s inheritance Jade Slip.

Once consumed, one could obtain the genuine seed of a Secret Technique, and by continuously nourishing it with Yin Spirit Divine Power, one would gradually master the Secret Technique.

Chen Mu looked at the Water Ape soldier figurine and then at the lush bamboo tube, and could not help but crack a smile.

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"With both soldier figurines and Secret Techniques, that guy Hong Xiu indeed struck it rich by setting up a checkpoint."

"But now, all this will come cheaply to me, haha!"

...

Several days later.

By the side of an expansive blood-red river that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Chen Mu drove the Flame Wheel Vehicle close to the riverbank, pulled a Water Ape half-collapsed at the riverside that stood four meters tall out of the water, and tossed it onto the mound of corpses on the Flame Wheel Vehicle.

Ever since obtaining the Netherworld Guide Secret Technique, he had ceased all activity and had returned with Shi Dechun and the others to Yi San Banner.

On the surface, he seemed to be diligently transporting Water Apes, but in reality, he spent his days secretly cultivating.

Just like now, he pretended to search for bodies around him, while Yin Spirit Divine Power continuously poured into the palm of his right hand.

As his palm emitted a burning sensation, Chen Mu maintained an expressionless face and continued his practice.

At a certain moment, a drop of water about the size of a green bean suddenly emerged in front of him.

Chen Mu was overjoyed and quickly took out a small refined Jade Gourd he had prepared beforehand, capturing the drop of River of Oblivion Water.

"It finally succeeded!"

He looked down at the palm of his right hand, where a tangled mess of silvery threads, just like a ball of wool, was now blatantly imprinted in the center of his palm.

The silver thread pattern was the genuine seed of the Netherworld Guide Secret Technique, which appeared after consuming the Soul-departing Soup. But to truly cultivate the Secret Technique, it required continuous nourishment with Yin Spirit Divine Power.

He had been attempting this for several days, but every time he injected Divine Power, it was like pouring water into a tangled mess of hoses.

There was significant resistance, and it was difficult to achieve smooth flow, with nothing but a burning hand to show for it, making him wonder at times if he had drunk a fake serving of Soul-departing Soup.

Today’s success in condensing a drop of River of Oblivion Water meant he had finally crossed the threshold.

He looked again at the pattern on his palm.

Where once the dense mass of silver threads nearly completely covered his palm, the center now showed a sudden, clear, green bean-sized round spot. The silver threads that previously covered the area seemed to have melted into the skin, burrowing into the center of his palm.

With a thought, a gray wall appeared.

Netherworld Guide: 5/10000/First Rank;

"Indeed…"

"Next comes the familiar phase," Chen Mu said with a confident grin.

He didn’t rush to continue his training, but rather stood by the riverbank in a relaxed mood, enjoying the sight of this strange and massive river.

The water was as red as blood, and its width was so vast that the other side was not visible. Amidst the surging waves, bursts of river wind brought a faint fragrance that filled his nostrils, giving one a sense of refreshing clarity with just a sniff.

"Although it really does appear blood-red, naming it Blood River gives it a somewhat ferocious impression," Chen Mu chuckled as he critiqued. "If it were called Red River, Vermilion River, or Pill River, that would be much better."

"Hmm... it is said that the red-eyed water ape lives in the Blood River."

"So, the red-eyed water ape is... a red-eyed water monkey?"

"Heh..."

Chen Mu chuckled.

While his thoughts wandered, he suddenly felt his scalp tighten, and a burst of murderous aura assailed him, enveloping him as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

His heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly turned to look towards the source of the murderous aura.

On the river surface, far from the bank, a water ape appeared out of nowhere. Most of its body was submerged, leaving only its head above the water.

Unlike those huge beasts, the water ape was at most the size of a human. Its eyes were blood-red, filled with an ice-cold gaze. Just one look from it felt as if Chen Mu was frozen stiff.

He shivered violently and was about to immediately burrow into the ground, but after blinking, when he looked again, he found that the other party had vanished. It was as if it had been an illusion.

But Chen Mu knew for certain that it was not an illusion.

His good mood instantly evaporated, and he immediately distanced himself from the riverbank.

Outwardly, he pretended to continue searching for the water ape, but in reality, he began a new round of cultivation.

"After all, it is a battlefield, full of dangers everywhere."

"Indeed, I should take refuge in the camp as soon as possible."

…

At a certain riverbank.

Hong Xiu, Fei Yong, and Niu Chengzong gathered together, watching people passing through the checkpoint from a distance.

"It’s been several days without any movement; it seems that person has really stopped their activities," Niu Chengzong said with a look of disappointment.

"Not only did he not use his real name, but it’s likely he also changed his appearance; otherwise, we wouldn’t be unable to find a single clue."

"Leader Hu said he’s been tied up with urgent tasks recently, but I reckon he just doesn’t want to keep playing with us."

"If we want that guy to exert effort again, it’s going to be a different price," Niu Chengzong shook his head.

"Are we just going to let it go?" Fei Yong was not willing to give up.

Of course, they couldn’t just let it go!

Hong Xiu watched the distant crowd with an expressionless face and scrutinized them one by one with a cold eye.

What he had plundered in a month, he had mostly spent to smooth over the soldiers, the rest was exchanged for a Secret Technique and a Soldier Figurine Water Ape.

The result was that everything was stolen by that person, leaving months of hard work in vain; how could he possibly be content?

"That person is not weak, probably on the verge of mastering Divine Ghost Pattern."

"Plundering military merit is probably to learn secret techniques, so as to have Divine Skills to guard him after leaving the Flame Moving Division."

"So…" Fei Yong’s eyes lit up.

"So, we need to focus on those who have recently left the Flame Moving Division," Hong Xiu was full of confidence.

"As long as we get that list, we will eventually find that person."

"Even if we find him, what can we do about it?" Niu Chengzong spread his hands in helplessness.

"We can’t do anything now, but it doesn’t mean we can’t in the future," Hong Xiu said with a cold smile.

"We can’t deal with him, but that doesn’t mean others can’t."

"A gentleman is not too late for revenge, even after ten years, as long as we know who it is... Achoo!"

Just as they were contemplating how to get revenge, he suddenly felt a chill on his neck and sneezed.

Hong Xiu was baffled; he was already a Yin Spirit, could he still catch a cold?

Hmm... Could it be that guy planning to rob my path again?!

Hong Xiu suddenly tensed up.

Not far away, Chen Mu, looking regretful, withdrew his gaze from the trio of Hong Xiu and drove the Flame Wheel Vehicle further and further away.

You can’t just keep shearing a sheep for its wool, can you?

That would be so unscrupulous!

Hmm...

Wait for the wool to grow back before shearing again.