I am grinding experience in another world

On the following evening.

In front of the barracks cabin, Chen Mu was imparting the Three Yin Phosphorus Fire Curse to a tall and robust Yin Spirit. The Yin Spirits within Thousand Lanterns City had completed their transmission the previous night, but Hong Xiu, Shi Dechun, and over a hundred other Yin Spirits who had left with him still awaited their turn.

While waiting, he habitually pulled up the grey wall to check.

Netherworld Guide: 5390/10000; Fifth Rank;

Jade Gate Curse: 1351/10000; Fourth Rank;

These were the two secret techniques he was training in his Heavenly Demon True Body that had yet to reach their limit.

The fourth-rank Jade Gate Curse made his perception of the Ghost Gate increasingly clear. With the lessons learned from the past, he dared not recklessly establish connections. However, insights from the grey wall’s feedback were extremely beneficial to him.

At this point, except for the secret curse set up personally by the lord of Antiquity City, the Ghost Gate had nearly no secrets from him.

According to the information display, the Ghost Gate had countless layers of the Netherworld Ferry secret technique, which could better gather Yin Spirit Divine Power, more quickly draw the River of Oblivion, more accurately pinpoint landing spots, and resist the pressure of the void to safeguard its user.

Especially for the likes of Teleportation between realms, such as cross-void travel to Nether Demon Heaven, the Ghost Gate was particularly necessary.

"So, when Shen Yan scared me with how dangerous the Netherworld Ferry was, he wasn’t entirely lying, but he did exaggerate a bit and left out some details? This old ghost knows the art of words," Chen Mu chuckled as he shrugged his shoulders.

He looked at the Netherworld Guide column again.

This secret technique could summon the water of the River of Oblivion and the Nine Nether Green Flames.

According to the legends of the Netherworld, the River of Oblivion had nine layers, and the Nine Serenities Abyss also had nine levels. Each layer deeper was met with increased peril.

Externally, this was reflected by the River of Oblivion Water becoming more corrosive and the Nine Nether Green Flames’ burning capability growing stronger. It was said that, in the deeper parts, they could even corrode and burn intangible Primordial Spirits.

The River of Oblivion Water and Nine Nether Green Flames he could summon now could only burn tangible objects, but if he was to increase his level by a few more ranks, he might witness their power to corrode and burn intangible Primordial Spirits.

"What a great secret technique!"

Unfortunately, this technique also shared a common characteristic of Netherworld series secret techniques: it was easy to learn but hard to master. Despite having worked on it for eight to nine months, he still had not attained the Fifth Level.

"Luckily, I am diligent enough."

"Relying on the grey wall? Ha! That’s nothing!"

As he was contemplating whether to improve the Jade Gate Curse or to focus on the Netherworld Guide first, a gaunt figure appeared in front of the cabin.

"You’re really after my Military Merit, aren’t you?" Chen Mu said, laughing as he looked at the bark basket Jia Zhang was carrying.

"Or maybe, should I take it away?" Jia Zhang teased with a smile.

Heh! This old man.

He knew I had a taste for delicious food.

Chen Mu shook his head, smiling ruefully.

Jia Zhang chuckled as he approached, pulling out something resembling an oversized carrot from the basket... a living creature?

Chen Mu’s brows furrowed slightly.

At first glance, it truly resembled a plant like a carrot, but the arm-length, orange-red, swollen tuber was twisting and writhing like an animal. As Chen Mu drew even slightly closer, he smelled a refreshing fragrance that instantly made his mouth water uncontrollably.

"This is something good!"

Jia Zhang let out a sly chuckle: "I’ve found a bit of a novelty, and I don’t even know what it’s called. It looks like a carrot, but it tastes like tender meat. Everyone who has tried it says it tastes great and can boost vitality and energy. Look…"

"The military merit is all yours," Chen Mu nodded in approval, admiringly taking the bark basket. "You really have a knack for finding food."

"Thanks, Commander," Jia Zhang grinned. "It’s just that I have a sensitive nose, that’s all."

Chen Mu suddenly realized.

He understood that the innate talent probably had something to do with the sense of smell.

Wait, that’s not right. Wasn’t it said that this old guy’s divine skills are focused on hiding and concealing himself?

Chen Mu glanced at Jia Zhang’s dry and lean face that did not show any abnormalities.

Tsk!

He’s probably an old silver coin who’s deeply versed in the ways of staying under the radar.

...

The night grew deeper.

Chen Mu called over Hong Xiu and Shi Dechun to taste the new ingredients together.

On the edge of the Hai Character Camp, Jia Zhang greeted everyone with ease, and slowly headed back to his own quarters.

At this time, his room was deserted, his Yin Spirit auxiliaries all off playing games. After tidying up his bed, he stood by the wooden hut’s window.

"So crafty, inviting Hong Xiu and Shi Dechun to taste test the dishes? Are you worried that I would poison them?" he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, his expression changed, a flash of blood appeared in his pupils, as if he became someone else: "Just two extra pre-dinner desserts, what a pleasant surprise."

"Are you planning to devour Shi Dechun as well?" Jia Zhang’s pupils returned to black, his face changing again, his brow deeply furrowed.

"What, you can’t bear to see an old friend in trouble?" Jia Zhang’s brow was still furrowed, but the corners of his mouth stretched towards his ears in a sinister smile. His left eye remained pitch black, while his right eye was blood-red, filled with a playful gaze.

"Now that you are stained with Blood Cloud, strictly speaking, you’re considered a member of the Nether Demons. You see him as a friend, but he’ll only see you as prey," Niu Sanmiao, who was possessing Jia Zhang, teased. "Despite this, do you still want to let him off the hook?"

Jia Zhang’s face, however, was stern: "No, I was just wondering, since there are two desserts, could I have one too?"

Niu Sanmiao: "..."

Jia Zhang chuckled dryly: "You always say that if we prepare them according to the recipe you provided, they will purify and enrich the blood, making it more delicious and sweet to devour."

With that, he swallowed hard, his pitch-black left eye filled with greed: "I want to give it a try too!"

Niu Sanmiao: "..."

Should I say I have astute judgment, or is it incredible luck?

This old guy hasn’t fully transformed into an offspring of the Blood God yet, but he’s already thinking about devouring the vitality of others.

With his nature, not becoming an offspring of the Blood God would damn well be a waste of talent!

Just as he was about to tease him, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed an expressionless head eerily appearing in the corner by the window!

At this moment, the visitor was staring intently at him with probing eyes!

Niu Sanmiao shuddered all over, nearly scared out of his true form!

Jia Zhang also broke out in a cold sweat, his voice trembling as he saw the head by the window: "Comm… Commander, what are you…"

"Ah, I came out for a walk after a good meal," Chen Mu straightened up, standing up from beside the window.

Jia Zhang’s face twitched.

You go for a walk, you go for a walk, but squatting under my window, what’s the meaning of that?!

"Did I scare you?" Chen Mu went around to the door, full of apologies, "This paper pasted window that opens upwards just has too small of a crack, I’d have to squat down to peek inside."

"Suddenly having a head pop up by the window in the middle of the night is indeed quite scary, sorry about that," Chen Mu scratched his head, sincerely apologizing with a look of earnest regret.

Seeing Jia Zhang still unsettled, Chen Mu felt quite uncomfortable.

After eating the newly summoned Nether Demons’ version of a carrot from the other party, feeling his blood and Qi becoming more and more full, the suggestion from Shen Yan about turning him into one of his own people came to mind again.

It’s just the Three Yin Phosphorus Fire Curse, over three thousand people have been taught it, one more wouldn’t make a difference.

Thinking like this, he unconsciously made his way to the other party’s barracks.

He just wanted to peek into the room from the window to see if it was suitable for a visit, but he hadn’t expected to mistakenly scare someone.

Seeing Jia Zhang still with a look of lingering fear, Chen Mu couldn’t help but sigh.

"Forget it, it’s just a few bites of food, at the worst I’ll just hone my cooking skills more, once my experience goes up, I can find ingredients myself."

Already somewhat hesitant, Chen Mu immediately shook his head and gave up, he chuckled and waved his hand, "You go rest, I’ll go check other places."

Jia Zhang bowed slightly with his hands clasped, watching Chen Mu’s figure disappear into the night, only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, but inside he couldn’t stop fretting.

"He didn’t hear anything, right?" Jia Zhang asked worriedly.

"Hard to say," Niu Sanmiao was uncertain.

"Looking at his expression, it didn’t seem like he found out anything, so we should be fine," Jia Zhang carefully recalled Chen Mu’s expression.

"The more you say that, the more worried I get," Niu Sanmiao said with anxiety, "I’ve known him since he climbed out from the River of Oblivion, he’s best at pretending, keeping a low profile on the surface without making any noise, but he’s always up to small tricks behind the scenes."

"Should we strike first to gain the upper hand?" Jia Zhang asked with a grim face.

Niu Sanmiao couldn’t help but sigh, "There are still several kinds of food that can regulate blood and Qi that we haven’t fed him yet, the flavor of the blood and Qi is ultimately lacking somewhat, if we could..."

Before he could finish, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the expressionless head quietly re-emerge in the corner by the window.

Jia Zhang: "..."

Niu Sanmiao: "..."

Are you freaking sick?!

Jia Zhang’s whole body uncontrollably shivered, his heart almost leaped out of his chest from the shock!

Chen Mu straightened up and left the window to stand at the door, full of apologies, "Did I scare you again? I’m so sorry."

"I was thinking it over and over, and I feel it’s better to make you one of my own."

"We’ve had so much contact, you’re talented and someone’s bound to take notice. If someone wanted to Soul Search and take control of your spirit to check your loyalty, it would be difficult to ensure that they wouldn’t find out my secrets from your memories."

"It’s different when you’re one of my own."

"The Spiritual Seed’s ability to confuse others outwardly is poor, but its skill at weaving fake memories inwardly is quite significant, it can protect your memories as well as guard my secrets."

"Moreover, once you’re one of my own, I can give you the Divine Secret Skills, then you wouldn’t have to toil for military merit anymore, you just need to focus on finding ingredients for me, it’s a good deal!" Chen Mu earnestly pitched himself with a sincere face.

What is he going on about, all this nonsense!

Did he recognize my True Form and is deliberately spouting gibberish?

Jia Zhang’s face alternated between shades of doubt and alarm, glaring intensely at Chen Mu: "What game are you really playing here!"

Chen Mu’s face showed an increasingly apologetic expression.

"Look at how scared the old man is, just listening to his tone of dissatisfaction, you know how angry he must be, he was always the most courteous before."

Chen Mu waved his hands again and again to appease him, "No rush, no rush..."

Yama Emperor’s Command!

An invisible ripple spread out, and Chen Mu happily extended his right index finger, on which a sparkling Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed floated uncertainly.

"Come on, eat this, and you will understand everything."

Jia Zhang’s brow furrowed tightly.

But Chen Mu looked at him with a face full of hope.

One breath, two breaths... seven or eight breaths, a good while passed, and both of them stood like statues, still facing each other in silence.

In the air, a somewhat awkward atmosphere slowly arose.

Chen Mu came to his senses, and immediately slapped his forehead, "My mistake, my mistake, I’m out of practice, truly out of practice."

It had been more than half a year since he last planted a Spiritual Seed, and he had almost forgotten the procedure. The Yama Emperor’s Command could control the bodies of Yin Spirits, but it couldn’t issue orders through language. He had to manipulate their bodies like puppeteers directly.

Before Chen Mu could act again, Jia Zhang laughed, "That was quite a convincing performance."

At this moment, his eyes were completely blood red, his consciousness thoroughly occupied by Niu Sanmiao, "Indeed, you’re still so good at pretending."

"Even though you’ve already recognized me, you still put on an act in front of me. Do you think I’m going to be fooled by you like in the past?"

"Hmph!"

Niu Sanmiao twisted his neck, which cracked ominously, and his form silently grew by a third. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a withered and short old man into a muscular giant over two meters tall.

"You disappeared without a trace from Hai Character Camp, and I guessed you might not be dead, so I possessed Jia Zhang and hid within Yi San Banner."

"But then, when the camp collapsed and you still didn’t show up, I thought I’d never have the chance to kill you for reaching an understanding. I didn’t expect to find you in You Character Camp, and not only that, but you’d also grown hair and cultivated Yin Soldiers!"

"It’s such great news!"

"Now that I just eat you, I can not only achieve smooth communication but also increase my strength!" Niu Sanmiao laughed heartily.

"So you’ve been plotting since Hai Character Camp?" Chen Mu’s smiling face had already tightened, his eyes filled with coldness, "You really are patient."

Discover more content at NovelBin.Côm

Pride flickered across Niu Sanmiao’s face, and then he shook his head regretfully, "It’s a pity you discovered it before it reached the moment I’d hoped for."

"I should have known, with your cleverness, how could you possibly not notice Jia Zhang’s odd behavior."

"Was it those ingredients that made your blood pure and full that raised your guard? If you had eaten a few more ingredients to nourish your blood, swallowing you would have been even more delicious, what a pity..."

"It doesn’t matter anymore!"

With a malicious grin stretching to his ears, Niu Sanmiao looked at Chen Mu, "Now, let’s settle our old scores!"

He specifically sought out so many ingredients for me, just to change the taste of my blood?

This... is he treating me like a pig to be fattened up!

Chen Mu glared fiercely at Niu Sanmiao, his eyes full of murderous intent, "So... who exactly are you?"

Niu Sanmiao: "..."