I am grinding experience in another world

Chen Mu had a dream.

He dreamed he had turned into a fish, first getting his belly cut open and scales scraped off, the pain nearly killed him.

Then, while fresh, he was thrown into a big pot with boiling water bubbling away and steaming. The surface was strewn with a lot of spices he couldn’t name, and the scent… it was quite fragrant!

With his cooking experience, he thought the ratio of spices was alright, it was just that the chef was a bit sloppy, not able to judge the heat properly, only knowing how to stew on high flame.

Stewing there, he became parched and sweaty before he was woken up by the heat.

He felt his entire body sore, in pain, and weak. It took a lot of effort before he finally managed to lift his heavy eyelids a sliver.

Then he found himself soaking in a big wooden tub, his first sight the white steam wafting up. Lowering his gaze, he saw dense medicinal herbs being lifted by the bubbles popping up.

Looking up, Chen Mu saw Shen Yan with an odd expression on his face. His somewhat sluggish consciousness couldn’t help but blurt out a question, "Old Ghost Shen, are you trying to stew me for soup?"

Shen Yan looked at Chen Mu’s swollen face, squished into a line by his puffy eyes, and said with a playful tone, "No, no, no, I just felt like braising some pig head meat." Find exclusive stories on NovelBin.Côm

Chen Mu stared blankly at Shen Yan, then looked at the boiling water in the tub, and heaved a deep sigh.

"Old ghost, listen to my advice, get a new chef. The heat is too high…" After finishing his sentence, Chen Mu’s head dropped, and he fell back into unconsciousness.

Shen Yan: "..."

He looked regretfully at Shi Dechun and the others beside him.

"It’s a pity I don’t have an image-retaining stone on hand, or else I would have definitely recorded this!"

...

When Chen Mu awoke again, it was two days later.

Inside Thousand Lanterns City, thousands of Yin Spirits were busy building mud brick houses as temporary camps for the new Yin Spirits.

In the small courtyard in front of the wooden building, Chen Mu lay motionless on a rocking chair, his body wrapped in bandages.

"What’s that all about?" he asked, tilting his chin slightly towards the ten giant fireballs in the sky that resembled searchlights.

"What, hit your head too? Don’t recognize the Soul-Attracting Lamps anymore?" Shen Yan teased with a chuckle.

Chen Mu couldn’t help but grit his teeth, "I know they are Soul-Attracting Lamps, but why are they so bright?"

In his memory, Soul-Attracting Lamps were just white paper lanterns that could be lit with a bit of Yin Spirit Divine Power, a common lighting tool in the Netherworld.

Nothing like those massive fireballs in the sky, brightening up Thousand Lanterns City as if it were daylight.

"Remember the Ghost Lanterns that patrol the camp day and night?"

"Those greenish flames? But these don’t look anything like them," Chen Mu said in surprise.

"Those things are essentially the same as Soul-Attracting Lamps, only more intricate and complicated. They’re the handiwork of the Netherworld Sect, used to surveil and guard the entire camp," Shen Yan explained.

"The auxiliary troops you last brought in included some from the Netherworld Sect. Seeing them sitting idle, I had them set up these Ghost Lanterns for illumination."

"Without the surveillance and alarm secret techniques mixed in, the color of the flame naturally differs."

Chen Mu nodded in understanding.

But he only got halfway through the motion before the pain from his neck and head made him freeze in place.

Shen Yan glanced at Chen Mu, "I’d advise you to move as little as possible. It’s a miracle you’re alive; you should treasure that."

Chen Mu managed a wry smile, tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He hadn’t anticipated the consequences of forcibly using the Mountain-Carrying Scripture would be so dire.

The True Form of Heavenly Demon, washed over by a massive amount of Yin Spirit Divine Power, ended up riddled with holes and lay motionless within the secret spot on his brow, unresponsive no matter how much he called upon it to materialize.

His True Flesh Body almost collapsed under the immense pressure, with ruptures appearing throughout his muscles, bones, internal organs—it was worse than the damage suffered from the corrosion of the River of Oblivion.

Just like Shen Yan had said, surviving was indeed nothing short of a miracle.

"What’s with your generals at Antiquity City, one after another?" Chen Mu said, annoyed.

First Lan Zhang, then Bai Zhilang, they betrayed at the drop of a hat. If it weren’t for their rebellion, he wouldn’t have been forced to urgently activate the Mountain-Carrying Scripture to escape, thus avoiding these severe injuries.

"And what about that Military Supervisor Gong Huan? Didn’t you say he was upright and strict?"

Without Gong Huan’s cooperation, Bai Zhilang would never have been able to silently swallow up the Yin Soldier Camp.

Remembering Shen Yan’s certain assurances from before, Chen Mu felt angered. If it weren’t for Old Ghost Shen’s guarantee of the other’s integrity, he would’ve remained on guard, perhaps discovering the problems earlier and escaping sooner.

"Should we settle the matter of those three thousand somersaults now?" Chen Mu glared at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan’s mouth twitched before he regained his composure, "Settle what? I didn’t say anything wrong."

"I asked around, that day someone from Heavenly Mountain escaped first with the Soul Summoning Banner and Ghost Gate."

"The one who could operate the Soul Summoning Banner and Ghost Gate at the same time must be none other than the Military Supervisor Gong Huan. This shows his cooperation with Bai Zhilang was mere deceit."

"Did I say he was upright and loyal? Not a single thing was wrong! He just gave up on you all, that’s all," Shen Yan said more confidently, refusing to acknowledge his error.

Chen Mu was so exasperated he laughed, "Wait until I get better, and you’ll see how I deal with you."

However, Shen Yan only became more nonchalant, "Better? Ha... that’s going to be a long wait."

Chen Mu’s heart sank at the response.

"Fortunately, the last batch of Yin Spirits you brought in included not only the Netherworld Sect but also quite a few from the Yin Wind Medicine Stone Sects."

"It’s only because of the help of the Medicine Stone Sect that we barely managed to save your little life."

"As for a full recovery... Thousand Lanterns City is lacking in everything; you’ll have to rely on your own regenerative abilities for any further healing."

"If you were a typical Yin Spirit, it would be easier, as long as you can summon the power of the River of Oblivion, with the Medicine Stone Sect present, they could always be of some help."

"But your body is not a simple Yin Spirit..." Shen Yan looked at Chen Mu with a playful expression, "If you want to recover quickly, heh..."

Chen Mu’s heart chilled.

Has he discovered it...

Though the Yin Spirit body has flesh and blood, it’s ultimately different from a human’s fleshly body. It wasn’t noticeable on a normal day, but now that he was seriously injured and Shen Yan had examined him several times, the discrepancies had eventually been found.

"Since you can’t tell the difference, then why didn’t you kill me while I’ve been unconscious these past few days?" Chen Mu narrowed his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yan’s eyes widened immediately, "Well, you gotta give me the chance to do so!"

"With your five little ghosts watching me like hawks every day."

"When you first came in, I couldn’t even get within three hundred meters of you. As soon as I dared to cross the line, they made me do splits while flipping head over heels."

"Just slamming to the ground! My inner thighs are frickin’ swollen!"

Chen Mu tugged at the corner of his mouth, looking at the Paper Five Ghosts seated in a row on the stone table beside him with a mix of laughter and tears.

The Yama Emperor’s Command comes from Five Ghosts Moving Mountain, and the foundation of Five Ghosts Moving Mountain is the Five Ghosts Paper Man. Thus, as long as he relinquished control, these increasingly lively little paper figurines could actually deploy the Yanmo Command as well.

He had released the Five Ghosts before he passed out, only intending to deter Shen Yan, but he hadn’t expected the little ghosts to overdo it to such an extent.

Listen, he even hurt his inner thighs!

What if it affects his ability to carry on his family lineage?

Chen Mu glared at the five little ghosts pretending to be well-behaved, "Nicely done!"

Shen Yan: "..."

Damn it! I shouldn’t have organized a rescue for you!

...

Two more days passed.

Chen Mu still lay in the rocking chair, all bandages removed from his body, which had also deflated from its previously swollen state. Even if the muscles and bones inside were still torn and had not fully healed, the speed of recovery was astonishing to Shen Yan.

"It doesn’t make sense, how could you possibly recover so quickly?" Shen Yan was totally perplexed.

As Chen Mu fiddled with a White Jade Coin, he wore an inscrutable expression, "Guess!"

Guess my ass!

Shen Yan just rolled his eyes.

"Is this a Qi Cultivator’s technique?"

Chen Mu raised an eyebrow, "You recognize it?"

"I’m just curious, how exactly did a living Qi Cultivator like you manage to sneak into the Netherworld?" After spending so much time together, and having examined Chen Mu’s injuries when he was seriously hurt, the well-informed Shen Yan had recognized Chen Mu’s True Form.

"It’s no big deal, just the old cliches of being hunted and fleeing." Chen Mu waved it off.

"Hunted and fled? Tsk! Why don’t I find that surprising at all?" Shen Yan said with playful amazement etched on his face.

What does that mean?

"Look, you stayed in Hai Character Camp, Hai Character Camp was doomed. You come to You Character Camp, and Bai Zhilang betrays us."

"You’re basically like a disaster possessing someone, haha..." Shen Yan teased happily.

Suddenly, Chen Mu’s face darkened.

How can that be my fault?

It was Lan Zhang and Bai Zhilang who harbored greed, stirring up incessant trouble!

Chen Mu fumed indignantly.

All I want is to sit quietly by myself and grind for experience, why is that so hard?

...

As the ten little suns of Thousand Lanterns City lit and dimmed, Chen Mu’s injuries improved day by day. Yet gradually, he noticed something was off.

His injuries were healing too quickly!

Without being able to use the Exquisite Jade Plate in Thousand Lanterns City, Chen Mu indulged himself by directly drawing out Earth Spirit Vital Energy from the White Jade Coins to recover his mana.

With mana, his body’s self-healing ability increased, and his injuries healed faster. He also used the Soul Capturing Return to Origin Technique to absorb Jade Dew Essence, aiding his body’s repair.

"Even so, the recovery shouldn’t be this fast!" Chen Mu furrowed his brows.

Not long after regaining consciousness, he had realized the severity of his injuries.

Broken bones, damaged organs, torn muscles – he was like a porcelain doll full of cracks, ready to shatter at the slightest mishandling.

Yet such severe injuries had healed by more than half within just five days. When originally corroded by River of Oblivion water, his True Flesh Body lay in Thousand Lanterns City for three to four months before showing signs of recovery.

"The order is wrong, too." Chen Mu’s face was grave.

He spared no effort, consuming his already limited White Jade Money to cultivate mana for bodily healing. Logically, the True Form should heal first, followed by a transfer of energy to the True Form of Heavenly Demon.

But the reality was exactly the opposite.

At first, he hadn’t noticed, but now, observing carefully, he realized that his True Flesh Body’s quick recovery was entirely linked to the True Form of Heavenly Demon.

A barely detectable cool breath would occasionally seep from the secret point between his eyebrows. It was this power that rapidly repaired his body.

In comparison, the hard-earned mana and the Vital Energy absorbed by Soul Capturing Return to Origin seemed more like icing on the cake – with or without it hardly made a difference.

"Could it be that the Celestial Demon Cloud Mirage, this unconvincing god-like demon, has some kind of resurrection ability for a quick recovery?" Chen Mu’s brow involuntarily raised.

"There’s a problem!"

"A big problem!"