My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 99 Parallel Imports
Lijiang Weicheng, Yongtongfang.

Chen Mu had just finished practicing the White Ape Form Refining Technique once and sat down to rest on a rocking chair under the pavilion.

He held a wooden cup filled with milk tea in his left hand, and tapped the armrest of the rocking chair with his right index finger.

A black spot the size of a soybean appeared on the back of my right hand.

“It takes too long to build up courage,” Chen Mu shook his head.

To accelerate the process of nourishing his soul, he consumed a balanced diet of meat and vegetables daily, eating large amounts of highly nutritious foods. He also specially prepared these foods in a way that made them easily absorbable.

During this period, he also took a fixed amount of various herbal decoctions to replenish his vital energy.

Six months later, the strength in my feet had increased by less than 10%. Without close inspection, the change was barely noticeable!
"Something's not right." Chen Mu frowned.

"Why does one's aura suddenly surge with power the moment they successfully practice the Form Refinement Technique?"

"Further expansion, however, requires nurturing little by little."

“The two appear at different speeds!” Chen Mu’s eyes lit up.

If you can figure out the underlying principles, you might be able to find a way to quickly cultivate the Armor Soul!

After thinking for a moment, he shook his head: "Let's just focus on practicing for now."

The art of physical training has existed for countless years. If such secret methods truly exist, even the most hidden ones would have been heard of.

"It's a pity that old man Jie isn't here." Chen Mu thought of the old man again.

Although he's obsessed with money, he knows a lot.

……

Lijiang Tower.

Zhuo Yinghai stood by the window on the third floor, gazing at the wide Li River.

"Master Zhuo, it's been a long time!" A short, stout, dark-faced man in his forties walked into the private room with a loud laugh.

"Master Li," Zhuo Yinghai replied with a forced smile.

This person is Li Jun, the leader of the Fuhai Hall of the Jinghong Gang. He is one of the Jinghong Gang's dispatched leaders stationed in other areas.

"I heard Feng'er had an accident?" Li Jun asked with concern.

“That’s why I came here,” Zhuo Yinghai said heavily.

Li Jun frowned deeply: "Is the murderer in Lijiang Weicheng? Do you have any information about his identity?"

Zhuo Yinghai nodded, and one of his men immediately took out a scroll and unfurled it.

Li Jun glanced at it twice, took it, and handed it to his subordinate behind him: "Go and investigate this person."

"Thank you!" Zhuo Yinghai clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

Li Jun waved his hand: "That's nonsense. With our relationship, it's just a small favor."

"Don't worry. I, Li Jun, have some influence in Lijiang City, both openly and covertly. As long as this person comes to Lijiang Garrison City, I will definitely find him for you!"

"Come settle in with me first. Once we find out about this person, we'll go meet him together!" Li Jun said in a deep voice.

Zhuo Yinghai clasped his hands in thanks once again.

……

The Chen Residence in Yongtongfang.

Taking advantage of a break from practicing the White Ape Form Refinement Technique, Chen Mu began to take stock of his family's assets.

"I still have 5,329 taels of silver and eleven gold ingots left. They've been spent so quickly."

"Money that you didn't earn yourself, you don't feel bad spending it." Chen Mu smirked.

The biggest expense is not renting a lot of houses, but medicinal herbs, secret medicines for body shaping techniques, and various tonics.

A hundred-year-old herb costs over 100 taels, while a two-hundred-year-old herb would cost 300 taels.

To replenish his vital energy and cultivate his spirit, Chen Mu consumes two to three portions of two-hundred-year-old Thousand-Beard Grass every month.

“Cultivating charisma really costs money,” Chen Mu remarked.

It's hard to imagine how many resources those Jiapo masters actually poured into it.

He felt that describing it as "massive" was not an exaggeration at all.

"Can't the hidden dangers of the Dragon Transformation Pill really be eliminated?" Chen Mu couldn't help but waver.

"Forget it, we can't be too eager for quick success and ruin our future." Chen Mu shook his head.

He was still very interested in the opening of the Heavenly Gate after the Jiapo.

Putting away the silver notes and copper coins, Chen Mu moved a long table to the pavilion and picked up his paintbrush to start painting, something he hadn't done in a long time.

In no time, the abstract pattern made up of spots and threads was finished.

"Everyone says that Divine Intent is the core of the Form Refining Technique, but what exactly is this Divine Intent?"

He then drew out the divine meaning of the Azure-Eyed Golden Ape Form Refining Technique, and pondered over the two meaningless abstract paintings.

After a long while, Chen Mu sighed, "As expected, I can't see anything." "I'd better just eat and nourish my spirit."

My eyes habitually glanced at the level of proficiency.

I discovered that my drawing skills improved by two points.

What does that mean? Chen Mu was completely bewildered.

In the past, when practicing image proficiency, even drawing a cartoon with a big head would earn five or six proficiency points.

"You say my drawing doesn't look like it?" Chen Mu stared at the divine intention thoughtfully.

"That's kind of interesting..."

……

Inside a five-courtyard mansion by the river, Li Jun was having tea with Zhuo Yinghai in the living room.

Zhuo Yinghai looked listless and uninterested.

Five days passed without any news, and he was almost ready to give up.

That's true. How could someone who can endure the pain of having their bones shaved and flesh filled leave such an obvious flaw?

They say they're coming to Lijiang City, but they might leave immediately after disembarking.

Li Jun didn't know what to say. His old friend's son had died, so he could only intensify the search.

Unfortunately, the result was not satisfactory.

Just then, a subordinate rushed in, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Master, we've found it!"

"Speak quickly!" Zhuo Yinghai stood up.

He thought it was like finding a needle in a haystack, but he actually found it.

"Xiao Wu from the county government office said that a little over a month ago, a scholar named Chen Jia rented a courtyard in Yongtongfang."

"The documents were registered and processed with the help of a clerk at Xue's brokerage."

"That person also came from Liangpu County."

Zhuo Yinghai was filled with excitement.

It matches! The name, ancestral home, and time all match!
He got up and headed to Yongtongfang.

Li Jun quickly stopped him.

“Even if you’re going, you can’t go now. You’re not in the right condition,” Li Jun said, looking at the other man’s bloodshot eyes.

"More than a month has passed. If that person is still alive, they will continue to be alive."

"What you should do is get a good night's sleep and recharge. This will also make it easier for me to gather my experts and ambush that person from all sides."

Zhuo Yinghai took a deep breath and stopped in his tracks: "You're right. We can't alert them. We need to conserve our strength and strike in one fell swoop!"

……

Yongtongfang, Chen Residence.

Chen Mu stared intently at the long table, his expression shifting rapidly.

"The freehand style isn't right either," Chen Mu said, puzzled.

He originally thought that divine intentions, such mystical and cryptic things, should emphasize meaning over form.

So I changed the drawing method.

He felt he had drawn it very well, capturing the blurry, hazy, and dynamic feeling perfectly.

But his proficiency didn't increase at all.

"This is getting more and more interesting," Chen Mu said, intrigued.

Drawing ability originates from the earliest self-portraits. Improvement in proficiency involves many aspects: drawing technique, paper, and paint.

But the most important point is the degree of similarity. This is related to the original intention behind Chen Mu's portrait.

He wanted to create paintings that resembled three-dimensional photographs, the more realistic the better. Therefore, drawing skills were linked to the degree of realism.

The more realistic the drawing, the more skill you improve.

"Could it be that my divine intention is a fake?!" Chen Mu felt a little numb in his brain.

What are the divine instructions in the manual?

He immediately took out the Jade-Eyed Golden Ape Form Training Technique and began to copy the tangled pattern at the end of the manual.

"It only increased by a little?"

"Good guy."

"This one's a fake too!"

(End of this chapter)