Chapter 157: Approaching the Pinnacle
Chapter 157: Approaching the Pinnacle
"Brother Mu."
Wang Ni held a stack of clean clothes and watched as Chen Mu emerged from the underground chamber. She showed a hint of curiosity in her eyes but didn't ask any questions. Instead, she quietly attended to Chen Mu, helping him bathe and change clothes.
Chen Mu noticed her curiosity and asked, "What's the matter?"
Wang Ni shook her head and whispered, "It's nothing. I just feel like Brother Mu seems a little different from before..."
Chen Mu was slightly surprised by her comment and looked at Wang Ni in disbelief. Although he hadn't intentionally suppressed his aura, Wang Ni had never practiced martial arts. He wondered if she could sense his breakthrough into the Five Viscera Realm, but he had never thought that this girl had any special abilities. He had even examined her bones and assessed her talent, finding her to be of average potential.
"What did you notice?"
Chen Mu's thoughts raced as he looked at Wang Ni and asked.
However, Wang Ni's response made Chen Mu chuckle. She timidly said, "I just feel like, Brother Mu seems... well, I don't know how to describe it, but he seems more relaxed somehow?"
Chen Mu was momentarily taken aback and couldn't help but laugh.
Wang Ni couldn't sense his aura changes; instead, as his personal attendant, she was keenly aware of his emotions due to their close proximity day and night.
Relaxed?
Perhaps.
After breaking through the Five Viscera Realm, Chen Mu indeed felt a sense of freedom and empowerment. At this level, he could venture to other states alone and handle various disasters with ease.
Although he was still far from reaching the shore in the turbulent waves of chaos, he now possessed and the vulnerability of those below the Five Viscera Realm, he had gained some ability to withstand the storms.
This was similar to the rise of the four major families in Yu Prefecture.
In reality, they were the stewards of the Seven Mysteries Sect. Several Five Viscera Realm experts, upon reaching old age, chose to settle in this remote area and gradually established their families, eventually forming the current four influential clans.
Five Viscera Realm experts,
When they retired, they could create a stir in remote regions and establish prominent families.
When they advanced, they could travel across states, even venturing to other lands, gaining experience and forging their path.
"You're fourteen this year?"
Chen Mu looked at Wang Ni before him. Compared to many years ago when she had followed him, the girl had changed significantly. Now, she had grown into a graceful and charming young lady, with noticeable physical development.
The primary reason for her growth was her improved living conditions—better food, clothing, and sleep. If she were still living in the impoverished alleys of Jiu Lane, going hungry every other day, by this age, she would be thin and frail, let alone well-developed.
"Yes," Wang Ni replied softly, holding a bath towel and standing by Chen Mu's side. As she heard Chen Mu inquire about her age, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she whispered a response.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Chen Mu said, "Then it's about time..."
About time? About time for what? Wang Ni's heart skipped a beat, her thoughts racing to places unknown. For a moment, she felt shy and hesitant, with a hint of anticipation.
At this age, she understood what she should and shouldn't know. As a maid attending to a male master's daily needs in these turbulent times, the idea of marrying out was unrealistic. Her future was either to remain a maid serving Chen Mu for life, becoming a senior maid managing the household when she aged, or if fortunate, becoming Chen Mu's concubine, bearing him children, and establishing a branch of the 'Chen' family.
However,
Even as a mere maid attending to his daily needs, she knew how exceptional and formidable 'Brother Mu' was. The line of women hoping to become his concubine in Yu City would likely stretch far and wide. Therefore, she never dared to aspire for more. Moreover, Chen Mu had always treated her well, like a master and an older brother. She was content to be his maid for life.
Unbeknownst to Chen Mu, in the brief moment it took him to speak, Wang Ni's mind had wandered in countless directions. After a moment of reflection, he said,
"Yes, in a few days, you'll start learning martial arts at the Yu Family Martial Academy. I'll have Yue'er accompany you."
In the future, as the family's influence grew, the honor of learning martial arts would likely be reserved for the core members. On one hand, martial arts training required money and resources, and on the other, having all servants skilled in combat could lead to chaos.
The Yu Family, for instance, maintained a clear distinction between guards and servants. Guards had their duties, and servants had theirs, with guards only allowed to patrol the front yard and outside, not permitted to enter the inner courtyard without reason.
After all, the world above was different from the world below. Since he had entered the path of martial arts and gradually risen from a lowly servant to a master, his attention to the affairs of the lower levels had diminished.
However,
No one dared to bully the maids in his household.
Wang Ni didn't need exceptional martial skills. With some basic muscle and skin tempering training, increased strength, and the ability to handle non-martial arts-trained outer court servants, she could manage many tasks independently.
"Huh?"
Wang Ni seemed momentarily stunned by Chen Mu's words. She looked up at him, her face still slightly flushed with embarrassment, and uttered an inaudible "Ah."
Chen Mu instantly understood what was going through Wang Ni's mind but didn't mind. In these times, it was common for girls to mature early, especially maids and servants.
"What? Don't you want to learn?"
Chen Mu asked calmly, looking at Wang Ni.
Wang Ni finally reacted, nodding hesitantly. "I want to learn, yes, thank you, Brother Mu, for your guidance. I'll listen to you, Brother."
"It's only after speaking halfway that I realized the maidservants and servants could practice martial arts, which is quite an extraordinary blessing in these times."
Only then did Chen Mu smile, extending his wet hand to tap lightly on Wang Ni's forehead, causing a small splash of water. "After this batch, I'll inform the Martial Academy."
"Mmm-hmm."
Wang Ni's face turned slightly red as she responded, her eyes also glistening with a hint of joy.
Being able to practice martial arts with the master was a sign of a different status, although it was a bit disappointing that she couldn't... Perhaps it was because she was too young, and Chen Mu didn't like it?
Chen Mu didn't bother to decipher Wang Ni's chaotic thoughts. Instead, he slightly rippled the Primordial Energy True Force within his body, shaking off all the dust and residual medicinal residue from his previous training, cleansing himself in the clear water. Then, he stepped out of the water bucket.
Wang Ni had been serving him closely for a long time, and she could sense even the slightest change in his emotions. Although others would most likely not notice, it was best for her to be a little more careful.
Speaking of which, the Harmony Sect also had some interesting aspects. Flower Shadow knew that he had cultivated the second step of the Thunder Rumbling Intention, but even after such a long time, this news had never spread outside. Clearly, Flower Shadow had intentionally kept it hidden.
Her intentions were twofold: first, with the unclear situation in Yu Prefecture, the Harmony Sect might have the possibility of cooperating with the Seven Mysteries Sect, so it was a favor to him for the time being. Second, Flower Shadow probably wanted the Blood Veil Tower and Mystic Mechanism Pavilion to make a move against him due to some conflict of interest, but they would suffer a big loss due to incorrect intelligence, which would be a welcome sight.
In the 1619 book, there's no mistake in the version!
In any case, these Harmony Sect's female practitioners were also quite cunning.
However...
The information hidden by Flower Shadow herself had already become outdated after just two months.
Chen Mu contemplated the situation while Wang Ni used a towel to dry his body and helped him change into new clothes. Then, he headed towards the Prefectural Government.
It had been several days since he last visited the Demon Slayer Bureau, and he didn't know if Meng Danyun was still there.
This true lineage practitioner had come to Yu Prefecture for training and temporarily remained hidden, most likely to deal with the remnants of the Sky Corpse Sect later on. She was serving as Yan Jingqing's backup, and now, with the situation in the Purple Mist Mountain Range becoming increasingly tense, Meng Danyun could leave at any moment.
Indeed, when Chen Mu arrived at the Demon Slayer Bureau, Meng Danyun's figure was nowhere to be found in the underground tranquil chambers. The place was empty, and she had only left a message for him, telling him to directly look for her when he went to the Seven Mysteries Sect.
Chen Mu had a good impression of this senior sister Meng. She didn't have the arrogant air often associated with true lineage practitioners from major sects, and she was quite considerate towards him. In the past two months, her guidance and training had helped him grasp many details regarding the application of concepts.
In the past, Chen Mu only had a vague understanding of concepts, differentiating them only by their strength.
However, Meng Danyun's guidance had made him realize that while concepts could be strong or weak, each concept, regardless of its strength, had its unique characteristics.
For instance, the 'Blood Fury' concept was most effective in confined spaces, where corpses and blood were everywhere. In such a scenario, its power was at its peak, and even against formidable opponents like Yin-Yang and Five Elements practitioners, it could be lethal.
Another example was the Thunder Rumbling concept.
Not only did it have the effect of suppressing evil and demonic concepts like Blood Fury and Lust, but it was also extremely adept at speed. Even if a practitioner only mastered this concept, they might not be able to defeat Heart Sword or Heavenly Sword users. However, if they could utilize its characteristics, they could give chase and catch up to their targets.
Within the Seven Mysteries Sect, there were some 'secret techniques' related to the Thunder Rumbling concept, such as 'Thunder Trace Seven Steps'.
Another concept, 'Water Hexagram', focused not only on health cultivation but also on unpredictable transformation abilities. By using special techniques to control the Water Hexagram concept, one could create almost flawless illusions by reflecting and transforming water, deceiving others.
Unfortunately, these secret techniques were not available in Yu Prefecture.
Yu Jiujiang knew some techniques, but they were all related to the Water Hexagram concept.
Among the techniques Meng Danyun mastered was a secret technique called 'Wind Guidance', which allowed her to better utilize the Whistling Wind concept and enhance her speed.
Chen Mu didn't waste Meng Danyun's efforts. With his unparalleled insight, he directly grasped the second layer of this secret technique within a short time, matching Meng Danyun's progress.
The third layer required the second step of the Whistling Wind concept, but when he tried to use the system panel to upgrade, it indicated 'insufficient basic conditions'. Chen Mu had no choice but to give up and continue focusing on cultivating the Whistling Wind concept.
Chen Mu then visited the Inspector Bureau.
Meng Danyun wasn't there either, and Yan Jingqing didn't give him any specific instructions. However, it was evident that the Inspector Bureau was short-staffed, giving off a sense that something was about to happen.
"Senior Sister Meng has probably gone to the Purple Mist Mountain Range."
"The other two Inspectors from the Inspector Bureau are also not in the city right now, most likely at the mountain range. I've been waiting for Yan Jingqing's instructions, maybe he wants me to stay in Yu City?"
Chen Mu pondered.
Currently, the situation in the Purple Mist Mountain Range was tense, and many people had been dispatched there, including many from the Demon Slayer Bureau. Among them were Xu Hongyu, Xiao He, and others.
Xu Hongyu didn't need his care all the time; she had already solidified her Bone Forging Realm and was one of the few powerful individuals in the Yu Family, not to mention the many skilled members of the Yu Family who accompanied them, like Yu Zuyi.
With nothing requiring his attention at the moment, Chen Mu decided to focus on accumulating Primordial Energy True Force and continue comprehending the Gale Concept Chart, striving to cultivate the second step of the Whistling Wind concept as soon as possible.
(End of Chapter)
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