"Sigh! Life is gonna get tough from now on! I remember when I first moved here a few years ago, the rent for three months was just one lower-grade spirit stone!"
Jia An, who was also out to pay the rent, leaned against the door frame and sighed.
The increase of rent in White Stone City was somewhat frightening.
"Does Friend Jia know why this is?" Xu Mu turned his head and asked.
"Isn't it because of the Soul Forging Sect! Now, the Clear River Sword Sect is continuously retreating at the front line, many cultivators run for safety! They are making space for us to move!"
Jia An sighed again.
He already started to consider moving to a further place.
Jia An's wife, Li Moqing, came out of the room, holding a bamboo dustpan in her hand.
"Friend Xu, these are sunflower seeds that I've just fried! Please try some!"
Li Moqing handed the dustpan to Xu Mu with a smile.
A unique scent of nuts emanated from the dustpan.
"Thank you then, Friend Li! I'll return the dustpan later!"
Xu Mu didn't refuse.
This little favor was not a big deal. Declining it would appear hypocritical.
"No hurry! If you find it tasty, come and get more after you finish!"
Full of smiles on Li Moqing's chubby face.
Since Xu Mu gave her a Qi Gathering Pill, Li Moqing's attitude has been getting better day by day.
Just when Xu Mu was about to go inside to put the sunflower seeds away, the rent collector had already reached the door of the Li brothers.
Xu Mu paused, turning to look.
Creak!
The door opened from inside, two heads simultaneously stretched out, one above the other, as if connected.
Both faces were pale without a hint of color, the black pupils were proportionately larger than normal, appearing as if there were no whites in their eyes, hollow and frightening.
A hand, whiter than a woman's, holding a lower-grade spirit stone, reached out from inside.
"Two spirit stones next month!"
Accepting the spirit stone, the tooth man spoke hesitantly, stepped back a few steps, turned and headed to the next house.
The Li brothers stared at the tooth man, their eyes slowly rotating, watching him until he reached the next house, before abruptly turning their heads to look at Xu Mu not far away.
For a moment,
Six eyes met!
"Heh heh!"
The corners of both men's mouths curled up into a cold smile, with a hint of mockery in their eyes, like a big cat staring at a little mouse.
Xu Mu's heart missed a beat.
Do these guys know it was me who killed Sun Daocheng?
No, it's impossible!
He was very careful back then, having prepared for several days in advance, and used the Invisibility Technique, there's no way anyone could know.
At most, they have suspicions!
After all, the three of them were possibly conspiring to harm him.
Now, one of them suddenly dies, it's quite normal that they suspect him.
Xu Mu suppressed his unease and responded calmly with a smile, giving the two a slight nod.
He was no longer the weakling from their first encounter, if they dared to make a move, he wouldn't mind making them regret it.
Faced with Xu Mu's reaction, the two narrowed their eyes a bit.
Probably surprised at his reaction.
Who in the neighborhood didn't fear them?
They remembered the first time they saw him, Xu Mu was scared out of his wit.
The two of them took another deep look at Xu Mu, slowly withdrew their heads, and closed the door.
Xu Mu also turned and went into his house.
Inside the room.
His wife was feeding Little Ling'er, with a smile on her face, full of love.
Xu Mu put the dustpan on the table, bent over to look at the little one who was eating heartily, also grinning.
The previously wrinkled and red body had gradually stretched out, revealing a bit of baby-like softness.
"This is given by our neighbor, Friend Li. You try some. I'll go check if the meat in the kitchen is done yet!"
"Hmm!"
Ye Yingying nodded.
Xu Mu went into the kitchen.
The pot was bubbling as it cooked, the air was filled with a rich aroma of meat.
He opened the lid, inside was a thick gravy with chunks of meat the size of walnuts, bobbing up and down, rolling over each other.
Xu Mu picked up a piece, blew on it to cool it down and put it in his mouth.
The meat was delicious, stewed to a tender melt-in-your-mouth texture.
"Even without all the seasoning from my previous life, the quality of the monster beast meat itself is top-notch! It could easily outperform any of those so-called top-tier wagyus!"
Xu Mu turned to open the lid of the big pot, inside was half a pot of cooked spirit rice.
Each grain was crystal clear and exuded a mild fragrance that was refreshing.
He scooped a small spoonful and put it in his mouth.
Soft, glutinous, and sweet!
"Now, this is cultivation!"
Xu Mu sighed.
Unlike before, where despite carrying the title of a cultivator, he ate worse than the common folk.
He filled a big bowl with spirit rice, added the meat pieces, topped it with gravy, and carried it into the bedroom.
"Let me hold Little Ling'er, you eat some rice first!"
"Hmm!"
Ye Yingying nodded and handed Little Ling'er, who was gnawing on her thumb, to Xu Mu.
"Husband, isn't our way of eating a bit too wasteful?"
Looking at the full bowl of spirit rice, and nearly half a pound of beast meat, Ye Yingying seemed a bit concerned.
When they used to eat spirit rice, they used a small bowl the size of a fist, and for monster beast meat, they often mixed it with other meat to make a stew.
If he wasn't full, he could replenish with regular food.
"Haven't I told you? I'll never let you suffer again. You can eat as much as you want! You can stuff your belly if you please!"
Xu Mu said this as he gently rocked the sleeping Little Ling'er in his arms, a smile on his face.
"Really?"
"Of course!"
Ye Yingying's eyes curved into crescent moons out of joy.
She savored the food in her bowl voraciously until her stomach was slightly bloated.
"Husband, I can't eat any more!"
Satisfied, Ye Yingying handed over the remaining half bowl of food to Xu Mu.
"Little Ling'er is already asleep, you should also lie down and rest!"
Xu Mu took the bowl and wiped the sauce from the corner of Ye Yingying's mouth. He then left the bedroom and entered the kitchen.
With the help of Ye Yingying's leftovers, Xu Mu polished off three large bowls of food, stopping only when his belly was fit to burst.
He left a small portion in the pot to eat later in the night.
After tidying up the dishes, Xu Mu headed into the storeroom and pulled out that Body Cultivation Swordsmanship book.
Thunderbolt Sword Skill!
Even though his rationality told him that his strength shouldn't be too dissimilar to the Brothers of Li Family, being under someone's surveillance stirred unease within him, making him want to do something about his situation.
He hoped to enhance his strength!
Recently, he had been practising the Fire-controlling skill incessantly. It was now at [Fire-controlling skill grandmaster; 514/3200], significantly stronger than before.
But he still felt inadequate.
Just relying on the Fire-controlling skill was not enough!
"Fire-controlling Skill is only used for attack; it is somewhat lacking in terms of defensive power!"
"Purchasing a defensive magic artifact is not practical!"
Magic artifacts are inherently costly, and defensive ones are amongst the priciest of them all.
Though Xu Mu had made some money, it was still far from enough to afford a defensive magic artifact.
In the end, after much deliberation, he felt that he could only focus on improving his physique.
The Light Body Skill was constrained by his physique, and couldn't be used to its full potential.
By enhancing his physique, he would consequently be improving his speed too - two birds, one stone.
That's why Xu Mu fished out the book on Thunderbolt Sword Skill.
Actually, he had planned on strengthening his body when he bought the books.
He flipped through the pages, reading it thoroughly.
After an hour or so, he had a rough understanding of the sword technique from cover to cover.
The Thunderbolt Sword Skill was comprised of three styles: Rushing Thunder Style, Lightning Flash Style, and Thunderclap Style.
Each style had twelve variations.
Besides the styles, there was a matching breathing method in the book for enhancing physical fitness, coordinating bodily strength, and fully unleashing the power of the sword technique.
Without the breathing method, the sword technique would be reduced to mere showy movements.
And without the sword technique, the breathing method would serve only as a warm-up exercise.
Only when combined do they form the Thunderbolt Sword Skill!
After finishing, Xu Mu wanted to try and practice the skill, but unfortunately, he could not find a single practice sword in the room.
"I forgot to buy a sword when buying the books!"
Xu Mu indulged in self-deprecation.
In the end, he decided to do without one and began practicing with just his bare hands.
But after several attempts at practicing with just the reference from the secret manual, it just didn't feel right, and the system did not display the name of the sword skill either.
"Right, I wonder if this will work!"
Xu Mu snapped his fingers, and out flew a ball of fire. It morphed and twisted mid-air into a crimson longsword covered in flame patterns.
This was a recent ability he had gained after his advancement in the Fire-controlling skill. Quite similar to the compressed fireball, but much more stable.
Xu Mu specifically crafted this skill to overcome the slow speed problem of the compressed fireball. By condensing it into a weapon and sending it towards his foes, he could significantly increase the speed of attack.
Upon reaching the enemy, it could also be triggered to explode.
However, Xu Mu had not tested it yet, so he was uncertain about its exact power.
The sword circled him once before coming to a halt in front of him. Xu Mu reached out and held it.
Upon contact, he did not feel any heat from the hilt of the sword, instead, it was pleasantly warm.
"Not bad!"
Xu Mu nodded approvingly.
If he further improved the Fire-controlling skill, he could possibly completely contain the heat of the flames, making it similar to a real weapon.
When the time comes, it would truly be a case of 'from the extremity of softness comes that of hardness'.
However, after swinging the blade around a few times, it became apparent that the sword was inherently weak and could not withstand forceful swings. When met with any resistance, it would instantly rupture.
"I guess I was naive after all! To solidify the intangible into tangible, I'm afraid that one would have to reach the Foundation Establishment stage or even the Golden Core stage!"
Legend has it that some exceptionally strong individuals can make a sword qi last for a hundred years.
Perhaps only once Xu Mu reaches that state, he would be able to wield the flames as a true weapon.
"But just for practice purposes and getting a feel of the movements, it should suffice!"
Now that he had a sword, Xu Mu began practicing the Thunderbolt Sword Skill once more.
For a moment, the room was filled with the whistling sound of the sword moving through the air!
Though his movements were not standard, they nevertheless resembled the forms somewhat.
There was quite a difference in feel between practicing with and without a sword.
After roughly practicing one round with the breathing method, Xu Mu once again opened the system to check his progress.
[Thunderbolt Sword Skill Beginner; 1/100]!
Overjoyed, Xu Mu took a deep breath and immediately began to level up.
To avoid any incidents, he only added ten points the first time.
[Thunderbolt Sword Skill Beginner; 11/100]!
A short, blurred memory surfaced in his mind.
Meanwhile, a faint feeling of hunger arose from his abdomen.