Harvest

Inside the room.

Chen Mu closed Spirit Sight and withdrew his gaze. With his eyes tightly shut, he felt the faint stinging pain coming from them, his brows drawing together slightly.

Ren Yan, beside him, cautiously glanced at Chen Mu. Thinking Chen Mu was angered, he did not dare say a word for the moment.

Very soon.

The stinging in Chen Mu's eyes gradually faded.

There was no doubt about it. That had been a martial artist, and a very powerful one at that.

Seventh Rank?

Or Sixth Rank?!

That vigorous blood energy far surpassed Xiao Mei's. Even with his Spirit Sight enhanced twice, and even when he forcibly tracked her, his eyes had still stung.

This world was not peaceful. It could even be said to be exceedingly unpeaceful. Yet whether they were outlaws of the greenwood or eminent figures of the martial world, as long as they were human, they had to obey the rules of the person with the biggest fist.

And in this Capital, the "person" with the biggest fist was called the Imperial Court.

Xia...

Heh.

What Xia could there possibly be in these times?

Still, she probably had not come for him. She truly had merely been passing by.

With such martial cultivation at such a young age, no ordinary sect could have trained her. She could only be a disciple of the younger generation from one of the Eight Great Sects of the World—and a remarkably outstanding one at that.

She was not some person who had simply appeared out of nowhere, either.

Come to think of it, he truly was still weak right now. Though activating Spirit Sight made him a sorcerer and granted him high status, even putting him on par with a Seventh Rank martial artist, his actual strength was ultimately not at that level.

But he would soon no longer be at his current level.

Because just moments ago, that emotionless system notification had already sounded in his ear.

Notification: You have obtained 17 Soul Points

The earlier incident had merely been a minor interlude. Chen Mu quickly cast it to the back of his mind and reflected on the Soul Points he had just gained, recalling what he had seen in the Netherworld and Cui'er's lingering obsession.

"Looks like I was right. Only by dispelling a yin soul's lingering obsession can I gain Soul Points. Perhaps Cui'er has already entered reincarnation and been reborn."

Chen Mu murmured inwardly.

With these Soul Points, he could already raise his Soulmind to the next level. Moreover, less than a day had passed so far. Such a rate of advancement could be called incredibly fast!

After all, the vast majority of sorcerers could not advance even half a step in their entire lives.

"Among sorcerers, Ninth Rank and Eighth Rank possess no real strength. But starting from Seventh Rank, they gain the ability of Object Manipulation. Their strength will instantly leave martial artists of the same rank far behind, and their status will rise another level."

Eighth Rank and Ninth Rank sorcerers held lofty status because they possessed Spirit Sight. They could survey heaven and earth, seek out Spirit Veins, and advise on Feng Shui—things even the strongest martial artists found difficult to accomplish.

But sorcerers above Seventh Rank did not rely on those things to maintain their status.

They relied on strength!

Once a sorcerer reached Seventh Rank or above, they would become entirely different, for they would master the ability of "Object Manipulation," causing a qualitative leap in their strength!

With a single thought,

A Hundred-Pace Flying Sword could take a man's head!

Martial artists of the same rank were nearly incapable of resisting a sorcerer's abilities. Even martial artists of higher rank would face tremendous danger when confronted with a sorcerer's long-range assassination!

Higher still, the greater a sorcerer's rank, the more unfathomable their methods became, as elusive as gods and ghosts.

Chen Mu had not idled away the previous day. Instead, he had sought out and read quite a number of books, most of them concerning sorcerers.

Why was a Second Grade Sorcerer equivalent to a First Rank martial artist?

Because of their immense power!

A Second Grade Sorcerer could seize the creation of heaven and earth and wield arts beyond the fathoming of gods and ghosts. When they made a move, heaven and earth changed color. Their deterrence was not the least bit inferior to the Martial Saint realm corresponding to First Grade Martial Dao!

As for why the sorcerer path had left a position vacant for "First Grade," Chen Mu found it quite strange as well. Yet after consulting many ancient texts, he had found no definite answer.

As Chen Mu's thoughts drifted.

A voice pulled him back.

"Young master, this is the prescription. You can get the medicine at any pharmacy."

The physician held a sheet of yellow paper and carefully handed it to Chen Mu from the side.

Chen Mu accepted the yellow paper and glanced at it. He then tossed a small piece of broken silver to the physician. The physician hurriedly caught it with both hands, repeatedly thanking him for the reward before turning to take his leave with his medicine chest on his back.

"Take this prescription to a pharmacy and have the medicine prepared."

Chen Mu turned and handed the prescription to Liu Lian, nodding gently at her. He then took out more than ten taels of loose silver from his person and placed them in the woman's hands.

Ren Yan watched from the side with a pained expression, but he still lowered his head cautiously and said nothing.

The woman hurriedly tried to prop herself up, but in the end she could not turn over. She could only hold the silver and say with difficulty, "Today, young master saved us. My daughter and I can hardly repay such kindness. How could we... how could we accept more..."

Chen Mu shook his head and did not take it back. "You deserve it. There is no need to refuse."

How could the Soul Points he had gained from Cui'er be measured by such a little silver?

Having said that.

Chen Mu reached out and rubbed the little head of the still somewhat bewildered Liu Lian beside him. He gave her a gentle smile, then turned and walked out of the room.

"This deal was far too much of a loss. At the very least, we should have made the little one sign a contract of indenture..."

Ren Yan muttered inwardly, but he quickly followed Chen Mu nonetheless.

He had always felt that after Chen Mu pulled through that grave illness, he had become somewhat unfamiliar. His vitality and bearing were different somehow, impossible to understand. That only made Ren Yan increasingly cautious.

As they stepped outside, white snow whirled through the air.

Ren Yan opened a bamboo umbrella and followed Chen Mu's footsteps. In a low voice, he said, "Second Master, you are kindhearted. If this matter is reported back to the estate exactly as it happened, there should not be any issue. I am only worried that petty people may wag their tongues."

"Let them."

Chen Mu replied blandly.

Ren Yan acknowledged him and said no more. He obediently followed alongside him, holding the umbrella, and returned all the way to Xuanguo Estate, arriving at Chen Mu's small courtyard.

Only after seeing Chen Mu return to his room did he finally let out a slight breath of relief.

Thinking about the silver Chen Mu had left for the mother and daughter, Ren Yan hesitated for a moment. In the end, however, he cast it from his mind and went back to his own small room.

Inside the bedchamber.

Chen Mu closed the door and glanced outside the courtyard.

His gaze passed through the doors and windows. Seeing Ren Yan obediently return to his own small room, he gave a soft "Heh" before withdrawing his gaze.

He then summoned the system interface.

Name: Chen Mu

Age: 16

Martial Strength: Strength to Truss a Chicken

Soulmind: lv5(+)

Soul Points: 17

Soul Roaming (Netherworld)—Can be activated

He then let out a light breath to settle his emotions before beginning to spend Soul Points to raise his Soulmind.

Bzzzz!!!

A buzzing sound arose, as though a bell had been struck.

A warm current washed over his entire body, but this time, the warmth was mixed with a coolness. Cold and warmth interwove, enfolding his whole being, leaving Chen Mu briefly dazed.

The coolness and warm current seeped in from outside to within, soaking into his heart and lungs, penetrating all the way into the deepest part of his Soulmind. The changes reflected in his Soulmind were countless times more intense than the sensations in his flesh.