After Li Mo returned to the Pawnshop, he could have rested in the inner quarters, but because of his injured hands, he made do in his original residence for two nights.
As his injuries healed, he gradually began to sense the presence of the Magic Fingers.
Excruciating pain was unavoidable, but at least there was no need to worry about infection. It was all thanks to his Eternal Life physique keeping him going.
Li Mo felt that if Han Cai had been placed in his previous life, his medical license would definitely have been revoked. His surgeries were torture in another guise.
Yet the Medical Hall's unusual method of passing down Spells still opened Li Mo's eyes.
After two long days, the agonizing pain in Li Mo's hands truly vanished without a trace. The Magic Fingers felt as though they had been born with him, without the slightest sense of unfamiliarity.
He could also confirm through the Book of Fortune that the Magic Fingers had become part of his body.
Li Mo's consciousness opened the Book of Fortune. When he imagined his right arm on the Blank Pages, a phantom of that arm appeared on the page, and its six fingers were plainly visible.
He carefully removed the bandages and examined his palm.
He had no idea what method Han Cai had used, but there were almost no traces of stitching. Only the magic finger's skin was slightly pale; after some time, it would probably become completely unnoticeable.
Li Mo carried out a simple test.
He discovered that the grip strength of both hands had increased markedly. Moreover, his dominant hand was no longer limited to his right, and his dexterity had improved tremendously.
Li Mo eagerly anticipated what changes Universal Skill would undergo after the Cultivation Method reached Entry Level.
As he contemplated the contents of Universal Skill and noticed the cultivation steps for the Coming-of-Age Stage once more, it was as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head.
Tendinosis, Multiple Hands, Grouting, Hollowing.
Apart from Tendinosis, which he could attempt, the remaining cultivation steps were simply too extreme.
"Tendinosis" referred to extending the magic finger's nerves into the other fingers, allowing all six fingers to complete their full metamorphosis and gain a pair of Magic Palms.
As its name implied, "Multiple Hands" meant transplanting arms beneath one's ribs.
The reason Han Cai could handle so many surgeries at once was because of Multiple Hands. Li Mo could also see that his arms had undergone the "Hollowing" modification.
After the bones underwent Hollowing, they became structured like the handles of umbrellas from Li Mo's previous life.
Han Cai's bones overlapped one another, allowing them to lengthen and shorten in an instant.
The final step, "Grouting," was Universal Skill's only modification intended for combat. It required one to remove their own bones and wrap them in melted metal, thereby making the bone matter sturdier.
Overall, Universal Skill truly was a Spell geared toward assistance.
Li Mo had no further content, nor did he know what strange and bizarre differences Universal Skill would develop after breaking through the Coming-of-Age Stage and reaching the Establishment Stage, which rivaled the Golden Core Stage.
He packed up the Four Treasures of the Study and casually placed them in his Storage Bag.
Li Mo could not help but sigh.
The closer he drew to the Immortal Cultivation World, the more common ground there seemed to be between ancient times and the later ages.
He did not linger in the Calligraphy and Painting Hall. With light steps, he passed through the corridor, while the painter apprentices still repeated their painting day after day.
A middle-aged man had taken Liu Qin's place, overseeing the Calligraphy and Painting Hall.
Li Mo nodded to him in greeting, then walked out through the Calligraphy and Painting Hall's main entrance.
He suddenly realized why the Pawnshop screened children in the first place. The main reason was that the threshold for cultivation in the later ages was simply too low.
Even spiritual roots formed after birth, while Spiritual Qi was everywhere.
If everyone attempted cultivation, the Immortal Cultivation World's resources would surely be depleted.
As Li Mo pondered this, he had already ventured deeper into the Pawnshop. The number of cultivators he encountered had clearly increased, but every one of them hurried along with an anxious air.
Something must have gone wrong in the Pawnshop. Otherwise, there would not be such a spectacle.
Li Mo quickened his pace and spotted a Daoist Temple on a high slope not far away. Its plaque bore the words "Inner Quarters."
From the memories that had surged forth from the Book of Fortune, Li Mo knew that the inner quarters were Quiet Cultivation Rooms for disciples of the Outer Artifact Workshop to cultivate in seclusion.
Li Mo lowered his head and entered the inner quarters.
When the passing cultivators noticed that he was a child barely over ten, they all cast curious looks his way. Li Mo could not help quickening his steps.
He surveyed the main hall of the inner quarters and saw a portrait hanging in the center.
The portrait depicted an elderly man with the bearing of an immortal sage.
The old man wore a violet Daoist Robe, held a whisk in his left hand, and had an unusual Golden Silk Phoenix Tail Sparrow perched on his right shoulder. Seven-colored auspicious clouds lay beneath his feet.
Li Mo was stunned for a few breaths.
He immediately recognized the old man's identity. He was the founding patriarch of the Heart Beast Sect, as well as the sect's sole Golden Core Stage cultivator at the time.
Tian Chenzi
"So it really is the Heart Beast Sect. Even after seven thousand years, Tian Chenzi's portrait remains."
Li Mo studied it for a moment, then, to avoid drawing unnecessary trouble, entered the spacious circular passageway and searched for his residence.
The Pawnshop appeared to divide its rooms into three classes: Heaven, Earth, and Human.
Li Mo's Room Ren No. 4 was relatively secluded, with the entrance and exit of a side gate right beside it.
He took out his Spirit Tablet and brought it close to the door. The doors opened automatically, revealing elegant furnishings, with Bronze Bells hanging along the walls.
The bed was clean and neat, and furnishings such as a desk were all present.
Li Mo's gaze fell upon the wall. There was an altar for offerings there, and behind the Incense Burner stood an unfurled painting.
The painting also depicted Tian Chenzi.
After Li Mo closed the doors, he let out a long breath.
He had learned from Steward Hu that once he moved into the inner quarters, he would no longer need to personally handle the miscellaneous matters of daily life.
If he rang the bell, a servant would immediately come to the inner quarters.
Li Mo ate some dry rations, then carefully inspected the room. Only after ensuring there was nothing overlooked did he officially begin his secluded cultivation.
Under normal circumstances, Entry Level cultivation took at least half a year.
Li Mo did not need to worry about anyone disturbing him anytime soon. This was indeed the best time to imprint his organs.
He sat cross-legged on a prayer mat.
His consciousness entered his mind, where the familiar Book of Fortune floated.
Li Mo had long decided which organs to imprint. Phantoms of organs immediately appeared on the second and third pages, and an inscrutable sensation rose in his heart.
The organ phantoms gradually darkened. A stabbing pain suddenly appeared across Li Mo's skin, followed closely by suffocation in his chest.
He opened the Book of Fortune again. The first page still bore the image of his brain.
On the second page was the Middle Dantian, the size of a ping-pong ball and resembling a Flesh Tumor.
The Middle Dantian bore the Spiritual Qi refined by Cultivation Methods and was one of the human body's most important organs.
The third page contained a lifelike, complete sheet of Human Skin.
Paint Green Clothes required skin. To be safe, he would wait until he had mastered the Spell, then use repeated imprinting to nurture a second sheet of Human Skin.
A muffled groan squeezed through Li Mo's clenched teeth. His entire body began trembling uncontrollably, even aggravating his ribs, which had yet to heal completely.
To save time, he had imprinted the skin and Middle Dantian in one go.
No matter what Divine Ability the skin awakened, Li Mo could accept it.
But the Middle Dantian was different. If the Divine Ability he obtained could not assist his cultivation, it seemed he could only consider giving up Misty Spiritual Energy.
Unable to endure the pain, Li Mo tossed and turned through the night, unable to sleep.
"Tap tap tap tap... wah wah wah..."
A strange beast's cry drifted in and out from beyond the door, seeming very close to the inner quarters.
This time, Li Mo heard it clearly. It sounded somewhat like a deer’s cry, but pain soon seized his attention, and in his haze, the deer’s cry vanished.
Before you continue