Paint Green Clothes [Salamander]

The Sumeru Stone was silver-white, its surface marked with wrinkles resembling the folds of a brain, and it emitted a foul, fishy odor.

Li Mo did not know the origin of the Sumeru Stone, but it was said that the higher its quality, the more it resembled a brain in appearance.

The Sumeru Stone he had purchased was of inferior quality, yet its price was several times that of ordinary Low-grade Spirit Materials.

Li Mo drew with extreme caution, his spiritual power carrying the Sumeru Stone powder as it traced mysterious lines across the iron cage.

The first refinement required precise control of spiritual power—something he happened to excel at.

Under the effect of the Sumeru Stone, the internal space of the Bird in a Cage expanded to about five cubic meters, and it also gained the ability to seal living creatures.

Once the first refinement of the Bird in a Cage was complete, Li Mo let out a long breath.

Because the quality of the magic tool embryo was too poor, this Bird in a Cage might stop at the third refinement, but that was enough for Li Mo.

Storing large wild beasts was impractical, but rodents or Scale-type creatures were no problem. Unfortunately, only Mid-grade Magic Tools could be stored in the Middle Dantian, so the Bird in a Cage had to be carried around.

Li Mo set the Bird in a Cage aside and sat down to meditate, recovering his spiritual power.

The days that followed became dull and repetitive, a straight line between cultivation and tool refinement, with occasional painting thrown in.

Painting was used to stabilize his state of mind, improving the efficiency of his seclusion.

Once a month, Li Mo would temporarily leave the inn to set up a stall and sell magic tools, replenishing his depleted resources.

After half a year in seclusion, his liver's Spiritual Root Transformation had reached over thirty percent, steadily advancing toward Childhood Stage Layer 4, with an incredibly solid foundation laid beneath him.

Li Mo did not blindly chase breakthroughs in realm.

He understood the meaning of the Childhood Stage—all the capital accumulated would be used for future advancement.

The four seasons changed within the Black Market as if frozen, cut off from the outside world.

Li Mo operated his Circulation Cycle, Miasma Spiritual Power flowing through his Eight Extraordinary Meridians, while his thick blood raced through his blood vessels and organs.

At that moment, the Paper Man on the Wooden Table suddenly stirred.

Li Mo paused his cultivation and opened the Paper Man with a delighted expression, finding several lines of blood-red text written inside.

After he finished reading, the Paper Man let out a heart-wrenching scream before turning to ash.

This method of communication used by Rogue Cultivators had a very limited range and could not be reused—somewhat useless.

But Li Mo immediately understood that the task he had commissioned was complete.

He got up and left the inn, walking to the Black Market streets lined with stalls. He could clearly sense that the number of low-level Rogue Cultivators was increasing.

The main reason was still the Iron Cauldron Secret Realm; Rogue Cultivators had flocked to the Black Market to conveniently sell their spirit materials.

Li Mo's appearance caught the attention of some observant individuals.

He paid them no mind and went straight to the entrance of the Green Leaf Wine Shop, where Song Liang had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Li Mo, he visibly relaxed.

As the head escort of the Hong Xing Escort Agency, Song Liang had over a dozen escorts under him, so his demand for Low-grade Magic Tools was considerable. During Li Mo's stall sessions, he had frequently purchased the Golden Sand Diagram.

Over time, the two had become well-acquainted.

Song Liang shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "Salamanders aren't easy to find. I shouldn't have agreed to catch them for you on the way. I climbed who knows how many mountains on Xinji Ridge before I found any..."

"Thank you, Brother Song."

Li Mo took out a small pouch of Spirit Stones and was about to hand it to Song Liang, but the latter got a bit anxious and quickly refused, saying, "Really, no need. It was on the way anyway—how could I let you spend money on that."

"Then let me treat you to some wine."

Li Mo took the cloth bag and looked inside. It held over a dozen Salamanders in a state of hibernation. Overjoyed, he pulled Song Liang into the tavern.

He had already been considering giving up on the Salamander tattoo and switching to a gecko that could regrow its tail, or a turtle, or a lizard.

The effect might not be as outstanding as the Salamander's, but at least they were easier to find.

Since Song Liang had come through, Li Mo didn't refuse too much. The Salamander was crucial to his cultivation of Paint Green Clothes, and he had even refined the Bird in a Cage specifically for this purpose.

The two sat down in the wine shop, where the drinks were all mixed with pungent, bitter, and spicy spices.

Li Mo wasn't used to it, but he still drank a few cups with Song Liang, chatting about the Hong Xing Escort Agency's gains from this trip.

"Don't even mention it. We couldn't find any Wild Beasts on the outskirts of Xinji Ridge at all. We had to go ten li deep before we found a few hibernating Man-bears."

"Ah..."

For the escort agency, heading to Xinji Ridge to hunt Wild Beasts was the safest way to make money, but in the dead of winter, it took a bit of luck.

Song Liang was getting tipsy, and his words started to flow more freely.

"You know what? On our way back, we took the southwest Official Road. From Fushan Slope, you could see Fu'an Town..."

"Smelting Town has been dealing with the calamity for a few years now, but the Meat Mountain is still a thousand meters tall. At its foot, the white bones pile up like a mountain—all rotten severed limbs!"

"Troubled times."

Li Mo shook his head. He had been keeping an eye on Fu'an Town and had once asked Jin Li about it, understanding that the Polymelia situation was not optimistic.

"Even without casualties, the Meat Mountain..."

Song Liang was already drinking himself into a stupor. It was clear that passing through Fu'an Town had shaken him deeply, the fear in his heart beyond words.

Li Mo's Desert Diagram extended a strip of cloth, piercing into the back of Song Liang's head.

After a few breaths, the wine fumes within Song Liang were completely devoured by the Desert Diagram, and he groggily woke up, only to find Li Mo had already left the tavern.

Li Mo purchased some resources at the Black Market before returning to his guest room.

He took out the Bird in a Cage and, based on memories from his past life, began constructing an eco-box to raise salamanders, ensuring a steady supply of Beast Blood.

The so-called eco-box refers to a sealed container that uses temperature and humidity to simulate a natural environment, thereby raising small animals.

Li Mo only had a rough memory of how to build an eco-box.

However, he possessed Miasma Spiritual Power, and as long as he periodically infused spiritual power into the Bird in a Cage, its interior would become extremely stable, making temperature and humidity control not too troublesome.

It took Li Mo only five days for the Bird in a Cage to transform into a small eco-box, lush with dense low shrubs, with a crystal-clear pond at its center, a few water plants floating on the surface.

He placed the salamanders into the Bird in a Cage, then sprinkled some powder.

The dozen or so salamanders immediately awoke, but fearing the pond, they hid until Li Mo threw in earthworms and other miscellaneous food, gradually helping them adapt.

Li Mo didn't stop there; he proceeded with the Second Refinement of the Bird in a Cage.

His artifact refining skills were already second nature, so there was no chance of failure in the Second Refinement.

Hot Lizard Bone Powder wrapped around the Iron Cage, and light began to emanate from within the Bird in a Cage.

The Second Refinement mainly enhanced the durability of the magic tool, with the added effect of controlling the light, ensuring the ecological stability for raising the salamanders.

Li Mo was very satisfied. In the future, once he could refine Mid-grade Magic Tools, he could also plan to raise foxes and Mountain Lords—but Kun Whales... forget it.

He observed the salamanders' condition, drawing blood based on their state.

By the time Li Mo had gathered enough blood for the Tattooed Beast tattoo, the salamander group showed no signs of decline, still lively and vigorous inside the Bird in a Cage.

"It's time to complete the last auxiliary position."

Li Mo frowned, his gaze sweeping over the black spots dotting the surface of his Brain.

With the support of four Tattooed Beasts, exploring the Iron Cauldron Secret Realm should be somewhat feasible.

He then began drawing the tattoo, while simultaneously pondering the matter of the Primordial Acquired Dao Body.

The more Li Mo delved into the Primordial Acquired Dao Body, the more he felt this Spell possessed extraordinary potential, even capable of being Mutually Beneficial with the Leakless Body.

He had thought of a clever shortcut to Entry Level, and had gathered all the necessary spiritual materials, but it was likely to cause quite a commotion, so he decided to hide in the Iron Cauldron Secret Realm before attempting to master it.

With Li Mo's effortless drawing, the Salamander Beast Head took shape.

[Work has been too busy, so I'm posting early. Tomorrow will still be at eight o'clock.]

[Seeking Follow-up Reads!!!!!]