Other than the news from the north and south, Lin Mo was relieved to hear that the Sunken Caverns Anchor remained stable.
While Decrint continued to climb out of it, there was still no sign of a Dreilling's appearance yet. The cultivators there could still manage to contain them within the periter they sent. And with the Celestial Shuttle Hub just next to it, reinforcents could arrive quickly should the need arise.
Furthermore, the Crimson Vale Sect sent out a contingent of Sect Elders who had just finished their initial climb at the Abyssal Forest Conduit Tower. Most of them were at peak Core Formation Stage, while a few managed to reach enlightennt, breaking through to the early Nascent Soul Stage, bolstering the forces there.
Naturally, the Blood-Forged disciples had yet to make their appearance. Sect Master Hong Ying still needed to recruit and train them, after all.
Sect Master Hong Ying created a modified cultivation technique mixing their sect's core cultivation technique and the manual an Elder from their Sect managed to acquire from the elusive lost manual shelves of the store.
It was a different technique from the 'Controlled Fury Arts' that she ntioned during the auction, as it would be an exclusive technique for the Blood-Forged disciples.
Zhou Rui, who had just broken through to the Foundation Establishnt Stage, signed up for it. The young man wanted to continue striving in order to preach the Dao of Convenience.
When the Red Lotus Academy finished setting up the place for the Heavenly Mirage Illusion Orb, they'd be given priority access to amp up the training of disciples.
Considering Feng Haoran only needed to dedicate a hall to it, it would be available soon enough.
Lin Mo's plan of scouting inside the Sunken Caverns will still happen though. He cannot miss that.
That's why, after finishing all the tasks and checking in on various fronts like the Branch Store or the Official Distributor up north, he decided to use his idle ti to start comprehending the second layer of the Starflow ditation Manual.
After picking an empty Premium Cultivation Room, Lin Mo configured the settings. He didn't choose a combat simulation this ti. Instead, he selected a pure, ditative environnt: [The Silent Nebula].
The white room dissolved, replaced by the breathtaking expanse of deep space, illuminated by the gentle, rhythmic pulsing of distant stars. The spiritual energy beca dense, refined, and perfectly attuned to his starlight qi.
"I see. The divine formation used in this is like a hack. Ti to work overti then," Lin Mo muttered as he sat cross-legged in the void.
He closed his eyes and visualized his dantian. The six nodes of starlight qi that ford his Perfect Foundation were rotating in a stable, hexagonal orbit.
To reach the second layer of the [Starflow ditation Manual], he needed to replicate this miracle five more tis, creating a complex system of interconnected constellations that would eventually mirror the thirty-six Heavenly Stars.
It was a task that required imnse spiritual reserves and terrifyingly precise control. For a normal cultivator, this would take years of painstaking accumulation.
But Lin Mo wasn't a normal cultivator. He was the Shopkeeper. He had Heaven's Favor, Taihao's Celestial Providence, granting him an easier path to cultivation and absurd luck that can also leak to his custors. He also has Saintess Huoling's blessing. Although that one hadn't shown its potential yet.
However, compared to Liu Xiaoyu, who's a natural prodigy with her Nine Heavens Exquisite Body, he's still terribly lacking in terms of comprehension and enlightennt.
While there's a straight path in front of him, it is shrouded in fog and he has to navigate through it carefully or else, he may be lost.
"Let's see. Looks like I can further increase the spiritual density. Maximize output then."
[Amplifying ambient spiritual density. Synchronizing with the user's Stellar Domain.]
A hum of power vibrated through the nebula. The starlight around him grew brighter, more tangible but at the sa ti, it brought him imnse pressure as if he was being choked out of air or drowned deep under the water.
Lin Mo took a deep breath, activating his [Silent Stream Breathing Technique].
His [Stillwater Body] acted like a super-conductor. The dense spiritual energy stirred and stopped simply flowing into him like a silent river. It started to be pulled in and refined instantly before getting deposited into his dantian with zero waste.
To him, it felt less like cultivation and more like downloading power directly from the simulated environnt.
"Efficient," He thought, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips even in his ditative trance.
He began to guide the energy. He didn't force it. He rembered Xingxing's lesson on refinent. He treated the energy like a precious material, gently coaxing it to pool and condense at a specific point in his spiritual sea.
One hour passed. Then two.
In the silent void of his dantian, a new spark ignited. Then another. He was weaving starlight, creating a new node from a dense accumulation of spiritual energy and his will.
By the ti he opened his eyes, four hours had passed in the real world, but days had drifted by in the accelerated ti of the room.
He exhaled a breath of silvery mist. Inside him, orbiting the central hexagon, three new, brilliant nodes of starlight had ford.
He hadn't completed the second constellation yet, but the foundation for it was laid solidly. His cultivation base had inched forward, stable and profound.
"Not bad for a day's work," He said, standing up and stretching.
His body felt light, brimming with vitality. "Now, I should check the status of that Anchor personally. I can't just dive in blind in two days."
He exited the room, finding the store still bustling as the sky outside gradually turned orange.
He spotted Liu Xiaoyu near the counter, currently engaged in a heated debate with a custor about whether the [Spicy Beef] or [Seafood] flavor of noodles was superior.
"Xiaoyu, are you free?" Lin Mo called out as he walked past. "Let's go check out the Sunken Caverns."
The young woman's eyes instantly lit up.
"Seafood wins, bye!"
She abandoned the debate instantly and dashed to his side.
"Boss! I thought you were going there in three or five days? What's the change?"
"I didn't say we're going in right away. We are only going to check and maybe let the others test this," Lin Mo corrected, though he was already pulling out a pair of [Stardust Repeater] from the inventory, handing it to her.
It hadn't been put into the shelves yet, as Chuang wanted him to test it in terms of durability and firepower.
"Ooh! Is that the pew-pew artifact!" Xiaoyu grabbed the spirit-grade firearm, admiring its sleek, rune-etched design. "Does it have explosive rounds like yours, Boss?"
Lin Mo's lips twitched at her calling it a 'pew-pew artifact'. It didn't sound like that when it fired, right?
"Nope. Standard energy bullets only ford from your spiritual energy. If you pour too much, it might break but I guess it's fine if you try to overfeed it. That's what we're going to test. Let's go."
After looking for iyu, telling her his plan and handing her the reins temporarily, they took the Celestial Shuttle to the Sunken Caverns hub.
Stepping out, the atmosphere was markedly different from the festive air of Fanling City. The air was rife with tension as they were constantly on alert.
The periter established by the barbarians and the cultivators was buzzing with activity.
Wounded n and won were being ferried to the dical tents, while fresh squads checked their weapons, ready to tackle any green-skinned Decrint that would climb out of the Anchor's entrance.
Lin Mo and Liu Xiaoyu moved towards the command tent and imdiately saw Chieftain Borok standing at the command table while arguing with Elder Liu Jingshan over the creation of a squad to venture in and maybe pull out so of the controlled barbarians and cultivators.
When he saw Lin Mo, the barbarian's haggard face split into a relieved grin.
"Shopkeeper! You are here!" Borok called out, slamming a fist against his chest. "The vermin are getting bolder. They probe our lines every hour. And the… feeling… from the depths. It grows stronger."
"Mhm? The psychic pressure?" Lin Mo asked, walking up to the map.
"Yes. It itches the brain," Borok growled, rubbing his temple. "So of my warriors… they hear whispers. I had to send them back to the rear. But… those we left behind. They needed saving."
"Good call," Lin Mo nodded. "The Dreilling is active. It's testing your ntal defenses. Do not send anyone inside yet." He paused for a mont, turning to the Liu Clan elder. "Elder Liu, what's the status of the breach?"
"Stable, but only just," Liu Jingshan reported grimly. "We've held the periter. But as you have witnessed, we have been arguing who to send inside."
"I see. Like I said, do not unnecessarily risk by sending a new group inside. Wait until we get sufficient information. Speaking of that…" Lin Mo's voice trailed as he glanced at Xiaoyu, letting his assistant break the news to them.
"Right! Boss and I… We plan on entering Area 1. Just a quick peek to probe the Dreilling's reach and test this."
Upon saying that, she pulled out the [Stardust Repeater] with a wide grin as if showing off a new toy to other children.
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