I am grinding experience in another world

Heavy snow descended from the sky, cloaking Qiluo Mountain in a blanket of silvery white, signalling the arrival of another harsh winter in Luandu County.

In the East Straddling Courtyard of the City Divine Temple, Chen Mu stood under the long corridor with his hands tucked in his sleeves, happily watching the snowflakes fall.

"Old Li, come on, tell me about the Lock Dragon Courtyard." He looked at Li Buxian with a familiar, beaming smile.

Who's the "Old Li"?

We're not that close, are we?

Li Buxian rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Reluctantly, he didn't want to inform the bastard before him, but he had no choice since they were on the same path of the Demon Path.

In recent days, he had experimented and found that any negative thought about the other would immediately cause him to do the splits mid-air, painfully straining his inner thighs.

Li Buxian sighed helplessly, fearing other powerful cursing methods. He dared not conceal information and reluctantly began to explain the methods of the Lock Dragon Courtyard.

"The Lock Dragon Courtyard uses two methods to search for Qi Cultivators, one is the Lock Dragon Well, and the other is the Soul-Searching Disc."

"The City God Dojo thrives in promoting the prosperity of livestock and abundant crops mainly because it can manage and distribute the Earth Spirit Vital Energy."

"Qi Cultivators defy the natural order and confine a large amount of Earth Spirit Vital Energy within their bodies, which clashes with the power of the Dojo."

"The City God Dojo can't manage this part of the Vital Energy, thus it gets agitated in reverse. Consequently, the Well exhibits fluctuations, roughly revealing the whereabouts of the Qi Cultivators."

Chen Mu looked up at the densely invisible threads of the City God Dojo and nodded.

Qi Cultivators absorb copious amounts of Earth Spirit Vital Energy to transform into Mana, functioning like oversized White Jade Coins. When present within the power of the Dojo, it's like throwing a stone into water, naturally causing ripples and thus getting detected by the Dojo's power.

"The Soul-Searching Disc functions similarly. It's said to borrow some of the Living God's power, which is more sensitive and covers a wider and farther search area."

Borrow the power of a Living God?

Is it embedded with some Yin Spirit Secret Method?

If only I could get one to study...

Chen Mu looked at Li Buxian.

"Don't look at me. The Soul-Searching Disc is a core artifact of the Lock Dragon Courtyard. I'm just an external enforcer, and I can't help you get one," Li Buxian quickly shook his head.

"What a pity," Chen Mu said with a look of regret.

As per Li Buxian's description, both the Lock Dragon Well and the Soul-Searching Disc mainly detect fluctuations of Earth Spirit Vital Energy.

The Breath Ending Divine Ability can temporarily shield one's own energy fluctuations with an invisible membrane, thus evading their detection.

"It's a pity that Sun Ke had widely dispersed the Extinguishing Breath Stone. It's uncertain if the Lock Dragon Courtyard has developed a countermeasure."

Pole Mountain's Flying Horse Camp had already built the Heavenly Capital Pool and was preparing to recruit soldiers from the surrounding counties. He planned to blend in and cultivate the Underworld God Transformation.

Reportedly, personnel from the Lock Dragon Courtyard often stationed at the barracks. If his Qi Cultivator identity was not well-hidden, it could bring considerable trouble to his mission.

"Whether the Breath Ending Divine Ability is reliable or not, it's best to test it firsthand," Chen Mu squinted his eyes.

...

A few days later, early morning, at a small mountain on the outskirts of Pole Mountain.

On the neatly flattened mountaintop, over thirty people were bustling about constructing a courtyard.

Setting beams, tiling with green tiles, building courtyard walls, felling trees for doors and windows— the whole mountaintop was a chaotic but organized hub of activity.

After nearly a month of hustle, the construction of the Lock Dragon Courtyard sub-branch was nearly complete, requiring at most seven or eight more days for final touches.

On the periphery, using a Shape-shifting Technique to alter his appearance into a taciturn young man in his twenties, Chen Mu skillfully built a wall while covertly watching a group of about ten individuals nearby.

These individuals wore black uniforms with golden cloud patterns on the cuffs, all from the Lock Dragon Courtyard, including the three siblings Yuan Dong.

Some were tall and robust, clearly Martial Artists who had trained in Underworld God Transformation. Others had pale complexions and seemed frail, yet their eyes shone unusually bright, almost luminescent.

In his two days here, Chen Mu often loitered around these individuals, yet no one detected his Qi Cultivator identity.

"That's it!"

"The quantity of Extinguishing Breath Stone dispersed by Sun Ke was limited, and it appeared only around a few counties near Luandu County. Compared to the entire Da Qian, the influence is limited."

"Perhaps the Lock Dragon Courtyard lacks the resources or enough samples to develop a targeted plan."

"Still, to be safe, it's better to stay a few more days."

Chen Mu silently shifted his gaze and resumed his honest work stacking green bricks.

Currently, he was impersonating a young mud-brick worker named Zhong Han, an outsider with a reserved and reticent nature, seldom interacting with others—a role he had specifically chosen.

Since knocking the real Zhong Han unconscious and throwing him into the Grotto Heaven of Thousand Lanterns City, Chen Mu had seamlessly taken over. Two days had passed, and not a single person had noticed.

"Such a reclusive person is indeed suitable for me to disguise myself. Few people talk to him, so there are fewer chances for slips," Chen Mu thought proudly.

While busy, a stout man in a gray short garment approached him: "Zhong Han, accompany Mr. Xie on a trip. There are two horned sheep and some fruits and vegetables to be carried up the mountain."

"Me again?" Chen Mu showed a troubled expression.

"If not you, should I go maybe?" the stout foreman replied assertively.

Zhong Han was an outsider and gentle by nature, so dirty and tiring jobs were often assigned to him by the foreman.

For example, helping the people from Lock Dragon Courtyard move vegetables and grain provisions, which not only disrupted his own work but also paid no extra wages. Others didn't like to do it, so it was pushed onto Zhong Han.

"Alright then." Chen Mu reluctantly nodded, his expression not looking great, but his heart was quite pleased.

He was actually eager to get close to the Lock Dragon Courtyard personnel and test the techniques of a Qi Cultivator on them.

He immediately went under the east wall, picked up two large rattan baskets with a carrying pole, and followed a tall, thin middle-aged man in black out of the mountain.

Neither of them spoke, silently walking until they reached the middle of the mountain.

Chen Mu was curious whether the other party had noticed anything unusual about him, so he kept his face forwards while his eyes covertly strayed, carefully observing the middle-aged man ahead.

Then, he saw a pair of obliquely angled eyes, staring intently right back at him.

Chen Mu: "..."

No way, does this Lock Dragon Courtyard guy have a problem?

Why is he also looking at me with tilted eyes?

Just as Chen Mu was thinking of how to bluff his way through, a voice like the buzzing of mosquitoes and flies rang by his ears.

"Not recognize the inverted in the mysterious."

What does that mean? A secret code?

The Zhong Han I chose, could he actually be a spy?

Faced with the increasingly fierce gaze of the other man, Chen Mu swallowed his saliva and tried, "Who knows it is good to plant lotuses in the fire?"

This phrase was a line from a Daoist poem, widely known. He had seen it on the frontier, the first two lines being "Not recognize the inverted in the mysterious, who knows it is good to plant lotuses in the fire."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man suddenly widened his eyes and then abruptly leaped ten meters to the side: "You're not Zhong Han!"

I knew it wouldn't work.

Chen Mu's mouth twitched.

What the hell kind of luck is this, randomly picking a person and he actually turns out to be a spy?

Besides, Zhong Han was taciturn and reclusive; if not by nature, that definitely fits the usual spy behavior.

"Big guts, daring to impersonate someone from the Xie Family! I can't let you go!" The tall, thin middle-aged man gave a chilling smile, his figure fading like smoke and suddenly appearing behind Chen Mu.

But Chen Mu's expression remained unchanged and, with a thought, an exotice force suddenly emerged around his body.

Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles!

Buzz!

Like a sea fish frozen in ice, the tall, thin middle-aged man was instantly frozen mid-air, only his eyeballs able to move.

Thump!

A muffled sound, the tall thin middle-aged man fell to the ground violently, forming a 'big' character as he was harshly slammed into the ground.

Chen Mu turned around, squatted down, and with a beaming smile, threw an extra punch to knock the man out.

Immediately, a Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed, flickering with luminescence, appeared at his fingertips.

...

"I belong to the Lock Dragon Courtyard's 29th division, named Xie Ji, a household retainer of the Xie Family of Town Sea Marquis, planted inside the Lock Dragon Courtyard years ago."

"Recently, the manor received news about abnormal changes in the Spiritual Energy of Luandu County, instructing me to join the local branch of Lock Dragon Courtyard to prepare for potential future plans."

"Zhong Han was appointed by the Xie Family as my contact person, responsible for helping me and the manor exchange messages." Xie Ji stood in front of Chen Mu respectfully.

Chen Mu, with a strange look, eyed Xie Ji.

The Xie Family?

"Do you know Xie An?"

"I know him, he and I were study companions of the young master and grew up receiving the Xie Family's training together."

Because Xie An came to Luandu County, then brought out the reclusive spy Zhong Han, and finally barged into my hands?

Tsk!

Talk about fateful brothers, fateful indeed!

"The Lock Dragon Courtyard searches for Qi Cultivators mainly using the Soul-Searching Disc. As far as I know, no new techniques have appeared yet," Xie Ji continued.

Chen Mu, hearing this, revealed a satisfied smile.

Now that's good, no need to worry about being discovered by the Lock Dragon Courtyard, I can confidently join Flying Horse Camp to cultivate.

"By the way, what's the real code word?" Chen Mu asked curiously.

"It's 'Not recognize the inverted in the mysterious, my fate is in my hands, not dictated by heaven." Xie Ji clasped his hands.

"The first and last sentences of the poem linked together?" Chen Mu suddenly understood. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire