As time passed, Li Ang, following He Fanshuang, "officially" advanced to the Body Concealing Realm.
The benefit of the Body Concealing Realm was a full Qi Sea, allowing for the external release of Spiritual Energy, thereby unleashing more Magic and talismans.
The Academic Palace awarded prizes to the first few freshmen who advanced to the Body Concealing Realm.
Pei Jing received the Canghai Sword (personally forged and upgraded by a Doctor of Engineering, usable up to the Cloud Patrol Realm).
He Fanshuang received a book from the Dongjun Tower.
Li Ang received a Mountain Copper Ingot.
In addition to these, Sacrificial Officer Chen Danqiu also privately gave Li Ang a new protective talisman, also written by the Mountain Master.
Once activated by the Spiritual Energy of the Body Concealing Realm, the talisman could withstand attacks for about three minutes, specifically intended to save Li Ang’s life.
With this talisman, even if Li Ang were attacked in Chang’an City, he wouldn’t die immediately, giving him enough time for the garrison’s troops to arrive. Consequently, the Academic Palace withdrew his overt and covert guards.
Li Ang breathed a sigh of relief.
As soon as he returned home, he gave his old talisman—previously placed inside the Ink Jade (which couldn’t be actively triggered, only passively, and could withstand one fatal attack)—to Chai Cuiqiao, instructing her to wear it close to her body.
He, on the other hand, officially began feeding Mo Si Gold and Silver Ingots.
Mo Si’s mass gradually increased, while the efficiency of its growth from consuming ordinary gold and silver visibly decreased.
Try a different metal?
Li Ang dragged a box out from under the table and, with a pang of regret, continued to feed Mo Si precious metals like Fine Gold and Mountain Copper.
Faced with Mountain Copper and Mystic Iron, Mo Si’s "appetite" surged again, and it drastically accelerated its rate of consumption.
When half of the special metals, valued at six hundred thousand strings of coins, had been devoured, Mo Si finally stopped feeding contentedly. It spat out half a chunk of Mountain Copper, slowly shrank back into Li Ang’s body, and became still and silent.
Li Ang stared at his palm in disbelief.
Where’s the change? Wasn’t it said that Mo Si would undergo new changes once it was full? What’s with this feeling of a lazy slob who eats their fill and then just lies down to sleep?
"After eating so much money, at least do something..."
Exasperatedly, Li Ang slapped his arm. The next instant—
The sound of a sharp object cutting through the air echoed in the room. From between Li Ang’s fingers, long, narrow, pitch-black blades composed of Mo Si extended.
They were sharp and deadly.
Li Ang stared at his palm in astonishment. With a thought, the half-meter-long blades that had emerged from between his fingers softened and transformed, covering his fist like a gauntlet.
The first stage of Mo Si is to conduct Spiritual Energy and improve the efficiency of Spirit Veins. The second stage is to enhance physique and strengthen bodily functions. And the third stage... is it the ability to transform?
Li Ang’s eyes brightened. He expended Spiritual Energy, channeled his Heart Thought, and shaped Mo Si into myriad strange forms.
Weapons, armor, cloaks, trench coats, masks, hair, beast claws...
Mo Si, like a ferrofluid, changed shapes at will, helping Li Ang... cosplay.
Li Ang extended his pitch-black arm. "Rubber Pistol!"
He transformed it into a slender blade longer than a person. "Eight Blade Flash!"
Draping himself in a pitch-black cape and donning a bat-like mask, he murmured in a deep, gravelly voice, "I am Bettman."
He even briefly took on the appearance of a long-nosed goblin.
"Okay, enough playing."
Breathless, Li Ang retracted Mo Si and sat on a chair, deep in thought.
The transformative ability Mo Si displayed in its third stage was, in a sense, extremely powerful.
It required only the consumption of Spiritual Energy to morph into countless shapes.
Due to Mo Si’s inherently indestructible nature, whether it transformed into blades, swords, or armor, it was far superior to ordinary equipment.
However, there were drawbacks. Maintaining a transformation consumed Spiritual Power. Switching forms consumed even more. It couldn’t transform into shapes exceeding Mo Si’s total mass. Furthermore, if Mo Si was completely separated from his body, it would quickly disintegrate beyond recovery, requiring more metal to regenerate.
But compared to the advantages, these drawbacks hardly seemed significant.
Within the Academic Palace’s cultivation system, with Mo Si activated, I should be much stronger than many Postnatal Martial Artists. Equivalent to the Middle Rank of the Rain Listening Realm. My defensive power should be even higher.
Li Ang clenched his fists, an inexplicable anticipation for the legendary assassins from the enemy nation stirring within him.
Assassins and spies, are you even coming? If you don’t come soon, I’ll be advancing to the Cloud Patrol Realm!
The assassins and spies Li Ang eagerly awaited had yet to materialize.
On the other hand, the promotion of Allicin was proceeding rapidly.
As Li Ang had suggested, Emperor Yu and the Yu Kingdom’s Court ultimately chose to delegate the production rights for Allicin to commercial firms and sick houses in each State Mansion.
At the same time, critical components necessary for producing Allicin, such as the Condenser and vacuum pumps, were manufactured in Chang’an City’s Construction Supervision as a means of control.
Judging by the feedback from the common people in the State Mansions, Allicin’s effects were quite remarkable. Countless patients were cured, and the local sick houses gained financial support, allowing them to gradually get back on track.
At least this winter promised to be somewhat easier than previous years...
Sitting on a bench beside Chuiyun Lake in the Academic Palace, Li Ang reached out to catch the snowflakes gently drifting down from the sky.
In recent years, the climate in Yu Country had been erratic. Last year, the snow had arrived early; this year, it was late. A thick layer of ice had already formed on Chuiyun Lake’s surface, and students were already strolling across it.
Yang Yu and Li Wei, bundled in thick cotton clothes, approached and greeted him. "Aren’t you cold sitting out here with so little on?"
"It’s fine. I have this."
Li Ang pulled a Yellow Paper Talisman from his sleeve.
It was a Warm Wind Talisman, something only those at the Body Concealing Realm could create.
"Heh, using a talisman to stay warm."
Yang Yu clicked his tongue. "Just how much money have you made recently?"
Li Ang chuckled. "I wrote this talisman myself. I learned a thing or two from Master Tantai Leshan during the last Academic Palace talisman-writing session."
Every winter, to demonstrate its care for the common people, the Yu Kingdom’s Court would distribute free firewood and coal to every household.
As an important part of the Yu Kingdom, the Academic Palace also participated.
Doctors and Instructors used their Cultivation to build and repair houses for the people.
Disciples at the Body Concealing Realm and above would gather to write warming-type talismans or create heating devices like stoves, distributing them to the common people for free.
Looking at the Body Concealing Realm talisman paper in Li Ang’s hands, Yang Yu and Li Wei sighed enviously once more.
The two were still stuck in the Qi Sensing Realm, always feeling on the verge of a breakthrough but just missing that little something. They had to lower their expectations, hoping to advance before the New Year so they wouldn’t rank last among the new students.
"Let’s go, Mind Study Class is about to start."
Li Ang stood up. After advancing to the Body Concealing Realm, Academic Palace Disciples faced the decision of choosing their Dao Path. He hadn’t made up his mind yet. The talismanic Tao seems more versatile, but Telekinesis feels like it would coordinate better with Mo Si.
An afterimage, moving so fast it was almost imperceptible, shot out from the supervision building, kicking up countless bits of dirt and fallen leaves as it passed over the ground.
It was Academic Palace Sacrificial Official Chen Danqiu. His face grave, he stopped outside the Academic Palace West Gate, staring intently at an ordinary-looking carriage speeding along the mountain road.
The carriage came to an abrupt halt. A figure covered in blood tumbled out of the compartment, falling into a muddy puddle. The Jade Pendant at his waist, obscured by mud and water, was inscribed with the words "Academic Palace Patrol."