Free Web NovelChapter 664: Skin Refining
"I am an Elder of the Iron Mountain Sect! I am in the middle of a critical epiphany in the hot spring! Do you know how much this interruption will cost my future?!" A bald man with a thick beard bellowed at the front desk of the Celestial Hot Spring, refusing to hand over his wristband.
He tried to project his Core Formation aura, but within the store’s premises, it was instantly negated by the Spirit-Dispersing Beacon.
At this point, Wu Meiyu had already taken over as she stared at the patron with a calm, unperturbed smile.
"Elder of the Iron Mountain Sect," She said, her graceful voice dropping the temperature in the lobby by several degrees. "I believe we have informed you before your entry that you may not be able to stay past the store hours."
"If you mentioned you were here to meditate, we would’ve recommended you to our Premium Cultivation Rooms where time itself can be adjusted to suit your needs."
The elder sneered as he slammed his hand onto the polished jade counter, still daring to intimidate. "The cultivation rooms are for sparring and sweating! The spring’s water was perfectly aligning my earth and water meridians! I was on the verge of comprehending the ’Mudslide Dao’! Do not give me excuses! I have spirit stones! I will buy the suite for the entire night!"
He reached into his robe, pulling out a handful of high-grade spirit stones and throwing them onto the counter with a loud clatter.
Wu Meiyu inwardly shook her head. She knew clearly that if Lin Mo was here, he would’ve thrown out this old man right away. But she’s not Lin Mo. She had the patience to deal with this kind of patron.
Without even looking at the sparkling spirit stones, she stared at the elder, her dark eyes devoid of any sympathy. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
"Our closing hours are not a negotiation, dear customer. They are a universal constant. Like gravity, or the turning of the sun. If you still wish to insist, I will be forced to mark you as a troublemaker."
She then waved her hand, conjuring a small panel in front of her, "You have overstayed by four minutes and twelve seconds. We have already shown restraint. If you were truly having an epiphany, you would not have been awakened by our store-wide reminder. Tell me, dear customer, must you continue this disruption?"
"Disruption? I am a paying patron! Your store promised convenience!" The elder roared, spouting the most famous phrase that Lin Mo never stopped uttering.
"Indeed. Convenience. But dear customer, look again. Are you not being an inconvenience at this moment?"
Upon hearing that, the elder’s beard trembled. In Wu Meiyu’s eyes, being a new patron of the store, he still thought his sect’s name still carries, and the store must give face to him.
Alas, the Divine Convenience Store is not that kind of establishment. It may be open to everyone and offer miracles, but it bows to no one.
The Elder’s face contorted, shifting from an indignant red to an ugly purple. For a man who was used to disciples kowtowing at his mere clearing of the throat, this calm, unyielding dismissal from a woman who didn’t even radiate a terrifying cultivation aura was an unbearable insult.
"Inconvenience? Hmph! You dare lecture me?!" He snarled, his hand instinctively reaching out to grab Wu Meiyu’s collar, completely forgetting the warnings posted on every wall. "I will show you the wrath of the Iron Mountain–"
He didn’t even get to finish the sect’s name.
And Wu Meiyu merely stepped back, looking at the elder with profound pity crossing her regal features.
Before the Elder’s calloused fingers could even brush the fabric of her uniform, the space between them violently warped.
BZZZZT!
A beam of solid, golden light shot down from the ceiling, striking the Elder squarely in the chest.
"Gah!"
The Elder’s eyes bulged as the breath was driven from his lungs. He was lifted off his feet, paralyzed mid-air by the tractor-beam-like light.
At the entrance of the store, the massive Divine Guardian Construct, which had been standing as still as a statue, slowly turned its monolithic head. Its gemstone eyes flared with an ominous, ruby-red light.
Then, a mechanical voice echoed across the entire store.
[Violation Detected. Patron #49,211, after getting warned multiple times, has attempted physical aggression.]
"W-wait! I am a sect elder! I am a patron! I have spirit stones to spend! I–" The bald elder struggled uselessly, his arms and legs pinned to his sides by the invisible force.
[Penalty: Immediate expulsion. Permanent ban from the Divine Convenience Store, the Celestial Shuttle Network, and all affiliated facilities. Have a convenient day.]
With his spiritual energy suppressed, the beam of light that suspended him retracted, yanking the Elder backward.
Before everyone’s eyes, he flew through the open glass doors, landing directly in front of the menacing Guardian Statue.
Sensing that his spiritual energy loosened and he could once again circulate it, he hurriedly stood up, ready to retaliate against the store.
But then, he saw the imposing Guardian Statue staring down at me.
Almost instantly, a horrified expression appeared on his face, understanding that if he truly made a move, he’d be crushed like an ant.
"T-that... I-I’m leaving! Hmph! Convenience, my ass!" He hurriedly turned around and feigned arrogance by sweeping his sleeves.
However, his pace was undeniably a frantic sprint as he scurried down the illuminated street of Fanling City. He didn’t even dare to look back until he was several blocks away, melting into the shadows of a nearby alleyway.
The heavy glass doors slid shut with a soft, definitive hiss, locking for the night.
The remaining patrons in the lobby, who had been lingering to watch the spectacle, swallowed hard. The silence was absolute. While they had heard of someone being thrown out of the store, it was a rare sight ever since its opening.
"Well," Liu Xiaoyu, munching on a [Spirit-Infused Potato Chip] as she stood by the door, shook her head at the sight. "That’s one way to comprehend the ’Mudslide Dao’. He definitely slid right into the mud out there."
Meanwhile, Wu Meiyu simply sighed and stopped thinking about it anymore. She tapped her jade clipboard, formally logging the incident. "A regrettable loss of revenue, but a necessary demonstration of our boundaries. Li Li, Tie Niu, please finish the final sweep of the locker rooms."
—
Inside the Premium Cultivation Room, the simulated environment of [The Solar Crucible] raged.
Lin Mo, sitting cross-legged while surrounded by the churning sea of flames, was gritting his teeth as he endured the painful sensation coursing through his body.
Having started the ’Skin Refining’, his whole body was now fully coated with the liquid essence while maintaining the technique to temper his body.
During the first application, he gulped down a few mouthfuls of the [Abyssal Ice Electrolyte Brew], making his body glow in blue and filling him with the chilling sensation that counteracted the grueling burn of the liquid essence.
Now, an hour has passed, and he could sense that he’s still far from passing the first stage. His skin, though already charred underneath, was still in the process of refining.
However, as the effect of the brew gradually waned, he couldn’t move his arms to reach for the PET bottle anymore. All he could do was activate his new domain spell and let the Sea of the Silent Stream provide him relief to tide him through the agonizing heat.
"Expand," Lin Mo gritted through clenched teeth.
The [Silent Sea Domain] unfurled from his center, not as a sprawling ocean this time, but as a tightly condensed, swirling sphere of abyssal water that clung directly to his skin.
The moment the dark, tranquil waters met the raging, solar-flare environment of the simulation and the volatile [Liquid Star-Forged Essence] coating his body, the reaction was explosive.
SSSHHHHHH!
A massive cloud of steam erupted, instantly filling the simulated space of the Premium Cultivation Room.
The temperature fluctuation was violent enough to shatter normal steel, but the domain acted as a thermal regulator.
However, no matter how great a domain spell it was, it couldn’t fully extinguish the forging heat of the essence. It could only give him temporary relief, providing a continuous, soothing current that prevented his flesh from turning to ash.
It was an excruciating balancing act. Lin Mo had to maintain the exact output of his domain to keep himself from melting, while simultaneously allowing the molten star-metal to seep into his open pores.
"Ugh... If it’s already so painful like this. What more if I drink the remaining essence? I might be cooked inside." Lin Mo groaned as his consciousness wavered.
But he held on. Slowly but surely, the first phase, Skin Refining. approached completion.
The charred, dead skin began to flake away, instantly incinerated by the ambient heat of the [Solar Crucible].
Beneath it, a new layer of skin emerged. It wasn’t bulky or grotesquely metallic. To the naked eye, it appeared like a smooth, flawless jade and beneath the surface, a faint, starlight-silver sheen pulsed with the rhythm of his heartbeat. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
At this moment, Lin Mo opened his eyes and grinned, "Skin Refining completed!"
But the ordeal had only just begun. The essence, having finished its job of fortifying the outer layer, now sank deeper, seeking out his muscular fascia and skeletal structure.
And as soon as that happened, Lin Mo’s pained scream filled the room.
