’The Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect.’ Lin Mu thought about it.
He still needed to enter it, search it and find the vault. All of it was to locate the third ring. But the problem had always been infiltration. Even if Lady Kang helped him enter openly, restricted areas would remain inaccessible.
Eventually, covert action would bee necessary.
Disguise methods existed.
Illusions existed.
Transformation techniques existed.
Yet none felt sufficient.
The Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect housed transcendents and ancient experts.
Ordinary disguises would fail.
He knew that.
Even his own methods would probably be seen through.
But this... This was different.
It altered him fundamentally.
Muscles.
Skin.
Fat.
Hair.
The changes happened at the biological level.
No energy covered them.
No illusion sustained them.
He would literally bee another person.
Lin Mu’s eyes brightened.
"If I can alter enough..."
He looked at his reflection.
"...then even people close to me might not recognize me."
The idea expanded.
Different body shape.
Different face.
Different voice.
Different bearing.
Different cultivation aura.
He could bee a new disciple entirely.
Hide within the sect.
Assimilate.
Investigate.
Leave without anyone ever knowing.
His thoughts raced.
Yet he also understood the problem. Appearance alone was insufficient. A disguise failed the moment behavior betrayed it. If he became someone else... He would need to act like someone else.
Different habits.
Different speech.
Different personality.
Different Dao.
Even his fighting style might need alteration.
Lin Mu suddenly remembered Cattaleya calling him a baby.
Meng Bai being Fetus Bai.
Fatty Mu.
The absurdity of recent months.
He quietly decided nobody would ever know about this future disguise project.
Especially not Lin Mo though he knew hiding from someone who was technially part of himself was impossible.
Still Lin Mu knew the man would create terrible identities immediately if he got control of his body.
"Make yourself fat again and bee Elder Round Mountain." Lin Mo said instantly.
Lin Mu regretted thinking that.
He ignored him.
Instead his focus shifted deeper.
Muscles were done.
Now came something harder.
Bones.
His eyes closed.
Immortal sense entered his body.
The Earth Core stirred.
Brown light flowed through the spleen.
His bones glowed faintly.
He observed them carefully.
Their structure.
Density.
Shape.
Connections.
Earth Core enhancement had strengthened them already.
The question was whether that enhancement could be guided.
Minutes became hours.
Hours became days.
Eventually Lin Mu sensed tiny reactions.
He knew the spleen controlled the proliferation of blood cells as well as their deaths. He also knew it was bone marrow that actually made blood cells, so he focused on it.
A while later his bone marrow stirred.
Blood formation changed.
Nutrients moved.
Then came the bone cells.
They responded slowly... Very slowly.
Far slower than muscle or skin.
Lin Mu understood immediately why.
Bones carried structure of the body. Change them carelessly and the body collapsed. As such, he proceeded cautiously, merely a fraction of a millimeter at a time. Still it was not as easy as before and was quite painful too.
The pain Lin Mu was feeling was similar to what he felt when he was younger. It was basically growing pains.
His cheekbone shifted a minute later and Lin Mu opened his eyes.
The face in the mirror had changed barely. It was almost imperceptibly, yet it was different.
He touched his cheek as excitement appeared.
’This path worked!’
It was slow and painful, but it worked.
Xukong looked thoughtful now.
"This might bee frightening."
Lin Mu nodded.
He agreed.
Because once bones changed...
Height changed.
Face changed.
Build changed.
Identity changed.
He looked at his reflection again.
The person staring back still looked like Lin Mu.
But perhaps...
Not forever.
A thought suddenly appeared.
If he truly infiltrated the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect...
Who would he bee?
A disciple?
A servant?
A wandering cultivator?
A genius?
A fool?
Lin Mo immediately answered.
"Fatty Mu the Third."
Lin Mu cut the mental connection instantly and resumed cultivating.
Lin Mu continued his experiments.
Till now he had only altered a small portion of his body.
The cheekbone change had succeeded and proved that skeletal modification was possible. But a cheekbone was still tiny pared to the rest of the body.
He needed something larger. Something more meaningful.
His gaze fell upon his arms and legs. Height, limb proportions and frame. Those were the things that truly changed how a person appeared.
Lin Mu sat down and focused inward once more.
The Earth Core rotated steadily within his spleen while the Fire Core supported circulation and the Metal Core improved the absorption and movement of energy. Blood flowed through him carrying nutrients while his immortal sense wrapped around the bones.
He selected the femur first.
The largest bone in the body.
Immediately he realized his mistake.
Pain exploded!
"ARGH!"
Lin Mu’s eyes snapped open.
The pain was unlike the previous changes.
Skin.
Fat.
Muscles.
Those were soft tissues.
Bones were different, they held the structure of the body. Every change to them felt as if the body itself protested.
Lin Mu slowed immediately and the process resumed. This time it was microscopic growth and he only did minute remodeling.
The pain reduced slightly, but only slightly.
Days passed as the process continued. Lin Mu remained seated throughout. Sweat occasionally appeared on his forehead.
His body was used to pain and he had endured tribulations.
Tempering.
Body cultivation.
Life and death battles.
Yet this was strangely difficult.
Because his body treated it as normal. The pain resistance built over years simply did not activate. The body accepted the changes as natural. Meaning he experienced everything fully.
Xukong occasionally watched.
The spider looked impressed.
"You are voluntarily putting yourself through this."
Lin Mu nodded.
"If it works then it is worth it."
Lin Mo appeared nearby.
"Or you bee Tall Fatty Mu."
Lin Mu ignored him.
A week later...
Lin Mu finally stood. His robe looked different and he felt different. He turned toward the mirror, then paused. The person staring back had changed drastically. Lin Mu was already tall by mortal standards.
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