Cheng Mo's life became an extremely simple three-point line: the suburban villa basement, the hospital, and the university laboratory.
He squeezed every minute with terrifying efficiency.
During fragmented time, he accompanied his parents to see the tastefully renovated pre-owned apartment that Liu Yu had helped them find.
The previous owner had renovated it and moved abroad not long after, so it was extremely well-maintained and only two subway stops from the hospital.
The community environment was quiet, and the apartment had excellent lighting; his parents loved it at first sight but were still uneasy.
However, under Liu Yu's eloquent persuasion and Cheng Mo's undeniable resolve, they finally allowed Cheng Mo to sign the contract and complete the formalities.
The apartment was a simply laid out three-bedroom, over one hundred square meters, with a total price approaching eight million.
But for Cheng Mo, who held over twenty million in gold, this expense was nothing; it was just that his current cash flow was limited, so he needed to arrange an installment plan first.
Watching his parents carefully touch the bright windows and kitchen countertops, their joy barely concealed, Cheng Mo felt the money was spent more worthwhile than anything else.
At the hospital, he continued to regulate his sister's condition using his subtly adjusted breathing rhythm and a trace of activated Chakra.
Cheng Xingtong's complexion visibly improved, and she could sleep more soundly at night.
Her attending doctor was repeatedly amazed, attributing it to the best medicines and the patient's improved mindset.
At the laboratory, He Jingwen was more than satisfied with his progress, even privately sighing that Cheng Mo must have had an epiphany or had been hiding his talents before.
He Jingwen even began discussing deeper research topics with him.
Relying on his superhuman brain processing speed, Cheng Mo always provided crucial suggestions, making He Jingwen look at him more and more like a treasure.
And the focus of all his time was entirely shifted to the cold, sturdy basement of the suburban villa.
Under the repeated stimulation of Lightning Release Chakra, his Myriad Realms Physique displayed astonishing adaptability.
Each time the current tore through his muscles and burned his nerves with pain, it brought stronger self-healing and a tougher physique.
The efficiency of Chakra refinement, which started as a stumbling trace, now flowed like a steady stream, stable and continuous, with an efficiency increase of more than five times!
If the ninjas of the Naruto world knew of this rate of improvement, they would probably be dumbfounded.
His physique, combined with the method he had discovered himself of stimulating cell activity with weak Lightning Release Chakra, yielded astonishing results.
This process was like dancing on a knife's edge, with double the pain but also extremely rich rewards.
What surprised him even more was that during one instance of fully operating Thunder Breathing to further stimulate his body's potential, the nascent Chakra within him spontaneously became active, creating a wondrous resonance and fusion with the life energy drawn by the Breathing Technique!
The explosive power of the Breathing Technique, the continuous and malleable nature of Chakra... the two combined were not a simple one plus one.
He felt as if his body was a volcano about to erupt, with an unimaginable power of thunder surging within.
When he threw a punch, he didn't even need to consciously use the Lightning Release Armor; the punch's wind carried faint electric arcs and crackles, leaving faint scorch marks on the reinforced wall.
The cultivation of the Lightning Release Armor also achieved breakthrough progress.
From initially only being able to cover one arm for a few seconds with excruciating pain, to now —
Sizzle... hum... In the basement, Cheng Mo's bare upper body was covered by an extremely faint yet clearly visible network of blue electric arcs over every inch of his skin.
It was as if he had donned an outer garment woven from lightning.
His hair floated slightly due to static electricity, and tiny blue lights seemed to flash in his pupils.
A powerful, heart-stopping aura permeated the air.
Full body coverage!
Although it could only be maintained for less than a minute and consumed Chakra at an terrifying rate, almost instantly draining most of his current reserves, the boost it provided was comprehensive!
Under the cover of this lightning armor, his speed, strength, and especially his defense, all experienced a qualitative leap!
He felt that at this moment, he could shatter the demons he had fought before with a single punch.
Just as he finished a round of training, steaming all over, with the residual electric currents slowly subsiding beneath his skin, the myriad realms compass, which had been silent for several days, once again sent a clear notification to his mind.
"Next forced traversal countdown: 47 hours 59 minutes 12 seconds."
"Target plane: demon slayer."
The cold notification sound was like an alarm bell, shattering the slight excitement he had just felt from his improved strength.
Only two days left.
He walked to the corner of the basement, picked up a bottle of water, and gulped it down; the cold water flowed down his throat, cooling his blood, which was boiling from training.
His gaze swept across the empty basement, his thoughts already flying to another world.
Next time he went back, he couldn't just aim for survival and initial trade like the first time.
He needed to utilize the resource disparity between the two worlds more systematically and long-term.
"medicines..." Cheng Mo murmured, wiping the water from the corner of his mouth, "still hard currency."
In the Demon Slayer Corps' battles against demons, injuries and infections were significant causes of casualties.
Modern antibiotics, powerful painkillers, and anti-inflammatory drugs would be nothing short of divine medicines in that era.
The first time was to gain a foothold and a nichirin blade, but this time, to establish a long-term stable cooperation and show sincerity, prices could be appropriately lowered.
"Penicillin, amoxicillin, cephalosporins... packaged into single-course doses. For pain relief, ibuprofen and a small amount of morphine tablets... External sulfonamide powder and povidone-iodine are also essential."
He quickly listed the items in his mind.
"Large quantities, but lower unit prices. The demand for gold is no longer as critical; I can try to find out if the Ubuyashiki family, with centuries of accumulation, has other 'special products'."
The Ubuyashiki Clan, with its millennium-long legacy of fighting demons, might have collected some minerals or plants containing special energy, or even demon blood or organ samples?
These things might be more valuable to him than gold.
Thinking of demons, Cheng Mo's eyes sharpened.
The next traversal time indicated by the compass was around the beginning of the original plot.
Mount Natagumo, the Mugen Train, the Entertainment District... a series of fierce battles were about to erupt.
"Changing destiny... acquiring energy and currency..." He remembered the compass's new mechanism.
Perhaps, while providing medicines, he could more actively intervene in certain events.
For example, saving some people who would have died.
Once this thought arose, it grew wildly in his heart like weeds.
He suppressed his surging thoughts; it was too early to think about these things now.
The immediate priority was to prepare the trading supplies.
Leaving the basement, he took a cold shower, changed into clean clothes, and drove to the city's largest pharmacy and medical equipment wholesale market.
This time, his procurement quantity far exceeded the last, but his goals were clear, and items were neatly categorized.
Large quantities of antibiotics, painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, packages of medical gauze, bandages, surgical needles and thread, and disposable syringes.
He even managed to acquire a small batch of expensive medical-grade morphine through some special channels.
Back at the villa, he began the tedious work of repackaging.
He carefully wrapped the medicines in oil paper according to single-course dosages and attached simple handwritten Japanese labels with usage instructions.
This process was tedious but necessary, greatly improving efficiency and credibility during transactions.
While repackaging, he continuously refined his plan checklist for the next traversal in his mind: trading medicines, inquiring about special resource intelligence, familiarizing himself with the Demon Slayer Corps' recent activities, using the time difference to accelerate his cultivation, and... within his capabilities, seeing if he could change anything.