Chapter 19: Awakening of the Overwhelming Body

“An oasis a hundred miles downstream?”

Qin Mu returned to Old Bull Village as dusk settled. The young man carried the treasures off the bamboo raft and brought them back to the village. The villagers, naturally surprised, gathered around to ask questions.

Qin Mu recounted his experiences. The Blind man’s expression subtly changed, and he exclaimed, “The temple in that oasis suppresses a lord-level strange beast, a demoness skilled in transformation, very powerful. Her name is Wu Nu. You went to that temple? You actually stole all her treasures?”

Grandma Si also cried out, “That Wu Nu? One time I passed by that ruined temple and saw her devouring too many people, so I beat her up. But she hid behind that Buddha statue. I saw the statue was eerie, trying to subdue me, so I didn't kill her. That Buddha statue is very strange...”

“I've also seen her. She’s extremely formidable, a great demon, comparable to a Seven-Star Realm expert.” The Cripple asked, “Mu’er, how did you steal Wu Nu’s things and escape from her?”

Seeing that he couldn't hide it, Qin Mu told everyone about the demonic language he learned from the canyon ruins. He then fully recounted how he had used the three sounds—divine, demonic, and Buddhist—to refine Wu Nu.

The villagers listened in stunned silence. After a long while, Grandpa Ma let out a breath and said, “Remarkably promising, remarkably promising.” The Cripple, the Deaf man, and others also nodded, giving him thumbs-up in praise.

Wu Nu, a great demon with the strength of a Seven-Star Realm expert, was actually extorted and robbed by Qin Mu. This truly showed his great promise and didn't let down their teachings, making them feel proud!

The Mute picked up a few weapons, gestured with them, and shook his head, making "ah-ah" sounds and signs, indicating that the quality of these spiritual weapons wasn't very good and they weren't particularly useful.

“Tomorrow, I’ll take them to Xianglong City, sell these spiritual weapons, and also buy some oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, along with some fabric and fine wine.” Grandma Si chuckled, “My few livestock should also be sold.”

Qin Mu’s spirits lifted. Go to Xianglong City? He had grown up in Old Bull Village and had only recently been allowed to venture out. He had only heard of Xianglong City but had never been there!

“We can’t take you; you’re still too young,” Grandma Si said, shaking her head. Disappointed, Qin Mu hesitated, then mustered his courage and said, “Grandma, Grandpa Ma, there’s one more thing.” “My Hegemon Body has awakened.”

Silence immediately fell. A moment later, Grandpa Ma, the Cripple, the Blind man, Grandma Si, and the others cheered. The Mute also chattered on. Only the Deaf man, who hadn't seen what Qin Mu said, wondered why these old folks had suddenly gone mad. It wasn't until Qin Mu repeated himself that he understood and burst into laughter!

The Blind man excitedly yelled, “Village Chief, Apothecary! Come quickly! The Hegemon Body has awakened!” The Butcher, utterly thrilled, let out a long howl to the sky, “Village Chief, Apothecary, the Hegemon Body has finally awakened!”

When Qin Mu returned to the village, the Village Chief was in front of his house, and the Apothecary sat beside him, having brewed a pot of tea. Since the Village Chief had no hands, the Apothecary held the teacup to his lips. The two often drank tea like this, leisurely and content.

The Village Chief was halfway through his tea when he heard the shouts of the Blind man and Grandpa Ma. The tea immediately spurted from his nose, eyes, and mouth, with two thin streams of water squirting high from the small holes under his lower eyelids. *Crack.* The teacup in the Apothecary’s hand also shattered, splashing tea all over the Village Chief’s face. Both men stared at each other, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, their mouths involuntarily agape, unable to close.

The Apothecary snapped back to reality and stammered, “The... the Hegemon Body... has awakened?” The Village Chief also looked bewildered, clearly not having recovered.

The Cripple limped over, nodding heavily, and smiled, “That’s right, the Hegemon Body has awakened! I just checked; his vital energy is three times more abundant and much purer than this morning. Moreover, his spiritual embryo in his glabella has awakened, emitting a strange fluctuation, clearly integrated with his consciousness! This is precisely the sign of a spiritual embryo awakening!”

Qin Mu walked over and saw the Apothecary’s mouth open even wider, as if two large duck eggs were stuffed inside, while water still spurted from under the Village Chief’s lower eyelids. He thought to himself, “Grandpa Village Chief and Grandpa Apothecary are indeed surprised, but isn’t this a bit too surprised?”

The Apothecary closed his mouth and quickly asked, “Mu’er, has your Hegemon Body truly awakened?” Qin Mu nodded and said, “It just awakened when I wasn’t paying attention.” The Apothecary nearly choked, stammering, “Awakened when... when you weren’t paying attention...”

The Village Chief finally recovered and chuckled, “Mu’er is indeed a Hegemon Body, that’s absolutely certain. My knowledge is so profound, of course I wouldn’t be mistaken; awakening is a matter of course... *cough cough cough*!”

The Apothecary’s expression was utterly peculiar. He quickly coughed a few times to cover it up and chuckled, “The Hegemon Body awakening is excellent news! However, Mu’er, you’ve just awakened your Hegemon Body, so don’t get arrogant. Your cultivation path has just begun, understand?” Qin Mu nodded in agreement.

The Village Chief smiled, “The Apothecary is absolutely right; the path of the Hegemon Body is incredibly arduous, and you must not be negligent. Apothecary, I’m a bit tired. Please escort me back to my room.” The Apothecary understood and escorted him back.

Inside the room, the two old men exchanged glances. After a long moment, the Apothecary tried to lower his voice, “Village Chief, is Mu’er really a Hegemon Body?” “Of course not!” the Village Chief stated emphatically. “Then how did he awaken...?” “How should I know?”

The two old men exchanged glances again, unsure how to explain Qin Mu’s phenomenon. After a long while, the Apothecary tentatively asked, “Can a common body break open the spiritual embryo wall?” “A common body breaking the wall? I’ve never heard of it. Mu’er is the first.”

The Village Chief suddenly smiled, “Apothecary, perhaps Mu’er really will become a Hegemon Body and forge an extraordinary path. Wasn’t that our original goal?” The Apothecary also smiled, “A common body *is* a Hegemon Body. Mu’er has already awakened his common body; his path as a Hegemon Body is about to begin. I can almost see him punching a dragon to death!”

The Village Chief nodded and chuckled, “Precisely. Perhaps with this spirit, this will, he can go even further than us.” The two old foxes exchanged knowing smiles and walked out of the room.

The Village Chief cleared his throat, called Qin Mu over, and asked how he had awakened his spiritual embryo. Qin Mu recounted how, at the moment the divine, demonic, and Buddhist sounds clashed, his vital energy surged through and successfully broke the spiritual embryo wall.

The Village Chief’s gaze was blank as he murmured, “There’s such a method?” He couldn't help but sigh, thinking that Qin Mu’s fortunate encounter was likely unreproducible by others. The clash of divine, demonic, and Buddhist sounds, a lucky coincidence, coupled with Qin Mu’s sheer boldness to actively learn the demonic language and sounds to contend with the divine sounds!

This act was truly audacious, completely oblivious to danger! Even if someone had such a fortunate encounter, they probably wouldn't be able to break through the spiritual embryo wall. Instead, they’d be killed by the inherent power within the demonic, divine, and Buddhist sounds! Others might not know the perils involved, but he knew them clearly: that was the power of gods and demons, something mortals couldn’t possibly covet. Mortals who coveted the power of gods and demons faced only death!

Yet, Qin Mu had somehow succeeded, bafflingly so, leaving him somewhat perplexed. What he didn't know was that Qin Mu had also nearly died from the clash between the divine and demonic sounds. Fortunately, the jade pendant on his chest protected his life, preventing his death.

The Village Chief meticulously examined Qin Mu’s cultivation progress, revealing a surprised expression that he quickly concealed. He then encouraged, “Mu’er, cultivate diligently and don’t disappoint our expectations. Now that your Hegemon Body has awakened, you are a martial artist, no longer a child.” Qin Mu nodded heavily.

By this time, it was dark. A bonfire was lit in the village, and Grandpa Ma and others were roasting the captured strange beasts to celebrate Qin Mu. Grandma Si, tiptoeing, ran over and pulled Qin Mu back, saying, “Village Chief, Apothecary, you two come over too! Let’s eat and drink together!”

“You two go ahead. The Apothecary and I will be there shortly.” The Village Chief watched Grandma Si and Qin Mu walk away, then whispered, “Apothecary, Mu’er’s vital energy is incredibly profound. In the Spiritual Embryo realm, he’s almost the most deeply cultivated martial artist I’ve ever seen.”

The Apothecary looked at the joyful crowd by the bonfire and whispered, “How profound?” “His cultivation in the Spiritual Embryo realm is comparable to mine, perhaps even slightly surpasses what mine was.” The Village Chief stated calmly, “I’m referring to my cultivation at the peak of the Spiritual Embryo realm, and he has just entered this realm. He will continue to grow.”

The Apothecary’s body trembled. He looked at the Village Chief in disbelief and exclaimed, “On par with you at the Spiritual Embryo realm? What kind of existence are you? How could he possibly...” “But he did it.”