Chapter 2: Four Spirit Blood

Granny Si excitedly pulled him towards the village, laughing. "Don't look, hurry up and come! Today is your big day! Village Chief, Old Man Ma, everyone, come out!"

A bonfire blazed in the village. The Village Chief was once again carried out on a stretcher, and he spoke in a deep voice, "Have all four spirits been found?"

"All found."

The one-armed Old Man Ma dragged in a giant, several-yard-long green-blue snake. It was still alive and had a pungent, fishy smell, but Old Man Ma held it firmly by its vital spot with one hand, rendering it immobile.

The mute blacksmith carried a large bird, which was even taller than himself. Its wings and legs were tied. As the bird struggled, sparks of fire surprisingly flew from its feathers, crackling ominously.

The blind man brought a giant turtle, larger than a tabletop. This enormous turtle seemed to have lived for countless years, its shell turning golden yellow. Its four limbs were retracted into its shell, but every now and then, it would stealthily poke out a paw. Qin Mu noticed that when a paw emerged from the shell, steam would generate beneath it, as if capable of lifting the golden turtle and allowing it to escape by riding the steam.

However, the golden turtle's nostrils were pierced by the blind man's fishhook, preventing its escape.

"The blood of the Four Divine Beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise—is unobtainable," the Village Chief said. "However, by using the Green Flood Dragon Serpent, Iron Bone Tiger, Thunder Bird, and Golden Turtle as substitutes, we can still refine some spirit blood. It will be enough."

The Village Chief nodded to the village butcher. The butcher grinned, propped himself on his hands, and moved forward. He was a man with only an upper body, his lower half cleanly severed.

Four large jars were placed in front of the green snake, tiger, thunder bird, and golden turtle. The butcher dispatched each beast with a single knife stroke, bleeding them. Soon, the blood of all four creatures had drained.

"Pharmacist," the Village Chief said.

The village pharmacist stepped forward. He had no face; the skin, nose, and half of his upper and lower lips seemed to have been sliced off. He was the ugliest and most terrifying person in the village, yet Qin Mu felt that Grandpa Pharmacist was the kindest person to him.

The pharmacist stepped forward and took out four peculiar red leaves, each bearing a snow-white insect egg. He placed one leaf into each jar, and the insect eggs broke open, revealing silkworms that crawled onto the leaves and began drinking the blood.

These silkworms grew rapidly, enlarging with every drop of blood they consumed. Soon, the blood in all four jars was drained, leaving behind one fat, large worm in each.

The pharmacist sprinkled a handful of white crystalline powder, like salt, into the jars. Qin Mu watched in amazement as the four fat, large worms rapidly shrunk.

After a moment, the pharmacist picked up the four worms; each was now palm-sized. He took out four white porcelain cups, then grabbed one worm and squeezed it forcefully. The worm squeaked, and from its mouth flowed a cup of amber-like, clear blood plasma.

The pharmacist repeated the process for the other three worms, extracting the blood from their bellies. He placed the four cups before Qin Mu, shaking his head. "After all," he said, "these are not true spirit beasts. Only this much spirit blood can be refined."

"Mu'er," the Village Chief began, "the human body contains seven great treasure vaults: Spirit Embryo, Five Luminaries, Six Directions, Seven Stars, Celestial Being, Life and Death, and Divine Bridge. These seven treasure vaults are naturally sealed, like hidden treasures, and are therefore called the Seven Divine Treasures."

The Village Chief's voice carried a hint of authority, his face flickering in the firelight. He said in a deep voice, "The Seven Divine Treasures are in a sealed state and must be opened by cultivators themselves. The obstacles preventing cultivators from opening these divine treasures are called 'walls': the Spirit Embryo Wall, Five Luminaries Wall, Six Directions Wall, Seven Stars Wall, Celestial Being Wall, Life and Death Wall, and Divine Bridge Wall. The process of breaking through these seven walls is called 'Breaking the Wall.'"

The one-armed Old Man Ma gently stroked Qin Mu's head and chuckled. "If the walls cannot be broken, one cannot cultivate. Some people are blessed by heaven; their Spirit Embryo Wall is already broken at birth, naturally opening the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure. This physique is known as a Spirit Body, naturally blessed by the gods, and is a natural talent for cultivation. Those with a Spirit Body possess talents far exceeding ordinary people, achieving twice the results with half the effort. The Spirit Embryo has four attributes, so there are also four types of Spirit Bodies: Azure Dragon Spirit Body, White Tiger Spirit Body, Vermilion Bird Spirit Body, and Black Tortoise Spirit Body. To check if one possesses a Spirit Body, these four spirit blood types are needed."

The Pharmacist said, "If you are an Azure Dragon Spirit Body, drinking the Azure Dragon spirit blood will activate the Azure Dragon energy within you. Old Man Ma is an Azure Dragon Spirit Body."

The one-armed Old Man Ma unbuttoned his clothes, stood bare-chested before Qin Mu, turned his back to him, and let out a low grunt.

Qin Mu immediately saw a wave of green energy emerge from Old Man Ma's back, extending from his tailbone all the way to the back of his head. The green energy gradually transformed into an Azure Dragon, its scales and whiskers depicted in intricate detail. One of its dragon claws extended to Old Man Ma's single arm, while two other claws wrapped around his legs.

"This is the Azure Dragon Spirit Body."

The one-armed Old Man Ma put his clothes back on. "Granny Si is a White Tiger Spirit Body," he said.

Granny Si shot him a glare. "I'm not stripping for you old perverts," she retorted. "I'll manifest it with qi for Qin Mu to see."

Her body trembled slightly, and a faint tiger's roar echoed from behind her. A massive white tiger with piercing eyes faintly appeared behind her.

"Everyone in this village possesses a Spirit Body," Granny Si said. "We were once glorious, but now we are just a bunch of old, useless men and women."

Granny Si chuckled. "We old and broken folks have little to give you. These four cups of spirit blood are the materials to activate a Spirit Body. If you are a White Tiger Spirit Body, drinking the White Tiger spirit blood will activate the White Tiger energy within your Spirit Embryo. If you are a Vermilion Bird Spirit Body, the Vermilion Bird spirit blood can awaken the Vermilion Bird energy in your Spirit Embryo. The same applies to the Black Tortoise Spirit Body."

"Drink."

The Village Chief, Granny Si, and the others all looked at Qin Mu simultaneously, their faces filled with anticipation.

Qin Mu's heart pounded. Although he had consumed countless strange concoctions while learning herb gathering and refining from the pharmacist, none were as strange as this.

He picked up a white porcelain cup containing scalding hot spirit blood—the Vermilion Bird spirit blood. Qin Mu downed it in one gulp, feeling a line of fire descend his throat, reaching his limbs and bones. He felt as if a roaring fire had ignited within him, burning so intensely that his blood seemed to boil.

After a moment, the burning sensation subsided.

"Mute, is he a Vermilion Bird Spirit Body?" the Village Chief asked.

The mute blacksmith shook his head.

"Qin Mu," the Village Chief said, "continue."

Qin Mu lifted the second white porcelain cup, which contained White Tiger spirit blood. It tasted like molten copper and iron slag, astringent and prickly. After consuming it, his entire body tingled with a stinging sensation, which soon subsided.

"Not a White Tiger Spirit Body," Granny Si said, shaking her head with a hint of disappointment.

"Qin Mu, the third cup," the Village Chief said gravely.

Qin Mu drank the third cup of Azure Dragon spirit blood, refined from the large green snake. This spirit blood made his muscles and blood feel distended and bloated, and his internal organs felt uncomfortably squeezed. However, the swelling quickly disappeared.

Old Man Ma showed disappointment, shaking his head. "Not an Azure Dragon Spirit Body," he said.

"Then it must be a Black Tortoise Spirit Body," the Pharmacist said, a rare smile appearing on his face, making his features even more grotesque.

Qin Mu drank the last cup of Black Tortoise spirit blood. It made his body feel light, as if immersed in river water, but this sensation also quickly vanished.

"He's not a Black Tortoise Spirit Body either," the Pharmacist said, shaking his head.

The villagers by the bonfire fell silent. "So," the butcher said, "that means he's just an ordinary person."

Granny Si suddenly burst into tears, sobbing. "We are old and useless. If we die, he won't survive. It's so dangerous here; he won't last a day..."

Qin Mu took her hand and whispered, "Granny, don't cry. You and Grandpa are good people; you won't die..."

"Good people? Hehe..."

Old Man Ma gave a self-deprecating laugh. "We crippled people were forced into the Great Ruins, barely surviving until now. The Great Ruins are too dangerous. Without us, Mu'er truly won't be able to survive. We should send him out of the Great Ruins; it's much safer outside..."

The butcher said coldly, "If we send him out, our enemies will discover us, and we will all die. He will also be implicated and die."

Crippled Elder Village fell silent once more. Suddenly, the Village Chief said, "Good."

Granny Si was puzzled. "What's good?"

The Village Chief smiled. "I mean his physique is good; he's a good prospect."

The butcher, pharmacist, and others were startled, not understanding his meaning. The Village Chief chuckled, "I think Mu'er should be a different kind of physique: a Hegemon Body, combining the strengths of all four physiques!"

"Hegemon Body?" Granny Si and the others looked puzzled. They were well-informed individuals, but they had never heard of a Hegemon Body.

"Yes, a Hegemon Body."

The Village Chief chuckled. "Ordinary spirit blood struggles to activate a Hegemon Body. It requires gathering the blood of the true Four Divine Beasts to make the Hegemon Body manifest. The Great Ruins don't have the Four Divine Beasts, but their descendants are not hard to find. You should continue to capture fierce tigers and large snakes, refine their spirit blood, and with enough consumption, his Hegemon Body will naturally be activated."

The Village Chief commanded great respect. The old men and women of the village, many missing limbs, were all delighted to hear this. Granny Si chuckled, "Tomorrow, I'll go with that dead cripple to catch tigers too! Mu'er, you should go to bed early. You'll have more spirit blood to drink tomorrow!"

The crowd dispersed. The Pharmacist and the mute blacksmith escorted the Village Chief back to his room. The mute man left, but the Pharmacist remained, whispering, "There has never been a Hegemon Body."

The Village Chief nodded. "I just made that up. If I didn't say that, the villagers would find it very difficult to live on."

The Pharmacist was stunned. The villagers of Crippled Elder Village each had their own backgrounds, all forced into the Great Ruins to barely cling to life. They originally harbored deep resentment towards heaven, earth, and all living beings; their grievances were immense. It could be said that Qin Mu had a hand in their survival until now.

It was the arrival of this small, whole-limbed child that dispersed the resentment in their hearts. They raised Qin Mu, treating the little boy as their dearest family. Qin Mu sustained the fragile spirits of the villagers of Crippled Elder Village.

If the villagers knew that Qin Mu possessed only the most ordinary physique and could not survive alone in the Great Ruins, these individuals would likely lose control and do unimaginable things.

The Pharmacist said expressionlessly, "But you can't keep it a secret forever. We will all eventually die of old age, leaving only Qin Mu."

"So, you must never tell him that a Hegemon Body has never existed. Never tell him."

The Village Chief said in a deep voice, "Let him believe that he is the unique Hegemon Body!"

The Pharmacist was momentarily stunned, then carefully examined the Village Chief's face. The Village Chief's face appeared particularly captivating in the dim lamplight. He smiled and said, "I want to see if an ordinary person, under an unparalleled belief, can transcend the mundane and achieve things even we Spirit Bodies cannot! Perhaps in the future, he truly can forge a path where an ordinary physique becomes a Hegemon Body!"

The Pharmacist was bewildered. "An ordinary physique becomes a Hegemon Body?"

The Village Chief nodded emphatically. "As long as there is belief, an ordinary physique can be a Hegemon Body!"