Chapter 26: Arm Thickness

Everyone in the blacksmith shop was stunned.

Qin Mu's Overlord Body Vitality had actually gained an attribute, and it was the fire attribute, clearly Vermilion Bird Vitality!

The Deaf Elder was about to cheer, but the Village Chief said, “Deaf Elder, not so fast. Mu'er, observe the water again. Don't overthink; focus your mind.”

Qin Mu did as he was told, observing the water once more. The vital energy surging from his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure transformed into flowing water, tempering his Spirit Embryo. The small blacksmith shop was packed with villagers who had rushed over upon hearing the news: Old Man Ma, the Cripple, the Butcher, the Apothecary, and the Blind Elder all squeezed in, watching Qin Mu as he observed the water, not daring to breathe.

The Village Chief's voice came, saying, “Do you remember the spear techniques the Blind Elder taught you? Imagine a spear in your hand, and thrust it forward!”

Qin Mu raised his hand and thrust out a spear, the tip making dots and shaking out one large circle after another. The moment he thrust it out of thin air, his vital energy transformed into snowy-white steam, bursting forth and actually forming the shape of a long spear in his hand. Simultaneously, the sound of flowing water could be heard, and the steam, like a water dragon, was shaken into one large circle after another by him!

“It's done, it's done…”

Old Man Ma was overcome with joy, tears streaming down his face as he said, “It’s finally done. All these years of hard work weren’t in vain… Mu'er, you’ve grown up…”

He couldn’t help but secretly turn his head away, wiping his tears with his single arm.

The Cripple had a simple, honest smile on his face as he murmured, “Our Mu'er can now survive in the Great Ruins… Damn it, Old Ma, stop wiping your tears; you’re making me want to cry! Old Woman Si isn't here; she went to Dragon-Marked City to buy things. If she were here, she’d be crying the hardest!”

“Why cry?”

The Apothecary's eyes were red-rimmed, and he laughed, “We should be laughing! Even if we die of old age in the future, Mu'er can survive on his own. This is a tremendous blessing; we should celebrate with laughter!”

“Exactly, exactly!”

The Deaf Elder burst into laughter, “Apothecary, although I don't usually agree with you, I certainly agree with that statement!”

Earth-shattering laughter erupted from the small blacksmith shop, echoing to the sky. Qin Mu looked at the excited old men around him, feeling waves of warmth surge in his heart.

These old men, each with some disability and more or less some flaw, all looking fierce, were his family—his closest family!

Suddenly, Old Woman Si's voice came from outside the door, laughing, “What are you old geezers all squeezed in here cackling about?”

Qin Mu was both surprised and delighted; Old Woman Si had finally returned from Dragon-Marked City!

Soon, the Cripple blurted out the great news, and Old Woman Si, also surprised and overjoyed, her eyes a little red-rimmed, laughed, “Good news, good news! Mu'er has finally grown up… This is truly good news…”

Thinking of her eleven years of hardship, she couldn't help but shed tears. The little old woman sat down, wiping her eyes and saying, “If we die in the future, Mu'er can still survive… Don’t touch me, it’s just the wind blowing sand into my eyes…”

The Village Chief quietly breathed a sigh of relief. The dark cloud that had weighed on his mind finally dispersed now that Qin Mu's Overlord Body Vitality had gained an attribute. Qin Mu's ability to use vital energy and unleash its power confirmed his "Overlord Body" status, resolving a crisis for the village.

However, despite his vast abilities, he couldn't help but wonder how Qin Mu's Overlord Body Vitality had suddenly acquired an attribute.

And what was strange was that it had both water and fire attributes!

It was known that Spirit Bodies always possessed a single attribute, never two.

Qin Mu clearly had the aptitude of an ordinary person, yet he possessed two attributes—and conflicting ones at that, water and fire—which was truly bizarre.

“Do ordinary people always manifest two Spirit Bodies after awakening their Spirit Embryo?”

He couldn't help but feel a bit lost: “What exactly did the Mute Elder teach him to make his vital energy possess both water and fire attributes? Can other ordinary people achieve this too?”

He knew that in recent days, the villagers had exhausted every method to make Qin Mu's Overlord Body Vitality unleash its power: the Apothecary used medicinal tonics, the Cripple, the Butcher, and Old Man Ma engaged in intense training, the Blind Elder didn’t hesitate to impart his divine eye techniques, and the Deaf Elder wanted Qin Mu to enter the Dao through calligraphy and painting, creating divine arts. But he had no idea what methods the Mute Elder had used.

Unexpectedly, it was the Mute Elder who ultimately activated the power of the Overlord Body Vitality.

He only knew that the Mute Elder had instructed Qin Mu to observe fire and water. How observing fire and water could imbue Qin Mu's vital energy with both attributes was a mystery that baffled him.

The Mute Elder was the village blacksmith, never revealing his true capabilities. In the village, the Blind Elder was the most flirtatious, the Butcher the most flamboyant, Old Man Ma the most enthusiastic despite his cool demeanor, the Cripple the most treacherous despite his warm personality, the Apothecary the most reliable, the Deaf Elder the most detached, and Old Woman Si the most unpredictable. The most dull-witted of them all was the Mute Elder.

About the Mute Elder, the Village Chief knew almost nothing, except that his tongue had been cut out and he was a master at forging, usually making a living by crafting things like cleavers, plows, and hoes for villagers in nearby settlements.

Judging from his guidance to Qin Mu, which enabled Qin Mu's vital energy to unleash its power, the Mute Elder’s cultivation and attainments were likely the highest in the village, apart from the Village Chief himself.

“Mu'er, can you now refine vital energy into threads?” Old Woman Si asked expectantly.

Qin Mu tried to condense his vital energy into fine threads. The next moment, his vital energy surged out of his body, thick as an arm and emitting flames.

This large, thick "vital energy thread" coiled around the butcher knife, and with a single chop, the wooden stake in front, as thick as a bucket, was instantly split open, its power astonishing!

The villagers looked at this arm-thick vital energy "thread," speechless.

While Qin Mu's vital energy thread was indeed powerful enough, the practice of refining vital energy into threads meant cultivating it into fine strands, making it much more flexible and versatile. This would allow him to control a sword, using vital energy to wield it and execute many moves normally impossible.

However, Qin Mu’s vital energy "thread" could not be called a thread; it was more like a vital energy arm.

Such a thick vital energy thread also consumed a tremendous amount of energy.

The Cripple scratched his head and said, “I think a vital energy arm isn’t bad either. It’s like having an extra arm, and it’s very powerful in a fight.”

Everyone was torn between laughter and tears. Old Woman Si shook her head and said, “Vital energy threads are much more agile. A vital energy arm is too thick; its flexibility, strength, and agility are far inferior to a vital energy thread. Mu'er, you must refine your vital energy into threads as soon as possible.”

Qin Mu nodded.

He could only make his vital energy exhibit the fire attribute, similar to Vermilion Bird Vitality, when observing fire. But as long as he wasn't observing fire, his vital energy remained ordinary.

And refining vital energy into threads while simultaneously observing fire was still quite difficult for him.

The Village Chief and the others also noticed the issue, frowning. Qin Mu could only manifest the fire attribute when observing fire, and the water attribute when observing water. This would be extremely disadvantageous in combat!

In a battle, would an enemy give him time to observe fire or water?

They had initially thought that Qin Mu's Overlord Body Vitality having both water and fire attributes was incredibly powerful, but now they were unsure.

“Ah, ah!”

The Mute Elder gestured, smiling genuinely.

The Deaf Elder understood and laughed, “The Mute Elder is right. Mu'er has just grasped the knack; practice makes perfect. He will surely master it with continued cultivation!”

Vital energy with both water and fire attributes was equivalent to simultaneously awakening both the Black Tortoise Spirit Body and the Vermilion Bird Spirit Body. When Qin Mu observed fire, it became Vermilion Bird Vitality; when he observed water, it became Black Tortoise Vitality.

In the village, Qin Mu used his arm-thick vital energy "thread" to perform the Butcher Knife skill. The butcher knife flew up and down, occasionally nearly splitting him in half. Whenever he encountered danger, the Blind Elder nearby would use his bamboo staff to block the butcher knife, preventing Qin Mu from actually cutting himself to death.

Refining vital energy into threads and using vital energy to wield a sword required step-by-step cultivation. Controlling a sword with a vital energy thread to fight enemies was extremely dangerous, and only diligent practice could lead to skillful control.

The Butcher's Butcher Knife skill belonged to the combat technique school. Although the Butcher had incorporated some advantages from the divine art school, allowing him to wield his knife without holding it, the combat technique school fundamentally differed greatly from the divine art school in its moves. Using the Butcher Knife skill to train in wielding a sword with vital energy was extremely perilous.

The Butcher's moves were simply too wild and dangerous; "chopping himself when he goes crazy" was absolutely no empty boast.

As for Old Man Ma's Eight Forms of Thunder Sound, they belonged to a purely combat technique school and could not use the method of wielding a sword with vital energy.

Old Woman Si's Heavenly Devil Creation Technique, which she taught him, was a magical art. The Cripple's leg techniques, the Blind Elder's staff techniques, the Deaf Elder's calligraphy and painting, the Apothecary's alchemy, and the Mute Elder's blacksmithing skills obviously couldn't be used to train in wielding a sword with vital energy either.

Therefore, to practice wielding a sword with vital energy, Qin Mu could only train with dangerous moves like the Butcher Knife skill.

At the village entrance, the Village Chief was basking lazily in the sun. The Apothecary stood beside him, glancing back at Qin Mu, who was desperately practicing wielding a sword with vital energy, and suddenly said, “The Blind Elder passed on his divine eye techniques to Mu'er, the Butcher taught him his knife skills, and there’s the Cripple’s leg techniques, the Deaf Elder’s painting skills… So, Village Chief, what about you?”

The Village Chief turned his head and looked at him.

The Apothecary's tone was somewhat aggressive: “Each of us has our strengths, but our attainments in wielding a sword with vital energy aren’t deep. Your knowledge is stronger than any of ours, and your abilities are higher than any of ours, so why don't you teach him? When it comes to wielding a sword with vital energy, who in the world can boast stronger sword techniques than yours?”

The Village Chief looked forlorn, lowering his head to gaze at his non-existent limbs. He said softly, “I want to teach him, but Mu'er cannot bear it. Even when I had all my limbs, I couldn't bear it; otherwise, I wouldn't need to hide in the Great Ruins… Do you know how I lost my limbs?”

The Apothecary shook his head.

“A sword wound.”

The Village Chief looked up, his expression blank, and said, “My limbs were severed by a sword. To pass on my cultivation means to bear my responsibilities. I couldn't bear them, and he, as he is now, certainly cannot either.”