Chapter 4: Heavenly Demon Creation Skill

"Grandpa Cripple's legwork is so fast, he can even run into the sky. Who, then, could have severed his leg? Grandpa Ma's fists are so powerful, so who cut off his right arm? And Grandpa Butcher's knife, who could possibly break through his defenses and cut him in half?"

Qin Mu was both impressed and bewildered by the true abilities of the Butcher, Grandpa Ma, and the Cripple. After finishing his legwork training with the Cripple, he finally managed to digest the power of the Four Spirits Blood, which improved his physique. However, this particular session left him utterly exhausted, wishing he could just collapse and fall into a deep sleep.

Yet, this was merely the beginning of his tribulations.

Almost every day, the village elders would capture several fierce beasts, refine them into Four Spirits Blood, and make him consume it. This was immediately followed by grueling training sessions, which only ceased when he was completely exhausted.

In addition to the Cripple's legwork, the one-armed Grandpa Ma's boxing, and the Butcher's knife skills, he also had to learn blacksmithing from the Mute, calligraphy and painting from the Deaf, and how to discern locations by listening to the wind from the Blind. The Blind also made him practice staff fighting while blindfolded.

When he was utterly worn out, the Village Chief would summon him to practice breathing exercises. The Chief claimed that the breathing technique he imparted was a formidable cultivation method specifically designed to train the Hegemon Body, known as the "Hegemon Body Three Elixirs Technique."

Although Qin Mu couldn't discern the true power of this so-called "Hegemon Body Three Elixirs Profound Technique," he noticed that practicing breathing exercises with the Village Chief caused his fatigue to recede rapidly. He would soon feel refreshed and energetic, leading him to believe the technique was quite extraordinary.

"Village Chief, it seems you're teaching him the most basic Guiding Art, aren't you?" the Apothecary murmured, his eyes glinting, waiting until Qin Mu was out of earshot.

"That's right, it's the Guiding Art."

The Village Chief confirmed, "Each of the Four Spirit Constitutions has its own cultivation method: the Azure Dragon Spirit Constitution cultivates Azure Dragon Qi, the White Tiger Spirit Constitution cultivates White Tiger Qi, the Vermilion Bird Spirit Constitution cultivates Vermilion Bird Qi, and the Black Tortoise Spirit Constitution cultivates Black Tortoise Qi. However, Mu’er doesn't possess these four elemental types of vital qi, which means he cannot cultivate the techniques of the Four Spirit Constitutions. He simply cannot master any of our methods. Therefore, I can only teach him the simplest technique, the Guiding Art, which even ordinary people can practice, as it's the only one without elemental properties."

The Apothecary looked puzzled. "But the Guiding Art is far too simple and common. At best, cultivating it will only make someone a regular martial artist, with limited achievements."

The Village Chief's expression became peculiar. "I thought so too initially, but now I've discovered that we might have underestimated the most rudimentary Guiding Art. Mu'er has been cultivating the Guiding Art with me since he was very young. His vital qi is already remarkably potent, though it lacks any elemental attributes, preventing it from exerting its true power."

The Apothecary's expression subtly changed. "How potent are we talking?"

"If his vital qi possessed the Azure Dragon attribute, like yours, his current cultivation level would already be fifty percent of your Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure's cultivation."

The Apothecary was taken aback, blurting out, "I've already broken through the Celestial-Human Wall and activated my Celestial-Human Divine Treasure. Over the years, I've cultivated my Spirit Embryo, Five Luminaries, Six Harmonies, and other Divine Treasures to their absolute limits! Fifty percent of my Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure cultivation is already equivalent to the peak level of a martial artist! He hasn't even activated his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure yet, but he's already reached a martial artist's peak. If he were to activate it, wouldn't his cultivation be several times that of the Four Spirit Constitutions who have activated their Spirit Embryo Divine Treasures? Can this truly still be the Guiding Art?"

The Village Chief was also extremely perplexed. "This ubiquitous Guiding Art does possess some profound subtleties. Although simple, its foundation is incredibly, almost unimaginably, sturdy. Mu'er has actually been cultivating it for eight years, which is a considerable duration. While the initial progress with the Guiding Art was slow, I've recently observed that Mu'er's cultivation is advancing at an astonishing rate, particularly in the days since he started consuming the Four Spirits Blood. The speed is frankly terrifying! If the Guiding Art weren't so commonplace, I would almost believe it to be some extraordinary divine technique..."

Both men wore peculiar expressions.

The Apothecary let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Even if his cultivation is profound, it's useless, as it's vital qi without any attributes, incapable of exerting true power. How far do you believe he can cultivate the Guiding Art?"

The Village Chief's face grew even more peculiar. "I don't know either."

The Apothecary nodded, comprehending his unspoken meaning.

The Guiding Art is the most basic and rudimentary cultivation method, typically used to lay a foundation for children in their early years. After they reach their early teens, once their skeletal structure is set and they can withstand the impact of spirit blood, and their specific spirit constitution has been identified, there is no longer any need to practice the Guiding Art.

After breaking through the wall, superior cultivation methods become available, making it entirely unnecessary to continue toiling on the Guiding Art.

Furthermore, even if an ordinary person were to continuously cultivate the Guiding Art, they would not be able to consume spirit blood daily as Qin Mu does.

Only powerful aristocratic families possess the resources for such endeavors, yet they would never waste significant amounts of resources on disciples with ordinary aptitudes. No esteemed family clan would continuously hunt exotic Four Spirit beasts to provide such intensive nourishment to an ordinary individual like Qin Mu, as the villagers of Disabled Elderly Village do.

The Village Chief had never even heard of anyone cultivating the Guiding Art to its ultimate extent, nor had he ever encountered anyone who had reached Qin Mu's current level of proficiency with it.

Thus, he had no idea how far Qin Mu would be able to cultivate in the future.

To the astonishment of both the Village Chief and the Apothecary, Qin Mu's cultivation deepened further in the ensuing days. The Guiding Art, a technique of the lowest tier, unexpectedly displayed extraordinary qualities when practiced by him, making his foundation incredibly robust and stable!

A month later, he was capable of enduring several times the amount of Four Spirits Blood he could before, and his vital qi had grown so profound that it was as if he had already activated his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure—or perhaps even more potent!

However, despite the profoundness of his vital qi, it possessed no attributes, meaning it could not manifest any power and thus failed to reveal the true extent of his cultivation.

Nonetheless, there were advantages: his resilience to attacks was exceptionally high, and his recovery speed was incredibly fast. After sparring with the Butcher, he would immediately practice boxing with Grandpa Ma. Then, he'd spar with the Blind in staff fighting while blindfolded, before moving on to learn legwork from the Cripple, and finally heading to the blacksmith's to forge iron with a hundred-pound sledgehammer. Despite such high-intensity training, he only needed to perform a brief breathing exercise, practicing the so-called "Hegemon Body Three Elixirs Technique," and within moments, he would be completely refreshed and invigorated.

The efficacy of the "Hegemon Body Three Elixirs Technique" startled even the Village Chief, who discreetly asked the Apothecary to examine Qin Mu, lest his intense excitement leave any underlying health issues.

After the examination, the Apothecary's expression was peculiar as he stated, "It's not over-excitement, nor are there any underlying issues. Instead, his vital qi is simply that potent, and it has already begun to enhance his physical constitution."

The Village Chief was equally bewildered. Despite his past as a formidable and well-traveled figure, he had never witnessed a situation like Qin Mu's—someone cultivating the most ordinary Guiding Art to such an extraordinary degree. This phenomenon far surpassed common perceptions of the technique.

"Qin Mu, today you'll be learning to make clothes with Granny, no more boxing for you."

Granny Si called Qin Mu over. The stooped old woman, carrying a small basket filled with needles and thread, tiptoed her way out. Qin Mu quickly followed, taking the basket from her hand, and asked curiously, "Granny, shouldn't we be making clothes inside the village? Why are we going outside?"

"Today, we're going outside the village to learn to make clothes—real clothes."

Granny Si chuckled. "These past few days, Grandpa Ma and the Cripple have taught you many true skills. Granny can't be stingy either; today I'll teach you what a tailor is truly proficient in."

What a tailor is truly proficient in? Isn't that just making clothes?

Puzzled, Qin Mu followed Granny Si out of the village and along the river downstream. Despite her hunched back, Granny Si's pace was incredibly swift; Qin Mu had to exert himself, employing all the legwork taught by the Cripple, just to keep up. After walking over ten li, they reached the foot of a mountain, where a herd of elk grazed and played in the forest, approximately two hundred paces ahead of them.

Granny Si pulled an embroidery needle from a ball of thread in her basket. With a flick of her finger, the silver needle flashed and vanished. Moments later, Qin Mu watched as an elk two hundred paces away collapsed to the ground with a thud. The other elk, startled, scattered and fled.

Granny Si tiptoed forward, with Qin Mu following close behind. They found the elk lying on the ground, still alive but immobilized, with Granny Si’s silver needle precisely piercing its brow.

"Mu'er, watch closely. This needle pins its Heavenly Soul."

Granny Si instructed Qin Mu to remember the exact position of the silver needle in the elk's brow. Then, taking another embroidery needle from the thread ball, she pricked it into the elk’s tailbone. "This needle pins its Earthly Soul."

She then took another embroidery needle and inserted it into the elk's navel. "This needle pins its Mortal Soul. With the three souls secured, there are still seven 'po' spirits. The first 'po' is called Corpse Dog, located at the crown, or the spiritual essence."

She then took another silver needle and pricked the elk's navel, saying, "The second 'po' is called Prostrate Arrow, located at the brow chakra. Be aware that the Prostrate Arrow 'po' is easily confused with the Heavenly Soul; although these two needles share the same general location, one is inserted deeply and the other shallowly. Do not get them mixed up."

"The third 'po', Sparrow Yin, is located at the Adam's apple. Feel your own Adam's apple; do you notice a triangular notch there? That is where the Sparrow Yin 'po' resides, and this needle pins it."

"The fourth 'po', Thief Devourer, is in the solar plexus, at the convergence point of the heart's apertures, right here."

"The fifth 'po', Non-Toxic, is located at the navel. Be careful not to confuse the Mortal Soul with the Non-Toxic 'po'."

"The sixth 'po', Filth Remover, is found at the perineum, the place where impurities are expelled."

"And the seventh 'po', Stench Lung, is in the lung chamber, the place for expelling the old and taking in the new."

Having secured the elk's three souls and seven 'po' spirits, Granny Si declared, "This is the most critical step before making clothes: soul-locking, which involves securing all three souls and seven 'po' spirits. Mu'er, do you understand everything? If you do, we can begin making the clothes."

Qin Mu didn't grasp the connection between this process and making clothes, but he diligently memorized all the locations. "I've noted them," he confirmed.

Granny Si took a pair of scissors from her basket and began cutting from the elk’s mouth. Soon, she had completely peeled off the entire deer hide. Strangely, despite being skinned, not a single drop of blood flowed from the elk.

"I just soul-locked it, trapping all its blood, vital essence, qi, spirit, and souls within this deer hide. The deer itself is dead, but the hide remains alive. However, to truly refine it into clothing, further techniques are required. Mu'er, watch closely and commit to memory the precise locations I point to with my fingers!"

Granny Si tossed the deer hide into the air. As the hide descended, the hunched-back old woman moved her small feet with astonishing speed, using her fingers like needles to continuously tap specific points on the falling hide.

Qin Mu focused intently on memorizing. He watched as Granny Si tapped the hide three hundred and sixteen times before it even reached the ground. Each tap was in a different position, and vital qi infused the deer hide with every touch.

When the deer hide finally landed, it surprisingly stood there like a living elk, shaking its head and wagging its tail. It was utterly impossible to tell it was merely a piece of hide!

Qin Mu stood dumbfounded. Granny Si suddenly let out a chuckle, unfolded the deer hide, and with a swift motion, enveloped Qin Mu inside it. "Now this," she laughed, "is the kind of clothing we tailors truly make."

Qin Mu felt the deer hide growing progressively tighter, as if it were merging with his own skin. It bound him so snugly that he instinctively placed his hands on the ground.

To his astonishment, he felt himself transforming into an elk, even sensing a short, stubby deer tail.

Granny Si then retrieved a clear mirror from her basket and held it before him. Qin Mu looked into the mirror and saw his reflection—he had genuinely transformed into an elk!

He tried to speak, but only the cry of an elk emerged from his throat.

"The Heavenly Devil Creation Art! What a formidable spell! To think that in a desolate and barbaric place like the Grand Ruins, I would encounter remnants of the Heavenly Devils and their offspring teaching such insidious techniques!"