"An oasis a hundred miles downstream?"
When Qin Mu returned to Disabled Elder Village, dusk had already fallen. The youth unloaded the treasures from the bamboo raft and brought them back into the village. The villagers were naturally surprised and gathered around to ask questions.
Qin Mu recounted his experiences. The blind man's expression changed at once, and he blurted out in shock,"The temple in that oasis suppresses a lord-level exotic beast—a demon skilled in transformation, extremely powerful. She's called Wu Nü. You went into that temple? You actually snatched her treasures right from under her nose?!"
Granny Si also cried out in surprise,"Wu Nü? That one? I passed by that broken temple once. She had eaten too many people, so I beat her up. She hid behind that Buddha statue. I sensed something strange about the statue—it seemed ready to suppress me—so I didn't kill her. That Buddha statue is very peculiar…"
"I've seen her too," someone else added. "She's terrifying—a great demon, comparable to a Seven-Star realm expert."
The Cripple asked,"Mu'er, how did you steal Wu Nü's belongings and escape from her?"
Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Qin Mu told them about learning the demonic language from the canyon ruins, and how he had used the sounds of gods, demons, and Buddha to refine Wu Nü, recounting everything in detail.
The villagers were dumbfounded.
After a long while, Elder Ma finally let out a breath and said,"Young and accomplished… truly young and accomplished."
The Cripple, the Deaf Man, and the others nodded repeatedly, raising their thumbs in praise.
Wu Nü, a great demon with the strength of a Seven-Star realm powerhouse, had actually been blackmailed and robbed by Qin Mu. It was indeed a case of "young and accomplished," and he had not let down their teachings—filling them with pride.
The Mute picked up a few weapons, gestured for a while, then shook his head, making "ah ah" sounds with his hands. He meant that the quality of these spirit weapons wasn't very good—of limited use.
"Tomorrow, I'll take them to Xianglong City," said Elder Ma. "We'll sell the spirit weapons, buy some oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and pick up some cloth and fine wine."
Granny Si smiled."My livestock should be sold too."
Qin Mu's spirits soared.Xianglong City?
He had grown up in Disabled Elder Village and had only recently been allowed to go out. He had heard of Xianglong City many times, but had never been there!
"You can't go," Granny Si shook her head. "You're still too young."
Qin Mu felt disappointed. After hesitating for a moment, he gathered his courage and said,"Granny… Grandpa Ma… there's one more thing."
"My Tyrant Physique has awakened."
Silence fell instantly.
Moments later, Elder Ma, the Cripple, the Blind Man, Granny Si, and the others erupted into cheers. The Mute waved his hands wildly, shouting excitedly. Only the Deaf Man, who hadn't seen Qin Mu's lips move, had no idea why these old folks had suddenly gone mad. When Qin Mu repeated himself, the Deaf Man finally understood—and burst into loud laughter.
The Blind Man shouted excitedly,"Village Chief! Apothecary! Come quickly! The Tyrant Physique has awakened!"
The Butcher was overwhelmed with emotion and roared toward the sky,"Village Chief! Apothecary! The Tyrant Physique has finally awakened!"
When Qin Mu returned to the village, the Village Chief was sitting outside his house. The Apothecary sat beside him, having boiled a pot of tea and poured it. Since the Village Chief had no hands, the Apothecary lifted the teacup to his lips for him.
They often drank tea like this—leisurely and content.
The Village Chief had just drunk half the cup when he heard the shouting from the Blind Man and Elder Ma. The tea immediately sprayed out of his nose, eyes, and mouth. Two thin jets of tea shot straight out from the small holes beneath his lower eyelids, spraying high into the air.
Crack.
The teacup in the Apothecary's hand was crushed to pieces. Tea splashed all over the Village Chief's face. The two old men stared at each other, eyes wide, mouths unconsciously hanging open.
The Apothecary recovered first and stammered,"The Tyr—Tyrant Physique… awakened?"
The Village Chief also looked utterly bewildered, clearly not yet processing what he'd heard.
The Cripple limped over, nodded heavily, and laughed."That's right—the Tyrant Physique has awakened! I checked just now. His vital energy is more than three times stronger than it was this morning, far purer as well. And at his brow, the Spirit Embryo has awakened, emitting a strange fluctuation—it's clearly fused with his consciousness! These are unmistakable signs of Spirit Embryo awakening!"
Qin Mu walked over. The Apothecary's mouth had fallen open even wider, as if two large duck eggs had been stuffed inside, while tea was still leaking from the Village Chief's lower eyelids.
Qin Mu thought to himself, Grandpa Village Chief and Grandpa Apothecary are really happy… though maybe a bit too happy?
The Apothecary finally closed his mouth and hurriedly asked,"Mu'er, has your Tyrant Physique truly awakened?"
Qin Mu nodded."I… awakened it by accident."
The Apothecary nearly choked to death."By accident… awakened it…"
The Village Chief finally came to his senses and chuckled."Mu'er being a Tyrant Physique is absolutely certain. My knowledge is vast—I would never mistake it. Awakening was only a matter of time… cough, cough!"
The Apothecary's expression turned extremely strange. He coughed a few times as well to cover it up and said with a smile,"The awakening of the Tyrant Physique is a wonderful thing! But Mu'er, you must not grow arrogant. Your path of cultivation has only just begun, understand?"
Qin Mu nodded obediently.
The Village Chief smiled."What the Apothecary says is right. The Tyrant Physique path is extremely arduous—you must never slack off. Apothecary, I'm a bit tired. Take me back inside."
The Apothecary understood and escorted him indoors.
Inside the house, the two old men stared at each other.
After a long silence, the Apothecary lowered his voice."Village Chief… is Mu'er really a Tyrant Physique?"
"Of course not!" the Village Chief replied decisively.
"Then how did he awaken—"
"How would I know?"
The two old men stared at each other again, unable to explain Qin Mu's condition. After a long while, the Apothecary cautiously asked,"Can a mortal body break open the Spirit Embryo barrier?"
"A mortal body breaking the barrier? I've never heard of such a thing. Mu'er is the first."
The Village Chief suddenly smiled."Apothecary, perhaps Mu'er really will become a Tyrant Physique, forging an extraordinary path. Wasn't that our goal from the very beginning?"
The Apothecary smiled as well."A mortal body is the Tyrant Physique. Mu'er has already made the mortal body awaken. His Tyrant Physique path is about to begin. I can almost see him punching a dragon to death!"
The Village Chief nodded, smiling."Exactly. Perhaps with this spirit, this willpower, he may go even farther than we ever did."
The two old foxes exchanged a knowing smile and left the room.
The Village Chief coughed lightly and summoned Qin Mu, asking how he had awakened his Spirit Embryo. Qin Mu explained how, at the moment when divine sounds, demonic sounds, and Buddhist sounds clashed, his vital energy surged and shattered the Spirit Embryo barrier.
The Village Chief stared blankly."There's… such an operation?"
He couldn't help but sigh. Qin Mu's opportunity was likely impossible for anyone else to replicate. The clash of divine, demonic, and Buddhist sounds, combined with sheer coincidence—and Qin Mu's outrageous boldness in daring to learn demonic language and demonic sounds to contend against divine sounds!
It was sheer madness—he clearly didn't know how to write the word death!
Even if someone had such an opportunity, they would likely be killed by the power contained within those sounds, rather than breaking the Spirit Embryo barrier.
Those were the powers of gods and demons—how could mortals dare covet them? To covet divine and demonic power was to court death!
And yet Qin Mu had succeeded—mysteriously so, leaving the Village Chief deeply puzzled.
What he didn't know was that Qin Mu had nearly been killed as well. Fortunately, the jade pendant on Qin Mu's chest protected his life, sparing him from death.
After carefully examining Qin Mu's cultivation progress, the Village Chief showed another look of shock, which he quickly concealed. He encouraged Qin Mu,"Mu'er, cultivate diligently. Do not disappoint our expectations. Now that your Tyrant Physique has awakened, you are a warrior—you are no longer a child."
Qin Mu nodded firmly.
By then, night had fallen. Bonfires were lit throughout the village. Elder Ma and the others roasted exotic beasts they had captured to celebrate Qin Mu's awakening. Granny Si tiptoed over, grabbed Qin Mu, and pulled him away.
"Village Chief, Apothecary—come eat and drink with us!"
"You go ahead," the Village Chief replied. "The Apothecary and I will be there shortly."
Watching Granny Si and Qin Mu walk away, the Village Chief said softly,"Apothecary, Mu'er's vital energy is astonishingly profound. At the Spirit Embryo realm, he is among the deepest cultivators I have ever seen."
The Apothecary looked toward the lively crowd by the bonfire and asked quietly,"How profound?"
"When I was at the Spirit Embryo realm," the Village Chief said calmly,"my cultivation was roughly on par with his—perhaps even inferior."
The Apothecary's body shook violently."On par with you at the Spirit Embryo realm? What kind of existence were you? How could he possibly—"
"And yet," the Village Chief said softly,"he did it."