Chapter 1014: The Closer to Home, the More Timid
Qin Mu felt as if he had returned to the days of the Village of the Remnant Elders. The Village Chief personally sparred with him, personally teaching him to comprehend the true essence of the sword.
Learning the Twentieth Style of Sword was extremely difficult. Qin Mu was a master of the sword, but even with the guidance of a grandmaster like the Village Chief, he still had to start from scratch to comprehend the Way of the Sword.
He was like a young sword disciple just beginning to learn, following the elderly Village Chief in his sword practice. The two held longswords, each move simple and clear, the sword techniques the most basic forms—plain, unadorned, simple.
"After you went to the Heavenly Court, your tempering of the Way of the Sword and the Sword Heart diminished. Your mind has been disturbed."
The Village Chief taught with focused intent. "The Heavenly Court is a world of splendor. While it broadened your horizons, it also tarnished your Sword Heart, causing your progress in the Way of the Sword to stagnate."
Thus, the old man and the young man emptied their minds, living a simple, pure life for over ten consecutive days. Besides practicing the sword, Qin Mu would also sit with the Village Chief, each facing their own divine sword, breathing and exhaling.
They did not activate any techniques. They simply felt the spirit contained within their swords, resonating with them.
One day, Qin Mu felt his sword orb breathing in sync with him. When he inhaled, the sword orb seemed to inhale as well, slowly expanding. When he exhaled, the sword orb seemed to exhale, slowly contracting.
Between each inhale and exhale, he felt his blood and qi flowing into the sword orb.
Not only did his blood and qi flow into the sword orb, but even his divine consciousness seemed to become inseparable from it.
And his soul seemed to regard the sword orb as part of its own body.
The Village Chief was very satisfied. "Now you can learn the Twentieth Style of Sword."
And so Qin Mu learned the Twentieth Style of Sword.
The Twentieth Style of Sword was an extremely powerful basic sword technique. It was more like a mental method, requiring one to infuse their blood and qi, divine consciousness, and soul into the sword to enhance its power. Therefore, it could be applied to any sword technique.
In other words, this technique could even be used within basic techniques like the Nineteenth Style of Sword!
However, learning the Twentieth Style did not necessarily mean one could execute it, because the conditions for executing this basic sword technique were even more demanding—one needed to comprehend the Sword Domain!
Although Qin Mu had learned this technique from the Village Chief, he had not yet cultivated the Sword Domain, so he still could not execute it.
"The Sword Domain is the domain of the Way of the Sword. Comprehending the Sword Domain requires a deeper understanding of the Way of the Sword. You cannot force it now."
The Village Chief said, "Maintain a pure Sword Heart, and you will comprehend your own Sword Domain. I myself have only just touched the threshold of the Sword Domain. Your foundation in the Way of the Sword is solid, and you know how to delve into research. Your talent is better than mine. Your future achievements will surely surpass mine, but your nature is too unrestrained."
During these ten-plus days, Qin Mu had gained a great deal. His heart was filled with myriad emotions, but he soon cast the Village Chief's teachings aside and ran outside the capital to busy himself with the matter of micro-forging alongside the Blind and Mute elders.
The Village Chief was somewhat helpless but could only let him be.
As the Sacred Infant of the Creator race, Qin Mu's understanding of divine consciousness, while not at the absolute pinnacle, was extremely high. His insight and experience were vast, and his attainments in divine consciousness made him one of the few formidable experts. The micro-forging that had troubled the Blind and Mute elders for so long was soon resolved under his guidance.
The art of forging in the Eternal Peace Kingdom, led by the Blind and Mute elders, had already reached its peak. To advance further seemed nearly impossible.
Micro-forging, however, required altering physical structures, something beyond the current capabilities of Eternal Peace's technology.
Physics: one is matter, the other is principle—the principles contained within matter.
By studying the nature of things, one gains knowledge of physics.
Micro-forging, on the other hand, is about changing physics.
This required using divine consciousness to precisely position the sequence of every microscopic crystal within mystic gold. A stone from another mountain can polish jade. The Creators' achievements in divine consciousness, applied to micro-forging, could perfectly compensate for Eternal Peace's shortcomings.
Qin Mu devoted himself wholeheartedly to research alongside the Blind and Mute elders, ignoring everything else. After more than ten days, the three of them watched as they personally forged a piece of mystic gold into divine gold, all of them filled with indescribable excitement.
"Micro-forging, changing physical structures—that's just the surface! There can be even broader applications!"
Qin Mu said excitedly, "Imprinting runic formations on microscopic crystals—a single drop of water has billions of microscopic crystals, a single sword has even more. If micro-forging can be developed to its extreme, using micro-carving and micro-imprinting on divine weapons, the power of divine weapons will surpass that of gods and demons at the same cultivation level!"
The Mute elder was also incredibly excited, rubbing his hands together. "The Opening Emperor also spoke of this. This will be the era of the art of forging, an era where powerful magical treasures rule the world!"
Qin Mu encouraged him, his voice filled with a persuasive power: "And Grandpa Mute will be the pioneer of this era!"
The Mute elder laughed heartily, his voice booming, the flames of his forge behind him shooting into the sky.
The Blind elder, however, was somewhat displeased. He shook his head and said, "If micro-forging develops to its extreme, what need will there be for us humans? If the power of magical treasures becomes too great, and when war breaks out, it will all be a contest of treasures, with divine weapons flying everywhere. Then will we cultivators, gods, and demons still need to cultivate?"
Qin Mu whispered to the Blind elder, "Micro-forging can also be applied to cultivation. That requires Grandpa Blind's wisdom. Look, if we apply micro-carving and micro-imprinting from micro-forging to the construction of Yuan Qi, the arrangement of formations, the tempering of the physical body, the reinforcement of divine treasuries, and the forging of the Heavenly Palace, we can strengthen cultivators, gods, and demons themselves. It can even be used in the cultivation of the primordial spirit!"
His voice once again carried that persuasive power: "Grandpa Mute will pioneer an era of the art of forging, and Grandpa Blind can correct him, allowing cultivators, gods, and demons to rival divine weapons, or even surpass them! Don't let Grandpa Mute have all the glory!"
The Blind elder stroked the beard on his chin and chuckled, "I still think you little rascal are being so enthusiastic for no good reason, but I have to admit your words make sense."
Qin Mu taught the two elders the cultivation methods of divine consciousness that he had learned and comprehended, rubbing his hands together excitedly. He thought to himself, "Two more Imperial Throne techniques secured! Once Grandpa Blind and Grandpa Mute forge their own paths and create Imperial Throne-level techniques, I can learn them and perfect the Forging Heavenly Palace and the Formation Heavenly Palace! Now, I just need Grandpa Lame's Thieving Heavenly Palace and Grandpa Ma's Buddhist Heavenly Palace!"
"Where are Grandpa Lame and Grandpa Ma?" Qin Mu asked.
"Lame is running all over the place with Lan Yutian, constantly going to the ruins of the Yuan Realm to rob tombs, and also wandering around the various greater realms. Grandpa Ma is no longer the Tathagata, and he's worried about their safety, so he follows them, to make sure Lame doesn't do anything sloppy and leave a trail."
The Blind elder said, "Grandpa Ma used to be a divine constable. He caught Lame a few times. With him by Lame's side, Lame won't have any problems. A divine thief and a divine constable working together are invincible. Even if they stole the Heavenly Emperor's treasury, the Heavenly Emperor wouldn't be able to trace it back to them."
Qin Mu was dumbfounded, speechless.
A constable and a thief had teamed up?
The Blind and Mute elders shooed him away, saying, "Emperor Yan Xiu sent someone looking for you a long time ago, telling you to return to the National Teacher's residence. Go now, don't delay us in creating an era! Come back in a few years, and we will have definitely perfected our Heavenly Palaces!"
Qin Mu had no choice but to take his leave and head towards his own courtyard, thinking to himself, "I really should go see Sister Yu Xiu. I once promised her that I would return in a year to report my safety. Later, I asked the National Teacher and Emperor Yan Feng to tell her that I had gone to the Heavenly Court. As her National Teacher, I have indeed been too irresponsible."
He returned to the National Teacher's residence. Before he could enter, he saw a white cat crouching at the street corner.
Qin Mu stopped and took a closer look at the white cat. It was pure white without a single spot of color, lazily licking its paw. It glanced at him twice before slowly walking into the shadows.
Qin Mu frowned slightly, then walked into the National Teacher's residence.
Dragon Qilin hurriedly greeted him, looking utterly exhausted, and complained tearfully, "Cult Leader, you're finally back!"
Qin Mu smiled and said, "Fatty Dragon, hasn't Sister Yan Er given you any spirit pills?"
Dragon Qilin shook his head and whispered, "I've been eating well these past few days. Cult Leader, Yun Chu Xiu and Lian Hua Hun are here! They've sworn brotherhood with the Emperor, the Divine King, and Gongsun Yan! They vowed to live and die together, in the same year, the same month, and the same day!"
Qin Mu was astonished. "Yun Chu Xiu came again? And she brought Lian Hua Hun with her?"
He also found it a bit of a headache. He stopped walking and asked, "Have these two little vixens caused any trouble these past few days?"
"No, they've just been scheming against each other."
Dragon Qilin said, "Yun Jian Li came once, but when he saw the situation, he was so scared he didn't dare stay and left immediately."
"Yun Jian Li is so disloyal! At least he could have taken his sister away!"
Qin Mu calculated in his mind, "Lian Hua Hun is the Empress, and Yun Chu Xiu is Lady Yuan Mu. These two little vixens have come here; they need to be killed. Yu Xiu, the Divine King, and Yan Er cannot die, but these two sisters must die on the same day! Last time, I could use Mother Earth's hand. Whose hand can I use this time? It's a pity Luo Wu Shuang isn't here. And that white cat looks like the one called Xiao Qi in Yan Tian Fei's arms..."
Just as he was thinking, Emperor Yan Xiu's voice came, laughing, "The National Teacher has returned!"
Qin Mu stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Your servant pays homage to Your Majesty."
Emperor Yan Xiu quickly reached out to support his hands, laughing, "The National Teacher has been working hard abroad. To return to the capital for nearly a month without having time to come home is my fault, for keeping the National Teacher from resting."
Her words carried a hint of reproach, implying that Qin Mu had been back for so long without coming to see her.
Qin Mu let her take his hand and lead him into the courtyard, smiling, "Your Majesty, I have only just gained a foothold in the Heavenly Court. The hardships along the way are difficult to describe. This time, upon returning, the closer I got to those I care about, the more timid I became. That is why I am late."
Emperor Yan Xiu looked at him, her eyes reddening. "I know all of this."
In the National Teacher's residence, Gongsun Yan walked towards them carrying a watering can. Emperor Yan Xiu quickly let go of his hand. Gongsun Yan earnestly poured some water on Qin Mu's head, then seriously observed his head. Seeing that Qin Mu still hadn't sprouted, she sighed.
Qin Mu was long accustomed to her behavior. He smiled and said, "Yan Er, I brought you something good this time. It's called Primal Chaos Primordial Liquid. I'll water you with it later."
Gongsun Yan was very happy.
Emperor Yan Xiu looked over and smiled, "Has the National Teacher brought me any treasures?"
"The vast universe, the boundless rivers and mountains—these are the treasures I bring to Your Majesty."