Chapter 170: The Great Unification of Techniques
The three of them activated the teleportation treasure once more. With three soft *puff* sounds, darkness enveloped their vision, and their bodies were tightly constricted. Sensing something was wrong, they quickly vibrated their primal energy, shattering the surrounding matter. Only then did they realize that following Qin Mu, they had teleported themselves into the trunks of several large trees.
"Where is the Sacred Leader?" asked Heavenly King Shi.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than they spotted Qin Mu. A head was poking out from the trunk of a tree so thick it would take two people to wrap their arms around, while his body was stuck inside the wood, unable to break free.
The tree was an ironwood tree, its texture harder than steel.
Heavenly King Lu, hot-tempered as ever, barked, "Leader, why aren't you running?"
"Three Heavenly Kings, you haven't left yet?"
Qin Mu looked embarrassed and said, "My primal energy is completely depleted, and I'm trapped by this ironwood tree, unable to lift my clothes. Three Heavenly Kings, give me a hand."
The three Heavenly Kings didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Heavenly King Shi chopped down the ironwood tree and rescued Qin Mu, saying, "Leader, after all, you are the Sacred Leader of our Sacred Cult, holding a high and mighty position. You can't be causing mischief here on Sacred Mountain. The buildings on the sacred mountain are all historical relics, each with its own meaning."
Heavenly King Lu added, "Leader, you're not a child..."
He stopped there, realizing something was off. Wasn't their Sacred Leader exactly a child?
Qin Mu wasn't even fifteen yet, not even a fraction of their age.
Heavenly King Lu stammered, "At the Sacred Leader's age, I was still playing in the mud... no, by then I was already harvesting rice. But Leader, the teleportation method is very dangerous. If you're careless and end up in some forbidden zone, not even an immortal could save you! Our Sacred Mountain has quite a few forbidden zones!"
Qin Mu shuddered. If he were to teleport into a forbidden zone, he would die without even a place to be buried!
"Leader, teleportation treasures all require positioning. How to determine the exact destination is the key."
The three Heavenly Kings exchanged glances, suppressing their shock. Heavenly King Shi said, "Leader, you've refined a teleportation robe, but you haven't yet mastered how to teleport accurately. It's extremely dangerous. For teleportation, you first need to determine where you are, then where you want to go. When you're about to arrive, you must immediately withdraw your primal energy, or you'll crash into something. When you try it for the first time, don't go too far—keep it close. Close enough that it's easy to stop at any time."
Qin Mu's eyes lit up. "Let me try again!"
The three Heavenly Kings immediately looked troubled.
Heavenly King Yu quickly said, "Leader, your primal energy is depleted now. There's no need to rush. Besides, the reason the Founder left you here isn't for you to learn teleportation techniques, but for you to calm your mind and comprehend the Great Unification Technique. Sacred Mountain is very peaceful, without the worldly noise of the outside. If you leave here, it might take you a year or two to fully grasp the Great Unification Technique."
Qin Mu felt a chill of realization.
The young Founder indeed had deep intentions in leaving him here.
For the past two days, he had been thinking only about refining the teleportation robe and leaving this place, without ever considering what the young Founder's true purpose was.
"I've been too impatient."
Qin Mu admitted openly, bowing in thanks. "Thank you, Heavenly Kings, for showing me the way."
"We dare not accept!"
The three Heavenly Kings straightened up and quickly returned the bow.
Heavenly King Shi said, "The Leader's talent is extraordinary. Staying here a few more days will surely yield great gains."
Qin Mu calmed his mind, walked over to the pine and cypress tree, sat down on the stone, and focused on comprehending the teachings from the Woodcutter's Stone.
The three Heavenly Kings breathed a sigh of relief. Heavenly King Shi murmured, "The Founder left the Leader on Sacred Mountain to temper his temperament. The Sacred Leader's nature is indeed quite mischievous, but I doubt even the Founder expected the Leader to master the teleportation method to this extent so quickly."
The other two Heavenly Kings also wore strange expressions. The young Founder's idea was good, but no one had anticipated that the moment he left, Qin Mu would realize that teleportation techniques couldn't be mastered right away—that he needed to be proficient in mathematics.
And what was even more outrageous was that Qin Mu immediately realized he could first refine a teleportation treasure.
Now, on the second day, he had already cobbled together a teleportation robe, teleporting back and forth, giving the three Heavenly Kings a thorough workout.
Heavenly King Lu shook his head. "The Founder's wisdom is immense. How could he not have thought of this? He must have anticipated it, which is why he left the three of us here to guard."
After a moment, the three Heavenly Kings said in unison with a sigh, "The Founder absolutely did not anticipate this."
The three Heavenly Kings felt troubled and apprehensive. This Sacred Leader was mischievous but also so clever that it seemed impossible to temper his nature.
At this rate, after a few more practice sessions, Qin Mu would master the techniques of using the teleportation robe. Then how could they keep him here to temper his mischievous nature?
After a moment, Heavenly King Yu laughed. "We're overthinking this."
The other two Heavenly Kings looked at him with questioning expressions. Heavenly King Yu smiled and said, "The Sacred Leader is so clever. If he likes to cause trouble, let him cause trouble. If his nature is mischievous, let him be mischievous. After all, he is the Leader. We don't need to worry about anything else—just clean up after him. If we clean up well, that's our duty."
Heavenly King Shi said, "That's all we can do. That said, if the Leader is going to cause trouble, I think it's better to let him leave Sacred Mountain early and go back to cause trouble at the Grand Academy."
The three old men went to Phoenix Rest Pavilion, worked as masons to repair it, then went to the Three Kings Hall and patched up the roof.
Heavenly King Lu took a long trip. Two days later, he brought back the Hall Master of the Scripture Hall and asked him to forge some fakes, inscribing Feng Qiwu's writings on the walls of Phoenix Rest Pavilion.
After everything was settled, the three Heavenly Kings breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged glances. "This time, the Sacred Leader's meditation should keep us relaxed for half a year, right?"
"Given the Sacred Leader's monstrous talent, that's hard."
Under the pine and cypress tree, on the Sage's Stone, Qin Mu sat in silent meditation for several days. When he got hungry or thirsty, the fox would run over, having picked a pile of fruit from somewhere, and Qin Mu would eat with Fox Ling'er.
After more than ten days of contemplation, Qin Mu had gone over the Woodcutter's lecture back and forth more than a dozen times, but he still felt it was difficult to comprehend the Great Unification Technique. Restlessness began to grow in his heart.
"No more fruit today. Eating fruit every day leaves my mouth feeling bland."
Qin Mu got up from the Sage's Stone and said to Fox Ling'er, "Let's have meat today. Ling'er, is there anything edible in the mountains?"
Fox Ling'er cheered and said, "There are musk deer in the mountains! I saw a herd of them and wanted to go after them, but since this is Sacred Mountain, I didn't dare act rashly."
Qin Mu said excitedly, "Let's go catch one!"
Before long, one human and one fox were roasting musk deer meat. Fox Ling'er took some salt and cumin from her pack and sprinkled it on. The aroma was mouthwatering, making their stomachs growl.
They were truly famished and devoured the entire deer. Fox Ling'er lay on her back, rubbing her bloated belly, completely satisfied. Qin Mu was also stuffed and got up to walk around, activating the Tyrant Body Three Elixir Technique to speed up digestion.
His pace quickened, and unconsciously, he began practicing according to his training methods from the Cripples' Village. His steps turned into a blur as he ran, and suddenly he executed the Thunderclap Eight Forms, punching and striking, shattering the air with thunderous roars.
He then used his hand as a hammer, performing the Mute's hammer technique. The air boomed like a great drum, and he felt like a giant, the low sounds shaking the leaves of the mountain forest with a rustling roar.
Qin Mu's techniques shifted again, transitioning into leg techniques, then spear techniques, then sword techniques, then blade techniques.
His running speed grew faster and faster. He even gathered his primal energy into a brush, painting in the air, wild and unrestrained, indulging his whims.
Suddenly, he executed the Rain Summoning Art, each line of rain like a sword or a string, the sound of rain mingling with the notes of a zither.
Then he switched to the Thunder Flame Art, flicking his fingers repeatedly, thunder roaring and balls of fire exploding everywhere.
A ball of fire rose slowly in Qin Mu's hand, growing redder and redder, like a setting sun on the horizon. Flaming sword qi shot out in all directions as he performed the Sunset Sword Technique.
Then his primal energy shifted, his body moving like a white tiger galloping, claws and fangs shattering mountains and rocks.
He then performed the Seven Chapters of Creation Mystic Art: the Creation Spirit Art for transformation, the Creation Heavenly God Art for transforming techniques, the Creation Heavenly Demon Art for transforming appearances, the Creation Human King Art for transforming into a dragon, the Creation Ghost God Art for transforming the soul, the Creation Earth Origin Art for transforming the spirit, and the Creation Innate Art for transforming the infant.
He then executed various spells from the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra, various fist techniques, various sword techniques, various blade techniques.
Unconsciously, he entered a wondrous state. In his mind, the Woodcutter's voice came intermittently, sometimes sounding, sometimes fading, sometimes loud, sometimes low.
All kinds of mysteries flooded in, filling his mind, then flowing out from his hands, transforming into marvelous techniques.
His heart felt only joy as he poured everything out, no longer caring what spells, techniques, or sword forms they were. He unleashed them all, regardless of order or sequence.
He felt his heart becoming wild. If the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra's technique didn't flow smoothly, he changed it. If the Tyrant Body Three Elixir Technique felt sluggish, he let it be natural, adjusting the direction of his primal energy flow.
Acting according to one's nature, pure and natural—that is the Way. At this moment, he finally gained a profound understanding of these words.
There was no need to cling to what predecessors left behind. Whether it was the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra or the Tyrant Body Three Elixir Technique, let the primal energy flow however smoothly, execute various techniques and spells however powerfully, regardless of whether it was standard or not.
The more he did this, the more he comprehended the mysteries of the Woodcutter's teachings on the stone, grasping more and more profound insights.
The three Heavenly Kings were also startled and hurried out to look. They saw flashes of lightning and roars of thunder in the mountain forest of Sacred Mountain. The ground churned, the air rippled, and blades and swords flashed. Trees toppled, and large swaths of forest fell.
The three Heavenly Kings' faces changed drastically. Heavenly King Shi shouted, "Not good! The Sacred Leader is heading for the Sacred Tree!"
The three old men quickly leaped into the air and landed under the pine and cypress tree. They saw Qin Mu, wild and frenzied, indulging himself, freely unleashing various techniques and spells. His primal energy even manifested various divine and demonic visions—orthodox, demonic, and Buddhist alike—all brought forth.
Whether it was the unique techniques of the White Tiger Spirit Body, the defensive methods of the Black Tortoise Spirit Body, the wind and thunder of the Azure Dragon Spirit Body, or the true fire of the Vermilion Bird Spirit Body, all were displayed in his hands, freely poured out, leaving the three Heavenly Kings staring in stunned amazement.
"The Great Unification Technique..."
Heavenly King Shi murmured, "He's comprehended it. He's comprehended it..."
——The Record of the Shepherd God has reached one hundred patrons. Exciting! Thank you, everyone! Continuing with three chapters today!