Chapter 294: Second Under Heaven
"Primordial spirit?"
Qin Mu was puzzled. Just now, his Six Harmonies realm unified cultivation method had perfected, and he had fallen into enlightenment. Unknowingly, even Ling Yuxiu's soul and spirit embryo had flown out along with his. Was this the primordial spirit?
"Soul, spirit. One is the spirit, the other is the soul. The spirit is the spirit embryo, the soul is the soul. Once the spirit embryo is cultivated, the soul becomes complete."
Ling Yushu was far ahead of them in cultivation. Since the former Crown Prince Ling Yuxia's death, the Emperor had placed great importance on him, newly appointing a Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, and Grand Guardian specifically to teach him how to cultivate and handle state affairs.
Ling Yushu had also gained much in recent days, advancing rapidly in cultivation compared to his time at the Imperial Academy. He was now at the peak of the Seven Stars realm, more than capable of guiding Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu on basic knowledge.
"The primordial spirit is when the soul attaches itself to the spirit embryo, becoming a deity within the human body. Primordial energy transforms into the soul's essence, and thus the primordial spirit is formed."
Ling Yushu said, "Besides nurturing a spirit weapon, the Six Harmonies realm also involves the primordial spirit. However, the primordial spirit only matures when one advances from the Six Harmonies realm to the Heavenly Man realm, allowing it to roam the extremes of heaven and earth. You've just entered the Six Harmonies realm—how could you possibly have your primordial spirit leave your body and roam heaven and earth so quickly?"
Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu looked bewildered. They themselves didn't understand what had happened; they had inexplicably sent their primordial spirits out to roam heaven and earth.
"The Six Harmonies are heaven, earth, east, west, south, and north. They are also body and mind in harmony, mind and energy in harmony, energy and soul in harmony, soul and spirit in harmony, spirit and heaven and earth in harmony, and heaven and earth and body in harmony. Only by achieving this step can one attain the Six Harmonies."
Ling Yushu pondered, "After the Six Harmonies, the soul and essence energy must merge completely, and the primordial spirit and physical body must become one, before the primordial spirit can leave the body. Otherwise, even if it leaves, it cannot return to the body. How did you two manage to do it..."
He was utterly baffled.
Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu exchanged a glance and shuddered. According to Ling Yushu, if they hadn't achieved harmony between body, mind, energy, soul, spirit, and heaven and earth, it was very possible that their primordial spirits would leave and never find their way back to their bodies!
"We were having too much fun just now. Luckily, brother arrived in time and called us back, or our primordial spirits might never have found our bodies." Ling Yuxiu felt a lingering fear.
"Roaming heaven and earth is still minor. If you reach the Heavenly Man realm, you can roam the Great Void and witness the wonders of the universe. But there's still the Seven Stars realm in between."
Ling Yushu set aside his confusion and said, "The Imperial Academy teaches a lot about the Six Harmonies realm. You should attend more lectures. Shan Youxin has already built the waterwheel and is heading to the Fangzhou Supervisorate to improve their forging techniques. He wants to invite Qin..."
He was about to say the word "beast" but quickly changed it: "...the Great Sect Leader to come along."
Qin Mu hesitated. "What about the river embankment?"
Over a dozen Imperial Academy scholars arrived at the riverbank, led by Shen Wanyun and others. Ling Yushu said, "Leave the embankment to them. This time, Vice Minister Shan plans to improve the Supervisorate's techniques to forge some River-Calming Beasts. He insists you come."
They headed to the Fangzhou Supervisorate. Shan Youxin and other Ministry of Works officials had just arrived outside the Supervisorate. Fangzhou was a mountainous region with many mines, and the Supervisorate was responsible for refining mystic gold and mystic iron. Qin Mu met up with Shan Youxin, who quickly bowed in greeting and said, "Refining treasures and weapons requires mystic gold and mystic iron. His Majesty has long wanted to expand the Fangzhou Supervisorate, but at the time, the Great Thunderclap Monastery's influence was too strong, and His Majesty hesitated. Now that the Great Thunderclap Monastery has suffered a major loss, it's the perfect opportunity to expand. That's why I must ask the Sect Leader to come and improve the furnaces and forging and pressing techniques..."
Qin Mu nodded. "No problem."
Ling Yuxiu quickly stepped forward and said to Shan Youxin, "Vice Minister, I've reached the Six Harmonies realm and forged a spirit weapon. I'd like to ask you to help improve it." She then took out her Nine Dragons Weapon.
Shan Youxin took her weapon and smiled, "Princess, with a master by your side, why ask me?"
Ling Yuxiu was puzzled, not knowing who he meant by "master."
Si Yunxiang also quickly took out her Thousand Threads and said, "And my Thousand Threads spirit weapon. Please help, Hall Master Shan."
Shan Youxin took her spirit weapon as well and examined both weapons. His expression changed slightly. He gently activated them, and the forms of the two weapons suddenly transformed. The Nine Dragons Weapon expanded into nine flying dragons, their scales and whiskers lifelike, while the Thousand Threads expanded and contracted, sometimes spreading out and sometimes gathering in, incredibly unpredictable.
"Colleagues, come take a look!"
Shan Youxin quickly called over the Ministry of Works officials. The Vice Minister of Works also came forward. Everyone examined the two spirit weapons, praising them endlessly. The Vice Minister of Works said, "Truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship! The forging method is divine, a divine skill!"
After studying them for a while, Shan Youxin retracted the two weapons and returned them to Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang. "Holy Maiden, Princess, these two spirit weapons are the Sect Leader's work, aren't they?"
Ling Yuxiu nodded. "The cowherd forged them for us at sea."
Shan Youxin showed an expression of admiration. "The Sect Leader's forging skills have surpassed all of us in the Ministry of Works. In certain techniques, we might be able to surpass the Sect Leader, but overall, we fall short."
Ling Yuxiu was stunned. "You can't forge anything better?"
"Nothing better than the Sect Leader's."
Shan Youxin said, "We've just examined them and learned a great deal from the Princess's and Holy Maiden's spirit weapons. Both weapons are already perfect. The Ministry of Works cannot improve them."
Si Yunxiang said suspiciously, "Hall Master Shan, are you just saying that because he's the Sect Leader and you don't want to embarrass him?"
Shan Youxin said solemnly, "Lord Qin's forging methods are near-divine in technique. In terms of pure technique, no one in this world can surpass him. His forging techniques are so exquisite that many I've never even seen or heard of! Fan Yunxiao's fast ship, the furnace was designed and forged by the Sect Leader. I was there at the time and was utterly amazed! His skill is truly number one under heaven!"
The two girls stared wide-eyed, speechless.
Qin Mu quickly humbled himself. "Vice Minister, you flatter me, you flatter me. I've only learned a bit of blacksmithing. I wouldn't dare claim to be number one under heaven!"
Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang blinked, looking at the cowherd from the Great Ruins, thinking, "He's always been a braggart, but now he's actually being modest. How rare..."
"At most, I'm second under heaven."
Qin Mu said humbly, "I'm not as good as Grandpa Mute from our village. Grandpa Mute is the best blacksmith for miles around. When I put my cleavers and his cleavers together at the market, his always sell first."
Shan Youxin sighed, "With such divine cleavers, I'd want to buy them all for study and collection. To think they're hidden in a small village market. I really want to go and buy them all. Sect Leader, this time we're improving the Supervisorate. Please teach us. This way!"
They surrounded Qin Mu like stars around the moon and led him into the Supervisorate. Behind them were Ling Yushu, Ling Yuxiu, Si Yunxiang, and the Minister of Works. The four of them stared at each other, all somewhat stunned.
The Minister of Works sighed. "The Demon Lord of the Celestial Demon Sect, the Imperial Academy's first Doctor of Learning, the renowned Divine Doctor Qin, and now the second-best forger under heaven. This Doctor of Learning is truly full of surprises. What other skills does he have that we don't know about?"
Ling Yuxiu suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "He's very good at painting. He once painted a picture of me and sealed it with a talisman stamp. He said if he didn't stamp it, the me in the painting would come to life, step out, and run away."
Si Yunxiang also recalled, "We escaped from Long Jiaonan this time thanks to his painting. He painted a storm at sea and a ship breaking through the waves, and then a real storm appeared at sea, along with a ship that carried us away!"
Ling Yushu looked at the Minister of Works. "Does the Painting Sage Pavilion have such abilities?"
The Minister of Works shook his head. "The talents of the Painting Sage Pavilion can only paint things that look like the real thing. Some have spirit, some have skill, but none can paint something that comes to life. The Demon Lord of the Celestial Demon Sect is truly..."
He shook his head. "Too surprising. How can one person have such profound mastery in so many skills? And still remain so humble? Such virtue is admirable."
"Is the cowherd really that humble?" Ling Yuxiu didn't understand. The cowherd was clearly arrogant, always acting like he was second under heaven.
Si Yunxiang was also unconvinced. Their holy Sect Leader had never been associated with humility. Whenever she wanted to challenge him, he would act like she couldn't beat him and needed more practice.
"He's already very humble."
The Minister of Works said with emotion, "If I had even ten or twenty percent of his skill, I'd be boasting about being number one under heaven. But he never brags or shows off. He only speaks the truth when asked, and he doesn't claim to be number one, but number two. I've never seen such a humble person!"
Ling Yushu was also stunned. This Demon Lord of the Celestial Demon Sect was far more outstanding than he had expected. "Such an outstanding young man, my sister seems..."
He now found himself worrying whether his sister was worthy of such an outstanding Demon Lord, then quickly shook his head. "What am I thinking? That kid better stay away from my sister!"
They entered the Supervisorate to find Qin Mu and the others measuring the structure of the furnaces. Ministry of Works officials took out various calculation tools, some inspecting, some calculating, all busy and ignoring them.
After a long time, everyone gathered around Qin Mu as he used his primordial energy to draw diagrams in the air, sketching new furnace structures, forging and pressing machinery, and several three-dimensional mechanical humanoid structures. Others quickly recorded everything and gathered the necessary materials.
The Supervisorate buzzed with activity. The deafening sound of forging echoed as Qin Mu forged while explaining his techniques to those nearby. The Ministry of Works officials nodded repeatedly.
After a long while, Qin Mu and the others produced the first forging and pressing machine—a humanoid, eight-armed mechanical puppet. Its chest housed a large furnace that could feed medicinal stones to power the puppet.
The upper half of this puppet was made of molten composite mystic gold and mystic copper, constantly flowing across its surface. The composite metal would flow to its hands, forming hammers, steel rods, or tongs. It possessed immense strength, capable of exerting hundreds of thousands of jin of pressure.
The operator beside the furnace only felt a slight warmth, but it was bearable. From there, they could control the mechanical puppet to forge the metal into shape.
The runes and mechanisms used in this puppet were extremely complex. Ling Yushu saw that Shan Youxin and the others had recorded several thick stacks of books, piled half a person's height high. He was horrified.
He stepped forward to flip through them and was deeply impressed. The books were mostly runes transformed from divine abilities. Qin Mu had applied common divine abilities and techniques to forging, fully embodying the principle of "learning and applying."
"This Sect Leader truly deserves the title of 'holy.' He's nothing like the evil Li Tianxing!"
Ling Yushu was filled with emotion. Seeing Qin Mu resting nearby, he walked over and said with a smile, "Sect Leader, if I were to join the Celestial Saint Sect, what position could you give me?"
Qin Mu looked up, surprised. "Aren't you worried that if you join the Celestial Saint Sect, the Emperor will become suspicious of you?"
Ling Yushu was a little excited. "He has his National Teacher. I need my own National Teacher! If I ascend the throne in the future, you will be my National Teacher of Qin!"
Qin Mu stood up and shook his head. "Yankang is not my homeland. I am from the Great Ruins, Your Highness, remember? I am a child of the abandoned by the gods. I cannot be your National Teacher. Do you have the courage to defy the gods' commands and make the people of the Great Ruins your subjects as well?"
Ling Yushu was stunned.
"You are not like your father. He dares."
Qin Mu patted him on the shoulder and walked toward Shan Youxin and the others. "He dares to defy the world and enact reforms. The first time he met me, he no longer saw me as an abandoned child. You can only maintain the status quo. Even now, you still see me as an abandoned child from the Great Ruins. Your Highness, if you had the Emperor's ambition, I would be your National Teacher. But do you?"
Ling Yushu recalled Emperor Yanfeng's words and actions, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He knew he couldn't do it.
It wasn't that Ling Yuxiu wasn't worthy of such a man, but that he, Ling Yushu, wasn't worthy of a National Teacher like Qin Mu.
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