Chapter 799: Showing Off
In truth, his method of martial ascension was also a viable approach, but from the era of the Kaihuang Emperor to the present day, he alone had managed to cultivate it successfully. And before the Kaihuang era, no one like him had ever existed.
The Old Farmer, as the Martial Celestial Master, had devoted all his energy to the martial path. He understood nothing else. It was precisely because of this single-minded focus that he was hailed as the Martial Emperor!
Throughout history, the foremost figure in martial arts!
If he had been as scatterbrained as Qin Mu, fond of dabbling in this and that, he would never have achieved what he had today.
Focus was the key to his success.
That said, Qin Mu’s sudden creation of twenty-six variations of the seventh divine repository still dealt him a heavy blow.
Before Qin Mu had devised those twenty-six variations, Xu Shenghua had already created the Jianmu Innate Divine Bridge. That achievement was equally astonishing—a single Jianmu tree connecting heaven and earth, linking all divine repositories into one.
Even more terrifying was that the Jianmu Innate Divine Bridge had greatly simplified his martial ascension, allowing Hu Bugui to ascend via the Jianmu, crossing the void to reach the celestial palace.
Although the Old Farmer was stubborn, he had long been convinced by the blows dealt by Qin Mu and Xu Shenghua. Now, it was merely a doubled dose of that same blow.
“I hate these quick-witted people the most. They’re always saying, ‘I’m so stupid, I didn’t work hard, I didn’t study, I just thought about it for a moment, and then I came up with twenty-six solutions.’ These bastards can’t wait to write ‘I’m smarter than you’ on their faces and wait for you to praise them!”
He had suffered such blows early on. The Woodcutter, the Scholar, the Fisherman—each one was smarter than him, making him feel like he was the dumbest of the four.
This kind of torment, spanning the twenty-thousand-year Kaihuang era, had filled him with grievances.
The Old Farmer tried his best to appear kind and gentle, speaking warmly, “So there are twenty-six solutions. Then why did you destroy your Other Shore divine repository?”
Qin Mu smiled. “I’ve only deduced these twenty-six methods; I haven’t tested them one by one yet. After I run through a round of experiments, I’ll pick the simplest one for you, Uncle-Master. Then you can teach it to the martial artists of the Bullfighting Realm, solving their problem of lacking a divine bridge.”
“Pick the simplest one...”
The Old Farmer felt his kind and gentle expression might twist into something ferocious at any moment. He quickly steadied himself and said with a smile, “Keep your Other Shore divine repository. Don’t destroy it. Just open a second divine repository instead. Keeping them will give you more divine power.”
Qin Mu was taken aback, then clapped his hands in praise. “Uncle-Master is truly exceptionally wise, worthy of being the Martial Emperor. I never thought of that method!”
The Old Farmer felt a bit smug, thinking to himself, “These clever people often tend to get stuck in a rut.”
“But stuffing so many divine repositories into the body would be a chaotic mess. It’s annoying.”
Qin Mu thought for a moment and said, “I think some divine repositories might be unnecessary. Having too many would just be a burden... Uncle-Master, wait a moment. I need to calculate whether the physical body can accommodate so many divine repositories!”
The Old Farmer’s brow twitched. He grunted in acknowledgment, then watched as Qin Mu spread his hands outward. His primordial energy constructed a human body mathematical model and a divine repository mathematical model. With a snap of his fingers, the divine repositories rapidly expanded.
Qin Mu walked among the divine repositories, observing carefully. Suddenly, another burst of primordial energy flew out, forming a celestial palace with the Southern Heavenly Gate towering high.
Using his primordial energy, Qin Mu manifested the forms of the twenty-six divine repositories, arranging them one by one, attempting to fit them all beneath the Southern Heavenly Gate.
The Old Farmer looked closely and realized he couldn’t understand it. He snorted, thinking, “Showing off!”
Qin Mu kept rearranging the combinations, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper. After a long while, he withdrew his primordial energy and shook his head. “Uncle-Master, you’re oversimplifying things. If it were an ordinary seventh divine repository, the Southern Heavenly Gate could accommodate five or six. But some of these divine repositories can’t even fit beneath the Southern Heavenly Gate; they’d need to connect to the celestial palace. I think one divine repository is best. Having more is useless.”
The Old Farmer maintained his kind and gentle demeanor and said, “In that case, I’ll destroy your Other Shore divine repository first. You keep pondering. I’ll stay at the State Preceptor’s residence. Once you’ve opened your second divine repository, send someone to fetch me.”
Qin Mu quickly said, “Uncle-Master, you should stay here. The State Preceptor has no money; even food and daily expenses are a problem. Besides, I’m skilled in medicine and can help treat your injuries.”
“No need!”
The Old Farmer said bluntly, but then softened his tone and said amiably, “Your cultivation is important. I won’t disturb you. The State Preceptor has a poison expert named Fu Yuanqing, who is also skilled in medicine. I’ll have him treat me.”
Qin Mu smiled. “Fu Yuanqing is my senior brother, the Little Poison King. His medical skills aren’t as good as mine, but they’re not bad either. He can indeed treat you, Uncle-Master. In that case, I’ll send some money to the State Preceptor’s residence to cover your expenses during this time.”
The Old Farmer urged, “Hurry up. Where exactly is your Other Shore divine repository located?”
Qin Mu quickly pointed out the location of his Other Shore divine repository. Without further ado, the Old Farmer pointed a finger at it. With a thunderous boom, the Other Shore Ark that Qin Mu had painstakingly built shattered into pieces, ceasing to exist!
Qin Mu’s primordial energy was greatly shaken, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Just as the Old Farmer was about to leave, Qin Mu suppressed his injuries and said, “Uncle-Master, this halo behind my head is a blessing from the Earth Mother. Can you destroy it with your martial power?”
“What’s so hard about that?”
The Old Farmer threw a punch, and the halo behind Qin Mu’s head shattered with a crackling sound!
Qin Mu was stunned for a moment, then praised, “Uncle-Master’s martial power is unmatched!”
The Old Farmer felt quite pleased with himself. Just then, his expression changed slightly as he stared at the back of Qin Mu’s head. Countless runes within the shattered halo began to automatically reassemble.
Those runes were incredibly tiny. He vaguely sensed that these runes were drawing power from the earth as they reorganized, quickly restoring the halo to its original state.
Qin Mu’s expression also changed. He stood there dumbfounded.
The Old Farmer threw another punch, shattering the halo formed by the Earth Mother’s blessing once more, but the halo quickly recovered!
“Something’s strange!”
The Old Farmer pondered. His thick hands grabbed the halo behind Qin Mu’s head and squeezed it hard in the middle. The halo, along with the Earth Element Dao Fruit and the space within the halo, was crushed to pieces between his palms!
The Earth Element Dao Fruit contained immense energy. If it exploded, it could blow even a deity to pieces. But between his palms, it only made a soft popping sound before being erased directly!
The Old Farmer released his hands, only to see a very faint yellow light flowing around Qin Mu, slowly gathering behind his head, and then the halo gradually formed.
Not only that, but the Earth Element Dao Fruit, which had been completely destroyed, also slowly manifested a faint shadow, drawing energy from the earth, gradually transforming from a shadow into something real.
Before long, the wrinkled Earth Element Dao Fruit had taken shape again!
“I can’t destroy it.”
The Old Farmer shook his head. “This Earth Mother’s blessing and this fruit are too strange. When the Woodcutter comes, let him study it.”
Qin Mu sighed inwardly but perked up and said, “Uncle-Master, there’s one more thing. Do you see that little fatty?”
The Old Farmer looked at Yu Tianzun and asked doubtfully, “What about him?”
“Please teach him martial arts, Uncle-Master.”
Qin Mu said with a grin, “You don’t need to teach him any profound principles. Just the basics—martial arts that can be cultivated at the Spirit Embryo realm.”
The Old Farmer glanced at Yu Tianzun again and snorted coldly, “That little fatty’s body is full of undigested spirit pills. It shows he’s gluttonous. He definitely needs martial arts to temper his body and spirit. Leave him to me. In a while, I guarantee he’ll be lean!”
Qin Mu quickly added, “And there’s a water qilin who also can’t control his mouth. Please take the trouble to train him too, Uncle-Master.”
The Old Farmer didn’t mind and said, “Leave Sanduo here to train him. Sanduo’s skills aren’t much weaker than mine. And that big horse of yours—let Sanduo train it too.”
Qin Mu was overjoyed and quickly thanked him.
The Old Farmer took Yu Tianzun and walked out. Qin Mu hurriedly ordered someone to send money to the State Preceptor’s residence, saying, “Prepare plenty of Dafeng coins. We can’t let the State Preceptor’s family live too frugally.”
He then went to find the Old Ox, only to see the ox and Dragon Qilin lounging under a large tree in the courtyard. Each held a water pipe, with tea placed beside them. Gongsun Yan was pouring tea for the two lazy fellows, who were puffing away contentedly.
“I went to the grasslands and fought a battle, hehe. The Great Dark Heaven is the demon ancestor of the demon race, a formidable man from his era.”
The Old Ox was boasting to Dragon Qilin. “He has countless fierce subordinates, but they all fell under my iron hooves. It’s just that the master was useless and got injured by the Great Dark Heaven. By the way, do you plow fields? My bones are a bit itchy. After we finish our tea, let’s go plow a few hundred acres together!”
Dragon Qilin scratched his belly, looking troubled, and said, “I don’t have an addiction to plowing fields.”
Qin Mu approached with a dark expression and said, “Third Senior Brother, when you go plowing later, take Ah Shui with you... Where did this tree come from?”
Gongsun Yan smiled and said, “It’s my primordial spirit. I felt this place was very familiar, so I planted my primordial spirit here. It grows really fast. You should plant your primordial spirit too. I’ll water it for you every day.”
Qin Mu widened his eyes and looked up. The Yuan Wood had already grown over ten zhang tall. Fortunately, the courtyard was large enough that it didn’t stand out too much.
But the Yuan Wood was still growing, gaining a bit more height in just a short moment.
“If we plant them together, after a while, when they grow thick and strong, phoenixes will come looking for them.”
Gongsun Yan held a teapot and smiled, “I’ll teach you how to weave a phoenix nest. It will definitely attract phoenixes.”
Qin Mu was amused and shook his head, saying, “I like to run around everywhere. I can’t put down roots, and I’m not a tree.”
Gongsun Yan’s expression dimmed.
Qin Mu quickly said, “Once this Earth Element Dao Fruit is digested, I’ll plant it and grow another Yuan Wood to keep you company. Third Senior Brother, give Ah Shui and Fatty Long a good workout!”
Niu Sanduo acknowledged the order, pulled Dragon Qilin, called for Water Qilin, and walked out, saying, “Let’s go turn over a few hundred acres of wasteland outside the capital first. I’ll teach you how to loosen your bones with martial arts.”
Water Qilin looked at him with some awe and said with a flattering smile, “Brother Ox, do you eat spirit pills?”
Qin Mu watched them leave. Suddenly, his head felt cool. Gongsun Yan was watering him again, stubbornly trying to make him grow a flower.
Qin Mu had no choice but to sit under her primordial spirit and prepare to open his second divine repository.
Over ten days later, he opened his second divine repository and sent someone to fetch the Old Farmer. The Old Farmer rushed over in a flurry, punched him once, and left without stopping.
Another six or seven days passed, and Qin Mu sent for him again. The Old Farmer still punched him and left.
Niu Sanduo stopped him and asked, “Master, why don’t you just stay here? Why bother running back and forth?”
The Old Farmer snorted coldly. “Staying here is unpleasant. I get hit by clever people every day. I’d rather run back and forth. The Woodcutter is coming, so I’m leaving first!”
The Woodcutter Sage’s voice came from afar, laughing, “Plowman, who’s been hitting you every day?”
The Old Farmer clenched his fists, his expression unfriendly.
—Lalala, asking for monthly votes at the beginning of the month!