The apothecary had his own idea. He said,"Let him drink as much spirit blood as possible! Every time he drinks it, his body improves a little. If he drinks enough, even if his spirit body never awakens, his physical strength will surpass any awakened spirit body!"
"One punch—enough to kill a dragon."
The village chief chuckled. "That'll scare the bastards outside the Great Ruins for sure."
The two exchanged a knowing smile. The apothecary left the room and closed the door behind him.
The next day, the villagers returned with even more Ironbone Tigers, Blue Jiao Snakes, Thunderbirds, and Golden Tortoises. The elders were bursting with energy, but the apothecary was furious."If you make him drink too much spirit blood at once, it'll kill him!"
The mute blacksmith dragged in two Thunderbirds. Even without a tongue, he pulled a wide grin and let out a silent laugh.
"Mu'er can handle it!" Grandma Si said confidently.
The apothecary glared at them but said nothing more. He took out an insect egg and continued refining the blood. But trouble came again. This time the spirit blood was a bit too much, and after Qin Mu drank it, his body swelled like a balloon. The elders were all nervous, worried he might explode at any moment.
The apothecary pulled out several hollow silver needles and stuck them into Qin Mu's back and the top of his head. Streams of red, blue, and purple mist sprayed out from the needles.
Moments later, the needles stopped venting gas. The apothecary put away his tools, shot the elders a stern look, and said,"One step at a time! You want to turn him into a giant fat lump in one go, but that'll do nothing but kill him! He still feels bloated, so you all have work to do. From now on, let the Butcher train him in blade techniques, Old Ma in fists. Cripple, you lead him in leg exercises and help him digest."
"Mu'er! Come train your blade!"
The Butcher—who had no lower body—stood atop a wooden stake. Even though only his upper half remained, he was still as tall as Qin Mu and loomed over him.
He held two enormous butcher knives, completely different from the small blades he usually used. A normal butcher's knife was about a foot long, its edge curved like a crescent moon. But the knives in his hands were far larger—three feet long, with thick spines and thin, gleaming edges polished to a mirror sheen. When the two blades aligned, they looked like a pair of massive arched gates—majestic and terrifying.
Qin Mu's blade was the same size but had only a single edge. It was heavy—about twenty pounds. Normally he could barely lift it, but after drinking spirit blood, his strength had skyrocketed. He lifted the blade in one hand with ease, as if it weighed nothing at all.
"Careful, Grandpa Butcher!"
Qin Mu charged toward the stake, gripping his blade in one hand. The Butcher laughed heartily, his half-body radiating bold, heroic vigor.
Wind and Rain Night Battle!
Qin Mu swung his blade, stepping and shifting, slashing again and again. The blade light flashed faster and faster, the wind howling around him, surging into a storm.
"Slower! Slower! You're too slow!"
The Butcher roared. His two blades danced like a raging storm, clashing with deafening booms like a torrential downpour."Faster! Faster! Your butcher's blade can go faster! The Wind-and-Rain Night Battle technique relies on speed. Your blade has to be as swift as wind and rain in the darkness, sweeping across the entire city! Faster!"
The blade flickered even faster, like three silver dragons darting around the wooden stake, the wind growing stronger. The sound of the knife mingled with the wind, and the ground beneath them began to show deep scars from the strikes.
"Good! That's the speed I want! The faster your knife, the stronger your blade energy! But you're still not fast enough. You need to make it fast enough for your blade to burn like a raging fire!"
The butcher shouted, his two knives moving like fire dragons. The speed and intensity were shocking.
The fire dragons shot toward Qin Mu. Just as they were about to strike, Qin Mu made a sudden move, causing the two fire dragons to rise into the sky, tearing through the night above the village in an awe-inspiring display.
Qin Mu was stunned. The butcher's knife was truly terrifying.
Above the village, darkness surged, swallowing the fire dragons, blade lights, and blade energy.
The darkness seemed alive, as if it was angry at the butcher's attack on it, and it pressed down on the village, as though it wanted to consume everything.
But the stone statues at the four corners of the village suddenly glowed brighter, pushing the darkness back.
"Damned heavens!"
The butcher gripped his knives, standing tall on the stake, and yelled at the sky. His voice was filled with madness. "One day, I will cut through this darkness! I will kill my way back! They took my waist and my legs, but they didn't take my head! I will kill—"
"Grandpa Butcher is going mad again." Qin Mu muttered, but he couldn't help but admire the speed and power of the butcher's knife. He put down the butcher knife and went to find Old Horse.
"Grandpa Butcher praises his knives, while Grandpa Horse praises his fists. But true divine power lies in the legs."
Old Horse spoke solemnly. He raised his fist, and his bones cracked with explosive sounds. "Mu'er, when you can grasp the thunder in your hands, that's when your fists will have a little success. The butcher's knives are fast, but my fists break through the limits of sound, break the shackles of air, and explode with unmatched power! One hand can be as powerful as a thousand hands, and one fist can unleash thunder!"
Boom—
A thunderous sound rang out as Old Horse struck, and the ground rumbled with a continuous series of thunderclaps.
Qin Mu could barely catch a glimpse of Old Horse's fist; the speed was so fast that he saw the illusion of a thousand arms sprouting from Old Horse's body. Each punch was faster than the last, and thunder and lightning crackled with every strike.
"This is the Thunderstrike Eight Forms, specifically the Thousand-Hand Buddha! As long as your fists are faster than the sound, you can control the thunder! Each punch and palm can destroy an enemy's soul and body, causing them to never reincarnate!"
Old Horse lowered his fist and said solemnly, "When you can unleash the Thunderstrike Eight Forms, you can attack me. Strike with thunder, hold the lightning in your hand, and command the thunder!"
Qin Mu stood still. Today, the lessons taught by Grandpa Butcher and Old Horse were different from before. In the past, they had taught him knife and fist techniques, but today, they both mentioned a word.
Divine power!
It was a strange term. It was the first time he had heard it.
Qin Mu used the Thunderstrike Eight Forms to attack Old Horse, but Old Horse, despite having only one arm, effortlessly blocked every strike, showing no difficulty.
Unlike the butcher, who always had control during their sparring, Old Horse was ruthless. Every time Qin Mu made a mistake, Old Horse would land a punch. Though not heavy, each strike left Qin Mu bruised and battered.
Finally, when Qin Mu could no longer continue, Old Horse allowed him to rest.
"Legs are the wind, the earth, the root of strength."
Cripple, leaning on a cane, spoke to Qin Mu. He only had one leg, but he was the one teaching Qin Mu legwork. In the past, Qin Mu had thought that Cripple was the most normal of the villagers, always smiling and giving a sense of reliability.
But ever since Cripple had smilingly killed that woman who crawled out of the cowhide by the river, Qin Mu wasn't so sure anymore.
Cripple's smile was a hidden blade. No one could tell if his smile was real or fake.
Smiling, Cripple said to Qin Mu, "Mu'er, the butcher praises his knives, and Old Horse praises his fists, but the real divine power lies in the legs. When you can't cut your opponent, or strike them down, what do you do? Of course, you run! Life isn't just poetry and distant places; sometimes it's about survival. Living is victory! As long as you run fast enough, you can run on walls, run on water, and even run through the sky! Run fast enough, and everything becomes flat. Fire and air—both are flat! When you run so fast that even sound can't catch up to you, you will have begun to master the divine power of the legs. Now, come, use the iron ingot."