Chapter 14 — Tempering Bone in Vital Qi to Forge the True Body
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 3
He quickly forgot the soreness in his muscles. His speed kept climbing, and the vital qi within him circulated faster and faster, reaching his four limbs, reaching every bone in his body. Even his hair, his fingernails, the very texture of his skin gradually began to take in vital qi.
Gradually, his speed surpassed the fastest he had ever run at full effort. Even so, Shen Mu was unaware of it, feeling only that the more he ran, the more exhilarating it became, the more he ran, the more joyful.
His sweat began to seep from the pores of his skin. This sweat was not transparent—it was very murky. Mixed in with the sweat were not only black grime but also white granules of fat. Yet Shen Mu did not notice the changes in his body.
The Elixir Master, the Village Head, and the others each revealed expressions of shock. They exchanged silent glances.
"Old Ma, when did you first begin tempering your body with vital qi?" the Elixir Master suddenly asked.
Old Ma said in a low voice, "At the peak of the Spirit Fetus realm. I was practicing my fists when I suddenly unleashed my first divine ability. My first divine ability was fist-force body tempering—vital qi like an azure dragon coiling in silk."
The Elixir Master looked at the Lame Elder. The Lame Elder said, "I was also at the peak of the Spirit Fetus realm. That day I was running in the wind, trying to catch up to the gale. I wanted to catch the wind and then walk upon its edges across the sky. And then I discovered the mystery of vital qi body tempering—vital qi like wind blowing through a hundred apertures. As a result, in my delight I fell off the wind's edge and nearly broke my neck."
The Elixir Master sighed. "It was the same for me. I wanted to use my Spirit Soul Divine Mansion as a furnace for refining elixirs, my own vital qi as the medicine, and refine myself into a single dose of medicine. That was how I discovered the mystery of vital qi body tempering—vital qi like fire burning the mortal flesh. And Mu'er, without even breaking through the wall yet, has already begun tempering his body."
The Lame Elder laughed. "The Overlord Body really is formidable. We spirit bodies can only envy it."
The Elixir Master's expression was strange. He said no more.
Overlord Body?
If it really were an Overlord Body, he wouldn't be so astonished.
The Lame Elder and Old Ma and the others could attribute all of this to the Overlord Body, but he knew the truth. Shen Mu, with an ordinary person's constitution, had achieved vital qi body tempering a step ahead of spirit bodies. This truly made even a powerful and erudite man like him gasp in amazement.
"Mu'er still hasn't awakened his Overlord Body," Granny Zhu said excitedly. "If he awakens it, and his Overlord Body vital qi can command and control objects—heh heh—even the National Preceptor of Yanning back in the day probably couldn't match him!"
The Elixir Master's heart sank. He glanced at the Village Head.
The Village Head was silent too.
In this world there had never been an Overlord Body, and naturally there had never been Overlord Body vital qi. Ordinary vital qi could not command or control objects. When that time came, Shen Mu would discover that he could not command or control things, and the truth would be exposed.
But before that, Shen Mu first had to achieve the so-called "awakening of the Overlord Body." To achieve that, he would need to break through the wall—the Spirit Fetus wall.
How could an ordinary person break through the wall?
The Village Head's brows furrowed. Would continuing to drink the Four Symbols Spirit Marrow still be of any use? How long could he keep the secret?