荒墟牧神 - 第20章 人身孕出古靈胎 - 雲海書庫

a great weight lift from his heart and was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when the Hard-of-Hearing Elder continued, "But now we have another problem. How do we bring out the power of Hegemonic Body primordial qi? None of us understands it. Village Headman, you are widely learned and well traveled. What insight do you have?" The Village Headman wished he had two more arms so that he could strangle the fellow to death. Still, he did know why Shen Mu could not make his primordial qi display its power. The primordial qi of the Four Great Spirit Bodies each possessed its own distinctive nature. White Tiger primordial qi, for instance, had a metallic nature. It could take the form of blades and weapons, with formidable defensive and offensive power. Transformed into sharp claws, it could tear an opponent apart; transformed into a shield, it could block an opponent's attack. Azure Dragon primordial qi possessed the nature of thunder. It could command lightning and also had certain healing properties. Vermilion Bird primordial qi possessed the nature of flame, fierce and domineering. The Alchemist and the blacksmith Mute both possessed this kind of spirit body. The Alchemist's refining of medicines and the blacksmith's forge both relied on the nature of their primordial qi. Then there was Black Tortoise primordial qi, which specialized in defense and the control of water. When unleashed, it possessed the nature of water. Shen Mu's primordial qi lacked all these characteristics, and so it could not display its power. Though his cultivation was formidable, it seemed to do little to improve his actual strength. Yet knowing the cause did not mean the Village Headman knew how to solve it. "Mu'er, what does your spirit embryo look like?" the Village Headman asked Shen Mu. Shen Mu described the peculiar spirit embryo within his Soul-Spirit Divine Abode. Everyone gathered around the bonfire froze, then exchanged bewildered looks. A humanoid spirit embryo? This was the first time any of them had ever heard of such a thing. Shen Mu was somewhat puzzled himself. He said, "Granny, Grandpa Ma, weren't your spirit embryos the forms you had as children?" Granny Zhu shook her head and sighed. "No. So you really are a Hegemonic Body. Even the form of your spirit embryo is different from ours. No one could imitate it even if they wished to. Granny's spirit embryo is a White Tiger spirit embryo, a little white tiger." "Mine is an Azure Dragon," Grandpa Ma said. The Blind Elder said, "Mine is a Black Tortoise." The Mute gestured again, crying "Ah, ah," to say that his spirit embryo was a Vermilion Bird. The Village Headman narrowed his eyes and fell into thought. The Four Great Spirit Bodies were favored by Heaven and Earth. Their Soul-Spirit Divine Abodes were open from birth, and once their spirit embryos were awakened, they could become martial artists. Even if the spirit embryos of the Four Great Spirit Bodies differed in detail, they were generally alike and could not escape those four categories. Some spirit bodies were not White Tiger, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, or Black Tortoise, but they still belonged to one of those four types. That was why the primordial qi of the Four Great Spirit Bodies possessed four distinct attributes. Shen Mu's spirit embryo was humanoid and possessed no attribute, which was why it had been so difficult to awaken and why the power of his primordial qi was so difficult to unleash. The Village Headman sank into deep thought, trying to find a way to awaken the power of Hegemonic Body primordial qi. Yet even with his exceptional intelligence, he could not come up with an answer in so short a time. Seeing his expression, Granny Zhu immediately understood. She smiled and said, "Village Headman, you know that Mu'er is a Hegemonic Body, but you do not know how a Hegemonic Body is cultivated?" The Village Headman's face flushed slightly, and he nodded. Disappointment appeared on the faces of the villagers. The Blind E