--- title: "Chapter 304: Primordial Spirit" ---
Chapter 293: Primordial Spirit
"I was just surveying the hydrology, so I'm a bit muddy. Please forgive me, host."
Qin Mu examined the young master on the boat, feeling that this person was no ordinary mortal. He couldn't help but marvel that a man could be so handsome. He asked, "May I ask where you're from, Senior Brother?"
"The Upper Heavens."
Xu Shenghua examined Qin Mu, seeing that the youth was quite rustic, with pure eyes that seemed free of any impurities, yet there was also an untamed, wild aura about him. He asked, "Where are you from, Senior Brother?"
Qin Mu thought for a moment. He had never heard of the Upper Heavens, so it was likely another hidden sacred ground. He replied, "I'm from the Village of Broken Elders."
Xu Shenghua also hadn't heard of the Village of Broken Elders. He made a mental note of it, thinking, "Could it be some hidden sacred ground?"
"Just now I saw you wave your hand and produce dozens of qi threads, which was quite extraordinary. It seemed like you used sword qi to construct the threads, which is very different from the ordinary practice of condensing qi into threads. I couldn't help but stare in fascination."
Xu Shenghua opened a tea packet and began brewing tea. The four girls boiled water and waited a moment. When the boiling water had cooled slightly, they poured the tea leaves into the water.
Xu Shenghua covered the teapot and said, "Your swordsmanship is exceptional. Just now, those dozens of qi threads fell into the water and stood straight up at the riverbed. Each qi thread landed on a grain of sand, not pressing the sand down a bit nor letting it float up. Despite the swift river current, your qi threads remained completely unaffected. This level of control is truly admirable. Your attainment in mathematics is extremely high—have you studied the Daoist swordsmanship?"
Qin Mu was surprised. "You have a keen eye, Senior Brother. I have indeed studied the Fourteen Chapters of the Dao Sword. Qi threads are very difficult to control—they have no weight. Making qi threads stand vertically truly requires mathematical calculation. I use the Earth Magnetic Force calculation method to achieve this perfect stillness."
Xu Shenghua let the tea steep, then lifted the pot to pour tea for Qin Mu. "Controlling so many qi threads simultaneously without applying any force is also a great matter, delicate and meticulous. When refinement reaches this degree, the swordsmanship is also extremely profound. If you applied your qi control abilities to sword control, your swordsmanship would be terrifying. I suppose only the Fourteen Chapters of the Dao Sword would require such exquisite sword control. Moreover, your qi threads are also unique—using sword qi as threads, the qi threads themselves are a form of swordsmanship."
"The qi threads are the Circling Sword technique created by the State Preceptor of Yankang."
Qin Mu was surprised again and praised, "You're quite an interesting person. This is the first time I've met someone like you who can see through my qi threads at a glance. Many who have lost to me never realized this point. You're remarkable. I suppose the Upper Heavens is also remarkable."
Xu Shenghua smiled. "I was just lucky to notice. For teaching such a disciple, the Village of Broken Elders is truly remarkable. Come, try some Green Void tea from the Upper Heavens."
Qin Mu sniffed the tea fragrance in the cup, took a sip. At first it was somewhat bitter, but then a sweet taste surged from the depths of his taste buds, endless and refreshing.
The tea leaves brewed from this Green Void tea were also beautiful, each one like a sparrow's tongue tip, suspended in the center of the tea water, some floating up, some sinking down.
Qin Mu praised, "Excellent tea. Could you give me some?"
Xu Shenghua hesitated. "I didn't bring much Green Void tea with me this time..."
Qin Mu laughed. "Another day I'll invite you for drinks!"
Xu Shenghua's eyes lit up. He took out his tea packet and gave half to Qin Mu, smiling, "It's a deal! After I finish my business, where can I find you?"
Qin Mu accepted the tea packet. "The capital. I serve there as a Palace Attendant. When you arrive at the capital, go directly to the Imperial Academy to find me."
"Good. After I finish, I'll come to the Yankang capital to drink with you."
The two men toasted with tea instead of wine, their cups clinking with a ding. Qin Mu and Xu Shenghua remained composed, but their sleeves suddenly billowed outward, and a whistling wind blew from behind them into the distance.
The river surface suddenly boomed with noise, water exploding continuously. The surging waves formed two straight lines, exploding upstream and downstream, with dozens of continuous sounds before returning to calm.
The four girls on the boat were startled. Qin Mu and Xu Shenghua had been talking nicely—how had they suddenly clashed?
Qin Mu showed a hint of surprise, giving Xu Shenghua a deep look. Xu Shenghua was also somewhat surprised, lifting his cup to his lips.
After savoring the fragrant tea, Xu Shenghua took the seven-stringed zither from Qingying and began playing leisurely. The melody was slow, with a lofty, ethereal quality, as if a deity beyond the nine heavens was using music to express heartfelt thoughts, or perhaps extending an invitation to guests to visit beyond the heavens.
Qin Mu listened for a while and praised, "Truly lofty and refined, transcending the mundane. But I'm still in the mortal world—I can't transcend it."
Ling Yuxiu called from the riverbank, "Cowherd, hurry over!"
"Coming!"
Qin Mu turned and shouted back, then stood up apologetically. "I have many worldly matters, so I won't disturb you further. I still need to manage water control."
Xu Shenghua rose to see him off. "Worldly trivialities will only disturb your heart. Better to go to the Upper Heavens for clarity."
Qin Mu leaped down from the boat, laughing. "You're too carefree—I can't live such a leisurely life. I like being busy. Remember to find me in the capital—I owe you a drink!"
Xu Shenghua nodded. The painted boat drifted down the river.
On the painted boat, Qingying approached the tea table to collect the cups, but Xu Shenghua said, "Don't touch them yet."
Qingying was surprised and immediately stopped.
On the tea table were two cups—one that Qin Mu had used, and one that Xu Shenghua had used. Qin Mu's cup still contained half a cup of water, while Xu Shenghua's cup was empty.
Xu Shenghua said to Yuliu, "Activate the jade bottle to protect the tea table. Don't let it damage our boat."
Yuliu quickly channeled her qi. The jade bottle she was holding flew up and inverted, mouth facing downward.
A screen of light surged from the jade bottle, shielding the tea table.
Xu Shenghua blew a breath toward the tea table. Suddenly, both cups burst apart with a crack. Xu Shenghua's cup shattered into countless fragments, sending shards flying in all directions and reducing the tea table to powder.
But half a cup of tea in Qin Mu's cup suddenly transformed into a bright light, splitting the cup cleanly in two from the center—without shattering!
"Masterful."
Xu Shenghua had Yuliu retract the jade bottle. He examined the fragments of both cups, his expression grave. "This youth is about the same age as me, yet his cultivation is slightly stronger than mine. Truly formidable. The cultivators of this Central Land are not to be underestimated!"
When he had clinked cups with Qin Mu, the two had taken the opportunity to exchange blows. In the collision of their qi, their respective techniques were hidden within that brief exchange. Xu Shenghua's qi had been suppressed by a hair's breadth by Qin Mu's qi, and the force that came from Qin Mu's side was supremely fierce and powerful, which was why his cup had shattered.
However, Xu Shenghua was slightly superior in technique. His power was concentrated on a single point, which was why Qin Mu's cup had been sliced cleanly in two from the center.
Their methods were both masterful, sealing the opponent's technique's intent and power within their own cups. The intent and power of the opponent's technique were temporarily stored, so the cups remained intact until an external force triggered the hidden intent and power within!
"He's likely the Daoist Daozi."
Xu Shenghua gazed out over the river and praised, "The Daoist sect is indeed remarkable. The achievements of this generation's Daozi will be extraordinary in the future! Now that I've met the Daoist Daozi, we'll go to the Little Jade Capital next, and finally seek out that new Human Emperor. The Witch Venerable said this new Human Emperor is the Heavenly Demon Cult Master. We should visit the Heavenly Demon Cult while we're at it."
On the river, Qin Mu ran over to help Ling Yuxiu. She was driving stakes into the river embankment and asked, "Who was that person on the boat just now? Did he have bad intentions? I saw your techniques explode the river surface."
Qin Mu laughed. "We were just testing each other. I'm very happy today—extremely happy!"
Ling Yuxiu flicked a stake, listening to the resonance, puzzled. "What's there to be happy about?"
"I always thought I was the only Overlord Body in this world."
Qin Mu's spirit surged with excitement. He clenched his fists and looked at the painted boat drifting downstream. "Until today, I met another Overlord Body! If Village Chief knew about this, he'd be ecstatic! There's a second Overlord Body in this world—he'll surely be happy for me!"
Ling Yuxiu was confused. "What Overlord Body?"
Qin Mu paced excitedly. "I just tested his cultivation. He's only slightly weaker than me—just a hair! Do you know? In the same realm, even the State Preceptor is much weaker than me, but he's only a hair weaker. If that's not an Overlord Body, what is?"
Ling Yuxiu inserted another stake into the dam, amused and exasperated. "The State Preceptor is a sage who appears once in five hundred years. How could his cultivation be weaker than yours in the same realm? Hurry up and help—I can't manage alone. They've gone to work on the waterwheel."
Qin Mu hurried over to help, but his heart still thrilled with excitement. "A second Overlord Body. Although his cultivation is slightly weaker than mine, his techniques and divine abilities are slightly stronger... Truly worthy of being an Overlord Body!"
Ling Yuxiu saw him distracted and was somewhat annoyed, but also happy for him. Encountering a kindred spirit naturally brought joy.
After a while, Qin Mu's mind settled down. Unknowingly, his qi became unobstructed, connecting the Spirit Womb, Five Planets, and Six Harmonies, circulating faster and more smoothly, more comfortably than ever before.
Ling Yuxiu suddenly stopped, sensing something unusual in her surroundings.
At that moment, the sound of water became incredibly clear. The birds' calls seemed to become distinct and melodious. The fragrance of flowers in the air, the scent of grass—even all her senses became extraordinarily clear.
She was puzzled and looked toward Qin Mu. His eyes were clear, and their gazes met. Ling Yuxiu was drawn by his gaze and suddenly seemed to enter a wondrous realm, feeling as though her Spirit Womb and soul were stirring.
The two...