Everyone in the Mute Smith's forge was stunned.
Quinn Shepherd's Overlord-Body yuanqi suddenly manifested an attribute—fire. It was clearly Vermilion Bird qi!
Deaf Uncle was about to cheer when the Village Chief said, "Hold on, Deaf. Not yet. Quinn, watch the water next. Don't overthink it—just focus your mind."
Quinn did as told and watched the water. The yuanqi surging from his Spirit Embryo Treasury transformed into a flowing stream, refining his Spirit Embryo. The tiny forge was packed with villagers who'd rushed over—Grandpa Mark, Crippled Joe, Butcher, Apothecary, Grandpa Blind—all squeezed inside, watching Quinn observe the water, hardly daring to breathe.
The Village Chief's voice sounded: "Remember the spear technique Grandpa Blind taught you? Imagine a spear in your hand and thrust it forward!"
Quinn raised his hand and thrust forward. The tip of the imaginary spear flickered, drawing circle after circle in the air. In the instant he stabbed into empty space, his yuanqi erupted as snowy-white vapor, forming a long spear in his hand. The sound of running water filled the room, and the vapor coiled like a water dragon, circling out in great arcs!
"He did it... He did it..."
Grandpa Mark burst into tears of joy, sobbing, "He finally did it... All our years of hard work weren't in vain... Quinn, you've grown up..."
Unable to help himself, he turned his head away and wiped his tears with his only arm.
Crippled Joe wore his usual goofy grin and muttered, "Our Quinn can survive in the Great Ruins now... Damn it, Old Mark, stop wiping your tears, you're about to make me cry too! Granny Sue went to Dragoncrest City to buy supplies, so she's not here—if she were, she'd be crying the hardest!"
The Village Chief quietly let out a sigh of relief. The dark cloud hanging over his heart finally dissipated as Quinn's Overlord-Body yuanqi gained its attributes. Now that Quinn could wield his yuanqi and unleash its power, the identity of the 'Overlord Body' was solidified, and a hidden crisis in the village was resolved.
Yet, despite all his knowledge and skill, he couldn't help but feel puzzled: how did Quinn's Overlord-Body yuanqi suddenly develop attributes?
And stranger still, those attributes were water and fire!
You have to know, every Spirit Body awakens with a single attribute—never two.
Quinn clearly had the aptitude of an ordinary person, yet he possessed two attributes, and not just any two, but water and fire—an impossible combination. It was bizarre.
"Do ordinary people awaken with two Spirit Bodies after opening their Spirit Embryo?"
He couldn't help but feel lost: "What exactly did the Mute Smith teach him that gave his yuanqi both water and fire attributes? Can other ordinary people do this too?"
He knew that recently, the villagers had tried every method to help Quinn unleash the power of his Overlord-Body yuanqi. The Apothecary used medicine, Crippled Joe, Butcher, and Grandpa Mark relied on brutal training, Grandpa Blind even taught him his divine eye, Deaf Uncle wanted Quinn to enter the Dao through calligraphy, and as for what the Mute Smith did, he had no idea.
He never expected that, in the end, it would be the Mute Smith who triggered the Overlord-Body yuanqi's power.
All he knew was that the Mute Smith had Quinn watch fire, watch water—but how did watching fire and water grant Quinn's yuanqi those attributes? The mystery was beyond him.
The Mute Smith was the village blacksmith, never one to show off. The most flamboyant was Grandpa Blind, the most brazen was Butcher, the warmest—oddly enough—was the cold Grandpa Mark, the most cunning was the enthusiastic Crippled Joe, the most reliable was Apothecary, the most indifferent was Deaf Uncle, the most unpredictable was hunchbacked Granny Sue, and the most taciturn of all was the Mute Smith.
The Village Chief knew almost nothing about the Mute Smith, only that his tongue had been cut out and that he was a master at forging. He made a living crafting kitchen knives, plowshares, and other tools for the nearby villages.
Judging by how he guided Quinn and helped him unleash his yuanqi's power, the Mute Smith's cultivation and skill were probably second only to the Village Chief himself.
"Quinn, can you refine your qi into silk yet?" Granny Sue asked expectantly.
Quinn tried to condense his yuanqi into a fine thread. The next moment, his yuanqi burst forth from his body—thick as an arm, wreathed in flames.
This thick, blazing 'qi strand' wrapped around the butcher knife. With one swing, it split a log as thick as a barrel—its power was astonishing!
The villagers stared at the arm-thick strand of qi, speechless.
Quinn's qi strand was certainly powerful, but to truly refine qi into silk meant turning yuanqi into fine threads—far more flexible and versatile for controlling swords and unleashing techniques otherwise impossible.
What Quinn had created couldn't really be called a thread—it was more like a qi arm.
Such a thick strand of qi consumed a tremendous amount of energy.
Crippled Joe scratched his head. "I think a qi arm isn't bad—it's like having an extra arm. Makes you pretty fierce in a fight."
Everyone was both amused and exasperated. Granny Sue shook her head. "Qi silk is much more nimble. A qi arm is just too bulky—it's nowhere near as strong or flexible as qi silk. Quinn, you need to refine your qi into silk as soon as possible."
Quinn nodded.
He could only manifest fire attribute when watching fire, resembling Vermilion Bird yuanqi, but without fire, his yuanqi was just ordinary.
And to watch fire while refining qi into silk was still a bit difficult for him.
The Village Chief and the others noticed the problem too, all frowning. Quinn could only use fire attribute when watching fire and water attribute when watching water—a huge disadvantage in battle!
Would an enemy ever give you time to watch fire or water during a fight?
At first, they thought Quinn's Overlord-Body yuanqi having both water and fire attributes was incredible; now, they weren't so sure.
"Ah ah!"
The Mute Smith made a few gestures, grinning sheepishly.
Deaf Uncle understood and laughed, "Mute Smith is right. Quinn's just figured out the knack—once he practices, he'll master it for sure!"
Yuanqi with both water and fire attributes was like awakening both Black Tortoise and Vermilion Bird Spirit Bodies at once. When Quinn watched fire, it became Vermilion Bird yuanqi; when he watched water, it became Black Tortoise yuanqi.
In the village square, Quinn used his arm-thick strand of qi to wield the butcher knife, practicing the pig-slaughter saber art. The blade danced dangerously, nearly splitting him in two more than once. Each time, Grandpa Blind would block the knife with his bamboo staff, stopping Quinn from accidentally killing himself.
Refining qi into silk and controlling swords with qi required step-by-step training—using qi threads to manipulate a sword and kill enemies. But it was extremely risky, and only relentless practice could bring true mastery.
Butcher's pig-slaughter saber art was a battle skill, though Butcher had absorbed some magical techniques and could throw his blade. Still, battle skills were very different from magical arts, and using the pig-slaughter saber for sword-control training was incredibly dangerous.
Butcher's moves were just too wild and risky—when he went crazy, he'd chop himself up without a second thought.
Grandpa Mark's Thunder Chant Eight-Form was pure battle skill and couldn't be used for qi sword-control.
Granny Sue's Heavenly Demon Creation Art was a spell. Crippled Joe's leg techniques, Grandpa Blind's staff art, Deaf Uncle's calligraphy, Apothecary's alchemy, and the Mute Smith's forging skills obviously couldn't be used for sword-control training either.
So, to train sword-control with qi, Quinn could only use the dangerous pig-slaughter saber art.
At the village entrance, the Village Chief lounged in the sun while the Apothecary stood nearby. He glanced back at Quinn, who was desperately training sword-control, and suddenly asked, "Grandpa Blind taught Quinn the divine eye, Butcher gave him his saber art, and there's Crippled Joe's leg techniques, Deaf Uncle's calligraphy... So what about you, Village Chief?"
The Village Chief turned to look at him.
The Apothecary's tone was a bit sharp. "We each have our specialties, but none of us are true masters of sword-control. Your knowledge surpasses any of ours, your skill is greater than any of ours—why won't you teach? In sword-control, who in the world could match your swordsmanship?"
The Village Chief looked down sadly at his missing hands and feet, speaking softly, "I want to teach, but Quinn can't bear the burden. Back when I was whole, I couldn't bear it either—otherwise, I wouldn't be hiding in the Great Ruins... Do you know how I lost my hands and feet?"
The Apothecary shook his head.
"Sword wounds."
The Village Chief looked up, his face wooden. "My hands and feet were cut off by a sword. To inherit my skill is to inherit my responsibility. I couldn't bear it, and neither can he—not yet."