The Village Chief's expression remained calm as he smiled and said, "Even before his Spirit Embryo awakened, Quinn's yuanqi cultivation was already stronger than ordinary Spirit Embryo-realm martial artists, almost catching up to my peak back in the day. Now that it's awakened, he'll only grow stronger. After all these years of hard work, plus all the Four Spirit Bloods you've poured into him, it's no wonder he's achieved this level."
The Apothecary was still utterly shocked, muttering, "But... his cultivation is even deeper than yours back then. You were..."
"I'm just an old cripple, that's all."
The Village Chief cut him off with a smile: "You can't measure the younger generation by my standards. What I'm worried about now is that Quinn's yuanqi has no attribute at all—how do we make it show its power? Let's go, we shouldn't keep them waiting."
The Apothecary's heart trembled slightly. Yuanqi only displays power because it has an attribute; since Quinn's yuanqi has none, it naturally can't show its strength.
Even though his Spirit Embryo has awakened, and his cultivation far surpasses ordinary people, it's still useless if he can't unleash its power.
The two arrived at the bonfire. Grandpa Blind took out his iron ear, washed it in wine, then stuck it back into his ear hole. He poured the wine into the fire, making the flames roar higher, and laughed, "Village Chief, we just tested him. Quinn may have awakened the Overlord Body, but he can't bring out the power of its yuanqi. You're the most knowledgeable—surely you know how to draw out the Overlord Body's strength?"
At that moment, the Apothecary felt like the old men's heads around him had suddenly grown three sizes.
The Village Chief looked up, gazing hopefully at the Apothecary beside him, but the Apothecary turned away and clinked cups with Grandpa Mark, drinking instead.
"So, is Quinn's Overlord Body yuanqi strong or not?" the Village Chief asked.
Grandpa Blind understood what he meant and praised, "Strong! His yuanqi is extremely resilient—hard to disperse."
The others felt the same and nodded in agreement. When Quinn fought Senior Brother Kurt from the Five Disciples of River Lee, they'd already noticed how extraordinary Quinn's yuanqi was—he infused it into a small wooden stick, and even Kurt's treasured sword couldn't cut through it. That proved how tough Quinn's yuanqi was.
The Village Chief asked again, "Is his yuanqi abundant or not?"
Grandpa Blind said, "It's terrifyingly vast! When I was at his realm, my yuanqi was nowhere near his!"
His words resonated with the others—Quinn's yuanqi was ridiculously abundant, so much so that with his Spirit Embryo just awakened, it felt like he'd already cultivated for decades.
The Village Chief patiently guided them: "Since his yuanqi is so resilient and abundant, why can't he bring out its power?"
This time Grandpa Blind didn't answer right away. Instead, he slapped his thigh and shouted, "Yeah! Village Chief, why is that?"
The Village Chief nearly choked on the spot, feeling as if Grandpa Blind had stabbed him twice in the chest. Luckily, the Mute Smith got excited, waving his arms and legs, babbling "Ah ah" nonstop.
"Mute Smith is right!"
Grandpa Blind suddenly realized, "Quinn's yuanqi is so resilient and abundant, but he can't bring out its power. That means the problem isn't with Quinn's Overlord Body yuanqi, but with our cultivation methods—they just don't suit him. The issue is on our side!"
The Village Chief felt relieved, just about to breathe easy, when Grandpa Blind piped up again: "So here comes the real question—how do we draw out the Overlord Body's yuanqi power? None of us know. Village Chief, you're the expert, any bright ideas?"
The Village Chief wished he could grow two arms just to strangle the guy, but when it came to why Quinn couldn't unleash the power of his yuanqi, he actually knew the reason.
Each of the Four Spirit Bodies' yuanqi has its own traits. For example, White Tiger yuanqi has a metallic nature—it can become blades and weapons, with strong offense and defense. As claws, it can tear opponents apart; as a shield, it can block attacks.
Azure Dragon yuanqi has the attribute of thunder—controlling lightning, and even some healing properties.
Vermilion Bird yuanqi possesses the attribute of fire—fierce and dominant. Both the Apothecary and the Mute Smith have this Spirit Body. The Apothecary uses it for medicine, and the Mute Smith's forge runs on this yuanqi trait.
Then there's Black Tortoise yuanqi, which is all about defense and water control; when used, its yuanqi takes on the properties of water.
But because Quinn's yuanqi lacks these traits, its power can't be brought out. Even with strong cultivation, it doesn't seem to help much in boosting his actual strength.
But knowing the reason doesn't mean he knows the solution.
"Quinn, what does your Spirit Embryo look like?" the Village Chief asked.
Quinn described the strange Spirit Embryo inside his Spirit Embryo Treasury. Everyone around the bonfire was stunned, exchanging glances—A Humanoid Spirit Embryo?
This was the first time they'd ever heard of a Humanoid Spirit Embryo!
Quinn was puzzled too. "Granny Sue, Grandpa Mark, aren't your Spirit Embryos just like you were as kids?" he asked.
Granny Sue shook her head and sighed, "No. No wonder it's an Overlord Body—even the Spirit Embryo looks different from ours. That's something to envy. Mine's a White Tiger Spirit Embryo—a little white tiger."
"Mine's an Azure Dragon," Grandpa Mark said.
Grandpa Blind said, "Mine's a Black Tortoise."
The Mute Smith gestured and babbled, saying his Spirit Embryo was a Vermilion Bird.
The Village Chief squinted, lost in thought. The Four Spirit Bodies are blessed—they're born with their Spirit Embryo Treasury already open, and just need to awaken their Spirit Embryo to become martial artists. Even if there are minor differences, the Spirit Embryos of the Four Spirit Bodies almost always fall into these four types.
Some Spirit Bodies aren't exactly White Tiger, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, or Black Tortoise, but still fit into these four categories.
So, the Four Spirit Bodies' yuanqi has four different attributes.
Quinn's Spirit Embryo is humanoid, with no attribute. That's why it's hard to awaken, and why his yuanqi can't show its true power.
The Village Chief fell into deep thought, trying to find a way to unleash the Overlord Body's yuanqi power. Even with his wisdom, he couldn't come up with an answer right away.
Granny Sue saw his expression and immediately understood, laughing, "You know Quinn is an Overlord Body, but you don't know how to cultivate it, do you?"
The Village Chief blushed and nodded.
The villagers looked disappointed. Grandpa Blind muttered, "You're the most knowledgeable among us, but even you don't know the Overlord Body's cultivation method. Does that mean Quinn's Overlord Body is doomed to waste away?"
Everyone by the bonfire fell silent.
The Butcher suddenly spoke up, "The Overlord Body's cultivation method was created by people, right?"
Everyone was puzzled and looked at him.
The Butcher chuckled, "If others could create the Overlord Body's cultivation method, why can't we? Even if we can't, Quinn can create his own! I never bow to anyone—my pig-slaughtering saber art is my own creation. If you let this challenge scare you, I'll look down on you! Quinn, don't let me down!"
Quinn nodded vigorously, feeling his blood boil. He shouted, "Don't worry, Butcher Grandpa! I won't let you down!"
The Butcher laughed heartily and slapped Quinn's shoulder. The others joined in, and the heavy mood vanished.
Seeing this scene, the Village Chief felt his worries melt away and burst out laughing.
"I lied to them, saying Quinn was an Overlord Body, just to give them the courage to keep living. But I got stuck trying to keep up the lie, obsessed with how to cover it up. Turns out, they've already found their motivation, while I'm still fretting about my deception."
His heart was unburdened, and he felt at ease. Quinn's arrival gave the villagers of Oldridge new motivation to live—and gave him the drive to keep fighting!
The Apothecary glanced at him and smiled. The Village Chief hadn't been this happy in ages.
"I think we have to push the Overlord Body to its absolute limit. Only then will its yuanqi show true power."
In the firelight, the Butcher's face looked even fiercer. He snarled, "If you're not crazy, you're not living! The Overlord Body is stronger than any Spirit Body, and its yuanqi must be stronger too. But the conditions to draw out that power are harsher—so we have to push him to the limit!"
Grandpa Lame nodded. "Quinn's iron shoes need to be thicker, more iron ingots tied on—force him to run faster!"
Grandpa Blind tapped his bamboo cane. "His training was too easy before. From now on, it must be doubled to push out his potential."
Grandpa Mark said, "That's right—push out his potential. We have to work twice as hard too."
The Mute Smith gestured and babbled something.
Quinn was deeply moved, but also a bit uneasy. The elders' enthusiasm touched him, but why did every sentence have to include 'push out' his potential?
The Apothecary squinted, joining the discussion. "Supplement him! Keep supplementing him until his yuanqi is strong enough to show its power! The Great Ruins are full of rare beasts and exotic herbs—I can brew spirit pills and medicines, and my herb garden outside the village has every kind of spirit medicine! We'll supplement him until his skin oozes spirit liquid at a pinch!"
"Apothecary, you're really pulling out all the stops!" the others laughed.