"The oasis a hundred li downstream?"
Quinn Shepherd returned to Oldridge Village as dusk fell. The youth unloaded treasures from his bamboo raft and brought them back to the village, drawing the villagers' curious attention—they crowded around, asking questions.
Quinn recounted his experience. Grandpa Blind’s expression changed; he blurted, "The temple on that oasis seals a lord-class monster—a demoness, skilled in shapeshifting and truly formidable. She’s called Wuya. You went to that temple? And you actually robbed her of all her treasures?"
Granny Sue also exclaimed, "That Wuya? I passed by that ruined temple once and saw she’d eaten too many people, so I beat her up. She hid behind the Buddha statue—when I saw how strange that statue was, trying to suppress me, I didn’t kill her. That Buddha is bizarre…"
"I’ve seen her too—she’s truly fierce, a great demon, and her strength rivals a Seven Stars realm expert."
Crippled Joe said, "Quinn, how did you steal Wuya’s things and escape from her?"
Seeing he couldn’t hide it, Quinn told them about learning the demonic chant from the canyon ruins, and how he used the combined sounds of god, demon, and Buddha to refine Wuya—explaining everything in detail.
The villagers listened, stunned. After a long while, Grandpa Mark let out a breath and said, "Promising youth—very promising indeed."
Crippled Joe, Grandpa Blind, and the others nodded in agreement, giving him thumbs-up and showering him with praise.
That great demon Wuya possessed the strength of a Seven Stars expert, yet Quinn managed to rob and extort her—truly a promising youth who lived up to their teachings, making them proud!
The Mute Smith picked up several weapons, tested them, and shook his head, gesturing with his hands and making "ah ah" sounds—meaning these spirit weapons were of poor quality and not very useful.
"Tomorrow, I'll take these spirit weapons to Dragoncrest City and sell them. I'll buy some oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and fine wine while I'm there."
Granny Sue laughed, "I'll sell a few of my livestock too."
Quinn's spirits soared—Dragoncrest City?
He'd grown up in Oldridge Village, only recently allowed out. He'd heard of Dragoncrest City but had never been there.
"I can't take you—you're still too young," Granny Sue said, shaking her head.
Quinn felt disappointed, hesitated a moment, then mustered his courage and said, "Granny Sue, Grandpa Mark, there's one more thing."
"My Overlord Body has awakened."
The courtyard suddenly fell silent.
After a heartbeat, Grandpa Mark, Crippled Joe, Grandpa Blind, Granny Sue and the others erupted in cheers. The Mute Smith kept making "ah ah" noises, and only the deaf elder was confused until Quinn repeated himself—then he burst out laughing too!
Grandpa Blind shouted, "Village Chief! Apothecary! Come quickly! The Overlord Body has awakened!"
The Butcher was overwhelmed with excitement, howling to the sky, "Village Chief! Apothecary! The Overlord Body has finally awakened!"
When Quinn returned to the village, the Village Chief was sitting outside his house, the Apothecary beside him brewing tea. The Apothecary poured tea for the Village Chief, who, having no hands, had to be fed by the Apothecary.
The two often drank tea together like this, enjoying a moment of leisure.
The Village Chief had just taken a sip of tea when he heard Grandpa Blind and Grandpa Mark shouting. Tea instantly sprayed from his mouth, nose, and even the holes under his lower eyelids, shooting two thin streams high into the air.
Snap.
The Apothecary crushed his teacup, splashing tea all over the Village Chief's face. Both men stared wide-eyed at each other, mouths agape in shock.
The Apothecary came to his senses and stammered, "O-Overlord Body... awakened?"
The Village Chief was still bewildered, clearly not yet recovered from the shock.
Crippled Joe hobbled over, nodded vigorously, and said with a smile, "That's right—the Overlord Body has awakened! I checked just now, and his yuanqi is three times stronger and purer than this morning. Plus, his brow shows a newly awakened Spirit Embryo fused with his consciousness—clear signs of Spirit Embryo awakening!"
Quinn walked over to see the Apothecary’s mouth agape, as if stuffed with two large duck eggs, while the Village Chief’s lower eyelids were still spraying water. Quinn thought, “Village Chief and Apothecary really are surprised—maybe a bit too surprised!”
The Apothecary closed his mouth and hurriedly asked, “Quinn, has your Overlord Body really awakened?”
Quinn nodded and said, “I awakened without even noticing.”
The Apothecary nearly choked, stammering, “Awakened without noticing…”
The Village Chief finally recovered, laughed, and said, “Quinn is an Overlord Body—this is absolutely certain! With my vast experience, of course I wouldn’t be mistaken. His awakening is only natural… cough, cough!”
The Apothecary’s expression grew strange; he coughed a few times to cover it up and said with a smile, “The Overlord Body awakening is a great thing! But Quinn, you’ve only just awakened—don’t get arrogant. Your cultivation path has only just begun, understand?”
Quinn nodded in agreement.
The Village Chief smiled, “The Apothecary is right—the Overlord Body path is extremely arduous, so you must never slack off. Apothecary, I’m tired. Please take me inside.”
The Apothecary understood and helped him inside.
Inside, the two old men exchanged glances. After a long silence, the Apothecary lowered his voice and asked, “Village Chief, is Quinn really an Overlord Body?”
“Of course not!” the Village Chief said flatly.
“Then how did he awaken…?”
“How would I know?”
The two old men exchanged glances, unsure how to explain Quinn’s situation. After a long silence, the Apothecary tentatively asked, “Can a Mortal Body break the Spirit Embryo Wall?”
“A Mortal Body breaking the wall? I’ve never heard of it—Quinn is the first.”
The Village Chief suddenly laughed, “Apothecary, maybe Quinn really will become an Overlord Body and walk an extraordinary path. Wasn’t that our original goal?”
The Apothecary also laughed, “Mortal Body as Overlord Body. Quinn has already awakened the Mortal Body—his Overlord Body path is about to begin. I can almost see him punching a dragon to death!”
The Village Chief nodded and said, “Exactly. Maybe, with his spirit and will, he’ll go even farther than we did.”
The two old foxes shared a knowing smile and left the room.
The Village Chief coughed and called Quinn over, asking how he awakened his Spirit Embryo. Quinn explained how, in the moment when divine, demonic, and Buddhist sounds clashed, his yuanqi broke through the Spirit Embryo wall.
The Village Chief stared blankly, muttering, “Is that even possible?”
He couldn’t help but marvel: Quinn’s luck is something few could ever replicate. The clash of divine, demonic, and Buddhist sounds was a rare opportunity, and Quinn was bold enough to learn demonic sounds to counter divine sounds!
Such reckless behavior—he doesn’t even know the meaning of fear!
Even if someone else had the same opportunity, they would likely be killed by the powers within those sounds, not break through the Spirit Embryo wall.
Others may not understand the dangers, but he knew all too well—those were powers of gods and demons, not something mortals should covet. For mortals to covet such powers leads only to death.
Yet Quinn succeeded, and the Village Chief was left puzzled.
What the Village Chief didn’t know was that Quinn had nearly died in the clash, saved only by the jade pendant on his chest.
The Village Chief carefully examined Quinn’s cultivation and was shocked, but quickly hid it and encouraged him: “Quinn, train hard and don’t let us down. Now that you’ve awakened the Overlord Body, you’re a warrior—not a child anymore.”
Quinn nodded vigorously.
By now, night had fallen and the villagers lit a bonfire. Grandpa Mark and the others roasted exotic beasts to celebrate Quinn’s awakening. Granny Sue hurried over and pulled Quinn to the fire, saying, “Village Chief, Apothecary, come join us—let’s eat and drink together!”
“You go ahead—we’ll be right there,” said the Village Chief.
The Village Chief watched Granny Sue and Quinn walk away, then whispered to the Apothecary, “Quinn’s yuanqi at the Spirit Embryo stage is the deepest I’ve ever seen.”
The Apothecary looked at the villagers celebrating by the fire and asked quietly, “How deep?”
“My Spirit Embryo cultivation was about the same, maybe even weaker,” said the Village Chief.
The Village Chief said calmly, “I mean my peak Spirit Embryo cultivation, but he’s only just entered the stage—he’ll keep growing.”
The Apothecary was shocked, asking, “He’s on par with your peak Spirit Embryo cultivation? You’re a legend—how is that possible…?”
“But he’s done it,” said the Village Chief.