Granny Sue dragged Quinn Shepherd along, beaming with excitement. "Stop gawking and get over here! Today is your big day! Village Chief, Grandpa Mark, everyone come out!"
A bonfire was lit in the village, and the Village Chief was carried out on a stretcher. He asked in a deep voice, "Did you find all the Four Spirits?"
"Found them all," someone replied.
One-armed Grandpa Mark dragged in a massive serpent, several yards long, its scales a vivid blue-green. The snake was still alive and reeked of blood, but with Grandpa Mark gripping its neck single-handedly, it couldn’t move at all.
Mute Smith hauled in a giant bird, taller than he was, its wings and legs tightly bound. As the bird struggled, sparks flew from its feathers with loud crackling pops, startling everyone.
Grandpa Blind lugged over a giant turtle, bigger than a tabletop. No one knew how many years the creature had lived—its shell gleamed with golden hues. The turtle kept its limbs tucked inside, occasionally poking out a claw. Whenever it did, mist would rise beneath it, as if it could lift itself and escape on a cloud of vapor.
But Grandpa Blind had hooked the turtle’s nose with a fishing hook, so it couldn’t get away.
"Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise—though we can’t get their true blood, using a blue serpent, iron-boned tiger, thunderbird, and golden turtle as substitutes will do. We can refine a bit of Four Spirit Bloods, and that’s enough."
The Village Chief nodded at the Butcher. The Butcher grinned and moved forward, bracing his hands on the ground. He was a burly man whose body ended cleanly at the waist, severed by a blade.
Four vats were placed in front of the serpent, tiger, thunderbird, and turtle. The Butcher bled each beast with a single stroke. Before long, all four creatures had drained dry.
"Apothecary," said the Village Chief.
The Apothecary stepped forward. He was the most hideous and frightening figure in the village—his face had been sliced clean off, along with his nose and half his lips. Yet to Qin Mu, Grandpa Apothecary was the kindest elder of all.
The Apothecary produced four peculiar crimson leaves, each bearing a single snow-white silkworm egg. He tossed one leaf into each vat. Instantly, the eggs cracked open, and the newborn silkworms latched onto the leaves, greedily drinking the beast blood.
The silkworms grew at a supernatural rate, swelling larger as they drank. The more blood they consumed, the fatter they became. Soon, the four vats were drained dry, leaving behind only one bloated silkworm in each.
The Apothecary grabbed a handful of white crystalline powder—like salt—and scattered it into the vats. Qin Mu watched in awe as the four huge silkworms shrank rapidly, marveling at the transformation.
After a moment, the Apothecary picked up the silkworms, now each only the size of a palm. He took out four white porcelain cups, seized a silkworm, and squeezed it hard. The silkworm squealed as a cupful of crystal-clear, amber-like blood poured from its mouth.
He repeated the process for the other three silkworms, extracting the blood from their bellies into the cups. Setting the four cups before Qin Mu, the Apothecary shook his head. "They're not true spirit beasts, after all. The Four Spirit Bloods we can refine are only this much."
"Mu'er, the human body contains Seven Divine Treasuries: Spirit Embryo, Five Luminaries, Six Directions, Seven Stars, Heaven-and-Man, Life-and-Death, and Divine Bridge. These Seven Divine Treasuries are sealed at birth, like hidden treasures—so they're called the Seven Divine Treasuries."
The Village Chief's voice carried a weight of authority. In the flickering bonfire light, his face shifted between shadow and flame as he intoned, "The Seven Divine Treasuries are sealed. Cultivators must open them themselves. Each is blocked by a wall: the Spirit Embryo Wall, Five Luminaries Wall, Six Directions Wall, Seven Stars Wall, Heaven-and-Man Wall, Life-and-Death Wall, and Divine Bridge Wall. Breaking through these walls is called 'breaking the wall.'"
One-armed Grandpa Mark gently stroked Qin Mu's head and smiled, "If you can't break the wall, you can't cultivate. Some are favored by heaven, born with the Spirit Embryo Wall already broken and the Spirit Embryo Treasury open. This is called a Spirit Body—a natural talent for cultivation. Those with Spirit Bodies are far superior to ordinary people and progress much faster. There are four types of Spirit Body: Azure Dragon Spirit Body, White Tiger Spirit Body, Vermilion Bird Spirit Body, and Black Tortoise Spirit Body. To test whether you have a Spirit Body, you need the Four Spirit Bloods."