Chapter 1021: Return Home with Greater Hesitation

Qin Mu felt as if he had returned to his days in Disabled Elderly Village, where the Village Chief personally guided him through sword techniques and taught him to comprehend the true essence of the Way of the Sword.

Learning the Twentieth Sword Form was extremely difficult. Even though Qin Mu was a master of the Way of the Sword and was personally taught by a grandmaster like the Village Chief, he still needed to re-evaluate his understanding of the Way of the Sword from scratch.

He was like a sword apprentice just beginning his training, following the elderly Village Chief. With long swords in hand, their every move was simple and clear, their swordplay consisting of the most basic, unadorned, and straightforward forms.

"After you went to the Celestial Heavens, you neglected your swordsmanship and the refinement of your sword heart; your mind became scattered."

The Village Chief taught diligently, saying, "While the lavish world of the Celestial Heavens certainly broadened your horizons, it also dulled your sword heart, causing your swordsmanship to stagnate."

Thus, the elder and the youth emptied their minds and lived a simple, unadorned life for over ten consecutive days. Besides practicing swordsmanship, Qin Mu would also sit with the Village Chief, each focusing on their divine sword, breathing and exhaling in rhythm.

They didn't activate any cultivation techniques; instead, they simply felt the spirit contained within their swords, resonating with them.

One day, Qin Mu felt his sword pellet breathing with him. As he inhaled, the sword pellet seemed to inhale as well, slowly expanding. As he exhaled, it seemed to exhale too, gradually shrinking.

With each breath, he felt his vital energy flowing into the sword pellet.

Not only did his vital energy flow into the sword pellet, but his divine consciousness also seemed inextricably linked to it.

Even his soul appeared to regard the sword pellet as an extension of his own body.

The Village Chief was very satisfied. "You are now capable of learning the Twentieth Sword Form," he said.

And so, Qin Mu learned the Twentieth Sword Form.

The Twentieth Sword Form was an extremely powerful basic sword technique, more akin to a mental cultivation method. It required infusing one's vital energy, divine consciousness, and soul into the sword to enhance its power, allowing it to be integrated into any existing sword technique.

This meant it could even be applied to fundamental techniques like the Nineteenth Sword Form!

However, simply learning the Twentieth Sword Form did not guarantee the ability to execute it, as the prerequisites for this basic sword technique were more stringent: one needed to comprehend a Sword Domain.

Although Qin Mu had learned this technique from the Village Chief, he had not yet cultivated a Sword Domain, meaning he still couldn't unleash the form.

"A Sword Domain is a realm of swordsmanship. To comprehend it, you need a deeper understanding of the Way of the Sword, which you cannot force at this point," the Village Chief explained.

The Village Chief continued, "Maintain a pure sword heart, and you will comprehend your own Sword Domain. I myself have only just touched upon its threshold. Your foundation in the Way of the Sword is solid, and you are diligent in your studies. Your aptitude is even better than mine, and your future achievements will undoubtedly surpass mine; it's just that your temperament is too restless."

Over these past ten-odd days, Qin Mu had gained a great deal and was filled with emotion. However, he soon cast the Village Chief's teachings aside and rushed out of the capital to busy himself with microscopic forging alongside Blind and Mute.

The Village Chief, feeling quite helpless, could only let him be.

As the Saint Infant of the Creator race, Qin Mu's comprehension of divine consciousness, though not at the absolute peak, was still exceptionally profound, making him one of the few strong cultivators in that regard. The microscopic forging technique that had troubled Mute and Blind for so long was quickly resolved by him.

Under Mute and Blind's guidance, Yankang's forging techniques had already reached their zenith, with virtually no room for further advancement.

However, microscopic forging required altering physical structures, a feat beyond Yankang's current technological capabilities.

Physics, meaning 'physical principles,' refers to the underlying truths contained within objects.

To comprehend physical principles, one must investigate objects to gain knowledge.

Microscopic forging, on the other hand, involved altering these physical principles.

This required divine consciousness to precisely locate the sequence of every microscopic crystal within profound gold. Like using a stone from another mountain to polish jade, the Creators' mastery of divine consciousness could be applied to microscopic forging, perfectly compensating for Yankang's deficiencies.

Qin Mu, Blind, and Mute immersed themselves fully in their research, ignoring all other matters. After more than ten days, the three of them watched, overwhelmed with excitement, as they personally forged a piece of profound gold into divine gold.

"Microscopic forging, merely altering physical structures, is only the surface; it has even broader applications!" Qin Mu exclaimed excitedly.

Qin Mu excitedly said, "By imprinting runic formations onto microscopic crystals – a single drop of water has billions of them, and a sword even more – if microscopic forging can be developed to its peak, applying microscopic carving and imprinting to divine weapons will elevate their power to surpass gods and devils of the same realm!"

Mute was also inexplicably excited, rubbing his hands together. "Emperor Kai also mentioned this. This will be the era of the Way of Forging, an era where powerful artifacts rule the world!"

Qin Mu encouraged him with captivating power: "And Grandpa Mute will be the pioneer of this era!"

Mute laughed heartily, his voice booming as the fire from the great furnace behind him blazed into the sky.

Blind, however, was somewhat displeased. He shook his head and said, "If microscopic forging develops to its extreme, what more will we humans need to do? The power of artifacts will be too immense. When wars break out, it will all be battles of artifacts, with divine weapons flying everywhere. Will we, as divine arts practitioners and gods and devils, still need to cultivate?"

Qin Mu whispered to Blind, "Microscopic forging can also be used in cultivation. This is where Grandpa Blind's wisdom comes in. Look, applying the microscopic carving and imprinting from microscopic forging to the structure of vital qi, the sequence of formations, the tempering of the physical body, reinforcing divine treasures, and forging Heavenly Palaces can strengthen divine arts practitioners and gods and devils themselves. It can even be used in the cultivation of the primordial spirit!"

His voice once again filled with captivating power: "Grandpa Mute will usher in an era of the Way of Forging, but Grandpa Blind can correct him, allowing divine arts practitioners and gods and devils to rival, and even surpass, divine weapons! Don't let Grandpa Mute have all the glory!"

Blind stroked the beard on his chin and chuckled, "While I suspect your zealousness, you little rascal, is certainly not for good, I also find your words to be quite reasonable."

Qin Mu enthusiastically rubbed his hands together as he imparted his learned and comprehended divine consciousness cultivation methods to the two elders. He thought to himself, "Two more Emperor's Throne cultivation methods sorted out! Once Grandpa Blind and Grandpa Mute forge their own paths and create Emperor's Throne-level techniques, I can learn them to perfect my Forging Heavenly Palace and Formation Heavenly Palace! Now, all that's left are Grandpa Cripple's Thieving Heavenly Palace and Grandpa Ma's Buddhist-Daoist Heavenly Palace!"

"Where are Grandpa Cripple and Grandpa Ma?" Qin Mu asked.

"Cripple is running around with Lan Yutian, constantly plundering tombs in the ruins of the Primordial Realm and wandering through various heavens. Grandpa Ma is no longer acting as a Tathagata; worried about their safety, he's following them to prevent Cripple from being careless and leaving traces."

Blind said, "Grandpa Ma used to be a divine constable and caught Cripple several times. With him by Cripple's side, Cripple won't get into trouble. A divine thief and a divine constable working together are invincible; even if they steal from the Celestial Emperor's treasury, the Celestial Emperor won't be able to trace them."

Qin Mu was dumbfounded, unable to speak.

So a constable was now colluding with a thief?

Blind and Mute shooed him away, saying, "Empress Yanxiu sent people looking for you a long time ago, telling you to return to the Imperial Preceptor's Manor. Go now, don't delay us from ushering in a new era! Come back in a few years, and we'll definitely have perfected our Heavenly Palaces!"

Qin Mu had no choice but to bid them farewell and walked towards his private residence. He thought, "I really should go see Sister Yuxiu. I once promised her I'd return in a year to ensure her safety, and then I asked the Imperial Preceptor and Emperor Yanfeng to tell her I went to the Celestial Heavens. As Imperial Preceptor, I've certainly been quite irresponsible."

Upon returning to the Imperial Preceptor's Manor, before he even entered, he saw a white cat crouching at the street corner.

Qin Mu paused and took a closer look at the white cat. It was pure white, without a single speck of discoloration. It lazily licked its paws, glanced at him twice, and then slowly ambled into the shadows.

Qin Mu frowned slightly and entered the Imperial Preceptor's Manor.

Dragon Qilin rushed forward to greet him, looking utterly exhausted and complaining tearfully, "Cult Master, you're finally back!"

Qin Mu smiled, "Dragon Fatty, didn't Sister Yan'er give you any spirit pills to eat?"

Dragon Qilin shook his head and whispered, "I've been eating well these past few days. Cult Master, Yun Chuxiu and Lian Huahun are here. They even became sworn siblings with the Emperor, the Divine King, and Gongsun Yan, pledging not to seek to be born on the same day, month, and year, but to die on the same day, month, and year."

Qin Mu was surprised. "Yun Chuxiu came running over again? And brought Lian Huahun with her?"

He felt a headache coming on. He stopped and asked, "These past few days, these two little mischief-makers haven't caused any trouble, have they?"

"Not really, just some scheming against each other."

Dragon Qilin added, "Yun Jianli came once, but when he saw the situation, he got scared and left immediately without staying."

"Yun Jianli is disloyal too! He should have at least taken his sister with him!"

Qin Mu mused, "Lian Huahun is the Empress, and Yun Chuxiu is Madam Yuanmu. These two troublesome women showing up means it's best to get rid of them. Yuxiu, the Divine King, and Yan'er cannot die, but these two sisters must die on the same day! Last time, I could use the Earth Mother's hand; whose hand can I use this time? It's a shame Luo Wushuang isn't here. And that white cat... it looks like the cat named Xiaoqi that Consort Yan Tian holds..."

As he pondered, Empress Yanxiu's voice drifted over, laughing, "The Imperial Preceptor is back!"

Qin Mu stepped forward and bowed, greeting her, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Empress Yanxiu quickly took his hands and smiled, "The Imperial Preceptor has toiled tirelessly outside. It is my fault that you have been in the capital for nearly a month without time to return home, never getting any rest."

Her words carried a hint of complaint, suggesting that Qin Mu had been back for so long yet hadn't bothered to visit her.

Qin Mu, led by her hand toward the courtyard, chuckled, "Your Majesty, I have only just established myself in the Celestial Heavens, and the journey was arduous, beyond words. This return has brought a greater sense of apprehension, for the closer I am to those I care about, the more timid I become, which is why I'm late."

Empress Yanxiu looked at him, her eyes reddening. "I know everything," she said.

In the Imperial Preceptor's Manor, Gongsun Yan walked towards them, carrying a watering can. Empress Yanxiu quickly released Qin Mu's hand. Gongsun Yan carefully poured a little water on Qin Mu's head and very seriously observed his scalp. Seeing that Qin Mu still hadn't sprouted, she couldn't help but sigh.

Qin Mu, long accustomed to her actions, chuckled, "Yan'er, I brought you something good this time called Primordial Genesis Fluid. I'll water you with it later too."

Gongsun Yan was very happy.

Empress Yanxiu looked over and smiled, "Imperial Preceptor, did you bring any treasures back for me?"

"The Grand World, the vast lands—these are what I've brought for Your Majesty."