Chapter 137: The Young Sect Leader and Daozi

Qin Mu's current state truly resembled sleepwalking, as he sprinted wildly in his sleep, yet he could still perceive his surroundings and dodge obstacles. What puzzled Shen Manyun was that as Qin Mu ran, he continuously unleashed powerful punches and kicks, executing them with formidable force.

Occasionally, he would also take out a butcher's knife and hack and slash with it.

Shen Manyun was greatly impressed, thinking that despite Qin Mu's remarkable strength, he still worked harder than others, never forgetting to train even in his dreams. Although his comprehension might be a bit slow, such diligence was truly worthy of emulation.

Greatly inspired, Shen Manyun returned to his residence and practiced diligently.

However, Qin Mu was not entirely asleep; his state was different from sleepwalking. This was his unique cultivation method. The Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique possessed an unusual aspect in its practice: running at full speed during cultivation accelerated his training. Moreover, his brain remained in a state of rest, and his punches and kicks were purely the result of muscle memory.

For years, Qin Mu had relied on this cultivation method to make rapid progress in the Great Ruins. It was only after arriving in Yankang Nation and adapting to its customs that he stopped practicing in this manner.

After running for two hours, Qin Mu awoke, feeling refreshed and energetic.

At that moment, a familiar voice chuckled, asking if he had rested enough.

Qin Mu quickly turned around and greeted, "Grandmaster."

There was no one else on the mountain at this time. Even the various high-ranking officials and scholars had gone to rest, having listened to the Imperial Advisor's discourse for two days without sleep and now needing to recuperate.

The young Grandmaster smiled, asking Qin Mu for his thoughts on the Imperial Advisor's lecture.

Qin Mu praised the Imperial Advisor, stating that he was like a celestial being, thinking what others dared not, and doing what others could not, truly unparalleled.

The young Grandmaster began walking down the mountain, asking how well Qin Mu had learned the sword techniques taught by the Imperial Advisor.

Qin Mu replied humbly, "I wouldn't dare say I've mastered it, but I have gained some insights." He explained that he had learned swordsmanship from the Village Chief and had thought he had grasped all its profound mysteries, but he had unexpectedly found areas he had yet to learn.

The young Grandmaster stated that the saying "learning has no end" was incorrect; it should be "creation has no end." Merely learning throughout one's life would not result in anything truly one's own; creation was boundless. He told Qin Mu that while he was still young and needed to absorb what others had created, once he had accumulated sufficient knowledge, he should try to create. If he only ever learned, he would always remain a student, but if he created even a single move, he would become a grandmaster.

They arrived at Jade Cliff, where they saw an old and a young Daoist still seated in front of the Imperial College's mountain gate.

With a faint, ambiguous smile, the young Grandmaster remarked that he had invited the Imperial Advisor specifically to impart teachings to Qin Mu. He pointed out that the Imperial Advisor had lectured for two days, and since Qin Mu had received such a great benefit, he should go down.

Qin Mu responded with conviction, asking if he would dare disobey the Grandmaster's command.

The young Grandmaster snorted coldly and delivered a swift kick that sent Qin Mu tumbling down the cliff. He scoffed, "Brat, you talk a good game! Those two have been blocking the gate for so long, and you haven't budged. If I didn't give you a benefit, would you be so willing? Go now!"

Qin Mu landed, rubbed his backside, and walked towards the mountain gate.

At that moment, there were no Imperial College scholars either inside or outside the mountain gate; they were all still sleeping. Only the two Daoists remained outside the gate. Not far off, a mythical beast with a dragon's head and a qilin's body, chained up, was dozing, guarding the gate.

Upon seeing Qin Mu approach, Daoist Lin Xuan felt a slight tremor in his heart and looked at Daoist Danyang, calling out, "Martial Uncle..."

Daoist Danyang lifted his eyelids, glanced at Qin Mu, and told Lin Xuan to go forward. He explained that the Imperial Advisor taught scholars precisely to cultivate this person, so Lin Xuan shouldn't worry about gains or losses.

Daoist Lin Xuan acknowledged the instruction, stood up, and moved to greet Qin Mu. As their auras connected, they both halted, bowed, and exchanged greetings.

"Imperial College scholar Qin Mu," Qin Mu announced, "I greet Daoist Lin Xuan. I am at the Five Luminaries Realm."

Daoist Lin Xuan replied solemnly, "Daoist Lin Xuan of the Daoist Gate, I greet Scholar Qin Mu. I am at the Six Harmonies Realm, and I have sealed my Six Harmonies Divine Treasure."

Having sealed his Six Harmonies Divine Treasure, Lin Xuan was ready. Qin Mu then asked, "Does Daoist use weapons?"

Qin Mu then took a bamboo staff from his back, then a butcher's knife, an iron hammer, and finally the Shaobao Sword. Just as Daoist Lin Xuan was about to speak, Daoist Danyang interjected, "No weapons. Only Daoist magic and close-combat techniques."

Daoist Lin Xuan, puzzled, put down his whisk and said, "Since Brother Qin says so, I won't use a weapon." He had misunderstood who gave the instruction.

Daoist Danyang secretly let out a sigh of relief, shifting his gaze from the Shaobao Sword. Using weapons would put Lin Xuan at too great a disadvantage; the sword's shape made his heart pound. Its sheath, with a fish-dragon mouth, resembled the ceremonial sword of a first-rank official.

If it were a real artifact, Daoist Lin Xuan's whisk would break instantly upon contact, rendering any contest pointless.

Qin Mu smiled, and suddenly two layers of pupils appeared in his eyes as his Divine Sky-Cloud Eyes and Azure Sky-Cloud Eyes fully activated. The ground beneath his feet abruptly sank, bluestones shattered, and the shattered fragments on the ground were vibrated into suspension.

"Ha!"

Qin Mu exhaled with a shout, unleashing a punch. The hundreds of suspended bluestone fragments were further fragmented by the shockwave of his punch. The largest pieces were no bigger than beans, and the smaller ones were as fine as sesame seeds!

Countless shattered stones surged towards Daoist Lin Xuan along with his punch!

*Roar—*

A dragon's roar reverberated. The force of Qin Mu's punch merged with the shattered stones, transforming into a sand dragon that flew straight at Daoist Lin Xuan, resembling a true divine dragon! At the same time, Qin Mu moved with ghost-like steps, incredibly fast, arriving beside Daoist Lin Xuan immediately after his punch.

Daoist Lin Xuan's heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, one of his pupils turned white and the other black. He raised his hand and pressed it forward. His palm was like jade, resembling a jade seal, as vast as a mountain. Etched onto the seal were strange bird-script and worm-script characters, incredibly unique and imbued with an ancient, archaic aura. This "Heaven-Overturning Seal" met the true dragon head-on.

As the two youths' forces exploded, a dull, astonishing thud resonated, like thunder muffled by incredibly thick clouds, unable to escape.

The mythical beast with the dragon head and qilin body guarding the mountain gate heard the muffled sound and looked up curiously, glancing around.

Qin Mu felt as if his Nine Dragons Controlling Wind and Thunder technique had struck a wall spanning heaven and earth; his force simply could not penetrate it. A surge of joy filled his heart. "This Daoist is truly extraordinary! Much stronger than any Imperial College scholar I've encountered before!"

Though the Nine Dragons Controlling Wind and Thunder appeared overbearing and fierce on the surface, it was in fact an extremely intricate technique. It concealed forty-five types of dragon force within the palm. If one were to directly receive this palm strike, these forty-five dragon forces would penetrate the body, causing incredibly destructive damage to the internal organs.

Daoist Lin Xuan's Heaven-Overturning Seal, however, formed a wall of bronze and iron, blocking all forty-five dragon forces hidden within Qin Mu's palm between their two palms, showcasing its immense power!

At that moment, the countless shattered stones flew past Daoist Lin Xuan.

Chills ran down Daoist Lin Xuan's spine. His Yin-Yang Daoist Eyes perceived incredibly thin threads of vital qi connecting these tiny stone fragments.

These vital qi threads were extremely delicate. Under the gaze of his Yin-Yang Daoist Eyes, each thread of vital qi was actually a swirling, fine sword. These fine swords were sword qi formed from Qin Mu's vital qi, originally hidden within the stones, and now detaching from them.

"Wheel-Cutting Seal!"

Daoist Lin Xuan's fingers rapidly moved. With one palm facing upward and the other downward, a buzzing sound was heard as two wheels appeared above his head and beneath his feet. These wheels, formed from vital qi, had peculiar structures, seemingly a formation, but inverted.

Just as the inverted formation enveloped him, the tiny stone fragments around him suddenly turned into fine powder, filling the air with dust. The sword qi Qin Mu had hidden among the countless stones instantly converged, forming a vital qi green dragon. Innumerable sword qi threads composed the green dragon's body, stirring vigorously!

This was the Coiling Sword Form!

Between the two wheels, which rotated in opposite directions, countless fine swords instantly materialized, forming a sword screen. This screen collided with the stirring green dragon. Sword qi shattered and flew, demonstrating that the two youths were not only clashing with sword moves but also with their vital energy.

If any Imperial College scholars had been present, they would have been astonished. What Qin Mu was now performing was indeed the Coiling Sword Form taught by the Imperial Advisor of Yankang. However, Qin Mu had not transformed the Coiling Sword Form into a sword pillar as the Imperial Advisor had taught, but instead allowed the innumerable entwined sword qi to form a green dragon!

Daoist Lin Xuan immediately felt the pressure. Qin Mu's vital qi was suppressing his own. Lin Xuan's cultivation was incredibly profound, yet Qin Mu's cultivation was even higher than his, which seemed almost impossible.

The Daoist Gate's Innate Grand Profound Art was renowned for its profound vital energy. Solely comparing vital energy at the same realm, no foundational cultivation method of any sect in the world could surpass the Innate Grand Profound Art, not even the Tathagata Mahayana Scripture, also known for its vital energy!

Yet now, he felt Qin Mu's vital energy surpassed his own!

Daoist Lin Xuan sensed that his Wheel-Cutting Seal might be broken at any moment and immediately changed his move. Although he had no whisk in his hand, when he spread his palm, countless dust-like threads flew out. These were vital qi threads, but under his control, they acted like vital qi swords, slashing from within the wheels outwards, attempting to sever the green dragon.

The instant he made his move, Qin Mu, who was outside the wheels, was already upon him. He reached out and grabbed the countless dust and powder. His vital qi burst forth, and the dust and powder in his hand converged, forming a long spear that pierced into the spinning wheels with a sharp hiss.

Daoist Lin Xuan used his other hand to block with the Heaven-Overturning Seal, parrying the large spear. Then, continuous thudding sounds rang out as Qin Mu used his hand as a blade, unleashing the "Night Battle: Wind and Rain Over the City," striking the wheels with countless slashes.

His Wheel-Cutting Seal immediately collapsed. Daoist Lin Xuan knew things were bad. In the next moment, he was struck multiple times in the chest, blood appearing on his front, and his body flew backward.

He used the force to propel himself, maintaining his composure. Threads of dust penetrated the green dragon, and as the dust threads flew out in all directions, they finally extinguished the great dragon.

As the green dragon disintegrated, it immediately transformed into hundreds of vital qi fine swords. In the blink of an eye, they gathered themselves again and, with a loud thud, plunged into the earth.

"Oh no!"

Daoist Lin Xuan pressed his palm downwards. As his palm pressed, countless dust threads pierced the ground and lifted his body, preventing him from landing.

Using the dust threads as feet, he ran through the air with incredible speed. Beneath him, a green dragon drilled out from underground, then plunged back underground with a roar, then emerged again, and plunged back into the earth. Every time the green dragon burst from the ground, Qin Mu's foot landed precisely on its head, as he rapidly pursued Daoist Lin Xuan through the air.

Qin Mu flicked his fingers repeatedly, each flick like startling thunder. Amidst the thunderous roars, melodious music erupted. Daoist Lin Xuan's face changed drastically. "Damn it, he's gained the upper hand. I have no choice but to use the Daoist Gate's foundational sword technique!"