Chapter 56: The Stab

The Young Ancestor Master's expression turned peculiar. This Qin Mu's "vital energy thread" was as thick as an arm? Could such a thing even be called a thread? And possessed such fierce power? Furthermore, he spoke of his own vital energy not being strong enough? He had never witnessed anyone at the Spirit Embryo realm with such abundant vital energy cultivation!

This youth from the Disabled Elderly Village could pierce a bucket-thick wooden pillar with a single sword strike and follow it with another to cleave through a two-foot-thick mountain rock. The power contained within his "vital energy thread" already surpassed countless sword cultivators at the Spirit Embryo realm!

The Village Chief smiled faintly and guided Qin Mu, "That is correct. You haven't grasped the most fundamental action in sword technique: the thrust. If you could concentrate all your power into this single action, if you could unleash all your might?"

Qin Mu found it hard to believe and shook his head, "Using vital energy to control a sword is merely using a vital energy thread to control it. A vital energy thread is too soft, how can it possibly unleash all my power?"

"You can."

The Village Chief said leisurely, "You must treat the sword as a part of yourself, like your own hand. Now, lift your hand, imagine your hand holding a sword. Let your index and middle fingers rest on the sword's body. When your hand thrusts out, the sword will follow, thrusting out as well!"

"Treat it as a part of my own body?"

Qin Mu didn't understand. The arm-thick vital energy thread once again coiled around the treasure sword. His right hand formed a virtual grip, his thumb pressing against his ring and little fingers, while his index and middle fingers extended, as if resting on the sword's body.

Qin Mu thrust forward, and with a *chi* sound, his vital energy thread, carrying the treasure sword, also thrust forward. The sharp sword cut through the air, emitting a piercing whistle!

He couldn't help but be both surprised and delighted. Previously, when he used vital energy to control the sword, the power within it was at most one-tenth of his own. Now, he felt the power within the sword had doubled!

The Young Ancestor Master laughed, "This is called the pinch sword formula, the starting posture for cultivating sword technique. You weren't using a sword formula just now, and yet you could pierce through mountain rock. Your vital energy is abundant, surpassing even my own back then!"

The Village Chief shook his head and said, "But he is still not enough. Relying solely on the pinch sword formula cannot defeat an expert who has been immersed in the sword path for decades. Mu'er, let your vital energy erupt from your palm center and try again."

Qin Mu followed the instructions. The vital energy thread within his palm center entwined the treasure sword. He surged his vital energy and thrust forward once more.

*Hu—*

With this thrust, he actually generated a gust of wind. Within the wind, the sharp sword whistled, piercingly loud!

The Young Ancestor Master's eyes twitched. He immediately detected that the power of this thrust was about a tenth greater than the previous one. This old cripple in front of him had merely offered two sentences of guidance, yet had allowed Qin Mu to make such significant improvement. Truly fearsome and respectable!

The Village Chief shouted, "The vital energy thread is not merely entwined around the sword, but rooted within it. The sword is a part of your body, and vital energy is also a part of your body. All are your body! Try again!"

Qin Mu's vital energy fused with the sharp sword, immersing itself within it. He suddenly had a feeling as if he had gained another hand.

As he unleashed this thrust, he suddenly felt his own power, like a great flood finding its outlet, seventy to eighty percent of his power gathering within the sharp sword and thrusting towards the village!

Within the village, the wind whistled. Suddenly, the wooden stake where the butcher often stood before the sharp sword's tip split into two with a *pa* sound!

Qin Mu was momentarily stunned. His sword had not touched the wooden stake at all, yet the sword wind had cleaved it in two!

The Young Ancestor Master praised. This old cripple, with just a few sentences, had allowed Qin Mu to unleash astonishing potential. His attainment in sword skill was indeed extremely high.

"Still not enough."

The Village Chief said, "Your power is still not completely unleashed. Although your own power is used on the sword, what about your Spirit Embryo? Where is the power of your Spirit Embryo? Let the Spirit Embryo also grip the sword and thrust again!"

Qin Mu steadied his mind. Within his Spirit Embryo divine treasury, his Spirit Embryo moved in unison with him, and thrust forward.

"Not good enough! Where is the Dan Heart Formula? The Dan Heart Formula doesn't just require you to refine a Dan Heart, but to implant your Dan Heart within the sword! Implant it!"

"Still not enough, come again! Implanting the Dan Heart into the sword is the most crucial part of the Dan Heart Formula!"

"Your legs are connected to the ground, the source of power. Use the leg techniques the Cripple taught you to borrow force from the ground!"

"What about your eyes? Where is the Heavenly Eye the Blind man taught you? Let your sword also grow eyes!"

"You learned fist from Grandpa Horse, refining your muscles like dragons. You have seen a true dragon. Why is there no dragon's majesty in your sword, no destructive power like Grandpa Horse's fist?"

...

Qin Mu thrust his sword again and again. The Village Chief's requirements for him grew increasingly high. First, it was merely mobilizing his own power, then requiring him to mobilize the power of his vital energy and Spirit Embryo. Subsequently, he was required to integrate Grandpa Horse's fist and the Cripple's leg techniques into his sword technique, making it more and more difficult.

In a short time, he had thrust out an unknown number of swords. However, the Village Chief was always not entirely satisfied, urging him to continue practicing.

Granny Si, the Cripple, and others watched Qin Mu practicing his sword, each with a shocked expression. They saw Qin Mu control his sword with vital energy. With each thrust, it emitted a short and urgent whistling sound, followed by a strong wind that blew outwards, even causing the flags of the blacksmith shop, medicine garden, and meat shop to flap and rustle wildly, billowing backward!

And with every thrust, a sword mark would appear on the ground, a consequence of the sword wind brushing past!

Granny Si felt somewhat unbelievable and murmured, "In such a short time, the Village Chief has trained Mu'er into a sword skill expert. This might be a bit too..."

The Village Chief shook his head, "I am not teaching him any sword technique. I am merely helping him integrate his power, integrating the things you taught him. Now, he has only initially understood the thrusting action. He is still a considerable distance from truly mastering the thrust. And the most basic actions in sword technique still include chopping, lifting, hanging, clouding, pointing, collapsing, intercepting, cutting, and so on. Only when he has mastered these basic actions well can he be considered to have entered the path and then begin to learn sword techniques. Mu'er, thrust at that pig-slaying knife again!"

As he finished speaking, Qin Mu threw up the pig-slaying knife. Using vital energy to control his sword, he thrust out with lightning speed!

*Clang—*

The sharp sword met the pig-slaying knife and pierced through this treasure knife forged from cold iron and gold crystal. The sword tip emerged from the back of the knife.

Both the pig-slaying knife and the sharp sword fell to the ground. Qin Mu was momentarily stunned. He walked forward to examine them, unable to believe that he had made such significant progress in such a short time.

The most basic action in sword technique, the thrust, could actually possess such powerful might!

The Village Chief's heart was slightly shocked. Qin Mu's rapid mastery of the thrust technique also surpassed his expectations. He said, "Mu'er, you can now go see the Hall Master of the Sword Hall."

"Wait a moment!"

The Young Ancestor Master opposite hastily raised his hand. A wooden stick floated over from the forest. The Young Ancestor Master extended a finger and shaved the wooden stick, quickly transforming it into a three-foot-long short wooden sword. He handed it to Qin Mu and said, "Use this sword to see him, not a real sword."

Qin Mu received the wooden sword and looked at Granny Si. Granny Si said, "The Sword Hall Hall Master has sealed his other divine treasuries, retaining only the Spirit Embryo divine treasury. He is currently at the Spirit Embryo realm cultivation. If you use a real sword, you will kill him. Go on."

Qin Mu thought for a moment, took off his body's sword pouch and the Shao Bao sword, placed them at the village entrance, and carrying the wooden sword, walked into the wooden building in the adjacent village to see the Sword Door Hall Master.

The Sword Door Hall Master was still half-kneeling, half-sitting, his hand supporting a sword box, his gaze as sharp as a sword. "Has he who claims to teach the world's first sword technique returned? Use the world's first sword technique you have learned to attack me! I want to see who dares to be so boastful, to claim to be the first!"

Qin Mu shook his head, "I haven't learned any sword technique. The Village Chief only taught me one action."

The Sword Door Hall Master frowned and said coldly, "I will give you time. Go and learn again. Come back and find me after you have learned one sword move!"

Qin Mu said with difficulty, "The Ancestor of your Heavenly Demon Cult said to use a wooden sword to see you, and not a real sword, fearing I would kill you..."

"Absurd!"

The Sword Door Hall Master's momentum erupted. The air seemed to fill with a tragic atmosphere, mixed with the sound of metal colliding, as if countless sharp swords were striking against each other.

That was an atmosphere of iron and blood mixed together, the smell of rust and blood combined. Only by killing countless people and living beings could such a tragic momentum be generated!

The buckle of his sword box automatically opened. The long box opened, and the treasure swords inside clanged, one after another joyfully flying out of the sword box!

He and the treasure swords shared a feeling. When he was happy, the swords were happy. When he was angry, the swords were angry. When he wanted to fly, the swords would carry him to fly. When he wanted to kill people, the swords would kill people.

He was the Hall Master of the Sword Hall, a sword maniac.

Now, he wanted to kill people. The swords in the sword box leaped out, and in an instant, sword light surged throughout the room!

Qin Mu didn't think. He used vital energy to control his sword, formed the pinch sword formula, and thrust forward!

The sword light from the sword box burst out, and then there was a faint *ding* sound, and the sword light scattered, splitting into pieces!

*Bang—*

The Sword Hall Hall Master's tall body crashed through the wall behind him, flying backward like lightning, then heavily crashing against the opposite wooden building. A wooden sword was embedded in his chest.

Qin Mu was startled. He quickly retracted the wooden sword and hurried to look. Only the sword tip had brought out a little blood. It had not pierced through the Sword Hall Hall Master. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

On the opposite wooden building, the Sword Hall Hall Master's body slowly slid down, falling faster and faster, then landing on the ground with a thud. His eyes were listless, as if he still hadn't recovered his senses.

"Are you alright?" Qin Mu waved at him.

The Sword Hall Hall Master shook his head woodenly. His body had not suffered serious injury, but his spirit had taken a heavy blow.