Chapter 730: Not Inferior to Me

While they were talking, the Divine Tree of Jianmu within Hu Bugui’s divine treasures had continuously opened up the Seven Stars Divine Treasure and the Celestial Divine Treasure. Under the immense pressure, Hu Bugui’s skin began to show signs of breaking, covered in cracks like a porcelain artifact.

His blood was compressed into an incredibly fine mist, enveloping his entire being.

His body became extremely emaciated. His height remained unchanged, but he was reduced to skin and bones. Breaking sounds emanated from within him, like the crisp snap of a powerful crossbow firing an arrow.

"It seems his meridians are snapping..."

Jing Yan's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Xu Shenghua and whispered, "If his meridians break, his bones won't be able to hold up either. He won't be able to withstand it when Jianmu breaks through the Life and Death Divine Treasure..."

Xu Shenghua frowned and sighed, "The experiment failed. Even Brother Hu, with such a powerful body, cannot bear this kind of pressure. Perhaps Cult Master Qin, with his Hegemon Body, can. I've noticed the Cult Master's body has become stronger than before recently, no weaker than Brother Hu's. And with his mastery of creation arts, he might be able to withstand such immense pressure..."

Jing Yan whispered, "Husband, Brother Hu is dying, and you're still thinking about these things? The Martial Arts Heavenly Master over there has been watching you, and the old ox also looks displeased."

Xu Shenghua remained full of confidence, though this was confidence in Qin Mu. He said, "The Cult Master is skilled in creation arts; he won't let Brother Hu die. In this world, he is the only one who can keep up with my thoughts."

At that moment, Jianmu's roots finally broke through Youdu, connecting to the Life and Death Divine Treasure!

Concurrently, Qin Mu finally made his move.

He moved his feet, leaving a trail of afterimages as he continuously circled Hu Bugui. His arms flew, his fingers danced, and a series of creation runes continuously overflowed from his fingertips, like dancing musical notes, leaping and drilling into Hu Bugui's body.

These creation runes not only penetrated Hu Bugui's physical body, repairing his physical damage, but also entered his divine treasures and primordial spirit.

The creation runes repaired the cracks in Hu Bugui's divine treasures, mended the fissures in his primordial spirit, and sustained his spirit embryo and soul.

Jing Yan watched this scene, dumbfounded. Xu Shenghua smiled at her and said, "The Cult Master and I became acquainted through conflict. He understands me deeply, and I understand him deeply. If we join forces, we can even fight gods and devils."

A hint of bitterness and jealousy vaguely arose in Jing Yan's heart. She suddenly realized, "Both my husband and Cult Master Qin are men; why am I jealous of Cult Master Qin?"

The immense pressure on Hu Bugui's body intensified. Yet, protected by Qin Mu's creation arts, he miraculously managed to withstand the pressure.

"Once the Jianmu Divine Bridge connects all the divine treasures," Xu Shenghua's eyes gleamed with excitement, "all the divine treasures can be linked together. Once they're integrated, Brother Hu's cultivation and magic power will soar. His primordial spirit, physical body, and divine treasures will all advance at an extraordinary speed! The Congenital Jianmu Divine Bridge has been a success!"

Qin Mu stopped. All his afterimages swiftly vanished back into his body. He watched Hu Bugui intently, full of tension.

The old farmer and the old ox also stared anxiously at the motionless Hu Bugui. The old farmer clenched his fists. The old ox stood on its hind legs, brought a hoof to its mouth, and gnawed on it, its teeth clashing.

The Dragon Qilin restlessly pawed at the ground, quickly digging a large hole.

Hu Bugui stood there motionless for a long time. Suddenly, the blood mist surrounding him surged and flowed back into his body.

The area around him became clear.

His aura began to rise sharply. His vital qi grew increasingly turbulent, and his primordial spirit became more stable. His aura created wildly swirling currents around him, which spun faster and faster, encompassing an ever-widening area!

Jing Yan couldn't keep her footing. Her clothes fluttered as she was pulled towards Hu Bugui.

Her cultivation was weaker than the others'.

Xu Shenghua quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

Hu Bugui's aura grew increasingly powerful. The Jianmu Divine Bridge linked all his divine treasures, merging them. His six divine treasures transformed into a single, unified divine treasure. As the Jianmu Divine Bridge grew to its limit, it forcefully pushed out another divine treasure: the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure!

Like other martial artists in the Dou Niu World, Hu Bugui did not possess the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure. But now, Jianmu's crown formed this very divine treasure!

This was the primary reason his cultivation skyrocketed!

The old farmer was finally moved.

He had been confined to the Dou Niu World for twenty thousand years, dedicated to solving the problem of its people lacking the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure, which prevented their ascension to the Heavenly Palace.

His solution was for the people of Dou Niu World to diligently cultivate martial arts, attain enlightenment through martial prowess, and ascend to the Heavenly Palace with their primordial spirits.

However, for two millennia, no one had achieved this feat. Even if some managed to attain enlightenment through martial arts during this time, they couldn't ascend with their primordial spirits like the old farmer.

These martial arts practitioners who achieved enlightenment often lost their power during their primordial spirit's ascension, causing their primordial spirits to fall into Youdu, leading to their demise.

Hu Bugui was the only young person in recent years to attain enlightenment through martial arts. Qin Mu's sudden appearance allowed Hu Bugui to achieve this, making him the most promising candidate to replicate the old farmer's path.

However, even so, the possibility of Hu Bugui ascending to the Heavenly Palace was minuscule.

The Woodcutter Sage was not wrong; the Martial Arts Heavenly Master was the foremost martial artist of all time, unrivaled by anyone. Although Hu Bugui held this hope, the gap between them was immense.

The old farmer hadn't actually thought highly of Xu Shenghua, whom Qin Mu praised so much. He had even considered punching Xu Shenghua to death and then Qin Mu to death just moments ago. But now, Xu Shenghua and Qin Mu's joint efforts, with a series of dazzling maneuvers, had actually caused Hu Bugui to spontaneously develop a Divine Bridge Divine Treasure!

Hu Bugui finally possessed a seventh divine treasure!

Not only that, Hu Bugui's seven divine treasures were now integrated, forming a single, unprecedented divine treasure!

Such an achievement might even surpass the old farmer's!

His eyes suddenly became moist. Old tears blurred his vision. Back in the Kaihuang era, there was also a group of young people who were as active as Qin Mu and Xu Shenghua are now, equally full of diverse and strange ideas, equally eager to change the era, bring better lives to the common people, and advance the progress of dao arts and divine powers.

Many of those people had died or fled, some had become hermits, others lived in drunken stupor, and some had turned into statues left to endure the elements.

But recalling those years, a fiery passion boiled and burned within the old farmer's heart!

"Brother Hu, you've just broken through to the Divine Bridge realm; it's best to stabilize yourself first."

Qin Mu saw Hu Bugui's primordial spirit ascending the Jianmu Divine Bridge, intending to cross it and assault the Heavenly Palace. He immediately said, "Your realm is unstable right now. If you ascend to the Heavenly Palace immediately, your comprehension of the Divine Bridge realm will be insufficient. Even if you succeed in ascending, it will leave some flaws."

Hu Bugui's momentum was still rising. His cultivation grew deeper and more formidable.

By now, his cultivation had surpassed most experts in the Divine Bridge realm. However, in Qin Mu's view, he could become even stronger!

The old farmer said in a deep voice, "Qin Mu is right, Bugui, don't be hasty. You need to cultivate and comprehend for a few years in the Divine Bridge realm before ascending; the benefits will be greater. Forcing your ascension to the Heavenly Palace now will limit your future achievements to the Numinous Sky realm, leaving you no chance for the Imperial Throne."

Hu Bugui's primordial spirit halted. He gazed at the Southern Heavenly Gate of the Heavenly Palace, his heart surging with emotion.

Ultimately, his martial primordial spirit descended from Jianmu and stood beneath the tree.

"Many thanks to Senior Brother Xu and Senior Brother Qin for this profound kindness!" He bowed to them both in gratitude.

Qin Mu and Xu Shenghua quickly returned the bow. Jing Yan smiled and said, "Brother Hu, Shangcang Academy has just been established and is short-staffed. Would you be interested in becoming a Libationer and teaching the scholars?"

Hu Bugui readily agreed, "Yes!"

Qin Mu softly said, "The Great Dao of Heaven and Earth has changed."

Everyone stood there quietly, sensing the subtle changes in the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. A divine treasure now directly reached the Heavenly Palace; this was an unprecedented achievement, a massive reform and transformation, far more significant than reforms like the Primordial Spirit Induction or Sword Eighteenth Form. Only the changes to the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth caused by Qin Mu's resurrection of Heavenly Yin Empress could compare.

This change in the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth was subtle and silent, like a gentle rain. It wouldn't directly cause various phenomena or alarm mortals. However, those who had entered the Dao could sense this change from any corner of the universe.

The old farmer stared blankly, lost in thought. Suddenly, he let out a cold snort and said, "Your Congenital Jianmu Divine Bridge can at most alter people with a cultivation foundation like Hu Bugui's. It offers little benefit to others. Apart from Hu Bugui, no one else can cultivate the Congenital Jianmu Divine Bridge. Furthermore, the Jianmu Divine Bridge is so complicated, requiring extremely high mastery of arithmetic arts, and it also needs a creation master like Qin Mu to assist. It simply cannot be popularized."

Xu Shenghua frowned. What he said was indeed the drawback of the Congenital Jianmu Divine Bridge. Although Hu Bugui had successfully cultivated this technique, Xu Shenghua and Qin Mu's roles were even greater.

Without their help, he could not have succeeded.

Moreover, Xu Shenghua and Qin Mu shared a similar temperament: they couldn't possibly stay with others who wished to cultivate the Jianmu Divine Bridge every day. They were more inclined to create a technique and then hand it over to others.

"So, some modifications are needed."

Qin Mu's eyes sparkled with wisdom. He rapidly said, "The Congenital Jianmu Divine Bridge uses the Dao Heart Seed Demon technique. I think we can modify it slightly so that practitioners or martial artists can plant the Jianmu in their Spirit Embryo realm. Jianmu will grow along with the practitioner or martial artist, breaking through divine treasures layer by layer. This way, the danger will be significantly reduced."

Xu Shenghua's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands, saying, "So, we need to revise this cultivation method. However, I'm not very good at modifying cultivation methods, so we'll need the Cult Master's help."

"Indeed, when it comes to modifying cultivation methods, I am second to none in the world."

Qin Mu spoke without modesty, "When you just planted the Jianmu rootling for Brother Hu, I had already comprehended about eighty to ninety percent of this Congenital Jianmu Divine Bridge technique. There are still some minor details I don't understand. Brother Xu, please explain it in detail, and I'll see how to revise it."

Xu Shenghua then explained the Congenital Jianmu Divine Bridge from beginning to end, omitting the arithmetic models. He didn't need to explain the arithmetical structure, as Qin Mu himself was a master of arithmetic.

The two drew close, pacing back and forth, conversing animatedly, and leaving everyone else aside.

The old farmer couldn't understand a word. Hu Bugui and the old ox also didn't comprehend what they were saying. They could only stare at them blankly.

Jing Yan sighed helplessly, thinking, "When these two get engrossed in their research, they completely forget about everyone else."

This discussion was primarily led by Qin Mu. Qin Mu's thoughts jumped rapidly, and only Xu Shenghua could keep up with him. Furthermore, Xu Shenghua's mind was more meticulous than Qin Mu's, which perfectly complemented Qin Mu's shortcomings.

The two quickly finalized the revised Congenital Jianmu Divine Bridge, each performing several calculations to fix any flaws.

Xu Shenghua glanced at Hu Bugui, who was utterly lost in their conversation. A thought stirred within him, and he whispered, "Cult Master, I initially saw how strong and powerful Brother Hu was and assumed he also had a Hegemon Body. I didn't expect him not to."

Qin Mu smiled, "I knew long ago he wasn't a Hegemon Body. His mind is simple and focused; he only cultivates martial arts. He's not as clever as us."

The two shared an understanding and nodded repeatedly.

Xu Shenghua's eyes flickered. "Now, Brother Qin, can you admit defeat to me? We should have a conclusion about who is the 'female' and who is the 'male' now, right?"

Qin Mu chuckled, squinting his eyes. "Indeed, I am not as wise as all of you combined. I concede."

Xu Shenghua raised an eyebrow. "Many people?"

Qin Mu said leisurely, "If you had created this cultivation method on your own, without inviting Teacher Woodcutter, Xing An, Lin Xuan, and the others, then I would admit I am the 'female' Hegemon Body, and you are the 'male' Hegemon Body. But you borrowed their wisdom to compete with me, and you're still just a tiny bit short of me. Even so, Brother Xu, you are truly remarkable, no less than me!"

Xu Shenghua let out a muffled grunt.