Tales of Herding Gods

Chapter 56: Stab

Translator: Ninetales Editor: Fish Creek

The young patriarch had weird expression. Qin Mu’s vital qi which was as thick as an arm was also called a vital qi thread?

Was there such a thick vital qi thread?

Was there such a powerful vital qi thread?

And what is ‘I felt that my vital qi wasn’t strong enough’? He had never seen such dense vital qi cultivation in the Spirit Embryo Realm!

The youth of Disabled Elderly Village had managed to stab through a wooden pillar that was as thick as a water barrel in one hit. He had also stabbed through a mountain rock that was six-yard thick in one hit as well. The strength contained in his vital qi thread had far surpassed who knew how many sword cultivators of Spirit Embryo Realm!

Village Chief smiled and gave advice to Qin Mu, “That’s right. You haven’t mastered the most basic movement of the sword skills and that is stab. What if you could focus all your strength in your stab? What if you could unleash all your strength that you have?”

Qin found it hard to believe and shook his head, “Using qi to manipulate sword uses vital qi thread to manipulate sword however vital qi thread is simply too soft. How can it unleash all of my strength?”

“It’s possible.”

Village Chief leisurely said, “Treat the sword as part of your body just like your hand. Now raise your hand and imagine you’re holding onto a sword in your hand. With your index and middle finger on the blade of the sword, stab your hand out and the blade will follow!”

“Treat it as part of my body?”

Qin Mu was confused. His arm-thick vital qi once again swept up the treasure sword. With his right hand grabbing emptiness, his thumb pressed down on his ring and little finger while his index and middle finger stretched out just like placing them on the blade of the sword.

Qin Mu gave a stab forward and heard a screech. His vital qi had brought the treasure sword to stab forward, splitting apart the air and releasing a sharp screech!

He was surprised and elated. When he had used qi to manipulate sword just now, the power contained in the sword was at most ten percent of his own power and now he felt that the strength in the sword had increased by several times!

Young patriarch smiled, “This is called Secrets Of Sword Clutch, the introductory form of cultivating sword. Just now you pierced through mountain rock without using any sword secrets. It seems like your vital qi density is much higher than mine back then!”

Village Chief shook his hand, “However it’s’ still not enough. Just by using Secrets Of Sword Clutch, it’s impossible for him to defeat experts that have cultivated sword path for several decades. Mu’er let your vital qi flow out from your palm and try again.”

Qin Mu followed what he said and coiled the vital qi from his palm onto the treasure sword. Stirring up his vital qi, he gave a stab forward once more.

Swoosh—

His sword stabbed forward and raised a whirlwind with the whistling of the sharp sword in it, which was screeching!

Young patriarch’s eyes twitched and immediately sensed that the power of Qin Mu’s stab had been raised by ten percent. It was simply formidable for Qin Mu to have such a huge enhancement with just an advice or two from the old crippled!

Village Chief shouted, “The vital qi thread isn’t supposed to coil around the sword and should be rooted in the sword. The sword is part of your body and so is your vital qi! Try again!”

Qin Mu’s vital qi immersed into the sharp sword and fused together with it, instantly making him feel as if he had grown another arm.

With this stab, he instantly felt that his strength was like a flood finding a hole to drain out. Seventy to eighty percent of his strength managed to accumulate in his sword as he gave another stab forward!

In the village, the wind whistled as the wooden pile that Butcher always used to prop himself on was split into half.

Qin Mu stared blankly. His sword hadn’t even touched the wooden pile yet! It was the sword wind that had split the wooden pile into two!

Young patriarch exclaimed in admiration. With just a few words from the old cripple, he was able to bring out Qin Mu’s potential. He indeed had extremely high attainments in sword arts.

“Still not enough.”

Village Chief continued, “Your strength isn’t fully unleashed. Your strength may have been used on the sword but what about your spirit embryo’s? Where’s the strength of your spirit embryo? The spirit embryo also has to hold the sword! Stab again!”

Qin Mu composed himself. In his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure, his spirit embryo followed his movement and stabbed his fingers forward!

“Not good enough! Where is the Secrets Of Elixir Heart? Secrets Of Elixir Heart not only requires you to cultivate out your elixir heart but also to plant your elixir heart in your sword! Plant in your sword now!”

“Still not enough, again! Plant the elixir heart in your sword, that’s the crucial point in Secrets Of Elixir Heart!”

“Legs to the earth is the source of strength. Use the leg techniques that Cripple had taught you to borrow strength from the earth!”

“Where are your eyes? Where’s Heaven’s Eyes that Blind had taught you? Let your sword grow eyes too!”

“The punches you had learned from Old Ma cultivate your muscles like a dragon. You’ve also seen a real dragon before, so why doesn’t your sword have the majestic atmosphere of the dragon and the destruction of Old Ma’s punches?”

…

Qin Mu practiced his stabbing over and over again while Village Chief expectation grew higher and higher. First, he requested him to adjust his own strength, then he requested him to adjust the vital qi’s strength followed by the spirit embryo’s strength as well as incorporating Old Ma’s fists and Cripple’s legs into the sword skill, increasing the difficulty.

In just a short while, he had stabbed countless times, however, Village Chief remained unsatisfied and made him continue practicing.

Granny Si, Cripple and the rest looked at Qin Mu who was practicing his sword and gave off expressions of shock. Every time the sword stabbed out, there would be a short and rush whistle which was followed by a violent gust that swept both sides. The flags on Blacksmith, Apothecary and Butcher’s shops fluttered backward from it.

With every stab he made, a sword mark would be made on the ground. That was the outcome when the sword wind brushed past the ground!

Granny Si was in disbelief as she muttered, “In just a short time, Village Chief managed to train Mu’er into a sword skill expert. This is simply too…”

Village Chief shook his head, “I didn’t teach him any sword skill. I merely help him organize his strengths together, piece together what all of you had taught him. Now he had merely learned the basics of stabbing and still have quite a long way to go to master the true stab. Furthermore, there’s still hack, curve, parry, wave, poke, jab, intercept, raise and so forth in the basic movements of swordplay. When he masters all these basic movements could he be considered to enter the door and be qualified to learn sword skills. Mu’er try stabbing your Pig Slaughter Knife!”

Just as he finished speaking, Qin Mu threw his Pig Slaughtering Knife into the air and manipulated his sword to stab it like lightning!

Clank—!

The sharp sword met with the Pig Slaughtering Knife and pierced through the treasure knife made from Winter Crystal Iron.

The Pig Slaughtering Knife fell to the ground along with the sharp sword as Qin Mu stared blankly before going forward to take a look. He had no idea he could have such great improvement in just a short time.

Stab, the most basic movement of sword skill could actually have such power!

Village Chief’s heart jolted. It was also out of his expectation that Qin Mu had been able to master stab so quickly. “Mu’er, you can meet the Sword Hall Master now.”

“Hold it!”

The young patriarch who was in front of him hurriedly raised his hand and a wooden club flew over from the forest. Stretching a finger out, he shaved the wooden club into a wooden sword that was about a yard long and passed it to Qin Mu, “Use this sword to meet him and don’t use a real sword.”

Qin Mu took the wooden sword and took a look at Granny Si. Granny Si explained, “Sword Hall Master had sealed his other divine treasures and only left his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure opened. With only the cultivation of Spirit Embryo Realm, you will stab him to death if you use a real sword. Go now.”

Qin Mu thought for a moment and placed his sword pouch as well as his Junior Protector Sword at the village entrance. Carrying the wooden sword on his back, he went back into the wooden building next door to meet the Sword Hall Master.

The Sword Hall Master was still sitting in seiza with his hand on his sword case. With his piercing gaze, he asked, “You’re back from consulting the number one in sword skills in the world? Use what you’ve learned and attack me! I would like to see who could be so arrogant to claim himself as number one!”

Qin Mu shook his head, “I didn’t learn any sword skill. Village Chief only taught me a movement.”

The Sword Hall Master frowned and said coldly, “I’ll give you time, go learn again. Come back and face me once you’ve learned a sword move!”

Qin Mu replied awkwardly, “Your Heavenly Devil Cult Patriarch asked me to come to face you with a wooden sword instead of a real sword in case I stab you to death…”

“Ridiculous!”

The air of Sword Hall Master burst forth and the surroundings were filled with an acrimonious atmosphere. There were the clashing sounds of metals among it as if there were countless swords colliding with each other.

It was the smell of iron and blood mixed together. There was the smell of rust and reek of blood mixing together. Who knew how many humans and living beings had been killed to obtain such air!

His sword case unbuckled automatically and the rectangular case opened up, releasing all the treasures swords kept inside. The swords hummed loudly as they flew out joyfully.

He shared the same emotions with his swords. When he was happy, his swords would be happy. When he was angry, his swords would also be angry. When he wanted to fly, his swords would bring him to the skies and if he wanted to kill, his swords would slaughter.

He was the Sword Hall Master, Sword Maniac.

Now he wants to kill and so the swords in the case flew out and in a split second, filled the entire room with sword lights!

Without a thought, Qin Mu used his qi to manipulate sword and stabbed forward with Secrets Of Sword Clutch!

The sword lights burst forth from the sword case and with a soft clank, the sword lights shattered into pieces!

Bang—!

The Sword Hall Master crashed through the wall behind him in a flash and crashed onto the wooden building opposite with a wooden sword sticking out from his chest.

Qin Mu jumped in shock and quickly pulled his sword back, taking a look. He only gave a sigh of relief when he saw only some blood at the tip of the sword and it hadn’t pierced through the body of the Sword Hall Master.

On the opposite wooden building, the body of the Sword Hall Master slowly slid down. He dropped down faster and faster in the air and landed on the ground on his butt. His eyes were lifeless and it seemed that he was still in a daze.

Are you alright?” Qin Mu waved at him.

The Sword Hall Master shook his head in a daze. His body wasn’t injured badly but his spirit had been crushed.