Chapter 40: Nurturing the Soul

Chen Mu wiped the blood from under his nose and spat out a mouthful of sanguine phlegm. If not for the searing pain in his chest and internal organs, he would have burst into laughter.

"Invulnerable to blades and spears? I can still kill you all the same!"

Just then, a flash of white caught his eye. Chen Mu snapped his head around, his gaze brimming with murderous intent. Standing atop the opposite wall was a figure wrapped in a white outer garment. The man’s hair was disheveled and his clothes were in disarray, clearly thrown on in a hurry. He held a thick-backed broadsword in his right hand, his eyes sharp and alert.

It was the eldest young master of the Zuo family—Zuo Sheng!

Meeting Chen Mu’s lethal glare, Zuo Sheng’s eyelids twitched. He immediately raised his sword, cupped his hands in a salute, and said in a low voice, "Brother Chen!"

Chen Mu paused, suddenly recalling that this man was also a disciple of Sheng Hong. Thinking of the "cheap" mentor he had just riddled with holes, he felt a momentary pang of unease. However, he showed no sign of weakness, staring at the other man with a blank expression.

The atmosphere turned rigid. Zuo Sheng felt his scalp tingle under that stare. He glanced at the perforated body of the Daoist Thousand Mountains and felt his heart skip a beat. Deciding to back down, he raised a hand and said, "Brother, please, carry on."

Chen Mu nodded expressionlessly. Then, under Zuo Sheng’s curious gaze, he walked to the eaves of the house and plunged his blood-stained short sword into the wall.

*Clink!*

He pried out a slightly deformed copper coin from the masonry.

Zuo Sheng: "..."

Next, under Zuo Sheng’s increasingly bizarre expression, Chen Mu searched the entire courtyard, retrieving every copper coin and scrap of silver he had thrown and that the Daoist had knocked away. Watching Chen Mu’s meticulous, "strip-the-earth-bare" behavior, Zuo Sheng could no longer bear to watch. He cupped his hands again to take his leave. "Brother, carry on with your work. My attire is unseemly, so I shall take my leave first."

Chen Mu nodded without looking at him.

The moment Zuo Sheng jumped off the wall, Chen Mu acted as if his backside were on fire. Ignoring the remaining silver scraps, he grabbed the bodies of the Daoist Thousand Mountains and the pale-faced youth, sprinted to the wall in two bounds, yanked his sword from the brickwork, and vaulted over the wall. Combining his movement techniques, he disappeared into the night with awkward haste.

Almost the instant Chen Mu vanished, Zuo Sheng hopped back onto the wall. He scanned the scattered silver and copper coins, then looked toward the distant, disappearing silhouette, shaking his head with a wry smile. "He even fooled me."

"It’s a pity about the Daoist's treasures..."

"I might not be able to catch him, and I'm not sure if he still has any cards left to play..."

"Forget it."

Zuo Sheng shook his head. Looking at the blood on the ground, his expression darkened. He didn't know why this "cheap" martial brother of his had been here, but the Daoist Thousand Mountains coming to his home in the dead of night certainly meant no good.

"Move. I must move house!"

...

Jie Jia walked into the courtyard behind the Tianyi Pharmacy as usual. A heavy scent of medicine filled his nostrils. He looked up and saw Chen Mu sitting under the gazebo, his entire body swollen and bloated.

Jie Jia frowned. "You fought someone? How are your injuries?"

Chen Mu waved a hand listlessly. "I won't die."

That Daoist Thousand Mountains was definitely a realm higher than him in combat power. Just being brushed by a single palm had nearly cost him half his life. He had pushed himself to the limit to unleash a "Universe Strike," straining every muscle in his body. Now, every breath he took felt like agony.

"Who did it?" Jie Jia asked sternly.

"A round-faced Daoist," Chen Mu sighed.

Jie Jia’s face filled with murderous intent. "I'll go kill him!"

Chen Mu looked delighted. "For free?!"

Jie Jia’s eyelids drooped, his face returning to its blank state. He sat down slowly under the gazebo as if nothing had happened.

Chen Mu chuckled softly. *I knew it. The old guy puts on such a convincing act, but he still just wants to get his hands on my money!*

...

After the meal, the two sat under the gazebo chatting.

"Is there any martial art that makes a person invulnerable to blades and spears?" Chen Mu asked. His iron lotus seeds were comparable to bullets, yet that round-faced Daoist had blocked them with his bare palms!

Beside the stone table, Jie Jia was holding a bamboo cup, sipping iced herbal tea through a white wheat straw.

"Yes."

"Where can one learn it?"

*Slurp, slurp...*

Jie Jia continued to sip his tea with unhurried composure. Chen Mu, feeling frustrated, placed a piece of silver worth about half a tael on the table. Jie Jia pinched it, deftly rolling it into a silver bead before slipping it into his sleeve.

"Didn't your mentor tell you? The Art of Form-Training can make one invulnerable to blades and spears," Jie Jia said indifferently.

Chen Mu looked at him suspiciously. He only knew that the Art of Form-Training had three levels of refinement: tendons, bones, and marrow. Chen Mu touched his increasingly tough skin. Along with the refinement of tendons and bones, a special layer of tissue had formed beneath his skin, indeed increasing his defense. But to block bullets with bare hands like the Daoist? That was difficult!

Jie Jia rolled his eyes at Chen Mu, his expression like one looking at a country bumpkin.

"Ten years of form-training, a hundred years of soul-nurturing. As long as you nurture 'soul power,' you can become invulnerable."

*Soul power? What on earth is that?*

"The one who hurt you—was he immune to blades?" Jie Jia looked at Chen Mu skeptically. "How did you even survive?"

Chen Mu: "..." *I didn't just survive; I killed the bastard!*

"After the Art of Form-Training reaches perfection, there is a chance to cultivate a 'wandering soul.'"

"Depending on the specific art, a black, steel-like film appears on certain parts of the skin. Once activated, it can crush stone and withstand blades. Experts can make this 'wandering soul' circulate throughout their entire body, indirectly making them immune to weapons."

Chen Mu was stunned. It had been dark last night, so he hadn't noticed. But now, thinking back, the round-faced Daoist's palms had indeed been pitch-black.

No wonder a single strike had cost him half his life. If not for the soul-confusing incense, the consequences... Was this the power of a "wandering soul"?

"Don't even think about it," Jie Jia said, shooting him down. "One in a thousand can reach perfection in the Art of Form-Training. One in ten thousand can nurture soul power."

"It's possible if the martial art is high-grade enough, but the Red Falcon Form-Training Art..." Jie Jia shook his head, looking regretful.

Chen Mu persisted, "Is there no other way?"

Jie Jia’s eyes darted to Chen Mu’s left sleeve. "I possess a very advanced Form-Training Art. After switching to it, there is a high probability of developing soul power," Jie Jia tempted him subtly.

"Really?!" Chen Mu was pleasantly surprised.

"Absolutely genuine!" Jie Jia declared solemnly.

Chen Mu glanced at him hopefully. "Can I pay on credit?"

Jie Jia: "..." *Go find somewhere cool to stay!* He realized this little brat was messing with him again!

Chen Mu chuckled, sipping his iced tea. The Red Falcon Form-Training Art was inferior? Maybe, but he had his proficiency cheat! Whether it was good or bad, he would find out once he ground it to the max level.

...

After seeing off the disgruntled Jie Jia, Chen Mu moved back to the gazebo with great difficulty. He hadn't felt much while his emotions were high last night, but today, his injuries had fully set in, and every movement hurt.

*I can't go on a long journey like this,* Chen Mu thought, frowning. Having killed the round-faced Daoist, he wanted to stay as far away from Qingshan County as possible, but with these injuries, travel was impossible.

"I'll just have to recuperate first."

With a thought, he pulled up his proficiency panel.

Writing: 1666/10000/Second Tier;
Drawing: 1533/10000/Second Tier;
Throwing: 7553/10000/Third Tier;
Red Falcon Form-Training Art: 4009/10000/Third Tier;
Cooking: 8926/10000/First Tier;
Pharmacology: 4852/10000/Second Tier;
Sword in Sleeve: 816/10000/Third Tier;

"Good thing I leveled 'Sword in Sleeve' to the third tier beforehand. Without that 'Universe Strike,' that paper-man would have truly claimed my life!"