Chapter 4: The Secret of the Primordial Spirit

When Ma Wu emerged from the wooden cabin, he glanced back one last time. A sense of reluctance filled his heart as he resolutely walked toward the village entrance

When the shopkeeper and Ma Wu arrived in the town, they went directly to Madam Jia's house

Ma Wu slowly opened his eyes and saw the shopkeeper standing in front of him. He asked, "Shopkeeper, how many survivors are there in the village"

What the hell has happened today? The shopkeeper felt embarrassed, forcing himself to walk towards the store

"Junior brother, do not act impulsively before we have clarified the situation," the senior brother said thoughtfully

The shopkeeper, despite his weakened condition, could not afford to be careless. Although he managed to evade the spiritual power of that junior disciple, the sword was indeed thrusting directly at him. The shopkeeper summoned all his physical strength to dodge the sharp blade. He sidestepped, gasping for breath, having completely exhausted all his energy this time.

"Senior brother, what are you doing? Why don't you let me kill this person who has slaughtered the entire village?" The junior brother said indignantly to his senior brother.

Thus, the shopkeeper accepted a token from that senior brother, which bore the character "Xuan". According to that senior brother, anyone holding this token could seek assistance from their Xuan Yin Sect to resolve difficult matters. The senior brother vanished without a trace the moment he dropped the token

"Shopkeeper, where are we going next?" Ma Wu asked while walking on the road

The shopkeeper directly gave Ma Wu a slap on the head and then said, "I am asking how you defeated them."

On the road, the shopkeeper expressed his confusion: "Ma Wu, how did you manage to dismember those strong men one by one"

This gentleman, I seem to have misunderstood you. The senior brother said, I believe the situation is as follows: you took us for accomplices of that group, while my junior brother regarded you as one of the village slaughterers. This is how the misunderstanding arose. In fact, the leader of that group is a traitor from our Xuan Yin Sect

Then the junior disciple's sword lunged towards the shopkeeper. Just as the sword was about to pierce the shopkeeper's heart, it suddenly came to a halt

It is just the two of us left, everyone else is dead. Fortunately, we have avenged them, the shopkeeper said, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Upon hearing the words of that senior brother, the shopkeeper instantly understood the circumstances of the matter

After listening to everything the shopkeeper said, Ma Wu returned to his wooden house to pack his belongings. He prepared to leave the village with the shopkeeper and the ancient book, embarking on a journey of wandering. Once Ma Wu finished packing, he opened the cabinet under the bed, and the ancient book was still there. He took it in his hands and placed it close to his chest. Sitting quietly by the bed, he slowly absorbed all that the shopkeeper had told him.

The shopkeeper looked at Ma Wu and said solemnly: "Do you want to know why I possess that extraordinary power? Then I shall tell you."

"Nonsense, as long as there is exercise, the muscles will contract." The shopkeeper looked at Ma Wu, seemingly unable to ask anything further, only to gradually discover the truth later.

As they approached Lady Jia's residence, they saw a crowd gathered, amidst which there were sounds of lewd laughter and a woman's cries.

Oh, this, I am not sure either, I just felt at that moment a force within me that could control their sea of consciousness" Ma Wu answered honestly

Through the explanation of the shopkeeper, Ma Wu learned that there are individuals in this world who practice Yuan cultivation. Yuan cultivation refers to the practice of refining the Yuan spirit to gain power. The Yuan spirit is divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, with each grade further divided into three tiers: upper, middle, and lower. The higher the grade, the faster the cultivation. Only those who discover the presence of a Yuan spirit within their bodies can engage in Yuan cultivation. As long as one possesses a Yuan spirit, they can utilize the power of the Yuan spirit for combat. For instance, it can be used to control a person's consciousness, rendering their body uncontrollable. Additionally, it can transmit sound into the mind. Furthermore, the power of the Yuan spirit can enhance attack strength.

The mysteries of the primordial spirit are merely the tip of the iceberg as mentioned by the shopkeeper to Ma Wu. According to the level of cultivation, it can be divided into ten categories: Cultivator of Life, Cultivator Master, Cultivator, Practitioner, Cultivator King, Cultivator of Asura, Ordinary Cultivator, Cultivator Saint, Cultivator Immortal, and Cultivator God. Each category can further be divided into four stages: Initial Stage, Intermediate Stage, Advanced Stage, and Peak Stage

"That is not the case; at that time, I just felt it was possible. There was no physical reaction at all, just a slight contraction of the muscles," Ma Wu said.

I killed everyone in the village? You wicked people, your own companions killed the people in our village and committed evil in our village. How dare you shift the blame onto me? I hate that I lack the strength and have fallen into your hands

In fact, there was a sentence that Ma Wu did not express. That is, the muscle contractions at that time were completely different from usual. The contractions were not under the control of the sea of consciousness; they were spontaneous. While contemplating this, Ma Wu instinctively touched the ancient book in his arms

"It is done with a knife, one cut at a time," Ma Wu replied

At present, I have not yet made up my mind. Let's first go to Madam Jia's house in the town. We can discuss other matters later. The shopkeeper said this and then headed towards the town.

Listening to that voice, it was indeed Lady Jia's daughter, Jia Cui'er. Ma Wu hurriedly ran over. In fact, Ma Wu not only wanted to save someone but also to see who would dare to tease Jia Cui'er, who had left a profound impression on him.

"The leader of that group that slaughtered the village also claims to be from the Xuan Yin Sect. You still call yourselves a prestigious sect? Bah, what a load of nonsense about being authentic" the shopkeeper said with cold sarcasm

So it was like this; it seems I misunderstood the two of you. My apologies," the innkeeper said helplessly, while thinking to himself: "Clearly, it was you who acted first, yet I have to apologize first. Is there any justice in this?" Especially upon seeing the expressions of those two after the innkeeper's apology, which clearly conveyed that he should have done so much earlier.

"You claim that we killed the people of this village? What a joke! We are disciples of the Xuan Yin Sect, a prestigious and orthodox school." The junior brother retorted angrily

The shopkeeper had long been waiting for Ma Wu at the village entrance. Upon seeing Ma Wu's figure, he waved to him.

"You say you have killed the traitor from our faction. Then we owe you a personal favor this time." The senior brother said, "If you come to my Xuan Yin Sect another day, I will certainly treat you as an honored guest."

Due to the recent battle, the shopkeeper's primordial spirit has been nearly exhausted. Before he could replenish it, he used it again. Coupled with the power of his junior brother's sword infused with primordial spirit energy, he felt a sudden tightness in his chest and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood

When that junior brother attacked, the shopkeeper also realized that the sword carried a force of primordial spirit, and hurriedly summoned his own primordial spirit to defend against it

"The traitor you speak of has already been killed by me, so you need not exert yourselves any further," the shopkeeper said again.

"Controlling the sea of consciousness, could it be that you have a primordial spirit that was inadvertently activated?" the shopkeeper exclaimed in surprise, "Did you feel a surge of power within your sea of consciousness at that time?"

After the senior brothers confirmed that the deceased was indeed the traitor, they expressed their gratitude to the shopkeeper

You... that junior brother was so angry that he couldn't utter a single word. His expression was as if he had swallowed a fly

Ma Wu recalled what had just happened, as if it were a dream. Yet it was indeed real, and a wave of sadness washed over him. He thought of the strange skills of the shopkeeper and couldn't help but ask what was going on.

Little did I expect that the group from earlier had such formidable allies; had I known, I would have taken Ma Wuyuan and left. What a pity, this time it has implicated Ma Wu.