Stingy

The village chief said, "It won't be long. Please come with me, Child of Mixed Blood. This old man has a way to make you stronger quickly in a short time, so that you can gain the strength to fight a domain lord."

After saying that, he led everyone toward the center of the village and came to an open space where they could see a stone statue standing in the distance.

"The reason this place is filled with Yao Qi has nothing to do with that Soul Artifact; it's all because of this stone statue. It suddenly fell from the sky and landed here, where it began to emit Yao Qi, which quickly filled the entire Spirit Domain."

Si Ming stared intently and saw that the stone carving depicted a faceless man. Although he had no facial features, he still gave people a sense of unparalleled arrogance. One of his hands was stretched out in front of him, as if he wanted to grasp the entire world in his palm.

Domineering, majestic, and arrogant, its towering figure seems to come from a primordial demon god. Its body is engraved with the marks of history, weathered and timeless. Although it is just a stone sculpture that is not particularly exquisite, it exudes a powerful sense of oppression, making it difficult to look directly at.

—Wandering freely Nine Continents and eight wastelands, what are immortals, Buddhas, gods Gods and Devils worth mentioning? Compassionate waves cannot quell the sea of sins, and the cries of demons throughout the world are met with a smile.

There were no words carved on the stone carving, but the first thing that came to mind for everyone who saw it was this passage.

Si Ming sensed the spiritual will emanating from the stone sculpture and guessed, "Could this also be a Soul Artifact?"

The village chief nodded and said, "Although no one has obtained the Martial Form yet, we believe it is indeed Soul Artifact; it's just that none of us have earned its approval."

After speaking, he turned his gaze to He Qichang with hope, clearly believing that He Qichang could gain Martial Form from it.

He Qichang was still somewhat hesitant, but Si Ming patted him on the shoulder and said, "Why not go up and give it a try? It won't hurt. If you manage to get Martial Form, you'll be rolling in the moon. You don't even need to guess; the Martial Form Rank you get here will definitely be of a high grade and will surely boost your strength significantly."

Having witnessed firsthand Xu Zhengyi's sudden increase in strength after acquiring the Martial Form, He Qichang also felt a sense of anticipation. Although his enemy was dead and he no longer needed to seek revenge, what martial artist wouldn't want to become stronger?

He stepped forward with a solemn expression, extended the five fingers of his left hand, and overlapped them with the five fingers of the stone sculpture's right hand. He released his spiritual consciousness, which gathered entirely on the stone sculpture, communicating with the will it contained.

The next moment, black light flashed and Vicious Qi erupted. He Qichang's body trembled, and he suddenly took several steps back, his face turning pale.

"How did it go? Did you get it?" The village chief seemed more nervous than Si Ming and the others.

He Qichang nodded and slowly said, "Although I can't use it, I'm certain I've obtained the Martial Form."

What Martial Form?

"I'm not sure how you classify items here, so I can't determine which rank it belongs to. However, I do know that the original form of this Martial Form item is 'Qiongqi,' one of the Four Fiends."

"Qiongqi! A third- Martial Form!" Xu Zhengyi exclaimed in surprise. There were very few people in the entire Barbarian Continent who possessed a third- Martial Form.

Upon hearing that he was a third-rank Martial Form, the village chief's wrinkled face relaxed into a smooth one, and he repeatedly said "good, good, good," unable to contain his excitement.

Si Ming stared at the stone carving, stroked his chin, and said to Murong Qing, "Let's give it a try, maybe we can get the Martial Form too." After saying that, he reached out and pressed his hand on it.

There was no response; the other person seemed to dislike some kind of aura emanating from him and was unwilling to communicate with him.

Seeing this, the village chief stroked his beard and smiled slightly, "It's useless. Only those destined for greatness can receive recognition..."

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of light appeared, revealing Murong Qing.

She radiated an aura of purity and sanctity. Looking at her palm, she said with some uncertainty, "I think... I've gained their approval?"

Chapter 517 Stingy

Ignoring the village chief's shock, Si Ming asked, "What Martial Form?"

Murong Qing sensed it for a moment and replied, "It seems to be Black Tortoise."

This answer was exactly what Si Ming had expected. He didn't know when Murong Qing had started associating with Black Tortoise, even though among the Five Sacred Beasts, it was the Vermilion Bird that was often associated with women.

However, Black Tortoise controls water and is usually associated with Great Emperor Zhenwu, Demon Queller, implying the subjugation of all demons and villains. Among the Five Sacred Beasts, it is most suitable to represent justice. It is said that "Born of the Taiyin, the essence of water. Corresponding to Xu and Wei, it combines the form of a tortoise and a snake. It circulates throughout the six directions, awe-inspiring all spirits."

Leaving aside the later addition of the Central Yellow Dragon, if we only consider the Four Symbols, the Black Tortoise is undoubtedly the most successful. Although people usually call the Azure Dragon the head of the Four Symbols, in reality, the Azure Dragon often works as a door god in mountain temples along with the White Tiger. It is just a top-notch henchman, at the level of a double-flower red stick, far inferior to the Black Tortoise, who was promoted by Daoists to the Great Emperor Zhenwu of the North, a commander who commands respect in one region.

Xu Zhengyi said enviously, "Black Tortoise is a fourth-rank Martial Form, and it ranks among the top in the fourth-rank Martial Form."

He Qichang asked in confusion, "But I haven't noticed how much my cultivation has increased?"

Xu Zhengyi explained, "Obtaining Martial Form is only half the battle; you also need Soul Art to unleash its Martial Form potential. Martial Form is like a gold mine; if you don't mine it, it's just unusable ore. I know one Soul Art, but it's only the most basic one, equivalent to the beginner level 'Spirit Cultivation Method.' If you're interested, senior, I can memorize it now."

The village chief quickly replied, "No need. Our village has a 'Dragon Fetus Meditation Method.' Although it's not the most advanced Soul Art, it's still quite good. It was left behind by a soul warrior who mistakenly entered the Spirit Domain. The chosen one already has a foundation in martial arts, so cultivating this technique won't be difficult for him. I believe he'll be able to unleash the power of a third-grade Martial Form very soon."

He Qichang said, "My surname is He. From now on, you can call me He Xiaozi or He Shaoxia, but please stop calling me 'The Chosen One.' It sounds awkward to me."

The village chief repeatedly said he dared not, but when he couldn't refuse, he changed his address to Young Master He.

"May I also listen to this 'Dragon Fetus Meditation Method'?" Murong Qing asked.

The village chief looked at her with a strange expression for a while, unsure how to treat the girl who had also gained Martial Form from the statue. His feelings were quite complicated. Logically speaking, only the chosen ones should be able to obtain Martial Form. If everyone was qualified, why had never anyone in their village received the statue's approval?

But the facts were undeniable, and further thought was pointless. After a moment's consideration, the village chief nodded and said, "If we cannot leave the Spirit Domain, even the best Cultivation Method are nothing but useless inanimate objects. Besides, you are Young Hero He's companion; the more people there are, the greater the hope of defeating the Realm Lord."

Even heroes have companions like warriors, mages, and priests by their side, so the village chief probably sees Murong Qing and the others as similar figures.

Xu Zhengyi was somewhat tempted and wanted to learn the "Dragon Fetus Meditation Method" from them, but he was worried about being rejected and being seen as a cheapskate, so he hesitated.

At this moment, Si Ming complained, "This doesn't make sense. If everyone has the Martial Form of the Four Fiends, it's normal that someone like me, as the embodiment of love and justice, and the natural enemy of evil and criminals, wouldn't be recognized. But since there are also Martial Form of the Five Spirit Beasts, why shouldn't I be recognized? Logically speaking, Murong Qing obtained the Black Tortoise, I should have obtained the Vermilion Bird."

He stared intently at the stone carving, observing it carefully, trying to find a flaw.

However, the stone sculpture possessed a powerful oppressive force, especially after sensing Si Ming's disrespect. Its remaining spiritual will transformed into a chilling majesty, pressing down upon him. Even Si Ming found it quite difficult to look directly at it.

"Tch, you stingy thing. If you won't let me see, then I won't look," Si Ming decisively closed his eyes and stretched out his hands. "Can't I just touch you directly?"

I must say, after closing my eyes, the oppressive feeling lessened considerably, although there was still some residual pressure, it wasn't unbearable.

The saying "the eyes are the windows to the soul" seems to hold a lot of truth; as long as you close the windows, the cold wind can't blow in.

Si Ming immediately began to touch the stone sculpture, from head to toe and back again, carefully examining it as if searching for a flaw.

He could sense the residual will on the stone sculpture surging with feelings of shame and anger, a murderous intent that seemed to say "whoever insults me shall die." However, the stone sculpture was ultimately just an inanimate object. No matter how angry it was, it could only intimidate with its spiritual will and could not launch a real attack. The owner of the stone sculpture probably never imagined that there would be such an audacious and arrogant fellow in the world.