Chapter 243 — Bowing the Head in Submission
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 4
The village head was furious, the wrinkles on his face twitching wildly. If Shen Mu truly used the sword pill, the power of his sword art would surge, and he might well be defeated.
Shen Mu shook his head.
"Grandpa Mute, the village head used no weapon, so I cannot either. Otherwise he would not lose with a whole heart. " The mute smith rolled his eyes, wearing an expression that said there was no saving him.
Shen Mu went on pondering, revising his Sword Treads Mountains and Rivers, but every clash ended the same way. Every failure brought him new insight, making his Sword Treads Mountains and Rivers more and more perfect; yet every improvement was followed by failure.
At last, after that final failure, Shen Mu found that he could no longer improve the move at all. His vision, his experience, could rise no higher.
Shen Mu was stunned, and then in a flash he understood.
He unleashed a move from the Setting Sun Sword Art — Sun Sinks, the River Surges — his sword art like the surging river, a red sun half sunk in the midst of the water, and from the red sun countless sword lights burst forth. He had practiced this move only once or twice, yet the power he displayed was terrifying, as though he had steeped in the move for a hundred years.
Shen Mu was filled with admiration, and bowed down before the village head, performing the rite of taking a master. The village head laughed, "Get up.
There need not be so many rules.
These days I will teach you the other moves of the sword diagram; with your present attainment, they should not be hard to learn.
. . Mute smith, you wretch, you still have the face to come out and offer congratulations!
"