Chapter 3342: Leaving The Dwarves

Meng Bai leaned in. "Can others practice these methods? Especially body cultivation?"

The dwarves shook their heads.

"Dwarven cultivation is made for our bodies," Borin said. "Our bones, muscles, and organs are different. Our body cultivation cannot be used by others. Some races have tried. They failed. Some simply collapsed."

Meng Bai exhaled heavily. "Another dead end."

Thalgar shrugged. "Do not be discouraged. When you reach the Ancestral Forge, you can look through our library. The ancestral records contain knowledge of hundreds of body tempering arts across many races. You might find something."

Meng Bai perked up at that.

Rikkan added with pride, "The dwarven library is one of the greatest in the universe."

After some laughs and more drinking, the dwarves insisted on inspecting Lin Mu’s weapons. They began with Cattaleya’s greatsword, then Elyon’s shadowed claws that he sometimes used, and Daoist Chu’s formations tools. They repaired minor imperfections on the spot.

But when they reached Lin Mu’s swords, Afternoon Pine and Ocean Raker, all five dwarves froze.

Thalgar whispered, "They are pristine."

Borin muttered, "No flaws. No chips. No dullness."

Grundar asked in disbelief, "Do you polish and hone them every day? Do you oil them with Fatty Immortal beast marrow? Do you maintain them after every battle?"

Lin Mu shook his head. "I do not."

The dwarves stared.

Lin Mu tapped the sheath on his back. "My Sword Cradle Divine Sheath keeps the blades in perfect condition. It is part of my Sword Dao Embryo’s abilities."

The dwarves’ jaws dropped.

"A Sword Dao Embryo... in the form of a sheath?" Borin whispered. "I’ve seen some but this one... its unheard of."

They all crowded around, examining the faint Dao fluctuations.

Lin Mu let them marvel for several minutes before he chuckled.

"I am glad you like it. But save your awe. Once we reach your ancestral elders, they may faint outright."

The dwarves laughed loudly, raising their tankards again.

Warmth filled the cavern as they all continued to talk, eat, and drink. Even the oppressive heat of the volcano felt comforting for a while.

It was the calm before their long journey.

The next two days spent with the dwarves passed in a blur of heat, metal, and surprising generosity. The Rune Dwarves insisted that Lin Mu take more gifts each time they remembered something they thought "might be useful for a young cultivator."

It reached a point where even Little Shrubby purred under his breath that this was starting to feel like a second reward ceremony from the Shanhu Clan. Lin Mu did not disagree.

The dwarves only became more enthusiastic after Lin Mu presented them with the True Gold Body Forging Arts manual. And when he explained the Burdenless Dominator Physique he had created, every dwarf froze as if turned to stone. The moment he mentioned gravity based tempering, the dwarves’ eyes nearly exploded with excitement.

Grundar Brightsteel grabbed Lin Mu’s shoulders and cried, "Gravity Dao in a physique. The old gravity anvils would have sung if they still existed."

Rikkan muttered that the ancient Gravity Forges were lost long before his grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfathers grandfather. Old Flamebraid rubbed his beard and sighed, saying only a handful of dwarves across history ever managed to cultivate the Gravity Dao. That fact alone made the physique sound like a miracle to them.

The argument that followed was not about the dangers or potential risks, but about which of the dwarves would be allowed to inscribe Lin Mu’s name into their record of notable guests. It took them four hours to decide, and in the end they inscribed it five times, each dwarf adding their own version with more elaborate epitaphs than the before.

After a final feast, and another drinking competition that Cattaleya barely won by a single sip, Lin Mu’s group finally left the volcano. The dwarves accompanied them to the ravine’s entrance and waved until the group’s silhouettes vanished into the smoke and heat.

Their return flight to the Granite Crown Kingdom’s capital city was calm compared to everything they had done recently. Lin Mu, Daoist Chu, Cattaleya, Meng Bai, Elyon, and Little Shrubby spent a few peaceful days resting in the city before heading to the teleportation plaza.

They had scheduled their teleportation on the same day they arrived, but needed to wait for their turn. But the good thing was they did not need to return to their old transit point. This capital had its own large scale teleportation array connecting to the chain of transit worlds used by explorers, merchants, and mercenaries who moved between Immortal Court territories.

They stepped onto the array, watched the runes flare to life, and in the next moment, their bodies dissolved into streaks of white light.

For the next several days, they stayed inside the teleportation channel. It was mostly silent, illuminated by soft flowing luminescence. They repeated this several times, jumping from world to world.

After the seventh world, Meng Bai soon grew restless and began pacing inside the courtyard.

He groaned, "We have been in a teleportation tube for months. I feel like a preserved vegetable."

Cattaleya responded, "At least you are not fermenting."

Elyon chuckled. "Give him another month. He might."

Lin Mu simply meditated, occasionally practicing his skills. Little Shrubby experimented with ingredients that he could safely mix without igniting the courtyard in the teleportation channel.

Finally, after another long drift through spatial currents, the group arrived on their next destination world.

This was the Verdant Moth World, a place covered in enormous floating forests. Great clusters of trees grew on levitating islands the size of cities. Giant moth beasts flitted through the skies like colorful clouds. Below them, the regular land was full of lakes and towering stone pillars covered in moss.

Daoist Chu spent half their time here going through bookstores and local formation markets. Lin Mu helped identify suitable Water Qi materials for Meng Bai as well as himself. Cattaleya enjoyed breaking boulders that were known to release clouds of pollen that glowed like fireworks.

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