**Chapter 630: Source Skill, Nine-Character Mantra**
Shulin Muyu was startled, but he quickly calmed down and respectfully saluted the old man, "Greetings, senior."
The old man had a kind and benevolent face and repeatedly said, "No need for such formalities, no need for such formalities."
Although the old man was being polite, Shulin Muyu dared not be disrespectful and maintained proper etiquette.
Shulin Muyu knew that anyone who could appear before him without a sound and without alerting his soul must be extraordinary.
The old man seemed very pleased with Shulin Muyu’s attitude, "So, are you satisfied with your source skill?"
"Senior, are you saying that what I obtained is called a source skill?" This was the first time Shulin Muyu had heard the term "source skill."
The old man smiled faintly, "Why? Is there something wrong with the name of the skill?"
Shulin Muyu quickly shook his head, "No, it’s very fitting."
**[Source Rune], [Source Secret Realm], [Source Skill]**, indeed, there was a sense of continuity.
The skill came from the Source Rune, so calling it a source skill was indeed very fitting.
The old man smiled and said, "Do you see that big bird in the sky?"
Shulin Muyu looked at the enormous creature in the sky. It covered the sky and the sun, and what he saw was just the tip of the iceberg. He couldn’t even tell what kind of creature it was.
But since the old man said it was a bird, it must be a bird.
Shulin Muyu could only nod, "I see it."
The old man smiled and said, "It’s not its true form, just a shadow. Its true form is at least ten thousand times larger."
Shulin Muyu was startled again. It already covered the sky and the sun.
Standing below, he could only see a part of it, and its length was estimated to be over several hundred kilometers, no smaller than a city.
If it were magnified ten thousand times, wouldn’t it be comparable to the sun, moon, and stars?
Could such a gigantic creature really exist in the world?
Shulin Muyu did not hide his shock, and the old man seemed very pleased with this effect, smiling as he said, "It’s called the Source Bird, carrying the Source Bloodline."
"The Source Bloodline is a great treasure, extremely precious. Unfortunately, it carries a great treasure but is not strong enough and doesn’t know how to use it."
"Ultimately, it was captured and killed by an invincible strongman, who used blood refining to create the Nine-Character Mantra."
"Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Zai, Qian."
The old man spoke each word slowly, his tone somewhat flat.
But each word shook Shulin Muyu’s heart like an earthquake.
**[Source Rune]** actually came from this.
The old man continued, "Strongmen from all realms fought over the Nine-Character Mantra, staining the starry river with blood. My master obtained the Nine-Character Mantra, created the [Source Secret Realm], and transformed the Nine-Character Mantra into nine [Source Runes]."
At this point, the old man stopped speaking.
Shulin Muyu knew that he had already said enough. From these few words, he had revealed too much information.
Source Bird, invincible strongman, the master of the secret realm...
Combining this with the scene he saw when he entered the pavilion, Shulin Muyu speculated that the old man’s master might be the old man riding the green ox.
And that old man might be the legendary Taoist ancestor of ancient China, Laozi, who wrote the **Dao De Jing**. Shulin Muyu dared not ask; if the other party didn’t say, he couldn’t ask.
He understood this principle.
If one’s strength is insufficient, knowing too much often leads to a quicker death.
Shulin Muyu’s thoughts raced, "So the Source Bird was just killed like that? Aren’t monsters supposed to be able to resurrect after being killed?"
The old man laughed heartily, extremely pleased.
"Yes, yes... monsters can resurrect after being killed..."
Shulin Muyu’s expression remained unchanged as he analyzed the meaning behind the old man’s laughter.
Although the old man had a kind face and looked harmless, such beings were unpredictable and should not be judged by appearances.
Shulin Muyu, being cautious by nature, immediately followed the old man’s words, "So, can the Source Bird be repeatedly killed to continuously obtain the Nine-Character Mantra?"
He pretended to be ignorant, but his heart was clear. He guessed that once the Source Bird died, it was impossible to resurrect.
Otherwise, countless strongmen wouldn’t have fought over the Nine-Character Mantra, staining the starry river with blood.
However, he had to appear ignorant to learn more from the old man.
The old man laughed for a long time, looking extremely happy, almost to the point of tears.
After laughing heartily, he finally spoke, "I’m not teasing you. Little one, in your world, there are rules that allow monsters to resurrect after death."
"But the Source Bird is different. There is only one Source Bird. Once it dies, it is truly dead."
"Although the Source Bird cannot resurrect, the [Source Runes] transformed from the Nine-Character Mantra can be infinitely replicated and exist in various forms."
"However, if you want the [Source Runes] to reach the level of the true mantra, it is almost impossible."
Shulin Muyu showed a look of disappointment, "Is there no way at all?"
The old man shook his head, "It’s not that there’s no way, but it’s extremely difficult. The Nine-Character Mantra, if you can master just one of them, you have the chance to become an invincible strongman. It’s not something easily achieved."
"I have studied it for countless years. Politics."
The old man stopped again, still unable to continue.
Shulin Muyu’s face still showed disappointment, as if he hadn’t heard the old man’s words, "An invincible strongman... So, senior, your master obtained all the Nine-Character Mantras. Isn’t he super invincible?"
The old man laughed again, "My master’s realm is beyond your and my comprehension. My master doesn’t even care about the Nine-Character Mantra."
"But speaking of which, you are quite fortunate to have obtained two [Source Runes] and transformed one of them into a source skill."
"The rules of your world are indeed a bit strange. I don’t know which supreme being created these rules, but they are quite interesting."
Shulin Muyu showed a look of confusion, as if he didn’t understand the old man’s words.
The old man didn’t mind and continued, "Enough idle talk. Let’s discuss your second [Source Rune]."
Shulin Muyu respectfully saluted, "I am all ears, senior."
The old man said, "The [Source Rune] comes from the Nine-Character Mantra. Obtaining one is a great fortune, and obtaining two is an even greater fortune."
"But since ancient times, many have obtained the [Source Rune], but few have transformed it into a ’source skill.’ You have already obtained one ’source skill,’ which is a supreme fortune. As for the second [Source Rune]..."
The old man’s meaning was clear; he didn’t want Shulin Muyu to continue.
But he didn’t say it explicitly.
Shulin Muyu, having experienced similar secret realms, realized that there might be some rules restricting the old man from speaking clearly.
However, his meaning was already very clear, even a fool could understand.
Shulin Muyu indeed understood, but he still pretended not to, even showing some urgency, "What about the second [Source Rune]? Please, senior, speak clearly."
The old man’s eyes flickered, unable to discern anything from Shulin Muyu’s expression.
If Shulin Muyu were over fifty, he could be sure that Shulin Muyu was pretending not to understand.
But Shulin Muyu was too young; he could tell that Shulin Muyu’s bone age was not even 22 years old.
Such a young person might really not understand his words.
But he couldn’t say it explicitly.
According to the rules of the secret realm, he could only answer Shulin Muyu’s questions, "If you want to transform the second [Source Rune] into a source skill, the difficulty will increase exponentially. I suggest..."
Before he could finish, Shulin Muyu eagerly said, "My teacher once told me that no matter how difficult the path ahead, one must try. A true warrior should not fear failure. Even if one dies, losing one’s head is just a scar. Eighteen years later, one will be a hero again."
"And I believe that senior will not watch me die. According to our human records, no one has ever died in the [Source Secret Realm], not even been injured."
The old man’s mouth twitched, and Shulin Muyu’s words left him speechless.
Indeed, no one would die in the [Source Secret Realm], but that was another matter.
The old man’s eyes flickered, "Have you ever thought that no one has died because those who came out were alive? The truly dead cannot speak to the outside world."
Shulin Muyu understood his meaning, trying to tell him that death was possible, but the dead couldn’t speak outside.
But Shulin Muyu detected a hint of urgency in his words.
It was clear that the old man didn’t want him to continue.
This further confirmed his suspicion that there was something hidden.
He immediately said, "Senior, I have decided. I must try. If I truly die, then it means I am not destined, and my fate is not great enough!"
The old man stared at Shulin Muyu for a long time, speechless.
Shulin Muyu’s face was sincere, full of anticipation.
He looked like a naive young man, unaware of the dangers of hell, ready to charge in.
In the end, the old man could only follow the rules of the secret realm, "Since that’s the case, let’s begin."
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