In the dark of night, in front of the forest, Ling Xu and the tabby cat vanished in an instant, disappearing into the vast snowy ground.
It was one thing for them to disappear, but Wei Mo, who stood ten meters tall and wore ancient armor, also vanished just as quickly. His movements were so fast that very few could react.
Only the pure white old weasel waved slowly, calling over a donkey, and leisurely rode off into the deep mountains.
The strange creatures in the dense forest retreated as well. Suddenly, the sky above the vast mountains was filled with many flying beings, and numerous figures could be seen climbing and leaping on the mountains.
Outside the mountains, in the snowy fields, nobles from Chixia City, members of the patrol team, and local newcomers all scattered in different directions.
Even after walking a good distance away, people were still discussing how seeing high-level beings today made the trip worthwhile.
"Who is that feather-clad woman? I've never heard of her in Chixia City. She's really impressive."
"She must be the expert the city lord invited from afar."
Some young people were especially excited and energized. After witnessing a glimpse of the higher-ups' abilities, they kept chatting, feeling like they had entered a whole new world.
"Is that the limit we can reach in the future?"
"Wake up! There's only one city lord in Chixia City. Your limit is to work hard for twenty years to try and get into the city lord's mansion as a servant."
...
On the way, even the noble heirs like Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing couldn't help but chat.
"Cousin, what level have you reached now? You're also on the path of the Giant Spirit. You're already over three meters tall, while that guy named Wei Mo is ten meters. I feel like you're not too far apart in height, does that mean your strength is similar too?"
"Shut up!" Cao Long's expression changed immediately. They hadn't even left the mountains yet, and he stopped his younger cousin from speaking. "Senior Wei was already twenty to thirty meters tall twenty years ago. Now that he's changing back, we can't even guess what level he's at."
Just then, a silver-haired elder from the patrol team approached and asked, "Is there anyone from the Wang family here in Chixia City?"
People immediately realized it was about Wang Nian Zhu, who had killed a nest of spiritual creatures—blood snakes—and was suspected of harming several patrollers in the process.
"Nian Zhu is missing, and we're looking for him too," a middle-aged man replied.
"Is he fleeing out of fear of punishment?" the silver-haired elder said. Though his face was lined with wrinkles, he still looked vigorous, with cold light flashing in his eyes.
If it were ordinary patrollers, the Wang family wouldn’t care much, but now the situation had changed; someone from above was inquiring, and they were cautious.
Because the top person in charge of the patrol team was the deputy city lord of Chixia City.
"We're also looking for him. I believe Nian Zhu wouldn't do something like this," the middle-aged man said, then accompanied the elder to the side of the snowfield to explain something.
...
In Shuangshu Village, Qin Ming, Old Liu, and Xu Yueping looked out at the falling snow. They were in a warm room, eating hot donkey meat from a copper pot and drinking fine wine dug up from the patrol team's base.
Qin Ming, who originally had no interest in wine, was now feeling a bit tipsy. He didn't expect that Wang Nian Zhu, whose name he only learned after his death, would still have such a significant impact.
After smoothly undergoing his second rebirth, Qin Ming sipped leisurely, feeling quite relaxed.
He gazed out the window, his thoughts drifting. His heart wasn't so calm—where exactly was Luoyue City? He had to go see it eventually.
That night two years ago, a great fire consumed the entire village, and the feather-clad youth walked through the ruins, his actions ruthless...
He could never forget those scenes.
Qin Ming sighed inwardly. If he didn't know about the past, he could live peacefully, but now he felt the need to speed up his progress.
"Little Qin, is it just my illusion? You seem more energetic than before, and you look a bit taller," Old Liu remarked. Though he was old, his eyes were sharp.
In front of him and Xu Yueping, Qin Ming didn't use "Harmony of Light and Dust," so his aura was indeed a bit different from before.
Xu Yueping nodded and said, "Yes, there's some change. Your eyes seem clearer, and you look more handsome."
After his second rebirth, Qin Ming's height had increased by less than half an inch. Only those who were particularly familiar with him would notice such a change.
He had confirmed that the new rebirth method recorded in the silk book wouldn't make someone continuously grow taller.
He smiled and replied, "I'm only sixteen; my body hasn't fully developed yet. I might change a bit every few days."
After this rebirth, besides having two thousand pounds of strength in his arms, his flexibility and speed had also greatly improved, making his strength grow rapidly.
Late at night, everything was quiet, and the world felt like a giant abyss ready to swallow all light.
Suddenly, deep in the mountains, a silver flash of lightning cut through the dark night, red clouds stained the peaks, and a giant wielding a black spear roared as he broke through the mountain's summit, as if to shake the mountains and cause a terrifying avalanche.
"They've made their move!"
On a high slope outside the mountains, a woman in a black fur cloak was gazing at the clearly abnormal and terrifying night scene, her eyes sparkling with light.
A purple-eyed crow perched on a low tree spoke, "Those high-level beings from outside can't be stopped. They'll have to retreat tonight. If things go well, we can enter the mountains in two days to search for the place where the five-colored smoke shines."
Behind the woman and the crow, there were some shadows, and someone spoke up, "The high-ups from Chixia City and the original creatures in the mountains have joined forces. Those migrating high-level beings won't be able to resist, and some powerful creatures might be left behind as rare spiritual materials."
The tall woman in the cloak stared into the depths of the mountains without turning around and said, "You Liangyun, when the mountain sweep begins, go assess a person for me. If you win, don't kill him. If you lose, don't come back to Liuguang City with me; just return to your Chixia City and be a noble young master."
Behind her were more than ten people, and one young man froze at her words, his hands tightening in his sleeves.
He was a noble from Chixia City, part of the You family’s direct line. He had been hopeful when the woman was selecting people in the city, but in the end, he didn’t even qualify to be a backup.
In the end, it was only through the connections of his family elders and at a great cost that he managed to get a chance to go to Liuguang City with the woman.
Not for anything else, but he wanted to hear the mysterious teacher's secret methods; learning for even a year or so would be worth it.
But now, he felt the pressure. What kind of person did she want him to assess? He hoped he wouldn’t lose even the qualification to follow her.
The woman's graceful figure continued to gaze into the depths of the mountains and said, "His name is Qin Ming, one of the only two new beings with a golden foundation in this area this year. Your You family has people here; I believe you can find out quickly. Remember, I'm asking you to assess him, don't use any underhanded methods."
"Okay, I'll go find someone to check," You Liangyun turned to leave, a cold glint in his eyes.
The crow watched him go and said, "You Liangyun could lift six hundred fifty pounds when he first rebirthed. This year in Chixia City, he is weaker than another man and woman. When he established his golden foundation, there were no signs of anything unusual."
The woman nodded and said, "Qi Huai'en, follow him. I actually want to see You Liangyun's character. He originally didn't qualify to go with me to see the teacher. If he doesn't perform well this time, then there's really no need for him to follow along. Qi Huai'en, also check on that Qin Ming to see if he can be one of the backups."
That night, many sharp newcomers outside the mountains sensed something and climbed high to look toward the mountains.
Because the commotion in the mountains was too great, even from a distance, they could hear the terrifying roars of the strange creatures.
Deep in the mountains, chaos erupted. A large number of strange insects and birds flew into the night sky, fleeing in panic, while the sounds of monkeys and tigers echoed in the dense forest.
Even far away in Yinteng Town, the mysterious old noble received reports immediately.
His hair was silver and glistening, and his complexion was rosy and bright. At that moment, he donned a fox fur coat, moving lightly like a wisp of smoke, and instantly appeared on the highest building of his residence.
Despite the heavy night fog at this hour, he still gazed toward the mountains, softly saying, "I hope something precious is born at this special node."
"Are they fighting?" Qin Ming jumped onto the roof, looking toward the mountains. Shuangshu Village wasn't too far away, so he couldn't help but be on guard.
Fortunately, although the mountains were chaotic that night, the disturbance hadn't spread to the outer areas. One side held absolute control, managing the pace of events.
The next day, many people were discussing how the weather had changed in the mountains!
Without a doubt, people from Chixia City and local newcomers were about to be allowed into the mountains to search for special nodes and gather possible rare resources.
As night fell, after having breakfast, Qin Ming began practicing the new rebirth methods recorded in the silk book. His body felt like it was hiding a furnace, continuously providing him with strength.
Then, he practiced the combat techniques from the knife manual. Now, swinging the long-handled black gold hammer felt as easy as waving a stick, light and effortless.
Xu Yueping pushed the door open and saw him shaking the heavy black gold hammer with ease, which startled him for a moment. But he quickly said, "Little Qin, stop practicing your hammer techniques. Your future father-in-law has sent someone to invite you for a meeting."
"Huh?" Qin Ming was taken aback, looking confused.
"The old noble from Yinteng Town specifically wants to see you," Xu Yueping informed him.
Upon hearing this, Qin Ming understood and calmly asked, "It's not just to see me alone, right?"
"Well... they will definitely pick someone, but you and Zhou Wubing are the only two who have established a golden foundation, so you will stand out. But at this critical moment..." Xu Yueping frowned. After the last incident, he had thought deeply and realized that the previous decision had indeed been a bit careless.
"If I don't go, will it offend him?" Qin Ming asked.
Xu Yueping nodded and said, "It would indeed seem disrespectful. It’s said that nobles from Chixia City have visited him in Yinteng Town. He seems to have quite a background, possibly from a significant place."
Qin Ming smiled, "Then I'll go for a visit, enjoy some food and drink. At this critical moment, there’s likely some benefit to gain."
"You!" Xu Yueping laughed and pointed at him.
Xu Yueping had thought it over seriously and felt that going wouldn’t be harmful. With so many powerful experts from Chixia City around, what could the old noble want from a newly reborn teenager? If there was really something important, he could just play along; he could still take advantage of it.
"Alright, I’ll head over soon, and I’ll take a look at his daughter. Why is that noble lady so worried about getting married?" Qin Ming said.