In the quiet night, even though the sky was dark, the surroundings were still visible.
In the room, Qin Ming took a deep breath, exhaled the stale air, cut off distracting thoughts, and brushed away the restlessness in his heart.
The sunstone in the copper basin had just been retrieved, shining brightly. The tips of Qin Ming's hair and the contours of his face were bathed in a brilliant light.
The light from the fire reflected off the windows and walls, making everything look golden. Qin Ming sat still, resembling a scene from an ancient book, where in a temple bathed in the golden glow of sunset, statues basked in the evening light, peaceful and serene.
Soon, he poured the light golden liquid from the porcelain jar into a white bowl. It was fragrant and rich, extracted from honey wine, and even before drinking it, one could feel a slight intoxication.
Traveling merchants had once said that a piece of daytime gold couldn't buy even a drop of essence from an ant's nest.
In the white bowl, the light golden substance seemed to hold the sunlight of the ancient world, shimmering and steaming, curling into mist that wrapped around the gold.
Qin Ming covered the porcelain jar and drank half the bowl of the spiritual substance in one go.
His mouth was filled with sweetness, mixed with a hint of wine, leaving a lingering taste that was a thousand times better than the bitter gall of a blood snake, making him want to drink another bowl.
In an instant, he felt its wonders; his body quickly heated up, the effects were immediate, and he felt like a furnace.
He stepped into the courtyard, and the cold wind blew, but it felt warm against his face. Snowflakes fell like a gentle spring rain, making him feel as if it were early spring.
Qin Ming radiated light, his vitality increasing, pushing back the harsh cold of winter, and a large amount of white mist rose around him.
He was drenched in sweat, his body glistening with a layer of silver light, which then seemed to transform into silver mud. From within him, golden needles shot out.
The golden needles moved through the silver mud, and before he even fell asleep, they began to form a "golden silk jade garment," appearing in its normal state.
"It's different from before," Qin Ming carefully sensed. The strange signs he had when he first experienced rebirth were now undergoing a qualitative change.
Qin Ming confirmed that he was transforming towards heavenly light.
He began to move in the courtyard, demonstrating the rebirth techniques recorded in the silk book. His body movements, breathing coordination, and mental training were all included.
Qin Ming was tireless, continuously practicing the techniques, feeling no fatigue, fresh energy surged within him, and vibrant life spread through his flesh, even the corners of his eyes and brows were glowing.
He knew that the third rebirth had officially begun, and heavenly light was being born within him, undergoing wonderful changes.
"Ancients called this state rebirth for a reason. Each significant improvement in physical quality feels like experiencing a rebirth from the womb."
The birth of heavenly light in the human body was not due to the unusual signs on the surface, but rooted deep within the body; the external was merely a facade.
At that moment, it felt as if thunder struck within Qin Ming's heart, a deafening sound, as a dazzling beam of heavenly light shot out from his heart, penetrating deep into his flesh.
Then, all his organs awakened, some parts shining like the morning glow, radiating golden light with a vibrant initial aura, while other areas felt like a river of stars breaking through the fog, sparkling brightly...
Qin Ming's entire body was glowing; even his dark hair seemed to be burning, flames rising, and a rich power of rebirth enveloped him.
At this moment, even his eyes emitted mysterious heavenly light. This was the third rebirth. If it was sufficient, he would shine from head to toe; heavenly light would be everywhere.
As the heavenly light gradually receded, Qin Ming became more peaceful, blending with his surroundings, moving naturally without any stiffness.
The silk book had many specific descriptions of heavenly light, aiming to explain the elevation of life levels in simple terms.
"I guessed it right. As long as I persist in practicing what is recorded in the silk book, heavenly light will naturally be born, strengthening my spirit and energy."
Qin Ming gained new insights. Although the silk book didn’t mention heavenly light much, it was destined to appear and would be cultivated.
But what about heavenly light energy? He frowned, realizing that this energy needed practice and specific techniques.
He could only hope that after sleeping tonight, childhood memories would resurface, opening the third page of the silk book to find answers for himself.
Then, Qin Ming began to practice combat techniques. He thought for a moment, discarded the long-handled purple gold hammer, and grabbed the chopping knife.
In an instant, the cold light flashed, and Qin Ming felt like light was about to burst forth from his flesh.
"Could it be that heavenly light energy is about to be born?"
He focused on sensing it. Besides practicing with the knife, he also used his fists and feet, employing various efficient killing techniques, some directly derived from the knife techniques, creating a storm in the courtyard.
He didn’t know how long it had been, but as the night was coming to an end, Qin Ming finally felt a bit tired and stopped.
After dinner, Old Liu came to knock on the courtyard door.
Although Qin Ming's body was no longer glowing like a furnace, there was still a vibrant energy flowing within him, and a fresh aura felt like everything was just beginning.
Old Liu looked dazed, and just by looking at Qin Ming, he felt as if he were watching ice and snow melting, grass and trees sprouting anew, a scene full of vitality.
"You just went straight into the third rebirth without any preparation?" he asked in a low voice.
Qin Ming nodded. After their journey through the mountains, they understood each other well and had nothing to hide.
Old Liu was envious.
"You have spiritual substances in hand. How long are you going to wait to calm your mind and adjust your state?" Qin Ming asked.
"Do you think everyone can charge forward like you and achieve rebirth?" Old Liu replied.
He indeed felt uncertain. Even with the essence from the ant's nest, he couldn't guarantee he would achieve the third rebirth.
Because, how far each person could go was truly uncertain.
At the very least, the threshold for the first rebirth blocked nine out of ten people.
Some wise men had estimated that even with spiritual substances, six or seven out of ten people would still be kept outside, unable to achieve even one rebirth.
Without a doubt, the first rebirth did not mean stepping onto a broad path; even with spiritual substances, six or seven out of ten would still be obstructed.
The same went for the third rebirth; with Old Liu's age, how could he feel confident?
Qin Ming comforted him and helped boost his confidence, saying, "You need to have faith that you can traverse the entire realm of rebirth."
Old Liu sighed, saying he had always stumbled at critical moments in his life. He could have experienced rebirth in his prime years, but he got injured in the mountains and fell seriously ill for half a year.
When he was young, he went to Chixia City and was about to apprentice with a famous master, but that elder had to leave unexpectedly and died in the absolute darkness at the edge of the desert.
After returning, Old Liu got close to a group of elders from the mountain patrol. Once, they tried to collaborate on a mysterious substance, but as soon as they entered the mountains, they encountered a crazed beast. The creature merely passed by, not targeting them, yet it nearly wiped them out. He was severely injured, and surviving was a miracle.
Listening to Old Liu's rambling, Qin Ming felt he might be a bit unlucky.
"I've only had this one smooth journey with you in the mountains; everything else is hard to describe, always full of twists and turns," Old Liu sighed.
"Is that called smooth? We fought an ant's nest for four days, and even flying ants we had never seen before evolved," Qin Ming looked at him with a strange expression.
"What about the people around you? Were they affected?" Qin Ming, being skeptical, asked casually.
"They're fine," Old Liu hesitated.
"What do you mean, 'they're fine'?" Qin Ming asked suspiciously.
"I’m like you; I didn’t originally belong to this village. I was picked up by my grandfather when I was six. Maybe I was too young to have any impression of my rebirth parents. I guess they must have had a tough life and might have even passed away; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been left wandering in the freezing cold. It's strange, though; my frostbite was severe, but in the end, it healed, and I survived."
Qin Ming didn’t know how to comfort him, saying, "Don’t think too much about it. I think you should go back, calm your mind, and drink the spiritual substance right away. Don’t hesitate; go for it and achieve the third rebirth directly!"
"I think so too; I should be more decisive!" Old Liu said, pulling out a porcelain jar from his pocket, opening it, and gulping it down.
Qin Ming was stunned, saying, "You came here to drink directly without calming your mind first?"
Old Liu replied, "I feel like I've been lucky walking with you lately, so I came to soak up some of your good fortune."
Then he became excited, feeling a warm sensation, as if he was on fire, and a light mist began to rise within him.
"This is... I really succeeded!" He wanted to laugh but had to keep his voice down.
Qin Ming said, "Don’t be so superstitious; you already had this potential. You just set up barriers in your mind, which sometimes made you indecisive and afraid to take that step forward."
"You can’t say that; some things you can’t not believe in. I think all the troubles are related to the bloody kite I saw when I was young," Old Liu pointed at the night sky.
Qin Ming immediately became serious and asked, "Where exactly?"
"Back then, I was at the fire spring at the village entrance; the kite should have floated to the top of Shuangshu Village..."
Old Liu hurried home, wrapping his fur coat tightly as he ran.
In the deep night, it seemed like "golden silk jade garments" were truly appearing on Qin Ming.
He wondered if ancient emperors were buried in jeweled garments, seeking immortality, and if they had heard something about it.
Qin Ming fell into a deep sleep. In the middle of the night, he experienced that previous state again. Half-awake, he saw his younger self.
Still in tattered little clothes, he looked down and saw two toes poking out from the worn-out shoes.
This time, he finally got a clear look at the man speaking, though it was just a quick glance while flipping through the silk book.
Qin Ming realized this should be a relative of his, as they bore some resemblance.
He was in his fifties, with graying hair, calloused hands, and wearing old clothes with patches.
"Is it my grandfather?" Qin Ming guessed.
As he hoped, the silk book opened to the third page, densely packed with small characters and human figures.
But it really didn’t mention heavenly light energy!
Because it continued the rebirth techniques from the second page, quickly mentioning the five senses and instinctive intuition. He guessed that the fourth rebirth should be related to perception.
"But what about heavenly light energy?!" Qin Ming was so anxious he almost broke out of this state, nearly waking from the dream.
Fortunately, he steadied himself and continued to look down, imprinting the contents of the third page in his mind. Perhaps it wasn’t just memorizing but a re-experiencing of his childhood, recalled with the third rebirth.
Then, he made a new discovery. At the bottom corner of the page, there was a note mentioning heavenly light energy!
Qin Ming read it with a blank face, feeling as if he were scolding himself.
The first half of the note basically said that heavenly light had been born; how could he not cultivate his own heavenly light energy?
Then it mentioned what to do next, just one word: merge!
The second half of the note mocked him, saying that practicing the techniques in the silk book required a master to guide him, and since they had already taught him step by step, if he was still this dull, he might as well give up on the silk book.
"Say whatever you want. I cultivated it myself; no one guided me," Qin Ming woke up.
The heavy darkness of the night had lifted, and a new day had arrived. After breakfast, he immediately went to the courtyard to practice the rebirth techniques from the silk book.
"Seek within yourself!" This was a keyword he saw on the third page of the silk book.
As he demonstrated the rebirth techniques recorded in the silk book, the heavenly light within him stirred once again, just like yesterday. In the end, it felt like it was about to explode, finally manifesting a mysterious ripple at his fingertips and then shaking out heavenly light energy!
With a whoosh, his fingertip touched the knife handle, and the chopping knife stuck to his hand.
Then, he tried a little, applying slight force with his fingers, and the heavenly light energy burst forth, leaving a large notch in the chopping knife.
"Not bad, I finally cultivated my own heavenly light energy." He focused on feeling it, constantly testing, and then naturally thought of that knife manual, which also recorded heavenly light energy.
During the third rebirth, many people struggled to cultivate any heavenly light energy. Qin Ming felt that his potential shouldn't stop at just one type, especially since he had the three-colored flower in hand.
Moreover, the silk book’s note mentioned the word "merge," clearly reminding future practitioners to practice heavenly light energy more.
Qin Ming heard commotion at the village entrance. The people from Jinjiling had indeed come to recruit new rebirth practitioners.
"Everything is ready; I just need a good knife!" Qin Ming took out the piece of sheep fat jade iron. This mysterious material didn’t require extensive forging; it could be melted into weapons, making it much simpler, and he would be able to finish it soon.