"To do a good job, one must first sharpen their tools," Qin Ming said softly.
What he was about to do could very well stir up a storm in this area, and even attract attention from the nearby Chi Xia City. He needed to be well-prepared.
Besides lacking a good knife, Qin Ming also needed to practice one or two more types of Heavenly Light Techniques.
He already had a knife manual in his possession, and with the help of Old Liu, who had persuaded a once-prominent but now declining family, Qin Ming was likely to gain another Heavenly Light Technique. With the addition of the three-colored flower, it would clearly enhance his strength, and he was determined to make it happen!
"Who is Qin Ming?"
At the village entrance, someone from Jinji Ridge was calling out, directly mentioning Qin Ming's name.
"They really are paying attention to me," Qin Ming thought, surprised. It was clear that two bandits had specifically instructed their men.
Old Liu hurried over, worried that after his third rebirth, Qin Ming might become overly confident and refuse to back down. If he rejected Jinji Ridge, it wouldn't be long before disaster struck.
Even though Old Liu was frustrated after being grabbed by the collar by the bandits, he knew the situation was dire. He whispered, "Just go along with it for now."
"Don't worry, I'm not that impulsive," Qin Ming replied calmly as he walked to the hot spring and nodded under the black and white tree, agreeing to join Jinji Ridge and letting them register him.
"That sheep of yours is really strong, very well taken care of," a young man from Jinji Ridge said, spotting the black goat at Yang Yongqing's house.
Then, without hesitation, he pulled out the sturdy old goat, which was almost as tall as a person.
"Brother, I've grown attached to this goat; you can't take it!" Yang Yongqing quickly stopped him. The black goat was getting stronger and was about to mutate; he truly couldn't bear to part with it.
"To protect you villagers living near the mountains, Jinji Ridge has suffered heavy losses this time, and there aren’t many roosters left. This black goat is quite good; it can be used as a mount," the young man said.
He then glanced at Yang Yongqing and added, "Hmm, you're also a newcomer. Why not sign up for Jinji Ridge too? After all, you’re the goat's owner, so riding it is perfect. If someone else tries, it might not cooperate, and then it would be killed for meat."
Yang Yongqing's face turned sour; he found it ridiculous that they not only wanted to take the goat but also wanted to take him along.
Qin Ming spoke up, "Our village is small; I can go alone, right?"
"Right now, we are short on hands, so having another black goat rider would be great. Come on, I’ll register you," the young man insisted, forcibly writing down Yang Yongqing's name.
During this, Old Liu, who also lived at the village entrance, rushed home, kicked his big yellow dog into its kennel, and warned it not to show its face.
The young man from Jinji Ridge rode away on a golden rooster, and surprisingly, he was also a second-time newcomer. Before leaving, he told Qin Ming and Yang Yongqing to report to Jinji Ridge in five days.
"Time isn’t on my side; I need to hurry!" Qin Ming thought to himself.
Xu Yueping patted Yang Yongqing on the shoulder and said, "Try to stay positive. Although the people from Jinji Ridge aren't the best, the treatment there shouldn't be too bad."
Because of this, not everyone disliked their recruitment; some newcomers from other villages even volunteered, not caring about their bad reputation.
"Didn’t they almost get wiped out in the Great Rift?" Yang Yongqing whispered.
Old Liu replied, "Everyone knows that entering the Great Rift can lead to bloodshed over mysterious resources. So, those who remain at Jinji Ridge must have some connections. This group is probably worse; a casual swing of their blade could easily kill the wrong person."
Qin Ming glanced at him. Old Liu's face was flushed, indicating he was in the middle of his third rebirth.
Fortunately, the two bandits from Jinji Ridge weren't around; otherwise, they would have noticed something off about him.
Then, Qin Ming went to Old Liu's house to discuss borrowing the manual.
"They reluctantly agreed, but their price might be very high. Let's go together tomorrow," Old Liu said, as his third rebirth wasn't over yet.
Qin Ming nodded. The process of human rebirth would take until tomorrow for him as well.
"You can't go on like this; your face is flushed. If a skilled person sees you, they'll definitely notice something's wrong," Qin Ming taught him a technique called "Harmony with Light and Dust," which was practical and easy to learn.
If Old Liu were to be exposed, Qin Ming's situation would also be hard to hide.
"Good, I was worried about running into those two bandits from Jinji Ridge again," Old Liu said.
Then, he quietly asked, "Have you cultivated the Heavenly Light Technique yet? They say the more you practice, the better. The truly famous techniques are all a combination of different styles. I have one here called the Silk Binding Technique, taught to me by an old mountain ranger years ago. You can try practicing it."
"Great!" Qin Ming naturally wouldn't refuse. The manual emphasized that "merging" was key!
"Do you want me to teach you a Heavenly Light Technique?" Qin Ming asked, ready to return the favor.
"Forget it; I think what you’re practicing is not simple. You're not from here and must have some background, so it's better not to get involved. In the realm of third rebirth, one Silk Binding Technique is enough for me to practice. Tomorrow, I can benefit from seeing the secret manual of a local family."
"Alright!" Qin Ming nodded. The techniques in the manual were definitely not something outsiders could master, and the knife manual was currently not suitable for public view.
He returned to his small courtyard and began to comprehend the Heavenly Light Technique he had practiced, preparing to study others once he mastered it.
With a swift motion, he touched the hammer handle and quickly brought it to his hand.
In fact, even using the back of his hand to touch it, when the Heavenly Light Technique fluctuated, he could draw the long-handled hammer to him. This showed a "sticky" characteristic.
If used in battle, if his hand barely touched the opponent, he could directly stick to and tear away their flesh.
Qin Ming tried to exert force, and the Heavenly Light Technique burst forth, causing the edge of the stone mill to "stick" to his hand.
Moreover, this Heavenly Light Technique had strong penetrating power; when his fingers glowed, stone chips flew everywhere, and his fingertip penetrated into the stone mill.
After studying, Qin Ming found that his Heavenly Light Technique had some connection in all directions, and most importantly, it was incredibly practical.
Soon after, he began practicing Old Liu's Silk Binding Technique. The content was brief and relatively easy to grasp, but it had its intricacies. When this technique was used, it moved like a silk thread, focusing on the word "binding," emphasizing using skill to overcome strength and defeating the strong with the weak.
"This must be a technique developed by old mountain rangers during their battles with giant beasts," Qin Ming realized.
This wasn’t a complicated Heavenly Light Technique, but it was very useful in real combat.
Qin Ming studied it seriously and, after half a day, had managed to grasp it. He couldn't say he was proficient yet, but he could use it.
"It seems my talent isn't bad."
Now, if he were to encounter Huang Jingde and the old man from Jinji Ridge again, Qin Ming believed that without using his great strength, he could easily knock them both around with just the Silk Binding Technique.
"Wow?!" What surprised him even more was that the Silk Binding Technique fit perfectly with his own Heavenly Light Technique, directly merging into the "Sticky Technique."
He successfully merged another technique for the first time, which filled him with joy.
Qin Ming tried it out, and the merged Heavenly Light Technique was even stronger!
"Just as I was starting to practice the Silk Binding Technique, it got quickly absorbed. I can't do that; I need to practice it separately first. After consuming the three-colored flower, I’ll fully master the Silk Binding Technique before merging it with my original Heavenly Light Technique."
Qin Ming sat on the stone mill in the courtyard to rest, planning to study the techniques in the knife manual soon.
At that moment, he felt a sense of joy from his gains, gazing at the night sky, his eyes seemingly seeing one magnificent city after another standing on the vast, dark land far away.
He wanted to travel far and hoped to gain more Heavenly Light Techniques, to see what the prosperous places were truly like, filled with treasures and talented people.
Suddenly, Qin Ming's pupils contracted, but he quickly relaxed and kept calm, as if nothing had happened.
However, his heart was not at peace; a storm was brewing within him because he saw a patch of black mist, slithering like a spirit snake, coming from afar and swirling above the village.
Eventually, it descended, likely reaching the ground.
Initially, Qin Ming was filled with joy, but now he faced this situation.
What was it exactly? His heart was turbulent, but he had to pretend to be calm, acting as if nothing had happened.
Others couldn’t see the black mist moving in the sky; even Old Liu, after his second rebirth, had felt nothing during their last encounter at the Great Rift.
Qin Ming forced himself to stay calm. He absolutely couldn't act strangely, especially since his jade-like iron hadn’t been forged into a weapon yet, and he couldn't deal with those special things.
He quietly returned to his room and began flipping through the damaged knife manual. At first, he couldn’t focus, but gradually he got into it.
This ancient book contained the hard work of those before him, and Qin Ming resonated with the lingering emotions, uncovering secrets beyond the pages themselves.
Thus, he was filled with high hopes for the techniques in the knife manual.
"Hmm?"
Today was truly full of surprises. While flipping through the techniques, Qin Ming sensed two strong emotions.
One was undoubtedly from the old man who wrote the knife manual, while the other came from notes left by later readers.
"I wish I could master the Buddha's Might!" That emotion seemed to emanate from this passage.
Qin Ming's heart raced. Did this person really have contact with it?