"Everything carries the yin and embraces the yang, blending energies to create harmony." Qin Ming pondered this thought, then wrote the name "Qin Ming" on the table with tea.
In his blurry and fragmented memories, Cui Chonghe was his name.
"Why am I here, remembering the name Qin Ming?" He looked at the words on the table, wondering which part was real and which part was false.
He was ragged and covered in blood, feeling utterly defeated, yet he always remembered his name was Qin Ming. But now, why was he gradually recalling another vague life?
Qin Ming thought deeply, taking a deep breath. The colorful mist from the three-colored flower had a rich fragrance. At that moment, as the familiar scent wafted around him, it made him feel like the scene was somehow known to him.
Soon, a memory surfaced in his mind. A group of people dressed in luxurious clothes and adorned with beautiful jade were watching a slightly immature-looking young boy with concern.
On the jade table in front of the boy, there was a three-colored flower and a jar filled with a vibrant medicinal liquid.
Qin Ming wondered who these people were and who the boy was. They all looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember.
Initially, after waking up in this remote place, he only remembered his name was Qin Ming. Later, with each rebirth, he recalled the silk scroll and his grandfather.
"I was there too, but from a distance, quietly watching the boy consume the three-colored flower and the vibrant medicinal liquid."
Qin Ming observed the scene, noticing how the men and women around were very concerned about the boy.
These people were not ordinary; some of the women wore unique hair accessories, like flowing purple mist and a stunning peach blossom surrounded by red clouds.
"The boy looks only thirteen or fourteen years old. He hasn't reached the golden age and isn't following a giant spirit path. How could he dare to be reborn early? And he has reached this level."
Qin Ming was puzzled. Was this truly the foundation of a top-tier family? Able to do what ordinary people could not.
He looked down at the three-colored flower in the jade box, about a foot tall, nourished by heavenly light, a true treasure. The one in front of him was also impressive, with a similar quality.
Qin Ming took the three-colored flower from the jade box, plucking off its crystal-clear petals, and brought them to his mouth.
Indeed, this mysterious product, picked from a special node, contained the essence of heavenly light. As he swallowed it, he felt a burning heat, as if flames were consuming him.
Though he felt pain, he believed he could endure it. Soon, a fire ignited in his abdomen, and the intense heavenly light bloomed within him, threatening to destroy his body.
He remained calm, continuing to pluck petals and stuff them into his mouth, eating more and more.
Qin Ming's whole being began to glow. It was the clash of heavenly light—one from the outside world, breaking through the night and landing on the spiritual mountain, and the other, the inner heavenly light born from his own body.
"It really hurts," he thought, but he didn't stop. After consuming the entire three-colored flower, he chewed the leaves and roots and swallowed them too.
In an instant, the two types of heavenly light within him seemed ready to explode, but his body was resilient enough to suppress the turmoil. Besides the burning pain, it didn't truly harm his vital energy.
In his abdomen, the two heavenly lights intertwined, spinning and chasing each other, forming a circle that eventually merged into one.
With a loud boom, the two types of heavenly light completely fused, then erupted, rushing through his limbs and bones, purifying his entire body once more.
Qin Ming's total amount of heavenly light increased rapidly.
This stimulated his flesh and spirit. In his heart, it felt like a thunderbolt had burst forth, illuminating his body, and his organs and limbs responded, causing new heavenly light to bloom throughout him.
Qin Ming stepped into the courtyard, demonstrating several types of heavenly light techniques, almost breaking through his body, significantly stronger than before.
"Merge!"
He stood there, gathering several types of heavenly light techniques.
At the same time, scenes floated before him again, showing the boy and those dressed in luxurious attire.
"Wow, after three rebirths, he actually merged four types of heavenly light techniques. That's impressive!" An elderly man with white hair and a youthful face praised him.
A woman in palace attire, appearing to be in her thirties, with her hair styled high and adorned with a flowing golden feather, nodded and said, "Although each type of heavenly light technique seems ordinary, this is just the beginning stage of stepping into the clouds. Just this fusion can turn decay into wonder."
The boy was named Cui Chongxuan, still using characters taken from the records of outsiders.
He was sweating and trembling slightly, but he had indeed endured and successfully merged the four types of heavenly light techniques.
The elder said, "Although you haven't stepped into the path of outsiders, your performance after three rebirths is astonishing. If this gets out, it will create a huge stir. Very well done!"
A stern-looking middle-aged man added, "Who can say this path can't lead to the highest peak? I've brought you the invaluable secret manual 'Six Imperial Heart Sutras.' Don't let us down."
Qin Ming quietly watched. He must have been a bystander, far away from the crowd.
He pulled back his thoughts. Why did he feel like he had an extra false life?
Was he Qin Ming or Cui Chonghe?
He didn't know why, but he always felt that Cui Chonghe's life was very illusory.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have completely forgotten it, not even remembering his childhood clearly.
At this moment, Qin Ming had merged all the heavenly light techniques into one, feeling better than ever. The heavenly light within him surged significantly. With such rich heavenly light nourishing his body and spirit, perhaps next time he wouldn’t need to seek spiritual materials; he could directly be reborn and elevate his life level.
"Is merging four types of heavenly light techniques really impressive at the three rebirth stage?" Qin Ming muttered, feeling unconvinced.
He had merged five types of heavenly light techniques, and among them, the cutting and shining techniques were already beyond a single method.
Qin Ming stopped overthinking. He believed he would soon uncover those pasts; many blurry scenes were becoming clearer, and perhaps another rebirth would reveal everything to him.
He tried using the stone grinding plate again, not with his fingers, but just using the back of his hand to manipulate the heavenly light technique, easily tearing apart a rough stone block the size of his palm.
"Sorry, old millstone." In the past two days, even though he had been suppressing his strength, he had still left the grinding plate pockmarked.
"I really seem to be getting strong," Qin Ming said to himself.
But soon, he dampened his own spirits. Just before the shallow night fell, he had experienced a dangerous moment. The outsiders could fly, turn into mist, and become invisible. If it weren't for the jade iron knife, he would have been in trouble!
"I've been following the hints from predecessors, starting to merge various heavenly light techniques, but can the methods from the silk scroll deal with outsiders?"
Qin Ming was uncertain, but he had no choice; he could only continue to grow stronger.
As the shallow night came to an end, Old Liu finally returned. Since he had spent fifteen pieces of daylight gold, he wouldn’t leave early. He stayed for a meal with Old Wu, insisting on watching the night deepen.
"Where in the mountains can you find spiritual materials that allow for four rebirths?" Qin Ming casually asked.
Old Liu quickly waved his hand. "You shouldn't easily approach mutated creatures that have undergone four rebirths. They have backgrounds and are registered by the higher beings in the mountains. Killing them will attract their attention."
Qin Ming understood immediately. It seemed he really should leave this place.
In the mountains, near the great ravine, two bandits frowned deeply. The young man hadn’t returned; had something happened? They felt uneasy.
After all, if the misty outsider's actions were leaked, even they would be implicated.
They had already sent out birds to communicate, seeking advice from their elder.
Finally, as the night thickened, the birds returned, and the two received a reply.
One of the bandits unfolded the letter and said, "The elder says we should wait another day. If he hasn't shown up tomorrow, just forget it as if nothing happened."
The other bandit asked, "We suspect he is imitating the mountain beasts' grave offerings here. Did the elder respond to this matter?"
His companion nodded. "The elder said he might be an outsider beast."
"Isn't he an outsider? How did he become a beast?"
The two bandits leaned together to closely read the reply, first surprised, then they nodded in understanding.
Someone had entered the deep mountains and marshes, adjacent to a perilous area, and transformed into an odd creature. Naturally, some beasts chose to enter the great city to experience the splendor of the human world, and it wasn't impossible for them to eventually become the rulers of a city. There were also creatures that transcended the mundane and became outsider beasts; all of this was normal.
According to the elder's words, nothing was impossible in this world.
The elder reassured them that the misty young man, whether or not he was an outsider beast, could not succeed in his offerings because that grave had long since sunk into the depths of the black and white mountains. Let him bow there; it was nothing to worry about.
The next day, the two bandits from Golden Rooster Ridge left with their men.
Before leaving, the two Golden Rooster knights personally visited nearby villages, telling everyone that each household needed to pay a piece of night silver, and they would come to collect it in the middle of the month.
"Sure enough, these bandits want us to pay." An elder couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
In fact, people had already sensed that when the Golden Rooster Ridge was forcefully recruiting new life, the villagers had guessed that they would suffer heavy losses and would find a way to replenish their strength, ultimately making the nearby villages support them.
But this winter, the villagers outside the mountains were already having a tough time, and now this stirred up a lot of anger, nearly leading to a direct confrontation with them.
Qin Ming heard the commotion outside. He felt it was time to make arrangements for the people and things around him because he could no longer tolerate it and was ready to take action against Golden Rooster Ridge!