Qin Ming rubbed his temples. Every time he tried to recall those fragmented memories, a slight headache would come, leaving him feeling mentally exhausted.
It was easy to imagine just how deep his wounds were from the past. He had been reborn time and again, constantly improving his physique, yet still had not fully recovered.
However, he was sure it would not be long now. As he underwent this continuous rebirth, he would eventually resolve the last few lingering issues in his body.
"Such disjointed images... my life feels like a patchwork, almost fake," Qin Ming frowned.
In his childhood, he had lived a life of poverty, clothes tattered and patched. Yet, by the time he reached his thirteenth or fourteenth year, everything had changed.
In those broken pictures, he had galloped alongside beasts outside a grand city on a formidable mount, its scales shimmering with a vague, mystical light—definitely not an ordinary creature.
Additionally, he had lived in a massive mansion filled with exquisite and luxurious objects.
In that place, the important figures wore splendid attire and adorned themselves with beautiful jade. Their daily lives and travels were full of style. Even the women’s hairpieces were extraordinary, some using feathers flowing with golden light as hairpins, while others twined bright, dripping peach blossoms among their locks.
In this magnificent mansion, he was called Cui Chonghe and was regarded as a direct descendant. He had witnessed a boy named Cui Chongxuan, who was about a year younger, skillfully consuming a three-colored flower and successfully merging four types of celestial energy, garnering much admiration.
"So puzzling," Qin Ming muttered to himself.
He was indeed a direct descendant there, and he could feel that his situation was not bad—living in luxury and being transported by rare beasts. But why had he not embarked on the path of cultivation?
After Cui Chongxuan merged the four types of celestial energy, it had caused a stir, and the elders of the Cui family praised him highly, considering him remarkable enough to seek out the invaluable "Six Imperial Heart Sutra" for him.
"Merging four types of celestial energy doesn't seem like such a big deal," Qin Ming pondered. In this remote place, he had easily surpassed that with his own efforts.
There were some things he couldn’t understand, and the images available to him were still too few.
"Fourteen years old was probably a turning point," Qin Ming recalled other incomplete memories.
At that time, he went back to a life of poverty. His clothes were no longer splendid and had become ordinary, even shabby; he had become a boy in a village.
Until one fateful night, a youth in feathered garments led a group into the village, and a raging fire engulfed the entire area, almost killing everyone. He was severely injured.
Qin Ming wrote down a few numbers on the table with tea: three, thirteen, fourteen, sixteen—each representing different ages and lives he had led, starkly different, like a patched together, fake life.
At the same time, he searched through the shattered past and had learned the name of the woman in feathered garments he had seen last night—Li Qingyue.
At thirteen or fourteen, he often traveled with peers of similar age, riding rare beasts, and Li Qingyue was often part of those memories, one of his closer friends.
"Is it because we met in a remote place and she doesn’t recognize me now? Is it because I’ve fallen from grace, far away from the Cui family? Or is it due to some deeper reason stemming from the events of two years ago that I still cannot reach?"
Qin Ming twisted the timeline in his mind, but the more he tried to recall, the more fragmented and unreal some of those life segments felt, like rootless duckweed—almost alien to him.
He shook his head and resolved not to dwell on it any longer. What good would it do to know more? He was far from that grand city now and lost in this place, unable to change anything for the moment.
What truly mattered was to build his strength, and as he advanced in his life’s journey, those things would naturally come back to him.
Qin Ming focused his thoughts and resumed reading an old, yellowed book in front of him.
"Though the name 'Yellow Mud Palm' isn’t pleasing to the ear, according to the ancient texts, it is a very orthodox and exceptional technique…"
Qin Ming was astonished; the subsequent notes indicated that everyone who practiced this technique held it in high esteem, believing it to be quite powerful, but due to their innate talent, many people could not reach advanced levels.
Some comments belonged to older renowned figures, who claimed that the Yellow Mud Palm was not even slightly inferior to the lethal techniques of higher-level energy arts.
This piqued Qin Ming’s interest completely, and he prepared to dedicate himself to studying this book earnestly.
Gradually, a thick fog surrounded him, and then an old man appeared, demonstrating various free-hand techniques in the world below, from the transformation of life’s levels to the cultivation of celestial energy, and then to the miraculous transformations of the Yellow Mud Palm…
By the end, Qin Ming was in awe, his thoughts soaring as he exited that enchanting realm.
This ancient text captivated him to the point he couldn’t help but applaud in admiration.
“If I could reach that level, my skills would be nearly divine!”
The name “Yellow Mud Palm” came from the creator's great modesty. This palm technique, practiced to a minor level of mastery, could penetrate bones, shatter organs, and tear apart the body within through skin and flesh.
“This is the marvelous application of soft energy,” Qin Ming surmised. This celestial energy was certainly not a single energy technique; it must have fused various secret energies, or it wouldn't be so strong.
“With further mastery, the soft celestial energy can break through, shatter armor, and tear apart skin and scales with ease, devastating and unyielding.”
Next, Qin Ming directly flipped to the last page, and various scenes gradually appeared.
“The ultimate realm of Yellow Mud Palm actually resulted in the emergence of a special power, condensing threads of earthly energy from celestial energy, greatly increasing its might.”
In the scenes Qin Ming saw, the old man stood on the ground, his feet able to absorb the earth’s vitality, merging with the celestial energy, while the earthy essence between his hands grew thicker, gradually solidifying, as if yellow mud had adhered to his hands.
He waved his right hand, and a monstrous beast, resembling a small mountain, was effortlessly struck by his palm, shattering like a pile of meat, turning the ground red.
"Impressive!"
This had clearly surpassed typical combat techniques and was very unusual. The expression “near divine skills” stemmed from this high-level approach that broke through common methods.
“Reaching the highest realm would be extremely difficult,” Qin Ming sighed. He had confidence in his understanding; coupled with emotional resonance, he could attain the old man's experiences and insights easily, and there was no problem there.
Ultimately, it boiled down to accumulating sufficient celestial energy; only then could the earthly vitality be drawn forth through the soft celestial energy.
Qin Ming stood in the courtyard practicing, starting with the mysterious soft energy, as it was the crux of the book, supporting everything.
Except for meal breaks, he immersed himself in the study and practice, moving from soft celestial energy to the Yellow Mud Palm.
He was eager to master it quickly, for the Yellow Mud Palm had proven reliable in battle, having killed many outsiders.
After most of a day, he grew somewhat tired and finally stopped.
As he rested, Qin Ming silently pondered. Among the various skills he possessed, only the final move of a blade technique could compare to the Yellow Mud Palm, a move intended to cleave through the heavens and tear apart the night.
Similarly, the requirement to fully showcase that strongest blade's potential was very high.
“I’m about to set out, and I need to fulfill the promises I made to others.” Qin Ming placed great importance on keeping his word; once he said it, he had to deliver.
Soon after, he brought a net and headed into the mountains.
The coldest days of winter were already behind; in a little more than a month, the ice and snow would start to melt, and the fire springs would awaken, signaling the coming of spring.
Now, some birds were becoming active again, and soon they would likely start building nests.
Qin Ming was quite familiar with the mountains, knew the habits of certain creatures, and with his current skills, it wouldn’t be too difficult to stealthily capture some small creatures.
Half an hour later, he spotted a target and quickly threw the net towards a thicket of thorns.
“Help! They’re hunting birds!” A small creature cried out from within the net, panicking and struggling desperately, trying to escape but failing.
Qin Ming was overjoyed and rushed over; inside the net was a light blue bird.
It was slightly shorter than a palm, with large, gem-like eyes and it spoke, “Oh, two-legged beast, spare me! Let me go, and I’ll take you to catch a bear! Its meat is plentiful!”
Before leaving, Qin Ming had finally caught a talking bird, fulfilling his promise to Xiao Wenrui.
At this moment, he had no intention of letting go of this light blue bird.
As he approached the village entrance, he suddenly heard a frantic voice coming from behind him, “Who took my wife? You’d better stop right there, do you want to die?”
Qin Ming turned and recognized it at a glance; it was a bird much larger than other talking birds, also more intelligent, with a very sharp beak, one that had previously annoyed Cao Long greatly.
“Two-legged beast, let that talking bird go, or I’ll invite my husband, the bear, down from the mountain to tear you apart in your village! You don’t know who I am, do you? I’m a famous bird from the mountains; I can even summon the mountain lord to annihilate your entire village!”
The sharp-tongued mutant talking bird's eyes turned red as it closed in, constantly threatening and trying to intimidate.
However, when it caught sight of Qin Ming, its expression changed in shock, and it quickly altered its attitude, saying, “Hey brother, there’s been a misunderstanding… we’re family!”
Qin Ming was astonished, looking at the talking bird that had changed from arrogance to flattery, with its sharp tongue still evident.
“The Master Raven instructed me before leaving to help you send messages and scout the path in the mountains. It’s just that I’ve been a bit busy lately and just married a wife, so I didn’t get around to it.”
“What nonsense are you spouting!” Qin Ming didn’t understand.
“The Master Raven is that raven, accompanying a woman fully covered in a black cloak. That woman’s name is Tang Jin; she has an especially good figure and an unmatched face. I could draw her for you…”
Qin Ming suspected that this was a human who had transformed into a creature in the mountains.
“Hey brother, please spare me and let my wife go.”
...
Soon after, in Lu Ze’s house, two children were hopping about in joy.
“Uncle, you are amazing! You actually caught a talking bird! I’m so happy; Little Squirrel needs a companion.”
“That’s my wife; the squirrel should be paired with a weasel!” The mutant talking bird protested from the roof, trying to correct them.
The transformed red squirrel immediately set its gaze on it, its eyes full of ill intentions.
Lu Ze and his wife felt that these little animals had somehow become sentient!
Qin Ming said, “Let it stay for a few months before releasing it. I’ve made a deal; in the future, when Brother Lu goes into the mountains, it will help with warnings. Rest assured, it has no ill intentions; otherwise, I’ll go find the Master Raven.”
The next day, Yang Yongqing sighed as he led his black mountain goat to find Qin Ming, preparing to set off for Jinji Ridge together.
Qin Ming was speechless, unwilling to make another trip; it was a hundred miles round trip. Why hadn’t anything exploded yet?
“Uncle, don’t worry. As long as we reach there before dark, what’s the rush?”
“Alright then.”
After lunch, Qin Ming still wasn’t willing to move, and eventually Yang Yongqing could no longer wait. Worried that late arrivals would find trouble with mountain bandits, and unable to persuade Qin Ming, he decided to set off first.
However, less than half an hour later, he swiftly returned with a look of triumph.
As soon as he reached the village entrance, he shouted joyfully, “Big news! The heavens have opened their eyes and summoned all the mountain bandits from Jinji Ridge to the heavens! Ha ha…”
“What?!” Everyone was startled and rushed out.
Yang Yongqing had been completely dazed when he heard the news on the way.
Just yesterday, he had cursed, saying he wouldn’t report unless all the bandits there were wiped out. Yet today, he hadn’t even arrived at Jinji Ridge, and it had truly turned into a dead zone!
Qin Ming sipped a cup of coarse tea, gazing out the window. The events here had come to a close, and it was finally time for him to depart.
...
In a renowned and resplendent city, grand buildings stretched for acres. In a huge hall decorated with intricate beams and paintings, a dignified middle-aged man sat at the center with authority.
“Recently, numerous Yin-Yang elixirs have flowed out from the Black and White Mountain, attracting the attention of many prestigious families and outsiders. Cui Hong, you are familiar with the place; you observed it two years ago. Go see if you can find a Yin-Yang elixir.”
Standing in the hall was a man with exceedingly long arms, who nodded in response.
“Back then, you placed that child near the Black and White Mountain, didn’t you?”
“Yes, if he survived, he should be taking root there,” the long-armed man replied.
“While you are at it, take a look.” The dignified middle-aged man commanded.
“Do you have any specific instructions?” the long-armed man asked cautiously, knowing that the authoritative figure sitting there surely had more than just a passing request for him.