At Chixia Mountain, within the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall, brilliant tiles sparkled as lightning intertwined, and fireballs rolled about, creating a spectacle that drew gasps of admiration from many nobles.
On the other side, however, cries of sorrow echoed as some family members came to claim the bodies, their faces etched with unmistakable grief.
"This guy doesn’t seem like a good person. He deliberately let the bodies absorb more heavenly light and spiritual essence inside."
Not far away, two individuals whispered, casting a glance at the corpse collector Qin Ming. Being in the same line of work, they understood the intricacies involved.
"That’s a bit excessive."
"Wait, something’s off. The body he pulled out doesn’t seem damaged at all, almost like the first batch that was taken out."
The two displayed expressions of shock and quickly moved closer to observe.
The sky was thick with clouds, thunder and lightning roared, while the ground was enveloped in radiant light. The entire mountain was far from dark; in fact, it was quite bright, allowing a clear view of Qin Ming’s tragic state, his exposed skin completely charred.
In truth, he had intentionally smeared himself with black, rendering his true appearance unrecognizable.
Upon seeing the intact body, Xu Hai felt a jolt in his heart. Could it be that by delaying, he had snuffed out a rare talent?
After six waves of heavenly light descended, he had only slowly gone to pull the rope, and the seventh wave of heavenly light seemed to have grazed this person as well.
"Old Xu, did you act too late? This person is quite formidable; he can withstand the thunderfire and heavenly light," someone spoke up.
Xu Hai maintained a calm expression and replied, "What are you thinking? I had already pulled him out of the golden hall’s door beforehand; I just didn’t bring him back immediately."
Someone nearby nodded, saying, "That’s true. He doesn’t seem very old; just one or two waves of heavenly light would be enough to blow him apart."
Qin Ming took note of Xu Hai’s name. This person was clearly talking nonsense. If it were anyone else being tossed around in the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall like this, they would undoubtedly be dead.
He had already perfected the secret technique of blending with the dust, and at this moment, he was no different from a corpse.
Qin Ming sighed inwardly. This area was filled with "familiar faces." Old Zhao, who was seventy-two, was at least eight parts familiar, yet his body was still not pieced together.
Aside from a group of old men hoping for a second spring, everyone else had their own struggles that brought them here.
If given a choice, no young and strong person would willingly come here to risk their lives. Some were driven by enemies that pushed them into despair, others were bullied and forced to the brink of survival, and some were already death row inmates.
The radiant light rose, and a fine rain fell. The penetrating sound of a suona echoed as some coffins were carried up the mountain, accompanied by waves of weeping.
These were the families of the esteemed old fellows, coming to retrieve the bodies.
Xu Hai found a relatively clean black cloth to wrap Qin Ming in and carried him down the mountain.
Qin Ming thought to himself, thankfully Xu Hai was somewhat dedicated in this regard and didn’t just toss the "corpse" aside. Otherwise, he would surely have to rise again.
But soon, he changed his mind!
"Old Xu, how much for this thunder meat? It looks pretty intact; give it to me, and I’ll help you deliver it to the noble’s residence."
Even before they reached the foot of the mountain, someone approached Xu Hai, clearly having engaged in similar transactions before.
Xu Hai replied, "This is top-quality medicinal flesh. I let him 'settle' there for quite some time, at least six or seven waves of heavenly light and rare spiritual essence have been absorbed."
"Stop lying!"
"If you don’t believe it, then forget it. Besides, I don’t plan to sell the whole thing this time. If you want some, I can sell you a few pounds. After all, the employer paid a high price, and I can’t just lose the body. Kidneys, heart, take your pick."
Qin Ming felt quite surprised to encounter some "monsters" that devoured people.
As Xu Hai carried Qin Ming down the mountain, four groups of people approached him, expressing their desire to buy a few pounds and began haggling.
During this process, Qin Ming could no longer hold back. He had never used the Yellow Mud Palm on anyone before, but he quietly pressed it against Xu Hai’s back. The gentle force was very subtle and wouldn’t explode immediately; it would take a few days for him to cough up blood.
Soon, Qin Ming’s body began to heat up continuously. He felt that if he delayed any longer, there was a risk of exposure.
The mixture of thunderfire and heavenly light was nurturing a special spiritual essence, and it was now starting to take effect. His fourth rebirth had officially begun.
"I’m telling you, this time it’s not those old geezers. This is a tender young lad. If you don’t believe me, come and feel; his body isn’t stiff yet, and he still has warmth."
"Xu Hai, what are you doing!" Xu Sheng arrived, his entire body cloaked in a black robe, visibly angry. Thankfully, he hadn’t waited at the foot of the mountain; otherwise, his brother’s body would have been sold off.
With a loud bang, he kicked Xu Hai away and quickly took Qin Ming, carrying him down the mountain.
Upon seeing this, Wu Zheng at the foot of the mountain immediately cried out, "Alas, Brother Qin, safe travels. I hope in your next life you’re born into a wealthy family, preferably one with a thousand-year lineage. That way, you won’t have to struggle so hard."
Xu Sheng also sighed, saying, "Little Qin wouldn’t listen to advice, dying young, how regrettable!"
Before long, he sensed something was off. Why was his back getting hotter and hotter? At the same time, he heard a faint whisper, "Brother Xu, find a place with no one around."
Xu Sheng’s hand trembled, nearly throwing the body away.
"Is he coming back to life?!" Wu Zheng’s eyes widened.
Not long after, Qin Ming washed his face with clean water in a dense forest and changed into a brand new set of clothes.
"I can’t believe I’m seeing someone who survived the onslaught of heavenly light, walking out alive from the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall!" Xu Sheng was deeply shocked.
Wu Zheng was dumbfounded, then became excited, saying, "Brother Qin, you’re truly amazing, able to come out alive from that pile of corpses!"
"Let’s talk about it later!" Qin Ming left first. His body was burning hot, almost steaming; he needed to hurry back to the inn.
Not long after, he finished bathing, completely washing away the ashes, but soon he was engulfed by white mist again. This time, his transformation was extremely intense.
In addition to the heavenly bestowed spiritual essence, a considerable amount of heavenly light also entered his body, wreaking havoc, surging throughout him, almost setting him ablaze.
At this moment, no matter what secret technique Qin Ming used, he could not suppress it. He began to guide it using the rebirth method from the silk book, sorting through the chaotic beams of light.
It must be said, the heavenly light from outside was too domineering, like molten iron, almost burning through him. An ordinary person truly could not withstand it.
This was not Qin Ming’s first time being eroded by heavenly light, but this time the sheer volume was overwhelming, making it hard for him to cope.
He drank a large amount of cold water, yet his body continued to emit white mist.
Wu Zheng spoke, "Brother Qin is about to become an immortal! It feels similar to riding clouds and mist; the aura of someone from beyond is no different."
"That’s the heavenly light surging, making him feel as if he’s returning to the womb, like being reborn in light. His rebirth is much more intense than that of ordinary people!" Xu Sheng marveled.
Before long, the two felt it was inappropriate to watch and stepped out of the courtyard that Qin Ming had specially reserved for his rebirth at the inn.
"I don’t know whether to thank Xu Hai or to scold him." The heavenly light within Qin Ming was exceptionally dense.
He endured the excruciating pain, sorting through the heavenly light from outside, merging it with the heavenly light born from his own flesh. You are in me, and I am in you, becoming a brand new heavenly light, gradually undergoing qualitative change.
Qin Ming gathered all the heavenly light towards his abdomen, compressing it infinitely, like a glowing orb, merging it to force a transformation, growing increasingly radiant.
Then, he released that blinding round pill, letting it explode chaotically once more. The heavenly light transformed into thousands of strands, rushing into his flesh, bones, and organs, as if being burned by fierce flames.
This was akin to a grand explosion of heavenly light.
Doing this was extremely dangerous; one could easily lose their life.
However, the rebirth method recorded in the silk book was precisely this way. One could imagine that there were even more perilous processes ahead.
Qin Ming heard a roaring sound in his ears, the heavenly light expanding and violently erupting, making his consciousness feel hazy, as if he were about to be overwhelmed.
Clearly, this was a rebirth, yet it felt like he was facing a death calamity!
Qin Ming began to doubt the intentions of those who researched and created the silk book method. They must have wanted future practitioners to tread the line between life and death, and surely many successors had perished.
Otherwise, the rebirth method in the silk book wouldn’t have been abandoned by later generations, swept into the dust of history.
This contradicted the original intention of the creators. They wanted to shatter the cage and forge a new path, yet it turned out to be less favorable than the established paths.
Finally, Qin Ming’s gaze cleared, and he had made it through.
"The method in the silk book is too dangerous, but as long as one can endure it and survive the trial, the power gained is indeed strong enough, making one’s physical quality far superior to other reborn individuals."
Qin Ming fused the heavenly light nine times, compressing it, then allowed it to explode once more.
By the ninth time, the glowing orb within him had become very small, merging the heavenly light from outside with the heavenly light of his body, undergoing a complete qualitative change.
After a brief rest, Qin Ming practiced several new heavenly light techniques he had obtained.
The gentle technique, derived from an ancient book from Golden Rooster Ridge, was a composite heavenly light technique, forming the foundation of the Yellow Mud Palm.
He had already comprehended it and knew how to practice; all he lacked was the total amount of heavenly light.
Today, having been "anointed" by the heavenly light in the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall, the effect was even stronger than consuming the three-colored flower. Practicing the gentle technique, he continuously pushed its level higher.
The sensation of practicing this technique was truly wonderful. Qin Ming immersed himself in it, unable to extricate himself, completely perfecting the gentle technique, causing the power of the Yellow Mud Palm to surge.
Then, he practiced the newly acquired hammer techniques, the pounding and whipping techniques, which also became flawless as the heavenly light technique advanced.
Qin Ming unexpectedly discovered that the mysterious explosive technique obtained from the Thunderfire Alchemy Hall perfectly matched with the pounding and whipping techniques, as if they were originally one.
Once all three heavenly light techniques were perfected, they automatically fused into one. When he practiced that hammer technique again, its power significantly increased.
"In the past, when I wielded the long-handled black gold hammer at Black and White Mountain, I was actually demonstrating sword techniques, which could be called hammer-sword."
Now, Qin Ming drew out the jade iron knife and executed the hammer technique, which could be called "sword-hammer"!
Finally, all the techniques he had mastered merged into his original heavenly light technique, causing it to transform once more, significantly enhancing its power!
He could still use the gentle technique, cutting technique, explosive technique, and others separately, but once they all fused into one, it would reveal his trump card, unleashing a devastating force.
In the inn, Xu Sheng and Wu Zheng were astonished by the thunderous sounds coming from Qin Ming’s courtyard.
"No wonder Little Qin has been so low-key this time, hiding his true capabilities. He truly possesses a talent that ordinary people cannot reach," Xu Sheng sighed.
A wave of sleepiness washed over him, but Qin Ming did not immediately succumb to slumber. Instead, he sat quietly in his room, knowing that when he awoke, his world might be completely different.