In the grand and magnificent Chi Xia City, the brilliance was akin to daylight.
Qin Ming was greeted by the warm spring breeze as he returned safely, just in time to see a group of experts leaving the city, their armor shining bright like a torrent of steel rushing forth.
This territory had no mountain lord, and the city lord's manor was the most powerful. In the distance, the sight of high-level strange creatures startled the people of the city.
Though the deepest parts of the mountains had top-tier strange creatures like the Spirit-Communicating Jade Rhinoceros and the Black Flood Dragon, they never dared to provoke the status of Chi Xia City. Usually, both sides maintained a peaceful coexistence, and high-level combat powers seldom crossed boundaries.
Soon, the small group of newcomers that had been stopped by the strange creatures returned safely.
Wu Zheng happened to see Qin Ming heading back to the inn and called out, "Brother Qin, you've just come back from the mountains alone? I'm heading out; let me bring back dinner for you."
"How did you get hurt?" Qin Ming noticed the bandages around Wu Zheng's neck and hands, with a bit of blood seeping through.
Wu Zheng sighed in frustration, lowering his head, "I've also been in the mountains these past few days. Four of my companions perished. My archery and spear skills are decent, so I managed to escape a calamity. Sigh, it's just too difficult to obtain spiritual materials in the great mountains."
This was the harsh reality; many newcomers seeking to elevate themselves again would have to risk their lives.
Once back in his room, Qin Ming cautiously discarded a powder called "White Jade Powder," meant for men to cover up strong body odors. He had no foul smell himself, but this time he had entered the mountains with a different identity, which was intentional. Afterward, he took a hot shower and changed into clean clothes.
"Brother Qin! I've brought back some beef pancakes and a few homestyle dishes. I hope they suit your taste," Wu Zheng said as he entered after knocking on the door.
The seventeen-year-old youth, who had emerged from the Black and White Mountains brimming with youthful vigor and dreams for the future, now appeared deflated due to repeated setbacks and his injuries.
Wu Zheng's eyes were slightly red, clearly indicating he had cried before.
"Do you want to eat some more?" Qin Ming asked.
"No, I already had enough outside," Wu Zheng shook his head.
"Then take this and consume it in your room." Qin Ming handed him a jar of spiritual material he had bought from the snake clan's Wu Yiyi at a very low price.
Wu Zheng was confused, but when he opened the jar and saw the shimmering liquid inside, he was instantly shocked and realized what it was.
"Brother Qin, this... is too precious. I can't accept it." He quickly closed the jar, worried about the loss of its spiritual essence.
"Just take it; it will help raise your physique. Other problems can wait," Qin Ming said, pressing it into his hands.
Wu Zheng, being older by a year, usually called him Brother Qin with genuine warmth. Besides, Qin Ming had learned the dual skills of archery and spearmanship from the Wu family, effortlessly aiding the youth in overcoming his predicament. He was more than willing to lend a hand.
"Brother Qin!" The tears welled up in seventeen-year-old Wu Zheng's eyes as he nodded earnestly, clutching the jar of spiritual material as he left.
After finishing his dinner, Qin Ming began to count his gains. Looking at the three ancient books stained with blood, he could vividly imagine the scenes of life and death within them.
Once one entered the deep mountains, they were both hunter and prey. Even if one had a "story," dying in the mountains meant an end to everything.
Today’s experience had been rather bizarre; he hadn’t expected the Purple Lightning Beast to have such a high status, prompting the strange creatures of the mountain to offer him such great gifts in attempts to please it.
Having encountered it twice in succession, Qin Ming could hardly help but laugh. He imagined that the beast was so infuriated it might just explode on the spot.
“Let’s hope I don’t run into you again next time,” he thought. He definitely wanted to avoid any more encounters with the Purple Lightning Beast. If it recognized him, it would surely lead to a fierce storm.
Qin Ming felt no guilt; when he first met the Purple Lightning Beast, it had lunged towards him, targeting his head. If it had been another newcomer, they would most likely have perished.
Regardless of its noble lineage or grand origins, it was still a dangerous creature of the mountains. Most of the time, they were prey to each other, with death looming just a moment away. It was difficult for Qin Ming to empathize with the feelings of strange beings.
"Grass on the Wind." Qin Ming first picked up the manual on leg techniques, heartened by the three characters on the cover.
He immersed himself in study, resonating with the emotions left by the author, and after a moment, fully grasped the essence of the technique.
This book mainly focus on escape techniques. After operating its special "Wind Qi," one could run like the wind, moving with exceptional agility. In short, it was a method for preserving life.
While the book mentioned combat techniques as well, it was not its main focus.
Qin Ming found "Grass on the Wind" incredibly fascinating; he was in need of such a moving method.
Next, he picked up the second manual, titled "Body Refinement." This was a technique to enhance physical strength, practicing a form of "Tempering Force" aimed at refining the body to be as tough as fine gold.
With his heightened focus and exceptional comprehension, he quickly understood the true meaning behind this technique, resonating with the emotions left behind.
The third book was bound in golden beast hide and was named "Golden Light Shield." As the name suggested, it was a protective technique that summoned heavenly light to form a layer of golden light around oneself for protection.
Once mastered to a profound level, this golden light could shine outwards and was not merely limited to covering one’s surface.
A jolt ran through Qin Ming as he envisioned the creator's power. That female practitioner had refined the Golden Light Shield to such a high level that the thick golden light emanating from her surpassed even the city walls!
"How impressive!" He could not help but exclaim. No wonder Bai Xi from the Spirit-Communicating Jade Rhinoceros clan initially hid; she must have intended to sell it for a sky-high price in the future.
Not only could the Golden Light Shield protect oneself, but it could also unleash terrifying heavenly light from the abundant golden luminescence to devastate surrounding foes.
Qin Ming believed this technique was extremely valuable, and within it, the "Golden Light Force" was a powerful and versatile technique.
“I wonder if this 'Golden Light Shield' can merge with that 'Diamond Armor.' If they could ultimately fuse into one, the power would surely skyrocket,” he mused with anticipation.
Aside from these three books, Qin Ming also brought back several beast hide scrolls that he couldn’t resonate with. With his insight, he could still attempt to practice and learn from them.
However, he quickly frowned, realizing that the newly acquired manuals couldn’t be haphazardly practiced. Some of them were traps; while the first ten pages were manageable, the latter parts made his blood boil, leaving him extremely uncomfortable.
He hastily applied the method from the silk manuscript to regulate himself, slowly expelling the stagnant breath, and tossed the troublesome books aside.
Having acquired "Grass on the Wind," "Body Refinement," and "Golden Light Shield" all in one venture was more than enough. Additionally, he had Ge Qianxun's "Diamond Armor" and the invaluable mystical technique "Li Huo Jing" gifted to him by Ning Siqi. It was sufficient for him to study in the short term, with some even practiced already.
If he could completely digest these manuals, his strength would surely see a significant increase!
Later, Qin Ming held the earthen-colored stone in his hand, closely examining it. It was only about the size of his palm and bore mysterious patterns on it.
The moment he touched it, his heavenly light felt restless; when he deployed the Yellow Mud Palm, the nature of his heavenly light transformed. It was no longer the gentle Qi, nor was it an extremely soft force, but a heavy and majestic earthen-colored heavenly light force.
This was the remarkable advantage of the silk manuscript technique, enabling the fusion of various heavenly light forces and allowing transformation towards a single technique or along the path of a mystical art to achieve the most suitable heavenly light force.
"The essence of the underground soil veins has solidified into stone!" Qin Ming recognized what this was. While this was not recorded in the manual for the Yellow Mud Palm, during moments of emotional resonance, an elder had muttered about this wondrous stone.
He was instantly excited. It was extremely difficult to practice the Yellow Mud Palm to profound depths; one needed the heavenly light to radiate first, enabling the capture of external spiritual materials like the essence of the earth.
Now that Qin Ming had obtained a wonder stone formed from the essence of earth veins, it would accelerate this process.
He was fully aware of how terrifying it would be to master the Yellow Mud Palm at its peak, capable of striking down mountain-like behemoths as if they were paper dogs. Its gentle force could be transformed into a rigid one, able to absorb the essence of the earth, devastating foes effortlessly.
While this wondrous stone may not bring him to that level, it would certainly elevate his skills significantly, boosting his already formidable palm technique.
In the following days, Qin Ming practiced diligently. Aside from that exceptionally difficult mystical art, "Li Huo Jing," which he hadn't yet explored, he progressed in all others, initially refining his heavenly light force.
Especially with the Yellow Mud Palm; after completely absorbing the essence from the wondrous stone, a faint yellow mist appeared between his fingers when he executed the palm technique.
When he tested his strength, a colossal wondrous stone in the courtyard turned to dust instantly, and even a nearby rockery collapsed.
The innkeeper was not pleased and insisted on compensation. Qin Ming didn’t want things to escalate and promptly paid him with gold, explaining that it was the black-clad man from the city lord's manor who often visited who had caused it, so he urged him not to spread it around.
"In that case, I won’t require compensation."
"No, please accept this. I must compensate; it's only right."
...
Two days later, Meng Xinghai sent someone to find Qin Ming.
At the city lord's manor, in the parlor, the incense burner released spirals of calming fragrance.
Meng Xinghai handed Qin Ming four sheets of paper, his expression solemn, instructing him to grasp their meaning on the spot.
Qin Ming was puzzled but still accepted them. In a short while, he laid down the papers and began practicing in the yard.
"How does it feel?" Meng Xinghai soon stepped out to inquire.
"I think I'm on the verge of mastering the first thread of heavenly light force," Qin Ming replied.
"Is it really that quick?!" Meng Xinghai was taken aback again. This young man seemed to bring him unexpected surprises each time, and his heightened insight left Meng Xinghai struggling to maintain his composure.
"I’ve always learned quickly. Many people know it from my time at the Cui family," Qin Ming reassured him.
Meng Xinghai reminded himself to stay calm, regaining the composure suitable for a senior and city lord, and nodded, "Hmm, this is a prologue from a certain lineage that has dispersed. If you can quickly grasp it, you'll be able to practice that rare mystical art's main text. As you seem particularly suited to this approach, I’ll put aside my pride and reach out to two friends to see if they can assist you in acquiring this technique."
"Uncle Meng, you're only in your thirties, at the prime age of ambition and determination. How can you talk about pride?" Qin Ming said, sensing that Meng Xinghai appeared busy as many people were soon approaching him.
Before long, he learned what was happening.
After a detailed investigation and information from Ge Qianxun, Meng Xinghai discovered that the Golden Bandits had many secret ventures within Chi Xia City.
Evidently, the Golden Bandits were already aware and attempted to swiftly withdraw from these ventures to haul away all their riches.
Meng Xinghai knew they couldn’t wait any longer; they had to take action before they could escape.
He understood that doing so would certainly invite retaliation and counterattacks from the Golden Bandits. They wouldn’t dare touch Meng Xinghai or Chi Xia City but could wreak havoc on the surrounding areas.
"Uncle Meng, I need to temporarily return to the Black and White Mountains!" Qin Ming suddenly stood up. He knew for certain that if the Golden Bandits sought vengeance for Meng Xinghai's actions, they would definitely target the Black and White Mountain area.
Especially since he had personally wiped out the Golden Rooster Ridge; that animosity might have been acutely remembered by the Golden Bandits.
Since embarking on his journey as a newcomer, Qin Ming had faced many breakthroughs, and he felt it was time to face a major battle to test his abilities, as he wanted to thwart the impending assault of the Golden Bandits on the remote land where he had once lived!