Meng Xinghai knew Li Qingxiao’s elders, so he didn’t want to reprimand him directly. Instead, he waved a hand to dismiss him. However, the young boy just sat there with a grin, not getting up. He used a secret method to send a message to Qin Ming, asking how his Golden Silkworm Technique was coming along.
“It’s done,” Qin Ming replied.
If it weren’t for Li Qinglei being present, Old Meng would have stood up in surprise. It had only been five days—how could he have accomplished this? The time was tight this round, and Meng Xinghai intended to help him get started using secret techniques. Unexpectedly, the boy managed to do it on his own in just a few days. Meng Xinghai’s gaze changed; this young lad kept surprising him, exceeding his expectations each time.
“Brother Qin...” Li Qingxiao spoke up.
“Why don’t you just stay out of it!” Meng Xinghai was growing increasingly impatient with him. Couldn’t he see the harmony between the two men? They were preparing to discuss serious matters, but now they had this meddler in the mix. Li Qingxiao was taken aback, his face flushed with embarrassment. Since childhood, he had been praised and was proud; he felt humiliated by Meng Xinghai’s words.
In truth, Meng Xinghai was simply annoyed with him.
“Uncle Meng, if you keep saying that, I’m going to be unhappy! I want to challenge Qin Ming, the number one in this city!” Li Qingxiao stood up, his body emanating a radiant glow.
“What’s with the commotion?” Meng Xinghai didn’t show him any leniency.
Li Qinglei dared not protest and explained, “Uncle Meng, I’m following the rules. Anyone has the right to question and can challenge the city’s number one appointed by the lord during the trial period.” After saying this, he regretted it. He had just passed by the area and only wanted to gather some information; he certainly didn’t want to offend Meng Xinghai.
“Uncle Meng, I’m sorry. I’m just a kid and don’t understand. Please don’t hold it against me,” Li Qingxiao quickly apologized, transforming back into a sunny boy with a bright smile.
Meng Xinghai spoke plainly, “You’ve already questioned him. If I don’t allow it, wouldn’t it look like I bend the rules? The title of ‘number one’ in Chixia City would become a joke in the eyes of many. I need to set this up for you.”
Feeling like a wax figure, Li Qingxiao realized that if he angered Meng Xinghai, his family wouldn’t let him off easy.
“Little Qin, why don’t you accept his challenge?” Meng Xinghai instructed and had someone prepare the area, inviting others to watch.
Qin Ming naturally agreed. If Old Meng was angry, how could he sit back calmly? He had initially disregarded the young boy, but now that he was pushing, Qin Ming didn’t mind getting involved.
Besides, he was still young; why act too mature? He had to show some youthful spirit! Otherwise, Old Meng might look at him differently.
Before Li Qingxiao could say anything, it was too late. Once the city lord spoke, everyone immediately sprang into action. Not just the guards of the lord’s residence but also onlookers gathered for the sparring session.
“Please!” At this moment, Li Qingxiao didn’t even care to address him as brother anymore; he was filled with anger.
The lord's sparring area was vast enough for rookie-level duels.
Clad in fine robes and adorned with jade, Li Qingxiao presented himself as a graceful young noble. Yet he drew a long, shining broad knife, wider and longer than normal blades. “Where’s your weapon?” he asked.
“I’m older than you, so I don’t need a weapon,” Qin Ming replied. Dressed in green, with a refined face and clear eyes, he moved gracefully, just like a celestial being.
“You’re quite arrogant. When did you start this new path? You look down on someone like me, who has only started anew seven times!” Li Qingxiao said lightly. The spectators gasped; a fourteen-year-old had begun anew seven times?!
Qin Ming wasn’t surprised. His “younger brother” Cui Chongxuan had yet to turn thirteen and had already begun consuming three-color flowers, merging four types of celestial energy.
Such a thousand-year-old family’s depth was unfathomable; they didn’t have to wait until the golden age to start anew. As long as their talent wasn’t lacking, the only thing restricting them was a special ‘buffer period’ that prevented their bodies from mutating too quickly within a year.
“Come on!” Qin Ming gestured, signaling for him to take action.
Li Qingxiao’s expression turned cold as he left many afterimages in the arena, appearing like a ghost, causing onlookers to change expressions. He swung his knife, executing a strike derived from a famous knife manual, the sound of thunder booming from the blade.
His celestial energy resonated with the long knife, unleashing an unstoppable force.
Qin Ming dodged the blade’s edge, punching the side of the knife with such force that it shattered the momentum. In his eyes, Li Qingxiao’s swordplay was just decent. The tremendous power nearly made Li Qingxiao lose grip of his long knife, freezing him in place, interrupting his ghost-like agility.
Qin Ming moved like lightning, his green robe rustling, appearing behind Li Qingxiao, and he kicked the boy hard in the backside, sending him flying. “I...” Li Qingxiao was so furious he almost exploded on the spot.
This was the very person he had mocked and questioned, a show-off using his cousin Li Qingxu’s words as a jab. Yet here he was, encountering such humiliating defeat firsthand. After landing, he moved like a ghost again, swinging his knife, unleashing a wave-like roar—this was a killing move from another knife manual.
Qin Ming struck the knife with explosive force. Even a refined broad knife couldn’t withstand it, breaking into countless pieces, the sound of clanging metal echoing sharply. Li Qingxiao was stunned; the opponent shattered his weapon with bare hands?!
Then he got kicked again in the backside, landing far away.
Meng Xinghai knew the elders of the Li family. It wasn’t appropriate for Qin Ming to draw blood from Li Qingxiao; two kicks were more than sufficient.
Li Qinglei would rather take a blade than be kicked in the back. If this word got out, how would the other noble families view him? His face turned pale, suffering a significant blow. He had been raised in praise, yet today he crumbled so easily.
Qin Ming assessed him objectively: his strength was decent. But since he insisted on provocations, Qin Ming wouldn’t hold back, aiming to suppress this scheming youth as quickly and directly as possible.
Otherwise, Li Qingxiao wouldn’t have fallen so easily.
“Child, are you alright? Everyone faces defeat. Just focus on improving yourself and don’t be disheartened.” Meng Xinghai comforted him at the right moment. Li Qingxiao returned to the hall, soul lost, without a word.
Meng Xinghai stated, “I have principles. I won’t randomly declare him as the number one just because I’m close to Little Qin.” Li Qingxiao nodded numbly.
Long after, he regained his senses and spoke, “Qin Ming, you really are strong on this new path. I’m only fourteen, just the right age to meet the demands of the outer realm. From here on, I shall tread the path of immortality.”
“Congratulations,” Qin Ming replied calmly.
Li Qingxiao continued, “At first, I wanted to pursue both paths, but now you’ve made me focus on one.”
“You aren’t going to say that after climbing the peak, we’ll meet in the outer realm, are you?” Qin Ming asked him, “If I step into the outer realm, it might not be what you expect; it’s certainly not what you wish for.”
Li Qingxiao departed on a strange bird with an elder, determined never to return to Chixia City!
Meng Xinghai was sipping tea, smiling at Qin Ming, “I’ve gotten you a piece of five-color spirit branch, far more potent than the three-color flower. It will help you merge celestial energy and increase your total capacity.”
“This... it must be rare and precious, right?” Qin Ming inquired.
Meng Xinghai nodded, “Yes, it’s from the outer realm, from a treasure tree rooted in the celestial pool. The old branches shouldn’t be disturbed, but every year, new branches can be collected. Each branch has five different colored leaves that appear fresh, but inside, the celestial essence is rich.”
“An old tree, a celestial pool...” Qin Ming listened, fascinated. What a magical place it must be!
Even a newly sprouted five-color spirit branch in early spring held astonishing medicinal effects. It only showed how unfathomable the outer realm was. “Is it produced in large quantities?” he asked, lacking real understanding of this.
Meng Xinghai replied, “Every early spring, after distribution in the outer realm, the thousand-year-old families get a small quota. My lineage hasn’t produced any talented youngsters this year, so this one was gifted to me, making it available to you.”
Qin Ming sighed. What was true heritage? This was it!
The outer realm had enough strength to secure the best resources. A mere fragment of something—just a small fresh branch—was rare and precious outside.
Seeing the thoughts in his eyes, Meng Xinghai remarked, “Feeling the pressure, huh? The gap is substantial. If I hadn’t been detected to have the potential for different paths in youth, gaining a chance to change my fate, if I just walked the new path, practicing all my life, my highest achievement in the sect would only be a defender outside the mountain gate.”
It was clear that Meng Xinghai’s path was related to the secret sect, touching the divine.
Qin Ming nodded. He had previously thought he knew quite a bit about various paths, but now realized his understanding was limited. His eyes gleamed with determination; he was firm in his belief that he should work hard to elevate himself. He wasn’t striving to become a mere follower of the outer realm’s disciples!
Qin Ming opened a long jade box on the table. Inside was a tender branch, about the width of a thumb and over two feet long, exuding five-color mist. The essence was dense, and it only had five leaves, each a different color, crystal clear, teeming with life.
Meng Xinghai said, “The competition among the outer realm disciples is about to begin. You’ll stay at the lord’s residence for the next two days, consume the five-color spirit branch, enhance your celestial energy, and then head over there.”
Qin Ming felt he wouldn’t need that long. Last time, he consumed the three-color flower and merged various celestial energies perfectly in a single day.
Meng Xinghai asked, “What kind of weapon do you use? I can have someone forge it for you, mixing in some rare metals that will be quite useful.” “Uncle Meng, I have a blade here. Can you help me find someone to reforge it?” Qin Ming pulled out a jade iron knife.
At first, he had crafted the jade iron knife clumsily with Old Liu, and it still hadn't been sharpened.
“This...,” Meng Xinghai’s eyes lit up. This was far better than the materials he had prepared. A pure jade iron knife with no impurities at all. He sighed, “You kid have some skills. This is extraordinary jade iron, but the crafting method... I don’t even want to comment; it’s such a waste.”
“I also have a small piece I’d like to make into an arrowhead,” Qin Ming said, pulling out a blue jade iron about the size of half a walnut.
“That’s too extravagant. I don’t even have arrows made of this material! Be careful when you shoot it; don’t go overboard!” Meng Xinghai reminded him.
That day, Qin Ming stayed in a quiet courtyard at the lord’s residence, consuming the five-color spirit branch. Soon, he felt his whole body ablaze with celestial energy, as if it might tear him apart. The five-color spirit branch contained a far more violent essence compared to the three-color flower, but Qin Ming’s physique was much stronger than before.
That night, he pushed his Fire of Separation technique to its peak and practiced the Golden Silkworm Technique to the limits allowed by five cycles of rebirth.
His body shimmered with divine light from the Fire of Separation, and strands of golden silkworm silk surrounded him, both strange powers offering protective effects.
Furthermore, the other energies he had practiced recently, such as the Diamond energy, Wind energy, and Golden energy, quickly surged as well.
That night, he gathered all his celestial energy together, unifying them, and finally merging everything with the rebirth methods on the silk scroll.
After a brief test, Qin Ming immediately realized that his celestial energy’s power had increased dramatically. The key was the fusion of Golden energy, Fire of Separation, Golden Silkworm energy, and others, particularly the latter two, both being exceptional techniques.
At that moment, outside, the competition among the outer realm disciples was common knowledge. From blessed lands to thousand-year-old families, and across various cities enveloped in mist, many were discussing it. Qin Ming’s power had significantly increased, unprecedentedly strong, and his state of mind grew ever more tranquil. He was ready to venture into the outer realm.