Chapter 102: The Era of Great Expansion
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Qin Ming was playing with a spiritual sparrow, still holding off on transferring Tang Xumi’s spiritual light into the fiery red bird. He figured it would be more useful to set the plan into motion once they entered the spiritual cave.
“You’ve got time to play with a bird?” Meng Xing Hai appeared, clearly surprised by Qin Ming’s relaxed demeanor.
“I’m following the example of the ancients. They always said you need a calm mind when facing major events,” Qin Ming replied with a grin.
Meng Xing Hai gave him a warning. “Tonight, be cautious. Only you and the others participating are allowed to stay in Luo Fu Immortal Town. The rest of us, as non-participants, will have to remain outside.”
Hearing this, Qin Ming’s expression grew serious. “There won’t be any fighting among the disciples of the Beyond in town, will there?” he asked.
“By all logic, they wouldn’t dare,” Meng Xing Hai replied. “But accidents can happen, so stay on guard.”
Qin Ming let out a dry laugh, gripping his white jade alloy blade tightly. “I might have the weakest cultivation here in the entire town. I really do need to be on my toes.”
“Don’t worry,” Meng Xing Hai said with a smile. “Just let Qing Yue protect you.”
Qin Ming decided to ignore that comment. “Uncle Meng, tell me—among Qing Yue’s rivals and the other golden armor protectors, who should I especially watch out for?”
Meng Xing Hai considered the question before answering. “Most of the core disciples competing have already stepped into the second realm, the Yellow Court stage, though many are still at the early stages. Qing Yue can handle them on her own. You don’t need to concern yourself with them.”
Qin Ming sighed. “Look at their realm names—Spirit Mind, Yellow Court—all inspired by ancient texts, each with a deep historical reference. Then look at the names for our path. Who came up with those?”
Meng Xing Hai chuckled. “Our names come from practical considerations of the era they were coined in.”
“Pragmatic,” Qin Ming remarked. “That’s about the nicest thing I can say about the ancestors of our path.”
Meng Xing Hai sighed, his tone reflective. “After the sun vanished and the Fire Springs emerged, the world was overrun by gigantic beasts and mysterious, dangerous plants. Our very survival as a species was at risk. During that chaotic time, the pioneers who carved the Awakening Path made extraordinary contributions. They used their constantly mutating bodies to battle these titanic beasts and eliminate the terrifying vegetation.”
He continued, “That’s why the name ‘Awakening’ is so meaningful. It represents the rebirth of our people during that perilous era.”
Qin Ming nodded silently as Meng Xing Hai explained further. “As for the term Outer Saint, it was well-deserved in those days. After multiple awakenings, cultivators reached a critical point where their celestial light extended outside their bodies. This allowed them to fight on equal footing with beasts that wielded strange powers and to destroy mountain-sized plants or otherworldly beings. They could protect entire regions, earning the title of ‘saint.’”
He paused. “But everything changed with the discovery of ancient methods. As humanity regained its footing, the forgotten doctrines of various religions were unearthed. From these texts arose the disciples of the Beyond and the experts of the Secret Sect.”
“With that, the term ‘Outer Saint’ fell out of favor. It was even mocked as ‘Outer Nephew,’ a play on words. Eventually, people began using the term Outer Manifestation, which more accurately describes the outward radiance of celestial light.”
Qin Ming’s interest was piqued. “Did they manage to destroy all the dangerous creatures, the mountain-like plants, and those elusive beings? What about the unpredictable, god-like entities?”
“Not even close,” Meng Xing Hai said with a shake of his head. “You don’t think the Night Fog World you know is all there is, do you? It’s just a small corner that’s been carved out.”
“A small corner?” Qin Ming was stunned. Even after regaining his memories, this was something he had never heard before. During his time with the Cui family, no one had ever spoken to him about this.
Meng Xing Hai nodded gravely. “The upper echelons seem to deliberately obscure the truth. Records and ancient texts are vague at best. The Night Fog World is endless. Its dark, uncharted regions stretch infinitely, and no one knows how vast it truly is. While we’ve managed to stabilize our position and gain a foothold, we know very little about its depths. For now, further expansion has been put on hold.”
He continued, “If we were to press deeper into the fog, it’s impossible to predict what we’d encounter. Who knows what terrifying creatures lie ahead? Some of them might even approach the level of gods.”
Meng Xing Hai’s expression grew somber. “We’re fortunate to live in this era. Humanity has grown strong and holds the upper hand—for now. But as the population continues to grow, resources like high-grade Fire Springs will run short. When the time comes for massive cities to expand, we’ll likely see another era of Great Exploration.”
He leaned forward slightly. “If that happens, don’t be surprised by the bizarre creatures or phenomena you might encounter. In the depths of the Night Fog World, discovering entire kingdoms isn’t out of the realm of possibility.”
“Great Exploration… The Era of Great Expansion…” Qin Ming murmured. The very thought of such an era filled him with a sense of youthful excitement, a yearning to be part of history.
But as he thought about it more, the reality sank in. While such a time would undoubtedly see the rise of many heroes and remarkable figures, it would also come at a heavy cost. Many young dreams would be shattered, and countless lives would be lost, leaving behind only bones to pave the way for progress.
Meng Xing Hai nodded, his tone cautious. “For now, these ideas remain distant. The upper echelons are cautious and won’t speak openly about it. After all, no one knows what lies in the vast depths of the Night Fog World. Decades of exploration have revealed almost nothing definitive.”
They shifted the conversation back to the present. Meng Xing Hai explained, “Each core disciple is allowed to bring four golden armor protectors into the competition. Among them, there are some truly formidable individuals. Take Tan Yu from Falling Moon City, for example. He’s rumored to have fused more than ten types of celestial light force during the Awakening Stage.”
“Ten types?” Qin Ming quietly calculated. He himself had already mastered over a dozen, many of which were powerful composite techniques.
With two rare techniques fused into his own celestial light force, Qin Ming had undergone a dramatic transformation. His power might not match those at higher realms, but his celestial light force gave him the confidence to stand against some of them.
Meng Xing Hai continued, “There’s also Chen Shu Hang, a youth who’s mastered the Five-Colored Thunderfire Force. It’s a renowned technique, potent enough to harm disciples of the Beyond at the same level.”
He then hesitated, his face growing serious. “There’s even a rumor that a disciple from an ancient sect—one that has been sealed off for two hundred years—has emerged.”
“What kind of legacy could they have?” Qin Ming asked, intrigued.
Meng Xing Hai’s tone turned solemn. “They possess the Jade Purity Force, a profound and mysterious technique. It’s said to rival the Sky-Supporting Force and Tathagata Force, placing their sect among the most reclusive and enigmatic.”
Fortunately, he added, “The disciple is only a provisional member of the sect. They likely haven’t learned the true depths of the Jade Purity Force.”
Qin Ming was training his spiritual sparrow but had yet to transfer Tang Xumi’s spiritual light into the fiery red bird. He decided to wait until they entered the spiritual cave to execute his plan.
“You’ve got time to play with birds?” Meng Xing Hai arrived, surprised to find Qin Ming so relaxed.
“I’m taking a page from the ancients: a calm mind before major events,” Qin Ming replied with a casual grin.
Meng Xing Hai sipped his tea and said, “Tonight, be cautious. Only participants are allowed to stay in Luo Fu Immortal Town. The rest of us will have to remain outside.”
Hearing this, Qin Ming grew serious. “Surely the disciples of the Beyond wouldn’t dare make a move in town?”
“They shouldn’t,” Meng Xing Hai said. “But accidents happen, so it’s better to stay alert.”
Qin Ming chuckled nervously. “I’m probably the weakest person in the whole town right now. I’d better keep my guard up.” He gripped his white jade alloy blade tightly.
“No need to worry. Let Qing Yue protect you,” Meng Xing Hai teased.
Ignoring the jab, Qin Ming changed the subject. “Uncle Meng, tell me about Qing Yue’s rivals and the golden armor protectors. Who are the ones I should especially watch out for?”
Meng Xing Hai thought for a moment. “Most of the core disciples participating have stepped into the Yellow Court stage, though they’re mostly at the early stages. Qing Yue can handle them herself—you don’t need to get involved.”
Qin Ming sighed. “Look at their grand realm names—Spirit Mind, Yellow Court—all drawn from ancient texts, rich in meaning. And then there’s our path. Who came up with these clunky names?”
Meng Xing Hai chuckled. “Our names reflect the practicality of the era when they were coined.”
“Pragmatic,” Qin Ming said wryly. “That’s about the kindest thing I can say about the ancestors of our path.”
Meng Xing Hai leaned back, his tone turning reflective. “After the sun disappeared and the Fire Springs emerged, the world was overrun by gigantic beasts and deadly plants. Humanity’s survival hung by a thread. During that time, the pioneers of the Awakening Path made incredible contributions. They relied on their mutating bodies to fight the beasts and clear out the terrifying vegetation.”
He continued, “That’s why the name ‘Awakening’ is so meaningful. It represents the rebirth of our people during that era of chaos.”
“As for the term Outer Saint, it was fitting at the time. After multiple awakenings, cultivators reached a critical point where their celestial light extended beyond their bodies. This allowed them to fight beasts with strange powers, destroy mountain-sized plants, and protect entire regions, truly earning the title of ‘saint.’”
“But everything changed with the discovery of ancient methods. As humanity regained its footing, the forgotten doctrines of various religions were unearthed, giving rise to the disciples of the Beyond and the experts of the Secret Sect.”
“With that, the term ‘Outer Saint’ fell out of favor, mocked as ‘Outer Nephew.’ Eventually, people began using Outer Manifestation, which better describes the outward radiance of celestial light.”
Qin Ming leaned forward, intrigued. “Were all the dangerous creatures, mountain-like plants, and mysterious beings destroyed? What about the god-like entities?”
Meng Xing Hai shook his head. “Not even close. You don’t think the Night Fog World you know is everything, do you? It’s just a small corner we’ve managed to carve out.”
“A small corner?” Qin Ming was stunned. Even after regaining his memories, he had never heard this before. During his time with the Cui family, no one had spoken of this.
Meng Xing Hai nodded gravely. “The upper echelons deliberately obscure the truth. Records and ancient texts are vague at best. The Night Fog World is endless. Its dark, uncharted regions stretch infinitely, and no one knows their true extent. While we’ve stabilized our position, we know very little about its depths. Further expansion has been put on hold for now.”
He continued, “If we were to venture deeper, who knows what terrifying creatures we’d encounter? Some might even approach the level of gods.”
Meng Xing Hai sighed. “We’re fortunate to live in this era. Humanity has grown strong and holds the upper hand—for now. But as the population grows and resources like high-grade Fire Springs run low, we’ll face another era of Great Exploration.”
“What would that look like?” Qin Ming murmured, his imagination running wild. The thought of such an era stirred something within him—a mixture of awe and unease.
Meng Xing Hai’s voice grew somber. “It will be an age of glory and sacrifice. Heroes will rise, but countless lives will be lost. Many young dreams will shatter, their aspirations buried in the bones left behind on the path to progress.”
The conversation shifted back to the present. Meng Xing Hai said, “Each core disciple is allowed to bring four golden armor protectors. Among them, there are some formidable individuals. For instance, Tan Yu from Falling Moon City has fused more than ten types of celestial light force in the Awakening Stage.”
“Ten types?” Qin Ming did a quick mental calculation. He himself had mastered over a dozen, many of them advanced composite techniques.
“Another is Chen Shu Hang, who’s mastered the Five-Colored Thunderfire Force. It’s a renowned technique, powerful enough to injure disciples of the Beyond.”
Meng Xing Hai’s expression darkened. “There’s also a rumor that a disciple from an ancient sect sealed off for two hundred years has emerged.”
“What kind of legacy do they hold?” Qin Ming asked.
Meng Xing Hai replied, “They possess the Jade Purity Force, said to rival the Sky-Supporting Force and Tathagata Force. Their sect is highly reclusive and extremely low-profile.”
He added, “Fortunately, the disciple is only a provisional member. They likely haven’t learned the full depths of the Jade Purity Force.”