Chapter 44: Stirring Emotions
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The cavern was dim and tense, its passages twisting like tangled roots beneath the earth. The tall Old Man darted forward with frightening speed, as swift and silent as a black-furred tiger springing at a startled deer. His icy, piercing gaze was enough to make an ordinary fellow’s legs tremble. He wasted no time—the rush of his approach felt like a ferocious wind sweeping through the underground gloom.
Qin Ming, gripping his long-handled black metal hammer, moved with a sleek, agile grace. He darted forward first, then changed direction in a sudden, fluid twist. He refused to meet the Old Man’s charge head-on. Instead, he swung the hammer low and from the side, aiming to catch the Old Man off-guard. It was a cunning move, like a young leopard testing its prey’s defenses.
The Old Man’s forehead creased. This boy was almost as quick as he was. Just as the two nearly collided, the boy twisted his body aside and swept the hammer from the right. The Old Man snorted, extending his hand to meet the hammer’s side with a swift, open-handed slap. The shock trembled through the weapon’s metal handle and up Qin Ming’s arm. It was a test—Qin Ming wanted to see just how fierce a three-time Awakened warrior’s Celestial Light Force truly was. Now he knew. The Old Man’s power was no joke.
The Old Man shot past him, radiant energy shimmering around his body in a pale, protective glow. The sheer force he carried cracked the ground beneath his boots. He was amazed that Qin Ming’s weapon hadn’t been knocked right out of the boy’s hands. Normally, anyone of lower Awakening would have lost their grip instantly.
They ended up switching places in the dim cavern. The Old Man’s gaze dropped to the Golden Rooster Knight’s lifeless face at his feet. It was ruined beyond recognition. He raised his eyes, now colder than before, and stared at Qin Ming.
Qin Ming sighed quietly. He had only tried to tidy the Golden Rooster Knight’s face so it wouldn’t look too strange or suspicious. But of course, this Old Man had to show up and ruin that plan.
Things had changed. Qin Ming had hoped to quietly observe a three-time Awakened fighter, maybe test the waters without fully committing. Now there was no escaping a real battle.
They moved slowly, circling each other like dangerous predators. Neither spoke. The silence weighed heavily, as if even the shadows were holding their breath.
Suddenly, Qin Ming broke the hush, putting on a casual, almost cocky teenage tone: “Yo, I’m from Red Glow City. You sure you wanna kill me? My people won’t just let that slide, you know.”
He wore the armor given to him by Cao Long and Mu Qing, hoping to plant a seed of doubt in the Old Man’s mind—enough hesitation to grant him an opening. After all, Red Glow City was the beating heart of this region, and its major families were not to be trifled with.
But the Old Man’s suspicion was obvious. At best, he hesitated for the blink of an eye. Still, that fraction of a second was enough.
Qin Ming pounced, hammer raised. “Gotcha!” he thought.
They were so close now that the Old Man couldn’t dodge in time. He had to block head-on. The cavern thundered with the impact, the sound echoing off the rough rock walls. The Old Man’s hand seized the hammer again, Celestial Light flickering over his skin. But this time, Qin Ming was hitting with everything he had, and the Old Man’s protective aura nearly shattered under the blow. The Old Man recoiled, feeling pain shoot through his hands. How was this boy, who hadn’t even Awakened Celestial Light, so strong?
Qin Ming didn’t plan on slowing down. He kept swinging that heavy hammer, again and again, each strike like a thunderbolt. The Old Man dodged like a pale ghost, sliding sideways, but Qin Ming stuck to him, refusing to give him an inch of room to breathe.
Inside, Qin Ming marveled. The Old Man had blocked at least seven hammer blows with his bare hands. Even a three-time Awakened should’ve struggled more. But that was the power of a proper Celestial Light Body Protection technique—it could make flesh and bone tougher than iron.
Still, Qin Ming’s heart burned with longing. He wanted that power for himself. He yearned to awaken his own Celestial Light, to feel its radiance rush through his body.
The Old Man’s face darkened, flushed and tense from blocking these savage attacks. His hands shook as he slapped at the hammer, each time barely keeping it at bay. Finally, he dove aside, rolling and twisting away like a wounded animal. It was clumsy, but he escaped the rain of blows.
When he rose, the Old Man studied his swollen hands. Even with Celestial Light healing them, they were sore and damaged. His eyes narrowed bitterly.
Qin Ming gave a short, teenage snort. “Seriously, dude, you’re still alive after all that? You’re tough as nails.” He was panting, slightly out of breath, but he grinned through it, showing no fear.
The Old Man wanted to scream, “Who’s the real monster here?!” But instead, he stayed silent, drawing the long blade from his back. He’d never make that mistake again—he should’ve drawn it from the start! He channeled Celestial Light to ease the pain in his hands and prepared to fight properly.
“If my Great Spirit God Force was perfected, I could tear that hammer apart with my bare hands,” the Old Man muttered bitterly. All three-time Awakened warriors could summon Celestial Light, but truly mastering advanced techniques like Great Spirit God Force was another matter entirely.
Qin Ming understood. At higher levels, rare Celestial Light techniques could let a warrior slice through weapons as if they were made of paper. But getting to that point at the third Awakening was practically impossible. Even the Great Spirit God Force technique required greater cultivation to master fully.
No rest for the wicked: Qin Ming lunged forward again, hammer in one hand and a short sword in the other. He attacked swiftly, refusing to give the Old Man time to recover. The Old Man, furious at being cornered in his own turf, flared with Celestial Light, counterattacking fiercely.
Soon, however, he grew uneasy. Qin Ming’s hammering style suddenly changed. The swings were just as heavy, but now they had a strange finesse, a subtle twist of the wrist, making the metal head tremble and hum as if vibrating. Each strike threatened to tear the blade straight out of the Old Man’s grip. He gritted his teeth, struggling to hold onto his weapon as sparks danced in the dimness.
Qin Ming then shifted styles again, hammer strikes flashing like bolts of lightning. He swung the weapon in wide arcs, each blow roaring through the cramped space, carving bright streaks through the dusty air. The Old Man staggered backward under this relentless storm, finally slamming into a stone wall. His right hand shook, and though Celestial Light still glowed faintly around him, his aura began to waver.
In desperation, the Old Man leapt forward, launching a fierce attack of his own. Qin Ming had to give ground, surprised by the sudden ferocity. The Old Man attacked like a madman, using one hand to swing his blade and the other to deflect the hammer.
Sparks flew as the Old Man’s blade scraped across Qin Ming’s shoulder. The armor tore, metal shards scattering. Qin Ming narrowed his eyes, wary now, because the Old Man’s Celestial Light-infused strikes were no small matter. He kept the Old Man at bay by spinning his hammer around, forming a violent, whirling barrier.
The Old Man realized something grim: if Qin Ming had Celestial Light, he would’ve crushed him already. How could someone without even the first spark of Celestial Light be this frighteningly strong?
Moments later, Qin Ming shifted tactics once more. He feinted with the hammer, drawing the Old Man’s attention, then unleashed a blindingly fast strike. The hammer smashed into the Old Man’s blade with brutal force. The blade nearly flew from the Old Man’s grip, his arms throbbing and his energy draining away.
Qin Ming didn’t stop. He hammered down nine devastating blows in a row. The Old Man’s Celestial Light dimmed, and he coughed up blood. The cavern echoed with the clash of metal and the crackle of crushed stone.
With grim determination, Qin Ming struck again, his hammer blazing through the dusty air like a dark comet. The Old Man’s blade finally slipped from his trembling hands, clattering to the ground. He spat more blood as his Celestial Light shielding shattered like fragile glass.
One more brutal swing of the hammer ended it. The Old Man’s right hand was torn apart, bone and flesh no match against Qin Ming’s monstrous strength. Another blow to the chest caved in the Old Man’s ribs, sending him sailing backward in a shower of crimson mist.
“Man, three-time Awakened guys are seriously hard to kill!” Qin Ming muttered, breathing heavily. The power of Celestial Light was truly troublesome. Even so, the Old Man wasn’t quite dead yet. He glared at Qin Ming, hatred blazing in his fading eyes.
“Grr… you… brat!” the Old Man managed to curse, blood bubbling at his lips. He couldn’t believe he was about to die at the hands of a teenager.
“Wow, you have a mouth on you, old man,” Qin Ming said, raising his hammer high. “You people from Golden Rooster Ridge sure know how to talk trash.” With one final, crushing blow, he flattened the Old Man’s head, leaving him as unrecognizable as the Golden Rooster Knight.
Qin Ming searched the body and did his best to tidy it up a bit. “I hope those mutated beasts come in to clean up,” he muttered, slipping deeper into the cavern. He frowned as he sensed more figures lurking in other passages. He’d already encountered at least three other old men down here, probably all of them three-time Awakened. That was not something he wanted to deal with again.
Then he spotted another familiar figure: another Golden Rooster Knight, the very one who had whipped a poor old villager before.
“Hey, kid, where’d those villagers go?” the Knight called out. “I’m talking to you!”
Qin Ming didn’t bother answering. He hurled his “Great Flying Hammer” at the Knight with a thunderous crash. The knight’s shout died in his throat, and soon, Qin Ming dragged his body into the darkness, out of sight.
The underground tunnels branched off in all directions, like the strands of a giant spider’s web. A group of Variants darted through one corridor, throwing everything into noisy chaos. Qin Ming decided to pull back, moving into an area where Celestial Light energy was especially thick. For now, he had no reason to chase after people from Golden Rooster Ridge or the Three-Eye Sect. His goal now was to find Mystical Materials that could strengthen him.
As he pressed on, heading deeper into the underground passages, the dim glow of Celestial Light drifted through the air like soft, pale fireflies. Suddenly, Qin Ming sensed a faint ripple in the energy. He crushed a fist-sized stone in his hand and discovered a tiny piece of Blue Jade Alloy glowing inside.
“Awesome,” he said, smiling a little. “This is enough for at least one arrowhead.” Any treasure was a good find, especially rare metals like these.
Before long, two figures emerged from another passage. Their eyes fixed on the Blue Jade Alloy in Qin Ming’s hand. Qin Ming recognized them at once—they were nobles from Red Glow City. He hadn’t realized how far he’d wandered.
“Hey, you’re Qin Ming, right?” said a young nobleman, his tone sharp. Qin Ming remembered him. He was there when Qin Ming fought Nie Rui and Shen Jia Yun.
“Oh, so this is that talented young hunter you mentioned—the one who beat Nie Rui and Shen Jia Yun?” said a middle-aged noble in red armor, a faint smile on his face. “Quite impressive, Qin Ming,” he added, beckoning. “Come over here. Let’s have a chat.”
Qin Ming didn’t move. He studied them carefully. He used to think well of Red Glow City’s nobles—Cao Long, Mu Qing, Wei Zhi Rou, Nie Rui, Shen Jia Yun. They’d seemed decent. But these two looked at him now with greedy eyes. They wanted his Blue Jade Alloy. Their friendliness had vanished, replaced by something colder.
“C’mon, Qin Ming,” said the young noble. He spoke as though Qin Ming had no choice. “Help us out, will you?”
Qin Ming ignored the invitation. Instead, he focused on the middle-aged noble, who clenched his fist, making the Celestial Light swirl faintly around him. A three-time Awakened, no doubt. The tension was thick.
The nobles led Qin Ming into a broad space lit by swirling Celestial Light. Qin Ming’s eyes widened. In the middle of the glowing mist, a Three-Colored Flower was on the brink of blooming, its petals shining with a magical brilliance.
“See that?” the middle-aged noble said, smiling thinly. “This flower helps cultivate Celestial Light techniques. If you want to master something truly remarkable, this plant is priceless. We need someone to fetch it once it fully blooms, and you seem… well-adjusted to the environment.”
Qin Ming gazed at the flower in wonder, pretending to be impressed. “Really?” he murmured, eyes shining with false awe. “Sounds like it’s pretty amazing. You must really want it.”