Chapter 45: A Glimpse of True Knowledge
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Young Lord Huang Jing Jun wore a faint, confident smile. Even at a tense moment like this, that young hunter, Qin Ming, stood there staring at the Three-Colored Flower with bright, eager eyes—completely unaware of his own predicament. Such naïveté was exactly what one might expect from someone who’d grown up in the middle of nowhere.
Meanwhile, his elder brother, Huang Jing De, remained calm and composed. It hardly mattered whether this country boy was just clueless or pretending to be. If he was stalling for time, he wouldn’t get away with it for long.
Qin Ming still gazed at the flower, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. “So, you’re sayin’ that by eating this flower, you can learn the Celestial Light Force?” His tone was open and honestly curious, the way only a teen could be, as if he were a student eager to pick up a new trick.
Huang Jing De offered a gentle, almost grandfatherly smile. “First, you have to choose a type of Celestial Light Force and learn its basic form,” he explained. “Only then does the flower give its best effect. When I get back, I’ll have to choose a new one for myself. It’s not something I can just decide on a whim.”
He answered Qin Ming’s questions without rushing. After all, Qin Ming had only awakened once. Huang Jing De, who had awakened three times, could crush him easily should it come to that.
“Wait, there are lots of different Celestial Light Forces?” Qin Ming asked, sounding like a curious schoolboy. “I mean, if there are so many, is picking one really that big of a deal?”
“Of course it is,” Huang Jing De replied, nodding seriously. “Most people consider themselves lucky to manage one type by the time they’ve gone through three Awakenings. The stronger you become, the more types of Celestial Light Force you can handle. Choosing the right combination can make you incredibly powerful—terrifying, even.”
Qin Ming frowned thoughtfully. “So how do you know which ones fit together? Isn’t that, like, some super-secret knowledge passed down by the top clans?”
Huang Jing De’s smile grew a bit more mysterious. “Exactly. The true teachings are as simple as a single page, while the false ones fill up a thousand books. All the real essence, the good stuff, fits on that one precious page.”
Qin Ming sighed. “Yeah, like anybody would just hand that over.” He sounded a bit disappointed, as if he’d hoped for an easier path.
Huang Jing De’s eyes drifted, as though looking into a distant past. “Do you know how rare Celestial Light Forces are made? They come from generations of masters mixing different forces over and over, hoping to get something greater. The legendary Sky-Supporting Force, or the famous Rulai Force—these were born out of countless combinations. Just a scrap of a clue about them is worth more than piles of gold.”
He paused, lost in thought for a moment, before continuing in a serious tone, “But let’s not get carried away by legends. Truth is, even the best-known Celestial Light Forces were formed the same way—by adding, testing, and refining. Even if you had that single page of true teachings, you’d still have to master every type it mentions. And trust me, that’s easier said than done.”
Qin Ming felt a bit overwhelmed. He thought of the silk book he owned. Had it mentioned something like this? Maybe it was on the third page? Everything was getting jumbled in his mind. What was he supposed to do now?
“Does that mean ordinary folks have no shot at improving?” Qin Ming asked, sounding slightly anxious but also trying to appear cool. “Like, if you don’t have these ‘true teachings,’ can you not master the really powerful stuff?”
“There’s always a way,” Huang Jing De said calmly. “All those mighty Celestial Light Forces—those called ‘true doctrines’—were originally made by people who experimented with what they had. Sure, you can just learn the common types floating around out there and try combining them on your own. It’s not impossible. Just… really hard.”
Noticing Qin Ming’s serious expression, Huang Jing Jun let out a mocking laugh. “What, you actually think Celestial Light Force is easy to pick up? Each one is super complicated. You’d be lucky to learn a handful in your entire lifetime.” He grinned, clearly enjoying the look on Qin Ming’s face.
Qin Ming suddenly blinked and turned to Huang Jing De. “If you’re planning on picking a new Celestial Light Force when you get back, aren’t you worried this Three-Colored Flower might lose its effect if you don’t use it right now?”
Huang Jing De kept his smile steady. “Not at all. In this cold weather, it’ll stay fresh for more than two months. If I keep it in a jade box, even longer.” He studied Qin Ming’s face curiously. “You’ve asked me all these questions, boy. Are you really that clueless, or do you have something up your sleeve?”
Qin Ming shrugged, trying to sound casual, though his voice came out with a teen’s defiant edge. “Dude, my junior disciple Zhou Wu Bing and my senior brother Xu Kong are both nearby. You think I don’t have a plan?”
Huang Jing De let out a hearty laugh. “Hate to break it to you, but Master Xu Kong left this backwater town with Zhou Wu Bing just yesterday.”
Qin Ming’s jaw dropped for a second. “Er… they left?” he muttered under his breath. So Er Bing Zi wouldn’t be around to smack. Too bad.
Huang Jing De cleared his throat. “Alright, enough talk. Go pick the Three-Colored Flower,” he said, tossing a jade box toward Qin Ming. He clearly wasn’t worried the boy would damage it. He probably had extra boxes anyway.
Qin Ming caught the box and walked over to a small pile of rocks. Kneeling down, he started carefully hiding the box beneath the stones.
“What are you doing?” Huang Jing De asked, slightly amused.
Qin Ming answered plainly, “Just making sure it won’t break during the fight, y’know?” His tone was so matter-of-fact that it was almost cheeky.
Huang Jing De seemed slightly puzzled. Qin Ming wasn’t acting like a clueless bumpkin anymore. This hunter-boy might be more dangerous than he looked.
Huang Jing Jun stepped forward, his patience gone. “So you’re pretending to be dumb, huh? Let’s see if you can back that up.” He sneered, lifting his chin. “I’ll teach you a thing or two.”
Qin Ming snorted. “You can’t beat me,” he said, sounding like a confident teenage boy who’d just brushed off a schoolyard bully. “Nie Rui and Shen Jia Yun couldn’t take me down, and you’re not in their league.”
Huang Jing Jun’s face twisted in anger. “What, you think you’re hot stuff ‘cause some people in Red Glow City think you are?” He drew a long, gleaming blade with a harsh metallic scrape. “You’re just some first Awakening brat. Until you hit the second Awakening, you’re nothing but a bug to me.”
Qin Ming raised an eyebrow and pulled out a blade of his own. Unlike Huang Jing Jun’s weapon, Qin Ming’s blade looked sturdier, more refined—spoils from an old master he’d once faced. “I don’t need a fancy spear,” he said, giving the blade a quick twirl. “This’ll do just fine.”
Huang Jing Jun’s anger flared, and he leapt forward, swinging his blade straight at Qin Ming’s head. He was sure his nearly 1,200 pounds of raw force would crush this country boy.
But Qin Ming’s movements were surprisingly simple and shockingly strong. With a single sideways swing, he slammed the back of his blade into Huang Jing Jun’s weapon. The impact rocked Huang Jing Jun’s arm, sending waves of pain through his hand. His sword went flying, his fingers torn and bleeding. Stumbling backward, he could only stare in horror.
Qin Ming’s next move was a swift slash. Huang Jing Jun tried desperately to jump back, but he was too slow. Qin Ming’s blade bit into his armor, slicing it open. Sparks flew and blood sprayed as the armor shattered, revealing a gash so deep that Huang Jing Jun’s organs nearly spilled out.
“You’re too weak,” Qin Ming said simply, as if stating a plain fact in class. He turned his cold gaze toward Huang Jing De.
Huang Jing Jun lay on the ground, gasping, “B-Brother…” He was alive, but barely.
Huang Jing De’s face went rigid. He rushed forward, spear in hand, his previous calm gone. He no longer looked down on Qin Ming; this boy was clearly no ordinary hunter.
But Qin Ming didn’t flinch. He’d faced a three-Awakening opponent before and knew what to expect. He gripped his blade, took a breath, and stepped up to meet Huang Jing De head-on.
Their weapons clashed with a deafening clang. Qin Ming swung with savage force, knocking the spear aside. In an instant, Huang Jing De tried a clever move, using his free hand to strike Qin Ming’s blade, trying to deflect it with a flash of white light. Yet the force Qin Ming poured into that blow felt like a roaring tidal wave, impossible to fully block.
Huang Jing De dodged swiftly, but he still lost a piece of his armor, now split open. It wasn’t a deep wound, but it was enough to fill him with shock. How could someone without Celestial Light Force match a third Awakening’s power?
From the ground, Huang Jing Jun choked out, “H-How… how is this happening?” He couldn’t believe his brother, a seasoned warrior, had been forced back in a single exchange.
Huang Jing De narrowed his eyes. “I underestimated him,” he admitted grimly. “I never thought someone who hasn’t even mastered Celestial Light Force could push me this far.” He tightened his grip on his spear, bracing for a real fight.
Qin Ming’s expression was serious, too. Huang Jing De might be younger than that old master from Golden Rooster Ridge, but he seemed even stronger. As their weapons collided again and again, Huang Jing De attacked like a furious dragon, his spear aiming for Qin Ming’s vital spots. Sometimes he struck out with his free hand like a blade, trying to catch Qin Ming off guard.
Yet Qin Ming blocked every strike with his blade. When Huang Jing De tried that hand-blade trick, Qin Ming countered by bashing him with a heavy hammer he kept in his left hand, sending jarring pain through Huang Jing De’s arm.
Their battle dragged on, fierce and unrelenting. Qin Ming was forced to rely on sheer power, skill, and patience. Without Celestial Light Force, he had to overwhelm Huang Jing De through constant attacks, slowly wearing him down and draining his energy.
Not far away, the Three-Colored Flower began to glow more brightly, its petals gradually unfolding. Its scent spread through the air, shimmering with some inner light. It was close to full bloom, on the verge of releasing its true power.
“How many types of Celestial Light Force could this thing help me learn?” Qin Ming wondered, his heart pumping with excitement. He wanted this done—he wanted to claim that flower. His determination soared, and with a sudden burst of strength, he swung his blade with all his might.
For a moment, it felt like Qin Ming had summoned a thunderstorm inside himself. He imagined lightning flashing, rain pouring, and he stood there in the darkness with his blade shining like a beacon. He swung it down as if cutting through the very night sky.
Huang Jing De’s eyes went wide with terror. The force of that strike was beyond anything he’d expected. He tried to dodge, but Qin Ming’s blade came at him too fast. Panicking, he raised his spear in desperation, but the impact was brutal. It knocked the spear aside, and he felt a sudden, searing pain in his shoulder as his right arm flew off, blood pouring everywhere.
He staggered back, half-blind with agony, blood soaking through his clothes. The fight was over. He was done.
On the ground, Huang Jing Jun could barely croak out, “W-Weren’t you supposed to be good with a spear?”
Qin Ming looked down at him, breathing hard but steady. “I’m pretty good with a blade, too,” he answered, his voice cool, calm, and full of quiet pride, as if he’d just proven himself in a test no one expected him to pass.