Chapter 71: Thunderfire Refinement Temple
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Qin Ming’s body swayed violently in the Thunderfire Refinement Temple. He felt like a tiny boat in the middle of a stormy sea, being tossed around by powerful waves. If it weren’t for the crowd holding him up, he would’ve already collapsed to the ground. The emotions within the ancient golden hall, carved with the marks of time, were so intense that it was overwhelming—he felt as if his head was about to explode.
“No, I want to live. I can’t die here!”
“A’lan, wait for me to come back and marry you. I can withstand the invasion of Celestial Light!”
“I’m 120 years old—at the end of my life—hoping for the blessing of Celestial Light to step into a higher realm, but in the end, I failed.”
…
In that moment, dozens of powerful emotions flooded into Qin Ming, each filled with regret and resentment, like a tidal wave crashing over him. And behind them, even more emotions surged, layer after layer, pounding towards him like relentless waves.
If it had been just one emotion, he could’ve slowly explored the person’s life and tasted their memories. But with so many at once, it was like facing an unstoppable flood—too much for him to bear.
Without hesitation, Qin Ming quickly withdrew from the resonance state. If he stayed any longer, he feared his mind would crumble under the impact.
He understood what was happening. Over the years, countless people had died in the Thunderfire Refinement Temple, each in utter despair and pain, unwilling to accept their fate. The emotions gathered here had become terrifyingly intense.
Rubbing his temples, Qin Ming tried to shake off the discomfort. His mind was turbulent, unable to calm down. Besides containing secret manuals recording the knowledge of those who came before, the Thunderfire Refinement Temple also held the potential for spiritual resonance. For a moment, Qin Ming’s thoughts raced—how many secrets lay within this ancient temple?
He stared at the thousand-year-old structure. Was it possible that an Awakener had, at the moment of death, used their spiritual power to imprint some secret techniques here? He shook his head; it was unlikely that anyone could maintain such strong resolve at death’s door. Most would be filled with fear, pain, and despair.
Cautiously, he tried again, making quick contact with over twenty intense emotions. As he expected, they were overwhelmingly negative. The emotions felt like a vast black ocean, and Qin Ming couldn’t help but feel unwilling to leave without finding a “treasure” among them.
“I’ll try again next time,” he told himself. It wasn’t the right time—the temple was packed with people, and he was being carried along with the crowd, soon to be leaving the ancient hall.
“I’m never going into crowds like that again.” Back at the inn, Wu Zheng was complaining, his face looking miserable. He’d lost his other shoe, walking back barefoot through the snow. Even though he had just recently awakened and his body was strong, it was still tough on him. He ended up using his outer robe to wrap his feet.
“I didn’t even get a good look at Red Glow Mountain or the Thunderfire Refinement Temple!” Wu Zheng said, feeling wronged.
Xu Sheng chuckled. “Come springtime, when the weather is nice, are you really not going to go? All the noble girls will be out enjoying the scenery—don’t you want to take a look?”
Wu Zheng stammered, “Uh… I’ll think about it then.”
Qin Ming turned to Xu Sheng. “Brother Xu, with the way things are going, spring thunder might come soon. If we want to catch the Celestial Light, shouldn’t we head up the mountain early? Otherwise, we might miss it.”
Xu Sheng’s face grew serious. “You really want to go? Even calling it a one-in-a-hundred chance of survival doesn’t describe how dangerous it is. You’re still young—don’t risk your life on a whim.”
Wu Zheng also chimed in, “Qin, don’t be reckless. We’re not even twenty yet, and you’re in the prime age for awakening—what’s the rush?”
Xu Sheng clearly didn’t want him to take the risk and kept trying to dissuade him.
Qin Ming sighed, deciding to share a bit of his situation. “When I was at Black and White Mountain, I accidentally fell into a special node with Celestial Light and managed to survive.”
He knew that if anyone looked into him, they could easily find this out. The locals all knew about it.
Wu Zheng’s eyes lit up. “Oh, right, when you came to my place to read, my grandfather mentioned that—said you were tough to survive that.”
“You were still an ordinary person then, and you made it out alive—that’s impressive. But the Celestial Light inside the Thunderfire Refinement Temple is much more intense. You wouldn’t stand a chance.”
It was clear to Qin Ming that Xu Sheng genuinely cared for him, truly worried about his safety, and that’s why he kept trying to stop him.
But Qin Ming really couldn’t explain in detail that he could withstand the Celestial Light’s invasion.
“Brother Xu, you’re a good person. Even if you keep trying to stop me, I’m still going.”
Xu Sheng sighed, then eventually gave in and told him about the preparations needed for going up the mountain early. “I’ll go there myself and pull you out with a rope if it comes to that.”
Clearly, he was implying that he’d come to collect Qin Ming’s body.
Qin Ming laughed. “Brother Xu, just find someone to pull me out, and pretend I’m already dead. I’ll try to look scruffy enough so no one can recognize me.”
Xu Sheng blinked. “What are you planning?”
“I just don’t want anyone to recognize me if I go back a second time,” Qin Ming replied. “So, for the first time, you shouldn’t show up either. Just find someone else to take me away. Since you’ve worked as a traveling merchant, you know a lot of people. If they see you, they might take notice of me too.”
Xu Sheng couldn’t believe his ears. This kid was talking like he’d already planned for a second trip! Was he fearless, or just clueless?
“Brother Xu, I’m not joking,” Qin Ming added, seeing Xu Sheng’s concern. He felt Xu Sheng was a good person and decided to ask for his help.
Xu Sheng saw the confidence in Qin Ming’s eyes and started to think there might be a chance he could make it out alive. Later, though, he’d wonder if he was just as crazy, actually helping Qin Ming find someone to “collect the body.”
The next day, Qin Ming treated Xu Sheng to a meal at the best restaurant in town to show his gratitude. Xu Sheng and Wu Zheng were both left speechless. They felt Qin Ming was almost certainly heading to his death on Red Glow Mountain—nothing could dissuade him—and yet here he was, treating them to a meal like it was a celebration.
Qin Ming spoke up. “Actually, I wanted to ask for your help again, Brother Xu. Are there any old families around here that have fallen on hard times but still have their ancestors’ secret manuals? I’d like to borrow them, and the price can be negotiated.”
Wu Zheng looked at Qin Ming strangely, feeling somewhat “attacked.” Wasn’t his family exactly what Qin Ming had just described?
Xu Sheng replied, “You seem confident—do you think you’ll make it out of the Thunderfire Refinement Temple alive? Want to learn another technique ahead of time to fuse into your Celestial Light later on?”
Qin Ming nodded. That was indeed what he had in mind. He’d heard that spring thunder combined with the Celestial Light from another world would create a special spiritual substance, which could not only bring about a new awakening but also enhance the quality and amount of Celestial Light. It was even more powerful than the Three-Colored Flower.
If he managed to survive, it would be the perfect time to integrate different techniques into his Celestial Light.
Xu Sheng agreed. “I’ll ask around for you. What kind of technique are you looking for? It matters a lot; you can’t just mix and match anything.”
Qin Ming thought about saying “anything would do,” but reconsidered and decided to be more specific. “Something strong and forceful. If that’s not available, I’m willing to try anything else.”
Recently, he’d been practicing the Yellow Mud Palm technique and had already mastered Soft Force. It was clear that the technique was exceptional, possibly a fusion of several types of Celestial Light. He thought it wouldn’t be a waste to learn one or two more techniques before entering the Thunderfire Refinement Temple.
The next day, Xu Sheng brought news. He’d found a family that had fallen on hard times but still had a fragment of an ancient manual. Their situation was, to put it mildly, dire.
Qin Ming went with him immediately. When he saw the dilapidated courtyard walls and the rundown house that looked on the verge of collapse, he knew that this family had truly hit rock bottom.
Xu Sheng sighed. “The Sun family used to have a big house. But fate can be cruel. Ten years ago, Old Man Sun was seriously injured and died soon after. His son also passed away two years ago, and the daughter-in-law ran off. Now, there’s only an old grandmother left to care for a three-year-old grandson. It’s really tough.”
When Qin Ming saw the grandmother and her grandson, his heart ached. The old woman was covered in wrinkles, her spirit dulled by life’s hardships, her eyes lifeless—except when she looked at her little grandson, then they would light up just a bit. She had once been a rich young lady, marrying into the grand Sun family in her glory days. But now, with her husband and son gone, she had nothing left but her grandson.
Qin Ming thought that if there really was someone targeting this family, this boy would likely be in danger one day too. Seeing the boy reminded Qin Ming of himself as a child.
The boy, dressed in patched clothes, didn’t say a word as he practiced some kind of martial technique with stubborn determination.
Qin Ming remembered his own childhood—poor and difficult, being raised by an old man he assumed was his grandfather, who taught him the techniques from a silk manuscript.
“Take it and read it if you want,” the old woman said, handing him a book. “It has no value left—it’s been stolen so many times that it’s barely worth anything anymore. I usually let anyone who wants to learn from it read it for free.”
She and her grandson lived a hard life, often helped by the neighbors, and she offered the book to others in gratitude.
Qin Ming accepted it, thanked the old woman, and sat down on a broken chair, focusing intently on reading. In that moment, he saw a glimpse of the truth.
“Hall of Righteousness—you’ve gone too far. I know my family has fallen, but must you steal our secrets? Ge Qian Xun—I thought of you as a brother, yet you tried to kill me.” The old man was coughing blood, wounded by members of the Hall of Righteousness who had stolen his family’s secret manual. He managed to hold onto one page—the cover—as he tried to rewrite what had been lost, but he was already too weak. After writing just twenty pages, he collapsed, coughing up blood, and died.
Clearly, something had happened since then, leaving only a dozen pages behind in this book.
“So that’s the truth of the bloody incident from ten years ago,” Qin Ming sighed. He suspected that the death of the grandmother’s son had something to do with the Hall of Righteousness.
He focused once again, resonating with the emotions within the leather cover, and obtained the complete manual.
It was a hammer technique—quite impressive, involving two types of Celestial Light force: Hammer Force and Whip Force. Only by mastering both could the full power of the technique be realized.
Though it wasn’t on par with the Yellow Mud Palm or Sky-Severing Blade Intent, Qin Ming was still satisfied. At this point, having two more types of force techniques could be a huge help.
Looking at the pitiful grandmother and her grandson, Qin Ming felt as if he was seeing his own past. He took out thirty pieces of Daylight Gold and flicked them, one by one, into the ground. “Ma’am, I mean no disrespect. I’m just afraid someone bad might come after you. Take these one at a time whenever you need them. If I master this hammer technique, I’ll write a new book for you to perfect it.”
Then he took out a few silver coins and placed them in her hand before quickly leaving, not giving her a chance to respond.
“Finished already?” Xu Sheng asked, waiting in the courtyard.
“Yes, I’m done. Let’s go,” Qin Ming replied.
The old woman came out, trying to catch up to them, but they were walking too fast. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched them go.
…
The land was warming, snow melting, and the air filled with light showers of mist. Qin Ming had already climbed Red Glow Mountain, and the place was finally quieter—no longer crowded.
On the mountain stood a popular temple dedicated to the Mountain God. A visitor looked at the people staying on the mountain, preparing to receive the Celestial Light, and couldn’t help but mutter, “Is dying something you need to wait in line for these days?”
Qin Ming heard the comment but wasn’t offended; instead, he found it amusing.
This time, he could appreciate the beauty of Red Glow Mountain. In spring, the mountain would be covered in red—trees and flowers alike. For now, he had to be content with the cliffs, strange rocks, and other wonders.
In the days that followed, Qin Ming went to the Thunderfire Refinement Temple each day, enduring the onslaught of resentful emotions, searching for something hidden.
He wanted to find treasure amidst the chaotic ocean of emotions—he was determined.
Boom!
One day, the first spring thunder rolled, echoing from afar.
Qin Ming’s head shot up. Finally—it was coming.