Chapter 73: A New Dawn
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
Red Glow Mountain stood towering against the horizon, with Thunderfire Refinement Temple nestled high upon its peak. Lightning crisscrossed the shining tiles of the temple roof, fireballs dancing in a chaotic frenzy that made the nobles gasp in awe. On the other side, cries echoed in the mountain as families came to claim the bodies of their loved ones, their faces weighed down by an unmistakable sadness.
“This guy doesn’t seem like he’s one of the good ones,” whispered one of the two men standing nearby. They glanced at the body collector, who was handling Qin Ming’s body. As fellow collectors, they knew all too well the little tricks involved.
“Seems a bit much, doesn’t it?”
“Wait, something’s not right,” the other said, eyes widening. “Look at the body he pulled out. It’s almost untouched, just like the ones he pulled out first.”
The two men exchanged shocked glances, moving in closer for a better look.
The sky above was heavy with thick clouds, lightning crackling amidst them, thunder roaring. But the mountain itself wasn’t dark. In fact, it glowed bright, the brilliant light making it easy to see Qin Ming’s body. His skin was completely blackened, his death looking as grim as could be. Of course, it was all deliberate — Qin Ming had smeared himself with soot, masking his true appearance.
When Xu Hai saw the intact body, his heart sank. Had his delay led to the death of a genius? He had waited lazily until after six waves of celestial light before he began pulling the rope. By the seventh wave, it seemed like this person had also been touched by the light.
“Xu Hai, did you pull too late? This guy must be tough to handle both Thunderfire and celestial light,” someone commented.
Xu Hai kept his expression calm. “What are you talking about? I had already dragged him out of the temple’s main door. I just didn’t pull him back right away.”
A person nearby nodded in agreement. “True enough. He looks pretty young. Just one or two hits of celestial light would’ve done him in.”
Qin Ming mentally noted Xu Hai’s name. He was obviously making things up. If anyone else had been treated like this inside Thunderfire Refinement Temple, they would’ve died without a doubt. Qin Ming had pushed his Light Shroud to the limit. Right now, he was indistinguishable from a corpse.
Qin Ming sighed internally. This place was full of “familiar faces.” Old Zhao, at seventy-two, was barely holding together. Besides these old folks hoping for a miracle, everyone here had their own sad story that led them to this place. If they had a choice, no young person would risk their life here. Some were driven by enemies who left them hopeless, some were bullied to the brink of survival, and some were simply condemned criminals.
The glow of the ground rose, a light drizzle began to fall, and the piercing sound of suonas filled the air. Coffins were carried up the mountain amidst wailing cries. These were the families of the old men with status, coming to take their loved ones home.
Xu Hai found a relatively clean black cloth and wrapped Qin Ming in it, carrying him down the mountain. Qin Ming thought, thankfully, Xu Hai at least did this part right and didn’t just dump him somewhere. Otherwise, he’d have to “come back to life” just to teach him a lesson.
But Qin Ming quickly changed his mind.
“Hey, Xu Hai! How much for that Thunder Meat? It looks pretty intact. Give it to me, I’ll help you get it into the noble’s mansion.”
They hadn’t even reached the bottom of the mountain when someone approached Xu Hai. Apparently, this kind of transaction wasn’t new for him.
Xu Hai said, “This is top-quality medicine. I left him there to ‘absorb’ for quite some time. He’s been through at least six or seven waves of celestial light and rare spiritual energy.”
“Yeah, right!”
“Believe it or don’t. Also, I’m not selling the whole thing this time. If you want, I’ll sell you a few pounds. The employer paid a high price, so I can’t just lose the body. Kidney, heart, take your pick.”
Qin Ming was stunned. He’d actually run into some human-eating monsters and demons.
Xu Hai continued carrying Qin Ming down the mountain. Four different groups approached him, all wanting to buy a few pounds of “Thunder Meat,” already haggling over the price.
Qin Ming had enough. He had never used Yellow Mud Palm on a living person before, but he silently pressed his hand against Xu Hai’s back, the soft force hidden within wouldn’t explode right away. It would take a few days, but Xu Hai would end up coughing blood.
Qin Ming’s body started heating up. If they delayed any longer, he’d risk exposure. The mix of thunderfire and celestial light had started to produce a special spiritual energy, and it was taking effect. His fourth rebirth had begun.
“I’m telling you, this one’s not like those old guys. He’s a young one, skin still soft, not even stiff yet. Feel him, he’s even warm!”
“Xu Hai! What are you doing?!” Xu Sheng appeared, fully cloaked in black, furious. Good thing he hadn’t waited at the bottom of the mountain, or his brother’s body would’ve been sold off. With a kick, he sent Xu Hai flying, grabbing Qin Ming and carrying him quickly down the mountain.
When Wu Zheng saw them, he wailed dramatically, “Oh, Qin bro, rest in peace! Hope you’re reborn into a wealthy family next time, maybe a Millennial Clan. Then you won’t have to struggle like this.”
Xu Sheng sighed too. “Little Qin never listened. Gone too soon. Such a shame.”
Suddenly, something felt off. His back was getting hotter. He heard a weak whisper, “Xu bro, find somewhere quiet.”
Xu Sheng almost dropped the body. “A zombie?!” Wu Zheng’s eyes went wide.
Before long, Qin Ming found a secluded spot in the dense forest, using clear water to wash his face clean and changing into a fresh set of clothes.
“I can’t believe it. Someone’s survived celestial light strikes and walked out of Thunderfire Refinement Temple alive,” Xu Sheng said, astonished.
Wu Zheng stared, then grew excited. “Qin bro, you’re amazing! Coming out of that pile of corpses alive!”
“Let’s talk later,” Qin Ming said, leading the way back, his body still burning hot, almost steaming. He needed to get back to the inn quickly.
Soon after, Qin Ming had taken a long bath, washing away the soot and grime. But soon enough, he was engulfed in a cloud of white mist as his transformation kicked into high gear. Along with the gifted spiritual energy, plenty of celestial light had entered his body, wreaking havoc, making him feel like he might burst into flames.
No secret technique could suppress it now. Qin Ming began using the Awakening Method from the silk script, guiding and organizing the chaotic beams of light. The celestial light from beyond this world was fierce, like molten iron, scorching him from the inside. Not everyone could endure this.
It wasn’t the first time Qin Ming had experienced the invasion of celestial light, but the amount this time was overwhelming, almost too much for him to handle. He gulped down cold water, but his whole body continued to release white steam.
“Qin bro is about to become a god or something. Feels like he’s floating on clouds,” Wu Zheng said. “Even the aura of People Beyond the Boundaries isn’t this intense.”
“That’s celestial light surging through him,” Xu Sheng said in awe. “Like he’s reborn from light. His rebirth is far more powerful than any ordinary one.”
The two of them left the courtyard Qin Ming had rented for his transformation. They realized it was not appropriate to keep watching.
“I don’t know if I should thank Xu Hai or curse him,” Qin Ming muttered. His body was filled with a crazy amount of celestial light. He endured the pain, guiding it to merge with the celestial light generated by his own body. Bit by bit, they fused, becoming something new, something transformed.
Qin Ming gathered all the celestial light in his abdomen, compressing it endlessly until it resembled a glowing sphere. He forced it to change, grow brighter and brighter. Then he let it explode, the celestial light bursting into thousands of rays, shooting through his flesh, bones, and organs, like raging flames.
It was like a celestial light explosion.
This was incredibly dangerous. One wrong move and he’d be dead. But that’s exactly what was recorded in the silk script’s Awakening Method — and he knew there were even more dangerous steps ahead.
The roar of an ocean filled Qin Ming’s ears. It was the celestial light expanding, fiercely raging, almost overwhelming him. It was supposed to be a rebirth, but it felt more like he was going through death.
Qin Ming wondered if those who had created the silk script method had meant for those who came after them to walk the line between life and death. No wonder the technique had been abandoned, lost to history. It contradicted the creators’ intentions. They had wanted to break free, to forge a new path. Instead, it turned out to be harder than the old ways.
Finally, Qin Ming’s eyes cleared. He had survived.
“The method from the silk script is too dangerous, but if you make it through, the power you gain is strong enough. My body is way tougher than any other Awakened,” he said.
Nine times he fused the celestial light, compressed it, then let it explode again. On the ninth time, the sphere of light inside him was tiny, completely merged. The celestial light from beyond and his own were now one, fully transformed.
After a brief rest, Qin Ming went to practice the celestial light techniques he had newly acquired. Soft Force, from the ancient book at Golden Rooster Ridge, was a compound celestial light technique, the foundation for Yellow Mud Palm. He had long since understood it, and now he only lacked the necessary celestial light quantity.
Today, he had received a “baptism” of celestial light far more potent than any Three-colored Flower could provide. He practiced Soft Force again, pushing its level higher and higher. The feeling of practicing the technique was so wonderful that Qin Ming became completely immersed, mastering Soft Force to perfection, and the power of Yellow Mud Palm surged.
Next, he practiced the Hammer Force and Whip Force from the hammer technique. There was no more resistance in his body, and both techniques reached completion with the surge of celestial light power.
To his surprise, Qin Ming found that the mysterious Explosion Force from Thunderfire Refinement Temple fit perfectly with Hammer Force and Whip Force, as if they were meant to be together. Once all three celestial light forces were mastered, they automatically merged. When Qin Ming performed the hammer technique again, its power increased significantly.
“Back at Black and White Mountain, when I swung that long-handled black-gold hammer, I was actually showing a blade technique. It could be called a Hammer Blade.”
Now, Qin Ming drew his White Jade Alloy Blade and performed the hammer technique, which could now be called the “Blade Hammer.”
Finally, he merged all his techniques into his original celestial light force, transforming it once more, its power growing significantly. He could still use Soft Force, Explosion Force, and Blast Force individually. But when they were all merged into one, it was time to reveal his trump card, unleashing unstoppable power.
In the inn, Xu Sheng and Wu Zheng heard the thunderous noise coming from Qin Ming’s courtyard, both of them looking astonished.
“No wonder Little Qin kept such a low profile this time, tricking everyone, even planning to enter Thunderfire Refinement Temple again. He truly has talent beyond what others can even imagine,” Xu Sheng said, amazed.
Sleep tugged at Qin Ming, but he didn’t give in immediately. Instead, he sat silently in his room, knowing that when he woke up, his world might be entirely different.