Chapter 81: The Outer Saint
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
“You two are both so unlucky, it’s almost a competition!” Zhou Lin, still drenched like a soaked hen, morphed back into her typical tough Sister Fen Fang persona. She swore she wouldn’t head into the mountains again anytime soon with Qin Ming and Xu Sheng.
Back in the city, Qin Ming tried to calm himself, settling his mind and focusing his senses. At first, he didn’t spot anything suspicious. But slowly, that instinctual feeling began creeping back—something wasn’t quite right.
Near the inn, there weren’t any people watching him. Yet, the four-colored sparrows perched on the eaves were acting odd, and the little black bird on the rooftop was unsettling.
Qin Ming felt a jolt of anxiety. If these birds were being used to watch him, it meant someone was really going through a lot of trouble. He had been careful about talking sparrows and crows, those special breeds known for their trickiness. But it seemed even the less suspicious birds had a certain “thieving glint” in their eyes, which was anything but normal.
Quietly, Qin Ming observed them. Compared to ordinary birds, there were definitely six that behaved strangely. After his fourth awakening, his intuition had improved significantly, and now he decided to trust that instinct. It seemed he’d been under surveillance from a bunch of very nosy birds.
“It’s not that Xu Sheng always wandering around at night brought trouble; it’s me. I’ve got the problem.” Qin Ming closed the window, thinking deeply about who might be targeting him.
This kind of spying felt too “soft.” If a real tough guy was after him, they’d have just smashed him flat by now without a second thought. Right now, the Cui family probably didn’t want him dead suddenly—that would make them look way too ruthless and merciless. No, they wouldn’t want anyone else to take a shot at him either. Considering all this, it was probably the safest period for Qin Ming.
“If I’ve got power, I might as well use it.” He had a token in his hand—a high-level one. He planned to use Red Glow City’s influence to investigate.
“Young Master Qin, the city lord invites you.” A man in black clothing entered the inn, addressing Qin Ming with utmost courtesy.
Qin Ming stood up and followed him to the city lord’s mansion. They entered the same old, simple hall as before, filled with bronze antiques—bells, three-legged cauldrons, and a slowly burning incense that produced calming, spiraling smoke.
Meng Xing Hai greeted him warmly. “Come in! Have a taste of the first tea from that stubborn old tea tree outside the Thunderfire Refinement Temple. It’s been struck by lightning so many times, yet still lives. We just picked and roasted it today.”
Qin Ming greeted Meng, took a seat, and drank tea with him, chatting casually. He noticed that Uncle Meng seemed even friendlier than their last meeting. Several times, it looked like Meng Xing Hai wanted to say something, but he kept swallowing his words. It was understandable—what he wanted to ask of Qin Ming wasn’t simple. It would likely bring him into contact with some of the most prominent families.
Although Meng had the means to disguise Qin Ming’s identity for a few days, Qin Ming’s cultivation level was still quite low. If he used up Li Qing Yue’s spot as a golden-armored guard and got involved in that spiritual cave clash, it would be extremely dangerous.
Meng Xing Hai thought it over; there was still time, so he decided not to mention the upcoming competition among the top disciples for that legendary item just yet.
“How are you finding Red Glow City? Any problems so far?” Meng Xing Hai asked offhandedly.
“Uncle Meng, since it’s you, I won’t hold back. There is something—I’ve been under surveillance. I nearly ran into trouble in the mountains because of it.”
Meng Xing Hai thought to himself, This kid really is direct. Every time I ask something casually, he always ends up telling me what’s on his mind. Yet, Meng wasn’t annoyed at all—quite the opposite. He was glad, as it gave him more time before bringing up the disciple competition. Otherwise, it would seem like he was expecting something in return for his help.
“Is that so? Someone actually dares pull this in Red Glow City? Investigate it thoroughly!” Meng Xing Hai ordered one of his trusted aides to get to the bottom of it.
“Thank you, Uncle Meng.” Qin Ming stood up to pour Meng some more tea, genuinely grateful.
Meng waved it off, sipping his tea. After a pause, he asked, “Last time, you got hit by six or seven waves of Celestial Light. Didn’t get hurt at all?”
“Got hurt a bit. Took two days to recover.” Qin Ming was about to exaggerate but remembered he’d met Meng just two days after that.
“Still hiding your skills, are you? You were definitely awakening during those two days, weren’t you? Incredible that you could resist the erosion of Celestial Light like that. I might need your help someday.”
“Anytime, Uncle Meng. Just let me know.”
Meng Xing Hai waved it off again. “No rush. We’ll see how things go. Later on, maybe.” He looked at Qin Ming, sighing. “Your talent is extraordinary. If you’d had the support of a family with a deep foundation and weren’t limited by age, you would already be releasing Celestial Light.”
“The Outer Saint, right?” Qin Ming asked.
“No one calls it that anymore. The Secret Sect and those folks beyond the boundaries mockingly call it ‘Awakened Saint’ now,” Meng said with a sigh. “Back in the pioneering days, when the awakening method paved the way, the Outer Saint phase was so glorious, so powerful! But look at us now—the further we go, the harder it gets, the narrower the path becomes.”
Qin Ming nodded. “It’s the path of ordinary people. If we want to progress, what else can we do but rely on physical mutations? At least, thanks to the work of those who came before, the awakening phase is pretty stable.”
Meng Xing Hai nodded. “It’s a tough road. After the awakening phase, it’s just step by step forward. No more mutations are possible.” He looked at Qin Ming. “You should aim for nine awakenings!”
After regaining his memories, Qin Ming knew this well enough. Even among the Millennial Clan, nine awakenings were nearly impossible—eight was typically the limit.
To put it simply, going through eight mutations was already incredibly challenging, requiring reliance on special medicines to break through and release Celestial Light, reaching the Outer Saint phase. From there, they could harness spiritual substances to continue advancing.
For many, even seven awakenings were the ultimate dream. Consuming a grand elixir would make Celestial Light appear, allowing them to enter that mysterious realm.
“Uncle Meng, you give me way too much credit. Nine awakenings? There hasn’t been anyone like that for years,” Qin Ming said.
Meng Xing Hai’s eyes gleamed. “Just the two of us here. No need for modesty. You’re already enduring six or seven waves of Celestial Light—I’m convinced you could reach nine awakenings.”
With his past injuries healed, Qin Ming understood well—aiming for nine awakenings was like trying to climb the sky for an ordinary person. At the first awakening, they had to have near one thousand pounds of strength in their arms. At that level, they’d already be considered a prodigious youth.
Xu Sheng had read about this in a book—such a person was called a young aberrant, practically a legend.
Meng Xing Hai’s eyes were deep and focused. “How do you know there isn’t a hidden dragon with nine awakenings among the Millennial Clan?” He sighed again. “It’s just that those creatures close to gods are so terrifying, nearly divine. Compared to them, people on our path seem more and more dim.”
“Has there ever been anyone with ten awakenings?” Qin Ming asked.
Meng Xing Hai laughed. “Nine is the final limit.” He continued, “But even among those with nine awakenings, there are differences. There are vague records of some who had one thousand pounds of strength at their first awakening—their ninth awakening was even more powerful.”
Qin Ming knew all this. Whether someone was just shy of one thousand pounds of strength at their first awakening or exceeded that legend, they all ended at nine awakenings. The difference was in the benefits they received during the final awakening—the more they exceeded the legend, the greater the rewards.
The two continued their pleasant conversation, and Meng Xing Hai insisted Qin Ming stay for dinner. After they finished, Meng’s aide returned, reporting the findings. Qin Ming was surprised at how quickly they worked.
“We used an aberrant bird to catch those suspicious sparrows outside the inn. We tracked them back to the Hall of Righteousness, found the mastermind, and captured two deputy leaders involved.”
“Where is the mastermind?” Meng Xing Hai asked.
“Brought them here.”
Soon, a pale-faced boy entered, accompanied by an old man and a young man.
“Brother Cui… No, Brother Qin, I’m really sorry. I… I didn’t want to do this,” the boy stammered, bowing repeatedly.
Just as Qin Ming expected—not some big shot or hardened villain. He recognized the boy, who looked about sixteen or seventeen. His name was Zhao Jing Shuo, and he had always been at the back of the line during outings, sometimes not even getting a seat.
Qin Ming looked at him silently.
Seeing Qin Ming’s face, Zhao Jing Shuo, despite knowing Qin was no longer the noble figure he used to be and was now just an ordinary person, still felt a sense of fear standing before him.
“Brother Qin, you must understand—how could I dare step into this mess willingly? Among all the old faces, I’m always the one at the back. I had no choice—one look, one hint from them, and I had to act!” Zhao Jing Shuo’s voice cracked, and he seemed on the verge of tears. It was hard to tell if he was genuinely scared or putting on a show.
“Who made you do this?” Meng Xing Hai asked.
“Lord Meng, I…” Zhao Jing Shuo was genuinely trembling now. He knew Meng Xing Hai was one of the young elites from the Millennial Clan, who frequently moved around, treating it as training.
“Speak!” Meng Xing Hai gave him a sharp look.
“They’re both people Brother Qin knows. One is an old acquaintance from the Zheng family, and the other is Li Qing Xu’s cousin,” Zhao Jing Shuo confessed, his face looking even more miserable.
“All so young, yet so restless. Rotting from the core,” Meng Xing Hai muttered, then glared at Zhao Jing Shuo. “Go back and tell the Cui family directly.”
“I…” Zhao Jing Shuo looked like he was about to cry. He really had no way out, but eventually, he nodded.
“Brother Qin, I only have two hundred Daylight Gold left. I spent it all—I’ll make it up to you next time,” Zhao Jing Shuo said, handing over a money bag with both hands.
Qin Ming didn’t hold back, accepting it. Two hundred Daylight Gold, spent wisely, could feed a family of three on Black and White Mountain for two hundred years. In Red Glow City, though, where things were pricier, it would be enough for about seventy years.
Zhao Jing Shuo relaxed a little when he saw Qin Ming accept the money. Even after more than two years, seeing that face still made him feel a bit of awe.
“Leave the bow too,” Qin Ming said, pointing to the large bow slung across the young man’s back.
It was clearly a fine weapon, and the young man hesitated, unwilling to part with it. Zhao Jing Shuo grew anxious.
“Give it to Brother Qin now. I’ll make it up to you later.”
“You all can go,” Qin Ming said, waving them off. If he simply eliminated these three, it would create more problems. Letting them go back to inform the Cui family was a better move.
The next day, someone came to visit Qin Ming in secret at the inn.
“Brother Qin, I’m Dai Shi Feng, the deputy leader of the Hall of Righteousness,” the old man introduced himself. After two other deputy leaders were captured, he was now the second-in-command of the hall.
He spoke quickly. “Our leader, Ge Qian Xun, wants to get rid of you. He’s told us to find a chance to kill you in the mountains.”
Qin Ming looked at him. “You all don’t take the normal route, do you? Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I found out that Leader Ge has been quietly selling off properties and skimming from the hall’s assets. He’s planning to run,” Dai Shi Feng replied.
Dai was the cautious type, and he had opposed taking on this risky job. But when he noticed Ge’s stubbornness, he investigated and discovered the leader was planning to flee.
“Someone must be forcing him. So, with no other choice, he happily took a sum of Daylight Gold and plans to vanish as soon as this job is done, leaving us with the mess.”
“He’s the leader of a faction. Just going to abandon everything?” Qin Ming asked.
Dai Shi Feng explained, “In Red Glow City, there aren’t any truly large factions. We’re just a small branch. He doesn’t care. Besides, I suspect he’s one of the Golden Bandits. He must have sensed the change in the wind and wants to avoid the new city lord.”
“Hmm. How strong is he?” Qin Ming asked.
Dai Shi Feng replied, “He consumed over twenty doses of spiritual substance, advancing himself to the sixth awakening. But he failed to break through to the Outer Saint phase after using a grand elixir. Desperate, he took forbidden medicine to reach the seventh awakening. He’s stuck there for life.”
“Where is Ge Qian Xun now?” Qin Ming asked.
“He’s cautious, staying outside the city. He has a trained bird ready to escape if anything goes wrong. I think once he takes care of you, he plans to fly away immediately,” Dai Shi Feng informed.
Qin Ming nodded. “Alright. Let’s plan this out…”
Two days later, after notifying the right people, Qin Ming left the city alone. Not long after entering the forest, Dai Shi Feng appeared with his men, surrounding him.
At the same time, two large birds appeared in the sky. On one of them, a black giant bird, stood an old man—likely Ge Qian Xun, leader of the Hall of Righteousness. On the other, a silver aberrant bird, stood a young man, looking down indifferently.
“So, the employer decided to show up in person. Another familiar face, and a big one at that!” Qin Ming said, looking up.
He sighed. As an ordinary person, he only wanted to follow his grandfather’s wish—grow up safe and live a good life. But some people just wouldn’t give him the chance.
Qin Ming’s expression turned cold. “If you’ve pushed me this far, then I guess it’s time to show my true strength. I’ll make sure City Lord Meng has every reason to support me!”