Chapter 83: A Helping Hand in the Snow
Translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation
Qin Ming moved like a thunderbolt. His body surged forward with shocking speed, each step cracking the forest floor as he charged. Wind roared around him as he swung the massive Black Gold Hammer in his hands, the weapon tearing through the air with a deafening sonic boom.
The forest erupted into chaos. Every tree branch in his path shattered instantly, the force of his movements spreading destruction.
Ge Qian Xun’s pupils contracted. There was no way to evade. Clutching his heavy iron whips, he braced himself, pouring all his strength into meeting the oncoming attack.
The clash was cataclysmic. Sparks flew like firecrackers, and the ground trembled as towering trees toppled one after another. Their initial collision left the forest floor littered with broken branches—a battlefield of raw power.
Ge Qian Xun stumbled backward, his hands trembling as he gripped his whips. The sheer impact of the hammer sent his blood surging uncontrollably, leaving him gasping for air.
Though he had stolen the Sun family’s hammer techniques and studied them extensively, the weapon itself was foreign to him. Shock flickered across his face as he realized the boy before him couldn’t be more than a teenager. It was absurd.
After all, Ge Qian Xun was a seasoned warrior, a seven-time reborn expert—and secretly, a notorious Golden Bandit.
To his dismay, Qin Ming remained eerily calm. Swinging that immense hammer with astonishing speed and ferocity, he seemed as if he wasn’t exerting himself at all. Before Ge Qian Xun could recover, the boy was already launching another attack.
Qin Ming’s composure was genuine. With nearly 5,000 pounds of raw strength coursing through his body, the hammer—heavy to others—felt light as a feather in his hands.
A thunderous crash echoed through the forest as Qin Ming’s hammer carved through the air, leaving a white wave of energy in its wake. Trees exploded into splinters wherever it passed.
Ge Qian Xun raised his whips defensively, but the force of the blow sent him hurtling through the forest. He smashed through countless trees, their snapping trunks resounding like firecrackers.
His face flushed red as his blood churned violently. Though the hammer hadn’t landed directly on him, the shockwaves alone left him rattled. His arms felt numb, and he shook them lightly to restore circulation.
Dai Shi Feng and his loyal followers watched in stunned silence. Just two swings of the hammer had left their former Hall Master reeling. How terrifying was this boy’s strength?
“I had a feeling this job would be troublesome,” Ge Qian Xun muttered darkly, his face grim. “But I didn’t expect the difficulty to come from your strength rather than your mysterious identity. And to think, the client only paid me a small amount of Daylight Gold in advance!”
“Seven rebirths amount to this?” Qin Ming taunted, stepping forward. “Ge Qian Xun, it’s time for you to repay the Sun family’s blood debt!”
Behind him, the six-time reborn Dai Shi Feng sighed, while his subordinates exchanged uneasy glances.
Provoked, Ge Qian Xun’s demeanor shifted. “I’ve spent years cultivating patience,” he snarled, “but it seems I’ll need to unleash my full strength to remind you all that Ge Qian Xun is no easy target!”
His body began to swell, muscles bulging as he grew larger in an instant. His taut frame exuded raw power, the years of hard training evident in his transformation. Even the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, making him appear a decade younger.
“Once, I was a prodigy,” he declared, a hint of bitterness in his tone. “At my first rebirth, I could lift over 600 pounds with ease. If it weren’t for someone breaking my protective body technique and damaging my foundation, I would’ve already ascended to the next great realm.”
His voice carried a deep resentment. The damage to his foundation had forced him to consume more than 20 rare spiritual substances and resort to forbidden medicine just to reach his current state. Yet the door to the next realm remained forever shut.
“Don’t get cocky just because you’re some so-called prodigy!” Ge Qian Xun spat. “You may think you’re invincible, but arrogance often leads to an early grave!”
With that, he lunged forward, his iron whips slicing through the shadowy forest like streaks of light. They cracked like thunder, shattering the tranquility of the woods.
But the harder Ge Qian Xun fought, the worse the recoil became. Every clash against Qin Ming’s hammer left his body trembling from the overwhelming force. His fingers ached as if they were about to snap. One whip flew from his grasp, the other bending unnaturally under the strain.
“That’s it?” Qin Ming said coolly, barely winded. “Seven rebirths, and you can barely manage a little over 4,000 pounds of force? From all your boasting, I expected at least 4,500.”
Without waiting for a reply, Qin Ming advanced, swinging the hammer with precision. “Let me show you the true essence of the Sun family’s hammer technique!”
The hammer techniques weren’t just about brute force. They incorporated the fluidity of whip energy, allowing Qin Ming to maximize the power behind each strike. His arm moved like a whip, amplifying the devastating might of his blows.
As the hammer thundered through the air, it unleashed a chorus of wind and lightning, obliterating every branch nearby.
With another colossal strike, Ge Qian Xun was sent flying. His remaining whip was ripped from his grasp, and golden light flickered over his trembling right hand. He knew that without the protection of Celestial Light, his arm would’ve been crippled.
“This boy… How many times has he been reborn?” Ge Qian Xun thought, his confidence faltering. In pure strength, Qin Ming completely overwhelmed him.
Ge Qian Xun gritted his teeth. “At my level, weapons are irrelevant,” he declared. “They only get in the way. Let me show you the power of a Golden Bandit’s Celestial Light Force!”
With that, he disappeared into the forest in a blur.
“Trying the same trick again?” Qin Ming sneered. With a flicker of movement, he blocked Ge Qian Xun’s escape route.
Though Qin Ming had only undergone four rebirths, his physical attributes—strength, speed, and more—far outstripped Ge Qian Xun’s.
But Ge Qian Xun wasn’t retreating. He was maneuvering into favorable terrain. His expression cold, he channeled decades of mastery into his Celestial Light Force. His strikes pulverized every branch in his path into fine dust.
Qin Ming deflected the attacks with his hammer. Glancing down, he noticed faint handprints on its surface.
“Impressive,” he said. “But let’s see how you handle this!”
Switching tactics, Qin Ming abandoned the hammer. His hand shot forward like lightning, unleashing a devastating blend of whip force, hammer force, and the mysterious explosive force he’d learned in the Thunderfire Refinement Temple.
Ge Qian Xun smirked. His body, tempered through five rebirths, was durable enough to withstand tremendous force. With his unique ability to temporarily amplify his Celestial Light Force, he believed he could overwhelm Qin Ming.
Yet as their powers clashed, it was Ge Qian Xun who faltered. His hands became a bloodied mess, unable to withstand the sheer intensity of Qin Ming’s explosive force.
The forest trembled under their battle, shattered branches swirling in a chaotic storm before exploding mid-air.
Ge Qian Xun’s confidence crumbled as he realized the truth: no matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t match Qin Ming’s strength.
For now, the Golden Bandit fell silent, his eyes narrowing with dangerous intent.
Ge Qian Xun was ready to fight to the death. He knew if he couldn’t hold the line, his life would truly end here.
His entire body creaked with the sound of cracking bones. Strangely, instead of swelling, his body began to shrink. Only his right hand grew larger, radiating a brilliant glow as his blood stopped flowing.
Gathering every ounce of his energy, vitality, and spirit, Ge Qian Xun merged multiple techniques of Celestial Light Force, focusing all of it into his right hand. He launched his most powerful strike straight at Qin Ming.
Qin Ming had fused all the Celestial Light Force techniques he had mastered, but he had never tested their effect on a living target before. Now was the perfect moment. Holding his massive hammer casually in his right hand, he raised his left hand, emitting a dazzling light, and lightly slapped forward.
With a loud crack, Ge Qian Xun’s hand exploded, followed by his entire right arm, which tore apart at the shoulder. Only his ruthless determination saved him. In the critical moment, he used his left hand to sever the arm at the shoulder. Without that quick action, half his body would have been shredded.
Staggering, Ge Qian Xun was horrified. What kind of monstrous combination of Celestial Light Force is this? Could it be one of those legendary techniques from the secret sects? It was too terrifying to comprehend.
Qin Ming’s expression remained calm as he stepped forward and brought his hammer down on Ge Qian Xun’s left arm, shattering it. “Now you’re symmetrical,” he remarked coolly.
“You…” Ge Qian Xun stumbled, pale as paper, his body drenched in blood and wracked with pain.
Qin Ming left behind a ghostly afterimage as he appeared before Ge Qian Xun in an instant. With a swift Yellow Mud Palm strike to the chest, he sent Ge Qian Xun flying, blood spraying from his mouth. The impact hurled him into a tree before he crashed to the ground.
Qin Ming’s control was deliberate. The soft force he employed could turn sharp when needed, but he refrained from killing Ge Qian Xun. The man was part of the Golden Thieves, and Qin Ming intended to leave him for Meng Xing Hai to deal with.
Squatting beside the injured man, Qin Ming rummaged through his belongings and retrieved a bundle. Weighing it in his hand, he guessed there was a fair amount of Daylight Gold inside. But the real prize lay within the package—a secret manuscript.
“It seems to hold strong emotional imprints,” Qin Ming muttered, feeling a wave of excitement. This was more valuable to him than any amount of gold.
Without hesitation, he left the forest and headed toward the riverbank.
Meanwhile, Dai Shi Feng and his confidants stood frozen, unable to believe their eyes. It was a long moment before they exhaled shakily. “That boy… he’s terrifying. Old Ge was crushed like it was nothing.”
“Qin Ming!” a voice called out. A young man in filthy, mud-covered clothes emerged from the sludge, his face filled with anger. The carefree and proud demeanor he once wore was nowhere to be seen.
Qin Ming gazed at him impassively. “You said we had no ties anymore. I only spared you in the air earlier because of your cousin, Wang Cai Wei. Don’t push your luck, or you won’t have a future.”
The muddy youth’s body trembled as he clenched his fists. Hearing those words stung deeply.
Qin Ming sighed, his heart heavy. Of all people, it was Ning Si Qi who stood before him—a once-dear friend now turned adversary. The memory of their friendship made this moment all the more painful. Once inseparable, they now stood on opposite sides, their bond severed by cruel words and betrayal.
“Is it because you like your cousin?” Qin Ming asked, his tone sharp. “Even back when we were close, were you always looking down on me because of that?”
Ning Si Qi’s composure cracked. Furious, he shouted, “You shot me down into the mud and humiliated me! I’ll be a laughingstock forever. Let’s settle this with a fight!”
“You’re filthy,” Qin Ming replied evenly. “Go wash yourself in the river.”
That simple remark cut deep. Ning Si Qi, who prided himself on his graceful, refined demeanor, snapped. Shaking with rage, he let out a scream and, to Qin Ming’s quiet amusement, dove into the river.
When he emerged, his white robes soaked and his long hair disheveled, Ning Si Qi glared at Qin Ming with gritted teeth. “You’ve gone too far!”
Qin Ming tilted his head. “I’m curious. Why would someone like you, the employer, show up here in person? That’s not like you.”
“I was stupid,” Ning Si Qi admitted bitterly. “I regret coming here. Now I’m humiliated, and it’ll ruin my reputation!”
“Let’s see how far you’ve come on your awakening path,” Ning Si Qi challenged. “By the way, has Meng Xing Hai shown up yet?”
Qin Ming didn’t answer, his silence unnerving.
“So, Ge Qian Xun has already been dealt with by Meng Xing Hai’s people?” Ning Si Qi guessed, recalling the deafening noise from the forest earlier.
“You’re scared,” Qin Ming said with a faint smirk. “You know how close Meng and I are.”
“I saw Zhao Jing Shuo captured with my own eyes. Of course, I know,” Ning Si Qi snapped, launching into an attack.
But Qin Ming struck first, sending him flying into the mud with a slap.
“You’ve grown this strong?” Ning Si Qi muttered, shocked. “I thought you’d only recently started your awakening path again.”
“Ge Qian Xun fell to three strikes,” Qin Ming replied.
Ning Si Qi gritted his teeth. “It seems I’ll have to get serious now.” He adjusted his stance, his bones cracking audibly.
As they clashed again, Ning Si Qi blurted, “I brought you something—a secret manual, far better than the awakening method you’re using now.”
Qin Ming hesitated for a moment, his eyes narrowing.
“Those words I said before,” Ning Si Qi continued quickly, “they weren’t mine. They came from people who hate you. If I hadn’t come, someone else would’ve taken my place, someone who truly despises you.”
Qin Ming’s response was swift—two more strikes sent Ning Si Qi tumbling into the mud again.
“Maybe you just like your cousin and came here to target me.”
“Get lost!” Ning Si Qi roared, his voice raw with frustration.
“I came here in person, tarnishing my own reputation, just to expose this matter ahead of time. And this is how you repay me? With humiliation!” Ning Siqi’s fiery temper was on full display.
“What kind of exposure is this? Does it even mean anything?” Qin Ming asked, his hands moving deftly even as he glanced at Ning.
Ning Siqi’s voice was firm. “The moment this matter becomes public, it will have served its purpose. I’ve already arranged for a trusted person to go to the Beyond and deliver an anonymous letter to Cui Old Seventh. If he leaves seclusion to read it, and learns that members of the noble families have humiliated and even attempted to kill you, his bond with you as uncle and nephew will surely ignite his fury. Ignoring the objections of the elders in the Cui Family, he’ll come out to warn everyone—and maybe even kill a few noble brats while he’s at it! When you meet him, make sure to explain clearly that I dirtied my reputation for your sake. Don’t let him actually kill me.”
“Siqi…” Qin Ming’s voice was soft, his tone carrying layers of emotion, but he only managed to say those two words.
“You can’t just practice recklessly in a remote place like this,” Ning Siqi continued, his voice taking on a lecturing tone. “The combination of Celestial Light Force techniques is a delicate art. If you fuse inferior techniques together haphazardly, you’re going to run into serious problems in the future.” He handed Qin Ming a manual, its cover bearing an intricate design that hinted at its extraordinary contents. “This technique is extremely powerful and comprehensive. It will take you to extraordinary heights.”
“An advanced willpower technique?” Qin Ming asked, eyeing the manual with curiosity.
“Far rarer than that. This is a nearly extinct secret manual,” Ning Siqi replied, a trace of pride in his voice. “It details a combination of Celestial Light Force techniques. You won’t need to train them individually—it’s a fusion technique that produces miraculous results.” He quickly provided instructions on where the manual was hidden.
Then, as though anticipating a question, Ning Siqi added, “I didn’t prepare any spiritual materials for you. You’ll have to hunt for them yourself, which will serve as good training. And fine, I admit it—I’m a bit strapped for cash right now. After secretly buying this rare manual for you at auction, I’m running low on Daylight Gold.”
“Siqi, I don’t even know how to thank you,” Qin Ming said, his voice tinged with warmth. After experiencing so many ups and downs, he had few true friends left. The fact that Ning Siqi had gone to such lengths for him filled his heart with a surge of gratitude, even making his eyes sting.
“Don’t let yourself be fooled by anyone else claiming to be a friend,” Ning Siqi warned, his tone suddenly serious. “There aren’t many old friends like me left—maybe two or three at best. Most people are scheming and downright awful.”
When Ning Siqi learned that Qin Ming had achieved such power after his fourth awakening, he was stunned. “Although you don’t have the near-immortal talent of Cui Chong and his kind, your current abilities are remarkable!” he exclaimed.
Pausing for a moment, Ning Siqi added thoughtfully, “To be honest, at first, I thought you’d have an awful time here. I assumed you wouldn’t even have access to a decent Awakening Method.”