Though referred to as evening, dusk was only just falling. The western part of the city glowed fiery red—an artificial sunset glow created using Fire Springs, resembling the lingering resonance of the setting sun.
Qin Ming looked toward Cui Chongxuan. The boy had grown taller, nearly the height of a grown man now, and was clad in a suit of gleaming armor, bearing quite a dashing air. Cui Chongxuan was accompanying a graceful figure into the distance, chatting as they walked. That woman was none other than Wang Caiwei, whom he had not seen in a long time.
Seeing old acquaintances naturally brought past events to Qin Ming's mind.
"I feel like a total scapegoat," Qin Ming remarked. "Resented by part of the Wang clan, envied and hated by Li Qingxu, while Cui Chonghe doesn't appreciate it in the least. Yet Wang Caiwei and I only strolled together once and barely exchanged a few words."
Had he roamed the night with the Wang clan's direct daughter by candlelight, admiring each other, that would be one thing. But to this day, his impression of the noble Wang daughter remained strictly superficial; there were no "past affairs" to speak of. Yet now, all the factions had reconciled—even the Cui and Li clans had stopped fighting—while he alone remained as he was in the past, still trapped in peril.
Certain people did not want him to "rise" or return to their sight, preferring that he stay forever in a remote, backwater place. He could not shine too brightly, nor could he stir up any buzz.
Listening to his complaints, Li Qingyue comforted him, "Come on, let me take you around to explore and sample some local delicacies."
Luofu City was vast. Aged architectural marvels could be seen everywhere—high towers laid from bluestone and palaces cast from black-gold stone had stood for a thousand years. In the past, Mount Luofu had enjoyed great renown across the night mist world as one of the key places beyond the mundane world; these ancient structures were products of that era.
Near the blue towers and black-stone palaces steeped in history sat restaurants, inns, Spirit Medicine Halls, and weapon pavilions. Passersby rubbed shoulders in the bustling streets, and business thrived.
"Many senior masters also enjoy visiting places like this to reminisce about the grand spectacle of Luofu from a thousand years ago," Li Qingyue explained in her pristine white robes, introducing the sights.
As the artificial sunset glow from the west of the city cascaded down, the tips of her hair, the lustrous pale curve of her cheek, and her slender, willow-like figure seemed bathed in sacred radiance, outlined in gold. It accentuated her ethereal grace, fresh and unworldly, like a fairy banished to the mortal realm.
"Try Luofu City's special dragon meat. It tastes pretty good." Li Qingyue queued up at a clean stall and bought two skewers of roasted meat.
Qin Ming took a bite and said, "Fish? It's remarkably fresh and tender, with no fishy smell at all."
"Right, it comes from Jade Dragon Lake just ahead." Li Qingyue led him along the streets of the historic district toward a deep-blue lake.
Luofu City had high-grade Fire Springs, along with many associated second- and third-grade Fire Springs. There were even dedicated Fire Spring channels lining both sides of the avenues, glowing like flowing magma and creating a unique cityscape. At night, the Fire Springs were manually dimmed and the channels diverted, ensuring the city did not remain overly bright and instead transitioned into a soft, hazy ambiance.
Boats drifted across Jade Dragon Lake, and from many large pleasure barges came the sounds of zithers, pipas, and melodious, sweet singing. Qin Ming was momentarily lost in thought. He had been away from this kind of life for over two years, and it felt somewhat alien now.
"Would you like to take a boat out?" Li Qingyue asked with a smile.
"No thanks. Touring the lake with a distinguished core disciple of the outer realm like you... I'm afraid we'd draw a crowd," Qin Ming smiled and shook his head. He was not pining for the past, merely feeling a touch sentimental.
"Shall we grab a bite first, or keep admiring the night scenery?" Li Qingyue asked.
"I'm not hungry yet. Let's just wander around." Qin Ming glanced at the Spirit Medicine Hall, book pavilions, and weapon pavilions not far away, his interest piqued.
Li Qingyue nodded, noticing his gaze. "There are many practitioners in Luofu City, and the goods sold in these establishments are quite fine."
She took Qin Ming into a time-honored weapons shop. Though she appeared refined and transcendent, she was by no means cold or unapproachable; with a smile, she skillfully bargained with the proprietor.
"I genuinely want to buy this flood dragon armor, but isn't your asking price a bit too steep?"
The plump shopkeeper was quite the smooth talker as well. "Young lady, in all my life, today is the first time I've ever met someone as fairy-like as you—radiant and unearthly. But if you start talking about day gold, you'll be tainting yourself with the dust of the mortal realm."
Unmoved, Li Qingyue smiled faintly. "I am originally a person of the mortal realm. If I sought to sever myself from it, I would lose my true self. Halve the price of this flood dragon armor, and then halve it again—that should be about right."
"Hiss!" The plump shopkeeper sucked in a breath of cold air. "When a fairy wields the sword of wisdom, she really slashes prices without mercy!"
He turned to Qin Ming and said, "Young man, if I were you, I wouldn't even bat an eye. I'd pay the day gold for this fairy without hesitation and buy the flood dragon armor. How could you let your fairy-like friend haggle with someone like this?"
Qin Ming remained unfazed. "I think her haggling is great. Tell you what: on top of the price she negotiated, I'll add one piece of day gold for you."
The shopkeeper almost rolled his eyes. This flood dragon armor was priced in units of hundreds of day gold! He thought to himself, *Do you have no shame? Adding just one? Wasted that handsome face on such a stingy fellow—you'd have been better off keeping your mouth shut!*
Li Qingyue said, "It's not genuine flood dragon hide anyway; at most, the beast had just a trace of true flood dragon blood."
"Senior Brother, look at them—they're buying flood dragon armor," a young woman nearby said to a young man.
"Mm, go pick whatever catches your eye. I'll buy it for you," the young man smiled. When he glanced at Li Qingyue, he was momentarily entranced. *She truly is a fairy!*
Soon, Li Qingyue settled on a price, thrust the flood dragon armor into Qin Ming's hands, and said, "The leather is extraordinary and its defensive power is formidable. Put it on when you get back."
The plump shopkeeper stared at Qin Ming with a strange look in his eyes, utterly impressed.
Beside them, the young man petrified on the spot, his entire mood ruined. Looking at his junior sister browsing precious armor nearby, he suddenly felt she wasn't quite that pretty anymore.
Qin Ming chuckled, "I really feel embarrassed. You show me around town, treat me to food, and now you're gifting me such valuable flood dragon armor..."
The plump shopkeeper sorely wanted to pull him aside for a long chat to learn his secrets.
Hearing this, the young man felt an indescribable sourness in his heart, suddenly losing all desire to pay the bill for his junior sister.
"Don't stand on ceremony with me. Back when I wanted to know what liquor tasted like, you treated me to that exorbitantly expensive fine wine," Li Qingyue said as she and Qin Ming walked away, chatting and laughing over memories of the past.
"Who would have thought that today's Fairy Li almost turned into a little drunkard back then? Haha..." Qin Ming laughed. Among his closest friends in the past were Li Qingyue and Ning Siqi.
"The worst part was that you didn't touch a single drop yourself," Li Qingyue said, recalling how she had been a bit rebellious back then, clamoring for wine—it truly had been amusing.
"I wasn't used to drinking. Honestly, I wanted to see an imperial concubine tipsy on wine, or a maiden performing drunken boxing. In the end, your face didn't even flush and your heart didn't skip a beat—nothing happened at all," Qin Ming remarked with a look of deep regret.
"Why do I suddenly feel the urge to punch you?" Li Qingyue smoothed her hair. Back then, this rascal had actually wanted to see her drunk!
"Isn't that Li Qingyue?" someone murmured in surprise, recognizing her as one of the front-runners favored to seize the near-immortal item.
Several outer realm disciples followed Li Qingyue and Qin Ming into a renowned book pavilion, which sold texts related to cultivation. Qin Ming wanted to browse here to see if there were any secret scriptures carrying the crystallized lifeblood of ancient predecessors.
The two climbed floor by floor. Though extraordinary secret volumes filled the lower levels, none produced any spiritual resonance with him, and visitors were only allowed to browse a page or two.
It was not until they reached the top sixth floor that Qin Ming spotted a bloodstained black beast-hide book. His interest was piqued instantly; by intuition, it possessed immense value.
"Young man, just look at that book through the crystal pane and leave it at that. It is no ordinary thing. If you want to purchase it, you'd likely need your clan elders to negotiate. Indeed, an ordinary small sect wouldn't even be able to afford its price," an elderly man sitting on the sixth floor spoke up.
Qin Ming realized that the origin of this text might be frighteningly illustrious.
"Junior Sister Li, you're here as well? What kind of book are you looking to buy?" Several outer realm disciples followed them up the stairs. One of them feigned a chance encounter and greeted her with a smile.
Qin Ming found that he did not recognize a single one.
Outer realm disciples were numerous, and scions of aristocratic clans formed only a small fraction among them. These people were all extraordinary, faintly led by the youth who had spoken.
His name was Tang Xumi. He was not from an aristocratic clan, but possessed peerless talent and was very famous in the outer realm. Having risen with astonishing speed, he was likewise one of the hot contenders to claim the legendary item.
Qin Ming sensed trouble might be brewing. With Li Qingyue being so outstanding, there were naturally formidable outer realm disciples eager to approach her.
"And this is...?" As expected, Tang Xumi looked over.
"He is my cousin," Li Qingyue introduced with a smile.
Qin Ming had assumed some petty friction would ensue, but the situation turned out entirely different from what he had imagined.
"Brother Li, hello! I feel an instant rapport with you," Tang Xumi said with immense warmth, asking what he wanted to buy and offering to advise him.
"I would like to examine this ancient volume," Qin Ming pointed at the black book inside the crystal display case.
To his surprise, Tang Xumi knew of this book. With a solemn expression, he said, "This is extraordinary indeed. It is the original copy, immensely famous. Setting aside its outrageously exorbitant price, ordinary people would even be intimidated by its background and wouldn't dare buy it."
"Does it have a notable background?" Qin Ming asked.
Tang Xumi sighed. "Of course. This is the Overlord's Testament. Over a hundred years ago, the Overlord rose through bodily mutation and dominated the dark mist world. He was a renowned powerhouse wielding the Overlord Lance; many people beyond the mundane world couldn't withstand a single thrust of his lance."
"So it's him," Li Qingyue realized as well.
Tang Xumi nodded. "That Overlord—the heavenly light force he cultivated wasn't particularly extraordinary, but after he broke through from Outer Manifestation to the spirit field realm, he became terrifyingly ferocious. As his realm continued to rise, his valor was unstoppable, practically shaking heaven and earth."
The designation "Outer Sage" had been abandoned by many, as one could not truly "manifest sagacity," leaving them open to ridicule. The more common term was Outer Manifestation. Beyond this domain lay the "spirit field" realm of the Newborn path.
"Unremarkable in the first two great realms, yet someone could soar all the way starting from the third?" Qin Ming was astonished.
Tang Xumi said, "Do you know how he died? Over a hundred years ago, he roamed the world, truly worthy of his reputation for an overlord's valor. He cleaved and killed an outer realm expert with his heavy lance, which ultimately provoked that expert's master to personally emerge from seclusion and slay the Overlord."
He added in a hushed voice, "The senior master who made the move is none other than Li Qingxu's current master—one of the renowned grand figures of the night mist world!"
Qin Ming realized why many were intimidated by this original copy. When a text was handwritten by someone whom such a senior master personally stepped in to slay, ordinary people truly wouldn't dare purchase it. Still, he guessed that transcribed copies must have circulated.
Li Qingyue said, "This is the Overlord's Testament. Written in haste while being hunted down by that senior master, it is incomplete. His heaven-and-earth-shaking supreme art was destined to be lost."
Qin Ming could not calm his heart. He looked at the old man guarding the sixth floor and asked, "Senior, may I handle this ancient book to look at it?"
"If you are not a buyer, do not touch it," the old man refused.
"Senior, according to the pavilion's rules, any customer may sample a page or two of any book," Li Qingyue spoke up.
Tang Xumi chimed in to help as well. "That's right, Senior. My eldest senior brother purchased a book here just yesterday for a hefty sum, so we count as returning customers. You ought to show some courtesy."
Seeing this, the other outer realm disciples spoke up too.
Left with no choice in the face of multiple elite outer realm disciples advocating on their behalf, the old man could no longer refuse.
As Qin Ming touched the beast-hide book, he found he could only open a single page. The interior was sealed with fine golden threads, bound by some special restriction that radiated strange fluctuations. However, this was enough for him—even just the beast-hide cover would have sufficed.
He kept himself calm, without the slightest ripple of emotion on the surface, while focusing his spirit with utmost concentration to resonate emotionally with the ancient beast-hide book.
Clearly, it carried the crystallized lifeblood of the Overlord. Stains of blackened blood lingered on both the cover and the first page, likely left as the Overlord wept blood while writing it. An astonishing surge of emotional fluctuation instantly rushed into Qin Ming's heart, granting him a vision of that past Overlord, truly capable of shaking heaven and earth.
That stalwart figure swung his lance, actually churning the dark clouds across the entire sky into turmoil, which then unleashed a torrential downpour.
Moreover, Qin Ming saw that senior master; slaying the Overlord had not been easy. His lustrous white palm had once been partially pierced by the heavy lance, dripping with luminescent blood. The Overlord's valor was truly staggering—even an elder whose renown shook the night mist world had been shaken by him.
That senior master was indeed terrifying beyond measure. Standing in the distance, with a tremble of his body, golden runes expanded outward. Then, with a press of his overturned palm, he caused one of the Overlord's arms to blast apart...
Qin Ming tried his best to maintain his composure, but at the very end, his body still swayed slightly.
"Brother Li, are you alright?" Tang Xumi asked in surprise.
"My cousin was injured a couple of days ago, but it's nothing serious," Li Qingyue supported Qin Ming.
"I'm fine!" Qin Ming recovered his composure. This time, his harvest was immense—he had obtained the complete legacy of the Overlord, mastering it in its entirety.
"You're injured? I have spirit medicine here," Tang Xumi offered with genuine concern.
"No need. Touching this ancient book just stirred some deep emotions in me. It felt as though I crossed a hundred years, imagining the peerless magnificence of that Overlord in my mind. It made my blood surge, as if I saw an ancient grandmaster walking toward me..." Qin Ming remarked with a sigh.
Chapter 100