The Fire Spring murmured as it meandered through the pine forest, its fiery glow contrasting with the verdant pines.
Qin Ming's murmurs were naturally overheard by those nearby. The opposing gold-armored guards were deeply wary of him, instinctively pulling back to put distance between them.
It struck them as absurd: how could a youth so ferocious still wear a look of slight bewilderment?
"At the final moment, his hands were like tiger claws. That must have been the heavenly light force he is best at, bearing little relation to the Overlord's legacy. He truly hadn't mastered it."
Qin Ming felt relieved; the boy had just been an intimidating-looking Outer Sage who didn't live up to the name at all.
Even Li Qingyue's three followers looked at him strangely, itching to ask: *Are you seriously analyzing and pondering this right now?*
In truth, the main reason was that Qin Ming had been deceived by that great lance. Seeing his opponent project heavenly light over two meters outward, his hairs had stood on end with tension back then.
Last time, when he had fought in the desert against an Outer Sage whose heavenly light could only reach half a foot outward, he had nearly died. Encountering a gold-armored youth with such majestic heavenly light now, how could he not have been terrified? Yet the outcome had left him utterly baffled.
It wasn't until Qin Ming picked up the great lance and gave it a gentle flick, sending his own heavenly light force rippling through it, that his expression shifted instantly, finally realizing where the discrepancy lay.
This was a rare weapon forged with jade iron!
In an instant, his confusion cleared. He understood the truth: the only reason the gold-armored youth's heavenly light could extend over two meters beyond his body was due to this special lance.
"That makes sense. Turns out you lot aren't that formidable after all!" Qin Ming looked toward the gold-armored guards across from him, his gaze sharpening. He now had a clear assessment of his own strength, having almost been "fooled" by these people.
"I really am not weak!" Qin Ming glared like a tiger eyeing its prey, fixing his gaze on the opponents nearby.
How could the Outer Sages opposite him know his internal journey? They were infuriated by this youth who paused for mid-battle introspection, assuming he was deliberately mocking them.
In truth, everyone had been startled by Qin Ming's display just now—to actually detonate an Outer Sage inside rune-glowing golden armor!
A smile appeared on Li Qingyue's face, her expression relaxing considerably. She had heard Meng Xinghai say that Qin Ming possessed peerless talent, surpassing even mutants of his generation, and could go very far on the path of bodily mutation.
Yet even Old Meng himself didn't know that Qin Ming's fused, unified heavenly light force was so domineering that it could already slaughter Outer Sages.
Thus, Li Qingyue hadn't had such a clear grasp of Qin Ming's strength beforehand either.
Li Qingxu looked grim. One of his people had been killed in a single exchange—simple, brutal, and an exhibition of violent aesthetics.
Crucially, the gold-armored youth who wielded the lance shared some blood relation with Li Qingxu's master.
"Is he considered formidable on your path? But I didn't see him burst with heavenly light force," Zheng Maoze asked He Tai secretly.
"Are you still telling me to hold back?" He Tai's face turned solemn. He believed Qin Ming was hiding even more power, and that his heavenly light force might already be capable of external projection.
Zheng Maoze sent a secret voice transmission: "The situation is growing more tangled. There's suddenly an expert who has cultivated a special heavenly light force, which puts Li Qingxu at a disadvantage. We cannot afford to offend Li Qingyue right now."
He Tai replied gravely, "He might be a Tathagata renegade. If you make me hold back, what if I get killed by a sudden burst of his heavenly light force?"
"What did you say? He cultivates Tathagata force?!" Zheng Maoze was shocked.
Qin Ming was currently examining the set of golden armor from which blood mist was steaming. The youth had been detonated by him, but the armor remained intact, standing upright where it fell, flowing with brilliant radiance.
"Turns out there are vulnerabilities. If you attack from the hands or feet, heavenly light force can seep inside to kill the opponent."
Hearing his words, the opposing Outer Sages retreated immediately, sensing that this youth was a ruthless character already contemplating how to kill his opponents with absolute certainty.
Qin Ming understood the intentions of the masters beyond the mundane world: golden armor could ward off disaster, but without shedding a drop of blood, it would be too soft and run counter to the true spirit of competition.
Therefore, while losers were given a chance to survive, they couldn't be completely helpless either.
In the distance, Wang Caiwei, clad in black-and-gold armor with a shapely figure, showed a flicker of surprise on her beautiful face. She asked the person beside her, "This youth is rather unusual. Have you discerned his origins? Can he actually project heavenly light outward or not?"
The young expert beside her was named Jiang Congyun, a disciple of the Pure Yang Palace who possessed broad knowledge. He said, "I suspect he cultivates Yuqing force. If he can already project heavenly light outward, that makes him exceptionally troublesome."
Jiang Congyun's Pure Yang force was exceedingly domineering, capable of scorching and dispersing even conscious spirit light, yet he remained quite wary of legendary force arts.
"Tathagata force, Yuqing force... have they all surfaced this time?" Wang Caiwei gazed at Qin Ming's back, frowning slightly. For some reason, she felt a trace of familiarity.
Li Qingxu and Li Qingyue were locked in a standoff. As their consciousness power radiated outward, it warped and shattered the surrounding vegetation and rocks.
Within their Yellow Courts, patterns like immortal light intertwined and flowed, steaming outward to shake the nearby pines and Fire Spring.
Li Qingxu urged Zheng Maoze to make a move and eliminate the youth with the bizarre heavenly light force.
"Brother Li, he might hail from that ancient orthodox lineage that sealed its mountain two centuries ago and cultivate Yuqing force. Killing him would bring immense trouble," Zheng Maoze replied in secret, not mentioning anything about a Tathagata renegade.
Qin Ming merely patted the golden armor a few times without wasting any time, then gripped the great lance and charged forward, his eyes keen and piercing. For him, the tides of offense and defense had turned; why wait for the other side to attack?
Qin Ming found the great lance in his hands very comfortable to wield. A lance combined the characteristics of spears and pikes, while also allowing slashing strikes like sabers and swords.
Most importantly, this two-meter-long lance was forged with jade iron, allowing his heavenly light to spread and expand along it, greatly enhancing its lethality.
Qin Ming moved as if riding the wind, astoundingly swift as he took the initiative to strike.
The two men and one woman behind him noticed that after his moment of confusion, his eyes had become downright terrifying. He had actually left them behind and charged in alone, prompting the three gold-armored guards to hurry after him.
Without a single word exchanged, the two sides clashed once more!
At the tip of the two-meter-long great lance in Qin Ming's hands, the blade—a full half-meter long—gleamed brilliantly like a flash of lightning slicing across the pine forest, sweeping toward the neck of an Outer Sage.
This expert was empty-handed, having considered his own strength formidable enough not to use a weapon. But now he panicked, dodging frantically without daring to touch the great lance.
He knew well that this weapon was infused with jade iron, making it nearly impossible to snap.
Crucially, he too suspected that this boy was either a Tathagata renegade or someone who had mastered Yuqing force—both truly terrifying prospects.
Among those who walked this path, who hadn't heard of those legendary force arts? Capable of piercing all kinds of heavenly light and countering experts of every stripe, crossing paths with one almost certainly spelled disaster.
Yet when he tried to counter with technique, he found it to be like displaying petty tricks before a master. The great lance in his opponent's hands seemed to come alive, thrashing like a ferocious flood dragon. It grazed past his neck and suddenly dropped down, mysteriously appearing between his two hands.
The Outer Sage's hairs stood on end. Everyone had seen just moments ago how this suspected Tathagata renegade had shattered their companion's hands, furiously pumping in heavenly light force to detonate him. Worse yet, blood was already dripping from one of his hands; unable to evade in time, the snow-bright lance blade had sliced off two of his fingers.
This Outer Sage was remarkably decisive. Not even daring to retrieve his severed fingers, he spun on his heel and bolted without a word. He was terrified of becoming the second casualty.
After all, that Tathagata renegade had closely studied the golden armor earlier, clearly looking for ways to slaughter his opponents outright.
The man with the severed fingers vanished in the blink of an eye. Having entered not long ago, they were still near the entrance; completely disregarding Li Qingxu's murderous glare, he voluntarily withdrew.
*Clang!* Qin Ming's great lance collided with another Outer Sage's spiked club.
This Outer Sage staggered back. A patch of his spiked club had gone bald, seven or eight of its spikes sheared right off.
This time, Qin Ming unleashed the pure Overlord Lance technique. The gleaming blade thrusted forward with the momentum to pierce the heavens, carrying an inexplicable, majestic momentum.
Carrying Qin Ming's heavenly light force, the two-meter-long lance roared and vibrated relentlessly, erupting with terrifying ripples.
Horrified, the Outer Sage found his heavy weapon completely incapable of withstanding the strike; it was directly ensnared by the bizarre heavenly light and wrenched from his grip, flying into the air.
*Thud!* The Outer Sage felt a searing pain in his chest as a massive force slammed into him. His protective golden armor flared instantly to life, activating its sacred runes.
He spat a mouthful of bloody saliva. Had the golden armor not blocked a fatal blow for him, he would not only have been impaled, but undoubtedly shattered to pieces.
Qin Ming thrust his lance once more, flicking the man dozens of meters away.
This Outer Sage was equally decisive, immediately fleeing. His conscience was clear—he had done his utmost, and staying to fight would surely mean death.
"Cousin, I'm heading out!" The fourth gold-armored guard hailed from the Li clan and was actually Li Qingxu's older cousin. Even more decisive, he fled without striking a single blow.
He Tai was itching to have a go, increasingly convinced this was a Tathagata renegade. He wanted to go all out against him with his Great Ape King force. Back then, the founder of his lineage had once clashed with a powerhouse wielding Tathagata force; although soundly defeated, the founder had gained immense insights.
"Don't go over there!" Zheng Maoze held He Tai back.
He suspected that the lance-wielding youth could actually already project his heavenly light force outward, and worried that He Tai would come to harm.
Judging from historical records, terrifying as Great Ape King force was, it ultimately fell short of Tathagata force.
Crucially, Zheng Maoze sensed an expert approaching. As a disciple from beyond the mundane world, his potent conscious spirit light made him exceptionally keen.
"Junior Sister Li, you are actually here," Tang Xumi appeared with a smile.
Then, fixing his gaze on Li Qingxu, he said, "Brother Li, looks like you're about to be eliminated!"
Qin Ming and the others had been cornered here right after entering, and before they could even release the bird carrying a wisp of Tang Xumi's spirit light, he had been drawn here on his own.
"Very well, let's send him out first!" Li Qingyue nodded. Settling matters quickly was far better than having a protracted duel alone with Li Qingxu before driving him out.
Li Qingxu looked grim. With two core disciples targeting him, his hopes of emerging victorious in the spirit cavern and obtaining the near-immortal item were exceptionally slim.
"This big fatty didn't make a move, did he?" Tang Xumi looked toward the other side.
Zheng Maoze's conscious spirit light almost boiled over. He was merely burly! Being called "Zheng Dazhuang" behind his back already annoyed him to no end, and now this Tang Xumi was actually calling him a big fatty to his face—outrageous!
Li Qingxu suddenly leaped up and fled into the distance. He didn't want to leave the spirit cavern yet; even if his chances were slim, he wanted to hold out until the very end.
Ancient pines shattered in swathes as Li Qingyue and Tang Xumi moved simultaneously to intercept him.
The three clashed in the distant woods. Mysterious symbols flickered between Li Qingxu's brows as he brandished his glowing purple bamboo rod, enduring a strike of conscious spirit light from Li Qingyue to trade a direct blow with Tang Xumi.
"Let's go!" Wang Caiwei led her group away and vanished rapidly.
"Hurry, let's leave!" Though burning with suppressed fury, Zheng Maoze didn't dare settle scores with Tang Xumi, pulling along the reluctant He Tai as they hurried away.
Outside the Luofu Immortal Mountain ruins, many people watched closely, awaiting the outcome.
People noticed that not long after the trials began, someone had already fled outside, hands drenched in blood.
"He's one of Li Qingxu's gold-armored guards," someone remarked.
Many wore strange expressions.
People knew well that Li Qingxu's master, that senior powerhouse, was overly domineering, leaving many to swallow their resentment in silence. With some core disciples now targeting his student within the rules, it was entirely reasonable and had long been foreshadowed.
"Li Qingxu might be the first to be eliminated," someone chuckled.
Feeling humiliated, the escapee tried to save face: "I was injured by a Tathagata renegade! Through the golden armor, he can shatter an Outer Sage to pieces!"
"How can you be sure he's a Tathagata renegade?" someone questioned.
Another person fled out—still one of Li Qingxu's gold-armored guards. Hearing this, he added, "He could also be a descendant of the Yuqing lineage."
Shock appeared on many faces. Was the youth beside Li Qingyue truly that preposterous? The lethal power of his heavenly light force was immense.
...
Even with the golden garment protecting him underneath, Li Qingxu was still heavily wounded, coughing up blood all the way. Yet, unwilling to be eliminated, he escaped using a secret art.
He was unwilling to accept defeat. Furthermore, he was not yet at his wit's end; the most formidable helper the Li clan had recruited for him had been placed at the side of a certain core disciple. Though this broke the rules, as long as it wasn't exposed and achieved its goal in secret, it wouldn't matter.
After Tang Xumi left, Qin Ming and Li Qingyue decisively released that bird, not wanting him tracking them in secret.
Ahead lay a massive Fire Spring lake, brimming with radiant light, surrounded by numerous derelict ancient medicinal fields.
A thousand years ago, this place had been blasted into scorched earth by heavenly light from beyond the mundane world. It was now gradually recovering, with one or two herbs occasionally visible along the ridges.
"Zhou Chengru!" Li Qingyue looked ahead, encountering the youth backed by Cui Chonghe here.
"What kind of luck is this? Everyone you run into is a core disciple," Qin Ming said, his gaze settling on Cui Chongxuan opposite them.
More than two years had passed, and Cui Chongxuan had grown as tall as an adult man, radiating an imposing aura of valor.
Li Qingyue didn't consider her luck bad at all. "If I can defeat all the core disciples one by one and finally obtain the near-immortal item, it will prove all the more worthwhile."
She warned, "Be careful of Cui Chongxuan. Recently, his name has resounded through the millennial clans. Though he isn't suited to the path beyond the mundane world, he cultivates the fabled *Six Imperial Scriptures*. The Six Imperials force is not inferior to Tathagata force or Yuqing force."
Qin Ming nodded. The time had come to test his silk book method!
Chapter 105