Breakthrough

The exhaustion from Qin Ming's intense battle was swept completely away, as if he had taken a dose of potent tonic. His flagging spirit and vitality instantly surged, and even though he was injured and spattered with blood, one could tell he was glowing with vigor once more. "What a wonderful place!" he marveled. The wounds on his body seemed far less painful now. The stone doors behind the two of them slowly closed, yet the Mountains and Rivers Spiritual Nest was far from dim; spiritual light steamed up from the earth veins. Although there were stone tables and bronze lamps within the spiritual nest, the space as a whole was naturally formed. A pool lay before them, in which two kinds of spiritual light entwined like two fish chasing each other. From a fissure within the Mountains and Rivers Spiritual Nest, spurting mist and haze resembled a great tree, scattering flecks of flowing light like leaves drifting down through the air. The nest was less than a hundred square meters. On the stone walls were strange patterns; upon closer inspection, they were natural cloud patterns, and some even bore a striking resemblance to written characters. Li Qingyue spoke up, "People beyond the mundane world love copying characters formed from natural patterns, as one can comprehend extraordinary power from them." She was no longer so listless; her condition was improving, and color had returned to her eyes. Her ruined silver armor, set against her snow-white skin, gave her a singular, unconventional beauty. "Will you be able to recover?" Qin Ming asked with concern. "There shouldn't be any issue, and perhaps I can even take a step further," Li Qingyue nodded. The light of her consciousness shone brightly once more, and vitality was reviving within her Yellow Court. "That's good," Qin Ming breathed a sigh of relief. Immediately, he asked, "My spirit and vitality are growing stronger and stronger, as if I've been drinking one potent tonic after another. What's going on?" Li Qingyue smiled. "There is a special substance here—or perhaps a wondrous power—that stimulates the human spiritual field. Don't worry, the outer edge of the spiritual nest won't harm us. It's completely safe, and for people like us, it will only bring positive transformations." The first realm of people beyond the mundane world was Heart Fasting, which required unlocking the spiritual light of consciousness and was tied to the spiritual field; this was their very foundation. Daoist lineages beyond the mundane world prized spiritual nests primarily because of these domains. Qin Ming was surprised. "This is only the outer edge?" Li Qingyue nodded. "Yes. Get used to it first, and if there are no problems, you can try entering the core area with me." Currently heavily injured, she did not dare venture into the depths of the Mountains and Rivers Spiritual Nest right away and needed to recover her condition here. Qin Ming nodded. Being here was already like taking potent tonics; what would it be like if he entered the core of the spiritual nest? He looked forward to it with great anticipation. Observing the cave closely, a look of astonishment crossed his face—on some of the stone walls, there were natural diagrams of ascending immortals, truly magnificent. He murmured to himself, "Could the legends among common folk have originated from seeing natural patterns like these?" Li Qingyue said, "People beyond the mundane world speak only of approaching immortality, never of ascending to it. Our ultimate goal is the pursuit of truth." "There's profound meaning in that!" Qin Ming pondered. During the pioneer period, the unfathomably powerful creatures discovered by various factions in the depths of the night mist world were also merely referred to as near-immortal creatures, godlike beings, and the like. Li Qingyue was clearly reminded of certain things as well. "We must strive to improve ourselves," she said. "The population is growing larger and larger now, and high-grade Fire Springs are running short. When the mega-cities need to expand, we will likely have to venture deep into the night mist world to pioneer new lands. The Era of Great Pioneering holds endless opportunities, but also countless dangers." "Yes!" Qin Ming nodded solemnly. He had heard Meng Xinghai mention this: the future was very likely to be a grand era accompanied by glory, bloodshed, splendor, and tragic songs, filled with uncertainty. Qin Ming circulated the silk book method to nurse his wounds. Nourished by the wondrous substance within the spiritual nest, he recovered rapidly, his three treasures of essence, qi, and spirit exceptionally abundant. Li Qingyue said, "It seems you've adapted well to this place. Follow me into the core area of the spiritual nest and give it a try. If you feel any pain, tell me immediately, and I'll send you out right away." By now, she was brimming with energy, her pale face regaining its lustrous glow. Her entire being was once again ethereal and otherworldly, like a celestial fairy clad in shattered armor. "I don't think there will be much of a problem," Qin Ming said. Li Qingyue smiled without saying more. Channeling the divine haze born from her Yellow Court, she struck a stone slab on the ground covered in densely packed runes. As immortal mist billowed and spiritual light intertwined, the passage quickly opened, revealing the second level—the very core of the Mountains and Rivers Spiritual Nest, which had been concealed until now. Li Qingyue floated down gracefully. Taking a deep breath after landing, the shattered silver armor on her clanked, resonating with her body. Employing a secret method to heal, she relaxed body and soul. Qin Ming saw that within the lower stone cavern, numerous motes of light were scattered through the void. Landing in the core area of the second level of the Mountains and Rivers Spiritual Nest, he instantly felt dizzy and disoriented. Stumbling, he nearly tumbled over. This time it was Li Qingyue's turn to steady him, asking with concern, "Does it feel terrible? I'll take you back out." She comforted Qin Ming, telling him that he could still gain many benefits on the first level of the spiritual nest. Qin Ming shook his head. "At first, it felt like being drunk, but now it's just slightly tipsy. My body and mind are completely relaxed; I've never felt better." This was the truth; surprisingly, he adapted very well to this environment. Holding him up, Li Qingyue warned, "Don't force yourself. If your head aches, tell me immediately, or something really could go wrong." The Mountains and Rivers Spiritual Nest could stimulate the spiritual field and enhance the spiritual light of consciousness, but anyone who was not from beyond the mundane world and did not walk this path would be unable to withstand the wondrous energy here. "I'm really fine," Qin Ming said, and began practicing his arts, demonstrating the Golden Silkworm Art, departing fire force, and more. His whole body felt light and nimble, as if soaking in a hot spring, incomparably comfortable. In his head especially, a warm current surged, so pleasant that he wanted to let out a groan of relief. "You... were probably held back. Perhaps you could walk the path of those beyond the mundane world as well," Li Qingyue said with a peculiar expression. This old friend of hers had advanced at astonishing speed along the Newborn path, able to slay Outer Sages after just five Newbirths, and now it seemed he might even be able to tread her own path. This was truly extraordinary. Li Qingyue said, "To protect Cui Chonghe, the Cui clan claimed you had extraordinary talent. Looking at it now, they weren't wrong." She felt it was such a waste that Qin Ming had been kept under wraps for so many years, entirely unable to access what he should have been learning. "It doesn't matter. If I really have talent in this area, it's not too late to start now," Qin Ming replied. Regret served no purpose now; time could not be turned back. Afterward, he practiced the method from the silk book here. This was his foundational canon, capable of commanding various arts such as departing fire and golden silkworm. The area fell quiet as both began healing their wounds, circulating their respective foundational methods. Qin Ming immersed himself in it. Silver clay and golden threads surfaced across his body, forming the Golden Thread Jade Clothes over him, draped in swirling, hazy immortal mist. This was truly rare; in the past, such a phenomenon had only appeared while he fell into deep sleep during his body's Newbirth process. As the wounds on Qin Ming's body healed, the scabs began peeling off on their own. Though it produced only a faint rustling sound, it still alerted Li Qingyue. She saw the Golden Thread Jade Clothes on Qin Ming, and even more astonishingly, noticed a faint spiritual light emerging upon his forehead. She whispered, "Before even stepping onto the path beyond the mundane world, his consciousness's spiritual light has already begun to overflow. His natural endowment truly is remarkable." When Qin Ming opened his eyes and found Li Qingyue looking at him, he asked, "What is it?" "I'll teach you a mnemonic incantation. Give it a try here." "The path beyond the mundane world?" Qin Ming asked. "This incantation must not be passed on to anyone else," Li Qingyue cautioned. "Alright!" Qin Ming nodded. He began to respire, circulating the special breathing technique while performing the corresponding movements. "Your progress is swift. At this rate, you'll awaken the spiritual light of consciousness very soon," Li Qingyue said, nodding, though without too much surprise. Two hours later, Qin Ming opened his eyes. Before his forehead, true spiritual light of consciousness intertwined; he had indeed crossed the threshold. Soon, his expression shifted slightly. Through the method from the silk book, he had actually cultivated a wisp of spiritual light of consciousness as well, and now it surprisingly absorbed and fused the light he had just developed. Afterward, the fused spiritual light flowed through his entire body, leaving behind only a small remnant. Sensing it carefully, Qin Ming discovered that his physical constitution had improved! "What's going on?" he asked, somewhat bewildered. After listening to his detailed explanation, Li Qingyue said softly, "Could it be that you are naturally suited for the path of bodily mutation?" Qin Ming fell into thought. "On my path, the Newborn stage mainly focuses on enhancing physical constitution, and only upon reaching the Outer Manifestation stage does it begin to involve the power of consciousness. Did this premature birth of consciousness light get corrected back onto its original trajectory? But the mental power gained wasn't lost—it simply fed back into my flesh and blood!" The spiritual light of his consciousness had not been fed back entirely; a portion of it still remained. Checking his body, Li Qingyue said, "The stronger your physical body, the more consciousness light it can hold, as if maintaining a state of balance." She smiled. "That's fine too. Only by staying focused can one walk farther. Besides, when your flesh and blood grow strong enough in the future, anything is possible." Qin Ming pondered whether this was due to his own body or the nature of the silk book method. "Don't space out. This state of yours is pretty good too," Li Qingyue said. She channeled her spiritual light of consciousness, pouring it into the various mysterious symbols on the stone walls. Those had been arranged by her patriarch to fully awaken the Mountains and Rivers Spiritual Nest. "You should be able to adapt to the wondrous energy here now." A moment later, the motes of light scattered in the void linked together and began arranging themselves in order. Ripples appeared one after another within the Mountains and Rivers Spiritual Nest, like shimmering waves washing over both of them, greatly stimulating their spiritual light of consciousness. Li Qingyue's wounds continued to improve. The ruined armor on her body hummed incessantly, and like her physique, it grew crystalline and translucent, radiating brilliant light. The power of consciousness she could muster naturally far surpassed Qin Ming's current level. Her injuries healed at a pace visible to the naked eye; hairline fractures mended on their own, and her Dao bones became as sturdy as ever. In the sea of her consciousness, a golden sun seemed poised to leap above the mist-shrouded waters, its spiritual light blazing, ready to dispel the dark fog. Qin Ming noticed that without him needing to circulate any art, the spiritual light of his consciousness was elevating on its own, as if receiving some kind of radiation that stimulated his spiritual field and sparked a qualitative transformation! "It truly deserves to be called a Mountains and Rivers Spiritual Nest!" he marveled. Since circulating any technique had little effect, he simply let go and passively absorbed the nest's radiation and stimulation, allowing his spiritual field to transform. His consciousness light grew quickly and was consumed just as fast, feeding back into his flesh and blood almost synchronously. This might not count as a sixth Newbirth, but the effect isn't inferior in the slightest! Qin Ming found that the wondrous energy fed back from the spiritual domain was continuously enhancing his physical constitution, and his heavenly light was strengthening alongside it. He felt deeply gratified inside, truly experiencing his own growth—it was in no way inferior to a full Newbirth! Since I don't need to run any technique, I might as well practice the Wuji Classic here. Qin Ming wasted no time and began studying the newly acquired extraordinary art. Through spiritual resonance, he had long grasped the true essence of this classic. Wu belongs to yang earth, and Ji belongs to yin earth; the two characters "Wu-Ji" clearly indicated the domain it encompassed—an extraordinary art associated with earth. The Tathagata disciple's high praise, claiming it was even more precious than the Departing Fire Classic, was by no means an exaggeration. Qin Ming soon became engrossed, and before long, he began drilling its movements. The Mountains and Rivers Spiritual Nest was connected to the ancestral vein of the earth, so aside from the wondrous energy that stimulated the spiritual field, what it lacked least of all was earth-vein essence qi. No sooner had he begun practicing than yellowish-brown clouds of mist billowed from beneath his feet, gradually submerging him. Outside the Luofu Immortal Mountain ruins, many people were closely monitoring the latest developments. "It looks like the near-immortal item is about to find an owner. The competition among the core disciples is growing clearer by the moment." "Brother Liu, I feel your junior brother is going to come out on top." "Not necessarily. Perhaps it'll be your junior sister who takes the crown and obtains the near-immortal item." Some people conversed with smiles, while naturally, others wore somber expressions. "Li Qingyue still hasn't come out. Could it be she hasn't given up? But all sides have confirmed she was severely injured, even damaging her foundation, completely disqualifying her from the race." "Perhaps her situation is even graver than we imagined, and she lacks the strength to walk out at all." Within the Mountains and Rivers Spiritual Nest, Li Qingyue had fully recovered. The light of her consciousness shone ever brighter, and her strength was steadily increasing, on the verge of climbing to another level. Qin Ming was entirely submerged in yellowish-brown mist. His practice of the Wuji Classic had already crossed the threshold; moreover, with his flesh and blood continually nourished by the feedback of consciousness light, it was already comparable to a sixth Newbirth!