Inside the quiet room, atop a blue-sandalwood tea table, teacups sat white as snow. A delicate fragrance curled upward, diffusing between the two of them.
Li Qingyue looked at him, her clear eyes bright and a smile rippling across her face. "You didn't bring me a jar of fine wine, did you?" she asked.
His hair black and his eyes spirited, Qin Ming couldn't help smiling as he recalled the past. He shook his head. "This gift isn't wine, but it might truly leave you a little tipsy."
"Oh? What is it, then?" Li Qingyue asked, taken aback and rather intrigued.
Within this peaceful, elegant chamber were exquisite tea wares, as well as a writing desk complete with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. He fetched several sheets of paper, preparing to write out those two unfathomably mysterious scriptures.
Li Qingyue rose as well, slender and poised. Stepping up to the desk, she personally began grinding ink for him.
Her conscious spiritual light shone like a radiant golden sun illuminating the sea of mist, granting her keen instincts. An indistinct premonition arose within her, as though an event destined to shape her future were unfolding right now.
The aroma of tea mingled with the faint scent of ink, drifting gently through the quiet room. Qin Ming sat down and began writing rapidly. With his spirit and focus sharpened to the utmost, he wrote with meticulous care, refusing to let even the slightest flaw appear in his brushstrokes.
He was recreating the scriptures exactly as he had seen them, fully capturing their distinctive aura. Having resonated with them spiritually, he reproduced their doctrinal essence without the slightest deviation or defect.
He even added the formidable ancient predecessor's commentaries and the words spoken while instructing his disciples.
Watching his rapt absorption, Li Qingyue noticed that as he wrote, the brush and ink actually gave off a faint shimmer. This was a manifestation of conscious spiritual wisdom poured into the work, proof that his heart and soul were utterly immersed, breathing spirituality into the characters on the paper.
Soon after, his entire body began to glow softly, falling into a strange resonance with the scripture on the paper. A solemn look crossed Li Qingyue's fair, mutton-fat jade face. She brought out a translucent, nine-colored miniature seal and set it down in the room to keep the shimmering light from spilling outward.
She stepped closer to read carefully.
Before long, her own conscious spiritual light rose and fell in tandem.
Li Qingyue realized that this scripture was priceless beyond measure—and deeply tied to her.
Was this the gift Qin Ming intended for her? Li Qingyue, in a rare departure from her usual ethereal detachment, parted her lips slightly in shock, an expression of sheer disbelief on her face.
Qin Ming remained utterly focused. Only when the final stroke of the first scripture was complete did he let out a long breath.
Immediately, he realized that Li Qingyue was right beside him, reading intently. Her whole body glowed as she immersed herself in this scripture related to the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
He did not disturb her, sitting quietly in place.
Then, he began thumbing through the manual Li Qingyue had brought.
Before long, he too became absorbed, naturally falling into spiritual resonance with it.
Qin Ming realized that the old monsters of the outer realm were exceedingly cautious; this was not actually the original text.
He saw scenes from the past: someone transcribing the manual. This copy was identical to the original and appeared to have a history of one to two hundred years.
Many had read through this book, only to be stumped. Most had left behind rather negative emotions, which held little reference value.
Qin Ming resonated with those people's emotions solely to commit the book's contents to memory.
He kept turning the pages, and before he knew it, he had reached the final page, memorizing everything. Closing the book, he felt it could appropriately be named the *Destiny-Altering Scripture*.
When Qin Ming looked up, he found Li Qingyue watching him.
"I've memorized it all," he said, handing the book back.
"So fast?" Li Qingyue asked in astonishment.
"It's done," Qin Ming nodded.
By now, Li Qingyue had read every sheet of ink-scented paper on the desk, searing the contents into her memory.
Her beautiful eyes shone brightly with surprise, wonder, and deep emotion. "I won't say thank you; that would be too distant." She knew that with this scripture, the near-immortal item truly belonged to her!
At the same time, she did not ask how Qin Ming had acquired these incantations regarding the Six Ding Divine Fire. She understood that everyone had secrets, and she was no exception.
Qin Ming said, "Back at the Luofu Immortal Mountain ruins, I didn't dare pass it to you. I feared those omnipotent senior masters might sense it, and even more, I feared they might possess someone."
"I understand," Li Qingyue nodded.
She lightly pressed her fair forehead with her fingers. "I have already engraved it in the deepest core of my conscious spiritual light. If anyone covets it, even if they succeed in possessing me, they will get nothing. It will disperse alongside me..."
Qin Ming stopped her at once. "Don't say such ominous things. I'm still waiting for you to draw near to immortality, and then truly seek the real!"
Li Qingyue nodded. Her slender white hand touched the stack of scripture pages on the desk, and a faint flame burst forth, swiftly reducing the sheets to ash.
"Much as I would love to keep your handwritten manuscript, it's safer to leave no trace. In the future, you can write another copy for me."
"You'll probably need two copies," Qin Ming said with a smile.
With that, he raised his brush and began writing again. This time, it was the text and diagrams from the remnant metal sheet—a scripture that should not be touched until reaching the third major realm.
As he concentrated, the balanced conscious spiritual light and his divine wisdom overflowed once more, suffusing the tip of his brush and instilling the characters with vital spirit. Li Qingyue ground the ink while standing close, silently memorizing alongside his strokes.
Not until Qin Ming finished writing and set down his brush did he stop.
She was already deeply absorbed once more. Silken strands of black hair slipped down beside her ivory-smooth cheek; without her realizing it, the tips brushed against Qin Ming, trailing a faint, delicate fragrance.
She appeared entirely ethereal and otherworldly. The spiritual essence on the paper seemed to be absorbed by her; as she finished reading, all the writing and diagrams gradually faded, losing their luster.
When Li Qingyue turned her head, her hair brushed his cheek. Snapping back to the present, her flowing immortal charm momentarily subsided, replaced by an uncontrollable mix of joy and excitement. "The immovable mountain blocking my path forward has been removed. This is the foundational method I have searched for so bitterly."
Clearly, this was the content from "a single page of true transmission"!
In bygone days, Luofu Immortal Mountain had been a vital foundation of the outer pure land, so the heritage scriptures anchored there were naturally of unfathomable prestige.
"As long as it's useful to you," Qin Ming smiled. Then he cautioned her that before the third major realm, one must never practice this foundational method, or disaster would follow.
"I know," Li Qingyue nodded. She seemed to sigh with heartfelt relief, and a brighter radiance gathered between her brows.
"Earlier, you seemed to carry some melancholy?" Qin Ming asked.
"You noticed," Li Qingyue nodded without hiding it.
She explained that the contest among core disciples had ended, but as a near-immortal seed cultivated with great care by the outer pure land, the competitive pressure was even heavier.
"Our lineage was originally based on Luofu Immortal Mountain. A thousand years ago, when the attempt to elevate the blessed land to a grotto-heaven failed, far too many mishaps occurred, and we lost our foundational method."
In the past, although an "immortal seed" had escaped Mount Luofu and learned the scripture on the remnant metal sheet, he had quickly fled far away and never returned.
Some said he feared being targeted by senior masters and chose to change his name and hide.
Others claimed he might have been captured that very day by seniors from another lineage. Li Qingyue's lineage had also cultivated this foundational method, but theirs was flawed. If she reached the third major realm without completing it, she would have had to consider other scriptures.
The outer pure land naturally possessed several other sect-protecting scriptures with unfathomably deep heritages, but obtaining them without paying a heavy price was unrealistic.
Either she would have to wait several years until various senior masters reached an agreement, or she would have to make immense contributions to the pure land to exchange for one immediately.
To her, time was beyond precious. A delay of even a year would affect her future standing; the few near-immortal seeds in the pure land all possessed tremendous backgrounds.
What they fought for was future leadership of the outer pure land—whoever won would become the ultimate decision-maker.
There was even a senior near-immortal seed backed by an old ancestor of his clan who held an innate advantage; he had extended an olive branch, hinting that if she attached herself to him, he could help her secure a sect-protecting scripture much sooner.
In truth, more than one party had made improper demands of her.
After Li Qingyue refused, acquiring a top-tier scripture became even more difficult and would be delayed further. Competition was everywhere, and even the path of the outer realms was divided into several major systems.
"We belong to the pure land faction within the outer realm. There are also immortal lands, yang lands, adversity lands, and more."
Qin Ming quickly realized that the young man he had killed at Black-White Mountain—the one whose physical body could mistify—likely came from an outer yang land.
Though called a yang land, yin energy actually ran heavy there. Their physical bodies and conscious spiritual light merged into one, leaning heavily toward yin traits. They adhered to the ancient legend of the yin spirit roaming forth before eventually transforming into pure yang.
"Don't compromise yourself," Qin Ming said, looking at her. Regrettably, he was still too weak to help.
Perhaps only the patriarch of an entire sect could tread into the outer realm with complete ease; he was still far from that. Li Qingyue gave a soft hum and nodded. "Once I compromise myself, my path toward immortality is broken. Judging from my previous standing, what was there to fear anyway? At worst, I would have become one of the future core executives of the outer pure land. But now, naturally, I will vie for the position with the greatest say."
Her body radiated an ethereal immortal charm, glowing with magnificent luster. She was brimming with confidence; now that she possessed the strongest scripture, she no longer had to divide her attention.
"I should get going," Li Qingyue said.
She retrieved two pieces of "exotic metal"—one swirling with purple mist, the other white and translucent as jade—and placed them into his hands.
She explained, "If forged and polished into weapons, they can pierce through divine wisdom, heavenly light force, and conscious spiritual light. Anyone wishing to block them must resort to formidable methods."
Qin Ming kept only one piece, saying, "One is enough. I'll study it; you should take the other."
Li Qingyue did not fuss and put one away. Though she possessed the near-immortal item, she did not dare take it out into the world, or trouble would inevitably find her.
She stood, looked at Qin Ming with a smile, and stepped forward to give him a gentle hug. "May the day come when your heavenly light illuminates and breaks through the night sky!"
Without doubt, only the mightiest patriarchs in history could truly achieve such a feat. It was the most wonderful blessing for Qin Ming, who walked the Newborn path.
Qin Ming knew that once she departed, she would likely advance by leaps and bounds, charging toward higher realms to walk the supreme immortal path of her aspirations. It would be a long time before they met again.
He also took the initiative to gently embrace Li Qingyue, then watched her walk away.
"Near-immortal, not yet an immortal—you're still a person of the mortal dust! If you ever grow weary or tired, you can always come out and find me for a drink!" Qin Ming called out with a smile.
Though already in the distance, Li Qingyue heard him. She halted, turned back, and gave a faint smile and nod. Finally, accompanied by an elder, her silhouette faded away and vanished entirely.
Chapter 131