Fifteen

"I still need to cultivate bitterly and strive to elevate myself," Qin Ming murmured, watching the direction where Li Qingyue had vanished. The outer realm was far vaster than he had imagined, encompassing pure lands, immortal lands, yang lands, calamity lands, and more. The contention over the near-immortal item involved outer lineages that all belonged to the pure land faction. The departure of his old acquaintance left Qin Ming somewhat lost in thought. At this moment, Qi Daoming stood motionless just like him. Their states of mind, however, were entirely different. City Lord Qi felt as though the sky were collapsing. Several of the betting pools outside the arena were tied to him, and now they had completely crashed! Who had placed such ruthless wagers? Two mighty dragons crossing the river had timed their bets to the very last moment to back Qin Ming to win; before this, he hadn't known anyone was playing for such enormous stakes. Gritting his teeth, Qi Daoming snapped, "Pay out what? Gather the funds and run right now! One of those vicious dragons is definitely Meng Xinghai. This time we flip the table and screw him over for good!" One of his partners cried with a fallen face, "City Lord, where can we run? That's a core member of the Meng clan, and he's terrifyingly formidable himself. If he catches us, we'll..." Qi Daoming lowered his voice. "First, head deep into the mountains cloaked in night mist. Keep going inward and take refuge with the higher aberrations to weather the storm." Then his mouth snapped shut. Black mist billowed, and an old man with crane-white hair and a youthful complexion appeared. Crucially, tucked beneath his armpit was another old man. "Young fellow, are you trying to swindle my day gold?" Li Qingyun asked with an unfriendly scowl. Qi Daoming could hardly believe his eyes. He didn't know who the speaking elder was, but at a glance he recognized the Cui clan's Fifth Master—how could he be tucked under someone's arm like that? Naturally gifted and valued by the Li clan as their son-in-law, he naturally knew some of the core members of rival clans. His scalp immediately tingled. Leaving aside the elder holding him, even Fifth Master Cui pinned under the man's armpit posed an immense threat to him. Not daring to hesitate, Qi Daoming immediately said, "Senior must be joking! Not a single piece of the day gold you won will be missing!" Li Qingyun nodded. "Count yourself sensible, lad. Business requires integrity. Don't pull any tricks and ruin my drink with my old brother." Fifth Master Cui's mental state was on the verge of collapsing just like Qi Daoming's betting pool. Was this any way to have a drink? He desperately wanted to spit in disgust: *Ptui!* Black mist shifted, and Li Qingyun vanished in an instant, taking Old Fifth Cui along with him. In an inn within Light-Chasing City, Cui He and Cui Shuning wore solemn expressions. Qin Ming actually had someone from a reclusive clan backing him; this was exceedingly bad. It was true they belonged to a thousand-year clan, but even they were reluctant to clash with a behemoth lurking in the mist. Reclusive clans did not have large populations, but every member was a master, inspiring wariness in all factions. Above all, it was exceedingly difficult to gauge their true depths. When weak, they had almost no presence at all. But at their peak, they could tear right through a thousand-year clan. Unless strictly necessary, no one was willing to tear away all pretenses with a reclusive clan. Qin Ming pondered. An outer pure land alone held so many formidable figures. For a moment, thoughts flooded his mind. When the "produce" at the special node of Black-White Mountain had matured, a young woman in green had seized the greatest fortune. From the "scrap" she had tossed aside, Qin Ming had obtained the mysterious liquid that allowed him to spiritually resonate with items bearing the crystallized life's blood of predecessors. Evidently, that green-robed young woman was also someone from beyond the mundane world. *Could she come from an outer immortal land? She didn't seem like someone from the yang lands.* Qin Ming knew her background had to be immense; her mount had actually been a golden roc! Moreover, her strength had been extraordinary—she had dared to snatch food from the tiger's maw at Black-White Mountain and succeeded. The plain, unassuming "scrap" Qin Ming had acquired had triggered an abnormal transformation in his spiritual perception. One could only wonder what benefits the dazzling, multicolored "main harvest" in the green-robed maiden's hands had granted her. Although he believed his "scrap" might have been a case of a heavenly treasure veiling its brilliance, there was no denying the extraordinary nature of the "main ingredient" in her hands; it was likely of priceless worth. Thinking of this, Qin Ming naturally recalled that a white-robed girl had also accompanied the green-robed young woman. Though the white-robed girl harbored no malice, she had laughed at his rustic nature and said that only when he stood atop a mountain peak might there be a sliver of a chance he could glimpse them from afar, pointing out that the gulf between them was as boundless as mountains and seas. Qin Ming could not help sighing. The outer realm truly brimmed with talent. And that was merely what was visible on the surface; this path was truly unfathomable. Crucially, the immortal lands, yang lands, calamity lands, and the rest had yet to fully reveal themselves. "She's already gone, and you're still daydreaming?" Meng Xinghai chuckled as he walked over. This time, he had made an enormous fortune. "I hope all goes smoothly for Qingyue. The competition on her end is extremely fierce," Qin Ming said. "It's the same everywhere," Meng Xinghai replied. Qin Ming nodded. "The night-mist world is boundless, and the strong stand like a forest. Just the lineages I know of feel bottomless even though they've only surfaced a little. And there are paths I've barely encountered, such as the esoteric sects and higher beings." Beneath the night mist, Chixia City came into view, and before long they returned. In the city lord's estate, Meng Xinghai was counting large-denomination gold drafts with a beaming smile. Qin Ming tilted his head and watched. Old Meng had forbidden him from betting, yet Meng Xinghai himself reeked of the aura of day gold. "Uncle Meng, when is the next match?" Qin Ming asked with eager eyes, resolving to bring all his day gold next time. "Here, have a look at your harvest this time." Meng Xinghai handed him a palm-length pouch. When Qin Ming opened it, multicolored rays of light burst forth, dazzling his eyes. Inside were fruits the size of fingernails—some dripping emerald green, some red as blood diamonds, some white as jade. Their sizes and shapes were similar, but their colors differed. These were the fallen fruits, small because it was early spring and they had barely begun to grow. Qin Ming said, "If even fruits fallen ahead of time are like this, then the mature five-color fruits... are truly hard to imagine." Meng Xinghai smiled and informed him, "A mature fruit can reach the size of a fist, and the five-colored divine light covering the tree can illuminate the world." Qin Ming could only marvel. The fingernail-sized fallen fruits simply could not compare. Meng Xinghai said, "I've never eaten one either. That kind of fruit has low yields and astounding medicinal potency; they never circulate outside." Qin Ming smiled. "If there's ever a chance in the future, I'll honor you with a few mature five-color fruits, Uncle Meng." Meng Xinghai laughed as well. "Then you'll have to work hard. If a patriarch-level figure visits that place in person, five-color fruits are served on the table like ordinary fruit." The fallen fruits contained rich heavenly light. Qin Ming intended to consume them after his seventh Newborn transformation; they would be perfect for expanding the heavenly light in his body and merging his various force arts. However, only a few days had passed since his sixth Newborn transformation at Mount Luofu. Even with a physique that surpassed mutants, he was nearing his limit. Others reached their ceiling at five Newborn transformations a year; crossing that red line caused severe bodily damage. Qin Ming reckoned that after easing off for over half a month, he might be able to undergo another transformation. The main reason was that his foundation was simply too profound! The local edition of the night papers published the news of Qin Ming defeating Chen Yuan, praising him generously and describing his performance as remarkable and truly extraordinary. As for the true main edition of the night papers—the version distributed across numerous megacities—it did not mention this duel in a single word. Light-Chasing City and Chixia City were relatively remote and lacked standing; no one cared about a duel between two youths in such places. Of course, a few clan members were exceptions; knowing Qin Ming's past, they paid slight attention, but merely treated it as casual chatter over tea. After all, the fake Cui Chonghe had already faded from their circle. Undoubtedly, duels between the "number ones" of various cities carried immense influence, and many people were currently watching and discussing them heatedly. Thus, the night papers provided continuous coverage, frequently dedicating large spreads on their main edition. Prodigies from influential megacities became the trending figures pursued by the papers, and new names were constantly introduced, gradually making several exceptionally gifted youths household names. "Ling Yu of Liuguang City has dazzled four regions. Fittingly hailed as possessing the poise of a youthful grandmaster, he has already defeated several formidable figures at the height of their renown in succession." Moreover, according to reports, Ling Yu remained humble, saying there were figures even more formidable than him, like a blazing sun waiting to burst through black clouds. Without pausing for breath, Qin Ming began racking up victories as well, because ancestral grounds of major sects and special higher academies were already scouting top prodigies. Over the next two days, Qin Ming fought four matches in a row, betting on himself in advance each time. Alas, Meng Xinghai had made a killing in Light-Chasing City, nearly bankrupting Qi Daoming and earning an "infamous" reputation, so many people were already wary of anyone from Chixia City. Furthermore, they had realized that Qin Ming's strength was truly terrifying! Consequently, the odds for backing him to win were abysmal, leaving virtually no profit. By this point, Qin Ming had accumulated a streak of five consecutive victories, earning quite a reputation locally, yet he still could not make the main edition of the night papers, which was reserved exclusively for megacity prodigies. Meanwhile, Jinrui City produced a juvenile extraordinary whose fame spread across the cities beneath the night mist, with the night papers providing consecutive follow-up reports. "A mutant has finally appeared," Qin Ming murmured while reading the night papers. Among the "number ones" of various regions, this was the first mutant to appear and have their identity confirmed, causing a massive sensation. Although people believed Ling Yu of Liuguang City, who possessed the poise of a youthful grandmaster, was also a mutant, he had never made any response. Over the next two days, Qin Ming traveled to three more places, bringing his record to eight consecutive victories. Returning this time, he rested briefly and gathered in Chixia City with Xu Sheng, Wu Zheng, and Sister Fenfang, Zhou Lin. "Look! A giant white peacock is descending from the sky!" Having once worked as an itinerant peddler, Xu Sheng had sharp eyes. Sitting by the window, he was the first to spot an exotic bird spiraling down from the clouds in the night sky. Close behind, a five-colored spiritual fowl broke through the clouds, descending toward the city. Then an azure bird appeared, wheeling as it approached Chixia City. They were extraordinary flying mounts, and upon each bird sat several youthful faces. Before long, people learned that these travelers possessed extraordinary backgrounds, hailing respectively from Shenzhao Academy, Five Elements Palace, and Wenxin Academy. "Did you come to Chixia City to select disciples?" The speech sparrow flew over, completely uninhibited, and took the initiative to warmly greet the group. "We are passing through to resupply and will soon head to a megacity. We heard a juvenile extraordinary has appeared there," someone replied. Evidently, the three factions had crossed paths along the way and were competing closely, all eager to recruit that mutant. "We have a young expert here on an eight-match winning streak. Don't miss out on him!" the speech sparrow informed them. "Then let him go register himself." The speech sparrow asked, "Could he become a core disciple?" "In this region, even winning forty-eight matches in a row wouldn't be enough." Unquestionably, all three factions acted rather coldly, paying little heed to track records in such remote lands. Before long, they departed in a hurry. Several days later, Qin Ming's record had reached fifteen consecutive victories. Finally, the main edition of the night papers gave a brief mention, though still without naming names. The gist was that in remote cities such as Chimei and Jinxi, several youths had posted respectable records, with some already notching winning streaks over ten matches. Meng Xinghai told Qin Ming, "Get ready over the next few days. I suspect Cui He can no longer sit still. They don't want you entering the ancestral ground of a renowned major sect, so they'll likely find someone to challenge you." He smiled faintly. "Since they already know you're a mutant, I'll go provoke Cui He and say you want to enter the ancestral ground of the Six Imperials lineage. Heh, they'll probably be worried sick that you might snatch Cui Chongxuan's spot as a core disciple." Meng Xinghai felt it was time to make suitable arrangements to push Cui He into producing the *Yimu Scripture*.