In the thick night mist, the silver flames died away, leaving only Qin Ming's fist flowing with heavenly light force like a blazing sun, resting just inches before his opponent's brow.
Yu Zhuohan lay motionless on the ground, having completely lost consciousness.
In the distance, turbulent emotions surged through Cui He and Cui Shuning, and their chests tightened with stifling dismay—the worst-case scenario had unfolded. The fake Cui Chonghe was far more powerful than either of them had anticipated. If he were a disciple of the Cui clan, they would have cheered at the top of their lungs for such a dazzling youth talent!
Yet now, an irreparable rift lay between them and Qin Ming; there was simply no way to mend their relationship.
Crucially, if the fake Cui Chonghe continued to grow like this, to say nothing of anyone else, the two of them felt they would never get a good night's sleep again.
Silence blanketed the wilderness. Waves churned in the hearts of the gathered youths, thoroughly stunned. A moment later, a wave of clamor broke out in their area as heated discussions erupted.
"Wake up!" Qin Ming nudged Yu Zhuohan. Why had he fainted? Qin Ming had still wanted to establish a resonance when the boy's emotions were at their peak.
Qin Ming realized that his fused, unified heavenly light force exerted an oppressive pressure that caused harm to the divine wisdom of the esoteric sect, so he had no choice but to rein in the light of his fist.
He prepared to search the youth and scavenge his spoils of war.
Suddenly, a warning flared in his instincts, and the hairs on his neck stood on end. Without him noticing, two figures had appeared nearby, silently watching.
One was Meng Xinghai, which allowed Qin Ming to breathe a sigh of relief. The other was wrapped in a black robe, impossible to tell male from female, but clearly cared a great deal about Yu Zhuohan.
The appearance of these two was most likely out of fear that he might strike a lethal blow. Naturally, Qin Ming had no intention of doing so; he didn't want to make enemies without reason. The silver-haired youth had defied Cui Shuning earlier, declaring he wished to use the duel to temper himself.
Evidently, this youth took no orders from the Cui clan. Qin Ming believed that if he killed Yu Zhuohan, Cui He and Cui Shuning would actually be pleased. The silver-haired youth likely had a significant background and extraordinary strength as a born empowered, the kind of fresh talent the esoteric sect surely prized.
Qin Ming had already reached out his hand, intending to scavenge treasures from Yu Zhuohan's robes. But while having Meng Xinghai watch was one thing, the black-robed figure was also staring intently at his hand.
Embarrassed yet polite, Qin Ming chuckled to himself and said, "Brother, the ground is covered in dew. You'd better get up quickly. I didn't hit you that hard."
With that outstretched hand no longer able to search for spoils, he smoothly turned the gesture into shaking the silver-haired youth's shoulder, trying to wake him.
The black-robed figure spoke up: "We are all people of the esoteric sect. What happened to keeping the peace? That nephew of yours certainly didn't pull his punches. With fist light blazing like a resplendent sun, an ordinary esoteric sect disciple's divine wisdom would have been burned clean through."
Meng Xinghai shook his head. "It's his first time fighting an esoteric disciple. He doesn't understand the methods of our path, so he didn't gauge his strength properly."
In the distance, hearing this exchange, Cui He and Cui Shuning felt their composure shattering completely!
The youthful powerhouse they had recruited from the esoteric sect—Meng Xinghai had known about him all along! Not only were they acquainted, but they also seemed to share a friendly history.
Yu Zhuohan came to and immediately saw his opponent—the formidable figure who had exerted such boundless pressure over him—smiling down at him with utter radiance.
His heart instantly constricted. Such a dangerous individual was right in front of him; if that terrifying heavenly light force flared again, the divine wisdom he had accumulated might burst apart.
"Don't be afraid. Don't go fainting again," Qin Ming quickly reassured him.
The black-robed figure walked over and said, "Get up."
Yu Zhuohan's face turned slightly red, and he immediately retorted, "I wasn't frightened into fainting! My divine wisdom was scorched by that sun-like fist light—it was from an injury!"
Qin Ming felt immense regret as he watched helplessly while the silver-haired youth strapped the red jade iron sword onto his back.
Yu Zhuohan cast a wary glance at him, feeling that something was off about the look in this mountain-like youth's eyes.
With that, the duel came to an end!
Some rejoiced while others fretted; the onlookers in the wilderness harbored vastly different emotions.
Among the group of youths, the atmosphere was at its liveliest, all of them astounded by their former companion's prowess.
No one had anticipated that he would rise so meteorically. Two years ago, many knew he had suffered catastrophe. Barring an anomaly, the trajectory of his life had been altered completely, taking him permanently out of their sight.
The facts had pointed to that as well. From what they understood, he had been walking the Newborn path for less than half a year. Starting so late, without any superior arts, how could he possibly catch up?
Yet, in such an unbelievable fashion, after being hurled down from the clouds and remaining dormant for over two years, he reappeared as a mutant.
A chill ran up Zheng Maorong's spine from his tailbone. He had thought that a former companion fallen into the dust could be crushed in some remote backwater with just a quiet nod or hint to someone else, yet now Qin Ming had grown ferocious to such an extent.
Deep unease gripped his heart!
Beside him, several acquaintances were already planning to visit Chixia City later to invite Qin Ming for a gathering.
"I knew it! Even after facing a great calamity, he was bound to rise again sooner or later!" someone said with a chuckle. How much truth lay behind those words was hard to tell.
However, some among them were genuinely happy for Qin Ming. In the past, pressured by circumstances, they hadn't dared visit Chixia City to see him. Seeing him crawl out of the quagmire on his own, earning Meng Xinghai's appreciation and the regard of an elder of the secluded Li clan, they quietly breathed sighs of relief for him.
"Heh heh..." Someone among the direct descendants of the Li clan chuckled, showing no regard for Cui He and Cui Shuning's grim expressions. In comparison, what did Qin Ming kicking Li Qingxiao twice in the rear amount to?
Now, every time Qin Ming had a glorious moment, it was equivalent to slapping Cui He, Cui Shuning, and their cohort in the face, leaving them fuming with stifled frustration.
As rivals, the direct descendants of the Li clan were naturally delighted. Yet when they recalled how Li Qingxu had nearly killed Qin Ming back then, their brows furrowed again. They felt that ordeal had truly ended poorly—either they shouldn't have moved against him at all, or they should have beaten him to death outright to avoid leaving behind such trouble.
Thus, gradually, the smiles on the Li clan members' faces faded as well.
Only Qi Daoming could still manage a smile, greeting Meng Xinghai and chatting about past days from their youth.
Cui He and Cui Shuning took a long time to recover their senses. Even a "seed" favored by the esoteric sect had been defeated. This further demonstrated that Qin Ming was qualified to step through the mountain gates of the Six Imperials, and his potential was even greater than they had imagined.
Cui Shuning turned around and happened to see the members of the Wang clan. Without uttering a word, they were already heading into the depths of the night mist, preparing to depart.
Cui He's belly was stuffed with indignation. After becoming the laughingstock of a bunch of acquaintances, he still had to surrender the remnant volumes of the *Yimu Scripture* and the *World-Abiding Scripture*. It was utterly agonizing.
Sure enough, Meng Xinghai walked straight over with a beaming smile, holding out his hand without giving him a moment's grace, demanding them in public.
In the distance, atop a large bluestone, Li Qingyun chuckled and said, "Old Five Cui, what do you think of my discernment? My eye for talent isn't bad, is it?"
Fifth Master Cui longed to slap him across the face. Wasn't this mocking his own poor judgment?
He replied coldly, "The Newborn path is exceedingly difficult. Scarcely anyone reaches the end. Throughout the ages, how many founder-tier figures have emerged from it?"
At that thought, he felt somewhat relieved. The Newborn path consumed far too much time. In contrast, Cui Chonghe, blessed with near-immortal talent, walked the path beyond the mortal world, and his rise was astonishingly swift!
In his view, Cui Chonghe could not only look down upon his peers on the Newborn path, but could even gaze down upon several generations of prime and elder cultivators on that path!
Lu Yuzhi drifted through the night mist bathed in a hazy glow, ethereal and unworldly like a woodland spirit stepping out from a mountain forest. She arrived before Qin Ming and smiled. "To think that you are a mutant. Back in the Purple Bamboo Forest of Tianrui City, you even analyzed eight distinct colors of heavenly light force. It truly astonished me."
Her admiration and respect were heartfelt. For a youth who had not yet entered great lineages like Yuqing or the Six Imperials to possess such profound understanding of heavenly light force was truly extraordinary.
In Lu Yuzhi's eyes, even the juvenile extraordinaries secretly nurtured by the ancestral courts of the great sects were nothing more than this.
She even believed that once Qin Ming entered the gates of Yuqing, guided by elders and rigorously cultivating the sect's foundational Yuqing force, he might have a sliver of hope to vie for the title of "youth sect master" or "youth patriarch."
With a bright smile, she asked, "I wonder if you would be interested in joining the Yuqing lineage?"
Qin Ming considered this. The Yuqing lineage was rapidly expanding in preparation for the forthcoming Era of Great Pioneering. Recruiting disciples in this manner differed from the past, and they might not necessarily nurture each one with dedicated care. Still, he was quite intrigued.
Lu Yuzhi produced a golden letter and told him that presenting it at the ancestral grounds of the Yuqing lineage would grant him entry to the trial for core disciples.
Qin Ming nodded with a smile to express his thanks and carefully tucked it away. Regardless of whether he ultimately went or not, having an additional option couldn't hurt.
Not far away, Cui He and Cui Shuning were startled. The Yuqing lineage had taken the initiative to present a golden letter, which made them feel all the more sour.
Yet the one extending the invitation was Lu Yuzhi, a mutant of the Yuqing lineage. Even as members of the older generation, they dared not offend her lightly.
"Qin Ming!" A group of youths—both young men and women—approached and gathered warmly around him. With Lu Yuzhi here, they naturally followed along.
"Everyone, long time no see," Qin Ming greeted them with a smile.
"Hand them over!" Seeing Cui He dragging his feet, reluctant to surrender the scriptures and getting distracted watching Qin Ming's group, Meng Xinghai simply took action himself and snatched them away.
"Meng, you are too insolent!" Cui He's hair took on a faint green sheen, his displeasure palpable.
Having secured the scriptures, Meng Xinghai didn't bother wasting another word and turned to leave.
By now, a crowd had gathered around Qin Ming; even the esoteric sect's new seed, Yu Zhuohan, had walked over. A fight had turned into an acquaintance.
"Since you have all traveled from afar as guests, let us return to Chixia City. I shall play host and welcome you properly," Meng Xinghai called out to the crowd, extending an invitation to elders, prime adults, and youths alike.
On the journey back, Qin Ming pondered his next move. Now that his options had multiplied, which sect was the most fitting for him to enter?
Meng Xinghai spoke with great solemnity: "You need to think this through carefully. Later, we should secure a golden letter from the Six Imperials as well. Having more paths open is always better than having none."
With that, he handed the remnant volumes of the *Yimu Scripture* and the *World-Abiding Scripture* to Qin Ming.
Chapter 137