Beneath the night sky, the thunder and fire atop the tall tower had completely dispersed, yet the metal tiles inscribed with special runes still glowed in the dark.
Inside the quiet chamber, Qin Ming's flesh and blood were translucent and radiant. In his abdomen, a golden core spun at high speed like a miniature sun, filling the room with a refreshing medicinal fragrance.
The outer heavenly light had not yet entirely vanished; it remained dense, enveloping him. As he breathed deeply, fiery clouds surged between his nose, mouth, and pores in a dazzling display.
Qin Ming sat quietly as thunder and fire blended, dragon and tiger met, inwardly refining the "grand medicine of marvelous arts."
Not counting the silk book method, Qin Ming had mastered ten marvelous arts in total: Five Elements, Dragon-Serpent, Golden Cicada, Imperishable Butterfly, Withers and Blooms, and Black-White. Now, all these methods harmonized, returning to authenticity and uniting as one.
"The ten marvelous arts inwardly refined into a golden core—this time, it can be considered complete and perfect, reaching full consummation."
Inside the stone chamber, as Qin Ming opened and closed his eyes, electricity seemed to spark from the empty air.
After absorbing all the heavenly light, the consummate marvelous arts golden core in his abdomen reflected his own likeness, completely identical to him.
As Qin Ming's entire body shone, a sudden jolt surged through him, and the consummate golden core burst apart. A brilliant miniature figure rose up, then transformed into flowing light that rushed into his limbs and hundred bones.
"What an astonishing sight!" Even a senior figure like Zhao Ziyuan wore an expression of amazement.
"Remarkable! No wonder Little Qin is far stronger than other Newborns!" Yu Gensheng sighed in admiration.
Qin Ming felt the changes within himself: his physique and heavenly light had both improved, and his spiritual field had strengthened. His power naturally surpassed what it had been before.
Yet he was frowning. This differed from what was recorded in the ancient texts. He had likely still failed to step into the middle stage of the second realm; something was missing.
He did not get up, remaining there in deep thought.
Outside, Li Qingyue breathed a sigh of relief. Since the outer heavenly light had not harmed him, there was nothing to worry about.
Puzzled, Xiao Wu asked, "I can sense that Brother Ming has grown stronger, so why is he frowning so deeply?"
Zhao Ziyuan said, "Progress in the second realm of the Newborn path is slow. He is searching for an opportunity, hoping to blaze a new trail and explore a more efficient way to break through."
Qin Ming pondered for a long time before roughly identifying the crux of the issue.
This time, his overall strength had increased, but it had all been driven by localized changes. His physique, heavenly light, and consciousness had each improved to varying degrees.
"In the end, it still lacks that single unifying breath."
Qin Ming realized where the problem lay. His body, spiritual field, and other aspects had not transformed in unison; instead, each had acted on its own, lacking a coordinated sense of seamless harmony.
Back when he achieved his Newborn breakthrough in the first realm, vigorous life force had surged through him, and every aspect of his being underwent a metamorphosis. He had even been able to distinctly sense his lifespan increasing.
Today was different; the various changes were rather fragmented.
"It ought to be an all-around cleansing of marrow and purging of impurities, like truly being reborn."
Qin Ming knew that certain areas had failed to keep pace with the transformation, leaving flaws in this advancement.
He rose and walked out of the stone chamber.
"Little Qin, there's no need to rush. All you lack is time," Yu Gensheng spoke up.
Zhao Ziyuan said, "For a Newborn, the second realm is known as Outer Manifestation. One uses heavenly light to harvest various substances beneficial to the body. This is a process requiring long-term accumulation, where quantitative change eventually triggers qualitative change."
Who didn't understand that logic? Yet even geniuses had to grind away the years.
The second realm alone could consume an entire person's youth.
"Sigh, put that way, I'm getting anxious on Brother Ming's behalf," Xiao Wu remarked.
Yu Gensheng said, "Auspicious beast blood could grant Little Qin a nirvanic rebirth."
They all knew this was a shortcut.
Yet could he really hunt down such rare blood medicines for every minor hurdle, not to mention the major realms that followed? That was simply unrealistic.
Qin Ming had exercised restraint and held off on consuming the auspicious beast blood precisely because he believed good steel should be used for the blade's edge; he didn't want to squander it against the very first minor bottleneck.
Li Qingyue suddenly spoke: "According to the various records of the immortal path, every time thunder-fire or outer heavenly light descends, it carries down a vast array of mysterious substances, and they rarely repeat."
In an instant, silence fell over the tower.
Everyone present immediately grasped what this implied.
Qin Ming had no fear of the heavenly light's corrosive power. If he continued to absorb it, entering the high tower or the Thunder-Fire Gold-Forging Palace every time a thunderstorm struck, it wouldn't take long for him to accumulate enough to reach consummation, allowing quantitative change to bring about qualitative change.
Xiao Wu clapped his hands and said, "Right! When others are enveloped by outer heavenly light, it's like stepping into hell—a dead end. But Brother Ming is different; he can turn a dead end into a winning move!"
"The immortal path has studied thunder-fire and outer heavenly light extensively. They need them to forge artifacts, and they also use them to extract immortal fire," Zhao Ziyuan said with a nod.
Li Qingyue said, "I'll write down some notes for you. The outer realm has conducted detailed research on what special substances correspond to different colors of thunder-fire and heavenly light."
Dressed in white robes, her figure was slender and graceful like an immortal willow. Free of makeup, she offered a faint smile, looking like morning clouds breaking through sea mist, exceptionally radiant.
Qin Ming's final doubt melted away. Next, he simply needed to put it into practice.
Even so, he intended to visit the baleful ground. Refining sha and fusing heterogeneous substances had become urgent; it was time to proceed.
Kunling possessed perilous grounds, blessed lands, baleful grounds, and even sealed Yin soil, Yujing, and more, holding endless mysteries.
***
The following day, Yu Shaohua, a patriarch of the immortal path, gave a lecture on the scriptures, drawing vast crowds eager to hear true words of the immortal dao.
Qin Ming and Xiao Wu went as well, believing that stones from other hills could polish their own jade and perhaps provide complementary insights.
"Hiss, Li Qingxu broke through! He's reached the late stage of the second realm. With a bit more tempering, he'll reach consummation, and stepping into the third realm is just around the corner!"
No one had expected someone to break through right in the middle of the lecture.
For a time, many cast astonished glances his way, silently marveling that he truly was an immortal seed. Even after suffering major setbacks, he could still shine with brilliant radiance.
Those who understood the situation knew it wasn't that he was weak, but that every fight he took was a pinnacle clash against ruthless figures.
Li Qingyue, Xiao Wu, prodigies from ancient immortal dao arenas, and Qin Ming—every opponent he had faced was practically a monster.
In truth, what had dealt the greatest blow to Li Qingxu was his own side. For instance, his senior brothers and clan elders, after watching him hold his own against Qin Ming in a public duel for a while, had actually felt that his performance was quite commendable.
"You see that? These are the disciples of our immortal path! Setbacks in one's youth are merely fleeting scenery along the road, nothing to dwell on. Before long, former rivals will be left far behind!"
"Indeed! A past worthy once said that if you cross paths with a Newborn practicing a special force method in your early years, even if you suffer an 'empty defeat,' it isn't worth mentioning. Just smile freely and leave them in your dust. In years to come, you are destined to inhabit two entirely different worlds."
Li Qingxu's breakthrough stirred heated discussion, prompting several immortal path disciples to share in the sentiment.
That very day, Qin Ming set out, heading for that baleful ground.
It was located three hundred and fifty li from Kunling City, cloaked in thick fog year-round with baleful light erupting from time to time, making it exceedingly perilous.
In this territory, not only did Newborns appear to gather various types of sha and heterogeneous substances, but disciples of other paths also came and went.
Various types of sha and miraculous substances were rare materials, useful not only for forging artifacts, but also for honing one's will and spiritual field.
Later that day, word traveled back to Kunling City that Qin Ming had been spotted in the baleful ground.
Instantly, many understood that he was refining sha, an essential step for cultivators on the Newborn path in the second realm.
Some showed concern, suspecting that hearing of Li Qingxu's breakthrough had unsettled his mind.
Even some cultivators on the Newborn path thought this way and worried for him.
One could only imagine the reaction among the disciples of the esoteric sects and the immortal path.
People naturally assumed Qin Ming felt the pressure and wanted to force an early breakthrough.
Yet how could it be that easy?
The Newborn path emphasized steady accumulation; the more impatient one became, the worse the results.
For a time, many immortal path disciples gained a profound appreciation for the truth in the past worthy's words.
"An empty defeat is no defeat at all. Beneath our feet lies a golden grand avenue, broad and long. As long as we cultivate step by step, we will leave our past rivals in the dust."
Others pointed out that the youth on the Newborn path possessed extraordinary natural talent, having walked the path for less than a year—perhaps only seven or eight months.
"Even if he's a future patriarch-level figure, he'd still need at least several centuries of accumulation before he could truly shine and exert his power. Anything could happen during that time!"
The greatest source of confidence for the people beyond the mundane world was that their side had continuously pioneered their path and maintained the lead.
Meanwhile, the Newborn path had stalled many years ago, with no new stages to tread.
In the long run, a Newborn path patriarch several centuries from now would hardly pose a threat.
Within the heavy fog, Qin Ming focused his spirit intently. His eyes grew warm, and his surroundings became crystal clear as he activated his Eye of the Newborn.
He had already spent more than half a day traversing the baleful ground, leaving markers across numerous areas.
Along the way, he encountered Yin sha, Earth sha, Fire sha, and more, yet none satisfied him.
His standards were exceptionally high now. He sought only legendary-grade sha; anything less would fail to complement the Starfire Essence he had already secured.
"Five-Colored Divine Fire Sha!" Xiao Wu excitedly pointed ahead. It was considered an extraordinary heavenly treasure, documented in many ancient texts.
"After it!" Qin Ming whispered.
Yet with a flash, it sank into the ground and vanished.
Xiao Wu sighed. "These kinds of sha possess spirituality. Some instinct drives them to seek fortune and avoid disaster, making them so hard to catch!"
Before arriving, they had done extensive research.
These so-called baleful grounds were likely connected to ancient, immortal supreme sects that had arranged them as nurturing grounds for sha; otherwise, so many varieties could never have gathered in one place.
Ironically, those supposedly immortal sects of the past had long since perished, yet the baleful grounds remained preserved.
No one knew what grade of sha and miraculous substances lay in the deepest reaches of this ground. Over vast stretches of time, many types of sha had mutated—some had degraded, while others had grown even more terrifying.
As time passed, Qin Ming discovered several varieties of mutated sha in succession, each more bizarre than the last. A few could likely be considered legendary, terrifying substances.
For instance, one ball of light possessed internal patterns and hung high like a divine lamp in the night sky, appearing incomparably sacred despite being, at its core, a form of sha.
Unfortunately, when Qin Ming tried to capture it, it vanished in the blink of an eye.
"As long as they exist here, that's enough. The only worry was not finding any at all." Qin Ming was filled with anticipation. So long as he captured a "dark night substance" to pair with the Starfire Essence, he would be consummate, and breaking through would follow naturally like water carving a channel.
The baleful ground stretched for a thousand li of barren red earth where not a single blade of grass grew, and the heavy fog thickened in the gloom.
"Brother Ming, there's a thatched hut ahead with a dying lamp—the wick seems to be a kind of sha!" Xiao Wu's mouth felt dry. To encounter such a strange sight in this desolate place was chilling.
Qin Ming nodded; he had already noticed it.
"There's also a humanoid lantern shedding a faint, eerie light." Xiao Wu's surprise quickly gave way to a tingling scalp. "That couldn't be a human-skin lantern, could it?!"
Drawing closer, they breathed a sigh of relief. It was merely made of paper.
Yet as Qin Ming looked closer, his heart skipped a beat. The humanoid lantern was crafted with vivid realism, looking remarkably like an old acquaintance from Twin Trees Village!
Chapter 255