In the void, the palm-sized furnace tilted, as if divine nectar from the Lingxiao Treasure Hall in the highest heavens were pouring from above. A mellow fragrance washed over him, threatening to intoxicate him in a wondrous realm that felt both real and illusory, one from which he could not extricate himself.
Qin Ming drank deeply, exclaiming repeatedly how wonderful it smelled.
Rosy light flowed around his body, his complexion turned ruddy, and his eyes appeared gradually tipsy.
He clearly felt his constitution undergoing a transformation, his vitality surging. Though this glowing crimson furnace was not a tangible object, it was truly extraordinary to bestow such a gift.
The liquid was sparkling and translucent, like molten red jade, trickling down in fine strands that radiated vast sheets of crimson glow. White, immortal mist-like matter churned alongside it, submerging the entire secret chamber as if in fiery clouds.
Qin Ming felt so light and detached it was as if he were standing alone beyond the mortal world, shedding his earthly shell to ascend as an immortal.
He was not truly drunk; his mind was simply emptying itself entirely, dusting away the spiritual grime as he experienced profound freedom, supreme bliss, and absolute liberation.
His body was being purified. Treasured radiance rose from his flesh and blood, and his entire frame felt as if it were being forged in fire. With every mouthful of the glowing red liquid he drank, he felt as though he were receiving a baptism.
Qin Ming could distinctly perceive his bodily vitality increasing substantially.
While it was not enough to trigger a qualitative transformation in his heavenly light force, cause a surge in his cultivation, or grant an all-around rebirth, it was more than sufficient. This seemed to be an enhancement targeted specifically at his physical body.
He was as if drenched in the essence of Li Fire. Crimson glow surged from every pore of his body, and fiery radiance flowed through his bloodstream, tempering every inch of his flesh and frame.
Was this a supreme medicine? For some, perhaps it was.
Yet for most people, it would be utterly unendurable. They would be burned alive, easily reduced to a humanoid pile of ashes.
Perhaps this was why "hidden troves" were so rarely known.
Even in a great era of fierce competition, only a vanishing few could behold the "new world," safely marvel at the unique scenery of legendary domains, and receive its gifts.
Qin Ming immediately began practicing the "Physical Body Chapter," one of the four doctrinal scriptures passed down by the patriarchs of the silk book method.
Taken on its own, this single chapter seemed capable of forming an entire path.
"If all arts fall silent, can the ocean of night mist still be crossed?" The opening line began with such a question; clearly, whoever left this scripture possessed a profound sense of vigilance.
The silk book method had once absorbed the essence of this scripture as well, giving a glimpse into the ambition and aspiration of those ancient patriarchs.
Even though they had refined its core, in the eyes of those patriarchs, much shining brilliance had still been left behind, which was why they had preserved these four scriptures.
In a state of profound freedom and absolute liberation, Qin Ming continued practicing his arts within the secret chamber.
As he tilted his head to drink the glittering liquid falling from the void, he unleashed the full might of his body. Without channeling heavenly light, his movements still stirred formidable wind. Thunder seemed to rumble inside him, ultimately culminating in the roars of dragons and tigers.
Upon the surrounding walls of solid copper and iron, he left deep fist impressions and finger holes, spiderwebbed with terrifying fissures.
Clearly, this secret chamber would have to be rebuilt afterward.
Qin Ming's speed grew faster and faster, surging like a beam of crimson light through the chamber as he dodged, shifted, and leaped, as if about to cleave open the void itself and depart.
Drinking from the "hidden trove," bathed in radiant crimson glow, the essence of Li Fire coursed through his blood, tempering him throughout. Even his internal organs underwent internal strengthening. It truly was like a furnace of treasured medicine concocted solely for the physical body.
Much later, Qin Ming stopped. He had finished the entire palm-sized furnace of glowing red "medicinal liquid," and the strengthening of his sinews and bones was exceptionally pronounced.
He found that his progress in the Physical Body Chapter was quite good.
"Shaking enemies bare-handed, achieving patriarchhood through the physical body alone... this style... is rather abnormal," Qin Ming murmured to himself.
This time, if his cultivation and heavenly light force could have undergone a synchronized transformation as well, it would have been no different from a complete rebirth!
"After I cultivated the Departing Fire Classic to the legendary level, it gave me such a gift, with fire essence nourishing my body. If other extraordinary arts reach the absolute pinnacle, what unique scenery will they reveal?"
Qin Ming guessed that the gifts of different extraordinary arts would certainly differ.
Beholding a new world and exploring hidden troves were full of the unknown and uncertain.
Qin Ming, however, looked forward to it quite a bit.
He only wondered how many times one was limited in beholding the new world, according to what Xiang Yiwu had said.
As Qin Ming finished his cultivation, he struck out with one final kick. With a resounding crash, the iron wall shattered, leaving a gaping hole.
Xiang Yiwu and Wu Yaozu were right next door. Rushing over at the sound of the commotion, both realized that the gift he received from the hidden trove was substantial—his physical constitution was now astonishing!
When settling the damages, the proprietor stared wide-eyed, gawking at him as if he were a monster. Before entering seclusion, this youth had claimed he wanted to temper his body; had he battered down the room with his bare hands?
He wondered whether this might be a higher-order outlier pangolin in human form touring the Dayu imperial capital.
The next day, "morning glow" plowed through the night mist and shone from the east, illuminating the entirety of Chongxiao City.
The Dayu imperial capital's regulation of high-grade Fire Springs was handled meticulously, making those living in the city feel as though they had returned to the age of daylight.
Qin Ming went to see Li Qingyue, only to find she had already left early in the morning; she seemed exceptionally busy lately.
During this period, those of the immortal path were actively preparing for battle.
A bunch of old fellows were the most combative of all, sleeping on their spears waiting for dawn. Desperate to break through another barrier before age limits overtook them, they constantly urged everyone to set out.
The route had long been determined: the forces of the immortal path would depart from the Dayu imperial capital and accompany the sun elven delegation into the depths of the night mist world.
Every immortal seed was in motion. Some were assembling their own retinues, while others sought powerful allies, all eager to put on a dazzling display during the first reclamation.
Li Qingyue had held secret talks with Yao Ruoxian, the fourth princess of Dayu, and met privately with Zhao Qingcheng of the esoteric sect. In addition, immortal seeds from the outer realm, divine seeds from the esoteric sect, and formidable peers from the three great imperial dynasties had all sought her out.
Though this reclamation was spearheaded by the outer realm, it did not categorically bar practitioners of other paths from participating; rather, the number of non-immortal path participants would be restricted.
That evening, amidst the hazy twilight, Qin Ming finally saw Li Qingyue.
Along the banks of the Shuyu River stood groves of silver willows, their trailing branches shimmering with light. Nearby, wisteria bloomed in abundance, layers of petals exuding auspicious rosy radiance as silver mist and purple luster complemented each other.
"I'll enter the depths of the night mist world with you," Qin Ming said.
Nourished by the Fire Springs, the willows along the bank flowed with silver light. Li Qingyue looked like an immortal banished to the mortal realm, ethereal in her white robes, the silk ribbon tied around her slender waist fluttering in the wind.
Though her bright eyes shone, an unmistakable trace of fatigue lingered on her face—a rare sight for her.
Whenever they had met in the past, she was always vibrant with youthful energy and peerlessly elegant. When she smiled, it was like rosy clouds breaking through mist, her entire being radiating light.
"What's wrong?" Qin Ming asked, looking at her profile.
After a brief silence, Li Qingyue whispered, "Don't travel with me this time. It will be extremely dangerous."
Qin Ming smiled. "Don't worry, I won't become a burden to you. Once the sacred baleful auras from the sun elven race arrive, there should be even less of an issue."
Li Qingyue shook her head. "It isn't because of you. Something has come up on my side."
Qin Ming withdrew his smile. Naturally, he had already sensed that something was amiss; otherwise, why would he have received that bronze ring?
He had already learned from Meng Xinghai that this was a token recognized across the outer pure lands, immortal lands, and yang lands, one that rarely ever appeared.
Meng Xinghai was certain that even though Li Qingyue was an exceptionally outstanding immortal seed, obtaining this ring from her sect would have been no easy feat.
Holding it in hand marked one as a friend of the immortal path.
On the eve of the Great Reclamation, Li Qingyue had actually secured such a weighty bronze token on his behalf.
The two walked side by side along the embankment of the Shuyu River, one clad in green robes and the other in white. As the night breeze swept past, they looked as though they might ride the wind away together.
Though they exchanged few words, Qin Ming soon picked up two key phrases: the Helian family and the Yuxian Sect.
"Whether in the past, present, or future, we are dear friends. Wherever we meet again, we will share life and death." Li Qingyue drifted away.
Qin Ming wanted to call out and stop her, but held back. Under the night sky, people bustled along the banks of the Shuyu River, and that pristine, otherworldly figure had already vanished from view.
There had been faint rumors long before, and combined with the current situation, Qin Ming could sense what was happening. He saw that Li Qingyue was under immense pressure.
That night, he learned in detail what a colossus the Yuxian Sect was—one of the strongest lineages in the outer realm.
Even Li Qingyue's sect, the Luofu Sect, had only stood on equal footing with it before failing in its attempt to elevate its blessed land into a grotto-heaven.
The Helian family had always been the orthodox lineage of the Yuxian Sect; every sect master through the generations had borne the surname Helian.
The present Yuxian Sect possessed a path-pioneering old monster whose seniority was a generation above even the Present Rulai.
Rumor had it that the old forefather of the Helian family already had one foot in the Seventh Realm, standing as one of the few who had ventured the furthest along the immortal path, positioned at the very forefront.
Back then, it was precisely he who had ventured into the Fourth Peril, daring to lead others to unearth an unmatched powerhouse of the esoteric sect.
Whenever anyone spoke of the Yuxian Sect and Old Monster Helian, they felt as if they were confronting a titanic behemoth, weighed down by boundless, terrifying pressure no less daunting than witnessing Feixian Mountain from the depths of the night mist world shatter the night sky and crush down with unstoppable force.
Qin Ming frowned deeply. Even from Meng Xinghai's brief words, he could feel how overbearing this lineage was, possessing the power to intimidate all quarters.
For even the patriarchs of the various sects were deeply wary of Old Monster Helian.
Besides Old Monster Helian, the Yuxian Sect also possessed a grandmaster who had an immense chance of becoming a newly ascended patriarch in this upcoming war of reclamation.
One could only say that the Yuxian Sect and the Helian family were like a terrifying behemoth in the night mist world with only a fraction of its body revealed, stifling many until they could barely breathe.
Qin Ming instantly felt that his accomplishments of beholding the new world and unearthing a hidden trove were nothing in comparison.
He pondered: what caused Qingyue such pressure likely came down to two reasons. First, because she had obtained a near-immortal item, the Eight Trigrams Furnace, at the Luofu Immortal Mountain ruins; second, someone from the Helian family had set their sights on her personally.
If it was the second, it was even greedier—they wanted everything.
Qin Ming shot to his feet.
"Brother Ming, calm down!" Wu Yaozu hurriedly urged.
Xiang Yiwu sighed. Even if the Present Rulai were to arrive in person, he could not handle that old monster.
Qin Ming paced back and forth until Meng Xinghai pressed him back down into his seat.
All their conversations were conducted via secret voice transmission. When it concerned the Helian family and the Yuxian Sect, even Meng Xinghai wore an exceedingly grave expression.
Not long after, Qin Ming called out toward the exterior, "There's heavy killing intent here!"
A blaze of golden light flashed, and a middle-aged male sun elf with a head of flaming golden hair appeared, asking, "Where? I sensed nothing."
"Just now! It flashed by, and my heart palpitated uncontrollably!" Qin Ming said solemnly.
For this, Grandmaster Qionghui of the sun elven race was even brought over. He swept across all directions with his powerful conscious spiritual light.
Regrettably, in the end, even he detected nothing.
"Rest assured, we're staying at the inn right next to yours. Nothing will happen!" Qionghui departed.
"Brother Ming, was there really killing intent?" Xiao Wu asked suspiciously.
"No," Qin Ming replied in secret.
Wu Yaozu and Xiang Yiwu were both taken aback before realizing what was going on.
Qin Ming said, "I wanted to see if the sun elven race was truly attentive enough. Otherwise, when the time comes that I actually need them, I worry they'll drop the ball at the crucial moment."
"Don't do anything reckless!" Meng Xinghai warned. The Helian family was an immovable force.
"I know. It's only for self-preservation," Qin Ming reassured him.
Early the next morning, Qin Ming arose and began looking through various letters. He had declined many invitations recently, but now he planned to select an invitation card to attend a gathering and take the opportunity to see someone from the Helian family.
Xiang Yiwu and Wu Yaozu naturally wanted to accompany him. The three filtered through them together and discovered an invitation card sent by the imperial family of Dayu, scheduled for tomorrow.
Xiang Yiwu said, "Recently, Chongxiao City has been surging with turbulence, with numerous figures arriving from every path. A prince issued quite a few invitations and is holding a banquet at a temporary palace, presumably acting on behalf of the Dayu imperial family."
"All right, we'll attend tomorrow night," Qin Ming said.
The following evening, they set out punctually, arriving at an estate of clustered buildings, flowing Fire Springs, and lush, verdant trees.
Astride a tall structure, someone was looking down over the garden palace, catching sight of Qin Ming and his companions just as they arrived.
Sensing something, Qin Ming looked up and found a figure in white nodding slightly at him with a flash of teeth.
"Exceptionally keen spiritual perception!" the white-clad figure remarked. Behind him stood several others, all gazing downward.
Inside a magnificent, golden palace, guests were numerous. Uniquely pristine white sunstones were set within crystal chandeliers, illuminating the hall as bright as day.
Moments later, Qin Ming learned from the sun elves that someone from the Helian family was present tonight and held in very high regard by the Dayu imperial family.
Chapter 291