Under the cover of night, atop a mountain over a thousand meters high, golden radiance suddenly shone in all directions. It drew the prying eyes of several aged beasts, who mistook it for a spiritual tree bearing fruit that was ripening.
When they clearly saw that it was a humanoid being, they swiftly beat a retreat.
On the quiet mountaintop, atop a giant boulder, Qin Ming's entire body glowed. Even his long hair looked as if drawn from spun gold, and his eyes seemed to harbor lightning.
The medicinal efficacy of the Vajra fruit exceeded his estimates. A wave of scorching firelight and vital dynamism surged vigorously within him, as if seeking to transform his tendons and bones.
At this moment, within his body there seemed to be the hum of cicadas, accompanied by what sounded like the roar of a dragon, with an immortal, indestructible Vajra intent emanating outward.
This was naturally because multiple scriptures related to physical constitution were involved, such as the Zen intent of rebirth from the *Golden Cicada Classic*, the true rhythm of flesh-and-blood enhancement from the *Dragon Snake Scripture*, and more.
Without question, after Qin Ming ingested that fruit rich in spiritual substance, Vajra force was the most active among his various arts, as this was inherently the wondrous medicine best suited to it.
Now, golden light flickered in his brows and at the corners of his eyes. His body was enveloped in the fragrance of agarwood, sandalwood, ambergris, and musk, and his flowing blood was temporarily transformed into dazzling gold.
Qin Ming stood up and circulated the *Vajra Scripture* to further facilitate the release of the medicine's effects.
Atop the mountain, golden light surged. In every gesture, he carried a sacred dignity. Each time his Vajra Fist rose, it was as if a Golden Crow flapped its wings, unleashing deafening sonic booms.
Immediately afterward, he spread the five fingers of his right hand. A tangible Vajra pestle materialized in his grasp. With a gentle thrust forward, a thick old tree and hard basalt rock ahead silently disintegrated into fine dust amidst the golden light.
He had already mastered this cultivation art, bringing his Vajra force to great attainment, yet the medicinal potency remained thick and had not finished expending itself.
In an instant, Qin Ming switched to practicing the *Physical Body Chapter* passed down by the silk book method patriarch. This was a scripture he valued extraordinarily at present.
Subtle transformations began occurring in his body. His sinews, like coiling horned dragons, continuously stretched and vibrated, turning crystalline and translucent, tough and supple far beyond their past limits.
Qin Ming had an illusion that the major sinews throughout his body had come alive, like "true dragons" awakening, seeking to extend through his flesh and blood and roam at leisure.
He had long realized the true value of the *Physical Body Chapter*. It was by no means comparable to ordinary secret scriptures; it truly could blaze an alternative path forward.
If the transformation continued like this, he would not even need to use heavenly light force—he could slay enemies relying solely on his supercharged physique.
"Hmm?"
Evidently, the changes in his body were far from over.
"A transformation of sinews like this is unheard of!" Qin Ming felt that all the sinews and vessels in his body had come alive, brimming with spirituality and coated in a layer of Dao rhyme.
This experience made him feel as if he had been fitted with dragon sinews.
For with every movement, he could perceive that his physical constitution was extraordinarily formidable. Without employing any force technique now, he should be able to slay opponents of the same realm with his bare hands.
Qin Ming absorbed the medicinal potency of the Vajra fruit and continued practicing the *Physical Body Chapter*.
As time passed, his sinews and vessels revived further. When he vibrated his flesh, sinews, and bones, actual dragon roars echoed out.
"This is the resonance of Dao rhyme!"
Golden light glinted in Qin Ming's eyes as he poured forth his fist intent, stretching his body in coordination with the Physical Body Chapter to pull his major sinews, making the dragon roars within him ring even louder.
A moment later, his expression suddenly shifted.
He saw acupoints lighting up one after another, as if containing wondrous energy, like miraculous medicines waiting to be unearthed.
"Indeed, an alternative path." Peering inward, Qin Ming's eyes shone with strange light.
After he cultivated the *Departing Fire Classic* to the perfect realm and opened a hidden trove, he had obtained not only a secret scripture but also an acupoint chart, things meant to be studied in the third realm.
Now, practicing the Physical Body Chapter also involved acupoints, and it directly opened and activated them, stepping into that territory ahead of time—it was as though tiny "lakes" were shining one by one.
"As expected of one of the mother scriptures that nurtured the silk book method—truly mysterious!" Qin Ming marveled.
He discovered that those sinews and vessels, which seemed to have revived into true dragons, grew even more active. Connected to the "lakes," they drank water from those glowing acupoints.
"These are different from ordinary acupoints. They resemble divine repositories deep within the flesh, immortal lakes of the human body. The power they contain can store strength for the 'dragons,' promoting their growth and drastically elevating my constitution."
Sure enough, Qin Ming found his physique growing stronger still. He felt that if Li Qingxu were in front of him right now, he could beat him to death with fists alone.
"The Vajra fruit's medicinal power is being consumed very rapidly too. Is it about to bottom out?" Qin Ming was surprised.
The divine repositories deep in his flesh—the immortal lakes of the human body—released their own spirituality while refining the medicine's potency, swiftly converting it into raw physical power.
Evidently, this was the initial manifestation of the miraculous nature of the *Physical Body Chapter*.
Qin Ming realized that only now had he truly touched upon the essential core of this scripture.
Next, to cultivate the *Physical Body Chapter*, he even used the Vajra Scripture to feed it in turn.
Not long after, he also used the two portions of wondrous blood he had acquired on the desert battlefield, whereupon the wondrous spectacle of a dragon drawing water appeared within his body.
Those sinew-dragons continuously drew up the mysterious substances from the immortal lakes of the human body.
Crisp cracking sounds rang out incessantly. Qin Ming's sinews and bones stretched, his body seemingly being remolded, bathed in a sacred radiance laden with Dao rhyme.
In the end, the mountaintop fell quiet. The divine light across Qin Ming's body receded inward, returning to simplicity and truth, settling into a tranquil state. Yet his body still carried a faint fragrance, like ambergris, like agarwood and sandalwood.
Qin Ming beckoned the third-realm Thunder King Bird over to attack him. He wanted to test his arts, sensing that his physical constitution had undergone a fundamental change.
It hesitated. "This... isn't a good idea, is it? The lightning I spit out really isn't weak."
"It's fine. Come at me!"
Then, under the night sky, arcs of lightning appeared. While naturally far inferior to the bolts of a thunderstorm, they were indeed genuine third-realm attacks.
Qin Ming did not employ heavenly light force. His fists and palms merely carried a faint, mysterious Dao rhyme. Relying solely on the Physical Body Chapter, he easily shattered those flashes of lightning.
He punched a sheer cliff, leaving a terrifying fist-shaped hole, and large slabs of the rock face began collapsing, tumbling down.
Even Qin Ming himself was deeply astonished, for he had cultivated the *Physical Body Chapter* to the realm he had dreamed of: its might was comparable to when he used heavenly light force.
This was equivalent to raising his physical constitution by a huge margin. His defensive power was astounding. Why would the so-called Vajra Imperviousness require invoking divine powers? His physical body, right where it stood, was inherently indestructible.
If he met with a life-and-death battle, when his heavenly light force was exhausted, his physical body could still fight the decisive battle without being any weaker than before—it was equivalent to remolding another self to join the fray.
"I reached the realm I sought this quickly?" Qin Ming felt it was somewhat surreal.
He had been cultivating various forms of heavenly light force for nearly a year now, yet the Physical Body Chapter had caught up from behind. How could he not be shocked?
"This Vajra fruit is truly remarkable!"
Earlier, he had been dissatisfied because when redeeming his military merits, he had no choice—there was only an unripe Vajra fruit, half-golden and half-green.
Looking at it now, the other party had not swindled him. Ripe Vajra fruits were meant for concocting great medicines for fourth-realm experts to consume; this green fruit was more than enough for him.
"A true precious medicine!" The most valuable great medicine from an Immortal Tomb had demonstrated the worth it ought to have.
Soon, Qin Ming calmed down again. Even if the Vajra fruit was best suited for body tempering and aligned with the *Physical Body Chapter*, it shouldn't have caught up to his heavenly light force so violently.
He pondered, and then he understood.
"In truth, I have been practicing it all along; it's not something I only recently encountered."
His silk book method already incorporated parts of the essence of the Physical Body Chapter. For instance, the Golden Thread Jade Clothes that appeared when he trained in the past, the golden needle threading lines, the jade paste applied as medicine—all of these were the most direct manifestations.
Hence, his Physical Body Chapter could rapidly attain true proficiency and reach this level.
"No wonder the silk book method patriarch said that the Physical Body Chapter can withstand the test of time, shining brightly to this day, with lost treasures waiting to be claimed." Since the patriarch had said so back then, this scripture naturally deserved deeper exploration.
Qin Ming mused that in the future, he could incorporate the remaining essence of this scripture into the silk book method as well.
Next, he tested his hands repeatedly to examine the true quality of the Physical Body Chapter and see its ultimate value.
"It is no weaker than other forms of heavenly light force, but it cannot compare to the fused, unified force of the silk book method."
By now, Qin Ming had encountered many scriptures, but in the end, the silk book method remained the most formidable. It was his foundational scripture.
"It seems the ancient patriarchs merged many incredible scriptures into the silk book method. Their ambition was immense, longing to encompass all and suppress all. Perhaps that is precisely why in the end, even they could not control it, running into catastrophic problems until they blew themselves apart," Qin Ming reflected.
He already knew that the creators of the silk book method hailed from ancestral courts like the Six Imperials, Rulai, Qingtian, and Yuqing. They were likely senior patriarchs of the previous generation, or perhaps of an even higher generation by one or two ranks!
If even grand figures like that could not endure it in the end, one could only say the scripture was overly domineering and flawed, truly a semi-failed method.
Qin Ming relied on raw talent to power through. At present, every step he took was remarkably steady, and having fine-tuned the silk book method with the *Destiny-Altering Scripture* and other texts, he felt he could see this path through to the end.
"My strength has advanced again, equivalent to remolding another self. Unfortunately, the third realm did not break open along with it." Without a doubt, he had arrived at the consummate realm of the second realm.
His physical constitution had soared by a large leap, but his heavenly light force and spiritual realm had not undergone a qualitative improvement. Thus, he could not undergo an all-around transformation and struggled to breach the major barrier.
"The Newborn path truly is not easy to walk. Each step is a heavenly hurdle; breaking through a major barrier is extraordinarily difficult." Qin Ming sighed.
He stood on the mountain looking out into the distance. The mountains and plains were already steeped in deep autumn hues; all the vegetation was tinged with yellow, leaves withering and falling.
"When heavy snow fell last year, I embarked upon the Newborn path. It has been nearly a year now. Well, thinking of it that way, it doesn't seem slow at all." In an instant, his mood improved considerably.
Thinking carefully, for the second realm of the Newborn path—Outer Sage—an ordinary genius required thirty years to reach consummation before attempting to break through the barrier.
In roughly a year, he had traversed the thirty-year road of others!
Calculated like this, he was progressing even faster than the immortal seeds of the outer realms and the divine seeds of the esoteric sects.
"The Newborn path as a whole is quite difficult!" Qin Ming sighed softly; after all, he was merely an exceptional outlier.
The common phenomenon was that geniuses of the Newborn path only touched the threshold of the third realm once they reached middle age, and many even had gray hair at their temples by then.
Qin Ming carefully sensed his condition. Standing at the most harmonious, consummate realm of the second realm, poised at his current zenith, his strength was unprecedentedly formidable.
"With my current peak condition, perhaps I can blast open the heavenly hurdle of the third realm in the near future, or perhaps it will take six months to a year before it happens naturally." Qin Ming frowned. It was full of uncertainty.
He took out a transparent spiritual crystal. Sealed inside was a precious elixir—the Dragon-Tiger Great Medicine.
In the past, Cui Chonghe had violated rules by entering the Luofu Immortal Mountain ruins and was caught red-handed by Li Qingyue, ultimately forced to settle the matter with the Dragon-Tiger precious medicine concocted by Sun Taichu.
When they met in Kunling, Li Qingyue had gifted a Dragon-Tiger Great Medicine to Qin Ming.
"Well, for now, I'll first try to break through on my own, but I must keep a close eye on the shifting tides of the Patriarch Battlefield. If anything looks amiss there, I'll take the precious medicine immediately to break through!"
If things truly deteriorated to that point, even if it were somewhat wasteful of resources, he would have no choice but to break through first and deal with the rest later.
Over the days that followed, Qin Ming spent every day attempting to break through.
On the fifth day, an iron-winged parrot came flying in desperately, shouting, "Guardian of Qingfeng Town, save us! The demons have invaded, and a great battle has erupted!"
Chapter 320