Beneath the night sky, the distant mountains formed hazy black silhouettes.
"The intelligence was wrong!" someone blurted out in the forest.
Deep in the woods, the men surrounding Qin Ming were all stunned, hastily retreating. In the blink of an eye, two of their companions had died. The youth was terrifyingly fierce; in a flash, he had transformed from simple and tranquil to radiating murderous intent. Even his clear eyes had changed, seeming to flash like twin bolts of lightning.
Worst of all, Qin Ming was currently holding a spear in one hand, having impaled a companion through the chest and lifted him into midair, letting blood stream and drip down, staining the snow scarlet.
This sight made the hair on the necks of the men who had initially encircled him stand on end. Had it been any of them standing there just now, they likely would not have dodged it either.
The youth's aura was entirely different now. His black hair fluttered in the chill wind, his delicate face etched with coldness, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Several men involuntarily backed away, one step after another. How could someone who had just undergone their initial Newborn transformation possess such terrifying might? One of the two dead had already stepped into the realm of the second Newborn over a decade ago!
"Truly beyond my expectations. You hold quite a secret. To achieve a second Newborn transformation so quickly... An ordinary person would need to consolidate their gains for a long time, yet you didn't even pause, advancing straight away."
Qi Huai'en stepped forward. His build was well-proportioned, carrying the powerful yet agile grace of a tiger or leopard. Coldness filled his reasonably handsome face, and his brow was furrowed.
He hated the feeling of losing control. This youth, whom he had been observing, had slipped beyond his grasp and become a dangerous variable. But now that the deed was done, he had no other choice.
His clan was currently searching for an extremely rare spiritual substance, preparing to compound a mysterious medicine capable of reforming bone and sinew. It would enhance his aptitude and potential, allowing him to become one of the candidates.
If that happened, he would be able to listen to esoteric teachings at the side of that elder in Liuguang City for a few more years—enough to alter the entire trajectory of his life.
If Qin Ming's talent had merely been comparable to You Liangyun's, Qi Huai'en would have gladly shown goodwill in advance and befriended him. But he had realized that this youth was destined to block his path, and he could hold back no longer.
Qin Ming gave his right arm a fierce whip. The impaled corpse flew off the spearhead like a scarecrow, hurtling toward Qi Huai'en at incredible speed.
With a sharp swish, Qi Huai'en drew his long saber. A flash of lightning seemed to streak through the dim woods as he slapped the flat of his blade against the high-speed projectile. His motion was light and nimble, yet the corpse reacted as if struck by a massive blow. The area struck by the blade deformed completely, and the body was effortlessly deflected, crashing into a nearby tree.
*Crack!*
Many withered branches snapped as the corpse slammed into the trunk high up in the boughs, battered and broken, before tumbling to the ground.
Meanwhile, Qin Ming calmly shifted a few steps to the side and scooped up the long-handled dark-gold hammer from the snow. Now, he held a spear in one hand and the heavy hammer in the other.
Neither of these weapons was suited for ordinary people to wield single-handedly. Yet with two thousand jin of strength in his arms, each weapon felt feather-light in his hands.
He was somewhat surprised. Qi Huai'en certainly possessed real skill; with a mere deflective flick of his saber, the corpse had been sent flying six or seven meters, bones fractured and sinews torn, as though struck by an armored carriage.
Qi Huai'en looked at the remaining four men and barked, "What are you standing there for? Are you waiting for me to take action myself while you watch from the side?"
These were all men he had brought from his clan. Some were fiercely loyal to him, while others complied out of dread of his background, not daring to disobey. This time, on high alert, they slowly circled Qin Ming, ready to strike at any second.
The encirclement moved with intense focus. A second Newborn fighter led the assault, swinging a gleaming heavy lance and chopping down suddenly, his spirit boiling over as he mobilized every ounce of strength in his body.
Simultaneously, the others struck as well, including Qi Huai'en, who unleashed a terrifying arc of saber light concealed amidst the flurry of weapons.
Qin Ming swung the long-handled dark-gold hammer in his left hand straight upward. With a deafening clang, the heavy lance was blasted skyward.
The second Newborn fighter was utterly incredulous. Both hands had gripped the shaft, yet he couldn't hold on at all. The soft flesh between his fingers was torn apart by the shock, and the weapon flew from his grasp. What kind of horrifying strength was this? Was he even still a second Newborn?
At the same time, the others' weapons clashed against Qin Ming's spear and hammer, and all of them were severely shaken. However, unlike the lance-wielder who had overcommitted, they had left themselves room to cushion the impact. Though their arms went numb, they managed to keep their weapons in hand.
Qin Ming was not just terrifyingly strong; his speed surpassed theirs by a wide margin as well. Otherwise, he could never have intercepted all the incoming bladed weapons in an instant.
Qi Huai'en pulled back after a brief clash, retreating the moment contact was made. He had realized that this youth was completely out of control and impossible to pin down.
Even though he had already overestimated his opponent, seeing him in action proved his estimate had still been too conservative.
Without hesitation, he retrieved a three-inch crystal vial, pulled the stopper, and poured the bright-red liquid down his throat, drinking it without a second thought.
He had no other choice today. Even fleeing was not an option; if he did not silence his opponent, no good end awaited him. Once that crow learned the truth of what had happened here, it would surely kill him.
Even though he knew this liquid would harm him afterward, Qi Huai'en could not afford to care. Right now, he had to drastically elevate his strength.
In the clearing, Qin Ming did not pause for a second. In that split-second clash against everyone, he naturally seized upon the weakest point.
The second Newborn whose lance had been sent flying became his prime target.
Qin Ming's body blurred like a phantom, evading the oncoming sabers, iron maces, and sharp swords as if teleporting. With a booming roar, his hammer smashed down toward the retreating second Newborn, whose ten fingers were still dripping with blood.
This man did everything he could to dodge while his companions tried to assist him, but he still failed to evade entirely. The long-handled dark-gold hammer landed a heavy blow just beneath his right shoulder. The flesh collapsed and burst open instantly, fracturing the ribs along his right chest and piercing his internal organs. He shrieked in agony as he flew sideways through the air.
Though he wasn't dead yet, he had lost all ability to fight, sprawled on the ground gasping for breath, unable to get back up. His right shoulder was gone, and his entire arm had been severed, flying into the distance.
Such overbearing, ferocious strength and terrifying combat prowess turned the faces of the remaining men pale. What kind of monster were they facing?
Even though they were loyal to the Qi clan and their families resided in that city, a chill gripped their hearts. Sensing that this opponent was invincible, they desperately wanted to retreat.
What kind of golden foundation had he established during his initial Newborn transformation? Now that he had achieved his second Newborn transformation, his strength and speed were far beyond their reach. It felt as though they were walking on entirely different planes.
"Don't be afraid! I can handle him. Coordinate from the flanks and help me pin down this beast!" Qi Huai'en called out, approaching with his long saber in hand.
Not only was his face flushed red and glowing, but his entire body looked thoroughly cooked. Every exposed patch of skin shone with a crimson luster, trailing a mist of bloody light.
Qin Ming watched him without the slightest fear. The man was a second Newborn; even if he drank some mysterious concoction, could it cause his body to birth heavenly light and cross into the realm of the third Newborn on the spot? That was utterly unrealistic. Even if the body were to undergo a metamorphosis, it would take a day or two to complete.
"This powerful, extraordinary strength... it truly is wonderful, intoxicating to the senses," Qi Huai'en sighed.
He stared at Qin Ming and said, "I admit, greed blinded me. My eyes are no longer clear, and my heart has gathered dust. But even if I had to choose again, I would probably make the same choice."
At such a crucial juncture, he actually felt the need to vent his emotions.
Qi Huai'en's well-proportioned frame flowed with crimson light. His face, still somewhat youthful, carried an unwilling expression coupled with a burning desire for power. He continued, "Do you know? I come from a city far smaller than Luoxia City, yet when I underwent my Newborn transformation, I could lift a cauldron of seven hundred and twenty jin. I was dazzling in my homeland, far outstripping the runner-up of my generation. Yet when that noble figure passed through, I fell short of qualifying even as a candidate. I was devastated!"
Qin Ming didn't attack, listening quietly.
Qi Huai'en looked up at the night sky and said, "Now, I finally have a chance. My clan gave up a mineral vein to trade for an extraordinary spiritual item that can reshape my bone and sinew and enhance my aptitude. I'll have the chance to study at our noble master's side for five to ten years! Do you know what that means? It means altering my destiny. A single step forward, and the sky is broad, the sea wide, my life magnificent! But your appearance cut off my path upward. You would become a candidate, and I would lose my qualification. A step backward, and I am merely duckweed with no roots, going along only as an attendant, permitted only to audit for one to four years. That won't be enough to alter my fate! I have no other choice!"
Qin Ming looked at him calmly and said, "You strive for advancement, fighting for yourself, wishing to step into a wider world and gaze upon the boundless brilliance of life. But I am here merely to protect my life and survive."
Qi Huai'en raised his long saber. "Yes. Our stances differ, so our meeting here was a mistake to begin with. But I have no way out. Either I kill you, allowing me to leap like a fish from a babbling brook into an infinite golden sea and stir up my own golden waves, or I die here today, and that will be the end of it. Die!"
Roaring the final word, he lunged forward in a single leap. The long saber in his hand slashed out with blinding radiance, shattering the surrounding branches.
The others coordinated with him, launching a fierce assault together.
In that flash of lightning, Qin Ming faced four experts alone. He remained entirely composed without the slightest sense of urgency, trading blows with them blow for blow.
"How is this possible?" Qi Huai'en could not believe it, finding the truth impossible to accept. Even after drinking that crimson medicine with its severe side effects and dramatically boosting his strength, he still couldn't overwhelm his opponent?
During his initial Newborn transformation, he could lift a cauldron of 720 jin. After his second Newborn transformation, his arm strength had doubled, and now it approached 1,900 jin.
Even at this level, he still could not suppress the youth. Instead, the recoil left his right hand numb. What kind of monster was this? It far exceeded his imagination.
"Is he... even human?" The others turned pale. Coming from the same place, they knew Qi Huai'en's background intimately and understood all too well how terrifying he became after drinking the crimson medicine. Yet he was still outmatched, still unable to suppress the youth!
Qin Ming spoke: "Unless that stimulating medicine allows you to immediately birth heavenly light and step into the realm of the third Newborn, everything you do is futile."
At the same time, he showed no mercy. The spear in his right hand pierced straight through one man's heart, hurling him away to hang limp from a large tree.
*Boom!*
The next instant, a swing of his hammer blasted another opponent's saber aside and caved in his chest. Though he did not die immediately, he certainly wouldn't survive.
Qi Huai'en went wild, trading blows with him repeatedly. But his saber-wielding hand trembled faintly; the opponent's long-handled dark-gold hammer was an unshakeable mountain, impossible to block.
Just then, Qin Ming hurled the spear in his hand. It impaled Qi Huai'en's final helper, who collapsed into the snow, gasping for air. He could hardly believe that an entire group led by Qi Huai'en had failed in an ambush against a single person, and that they would all die here.
Qin Ming calmly executed the combat techniques from the saber manual. Instead of following rigid forms, he applied them through his own understanding, flowing fluidly without mechanical stiffness, often producing unexpected strokes of brilliance.
After several exchanges, Qi Huai'en discovered in despair that even when relying on technique, matching wondrous maneuvers, and unleashing every trump card, he was still outmatched, thoroughly crushed across the board.
With a dull thud, Qi Huai'en was sent flying sideways. Qin Ming's hammer struck his right shoulder, causing it to burst apart in a spray of blood.
"Just what level have you reached? How much strength do you have?" Qi Huai'en asked, unwilling to accept his defeat.
Qin Ming paid him no heed, stepping forward to deliver the finishing blows.
Qi Huai'en let out a wretched laugh. "Even if you don't say it, I know. To suppress me in this state, your two arms most likely possessed a thousand jin of strength during your initial Newborn transformation. Naturally, in your second Newborn transformation, you can lift a cauldron of two thousand jin. Am I right?"
The others who had not yet drawn their last breath, despite coughing up blood and struggling to cling to life, strained to lift their heads toward the handsome, resolute youth. Shock filled their hearts; to hear such news before dying, to know that someone had actually reached such a realm!
"Let me send you on your way," Qin Ming said calmly. He walked over and delivered a decisive strike to each of them with hammer and blade, ending their lives completely.
He meticulously cleaned the battlefield and tidied up the aftermath, ensuring every trace was erased before turning to leave, heading toward the subterranean fissure from before.
*Hmm?* Qin Ming felt a strange sensation. This special node, which had once caused him to fall gravely ill, now brought a sense of relaxation and lightness the moment he drew near. The trace of exhaustion from the battle quickly melted away here.
After carefully scanning the surrounding mountain forest, he hesitated no longer and slipped into the fissure, once again beholding the wisps of silver light weaving through the underground depths.
Chapter 33