The young noble Huang Jingjun wore a faint smirk. At a time like this, the youth’s eyes were still shining as he stared at the three-colored flower. As expected of a hunter from the backwaters—he still didn’t understand the predicament he was in.
His elder brother, Huang Jingde, was quite placid. It didn't matter whether the youth was genuinely naive or merely playing innocent to buy time.
"To think such a mysterious product existed underground. Can one master heavenly light force just by eating it?" Qin Ming asked.
He was sincerely seeking instruction, his gaze filled with the clear purity characteristic of youth, utterly earnest in his desire to understand this knowledge he had never encountered before.
"First, you have to choose a suitable heavenly light force and practice it to the threshold of mastery. Only then does consuming the three-colored flower yield the best result. Mmm, after I return, I need to pick another one; I'll have to think it over carefully."
Huang Jingde chuckled and answered every question. After all, it was still early, and he had time to kill anyway.
What kind of waves could a young hunter who had undergone Newborn only once possibly make? As a third Newborn, he could swat the boy to death with a flick of his hand.
"There are many kinds of heavenly light force. Does choosing them require special care?" Qin Ming was studious and inquisitive, asking directly without regard for the setting.
Huang Jingde nodded. "Of course. Reaching the third Newborn stage and barely mastering a single heavenly light force is already considered good. Only as your realm rises can you cultivate more heavenly light forces. And pairing them reasonably allows you to unleash even more terrifying power."
Qin Ming frowned. "How to choose and how to pair them properly... these must be closely guarded truths in every faction's advanced Yiqi Art, not to be passed on lightly, right?"
Huang Jingde smiled. "Exactly. 'True teachings fit on a single page; false teachings fill ten thousand books.' This is the core essence written on that single sheet."
Qin Ming sighed. Who would casually share such vital, core truths with an outsider?
Because Huang Jingde was practicing heavenly light force himself, he felt a touch of sentiment as well. "How do you think those rare heavenly light forces came about? They were all developed by predecessors through endless trial and error, fusing different force methods and pairing them together. For example, the legendary Sky-Upholding force and Tathagata force are even more precious. Who knows how many types of heavenly light forces were fused into them? Even a few leaked words about them would be worth a city."
As Huang Jingde spoke of this, a look of longing crossed his face. Those arts were far too distant for him, visible yet utterly unreachable.
He sighed. "Setting aside those legends and returning to reality, any heavenly light force with some fame has been 'forged through a thousand tempers,' fusing quite a few force methods. So the path for our generation is truly hard. Even if that single sheet of true teaching were laid before your eyes, you'd still have to master every single one of the densely recorded heavenly light forces on it."
Qin Ming felt somewhat numb. The silk book didn't seem to have records on this? Or could it be on the third page? He was at a complete loss right now. What should he do?
He asked, "Does an ordinary person have no way forward, then? Without that single sheet of true teaching, can one never cultivate a powerful heavenly light force?"
Huang Jingde replied, "There is a way. Those rare heavenly light forces and the legendary sect-defining truths—weren't they all fused together by predecessors over time? You could also study the more common heavenly light forces circulating out in the world, practice more of them, and fuse them yourself."
Seeing Qin Ming actually lost in thought, the young noble Huang Jingjun curled his lips into a smirk, unable to hold back. "Do you think heavenly light forces are just superficial crafts? They are extraordinarily difficult to practice, and every single one is remarkably complex. How many could you possibly master in a lifetime?"
Qin Ming seemed to snap out of it. "Since you plan to go back and choose a new heavenly light force rather than eat the three-colored flower right here, aren't you afraid of losing its medicinal efficacy?"
Huang Jingde said, "No matter. The weather is so cold that even after maturing, it can keep for more than two months. Kept inside a jade box, it will last even longer."
He fixed Qin Ming with a scrutinizing look. "You've asked me so many questions. Are you playing dumb, or are you genuinely confident?"
Qin Ming said placidly, "Zhou Wubing is my martial nephew, and Grandmaster Xu Kong is my martial brother. What's more, they are nearby. You tell me if I have confidence."
Huang Jingde stared blankly at first, then sneered. "I'm afraid you don't know that Grandmaster Xu Kong already left this remote region with Zhou Wubing yesterday."
Qin Ming paused. Erbingzi had already set off on a long journey; it seemed there would be no beating him up anytime soon.
"Catch. In a moment, you will harvest the three-colored flower." Huang Jingde tossed Qin Ming a jade box, unconcerned about it being damaged since he was carrying more than one.
Qin Ming caught it, then walked over to the side and buried the jade box under a pile of loose rocks, looking exceptionally cautious as though deathly afraid of damaging it.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'm afraid it'll shatter during the fight," Qin Ming answered honestly.
He had recognized long ago that despite Huang Jingde's cheerful chuckles, the man left no openings. Hoping for a sneak attack was impossible; this would be another tough battle.
"Playing dumb won't change anything." The younger Huang Jingjun stepped forward. "Let me teach you a lesson first."
"You're not up to it. Even Nie Rui and Shen Jiayun were no match for me, and you're far inferior to them," Qin Ming stated plainly.
Huang Jingjun wore a cold sneer. "You don't truly believe you're something special just because a few youths from Chixia City sang your praises that day, do you?"
He scoffed, "A mere first Newborn dares put on airs before me? Until you reach the second Newborn realm, you are nothing to me!"
*Clang!* He drew a long saber radiating chilling light. "You specialize in spear techniques, yet you don't even have a decent weapon."
"It's the same no matter what weapon I use," Qin Ming said, drawing a bright, snow-white saber from behind his back. Its quality was even higher than Huang Jingjun's blade.
After all, this was the weapon of the third Newborn from Golden Rooster Ridge.
Huang Jingjun's face turned frosty. Without another word, he suddenly accelerated, charging toward Qin Ming as the saber in his hand drew a blinding arc of light, cleaving straight down.
In his eyes, having undergone second Newborn and possessing nearly twelve hundred jin of strength, he could easily crush this young hunter and fell him with a single stroke.
Qin Ming made only two moves. First, he struck laterally with the spine of his saber against the flat of the incoming blade. Holding nothing back, the impact shook Huang Jingjun's arm so violently that he couldn't keep his grip on the hilt and involuntarily let go.
Furthermore, Huang Jingjun's hands were covered in blood, the tender flesh between his fingers torn open by the immense force. Utterly shocked and suddenly terrified, he retreated swiftly.
Qin Ming's second move was a forward slash. Even though Huang Jingjun reacted quickly and leapt backward, he could not evade it entirely.
Amid showering sparks, the fine armor on his body shattered. Bloodstained armor fragments flew in all directions, scattering everywhere.
From shoulder to abdomen, a terrifying gash appeared across Huang Jingjun's body, nearly bisecting him diagonally. Howling in agony, he collapsed to the ground, part of his internal organs already visible through the massive wound ripped open across his chest and belly.
"Weak," Qin Ming evaluated. Ignoring him, he looked across toward Huang Jingde.
"Brother..." Huang Jingjun called out in a trembling voice. Though he had not yet breathed his last, he knew that without immediate treatment, he certainly would not survive.
Silver spear in hand, Huang Jingde charged straight forward, all trace of placidity and detachment gone from his face.
Earlier, he had looked down upon Qin Ming with condescension, not caring in the least; when conversing cheerfully, there had even been a teasing edge to his words. But seeing how dangerous Qin Ming was, he erupted immediately.
Qin Ming was fearless. Having already clashed with a third Newborn, he had experience; this time, he met the enemy holding the long saber of the elder from Golden Rooster Ridge.
*Clang!* With a single slash, he parried the fiercely thrust spear aside, knocking it off its original trajectory. Borrowing the momentum, he pushed forward with his blade. The snow-white saber light vibrated and surged, like vast white waves Between Sea and Sky, threatening to engulf his opponent.
Huang Jingde's gaze turned chilling. Gripping the spear with one hand, his other hand released pure white heavenly light, slapping at the flat of the blade in an attempt to deflect it aside as well.
He did strike the side of the blade with precision, but he failed to knock it fully away. The power behind that slash was simply too formidable. In a daze, he had an illusion that amidst the dazzling saber light, rumbling white waves were truly crashing down along the line between sea and sky.
Huang Jingde dodged frantically. Even so, the armor across his chest partially shattered. Just grazing him, the slash carried such immense power—evidence that the force behind it completely exceeded his expectations, surpassing even that of a third Newborn like himself!
Across his chest, a faint bloody mark appeared.
"How is this possible?" Lying on the ground in agonizing pain, Huang Jingjun could not believe his eyes. His elder brother, a great expert of the third Newborn realm, had actually suffered a loss on the very first exchange?
Yet he had clearly seen that no heavenly light flowed from their opponent during the clash, which meant the boy had not yet reached the third Newborn stage. How could he already possess such terrifying strength?
"I was careless. I never imagined someone who hasn't cultivated heavenly light force could be this strong, fully able to rival a third Newborn." Huang Jingde's expression turned grave. Gripping the silver spear with both hands, he focused his concentration to the utmost, adopting a stance for a fight to the death and preparing to go all out.
Hearing his brother's assessment, Huang Jingjun clutched his wound and coughed violently, blood pouring out in greater quantities. He truly could not accept that the hunter youth could be powerful to such a preposterous degree.
Qin Ming's expression grew solemn as well. Although this Huang Jingde was much younger than the elder from Golden Rooster Ridge, his strength might actually be superior.
Sure enough, when the two clashed once more, Huang Jingde was far fiercer than before. The silver spear in his hands seemed to transform into a dragon roaming through the clouds and mist, baring fangs and brandishing claws as if coming alive, thrusting repeatedly toward Qin Ming's vital points.
At the same time, Huang Jingde occasionally turned his other hand into an edge-hand blade, striking forward unpredictably whenever they drew close.
Yet not once could he breach Qin Ming's defense; every strike was parried by layers of saber light.
What frustrated him most was that the youth also held a heavy hammer in his left hand, which smashed accurately against his hand-blade several times, causing him agonizing pain.
The two fought intensely for a prolonged time. Confronted with a third Newborn protected by heavenly light, Qin Ming lacked better methods as well. He could only press the offensive continuously, relying on his formidable strength and exquisite saber technique to force his opponent to deploy heavenly light defense again and again, rapidly draining him.
In the distance, the three-colored flower gleamed with radiant splendor. Some of its petals had unfurled, and the misty light billowing in that area grew even denser—the spiritual flower was evidently about to mature.
Even from a distance, its fragrance could be smelled. The three-colored petals grew increasingly translucent and brilliant, shedding streams of luminous rain in an aura of extraordinary mystery.
"Just how many types of heavenly light force can a spiritual flower like this help one cultivate? I'm truly looking forward to it!" Qin Ming's eyes burned with anticipation.
His fighting spirit surged higher. Wanting to end the battle quickly so he could harvest the maturing three-colored flower, he erupted with his full power.
In a flash, Qin Ming delivered his most powerful slash. In that trance-like instant, it felt as if he were back on a rainy night amidst roaring thunder and flashing lightning, rain pouring down in torrents. In that pitch-black darkness, saber intent surged within him, the power of his spirit sublimating as the long blade swept out, as if to cleave the entire dark night sky in two and sever the lightning spanning the heavens.
Huang Jingde's face twisted in horror, for this slash was simply too terrifying. Carrying endless thunderlight and misty rain, it seemed poised to rip this underground karst cave apart and cleave through all obstruction.
He dodged frantically, but the saber closed in relentlessly; there was simply no avoiding it. He blocked with his silver spear, only for it to be knocked aside by a colossal force.
Amidst his deathly pale expression, the blade arrived.
Huang Jingde roared, gripping the spear with both hands and raising it horizontally to parry the saber. How could he allow himself to be cleaved in two?
*Clang!* He felt as if a great mountain had collapsed upon him. His silver spear was knocked flying, and simultaneously, agony shot through his shoulder as his right arm fell to the ground, blood spraying in torrents.
Though he had preserved his life for the moment, he had completely lost the ability to fight. He staggered backward, half his body drenched in blood.
"Aren't you... only skilled with spears?" Huang Jingjun, lying mortally wounded on the ground, rasped out a desperate question.
"I'm not bad with a saber either," Qin Ming answered.
Chapter 45