Qin Ming was brimming with fighting spirit. It was as if he had emerged bathed in the blazing sun, draped in light armor formed of immortal dao script. His divine wisdom, heavenly light, and consciousness fused into one as he went all out.
Left palm, right fist—dazzling and brilliant, wrapped in terrifying sacred baleful aura, he blew the night mist apart. Before him, nothing remained but blazing radiance; between heaven and earth, only blinding light held sway!
"Standing on reason," Li Heng naturally unleashed his full might as well. His spiritual field expanded outward from him, seeming to warp the void.
Yet at this very instant, his hair stood on end. It felt as though he were facing a ferocious night beast breaking free from the abyss, and an intense unease rose from the depths of his heart.
Still, the arrow was nocked on the bowstring—there was no turning back. He had no retreat.
The instant they collided, Li Heng felt an excruciating pain, like being gnawed upon by a colossal beast. His spiritual field was torn apart, and the divine fetus seated within it wailed in agony.
His scalp went numb, his heart pounded, and terror gripped him. He knew he could not stop this man.
How could the light from this opponent's fist be more terrifying than sword baleful aura? Indestructible and all-shattering, it instantly pierced through his spiritual field and shredded his domain.
Moreover, Li Heng felt air rushing through his chest. Even his physical body had been punctured by that fist light, leaving a massive hole that saw straight through from front to back.
Shattered viscera, broken sternum, copious gouts of blood, and a body spiderwebbed with fissures combined into an appalling sight of utter destruction.
Li Heng flew backward, crashing into the ruined courtyard dozens of meters away. Drenched in blood, his entire person nearly exploded on the spot, covered from head to toe in dense cracks.
At this moment, were he to step into the Night Mist Sea and catch the slightest gust of astral wind, he would be torn to pieces.
The instant Qin Ming struck, anger had smoldered within him as well. He had topped the New Board across three realms and slaughtered an entire host of experts from the Black Pagoda civilization to win vital rewards like the Wishing Pool, only for someone to swoop in and try to cut him off, spouting nonsense about it being an inside job.
Yet after throwing the punch, he found himself somewhat bewildered. He murmured, "That's it?"
Meanwhile, Li Heng was overwhelmed by shock, dread, terror, and bitterness, all tangled together. He could scarcely believe what he had just undergone.
In a single exchange, he had been crippled. His face was ghastly pale. The cracks spreading outward from the fist wound crept into his internal organs and reached all the way to his face.
Even his cheeks and forehead were lined with blood trails. He resembled a piece of porcelain on the verge of shattering, ready to disintegrate at the gentlest touch.
"I think... I misunderstood something," he rasped with immense difficulty, his face full of bitterness. What kind of monster was this? How could he possibly be the sort of person he had imagined!
In truth, Li Heng was remarkably strong; otherwise, he would never have dared to walk this path.
To withstand a full-force blow from Qin Ming proved he was no ordinary mediocrity.
Qin Ming looked at him, then lowered his gaze to his own hands, falling silent for a long time. A bizarre sense of cognitive dissonance washed over him. Had he beaten up a fake saint?
Li Heng was terrified. Now he could see clearly that multiple types of sacred baleful aura wound around his opponent's fists, fused into one and rivaling the supreme sword baleful aura. There were at least eight types, if not more! No wonder the fist light alone could tear him apart and pierce right through him.
He could not help gasping in a breath of night mist, only for it to leak right out through the gaping hole in his chest. His expression froze in sheer shock. Even a peerless sword immortal could hardly temper and fuse more sacred baleful aura than this, could they?
Just what kind of person had he run into? He felt that this youth walking the path of saints was likely capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with Her Highness, endowed with peerless talent.
Qin Ming spoke up. "Could it be that you're the insider around here?"
Otherwise, how else could one explain why someone undertaking such an arduous path was so weak?
Li Heng was naturally powerful, but compared to the formidable enemy Qin Ming had envisioned, he fell far short. Qin Ming had expected a blood-soaked, life-and-death struggle.
"That... yes," Li Heng answered, bracing himself. In terms of strength, he indeed possessed the qualifications to attempt this path, but it was solely through connections that he had learned the Wishing Pool was reopening, prompting him to rush here and try to grab a share.
Qin Ming pondered for ten whole breaths and still could not figure out why such a person had dared to pick a fight with him.
Li Heng had arrived with tremendous bluster, acting aloof and full of confidence, yet the clash had ended in a desperate struggle just to stay alive.
Qin Ming was thoroughly perplexed. Where had the fellow gotten such confidence? He lapsed into another ten breaths of silence.
Li Heng hastily said, "Brother, with your heaven-sent talent, please don't lower yourself to my level. I misunderstood you earlier, thinking this Wishing Pool was rigged for you."
"It was meant for me to begin with," Qin Ming said.
"..." Li Heng had no idea how to respond. This rival was terrifyingly strong, yet he was also insufferably domineering. He wasn't even bothering to hide the favoritism anymore?
Feeling stifled, Li Heng said, "In this villa, we only determine victory and defeat, never life and death. I yield."
As he spoke, he blinked his peach-blossom eyes and forced a smile through the agonizing pain, trying his best to appear more amiable.
Li Heng was very handsome, and having cultivated a unique spiritual domain along with a divine fetus, his every gesture normally swayed the minds of those around him, naturally endearing him to others.
"You sleazy flower boy, stop blinking at me!" Qin Ming warned.
Afterward, he spoke briefly with Li Heng, asking what his situation was and why he had dared to run over here to snatch his Wishing Pool.
Li Heng sighed inwardly. This opponent who had borrowed a vessel to arrive here was truly arrogant, harping from start to finish on how the Wishing Pool was his private property.
He had no choice but to answer patiently, explaining what he could and glossing over what he couldn't to appease the man.
However, after receiving another slap that cracked his cranium with fine fissures and drew blood, his face turned ash-white. He hurriedly bowed his head with deferential politeness, not daring to offer any more evasions.
"Brother, please be gentle. I'm about to fall apart."
After a brief exchange with him, Qin Ming's expression darkened. He kept feeling as though the New Board had swindled him. Coming here to undertake the saint trials was supposed to grant good fortune as a matter of course.
"No wonder it said the rewards would be doubled after sending me here. Isn't this just pulling wool from the sheep's own back?"
He felt he was too young and unversed in the various rules above the Ninth Heaven, having suffered a subtle loss.
At this moment, within several Earth Immortal sanctuaries, certain old monsters shared the exact same feeling. After carefully balancing their ledgers, they discovered that a considerable portion of the aged herbs in each other's medicine gardens had wound up as rewards. It was as though they were passively "exchanging" with one another, an inexplicable and reluctant barter carried out free of charge.
Li Heng finally realized that Qin Ming possessed an extraordinary background and that the Wishing Pool had reopened specifically on his account. He was completely stunned.
"Brother, you can't really say the New Board duped you. Resources up in the heavens are genuinely scarce. For it to re-gather all manner of natural treasures and brew potent medicine to open the Wishing Pool exclusively for you shows just how highly it values you."
Qin Ming ground his teeth. Only now did he learn he had taken the most difficult path. Could it be that the New Board had deliberately arranged this for him, muddling the signs on purpose?
On that point, Li Heng did not dare offer an explanation. Strictly speaking, his own ancestor bore some responsibility, having been absent at the crucial moment and failing to clarify the situation right away.
Qin Ming said, "In a bit, we'll swap paths."
Li Heng had already consumed a precious medicine to stabilize his injuries, but upon hearing those words, blood began seeping from all the cracks across his body once more. He felt entirely unwell. Sending him down the hell-tier path was nothing short of sending him to his death!
He cupped his hands repeatedly. "Brother, big brother! It's totally fine for you to take my path. I'll just rest here a bit and withdraw on my own, then come try again next time. Please, whatever you do, don't shove me into the path you just took!"
Li Heng already understood that this person was favored by the New Board and was bound to become a genuine saint—a standout among them, and perhaps one of the future grand figures.
He actively sought to curry favor. "Brother, they say friendship begins with a fight. Today's misunderstanding is behind us, so let's keep in touch often in the future!"
Qin Ming nodded, then waved his hand. He was studying the Wishing Pool and did not dare step in right away, fearing law chains or similar things might be tangled within it.
Li Heng was sensible. "Alright then, big brother, I'll step back for now and heal in the bamboo grove out back. I won't disturb you."
The Wishing Pool had been hewn from an unknown, coarse stone. Spiritual substance rose from within it, enveloped in swirling light and mist, dense with Dao rhythm. This was a furnace of precious medicine brewed together, containing numerous natural treasures.
Qin Ming already knew how to use it. The pool acted like a mirror that could reflect one's own shortcomings, serving as an advanced version of the Law Body-Illuminating Mirror.
Deep within the pool waters lay life-saving potent medicines capable of reviving the dead and growing flesh on white bones.
Qin Ming took out the yellow imperial parasol to test whether there were Dao chains inside the Wishing Pool. This provoked intense resistance from it—it truly had to perform every dirty and exhausting task.
Mysterious runes gathered here to construct a mirror surface capable of rectifying one's own Dao, but they had nothing to do with the sort of law chains that burrowed into a person's body.
"Thank you for your hard work. I'll reward you handsomely later." Qin Ming planted the yellow imperial parasol by the poolside and began utilizing the power of the Wishing Pool to resolve the issues within himself.
Looking grave, he said, "The main problem stems from the silk book method. It's dangerous to both enemies and oneself. In the end, one's form and spirit might disintegrate and blow apart with a bang."
He channeled the method and looked down at the mirror surface, his brows tightly furrowed.
To this day, Qin Ming possessed the Black and White Scripture, the Extreme Dao Golden Body, the Jade Book, the Scripture of Harmonizing Body and Dao, and more. All were exceedingly advanced, pointing straight to the eighth-realm Heavenly God domain.
In terms of pedigree, these scriptures currently possessed far greater origins than the silk book method.
Qin Ming had also pondered his future path, wondering whether he should switch foundational scriptures to something like the Black and White Scripture or the Jade Book, but he had ultimately rejected the idea.
Ever since he embarked on the path of cultivation, he had felt that the route of the silk book method suited him best. It could blend diverse scriptures, draw upon the strengths of a hundred schools, and unleash immense lethality.
It currently had significant issues and latent dangers, but if he could rectify and resolve those flaws, its future potential would be boundless. It was the technique most attuned to him.
Besides, he was already on the pirate ship. After practicing this foundational scripture, his heavenly light, consciousness, and divine wisdom had melded together, inseparable, effectively unifying the three paths.
Qin Ming mused, "If I choose it, the road will be long and arduous. I will need to continually adjust and refine it in the future so that it harmonizes perfectly with me."
He possessed deep insights into this method. Everyone who cultivated the silk book walked a different path, for the wondrous arts and secret scriptures each person integrated were entirely distinct.
"In fact, the entire Newborn path is like this," Qin Ming remarked with feeling.
Whenever a renowned technique appeared on the Newborn path—such as the Six Imperial Force, the Yuqing force, or the Rulai force—which of them wasn't formed by blending other heavenly light forces? Each paired with different classics to produce a specific "formula," thereby becoming the "Single Page of True Heritage" for their respective sects.
In truth, the whole Newborn path boiled down to a single word: blend!
"I will combine the Black and White Scripture, the Scripture of Harmonizing Body and Dao, the Jade Book, and the rest to refine the silk book method, adjusting it carefully until I carve out the path most suited to me."
Qin Ming was certain that his foundational scripture did not need to be replaced; it merely required further development and continuous reinforcement.
He gazed into the mirror, examining himself, before embarking on all manner of wild experiments. He pushed the silk book method to its peak, merging all his heavenly light forces and combining the nine sacred baleful auras into one. A hazy mist flowed across his entire person; in his strongest state, he appeared on the verge of ascending to immortality.
At this moment, every gesture Qin Ming made carried a terrifying aura. With the three paths unified, the Chaotic Sword Baleful Aura formed, and his Hunyuan heavenly light shone with ultimate brilliance.
Without question, unifying all methods placed an immense burden on both his spirit and body.
Qin Ming took the yellow imperial parasol into his hands and spurred it to expand, instantly shrouding the area. Then, he violently bombarded the parasol's canopy and shaft with his terrifying Hunyuan force.
"Are you out of your mind!" The Myriad Gods Banner could bear it no longer. Even the spirit's lingering, murky consciousness was driven to transmit a faint wave of mental intent.
Qin Ming said, "I can't very well demolish this place, can I? You're made of exotic metal. At my current level of cultivation, no matter how hard I strike, you won't be damaged."
He unleashed the Hunyuan Sword Baleful Aura and mobilized his strongest heavenly light force, testing the absolute limits of his power to see how long he could hold out while governing all methods with the silk book's principles.
Most importantly, under such pressure, he wanted to see the hidden hazards within his body. Only an all-out, massive eruption could magnify those issues.
Presently, he lacked his true body, having arrived by borrowing a vessel, so he had even less reason to pamper this form.
Crucially, his current body could regenerate on its own, saving him a good deal of medicinal essence from the Wishing Pool. Only when his spiritual domain was wounded did he need to step into the pool to heal.
"I'll take the remaining precious medicine back with me!"
He now experimented on himself recklessly, using the Wishing Pool to diagnose his various problems.
After an unknown amount of time, his body was overwhelmed by running the heavenly light force under such excess load. He grew exceptionally exhausted; the experience was no different from being here in the flesh.
Yet Qin Ming still did not stop. Governing all arts with his foundational scripture, he drove it with everything he had. All his heavenly light forces and sacred baleful auras fused into one, shockingly terrifying.
"No wonder the Pugong lineage also refers to it as Chaos force, sacred force, and Heavenly God force. It truly is horrifying. However, they haven't integrated nearly as many wondrous arts and secret scriptures as I have."
Finally, Qin Ming's body reached its limit. Fracturing sounds rang out, and several areas tore slightly open. Even his spirit suffered injury alongside it.
"Right, let's keep going!"
Only when severe, gaping fissures appeared on his abdomen, between his brows, and elsewhere did he call a temporary halt. He sat down in the Wishing Pool and began to heal.
Sure enough, because he had borrowed a vessel, the precious medicines meant to mend a physical body were spared; he only needed his spirit to recover.
"The silk book principles of the first realm have no issues. Back then, Year After Year of Peace also kept the corresponding foundational scripture safe. So I'll start from the second realm and adjust the subsequent techniques."
Sitting in the pool, Qin Ming utilized the methods of the Destiny-Altering Scripture to trace the circulatory trajectory of the heavenly light governed by the silk book method, making fine adjustments.
"Not enough. I haven't reached the limit yet. I need to blow myself apart a few more times to discover the subtlest flaws."
Evidently, Qin Ming's so-called "fine-tuning" was built entirely on a foundation of courting death, requiring him to gravely wound himself first.
After several repetitions, he stopped and sighed. "I really can't skimp on the medicine to repair the physical body."
This was not his own physical body. Some problems could not be probed deeply or resolved effectively; it required resonance with a form perfectly attuned to his spirit.
"In that case, I'll take it!" Ultimately, Qin Ming refined the Wishing Pool and stored it away entirely.
He had a hunch that once he returned to his physical body, he could use this pool to resolve his problems and make the second and third realms completely flawless.
If so, he would be able to fight without restraint, free from worry about his body blowing apart, and his true combat power in every realm would rise accordingly.
In the Night Mist Sea, the New Board appeared. It quietly approached the exterior of the villa and secretly communicated with the formation spirit of the place.
"What is the situation inside? He took the hell-tier path; has he faced tremendous pressure? He hasn't been discouraged, has he?" Words surfaced on the New Board.
"So you knew he took the wrong path," a vague fluctuation came from the formation spirit.
The New Board said, "A good sapling needs to curb arrogance and temper impatience. It doesn't hurt to hone him appropriately."
The formation spirit replied dispassionately, stating calmly that it had followed the rules and had not managed to stump the youth. He had pressed on under pressure and cleared every trial.
The New Board said, "Aren't you the one in charge here? Ratchet up the difficulty! Throw in three extra trials, conjure up a God-Battling Platform out of thin air—you must make him understand that Yujing is fathomless, that there is always someone better and a higher heaven above. Only then will he willingly join Yujing and explore the supreme domain."
The formation spirit said, "I will consider it."
The New Board added, "Giving him scriptures and secret medicines is fine, but forget about the law chains. He is wary of them. I hope he joins Yujing without reservations."
"Too late. I operated according to the old mechanism and have already bestowed blessings along that path, granting him the baptism of law chains."
"..." The New Board felt helpless. Some of these surviving old companions were quite rigid, acting strictly according to established rules without knowing how to adapt.
The formation spirit spoke again. "He has temporarily switched paths. However, the difficulty will not decrease, and I will consider setting up the God-Battling Platform for him."
The path that followed made Qin Ming question his very existence.
"Is this the truth Li Heng told me? Claiming this path was the easiest to clear...?" Yet he found it even harder to traverse than the previous one.
Had that flower boy swindled him, or had someone else set him up again?
Qin Ming was covered in cracks. The borrowed body was battered and broken, remaining unrepaired for a long time, while his consciousness form was disheveled, his spirit stained with blood.
During this time, he had passed a God-Battling Platform and inexplicably gotten dragged into several battles. They were exceptionally brutal. He felt those opponents had serious issues—either wielding lethal treasures or possessing ambiguous realms. For him, it truly turned into a hellish, bloody struggle.
Qin Ming sensed something was amiss. Had it not been to secure the longevity-extending medicine, he would have loved to walk away. Fortunately, he had persevered and could now extend Yu Gensheng's life by eighty years.
The final place featured a baptism of Dao chains, a tier higher than the blessing of law chains.
"Yellow imperial parasol, receive your guest. This time should be a heavy reward."
This was a hazy domain. In the sky, Dao chains intertwined, carrying the power of order and flowing with misty Dao rhythm as they slowly descended.
The Myriad Gods Banner appeared. Though shaped like a parasol, it was pitch-black, rolling black qi surging skyward. It was thoroughly enraged.
It felt that running into a temporary master like this, who had only preliminarily refined it, was eight lifetimes of sheer bad luck!
As a supreme treasure, had it not been severely damaged in a war between civilizations no weaker than Yujing, how could it ever have fallen in grade and gathered dust until now, only to be bullied by a junior?
It bolstered its resolve: this person was merely a fleeting passerby in its vast existence, a temporary wielder. It would break free before long.
Yujing's Dao chains caused even the yellow imperial parasol to shudder violently. It was "tattooed" from top to bottom, turning garishly radiant and heavily adorned in an instant.
Clearly, it was furious.
"Had your fill? Go back and rest, then." Qin Ming tossed it back into the rag.
Myriad Gods Banner: "#!"
A glamorous face surfaced on the parasol canopy, roiling with exceptionally intense emotion.
...
Clang!
Qin Ming reached the end of the path. A bell toll rang out, signifying that he had successfully broken through and passed all the trials for Yujing's selection of saints.
Outside the villa, the New Board asked the spirit, "Did you increase the load for him in the end?"
It truly had not expected the youth to pass through so quickly. Had something gone wrong somewhere?
"Heh heh..." Inside the villa, the broom-sweeping elder, Li Cang, smiled faintly. The path his descendant had taken had sounded the bell, signaling success.
Meanwhile, the path of the other challenger had ceased glowing and gradually faded out, indicating that he had failed the trial.
"My descendant has become a saint." Li Cang resumed sweeping the ground.
At the same time, Li Heng was limping his way outside.
At the end of the path, Qin Ming witnessed a breathtaking scene. In the distance, a mountain-thick branch reached across from the Night Mist Sea, bearing a massive flower bud at its very tip. Sacred radiance shone all around, accompanied by a wafting fragrance.
A young maiden with translucent butterfly wings chuckled lightly. "Weren't you full of confidence? How did you end up so heavily wounded taking the easiest path? Borrowing a vessel, you're practically falling apart, aren't you?"
Qin Ming's face darkened slightly. To think that his Night Province was a place of outstanding people and simple, honest folk, yet after ascending to the heavens, all he ran into were swindlers who set him up one after another.
He snapped back irritably, "If you're so capable, why don't you try walking this path yourself!"
Then, Qin Ming stared at the massive flower bud ahead. Could this be a divine medicine? Smelling the refreshing floral scent, he nearly began to drool.
"Insolent! What are you looking at!" the Butterfly Maiden scolded sharply, feeling that this member of the Li family was far too disrespectful to ogle the divine flower where Her Highness resided so brazenly.
She had never met Li Heng, but she had heard of his extraordinary talent and that he was expected to become a saint. Rumors even claimed he held great admiration and a so-called "fondness" for Her Highness, which was why he had come to follow her.
Yet what sort of follower was this? His eyes were practically glued to it, entirely lacking manners and propriety.
Qin Ming replied stiffly, "I like looking at it. What business is it of yours!"
He was currently pondering whether he could pluck the divine flower right here.
The Butterfly Maiden stared blankly, her eyes going wide as well. She truly had not expected a youth from the Li family to be so utterly audacious. Had becoming a saint gone straight to his head?
"You... you actually dare covet..." She pointed a trembling finger at him.
"This flower is flawless, endowed with natural divine grace. What's wrong with me admiring it? Stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!" Qin Ming rebuked.
The Butterfly Maiden was so incensed that the slender finger pointing at him trembled faintly. This fellow truly had eaten the gall of a heavenly god to use a flower as a metaphor for a person—he was crossing the line more and more!
"You truly harbor improper intentions!" the Butterfly Maiden demanded.
"What must one do to legitimately possess it?" Qin Ming asked.
The Butterfly Maiden was dumbfounded, thinking this fellow had truly lost his mind!
"Defeat me, and it is yours!" The massive flower bud blossomed, layer upon layer, revealing a full thirty-six petals, all inscribed with mysterious immortal dao runes as divine light soared into the sky.
Seated within the flower bud was a woman who seemed woven from pure moonlight. Within the hazy radiance, divine brilliance flowed around her; from the strands of her hair down to the soles of her feet, she shone with light, ethereal and transcendent.
"Fine, then. A fair duel on the God-Battling Platform!" Qin Ming said, turning on his heel to leave.
"Very well!" The woman was equally decisive. She took to the sky, her long gown fluttering as she swayed with radiant grace in the night sky.
Chapter 453