The End of Joy

"To do a good job, an artisan must first sharpen his tools," Qin Ming murmured softly. What he intended to do would very likely kick up a storm across this region, perhaps even alarming Chixia City. He had to be fully prepared. Aside from lacking a fine blade, Qin Ming also needed to master one or two more types of heavenly light force. He already had a saber manual in hand, and with Old Man Liu having made initial headway in persuading a fallen family with a notable heritage, Qin Ming might well gain another heavenly light force from it. Supplemented by the three-colored flower, his strength would visibly increase. Naturally, he had to see it through properly! "Who is Qin Ming?" At the village entrance, men from Golden Rooster Ridge were shouting, directly calling out Qin Ming's name. "They really took note of me," Qin Ming thought, a little surprised. Clearly, the two bandit chieftains had given specific instructions to their subordinates. Old Man Liu hurried over, worried that after his third Newborn transformation, Qin Ming might be overly confident and proud, refusing to swallow his grievances. If he turned down Golden Rooster Ridge, a bloody disaster would follow in short order. Though Old Man Liu was also indignant after being hoisted up by his collar by the bandit chieftain, circumstances were stronger than men right now. He whispered, "Just humor them for now." "Don't worry, I'm not that rash," Qin Ming said. Calmly, he walked over to the edge of the Fire Spring and, beneath the black-white tree, nodded in agreement to join Golden Rooster Ridge, letting them register his name. "This goat of yours is truly stout! Exceptionally well-raised," a young man from Golden Rooster Ridge said, his eyes immediately caught by the black mountain goat at Yang Yongqing's home near the village entrance. Then, he literally made off with the goat, hauling out the sturdy old creature that stood nearly as tall as a man. "Brother, I've raised this goat for years and grown attached to it. You can't take it away," Yang Yongqing hurried to stop him. The black goat was growing stronger and sturdier, on the verge of mutating; he truly couldn't bear to part with it. "To protect villages like yours that border the mountains, we at Golden Rooster Ridge took grievous losses this time. We barely have any golden roosters left! This black goat is pretty decent—it'll make a fine mount," the youth said. Then he glanced at Yang Yongqing and added, "Hmm, you're a Newborn too. Why don't you register for Golden Rooster Ridge as well? After all, you're the black goat's owner, so it's only fitting that you ride it. If someone else tries, it might not cooperate, and then we'd have no choice but to slaughter it for meat." Yang Yongqing's face turned grim, finding this utterly absurd. Not only was he making off with the goat, but he was drafting the owner along with it? Qin Ming spoke up, "Our village is very small. Wouldn't just me going be enough?" "We're short-handed right now. Having another black goat rider isn't a bad thing. Come, I'll register you." Unmoved, the young man forcibly recorded Yang Yongqing's name. Meanwhile, Old Man Liu, who also lived near the village entrance, scurried back inside his house, kicked the big yellow dog straight into its kennel, and warned it not to poke its head out. The youth from Golden Rooster Ridge rode off astride a golden rooster. He turned out to be a second Newborn as well. Before leaving, he instructed Qin Ming and Yang Yongqing to report to Golden Rooster Ridge in five days. 'Not much time. I have to hurry!' Qin Ming told himself inwardly. Xu Yueping clapped Yang Yongqing on the shoulder and said, "Look on the bright side. The people from Golden Rooster Ridge are absolute bastards, but once you get there, the treatment shouldn't be too bad." Because of this, not everyone was averse to their recruitment; some Newborns from other villages had even volunteered, uncaring of the bandits' foul reputation. "Didn't they say they were almost wiped out at the Grand Rift Valley?" Yang Yongqing murmured. Old Man Liu said, "Everyone knows that going into the Grand Rift Valley meant fighting bloody battles over mystical resources. Those who stayed behind to guard Golden Rooster Ridge definitely had connections. That bunch is probably even worse—slash any one of them down with a blade, and you wouldn't be killing the wrong man." Qin Ming glanced at him. The old man's face was ruddy; he was right in the middle of his third Newborn transformation. Fortunately, the two bandit chieftains from Golden Rooster Ridge weren't here, or they would have noticed something abnormal about him. Afterward, Qin Ming went to Old Man Liu's house to ask if the arrangement to borrow the secret manual had been settled. "They reluctantly agreed, but the asking price will likely be steep. Let's head over together tomorrow." The main issue was that Old Man Liu's third Newborn process was not yet finished. Qin Ming nodded. A human body's Newborn transformation took time; by his own estimate, his would probably continue until tomorrow as well. "You can't go around like this. Your face is glowing red. If an expert spots you, they'll definitely notice something is off." Qin Ming taught him Harmonize with Light and Dust, which was practical and easy to learn. If Old Man Liu was exposed, Qin Ming's condition wouldn't remain hidden either. "Good! I was worrying about that very thing, scared to death of running into those two bastards from Golden Rooster Ridge again," Old Man Liu said. Then he asked in a low voice, "Have you cultivated a heavenly light force yet? People say the more you cultivate, the better, and that the force techniques truly renowned across the realm are all fused together. I have one here called silk-reeling force. An old mountain patroller taught it to me years ago. Take it and give it a try." "Alright!" Qin Ming naturally wouldn't refuse. Even the silk book emphasized it—just "Fuse"! "Would you like me to teach you a heavenly light force?" Qin Ming asked, intending to return the favor. "Forget it. I can tell whatever you practice isn't simple. You're not from around here and probably have some background, so I'd rather not get involved. In the third Newborn realm, silk-reeling force alone is enough for me to work on. Tomorrow I might bask in your reflected glory and take a look at that local family's secret text anyway." "Alright!" Qin Ming nodded. Outsiders certainly couldn't practice what was on the silk book, and the saber manual was indeed something that couldn't see the light of day right now. Returning to his small courtyard, he first focused on comprehending the heavenly light force he had developed, intending to master it before studying anything else. With a swish, his fingers barely brushed the handle of the hammer before pulling it swiftly into his hand. Qin Ming even touched it with the back of his hand, and as the heavenly light force rippled, it drew the long-handled hammer into his grasp as well—an "adhesion" property. If used against an opponent, the slightest brush of his hand would adhere to and rip away their flesh. Qin Ming tested exerting force. The heavenly light force burst forth, "adhering" to and snapping off a corner of the stone millstone. Moreover, this heavenly light force possessed tremendous penetrating power; as his fingers shone, stone chips flew, and his fingertips poked deep into the millstone. After probing it, Qin Ming realized his heavenly light force had a bit of everything, but most importantly, it was extraordinarily practical. Shortly after, he began practicing Old Man Liu's silk-reeling force. The content was concise and relatively easy to pick up, but it held undeniable ingenuity. When released, this force wavered like a strand of silk, centering on the concept of "entangling"—breaking brute strength with finesse, overcoming the strong with the weak. 'Is this a force technique devised and perfected by generations of veteran mountain patrollers fighting giant beasts in the mountains?' Qin Ming had a flash of insight. It wasn't a complex heavenly light force technique, but it was remarkably useful in real combat. Qin Ming studied it earnestly. After more than half a day, he had grasped the basics; he wasn't proficient yet, but he could bring it into play. 'It seems my aptitude isn't bad.' If he were to face Huang Jingde and that third Newborn elder from Golden Rooster Ridge again right now, Qin Ming believed that even without using his colossal strength, he could knock the teeth out of both of them at once with silk-reeling force alone. "Oh?!" What surprised him most was that the silk-reeling force was a great fit for his own heavenly light force, merging directly into the "adhesive force." His very first attempt at fusing another force technique had succeeded, filling him with delight. Qin Ming tested it out: the fused heavenly light force was even stronger! "The heavenly light from the silk-reeling force I just cultivated got rapidly swallowed and merged away. I can't do that. I need to practice it on its own first. After consuming the three-colored flower and bringing the silk-reeling force to full completion, I'll fuse it into my original heavenly light force." Qin Ming sat resting on the stone millstone in the courtyard, intending to examine the force technique in the saber manual in a little while. At this moment, he felt the joy of harvest. Looking into the night, his gaze seemed to peer across the boundless dark earth toward the brilliant, majestic cities standing tall in the distance. He longed to journey far, hoping to acquire more heavenly light force techniques and see for himself what kind of treasures and remarkable people filled those prosperous lands. Suddenly, Qin Ming's pupils contracted. But quickly, he relaxed himself and maintained his calm, acting as though nothing had happened. Yet inside, his heart was far from calm, already churning with waves. He had seen a patch of black mist, slithering like an agile serpent, gliding from afar and circling above the village. Finally, it drifted downward, likely reaching the ground. Qin Ming had been brimming with joy, only to encounter such a thing in the end. What on earth was that? Tumult surged within him, yet he had to feign composure, pretending nothing was amiss. Other people couldn't see the black mist swimming through the sky at all; last time at the Grand Rift Valley, even Old Man Liu, after his second Newborn transformation, hadn't sensed a thing. Qin Ming forced himself to stay cool. He couldn't show any abnormality right now. After all, his mutton-fat jade iron hadn't been forged into a weapon yet, leaving him unable to target those special things. Showing no sign of disturbance, he returned to his room and began flipping through the damaged saber manual. At first, he couldn't calm his mind, but gradually he absorbed himself in it. This ancient book carried the lifeblood and crystallizations of predecessors. Qin Ming could resonate with those lingering emotions and glimpse secrets beyond the physical pages. Because of this, Qin Ming held immense anticipation for the force technique within the manual. "Hmm?" Today was truly filled with surprise after surprise. As Qin Ming leafed through the force chapter, he actually sensed two intense emotions. One undoubtedly belonged to the elder who had written the saber manual, while the other stemmed from notes left behind by a later reader. "If only I could master the Tathagata force!" That emotion radiated straight from the text. Qin Ming's heart instantly leaped. Had this person actually come into contact with it?!