With steady steps, Qin Ming drew closer and closer to the ancient Night Mist Gate. He did not turn back, only waving a hand toward the space behind him once more.
The White Tiger female grandmaster halted where she stood. The night breeze lifted her shimmering silver hair. Watching his retreating figure drift further away, she murmured softly, "Will you truly come back?"
Her face, brimming with wild beauty, shed a few traces of defiance and took on a touch of gentleness. Her voice was faint, carrying reluctance and a hint of melancholy as she quietly saw him off.
"I will!" Qin Ming nodded. The rhythm of his steps never wavered, and he did not stop.
He felt an odd sensation in his heart. No matter how one looked at the scene, he resembled "scumbag Dingming," abandoning someone devoted to him and walking away alone without looking back.
He felt bitter inside. Clearly he was nervous, yet he had to feign nonchalance and even make a promise here.
The more Qin Ming pondered it, the more he felt the White Tiger female grandmaster was completely unfathomable. To have traced him all the way here just like the elder bug was truly no simple feat.
Behind him, silver hair fluttered in the night mist, and the woman's silhouette remained hushed and still. Only when Qin Ming was five paces away from the ancient Night Mist Gate did she sigh faintly: "Once we part, it will be between two different worlds."
"Don't worry," Qin Ming said with relative composure. Yet feeling that was too curt and that he ought to say a bit more—and to stay down-to-earth while matching his earlier gesture of stroking her head—he kept his back turned and added warmly, "Be good. Wait for me to return."
In truth, his nerves were strung taut. *Did I take it too far?*
If the woman behind him was indeed an unfathomable expert, would hearing words like that make her feel severely insulted?
Within the thick mist, the woman stood motionless and whispered, "You have made a promise. I shall take it to heart."
Qin Ming searched his memories. *I didn't inadvertently bind myself to some mysterious pact, did I?*
Only two paces remained between him and the ancient Night Mist Gate. He could simply burst through at this point; even if she truly possessed unfathomable might, it would be too late for her to stop him, wouldn't it?
Right then, a soft call came from behind: "Wait a moment."
Weighing his options in a flash, Qin Ming did not hesitate. He stopped, glanced back, and said, "What is it?"
"Mm. Go on, then." Her silver hair danced in the night mist. The woman stood unmoving, her eyes clear as a mountain spring, quietly gazing at him.
"Take care!" Qin Ming nodded, turned around, and stepped into the profound portal.
That final scene gave even him the illusion that he truly was "scumbag Dingming." Those damn few paces had sent his emotions churning relentlessly.
Fortunately, he stepped onto familiar earth without incident, genuinely returning to Yezhou.
Only now did Qin Ming let out a long breath. The dust had settled.
He had good reason to suspect that the White Tiger female grandmaster, who could transform into an adorable creature barely a palm high, also possessed the strength to turn into a giant tiger of the great grandmaster level.
At their parting, Qin Ming had petted her head and caressed her cascading silver hair in an attempt to resonate with her, but he had detected no anomalies whatsoever.
Moreover, when he recalled the entire journey in detail, nothing had seemed amiss; all her emotional fluctuations had been thoroughly normal.
Yet the more normal it seemed, the more uneasy Qin Ming felt. Because there were no flaws and everything was far too natural, that was precisely the biggest issue.
Her appearance near the ancient Mist Gate at the very end finally made Qin Ming realize that his suspicions were not unfounded paranoia.
"Not inferior to the elder bug? What level is she truly at? She's rather mysterious."
***
That same day, Qin Ming returned to Black and White Mountain. As his consciousness and physical body reunited into one, he no longer felt like rootless duckweed. Warmth suffused his entire body, and his vitality surged.
Sitting in his small courtyard, he sipped local wild tea. The curling, delicate fragrance relaxed his body and mind. Wandering through that foreign world had certainly been a winding journey.
"Still, it was worth it. Quite colorful." Qin Ming was deeply satisfied. Looking back on the Kaiyuan Grand Assembly, the trip had not been in vain.
He pondered in silence. Both the White Tiger female grandmaster and the dream bug had once been auction lots.
"Tigers are also called 'great bugs,'" Qin Ming murmured.
Neither the great bug nor the dream bug at the Kaiyuan Grand Assembly was simple. Thinking on it closely, the waters ran deep.
Qin Ming weighed matters carefully. For the short term, he could not go back to that world; neither of the two bugs was someone to provoke lightly.
"The dream bug was pierced by a golden needle. A pity I couldn't capture it. With the elder bug's phantom shielding it, there was no way to probe the truth. That race is truly terrifying.
"Is Little White truly a pureblood White Tiger?"
Lying on the recliner in his courtyard, Qin Ming remained lost in thought for a long time.
He wondered whether he had overlooked anything.
After all, he had shared a physical body with the White Tiger female grandmaster. Remembering that sensation still felt strange.
"Could she have traced my trail based on that?"
"Little Uncle, you're back?" Wenrui walked into the courtyard and promptly made tea for him with dutiful care.
Soon after, Yuque, Red Squirrel, Thunder King Bird, Divine Child Liu Bai, and Wenhui all came running over, turning the courtyard lively and bustling.
Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing immediately set out to prepare a dinner of wild game.
"Here, have some fresh fruit." Qin Ming took out a handful of glowing red and glistening purple berries.
While not extraordinary divine fruits, they could be stored inside a grandmaster-grade storage bracelet and were by no means ordinary produce, falling into the category of fruits enjoyed daily by experts of the fifth realm.
"Such rich spiritual essence! Mountain Master, you're so generous!" Yuque instantly blinked its jewel-like eyes and laid on the flattery.
"Delicious!" Liu Mo's young son was overjoyed. While eating, he helped Wenhui rock Qin Ming's recliner—currying favor in advance, intending to eat his fill and take some to go.
Qin Ming was not worried that the two little fellows, who had yet to embark on the path of cultivation, would overeat and harm themselves. These fruits provided a strong sense of fullness; after swallowing a single berry the size of a fingertip, they would not be able to eat another bite.
Most importantly, the spiritual nature of these berries was gentle, not some potent, violent medicinal agent.
Outside the courtyard wall, a foot-tall black-and-white bear rolled up to the doorway, looking endearingly clumsy as it peered inside. Clearly, it was an expert protecting Liu Mo's scion.
Rubbing its dark eye rings, it showed a look of astonishment and muttered secretly, "*Hiss*, eating this well? That's even more exceptional than the Black and White Mountain Curated Selection."
In the courtyard, Thunder King Bird asked, "Mountain Master, what did you go through? Even a casual glance from you carries far more power than before, commanding reverent awe."
Red Squirrel nodded immediately as well, saying Big Daddy Qin possessed an intangible aura that made its heart flutter with panic.
"Is it that obvious?" Qin Ming was surprised. He was already acting very gentle. It seemed that fiercely battling grandmasters and slaying three of them, along with contending against the terrifying elder bug at the end, had naturally imbued him with murderous intent.
Outside the doorway, the black-and-white bear's heart skipped a beat. After watching closely, even a powerhouse like itself felt a trace of trepidation. Just how strong had that kid's actual cultivation become?
"This won't do!" Qin Ming circulated his true scripture. Black and white light immediately flowed across his skin as he dissolved the murderous intent using the dual qi of yin and yang.
A moment later, intricate thunder runes surfaced across his skin, and the purple-golden core within his body rose and fell as though refining a nine-revolution divine medicine inside him, causing him to emit a faint, pure fragrance.
Next, he used his mind lamp to cleanse his vitality and spirit, rendering his flesh and bones translucent and his form and spirit wondrous.
***
Before long, Qin Ming's state of mind became clear and empty, his disposition otherworldly. He grew gentle and calm, without a trace of that mottled murderous intent remaining perceptible.
"The Mountain Master is about to become an immortal!"
They realized that Qin Ming seemed detached and aloof, as though he were shedding his mortal shell and ascending into immortality.
"Save the flattery," he said with a chuckle. "Wenrui, how has your practice been lately?" Qin Ming tested his disciple and offered him some guidance.
After dinner, the courtyard grew quiet. Qin Ming returned to his room and began taking inventory of his various spoils.
A seven-colored jade slab flowed with gentle immortal radiance. The material alone was exceedingly rare in the world: Seven-Colored Psychic Jade. The light coursing across it was lustrous without being glaring, enveloped in white immortal mist.
No matter how one looked at it, this was a genuine treasure of an immortal.
"How extravagant! A peerless Earth Immortal once used this as a coffin lid. Yet what did such grand pomp amount to? In the end, someone dug it up, and his remains probably weren't even preserved."
Qin Ming's gaze was primarily fixed on the plant resting upon the seven-colored jade slab. Like a wondrous flower from the netherworld blossoming in the mortal realm, its layers of overlapping petals were all engraved with marvelous patterns resembling some long-lost ancient script.
No wonder legends claimed that an Earth Immortal, longing for the mortal world, had traversed the realm of death, producing a flower that reappeared in the living world.
From its root and stem to its leaves and petals, the entire plant was as black as ink.
It was sealed together with the seven-colored jade slab inside a block of transparent crystal. Even so, Qin Ming could faintly catch a unique, delicate fragrance.
This was that exorbitantly priced auction lot—the Reappearance of the Mortal Realm, valued at over six million daylight gold!
Compared to the legends, its practical value was terrifyingly high as well. With the aid of lightning fire and supplemented by other rare medicinal herbs, it could be concocted into the Dragon-Tiger Great Medicine needed even by peak Earth Immortals of the seventh realm.
Unfortunately, out of five furnace batches, producing a single successful batch was considered fortunate; the success rate was exceedingly low.
Had that not been the case, its price would have been far higher, and every top faction would have fought frantically for this extraordinary blossom.
Back at the Kaiyuan Grand Assembly, Qin Ming's eyes had stared straight at it. He had never imagined this item would ultimately fall into his hands.
Qin Ming pressed his hand against the spiritual crystal, sensing the wondrous nature of this rare flower.
He gasped in surprise, saying, "Wait, what's this? While legends cannot be fully trusted, this priceless miracle medicine truly is somewhat unusual."
Across the layered petals, those patterns resembling ancient characters slowly flowed like gentle trickles as he resonated with them.
"Something is happening. Why do I feel like lost writing is actually surfacing on this flower?" Qin Ming was filled with wonder and uncertainty.
He tried to establish a resonance, but found it ineffective; only pure, unfamiliar characters emerged between the black petals.
Qin Ming pondered. Soon, a thought struck him, and he remembered a true scripture—the Nine Firmaments Book, also known as the Abyss Strategy, and also called the Hell Scripture.
"Legend has it that this flower traversed the boundary between life and death. Let me try practicing the *Hell Scripture*."
Observing the flower as he cultivated, he surprisingly attained some entirely new insights.
"A bit sinister, and rather mysterious." Qin Ming seemed to behold a dark expanse of earth covered in writing that corresponded to the intricate patterns on the petals.
"Strange. As I cultivate and comprehend the Dao, certain characters seem vaguely familiar. Perhaps I can decipher them in the future." His heart stirred slightly.
What information did this exorbitantly priced flower carry? Qin Ming felt it was well worth studying, and he intended to slowly decode it.
Setting it aside for now, he continued taking inventory of the other items.
"Rare Spirit-Calming Incense, capable of instantly bringing tranquility to one's mind and aligning with Dao rhymes."
Qin Ming was surprised. This was exceptionally high-grade Spirit-Calming Incense retrieved from the storage bracelet of one of the grandmasters. Such incense could assist in comprehending the Dao and was a luxury item for the fifth realm.
Without a doubt, it was exorbitantly expensive, something ordinary people could never hope to encounter.
"Mm, there's quite a lot of it. I'll share some with Uncle Meng later; he'll probably grin from ear to ear." Every time Qin Ming visited Meng Xinghai, he saw incense candles burning in the living room.
Qin Ming noticed that the grandmasters of the Godkin Society lived with great refinement. Even their ink, brushes, and paper were treasures, including fifth-realm inkstones that could double as weapons.
The only shortcoming was daylight gold. There wasn't much in their storage bracelets; those individuals had likely lent it to their companions to support their bidding.
For instance, Xu Jingyue, besides receiving aid from her sect and clan, had piled up massive debts by borrowing large sums of daylight gold from the Godkin Society and those around her.
"Not bad at all." Qin Ming looked at a pitch-black chunk of exotic metal the size of two fingers, which seemed like an abyss ready to swallow one's mind.
"Lin Shuyue held back a trick. The *Ten Thousand Apertures Illumination Art* he gave me was missing several key sections. Furthermore, this book of his can lead straight to the early sixth realm."
Back in Kaiyuan City, the fragmentary version provided by Divine Child Lin Shuyue could at most reach the great grandmaster domain.
"A magnificent scripture!" Qin Ming sighed in admiration as he read. It truly lived up to being a peerless true scripture that even the old president of the Godkin Society was striving to hunt down and complete.
Setting aside its other effects, its ability to cleanse and nourish the physical body alone held tremendous appeal for Qin Ming. This might help him somewhat alleviate the True Form Tribulation of the fifth realm.
According to legend, if the complete *Ten Thousand Apertures Illumination Art* appeared in the world, even gods would look upon it with envy.
"Outrageous—there's even a secret refinement method?" Upon further study, Qin Ming discovered three jars of medicinal paste among Lin Shuyue's collection. It could be used alongside the resonance of the ten thousand apertures to accelerate cultivation speed.
"This paste..." Qin Ming caught its scent and quickly identified the aromas of six or seven precious medicinal ingredients. That alone made the value of the paste terrifyingly steep.
Stripping off his clothes on the spot, he applied a cicada-wing-thin layer of the paste over his skin, sat cross-legged in the room, and began cultivating the *Ten Thousand Apertures Illumination Art*.
That night, a thread traversed the various apertures within him, stringing them together until the glowing thread connected the apertures into an esoteric diagram.
In the second half of the night, all ten thousand apertures resonated in unison. Qin Ming felt thoroughly refreshed and invigorated, as though bathed in immortal light or soaking in a pool of precious medicine, cleansing both his body and spirit.
"No wonder that after I hammered Lin Shuyue like a game of whack-a-mole with my heavenly light hammer, he only cracked without exploding. This divine art is truly remarkable!"
Qin Ming was filled with wonder and resolved to study it thoroughly.
Of course, Lin Shuyue's survival was mostly due to how fast he had run. Had Qin Ming landed consecutive direct hits, the man still would have burst apart.
None of the grandmasters' collections contained ordinary items; from precious medicines and cultivation methods to weapons, they had everything.
Unfortunately, Qin Ming had no use for many of them. Still, he figured that the next time he attended an auction, he might not need to resort to robbery; using the resources on hand, he could likely participate in the bidding for rare items.
"Speaking of which, the White Tiger female grandmaster was also an exorbitantly priced auction lot I obtained from the Godkin Society. Too bad I can't bring her over right now; it's simply too dangerous."
Late into the night, Qin Ming tallied his various spoils with a face full of smiles. It was a dizzying array of everything under the sun, including sachet bags, debt contracts, and the like.
"The golden ape demon, the old tree-man, Qian Ye, and others all lent Xu Jingyue vast amounts of daylight gold. If the opportunity arises in the future, could I use these contracts to collect her debts?"
Qin Ming felt that if he ran into her in a setting where killing her was inconvenient, he would certainly demand repayment.
Even though some of the creditors were dead, the contracts remained.
***
This late autumn, Qin Ming lived a leisurely life. Every day, he practiced his arts on Black and White Mountain, guided Wenrui in his cultivation, or visited Meng Xinghai for tea.
He did not venture out to stir up trouble, largely because he dared not enter that foreign world again in the short term.
As the days drifted by, Qin Ming enjoyed a rare period of calm.
Meng Xinghai asked him, "The group of standouts from the heavens has passed through the Northern Wilderness, the West Sea, and the Tai Ruins, and they'll soon enter Yezhou. Xiao Qin, don't you plan to go take a look?"
"We'll see," Qin Ming replied.
He and Old Meng each lay on a recliner, taking in the scent of the special Spirit-Calming Incense while practicing the art of Penetrating the Nether from the fourth realm of the esoteric sect.
"Your progress on the esoteric sect path... is it really this fast too?" Meng Xinghai felt that the world held no justice.
"It's alright," Qin Ming said lazily. His divine wisdom penetrated the nether, sweeping across the vast lands. His mind was projected outward, seemingly merging with the distant mountains and rivers.
The two chatted casually as they studied the various esoteric arts.
Meng Xinghai remarked, "Speaking of which, it's quite fascinating. Your fame here in Yezhou is nowhere near as great as it is in the other world. Slaying grandmasters in succession, drawing out the legendary fifth exotic bug—and most crucially, at your young age—you must already be a prominent figure over there."
Qin Ming said, "I've most likely been placed on the hit list of certain major organizations. It's far less relaxed and comfortable than keeping a low profile here."
***
The group of standouts from the heavens—dubbed a "tour group" by some—had stirred up considerable waves across various lands. They visited the ancestral grounds of major sects on the ground, entered Earth Immortal sanctuaries, and enthusiastically exchanged scriptures and discussed profound arts.
At the same time, they actively investigated and searched for special weapon fragments.
These actions were seen as a bellwether that the factions of the heavens were striving to strengthen themselves and actively preparing for war.
Now, certain information could no longer be kept secret: the Golden Roster was reviving, and an external war was likely looming.
This left people both in the heavens and on the ground in panic; no one could face it with equanimity.
"The final stop is Yezhou. Once it's over, we return above the nine firmaments. To think that true dragons were coiling in wait on the ground—truly astonishing."
"I feel that some individuals are not inferior to those who passed the preliminary selection for Yujing's supreme heritage, such as Wen Dao, Xie Xiyan, and Wei Shouzhen."
"Don't forget, Wei Shouzhen also hails from the ground. Xie Xiyan's origins remain uncertain, whereas Yun Jianyue, Wu Qingyuan, and Wen Dao were core holy disciples from the start."
The prodigies had made discoveries on the ground that stirred their emotions; they had unexpectedly encountered extraordinarily formidable individuals.
"Tell me, is it true that Tang Yushang has a Dao-Sealing Ring within her body? That she's hiding her light and is actually remarkably strong? After all, she is very likely a descendant of the Lord of Yujing."
"Hard to say. Some speculate it might be an innate restriction, one that is exceedingly difficult to unlock."
"Judging by the recent sparring and exchanges, that nameless fellow is still the most formidable. Truly too wild."
A massive flying ship sailed out of a Mist Gate and entered Yezhou. Along the way, they discussed matters heatedly.
"I wonder if this land also conceals a hidden qilin in the wild, whether unknown young prodigies exist here. Take that Jiang Ran, for instance; word is that she is terrifying."
"Rumor has it she and Li Qingyue have traveled far away."
The party assessed the various affairs of Yezhou, speaking of those renowned immortal seeds and divine seeds.
In truth, they were not the only ones to arrive. Behind them was another large ship carrying top-tier prodigies from the Northern Wilderness, the Tai Ruins, and other regions.
Looking at this familiar land, Bai Meng, who had visited more than once, muttered to himself, "Brother Ming, I told you I'd host you in the Tai Ruins, yet why didn't you go? Now I've come to see you."
Catching Tang Yushang looking over, he immediately shut his mouth.
Meanwhile, on the large ship ahead, someone also mentioned Qin Ming—namely, Little Heavenly Venerable Lu Zheng, his younger sister Lu Jingli, Zhou Tiandao, Yan Zhuohua, and others.
This was primarily because the Chaos force was truly extraordinary. Not long ago, the sage's final disciple, Li Wanfa, had sparred with Wu Qingyuan, who had obtained Yujing's supreme heritage, without falling behind.
"That Qin Ming also mastered the Chaos force. How is he doing now? Jingli, have you been paying attention? Did you invite him to join the exchange?"
Lu Jingli replied, "He received an invitation a long time ago, but he has stayed holed up in Black and White Mountain, showing no intention of stepping out."
"Interesting. Laying low in a remote place, working behind closed doors—can one rise quickly that way? I hear he hasn't even reached the fourth realm yet; he still has a long road ahead."
Someone remarked that Qin Ming walked the New Life path, so this pace was already remarkably swift.
Zhou Tiandao spoke up: "Mm, I heard a bit of gossip. It seems Yezhou might truly have produced an extraordinary wild qilin."
"Reportedly, strongholds of gray organizations like the Blood Immortals and Changsheng Dwelling were struck hard by someone wielding profound lightning arts," said Yan Zhuohua, a classical beauty who looked as though she had walked out of a wash-ink landscape painting, having caught wind of the secret as well.
"Who was responsible?"
"Rumor has it that a young man named Qian Cheng refined lightning for his own use with godlike methods, suspected to be a true dragon coiling in wait."
However, the grandmasters of organizations like the Blood Immortals and Changsheng Dwelling racked their brains without ever figuring out how they had offended that Qian Cheng with his extraordinarily mysterious background. Why had he struck them with his signature Primordial Myriad Thunder Seal when they had never had any dealings with him?
Suddenly, the golden conches on Zhou Tiandao and Yan Zhuohua began to glow; someone from afar was transmitting a message to them.
In fact, they were not the only ones. The expressions of Feng Zhige, Lu Jingli, and many others changed as well. Even young powerhouses from the ground, such as Tang Yushang and Xiao Jinye, received confidential reports through special channels.
"Today, the Golden Roster soared into the firmament, fully reviving. An external war is not far off!"
This latest piece of news sent shockwaves through everyone's hearts.
Chapter 525