"I am no longer Cui Chonghe. All that is in the past!"
Qin Ming pulled his thoughts back from the fragmented scenes of his past. His eyes shone bright with a radiance like blazing rosy clouds, and his entire being brimmed with vigorous vitality.
He was Qin Ming now, and there was no going back to the past. What needed to be severed had to be severed; what needed to be let go had to be abandoned. There was no reason to expect that every old acquaintance would still acknowledge him when they met.
In the past, it was the radiance cast by the terrifying heritage of a thousand-year-old clan that had illuminated Cui Chonghe.
Now he had to rely on himself, advancing one step at a time. The height he could reach that way was the true splendor that coursed through him.
"There was good reason, after all, why this place was chosen to build a city." Qin Ming noticed that the snow in the woods only came up to his knees—far too "mild."
One had to remember that the blizzards on Black-White Mountain over the past two years routinely reached waist-deep.
Towering behind Chixia City were majestic, imposing mountains. In those rolling ranges lurked many dangerous anomalies, which also meant no shortage of spiritual substances.
Fronting the city was a vast plain, dotted with stretches of fire fields. Moreover, outside the city ran a great river leading far into the distance; once early spring thawed the ice, numerous large boats would ply back and forth, offering immense transport capacity.
The city walls, built from bluestone, were tall and thick. A grand gate tower stood ahead, where armored soldiers held halberds that gleamed with cold luster. People flowed in and out in an endless stream of carriages and pedestrians. Qin Ming faced little inspection upon entering; the place was open, bustling with traders traveling north and south. The streets were paved with bluestone slabs, clear of any snow and swept completely clean.
The moment he entered Chixia City, a clamor of voices washed over his ears. It was vastly livelier than Silver Vine Town, with surging crowds rubbing shoulders. Qin Ming walked down this bustling main street, occasionally pausing to gaze at the dazzling array of goods inside the shops lining both sides.
"Child, do you want to grow up to be an expert whose name shakes the Evernight World? Well, that goal might be a bit too far off. Do you want to join those sects? Want to become a member of an esoteric sect? Want to be chosen by people beyond the mundane world? Want to test into the higher academies in those giant cities? Golden avenues lie right ahead, but you must start preparing now! Come, hurry into the shop, and have your mother buy you a secret manual!"
Not to mention a crowd of children and youngsters, even Qin Ming felt a flicker of interest and wanted to step inside this old shop lined with books to take a look.
He was immediately drawn to a book titled *Great Sun Visualization Method*—a title that sounded quite impressive.
"Apologies, honored guest, this is a rare secret volume, far more precious than advanced Yiqi Arts. At the same time, it is exceedingly difficult to practice. The prerequisite to learn it is mastering the *Prairie Fire Meditation Art*. Please come this way; you must start from the introductory chapter of *Prairie Fire*..."
Hearing this, Qin Ming hastily waved his hand and soon turned to leave. These were all printed copies smelling of fresh ink, containing only the lowest-tier Newborn methods. There was no chance of finding ancient volumes bearing the life's blood of predecessors here.
He figured he hadn't found the right place; perhaps there were time-honored bookstores selling rare editions.
However, this wasn't what he needed most urgently. What he wanted above all were spiritual substances—he wished he could achieve his fourth Newborn state immediately to recover his memories and thoroughly uncover everything from the past.
Qin Ming discovered there really were businesses selling spiritual substances: an imposing five-story building situated on prime, bustling real estate.
Yet after going inside, he quickly came right back out. Merely inquiring about spiritual substances that could aid in a first Newborn breakthrough revealed that it would cost most of the day gold he had saved up.
As for substances for a fourth Newborn transformation, that was out of the question. Moreover, from what the merchant indicated, higher-tier spiritual substances were out of stock most of the time—unavailable even if one had day gold to spare.
Qin Ming wandered through Chixia City, gradually learning about everything here. The city possessed a Grade 4 Fire Spring; even in winter, its fiery-red, glowing liquid never dried up, bubbling forth and flowing into various city districts.
In addition, several Grade 1 and Grade 2 companion Fire Springs were scattered throughout, brightening the entire city.
Qin Ming deliberately headed toward crowded areas, seeking out bustling scenes. To truly understand a city, going to such places was never wrong.
"Young master, take care! Come earlier next time!"
"Young master, please, come upstairs!"
Qin Ming halted abruptly. Where on earth had he wandered?
The people seen along this street were predominantly men, while melodies of pipes and strings drifted down from pavilions on either side.
"Brother Qin, I never expected to run into you here!" someone shouted loudly.
At once, many people on the street turned to look. For the first time, Qin Ming felt flustered enough to want to cover his face and flee.
He realized where he was: definitely the kind of place where Old Wu squandered his fortune!
And he had heard the voice of Old Wu's grandson, Wu Zheng, who was actually hollering at him in public.
"Brother Qin, meeting an old friend in a strange land—what great fortune! As long as you're all right. You finally made it safely to Chixia City!" Seventeen-year-old Wu Zheng rushed over with a broad grin, overflowing with enthusiasm.
"What could happen to me? The person that day was an old acquaintance of mine," Qin Ming replied, eyeing him strangely. He reflected that family traits truly could be inherited.
He didn't know whether Wu Zheng could replicate the elder's gift as "Peerless with Spear and Bow," but in terms of gallivanting in style, the boy was likely not a bit behind his grandfather Old Wu—he had only just arrived in Chixia City and already knew his way down this street.
"Didn't you come to broaden your horizons? Money should be spent where it counts; working hard to raise your strength is what truly matters," Qin Ming advised.
Wu Zheng shook his head. "Brother Qin, where are your thoughts wandering? I only came to listen to zither music. It has nothing to do with romance!"
Seeing the skeptical look in Qin Ming's eyes, he panicked at once and added, "I'm really not lying to you! The main thing is that many experts who go out of the city to hunt anomalies come here afterward to drink wine and listen to music. They talk about all sorts of terrifying mutant creatures in the mountains, and they discuss how to hunt them and obtain spiritual substances. I came specifically to listen for valuable information!"
"Is that really true?" Qin Ming's spirits rose.
Wu Zheng said, "If you don't believe me, ask Brother Xu in a bit. Yeah, Xu Sheng, the itinerant merchant who brought us to Chixia City. He switched professions and decided to become an independent spiritual hunter. On the road this time, that female anomaly in our group scared him half to death."
Qin Ming had gently advised Wu Zheng just moments ago not to linger in such places, yet within a quarter of an hour he followed Wu Zheng up into Zuixia Pavilion. It truly was just a place for drinking wine and listening to music. Incense smoke curled, and behind beaded curtains a beauty played the zither, plucking clear, melodious notes.
The spacious hall held many tables, packed with Newborns who chatted animatedly over drinks.
At some point, this place had become a hub for them to exchange information. The proprietor of Zuixia Pavilion was rather helpless about it, but as long as business was good, it didn't matter.
Qin Ming and Wu Zheng found a table and sat down, immediately catching various snippets of conversation.
"Have you heard? A six-times-mutated mountain monster appeared over at Mount Qixia! No one knows what its true form is yet, but its strength far exceeds others of the same tier. It's probably a spiritual creature. Does anyone want to team up to hunt it?"
"Do you have a death wish? A spiritual creature's strength is usually an entire tier higher than its actual mutation count—it practically rivals a seven-times-mutated creature!"
Qin Ming listened intently, feeling that coming here was well worth it. Hearing these people converse allowed him to quickly grasp the situation in the mountain ranges.
"Brother Qin, as long as you're fine! Which means not a single person died under my lead last time, and everyone arrived safely in Chixia City! Haha!" Xu Sheng arrived, greeting Qin Ming warmly upon seeing him.
"Brother Xu, your injury—" Qin Ming looked at his neck, which had been scratched before; more than ten days had passed, and it was now healed.
Xu Sheng took a drink of wine and said, "Don't get me started! The descendant of a high-tier anomaly came out for experiential training—someone the higher-ups of Chixia City permitted into the city. Yet her courage was pitifully tiny. At the slightest rustle in the wind, she clung to someone and pinched with all her might. What's worse, she has undergone Newborn transformations multiple times, so I couldn't resist at all and got choked unconscious once! I'm done being an itinerant merchant; I'm switching lines of work!"
Qin Ming clinked cups with him. "Switching is good. Otherwise, walking in the dark too often, something is bound to happen sooner or later."
Xu Sheng nodded. "Exactly. Let me tell you, some veteran itinerant merchants might not even be their former selves anymore. Who knows how many years ago they were replaced by mysterious creatures. There are plenty of legends in our trade; I've wanted to give it up for a long time!"
Wu Zheng also raised his cup. "A toast to Brother Xu's successful career change! From now on in Chixia City, your little brother here will hang out with you. You're a big expert, so you must show me the ropes!"
Just then, an adjacent table began animatedly discussing the Thunder-Fire Gold-Forging Palace, and soon many others chimed in.
Qin Ming's spirits soared. Those people seemed to mention a rare spiritual substance.
"In another half month, the ice and snow will melt. When spring thunder rumbles and all things awaken, I wonder what the Thunder-Fire Gold-Forging Palace on Mount Chixia will be like this year, and how many will brave death to guide thunder light into their bodies."
"People die every year. The lucky ones are exceedingly few!"
Greatly intrigued, Qin Ming immediately asked Xu Sheng beside him, as Xu was a local.
"Brother Xu, what's the deal with the Thunder-Fire Gold-Forging Palace?"
Xu Sheng, in his early thirties and quite steady, immediately tried to dissuade him. "Little Qin, you're interested? That place holds fortunes, but it's far too dangerous. Every year, several Newborns die there. I advise you to stay calm."
He explained that those who could truly receive opportunities there were exceedingly rare, relying entirely on luck. Seeing even one person succeed every few years was already fortunate.
Qin Ming nodded. "I only heard of it today and am curious, so I just want to understand the situation. If it really is that dangerous, I certainly won't rush in blindly."
"Brother Xu, hurry up and tell us," Wu Zheng urged as well.
"Then let me explain in detail. The Thunder-Fire Gold-Forging Palace is located on Mount Chixia outside the city. It's said to have a history of at least a thousand years. It's a special hall whose tiles are primarily forged from copper mother, mixed with several rare metals...
"During thunderstorms, a spectacle appears above that bronze palace: fireballs of thunder and lightning roll, arcs of electricity intertwine, dazzling beyond measure.
"When lightning strikes down, it brings parts of heavenly light with it. Spring thunder is the most special of all, containing the vitality of nature's awakening. As lightning and heavenly light intertwine, they can nurture a special spiritual substance. Therefore, each year when the first spring thunder cracks, many Newborns rush to the Thunder-Fire Gold-Forging Palace to try receiving this blend of lightning and heavenly light, hoping to break through, undergo a fierce metamorphosis, and achieve a Newborn transformation."
Qin Ming listened raptly, his interest growing keener.
Xu Sheng warned, "Once blocked by the bronze palace, the lightning isn't actually that fierce—it's vastly weakened. But the most terrifying thing is the heavenly light. How many can survive being engulfed by heavenly light from beyond the mundane world? This is even fiercer than what falls upon the spiritual mountains. You must never attempt it!"
Qin Ming felt that he absolutely had to go to this place. What he feared most was thunder and lightning; that kind of nature's wrath was something he couldn't even dream of touching at his current stage—coming into contact with it would surely char him to a crisp.
Yet with the Thunder-Fire Gold-Forging Palace "purifying" the lightning, what did he have to fear? He could withstand the baptism of heavenly light! Even if it was far more intense than the heavenly light contained in the special nodes of Black-White Mountain, he estimated it wouldn't pose much of a problem.
Others went there relying on luck to survive, but when he went to Mount Chixia, he truly could rely on strength to win a fierce metamorphosis and achieve a Newborn transformation!
'Counting down the time, there aren't many days left before the first thunder of early spring strikes. After resting just a bit, the time will arrive.' Qin Ming was filled with eager anticipation.
Chapter 69