As shallow night drew to a close, Qin Ming woke up. The sunstone in the bronze basin cast a soft, warm glow, and the house was utterly quiet.
He was parched, his throat practically smoking. Only after gulping down several large bowls of ice-cold water did he let out a long breath.
Soon, he noticed something unusual: his clothes felt snug, slightly ill-fitting.
Realizing what had happened, he walked over to the doorframe to measure himself and confirmed that he had shot up in height.
Qin Ming stood in a daze. It had only been a single sleep, yet the process had exceeded all imagination. In such a short time, rich Newborn power had gestated within him, prompting his innate foundation to develop once again.
He stretched his limbs, feeling as though he possessed inexhaustible strength. Heading into the courtyard, he lifted two stone millstones with ease.
Next, he tried supporting them with one hand. Though it felt very heavy, he managed to hold them aloft for a brief moment.
Qin Ming was surprised himself. With just one hand, he could barely lift a weight of four hundred jin. Didn't this mean he was now no weaker than those famous youths in that distant, bright city?
He stripped off the tight clothes and found that the scabs on his shoulders had already fallen away, leaving behind not a single scar—yet another sign of his Newborn rebirth.
Afterward, he began preparing dinner.
Qin Ming boiled a pot of meat soup and roasted wolf ribs until a rich, tempting aroma filled the air. With mutated creatures as ingredients, the meal was more than enough to meet the demands of his body's Newborn transformation.
He wolfed down the meat and drank the broth by the bowlful. His body was already burning hot, and now sweat poured from him in torrents. A surge of heat coursed within him, spreading throughout his entire body.
Though the Newborn transformation was in its late stage, it was not yet over. He wanted to strike while the iron was hot, fully stimulating his body's vitality to spur the process along.
His physical constitution was improving fiercely. Difficult movements that had once strained him in the past could now be performed at will, effortlessly and naturally.
A ball of fire seemed to burn inside Qin Ming, threatening to shine right through his skin.
At last, patches of golden specks appeared across the surface of his skin, soon bursting forth like shoots breaking through the earth. Fine golden rays of light emerged, minute yet faintly discernible.
This was exceedingly unusual; nothing like it had ever happened before.
The fine golden rays poked out from his flesh and blood, bringing with them faint traces of blood. It looked frightening at first glance, but caused no real harm to his body.
Instead, Qin Ming felt a sense of relief. His body's vital breath grew increasingly clear and fresh, brimming with vigor and vitality. The process felt like expelling toxins.
He immediately understood: this was the full Newborn transformation at work, purging all harmful impurities.
His existing pores seemed insufficient as clusters of fine golden rays sprouted and pushed their way out of his body, mingled with wisps of blood, carrying away stale filth.
Dense swarms of fine golden rays continually emerged like shifting golden needles, resonating with one another as they interwove across Qin Ming's skin. It was as though they were sewing a garment, creating a wondrous spectacle.
Coupled with the faint white mist drifting around him, he took on a distinctly ethereal air.
He knew no fatigue despite the tremendous expenditure of energy. Whenever hunger struck, he ate wolf ribs, and after a brief rest, he would continue stimulating his body's vitality.
Occasionally, he also studied Lu Ze's *Initial Exposition of the Night Meditation Art*.
Throughout the night, Qin Ming expelled massive amounts of sweat as his metabolism operated at a furious pace.
A tingling sensation spread through his body, akin to branches budding and sprouting, vibrant with life and carrying the aura of creation itself.
When overwhelming drowsiness struck, he stopped his movements.
He realized he was about to enter the final stage: "hibernation."
After a quick wash, he lay down on the kang, his eyelids so heavy he could barely keep them open.
In his hazy vision, he saw a faint silvery light emerge over his body, accompanied by a profusion of fine golden rays darting like flying needles and threads, "weaving fabric" within the silver-white luminous mist.
Though utterly exhausted, Qin Ming was filled with wonder. The crisscrossing gold threads divided the silvery light into innumerable small squares, forming dense grid-like patterns. Viewed as a whole, his body seemed wrapped in a jade shroud sewn with gold thread.
Lost in thought, his mind wandered to many things.
When ancient emperors were buried, they were encased in jade boxes and garments of pearls, joined by threads of gold—a vessel for their yearning for longevity, a pursuit that persisted even in death.
Was the "wild style" he had memorized in childhood truly so extraordinary? During the Newborn transformation, a layer of pure white mist naturally flowed over him, woven together with gold threads, as if donning a jade suit of golden thread.
Could it be that the ancient sovereigns had heard certain legends, which prompted them to commission the crafting of those jade suits sewn with gold thread?
He shook his head, thinking he was reading too much into it. Soon, he could hold out no longer and sank into the deepest slumber.
When shallow night arrived, Qin Ming woke up. His skin felt tight, but he quickly understood why: the copious sweat he had shed during the night, along with the wisps of blood drawn out by the darting golden needles, had dried on his skin to form a thin cocoon of stale filth.
The water vat was a solid block of ice. He shattered it into chunks, boiled a pot of water, and after washing thoroughly, changed into loose, clean clothes, instantly feeling refreshed and energized.
Evidently, his body temperature had dropped, signaling that the Newborn transformation was nearly complete.
Qin Ming stepped into the courtyard and lifted the two stone millstones once again. This time it was considerably easier, and he could hold them up with one hand for quite a while.
Next, he placed a stone lock weighing over a hundred jin on top of them.
"So heavy!" He felt the intense downward pressure, finding it quite strenuous.
The two rough stone millstones, combined with the stone lock used for arm-strength training, totaled well over five hundred jin, yet he could still hold them aloft with a single hand.
Lu Ze had once told him that in the bright city far away, there were youths who could hoist a six-hundred-jin cauldron.
Qin Ming's eyes were clear, and a bright smile appeared on his face. Between his two arms, he possessed a full thousand jin of strength.
As for the mysterious, unknown cities at the distant ends of the earth, he did not know how formidable Newborns within their golden window might be.
Qin Ming picked up half of the saber-horned deer, along with a hind leg and some ribs of the donkey-headed wolf, and went over to the neighboring courtyard.
"Xiao Qin, this... this is far too much!"
"Brother Lu, Sister-in-law, I can't finish it on my own anyway. Besides, I'll be heading into the mountains again, so switching up our meals regularly is better," Qin Ming said.
If Lu Ze hadn't taken care of him recently, he might have starved to death.
"Uncle, you're the best! Otherwise, we'd be going hungry in a few days," Wenrui said, overjoyed. He had overheard his parents mentioning that their stored rations were almost gone.
Qin Ming ruffled his hair and said, "With your uncle here, how could I let you go hungry?"
In its cage, the mutated squirrel hopped up and down in agitation. It alone was fuming, chattering angrily at Qin Ming; this spirited little mountain beast held quite a grudge.
"Xiao Qin..." The village head, Xu Yueping, arrived. Dressed in an animal-hide jacket, he appeared to be in his forties, with a slightly square face, thick eyebrows, bright, piercing eyes, and a solid, powerful build.
"Uncle Xu," Qin Ming greeted him.
Xu Yueping laughed heartily. "I knew you were capable, kid. Taking this step is like leaving a golden footprint."
He was eager to know just how strong Qin Ming's physical constitution had become after undergoing the Newborn transformation in his golden window.
"Xiao Qin, you've grown taller. Has the Newborn transformation finished?" Lu Ze asked.
Just as Qin Ming was about to answer, a sudden, fierce gust swept toward him.
Xu Yueping's right hand chopped like a blade toward his neck without warning.
It happened far too suddenly, at a distance where defense was nearly impossible.
Yet Qin Ming successfully dodged and countered with pinpoint precision, clamping down on Xu Yueping's wrist with a dull thud.
"Your reaction speed far exceeds other Newborns," Xu Yueping marveled. At such close range, a strike launched out of nowhere would have been difficult even for the sharpest mountain beasts to evade.
Liang Wanqing cried out in alarm, only then realizing that he was testing the depth of Qin Ming's Newborn transformation.
Xu Yueping's wrist was locked in an iron grip; he found himself unable to budge it in the slightest.
"Your Newborn strength..." Xu Yueping looked astonished.
Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing watched in anticipation, hoping that Qin Ming's physical constitution had leapt forward in a qualitative transformation.
After all, this concerned a person's entire lifetime—a chance to alter one's destiny.
Qin Ming released his grip.
Xu Yueping's eyelids twitched violently. As the strongest Newborn in Twin Trees Village, he could tell the youth before him had not even used his full strength.
He spoke solemnly, "I reckon your strength is nearing six hundred jin."
Liang Wanqing was dumbfounded. For a Newborn in this region, hoisting a five-hundred-jin cauldron was already the absolute limit.
Lu Ze was thrilled. "This... even if you walked into that distant city, you wouldn't pale in comparison to anyone."
"Uncle is the best!" Wenrui cheered, clapping his small hands.
"Old Xu, someone from the mountain patrol team is here," Yang Yongqing appeared, having just overheard what was said, his heart shaking in shock.
He realized that Qin Ming had shattered the upper limit for local Newborns.
A mountain patroller's arrival meant matters were certainly not simple. Xu Yueping and Yang Yongqing departed swiftly.
About the time it took to drink a cup of tea later, someone came to summon Qin Ming, telling him to head to the village head's house.
He was puzzled. Why had they sent for him?
"All Newborns must attend to hear what the mountain patrol has to say about the mountain's condition," the messenger informed him.
Xu Yueping's house was lively. Counting Qin Ming, there were seven Newborns in the village, and all of them were present; even Old Man Liu, who was over seventy, had not missed it.
The sunstone lit the room brightly, and the atmosphere was warm and cordial. The visitor from the mountain patrol team, named Feng Yi'an, was explaining the situation in the mountains.
"A while back, the magnetic fields in the mountains went haywire. Anyone venturing deep inside could easily lose their way, and numerous bizarre events occurred. The Fire Springs inhabited by certain dangerous beings nearly died out, while higher-grade Fire Springs emerged deep within the night mist." Feng Yi'an, a man with a thick beard and a rough, bold demeanor, downed his cup of tea in a single gulp.
Qin Ming finally understood why the mountains had been in turmoil lately and why several colossal beasts had appeared in the outer reaches of the dense forest.
Disturbances had struck deep in the mountains, disrupting the lairs of certain famed birds and rare beasts. Their movements had driven other creatures to flee outward.
"Will things worsen? What if higher-tier species charge out?" someone asked.
"Please, everyone, rest assured. Higher-ups will venture into the mountains to negotiate with those mysterious beings and restore calm to this region as quickly as possible."
Feng Yi'an explained that even if negotiations broke down, important figures would step up to hold back the paramount beasts of the mountains.
"Just in case, the mountain patrol team is on high alert, and all Newborns across the villages and towns outside the mountains must be prepared as well."
Feng Yi'an explained that the vast net cast by the higher-ups was mainly meant to keep out paramount beings; smaller fish might still slip through the mesh.
Hearing this, everyone looked grave. Newborns would have to take up arms if necessary!
Feng Yi'an laughed. "No need to be tense. It isn't as dire as you think. Besides, if a major battle breaks out, that bright city in the distance will send aristocratic scions here to temper themselves. They are all elites and will assist us in sweeping the mountains."
Hearing this, the people present breathed a sigh of relief.
"Brother Feng patrolled through the deep night and then rushed here first thing to deliver the news. You've truly worked hard," Xu Yueping said.
Feng Yi'an waved his hand. "What are you saying, Brother Xu? This is all in the line of duty. Rest easy: if any ferocious beasts or mountain monsters charge out, they won't harm anyone outside the mountains unless they step over the corpses of us mountain patrollers."
Xu Yueping personally brought out a large iron platter laden with an entire roasted rock goat, its aroma mouthwatering, to treat Feng Yi'an.
He stopped several people who were getting up to leave. "Don't go yet. Stay and share a few drinks with Brother Feng."
The atmosphere in the room immediately grew lively.
"Let me tell you, there's no need to worry. Not only will the city lord governing this territory arrive in person, but it's said that experts have been invited from afar. Nothing will go awry. It's mainly a precaution against the Moon Insect and the unpredictable mountain lords."
After a few cups of liquor, Feng Yi'an revealed plenty of information.
Surprised, Qin Ming listened attentively.
Unaccustomed to the harsh, aged liquor at the table, he reached for a sip of tea, only to set the cup back down. Aside from bitter tea leaves, there were dried ants the size of a thumb tip floating in the brew—a complicated concoction.
Xu Yueping chuckled. "Xiao Qin, a man must learn to drink. And these black ants are a powerful tonic—truly good stuff."
Feng Yi'an turned his head to look over. "This little brother looks young and unfamiliar."
"Uncle Feng, you can just call me Xiao Qin."
Xu Yueping introduced him: "This is Qin Ming, just turned sixteen. He recently completed his Newborn transformation and is the most promising youth in our region. I'm hoping he can travel to distant Chixia City to study."
"A fine seedling! Undergoing metamorphosis during the golden window—what an enviable foundation," Feng Yi'an remarked with deep feeling.
The others echoed his praise with envious admiration, knowing full well what immense potential lay within someone who possessed a golden foundation.
Cups clinked one after another as the mood around the drinking table grew boisterous. Feng Yi'an shared several bizarre tales from deep in the mountains.
"Have any of you ever seen a certain mysterious field in the deep mountains? Every single crop is golden, unhidden by the heavy fog, radiant golden light piercing the pitch-black night sky... Just whose sustenance could that be?"
Chapter 9