Chapter 20 - Blending with the Dust and Light

Under the shallow night, Qin Ming carried a long-handled black-gold hammer and a short sword. His feet moved with the speed of the wind, as if he were about to take flight, rushing into the dense forest at an incredible speed. He felt a sense of urgency; the nobles from Chixia City had arrived. Once they set foot in the mountains, they would undoubtedly search for all kinds of spiritual materials. He couldn't allow Blood Bamboo Forest to be overtaken by others, as it was crucial to his second rebirth. The night fog dissipated, and the forest remained dim, but with his eyesight, he could clearly see distant scenery. "Blood Bamboo Forest isn't easy to enter; there must be dangers." If it weren't so, Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng would have acted long ago, rather than dying with regrets. "I've been a bit restless." Cold snowflakes fell on him, some even slipping into his collar, and this chill gradually calmed Qin Ming. The way he had been rushing was no different from Old Man Liu last night, who wished he had wings to fly into Blood Bamboo Forest to pick the frozen blood snakes. "Calm your mind." Qin Ming slowed his pace, adjusting his breathing in the mountain forest. Wasn't it just a second rebirth? Even without acquiring spiritual materials, he could smoothly break through with his own conditions. "An unsettled mind easily makes mistakes." Qin Ming walked through the thick snow, neither hurriedly nor slowly, becoming more composed and calm. Blood Bamboo Forest was undoubtedly dangerous. Even someone like Fu Entao, who had achieved a second rebirth, had not yet dared to act, which was telling. Qin Ming silently traversed the dense forest, eventually uncovering a sword manual from a certain spot. The old leather pages were curled and heavily worn, showing that someone often read it in the past. The entire book was thin, imbued with an ancient aura, and it was unclear where Fu Entao had obtained it. "Read the crystallized efforts of predecessors to still my heart." Qin Ming sat down in the woods. Soon, he was completely absorbed, immersing himself in the book. Unconsciously, he rose from the snow, holding the leather-bound book in one hand and the long-handled black-gold hammer in the other, wielding it like a long sword. Though originally a heavy weapon, it felt like a light wooden hammer in his hand, swung freely, gradually exuding a sense of effortless beauty. To be reborn, one needed to practice corresponding scriptures, such as the Black Night Meditation Technique and Intent Qi Gong, which could enhance strength, flexibility, speed, and other physical attributes. Various combat laws were skills that utilized the body's strength, speed, and more to achieve efficient attacks. Qin Ming's physical constitution was exceptionally strong, surpassing the golden foundation. However, his combat techniques lacked systematic training and were mostly practical, informal styles. Some were derived from the new techniques he developed over years of practicing wild paths, drawn from those unique movements, while others were learned from the village's old hunters. His combat abilities were honed in the mountains. The forest at night was perilous, and hunting in such an environment required facing attacks from various fierce beasts and birds of prey; a moment's hesitation could mean death. Although his moves were mostly informal and could even be called wild paths, their lethality was indeed formidable. When fighting beasts, there was no adherence to any pattern; it relied on strength, speed, and adaptability. Because of this, Fu Entao found it extremely troublesome to face him, unable to find any 'fixed pattern' in his attacks, leaving no trace to follow. Now, as Qin Ming read the blade manual, he combined it with his own experience fighting beasts and his insights gained between life and death, becoming utterly engrossed. Unconsciously, he held a book in one hand and a hammer in the other, constantly evolving his 'blade techniques' through his understanding. Qin Ming comprehended the predecessors' efforts recorded in the blade manual. In moments of exhilaration, he wielded his strength more vigorously, and though there was no blade light, the blade's intent permeated, causing the snow on the ground to swirl into the air. The long-handled black gold hammer turned into a swift lightning bolt, slicing through the forest's tranquility. He 'swung the blade' towards a large tree, and in an instant, the thick trunk exploded. Such a 'slash' was exceedingly violent. Some nearby anomalies that had been eyeing him covetously fled with their tails between their legs, having watched him for a long time. Among them was a mutated black tiger, over four meters long, which now turned and ran. 'Dare to spy here, won't leave, huh?' Qin Ming saw a human-faced vulture, much larger than its kind, circling close to the trees, about twenty meters above the ground, reluctant to depart. Having just grasped the 'throwing blade technique' from the manual, he immediately executed it. The heavy 'hammer blade' in his hand vanished into the night, soaring high into the sky. 'Puff!' Blood splattered mid-air, feathers flew everywhere. The mutated human-faced vulture, with wings spanning several meters, originally quite fierce, now shattered like porcelain under Qin Ming's 'throwing blade technique'! With a thousand jin of strength in his arms, this strike was without suspense, the long-handled black gold hammer smashed the giant beast to pieces, shattered beyond recognition, leaving a large amount of blood, flesh, and scattered feathers falling to the ground. Seeing this scene from afar, some anomalies immediately fled frantically, feeling this two-legged beast was extraordinarily ferocious, and they must stay away; this area was no place to linger. 'Good blade technique!' Qin Ming praised, wielding the long-handled black gold hammer to practice again. This blade manual was like a beacon in the night fog, illuminating the path ahead, integrating his various combat experiences and wild path fighting techniques, and rapidly elevating them. Qin Ming was mesmerized, eventually becoming so absorbed that he lost himself, unable to extricate himself. He practiced all the blade techniques from start to finish, not achieving complete enlightenment, but indeed improving his combat skills, with a significant enhancement in strength. This blade manual was worth studying, providing deep insights and immense value! 'If Fu Entao mastered this blade manual thoroughly, it would indeed be very troublesome. Qin Ming murmured to himself, but if he could fully comprehend this book, Fu Entao would not be limited to just the second rebirth. This is not only a sword manual, but also contains some research on the art of rebirth, which is very enlightening for him. For instance, the book mentions the 'Heavenly Light,' which first appears during the third rebirth but permeates the entire realm of rebirth. Even after achieving perfection in rebirth, one cannot do without an in-depth study of the Heavenly Light. In this age where the sun has disappeared, the Heavenly Light carries the beautiful aspirations of people and embodies infinite longing. The Heavenly Light mentioned in the book is not the brilliance of the sky that people yearn for, but a kind of light within the body, endowed with a beautiful name by people. After a person's third rebirth, they will initially manifest this 'Heavenly Light,' which is born within the body, marking an elevation in the level of life. At this time, the strength of the reborn will be greatly enhanced, allowing them to contend with various dangerous anomalies barehanded, and all of this is naturally a gift from the Heavenly Light. Because once the body births the Heavenly Light, it will produce the 'Heavenly Light Force,' a special force with strong penetrating and tearing capabilities. Otherwise, compared to giant beasts, the reborn would be too delicate and small to resist such colossal creatures. The emergence of the Heavenly Light Force enables the reborn to tear through the scales of mutant beasts, with that force capable of piercing their tough and sturdy flesh. However, in the realm of rebirth, the Heavenly Light Force can only be spread on the body surface, extending slightly beyond fists and feet, but not yet expanding to weapons. In fact, the Heavenly Light Force is just a general term, and if subdivided, there would be many types. This book seems to have changed hands many times, with various insights, notes, and annotations on the pages, all from different people. Among them, someone highly praised a certain type of Heavenly Light Force, leaving behind an exclamation: 'How I wish I could cultivate the Tathagata Force!' For a reborn like Qin Ming, who came from an unorthodox background, the various records and descriptions in the book filled him with boundless yearning. Unfortunately, although this sword manual mentioned some strange and powerful names of Heavenly Light Forces, it did not record how they could be cultivated. Qin Ming was somewhat lost in thought, pondering for a long time. As he flipped further through the sword manual, it became somewhat unsuitable for his reading, as he had not yet reached that level. However, he discovered a very practical secret technique among the insights left by predecessors, named 'Harmonizing with Light and Dust,' which could ensure his own safety. After studying it carefully, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, feeling fortunate to have discovered this record. According to the predecessors, the gaze of higher beings is terrifying, able to see through the vitality of other beings at a glance, even in the dead of night, they can 'see' the fields of life, whether strong or weak. This is terrifying, as lower beings have no secrets before higher beings. Especially when the reborn or anomalies birth the Heavenly Light within, to higher beings, it is akin to clusters of fire in the night. 'I must quickly master this!' He wiped away the cold sweat, suddenly feeling very threatened in the mountains. Fortunately, Harmonizing with Light and Dust is merely a practical secret technique, not a profound or difficult to cultivate esoteric tome. "Visualize emptiness and tranquility, let the body be like withered wood, the heart like cold ashes, conceal the vitality, gradually weakening it to the point of dimming the spirit." He slowly began to comprehend, considering it an entry-level understanding. Qin Ming sat here for a long time, silently perceiving and pondering, gradually exploring more of its profound essence. The art of merging with the mundane allows one to hide part of their vitality, blending seamlessly among ordinary people. Moreover, this 'degree' can be controlled. After reaching a certain level, even if his body emits the brilliance of rebirth for the third time, it can be concealed if necessary. At this point, Qin Ming let out a long breath. However, upon further reflection, he chuckled self-deprecatingly. Perhaps his sense of crisis was too strong; even if higher beings passed by, able to see through his vitality at a glance, they probably wouldn't care. After all, he had only been reborn once, and in the eyes of such entities, he was merely one among the 'myriad beings' of the great mountains. He then thought of the high-ranking figures in Chixia City, who could negotiate and confront mysterious beings from the mountains. They must possess equivalent abilities, right? "Biting off more than one can chew; learning so much today is enough. I need to consolidate, master, and thoroughly grasp everything," Qin Ming stood up, found a secluded spot, and reburied the manual. Undoubtedly, he gained immensely today; after delving deeply into those sword techniques and integrating them with his insights, his strength had significantly improved. Qin Ming mused, "If I were to encounter Fu Entao and Feng Yi'an again now, I think it would be much easier." Most importantly, this book broadened his horizons, allowing him to understand things he couldn't access before. "Fu Entao is actually not bad; he gave me a good book." He left this dense forest and headed towards the location of the Blood Bamboo Forest.