Chapter 20: Harmonizing with Light

During the Shallow Night, Qin Ming carried his long-handled Darkgold hammer and a short sword. He moved with such speed that his feet seemed to barely touch the ground as he charged into the dense forest.

He felt a sense of urgency. The nobles of Crimson Cloud City had arrived, and once they set foot in the mountains, they would surely scavenge for all sorts of spiritual matter.

He did not want anyone to beat him to the Blood Bamboo Forest; that place was vital for his Second Rebirth.

As the night mist dissipated, the forest remained somewhat dim, but with his eyesight, he could clearly distinguish distant objects.

"The Blood Bamboo Forest won't be easy to enter. There's bound to be danger."

Otherwise, Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng would have acted long ago rather than dying with such regrets.

"I’m getting a bit restless."

Cold snowflakes drifted onto him, some slipping into his collar. The chill helped Qin Ming gradually calm down.

His earlier frantic pace was no different from Old Man Liu’s last night—wishing he had wings to fly into the Blood Bamboo Forest just to pick up frozen Blood Snakes.

"Stay calm." Qin Ming slowed his pace, adjusting his breathing within the mountain forest.

It was just the Second Rebirth. Even if he didn't obtain spiritual matter, he could still successfully break through based on his own natural conditions.

"An unsettled mind leads to mistakes." Qin Ming stepped through the thick snow, advancing at a steady, unhurried pace. He gradually became composed and cold-headed.

The Blood Bamboo Forest was undoubtedly dangerous. The fact that the Mountain Patrol Team, even with a person like Fu Entao who had undergone a Second Rebirth, had hesitated to act spoke volumes.

Qin Ming moved silently through the dense woods, eventually reaching a spot where he dug up a saber manual. The old leather pages were curled and heavily worn, indicating it had been frequently read in the past.

The book wasn't thick and carried an air of ancient mystery. He didn't know where Fu Entao had obtained it.

"Reading the crystallized wisdom of those who came before me should settle my mind." Qin Ming sat down in the forest.

A moment later, he was completely captivated, throwing his entire soul into the book.

Unconsciously, he stood up from the snow. Holding the leather manual in one hand and gripping the long-handled Darkgold hammer in the other, he began to swing it as if it were a long saber.

The weapon was originally a heavy one, but in his hands, it seemed as light as a wooden mallet. He swung it freely, and it gradually took on a sense of natural, fluid beauty.

To achieve Rebirth, one needed to practice corresponding scriptures, such as the Night Meditation Technique or the Yiqi Art, to improve physical attributes like strength, flexibility, and speed.

Various combat styles, on the other hand, were techniques—methods of utilizing the body's strength and speed to achieve efficient offensive goals.

Qin Ming's physical condition was exceptionally strong, surpassing even the Golden Foundation, but his combat techniques lacked systematic training. Most of his moves were practical, individual strikes.

Some came from the "wild" Rebirth methods he had practiced for years, derived from those specific movements, while others were learned from the old hunters in the village.

His actual combat ability was formidable, honed through the hardships of the great mountains.

The forest at night was dangerous. Hunting in such an environment meant facing attacks from various fierce birds and beasts; a split-second delay in reaction meant death.

Though he practiced mostly individual strikes that could be called "wild," their lethality was undeniably high. Fighting for one's life against beasts followed no rules; it relied on strength, speed, and the ability to adapt on the fly.

Because of this, Fu Entao had found him incredibly difficult to deal with. He couldn't find any "fixed forms" in Qin Ming’s attacks; there were no traces to follow.

Now, as Qin Ming read the saber manual, combining it with his experience of fighting beasts and his insights from life-and-death encounters, he became completely enthralled. Without realizing it, he held the book in one hand and the hammer in the other, constantly changing his "saber forms" based on his realizations.

Qin Ming absorbed the wisdom left by his predecessors in the manual. When his excitement peaked, he increased his power and began to dance with the weapon. Although there was no blade light, a Saber Intent permeated the air, causing the snow on the ground to swirl into the sky. The long-handled Darkgold hammer turned into a bolt of lightning, shattering the silence of the woods.

He "swung his saber" at a large tree, and the thick trunk instantly exploded. This "slash" was incredibly violent. Several mutated creatures that had been watching him hungrily from the shadows for a long time were so terrified that they tucked their tails and fled.

Among them was a mutated black tiger over four meters long; it turned and bolted instantly.

"Still dare to peer from here? Not leaving yet?" Qin Ming spotted a Man-faced Vulture, far larger than its kin, circling low near the trees, barely twenty meters above the ground, refusing to leave.

Having just grasped the "Throwing Style" from the manual, he executed it immediately. The heavy "hammer-saber" in his hand vanished into the night in an instant, soaring into the high air.

Thwack!

Blood splattered in mid-air, and feathers fluttered everywhere.

The mutated Man-faced Vulture, with a wingspan of several meters and normally quite ferocious, was as fragile as porcelain. It was blown apart by Qin Ming's Throwing Style!

With the strength of a thousand catties in his arms, the strike left no room for suspense. The long-handled Darkgold hammer smashed the giant bird of prey into a mangled mess, sending a shower of flesh and feathers raining down to the ground.

Seeing this from a distance, other mutated creatures fled frantically. They felt this two-legged human-beast was exceptionally cruel; they had to stay away from him, for this area was no longer safe.

"Excellent saber technique!" Qin Ming praised, picking up the long-handled Darkgold hammer to practice once more.

To him, this saber manual was like a bright lamp in the night mist, illuminating the path ahead. it integrated his various combat experiences and "wild" styles, rapidly sublimating them.

Qin Ming watched with such fascination that he eventually lost himself in it, unable to pull away.

He practiced every saber form from beginning to end. While he couldn't claim complete enlightenment, his combat techniques had indeed improved, and his strength had grown significantly.

This manual was worth studying; it gave him deep insights and was of immense value!

"If Fu Entao had mastered this manual, he truly would have been a handful," Qin Ming muttered to himself. However, if one could fully comprehend this book, they wouldn't stop at the Second Rebirth.

This was more than just a saber manual; it also contained research on Rebirth methods, which was very enlightening for him.

For example, the book mentioned "Sky Light." It first manifested during the Third Rebirth but would persist throughout the entire realm of Rebirth. Even after reaching the perfection of Rebirth, one could not do without the deep study of Sky Light.

Sky Light—in this era where the sun had vanished, it represented people's beautiful wishes and carried infinite longing.

The Sky Light mentioned in the book was naturally not the radiance of the sky that people craved, but a light within the body, given a beautiful name by the people.

Once a person underwent the Third Rebirth, they would begin to manifest this "Sky Light." It was born within the body, a sign of an elevated life tier.

At this stage, a Reborn's strength would increase substantially, allowing them to fight various dangerous mutated creatures with their bare hands—all thanks to the gift of "Sky Light."

This was because once the body gave birth to Sky Light, it would produce "Sky Light Force." This was a special type of force with extremely high penetration and tearing capabilities.

Otherwise, compared to giant beasts, a Reborn's body was too delicate and small. How could they possibly contend with such behemoths?

The appearance of Sky Light Force allowed a Reborn to tear through the scales of mutated giant beasts; that force could pierce through their tough, solid flesh.

However, in the realm of Rebirth, Sky Light Force could only be applied to the surface of the body, extending slightly beyond the hands and feet; it could not yet be extended to weapons.

In truth, Sky Light Force was just a general term. If subdivided, there were many types. This book had likely changed hands many times, as the pages were filled with various insights, notes, and markings left by different people.

One of them held a certain type of Sky Light Force in extremely high regard, leaving behind a sigh: I only regret that I could not cultivate the Rulai Force!

For a "wild" Reborn like Qin Ming, the various records and descriptions in the book filled him with longing.

Unfortunately, although the manual mentioned the names of some singular and powerful Sky Light Forces, it didn't record how to cultivate them.

Qin Ming was lost in thought, pondering for a long time.

Flipping further back into the manual, the contents became unsuitable for him to read; he had not yet reached that level.

However, among the insights left by his predecessors, he discovered a very practical secret technique called "Harmonizing with Light," which could keep one safe.

After reading it carefully, he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat, while also feeling fortunate to have found this record.

According to the predecessors, the gaze of higher-level beings was terrifying. They could see through the strength of other living beings' vitality with a single glance. Even in the Deep Night, they could "see" those stronger or weaker biological fields.

This was terrifying. Lower-level beings had no secrets from higher-level ones.

In particular, when a Reborn or a mutated creature birthed Sky Light within their body, they were like clusters of fire in the dark night to higher beings.

"I must master this immediately!" He wiped away his cold sweat, suddenly feeling that the great mountains were very dangerous.

Fortunately, "Harmonizing with Light" was only a practical secret technique, not some profound, difficult-to-master scripture.

"Visualize emptiness and silence, the body like withered wood, the heart like cold ashes. Mask the vitality, letting it gradually weaken, even dimming the spirit and energy." He slowly gained some understanding and had already crossed the threshold.

Qin Ming sat there in silence for a long time, quietly comprehending and pondering. He gradually figured out more of the intricacies. Harmonizing with Light could mask a portion of his vitality, allowing him to blend in among ordinary people.

Moreover, the "degree" of this could be controlled. Once practiced to a certain extent, even if Sky Light was born in the body after the Third Rebirth, it could be masked if necessary.

At this, Qin Ming let out a long sigh of relief.

But after thinking about it carefully, he laughed at himself. Perhaps his sense of crisis was too strong. Even if a higher being passed through here and could see his vitality at a glance, they probably wouldn't care, right? After all, he had only undergone one Rebirth; in the eyes of such creatures, he was just one of the "countless masses" in the mountains.

He then thought of the high-level officials of Crimson Cloud City. Since they could negotiate and confront the mysterious beings in the mountains, they must possess equivalent abilities.

"Taking on too much leads to poor digestion. Learning this much today is enough. I must consolidate and master it all thoroughly!" Qin Ming stood up, found a hidden spot, and buried the saber manual once again.

There was no doubt that he had gained a massive harvest today. After studying those saber forms and integrating them with his own insights, his strength had seen a very significant boost.

Qin Ming muttered to himself, "If I were to encounter people like Fu Entao or Feng Yi'an now and fight them again, I think it would be much easier."

Most importantly, this book had broadened his horizons, teaching him many things he previously had no access to.

"Fu Entao was actually quite a decent person for giving me such a good book."

After walking out of the dense forest, he headed toward the location of the Blood Bamboo Forest.