Chapter 41: Defeated, Go Become a God
Last time at the Old Noble's estate, Er Bingzi had gone to see the five-meter-tall Xie Lingxi first. When he returned, he had been evasive and highly misleading when talking about her with Qin Ming, only to turn around and slip away. Now, he was pulling another stunt.
Qin Ming made a mental note of it. The next time they met, he would beat him until he was actually sick.
In Crimson Cloud City, Nie Rui was like a beam of light piercing through the Night Fog. He was one of the two most dazzling figures in the last twenty years, and his physical fitness after his Rebirth had shattered the city's records.
Now that he was asking, the parties from the Cao, Mu, and Wei families all showed surprised expressions, with many casting their gazes toward Qin Ming.
Immediately, the others understood—this must be the person Nie Rui was looking for.
For a moment, Qin Ming experienced being the center of attention. All the young nobles of Crimson Cloud City stared at him, sizing him up from head to toe.
Of course, this was entirely thanks to Nie Rui. Without this gifted talent from Crimson Cloud City mentioning him, no one would have paid any attention to a youth from a remote backcountry.
Many showed strange expressions, observing him with critical eyes. Could such a closed-off, small place really produce a genius youth? It seemed highly unlikely.
However, some noble young ladies were quite lively, whispering among themselves.
"His features are quite delicate. If he paid a little more attention to his appearance, his temperament would improve even more. If he tied back his loose black hair and replaced that dark armor with bright, dazzling plate armor, I bet he'd be very handsome!"
Nie Rui smiled gently and expressed his desire to spar with Qin Ming.
"Don't feel pressured. We'll just have a casual match. I trust the judgment of Master Xu's only disciple."
Qin Ming wanted to thrash Er Bingzi even more now. At the same time, he realized that Xu Kong must be someone truly extraordinary to command such deep respect from the people of Crimson Cloud City.
"I'm no match for you. Even though I live in a remote village, I've heard many people speak of a remarkable pair of young man and woman from Crimson Cloud City who have astounded the entire region."
The young nobles present all nodded, believing he was speaking the truth. In the territory ruled by Crimson Cloud City, the most outstanding youths of the city were naturally the most powerful geniuses of the region.
Nie Rui leapt down from his white rhinoceros. His silver armor gleamed brightly, and he looked heroic and high-spirited, almost as if he were glowing. With an approachable smile, he said, "You are too modest. I have met You Liangyun. It's fine, we'll just have a casual sparring session."
The others didn't know what he meant, and it wasn't appropriate for Nie Rui to say outright that You Liangyun had once been defeated by this youth.
Since things had come to this, Qin Ming could not refuse.
Nie Rui said, "I have already undergone my Second Rebirth, so I will suppress my own power. Rest assured, I certainly won't exceed your level."
Qin Ming was tempted to use this as an excuse to decline, but on second thought, repeatedly demurring wouldn't look good either, so he finally nodded.
"Nie Rui, mind your strength when you strike," Cao Long spoke up, worried he might injure Qin Ming.
"Qin Ming, do you want to change weapons?" Mu Qing asked.
Everyone present knew that when Nie Rui underwent his First Rebirth, the strength in his arms had reached a terrifying seven hundred and ninety catties. This was precisely why he had caused such a stir, hailed as the greatest talent in the last twenty years.
You Liangyun was of the same age and had originally been exceptionally outstanding, capable of tripod-lifting six hundred and fifty catties, only to end up relegated to third place.
In people's eyes, if Qin Ming used the heavy Long-handled Darkgold Hammer to face his opponent and tried to clash in terms of strength, it would be sheer folly.
Qin Ming readily accepted the advice, setting down his heavy hammer and saying, "Aside from the long-handled hammer, I am relatively skilled with a spear. Can anyone lend me one?"
Mu Qing looked back at the youths behind her and found that most of them used long sabers. The few spears available were of insufficient quality and far too light.
None of the other nobles spoke. After a brief silence, one of them smiled and said, "Use my Purplegold Spear. It's a thousand-forged weapon. Doing this can be considered fulfilling a wish of mine to indirectly trade blows with Brother Nie. It is my honor."
Qin Ming noticed that everyone held Nie Rui in extremely high regard, to the point where even lending a spear prompted such words.
"Nie Rui, perhaps you will lose," said the girl sitting astride the black tiger. Her eyes were bright, her teeth pearly white, and her dark hair fluttered back in the wind, giving her an ethereal, transcendent aura.
Her name was Shen Jiayun, and her strength was comparable to Nie Rui's. Most importantly, she had already been chosen by a Transcendentalist to walk another incredibly brilliant path.
In the eyes of many young nobles, she had already won at the starting line.
Nie Rui stepped forward, his silver armor glowing. With a brilliant smile and a long saber in hand, he said, "Please!"
Qin Ming had already caught the Purplegold Spear. He weighed it in his hand, then shook it to produce a series of spear flowers, instantly sending ripples of purple light cascading outward.
"Xiao Qin, be careful! Don't get hurt," Xu Yueping called out.
"If things look bad, just forfeit immediately," Old Man Liu was much more direct.
The group of young nobles smiled faintly. Given Nie Rui's strength, he could naturally control his power with precision. Such a spar was entirely without suspense and would not injure the youth.
Some were secretly making hand gestures, betting on whether Nie Rui would take down the youth within four moves or a single exchange.
They couldn't bet or talk loudly; openly showing contempt for this young hunter was in bad taste, and it would also seem disrespectful to Nie Rui, who had personally stepped onto the field.
"My guess is that Nie Rui will take him down after executing three saber techniques."
"I'll be more conservative—after seven saber techniques. Since Nie Rui wanted to personally test him, it means this youth must have some tricks up his sleeve."
Clang!
In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn back to the battle by the fierce sound of clashing weapons. They blinked and stared, shocked to find that the two had already exchanged over a dozen moves.
With a sharp whoosh, they parted rapidly, landing over twenty meters apart. The snow where they had been standing exploded into the air, swirling like a sudden, heavy snowfall of goose-feather flakes. Only then did the large trees in the area let out cracking sounds as large branches came crashing down.
Everyone's hearts shuddered, and they focused intensely, realizing they had misjudged him. This thunder-like exchange of attacks had almost reached the limit of what a First Reborn could achieve.
"This youth from the backcountry is truly not simple!"
"What was his name? Qin Ming, right? I'll remember it."
A crowd whispered, as if seeing the youth in the field in a whole new light.
Even Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and the others showed surprised expressions. Having traveled with him for a few days, they knew Qin Ming was unusual, but they hadn't expected him to be this powerful.
Mu Qing, who was completely covered in black robes, spoke up: "Qin Ming, fight without holding back. Nie Rui is not a petty person."
"It's only satisfying if you don't hold anything back," Nie Rui agreed, nodding.
Old Man Liu muttered to himself, "Xiao Qin is even stronger than I imagined. Before he even arrives in Crimson Cloud City, his name might already spread there first."
Qin Ming did not use his strongest area—his sheer strength. Instead, he relied entirely on pure spearmanship for the duel. He improvised on the spot with rapid adaptability, imbuing saber techniques into his spear forms without letting outsiders notice.
Nie Rui moved again. His speed was so great that he kicked up explosions of snow on the ground, whipping up a gale that swirled with countless snowflakes. The silver long saber in his hand traced a blinding arc of light. Shrouded in wind and snow, he looked as though he were riding wind and thunder.
Qin Ming did not meet this strike head-on. He shifted his body sideways, dodging the downward-slashing saber. Then, in the blink of an eye, he quickly pressed the Purplegold Spear against the back of the blade, sparking a trail of fire as it slid forward, thrusting toward Nie Rui in an instant.
This sight made many pupils contract. The youth's grasp of the battlefield was astonishing. Under such a fierce saber style, he could capture an opportunity in a hair's breadth. The spear pressed against the back of the blade, the angle between the two weapons extremely narrow; the spear tip was like a swimming dragon gliding along a mountain ridge, tearing through the night to strike directly at its target.
Nie Rui exerted force with his right hand, violently raising his long saber to deflect the spear, while his left hand glowed faintly, prepared to brush away the spear shaft.
Qin Ming gripped the spear with both hands, pressing down with his full weight on the back of the saber while shaking it violently. The spear tip in front vibrated intensely, generating a massive flurry of spear flowers.
At this moment, Nie Rui found it utterly impossible to deflect the spear with a single hand, while the spear tip before him blurred into a solid mass of afterimages, like a sky full of stars shining simultaneously, surging toward him.
He was forced to pull back his saber and rapidly dodge to the side.
In this clash, he was actually suppressed and thrown onto the defensive, retreating quite a distance before completely regaining his footing.
Silence fell over the area. Everyone found it unbelievable. The youth's performance on the spot was superb; the Purplegold Spear in his hands seemed to come alive, like a flood dragon baring its claws and hunting its prey in the night.
"I feel as though this spear has found its soul in your hands. You do not stick to convention; this is no ordinary spearmanship. You pull out brilliant moves effortlessly at will." Nie Rui's expression grew solemn. He fell silent, and after suppressing his power to a certain level, he focused his mind and charged forward.
Instantly, he and Qin Ming locked in combat. The saber light gleamed brilliantly, as if to slice through the thick night.
Wherever he and Qin Ming passed, sheets of branches fell, and the snow on the ground exploded. Several large trees toppled one after another with low rumbles the moment they rushed past, kicking up massive flurries of snow.
"Though this youth from the backcountry doesn't have as much strength as Nie Rui, he is already close to seven hundred catties. How fierce!"
"His spearmanship seems to consist of various ordinary, scattered forms; not a single thrust exceeds the scope of our understanding. Yet, it possesses a power that turns the mundane into the miraculous."
"Because he has no fixed patterns. Most of it is spontaneous improvisation, adapting on the fly and transforming ordinary forms into exquisite moves!"
In the end, even Cao Long and Feng Xing personally commented on the fight.
What spearmanship? Qin Ming thought to himself. This is a saber style. It was a disguised Spear-Saber technique. Compared to the Hammer-Saber, it offered a uniquely different experience.
He grew increasingly fluent, not restricting himself to the killing techniques in the Saber Manual at all. He combined them freely and unleashed them to his heart's content. For instance, as he swept the spear horizontally now, the tip acted like a saber's edge, slicing toward his opponent's flesh while he vibrated the shaft.
In his saber technique, this was the Line Between Sea and Sky form. As the blade vibrated, the churning saber light followed like layer upon layer of massive waves.
Now, substituting the blade edge with the spear tip, it similarly stirred up a dense cluster of afterimages. Under the vibration, the frequency of the spear tip's shaking was even higher, causing the Saber Intent of the Line Between Sea and Sky to be amplified. In this instant, it was as if thunder exploded between sea and sky, with sheets of lightning crashing into the vast ocean.
Nie Rui flew backward in disarray. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his messy black hair clung to his face. He felt a trace of panic—he was about to lose.
In the next moment, Qin Ming elevated his Spear-Saber technique to a whole new height, actually employing the Saber-Kicking Form. He thrust the Purplegold Spear forward and kicked it repeatedly in succession. The speed was as fast as lightning, forcing a startled Nie Rui to dodge repeatedly, cold sweat pouring down his brow.
Crucially, the spear was not kicked away. Instead, it behaved like a living flood dragon, coiling and leaping around his body before finally landing back in his hand.
Clang!
At the same time that Nie Rui's long saber was suppressed by the Purplegold Spear, his arm shook violently, sparks flying in all directions as several plates on his silver armor were shattered by the spear's tip.
Qin Ming stayed his hand and drove the spear into the ground. He felt a bit of regret; using the Spear-Saber technique for the first time had made him a little too absorbed. As he focused on experiencing it, he hadn't managed to hold back.
Originally, he hadn't wanted to sell himself short and had aimed for a draw. But because he wasn't paying attention, he had gone and defeated the opponent just like that.
The scene fell dead silent. Everyone found it hard to believe that Nie Rui, the most dazzling genius of Crimson Cloud City in the last twenty years, had actually lost to a young hunter in this remote backcountry.
The crowd stared slack-jawed, beginning to size up Qin Ming in earnest for the first time, their perceptions deeply shaken.
Could the forbidden zone from five hundred years ago—Black-and-White Mountain—be reviving, restoring the spirituality of this remote land? Many speculated.
The girl sitting atop the black tiger, Shen Jiayun, broke the silence, asking, "Nie Rui, are you alright?"
Nie Rui shook his head. "I am fine. I lost, and I am utterly convinced of my defeat."
"Are you really alright? Did it deal a blow to your confidence? Do you feel terrible?" Shen Jiayun asked with a grin, not caring about his feelings at all.
"What could possibly be wrong with me? Brother Qin has woken me up, making me realize that perhaps I am truly not suited to walk this path." Nie Rui sheathed his long saber, finally shook his head, and sighed, "Since that's the case, I'll choose the path of becoming a god instead."
Qin Ming was trying to think of the right words to say, only to hear such outrageous remarks.
First, You Liangyun lost and had to go back to inherit a noble title, living a life of luxury and sensual pleasures from then on. This one before him was even more excessive—he was going to become a god because he lost.
Qin Ming's breathing grew slightly heavy.
Seeing him like this, Nie Rui finally laughed. "It's not what you think."
It was clear that Nie Rui was not a petty person; he bore no grudge over his defeat. Now, he seemed to have completely let it go and decided to take another path.
"The so-called gods are only beings we temporarily cannot understand because we are still young, lacking in strength, and limited in our knowledge. But in the end, they are likely just a more powerful type of biological entity. An elder from an Esoteric Sect took a liking to me and said I possess a rare Divine Wisdom, allowing me to walk their path. Sigh, I originally wished to walk this pitch-black, boundless world in this fleshly body, pursuing my own path. But now I have no choice; I have recognized my own limits." Nie Rui sighed.
"Stop sighing. If even you are sighing, what are the rest of us supposed to do?" Qin Ming couldn't help but say.
"Qin Ming, I want to spar with you too," said Shen Jiayun, who was riding the black tiger. She leapt lightly to the ground, her dark hair fluttering. Holding a longsword, she had already arrived before him.
Instantly, the forest clearing buzzed with activity. The people from Crimson Cloud City could no longer contain themselves, whispering and discussing heatedly. The turn of events today was far too unexpected.
"Alright!" Qin Ming nodded in agreement. Since he had already defeated one, he didn't mind having a second match.
Instantly, sword light surged like a rainbow across the snowy ground, accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder, resembling a host of descending lightning dragons. Shen Jiayun was exceptionally strong; in the eyes of ordinary people, this was like a sword immortal dancing.
However, she also lost. Qin Ming used his spear tip to pluck a string of glowing blue beaded ornaments from her hair, and the heavy spear came to a rest on her right shoulder.
The area fell silent once more. Everyone watched in a daze. The two greatest geniuses of Crimson Cloud City in the last twenty years had actually both lost to the same person.
Shen Jiayun stroked her hair, smiled, and said, "Young man, it won't even take ten years. If we meet again in a year, you will be far from my match."
She showed no disappointment or dejection whatsoever. Her smile was exceptionally brilliant, carrying a charm capable of toppling cities, and her elegance was incredibly dazzling.
"I'll look forward to it," Qin Ming said. He lifted the spear from her delicate shoulder and gave it a gentle shake. The string of glowing blue beaded ornaments fell, and with a quick tap of his spear tip, they were deftly slid back into her cloud-like hair.