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Novel: [Night Without Borders]
Chapter 87: [Heavenly Prodigy]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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Chi Xia City stood majestic and tall, its brilliance rivaling daylight.
Qin Ming returned safely, bathed in the warm breeze of early spring, just in time to see a team of elite warriors riding out of the city.
Their armor gleamed like a river of steel flowing into the distance.
This region had no Mountain Lord, making the City Lord's Manor the dominant power.
The sudden appearance of High-Level Mutant Creature in the distance immediately alerted the city's forces.
Although the deepest parts of the mountains harbored formidable creatures like the Spirit-Communicating Jade Rhinoceros and the Black Flood Dragon, even these top predators dared not challenge Chi Xia City's authority.
A fragile peace usually prevailed, with neither side allowing their high-level combatants to cross the established boundaries.
Soon, the small group of Awakeners who had been waylaid by mutant creatures on the road returned safely.
Wu Zheng happened to see Qin Ming returning to the inn and called out, "Brother Qin, you just got back from the mountains? I was about to head out. I'll bring back dinner for you."
"What happened to you?" Qin Ming noticed bandages wrapped around Wu Zheng's neck and hands, with faint bloodstains seeping through.
Wu Zheng lowered his head and sighed dejectedly. "I've been venturing into the mountains these past few days. Four of my companions died. My archery and marksmanship skills helped me survive. Ah, obtaining spiritual substance in the Great Mountain is just too difficult."
This was reality: many Awakeners had to risk their lives to improve themselves.
After returning to his room, Qin Ming cautiously discarded the White Jade Powder, a men's cosmetic used to mask strong body odors.
He didn't have any unusual smells, but he had deliberately used it to disguise himself during his recent mountain expedition.
He then took a hot bath and changed into clean clothes.
"Brother Qin, I brought back some meat patties and a few home-style dishes. I hope they suit your taste," Wu Zheng said as he knocked and entered.
The seventeen-year-old boy, who had once been full of youthful vigor and dreams for the future when he emerged from Black White Mountain, now appeared dejected and worn down by repeated setbacks and injuries. His eyes were slightly red, as if he had been crying.
"Want to eat more?" Qin Ming asked.
"No, I'm already full from eating outside," Wu Zheng replied, shaking his head.
"Then go to your room and take this," Qin Ming said, retrieving the jar of spiritual substance he had purchased from Wu Yiyi of the Serpent Clan at a very low price.
Wu Zheng looked puzzled as he took the jar and opened it. When he saw the liquid shimmering with spiritual light, he gasped in astonishment, immediately recognizing what it was.
"Brother Qin, this... it's too precious. I can't accept it," Wu Zheng said hurriedly, closing the jar to prevent any of the spiritual substance from leaking out.
"Just take it," Qin Ming said, pressing the jar into his hand. "Focus on improving your physique first. The other problems will be easier to solve once you're stronger."
Wu Zheng, a year older than Qin Ming, always called him "Brother Qin" with genuine warmth.
Moreover, Qin Ming had learned the Wu Clan's dual mastery of spear and arrow techniques, allowing him to easily resolve the young man's predicament.
He was happy to lend a hand.
"Brother Qin!" Seventeen-year-old Wu Zheng's eyes welled with tears as he nodded solemnly and departed with the spiritual substance.
After dinner, Qin Ming began cataloging his gains. As he examined the three bloodstained ancient books, he could almost visualize the life-and-death struggles they contained.
In the Great Mountain, everyone was both hunter and prey.
Even those with "stories" met their end in the wilderness, their tales vanishing without a trace.
Today's events had been bizarre.
Qin Ming hadn't anticipated the Purple Lightning Beast's immense status. To curry favor with it, the mountain's mutant creatures had offered him such extravagant gifts.
Encountering the creature twice in row left Qin Ming chuckling.
He imagined the Purple Lightning Beast was so enraged it was about to explode on the spot.
"Next time, you'd better not run into me again." Qin Ming had no desire to cross paths with the Purple Lightning Beast again.
If it recognized him, it would undoubtedly unleash a violent "storm."
Qin Ming felt no remorse.
When they first met, the beast had leaped from the air, aiming its claws at his head.
Any other awakener would have been killed instantly.
Regardless of its noble lineage or ancient origins, the Purple Lightning Beast was ultimately a dangerous creature of the mountains.
In this wilderness, survival meant being either predator or prey, where life and death hung in the balance.
Qin Ming found it difficult to empathize with such mutant beings.
"Grass-Treading Technique," Qin Ming murmured, picking up the Secret Manual on leg techniques.
The three characters on the cover filled him with anticipation.
He studied it intently for hours, resonating with the author's lingering emotions and combining them with his own insights until he had fully mastered the secret technique.
The manual focused primarily on evasion.
By channeling a special "Wind Force," one could move with the speed of the wind, the body becoming exceptionally agile.
In essence, it was a life-saving technique.
While the leg techniques also included offensive maneuvers, these were limited in scope and not the manual's primary focus.
Qin Ming found "Grass-Treading Technique" particularly intriguing. He had been lacking precisely such a method of escape.
He picked up the second Secret Manual, Body Forging, a technique for enhancing physical strength.
It cultivated a "Forging Force" to temper the body until it was as hard as refined metal.
Qin Ming focused his mind completely, resonating with the residual emotions within the manual.
Combined with his extraordinary comprehension, he grasped the true essence of the technique.
The third book, bound in golden beast hide, was titled Golden Light Shield.
As the name suggested, it was a defensive technique that channeled Heavenly Light to form a golden aura around the body, protecting the user.
At advanced stages, the golden light would radiate outward, extending far beyond the body's surface.
Qin Ming's heart jolted as he witnessed the founder's power.
After mastering the Golden Light Shield, the woman's golden aura had become thicker than city walls!
"Incredible!" he exclaimed.
No wonder Bai Xi of the Spirit Jade Rhinoceros Clan had initially hidden the manual—she must have planned to sell it for a fortune later.
The Golden Light Shield not only protected the user but also allowed them to unleash terrifying Heavenly Light from the dense golden aura, annihilating surrounding enemies.
Qin Ming recognized the immense value of this technique.
The "Golden Light Force" within it was undoubtedly an extremely potent composite force.
"I wonder if this Golden Light Shield can be fused with the Vajra (Diamond) Armor," he mused. "If they combine into a single technique, its power would surely skyrocket."
He felt a surge of anticipation.
Qin Ming had brought back more than just these three manuals.
He also had several animal hide scrolls that wouldn't resonate with his spirit.
Confident in his comprehension, he planned to practice them on his own.
However, his brow soon furrowed.
Secret manuals bought from outside couldn't be practiced haphazardly—they were riddled with pitfalls.
The first ten pages were fine, but as he progressed, his qi and blood churned violently, causing him immense discomfort.
He quickly adjusted his cultivation using the technique from the Silk Book, slowly exhaling a mouthful of turbid air before tossing the scrolls aside.
One trip into the mountains had yielded three valuable techniques: Grass-Treading Technique, Body Forging Technique, and Golden Light Shield.
Combined with Ge Qianxun's Vajra (Diamond) Armor and Ning Siqi's priceless gift, the Lihuo Scripture, he had more than enough to study and practice for the foreseeable future.
If he could fully master these secret manuals, his strength would undoubtedly surge dramatically!
Next, Qin Ming held the earth-yellow stone in his palm, examining it closely.
No larger than his hand, its surface was etched with mysterious patterns.
The moment Qin Ming touched the stone, his Heavenly Light grew restless.
When he unleashed the Yellow Mud Palm, the nature of his Heavenly Light shifted.
It was no longer purely Soft Force, nor was it the extreme of Soft Force that bordered on hardness.
Instead, it transformed into a heavy, earth-yellow Heavenly Light Force, imbued with immense weight and power.
This was the true brilliance of the Silk Book's cultivation techniques: its ability to fuse various Heavenly Light Forces, transform them into a single, specialized force, or even adapt them to perfectly complement a specific formidable technique.
"The essence of the earth's veins condensed into stone!" Qin Ming recognized it instantly.
Though the Secret Manual for the Yellow Mud Palm made no mention of such an Earth Stone, the old master had muttered about it during moments of emotional resonance.
His excitement surged.
Reaching the deepest levels of the Yellow Mud Palm was notoriously difficult, requiring at least Heavenly Light Emission to progress.
At that stage, one could capture spiritual substances from the environment, such as the earth's vital energy.
Now, with this Earth Stone formed from the condensed essence of the earth's veins, Qin Ming could accelerate his progress significantly.
Qin Ming knew how terrifying the Yellow Mud Palm could become when cultivated to its highest level.
It could crush Giant Beasts the size of small mountains as easily as shattering clay dolls, transforming soft force into unyielding power and drawing upon the earth's vital essence to unleash devastating strikes.
While this Earth Stone couldn't elevate him to that pinnacle, it would undoubtedly propel him significantly closer, granting him an additional palm technique of immense destructive power.
Over the following days, Qin Ming devoted himself to diligent practice.
Apart from the most challenging technique, the Lihuo Scripture, which he hadn't yet begun to study, he made steady progress in all other areas, achieving a rudimentary grasp of the Heavenly Light Force.
The Yellow Mud Palm, in particular, underwent a remarkable transformation.
After fully absorbing the Earth Stone's essence, a faint yellow mist now emanated from his fingertips when he executed the technique.
When he tested its power, a massive Stone in the courtyard instantly crumbled into dust, and even the artificial mountain collapsed.
The innkeeper, furious, demanded compensation.
Eager to avoid a scene, Qin Ming quickly paid him in Day Gold, claiming the damage had been caused by the black-clad man from the City Lord's Manor who often visited, and warned him to keep quiet about it.
"Then I won't ask for compensation," the innkeeper said.
"No, keep this. You deserve compensation. It's only right."
...
Two days later, Meng Xinghai sent someone to summon Qin Ming.
In the City Lord's Manor's reception hall, Mind-Calming Incense curled upward from a censer.
Meng Xinghai handed Qin Ming four pages of paper, his expression grave, and instructed him to study them on the spot.
Puzzled, Qin Ming accepted the pages.
After a brief examination, he set them down and went to the courtyard to practice.
"How does it feel?" Meng Xinghai asked shortly after emerging from the hall.
"I think I'm close to cultivating my first strand of Heavenly Light," Qin Ming replied.
"Already?!" Meng Xinghai was astonished once again.
This young man seemed to constantly surprise him; his exceptional comprehension left Meng Xinghai struggling to maintain his composure.
"I've always learned things quickly," Qin Ming said. "Many people in the Cui Family knew that."
Meng Xinghai forced himself to remain calm, regaining the dignified demeanor befitting his status as an elder and the City Lord.
He nodded. "This is an introductory text from a lost lineage. If you can master it quickly, you'll be able to cultivate the main body of this rare and extraordinary technique. Since you're so well-suited to its path, I'll swallow my pride and ask two old friends to help me secure the full technique for you."
Qin Ming replied, "Uncle Meng, You're barely in your early thirties—in the prime of your life, your Golden Age of ambition and vigor. How can you call yourself old? A young man like me is still immature and needs your guidance."
Meng Xinghai chuckled, "You little rascal, you're trying to flatter me, aren't you? Maybe I should just adopt you as my godson."
"Meng Shu (Uncle Meng), you're not that much older than me, are you?" Qin Ming noticed Meng Xinghai seemed incredibly busy; people kept coming to see him even during this brief moment.
He soon learned what was happening.
After careful investigation and intelligence gathered from Ge Qianxun, Meng Xinghai discovered that the Golden Bandit had numerous secret operations within Chi Xia City.
Clearly, the Golden Bandit had sensed danger and was attempting to quickly liquidate these assets, intending to abscond with all the wealth.
Meng Xinghai knew he couldn't wait any longer; he had to act before they could escape with the funds.
He understood that such action would inevitably provoke retaliation from the Golden Bandit.
While they wouldn't dare attack Meng Xinghai or Chi Xia City directly, they might resort to causing chaos in the surrounding areas.
"Meng Shu, I need to return to Black White Mountain immediately!" Qin Ming stood up abruptly.
He knew that if the Golden Bandit sought revenge for Meng Xinghai's actions, they would likely target the Black White Mountain region.
Especially since he had personally annihilated Golden Rooster Ridge, the Golden Bandit might hold a particular grudge against him for that.
Since embarking on the Path of Awakening, Qin Ming had progressed smoothly, breaking through realm after realm.
He felt this was the perfect opportunity to test his strength in a major battle, to fight fiercely and protect the remote lands where he had once lived from the Golden Bandit's onslaught!
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END OF CHAPTER
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