The Overlord's Valor

It was evening, but as dusk settled, the western part of the city was ablaze with fiery red—a sunset created using Fire Spring, like the lingering glow of a setting sun. Qin Ming looked at Cui Chongxuan; he had grown taller, almost a grown man, clad in gleaming blue armor, exuding a certain heroic air. The young Cui Chongxuan accompanied a graceful figure as they walked away, talking as they went. The woman was none other than Wang Caiwei, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

Seeing an old friend, Qin Ming naturally thought of the past.

"I feel like I'm a huge victim, blamed by some members of the Wang Family, resented by Li Qingxu, and completely ungrateful to Cui Chonghe. But Wang Caiwei and I only traveled together once and barely exchanged a few words."

If he had simply enjoyed a candlelit stroll with the eldest daughter of the Wang Family and admired each other, that would have been one thing. But his impression of the noblewoman of the Wang Family was only superficial; there was no "past affair" between them. As a result, all parties had reconciled, and even the Cui Household and Li Household had stopped fighting. Only he remained in the same precarious situation as before.

Some people didn't want him to "rise up" and return to their sight; they preferred he stay in remote places forever, not too conspicuous, not to cause any trouble. Listening to his complaints, Li Qingyue comforted him, "Come on, I'll show you around and let you try some local delicacies."

Luofu City is vast, with ancient buildings everywhere, such as towering pagodas made of bluestone and palaces cast from Black Gold Stone, which have stood for a thousand years. In the past, Luofu Mountain was renowned in the Night Mist World and was one of the most important places outside the temple. These ancient buildings are products of that era.

Near the ancient Azure Pagoda and Blackstone Palace, steeped in history, sit restaurants, inns, Spirit Medicine Hall, and Armament Pavilion, bustling with people and thriving businesses. "Many senior masters also like to come to places like this, to trace the grandeur of Luofu Mountain a thousand years ago," Li Qingyue, dressed in white, introduced the sights.

As the "sunset glow" of the western city fell, her hair, her fair profile, and her slender, willow-like figure seemed to be bathed in divine light, outlined with gold, making her appear exceptionally ethereal, fresh, and otherworldly, like a fairy descended to Mortal World.

"Try the dragon meat, a specialty of Luofu City. It's pretty good." Li Qingyue bought two skewers of grilled meat from a clean stall. Qin Ming took a bite and said, "Fish? It's very fresh and tender, with no fishy smell."

"Yes, it comes from Jade Dragon Lake over there." Li Qingyue led him along the streets of the ancient building area, nearing a clear blue lake.

Luofu City boasts Advanced Fire Spring, along with numerous second- and third-grade Fire Spring. The roadsides even feature dedicated Fire Spring channels, resembling flowing lava, creating a unique landscape. At night, the Fire Spring are artificially dimmed, and the channels are dammed, making the entire city less brightly lit and more hazy.

People were boating on Jade Dragon Lake, and from many larger boats came the sounds of zithers, pipa, and melodious singing. Qin Ming was slightly lost in thought; he had been away from this kind of life for more than two years and felt somewhat unfamiliar with it.

"Want to go boating?" Li Qingyue asked him with a smile.

"No, I'm afraid of being stared at if I go boating on the lake with Beyond-Mundane Core Disciples like you." Qin Ming shook his head with a smile. He wasn't nostalgic for the past, just feeling a bit sentimental.

"Shall we go get something to eat first, or continue enjoying the night view?" Li Qingyue asked.

"I'm not hungry yet, let's just take a walk." Qin Ming looked at the Spirit Medicine Hall, the Study, and the Armament Pavilion not far away, and became somewhat interested.

Li Qingyue nodded, noticing his gaze, and said, "There are many cultivators in Luofu City, and the items sold in these pavilions are quite good."

She led Qin Ming into a long-established weapon shop. Although she appeared refined and aloof, she wasn't cold or unapproachable. With a smile, she skillfully bargained with the owner. "I sincerely want to buy this Jiao Armor, but your price is too high!"

The portly boss was also very eloquent. "Young lady, I've lived my whole life and only met someone as ethereal as you today. You are exceptionally beautiful and otherworldly, but if you're going to talk about Day Gold, you'll be tainted by worldly concerns."

Li Qingyue remained unmoved and smiled, "I am a person of the mortal world. If I were to transcend worldly affairs, I would lose my true self. Let's halve the price of this Jiao Armor, and then halve it again, and that should be about right."

"Hiss!" The chubby shopkeeper gasped, "The fairy wields her wisdom sword; her price-cutting is truly ruthless!"

He turned to Qin Ming and said, "Young man, if I were you, I wouldn't even blink an eye. I would pay the Day Gold for the fairy and buy this Jiao Armor without hesitation. How could I let my fairy-like friend haggle with someone like this?"

Qin Ming didn't take it to heart and said, "I think she's pretty good at bargaining. How about this, I'll add one Day Gold to the price she negotiated."

The shopkeeper wanted to glare at him. This Jiao Armor was priced at a hundred Day Gold. He thought to himself: How can you be so shameless? Only adding one gold coin? You're so handsome, yet so stingy. You might as well not say anything!

Li Qingyue said, "It's not a real dragon skin; it probably only has a small amount of dragon's true blood." "Senior Brother, look at everyone else; they're all buying Jiao Armor," a girl next to the young man said.

"Hmm, feel free to pick whatever catches your eye, I'll buy it for you." The young man smiled, and when he looked at Li Qingyue, he was slightly stunned—she truly was a fairy! Soon, Li Qingyue negotiated the price, placed the Jiao Armor in Qin Ming's hand, and said, "The leather is exceptional, its defensive capabilities are very strong, you should wear it when you get back."

The portly boss looked at Qin Ming with a strange expression, genuinely admiring him.

Beside him, the young man froze, completely dumbfounded. Looking at his junior sister choosing a precious armor not far away, he felt she didn't look so pretty anymore. Qin Ming laughed, "This is so embarrassing. You took me shopping, treated me to dinner, and now you're giving me such an expensive Jiao Armor..."

The chubby boss really wanted to stop him and have a long chat.

Upon hearing this, the young man felt a mix of emotions and suddenly decided he didn't want to pay for his junior sister's bill.

"Don't be so polite with me. Back then, I wanted to try what wine tasted like, and you treated me to some incredibly expensive wine." Li Qingyue and Qin Ming left, chatting as they walked, laughing as they reminisced about the past.

"Who would have thought that the Fairy Li of today almost became a little drunkard back then, haha..." Qin Ming laughed. Among his closest friends in the past were Li Qingyue and Ning Siqi.

"What's most outrageous is that you didn't touch a drop of alcohol yourself." Li Qingyue recalled how she had been a little rebellious back then, insisting on drinking, which was indeed quite amusing.

"I don't like drinking. Actually, I wanted to see the Imperial Concubine drunk, or a young girl doing drunken boxing, but you just didn't blush or skip a beat, and nothing happened to you." Qin Ming looked regretful. "Why do I feel like punching you?" Li Qingyue smoothed her hair. This guy actually wanted to see her drunk back then!

"Isn't that Li Qingyue?" someone exclaimed in surprise, knowing that she was one of the top contenders for the Near-Immortal artifact.

Several Beyond-Mundane Disciples followed Li Qingyue and Qin Ming into a famous bookstore, which sold books related to cultivation. Qin Ming wanted to see if there were any secret manuals that contained the crystallization of the wisdom of predecessors.

The two walked up the stairs, floor by floor. Although there were various extraordinary secret manuals on the first few floors, they could not resonate with them spiritually and could only turn one or two pages.

When they reached the highest sixth floor, Qin Ming discovered a blood-stained black animal hide book, which immediately piqued his interest. He sensed that it might be extremely valuable.

"Young man, you can only look at this book through the crystal panel. It's extraordinary. If you want to buy it, your elders will probably have to negotiate. Hmm, most small sects can't afford its price," said an old man sitting on the sixth floor.

Qin Ming realized that this book might be frighteningly powerful.

"Junior Sister Li, you're here too! What books would you like to buy?" Several Beyond-Mundane Disciples followed him upstairs, and one of them pretended to bump into him by chance, greeting him with a smile. Qin Ming realized that he didn't recognize a single one of them.

There were many Beyond-Mundane Disciples, but only a small portion were from the Aristocratic Clan. These individuals were all extraordinary, and it was vaguely apparent that the young man who spoke first was the leader.

His name is Tang Xumi. He is not from the Aristocratic Clan, but he is exceptionally talented and very famous in the Beyond the Mundane. He has risen to prominence very quickly and is one of the most popular candidates to win the legendary item. Qin Ming felt that trouble might be coming his way. Li Qingyue is so outstanding, some very powerful Beyond-Mundane Disciples are naturally willing to approach her.

"And this is..." Sure enough, Tang Xumi looked over. "He's my cousin," Li Qingyue introduced with a smile.

Qin Ming originally thought something unexpected was going to happen, but the situation was completely different from what he had imagined.

"Brother Li, hello! I feel an instant connection with you." Tang Xumi was very enthusiastic, asking him what he wanted to buy and offering to help him make a decision. "I'd like to see this ancient book," Qin Ming, pointing to the black book in the crystal cabinet.

Tang Xumi was surprised to learn that the book was known. His expression turned serious as he said, "This is extraordinary. It's the original, extremely famous, and not only is it ridiculously expensive, but most people are also intimidated by its background and dare not buy it."

"Does it have a significant history?" Qin Ming asked.

Tang Xumi sighed, "Of course, this is the Overlord's Testament. More than a hundred years ago, the Overlord rose to power through physical mutation, dominating the Black Mist World. He was a renowned powerhouse, wielding the Overlord Spear, and many Beyond the Mundane People could not withstand a single blow from him."

"So it was him." Li Qingyue also realized what had happened.

Tang Xumi nodded and said, "That Overlord's Heavenly Light Force wasn't particularly extraordinary, but after he broke through from the External Manifestation Realm to the Spirit Field Realm, he became incredibly powerful. As his realm continued to improve, he became unstoppable, practically shaking the heavens and the earth."

The term "Outer Saint" has been abandoned by many because it is insufficient to "manifest sainthood" and is ridiculed for no reason. A more common term is "External Manifestation." Beyond this realm lies the "Spiritual Field" realm of the New Life Path.

"If the first two Major Realm aren't outstanding, how can someone rise all the way up to the third Major Realm?" Qin Ming was surprised.

Tang Xumi said, "Do you know how he died? More than a hundred years ago, he roamed the world, living up to his reputation as Overlord. He killed a hermit master with Great Spear, which eventually led to his master personally leaving the mountain and killing the Overlord."

He added in a low voice, "The Old Senior who made the move is none other than Li Qingxu's master, one of the most renowned figures in the Night Mist World!"

Qin Ming realized why so many people were initially hesitant to buy this secret manual, written by the hand of someone killed by such a Old Senior. But he guessed that handwritten copies should exist.

Li Qingyue said, "This is the Overlord's Testament, hastily written down when he was being chased by the Old Senior. It is incomplete, and its earth-shattering techniques are destined to be lost." Qin Ming's heart was filled with unease. He looked at the old man guarding the sixth floor and said, "Senior, may I have a look at this ancient book?"

"If you're not the buyer, don't touch it," the old man refused.

"Senior, according to the rules of the study, you can try reading a page or two of any book," Li Qingyue said.

Tang Xumi chimed in, "That's right, senior. My senior Senior Brother bought a book from you yesterday for a hefty sum. We're practically repeat customers, so you should take good care of us."

Seeing this, the other Beyond-Mundane Disciples also spoke up.

The old man had no choice but to speak up for him, as several Elite Disciple from outside the secular world spoke on his behalf, making it difficult for him to refuse.

Qin Ming touched the animal hide book and found that he could only turn one page. It was sealed with fine gold thread and contained some kind of special Restrictions, emitting a strange fluctuation. However, this was enough for him; even just the animal hide cover would suffice.

He kept himself calm and undisturbed, while concentrating intently and resonating emotionally with the ancient book on animal hide.

Clearly, it embodies the culmination of the Overlord's hard work. As you can see, there are traces of black blood on both the cover and the first page, which is likely a work created with the Overlord's blood and tears.

A surge of astonishing emotion instantly flooded Qin Ming's heart, making him see the former Overlord, who truly could shake the heavens and the earth. With a single swing of his spear, that towering figure stirred up the dark clouds in the sky, followed by a torrential downpour.

Furthermore, Qin Ming noticed that the Old Senior hadn't killed the Overlord so easily; his pale hand had been pierced by the Great Spear, and glowing blood was flowing from it. The Overlord's bravery was indeed astonishing; even the Old Senior, renowned throughout the Night Mist World, had been shaken by him.

That Old Senior was indeed incredibly terrifying. Standing in the distance, his body trembled as golden runes began to expand. Then, he flipped his hand down, causing one of the Overlord's arms to explode.

Qin Ming tried his best to remain calm, but in the end his body still swayed slightly. "Brother Li, are you alright?" Tang Xumi asked in surprise.

"My cousin was injured a couple of days ago, but it's not a big problem." Li Qingyue helped Qin Ming up.

"I'm fine!" Qin Ming recovered. This time he had gained a great deal, obtaining the complete Overlord's inheritance and mastering it all. "Are you injured? I have some spiritual medicine here." Tang Xumi was very concerned.

"It's alright. As I touch this ancient book, I feel a surge of emotion. It's as if I've traversed a century, and I can almost picture the unparalleled charisma of that Overlord. It stirs my blood, as if I'm seeing a Grandmaster from ancient times walking towards me..." Qin Ming exclaimed.