Where the lantern lights grew dim

There were many people visiting the Luofu Mountain Ruins.

Recently, the competition among Beyond-Mundane Disciples for Near Immortal Object has become one of the hottest topics.

The important figure from the Beyond the Mundane Pure Land spoke up, "I've seen many familiar faces today, and even an old friend I haven't seen for 120 years is here. What a rare guest! Let's go to Luofu Immortal Town to catch up." Many people were shocked. 120 years had passed, and he really was an "old friend." They guessed that he must also be of very high status.

The atmosphere here quickly became even more lively.

People from Blessed Land, Millennium Aristocratic Family, Imperial Dynasty, Esoteric Sect, and Higher Aberrant all arrived, and their statuses were all quite high, making for a very grand occasion.

In Luofu Immortal Town, a real Four-Tusked White Elephant appeared. It was a very important person and had already transformed into human form, a young boy, accompanied by Old Elephant with all its teeth gone. A prince from the Great Yu Dynasty arrived and chatted amiably with Cui Chonghe. They got along very well, and he was about to become a disciple of the Beyond the Mundane.

Qin Ming discovered that a competition among the Beyond-Mundane Disciples had attracted many people of extraordinary status, turning into a gathering where many were expanding their networks. Soon, he saw the Fifth Master of the Cui Household and wanted to go over and ask if his grandfather had really gone to the Great Yu Capital.

Qin Ming knew those were lies. Back in the Cui Household, Cui Household Second Master and Fifth Master masters had only fabricated those stories to lure him into practicing the Silk Scripture. He restrained himself and didn't look in that direction again. Given his current status, he had no right to approach the higher-ups of the Millennium Aristocratic Family.

Luofu Immortal Town, a relatively quiet ancient town, is bustling with Blessed Land today. It's a blessed place, and the Millennium Aristocratic Family has made arrangements in advance, even having a banquet prepared.

Without a doubt, the most dazzling person right now is Li Qingyue. Although many distinguished guests have come, including Old Senior and exceptionally talented geniuses, many eyes are focused on her. Li Qingyue is surrounded by people in the center, where it can be described as a constellation of stars. Many of the young people are direct descendants of the Blessed Land, the Imperial Dynasty, and the Esoteric Sect, and are also future high-ranking members.

Senior Brother Pei was handsome and refined, and quite mature and steady. As a leading young man in his twenties in this Blessed Land, he knew many people and introduced them to Li Qingyue one by one.

These people have been raised with great care by their Lineage since childhood. Even teenagers are quite mature and have a precocious mindset. There are no ups and downs or accidents. They are all getting to know each other and exchanging ideas in a warm and friendly manner.

After removing his armor and donning his Black and White, Lu Zhen, a young man from the Yin Yang Temple, was invited by some people to join them. This was because his Yin Yang Black White Force was renowned throughout the land, making him a figure of great fear among his peers from the Beyond the Mundane Pure Land and the Esoteric Sect at this stage.

Most importantly, Yin Yang Temple is a very powerful Daoist tradition, and Lu Zhen one of its Core Disciple.

Qin Ming glanced at Li Qingyue amidst the dazzling lights, knowing her rise was unstoppable, evident from everyone's attitude towards her. With Near Immortal Object in hand, coupled with her stunning performance this time, the Beyond the Mundane Pure Land would likely consider her one of its most important seeds. "May your journey be smooth and all your wishes fulfilled," Qin Ming whispered.

Then, he turned to look at Meng Xinghai and said, "Uncle, we should go." "Aren't you going to say goodbye before you leave?"

"No, the occasion isn't appropriate." Qin Ming shook his head.

There he was now surrounded by a crowd of young men and women, all of whom seemed to be quite influential. It would be inappropriate for him, as Golden Armor Guard, to go there. If he were to walk over, it would inevitably attract a lot of attention and could be risky. He needed to leave discreetly.

Meng Xinghai was pleased, smiled and nodded, saying, "Not arrogant, very good!"

Qin Ming immediately realized that the few words Old Meng had said to him tonight were all tests, a way of worrying that he might feel a sense of disappointment and be immature. "Uncle, you really are..." Qin Ming hesitated to call Old Uncle Meng" here, afraid of revealing his identity.

Meng Xinghai said, "The road ahead is long. What are these fleeting moments of glory? So what if you choose the path of physical mutation? Who says your future is limited to being a bodyguard for Beyond the Mundane People or a follower of the Esoteric Sect? The true path lies beneath your own feet. If you can continue to progress rapidly, advance to become a Young Grandmaster, and become a young Path-Opening Ancestor, won't you be far more dazzling than those so-called prodigies, leaving them breathless?"

Of course, he only transmitted these words secretly; otherwise, even someone as powerful as him might have "run into trouble" on the spot.

Qin Ming said, "Uncle, you're really pushing me all the time. Since you like the path of mutation so much, why don't you give up on becoming a god, turn around, and come with me?"

Meng Xinghai immediately waved his hand and said, "Stop, I can't go on anymore. I've been battered and bruised on this path, and I really can't walk any further. Look at my contemporaries, those once-prodigious talents, they're all gone. They've either changed their paths, fallen into Beyond the Mundane, or become protectors of the Esoteric Sect. It chills my heart to see them like this."

Qin Ming continued to urge, saying, "How wonderful it would be if we, uncle and nephew, could travel together, one becoming Young Grandmaster and the other a middle-aged Master!"

Meng Xinghai didn't laugh, but said very seriously, "For the past five years, I haven't made any progress on this path. I'm disheartened. Even someone as talented as me can't do it, so you can imagine how others of my generation are. Fortunately, I'm doing quite well in the Esoteric Sect. I hope that in the future I'll have a chance to climb to the top and get close to those unknown, terrifying beings."

Qin Ming knew that the path of the Esoteric Sect was far more insane than that of the Beyond the Mundane. First, one would approach a "Godlike" state, and then embark on Journey of Blasphemy!

"Uncle, let's go!" Qin Ming left first. He wanted to return to Red Haze City and work hard to rise up in that remote place. Although the lights were bright in front of him, they were actually quite far away. Blessed Land, Millennium Aristocratic Family, Imperial Dynasty, Esoteric Sect, and Beyond the Mundane Pure Land were all behemoths that he could not approach, and were too dangerous for him at the moment.

Meng Xinghai nodded and said, "Well, it's time to go back. The major examinations in various places are entering a crucial stage. Would you like to go and spar with the top scorers from other cities? There should be a generous reward."

The two walked away without stopping.

Sensing something, Li Qingyue suddenly turned around and found a familiar figure in the dim light, before quickly disappearing into the night.

Luofu City was magnificent, and the night fog could not obscure its splendor. At this moment, the entire Giant City was already beneath Qin Ming and Meng Xinghai's feet. They stood on the backs of their high-level Flying Mount, facing the night wind, and quickly disappeared into the distance.

The golden, Higher Aberrant Bird, wearing a helmet made of Secret Metal on its head and armor made of rare metals on its body, was completely covered up, resembling a large winged tortoise. Soon, the Luofu City behind it completely disappeared.

The road ahead was pitch black, the night fog was thick, and the whole world looked as if it had been soaked in ink.

Having spent several days in the blazing Fire Spring, Qin Ming was oblivious to the darkness. Now, returning to this familiar yet real world, he felt somewhat dazed. Fortunately, he quickly adapted.

"Don't go back the way we came..." Meng Xinghai transmitted his voice to the Higher Aberrant, guiding it towards an unknown land. "Uncle Meng, aren't we going straight back? Aren't you worried someone might be following us?" Qin Ming asked.

"In my perception, there shouldn't be any problem, but just to be on the safe side, let's take a slight detour to visit my Martial Granduncle and ask him to help us purify it," Meng Xinghai secretly transmitted.

He was very cautious; if something was unusual and he hadn't noticed it, then the problem was very serious.

This Higher Aberrant possessed formidable strength and flew extremely fast, traversing the night fog like a streak of light. In a short time, it had flown eight hundred miles, approaching its destination. Along the way, Meng Xinghai gave directions and informed it of the specific location.

After flying for several dozen miles, it began to slow down, passing a dimly lit town. It gradually descended and finally landed ten miles outside the town. "Martial Granduncle, I've come especially to visit you!" Meng Xinghai shouted.

This is a towering cliff, enormous, like a once towering mountain that has been cut in half, leaving only a vast platform.

Even late at night, an old man sat fishing on the edge of a cliff. Without turning his head, he said, "Alright, when have you ever come specifically to see me? You must have something to do again." Meng Xinghai laughed, "I was just afraid of disturbing your ascension to godhood. I usually don't dare to come, but I was passing by today and bought you two jars of good wine."

Qin Ming's eyes were strange. This was the fine wine from the banquet in Luofu Immortal Town. He hadn't seen him steal it when he came out.

"Don't mention becoming a god to me, it makes me want to vomit! I haven't even had a chance to become a mountain Mountain God. I've been fishing for a hundred years, and it still won't bite!" The old man seemed a bit angry. Then he put away his fishing rod, got up, and walked over. The old man was tall, easily two meters tall, full of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, with a ruddy complexion, though he didn't have much hair left. "Greetings, senior." Qin Ming greeted him, while also being quite curious. What did becoming a god have to do with fishing here? He looked down at the Severed Mountain.

"Don't look down, it's dangerous. What's down there is terrifying; this is a special place," the old man warned. He was very easygoing and didn't act like an elder. Meng Xinghai told Qin Ming that below was Endless Abyss, shrouded in thick fog, mysterious and unpredictable, and it was best not to peek.

"Hmm, you've really stirred up trouble for me again. Interesting, some old guy has put a simple mark on this young man." The old man pointed at Qin Ming.

He then asked, "Is this child special?"

"This..." Meng Xinghai was taken aback and quickly recounted Qin Ming's experiences on this trip. Qin Ming himself added that he had actually fallen into the sights of some important figure?

"I understand. You impersonated Six Sovereigns' Disciple. That old guy was slapped by one of the Six Sovereigns when he was young, and now he's probably heard that the Six Sovereigns are dying. He doesn't know if the news is true or not, so he wants to use you to find out. It's nothing serious."

After the old man finished speaking, his eyes lit up, causing a faint light to rise from Qin Ming's body, which then burst into flames and disappeared without a trace. "Martial Granduncle, what do you think of this child's path in the Esoteric Sect?" Meng Xinghai asked.

"You think just anyone can possess ' Divine Wisdom ' and be suited for this path? Hmm, wait a minute!" Suddenly, the old man's expression changed slightly, and Divine Radiance flashed in his eyes, transforming into symbols as he stared at Qin Ming. "Hiss, what a promising talent! Not bad, his Divine Wisdom is abundant!" he exclaimed in admiration.

"I know he has it, but is his Divine Wisdom really that great?" Meng Xinghai had mixed feelings. He was relieved that Qin Ming had found a new path, but also somewhat disappointed. Was there really no one who could stay strong and persevere to the very end on the New Life Path?

"Take this scripture with you and let him try practicing it. Come back in six months. I'm currently battling this Abyss and don't have the energy to be distracted." The old man readily handed Meng Xinghai a very thin booklet and then began to shoo him away.

In fact, Qin Ming had memorized the opening Mnemonic on Severed Mountain, and then began to try to practice it after setting off.

When the Higher Aberrant Bird descended upon Red Haze City, it told Meng Xinghai, "Uncle Meng, I have cultivated a Sacred Light, but..." "What happened?" Meng Xinghai quickly asked. To cultivate it so quickly, its aptitude was simply too good.

At the same time, he realized something seemed to have gone wrong, so he became somewhat nervous. The Path to Godhood couldn't be taken lightly; it needed to be treated seriously. "The Sacred Light... has been melted away," Qin Ming informed him. He had encountered this situation again!

Meng Xinghai immediately examined him, but found nothing wrong. "We'll talk about it when we get back."

For the next two days, Qin Ming practiced the techniques in that book.

As a result, whenever Sacred Light appears, it is melted away, nourishing the physical body and slowly improving its constitution, leaving only a small amount of Sacred Light to maintain a certain balance.

On the third day, Meng Xinghai came to call Qin Ming and said, "Well, don't practice this one yet. Someone has sent you a priceless secret manual. They brought the first three pages. Go over there quickly and see if you can practice it. If not, we'll need to get you a normal Extraordinary Art instead."

"What secret manual? Who sent it?" Qin Ming asked.

"Who said they would give you Cultivation Method?" Meng Xinghai asked with a smile.