Golden Age

Ripples rose in Qin Ming's heart. Could the "method" he had once been told he could never master now have become complete and fully connected?

He had returned from the wilderness with what seemed like a blaze inside him. Even the bitter winter had turned warm. The growing strength throughout his body was no illusion—at a flick of his toe, he sent the stone millstone in the yard flying off the ground.

He leaped into the air, lingering there for a striking moment as he grabbed a handful of snow from the eaves.

When he exhaled, a white stream of air shot out like a long spear trailing thick mist, bursting forth with a resounding whistle through the air.

Qin Ming moved violently with abdominal breathing. As his figure drifted and flashed, he stirred the snow from the ground into the air, making goose-feather snow fall once more in the courtyard.

The moment he moved, all his limbs and bones followed. With a horizontal strike of his arm, every snowflake dancing before him shattered apart.

The vitality of his flesh and blood rose dramatically. His entire body burned hot, while silver patterns intertwined within his pores and brought forth copious sweat, as though purifying his body.

Qin Ming felt utterly at ease, his whole body enveloped in a faint layer of silver light.

Such a phenomenon was rare even during New Life.

He exercised for a long time and expended a great deal of energy. Only when he truly felt exhausted did he finally stop.

New Life was a process. Qin Ming believed he was changing, and that his wish would be fulfilled in the coming days.

He did not return indoors. Instead, he sat quietly in the courtyard and let the stirred-up snow settle over him. He feared no invasion of bitter cold; his entire body felt pleasantly warm.

This was completely different from the past. When he had first recovered from his illness, he would lie on the heated brick bed wrapped in thick quilts and still shiver from head to toe.

Qin Ming closed his eyes and reflected upon himself, repeating the difficult movements from earlier in his mind as he trained his consciousness.

The silver ripples that had just faded surfaced again. His breathing was guided by his thoughts, constantly adjusting and becoming extraordinarily complex, with no pattern to be found.

Thoughts arose from the spirit, breath moved with intent. Because of this, the flowing light over his body brightened slightly.

The courtyard fell silent, and Qin Ming became covered in snowflakes.

Only after a long time did he cease all thoughts and desires, completely emptying his mind.

When the silver light on his body had vanished completely, he slowly opened his eyes. Feeling the changes within himself, he was certain that vigorous New Life Power was being nurtured inside him.

Qin Ming calmly lifted the more than two-hundred-pound millstone in the courtyard, then gently set it back down.

"New Life will most likely be completed within two days." He had a clear estimate now.

At that moment, he felt hunger without the slightest surprise—and it was intense.

Qin Ming cooked a pot of mushroom soup. He made walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, and the like his main meal, while treating red dates and hawthorn as side dishes, eating to his heart's content.

After resting enough, he began a new round of training. He wanted to speed up the process of New Life.

Qin Ming moved like a bow snapping apart and struck like thunder exploding, stirring up all the snow in the courtyard as the vitality of his flesh and blood grew stronger and stronger.

And so, whenever he was tired, he took a short nap; whenever he was hungry, he ate a feast of dried nuts; once he had recovered his strength, he trained again. From Shallow Night to deep night, vigorous life constantly surged within him.

Before sleeping, he washed with cold water carrying bits of ice, yet felt no chill. His tall, lean body was free of any excess flesh, his muscles taut and his lines smooth. His wet black hair was beaded with water, and beneath the glow of the Sun Stone's Fire Haze, his body gleamed with a lustrous sheen and an even greater sense of power.

That night, he slept peacefully without dreams, sinking into the deepest level of slumber. Because New Life was accelerating, his body remained filled with fresh vitality.

The next day, Qin Ming's appetite greatly increased. He had already added meals until he was eating seven times a day.

The main reason was that Acquired Fetal Transformation required enormous consumption.

Even the most delicious food became tiresome after many consecutive meals, not to mention that it was all dried food. He needed to eat it with hot water.

"What a pity. There aren't many mushrooms left—I can't even make fresh soup anymore." Qin Ming sighed regretfully.

What made him frown was that there was not much stored food left. At this rate, it would only last another day.

"Am I a bottomless pit? Half a large beast-hide sack of dried food is only enough for three days." Qin Ming muttered to himself.

The "method" that aided New Life could not stop. When still, he was like a mountain range; when moving, he was like an eagle striking the vast sky. The silver light emerging from his pores grew increasingly bright.

He could truly feel his physical condition strengthening. It was not accomplished in one step, but changed gradually bit by bit.

Qin Ming walked to one side of the small courtyard and tried lifting both the upper and lower millstones together. He suddenly exerted effort and actually hauled them bodily from their original spot.

Lu Ze happened to push open the courtyard gate and was instantly dumbfounded.

"Little Qin, you..." His face was filled with shock. Just yesterday, he had still felt sorry for Qin Ming, believing Qin Ming would miss New Life during the Golden Age. Yet today, he saw this scene.

In the courtyard separated by a wall, Liang Wanqing heard the commotion and came over as well. When she learned what had happened, she stood there in a daze.

"Just like Er Bingzi from the neighboring village—he could lift more than four hundred pounds the moment New Life began." Lu Ze was sincerely happy for Qin Ming.

"New Life during the Golden Age—Little Qin really did it." Liang Wanqing said that in all these years, he was the first in Double Tree Village.

"Uncle, you're incredible!" Wen Rui ran over as well. His large eyes sparkled as he raised his head to look at Qin Ming, his little face full of admiration.

"I feel that the changes from New Life are still continuing," Qin Ming said.

He had already realized that the duration would exceed his earlier estimate. It was still far from over.

Liang Wanqing looked astonished. "In our region, even those who undergo New Life during the Golden Age can only lift a five-hundred-pound cauldron after stabilizing. That is already the limit. Could Little Qin be about to reach it?"

"I heard that in the distant Bright City, there are youths who can lift a six-hundred-pound cauldron," Lu Ze said. He dearly wanted to know what height Qin Ming would reach once the changes of New Life ended.

A burst of commotion suddenly came from the street.

Liang Wanqing went out and soon returned. "The old lady from the Zhou Family isn't doing well."

Qin Ming had seen her on the road only yesterday. Thinking back to her frail body and bloodless face, her condition had indeed been terribly wrong.

"What happened?" Lu Ze asked.

Liang Wanqing sighed. "Apparently, she has been eating too little lately. On top of that, she was already in poor health, so something went wrong."

Qin Ming and Lu Ze went out to the street and learned the details.

Grandma Zhou's son had gone out some time ago. He had not brought back any food, but had returned badly injured instead, with the bone in his right arm broken.

Every household lacked food this winter. With the pillar holding up the household injured, Grandma Zhou had been consumed with worry. Every day, she quietly set aside the food she was supposed to eat and took only a little to fill her stomach.

Quite a few people had already gathered in the Zhou Family's courtyard. After Qin Ming and Lu Ze entered the house, they saw Grandma Zhou lying motionless. Her face was waxy yellow, and she had already drawn her last breath.

Two children were crying, kneeling nearby and calling loudly for their grandmother.

Before Grandma Zhou passed, she had told them where there was food. Some Earth Sweet Potatoes and cold, hard buns had been hidden in a bamboo basket beneath the ice and snow.

As for the nuts Qin Ming had given her, she had not been willing to eat even a single one.

Only today did the family learn that she had scrimped and saved, doing everything possible to leave behind her own rations. She feared that her badly injured son, Zhou Changyu, would never again be able to bring food home. She feared her grandson and granddaughter would go hungry. She would rather eat less—or not eat at all.

When Zhou Changyu learned the truth, his heart shattered. This man, nearly thirty years old, had tears all over his face as he slapped himself hard and said that he was useless, unfilial, and had failed to discover it sooner.

His wife knelt there too, weeping without end in grief.

Many people in the courtyard sighed. In times like these, the entire region had suffered disaster. Everyone lacked clothing and food, and life was terribly difficult.

Qin Ming's chest tightened. When he had seen the pale-faced Grandma Zhou two days ago, she had tremblingly taken out several pieces of dried Earth Sweet Potato and tried to press them into his hands.

Now, there was no need to think about it. That had been the ration she secretly saved every day as a matter of routine.

What a kind old woman. And just like that, she was gone. Qin Ming stood silently for a long time.

After Shallow Night ended, the people in the courtyard gradually dispersed. Qin Ming returned again, carrying a cloth sack containing five pounds of nuts. He handed it to Zhou Changyu and told him to restrain his grief.

"Brother Qin!" Zhou Changyu's eyes reddened as he tried to refuse. He knew how difficult it was to find food in the wilderness now.

Qin Ming placed it in his hands, told him to accept it, then turned and left.

It was already very late, yet crying could still be heard from the Zhou Family.

Qin Ming sat in the pitch-black courtyard. Others still had relatives to weep for them, but what about him? Those few indistinct faces in his heart were becoming more and more blurred. He feared that one day, he would forget them completely and no longer retain even the slightest memory.

On that cold winter night, he looked up at the night sky where nothing could be seen and remained lost in thought for a long time, seized by an indescribable loneliness.

Within his heart was a hazy cluster of lamplight and dim figures. He wanted to draw close and see them clearly, but he could never touch those childhood memories that had long since faded.

Suddenly, an aura that made his heart palpitate swept toward him. It was extraordinarily oppressive, making Qin Ming's body tense in an instant. In the pitch-black sky where one could not see a hand before one's face, two golden lanterns actually appeared—mysterious and terrifying!

Then the tranquil winter night erupted with fierce winds. All the snow on the ground surged into the air, while the rooftops seemed about to be torn away, shaking violently.

Against the night sky black as the Abyss, those golden lanterns swept across the heavens, carrying Astral Wind and an incomparably terrifying pressure that nearly suffocated people!

Qin Ming's pupils contracted. He guessed that it was a Higher Lifeform, unimaginably enormous. As it flapped its wings, it was like dark clouds blotting out the sky as it passed above Double Tree Village.

The golden lanterns were its eyes. As it went away, the sudden storm rapidly weakened before dispersing.

A wave of unrest swept through the village, and many people came outside to discuss it.

Some of the older elders had experienced similar events. Though their expressions were grave, they told the younger generation not to panic. It was likely a Higher Lifeform traveling on its way, merely passing through.

After returning from the street, Qin Ming sat in the courtyard for a long time, staring at the boundless curtain of night.

Darkness shrouded heaven and earth, cutting off the roads leading into the distance and making this world ever more mysterious. Ripples rose in his heart. He dearly wanted to go out and take a look around the vast land.

At last, he rose resolutely and practiced group after group of the specific movements he remembered most clearly from childhood.

Even if there were things in his heart, he still needed strength.

Gradually, vigorous New Life Power surged from his body, and a thin mist of light spread across his skin.

After a long while, he felt hunger unlike anything before. The changes of New Life had not stopped; they even seemed to have become more intense.

Qin Ming ate a pile of dried food with hot water, yet he was still not full.

When images of the Mutant Squirrel and the Black Mountain Goat at Yang Yongqing's house by the village entrance surfaced in his mind, he could not help swallowing.

He truly wanted to eat meat. At the slightest thought of it, he seemed to smell the rich aroma of meat. He realized that his body was sending him a message—it needed nourishing food.

Only after Qin Ming ate another pile of nuts did that abnormal craving slowly fade.

"Looks like once Shallow Night arrives, I'll have to enter the mountains again." He needed to satisfy his body's call and ensure that nothing went wrong with New Life.

In fact, after giving the Zhou Family five pounds of dried food, his original stores were no longer very plentiful.

After a dreamless night, Qin Ming woke very early. Although he was extremely hungry, his spirit was vigorous. He had a feeling that, with New Life continuing to change until now, he should be able to lift a cauldron weighing more than five hundred pounds.

"Most importantly, New Life is still ongoing." Even he himself looked forward intensely to seeing what level he would ultimately reach.

He began to loosen his muscles and bones.

Then Qin Ming performed Dragon Spine Opening. He first bent forward, then violently arched backward. His entire spine formed an exaggerated crescent-shaped curve in reverse, and his joints popped explosively all the way upward as his flesh and blood trembled violently.

Beginning from his tailbone, yang energy arose and climbed along his dragon spine all the way to his head.

Qin Ming's entire body went numb, as though an electric current were passing through it. Every pore opened wide, and his whole body felt pleasantly warm, covered by yang energy.

At the same time, a layer of silver light rippled across his body, clearer than ever before.

Without question, this significantly advanced the process of New Life!

Before Shallow Night had fully arrived, Qin Ming had already appeared outside the village. All kinds of dried nuts could no longer satisfy his needs; his appetite was like a pit that could never be filled.

Whenever he thought of rock sheep, Night Deer, Black Feather Pheasants, and the like roasting over a bonfire, sizzling as grease dripped onto the charcoal, he could no longer endure it. Drooling with desire, wind sprang beneath his feet, and he wished he could immediately rush into the dense forest of the wilderness.