Outer Saint

You two are both so pathetic!

Soaked to the bone, Zhou Lin transformed back into Sister Fenfang, vowing never to go into the mountains with Qin Ming and Xu Sheng again for some time.

After Qin Ming returned to the city, he calmed himself down and did not find anyone suspicious. However, his instincts gradually kicked in and he sensed something was amiss.

There was indeed no one watching him near the inn, but the Four-Colored Sparrow on the eaves was abnormal, and the Little Black Bird on the roof ridge was also suspicious.

Qin Ming was alarmed; if even these birds were infected, his place would soon be riddled with holes.

In fact, he had always been wary of special species like Talking Finch and crows, because he had seen them before, and each one was more thieving than the last.

He hadn't realized that some of the birds he'd overlooked also had a "thieving glint" in their eyes, which was quite abnormal.

Qin Ming secretly observed that, compared to ordinary birds, six of them were indeed quite unusual.

After his Fourth New Life, his instincts were heightened, and he chose to believe his feelings. It turned out that he was being watched by a group of unruly birds.

"It's not that Xu Sheng picked up anything from walking at night all the time, but rather that there's a problem on my end." Qin Ming closed the window, pondering who was targeting him.

He felt that this method was too "soft." If someone were truly ruthless, they wouldn't have any scruples and would definitely use overwhelming force to kill him directly.

At this stage, the Cui Household certainly doesn't want him to die suddenly, because if something really happens to him, everyone will think they are too ruthless, heartless, and cruel.

Moreover, the Cui Household absolutely does not want other families to make a move against them at this time.

From this perspective, now is a relatively safe period for Qin Ming.

"If you have power, you should use it." He now possesses a high-ranking token, and he plans to leverage the power of Red Haze City to conduct his investigation.

"Young Master Qin, the city lord requests your presence." A man in black came to the inn to see Qin Ming, and was very polite.

Qin Ming got up and went directly to the City Lord's Manor with him.

It was still that same old-fashioned living room, furnished with some ancient bronze artifacts such as Chime Bells bells and tripods. Mind Calming Incense was burning slowly in the incense burner, with wisps of smoke rising gently.

Meng Xinghai greeted him with a smile, saying, "Come, try the first tea of the year from that old tea tree Thunderfire Alchemy Hall, which has been chopped many times but still survives. It was just picked and roasted today."

Qin Ming greeted him and sat down. While drinking tea, he chatted with him and felt that Old Meng was even more enthusiastic than last time.

Meng Xinghai wanted to speak several times, but he swallowed his words back. After all, what he wanted to do with Qin Ming was not simple, and he was destined to encounter a group of acquaintances from the Aristocratic Clan.

Although he had the means to conceal the true appearance of the young man before him for several days, Qin Ming's cultivation level was somewhat low. He would take up one of Li Qingyue's Golden Armor Guard positions, and it would be extremely dangerous for him to participate in the battle in that Spirit Cave.

Meng Xinghai thought for a moment. There was still time, so he didn't mention for the time being that a group of the most outstanding Beyond-Mundane Disciples of the secular world would be competing for a legendary item.

"Are you settling in well in Red Haze City? Have you encountered any problems?" he asked casually.

"Uncle Meng, I'm not being polite with you, there really is something I need to tell you. I've been being monitored, and I almost had an accident in the mountains."

Meng Xinghai thought to himself, "This kid is too informal. Every time I ask him a question casually, he can naturally come up with something."

However, Meng Xinghai was not bothered by the trouble at all; on the contrary, he was very happy. Otherwise, if he brought up the matter of the Beyond-Mundane Disciples right away, it would seem that he was taking advantage of their kindness.

"Such a thing happens? How dare they do this in Red Haze City? Investigate thoroughly!" Meng Xinghai ordered his trusted aides to find out the truth.

"Thank you, Uncle Meng." Qin Ming stood up, poured him tea, and expressed his sincere gratitude.

"Why are you being so polite with me?" Meng Xinghai sipped his tea, then casually asked, "You took six or seven waves of Heavenly Light last time, and you weren't hurt at all?"

"I was injured and it took me two days to recover." Qin Ming wanted to Say More a few more days, but then he suddenly remembered that he had met Meng Xinghai two days later.

"You're still holding back, kid? You must have been New Life those two days. That's really impressive, being able to withstand the erosion of the Heavenly Light. You might actually need my help in the future."

"Uncle Meng, please give your instructions."

Meng Xinghai waved his hand and said, "There's no rush. Let's see how things go. We'll talk about it later."

He looked at Qin Ming and sighed, "With your extraordinary talent, if you had the support of a powerful Aristocratic Clan and weren't limited to your Golden Age, allowing you to embark on the New Life Path earlier, you should already be Heavenly Light Release."

"Outer Saint?" Qin Ming asked.

"That terminology is no longer used. Whether it's those Esoteric Sect or those Beyond the Mundane People, they all mock our field as 'nephews' (a derogatory term for outsiders)." Meng Xinghai said with some emotion, "Thinking back to the pioneering days, when we were paving the way with the New Life Method, how glorious and incredibly powerful the Outer Saint stage was! But who knew that our path would become more and more difficult, and narrower and narrower!"

Qin Ming nodded and said, "This is the path for ordinary people. What else can they do if they want to improve? They can only rely on physical mutation. Fortunately, thanks to the research of our predecessors, it is still controllable at the New Life level."

Meng Xinghai said, "This path is difficult. After the New Life stage, we can only move forward step by step; the body can no longer mutate."

He looked at Qin Ming and said, "Try to be Ninth New Life!"

After Qin Ming regained his memories, he naturally understood these things.

Even in the Millennium Aristocratic Family, it's rare to find someone who Ninth New Life; eight is the maximum.

From a simple perspective, it means that it is already extremely difficult for a person to undergo eight transformations, so they can only find other ways to advance. At that time, by using some medicine to break through, one can External Manifestation Heavenly Light and enter the realm of Outer Saint. After that, one can capture Spiritual Matter in the void and use it to embark on the journey.

In fact, Seventh New Life is the ultimate dream for many people, who want to External Manifestation their Heavenly Light and enter that realm by consuming Great Medicine.

Qin Ming said, "Uncle Meng, you flatter me too much. Ninth New Life ago, that's been many years, hasn't it?"

Meng Xinghai's eyes shone brightly as he said, "Right now, it's just the two of us talking, so you don't need to be modest. Just based on the fact that you can withstand six or seven waves of Heavenly Light at this stage, I believe you have extraordinary talent and can Ninth New Life."

After his old head injury was cured, Qin Ming naturally understood these things. For an ordinary person, achieving Ninth New Life was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Because, at the time of their First New Life, their arms must have a strength of nearly a thousand pounds; otherwise, they can already be called Teenage Aberrant.

The book Xu Sheng had read mentioned that reaching this level and being revered as Teenage Aberrant was already legendary!

Meng Xinghai's eyes were deep as he said, "How do you know that there aren't any hidden dragons Ninth New Life in the Millennium Aristocratic Family?"

Then he sighed, "It's only because those beings who are close to the gods are so terrifying, and those who Near-Immortal to immortals are so powerful that it makes those of us who walk this path seem increasingly dim."

"Are there any people who New Life ten times?" Qin Ming asked.

Meng Xinghai chuckled, "The number nine is already the final change."

He then added, "Of course, there are differences among those who Ninth New Life. There are unclear records, but some people have possessed the strength of a thousand jin during their First New Life. Such people are even more powerful after their Ninth New Life."

Qin Ming actually knew all this. Whether he was Teenage Aberrant with nearly a thousand jin of strength during his First New Life or surpassed that legend, he would ultimately undergo Ninth New Life. However, the benefits gained from the final New Life were different; the more he surpassed the legend, the greater the rewards he would receive during his Ninth New Life.

The two got along very well, Qin Ming was invited to stay for dinner. However, just as he finished eating and put down his chopsticks, Meng Xinghai's confidant returned, saying that the results of his investigation had been confirmed.

Qin Ming was surprised; the efficiency was truly remarkable.

"We used exotic birds to catch the problematic birds outside the inn, followed the clues to find the Xin Yi Hall, then exposed the mastermind behind it, and arrested two of the Xin Yi Hall's deputy leaders involved in the incident."

"Where is the person behind it all?" Meng Xinghai asked.

"It brought..."

Soon after, a pale-faced boy appeared, accompanied by an old man and a young man.

"Brother Cui, no, Brother Qin, I'm so sorry, I... I didn't mean for this to happen." The young man apologized as soon as he came in, bowing and scraping.

Just as Qin Ming had predicted, it wasn't some old guy or ruthless person.

He remembered this sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, whose name should be Zhao Jingshuo. He used to be at the very back of the group when they went on trips, and sometimes there wasn't even a seat at the very back.

Qin Ming looked at him without saying a word.

When Zhao Jingshuo saw the face before him, even though he knew that the man no longer held his former noble status and was now just an ordinary person, he still felt a little intimidated as he got closer.

"Brother Qin, you should understand, how could I dare to get involved in such a mess? Among all my old acquaintances, I can only stand at the very back. I had no choice; with just a glance or a hint, I dared not disobey!"

It's unclear whether Zhao Jingshuo was genuinely scared or just acting, but his voice cracked with emotion.

"Who told you to do this?" Meng Xinghai asked.

"City Lord Meng, I..." Zhao Jingshuo was truly trembling this time, because he knew that the other party was one of the young men released by the Millennium Aristocratic Family. Frequent changes of location were a kind of tempering.

"Speak!" Meng Xinghai glared at him.

"They're all people Brother Qin knows. One's an old acquaintance from the Zheng Family, and the other's Li Qingxu's cousin," Zhao Jingshuo told him with a mournful face.

"They're all so young, yet so restless, rotten to the core," Meng Xinghai said, staring at Zhao Jingshuo, "Go back and tell the Cui Household directly."

"I..." Zhao Jingshuo was almost in tears. It was so difficult for him, but in the end, he had no choice but to nod.

"Brother Qin, I only have two hundred Day Gold left, and I've already spent them all. I'll make it up to you next time." Zhao Jingshuo took out a money pouch and handed it over with both hands.

Qin Ming accepted it without hesitation.

Two hundred Day Gold, if spent sparingly, would be enough for a family of three to live on in Black White Mountain for two hundred years. In Red Haze City, where prices are higher, the amount would likely need to be divided by three.

Zhao Jingshuo secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him take it. Even though more than two years had passed, he still felt a sense of awe upon seeing that face again.

"Leave that bow behind too." Qin Ming pointed to the large bow on the young man's back.

Clearly, this was a good bow, but the young man resisted it and was unwilling to accept it.

Zhao Jingshuo said anxiously, "Give it to Brother Qin quickly, I'll make it up to you later."

"You can leave now." Qin Ming waved his hand. If he were to kill these three people violently, it would probably cause some problems. It would be more appropriate for them to go back and tell the Cui Household about this.

The next day, someone secretly came to the inn to visit Qin Ming.

"Brother Qin, I am Dai Shifeng, the deputy leader of the Xin Yi Hall." The old man introduced himself. After two deputy leaders were arrested, he was now considered the second most important person in the hall.

He quickly said, "Our leader Ge Qianxun, wants to deal with you. He told us to find an opportunity to kill you in the mountains."

Qin Ming looked at him and said, "None of you follow the usual path. Why did you come here to betray me?"

"Because I discovered that the head of the guild Ge Qianxun, has been quietly selling off real estate and secretly embezzling the Xin Yi Hall's private assets. He's most likely going to flee."

Dai Shifeng was a steady person and had always been against taking on such a hot potato, but he found that Ge Qianxun was determined to go his own way. After investigating, he discovered that his boss was planning to run away.

"He must have been forced into it, so with no other choice, he readily took a large Day Gold from the other party, intending to disappear after completing the deal and leave us with a mess."

"He's a sect leader, the head of a sect, and he's just abandoning his legacy like this?" Qin Ming asked.

Dai Shifeng explained, "What major sects could there be in Red Haze City? We're just a small branch; he wouldn't care at all. Besides, I suspect he's one of the Golden Bandits and already sensed the shift in the wind, wanting to avoid the new city lord."

"Hmm, how strong is he?" Qin Ming asked.

Dai Shifeng said, "He consumed Spiritual Matter more than twenty times, pushing himself to the Sixth New Life. However, he failed after consuming Great Medicine in the final stage and was unable to advance to the Outer Saint Domain of Heavenly Light Release. In the end, he did not hesitate to deplete his potential and took forbidden drugs to push himself to the Seventh New Life, where he remained forever."

"Where is Ge Qianxun now?" Qin Ming asked.

Dai Shifeng explained, "He's very cautious. He's currently outside the city, keeping a bird of prey. He'll flee if things go wrong. I suspect that after he and we take care of you, he'll immediately ride that bird of prey away."

Qin Ming nodded and said, "Then let's discuss it..."

Two days later, after Qin Ming had spoken with the relevant people, he left the city alone and entered the mountains. Soon after, Dai Shifeng appeared with his men and surrounded him.

At the same time, two raptors appeared in the sky. One of them, a black giant bird, had an old man standing on it, who should be Ge Qianxun, the leader of the Xin Yi Hall. The other, a Silver Strange Bird, had a young man on it, who was looking down indifferently.

"The employer himself has shown up. It's another acquaintance. He must be someone important!" Qin Ming stared at the sky.

He sighed. As an ordinary person, all he wanted was to follow his grandfather's wishes, grow up safely, and live a good life, but some people just wouldn't give him a way out.

Qin Ming's expression gradually turned cold as he said, "Since you've forced me to this point, I have no choice but to show you my true strength and make City Lord Meng support me with unwavering resolve!"