Heaven's Chosen
Red Haze City, magnificent and towering, shines as brightly as day.
Qin Ming returned safely, bathed in the warm breeze of early spring, just in time to see a group of experts leaving the city, their armor gleaming, like a steel torrent disappearing into the distance.
There was no mountain lord in this area, and the City Lord's Manor was the most powerful. The appearance of Higher Aberrant in the distance immediately alarmed the people and forces in the city.
Although the deepest part of the mountain range is home to Top-Tier Aberrant such as the Spiritually-Aware Jade Rhinoceros and the Black Flood Dragon, they never dare to challenge the status of Red Haze City. They usually live in peace with each other, and neither side easily allows its high-end combat forces to cross the line.
Soon, the small group of New Life Evolver who had been stopped by the aliens on the road all returned safely.
Wu Zheng happened to see Qin Ming returning to the inn and greeted him, "Brother Qin, you just got back from going into the mountains alone? I was just about to go out, let me bring you back some dinner."
"How did you get hurt?" Qin Ming noticed that his neck and hands were wrapped in gauze, with a little blood seeping out.
Wu Zheng sighed dejectedly, "I've been going into the mountains these past few days, and four of my companions have died. My archery and marksmanship are pretty good, so I escaped unharmed. Alas, obtaining Spiritual Matter in the mountains is just too difficult."
This is the reality: many New Life Evolver who want to improve themselves have to risk their lives.
After returning to his room, Qin Ming, out of caution, threw away the "White Jade Powder," a powder specifically for men to mask excessive body odor.
He didn't smell bad; he had simply changed his identity to enter the mountains intentionally. Afterward, he took a hot shower and changed into clean clothes.
"Brother Qin, I brought back some beef patties and a few home-style dishes. I don't know if they'll suit your taste." Wu Zheng knocked on the door and came in.
The seventeen-year-old boy, who was full of vigor and looking forward to his future when he came out of Black White Mountain, now appears dejected due to a series of setbacks and injuries.
Wu Zheng's eyes were slightly red, clearly indicating that he had been crying.
"Would you like some more?" Qin Ming asked.
"No, I've already eaten out." Wu Zheng shook his head.
"Then go to your room and take this." Qin Ming took out the jar of Spiritual Matter he had bought from Wu Yiyi of the Snake Clan at a very low cost.
Puzzled, Wu Zheng took the bottle and opened it, only to be shocked to see the liquid flowing with spiritual light, realizing what it was.
"Brother Qin, this... is too precious, I can't accept it." He quickly closed the jar, worried that the spiritual essence would be lost.
"Take it. Improve your physique first, and other problems will be easier to solve," Qin Ming said, stuffing it into his hand.
Wu Zheng was a year older than him, and always called him Brother Qin with genuine enthusiasm. Moreover, Qin Ming had mastered the Wu Family's unique skills in Spear and Arrow Dual Mastery, and could easily solve the boy's problems, so he was willing to lend a hand.
"Brother Qin!" Seventeen-year-old Wu Zheng nodded heavily with tears in his eyes and left with the Spiritual Matter in his eyes.
After dinner, Qin Ming began to take stock of his spoils. Looking at the three ancient books stained with blood, he could imagine the life-and-death scenes within them.
Once inside the mountains, each becomes both hunter and prey. Even if someone has a "story," dying in the mountains is the end of it all.
Today's experience was somewhat bizarre. He hadn't expected that the Violet Lightning Beast would be so powerful, and that the strange creatures in the mountains would offer him such a grand gift in order to curry favor with it.
Qin Ming couldn't help but laugh when he encountered it twice in a row. He guessed that the Violet Lightning Beast was so angry it was about to explode on the spot.
"You just don't want to run into me again." He definitely didn't want to encounter the Violet Lightning Beast again; if he were recognized, it would definitely be a fierce "storm."
Qin Ming felt no remorse. When he first saw the Violet Lightning Beast, it leaped into the air and stomped on his head. If it were New Life Evolver, it would most likely be dead by now.
Regardless of their noble race or their origins, they are still dangerous creatures of the mountains, mostly prey for each other, often facing life and death. Qin Ming found it difficult to empathize with the feelings of these alien beings.
"Grass Treading Flight." Qin Ming first picked up the secret manual about leg techniques, looking at the three words on the cover with great anticipation.
He studied it carefully, and after a while, he resonated with the author's lingering emotions. Combining this with his own understanding, he completely grasped the Secret Method.
The entire book focuses on escape techniques. By circulating a special "Wind Force," one can run like the wind and move with extraordinary agility. In short, this is a method for survival.
This manual on leg techniques also includes offensive techniques, but due to limited space, they are not its main focus.
Qin Ming found this book, "Grass Treading Flight," to be very interesting; he was exactly looking for a similar escape technique.
He picked up the second manual, "Body Forging," a Cultivation Method to enhance physical strength. It involved practicing a kind of "Forging Force," aiming to temper the body to the hardness of refined gold.
With his mind highly focused, Qin Ming resonated with the lingering emotions, and coupled with his extraordinary comprehension, he quickly grasped the true essence of this Cultivation Method.
The third book, bound in gold animal hide, is titled "Golden Light Shield." As the name suggests, it is a protective technique that uses the Heavenly Light to form a layer of golden light on the body's surface to protect oneself.
When one reaches a high level of mastery, golden light shines everywhere, expanding outwards far beyond simply covering the body's surface.
Qin Ming was shocked. He saw the strength of the founder. After that woman cultivated the Golden Light Shield to the highest level, the dense golden light was thicker than a city wall!
"Amazing!" he exclaimed in amazement. No wonder Bai Xi of the Spiritually-Aware Jade Rhinoceros Clan hid it at first; she must have been planning to sell it for a sky-high price later.
The Golden Light Shield not only protects the user, but also emits terrifying Heavenly Light from its dense golden glow, capable of annihilating surrounding enemies.
Qin Ming believed that this Cultivation Method was extremely valuable, and the "Golden Light Force" within it was definitely an extremely powerful composite force technique.
"I wonder if this ' Golden Light Shield ' and that ' Vajra Armor ' can be combined. If they are eventually fused into one, their power will definitely increase dramatically." He was very much looking forward to it.
Qin Ming brought back not only these three books, but also several animal skin scrolls that he could not resonate with spiritually. He was comprehension-rich enough and wanted to practice on a few more of them himself.
However, he soon frowned. He knew he couldn't just blindly practice the manuals he bought from outside. There were pitfalls. The first ten pages were fine, but practicing the later ones made his Qi and Blood and qi churn, causing him great discomfort.
He quickly used the methods described in the Silk Scripture to regulate his body, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, and then tossed the books aside.
One trip into the mountains is enough to obtain three Cultivation Method: Grass Treading Flight, Body Forging, and Golden Light Shield. In addition, there's Ge Qianxun's Vajra Armor and Ning Siqi's invaluable extraordinary Extraordinary Art, the Li Fire Scripture. He'll have enough to study and practice in the short term.
If he can digest all these secret manuals, his strength will definitely increase significantly!
Then, Qin Ming held the yellowish-brown stone in his hand and examined it carefully. It was only the size of a palm and had some mysterious patterns on it.
Upon first contact, his Heavenly Light became restless. When he unleashed the Yellow Mud Palm, the nature of the Heavenly Light changed. It was no longer Supple Force, nor a soft yet extremely strong force, but a heavy and majestic earthy yellow Heavenly Light Force.
This is the power of Silk Book Method: it can integrate various types of Heavenly Light Force, transform into a single force method, and also transform into the most suitable Heavenly Light Force by following the path of a certain Extraordinary Art.
"The Earth Vein Essence has condensed into stone!" Qin Ming knew what this was. It wasn't recorded in the secret manual about the Yellow Mud Palm, but the old man had mentioned this kind of strange stone during the emotional resonance.
He was immediately excited. It was extremely difficult to master the Yellow Mud Palm technique to a very high level. At the very least, one could only improve it when the Heavenly Light shone through, as that was when one could capture Spiritual Matter from the outside world, such as the Earth Qi.
Now that Qin Ming has obtained a rare stone formed from the Earth Vein Essence, he can accelerate this process.
He knew all too well how terrifying the Yellow Mud Palm was when it was practiced to its highest level. It could strike down a giant beast the size of a small mountain as easily as hitting a clay dog. Supple Force could be transformed into hard force, and it could even draw on the Earth Essence to destroy everything in its path.
Although this strange stone is far from enough to allow him to reach that level, it can definitely improve him significantly, giving him another palm technique with tremendous destructive power.
In the following days, Qin Ming practiced diligently. Except for the most difficult and Extraordinary Art, the "Li Fire Scripture," which he had not yet studied, he was making progress in all the others and had initially mastered the Heavenly Light Force.
Especially the Yellow Mud Palm; after fully absorbing the essence of that strange stone, when he used this palm technique, there was a faint yellow mist between his fingers.
When he went to try his hand at it, a huge, unusual rock in the courtyard instantly turned to dust, and the artificial hill also collapsed.
The innkeeper was furious and demanded compensation. Qin Ming, not wanting things to escalate, quickly paid the Day Gold and told him that it was the black-clad man from the City Lord's Manor who frequently visited who did it, and not to spread rumors.
"Then I don't want compensation."
"No, please keep it. You have to compensate me; it's the right thing to do."
Two days later, Meng Xinghai sent someone to find Qin Ming.
In the living room of the City Lord's Manor, the Mind Calming Incense rose gently from the incense burner.
Meng Xinghai handed him four pages of paper, his expression serious, and asked him to ponder them on the spot.
Qin Ming was puzzled, but he still took the paper. After a short while, he put it down and went to the courtyard to practice.
"How are you feeling?" Meng Xinghai asked after a short while.
"I think I'm almost there, having mastered the first wisp of Heavenly Light Force," Qin Ming told him.
"So fast?!" Meng Xinghai was surprised once again. This kid seemed to always surprise him. His high level of comprehension made it impossible for him to remain calm.
"I've always learned things very quickly; many people knew that when I was in the Cui Household," Qin Ming said.
Meng Xinghai composed himself, regaining the composure befitting an elder and city lord, and nodded, saying, "Yes, this is an introductory text to some kind of inherited technique that has been lost to the outside world. Only if one can quickly grasp the basics can one practice the main, rare and precious Extraordinary Art. Since you seem well-suited to its approach, I will swallow my pride and ask two friends to lend a hand to see if they can help you obtain this Cultivation Method."
Qin Ming said, "You're only in your early thirties, in the prime of your life, the Golden Age for ambition and progress. How can you say you're old? A young man like me is still too young to understand things and needs Uncle Meng's Take Care Of."
Meng Xinghai laughed, "You little rascal, you've got me all bewitched. How about... I adopt you as my godson?"
"Uncle, you're not that much older than me, are you?" Qin Ming noticed that Meng Xinghai seemed very busy; in just a short time, many people came to see him.
He quickly found out what had happened.
After careful investigation, and with the information he obtained from Ge Qianxun, Meng Xinghai discovered that the Golden Bandits actually had many secret businesses in Red Haze City.
Clearly, the Golden Bandits had anticipated this and wanted to quickly withdraw from those industries, thus absconding with all the valuables.
Meng Xinghai knew he couldn't wait any longer; he had to act and not let them run off with the money.
He understood that doing so would inevitably invite retaliation and a counterattack from the Golden Bandits. They wouldn't dare to do anything to Meng Xinghai or Red Haze City, but they might cause trouble in the surrounding area.
"Uncle Meng, I need to go back to Black White Mountain for now!" Qin Ming stood up abruptly. He knew very well that if the Golden Bandits wanted to retaliate against Meng Xinghai, they would definitely involve the Black White Mountain area.
In particular, he had personally destroyed Golden Chicken Ridge, and the hatred there might be something the Golden Bandits would remember.
Since embarking on the New Life Path, Qin Ming has made breakthroughs smoothly. He felt that it was time to test himself in a major battle and wanted to fight a bloody battle to stop the Golden Bandits from attacking the remote place where he used to live!