Chapter 20 Harmony with Light and Dust

In the twilight, Qin Ming carried a long-handled black gold hammer and a short sword, his feet generating wind as he dashed into the dense forest, as if about to take flight. He felt a sense of urgency; the nobles from Chixia City were coming, and once they set foot in the mountains, they would surely scour for various spiritual materials. He did not want the Blood Bamboo Forest to be reached first by others, as it was crucial for his second rebirth. As the night mist dispersed, the forest remained dim, but with his keen eyesight, he could clearly see the distant scenery. "The Blood Bamboo Forest isn't so easy to enter; there must be dangers," he thought. Otherwise, Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng would have already taken action, why wait until death to leave regrets? "I have been a bit impatient," he reflected as icy snowflakes fell upon him, some even entering his collar, the chill gradually calming him. Just moments ago, he had been in a hurry, much like the old man Liu from last night, wishing he could grow wings and fly into the Blood Bamboo Forest to pick up the frozen blood snakes. "Calm your mind," Qin Ming slowed his pace, adjusting his breath amidst the mountains and forests. Wasn't it just a second rebirth? Even without obtaining spiritual materials, with his own capabilities, he could still successfully break through. "A restless heart easily makes mistakes." Stepping through the thick snow, Qin Ming advanced steadily, gradually growing calm and composed. The Blood Bamboo Forest was undoubtedly very dangerous; with someone like Fu Entao, a second rebirth expert, the patrol group had yet to dare take action, which was telling enough. Qin Ming quietly moved through the dense forest, eventually unearthing a knife manual from a certain spot. The old leather pages were tattered and worn, indicating frequent reading in the past. The entire book was not thick, exuding an ancient charm, and he was unsure where Fu Entao had obtained it. "Reading the crystallization of the hard work of predecessors to calm my heart," Qin Ming sat down in the forest. Moments later, he was completely absorbed, immersing himself in the book. Unbeknownst to him, he stood up from the snow, one hand holding the leather book, the other gripping the long-handled black gold hammer, wielding it like a longsword. Although it was a heavy weapon, in his hands, it felt as light as a wooden hammer, swung effortlessly, gradually emanating a natural beauty. To achieve rebirth, one needed to practice corresponding scriptures, such as the Night Meditation Technique and Qi Training, which could enhance strength, flexibility, speed, and other physical attributes. Various combat techniques belonged to skills that utilized bodily strength and speed to achieve efficient offense. Qin Ming's physical qualities were exceptionally strong, surpassing the golden foundation, yet his combat techniques had not undergone systematic training, mostly being practical and fragmented. Some originated from the wild rebirth techniques he had practiced for years, drawn from those unique movements, while others were learned from old hunters in the village. His combat ability was formidable, honed in the mountains. The forest under the night sky was perilous; hunting in such an environment meant facing various fierce birds and beasts, where a moment's delay could be fatal. Although most of his skills were fragmented, even considered wild techniques, their lethality was indeed immense, fighting beasts without following any rules, relying on strength, speed, and adaptability in the moment. Because of this, Fu Entao found it exceptionally difficult to deal with him, unable to find any 'fixed patterns' amidst his attacks, leaving no traces to follow. Now, as Qin Ming read the knife manual, combining his experiences from battling beasts and insights gained from life-and-death situations, he became utterly captivated, unconsciously wielding the book in one hand and the hammer in the other, continuously transforming the 'knife techniques' based on his understanding. Qin Ming felt the essence of the predecessors' hard work on the knife manual; in a moment of inspiration, he increased his strength and began to move with vigor. Although there was no flash of blade light, the intent of the knife permeated the air, causing the snow on the ground to swirl into the sky, as the long-handled black gold hammer transformed into a bolt of lightning, breaking the tranquility of the forest. He 'swung the knife' towards a large tree, and in an instant, the thick trunk shattered. This kind of 'slash' was truly violent; nearby, some unusual creatures that had been eyeing him for a long time were now frightened and scurried away with their tails tucked. Among them was an anomalous black tiger, its length over four meters, but it turned and fled. "Still daring to spy here? Not leaving, are you?" Qin Ming spotted an unusually large humanoid griffin, circling close to the trees, just about twenty meters off the ground, hesitating to depart. He had just comprehended the 'Throwing Knife Technique' from the book and immediately executed it, as his heavy 'hammer-knife' vanished into the night and soared high into the air. "Puff!" Blood sprayed in mid-air, feathers flew everywhere. The mutated humanoid griffin, with wings spread out several meters, was initially quite fierce, but now it was as fragile as porcelain, shattered by Qin Ming's 'Throwing Knife Technique'! His arms held immense strength; this strike was without suspense, as the long-handled black gold hammer smashed the large ferocious bird to pieces, leaving it unrecognizable, with chunks of flesh and scattered feathers raining down to the ground. Seeing this scene from afar, some anomalous creatures immediately fled, feeling that this two-legged beast was exceptionally brutal, and they must stay away from him; they could not remain in this area. "What a great knife technique!" Qin Ming exclaimed, lifting the long-handled black gold hammer to practice once more. This knife manual was like a bright lamp in the night mist for him, illuminating the path ahead, merging his various combat experiences and the wild techniques, rapidly elevating his understanding. Qin Ming was so absorbed that by the end, he was somewhat lost in himself, trapped in the depths of the experience. He practiced every knife technique from beginning to end; while not attaining complete enlightenment, he indeed improved his combat skills significantly. This knife manual was worthy of study, providing him with profound insights and immense value! "If Fu Entao could master this knife manual thoroughly, it would indeed be troublesome," Qin Ming muttered. However, if he could fully comprehend this book, Fu Entao would not remain at the second rebirth level. This was not merely a knife manual; it also contained some studies on rebirth techniques, which were quite enlightening. For instance, the book mentioned 'Heavenly Light', which first manifested during the third rebirth but would pervade the entire realm of rebirth; even after achieving complete rebirth, one could not escape the in-depth study of Heavenly Light. In this era of the sun's disappearance, Heavenly Light embodies people's beautiful wishes and carries infinite aspirations. The Heavenly Light mentioned in the book is not the brilliance of the sky that people yearn for but rather a kind of light within the body, bestowed with a beautiful name by people. When a person undergoes their third rebirth, this 'Heavenly Light' will initially manifest, born within the body, signifying an elevation in life level. At this point, the rebirth expert's power would significantly increase, allowing them to combat various dangerous anomalies with bare hands, and all of this was granted by the 'Heavenly Light'. Because once the body gives birth to Heavenly Light, 'Heavenly Light Force' will emerge, a special force with strong penetrating and tearing abilities. Otherwise, compared to the giant beasts, a rebirth expert's physique is too delicate and small; how could they contend with such colossal beings? The appearance of Heavenly Light Force enables the rebirth expert to tear through the scales of mutated giant beasts, capable of penetrating their tough, resilient flesh. However, in the realm of rebirth, Heavenly Light Force can only be manifested on the surface of the body, spreading a little beyond the fists and feet, and cannot expand to weapons. In fact, Heavenly Light Force is just a general term; if divided further, there would be many kinds. This book must have had several owners, as the pages bore various insights, notes, and markings, all from different hands. Among them, someone greatly praised a certain type of Heavenly Light Force, leaving a sigh: wishing to cultivate the Tathagata Force! For a rebirth expert like Qin Ming, who came from a wild path, the accounts and descriptions in the book left him yearning. Unfortunately, although the knife manual mentioned some peculiar and powerful names of Heavenly Light Force, it did not record how to cultivate it. Qin Ming was somewhat dazed, pondering for a long time. Flipping further back in the knife manual, he found it was somewhat unsuitable for him to read; he had not yet reached that level. However, he discovered a very practical secret technique left by predecessors, named 'Blending Light with Dust', which could ensure one's safety. After studying it carefully, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, feeling fortunate to have discovered this record. According to the predecessors, the gaze of advanced beings is terrifying, able to see through the strength of the life force within other beings at a glance, even at night, they can 'see' those with varying strengths and weaknesses. This was frightening; lower beings had no secrets from higher beings. Especially when a rebirth expert or an anomaly gives birth to Heavenly Light, it is like a blazing fire in the night to advanced beings. "I must practice it quickly!" he wiped the cold sweat and suddenly felt the danger in the mountains. Fortunately, Blending Light with Dust was merely a practical secret technique, not some profound and difficult-to-understand tome. "Visualize tranquility, your body like a dried tree, your heart like cold ashes, concealing the life force, gradually weakening, can also dull the spirit," he slowly began to comprehend, having entered the entry-level stage. Qin Ming sat here for a long time, silently contemplating, gradually uncovering more pathways; Blending Light with Dust could conceal some life force, allowing him to blend in with ordinary people. Moreover, this 'degree' could be controlled, trained to a certain extent; even after giving birth to Heavenly Light post-third rebirth, if necessary, he could still conceal it. Thus, Qin Ming let out a breath. However, after careful consideration, he couldn't help but chuckle; perhaps his sense of crisis was too strong. Even if advanced beings passed through this place and could see through his life force's strength, they probably wouldn't care? After all, he had only undergone rebirth once, and in the eyes of those anomalies, he was still just one of the 'many beings' in the mountains. Then he thought of the higher-ups of Chixia City; since they could negotiate and confront the mysterious beings in the mountains, they should also possess equivalent abilities. "One cannot be greedy; learning so much today is enough. I need to consolidate, master thoroughly, and firmly grasp everything!" Qin Ming stood up, found a secluded spot, and buried the knife manual again. Undoubtedly, he had made significant gains today; after delving deeply into those knife techniques and integrating them with his insights, his strength had seen a remarkable improvement. Qin Ming mused, "If I were to encounter Fu Entao and Feng Yi'an again for another battle now, I believe it would be much easier." Most importantly, this book had broadened his horizons, allowing him to understand many things that he previously could not access. "Fu Entao is actually a decent person; he gifted me a good book." After leaving the dense forest, he proceeded toward the location of the Blood Bamboo Forest.