Chapter 50 Three Rebirths

Although it was early night and the sky was dark, the scenery was still visible.

In the room, Qin Ming took a deep breath, exhaled the stale air, cleared his mind of distractions, and brushed away the restless dust in his heart.

The sunstone in the copper basin had just been retrieved and was at its brightest, casting a brilliant light on Qin Ming’s hair and facial contours.

Bathed in the glow of the sunset, even the windows and walls seemed to be gilded. Qin Ming sat motionless, and the scene before him resembled a scene from an old world described in a book: in the afterglow of the setting sun, the temple tiles were tinged with a pale gold light, and the statues of gods were bathed in the evening glow, peaceful and serene.

Soon after, he poured the pale golden liquid from the porcelain jar into a white bowl. It was fragrant and rich, and it was the essence extracted from mead. Even before drinking it, it made people feel slightly tipsy.

A traveling merchant once said that not even a single coin of gold could buy a single drop of essence from an anthill.

In the white bowl, the pale golden spiritual substance seemed to condense the sunlight of the old world, shimmering and sparkling, with wisps of mist rising and entwining the gold.

Qin Ming covered the porcelain jar and drank the half-bowl of spiritual substance in one gulp.

His mouth was filled with a sweet fragrance, and also a faint aroma of wine, leaving a lingering aftertaste. This was a thousand times better than the bitter gall of the blood snake, making one want to drink another bowl.

In an instant, Qin Ming experienced its wonders. His body quickly became hot, and the effect was immediate. He felt as if he had turned into a furnace.

He came into the courtyard, and the cold wind blew, but it was actually warm. The snowflakes fell like a spring rain, making him feel as if he had arrived in early spring.

Qin Ming was glowing, his flesh and blood were becoming increasingly active, driving away the harsh winter cold and causing large amounts of white mist to rise.

He was drenched in sweat, his whole body was soaked, and a layer of silver light appeared on his body, which then seemed to turn into silver mud. Then, “golden needles” rushed out of his body.

Then, the golden needle threaded through the silver mud and began to form a “golden jade burial suit” before he was even asleep, which appeared even under normal conditions.

“It’s different from before.” Qin Ming carefully sensed that the strange signs he had brought with him when he was first reborn were now beginning to undergo a qualitative change.

Qin Ming was certain that this was a transformation towards the dawn.

He moved in the courtyard and began to demonstrate the rebirth method recorded in the silk scroll, including physical movements, breathing coordination, and mental training.

Qin Ming continued to perform the magic tirelessly, as he felt no fatigue. A refreshing aura surged within him, and a rich vitality spread and expanded through his flesh and blood, even making his eyes and brows glow.

He knew that the third rebirth had officially begun, and that divine light was being born within him, causing wondrous changes.

“Our predecessors called this state of being a new life, and they were right. Every significant improvement in physical fitness is like undergoing a postnatal transformation.”

The birth of the human body’s aura is not caused by any unusual signs such as the broken gold ripples on the body surface. Its root lies in the deepest part of the body, and the external appearance is merely a manifestation.

At that moment, it was as if a thunderbolt struck Qin Ming’s heart. With a loud boom, a blinding beam of light shone from his mind and struck his flesh and blood.

Then, his internal organs all began to revive, some parts shining like the morning glow, golden and full of vibrant energy, while others seemed like a galaxy entering a dream, breaking through the mist and revealing a dazzling array of stars…

Qin Ming’s entire body was glowing, even his jet-black hair seemed to be burning, with flames raging, and an extremely rich power of new life covered his entire body.

At this moment, even his eyes emitted mysterious heavenly light. This was the third rebirth. If it were sufficient, it would be the same from head to toe. Heavenly light would be everywhere and omnipresent.

As the sunlight gradually dimmed, Qin Ming became increasingly peaceful, blending seamlessly with his surroundings. His every move was natural and unpretentious, devoid of any artifice.

The silk manuscript does not contain many specific descriptions of the light of heaven, but strives to convey the elevation of the level of life with concise language.

“I guessed right. As long as you persist in practicing what is recorded in the silk book, you will naturally be able to generate heavenly light and strengthen your essence, energy and spirit.”

Qin Ming gained a new understanding: although the silk scroll did not mention the light of day much, it was destined to appear and be cultivated.

But what about the Heavenly Light Force? He frowned. This kind of force needs to be practiced, and it requires specific methods.

He could only hope that after falling asleep tonight, his childhood memories would resurface, allowing him to turn to the third page of the silk scroll and find the answers to his questions.

Afterwards, Qin Ming began practicing combat techniques. He thought for a moment, then discarded the long-handled purple-gold hammer and picked up the wood-chopping knife.

For a moment, a cold light flashed, and Qin Ming felt as if light was about to burst forth from between his flesh and blood.

“Hmm, could it be that the Heavenly Light Force is about to be born?”

He practiced diligently, not only with his sword but also with his fists and feet, all of which were various efficient techniques for killing enemies. Some of these techniques were directly derived from swordsmanship, creating a sound like wind and thunder in the courtyard.

After an unknown amount of time, as the night was about to end, Qin Ming finally felt a little tired and stopped.

After dinner, Old Liu came and knocked on the courtyard gate.

Although Qin Ming’s body no longer glowed like a furnace, it still exuded a vibrant life force, and its fresh aura was like that of all things at their nascent stage.

Old Liu was in a daze. Just looking at him gave me the illusion that I was watching the ice and snow melt, the grass and trees sprout new buds, and everything was thriving.

“You didn’t make any preparations and just went straight to being a freshman for the third time?” he asked in a low voice.

Qin Ming nodded. After their trip to the mountains, he and Old Man Liu knew each other well and there was no need to hide anything from each other.

Old Liu was filled with envy.

“You have spiritual matter at your disposal, why don’t you calm your mind and adjust your state of mind? When are you going to do it?” Qin Ming asked.

“Do you think everyone can be reborn like you, just blindly forging ahead?” Old Liu said.

He was indeed uncertain. Even with the essence of the ant nest in hand, he couldn’t guarantee that he could be reborn three times.

Because it’s really hard to say how far each person can go.

At the very least, the hurdle of being a first-time freshman shuts out 90% of people.

Some predecessors estimated that even if spiritual materials were given, 60-70% of people would still be turned away and unable to even have a chance at rebirth.

Undoubtedly, being reborn for the first time does not mean embarking on a great path. Even with spiritual resources at hand, six or seven out of ten people will still be blocked.

The same thing happened during the three freshmen sessions. Old Liu was already so old, how could he have any confidence?

Qin Ming comforted him and boosted his confidence, saying, “You need to have a belief that you can definitely succeed in the entire field of new students.”

Old Liu sighed, saying that he always messes up at crucial moments in his life. He could have been reborn in his prime, but he got injured in the mountains and fell seriously ill, which delayed his recovery for half a year.

When he was young, he went to Crimson Cloud City and was about to become a disciple of a famous master, but the elder had to go out on business and died tragically on the edge of the absolute darkness of the desert.

After returning, Old Liu became close to a group of elderly men in the mountain patrol team. Once, they planned to work together to obtain a mysterious substance, but as soon as they entered the mountains, they encountered a frenzied beast. The strange creature was merely passing by and had not targeted them intentionally, yet it nearly wiped them all out. Old Liu was severely injured, and it was a miracle that he survived.

As Qin Ming listened to Old Liu’s rambling, he couldn’t help but feel that Old Liu was actually a bit unlucky.

“This trip into the mountains with you went relatively smoothly, but everything else was a long story, full of twists and turns,” Old Liu sighed.

“You call this smooth sailing? It took us four days to destroy an ant nest, and flying ants we’d never seen before have even evolved.” Qin Ming looked at him with a strange expression.

“How are the people around you? Have they been affected?” Qin Ming was naturally not superstitious and didn’t believe in that kind of thing at all; he was just asking casually.

“It’s alright,” Old Liu said hesitantly.

“What do you mean by ‘it’s alright’?” Qin Ming asked suspiciously.

“Like you, I didn’t originally belong to this village. I was taken in by my grandfather when I was six years old. I was probably too young, so I have no memory of my birth parents. I guess they must have had a hard time back then, or maybe they’re long gone, otherwise I wouldn’t have ended up in the freezing cold. Strangely enough, my frostbite was very severe, but it eventually healed and I survived.”

Qin Ming didn’t know how to comfort him, so he said, “Don’t think so much. I think you should go back and calm down, drink the spiritual substance immediately, don’t hesitate, go all out and achieve three rebirths in one go!”

“That’s what I think too, we should be more decisive!” After saying that, Old Liu took out a porcelain jar from his pocket, unscrewed it, and gulped it down.

Qin Ming was stunned, and said, “You came all the way here to get a drink, why didn’t you go home and calm down first?”

Old Liu said, “I feel like things have been going very smoothly with you lately, so I’m coming over to bask in your good fortune.”

He then became excited and could feel it; his body was burning hot, as if he were on fire, and a light mist gradually began to rise from within him.

“This is… old man, I really succeeded!” He wanted to laugh out loud, but he had to lower his voice.

Qin Ming said, “Don’t be so superstitious. You have the potential, but you’ve created obstacles in your mind, so sometimes you’re not decisive enough and don’t dare to take that step forward.”

“You can’t say that. There are some things you can’t deny. I think all the misfortunes are related to the blood-stained kite I saw when I was young and ignorant.” Old Liu pointed to the night sky.

Qin Ming immediately became serious and asked, “Where exactly is it located?”

“Back then, I stood at the fire spring at the village entrance, and the kite must have floated to the very top of the center of Shuangshu Village…”

Before dawn, Old Liu wrapped his animal skin coat tightly around himself and ran all the way home.

In the dead of night, it seemed as if a “jade burial suit” truly appeared on Qin Ming’s body.

He had some doubts. Ancient emperors were buried in jade caskets adorned with pearls and gold threads, in a desire for immortality. Had he heard something about this?

Qin Ming fell into a deep sleep, and in the latter half of the night, he experienced the same state as before. In a half-dream, half-awake state, he saw his childhood self.

He was still wearing tattered little clothes, and when he looked down, two toes were already sticking out from the broken parts of his little shoes.

This time, he finally saw the man who was speaking clearly, though it was only a fleeting glimpse when he leaned close to him while flipping through the silk scroll.

Qin Ming realized that this must be his relative, and that he looked somewhat like him.

He was in his early fifties, with graying temples, calloused hands, and old, patched clothes.

“Is it my grandfather?” Qin Ming guessed.

As he eagerly awaited, the silk scroll turned to its third page, revealing densely packed small characters and human figures.

There was absolutely no mention of Tian Guang Jin!

Because, continuing from the method of rebirth on the second page, the five senses, instincts, and intuition are mentioned soon afterward, he guessed that the fourth rebirth should be related to perception.

“But what about the Heavenly Light Force?!” Qin Ming was so anxious that he almost broke out of this state and nearly woke up from his dream.

Fortunately, he regained his composure and continued reading, memorizing the third page of the silk scroll. Perhaps it wasn’t so much memorizing as it was a replay of his childhood experiences, which were recalled with his third rebirth.

Then he made a new discovery: there was a note at the very bottom of the page that mentioned Tian Guangjin!

Qin Ming read it with a blank expression. Why did it feel like he was being scolded?

The first half of the annotation means that even though the light of heaven has been born, one still cannot cultivate one’s own light of heaven energy.

Then, when asked what to do next, the answer was simple: integration!

The second half of the annotation is sarcastic, saying that practicing the methods in the silk book requires a master to guide you in. If you are still so dull after being taught step by step, you might as well give up on the silk book.

“Call me whatever you want. I trained myself; no one taught me.” Qin Ming woke up.

The heavy darkness of night had receded, and a new day had arrived. After breakfast, he immediately went to the courtyard to practice the new life techniques written on the silk scroll.

“Look within yourself!” This was a key phrase he saw on the third page of the silk manuscript.

As he revealed the rebirth method on the silk scroll, the celestial light within his body stirred again, just like yesterday. Finally, as if it couldn’t be smooth without an explosion, a mysterious ripple appeared on his fingertips and skin, and then emanated the power of celestial light!

With a whoosh, his fingertips barely touched the handle before the wood-chopping knife stuck to his hand.

Then, he tried it out slightly, applying a little force with his fingers, and the Heavenly Light Force appeared, leaving a large nick in the wood-chopping knife.

“Not simple, I have finally mastered my own Heavenly Light Force.” He tried to understand it and tested it constantly. Then he naturally thought of the sword manual, which also recorded the Heavenly Light Force.

During the three freshmen years, many people struggled to master even one type of Heavenly Light Force. Qin Ming felt that his potential shouldn’t be limited to just one type, especially with the Three-Colored Flower in hand.

Moreover, the annotations on the silk manuscript mention the character “融” (rong), which clearly reminds later generations to practice the “天光劲” (tian guang jin) technique.

Qin Ming heard the commotion at the village entrance. Sure enough, the people from Jinji Ridge had arrived, wanting to recruit new students to join them.

“Everything is ready, except for a good knife!” Qin Ming took out the piece of mutton fat jade iron. This mysterious material does not need to be forged through countless hammerings; it can be melted into a weapon, which is much simpler and can be completed quickly.