Chapter 100 The Hegemon’s Courage 【Thank you for subscribing and supporting】

It was evening, but dusk was just falling. The western side of the city was ablaze with red, a sunset created by fire springs, like the lingering glow of a setting sun. Qin Ming looked at Cui Chongxuan; he had grown taller, almost a grown man, clad in gleaming blue armor, exuding a certain heroic air. The young Cui Chongxuan accompanied a graceful figure as they walked away, talking as they went. The woman was none other than Wang Caiwei, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Seeing an old friend, Qin Ming naturally thought of the past.

“I feel like I’m a huge victim, blamed by some members of the Wang family, resented by Li Qingxu, and even more ungrateful by Cui Chonghe. But Wang Caiwei and I only traveled together once and didn’t even exchange a few words.”

If he were to have a candlelit stroll with the eldest daughter of the Wang family, admiring each other, that would be one thing. But by now, his impression of the noblewoman of the Wang family is only superficial; there’s no “past history” involved. As a result, all parties have reconciled, even the Cui and Li families have stopped fighting, but he remains in the same precarious situation as before.

Some people didn’t want him to “rise up” and return to their sight; they preferred him to stay in remote places forever, not to be too conspicuous or cause any controversy. Listening to his complaints, Li Qingyue comforted him, “Come on, I’ll show you around and let you try some local delicacies.”

Luofu City is vast, with ancient buildings everywhere, such as towering pagodas made of bluestone and palaces cast from black gold stone, which have stood for over a thousand years. In the past, Mount Luofu was renowned in the world of night mist and was considered one of the most important secluded places. These ancient buildings are products of that era.

Near the ancient Green Pagoda and Black Stone Palace, steeped in history, stand restaurants, inns, elixir halls, and weapon pavilions, bustling with people and thriving businesses. “Many senior masters also like to come to places like this, to trace the grandeur of Luofu a thousand years ago,” Li Qingyue, dressed in white, introduced the sights.

As the “sunset glow” of the western city fell, her hair, her fair profile, and her slender, willow-like figure seemed to be bathed in divine light, outlined with gold, making her appear exceptionally ethereal, fresh, and otherworldly, like a fairy descended to earth.

“Try the dragon meat, a specialty of Luofu City. It tastes pretty good.” Li Qingyue bought two skewers of grilled meat while queuing at a clean stall. Qin Ming took a bite and said, “Fish? It’s very fresh and tender, with no fishy smell.”

“Yes, it comes from Yulong Lake over there.” Li Qingyue led him along the streets of the ancient building area, nearing a clear blue lake.

Luofu City boasts high-grade fire springs, along with numerous second- and third-grade ones. The roadsides even feature dedicated fire spring channels, resembling flowing lava, creating a unique landscape. At night, the fire springs are artificially dimmed, and the channels are dammed, causing the entire city to become less brightly lit and more shrouded in a hazy glow.

On Jade Dragon Lake, people were boating, and from many larger boats came the sounds of zithers, pipa, and melodious singing. Qin Ming was slightly lost in thought; he had been away from this kind of life for more than two years, and it felt somewhat unfamiliar.

“Want to go boating?” Li Qingyue asked him with a smile.

“No, I’m afraid of being stared at if I go boating on the lake with a distinguished core disciple like you.” Qin Ming shook his head with a smile. He wasn’t nostalgic for the past, but rather feeling a bit sentimental.

“Shall we go get something to eat first, or continue enjoying the night view?” Li Qingyue asked.

“I’m not hungry yet, let’s just take a walk.” Qin Ming looked at the Spirit Medicine Hall, Study, and Weapon Pavilion not far away and became somewhat interested.

Li Qingyue nodded, noticing his gaze, and said, “There are many cultivators in Luofu City, and the items sold in these pavilions are quite good.”

She led Qin Ming into a long-established weapon shop. Although she appeared refined and aloof, she wasn’t cold or unapproachable. With a smile, she skillfully bargained with the owner. “I sincerely want to buy this dragon armor, but your price is too exorbitant, isn’t it?”

The fat boss was also very talkative: “Young lady, I have lived my whole life and only met someone as beautiful as you today. You are exceptionally beautiful and extraordinary. But if you talk about money, you will be tainted by worldly affairs.”

Li Qingyue remained unmoved and smiled, “I am a person of the mortal world. If I were to transcend the mundane, I would lose my true self. The price of this dragon armor can be halved, and then halved again, and that will be about right.”

“Hiss!” The chubby shopkeeper gasped, “The fairy wields her wisdom sword; her price-cutting is truly ruthless!”

He turned to Qin Ming and said, “Young man, if I were you, I wouldn’t even blink an eye. I would pay the day’s worth of gold for the fairy and buy this dragon armor without hesitation. How could I let my fairy-like friend bargain with someone like this?”

Qin Ming didn’t take it to heart and said, “I think she’s good at bargaining. How about this, I’ll add one gold coin to the price she negotiated.”

The boss wanted to glare. This dragon armor was priced at a hundred gold coins. He thought to himself: How can you be so shameless? Only adding one gold coin? You’re so handsome, yet so stingy. You might as well not say anything!

Li Qingyue said, “It’s not a real dragon skin, it probably only has a small amount of dragon’s true blood.” “Senior brother, look at everyone else, they’re all buying dragon armor.” A girl next to him said to the young man.

“Hmm, feel free to pick whatever you like, I’ll buy it for you.” The young man smiled, and when he looked at Li Qingyue, he was slightly stunned. She really was a fairy! Soon, Li Qingyue negotiated the price, stuffed the dragon armor into Qin Ming’s hand, and said, “The leather is exceptional, and the defense is very strong. Wear it when you get back.”

The fat boss looked at Qin Ming with a strange expression, truly admiring him.

Beside him, the young man froze, completely dumbfounded. Looking at his junior sister choosing a precious armor not far away, he felt she didn’t seem so beautiful anymore. Qin Ming laughed, “This is so embarrassing. You took me shopping, treated me to dinner, and now you’re giving me such an expensive dragon armor…”

The chubby boss really wanted to stop him and have a long chat.

Upon hearing this, the young man felt a mix of emotions and suddenly decided he didn’t want to pay for his junior sister’s bill.

“Don’t be so polite with me. Back then, I wanted to try what wine tasted like, and you treated me to some incredibly expensive wine.” Li Qingyue and Qin Ming left, chatting as they walked, laughing as they reminisced about the past.

“Who would have thought that the Fairy Li of today almost became a little drunkard back then, haha…” Qin Ming laughed. Among his closest friends in the past were Li Qingyue and Ning Siqi.

“What’s most outrageous is that you didn’t touch a drop of alcohol yourself.” Li Qingyue thought back to when she was a little rebellious and insisted on drinking, which was indeed quite amusing.

“I’m not used to drinking. Actually, I wanted to see the Imperial Concubine drunk, or a young girl performing drunken boxing, but you just didn’t blush or skip a beat, and nothing happened to you.” Qin Ming looked quite regretful. “Why do I feel like punching you?” Li Qingyue smoothed her hair; this guy actually wanted to see her drunk back then!

“Isn’t that Li Qingyue?” someone exclaimed in surprise, knowing that she was one of the top contenders for the near-immortal artifact.

Several disciples followed Li Qingyue and Qin Ming into a famous bookstore that sold books related to cultivation. Qin Ming wanted to see if there were any secret manuals containing the culmination of the efforts of his predecessors.

The two walked up the stairs, floor by floor. Although there were various extraordinary secret manuals on the first few floors, they could not resonate with them spiritually and could only turn one or two pages.

When they reached the sixth floor, Qin Ming discovered a blood-stained black animal hide book, which immediately piqued his interest. He sensed that it might be extremely valuable.

“Young man, you can just look at this book through the crystal panel. It’s extraordinary. If you want to buy it, your elders will probably have to come and negotiate. Hmm, most small sects can’t afford its price,” said an old man sitting on the sixth floor.

Qin Ming realized that this book might be frighteningly powerful.

“Junior Sister Li, you’re here too! What books would you like to buy?” Several disciples from the secluded sect followed him upstairs, and one of them pretended to bump into him by chance, greeting him with a smile. Qin Ming realized that he didn’t recognize a single one of them.

There were many disciples from outside the sect, but only a small portion were from aristocratic families. These individuals were all extraordinary, and it was vaguely apparent that the young man who spoke was the leader.

His name is Tang Xumi. He is not from a noble family, but he is exceptionally talented and very famous in the secluded lands. He has risen to prominence very quickly and is one of the most popular candidates to win the legendary item. Qin Ming felt that trouble might be coming his way. Since Li Qingyue is so outstanding, some very powerful disciples from the secluded lands are naturally willing to approach her.

“This is…” Sure enough, Tang Xumi looked over. “He’s my cousin,” Li Qingyue introduced with a smile.

Qin Ming originally thought that something unexpected was going to happen, but he didn’t expect that the situation would be completely different from what he had imagined.

“Brother Li, hello! I feel an instant connection with you.” Tang Xumi was very enthusiastic, asking him what he wanted to buy and offering to help him make a decision. “I’d like to see this ancient book,” Qin Ming said, pointing to the black book in the crystal cabinet.

Tang Xumi was surprised to learn that he knew about this book. His expression turned serious as he said, “This is extraordinary. It’s the original, very famous, and not only is it ridiculously expensive, but most people are also intimidated by its background and dare not buy it.”

“Does it have a significant history?” Qin Ming asked.

Tang Xumi sighed, “Of course, this is the will of the Overlord. More than a hundred years ago, the Overlord rose to power through physical mutation, dominating the Black Mist World. He was a renowned powerhouse, wielding the Overlord Spear, and many outsiders could not withstand a single blow from him.”

“So it was him.” Li Qingyue also realized what had happened.

Tang Xumi nodded and said, “That overlord’s Heavenly Light Force wasn’t particularly outstanding, but after he broke through from the external manifestation realm to the Spiritual Field realm, he became incredibly powerful. As his realm continued to improve, he became unstoppable, almost shaking the heavens and the earth.”

The term “external saint” has been abandoned by many because it is insufficient to “manifest sainthood” and is ridiculed for no reason. A more common term is “manifestation.” Beyond this realm lies the “spiritual field” realm of the path of rebirth.

“If the first two major realms are not outstanding, how can someone rise all the way up to the third major realm?” Qin Ming was surprised.

Tang Xumi said, “Do you know how he died? More than a hundred years ago, he roamed the world and lived up to his reputation as a tyrant. He killed a master from the secluded world with a large spear, which eventually led to his master personally coming out of the mountains and killing the tyrant.”

He added in a low voice, “The senior who made the move is Li Qingxu’s master now, one of the most famous figures in the Night Fog World!”

Qin Ming realized why so many people were initially hesitant to buy this secret manual—written by the hand of someone killed by such a senior figure. Ordinary people wouldn’t dare purchase it. But he guessed that handwritten copies must exist.

Li Qingyue said, “This is the legacy of the Overlord. He wrote it hastily when he was being chased by the old senior, and it is incomplete. Its earth-shattering skills are destined to be lost.” Qin Ming was unable to calm down. He looked at the old man guarding the sixth floor and said, “Senior, may I take a look at this ancient book?”

“If you’re not the buyer, don’t touch it,” the old man refused.

“Senior, according to the rules of the study, we can try reading a page or two of any book,” Li Qingyue said.

Tang Xumi chimed in, “That’s right, senior. My senior brother bought a book from you yesterday for a hefty sum. We’re practically repeat customers, so you should take good care of us.”

Seeing this, the other disciples from outside the sect also spoke up.

The old man had no choice but to speak up for him, as several elite disciples from outside the secular world spoke on his behalf, and he couldn’t refuse.

Qin Ming touched the animal hide book and found that he could only turn one page. The inside was sealed with fine gold threads, and there was some kind of special restriction that emitted strange fluctuations. However, this was enough for him; even just the animal hide cover would suffice.

He kept himself calm and undisturbed, while concentrating intently and resonating emotionally with the ancient book on animal hide.

Clearly, it embodies the culmination of the Overlord’s hard work. As can be seen, black bloodstains remain on both the cover and the first page, suggesting it was a work born from the Overlord’s tears and blood.

A surge of astonishing emotion instantly flooded Qin Ming’s heart, making him see the former overlord, truly capable of shaking the heavens and earth. With a single swing of his spear, that towering figure stirred up the dark clouds in the sky, followed by a torrential downpour.

Furthermore, Qin Ming noticed that the old senior hadn’t killed the Overlord so easily; his pale hand, pierced by the spear, was bleeding glowing blood. The Overlord’s bravery was indeed astonishing; even the renowned old senior of the Night Mist World had been shaken by him.

That old senior was indeed incredibly terrifying. Standing in the distance, his body trembled as golden runes began to expand. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he caused one of the Overlord’s arms to explode.

…

Qin Ming tried his best to remain calm, but in the end his body still swayed slightly. “Brother Li, are you alright?” Tang Xumi asked in surprise.

“My cousin was injured a couple of days ago, but it’s not a big problem.” Li Qingyue helped Qin Ming up.

“I’m fine!” Qin Ming recovered. This time he had gained a great deal, obtaining the complete Overlord’s inheritance and mastering it all. “Are you injured? I have some spiritual medicine here.” Tang Xumi was very concerned.

“It’s alright. As I touch this ancient book, I feel a surge of emotion. It’s as if I’ve traveled across a century, and I can imagine the unparalleled charisma of that overlord. It makes my blood boil, as if I see an ancient grandmaster walking towards me…” Qin Ming sighed.