Chapter 126 Master-Level Performance

The living room was completely quiet. Meng Xinghai and Li Qingyun sat motionless, not uttering a sound, for fear of disturbing the focused young man.

Inside the bronze incense burner, calming incense, which can soothe the mind, is burning slowly.

Qin Ming put down the three pages of paper, went into the courtyard, took a deep breath, and exhaled with a special rhythm, his eyes shining like stars. According to his own understanding, he used the Heavenly Light Force to transform into an astonishing number of fine lines, expanding within his flesh and blood, confirming the three pictures corresponding to the three pages of paper.

His Heavenly Light Force is the foundation of his current standing. After being integrated and unified, it is like a golden sun shining brightly on the disciples outside the sect.

Now, the celestial light transforms into golden rivers that flow through flesh and blood, corresponding to the dense network in the first image.

He felt warm and comfortable all over his body. At this moment, his brow was glowing, his body was hot, and he felt clear and pure from head to toe, as if he were about to ascend to heaven.

Meng Xinghai and Li Qingyun were dumbfounded. This was more than just a strange feeling; they had actually achieved results! How long had it been in all of this? The two of them were completely lost in thought!

“Everyone’s understanding is different. Has he opened up a completely new operating route?” Li Qingyun secretly transmitted his voice, not daring to speak directly, for fear of disturbing the extremely focused young man.

He knew very well that the engravings on the copper plate were so numerous and confusing that each person who studied them would discover their own path to understanding.

He was filled with anticipation, and a brilliant light appeared in his old eyes, as he was about to witness a young man forging a new path!

“Many patriarchs in history have been helpless in understanding these scriptures, yet he has grasped them quite deeply, paving a new path!” Meng Xinghai nodded inwardly, praising him in his heart. He truly deserved to be the person he had high hopes for!

Then, Qin Ming used his spiritual light to transform into strands of lines that traveled through flesh and blood, constructing a dense network.

Soon, he frowned; things weren’t going so smoothly or comfortably.

Within the Spirit Nest of Mountains and Rivers, not only did his spirit undergo a qualitative change, but he also practiced a mantra taught to him by Li Qingyue, giving birth to a spark of consciousness. However, most of it was fed back into his physical body, leaving only a small amount to maintain a certain balance. In the past two days, because he practiced the methods in that thin book of esoteric Buddhism, a divine light was born within him, and a similar thing happened. That light fed back into his physical body, ultimately leaving only a small amount to maintain balance.

The so-called divine light is what esoteric Buddhists call “divine wisdom,” which undergoes a qualitative change through practice and can be continuously accumulated and elevated.

Qin Ming discovered that when he used his spiritual light and divine wisdom to construct dense lines in his flesh and blood, there was great resistance as the lines naturally expanded forward.

Moreover, I no longer have that light and clear feeling I had before, which makes me very uncomfortable, and this contradicts the true meaning of the scriptures.

“Is it really only suitable for people who take the path of rebirth?” Qin Ming muttered to himself, standing still and silently pondering the scriptures and the three engraved images.

Subsequently, he combined the Heavenly Light Force, the Aura of Consciousness, and the Divine Wisdom into a single rope, allowing it to spread through his flesh and blood, constructing a mysterious network that expanded outwards.

Qin Ming suddenly felt light and agile, his mind clear and empty, as if he had been cleansed of worldly impurities and his soul dusted away. From body to spirit, he felt a sense of enlightenment and perfection as recorded in ancient religions.

“It’s like nourishing itself.”

He carefully contemplated the text and realized its true and wondrous uses. He believed that long-term practice could transform one’s physical constitution, enhance vitality, and nourish one’s essence, energy, and spirit.

In this state, the mind is clear and the consciousness is empty, the efficiency of understanding the Dharma is improved, and one feels a sense of joy and satisfaction, as if one has suddenly attained enlightenment.

Qin Ming suddenly realized that these were the “tricks” that the famous people had practiced, as mentioned by Li Qingyun.

He had actually gotten involved in all of these things, and he already understood that the contents of the three pages and the engravings on the copper plate should be considered the outline of this scripture.

Qin Ming knew that he had grasped and mastered it.

“This technique has many wonders. If you persist in practicing it, it’s like slowly changing your fate, but it’s still far from achieving immortality,” he pondered.

He looked up and saw Meng Xinghai and Li Qingyun both staring at him with burning desire in their eyes. “You’ve grasped it?”

“You’ve forged a new path?” the two asked excitedly. Clearly, they cared even more than the person involved.

Qin Ming nodded and said, “I don’t think it’s that difficult.”

He spoke the truth because the scripture hadn’t held him back for even half a day.

It should be noted that he practiced the silk scroll for over a decade, enduring a near-death experience before finally mastering it and embarking on a new path. In Qin Ming’s mind, there was no method more difficult to master than the silk scroll.

However, Meng Xinghai and Li Qingyun were unaware of these things, and naturally, they both felt a complex mix of emotions.

The latter, in particular, was somewhat disillusioned with life and even felt sad for himself. Li Qingyun had devoted himself to studying this matter and secluded himself for several years, yet he could not compare to a young man’s sudden enlightenment.

Qin Ming said, “You care a lot about this book? It is indeed quite extraordinary. It can enhance one’s talents and prolong life. I can teach you.”

“This…” Li Qingyun hesitated. He was so old and had such profound cultivation. He couldn’t bring himself to come and share the enlightenment of a junior.

Meng Xinghai, being more easygoing, immediately followed suit. Li Qingyun gritted her teeth and decided to go for it too.

However, the two were soon at a loss, unable to operate the new path Qin Ming had developed. Forcing it forward almost caused them to suffocate and bleed.

“What’s going on?” Qin Ming was also taken aback, then he made them follow him, and even allowed them to extend their spiritual light to observe the path he had constructed.

Even if the two of them followed suit, it would be useless; it simply wouldn’t work.

Li Qingyun, with his profound skill, eventually observed that each time Qin Ming circulated the Heavenly Light Force, the dense lines were adjusting over time.

“How did you manage to control it?” he couldn’t help but ask.

Qin Ming explained, “This scripture is actually about ‘inner strength’…”

The phrase “internal strength” almost broke Li Qingyun and Meng Xinghai’s guard. This was an ancient scripture related to immortality, with a very important origin, coming from the depths of the Night Mist World.

As a result, the boy mistook it for an ordinary martial art circulating in the marketplace.

Qin Ming explained, “This technique is indeed extraordinary. If you persist in it for many years, it can change your constitution, nourish your body and spirit, and eventually lead to a qualitative change.” The two nodded, acknowledging that this was a method to change one’s fate, belonging to a secret manual.

Qin Ming continued, “It may be different from what you imagine. It cannot grant immortality. In general, it is actually a method to’strengthen one’s internal strength’.”

Their eyes changed again; the words “internal strength” were indeed quite provocative.

Qin Ming pondered and said, “Perhaps, in ancient times, people pursued different paths than we do. They only sought to prolong their lives and change their constitution, so the entire method was very peaceful, far less powerful than the Sky-Supporting Force or the Six-Control Force. Judging from its outline, this is a book on health preservation.”

“You mean you’ve completely grasped and mastered it, and not just understood a part of it?” Li Qingyun asked. Qin Ming nodded and said, “I think I’ve grasped the true meaning of these three pages of scripture and the corresponding copper plate engravings.”

“Tell me how you developed those paths and made them work.” Li Qingyun wasn’t afraid of losing face, so he asked and inquired on the spot, even though he was a little skeptical.

Qin Ming began, “This scripture speaks of grasping the changes of Yin and Yang, breathing in spiritual essence, integrating consciousness and divine wisdom into the Heavenly Light Force, planting it within the physical body, so that they become Yin and Yang to each other, harmonizing with Heaven and Earth…”

He added, “Without conscious insight and divine wisdom, the Heavenly Light Force alone is sufficient.”

Then he demonstrated, telling them that by going with the flow and aligning with heaven and earth, the celestial energy would naturally spread, and wherever it passed would become the path of circulation. One would feel comfortable, light, clear, and accompanied by a sense of completeness.

Li Qingyun stared in disbelief for a long time before finally saying, “You’re being too idealistic. You let the Heavenly Light Force choose its own path, and then you memorized the route and told us?”

Meng Xinghai sighed, “This is not about forging a new path; it’s more like a journey of inner peace.”

The two stared at each other blankly. Each person’s spiritual energy was different, and the path it flowed through should also be different. How could they imitate it?

“This ancient scripture is too mysterious and too difficult to understand. I can’t even learn from others!” Old man Li Qingyun sighed, looking up at the sky. He was helpless and somewhat dejected. The hope he had just seen was quickly extinguished, which was extremely upsetting.

Qin Ming said, “This is not mysterious, and there is no difficulty in it. You can expand upon it as you wish and try to follow the path of your own mind.”

“Don’t speak, let me have some peace and quiet.” Li Qingyun really wanted to hit someone. What kind of “freedom of mind path” was this? Who would dare to try it casually? One wrong move and they could seriously injure themselves. Qin Ming pondered that perhaps it was the Heavenly Light Force cultivated from the method on the silk scroll that was so compatible with him that he could keenly control it and advance towards a path that made him light, agile, and clear-headed, acting only according to his mind.

If that’s the case, he can’t help others.

Qin Ming said, “This technique is indeed remarkable. It can enhance one’s natural talent and prolong life, making it a priceless treasure. However, we shouldn’t overly praise the ancient methods. I think that in terms of offensive combat, it is far inferior to the Sky-Supporting Force.”

“Besides the outline, there are some specific laws that should be very useful to you; they are more valuable than any miraculous feat.” Li Qingyun left, looking at Qin Ming with a very complicated expression before he went.

“Why did Senior Li have that expression?” Qin Ming asked, puzzled, watching his retreating figure. “He was startled,” Meng Xinghai chuckled.

Immediately, he suppressed his smile and said, “Before coming here, he regarded you as Qingyue’s future Jade Armor Guardian, Divine Armor Guardian, and the future First Protector. After all, he had heard of your extraordinary abilities. However, after arriving here, your performance far exceeded his expectations, no less than the performance of some patriarch-level figures on the path of mutation in their youth. For example, the patriarchs of the Five Elements Palace, Yin Yang Temple, and Pure Yang Palace only comprehended a part of that scripture.”

Qin Ming’s expression changed slightly. He had sworn that his arduous cultivation was not for the purpose of becoming a follower of others.

Meng Xinghai said, “Don’t worry, he doesn’t mean any harm. He just thinks that there is really no hope on the path of mutation. Even patriarch-level figures like Qingtian and Liuyu relied on time to slowly improve their realm. This path is not easy, and it becomes more and more difficult as you go further.”

Then, Meng Xinghai laughed and said, “Your current state has absolutely intimidated him; it seems like a young patriarch is lying in wait…”

He then sighed, “Your performance today has also quite surprised me.”

Qin Ming shook his head and said, “What are my achievements? In the battle for near-immortal items, during the core disciples’ war, I couldn’t participate at all. We’re the same age, yet I stood by like a lackey watching. At the subsequent banquet, which of the disciples from the outer sect and those from the secret sect wasn’t a genius? Their cultivation was extremely profound. They weren’t much older than me, and some had already reached very high realms, considered seeds of near-immortality. Not to mention others, just think about Cui Chonghe, who failed to possess twice—it’s terrifying. He’s the same age as me, but what level is he at now? His defeat was only due to accidentally encountering Qingyue’s spiritual eyes and being discovered by chance.”

Meng Xinghai looked at him and said, “You call yourself a lackey? You just started late. Don’t belittle yourself. Sooner or later you will be able to walk the path of a patriarch.”

Qin Ming said, “It’s true that I’m lagging behind. Some people who are much younger than me have already reached a higher level than I am now. I still need to work hard.”

Meng Xinghai said, “Your gaze is fixed on other paths, isn’t it? You’re comparing yourself to your competitors on other paths?”

Qin Ming nodded and said, “Yes, the other paths are unfathomable. In the secluded lands, a scripture that we value highly is casually placed there. As long as a price is paid, outsiders can go and see it, which shows that they don’t care much about it. Their own foundation is far beyond our imagination.”

Qin Ming believed that the people beyond the mortal realm must have gained even more in the depths of the Night Fog World during the Great Opening Era. Meng Xinghai knew this, and it was indeed true.

Then, he thought of the big exam, which had reached a crucial stage, and asked, “Have you decided where you want to go? I have great confidence in you and am waiting to see you embark on the path of the patriarch.”