Beneath the night, the black silhouettes of the distant peaks loomed faintly.
"The information was wrong!" someone cried in alarm.
In the dense woods, all the men who had hemmed Qin Ming in were stunned. They fell back quickly — two companions had died in the blink of an eye. That youth was too ruthless; in a heartbeat he had gone from serene to murderous, his clear eyes now seeming to shoot twin bolts of lightning. He gripped the spear one-handed, holding a companion aloft by the chest, blood streaming down to stain the snow red.
The sight made the hairs of the first encirclers stand on end. How could a first New Lifer possibly be this strong? One of the two dead had walked the realm of Second New Life for more than a decade.
"Truly beyond my expectation. The secrets you keep are no small thing — you reached Second New Life this quickly, without even pausing to consolidate." Qi Huai'en stepped forward, his well-proportioned face set in cold lines. He hated losing control; this youth had become a dangerous variable. But the deed was done, and he had no other choice.
His family was scouring for a rare spiritual substance to blend a bone-altering elixir — enough to raise his potential and make him a candidate. If it worked, he could listen to the Flowing Light City City elder's secret arts for a few more years, enough to change his life's course. Had Qin Ming been of similar aptitude to You Liangyun, he'd have shown goodwill. But he realized this youth was fated to stand in his way.
Qin Ming flicked the spear; the corpse hurtled toward Qi Huai'en. Qi Huai'en whipped out his blade — a bolt of light — and slapped the speeding corpse aside with the flat of the sword, sending it crashing into a tree. Bones snapped; the body broke apart.
Throughout it, Qin Ming calmly retrieved his black-gold hammer from the ground — now spear in one hand, hammer in the other. Neither weapon suited a one-handed grip, but his arms carried two thousand jin; each felt light. He was surprised: Qi Huai'en had real skill.
"Are you gawking? Must I do it myself?" Qi Huai'en said to the four men. They circled Qin Ming warily, then struck. A secondary New Lifer led the charge, a long spear cleaving down. At the same time, all the others attacked, Qi Huai'en's blade half-hidden among them.
Qin Ming swept his hammer up — dong! — and the heavy spear flew into the air. The wielder's fingers tore open; the weapon left his grasp. The others clashed against Qin Ming's weapons in turn, their arms going numb, though they kept their grips. His strength was terrifying, but his speed also outstripped them by a full measure.
Qi Huai'en "tasted and withdrew" — brushed in, then fell back. He had realized this youth had utterly slipped out of control. However high he had rated him, it was still conservative. He drew a palm-sized crystal vial, pulled the stopper, and drained the bright-red liquid within. Today he had no other option — even fleeing wouldn't save him. If he failed to silence this youth, that raven would kill him once it learned the truth. Even knowing the harm the liquid would cause, he had no choice.
Qin Ming gave no pause. In the flash of clash he caught the weakest point: the secondary New Lifer whose spear he'd sent flying. He moved like a phantom, slipping past the blades and clubs, and — boom! — the hammer crashed down on the retreating man. The man dodged, but couldn't fully avoid it. The hammer struck his right shoulder, caving it in; ribs snapped and pierced his organs. He flew sideways with a scream, still breathing but utterly crippled, his whole arm gone.
The other men paled. What kind of monster was this? Even sworn to the Qi family, their hairs stood on end. They sensed an invincible opponent.
"Don't be afraid. I can handle him. Play your part and hold him!" Qi Huai'en advanced, his whole body glowing red, having drunk the elixir. Qin Ming stared at him, unafraid. Even with a mysterious elixir, a secondary New Lifer couldn't birth "Heaven Light" and step into Third New Life — that needed a day or two.
"This strength is wonderful — enough to sink into." Qi Huai'en sighed. "I admit it. Greed has led me astray; my eyes are no longer clear. But even if it happened again, I'd make the same choice." He needed to vent.
"Do you know? I come from a city far smaller than Falling Glow City. Yet on New Life I could lift a cauldron of seven hundred and twenty jin — I outshone my whole region. But when the noble one passed through, I still lacked full candidacy. I was crushed. Now my family gave up a whole mine for a spiritual treasure that can alter my bones. I'll get to study at the noble one's teacher's side for five to ten years — enough to remake my fate. But your appearance has cut off my path. You'll take the candidacy, and I'll lose everything. Step back, and I'm rootless — a mere attendant for one to four years. I have no other choice!"
Qin Ming looked at him calmly. "You strive upward, for a brilliant life. As for me — I'm only here to survive."
"Yes. Our positions differ, and meeting here is a mistake. But I have no retreat. Either I kill you and leap up into a boundless sea of gold — or I die here today. Kill!" He bellowed, bounded forward, and swung his blade in a blinding flash that blasted the surrounding branches apart.
The others pressed in unison. In this lightning-flash, Qin Ming alone faced four experts, utterly at ease. Qi Huai'en could not believe it — after the elixir boosted his strength, he still couldn't sweep this one. On first New Life he'd lifted 720 jin; after Second New Life his arms doubled — nearing 1900 jin. Yet he still couldn't suppress his opponent, who only made his right hand go numb.
"Unless you birth Heaven Light and step into Third New Life this instant, everything you do is futile," Qin Ming said. Without mercy, his spear pierced one man's heart and flung him onto a tree. The next instant, his hammer jarred another's blade away and smashed his chest in.
Qi Huai'en went berserk, trading blows again and again, only to find his sword-hand trembling. The black-gold hammer was immovable. Then Qin Ming hurled his spear — Qi Huai'en's last helper was run through, collapsing into the snow, gasping, unable to believe they'd all die here.
Qin Ming calmly performed the blade manual's combat arts, not following fixed forms but fluidly adapting them, often producing strokes of unexpected brilliance. After many exchanges, Qi Huai'en despairingly realized he was crushed on every front.
Bang! The hammer smashed into Qi Huai'en's right shoulder, bursting it apart in a blood-haze.
"Just what level have you reached? How much strength?" Qi Huai'en asked, unwilling.
Qin Ming paid no heed and stepped forward to finish. Qi Huai'en laughed bitterly: "I know. To suppress me in this state, on first New Life you must have carried a thousand jin, and after Second New Life you can lift a cauldron of two thousand jin. Am I right?"
The others, not yet dead, raised their heads with all their strength — at the point of death they'd heard such news: that some human could reach such a height!
"I'll see you on your way." Qin Ming said calmly. He went over and dealt each a "hammer-blade," ending their lives for good. He carefully cleaned the battlefield, erased every trace, and only then turned toward the old crevice.
"Hm?" Qin Ming felt a strange sensation. That special node which had once made him dreadfully ill — now, the moment he drew near, his body relaxed and lightened. The faint weariness from the battle faded in no time.
He scanned the forest carefully, then entered the crevice without hesitation, and again saw wisps of silver light intertwining beneath the earth.