"All things carry yin and embrace yang. When qi flows into harmony—Cui Chonghe." Qin Ming pondered this, then wrote the characters "Qin Ming" on the table with tea.
In those vague, fragmented memories, Cui Chonghe was his name.
"Why did I end up here, with the name Qin Ming?" He stared at the characters on the table. Which part was real, and which was false?
When he'd woken up in this remote land—ragged, covered in blood, utterly destitute—he'd clung to the name Qin Ming. So why was another hazy life now surfacing in his mind?
Qin Ming thought deeply and drew a long breath. The colorful mist flowing from the three-colored flower carried a rich fragrance. As those blurred memories flickered, the sweetness in the air made the scenes feel increasingly familiar.
Soon, a scene from the past surfaced: a group of people in brocade robes and fine garments, wearing beautiful jade, gazing with concern at a boy whose features were still somewhat youthful.
Before the boy, on a jade table, sat a three-colored flower and a vial of life-rich medicinal liquid.
Qin Ming wondered—who were these people, and who was the boy? They all looked vaguely familiar, yet he couldn't place them.
When he'd first awakened in this remote land, the first thing he'd remembered was his name: Qin Ming. Later, with each successive New Life, he'd recalled the silk tome and his grandfather.
"I was there too, but at a distance, quietly watching the boy consume the three-colored flower and the life-rich medicinal liquid."
Qin Ming watched the scenes unfold. The men, women, and elderly surrounding the boy all cared deeply for him.
These were people of high status. Some of the women wore distinctive hair ornaments—feathers wreathed in flowing purple mist, or a delicate cluster of peach blossoms shimmering with rosy clouds.
"That boy looks only thirteen or fourteen—neither at the golden window nor on the Giant Spirit path. How did he dare undergo New Life early? And he actually reached this level."
Qin Ming was puzzled. Was this the true foundation of a top-tier great family? They could accomplish things ordinary people couldn't.
He looked down at the foot-tall three-colored flower in the jade case. Nourished by Heaven Light, it was already supreme-grade—and the one the boy had consumed was no inferior. Their quality was remarkably similar.
Qin Ming took out the three-colored flower and plucked its translucent petals one by one, placing them in his mouth.
Sure enough, this mystical product harvested from a special node contained the essence of Heaven Light. The moment it entered his mouth, he felt searing heat, as though flames were burning inside him.
Though Qin Ming felt pain, he found it bearable. Then his stomach ignited too—intense Heaven Light bloomed within him, threatening to destroy his flesh.
He remained calm, continuing to pluck petals and stuff them into his mouth, consuming them steadily.
Qin Ming's entire body was glowing. Two kinds of Heaven Light were colliding—one was the external Heaven Light that had pierced through the night and descended upon the Spirit Mountain; the other was the internal Heaven Light born within his own body.
"It really does hurt." He didn't stop. After eating every petal of the entire flower, he chewed the leaves, stems, and roots and swallowed them as well.
In an instant, the two types of Heaven Light inside him seemed on the verge of exploding. But his flesh and blood were extraordinarily tough, suppressing the upheaval. Though it brought waves of searing pain, it didn't truly damage his vital essence.
In his abdomen, the two Heaven Lights entwined, constantly rotating, chasing and circling each other, combining into a circle before finally merging into one.
Boom! The two Heaven Lights inside him fused completely, then burst forth violently, surging into his limbs and bones, purifying his entire body anew.
Qin Ming's total volume of Heaven Light was expanding, growing rapidly.
This stimulated his flesh and blood, his vital essence and spirit. In his sea of consciousness, a bolt of lightning seemed to bloom, illuminating his body. His internal organs and limbs responded in kind, and new Heaven Light began radiating throughout his entire being.
Qin Ming went to the courtyard and demonstrated several types of Heaven Light Force in succession. They nearly projected through his skin—significantly stronger than before.
"Fuse!"
He stood there, drawing all the Heaven Light Forces together.
At the same time, more scenes surfaced before Qin Ming's eyes. He saw the boy again, and those men and women in brocade robes.
"Wonderful! After Chongxuan completed his Third New Life, he successfully fused four Heaven Light Forces—truly remarkable!" An elder of the highest standing, with a crane's white hair and a child's youthful face, was even he offering praise.
A woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, dressed in palace attire, her cloud-like hair swept up high with a golden feather that flowed with light as a hairpin, nodded: "Although each Heaven Light Force appears rather ordinary, this is the beginning of ascending to the heavens. With just these four fused, one can already begin to transform the mundane into the miraculous."
The boy's name was Cui Chongxuan—again, characters taken from texts of the Beyond the Pale.
He was drenched in sweat and trembling slightly, but he had endured and successfully fused four Heaven Light Forces.
The elder said: "Though you haven't set foot on the path Beyond the Pale, after your Third New Life to achieve such an astonishing performance on this path—if word spread, it would cause considerable waves. Excellent!"
A dignified middle-aged man also spoke: "Who says this path can't reach the highest heights? I've already obtained for you the priceless scripture 'Six Domains Heart Sutra.' Don't disappoint our expectations."
Qin Ming watched quietly. He must have been an observer at the time, standing far outside the crowd.
He withdrew his thoughts. Why did it feel as though he had an extra, false life?
Was he truly Qin Ming, or Cui Chonghe?
For some reason, he always felt that Cui Chonghe's life was illusory.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have completely forgotten it at one point—not even as vivid as the muddled memories of early childhood.
By now, Qin Ming had fused all his Heaven Light Forces into one. He felt better than ever before. The Heaven Light in his body had surged dramatically. With such abundant Heaven Light nourishing his body and spirit, perhaps next time he wouldn't need to seek spiritual substances at all—he could undergo New Life directly and elevate his life level.
"Is fusing four Heaven Light Forces impressive at the Third New Life stage?" Qin Ming murmured dismissively.
He had fused five Heaven Light Forces. Moreover, the Severing Force and the Radiance Force were already composite arts in their own right.
Qin Ming stopped overthinking. He believed he would soon learn the truth about those past events. The many blurred scenes were growing clearer with each day. Perhaps his next New Life would reveal everything.
He tested his strength against the stone millstone again—not with his finger, but with the back of his hand. Merely channeling Heaven Light Force through it, he easily tore away and adhered a palm-sized chunk of rough stone.
"Sorry about that, old mill." Though he'd been suppressing his strength these past two days, the millstone had still been battered by his experiments.
"I really am quite strong now," Qin Ming murmured.
But he quickly doused himself with cold water. Just before the Shallow Night arrived, he'd faced a terrifying situation. People Beyond the Pale could fly, mistify, and turn invisible. Without the mutton-fat jade iron blade, he would have been in mortal danger.
"I've already begun following my predecessors' guidance, fusing various Heaven Light Forces. But can the silk tome's techniques actually deal with people Beyond the Pale?"
Qin Ming wasn't sure. But he had no choice now—he could only keep growing stronger.
Old Liu didn't return until near the end of the Shallow Night. Having spent fifteen Day Gold, he refused to leave early. He'd mooched a meal off Old Wu and stayed until the darkness deepened.
"Where in the mountains can I find spiritual substances for a Fourth New Life?" Qin Ming asked casually.
Old Liu waved his hands frantically. "You can't lightly mess with creatures that have mutated four times. They all have backgrounds—they're registered in the records of the higher-stage aberrants in the deep mountains. Killing one would draw their attention."
Qin Ming immediately understood. It really was time to leave this place.
In the mountains near the Great Rift Gorge, the two brigands wore deep frowns. The young man hadn't returned—had something happened? They were growing uneasy.
After all, if what the mist-forming person Beyond the Pale had been doing ever got out, they would be implicated.
They'd already dispatched a bird of prey carrying a letter, requesting instructions from their senior.
Finally, as night deepened, the raptor returned with a reply.
One brigand unfolded the letter: "The elder says we should wait one more day. If he still hasn't appeared by tomorrow, forget about it—act as if nothing happened."
The other brigand asked: "We suspect he was imitating the mountain beast's grave-wailing ritual—performing sacrifices here. Did the elder address this?"
His companion nodded. "The elder said he might be a beast Beyond the Pale."
"I thought he was someone Beyond the Pale—how did he become a beast?"
The two brigands leaned in to examine the reply carefully. First they were shocked, then they nodded in understanding.
Some people entered the deep mountains and great marshes, bordering on death grounds, and became aberrants. Naturally, some beasts also chose to enter the great cities, experiencing human splendor and brilliance—even becoming a city's lord wasn't impossible. And some aberrants transcended the mundane, becoming beasts Beyond the Pale. All of this was perfectly normal.
According to that elder, nothing was impossible in this world.
The elder reassured them: the mist-forming young man, whether a beast Beyond the Pale or not, could never succeed in his ritual. That grave had long since been swallowed by the depths of the Black-White Mountains. Let him kneel all he wanted—they needn't bother.
The next day, the two Golden Ridge brigands departed with their men.
Before leaving, two Golden Ridge riders personally visited nearby villages, informing people that each household must pay one Night Silver, which they would collect at mid-month.
"As expected—these brigands want our money," an old man couldn't help muttering under his breath.
In truth, people had long suspected this. When Golden Ridge had forcibly recruited New Lifers, villagers in the surrounding area had guessed that their heavy losses would lead them to replenish their strength—and ultimately make the nearby villages foot the bill.
But this winter, the villagers outside the mountains were already struggling. This sparked widespread outrage, with nearly everyone ready to fight to the death.
Hearing the commotion outside, Qin Ming felt it was time to settle his affairs with those around him. His patience had run out—he was preparing to move against Golden Ridge!