Night without Borders

Chapter 500 Walking Side by Side
Amidst the lingering night mist, beneath the black and white twin trees, Qin Ming and Li Qingyue stood quietly, embracing briefly in a peaceful moment.

The shimmering waters of the fiery spring in the pool, with rising smoke and mist, reflected their young faces. For a moment, the two were silent, each with their own path to walk.

After a moment, Li Qingyue whispered, "I want to be stronger so that we can stand shoulder to shoulder in the future."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming nodded vigorously and said, "Okay!"

The Eight Trigrams Furnace glowed faintly and said, "Some true scriptures are only recorded in the highest places, and I am just a remnant spirit with severely missing memories."

After careful consideration, Qin Ming knew very well that the Doushuai Palace was the most suitable place for Li Qingyue to grow and rise. Only by reaching there could she surpass the Innate Fire Body.

He also hopes that the two of them can walk side by side in the future.

Looking at her gentle and beautiful face, Qin Ming did not want to keep her because of his own selfish desires.

If they were ordinary men and women born in a metropolis, far from the strife, they might be full of hope for the future. But they know the cruelty of the foggy world, and that their peaceful reunion is only temporary. If they are not strong enough, they can't hold onto anything.

If that glowing giant footprint were to fall, a super-city would instantly turn to ashes. If it were to happen near them, just thinking about it would be enough to make one despair. It would be a catastrophe that could shatter mountains and rivers and cause dynasties to perish quickly. And this was just a small "ripple" in a corner of the Night Mist World.

The leaves of the black and white twin trees have a jade-like texture and make a crisp rubbing and clattering sound in the breeze.

At the corner of the street at the village entrance, six-year-old Wenhui peeked out, blinked his big eyes, and weakly called out, "Uncle, is that Auntie?"

"Yes." Qin Ming nodded with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyue greeted the child with a graceful demeanor, and surprisingly, she carried some candy with her and used her pure Yang energy to give it to him.

Wenhui, who was initially a little shy, opened her pure eyes wide and immediately exclaimed happily, "Auntie is a fairy!"

In the night fog outside the village, Jiang Ran chuckled softly.

"And another... aunt?" Wen Hui called out softly to Jiang Ran, a little shyly.

Immediately afterwards, Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing appeared and invited Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran into the village. The couple prepared a delicious meal.

During the visit, village chief Xu Yueping brought yak ribs, and Yang Yongqing brought a leg of yellow sheep...

Yu Gensheng and Li Qingyun also appeared, walking into Shuangshu Village and carefully examining the village where Qin Ming had lived for several years.

"Thank you for your hard work, seniors." Qin Ming sincerely thanked the two elders.

As for the grandmaster from the Great Yu royal family, he retreated after finding nothing amiss when he approached Black and White Mountain.

On a big tree outside the village, a magpie chirped, "Mountain Lord, is he bringing his wife home? He can't call me a lousy bird next spring."

"Scum!" The red squirrel uttered only one word.

Thunder King Bird warned, "Keep your voices down, those two girls are top experts among the younger generation of humans!"

Later that evening, Meng Xinghai also appeared. He had specially traveled from Chixia City on a high-level exotic bird to accompany Yu Gengsheng and Li Qingyun for two jars of fine wine.

"This child... is only nine years old?" During the meal, several people looked at Wenrui with surprise.

He has the innocent face of a child, but his height is not much shorter than that of an adult.

This was the result of Qin Ming shattering his giant spirit bone and helping him rebuild his flesh and tendons.

Yu Gensheng said, "Broken bones, stretched tendons, and toughened flesh and blood, you've really suffered a lot at such a young age. Come, Grandpa will teach you a health-preserving exercise that can strengthen your body."

"It's not hard, thank you Grandpa Yu." Although Wenrui is still young, he is determined and his eyes are bright and piercing.

Li Qingyun patted his head and said, "You can walk the path of esoteric Buddhism? Then I will also teach you a method to temper your body."

Clearly, what the two old men were passing on were their own accumulated insights and experiences over the years, which had the magical power to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

"This child can follow all three paths?" Meng Xinghai was surprised. Although Wen Rui's talent was not outstanding, he had a wide range of options.

As Li Qingyue approached, she said, "I will pass on to you a method for cultivating Qi on the path to immortality."

Jiang Ran thought for a moment and said, "I will also pass on a method to you, which is about how to nourish your spirit. Although you can't cultivate it yet, you can memorize it first."

"Thank you both... Auntie." Wenrui looked rather composed, but he was still a child after all, and he was very happy at the moment, bowing repeatedly.

Both parties were somewhat embarrassed, especially Jiang Ran, who shook her head with a smile and lifted him up with her pure yang spiritual light.

"Not bad, a good child knows how to talk." Yu Gengsheng was quite satisfied and nodded repeatedly.

Li Qingyun had told Qin Ming long ago that he was worried that Li Qingyue would become a kite with a broken string if she took a shortcut. Now, however, he was all smiles, and he was happy to see this.

Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing were both a little embarrassed. Looking at these god-like figures bestowing the Dharma upon their eldest son, they simply rubbed their hands together and repeatedly expressed their gratitude.

Yu Gengsheng said, "This is a good child. He is honest and kind-hearted and can walk any of the three paths. Perhaps he can inherit Xiao Qin's mantle and shine brightly in the future."

Wenrui shook his head and whispered, "I know I'm not very talented, and my aptitude is far inferior to my uncle's. I don't have high goals or grand ideals. As long as I can protect my parents and younger brother from harm and keep this village safe, that's enough."

His simple words brought smiles to everyone's faces, and they all nodded gently.

Meng Xinghai put down his wine glass and said, "Child, your ambition is not small. The Black and White Mountain region is not simple. There used to be a blood-dripping kite flying over this village. There may still be some of its nemesis alive. Even if those old rivals have all disappeared, there may still be descendants or disciples left behind."

Li Qingyun said, "It's too early to talk about these things with a child."

Qin Ming patted Wen Rui on the shoulder and said, "Just do your best, don't worry about anything else."

Then, he looked at Yu Gengsheng and asked, "Senior, have you crossed the threshold of Grandmaster?"

Li Qingyun was startled and said, "What? Senior Yu has already reached this point? Congratulations!"

Yu Gengsheng's face was rosy as he said, "It won't be that fast. I'm still testing the methods and exploring the path repeatedly, but there is definitely hope. Thanks to Xiao Qin for extending my life by eighty years, otherwise how could I dare to cause trouble in this era? Now that I have enough lifespan, I dare to take a risk when the Daoist energy reaches its peak."

"Senior, this is no less than living a second life."

"Congratulations, senior! If you step into the Grandmaster realm, you are most likely destined for the Ancestral Master realm, and your lifespan will become much longer!"

Meng Xinghai, Li Qingyue, and Jiang Ran all smiled and congratulated the old man. In this era, it is already very difficult for many seniors to survive. If they want to go further, they are risking their lives.

The unexpected eighty years of lifespan that Yu Gengsheng gained was his greatest asset. He felt that it didn't matter if he used them up. It was this "letting go" mentality that made him vaguely want to step into that field.

However, this attempt was still very dangerous. He had only tried it twice in a rough manner, and it had already shortened his lifespan by forty years. He still had two more chances.

However, he was already very confident.

Reaching the highest level of the fifth realm is called becoming a Grandmaster, which is indeed very close to the sixth realm.

As for Grandmaster, in the distant past, one would need to be at least in the middle of the fifth realm to receive this title.

However, in modern times, as long as a master steps into the fifth realm, he is called a grandmaster by many people, because normally they can eventually reach the middle of the fifth realm.

Currently, Li Qingyun is in this state, at the early stage of the fifth realm. If he were in ancient times, he would only be a pseudo-grandmaster.

However, Master Li is still young, not yet a hundred years old. He is a rising star in the Fifth Realm and is in his prime. He has enough time to hone his skills.

Yu Gensheng said, "Xiao Li, don't be impatient. You are still young and have plenty of time to cultivate. Perhaps you can endure until the dangerous environment is completely over, and then a golden age of Daoist wisdom will come, like a torrential downpour."

Beside him, six-year-old Wenhui, shy and timid, was a little confused. Was Grandpa Li a teenager like his brother? But his beard was already white.

"Little Qin, it should be safe in Black and White Mountain. Don't go out for a while. This old man is leaving first." After a hearty meal, Yu Gengsheng set off at night. Clearly, the environment was harsh, and he needed a suitable place to lie low and wait for the opportunity to break through his cultivation barrier. Every trip out was a drain on his energy. "Senior, I'll go with you." As a Grandmaster, Li Qingyun also felt that the Daoist energy in the world was turbulent and unfriendly to him. He wanted to go to a special place with rich spiritual energy to cultivate in seclusion.

Meng Xinghai also stood up and took his leave.

In the evening, Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran came to Qin Ming's courtyard. Looking at his old residence, they were quite curious. The rough stone millstone still had the marks of Qin Ming crushing it with his fingers when he was a newborn to test his magic.

And the mats on the earthen kang, the old bedding, it's almost too simple. It's hard to imagine that this was once the residence of the prominent figures on Xinsheng Road.

"Four years ago, you fell seriously ill here and endured the ordeal all by yourself for more than a month?" Li Qingyue asked softly. Although this matter had long passed, her heart was still stirred by the experience.

Qin Ming nodded. He had indeed almost died back then, and looking back, it was the most difficult period of his life.

"It was really not easy," Jiang Ran said.

The two women stayed overnight here, while Qin Ming came to the village entrance and sat cross-legged under the black and white twin trees.

The cunning sparrow flew over quietly and said, "Mountain Lord, you've been kicked out? Everyone has their own expertise. In this field, you're no match for me."

With a thud, it lost a few feathers, which Qin Ming slapped away.

"What a lousy bird!" the red squirrel clapped its hands in delight.

As the two women prepared to depart that night, they told Qin Ming that they would not specifically inform him of their departure from Yezhou, and that they would set off at any time when the time was right.

Qin Ming communicated with the spirits of the two special weapons, asking them for their coordinates. One day, he might travel alone to the distant, supreme land.

He even inquired about the trial grounds and hunting grounds involved in the Supreme Dojo, including the radiation area and adjacent regions.

"You're asking such detailed questions, it's putting me in a difficult position. This involves leaking secrets." Actually, Liu Yu had become interested.

Qin Ming said, "Seniors, haven't you been trying to win me over? Maybe one day I'll show up on your turf."

As they parted, Qin Ming and Li Qingyue embraced gently, and finally watched the two women disappear into the night.

He felt that all the problems stemmed from the fact that he was not strong enough.

If his cultivation is high enough, when can he not set off, and where can he not go?

Next, he will calm down completely, cultivate while waiting for the Ancient Misty Gate to open, and strive to step into the Grandmaster realm as soon as possible.

Qin Ming secluded himself in a remote village, studying scriptures and experiencing the changes in the Dao of heaven and earth. At the same time, he guided Wen Rui in his cultivation, reshaping his giant spirit body.

"Not bad, I actually obtained the true scripture 'The Beginning of Oneness'." Qin Ming was very satisfied, stroking the slightly rough animal skin book with his hand.

This was his spoils of war, obtained from Cui Chonghe's storage bracelet. It was originally a notebook of cultivation insights, but he resonated with it to reveal the complete book, "The Beginning of Oneness."

He felt that this Dharma was very compatible with his Mind Lamp Realm. When this true scripture was practiced to an extremely profound level, it could regulate the light of the fire to dispel darkness and reshape the old order.

Furthermore, by following this method, one can cultivate the primordial lamplight to illuminate the path ahead.

"Indeed, some of the most supreme methods have a very wide range of paths. For example, the Beginning of the Primordial Era is originally a method for immortals, but it is also suitable for the path of new life and can be integrated into the Silk Script."

Qin Ming sat in meditation, contemplating deeply. He felt he could master the "Primordial Heart Lamp," which perfectly suited his fourth realm.

He has mastered the Southern Bright Fire, the Six Ding Divine Fire, and the True Fire of the Sun. The three fires converge into the Heart Lamp, corresponding to the three giving birth to all things, and can evolve into various techniques.

In an instant, the Primordial Heart Lamp shone brightly, and a beam of pure Yang sword light burst forth from his body, with astonishing destructive power. At the same time, a special Samadhi True Fire rose up, cleansing his body and spirit.

Subsequently, the Primordial Heart Lamp underwent a transformation, illuminating the Great Handprint, the Pure Yang Sword Light, and the Long Blade formed from condensed Heavenly Light... like a divine flower in bloom, pouring out various wondrous methods and techniques.

“From the three comes all things, and conversely, all creations and myriad wonders can also replenish the primordial heart lamp.” Qin Ming pondered, beginning to comprehend the scriptures more deeply.

The more he immersed himself in it, the more he felt that this true scripture was profound, incredibly mysterious, and an extremely beneficial supplement to the silk manuscript.

"Cui Er, this true scripture is somewhat wasted in your hands." Qin Ming felt that Cui Chonghe's so-called understanding and mastery of it was still far from complete.

Over the next few months, Qin Ming practiced his skills and completely "corrected" Wen Rui's Giant Spirit God form, restoring it to the proper physique of a nine-year-old child.

Logically speaking, people of this age should not be allowed to embark on the path of new life. Only teenagers from top-tier families, with the protection of their elders and the assistance of miraculous medicines, can take this path.

However, with Qin Ming by his side, Wen Rui can start his freshman journey ahead of time without worrying about the issue of "early start".

"Wenrui, cultivate diligently. Although you have experienced some hardships, your current environment is much better than mine was. I was not able to embark on my cultivation journey until I was sixteen, and there was no one to protect me."

Wenrui's little face was full of determination as he said, "Uncle, I will not let you down. Although I am not gifted enough, I will do my best to learn the law and strive to go far enough. I hope that one day, when you need me, I can share your burdens and fight for you."

"Good!" Qin Ming patted his head to encourage him.

Time flies, and a year has passed in a flash.

During this period, Yezhou remained relatively peaceful, and the distant highlands did not launch any further probing or full-scale invasions.

However, undercurrents are swirling, and fewer and fewer of the older generation of masters are showing their faces, seemingly indicating that this era will be led by the young and middle-aged.

Qin Ming didn't know if Li Qingyue and Jiang Ran had already set off on their journey. A year ago, they had said that they would no longer say goodbye and that there was no need for him to see them off.

"Time really flies. Before I knew it, a year had passed." Qin Ming was already twenty-one years old, having gone from a naive teenager to the prime of his life.

He clearly felt that his cultivation had improved again, but he was still far from breaking through the barrier.

He was not affected by the general environment, but no matter which path he took, the fourth realm was quite difficult. Even though he was exceptionally talented, normally it would take him about three years to advance to the next level.

If we calculate it this way, then during the "five years" that Li Qingyue mentioned, he definitely wouldn't reach the Grandmaster realm and wouldn't be able to visit her in the distance.

Qin Ming muttered to himself, "If you want to improve your cultivation level quickly, you really need to explore new lands. Otherwise, staying in one place and burying yourself in hard work is just too slow."

He learned that a few ancient fog gates were about to be opened.

"Hmm, Black and White Mountain is too remote. It seems my information is a bit outdated. It turns out that two portals have already partially broken the seal."

This was the latest information Qin Ming learned a few days later. He immediately perked up. If it weren't for the fact that the world was frequently plagued by major disasters, he would have gone to investigate.

The outside world was already in turmoil. From the ground to the sky, everyone was filled with excitement, because the other world behind the Ancient Mist Gate seemed to be extraordinary and somewhat mysterious.

“Mystery is good. As long as it’s not too dangerous, there’s bound to be good fortune to be found, and one can also travel far.” Qin Ming was quite interested.

For the past year, there has been no shortage of discussion about him.

For example, some people are now full of resentment: "Is Qin Ming dead? Why hasn't he come out yet!"

"He stayed in that village, he really endured the loneliness. In the past year, he has not gone far away. At most, he just went into the mountains nearby."

People can't help but talk about things. After so much hard work, Qin Ming was restless and determined to explore the unknown world behind the Ancient Mystery Gate.

It should be noted that this is completely different from the area within the Yujing radiation zone, far beyond imagination, and bizarre and fantastical, where anything is possible.

After all, according to legend, the gods of Jade Capital were all created in different mysterious worlds behind the Ancient Misty Gate.

"After a year of studying the true scriptures, although I haven't broken through the barrier, my combat skills have improved considerably. My Nine-Colored Sword Aura, Inner Realm Heaven-Opening Axe, Primordial Heart Lamp, and Primordial Spirit Field have all reached a considerable level. I really want to find someone to test my skills on and see the results. I wonder if I can kill the Sick Grandmaster." Qin Ming pondered.

He then immediately reflected that he seemed to have gotten a little too arrogant and that he needed to be more humble and not be self-important. However, he did realize that it was time for him to return to public life.

(End of this chapter)