Night Without End
Chapter 428 - 255: Just Practice [Happy New Year]

Chapter 428: Chapter 255: Just Practice [Happy New Year]

Under the night sky, the thunder fire on the high tower dissipated, and the metal tiles engraved with special runes continued to glow in the darkness.

Inside the quiet room, Qin Ming’s flesh and blood were translucent, shimmering brightly. A golden core in his abdomen spun rapidly, like a condensed sun, filling the room with the scent of medicine, refreshing the mind.

The Heavenly Light from the Outer World had not yet dissipated, remaining intense and covering him. With his deep breaths, it surged at his mouth and nostrils, as well as his pores, a dazzling sight.

Qin Ming meditated, merging thunder fire, with the dragon and tiger in harmony, performing "Miracle Medicine Inner Refining".

Excluding the Silk Scripture, Qin Ming mastered ten Miracle Techniques: Five Elements, Dragon and Snake, Golden Cicada, Immortal Butterfly, Withering and Flourishing, Black and White. Now, the methods were integrated, returning to truth and unity.

"The ten great miraculous techniques have been refined into a golden core, and this time it’s quite perfect, reaching completion."

In the stone chamber, Qin Ming’s eyes opened and closed, as if lightning flashed in the void.

The perfected miraculous golden core in his abdomen, after absorbing all the Heavenly Light, reflected his own image, identical to himself.

As Qin Ming’s entire body shone, it suddenly trembled, and the entire perfect golden core exploded. A brilliant little figure rose up, then transformed into a stream of light, rushing to his limbs and bones.

"What a breathtaking sight!" Even Zhao Ziyan, an elder figure, revealed an expression of shock.

"Incredible, no wonder Xiao Qin is much stronger than other newcomers!" Yu Gen Sheng sighed.

Qin Ming felt the changes in himself; his physique and Heavenly Light had both improved, and his Spirit Field had also strengthened, naturally making him more powerful than before.

However, he frowned, as this differed from the records in the books. He apparently still couldn’t step into the Mid Stage of the Second Realm, missing something.

He didn’t rise, pondering there.

Outside, Li Qingyue let out a sigh of relief; the Heavenly Light from the Outer World hadn’t harmed him, so there was nothing to worry about.

Xiao Wu, puzzled, asked, "I can feel Brother Ming has become stronger, so why is he frowning?"

Zhao Ziyan replied, "The progress in the Second Realm on the Newborn Road is slow. He’s looking for an opportunity, trying to explore a more efficient breakthrough method."

Qin Ming contemplated for a long time, and he probably figured out the "problem".

This time, his overall strength had improved, but it was due to localized changes causing it; physique, Heavenly Light, consciousness, and so on improved to different extents.

"Ultimately, it’s lacking that one breath."

Qin Ming realized the problem; body, Spirit Field, and others didn’t change uniformly but rather operated separately, lacking a sense of coordinated transparency.

In the past, during his first realm’s rebirth, there was a vigorous vitality flowing within, transforming various aspects, and he could even clearly perceive an increase in lifespan.

Today, however, the changes were rather scattered.

"It should be a holistic cleansing of the body and marrow, like experiencing a rebirth."

Qin Ming knew some areas couldn’t keep up with the transformation, making this change still flawed.

He stood up and walked out of the stone chamber.

"Xiao Qin, no need to rush, what you lack is just time," Yu Gen Sheng said.

Zhao Ziyan stated, "Newcomers in the Second Realm undergo External Manifestation, capable of capturing various materials beneficial to the body with Heavenly Light. This requires long-term accumulation, eventually leading to qualitative change from quantitative change."

Who wouldn’t understand the theory? Even geniuses need to "endure" time.

Just one Second Realm stage can consume all of a person’s youth.

"Alas, in that case, I’m worried for Brother Ming!" Xiao Wu exclaimed.

Yu Gen Sheng remarked, "Auspicious Beast Blood can allow Xiao Qin to undergo Nirvana once."

They all knew this was a shortcut.

But, does every small checkpoint, as well as the larger realms ahead, need to rely on such rare blood medicine to overcome? It’s simply unrealistic.

Qin Ming had always restrained himself, not consuming the Auspicious Beast Blood, precisely because he believed that good steel should be used on the blade’s edge and didn’t want the first small checkpoint to block his path.

Li Qingyue suddenly spoke, "According to the various records of the Immortal Road, whether it’s thunder fire or the Heavenly Light from the Outer World, each descent brings a large amount of mysterious substances, often different each time."

For a moment, the inside of the tower was silent.

The people present naturally immediately understood what this meant.

Qin Ming, unafraid of the erosion of Heavenly Light, could continuously undertake it. Each time during a thunderstorm, entering the high tower, Thunder Fire Alchemy Hall, then it’s believed it won’t take long for him to accumulate "Perfection," where quantity transforms into quality.

Xiao Wu clapped his hands, saying, "Yes, others are covered by Heavenly Light from the Outer World, as if stepping into hell onto a dead end; Brother Ming, however, can turn a dead game into a live one!

"The Immortal Road delves deeply into the research of thunder fire and Heavenly Light from the Outer World. They need it for artifact refining and use it to extract immortal fire." Zhao Ziyan nodded.

Li Qingyue said, "I’ll write some materials for you about what special substances correspond to the different colors of thunder fire, Heavenly Light. There’s been detailed research in the Outer World."

She wore white clothes that accentuated her figure as delicately as immortal willow, without makeup, and with a slight smile, her entire being appeared as the morning glow breaking through the clouds on the sea, incomparably radiant.

Qin Ming’s final confusion vanished, as he only needed to practice next.

However, he intended to go to the Cursed Land, to refine evil, to blend abnormalities, which was now imperative.

Kunlng had Forbidden Lands, Blessed Lands, Cursed Lands, and even sealed Yin Soil, Yujing, etc., vastly mysterious.

...

The next day, the Immortal Path Ancestor Master, Yu Shaohua, delivered a lecture, attracting a large crowd to listen to the True Words of the Immortal Tao.

Qin Ming and Xiao Wu also went, believing that the stones from other mountains could be used to polish jade and might provide insights through analogies.

"Hiss, Li Qingxu broke through to the Late Stage of the Second Realm. After refining a bit more, perfection will be reached, and stepping into the Third Realm will be just around the corner!"

No one expected that someone would break through while listening to the lecture.

For a moment, many people cast surprised glances, secretly marveling that he was indeed worthy of being an Immortal Seed, as he could still emit brilliant radiance even after suffering major setbacks.

Those who knew the inside story understood that it wasn’t because he wasn’t strong enough, but because all his battles were peak duels, and all his opponents were formidable.

For example: Li Qingyue, Xiao Wu, the prodigies of ancient Immortal Temples, and Qin Ming. It could be said that every opponent he encountered was "abnormal."

In fact, the ones who hurt Li Qingxu the most were "his own people," like his senior brother and the famous elders in his clan. During his public duel with Qin Ming, after a period of time, those people unexpectedly felt that his performance was good enough.

"See, this is what our Immortal Path Disciples are like. The setbacks of youth are but temporary scenery along the way. They are nothing to fret over. Soon, those former opponents will be left far behind!"

"Indeed, as a sage once said, if you encounter a Newcomer practicing a special Jin Technique in your early years, even if there is a ’defeat,’ it is nothing to worry about. Just laugh it off and give the opponent your back. In the future, you will be people of two different worlds."

Li Qingxu’s breakthrough sparked heated discussions, with some Immortal Path Disciples "empathizing."

That day, Qin Ming set out, heading toward that cursed land.

It lay three hundred and fifty miles from Kunling City, shrouded in fog all year round, with ominous light rays occasionally rising, making it extremely dangerous.

This land was frequented not only by Newcomers collecting various forms of evil and abnormalities, but also by disciples from other paths coming and going.

Because various evils, divine anomalies, etc., are precious materials that can be used not only for artifact refining but also for honing Spirit Fields and more.

That day, news returned to Kunling City; Qin Ming had been seen in the cursed land.

Instantly, many understood that he was refining evil, a necessary process for those on the Newborn Road in the Second Realm.

Someone showed a worried expression, suspecting he felt uneasy after hearing about Li Qingxu’s breakthrough.

Even those on the Newborn Road thought this way, worrying for him.

One can imagine the reactions of the Esoteric Buddhism sect and the Immortal Path Disciples.

People naturally thought that Qin Ming felt the pressure and wanted to break through as soon as possible.

But, how easy is that?

The Newborn Road focuses on accumulation; the more impulsive one is, the worse it is.

For a moment, many Immortal Path Disciples deeply understood the value of the sage’s words.

"Defeat is not defeat; we tread on a golden road, wide and long enough, and as long as we cultivate step by step, we can leave our former opponents behind."

Someone reminded them that the boy on the Newborn Road had extraordinary talent and hadn’t been on the path for even a year, possibly only seven or eight months.

"Even for a future Grandmaster-level figure, shining brightly requires at least hundreds of years of accumulation. Anything could happen during that time!"

The greatest confidence of the outsiders is that they have always been expanding the road and are in a leading position.

While the Newborn Road has been stagnant for many years, with no new segments to travel.

If this continues, the Newborn Road Ancestor Master in hundreds of years should not be a threat.

In the thick fog, Qin Ming was highly focused, his eyes burning as all things became clear to him. He was using his "Newborn’s Eye."

He had been in the cursed land for most of the day, marking many areas.

During this period, he encountered Yin Evil, Earth Evil, Fire Evil, and the like, none of which satisfied him much.

His standards were now very high, only seeking legendary-level "evils," otherwise, it would not be worthy of the Star Fire Essence he had already collected.

"Five Colored Divine Fire Evil!" Xiao Wu pointed ahead excitedly, recognizing it as exceptional "Heavenly Materials," documented in many texts.

"Chase it!" Qin Ming murmured.

However, it flickered and vanished underground.

Xiao Wu sighed, "These evils possess spirituality, an instinct driving them to seek fortune and avoid disaster, making them hard to capture!"

Before coming, they had done their homework.

The cursed land was likely related to a top immortal Great Sect from ancient times, which had set it up to nourish evils. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many types.

Ironically, the so-called immortal Great Sect from the past had perished, yet the cursed land remained, preserved.

No one knew what level of evil and divine anomalies existed in the deepest depths of this cursed land, as many evils had mutated over the long years; some had become useless, while others had grown more terrifying.

As time went on, Qin Ming successively discovered several mutated evils, each bizarre, some already considered legendary-level terrifying substances.

For example, a cluster of light with inner patterns, like a divine lamp hanging high in the night sky, incredibly sacred, yet essentially still some form of evil.

Unfortunately, when Qin Ming attempted to capture it, it vanished in a flash.

"It’s good to see it; the real fear is not seeing anything at all." Filled with anticipation, Qin Ming only needed to capture the "Night Material" and pair it with the Star Fire Essence.

Then he would be complete, and when breaking through, everything would naturally fall into place.

The cursed land, spread over a thousand miles, was barren, with thickening fog in the darkness.

"Brother Ming, there’s a cottage ahead, with a dim lamp. The wick seems to be a kind of evil!" Xiao Wu felt his mouth go dry, shocked to see an anomalous scene in such a desolate place.

Qin Ming nodded; he had already seen it.

"And there’s a human-shaped lantern, emitting a faint glow." Xiao Wu first exclaimed, then his scalp tingled, "Could that be a lamp made of human skin?!"

As they approached, they breathed a sigh of relief; it was just made of paper.

However, after taking a closer look, Qin Ming felt a chill; the human-shaped lantern was lifelike, resembling a long-lost acquaintance from Shuangshu Village!

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year, full of prosperity and good fortune!