Night Without End
Chapter 83 - 52 It Really Came_2

Chapter 83: Chapter 52 It Really Came_2

But indeed, he had noticed a black fog, like a spirit snake, slithering from the distance.

"Is that the unseen thing Cao Long and Mu Qing spoke of, the one even the great families fear?" Qin Ming’s heart tightened.

He observed the surroundings without raising any suspicion, but the black fog did not appear again.

Shuangshu Village wasn’t large, just over forty households, and any small incident would quickly become known to all.

Xu Yueping arrived, sighing, "Now that food from outside has been transported in, and the mutated creatures have receded from the outskirts of the mountains, hunting has become safer. Just as life seems to be getting better, some of the elderly are passing away."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming immediately felt something was amiss and asked, "Recently, have many elders died?"

Xu Yueping nodded and said, "Yes, in the surrounding villages, elderly people are dying every day."

Then, as if he remembered something, he said, "There are also a few young people who were injured while hunting and recently did not survive."

He lowered his voice, "Some say the deaths of these young people might be related to weapon scavenging in the mountains. No one dares to go anymore. However, a group of people have brought back weapons and nothing happened to them."

Qin Ming frowned; he suspected all these incidents were related to the black fog.

Moreover, it was in the weapon-strewn Dalie Valley that he first encountered the black fog.

Qin Ming’s feelings were complex; these were matters he couldn’t speak of.

His exhilaration from mastering Coiling Silk Strength and Nail Strength had been shattered. Would that indiscernible yet extremely dangerous black fog return?

Qin Ming was unsure and felt a strong urgency. He didn’t want to leave his fate in the hands of an uncertain factor.

He strode towards Old Man Liu’s house, wanting to ask where he could find a blacksmith’s shop.

"You want to forge a blade, and do it yourself?" Old Man Liu expressed his surprise.

Qin Ming nodded, "Yes, I need a reliable blacksmith’s shop right now. I urgently need a good blade."

Old Man Liu shook his head and said, "With so much happening lately, and now that we can go hunting in the mountains again, the blacksmith’s shops are incredibly busy. They definitely won’t have space for you at this time. How about going early tomorrow before they start working?"

Qin Ming thought about it and eventually agreed. He figured they probably wouldn’t be willing to accommodate him now and paying an exorbitant price would be all too conspicuous at this sensitive time.

He felt that the black fog had just visited Shuangshu Village and would likely move to a different place for the time being. If people kept dying in such a small village, it would surely seem abnormal.

"Let’s set out at midnight then. It’s my first time forging a blade; I don’t know how long it will take."

"Why go through the trouble? Just have someone forge it for you." Old Man Liu was well-acquainted with the blacksmiths, but he was in a period of transformation and thus, inconvenient for him to go out and greet them. He kicked the big yellow dog, and said, "Doggy, get up, help me send a letter."

...

After returning home, Qin Ming carefully studied the Blade Manual to calm his mind.

He saw the old man again, Swinging the Blade.

The old man had mastered a form of Cutting Force, a highly sophisticated Heavenly Light Technique that combined multiple common Jin Techniques.

Qin Ming didn’t know how many he had merged since the emotions of that scene weren’t strong and the setting was dim.

Qin Ming obtained the final Cutting Force Technique, and as soon as he started practicing, he knew it was very powerful and quite complex.

If he tried to study and comprehend it on his own, it would take a long time, as it was no longer a single attribute technique but profound.

Qin Ming saw the old man’s memory, his realization of Cutting Force was in pursuit of the legendary Heaven-Cutting energy!

Sadly, although the old man had extreme talent and had advanced far in the Sword Tao, the progression of his life level could not keep up, and he was unable to obtain a renowned technique. To have developed Cutting Force was already his limit.

"Just this Cutting Force alone is worth the use of the Three Colored Flower!" Qin Ming now understood the value of the Cutting Force.

"Cutting Sky Line, hoping to tear open the night..." He clearly found that even the Blade Manual was based on the evolution of the Heavenly Light Technique, with the strongest cut intending the words ’cutting heaven’.

Qin Ming sat quietly, digesting for a long time; indeed, the Cutting Force was remarkable.

Not long after, he showed a look of surprise, as his own Heavenly Light Force was indeed versatile enough to integrate Cutting Force!

Now he finally knew why the silk scripture had that annotation; it was indeed a deliberate reminder to future generations: Merge is the word!

"Seek within and also borrow from the outside."

Clearly, seeking within alone was insufficient; without Spiritual Material, how could he rapidly elevate his own life level by solely relying on grinding slowly?

And without other techniques, how could he merge?

Qin Ming drank the last of the Spiritual Material, and after his body heated up again that night, he completely achieved his third rebirth, even faster than the second.

He felt his own change; his strength must be over three thousand jin by now, and his speed, the toughness of his Body, etc., have all improved substantially.

In the middle of the night, Qin Ming opened his eyes, stepped out of his house, and met up with Old Man Liu.

The blacksmith shop was in Yinteng Town, which was very quiet at this time; even if business was good, no one would work in the middle of the night.

Old Man Liu, now full of energy and spirit, personally assisted Qin Ming with the bellows to raise the furnace temperature.

However, what shocked Qin Ming was that he just couldn’t melt the chunk of Mutton Fat Jade Iron; it only got red-hot in the end.

"What is this rare treasure of yours? You sure have something there; it must be a mysterious product from the mountains, right?" Old Man Liu guessed immediately.