Under the shallow night sky, Qin Ming dashed into the dense forest with a long-handled black-gold hammer slung over his back and a short sword at his side. His steps were swift, almost as if he were about to take flight.
A sense of urgency gripped him. Nobles from Chixia City had arrived, and once they entered the mountains, they would undoubtedly scour for various spiritual materials.
He could not afford to let others reach the Blood Bamboo Forest first; it was crucial to his rebirth.
As the night fog dissipated, the forest remained dim, but with his keen eyesight, Qin Ming could clearly see distant scenes.
"The Blood Bamboo Forest won't be easy to enter—it must harbor dangers," he mused.
Otherwise, figures like Feng Yian and Shao Chengfeng would have acted long ago, sparing themselves from regretful deaths.
"I'm getting restless," Qin Ming admitted to himself.
Snowflakes, cold and gentle, drifted onto him, some slipping into his collar. The chill calmed him, clearing the heat of his urgency.
Just moments ago, his hurried demeanor resembled that of Old Liu from the previous night, who had been desperate to grow wings and fly into the Blood Bamboo Forest to retrieve the frozen Blood Snakes.
"Steady the mind," Qin Ming muttered, slowing his pace and adjusting his breathing amidst the snowy mountains.
"Rebirth? It's not as if I can't achieve it without spiritual materials. With my own abilities, I'll manage to break through."
"An unsettled mind invites mistakes." His steps crunched steadily through the thick snow, each deliberate and calm. Gradually, his demeanor shifted to one of composure and coolheadedness.
The Blood Bamboo Forest undoubtedly harbored grave dangers. Figures like Fu Entao, who had undergone a second rebirth, had deterred even the patrol groups, signaling its peril.
Silently navigating through the forest, Qin Ming eventually unearthed a weathered book from a hidden spot. Its leather cover was frayed and its pages curled from frequent handling—a testament to its previous owner's dedication.
The book was thin yet brimming with antiquity. Its origins from Fu Entao were a mystery.
"Learning from the crystallized efforts of predecessors—this will still my mind." Qin Ming sat down in the forest and began reading.
Soon, the content gripped him entirely. Immersed in the text, he stood unconsciously, the book in one hand and the black-gold hammer in the other, swinging it like a blade.
Though a heavy weapon, in his hands, the hammer moved with the grace of a wooden practice blade, emanating an unrestrained beauty.
For rebirth, one had to practice specialized scriptures like the Black Night Meditation Technique or Qi Intent exercises, which improved physical attributes such as strength, flexibility, and speed.
Combat techniques, however, focused on maximizing one's physical capabilities for efficient offense and defense.
Although Qin Ming possessed exceptional physical qualities surpassing even the golden baseline, his combat skills lacked systematic training. Most of his techniques were unorthodox and pragmatic.
Some derived from movements he adapted from the New Rebirth Methods he practiced over the years, while others were borrowed from the village's experienced hunters.
Despite this, his battle prowess was formidable, honed through survival in the mountains against predatory beasts. In such a treacherous environment, where hesitation meant death, his instincts and improvisation had been sharpened to a deadly edge.
This unstructured fighting style made him unpredictable and deadly, as Fu Entao had experienced firsthand. Unable to discern a pattern in Qin Ming's attacks, Fu Entao had found him incredibly troublesome.
Now, combining his life-and-death experiences with the blade manual's insights, Qin Ming was entranced, his hands instinctively crafting new "blade forms."
As he practiced, the black-gold hammer swept the snow into swirling eddies, its force shattering a thick tree trunk with a single swing. The display was so violent that lurking creatures, which had been watching him, scattered in terror.
Even a mutated black tiger, over four meters long, turned tail and fled.
"Still lurking, are you?" Qin Ming sneered at a human-faced vulture hovering low over the trees. Its immense wingspan, spanning several meters, flapped menacingly, refusing to retreat.
Freshly inspired by the manual, Qin Ming executed a "Throwing Blade Form." His heavy hammer spun through the air like a bolt of night, striking the vulture mid-flight.
With a wet splatter, the vulture exploded into fragments, its remains raining down as blood and feathers.
Distant creatures witnessing this fled in panic, deeming the two-legged creature too ferocious to contend with.
"What an incredible technique!" Qin Ming praised, lifting the hammer to practice again.
This manual was like a beacon in the night fog, illuminating his path and integrating his rugged combat style into a refined, lethal art.
Engrossed, he lost track of time, his body moving instinctively. Though far from mastering the manual, his combat prowess had visibly advanced.
"This manual's value is immense," he mused, noting its mention of "Heavenly Radiance," a phenomenon appearing during the third rebirth.
Though symbolic of life's ascension, Heavenly Radiance was more than an ethereal glow; it endowed a unique strength called Radiance Force, capable of penetrating and tearing through even the toughest mutated beasts.
For now, Qin Ming turned his focus to a practical technique described in the manual—"Harmonizing with the World." Designed for self-preservation, it concealed one's life force, rendering them indistinguishable from ordinary beings.
He diligently studied its instructions, growing increasingly alarmed yet grateful for discovering it. High-level beings could perceive life energy at a glance, even in the dead of night, making concealment critical for survival.
"Blend into the world… Gradually obscure one's vitality… Faint like cold ash…" Qin Ming muttered, practicing until he reached an initial level of mastery.
He let out a long breath. Though he realized his over-cautiousness, he felt it better to err on the side of safety.
"Enough for one day," he decided, burying the manual securely before continuing toward the Blood Bamboo Forest.