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Novel: [Night Without Borders]
Chapter 50: [Third Awakening]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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Though it was Shallow Night, the dim light still allowed one to see clearly.
In his room, Qin Ming took a deep breath, exhaled the stale air, banished distracting thoughts, and brushed away the restless dust from his mind.
The sunstone, newly retrieved from its copper basin, glowed at its brightest. Its radiant light bathed Qin Ming's hair and illuminated the contours of his face.
Bathed in the Fireglow's reflection, even the windows and walls seemed gilded.
Qin Ming sat motionless, resembling a scene from ancient texts: a temple bathed in the golden hues of sunset, its roof tiles gleaming faintly, the Spiritual Statue within bathed in the evening glow, serene and tranquil.
Soon, he poured a portion of the pale golden liquid from the porcelain jar into a white bowl.
The rich, fragrant aroma, drawn from the essence of honey wine, was intoxicating even before he drank it.
Traveling merchants who had journeyed far and wide claimed that not even a single drop of this Essence from the Ant Nest could be bought for a Day Gold coin.
In the white bowl, the pale golden Spiritual Substance shimmered like condensed sunlight from the old world, radiating a soft, brilliant light. Wisps of golden mist curled upward, swirling around the liquid.
Qin Ming sealed the porcelain jar and drained the half-bowl of Spiritual Substance in one gulp.
His mouth filled with a sweet, honeyed fragrance, tinged with a subtle wine aroma that lingered endlessly.
This was a thousand times better than the bitter taste of the Blood Snake's gallbladder, leaving him craving another bowl.
In an instant, Qin Ming experienced its miraculous effects. His body rapidly heated up, the results immediate and striking, as if he had transformed into a living furnace.
He stepped into the courtyard, where the biting winter wind suddenly felt warm against his skin.
Snowflakes fell like a gentle spring rain, making him feel as if he had been transported to early spring.
Qin Ming's entire being radiated light.
The vitality of his flesh and blood surged, repelling the harsh winter chill and causing dense white mist to billow around him.
Drenched in sweat, his body glistened with a layer of Silver Light that seemed to melt into liquid silver before solidifying into countless golden needles that erupted from within him.
These golden needles threaded themselves through the silver clay, weaving through it even while he remained awake, forming the Golden Jade Garment—a phenomenon that had previously only occurred during his deep slumber.
"This is different from before," Qin Ming mused, carefully observing the extraordinary signs that had accompanied his initial Awakening, now undergoing a qualitative transformation.
He was certain: this was the process of converting into Heavenly Light.
He began moving in the courtyard, practicing the Awakening Techniques recorded in the Silk Scroll.
The movements of his body, the coordination of his breath, and the tempering of his spirit were all integral parts of the practice.
Qin Ming felt no fatigue as he tirelessly practiced the technique.
A refreshing Qi surged through him, and a dense vitality spread through his flesh and blood, even causing the corners of his eyes and eyebrows to glow.
He knew the Third Awakening had officially begun.
Heavenly Light was being born within him, triggering miraculous transformations.
"The ancients called this realm Rebirth, and they were right. Each significant improvement in physical attributes feels like undergoing a Postnatal Congenital Transformation."
The birth of Heavenly Light within the human body wasn't caused by superficial phenomena like the shimmering golden ripples on his skin.
Its true source lay deep within his core, the external manifestations merely symptoms of this profound internal shift.
At that moment, Qin Ming felt as if lightning had struck his heart.
With a thunderous roar, a blinding Heavenly Light erupted from his Sea of Heart, piercing directly into his flesh and blood.
This process then spread to his vital organs, each awakening in turn.
Some areas glowed like the dawn, radiating golden light and brimming with primordial vitality, while others resembled a starry river cascading into a dream, piercing through the mist to reveal constellations blazing with celestial brilliance.
Qin Ming's entire body radiated light.
Even his jet-black hair seemed to burn with luminous flames, and an intensely concentrated force of Awakening enveloped him completely.
Now, even his eyes emitted mysterious Heavenly Light.
This was the Third Awakening, and if fully realized, it would permeate every inch of his being—Heavenly Light born everywhere, present everywhere.
As the daylight gradually faded, Qin Ming grew increasingly calm, blending seamlessly with his surroundings. His movements flowed with effortless grace, devoid of any artificiality.
The Silk Scroll offered only a concise description of the Heavenly Light, focusing instead on the profound elevation of one's life essence.
"I was right," Qin Ming realized. "By consistently practicing the techniques recorded in the Silk Scroll, the Heavenly Light will naturally manifest, strengthening my Qi, Spirit, and vitality."
Though the Silk Scroll didn't explicitly detail the Heavenly Light, its emergence was inevitable, a result of diligent practice.
But what about the Heavenly Light Force? Qin Ming frowned.
The Heavenly Light Force, required specific cultivation techniques.
He could only hope that tonight, as he slept, childhood memories would resurface, allowing him to turn to the third page of the Silk Scroll for answers and resolve his doubts.
Next, Qin Ming began practicing combat techniques.
After a moment's thought, he discarded the Long-Handled Black Gold Hammer and gripped the wood-chopping knife instead.
Instantly, a cold light flashed as Qin Ming felt a radiant energy surging from within his flesh and blood, as if about to erupt.
"Hmm, could this be the birth of the Heavenly Light?"
He focused intently, combining sword techniques with unarmed combat, executing a series of highly efficient killing strikes.
Some of these movements were directly derived from his sword technique, creating thunderous gusts of wind in the courtyard.
It was only when Shallow Night was nearly over that Qin Ming finally paused, feeling a slight fatigue.
After dinner, Old Liu came knocking at the courtyard gate.
Though Qin Ming's body no longer glowed like a furnace, it still radiated a vibrant life force, its fresh aura reminiscent of all things newly sprung to life.
Old Liu stared in a daze, the mere sight of him evoking the illusion of melting ice and snow, sprouting grass and trees—a scene of flourishing vitality.
"You just... went straight into your Third Awakening without any preparation?" he asked in a hushed voice.
Qin Ming nodded.
After their journey through the Great Mountain, they knew each other's capabilities well enough to dispense with pretense.
Old Liu's envy was palpable.
"With Spiritual Substance in hand, why haven't you calmed your mind, focused your Spirit, and adjusted your state? What are you waiting for?" Qin Ming asked.
"You think everyone can just recklessly charge ahead and achieve Awakening like you?" Old Liu retorted.
Truth be told, he lacked confidence.
Even with the refined essence from the Ant Nest, he couldn't guarantee a successful Third Awakening.
After all, there was no predicting how far each individual could progress.
At the very least, the threshold of the First Awakening blocked ninety percent of aspirants.
Past sages estimated that even with Spiritual Substance, sixty to seventy percent would still fail to cross this initial barrier, unable to achieve even a single Awakening.
Clearly, achieving the First Awakening didn't guarantee smooth sailing.
Even with Spiritual Substance, sixty to seventy percent would be blocked again during the Second Awakening.
The same had happened during his Third Awakening.
How could Old Liu, at his advanced age, possibly have the confidence to succeed?
Qin Ming reassured him, trying to boost his spirits. "You need to believe you can definitely break through the entire Nascent Realm."
Old Liu sighed, lamenting his lifelong habit of faltering at crucial moments.
He could have undergone Awakening during his Golden Age, but an injury sustained in the mountains led to a severe illness that set him back half a year.
As a youth, he had traveled to Chi Xia City, poised to apprentice under a renowned master.
However, the elder had to leave unexpectedly and met a violent end on the edge of the desolate, eternally dark desert.
After returning home, Old Liu grew close to the veterans of the Mountain Patrol Group.
Once, they attempted to jointly acquire a mysterious resource, but barely had they entered the mountains when they encountered a rampaging Named Beast.
The aberrant, merely passing through without targeting them specifically, nearly annihilated their entire group.
Old Liu suffered severe Qi depletion, and his survival was nothing short of miraculous.
As Qin Ming listened to Old Liu's rambling, he couldn't help but wonder if the old man was truly cursed with bad luck.
"This mountain expedition with you is the only thing that's gone smoothly in ages," Old Liu sighed. "Everything else has been a series of setbacks and complications."
"You call that smooth sailing? It took four days to clear a single Ant Nest, and we even saw Flying Ants evolve that we'd never encountered before," Qin Ming said, giving him a peculiar look.
"How are the people around you? They haven't been affected, have they?" Qin Ming asked casually, not believing in superstitions or any of that nonsense.
"They're... alright," Old Liu replied hesitantly.
"What do you mean 'alright'?" Qin Ming asked suspiciously.
"Like you, I wasn't originally from this village. My grandfather on this side found me when I was six years old. Maybe because I was so young, I have no memory of my birth parents. I imagine they must have been struggling, or perhaps they're long gone. Otherwise, why would I have been abandoned in the icy wilderness? Strangely enough, despite severe frostbite, I somehow recovered and survived."
Qin Ming didn't know how to comfort him.
"Don't dwell on the past," he said. "I think you should go back and calm your mind. Drink the Spiritual Substance immediately, without hesitation. Seize the moment and achieve your Third Awakening in one go!"
"That's what I was thinking too. I need to be decisive!" Old Liu declared, pulling a porcelain jar from his chest.
He unscrewed the lid and gulped down the contents in one go.
Qin Ming stared in disbelief. "You just came here and started drinking? Why didn't you go home and calm down first?"
Old Liu replied, "I've felt things have been going so smoothly when I'm with you lately. I came to bask in your good fortune again."
He grew increasingly agitated, his body burning as if on fire, a luminous mist gradually rising from within him.
"This... I've actually succeeded!" He wanted to burst into laughter but had to suppress his voice.
Qin Ming said, "Don't be so superstitious. You always had this potential. You just created mental barriers that made you hesitant, afraid to take that final step."
"That's not how it works," Old Liu insisted, pointing at the night sky. "Some things you can't dismiss. I believe all my misfortunes stem from that bloodstained kite I saw as a foolish youth."
Qin Ming's expression turned serious.
"Exactly where was it?"
"Back then, I was standing by the Fire Spring at the village entrance. The kite must have drifted to the highest point above the center of Twin Tree Village..."
Before dawn broke, Old Liu wrapped his animal-hide coat tighter and sprinted back to his home.
Late that night, Qin Ming felt as if a Golden Jade Garment had materialized on his body.
He wondered if ancient emperors, who were buried in pearl-studded jade shrouds bound with golden threads in their quest for immortality, had heard something about this phenomenon.
Qin Ming fell into a deep sleep.
In the latter half of the night, he experienced the same half-dream, half-awake state as before, and saw his younger self again.
Still wearing his tattered clothes, he glanced down and noticed two toes peeking through the worn-out shoes.
This time, he finally caught a clear glimpse of the man speaking to him, though only briefly as the man leaned in to examine the Silk Scroll.
Qin Ming realized this must be a relative; they shared a resemblance.
The man appeared to be in his early fifties, with graying temples, calloused hands, and patched, worn-out clothes.
"Could this be my grandfather?" Qin Ming speculated.
With anticipation, the Silk Scroll flipped to the third page, revealing densely packed characters and human-shaped diagrams.
Yet there was still no mention of the Heavenly Light Force!
Following the Awakening Techniques described on the second page, the text quickly mentioned the five senses and primal intuition.
Qin Ming speculated that the fourth awakening might be related to perception.
"But what about the Heavenly Light Force?!" Qin Ming nearly broke out of his meditative state, almost waking from his dream.
Fortunately, he regained his composure and continued reading, memorizing the third page of the Silk Scroll.
Or perhaps it wasn't so much memorization as a reliving of his childhood experiences, resurfacing with his Third Awakening.
Then, he made a new discovery: a marginal note at the bottom of the page mentioned the Heavenly Light Force!
Qin Ming finished reading with a blank expression. "Why does this feel like it's scolding me?"
The first half of the note essentially said: "The Heavenly Light has already been born. Why can't you cultivate your own Heavenly Light Force?
The note then offered guidance in a single word: "Merge!"
The second half of the note was mocking: "Cultivating the techniques in this Silk Scroll requires a master to guide you. If, after being taught step-by-step, you remain so dull-witted, you might as well abandon the scroll."
"Curse me all you want," Qin Ming muttered as he awoke. "I cultivated it myself. No one guided me."
The deep night had receded, and a new day had dawned.
After breakfast, he immediately went to the courtyard to practice the Awakening Techniques from the Silk Scroll.
"Seek within yourself!" This key phrase had caught his eye on the third page of the scroll.
As he demonstrated the Awakening Technique, the Heavenly Light within him stirred restlessly, just as it had the previous day.
Finally, as if unable to contain itself, a mysterious ripple appeared on his fingertips and skin, erupting into Heavenly Light Force!
With a whoosh, the Wood-chopping knife flew into his hand the moment his fingers brushed the hilt.
He tested the force lightly, exerting only a slight pressure with his fingers.
The Heavenly Light Force surged forth, carving a large notch into the blade.
"This is no simple matter. I've finally cultivated my own Heavenly Light Force." He focused intently, testing it repeatedly. His thoughts naturally drifted to the Sword Manual, which also contained records of Heavenly Light.
During the Third Awakening, many struggled to master even a single type of Heavenly Light. Qin Ming believed his potential extended beyond just one, especially with the Three-Colored Flower in his possession.
Moreover, the Silk Scroll's commentary emphasized the word "fusion," clearly urging future practitioners to cultivate multiple forms of Heavenly Light.
Qin Ming heard the commotion at the village entrance.
As expected, the people from Golden Rooster Ridge had arrived, seeking to recruit Awakeners into their ranks.
"Everything's ready—all I need is a good sword!" Qin Ming retrieved the Jade Iron.
This mysterious resource didn't require laborious forging; simply melting it into a weapon would suffice, making the process much simpler and quicker.
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END OF CHAPTER
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