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Novel: [Night Without Boundaries]
Chapter 125: [The Book That Stumped the Ancestors]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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Qin Ming smiled. "Qingyue told me about it. I didn't expect it so soon."
"Who else could it be?" Meng Xinghai urged him to hurry and "test his skills."
Qin Ming nodded. "Actually, there are others. Tang Xumi, Hu Tingwen, Su Jingzhu, and the other Core Disciples owe me a renowned cultivation technique."
Those disciples had mentioned finding fragments of the Divine Ape Force, a branch of the illustrious Heavenly Light Force, in the Scripture Pavilion.
Whether they would honor their promise remained to be seen. Even if they did, they would likely deliver the book to Li Qingyue first.
"Not bad, kid," Meng Xinghai said. "You went out for a while and came back with quite the haul."
Qin Ming nodded, satisfied with his substantial gains.
Without wasting time, he quickly followed Meng Xinghai to meet the others.
In the antique-filled reception hall, bronze trees and three-legged cauldrons stood as ancient artifacts.
Mind-Calming Incense burned slowly in a censer, its wisps of smoke rising like silken threads.
An elderly man sat sipping tea.
Though his hair was snow-white, his complexion remained ruddy and his spirit vigorous.
Even Meng Xinghai addressed him respectfully as "Uncle Li."
Seeing this, Qin Ming instinctively lowered his seniority by another generation and respectfully greeted Master Li.
The old man's eyes opened and closed like two golden lanterns, radiating extraordinary vitality.
He rose with a smile and nodded, saying, "Excellent, good child. I came here specifically to thank you, Xiao Qin, for helping Qingyue successfully obtain the Near-Immortal Artifact."
This was clearly a member of a reclusive Noble Clan, and likely a close elder relative of Li Qingyue.
"Actually, I didn't contribute much," Qin Ming said modestly. "Even without me, Qingyue would have undoubtedly emerged victorious."
The old man chuckled, not pressing the matter further.
"This time, I've brought a special cultivation technique with a remarkable history, though it's exceedingly difficult to master."
He produced three sheets of paper. "Take your time to study these. There's no rush."
Qin Ming's curiosity was piqued.
What kind of technique would warrant such a high-ranking elder making a personal visit?
As he accepted the papers, he noticed they were freshly copied, the ink still faintly fragrant.
Li Qingyun spoke up: "This is an exact replica of the original, down to every stroke and dot, to ensure no hidden secrets are missed."
Qin Ming was taken aback by the elder's solemn demeanor.
This level of reverence suggested the scripture was truly extraordinary.
But Li Qingyun wasn't finished.
He produced three bronze coins, each bearing a faint humanoid figure etched with intricate lines.
"These correspond to the three pages of Scripture Paper," he explained. "They've been recreated to scale, even preserving the original blurriness."
Qin Ming nodded, his expression turning serious as he recognized the elder's meticulous attention to detail.
Holding the Scripture Paper, he compared it to the bronze coins, studying them intently.
Soon, his brow furrowed.
Who had written this scripture?
It was far too vague, discussing the physical body and spirit in broad, sweeping terms, with lofty, distant goals.
"Life as boundless as heaven and earth, without end..." Qin Ming read aloud, exhaling a heavy breath.
He was still practicing the Heavenly Light Force, having just embarked on the Path of Awakening, yet these three pages spoke of immortality.
Even the venerable elders of the Beyond the Mortal Realm and the supreme masters of the Secret Sect could not escape death; they all faced their final day.
Moreover, their lifespans were not particularly extravagant.
Most critically, Qin Ming felt these three pages were nothing but empty rhetoric!
The text offered no detailed techniques, its language vague and ambiguous, accompanied by three blurry diagrams that could be interpreted in countless ways.
If this weren't Li Qingyue's elder, Qin Ming would have dismissed him as a charlatan or con artist.
Li Qingyun sipped his tea and said, "Don't pressure yourself. There's plenty of time. This scripture has stumped countless scholars. Even those who gain some insight arrive at vastly different interpretations."
"What insights have others gleaned?" Qin Ming asked.
Li Qingyun replied, "Few manage to grasp anything at all. Those who do are invariably renowned figures. Some, in their twilight years, experience a sudden surge in vitality, effectively extending their lives by half a lifetime. Others, once dull-witted, achieve sudden enlightenment. Some with mediocre talent undergo a radical transformation of their innate constitution. And some, their physical bodies withered, find a second life through spiritual awakening."
He spoke with deep longing, his thoughts drifting into reverie.
Meng Xinghai added, "The individuals we're discussing are all legendary figures. Think of the Pure Yang Palace's Founding Master who revitalized the sect, the Yin-Yang Temple's ancient abbot, and the Five Elements Palace's founder, among others."
Qin Ming was stunned.
The contents of these three pages were far more significant than he had imagined, even involving historical figures.
"I need to examine this more closely," he said, his expression becoming unusually solemn.
He immersed himself completely, earnestly seeking to unravel its mysteries.
Li Qingyun reassured him, "There's no need to rush. I'll be here for half a month, so there's plenty of time. If your physical body or spirit experiences even a slight unusual sensation, it means you have an affinity with it and should be able to gain something. After all, that's how the historical figures started too—they initially only felt something slightly different. It was through years of practice and comprehension that they ultimately achieved a 'qualitative transformation.'"
Meng Xinghai explained the scripture's origins: it had been obtained from the deeper regions of the Night Mist World, accidentally discovered during the Great Pioneering Era.
However, only a select few had ever managed to gain anything from it.
Even those with profound cultivation might fail to comprehend it.
Take, for example, the Founding Master of the Heaven-Shattering Force.
His power was legendary, his physical strength reaching its absolute peak—he could practically tear the heavens apart.
Yet after studying the book for three years, he gained not a single insight and nearly tore it apart in frustration.
If someone hadn't intervened, even its special material wouldn't have saved the book from destruction.
Qin Ming studied it for an hour, his brow growing hot and throbbing with a dull ache.
He paused to rest.
Li Qingyun set down his teacup and said, "In a sense, this is a foundational scripture. It may not offer specific techniques, but it can provide profound insights and possibilities."
This scripture was considered particularly suitable for those pursuing the path of mutation, as most historical figures who had gained enlightenment from it were renowned practitioners of this path.
Seeing Qin Ming temporarily put down the three pages, Meng Xinghai added, "Even someone as powerful as that elder, Li Qingxu's master, who lived over a century ago, failed to gain anything from it. He was incredibly arrogant and studied the book for five years, yet ultimately achieved nothing. Rumor has it that his face remained darkened for over half a year afterward."
Qin Ming was astonished.
This book seemed to be far more famous than he had imagined.
Li Qingyun nodded. "Indeed. The original copy of this scripture is currently stored in the Beyond the Mortal Realm's Pure Land, where they have preserved it. However, it has been gathering dust in their scripture pavilion for many years."
This was frustrating.
A book crucial for the path of awakening had fallen into the hands of Outsiders, starkly illustrating the current disparity in status and progress between the two paths.
Meng Xinghai said, "In this era, according to public records, only a handful of individuals have gained even a sliver of insight from studying this book."
"It truly is difficult," Qin Ming murmured, resuming his reading. "In an entire era, only a few have managed to grasp even a fragment of its meaning."
He noticed his forehead growing warm again.
A thought struck him: "Could this be the so-called 'unusual sensation'?"
Li Qingyun nodded. "Even that's remarkable. Looking back over the past millennium, how many people have truly understood this book? To be precise, no one has ever fully comprehended the entire text. All have merely gleaned partial insights from specific passages."
Qin Ming paused again, taking a sip of tea to savor the sensation and observe any unusual changes within himself.
Meng Xinghai added, "The Li Family has temporarily hired Lu Zhen, a Core Disciple of the Yin-Yang Temple, to serve as a Golden Armor Guard and help Li Qingxu secure the Near-Immortal Artifact. In addition to offering the Yin-Yang Temple valuable treasures, the Li Family reportedly promised to arrange for Lu Zhen to visit the Beyond the Mortal Realm and study this book."
Although this book resided in the Beyond the Mortal Realm, it wasn't sealed away. With the right price, one could study it.
For instance, the Cui Family was actively arranging for Cui Chongxuan, who had mastered the Six Imperial Force, to visit the realm and meditate on the text.
As for Cui Chonghe, a Core Disciple of the Beyond the Mortal Realm and an undisputed seed-level talent, he had already studied the book.
Whether he gained any insight remained a mystery to outsiders.
Qin Ming, being an outsider himself, owed his opportunity to read the scripture entirely to Li Qingyue's efforts.
Meng Xinghai, worried that Qin Ming might struggle to comprehend the text, tried to reassure him: "Studying this scripture depends entirely on fate. Even the Founding Master of the Heaven-Shattering Force felt nothing from it, cursing and tossing it out the window. If it doesn't work out, we can always exchange it for another extraordinary technique."
"A Founding Master acting so... down-to-earth?" Qin Ming asked, surprised.
"You're missing the point," Meng Xinghai replied. "I'm telling you to relax."
"I am relaxed. My brow feels a little warm, though."
"Relaxation is good... Wait, what did you say?!"
"What did you say?!"
In an instant, both Meng Xinghai and Li Qingyun set down their teacups, their eyes gradually gleaming with a brilliant light as they stared intently at Qin Ming.
Qin Ming said, "I've grasped a preliminary sense, but it's still too faint. Let me ponder it further."
Li Qingyun abruptly stood up.
How many great figures had been stumped by this book?
Hailed as one of the most challenging ancient scriptures, it was said to be comprehensible only through "destined affinity."
In truth, not only the Founding Master of the Heaven-Shattering Force but also the Founding Master of the Six Imperial Force had secretly attempted to "ponder" it, only to end up completely baffled.
However, being a man of pride, that Founding Master had warned anyone who knew of his failure to keep it secret, threatening to cleave them into one hundred and eight pieces with the Six Imperial Heavenly Light if they dared to reveal it.
Li Qingyun himself had once studied three pages of the scripture in his youth, but without gaining any insight.
Now, witnessing a young man potentially unraveling its mysteries before his very eyes, how could he not be astonished?
This was akin to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with legendary figures!
Meng Xinghai's emotions surged.
Xiao Qin, the young man he had high hopes for, seemed to consistently exceed expectations. His performance in front of Uncle Li filled Meng Xinghai with a sense of pride.
He had initially expected Qin Ming to "fail miserably" this time, but the young man proved as formidable as ever, managing to extract some essence even from one of the most difficult ancient scriptures.
Qin Ming said, "I wasn't in the best state today. Comprehending it was extremely taxing—my forehead kept feeling hot and throbbing. But as I delved deeper, I felt like I grasped something. The three diagrams seem clearer now, different somehow."
"Even in a poor state, you can still comprehend parts of this ancient scripture?"
Li Qingyun asked skeptically, itching to ask Meng Xinghai if the young man always spoke this way.
Hearing this left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He had bathed, burned incense, and meditated in stillness, yet all his efforts had been futile.
It was truly infuriating!
Li Qingyun imagined how Li Qingxu's master and those old fogeys would react if they heard Qin Ming's words.
They'd probably want to jump out and beat him senseless.
"He does grasp scriptures remarkably quickly," Meng Xinghai said with a cough.
"I think my body is gradually heating up too," Qin Ming added, experiencing yet another novel sensation.
Li Qingyun couldn't sit still any longer.
Two unusual sensations in quick succession?
He had never heard of anyone exhibiting such a phenomenon before.
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END OF CHAPTER
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