Slowly placing the manual down, He Yiming withdrew his gaze, his eyes shifting with inscrutable emotion, a powerful, almost boiling sentiment rising within his chest.
In that moment, he recalled the times when his advancement was swift, drawing everyone’s attention in the family, the joyous smiles of his father, and the harmonious gaze of the Old Master.
However, having borne the hopes of too many, he finally couldn't sustain the pressure. Years of stagnation had caused his halo to gradually fade, and his standing within the clan seemed to decline year after year. Although no one deliberately showed it, the details still betrayed the shift.
The reason He Yiming often practiced late into the night these past few years was precisely this lingering, unquenchable frustration.
If things continued this way, perhaps the tragedy of fratricidal conflict might actually occur one day, and fortunately, this manual for the Ripple Technique today offered him a new beacon of hope.
His eyes, bright as starlight, slowly closed as the surging tide of emotion gradually subsided.
At this most critical juncture, He Yiming surprisingly achieved a state of complete relaxation.
He didn't understand how he reached this mental state, but he knew this state would be immensely beneficial for what he was about to attempt.
The blueprint for the sixth layer of the Ripple Technique flashed rapidly through his mind.
His internal meridians were swiftly flooded by the surging inner force; his Ripple Technique had, without him realizing it, reached the peak of the fifth layer.
Countless streams of inner force converged from every limb and bone, slowly gathering in his Dantian, then circulating along fixed pathways, one cycle after another, slowly accumulating immense energy within his body.
He Yiming was actually intending to assault the sixth layer tonight—a barrier he had failed to breach countless times.
Though this time he wasn't cultivating the Primordial Force, which he had practiced for a full eight years, and though he hadn't truly digested and mastered the insights shared by his Third Brother, his heart was filled with an absolute resolve to move forward and never retreat.
The bottleneck of the sixth layer, which had occupied his every waking moment for four years, was right before him; he had been trapped here for far too long...
The powerful inner force gently nourished the meridians within him. In this moment, He Yiming displayed a composure and steadiness that even felt strange to him.
Finally, when the internal force accumulated to its zenith, reaching the limit of his conscious control, the surging inner force, like water breaking through a dam, rushed toward the energy pathway of the sixth layer.
Although the circulation pathways of the Primordial Force and the sixth layer of the Ripple Technique were different, the difficulty in reaching this stage was nearly comparable. Relying on the experience of dozens of previous attempts, He Yiming suddenly felt a strange intuition: this assault would surely succeed.
A colossal sound, like thunder, abruptly echoed in his mind, and everything in He Yiming’s consciousness instantly changed, shifting in an instant to an entirely different scene.
He seemed to have returned to the moment he encountered the strange light the night before, countless pictures and visions flashing again in his mind, forcing him to re-experience that incomparably grand spectacle.
Finally, amidst lightning and thunder akin to the end of the world, He Yiming’s spiritual world returned to his body.
He Yiming’s body trembled slightly. The moment his spirit returned, he immediately sensed a profound difference within himself.
A new inner force pathway had been successfully opened within him. Inner force, now a measure stronger than before, flowed smoothly within him like running water, and his body felt as if it possessed inexhaustible strength.
He opened his eyes; the moonlight overhead had vanished, and his gaze had just captured the very first ray of the rising sun.
On the training grounds in the back courtyard of the Estate, the few third-generation disciples from yesterday were conducting their daily routines as usual. Today’s overseer was still He Quanyi.
However, his expression was far from pleasant, as He Yiming was absent again today, following his tardiness yesterday.
Glancing in a certain direction, He Quanyi felt a surge of frustrated anger, the feeling of being angry at someone for not living up to their potential. Yet, deep down, there was a hint of regret; had this promising talent been ruined by family pressure? Was there no chance for recovery?
Suddenly, a figure rushed over, arriving before He Quanyi in just a few swift movements.
He Quanyi’s face darkened. “Why are you late again today?”
He Yiming mumbled, “Third Uncle, I switched to cultivating the water-element Ripple Technique yesterday and misjudged the time.”
He Quanyi’s expression softened. “How is the cultivation going? Do you feel any resistance?”
He Yiming quickly shook his head. “No, everything feels normal.”
“Good.” He Quanyi nodded with satisfaction. “Cultivate diligently, and notify me immediately when you reach the first layer.”
He Yiming hesitated for a moment, finally nodding, yet remaining silent.
Although he desperately wanted to tell his Third Uncle that he had not only reached the first layer but had also broken through to the sixth, he dared not be certain of the treatment he would receive in the family if he told the truth.
After all, reaching the peak of the fifth layer and simultaneously breaking through the fifth layer in a single night was enough to send chills down one's spine just thinking about it.
He Quanyi waved his hand. “Go inside and train.”
He Yiming responded and joined the training session with his brothers and sisters. However, his mind was clearly not focused there. Although the movements were flawless due to years of habit, his thoughts remained somewhat scattered and unstable.
He Quanyi noticed this but didn't dwell on it. Perhaps it was one of the aftereffects of switching cultivation methods; once this nephew cleared his mind, he should be fine.
The morning drill ended quickly. After He Quanyi departed, He Yiming greeted Yi Tao and the two sisters, then immediately turned and left, giving He Yizhang and He Yiyu no chance to speak.
Watching He Yiming leave, a cold sneer played on He Yizhang's face, while He Yiyu looked troubled. It seemed Big Brother Six even hated him now—what undeserved trouble.
His eyes flickered; should he tell Big Brother and Second Brother? Those two had a good relationship with Brother Six.
He Yiming left the Estate directly. Glancing around to ensure no one was watching, he moved with nimble steps and began running up the mountain.
The large mountain behind the Manor was no mere hill but an entrance to an entire mountain range. Within this mountain lay countless treasures: spirit herbs that had grown for hundreds or thousands of years, ferocious and cunning beasts—all things that could ignite human greed.
However, the mountains also concealed immense danger. Apart from true hunters, few dared to venture deep into the range.
Since He Family Estate was built so close to the mountains, expeditions into them were frequent. Although He Yiming was only thirteen, he had entered the mountains at least four times a year since he was ten. While he couldn't claim to know the environment like the back of his hand, he was confident in defending himself as long as he didn't go too deep.
Of course, every previous expedition had been led by one of the second-generation members guiding the younger disciples. Today, however, He Yiming planned to enter the mountain alone.
Although the mountain path was rugged and difficult, in He Yiming’s eyes, it was manageable.
He channeled a stream of inner force into the meridians of his legs, immediately making him much more agile. Sometimes, with just a light tap of his toe on the ground, he could leap several meters away.
This was merely the most basic application of inner force, not considered a secret technique of movement.
According to the rules of the He Family Estate, among the direct descendants, only those who had cultivated their inner force to the sixth layer were permitted to enter the Scripture Repository to find martial arts manuals suitable for their cultivation. Prior to that, all energy had to be poured into inner force cultivation. This was because inner force was the foundation of all martial arts; only with strong inner force could one bring the full power of a technique into play. If the inner force was weak, even the most powerful technique in the world would be mere flashy posturing, easily defeated.
Of course, with equal inner force cultivation, extremely powerful martial arts could still create a significant gap. But once all attention was diverted to martial techniques, the cultivation of inner force would inevitably suffer.
This trade-off was indeed a persistent headache for all cultivators.
But He Yiming currently had no such worries. He ran happily across the ground. The sixth layer realm had not simply increased his inner force cultivation; it had also greatly enhanced his reaction speed and self-confidence. At this moment, he even possessed a powerful confidence that felt capable of challenging the heavens and earth.
After sprinting along the familiar path for a while, he entered the forest.
He Yiming came here because he wanted to test the true power of his newly attained sixth-layer Ripple Technique. If he tested it within the Estate, a slight mistake might alert others. After all, the Elder Ancestor of the Estate, He Wude, was a master whose inner force had reached the peak of the tenth level.
However, He Yiming was self-aware and did not venture into the deep wilderness, instead lingering in this peripheral area. He casually found a large tree that would take three people holding hands to encircle, stood several paces away, took a calm breath, raised his palm, and struck out with all his might.
The sixth-layer Ripple Technique surged out of his palm like a tide; in that instant, he unleashed its maximum power.
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