In the He family manor, beneath the courtyard of every direct descendant, lay an independent basement. This subterranean space served as their training ground for martial techniques.

He Yiming opened the door to his assigned basement. Though it wasn't his first time entering this place, a wave of profound excitement washed over him. This was the first time he was here specifically to practice a martial technique manual.

He didn't begin immediately. Instead, he took out the technique manual and meticulously reread the Rolling Stone Fist scripture, ensuring every detail was firmly imprinted in his memory. Only then did he place the copied notebooks neatly inside a specially made iron cabinet.

Stepping back several paces, He Yiming assumed a stance and began to execute the forms dictated by the Rolling Stone Fist manual.

His internal energy instantly surged into both arms; they crossed and moved in a continuous chain of strikes while his body swayed with a prescribed rhythm. Among the Metal-element techniques, the Rolling Stone Fist wasn't the most overwhelmingly powerful in terms of sheer attack force, but in terms of offensive continuity, it was absolutely unique among Metal-element skills.

Once fully unleashed, the practitioner rolled forward like a colossal boulder. Especially when facing an enemy, if the momentum could not be halted in a short span, the Rolling Stone Fist would escalate in ferocity and power until the opponent was utterly broken.

The Rolling Stone Fist encompassed several routines, yet at the sixth level, one was only permitted to practice the very first sequence.

He Yiming performed it within the basement, occasionally snapping his arms across to strike forward, and at other times swinging his fists wide and broadly like giant mill wheels. The sound of surging fist wind echoed throughout the confined chamber.

In that moment, his entire consciousness was focused solely on this unique martial art. The internal energy within him raged and surged, pouring forth like water breaking through a sluice gate.

"Hoo... hoo..."

As He Yiming continuously cycled through the routine, the fist wind within the chamber grew increasingly sharp and fierce. When one sequence concluded, he did not pause; instead, he subtly increased the speed, bringing the coordination between the routine and his internal energy to an exquisitely subtle equilibrium—the two complementing each other, affording He Yiming a joyous sensation akin to a fish in water.

Finally, He Yiming arrived at a corner of the chamber just as this routine sequence ended once more. Completely absorbed, he delivered one final, heartfelt punch straight ahead.

With a sharp thud, He Yiming’s punch slammed heavily against the specially constructed movable wall of the chamber, instantly leaving behind a shallow indentation.

He Yiming snapped back from the realm of martial technique execution as if waking from a dream. He stared, dumbfounded, at the dent before him, almost refusing to believe it was his doing.

One had to remember that this chamber had been specially constructed by the He family Master for the cultivation of future generations. This particular movable wall was forged from refined steel, utterly unyielding, serving as the benchmark for all disciples to test their internal energy and the might of their techniques.

Let alone He Yiming’s internal energy cultivation, which had only just broken through to the sixth level; even if his power had reached the peak of the sixth level, he might not have been able to leave such a mark on the wall.

Glancing at his fist, which bore a slight redness and swelling, He Yiming frowned slightly. He immediately converted his internal energy into the Water-elemental Rippling Wave Skill, circulating layers of energy through the meridians in his fist. Moments later, the swelling vanished completely.

He looked again at the indentation, inwardly startled. For sixth-level internal energy to achieve such a result, there was only one explanation: the technique itself, and only when its power was brought to its absolute peak could such a feat be possible.

This thought gave He Yiming pause.

The Rolling Stone Fist was a Metal-elemental technique he had just begun to learn. Could it be that in such a short time, he had already mastered this skill to its apex?

Ordinary cultivators, upon first encountering any technique, needed careful contemplation and practice, gradually familiarizing themselves before they could coax out its inherent might bit by bit. Only after extended practice could they finally achieve its ultimate effect.

But He Yiming’s situation seemed decidedly different. After a moment of hesitation, he picked up the Rolling Stone Fist manual, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and then picked up the other book, the Gentle Palm manual.

His fingers lightly traced the pages of this new manual as he examined the text word by word.

He was certain he had never encountered this manual before, and he had only been working with Water-elemental internal energy for a mere two days. Yet, inexplicably, as he read the contents of the Gentle Palm technique, he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity, as if he had practiced this manual long ago.

A slight twitch played on the corner of He Yiming's mouth. He confirmed he wasn't losing his mind; he truly understood the text of this technique manual and grasped its core essence with startling clarity. Though it was merely a sensation, the feeling was intensely real.

With a strange expression, he set the manual down and moved to the center of the chamber. His internal energy immediately began to circulate rapidly according to the Water-elemental scripture, and his body moved with phantom-like grace.

Gentle Palm and Rolling Stone Fist belonged to two distinct elemental disciplines. One focused on yielding softness and defense, being offensive even within defense, possessing exceptional proficiency in leveraging an opponent’s force against them. The other was vigorous and heavy, its moves decidedly more attack-oriented than defense, capable of generating immense momentum against an opponent, preventing them from fully utilizing their own strength.

As He Yiming executed the Gentle Palm, a strange sound began to echo in the chamber—a sound resembling the hiss of a venomous snake, chilling the heart. He Yiming’s expression was intensely focused. While his movements were fluid and relaxed, appearing far less forceful than the Rolling Stone Fist, the rising aura within the chamber was in no way inferior to the Metal-elemental skill.

Suddenly, reaching a peak in his flow, He Yiming bounded forward several steps with feet moving like wind-whipped wheels, instantly arriving at the spot where the previous indentation lay, and lightly pressed out a palm strike.

There was no sound, but when He Yiming drew his hand back, a second, identical indentation appeared right next to the first one.

The depth of these two marks was nearly the same, though their appearance differed slightly.

The dent left by the Rolling Stone Fist looked somewhat distorted, and its area of impact was marginally wider—the result of immense destructive power erupting in an instant. The dent left by the Gentle Palm was smoother but superior in depth.

Looking at the marks etched into the activity wall—a structure as strong as bronze or iron—He Yiming felt a pang of regret. Had he learned either of these two techniques earlier, he could have beaten that Fox Bear nearly to death with a single strike when they encountered it.

This was the formidable power of martial techniques. If their true potential could be fully realized, even challenging opponents far above one's own rank became feasible.

Yet, if his memory served him correctly, both his father and his Third Brother had stated that practicing martial techniques was by no means easier than cultivating internal energy; it was described as arduous in the extreme. To bring the might of a single technique to its absolute peak often demanded even greater effort than advancing one's internal energy tier.

He rubbed his scalp, utterly perplexed. Was this what they called "arduous"?

After practicing the Gentle Palm, He Yiming was certain of one thing: he had indeed pushed the power of both techniques to their absolute zenith.

This certainty stemmed from having visited his Third Brother He Yixuan's secret chamber, where he had personally witnessed his brother practice the Gentle Palm, and had also seen the indentations his brother had left on the chamber wall.

In his estimation, both his brother’s execution of the Gentle Palm and the indentations left on the wall appeared inferior to his own.

This was not arrogance, but a fair assessment. He knew, however, that voicing this evaluation would likely bring him more trouble than praise.

Because he absolutely could not explain how he managed to bring these two techniques to their pinnacle within a single day. Even though it was only the peak of the sixth level, this was already an astonishing achievement. Furthermore, these were two techniques of different elemental attributes. Even a younger, more naive He Yiming understood that the probability of such an occurrence was far lower than him single-handedly running into a Fox Bear in the mountains.

Anxiety tightened in his chest. Increased strength was indeed beneficial, but for him, this kind of benefit felt like an unbearable burden.

He had entertained the thought of confiding in his elders, but that idea was ultimately dismissed. He knew clearly that his current situation was abnormal.

He vaguely suspected that this change was linked to the miraculous encounter at the bottom of the lake last time. Since that day, his performance transcended what the word "talent" could describe. If two words were needed to describe it, perhaps "monstrous" would be more fitting.

And that was the true reason he absolutely dared not speak of it...

Ps: Tomorrow is Monday. White Crane will post three updates on Monday: one chapter at midnight, one in the morning, and one in the evening. Tuesday will resume normal schedule. Brothers, please support with powerful recommendation tickets. Thank you ^_^