"Hah..." A violent roar burst from He Yihai's throat, striking the listeners like a thunderclap, leaving a numbing dread in their hearts.

With this shout, his movements suddenly accelerated manifold; his entire being thrashed about like a madman, his aura surging to its absolute peak. Countless phantom hands seemed to materialize abruptly in the sky, sweeping down in a suffocating deluge toward his opponent.

Yet, He Yixuan, locked in combat with him, remained utterly unmoved. His set of Mian Zhang (Soft Palms) was executed with flawless perfection; He Yiming could even sense that a small vortex had formed around his brother, absorbing any force from Yihai’s power, ensuring nothing returned.

Sure enough, after several minutes, He Yihai could no longer sustain such intense exertion. He retracted his palms, and the myriad palm shadows instantly vanished.

When He Yihai ceased his attack, He Yixuan did not press the advantage. He settled into a stance, poised and still, only the faintest glimmer of satisfied pride flickering in his eyes.

He Yihai sighed deeply. "Third Brother, sparring with you is truly tiresome."

Most people would not grasp the meaning behind his words, but He Yiming and several elders of the family understood perfectly. As a practitioner of a Fire-element cultivation technique, he had encountered a Water-element cultivator, and their foundational strengths were actually quite evenly matched. Under such circumstances, He Yihai was naturally filled with frustration.

He Yixuan chuckled darkly. "Second Brother, if you simply switched to cultivating Wood-element techniques, wouldn't you surpass your little brother?"

He Yihai’s thick eyebrows shot up, his eyes widened, and then he broke into laughter, a faint smile touching the faces of He Wude and the others as well. The Third Brother's suggestion was pure jest. Switching one's primary elemental cultivation method was never a simple matter; only an imbecile, or someone like He Yiming who had been trapped at the peak of a certain stage for an extended period, would even consider trying other arts.

However, this usually only happened around the fifth or sixth layer of mastery. Once a cultivation technique reached the seventh layer, practically no one would choose to abandon it.

Of course, there existed one legendary scenario where even peak masters might change their core practice: achieving extreme fortune and obtaining a supremely potent foundational internal energy manual. Perhaps then, in a moment of hotheadedness, someone might switch cultivation to this new art. But those blessed with such wretched luck were rarer than phoenix feathers or Qilin horns—essentially a thing of the past.

He Quanyi shook his head slightly. "Yihai, you lost. Go down. Yiming, it’s your turn."

He Yiming grimaced internally. It was finally his turn. He stood up, drew a deep breath, and walked forward with measured steps.

But at that moment, He Wude spoke up. "Wait a moment. Yixuan, you come down. Let Yihai face Yiming instead."

The old man’s words immediately piqued everyone's curiosity, especially those among the second and third generations whose internal energy cultivation had reached the sixth layer or above. They exchanged looks of profound bewilderment directed at the elder.

Although He Yihai had lost to He Yixuan in the spar, it wasn't due to a lack of skill, but rather the inherent disadvantage of his technique being countered. Everyone knew that He Yiming cultivated a Metal-element technique. While facing Yixuan would be a pure test of strength, confronting Yihai would mean being countered by him instead.

For a moment, those senior members exchanged glances, unable to fathom the elder’s intention.

But since the decree came from the elder himself, naturally, no one dared object.

He Yixuan stepped off the platform looking perplexed, blinking twice at Yiming and murmuring softly, "Be careful."

He Yiming nodded firmly, giving him a reassuring gesture. To be honest, with his current internal energy cultivation already hitting eighty percent capacity, how could he take this kind of sparring seriously? His only hesitation was how much strength he should actually reveal.

Stepping into the center of the arena, He Yiming suddenly felt acutely uncomfortable. While he had participated in martial arts demonstrations before, those involved dozens or even hundreds of participants. Now, standing opposite He Yihai, he bore the focused gaze of hundreds of onlookers. For a fourteen-year-old youth, this feeling was novel, yet it presented considerable pressure.

His complexion flushed slightly as his internal energy flowed slowly, gradually calming the frantic beating of his once deer-like heart. He approached He Yihai, cupped his fists in greeting, and said, "Second Brother, please go easy on me."

He Yihai opened his mouth and laughed. "Little Sixth, I won't be holding back."

Startled slightly, He Yiming looked up in surprise. He saw He Yihai rubbing his hands together before stating, "For the past two years sparring with Yixuan, I’ve been completely stifled by his technique every time. And even when the two of us team up, we can't beat the Eldest. I’ve lost enough. This time, facing you, I must win."

He Yiming shook his head with a wry smile. Second Brother still possessed that fiercely straightforward temper; it was no wonder he chose a Fire-element cultivation art.

Upon He Quanyi’s command, both sides concentrated their energy, facing each other across the distance.

He Yihai roared, his palms whirling furiously, slicing through the air with explosive force as he struck toward Yiming.

This friendly competition among clan members was hardly a fight to the death. He Yihai and his brother had not expended much internal energy during their earlier bout, so their strikes now carried formidable power, with a faint redness even appearing on their palms.

He Yiming’s expression grew solemn. He crossed his fists, unleashing the full potential of his sixth-layer Metal-element internal energy. His Rolling Stone Fist flew in rapid succession. The figures of the two instantly interwove, engaged in a fierce exchange.

Under careful control, He Yiming's internal energy never surpassed the sixth layer, and the power of the Rolling Stone Fist was similarly kept at that level. However, after a brief period, the expressions of He Wude and the others began to shift slightly.

As He Yiming's fists blurred, his entire form carried an impression of dense, weighty solidity. And as his punches struck out, to the eyes of cultivators above the sixth layer who had mastered combat skills, he increasingly resembled a colossal, immovable boulder.

This giant stone seemed to spin in place, slowly rolling forward. Though its speed was not great, its direction never wavered or slowed.

He Quexin and his two brothers exchanged glances, their faces a mixture of surprise and delight.

They could see that the feeling He Yiming’s fist work imparted was because he had thoroughly grasped the true essence of the Rolling Stone Fist, causing them to perceive the sensation of a tumbling bedrock.

Solemn as stone, rolling forth like flight—this was the greatest mystery of the Rolling Stone Fist.

Though the core principles of this technique were widely known, among all those cultivating Metal-element arts, few ever managed to truly master it. Based on the experience and insight of the three brothers, those who could execute the Rolling Stone Fist to this degree were exceedingly rare.

They immediately recalled the incident half a year prior when He Yiming killed Hu Bin, realizing that it might not have been purely a fluke.

He Yihai grew more frustrated the longer they fought. Sixth Brother clearly cultivated a Metal-element technique, which logically should have been countered by his Fire-element art. Furthermore, Sixth Brother had only reached the sixth layer of internal energy a mere year ago. Yet, in this exchange, he inexplicably found himself at a disadvantage once more.

He Yihai’s face flushed faintly. Losing to Third Brother was due to elemental incompatibility, but to lose to Sixth Brother as well would mean utter disgrace.

With that thought, He Yihai’s expression grew intensely serious. His movements shifted; every punch he threw carried a surge of scorching gale, and even his skin began to glow faintly red.

He Yiming immediately felt a surge of pressure, but unfortunately, his limited experience prevented him from recognizing what technique Second Brother was employing. However, the execution of this art made him feel as if breathing itself was restricted. It was evident that this must be Second Brother's ultimate, hidden trump card.

His Rolling Stone Fist, even at this stage, felt as if it was on the verge of being broken. He instantly understood this was due to insufficient striking power.

Several thoughts flashed through his mind, and then a distinctly peculiar idea emerged.

He Yiming did not push the Rolling Stone Fist to the seventh layer's power, nor did he deploy the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting. Instead, he consciously converted the primordial Yuan energy swirling within him to the Rippling Wave technique.

In the next instant, He Yiming's movements seemed to ease slightly. The technique of his hands remained unchanged—still the steady, rock-rolling Metal-element fist style—but now, running beneath the surface was an element of ceaseless, flowing water, endless and gentle.

He Wude and the others first paused, then their eyes widened, revealing undisguised shock.

In their perception, He Yiming’s fist work had undergone a change that utterly baffled them. This was clearly the Metal-element Rolling Stone Fist, yet when deployed, it gave them the sensory impression of a vast river surging ceaselessly.

This was absolutely inconceivable. When had a Metal-element art ever felt like a Water-element technique? They exchanged glances, feeling that the world had truly gone mad...

And He Yihai, caught in the middle of it, suffered greatly. His full-power strikes felt as if they had plunged into a bog, unable to break free. After a moment more, he roared out, "Stop fighting!"

He Yiming immediately retracted his palms and retreated. He had just combined his Water-element internal energy with his Metal-element combat technique, yielding an unexpectedly profound result. Seeing his Second Brother flare up, he quickly backed far away.

He Yihai gasped for breath, looking at Yiming with an expression of the deepest gloom imaginable.

"Little Sixth, you are truly excellent. I concede."

Except for He Wude and a select few others, the rest of the crowd erupted in an uproar. No one could have predicted that He Yihai, who moments ago had been so magnificent and imposing, would admit defeat so readily.

As the crowd murmured amongst themselves like a flock of sparrows, a young man dressed in white rose and walked to the center of the arena, proclaiming loudly, "Sixth Brother, let's see how we fare."

Instantly, the entire rear courtyard fell silent. The challenger was none other than He Yitian, the foremost figure among the third-generation disciples.

Ps: It looks like the ranking chart changes this afternoon. The results afterward will depend on all you brothers and sisters. Thank you...