Under the sunlight, the colors of the mountain forest were so layered they were almost indiscernible—shades of dark green, emerald, pale azure, golden yellow, and even fiery red.

Somewhere deep within this ancient woodland, He Yiming suddenly expelled a breath, holding both fists level and extended, moving his entire body like an unyielding boulder as he practiced. With his movements, the air around him continuously snapped with loud cracking sounds, like a high-explosive machine constantly generating heart-stopping noise.

Upon hearing these terrifying sounds, the nearby animals all fled into the distance. They knew to avoid this harbinger of disaster who came to this spot monthly to practice his martial arts, keeping as far away as possible.

Rolling Stone Fist was merely an ordinary battle technique. Its tenth-level set of moves represented the true zenith of this skill. When displayed in He Yiming’s hands, the airflow surrounding him seemed to truly transform into a massive, rolling stone, moving precisely as his will dictated within that confined space.

Not a few people practiced the Rolling Stone Fist, but those who could master the technique to this degree were absolutely rare, one in ten thousand.

A moment later, the Rolling Stone Fist in He Yiming’s hands shifted abruptly. Though the structure remained that of the Rolling Stone Fist, the impression it gave was vastly different.

The aura of invincibility and irresistible force he projected suddenly changed; a fundamentally Metal-elemental boxing style was infused by him with an unexpected flavor of softness and ethereal fluidity.

After another pause, his thrusting fists suddenly transformed, and the absolutely authentic Soft Palm technique manifested in his hands. His two palms danced wildly, creating an overwhelming sensation capable of eclipsing the sky.

Perhaps fueled by his recent ascension to the tenth level peak, He Yiming’s excitement was high, his eyes subtly gleaming. The internal energy within him shifted again, causing his palms to glow faintly red, and the ambient temperature rose slightly. The Water-elemental Soft Palm took on a sweeping, prairie-fire momentum under his command.

To utilize Fire-elemental internal energy in conjunction with a Water-elemental technique—within the He Family Village, this might truly be considered a unique, pioneering feat.

Another moment passed, and He Yiming’s fist technique changed again. He no longer deliberately confined his movements to a single battle technique. He released his mind entirely, his fists and palms transforming ceaselessly; even he himself could not predict which move he would execute next.

At this juncture, He Yiming began to slowly integrate the Soft Palm into the Rolling Stone Fist.

If He Wude and the others had witnessed this scene, they surely would not have believed their eyes.

Instances of dual-element cultivation existed, but there was immense friction when switching between internal energies and battle techniques of different elements. Even cultivators devoted to this path for decades dared not casually switch their techniques mid-combat.

Yet, He Yiming paid it no mind. These two different elemental techniques shone brilliantly under his control, their transitions as natural as if they were components of a single art, showing seemingly not a single flaw.

If someone had cultivated these two battle techniques for decades and also possessed dual affinity for Metal and Water energies, perhaps they might manage seamless transitions in combat. But to achieve the flawless unity He Yiming displayed now—as if it were one unified method—that remained a monumental challenge.

Simultaneously, within He Yiming’s body, the circulation of internal energy was no longer fixed. The Metal-elemental Primordial Harmony Energy, the Water-elemental Ripple Power, and the Fire-elemental Blazing Fire Art circulated through his meridians like wind-driven wheels.

The running of internal energy and the application of battle techniques were two entirely separate concepts.

With diligent effort, battle techniques, even those of different elements, could be employed concurrently. While the resulting power might not be significantly greater than using a single, cohesive technique, at least anyone could attempt it.

However, attempting to circulate internal energies of different elements within the body presented a difficulty far beyond the imagination of ordinary individuals.

Perhaps certain legendary cultivation methods could achieve this, but it was certainly not something a cultivator of He Yiming’s apparent standing should be able to manage.

And yet, He Yiming had done it. The three different methods circulated sequentially within him without any internal conflict or blockage. His meridians seemed like conduits capable of encompassing all things—whether water, oil, or natural gas flowed through them, there was no possibility of leakage.

Having reached this stage, He Yiming somewhat understood that this incredible state was due to his unique physical constitution.

Suddenly, He Yiming drew his fists back, his body stopping firmly on the spot, standing motionless like an old monk in deep meditation.

Just moments ago, when the three different elemental energies within him reached their maximum output, He Yiming suddenly felt that if he continued to move his fists like that, the situation from his earlier battle with the Golden-Crested Python—where all three energies erupted simultaneously, completely draining his internal reserves—would occur again.

Since that previous incident, he had attempted it many times, but the phenomenon remained elusive, like reflections on water or the moon.

However, the moment he sensed it occurring, he stopped abruptly, daring not to continue practicing.

It wasn't that he didn't yearn to master that earth-shattering, stunning single strike; it was that his current environment was unsuitable. Being alone in this dense forest, if he unleashed that thunderous strike, his internal energy would be utterly depleted, and he faced the real possibility of collapsing from exhaustion and losing consciousness.

If some wild beast happened upon him at that moment and devoured him, it would be the ultimate injustice.

Therefore, no matter how reluctant He Yiming was, he stilled his fists and stood, suppressing the surging excitement in his heart far below freezing point.

Slowly, his mind settled. He exhaled deeply, his thoughts racing.

When his internal energy was at the sixth level, no amount of cultivation produced this feeling. But upon advancing all three primary internal energy techniques to the tenth level, while madly practicing battle techniques and circulating the three energies in sequence, the opportunity and sensation for an all-out strike had suddenly arisen.

For him, this was undoubtedly great news. He felt absolute confidence that by continuing his research, he would certainly uncover the secret and firmly grasp its control.

Thoughtfully considering the previous moments, He Yiming suddenly had an inspiration. He recalled the sequence in which he circulated his internal energy: Primordial Harmony Energy first, followed by Ripple Power, and then the Blazing Fire Art.

When his energy shifted from Ripple Power to Blazing Fire Art, or from Blazing Fire Art back to Primordial Harmony Energy, he did not experience this feeling of simultaneous explosion. But when his energy transitioned from Primordial Harmony Energy to Ripple Power, the sensation arose naturally and grew progressively stronger.

Primordial Harmony Energy is Metal, and Ripple Power is Water. In the Five Elements theory, Metal generates Water...

His eyes lit up sharply. While this deduction might not be definitively correct, he certainly didn't mind testing it.

Testing it was straightforward: he just needed to select one primary Wood-elemental and one primary Earth-elemental internal energy technique, cultivate both to the tenth level, and then he could verify if his theory held true.

His body suddenly launched upward like a great bird, lightly tapping several times on the treetop before he rapidly descended toward the base of the mountain.

However, upon reaching the entrance of the village at the foot of the mountain, he calmed down.

Due to his unique constitution, once any single primary internal energy technique reached the tenth level, advancing other primary techniques of different elements to the tenth level became effortless.

Thus, cultivating two tenth-level Earth and Wood techniques—a task that seemed as difficult as ascending to heaven for others—was merely a trivial matter for him.

But now that his cultivation had reached this level, his perspective was far removed from before.

In his eyes, ordinary internal energy techniques had lost their appeal. Only top-tier methods comparable to the Xu family’s Blazing Fire Art were goals worthy of his pursuit.

The thought of the Xu family immediately brought to mind the night he attended the Cheng family’s birthday celebration, and furthermore, the half-year agreement made between the drunkard and the man in black.

The only other internal energy technique comparable to the Blazing Fire Art within the Xu family was the Withered Wood Art.

The other secret manual copied by that drunkard was, with one hundred percent certainty, the Withered Wood Art.

Unbidden, He Yiming’s thoughts fixated entirely on that manual. He seemed stuck on a single obsession, ignoring all other Wood-elemental techniques.

Yet, this was understandable. Having experienced the cultivation speed and might of the Blazing Fire Art, He Yiming already knew that the power of this peak Fire technique far surpassed that of Primordial Harmony Energy and Ripple Power.

It was like a person accustomed to delicacies suddenly being asked to eat plain vegetables and tofu—most people simply couldn't endure it.

His eyes darted around as he began to contemplate how he might steal that manual from the Xu Family Fortress.

If his internal energy had not reached the peak tenth level, he might not have dared entertain such a thought. After all, the Withered Wood Art was one of the Xu family’s two great divine arts. Attempting to steal this manual from the Xu Family Fortress was akin to plucking food from a tiger’s mouth—the prospects of survival were grim.

But now, his internal energy had advanced to the peak tenth level. Coupled with the mastery of combined technique application and the ultimate trump card of the Thirty-Six Earth-Splitting Forms, his ambition was naturally stirred.

As the saying went, great skill emboldens the brave. When one’s own strength reaches a certain magnitude, one’s courage increases correspondingly. Things previously unthinkable now began to enter his calculations.

With a thousand thoughts swirling, his footsteps never faltered until he arrived at his own courtyard. However, his expression suddenly changed, for he detected the presence of someone inside his room.

Looking up, he met the gaze of the person within and exclaimed in surprise, "Grandfather, why are you here?"

Ps: The Warring States Alchemist Lu Buwei, Author: Ni Tian Yaonie This book is currently being strongly recommended. Bai He has read it; it is indeed good, and it has a substantial word count, forty or fifty thousand characters. Brothers, go take a look; those who enjoy history should not be disappointed. ^_^ [bookid=1429437,bookname=《》]

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