He Yi Ming’s lightness skill was nothing special, but the sheer depth of his internal energy meant that even looking across the entirety of Taicang County, he could undoubtedly rank among the top three; thus, once he truly exerted himself running, he far surpassed any ordinary swift horse.

He did not immediately return to the He Family Estate, but instead made his way to the county seat, donned a disguise, and rented a large courtyard residence in an inn.

He still possessed several large silver ingots, and for a man of his age, possessing such wealth without conspicuously spending a bit would surely leave him with regrets. Therefore, seizing this opportunity to masquerade as a wealthy patron was entirely excusable.

Although Taicang County was not particularly prosperous—let alone compared to the entire Tianluo Kingdom, it wouldn't even rank high within Linlang Prefecture—the county seat was, after all, the center of the county.

Even in the poorest of places, there would be extraordinarily wealthy magnates dripping with riches. Among the several inns in the county town, there were a few high-end establishments, and the one He Yi Ming currently occupied was among them.

In a serene and quiet room, He Yi Ming opened the hand-copied secret manual before him.

He gazed at it quietly, occasionally closing his eyes and knitting his brows in deep thought. Some concepts had previously been only partially understood, but since his advancement to the peak of the Tenth Layer of Internal Energy, his comprehension of this energy had ascended to a new level.

Now, by cross-referencing what he pondered in his mind with this supreme foundational cultivation manual for internal energy, sudden enlightenment washed over him.

Compared to the Blazing Fire Art, the cultivation difficulty of the Withered Wood Art seemed a full measure harder.

Withered Wood, Withered Wood—since the name itself invoked decay, the function and characteristics of the technique became even more distinct.

Once one cultivated this art and achieved proficiency, the entire person would increasingly resemble a piece of deadwood. This referred not only to a change in temperament but also, reportedly, the body itself would undergo a corresponding transformation.

Upon reading this passage, even He Yi Ming could not help but hesitate slightly.

His personality was naturally reserved and disinclined toward flamboyance; even after advancing to the peak of the Tenth Layer of Internal Energy, he hadn't made a show of it to the world.

However, he was no ascetic monk. If he were to become as dull and unresponsive as a block of wood, that was certainly not what he desired.

As for the book’s description that the body would become increasingly lean and elongated, eventually resembling a tree trunk, he cared little about that.

After all, his physical constitution was unique, and he cultivated multiple techniques simultaneously; even if he deliberately tried to mold his physique into that of lumber, it would likely be difficult to maintain permanently.

Naturally, practicing the Withered Wood Art, despite the drawbacks of altering temperament and physique, also carried significant benefits.

The Wood element arts possessed the best healing capabilities among all cultivation methods. Once mastered, walking the world would be like having a physician constantly at hand—one who required no medicinal herbs yet could treat the vast majority of injuries.

When low in power and adventuring, most cultivators sought out like-minded companions. Among these friends, the most welcomed was invariably the one who cultivated a Wood element art. Furthermore, even if a battle erupted, the practitioner of the Wood Art was often the one everyone sought to protect.

Until the entire group was annihilated, there was generally no need for the Wood Art cultivator to rush into mortal combat.

As one of the supreme foundational arts within the Wood element system, the Withered Wood Art’s healing efficacy far surpassed that of common Wood element techniques. Although He Yi Ming had not personally tested this, he could surmise that the description was unlikely to be overly exaggerated.

If it lacked this distinguishing effect, on what grounds could the Withered Wood Art claim to be a top-tier Wood technique?

Besides healing prowess, the greatest specialty of the Withered Wood Art lay in its defensive capabilities.

Among the Five Element Arts, the Earth element was universally recognized as the foremost in defense. However, even within other elements, certain specialized techniques possessed defensive power comparable to first-rate Earth element internal energy arts.

The Withered Wood Art was one such technique. Once cultivated to the Great Completion stage, it could temper the body until it was as tough as an ancient tree, in no way inferior to the defense afforded by Earth element arts.

Of course, achieving that level of mastery in the Withered Wood Art was by no means a simple undertaking.

He Yi Ming analyzed every facet of the Withered Wood Art with thoroughness, reaching a point of complete understanding within his own mind.

He calmly set down the book and carefully tucked it back against his person. After a full day of reading, the contents of this manual were already deeply etched into his memory.

While it wasn't quite the exaggerated state he once entered where the shape of every character and the minutiae of every illustration were embedded in his mind, it was certainly more than sufficient for initiating his first cultivation session.

Concentrating his spirit and stilling his mind, He Yi Ming's entire being immediately entered a marvelous and profound state.

As his internal energy continued to rise, the speed at which he entered a deep state of cultivation became increasingly rapid.

Moreover, through the experiences of the past two years and discussions with his esteemed elder brothers, he had come to understand many things. Most cultivators found it difficult to fully quiet their minds when cultivating internal energy. Though they could practice in their normal state, the efficacy was vastly inferior to the speed achieved when their entire focus was dedicated to cultivation.

He Yi Ming's continuous breakthroughs over six months were inextricably linked to this state of practice.

It was precisely because he could effortlessly enter this fully immersive cultivation state that he could continually, within half a year, elevate his newly attained internal energy level in any given stage to its peak state, even touching the threshold of that stage’s limit.

Otherwise, after advancing beyond the Seventh Layer, the sheer accumulation of internal energy would require decades, if not centuries, to calculate; how could he possibly achieve what he did in a mere six months?

At this moment, as He Yi Ming’s thoughts converged on cultivation, the internal energy within his body became vibrant—an incomparably excited sensation that gradually spread throughout his whole being.

Slowly, his internal energy, his meridians, his blood, his five viscera, and even his entire body seemed to respond to the suggestion of his will.

I wish to cultivate...

This seemed to transform into an intense craving, plunging his entire person into a state of fervor and thirst.

A wisp of internal energy flowed from his Dantian, surging forth like a stream toward an unfamiliar meridian.

Almost instantly, under the impact of his immense internal power, this somewhat unfamiliar meridian was completely opened.

The human body is filled with countless mysteries. Although the meridians traversed by the Five Element Arts are not identical, they are not entirely without overlap.

With vast amounts of internal energy circulating ceaselessly within the body, many meridians had been traversed before; the difference lay only in the specific routes taken and the emphasis of the flow at the time.

This was not He Yi Ming’s first encounter with an unfamiliar cultivation method. In terms of the sheer number and complexity of techniques practiced, alongside the realms attained, for someone his age, he was virtually second to none.

Given such rich experience, he certainly wasn't going to make fundamental errors here.

First Layer, Second Layer, Third Layer...

As time passed, He Yi Ming’s progress through the cultivation layers of the Withered Wood Art continued to climb.

When he reached the Seventh Layer and beyond, his entire physical form seemed to begin withering. His body, previously balanced between plump and slender, suddenly began to shrink and condense, as if it had lost a massive amount of moisture or was afflicted with severe muscle atrophy.

Yet, He Yi Ming paid it no mind, acting as if he were completely oblivious, continuing to focus all his concentration on elevating this technique.

A day and a night passed, and He Yi Ming still practiced tirelessly.

By this time, his face appeared significantly gaunter. Even his tightly closed eyes seemed sunken inward. While he couldn't yet be described as skin and bone, encountering him would make it impossible for anyone to recognize his true features.

Although the Withered Wood Art was not a facial disguise technique, the effect it could produce was far more potent than the world's most powerful art of transformation.

The internal energy within him continued its ceaseless circulation; his breathing and heartbeat seemed to have completely ceased, an exhibition that was by no means inferior to the Breath Retention Art.

If he were to venture out in this state at night, he probably wouldn't need special makeup to create a ghostly appearance.

Finally, He Yi Ming’s eyes snapped open, and he slowly exhaled a long breath.

His eyeballs rotated slowly, having completely lost the nimbleness they once possessed. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon his skeletal arm. Looking at that terrifying limb where the veins bulged violently, he seemed momentarily unable to process what he saw.

After a long pause, a flicker of realization dawned in his eyes, quickly followed by a trace of unease.

Taking a deep breath, he abruptly shifted the internal energy within him to the Water element’s Ripple Art. Moments later, his muscles instantly became full and robust, as if by magic. Before long, his appearance was completely restored to normal.

Looking at his body, He Yi Ming finally understood.

The Withered Wood Art was somewhat similar to the Bone Dissolving Technique, as both could, to a certain extent, alter a person’s height, musculature, and other external attributes. The only difference was that when this technique was practiced to extreme depths, the resulting alteration was perhaps a little too drastic, bordering on chilling.

After careful consideration, he realized that although his appearance had normalized, if he were to continuously utilize the Withered Wood Art, or suddenly raise it to the Tenth Layer state during combat, his exterior would undergo the same transformation.

Under such circumstances, anyone with sight would immediately recognize the origins of this cultivation technique.

This was a signature technique even more conspicuous than the Blazing Fire Art.

However, since he had mastered the Tenth Layer of the Withered Wood Art, he would not abandon it; he would simply need to be more cautious when employing it in the future.

Besides, with other techniques serving as cover, it was fundamentally unlikely that anyone would suspect the truth.