The hall, after a split second of silence, was immediately filled with an intensely peculiar atmosphere.

Everyone present had already discerned that Lin Taoli’s challenge to He Yitian carried no malice; it was merely another way for him to express support for the Cheng family.

For He Yitian to step forward, though it was certain he would be defeated by Lin Taoli, would not diminish his standing in the slightest.

After all, Lin Taoli was a supreme master who had defeated the Fourth Master of the Xu family.

Even the most reckless individual would not presume He Yitian possessed even a sliver of a chance against Lin Taoli.

Thus, in everyone’s estimation, He Yitian fighting, losing, and then letting the wedding proceed as planned was the proper course of action. Yet, no one anticipated that He Yiming would suddenly intervene halfway through.

The faces of the two He brothers, Quanming and Quanyi, shifted drastically. Having witnessed Lin Taoli’s true power, even with their utmost faith in Yiming, they couldn't believe he was a match for the man. Furthermore, they were utterly baffled; He Yiming usually conducted himself with considerable composure, so why was he acting so rashly today?

“Yiming, what nonsense is this? Come back immediately,” He Quanming shouted sternly.

He Yiming frowned slightly. His stepping forward was not motivated by a desire to show off, but rather by the profound attraction he felt towards the Fudi Yin (Subduing Earth Seal) that Lin Taoli had just displayed. He harbored a distinct, strange sensation—if he could master this miraculous technique, it would be of immense assistance in his own research on delivering a full-force strike without suffering subsequent collapse.

It was a notion sown by fate, but once it surfaced, it grew uncontrollably, sprouting like weeds after a spring rain.

Observing He Yiming’s behavior, He Quanyi cleared his throat lightly and said, “Yiming, Young Master Lin is merely offering guidance to Yitian. Why must you interfere? Come back.”

As Yiming’s father, He Quanming was entitled to rebuke him sharply, but given He Yiming’s current status and strength within the manor, even his uncle had to speak with a hint of pleading in his tone.

The elders from the Xu and Cheng families exchanged looks that betrayed a flicker of insight. He Quanyi’s tone and demeanor confirmed one thing: He Yiming’s position in the He family manor was undoubtedly extraordinary, at the very least on par with He Quanyi’s own standing. No wonder these two had allowed him a seat among the chief guests; their previous praise of him had not been an exaggeration.

“Haha, truly interesting,” Lin Taoli laughed twice atop the arena. “Young Brother He, since you wish to join, come up and have some fun.”

If anyone else had done this, Lin Taoli might have been displeased, but facing a mere fifteen-year-old who had already advanced to the peak of the Seventh Layer of Inner Strength, even he felt a spark of curiosity.

A wave of delight instantly washed over He Yiming’s face. In his heart, he was almost impatient to engage the opponent in a bout, to personally feel the might of the Fudi Yin secret art. For this goal, he felt an impulse to pay almost any price.

He possessed an inexplicable certainty: this style of secret art must consist of more than a single move, and only when held by him could this supreme technique truly unleash its full potential.

At that moment, the near-frenzied martial desire for exploration, hidden deep within He Yiming’s core, was fully ignited.

His body shifted slightly, and He Yiming approached the edge of the arena. He stamped his feet lightly, and in an instant, he leaped onto the stage.

His movements were not rapid, but they possessed a graceful fluidity, like flowing water, offering a pleasing spectacle to the onlookers.

“Good…”

A sound like rolling thunder erupted from the distant crowd.

He Yiming’s reputation was known to every soul in Taicang County.

During the arena battle at the street corner last year, where he had wounded Xu Yucai with a single palm strike, his prestige had surpassed that of his older brother, He Yitian, earning him the title of the foremost young expert among the Three Great Families. Although no one believed he could surpass Xu Xiangqian, his appearance still drew cheers from countless people.

Perhaps in their hearts, there lay an impractical hope—the wish to witness He Yiming defeat this outsider.

Lin Taoli stood on the platform with his hands clasped behind his back, quietly observing He Yiming. In his eyes, while the youth possessed commendable skill, it was only commendable. However, encountering such talent in this place was worth a trial. If he showed genuine potential for cultivation, then perhaps the family could extend an invitation for recruitment.

With the reputation of the Lin Family of Linlang, these minor families in Taicang County ought to be overwhelmed with flattery.

After stepping onto the stage, He Yiming bowed deeply to Lin Taoli and said earnestly, “I request Young Master Lin’s guidance.”

In saying this, his words were entirely sincere, but the underlying meaning was: Please use the Fudi Yin; I wish to secretly learn it.

Lin Taoli was quite pleased by He Yiming’s deferential manner, but if he had truly heard the boy’s inner thoughts, he might have instantly changed his tune.

After his bow, He Yiming straightened immediately. The divine light in his eyes condensed, and a sharp, piercing aura naturally radiated from his body, like a long sword honed by countless sharpenings, already drawn from its sheath.

He naturally dared not employ the Liehuo Gong (Blazing Fire Art) or the Kumu Gong (Withered Wood Art). To display these two techniques in full view of the public would surely invite immediate disaster. Not only would the Xu family become irreconcilable enemies, but even the Cheng family would have to reconsider the marriage alliance with the He family.

However, with his current strength, even using Hunyuan Jin (Primal Chaos Strength) would certainly not leave him weaker than others.

Sensing the intense aura emanating from He Yiming, the previously relaxed expression on Lin Taoli’s face finally gave way to a shade of solemnity.

He Yiming’s figure suddenly moved. He extended one hand forward, his thumb tucked in, the other four fingers held straight and sharp like a blade, thrusting toward his opponent like a spear.

This was not any specific battle technique, but a pure Inner Strength attack. However, He Yiming controlled his internal energy with perfect precision, mustering only the peak strength of the Seventh Layer.

Even without deploying any martial skill, this move drew gasps of astonishment from those watching nearby.

Fingers like a spear, the body as the shaft, stepping forward with a great stride, he subtly conveyed an overwhelming, forward-pressing momentum—a spirit of preferring to shatter into jade rather than remain intact like common tile.

This aura seemed to permeate every inch of space surrounding him, clearly articulating his resolve.

Everyone, from the deeply skilled Xu Yinjie to the ordinary folk who had never cultivated inner strength, was affected by this powerful presence.

With just this single step forward and the spear-like thrust of his fingers, he manifested a profound display of intent through action, radiating an intense martial presence outward to the periphery.

At that moment, the He Yiming in the crowd’s eyes seemed to vanish, replaced instead by a long spear—a spear imbued with infinite majesty, capable of piercing the earth and traversing the heavens.

Lin Taoli’s expression finally changed completely. This aura—what kind of aura was this?

His fists shifted, and his two hands instantly executed an impossibly complex and strange transformation. The potent, mysterious battle technique used to defend against the Liehuo Gong was brought forth in an instant.

Although He Yiming had only exerted the peak Inner Strength of the Seventh Layer, the spear-like palm he struck with fully released the utmost might of Metal element power in that moment.

Among the Five Elements, Metal energy is inherently sharp and peerless, capable of piercing anything.

Cultivators who wielded Metal power were long heralded as those possessing the greatest offensive capability in the world. In antiquity, once Metal element experts stepped onto the battlefield, they became invincible forces, sweeping all before them. No matter how dense the enemy formation ahead, it could not withstand the impact of Metal energy.

In an army, the very tip of the wedge formation was always the exclusive domain of Metal element cultivators.

If He Yiming were using a specific battle technique to bring out this characteristic of Metal power, then Lin Taoli and the others would not have been so horrified. But the problem was, He Yiming had made no conscious preparation; this seemingly casual palm strike had expressed the most fundamental aspect of Metal energy.

This feat—to casually express the primal characteristic of an elemental force with a single palm—was something that not only no one in Taicang County could achieve, but perhaps not even anyone in the entire Linlang Prefecture could replicate.

To effortlessly manifest the essential nature of a specific element with one strike meant that the person had completely grasped the essence of that power. From that point forward, that energy held no secrets from him, and his cultivation speed using it would be exponentially enhanced.

Based on this single palm, He Yiming’s status as a Metal element genius cultivator was cemented.

With a muffled boom, their palms met directly, without any deceptive flourish.

He Yiming’s palm, which seemed capable of splitting mountains and rocks, was abruptly halted upon contact with the Fudi Yin.

Those gestures, intricate to the extreme, seemed to conceal some mystical force, one that was particularly activated when facing an attack of absolute, sharp impact.

A sharp glint suddenly burst from He Yiming’s eyes. His thrust seemed blocked, but his Inner Strength had already surged into the opponent’s Fudi Yin, and through some subtle, unique sensation, he began exploring the secrets of that seal.

Lin Taoli felt that the incoming punch energy was unusual, but even if his life depended on it, he could never have guessed what He Yiming’s inner energy was actually doing.

To explore the intricacies of an opponent’s internal energy flow through the instant of physical contact—such a thing was unheard of, never even contemplated.

Yet, at this moment, relying on the instantaneous collision between his thrust and the Fudi Yin, He Yiming had already gained a rough understanding of its profoundly complex variations.

Ps: Recommendation votes are momentarily ahead, so please continue, brothers and sisters. White Crane will repay you with even better plot developments. Thank you…

Also, White Crane has stated that I only write to gain recognition from readers who enjoy this style. I merely wish to bring everyone happiness, joy, and a feeling of “satisfaction.”

I am not writing an immortal work to last a thousand years; this is simply my humble offering to everyone, striving for a knowing smile from you all at my pace of, at most, two thousand characters per hour.

Therefore, if readers spot anything they dislike, please just laugh it off and certainly do not over-analyze it!

Yesterday around seven o’clock, Little Tian added many excellent reviews ^_^ [bookid=1429437,bookname=《》]