His steps made no sound, as if his feet were treading on cotton. After only a few paces, He Yiming was back outside the study.
The study door was not closed, and before He Yiming even entered, he saw Yuan Lixun standing before the desk, holding a brush and sketching something. Curious, he didn't startle her but instead flickered his figure, arriving silently behind her.
On the desk lay an open book detailing methods for cultivating true qi, alongside several vivid diagrams.
And there was Yuan Lixun, brush in hand, diligently copying everything from that book onto another sheet of paper.
Her handwriting was delicate and lovely, but what truly astonished He Yiming were the illustrations.
These drawings were almost identical to the originals, without the slightest deviation in even the most minute detail. With just one glance, He Yiming knew that Yuan Lixun’s draughtsmanship far surpassed his own, and her meticulous observation skills were equally unique.
Compared to her, He Yiming’s calligraphy and drawings were truly worlds apart.
Suddenly, He Yiming’s gaze shifted slightly, falling upon Yuan Lixun’s neck.
The alabaster neck visible above the collar of her garment seemed sculpted from marble, so white it made one desperately want to reach out and touch it. Her shapely shoulders swayed rhythmically in time with the movement of the brush in her hand.
She had poured her entire attention into the task at hand, thus failing to notice someone observing her.
It was precisely because of her total concentration that she radiated an inexplicable intellectual luminescence, momentarily causing even He Yiming to lose focus slightly.
Yuan Lixun moved a little more extensively, unfolding a sheet she had just finished copying and laying it gently at the corner of the desk.
She delicately balanced on her toes, her waist bending slightly, tracing a beautiful curve before He Yiming’s eyes.
As her elbow was about to brush against his body, He Yiming naturally drew in his waist and chest. For some reason, he suddenly began to savor this moment, even reluctant to disturb the woman so completely absorbed in transcribing the secret manual.
Abruptly, He Yiming realized he had unconsciously engaged the Breath-Holding Technique, a skill so potent that, even standing right behind Yuan Lixun, she would have no chance of detecting him.
His face flushed slightly, and He Yiming thought to himself, Do I have a penchant for eavesdropping?
Yuan Lixun lowered her head again, turning a page of the Shunfeng Er manual on the desk and resuming her copying.
And so He Yiming stood quietly behind her, silently watching her every move.
He couldn't quite articulate why he was doing this, only sensing that something deep within him had been gently stirred.
Finally, Yuan Lixun set down her brush, her cheeks slightly flushed, revealing a flicker of satisfied smile.
He Yiming snapped back to reality. His figure flickered once more, leaving the room soundlessly, like a phantom.
Yuan Lixun seemed to sense something. She looked up sharply to the side, but there was no trace of He Yiming; she merely shook her head slightly, assuming her intense focus had caused a momentary visual lapse.
He Yiming reached the corridor outside the study, put a bit of force into his step, and deliberately made a slight sound.
Yuan Lixun was already a practitioner at the fifth layer of Inner Strength. While that level of power was insignificant to He Yiming, the deliberately emphasized footsteps would certainly reach her ears clearly.
Sure enough, by the time He Yiming returned to the study entrance, Yuan Lixun had tidied everything away and was waiting with a gentle smile for his return.
“What were you doing?” He Yiming asked, feigning ignorance.
“Young Master, I saw you copying this book, but you left halfway to see Young Master Lin, so I took the liberty of finishing it for you,” Yuan Lixun replied softly, lowering her head slightly.
Through their time together recently, both had developed a degree of understanding of the other. Yuan Lixun knew that although He Yiming was a Xiantian expert, he held no strange temperaments and was generally easy to deal with. It was precisely because of this that she had taken the initiative to copy the manual for him.
He Yiming nodded slightly, mock-formally approaching the desk, but when he saw the sheets of paper arranged there, his face couldn't help but redden slightly.
The first half was, naturally, what he had copied, which, when compared to the latter half, was rather unsophisticated.
Yuan Lixun’s gaze also fell upon the two sections of text; her expression shifted subtly, and she felt a flutter of anxiety.
After a moment of silence, He Yiming picked up the first half he had copied. He rubbed his hands together lightly, and a wisp of smoke curled up; the paper was instantly incinerated in his hands.
Then He Yiming pursed his lips and blew gently; a soft breath passed over, carrying the ash—now turned fine dust—and depositing it lightly into the waste receptacle in the corner.
Yuan Lixun opened her beautiful eyes wide in astonishment, filled with nothing but envy.
When martial techniques reach this level, they are truly godlike.
He Yiming then picked up the pages written by Yuan Lixun. Yuan Lixun’s heart tightened, unsure how he would handle them.
“Your writing is excellent, and your drawings are very good. Who did you learn from?” He Yiming inquired.
Yuan Lixun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied, “I learned my calligraphy and drawing alongside my younger brother, from the elders of our clan.”
“Your brother?” He Yiming paused, a cold sweat beading on his brow. After spending months with her, he hadn’t even known she had a brother.
“Yes, my own dear brother.” Yuan Lixun’s expression swiftly dimmed; clearly, this younger brother held a significant place in her heart.
He Yiming felt a strange, inexplicable disturbance within him but suppressed it immediately. “What is your brother’s name, and how is he faring in the clan?”
A look of distant memory flashed in Yuan Lixun’s eyes. Her soft voice carried a faint, ethereal quality: “My brother was an adorable child; his name is Yuan Lixiang. In the clan…” She paused, hesitating for a moment before finally saying, “I imagine his life now must be good.”
Although He Yiming was not highly versed in social graces, the meaning of that sentence was perfectly clear.
“Is he not living well?”
Yuan Lixiang hesitated: “Perhaps it wasn't good before, but now, it must be very good.” She raised her head, her eyes finally showing a flicker of resolve. “As long as I can remain by your side in service, his life will surely be fine.”
He Yiming nodded slightly, glanced at the manual on the desk, and said, “Copy this book again.” He turned, walked to the doorway, stopped, and suddenly added, “Since your calligraphy and drawing are so fine, you will be responsible for copying and organizing all the secret manuals I acquire in the future. Be absolutely certain not to make any mistakes.”
Yuan Lixun was startled at first, then seemed to grasp his meaning. She immediately lowered her head, murmuring in a voice like an insect’s chirp, “Yes… Young Master.”
When she had addressed him as ‘Young Master’ before, having long accepted her fate, it hadn't carried much weight. But today, for some unknown reason, she suddenly felt a strange sensation within her heart.
A faint blush quickly swept across her face. When she looked up again, He Yiming had inexplicably vanished.
Staring blankly ahead, after a long pause, she finally turned back to the desk and began to re-copy the first half of the Shunfeng Er manual. However, this time it took her exactly twice as long, and she made three errors during the process. When she finally finished copying and proofreading everything, her face was slightly flushed.
He Yiming’s words lingered in her mind—could that be considered a promise?
In a sudden rush, she covered her reddening face, wondering with surprise what had come over her.
Entering his own room, He Yiming took out the secret manual delivered by Lin Taoli.
His gaze fell upon the book, and he suddenly realized his mind was wandering slightly. He sharply composed himself, took a deep breath, and his powerful willpower immediately took effect. Within a single breath, he had completely reined in his thoughts.
Placing the two books on the desk, He Yiming began flipping through them page by page. His first priority was to check if there were any differences between the two volumes.
Although the possibility was slim, he could not afford to be careless.
His movements were extremely fast; fully engrossed, he only needed a quick glance to determine if any page differed from the original.
In less than half an hour, he finished his comparison. The two manuals were identical, without the slightest error, even the diagrams matching perfectly. The copier's dedication was profound.
Putting the original away, he slowly examined the copied manuscript in his hands.
This time, he read with genuine diligence. This manual recorded a total of five hand seal cultivation techniques.
Three were Earth-elemental: the Fudi Yin (Grounding Seal), the Fantian Yin (Heaven-Overturning Seal), and the Qingtian Yin (Sky-Propping Seal).
Two were Water-elemental: the Liushui Yin (Flowing Water Seal) and the Yunyu Yin (Cloud and Rain Seal).
Upon seeing the names of these five techniques, a flicker of excitement appeared in He Yiming’s eyes.
He had secretly learned portions of the Fudi Yin and the Yunyu Yin from Lin Taoli and, combining them with his own characteristics, created the Cangzhen Yin (Hidden Needle Seal), a technique encompassing both offense and defense.
However, after advancing to the Xiantian realm and using the Cangzhen Yin multiple times, he always felt that something was missing. This feeling intensified particularly after his epiphany on the mountaintop, when he created the Yunyu Feiteng Shu (Cloud and Rain Soaring Technique).
Therefore, he had long wished for an opportunity to examine the true versions of these two seal arts, and now his wish was finally granted.
Finding these two seal arts in the manual, He Yiming studied them piece by piece, constantly comparing the qi fluctuations with his own visualizations.
After a long while, He Yiming suddenly stood up. Remaining rooted to the spot, he raised both hands flat before him, and his hands began to transform abruptly.
At first, the speed was extremely fast, even creating afterimages that were impossible to track.
But as He Yiming’s movements became more practiced, the speed of his seals actually slowed down.
If the beginning was eightfold, or even sixteenfold, fast motion, now it was eightfold, or even sixteenfold, slow motion.
Every movement seemed as if it had to deliberate before execution, giving the sensation of something bizarre, like an old ox pulling a broken cart.
Yet, simultaneously, a dense, earth-like feeling emanated from his body. Though his movements were slow, they appeared exceptionally condensed and profound. His hands resembled massive ramparts, forming a moving, immortal Great Wall before him.
If anyone from the Lin family saw He Yiming’s movements at this moment, they would surely be struck dumb with awe.
Because what He Yiming was displaying was the Fudi Yin, and the true Fudi Yin belonging to a Xiantian level technique.
This seal art was inherently a supreme skill whose true power could not be unleashed by Houtian experts. What Lin Taoli displayed, and what He Yiming displayed now, were manifestations of two entirely different realms and powers.
Suddenly, He Yiming’s wrist flickered, and one seal knot paused abruptly.
Instantly, the invisible, powerful wall of energy before him dissolved into smoke.
He let out a soft sigh, a wry, helpless smile crossing his face. He realized he had not truly mastered the technique completely.
Learning a Xiantian technique required not just the application of Xiantian qi, but also the practitioner’s own comprehension of the art. Without grasping the profound truth contained within the technique, even the most powerful qi could not unleash its genuine might.
Although He Yiming’s physique was special, it too had not been fully developed, leading to some flaws in his practice of the Fudi Yin.
He frowned slightly, concentrating his thoughts, vaguely realizing this seal art was vast and profound; fully grasping it might prove no easier than the study of his own Yunyu arts.
He sighed inwardly, finally beginning to understand why Shui Xuanjin repeatedly cautioned against trying to learn too much at once—it was indeed true.
However, he remained unaware that if he revealed the speed at which he was learning the Fudi Yin, it would certainly terrify countless Xiantian masters.
For a first attempt at a Xiantian technique seal, being able to form an energy wall in a structured manner was beyond the imagination of ordinary Xiantian experts. Even a genius specializing solely in Earth-elemental techniques could not achieve this.
With a light sigh, his hands began to move again, but this time they were not forming the Fudi Yin. Instead, they executed the ethereal, traceless, and illusory Yunyu Yin.
Hand seal after hand seal formed in He Yiming’s hands. This sequence of seals moved like flowing water and clouds, without the slightest obstruction.
His eyes faintly glowed, suggesting he had already submerged his entire spirit into this set of hand gestures.
Slowly, his feet began to move too, treading out magical patterns in the narrow confines of the room. With the coordination of the footwork and the hand seals, his physical form seemed to disappear at this moment. The entire room was permeated instead by a mass of constantly shifting mist and cloud.
At this juncture, a feeling surged through He Yiming’s heart; he seemed to have touched upon the crucial point for a breakthrough in his fist techniques.
Recently, he had tried every means possible to integrate his comprehension of clouds and rain into his punches. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not achieve perfect fusion.
Even when using his great saber, he could manage it, yet he failed to successfully blend it into his martial arts repertoire.
However, after thoroughly reviewing the Yunyu Yin manual today, he experienced a flash of sudden understanding.
He vaguely felt that he was on the verge of that day’s epiphany; with just a little more effort, he could re-enter that state of enlightenment.
If he performed his fist techniques in that realm, he would certainly be able to seamlessly integrate the feeling of cloud and rain into his martial arts, just as he did with the great saber.
Yet, just as his hand seals linked together, reaching the peak of this particular movement, his actions stopped once more.
Because he suddenly sensed a slight conflict between the movement technique that accompanied his self-created Yunyu Feiteng Shu and the Yunyu Yin.
One technique was light and swift, unleashing rain sounds—drizzling endlessly, falling like an overwhelming shower, seemingly gentle, yet capable of covering every corner instantly.
The other was profoundly elusive, like the ever-changing clouds in the sky, lacking fixed form. But precisely because of this, when this movement technique paired with the Yunyu Yin, it allowed the power of the hand seals to be pushed to their absolute limit.
He Yiming could clearly perceive that if these two techniques could merge, their combined power would achieve a transcendental leap.
But the problem was, how easy was it to fuse two different Xiantian techniques into one?
Moreover, these two techniques gave him the feeling that they could merge, but they lacked a critical catalyst.
With a soft sigh, He Yiming gathered the manuals on the desk. Innumerable thoughts raced through his mind—the more one cultivates, the more worries one accrues.
He pushed the door open and strolled out of the room, his ears twitching suddenly. His figure flickered, and he instantly appeared outside the door.
There, a familiar figure paced anxiously. Seeing He Yiming suddenly appear before him, the man burst into joy. “Master He, you are finally out!”
He Yiming smiled slightly. “Mr. Xue, do you require my urgent attention?”
Xue Lie nodded repeatedly. “Master He, envoys from Kai Rong Kingdom have arrived in Tian Luo City. After they paid their respects to His Majesty, they requested an audience with our nation’s Guardian Master. His Majesty has agreed to host a state banquet at the palace tomorrow at noon and has requested Master to accompany him.”
He Yiming asked, surprised, “Are those people of particularly special status?”
“Yes. Among them are the Third Prince Zhan Zhichao and the Fifth Princess Zhan Zhiyan of Kai Rong Kingdom, and…” He paused, cautiously adding, “…and they are accompanied by Kai Rong Kingdom’s Guardian Master.”
He Yiming’s eyes immediately brightened. “And who might that be?”
“Cheng Fu. This man has been in the Xiantian realm for twenty years; he is one of the outstanding figures among the new generation of Xiantian experts.” Xue Lie spoke with concern: “Master He, you have met my master and should know about the physical changes he is undergoing. Now Cheng Fu’s visit is sudden, I fear…”
He Yiming waved a hand, interrupting him. “I understand, Mr. Xue. Please convey to your master that I, too, wish to meet the Xiantian Master from Kai Rong Kingdom. Request that he allow me to accompany him tomorrow.”
Xue Lie stepped back, bowed deeply and silently, all the way to the ground.