Moments later, He Yiming followed the massive stone above the water’s surface, finally breaking through. During this ascent, He Yiming managed to get a rough overview of the pool’s layout.

It appeared the area beneath the water was significantly larger than he had imagined. Moreover, judging by the water currents within, He Yiming vaguely sensed this was not a stagnant pool, but one connected to living water flowing from the outside.

“Plop…”

With a soft sound, the large stone finally cleared the water and continued its unhurried ascent, stopping only when it was about half a meter above the surface.

The milky white radiance emanating from the white stone suddenly expanded dramatically upon leaving the water, becoming several times larger in scope than it had been beneath the surface.

His expression shifted slightly. As the great stone lifted clear of the water, He Yiming clearly sensed his Shunfeng Er (Wind-Listening Ear) ability had vanished again. No matter how quickly his ears twitched, he could no longer hear the distant sounds of the wind.

He internally breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out there was such a divine object in this world. When he had used Shunfeng Er outside, he hadn't detected any other life form comparable to the Two-Headed Spirit Beast, which was why he assumed there was no possibility of an ambush here.

Now he understood that while he hadn't been ambushed, it had merely been sheer luck.

The miraculous technique of Shunfeng Er was indeed tremendously effective for eavesdropping, but it was not without its countermeasures.

If there had been another Spirit Beast of comparable strength to the Two-Headed Spirit Beast here, it would have been very difficult for He Yiming to escape unharmed under a surprise attack.

Henceforth, he must act with extreme caution; even the divine skill of Shunfeng Er could not be trusted one hundred percent.

He Yiming’s gaze sharpened. As he absorbed the strange, glowing energy, his vitality felt more abundant than ever before. The sense of weakness caused by that previous blow was instantly replenished. Not only that, but the Zhenqi (True Energy) within him was surging to its absolute peak. He even felt a peculiar sensation—that at this moment, he was undeniably vigorous and full of vigor, capable of unleashing the thirty-six stances of Kaishan (Mountain Splitting) powered by the Five Elements rotation several more times without issue.

At this point, he finally understood why the Two-Headed Spirit Beast could ceaselessly spew forth the forces of wind and fire under the shroud of the milky white light.

Although he was not a Spirit Beast, under this feeling of seemingly infinite energy, he too experienced a strange impulse to vomit blood.

It was as if his energy was so overwhelmingly abundant that he needed to expel some of it.

Shaking his head, He Yiming violently cast aside this bizarre, extreme thought. If his grandfather and the others knew he had generated such an idea inexplicably, he couldn't imagine how they would tease him.

A sudden thought struck him: If even he felt this way, what about Yuan Lixun, whose cultivation was far inferior to his?

His gaze shifted, and he paused slightly. Yuan Lixun was standing perfectly still where she was, her bright eyes quietly fixed on him, seemingly filled with an emotion that stirred his heart.

He scratched his scalp, suddenly snapping awake, and asked, "Lixun, how are you feeling?"

Yuan Lixun asked back with confusion, "What feeling?"

He Yiming looked at Yuan Lixun. She was standing right within the circle of milky white light, yet judging by her demeanor, she appeared completely unaffected.

Hesitating for a moment, He Yiming suddenly recalled descriptions of human vitality he had read in ancient texts. A flicker of hope appeared in his eyes. "Lixun, circulate your energy immediately and see if there are any changes."

Although Yuan Lixun felt extremely surprised, she did not defy He Yiming’s request. She immediately sat down and began practicing the inner strength cultivation method she followed.

He Yiming fixed his gaze on her face. Although his Shunfeng Er (supernatural ability) was useless, his eyesight remained, allowing him to easily discern Yuan Lixun’s condition.

A moment later, He Yiming secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed cultivating under the illumination of this mysterious light had no negative consequences, at least.

Slowly, a slight tension crept onto He Yiming’s face.

Because he could see that Yuan Lixun had pushed her inner strength to its peak and was about to impact the barrier to the sixth layer.

This situation had occurred several times when they cultivated together, but each time it had ended in failure.

However, this time, there was a distinct difference. When Yuan Lixun's inner strength struck this checkpoint, it met only a minor obstruction before immediately breaking through.

It was like opening the floodgates; the powerful inner strength submerged the barrier like towering waves.

He Yiming’s eyes narrowed. He looked up at the large stone floating above the pool, deep in thought.

Not long after, Yuan Lixun concluded her cultivation. Her face was filled with unconcealable excitement, her eyes and brows alight with an expression of utmost joy.

He Yiming deeply understood her current feelings, as he had experienced something similar himself.

"Young Master, is this large stone responsible?" Yuan Lixun asked excitedly after calming down slightly.

He Yiming nodded slightly. "Yes, it is precisely the effect of this object."

"What exactly is this thing?" A captivating glint suddenly appeared in Yuan Lixun’s eyes. "Can it help us break through barriers?"

He Yiming pondered for a moment, then slightly shook his head. "I don't know what this thing is, but it is clearly a priceless treasure. Perhaps we should chip some pieces off to study later."

Yuan Lixun was surprised. "Young Master, aren't you going to take all of it?"

He Yiming gave a wry smile. "This thing is far too large; we have no way to conceal it. Furthermore, given its magical effects, I am certain that the moment it appears before the world, countless people will covet it, which would truly be the source of disaster."

Yuan Lixun was not foolish. It was just that she had been too excited moments ago. Now that she had calmed down and thought carefully, her expression turned grave.

He Yiming’s gaze flickered toward the severed corpse of the Spirit Beast, and he suddenly recalled something. He asked, "Lixun, how did you get in here?"

Yuan Lixun’s face flushed slightly. "Young Master, I saw you fighting fiercely with this Spirit Beast in the outer valley. I also remembered that it was clearly heavily wounded initially, yet it became whole in the blink of an eye. So, I came to the inner valley and unexpectedly saw this large stone." Her eyes looked upwards; clearly, the impact of this large stone upon her was incomparable.

He Yiming frowned slightly. "How did you bypass us to enter the inner valley?"

The stone’s effective range was not large, confined only to the inner valley, but while he was entangled with the Two-Headed Spirit Beast in the outer valley, he was constantly alert with eyes and ears everywhere—how could Yuan Lixun have escaped his notice?

Yuan Lixun smiled faintly. "Young Master, I actually swam in."

He Yiming’s gaze remained filled with confusion.

Yuan Lixun extended her delicate fingers and pointed to the side. "This pool has a waterway leading outside. I didn't know before, but I thought I would try, and unexpectedly, this is how I entered." Her face grew redder, and she murmured, "I hadn't been out of the water for long when I saw this Spirit Beast rush in and begin recuperating in the white light. Then you arrived and began the battle, and relying on the stone's glow, it actually held its own. So I..."

He Yiming felt a surge of excitement in his heart. Yuan Lixun, having witnessed the power of this Spirit Beast, surely understood its might.

But even under such circumstances, she still unhesitatingly stepped forward and risked pulling this mysterious stone into the water.

If she hadn't done so, with the Two-Headed Spirit Beast gaining an endless supply of energy, even He Yiming couldn't claim to have a guaranteed victory.

With a deep sigh, He Yiming said, "Lixun, thank you."

Although his four words were soft, Yuan Lixun heard them clearly. Her face tinged with a blush, and her heart filled with a unique sense of satisfaction.

So, I am not entirely useless; I can help him too…

They stayed there for half a day. Aside from resting and drying their clothes, their main task was figuring out how to deal with the corpse of the Two-Headed Spirit Beast and the enormous, mysterious white stone.

Although He Yiming had previously killed four spirit creatures, dealing with corpses was a complete first for him.

Furthermore, He Yiming knew very well that to gain the maximum benefit from a Spirit Beast's remains, the method of processing was crucial.

After considering for a moment, He Yiming finally decided to pack up the severed body and deal with it after meeting his grandfather.

Finally, the two turned their attention to the white stone.

Removing it was quite simple; a light jump would allow one to grasp it and sink down until it settled on the ground.

The entire large stone was a solid entity, shaped like an irregularly rectangular coffin. However, this coffin was too large; if it could be split open, it could easily accommodate three He Yimings.

Such a massive block of stone possessed no weight, yet when touched, it felt like handling metal. Even He Yiming marveled at such a magical object in amazement.

Since the entire stone was so large, He Yiming naturally wasn't reserved. He tapped and knocked on the protruding areas and soon managed to break off a strip about the thickness of his thumb.

However, as this long strip broke away, another miracle occurred.

The fracture point suddenly began to writhe, and within moments, the crack had completely vanished, becoming perfectly smooth.

He Yiming’s eyes widened. Did this stone actually move?

He turned his head and simultaneously saw Yuan Lixun’s eyes, filled with horror.

"Young Master…"

"What is it?"

"Are there ghosts in this world?"

He Yiming contemplated for a long time. "I don't know. Why do you ask?"

"I, I'm scared of ghosts."

"Nonsense, so am I!"

"Then let's leave." Yuan Lixun cautiously suggested.

He Yiming pondered briefly. "Wait a moment."

He beckoned and retrieved the Dà Guāndāo (Great Broadsword) once more. He then took a deep breath, circulating the Five Elements Zhenqi within him. Starting from the evolving water-attribute wave technique, he instantly cycled through the Five Elements according to the principle of mutual generation, transforming into the metal-attribute Hunyuan Jin (Primordial Strength).

He raised his broadsword high, and an incredibly powerful, almost unbelievable aura suddenly erupted from him.

Under the pressure of this aura, Yuan Lixun could no longer resist and was forced back. But to her surprise, when she moved to the vicinity of the large stone, the pressure He Yiming emitted immediately weakened significantly; even with her newly achieved sixth layer of inner strength, she could barely withstand it.

With a loud roar from He Yiming, his Dà Guāndāo slashed out abruptly.

Before him, there seemed to manifest a massive blade light capable of splitting mountains and cleaving stones. As soon as this blade light appeared, it struck directly toward the distant cliff face.

A thunderous boom echoed, and the cliff face shattered, stones flying everywhere as if bombarded by high explosives, creating a cavern large enough to hold ten men.

He Yiming staggered, seemingly on the verge of collapse from exhaustion. However, he managed a quick step, planting his feet firmly. Then, his eyes flashed with brilliance, as if that strike had no effect on him whatsoever.

Yuan Lixun’s mouth dropped open in astonishment, and she looked down toward He Yiming's feet. Only then did she realize that as He Yiming unleashed that earth-shattering blow, he had kept his body within the milky white light radiating from the large white stone.

Having experienced the miraculous efficacy of the white stone before, Yuan Lixun naturally understood the reason, yet she couldn't fathom why He Yiming would suddenly do this.

He Yiming retracted his Dà Guāndāo, seeming to ponder something, and finally nodded with satisfaction.

Previously, when his grandfather was in grave danger, he had also unleashed this move, expending all his internal energy in an instant.

However, after that time, he had never performed such an extreme, ultimate, and powerful technique again.

Even when employing the circulation method of the thirty-six stances of Kaishan, the resulting power was never this immense.

Of course, he had practiced the Five Elements circulation combined with the thirty-six stances of Kaishan in private. But the resulting moves were only slightly more powerful; they lacked the aura and sheer force of igniting all one's Zhenqi in a desperate gamble.

It wasn't until that moment, when he saw Yuan Lixun fall into the water, that his mind went blank, unexpectedly allowing the Five Elements to circulate automatically, successfully unleashing all his inner energy. Otherwise, he couldn't have killed the Two-Headed Spirit Beast instantly with just one strike.

What He Yiming was contemplating now was this feeling—this technique of igniting all his Zhenqi in a single moment. If combined with the thirty-six stances of Kaishan, the resulting power would be considerable.

He Yiming vaguely sensed that this might be a self-contained ultimate skill, capable of contending with masters of higher realms.

Putting away his Dà Guāndāo, He Yiming felt more confident now than at any time before.

Because he had truly grasped the capability of this single strike. Although the price for unleashing it was immense, it was undeniable that this was akin to the Two-Headed Spirit Beast's ultimate life-saving move, the fusion of wind and fire. This strike had become his most powerful backing.

A sharp glint flashed across his eyes. If he encountered Cheng Fu now, once he unleashed this move, this innate master from the Kailong Kingdom would surely have no chance of withstanding it.

Seeing the mixture of relief and excitement on He Yiming’s face, Yuan Lixun understood with empathy.

She knew that only when a breakthrough occurred in his martial arts cultivation would He Yiming show such happiness.

This was an intense emotion, almost contagious, causing Yuan Lixun to feel cheerful as well.

The two exchanged smiles. Yuan Lixun looked toward the sky and suddenly said, "Young Master, it is getting late; we should return."

He Yiming nodded heavily. Since beginning the pursuit of the Two-Headed Spirit Beast, a full day had passed. He Yiwu De and He Laibao must have already returned to their rendezvous point.

According to He Yiming’s original plan, he wanted to stay near this white stone to study it thoroughly.

Given the stone's myriad of miraculous uses, it would be self-deception for He Yiming not to be tempted. Moreover, he dimly perceived that consistently cultivating near this white stone would bring immense benefits to the growth of his innate Zhenqi.

However, the moment He Yiming thought of the two elders anxiously waiting at the meeting spot, he lost all inclination to study martial arts techniques.

Hesitating briefly, he picked up his Dà Guāndāo and approached the stone wall from before, hacking down fiercely.

With the power of the Dà Guāndāo, splitting the entire mountain was impossible. But with its sharpness and He Yiming’s strength, after successive strikes, a huge stone cavern soon appeared, large enough to fit three white stones inside.

He Yiming pushed the stone into the recess, then used some large rocks to block the opening, and draped some vines around the area for concealment.

Though the result was somewhat crude, unless someone inspected it closely, no one would find the entrance or discover the secret hidden within.

Having done all this, He Yiming clapped his hands with satisfaction and washed them clean in the pool.

Without the slightest reservation, he lifted Yuan Lixun into his arms and rushed back the way they came.

Although He Yiming was unfamiliar with this forest, he remembered the path they had just traversed for a full day with perfect clarity.

He utilized the power of the wind to its extreme. Yuan Lixun felt as if she were soaring through the dense woods as if riding clouds and mist—an exceptionally wonderful sensation. In the man's arms, she felt a warmth that entered her very soul, and she wished this feeling could last forever, for all eternity…

P.S.: Caught up by a lustful fellow, sigh… Still soliciting votes; I demand seventy-two fat men treat me at the Annual Meeting.