Yu Jinglei’s body shot forward like a bolt of lightning. The swirling emerald green surrounding him intensified, manifesting into a colossal, cocoon-like shield around his form.

Unlike any opponent He Yiming had faced before, this protective barrier seemed tangible, striking the eye with a powerful, physical presence.

When Cheng Fu pushed his fire essence to its absolute limit, he could summon a true qi shield that shimmered like flames, but it was nowhere near comparable to the true qi enveloping Yu Jinglei.

Yet, even this nearly solid true qi shield began to show hairline fractures inches wide just as Yu Jinglei flew several zhang outward, the cracks spreading with alarming speed.

In the mere blink of an eye, the entire shield vanished as if it had never existed, shattering completely.

An unmistakable look of profound shock washed over Yu Jinglei’s face. His gaze fixed on the area still shrouded in dust, and in his eyes sparked a delight unseen for over a hundred years.

His retreat was lightning-fast; after flying back several zhang in the air, his feet finally found stable ground. But the instant his soles touched the earth, a light chime echoed outward from that point, sending countless fissures spreading like a spiderweb across the ground.

Only then did an unusual flush of red appear on his face, though it vanished quickly, leaving no trace behind.

Even with his level of power, absorbing He Yiming’s thunderous strike required him to divert a portion of the force into the ground beneath his feet. This revealed the sheer, terrifying might contained within He Yiming's recent blow.

A moment later, the swirling cloud of dust finally settled, returning the area to normal.

He Yiming leaned on his great broadsword, his gaze toward the old man before him filled with respect and awe.

Against this ultimate strike, fueled by all his strength, someone had finally managed to receive it intact. Moreover, judging by Yu Jinglei’s current demeanor, he seemed entirely unharmed.

The gulf between them was truly vast...

Folding and sheathing the broadsword, He Yiming bowed deeply. "Senior’s divine might is immeasurable and unfathomable. Your junior is utterly convinced."

Yu Jinglei offered a slight smile, inwardly muttering a sound of shame. In truth, absorbing that strike had caused him a slight internal injury, but with his cultivation, he could easily conceal it from He Yiming, this mere rookie of the Innate realm.

Of course, Yu Jinglei absolutely had to hide it from everyone. If it were known that a powerhouse from the Front Line realm had been wounded by an Innate Master from the Hundred Scattered Heavens during a fair contest, he would have no face left to show anyone.

"Yiming, you performed exceptionally well, far exceeding my expectations," Yu Jinglei sighed with deep emotion. "You should call me Martial Uncle, just like Elder Yao and the others."

He Yiming hesitated for a fraction of a second before readily agreeing, "Yes, Martial Uncle." He then asked, "Martial Uncle, your disciple knows that beyond the Innate realm lies the Divine Dao. Have you already stepped into the Divine Dao?"

He asked this because during their recent exchange, he had clearly sensed an insurmountable gap between them. The difference was so vast it was unimaginable—akin to a Post-Heaven master facing a true Innate Master.

Even a peak expert at the tenth layer of Post-Heaven internal energy, or a Post-Heaven powerhouse like Xue Lie who was just one step from entering the Innate realm, could not contend against a genuine Innate Master.

It was precisely this palpable feeling that He Yiming experienced at the final moment of clashing with Yu Jinglei. Otherwise, Yu Jinglei could never have successfully blocked He Yiming’s full-force attack.

Yu Jinglei paused, a peculiar expression flickering in his eyes.

He chuckled lightly. "Yiming, where did you learn that there is a Divine Dao beyond the Innate realm?"

He Yiming replied respectfully, "Your disciple heard of it from my grandfather’s mouth."

Yu Jinglei nodded slightly. "Yiming, I can tell you that the so-called Divine Dao is merely a legend, the result of generations of cultivators passing down rumors."

He Yiming felt intense curiosity. "Are you saying, Senior, that there is no Divine Dao beyond the Innate realm?"

Yu Jinglei hesitated. "I do not know for certain, but from what I know, the path of the Divine is ethereal and vague. Aside from ancient myths, no truly great figure in any written record has ever truly entered the Divine Dao."

He Yiming opened his mouth, and a flicker of disappointment immediately showed in his eyes.

The Divine Dao was nothing more than a myth.

After a long pause, He Yiming suddenly looked up. "Martial Uncle, since you are only an Innate Master, why did you feel so fundamentally different to me?"

Yu Jinglei took two steps forward. His movements were utterly casual, yet in He Yiming’s eyes, they possessed an aura of perfect flow, as if those few steps allowed him to make infinitesimal adjustments, integrating him seamlessly with the surrounding environment. Even though the surroundings were now battered and ruined, it seemed to have no bearing on the towering impression this old man made in his mind.

"Yiming, within the Innate realm, there isn't just one level," Yu Jinglei smiled faintly. "Experts who first enter the Innate realm will sense Innate True Qi and be able to perceive the three hundred and sixty Innate Acupoints hidden within their bodies."

He Yiming’s eyes lifted slightly, and the over three hundred acupoints within him stirred restlessly.

Although his final, full-force strike had depleted every ounce of his true qi, in the short time since, the formidable recovery capacity of an Innate Master allowed his true qi to absorb and condense once more.

Watching He Yiming calmly, Yu Jinglei made no attempt to hide the admiration in his eyes. "Your mastery over Innate True Qi and the Innate Acupoints has reached an incredibly high degree, and you have already opened the pathways between most of those points."

He Yiming frowned slightly. Did that imply that for other Innate Masters, there were blockages between these acupoints?

In his memory, though these miraculous acupoints varied in size, they were all interconnected.

However, knowing his own constitution was unique, He Yiming wisely chose not to question the matter immediately, instead lowering his gaze to avoid giving the old man any chance to notice his anomaly.

Yu Jinglei failed to notice and continued, "Those newly entering the Innate realm must first absorb the Innate True Qi corresponding to their own elemental affinity, and then focus on nourishing and opening the acupoints. However, the power attribute corresponding to each acupoint is different. While using true qi of other attributes can help these acupoints grow, the process will be agonizingly slow, and you will never be able to unleash their greatest might." He looked at He Yiming seriously. "Elder Yao mentioned that you possess cultivation talent in four of the four core Five Elements. Because of this, you hold an insurmountable innate advantage in this stage. But for you to achieve your current cultivation level so quickly after entering the Innate realm must be due to some sudden enlightenment, I presume."

He Yiming nodded humbly, sighing inwardly that experience truly was the best teacher. Yet, no matter how Yu Jinglei guessed, he could never imagine that the over three hundred Innate Acupoints on He Yiming's body were inherently unblocked and fully connected.

If not for this, even if He Yiming experienced ten more sudden enlightenments, he could never reach his current state.

But a constitution like his was unprecedented; Yu Jinglei could only attribute this miracle to He Yiming’s four-element simultaneous cultivation talent and his moment of enlightenment.

"Masters who have just entered the Innate realm, we call them Hundred Scattered Heavens," Yu Jinglei stated solemnly. "Though they are Innate experts, their acupoints are not yet fully connected, meaning they cannot unleash the full potential of their Innate True Qi." He paused, a flash of proud arrogance crossing his eyes. "If you can fully integrate all your acupoints, the Innate might you can exert will increase several times over. The one who achieves this is known as a Front Line expert."

He Yiming was thrilled, his eyebrows dancing. He asked gravely, "Martial Uncle, is successfully connecting all the acupoints enough to become a Front Line expert?"

"That is correct." Yu Jinglei suddenly shook his head, offering a wry smile. "Elder He, achieving that is far easier said than done."

He Yiming stopped short of speaking, but his mind was filled with doubt.

All his acupoints had long been successfully connected, but why had he not reached the Front Line realm Yu Jinglei described?

Yu Jinglei let out a soft sigh. "Elder He, though your talent is exceptional, possessing the ability to cultivate four of the five base elements, you must first fill those acupoints completely with true qi, reaching a state of saturation and overflow, before you can attempt that final step to connect them all."

He Yiming’s lips curved slightly outward. He offered no verbal objection, but a trace of dismissiveness flickered in his eyes.

Yu Jinglei’s brow furrowed slightly. This incredibly shrewd old man, who had lived over two centuries, was sharp enough to see immediately from He Yiming’s expression that he hadn't taken his words to heart.

"Elder He, do you know why Innate experts who have connected all their acupoints are called Front Line?"

He Yiming considered for a moment. "Your disciple does not know."

"The Innate Acupoints are the nexus where Heaven and Man meet. Successfully connecting them is undoubtedly an act against the heavens. Among the Hundred Scattered Heavens, fewer than one in ten succeed in this promotion. Failure results in a backlash of true qi. At best, the true qi is lost, rendering one a useless cripple forever; at worst, the body explodes, leaving no trace behind," Yu Jinglei’s expression turned intensely grave as he spoke each word deliberately. "A path of nine deaths for one life—a single thread between life and death—that is the Front Line..."

He Yiming’s scalp tingled faintly. Only then did he realize that reaching the Front Line realm was far more arduous than he had imagined.

He inwardly counted his blessings; since all his acupoints were already connected, what a tragic fate it would have been had he failed in the attempt to break through.

Suddenly, he recalled Yu Jinglei’s earlier words and had a flash of understanding.

"Martial Uncle, are you saying that to connect all the acupoints, one must first fill the acupoints with true qi?"

"Yes," Yu Jinglei confirmed without hesitation. "Before you feel that all your acupoints have reached the point of overflowing saturation, it is absolutely impossible for you to even attempt to connect them all."

He Yiming silently lowered his gaze; he now understood the core issue.

Although his acupoints were naturally connected from birth, the amount of true qi contained within each individual acupoint was insufficient. Under such circumstances, there could naturally be no promotion to the Front Line realm.

Yu Jinglei’s voice continued to ring in his ears: "The true qi of a Hundred Scattered Heavens expert is dispersed and not consolidated. But upon reaching the Front Line realm, one can link the true qi in all the acupoints. Compared to the former, the latter is worlds apart. Elder He, possessing such cultivation at your age is unique. But if you cannot advance further to break through to the Front Line, your future achievements will halt here."

He Yiming cupped his hands in a bow. "Many thanks for Martial Uncle's guidance. Your nephew will certainly exert his full effort and dare not slacken in the slightest."

Yu Jinglei smiled with satisfaction. "You should slowly nourish your acupoints and accumulate true qi. Fifty years at most should allow you to fill them completely. But even then, attempting to connect all your acupoints will still be fraught with immense danger. Whether you can pass that final hurdle will depend on individual fate and comprehension."

He Yiming replied solemnly, "Yiming understands."

Though his expression was serious, his mind was already at ease. For him, once the acupoints were filled with true qi, becoming a Front Line expert would be automatic.

For ordinary Hundred Scattered Heavens Masters, the path to connecting the acupoints was akin to walking through the gates of hell; for He Yiming, it posed no pressure whatsoever.

※※※※

The two conversed for a long while before returning the way they came.

After this battle, while Yu Jinglei had fully gauged the extent of He Yiming’s foundation, He Yiming himself gained even more insight.

Although the Front Line and the Hundred Scattered Heavens both fell under the Innate realm, the gap between them was staggeringly immense and incomparable.

This realization immediately quelled the pride that had begun to swell in his heart.

For He Yiming, this Supreme Elder Yu Jinglei had now become a target he was destined to pursue and surpass.

Upon returning to Spirit Medicine Peak, Yu Jinglei headed straight to find Daoist Yao, but He Yiming ignored such trivial matters. He walked toward his own courtyard, his mind consumed with how to accelerate the enhancement of his strength.

If he followed the normal cultivation methods, even utilizing Innate realm techniques every time, the amount of Innate True Qi he could absorb would be exceedingly limited—a mere drop in the ocean for his more than three hundred acupoints.

Though accumulation would eventually lead to success, the speed would be excruciatingly slow; it might indeed require fifty years of rigorous discipline.

If other Innate experts were aware of He Yiming’s current thoughts, they would surely weep in despair.

To be able to guarantee a breakthrough to the Front Line realm within fifty years would have made any other Hundred Scattered Heavens expert ecstatic.

His figure blurring slightly, he found himself unknowingly inside his courtyard.

There, Yuan Lixun was laying out bedding and clothing on the open ground to air them out, the sun overhead radiating scorching light, driving out all the residual dampness.

He Yiming's glance fell upon the rolled-up painting amidst the pile of clothes.

His heart skipped a beat; he immediately recognized it as the landscape scroll drawn by an Innate expert, which he had accidentally acquired in the capital of Tianluo Kingdom.

Within this scroll, the Innate Master seemed to have left behind some of his insights and experiences, but He Yiming had studied it repeatedly without ever truly grasping its profound mysteries.

Now, as his gaze settled on the painting, his steps abruptly halted, and as if guided by an unseen force, he walked toward that spot.

In a few strides, He Yiming reached the painting.

Under the harsh sunlight, everything on the scroll was revealed with crystalline clarity.

It was the first time He Yiming viewed the painting in such bright light, and he experienced a strange, novel sensation.

He raised his foot and began to pace slowly around the painting as the center point. In his perception, the vast, boundless sunlight seemed to transform into a powerful energy. Stimulated by this energy, the painting before him began to expand limitlessly.

Slowly, it seemed that even he himself was entering the mystical scene captured within the painting.

In a moment of hazy clarity, He Yiming understood a principle.

The person who created this painting was undoubtedly a master artisan of color and line, one who had even managed to imprint his Innate comprehension of the Dao of Wind and Cloud onto the paper surface through this medium.

However, truly discerning its secrets was not simple.

Previously, He Yiming had studied the painting in dim lamplight within a confined room, gaining nothing. Now, Yuan Lixun had inadvertently placed it under the direct sun, on this clear, beautiful day, accompanied by the sound of unknown birds chirping in the mountains, He Yiming’s mind suddenly cleared, establishing a strange resonance with the entire artwork under these conditions.

In his perception, the painting seemed to come alive, and he himself was no longer standing outside of it, but had stepped inside.

Within the painting, what greeted his eyes were majestic mountains and ridges that looked utterly real. He gently closed his eyes, seemingly listening to the soft whisper of the wind and the sound of trickling, gurgling spring water.

He calmly extended his hand, and this hand seemed to stretch infinitely. Across an unimaginable distance, he began to slowly caress the massive peaks.

At that moment, he no longer felt like a minuscule human, but had transformed into an incomparably powerful giant, whose hands were large enough to blot out the sky, rendering the infinitely tall mountains nothing more than the giant’s insignificant toys...