He Yiming's spirit seemed to enter a state of trance. He felt as if he saw a giant, and he kept striding forward, following in its footsteps.

Amidst this landscape, immense changes stirred within his heart.

He seemed to transform into the sky, into the earth, into the mountains and waters contained within, as if he had become the entire painting rendered by that person's brushstrokes.

He Yiming had no idea that the moment this thought surfaced in his mind, his body was simultaneously undergoing an unexpected transformation.

His body trembled slightly, and all his acupoints burst open, allowing the boundless power of heaven and earth to surge in like a tide.

Each acupoint became like a bottomless, constantly spinning black hole. As these black holes made contact with the madly surging True Qi from the outside, they began to spin even more violently. As the rotational speed accelerated, the immense suction force increased accordingly.

Centered on him, more and more of the power of heaven and earth was implicated, converging ceaselessly toward his direction.

※※※※

At the peak of Spirit Medicine Peak, Yu Jinglei's figure moved slightly, instantly appearing inside the cave dwelling of the Medicine Daoist.

The Medicine Daoist quickly stood up and respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings, Martial Uncle."

Yu Jinglei waved his hand, then immediately pulled out a jade bottle from his person. After uncapping it, he poured out a pellet the thickness of a little finger and swallowed it directly.

The Medicine Daoist's face abruptly changed, and he said in disbelief, "Martial Uncle, you are injured?"

Given the strength of a First Heaven realm master like Yu Jinglei, was there truly someone here who could wound him? Suddenly, the Medicine Daoist's eyes brightened, and he remembered He Yiming, who had left at the same time as Yu Jinglei.

However, even though He Yiming's strength was considerable, to think he could injure the Supreme Elder—that seemed beyond his capability.

While he was filled with astonishment, he heard Yu Jinglei let out a long sigh, "Elder Yao, the Elder He you recommended is indeed an unparalleled genius. He has reached this level without any guidance. Such a terrifyingly formidable genius, thankfully belongs to our Hengshan lineage."

The Medicine Daoist's face finally revealed a strange expression. Although Yu Jinglei had not answered his question directly, his constant praise for Elder He made it clear that his injury was indeed related to Elder He.

He suddenly recalled the situation when he had clashed with He Yiming, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

So, Elder He hadn't used his full strength back then. If he had gotten serious, his own fate...

The Medicine Daoist shook his head, driving that terrifying thought away.

"Martial Uncle, do you think Elder He has a chance to advance to the First Heaven realm?" the Medicine Daoist asked, a bit nervously.

For these reclusive sects, while the innate experts of the Hundred Dispersed Heaven realm were important, having a First Heaven realm master holding the fort was what truly made them unshakeable as Mount Tai.

Yu Jinglei hesitated for a moment and said, "Life and death on a single thread, the First Heaven. Whether he can successfully cross this sliver of vital opportunity, I cannot be certain. But he is so young, and the vitality and life force within him are equally vast. If even he cannot pass this trial, then it would truly be against all reason."

The Medicine Daoist’s face immediately lit up with joy, and he asked, "Martial Uncle, how many more years do you think Elder He needs before he can attempt the First Heaven realm?"

Yu Jinglei pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "If everything proceeds smoothly, within fifty years at most, he can reach the stage where all one hundred acupoints are full and overflowing."

The Medicine Daoist's eyes shone brightly; he fully understood the meaning behind the Supreme Elder's words.

The younger the person, the greater the life force within them. The difficulty for a Hundred Dispersed Heaven realm expert over a hundred, or even nearly two hundred years old, to successfully open all acupoints far exceeded that of an innate Hundred Dispersed Heaven expert under a hundred.

And what was even more terrifying was that He Yiming was currently not even twenty years old. Even if he spent fifty years absorbing innate True Qi, he would still be less than seventy.

Most innate masters hadn't even broken through the innate realm at that age.

Attempting to break into the First Heaven realm at the age of seventy, while not guaranteeing a hundred percent success, certainly wouldn't be a case of nine deaths to one life.

"Fifty years. Fifty years..." the Medicine Daoist murmured to himself.

Suddenly, a wave of heaven and earth fluctuation, reaching an extreme intensity, erupted from below Spirit Medicine Peak. Within this fluctuation, an extremely familiar aura was also transmitted.

Although they had not encountered this person's aura many times, anyone who had experienced it once would surely never forget it for their entire lives.

"This is..." The Medicine Daoist felt the surging tide-like changes in the power of heaven and earth, and asked uncertainly.

Although he had spent his life dealing with earth fire and medicinal herbs and possessed some special power gained through sudden enlightenment, he had never truly experienced such an epiphany. Therefore, upon sensing the immense power from afar, although his heart was filled with suspicion, he dared not confirm it absolutely.

An expression of disbelief flashed across Yu Jinglei's face. At this moment, he no longer cared about maintaining the image of a senior master.

He murmured, "Enlightenment, it is actually the realm of Sudden Enlightenment."

The Medicine Daoist's eyes lit up. "Martial Uncle, Elder He has attained enlightenment?"

Yu Jinglei nodded with a strange expression. To witness his enlightenment right after fighting with He Yiming—it truly brought forth a flood of complex emotions.

With a flicker of movement, Yu Jinglei left the Medicine Daoist's cave dwelling and dashed towards the mountainside.

The Medicine Daoist quickly followed. Although he had no similar experience, as an innate expert, he was filled with curiosity and yearning for such an event. Since he now had the opportunity to witness it, how could he possibly let it go?

In just a moment, they arrived outside the courtyard where He Yiming resided.

They did not enter the courtyard. Instead, they leaped high into the air and stood watch upon a towering tree outside the courtyard, observing He Yiming standing quietly in the center of the courtyard.

Under the sunlight, He Yiming's body seemed coated in a layer of golden radiance.

In a corner of the courtyard, Yuan Lixun watched He Yiming with a slight smile. She had witnessed a similar phenomenon emanating from him before, so she felt no surprise, only silently accompanying him and sensing the powerful aura continuously overflowing from He Yiming.

But in the eyes of Yu Jinglei and the Medicine Daoist, He Yiming was surrounded by swirling winds and clouds. The endless power of heaven and earth was intensely concentrated in this small area, creating a bizarre, multi-colored effect.

The two elders exchanged glances; if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it.

As innate experts, they understood that each color represented a specific type of heaven and earth power. Although the powers surrounding him were diverse, they did not believe He Yiming could absorb them all.

As for which attribute of power he was actually absorbing, only he himself knew.

However, the mere fact that such a strange spectacle could occur indicated one thing: these forces of heaven and earth were not rejecting He Yiming's body.

They exchanged glances, finally realizing the truth: He Yiming possessed such a wondrous constitution, exhibiting such peculiar affinity for the power of heaven and earth.

After a moment's thought, they immediately relaxed. Perhaps it was precisely this unique physique that allowed He Yiming to achieve such success at such a young age.

The sun slowly began to sink towards the west. A disciple from the Hengshan Spirit Medicine Peak approached the courtyard carrying a food box. As he reached the courtyard gate and extended a hand to knock, his vision suddenly blurred, and the hand he stretched out was firmly grasped.

He was startled, never imagining that someone on Spirit Medicine Peak would dare to attack him. But his reaction was extremely swift. The food box in his other hand instantly swung down towards the attacker's head, while his feet executed three consecutive kicks, each carrying a massive force of several thousand pounds. His mouth was not idle either; inner force instantly surged to his throat, about to alert his comrades to be wary.

This series of actions was entirely instinctive, performed without conscious thought.

However, just as he was about to shout, the food box was thrown, and his feet were launched, he finally saw the face of the person holding his arm.

Upon seeing that extremely familiar, almost demonic face, his heart was struck with profound terror.

Even if he racked his brain, he could not comprehend why this ancestor would suddenly appear here and grab his arm.

While he stood there at a loss, he watched the Medicine Daoist twist his wrist, and the food box smoothly appeared back in his hand as if by magic. Simultaneously, those kicks he launched all ended up striking empty air, nearly causing him to lose his balance.

His surprise reached its peak. The Medicine Daoist was clearly right in front of him, so why did those kicks hit nothing? Before he could puzzle this out, the inner force that had reached his throat dissipated naturally, and the shout he was about to utter vanished with it.

At this point, he froze for a moment before regaining his composure, bowing deeply to the Medicine Daoist. Then, he heard the Daoist say, "You go down first. I will arrange meals for Elder He's residence separately."

The disciple received the food box with meek compliance and respectfully turned to leave. Internally, however, he was quite excited.

After all, on Spirit Medicine Peak, although everyone recognized this unnaturally young-looking Elder, very few were qualified to receive his guidance. Today's experience would certainly make his peers intensely jealous.

The Medicine Daoist moved, returning to the tall tree, standing beside Yu Jinglei, and refocusing his gaze.

The realm of Sudden Enlightenment held an incomparably significant position for innate masters. Although the Medicine Daoist had never experienced it himself, being able to witness the process of enlightenment of an expert of the same level was a huge gain for him.

As evening fell, a slight sea of clouds appeared over Huangshan, further enhancing the splendor of the sunset. The slowly descending sun, with a mournful beauty, burned the surrounding evening glow to a blood red with its last effort.

The moment the last ray of sunlight vanished below the horizon, He Yiming, who had been standing still, suddenly moved.

His figure disappeared completely from sight almost immediately after that single movement. Even Yu Jinglei felt a sense of being unable to grasp him. His heart sank slightly. If he were to fight He Yiming now, he certainly wouldn't be defeated, but if he tried to compete with He Yiming in movement techniques, even as a First Heaven master, he feared he wouldn't be able to catch up.

A helpless, wry smile touched Yu Jinglei's lips. He didn't know what He Yiming had enlightened to achieve such a level of refinement in his movement skills. If that were combined with his great broadsword...

Yu Jinglei sighed inwardly. The foremost expert below the First Heaven realm had already appeared in Hengshan.

A sound like a fierce gale roared from within the courtyard. He Yiming had transformed into a pervasive wind, instantly sweeping through the entire courtyard. However, no matter how loud the wind sounded, it did not damage a single blade of grass or tree in the garden. It was as if the ferocious wind was merely an illusion, possessing no threatening power whatsoever.

This starkly contrasting feeling created a contradictory sense of extreme frustration.

Of course, only Yu Jinglei and the Medicine Daoist felt this way; Yuan Lixun in the corner continued to smile sweetly, completely unaware of the profound implications.

Finally, the omnipresent gale ceased, and He Yiming’s body reappeared in its original spot. He crouched down and carefully collected the scroll lying on the ground. His expression held a near-reverent quality.

Only then did Yuan Lixun walk over, still smiling faintly, "Congratulations, Young Master, for achieving such significant progress in the martial path."

He Yiming laughed heartily several times. In front of Yuan Lixun, he showed no concealment of his joy, nodding heavily towards her. A tacit understanding existed between them, one that only the involved parties could fully appreciate.

Yuan Lixun's face flushed slightly. Her gaze fell upon the clothes and bedding still hanging in the courtyard, and she exclaimed, "Oh dear, I forgot to bring in the laundry!"

He Yiming let out a silent laugh. His form flashed like lightning, once again transforming into a gust of wind, circling the courtyard once. Then, he reappeared in their sight, holding a large bundle of clothes and bedding, his head even buried beneath the pile.

Yuan Lixun was both amused and delighted. She quickly opened the door and said, "Young Master, be careful."

He Yiming stepped out in one motion and entered the bedroom, dumping the pile onto the bed.

Yuan Lixun said sincerely, "Young Master, you are truly amazing."

He Yiming asked in surprise, "You could tell?" With Yuan Lixun only at the sixth layer of Inner Strength, could she possibly comprehend the mysteries of the Innate Dao?

However, Yuan Lixun nodded seriously and said earnestly, "Young Master, your speed in gathering clothes is definitely the fastest."

He Yiming was instantly dumbfounded. His mouth twitched a few times as he looked at Yuan Lixun tidying the clothes by the bed, unsure of what to feel in his heart.

His ears twitched slightly, and he immediately heard the sound of digestive movement. After a moment's pause, he understood instantly. "Lixun, I'm stepping out for a moment. Wait for me."

With that, he left with the speed of a flying bird, leaving Yuan Lixun in the room staring blankly at the spot where he had been standing, her face a picture of bewildered confusion.

He Yiming left the courtyard and immediately soared up to the large tree, saying, "Yiming was reckless to disturb you two elders; I beg your forgiveness."

Yu Jinglei waved his hand grandly. "Elder He speaks lightly; such a fortunate event—I wish you would disturb us once every day."

He Yiming silently rolled his eyes; experiencing enlightenment every day? The elder was truly joking.

The Medicine Daoist also nodded with a smile and inquired, "Elder He, what was the harvest from this enlightenment?"

He Yiming pondered for a moment and said, "The gains were substantial. The effect achieved by sudden enlightenment is indeed far beyond ordinary cultivation."

These words came from the bottom of his heart. Every time he experienced enlightenment, his own cultivation would surge significantly, and the foundation laid during the enlightenment was in no way inferior to the results accumulated through painstaking, slow cultivation. If enlightenment wasn't so ethereal and unpredictable, perhaps all innate experts would choose to travel widely to seek opportunities rather than diligently cultivating day after day for a century.

Yu Jinglei smiled, "Elder He, actually, it’s not just you who benefited greatly; Elder Yao and I also gained some insights."

The Medicine Daoist softly agreed, "Of course, our gains cannot be compared with yours, Elder He."

He Yiming blinked twice, and only then did he realize. No wonder these two, despite clearly feeling cautious and afraid of someone disturbing their enlightenment process, still refused to leave, choosing instead to watch personally from the tall tree. It turned out that the fluctuations in the power of heaven and earth triggered by his enlightenment process offered some realization for experts of their caliber.

However, all of this was irrelevant to him, and he couldn't care less about such trivial matters. After exchanging a few more pleasantries with the two elders, He Yiming said, "Martial Uncle Yu, Elder Yao, it is getting late. Your junior nephew will go to the kitchen to fetch some food and then take his leave."

Yu Jinglei and the other were naturally not going to stop him. But after He Yiming departed, a strange expression crossed both their faces.

With He Yiming's current strength, and having just completed his enlightenment and absorbed a vast amount of innate True Qi, could he still feel hungry?

Of course, these peripheral details only caused them a flicker of strangeness; they didn't truly dwell on it.

The two were silent for a long time. The Medicine Daoist suddenly asked, "Martial Uncle, you said Elder He needed fifty years of arduous cultivation to have a chance for all his acupoints to fill and overflow. What about now?"

Yu Jinglei was momentarily stunned, then broke into a series of wry smiles.

One sudden enlightenment was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate. Even he could not gauge how much progress He Yiming had made after this bout of enlightenment.

Unless he made another move to test him, a true conclusion could not be reached relying solely on visual observation.

"Elder He is exceptionally talented, far beyond what ordinary people can compare to," Yu Jinglei finally sighed. "I can no longer see through him..."

Ps: Just finished the meeting and dinner, sorry for the slight delay. Wipes sweat It is currently the period of the annual conference, apologies. I typed with Mao Ni and Seventy-Two this afternoon—one thousand words in three hours. What a tragedy! I must make up for it tonight. Also, continuing to ask for monthly votes, thank you ^_^