Yuan Lixun had just finished tidying the bedding and clothes. A strong fragrance drifted into her nose.

She looked up in surprise to see He Yiming already standing in the room, holding something even larger than a standard meal box in his hand.

He Yiming lightly weighed the food container, then smiled widely. "Lixun, let's eat together."

The sound He Yiming had heard moments before was precisely the movement of Yuan Lixun's stomach, brought on by hunger. As a Xiantian master, one could certainly go days without food or drink, but demanding the same of Yuan Lixun was simply out of the question.

Seeing the meal box in He Yiming's hand, Yuan Lixun paused slightly, then felt a warmth spread through her chest. Deep within her heart, she whispered, "Mother, following him was worth it..."

He Yiming was naturally unaware that this simple gesture had raised Yuan Lixun's favorable impression of him even higher. After they finished their meal under the candlelight, Yuan Lixun proactively gathered the utensils and sent them away.

Watching her lithe and delicate figure, He Yiming’s heart filled with a profound sense of satisfaction.

His thoughts slowly drifted back to his own body. He quietly sensed the changes brought about by this recent epiphany.

This epiphany could truly be called an accident, yet in this world, all epiphanies achieved by Xiantian experts were, in a sense, accidents.

Epiphanies were the stuff of dreams for all Xiantian masters, but not a single one could anticipate when such an event would occur. For them, it required countless years of accumulation, culminating in a breakthrough under a specific circumstance—a massive leap in cultivation within a single day.

In days past, Cheng Fu traveled tens of thousands of li barefoot, cultivating bitterly for twenty years among the turbulent Southern Border Archipelago. It was only upon witnessing a volcanic eruption that he attained his epiphany, leading him to create a fire-element cultivation technique that fused the essence of magma and sea of fire.

The creator of the Cloud-Rain Seal followed a similar path; without years of observation and comprehension of these natural wonders, entering that divine state would have been impossible.

But He Yiming was different. Despite lacking that breadth of experience, deep within his soul, it seemed the ultimate truths and the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth were somehow imprinted. When confronted with a scene that stirred his heart, a magical resonance would naturally arise, guiding him smoothly to this profound level.

And that painting served precisely as such a catalyst.

He wondered how the artist who created that painting had conceived it, managing to embed the entire comprehension of the flowing water of the Wind and Cloud Mountain Range into a single work.

Of course, if one’s cultivation was insufficient, or if their own path diverged significantly from the artist's, grasping the mysteries within would be impossible. But falling into He Yiming's hands, compounded by the scorching midday sun and the aftermath of a thoroughly satisfying battle, finally allowed him to perceive the profound meaning the painting sought to convey.

In that instant, he experienced another "epiphany."

Vast, seemingly boundless Zhenqi flooded into his body, pushing the Zhenqi his frame could absorb to a staggering degree.

Now, with the slightest stirring of his will, that immense Zhenqi raged through him like a tempest. All three hundred-plus acupoints were overflowing with Zhenqi.

However, it differed slightly from what Yu Jinglei had described. The Zhenqi within these acupoints did not possess distinct attributes; instead, like his Dantian, they were entirely black—resembling boundless black holes.

No, they were three hundred and sixty black holes capable of containing all forms of power.

In He Yiming's perception, these black holes hinted at a feeling of imminent saturation, as if a large water vat was filled right to the brim; adding just one more ladle would cause it to spill over.

Of course, this was merely his feeling, and who knew how much longer it would take to add that final ladle. It would certainly take far longer than He Yiming sensed.

Heaving a deep breath, the Zhenqi within He Yiming’s body stabilized, returning to its original state of quiescence. He understood that this inexplicable epiphany today had shortened his journey on the Martial Dao by at least several decades.

Once that final ladle of water was added, the concept of "water reaching its level" would manifest perfectly upon him.

He retrieved the painting from his embrace, unfolding it once more. He gazed quietly at everything depicted—the sky, the earth, the mountains, the water, the clouds, the mist… and the sound of wind and rain that seemed to exist within it.

After a long while, He Yiming slowly closed the painting, his eyes filled with reverence.

Though he did not know the author's name, one thing he was certain of: this person must have been an unprecedented, terrifyingly profound Xiantian Master.

Before this Xiantian Master, the powers He Yiming commanded were like a child's clumsy game, not even worthy of a glance.

He was not exaggerating in the least, for in depicting this scene, the artist had captured not the external landscape, but the hills and ravines of his own heart.

Within that person’s mind resided a world of its own, and he had mastered that domain of power entirely within himself.

Only then could he capture that domain of heaven and earth in ink and preserve it.

To contain a world within a human body and will—how astonishing! Even Yu Jinglei could never achieve such a feat.

Thus, even though Yu Jinglei and Medicine Daoist had both seen this ink painting on the great tree and sensed its extraordinary nature, they could never perceive the immense information it contained as He Yiming did.

The door gently opened, and He Yiming knew who had entered without needing to turn around.

Yuan Lixun approached a corner of the room, lit a stick of incense, and watched the wisp of smoke curl upward. She asked softly, "Young Master, are the lessons for today still to be done?"

He Yiming nodded steadily. "Of course they are." A hint of joy colored his voice. "Today's epiphany holds immense significance for me. Not only has my cultivation soared, but I have also grasped principles that were previously incomprehensible." He sighed softly. "It is a pity such opportunities are so rare."

Yuan Lixun nodded gracefully, joining him in reflection. "Indeed, Young Master, your epiphanies are too few. If one could happen daily, cultivating the Martial Dao would not be so arduous."

He Yiming paused slightly, then shared a knowing smile with Yuan Lixun. Although both knew this was an eternally unfulfillable wish, voicing it brightened their spirits considerably.

Yuan Lixun moved to He Yiming's side, settling down beside him as he had, and casually inquired, "Young Master, what principle did you come to understand?"

He Yiming adopted a serious expression. "I understood the principle of the myriad paths: to follow my own way."

Yuan Lixun blinked her beautiful eyes twice, her clear, bright gaze full of question marks.

He Yiming chuckled. "Before I came to Hengshan, Master Shui Xuanjin cautioned me. He said that phenomenal techniques and secret arts left by past masters are endless, and the elemental abilities that can reach their peak are countless. A person’s life is finite; mastering them all is impossible. Therefore, he advised me to choose one path to focus on, which would allow me to ascend to the peak of the Great Dao swiftly."

Yuan Lixun thought seriously for a moment. "Master Shui spoke truthfully."

He Yiming smiled slightly. "But when I met the Grand Elder Yu Jinglei of Hengshan today, he told me that because I possess the innate talent to cultivate four of the foundational Five Elements simultaneously, I hold an immense advantage in the Martial Dao, especially in nurturing the acupoints and traversing the Boundary of Life and Death."

Yuan Lixun's expression wavered. After brief consideration, she conceded, "Since it is the Grand Elder speaking, it must hold truth. Young Master should engrave that in your heart."

He Yiming laughed, a touch ruefully. "One piece of advice sounds reasonable, and the other also sounds reasonable. So, tell me, how should I choose?"

Yuan Lixun immediately furrowed her delicate brow. However, given her understanding of martial arts, answering this question would be like searching for fish in a tree—utterly impossible.

He Yiming reached out and gently smoothed the crease between her brows. "Don't overthink it. The answer is simple: listen to both, and yet listen to neither."

The look of astonishment in Yuan Lixun's eyes deepened. She had never expected such an ambiguous answer.

He Yiming explained calmly, his voice soft yet possessing a magical quality that gently lulled one into a dreamlike state.

"Every person is unique; every constitution is entirely independent. No matter how powerful the cultivation methods created by those predecessors, they were all devised based on their own physical characteristics. Even if later generations master these techniques to their peak, they cannot surpass the creators. Furthermore, everyone gains their own insights while practicing techniques. Those insights might be best for the individual, but they are not necessarily correct for others."

Indeed, there were never two perfectly identical humans in the world. Even identical twins possessed differences in certain aspects.

The same textbook, the same teaching method, yet the students produced still showed varying levels of excellence.

He Yiming only began to comprehend this after speaking with Yu Jinglei and experiencing today's epiphany. Without this fortune, he would still be adrift regarding the direction of his martial progress.

With a reverent gesture, He Yiming placed the painting in his hands. Slowly, his hands began to turn bright red. The paper resting on his palms, being merely ordinary material, curled, yellowed, scorched, and finally dissolved into black ash as the temperature steadily rose.

Yuan Lixun watched He Yiming in astonishment. She knew the value of the painting and understood that He Yiming’s breakthrough today was entirely due to it. Yet, she could not fathom why he would destroy it now.

She did not inquire, however, merely watching in silence.

He Yiming quietly observed the last of the black ash dissipate, his voice still low but imbued with an inexpressible resolve. "From this day forward, all secret arts and phenomenal techniques will serve as my reference. I shall forge a path entirely my own."

Yuan Lixun’s eyes instantly lit up. Only then did she grasp He Yiming's intent. This excessively young man intended to create his own path of martial endeavor.

For a moment, Yuan Lixun’s large eyes brimmed with admiration. She gazed upon the man before her as if he were her entire world.

After making his grand declaration, like an oath, He Yiming felt a sudden lightness. He glanced toward the nearly dissipated pile of black ash and thought to himself: Someday, I too will be able to paint a world...

In the blink of an eye, two months passed.

Spirit Medicine Peak remained peaceful. Although he had gained the approval of Grand Elder Yu Jinglei, He Yiming could have chosen any nearby mountain to construct a palace entirely for himself.

During this process, all thousand-plus members of the entire Hengshan lineage would unconditionally obey his commands. However, He Yiming did not make a grand display, choosing instead to remain on Spirit Medicine Peak.

Every day, aside from cultivating the Martial Dao, he consulted Medicine Daoist on the path of alchemy.

Medicine Daoist, immersed in this pursuit for over a hundred years, was overjoyed by He Yiming’s keen interest and naturally held nothing back, teaching him everything he knew. Perhaps his only worry was that He Yiming might suddenly lose interest, resulting in the loss of his life's accumulated knowledge.

In these two months, the only major event was the successful return of Elder Lian Yi from Feng Huo Peak, coming back from the distant forests.

However, his luck was evidently not great. Although he brought back a Spiritual Beast Inner Core, it was not one from a Xiantian beast over five hundred years old. For Hengshan, a place rich in spiritual energy, such an inner core was practically dispensable.

Because of their residence here, there was no shortage of disciples who, given outstanding talent, could cultivate to the peak of the tenth level of Inner Strength. This was precisely what the aristocratic disciples envied most.

Lian Yi was equally delighted to learn of He Yiming joining Hengshan. With his return, all three major elders of the Hengshan lineage—save for Yu Xichen, whose advancement depended on the Golden Elixir—had arrived.

However, Yu Jinglei and the others could wait no longer. After a brief consultation among the elders, including He Yiming, they made the decision for Medicine Daoist to refine the Xiantian Golden Elixirs.

While He Yiming’s understanding of medicinal pills was no longer that of a novice, he still had no part in the preliminary preparations for refining the Xiantian Golden Elixirs.

Learning from the profound lesson forty years prior, this time, all auxiliary ingredients were personally selected, one by one, by Medicine Daoist.

To this end, he inspected them several times until not a single flaw remained.

When He Yiming saw the auxiliary ingredients, he finally understood why He Wude had insisted on gifting those two Xiantian Golden Elixirs away.

The reason was that the materials required to refine the Golden Elixirs were indeed prohibitively expensive, including rare medicinal plants with histories spanning a millennium. While these items were less precious than a Xiantian Inner Core, they were treasures that ordinary people, even the royal families of the Northwest Kingdoms, might only encounter by rare chance.

Were it not for the unique geographical conditions of Spirit Medicine Peak and that precious medicinal garden, the Hengshan lineage would have been unable to gather these rare auxiliary components.

Preparing these materials, along with the processes of sun-drying, grinding, and processing, consumed another half a month.

Finally, just before the advent of the New Year, Medicine Daoist and the others completed all preparations and entered seclusion to refine the Xiantian Golden Elixirs.

The dedicated cultivation cave slowly closed under the gaze of the assembled crowd. Even Yu Jinglei, as the Grand Elder, was not permitted entry.

On Spirit Medicine Peak, at this critical final stage of refining the Xiantian Golden Elixirs, Medicine Daoist held absolute authority; no one could contravene his wishes.

In the premier alchemy chamber of the cave dwelling, Medicine Daoist and He Yiming stood side by side, looking at the bronze cauldron before them with sincere piety.

Originally, He Wujin was supposed to serve as the alchemy attendant and assistant, but with He Yiming present, his presence was unnecessary. Moreover, during the refinement of the Xiantian Golden Elixirs, the temperature in the chamber would certainly reach terrifying heights, which He Wujin, a Houtian master, could not endure for long.

Therefore, Medicine Daoist ultimately decided to have He Yiming, who had only studied for about a month, take He Wujin's place.

For He Yiming, this was a rare experience, and he readily agreed.

At this moment, the two stood before the bronze cauldron, conducting a final inspection.

He Yiming touched his breast pocket, finally setting his mind, and asked, "Elder Yao, what is your confidence level in refining the alchemy this time?"

Medicine Daoist smiled. "No one who refines Xiantian Golden Elixirs can ever claim absolute certainty. However, since the inner core you brought is from a mutated Xiantian spiritual beast, the probability of success will not be low."

He Yiming nodded slightly, suddenly taking an item from his pocket. "Elder Yao, can this be used for the refinement?"

Medicine Daoist looked over in surprise, his eyes suddenly widening. He swiftly grasped the object and examined it closely. He exclaimed with ecstatic joy, "Wujiang Fruit? How do you possess such a treasure?"

He Yiming chuckled. "I obtained this by chance. Can it be used?"

"Certainly," Medicine Daoist nodded without hesitation. "Originally, I only had a fifty percent chance of successfully refining both Xiantian Golden Elixirs. But with the Wujiang Fruit present, the chance of success rises to at least eighty percent."

He Yiming nodded subtly as well, finally understanding the true value of this item.

No wonder Xie Nuanyi had been ecstatic upon acquiring the Wujiang Fruit back then; this item truly possessed an unimaginable marvelous utility.

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