Opposing a water-based technique with a fire-based one, and succeeding in gaining the upper hand, had indeed happened among the most common low-level martial artists. However, once one's cultivation reached their level, their mastery over the respective paths of the Five Elements they specialized in was already at the peak of perfection.

Yu Jinglei had been immersed in the path of Water and Wood for over two hundred years, his command over these two forces reaching the absolute limit achievable by a First Heaven expert.

Yet, in their initial clash, the massive torrent of water power was immediately broken by He Yiming's fire energy, which then successfully suppressed it. The only possibility was that the might of He Yiming's fire power far surpassed that of his opponent.

At this point, Zhu Baqi and Yu Jinglei no longer harbored the slightest dissatisfaction.

When He Yiming first proposed fighting both of them simultaneously, they had all harbored some resentment. But now, they felt a sense of relief that it was a two-on-one fight; if it had been a straight one-on-one contest, reaching this stage would have rendered any further action unnecessary.

Zhu Baqi let out a sharp cry. His figure shot forward like lightning, instantly passing Yu Jinglei, his feet delivering a series of rapid kicks. Before He Yiming, it seemed as if countless pairs of large feet appeared; it was impossible to tell how many afterimages he had thrown out in that instant, making it impossible to truly grasp his movements.

Yu Jinglei showed no weakness. Although the first wave of assault was thwarted, he flipped his wrist, and a massive surge of water power erupted once more, coordinating flawlessly with Zhu Baqi. The combined strength of the two First Heaven experts was displayed to its fullest extent at this moment.

Facing this onslaught, which resembled a downpour of wind and rain, He Yiming’s heart remained perfectly calm. He took a single step forward, radiating an aura that was profoundly peculiar.

His body seemed filled with a supple strength, an energy as graceful and fleeting as the wind, as if he could vanish from sight at any moment.

Yet, simultaneously, there was an intense, invading sensation emanating from him, like prairie fire spreading across dry grass, as if this single step was a volcanic eruption, about to unleash unparalleled might.

This bizarre fusion where offensive momentum and defensive poise blended perfectly sent a profound unease through the hearts of the two veteran First Heaven experts.

For the first time, they realized that before this young man, even fighting together, they were struggling to maintain a steady footing.

The two sides had not truly engaged yet, but purely in the contest of aura and momentum, He Yiming had already achieved an overwhelming advantage.

Harsh, piercing whistles constantly tore through the air—the sound of fists and feet slashing through the atmosphere at incredible speeds. Immediately following this, countless sounds of impacts, like a string of firecrackers popping in succession, erupted.

The frequency was so high that even a genuine string of firecrackers could not compare.

Under the pincer attack of the two First Heaven experts, He Yiming fully unleashed the power of the Wind and Fire techniques he had just comprehended.

At this moment, he transformed into the wind—the ethereal, untraceable wind.

He transformed into fire—the ubiquitous, all-consuming blaze.

For a time, fire borrowed the wind's momentum, and the wind enhanced the fire's might. This magical power, centered on him, instantly spread out like a spark igniting dry tinder.

No matter how domineering Zhu Baqi's footwork was, or how powerful Yu Jinglei's water-based techniques, within this realm that seemed to have turned into a world of wind and fire, they appeared to lose their bearings instantly.

In the span of a few breaths, this strange spectacle receded.

He Yiming stood firm in place, a confident smile gracing his face.

Zhu Baqi and Yu Jinglei retreated to their original positions. The three of them stood as amicably as if they had never fought.

Both sides controlled their power with exquisite precision; this was not a fight to the death, merely a probe of each other's true capabilities.

But the result of the probe left the two veteran First Heaven experts quite disheartened.

Although both sides held back, the fact that their combined strength could not gain even the slightest advantage already demonstrated the gap in their power levels.

What shocked them even more was He Yiming's casual demeanor; he clearly acted effortlessly, yet the strength he displayed was already sufficient to contend with both of them.

Half a year apart, He Yiming had grown to this extent...

The two elders exchanged a glance and gave a bitter smile, their immense auras completely vanishing.

"Elder He, I believe you now," Zhu Baqi said, his expression extremely solemn. "You truly possess the strength to kill the Totem Emissary and the Thousand-Year Mutated Spirit Beast."

He Yiming smiled faintly, not interjecting, but internally impressed by the discernment of the two elders. Experts who cultivated to this level were never fools.

With just a slight exhibition of power, they immediately recognized the situation and underwent a subtle shift in attitude.

Yu Jinglei stepped forward, stopping a few paces from He Yiming. A hint of hesitation flickered in his eyes, but he finally asked, "Elder He, since we last met half a year ago, your martial cultivation has progressed significantly. Truly commendable."

"Elder Yu flatters me," He Yiming replied calmly. "It was merely a chance enlightenment, nothing worth mentioning."

Yu Jinglei shook his head slightly. "Elder He, during our exchange just now, your fire power seemed... somewhat peculiar. May I ask the reason?"

Zhu Baqi's eyes sharpened, a glimmer of hope flashing in his gaze.

Questions regarding cultivation techniques were usually highly sensitive, but Yu Jinglei's relationship with He Yiming allowed him this liberty. Even so, he wasn't certain He Yiming would actually answer.

After a moment of hesitation, He Yiming opened his mouth and expelled a stream of true qi.

This breath of true qi was immensely powerful. Upon reaching the air, instead of dissipating, it began to coalesce.

Zhu Baqi and Yu Jinglei were not surprised by this; they already knew that six months prior, He Yiming had achieved a breakthrough, refining a tangible Flower. Thus, He Yiming condensing his true qi into a Flower did not suggest anything extraordinary to them.

However, in the next moment, their expressions shifted simultaneously.

The true qi He Yiming expelled did not condense into a single tangible Flower, but rather split into two streams in mid-air. Then, under his control, one condensed into a cyan-colored tangible Flower, while the other refined into a red tangible Flower.

"Two..." Yu Jinglei murmured, his voice laced with a deep bitterness.

Zhu Baqi opened his mouth, mirroring the sentiment.

Yet, their astonishment was far from over. The moment these two tangible Flowers formed, they both felt an immense pressure.

It was a pressure emanating from all directions, seemingly suffocating.

It felt as if countless hands had suddenly materialized in the air, tightly gripping them in place, instilling a sense of utter immobility.

Of course, since He Yiming was not targeting them directly, the feeling of constraint immediately vanished when their own corresponding true qi rose up.

Even so, this was enough to make both of them change color.

Two tangible Flowers were one thing—they were powerful experts themselves. But the issue was that the oppressive force exerted by these two Flowers far exceeded that of the tangible Flowers they condensed using their own true qi.

A terrifying thought instantly flashed through their minds.

He Yiming hadn't merely condensed rootless, floating tangible Flowers; these were the rooted Flowers capable of establishing a tripod!

But after a moment of reflection, they suddenly understood: if He Yiming hadn't condensed two rooted Flowers, how could he have rounded up every single member of the Totem Clan?

They exchanged wry smiles once more. This peerless prodigy in martial arts truly possessed a talent for cultivation beyond their comprehension.

But then, something even more shocking occurred.

He Yiming extended one hand, his thumb raised high, held flat against his chest.

This strange posture left the two elders utterly bewildered. What was he planning? Was he showing off his two rooted Flowers?

In the next instant, their eyes and mouths flew wide open, and even their gazes revealed a rare flicker of blankness.

After He Yiming raised his thumb, the two floating, seemingly unrelated, differently colored tangible Flowers in the air suddenly scattered.

However, they did not dissipate as a result; instead, controlled by some power, they began to reassemble in an even more wondrous configuration.

Fire within the wind, wind within the fire...

In mere moments, these two vastly disparate tangible Flowers transformed into dozens of petals, crimson as blood, yet shimmering with faint cyan lines within.

These petals drifted on the wind, settling onto He Yiming’s raised thumb. In a short time, using the thumb as the center, a brand new tangible Flower formed.

Gazing at this miraculous sight—a magical Flower that was neither purely wind nor purely fire, but possessed attributes of both—the hearts of the two First Heaven experts were engulfed in a tidal wave of shock.

Could tangible Flowers of different attributes actually merge?

This was something they had never even heard of, even at their level.

Even the peak experts who had achieved Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit only had their three Flowers positioned in a stable tripod formation.

As for merging tangible Flowers of different attributes...

If they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, they would absolutely never believe such a thing.

Taking a deep, sharp breath, Yu Jinglei asked, "Elder He, how did you accomplish this?"

He Yiming replied calmly, "Suoge and the Red Wolf King once led me into a fire cave—a place ravaged by Earth Fire, yet simultaneously the best environment for cultivating fire techniques. I condensed the Fire Flower there. However..." He paused to consider, "Before condensing the Fire Flower, I used wind energy as a tether to perceive the fire element. When I successfully refined the Fire Flower, the wind and fire energies were already completely merged."

Although He Yiming was not lying, he concealed the most crucial detail.

His unique physique allowed him to wield all true qi with ease, and this was the true foundation for his ability to condense the Wind and Fire Flowers.

Yu Jinglei and the other exchanged glances, this being entirely new territory for them, and a touch of confusion entered their eyes.

"Elder Yu, within our sect, are there any similar records?" He Yiming suddenly inquired.

In truth, he was extremely curious about his own Wind and Fire Flower and felt a desire to dig to the root of the matter. Otherwise, he wouldn't have revealed this much to the two elders.

After pondering for a moment, Zhu Baqi's expression shifted slightly. "Elder He, since that place was rife with Earth Fire, how did you manage to leave that deadly zone?"

He Yiming smiled slightly. "I walked out, naturally."

Zhu Baqi was momentarily stunned, then let out a string of bitter laughs. "Elder He is joking."

He Yiming's face turned serious. "I speak the truth; I am not exaggerating."

Zhu Baqi paused. "Then how did Elder He walk out?"

"Just like this, I walked out." Although He Yiming felt some annoyance, considering the old man had spent half a year in the Hengshan lineage, he replied good-naturedly.

Unexpectedly, this time even Yu Jinglei became animated. He asked in surprise, "Elder He, you mean you actually walked out of the Earth Fire just like that?"

"Yes," He Yiming replied readily.

"Impossible," Zhu Baqi stated firmly. "The might of Earth Fire is overwhelming. Even ordinary leaked Earth Fire is something a First Heaven realm expert cannot contend with."

He Yiming glanced at him with curiosity. "Resisting Earth Fire solely with the physical body is impossible, but if one successfully condenses the Fire Flower, it can be done."

A look of shock crossed Zhu Baqi's eyes. "Elder He, you escaped the confinement of the Earth Fire relying on the Fire Flower you had just condensed?"

"Yes," He Yiming affirmed. However, seeing their expressions, he vaguely felt that he might have overlooked something. He frowned slightly and asked, "Brother Zhu, is there some issue?"

Zhu Baqi sighed deeply. "Elder He, among the First Heaven realm, the tangible Flowers condensed are indeed highly compressed forms of true qi of the same element, created from nothingness into form. However, these tangible Flowers have not yet achieved the summit convergence, nor have they communicated with the Qi of Heaven and Earth. Therefore, they lack the ability to expel the native Heaven and Earth Qi."

He Yiming opened his mouth in surprise, extremely suspicious.

Yu Jinglei also sighed deeply. "Elder He, if you were a person who had already condensed the Three Flowers and successfully achieved summit convergence, then possessing the Fire Flower would indeed allow you to move freely within the Earth Fire. But right now, you haven't converged at the summit, and you've only condensed two Flowers—the Golden one being among them. How could you possibly expel such a powerful force of Heaven and Earth as Earth Fire?"

He Yiming finally understood the reason. It seemed the Fire Flower he condensed possessed immense power and a unique function.

This function appeared to be one normally only accessible to experts at the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit level, and he had clearly accessed it prematurely.

His mind raced through various potential responses, and suddenly his eyes lit up. "Elder Yu, the Stone King carried by Honglang Wang and She Ru—is it because they mastered Earth element power that they can burrow through the ground?"

Yu Jinglei nodded silently; wasn't this an obvious fact?

He Yiming became instantly excited. Fortunately, having experienced much, he forcefully suppressed the surging emotion and then asked calmly, "Among experts at the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit level, has anyone managed to condense an Earth Flower? If so, could they burrow through the ground and walls like Honglang Wang?"

Yu Jinglei looked toward Zhu Baqi, who hesitated slightly before nodding. "If an expert at the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit level truly condensed an Earth Flower, then after spending some time communicating with the Heaven and Earth Qi, they could indeed travel freely underground."

He Yiming's eyes immediately sparkled with fierce light. He could no longer suppress this extreme ecstasy.

It turned out humans could also move freely underground, just like Spirit Beasts.

But he immediately recalled something and asked, "Brother Zhu, although Honglang Wang and the Stone King are formidable, they are at best comparable to us. Why are they capable of that?"

Zhu Baqi smiled bitterly. "They are not human, but Spirit Beasts. Naturally, they possess superior innate talents compared to us humans."

After Zhu Baqi’s explanation, He Yiming gradually understood.

When comparing innate talent alone, humans were far inferior to those Spirit Beasts.

Those Spirit Beasts, after undergoing certain dangerous rituals, would gain special abilities. Among the world's mutated Spirit Beasts, burrowing through the ground and walls was not an uncommon skill.

However, undergoing such a ritual was clearly not easy. Even Spirit Beasts that reached a thousand years of age rarely survived such a trial based purely on their own abilities. Most Spirit Beasts, upon reaching a thousand years, would choose a human expert of comparable strength.

They would complete the ritual through a method of human-beast unity, significantly increasing the probability of success.

This was the way the Totem Clan existed and sustained their lineage.

Having learned all this, He Yiming sighed internally, but he soon resolved to strive to condense the Earth Flower as quickly as possible.

This wasn't just because he wanted to reach the level of Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit; the main reason was that he was intensely envious and jealous of the burrowing techniques of Honglang Wang and the Stone King, down to his bones.

During confrontations with the Totem Clan, without the aid of the Spirit Beasts' burrowing skills, He Yiming would have already killed Suoge and the others, avoiding the need to chase them for ten thousand miles and ultimately ending up in the desperate situation of the fire cave.

Yu Jinglei’s expression shifted unpredictably. After a long moment, he seemed to have made a decision. "Elder He, please follow me."

He nodded toward Zhu Baqi, who understood his intention and gave a slight nod in return.

Yu Jinglei turned and strode away purposefully. Although He Yiming was puzzled, he knew Yu Jinglei wouldn't possibly plot against him in this situation. Thus, he flicked his wide sleeve and followed unhurriedly.

With his movement technique, tracking Yu Jinglei presented no problem. No matter how Yu Jinglei jumped and moved, he couldn't shake He Yiming off.

Finally, Yu Jinglei arrived at the main peak and stopped before the enormous Ancestral Hall.