Yang Hao frowned slightly. His gaze swept over the two individuals, intending to intervene, but they were not members of the main lineage; rather, they belonged to separate branches.

Of course, the primary reason was that these two were no mere branch disciples, but rather top-tier experts within their respective factions, whose status and standing were in no way inferior to his own. Since they had already made up their minds, even he found it difficult to stop them.

However, the mere thought of the rumors surrounding He Yiming, coupled with his actual age, sparked a subtle shift in Yang Hao's decision-making.

He let out a hearty laugh. "Since you two share such an inclination, I trust you won't refuse us the opportunity to observe."

"Certainly not," Zhou Datian chuckled. "If we could benefit from Brother Yang's guidance, we would be delighted." He turned his head, a trace of mockery in his eyes, and asked, "What does Brother He think?"

He Yiming replied calmly, "As you wish."

Yang Hao continued with an easygoing tone, "Brother Zhou, Brother He advanced to the One-Line Heaven realm seemingly just last year. This is, after all, Tianchi. When brothers fight among themselves, it is best to keep things civil and stop before going too far."

Zhou Datian's eyes narrowed slightly, then he slowly nodded.

He Yiming was greatly surprised. While Yang Hao's words appeared to belittle him, they were, in fact, a veiled warning to Zhou Datian, cautioning him against going overboard or using this spar as an opportunity to play any underhanded tricks.

He Yiming and Yang Hao had never met before; why would Yang Hao so clearly take his side?

Zhu Baqi and Chen Weiran exchanged glances, wanting to speak but ultimately keeping their mouths firmly shut, not uttering a single word.

The news of He Yiming's advancement to the One-Line Heaven realm at the beginning of last year had already spread throughout the entire Northwest.

After all, such a young expert at the One-Line Heaven level was undoubtedly a unique existence across the world. Even setting aside the conflict with the Tu Fan branch, his age alone guaranteed his reputation would reach the ears of any powerhouse.

From last year until now—a span of a year and a half—He Yiming should logically be in seclusion, solidifying his One-Line Heaven realm.

This very assumption was the true reason why Zhou Datian felt confident he could win the spar. If he had known that He Yiming had already successfully condensed the Double Lotus, he likely wouldn't have dared to propose this challenge.

The two exchanged a look, a subtle, amused expectation lingering in their eyes.

If Zhou Datian truly believed He Yiming was just an ordinary One-Line Heaven expert, he was about to suffer a major setback this time.

Yang Hao nodded with satisfaction, casually glancing toward the rear. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, immediately revealing an expression of disbelief.

Behind the crowd, he actually saw the Spirit Beast, the Precious Pig. This in itself was not surprising. The beast was too famous; as the Founding Ancestor's most beloved spirit beast, even if it roamed the entire expanse of Tianchi for dozens of miles, no one foolish enough would dare offend it.

Seeing it normally would be no issue, but now...

Yang Hao blinked twice, finally certain he wasn't mistaken. Yet, he could not fathom what immense power this person possessed to make the Precious Pig spirit beast cling to him so shamelessly.

Furthermore, this person acted as if nothing unusual was happening, seemingly completely oblivious to the large creature dangling on his chest.

All of this greatly exceeded his expectations, leaving him astonished.

※※※※

He Yiming and Zhou Datian looked at each other, but the meaning conveyed in their eyes was vastly different.

Zhou Datian’s gaze was placid. For him, a supreme expert who had already condensed the Triple Lotus, a junior who had only ascended to the One-Line Heaven realm less than two years ago held little interest.

If He Yiming hadn't killed a prince of the Tu Fan Kingdom, Zhou Datian would never have bothered to seize this opportunity for a spar to teach him a lesson.

Of course, even he knew that during this spar, he could thoroughly beat He Yiming, but he absolutely could not take his life.

Hengshan was also a branch lineage of Tianchi. If He Yiming’s life were truly ended, whether intentionally or unintentionally, those old monsters on the main lineage would certainly not let the matter rest.

Conversely, He Yiming’s eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit.

His entire focus right now was on studying Earth element techniques. If Zhou Datian had suggested testing any other discipline, he might not have accepted this meaningless challenge.

But since his opponent specialized in Earth element cultivation, He Yiming would never pass up the chance, even if Zhou Datian hadn't proposed it.

Powerful true qi emanated from He Yiming’s body—undoubtedly pure Earth element true qi. As this energy spread, Zhou Datian couldn't help but let out a sound of surprise.

In his perception, He Yiming’s true qi seemed even more formidable than the rumors suggested.

At the very least, to exert such an oppressive aura of true qi, his One-Line Heaven realm must have stabilized.

A flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes. It only took him a year and a half to complete the process of consolidating his realm—truly an astonishing speed.

However, he immediately snorted coldly, and massive true qi and pressure, like a surging tidal wave, erupted from his body.

Immediately afterward, he extended one palm, swinging it forward simply and directly, as if swatting a fly.

Given his status as a Triple Lotus expert, being unable to defeat an ordinary One-Line Heaven opponent with a single palm strike would be utterly humiliating.

Not only that, as this palm struck out, Zhou Datian's focus was on precisely controlling the force of his strike.

Under this single palm, he intended to squeeze out every ounce of He Yiming's strength, then counter with slightly superior force. He wanted to send He Yiming tumbling away in utter disgrace, stripping him of all dignity, but without actually causing injury. Achieving this balance wasn't easy, but he possessed absolute confidence that with his Triple Lotus realm, he could accomplish his goal flawlessly.

Seeing the casual palm sweeping towards him, He Yiming immediately lowered his stance, rooting himself deeply, and raised one hand in response. However, his palm strike carried a feeling of massive weight and solemnity, as if evoking towering mountains and endless ranges.

"Boom..."

The two palms collided without any superfluous flourish.

Then, under the amazed gaze of the onlookers, Zhou Datian was thrown backward. Although he desperately tried to stabilize himself in mid-air, the immense, utterly unexpected force rendered him powerless to regain control.

The moment his palm touched He Yiming’s, he knew something was wrong.

The sheer power of the true qi unleashed from that impossibly young body reached a staggering, unimaginable level that left him dumbfounded.

His vision was instantly filled with sheer, unbelievable shock.

In that instant, his only thought was: stabilize, I absolutely cannot make a fool of myself in front of everyone.

True qi circulated rapidly within him; Zhou Datian's initial arrogance had vanished completely. He wished he could funnel every bit of his true qi to this single point to resist He Yiming’s impact.

But he was a step too late.

He Yiming’s palm felt as if it carried ten thousand pounds of force, and it was unleashed without reservation, like water bursting through a breached dam, giving him no time to breathe.

The true qi he managed to gather could not hold out for even half a breath before being utterly submerged by He Yiming's overwhelming power.

Zhou Datian’s eyes bulged wide. He let out a cry as his feet lost purchase, and his entire body was flung upwards.

At this moment, regret consumed him entirely.

He, a dignified Triple Lotus master, had been physically repelled by a young man who had only reached the One-Line Heaven realm for a year and a half, possibly not even twenty years old. At this moment, he felt the impulse to commit suicide.

Mid-air, his face contorted hideously. He managed to muster another surge of true qi. He resolved that the moment his feet touched ground and he had a moment to recover, he would use his full power and strike He Yiming down with lightning speed. Only then could he erase the humiliation of the previous moment.

However, just as he managed to draw half a breath, he felt a vast surge of true qi rising from below—a force nearly equal to his own maximum effort.

He Yiming was relentless; he strode forward, his body seeming to glide across the ground, relentlessly pursuing Zhou Datian in the air.

Just as Zhou Datian was catching his breath, He Yiming raised his hand and struck from a distance.

This was the purest Earth element force, even denser and more powerful than the previous wave.

Even in the midst of this fierce exchange, He Yiming seemed to be subtly improving; the power of each subsequent move was slightly greater, showing no sign of peaking.

Zhou Datian’s chest and abdomen spasmed violently. A mouthful of blood surged to his throat, but he forcibly swallowed it back down.

Being repelled by a single palm strike was humiliating enough; spitting up blood would leave him with no reason left to live.

But forcing the blood down immediately weighed his body down slightly. And the incredible force rising from below was utterly irresistible; suspended in the air, he had no space left to evade.

A bloody tinge flashed in Zhou Datian’s eyes. His fists glowed faintly red as he suddenly threw his mouth wide open, and a yellow Earth Flower instantly erupted from his mouth. Simultaneously, his fists struck out one after the other, following the Earth Flower towards the ground.

Before the clash, they had agreed this was a verification of Earth element techniques. Thus, even in this dire situation, Zhou Datian never considered using techniques from his other two elements.

However, for a One-Line Heaven expert to resort to spitting out a Flower was essentially bullying. If Zhou Datian hadn't been driven to desperation, he would never have done something so shameless.

The Earth Flower possessed incredible power, slamming down like a colossal mountain. It instantly smashed through and dispersed the Earth true qi He Yiming had unleashed.

Compared to the Earth Flower, no matter how powerful He Yiming’s true qi strike was, it was rootless, lacking the crucial element of cohesion.

That massive Earth Flower crushed He Yiming’s Earth power and continued its descent. Following it were the alternating forces of Zhou Datian’s dual fists; at this moment, he was fighting with everything he had, unable to hold anything back.

Suspended in mid-air, Zhou Datian finally let out a breath of relief. The way he looked at He Yiming now was vastly different from before.

To be pushed to this extent, requiring the use of the Earth Flower just to gain the upper hand, this young man was truly remarkable.

But it was over now. Under the absolute suppression of the Earth Flower, any resistance was futile.

Yet, at this very moment, just when even Zhu Baqi thought He Yiming’s Earth true qi alone wouldn't be enough, something even more shocking occurred.

He Yiming stood his feet firmly planted. His body became like a straight, towering pine, or a colossal mountain that had stood for a thousand years without collapsing.

From him, a vast surge of upright, simple, righteous, and openhearted noble spirit instantly erupted.

In that instant, he seemed transformed...

In the eyes of the crowd, He Yiming appeared to vanish, replaced by the mystical hand seal forming before his chest.

Under the immense pressure of the Earth Flower, He Yiming had completely activated the power he had just comprehended.

Qingtian Seal (Sky-Holding Seal), a single pillar reaching for the heavens...

At this moment, He Yiming stood rooted to the earth, and in his mind, the image of a gigantic, towering peak that pierced the clouds and dominated the entire Northwest rose up.

Almost simultaneously, an oppressive aura, terrifying and immense, surged forth from him.

He struck out with a palm; that immense force was like the very tip of a mountain peak, stabbing directly toward Zhou Datian in the air.

The Qingtian Seal, a primal sealing technique capable of supporting the heavens themselves, manifested under the reflection of Tianchi’s main peak, unleashing one hundred percent, perhaps even two hundred percent, of its colossal might.

Every heart tightened. Whether it was the spectators or Zhou Datian witnessing this scene from above, their chests constricted.

The Earth Flower continued its furious descent, but beneath it was no longer He Yiming, but this towering, majestic peak.

"Boom..."

A roar far louder than before erupted, shaking the very ground beneath them momentarily.

Then, the unstoppable Earth Flower paused in mid-air before suddenly exploding completely, as if pierced by the sharp tip of that soaring mountain peak, or like a hydrogen-filled balloon abruptly bursting, causing a violent upheaval of heaven and earth energy.

Immediately following, the force of Zhou Datian’s dual fists, which trailed the Earth Flower, slammed into the rising Earth power.

Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, those fists couldn't even momentarily delay this force before being completely scattered.

The Qingtian Seal, overwhelmingly mighty, saw its Earth true qi continue surging upward, instantly breaching all obstruction, arriving beneath Zhou Datian.

At this moment, the composure in Zhou Datian’s eyes was completely gone, replaced by utter terror.

But as a super master who had reached the Triple Lotus level, he calmed down in this life-or-death crisis. He opened his mouth again and spat out another Flower.

This was a Wood element Flower. It spun rapidly in the air, settling itself over the mountain-like true qi assault.

Then, with a light tap of his hand, he shot away like a bird, leaving swiftly.

At that instant, he had pushed his speed to the absolute maximum, allowing no hesitation. In the blink of an eye, he flew a hundred meters away and his feet finally landed solidly on the ground.

He Yiming let out a long breath, his heart filled with elation.

Under the pressure of Zhou Datian’s Earth Flower, the Qingtian Seal he unleashed represented an extraordinary burst of ability. This experience would be invaluable to him. He even felt an urge to seize this moment to contemplate the Fantian Seal (Heaven-Overturning Seal), perhaps achieving the condensation of an Earth Flower himself.

However, an Earth Flower was still an Earth Flower. Although he had shattered Zhou Datian's Earth Flower by borrowing the power of Tianchi’s main peak beneath his feet, the pressure he endured was by no means less than his opponent's.

Therefore, despite witnessing Zhou Datian’s subsequent chain of actions, he was in no condition to pursue further.

Although their exchange was complex, it concluded in mere seconds.

Only now, as everything completely settled, did the crowd awaken from their stupor, erupting in exclamations of awe.

Yet, only Yang Hao, Zhu Baqi, and Chen Weiran truly grasped the intricacies of their battle. Even Yu Xichen could not fully comprehend the nuances of their contest, much less the other disciples of Hengshan.

But now, their complexions were markedly different: He Yiming’s eyes were bright, a smile playing on his lips.

And Zhou Datian, who had been so arrogant moments before, wore a grim expression, his eyes slightly red, looking embarrassed and uneasy.

Seeing this, only a complete idiot wouldn't know who had gained the advantage.

The people of Hengshan cheered in unison, though they had no idea what they were cheering for—they were simply echoing each other. Still, watching Zhou Datian fly around was spectacular enough, like watching a circus act.

The three leaders of Tianchi Mountain exchanged glances, their shock truly profound. Yang Hao’s eyes were wide; even he couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.

A One-Line Heaven expert had repelled a Triple Lotus master, and used Earth element techniques to shatter an Earth Flower...

He looked at the calm He Yiming and suddenly felt a cold tremor of fear as he recalled He Yiming’s upright posture, reminiscent of Tianchi’s main peak.

He Yiming’s figure seemed to grow infinitely large in Yang Hao’s eyes.

Zhou Datian’s face darkened, and the way he looked at He Yiming now treated him as an equal opponent.

"Brother He indeed possesses remarkable skill. I, Zhou, am inadequate, but I wish to test your prowess further with weaponry. What say you, Brother He?"

Ps: Many thanks to all you brothers for the monthly tickets. I looked at the tips today and Bai He is truly speechless, I can only say: I am ashamed...

I won't say much more, but I guarantee that I will repay you with better condition and chapters. Thank you.

In fact, I started running a fever since last night; perhaps I caught a chill. My head is splitting now. I will rest early tonight, and if I’m still unwell tomorrow, I may need to go to the hospital for an IV drip. If I really have to go to the hospital tomorrow, updates might be slightly reduced, but I promise to fulfill the commitment of 120,000 characters in nine days. If I can’t manage it by the end of the month... may Bai He turn into a featherless goose!

Finally, I continue to ask for votes. Thank you.