The surrounding pressure seemed to vanish in an instant. Even the strange coercion that manifested solely through intense gazes dissipated the moment the Flower of Wind and Fire appeared.

He Yi Ming stared at the Flower of Wind and Fire resting on his finger, an almost palpable self-assurance shining in his eyes.

He had exhaled the Flower of Wind and Fire intending to contest the adversary’s omnipresent, overwhelming pressure, but when the flower’s effect proved far stronger than he had anticipated, his restless heart began to pound wildly. He suddenly felt an intense urge—he actually wished to engage the opponent in an unrestrained battle, yearning to personally experience the incredible might of the master who could exert such formidable pressure upon him.

Similarly, the instant the composite Flower of Wind and Fire took shape in He Yi Ming’s hand, even Li Ming Xuan’s face registered a flicker of profound surprise. She gazed silently at the marvelous, tangible flower—a blend of crimson and cyan—her eyes reflecting an inexplicable light. It seemed something had suddenly struck her, yet she remained unable to confirm it.

Zhuo Wan Lian cautiously observed his Martial Aunt’s expression. Seeing the astonishment in Li Ming Xuan’s eyes, he sighed inwardly.

If He Yi Ming possessed strength capable of moving his Martial Aunt, then his cultivation on the Martial Dao must truly have reached an exceedingly high echelon—one he, Zhuo Wan Lian, could never hope to reach. Yet, He Yi Ming gave him the unsettling impression of having more left in reserve. An absurd notion suddenly sprang into his mind: could He Yi Ming actually be planning to challenge Martial Aunt Li?

The thought startled him immediately. However, as he sensed the increasingly powerful and concentrated aura emanating from He Yi Ming, a mixture of terror and admiration arose within him, stirring an unusual curiosity.

The newborn calf fears no tiger; truly, this is—ignorance of heaven and earth.

He Yi Ming opened his mouth, and under everyone’s watchful eyes, he blew out a gentle breath.

This breath seemed utterly devoid of force, but the moment it reached the strange flower held in his hand, the bizarre Flower of Wind and Fire began to spin furiously, as if fitted with an inexhaustible mechanism. The blood-red fire and the ethereal wind spun rapidly together.

He Yi Ming turned his head and gave Yuan Li Xun a meaningful look.

Though they had been separated for a long time, it did not affect the tacit understanding between them. After a brief hesitation, Yuan Li Xun nodded slightly, pushed off lightly with her toes, and drifted into the distance. Perhaps due to her mastery of True Qi, her movements were infused with an air of elegant grandeur, a dramatic transformation from the timid young woman who once hid beneath He Yi Ming’s protection.

Upon seeing Yuan Li Xun’s action, Zhu Ba Qi and Zhuo Wan Lian both changed color and retreated backward in unison.

At this moment, in their eyes, both Li Ming Xuan and He Yi Ming seemed like entities one dared not provoke.

When gods clash, mortals suffer the consequences.

This thought surfaced almost simultaneously in their minds. Yet, in the next instant, they were astonished to realize just how profoundly He Yi Ming’s status had elevated in their estimation.

He Yi Ming’s eyes were filled with fighting spirit. The Flower of Wind and Fire in his hands spun faster and faster, and a powerful, vigorous energy surged from him.

In that moment, He Yi Ming recalled the night he battled the masked fiend head-on.

Although the Great Blade was not in his hand now, his momentum was equally formidable and unstoppable.

Under the crushing pressure exerted by Li Ming Xuan, He Yi Ming’s potential seemed to be fully awakened in a flash. The power rising from him was approaching the intensity of that world-shaking strike from that night without limit.

Wind fans the flames; fire borrows the wind’s might. As these two differently aligned energies, now miraculously merged in the flower, began to unleash their power, the onlookers truly started to grasp its magnitude.

Crimson and cyan instantly flooded the surroundings. A powerful howling sound, like a gale, assaulted their ears. It felt as if they had suddenly been transported to a mountaintop, subjected to the sweep and fury of a tornado. Subsequently, they simultaneously felt the ambient temperature rising, sensing intense heat.

This was the temperature of subterranean fire. When the Flower of Wind and Fire unleashed its full power, the imposing presence released by He Yi Ming seemed to transform the vicinity into a cavern filled with earth fire, deep within the Eight Hundred Li Volcanoes.

This was the true might condensed within the Flower of Wind and Fire; even when facing Zhou Da Tian, He Yi Ming had never fully released this power. It wasn't that he chose not to, but rather that he was incapable of doing so.

Only now, under the pressure exerted by this supreme expert from the distant Northern Frontier, was his hidden potential ignited, allowing him to display this immense power of earth fire once more.

Li Ming Xuan’s expression finally turned serious. This young man, who had not yet successfully condensed the Three Flowers, had brought her such a great surprise. She glanced at Yuan Li Xun, who watched He Yi Ming with an admiring and almost infatuated gaze, and finally understood why Yuan Li Xun had insisted on consulting He Yi Ming before giving her answer.

He Yi Ming, this young Innate expert, indeed possessed the requisite qualifications.

Li Ming Xuan sighed softly and opened her mouth, exhaling a plume of white mist.

Initially, the spray of mist was just a faint, hazy cloud, similar to the breath people exhale on a cold winter day.

But this breath did not dissipate immediately; instead, it abruptly coalesced in the air into a sword formed of mist.

The surrounding temperature abruptly dropped. Particularly the moment the Mist Sword materialized, a chill shot through the onlookers' hearts, raising goosebumps across their skin.

That intense cold energy soared upward; even Zhu Ba Qi and Zhuo Wan Lian, standing a hundred meters away, felt their bodies tremble slightly.

Then, they noticed that although the cold was almost unbearable even for them, curiously, Yuan Li Xun, who was much closer to the epicenter of the pressure, showed no sign of discomfort, as if the cold had no effect on her whatsoever.

They sighed inwardly. No wonder Li Ming Xuan treated Yuan Li Xun with such goodwill, staying here for months awaiting her promise without showing impatience; there was clearly a profound reason.

After the Mist Sword formed, the environment around them seemed to undergo subtle changes.

The sensation of being inside a volcanic cavern seemed to vanish, replaced by a stalemate between the powers of heat and cold, hinting at an imminent escalation.

However, the two sides displayed vastly different states.

Beads of sweat were already forming on He Yi Ming’s brow. Though the aura emanating from him was surging and powerful, it was evident to all that he was exerting his absolute maximum effort.

Li Ming Xuan, however, appeared relaxed and poised, as if this Mist Sword were merely a trifling diversion requiring no strain.

Though the two had not truly engaged, the disparity in strength was clearly visible.

Li Ming Xuan suddenly nodded slowly. "To achieve this at such a young age is truly remarkable. However, your arrogance is excessive; I shall give you a small lesson."

With that, she raised her hand and flicked it lightly.

With that mere flick, the Mist Sword in the air shot forward, arcing directly toward He Yi Ming’s chest.

Although it was not a physical sword, no one dared to underestimate it. True Three-Flower experts inherently possessed the ability to transform the intangible into the tangible. This Mist Sword, while seemingly ethereal, might carry power not inferior to a treasured artifact wielded by an ordinary First Heaven expert.

He Yi Ming’s expression grew grave. He flicked his wrist, and the petals forming around his fingers detached one by one, floating outward.

These petals moved as if alive, meeting the Mist Sword. With every collision, a strange sound like water meeting fire erupted. Yet, the moment the petals contacted the Mist Sword, they vanished without a trace, much like stones sinking into the vast sea.

The Flower of Wind and Fire, possessing infinite power that had troubled even Zhou Da Tian greatly, was extinguished before it could unleash its full potential against this Mist Sword.

He Yi Ming’s expression soured slightly. He snorted coldly, and the flower bud in his hand burst open. More and more Flowers of Wind and Fire materialized, surging ceaselessly toward the Mist Sword.

Moreover, the integration level of the Wind and Fire seemed to be continuously increasing; the two energies complemented each other, and the color of each petal grew ever more vibrant.

But at that moment, Li Ming Xuan’s eyes suddenly brightened. The Mist Sword in the air abruptly accelerated, carving a brilliant white arc through the air as it lunged toward the Flowers of Wind and Fire in He Yi Ming’s hand.

This change was extremely sudden, leaving He Yi Ming no time to react.

With a flick of his fingers, all the petals flew up to intercept, tangling with the Mist Sword in the air.

It was as if an endless volume of water vapor billowed out, obscuring everything. But those present possessed eyes of extraordinary caliber; they clearly saw that the Mist Sword did not shatter but pierced through the blockade of countless petals, striking directly toward He Yi Ming’s arm.

Although Li Ming Xuan harbored no intent to kill, the power contained within the mist was immense. If struck, even a minor injury would likely be unavoidable.

Li Ming Xuan was placid when still, but when she moved, it was with thunderous force, shattering all obstacles to ensure the enemy was struck down immediately.

Such momentum and technique displayed her seasoned cunning and formidable strength without reservation.

Yet, even now, a faint smile lingered on He Yi Ming’s face. He raised his hand, and with a casual, almost unremarkable movement, he caught the Mist Sword steadily.

Ps: We are switching to three thousand characters per chapter now; please don't mind. The total word count won't decrease; it will just result in more chapters, which sounds better, haha...

I had to get a shot today, so queuing up and getting an IV drip took three hours.

Because of that, White Crane only managed to write four chapters, totaling 12,000 words.

There are three days left, and I owe you 53,000 words. At 3,000 words per chapter, that’s eighteen chapters. Let's see if White Crane can pull it off.

※※※※ Friendly Recommendation: Brother Salen Baijin has launched a web game called "Ragnarok 2 - Path to Heaven," a very cool SLG+RPG game. I’m trying it for the first time too. The server opens on the 27th at 2 PM. The game is in the Qidian Games Channel. If you’re interested, feel free to join us.