After Zhu Baqi departed, He Yiming finally confirmed that Yu Jinglei and the others had indeed entered his name as if he were just another disciple of Hengshan.

The disciples of Tianchi Mountain who initially received the registration forms paid it no mind, but once the list landed in Zhu Baqi’s hands, he immediately spotted the significance.

To have He Yiming participate in a competition meant for disciples of the Houtian realm was frankly ludicrous. If he truly appeared on the tournament grounds, the painstaking efforts of the main lineage of Tianchi Mountain would become a colossal joke.

However, looking at the entry conditions, no one could raise a legitimate objection. After all, such a situation had never occurred before.

To have advanced to the Xiantian realm before the age of fifty without ever having consumed a Golden Elixir was truly a rarity in the world.

Let alone the various branch families, even within the main peak of Tianchi Mountain, figures like him were few and far between. Moreover, He Yiming was not even twenty years old, which was precisely why everyone found no fault to pick.

Finally, Zhu Baqi returned, promising to privately gift the Hengshan lineage a Xiantian Golden Elixir in exchange for the condition that He Yiming would not participate. Yu Jinglei and the others, having received their benefit, naturally backed down, ceasing their insistence on He Yiming taking part.

Yet, they were unaware that the moment Zhu Baqi turned his back, he had the disciples of Tianchi Mountain add a new clause to the registration terms: A rule prohibiting any Xiantian experts from competing.

Although this regulation seemed redundant, it caused Yu Jinglei and Yaodaoren to grumble endlessly about it.

He Yiming, curious about their agitation, inquired why they were so upset. Yaodaoren huffed indignantly, "Elder He, you are only nineteen this year, and the Grand Competition is held only once every ten years. You could easily secure at least three more Xiantian Golden Elixirs for Hengshan, but now Zhu Baqi has completely blocked this path—isn't this simply bullying?"

He Yiming was left speechless upon hearing this, but seeing Yaodaoren’s serious expression, he found it difficult to utter any discouraging words.

And so, May drew near…

※※※※

Distant trees met the sky, the sunset glow waxing and waning; the summer twilight was bewildering.

He Yiming and Yuan Lixun arrived at the jutting rock behind the courtyard, quietly watching the sun sink toward the west.

Ever since Yu Xichen noticed He Yiming’s obvious pleasure with this spot, he had immediately ordered all Hengshan disciples forbidden from approaching it. Unintentionally, this place had become their private domain.

Each time he watched the sun set in the west, He Yiming felt a certain stirring within his heart. He vaguely sensed that it contained some ultimate truth of heaven and earth. However, grasping this principle was, for his current stage, perhaps too extravagant a hope.

A figure suddenly leaped out from the courtyard, arriving in a few swift steps just outside the rock—a core disciple from the Hengshan lineage.

"Elder He, envoys from the Great Shen Empire have arrived at Tianchi. Elder Yu requests your presence."

He Yiming casually acknowledged him, "Lixun, do you wish to accompany me?"

Yuan Lixun slightly shook her head. "I will continue my cultivation here."

He Yiming chuckled wryly. Since learning the secret techniques of the Ice Palace, Yuan Lixun had developed an immense interest in the Dao of Cultivation, but correspondingly, her interest in other matters had waned. Even He Yiming could not be certain if this was ultimately a good thing.

Putting slight force into his feet, He Yiming shot away like a gust of wind, instantly entering the courtyard.

The disciple who came to deliver the message watched with envy in his heart, filled with emotion, wondering if he would ever reach such a day himself.

Soon, He Yiming arrived within the courtyard, where Yu Jinglei had long been waiting.

He Yiming asked in surprise, "Elder Yao and Elder Yu are not accompanying us?"

Yu Jinglei shook his head. "The visitors from the Great Shen Empire are at least experts of the Yixiantian realm. If we go out to greet them, our own status must be comparable."

After exchanging a few words, the two left the courtyard and, not long after, arrived before the Welcome Pavilion on the main peak.

By the time they arrived, more than ten people were already waiting there.

He Yiming’s gaze swept over them, sensing the auras they emitted, and he was inwardly astonished.

All ten-plus individuals were Yixiantian experts. Zhu Baqi, Chen Weiran, Yang Hao, and Zhou Datian of the Tu Fan Kingdom were all present.

Seeing them from a distance, Yu Jinglei chuckled softly, whispering, "Elder He, at least a quarter of the Yixiantian experts from the Northwest have arrived. The Great Shen Empire carries considerable weight."

He Yiming nodded slightly. Of course, he knew that only within Tianchi Mountain could such a concentration of Yixiantian experts be gathered. Were they in another location, finding two or three would already be a remarkable feat.

Although Yu Jinglei was not necessarily familiar with every single person present, he had met some once or twice. He led He Yiming forward for introductions.

Regardless of whether they knew him or not, upon hearing He Yiming’s name, these individuals showed a discernible reaction, and their manner became quite courteous. Several of them even covertly glanced toward Zhou Datian, clearly aware of the history between those two combatants.

Through Yu Jinglei’s introductions, He Yiming learned that only half of these people were experts from the various peaks of Tianchi Mountain; the others were Yixiantian experts who had rushed over from various branch families.

According to Yu Jinglei’s private explanation, not all of Tianchi Mountain’s Yixiantian masters had shown up—only a number equal to the experts who had arrived from the branches.

This gave He Yiming a clear understanding of the main lineage’s strength. The foundation of Tianchi Mountain truly lived up to its reputation as the foremost sect in the Northwest.

However, since they had reached the level of Yixiantian in martial cultivation, these masters generally entered seclusion on their respective peaks to engage in arduous training. This was the true reason their figures were seldom seen in the outside world.

After all, for these individuals, the glories and prosperity of the mortal world had long been experienced; the only thing that could attract them now was the pursuit of the supreme martial Dao.

Beyond Yixiantian lay the condensing of a tangible Flower, perhaps even condensing Three Flowers, establishing the Triad Summit—this was the goal they truly sought.

Furthermore, when interacting with such individuals, personal strength was the sole method of gaining their respect. After learning the result of He Yiming’s battle against Zhou Datian, no one dared to look down upon this young Yixiantian expert, nor did anyone dare to put on airs in his presence.

After a while, He Yiming glanced toward the foot of the mountain and asked, "Brother Zhu, who exactly is the envoy from the Great Shen Empire this time?"

As soon as He Yiming spoke, the others immediately hushed their voices. Before the Venerables of the Three Flowers Convergence appeared, He Yiming, who had defeated Zhou Datian—who had already condensed Three Flowers—had invisibly become the focal point of the assembly.

This was a consequence of inherent power. At this moment, the assembled experts had forgotten He Yiming’s actual age.

Zhu Baqi coughed lightly. "The representatives coming from the Great Shen Empire for the ceremony must be from the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. However, one individual among this group carries significant weight." He stated seriously, "This person is named Jin Zhanyi, rumored to be the foremost expert below the Venerable level in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall."

He Yiming immediately understood; this person must be a master who had condensed Three Flowers. Though he had not yet achieved Summit convergence, he was certainly superior to other experts of the same rank.

Immediately afterward, he sensed all eyes converging upon him.

Slightly startled, He Yiming looked around. Everyone whose gaze met his instinctively looked away, but a strange atmosphere had begun to spread among the group.

He Yiming frowned and looked toward Yu Jinglei.

He realized that the look Yu Jinglei gave him also carried a similarly peculiar quality.

"Elder Yu, what is wrong?" He Yiming asked with a knitted brow.

Yu Jinglei offered an awkward smile, compressing his voice into a line that traveled only to He Yiming's ear: "Elder He, Jin Zhanyi is the foremost expert below the Venerable level in the Great Shen Empire, and you are the foremost expert below the Venerable level in our Tianchi Mountain. The meeting of the two foremost experts—we are all quite expectant."

He Yiming was greatly surprised. After a long pause, he finally grasped the reason.

The term 'Venerable' was the honorific title bestowed upon those old monsters who had achieved the Three Flowers Convergence. As for the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, it was unquestionably the foremost sect in the Eastern Great Shen, rumored to possess a power that surpassed the entire Northwest combined.

To be hailed as the foremost expert below the Venerable level in this location was virtually equivalent to being the foremost expert below the Venerable level in the entire Great Shen Empire.

And since He Yiming had defeated Zhou Datian, who had already condensed Three Flowers, his prestige within Tianchi Mountain had soared. A glance at the attitude of these Yixiantian masters confirmed that in their hearts, they had already designated him as the foremost expert below the Venerable level of Tianchi Mountain.

Shaking his head slightly, He Yiming sighed inwardly. Acquiring this title out of nowhere was certainly not necessarily a good thing.

His ears twitched slightly, and He Yiming looked up sharply, a glint of sharp light flashing in his eyes. "Brother Zhu, is there only one person coming from the Great Shen Empire?"

Zhu Baqi let out a helpless laugh. "How could that be? Every time they come, there are at least dozens of people. Besides attending the ceremony, they also escort the Xiantian Golden Elixirs; it’s impossible for there to be just one."

He Yiming nodded deeply, inhaling sharply.

With the sound of his sharp inhalation, the expressions of the assembled masters subtly shifted.

In their ears, they seemed to hear the roar of surging waves and raging winds, as if He Yiming had suddenly transformed into a tornado over the ocean, whipping up endless billows, creating a monstrous tsunami.

Even Zhou Datian’s expression changed slightly. He was horrified to discover that He Yiming’s aura seemed to have improved another level compared to a few months ago.

A mere few months—for experts of their caliber, unless a true epiphany occurred, achieving any significant improvement was simply impossible.

Yet, He Yiming’s display clearly shattered that understanding.

Drawing a long breath to its absolute limit, He Yiming suddenly stopped. Everything fell silent; it seemed as if the surroundings had instantaneously become a dead zone.

If these people were not Yixiantian level experts, they would likely have collapsed under such immense pressure fluctuations.

Then, He Yiming’s voice boomed like thunder as he roared, "Who is there? Step out for me…"