He Yiming's form was like lightning. Once again, he vanished from his spot, suddenly appearing dozens of zhang away. This time, he was prepared; as soon as he materialized, he thrust a palm forward in a flat motion.

A crimson True Qi converged, enveloped by the Wind Force swirling around He Yiming, striking out like a fire dragon.

The greatest strength of this strike lay not in the Wind-Fire energy itself, but in the sheer, incredible velocity amplified by the Wind Force.

This was the speed of wind, the absolute limit of wind—a speed against which even He Yiming himself couldn't claim absolute evasion.

Almost the instant He Yiming appeared, the Wind-Fire strike was already behind the figure in black.

Indeed, even with this mysterious man's abilities, he had utterly failed to anticipate that He Yiming could achieve such near-dual functionality while manipulating the Wind Force.

That powerful Wind Force, laced with sparks, instantly insinuated itself into the man's body and began to spread.

He Yiming was inwardly delighted; this attempt had actually succeeded.

He had gone all out because he wanted to capture this person as quickly as possible, allowing him to return to the courtyard of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall ahead of Jin Zhanyi. Even if he couldn't arrive before Jin Zhanyi, he absolutely could not fall behind him.

At this moment, he felt absolute certainty. This Wind-Fire Chain Strike might not injure the man, but it would certainly delay him for an instant. With just that split-second delay, his Five Elements Rings would prove their worth.

After witnessing the opponent's lightness skill, He Yiming regarded him with extreme seriousness, placing him even above Jin Zhanyi. Therefore, immediately after unleashing the Wind-Fire strike, he retracted his wrist, brought it to his armpit, and retrieved the Five Elements Rings.

However, something even more astonishing occurred. Although his Wind-Fire strike had successfully reached the figure ahead as intended, it only grazed him. The man's body flickered, and suddenly a vast cloud of steam erupted. This inky black vapor seemed like the legendary Heavy Water capable of crushing everything; all the Wind-Fire poured into it and was instantly extinguished, unable even to burn a hole in his robe.

Following this, the man strode forward—one sway, a second sway, a third sway.

After the third sway, he burst forth as if injected with vigor, his feet seemingly touching Wind-Fire Wheels, and he began to glide away.

The ground beneath his feet was clearly rugged mountain terrain, yet with just those two steps, the man glided dozens of zhang, reopening the distance between them.

He Yiming’s heart clenched, even his palms felt somewhat cold.

This person's strength was truly unfathomable, and his mastery over Water elemental power reached an unbelievable realm.

The moment that black vapor spread, He Yiming knew this person must be a powerful master who had condensed the Water Flower, and one whose grasp of Water Force was profound beyond measure.

Otherwise, he could not have so easily annihilated his Wind-Fire power entirely.

As for this bizarre gliding movement, it was unprecedented. However, one thing was certain: the speed of this man’s movement was no less than his own.

Of course, seeing the opponent's movement technique, He Yiming also realized he had been chasing the wrong person.

This man bore a strong resemblance to the other figure in black from behind, but they were clearly not the same individual.

But when had two such formidable figures appeared on Tianchi Peak?

He cycled through the experts of the Yixiantian lineage in his mind, like Yang Hao, but ultimately dismissed them one by one, as none of them possessed the capability to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him or Jin Zhanyi.

A sudden thought flashed through his mind, causing cold sweat to prickle the back of his neck.

His mind raced, and the more he considered it, the more certain he became.

Taking a deep breath, He Yiming continued the pursuit, but this time he followed honestly, no longer employing the Wind's ultimate technique of traversing between two points in a straight line.

Though the person ahead did not turn around, he seemed to be perfectly aware of He Yiming's movements. Since He Yiming was merely tracking with ordinary movement techniques, the target maintained that same speed. The two sprinted forward with a strange synchronization, until, after crossing several peaks, the leading figure abruptly halted.

He Yiming immediately slowed his pace, stopping about ten meters ahead of the man. Seeing the figure voluntarily stop, He Yiming’s conviction grew stronger.

He bowed deeply, saying, "Junior He Yiming of the Hengshan lineage pays respects to the Venerable Sir."

A calm voice inquired, "You know who I am?"

"Junior has not met Senior before, only knowing that Senior is a Venerable Sir of the Tianchi lineage," He Yiming stated respectfully.

Although his current strength had reached the level of condensing Three Flowers and he had mastered the power of Heaven and Earth ahead of schedule, in the presence of a Venerable, he dared not show any hint of impudence.

The man finally turned his head. It was a lean old man, a reassuring smile lingering on his face. He looked at He Yiming and slowly nodded, "How did you know."

He Yiming secretly breathed a sigh of relief; this senior seemed easygoing. If he had encountered someone temperamental, his life might have been spared, but he would likely have suffered a beating regardless.

"Senior, the place you appeared was the main peak of Tianchi. If you were not the Venerable of the main peak, you likely wouldn't even have the chance to ascend it."

The old man was momentarily stunned, then burst into loud laughter, "Correct. Such an obvious flaw, and I never noticed. Alas, decades of seclusion have made my mind somewhat stiff."

He Yiming listened quietly to the old man's laughter, sensing the power in every word spoken. A peculiar feeling flashed in his eyes.

In his perception, it seemed every word uttered by the senior carried a kind of force—a power condensed from the forces of Heaven and Earth.

Unlike the Heaven and Earth Qi refined and absorbed by ordinary Xiantian experts, those at the Venerable realm began to communicate with Heaven and Earth, able to directly mobilize this Qi through some method.

This was the true reason He Yiming could utilize the Earth Burrowing technique and instantly shift between two points.

However, in comparison, the way this old man utilized the power of Heaven and Earth was truly serene and yet profoundly effective, having even infused this power into his voice and every inch of his skin.

He Yiming realized suddenly; perhaps this was the true Venerable realm.

"He Yiming, you are good, truly good," the old man suddenly remarked.

He Yiming was slightly startled. Although he didn't understand why he was suddenly praised, it was certainly better than being cursed and then beaten.

"Thank you for the undeserved compliment, Senior," He Yiming bowed deeply.

The old man casually accepted the bow, then waved his hand. A stream of True Qi, as tangible as solid matter, gently lifted He Yiming upright.

Upon even slight contact with this True Qi, He Yiming was profoundly shaken.

Though it was merely touching what felt like the tip of an iceberg of True Qi, the power contained within caused his body to involuntarily tremble slightly.

It was a power akin to a vast ocean. He Yiming felt as if he were a sailing vessel, no matter how large that vessel might be, in the face of this boundless sea, it remained as insignificant as a grain of sand in the vastness.

He took deep breaths, forcibly suppressing this surging feeling within him.

This was the power of a Venerable. When a Venerable unleashed his power without reservation and placed it before him, He Yiming finally understood the sheer magnitude of the gap between the Three Flowers realm and the Venerable realm.

It wasn't just a qualitative difference, but also a quantitative one. When both quality and quantity were factored in, that revealed the true separation between the two states.

He let out a faint, wry smile and glanced deeply at the other man. He didn't understand why the senior would lay bare such immense power before him.

Was he attempting to crush his confidence, preventing him from successfully achieving the Summit Condensation?

At this thought, the confusion in He Yiming's eyes instantly solidified into resolve. His gaze became sharp and full of youthful vigor, fearlessly meeting the old man's eyes.

The elder slowly nodded, a look of utmost satisfaction on his face. "The Hengshan lineage has a worthy successor; those old friends can rest easy now." He announced loudly, "With such unwavering conviction, you will certainly succeed in advancing to the Summit Condensation within ten years."

He Yiming's eyebrows lifted slightly. Although he had never doubted his own capabilities, receiving the acknowledgment of a Venerable still stirred excitement in his heart.

"May I ask Senior's name?" He Yiming asked, bowing again.

"This old man is He Min, the Venerable of the Main Peak," the old man said, stroking his beard with a smile.

He Yiming stated solemnly, "Senior summoned me here; may I ask for your instruction."

"It's nothing much, really. This old man knows a battle between you and Jin Zhanyi is inevitable. But I hope you can postpone this confrontation for now." He Min's expression became serious.

He Yiming frowned deeply, utterly perplexed.

He Min sighed softly, "After you defeated Xiong Wuji, you became a banner for the entire younger generation of the Northwest. Just as Jin Zhanyi represents the entire Great Shen Empire, both of you are expected to win when fighting experts below the Venerable realm—you cannot afford to lose."

A sharp light flashed in He Yiming's eyes, and he started to speak, then stopped.

He Min shook his head again, "You should understand now. What you represent is not just yourself or the Hengshan lineage, perhaps not even our Tianchi Mountain, but the entire younger generation of the Northwest. Therefore, you cannot lose."

These words, imbued with power, echoed in that small space, each syllable carrying the weight of a thousand pounds, pressing heavily upon He Yiming's heart.

His gaze shifted from surprise, to bewilderment, and finally settled on firmness.

A serene smile touched his lips. "Senior He, this is the concern you and that person share, which is why you drew the two of us out?"

"Exactly. You have only just achieved sudden enlightenment and condensed the Three Flowers. Even if you are to contend with Jin Zhanyi, you must at least wait until your Three Flowers are stable, forming a solid tripod, before you can fight him wholeheartedly."

Ps: This is the second chapter for today; there are three more coming tonight. Brothers, please support with monthly votes.

If I don't work hard at the beginning of the month, this month will be a disaster…

Asking for monthly votes.

Many thanks!