Jin Zhanyi’s body moved, bursting from the room and flying out of the city gates like a shot. He Yiming, refusing to be outdone, lifted off the ground and pursued in the direction Jin Zhanyi had fled.

They both knew that if a true clash were to occur, they would need to leave the city and find a desolate place to fight to their heart’s content. To engage within the confines of the courtyard would surely attract countless onlookers, making it impossible for either of them to unleash their power at its peak.

Zhang Zhongyin hesitated, his expression shifting through a maze of emotions, before he finally managed to forcibly suppress the craving burning within him, choosing not to follow and investigate further. These two men held positions of such importance that a battle between them, regardless of the victor, would inevitably stir up a veritable storm.

For him, knowing the outcome would certainly not be beneficial. Given this, it was better to pretend ignorance of the matter entirely.

Still, losing the opportunity to witness such a contest left him deeply regretful. In moments, He Yiming and the other had journeyed far beyond the city limits.

Jin Zhanyi was clearly far more familiar with the surrounding terrain than He Yiming. He did not employ the miraculous movement technique from that night—the one that seemed to shrink the earth to an inch—but instead relied solely on his innate lightness skill to travel.

Even so, his speed was unparalleled. He followed closely behind, but He Yiming had no intention of overtaking him.

They ran like this for half an hour until they finally arrived at a place utterly devoid of human presence as far as the eye could see. Jin Zhanyi stopped, turned, and looked coldly at He Yiming, saying in a deep voice, "Brother He, do you know why I was reluctant to challenge you before?" He Yiming cupped his hands in a respectful salute.

"I was hoping you would enlighten me." Jin Zhanyi’s face was grave in the extreme. "Although Brother He has condensed the Three Flowers and possesses the wondrous ability to directly manipulate the energies of Heaven and Earth, you have not yet established the Tripod Stance.

That is why I waited." A light of supreme confidence flashed in his eyes: "I was waiting for you to condense the Flower of Metal and form the Tripod Stance. That day will be the day I issue my challenge to you." He Yiming’s heart stirred slightly as he analyzed Jin Zhanyi’s tone; it suggested that the presence or absence of the Tripod Stance created a gap so immense it was nearly impossible to bridge.

Clearing his throat lightly, He Yiming asked, "If that is the case, Brother Jin, why the change of heart today?" Jin Zhanyi smiled faintly. "Because I wish to test it.

Nothing more." A flash of irritation crossed He Yiming’s mind. To instigate a duel simply because of a sudden whim to 'test' something—it seemed unbearably arrogant.

Jin Zhanyi swept his long sleeve, and his aura suddenly surged with boiling energy. His voice rose, filled with power: "Brother He, are you prepared to sample the might of the Tripod Stance?

You had best be cautious." He Yiming’s eyes brightened instantly, and the slight dissatisfaction vanished without a trace. His state of mind shifted in a breath to one of calm, undisturbed stillness.

An equally powerful aura erupted from his body. He Yiming’s gaze was piercingly sharp.

He had dueled with many experts at the Three Flower level before, but this was the first time he faced someone who had not only condensed the Three Flowers but also successfully formed the Tripod Stance. It was impossible not to feel a sliver of apprehension, yet what surged most intensely within him was a profound, nameless excitement, coupled with an almost unbelievable composure when facing a true powerhouse.

Jin Zhanyi abruptly stepped forward. The fabric of his robes rustled sharply; each sound seemed to draw a latent, immense power from the void and spread it outward in all directions.

He Yiming’s ears twitched subtly. At that moment, he heard the sound of water.

At first, it was merely the gentle burble of a small stream, but as Jin Zhanyi moved, the sound grew, escalating from a creek to a broad river, and then from a river to a vast ocean. That boundless, surging sea seemed to materialize before He Yiming in an instant.

His expression shifted slightly. If he were to close his eyes now and rely solely on his hearing to perceive the world, He Yiming would feel that what rushed toward him was not Jin Zhanyi, but a ten-meter-high tidal wave surging directly at him.

He had never encountered such imposing might before, not even from He Xiongwu in the past. In that moment, a memory flickered in his mind.

Someone had once told him that Jin Zhanyi had attempted to break through to the Summit Venerable realm but ultimately failed at the final hurdle. Before the fight began, He Yiming had been supremely confident, but as the true engagement unfolded, he realized that the power possessed by an expert who had come so close to the Venerable realm still exceeded his expectations.

It was no wonder that He Min and the others in the past had not been entirely optimistic about him; they evidently possessed foresight. His eyelids lowered slightly.

He Yiming planted his feet firmly, adopting a strange mudra with his hands. Pillar Upholding the Heavens, the Heaven-Upholding Seal… The image of the impossibly tall main peak of Tianchi flashed rapidly through his mind, and an aura of ancient time began to spread across his body.

It was as if he himself were a colossal peak that had stood firm in that spot for millennia. His hands slowly lifted upward, mirroring a mountain slowly rising from the earth after eons of transformation, ascending millimeter by millimeter toward the sky.

A hint of satisfaction flickered in Jin Zhanyi’s eyes. He could clearly sense the unique transformation occurring within He Yiming.

He Yiming was not a Venerable, nor had he even formed the Tripod Stance, yet the connection he forged with the power of the world around him provoked a sharp jealousy even in Jin Zhanyi. This strike of his was no longer just his own strength; he was borrowing the very power of the earth beneath his feet, possessing the capital required to contend with Jin Zhanyi.

“BOOM…” A tremendous sound roared as Jin Zhanyi finally reached He Yiming and brought his palm down in a straight strike, drowning him beneath the boundless, surging wave. However, after only a brief moment, a dissonant sound began to emerge beneath the enveloping pressure of Jin Zhanyi’s aura.

He Yiming’s palms finally lifted. The movement was not fast, inch by inch, yet it never paused.

A great mountain finally breached the surface of the deep ocean. At first, it was only a small patch of coral reef, but it gradually expanded—becoming a small island, then a large island, and even showing signs of developing into a continent.

But at that moment, He Yiming abruptly halted, for he suddenly perceived a feeling of solidification surrounding him within the endless ocean. Once his power reached a certain threshold, this sensation intensified overwhelmingly.

Every inch of surrounding space was filled with immense, irresistible pressure. He Yiming’s internal True Qi spun rapidly, pouring out without hesitation, attempting to shatter this oppressive force and break free from its grip.

Yet, no matter how hard he strained, he could not mount any effective resistance against this power. Within this force lay the surging breath of water, the profound solidity of earth, and the sharp keenness of metal.

He Yiming’s face finally grew deeply troubled. He finally understood.

The so-called Tripod Stance represented Confinement. Among all shapes, the three-legged cauldron is undoubtedly the most stable, and when three forms of power are united through a specific technique to create this configuration, those three powers undergo a fundamental transformation.

Though they could not yet communicate fully with the power of Heaven and Earth like a Venerable to manifest all sorts of incredible effects, in terms of power consolidation and density, they were no longer on the same level as ordinary Three Flower experts. Jin Zhanyi’s expression was utterly calm.

He watched He Yiming quietly, seemingly with no intention of pressing the attack. But it was this very placid gaze that ignited the deeply buried fighting will within He Yiming.

In truth, against any other opponent, Jin Zhanyi would have pressed his advantage immediately. But facing He Yiming, even he felt a measure of restraint.

For a Three Flower expert to possess the art of earth-burrowing put him, essentially, in an unwinnable position. Therefore, Jin Zhanyi dared not easily deploy his ultimate methods.

If He Yiming felt cornered, he could simply retreat into the earth, turning the fight into a stalemate that would be difficult to resolve. In the past, when facing Xiong Wuji and the Fox-Bear Spirit Beast, Jin Zhanyi had been eager to fight because he was supremely confident that his Tripod Stance could successfully restrain the opponent, at least delaying their burrowing technique long enough to secure a decisive victory.

But upon sensing He Yiming’s mastery over the Earth element, that confidence evaporated. Unless He Yiming chose not to use his earth-burrowing technique, Jin Zhanyi knew he could not prevent it.

Just as Jin Zhanyi was contemplating how to lure He Yiming into continuing his attack—perhaps forcing him to leave the ground via some method—he suddenly felt it. The man opposite him had changed.

His aura underwent an earth-shattering transformation in an instant. Facing Jin Zhanyi, He Yiming held his head high, resolution blazing in his eyes.

The hand seal technique dissolved instantly, but He Yiming’s hands did not fall; instead, they were raised high above his head. He Yiming seemed to vanish, his body dissolving into the infinite space around them.

Just as Jin Zhanyi had transformed into a monstrous wave, He Yiming surrendered himself entirely to a tremendous, overwhelming power. In that moment, He Yiming was no longer the colossal peak standing for millennia; he had become a gigantic battle-axe, seemingly large enough to cleave the heavens—the greatest axe in history.