What truly astonished He Yiming was that in his own hands, there rested a similar secret manual. That book detailing the Art of Wind, Cloud, and Mist was crafted from the very same material.

Seeing the unusual expression on He Yiming's face, Jin Zhanyi asked in surprise, "Brother He, is something amiss?"

He Yiming shook his head slightly. "I am ashamed. This is the first time I have ever seen such a manual. Your sect's collection is truly eye-opening."

Jin Zhanyi paused. "Brother He, as far as I know, there should be several such manuals within the Tianchi Martial Repository."

He Yiming replied regretfully, "What a pity. However, I have never once visited the Tianchi Martial Repository."

Jin Zhanyi suddenly recalled He Yiming's status as the Supreme Elder of the Hengshan Sect and felt relieved. He chuckled, "Brother He, no need to be vexed. Once you advance to the Venerable realm, they will certainly grant you access to the Repository." His gaze flickered toward the leather pouch tucked under He Yiming's arm. "In fact, if you didn't already possess the Five Elements Ring, the Repository might have been opened to you long ago."

He Yiming followed his gaze to the pouch, asking with confusion, "What connection does opening the Repository have with the Five Elements Ring?"

Jin Zhanyi hesitated for a moment. "Brother He, do you know the secret of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Apex?"

"I do." He Yiming patted the Five Elements Ring beneath his arm. "If I wish to gather the Three Flowers at the Apex, I must refine this thing within my body, letting it serve as the bridge to fuse true qi of different attributes and communicate with the power of Heaven and Earth."

Jin Zhanyi nodded slightly. "Among us from the major sects, once one can condense the Three Flowers and establish a tripod formation, the Venerables of the sect will arrange for us to enter the Repository to select suitable weaponry." He paused, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Our various repositories do not merely store secret manuals; they also house all manner of divine weapons and sharp implements."

He Yiming's mind spun, and he immediately understood the reason. "You mean, because I possess the Five Elements Ring, I have instead forfeited that qualification?"

Jin Zhanyi smiled gently. Though he offered no explicit confirmation, He Yiming could not misunderstand the implication.

With a soft sigh, He Yiming managed a wry smile. "So that is how it is. To think that possessing this weapon would cause me to lose the opportunity to enter the Repository."

Jin Zhanyi shot him a look that was half exasperated. "Brother He, for us, we can only refine a single weapon. The quality of that weapon, and its compatibility with our innate true qi, are intrinsically linked to our ultimate attainment in the future." His expression became incredibly solemn. "While the armaments stored in the various repositories are numerous, not everyone can select a divine weapon that perfectly suits them. Our four great families have an agreement to exchange divine weapons from our repositories, but even so, some have scoured all four without finding a weapon that matches their inherent attributes. And to forge a new one is infinitely more difficult. Since ancient times, how many individuals of supreme talent, upon reaching the tripod formation stage, found their path to Venerable completely blocked due to the lack of a suitable divine weapon."

He Yiming’s expression also grew grave. He could absolutely empathize with the despair of those people. Having advanced to the critical stage of the tripod formation, their hopes of becoming Venerables were shattered simply because they lacked the right divine weapon. If such a thing were to happen to him, he suspected he would feel the urge to commit suicide.

Jin Zhanyi continued, "Brother He, your innate talent is extraordinary, cultivating the Five Elements concurrently. This Five Elements Ring is undoubtedly tailor-made for you. Using it to consolidate your Apex is absolutely the best choice for you. If the Repository were to be opened to you now, it would truly be harming you."

He Yiming bowed deeply toward him. "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Jin."

Jin Zhanyi sighed deeply. "Brother He, the Tianchi Venerables deliberately concealed the truth because they did not want you to become conflicted upon learning of the weapons stored in the Repository. Do not disappoint them."

He Yiming naturally understood his meaning, nodding with a slight smile. However, a sudden question surfaced in his mind, and he asked, "Brother Jin, how did those divine weapons and sharp implements in the Repository come to be?"

Jin Zhanyi stated solemnly, "Before every Venerable passes away, they return to the mountain gate. Once they pass into Nirvana within the gate, the weapon they condensed during their lifetime will manifest externally. At least half of the weapons in our Repository were left behind by past Elders. Of course, the other half were meticulously collected and forged over thousands of years."

The smile on He Yiming's face momentarily froze. The fact that the weapons originated from the remnants of deceased bodies was certainly chilling.

He touched the leather pouch on his body again, and a true sense of relief settled in his heart. It was fortunate he held the Five Elements Ring; otherwise, selecting those weapons would present a significant psychological hurdle.

Shifting his focus back to the small wooden box, He Yiming gently picked up the book, caressing it as if it were a peerless treasure.

In reality, the sensation of touching this manual was almost identical to the feeling he had when examining the Book of Wind, Cloud, and Mist that night.

He Yiming was certain that both books were made of the same substance.

"Brother Jin, this book is so peculiar; it must have an extraordinary origin, right?" He Yiming asked tentatively.

Jin Zhanyi nodded slightly, a hint of yearning in his eyes. "This book is called a Book of Antiquity, also known as a Book of the Divine Path. It was circulated before the disappearance of the Divine Path."

"The Divine Path?" He Yiming’s heart tightened. "Could this book be related to the legendary figures of the Divine Path?"

A look of appreciation dawned on Jin Zhanyi's face. "It is said this book was drawn up by a master of the Divine Path. Its records are profound and extensive. If one could fully comprehend it, perhaps we too could one day advance to the Divine Path."

He Yiming nodded heavily. He finally understood the true weight of this book. Simultaneously, he recalled the reluctant expression Xu Zili wore when handing this book over to him.

He was secretly grateful. Although Xu Zili did not cultivate wind-element techniques, he could not have been unaware of the value of this book. Gifting him this Divine Path manual was undoubtedly a gesture to thank him for saving the Xu Family Fortress in the past.

Using this book as recompense was more than sufficient, and the old man had also promised to accompany him to the Deep Mountain Totem twenty years hence—a reward far too generous.

Vaguely, He Yiming seemed to grasp the old man’s perspective.

Perhaps in his words, he perpetually refused to acknowledge his connection to the Xu Family Fortress, but what truly occupied his heart was likely that solitary fortress.

Jin Zhanyi stood up. "Brother He, I will leave now. See how much you can absorb within three hours. I will bring you back in three days."

He Yiming’s eyebrows lifted slightly, and he nodded subtly.

Jin Zhanyi chuckled wryly. "Brother He, neither of us is a Venerable yet. To be granted the opportunity to view it once every three days is already a considerable concession."

He Yiming gave an understanding smile. "I understand. Thank you, Brother Jin."

Jin Zhanyi waved his hand and re-entered the room, presumably to select the manuals he wished to peruse.

Glancing around, He Yiming could not sense any other presence. A faint suspicion arose in his heart: how could such a critical location be completely unguarded?

However, He Yiming knew it was impossible for this place to truly have no guards; it was simply that he could not detect them with his current ability.

Shaking his head, He Yiming calmed himself and opened the manual before him.

The very first page displayed a drawing: a great saber. Although static on the paper, it possessed a magical quality that suggested it could leap off the page at any moment.

He Yiming lifted the book and slowly viewed it from different angles, indeed perceiving different images. If these images were synthesized, it would likely represent the true manifestation of that single technique.

A thread of gold-element true qi flowed into the manual. He Yiming’s body trembled slightly, and his spirit seemed to enter a wondrous realm.

After the gold-element true qi resonated with the manual, He Yiming once again found himself in this magical environment.

It felt as if he held a great Guan Dao in his hands, and countless saber shadows flickered in his mind.

Following a specific trajectory and angle, the edge of the blade in his hand flowed ceaselessly, instantly radiating immense radiance.

Sensing the spectral image of the person wielding the Guan Dao in his mind, He Yiming’s emotions surged uncontrollably.

The First Form—this was merely the first technique within the thirty-six Opening Mountain Forms, belonging to the Houtian (Post-Heaven) realm.

But now, the power displayed by this single form in his hands had distinctly increased. It had finally reached the peak manifestation of this technique.

Although the version of the thirty-six Opening Mountain Forms he had previously acquired described this technique in exhaustive detail, complete with diagrams and textual explanations, only upon coming into contact with the original manual did He Yiming realize that for someone of his level, only viewing the authentic text could allow for a clear experience of its variations and might.

Just like now. His mastery of the First Form had ascended to a new plateau. While he could not yet match the level of the Divine Path predecessor who created this book, this brief span of a few breaths had brought about a revolutionary change.

He couldn't help but muse: if he were to study the first twenty-three forms and then execute them once more from the beginning, the power unleashed would likely force even Venerables to retreat three paces.

The previous time he clashed with Xu Zili, although he managed to force him back, half of that success was attributable to the Hundred and Eight skills.

But if he were to repeat that encounter after studying the original manual, He Yiming was absolutely confident that he could, purely on genuine strength, force him back at least one step.

Taking a deep breath, He Yiming withdrew from that miraculous state and carefully turned to the second page, immersing himself completely, devoutly devoted to the text!