He Yiming looked up. "Brother Jin, please speak."

A hint of embarrassment flickered across Jin Zhanyi's face. "Brother He, an unfortunate incident occurred last night at our Lingxiao Treasure Hall."

A blank look crossed He Yiming's eyes. "What kind of incident?"

Jin Zhanyi let out a wry chuckle. Before leaving last night, he had tried to brief He Yiming, but he knew that He Yiming was deeply immersed in his own unique method of cultivation and probably hadn't paid the slightest attention.

Of course, this wasn't surprising; Jin Zhanyi had experienced it many times himself and held no suspicion whatsoever.

"Brother He, someone infiltrated the armory last night, seemingly attempting to steal the collection of texts," Jin Zhanyi stated slowly.

He Yiming’s expression immediately shifted, and he asked urgently, "Brother Jin, were the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting stolen?"

Jin Zhanyi waved a hand dismissively. "Brother He, calm yourself. The original manuscript of the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting is completely unharmed."

He Yiming’s tension immediately eased. "That's a relief."

Seeing He Yiming’s reaction, Jin Zhanyi couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. However, he understood He Yiming's priorities: as long as that book was safe, the fate of the other texts was utterly irrelevant to him.

Shaking his head slightly, Jin Zhanyi said in a deep voice, "Brother He, due to this unexpected event, the two presiding Venerables of the sect have conferred and decided to temporarily seal the armory. Therefore, Brother He, you will not be able to enter to consult the original secret manuals for the time being."

He Yiming's brow furrowed, and his expression instantly darkened.

Jin Zhanyi maintained his look of helpless apology. "Brother He, I guarantee that once the armory reopens, you will have unrestricted access to read the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting."

After a moment, He Yiming let out a long breath. "Since your sect's Venerables have made this decision, I can only comply. I only hope your sect can reopen the armory as soon as possible."

Jin Zhanyi immediately thumped his chest and guaranteed that the armory would definitely resume operation within a month.

He Yiming nodded, seemingly recalling something suddenly. "Brother Jin, just who dared to sneak into your esteemed sect's armory? Surely there were no guards posted outside the vault?"

Jin Zhanyi’s face flushed slightly. How vital was the armory to a sect? It was impossible to be unguarded.

The room just outside the entrance was constantly overseen by a powerful Venerable.

But no one could have anticipated that the assassin from the Yellow Springs Sect had mastered the art of the Veil of Illusions to such a divine degree that even Venerable Zhuo Shengfeng detected no flaw when the intruder entered.

Fortunately, Venerable Zhuo Shengfeng had an instinctual feeling, circled the armory, and accidentally discovered the intruder’s tracks. Otherwise, this would have been an unimaginable disgrace.

However, these details absolutely could not be shared with He Yiming, so Jin Zhanyi merely offered a vague, noncommittal chuckle. "Brother He, the person who attacked this time is actually not unfamiliar to you."

He Yiming’s face subtly changed, and he said in a dry voice, "Totem of the Deep Mountains?"

Jin Zhanyi opened his mouth, feeling rather helpless, but considering the notoriously poor relationship between the two parties, it wasn't entirely surprising.

He waved his sleeve. "Although the Totem of the Deep Mountains possesses formidable strength, they rarely leave the Northwest Territory, and it’s even less likely they would come here to challenge our Lingxiao Treasure Hall."

He Yiming nodded, pondering seriously. "Was it someone from the West, or the Yellow Springs Sect?"

Jin Zhanyi stated solemnly, "The Yellow Springs Sect."

He Yiming frowned slightly. "On what grounds do you say that?"

"The technique used this time was unmistakably the Yellow Springs Sect's secret, the Veil of Illusions. Anyone taught this art must have reached at least the rank of Forked-Sword Assassin. Moreover…" Jin Zhanyi paused, shifting his tone, "Judging by all the evidence, the intruder was undoubtedly a top master from within the Yellow Springs Sect."

He had intended to say that Venerable Zhuo Shengfeng swore he had seized the man's forked sword, but the problem was that after a thorough search of the room, they hadn't found so much as a dagger, let alone a forked sword.

Under these circumstances, suspicion inevitably turned toward an inside mole.

Venerable Zhuo Shengfeng was certainly not one to lie about such a matter, so the disciples assigned the task of cleaning and organizing the armory immediately became the prime suspects.

Only core disciples of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall were granted the honor of such access for cleaning. While none of them were at the Innate Realm, there were certainly several Post-Natal disciples at the peak of the Tenth Level of Inner Strength.

The notion that there could be a mole among these disciples was both incredible and profoundly heartbreaking to everyone involved.

Fortunately, most of these disciples had clean backgrounds, and many shared blood ties with past Venerables, making it impossible to round them all up and punish them indiscriminately. But as long as the forked sword remained missing, or if Zhuo Shengfeng did not retract his statement, the futures of these few disciples would inevitably be affected to some degree.

Naturally, Jin Zhanyi was equally unwilling to share this embarrassing matter with He Yiming.

He Yiming appeared astonished, but internally, he was truly relieved.

When Jin Zhanyi first arrived, despite maintaining an outward composure, He Yiming had been quite uneasy. Even though he was supremely confident in the series of arrangements he had orchestrated, the Lingxiao Treasure Hall was teeming with experts. Who knew if someone might discern the intricacies of his plan? If someone had found even the slightest thread leading back to him, He Yiming did not believe he could so easily escape Zhuo Shengfeng and the others a second time.

"Brother Jin, since it's confirmed to be the work of the Yellow Springs Sect, how do you plan to handle it?"

"We will report the matter to the Sect Master and ask for his final decision," Jin Zhanyi’s expression was far from pleasant.

He Yiming inwardly recoiled. "A mere Yellow Springs Sect, how could they warrant the Sect Master personally stepping in to confront them in a standoff with Lingxiao Treasure Hall?"

Jin Zhanyi hesitated for a moment. "Brother He may not know, but the Ancestor of Yellow Springs in the Yellow Springs Sect is a peer of our Sect Master, whose cultivation techniques are unfathomably deep. If it weren't for that, the Yellow Springs Sect wouldn't be so brazen, nor would they have maintained the number one position in the assassin world for so long."

He Yiming nodded slightly, though frankly, he held little interest in how the two major factions would negotiate.

While framing the Yellow Springs Sect felt slightly unjust, the memory of Sima Yin's unprovoked assassination attempt on him earlier instantly brought him peace of mind. Since the people of the Yellow Springs Sect had tried to kill him, causing them some trouble now would be considered karmic retribution.

Involuntarily, both men dropped the subject simultaneously. Jin Zhanyi certainly didn't wish to elaborate, and He Yiming was eager to avoid it entirely.

"Brother He, the day after tomorrow is the decisive battle against the Qilian Twin Demons. You should rest well these next two days. Perhaps during the battle, you can achieve a breakthrough beyond your limits with an extraordinary performance."

He Yiming gave a bitter smile. "Thank you for your good wishes, Brother Jin."

Jin Zhanyi dropped his smile. "As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles. Brother He has only recently arrived in Da Shen and likely doesn't know the background of the Qilian Twin Demons."

He Yiming shook his head honestly. "Indeed, I do not. I request Brother Jin enlighten me."

Jin Zhanyi’s expression grew serious. "The Qilian Twin Demons became famous throughout the world two centuries ago. They were actually orphans, abandoned by their parents, and by a stroke of fate, they were taken in by a Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land. From then on, their reputation soared, and they walked further and further down the path of martial arts. Their methods are ruthless, and they practice the Path of Asura, seeking breakthroughs through combat with the strong. Over a hundred years, countless experts perished at their hands, forging the fearsome renown of the Twin Demons. However, after they achieved the Pinnacle state forty years ago, they naturally went into seclusion until they issued this challenge to you and me today."

He Yiming thought to himself: The challenge is aimed at you; I am merely an accessory. But he also knew Jin Zhanyi’s introduction wouldn't end there so simply.

As expected, Jin Zhanyi continued, "Although both Qilian Twin Demons have reached the Pinnacle state, their Pinnacle attainment differs significantly from the norm." Here, he cast a meaningful glance toward He Yiming's side, "Brother He, when we fight them the day after tomorrow, we should refrain from using weapons, especially your Five Elements Rings. Under no circumstances should you bring them out."

He Yiming paused slightly. "Why is that?"

Jin Zhanyi looked grave. "I wonder, Brother He, have you heard of the Five Elements Sect in the Northwest?"

He Yiming felt a sharp jolt. "Is the Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land a branch of the Five Elements Sect?"

Jin Zhanyi nodded emphatically. "Correct. The Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land of Qilian Mountain is indeed a branch that split off from the Five Elements Sect, and arguably the most powerful branch."

He Yiming nodded with a solemn expression. He understood the principle that even a starved camel is larger than a horse. If those individuals saw the Five Elements Rings, endless trouble would surely follow.

"Although the Qilian Twin Demons are twin brothers, the Five Elements attributes they possess are not the same. The Elder Demon possesses Gold, Water, and Wood; the Younger Demon possesses Fire, Earth, and Gold."

Jin Zhanyi's voice rose and fell rhythmically, imbued with a powerful, sharp energy. Especially when mentioning the cultivation attributes of the Twin Demons, his eyes shone with a touch of excited spirit. Clearly, he felt no psychological pressure regarding the impending duel.

This ability to transform pressure into motivation was something He Yiming truly admired.

After pondering for a moment, He Yiming stated, "When they combine forces, it is the Five Elements Reincarnation."

A slight smile touched the corner of Jin Zhanyi's mouth. "Precisely because of the Five Elements Reincarnation, their combined power increases exponentially. However, if they are separated, they become utterly ordinary."

He Yiming looked at the supremely confident Jin Zhanyi and couldn't help but shake his head slightly. In Jin Zhanyi’s view, once these two were separated, they would be no match. But in reality, anyone capable of reaching the Pinnacle level was hardly easy to deal with.

Jin Zhanyi looked at He Yiming and said softly, "Brother He, that night I watched you practice the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting. From the first stance to the twenty-third, your momentum gradually increased, and your power multiplied. I have a suggestion; what do you think..."

His voice gradually lowered, and the strange light in He Yiming’s eyes, listening intently, grew brighter and brighter!

Ps: Five chapters today, the first five-chapter day this week—I am ashamed… Next week, White Crane promises at least four days of five chapters!