He Yi Ming rubbed his nose, a bitter smile playing on his lips. The feeling of gloom intensified, especially after hearing the request from Zhu Guan Hao.

Jin Zhanyi had warned him never to bring out the Five Elements Ring before achieving the Venerable realm. Yet, in a moment of impulse, he had completely disregarded this crucial piece of advice.

Still, a sliver of hope remained: perhaps if he didn't truly unleash the weapon's full power, no one would recognize it. But he never expected that merely taking the artifact out and turning it once in his hand would lead to it being identified instantly by someone with Fiery Eyes.

The Zhu family being a renowned forging lineage from the interior was something that caused him immense headaches.

Not only that, but Zhu Guan Hao insisted on meeting the forger himself. Judging by his tone, he held this craftsman in the highest regard, which naturally stirred considerable resentment in He Yi Ming.

He snorted softly, his tone impatient. "Brother Zhu, to be frank, this humble brother has no idea who forged this Five Elements Ring."

Zhu Guan Hao was slightly taken aback, feeling a degree of dissatisfaction. If the person who forged the Five Elements Ring wasn't someone extremely close to you, why would they hand such a replica of a great treasure to you?

Fang Sheng raised his eyebrows and remarked, "Brother He, could this Five Elements Ring be one of the treasures stored in the Northwest Heavenly Pool Treasury?"

He Yi Ming shook his head. "No, this little brother snatched it from the hands of someone who intended to kill me."

Zhu Guan Hao and the other two exchanged glances; the fact that it was acquired through robbery was truly shocking news.

"Brother He, do you happen to know who that person was?" Zhu Guan Hao inquired quickly.

He Yi Ming shook his head. "That person's face was masked; I couldn't see their features clearly at all." He paused, then added, "That person was a Three Blossoms expert, and during the struggle for the Five Elements Ring, I severed three of his fingers. That should serve as a clear marker."

Zhu Guan Hao and the others nodded slightly. Finding someone matching the description—a Three Blossoms expert missing three fingers—in the vast sea of people would undoubtedly be like searching for a needle in a haystack. But it was certainly better than trying to locate an unknown masked individual.

Zhu Guan Hao glanced repeatedly at the leather pouch tucked under He Yi Ming's arm, clearly wanting to borrow it for a closer look, but ultimately refrained from asking. After all, their relationship had not yet reached a level of intimacy where such a request would be appropriate.

After a brief period of casual conversation, everyone dispersed.

Zhu Guan Hao personally arranged two small courtyards for them. While these lodgings couldn't compare to the grand mansions in Town Jin City, they were considered top-tier accommodations within Blood Slaughter City.

The real reason He Yi Ming and his companion stayed was due to the invitation extended by the three Zhu brothers. He Yi Ming was extremely curious about the martial arts practiced by the three major families of the interior, so accepting the invitation was a perfect opportunity to save face. As for informing Wei Zong Jin and the others about their presence in the city, naturally, others would handle that; it was nothing they needed to worry about.

※※※※

During the night, the stars in the sky vanished behind the clouds, their light no longer bathing the earth.

The darkness seemed to conceal everything, yet within his room, He Yi Ming could still see his surroundings with absolute clarity.

Once one's martial cultivation reached this level, even the faintest glimmer of light was perceived by their eyes as bright as day.

Although the moonlight was dim, for them, this small amount of light was more than sufficient.

However, He Yi Ming had no interest in venturing out at the moment. He sat cross-legged on the bed, quietly circulating the true Qi within his body, contemplating the two extraordinary forces coexisting within him.

In the battle that day, what left the deepest impression on He Yi Ming was undoubtedly Hao Xue's Distortion Art. Of course, the final Blood Condensation Art was equally formidable and could not be ignored in the slightest.

After leaving the trio, He Yi Ming had sought guidance from Jin Zhanyi.

Both of these techniques were secret arts passed down only within the Hao family. While they possessed immense power, their cultivation requirements were excessively stringent. Having one or two practitioners per generation was already considered a blessing from the ancestors. To cultivate either technique to the Venerable realm required not the work of one or two generations, but the talent of a singular prodigy appearing once every three hundred years.

Hao Xue was undeniably one of those rare geniuses, which was why the family placed such high hopes on him.

During their exchange that day, He Yi Ming misjudged twice. Once, he was struck on the shoulder and back while the opponent was executing the Distortion Art, and the second time, he was injured by a drop of blood released when the Blood Condensation Art exploded, slicing his shoulder and leaving a crimson trace.

Although he had intentionally allowed the first strike, the second injury was genuine harm.

Even though the severity of the damage was insignificant, He Yi Ming regarded it with extreme seriousness.

He lightly brushed his shoulder, and a strand of blood, extremely pale and fine, appeared on his hand.

However, this wisp of blood was clearly distinct from ordinary blood; it behaved like a short, fine needle hidden within the surrounding fluid.

Staring silently at the tiny red needle in his hand, He Yi Ming's expression grew grave.

Jin Zhanyi had explained that the Blood Condensation Art was notoriously vicious and possessed terrifying power. Once it broke the skin, the blood droplet from the technique would automatically condense into a blood needle and follow the opponent's blood vessels, slowly making its way toward the heart.

An unwitting person might not even know how they ultimately died.

Of course, if one was forewarned, let alone He Yi Ming, even an ordinary Innate expert could slowly search for anomalies within the blood vessels and gradually force this blood needle out.

With Jin Zhanyi's guidance, He Yi Ming naturally dared not delay. In his focused search, he easily located the blood needle, but he did not immediately expel it. Instead, he continuously monitored the miraculous changes occurring within his body. By this point, he had a general understanding of the blood needle's pattern of movement.

Yet, after locating the blood needle, He Yi Ming hesitated. How should he dispose of this thing?

Discarding it would be the simplest solution; deprived of He Yi Ming's True Qi support, the blood needle would dissipate into a mere drop of blood in moments. But He Yi Ming felt deeply reluctant to do so.

After a long deliberation, he finally gritted his teeth and fiercely drove the blood needle back into his wound.

This time, however, he controlled the needle, guiding it slowly through the meridians, heading toward the Dantian.

He intended to send the blood needle into the Dantian.

Although this course of action was slightly reckless, with his current strength, he was qualified to attempt it. Moreover, he possessed the firm conviction that even if the Dantian could not subdue the blood needle, he would be able to recall it, perfectly intact.

Finally, the blood needle entered the Dantian.

He Yi Ming's body shuddered slightly. The Dantian, which resembled a black hole, seemed to be stimulated by the blood needle and began to slowly writhe.

But this state only lasted for a few breaths before immediately returning to absolute stillness.

It was just like the process when the Dantian absorbed the Ice Power or the Paralysis Power—the entire sequence was simple and swift.

With a faint, wry smile, He Yi Ming sank his consciousness into the Dantian. Although it wasn't his first time entering, his heart was still filled with profound reverence.

Perhaps there isn't another cultivator in the world who feels this way about their own Dantian.

As if responding to the influence of He Yi Ming's consciousness, two distinct streams of energy rose from within the Dantian. These two forces felt both alien and faintly familiar to him.

The force on the left resembled a wisp of cloud, while the force on the right was a mass of crimson blood.

After a moment of contemplation, He Yi Ming began attempting to connect with the power of the left-side cloud.

The moment his consciousness touched this force, he seemed momentarily stunned. He clearly felt as if he were witnessing a cloudscape—clouds shifting in myriad ways under the sun's glare. These clouds spun before his eyes in a specific sequence, making it impossible for him to grasp what was truly happening.

He calmed his mind, immersing all his thoughts within it.

Slowly, he seemed to understand something; the light before him brought sudden clarity.

Yes, this was a special technique, a power that was exceptionally unique.

When they first encountered it, He Yi Ming had assumed it was the power of mist; when he first began studying the technique, he thought it was the power of clouds. But finally, he saw the truth.

This was the power of Light...

This force could actually control light rays!

His heart was filled with shock. The world was truly filled with untold wonders.

At this realization, he felt immense gratitude for the earnest guidance of his elders.

Including the Medicine Daoist, everyone supported him in venturing out, believing that only by traversing the world could one gain a deeper sense of the Martial Path and witness martial techniques of all styles.

At this juncture, the secret of the Distortion Art was no longer a secret.

If this special power could even manipulate light, then everything he saw must have been the result of this power distorting the light rays. Given that, it was only natural that he couldn't hit his opponent. If he hadn't also possessed the miraculous power of the Wind-Following Ear, today's battle, even if he hadn't lost, would have offered no chance of victory, let alone forcing Hao Xue to unleash his ultimate Blood Condensation Art.

Forcibly suppressing his excitement, He Yi Ming withdrew his consciousness from the cloudscape and began trying to engage with the other force.

This power was vast and pure, yet it carried an inherently soft and yielding quality—this contradictory nature immediately gave He Yi Ming a severe headache.

He quietly absorbed the sensation of this force and soon discovered that the blood needle used in the Blood Condensation Art was remarkably hard. It was precisely because it was so incredibly dense that it could scratch his skin.

However, the method this technique used to accumulate energy was even stranger than that used by the light-controlling power. Despite exhausting all his effort, He Yi Ming gained little insight. The only thing he managed was to condense a blood needle similar to the original—but it was only one such needle.