He Yi Ming did not know that, during the same period, the amount of Zhenqi inhaled through the Baihui acupoint was actually a standard representing the might of a Venerable.
He also did not know what incredible progress he had made in just these ten short days.
During this time, he seemed to exist in a state of trance. Finally, at a certain moment, he awakened.
Because something went wrong in the process of inhaling, converting, inputting, atomizing, and integrating, he suddenly found that he could no longer channel the Zhenqi absorbed and converted in his Dantian into the Five Elements Ring.
Confused, He Yi Ming shook his head, opened his eyes, and a beam of light, intensely sharp, flashed within them. This light vanished almost instantly, retracting deep into his body.
His heart was filled with extreme suspicion. For him, those ten days had been like a dream—a dream of unparalleled beauty.
Although he had now awoken from the dream, his thoughts did not immediately follow suit.
For the cultivator, the process of absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, converting it into Zhenqi, and then atomizing and integrating the artifact into oneself is not painful, but rather a wonderful enjoyment. However, for most people, this enjoyment is experienced intermittently over the course of about a year.
He Yi Ming had compressed this entire year’s worth of experience into a mere ten days, so the intensity of his sensation was something ordinary Venerables could never hope to equal.
Yet, He Yi Ming was unaware of all this. He groggily opened his eyes, his gaze drifting around unconsciously. Suddenly, his eyes fixed upon his palm. Slowly, the unconsciousness in his eyes snapped back to awareness, and a sheet of cold sweat broke out across his body.
The Five Elements Ring in his hand had actually vanished...
He Yi Ming looked around, taking in a scene of dense, gray-black mist.
It was still the Ghost Cry Ridge, the very spot where he had entered meditation. The only difference was that the Five Elements Ring he had been cultivating was gone.
His mouth twitched twice, and countless goosebumps rose all over his body.
No matter how abundant his self-confidence, He Yi Ming had never dared to hope that he could refine and absorb the Five Elements Ring completely in one go; thus, he had never even considered such a possibility.
That idea lay far outside the scope of his martial understanding.
At the very least, in all the records he had read, even the founder of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, that mysterious Divine Dao master, had taken a full month to refine a divine weapon upon advancing to the Venerable realm. And that speed was already the fastest recorded in the thousands of years since the Hall was established. Furthermore, even the current Sect Master had never achieved such an exaggerated pace.
Therefore, He Yi Ming had never once imagined that he could fully refine the Five Elements Ring in a single attempt.
After a period of heart-pounding stillness, He Yi Ming’s ears twitched slightly, but the surroundings were utterly, unnervingly quiet. Suddenly, He Yi Ming’s gaze locked onto one spot, and with a slight shift of his body, he darted forward like an arrow.
In that single bound, he covered several zhang of distance, arriving at a dark corner.
There, the Precious Pig was sound asleep in Bai Ling Ba’s arms.
He Yi Ming knew instantly upon glancing over that they must have remained in the Ghost Cry Ridge to guard him, concerned for his safety.
He Yi Ming was grateful, but he couldn’t spare attention for the pair right then, for he was startled by his own recent action.
With just a mere thought, he had covered such a vast distance in that single step, and his speed was incredibly swift—something absolutely impossible before.
In that instant, he seemed to feel profound changes manifesting within him.
His brow furrowed, He Yi Ming sank his Zhenqi and spirit into his Dantian, beginning to inwardly observe his wondrous core.
Then, his body convulsed suddenly, and his face displayed an expression of almost frenzied joy.
Inside his Dantian, he could “see” an object.
The Five Elements Ring…
It looked exactly like the Five Elements Ring, and the moment he focused on it, a sensation of being intrinsically connected, of blood ties, arose.
He Yi Ming suppressed his surging emotions and slowly managed to calm his heart.
He extended a hand, willed his thoughts slightly, and a vast amount of mist immediately materialized in his palm. In that instant, the mist condensed and took shape, becoming the Five Elements Ring.
Staring dumbfounded at the replica divine weapon in his hand, He Yi Ming realized that if he still didn't grasp what had just occurred, he would truly be an imbecile.
However, even with the truth laid bare before him, He Yi Ming still struggled to accept it.
He cracked a smile, the sheer ecstasy surging from the depths of his heart contorting his expression.
“Brother Bai, did you see that?”
Bai Ling Ba asked, nonplussed, “See what?”
He Yi Ming moved his hand; the Five Elements Ring instantly dissolved into a cloud of mist, surging back into his body. Then, he flicked his hand again, and the mist reappeared, once more coalescing into the Five Elements Ring.
He Yi Ming was like a child who had just received a long-coveted toy, playing to his heart's content.
Finally, he looked up, his face full of hopeful expectation as he gazed at Bai Ling Ba. “Brother Bai, is this real?”
Though Bai Ling Ba couldn't fully comprehend He Yi Ming’s current state of mind, it didn't impede his judgment.
He nodded slightly. “It is real. You can now truly atomize a divine weapon.”
He Yi Ming’s movements froze. If he had taken a year to refine the Five Elements Ring step by step, he certainly wouldn’t experience such overwhelming ecstasy upon ascending to the Venerable realm now. But having succeeded in melting it down completely in just ten days, the explosive joy of a single, total success, combined with his actual age of only twenty, naturally left him somewhat overwhelmed.
Perhaps alerted by their voices, the Precious Pig finally awoke.
It tumbled out of Bai Ling Ba’s arms and onto his shoulder, its small eyes fixing on He Yi Ming with a flicker of confusion.
He Yi Ming chuckled softly. “Little fellow, you don’t recognize me.”
In truth, after his successful advancement to the Venerable realm, his aura, fused with the Five Elements Ring, had indeed undergone a subtle transformation.
Bai Ling Ba couldn't discern it, but the Precious Pig sensed it. After watching He Yi Ming for a moment, however, it finally confirmed his identity. The feeling of unfamiliarity vanished instantly, and it leaped onto He Yi Ming, affectionately nudging him with its long nose.
He Yi Ming burst into loud laughter, gently patting the pig’s back. He considered how much the little creature must have endured following Bai Ling Ba into the Ghost Cry Ridge for such an extended period.
After a long while, He Yi Ming finally calmed down completely. He suddenly remembered a very important question.
“Brother Bai, how long have I been in meditation?”
“Ten days.”
“Ten days?” He Yi Ming asked disbelievingly.
He was not surprised that the time was long, but rather that he had managed to fully refine the Five Elements Ring in a mere ten days, finding it unimaginable.
In his memory, let alone this era lacking masters of the Divine Dao, even during the true age of the Divine Dao, it seemed no one had managed to set such a record.
He gave a wry smile, knowing this must be connected to his special physique.
The Zhenqi circulated familiarly within him, yet he could sense that it possessed a subtle difference from before—as if every thread of Zhenqi carried a hint of the Five Elements Ring’s power.
It seemed, however, that the Fire, Earth, and Metal elements were particularly potent.
Vaguely, He Yi Ming felt that the might of the Zhenqi within him now far surpassed what it had been previously.
Instantly, a surge of valor rose in his heart—a towering sense of spirit capable of soaring to the heavens.
Simultaneously, an incredibly powerful aura rose from his body. This intensity was like a volcanic eruption, rapidly climbing to its absolute peak the moment his state of mind shifted.
Feeling the unbelievable momentum emanating from his body, He Yi Ming’s eyes widened. He was astonished to find that the sheer scale of his aura even surpassed that of Gabri and Zhuo Sheng Feng.
Of course, this was merely a feeling; whether it was truly so could only be proven through actual confrontation.
But he already dimly sensed that he had absolutely advanced to the Venerable rank, even if he hadn't yet communicated with the power of heaven and earth using the Five Elements Ring, and thus hadn't mastered the various unique abilities belonging to a Venerable.
However, this did not significantly impact him, as he had already mastered the pinnacle movement technique of Wind and the Art of Earth Penetration; other abilities were, at best, supplementary and wouldn't greatly affect his fighting strength.
The aura rising from He Yi Ming intensified, even piercing through the gray-black mist and spreading out in all directions.
This was the greatest benefit of abundant heaven and earth energy—even the transmission of mere aura was several times faster here than outside.
Just as He Yi Ming’s confidence swelled, making him feel supremely assured, Bai Ling Ba suddenly exclaimed, “Not good.”
He Yi Ming paused slightly. “What is it?”
“A strong enemy approaches.”
He Yi Ming thumped his chest and declared loudly, “Brother Bai, there is no need to worry. Whoever comes, I guarantee I’ll knock their head until it's swollen!”
The newly ascended Venerable He Yi Ming was at the peak of his confidence, possessing an air that suggested he held all the heroes of the world in contempt.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
Bai Ling Ba nodded slightly and pointed towards the summit. “Go knock that giant python’s head until it’s swollen.”
He Yi Ming’s expression instantly stiffened.
“Roar…”
A colossal sound, like overwhelming mountains and crashing thunder, boomed down from the mountaintop.
He Yi Ming’s face instantly turned ashen white. Was that truly the sound of a snake?
He beckoned, and the Precious Pig flew into his hands.
Then, turning around, discarding all decorum, he utilized the pinnacle movement technique of Wind, let out a shh-liew sound, and vanished in an instant!
Ps: He has ascended to the Venerable realm, and on the foundation of a replica divine artifact, not an ordinary divine weapon. How will He Yi Ming’s strength fare against a Venerable who has ascended for decades? Don’t say anything else, give me your guaranteed monthly ticket, and White Crane will tell you tonight... In April and May, White Crane’s monthly updates exceeded 400,000 characters, and June will be the same, so please give White Crane your guaranteed monthly ticket. Thank you...