The moon slowly ascended. The stars claimed the entire night sky, scattering slivers of light upon the sea and beneath the mountain peaks, transforming into bright guiding beacons.

He Yiming and Chu Haozhou began their discussion in the mountain hollow. Before they realized it, the moon was high above, yet neither of them felt ready to stop talking.

In truth, whether measured by scholarship or by experience, He Yiming was utterly unable to compare with Chu Haozhou.

But the issue was that Chu Haozhou had not spoken with anyone for a full forty years since arriving on this isolated island; once he got talking smoothly, he simply could not cease.

He spoke on and on in a torrent, until eventually even he felt his own words were becoming somewhat incomprehensible.

However, at this moment, both men invariably shifted their focus to martial arts.

Though He Yiming was young, his cultivation in the Dao of Martial Arts was profoundly unfathomable, particularly as he cultivated the Five Elements simultaneously, possessing his own unique understanding of power systems like wind, ice, and cloud mist.

Not only that, but he had also read extensively through martial arts insights. Especially before heading to Ghost Cry Ridge, he had devoured numerous martial texts within the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

As the foremost sect in Da Shen for thousands of years, the richness of its collection was unparalleled, far surpassing the Ancestral Hall of the Hengshan lineage.

Having immersed himself in that place for several months, He Yiming possessed an extremely rich foundation in theoretical knowledge.

Now, as they discussed matters intimately with Chu Haozhou, both gained insights by verifying their respective learnings against the other's.

Chu Haozhou unreservedly recounted his three centuries of martial experience.

The Three Flowers he had condensed were exceedingly rare: one opposing flower of the Water and Fire elements, and another of the Wind element.

Among these three tangible Flowers, one lay outside the Five Elements, while the other two, even within the Five Elements, were diametrically opposed. Even within Chu Haozhou’s former sect, he was the sole individual possessing such inherent talent.

On the path of pursuing the Martial Dao, situations where Chu Haozhou could draw guidance from others were exceedingly rare; he was mostly compelled to grope forward alone.

This was the very reason he had left his sect to travel, as his martial cultivation was unlikely to advance further within his own school.

However, this experience also fostered a good habit in him: the skill of summarizing and innovating. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the sudden inspiration, after battling the Unicorn Horse multiple times and enduring several lightning strikes, to detonate his tangible Flowers and condense them into an armor of tangible energy covering his entire body.

In his discussions with He Yiming, although his comprehension of Wind and Fire was profound, He Yiming was by no means inferior. The two did not merely engage in verbal debate but sparred using their respective tangible Flowers, demonstrating their accumulated insights in this manner.

They quickly discovered that the other possessed extremely high attainments in these two systems of ability, providing immense inspiration to themselves.

Chu Haozhou expressed unparalleled admiration for He Yiming’s simultaneous cultivation of the Five Elements coupled with his mastery of Wind capabilities. By his own reckoning, He Yiming was simply not human.

Although He Yiming had heard similar things said by many people, hearing it again from Chu Haozhou’s lips still left him feeling somewhat speechless.

Yet, when they began discussing the power of Water, He Yiming appeared considerably inferior.

For He Yiming, who had yet to condense the Water Flower, the only asset he could truly present was the Swimming Fish Movement Technique, which had proven so formidable that day.

Just as humans are born to walk and birds are born to fly, fish are born to swim. Perhaps a crippled man unable to walk, or a bird unable to fly, could still be found, but a fish that cannot swim... that fish must surely be dead!

This movement technique, learned from fish swimming in the abyssal depths, had been successfully integrated by He Yiming into his Cloud and Rain Soaring Art, evolving into a brand-new lightness skill.

In this skill, there was the fluidity of water, the ethereal nature of wind, and the blend where the two merged. Combined with the profound Water principles inherent in the deep-sea fish's movements, it formed a completely novel technique.

It was precisely this technique that had caused Chu Haozhou significant trouble during the previous battle. No matter how vast and ocean-like his True Qi surged, the ocean was the domain of the fish, and he simply could not subdue He Yiming.

At this juncture, He Yiming laid bare his understanding of the movement technique without reservation.

Although his Swimming Fish technique was already formidable, for He Yiming, who had not yet comprehended the power of Water or condensed the Water Flower, this technique remained merely an incomplete draft.

Therefore, he disclosed it generously, placing high hopes on Chu Haozhou: if, through the elder’s guidance, He Yiming could perfect this movement technique and, through this progress, grasp the power of Water to condense the Water Flower, it would be an enormous gain.

However, to He Yiming’s disappointment, although Chu Haozhou praised his Swimming Fish technique incessantly, he offered no concrete suggestions for improvement.

He Yiming asked, perplexed. Chu Haozhou sighed deeply, "Brother He, this technique is your original creation. Like my Tangible Armor, I do not yet fully grasp it myself, so how can I offer you any guidance?" He paused, "If I manage to explore some experience in the future, I will certainly tell you truthfully."

Only then did He Yiming realize that in the mind of this elder, his Swimming Fish technique was considered comparable to the Tangible Armor that the elder himself had created. He felt rather uneasy, realizing that his standing in the elder's eyes was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

After discussing Water-element techniques at length, He Yiming suddenly recalled something. "Brother Chu, I observe that you are proficient in Water, Fire, and Wind techniques, but when you deploy them, you never fuse them. Why is that?"

Chu Haozhou broke into wry smiles. "Brother He, I have traveled the world and scoured every record, yet I rarely found predecessors who achieved convergence in these three elements at their peak. Naturally, I couldn't find any corresponding specialized techniques. For a hundred years, aside from fusing the three elements into one when condensing the Tangible Armor, my offensive methods have been severely lacking."

He Yiming nodded silently, recalling their battle. Although the striking power of the elder's punches was unparalleled, these powers were mostly single-elemental; instances of fused power were extremely rare.

Perhaps, precisely because of this, Chu Haozhou’s dedication to mastering single-element power surpassed his peers. The resulting might was so formidable that it was no less than that achieved by powerful combat skills that fused multiple elements.

A thought sparked in his mind: If Chu Haozhou could master a combat technique that allowed him to utilize all three elemental powers fully, wouldn't his current immense single-element attack power become even more unstoppable?

Seeing He Yiming's gaze seem somewhat distant, Chu Haozhou asked curiously.

After a moment of contemplation, He Yiming said, "Brother Chu, I have previously fought against two individuals; perhaps their martial skills might be of some use to you."

Chu Haozhou’s eyes lit up. He knew that given He Yiming’s status as a Venerable, he would not speak carelessly without some assurance.

He Yiming hid nothing, recounting his encounter outside Ghost Cry Ridge with the old man wielding dual-bladed swords.

That elder was a Venerable whose peak mastery encompassed the three attributes of Water, Wood, and Fire. His cultivation of the opposing pair, Water and Fire, had reached an extremely high level. Although his application and might in single-element usage could not compare to Chu Haozhou's, his skill in utilizing opposing attributes was consummate. Even He Yiming inwardly praised this aspect.

He took out the Five Elements Ring and, imitating Elder Li Yuan's method, created a Water-Fire Sphere. A moment later, a sphere emitting black and red colors materialized between the two men. Elder Li Yuan could easily create this potent black-red sphere barehanded, but since He Yiming had not condensed the Water and Wood Flowers, he could only rely on the circulating power of the Five Elements Ring to achieve his goal.

The instant the Water-Fire Sphere appeared, Chu Haozhou was clearly highly stimulated. He stared at the black-red sphere without blinking, probing its mysteries with a thread of True Qi. After a long while, his eyes flashed with intense light, appearing to grasp something profound, only to dim again immediately, as if troubled by an insurmountable problem.

He Yiming coughed lightly. "Brother Chu, that person used Wood element power as the separator between the Water and Fire. You lack the Wood element talent, so you cannot copy him directly. However, I once fought another person whose combat technique might also assist you."

Chu Haozhou responded distractedly, "Please continue, Brother He."

He Yiming shook his head inwardly, recognizing from his expression that Chu Haozhou was not paying close attention to his words.

With a flick of his wrist, a powerful energy billowed from the Five Elements Ring, and a stream of Water power was abruptly introduced into it. Although this Water power was converted from the Ring, it was still quite formidable. In an instant, Wind and Water condensed into a single entity.

It was only then that Chu Haozhou shifted his gaze.

The Wind and Water mixed together, spinning rapidly, swirling around He Yiming like a vortex.

"Brother Chu, Wind and Water can merge, just as Wind and Fire can merge. Although you lack Wood True Qi for buffering, you still have Wind True Qi," He Yiming's voice emerged from the Wind-Water vortex. "If you can integrate your Wind True Qi into the Water and Fire as a buffer, then borrowing the dynamism of Wind, once the move is formed, its might will be immense, certainly surpassing that person’s."

After saying all this, He Yiming fell silent. Everything he could say, he had said. Whether Chu Haozhou could gain comprehension and create a unique combat technique belonging to himself would depend solely on Chu Haozhou’s own strength, insight, and luck. He Yiming could assist no further.

Feeling the continuously spinning Wind-Water vortex around He Yiming, Chu Haozhou’s eyes gradually brightened.

At this moment, he seemed infinitesimally close to the Hundred and Eight. At least, the looks in both their eyes were profoundly soul-stirring...