The distant black speck was certainly drawing closer, yet it still took the better part of the day to truly approach this isolated isle. Due to the deep draft of the large vessel, only a single longboat was lowered. Four men rowed with vigorous effort, finally reaching the shore.

The four men were sturdy and powerful, their skin tanned almost black from the relentless sun, radiating a potent aura of robust health.

Naturally, their martial cultivation was not as high as Huo Hongsheng’s; the strongest among them had reached only the seventh layer of Inner Strength, while the other three were stuck at the sixth.

The burly man at the seventh layer had a face full of rough features, clearly marked as no soft touch, yet before Huo Hongsheng, he appeared remarkably constrained. Especially upon seeing Huo Hongsheng's face, his eyes instantly flooded with an intense joy.

"Brother Huo, you are alive! This is wonderful news."

Huo Hongsheng shot him a look, chastising him sharply, "What kind of talk is that? Are you wishing death upon me?"

The man chuckled a few times, and a rare semblance of simple honesty softened his fierce, menacing face.

Huo Hongsheng turned away, bowing slightly toward He Yiming, "Mr. He, this is my sworn brother, Xu Hengbiao. He is a rough fellow, utterly clueless about etiquette; please do not take offense."

He Yiming nodded slightly. Although the man possessed a fierce countenance, his evident affection for Huo Hongsheng seemed entirely genuine, so He Yiming’s impression of him was not unfavorable.

Xu Hengbiao glanced at He Yiming, genuinely unable to fathom the background of this young man who commanded such deference from his elder brother.

"Hengbiao, there were other ships, where are they?" Huo Hongsheng's expression suddenly darkened slightly.

Xu Hengbiao quickly replied, "Brother, once the wind and waves subsided, I told everyone to scatter, to see if we could find any news of you." He paused, then chuckled, "I told you long ago, Brother, you are blessed by Heaven; nothing could possibly happen to you."

Only then did Huo Hongsheng nod in relief. If his main ship had foundered, losing several more vessels on top of that would have resulted in a tragic outcome even he could not bear.

After a moment of consideration, Huo Hongsheng turned and gave He Yiming a deep salute. "Mr. He, I am about to return to Penglai Immortal Isle. May I ask where you intend to travel next?"

He Yiming remained silent, seemingly unable to decide immediately.

A flicker of pleasure crossed Huo Hongsheng's eyes, and he seized the opportunity, continuing smoothly, "Mr. He, Penglai Immortal Isle is one of the three most famous immortal isles in the East Sea. The spiritual energy there is exceedingly dense—an absolute prime location for cultivation for a Xiantian expert. Since you have arrived in the East Sea, to miss seeing it would be a profound loss."

Xu Hengbiao and the others widened their eyes instantly. Those who sailed the seas possessed some knowledge. Hearing Huo Hongsheng’s words and observing his attitude toward He Yiming, they all instinctively guessed He Yiming’s identity as a Xiantian expert.

In their eyes, Xiantian experts were beings utterly beyond reach. Though they found it hard to believe, looking at He Yiming’s youthful face, none dared to voice a question.

He Yiming feigned another moment of consideration before finally giving a slight nod.

At this, Huo Hongsheng was overwhelmed with joy, and He Yiming, naturally, was equally delighted.

When Huo Hongsheng extended the invitation, although he didn't want to appear too eager in accepting, he also couldn't overdo the hesitation. If the other party thought he truly held no interest, He Yiming would genuinely regret it to death.

Under Huo Hongsheng's respectful invitation, He Yiming boarded the large vessel.

Although Huo Hongsheng maintained a posture of profound respect before He Yiming, the moment he stepped aboard, his entire bearing shifted. All the crew members treated him with deep reverence; once he issued an order, no one dared to defy him.

Naturally, the two best cabins on the ship were cleared out, and He Yiming was ushered into the most luxurious quarters.

Even though He Yiming had limited experience sailing on large ships, he knew that every inch of space on such a vessel was precious. Yet, looking at the luxurious suite provided—complete with a private washroom and a reception area—his assessment of the Huo family's strength rose considerably.

Upon entering the room, He Yiming nodded slightly, and the satisfaction in his eyes did not escape the careful observation of Huo Hongsheng. At this, the Houtian master of the Huo family finally felt truly reassured.

He Yiming subtly indicated that he wished to use the voyage time to meditate on his cultivation methods.

Huo Hongsheng immediately understood the implied request, bowed respectfully, and withdrew. He instructed a dedicated guard to remain outside the door, ensure meals were placed in the outer hall punctually three times a day, and strictly forbade anyone from entering the inner chamber without explicit summons.

After personally overseeing these arrangements and assigning a sharp, trusted subordinate to stand watch, he left, his own stomach rumbling, to take his meal.

This showed that the man possessed extreme patience; he was truly a figure of substance.

He Yiming was very pleased with the arrangements within the room.

The pretext of entering seclusion was to avoid entanglement with these people. His plan was to explore the island upon arrival, grasp the general distribution of power, and then proceed with his treasure hunt according to his knowledge. Regarding the various factions on the island, it was best to maintain no contact with them.

Sitting down in the inner room, He Yiming opened the silver ring and began reviewing the copied secret manuals within. His gaze was suddenly caught by one particular volume.

He retrieved it and began flipping through it slowly.

This manual was the Western martial arts text that Jin Zhanyi had translated before they departed. It detailed a specific cultivation method for refining a special essence blood capable of augmenting divine weapons.

Although Jin Zhanyi had repeatedly stressed that without the cooperation of Western special ability users, practicing this technique would not grant the ability to instantly reforge weapons like Gabri had, using this method could undoubtedly enhance the defensive capabilities of divine weapons.

Now that he had free time, he intended to study it.

The manual’s descriptions were remarkably detailed and easy to understand. He Yiming sighed inwardly, grateful that the translator was himself a grandmaster of martial arts. Had it been someone merely familiar with basic techniques, who knew what sort of confusing translation would have resulted? At the very least, it wouldn't have allowed him to grasp the core tenets so smoothly.

The book was not thick, and he finished reading it quickly. He Yiming silently recited the contents. With his current memory, recording the text took no time at all.

He carefully replaced the book, then sat with his eyes half-closed, deeply contemplating. Simultaneously, within his body, his vast True Qi churned restlessly.

Following the book's instructions, his chaotic Dantian began to undergo peculiar transformations, especially around the small Five Elements Ring, which started swirling as if disturbed by water currents.

Any cultivation method that became widespread in a region surely possessed merit. However, for the vast majority of people, their limited focus prevented them from learning too many systems of different origins. He Yiming, conversely, had no such worry. His Dantian was unique; any force entering it served only to increase his strength partially. This was the primary reason for his continuous advancement in martial cultivation.

After half an hour of this, the forces swirling around the Five Elements Ring grew more numerous and stronger. Slowly, the Ring seemed to sense the external power and perceived that this force was not repellent. Thus, an equally miraculous energy leaked out from within the Ring, gradually fusing with the external power.

This was a new kind of energy, distinct from both He Yiming’s chaotic Dantian and the power of the Five Elements Ring, yet it encompassed both.

Vaguely, He Yiming recalled how, when controlling the Five Elements Ring, he could receive support from its corresponding powers, resulting in a doubled strike force. A realization dawned upon him: the creator of this technique likely possessed an imitation divine artifact of the same nature in their hands.

However, the aspect that caused He Yiming to mutter under his breath was the agonizing slowness of the process, which far exceeded his expectations. While the fusion of the two different energies would create a new power system outside the Five Elements Ring, judging by the progress, it seemed this process would take at least ten to fifteen days to complete... Meaning, if he didn't want the effort to be wasted, he wouldn't be able to use the Five Elements Ring for at least half a month.

Once he realized this, even He Yiming felt a tinge of helpless amusement. This cultivation technique had an unforeseen drawback. Yet, he didn't become annoyed, because he sensed that if this new power system truly solidified, the might of the Five Elements Ring might be even greater. A mere ten to fifteen days would flash by for a master of his caliber.

His ears suddenly twitched a couple of times; he heard cheers outside. Even without opening his eyes, He Yiming knew another large ship was approaching in the distance, likely one that had been sent out to search for Huo Hongsheng, now returning to converge after receiving notice.

He Yiming, naturally, was not particularly interested in this development. He settled his mind, slowly analyzing the changes brought about by this novel energy.

However, soon after, his attention was drawn to the large ship sailing toward them in the distance. He sensed that aboard that ship was a master in the Xiantian realm. Although he no longer held ordinary Xiantian masters in high regard, he knew the significance of the term 'Xiantian master' among common people.

To have someone of that caliber anchoring a fleet drastically altered He Yiming’s perception of the Huo family's true strength. He suspected their status on Penglai Immortal Isle was far more significant than Huo Hongsheng had let on.