A sudden, profound sense of melancholy welled up in He Yiming's heart. The moment he saw the eyes of this person, he could hold back no longer.

With a flash of movement, he appeared like a phantom, precisely one meter away from the figure.

The other man stared for a long moment before finally turning around. However, the instant he turned, his eyes caught sight of a shadow. Startled, he instantly channeled power into his legs and scrambled desperately forward.

Though the man’s martial arts skill was low, his reflexes were sharp, and he knew this environment so intimately that he could map every blade of grass with his eyes closed.

Thus, mid-stride, he immediately rolled into the nearby thicket, using the cover of darkness to take refuge beside a large tree.

Only then did he realize, with a shock, that the shadow had not pursued him.

Regaining some composure, he looked closely and let out a gasp of disbelief. After a moment’s hesitation, he whispered, "Mr. He?"

He Yiming was greatly surprised, asking, "How did you know it was me?"

The man finally stepped out from behind the tree and offered He Yiming a deep bow. "Senior He, this junior is a disciple of the Huo family. Today, I was fortunate enough to see you walking alongside the Family Head, and I heard that you saved your uncle, and also heard you are a Xiantian..."

At this point, he abruptly stopped, his face a mask of awkward panic.

He Yiming smiled slightly. He knew the man’s unease stemmed entirely from the vast difference in their statuses.

After all, the gap between a fifth-layer Neijin practitioner and a Xiantian expert was like comparing well water to a great river, and this youth was naturally all the more terrified.

"It's so late, and you are still here practicing," He Yiming said calmly. "Your uncle must be Huo Hongsheng. Does he know about this?"

The man hastily shook his head. "Uncle doesn't know. This is the junior's own choice; no one in the family is aware."

He Yiming responded softly, "What is your name?"

"This junior is Huo Dongcheng, paying respects to the Senior." Only after stating his name did he finally bow low to the ground, as if awakening from a dream.

In the eyes of people like him, Xiantian experts were supreme beings dwelling on high; kneeling in homage was an expected courtesy.

"How old are you?"

"This junior is sixteen this year."

He Yiming nodded lightly. "Do you come here every night?"

"Yes."

"Rain or shine?"

"Yes."

A strange light flickered in He Yiming's eyes—not satisfaction or joy, but a mixture of profound sentiment and nostalgia.

"Why do you come here every day?"

Huo Dongcheng hesitated, his face flushing slightly. "This junior comes here to train diligently, hoping to find the key to breaking through the limit."

"How long have you been stuck at the fifth layer?" He Yiming asked impassively.

Huo Dongcheng stiffened slightly. He stole a glance at He Yiming, filled with extreme admiration. To discern his cultivation level instantly—that alone was enough to earn his utter respect.

"This junior has been promoted to the fifth layer for two years now," he stated honestly, daring not to conceal anything.

He Yiming's expression grew even more peculiar, which instantly made Huo Dongcheng anxious, unsure of where he might have angered the Senior.

However, he could not have known that the mention of two years only intensified He Yiming's recollection of his own past.

Shaking his head faintly, He Yiming pushed away the sudden wave of memory.

He was not old, yet the events of just a few years ago felt like experiences spanning a century, filled with profound feeling.

He sighed inwardly. Constantly interacting with Xiantian experts, even Venerables, his own state of mind had been affected, growing aged without him noticing.

"Come here," He Yiming commanded coolly, gesturing with his hand.

If the young man chose to approach, it would be his fortune; if not, He Yiming would simply leave.

Huo Dongcheng hesitated for only a brief instant before striding forward decisively.

He Yiming nodded slightly. "Sit down, and circulate your Neijin using your usual practice method."

Although Huo Dongcheng had no idea what He Yiming intended, one thing was certain: if this Xiantian expert meant him harm, he would have acted long ago. Furthermore, under this man's power, escape was impossible, so obedience was the only course.

He sat down, striving to calm his spirit. It took the time it takes to steep a cup of tea before he managed to settle his mind and begin circulating his True Qi.

Huo Dongcheng practiced a Fire-element cultivation method. Although the fifth-layer technique was nothing spectacular, faint traces of reddish skin were already beginning to appear on his body.

He Yiming extended his hand and gently placed it on his back.

He quietly felt the meridians and observed the application of the Fire-element Neijin.

After a long pause, a look of surprise crossed He Yiming’s face. Huo Dongcheng's Fire-element Neijin had indeed reached the peak of the fifth layer, but within his body, there seemed to be another opposing force influencing the Fire Neijin, causing him to fail every time he attempted to break through to the sixth layer.

This was like a man climbing out of a well. Just as he nears the opening, he is exhausted. If someone could give him a hand, or provide a little boost from below, he could climb out. But if someone were clinging to his leg down below, adding unnecessary weight, then under this drag, he would never escape the shaft.

With He Yiming’s current strength and insight, he could clearly see that this strange power was obstructing the elevation of Huo Dongcheng's Fire Neijin.

Frowning slightly, He Yiming sensed the energy carefully, and suddenly understood—this power was Water-element Neijin.

Before cultivating the Fire-element Neijin, Huo Dongcheng must have practiced the Water element first, achieving some success, perhaps reaching the third layer. But for some unknown reason, he switched to the Fire technique, reaching the fifth layer, which was much higher than his third-layer Water Neijin.

Huo Dongcheng let out a long breath and stood up. "Senior, this junior has finished circulating the energy."

He Yiming grunted an acknowledgment from his nose, expressionless, then asked, "Have you cultivated a Water-element technique before?"

A flash of shock crossed Huo Dongcheng’s face, but he quickly regained his composure. "Senior's vision is as sharp as lightning; this junior did indeed cultivate a Water technique."

"I see you also have talent in Water cultivation; why did you not persist?"

Huo Dongcheng instantly looked deeply embarrassed. "Senior, when this junior cultivated Water Neijin to the third layer, it began to gradually spiral out of control. My father and uncle could find no reason, and even the Family Head was at a loss. So, this junior was forced to switch to the opposing Fire-element technique."

He Yiming was intrigued. He had heard of such occurrences, where different body constitutions led to such imbalances in a small percentage of people, so it wasn't entirely shocking. However, this was the first time he had encountered it personally.

After pondering for a moment, He Yiming commanded, "Circulate the Water technique once."

Huo Dongcheng reluctantly sat down again and ran the Water technique, which was only at the third layer.

He Yiming once again placed his hand on the man's back, sensing the feeling brought by the Water technique through the meridians.

In mere moments, He Yiming understood: Huo Dongcheng indeed possessed the rare dual-element physique of Water and Fire. Normally, having two opposing attributes would be the best possible foundation for reaching the Xiantian realm. The problem was that since Huo Dongcheng possessed two opposing elements, his path to advancement would be far more difficult than for ordinary Xiantian experts.

As he mused over this, He Yiming’s actions suddenly froze, and his eyes sparkled with renewed intensity.

Because he sensed another power within Huo Dongcheng’s body. If he wasn't mistaken, though this power was faint, even uncultivated, due to Huo Dongcheng's innate talent for it, a subtle hint of its presence had sprouted unconsciously within him.

Especially when Huo Dongcheng practiced the Water technique, this new power resonated with the Water force. Thus, when the Water force reached the third layer, the combination of the two forces began showing signs of instability.

Huo Leqing, despite being a Xiantian expert, had never witnessed such a phenomenon, and his ordinary Xiantian cultivation level made it impossible for him to perceive the underlying complexity.

That was why he assumed Huo Dongcheng’s constitution was incompatible with the Water technique and advised him to switch to Fire.

Understanding everything now, He Yiming mirrored Huo Dongcheng’s earlier posture, gazing out at the night sky, his expression incredibly complex.

Huo Dongcheng's constitution was not the rare dual-element physique; it was the even rarer triple-element physique.

Moreover, the three elements he possessed were extremely rare even among the ranks of Venerables.

Wind, Water, Fire.

It was the exact same cultivation structure as his elder brother, Chu Haozhou.

Individuals possessing such unusual tripartite systems, although ultimately having the potential to ascend to the Venerable realm, faced tremendous hardship during their initial cultivation stages because their innate talents constantly pulled against each other.

Their cultivation speed was often comparable only to the vast majority of cultivators—those with average talent who ultimately amounted to nothing.

To uncover the mystery behind such a structure, it required inspection by a Venerable or, at minimum, a peak expert.

But how many experts of the peak level existed in the world, compared to the countless cultivators practicing Neijin?

Consequently, except for those within major sects or established great families, the vast majority of cultivators with strange, non-mutually supporting elemental combinations failed to receive the appropriate training methods, could not break their limits, and eventually faded into obscurity.

Every cultivator yearned to apprentice under a Xiantian expert—a chance to leap like a carp over the dragon gate, ascending instantly.

Yet, few in the world realized that the difficulty a Venerable faced in finding a suitable heir often far surpassed the difficulty those aspirants faced in achieving that single, sudden step upward.