Though their pace on foot was fast, they were still considerably slower than the Lingjiu that could soar through the sky.

Of course, if they had ridden Thunder, they could have certainly started later but arrived sooner. Even if the journey had not been smooth sailing, Thunder’s speed could have compensated for everything.

However, since He Yiming and the other had reunited, their relationship had deepened significantly, leading them to spend the journey exchanging martial arts knowledge—this was the true reason for their late arrival.

Their speed was incredible, and entering the city under the cover of night meant they utterly failed to alert the city guards.

Under He Yiming’s guidance, they proceeded directly to the Huo Residence in the east of the city, heading straight for the backyard.

Huo Dongcheng had been residing in the backyard these past few days, diligently practicing the curriculum He Yiming had assigned him without fail.

He knew that the shift in his family’s status, or any future progress, was entirely due to Mr. Huo and his yet-unmet master. To maintain his current standing, or to advance further, he needed to be accepted by both Mr. Huo and the master.

Therefore, he dared not relax even for a moment, focusing every ounce of his energy on his martial cultivation during his practice.

As Chu Haozhou entered the backyard, he was immediately captivated by Huo Dongcheng, who was seated in meditation. He took a step forward, approaching Huo Dongcheng’s back with spectral silence.

He gently extended a hand, placing it lightly against the center of Huo Dongcheng’s back.

A subtle, almost imperceptible surge of zhenqi slowly flowed into Huo Dongcheng’s body.

With Chu Haozhou’s level of control, it was impossible for Huo Dongcheng to notice anything. After a moment, Chu Haozhou withdrew his palm, an undisguised joy flickering in his eyes.

Although He Yiming had already told him that Huo Dongcheng possessed the rare constitution of cultivating three systems simultaneously—the very same as He Yiming—Chu Haozhou had felt an underlying anxiety until he witnessed it firsthand.

Now, finally at ease, he nodded slightly and declared, “Brother He, I am determined to take this disciple.”

He Yiming chuckled softly. “Brother, since you’ve accepted him, you must instruct him diligently. If we don’t produce another Venerable from him in the future, I will be disappointed, little brother.”

Chu Haozhou raised his eyebrows. “If the goal is condensing the Three Flowers, I have a certain confidence, Brother. But whether he can advance to the Venerable realm will depend on his own fortune.” He paused, then added, “Brother He, if you are willing to lend your aid, his chances of advancement will be significantly greater.”

He Yiming started slightly. “How do you wish me to assist?”

“The treasury in Haitian City holds countless rare materials and elixirs. If you could refine some pills that rapidly increase neijin and zhenqi, it would allow Dongcheng to skip a significant amount of training time. If you could manage to create elixirs to help him break through the bottleneck, the assistance would be immeasurably vast,” Chu Haozhou said slowly.

He Yiming recalled the contents of the Haitian Sect’s treasury. He nodded slowly. “Brother’s suggestion is sound. The items there are priceless; not only is there enough to refine pills for one person, but enough for hundreds. I will first give you a bottle of Vitality Gold Elixirs. Once he reaches the Xiantian realm, I will help you refine other pills. The goal is to help Dongcheng reach the Venerable realm as quickly as possible.”

Chu Haozhou nodded slightly; he offered no thanks.

Ever since Chu Haozhou decided to return to the Northwest with He Yiming, their relationship had grown increasingly harmonious. Providing Huo Dongcheng with a mere few bottles of pills, even potent spirit medicines capable of boosting Xiantian zhenqi, was a matter of course.

A long, deep exhalation escaped Huo Dongcheng’s lips.

Both He Yiming and Chu Haozhou knew he had finished his cultivation session.

Indeed, Huo Dongcheng opened his eyes. He stood up, and upon suddenly noticing several shadows at his feet, his heart gave a great leap of alarm.

He spun around quickly, and only when his gaze landed upon the strikingly obvious white horse did his tension immediately ease.

“Senior He, you have returned,” he said, bowing deeply to He Yiming, his tone filled with profound gratitude.

He Yiming nodded slightly. “Dongcheng, this is my intimate friend, and now your Master. Hurry over and pay respects to your teacher.”

Huo Dongcheng turned to look. Chu Haozhou, who had already tidied himself up, had shed the ragged, barely-clothed appearance from the deserted island.

Under the night sky, Chu Haozhou with his flowing white hair appeared as venerable and transcendent as an immortal.

Huo Dongcheng felt joy but dared not delay, quickly kneeling down.

Only after Huo Dongcheng completed the ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows did Chu Haozhou help him rise, though his expression remained somewhat reserved.

He Yiming understood that Chu Haozhou was deliberately maintaining this façade, but judging by the sharp light in his eyes, he knew the man was overjoyed.

The news of their arrival reached Qianshan Sect the very next day.

Zhen Wanqing and Zhan Hongtu, who were staying at Qianshan Sect, immediately descended the mountain to meet He Yiming and the others, and subsequently invited all the prominent figures of the city to attend this Master-Acceptance Ceremony.

This ceremony was exceptionally grand. The main figures were naturally Chu Haozhou and Huo Dongcheng, but Zhan Hongtu simultaneously took Huo Hongyu as his disciple as well. The Huo family thus had two members simultaneously apprenticed to different Venerables.

This event caused a sensation, becoming a celebrated tale spread across the entire island, elevating the modestly known Huo family into the ranks of the influential powers on Penglai Immortal Island overnight.

From that day forward, no one, whether within Qianshan City or across Penglai Immortal Island, dared to easily offend the Huo family again.

Although the Master-Acceptance Ceremony was magnificent, once the relationships were solidified, the entire island was enveloped in a tide of bloody conflict the following day.

Under the direct leadership of the Venerables Zhan Hongtu and Zhen Wanqing, Qianshan Sect and Lingjiu Valley joined forces to sweep away the remaining vestiges of the Haitian Sect.

Without the presence of a Venerable to anchor them, the Haitian Sect could not withstand such a heavy blow. Most members, seeing the turn of events, immediately fled far away. As for the few who resisted stubbornly, they were naturally wiped out under the thunderous strikes of the two sects, without any surprise.

A full two months passed, during which the power structure of Penglai Immortal Island underwent a drastic transformation.

Qianshan Sect and Lingjiu Valley became the two behemoths dominating the island. However, although they sent people to occupy Haitian City and cleared out the dross, arranging for residents to move in, they dared not approach the original Haitian Sect main hall and its surrounding areas. It seemed as if some taboo clung to that place, and everyone gave it a wide berth.

The surging waves, like mountain ranges floating on the sea, roared as they slammed toward the shore. Just as they seemed about to crash upon the people, they burst upon the sand with a loud boom, splashing white foam and gurgling bubbles before playfully retreating back into the sea.

He Yiming stood by the ocean’s edge, gazing out at the surface, and asked in a deep voice, “Brother Chu, are you certain this is the place?”

Chu Haozhou smiled faintly. “This is a notorious danger zone on the island; how could Brother be mistaken?”

Back in Qianshan City, Chu Haozhou had accepted Huo Dongcheng and taught him the methods for tempering Wind-element neijin.

Only then did He Yiming recall the treasure map hidden beneath the island. After hesitating for a long time, he finally decided to accompany Chu Haozhou.

Chu Haozhou was also extremely curious. He had lived on the island for over a hundred years yet had never heard of such a mysterious region existing beneath it. Thus, he happily accepted He Yiming’s invitation and they traveled together to this location, considered a forbidden area throughout the entire island.

He Yiming surveyed the surroundings. “Little brother heard that this is the location of the island’s forbidden zone, a place even the Venerables are reluctant to visit easily.”

Chu Haozhou’s expression grew grave. “That is correct, because this area harbors a vast school of sharks. Furthermore, one species among them, the Black Shark, is the overlord of the sea—a top-tier formidable spirit beast among all others.”

He Yiming was surprised. “Even if there are spirit beasts here, it shouldn't be enough to make Venerables fearful, should it?”

Chu Haozhou offered a wry smile. “Brother, do not underestimate these sharks, especially the Black Sharks. Their might in the water far surpasses that of human experts of the same cultivation level. Moreover, as far as Brother knows, down below there should be a Black Shark King that has lived for countless years. Over the past thousand years, Venerables have attempted to slay this fiend, but alas, none succeeded. Instead, they suffered losses in men and material. As far as Brother knows, at least three Venerables have perished at the hands of the Black Shark King in the last millennium.”

He Yiming sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. Seeing the concerned look in Chu Haozhou’s eyes, he suddenly understood. He nodded heavily at his companion. “Brother Chu, thank you.”

After learning about the Black Shark King, He Yiming immediately realized that Chu Haozhou had followed him not for any treasure, but out of concern for his safety.

Chu Haozhou waved a hand dismissively. “Brother, do not be so polite. Although you have not reached the realm of Five Qi Unification, you possess a replica divine artifact, and with the aid of Thunder and Bai Xiong, you are certainly not weaker than that Black Shark King. I merely came along to make up the numbers.”

He Yiming smiled faintly, about to speak, when he saw the small piggy bank on Bai Lingba’s chest grunt twice, then leap down and trot forward along the coastline.

He Yiming was greatly puzzled. The little creature was naturally quite lazy; the only thing that could make it so eager was one thing: it had discovered a treasure, and a very powerful one at that.

The group exchanged glances and followed. Moments later, the piggy bank stopped on a stretch of beach and began rooting around in the sand.

He Yiming stepped forward, pulled the piggy bank up, dug vigorously a few times, then paused his wrist as he pulled an object from the sand.