The figure swayed slightly a few times. Only then did the crowd firmly plant their feet, though the looks in their eyes betrayed an extreme, suffocating dread.

A single, piercing shout had already unleashed such formidable power; what realm of strength must this person truly command?

At that moment, everyone was instantly reminded of that terrifying Sacred Beast King from the outer seas, the one that had launched a world-shaking assault upon the entire island upon setting foot on Glazed Island. Now, it seemed, the possessor of that long cry commanded a power that likely stood no less than that apex sacred beast.

“He… succeeded,” Zhuang Munan whispered, the words barely audible.

As he spoke, his gaze even flickered momentarily, lost. He simply did not know how to describe He Yiming at this juncture.

To fail the initial surge, yet launch another attack—this was an act that seemed fit only for a madman, yet he had actually achieved it.

For a stretch of time, Zhuang Munan felt as though centuries of accumulated experience had all dissolved into useless knowledge.

“Martial Uncle, he succeeded,” Li Jiangfeng exclaimed, brows slightly raised, a mixture of astonishment and joy in his voice.

The mere thought that the world had birthed another pinnacle expert of the Human Path, and that he had witnessed this individual successfully break through, filled his heart with an irrepressible excitement.

Zhuang Munan was jolted back to the present. He immediately offered a wry smile; it wasn't that his experience was flawed, but that He Yiming was fundamentally different from ordinary people. He had mistakenly tried to measure him by conventional standards, and the gap was immense.

He drew a deep breath, calming the surging emotions within, then waved his hand grandly. “Let us go and see.”

The others nodded in agreement, yet even Jin Zhanyi felt a thread of apprehension tighten in his chest. What they were about to face was no longer merely the familiar He Yiming, but He Yiming of the Ninth Heaven, the peak of the Human Path.

※※※※

Vast celestial might poured wildly into his body from the exterior, plugging every empty meridian until they were solid, and then continued rushing toward the Primordial Dantian.

Inside the Dantian, all scattered remnants of light had vanished; the three divine weapons and the various divine powers had fused into a single, perfect entity. All energies had thoroughly merged, distinguishable no more.

Furthermore, what surprised He Yiming was that as the endless external power flooded his body, he could clearly sense every minute fraction of it. Whether it was the flow of these energies or their subsequent effects, he grasped them all completely within his mind.

His mental focus was countless times stronger than before. With the slightest conscious thought, he could probe every organ, every bone and sinew with perfect clarity. The human body, in this moment, seemed to hold no secrets from his sight.

He slowly extended both hands, He Yiming watching them silently. A faint wisp of light drifted from his palm, rotating around his body at an incredibly slow pace. Through the connection of his will, He Yiming was astounded to find that his control over the Divine Weapon’s Light had also reached a near-perfect state.

In the process of the Divine Weapon Light’s movement, he wasted not a single spark of energy, and his command over the divine weapon had reached a terrifying level of mastery.

He felt certain that if he were to face an ordinary Five Qi Great Venerable right now, the Aurora Sword alone would be sufficient to sweep across the world.

He let out a soft breath, and with a flip of his wrist, that beam of Divine Weapon Light vanished.

His ears twitched faintly; he had already discerned that Zhuang Munan and the others were approaching his location.

From the moment he began furiously absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, He Yiming knew it was impossible to conceal the process from those Venerable experts, so he held no thought of concealment. Instead, he generously flung open the cave door to meet them.

His movements were effortless and natural, without any deliberate exertion of True Qi, yet when he stepped out, it was utterly silent, completely undetected by Zhuang Munan and his party rounding the corner.

He Yiming marveled inwardly. The Ninth Heaven realm was indeed extraordinary; even unconsciously, the strength he displayed was vastly superior to before.

As Zhuang Munan and the others turned the corner, they immediately saw He Yiming standing there, a faint smile on his lips. Their steps faltered slightly before they quickly picked up speed.

Zhuang Munan, from a distance, respectfully cupped his hands and bowed deeply. “Congratulations, Brother He, on the great success of your divine art.”

The rest halted as well, and even Jin Zhanyi performed the identical gesture and uttered the same words.

For experts who had reached the Venerable realm, nothing commanded more awe and reverence than the Ninth Heaven pinnacle of the Human Path. Now that such a figure stood among them, they dared not show the slightest disrespect.

He Yiming chuckled softly, waving a sleeve gently. “Gentlemen are too kind.”

A wave of gentle power flowed out, lifting them all simultaneously.

They exchanged glances, each struck with silent awe. The technique of using True Qi to lift others was not extraordinary; even Innate experts could manage it.

However, to use this very method when facing so many Venerables, and to control the force with such precise calibration—applying a slightly different, yet perfectly adequate, lift to each individual—was truly remarkable.

He Yiming felt a quiet sense of satisfaction. Since the fusion of all divine weapons and divine powers, his mental acuity had soared, and his control over his own body had reached the true pinnacle. Otherwise, he could never have elicited such instantaneous admiration from so many Venerables with such ease.

“Brother He, congratulations,” Jin Zhanyi stepped forward a few paces and murmured.

Though the words were nearly identical to Zhuang Munan’s, for the two of them, they carried a different weight of sentiment.

He Yiming nodded firmly. “Brother Jin, I have now advanced to the Ninth Heaven. From this point forward, it is up to you.”

Jin Zhanyi’s eyebrows shot up, his heart surging with emotion. “Rest assured, in this lifetime, I will certainly catch up to you.”

The others exchanged looks, thinking unanimously that this ambition seemed exceedingly distant.

Zhuang Munan cleared his throat. “Everyone, I have already ordered a banquet to be prepared. Today, let us drink to our hearts’ content and celebrate Brother He’s successful ascension to the Ninth Heaven.”

The crowd nodded with smiles. Although the vast majority were intensely jealous at this moment, for these men and women aged over a hundred, controlling their outward expressions was second nature.

Led by Zhuang Munan, they returned to the great hall, where various delicacies were brought in like a flowing stream.

Zhuang Munan had inquired about the attendance of One Hundred and Eight, Treasure Pig, and White Horse Lightning, but He Yiming had firmly declined.

White Horse Lightning was now the highest-tier sacred beast, and Zhuang Munan’s respect for it was utterly genuine.

After three rounds of drinks, Zhuang Munan clapped his hands, and instantly, over ten young disciples entered, each carrying trays.

These disciples varied in age, but every one possessed respectable inner strength, having reached the level of the Eighth Layer. While this level of cultivation was hardly significant to the assembled Venerables, the future of Glazed Island rested upon them.

However, the eyes of the assembly only briefly scanned the disciples’ faces before settling upon the trays they carried. On these platters rested numerous perfectly round inner cores, each radiating a potent life essence.

The crowd felt a secret joy. They all knew these were not the cores of ordinary spirit beasts, but those taken from the sacred beasts they had hunted.

Zhuang Munan laughed heartily. “Esteemed guests, although the sea monsters’ attack caused some sacred beast carcasses to be reclaimed by the ocean, my group managed to secure the most vital inner cores first—a sliver of fortune amid misfortune.” He gestured invitingly. “However, most of these outer-sea sacred beasts were slain by Brother He, so I ask Brother He how he wishes to handle them?”

Whether they were satisfied or not, no one dared voice an objection at this moment.

He Yiming smiled faintly and beckoned, drawing a core shimmering with rich, multicolored light, subtly emanating a soft glow, into his hand.

After turning it over for a moment, He Yiming stated, “This one core is sufficient for me. I ask Brother Zhuang to distribute the rest; let them serve as mementos for everyone.” He paused slightly, then added, “However, the retaliation from the outer-sea monsters caused significant casualties on Glazed Island this time. Therefore, I suggest everyone take one core, and the remainder be left to Brother Zhuang’s discretion.”

The crowd was overwhelmed with happiness, and they offered sincere thanks from the bottom of their hearts.

Although they knew He Yiming had already claimed the inner core of that colossal clam shell, not a single one voiced a complaint.

If He Yiming had not arrived in time that day, let alone gaining such rich spoils, some of them might have been lost forever.

As for Glazed Island taking the remaining portion, no one objected either. This was, after all, their territory, and they had suffered a fierce blow from the sea monsters because of this incident; taking an extra share was entirely reasonable.

Jin Zhanyi let out a loud laugh and stood up, casually picking up a core and tucking it into his robes.

With someone taking the lead, the others quickly followed suit, and in a moment, each had secured a sacred beast inner core.

While perhaps insignificant to He Yiming, these cores were treasures rarely seen by these newly advanced Venerables.

He Yiming’s method of distribution proved entirely satisfactory to all.

Zhuang Munan nodded slightly toward He Yiming, understanding that He Yiming's generosity stemmed from gratitude for the gift of the books. Without the cultivation insights of the Glazed Ancestor that he provided, He Yiming might not have succeeded in advancing to the Ninth Heaven today.

The idea of mere compensation was just an excuse.

He felt a quiet satisfaction; to have forged a bond with such a pinnacle expert of the Human Path was truly a blessing for both himself and the entirety of Glazed Island.

Yet, at this moment, a faint melancholy touched his heart.

He wondered if, in the span of his remaining years, he would ever have the chance to break past his limits and reach the Ninth Heaven…