A streak of white light flashed across the sea's surface, leaving behind a phantom-like white trail.

He Yi Ming gently squeezed his mount's flanks, and the white horse immediately halted with elegant precision.

Following the banquet, He Yi Ming had immediately departed Glass Island on his white horse, eager to test the true extent of his current martial cultivation. The confines of Glass Island were clearly not a suitable place for him to unleash his power freely.

Looking up, the endless ocean stretched before him, the distant horizon where sea met sky an untouchable expanse that invited awe.

With a slight flick of his wrist, the Five Elements Ring appeared in his hand. Although the artifact still shimmered with its signature multicolored light, something distinctly new had now manifested within it.

He Yi Ming didn't know precisely what had been added, but he was certain that within this Five Elements world, it had become significantly more stable and potent than before.

With a gentle swing of his arm, five beams of intense light were instantly unleashed.

Centered on him and the white horse, Lightning, a colossal aura erupted skyward, spreading outward in all directions. The entire sea surface immediately erupted in continuous, overlapping ripples, and the water within several dozen zhang of him was visibly pressed down, forming a noticeable depression.

He Yi Ming's eyes gleamed. This was the power he currently wielded; this tangible, massive presence was already several times stronger than before.

The strength of the Human Dao Apex, indeed, was incomparable to his previous state.

Seemingly sensing the overwhelming might emanating from He Yi Ming, White Horse Lightning let out a defiant neigh, unwilling to be overshadowed. Innumerable rings of electricity sprang from its body, resonating outward alongside He Yi Ming's aura.

He Yi Ming understood immediately, channeling his true qi into White Horse Lightning. Though this was the first time the man and beast employed this method in conjunction, their coordination was flawlessly seamless, as if they had practiced it countless times before, perfectly synchronized as one.

The immense power propagated further, the dominant aura engulfing a vast expanse of water. As He Yi Ming and White Horse Lightning projected their presence, a low, palpable "humming" vibration arose in the very air.

An overwhelming surge of confidence flooded He Yi Ming’s heart. At this moment, he intensely craved an opponent of equal stature for a proper clash.

For him, only the crucible of actual combat could definitively confirm the level his cultivation had reached.

However, glancing at the vast, empty ocean stretching in every direction, He Yi Ming quickly abandoned the notion.

To find another powerhouse at the Human Dao Apex, or even a top-tier Sacred Beast, in this desolate expanse was an absolute impossibility.

A strange sensation suddenly arose within his Dantian. He Yi Ming’s heart tightened, and he immediately refocused his intent inward toward that core.

Ever since fusing all his divine weapons and divine power together, He Yi Ming had been preoccupied with obligations. Now, despite being free from the harassment of mundane affairs, he hadn't yet taken the time to truly inspect his Dantian.

The moment He Yi Ming’s consciousness entered the Chaos Dantian, his expression shifted into one of peculiar recognition.

The only change within this inner realm was that the scattered powers were no more; under the restraint of the light and dark forces, they had coalesced into a perfect singularity.

This was the fundamental hallmark of a Human Dao Apex master: the complete refinement of all power into one, pushing the body’s potential to its absolute limit.

When martial cultivation reached this stage, the human being itself became a key—a key capable of unlocking the pathway toward the Divine Dao.

Once this key was used to open the door before him, achieving the Divine Dao seemed almost guaranteed.

Of course, the present He Yi Ming would not rashly take that final step. Setting aside his complete lack of relevant experience, the current density of world energy was insufficient to support him in opening that gate and safely stepping through.

What now drew He Yi Ming’s attention was not the perfectly fused spectrum of light, but the other resident lying quietly within his Dantian: the Blood Condensation Man.

This entity, which had previously been near-dead and showed no sign of recovery, was actually beginning to exhibit a trace of vitality following the confluence and transformation of all the power within the Dantian.

Quietly absorbing the energy emanating from the Blood Condensation Man, He Yi Ming frowned slightly. A moment later, he finally grasped the situation.

When he successfully ascended to the Human Dao Apex, the merging of all his powers had caused an immense torrent of fire-elemental divine energy to surge through his meridians and into his Dantian.

While a large portion of this energy was absorbed by the Chaos Dantian, the remainder was devoured by the silent figure lying within.

This bizarre development was utterly unexpected. It was precisely the critical moment of He Yi Ming’s ascension to the Ninth Heaven that served as the catalyst, allowing the Blood Condensation Man’s aura to strengthen and even show signs of imminent awakening.

Had it not been for that event, who knew how much longer this entity would have remained dormant within his Dantian.

With a slight shift of thought, a wisp of Yin Sha energy, representing darkness, shot out from the fused light mass.

This stream of power slowly approached the Blood Condensation Man and made contact without hesitation. Immediately, He Yi Ming felt the entity act like a ravenous child, instantly swallowing every bit of the energy he transmitted. In turn, after consuming this dark essence, the Blood Condensation Man’s life force seemed to grow marginally stronger. But only marginally—only due to He Yi Ming’s current incredible cultivation could he even perceive the slight increase.

His thoughts raced, and another ray of light shot toward the Blood Condensation Man. This time, it was fire-elemental divine power.

He Yi Ming watched intently. As expected, the Blood Condensation Man entirely absorbed this energy as well, and its life aura strengthened just a touch more.

However, judging purely by effect, this energy was a notch less potent than the Yin Sha essence representing darkness.

Subsequently, He Yi Ming experimented with the earth and wood divine powers. The outcome was identical.

The Blood Condensation Man was not overly selective about the power it absorbed; it seemed that both the Five Elements energy and the Yin Sha aura provided a slight boost to its recovery rate.

Naturally, He Yi Ming was not foolish enough to attempt using the light-elemental power.

If he had done so, the Blood Condensation Man would likely have staged a revolt on the spot, potentially bursting his Dantian wide open.

Having discerned this pattern, He Yi Ming secretly rejoiced. If this trend continued, the Blood Condensation Man might fully recover in a matter of months.

The thought of being able to command this terrifying entity once more filled He Yi Ming with complex emotions.

He genuinely wondered just how powerful the Blood Condensation Man would be once fully unleashed, a prospect he eagerly anticipated.

He let out a long breath, stretched languidly, and gazed toward the sky, calling out loudly, “Come down.”

Only One Hundred and Eight was truly qualified to accompany him openly in this manner.

Soon, One Hundred and Eight descended, carrying Treasure Pig. With clouds gathering beneath its hooves, Treasure Pig hopped proudly from One Hundred and Eight’s arms and began to circle slowly before He Yi Ming.

He Yi Ming affectionately patted Treasure Pig’s neck, closed his eyes, and released his divine sense.

Judging by the aura he had just emitted, his own potential seemed to no longer be inferior to White Horse Lightning’s. In other words, purely in terms of martial cultivation, he could now confidently engage a Human Dao Apex master.

Of course, this was merely a comparison of presence; He Yi Ming was not so arrogant as to assume he could easily defeat a Human Dao Apex expert single-handedly.

For any master who reached such a realm had pushed their human potential to its absolute limit, undoubtedly possessing the finest divine weapons and a constant supply of Divine Dao treasures. More crucially, each of them harbored a trace of true divine power within their bodies.

Because of this, He Yi Ming knew that even with the Five Elements Ring in hand, defeating any Ninth Heaven master easily was far from guaranteed.

What He Yi Ming intended to test now was the strength of his own divine sense.

He wished to see how much his spiritual perception had increased following his advancement to the Ninth Heaven.

Soon, this formless, invisible force spread out at its maximum velocity, reaching far beyond his previous limits in mere moments.

While He Yi Ming’s divine sense was undeniably powerful, it was not yet as exaggerated as the god-like span he possessed at the volcano’s rim, capable of monitoring hundreds of li in every direction.

But compared to before, the sheer strength of his divine sense was immeasurable.

With a hearty laugh, He Yi Ming vaulted from the horse’s back. Mid-air, he shouted, “Lightning, let’s race!”

White Horse Lightning let out a piercing neigh, its four hooves churning like lightning, instantly darting forward and kicking up a spray of water that drenched He Yi Ming head to toe.

A flash of light enveloped him, deflecting the seawater entirely. He Yi Ming cursed jokingly while chasing after the horse.

Indeed, his top speed had also improved incredibly compared to before. With all his physical potential fully unlocked, his speed was now scarcely slower than White Horse Lightning’s.

Human Dao Apex—he had finally attained that realm…

Suddenly, One Hundred and Eight’s voice reached the ears of the man and horse engaged in their pursuit.

“Someone is coming.”

Simultaneously, He Yi Ming and White Horse Lightning stopped. They looked toward One Hundred and Eight with suspicion.

Though they couldn't see anyone yet, they knew that One Hundred and Eight’s Thousand-Mile Eyes were no mere accessory.

“Who is it?”

“The Ancestor of the Yellow Springs…”

PS: Having ascended to the Ninth Heaven, a series of truly exhilarating battles will commence. This book is about to enter its true ** phase! Readers, please look forward to it!

Five chapters today, requesting monthly and recommendation votes, thank you…