The next day, Di Shitian invited He Yiming for a private meeting, an invitation He Yiming readily accepted.

The guest quarters where Di Shitian resided were undoubtedly the most luxurious in the entire He Family Manor. However, for true Divine Path experts, their primary requirement for a dwelling wasn't opulence but the density of the Heaven and Earth energy within.

Although the concentration of Heaven and Earth energy across the realm currently far surpassed previous eras, the density within the He Family Manor paled in comparison to the peak of the main summit of the Tianchi lineage.

Upon entering the room, only Di Shitian and the Divine Calculator were present.

Both men wore expressions of solemnity, which secretly surprised He Yiming.

"Sect Master, Elder Divine Calculator, what instructions do you have for this junior?" He Yiming said with a cheerful smile, doing his utmost to lighten the atmosphere.

"Elder He, please sit." Di Shitian gestured towards a seat. Once He Yiming was settled, he spoke in a deep voice, "Elder He, I have called you here today because there is a matter I wish to discuss with you."

He Yiming paused briefly, his smile instantly vanishing as he adopted a serious expression. "Please command me, Sect Master."

Di Shitian slowly continued, "Six months ago, I proposed stepping down from the position of Tianchi Sect Master and having you assume the role as the new leader. Patriarch Liu Mu and several of our elders have discussed and agreed to this. I wonder what your thoughts are on the matter."

He Yiming looked toward the two men with undisguised surprise, only to find their expressions incredibly grave, showing not a hint of jest.

With a wry smile, He Yiming rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Sect Master, becoming the leader of the Tianchi lineage is certainly a cause for joy. But this humble one only desires to diligently pursue martial arts; my heart truly lies elsewhere."

Di Shitian sighed heavily. "We can all see your devotion to the martial path. If you hadn't been so focused, you wouldn't have achieved what you have today. But things have reached a point where we no longer have a retreat."

He Yiming blinked, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

The Divine Calculator coughed lightly. "Elder He, you have witnessed the scale of the He Family Manor's New Year feast today. Even the Tianchi lineage could not muster such excitement during the New Year. If this trend continues, the entire Northwest will feature two distinct voices of authority. If this situation is mishandled, it will surely become a great disaster."

He Yiming's heart seized. Before the Divine Calculator pointed it out, he had only seen the brilliance of the He Family Manor but had failed to realize the hidden danger beneath that splendor.

The Northwest was the territory of the Tianchi lineage. They had held sway here for thousands of years and would absolutely not tolerate a new power rising to challenge their authority.

One only needed to recall how the Kai Rong Kingdom had tried every means possible to put him to death in the past to understand this point.

If He Yiming had not originated from the Hengshan lineage, Di Shitian and the Divine Calculator would hardly have supported his growth; they would likely have eliminated him through any means necessary long ago.

However, the current He Family Manor truly possessed a dazzling brilliance, boasting no fewer than six Divine Path experts alone.

If he were to refuse the position of Tianchi Sect Master now, the future harmony between them might be jeopardized.

After a moment of contemplation, He Yiming looked up. "Sect Master, Elder Divine Calculator, I have a proposal. See what you think." He gently tapped the table before him and murmured, "You can announce that I am the sole candidate for the next Tianchi Sect Master. However, due to my commitment to diligent martial cultivation, I will temporarily not assume the position."

Di Shitian and the Divine Calculator exchanged a look, both slowly nodding. Once this news was released, it would be virtually indistinguishable from He Yiming having already accepted the position.

Seeing that they agreed, He Yiming also felt a weight lift from his mind.

When his strength was insufficient in the past, he had indeed considered the position of Tianchi Sect Master. But after advancing to the Divine Path and witnessing the might of the Divine Dragon, his goals had shifted.

Assuming the role of Sect Master, even if he emulated Di Shitian by completely delegating responsibilities, would still inevitably impact his path of cultivation and hinder his future travels across the world.

Therefore, as long as there was any possibility, he would certainly not invite unnecessary trouble upon himself.

The Divine Calculator suddenly slapped his forehead. "Elder He, there is one more matter requiring your final judgment."

He Yiming looked dubious. "If it concerns the Tianchi lineage, Elder Divine Calculator may decide everything. This junior will certainly agree and raise no objection."

Di Shitian and the Divine Calculator were left speechless and exasperated; this boy was already shirking responsibility before even taking office.

Shaking his head, the Divine Calculator said, "Although this matter involves our Tianchi lineage, it is even more closely related to you."

He Yiming asked with suspicion, "What is it?"

"The Zhan family of Kai Rong," the Divine Calculator stated, articulating each word clearly.

He Yiming's expression immediately grew cold. "What about the Zhan family? Do they still dare to cause trouble?"

The Divine Calculator waved his hand. "They have already withdrawn from the capital city. The Kai Rong Kingdom has abdicated, yielding all its territory to the Tian Luo Kingdom. I merely wanted to ask: how do you intend to deal with them?"

He Yiming finally calmed down, pondering for a moment. "I made a promise in the past: if the Kai Rong imperial family wisely stepped down and ceded their territory to the Tian Luo Kingdom, I would let the matter rest."

The Divine Calculator clearly breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled. "Since you do not intend to pursue it further, the matter is easily settled."

He Yiming sounded surprised. "Elder Divine Calculator, did you face some difficulty?"

The Divine Calculator grinned gleefully. "It wasn't exactly difficult, but the Zhan family has some connections with the Eastern Five Elements Sect. Sect Master Ao sent someone to plead on their behalf. If you had refused to spare them, we would have pretended not to know anything about this. But since you don't wish to trouble them, this favor is one this old man is happy to accept."

He Yiming stared, dumbfounded, at the old man grinning like a sly fox, inwardly shaking his head repeatedly. Fortunately, this foremost Divine Calculator of the realm was one of the Tianchi people; otherwise, anyone dealing with him would need to be extremely cautious.

Shaking his head, He Yiming let out a dry laugh. "The Five Elements Sect is meddling too broadly by taking responsibility for this matter."

His voice carried a distinct note of displeasure. This was, after all, an internal conflict within the Northwest, yet the Five Elements Sect, far away in the East, had forcefully inserted themselves. Anyone would find this disagreeable. In the past, He Yiming might have reacted with defiance to such an action from the Five Elements Sect, but his current level and perspective were different. Thus, he merely expressed slight dissatisfaction without entertaining any idle thoughts of punishing the Zhan family.

The Divine Calculator sighed softly. "Elder He, the current Five Elements Sect is not what it used to be in the Dongtian Fudi era. They are full of confidence and show signs of recovering their former status as the foremost great sect in the world."

He Yiming opened his mouth, but ultimately let out a cold snort.

Though he was reluctant to admit it from the bottom of his heart, it was undeniable that one sect possessed two Pseudo-God Realm experts and one Void God Realm expert, and one of the Pseudo-God experts held a Divine Artifact, the Five Rings, that had been passed down for thousands of years.

A long-established Divine Artifact was absolutely incomparable to the Five Rings in He Yiming's possession, which had only just coalesced its Divine Artifact core. If comparing only the Five Rings, He Yiming was certain that the one he held was significantly inferior.

Of course, the main factor was the Divine Dragon's promise.

Although the Dragon had not agreed to become the guardian beast of the Five Elements Sect, the relationship between the Dragon and the sect seemed ambiguous in every aspect. This hazy connection served as a warning to everyone: behind the Five Elements Sect stood this unfathomable Divine Dragon.

With such power, if they couldn't be called the world's foremost sect, it would defy all logic.

At the very least, He Yiming knew that the Divine Dragon, relying on its own strength, was capable of sweeping through every Divine Path expert in the entire world.

Seeing He Yiming fall silent, his expression shifting unpredictably, the Divine Calculator shook his head. "Elder He, the Five Elements Sect is advancing aggressively and is difficult to resist. We have discussed that if an opportunity arises to curb the prestige of the Five Elements Sect, it wouldn't be excessive to make a move or two." He paused, his expression grave. "Of course, we cannot truly make enemies of the Five Elements Sect. Even though the Tianchi lineage is far in the Northwest, we do not wish to acquire such a terrifying enemy."

The fact that the Divine Calculator used the word 'terrifying' to describe the Five Elements Sect clearly showed how much importance he placed on them.

He Yiming's eyes flickered faintly. "Elder Divine Calculator, do you perhaps have a plan?"

The Divine Calculator laughed heartily. "Indeed, it cannot be hidden from Elder He."

A faint smile touched Di Shitian's lips; He Yiming's perception was sharper than he had estimated.

He opened his mouth and spoke in a clear voice, "Tell the envoy from the Lingxiao Treasure Hall to enter." He did not conceal his actions from the other two men in the room, nor did he shout loudly; instead, he compressed his voice into a single beam, carrying it far to reach the ears of someone waiting outside.

This level of divine ability was something easily accomplished only after advancing to the Divine Path and condensing the Will Form.

He Yiming's heart stirred, and he gazed at them with bright eyes.

The Divine Calculator nodded and whispered, "Elder He is not only the future Sect Master of our Tianchi lineage but also a Guest Elder of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. I estimate that the visitor from the Treasure Hall this time is coming to invite you to the East, where you can act as a Guest Elder to deal with the aggressive Five Elements Sect."

He Yiming let out a wry laugh. "What exactly does Elder Divine Calculator mean?"

"You can offer appropriate assistance," the Divine Calculator replied with a slight nod.

Di Shitian's expression was quite serious. He stated solemnly, "Our relationship with the Lingxiao Treasure Hall has always been excellent, far better than our ties with the Five Elements Sect. If the situation becomes critical, you have the authority to make your own decisions..." He paused, then chuckled softly, "Although the Five Elements Sect is unlikely to commit such an act that incenses both men and gods, as that would surely incite worldwide panic."

He Yiming nodded slightly, inwardly astonished at how tense the relationship between the Five Elements Sect and the Lingxiao Treasure Hall had become in just one year.

The room door slowly pushed open, and a figure exquisitely familiar to He Yiming walked in.

He Yiming snapped out of his reverie. His face immediately displayed unfeigned delight.