《Martial God》


 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 1 - He Familys Sixth Son

    At the beginning of the cosmos, Yin and Yang, the two mutually correspondent vital energies, gave birth to the boundless heavens,nd and all the matter.


    Yin and Yang shuttle about in the cosmic space and congeals into all kinds ofws. It is said that all the matter will return back to Yin and Yang.


    *******


    The night was deep. Suddenly, countless stars emerged in the sky, shining brightly and twinkling relentlessly.


    Under an iplete night moon, a youngster was performing the horse stance on a hillside. The youngster¡¯s eyes were tranquil and his vision was focussed at his front.


    Maintaining this kind of posture is extremely taxing, however, this youngster¡¯s face waspletely rxed, as if he was leisurely sitting on a chair instead of crouching in a martial stance.


    Suddenly, an extremely faint rustling sound entered the ears of the youngster.


    This sound wasn¡¯t the sound of wind rustling through dead leaves, instead, it seemed as if a man or an animal was approaching towards the youngster in extremely gentle steps.


    The mountain top had an endless stretch of tall and huge trees. Some trees had grown up to an extent that topletely encircle one such tree, many people would be required; it was a genuinely ancient forest. However, even though the forest was ancient, not many beasts woulde down the mountain and cause harm during this time of scorching summer.


    The youngster, while still maintaining the horse stance, faintly inclined his ear to listen. After a short while, his face disyed a faint carefree smile.


    ¡°Yitao,e out.¡±


    Along with the youngster¡¯s light shout, another youngster hopped out from behind arge tree. Thetter was a bit smallerpared to the former.


    ¡°Sixth elder brother, your hearing ability is too good. You¡¯ve discovered me again.¡±


    Both of these youngsters were the third generation children in the He Family Estate down the mountains.


    The rtively bigger one, who was still in his training stance, was ranked sixth among the third generation, named He Yiming. While the smaller one was ranked ninth and was named He Yitao.


    Although their age were only about eleven-twelve, they¡¯d already begun to receive the elite education formted for all the young disciples of the family.


    They both were birthed by the family¡¯s first wife and had pretty good talent. Although their talent did not enable them to excel among their peers, it wasn¡¯t inferior to that of many others either. (Tl: This line doesn¡¯t imply that they are blood-brothers. It implies that they are direct descendants, born of familiy¡¯s principal wives.)


    Aftering out from behind the tree, He Yitao suddenly lowered his body, applied strength through his feet, and dashed towards He Yiming like a lightning bolt. Both of his hands were on his chest; taking advantage of his charge¡¯s force, he struck at thetter during thest second before the collision.


    Although his age was only eleven years, the strength in his strike and the velocity of his charge couldn¡¯t be belittled.


    However, He Yiming, while faced against this strike, faintly smiled nevertheless. He seemed to have casually stretched out his hands, before he lightly pressed them against that fist brimming with strength.


    ¡°Ah¡­.¡±


    He Yitao¡¯s miserable shriek echoed. His body uncontrobly did a semicircr arc in the mid-air and whirled two times before rigidly crashing onto the ground.


    For an instant, mud sttered in all the directions, while the primary culprit of all this, He Yitao, was flexing his wrist as he moaned in pain.


    He Yiming faintly shook his head. As he looked at some of the mud that had been sshed upon him, he couldn¡¯t help but be further depressed.


    ¡°Ninth brother, why have youe to me with this move. I was thinking about changing these clothes tomorrow, now I¡¯ve to wash them again.¡±


    ¡°Hey hey¡­sixth brother, I merely wanted to try again.¡± He Yitao flexed his wrist again. Although his strength was not low and he had attained a certain realm in the Internal Energy, his body, after all, couldn¡¯t bepared to an adult¡¯s. Although this strict fall was not likely to inflict injuries on him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid some short-term pain.


    ¡°Humph¡­You still haven¡¯t attained the fifthyer of the Internal Energy; what are you trying again for?¡± He Yiming resentfully said.


    He Yitao¡¯s big eyes brightly shined, and he hastily asked: ¡°Sixth brother, have you sensed when are you going to breakthrough?¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s expression turned extremely gloomy; at this moment, he didn¡¯t resemble a twelve-year-old child in the slightest.


    He Yitao patted his head once and immediately grabbed his sixth brother¡¯s hand and said:


    ¡°Sixth brother, my bad, I shouldn¡¯t have asked.¡±


    He Yimingughed and shook his head:


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. This has nothing to do with you, it¡¯s because of me myself.¡±


    From the age of five, the children in He family began to cultivate the family¡¯s Scriptures Of Internal Techniques. All the scriptures, regardless of their attributes, were divided into tenyers.


    From the perspective of an ordinary individual, as long as one was not foolish up to an extent of being aplete retard and possessed even a little bit of talent, attaining the thirdyer within five years was not a problem at all.


    Though, these above-mentioned threeyers did nothing more than supplementing the health and increasing the longevity.


    As for advancing after these threeyers, that will depend on one¡¯s talent,prehension, and opportunities.


    He Yiming, at an age of five, began studying Primordial Energy, which was one of the Internal Energy techniques that primarily focussed on metal. In the beginning, his cultivation speed was extremely fast. Just in a year¡¯s time, by the age of six, he¡¯d already achieved the thirdyer.


    At that time, everybody was extremely optimistic towards his future prospects. Because such a cultivation speed not only implied that he was talented and hardworking, more importantly, it implied that he¡¯d selected a cultivation technique that waspatible with his body. It was the only possible way he could have advanced so quickly.


    It should be known that the Scriptures Of Internal Techniques contained cultivation methods with all kinds of attributes. If one is able to choose a scripture that corresponds to the primary attribute of his body, then it is possible to naturally advance at an extremely fast rate. However, if one fails to do so, he may not be able to cultivate at all. He Yiming being able to select a technique that waspatible with his body on his first try, was a case of extreme luck.


    For the next three years, he constantly advanced, and by the time he turned nine years old, he¡¯d already attained the fifthyer of the Primordial Energy.


    At this point, He Yiming encountered what everybody cultivator experiences at some point, that is a cultivation bottleneck. Moreover, he remained stuck at this juncture for full four years.


    During these four years; two elder brothers, two elder sisters, and one younger brother in the family had caught up to him, attaining the fifthyer. Even his younger sister and younger brother had attained the fourthyer. However, he waspletely stuck at this spot, no matter how diligently he tried, he couldn¡¯t advance a single inch.


    In the family, among the third generation, the eldest one had attained the seventhyer, second and third ones had attained the sixthyer, and the remaining few were all lingering at the fifth or the fourthyer.


    However, attaining the fifthyer at an age of nine and then showing no signs of progress for an entire four years, Yiming was the only such case in the whole family.


    Letting out a soft sigh, Yiming slowly straightened his body. Under the illumination of moonlight, his small and immature figure betrayed a trace of loneliness.


    He Yitao stuck his tongue out. His breakthroughs had been pretty timely. During these years, he¡¯d emerged as a new force among the younger siblings. He was evenpared to his elder siblings, and everyone was extremely optimistic towards his future. He¡¯d grown up in such an atmosphere that he¡¯d no way to experience He Yiming¡¯s distress.


    He Yiming¡¯s father and elders had discussed with him regarding his problem many times. They had told him in an extremely serious manner that if he couldn¡¯t lower the obsession in his mind, he might not be able to cross over this bottleneck in his entire lifetime.


    This was the biggest mystery of the Scriptures of Internal Techniques. After the thirdyer, every breakthrough required a stroke of luck. If one¡¯s luck was good, he might be able to make the breakthrough naturally while cultivating, and might do so even without being aware of it. If luck was bad then one might not be able to advance a single inch in several ten years.


    In cultivation, breakthrough naturally bes increasingly difficult along with the advancement.


    For example, in He family¡¯s first and second generation, after attaining the seventhyer, everybody had spent more than ten years or even several tens of years to make even a little bit of progress.


    He Yiming was aware of this reasoning. He also knew that having the fifthyer at an age of thirteen still made him excellent among his peers. His second brother and third brother, Yi Hai and Yi Xuan, had attained the fifthyer only after they turned seventeen. He also knew he had a long time ahead him to cultivate.


    However, knowing is one thing, while applying is other.


    For a child of his age, controlling mind¡¯s obsession is actually very hard.


    As He Yitao watched his sixth brother¡¯splexion turning increasingly ugly, his heart jumped like a little deer. Despite not being rted by blood and being two years apart from each other, they¡¯d been unusually close from a very small age. Whenever He Yiming¡¯s upper brows began crease together, He Yitao would always feel his heart jumping out and skin shuddering. Thetter forced out a smile and said:


    ¡°Sixth brother, I¡¯ve something to take care of, I will return first. You should alsoe back soon.¡±


    He Yiming nodded his head listlessly and waved his hand. He Yitao immediately left in a monkey like manner. Though, his chicken like voice faintly echoed in He Yiming¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Sixth brother, if you truly haven¡¯t sensed any signs of the breakthrough, why don¡¯t you try choosing another kind of technique. Perhaps, it will be of use.¡±


    He Yiming nkly stared. His original boulder like heart shook a little.


    Not all the cultivators of the Internal Energy could be like He Yiming who was able find a cultivation techniquepatible with his body in his first try.


    Some had to switch techniques two times, some three times, and some even had to switch many times. This, of course, also had a lot to do with individual talent. If one¡¯s talent is toocking, then there is not much need to say about the results.


    Although He Yiming did select a suitable technique at his first try, he¡¯d been stuck on a single juncture for many years. Thus, changing cultivation technique was not necessarily a bad option.


    He Yiming was aware of this reasoning, but he didn¡¯t want to easily give up a cultivation technique in which he¡¯d put so much effort, moreover, it waspatible with his body and had also allowed him to make such a quick progress.


    He Yiming nced towards the bottom of the mountains. He was about to go in that direction, but then he caught a glimpse of mud on his clothes. His eyebrows faintly turned in another direction. After thinking for a bit, he turned towards thetter direction and sped off.


    At the other side of the mountain¡¯s foot was a clearke, which was also an amusement spot for He family¡¯s third generation children.


    After arriving at theke, He Yiming quickly and familiarly stripped off his clothes and began to clean them. He was finished after a short while. Although his clothes were still wrinkled, they looked much better than before.


    As he was about to leave, a radiance flickered inside theke. He nkly stared for a bit. With his eyes opened wide, he looked at the lustrous radiance that had suddenly appeared inside theke and was unwittingly being absorbed by his mind and spirit.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 2 - Fortuitous Encounter Inside The Lake

    The color of the radiance was strange; He Yiming, in the end, couldn¡¯t even name this color.


    He Yiming faintly opened his mouth and tried to shout, however, no sound came out. He reached out with his hand and tried to touch the radiance but then realized that he was too far away from it.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but he suddenly had an urge; he wanted to touch these light rays. He had to touch regardless of anything.


    This was a shouting from his instinct. Although he hadn¡¯t shouted with his mouth, in his mind, he was repeatedly shouting that he must touch this beam of light.


    He Yiming took a step forward; one of his legs entered theke, and the night¡¯s ice-cold water soaked his lower garments, taking away all of his leg¡¯s heat. If it had happened in ordinary times, he would have already cried out in fear and jumped back by now. However, the current him, as if being unable to perceive, stepped his other foot inside theke as well.


    In his trance-like state, he didn¡¯t even realize that both his feet had already entered the water. Subsequently, his entire being slowly entered the water.


    A bizarre coloring was faintly discernible on the surface of theke. He Yiming slowly moved downwards and arrived at the core of theke.


    It was only a smallke. The fishes, that were previously inside it, had immediately dispersed after seeing the bizarre-colored radiance. He Yiming was alone as he slowly swam towards that bizarre colored patch in the water.


    He Yiming had gained all of his swimming abilities in thiske. Since his childhood, he¡¯d practiced here every summer; his swimming abilities were pretty much self-taught. Although they were not top-notch, making this distance was not a problem.


    Slowly but surely, He Yiming approached the bizarre radiance.


    The more he got closer to it, the more he could feel this thing¡¯s intense attractive force. Just like a little boy in front of a candy, or a yboy in front of a naked woman, Hi Yiming was incapable of putting up any resistance in front of this radiance.


    He lightly reached out with his hand to touch the radiance; so lightly as if he was holding a priceless treasure, as if he was holding onto his own life.


    The radiance was forming a ball of light, which didn¡¯t seem to have any mass. However, as He Yiming¡¯s hands made contact with it, his mind was immediately filled with countless unimaginable images and sounds.


    The first thing that appeared was apletely empty scenery. It was aplete vacuum. The only thing besides the vacuum was, the vacuum. And surprisingly, he himself also appeared as a kind of nothingness.


    Free of all the anxieties, grievances, happiness; free of everything. He was like an unborn embryo inside a mother¡¯s body. He was thoroughly experiencing the meaning of word ¡®void¡¯ for himself.


    This was not just a spiritual nothingness but was rather¡­¡­.the true void.


    After an unknown period of time, an extremely small radiance appeared in the emptiness. Something akin to the first light ray of the sun was born out of this void.


    However, this light ray didn¡¯t have a smooth journey. After a momentary flicker, it died out, and the world was again plunged into an endless darkness.


    The light ray appeared once again. The radiance illuminated everything and removed the darkness.


    Subsequently, light appeared, disappeared; appeared, disappeared.


    It was a cycle. And after every cycle, the radiance of the light was getting increasingly stronger. In the end, light prevailed over the darkness, releasing a huge burst of radiance which engulfed everything.


    He Yiming¡¯s spirit also seemed to have awakened at this moment. Like a spectator, He Yiming looked at this bizarre transformation in a daze. For him, who was not even a youngster, these transformations werepletely indiscernible; the only thing he could discern out of this was that he¡¯de across an extremely serious stuff.


    It seemed that the darkness was unable to obliterate the radiance after it hadpletely blossomed. However, the darkness had not disappeared at all, instead, it was closely tangled alongside the light. Ultimately, the two vastly opposite forces formed a bizarre appearance.


    An image that seemed like the picture of Yin-Yang Eight Divination Diagrams appeared inside He Yiming¡¯s mind. The thing to notice was that the two extremes, the Ying and Yang, were continuously spinning at the center. It seemed as if this spinning center wanted to engulf everything inside it.


    Apparently a loud explosion urred inside He Yiming¡¯s brain, and his spirit was irresistibly sucked into the explosion.


    The continuously spinning center of the two extremes, the Yin and Yang, faintly emitted out many inconceivable pictures, which continuously flickered in He Yiming¡¯s mind.


    At this moment, He Yiming seemed to have flown off high above in the air. Standing at a height of tens of thousands of meters, he was experiencing the sun¡¯s scorching fury and also the swift and fierce gigantic astral winds. He seemed to have arrived in the deep sea. He saw the inconceivably beautiful sight of the sea bed and also felt the fright of hundreds of meters high, gigantic, and intensely turbulent tidal waves.


    While he was dumbfounded, he suddenly arrived in the deepest parts of the earth¡¯s crust. There, he saw all kinds of bizarre ores, moreover, he seemed to know every ore he saw like the palm of his hand. The very next moment, he had directly entered the earth¡¯s core. That red floating liquid capable of melting everything almost caused his spirit to disperse away.


    His vision blurred and he left the eternal and unforgettable world of earth¡¯s core that was beautiful yet frightening. He found himself in a canyon. He raised his head and saw an infinite stretch of boundlessly high summits. Standing below a summit, he seemed as minute as a speck of dust.


    In a sh, his figure had been raised high above in the air. The whole world seemed under his feet.


    This was a beautiful world filled with countless exotic flowers and rare grasses. Originally, the forest was brimming with life. He suddenly felt as if the life force of the whole world had begun to leak away. Suddenly a white mist began to spread in the every corner of this word at an extremely fast rate. Nearly in a split second, everything in the world turned still, and the whole world froze over. He could see the beautiful flowers that had turnedpletely still due to being frozen over, and seeming like an ice sculpture made by an expert artisan.


    He Yiming was extremely shocked. If there was even a little bit of possibility, he would have pulled himself back from this world long ago. However, at this moment, as if not being in control of his body at all, he was powerless to leave this world.


    For the current him, even his spirit and consciousness seemed incapable of moving due to being frozen inside this world.


    Suddenly, a gigantic p of thunder echoed in the sky.


    Thepletely white world suddenly started to darken. Gigantic thunderbolts of unimaginable size began to sh everywhere in the sky. These thunderbolts seemed boundless and inexhaustible.


    Thick lightning, while streaking through the sky, arrived over the frozen world and exploded. Everything turned into a pile of debris.


    Gigantic thunderbolts were fluttering in the sky, and in ordance with them, He Yiming¡¯s spirit and soul were also shuddering.


    Eventually, after a huge thunderbolt struck at his front, He Yiming saw a ray of light suddenly appearing in front of him.


    This was the most primitive ray of light, which consisted the most basic source of energy inside it.


    He Yiming extended his hand without the slightest hesitation. The light ray tightly tugged at the center of his hand. It seemed as if his body and mind hadpletely integrated with the light ray.


    Everything in front of his eyes began to sway, and the entire world began to crack.


    He Yiming suddenly shuddered once and regained the authority over his body again.


    The cold air attacking every corner of his body reminded He Yiming that he was definitely not in a wonderful situation. He nced at his surroundings and saw water all around him. Subsequently, he realized that he¡¯d unwittingly entered theke¡¯s ice cold water.


    He Yiming immediately began to panic. Although his physique was much stronger than that of his peers, he was, after all, only a thirteen-year-old child. One can¡¯t expect him to not be frightened after he suddenly discovers himself surrounded by ice cold without having a single clue of how he ended up there.


    Not only this, He Yiming still felt short of breath, as if his chest was a bomb that could explode anytime.


    Perhaps due to a survival instinct, both of his hands began to stroke on its own, and his body began to rise upwards like a swimming fish.


    He didn¡¯t realize that his current swimming ability seemed to havepletely transformed; as if he¡¯d shed his mortal body and had been born anew. His arms were light and dexterous like that of an ape, however, in just a few strokes, he¡¯d already reached the surface of the water directly from the bottom of theke.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    His head emerged out on theke¡¯s surface, and he began to greedily suck in the fresh air. He was enjoying the air with a passion; it was a feeling that only a recently drowned person could understand. It seemed as if he wanted to breathe a lifetime of air within a time span of a single day.


    He Yiming reached the shore after a short duration. He set both of his hands on the edge of the shore and nimbly jumped onto the shore.


    His heart was filled with fear as he turned around and looked at the gloomyke. In his memory, all he remembered was washing the clothes and seeing a bizarre light. Everything that urred after that was fuzzy to him; all he knew was that he¡¯d seen a lot of bizarre, vague, and inconceivable scenes.


    Even though these scenes looked extremely real, he knew these were nothing more than delusions. Because if these scenes were real, he wouldn¡¯t be standing here alive.


    He nced at hispletely drenched clothes; drying them in a short while was not possible, moreover, this ce was filled with strange things, thus, he was truly unwilling to stay here any longer.


    He turned around and frantically sped off towards the He Family Estate on the other side. However, thiske had already imprinted a permanent shadow in his mind.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 3 - Commotion During Mornings Training

    Although the remaining sibling were not geniuses who¡¯d attained the seventh level, with respect to their current age, they could easily be considered as the selection of a generation. Therefore, the reputation of the He family was the same as that of the sun in the sky.


    He family¡¯s rules were very strict. All the third generation children who¡¯d not yet attained the sixth level were required to undergo early morning training. By the time He Yiming returned, loud shouts could be hearding from the training ground of the family.


    He Yiming raised his head, looked towards the sky once, and lightly sighed. Without caring about hispletely drenched body in the slightest, he directly arrived on the training ground.


    At this moment, five disciples of the third generation were performing the basic exercises on the training ground. These five were the disciples who¡¯d not yet attained the sixth level. Three males and two females; even He Yitao was included.


    At the ground¡¯s entrance, a man with a tall build was standing with hands behind his back. Even though he was standing in such a posture, his stern expression gave off an immense pressure.


    Hi Yiming immediately walked forward, arrived at his side, and said in a low voice:


    ¡°Third uncle.¡±


    The big man was precisely He Yiming¡¯s third uncle He Quanyi. He turned towards He Yiming. At first, his eyes had a trace of anger, however, after looking at He Yiming¡¯s sorry figure, he couldn¡¯t help but nkly ask:


    ¡°Why have youe sote, and why are you dripping wet?¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s face turned slightly red as he said in a muffled voice:


    ¡°Third uncle, yesterday night, I was performing night time¡¯s horse stance half way above the mountain. As I wasing down, my clothes got dirty, and while cleaning them by theke, I fell down in the water by mistake.¡±


    The anger on He Quanyi¡¯s face gradually dispersed away, and he said:


    ¡°He Yiming, I know you are very diligent, but you should not go out in the night.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He Yiming said.


    The former waved his hands and said: ¡°Go change your clothes and catch up on your sleep first.¡±


    He Yiming faintly bowed and returned back to his room at a lightning fast speed. Quickly and efficiently, he changed into a new training outfit, returned back to the training ground, and joined his siblings.


    As He Quanyi saw the tenacious expression on He Yiming¡¯s face, he softly shook his head and let out a sigh.


    The training was finally over; going on for three hours since dawn¡¯s fist light . He Quanyi stopped shouting and again gave a few instructions before finally leaving.


    As soon as he was separated by a significant distance, all the small children immediately sat down on the ground at the same time. Even the two girls were no exceptions.


    He Yiming¡¯s vision swept through his siblings once. Consequently, just like before, he turned around and began to walk away.


    ¡°Yiming, when are you going to advance from the fifthyer?¡± Azy voice sounded from somewhere among the youngsters.


    He Yiming, without even turning, knew that the one who had asked this question was He Yi Zhang who was two years bigger than him.


    In the family, his eldest uncle, He Quan Xin, had four sons: the eldest son He Yitian, the second son He Yihai, the fifth son He Yizhang, and the seventh son He Yiyu. His father, He Quanming, had two sons and one daughter: His brother He Yixuan was the third in the ranking, then came he himself - sixth in the ranking, followed his younger sister, He Yilong- eighth in the ranking. As for his third uncle, he¡¯d one son and one daughter: his fourth older sister, He Yiling, and his little brother He Yitao.


    They had the same n, however, the interactions among the younger generation were both good and bad.


    The four brothers from his eldest uncle¡¯s family had always been together. Furthermore, He Yitian, the eldest grandson of the eldest son, was a peerless genius. Despite only being twenty years old, he¡¯d already attained the seventhyer of the Internal energy.


    The children of the second uncle and third uncle were a bit closer to each other. On the whole, the interactions between the members of the third generation were pretty much harmonious.


    Currently, among the third generation, He Yitian, He Yihai, and He Yixuan had already attained the sixth level or higher and thus were not required to attend the daily morning training.


    And the one who¡¯d talked was He Yizhang, who was ranked fifth among the third generation.


    He Yiming¡¯s footsteps halted. He lightly groaned as he said: ¡°I haven¡¯t breakthrough yet. Fifth brother, don¡¯t tell me you are going to breakthrough?¡±


    He Yizhang grinned and said: ¡°Only a year has passed since myst breakthrough, how can I breakthrough again so quickly? However, sixth brother, you have already spent four years at this stage. Back then your timing of advancing into the fifthyer was more or less about the same as that of the second brother and the third brother. Now, they¡¯d already advanced long ago, and you are still stuck on the same step. You should put more effort.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s brows faintly rose. His heart was wildly throbbing, however, he didn¡¯t even turn before he coldly said:


    ¡°Many thanks for the fifth brother¡¯s concern. I know.¡±


    After finishing his words, he began to walk ahead inrge strides.


    He Yizhang sighed loudly and spoke in a taunting manner:


    ¡°Sixth brother, in my opinion, you should change your cultivation technique, perhaps you might just attain the sixth level in a single stretch.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s didn¡¯t slow down in the slightest as if he hadn¡¯t heard He Yizhang¡¯s words at all.


    The remaining five siblings looked at each other. He Yitao suddenly hopped onto his feet and chased after He Yiming.


    The two sisters, He Yiling and He Yilong, red at He Yizhong once and left hand in hand. The only one left behind He Yiyu, who was ranked seventh, miserably said: ¡°Fifth brother, why did you tease sixth brother again? If dad or eldest brother get a gist of it, you will definitely be scolded again, and even I might be included.¡±


    He Yizhang red at his younger brother and said: ¡°Your guts are getting less and less¡­ snort¡­What did I say to him anyway? As long as I attain the sixthyer before him, no one would be able to say anything to me.¡±


    He Yiyu, using a voice even he himself couldn¡¯t hear, muttered under his breath:


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just jealous that sixth brother attained the fifthyer before you?¡±


    Fortunately, He Yizhang didn¡¯t hear his own brother¡¯s mutterings, otherwise, he would have definitely gone insane with anger on the spot.


    ¡°Little brother, you should also try hard to breakthrough before him. This way, our family¡¯s blood will be far ahead in the lead.¡± He Yizhang sternly said.


    He Yiyu rolled his eyes and said in an incredulous voice:


    ¡°Fifth brother, you already made your breakthrough a year ago, and I my breakthrough was barely a month ago. Don¡¯t tell me you still want me to advance first?¡±


    He Yizheng loudly snorted and said: ¡°Correct. I want to you to double your efforts. Besides the eldest brother, second brother¡­.¡± He hesitated a bit before continuing: ¡°furthermore the third brother, no one else had seeded in attaining the sixthyer.¡±


    He Yiyu¡¯s opened his eyes wide and said: ¡°But both second brother and third brother are five-six years older than me. Moreover, it¡¯s only been a single year since they have advanced to the sixthyer.¡±


    He Yi Zhen¡¯s face turned red as he said: ¡°Good. Little seventh, it seems like you have learned to talk back. Are you itching for a beating?¡±


    He Yiyu immediately followed up: ¡°Fifth brother, I haven¡¯t. My training iscking.¡±


    ¡°Good, then start to bitterly train from this very moment. I will keep youpany. Hurry up! Don¡¯t be discouraged!¡±


    He Yiyu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡±


    In his heart, he was saying: ¡®Is this truly my real brother?¡¯


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    He Yiming left the drilling grounds in quick steps. He had a belly full of anger but nothing to vent. Because he knew if he were to fight because of this small teasing, he would certainly incur punishment from his father.


    Suddenly, sounds of gasping came from behind his body. He felt warmth in his heart, and he stopped his footsteps.


    Sure enough, he immediately heard He Yitao¡¯s voice: ¡° Sixth brother, don¡¯t listen to fifth brother¡¯s words. He¡¯s just jealous because you have attained the fifthyer earlier than him.¡±


    He Yiming smiled and patted the former¡¯s shoulders. He said:


    ¡°I know. You should quickly return back to study. Otherwise, third uncle will again say that you are naughty. He will chase you all over and make you eat a fried Bamboo Shoot meat slice.¡±1


    He Yitao¡¯s entire being quivered. With an appalled face, he looked all around him with hands on his buttocks.


    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t saw his father¡¯s figure. He let out a sigh and hesitatingly said: ¡°Sixth brother, actually, fifth brother¡¯s words have some meaning. Shouldn¡¯t you try changing your cultivation technique?¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s expression tensed, however, he smiled and said:


    ¡°I have my own thoughts. Thank you.¡±


    He Yitao agreed. He turned around and quickly left. Apparently Bamboo Shoot Meat Slice was really too big of a threat for him.


    He Yiming looked at He Yitao¡¯s leaving figure and took a deep breath, while his smile had thoroughly disappeared long ago. As he slowly turned around, he saw a figure out of the corner of his eye. His heart suddenly tightened, and he immediately yet gracefully retreated several steps.


    He Yiming, who¡¯d assumed a fighting stance, forced a bitter smile and said as he straightened his body: ¡°Third uncle, why you y such a joke on your small nephew?¡±


    He Quanxi¡¯s stern face had a faint smile as he said: ¡°Yiming, your reaction is pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks for third uncle¡¯s praise.¡±


    ¡°He Yiming, I have consulted with your father and eldest uncle. If you want to switch to a new cultivation technique, you can directly go to your eldest uncle¡¯s ce and select any book from the n¡¯s Book Pavilion.¡±


    Yiming¡¯s heart slightly shivered, he said: ¡°Many thanks, third uncle.¡±


    He Quanxi nodded once. Subsequently, while leaving in the direction in which Yitao had recently left, he said: ¡°I will go and check on Yitao. If he doesn¡¯t learn the characters properly, he will certainly have an extra meal for him.¡±


    While looking at his third uncle¡¯s retreating figure, Yiming raised his head towards the sky and eventually let out a helpless sigh. He hadn¡¯t expected that his father and uncles would have a special discussion on his problems. It seemed like preserving his own opinion was no longer possible.


    Bamboo shoot meat slice is a Chinese dish. Check out this link for pictures.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 4 - Freakish Cultivation Speed

    He Family Estate didn¡¯t have too much poption, however, the family owned several thousand mus1 of farms, and the estate had several hundreds of peasant households. Furthermore, the family also had a business in the County Town. Within a radius of hundred li, the He family was considered to be one of the few most influential families.


    Every member of the family¡¯s third generation had a personal courtyard. Of course, courtyard¡¯s size was not too big, however, it could at least be considered as an independent house with an independent door.


    He Yiming returned back to his courtyard. However, before he could open the door, he suddenly saw his third elder brother, Yixuan, standing in front him with a smile on his face as he hummed a tune.


    In addition to being ranked third in the third generation, he was also He Yiming¡¯s real brother, thus, the rtionship between the two of them was pretty good.


    ¡°Third brother, what are you doing here?¡± He Yiming said with a pleasant surprise:


    ¡°Didn¡¯t father permitted you to Close Door Cultivation?¡±


    He Yixuan lightly waved his hand and said: ¡°Close Door Cultivation all the time is really boring, so, I came out to roam a little.¡± He opened the gate and entered the room first.


    The arrangements inside the room were simple and practical. He Yixuan directly ced a copied book on the table.


    He Yiming stepped forward and nced at it. Hisplexion immediately transformed, before he said:


    ¡°Third brother, this is a scripture of the Ripple technique.¡±


    ¡°This is my primary cultivation technique.¡± He Yixuan calmly said: ¡°I¡¯ve attained Internal Energy¡¯s sixthyer in precisely this technique. I heard that you are going to change your cultivation technique, so, you might as well try this one.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s heart stirred. He immediately realized that his brother wasn¡¯t bored with the closed door cultivation at all, he¡¯de specifically for him.


    He Yixuan didn¡¯t perform courtesies with his younger brother as he opened the book and began to carefully exin thetter. Not only did he exin what was written on the cover of the book, but even exined his personal notes which he¡¯d written from his own cultivation experience. He¡¯d written all of his experiences from the firstyer to the sixthyer, especially the fifthyer; he¡¯d written a huge written ount on his breakthrough from the fifthyer to the sixthyer.


    He Yixuan only left when it was almost night. He even casually ate his second meal in the midst of exining.


    After He Yixuan left, He Yiming looked at the extremely small characters in the book and was overwhelmed with emotions. The rtionship between blood-brothers couldn¡¯tpare to ordinary rtions.


    He sucked in a deep breath and steeled his mind that he will not let father and elder brother down. ¡®This damned fifthyer, I will pass it no matter what.¡¯


    He Yiming entered his private room and lightly locked the door from inside.


    He opened the Ripple cultivation technique¡¯s secret book and began to carefullyprehend it word by word.


    This Ripple technique was primarily a water-based Internal Energy scripture. This cultivation technique¡¯s level the was same as that of the Primordial Energy which he¡¯d been cultivating before. Since every individual¡¯s physique is different, the results obtained at the start of the cultivation will also vary ordingly.


    Since he was already determined to change his cultivation technique, rather than just blindly trying to experiment with different techniques, he might as well cultivate in his third brother¡¯s technique. After all, thetter had bitterly trained in it for more than ten years, and this fact was obvious by one look at the experience he¡¯d noted down which was twice as much as the actual content of the book.


    Standing atop a big rock, one would be able to see afar; since He Yiming had such an opportunity, he will naturally not give it up easily.


    After looking at the contents of the firstyer and studying his brother¡¯s experience, although he wouldn¡¯t dare to say that he¡¯d mastered the subject, he felt that he¡¯d at least got the basic gist of it.


    Ripple technique and Primordial Energy were not the same. One was based on water while the other was based on metal. Although both the techniques hardly differed in terms of the level, the course of the Internal Energy cirction inside the body waspletely different for them.


    He Yiming closed both of his eyes and began to work on the course of the Internal energy cirction as per the Ripple technique.


    Under his thoughts, the Internal Energy, that was already present inside his body, began to circte through the new channels that corresponded to the cirction path of the Ripple technique.


    Unwittingly the moon had risen. The clean white light of the iplete moon was entering through the hatchway and illuminating the Yiming¡¯s room as if the room was bathing in the moonlight.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes suddenly opened, and a strange color that couldn¡¯t be described in words could be seen on his face. He casually stretched out his hands and checked his body. After a few nces, his face turned incredulous.


    Just now, he¡¯d actually circted his internal energy through the entire course of the Ripple technique¡¯s firstyer.


    He waspletely certain that this was his first contact with the Ripple technique and also his first contact with a water-type cultivation technique


    Although he¡¯d cultivated the Primordial Energy to the apex of the fifthyer, the Primordial Energy and the Ripple technique were twopletely different cultivation techniques. Although the internal energy in both the cases was rted somehow, circting the internal energy through a set ofpletely different meridians couldn¡¯t even be mentioned in the same breath.


    ording to his initial estimate, if he was able toplete the cirction of the Ripple technique¡¯s firstyer in even three years, he would have profusely thanked his ancestors. If he failed toplete the cirction within half a year, that would have meant that his body did not correspond to the Ripple technique, and he would have to select a new cultivation technique.


    However, regardless of what Hi Yiming estimated, he¡¯d never expected that he would be able to aplish the firstyer in his first cirction of the Ripple technique.


    As he raised his head and looked at the moonlight outside the hatchway, his mind only had one thought, that is if he was actually dreaming¡­..


    After a long time, with shuddering hands, he picked up the copy of the Ripple technique given by his third brother. The book wasn¡¯t heavy at all, but at this moment, it felt like a thousand jins in his hands.


    He sucked in a deep breath and prayed in his heart that if this truly was a dream, don¡¯t let him wake up too soon.


    His vision swept through the contents of the secondyer¡¯s page. He closed his eyes and began to contemte the information of the book alongside his brother¡¯s experiences bit by bit.


    After a good while, he felt that he¡¯dprehended to some extent. He gently ced the book down, sat up properly, and entered the cultivation realm.


    Inside Yiming¡¯s Dantian, the internal energy filled with an exuberant life force surged violently, which gave rise to a strong propulsion force in his body.


    Under his thoughts, the internal energy, as if water, began to bore its way through the mysterious channels inside his body without any restraints . Regardless of whether the meridians through which he¡¯d just circted his internal energy or the meridians that were being used for the first time, none produced the slightest bit of resistance for the circting internal energy.


    In this very manner, as if treading on a smooth ground, his internal energy circted through the full course of Ripple technique¡¯s secondyer.


    When Yiming¡¯s opened his eyes, it not only contained ecstasy and bewilderment, but also a trace of palpitation and a feeling ofplete loss.


    As a youngster who¡¯d been fortunate enough to be in touch with the Internal Energy since an age of five, his elders had mentioned countless times about the biggest taboo of the Internal Energy cultivation: skipping levels by being profusely excited and overstating one¡¯s capabilities.


    In their words, the cultivation of the internal energy is like the saying ¡®every turnip has its own hole¡¯. Only by training more bitterly than the others one could achieve a sense of pride.


    However, as He Yiming recalled, he¡¯d never heard anything about someone capable of cultivating the first twoyers in a half-night from his elders either.


    He sucked in a deep breath. His vision turned towards the Ripple technique¡¯s secret book with countless thoughts bubbling in his mind.


    Could it be¡­..


    I am a genius; a true cultivation genius in water-type cultivation techniques!


    There was no other possible exnation except this. Because this kind of cultivation speed could only be regarded as inconceivable. He hadn¡¯t been this shocked even during the time when he¡¯d cultivated the Primordial Energy up to the thirdyer within a single year.


    He straightened his chest and raised his neck. His eyes had a peculiar glint in them. With his heart filled with excitement and vision with determination, he looked at the Ripple technique.


    He opened the Ripple technique once again and began to carefully study.


    Perhaps because of the abrupt rise in confidence, his face was slightly flushed. He was incapable topletely suppress his surging heart. Cultivating Internal Energy at such a time was not suitable at all. However, He Yiming, as if being spellbound, exerted all of his energy into cultivating the Ripple technique.


    Thirdyer¡­..


    Fourthyer¡­..


    Fifthyer¡­¡­


    The moonlight was still shining outside the hatchway. After He Yiming opened his eyes again, the vigor in his eyes was reced with numbness.


    At the age of five, he began the cultivation of Primordial Energy. In the next four years, he cultivated up to the fifthyer. In the subsequent four years, he didn¡¯t advance an inch regardless of what did. Regardless of all these things, his cultivation speed up to the fifthyer was nevertheless the quickest.


    However, at this night, this record hadpletely been overturned.


    Within a day¡­.no within half a night, he¡¯d actually cultivated the Ripple technique, a cultivation technique which he¡¯d never touched before, up to the fifthyer.


    He Yiming¡¯s corner of mouth was slightly trembling. He wanted to shout loudly, but his mind was screaming that he couldn¡¯t speak as if his throat had been strictly choked by two invisible hands.


    Although he was merely a thirteen old youngster, after growing up in such a family, he knew very well that such a feat couldn¡¯t be ounted on the basis of talent alone. Something like this could only ur through means of something sinister.


    After being stunned for a long time, a faint concern arose in He Yiming¡¯s thoughts.


    Although he wouldn¡¯t likely suffer serious aftermath because of such a high cultivation speed, however, as he recalled that once his elders had said that those who didn¡¯t have a solid foundation ultimately wander off to the path of Demonic cultivators, his heart turned cold.


    Cultivating at a high speed was obviously a good thing, however, if this good thing caused him to go astray and be a Demonic cultivator, then he would rather not have it.


    After circting his Internal Energy few times, he was convinced that there wasn¡¯t any possibility of his body bursting out and him dying.


    As he opened his eyes and looked at the Ripple technique¡¯s secret book lying on the table, a daring thought shot through his mind like a lightning bolt:


    Since I can directly cultivate up to the fifthyer, then what about the sixthyer?


    1 mu = 1 hectare

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 5 - Sixth Layer Breakthrough

    He Yiming slowly ced down the book in his hands and opened his eyes again. The expressions in his eyes were uncontrobly transforming, and his frame of mind was surging like a boiling liquid.


    At this moment, he remembered the days when he¡¯d been cultivating at a lightning fast speed; everybody¡¯s astonished nces, his father¡¯s joyful smiling expression, his elder¡¯s harmonious gazes¡­.


    However, after bearing so many expectations, he eventually failed to endure the pressure. Numerous years felt like a day as if the time had stuck in ce, causing his body to gradually lose its splendor. His status in the family also began to decline year by year. Although no one specifically pointed it out, it was apparent through some details.


    The reason why He Yiming began to practicete night was also in order to alleviate the anger in his heart.


    If this situation had continued on, a fight between siblings most probably would have broken out one day. However, fortunately, this Ripple technique had provided him with a new hope.


    His eyes, which were shining like stars, slowly closed down, and the surging tides in his mind also quietened down gradually.


    At this critical juncture, strangely, He Yiming waspletely rxed.


    He himself was not clear on why he could enter such a state of mind. However, he was clear that this state of mind was extremely advantageous for what he was just about to do.


    The course of the Ripple technique¡¯s sixthyer quickly emerged in his mind.


    Inside his body, his meridians were being flooded with the violently surging Internal Energy. Unwittingly, his Ripple technique had already attained the peak of the fifthyer.


    Endless Internal energy in his four limbs and hundreds of bones began to concentrate and slowly converge towards his Dantian while also circting ording to the pre-determined routes of the Ripple technique at the same time. Cycle by cycle, a strong energy was slowly being saved up inside his body.


    Surprisingly, tonight, He Yiming felt like attacking that sixthyer which he¡¯d attacked countless times in past without any results.


    This time, neither was he cultivating the Primordial Energy which he¡¯d cultivated for full eight years nor was he confident that he¡¯d understood the experiences of his third brother, however, his heart was filled with a determination of only going forward without ever backing down.


    For four years, every day and every night, He Yiming had incessantly thought about the juncture of the sixthyer that was right in front of his eyes; he¡¯d already been there for too long.


    Arge amount of Internal Energy was slowly building up. Right now, Hi Yiming was so calm and steady that he himself was feeling a bit of odd.


    Atst, as the saved up Internal Energy inside his body reached the peak and also the limit of what he could control in his opinion, the surging Internal Energy rushed towards the sixthyer¡¯s course like the water of a broken dam.


    Even though the courses of the Primordial Energy and the Ripple technique werepletely different, the difficulty of attaining the sixthyer was more or less the same. Relying on his experiences of attacking the sixthyer ten times, He Yiming¡¯s heart suddenly had a strange feeling that this time¡¯s attack was certainly going to seed.


    Suddenly, a loud sound like a thunderp echoed inside the mind of He Yiming, and everything suddenly transformed. Within an instant, he found himself in apletely different scenario.


    It seemed like he¡¯d returned to the time when he¡¯d touched that bizarre radiance. Countless scenes and images once again shed in his mind, causing him to once again experience those enormous spectacles that didn¡¯t seem rted to a human in the slightest.


    Eventually, amidst crackling thunder and flickering lightning as if the world¡¯s final¡¯s day, his spirit returned back to his body.


    He Yiming¡¯s body slightly shuddered. The instant his spirit returned back to his body, he sensed an enormous transformation inside his body.


    An Internal Energy course had sessfully been opened up, moreover, the internal energy flowing inside his body, which seemed like water, was a notch above the previously flowing internal energy. His body seemed to brim with immeasurable strength.


    When he opened his eyes, although the moonlight above him had already dissipated, his vision sessfully seized the first light ray of the rising sun.


    ¨C


    On the training grounds located at the rear side of the estate, the few youngsters were yet again going through the training seeming habitual. Today¡¯s supervisor was once again He Quanyi.


    However, his expression didn¡¯t seem too good. Because, He Yiming, after arrivingte yesterday, was once again absent today.


    As the former looked in a certain direction, his heart was filled with a kind of rage that seemed like ¡®hating iron for not bing steel.¡¯ However, it also had a trace of regret:


    ¡®This good seedling has been destroyed by the pressure from the n. Is there really no way of redeeming him?¡¯


    Suddenly, he saw a figure running towards him at a lightning fast speed. Just in a few jumps, the figure was already in front of him.


    Hisplexion sank as he said:


    ¡°Why are you againte today?¡±


    He Yiming mumbled: ¡°Third uncle, yesterday, I switched to the water type Ripple technique and lost the track of time for some duration while cultivating.¡±


    He Quanyi¡¯s expression eased a bit and he said:


    ¡°Cultivating like this? Are you feeling some bacsh?¡±


    He Yiming shook his head at once and said:


    ¡°No. Everything is normal.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± He Quanyi nodded with satisfaction and said:


    ¡°Cultivate properly, and when you attain the firstyer, notify me as soon as possible.¡±


    After a bit of hesitation, He Yiming nodded slightly but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Although in his mind, he very much wanted to inform his third uncle that not only had he already attained the firstyer, he¡¯d even reached the sixthyer. However, if he were to tell the truth as it was, he waspletely uncertain as to what kind of treatment will he enjoy in the n.


    After all, just a thought of someone cultivating up to the apex of the fifthyer, moreover, even attaining the sixthyer in a single night was enough to frighten anyone to his bones.


    He Quanyi waved his hands and said: ¡°All right, join the training.¡±


    He Yiming agreed and entered among his siblings. However, his mind was clearly elsewhere; although he didn¡¯t make any mistakes in the training movements thanks to the practice of many years, his thoughts clearly seemed distracted from the very beginning.


    Although He Quanyi did notice this situation, he didn¡¯t mind it at all. This was one of the after effects of changing the cultivation technique. Because, when He Yiming would be able to clear his thoughts, a knot in his heart would be untied.


    The morning training was finished soon after. After He Quanyi left, Hi Yiming greeted Hi Yitao and his two sisters, turned around, and immediately left. He didn¡¯t provide He Yizhang and He Yiyu the slightest opportunity to say anything.


    As He Yizhang saw He Yiming leaving, a trace of sneer hung on his face, while on the other hand, He Yiyu looked extremely miserable. It seemed like his third brother hated even him; this seemed like an unexpected cmity.


    His eyeballs faintly turned as he thought whether he should inform his eldest brother or the second elder brother. The rtionship between these two and his sixth elder brother was still pretty good.


    He Yiming directly left the estate. As he saw no one was around him, he immediately began to sprint in nimble steps facing the mountains.


    The mountains behind the estatends were not just a few small peaks, rather it was an entrance to a huge mountain range. It had countless treasures, hundreds of spiritual medicines that have been growing for thousands of years, cruel and cunning ferocious beasts, and all other kinds of things that could easily stir the greed in the hearts of people.


    However, it also had countless dangers. Apart from true hunters, very rarely would someone dare to enter the mountains.


    Since He family estate was located so close to the mountain range, He family entered the range on a regr basis. He Yiming although was only thirteen years old, from the beginning of ten years of age, he¡¯d entered the mountains at least four times every year. Regarding the conditions in the mountains, although he wouldn¡¯t dare to say that he knew them as the back of his hand, as long as he didn¡¯t enter too deep, defending himself won¡¯t be an issue.


    Of course, during all the previous times, a member of the second generation was there to lead the third generation as all of the third generation members entered together. However, this time, He Yiming intended to enter the mountains alone.


    Although the mountain path was very hard to traverse, in He Yiming¡¯s opinion, it didn¡¯t amount to much.


    His internal energy began to channel into the meridians of his leg parts. His steps became much nimble immediately. There were times when just by a soft touch of his feet on the ground, he was able to jump up to several meters.


    This was, without a doubt, a basic use of the Internal Energy, and it couldn¡¯t be regarded as a result of the cultivation technique.


    ording to the rules of the He family, one must have attained the sixthyer in the cultivation of the Internal Energy before he/she could be allowed in the n¡¯s Secret Scripture Pavilion to look for a suitable martial skill to cultivate. Before this point, one must spend all of his energy in the cultivation of the Internal Energy. This is because the Internal Energy is the basis of all the martial skills; only by possessing a strong Internal Energy would one be able to disy the might of a martial skill to its extreme. If the Internal Energy is not strong, even if one possessed the strongest martial skill of the world, it would just be flowery fists and fancy footwork while the cultivator himself would be unable to withstand a single blow.


    Of course, under equal levels of the Internal Energy, a high-level martial skill can pull open an enormous difference. However, when one ces all of his thoughts on the martial skills, it is bound to make him a bit indifferent towards the Internal Energy cultivation.


    The way of finding a path in between these two had indeed been a matter that had caused endless headaches to the cultivators.


    He Yiming as of now was not worried about these things at all. He rejoiced as he sprinted on the ground. The realm of the sixthyer was not just a simple gain in his Internal Energy, in addition, it also provided a huge increment for his reaction speed and his self-confidence. At this moment, He Yiming had such a confidence in himself that be believed he could even fight the heavens and earth.


    After a short duration of running on the small path that he¡¯d been on many times in past, he entered the Mountain forest.


    After arriving at this point, He Yiming wanted to try out his power after cultivating the Ripple technique to the sixthyer. If he¡¯d tried to do it in the vige, he might have alerted someone very easily. After all, the old Ancestor, He Wude was a peak expert with the tenthyer of Internal Energy cultivation.


    He Yiming knew his limits as well. He didn¡¯t enter the old forest at all, instead, he was lingering at its boundary. He randomly selected a tree with a width that would require three people to fully embrace it and stood in front of it. He calmly sucked in a breath, lifted his hand, and chopped with all his might.


    The sixth level ripple, as if a water current, was rushing and transmitting out from the center of his palm. In a split second, he¡¯d issued the most formidable might he could.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 6 - Fox Bear

    That huge tree swayed as if it had been blown by a fierce gale of wind, furthermore, the leaves at the top of the tree floated down as if they had been scattered down by angels.


    He Yiming¡¯s center of palm slowly left the tree trunk. That spot didn¡¯t seem to have changed in any way, however, He Yiming¡¯s eyes had an extremely pleased expression. Because he¡¯d sensed that his fist had done a tremendous damage to the big tree.


    He slightly reached out with his hand and lightly touched the region he¡¯d just struck. It immediately turned into a fine powder and slid down like quicksand. After a short while, a cavity, which was dark enough to frighten people, appeared in that region.


    As He Yiming looked at the masterpiece he¡¯d created, he sighed inwardly. The Internal Energy at the sixthyer was truly iparable to that of the fifthyer. Although the Ripple technique was primarily a water-based technique which was far below the Primordial Energy in terms of offensive might, the damage caused by the former¡¯s sixthyer was higher than thetter¡¯s fifthyer.


    This was the advantage of formidable Internal Energy. Sometimes, a difference of oneyer felt like a difference of thousand li.


    Suddenly, a radiance flickered in Yiming¡¯s two eyes. He immediately turned around and looked towards histeral-back side.


    He¡¯d heard an extremely faint sound of footstepsing from that region. If this had happened yesterday, He Yiming wouldn¡¯t have necessarily been able to hear this sound. However, after cultivating up to the sixthyer, his five senses were a notch above. Thus, at this moment, his hearing was extremely clear.


    The sound was extremely faint. Based on He Yiming¡¯s previous experiences, it seemed like the sound of footsteps of mountain chicken, or fox, or some other small creature. However, he didn¡¯t know why, but he felt a sense of indescribable crisis, and he didn¡¯t dare be neglectful in the least.


    Eventually, a ck hand stretched forward after pushing aside the branches and leaves in that area, revealing a ck bear of two meters behind the branches and leaves.


    He Yiming was a bit startled. His vision circled the body of the big ck bear two times. Specifically after looking at the two ears of the big ck bear, the expression on his face immediately turned heavy. In his mind, he cursed at his perfect luck.


    He merely wanted to test his power after attaining the sixthyer. He never expected that he would actually run into this big guy at the periphery of the mountain forest. Moreover, looking at the manner of this big guy, he seemed to havee after being attracted by the recent noise produced by the trembling of the big tree.


    This big guy was not a bear. Its build wasn¡¯t any different from the other normal bears, however, it had two long fox-like ears. It was a well-known ferocious beast in the Mountains, the Fox Bear. Not only was it as strong as a bear, in addition, it was also cunning and nimble like a fox.


    The might of this guy afterbining these two properties couldn¡¯t be looked down in any way. Even those tyrants that resided deep within the forest wouldn¡¯t easily provoke such a guy. Usually, the fox bears always resided in the deepest parts of the forest, however, today one had surprisinglye out and had even founded He Yiming. Thetter could only curse at his own bad luck.


    He Yiming slightly crouched his body. He didn¡¯t turn around and escape, rather he calmly confronted his opponent.


    Although he wasn¡¯t willing to provoke this guy even when he was extremely confident after just advancing to the sixthyer, if his opponent tried to get over his head, he wasn¡¯t much afraid either.


    The fox bear also seemed to have sensed that this little human couldn¡¯t be easily provoked. It didn¡¯t immediately pounce onto He Yiming, instead, it began to slowly circle around He Yiming.


    As He Yiming saw his clumsy and slow movements, he coldlyughed in his mind.


    When a fox bear came across humans, it would first disy slow movements like that of an ordinary bear, causing the people to be a bit negligent. However, if one were to truly rx his guard, it would immediately attack, and its opponent would very clearly understand its true speed.


    The degree of this thing¡¯s craftiness could easily cause the people who were facing it for the first time to suffer a big loss. If He Yiming had not previously seen his eldest uncle strike down a fox bear with his own eyes, he wouldn¡¯t have necessarily been convinced that it could be so agile with such a huge body.


    The fox bear had already circled around the He Yiming two times. It was also acting a bit strange. To it, this small guy didn¡¯t seem strong at all, however, it still felt an extremely dangerous feelinging off from his opponent.


    Perhaps because the it was feeling hungry from its journey from the deep forest, it eventually lost its patience. It lifted its thick bear palms and rushed towards He Yiming in vigorous steps.


    Its gigantic body, which gave off a mountainous pressure, furiously pushed towards He Yiming. At this instant, the fox bear was thoroughly disying the strength of a bear-kind species.


    He Yiming neither backed or dodged. Because he knew that if he made any kind of strange movements, this bear would certainly be dexterous and catch up with his movements.


    No one knew how many beasts and humans had been caughtpletely unaware by it and had finally turned into a feast for its mouth.


    With a cold snort, a section of Internal Energy burst out from He Yiming¡¯s Dantain and arrived on his palms through the meridians of his shoulders.


    At this moment, both, the might of the water type Ripple technique and the formidable Internal Energy of the sixthyer, were being disyed by He Yiming to the extreme.


    An arm like a leaf fan, and an immature arm, resolutely shed against each other.


    The advancing footsteps of the Fox Bear immediately halted and its body stood up straight. At this moment, it wasn¡¯t giving off a mountain pressure like it did a moment ago, instead, it quickly retreated back at an extremely fast speed. Its movements were as quick as lightning and as nimble as a fox. In a sh, it had already retreated two meters away from He Yiming, furthermore, it concealed its body in between thick trees.


    He Yiming¡¯s mouth slightly twitched as he grimaced in pain and sucked in a mouthful of cold air.


    He¡¯d already pushed his Internal Energy to the extreme and had also employed the Ripple technique as much as he could, however, his opponent had been able to resist his strike just by relying on its physical strength, moreover, the repercussions of this sh had brought him an indescribable pain.


    However, that Fox Bear most certainly wouldn¡¯t be feeling too good either. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have unhesitatingly revealed its lightning fast speed seeming like a bird who was afraid of a mere pull of bow, moreover, it wouldn¡¯t have left either.


    He Yiming waved his palm. He recalled what his eldest uncle had once said about the nature of the fox bears.


    This big guy not only was extremely cunning, in the mountain forest, it was reputed as an existence that intimidated weak and was afraid of strong. He Yiming knew that although he¡¯d scared it into retreat in the first confrontation, it hadn¡¯t retreated too far, instead, it was lurking somewhere nearby and watching his every moment and action.


    If he tried to turn around and flee or showed any weakness, it would never let him go, like a fungi sticking to a bone.


    He Yiming sucked in a deep breath. The sixthyer Internal Energy once again entered his palms. His palms, which were a bit swollen, immediately felt a trace of ice-cold air.


    This ice-cold air felt extremely cozy and the pain in his palm began to subside little by little.


    Sixthyer Ripple technique cannot bepared to the sameyer of metal type techniques in terms of offensive might, however, the former was unusually effective in a little bit of healing. Especially in his current situation, Ripple technique was extremely advantageous since he could heal himself with its help and proceed on to the next round.


    He Yiming raised his leg and slowly yet resolutely advanced towards the direction in which the bear had retreated a moment ago.


    Since this big guy was not willing to leave, he could only make him leave. As long as he could let it know that his strength was above it, going by its innate tendencies, it would certainly show respect to his strength and leave.


    As He Yiming advanced step by step, a sound like that of pounding of a drum was echoing in his mind. His eyes were on full vignce, and a bit of sweat was trickling down his upper garment.


    He swore in his mind that after returning he would immediately go into the Scripture Pavilion. With his sixthyer Internal Energy, he was already qualified to study Martial Skill Scriptures. If he¡¯d learned a martial skill beforehand, he would have been able to exhibit many folds more strength, thus, he would have been able to scare the bear out of its wits in a single strike.


    Suddenly, He Yiming paused his footsteps, and his eyelids slightly jumped. It was a kind of feeling which one would have on the brink of an impending danger. Even He Yiming himself didn¡¯t understand how could he have such a sharp perception; this was a fortune that couldn¡¯t be obtained by searching for it.


    He looked at his front but couldn¡¯t find the figure of the ck bear in the thick bushes ahead.


    ¡®That guy¡¯s figure is enormous; if it was truly hiding in these low bushes, some clues certainly would have been left behind. Don¡¯t tell me that thing actually cowered back?¡¯


    Both the ears of He Yimin slightly trembled, and his entire being immersed itself inside a wonderful state.


    In the face of the unknown danger and pressure, his body was getting aroused by itself. He was single-heartedly observing every movement that urred in his surroundings.


    However, at this moment, he wasn¡¯t able to take notice of the fact that his Internal Energy was not circting ording to the Ripple technique, instead, it was circting in ordance with the Primordial Energy which he¡¯d cultivated for eight years.


    Although the Ripple technique was formidable, He Yiming had, after all, only cultivated it for a single night. In ordinary circumstances, He Yiming was able to divert his attention towards this point, however, at this moment, he¡¯d entered a bizarre realm. He wasn¡¯t able to spare his attention anywhere else other than observing his surroundings. Thus, the cirction of the Internal Energy inside his body had involuntarily returned to the course which it had diligently followed for eight years.


    However, the thing He Yiming, even more, wouldn¡¯t have expected was that his Primordial Energy, after circting up to the fifthyer, didn¡¯t stop at all. Instead, it began to circte through the course of the sixthyer in an extremely natural manner.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 7 - Primordial Energy Sixth Layer

    The metal-based Internal Energy cultivation technique, the Primordial Energy, was He Yiming¡¯s first cultivation technique and was also the cultivation technique that he¡¯d bitterly cultivated for full eight years until today.


    In thest four years, He Yiming had hoped to enter its sixthyer countless times.


    The cirction course of this technique¡¯s sixthyer had been deeply engraved in his bones. His heart had a deep-rooted stubbornness: He would not give up on this technique until there was no hope.


    If not for the decision of his eldersbined with the painstaking efforts of his third elder brother, he would never have substituted this technique.


    Even though he¡¯d obtained inconceivable sess in Ripple technique, it couldn¡¯t bepared to the Primordial Energy. Thetter had always been his primary cultivation technique, which, for him, was as inseparable as flesh and blood.


    When He Yiming entered that bizarre realm, the Internal Energy inside his body involuntarily switched back to the Primordial Energy which he¡¯d cultivated for many years, furthermore, he involuntarily entered its sixthyer. Everything seemed like the saying where water flows, canal will naturally form. There wasn¡¯t the slightest amount of hindrance, as if his Primordial Energy had originally been at the sixthyer.1


    His eyes, which were half-closed, suddenly opened and emitted out a faint bright radiance, which seemed capable of drilling through heavens and earth.


    His body suddenly jumped up on its own. In mid air, he turned around and struck with his hand. At this moment, all the Internal Energy inside his body was converging towards his hand, while his essence, qi, and spirit2 had also been pushed to the peak.


    A savage roar exploded out from the direction in which he¡¯d just struck. However, the roar contained a trace of fear and timidness.


    The fox bear, which was two meters high, opened its mouth and countered He Yiming¡¯s strike with its fan-like bear paw.


    Bang¡­.


    Unlike the silent confrontation before, an extremely loud sound echoed this time.


    Due to the formidable strength in He Yiming¡¯s strike, the fox bear¡¯s gigantic body rose up in the sky and rolled once in mid-air before miserably falling into dense bushes, even losing many bear hairs in the process. However, once it had fallen down, it immediately hopped onto its feet at a lightning fast speed and made a desperate run for its life in the direction opposite to He Yiming.


    Its speed was so high that associating such a speed with its gigantic body was absolutely impossible.


    In a sh, the bear had already entered deep into the woods and had disappeared without a trace.


    He Yiming stood on the ground. He slowly withdrew his swelled palm while looking at it with an astonished expression, though, he didn¡¯t feel any pain as he¡¯d imagined. His expression was that of an extreme surprise mixed with many other emotions.


    Before he issued that strike of unprecedented strength, he¡¯d already sensed that, instead of using the sixthyer of the Ripple technique, he was using the technique that he¡¯d cultivated for full eight years, the Primordial Energy.


    He Yiming couldn¡¯t help but curse when he realized that the technique operating inside his body had abruptly switched. Although Primordial Energy was the strongest metal based cultivation technique in terms of offensive power, the gap between the fifth and the sixthyer was enormous. This caused He Yiming to lose faith that his strike would be able to injure his opponent. However, within an instant, the bear was blown away, furthermore, by looking at its appearance as it tried to flee with all its might along with its shaky movements, it had clearly suffered an injury, furthermore, the injury was not light either.


    Consequently, He Yiming immediately realized that the Primordial Energy he¡¯d used was not of the fifthyer at all, instead, he¡¯d used the full strength of the sixthyer of a metal type cultivation technique.


    He¡¯d actually made the breakthrough without being aware of it himself.


    This was but the Primordial Energy; the cultivation technique he¡¯d practiced for whole eight years. His emotions towards this cultivation technique couldn¡¯t possibly bepared to the Ripple technique which he¡¯d only practiced for a single night.


    Surprisingly, his eight years of hard work and fours years of anxiousness mysteriously seeded at this moment.


    Such an intense surprise and joypletely flooded his insides like a tide. He was truly feeling as if he was tasting the ¡®beginning of sweetness thates after the bitterness¡¯; he felt like shedding tears of joy.


    At this moment, even if that fox bear hadn¡¯t escaped, He Yiming wasn¡¯t interested in tangling with it anymore.


    After a long time, He Yiming recovered back from his ecstatic state.


    His vision directly fell upon a patch of thick bushes at a distance:


    ¡®Who knows how much distance that repulsive yet pathetic bear has already covered.¡¯


    He suddenly recalled that wonderful realm when he¡¯d delivered that strike. However, when he tried to recall that feeling, he was absolutely unable to catch the mysteries of that realm. Apparently, this kind of realm wouldpletely disappear along with the passing of danger.


    He Yiming knew that him being able to ascertain the direction of the bear had nothing to do with his eyesight or experience. It was all because of an indescribable feeling he had when he was in that mysterious state. This kind of perception seemed extremely useful in the midst of a fight. However, unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t grasp the slightest clue about that realm, and neither did he know if he would ever be able to enter that realm again in future.


    Reluctantly, he nced at the color of the sky, following which, without wasting a single second, he sprinted down the small mountain path.


    His movements were extremely quick, furthermore, while he was running, the water-based Ripple technique was slowly operating on his arms.


    The effect of water type cultivation techniques on self-healing was extremely clear. By the time He Yiming returned back to the He family estate, both of his hands were as good as before without a trace of injury.


    He Yiming clicked his tongue in astonishment:


    ¡®The water based techniques surprisingly have this kind of a healing effect. Then what about the wood based techniques which are renowned for being the number one healing techniques under the heavens? I have to try for myself if I get the opportunity.¡¯


    By the time he returned back to the family manor, the sun was already inclined towards the west. After pondering for a bit, He Yiming decided to go to the back courtyard. After a few turns, he arrived in front of a huge courtyard which waspletely made up of redwood.


    In the minds of all the cultivators within the He family estate, this courtyard was akin to a holynd. Because this was precisely the Book Pavilion of the He family estate.


    Not only it contained all the cultivation techniques possessed by the He family, in addition, it also contained various kinds of martial skill scriptures. Among the third generation, as long as one had cultivated up to the sixthyer of the Internal Energy, he was qualified to enter the book pavilion and select any martial skill of his choice.


    He Yiming had immediately thought of this Book Pavilion after his first encounter with the fox bear in the mountains. If he had cultivated a martial skill beforehand, he wouldn¡¯t have scared the Fox Bear into retreat, instead, he would have peeled off his skin and muscles.


    Fox bear¡¯s skin, gall dder, paw, muscles, bones, and even meat were all extremely scarce things. If he could have sold these things for money, the fortune he would have obtained was enough to make him smile even in his dreams.


    After softening his steps, He Yiming entered the courtyard.


    ¡°Yiming, you¡¯vee.¡± A strong and powerful voice echoed from a side hall within the courtyard. Consequently, the door of that hall opened and a big middle-aged man walked out.


    He Yiming said at once: ¡°Eldest uncle, this disciple hase to pay his respects to the senior.¡±


    This person was precisely He Wude¡¯s eldest son He Quanxin. He¡¯d always been living in seclusion inside the He family¡¯s book pavilion. All the disciples who desired to enter the Book Pavilion must obtain this man¡¯s consent first.


    As for He Yiming¡¯s father, He Quanming, and his third uncle, He QuanYi, both of them respectively managed the shop in the city and the feuds inside the manor. Both of these had already spent ten years at the junction of the eighthyer, while He Quanxin, due to being away from the external matters, had attained the ninthyer, being just a single step behind the Family Master He Wude¡¯s tenthyer.


    The rtionship between the third generation and the second generation was extremely familial. The little bit of friction among the third generation was only because of the extremepetition. Every member of the younger generation truly revered these few elders in their hearts.


    He Quanxin nced at him and secretly sighed in his heart, before he said:


    ¡°He Yiming, you can go in and make your choice. After discussing with your father and second uncle, I¡¯ve selected three scriptures that may suit your cultivation.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s lips slightly shuddered. He was extremely grateful in his mind. He said with his head deeply bowed:


    ¡°Many thanks eldest uncle.¡±


    He Quanxin faintly smiled and said:


    ¡°You are my nephew, what are you thanking for? However, I wish you could set aside the matters of cultivation and peacefully rest for a few days.¡±


    He Yiming was a little surprised but realizedtter¡¯s meaning soon after. Apparently, his uncle was thinking that he would still not be able to seed due to the shadow present in his mind.


    ¡°Eldest uncle, actually, yesterday, third elder brother had already exined the Ripple technique to this nephew. So, today, this nephew has note for a cultivation technique.¡±


    He Quanxin asked in an astonished voice:


    ¡°Then, why have youe?¡±


    ¡°This nephew hase for the martial skills.¡± He Yiming tried to speak as calmly as possible, however, his voice contained a faint and indescribable excitement.


    He Quanxin nkly stared for a bit, before his gaze on He Yiming gradually changed, and he said:


    ¡°Yiming, be careful.¡±


    By the time He Quanxin finished his words, he¡¯d already extended his palm towards He Yiming¡¯s chest in a very ordinary manner.


    His palm was very slow; even a person who¡¯d never trained into any skills can easily dodge it. However, He Yiming straightened his chest and extended one of his own palms to facetter¡¯s palm in a simrly ordinary manner.


    He Quanxin¡¯s palm was not thick and huge like the fox bear¡¯s palm, however, in He Yiming¡¯s opinion, this palm would be far more frightening than thetter.


    As He Yiming delivered the palm strike, the Primordia Energy in his body was fully circting. At this moment, the might of a metal based technique¡¯s sixthyer was on full disy. Even when he¡¯d been fighting the fox bear in the mountains, his Internal Energy had not reached such an overflowing degree of power.


    Softly, the two fists met, and He Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy emptied out without any reservations. However, he felt that his eldest uncle¡¯s palm was just like an endless pit; regardless of how formidable his Internal Energy was, it would never be able to fill this pit.


    A strange color flickered in He Quanxin¡¯s eyes, and his face eventually disyed a faint, satisfied smile. He suddenlyughed heartily and said:


    ¡°Good. Yiming, today is exactly the middle of the month. Come with me to see father.¡±


    When conditions are right sess will automatically follow. ?


    Three vital energies in Daoism.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 8 - Main Hall Dinner

    Inside the He family estate, the beginning of the month and the middle of the month were the two days when the old family head, He Wude, would reveal himself to dine in the main hall. On these two days, the entire family in the estate would dine together.


    Apart from He Quanming, who could not rush back from the city, all the other directly rted members attended the dinner. This was also the only time He Quanxin left the family¡¯s Book Pavilion.


    By the time He Yiming arrived in the Main Hall, all the other members had already arrived.


    There were only five host seats.


    Sitting on the middle seat was the old man who single-handedly established the He family estate: He Wude. Besides his left was an empty seat, which was the seat reserved for He Quanming; He Yiming¡¯s third uncle was sitting on the seat to its right, however, on thest seat was a handsome and elegant youngster. This youngster was precisely the eldest son¡¯s eldest grandson, He Yitian; barely twenty years old and had already attained the seventhyer of the Internal Energy.


    In the estate, He Yitian was the only member of the third generation who¡¯d the permission to sit alongside the elder generations.


    In the cultivation of the Internal Energy, higher one goes, higher is the difficulty. If one can attain the sixthyer of the Internal Energy cultivation before the age of twenty years, it was already an excellent achievement. Among the third generation, He Yiming¡¯s second elder brother, He Yihai, and the third elder brother, He Yixuan, attained the sixthyer somewhere in between eighteen and neen years. None of the elders had any doubt regarding the fact that without another ten or twenty years of hard word, they shouldn¡¯t be thinking about taking the next step.


    On the other hand, the eldest member of the third generation, He Yitian, attained the sixthyer when he was merely fourteen years old. After another hard work of six years, he advanced to the seventhyer before the age of twenty. He was considered as the n¡¯s number one future pir.


    As for He Yiming, when he¡¯d attained the fifthyer, everyone in the family had high hopes for him. The attention he received even surpassed He Yitian. However, this excessive attention instead stagnated his Internal Energy cultivation. The status of the current him was nowhere near He Yitian¡¯s.


    On the subsequent seats, except He Yiming, the entire third generation was present. Even his two elder brothers who were always behind closed doors in order to improve their cultivation, He Yihai and He Yixuan, had also punctually arrived.


    Seated on the main seat, possessing wide temples, dense eyebrows, and a wisdom that could see through others concealed inside his two deep eyes, He Wude, lifted his head and said with a smile:


    ¡°Quan Xin, you arete today.¡±


    He Quanxin immediately paid his respects and said with his whole face covered in smiles:


    ¡°Father, although your child hasete, he has brought you a good news.¡±


    A trace of surprise flickered in He Wude¡¯s eyes as he asked:


    ¡°What good news?¡±


    ¡°Father, today Yiming came to the Book pavilion.¡± He Quanxin paused and pulled He Yiming to his side, before continuing:


    ¡°Yiming is already qualified to cultivate martial skills.¡±


    The Main Hall immediately turned silent. After a short while, He Quanyi suddenly stood up and asked in a pleasantly surprised voice:


    ¡°Yiming you have advanced to the sixthyer?¡±


    He Yiming heavily nodded and said: ¡°Yes.¡±


    The third generation seated in the subsequent seats all had different expressions. Those who had good rtions with He Yiming exchanged nces with joyous expressions in their eyes. If elders were not present, they would have certainly created a huge ruckus.


    While He Yizhang, who¡¯d rtively bad rtions with He Yiming, had a little change in his expression and his eyes seemed a little lost.


    He Yihai and He Yixuan, these two disciples of the third generation who¡¯d already advanced to the sixthyer, exchanged a look with each other. Their expressions were extremelyplex, having dim traces of envy and admiration with immense joy.


    Subsequently, as they turned their heads and saw Yizhang¡¯s expression, they couldn¡¯t help but let out a soft sigh. In their minds, they truly couldn¡¯t understand why their generation¡¯s number fifth and number sixth had such a hostility. These two were truly an odd pair inside the family.


    He Yitian also stood up from his seat. Being the eldest son¡¯s eldest grandson, he truly had a special privilege among the third generation. Even at this moment, he could say a few lines.


    ¡°Sixth brother, you are truly amazing. In attaining the sixthyer, your speed should be quicker than mine by a year.¡±


    He Yiming scratched his head and foolishlyughed, however, he absolutely didn¡¯t open his mouth. His circumstances of this breakthrough were too absurd; he didn¡¯t dare run off his mouth.


    On He Wude¡¯s serious face, eventually, an extremely pleased smiling expression surfaced as he said:


    ¡°Yiming you are indeed not bad. Someone deliver this information to the city; let Quanming return and rejoice as well.¡±


    Someone naturally took care of the Old Estate Master¡¯s order. Directly rted members of the n didn¡¯t have to worry about such things.


    He Wude stood up from his seat and walked past the dining table in a few strides. He arrived in front of He Yiming and casually extended his palm towards thetter.


    A faint helpless smile flickered on the face of He Quanxin. Apparently, the old man would never be convinced before confirming the truth with his own hands.


    He Yiming, without having any time to think, resisted his grandfather¡¯s palm with his own palm. Consequently, the sixthyer Primordial Energy rose up like a tide. This time, he¡¯d some experience, thus, after the strike was delivered, he immediately restrained his Internal Energy. However, the strength behind this strike was enough for He Wude to clearly determine He Yiming¡¯s foundation.


    Subsequently, the smiling expression on the old man¡¯s face became increasingly dense. He heartilyughed and said:


    ¡°Good, very good. He family once again has a sixthyer Internal Energy expert under the age of fifteen.¡± His loud and clearughter, without concealing the happiness in his heart at all, echoed in the hall. He continued:


    ¡°Quanxin, you willter apany Yiming to the Book Pavillion, and allow him to select a martial skill. Tell him the details as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He Quanxin said with a smile.


    As He Yiming watched his elders, he was extremely suspicious in his heart.


    Attaining the sixthyer was not an extremely extraordinary event; in his memory, at the time of his second and third elder brothers¡¯ breakthrough, although his grandfather was excited, it was nowhere close to being¡­. ecstatic, as he seemed at this moment.


    Even his eldest uncle and the second uncle seemed extremely pleased. Such a disy from them was clearly and starkly different from when his second and the third elder brothers had advanced.


    He Yiming secretly looked at He Yitian, however, thetter instead winked twice while looking in his direction. He Yiming could perceive faint traces of envy in his eldest brother¡¯s thoughts alongside the immense joy.


    Suddenly, he felt a chill in his heart:


    ¡®I can discern the thoughts of elders and the eldest brother through their expressions? What on earth is going on? When did I be so sharp?¡¯


    He Wude said: ¡°Yiming, when did you breakthrough?¡±


    He Yiming immediately restrained his wandering thoughts and said in a respectful tone:


    ¡°Grandfather, this grandson had his breakthrough today.¡±


    He Quanyi asked in a strange voice:


    ¡°Yiming, yesterday you switched to Yixuan¡¯s Ripple technique, so why have you instead advanced in the Primordial Energy today?¡±


    He Yiming bitterly cried in his heart, however, he¡¯d already determined in his heart that he could not tell anyone about the strange things going on inside his body.


    His heart tensed up, and his vision dropped down when he saw his wrinkled clothes. He came up with an idea on the spot and said:


    ¡°Third uncle, today, after the morning exercise, I went into the mountains to continue tempering my body. However, I did not to expect to suddenly run into a fox bear.¡±


    The faces of He Wude and the rest immediately showed a nervous expression:


    ¡°Where was that fox bear?¡±


    Fox bears were considered as one of the troublesome kinds of ferocious beasts in the mountains. It possessed the strength of a bear and the cunningness of a fox at the same time. If this fox bear happened to be hiding outside the Manor, the ordinary people of the estate and the younger disciples were being subjected to an enormous danger.


    He Yiming immediately said: ¡°At the edge of the mountain forest, but I have already fended it off.¡±


    ¡°You fended it off?¡± He Quanyi asked with an odd expression.


    Living down the mountains, they were extremely clear about the strength of a fox bear. Although He Yiming had recently been promoted to the sixthyer, he was, after all, an amateur who didn¡¯t know a single martial skill, moreover, his age was just too small. He might not be an opponent for a fox bear.


    He Wude lowered his voice and said: ¡°Yiming, tell your today¡¯s encounter with that fox bear from the start, include every single detail.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yiming immediatelyposed himself and recounted his fight with the fox bear.


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t mention that he¡¯d already reached the sixthyer in the Ripple technique, instead, he said that he¡¯d been using the Primordial Energy from the beginning. However, he didn¡¯t hide his mysterious breakthrough in Primordial Energy, in fact, he himself really wanted to know why did his Primordial Energy involuntarily advanced.


    After Yiming finished speaking, He Wude faintly nodded his head and said:


    ¡°Yiming, your luck is pretty good. That fox bear was very possibly injured before it came across you. It is extremely fortunate that this was the case, and you were able to deal with the fox bear at the beginning using your fifthyer Primordial Energy. ¡°


    He Wude¡¯s face revealed a trace of gratified expression as he looked at his grandson and said:


    ¡°Yiming your bitter training has not been a waste in the slightest. The pressure of confronting a fox bear has fully brought out the achievements of you daily training, and it even allowed you to unwittingly cross over the barrier of the fifthyer without a hitch. Ah¡­.this is truly a blessing from heavens.¡±


    He Quanyi and He Quanxi nodded in session. As they thought of that time¡¯s danger, they involuntarily broke out in a cold sweat. If the fox bear hadn¡¯t been injured or He Yiming hadn¡¯t smoothly advanced at the critical junction, he might have tragically met his end.


    If this situation had really yed out, how would they have faced their second brother then?


    He Quanyi suddenly snorted in anger and said:


    ¡°Yi Ming, the rules of the family are that the third generation cannot enter the mountain forest alone. Why did you go there?¡±


    He Yiming blinked his eyes as he cursed in his heart.


    He Wude and He Quanxin also responded and looked towards He Yiming with malicious gazes.


    He Yiming mumbled: ¡°Third uncle, it¡¯s just that I was feeling bored, and I went for a walk, that¡¯s all. Moreover, I only walked around the edge, I didn¡¯t enter the forest at all.¡±


    ¡°For a walk? You know how many dangers one has to face being alone in the mountains? You even had the nerve to run into a ferocious beast like fox bear.¡± He Quanxin furiously said.


    ¡°Starting from today, you will properly remain inside the home. Without my permission, you are not allowed to take a single step outside.¡±


    He Yiming cast his nce towards his Grandfather and the eldest uncle. Both of them averted their faces andpletely ignored He Yiming. It was clear that they were also agitated by this matter.


    In his heart, He Yiming was cursing the Fox Bear all over: ¡®couldn¡¯t properly stay in deep forest, why did it have to run all the way up to the end of the forest?¡¯


    However, in face of his third uncle¡¯s angry gaze, he could only say:


    ¡°Yes, third uncle.¡±


    In the next few days, the family master He Wude, himself, together with He Quanyi checked everywhere around the foot of the mountain several times, furthermore, they also examined that region where He Yiming had his first confrontation with the fox bear. Only after they had ensured that the Fox Bear had truly left did they remove the alert in the estate.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 9 - Book Pavilion

    The color of the sky had darkened by the time meal was finished.


    He Yiming left for the Book Pavilion along with his eldest uncle. Although He Yixuan and several of his other siblings wanted to congratte him, just one re from He Quanyi, and all of them scattered away like birds, without showing the slightest amount of loyalty to their sibling.


    In ordinary times, all the matters, of both inside and outside the Estate, were handled by his third uncle. For the members of the third generation, he was a sinister existence. They were far more afraid of him than their grandfather or their eldest uncle. Perhaps only the eldest grandson of the eldest son, He Yitian, could receive a favorable treatment from him.


    The Book Pavilion¡¯s courtyard was the biggest courtyard in the entire He Family Estate. In addition to his eldest uncle guarding it, a special servant of He family lived there as well. This servant¡¯s status was extremely high in the Estate. No one amongst the third generation could order him, though, he had the qualifications to be arrogant because his Internal Energy was at the eighthyer, which was not a single bit less than He Quanyi and He Quanming.


    He Quanxin, leading Yiming, directly entered the main hall.


    The main hall of this courtyard was different than that of the rest of the courtyards, because, this main hall was the biggest library in the He family estate.


    Upon entering, He Quanxin said: ¡°Yiming, sit.¡±


    He Yiming swept his gaze and found himself a chair to sit down, while his vision had already begun to browse through the books in the bookshelves.


    ¡°Yiming, first of all, I congratte you. After me, you, and Yitian, only four more individuals have a chance to attain the sixthyer before the age of fifteen.¡± He Quanxin earnestly said.


    He Yiming¡¯s vision immediately returned from the shining bookshelves surrounding him.


    He Quanxin was extremely satisfied with his reaction. He continued:


    ¡°Although all the children in He family can begin cultivating the Internal Energy Scriptures at an age of five, I can assure you that although your disparity is not big as of now, however, after twenty years, it will just keep getting bigger. Yitian and you have some hope to attain the highest tenthyer, however, the rest of your siblings, could at most attain the eighthyer in their lives.¡±


    He Yiming mumbled for a short duration, before he probingly asked:


    ¡°Eldest uncle, is this rted to eldest brother and me advancing to the sixthyer before the age of fifteen?¡±


    ¡°You are not wrong. Although we cultivators have vastly different physiques, the fact is, the golden time toy down one¡¯s foundation is before fifteen years. Moreover, a strange phenomenon urs amongst us cultivators, if one is unable to attain the sixthyer before the age of fifteen, then in future, it is exceedingly hard to transcend the eighthyer regardless of the amount of effort one puts in. ¡°


    He Quanxin lightly sighed and continued:


    ¡°Although your second and third brother were not inferior to you or Yitian in terms of hard word, however, the fact is, they only attained the sixthyer at seventeen-eighteen years. Throughout their life, they can at most hope to attain the same as my second brother and third brother. Basically, they have no hope of attaining the tenthyer.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s heart turned dark as he thought:


    ¡®No wonder second brother and third brothers were looking at me with weird gazes. Seems like they already knew this matter.¡¯


    He Quanxin waved his hand and said:


    ¡°Yiming, though, I¡¯ve informed you about this matter, be sure to keep your mouth shut like a jar. Yizhang and the rest of them must not know about this.¡±


    He Yiming was a little stumped but nodded immediately after, as he¡¯d realized his elder uncle¡¯s thoughts:


    They need not think about this matter unless they reach the sixthyer.


    ¡°Furthermore, now that you have reached the sixthyer, you even more can¡¯t rx for what you seek. After this, the difficulty of advancing every subsequentyer bes increasingly difficult. If you take this lightly, you will just fade away among the multitudes of people in future.¡± He Quanxin¡¯s expression suddenly became very strict as he continued:


    ¡°Remember: Henceforth, Yitian is your target, and you will strive to surpass him. Currently, you are thirteen, work hard to attain the seventhyer within the next seven years, and if you cannot do it, you need not take a single step outside the Manor.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s body suddenly shivered. His eldest uncle had always been very gentle with people, and very rarely did his voice turned extremely strict in such a way. But, he was also aware that this was rted to his eldest uncle having high expectations of him.


    ¡°Quanxin, don¡¯t scare Yiming.¡± He Wude¡¯s voice came from outside the door.


    He Quanxin immediately stood up, opened the door, and weed his lord father in. He Wude¡¯s face still had a few traces of his previous smile.


    He first allowed He Quanxin and He Yiming to sit down, then said in a remote voice:


    ¡°Yiming, the truth is, both you and Yitian are the most talented disciples amongst the third generation, but your luck is better than Yitian¡¯s. You were able to choose the correct path on your very first selection of the Internal Energy Scripture. When you cultivated your Internal Energy up to the thirdyer within a year and fifthyer within five years, I and your uncles were very pleased and had extremely high expectations of you, thus, what we asked of you was also extremely high. ¡°


    He took a deep sigh before continuing:


    ¡°In the next few years, the pressure you faced was a bit too much. Although your Internal Energy was cultivated up to the peak of the fifthyer, you were unable to untie the knot in your mind regardless of whatever you tried. For all of this, you should not me me.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯splexion slightly changed as he said:


    ¡°Grandfather, grandson absolutely doesn¡¯t have such thoughts.¡±


    He Wude smoothened his lips and waved his hands, before saying:


    ¡°You have talent and luck. In our He family, we subject such seedlings to the maximum possible pressure. Back then, I was same, your eldest uncle and Yitian were also the same. Furthermore, only after the disciples ovee this pressure will they have some aplishments in future. Fortunately, even though we all had different fates, we all managed toe through in the end. This can also be regarded as ancestors¡¯ blessings.¡±


    He Yiming only expressed his consent, while in his heart he was secretly sighing:


    ¡®You all have ovee this obstacle on your own, what about me?¡¯


    How he overcame this obstacle, even he didn¡¯t know. However, even if he¡¯d twice his courage, he wouldn¡¯t dare breathe a word of it.


    He Wude¡¯s expression again turned imposing as he said:


    ¡°Yiming, you have been informed about all the things. Your future aplishments are in your hands. We elders can only provide you a little bit of guidance, however, ultimately, how much you grow depends on your own efforts.¡±


    He suddenly stood up and began to walk away. After reaching the door, he said without turning his head:


    ¡°If you or Yitian manage to reach the tenthyer before the age of thirty¡­¡­.forget about it¡­everything depends on destiny.¡±


    After finished speaking, He Wude figure¡¯s suddenly disappeared from its position. He Yiming blinked his eyes in astonishment; he had actually no idea how his grandfather left. A master of Internal Energy¡¯s tenthyer was truly nothing like ordinary.


    He thought about what did these words of his grandfather actually meant.


    He Quanxin followed his father with his eyes. Eventually, he let out a sigh and said:


    ¡°Yiming, the limit of the pressure one could bear, somewhat vary from person to person. Since lord father has spoken, in the future, whether you want to strive or not will depend on you.¡±


    He Yiming promptly said in a respectful voice: ¡°Yes, eldest uncle.¡±


    Perhaps because He Quanxin felt that He Yiming had exhaled a sigh of relief after hearing his words, he snorted and said:


    ¡°You need not celebrate too early. I will talk with the third brother and let him press you on your cultivation even more. This kind of talent and luck absolutely cannot be wasted.¡±


    He Yiming immediately felt an even bigger headacheing his way. However, he didn¡¯t dare oppose in the slightest.


    He Quanxin pointed towards the bookshelves and said:


    ¡°Yiming, do you know why the family had established the rule that only after cultivating the Internal Energy up to the sixthyer would you be able to touch Martial Skill Scriptures?¡±


    He Yiming thought for a while and said:


    ¡°Eldest uncle, although this nephew felt an increase of strength during the breakthroughs of previousyers, the sixthyer seems rather different. Especially, in terms of Internal Energy¡¯s Promotion, the otheryers couldn¡¯t even be mentioned in the same breath¡±


    He Quanxin nodded with satisfaction and said:


    ¡°Correct. You are clever. All Internal Energy based cultivation techniques have a special trait, that is, the sixthyer is a dividing line. Regardless of one¡¯s aptitude, as long as one strives, he will certainly be able to attain the fifthyer in a few ten years. However, from the beginning of the sixthyer, advancing everyyer bes increasingly difficult. Although your father and third uncle onlyck the cultivation of oneyer, even if they both join hands, they shouldn¡¯t imagine crossing ten moves with me. Of course, your grandfather has already attained the tenth level, and I won¡¯t be able to cross even three moves with him relying on my cultivation of ninthyer¡¯s peak.¡±


    He Yiming repeatedly nodded. His heart truly had an extreme fascination for his grandfather¡¯s abilities.


    He Quanxin suddenly shook his head and said:


    ¡°Why am I talking these things with you?¡±


    He Yiming was tongue-tied. He wished to smile but didn¡¯t dare to do so. His entire face seemed weird.


    He Quanxin coldly snorted, however, he was not He Quanyi. Although his face seemed sinister enough, he was rather unable to intimidate He Yiming.


    He helplessly shook his head and said:


    ¡°Internal Energy cultivation at fifthyer or below only have rejuvenating effects on the body. However, after the sixthyer, there is a great increase in the body¡¯s explosive strength. Only after stepping onto this step, one can truly possess the qualifications to use Martial Skills.¡±


    He Yiming immediately nodded:


    ¡°I get it. Internal Energy is the basis of every cultivation. If one is unable to attain the sixthyer, then it¡¯s of no value. Only after the sixthyer would one able to disy the might of a martial skill.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s taut face rxed a little, and he said:


    ¡°You are clever; you haven¡¯t said a single thing wrong. For true cultivators, fifthyer or below doesn¡¯t amount to anything. Cultivating Martial Skills before the sixthyer is just like pulling the sprouts to help them grow. Therefore, the lord father established this rule, so that you all will not be able to practice Martial Skills and distract yourselves as a result.¡±


    He Yiming repeatedly sounded his agreement. Being not allowed to cultivate martial skills below the sixthyer, in other words is also, allowed to cultivate from the sixth level.


    His vision once again turned to the bookshelves surrounding him. He began to scan the books with a racing heart.


    He Quanxin, who was about to give him a few sentence of advice, shook his head. He knew that whatever he said at this moment would enter thetter¡¯s left ear and would be out of the right one.


    ¡°Yiming, after this point, you can flip through the scriptures as you wish. This whole row is of metal type scriptures. I still haven¡¯t finished speaking¡­.all right¡­. You monkey, do whatever you please, but be careful and don¡¯t be avaricious and insatiable .¡±

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 10 - Metal And Water Type Battle Skills

    Chapter 10 - Metal And Water Type Battle Skills


    Rolling Stone Fist: Metal type battle skill scripture.


    This was the first Martial Skill Scripture He Yiming found in the Book Pavilion.


    The bookshelf in front of his eyes had metal rted techniques, supplementary techniques, and battle skills. Even the Primordial Energy, which he¡¯d cultivated for eight years, was included among these.


    Although the bookshelf was very big, it did not have many scriptures; only adding up to an insignificant number of twelve afterbining all the scriptures. Of course, regarding an ordinary individual, it would be an amazing feat even if one could master half of these in one¡¯s entire lifetime.


    He Yiming rummaged through these for half a day. Although he was extremely curious about all of these scriptures, he still had the words, that his eldest uncle said before leaving, in his mind:


    Don¡¯t be avaricious and insatiable.


    After cultivating Internal Energy for half of his life, He Yiming was extremely clear on the principle of biting off more than one can chew. Therefore, afterparison, he selected his first battle skill scripture.


    Rolling Boulder Fist was a special fist skill that delivered strikes with might like that of a rolling boulder, with the use of metal-type Internal Energy. The might it produced was not too strong, however, it had a special property.


    Its might increased along with the time of use.


    Of course, it had extremely high Internal Energy consumption rate and toughness requirements. An ordinary sixth level cultivator will not select this skill, because, he wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain the Internal Energy requirements for prolonged time periods.


    However, He Yiming¡¯s situation was rather different. He was not just a sixthyer Internal Energy expert in the metal type, in addition, he had attained the sixthyer in a water type technique as well.


    Water-type technique¡¯s main feature was precisely an inexhaustible amount of Internal Energy, furthermore, the toughness obtained from water-type technique was the most formidable amongst all the attributes.


    Although Rolling Boulder Technique was a metal type technique, He Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy contained a water type technique¡¯s sixthyer as well, thus, it naturally possessed the characteristics of that water-type technique.


    Under the coboration of these two things, Yiming would be able to bring forth the most formidable might of the Rolling Boulder Fist.


    Therefore, after He Yiming had read the introduction of Rolling Boulder Fist, he almost felt as if this Martial Skill Scripture had been created with his condition being in the mind of this skill¡¯s creator. Thus, he selected this technique without the slightest hesitation.


    At the center of the main hall was a big table, with a lot of special papers on it.


    The younger generation of He family, after selecting a scripture, cannot leave the Book Pavilion with their selected scripture. They could only make copies of the pictures and script it contained.


    Yesterday, the Ripple technique that his brother gave him, was also a copy that Yixuan made with a brush.


    By themp, which cannot be regarded as too bright, Ye Ming slowly copied down all the contents of the Scripture; especially the diagrams, he urately traced them down to perfection.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t copy down the entire scripture. He only copied that content of the Scripture which was for the sixthyer cultivators. In any case, as a child of He family, he¡¯d the privilege to enter the Book Pavilion at any time. Therefore, as soon as he advanced to the seventhyer, he could juste here again to make further copies. On the other hand, if by any chance he was instead unable to control himself and tried to learn the higher levels of the battle skill, that won¡¯t really be a good thing for him.


    After he finished copying down the contents of the scripture, he carefully ced it back to its original position and waited for ink on the papers to dry.


    Suddenly, He Yiming¡¯s vision shifted to a bookshelf towards histeral side.


    He hesitated and checked the time. As he saw that it wasn¡¯t even midnight yet, his thoughts began to stir up.


    Others thought that he¡¯d only cultivated the Primordial Energy up to the sixth level, however, they werepletely unaware that he¡¯d also cultivated the Ripple technique to the sixthyer.


    This being the case, should he cultivate a water-type battle skill at the same time?


    After seriously considering it for a while, He Yiming decided that this was not being avaricious and insatiable at all.


    He slowly arrived in front of the bookshelfbeled as ¡®water¡¯ and began his search.


    The scriptures here clearly surpassed the metal-type scriptures by a vast number. Surprisingly, this bookshelf had more than thirty scriptures, which was about twice as much as the metal-type scriptures.


    He immediately realized that the number of people cultivating in water-type scriptures had to exceed the number of people cultivating in metal-type scriptures by a huge amount, thus, causing their respective number of the scriptures differ by arge number.


    This point was not just determined by the respective number of the scriptures in the Book Pavilion. Even when taking the younger generation of the He family into consideration, He Yiming was the only one who cultivated in a metal-type technique.


    Comparatively, both in terms of selection and aplishments, water-type techniques were far ahead of metal-type techniques .


    Since the number of the scriptures on this shelf wereparatively more, He Yiming flipped through them at a much quicker pace. Eventually, after about an hour, he had a single scripture in his hand.


    Silk Palm, water-type battle skill scripture.


    ording to He Yiming¡¯s knowledge, Silk Palm was amon and mass-oriented battle skill scripture. Although he¡¯d not ventured past ten miles outside the estate, he¡¯d heard his father and uncles discussing some affairs of the outside world.


    From there, he knew that, basically, all the water-type cultivators of the outside world would master Silk Palm.


    Silk Palm was the simplest and most basic battle skill among the water-type battle skill techniques. One could cultivate in it as long as one¡¯s Internal Energy had attained the fourthyer. Such a low cultivation threshold was one of the best among all the battle skills.


    Perhaps this was the reason that Silk Palm was one of the most widespread battle skill. Since it was simple and practical, the increase of its might was proportional to the breakthroughs in the Internal Energy. This was not a fancy battle skill; as long as one continued to strive, this skill could certainly be the best supplementary battle skill for a cultivator.


    Especially for He Yiming, who¡¯d steeled his mind on cultivating a metal-type battle skill as his primary battle skill, choosing a water type-battle skill as a supplementary battle skill was the most suitable choice.


    Having decided on this point, He Yiming immediately ced the scripture of Silk Palm on the table and began to make copies.


    By the dawn, he¡¯d already copied down all the contents from its fourthyer to its sixthyer. Subsequently, after sorting out all of his noted down content and making sure that he¡¯d not missed anything, he pushed the door open and walked out.


    Outside the door, missing a night¡¯s sleep, He Quanxin was waiting for him.


    He hadn¡¯t interfered in He Yiming¡¯s selection process at all. After attaining the sixthyer of the Internal Energy, one has the capability to grow by himself and could choose what to cultivate ording to his own interests. However, He Quanxin had ced huge expectations on He Yiming, thus, he was quite concerned abouttter¡¯s choice.


    ¡°Yiming, what did you choose?¡±


    ¡°Rolling Boulder Fist and Silk Palm.¡± He Yiming said without concealing anything.


    Upon hearing He Yiming¡¯s selection, He Quanxin¡¯s brows slightly creased, and he said:


    ¡°Yiming, right now, you should focus on your cultivation of Internal Energy. Battle skills may increase your strength by a huge amount, however, keep in mind, Internal Energy is the cornerstone of all types of cultivations. In this time phase, when you can advance your Internal Energy at so much faster rate, you¡¯d better concentrate most of your energy on the Internal Energy.¡± After pausing once, he continued:


    ¡°Although your second brother, Yihai, and your third brother, Yixuan, are also cultivating two battle skill simultaneously, however, their potential is much inferior to yours in terms of Internal Energy growth.¡±


    He Yiming immediately bowed his head and received his uncle¡¯s instructions, but at the same time, he also said:


    ¡°Eldest Uncle, this nephew has not copied much, just the contents of the sixthyer of the two scriptures.¡±


    Consequently, He Quanxin¡¯s face slowly rxed, as this implied that He Yiming was nevertheless aware of prioritizing the important matters first.


    After saying goodbye to He Quanxin and leaving the Book Pavilion, He Yiming habitually rushed towards the rear court. He¡¯d already beente two days in a row and had no desire to make it three.


    He¡¯d barely taken a few steps when he ran into his third uncle He Quanyi along with a pair of his brother and sister, He Yilong and Hi Yitao.


    Upon seeing the direction in which was He Yiming was going, He Quanyi cracked augh as he said:


    ¡°You want to go to the rear court for the morning training?¡±


    ¡°Yes, third uncle.¡± He Yiming respectfully said.


    He Yilong and He Yitao exchanged a nce and smiled. Furthermore, He Yitao shouted:


    ¡°Sixth brother, you have already attained the sixthyer, you don¡¯t need to get up early for the morning training.¡±


    He Yiming nked for an instant, before forcing out a faint smile.


    He actually forgot about this matter while making copies in the Book Pavilion for the entire night.


    He family rule: Cultivators at the sixthyer or above need not take part in the morning training. This was because if one¡¯s Internal Energy had attained the sixthyer, the benefits of the morning training would be next to nothing, on the other hand, one would be able to gain much more by cultivating just a little in the Internal Energy.


    He Quanyi patted He Yiming¡¯s shoulders and said:


    ¡°Yiming, you can go at your own pace. I hope to you see you advancing to the seventhyer as soon as possible.¡±


    He Yiming, while subconsciously nodding his head, watched his siblings and third uncle growing distant.


    He retracted his vision and looked all around him before suddenly realizing that he¡¯d apparently nowhere to go.


    He didn¡¯t require to take part in the morning training he¡¯d been doing since he was five years old, so, where should he go for the next three hours? What should he do?


    Currently, his mood was veryplex, seeming just like a university-graduate who¡¯d no job. It was a feeling of loss that emerged from one¡¯s heart.


    As He Yiming kneaded the notes in his bosom with his fingers, his heart once again burned with passion.


    Since he didn¡¯t need to join the morning training, he could begin the cultivation of these two battle skill scriptures. He didn¡¯t know how much these two battle skill scriptures would benefit him, or to what extent his battle strength would be enhanced.


    However, He Yiming was convinced, so long as he could cultivate in any one of these two battle skills, the day he ran into that fox big bear again, would be the day of that big guy¡¯s extinction.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 11 - Peak Of The Battle Skills?

    In He family, every directly-rted member of the younger generation had an underground basement beneath their courtyards, precisely for the training of martial skills.


    He Yiming opened his basement. Although this was not his first time entering the basement, this time, his heart was racing because this was the first time he¡¯de here to practice martial skills.


    He didn¡¯t immediatelymence his training, instead, he took out the notes of Rolling Boulder Fist and carefully revised them to confirm that he¡¯d everything in his mind. Subsequently, he ced his copied notes inside a special iron cupboard.


    He Yiming retreated several steps and adopted a stance, before executing the contents of the Rolling Boulder Fist.


    His Internal Energy instantaneously rushed into his palms. His both arms were crisscrossed, and he was continuously waving them one after another, at the same time, his body was also swaying ording to a certain width. The Rolling Boulder Fist was definitely not the best battle skill in terms of offensive strength, however, in terms of continuous assault, it was unmatched and unrivaled in the metal-type battle skills.


    If one could make full use of this skill, his entire being would surge towards the opponent like a huge rolling boulder. Especially, during contact with the opponent, if the opponent couldn¡¯t suppress it within a short duration, it would keep on intensifying until it had struck the opponent down.


    Rolling Boulder Fist had many sequences of movements, however, at the sixthyer, one could only train in a single sequence.


    He Yiming was training at the center of the basement. Sometimes striking with his crisscrossed and bent arms at his front, while sometimes opening his arms wide and brandishing them in a circr manner. The entire room was echoing with the howling winds produced by his fists.


    At this moment, his thoughts werepletely fixed on this extraordinary battle skill. His Internal Energy was violently surging and was being drained away as if water from an open dam.


    ¡®Ha¡­..Ha¡­¡¯


    Along with He Yiming¡¯s continuous sequential movements, the winds produced by his fists were getting increasingly fierce. Afterpleting the sequence once, He Yiming didn¡¯t stop, instead, he increased the pace of his movements. Furthermore, the sequence of movements and the Internal Energy¡¯s coordination attained a kind of extremely subtle state. The two mutuallyplemented each other, causing He Yiming to have afortable feeling like that of a fish obtaining water.


    Eventually, He Yiming reached a corner of the room. At this point, by chance, he¡¯d just finished the sequence again. With his body and mind fully immersed in training, going with the flow, his fist resolutely struck ahead.


    With a bang sound, his fist heavily struck the flexible special wall of the room, causing a shallow dent to immediately appear at that spot.


    He Yiming, as if awakening from a dream, returned back from his battle ambit and tongue-tied looked at the depression in front of him, as if not being able to convince himself that this was his masterpiece.


    One should know this location had been specially constructed by the Family Master as a training ground for the young seedlings. The surface was molded with steel, being flexible and extremely tough. It was specially constructed for the younger generation to train in martial skills and test their cultivation.


    Not to mention He Yiming had just advanced to the sixthyer, even if his Internal Energy had attained the apex of the sixthyer, he might not have been able to leave behind such a depression.


    He looked at his fist. It was a little red and swelled up. He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased, and his Internal Energy immediately switched to water type of Ripple technique. Layer uponyer, Internal Energy flowed through the meridians in his fist. After a short while, the swelling on his fist began to subside.


    He again looked at the depression in front of him and was secretly rmed in his heart. Being able to aplish such a feat using the sixthyer Internal Energy, only had a single exnation: bringing forth the might of the battle skill to the fullest.


    As he thought up to here, his mind turned nk.


    He¡¯d just recently began to practice this metal-type technique, could it be that, in such a short amount of time period, he¡¯d been able to cultivate this ss of martial skill to the peak?


    When ordinary cultivators came into contact with a martial skill of some ss, they would first carefully analyze and train, only then they would slowly begin to master it. Furthermore, the might of the martial skill they could bring forth would slowly increase along with their training, only then they would finally be able to reach the peak.


    However, He Yiming¡¯s circumstances seemed somewhat different. After little hesitation, he opened his copied notes and immediately looked at the description written at the top:


    The peak effect of the sixthyer Rolling Boulder Fist: Capable of leaving behind depressions on pure steel.


    Now He Yiming was certain that he¡¯d disyed the optimum might of this martial skill.


    He rubbed his nose while being extremely puzzled:


    ¡®Could it be that my luck is good up to such an extent that my physique is extremelypatible with Rolling Boulder Fist as well?¡¯


    ¡®Even if this is the case, this speed is just too frightening.¡¯


    After hesitating for a bit, he eventuallyid down the Rolling Boulder¡¯s notes, which seemed a thousand jin in weight, and picked up the other martial skill, Silk Palm.


    His fingers lightly caressed the notes as he pondered over it word by word.


    He was certain that he hadn¡¯t touched this martial skill before, furthermore, he¡¯d only been in touch with a water-type cultivation technique for merely two days, however, he didn¡¯t know why, but the contents of the Silk Palm felt extremely familiar to him, as if he¡¯d cultivated in this martial skill beforehand.


    He Yiming¡¯s mouth slightly twitched. He was sure that he hadn¡¯t gone insane, rather he truly understood the contents of this martial skill just by looking, and even understood it in depth. This was mere feeling, however, this feeling was extremely strong and real.


    He Yimingid down the book with a strange face and walked up to the middle of the room. The Internal Energy in his body immediately began to circte corresponding to the water type cultivation technique, and his body began to move in a demonic manner.


    Rolling Boulder Fist and Silk Palm were two distinct techniques. One emphasized on soft and flexible defense, and attack while defending; being extremely effective in attacking by borrowing strength from the opponent. While the other was offense centralized masculine kind of technique; while confronting an opponent, one would be able to be extremely imposing, causing the opponent to not being able to disy his full strength.


    As He Yiming began to exhibit Silk Palm, bizarre sounds began echoing in the entire room, seeming like hisses of a viper. Ordinary people would have been scared witless by such sounds. Furthermore, Yiming¡¯splexion turned heavy. Although his movements seemed soft, rxed, and didn¡¯t seem as powerful as that of the Boulder Rolling Fist, however, the force of air that was slowly rising up in the room didn¡¯t seem the least bit inferior inparison.


    Suddenly, He Yiming hurriedly took several steps as if riding on a wind-fire ball, and instantly arrived at the location where he¡¯d recently made that dent, before emitting out a lightly fluttering palmprint.


    There wasn¡¯t any sound, however, when He Yiming¡¯s palm moved up, right next to the original dent, there was another dent.


    These two dents hardly seemed any different, however, their appearance seemed somewhat different.


    The depression caused by the Rolling Boulder Fist was somewhat distorted. The area of the dent seemed a little bigger. This was the result of an instantaneous explosion of a strong destructive power. While the depression caused due to Silk Palm was smoother and was a bit ahead in terms of depth.


    As He Yiming looked at such depression marks in this seemingly impossible to prate flexible-wall, he felt quite regretful. If he¡¯d learned any of these two skills before his encounter with the fox bear, he would have definitely caused that big fellow begging for death in a single strike.


    ¡®This is the might of a martial skill. If one could bring out full potential of a martial skill, even challenging someone of higher level might not bepletely impossible.¡¯


    ¡®But if I don¡¯t remember wrong, be it father or elder brother, they both said that cultivation of martial skills is not easier than the cultivation of the Internal Energy at all. They even said that it was simply too hard. Sometimes, bringing forth the full might of a certain kind of martial skill is even difficult than advancing in levels of the Internal Energy.¡¯


    He Yiming scratched his head. He couldn¡¯t understand at all. This was considered extremely hard?


    After cultivating Silk Palm, He Yiming was certain about one thing: He had truly been able to disy the might of these two techniques up to their peaks.


    Because he¡¯d been to his third brother¡¯s training room. He¡¯d seen his third brother training with his own eyes, furthermore, he¡¯d also seen the impressions in that room¡¯s wall.


    In his opinion, both, his third brother¡¯s training process and the impressions on the wall, were inferior to that of him.


    This was not an excessive faith in himself, but an extremely impartial assessment. Though, he knew that if this assessment leaked out, what awaited him would certainly not be anything good.


    Because he would be absolutely incapable of exining how could he cultivate two martial skills to the peak within a single day. Although this was only up to the apex of the sixthyer, it was already an extremely extraordinary feat. Moreover, these were two differently attributed martial skills. Even though He Yiming was ignorant, he knew that probability of such a feat happening was much less than the chance of him running into a fox bear in the mountains.


    He was feeling apprehensive. Improvement in strength was definitely a good thing, however, in his opinion, this good thing was also a burden which was hard to bear.


    He had thought about informing these things to his elders, however, he gave up on doing so. He knew that such a condition of his body was too strange.


    He was vaguely aware that this change had some connection with his strange encounter at theke. After that day, his feats could no longer be covered with the word ¡®genius¡¯, if one insisted on looking for a word to describe his feats, that would be ¡®devilish¡¯.


    And this was also the true reason he absolutely didn¡¯t dare to open his mouth¡­.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 12 - Fathers Return

    After properly collecting the notes, He Yiming left the training room. He was extremely pleased with the results of today¡¯s training, in fact, he was so pleased that he was feeling a bit apprehensive.


    He opened the door of hispound. The sun was already a bit inclined towards the west. He patted his stomach as he felt extremely hungry. Too much time had passed while he was cultivating the battle skills.


    As he thought about getting something from the manor¡¯s kitchen to eat, he suddenly saw a familiar figure entering his yard.


    He Yiming blinked his eyes, and his face immediately revealed a pleasantly surprised expression as he shouted:


    ¡°Dad, you have returned?¡±


    This middle-aged man with a circr face, thick and short mustache, high-pitched nose, eyes that can¡¯t be considered big, dense hair, and a fair whiteplexion, was the individual who managed the business of He family in the county town.


    At this moment, He Quanming¡¯s eyes were glittering with a joyous splendor. After he¡¯d received the letter, he set aside all the current matters and immediately rushed back to home at the fastest possible speed.


    Again a member of n¡¯s third generation had advanced to the sixthyer, furthermore, that member was his own son, He Yiming, who was barely thirteen years old. Being one of the core members of the n, he was extremely clear on what did this represent. This represented that future of his child was nothing short of extraordinary.


    ¡°Yiming,e.¡±


    The first thing He Quanming did after entering the yard was to extend his palm. He Yiming faintly shook his head. He truly couldn¡¯t understand why each of these elders must check for themselves before they would be convinced. As he recalled, his second brother or third brother didn¡¯t get to enjoy such treatment at all.


    He helplessly extended his own palm and pressed against his father¡¯s big palm. The Internal Energy of both sides erupted out at the same time. Of course, under the control of both sides, this Internal Energy remained concentrated and didn¡¯t scatter away, and was immediately restrained after a light contact.


    Eventually, the smiling expression on He Quanming¡¯s facepletely unfolded, and his eyes revealed a prideful expression as he looked at He Yiming.


    Suddenly, He Yiming felt slightly apprehensive. He knew that his breakthrough was notpletely a result of his own efforts, so, would this kind of good fortune continue to shine on him in future?


    ¡°Yiming, you are indeed good.¡± After a long time, He Quanming restrained his smiling expression and said in a solemn voice:


    ¡°However, you cannot becent. Continue on striving, and try to attain the seventhyer before the age of twenty like your eldest brother.¡±


    ¡°Yes, daddy.¡± He Yiming cautiously said: ¡°Your child will definitely work hard.¡±


    He Quanming said in a satisfied voice:


    ¡°I aming from your eldest uncle¡¯s ce. He said you have selected two martial skills.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded and stealthily looked at his father¡¯s expression. Only after he saw that his father¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t that of rebuke at all did he breathe easy.


    However, He Quanming¡¯s words suddenly took a turn:


    ¡°Yiming, I know that you all really look forward to martial skills, however, I wish you to only learn a single battle skill.¡±


    ¡± A single ss?¡± He Yiming astonishedly asked.


    ¡°Yes. Going by your age, you have a promising future ahead you. This is a good time to advance by leaps and bounds in the Internal Energy cultivation. Martial skills are just a side story. As long as your Internal Energy is profound, you can cultivate strong martial skills at any time.¡± He Quanming¡¯s voice was heavy as he said:


    ¡°You can cultivate up to the sixthyer at the age of thirteen; you must not waste such a talent and opportunity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± A voice came from behind He Quanming. He Yiming raised his head and saw that his third uncle, He Quanyin, had alreadye inside his yard. Thetter continued:


    ¡°Yiming, cultivating battle skills is no easy feat. Being proficient in even a single battle skills requires a great deal of time and effort. For current you, its gain will fall short of losses.¡± He paused for an instant, before supplementing:


    ¡°To tell you the truth, those people who wholeheartedly devote themselves in cultivating battle skills are the ones who don¡¯t have much confidence in their talent of Internal Energy cultivation, thus, they give their all in the cultivation of battle skills. Your grandfather, eldest uncle, and eldest brother, all of them spends most of their time on Internal Energy cultivation. This is the correct path for us cultivators.¡±


    He Quanming, who was hearing at the side, repeatedly nodded his head. However, both the brothers had faint expressions of envy and admiration in their eyes.


    Indescribably, He Yiming faintly realized that these expressions of his father and second uncle were in the light of his eldest uncle¡¯s talent. After all, his eldest uncle was the only individual from the n¡¯s second and third generation who¡¯d attained the ninthyer in Internal Energy.


    In his mind, He Yiming asked:


    ¡®Does cultivating a battle skill to the peak truly requires a lot of time? I seem to have cultivated two differently attributed battle skills to the apex of the sixthyer within half a day?¡¯


    He Quanyi paused for a moment, then suddenly spoke: ¡°Second brother you still don¡¯t seem convinced. You can try on your own.¡±


    ¡°I just found this hard to believe.¡± He Quanming bitterly smiled. He just never expected that his small son would give him such a huge surprise.


    He Quanyi resolutely said:


    ¡°Second brother, congrattions to you anyhow. Yiming¡¯s future aplishments will not be any less than Yitian; he will be our n¡¯s future pir.¡±


    The two brothers continued to talk and heartilyugh. Theirughter was free and unrestrained.


    After a bit of hesitation, He Yiming suddenly asked:


    ¡°Father, third uncle, if one wishes to cultivate a battle skill to its apex, how much time would be required in the end?¡±


    Both the brothers exchanged a nce, while being slightly concerned and thinking:


    ¡®As expected, this child, He Yiming, is more interested in battle skills than Internal Energy.¡±


    However, this was not just He Yiming¡¯s problem. Almost every youngster of his age had a simr attitude.


    He Quanming slightly sighed and said:


    ¡°He Yiming, battle skills are like Internal Energy and rely primarily on the fact whether or nor cultivator¡¯s physique suits the battle skill¡¯s cultivation technique. So the results of cultivation will somewhat vary from person to person. To cultivate a martial skill to the apex of one step, one would require a year if fast, ten years if slow; it might even take several tens of years.¡±


    He Yiming faintly opened his mouth and said with an expression of not knowing whether tough or cry:


    ¡°One year is required to cultivate a martial skill to the peak?¡±


    He Quanming red at him for a moment, before solemnly speaking:


    ¡°Yiming, don¡¯t bite off more than you can chew. Cultivating a battle skill up to the peak of one¡¯s current level within a year is already an amazing speed. Your third brother¡¯s water-type Internal Energy as well as physique is extremelypatible with the cultivation technique of Silk Palm, only then was he able to cultivate Silk Palm up to the apex of the sixth level within a year. In the family, he is the fastest individual in terms of cultivating battle skills.¡±


    He Quanyi suddenly stepped forward and said, standing right in front of He Yiming:


    ¡°Yiming, your third brother attained the sixthyer after fifteen years. His potential is more or less about your father and me. That¡¯s the reason we allow him to put all of his energy into the cultivation of martial skills. However, you are different. You still have a huge room for improvement. Therefore, I hope you will treat the Internal Energy cultivation as your main objective; battle skills are secondary, you understand?¡±


    He Yiming immediately straightened his chest and said in a loud voice:


    ¡°Yes, third uncle. I understand.¡±


    Though his voice was loud and clear, in his heart, he was thinking, if his dad and uncle were to found that, within a single day, he¡¯d cultivated metal-type Rolling Boulder Fist and water-type Silk Palm to the peak of the sixthyer, what would they think?


    Even though He Yiming¡¯s guts were not less, at this critical juncture, he kept his mouth sealed like a jar. He¡¯d no intentions of leaking anything.


    He shifted his vision and changed the topic:


    ¡°Dad you are here, what about mother?¡±


    He Quanming faintly smiled as he said:


    ¡°We can¡¯t have no one at the shop in the county town. Since I am here, your mother would obviously be left behind there. Why? You miss her?¡±


    He Yiming heavily nodded and said:


    ¡°Yes, I miss her.¡±


    He Quanming stepped forward and lightly stroked his hair a few times as he said:


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After a month or two, me and your mother, both, will return and spend a few days with you all. However, in the meantime, you all must work hard. Don¡¯t disappoint me and your mother.¡±


    He Yiming patted his small and immature chest and said:


    ¡°Dad, you can rest easy, I will not let any of you lose face.¡±


    He Quanming heartilyughed and said:


    ¡°I believe you, little genius.¡±


    He Quanyi turned and said:


    ¡°Second brother, because of the family matters, you and second sister-inw are constantly moving back and forth. It even dys your cultivation. How about you return back to the manor for a while, and let me handle the shop in the city.¡±


    He Quanming waved his hand and said:


    ¡°Third brother, you and eldest brother are not cut out for business. If the shop is handed over to you two, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t even be left with our original assets.¡±


    He Quanyi¡¯s face was slightly red. However, hisplexion was rather was dark, thus, it couldn¡¯t be seen easily.


    He Quanming lightly patted on his shoulder and said:


    ¡°Third brother. Our roots lie here. As long as you manage this ce properly, and let eldest brother cultivate without having to worry about family troubles, we will never fall in the county. Furthermore, if eldest brother is able to breakthrough to the tenthyer, then with two tenth-level Internal Energy masters as eldest brother and father, our He family would be second to none in the county town. If that happens, then even Xu family and lord Cheng¡¯s family won¡¯t dare to have coveting thoughts about our family.¡±


    After hesitating for a long time, He Quanyi lightly nodded and said:


    ¡°I understand. However, before eldest brother¡¯s breakthrough, we will have to trouble you, second brother, for all the external matters.¡±


    He Quanming, with his grandeur reaching the clouds, extended both his hands and lightly waved. A light sound like a thunderp was suddenly produced in the air.


    ¡°Third brother, be at ease. In any case, I am also a cultivator of the eighthyer, not a pushover.¡±


    Two brothers exchanged a nce and began tough heartily. Theirughter was full of an unspeakable grandeur.


    As He Yiming watched them, unknowingly, a warmth surged in his heart and instantly spread across his entire body, seeming as if he wanted to join them.


    Without knowing it himself, he¡¯d already decided to increase his cultivation as soon as he could and assist his father and the rest.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 13 - Sixth Layer Bottleneck

    In the process of visiting his son, He Quanming stayed the night and hurriedly left the next morning.


    After his father¡¯s visit, He Yiming was brimming with vigor. Like his elder brothers who¡¯d attained the sixthyer, he wholeheartedly devoted himself to cultivation.


    For misceneous jobs, there were many servants in the He family manor. However, He Yiming didn¡¯t have his personal servant. In order to temper the character of the third generation, they were not allowed to have a luxurious lifestyle such as someone feeding them when they opened their mouth or someone changing their clothes when they stretched their hands. However, at least, they didn¡¯t have to worry about the basic needs. They didn¡¯t need to think about cooked food or clean clothes.


    Only under this kind of conditions, these experts would be able to wholeheartedly temper their Internal Energy or battle skills.


    In a sh, almost half a year peacefully passed by.


    On this day, He Yiming walked out of his small courtyard. As he saw servants diligently sweeping away not too far from him, his mood suddenly turned somewhat gloomily.


    In this time period of half a year, he hadn¡¯t wasted a single day.


    He¡¯d invested all of his energy into tempering his Internal Energy. He had been pleasantly surprised; his cultivation of both Primordial Energy and Ripple technique was progressing smoothly. Step by step, his Internal Energy was stably improving. An even more astonishing thing was that his water-type Internal Energy and metal-type Internal Energy could inter-transform as if these two were not two different-attributed techniques, but techniques with the same attribute. With a certain improvement in either of the techniques, the other would also receive a corresponding improvement.


    Although He Yiming was young and hadn¡¯t experienced much on the path of cultivation, even a fool could tell that this kind of thing was anything but normal. Of course, he¡¯d no intention of showing off, and he chose to silently bury down everything in his memory.


    As for the two martial skills¡­.


    To tell the truth, apart from practicing them a few times, He Yiming didn¡¯t pay attention to them.


    Not because he¡¯d took the conversation with his father and uncle to his heart, rather because he¡¯d already cultivated both the skills to the peak of the sixthyer. At this point, even if he tried to cultivate again, he wouldn¡¯t be able to advance a single bit.


    Of course, along with the constant improvement in his Internal Energy, the might disyed by the two battle skills also a received a corresponding improvement. This was not due to the battle skills themselves, but due to the improvement in his Internal Energy. Therefore, except practising battle skills asionally so as to prevent himself from losing touch, he didn¡¯t dwell on these anymore.


    After spending almost half a year like this, he again encountered a bottleneck.


    However, this time, he didn¡¯t tell anyone. Attaining the apex of the sixthyer and even reaching the bottleneck within six months? He knew that such an affair was absolutely unique.


    One should be aware that difficulty in cultivation keeps on increasing. At higher levels, if one wishes to continuously improve like during lower levels, that would be an extremely wishful thinking.


    His eldest brother, He Yitian, advanced to the sixthyer at the age of fourteen. However, to attain the peak of the sixthyer, he had to spend five more years. Furthermore, in the final year, by extreme luck, he unfathomably crossed over the bottleneck of the sixthyer and sessfully advanced to the seventhyer at the age of neen.


    And this was already the fastest speed in the He family. Even his eldest uncle only attained the seventhyer by the age of twenty years.


    As for his second brother and third brother, although both of them had attained the sixthyer earlier than He Yiming, they were still painstakingly cultivating at this step as of now. Not to mention the bottleneck of the sixthyer, they were still quite far off from the peak of the sixthyer.


    He Yiming was different. In the previous two days, he clearly felt that his Internal Energy was absolutely incapable of increasing. Furthermore, he was feeling the same as he did at the bottleneck of the fifthyer.


    This feeling was extremely clear at this moment, while it was indistinct during the fifthyer bottleneck. This stark contrast allowed He Yiming to clearly differentiate between his current level and that of before.


    After painstakingly cultivating for two days and not being able to make the slightest improvement, He Yiming walked out of his room in frustration.


    He Yiming left the manor to take a stroll, subconsciously walking in the direction of the bigke.


    Soon after, he arrived at theke¡¯s edge. He watched the glisteningke water as it faintly rippled and swayed. His heart was just like the surface of theke; uncontroble and unstable. A wind blew past, and the surface of the water which had just calmed down again rippled.


    He Yiming softly sighed, and his mouth curled into a self-mocking smile.


    He was able to sessfully cross over thest time¡¯s bottleneck after encountering hundreds of perplexing incidents inside thiske. At that time, although he¡¯d almost seen King Yama, he was able to make a crucial breakthrough. However, being able to obtain such an opportunity once in one¡¯s entire life was already amazing. Although he was hopeful in his mind, he knew that such good luck would not befall him for the second time.


    Sitting by theke, he was unable to stop himself from thinking about that day¡¯s events.


    Although almost half a year had passed since then, to him, that day¡¯s events still seemed as clear as if they were before his eyes; impossible to forget


    He remembered that after that incident and returning back to the manor, he¡¯d had begun to cultivate Ripple technique at the night. And on that same night, he obtained a sess that one would long for even in dreams and attained the realm of sixthyer.


    Suddenly, He Yiming¡¯s thoughts stirred and an idea streaked through his mind like a lightning. He was faintly aware that this idea was extremely significant and may very well be the most important thing which would affect his entire life. However, unfortunately, he just had an indistinct feeling of this idea and was unable to properly hold onto it.


    Sitting by theke and watching faint ripples on the surface of theke, his thoughts ran wild as he pondered deeply. However, he was unable to gain anything.


    A t rock flew past not too far away from his body and bounced a few times on the surface of theke, before sinking in the water.


    Astonished, He Yiming turned his head around and his visionnded on his younger brother who had a huge smile stered across his face.


    He Yiming faintly shook his head and looked at the sky, consequently realizing that the morning training was over.


    ¡°Yi Tao, you are still ying here; quickly go back to study. If you skip lessons, third uncle will peel off your skin.¡± He Yiming scolded with a smile. Everyone in the manor, except his third uncle, doted on this younger brother of him.


    He Yitao ran towards He Yiming while jumping and bouncing in a monkey-like manner and sat down beside him, before saying:


    ¡°Six brother, father said that today is a holiday for me. You, on the other hand, have finally shown yourself. In these past few months, you have almost turned into an even bigger of a cultivation freak than the eldest brother.¡±


    He Yiming bitterlyughed. He truly didn¡¯t know how to exin his younger brother. Though he was sure that if their positions were reversed,tter would be even bigger freak than him.


    ¡°Sixth brother, how is your cultivation going?¡± He Yitao casually asked:


    ¡°Are you sure you will be able to reach the sixthyer¡¯s peak, or the bottleneck, within next four years?¡±


    He Yiming muttered to himself. He knew that if he told his younger brother that he¡¯d already attained the bottleneck of the sixthyer,tter would certainly create a big fuss and tell everyone about it.


    He faintly shook his head and sighed, before saying:


    ¡°How cultivating sixthyer¡¯s Internal Energy could be so easy? You will know when you attain the sixthyer.¡±


    Upon hearing He Yiming¡¯s words, He Yitao¡¯s whole face was covered with expectations; even his eyes were twinkling like stars. However, this expression only remained for a very brief instant on his face, beforepleting dissipating. He listlessly said:


    ¡°Sixth brother, I wish. But father said neither do I have your or eldest brother¡¯s talent nor hard work. I am toocking in terms of cultivationpared to you guys. He said my thinking is sharp and insights extraordinary. I have the demeanor like that of second uncle¡¯s younger days. Therefore, I am asked to study a lot of books, so that, in future, I could take over family¡¯s business.¡±


    He Yiming opened his mouth. He could make out his younger brother¡¯s unwillingness, however, he was also helpless.


    For cultivators, the requirements of talent are extremely high. Not suitable means not suitable. It doesn¡¯t have an exnation, and neither it can be changed.


    He Yitao¡¯s temperament was indeed childish since he seemed lively again after a brief silence. He looked all around and moved closer to He Yiming¡¯s ear, before saying in a low voice:


    ¡°Sixth brother, let me tell you something. Though second uncle is so earnest now, but in his younger days, he was as naughty as me, and has the most number of beatings from grandfather to his name .¡±


    He Yiming didn¡¯t know wether tough or to cry. He Yitao wouldn¡¯t likely lie to him, but it was really hard to imagine that his father was such a character in his younger days. It was truly unimaginable.


    However, He Yiming had no intention to ask his father for a conformation. His buttocks were not itching for a beating.


    He Yitao again picked up a t stone from the ground, lowered his waist, before throwing it. It once again created many ripples on the surface of theke.


    ¡°Sixth brother, are you still cultivating Ripple technique?¡±


    He Yiming was nked for a moment, before he asked:


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Which technique are you cultivating at present. It ought to be Primordial Energy..¡± After looking at He Yiming, who seemed like a wooden puppet, He Yitao asked:


    ¡°Sixth brother you are not actually cultivating Ripple technique, are you?¡±


    Excitement shone in He Yiming¡¯s eyes, and his originally dead water like eyes were alive once again.


    He turned around and tightly embraced He Yitao, before saying:


    ¡°Yitao, thank you.¡±


    After saying these words, despite former¡¯s puzzled and astonished expression, he turned around and dashed towards the manor.


    Left behind He Yitao, who¡¯d another stone in his hand which he was just about to throw, was tongue-tied looking at He Yiming¡¯s departing figure, with a mind full of questions:


    ¡®Why would sixth brother thank me?¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me some problem in his cultivation has fried his brain.¡¯

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 14 - Skin Tightening Technique

    He Yiming returned back to the manor at the maximum possible speed and hurried to his eldest uncle¡¯s ce, which was the courtyard where the Book Pavilion was situated.


    As he entered the courtyard, his footsteps immediately halted and his eyes turned a lot more attentive.


    Apparently, he somehow felt a strong pressure. This pressure was specifically directed at him. After a short duration, this pressure dissipated without a trace.


    This courtyard was one of the most significant locations in the estate and was iparable to the small and insignificant courtyard he lived in. Apart from the main hall, it had two side halls. The pressure just now wasing from one of these two halls.


    He Yiming faintly shook his head, and the face of his eldest uncle, He Yiquanxin, appeared in his mind. He had a feeling that the recent pressure must havee from his eldest uncle¡¯s attentive gaze, and after looking at him, the former had withdrawn his gaze.


    He didn¡¯t know how he came up with this thought, but he couldn¡¯t get it out of his mind.


    After hesitating a bit, he didn¡¯t go to the side hall to pay his respects to his eldest uncle, and instead directly entered the main hall, where He family¡¯s collection of books existed.


    In the third generation, anyone who had attained the sixthyer was qualified to enter this ce to, check out or select, Internal Energy techniques. Everyone obviously knew the principle of ¡®biting off more than one can chew¡¯. This was also the reason that this was only He Yiming¡¯s second visit here.


    After He Yiming entered the main hall, in the side hall, He Quanxin¡¯s brows creased, and a faint suspicious expression emerged on his face. He had already discovered He Yiming when thetter had entered the courtyard. Thus, he distantly watched him. However, the movements disyed by He Yiming astonished him. Especially when He Yiming nced towards his ce, he almost doubted whether He Yiming had be aware of his gaze.


    However, the next instant, he discarded this thought.


    ¡®He Yiming is merely a sixthyer Internal Energy cultivator, so how could he discover my gaze? This is merely me being excessively suspicious. He Yiming must have casuallye here, so, he thought about paying his respects to me, but since he was afraid that I am in closed-door cultivation, he didn¡¯t dare disturb me.¡¯


    After being convinced of this reasoning, He Quanxin¡¯s mind eased up, and he once again focussed his attention on his cultivation.


    He Yiming pushed the door and entered the Book Pavillion. The books were methodically arranged. Although the bookshelves were not small, the number of books was quitecking.


    He Yiming, without pausing, directly walked up to a random bookshelf and casually selected a book.


    As he opened it, he couldn¡¯t help but be a little surprised.


    Skin Tightening technique. A wood type supplementary Internal Energy scripture.


    He bitterlyughed in his mind. How did he end up choosing such a book?


    All types of techniques in any attribute were divided into three categories. In addition to primary Internal Energy cultivation techniques, there were battle skills and a few supplementary type cultivation techniques.


    Not much is needed to say about primary Internal Energy techniques or battle skills. One was the basis of cultivation, while the other increased one¡¯s battle strength. For cultivators, both of these were extremely crucial.


    The third kind of techniques didn¡¯t seem that important. For example, this wood-type Internal Energy supplementing technique, the Skin Hardening technique, allowed cultivators to tighten their skin and increase their defensive capabilities to a certain degree. In addition, this skill had another strange use. After cultivating this technique to a profound level, one would be able to cluster theyers of facial skin together and change appearance to some degree.


    However, cultivating this technique to such a profound realm was no easy feat. The amount of effort one had to put in would not be worth the gains. Therefore, even though this technique was not rare, people cultivating in it were extremely few. At least in He family estate, probably no one cultivated in this technique.


    He Yiming was about to put it back, however, his thoughts suddenly stirred.


    By theke, after hearing his ninth brother¡¯s words, that indistinct idea had suddenly begun to clear up in He Yiming¡¯s mind.


    After his fortuitous encounter inside theke, he began to cultivate a new technique, the Ripple technique. And while cultivating a new technique, he was able to sessfully cross the bottleneck of the fifthyer. Subsequently, like a boat rises along with a tide, his metal-type Internal Energy also advanced along with his other technique.


    However, was he able to advance because he¡¯d cultivated a new technique?


    He Yiming was notpletely certain, however, this method, at least, deserved a try.


    Therefore, he hurried back to the manor and made a decision that he would cultivate whichever technique he selected.


    However, he didn¡¯t expect that he would randomly select a supplementary technique. Perhaps this was the will of heavens.


    After pondering for a short while, He Yiming moderated his thoughts and didn¡¯t ce the book back, but instead started to copy it down on the table in the centre of the room.


    The book didn¡¯t have much content, thus, He Yiming didn¡¯t have to exert much effort. Furthermore, his Internal Energy had reached the apex of the sixthyer and was touching the bottleneck for the next level, thus, his eyesight and wrist control had naturally improved a lot. With the brush in his hand flying like a serpent-dragon, he was finished copying everything in an hour.


    He ced the original book back to its ce and walked out with the new book.


    If he¡¯d been at a big n or big sect, even walking out with copies would not have been easy. However, this was an insignificant matter in the He family. No one stopped him or made inquiries as he left the building. All the children themselves would also not take the original scripture outside the room.


    Actually, they didn¡¯t know that all the scriptures in the Book Pavilion were also copies. The original ones were with their old man. Otherwise, the rules here would not have been so rxed.


    Upon returning back to his ce, He Yiming closed the door and stuck a wooden stick in between, signifying that he was cultivating behind closed doors and should not be disturbed.


    He entered his room and opened the recently copied Skin Tightening technique, before silently reading out the contents inside his mind and contemting the meaning behind every word.


    This was the most important task for a cultivator while starting on a new technique. First, a cultivator must carefully study and research the technique, before training in it. If one attempts to rush to the cultivation part after getting hands on an Internal Energy technique, the conclusion would definitely not be anything good.


    Little by little, He Yiming eventually finished reading the book.


    While thinking about the meaning behind the words, he soon discovered that this type of supplementary technique was, both, very easy and very hard.


    Supplementary type techniques were not like the primary techniques which intensified Internal Energy. Therefore, cultivation of such techniques relied on one¡¯s¡¯ original Internal Energy. Supplementary techniques were same as battle techniques in this respect.


    However, inparison to the battle skills, the course of supplementary techniques was much simpler at the beginning. In He Yiming¡¯s opinion, with his sixth level Internal Energy, this technique¡¯s initial cultivation would not be difficult at all and would be much easier than the cultivation of battle skills.


    However, along with the improvement in the Internal Energy, the cultivation of supplementary techniques would be increasingly difficult. For cultivating this technique to the extent of being able to change appearance, one had to possess Internal Energy of ninth level, and even after that, one would have to exert an enormous effort to seed.


    Furthermore, circting Internal Energy on the face was an extremely challenging task. Without being a genius in this respect, extremely few people would be able to aplish this task.


    Inparison, cultivating battle skills was not so challenging in theter stages.


    Uponprehending all of these things, He Yiming let out a long sigh.


    ¡®No wonder so few people cultivate in such techniques. This is simply a chicken rib.1¡¯


    Faintly shaking his head, He Yiming decided to cultivate this technique nevertheless. In any case, his aim was not to cultivate another technique but to verify his hypothesis.


    As a precaution, he went down in his training room. As he was about to begin his training, he suddenly had a strange feeling.


    A sixthyer cultivator, cultivating two differently attributed main techniques, and currently intending to cultivate his third secondary technique? If he told someone else, he would instantly bebelled as lunatic on the spot.


    After mockingly smiling at himself once, He Yiming moderated his thoughts and began to slowly circte his Internal Energy ording to his notes.


    The beginning of the Skin Tightening technique was extremely easy. Anyone with a foundation in Internal Energy would be able to cultivate to some extent. Though, the same cannot be said about obtaining results.


    After He Yiming entered his cultivation state, his Internal Energy began to travel ording to the course mentioned in the scripture at an unimaginable speed.


    Along with his Internal Energy flowing through the meridians, the skin on his body automatically began to tighten, seeming like old patches of skin.


    Although the defensive capability produced by such a skin-tightening was not too good, on the first try, being able to obtain such aplishments and a result which almost felt like abor of cultivation of countless times, was enough to frighten anyone.


    Eventually, after Yiming began to feel faint stabs of paining from his Internal Energy, he stopped cultivating.


    He knew that these faint stabs of pain implied that, after this point, his body couldn¡¯t keep up with this technique¡¯s Internal Energy consumption. If he wished to further cultivate this technique, he would have to advance to the next step.


    He opened his eyes and patted his hands, before silently feeling the state of the Internal Energy inside his body. Gradually, a faint yet extremely strange expression emerged on his face.


    Not worth it.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 15 - Seventh Layer

    As he silently observed the state of his Internal Energy, he identally made an observation, of which he could not convince himself.


    Two days ago, his Internal Energy was at the peak of the sixthyer and was touching the bottleneck. Generally speaking, before attaining the nextyer, his Internal Energy would strictly remain within this realm, and regardless of how he cultivated, it will not increase a single bit.


    However, He Yiming discovered that his Internal Energy had slightly increasedpared to when he cultivated yesterday. But, he didn¡¯t sense any of the two of his cultivation techniques attaining the seventhyer.


    He Yiming bitterly smiled. He wasn¡¯t even sure if this truly was the case. Perhaps this was just his sweet expectation, when in truth, his Internal Energy had not increased at all.


    After a bit of thinking, his eyes suddenly shined. The Internal Energy inside his body once again surged and began to circte ording to the course of Primordial Energy; the technique he was most familiar with.


    Just after a short while, a scorching hot portion of his Internal Energy had alreadypleted circting through the familiar course of the sixthyer. This was the result of his recent six months of hard work.


    Previously, at this point, He Yiming would stop on his own ord. He knew that after this was the unfamiliar course of the seventhyer. Even when he¡¯d tried to attack the bottleneck two days ago, it seemed akin to a lofty mountain. He¡¯d absolutely no chance of the breakthrough.


    However, what about this time?


    He Yiming, without the slightest hesitation, concentrated this portion of Internal Energy and rushed it fearlessly, as if looking calmly at the death, towards the bottleneck of the sixthyer


    The Internal energy stopped at the entrance of the bottleneck. The bottleneck still seemed imprable like an iron wall. However, He Yiming was not discouraged. He could tell that the exhaustion of his Internal Energy¡¯s power after reaching up to this point differed inparison with the previous times. To his surprise, he felt as though he still had some energy left.


    (Tl: This energy is not Internal Energy. This is general energy. Basically, he felt like he still had, energy/power/strength, remaining to perform some other task.)


    Immediately, all the Internal Energy in his body berserkly rushed towards this location, while theing Internal Energy was being umted at the same time.


    When all the Internal Energy in his body was concentrated at a single point, that towering sixthyer¡¯s wall eventually loosened. Especially, after thest bit of the Internal Energy entered within, seeming as though thest straw pressing down the camel¡¯s back, this bottleneck, that had frustrated him to no extent,pletely fell apart


    Along with an apparent echo of a tinkling sound in his ears, the powerful Internal Energy, like a water rushing out of a broken dam, flooded through and began circting through the course of Primordial Energy¡¯s seventhyer like a hot knife cutting through butter.


    After oneplete cirction through the seventhyer¡¯s course, He Yiming restrained his Internal Energy and slowly withdrew it back into his Dantian.


    He slowly opened his eyes, which had an ecstatic expression that couldn¡¯t be put into words.


    He truly had advanced to the seventhyer. Furthermore, the process of breakthrough had given him a surprise. Since he could advance twoyers by cultivating two new Internal Energy technique, what about the next ranks?


    At this instant, He Yiming was looking at a smooth road ahead him. His future path was, unconditionally, a huge road that was being illuminated in a golden radiance.


    He took in a deep breath and forced down the ecstasy in his heart.


    Half an hourter, he once again circted his Internal Energy and began to attack the Ripple technique¡¯s seventhyer. This time¡¯s result caused him to be unable to contain his joy.


    When his Internal Energy had arrived at the course of Ripple technique¡¯s seventhyer, it had split opened the bottleneck with almost no effort and had automatically entered the course of Ripple technique¡¯s seventhyer.


    He¡¯d to exert so much effort while attacking Primordial Energy¡¯s seventhyer. He had to umte his entire Internal Energy before attacking the bottleneck. However, when one of his primary technique advanced, apparently, the advancement in the other technique became natural and just.


    However, He Yiming knew that this was not natural and just in any way.


    Not to mention Primordial Energy and Ripple technique were two differently attributed techniques, such a phenomenon was absolutely impossible to ur even among two techniques of same attributes.


    Eventually, he discarded all the questions out of his mind.


    As long as he could advance, he didn¡¯t need to care much about these things. For these matters which were far beyond hisprehension, He Yiming decided to ignore them. From his perspective, this bizarre transformation had nothing but numerous advantages.


    Applying a slight pressure on the ground through his feet, his entire figure jumped like a spring, and with the passage of a thought, he arrived at the corner of the training room, specialized for testing strength.


    This surface¡¯s wall, in addition to being flexible, could also be used to test the might of the battle skills by the members of the third generation who were above the sixthyer


    At this moment, the surface already had ten depressions, caused by He Yiming with the help of Rolling Boulder Fist and Silk Palm. Although he reached the peak of these battle skills at the very beginning, along with the constant progression of his Internal Energy, the depth of these depressions had correspondingly increased;sting until two days ago, when he made the two depressions that disyed the maximum might of these two battle skills¡¯ sixthyer.


    He Yiming hesitatingly looked at the two deepest depressions for a moment, before he concentrated his Internal Energy and resolutely punched the wall.


    Along with a loud sound, another depression, which was much deeper than the previous two deepest depressions, appeared on the wall. He Yiming¡¯s face immediately revealed a pleasantly surprised expression. He had not used either of the battle skills; it was merely an attack that made use of the basic properties of Primordial Energy¡¯s seventhyer.


    However, from the result, the destructive power of a casual attack of the seventhyer was far above than that of a sixthyer battle skill¡¯s extreme.


    Of course, this was because the battle skills used by He Yiming were ordinary ones. Reportedly, the might of some battle skills could even exceed ten times that of another battle skill at the same level. However, these were just things of legends; at least, none of such exaggerated battle skills were present in He family¡¯s Book Pavilion.


    He Yiming was ecstatic. Just a basic attack contained such a might, then after learning the seventhyer¡¯s movements of Rolling Boulder Fist and Silk palm?


    As soon as he thought up to this point, he suddenly became as impatient as if he was on fire. He turned around, dashed ahead, and arrived at the entrance of his yard, before suddenly stopping.


    He suddenly thought of an issue. He¡¯d juste back from the Book Pavilion, so if he immediately went back, that would only evoke his eldest uncle¡¯s suspicion, and if thetter managed to get something out of him, that would not be good for him at all.


    He looked at the dim color of the sky and dragged his body back to his apartment, before forcing himself to lie on the bed and trying to moderate his thoughts with deep breaths. Slowly, he entered the dreand.


    At the dawn of the next morning, when He Yiming woke up, he was satisfied by his yesterday¡¯s disy. He once again restrained himself from directly going to the Book Pavilion. Instead, he first went to have an early breakfast, following which, he unhurriedly went to the Book Pavilion, where his eldest uncle kept watch.


    This time, his disy was hundred percent ordinary as he entered the courtyard, unlike the yesterday¡¯s anxious movements. But he still faintly perceived his eldest uncle¡¯s two sharp eyes briefly ncing at him from the side hall.


    Still, He Yiming¡¯s self-control was pretty good. He entered the main hall inrge strides as if hadn¡¯t noticed his eldest uncle¡¯s gaze at all .His today¡¯s conduct allowed He Quanxin to verify his yesterday¡¯s theory as well. Thetter was not able to sense He Yiming¡¯s super strong perception.


    After entering the hall, He Yiming, by experience, easily found the scriptures of both Rolling Boulder Fist and Silk Palm.


    Subsequently, he copied down all the content of both the scriptures¡¯ seventhyer. This all didn¡¯t require much of his time. Due to the sudden boost in his Internal Energy, his movements were naturally much quicker than before.


    He Yiming ced the original stuff back to its position and stuck the copied contents close to his body, before leaving the courtyard in slow steps.


    He was both d and surprised at his eldest uncle¡¯sck of presence.


    He¡¯d prepared himself for his eldest uncle¡¯s possible interrogation. Since his eldest uncle had not shown himself, he would naturally not go and ask for trouble.


    Upon returning back to his training room, he brought out his copied stuff and began the customary process of word-by-word contemtion.


    After a good while, he lifted his head up, seeming like he¡¯d some understanding of these contents.


    In reality,prehending by looking at the scriptures of these so called battle skills was not challenging. However, following the instructions and meeting the conditions mentioned in the book was a different matter.


    By looking at a painter¡¯s painting, the absolute majority could make out its perfect resemnce to the actual thing. They could shout words of praises, however, if asked to imitate the same, that would be as difficult as ascending the heavens.


    Same applies for the cultivators concerning any technique. Cultivating a battle skill to seventhyer¡¯s peak would be much more difficult than the sixthyer¡¯s.


    Though, this determined rule, when ced on He Yiming,pletely lost its effect.


    Half a day. Half a day was all it took for him topletelyprehend the seventhyers of Rolling Boulder Fist and Silk Palm, both, and attain their respective peaks. A small matter was that he couldn¡¯t bring forth theirplete might since he¡¯d just attained the seventhyer.


    Looking at the two profound depressions on the flexible wall, He Yiming had a clear understanding of his capabilities.


    In the younger generation, his capability was hardly any different than his eldest brother already.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 16 - Fugitive

    The sun had set. Pressed in between the blue-stoned, horse-shaped corbel walls, the night seemed narrow and deep. However, today, He family manor¡¯s grand hall was well lit.


    When He Yiming hurriedly arrived at the main hall, he discovered that he was not the first one to arrive.


    A month had passed since his breakthrough to the seventhyer. He had not informed anyone about his condition. All of his elders thought that he was still at the sixthyer.


    Today, during his daily cultivation, a servant reported him that the Old Master had summoned him in the main hall.


    Not daring to be neglectful, He Yiming hurried off to the main hall. However, upon arriving, he found out that he wasn¡¯t the first person to arrive. Both his second brother and third brother had already arrived.


    He Yihai faintly nodded towards him and said: ¡°Sixth brother, you are here as well.¡±


    ¡°Hello, second brother.¡± He Yiming faintly bowed his head. Although He Yihai was the son of the eldest uncle, he treated all of his younger brothers more or less about the same. To tell the truth, setting aside He Yiming¡¯s rtionship with his fifth brother, the rest of his siblings were quite harmonious with each other.


    Of course, the blood rtions are always somewhat different than the normal, but in He family this was not too distinct.


    He Yihai silently nodded without replying. He Yiming knew that the nature of his second brother was as such. If not for the affection between the siblings, he would not even have bothered with the greetings.


    He Yiming took a few steps and shifted to his third brother¡¯s side, before quietly saying:


    ¡°Third brother, what happened? Why are you both here?¡±


    He Yixuan forced a bitterugh and shrugged his shoulders, before saying:


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. However, since grandfather has personally summoned us, it¡¯s definitely not something small.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded. He was about to speak, when he suddenly sensed something. His mouth immediately closed, and his vision turned towards the main hall¡¯s entrance.


    After a short while, from the faint illumination outside the entrance, a few people emerged.


    Upon looking at these few men, He Yiming and the rest two immediately stood up. They straightened their chest and waist, disying an extremely attentive appearance.


    The first was the individual who¡¯d single-handedly established He family estate, He Wude. Behind his body was He Yiming¡¯s eldest uncle, He Quanxin, and the third uncle, He Quanyin. Thest person was precisely the individual appraised to be the number one figure among the third generation, He Yitian.


    All three inside the hall were bbergasted. ¡®What on earth has happened?¡¯


    Almost all of the dispensable power in the manor was gathered together.


    He Yiming¡¯s vision turned towards the Book Pavilion for an instant. ording to his knowledge, in addition to a directly rted son of the Old Master, an old servant¡¯s cultivation had also attained the ninthyer; almost on par with the former. Apparently, this old servant had grown by the side of the Old Master and was nothing like an ordinary servant.


    He¡¯d always lived in the one of the side halls of the Book Pavilion¡¯s courtyard alongside He Yiming¡¯s eldest uncle. His status was not the slightest bit less than the third generation.


    Today, inside the He family manor, except this special servant, all the disciples who¡¯d attained the sixthyer were gathered together in the main hall.


    He Wude entered the hall in huge strides and sat down on the middle seat. His clear and piercing eyes swept through the remaining people, and as it did, the individual faced with his gaze felt a strange burning sensation in his body and had to lower his head.


    He Yiming¡¯s heart slightly trembled. This was the Internal Energy at tenthyer¡¯s peak. Current him was not capable of resisting it in the slightest.


    He silently lowered his vision as he absolutely didn¡¯t want to attract anybody¡¯s attention.


    ¡°I called you all here. There is a matter that requires your attention.¡± Despite looking a bit old, He Wude¡¯s powerful voice echoed in the main hall:


    ¡°Today, people from Cheng family came to our ce. A feudal fugitive is in our county. They want us to help the authorities in catching or killing the fugitive.¡±


    He Yiming exchanged a nce with his third brother. With his thoughts racing, he nced at his elders and eldest brother. Their expressions didn¡¯t have the slightest change. Clearly, they were already aware of this matter.


    ¡°The fugitive is from the Linqiu region. His name is Hubin, and he is a fifthyer Internal Energy cultivator. Reportedly, his skill is pretty good.¡±


    He Yiming immediately realized.


    ¡®No wonder grandfather agreed and gathered all of us here.¡¯


    Fifthyer of the Internal Energy was not bad, however, all the people present were at least at the sixthyer. With some helpers, arresting him could be aplished pretty easily.


    In fact, this was a hard-toe-by opportunity for the He family manor¡¯s disciples to temper themselves.


    Always living behind closed doors and not having actualbat experience would not benefit their future cultivation.


    He Wude¡¯s vision suddenly turned a little strict as he said:


    ¡°By no means should you have any despising thoughts. This Hubin although merely has a cultivation of the fifthyer, his character is extremely vicious and merciless. Originally, in Linqiu region, he was the chief of a hundred men in the army. Due to his crimes of rape, murder, and killing the citizens under the pretext of enemies, he was detained and awaited execution. But he escaped from the army and killed countless people along the way, beforeing here.¡± He briefly paused before continuing in a heavy voice:


    ¡°Although he¡¯d only killed ordinary people, killing so many people has caused a natural baleful aura on his body. If youe across him, act with caution and don¡¯t be careles.¡±


    Everybody felt a chill in their hearts, before they all made sounds of agreement together.


    He Wude had always been a swift and decisive person. He immediately moved on to allocation. He allowed each person present to take a few servants, all of whom were at the cultivation of the thirdyer, and a portrait of Hubin, before leaving to their respective positions.


    He Yiming and the rest naturally had no objections, instead, they were actually quite thrilled.


    After cultivating for many years, they finally obtained a chance to disy their skills. They would naturally not miss such an opportunity.


    After allocating the positions, He Wude waved his hand. Everybody, leading the servants under them, left with the envoys of Cheng family. Only leaving behind He Quanxin and He Wude.


    After everybody left, He Quanxin hesitatingly said:


    ¡°Father, He Yiming has just turned thirteen this year. Furthermore, not even a year has passed since he attained the sixthyer. Allowing him to personally take charge of a section seems too early for him.¡±


    He Wude faintlyughed, before saying: ¡°Quanxin, you remember which section I assigned to Yiming?¡±


    He Quanxin was surprised. He thought for a bit, before he suddenly realized and said:


    ¡°I understand. Yiming is assigned to the section which is nearest to the county town. Furthermore, it¡¯s the main passage. Since Hubin hase here as a fugitive, he naturally would not take the main passage seeming like an honest person. He would tread deste paths, and he would not go to the County town as well. That would just be walking right into a trap. Therefore, Yiming is going just for show.¡±


    He Wude faintly nodded and said:


    ¡°Correct. Yiming¡¯s talent is the best among his siblings. I have a lot of expectations from him. However, staying in the home and bitterly cultivating all the time is not necessarily a good thing. Thus, allowing him to experience such an atmosphere will certainly prove beneficial for his future. As for that Hubin, with three big ns joining hands and mobilizing personnel from every vige, nothing unexpected will happen unless he has already left the county.¡±


    He Quanxin heavily nodded and said: ¡°Father, you have put a lot of thought in this.¡±


    He Wude said with his face beaming:


    ¡°Apart from all this. I allowed to Yiming to lead a group so as to let Xu family and Cheng family know that He family yet again has a genius. I feel those two old foxes of Xu family and Cheng family should be clear on who is going to be the strongest family of Tai Cang county in the future.¡±


    Two dayster, a servant, carrying two letters delivered by the Xu family that contained thetest information, arrived in front of the Old Master.


    Since He Quanyi was outside the manor, He Quanxin had temporarily left the Book Pavilion¡¯s courtyard and was handling the trifling matters of the estate. When the information arrived, he was discussing some cultivation problems with the Old Master.


    He took the letters and opened the seal of the first letter. Hisplexion slightly changed, and he said:


    ¡°Father. Xu family has sent a letter. Hubin¡¯s whereabouts has been discovered. However, he¡¯d injured Xu family¡¯s third generation, Yude and Yucai, and has again escaped.¡±


    He Wude was slightly surprised. After muttering something to himself, he said:


    ¡°Xu Yude and Xu Yucai should have already advanced to the sixthyer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. They also attained the sixthyer at the age of seventeen and eighteen like Yihai and Yixuan. What a pity, none of them have been able to attain the seventhyer till now, even though they are twenty-four and twenty-five.¡±


    As He Quanxin spoke these words, his voice had acent tone which he failed to conceal.


    He Wude softly said:


    ¡°Two youngsters possessing the sixthyer Internal Energy couldn¡¯t stop a fifthyer fugitive¡­.. This Hubin is not simple.¡±


    He Quanxin faintly nodded and opened the seal of the second letter. However, as soon as his eyes swept through the letter, his expression immediately transformed, and a cry escaped his mouth:


    ¡°Not good.¡±


    He Wude¡¯s brows creased, and he said:


    ¡°Quanxin, you are an elder in the family. You should possess an elder¡¯s attitude. Don¡¯t lose your head over some trivial matters.¡±


    He Quanxin, without hearing the words of his father, lifted his head and hurriedly said:


    ¡°Hubin as of now is escaping towards the county town¡¯s main passage. Xu family¡¯s second generation expert is closely pursuing him.¡±


    ¡°En, Xu family¡¯s second generation¡¯s strength should be sufficient¡­..what, he is escaping towards the county town¡¯s main passage?¡± He Wude suddenly stood up. His face actually turned slightly green.


    He Quanxin turned around without the slightest hesitation and said


    ¡°Father, I will not let anything happen to Yiming.¡±


    However, even before he finished talking, something flickered in front of his eyes before he saw a figure shing past him and rushing in county town¡¯s direction.


    He Quanxin nkly stared, before smiling bitterly.


    Despite being a mere fifthyer cultivator, Hubin was a fugitive who¡¯d his hands covered in blood. He, who was capable of fleeing up to here from the distant Linqiu region and injuring two members of Xu family¡¯s younger generation who¡¯d attained the sixthyer many years ago, was not something Yiming could handle.


    If he¡¯de across the other members of the younger generation, He Quanxin would not have been so worried. He Yihai and He Yixuan were already over eighteen. They had participated many times in smallpetitions against Xu family and Cheng family. They had abundant battle experience. Moreover, about two years were about to pass since they had attained the sixthyer, furthermore, they each had the strength of a battle skill cultivated almost to the peak with them. Even if theycked in terms of personal battle strength, they could have at least kept their lives intact.


    However, He Yiming was different. Merely half a year had passed since his breakthrough to the sixthyer. Regarding the mastery of battle skills, reaching the peak was even more impossible for him. If in his current condition, he encountered an individual like Hubin who¡¯d an experience of hundreds of battles and had crawled up from beneath the piles of dead bodies, it would not be pleasant to say who would emerge superior. If He Yiming suffered an injury as a result, that would be a gargantuan blow to the He family.


    He Quanxin quietly sighed and immediately chased after He Wude. However, his strength was far below his father¡¯s. He was absolutely unable to catch up to thetter. Hoping that He Yiming would not encounter Hubin, he regretfully sighed. His old man, even with his deep foresight and rigorous schemes, had eventually made a mistake this time.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 17 - Encounter In The Woods

    He Yiming had left the manor along with the five servants allocated to him, and at this moment, was headed towards the county town.


    As he looked at the road, which could be considered a part of his allocation, he faintly guessed that this time¡¯s hunt basically had nothing to do with him.


    Even an idiot would not be as brazen and audacious as to take such a passage. Not to mention an idiot could not even have made all the way up to here from the Linqiu region without falling into the. Therefore, unless that Hubin¡¯s brain had fried due to the pressure, they would not be meeting each other.


    Beside him, these five servants were the best selections among the servants nurtured in the He family estate.


    Apart from the influential family, people cultivating Internal Energy were extremely few. The total servants in the He family estate and the robust men cultivating fields for the family amounted to several hundreds of people. He Wude did not look down on them and had imparted them with cultivation techniques. However, due to the difference in the circumstances and the supervision from the family, being able to attain the peak of the thirdyer was already an extraordinary feat.


    All the five servants at the side of He Yiming had cultivated to the peak of the thirdyer. Furthermore, every single one of them was proficient in at least one martial skill.


    In this respect, the servants were different from the directly-rted disciples. A third generation disciple like He Yiming was not allowed to touch any sort of battle skill before attaining the sixthyer. On the other hand, servants would be bestowed with the simplest kind of battle skills after they attained the Internal Energy¡¯s thirdyer. On one hand, this would increase their battle strength by a quite a lot, on the other hand, they would not be able to have higher aplishments in the Internal Energy cultivation.


    This was the difference between directly rted members and the servants. On the whole, all influential families opted to do so.


    After walking behind Cheng family¡¯s people for half a day, they reached the predetermined location.


    At this ce was a ry station connected to the county town¡¯s main path. Staying here could be considered as beneficial for both sides. 1


    Since He Yiming was near the county town, he naturally wanted to meet his parents. However, after making inquiries, he found out that his mother and father were not in the town but had joined the hunt as well.


    Feeling regret in his heart, he gave up on the idea of entering the city and made inquiries about the information on Hubin from the Cheng family¡¯s people.


    Three cultivation-rted families resided in the Tai Cang district; He family, Xu family, and Cheng family.


    He family and Xu family had a tenthyer Internal Energy expert watching over them. This was the absolute peak strength with respect to a deste and insignificant county. Although the Cheng family did not have a tenthyer Internal Energy expert, their family was the most ancient n in the Tai Cang county and had deep-rooted influence. In this respect, He family, a family established by a Foreigner like He Wude, couldn¡¯tpare to the Cheng family.


    Even the current county town¡¯s city lord was from the Cheng family.


    Though, if it had not been as such, He Wude wouldn¡¯t have given them so much face by dispatching all the younger generation who¡¯d attained the sixthyer.


    He Yiming, with his own understanding, came to realize why would Cheng family spare no efforts to catch or kill an insignificant fugitive.


    Right after being sentenced to death for his heinous crimes, Hubin escaped while killing a high-ranking official in the process. Imperial Pce couldn¡¯t tolerate this by any means. At the same time, the family of that killed official also promised many benefits to Cheng family in private. This was the true cause for Cheng family¡¯s such a steadfast attitude on this matter.


    After waiting for a day in the ry station, that initial feeling of excitement had long ago dissipated.


    If he¡¯d known this earlier, he might as well have slowly cultivated in the manor.


    He was not the only person who understood that Hubin would not being here, even the five servants and the ordinary officials in the ry station, who just had a sprinkling knowledge of the matter, were extremely clear on this point. Thus, the atmosphere in the ry station was not tense at all.


    Eventually, He Yiming couldn¡¯t endure anymore. He passed some instructions to the servants under him and left for the mountains behind.


    The ry station was constructed on the public path, however, Tai Cang district was not just a stretch of innds. Behind the ry station was a mountain range. In his extreme boredom, He Yiming suddenly became curious and decided to enter the mountain range.


    But he didn¡¯t know, about half an hour after he entered the mountains, an urgent message was delivered to the ry station. Hubin was escaping in this direction, following the mountain trails.


    The servants and the officials at the ry station nkly looked at each other. Half of the man power promptly entered the mountains. However, what would they aplish with this bit of people?


    ---


    After entering the mountains, He Yiming was just like a fish that had entered a sea. He shuttled about in the mountain forest at a lightning fast speed.


    He¡¯d a fairly abundant experience regarding the woods in mountains. He family estate was situated at the foot of mountains. In terms of denseness, the woods at this ce were far iparable to the woods there.


    Hepleted a circle but didn¡¯te across anyrge animal that was worthy of him taking action. As for the rabbits, chickens, and other small animals, he didn¡¯t even nce at them.


    He Yiming faintly shook his head. These woods were, after all, near a public path, and were far iparable to the ancient woods deep inside the mountains behind He family estate.


    Just as he intended to return, he suddenly heard an extremely faint yet strange sound.


    He slightly paused and inclined his ear, before perceiving a possible wild beast running at a fast speed not too far away from him. What surprised He Yiming was that this wild beast was capable of producing an apprehensive feeling inside him.


    With a chill in his heart, he immediately determined that this was definitely not a small beast. He felt surprised to discover such a beast in these woods. Applying strength through his feet, he sped off in that direction.


    Despite its movements being quick, the wild beast was clearly not using its entire strength. Thus, He Yiming was easily able to catch up. However, as he approached that ce with caution, he discovered that the running sounds of the beast had disappeared.


    He Yiming turned increasingly cautious. He had dealt with wild beasts before, thus, he immediately realized that the beast must have heard his footsteps and had softened its movements as a result.


    But He Yiming was brimming with self-confidence. Even when he was just at the sixthyer and had not cultivated a battle skill, he could defeat a ferocious beast such as fox bear. His strength had an immense increase since then, hence, he obviously wouldn¡¯t care about any ferocious beast.


    If this had been ancient woods, some beasts might have been able to evoke fear in him. However, in such surroundings, he didn¡¯t believe any beast could be more ferocious than a fox bear.


    In a few steps, he arrived at the trail of that ferocious beast. However, as his gaze swept around the vicinity of the trail, his heart suddenly raced.


    He¡¯d seen a footprint. Although the footprint was only behind on a patch of weeds and was extremely shallow, He Yiming had no doubt regarding the fact that this was not a footprint of a wild beast, but a human¡¯s.


    After a momentary hesitation, He Yiming retreated a few steps and carefully surveyed his surroundings. Subsequently, his expression turned increasingly heavy.


    After observing the traces nearby, He Yiming was absolutely certain that this was not just a human, but a human cultivator that possessed a formidable Internal Energy. The cultivator had a certain understanding about these woods. The signs he¡¯d left during the entire way were extremely few. Though this cultivator seemed to have be quite frightened after sensing him, otherwise, even these few traces might not have been left.


    Circting a big amount of Internal Energy is his body, He Yiming raised his head and looked forward. Indescribably, the danger he was feeling kept intensifying.


    Although no sound came from ahead, but he had a feeling that danger was getting increasingly closer to him.


    Although such a feeling was somewhat strange, He Yiming was certain that he was not wrong.


    With his spirits suddenly roused, He Yiming sucked in a breath of mountain woods¡¯ ice cold air. He¡¯d never shed with anyone except his siblings.


    Some of it had to do with his age, but the much bigger reason was, not much people in this county would dare to fight with a young master of He family.


    But today, he could be certain that the opponent would not care about his identity as He family¡¯s sixth young master.


    Suddenly the feeling of danger in He Yiming¡¯s heart increased by a million times. Without thinking, he dived to the side without caring about his status, before rolling on the ground and consequently arriving behind a big tree, and springing back to his feet immediately afterwards.


    He¡¯d heard an air-piercing sound next to his ear just now, while at his original positio was a crossbow arrow. .


    After seeing this arrow, He Yiming¡¯s suddenly felt a faint chill in his heart. Even his arms and legs felt cold.


    He didn¡¯t expect, the opponent would directly go for kill even before exchanging a single word. If he¡¯d been struck by the arrow, his conclusion definitely wouldn¡¯t have been anything good.


    A crossbow was not something an ordinary person could use. It was a standardized equipment in the army. But, a tyrannical family usually possessed such self-defense weapons. Naturally, He family was not an exception. Thus, He Yiming was pretty familiar with a crossbow arrow. Therefore, he was able to recognize this lethal weapon at a nce.


    His heartbeat suddenly quickened by a huge amount. His movements just now were purely a subconscious reaction. If he¡¯d been a single step slow, he would have already suffered a serious injury.


    He raised his head and looked in the direction where crossbow came from with an intense fury burning in his heart. His body slightly bent down and leaped forward like a cheetah.


    Tl: I have no idea, what this line implies.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 18 - First Kill

    He Yiming¡¯s speed was extremely quick. Although he was not moving in a straight line, the genuine reason he charged forward despite the danger was a kind of awareness.


    It was a special feeling, an indescribable sixth sense, telling him that if he were to advance at this moment, he would not face too much danger.


    After he made two up and downs, towards histeral side, by a big tree not too far away, he saw a man in ck skin-tight clothes out of the corner of his eyes. The man had a small crossbow in his hand and was currently loading it with an arrow.


    He Yiming nced at his hands and immediately discerned that such a crossbow was a bit different than the standardized ones provided in the army. Be it in terms of might or size, this crossbow was a lot smaller than thetter. If he had not made a mistake, this crossbow must have been forged by an influential family in secret. This man being able to get his hands onto it was pretty surprising.


    He Yiming slightly bent his body and swept his hand on the ground, before he picked up a big stone and threw it towards his opponent.


    Although He Yiming had not learned any hidden weapon techniques, infusing the stone with his Internal Energy nevertheless produced the same air-piercing sound as it flew towards his opponent like an arrow.


    His opponent¡¯s speed was quick as he reacted swiftly. He instantly discarded the arrow he was loading and dodged the stone with azy roll. As soon as he stood, he applied strength through his feet, causing a huge mixture of tiny rocks and mud, like torrents of rain covering the whole sky, to emerge in the way He Yiming was charging.


    He Yiming was gloomy in his heart. He didn¡¯t anticipate that he would have to face such a thing when he wished to exchange blows with his opponent. He Yiming¡¯s figure remained in mid-air for a brief instant, but he couldn¡¯t avoid some of the mud sshing on his body.


    His both legs touched the ground before he eventually saw his the opponent¡¯s face.


    His opponent was a middle-aged man with a sharp-pointed mouth and monkey cheeks. In particr, his eyes had a trace of sinister, red color seeming like blood.


    He Yiming¡¯s heart tensed. He immediately recognized the opponent and also understood why would thetter mount a sneak attack without exchanging a word.


    ¡®Hubin?¡¯ He subconsciously tightened his fists and tensely said inwardly.


    He felt an indescribable chill in his heart. He was at the seventhyer of the Internal Energy, but his opponent had killed an enormous amount of people. If he were to say that he didn¡¯t feel the slightest fear, that would just be lying to himself.


    Hubin coldly watched He Yiming, the corner of his mouth slightly curling into a sneer.


    ¡°You children of big families, your guts are truly getting more and more. Even such a small guy has dared toe and throw his life away.¡±


    He Yiming sucked in a deep breath and circted his Internal Energy, attaining the peak of the Primordial Energy¡¯s sixthyer within an instant.


    He casually extended his hands and said in a clear voice:


    ¡°Hubin, who hase to throw away his life, we will only know after the fight. You¡­¡± His face suddenly tensed and both fists simultaneously stretched forward. Because Hubin, who was in front of his eyes, had already pounced on him before he could finish speaking.


    Previously, in the manor, during the duels with his siblings, both sides would first properly prepare themselves before disying their moves. Hubin¡¯s sudden attack halfway during his words waspletely out of his expectations.


    Hubin¡¯s figure, seeming as smooth as a swimming fish, covered the distance in a single leap. His palm, seeming like a light feather and devoid of strength, effortlessly pped towards He Yiming¡¯s side.


    He Yiming was naturally not willing to be outdone. He fully employed his gold-type cultivation technique, Primordial Energy, in correspondence with Rolling Boulder Fist, and struck towards his opponent without the slightest hesitation.


    As soon as the two fists collided, Hubin¡¯splexion immediately changed. Exerting his feet, he hurriedly retreated like a ghost. His body circled around in mid-air, before he stepped on two big trees in session and finally neutralized the strong thrust from He Yiming¡¯s fist.


    After the formal exchange between the two sides, He Yiming¡¯s heart immediately calmed down.


    Although Hubin had a murderous aura around his body which he feared, former¡¯s Internal Energy was indeed only at the fifthyer. Even if he used battle skills corresponding to the Internal Energy¡¯s sixthyer, he could easily beat his opponent. As soon as he thought up to here, he quickly strode forward with a light shout.


    Hubin¡¯s feet touched the ground, and he suddenly shouted:


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s footsteps stopped. His figure, like a statue, stoodpletely still as he suspiciously stared his opponent.


    Hubin¡¯s both hands were on his back and face seemed a bit frightened as he said:


    ¡°Sixthyer Internal Energy and sixthyer battle skill? Which family¡¯s child are you?¡±


    He Yiming, with his head high and chest out, loftily said:


    ¡°Tai Cang¡¯s He family.¡±


    ¡°Good. What a surprise, He family actually has such a young expert.¡± Hubin nodded, but his eyes were filled with killing intent. He stretched out his hands and rubbed them once, before saying:


    ¡°My qi and blood havepletely settled down. We can continue.¡±


    He Yiming nkly stared for a brief instant, before suddenly realizing that his previous strike had already sent his opponent¡¯s qi and blood into chaos. If he¡¯d followed up with another attack, he would have certainly gained a huge advantage. However, because of this exchange of words,tter had already recovered himself.


    His face was slightly red. This time¡¯s lesson could be regarded as extremely profound for him. Henceforth, he would firmly keep it in mind at all times.


    A trace of anger flickered in He Yiming¡¯s eyes. His two fists alternately struck towards Hubin in an endless session. With sixthyer Internal Energy operating in his body, his every fist was followed by a wind current. The even more frightening thing was that before the wind current of one fist dissipated, next one would have already been issued. These wind currents surrounded his body and formed a defensive shield. Furthermore, his own body seemed like a giant circr boulder which was incessantly rolling in a certain range. Due to the wind currents, even the gargantuan trees, which were in range, were faintly swaying. Not to mention, some shrubs and grasses, that only left behind profound traces as if they had been steamrolled by a huge boulder.


    At the same time, his vehemence continuously increased alongside the wind currents. After several tens of fists, the apprehension in his heart finally dissipated. His every fist felt refreshed, and he gradually gained an absolute supremacy.


    He was feelingpletely unrestrained. It was vastly different from what he usually felt while dueling with his siblings.


    This was a real battle, a true battle¡­


    As for his enemy, He Yiming rather admired him. The Internal Energy and the battle skill he¡¯d employed was clearly a gold type technique. However, his body didn¡¯t have the firmness and sharpness of a metal type battle skill, but had the hard-and-soft nature of a water type battle skill. Capable of using a metal type battle skill up to such an extent, He Yiming was absolutely unable to see the head or tail of his opponent¡¯s battle experience.


    An ordinary cultivator with metal type Internal Energy¡¯s fifthyer would have found it extremely difficult to hold against such a rentless assualt from He Yiming. Hubin¡¯s skill was indeed extraordinary. His figure was shuttling about like a swimming fish in that seemingly giant boulder of wind currents.


    Going by his fifthyer metal type Internal Energy, if he could avoid a direct strike from He Yiming¡¯s fists, the epassing winds were although ferocious, they had no chance of injuring him. Though, to dodge these seemingly everywhere fists, he couldn¡¯t attack at all.


    After fifteen minutes, Hubin was quite anxious. He was continuously cursing inwardly.


    ¡®Where the hell did this freak pop up from?¡¯


    ¡®After employing metal-type Internal Energy for so long, how are wind currents still intensifying.¡¯


    During the previous confrontation, he found out that He Yiming¡¯s battle skill was the metal type Rolling Boulder Fist. This was a pretty good fist technique; one of the strongest in all the techniques of the same rank. However, such a fist technique had a huge disadvantage. It consumed huge amounts of Internal Energy in order to maintain a continuous aggression.


    He could tell at a nce that the youngster in front of his eyes had not exceeded the age of fifteen. Capable of attaining the sixthyer at this age was an extraordinary feat. Even in the entire Tianluo country, people who¡¯d attained the sixthyer before the age of fifteen were extremely rare.


    Therefore, he decided that he would try his greatest against He Yiming. As long as he waited until the opponent had exhausted his Internal Energy, he couldmence his counter-attack.


    However, to this moment, He Yiming was bing increasingly fierce with the fight¡¯s progression. He could also feel a kind of continuously intensifying oppression from the wind currents. By the looks of it, his opponent¡¯s Internal Energy might continue to operate endlessly.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me this guy¡¯s Internal Energy has already attained the sixthyer¡¯s peak? If not, how could he put on such a frightening disy?¡¯


    Hubin was extremely regretful. If he¡¯d known that the things would turn out as such, he would have thought about a n to flee at the very beginning. However, being surrounded by the wind currents, escaping was much harder for him at this moment. Furthermore, continuously evading He Yiming¡¯s wind was in itself a very dangerous approach. He faintly felt that he might not be able to stand his ground.


    At the same time, there were strong soldiers chasing behind his back. In such conditions, if he continued to tangle with this youngster, even if he could sessfully dodgetter¡¯s assault, as long as his pursuers caught up to him, he would not be able to escape even if he had wings.


    A trace of hesitation flickered in his eyes. He gnashed his teeth, dodged He Yiming¡¯s next strike, before his feetnded on the ground and entered the soil like a rock stump.


    He raised both of his hands high and roared. His both palms, seeming a little swelled, struck towards He Yiming with the pressure of Mt. Tai weighing down.


    He Yiming was overjoyed. Although he had the upper hand all along, his opponent was extremely experienced and had not confronted him directly. This made him gloomy as if he¡¯d been striking cotton with all of his strength. Therefore, when Hubin stood steadily and counterattacked, he felt his dearest wishing true.


    The instant fists and palms resolutely struck against each other, He Yiming¡¯splexion immediately transformed and his powerful Internal Energy surged backward. The opponent¡¯s two palms, as if a gigantic axe cutting a mountain, thoroughly split apart the formidable might umted off his Rolling Boulder Fist and counterattacked.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 19 - Dead Mans Rewards

    Note:


    I have exams, so no more chapters of MG this week. Though, HAP should be on schedule.


    Tranted by: toomuchnoob


    The formidable strength instantly prated through He Yiming¡¯s every defense and shed at him like a sharp de.


    At this instant, He Yiming¡¯s awareness rose to the extreme. He actually felt as if he was brushing against the death. He felt so unbelievably close to that obscure, murky, and frightening aura.


    His opponent¡¯s palms could transmit such a formidable strength; such a thing was absolutely beyond He Yiming¡¯s understanding of Internal Energy and battle skills.


    At this instant, He Yiming¡¯s body suddenly stirred on its own.


    Suddenly both of his fists opened up and huge amounts of Internal Energy began to flow in reverse. Unexpectedly, at this moment of life and death, his metal type Internal Energy, which could prate any stronghold, switched to the water type Internal energy, which was endless, soft, yet hard.


    Likewise, water-type Internal Energy rushed into his palms, and the iparably strong Rolling Boulder Fist instantly transformed into soft and gentle Silk Palm.


    The positions of offense and defense reversed in a split second. However, the difficulty of reversal was much higher for He Yiming.


    Despite being on the defense from the beginning, the technique used by Hubin was, in fact, a certain metal-type technique. However, with his abundant experience, even when he used a metal type technique, it seemed soft, gentle, and devoid of strength.


    However, after steeling his mind to sh head-on, he was able to instantly switch to the most powerful battle skill of the same type.


    However, He Yiming was different. He¡¯d already employed the metal-type battle skill Rolling Boulder Fist to the sixthyer¡¯s peak. The difficulty he¡¯d to face while switching both metal type Internal Energy and metal type battle skill to water type Internal Energy and water type battle skill absolutely couldn¡¯t bepared to the difficulty faced by Hubin while switching battle skills of the same type.


    However, not only He Yiming aplished it, he aplished it in an extremely smooth manner, just as a canal forms wherever water flows.


    Hubin¡¯s heart sank. When he¡¯d decided to put everything on his ultimate move, he¡¯d done it with the intention of getting an oue where both sides would suffer injuries. The strength of his battle skill was matchless, and he was certain of sess. As long as he could seriously injure the youngster in front of him, with his abundant battle experience, he could definitely take care of the former within a short duration.


    However, regardless of whatever his backup n was, he never expected the oue. His opponent was clearly using the number one metal type battle skill in terms of assault, however, the instanttter¡¯s fists turned into open palms, his battle skill also turned into water type Silm Palm. Furthermore, the Internal Energy behind the Silk Palm was even more out of his expectations¡­¡­..


    He Yiming¡¯s figure retreated like an ape and neutralized that strong impulse in just a few steps. Suddenly, an intense flush emerged on his face; a deep crimson color which corresponded to someone intoxicated with wine. At the same time, an unprecedented powerful aura erupted out of his body. At this moment, the youngster, as if an incarnation of a demon god from the nine hells, raised both of his fists high, and again surged forward while his entire body emitted a kind of unstoppable vehement aura.


    Within an instant, the might of the metal-type Primordial Energy¡¯s seventhyer and the might of the metal-type Rolling Boulder Fistbined together and exhibited the might of the metal type techniques to the maximum possible extreme.


    This also was the strongest move He Yiming had issued to this date. It was far stronger than any of the moves he¡¯d issued while consciously training in his room.


    At such a crucial life- or-death moment in the fight, his body¡¯s potential waspletely aroused, and it perfectly exhibited this move to the finest detail. His entire being, as if a canonball yet also like a gigantic mountain peak, rushed towards his opponent.


    Hubin immediately had an immense change in hisplexion.While confronting such a strong imposing manner, Hubin had a feeling as if he would neither be able to dodge nor avoid. He felt as if some power had confined his body¡¯s surroundings. Furthermore, he also felt that even if he could escape to the world¡¯s end, he would still be chased down.


    This person was, after all, an individual who¡¯d killed countless people. Such circumstances, on the contrary, aroused the vicious nature that was concealed inside his body. He suddenly roared and once again raised his hands high up in the air. His originally swelled hands seemed even bigger.


    Bang!


    As if the collision of two gigantic iron tes, at the time of the collision of both side¡¯s palms, a sound echoed which seemed as if a rock and metal had struck against each other. It seemed as if the palms of these two individuals were not actually made of flesh, rather had be a steel-like existence.


    The two forces exploded at the point of the collision, and He Yiming¡¯s figure was sted away upside down. Surprisingly, his strike, which was brimming with power, couldn¡¯tpletely suppress the opponent in terms of strength.


    The powerful force issued by Hubin¡¯s palm had stepped beyond He Yiming¡¯s understanding. The might produced by a battle skill which corresponded to the peak of the fifthyer could actually cause him and his body suffer so much.


    However, while being in air, He Yiming again changed his Internal Energy from metal-type to water-type. The strong self-healing capabilities of water type Internal Energy could be seen at this moment. The strong impact he¡¯d received and his slightly suffering five viscera and six bowels immediately improved a lot.


    He stretched out his legs and severely stepped on a tree, before managing to fall down. He staggered for a short while and eventually steadied himself.


    Raising his vision, he saw that Hubin¡¯splexion had turned a faint shade of grey like that of death. Latter¡¯s face shuddered for a long time, before his legs went soft and he slumped on the ground:


    ¡°Seventhyer¡­..seventhyer¡­.¡±


    He Yiming took a deep breath:


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Seventhyer Primordial Energy and seventhyer Rolling Boulder Fist.¡±


    Hubin¡¯s face turned increasingly ugly as he forced a bitterugh:


    ¡°Seventhyer, you have actually trained to the seventhyer. The reputation of influential family¡¯s children is indeed well-deserved.¡± His tone was getting increasingly low, and his body was on the verge of copse. The bitterness in his eyes had turned into despair. He opened his mouth as if wishing to say something, but no words came out in the end. His eyes turned dim and his body copsed, before it loudly fell on the ground.


    After a bit of hesitation, He Yiming advanced a few steps. He¡¯d already tasted this man¡¯s cunningness many times, he would obviously not be fooled again. He picked up a stone and resolutely threw at Hubin¡¯s face. He¡¯d not used his full strength this time, but the moment it struck Hubin¡¯s right eye, the eye immediately exploded and exposed a ck hole along with blood sshing in every direction.


    Hubin still didn¡¯t budge as if he hadn¡¯t felt it all.


    He Yiming¡¯s mouth slightly twitched as he resisted the nausea. He advanced forward and checked, before making certain that Hubin had truly died.


    Once he¡¯d made certain that Hubin had died, he could no longer repress his negative emotions. He retreated a few steps, arrived beneath a big tree, and suddenly emptied out the insides of his stomach, which seemed like flooding rivers and rummaging oceans.


    Not only he emptied out everything he¡¯d eaten, even his digestive fluids were thoroughly emptied out until his intestines and stomach slowly calmed down.


    As He Yiming turned his head and looked at the corpse, he felt his blood going cold.


    When he was confronting a living person, although he was somewhat afraid, once he exchanged blows, all of his apprehensions immediately dissipated away. However, his legs slightly shivered after the person died at this hands.


    After hesitating for a long time, he eventually went forward and arrived beside the corpse. He cautiously reached out with his hand and began to search the body.


    He didn¡¯t know why would he suddenly thought about such a thing, but once his thoughts turned in this direction, he couldn¡¯t stop his body fromplying.


    After a short while, He Yiming had taken out some things. Included among these were two gold coins and ten taels of loose silver. This was excellent stuff. Although one might have some misgivings about making riches off killing people, He Yiming had no hesitation submitting to greed.


    Although He family was one of the top families in the Tai Cang county, He Yiming was, after all, only thirteen years old. His monthly allowance was merely three taels of loose silver. If he exchanged these two gold coins to silver, he would obtain at least two hundred taels, which would be thebined sum of his five-six years of allowance.


    As he was collecting these things, he was suddenly astonished as he pulled out a thin book.


    He didn¡¯t know what type of material was used to make this book. It actually gave off a jade like feeling in his hands. He was absolutely certain that this was not ordinary paper.


    He gently opened the book, and his eyes suddenly shined.


    Surprisingly, just this book¡¯s first page was illustrating a posture, and He Yiming had an extremely profound impression of this posture.


    This was the exact posture which had allowed Hubin to exhibit an inconceivable might just a moment ago.


    He Yiming¡¯s heart instantly jumped. He flipped to the title page. At the top of the page were clear words:


    Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms.


    He Yiming¡¯s thoughts were immediately flooded with ecstasy. He was far more ecstaticpared to when he¡¯d found two gold coins.


    Hubin was only a fifthyer cultivator. However, upon using this skill, the might he exhibited was actually far above the might of another battle skill corresponding to the sixthyer¡¯s peak. If it had been him instead, how strong would it be?


    The difficulty he¡¯d been feeling in presence of the corpse immediately disappeared. For a moment, He Yiming¡¯s emotions surged, and he almost felt like loudly shouting.


    However, at this moment, his vision tensed and both ears faintly moved. Hisplexion slightly changed as he stored the frightening battle skill in his bosom and filled Hubin¡¯s pockets with the remaining stuff.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 20 - Xu Family Fortress

    He Yiming heard sounds of disturbanceing from afar. He immediately discerned that this disturbance was produced by a group of people.


    A nce at a corpse on the ground, and One could tell that these people hade here following Hubin¡¯s trails.


    He Yiming again retreated a few steps and hesitated a bit, before loudly speaking:


    ¡°Who is it? State your names.¡±


    The sounds disappeared in a sh. Upon hearing He Yiming¡¯s voice, those people immediately ceased to advance.


    A loud and clear voice sounded:


    ¡°We are from Xu family, coordinating with the officials to arrest a major criminal. Your majesty is¡­¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s age was still small and he¡¯d not begun to handle to manage the affairs of He family yet, but he at least knew that Xu family was one of the three influential families in Tai Cang county alongside He family. Xu family also had a tenth level Internal Energy master, and their rtions with He family were not harmonious at all.


    However, under such circumstances, He Yiming had no desire to look for trouble. He said in a clear voice:


    ¡°Have respected members of Xu family been chasing the fugitive Hubin?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°All right. In that case, you might want to return.¡±


    A few faint noises sounded from that direction. He Yiming¡¯s both ears slightly shook. He¡¯d discovered that these sounds were that of bows tightening.


    He coldlyughed inwardly. The might of crossbows was indeed formidable. Despite having attained the seventhyer, he didn¡¯t dare take an arrow head-on with his bare body. Though from the perspectives of cultivators who¡¯d attained the sixthyer, only a sneak attack or arge-scale attack would be truly effective.


    If they alerted He Yiming, while they themselves only shot ten or so arrows at a time, it would basically pose no threat to He Yiming.


    After quite a while, the voice once again sounded. But, this time, it carried a faint killing intent:


    ¡°Who is your majesty? ¡­an aplice of Hubin?¡±


    He Yiming rolled his eyes and said:


    ¡°You are his aplice.¡±


    ¡°Since your majesty is not Hubin¡¯s aplice, why would you shield him?¡±


    He Yiming was about to speak when he suddenly heard faint soundsing from the sides. He immediately understood that while this man was conversing with him, he¡¯d already assigned hispanions to surround him from both sides.


    He Yiming¡¯s heart sank and brows slightly creased. Being so decisive, this individual was definitely not a kind person. If his Internal Energy had not attained the realm of the seventhyer, he actually might have failed to catch onto these sounds.


    Of course, this was rted to hisck of experience. If it had been Hubin, he definitely would not have missed these faint noises despite only being at the fifthyer.


    He Yiming coldly snorted and said:


    ¡°Everyone, no need to conceal yourself. Juste out without tricks, Hubin is dead already.¡±


    The sounds from all the three sides died. Being discovered, they would naturally not try to pretend anymore. Furthermore, upon hearing the news of Hubin¡¯s death, they obviously wanted toe out and have a look.


    After a short while, more than ten people stepped out from the three directions. Apart from the three people wearing the attire of the lower-officials, all the rest were dressed in the same type of robe which was the official clothing of the Xu Family Fortress.


    The individual in the lead was a tall man. He didn¡¯t have any beard, just a short mustache on his mouth. He seemed to be in high spirits, and his eyes seemed resonant in such a way that it caused people not being able to intently look at him. Clearly, he was a cultivator who¡¯d high aplishments in Internal Energy.


    He Yiming¡¯s swept his gaze through everybody at a lightning fast speed. He immediately discerned that except for the man, all the rest were somewhere around the thirdyer and were hardly any different than the elite servants of the He Family Manor. However, the man in the lead was rather different. He Yiming was unable to discern his true strength, but he¡¯d a feeling that the man¡¯s strength would be much above him and would be hardly any different than his father and the rest.


    After stepping out, the man¡¯s gaze first swept through He Yiming¡¯s face. He immediately revealed a faintly surprised expression. Subsequently, as he saw the Hubin¡¯s body on the ground, his brows slightly creased.


    He waved his hand. The three lower-officials immediately came forward, took out a picture, andpared it to the body on the ground.


    Despite Hubin¡¯s eyeball being destroyed, his facial features were not affected at all. After a brief moment, the three lower-officials simultaneously shouted in excited voices:


    ¡°It¡¯s Hubin. Senior Xu-second, it¡¯s really him.¡±


    He Yiming instantly guessed the man¡¯s identity. He ought to be the ranked second in Xu family¡¯s second generation, named Xu Xiangci.


    He Yiming had heard some things about Xu family. They also had a lord fatherparable to He Wude. With the two tenth level masters, both the sides maintained an equilibrium in terms of their martial strength¡¯s peak.


    Xu family¡¯s second generaton had four members, though none of these had attained the ninth level. All of them were strong individuals at the eighth level. In Tai Cang county, a small region, such strength couldn¡¯t be belittled.


    As expected, the man¡¯s vision was once again fixed on He Yiming, and his eyes seemed slightly suspicious.


    With his experience, he could discern that this youngster¡¯s age was not much. It didn¡¯t seem possible for him to be above fifteen, but still, he could kill Hubin. The man naturally found such a thing inconceivable.


    Despite being just a fifthyer cultivator, the strength Hubin disyed during the chase was far above the bounds of a fifthyer cultivator¡¯s strength. Xu family¡¯s third generation was the first to sh with him. However, two members of the younger generation who had attained the sixthyer were unable to stop him and instead had to flee due to being injured by him.


    This was the true reason Xu family¡¯s second generation personally joined the chase. Upon seeing He Yiming¡¯s appearance, the man inevitably found it difficult to convince himself.


    He faintly cupped his hands and said in a clear voice:


    ¡°My humble self is Xu Xiangci from Xu family. May I ask, younger brother is¡­.¡±


    Although the two families fought among each other, it had not yet attained the point of shredding apart all pretenses of cordiality. Therefore, He Yiming had to be courteous on the surface. He slightly bent his waist and said:


    ¡°Small nephew, He Yiming, greets Senior Xu-second.¡±


    ¡°He Yiming? You are from He family¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He Yiming said in a neither servile nor overbearing voice.


    A malicious glint flickered in Xu Xianci¡¯s eyes and he coldly asked:


    ¡°Hubin is truly killed by you?¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased, and he replied with his head high:


    ¡°Correct. This man has truly died at small nephew¡¯s hands.¡±


    Xu Xianci¡¯s lips slightly stretched at the corners, and the numerous people behind him turned slightly tensed. Even the three lower-officials knew that in Tai Cang county, Xu family and He family did not get along too well. Although they seemed to be at peace on the surface, be it matters rted to territory or business, the friction between them was not trivial.


    A senior of Xu family¡¯s second generation had personally led people, but the fugitive had died at the hands of He family¡¯s third generation. This was indeed a loss of face.


    After a bit of hesitation, Xu Xiangci suddenlyughed once and said:


    ¡°Good, a hero from young age1. Has nephew already attained the realm of Internal Energy¡¯s sixthyer?¡±


    ¡°Barely sixthyer.¡± He Yiming tactfully said. Even his own family didn¡¯t know his true strength, thus, it was even more impossible for him to tell an outsider.


    Xu Xiangci¡¯s face was bing increasingly harmonious. He said:


    ¡°Sixthyer of Internal Energy is indeed pretty good. May I know nephew¡¯s age?¡±


    ¡°Small nephew is thirteen this year.¡±


    Sounds of sharp breath intakes sounded from the surroundings. They looked at He Yiming with peculiar gazes.


    A hard-to-conceal peculiar glint flickered in Xu Xiangci¡¯s eyes while his heart began to churn. A faint killing intent flickered in his eyes. However, his reaction was extremely quick. He instantly restrained the killing intent. The killing intent instantly appeared and disappeared. An average person would not have felt it.


    However, the individual in front of him, He Yiming, felt it extremely clearly. His heart immediately raced, and he enormously increased his guard against the man in front of him.


    His fight with Hubin had allowed him to understand some truths.


    Some things are extremely difficult to learn through mere words. However, a life-and-death battle can allow one to mature extremely quickly.


    For He Yiming, his battle with Hubin was extremely crucial. It allowed his entire being to have a transformation as if he¡¯d been born anew.


    In response to the killing intent revealed by his counterpart, countless thoughts immediately emerged in his mind.


    He faintly smiled and said:


    ¡°Senior Xu second, since Hubin is already executed, we should leave the mountains and let Cheng family take care of this matter.¡±


    Xu Xiangci faintly nodded and said:


    ¡°That¡¯s true. It should be this way.¡± He turned his body and instructed:


    ¡°Take the corpse, we are leaving.¡±


    Following the mountain path, everybody was walking towards the outside. From the beginning, He Yiming had been walking at the end, maintaining a certain distance from Xu Xiangci.


    The more they approached the end of mountains, the more Xu Xiangci¡¯s heart surged. Every once in a while, his vision swept through the three lower-officials and the servants of Xu family.


    He Yiming looked calm and collected on the surface, but he¡¯d increased his guard and was paying attention to every small movement of his counterpart with his eyes, while his mind was bitterlyining. If the man decided to risk killing everyone to silence them in order to kill He Yiming,tter would have no chance to escape.


    After all, Xu Xiangci was an eighth level Internal Energy expert. Furthermore, his battle experience was abundant and was far above that of He Yiming.


    As He Yiming¡¯s thoughts were going rampant, he thought of countless ideas. Though, it seemed none of these held any use for his present situation.


    Soon, in about fifteen minutes, they would exit the mountain pass. Xu Xiangci suddenly stopped his footsteps and sucked in a deep breath. His eyes turned resolute as if he¡¯d made a decision.


    At the same time, He Yiming¡¯s heart sank. He circted his Internal Energy and was prepared to strike as if his life depended on it.


    However, at this moment, sudden noises could be hearding from the mountain pass. Both, Xu Xiangci and He Yiming, almost simultaneously an old man¡¯s figure.


    Xu Xiangci¡¯s figure trembled and the killing intent in his heart immediately vanished, while He Yiming let out a long sigh. He knew that he was absolutely safe.


    Ó¢ÐÛ³öÉÙÄê an ancient saying that heroes begin to show their excellence from a young age.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 21 - Smooth Return

    He Yiming dashed ahead like a bird. As he went past Xu Xiangci, his movements faintly slowed down a little for a moment. He didn¡¯t slow down again after that. The Senior Xu-second of the Xu Family Castle also had no intention to take any action.


    After a few ups and downs, He Yiming arrived at the mountain forest¡¯s entrance.


    Seven males could be seen here. In the lead was He family¡¯s lord father He Wude, and the few individuals behind were, in fact, the manor¡¯s servants who were staying in the ry station for the time being.


    He Wude¡¯s brows were slightly creased and eyes had a slightly concerned expression. As he saw He Yiminging towards him seeming full of life and vigor, his dense eyebrows immediately smoothened and the concern in his eyes alsopletely disappeared.


    ¡°Grandfather, why have youe?¡± He Yiming frankly asked the question which was in his mind. Of course, he was extremely d in his heart. Fortunately, his grandfather had arrived early and timely, otherwise who knows what would have happened.


    He Wude had aged, but his stature was tall; being one head taller than an average person. He waved his big hand, which seemed like a leaf fan, and said:


    ¡°This old man suddenly felt like going outside and roam a little. So, this old man came here to see you.¡±


    He Yiming was slightly stumped. As he looked at the dust on his grandfather and thought about Hubin, he immediately understood. His grandfather must have heard the message about Hubin being headed here, and thus, his grandfather had rushed over with all of his might. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn¡¯t look like such a sorry figure.


    Instantly, a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He faintly lowered his head and softly said:


    ¡°I¡¯ve troubled grandfather.¡±


    With a gentle and kind smile on his face, He Wude reached out with his hand and lightly patted his shoulders. Subsequently, as his vision fell on Xu Xiangci, he indifferently said:


    ¡°Xu-second, why are you here?¡±


    Xu Xiangci faintly bowed at once as a courtesy and earnestly said:


    ¡°Lord Father He, we came here chasing the fugitive and met small nephew He Yiming.¡±


    Despite being a pir of the strength of He family¡¯s second generation, he was not presumptuous in the slightest in front of He Wude. Of course, He family¡¯s second generation would also not dare to be neglectful in the presence of Xu family¡¯s Lord Father.


    A cultivator possessing the tenth level of Internal Energy could cause anyone to feel admiration from the bottom of one¡¯s heart.


    He Wude nced at the corpse carried by the three lower-officials, before he suddenly asked:


    ¡°This is Hubin?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this traitor has already been executed.¡± Xu Xiangci honestly and sincerely said. As for the lower-officials and the rest, they stood respectfully. Their strength was too low, and even the lower officials, who could be considered as a part of the authorities, didn¡¯t dare open their mouths in an on-going conversation between He Wude and Xu Xiangci.


    He Wude faintly nodded his head and said:


    ¡°Xu-second, your luck is good. What was this traitor¡¯s skill?¡±


    Xu Xiangci¡¯s face turned slightly red as he promptly said:


    ¡°Lord father He, I haven¡¯t exchanged blows with this traitor at all.¡±


    He Wude nkly stared, before he swept his gaze through the individuals who¡¯de with Xu Xiangci.


    ¡®This guy¡­.they don¡¯t have a single expert who has the fifthyer of Internal Energy.¡¯


    Furthermore, they couldn¡¯t bepared to a man like Hubin who¡¯d experienced battlefield and had crawled up from beneath piles of dead bodies. They might be assigned some odd jobs, but striking down a man like Hubin who¡¯d such a vicious reputation? He didn¡¯t believe such a thing was possible.


    With a constricted gaze, he said:


    ¡°Since it¡¯s not you, let this old man see the face of the person who did it.¡±


    Xu Xiangci¡¯s face was bing increasingly red. At this moment, his hate for Hubin truly seeped into his bones. This traitor first encountered the elites of Xu family¡¯s third generation. However, the result waspletely out of everybody¡¯s expectations. At two separate ambush points, he injured two of the most outstanding disciples of Xu family¡¯s third generation. This caused Xu Xiangci to pursue him disregarding everything, wishing to chase or kill this traitor.


    However, he hadn¡¯t expected that even though he¡¯d eventually caught up to Hubin, thetter had already turned into a corpse. The much important thing was the individual who killed him was not from the Xu family, on the contrary, he was from the He family; the family they constantly struggled against in secret.


    When he saw that the individual was only thirteen years old, his heart was overwhelmed with emotions. He family already had He Quanxin and He Yitian; father and son, the genius duo. Could it be¡­ another genius has emerged yet again? After ten years or so, on what basis would Xu family contend against the He family?


    This instant, when faced with He Wude¡¯s question, he couldn¡¯t open his mouth despite being quite thick-skinned.


    He Wude¡¯s brows slightly creased as he said:


    ¡°Xu-second¡­.don¡¯t tell me this old man¡¯s reputation is not enough? You actually don¡¯t¡­.ah¡­Yiming what are you doing?¡±


    Upon seeing Xu Xiangci had his lowered in silence, He Wude was dissatisfied and was about to rebuke him a little, when he suddenly felt someone faintly tugging at his clothes. He turned and saw He Yiming softly pulling at his clothes with an embarrassed face.


    He Yiming licked his somewhat dry lips, before lightly speaking:


    ¡°Grandfather, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°What you?¡± He Wude stared nkly, before both of his ears suddenly perked up, and his eyes gleamed as his vision alternated from his grandson to the already dead Hubin. Eventually, he made the connection.


    ¡°Yiming, this traitor was killed by you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He Yiming resolutely said.


    He Wude¡¯s mouth was opened, and his mind was full of disbelief. He hesitated for a moment, before turning his head and asking:


    ¡°I heard this traitor injured your family¡¯s Yude and Yucai, how can this be?¡±


    Xu Xiangci¡¯s face turned dark. What could he say? He Wude had unscrewed a pot that cannot boil1.


    If it had been another person in ce of He Wude, Xu Xiangci would have immediately turned hostile. However in presence of Tai Cang county¡¯s peak cultivator, he forced out a smiling expression as he said:


    ¡°Lord father, only because this traitor injured Yude and Yucai, the second generation had madly pursued him. But we didn¡¯t expect this traitor would run into nephew Yiming, which turned out to be the path of his doom.¡±


    He Wude was eventually convinced. His eyes, which were on He Yiming, gleamed with several colours. He¡¯d hurriedly rushed here only because he feared that He Yiming would run into that fiend. But he didn¡¯t expect that after fleeing here, thetter would instead die at He Yiming¡¯s hands. This bizarre transformation came as a huge surprise to him, but at the same time, it immenselyforted his old heart as well.


    Though as he saw that forced smile on Xu Xiangci¡¯s face, his thoughts immediately cleared. He lightly coughed and said:


    ¡°Since this traitor has already been executed, quickly report to the Cheng Citywatch, and also let everyone break up.¡±


    Xu Xiangci promptly sounded his agreement. He was just about to leave with the numerous servants under him and the three lower-officials, but he somehow forgot to mention the matter of the corpse. It seemed as if he was going to take the corpse with him just like that.


    He Wude suddenly made a stopping gesture with his hand as he said:


    ¡°Hold up, let me confirm.¡± He Wude arrived beside the corpse inrge strides. He nced at Hubin¡¯s lifeless face for a moment and gently patted his body a few times.


    Not too far away, He Yiming caught a strange expression on the face of Xu Xiangci. It contained regret, anger, anxiety, hope, expectations, and many other things. Even He Yiming couldn¡¯t exactly discern.


    Furthermore, he also saw that He Wude¡¯s pats were extremely refined. He¡¯d covered all the main concealing positions in just a few pats. With He Wude¡¯s experiencebined with his cultivation of Internal Energy, which had almost reached the perfection, it took him just a few probes to be familiar with all the stuff on Hubin¡¯s body like the back of his hand.


    Soon after, He Wude took out some stuff in bits and pieces. The thing that caused He Yiming to blush with shame was that these things still contained a gold coin and some loose silver.


    Where on earth were these? He¡¯d not found them back then. It seemed like his experience in making riches off dead people was a bit too low.


    Upon looking at these things, He Wude and Xu Xiangci both revealed faint expressions of disappointment. The gold coin, of which everybody was sneaking nces, they chose to turn a blind eye.


    He Wude muttered something under his breath, before he waved his hand and said:


    ¡°Xu-second you report back to the Cheng Citywatch, and we will return to the manor first.¡±


    Xu Xiangci agreed without the slightest hesitation and waited for He Wude to leave along with the rest. Following which, he rummaged through the corpse just in case. He disappointedly gave up after a few moments, upon not finding anything that could garner his attention.


    With a wave of hand, he threw the gold coin into the hands of a lower-official and said:


    ¡°Take this corpse and the stuff, and deliver it to the Cheng family. You can divide the money. But today¡¯s matter mustn¡¯t be disclosed, clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The servants and lower-officials bowed and sounded their agreements, while their eyes, which were brimming with greed, stared at the gold coin.


    His head turned in the direction in which He Wude and the rest had just left, with a strange expression in his eyes. In the end, he remained unclear on how could He Yiming kill Hubin, who¡¯d injured two cultivators of the sixthyer in session.


    ¡®Could it be¡­..that youngster was still concealing some strength?¡¯


    * * * *


    Leaving the mountain pass, He Wude ordered the servants to arrange a big carriage from the Ry Station.


    There was naturally no difficulty in obtaining a carriage with his identity. Not long after they had started, they saw He Quanxin, covered in dust, hurrying towards them.


    Although the two elders didn¡¯t say anything, He Yiming knew the reason they had rushed to him disregarding everything. Seemingly, a me was suddenly ignited in his heart, gently warming up his entire being to a kind of wonderful realm.


    He Wude didn¡¯t ask anything throughout the journey, rather returned home with everybody inplete silence and called back all the dispatched people.


    After all this, he, along with He Quanxin and He Yiming, entered the most revered ce in the entire estate.


    The ce where Lord Master had spent several tens of years in solitude; the Great Courtyard of He family.


    A sore point that shouldn¡¯t have been touched

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 22 - Splitting Mountains Thirty Six Forms

    The great courtyard of He family was the oldest courtyard in the estate. Starting from this courtyard, and going through decades, He Wude established the He family estate in Tai Cang county, ultimately obtaining the status of one of the three most influential families in the county.


    Therefore, this courtyard held a special position in the hearts of estate¡¯s members.


    After entering the courtyard and dismissing the servants, He Wude said in a low voice:


    ¡°Yiming, recount your experience with Hubin in detail.¡±


    After a bit of thinking, He Yiming recounted his experiences and the course of the battle. However, the entire time, he asserted that he only used the sixth level Rolling Boulder Fist. He didn¡¯t mention the seventhyer of Internal Energy and didn¡¯t even mention the sixthyer of Silk Palm. Of course, he didn¡¯t conceal the strange technique employed by Hubin and took out the Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms¡¯ scripture.


    He Wude epted the book and opened it. He looked at it for a long time, while He Quanxin and He Yiming helplessly stood at the side, not daring to disturb He Wude¡¯s thoughts.


    After quite a while, He Wude closed the book. His eyes were faintly closed as he contemted. Eventually, he let out a deep sigh and said:


    ¡°Sure enough, it¡¯s what I expected. When this old man heard the news of that traitor injuring two sixthyer children of Xu family, I had already guessed that this traitor must have learned a Xiantian battle skill scripture. And this is precisely one of the Xiantian battle skill scriptures.¡±


    He Yiming, being somewhat astonished, asked:


    ¡°Grandfather, what is a Xiantian scripture?¡±


    He Wude couldn¡¯t help butugh before he said:


    ¡°Yiming, you need not involve yourself with this stuff. After your Internal Energy attains the tenthyer, I will naturally let you know.¡±


    He Yiming made a seemingly miserable sound of agreement. The tenthyer of Internal Energy was easier said than done. His eyes nced at the scripture, and his lips parted. But he didn¡¯t say anything in the end.


    However, how could his Lord Father miss the small movements made by him. The former loudlyughed and said:


    ¡°Yiming, since this scripture was obtained by you, you naturally have the qualifications to cultivate it.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s whole face was suddenly covered in smiles. The might of this skill, he only knew it too well. By employing this skill, Hubin was able to prevail over his battle skill corresponding to the sixthyer¡¯s peak. Such an experience, which thoroughly toppled his previous knowledge, had allowed him to know the worth of such a battle skill with absolute rity.


    He Wude restrained his smiling expression and said earnestly:


    ¡°Yiming, just now, I saw that this scripture is a record of a metal-type technique known as Mountain Splitting Thirty-Six forms, three forms short. In our family, it only suits your cultivation.¡±


    He Yiming looked at the scripture in astonishment and asked:


    ¡°Grandfather, this technique is missing three forms?¡±


    ¡°Correct. For some reason, thest three forms are not present.¡± He Wude regretfully sighed and continued:


    ¡°But you should not look down on this technique. In our Book Pavilion, this is unconditionally the best technique in terms of might. If it wasn¡¯t a metal-type technique, I would have made all the suitable people to switch to this scripture.¡±


    He Yiming was extremely d in his mind. He promptly nodded while his eyes gleamed with joy and many other emotions.


    He Wude¡¯s tone suddenly turned strict as he said:


    ¡°Yiming, you may learn this technique. However, going by your current strength, you can only learn the first four forms.¡±


    He Yiming started, before earnestly nodding:


    ¡°Grandfather, your grandson will keep it in mind.¡±


    He Wude returned the scripture to He Yiming and said:


    ¡°It has been a long day for you. First, have some rest, and keep this scripture with you. After you¡¯ve copied it down, hand it over to Quanxin.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He Yiming respectfully took the scripture.


    He Wude again spoke:


    ¡°In addition, the fact that you have obtained this scripture cannot be divulged outside. Aside from me or your first uncle, don¡¯t let anybody else know about it.¡±


    After a brief hesitation, He Yiming asked:


    ¡°In that case, what about father and third uncle?¡±


    ¡°They will naturally know..ah¡­I will also inform Tian-er. The rest don¡¯t need to know about it for the time being.¡±


    He Yiming said ¡®yes¡¯ and left upon receiving an indication from He Wude.


    After he left the great courtyard, He Wude heartilyughed and said:


    ¡°Quanxin, Yiming¡¯s luck was truly good this time. Not only was he able to temper himself, but even obtained a Xiantian battle skill scripture. Riches are to be sought in dangers; this saying is indeed true.¡±


    Quanxin forced out augh and said:


    ¡°Father, seeking riches from such a danger was too dangerous. If He Yiming had not been a match for Hubin, I¡¯m afraid¡­.¡±


    He Wude¡¯s face tensed. He¡¯d lingering fears of such a possibility as well. After a bit of thought, he said:


    ¡°It was truly dangerous this time. Fortunately, this Hubin¡¯s Internal Energy was only at the fifthyer. Even though he¡¯d cultivated a Xiantian technique, after sessively injuring the two children from Xu family, he must have been quite exhausted. Therefore, when he faced He Yiming, he had the spirit but not the strength. Otherwise, this time, He Yiming might not have been able to kill him so easily.¡±


    He Quanxin faintly nodded and said:


    ¡°Yes. He Yiming¡¯s luck was truly good this time.¡±


    The father and son exchanged a nce and sighed inwardly. They didn¡¯t know that Hubin which He Yiming confronted was not just an arrow that was at the end of its flight, but was the Hubin, who¡¯d already rested after escaping and had basically recovered his strength. If they had known this, their thoughts would be starkly different.


    After returning to his room, He Yiming opened the scripture which was in his hand.


    Although his grandfather had warned him to be cautious while cultivating this technique, He Yiming was confident in his affairs. His Internal Energy was not at the sixthyer, rather it had already attained the realm of the seventhyer. Therefore, even if he cultivated six forms, it wouldn¡¯t be an issue.


    He silently flipped through the contents in the scripture. After a long time, he straightened out the main threads.


    This scripture called Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms was indeed missing the final three forms. This fact caused him to be extremely regretful. All cultivators knew that a technique¡¯s final few forms were often the strongest ones. Due to the missing final three forms, this scripture¡¯s worth was much less than the original.


    However, since his grandfather had said that this scripture¡¯s might was already the strongest among all the scriptures possessed by He family, he would naturally not miss such an opportunity.


    However, after going through the scripture once, He Yiming discovered a strange thing.


    This scripture mentioned that one could only start cultivating it after attaining the fifthyer of metal-type Internal Energy, and after that, one would be able to cultivate the next two forms at every respectiveyer from fifth to tenth.


    In other words, even if He Yiming¡¯s metal-type Internal Energy attained the tenthyer¡¯s peak, he would only be able to cultivate twelve forms out of the total thirty-six forms.


    After realizing this fact, He Yiming¡¯s brows tightly creased. He recalled the unfamiliar words his grandfather had said:


    This is one of the Xiantian scriptures.


    ¡®Could it be¡­there are higher realms above the tenthyer?¡¯


    As soon as he thought this, his mind suddenly turned restless. However, after a short while, he immediately moderated his frame of mind. His current cultivation was merely the seventhyer of Internal Energy. Not to mention the realm above the tenthyer, even the tenthyer was quite far away from him. Currently thinking of these things was truly biting off more than he can chew.


    The result of numerous years of his elder¡¯s teaching, which said that one should have his feet firmly nted on the ground, could be seen at this moment. He took out a brush and paper, and slowly began to copy the book.


    This book had a plenty of content. It was much bigger than the Rolling Boulder Fist or Silk Palm.


    It took the entire day for He Yiming to finish copying.


    Subsequently, he unhesitatingly started the cultivation. He immediately discovered that cultivating this technique was indeed much harder than cultivating Rolling Boulder Fist and Silk Palm.


    Just the two forms corresponding to the fifthyer caused He Yiming quite a headache. The cirction course of this technique was quite diverse, and the primary requirement to cultivate this technique was to aplish everything in a single stretch. If there was any hindrance mid-way, all the previous efforts would bepletely wasted.


    Therefore, even He Yiming was unable to seed right away. He¡¯d to attempt several times before he could meet the technique¡¯s requirements. But the strange thing was that the first time He Yiming seeded, his body seemed to have engraved that feeling. He didn¡¯t require much effort when he employed the technique for the second time. He was as smooth and as skilled as if he¡¯d trained millions of times.


    He Yiming sighed inwardly. This technique was truly iparable to the Rolling Boulder Fist or the Silk Palm. He¡¯d spent several hours, but could only learn the first form.


    However, he waspletely clueless that the original master of this technique, Hubin, after obtaining this technique at the fifthyer, had to bitterly cultivate this technique for no less than ten years before he couldpletely master its first form. In order to cultivate this one form, he even procrastinated the cultivation of his Internal Energy, and hence, couldn¡¯t make the breakthrough to the sixthyer.


    On the other hand, He Yimingpletely grasped the first within a few hours. And his proficiency also didn¡¯t seem any less than that of Hubin¡¯s ten years.


    If Hubin was reborn and saw this scene, he would certainly die on the spot again.


    Three dayster, He Yiming carried the scripture to the Book Pavilion. However,ter, he discovered that this scripture was not being showcased alongside the metal-type scriptures in the Book Pavilion. He vaguely guessed some possibilities. Perhaps, this scripture was too important, and thus, had been specially stored.


    But after going through the life-and-death battle with Hubin, his mind had subtly changed. Even though he¡¯d discovered this matter, he feigned ignorance, neither mentioned it to others.


    The matter of He Yiming killing off Hubin birthed a hugemotion among his few siblings. Especially, when they discovered that Hubin had injured Xu family¡¯s two sixthyer experts in session previously, they began to see He Yiming in even more of a new light.


    Not to mention the third generation¡¯s few siblings, even the three members of the second generation were all the same. He Yiming¡¯s status in the family suddenly rose and could even rival that of his eldest brother He Yitian.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 23 - Advancement Once Again

    Tai Cang county¡¯s winter; crisp, fresh, and moist air.


    At the dawn, in the He family estate¡¯s back courtyard, howls of the training of the third generation echoed as usual.


    In a corner of the manor, along the third generation¡¯s residential yard, a gate silently opened. A figure shed like a demon before it could be seen standing in the middle of the yard.


    He Yiming¡¯s head was raised and vision towards the sky. He exhaled a deep sigh, which created a white mist in the morning air.


    Five months had already passed since he¡¯d killed Hubin. In these five months, He Yiming didn¡¯t step outside even once and remained in seclusion.


    Of course, he was far from the realm of being able to not eat food. But the servants would timely take care of his need.


    This was the biggest advantage for the children of influential families as they cultivated. In poor households, things couldn¡¯t be easy and carefree as such.


    Cultivation of these five months had allowed He Yiming¡¯s strength to advance by leaps and bounds. Once again, he¡¯d attained the peak of the seventhyer and the corresponding bottleneck.


    If this kind of speed were to be known outside, it would be absolutely incredible and inconceivable. But after making breakthrough after breakthrough, He Yiming was currently numb to these so-called miracles. Therefore, when he attained this realm, he didn¡¯t lose his head from fear like thest time and calmly epted it.


    Of course, due to being habitual since the beginning, he didn¡¯t tell this news to anyone; not even his own parents.


    In these five months, He Yiming¡¯s maximum gain was not just limited to Internal Energy. The Splitting Mountain Thirty Six forms gave him the biggest surprise.


    This technique was not just limited to palm. In the scripture, it was clearly mentioned that both broadsword and long-axe could be used with the thirty-six six forms.


    He Yiming experimented this fact in his room and wasn¡¯t disappointed by the results. This technique truly could be used with both bare hands and weapons. It was clearly mentioned in the scripture that in battle, using the heavy-axe would allow one to sweep away everything in his way and the might one could exhibit would be the maximum.


    But as soon as He Yiming thought about the weight of the heavy-axe and the Internal Energy consumption, he automatically ignored these words.


    During this time, the thing he practiced the most was to assimte the already learned six forms into the palm and sword techniques. This step couldn¡¯t be aplished just by building a cart behind closed doors. If one doesn¡¯t have a considerable battle experience and doesn¡¯t repeatedly cultivates, some problems would unavoidably crop up.


    However, indescribably, He Yiming was able to do it. He was able to assimte the six forms into his battle skills and Internal Energy. This process was notplicated, and just like before, it seemed as smooth as the forming of a canal along with the flow of a river.


    The process being so smooth even caused He Yiming himself to be at a loss. However, with the nerves that had already turned numb, he was not too astonished by it and approved his sess as proper and expected.


    After all, for a youngster who¡¯d crossed two bottlenecks in one year, what other miracles of cultivation could possibly be astonishing?


    Having thest time¡¯s experience with him, as soon as he hit the bottleneck, he immediately left his room and headed to the Book Pavilion.


    Upon hearing the shouts of the morning training en-route, he felt quite emotional. Within less than a year, from a child, who was at the fifthyer and went to the backyard to participate in morning training every day, he had turned into a cultivator who was almost touching the realm of the eighthyer. It was truly an unimaginable, dream-like fantasy.


    He moderated his frame of mind and circumvented the backyard.


    Every time he entered this big courtyard, he could sense two spear-like gazes pointing at him. These obviously belonged to his eldest uncle and the old servant who lived here.


    But their duty was to guard the Book Pavilion, not to hinder the third-generation members who¡¯d attained the sixthyer from entering or exiting. He Yiming was extremely d due to this fact.


    He familiarly entered the Book Pavilion, closed his eyes, randomly walked to a bookshelf, and took out a scripture.


    After opening his eyes, he first checked out the bookshelf before he started and forced out a smile. He¡¯d actually selected an earth-type bookshelf. Faintly shaking his head, he opened the scripture in his hand, and his smile turned increasingly bitter.


    Breath Control technique: Earth-type supplementary Internal Energy scripture.


    This technique was hardly different than the turtle breath-technique. Both were supplementary techniques that controlled body functions and imitated the animal hibernation.


    It wasparable to the wood-type supplementary technique, the Skin Tightening technique, he¡¯d chosen thest time. This type of techniques didn¡¯t provide too much assistance regarding the Internal Energy, but coulde handy in some special situations. For the majority of cultivators, this type of techniques were like chicken ribs.


    But since he¡¯d already made the selection, he satisfied himself with whatever he¡¯d obtained. Anyway, his aim was not to cultivate a new primary Internal Energy technique but to cultivate a new technique so that he could break through the bottleneck.


    He hurriedly copied down the Breath Control technique. After some hesitation, he copied down the content rted to the eighthyer of the Rolling Boulder Fist and the Silk Palm as well.


    If he¡¯d notputed wrong, these two techniques woulde in handy very soon.


    After copying and quickly sorting out everything, He Yiming hurriedly left. He didn¡¯t go to pay his respects to his eldest uncle He Quanxin. If he allowed his eldest uncle, that old man, to take a look at the technique he¡¯d in his bosom, he would instead be provoking a scolding.


    He Yiming immediately rxed after he arrived in his room.


    He took out the Breath Control Technique¡¯s scripture and began to meticulously think over the meaning of its contents. Currently, He Yiming was a seventhyer cultivator; unconditionally the top figure in the He family¡¯s younger generation.


    Breath Control Technique was merely an earth-type supplementary technique that could be cultivated as long as one¡¯s Internal Energy had attained the fifthyer. Thus, it posed even much less of a problem for He Yiming.


    After half an hour, he¡¯d firmly memorized all the contents. Subsequently, he set aside the scripture and circted the course of the technique.


    Despite cultivating such a technique for the first time, his heart was brimming with confidence. And he wasn¡¯t disappointed either. Within just half an hour, he¡¯dpletely mastered this supplementary technique.


    ording to the requirements of employing the Breath Control technique, He Yimingpletely severed his breathing, and even his body turned cold.


    If He Wude could see He Yiming¡¯s speed while cultivating this technique, he would certainly be astonished. Thetter had aplished the peak of this technique in merely half an hour. Once he used this technique while exerting all of his efforts, be it the transformation of breath, or pulse, or skin ¡­etc, he could attain an extremely high standard. Even He Wude himself could only aplish this much.


    However, He Yiming¡¯s thoughts were not focused on this technique. After sessfully cultivating this technique, he immediately switched to the cultivation of Primordial Energy. He continuously umted the Internal Energy at the peak of the seventhyer and abruptly attacked the eighthyer¡¯s meridians after all of the Internal Energy had been umted.


    Just like water drops pierce through a rock, that seemingly unbreakable bottleneck eventually produced a minute opening.


    This opening was extremely minute, only allowing extremely fine threads of Internal Energy to pass through.


    However, an ant hole causes the copse of a great dike.


    With the appearance of this hole, the gigantic amount of Internal Energy, which had been umted at the juncture of the eighthyer, found itself an outlet. Through this opening, the Internal Energy entered the new meridians in an endless session, while under the constant assault of Internal Energy, the opening also became increasingly bigger.


    Eventually, the Internal Energy, that was umted to the extreme, discharged through the opening in an earth-shattering manner, sweeping away all the hindrance.


    Endlessly flowing through the channels of the eighthyer, that enormous of amount of Internal Energy seemed to howl its victory.


    His body was trembling as he silently felt the meridians inside his body faintly shuddering. Even his figure was shuddering with a certain frequency in ordance with the former one.


    His heart was brimming with a joy which originates from one¡¯s inner being after being promoted to a higher level.


    Eighthyer. He¡¯d so easily: crossed over the bottleneck of the seventhyer, surpassed the third generation¡¯s number one figure He Yitian, and attained the realm equal to that of his father and second uncle.


    Although He Yiming had just attained the eighthyer, he¡¯d confidence that in an impartial confrontation against his father or third uncle, the ultimate winner would be him.


    This was because, in addition, he¡¯d an exotic battle skill: Splitting Moutain Thirty Six Forms.


    The might of this battle skill was no trivial matter. It was far iparable to an ordinary battle skill. He Yiming had a feeling that as long as he used this battle skill, he could even contend against someone at a higher level than him. As for an opponent of the same level, as long as thetter didn¡¯t possess a battle skill that wasparable to his, He Yiming would be absolutely unrivaled.


    Likewise, he employed water-type Ripple technique. This time, the process went, even more, smoothly, and he attained the eighth level of the Ripple technique as if it was to be expected and natural.


    Subsequently, He Yiming stood up and cultivated, the Rolling Boulder Fist and Silk Palm corresponding to the eighthyer and the seventh and eighth form of the Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms, a few times.


    With an effort worth a single day, he¡¯d cultivated all the scriptures he needed to cultivate. Such a cultivation speed once again deeply moved him even though he¡¯d grown ustomed to such things.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 24 - The Skill Competition At The Beginning Of The Year

    Note:


    Sorry for no releasesst week. Had to make a trip back home. Anyways, releases will resume.


    Tranted by: toomuchnoob


    He Yiming eventually let out a long sigh after cultivating all these techniques. The huge rock, which had been weighing down on his heart, for the past several months was also finally lifted.


    Five months ago, he felt a dense killing intenting from Xu Xiangci, Senior Xu-second.


    Against an eighthyer cultivator, He Yiming wasn¡¯t the least bit sure of his chances. Whenever he thought about how such a high-level expert was actually watching him like a predator, he felt his blood go cold.


    However, at this moment, he was not afraid anymore. Instead, he was excited; he didn¡¯t mind running into the former and exchange some blows in secret. Of course, if he could win and teach him a lesson, that would be the best.


    He Yiming slowly calmed himself as he silently thought about the enormous transformation that had urred during this time period of about a year.


    He knew that the source of all of these things was that day¡¯s strange encounter in theke. If he¡¯d not obtained that strange and mysterious opportunity, perhaps he would still be that small youngster who endlessly worried over his breakthrough to the sixthyer, instead of being a high-level cultivator of the eighthyer.


    While cultivating for about a year, He Yiming had gradually adapted to his body¡¯s transformation.


    Furthermore, he¡¯d also summed up the qualities that made him stand out from the masses.


    First of all, as long as he cultivated with a calm heart, be it the primary cultivation techniques, battle skills, or even supplementary skills, his Internal Energy always increased by some amount. Although the extent of the increase differed, the point still held true.


    And perhaps this was the cause of He Yiming¡¯s cultivation speed being so fast.


    Apart from this extraordinary feature, when his Internal Energy attained the peak of a level and touched the corresponding bottleneck, as long as he cultivated a new technique, even including supplementary type techniques, he could easily break through the bottleneck and attain the next level.


    This matter defined the heavens to the extreme. He Yiming¡¯s age was not much and he was not a sharp and illustrious child prodigy either, but he at least knew that he couldn¡¯t tell this matter to anyone; not even to the people closest to him.


    Furthermore, ever since his encounter in theke, he could master any technique in a very short amount of time. Especially, the battle skills; he could attain their peaks without any difficulty whatsoever.


    What he found inconceivable was that his physique also seemed to have gone through an indescribable transformation. Regardless of the attribute of the techniques, he could apparently cultivate them all, and furthermore, the speed and the results of cultivation could cause anyone to be tongue-tied as well.


    In addition, He Yiming¡¯s true strength lied in the fact that he didn¡¯t draw people¡¯s attention. The amount of strength he chose to disy became his true strength in the eyes of other people. This point could be affirmed by the fact that, previously, He Wude couldn¡¯t discern that he¡¯d attained the sixthyer.


    These were the various strange transformations that allowed him to attain the realm of the eighth-level Internal Energy within a brief time period of less than a year. Even when taking the whole Tai Cang county into consideration, his true strength could definitely enter the top five rankings.


    Of course, this was nothing more than his spection. Thus, he couldn¡¯t bepletely certain without actualbat.


    Sorting out all the stuff properly, He Yiming returned to his room, when he suddenly heard a soft bell- sound at his door. Faintly started, he opened the room¡¯s door and saw his third uncle, He Quanyi, standing on the courtyard¡¯s doorway.


    He Quanyi stepped forward at once and entered the room. He Yiming respectfully said:


    ¡°Third uncle, why have youe personally? If there is something, you could have just asked some servants to inform me.¡±


    He Quanyi heartilyughed and said:


    ¡°You have been bitterly cultivated for these past few months and haven¡¯t stepped outside your room. You didn¡¯t even attend a single banquet at the beginning or the middle of the month.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s face was slightly red as he said:


    ¡°Third uncle, your small nephew has been somewhat neglectful due to being excessively focussed on cultivation and ask for forgiveness.¡±


    He Quanyi waved his big hand and said:


    ¡°You are so engrossed in cultivation, your third uncle couldn¡¯t ask for more.¡± He continued after a pause: ¡°But with your small age, you cannot continue cultivating like this. Interacting with your siblings and others in the family is also very essential. This time, if not for your eldest uncle asking to bring you out, I wouldn¡¯t even have known.¡±


    Now He Yiming knew why his third uncle woulde to his ce. He nodded as he listened while maintaining a respectful appearance.


    He Quanyi, however, felt that he couldn¡¯t see through this small nephew of his. This kind of feeling caused astonished him incessantly. With his experience, even when facing the number one figure among the third generation, He Yitian, he was certain that he could see through thetter. However, why would this small nephew had such a huge transformation in merely a single year?


    Faintly shaking his head, He Quanyi pushed this strange feeling down and said:


    ¡°Yiming, today is the middle of the month. Have dinner in the main hall with everybody. Your grandfather has already nagged about it many times. If you don¡¯t appear any longer, I¡¯m afraid he would rush over here and drag you out himself.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s face was slightly red as he said with an awkwardugh:


    ¡°Third uncle, you can be at ease. I will certainly be there tonight.¡±


    He Quanyi smiled and asked a few questions about He Yiming¡¯s cultivation speed. Thetter, of course, spouted some nonsense and dodged the bullet. Fortunately, the current He Yiming¡¯s cultivation had already reached a very high level. Therefore, he did not make any error in describing the sixthyer. Otherwise, he would not have been able to hide from He Quanyi.


    Of course, it was also because He Quanyi was certain that He Yiming couldn¡¯t break through the sixthyer within a year. Otherwise, he might have doubted thetter to some extent.


    After sending off He Quanyi, He Yiming contemted for some time before he properly cleaned himself and changed into a new pair of clothes. Upon checking the remaining time, which was not much, he left for the main hall.


    Since today was the middle of the month, all of the directly rted children must join the banquet in the main hall. Of course, those who were behind closed doors in order to concentrate on increasing their strength were an exception. Though, rarely would someone seclude himself for more than three months. Thus, when He Yiming, who¡¯d secluded himself for five months, appeared in the main hall, it caused a small uproar.


    He Yitao had already hopped onto his feets before he pulled He Yiming into the seats of the younger generation. His eyes were wide opened and glistening as he said:


    ¡°Sixth brother, you are really ferocious. Secluding yourself for five months, you wouldn¡¯t have attained the seventhyer, right?¡±


    He Yiming said with a smile that didn¡¯t seem like a smile:


    ¡°You tell me.¡±


    Waving his small hands, He Yitao said what he¡¯d prepared in advance:


    ¡°Sixth brother, don¡¯t scare me. As if I don¡¯t know. Even if you can attain the seventhyer in three years, that would already be extremely amazing. In this almost half a year, you must have been cultivating some battle skill, so as to show your moves in the Skill Competition, right?¡±


    His words instantly gained the approval of many of his brothers and sisters. Except He Yizhang, whose face was slightly ugly, all the rest of He Yiming¡¯s siblings were asking him one after other. But they were all identically confident that these five months, He Yiming must have been cultivating some battle skill and couldn¡¯t have been focussing on Internal Energy.


    He Yiming bitterlyughed all the time. In regards to the Skill Competition at the beginning of the year, he was actually looking forward to it somewhat.


    In the He family estate, every year¡¯s beginning, the third generation of the family would publically showcase their skills. Of course, He Yizhang and others who¡¯d not attained the sixthyer would only disy horse stance and other basic sequential movements on the stage, but those who¡¯d attained the sixthyer must fight on the stage.


    Though, until now, the winner had always been He Yiming¡¯s eldest brother He Yitian. In front oftter¡¯s seventhyer Internal Energy, be it his second brother He Yihai or his third brother He Yixuan, both of them had to obediently step aside.


    In truth, this was nothing more than an activity to examine the younger generation¡¯s cultivation speed and to motivate them. Sometimes, even He Quanxin and the rest also put on a show. Furthermore, this kind of activity carried out with the air of new year was even more delightful.


    Under the constant nagging of He Yitao and the rest of his siblings, He Yiming, without any better options, acknowledged their words that he¡¯d been cultivating a battle skill hiding in his room. As for which battle skill, He Yiming only smiled in response. From the beginning, he never spoke on his own ord.


    After a short time, the main hall suddenly quietened down. This was because the Lord Father and the rest had entered the hall.


    He Wude swept his gaze through the several grandsons and granddaughters, and nodded with satisfaction. He sat on the host seat, while He Quanxin, He Quanyi, and He Yitian sat opposite to the younger generation.


    Except for He Yitian, the rest of the third generation had always feared the Lord Father in their hearts. A pin-drop silence suddenly covered the main hall which was bustling with noise a moment ago.


    After the dinner, He Wude lightly coughed and said:


    ¡°Quanyi, it¡¯s new year next month. Have all the goods been arranged?¡±


    He Quanyi said in a respectful voice:


    ¡°Father, you can be at ease. Everything has been arranged properly.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let, Quanming and his wife, the couple to return a bit early. Suffering a year outside is not easy.¡±


    He Yixuan, Yiming, and Yilong, the three siblings, immediately beamed with joy. They were but the biological children of the couple. Thus, upon hearing an early return of their parents, their mood was vastly distinct from their other siblings.


    He Wude¡¯s gaze swept through the numerous small bodies as he said:


    ¡°The skillpetition will also be a bit early. He Yiming has attained the sixthyer this year as well; our He family¡¯s young generation is gradually growing up.¡±


    His voice was full of emotions and joy. For him, nothing could be more joyous than watching his grandchildren gradually grow up.


    He Quanyi made the corresponding arrangements.


    Though He Yiming was rather anxious. He wished to make his grandfather happy, but didn¡¯t wish to reveal his full strength on the other hand. As such, what should be his performance after one month?

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 25 - Water And Fire Mutual Restrain

    The new year was a joyous asion for the majority of the people. At least for the He family manor and the surrounding neighbors, this was a rare day to rx.


    At the same time, for the He family¡¯s third generation, this was a day to exhibit their entire year¡¯s achievements.


    On new year¡¯s third day, all the members of the third generation gathered together, and the wives of He Quanxin and his two brothers could attend as well.


    For the sake of the third generation¡¯s early independence and future achievements in cultivation, all the children left their parents and lived alone in their own courtyards after the age of five. This method was somewhat cruel, but quite effective. Among the three influential families in the Tai Cang county, the young generation of the He family was, without a doubt, the most outstanding.


    At this moment, the training ground in the backyard had been decorated. He Quanxin and his wife, the couple, had also closed the shop in the city and returned. The entire household was sitting together, discussing trivial matters. A warm and joyous atmosphere permeated the entire courtyard.


    Seated on the middle seat, He Wude was extremely content as he watched the smiling appearances of his descendants. However, as his vision gazed distantly following a certain direction, his eyes revealed a strange,plex expression; as if he couldn¡¯t untie a knot in his heart. It seemed as though he couldn¡¯t let go of a mncholic feeling even on such a joyous asion.


    He Quanxin sighed inwardly. Being the first son, he obviously knew his father¡¯s thoughts. But he was, in fact,pletely helpless regarding the problem. His vision jumped towards He Yitian and He Yiming as he thought whether they could make the Lord Father¡¯s wishese true.


    He Quanxin lightly coughed and said:


    ¡°Father, it¡¯s about time. Should we begin?¡±


    He Wude moderated his slightly wandering thoughts before he said with a smile:


    ¡°All right, begin.¡±


    He Quanxin stood up and walked up to the center of the stage before speaking in a clear voice:


    ¡°Yi Zhang and the rest of you,e.¡±


    Yi Zhang and the rest four, who were still stuck at the fifthyer or below, promptly ran to the stage.


    The five of them stood in a line. With another wave of a hand from He Quanxin, hundreds of servants came running at a lightning fast speed. They always trained in normal times, and at this moment, they further disyed their skill to the peak as they arranged themselves behind He Yizhang and the rest in a short while.


    Hundreds of individuals simultaneously bowed towards He Wude before exhibiting the elementary fist techniques.


    This was not a battle skill but were fist techniques which strengthened one¡¯s body and the children of the third generation who¡¯d not attained the sixthyer practised every day.


    As for the servants behind He Yizhang and the rest, they were robust men who cultivated Internal Energy, but, at most, were somewhere along merely the second or thirdyer.


    Although their cultivation was shallow, dealing with ordinary people was not an issue for them. Therefore, this technique, which strengthened one¡¯s body, had been imparted to them as well.


    Watching synchronised movements of hundreds of individuals, looking like a single entity, indeed had a pleasing feel to it.


    As He Yiming watched this spectacle, his mind involuntarily drifted off. Before a year, he was a member of this group and could only practise this body strengthening fist technique that did not rely on Internal Energy at all. However, today, seated in his seat, he was watching them perform. The difference of one step, the fifth and sixthyer, was indeed akin to the heavens and earth.


    Hundreds of people¡¯s fist training exhibition although seemed impressive, everybody knew that this was just a demo. Today¡¯s main attraction, which people genuinely looked forward, was the uing skillpetition among the members of the third generation who¡¯d attained the sixthyer.


    After a short while, the performance of fist technique concluded and everybody returned to their respective seats. He Wude¡¯s big figure rose up before he said a few lines of praise and rewarded silver taels on the spot, to the delight of the crowd.


    Subsequently, He Quanxin¡¯s clear voice sounded:


    ¡°Yi Hai and Yi Xuan.¡±


    He Yihai and He Xuan sounded their agreements before they left the side of their respective parents and arrived at the centre of the stage in neither swift nor slow steps.


    He Quanxin faintly nodded and said:


    ¡°Yihai, Yixuan, another year has passed; how is your cultivation?¡±


    He Yihai and He Yixuan nced at each other. Their rtionship was extremely good, but at this moment, both were brimming with battle intent. The two eyes, which were brimming with dominance and unruliness, when confronted their counterparts, the atmosphere immediately tensed up.


    He Quanxin retreated several steps with satisfaction and said:


    ¡°Exhibit your entire year¡¯s efforts. Let everybody see your aplishments.¡±


    The scene turnedpletely quiet as everybody watched the two individuals at the centre.


    This was obviously not the first time these two had exchanged blows in such a situation. Thus, they naturally had no stage fright. They bowed towards each other and immediately started the battle by unleashing their fist techniques onto each other.


    Although Yihai was named ¡®hai¡¯(ocean), the techniques he was well-versed were actually that of the fire type. As he bombarded his opponent with fists, the technique operating in his body reached the peak, giving off an aggression like that of a zing inferno.


    Fire type techniques were reputed to be the most ruthless techniques. In terms of offense, they were even a notch above the metal-type techniques. One more characteristic of the fire-type techniques was that once a fire-type technique was fully employed, for the most part, the opponent would find himselfpletely surrounded. If such a situation did not ur, it seemed as if a fire type technique¡¯s might could not be fully exhibited.


    At this moment, He Yihai¡¯s quick movements corresponding to his full strength even turned his body faintly red. Seeming like a me spirit that crazily emitted mes, he made the spectators tremble with fear.


    On the other hand, He Yixuan waspletely opposite of his brother. The techniques he was well-versed were that of the water type. Likewise, the battle skill he used was the Silk Palm, which He Yiming was familiar with. Although this technique had been transformed into amon battle skill, its might in an actualbat was not much inferior even whenpared to some of the so-called unique battle skills.


    As his Silk Palm unfolded, it seemed tepid; his actions didn¡¯t seem like that of He Yihai at all, who seemed to have covered the sky with fire.


    Despite the two sides not fighting a life-and-death battle, the exchanges between them were extremely influential; a feast to the eyes of spectators. The majority of the people on the scene were moved and werepletely engrossed, rendered incapable of diverting their attention.


    However, He Yiming¡¯s brows were slightly creased. Although the moves disyed by his brothers were pretty jubnt, in his eyes, they were full of holes and gave off a feeling of flower but no fruit.


    He silentlypared the two of his brothers with Hubin before his expression slightly changed. He discovered that if either of his two elder brothers had encountered Hubin, the conclusion couldn¡¯t have been anything but a disaster.


    He¡¯d not determined as such because Hubin had knowledge of a ferocious battle skill, Mountain Splitting Thirty Six Forms, but because of the difference in both side¡¯s vehemence, skill employment, and other factors.


    Hubin¡¯s techniques were simple and practical. Even while evading He Yiming¡¯s Rolling Boulder Fist, he was straightforward. A roll on the ground might seem lousy, but with respect to results, it is good beyond what one expects.


    While the strikes of his two elder brothers although seemed to fill the skies, the fanciness in their moves, would not likely have much effect during a life-and-death battle.


    He Yiming¡¯s vision turned towards his grandfather, father, and other elders. Their faces were full of smiles, as if they hadn¡¯t inferred anything at all. Feeling strange, he scratched his head:


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell I am actually seeing wrong¡­.¡¯


    However, he didn¡¯t know that only because he¡¯d gone through a life-and-death battle with Hubin, he felt as such. Although He Yihai and He Yixuan were a few years older than him, they hadn¡¯t gone through such an experience. Furthermore, the duels between peers also wouldn¡¯t involve killings, thus, some fanciness in their styles was inevitable.


    As for Hu Wude and the rest, although they could see their ws, correcting them was no easy matter. Only after experiencing several life-and-deaths battle could such a thing be slowly improved. People who could grasp so many profound mysteries just after a single life-and-death battle, like He Yiming, were extremely rare.


    After quite a while, He Yihai seemed the first one who was unable to sustain his technique which seemed like a ring sea of fire. He Yixuan, on the other hand, gradually and silently gained the upper hand.


    As He Yiming silently watched, he felt that the actual strength of his second and third brother was approximately the same. In terms of pure Internal Energy cultivation, his second brother, He Yihai, perhaps even had a slight advantage.


    However, nevertheless, a short while after the start of the fight, He Yixuan gained a clear advantage, which was gradually turning into victory, and if nothing unexpected urred, he would be the final victor as well.


    He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased before an enormous question emerged in his mind. He calmed himself and carefully paid attention. After a short while, his discovery slightly surprised him. The Silk Palm of his third brother, Yixuan, could actually restrain the fire type technique of his second brother.


    This restrictive power was not strong at all and could even be said to be extremely minute, but with the progression of the fight, this power had constantly been umted and magnifying, to the extent of turning into the principal factor which determined the victor.


    He Yiming watched for quite a while before his eyes gleamed and gigantic waves rose in heart.


    Originally, he had not paid attention to the fact that the five type of Internal techniques could mutually restrain each other. However, at this moment, his cultivation had already reached the eighthyer and after cultivating two different primary Internal Energy cultivation techniques, he¡¯d gradually formed a new understanding towards this point.


    Currently, as he watched his second and third brothers fighting against each other using fire and water type techniques, he felt his understanding suddenly increasing by a lot.


    For some matters, even if one hear about them several times, it could never bepared to the profound impression one could obtain after personally experiencing them.


    Experiencing a life-and-death battle allowed He Yiming to understand that one had to be pragmatic. Today¡¯s battle between the water and fire further allowed him toprehend the dao of mutual restraint among the five phases. Now, he could be considered to have truly entered the pce of five-phase techniques.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 26 - Water And Metal Techniques

    ¡°Ha¡­¡± He Yihai ferociously roared, which seemed like a thunderp jolting the spectators.


    Along with the roar, his movements suddenly quickened a lot. His whole being seemed berserk as his vehemence rose to the peak. The sky and earth suddenly seemed to have covered with countless pairs of palms, surrounding and attacking his opponent.


    However, his opponent, He Yixuan, still remained unfazed. He Yiming could even feel that thetter¡¯s surroundings had turned into a vortex; regardless of enormity of He Yihai¡¯s strength, it could only enter but not leave.


    As expected, after a few minutes, He Yihai couldn¡¯t sustain such an intense consumption. He Yihai pulled back and the countless pair of palms, which seemed to be covering the skies, immediately disappeared.


    After Yihai pulled back, He Yixuan didn¡¯t press his advantage, instead stood at his position with rapt attention. Though his eyes had a trace of smugness.


    He Yihai let out long sigh and said:


    ¡°Third brother, dueling with you is really too boring.¡±


    An ordinary person obviously couldn¡¯t make out much sense in his words, but He Yiming and the n elders were well-aware in their hearts. A fire attributed cultivator running into a water attributed cultivator and the true strength of both sides being hardly any different, under such conditions, He Yihai would obviously be very gloomy.


    He Yixuanughed and said:


    ¡°Second brother, if you switch to wood-type cultivation technique, could you not excel your younger brother?¡±


    He Yihai¡¯s eyebrows jumped as he red at his younger brother, but subsequently, heughed nevertheless. He Wude and the rest also had faint smiles on their faces. He Yixaun¡¯s words were obviously just for fun. How could switching to a different type of cultivation technique be so easy. Only an idiot or someone trapped on a singleyer¡¯s peak for a long time, like He Yiming, would try to cultivate a different technique.


    However, this situation only corresponded up to about the fifth or sixthyer. After cultivating to the seventhyer, basically, no one would choose to give up on his/her choice.


    Of course, in a certain legend, even peak level masters chose to change their primary cultivation technique. That was a case of being as lucky as you could get and somehow get your hands on an exceedingly powerful primary cultivation technique. However, such lucky bastards were as rare as feathers of phoenix and horns of unicorn, basically non-existent.


    He Quanyi faintly shook his head and said:


    ¡°Yihai, you lost, juste down. He Yiming, you are next.¡±


    He Yiming bitterlyughed in his mind; his turn had finallye. He took a deep breath as he stood up before he advanced forward in steady steps.


    However, at this instant, He Wude¡¯s voice sounded:


    ¡°Yixuan, youe down. Let Yiming and Yihaipete.¡±


    Old man¡¯s words immediately garnered people¡¯s curiosity. Especially, the family¡¯s second generation and the third generation who¡¯d attained the sixthyer revealed expressions of astonishment as they looked towards the old man with slightly puzzled gazes.


    Although He Yihai lost to He Yixaun, it was not because former¡¯s strength was inferior, but becausetter¡¯s technique restrained his. Everybody knew that He Yiming cultivated a metal-type primary technique. Thus, if matched against He Yixuan, both would trulypete in terms of strength. However, if matched against He Yihai, would it not be actually restraining him?


    For the time being, they couldn¡¯t grasp the reason behind the swap of positions.


    However, since these words had been spoken by the Lord Master, no one dared to object.


    He Yixuan walked down in puzzlement and winked towards He Yiming as he said:


    ¡°Take care.¡±


    He Yiming deeply nodded and made a ¡®don¡¯t worry¡¯ hand gesture towards the former. In truth, with his current cultivation, which had already attained the eighthyer, how could he truly care about such apetition. His only concern was that what portion of his true strength should he actually exhibit.


    Upon setting his foot on the stage, he suddenly felt extremely unwell. He¡¯d previously participated in the fist techniques exhibition, but that was alongside hundreds of other people. However, at this moment, he and He Yixuan were the attention of countless people¡¯s heated gazes. Being a fourteen year old youngster, such a feeling was extremely new, but at the same time, also pressuring.


    With a slightly red face, he slowly circted his Internal Energy and calmed down his heart which had been jumping like a small deer. He arrived next to He Yihai, cupped his hands, and said:


    ¡°Second brother, please start off leniently.¡±


    He Yihaiughed as he said:


    ¡°Little sixth, I can¡¯t be lenient.¡±


    He Yiming slightly started and astoundedly looked at He Yihai, only to see thetter rubbing his hands while saying:


    ¡°In these two years, I¡¯d been firmly restrained by Yixuan both the times, and both of us hadn¡¯t been able to hold against the eldest brother either. I¡¯ve really lost more than enough times. This time, against you, I cannot lose.¡±


    He Yiming bitterly smiled as he faintly shook his head. Such a fiery and direct temperament, no wonder his second brother chose to cultivate fire-type techniques.


    Along with amand from He Quanyi, He Yiming and He Yihai posed themselves.


    He Yihai roared as both of his palms, which seemed to flutter in the air, pped towards He Yiming apanied by an air-piercing sound.


    In an inter-n skillpetition, battles were naturally not life threatening. Although He Yihai and his younger brother had fought for a long time previously, their Internal Energy consumption was actually not that much. Thus, former¡¯s strikes contained formidable might and even a faint red color could be seen on his palms.


    With a grave expression, He Yiming raised his fists; immediately exhibiting the peak of the sixthyer, he employed the Rolling Boulder Fist. Momentarily, both the figures intertwined together and relentlessly struck against each other.


    Under He Yiming¡¯s careful attention, his Internal Energy never exceeded the sixthyer. Likewise, the might of his Rolling Boulder Fist also remained corresponding to that of the sixthyer. However, the next moment, the expressions of He Wude and the rest slightly changed.


    As He Yiming¡¯s fists flew in the air, everybody felt that it actually carried a sort of profoundness. Furthermore, as the might behind his fists erupted, in the eyes of the cultivators who¡¯d attained the sixthyer and had trained in battle skills, he increasingly resembled a gigantic boulder.


    This gigantic boulder was spinning and slowly rolling forward. Although its speed was not much, it didn¡¯t felt sluggish at all.


    He Quanxin and the rest two brothers exchanged a quick nce, nonecking a jubnt expression.


    They understood that He Yiming¡¯s fist techniques gave off such a feeling only because he¡¯d thoroughly understood the true essence of the Rolling Boulder Fist.


    As imposing as a boulder and spinning as fast as lightning; these are the most important key points of Rolling Boulder Fist.


    Although almost everybody knew the true essence of this fist technique, among the metal-type cultivators, rarely anyone could actually grasp it. ording to the experience and knowledge of He Quanxin and the rest two, people who could exhibit Rolling Boulder Fist to such a level could be counted on fingers.


    They subsequently recalled He Yiming¡¯s fight with Hubin six months ago. Now, He Yiming¡¯s victory didn¡¯t seem a mere stroke of luck.


    The more He Yihai fought, the more gloomy he became. He Yiming clearly cultivated in metal-type techniques, logically, thetter should have been restrained by his fire type techniques. Furthermore, only six months had passed since thetter advanced to the sixthyer. However, in the current exchange of blows, somehow, he once again found himself in a disadvantageous position.


    He Yihai¡¯splexion was faintly red. Losing to his second brother was rted to the mutual-restraint of their techniques, but if he again lost to his sixth brother, he would truly lose too much face.


    As his thoughts reached this point, his expression became extremely grave. His fist-moves changed. His every fist now carried a fiery gale, and even the skin on his body began to turn faintly red.


    He Yiming suddenly felt the pressure increasing many folds. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have enough experience to know the technique the technique his second brother had used. As this technique was employed, he actually felt sort of choked. From this he could ascertain that this was his second brother¡¯s trump card.


    At this point, he actually felt as if his Rolling Boulder Fist was going to be split opened. He immediately realized that this was because the strength behind it was not enough.


    Instantaneously, several thoughts shed through his mind, and he abruptly went along with an extremely strange notion.


    Instead of promoting his Rolling Boulder Fist to the seventhyer or employing Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms, his circting Internal Energy, which was the metal-type Primordial Energy, transformed into that of the Ripple technique.


    Next moment, He Yiming¡¯s movements seemed to have rxed. His fist technique had not changed and was still that seemed like a surging boulder sort of metal-type fist technique, however, it actually gave off a boundless and continuous feeling like that of flowing water.


    He Wude and the rest first started, then opened their eyes wide with astonished expressions.


    For them, He Yiming¡¯s fist technique had actually transformed into something they couldn¡¯t grasp. His technique was clearly metal-type Rolling Boulder Fist, however, when it unfolded, it gave off an unceasing feeling like that of flowing water.


    This was absolutely inconceivable. Since when metal-type techniques could feel like water-type techniques. They looked at each other¡¯s faces while thinking¡­.this world is too bizarre¡­


    On the other hand, currently focused He Yihai had already suffered enough. The fist technique, that he¡¯d dashed out with all his effort, had apparently sunk down in a mud puddle and couldn¡¯t break free. He roared before shouting:


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    He Yiming immediately restrained his fist. He¡¯d just conformed water-type Internal Energy to metal-type battle skill, but actually obtained unimaginable results. However, upon seeing his second brother flipping out, he promptly retreated a few steps.


    He Yihai was gasping and looking at He Yiming as his countenance turned increasingly depressed.


    ¡°Sixth brother¡­ impressive. I lost.¡±


    Apart from He Wude and a few other individuals, rest all immediately went in an uproar. No one expected, He Yihai, who had been majestic and awe-inspiring just a moment ago, would actually admit defeat on his own ord.


    As the crowd was murmuring in low voices, a youngster in white clothes arrived on the stage and said in a clear voice:


    ¡°Sixth brother, how about we try for a bit.¡±


    Suddenly, the entire backyard turnedpletely silent. The individual who¡¯d posed the challenge was unexpectedly the number one figure in the third generation, He Yitian.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 27 - Fight And Victory

    Cool wind blew, bringing faint rustling sound of trees, which resembled soft murmuring of a crowd.


    In He family¡¯s backyard, at this moment, no other sound could be heard other than the rustling of wind.


    In He family estate, He Yitian was an illustrious figure. Especially in the third generation, he¡¯d been naturally approved as the individual with the best future prospects.


    Even in the n¡¯s evening banquets, his seat was the best among the third generation.


    This was not merely because he was the eldest grandson of the eldest son. He¡¯d obtained the approval of the everybody based on his own outstanding talent in cultivation.


    Attaining the sixthyer at the age of fourteen, attaining the seventhyer at the age of neen, He Yitian, who was currently twenty-two years old, was well-reputed in the entire Tai Cang county. Even while taking all the three influential families into consideration, he was a top-notch expert.


    This was because the third generation of the other two families didn¡¯t have a single seventhyer cultivator.


    He Yiming had also attained the sixthyer at the age of thirteen, but if he couldn¡¯t attain the seventhyer before the age of twenty, in everybody¡¯s eyes, he and He Yitian couldn¡¯t even bepared.


    As for He Yiming attaining the seventhyer before the age of twenty, that was an ambiguous matter. No one could say anything with certainty.


    After all, the difficulty of attaining the seventhyer indeed far surpassed the previous ones. Even He Yitian couldn¡¯t exin how exactly did he manage to pass through this obstacle.


    Therefore, when He Yitian stood up on his own ord and posed a challenge to He Yiming, the spectators felt it inconceivable.


    After quite a while, He Wude suddenlyughed and said:


    ¡°Yiming, your eldest brother has requested you for a duel; why don¡¯t you fight for a bit.¡±


    He Yiming deeply nced at his grandfather and the eldest brother before faintly bowing his head and saying:


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He Yihai discontentedly walked off the stage before exchanging a nce with He Yixuan, both thinking what was their eldest brother up to.


    In the past, every time, they would act together against their eldest brother only to be defeated ultimately.


    Thus, they were extremely clear on their eldest brother¡¯s strength, and also in deep reverence. These days, although their sixth brother had emerged as a new force, if one were to say that he couldpete against their eldest brother, they absolutely wouldn¡¯t dare believe it. Thus, they also couldn¡¯t understand why would their eldest brother take the initiative to fight.


    He Quanyi was extremely proud as he watched these two outstanding nephews of his. A time period of merely ten years since the establishment of the family in the Tai Cang county was undoubtedly the shortest history among the three influential families. However, He family¡¯s third generation was undoubtedly the most determined among the three. He Quanyi had no doubt that once their third generation grew up, the position of the number one family in the Tai Cang county would undoubtedly belong to the He family.


    Retreating a few steps, He Quanyimanded themencement of the most outstanding battle among the youngest generation.


    With one hand on his chest, He Yitian made a gesture of invitation. He Yiming was also not polite. Crisscrossing his two fists, he advanced forward in huge strides like a rumbling boulder.


    Just after a short while since the start of the fight, everybody could see why He Yitian was reputed to be the number figure in the third generation. Unwittingly, he¡¯d already gained an upper hand.


    He Yitian primarily cultivated earth type techniques. His figure was standing at the centre of the stage, with his legs separated like the character ¡®°Ë¡¯, resembling a deeply-rooted tree. Regardless of how He Yiming attacked, he stood like a mountain. He was softly waving both of his hands around his body, easily splitting apart He Yiming¡¯s relentless Rolling Boulder Fists.


    This was the strength of the seventhyer. In front of absolute strength, even after grasping the true essence of a battle skill, there was no possibility of victory.


    After fighting for some time more, He Yiming surprisingly felt as if his arms and legs had stuck. As if tied together with heavy stones, he found it difficult to use them.


    If his Internal Energy truly had been at the sixthyer, he feared that he would not have been able to continue. However, he could continue because his Internal Energy was even one level above He Yitian.


    He Wude¡¯s eyes began to shine. He Yiming¡¯s performance had far surpassed his expectations.


    Currently, He Yitian was twenty-two years old. He¡¯d already cultivated earth-type techniques for seventeen years. The true essence of earth-type techniques, attack through defense and steadily press forward, had thoroughly beenprehended by him long ago. It seemed as though he hadn¡¯t taken the initiative to attack, however, every time both sides exchanged blows, an extremely minute Internal Energy was left coiled around He Yiming¡¯s body.


    Furthermore, He Yitian¡¯s earth-type technique seemed a deep pit, gradually pulling He Yiming deep inside it. Even ceasing the assault and pull away was extremely hard for He Yiming.


    Under such circumstances, He Yiming continued to forcibly hold on. Although his movements seemed to have be quite sluggish, he never stopped. This kind of situation caused spectators to be at a loss. How could he actually preserve for so long?


    After a bit of thought, a Xiantian scripture appeared in He Wude¡¯s mind, ¡®Could it be¡­He Yiming has already cultivated and obtained some aplishment¡­.¡±


    As his thoughts reached this point, he abruptly shouted:


    ¡°Yiming, no need to keep concealing, show a bit of your true skill.¡±


    This moment He Yiming¡¯s mood, just like Yihai¡¯s a moment ago, was quite gloomy. Upon hearing the Lord Father¡¯s shout, his expression suddenly sharpened a little.


    He had no idea that the old man had been referring to the Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms, instead, he thought that thetter had seen through his cultivation.


    ¡®Since it¡¯s already out, there is no need to conceal anymore. But this, after all, is not a life-and-death battle. In any case, I should leave some face for eldest brother¡­¡±


    Thereupon, with a light shout, the Internal Energy in He Yiming¡¯s body abruptly elerated and instantly upgraded to the seventhyer. Practically at the same time, the Rolling Boulder Fist also upgraded corresponding to the peak of the seventhyer.


    In between his relentless fists, one could actually hear a faint tinkling sound like that of a metal. With every strike, the fist wind, as if a sharp de scraping through, could cause one¡¯s skin to ache.


    Seventhyer Primordial Energy conformed to the seventhyer Rolling Boulder Fist. As if the mixing of water and milk, the twoplemented each other and their might rose to the peak.


    He Yitian¡¯s expression transformed. In his eyes, his sixth brother¡¯s figure had suddenly started to seem lofty, causing him to actually feel as if he would not be able to resist. Even more inconceivable was that the two arms of his brother seemed no longer made of flesh, but had instead transformed into two big choppers, which were blustering about in front of him while producing rustling sounds.


    The earth type techniques were famous for fearsome defense, however, He Yitian felt that his defense would not be able to hold out against such an extremely sharp offense of his brother.


    He Yitian¡¯s expression had already turned extremely serious. His fist energy1pletely converged within a square unit around his body. At this moment, he seemed like an immovable gigantic rock.


    However, Yiming¡¯s assault was getting increasingly fierce. His Rolling Boulder Fist seemed like countless meteors cascading down the sky, attacking the immovable gigantic rock. First, second¡­.countless¡­.every strike would cause the rock to faintly shake, meanwhile, the amount and frequency of strikes incessantly increased. Gradually, it actually felt as if the gigantic rock would be submerged.


    After another short while of fight, He Yitian¡¯s face had an unusualplexion, and his mind had a single thought¡­resist, resist¡­and resist more.


    He was certain that his sixth brother had definitely attained the seventhyer, but not long ago. Although the metal-type techniques were extremely formidable in terms of might, at the same time, they were also the mostcking in terms of endurance. Thus, as long as he could survive this chain assault, he could certainly achieve the victory in the end.


    However, even though he encouraged himself as such, in his perception, his sixth brother¡¯s Rolling Boulder Fist just simply didn¡¯t resemble a metal-type technique, but seemed endurant like a water-type a technique. The ferocious assault, with each strike stronger than thest, seemed evesting.


    Resist¡­Resist¡­.


    Cannot resist anymore!


    He Yitian¡¯s two legs, ultimately, incapable of holding the ground, slowly took a step backwards.


    However, this one-step retreat was already enough to transform the expressions of He Wude and the rest.


    The majority of the spectators could not unravel the mysteries behind it, but the few of them were aware that He Yitian was going to lose this battle.


    ¡°Halt¡­.¡±


    A loud shout came out of He Wude¡¯s mouth, jolting He Yiming out of his intoxicated assault. He immediately restrained himself and stood at his position. He Yitian naturally stood straight as well while facing him, though his eyes were full of astonishment.


    He Wude turned his vision towards the spectators, who were at aplete loss, and said: ¡°Your fist techniques has improved a lot sincest year. This old man is very d. Let¡¯s end today¡¯s skillpetition here. Quanyi, double the silver that is to be rewarded.¡±


    Immediately, countless cheers erupted down below. Although the Old Master had abruptly halted the fight, in front of the double rewards, the servants naturally overlooked a small spectacle.


    He Quanyi immediately sounded his agreement in a loud voice and personally moved to take care of this matter.


    He Yitian was about to speak, but after receiving a re from He Wude, he obediently closed his mouth.


    Waving his big sleeves, He Wude said:


    ¡°You all leave, He Quanxin and you two, along with He Yitian and He Yiming,e with me.¡±


    I¡¯m not sure what ¡®fist energy¡¯ here represents. As I remember this term was used by author once before, but at that time, it was used in context of throwing punches.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 28 - Change Of Position

    He Wude silently went into his courtyard. The second generation and the third generation¡¯s He Yitian and He Yiming followed him in.


    Everyone preserved silence. He Yiming was quite apprehensive inwardly as he whined to himself, ¡®I¡¯ve already heeded you, old man¡¯s, words. Don¡¯t tell me you won¡¯t settle on anything less than me suddenly exhibiting eighthyer Internal Energy and absolutely crushing the eldest brother¡­.¡¯


    While his imagination was running rampant, He Wude made himselffortable on the host seat and said:


    ¡°Yiming, you broke through the sixthyer?¡±


    He Yiming slightly started before cursing inwardly, ¡®Were you not the one who asked me to show a bit of my true skill? What are you again asking for?¡¯ His thoughts stirred, and he suddenly had an idea, ¡®Don¡¯t tell he hadn¡¯t seen through my depths at all?¡¯


    Several gazes instantly converged on He Yiming. Thetter awkwardlyughed and said:


    ¡°Grandfather, your grandson has truly attained the seventhyer Internal Energy.¡±


    He Wude sighed before his eyes gleamed as he suddenly stood up from his seat, arrived before He Yiming, and extended his palm.


    After a slight hesitation, He Yiming, circting the Primordial Energy to the seventhyer, met it with his own palm.


    After a brief contact, both sides restrained their Internal Energy. He Wude¡¯s face immediately revealed an extremely content smile, and thest shreds of the doubt in the minds of the rest also dissolved away.


    He Quanyi spoke in a clear voice: ¡°Father, how did you find out that He Yiming had broken through?¡±


    The rest all nodded. If the old man hadn¡¯t already discerned that He Yiming broke through, how could he have askedtter to show his true skill.


    He Wude¡¯s face was slightly red. When did he discern that He Yiming had broken through? He¡¯d only shouted that line because he himself wanted to take a look at how ferocious a Xiantian scripture could be.


    However, he didn¡¯t expect that instead of using the Splitting Mountain Thirty SIx Forms, He Yiming would give him an even bigger surprise.


    Seventhyer Internal Energy. It was actually the seventhyer of Internal Energy. For a child, who was barely fourteen, to possess the seventhyer Internal Energy, especially in a minor influential family such as theirs, was as rare as founding feathers of phoenix or horns of unicorn. Suddenly, a thought, which he didn¡¯t dare believe, appeared in his mind for an instant, ¡®Don¡¯t tell me the heavens have truly taken pity on my old self, allowing me to return in this lifetime.¡¯


    He sighed before he suddenly felt heated gazes of his descendants. He moderated his expression before saying, ¡°How did this old man find out? This old man found out with the his ample experience. Listen up you people, you should be attentive in every case. Only after experiencing many many things could your eyes be as sharp as lightning.¡±


    He Quanxin and the rest simultaneously sounded their agreements in respectful voices and treated the teachings of the Lord Master as just and profound. But He Yiming was doubtful, ¡®If the old man could truly see through, how could he not know that my Internal Energy has already reached the eighthyer?¡¯


    However, even if he had twice as much courage, he wouldn¡¯t dare ask.


    He Quanyi suddenly asked: ¡°Yiming, when did you break through?¡±


    The several gazes immediately shifted over. As they thought about how, just a year ago, He Yiming had attained the sixthyer, and in less than another year, he was already at the seventhyer, they couldn¡¯t help but feel that this speed was a bit too horrifying. To say the least, before today, they didn¡¯t know that anyone could even aplish such a thing.


    Although He Wude, on surface, didn¡¯t seem to be battling an eyelid, in truth, his eyes and ears were increasingly sharpening up. He was not willing to miss a single detail about this grandson of his. He too was extremely wishful to know about thetter¡¯s cultivation speed.


    He Yiming said while scratching his head: ¡°My breakthrough wasn¡¯t long ago, not long ago at all.¡±


    Inwardly he supplemented, ¡®Not long ago, just half a year.¡± He overlooked that he¡¯d made another breakthrough after another half a year, though.


    Everybody nodded one after another, not doubting He Yiming¡¯s words at all.


    For them, attaining the seventhyer from the sixthyer within a single year was already astonishing. As for attaining the seventhyer in half a year, that was just too far away from their imagination. It was something iprehensible to them.


    He Quanming stepped forward and lightly patted his son on shoulder, with his eyes full of arrogance. However, calming down after a short while, he curiously asked:


    ¡°Yiming, how did ovee the bottleneck of the sixthyer?¡±


    He Yiming seemed to be seriously thinking before he shrugged and said: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Everyone sighed inwardly. He Yiming¡¯s luck was indeed not bad. The difficulty of passing the bottleneck varied from person to person. Some, like He Yiming, were able to indescribably pass through. However, a lot more found themselves stuck at this step and remained stuck for their entire life.


    He Quanming¡¯s brows slightly creased as he asked:


    ¡°What you used just now was the Rolling Boulder Fist, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, your employment of Rolling Boulder Fist has already attained the peak realm since you can use it as per your wish. What¡¯s this about?¡± He Quanming asked in a puzzled manner.


    He Yiming heart sank. This was indeed wed. Under the several heated gazes on him, he pondered for a bit, then bluntly said:


    ¡°I also don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. I learned this fist technique in a single go.¡±


    He Quanming¡¯s vision suddenly turned queer as he asked:


    ¡°Learned in a single go? You suddenly grasped the true essence and attained the peak of the battle skill of thisyer?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±, He Yiming forced the words out. Since anything he said wouldn¡¯t make much sense anyway, he decided to let out a bit of truth.


    Everybody looked at each other¡¯s faces. If not for a living example in front of their eyes, they would never have believed such a thing.


    After quite a while, He Wude said with a deep sigh:


    ¡°Yiming¡¯s bodyposition particrly conforms to the metal type techniques. Whether it¡¯s cultivation techniques or battle skills, it holds true in either case. Such a talent emerging in our He family is nothing but our ancestor¡¯s blessings.¡±


    Subsequently, upon thinking about He Yiming¡¯s performance nine years ago, their final shreds of doubts were resolved.


    Nine years ago, before hitting the bottleneck of the fifthyer while cultivating the Primordial Energy, He Yiming had seemed to be riding on the wind as he improved at a lightning fast speed. Even He Yitian, in his childhood, was far inferior to the former.


    He Yiming remained stuck at the bottleneck of the fifthyer for several years, but it instead seemed to have tempered him. Therefore, once he broke through, as if finally setting about after a rigorous preparation, he was currently unstoppable.


    He Quanxin faintly nodded and said, ¡°Good. Seventhyer Internal Energy and seventhyer¡¯s peak battle skill. Our He family¡¯s third generation now has another seventhyer cultivator.¡±


    He Quanming¡¯s brows slightly rose up as he said:


    ¡°Three months ago, Xu family¡¯s Xu fourth broke through the eighthyer and attained the ninthyer. During this time period, Xu family have been extremely haughty. I wonder what would be their reaction upon hearing about He Yiming.¡±


    He Wude coarselyughed and said, ¡°Quanming, you need not worry. The Xu-fourth, Xu Right, has attained the ninthyer after the age of forty. If he doesn¡¯te across a heaven defying fortune in his life, he won¡¯t be able to improve further at all.¡±, He nced at He Quanxin before continuing, ¡°Your eldest brother although is not young, he has already been at the ninthyer for several years. Perhaps in another ten years, he will have an opportunity to break through. Once our He family produces another tenthyer cultivator, in the overall scene of Tai Cang county, Xu family and Cheng family would no longer have the qualifications to challenge our He family.¡±


    The Lord Master¡¯s voice was brimming with joy. He family¡¯s current situation was indeed due to his many years of hard work. During the course of events, he naturally had some scuffles with the local tyrant namely the Xu family and Cheng family. Although, currently, these matters had diluted for the most part and He family estate had firmly found its footing in the Tai Cang county, during the initial years, Xu family and Cheng family did try topletely press the He family down. Therefore, now, He Wude definitely wouldn¡¯t be courteous.


    Everyone sounded their agreements, with their eyes having a trace of anticipation and heartfelt joy.


    Suddenly, a sound of bell rang in the estate. He Wude raised his head and thought for a bit before saying:


    ¡°Yiming¡¯s matter, for the time being, need not be disclosed.¡±


    He Quanxin and the rest started for a moment, but not daring to question the Lord Master¡¯s words, they helplessly sounded their agreements in a low voices.


    He Wude stood up while saying:


    ¡°It¡¯s already dark. We will go to dinner.¡±


    Under He Wude¡¯s guidance, they arrived in the main hall.


    The rules in the He family were quite strict. Even the wives of He Quanxin and his two brothers were not allowed to sit together. Even the opportunities every year to meet the children, after they turned five years old, were not much either.


    This all was done to improve their self-disciplinary capabilities. Not allowing them to meet their parents frequently, allowed them to walk much farther on the path of cultivation.


    He Wude made himselffortable on his seat before the rest sat down on their seats.


    They awaited the Lord Father to pick up his chopsticks. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t dare eat even if they happened to be hungry.


    To the surprise of everybody, He Wude didn¡¯t begin like he did usually. He swept his gaze through the people before saying: ¡°Yiming,e here.¡±


    He Yiming stood up from his seat and arrived before his grandfather, ¡°Grandfather, what are your instructions?¡±


    He Wude faintly smiled, turned his head, and nodded once towards He Quanyi. Thetter, tacitly understanding, ordered a servant to ce another seat.


    The faces of everyone immediately turned different shades.


    Originally, there were only five principal seats. Apart from the Lord Master himself, there was only the second generation and the third generation¡¯s He Yitian.


    Even the rest two members of the third generation who had attained the sixthyer, He Yihai and He Yixuan, didn¡¯t have the qualifications for this seat.


    However, looking at He Wude¡¯s such an attitude, even an idiot could understand the intent.


    He Wude pointed towards the seat and said: ¡°Yiming, from today, this is your seat¡­.¡±


    After being surprised for a short while, He Yiming absent-mindedly sat down under the vision of everybody.


    The vision on him had astonishment and awe, joy and excitement, but, unavoidably, also some envy and frustration.


    Especially He Yizhang, the sense of loss in his eyes was clearly visible.


    Focussing back on himself, He Yiming couldn¡¯t describe what he was feeling. However, he was certain of one thing.The difference between him and Yizhang would only continue to grow, and their paths would also never cross again in this life¡­..

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 29 - Xiantian Battle Skill

    Chapter-29 Xiantian Battle Skill


    After the dinner, He Wude shared the news of Yiming¡¯s breakthrough with the core members of the younger generation and asked them not to disclose it.


    When they found out that He Yiming had actually attained the seventhyer, they immediately understood why had the Lord Master treated him so favourably and allowed him to sit on the principal seat before their two brothers who were elder than him.


    A seventhyer cultivator, and on top of that, a barely fourteen year old youngster; if such a matter leaked outside, it would storm the entire Tai Cang county.


    Three months ago, Xu-fourth attained the ninthyer. However, inparison, He Yiming attaining the seventhyer would certainly cause a much bigger sensation.


    After all, Xu Right attained the ninthyer past the age of forty, which estimated thisyer to be the final step for him. However, He Yiming was different. A fourteen year old, seventhyer cultivator; the potential of such an individual simply couldn¡¯t be measured. No one could say how far will he go in the end, but attaining the eighthyer in the next ten years was almost certain.


    In other words, he was undoubtedly a future tenthyer cultivator.


    After disclosing this matter and concluding the banquet, He Wude yet again brought the rest to his courtyard.


    Upon returning, he asked in an amiable manner: ¡°Yiming, how is your cultivation of that [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] going?¡±


    ¡°I have learned six forms. Although I wouldn¡¯t dare say mastering the forms, but I should be able to use them somewhat.¡± He Yiming respectfully said.


    He Wude nodded with satisfaction:


    ¡°That¡¯s a Xiantian battle skill for you. Being able to use it after mere six months is already amazing. Quanyi, go train with Yiming. Let¡¯s take a look, in the end, what exactly is the might of a Xiantian battle skill.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±, He Quanyi faintly smiled and stepped towards He Yiming. Both of his hands were behind him, however, the aura around his body exploded like that of a rising sun on its own.


    He Quanyi, like He Yihai, was a cultivator of fire type techniques. However, inparison, he was much more experienced and his Internal Energy was at the eighthyer. Although, like He Yihai, he didn¡¯t have an imposing aura like that of surging oceans of fire, the feeling of omnipresence he emanated was far out of He Yihai¡¯s reach.


    Upon looking at He Yiming¡¯s stance of Rolling Boulder Fist he¡¯d just assumed, He Wude¡¯s brows slightly creased as he said:


    ¡°Yiming, use Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms.¡±


    He Quanyi¡¯s eyebrows faintly rose and his splendour reached the clouds as he said:


    ¡°Yiming, don¡¯t hesitate using your full strength. No need to be courteous.¡±


    Yiming forced out augh. The old man didn¡¯t know but he was extremely clear on this technique¡¯s might. In his opinion, even fighting a higher level cultivator and achieving victory was not difficult.


    If he truly used this technique with full might, his third uncle might not be able to preserve.


    He Yiming took a deep breath and circted his Internal Energy, instantly attaining the seventhyer of the metal-type Primordial Energy. Feeling the circting Internal Energy, he raised his both hands high above, and at the same time, emanated an intense, substantial aura.


    ¡°Third uncle, please take care.¡±


    None as exception, the expressions of He Wude and the rest changed slightly. Even the Lord Master had never expected that conforming a Xiantian battle skill to the seventhyer of metal-type Internal Energy could actually bring forth such an aura.


    The smile on the face of He Quanyi had long since vanished. His face had a grave expression, which was a stark contrast to the carefree expression he¡¯d previously.


    He Yiming had not even struck, yet the rest indescribably felt themselves tensing up.


    He Quanyi¡¯s legs aligned themselves in a position that resembled the character ¡®°Ë¡®, and his hands faintly waved around his body. From his manner, he was clearly using a profound battle skill. This technique must focussed on the defensive power. A wisp of Internal Energy rippled around his body, seeming like a thick, hard shell covering his body.


    He didn¡¯t go on offense; firstly, he cultivated defensive techniques for the most part, and secondly, he knew that the old man wanted to test the might of a technique. Therefore, he was focussingpletely on defense.


    Everybody could see Yiming¡¯s figure, yet everyone had different feelings about it.


    Upon substituting themselves in He Quanyi¡¯s position, they unexpectedly discovered that He Yiming¡¯s stance seemed full of holes, but the aura corresponding to it actually had an air of never retreat, only forward as if wishing to be a broken jade rather than an intact earthen-tile. (Tl: Death rather than disgrace.)


    Standing in front of the current He Yiming, none of them could have brought themselves to attack him.


    This feeling was so intense that even He Wude felt a chill in his heart.


    He suddenly realized that his grandson had not just mechanically memorized this battle skill, instead he was thoroughly disying both the battle skill¡¯s essence and a sort of unparalleled vehemence that only a Xiantian battle skill could contain.


    Even though his strength was inferior to his opponent, with respect to the aura, he didn¡¯t lose out one bit.


    The only thing they couldn¡¯t understand was that how He Yiming could grasp the true essence of a Xiantian battle skill as well? Could it be¡­.


    Practically at the same time, the same thought appeared in the minds of all the individuals present.


    Could it be¡­.Yiming truly was a super genius with respect to metal type techniques? Furthermore, the extent of his talent had already stepped beyond their understanding?


    He Wude and his descendants subconsciously nced at each other. Surprisingly, from each other¡¯s eyes, they were able to mutually confirm their notion. The Lord Father¡¯s eyes increasingly gleamed as he watched. A deeply buried wish, which he thought he would never be able to see being fulfilled with his own eyes, started to brew despite his attempts.


    He Yiming raised his left foot while his right leg stood firm like Mount Tai. However, his calf and thigh muscles were intensely trembling.


    After a few trembles, surprisingly, from the bottom, arge amount of Internal Energy began to spread around in his body. An ordinary person may not understand, but the individuals present here were all at or above the seventhyer. From the intensity of trembling, they could feel that this Internal Energy would definitely produce an iparable might.


    He Quanyi¡¯s face turned turned even more solemn. He was not prepared for such an unorthodox move at all.


    Suddenly pushing with his right leg, He Yiming¡¯s left leg swiftly stepped out. As a shooting star catching up to the moon, he arrived in front of his third uncle.


    Just in a single step, as if a streaking bird, he had already covered the distance between him and his third uncle


    His both hands, which were raised high above, chopped down on his third uncle.


    This strike was as quick as lightning. Assuming him and Quanyi as two points, former¡¯s one step had been along the the line joining the two, not deviating in the slightest. Moreover, the stance he had assumed seemed to have further aroused his spirits to the extreme. His two palms, as if two giant hammers splitting apart a mountain, resolutely smashed downwards.


    He Quanyi¡¯s countenance eventually changed, and an appalled expression surfaced in his eyes.


    So powerful; it¡¯s actually this powerful. Could such a might still be corresponded to the seventhyer Internal Energy?


    Having already spent half of his lifetime, he¡¯d experienced life-and-death battles and the might of his old man¡¯s tenthyer Internal Energy. However, he had to admit, he¡¯d never ever seen such a frightening battle skill. This battle skill emanated a feeling of staking everything on a single move. Furthermore, those two arms, which seemed to have turned into iron des that could split apart anything, actually evoked a feeling of impending death in him.


    His two fists rapidly whirled across his chest. At the most critical juncture, He Quanyi instead threw out the fear from his heart, and the aura around his body turned extremely scalding. Disying his several decades of fire type techniques¡¯ cultivation, his entire being turned into a burning sphere in the perception of others.


    However, He Yiming¡¯s two sessive palm strikes, as if huge des chopping down on a bundle of firewoods, forcibly split apart the sphere.


    Along with a loud explosion, He Quanyi¡¯s figure flew out like a snapped off kite.


    With a sh, his old man¡¯s figure appeared, and with just a stretch of hand, counteracted the Internal Energy on his body. However, the enormity of the strength behind was far beyond what He Wude had expected, and even he was forced a slight retreat as hended on the ground with He Quanyi.


    He Yiming pulled his hands back and stood with an astonished expression in his eyes.


    Just now, he¡¯d used the sixth form of the [Mountain Splitting Thirty Six Forms] along with the seventhyer Primordial Energy, which could be regarded as the maximum might he could exhibit at the seventhyer.


    He originally thought that even against an eighthyer cultivator, he would be able to stood his ground. However, he never anticipated that the might of this skill would be so formidable that under its oppression his third uncle wouldn¡¯t even be able to dodge and instead would be forced to stake his all. Furthermore, even after staking his all, he would be sted away without being able to resist at all.


    The seventhyer and battle skill actually sted away an eighthyer cultivator. Furthermore, from He Quanyi¡¯s paleplexion, it was clear that he¡¯d suffered an internal injury. Such sort of result was truly a bit too terrifying.


    All the visions once again concentrated on He Yiming. Even his own father, He Quanming, was astonished.


    His move¡¯s might, although may not able to frighten heavens and tremble earth, it was enough for everybody to raise their evaluation of him to another height.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 30 - The Truth Straightaway

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    Facing the vision of everybody, He Yiming forced out augh while scratching his said before he said in an innocent voice:


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me. It was Grandfather and third uncle who asked me to use all of my strength.¡±


    In his mind, he supplemented, ¡®Really fortunate that I judged the situation correctly and didn¡¯t truly use my full strength. Otherwise, if I had used my best move, the eighth form with the eighthyer Internal Energy, third uncle wouldn¡¯t have just been simply sted away.


    As his vision found his eldest uncle, he suddenly had a thought, ¡®Since I can fight someone at a higheryer relying on this battle skill, wouldn¡¯t it mean my true strength is on par with the eldest uncle? It might be even above¡­.. Could it be¡­I have unwittingly turned into the number two expert of the family¡­.¡¯


    However, this thought just surfaced in his mind for an instant. He had no interest in going before his eldest uncle and fight for this title.


    Everybody withdrew their gazes, with expressions of not knowing whether tough or to cry.


    He Wude extended his hand and patted He Quanyi a few times; so as to assist him clearing a few blocked channels.


    After a while, He Quanyi painfully coughed a few times before waving his hand and saying:


    ¡°Father, I am all right. It¡¯s nothing; my internal organs have received a shock, that¡¯s all. Cultivating three or five days would do.¡±


    He Wude heavily sighed and said:


    ¡°I truly didn¡¯t expect that this battle skill¡¯s might would be so formidable. If used with full strength, I¡¯m afraid even Quanxin would have paid dearly due to being caught off guard.¡±


    Quanxin deeply nodded. He was inplete agreement. If He Yiming had suddenly used this form on him, he very likely would have been caught off guard. However, his strength was much higher than his third brother, therefore, he wouldn¡¯t have been in such a sorry state.


    As one went higher in the Internal Energy cultivation, the increase in difficulty also became equally higher. However, likewise, the higher one went, the disparity in levels also became equally higher.


    This stance could send He Quanyi flying. However, if He Yiming hade across He Quanxin, even causing thetter to take one step back would have been amazing in itself, and on the contrary, the former might even have suffered the bacsh due to the exceedingly formidable Internal Energy of He Quanxin.


    He Wude turned his head and looked at an awkward He Yiming; his gaze full of appreciation.


    This grandson of his had not only stepped beyond his expectations in the Internal Energy cultivation, but even more so in the cultivation of battle skills, thetter had already attained an inconceivable realm.


    However, he was also clear that He Yiming being able to exhibit such strong might had to do with the Xiantian battle skill as well. Otherwise, relying on themon battle skills in the He family¡¯s Book Pavilion,tter would have been absolutely incapable of reaching such a level.


    At this moment, he even began to envy He Yiming. In the He family manor, thetter was the only person who could cultivate metal-type techniques. None of the rest, including him, had metal-type Internal Energy.


    He Wude said with a deep sigh: ¡°Yiming, you have done very well.¡±


    He Yiming promptly bowed his head and said:


    ¡°Grandfather, your grandson didn¡¯t injure third uncle intentionally.¡±


    He Wude couldn¡¯t help butugh before he said:


    ¡°I am aware. This is not to be med on you.¡±


    Only then Yiming rxed. He looked at He Quanyi, who had his brows slightly creased, before cautiously asking:


    ¡°Third uncle, how about I first take you back to recuperate?¡±


    He Quanyi, not having a good mood, red at him and said:


    ¡°Yiming, your third uncle is not so weak. It¡¯s nothing more than a slight, insignificant internal injury.


    Looking at the dense beads of sweat covering his face, He Yiming sweated profusely, ¡®This is called as insignificant?¡¯


    He Quanxin stepped forward and gently kneaded He Quanyi¡¯s back, pouring a thick Internal Energy into his body, which began to slowly circte in his meridians.


    He Quanyi straightened his body, and his breathing, which seemed somewhat quickened, began to slowly stabilize.


    As He Yiming quietly observed their actions, he suddenly had a sh of realization.


    His father, He Quanming, primarily cultivated in wood-type techniques. ording to the theory of five phases, wood could birth fire. Furthermore, in five phases techniques, wood-type techniques were the best for treatment, and their effect was much potent even than the water-type techniques.


    Therefore, after receiving treatment from his father, his third uncle felt immediately better, and thetter¡¯s internal injuries also seemed to have pacified somewhat.


    Inparison, his grandfather and eldest uncle although had Internal Energies that were iparable to his father¡¯s, neither of them cultivated in wood type techniques. Thus, they could only watch from the sidelines with their hands tied.


    After another short while, He Quanming withdrew his hands. A trace of red could be seen on He Quanyi¡¯s face, and by his appearance, he didn¡¯t seem ill anymore.


    Thetter stood perfectly straight as he sincerely said:


    ¡°Yiming, this move of yours is truly dreadful. Your third uncle had already exerted his entire strength but still failed to resist. Xiantian battle skills are actually this ferocious.¡±


    He Wude lightly sighed and said:


    ¡°Xiantian battle skills are the battle skills cultivated by those strong people. Their might is obviously far iparable to ordinary battle skills. Unfortunately, among us, Yiming is the only one who cultivates in metal-type techniques. Otherwise, allowing others to try their luck would have been possible.¡±


    Upon hearing these words, everybody was quite moved. Especially He Yitian; seeing that his sixth brother was actually this strong, all sorts of feelings welled up inside him. After hearing his grandfather¡¯s evaluation, he actually felt like discarding his current primary cultivation technique and turn towards metal-type techniques.


    He Yiming blinked his eyes. He¡¯d suddenly recalled that during today¡¯s Skill Competition, he had used water-type Ripple technique together with the metal-type Rolling Boulder Fist. Although that was the result of a sudden inspiration he¡¯d felt, the might it produced was not bad at all.


    After a slight hesitation, he asked:


    ¡°Grandfather, must [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] be only cultivated with a metal type primary cultivation technique? Using it with other techniques could at least be tried, right?¡±


    The eyes of He Quanxin and the rest simultaneously shined. Although they know that chances of such a thing happening were not much, after seeing this technique¡¯s might, who would not be tempted?


    The several visions simultaneously turned towards He Wude, hoping to hear the good news from his mouth.


    He Wude bitterlyughed before he said:


    ¡°Put a rein on your imagination. This is but a Xiantian battle skill. Not to mention the fact that the cultivators who don¡¯t cultivate metal-type techniques as their primary techniques are eternally unable to grasp the mysteries within, even among the cultivators who cultivates a required technique, you may not find a single one who is able toprehend such a technique in a hundred of them.


    As everybody heard these words, their spirits greatly diminished. All of them knew that the Lord Father wouldn¡¯t fool with them on such an important matter.


    He Wude patted He Yiming¡¯s shoulders and said:


    ¡°The difficulty of cultivating a Xiantian battle skill cannot bepared to that of ordinary battle skills. You can attain such a level on your own without any guidance is absolutely genius.¡±


    He Yiming embarrassedly smiled. Regarding this assessment, he was extremely ashamed in his mind.


    As if suddenly recalling something, He Wude¡¯s smile gradually disappeared and was reced a solemn expression as he said:


    ¡°Yiming, while cultivating this technique, did you run into any troublesome difficulty?¡±


    Under such a solemn vision, He Yiming couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous. Giving it a serious thought, he firmly shook his head after a while, ¡°Grandfather, your grandson didn¡¯t run into any difficulties at all.¡±


    He Wude pondered for a bit before suspiciously asking:


    ¡°In that case, while cultivating this technique, did you feel anything strange?¡±


    This time, He Yiming indeed nodded his head right away.


    ¡°What is it?¡±, He Wude impatiently asked. Even the rest also stood with rapt attention, wishing to hear He Yiming speak of his experiences.


    Under the numerous gazes, He Yiming straightened his chest and said in a clear voice:


    ¡°Learning this battle skill was very easy; possible to master in a single go.¡±


    He Wude couldn¡¯t help but purse his lips up, He Quanxin and the rest two sucked in a cold breath, and He Yitian ashamedly lowered his head.


    With frozen expressions, they looked at each other¡¯s faces with resentment in eyes.


    The hardships, pain, and strain of cultivating battle skills couldn¡¯t be inferior to that of the Internal Energy cultivation.


    And even this was only formon battle skills. For a Xiantian battle skill, the difficulty would surely be two folds, or three folds¡­or might even be ten folds higher.


    If not for these circumstances, within He family manor, there wouldn¡¯t have been the rule that forbade the cultivation of battle skills before the sixthyer. Furthermore, among the majority of cultivators, those who¡¯d not been deemed to have less future prospects in terms of Internal Energy cultivation, wouldn¡¯t likely cultivate battle skills with all their efforts.


    He Wude and the rest might have cultivated all five types of battle skills, but the time they spent on the same couldn¡¯t bepared to that of the Internal energy cultivation one whit.


    It could be said that the cultivators who had been able to attain the realmsparable to theirs had certainly suffered the pain of cultivating battle skills.


    However, He Yiming was different. Although he¡¯d suffered the pain of being stuck at a singleyer in the Internal Energy cultivation, as far as the cultivation of battle skills goes, he had apletely smooth journey and hadn¡¯t felt the least bit of hindrance. Thus, he was absolutely incapable of experiencing what these individuals were feeling. Furthermore, in his opinion, his words were the truth; the truth that came from the bottom of his heart.


    It was just that this truth was a bit too much to handle for these people.


    After a short while, He Wude said with a deep sigh:


    ¡°Yitian, Yiming, you can leave first.¡±


    He Yiming and his brother both sounded their agreements and left side by side.


    Looking at their retreating figures, He Wude said:


    ¡°Quanxin, from today, you need not monitor Yiming¡¯s cultivation anymore. Whether he wants to seclude himself for one year, or he wants to go out to amuse himself, you need not interfere. Let him decide everything at his own convenience.¡±


    Quanxin said with a bit of hesitation:


    ¡°Father, Yiming is only fourteen, if allowed to do as he pleases, I¡¯m afraid he will step on the wrong way.¡±


    He Wude¡¯s lips curled down a bit as he said:


    ¡°Not likely. I have faith in Yiming. He is a genius; a genius who is beyond our imagination. For such a genius, our experience is nothing but a rope, and he shouldn¡¯t be restrained in the slightest. Like an eagle, he should be provided freedom to soar in the sky. Only then he would be able to improve the fastest and not follow in our footsteps.


    He Quanxin and his two brothers exchanged nces with each other. Recalling the words He Yiming had just said, all of them silently gave a slight nod.


    He Wude took a few steps and walked out of the building. Looking towards the sky, he murmured:


    ¡°There is still sixteen years left before Yiming turns thirty. Within these sixteen years, can Yiming breakthrough the tenthyer and advance to Xiantian¡­.¡±


    Behind him, the three brothers once again exchanged nces with each other; their eyes full of anticipation.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 31 - Jealousy

    ¡°Yiming, thank you.¡±


    After walking out of the courtyard alongside He Yiming, He Yitian suddenly stopped walking and solemnly said.


    He Yiming astoundedly turned his head and puzzledly looked towards the former before asking:


    ¡°Eldest brother, why are thanking me?¡±


    ¡°During the Skill Competition, fortunately, you didn¡¯t use this Xiantian battle skill. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been me just admitting defeat.¡±


    He Yitian said with a bitter smile.


    Indeed. After experiencing the might of [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms], He Yitian didn¡¯t have a shred of doubt. He was clear that if he had been in ce of his third uncle, he certainly wouldn¡¯t have been able toe out in one piece.


    He Yiming rolled his eyes and said with a straightforward smile, ¡°Eldest brother, you must be joking. We are brothers, and exchanging pointers between brothers is in no way some life and death battle. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t use Xiantian battle skill¡±, Pausing for a bit, He Yiming then suddenly asked, ¡°Eldest brother, you know what are Xiantian battle skills?¡±


    He Yitian hesitated a bit before saying:


    ¡°Once grandfather unintentionally revealed that Xiantian battle skills are considered as the techniques of Xiantian cultivators. Such sort of techniques im extremely high aptitude and are not something ordinary people could sessfully cultivate.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s both eyes shined as he hurriedly asked:


    ¡°How are Xiantian cultivators different from us?¡±


    Faintly shaking his head, He Yitian said:


    ¡°Sixth brother, grandfather said that before reaching the adulthood, it would be better to not know.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± He Yiming puzzledly asked.


    ¡°Because before adulthood, stabilizing the mind is not easy. But then again, before adulthood, when one¡¯s mind is at its purest, is also the most optimal time,¡± He Yitian paused before continuing, ¡°Grandfather once said that some big influential families absolutely don¡¯t allow their children to cultivate battle skills before the age of twenty, so that they could have the best achievements in the Internal Energy cultivation. Although our family is not that strict, grandfather doesn¡¯t wish us to know too much, and thus, end up affecting our state of mind.¡±


    He Yiming immediately understood and nodded his head. He¡¯d directly experienced this matter. Back in the day, him being stuck at the bottleneck of the fifthyer had a lot to do with other¡¯s expectations on him, weighing down on him like a mountain. It had started to restrain him, making it impossible for him to break through.


    In the same way, if everyone was informed that in case they attained the sixthyer after the age of fifteen, they would not have much achievement in the Internal Energy cultivation, he could absolutely guarantee that not a single one in the third generation could attain the sixthyer smoothly.


    With a sincere smile, He Yitian said, ¡°Yiming, before your mindpletely stabilizes, don¡¯t aim too high,¡± he deeply sighed before continuing, ¡°Xiantian cultivators are truly too distant from us.¡±


    He Yiming was slightly moved as he said:


    ¡°Eldest brother, I am also clear. Xiantian cultivators are even above grandfather in terms of Internal Energy, isn¡¯t that so?¡±


    He Yitian faintly started before saying with a bitter smile:


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Indeed, after knowing the existence of such individuals, it¡¯s not hard to guess.¡±


    He slightly pursed his lips as if thinking something before eventually saying:


    ¡°Sixth brother, grandfather has very high expectations of both of us. He hopes that we will be able to step into the Xiantian realm. However, as far as I know, I basically have no chance of doing so. Our He family¡¯s future hopes rely on you alone.¡±


    He Yiming promptly waved his hand and said:


    ¡°What are saying, eldest brother? Who can be certain about the future? If you truly didn¡¯t have any chance, grandfather and the eldest uncle would have given up long ago. You need to get yourself together.¡±


    He pondered a short while with head down before smilingly nodding. However, on the inside, he was still depressed as before.


    The brothers parted their ways, and He Yitian returned back to his courtyard. The first thing he did was to train his fist techniques a few times. However, his mind was bing increasingly restless, and he was unable to find that previous, Mount Tai like calm and steady feeling.


    He knew that this was the change his envious heart had brought upon him.


    For his sixth brother, who had emerged as a new force, his heart had indescribably birthed an intense, hard-to-describe envy.


    At this moment, he somewhat understood why would his fifth brother, Yizhang, be hostile to his sixth brother in such a way.


    His sixth brother had attained the fifthyer before the former. He didn¡¯t understand it when he¡¯d not gone through such an experience, but now he knew. So it turned out that human heart could actually birth envy so easily, and even more so due to the aplishments of people close to you.


    He sighed deeply, clearly knowing that his state of mind had somehow be twisted. He was also aware that such a state of mind was as deadly as poison for him. If he couldn¡¯t rectify it, he shouldn¡¯t be thinking of making any breakthrough in the Internal Energy cultivation.


    However being aware is one thing and truly aplishing is another. He restlessly walked in the training room, incapable of pacifying his thoughts.


    Suddenly the bell in the training room rang up, startling him. He immediately left the training room and opened the main door, only to see his father, He Quanxin, standing outside.


    He promptly weed his father in and said:


    ¡°Father, why have youe?¡±


    He Quanxin faintly smiled as he looked at his son with a gaze that possessed worldly wisdom and ability to see through. Under his gaze, He Yitian actually felt as if his thoughts were out in front. He lowered his head while feeling apprehensive inside.


    He Quanxin suddenly asked:


    ¡°Yitian, are you depressed because Yiming has surpassed you?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± He immediately shook his head. However, even he himself was not convinced of his words.


    He Quanxin sighed and said:


    ¡°Yitian, how do you feel my rtionship with your third uncle and second uncle is?¡±


    He Yitian thought for a bit and said, ¡°Extremely good.¡±


    ¡°Correct, it¡¯s indeed extremely good,¡± The smile on the face of He Quanxinpletely vanished before he calmly said, ¡°However, when we were young, we also had arguments and even treated each other as strangers.¡±


    He Yitian astonishedly opened his mouth, wishing to speak. He had faintly guessed something but couldn¡¯t be certain.


    He Quanxin nodded and said:


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you guessed right. Back in the day, your father¡¯s cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, far away from their reach. Therefore, they were envious of your father, and it almost separated us.¡±


    He Yitian astoundedly asked:


    ¡°Then what happened afterward?¡±


    ¡°Afterward¡­ your second and third uncles figured out. They acknowledged their eldest brother and took the responsibilities of the trifling matters in the estate and the business in the city, allowing me to wholeheartedly cultivate. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach my current realm.¡±


    He Yitian¡¯s face was a shade of red and green. He understood the intent behind his father¡¯s words. However, even though he had the notion, how could he instantly change? He once again lowered his head in silence.


    With his intelligence, he was aware that his father¡¯s toned down words concealed a sort of helpless and sad feeling.


    Acknowledging¡­. how could such a matter be easy?


    Since he was in the same position as his second and third uncle were back then, he understood how difficult it was to acknowledge.


    He Quanxin¡¯s gaze softened as he said:


    ¡°Your grandfather, all alone, arrived in the Tang Cang county andid down such a strong foundation for the family. Even to this day, Xu family and Cheng family are stalking us from the sidelines. They both are big influential families, the roots of which goes way past several hundreds of years and foundation immeasurably and unimaginably deep. Our He family must be united if we want to survive. We cannot have internal strifes because of selfish motives.¡±


    He Yitian respectfully said :


    ¡°I understand, father.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand,¡± He Quanxin solemnly said, ¡°When the war break breaks out outside, if He family¡¯s younger generation can¡¯t twist together to form a rope, what awaits us will be nothing but destruction.¡±


    He Yitian¡¯s body slightly trembled before he abruptly raised his head and said:


    ¡°Father¡­.¡±


    He Quanxin waved his hand and continued, ¡°If He family truly copses, you think Xu family and Cheng family would be lenient?¡±


    He Yitian¡¯s face twitched a few times as his fists clenched.


    He Quanxin turned around, his voice turning extremely soft yet carrying a strange force:


    ¡°Yitian, as the eldest member of the third generation, you should be extremely clear on what you need to do. Back in the day, the few words that your grandfather said to your second and third uncle, I pass them onto you today. If there is He family estate, we can have all the power, pleasures, glory at the flip of the hand. If there is no He family estate¡­.how will eggs grow under a broken nest.


    Watching his father¡¯s swiftly retreating figure, He Yitian silently pondered for a while. His state of mind intensely fluctuated, as if he¡¯d once again returned back to today¡¯s Skill Competition.


    After witnessing his sixth brother¡¯s advancement speed and [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms], he suddenly had a heavy, powerless feeling. Especially, within the third generation, he was a crane among a group of chickens. However, once this feeling of superiority was taken away from him, his self-confidence suffered a devastating blow.


    However, at this moment, a different notion had appeared in his mind. If his sixth brother could truly breakthrough into the XIantian realm in future, would there still be a power that could contend He family?


    These words were not blurted out merely on a spur. After a long time, he let out a long sigh. Although he couldn¡¯t transform his way of thinking in a short term, he¡¯d started to work towards it.


    Simrly, he also understood that once he¡¯d figured it out, it would also prove highly beneficial to his future cultivation.


    Looking towards his sixth brother¡¯s residence, He Yitian bitterly smiled. This was perhaps a physiological barrier he must ovee.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 32 - Eighth Layer Bottleneck

    He Yiming didn¡¯t know how enormous of a change the new year¡¯s Skill Competition would bring for him.


    Since that day, his status indescribably had a huge change. He could even feel that in his grandfather¡¯s eyes, he had already reced his eldest brother¡¯s position.


    This kind of feeling made him quite apprehensive. Especially, the faint hostility he felt from his eldest brother made him even more worried.


    Being a fourteen year old youngster, such a change, which was rted to the ways of world, gave him quite a headache. Moreover, he had no way to rectify the situation.


    After all, if not for the encounter in theke, he would have still been an ordinary youngster. And how many of the ordinary youngsters could deal with such a messy situation?


    Thereupon, he opted for the simplest of the alternatives. He once again secluded himself.


    He was extremely thorough with this time¡¯s seclusion.


    Apart from the servants bringing him daily food and recement of clothes, hepletely isted himself in his room.


    Of course, evading the strange atmosphere in the manor was one of the reasons, but the principal cause was that he wished to attack the Xiantian realm his brother had spoken of.


    After that discussion, he had no doubt that the cultivators of the Xiantian realm were above his grandfather in terms of cultivation. For him, this was a new discovery and also a new objective. After discovering the existence of such a realm, his heart was extremely moved.


    His thoughts had never been so stirred, even when he was stuck at the fifthyer and trying every means possible to break through. Neither did he long for that as much.


    He had a vague feeling that after receiving the fortune inke, if he did not strive and advance to the Xiantian realm, he would surely suffer the retribution of heavens.


    Day passed away like seconds, marking the end of approximately another half a year.


    In his training room, He Yiming was sitting crossed-legged. His palms, feet, and head maintained a certain orientation, representing the stance of Five Cores Towards The Sky.1


    In his body, the Primordial Energy was surging and flowing, likeke water, following the course of the eighthyer.


    After a short while, he suddenly sprang to his feet, extended both of his hands, and as gently as silk, waved his hands, employing the Silk Palm. His whole being, seeming like the gluten, emanated a soft and gentle feeling. However, this soft and gentle feeling had the strong and indestructible metal-type Internal Energy behind it.


    During the Skill Competition, He Yiming, through a lucky break, was able to conform water-type internal Energy to the Rolling Boulder Fist, which resulted in an unimaginable might.


    He Yihai¡¯s sixthyer, fire-type technique was actually unable to restrain the Rolling Boulder Fist of that moment, which nobody could understand no matter how they tired to think. However, after He Yiming revealed the seventhyer Internal Energy and the might of [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms], everyone was convinced.


    However, only He Yiming knew that him gaining the upper hand during his fight with He Yihai had nothing to do with his Internal Energy or Xiantian battle skill. Instead, it was the result of him fusing metal and water, the two different type of techniques, together.


    During these six months, after experimenting countless times, he eventually understood that when two distinct type of techniques are conformed to each other, the might produced is often times simply unimaginable. However, the thing he doubted was why his grandfather and other elders seemed clueless about this. They had never mentioned anything such as this to him.


    As his palm softly and lightly fluttered in the air, he arrived before the flexible wall, and in a seemingly casual way, struck ahead.


    The strike didn¡¯t produce any sound, as if it hadn¡¯t hit anything and the wall didn¡¯t seem to have moved either. However, when He Yiming raised his palm from the wall, the surface had one more palm impression.


    This palm impression was extremely clear. Even the hand lines could be clearly seen, as if the wall wasn¡¯t made of steel, but mud.


    Of course, the impression was not deep. It still hadn¡¯t reached the level of the ninth level, but had already reached that of the eighthyer¡¯s peak. Even He Quanming and He Quanyi, the two brothers, might not be able to easily leave behind such a clear impression on a wall made of steel like this.


    In the Internal Energy cultivation, the difficulty of further improvement became increasingly hard, but so did the corresponding might. At the eighthyer, the impression left behind was far iparable to a mere dent.


    He Yiming slowly exhaled the impure qi in his chest. His eyes shined, knowing that currently, he had officially attained the peak of the eighthyer.


    Half a year, once again, just half a year was all he took to attain the peak of theyer he resided. This kind of speed just couldn¡¯t be said as monstrous or frightening anymore, it was simply demonic. If He Yiming was not certain that he had not grown another hand, arms, or anything else, even he would have doubted if he was still a regr human.


    ording to his father and other elders, the time required to attain the peak of the eighthyer from its initial stage should be estimated in a unit of years. Moreover, this unit should at least contain two figures.


    In other words, even a genius would require ten years or more before advancing the Internal Energy from the beginning of the eighthyer to its peak.


    On this point, even his exceedingly talented grandfather and eldest uncle were the same.


    However, at this moment, He Yiming was hundred percent certain that he had truly attained the peak of the eighthyer and had touched the bottleneck. Because regardless of whichever technique he cultivated, his Internal Energy didn¡¯t improve at all. This was precisely the feeling he would have while touching a bottleneck.


    Faintly shaking his head, he threw out the strange feelings in his mind. He was extremely pleased as he looked at the clear impression on the wall. The eighthyer was so powerful, then what about the ninthyer, or the tenthyer? One step further, if he could attain the Xiantian realm, what level his strength would reach? This truly was something to look forward.


    He sucked in a deep breath before his brows slightly creased. One and a half year had passed since he began to dent the wall. Although he had not tested the might of his battle skills everyday, his strikes had caused the flexible wall to be uneven. It was nowhere near its original appearance.


    Normally, he could have asked the servants to rece the wall. However, at this moment, he hesitated. After all, his true strength was not known in the manor. However, if this flexible wall was to be taken out, wouldn¡¯t it expose every bit of his true strength?


    After a long consideration, his eyes slightly shined. If the wall were to be taken out as it was, perhaps people would be able to make out the lines. In that case, if he utterly messed up the surface, who would still be able to figure out the marvel that used to live within?


    HIs lips curled into a smile. It just so happened to enable him to check out the might of [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] corresponding to the eighthyer as well.


    He took half a step back and raised both of his hands high above while his Internal Energy had already attained the peak of the eighthyer.


    The moment his hands were raised, his aura instantly underwent aplete transformation.


    If one were to say that originally, he was a naive youngster, this instant, he emanated boundless awe and pressure. This was not just a change in hisplexion and expression, apparently, even the air surrounding his body had been subjected to his influence.


    [Three Forms Short Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms]; the transformation this ferocious and formidable Xiantian battle skill brought was not a strong battle power anymore, rather at an extremely slow pace, it would change his temperament and inner qualities.


    If He Yiming continued to cultivate under such circumstances, after attaining a certain level, just a stare would be enough to form an intense aura, as in a cultivator¡¯s aura, pressing down on someone to death.


    The two arms chopped downwards.Their speed was not fast at all, however, as if piercing through the space and time, they had already struck the wall the next instant.


    A loud explosion echoed, and He Yiming¡¯s two hands, as if a giant hammer cutting down a mountain, firmly shed apart the entire wall into two.


    From head to toe, the entire wall was ripped into two parts.


    The wall, which was made of flexible steel, had been ripped apart like a paper. Surprisingly, He Yiming hadn¡¯t felt the least bit of resistance. And his palms¡¯pletely intact momentum, further made him feel like keep on destroying.


    Along with a loud screeching, ear-piercing sound, the two parts of the flexible wall flew in the air and heavily struck at the room¡¯s wall, emitting a sound corresponding to an even more heavy strike. Deafening sounds reverberated throughout the room..


    As if being stimted by this sound, He Yiming¡¯s both eyes surprisingly had a trace of strange, red colour.


    His body, as if lightning, pounced forward. In mid air, both of his hands were once again raised above his head, and this time, his movements were even more quick. His both hands shed like a knife, producing an air-piercing sound which was getting increasingly louder and clearer.


    Stance is like this

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 33 - Advancing To The Ninth Layer

    ¡°Sha, Sha, Sha¡­..¡±


    Under He Yiming¡¯s almost crazy, sessive strikes, the poor wall was being shredded into pieces. Likewise, under such a powerful assault, the entire basement faintly shook and dust rustled down from all side walls. The entire room buzzed.


    However, regardless of the number of dust particles, not a single one came within one meter surrounding He Yiming¡¯s body, seeming as if an invisible wall was blocking everything outside.


    Eventually, when the entire wall waspletely shredded apart, He Yiming also sobered up from his frantic state.


    He withdrew both his palms and spread his legs in the ¡®°Ë¡¯ position. However, he only preserved this position for a moment before he sat down on the ground, gasping severely then coughing the next instant because of inhaling too much dust.


    He wished to leave, however, his body, as if powerless, seemed paralyzed on the ground.


    He suddenly had twopletely different type of feelings.


    After his crazy session of venting, he felt extremely content and rejuvenated. As if his body was on clouds, he felt extremely light and ecstatic..


    However, at the same time, he felt empty, as if his body was in the void. This kind of feeling was not pleasant at all. Imagine a person losing his/her weight and both legs separating apart from the ground; it was that frightening.


    He Yiming closed his eyes and calmlyprehended these different feelings. He suddenly discovered that his understanding of the [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] had increased.


    This was just a feeling, without a shred of evidence to back. However, he was extremely confident. The next time he allowed himself to act in such a manner, the might produced would certainly be a notch above.


    After a while, he slowly stood up as a trace of Internal Energy welled up in his body. The feeling like that of an empty canvas he felt from his body just now after exhausting almost all of his Internal Energy had eventually disappeared.


    Sweeping his vision, as he looked at the mess of a room, he didn¡¯t know what to think.


    Surprisingly, just the eighthyer Internal Energy¡¯s [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] exhibited such a strong might. Such a might was absolutely iparable to that of themon battle skills such as Rolling Boulder Fist and Silk Palm.


    He Yiming even felt that perhaps his eldest uncle, relying on his ninthyer Internal Energy, could only hope to attain such an inconceivable might.


    Perhaps, in the entire manor, the Lord Master, He Wude, would be the sole individual capable of attaining such a level.


    He Yiming suddenly thought, ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­I can already contend against the grandfather and his tenthyer Internal Energy,¡¯ If this was true, in the entire Tai Cang county, his strength could most definitely enter the top three.


    The room was still permeated with dust, and his body had ayer of grey color. Looking at the condition of room, restoring everything to normal in a short time span seemed impossible.


    Suddenly, he heard a noiseing from the training room¡¯s entrance. He Yiming was slightly rmed; he never had to face such a situation before.


    It should be known that the training rooms could be considered as private spaces for the third generation members. This was the ce they used for cultivation; even their fathers would not enter without their consent.


    Even if they wished to summon their children, they needed to pull the small, specially-made bell and let them know that someone was waiting above.


    Therefore, when he heard the sound, his vignce heightened on its own. The Internal Energy in his body had not resumed to the optimum, but as long as the intruder was not as strong as his grandfather, he hadplete confidence in his ability to defend himself with the help of the [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms].


    ¡°Yiming, are you alright?¡±


    His third uncle¡¯s loud and clear voice could be heard. He Yiming started and rushed to open the door. Upon opening the door, as he saw several people outside, he stared nkly.


    Apart from his third uncle, several of his siblings and a few servants were nervously sizing him up. However, the next moment, their faces revealed quite strange expressions.


    ¡°Yiming, on your body¡­.how long have you not bathe?¡± Quanyi asked, not knowing wether tough or to cry.


    If not for the fact that He Yiming¡¯s face had not changed, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to believe that covered in dust before him was the genius nephew of his.


    Looking at his body, He Yiming awkwardlyughed and said:


    ¡°Third uncle, I was merely training, you are¡­¡±


    ¡°Training? What kind of technique were you training, causing such a bigmotion?¡± He Quanyi asked with slightly creased eyebrows.


    He Yiming asked a few questions and discovered the cause. When he had been using the [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms], the echoes in the basement had actually affected the surface. Even the two basements next to his had been faintly shaking.


    In one of these two training rooms, when his third brother, He Yixuan, faintly felt his room shuddering, he was naturally quite astonished. Subsequently, he found his third uncle, and they came to his ce along with few others. However, upon pulling the bell, they discovered that it was already broken, which made them apprehensive.


    After discovering the whole story, He Yiming had a whole new understanding of his Xiantian battle skill. Furthermore, he also understood that the basement was no longer the paradise where he could quietly train.


    With He Yiming¡¯s exnation, they understood the cause, though only He Quanyi was the sole person to realize that He Yiming had certainly been cultivating that mysterious Xiantian battle skill. Only then could thetter create such a hugemotion.


    After urging He Yiming to be careful, everybody left. Although He Yixuan and the rest were still suspicious, in the presence of He Quanyi, they didn¡¯t dare run their mouths.


    After everybody left, He Yiming summoned his servants. The basement was swept clean, the small fragments of the wall were disposed, and another flexible wall was ced. Though this time He Yiming didn¡¯t intend to try his hand.


    After everything concluded, He Yiming walked to the Book Pavilion in slow steps, pushed the door open, and entered directly.


    He casually selected a book. Surprisingly, he selected a supplementary-type scripture once again.


    Vitality Strengthening Technique: Water type Supplementary technique.


    Looking at the thin book in his hand, He Yiming had an urge to change the scripture.


    To breakthrough, he had randomly selected scriptures three times. However, he hadn¡¯t expected to select Supplementary type Internal Energy techniques all the three times.


    Could it be¡­.he and the supplementary techniques had some special fate together? Otherwise, how could he possibly make three such selection in row?


    After considering for a short time, He Yiming unenthusiastically ced the book on the table nevertheless. He didn¡¯t try to make another selection since he had long since decided that everything wouldply the fate.


    Obtaining the fortune at theke and no longer needed to be concerned about breakthroughs, what else could he im? Perhaps he was bound to learn several kinds of supplementary techniques by the will of heavens.


    After copying the book, he carefully ced the original scripture at its position and left for his courtyard with the copied book.


    As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw his eldest brother standing with hands behind back.


    He Yiming promptly greeted, but he was still somewhat nervous inside.


    He clearly remembered, after the new year¡¯s Skill Competition, his eldest brother¡¯s attitude towards him had gone a subtle transformation. Of course, this transformation was extremely obscure. If not for his perception abilities being extremely sharp, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to discern at all.


    ¡°Eldest brother, you came.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It had nothing to with third uncle speaking about your ferocious training.¡± He Yitian said with a brilliant smile.


    He Yiming was slightly stumped as he observed He Yitian¡¯s eyes. Those ck eyes had already regained the former rity and calm.


    This moment, the feeling his eldest brother gave him was the same warm, gentle, jade-like feeling of the former times. The feeling of ¡®blood is thicker than water¡¯ once again welled up in He Yiming.


    He Yiming instantly knew that the former eldest brother had returned. Furthermore, he felt a sort of strange transformation in thetter. He Yiming could sense dense vitality from his body, and his strength also seemed to have shot up by a huge amount.


    Of course, no matter how hard He Yitian tried, he could not catch up to He Yiming.


    He didn¡¯t know what happened to his eldest brother in these six months, but the transformation he¡¯d gone through was sufficient to cause He Yiming go mad with joy.


    Originally, he was quite worried over the problem of the family¡¯s internal strife, but at this moment, it seemed to have been as easily solved as a bamboo splits against the knife.


    The two individuals merrily chatted for quite a while. After making sure He Yiming was safe and sound, He Yitian left relieved.


    Subsequently, He Yiming entered his brand new training room in high spirits and immersed himself in cultivation once again.


    Perhaps due to his cheerful state of mind, this time¡¯s breaththrough was the most easy in He Yiming¡¯s opinion. Everything went as smooth as flowing water forming a canal. He didn¡¯t have to exert any effort at all.


    The next day, both of his primary cultivation techniques had been smoothly promoted to the ninthyer.


    After the second day, his Rolling Boulder Fist and Silk Palm had also attained the realm corresponding to the ninthyer¡¯s peak, and their might would be much stronger than it was before.


    After five days, he had been shaken to his core when he assumed the stances of the ninth and tenth forms of the [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms]. He could feel how extraordinary the might of this battle skill actually was.


    At this moment, he felt an unmatchable delight. In his heart, he had a sort of extreme confidence.


    Perhaps, within the entire Tai Cang county, no one could prevail over him from this moment.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 34 - Cheng Familys Banquet

    In the main hall, everyone was having the dinner together.


    As a result of sitting together with He Wude and other elders, He Yitian and He Yiming didn¡¯t dare neglect their manners. On the subsequent seats, He Yiming¡¯s siblings although didn¡¯t dare make too much of a fuss, the atmosphere was much more lively there.


    Today was yet again the middle of the month, and all the children had appeared to dine in the main hall; even He Yiming was not an exception.


    Ever since he discovered that his eldest brother had returned to his old self, He Yiming¡¯s interest in seclusion had been greatly diminished. Usually he trained non-stop, but joined everybody for the dinner on the middle of month.


    Although the transformations in the interaction among the two brothers were subtle, the third generation couldn¡¯t discern them. However, how it could possibly be concealed from He Wude, the man with rigorous schemes and deep foresight.


    Only when the rtionship between the two hadpletely resumed as it had always been, he was able topletely rx.


    The Lord Master was gratified as he looked at his descendants gathered together. It was only due to his efforts in these past several decades that He family currently flourished. He even felt that the day when the He family would be Tai Cang county¡¯s sole tyrant was not too far.


    Of course, to change their dreams into reality, they still needed perseverance and hard work.


    He withdrew his vision, picked up the cup in front of him, gently took a sip, and said in a clear vice: ¡°Quanyi, what¡¯s in the Second¡¯s letter?¡±


    ¡°Father, after five days is the birthday of Xu family¡¯s Ancestor. Second brother has already prepared a present, and he asks someone from the manor to deliver it.¡±


    He Wude made casually waved his hand and said:


    ¡°You can make a quick trip for this matter. There should be no mistakes, leading to the loss of our face.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± He Quanyi slightly hesitated before saying,¡± Father, second brother said that this time, among the Xu family¡¯s members selected to go to the Cheng family, Xu Right¡¯s name is present.¡±


    He Wude slightly started and said with raised eyebrows, ¡°Xu Right, the Xu-fourth who advanced to the ninthyer?¡±


    ¡°Precisely. Xu Right is a martial lunatic. He is already above forty, yet has not married. After striving for decades, he was able to advance to the ninthyer; the sole expert in Xu family¡¯s second generation who has the chance to attack the tenthyer.¡± He Quanyi said with a grave expression.


    ¡°Ninthyer¡­.¡± He Wude slightly nodded and contemted a bit before suddenly revealing a disdainful sneer, ¡°Xu family¡­. this is their disy of strength to the world.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Father, currently, a ninthyer expert has emerged in Xu family¡¯s second generation as well. Even the Cheng family has to see them in a new light. If Xu family ns on suppressing us in Cheng family¡¯s birthday feast, that would be somewhat troublesome.¡±


    He Wude coldly snorted, ¡°What trouble. Wishing to suppress us? As if I would let them. Quanxin¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°This time, under your lead, Yitian, Yiming, as well as Yihai and Yixuan, you all will go,¡± A fierce expression flickered in the eyes of He Wude as he said, ¡°I want all the people of Tai Cang county to understand that whether it¡¯s the second generation or the third generation, our He family is the most outstanding.¡±


    The sonorous and powerful words of the Lord Master shook the spirits of all the young generation. They all had scorching luster in their eyes.


    This was not a matter of personal grudges, but the social glory. Especially, the gazes on He Yiming and He Yitian had faint admiration and reverence. Although they all were the siblings of the same generation, this moment, they had already been divided into ranks. In future, these two individuals will certainly be the pride of He family.


    After the meal, He Yiming returned to his courtyard.


    As he¡¯d just entered, his brows suddenly creased and Internal Energy aroused. However, this was just momentarily before hepletely rxed.


    He turned his body and respectfully said, ¡°Grandfather, you came.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± He Wude¡¯s figure slowly walked out of the darkness. His vision on He Yiming had a trace of astonishment as he asked, ¡°Yiming, how did you know I came?¡±


    He Yiming slightly started, before scratching his head and saying:


    ¡°I heard the sound of your footsteps.¡±


    He Wude nced at his feet while suspiciously thinking, ¡°Could it be that I stepped on something heavy just now? Or that I am truly getting old¡­¡¯


    He gently sighed, revealing a slight solitary sort of expression.


    He Yiming never expected that a casual line he randomly said would would move the old man so much.


    In truth, the reason he could detect the presence of the old man was not due to thetter¡¯s footsteps, but due to a sort of spiritual sense. This feeling was a lot sharperpared to that of the ordinary people. Furthermore, it was purely Xiantian, far iparable to what could be achieved through Houtian training.


    He Wude faintly shook his head as well as that feeling before he said: ¡°Yiming, how is your cultivation going?¡±


    He Yiming promptly said: ¡°Your grandson¡¯s cultivation is going good. Many thanks for grandfather¡¯s concern.¡±


    How could his cultivation not be going good? It was simply like a rocket, advancing by leaps and bound. However, no matter what, he could not tell the truth to the old man in front of him.


    He Wude revealed a satisfied smile as he said: ¡°I heard Quanyi saying that a few days ago, while training, you almost destroyed the entire training room?¡±


    He Yiming¡¯splexion turned a slight red before he said with a awkwardugh:


    ¡°Grandfather, that was an ident. Your grandson¡¯s control is not good for the time being.¡±


    He Wude heartilyughed for a moment, before waving his hand as he said:


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. As long as you cultivate properly, not to mention the basement, even if you destroy my courtyard, that would be fine as well.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯splexion turned even more red. If he were to truly destroy the grand courtyard, he feared that his old man would rush back the very next day and make him eat something he¡¯d not eaten in a long time, the Bamboo Meat Slice. (Tl: It seems like Bamboo Meat Slice is meant to be a pun, but I have no idea.¡±)


    However, saying that he had not received a beating ever since attaining the fifthyer would not be false. Furthermore, after attaining the sixthyer, the attitude of family members towards him changed somewhat. As for after the seventhyer, not to mention a beating, the elders had not even said a harsh word to him.


    He was slightly moved. This was the benefit of advancing. Although he was currently only fourteen years old, the treatment he received was not one bit less than his twenty-two years old eldest brother.


    He Wude entered the room in big strides and casually sat down.


    He Yiming hurriedly brew tea and respectfully stood in front of his grandfather.


    He Wude spoke without beating around the bush:


    ¡°Yiming, this time, I am making you go with Quanxin, it won¡¯t influence your cultivation, will it?¡±


    ¡°It will not.¡± He Yiming immediately said.


    Indeed, taking his strange, inconceivable cultivation speed and situation into ount, his cultivation couldn¡¯t possibly be influenced.


    ¡°Then, that¡¯s good,¡± He Wude solemnly said, ¡°Xu family will certainly provoke troubles. Moreover, I am certain they will try to act in the abscence of your eldest uncle and eldest brother. At that time, everything will depend on you.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s both eyes shined as he said:


    ¡°Grandfather, you can be assured. I will not disappoint you.¡±


    He Wudeughed in a hoarse voice and patted on He Yiming¡¯s shoulder before saying:


    ¡°However, keep in mind to be extremely careful. If there is any danger, you must not stubbornly resist. It would be better to temporarily avoid the spear¡¯s end. There should be no mishaps.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He Yiming said in a lowered voice, though he didn¡¯t agree in his mind. His grandfather was not aware of his true strength. If this was not the case, and thetter knew He Yiming was at the ninthyer, he would not have said these words.


    After giving a few more instructions, He Wude finally said:


    ¡°Your eldest uncle¡¯s Internal Energy has already attained the peak of the ninthyer. Within the entire Tai Cang county, he is second only to me and that Xu family¡¯s old guy. On the basis of his strength and martial skill, he could undoubtedly be ranked third in the Tai Cang. If you feel you couldn¡¯t deal with someone, just pass him to your eldest uncle. Remember, don¡¯t try to show off.¡±


    He Yiming heavily nodded, repeatedly urging that he would not lose big because of a small cause.


    He Wude then finally departed. Within the third generation, he had the highest expectations of He Yiming. Even though he wished thetter to show his brilliance in the Cheng family¡¯s banquet, even more so, he didn¡¯t wish any danger to him. Faced with two such contradictory thoughts, the old man was sort of helpless.


    The next day, He Quanxin left the Book Pavilion he¡¯d always defended, and leading the few members of the third generation, left for the county town.


    Both He family and Xu family had their main base outside the county town. However, the Cheng family was different, and their main force resided in the county town.


    The Cheng family had deep-rooted power and influence in the county town, upying three business. Even the position of the City Protector had been reserved for the Cheng family.


    Cheng family was an influential family passed through several generations. In the history of the county, the protection of the county town had been assigned to the Cheng family more than eighty percent of times.


    Therefore, even though the Cheng family was the most inferior in terms of the battle strength, in terms of authority, they were the strongest in the entire county town


    Of course, being a deste region, Tai Cang county was situated in an extremely ordinary corner of the Jadeting district. Furthermore, the county resided along the mountains, causing the local customs to be extremely fierce, which had been quite a headache for the higher officials.


    Of course, the most important point was that the county had no speciality nor any opportunities of reaping profit. No outsider wished to be assigned here. The district had a sort of ¡®leave it be¡¯ policy towards Tai Cang county. As long as no power rebelled against the g itself, district would leave the county to its own devices.


    Therefore, in this special region, the power of authorities need not necessarily beparable to the power and influence of the influential families.


    Cheng family, in return, also never provoked Xu family and He family due to theck of their battle power. As such, the three influential families maintained a subtle bnce and tacit understanding.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 35 - County Town

    The next day, the group had entered the county town. He Quanxin and his wife, who watched over He family¡¯s business in the town, came to greet them at the town.


    Under the lead of He Quanxin, apart from He Yiming and the rest three, He Yilong had also followed.


    He Yixuan, He Yiming, and He Yilong were the blood-rted, direct descendants of He Quanming. Hence, upon meeting each other, both sides were naturally moved.


    After settling down in the He family¡¯s Transaction House, He Quanxin immediately got to the point and asked about the Feast.


    He Quanming had said a few words in reply when Lin Wenyu led He Yiming and the other two out of the hall into the room inside.


    Looking at Lin Wenyu and the three siblings leave, He Quanxin deeply sighed and said:


    ¡°Second brother, sister-inw has suffered.¡±


    He Quanming hesitated a little before slightly nodding, ¡°Probably has.¡±


    To manage He family¡¯s business, He Quanming and his wife had no other choice but to leave the He family estate. ording to the rules of the family, children after the age of five must leave their parents and live alone. However, if the couple lived in the manor, they could atleast have seen their children everyday. However, living in the county town, they could hardly see their children a few times throughout the entire year.


    This time, the Lord Master allowing He Yilong to join the group was undoubtedly allowing the entire family to gather together by taking the advantage of Cheng family¡¯s Banquet.


    Hence, He Quanxin and He Quanyi also turned a blind eye to it.


    Lin Wenyu although was not some mistress from a big family, in Tai Cang county, she was a pearl of a small family.


    Lin family was also a martial n that had its legacy. However, the n members were very sparse, and by the time of Lin Weyu¡¯s generation, this legacy had already been cut off.


    After she married He Quanxin, both husband and wife united themselves to push the He family to the top. In the process of He family founding their current footing, their contributions could not be overlooked.


    Although Lin Wenyu¡¯s cultivation was inferior to He Quanxin¡¯s, she was still a cultivator who had attained the seventhyer¡¯s peak. If she did not have to give birth to the three siblings, she actually might not have been inferior to He Quanming.


    Since she was meeting her children after so long, she was not aloof as usual. Although the three siblings had gradually grown up, in her eyes, they were undoubtedly still small.


    ¡°Mother, whileing to the town, big sister Ling asked me to bring some cosmetics and jewellery. Let¡¯s go and buy some.¡± He Yilong said while softly pulling on her mother¡¯s hand.


    Although the mother-daughter did not live together, they were even closer than many other mothers and daughters who always lived together.


    Although the rules set by the Lord Master were rigid and bared emotions, they were notpletely unreasonable.


    Lin Wenyu softly stroked her daughter¡¯s hair and unhesitatingly said:


    ¡°Come, we will go right now,¡± Subsequently, she raised her head and nced at her two sons, ¡°You two also rarelye to the county town. Come, roam with us a little.¡±


    He Yiming and his brother naturally did not have any objection. Perhaps Tai Cang county¡¯s county town was unknown in the district, but in their eyes, it was already a bustling ce.


    Having the temperament of youngster, He Yiming was filled with curiosity.


    Casually talking along the way, the four individuals entered the most bustling street of the town.


    Lin Wenyu had been living here for several decades. She knew every street of this region like the back of her hand. Knowing that her sons and daughter rarelye here, she had naturally devised a proper route beforehand, so that they could enjoy as much as possible before returning.


    The flourishing city broadened the horizons of He Yiming as expected. He Yixuan had visited the county a town a few times before, thus, his conduct was somewhat proper. However, this was the first time for He Yiming and He Yilong. They ogled all around throughout the entire way. For them, it was simply too much to take in.


    Observing his sixth brother being so excited, He Yixuan suddenly asked:


    ¡°Yiming, you think this ce is fun?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I think so,¡± He Yiming said without giving it much thought. However, the next moment, he felt something amiss. Turning his head, he asked, ¡°Third brother why did you ask such a question?¡±


    He Yixuan slightly smiled and said:


    ¡°Sixth brother, you should know that although the main branch of the Cheng family are in the county town, anyone from their younger generation who hopes some achievements in cultivation is strictly prohibited to live in the town with the main family before the age of twenty.¡±


    He Yiming slightly started before asking:


    ¡°Then, where do they live?¡±


    ¡°In the countryside; with the nature and far away from the disturbances of mundane world.¡± He Yixuan said in a low voice.


    He Yiming didn¡¯t reply, seeming as if he was contemting before he asked:


    ¡°Third brother, how do you know?¡±


    ¡°Two years ago, I went to that ce with your eldest brother and second brother to have a skillpetition with the third generation of Cheng family. Therefore, I know how they operate,¡± He Yixuan sighed before continuing, ¡°Cheng family is a truly big n. After attaining the five year mark, all the children are sent to that ce for training. Several of them are eliminated every year, ultimately leaving behind the true elites.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased. He family¡¯s history was too short and truly couldn¡¯t bepared to these big, influential families who had the legacies passed on through hundreds of years.


    ¡°Third brother, what is the cultivation of Cheng family¡¯s third generation?¡± He Yiming asked somewhat anxiously.


    He Yixuan¡¯s face showed a faint,cent smile as he said:


    ¡°Cheng family has a lot of members, however, their aplishments are actually not much. Furthermore, no one has attained the seventhyer in their third generation. They are far iparable to you and the eldest brother.¡±


    He Yiming then rxed and recalled that attaining the seventhyer was no easy feat.


    Within the three influential families, He Yitian was the only individual who was able to luckily make the breakthrough.


    As for the rest, although those who had attained the sixthyer¡¯s peak were not a few, not of single of these had been able to cross the sixthyer¡¯s bottleneck.


    As for He Yiming¡­.


    His situation was one of a kind, and mentioning him would be confusing two different things.


    He Yixuan earnestly nced at his younger brother beside him before saying:


    ¡°Yiming, currently, your cultivation is already not inferior to that of the eldest brother, and going by your age, your future prospects are even more boundless. Therefore¡­¡± He moved his finger in a circle before continuing, ¡°Although this ce is extremely lively and prosperous, it does not suit you.¡±


    He Yiming heavily nodded before saying:


    ¡°Third brother, I understand,¡± He softly said, ¡°I will not disappoint the family.¡±


    His voice carried iparable determination and confidence. Even He Yihai almost felt the aura emanated by his sixth brother was the same as his grandfather¡¯s.


    Although he only felt as such momentarily, it was enough to make him apprehensive.


    The truth was that since He Yiming¡¯s strength had already stepped beyond people¡¯s imagination, his words seemed naturally full of confidence and reason.


    Since his words were the truth, his grandeur was far iparable to ordinary people who couldn¡¯t be too certain about the future.


    Although Lin Wenyu was chatting with her daughter in low voice, she was quite attentive of the two brothers as well. Upon hearing their conversation, her face showed a faint, gratified andcent smile.


    To have such sons, what more could she want?


    A mor could be heard distantly, followed by three drum strikes. Immediately, a lot of people rushed towards the sound.


    He Yilong curiously asked:


    ¡°Mother, what¡¯s happening ahead?¡±


    Lin Wenyu¡¯s expression turned solemn before she said:


    ¡°Ahead is the public arena of Tai Cang county. Some people have established the life and death contract, and are about topete.¡±


    In Tian Luo country, martial arts was prevalent. Although the genuine primary-cultivation techniques were in the hands of influential families and some sects, several body strengthening techniques were quite widespread.


    The people capable of practising the internal Energy cultivation were not much, however, people who had some knowledge of ordinary battle skills were quite a few.


    In every city inside the Tian Luo country, at least one such arena had to be present.


    These arenas were precisely made to provide a stage for people topete in martial arts. The country itself had issued thew that everyone must sign a life and death contract, and after ascending onto the stage, the life and death was to be decided by the heavens. No outsider could interfere. If one even killed the opponent on-stage, the former need notpensate.


    Of course, apart from the life and death, it could also be used to test one¡¯s skill and exchange pointers. However, most of the people going up on the stage did so for the glory and spread their name in all four directions.


    He Yixuan¡¯s eyes slightly shined as he said:


    ¡°Mother, you and Yilong can return first. Me and brother will go take a look.¡±


    Lin Wenyu slightly hesitated before softly sighing, ¡°All right, but bear in mind: Don¡¯t go on the stage no matter what.¡±


    He Yixuan and He Yiming exchanged a nce and sounded their agreements at the same time. He Yilong, on the other hand, although was not willing to leave, how could she disobey Lin Wenyu. Half-pulled and half-dragged, she was taken away. Of course, as a mother, Lin Wenyu enticed her with all kinds of jewellery, ornaments¡­ before ultimately convincing the little girl to delightedly leave.


    Although everyone in the He family trained in martial arts, no one had much expectations from the exquisite sisters. In the minds of these men, they had to be the backbone of the family. As for the women, they were to be protected, and not the other way around.


    Therefore, before going to the arena, all of them tacitly made He Yilong return. The two brothers, He Yiming and He Yixuan, were destined to step on the road of martial dao. Even if Lin Wenyu was not willing, she would not stop them from watching life and death battles on the stage.


    After their mother and sister left, the two brothers nodded towards each other and dashed ahead.


    Although a lot of people had already gathered ahead, making it difficult for them to move through, what sort of skill did these two possess? Softly waving their hands, they almost effortlessly opened up the crowd and entered.


    Even though some people were discontent and deliberately knocked against them, thetter only felt themselves knocking against metal, and instead, they themselves felt a slight aching.


    Then, everybody knew that although the age of these two was not much, they couldn¡¯t be belittled. Subsequently, no one dared to block them again, allowing them to smoothly move up to the centre.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 36 - The Arena

    At the intersection of streets from the four directions was a circr arena.


    The area of the arena was not big at all. Having only a diameter of about ten meters, this arena fell into the category of the shortest arenas in the Tian Luo country. On the one meter high arena, two big men stood opposite to each other.


    At this moment, they were battling each other with their eyes, while their bodynguage and expression betrayed their nervousness. The crowd below was loudly cheering. Regardless of whether they knew the men on the stage or not, they were excitedlymenting and discussing the two men.


    He Yiming and He Yixuan, the two brothers, arrived and solemnly measured the two men on the stage. Subsequently, they exchanged a nce, both showing expressions of not knowing wether tough or to cry.


    Upon hearing the sounds of drum, they thought that two experts had to be dueling. That was the reason they hurried over. However, they hadn¡¯t expected that aftering here, they would bepletely disappointed.


    They couldn¡¯t figure out the identity of the two people, and although they could also tell that these two possessed Internal Energy, this Internal Energy was at most around the third or fourthyer.


    Such a level of Internal Energy was extremely difficult for an ordinary person to obtain. The fifthyer, which was considered as the most basicyer for the children of influential families, was basically out of the reach of ordinary people. After determining their strength, He Yiming and He Yixuan¡¯s interest diminished by a lot. However, currently, a lot of crowd was present behind them. Thus, leaving would be troublesome as well. So, they decided to stay and watch the battle.


    After confronting each other with eyes for quite a while, the two men on the stage eventually moved. Although these two men did not possess formidable Internal Energy, both of them cultivated battle skills. As they began to employ their skills, it seemed quite a sight.


    Below the stage, the spectators standing around the stage were mostly all ordinary people. In their eyes, the fists and kicks of the two men on the stage were quite extraordinary and pleasant to watch. After a short while, the cheering increased up to the extent of bing deafening.


    No matter the extent of people¡¯s fanaticism of martial arts, those capable of cultivating Internal Energy and obtain some aplishments in it were the extreme minority.


    The absolute majority could only learn basic body strengthening techniques and a few superficial battle skills. In their opinion, anyone who cultivated Internal Energy was a strong cultivator and was far superior. At this moment, the two cultivators on the stage not only possessed Internal Energy, even their battle skills appeared out of ordinary. Thus, the two men naturally won a deafening apuse from the crowd.


    As the fight continued, He Yiming and He Yixuan were bing increasingly astonished. In their opinion, the strength of these two men didn¡¯t even deserve contempt. However, being in such a atmosphere, they couldn¡¯t help but feel their blood boiling, and felt like jumping onto the stage and fight.


    Of course, such thinking could only churn in their minds. With their identities, they naturally couldn¡¯t act at such a ce.


    On the stage, one of the men suddenly roared, and his body trembled as if he¡¯d gone insane. His opponent seemed to have been intimidated by his sudden transformation. Within that instant, the former was resolutely struck in his stomach before he was sted off the stage.


    The entire arena immediately thundered with cheers. The man who won lifted his hands high above, as if an emperor enjoying the cheers of his citizens, while the other man, who had lost, waspletely ignored.


    He Yiming and He Yixuan, the two brothers, exchanged a nce while smiling, evidently having a good mood. They never expected that the final conclusion would turn out like this.


    The truth was that the two men were on par with each other in terms of both Internal Energy and battle skills. The man who was sted off the stage lost because of his opponent¡¯s abrupt, frantic transformation, which was rather regretful for him. However, the majority of spectators couldn¡¯t see that.


    The winner unted off for a long time before loudly saying:


    ¡°This one, Sponger Xia Leng, from the Cheng family, announce that I am willing to ept challenge from any brother here.¡± (Tl: Sponger-> Sort of errand boy for noble families)


    As his loud voice echoed, the people below began to whisper around, ¡°So he turned out to be Cheng family¡¯s Sponger. No wonder he obtained victory in the end.¡±


    Although the martial strength of the Cheng family was the lowest among the three families, in the county town, they were deeply respected and revered.


    The man shouted once again. Seeing that no one had responded, he couldn¡¯t prevent a pleased look emerging on his face. HIs eyebrows rose as his demeanor turned extremely arrogant.


    He Yiming coldly snorted before he decided to step forward. However, he was pulled by Yixuan. Thetter softly shaked his head before saying:


    ¡°It¡¯s not worth.¡±


    He Yiming slightly started before faintly nodding. The two brothers turned around to leave.


    However, at this moment, they heard a loud noise. As if lightning, a figure had rushed onto the stage.


    Astonished, the two brothers turned their head, only to see a twenty something big, towering man standing on the stage. He was dressed in a skintight warrior outfit as the muscles all over his body bulged out. Even his clothing couldn¡¯tpletely conceal this fact. His expression was cold and stern. Any person in front of his gaze felt a scorching feeling and had to avoid it.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s actually him.¡± He Yixuan softly said.


    ¡°Third brother, you know him?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, he is the ranked second in the Xu family¡¯s third generation, Xu Yucai; a peak sixthyer metal-type Internal Energy expert. Really strange, the aura on his body is a lot stronger than before.¡±


    Abruptly a face flickered in He Yiming¡¯s mind, and at the same time, he recalled something.


    During Hubin¡¯s chase, two sixthyer experts of Xu family¡¯s third generation were injured by Hubin. Perhaps that battle allowed Xu Yucai to make a trip back from hell, thereby allowing him to experience some sort of transformation.


    Of course, just that brief experience was not enough to let him break through the peak of the sixthyer, but a certain change in his aura and bearing was not strange.


    He Yiming suddenly thought of something as he asked:


    ¡°Second brother, how did you find out that he¡¯d be stronger than before?¡±


    ¡°I havepeted him at the Xu family castle once.¡± He Yixuan said with a faint smile.


    ¡°Who won?¡±


    He Yixuan loftilyughed and didn¡¯t reply. Though looking at his smile, He Yiming need not ask second time.


    Xu Yicai was, after all, a cultivator at the peak of the sixthyer. As soon as he ascended the stage, his aura immediately suppressed his opponent all the way.


    XIao Leng¡¯s seemed slightly hesitant as he watched Xu Yicai, no longer haughty and domineering as he had been a moment ago. Although he didn¡¯t know the origin of his opponent, ke knew thetter was not something he could deal with.


    ¡°This one is Xiao Leng, Cheng family¡¯s Sponger¡­¡­¡± Xial Leng cupped his fist and carefully asked, ¡°May I know how your majesty is?¡±


    When he said ¡®Cheng family¡¯s Sponger¡¯, his tone intentionally turned emphasizing. It was true that he was not a major character in Tai Cang county, but Cheng family wasn¡¯t just all name. Not everyone had the qualifications to provoke the Cheng family.


    Xu Yucai coldly snorted. His face even felt smiling when he was actually not. In an extremely even tone he said, ¡°Xu Yucai.¡±


    Xu Leng nkly stared before his face had a huge transformation. As a Cheng family¡¯s Sponger, he obviously knew the three influential families of the County Town. At the same time he also knew the opponent¡¯s identity, and further knew that the youth in front of him was a sixthyer master, not something he could handle in the least. However, what he didn¡¯t understand was that with thetter¡¯s identity, why would hee up on the stage to trouble a small character like himself.


    Xu Yucai¡¯s brows slightly creased as he said:


    ¡°Arena is a ce topete martial skills. If you don¡¯t want to fight, just go down.¡±


    Xiao Leng currently resembled a caught convict. He said with a deep bow:


    ¡°This one is obviously not Xu young master¡¯s opponent and ask for forgiveness.¡±


    He then immediately went down the stage dejectedly, not even daring to turn his head back.


    The people below immediately began to whisper around, all of which was centred around Xu Yucai. Everybody was admiringly looking at Xu Yucai who seemed like a god on the stage.


    If their identity were not far apart, perhaps the people would be jealous. However, the identity of the Xu family¡¯s second young master was at the very top in Tai Cang county. As far as these ordinary people were concerned, thetter was a legendary character that they could only admire. Therefore, they just simply couldn¡¯t be envious.


    He Yiming suddenly had a bad premonition. He tugged his elder brother and softly said:


    ¡°Third brother, we should leave.¡±


    He Yixuan lightly waved his hand and said:


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite unclear why second young master of the Xu family went up on the stage. We will take a look.¡±


    His voice had barely died, when the two brothers saw Xu Yucai¡¯s gaze turning in their direction.


    Although, down the stage, a lot of heads were moving about, Xu Yucai¡¯s gaze was like a sharp de which was firmly fixed on He Yixuan.


    As expected, Xu Yucai cupped his hands and said in a clear voice:


    ¡°Brother Yixuan, we haven¡¯t met for two years. I hope you have been well.¡±


    Everybody¡¯s vision turned towards that direction, while the people who were in that direction split opened like a wave, leaving behind only two people who stood with their heads high, looking extremely lofty and eye-catching in the crowd.


    He Yixuan faintlyughed and cupped his hands as well before saying:


    ¡°Brother Xu Yucai. Didn¡¯t expect us to meet here after the old days.¡±


    Xu Yucai¡¯s eyes momentarily shined before he said:


    ¡°Brother He Yixuan, after thest time, small brother has always longed to see you again. Since we have met today, how about we y a little?¡±


    After a momentary silence, the arena exploded with frantic cheers and apuds.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 37 - Slightly Inferior

    Hearing the cheers, He Yiming¡¯splexion slightly changed.


    They came to watch other people fight, but never expected that they would have to join themselves.


    Regardless of whether they were willing or not, under such circumstances, they didn¡¯t have a choice.


    He Yixuan waved his hand, producing a sharp and clear wind-piercing sound, which could be heard by the people near him even amidst the frantic cheers.


    Subsequently, without saying a word, he advanced forward, showing his agreement. All of his surrounding people tried their utmost to retreat, so as to open up a spacious path for him.


    Helpless, He Yiming could only follow behind his elder brother. Upon reaching the the arena¡¯s boundary, the former was slightly startled. He had actually seen another youngster who was on par with Xu Yucai. The features of this youngster had quite a resemnce to that of the former. One could tell at a nce that these two were rted by blood.


    He Yixuan was also startled before he smilingly said:


    ¡°Brother Xu Yude, so you were also here.¡±


    The other youngster revealed a calm smile before saying:


    ¡°Brother Yixuan, howe I do not see brother He Yitian.¡±


    He Yixuan coarselyughed and said:


    ¡°If eldest brother were to be here, I¡¯m afraid brother Xu wouldn¡¯t have dared to propose a match.¡±


    Xu Yude¡¯s face slightly sank as he said:


    ¡°Brother Yixuan should be careful with words and should not speak without thinking.¡±


    He Yixuan yfullyughed and said:


    ¡°So with these words, I suppose brother Xu wants to challenge my eldest brother.¡±


    Xu Yude¡¯s face dropped, even seeming a little green. His voice turned cold as he said:


    ¡°Brother Yixuan, there is no use in being eloquent when you can show your true skill on the stage.¡±


    He Yixuan heartilyughed a few times before stepping onto the arena inrge strides.


    As he mounted the stage, the cheering from below increased even more. Furthermore, He Yiming even heard many people shouting Xu family and He family¡¯s name. Evidently, almost everyone in Tai Cang county knew He and Xu, two of the influential families. Furthermore, the people present also knew that currently on the stage were the members of these families¡¯ third generation. Therefore, the fanaticism crowd disyed was far greater than they showed previously.


    Seeing such a behaviour from the eldest member of Xu family¡¯s third generation while facing his third brother, He Yiming was quite moved. His eldest brother was indeed the sole seventhyer expert throughout the young generation of all the three influential families. This Xu Yude actually didn¡¯t even dare talk as soon as the matter of challenging his eldest brother was brought up.


    However, as soon as He Yiming thought until this point, he immediately recalled the conversation with his grandfatherst night, which caused him to be vignt once again.


    In the absence of his eldest brother, if Xu Yucai managed to prevail over his third brother, Xu family¡¯s reputation would certainly increase by a lot, and on the other hand, He family would lose some face as well.


    He coldly snorted. However, as his vision travelled to the arena, his brows inwardly creased.


    Although his elder brother had prevailed over the opponent in past and currently both of them were sixthyer cultivators, He Yiming had a feeling that his eldest brother was slightly inferior to his opponent.


    Actually, He Yiming couldn¡¯t have such a discerning eye. However, his spiritual sense was extremely sharp. As he saw the two individuals on the stage, watched their movements and behaviour, he could already faintly perceive the oue.


    At this moment, on the stage, the two individuals were standing right next to each other, sizing up their opponent. They were unlike the two who fought before; punching and kicking right off the bat, seeming as if they couldn¡¯t live in the same world.


    The two young experts, who represented distinct influential families, stood at two corners of the arena, seeming as if they had a tacit agreement. On their bodies, an aura, that was invisible and untouchable yet had the ability to influence others, was gradually building up.


    This aura slowly drifted with the air, gradually spreading outside the arena.


    The Internal Energy cultivation until the fifthyerpletely focused on supporting the body. In the absence of a fitting battle skill, giving form to one¡¯s aura was simply impossible.


    Of course, the aura not only depended on the profundity of Internal Energy, but also the cultivation technique as well as the individual¡¯s current state.


    The aura emitted by the two sixthyer cultivators while confronting each other was sufficient to cause ordinary people in a certain range to feel suppression and fear.


    He Yiming¡¯s brows rose and skin curled. As he felt the aura, his brain suddenly began to emte the two individuals on the stage, and he even had an urge to and substitute them.


    Actually, going by He Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy cultivation, the aura of these two simply couldn¡¯t affect him. However, the problem was that He Yiming¡¯s battle experience was toocking. Therefore, being subjected to their auras, his desire to battle was stirred. However, it was only for a moment, before he immediately suppressed it.


    For him, such an attack simply amounted to nothing.


    Not too far away from him, Xu Yude astoundedly nced at him before his brows slightly creased, pondering over something.


    Meanwhile, the people at the edge of the arena couldn¡¯t bring themselves to cheer anymore. They simultaneously retreated away from the arena. Soon after, He Yiming and Xu Yude were the only two left at the edge of the arena.


    Usually, during the duel in an arena present at the intersection of streets, the surroundings of arena were packed with spectators. Especially, the positions at the edge of the arena were like precious gems; people fought over them. However, this time, the edge of the arena had suddenly turned empty, which was quite an unusual sight.


    The cheering of the surrounding crowd also calmed down. Everybody could feel that this time was not the usual thing; something was strange.


    An oppressive atmosphere was being spread around in the crowd, causing people to feel apprehensive of speaking.


    Now people faintly realized that the previous match couldn¡¯t even bepared to the match between these children of influential family.


    Everybody rejoiced, being able to eventually witness a contest between two real experts.


    Suddenly, the individuals on the stage moved.


    When they stood motionless, they seemed like a statue of buddha; awe-inspiring and dignified, even causing the people below the arena to feel such a oppressive pressure. However, as they moved, this pressure instead vanished.


    However, no cheers could be heard from below even now. Because, currently, the movement speed of the two individuals on the stage had stepped beyond what the eyes of the ordinary people could take in. They all had a single thought: How could these two be so quick?


    He Yixuan, as always, used the Ripple technique and Silk Palm. Silk Palm was an extremely widespread battle technique. However, with so many cultivating this technique, it didn¡¯t have much loop-holes. As long as one had suitable physique and was willing to work hard, having some aplishments was certain.


    Once silk palm had been employed, He Yixuan¡¯s surroundings were immediately filled with illusionary palm-images, seemingly shrouding and engulfing his entire body.


    While his opponent Xu Yucai was actually one of the rare metal-type techniques¡¯ cultivator.


    He Yiming could clearly see that as far as strength control was concerned, this individual had already attained an extremely high level. Although thetter¡¯s every fist, every kick seemed rather crude and wasting quite a bit of Internal Energy, in truth, the energy in his attacks was concentrated and did not disperse.


    This illustrated that he had cultivated up to the peak of the sixthyer. That was why he could do as he pleased, without wasting the slightest bit of energy.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes slightly twitched as he was inwardly astonished. If this individual continued like this, sooner orter, he would certainly attain the seventhyer.


    On the stage, fist winds were howling and images of fists were flying about. Although the strikes of the two individuals were extremely heated and lively, it was definitely not too dangerous. However, after the initial probe, their respective aggressiveness was gradually increasing, and the feeling of apprehension while attacking was also gradually decreasing. They had even begun to employ some killer moves.


    This match, after all, was rted to the prestige of the two influential families and also their own respective positions in the n. At such a time, they naturally wanted the victory regardless of anything.


    He Yixuan¡¯s feet were moving at a steady pace. From the beginning, he had maintained a neither swift nor slow frequency. This was the battle style water-type techniques excelled at. As long as one could maintain a state of neither victory not defeat, nothing couldpare with water-type techniques recovering ability.


    He Yixuan could say with certainty that as long as the current situation continued, the final victor would be him.


    However, at this moment, Xu Yucai¡¯s figure stopped on the stage. He roared as his body seemed to have instantaneously gone taller. His body, which had already been almost two meters tall, currently emanated a demon god like tyrannical aura.


    He advanced inrge steps, while his both fists, seeming like hammers, relentlessly struck at He Yixuan, discarding all defense.


    He Yixuan¡¯s heart trembled. Confronting such a chain-assault, he actually felt as if he would not be able to dodge.


    Even though his figure was hurriedly dodging, he seemed shrouded in the opponent¡¯s fists all the time. The dense fist-winds shing across his face seemed like knives.


    Although in his heart, he was clear that he simply couldn¡¯t fight back, under such circumstances, he did not have a choice.


    As quick as lightning, he waved his palms beforeyers of palm images, which seemed like waves, covered his front.


    He Yixaun had attained the peak of the sixthyer in the cultivation of Silk Palm as well. Under the oppression of his opponent, he was disying the might of this battle skill to the extreme.


    As if giant hammers, the two fists heavily dropped on the rippling palm images. Suddenly, an intense gale exploded in all directions, and those illusionary palms instantly disappeared.


    The two gigantic fists resolutely struck at He Yixaun¡¯s palms, and like a hot knife cutting through butter, split opened his defense before continuing straight for his chest.


    Right at this instant, He Yixuan¡¯s eyes no longer had a frightened expression, but that of a deathly calm.


    HIs body slightly leaned, avoiding the strike on his vital parts, but one of the fists severely brushed his right shoulder. However, he was already prepared. As soon as the fist made the contact, his both feet were already above the ground as he jumped off the stage.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 38 - The Flying Man

    He Yixuan had barely touched the ground outside the arena when a hand suddenly touched his shoulders.


    An extremely pure, dense Internal Energy entered his meridians like flowing water. He Yixuan was pleasantly surprised. This Internal energy was precisely that of the Ripple technique he cultivated. However, this Internal Energy was clearly far above his. As soon as this Internal Energy entered, it began circting in the sections of his right shoulder.


    His meridians that had been injured by Xu Yucai just now immediately began to smoothen up.


    The healing effect of water-type techniques was being exhibited to the extreme at this moment. Through his meridians, a faint coolness was being spread around in his entire right shoulder. He felt as if that hot, scorching pain from the wound was being iced, soothing him.


    He Yixuan sucked in a deep breath before an ashamed expression covered his face.


    In the He family manor, the sole individual who cultivated in the Ripple technique and had such a level of achievements was his own mother Lin Wenyu.


    Who could have thought that his mother had personally rushed over and even saw him being defeated. He turned extremely gloomy as he thought as such. He was not afraid of his mother¡¯s reprimand, but was only heart-broken because of not living up to the expectations.


    However, at this moment, a familiar as well as chick-like soft voice echoed near his ears:


    ¡°Third brother, how are you feeling?¡±


    Startled, He Yixuan turned his head before his eyes stretched wide and face showed a stumped expression.


    Beside him, the person standing was not his mother as he had supposed, it was actually his sixth brother, He Yiming. Of course, what truly stumped him was that at this moment, his brother¡¯s palm was lightly supporting his right shoulder, and from the point of contact, that pure, dense water-type Internal Energy was continuously entering his body, gently nourishing his meridians.


    Suddenly, a strange look appeared on He Yixuan¡¯s face, while his mind had a single thought, ¡®Did sixth brother not cultivate metal type techniques, when did he attain such a level in water-type techniques as well?¡¯


    ¡°Brother Yixuan, you let me win.¡±


    Xu Yucai said from the arena. This moment, his aura had already beenpletely restrained. However, standing on the arena, he was still awe-inspiring, seeming like a majestic, towering mountain. His demon-god like image from a moment ago had been carved in the memory of all the spectators for eternity.


    Everybody was discussing that final strike in muffled voices.


    Although He Yixuan also exhibited exceptional might, which they could only hope to attain, in front Xu Yucai¡¯s ferocious final strike, it seemed insignificant. No one cared to discuss the former¡¯s performance.


    He Yixuan¡¯s face immediately turned red. His both fists tightly clenched as a faint hateful expression emerged in his eyes, ¡°Brother Xu Yucai sure is ferocious. One yearter, Yixuan will again ask guidance. At that time, I hope brother Xu Yucai would not be stingy.¡±


    Xu Yucai loudlyughed before he said:


    ¡°As long as brother Yixuan is interested, this one from Xu family will certainly oblige.¡±


    He Yixuan faintly nodded before pulling He Yiming¡¯s hand, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    However, he discovered that his sixth brother¡¯s hands were as steady as a mountain, not even budging. He astoundedly turned his head before he saw the ferocious expression in his brother¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Third brother, let me try.¡± He Yiming said in a low voice.


    He Yixuan faintly startled, before he involuntarily released his brother¡¯s hand. He Yiming slightly nodded before his body flickered and jumped onto the arena.


    Looking at his heroic sixth brother on the stage, He Yixuan felt a sort of unfamiliaritying from the former.


    Now he recalled that his sixth brother already had the same position as that of his eldest brother and eldest uncle. This was the individual who tied with his eldest brother in new year¡¯s skillpetition, and also the individual who killed the escaped criminal Hubin who had been able to flee as far as to the Tai Cang county.


    Since they were so close, perhaps all of this had been overlooked. Only after he stepped forward at this moment did he make other people feel that he¡¯d already aplished several extraordinary feats.


    As He Yixuan was lost in thoughts, he suddenly discovered that He Yiming was no longer that youngster from one and a half year ago who endlessly worried about the bottleneck of the fifthyer. The current He Yiming had already grown into a big enough tree that could shield the He family estate from sun and rain.


    He Yiming jumping onto the stage was evidently out of everybody¡¯s expectations.


    Everybody had seen him standing together with He Yixuan, which was enough to guess his identity as a member of He family estate. However, with his young appearance, everybody automatically chose to ignore him.


    After all, with his age, regardless of how he cultivated, he wouldn¡¯t be able to match twenty year old Xu Yucai and He Yixuan who were in their prime.


    DIsparity of ten years didn¡¯t amount to much ifpared between grown-ups, but disparity of ten years among youths was too much.


    Xu Yucai brows faintly creased as he said:


    ¡°Who are you, why have youe on stage?¡±


    Imitating his third brother¡¯s manner, He Yiming cupped his fists before he said:


    ¡°He family¡¯s sixth son, Yiming, ask for your guidance.¡±


    ¡°He Yiming?¡± A faint astonishment could be seen in the eyes of Xu Yucai. However, the next instant, he immediately covered it up.


    He heartilyughed: ¡°Little brother, if you want to fight on stage that¡¯s fine, but first obtain permission from your parents.¡±


    A burst of loudughter could be heard from the crowd. Although Xu Yucai¡¯s words were somewhat harsh, after seeing the disparity between the figures of the two, everybody took these words as just. He Yiming lifted up a finger. His face didn¡¯t seem to have any anger or shame, instead still had that faint, indifferent smile.


    His finger lightly swayed at his front as his mouth slightly opened before he said:


    ¡°One move.¡±


    He did not seem to have yelled, but that voice, which seemed friendly and familial, instantly spread everywhere, entering the ears of everybody.


    Although this voice was as light and soft as a feather, even in an arena which seemed like a fish market, it could be heard extremely clearly.


    Gradually, all theughter faded, and these ordinary people looked at each other¡¯s faces. Although they didn¡¯t knew the exact meaning behind these words, they had a faint feeling; a feeling caused the hair on their skins to turn taut.


    While Xu Yucai and Xu Yude¡¯s face seemed to have be unsightly. They knew that what this not yet fully adult youngster had managed to aplish, they failed to do so.


    At this instant, their heart quickened and expression be exceedingly sharp.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Xu Yucai said, slowly speaking every word.


    He Yiming¡¯s right hand¡¯s index finger casually pointed towards Xu Yucai as he said, ¡°I said, I only need one move to defeat you,¡± His voice full of confidence.


    The surroundings of the arena and the arena becamepletely quiet. But it onlysted for a few moments before the crowd once again burst intoughter. This time they just couldn¡¯t worry anymore, though theirughter had a bit of goodwill and understanding.


    If these words hade from an adult¡¯s mouth, one would have definitely incurred people¡¯s jeers and ridicule for overstating one¡¯s capabilities. However, a juvenile was somewhat different.


    Xu Yucai furiouslyughed before saying:


    ¡°One move? You are saying I can¡¯t take a single move from you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± He Yiming said, ¡° You can try exchanging one ove.¡±


    Xu Yucai coldly snorted, turn around while waving his sleeves, and was just about to leave.


    Nobody med for leaving at this moment. Because apart from He Yiming himself, not a single person believed his words.


    As he was just about to step down the arena, He Yiming¡¯s sneer could be heard, ¡°So it turns out Xu family members are just a bunch of spineless cowards.¡±


    Theughter down the arena instantly vanished as if it had been severed by a de, while Xu Yucai who had almost stepped down, paused his footsteps. He turned around; his whole face dark. A voice, which seemed to havee from between his teeths, sounded:


    ¡°Young fellow, what did you say?¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s both hands were behind his back as he said:


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t dare fight me, what does it mean if not spineless coward?¡±


    Gradually, a sinister expression covered Xu Yucai¡¯s face. His face echoed, ¡°Good, you asked for it, young fellow.¡±


    His aura, like a gigantic wave surging to the skies, burst forth in an instant. His two meter tall body immediately seemed to have be even more gigantic once more.


    That demon god like image appeared once more, and this time, it seemed even more frightening than before.


    Everybody felt that due to the provocation from He Yiming, Xu Yucai had gone crazy. Therefore, he wished to kill thetter on stage regardless of the consequences.


    While everybody felt as such, Xu Yucai had already pounced forward, and instantly covering several meters, he struck at He Yiming with his fist.


    Everybody¡¯s vision was pulled in by this fist. Holding their breaths, they watched while visualizing He Yiming¡¯s tragic conclusion.


    However, He Yiming¡¯s smile had not yet vanished.


    He raised his right hand, softly clenching it. As he clenched his hand, everybody actually sensed an extremely profound feeling from it. It seemed as if he had not just clenched his fist, but also taken everything under his control.


    As his fist clenched, the surrounding air rushed at his fist, as if being sucked into a giant whirlpool. Even the gales Xu Yucai had aroused were also pulled into his palm.


    He Yiming struck. His fist, following a perfectly straight trajectory, struck at Xu Yucai¡¯s fist in mid air.


    Fist vs Fist.


    Force against Force.


    Strength vs Strength¡­


    A loud explosive sound rippled outwards, as if metal had struck against stone.


    He Yiming stood on the arena with his legs slightly apart. His tiny figure, at this moment, seemed as towering as a mountain and as precipitous as a ridge; calm and lofty.


    While Xu Yucai, who had been a demon-god just now, resembled a snapped kite as he flew off the arena high above in air, leaving behind torrents of bloody rain.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 39 - Suspicions

    A figure of a man flickered in mid-air. At the edge of the arena, Xu Yude had leaped into the air. As if a dragonfly touching the surface of the water, he lightly touched the heads of a few people before gaining sufficient momentum to overtake Xu Yucai who was flying in the air.


    He raised his hands high and gently weed his younger brother into his bosom.


    In mid-air, he turned his head for onest time to nce at He Yiming before hurriedly leaving.


    After experiencing He Yiming¡¯s fist, he knew the disparity between them. He felt an immense pressure and even extreme dejection. Because, deep inside in his heart, he was faintly aware that he wouldn¡¯t be able to surpass the youngster in front of him throughout his entire lifetime.


    This was the reason he didn¡¯t even say something before hurriedly leaving with his injured younger brother.


    On the streets, people had their eyes opened wide as they watched this spectacle. They were astoundedly looking at He Yiming who stood on the arena with a faint, cold smile on his face.


    At this moment, that small stature seemed to have unwittingly increased. No one dared to brush him off because of his small age anymore. All the visions on him had the shock of not believing one¡¯s own eyes.


    He Yiming¡¯s gaze swept all around. His vision was not sharp like that of Xu Yucai. However, under his vision, everybody unwittingly bowed down a bit, not glossing over their apprehension and reverence in the slightest.


    Though nobody could imagine the apprehension in his mind.


    Upon sweeping his gaze once, he could tell that at least thousand people were present outside the arena. Even though he knew that these people basically didn¡¯t possess any threat to him, thebined gaze of more than a thousand people still caused his heart to palpitate.


    Previously, since he wished to regain the face of the n, He Yiming was able to keep a steady heart while confronting Xu Yucai. However, currently, he was somewhat apprehensive.


    Fortunately, he had gone through a simr experience during the new year¡¯s Skill Competition. He had dueled with his eldest brother under numerous gazes at that time as well. If not for this experience, he actually might have escaped long ago with his face covered.


    After all, prior to his encounter in theke, he was but an ordinary youngster. Perhaps, in the future, after going through many such experiences, he might be able to remain calm and collected in front of thousands of people. However, at this moment, he couldn¡¯t aplish such a feat.


    Slightly exerting his feet, He Yiming left the arena and arrived before his elder brother.


    At this moment, He Yixuan had already recovered from the previous shock. His gaze on his sixth brother was aplicated one. Although he had thousands of questions he wanted to ask, he knew this was not the suitable time or ce for it. He softly said:


    ¡°We are leaving.¡±


    Two brothers left inrge strides. People immediately opened up a spacious path leading directly to the outside.


    After the two individuals left, countless voices and noises unbridled erupted.


    The battle between the He and Xu family at the streets became the talk of the town. Furthermore, a single fight caused He Yiming¡¯s name to be well-known, and he became the most illustrious expert within the young generation of all the three influential familiesbined. His limelight even surpassed that of He Yitian.


    After leaving the street, He Yixuan¡¯s footsteps were increasingly quickening. Although he had sustained injuries on his arm, under the healing of his sixth brother, it had basically healed already.


    At a remote corner, he suddenly paused his footsteps before he looked at his sixth brother and asked in a lowered tone:


    ¡°Yiming, your Internal Energy has already attained seventhyer¡¯s peak?¡±


    The crowd of the ordinary people who had been excitedly watching the battle perhaps couldn¡¯t discern, but He Yixuan understood quite well. While delivering that strike, He Yiming had not used any battle skill. He had purely relied on his Internal Energy to bring forth such a strong might.


    Without using any battle skills and relying purely on Internal Energy, being able to attain such a level of might could only mean one thing. His Internal Energy had already attained the seventhyer¡¯s peak.


    This was because only if one possessed Internal Energy of the seventhyer¡¯s peak could one, relying purely on Internal Energy, strike a cultivator who possessed the sixthyer Internal Energy and a peak sixthyer battle skill into flying.


    However, ording to He Yixuan¡¯s knowledge, his sixth brother only attained the seventhyer at the beginning of the year. Currently, barely six months had passed. How could he have attained the peak of the seventhyer?


    He Yiming sheepishly smiled and faintly nodded under the questioning gaze of his third brother.


    He Yixuan sucked in a deep breath and forced his surging state of mind to calm down. He heavily patted He Yiming on shoulder and said:


    ¡°Good. Good, sixth brother,¡± He then pulled his sixth brother¡¯s hand and dashed ahead.


    He Yiming astoundedly asked, ¡°Third brother, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense, of course, telling grandfather and the rest,¡± He Yixuan said in a slightly irritated voice, ¡°If they find out that your Internal Energy had already attained the peak of the seventhyer, they would certainly be very happy.¡±


    He Yiming muttered to himself, ¡°If they were to find out that I have already attained the ninthyer, they won¡¯t be happy, but scared instead.¡±


    ¡®What did you say?¡± He Yixuan¡¯s brows slightly creased as he turned his head and asked. Just now, He Yiming¡¯s voice was too vague. He couldn¡¯t hear anything clearly.


    He Yiming promptly said, ¡°Third brother, you just received an injury, walk a bit slowly.¡±


    He Yixuan brightly smiled before saying:


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. This bit of injury has more or less already been healed.¡±


    The two individuals although were not too familiar with the roads of the county town, returning back through the roads that they hade was not difficult. Just after a short while, they arrived at the family¡¯s courtyard.


    The two exchanged a nce and promptly entered the main hall, where they saw that their eldest uncle, father, and the rest even including their mother and little sister, were already present.


    Seeing that they had returned, He Yilong¡¯s eyes slightly shined as she asked:


    ¡°Third brother, sixth brother, were the fights fun?¡±


    The two brothers exchanged a nce before both bitterly smiled. Could today¡¯s duels on the arena be described as fun?


    He Quanming lightly snorted before saying:


    ¡°Here,petitions at the arena are nothing but duels between ordinary cultivators. A true expert would never be willing to participate. Since you have the time to go there, you might as well cultivate in the backyard. It would be much more beneficial to you.¡±


    He Quanxin waved his hand, ¡°Second brother, it¡¯s hard for children to control their heart upon seeing something new and unusual. This kind of duels although do not hold much in terms of martial strength, they are in fact true battles. Having a look at these battles also had some advantage for them.¡±


    He Quanming faintly nodded, ncing at them. However, he discovered that the two had quite strange expressions on their faces. He Quanming said in a lowered voice:


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Helpless, He Yixuan recalled Xu Yucai mounting the arena and defeating him. Even though he had suffered defeat this time, he had no intention of covering it up.


    He Quanxin and He Quanming¡¯s brows slightly creased. Especially as they heard that final strike from Xu Yucai, they both had slightly astonished expressions on their faces. Evidently, they themselves had never heard of such a battle skill.


    ¡°Big brother, Xu family is Xu family after all. They were actually concealing such a ferocious battle skill. We have to report this matter to the old man as soon as possible.¡± He Quanming solemnly said.


    He Quanxin faintly nodded. After a pondering for a few moments, he again shook his head, ¡°Informing father is must, but we also need not make a fuss about it. I am certain that the Xu Yucai¡¯s battle skill must be a high-level one. However, learning such a battle skill will inevitably hinder his Internal Energy cultivation as well. If this is truly the case with Xu family¡¯s third generation, they might be able to suppress us for a while, but in future, they absolutely won¡¯t be a threat to us.¡±


    He Quanming patted his thighs. This was something he did habitually uponing across something troublesome.


    After a short while, he slowly said:


    ¡°Big brother, I am worried, could it be¡­ Xu family have again joined with them?¡±


    He Quanxin was slightly startled before he said with a slight hesitation:


    ¡°Impossible, unless a Xiantian cultivator appears in Xu family, such a thing cannot happen.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s vision lingered on his two elders for a while as he obtained some clues from their words.


    Apparently, Xu family¡¯s history had some profound secrets. His father and eldest uncle were actually deeply afraid of this mysterious ¡®them¡¯.


    Furthermore, from his own observation, the battle skill Xu Yucai used while delivering that final strike was although not as powerful as his Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms, it was far above an ordinary battle skill. Even though this battle skill might not be a Xiantian battle skill, it was certainly a peak battle skill among ordinary battle skills.


    Xu family possessing such a battle skill evidently showed that the collection of their n was a notch above that of the He family.


    As He Yiming¡¯s imagination was running rampant, He Yixuan continued, ¡°Father, although this child lost, Xu family didn¡¯t make a killing out of it.¡±


    He Quanming suspiciously asked, ¡°Could it be you injured him as well?¡±


    ¡°This child doesn¡¯t have such an ability, but Yiming does,¡± He Yixuan slightly inclined his body and nced at He Yiming before continuing, ¡°Yiming saw me injured and acted out in anger. He struck Xu Yucai out of the arena with a single fist.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± He Quanming faintly started before hisplexion changed, ¡°Yiming, you used Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms?¡±


    He Yiming faintly shook his head before he said:


    ¡°Father, I used pure Internal Energy only.¡±


    He Yixuan further excitedly nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. Father, Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy has already attained seventhyer¡¯s peak.¡±


    Momentarily, a pin drop silence covered the entire main hall. Everybody¡¯s gaze gathered on He Yiming.


    Especially He Yitian. He deeply sighed in his mind, while his gaze turned extremelyplex.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 40 - The Banquet

    The county town was situated at the center of the Tai Cang county. Although two of the influential families didn¡¯t have their main n located in the town, but at the same time, both had certain property and business in the county town.


    From a spacious building in the southern region of the town, wherey a wide expanse of posh area, an astonished, questioning voice could be heard:


    ¡°What did you say? Defeated in a single exchange?¡±


    In the room, heavily injured Xu Yucai rested on the bed. His face was exceedingly pale and breathing quite hurried.


    Before the bed were three males. Apart from Xu Yude, one was precisely Xu Xiangci who He Yiming had met once before. As for thest person, he actually only seemed about thirty years old when his true age had already surpassed forty years.


    His build was moderate, and his whole body was covered in ck cotton robe which went as down as his feet. He had a square face and cheekbones a bit more bulging than normal. However, this abnormality instead made his face peculiarly charismatic. This moment, his eyes, which had unibrows above them, were calmly watching Xu Yucai, who was lying on the bed, as he pondered.


    He was not tall. However, as he stood beside Xu Xiangci, who was a head taller than him, he emanated a strange feeling that he was actually taller than thetter.


    Xu Xiangci suddenly turned his head and asked:


    ¡°Fourth brother, what do you make of it.¡±


    Although this individual was the smallest among Xu family¡¯s second generation, he was undoubtedly the pride of the entire Xu family, Xu Right. Beside the Xu Lord Master, he was the only expert in Xu family who had attained the ninthyer and also the most promising individual in Xu family who had a chance of attacking the tenthyer.


    In his presence, his elder brothers never tried to put on airs.


    Xu Right stepped forward and gently stroked Xu Yucai¡¯s body a few times. Xu Yucai still did not wake up, but his taut body rxed, and the painful expression on his face also rxed before he ultimately entered a deep sleep.


    ¡°Quite formidable might,¡± Xu Right said in a deep voice, ¡°Using a peak battle skill, and still ending up sustaining injuries¡­.don¡¯t tell me¡­that He Yiming used a Xiantian battle skill?¡± Immediately afterward, his brows slightly creased as he supplemented, ¡°That¡¯s not likely. He family and our Xu family are distinct. They couldn¡¯t have a scripture such as Xiantian battle skill.¡±


    Xu Xiangci heavily nodded before he coldly snorted and said:


    ¡°How could He familypare to our Xu family. Not to mention Xiantian battle skill, they couldn¡¯t even possess a peak battle skill.¡±


    Xu Right bitterly smiled before saying:


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This is something I have a hard time understanding as well.¡±


    Xu Xiangci¡¯s expression suddenly turned sharp as he said:


    ¡°Yude, after you two were defeated by Hubin, eldest brother already made an exception and imparted a top grade battle skill to you two. Don¡¯t tell me even after using a top grade battle skill you still couldn¡¯t deal with other people¡¯s ordinary battle skills?¡±


    Xu Yude promptly bowed and said:


    ¡°Second uncle, He Yiming did not use any battle skill at all.¡±


    Xu Xiangci and Xu Right¡¯s countenance slightly changed before the former hurriedly asked:


    ¡°Did not use any battle skill? Then, how did he injure Yucai?¡±


    ¡°He Yiming relied purely on his Internal Energy cultivation to injure Yucai,¡± Xu Yude¡¯s head slightly lowered while his eyes still had a faint aghast expression. He would never be able to forget that scene throughout his entire lifetime.


    Xu Right¡¯s countenance was exceedingly grave as he slowly said:


    ¡°Second brother, relying purely on Internal Energy, without using any battle skills, and being able to injure Xu Yucai to such an extent, that He family child¡¯s cultivation has certainly reached the peak of the seventhyer.¡±


    ¡°Seventhyer,¡± He Xiangci was once again sour, ¡°This year He Yiming is only fourteen. He has actually attained the peak of the seventhyer. Is he actually a human, or not?¡±


    Xu Right was faintly started before he astoundedly nced at his second brother and bitterly smiled, ¡°Second brother, you are joking. He ought to be a genius seen once in a thousand years. That¡¯s why he could aplish such a feat.¡±


    Xu Xiangci waved his hand and regretfully said:


    ¡°One year ago, I came across him while chasing Hubin. At that time, he was at the sixthyer. However, just one yearter, not only he crossed the sixthyer¡¯s bottleneck, he has even attained the peak of the seventhyer. If had known this before, I would have killed him on the spot even at the expense of being discovered.¡±


    Xu Right¡¯s face showed an unpleased expression as he said:


    ¡°Second brother, such a line of thinking won¡¯t do. If this matter happened to be discovered by He family, our Xu family truly wouldn¡¯t have a ce remaining in the county for us.¡±


    Xu Xiangci snorted before saying:


    ¡°He family is already flooding with talent. If He Yiming is also allowed to mature, sooner orter, the entire county would have a single family remaining, that is, He family.¡±


    ¡°That might not necessarily be true,¡± Xu Right smiled as if prepared in advance, ¡°As long as the Ancestor is alive, no matter how strong He family bes, they would not try to deal with us. If ites to the worst, we would be suppressed by them for a few decades. I simply don¡¯t believe that they would keep on flourishing like this forever, and our Xu family would be eternally unable to catch up to them.¡±


    Xu Xiangci contemted for a moment before forcing out a smile, ¡°Fourth brother, your vision is quite broad,¡± He paused before suddenly saying in a lowered voice:


    ¡°Fourth, how about we seek the Ancestor?¡±


    Xu Right angrily nced at the former before he discontentedly said:


    ¡°Second brother, you must be joking. If we looked for the ancestor for such a matter, I¡¯m afraid the old man will break our legs. Furthermore¡­¡± He let out a sigh, ¡°Except for when the matter is of n¡¯s survival or perhaps someone breaking through into the Xiantian realm, perhaps even father wouldn¡¯t be able to see him.¡±


    Xu Xiangci¡¯s turned gloomy as quickly as a pricked balloon.


    Xu Right raised his head and looked towards the He family; his vision profound.


    Tai Cang county couldn¡¯t be regarded as big. Within a day, the fight between the Xu and He families at the streets had spread around the entire town.


    In Tian Luo country, where the martial wind blew, this was precisely the sort of topic people loved to talk about the most. As if wind and rain through the town, everybody, without a single exception, became aware of it.


    Especially, for He Yiming, who was inferior in terms of age, to strike Xu Yucai off the stage in a single fist was further talked about as a legend.


    People made all kinds of guesses regarding him, and some people were even convinced that his cultivation was already not below that of the three influential family¡¯s second generation.


    Of course, the people who said as such were mostly those who didn¡¯t have a good understanding of Internal Energy and only had a superficial knowledge; precisely the kind of people who see wind as a sign of rain.


    Those people who genuinely had some aplishments in Internal Energy did not believe in such talks at all.


    They knew that on average, the cultivation of the second generation members of the influential families was the eighthyer. As such, even though He Yiming possessed seventhyer¡¯s peak Internal Energy, he could notpare to the eighthyer experts.


    Of course, they made an error in their judgment as they werepletely unaware of He Yiming¡¯s true strength.


    However, regardless of what people talked, He Yiming¡¯s fame had spread far around. Not a single person in the county town didn¡¯t know his name as of now. Furthermore, this moment, his name was quickly spreading around the adjacent regions as well and would spread around throughout the entire county soon.


    Moreover, one thing had gained the approval of basically everybody. He Yiming¡¯s strength was at the top among the third generation of all the three influential familiesbined. Even He Yitian, who had always been the first, had been surpassed by him.


    The only surprise for the people was that while this matter was being passionately discussed by the people outside, the three influential families preserved silence and didn¡¯t issue anyment or suggestion whatsoever.


    Furthermore, He Yiming, under the instructions of his father, did not set a foot outside before following his elders for the Cheng family¡¯s banquet.


    Cheng family, without a doubt, was the n that held the most authority in the Tai Cang county.


    The Cheng family¡¯s Lord Father was further an illustrious cultivator in the Tai Cang county. Although his cultivation was only at the ninthyer, this didn¡¯t affect their overall influence in Tai Cang county at all.


    Cheng n had progressed through several hundreds of years. They had several people from the generation of the Lord Master, Cheng Zhusheng. Furthermore, their second generation had several tens of members. They were deep-rooted throughout the entire Tai Cang county like an ancient vine. They even had the control over the duty of the City Watch. No one could treat them lightly.


    Of course, even though they were big in numbers, they were far iparable to the other two families in terms of martial strength.


    In the entire n, the Lord Master Cheng Zhusheng was the sole individual who had attained the ninthyer, and all the other members of his generation and several tens of members of the second generation resided at the eighthyer at most. Furthermore, the majority of them had not even broken through the sixthyer.


    However, despite all this, the amount of people who hade to congratte the Cheng Lord Master on his eightieth birthday had caused Cheng family¡¯s front yard to be as busy as a fish market. In front of Cheng Residence were endless rows of horses and carriages. Peopleing to congratte seemed like an endless stream. It seemed as if the people in the whole county had decided toe here.


    When Yiming arrived with his elders, the bustling scene almost jump scared him.


    During yesterday¡¯s battle at the streets, thousands of people crowded together, butpared to the scene in front of the Cheng residence today, the former seemedpletelyckluster.


    However, the members of Cheng family had evidently prepared for the situation beforehand. They were calm and were properly arranging the guests in ordance with the determined hierarchy. Although the rows of chariots in front of the residence had already covered three streets, not the slightest bit of disorder could be seen.


    He Yiming inwardly sighed in praise. Worthy of being an influential family passed on through several hundreds of years. They had abundant experience in dealing with such sort of situations. Substituting their position with the He family, if such a huge amount of people showed up at their doorsteps, even if the Lord Master himself acted, perhaps he would be flustered as well and would not able to control the situation.


    This moment, his mind only had a single thought. Martial Dao and the ways of the world are indeed two entirely different concepts.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 41 - The Celebration

    The streets in Tai Cang county were not wide at all. However, the streets leading to the Cheng Residence were spacious beyond recognition. Even eight horses galloping side by side on these roads would not be a problem.


    At this moment, all the chariots were arranged in a straight line. Therefore, no issue rted to overcrowding and congestion could be seen.


    Just when He Yiming thought that they would have to line up and wait for the line to advance at a speed of a snail, his father and eldest uncle patted their horses and directly stepped on the center of the road.


    This action did garner people¡¯s attention, but they didn¡¯t make a fuss at all nor did they express any dissatisfaction. Instead, they cupped their hands and greeted his father with ttering smiles on their faces.


    However, He Quanming didn¡¯t return the greeting and only nodded slightly with a faint smile on his face. However, asionally, he did pause and chatted a bit with some people.


    And every single person he chatted with instantly stuck his chest out and raised his head high as he looked all around as if he had just aplished something great.


    While watching all this, He Yiming clicked his tongue in wonder. His father actually had such amand here.


    Suddenly, He Yixuan said from his side:


    ¡°Sixth brother, how is our family¡¯s reputation?¡±


    He Yiming immediately nodded and said:


    ¡°Quite amazing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s obvious. If we couldn¡¯t even aplish this much, what would be the meaning of being one of the three influential families.¡± He Yixuan had a prideful expression.


    He Yitian, who was right behind He Quanxin and He Quanming, also turned his head around and softly said:


    ¡°Yiming, currently, you are also one of He family¡¯s celebrities. After we enter, be a bit aloof. Don¡¯t lose n¡¯s face.¡±


    He Yiming heavily nodded, but inside, he was at a loss. He was an expert as far as cultivation was concerned but he had barely touched upon the ways of the world. He had no idea what would be considered as ¡®aloof¡¯. However, he figured out a n soon. He would follow the lead of his eldest brother in everything.


    The members of He family had not yet reached the Cheng Residence, but someone had alreadye out of the residence to wee them.


    The individual who hade out was a sturdy middle-aged man dressed in red-colored silk clothes that represented a festive outfit. His face had a jubnt smile as if the He family was his kin.


    He distantly shouted:


    ¡°Brother, Quanming, we are honored by your presence. Your presence is truly a light to our humble house. Oh, even brother Quanxin hase¡­¡±


    He Quanming and He Quanxin smilingly dismounted their horses and cupped their hands towards him. Though the smile on the face of He Quanxin was evidently a lot stiffer than that of Quanming. Fortunately, everybody knew that the former was a martial lunatic. Thus, no one took offense from it.


    He Yiming and the rest, following the lead of their elders, also dismounted their horses. He Yitian slightly inclined his body and softly said:


    ¡°Yiming, this individual is Cheng Shine from Cheng family¡¯s second generation. His Internal Energy although had not yet attained the ninthyer, it¡¯s still at the eighthyer¡¯s peak. He is reputed to be the number two expert of the Cheng family, and his reputation is even above second uncle and third uncle.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded. Regarding this individual who undoubtedly seemed like a shrewd businessman, He Yiming was somewhat guarded.


    After chatting a bit with He Quanxin and He Quanming, Cheng Shine¡¯s gaze suddenly swept past the small characters on the road, then He Yitian before ultimately resting on He Yiming.


    Heughed and said:


    ¡°Brother Quanming, I heard a seventhyer cultivator has appeared in your esteemed third generation. Is he here today?¡±


    He Quanming heartilyughed and said:


    ¡°Brother Shine, the little child is obviously here. It¡¯s the birthday of Cheng Lord Father, how could he note.¡±


    He stretched his hand. Although He Yiming was extremely unwilling, he did not have a way around it. He had no choice but to step forward and bow towards Cheng Shine:


    ¡°Small nephew pays his respects to elder uncle Cheng.¡±


    ¡°Enough with the ceremonies,¡± Cheng Shine promptly supported him up and said, ¡°Nephew is indeed a dragon among men. His reputation is indeed justified.¡±


    He Yiming cursed inwardly, ¡®Where did you make out the dragon in me?¡¯ Of course, he wouldn¡¯t dare say such words aloud. He tried to imitate his father, keeping a formal smile on his face.


    Of course, with his skill, he had no way of reaching even close to his father¡¯s level and instead ended up resembling his eldest uncle somewhat.


    The people on the road although did not have the courage to step forward and join in the conversation, they were looking from afar while barely making out some parts of their conversation.


    When He Yiming stepped out, the mor on the street increased substantially. Basically, everybody was curious about this new genius who had emerged in He family¡¯s third generation. Even those who didn¡¯t care about such things also wished to take a look at this moment.


    Cheng Shine¡¯s look changed, and he swept his nce through the people on the road.


    When he was conversing with the members of He family, his face was beaming with smiles. However, as soon as he turned around, hisplexion turned as dark as the bottom of a pot and eyes emanated a ferocious color.


    The people on the road immediately became a lot well-behaved, and nobody dared to make loud noises anymore.


    As He Yiming watched all this, his evaluation of Cheng Shine increased by a notch. His reputation as the number one expert in Cheng family¡¯s second generation was indeed well-deserved.


    He Quanxin and He Quanming turned a blind eye to the actions of Cheng Shine. Among this crowd on the road, there might be several ample-bodied rich men, but in this deste Tai Cang county, even the influence of authorities was weak, much less to speak of these small ns.


    In Tai Cang county, apart from the three influential families, rarely could one see a sixthyer cultivator. This was the biggest asset of the influential families.


    In front of the influential families, these people indeed didn¡¯t have the qualifications to be conceited. If they truly provoked the influential families, when thetter woulde at their door to kill, nobody would be able to save them.


    Therefore, once Cheng Shine stiffened his face, everybody immediately assumed silence and didn¡¯t dare talk again.


    After a few moments, He Quanming lightly coughed and said, ¡°Brother Shine, today is Lord father¡¯s birthday. We should hurry in.¡±


    Cheng Shine again assumed his smiling expression as he said:


    ¡°Brother Quanming is right, we¡¯ll enter.¡±


    Under his lead, everybody entered the Cheng Residence.


    As a big n that stood on par with the Cheng n, the treatment He family received inside could be well imagined. Not only they were received in the main hall, even all the young generation had independent seats for them.


    Of course, He Quanxin and He Quanming were invited to the principal seats. Not many people had such qualifications in the entire Tai Cang county.


    It seemed as if oceans of people had swarmed into the residence to toast the Lord Master. Despite all main hall, back hall, and side hall being opened up for the banquet, the residence seemed packed with the crowd.


    As He Yiming looked all this, he was astonished, but also quite expectant.


    This was the inner workings andwork of a n worth several hundred of years, not something the current He family couldpare to.


    After a few moments, a man came running and said a few lines in the ears of Xu Shine. Thetter excused himself and stood up from his seat before leaving the hall.


    Before long, he returned with several other people.


    He Yiming¡¯s vision fell on them before his gaze turned his sharp. He recognized two among these people.


    One was Xu XIangci, and the other was obviously was Xu Yude. As for the Xu Yucai, who was seen with Xu Yude, he was nowhere to be seen. He Yiming¡¯s lips slightly curled. Although that Xu Yucai wouldn¡¯t have died due to his strike, the former must have sustained heavy injuries. He wouldn¡¯t be able topletely recover before ten days or even half a month.


    As the people from Xu family entered, their vision immediately found the members of He family. Although everybody currently had smiling expressions on their faces, momentarily, their expression had be ferocious.


    Though it only remained for an instant. After all, this was the territory of the Cheng family. Neither wished to initiate trouble during the celebration of the eightieth birthday of the Cheng Lord Father since that would only bring negative influence. It would undoubtedly be disadvantageous for either of the ns.


    Suddenly, He Yiming felt a substantial gaze on his body.


    He had a feeling that the owner of this gaze was extremely strong. ording to his perceptions till now, only his eldest uncle and that old servant who lived in the Book Pavilion had such an intense gaze.


    Though his grandfather¡¯s Internal Energy was a notch above them, the former never used such a gaze to look at him.


    He slowly turned his head and spotted a male which seemed in his thirties. The man, who was also looking back at him, faintly nodded and smiled.


    He Yiming slightly started before he nodded and returned the greeting with extreme unwillingness in his heart.


    He could tell that this man was a member of Xu family but he had no idea about thetter¡¯s identity.


    ¡°Yiming, he is Xu Right, number fourth in Xu family¡¯s second generation. He already crossed the eighthyer¡¯s bottleneck several months ago and has reached the ninthyer.¡± He Yitian immediately said as he saw He Yiming and Xu Right¡¯s eye contact.


    He Yiming heart tensed before he again looked at Xu Right profoundly and made a note of his appearance.


    Cheng family¡¯s seating arrangements were quite interesting. Like He family, the elders of Xu family were also invited to sit on the principal seats, and the Xu family¡¯s young generation also had individual seats for them. However, their seats were quite distant from He family¡¯s young generation.


    Evidently, Cheng family also didn¡¯t wish to see any mishap during the celebration.


    Not long after the Xu family took their seats, amidst the sounds of drums, an old man, whose beard and hair werepletely white butplexion was red and stature was tall and sturdy, entered the main hall amidst several youngsters.


    As this old man appeared, everybody simultaneously stood up from their seats.


    He Yiming was silently watching the old man. As he felt that strong aura, he didn¡¯t need to think twice about the identity of the old man.


    It was indeed as he had guessed. After the introductions, the head of the Cheng family, Cheng Zhusheng, sat on one of the principal seats.


    The feast immediatelymenced. Wave after wave of programs passed through like flowing water.


    Meanwhile, the people seating on the principal seats beamed with smiles as if they would never get tired of watching.


    Just in this fashion, the color of the sky turned dark, though the mood of the banquet remained as dense as ever.


    He Yiming faintly shook his head and excused himself for toilet before getting up from his seat and going outside for a breather.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 42 - The Secret Exchange

    In the sky, the sparsely spread stars shined, seeming like resonant teardrops which were about to fall.


    He Yiming left the celebration and roamed in the Cheng residence. He was astonished by the fact that the area upied by the Cheng Residence was not the slightest bit less than that of the He family.


    It should be known that the He family resided under the feet of mountains outside the county town, whereas the Cheng Residence was situated inside the county town.


    One outside and the other inside although seemed identical in terms of area, in terms of true worth, the difference was akin to that of heaven and earth.


    He Yiming deeply sighed. He was quite moved. Although He family was able to rise quickly relying on their martial strength, in terms of wealth, they couldn¡¯t even begin topare with the Cheng family.


    After walking for a short while, the people around him became exceedingly sparse before he unexpectedly encountered a high wall.


    Shaking his head, He Yiming bitterly smiled and was about to leave when his ears vaguely caught onto something. Subsequently, he lowered his body, and like a roon, quietly and breathlessly, rushed behind the bunch of rocks nearby.


    His movements were extremely nimble. Even his clothes were stuck to his body as he moved. Even if he had moved quicker, no sound would have been produced.


    Just as he had properly hidden, a figure appeared on the wall.


    The individual only revealed his head as he looked around for a few moments. Spotting no one keeping watch nearby, he nimbly jumped over.


    He Yiming watched the man through the gap between the rocks.


    The man was wearing a ck, skin-tight outfit, but his face was not covered. However, his face waspletely unfamiliar. He Yiming had never seen it before.


    However, after witnessing the recent actions of the man, He Yiming couldn¡¯t help but be extremely curious.


    Going by the influence of the Cheng family in the county town, could there still be a thief that was nning to rob them? This seemed rather inconceivable.


    To He Yiming, although Cheng family¡¯s martial strength seemed dull, in any case, the Cheng family represented the power of the authorities. Even the stupidest of the thief would not dare to eye them.


    As He Yiming thought up to this point, he immediately gave up on arresting this man, and instead curled up his body even more. He wished to see for himself the reason behind this man¡¯s visit.


    Sure enough, that man aftering down didn¡¯t leave immediately, and instead quickly hid in a dark corner.


    As He Yiming evaluated the position where that man had concealed himself, he couldn¡¯t help but feel ashamed.


    That position was a truly good spot for hiding, and his position behind rockery was far iparable to it.


    After a short while, the man still had not made any movements but He Yiming was feeling somewhat impatient. True that he came outside to escape from the festive atmosphere inside, but he couldn¡¯t remain outside too long. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid a harsh scolding.


    He was calcting in his heart if he should capture that man and interrogate. It seemed a much better option than foolishly waiting.


    However, as soon as he made up his mind to act, he heard sounds of approaching footsteps.


    Feeling slightly excited, he immediately stopped.


    A figure could be seen approaching in staggering steps. The smell of alcohol could be smelled from afar, and from the footsteps of this man, it seemed that this man could crumble down any instant. Clearly, this man waspletely drunk.


    He Yiming nced at the man¡¯s face and immediately recognized the man¡¯s identity.


    This man was actually the Xu family¡¯s member who had been behind Xu Xiangci and Xu Right. However, ording to his eldest brother, this man was not a core member of the Xu family, but a sponger whom Xu family had managed to attract.


    The reason He Yiming remembered him so clearly was because the former¡¯s stature was exceedingly petite. He was not taller than He Yiming despite being a fully-grown man. An individual with such a stature was naturally quite eye-catching. In fact, one would find hard to forget such a person.


    In Tian Luo country, every n would not only just raise their young disciples with utmost care but would also try to attract people with appropriate strength. Although such people had many titles, they were basically Spongers.


    Of course, truly significant people would nevere to a small, insignificant area such as Tai Cang county. In the county, the people attracted by the three influential families were only the cultivators at the fifthyer or below.


    Once one¡¯s Internal Energy reached the sixthyer, his status immediately would increase by hundred folds and he would immediately leave the county to look for better employers in other regions.


    He family didn¡¯t attract any spongers and relied on the servants trained inside the family itself to be their primary battle strength. However, rarely would a servant raised inside the family yield quality results in the Internal Energy cultivation. The thirdyer was already the limit for them. Furthermore, only about twenty in every hundred reached the thirdyer.


    It was not that He family didn¡¯t wish to attract spongers, but the family¡¯s foundation was too shallow and didn¡¯t have the resources to support these spongers.


    Of course, relying on their current peak martial strength, they could stand toe-to-toe with the other two families without attracting spongers.


    As He Yiming watched the Xu family¡¯s sponger dragging his small and thin frame forward, he suddenly thought of something.


    His vision turned towards that dark corner only to find that the man had alreadye out.


    He Yiming involuntarily clenched his fists while saying inwardly, ¡®As expected, these two indeed has some connection.¡±


    If he had not seen that man jumping over the wall and hiding in a dark corner, he would have never been able to imagine something like this.


    ¡°Why have youe sote?¡± The man said in low voice. His tone was a bit ming, ¡°Did something unexpected happen?¡±


    The Xu family¡¯s sponger jerked his body once andpletely straightened, not seeming intoxicated in the slightest.


    He Yiming inwardly prostrated himself in admiration before the man. This man¡¯s performance was too good. Just now, he had truly believed that the man was drunk. He wouldn¡¯t have been convinced otherwise if not for seeing the scene before him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t want toe, but there are just too many people here. Those small children of Xu family were also together and not willing to let me part. It was really hard for me to look for this opportunity.¡± The drunkard man hurriedly exined.


    The man in the ck, skin-tight clothes slightly frowned and said, ¡°Fine, don¡¯t speak nonsense. You brought the thing with you?¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± The drunkard took out something wrapped in an old oilskin and handed it over to the former while saying, ¡°There¡¯s one book in it.¡±


    ¡°Why does it have one book only?¡± The man¡¯s excited look immediately froze and vision turned sharp as a bit of killing intent emerged on his face. However, the movements of his hands didn¡¯t slow down at all as he snatched the oilskin from the hands of the drunkard.


    The drunkard immediately waved his hand and said:


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. You can¡¯t imagine how many difficulties I have to face before I can enter that ce for once. It is already quite amazing that I could make copies of one book in a year. If it had been any other person, such a feat would have been simply impossible.¡±


    The man slightly started before his killing intent vanished and he said:


    ¡°I understand. However, there¡¯s one more book you need to bring back.¡±


    The drunkard lightly patted his chest as he said:


    ¡°You can be at ease. Although I am not done making its copies, about half has already been done. In another six months or so, I can definitelyplete the job.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes shined as he asked, ¡°Very good. When should I contact you again?¡±


    The drunkard thought for a moment before replying: ¡°Half a yearter,e to the market outside the Xu family castle. I will think of a method to deliver you the thing.¡±


    ¡°What methods you have?¡± The man asked, ¡°Their supervision over the inner-castle spongers are so strict, they would give you no opportunities to get out. How will youe out?¡±


    The drunkardughed, ¡°Their supervision over the inner-castle spongers is quite strict, but the outer-castle spongers are basically free. Once I finish copying the other book, I will think of a way of moving to the outer-castle. Then, I could easily walk out without any problems.¡±


    The man pondered for a few moments before saying:


    ¡°This is, in fact, a good method. But can you do it?¡±


    ¡°You can be at ease. In order to aplish this, our third generation is working as spongers of the Xu family. We have already gained their trust. Furthermore, I have a backup n as well. As long as Iplete making the copies, I will certainly be able to look for an opportunity to leave.¡± The drunkard said; his voice brimming with confidence.


    The man eventually rxed and said:


    ¡°All right, you have done well. If you can get your hands on both books, you would be able to return in a few years. Once you return, the lord will certainly reward you properly. This half year, we wouldn¡¯t be able to contact you again. Be careful and don¡¯t be discovered¡­..¡±


    The drunkard suddenly extended his hand and made a ¡®shut up¡¯ signal with his hand. Subsequently, his body began to shake once more, and at the same time, he began to mutter indiscernible words.


    The man immediately responded and retreated back into the dark corner he had been hiding; though he seemed a bit reluctant.


    He Yiming was astonished. At this point, he knew that this drunkard was not an ordinary cultivator. His Internal Energy resided somewhere in between the seventhyer or the eighthyer.


    Unexpectedly, there was a seventh or eighthyer cultivator among the Xu family spongers. Moreover, on the surface, this expert didn¡¯t seem one at all.


    If Tai Cang county could attract such a high-level expert, there was certainly something fishy.


    Very soon, a group of people discovered the staggering drunkard and returned back to escort him. Evidently, the group had note for the drunkard and were instead pulled away from this ce by thetter.


    After the group left, the man emerged from the dark corner again. He profoundly nced in the direction of the group and climbed over the wall.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 43 - Chase And Kill

    Note:


    There are five pending chapters from thest two weeks. I will try to get them done along with the regr chapters within this week. This is the first...1/5


    Tranted by: toomuchnoob


    Likewise, He Yiming came out as well. Only slowing down slightly before the wall, he nimbly jumped over. He looked around and immediately spotted the man.


    Slightly exerting his feet, he swiftly chased after him.


    If he had to chase after the drunkard, He Yiming would have been somewhat reluctant.


    After all, that drunkard was a sponger of the Xu family. If they found out that he mounted a sneak attack on their sponger, he wouldn¡¯t be able to exin himself.


    However, this moment, the individual he was chasing after was not that drunkard but hispanion. Thus, He Yiming was a lot less worried.


    He Yiming ran quite fast, evidently not wishing to drag out too long. On the other hand, the ck-clothed man advanced with caution, not daring to step on main roads and only daring to move through alleys. Moreover, his speed was not too fast; he was being cautious to the extreme.


    After reaching about hundred meters away from the Cheng Residence, He Yiming suddenly elerated and appeared behind the body of the man like a whirlwind. With Internal Energy surging like a tide, eighthyer Silk Palm struck at the man without a noise.


    The most distinctive characteristic of water-type techniques, apart from Internal Energy being abundant, was that they were light as a feather and gentle. Basically, the best alternative for a sneak attack.


    However, that man was extremely cautious as he moved. Although He Yiming appeared behind him quite abruptly, the former was still able to feel something strange behind his body. His reaction was as quick as lightning. He exerted his feet and swiftly leaped into the air. In mid-air, he turned his body and looked at He Yiming with a sharp gaze.


    He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased as a slight astonishment emerged in his mind. Even though the man¡¯s strength seemed inferior to that of the drunkard, the former seemed to have cultivated a high-level agility technique. He Yiming even felt that if this man decided to flee with all his might, disregarding everything, perhaps even he would find chasing after him difficult.


    With a thought, He Yiming immediately restrained his palms. Fortunately, the technique had not been employed and Internal Energy had not been discharged. Thus, the opponent had also not felt the might behind the palm.


    ¡°Who are you, what is your rtion with that Xu family¡¯s drunkard. Spill it out without tricks.¡± He Yiming said in a cold voice; his head high and tone as if looking down on the world.


    As expected, that man¡¯s countenance immediately changed and a cold, ferocious light flickered in his eyes.


    Upon discovering He Yiming had sneaked up so close behind him, he was obviously extremely astonished. Moreover, this ce was not that far away from the Cheng Residence. If a fight broke out here, the people in the Residence would certainly be rmed. Thus, his first thought then was to increase the distance.


    However, upon hearing He Yiming¡¯s words, he knew that he had to settle this matter on the spot. If the drunkard¡¯s identity was somehow leaked by He Yiming, it would be an equally disastrous matter for him as well.


    As his vision once again sized up He Yiming¡¯s body, he immediately determined that the former although was quite strong, a youngster couldn¡¯t be stronger than him. Since this little boy wished to court death, he would oblige.


    ¡°Who are you, sir? Forgive this lowly man for not understanding your words.¡± The man spoke meaningless words in a hoarse voice while faintly moving forward.


    As He Yiming saw the man¡¯s movements, he immediately steeled his mind. However, his face remained expressionless as he said:


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who is this senior, but since I have seen you coborating with that Xu family¡¯s drunkard, you muste back with me,¡± his face beamed with smiles as he said: ¡°If Xu family knows that I have discovered a traitor in their ranks, they would certainly reward me handsomely.¡±


    Though the words in his mind differed than what came out of his mouth, ¡®Who cares about the Internal traitors in Xu family. More such traitors, better it is. Moreover, even if I knocked on their door and advise them on their internal affairs, they surely wouldn¡¯t appreciate the kindness.¡±


    However, the ck-clothed man had no idea about He Yiming¡¯s thoughts as he continued to spout ttering words. Suddenly, he exerted his feet and suddenly pounced on He Yiming; his speed much quicker than before. At the same time, he raised his hands. The five fingers of his each hand gathered together before his hands assumed the shape of an awl. His arms swayed without rhythm as if they were devoid of any joints, resembling two cave vipersing straight towards one¡¯s face while emanating a sinister aura.


    An aghast expression covered He Yiming¡¯s face, which, contrary to one might believe, was not feigned at all.


    This man¡¯s speed was quicker than what he had conjectured, producing a faint chill in his heart. Furthermore, the man¡¯s battle skill was also too mysterious. As his arms swayed, one could actually hear a faint and sort of ¡®si si¡¯ sound.


    He Yiming perceived the former¡¯s arms as two giant pythons baring their fangs, causing him to have goosebumps.


    He certainly had never heard about such a battle skill before. This battle skill must be a secret, undisclosable technique of some big n. However, this n couldn¡¯t be from the Tai Cang county. Otherwise, his elders certainly would have mentioned it to him.


    Feeling the pressure of his opponent¡¯s strike, He Yiming was certain that his opponent was an eighthyer cultivator. However, relying on thetter¡¯s unpredictable agility technique and mysterious battle skill, even if he encountered an ordinary ninthyer cultivator, he would still be able to escape.


    He Yiming¡¯s thoughts returned before he raised both his hands above his head and employed the tenth form of the [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] without the slightest restraint.


    However, this time, the use of the Xiantian skill feltpletely different than all the previous times. This time, hecked the fierce aura that felt like he could split apart a mountain. Instead, he emanated an indescribably soft and gentle aura.


    However, to other people, such a change felt disharmonious and sickening; the same feeling one would have after idently eating a fly with food.


    The man also felt as such, but at this moment, he resembled a bow ready to shoot. He couldn¡¯t retreat.


    Furthermore, if He Yiming¡¯s [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] had still emanated that world-shattering aura as always, he certainly would have pulled back regardless of the consequences and escaped. However, He Yiming¡¯s current move seemed in disharmony which made him determined to fight.


    The next moment, the four arms of the two persons abruptly collided.


    The ck-clothed man¡¯s expression slightly changed. Just now, he had tried his hardest to alter the trajectory of his arms, wishing to avoid his opponent¡¯s palms and struck directly on thetter¡¯s body. However, he suddenly discovered, that his opponent¡¯s two palms emanated a mysterious feeling that he couldn¡¯tprehend. Regardless of how he tried to change the trajectory of his palms, they still collided with the opponent¡¯s two palms head-on.


    He was inwardly rmed, ¡®What kind of battle skill is this?¡¯


    However, he didn¡¯t have the leisure to pursue this thought, because the mighting from the opponent¡¯s fists didn¡¯t allow him any opportunity to think.


    Surging like an ocean and fierce like a mountain, the iing strength instantly flooded his insides.


    With a speed that was not inferior one bitpared to his speed a moment ago, he flew; from the end of this street to the end of the next street before heavily crashing into a wall.


    He Yiming promptly dashed after him, then pulled him out of the debris of the broken wall and escaped as fast as he could.


    Although the families living here, a hundred meters away from the Cheng Residence, were not some big aristocratic families, in the Tai Cang county, they would be counted among the top figures. They naturally had defensive measures of their own. However, when these people arrived on the scene, He Yiming was already far away with the ck-clothed man.


    He Yiming didn¡¯t have to exert any effort even though he ran while carrying a man. He was not familiar with the county town, but finding an unmanned area in a posh region was no difficult feat.


    Soon, he arrived in front of a single-doored building which seemed like a woodshed courtyard. He ced the man¡¯s body in a dark area behind the building. After examining the body for a bit, He Yiming bitterly smiled.


    The majority of the bones in the man¡¯s body were broken. Especially, his both arms and chest werepletely crushed by the impact of the [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms]. His entire body seemed strengthless and limp like a mollusk creature.


    He Yiming took his hand. Thetter¡¯s breath had already stopped. If one could live even after sustaining such heavy injuries, he wouldn¡¯t be a man anymore.


    After probing his body, He Yiming was able to find some silver and books. The book in the oilskin, which He Yiming was most concerned of, was also included among these.


    Apart from that, another scripture was there. However, at this moment, He Yiming couldn¡¯t examine it carefully. After hurriedly stuffing all the objects into his bosom, dumping the body into the woodshed, and covering it with ayer of wood, He Yiming left.


    At night, people wouldn¡¯t likely visit here. If the body was still discovered, He Yiming would have nothing to say about it.


    When he jumped over the wall and returned back to the Residence, He Yiming felt rmed inwardly.


    Tonight, he killed a man. Moreover, a man he had met for the first time; aplete stranger.


    However, he didn¡¯t feel his heart churning at all. He even unhesitatingly robbed his treasures and returned back to the Residence before eventually thinking that this was actually¡­..


    His expression transformed countless times in a moment. As he recalled that bitter, painful feeling after he killed Hubin, he had to admit that he had changed. Compared to before, the difference in his attitude was akin to that of heaven and earth.


    He had no idea what such a change represented and also didn¡¯t know what this change would bring for him. However, he did know that he was not the same person anymore.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 44 - Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng

    When he returned back to the main hall, no one was interested in his absence and no one questioned him.


    As He Yiming looked around, he felt likeughing. Next to the position where he had been sitting before, only his second brother could be seen. As for his eldest brother and third brother, both had escaped As He Yihai saw He Yiming, he cursed with a bitter smile, ¡°Why did you take so much time. Be a bit quicker.¡±


    He Yiming made a sound of agreement and sat on his seat before asking, ¡°Second brother, what about eldest brother and third brother?¡±


    ¡°Just like you,¡± He Yihai said in a slightly irritated voice, ¡°Was it really fun in the main yard?¡±


    He Yiming slightly started. When he went out, he did see that the Residence¡¯s front was brightly lit and bustling with noise. However, as if gods and demons were at y, he did not go there. Instead, he ended up being sidetracked and discovering a traitor in the ranks of Xu family.


    This moment, after hearing his second brother¡¯s question, he realized that Cheng family had specially arranged all sorts of amusements there.


    He Yiming faintly smiled. He didn¡¯t say anything and only nodded slightly. Since he never went there, he had no idea if that ce was interesting or not. Since words would only bring more trouble for him, he decided not to say anything.


    He Yihai stood up and said, ¡°Sixth, since you have returned, you assume the charge here. I will also go out to have some fun.¡±


    Looking at his second brother dly leave, He Yiming bitterly smiled inwardly. However, this moment, he had no thoughts of amusements as he silently sat on his seat and watched the actors perform in the main hall.


    Although his mind was somewhere else and he sincerely hoped this wretched feast to be over, he didn¡¯t dare to be rash. He remained seated on his seat with a somewhat stiff smile on his face, resembling a statue, and waited for the feast to conclude.


    Suddenly, from outside, a Cheng family member rushed inside with a pleasantly surprised expression on his face. He arrived beside the principal seats and said a few lines in a low voice.


    Seated in the middle, the Cheng Lord Father, Cheng Zhusheng, suddenly stood up and said a few lines to the people around him. Suddenly everybody stood up and escorted the Lord Father out.


    These people were the focus of the entire banquet. Once they stood up, they immediately caused the surrounding people to raise their eyebrows. Even the performances on the main hall¡¯s stage were stopped by the family servants through silent gestures.


    He Yiming astonishedly looked at his eldest uncle and father who were also among the departing crowd. However, he saw that even their faces had bewildered expressions.


    After a short while, He Yitian and the other two also returned in quick session. Their faces also had grave expressions.


    He Yiming asked in a low voice, ¡°Eldest brother, what happened?¡±


    He was concerned about the matter of that ck-clothed man¡¯s corpse and was almost convinced that it must have been discovered. However, after a bit of thought, he rxed. He had hidden that corpse quite far away from the Cheng Residence, and even if they had actually discovered it, today was a joyous day for the Cheng family. They would not disturb the Cheng Lord Master for such a matter.


    He Yitian looked at him and said, ¡°Yiming, Jadeting city¡¯s Lin family is here.¡±


    ¡°Lin family?¡± From his face, He Yiming seemed somewhat moved. He lived in the Tai Cang county and had never gone to Jadeting city but Lin family¡¯s name was like thunder to his ears.


    Lin family was an exceedingly high-level influential family that had been passed on through millenniums. In front of their history and depth, even the whole Tai Cang county paled.


    After all, due to being situated in an excessively deste area, Tai Cang county only began to flourish about three hundred years ago. Even though the county had experienced two dynasties, it was still nothing more than a history of three hundred years.


    He, Xu, and Cheng families might be tyrants in the Tai Cang county, but whenpared to the big influential families of the Jadeting city, they seemed like apprentices in front of senior magicians. They simply didn¡¯t have the qualifications to evenpete.


    ¡°They havee to toast the Cheng family. This couldn¡¯t be a mistake.¡±


    Logically speaking, in the light of Lin family¡¯s status, they should not be having any rtionship with an influential family of an insignificant area such as Tai Cang county.


    He Yitian coldly snorted and said, ¡°Cheng family has two girls. The big one was married into the Lin familyst year. Reportedly, she was quite well-received.¡±


    ¡°Lin family and Cheng family are actually rted by marriage?¡± An inconceivable expression emerged on He Yiming¡¯s face.


    He Yitian faintly shook his head and said, ¡°Not the principal wife, but a concubine.¡±


    He Yiming then understood. If not for this, Lin family would not have allowed a girl from Cheng family to take a single step past their doorstep.


    However, to toast the Cheng Lord Master, Lin family actually sent people from a region as distant as the Jadeting city. Obviously, Cheng family¡¯s girl must have been well-received there. Moreover, the man she married should have a high status in the Lin family. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have sent people today.


    Before long, a group of people entered the hall while chatting and smiling.


    However, this time, the center of the group was no longer upied the Lord Master Cheng, but a man who seemed to be in his thirties.


    This man was wearing a bright-colored robe. Although the robe didn¡¯t seem too expensive, it emitted a magnificent aura when seen on the man¡¯s body. The man seemed even more dazzling as he entered; his every move exhibiting his strong self-confidence.


    Following behind him, apart from the people who had been sitting on the principal seats, were four guards.


    Coming with guards to such a region clearly illustrated his extraordinary identity. However, when one thinks about the difference in the status of the two families, Cheng family wouldn¡¯t have dared to say anything even if these guards had escorted a dog raised by the Lin family.


    Of course, looking at this man¡¯s dragon like manner, he couldn¡¯t be a dog raised by the Lin family.


    He Yitian said in a low voice, ¡°These guards must be from Lin family¡¯s special guard squadron. I heard that in order to enter this squadron, your Internal Energy must be at least at the seventhyer.¡±


    He Yiming and his third brother looked at each other in shock. A n¡¯s guards must have at least the seventhyer Internal Energy? What sort of horrifying concept was this? To say the least, such a thing couldn¡¯t even be imagined in the Tai Cang county.


    If the servants in He family could attain the thirdyer, it was already considered extraordinary. Having guards that possessed seventhyer Internal Energy seemed too far-fetched.


    Soon, the Cheng Lord Master weed that man on the principal seats. The leftovers from before had already been cleaned.


    At this moment, only the conversation of these men could be heard in the main hall. The rest were silently watching them. The reputation of Jadeting city¡¯s Lin family was indeed too big; sufficient to frighten these people.


    while inviting the man to sit, Lord Cheng said with a flushed face, ¡°Everyone, this is young master Lin Haori from Jadeting city¡¯s Lin family. Young master hase especially to toast this lowly old man, this old man feels quite apprehensive.¡±


    For the majority of people here, being able to sit together with young master Lin was already an extreme honor.


    However, this didn¡¯t apply to everybody present. Be it the young generation of He family or the young generation of the Xu family, their eyes were shining with a peculiar luster. However, no one was stupid enough to create trouble at this moment.


    Lin Haori¡¯s face was calm as his sharp gaze swept past the faces of everybody in the main hall. He cupped his hands towards Cheng Zhusheng and said, ¡°Lord Master, on themand of the family head, I havee to congratte you on your long life of eighty years; may a flood of good fortunes¡­¡±


    His words were not finished before countless cheers erupted.


    This was a local custom of Tai Cang county. More the people apuded, more the face for the counterpart. However, Lin Haori was evidently not habitual as he seemed slightly startled before losing his interest in continuing.


    The Cheng Lord Father and the rest could see it, but could only bitterly smile inwardly. They couldn¡¯t really me these guests who were cheering with all their might.


    Lin Haori waved his hand. A guard respectfully presented a big, red-colored wooden box.


    ¡°Lord Master, this is the gift I, on themand of the family head, have brought for you. Please, ept it,¡± Lin Haori said with a faint smile.


    Lin Haori, in the light of his identity and status, could obviously act in such a manner, and the Cheng Lord Master not only did not consider it as disrespectful, he even epted the box with his whole face beaming with smiles. ¡°Many thanks to the Senior. This lowly old man is not worthy.¡± (Tl: He is thanking Lin family head.)


    After saying these words, his vision circled about in the main hall; his expressioncent.


    Henceforth, relying on the gargantuan tree namely Lin family, Cheng family¡¯s fame would increase many folds, and they would no longer pale whenpared to He family and Xu family.


    Under the instructions of Lin Haori, he ced the box on the table and slowly opened it.


    In the box was actually a several ten centimeters long ginseng. What astonished people even more was that this ginseng waspletely blood-red from head to toe. It resembled a small child and also a little old man full of wrinkles.


    The countenance of people on the principal seatspletely transformed, and a man even shouted in an rmed voice:


    ¡°Thousand-Year blood ginseng?¡±


    Lin Haori¡¯s eyes carried a trace of arrogance as he indifferently said, ¡°Correct, this is a thousand-year blood ginseng.¡±


    With a joyous expression, Cheng Lord Master immediately covered the lid of the box and handed it over to Cheng Shine. The eldest son tacitly understood and immediately left with the box.


    Although such a behavior from the Cheng family didn¡¯t conform to the local customs, at this moment, not a single person nitpicked. At this moment, almost everybody had the same thought, if they had been the one obtaining the ginseng, they would have only stored it away much quicker.


    If Cheng family had known earlier that the gift was such an object, they wouldn¡¯t have unwrapped it in front of everybody.


    Lin Haori blinked his eyes. He disagreed with Cheng Lord Master¡¯s conduct. However, as a guest, speaking out was not appropriate for him. He only sighed inwardly while thinking that the people of a small region were indeed the people of a small region. Just a thousand-year blood ginseng could make them crazy.


    His opinion of Tai Cang county¡¯s people went down a notch.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 45 - Xu Familys Technique

    The feast eventually concluded. Both He Quanxin and He Quanming although had been beaming with smiles during the feast, after arriving few hundred meters away from the Cheng residence, their faces turned grave.


    Everybody knew that one of the reasons Lin family sent people and even delivered such a gift was to exhibit their strength. Henceforth, anyone who wished to fight Cheng family must consider Jadeting¡¯s Lin family¡¯s existence first.


    This was indeed an enormously tyrannous n. Perhaps they would not interfere in Tai Cang county¡¯s trivial affairs, but when the matter would concern the destruction of the Cheng family, they would not just sit and watch.


    As the two brothers thought how Cheng family indescribably managed to obtain such a strong assistance, their hearts turned heavy.


    Silent along the whole journey, upon returning back to the n, He Quanxinmanded everybody to rest and opted not to discuss Cheng family¡¯s matter before returning and informing his father.


    Even in the county town, the young generation had independent residences for them.


    After entering his room, He Yiming immediately blew off themp andy down on the bed with his clothes on. After a short while, as the activity outside died, he quietly opened the door and left.


    His actions were exceedingly limited, and he specifically avoided the residences of his elders, so that nobody could discover him.


    He gently climbed over the wall and went to the woodshed where he¡¯d dumped the corpse before.


    As he expected, nobody could be seen at such a time. Not daring to dy, He Yiming grabbed the corpse and dashed away as fast as he could, aiming for the outskirts of the city.


    Although he didn¡¯t have a superior agility technique, relying on his formidable Internal Energy, covering the long distance was not a problem.


    Soon, he found himself in some mountain woods. He dug out a hole and buried the corpse. After settling thest heap of dust, he pondered for a few moments and decided to give his respects to the signless tomb in front of him.


    After aplishing all this, he felt rxed as he hurriedly returned home following the same path.


    Although he crossed over the city wall two times, in He Yiming¡¯s opinion, such a low wall simply wasn¡¯t an inconvenience. He was only slightly apprehensive of the guards that asionally patrolled on the city wall.


    However, these guards all had sleepy faces and even their eyes seemed half closed. He even doubted that if he walked past them, would they just ignore him even after spotting him.


    By the time he returned back to the n, the color of the sky had already brightened. As he closed the door andy down on the bed, he heard the voices of his eldest uncle and others.


    He Yiming, as if having a spring under his feet, jumped from the bed and hurriedly ate breakfast. His eldest uncle, Yitian, Yihai left for the manor


    While he, his elder brother, and younger sister grabbed the rare opportunity and remained with their parents. He Quanxin gave them special permission to stay a few more days.


    The days when the whole family got together were extremely rare. He Yiming also cleared his upied mind and enjoyed the familial love and joy with his parents and siblings.


    At night, everybody left for their residences.


    After returning to his room, He Yiming eventually brought out the things he had received from the ck-clothed man.


    Aspared to the former times, he was much calmer. This was also the reason he was able to suppress his curiosity and waited until this moment to examine his harvests.


    The ck-clothed man naturally wasn¡¯t short of money on him. However, this was actually not He Yiming¡¯s principal concern.


    Apart from the money, He Yiming found three tiny bottles. These bottles seemed to be carved out of some jewel. They didn¡¯t seem much expensive, but were quite sturdy. Even if he idently dropped one of these on the floor, it would not break easily.


    In addition, there was a book. He Yiming opened it. It actually exined about how to change one¡¯s appearance; the Appearance Altering technique.


    He Yiming didn¡¯t know whether the methods mentioned in the book were good, but they seemed extremely rare. He Yiming had never heard about such appearance changing techniques before. Some techniques even mentioned the use of herbs. If the words written in the book were true, the worth of this book couldn¡¯t be too shabby.


    After sorting out these things, He Yiming eventually picked up the object he was most concerned about.


    It was, of course, the object wrapped in the used oilskin. He carefully unfolded the cloth. It was indeed a copied scripture.


    He Yiming¡¯s emotions slightly stirred as he opened the first page. On the top, two big words could be seen; ze Technique.


    He Yiming¡¯s wrist slightly trembled, almost dropping the book, while his heart palpitated.


    Prior to this moment, he never expected that this book could contain this technique. Hisplexion changed countless times instantaneously as joy flooded his insides.


    He was quite fortunate to have waited this long before taking a look at this book. If he had hurriedly looked at this book yesterday, his face would have certainly betrayed his emotions; thus, attracting the attention of others.


    Although his age was not big, he quite understood the three big influential families of the Tai Cang county.


    All the three influential families would have their own Book Pavilion. In their Book Pavilions, they would have all the five-phase techniques of the n stored.


    Generally, ording to the strength of the three influential families, these techniques would be all ordinary techniques. Even if they possessed something good, it would just be slightly above the ordinary ones.


    However, Xu family had two exceedingly high-level battle skills.


    Although He Yiming had not seen with his own eyes, his elders had mentioned the sufferings they had to go through due to these two battle skills when they were younger. Therefore, He Yiming had quite an impression of these two battle skills.


    Fire-type primary cultivation technique, the ze technique, and wood-type primary cultivation technique, the Withered Tree technique.


    These two techniques were undoubtedly akin to the lifeblood of Xu family and also their trump card.


    Even while caressing the copied scripture in his hand, He Yiming didn¡¯t dare believe that his luck was good to such extreme.


    As he recalled the conversation between the ck-clothed man and the drunkard, he arrived at a conclusion.


    Relying on tricks, that drunkard managed to infiltrate the Xu family as a thief. No doubt about this point. Furthermore, He Yiming was also certain that the drunkard had managed to enter while concealing his strength.


    Otherwise, if a seventh or eighthyer expert entered the Xu family, he would definitely receive the same treatment as that of the family¡¯s second generation. How could he be a tterer following behind Xu family¡¯s young generation?


    Behind the ck-clothed man and the drunkard, an unknown entity was manipting the events. Not only all of this all was happening in secret, everything was connected by a single thread.


    Moreover, the other book, which the ck-clothed man had not yetpletely copied, had to be the other equally famous technique alongside the zing technique, the Withered Tree technique.


    After contemting for a few moments, He Yiming cleared his mind.


    In any case, that ck-clothed man was already dead. Dead men tell no tales. Thus, no one could doubt him. Furthermore, with his special body, as long as he preserved using metal-type techniques in presence of outsiders, he would not attract any suspicions either.


    He Yiming closed his eyes before his thoughts gradually pacified.


    Since he already had such a technique in his hands, how could he not at least try cultivating it?


    He Yiming remained seated for about an hour with a calm mind before his mental state resumed its best state. Subsequently, he slowly opened the ze technique¡¯s scripture and contemted.


    The ze technique was a fire-type primary cultivation technique, which was vastly different from the metal-type and water-type primary techniques he had previously cultivated.


    As He Yiming began to cultivate ording to the copied book, all the positions where his Internal Energy was present immediately began to give off a warm and fuzzy feeling. He clicked his tongue in wonder; deserving of its title of a top-level fire-type primary cultivation technique. It¡¯s feel was indeed extraordinary.


    At this moment, he even recalled the fight with Xu that happened a few days ago. He guessed that the Xu Yucai must have used a top level battle skill as well.


    Although that battle was not as frightening as a Xiantian battle skill, its might couldn¡¯t bepared with an ordinary battle skill.


    For He Yiming, the cultivation of ze technique was unsurprisingly like a gale that blew as it wished.


    Since this was the first time He Yiming had essed a fire-type technique, he preserved the maximum caution. Every single character in the scripture was engraved in his mind, so as not to miss any detail.


    In this fashion, the time he spent on this scripture was instead far more than the previous ones.


    On the first night, he only cultivated up to the fifthyer.


    He was not quite pleased with such speed, but if Xu family somehow heard this speed, even their ancestors would dig up their graves, only to die again.


    As a high-level battle skill, its might obviously far exceeded the ordinary techniques on the same level, but so did the difficulty. Even a highly talented person would require several years to attain the fifthyer. Cultivating a top-level primary cultivation technique up to the fifthyer in a single night¡­.He Yiming was indeed unique.


    During the daytime, He Yiming continued to spend time with his family. At night, however, he continued his cultivation.


    Of course, he still remained exceedingly cautious while cultivating. However, despite this being the case, on the third night, he smoothly attained the realm of the ze technique¡¯s ninthyer.


    After attaining this realm, his Internal Energy finally came to a standstill and stabilized.


    Likewise, he casually read that Appearance-Altering technique¡¯s book as well and found out about the substance inside those three jade bottles. The bottles contained some medicinal powder which could change one¡¯s appearance. It wasposed of some ordinary herbs and didn¡¯t have a single extraordinary feature about it.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 46 - External Force

    Three dayster, after attaining the ninthyer of the ze technique, He Yiming¡¯s tion could not be described in words.


    The ze technique deserved to be a top-level primary cultivation technique. After cultivating it and grasping the essence within, He Yiming discovered a surprising fact. He could cultivate this technique somewhat faster than the Primordial Energy and the Ripple technique.


    Although this ¡®somewhat¡¯ seemed insignificant, after going through years of cultivation, the cumtively saved time would not be a small matter. Furthermore, this technique¡¯s might should be far above that of Primordial Energy. However, these were nothing more than his conjectures. As for the actual truth, he could only discover it through battles.


    Since he felt excited after grasping the ze technique, He Yiming thought about finding a training partner. However, he didn¡¯t dare to ask his father, and instead decided to cause trouble for Xu family.


    Reportedly, the majority of Xu family¡¯s group had not left the town yet and was taking care of injured Xu Yucai.


    After identally receiving this information, He Yiming felt like teasing them a bit. He thought about how Xu family members would feel after seeing someone employing zing technique in a fight.


    Indeed, the boldness of execution stems out of skill. Once deciding on a n, He Yiming no longer hesitated.


    At night, he took out one of the three bottles. Tilting the bottle, he extracted a bit of powder, mixed it with water, and gently applied the mixture over his face. After a short while, he saw apletely different face in the mirror. Though this face seemed rather stiff and pale.


    During night, this was a trump card. Dress up as the god, and y the devil.


    He knew that such a change in his appearance ounted hisck of skill. However, being able to attain such a level in his first attempt was already quite amazing. To the say least, he himself couldn¡¯t recognize his face.


    Wearing a suitable outfit, He Yiming stealthily left his residence.


    Although he couldn¡¯t be entirely familiar with the county town within the few days he had spent here, the territories of the Xu family and the Cheng family had already been thoroughly remembered by him. As far as these two areas were concerned, he couldn¡¯t possibly make any mistake.


    Moving through dark alleys, he advanced towards the Xu family¡¯s residence. However, after walking for half an hour, his ears suddenly perked up. At the same time, moving swiftly and elegantly, he hid into a building¡¯s crevice.


    After a few moments, two figures hurriedly went past him.


    He Yiming came out, mildly curious about the fact there were other nocturnals beside him. However, from their hurried manner, they probably had to take care of some urgent matter.


    He Yiming faintly shook his head, no longer concerning himself with them. Everyone has their own problems.


    After again walking a few steps, his brows slightly creased, and he entered that crevice once again. Again, another individual hurriedly went past him.


    He Yiming came out and again walked a few steps before he irritatedly rolled his eyes again and returned back into the crevice.


    Unsurprisingly, after a few moments, two more men rushed past him.


    This time, He Yiming¡¯s curiosity had truly been ignited. Within a few minutes, four cultivators had rushed past him. Moreover, these cultivators were not just for the name. Every single one of them had a cultivation of at least the thirdyer.


    Although for He Yiming, this tiny bit of strength amounted to nothing, in the Tai Cang county, such people were undoubtedly seen as experts. It was simply impossible for four such people to pass through a specific location in quick session without a definite cause.


    Having his curiosity ignited, He Yiming gave up on finding trouble with the Xu family. He turned around and followed after them.


    With his strength, following such people was as easy as flipping his hand. However, the longer he followed after them, the more astonished he became.


    These people were actually going in the direction of the Cheng Residence.


    He Yiming was rmed. Could it be¡­.their target was the Cheng Residence?


    It should be known that although Cheng family¡¯s strength was the most inferior among the three influential families, they had the status of officials behind them. Furthermore, just a few days ago, Jadeting¡¯s Lin family also sent a group to toast the Cheng family¡¯s Lord Master. In the recent days, their prestige had increased enormously. It was no longer overshadowed by the Xu fourth¡¯s ninthyer advancement and He family¡¯s outstanding young generation.


    Therefore, when He Yiming discovered that the target of these men was actually the Cheng family, the astonishment he felt need not be exined.


    Eventually, after arriving three hundred meters away from the Cheng Residence, they gathered in a courtyard. At this point, even an idiot could understand that their target was Cheng Residence which was three hundred meters away.


    All these people were wearing the same greyish-ck outfit, and their faces were covered with ck turbans. After arriving in the courtyard, they crouched down. No one talked or discussed anything. They seemed like a horde of specters.


    Slowly, the people increased; actually reaching more than fifty in numbers


    He Yiming, watching them, felt surprised as well as impressed. He was certain that He family¡¯s servants simply didn¡¯t possess such qualities.


    After a while, three figures entered like lightning and walked up to the group¡¯s center in huge strides.


    As He Yiming¡¯s vision fell on their bodies, he was even more astonished.


    These three were also dressed in greyish-ck outfits and faces covered with ck turbans but their actions betrayed a faint formidable and dangerous aura.


    The fact that they could involuntarily disy their aura through their conduct proved the fact that they were at least sevenyer cultivators. Furthermore, their eyes seemed savage and cruel. He Yiming had only seen such eyes once. The eyes of Hubin whom he¡¯d killed before.


    At this point, He Yiming was certain that these three were drowning in blood. They were true experts who had experienced many life-and-death battles.


    On the same level, such experts were far more frightening than the ones who only knew about cultivation andcked killing experience. Apart from the cultivators who couldpletely suppress them by relying on superior strength, no one would willingly provoke such experts.


    He Yiming racked his brain. But now matter how hard he tried to think, he couldn¡¯t think of anyone in the Tai Cang county who could conform in any of these three figures.


    Those three looked around and nodded. The one in the middle, the leader, said in a low voice:


    ¡°Good, all of our brothers are here. This time, while traveling through this ce, we idently stumbled upon a piece of information. Cheng family is in possession of a thousand-year blood ginseng. After research, we have confirmed this information.¡±


    From his tone, these people seemed to havee from some other region and were traveling through this ce.


    The man clenched his fist towards the crowd and said, ¡°Brothers,e with me to snatch that ginseng. We will then present it before the chief. The chief will certainly be very happy. Then everybody could drink, get women¡­..anything you want, you can have it.¡±


    His tone was exceedingly arousing and persuading. The people around were although quite disciplined, this moment, a slight disturbance could be seen among them.


    He Yiming slightly frowned, ¡®Where is this power from? Then there is this chief as well; he has a high reputation in the mind of these men. Surprisingly, not a single man objected on handing over the blood ginseng.¡¯


    ¡°We have already determined the position of the blood ginseng. It¡¯s in the safe keeping of the old man Cheng Zhusheng himself. Divide into groups and cause chaos, you must make sure that all other people except that old man himself are upied,¡± The man said to the two other besides him in a stern voice.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Those two said in low voices; savage expressions flickering in their eyes.


    The leader concisely exined everything. The men suddenly divided themselves into three groups and walked outside under the lead of the three men.


    He Yiming hesitated. In truth, he actually didn¡¯t wish to be involved in this mess. However, as he thought about the blood ginseng mentioned by the leader, he couldn¡¯t help but have second thoughts.


    For these influential families of the Tai Cang county, a thousand year blood ginseng was indeed too precious. Apart from the Cheng family, the rest two families didn¡¯t have anything as significant. At least, He family didn¡¯t.


    ¡®If I could get my hands on this thing¡­.¡¯


    He Yiming gnashed his teeth and followed after them; his figure like a swimming fish.


    These people had obviously nned everything before. After a few moments, the two groups stormed the Cheng Residence, swearing to kill.


    Their appearance waspletely out of Cheng family¡¯s expectations. The family had lived peacefully for a long time. They hadn¡¯t even suffered a small theft, so they could never have expected someone so brazenly raiding their home.


    Soon after, countless curses, screams, begs, and even the cries of children began to spread outside the Cheng Residence.


    The leader only had five people with him. However, all of these five were fifthyer cultivators. These five could be considered as the strongest cultivators among those fifty people.


    They jumped over a wall and entered the residence. Moving hurriedly, they passed through several courtyards.


    He Yiming followed after them while maintaining a certain distance.


    Their route was evidently pre-determined. They encountered exceedingly few people along the way. And as for the servants they encountered, they acted cruelly and didn¡¯t spare anyone.


    Soon, they entered an inner courtyard.


    He Yiming paused. After a few moments, he heard intense air-piercing soundsing from inside. He immediately knew that this meant an intense battle between two top-level experts.


    Suddenly, two figures flickered outside; one, who seemed like a sponger, stumbling and retreating, and the other a greyish-ck clothed man holding a big knife chasing after the former to im his life.


    Eventually, the big knife shed the sponger¡¯s neck. Following a blood curling scream, the sponger immediately copsed on the ground.


    At that exact moment, the grey-clothed man felt his back throbbing before an immense force flooded his insides. Without even making a single noise, the man lost consciousness, and lost it forever.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 47 - Mantis Stalks Cicada

    Note:


    Welp, I fell ill. Now, there are quite a few chapters pending. I have decided to do these during next holidays(after a month probably). Anyways, I am back, and here is the first chapter. 1/4


    Tranted by: toomuchnoob


    He Yiming acted as quick as lightning and imed grey-clothed man¡¯s life in one Silk Palm.


    His actions were extremely smooth, and the execution seemed unrestrained. He even acquired the man¡¯s gray clothes and ck face-mask before finally recalling that he had yet again killed a man.


    He bitterly smiled, ¡®could it be¡­.what they say practice makes perfect?¡¯


    However, for killing these bandits who mercilessly killed for their own selfish needs, He Yiming didn¡¯t feel too bad. Instead, he even felt somewhat excited.


    This feeling was poles apart from what he felt after killing Hubin. Perhaps, he had already be habitual of killing people.


    With the tip of his foot, he picked up the big knife dropped by the man. Although he had not learned specific de techniques, he could use the [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] as de techniques. This martial skill could even kill gods and buddhas if needed.


    He turned and entered the courtyard.


    The thick stench of blood greeted him. At this moment, this originally serene and beautiful courtyard was dyed red with blood.


    Four big grey-clothed men, with big knives in their hands, were berserkly shing their des at any living creature that came into their sight. However, before each one of them several servants could be seen fighting them with their lives.


    Corpses could be seen everywhere; old, weak, women, children¡­all sorts were included.


    The true oue, however, relied on the battle urring at the center of the courtyard. The intense battle urring between the big man titled leader and Cheng Zhusheng.


    Knowing that this was the most crucial point of the fight, both fought with everything they had learned throughout their lives.


    The leader was holding a big knife in his hand. Cold light shined at the tip of the knife, and its surface had a minute red strip which seemed like blood and emanated a strange feeling. As the leader waved the de, it reflected the mes under the dark sky, which seemed like dancing wisps of blood. (Tl: I am assuming mes ofnterns.)


    While his opponent, the Cheng Lord Master Cheng Zhusheng, was old yet seemed firm. He was holding a staff in his hand. The staff seemed dark and ordinary. However, it seemed made up of pure steel, weight probably exceeding eighty jins.


    As the old man waved his stick, he didn¡¯t seem dazzling as his opponent, but his strikes were brimming with strength.


    Both sides were doing everything they could, but neither of them had managed to gain the upper hand yet.


    As He Yiming was watching them, not knowing what to do, he heard the leader¡¯s ferocious yell, ¡°Idiot, quickly grab the case.¡±


    He Yiming faintly started before realizing that the leader¡¯s words were meant for him. He shifted his vision and immediately spotted a red-colored box lying near the two individuals.


    As soon as he looked at the case, his eyes began to shine. He naturally knew what the case contained inside it. He immediately pounced and gently grabbed the case.


    He felt quite happy. Beforeing to this ce, he never expected that he would be able to obtain this thing so easily.


    ¡®Could it be that even the gods are helping me?¡¯


    Cheng Zhusheng suddenly roared, eying He Yiming with a sinister expression. Suddenly, he threw the staff in his hand. It flew towards He Yiming like lightning while bringing along a wind-piercing sound.


    If He Yiming had truly been that grey-clothed man, he would have no choice but to ept his fate. However, this was not the case. He Yiming immediately dropped down and rolled on the ground before dashing away like a roon following the direction he came from.


    The stick struck the wall of the courtyard. Due to the immense strength behind the throw, it had prated halfway through the wall. Furthermore, it was still shuddering. From this, one could see the Lord Master¡¯s wrath and the immense strength behind the strike.


    Cheng Zhusheng wildly roared, but the big man in front of him loudlyughed. His de strikes, which had almost reached perfection,pletely shrouded the Cheng Lord Master.


    After losing the staff, Cheng Zhusheng suddenly felt pressure increasing by multiple folds. He immediately understood that if he still thought about regaining the blood ginseng, he would truly die under this de.


    His experiences of many years allowed him to immediately calm down. He began to use his two palms, disying an astonishing battle strength. Although, he fought with a clear disadvantage, his opponent wouldn¡¯t be able to kill him in a short time period.


    He Yiming quickly left the courtyard with the red box. However, he heard a furious roar followed by a strong Internal Energy piercing the air anding towards him.


    With just a nce, he recognized this man. This was precisely the number one expert in Cheng family¡¯s second generation whose Internal Energy had already attained the peak of the eighthyer, Cheng Shine.


    However, at this moment, from his wretched appearance, anyone could tell that upon hearing themotion here, he must have thought about his Lord Master and the thousand-year blood ginseng. Thus, he rushed over here without thinking about his appearance.


    He Yiming inwardly cursed at his bad luck. If the former hade just a momentte, he would have escaped.


    While Facing a strike from a eighthyer expert even He Yiming couldn¡¯t be careless in the slightest. However, as soon as he lifted his palm, his mind was immediately struck by a thought of passing the impending cmity onto someone else.


    The zing technique began to operate in his body and instantly reached the realm of the ninthyer.


    He Yiming lifted his right palm. Both of his palms had already turnedpletely scarlet as if they had been painted by a red, seeming extremely vicious.


    At the same time, his palms began to emit an intensely scorching heat wave. This represented the peak of this technique. Only after onepletely grasped this technique¡¯s essence could such an exhibition be aplished.


    For an instant, Cheng Shine¡¯s face became appalled. As the number one member of the Cheng family¡¯s second member, he only needed a nce to tell the origin of this technique. Moreover, he also determined that the strength behind this palm was not something he could handle.


    However, this moment, he resembled a man riding a tiger; dismounting means death. He didn¡¯t have the option to retreat.


    A loud explosion.


    He Yiming¡¯s body faintly shook at its original position before he dashed ahead like an arrow.


    Cheng Shine flew backward. After knocking over two small trees and flying through the rare herbs and nts in the garden, he severely collided with a courtyard¡¯s thick wall.


    However, as he watched the grey-clothed figure, he didn¡¯t chase after thetter. Instead, he hurriedly retreated and let out a breath of relief. After this exchange, not to mention he had received an Internal Energy, even if he had been as good as before, he wouldn¡¯t have the courage to chase.


    He inhaled a few breaths, pacifying the burning sensation in his body before he gnashed his teeth and aroused his Internal Energy, forcing down his injuries. He quickly went to the Inner courtyard. As soon as he entered, his eyes immediately turned scarlet. However, it seemed far more vicious than He Yiming¡¯s palms a moment ago.


    Suddenly, he turned. He didn¡¯t rush to his father. Instead, as if lightning, he arrived in front of those four big grey-clothed men who seemed to have gained an advantage. In front of an eighthyer expert, the four fifthyer cultivators had no way to fight back. They were sent flying in a single exchange along with their weapons.


    They spurted blood in mid-air and died there itself.


    Subsequently, Cheng Shine¡¯s figure flickered, and he arrived before the wall. Trying his hardest, he managed to pull out the Lord Master¡¯s staff. After aplishing all this, his body faintly shook. Just now, the strength he had to exert in order to pull out the staff was extraordinarily high. He almost felt like no longer being able to suppress his Internal injuries.


    The leader coldly snorted and put his de back. Slightly exerting his feet, he swiftly escaped. He came to the Cheng Residence in order to seize their treasure, not to annihte the entire family. Since his underling had already left with the treasure, he would naturally not continue to engage here.


    This change came as a surprise to the Cheng Lord Master. His vision followed the leader for a long time. His vision contained extreme hate but his body remained firmly nted on the ground. He had no intention of chasing.


    A loud whistling sound echoed in the Cheng Residence. Those piging and murdering grey-clothed men everywhere, upon hearing this whistle, whistled back in a chorus and retreated simultaneously.


    The entire Cheng Residence reeked of blood. After beingpletely prepared beforehand and catching the opponent unprepared, obtaining such a result was not strange at all. The most important point was that these men seemed extremely familiar with such fighting tactics. As soon as the leadermanded, anyone who could still move, regardless of whatever he was doing, left without the slightest hesitation.


    On the other hand, Cheng family¡¯s people were feeling anxious. Since these fiends had decided to leave on their own, naturally no one dared to chase.


    They didn¡¯t stay in the county town. Instead, they gathered at the town¡¯s west gate. After all of them assembled, they stormed the west gate and escaped.


    With a ninth-expert as the leader, taking control of an insignificant and defenseless city gate was as easy as lifting one¡¯s hands.


    They left the town through the west gate and went deep into the mountains.


    Among the fifty plus men, eleven died in the battle. However, these were the men who licked blood from their des. Although faces of some seemed heavy, no one said anything. They already knew this result before they started.


    After assembling all the men, the leader swept his nce. Suddenly, hisplexion changed. It was bing increasingly ugly with every passing moment.


    The two men standing beside him puzzledly asked, ¡°Quidui, what happened?¡±


    The leader said with an ashenplexion, ¡°Sixth seized the case, but he is not here.¡±


    Complete silence. If the sixth truly escaped with the case, the only thing left for him was a never-ending chase and ultimately, death.


    After a while, a ferocious expression flickered in the leader¡¯s eyes as his mouth opened and two words managed to escape through his teeth, ¡°Find him¡­..¡±

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 48 - Conjectures

    The Cheng Residence was aplete mess. After receiving the unexpected blow, the damage they suffered was undoubtedly the biggest within the past hundred years.


    And the even more unfortunate thing was that this happened just a few days after the Lord Master¡¯s birthday banquet.


    The prestige that Cheng family had managed to increase by relying on the Lin family waspletely overshadowed at this moment. A family that couldn¡¯t ensure its own safety¡­¡­..what shelter could it provide to others?


    Although the grey-clothed men wearing ck masks left quite quickly, for Cheng family, they left a behind an eternally unforgettable lesson which would be remembered through blood.


    Xu family¡¯s and He family¡¯s men stationed in the Tai Cang county quickly arrived at the Cheng Residence. Upon learning the attack on the Cheng family, they also felt aghast but also d inwardly. The opponent¡¯s strength was too much. If they had been the one attacked, their situation wouldn¡¯t have been much better.


    After they learned that the thousand-year blood ginseng had also been robbed, although they expressed their regret through words, inwardly, they had never felt so d at someone¡¯s misfortune.


    However, as they saw Cheng family¡¯s miserable situation, they felt empathically sympathetic and directly promised them to provide assistance in investigating the identity of the culprits.


    After escaping from the Cheng Residence, He Yiming immediately took off the gray clothes and ck turban before he returned home. However, upon returning, he discovered that only his mother and sister were present while his father and brother were nowhere to be seen.


    As he turned his head and looked at the fire in the direction of Cheng Residence, he immediately guessed his father and brother¡¯s whereabouts.


    While touching his face, he took out a different bottle than before. He poured some liquid on his hand and gently applied it over his face for a few breaths. Subsequently, after scrubbing off his disguise and washing his face, he went into the main hall.


    As soon as he arrived, Lin Wenyu sterned her face and asked, ¡°Yiming, where have you been?¡±


    Habitually, He Yiming touched his hair and said, ¡°I was out.¡±


    ¡°Sote? What were you doing out? What if you encountered some trouble?¡±


    He Yiming chuckled and said:


    ¡°Mother, I only went out to train. Nothing could have happened.¡±


    ¡°Train?¡± Lin Wenyu¡¯s face eventually rxed. This past year, she also had some understanding regarding this treasured son¡¯s cultivation speed. She was quite happy but also quite suspicious at the same time. However, after hearing He Yiming¡¯s words, she felt moved. Everybody said how talented He Yiming was, but nobody saw his efforts.


    If everybody in the family¡¯s third generation strived as such, not willing to rx even for a single night, she was sure that everybody would make a huge leap in their cultivation.


    As she saw her son¡¯s face, which seemed tender like a chick but also a bit matured, she suddenly felt her heart ache. She couldn¡¯t imagine how much her son had exerted himself in order to excel among his peers.


    Thinking about this, she suddenly reached out and embraced He Yiming.


    He Yiming puzzledly watched his mother. No matter how much of a genius he was, he couldn¡¯tprehend his mother¡¯s thoughts of this moment. However, after the age of five years, he had not experienced such affection. At this moment, while being together with his mother, his heart felt warm. He moved his arms and embraced back his mother,pletely forgetting the matters that urred a short while ago.


    Watching this scene, He Yilong felt envious. She walked forward and entered her mother¡¯s embrace as well. He Yiming red at her, and she red back. They red each other for a few moments but broke intoughter nevertheless.


    The three individuals, the mother and her children, enjoyed the familial warmth. As for Cheng family¡¯s cmity, it seemedpletely unrted to them.


    He Quanming and He Yixuan, the father and son, only returned at dawn.


    Their faces seemed grave. They were evidently affected by the Cheng Residence¡¯s miserable condition.


    He, Xu, and Cheng were the influential families in the Tai Cang county. Although all of them differed somewhat in battle strength, none of these families could be provoked.


    Since Cheng family could be reduced to such a state, what if, yesterday, those people had targeted the He family instead?


    As soon as He Quanming entered the family, his vision first fell on He Yiming. The former involuntarily became angry as he said, ¡°Yiming, where were youst night? Do you any idea how dangerous it was outside yesterday?¡±


    He Yiming felt warm inside as he said, ¡°Father, I was training out yesterday night. Then, I saw fire rising from the Cheng family and returned back.¡±


    ¡°Training? Why not train inside the home?¡± He Quanming¡¯s anger immediately subsided a lot, but his tone remained strict.


    Lin Wenyu immediately stepped forward and shrouded He Yiming. She said a few lines to moderate the situation and pointed out that He Yiming¡¯s current aplishments imperatively relied on such every day¡¯s relentless training. Since their son had such determination, they shouldn¡¯t be a hindrance for him.


    He Quanming was also merely worried about his son¡¯s safety. This moment, he was even led down by a rope. Therefore, after warning a few more times and making sure that He Yiming wouldn¡¯t go out for the uing few days, he dropped the matter.


    He Yiming naturally agreed with everything his father had to say. He was extremely d in his heart since he was able to get away so easily.


    However, after he returned back to his room, he turned somewhat gloomy.


    ¡®What should I do with this thousand-year blood ginseng? Giving it to father surely won¡¯t do. Should I just¡­.eat it as it is?¡±


    The Cheng Residence had resumed its tranquility after a day of moderating the situation.


    However, this moment, the Cheng Residence no longer had a festive atmosphere. Instead, the atmosphere inside was gloomy, and mournful cries could be heard everywhere in the residence.


    At this moment, in the family¡¯s rear yard, Cheng Lord Master and Cheng Shine, the top two figures in the family, could be seen sitting together.


    These two individuals were the family¡¯s core. As long as they lived, the family would never die.


    ¡°Shine, are you hundred percent certain?¡± Cheng Lord Master asked in a coarse voice. Although he already had the answer in his heart, he still confirmed one more time.


    Cheng Shine slowly nodded; his head seeming as heavy as Mount Tai, but firm nevertheless.


    ¡°Faher, the technique that man used was, in fact, Xu family¡¯s ze technique,¡± His voice was gloomy yet forceful, ¡°I have fought with Xu fourth many times. There is no way I would make an error.¡±


    The Lord Master¡¯s face slightly twitched as he murmured, ¡°ze technique, being able to injure you in a single strike. I¡¯m afraid he is not just an eighthyer cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Right. When your son acted, that man was hurriedly rushing out of the courtyard. He was evidently caught off guard. However, even though this was the case, just a casual palm from him was easily able to deal with your son¡¯s strike, and your son suffered some internal injuries instead. Fortunately, the man seemed quite hurried, otherwise¡­.¡± Cheng Shine bitterlyughed, ¡°If he had paused, this son wouldn¡¯t be seeing father today.¡±


    Cheng Lord Master¡¯s countenance flickered from green to red, no longer that usual calm, graceful look.


    He coldly snorted, ¡°It¡¯s not because that man didn¡¯t chase you, since you have your mother¡¯s blood in your veins, that Xu family¡¯s genius didn¡¯t dare act severely. If it had been any other person in the n, humph¡­¡±


    Cheng Shine lowered his head. He had his suspicions all along. However, he didn¡¯t have the courage to speak it out in front of his father.


    ¡°The identity of that group has not been cleared?¡±


    Cheng Shine said in a heavy voice, ¡°More than ten corpses had already been collected, but not a single one of them had a familiar face.¡±


    Cheng Lord Master faintly started and asked, ¡°They came from outside?¡±


    ¡°Right. This is the only possible exnation. Otherwise, it¡¯s impossible that not a single man could be recognized among so many high-level cultivators.¡±


    ¡°People from outside?¡± Cheng Lord Master asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me Xu family has begun to coborate with outsiders.¡±


    ¡°Your son is also puzzled. However, the grey-clothed man truly used Xu family¡¯s ze technique.¡± Cheng Shine vowed.


    Father and son silently looked at each other. Although they did not believe that Xu family had the courage to aplish such a feat, ze technique was a technique exclusive to Xu family. Outsiders simply couldn¡¯t frame them by using this technique.


    After pondering for a while, Cheng Lord Master eventually said, ¡°Shine, arrange people to spread this message outside¡­ during the theft, someone used ze technique¡¯s ninthyer.¡±


    Cheng Shine suddenly raised his head and astoundedly asked, ¡°Father, if we do this, wouldn¡¯t it be the same as tearing apart Xu family¡¯s face?¡±


    Cheng Lord Master snorted and said, ¡°Face? Since Xu family had no shame, why should we care? Don¡¯t tell me so many people in our Cheng Residence lost their lives for nothing?¡±


    At the end, the old man¡¯s voice faintly shivered with resentment.


    Cheng Shine¡¯s face fiercely twitched as he looked at his father in astonishment. The image of his father in his mindpletely crumbled at this moment. However, from this, the extent of the Lord Master¡¯s resentment could be imagined.


    After a few moments, Cheng Shine eventually sighed and said, ¡°Yes. Father, your son will see to it.¡±


    The Lord Master¡¯splexion eased somewhat, ¡°Shine, don¡¯t worry. As long as our rtionship with Lin family exists and as long as your elder sister lives, our Cheng family will always be one of the Tai Cang county¡¯s influential families.¡±


    Cheng Shine faintly nodded his head.


    Cheng Lord Master stood up. After venting his anger just now, he seemed to have resumed his old self.


    ¡°Shine, Li-er is already seventeen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Li-er has turned seventeen.¡±


    ¡°En. We need to find a husband for her as well,¡± The Lord Master said in a clear voice, ¡°This time, among He family¡¯s group that came to the feast, He Yitian seemed quite good. He could be considered as a good match for Li-er. Go, make a trip in person.¡±


    Cheng Shine nkly stared. After a serious consideration, when he raised his head, his father had already left.


    He lightly sighed, not knowing his own feelings at the moment.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 49 - Proposal

    The sun rays at the dawn entered through the window like countless golden arrows.


    He Yiming stretched his body and stood up. He then went to the backyard. Inside this yard, which solely belonged to He family, he didn¡¯t feel too apprehensive.


    Currently, the weather was scorching hot. Overhead, the sun was gloriously shining, radiating intense heat. However, in the light of He Yiming¡¯s cultivation, he didn¡¯t need to fear hot and cold too much. As long as the temperature didn¡¯t attain an abnormal state, he wouldn¡¯t care too much about it.


    This moment, after a few turns, He Yiming had arrived inside apletely unupied courtyard.


    He raised his two fists to his shoulder-level before his whole figure started trembling in ce like a giant boulder.


    Rolling Boulder fist. As he employed this technique, howls of winds could be heard immediately afterwards. Although he was only employing the technique to the seventh level, as far as his surroundings were concerned, it brought an enormous destruction nevertheless.


    In the courtyard, the small nts, flowers, and trees were being continuously suppressed by the fist-winds. Each and every one of them was bent low, almost touching the ground. As He Yiming¡¯s pace quickened, they werepletely pressed into the soil.


    Suddenly, He Yiming parted his legs and started quickly moving in the courtyard. Each and every ce he went through seemed rolled over by a giant boulder. Even the ground seemed a bit damaged.


    After a few moments, He Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy attained the seventh¡¯syer peak. At the same time, the special feature of Rolling Boulder Fist was also being exhibited, which was:


    The might of this fist technique increased along with the time of use.


    When the seventhyer¡¯s peak Internal Energybined with the Rolling Boulder Fist¡¯s maximum possible might, He Yiming¡¯s surroundings exploded. Wherever he went, not a single grass preserved.


    Suddenly, he arrived before a huge tree. He didn¡¯t circumvent it. Instead, he howled like a wolf, and his both fists flew forward like a shot-shell.


    An explosion, not inferior one bitpared to his howl, sounded as his fist connected with the tree trunk.


    A tree, as wide as a man¡¯s full embrace, trembled two times and eventually lost its footing before cosping with a loud rumble.


    ¡°Yiming, what insanity is this?¡± An astounded and furious voice came from behind.


    He Yiming immediately stopped and turned around. His mother, father, brother, and sister, all four, were standing at the courtyard¡¯s entrance.


    Not only they, even caretakers of this area were also poking their heads from behind his family members. However, from their eyes, they were truly terrified in addition to being astonished.


    ¡°Father, I was cultivating battle skills.¡± He Yiming rested both his hands on his thigh and respectfully said.


    ¡°Cultivating battle skills¡­.¡± He Quanming felt his heart ache as he watched thepletely destroyed courtyard.


    This was the courtyard he and his wife had meticulously decorated. It had been serene, beautiful, pleasant, and rtable to the fragrance of flowers and chirping of birds; a wondend.


    However, at this moment, the garden seemed like the remains of an era¡¯s great war, and the flowers and nts seemed to have suffered the greatest cmity ever since their origin. Furthermore, a giant tree could be seen copsed beside He Yiming as well.


    If He Quanming had not been certain this was his own courtyard, he would not have believed his eyes.


    Sucking in a deep breath while looking at his courtyard, he suppressed the anger ring up inside him before saying:


    ¡°You are training, that¡¯s fine. But why you had to do a makeover of this ce?¡±


    Habitually, He Yiming¡¯s right hand found his hair as he said:


    ¡°I always train like this. That¡¯s why went outside to cultivate.¡±


    He Quanming faintly started and exchanged a nce with Lin WenYu. Simultaneously, the same thought urred in the minds of both.


    Is it possible that He Yiming¡¯s such insane cultivation speed is rted to him training in such an unrestrained manner?


    He Quanming¡¯splexion resumed its usual calm as he said, ¡°He Yiming, you make such a big fuss every time you train?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Father,¡± He Yiming resolutely said, ¡°Son is like this in the manor as well.¡±


    He Yixuan suddenly recalled the uproar his sixth brother had once created and said:


    ¡°Father, mother, sixth brother indeed trains like this in the n. Even his underground training room was almost destroyed by him.¡±


    The couple then realized why He Yiming went out to cultivate. So, it had always been like this.


    He Yiming stepped forward. Arriving next to them, he said rather embarrassedly, ¡°I still haven¡¯t trained [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms]. Shoulld I continue?¡±


    He Quanming¡¯s body faintly trembled. However, it was extremely minute. Apart from He Yiming, no one discerned it including Lin Wenyu.


    He recalled the strong might this technique produced when He Yiming exhibited it during the new year¡¯s festival. Even his third brother, who wasparable to him in cultivation, was sent flying.


    If He Yiming was allowed to perform this move, not to mention the nts and flowers in the courtyard, the courtyard itself might not be able to endure.


    Taking a deep breath, he said, ¡°Yiming, I will not hinder you. If you want to go outsidete night, you can act ording to your wish.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s both eyes shined as he immediately said, ¡°Yes, father.¡±


    The primary reason he acted as such was obviously to aplish this. In his opinion, his body should hold no bindings.


    Suddenly, a servant hurriedly entered the courtyard and said, ¡°Second master, Cheng family¡¯s big lord hase to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Cheng Shine?¡± A light flickered in He Quanming¡¯s eyes.


    Cheng Residence had just encountered misfortune. The matters that needed to be sorted out were as many as hairs on a cow. Then, how could the counterpart have the time to visit him?


    Regardless, he immediately gestured Lin Wenyu with his eyes. Lin Wenyu faintly nodded and left with an unwilling He Yilong.


    He Quanming turned while saying, ¡°Yixuan, Yiming, you twoe with me.¡±


    They sounded their agreements. A cunning smiled flickered on He Yiming¡¯s face before he asked his father:


    ¡°Father, what about this ce?¡±


    He Quanming red at him andmanded a few servants to sort out the courtyard. However, in reality, he wasn¡¯t angry at all. After witnessing the might of He Yiming¡¯s Rolling Boulder Fist, he instead felt extremely pleased.


    Possessing such a might at such a small age, his son¡¯s future prospects were simply unimaginable.


    What does a mere garden matter whenpared to Yiming?


    The three individuals quickly arrived at the entrance. He Quanming¡¯s face had already assumed a smile. With a voice which could be even heard at two streets away from here, he said:


    ¡°Elder borther Cheng hase such a long way, forgive your younger brother for not weing you in person.¡±


    Cheng Shine heartilyughed and stepped forward. In a few steps, he arrived before He Quanming and took thetter¡¯s both hands into his.


    If a person who had no knowledge of the brazen struggle between the three influential families saw this scene, he would certainly think that these two were blood brothers. However, the majority of people knew that He family and Cheng familypeted with each other in the Tai Cang county. If either of the sides was given any opportunity, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to bring counterpart down.


    Amidst the ttering voices, the two brothers also paid their respects and weed Cheng Shine in.


    After a few pleasantries, Cheng Shine eventually revealed his purpose of visit.


    ¡°Brother He, this time, I havee to ask for something,¡± Cheng said; his face beaming with smiles.


    He Quanming¡¯s heart sank, ¡®Could it be rted to that night¡¯s tragedy?¡¯ He had also conducted some investigations in secret. However, the time since He family¡¯s establishment had been too brief. They were far iparable to the deep-rooted Cheng family.


    Since even Cheng family couldn¡¯t identify the culprits, it was an even more impossible feat for them.


    Restraining his smile, He Quanming¡¯s face turned grim as he said, ¡°Please exin.¡±


    Cheng Shine faintly nodded. Still with a smile on his face, he said extremely unhurriedly, ¡°If I may ask, is nephew Yitian married?¡±


    He Quanming¡¯s face suddenly nked. Of all the guesses he made, he never expected such a question.


    Since such a question had been asked, what followed it was obviously a marriage proposal for He Yitian. However, the Cheng family just encountered such a tragedy, yet they could think of such things. This was a bit too inconceivable.


    With a slight cough, He Quanming¡¯s face also revealed a slight smile as he said, ¡°Brother Cheng, Yitian wishes to wholeheartedly focus on martial dao. He never thought about such matters.¡±


    Cheng Shine chuckled and said, ¡°If my memory serves me right, Yitian is currently twenty-three years old. As far as us cultivators are concerned, such an age is indeed not much. However, for an ordinary person, this is not the case at all. Furthermore, nephew Yitain is He family¡¯s eldest grandson of the eldest son, could it be¡­this doesn¡¯t matter at all?¡±


    He Quanming slightly hesitated. Twenty-three years was indeed quite early for a cultivator. However, being the family¡¯s eldest son¡¯s eldest grandson, it waspletely different for He Yitian.


    Discerning He Quanming palpitate, Cheng Shine¡¯s smile widened, and he said:


    ¡°Brother He, I, your brother, have a girl in mind. Name is Li-er, and age seventeen. Regardless of whether it¡¯s about maintaining the image of an influential family, or what she has learned so far, I have full confidence that she would be a suitable match for nephew Yitian. Moreover, my lord father also wishes to tie our families with marriage. I wonder what brother He thinks about it?¡±


    He Quanming¡¯s both eyes slightly rose. Hearing this name, he was quite astonished.


    (Tl: Girl¡¯s name.)


    He pondered for a while and solemnly said, ¡°Brother Cheng, as you said, Yitian is He family¡¯s eldest son¡¯s eldest grandson. As such, I have no say in this matter. If brother Cheng allows it, I will immediately return back to the n and report back to father?¡±


    Cheng Shine unhesitatingly nodded and said, ¡°Of course, in fact, it should be as such. So, I will be at home, awaiting the good news.¡±


    As an influential family¡¯s eldest son¡¯s eldest grandson, the matter of marriage partner was extremely significant. Of course, it couldn¡¯t be decided so easily.


    As Cheng Shine saidst words before leaving, he casted a sideway nce towards He Yiming while secretly sighing, ¡®A fourteen-year-old seventhyer cultivator. What a pity, Li-er is already three years older than him.¡±


    As soon as he did that, He Yiming immediately felt the hair on his body standing up. He then immediately decided that his marriage will be controlled by him only.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 50 - Unexpected Discovery

    After seeing off Cheng Shine, He Yiming asked at once:


    ¡°Father, eldest brother is truly going to marry Cheng family¡¯s girl?¡±


    He Quanming turned his head and looked at He Yiming with a smile that didn¡¯t seem one, ¡°Why, are you excited? Should I talk with Cheng family to let you take the ce of Yitian. I reckon they will not object.¡±


    Indeed. Although He Yitian was the eldest son¡¯s grandson, currently, the most illustrious figure in He family was He Yiming who knocked out Xu Yucai with a single palm.


    Currently, the outsiders had an extremely high opinion of this fourteen years old seventhyer cultivator. Many people had even concluded that within a hundred years, he would certainly be the number one expert of the Tai Cang county.


    Therefore if He family issued such a proposition, Cheng family would simply feel as if their dearest wish hade true.


    He Yiming¡¯s body shivered before he bitterly smiled and said:


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t y jokes on me. My target is nothing but the peak of martial dao. Before that, I will not think of such things.¡±


    He Quanxin faintly nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s my boy. With your talent, your future prospects are simply boundless. Therefore, not burdening yourself with family is good,¡± He softly sighed before continuing, ¡°Back in the day, your eldest uncle was also the same, wishing to pursue the martial dao wholeheartedly. However, his identity is different. As the family¡¯s eldest son, he needed to shoulder corresponding responsibilities. Otherwise, he would have attained the peak of the ninthyer long ago, and currently, he would have been a tenthyer expert alongside father.¡±


    The two brothers exchanged a nce, and silently thought about their eldest uncle for a few moments.


    He Quanming waved his big hand and said:


    ¡°Originally, I was nning to let you all stay for a few more days. However, since this has happened now, we need to notify father as soon as possible. You two make your arrangements. Tomorrow, we will return first. As for Yilong, let mother-daughter stay together for a few more days.¡±


    Slight disappointment flickered on the faces of the two brothers. Being united after so many difficulties, they had to split again.


    If they had slight curiosity towards Cheng Shine¡¯s proposal just a moment ago, at this moment, they were full of resentment. However, neither of the two dared to voice their resentment and could only agree.


    The three had just barely entered the inner hall and didn¡¯t even have the time to notify Lin Wenyu when two servants rushed in like the wind.


    He Quanming¡¯s brows slightly creased as he rebuked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is this a ce you can enter¡­..¡± He abruptly stopped. He could see that one of these two seemed exhausted and the clothing on his body was also somewhat different.


    Of course, the most important point was that he could tell that this man was the main n¡¯s steward.


    The steward wiped the sweat off his forehead before hurriedly saying,


    ¡°Lord Second, this servant hase at themand of Lord Master. Please urgently return back to the n with third young master and sixth master.¡±


    The expressions of the father and sons changed at the same time. ¡®Urgently¡¯ indicated that something major must have urred in the n.


    The three exchanged nces. Either of the three could discern the chilling eyes of the remaining two. Even He Yiming also emanated a cold feeling.


    Cheng family¡¯s tragedy had not been resolved yet. The culprits had not even been identified. And now, an urgent message had arrived from the n. Even a sluggish person could connect the two dots.


    Although He Yiming knew that the culprits belonged to outside the county. However, they immediately acted after being informed that Cheng family was in possession of a thousand-year blood ginseng. No one could say for sure that they had already left. Since they had already made an example out of the Cheng family, offending He family would not amount to much in their eyes.


    He Quanming sucked in a deep breath and asked, ¡°What happened in the n? Did someone attack?¡±


    That steward astoundedly looked at He Quanming and said, ¡°Second lord, everything is fine in the n. No one from outside provoked us. As for what happened, Lord Master didn¡¯t exin and onlymanded to bring you, third young master, and sixth young master back as soon as possible.¡±


    The three then rxed somewhat. He Quanming waved his hand and said, ¡°All right, we got it. You have some rest, and this matter should not be disclosed, understood?¡±


    The two servants bowed and sounded their agreements simultaneously. They both were trusted servants of the n. They understood the concept of tree falls and monkeys disperse. Even if Quanming hadn¡¯t warned, they would have remained tight-lipped.


    He Yiming and He Yixuan also didn¡¯t dare be neglectful. Although they didn¡¯t know what happened in the n, since they were asked toe urgently, they also felt quite anxious.


    After quickly sorting out their things, they arrived at the entrance. Servants had already prepared horses for them. Mounting on their horses, they left for the n.


    Currently, the county town was full of Cheng family¡¯s eyes and ears. He family¡¯s three members leaving so hurriedly naturally didn¡¯t slip through their eyes. They thought that thetter had returned to discuss He Yitian¡¯s marriage.


    Cheng Shine further felt grateful to He Quanming. As an uncle, thetter was so meticulous about his nephew¡¯s marriage; not dying in the slightest, he must be quite passionate about this matter. Cheng Shine thought as such.


    Exerting their horses to the maximum, He Yiming and the returned back within half a day.


    From afar, the n seemed as peaceful as ever. The atmosphere didn¡¯t feel tense at all. They then eventually rxed. However, at the same time, they also began to feel puzzled. Since nothing seemed to be amiss, what on earth happened due to which Lord Master had asked them to return urgently?


    As soon as they dismounted their horses and entered the manor, He Quanyi immediately approached them while heartilyughing, ¡°Second brother, I guessed that you will being somewhere around this time.¡±


    He Quanming jumped off the horse and hurriedly asked, ¡°Third, what happened?¡±


    He Quanyiughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s not bad, but good.¡± After saying these words, he looked around, then back at He Quanming while shaking his head.


    He Quanming immediately assumed silence. However, in his heart, the curiosity increased with every passing moment. In the end, what happened? Avoiding even manor¡¯s servants, it must be extremely important.


    Under the lead of He Quanyi, the group arrived into the He family¡¯s great courtyard. They saw Lord Master, He Quanxin, He Yitian, He Yixuan, and what He Yiming didn¡¯t expect was that beside Lord Master, an old man was sitting in a servant¡¯s outfit.


    As soon as they saw this old man, both father and sons felt their heart palpitate.


    This old man was precisely Lord Master¡¯s close friend who grew up beside him and had always lived inside the Book Pavilion, He Laibao. Although his Internal Energy had already attained the ninthyer, he still considered himself as He family¡¯s servant.


    Of course, no one dared to treat this old guy as a servant. The Lord Master himself had arranged a ce for him in the Book Pavilion¡¯s courtyard. He would also be a servant only in front of the core members of the family.


    Seeing He Quanming and the two enter, he immediately stood up and said, ¡°Second lord, third young master, sixth young master.¡±


    He Quanming quickly advanced and respectfully said, ¡°Uncle Bao, you havee out as well? What on earth happened in the family?¡±


    He Yiming and He Yixuan also simultaneously spoke in a loud voice: ¡°Grandpa Bao.¡± Subsequently, they tensely looked around.


    This moment, all the males in the n who had attained the sixthyer were gathered here. This could be considered as He family¡¯s entire strength. A matter that could incite He family¡¯s entire strength, saying that it concerned the life-and-death of the entire n would not be going overboard.


    The Lord Master faintly waved his hand and said, ¡°Sit.¡±


    He Quanming and the two, not daring to oppose, could only sit irritatedly.


    He Wude stroked his long beard and said, ¡°Quanming, I heard something big happened in the Cheng family?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Quanming respectfully said, ¡°The night before yesterday, a group of people came out of nowhere and attacked Cheng Residence. Their total deaths have exceeded a hundred people. This moment, the entire town is on high alert and residents feel anxious.¡±


    ¡°You know who did it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. ording to the information given by the Cheng Residence, not a single corpse which the thieves left behind could be identified. So, it¡¯s probably the work of some external group,¡± He Quanming thought for a bit before continuing, ¡°I heard their thousand-year blood ginseng is lost. Perhaps, the culprits attacked them for this treasure.¡±


    He Yiming astoundedly looked at his father. His father¡¯swork was this widespread. He had more or less guessed about what urred during that night.


    He Wude faintly nodded his head. Cheng family¡¯s loss of the thousand-year blood ginseng was an extremely good thing for the He family.


    He Quanming hesitated a bit before saying, ¡°Father, today Cheng Shine came to me, and he proposed¡­.¡± He paused and nced towards He Yitian before continuing, ¡°marriage for He Yitain.¡±


    He Wude faintly started and said, ¡°He proposed marriage for He Yitian?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Cheng Shine¡¯s second daughter Cheng Yanli, currently seventeen years old. As far as age is concerned, she is indeed suitable for Yitian. However, I don¡¯t understand, they have just suffered such a disaster, how could they think of something such as marriage. There¡¯s something fishy about this whole ordeal.¡±


    He Wude pondered for a few moments and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thister. Quanming, you know why I called you back?¡±


    ¡°Your son doesn¡¯t know.¡± He Quanming and the two immediately sharpened their hearing.


    He Wude nced at He Quanyi. Thetter immediately stood up and said, ¡°Second brother, previously when He Yiming encountered a fox bear, we took it seriously and assigned patrols in the region surrounding the mountain forest. Yesterday, I idently discovered an adult gold-crowned snake up there.¡±

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 51 - Spirit Beasts

    Upon hearing the three words ¡®gold-crowned snake¡¯, He Quanming and the two immediately understood why the Lord Master summoned them so urgently and even Heibao had shown up.


    In this world, humans stood at the top of the food chain.


    Yet many creatures possessed much more strength than humans in addition to certain amounts of wisdom. If ordinary people encountered these creatures, they would certainly die.


    Such creatures were collectively known as spirit beasts.


    Gold crowned python was a kind of spirit beasts. Although it was not considered strong, even if a tenthyer cultivator encountered it by himself, he would have no choice but to run for his life.


    He Quanming sucked in a deep breath and said, ¡°Third brother, your luck is quite good, being able to escape from a fully grown gold crowned python.¡±


    He Quanyi bitterly smiled, ¡°Second brother, you sure know how to poke fun at people. If I had truly encountered an adult gold-crowned python, escaping unscathed would have been as difficult as ascending heavens.¡±


    He Wude faintly nodded and said, ¡°Quanming, third only discovered some crawling impressions deep in the mountains, and he immediately returned back. I and your uncle Bao went to take a look. There is absolutely no mistake.¡±


    He Quanming¡¯s eyes shone. Spirit beasts possessed great strength, capable of easily iming people¡¯s lives. However, at the same time, if a cultivator managed to kill a spirit beast, it held unimaginable benefits for him.


    The worth of a gold-crowned python far exceeded that of the Cheng family¡¯s lost thousand-year blood ginseng.


    ¡°Father, what you have in mind?¡± He Quanming asked, lowering his voice.


    He Wude¡¯s face remained calm andposed but his voice contained faint excitement:


    ¡°Quanming, as they say: Treasures are to be sought amidst dangers. Since we have discovered that python, we will naturally not miss the opportunity.¡±


    He Quanming swept his vision through the people in the hall and hesitatingly said, ¡°Father, we will go, that¡¯s without question. However, Yitian and the others, they are still small. You see¡­.¡±


    He Wude waved his hand and said, ¡°They are not small anymore and should be involved in family¡¯s affairs. Furthermore, it¡¯s a rare opportunity to fight with a spirit beast. Their Internal Energy is above the sixthyer anyhow. I don¡¯t wish them to lend a hand, but they should, at least, broaden their horizons.¡±


    Not daring to speak again, He Quanming bowed and sounded his agreement.


    He Wude stood up and said, ¡°Although gold crowned-python is not a high-level spirit beast, it¡¯s a spirit beast nheless. Thus, its strength will be no small matter. We can¡¯t afford a direct confrontation. We willy a secret trap. If we can seriously injure it, that would be convenient to kill it,¡± His vision swept through everybody¡¯s faces as he sternly continued, ¡°This matter could only remain with us. It cannot be leaked outside. Otherwise, our n will certainly attract a disaster.¡±


    Everybody felt a chill inwardly as they promptly sounded their agreements.


    Due to a mere thousand-year blood ginseng, Cheng family was almost purged. As such, if the information that He family possessed a spirit beast leaked out, perhaps the entire n might be exterminated.


    Gold crowned-python was inherently fond of roaming in daylight and sleeping at night. In order toy the trap, He family members decided to rest during the day, and conserve their energy. At night, under the lead of He Wude himself, the group of nine people left for the deep mountain forest.


    For this time¡¯s operation, they left the manor stealthily and not a single individual discovered their movements.


    They had the whereabouts of the python scouted previously. Thus, this time their journey was smooth.


    Upon entering the mountain forest, He Wude brought out a bottled medicine, and everybody sprinkled some of it on their clothes. After sprinkling this medicine, they would be able to avoid the pain of mosquito bites in the forest, and even a spirit¡¯s beast nose would not be able to smell their scent.


    Among them, the least cultivation was at least the sixthyer. The path in the forest was although quite craggy, it simply didn¡¯t pose any problem for these people. Following He Wude, they soon arrived before a strange mountainous depression.


    He Yiming carefully surveyed it. Sure enough, there was a clear snake hole.


    In He Yiming¡¯s opinion, finding a snake hole at the foot of a mountain was not surprising at all. Usually, if the animals in the forest caught the sight of a snake hole, they would usually avoid passing through there.


    However, the hole before him was somewhat different than the usual serpent impression. In addition to the wriggling and sliding impressions, one could see faintly glittering traces of golden stool.


    He Yiming then knew how his grandfather and third uncle were certain.


    After arriving at the mouth of the depression, they nodded to each other. He Quanxin issued a hand sign, and everybody took off the bags they were carrying.


    In the bags were three grey wolves and a wild boar.


    These were caught by He Quanxin and his two brothers in the forest and were brought to this ce alive.


    These four animals were extremely fierce. Even inside the bags, they had not been well-behaved for an instant. However, this moment, as they were ced on the snake hole, they simultaneously quietened and began to shiver uncontrobly, totally restraining their threatening manner.


    He Quanxin and the rest quickly acted and opened the mouths of the four beasts with their hands and stuffed the already prepared drug into their mouths. Subsequently, they untied their ropes, and using boar¡¯s sharp teeth and one of the wolf¡¯s ws, inflicted life-threatening injury marks on their respective bodies. They waited for them to die a natural death due to excessive blood loss, then left them on the snake hole.


    After aplishing all this, they retreated afar and climbed on big trees.


    ording to the Lord Master¡¯s instructions, everybody chose a suitable position and began to wait.


    Darkness slowly vanished, and the next day¡¯s sun eventually revealed its head in the horizon. As the morning dew diffused, from within the depression came a faint hissing sound.


    Everybody involuntarily held their breaths. At the same time, they almost closed their eyes, leaving only a slight opening, as they stealthily looked ahead.


    Spirit beasts were not like normal beasts. They possessed much sharper perception. If someone was foolish enough to brazenly look at them, it could be easily perceived by them.


    Therefore, He Yiming and the rest restricted their vision as much as possible.


    After a short while, a long python eventually came out in everybody¡¯s view.


    It was more than ten meters long and as thick as a bucket. It¡¯s appearance was hardly differed than a ck python¡¯s. However, a keen observer would be able to make out the fine circr scales growing on its skin. However, these scales seemed extremely ordinary. Thus, theck of careful observation could easily result in it being overlooked.


    The most eye catching was undoubtedly the golden crown on the top of its head.


    This crown was somewhat simr to the crown on the head of a chicken. However,pared to a chicken¡¯s crown, this crown was excessively thicker. Moreover, seeing it over a python¡¯s head felt indescribably strange.


    However, He Yiming and the rest were well-aware that this golden crown was, in fact, the most important part of this python. Reportedly, its worth was far morepared to a thousand-year blood ginseng.


    Slowly sliding, the python soon went past the woods where they were hiding.


    However, as it saw the corpses of the wild boar and wolves, it immediately stopped.


    Itsteral body immediately moved, and it slowly coiled around the snake hole. Inside its mouth, a flexible tongue was moving in and out indefinitely.


    Ordinary pythons don¡¯t have vision. However, as a spirit beast, it couldn¡¯t be evaluated by same standards.


    Beneath the golden crown, this python evidently had two small eyes. A cruel and cunning light was flickering in these two eyes. Especially as it watched the corpses, its expression seemed to be bing increasingly human-like. It seemed to be looking around, as if wondering where did this stuff pop out from.


    However, its eyes remained cold and devoid of emotions.


    In the woods, all were holding their breaths.


    After attaining Internal Energy¡¯s sixthyer, holding one¡¯s breath for a short time period was not a big deal at all.


    He Yiming had even trained in Breath Preserving technique. Not to mention a short time period, even if he didn¡¯t breath for several hours, it would not affect him much.


    After observing its surroundings for several minutes, as if making sure nothing strange was happening, the gold-crowned python eventually rxed, and slowly unfolded itself.


    Subsequently, it unhurriedly approached the corpses.


    If these corpses had been its prey, its movements perhaps would have been as fast as lightning. However, while facing the corpses which had delivered themselves on its doorstep, it was instead quite cautious and meticulous.


    Such a creature was indeed quite intelligent and couldn¡¯t bepared to the ordinary beasts in the forest.


    He Yiming felt that it was on apletely different level than even a fox bear.


    However, even though these creatures had wisdom, it was far below that of humans. Since this gold-crowned python didn¡¯t sense any danger in its vicinity, it immediately rxed its guard and opened its mouth.


    Its mouth was boneless, and it seemed as if it could expand boundlessly.


    Soon after, one of the grey-wolves was already half swallowed by it. It was exceedingly strong. Although its mouth did not have any teeths, during the process of swallowing, even the bones of the wolf were crushed.


    After swallowing one wolf, the gold-crowned python was apparently not satisfied as it shifted his vision to one of the other wolf corpse.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 52 - Pythons Counterattack

    After swallowing one wolf, the gold-crowned python shifted its vision to the other one and quickly acted.


    Looking at that frightening opened mouth, He Yiming felt sort of bizarre.


    Although spirit beasts possessed certain amounts of wisdom, evidently, this low ranked gold-crowned python did not possess much of it. Although it had been cautious and prudent till now, before food, it nevertheless decided to abandon all caution and devoured the food which had suspicious origins.


    Of course, this was also rted to his grandfather and others¡¯ brilliant n. If not for nning so meticulously, obtaining such a result would have been impossible.


    Gold-crowned python¡¯s appetite was exceptionally big, far beyond what He Yiming had expected.


    It actuallypletely devoured the three gray wolves and the wild boar. Its originally bucket-thick body seemed to have thickened even more.


    However, after engulfing so much, the movements of this gigantic python seemed to have be quite sluggish. That more than ten meters long body seemed to have be an immense burden on itself. He Yiming even felt somewhat anxious if this big guy would just explode on the spot.


    Slowly, the gold-crowned python turned its head. From its appearance, it seemed to be thinking about giving up on roaming outside and returning to itsir.


    Once it returned back to itsir, it will onlye out after its stomach had digested everything inside it.


    On the other hand, He Yiming and the rest had been waiting here since yesterday night. How could they let it return to itsir?


    Suddenly, He Wude issued a long whistle and appeared from behind arge shuddering tree.


    Hearing this sound, the python stopped its movement, and its two small eyes turned towards the Lord Master. Its tongue was pping increasingly severely. As if it had felt something, its body started to curl up.


    If it had been an ordinary python, even if it was more than ten meters long, after consuming so much, it definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to coil together. However, this gold-crowned python was indeed worthy of being a spirit beast nurtured by nature. It forcibly curled up its gigantic body.


    He Yiming was inwardly astonished. This python¡¯s body was too formidable. Even the level of its Internal organs was not below that of high-level cultivators. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been able to aplish this feat.


    The Lord Master¡¯s eyes seemed electric, while one of his hands was holding a huge broadsword.


    This sword¡¯s handle was two meters long and the de¡¯s tip was further one meter long, attaining a frightening length of four meters in total. The de¡¯s entire body was made up of pure steel, being as heavy as thirty sixty jins. It was far beyond the weight of that staff wielded by Cheng Lord Master.


    During He Wude¡¯s youth, he had innate divine strength. That was the reason he could wave such a heavy weapon back then. However, after the second generation matured, the Lord Master rarely had to act in person. This tyrannous de had been forgotten in Tai Cang county long since. Only when the Lord Master felt extremely excited would he take this toy out to y for a bit.


    He Yiming was quite desirous of this de. After training in Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms, he also had the ability to use a de. However, he never found a suitable weapon. For some reason, ordinary weapons in his hands always felt too light. Only this huge chopper had been able to ignite his desire.


    However, being able to obtain this de¡¯s legacy was easier said than done. Moreover, with his strength, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use it without employing Internal Energy.


    Wielding this de, the Lord Master¡¯s body immediately erupted with a heroic aura. This was an aura that had passed through countless trials, blood and storms.


    In front of this aura, even a spirit beast, gold-crowned python, didn¡¯t dare to have the slightest contempt.


    The Lord Master stood ten meters away from the gold-crowned python, both confronting each other.


    His expression was grave and body as motionless and stable as a mountain.


    While his opponent, the gold-crowned python, also didn¡¯t budge except for its tongue which was pping even more intensely. Comparing oneself with snakes in terms of patience, a clever spirit beast at that, that would be same as digging one¡¯s own grave.


    However, after half an hour, this gold-crowned python was the first to give up.


    The prey within its body had already begun to be digested, and the medicinal powder inside its body had also begun to show its effect.


    This was but the medicinal powder specifically prepared by He Wude. It obviously couldn¡¯t be too toxic since the python wouldn¡¯t have swallowed it otherwise. However, it was highly anesthetic. Even a spirit beast would be hard pressed to escape its effect.


    However, as soon as the powder began to show its effect, the python immediately understood that something was amiss.


    A cold light flickered in its eyes. Suddenly opening its huge mouth, it pounced towards He Wude.


    This leap was sudden, without any sign beforehand. The scene immediately raised the heartbeat of everybody watching. However, the Lord Master¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all. If one is distracted even while confronting a spirit beast, that would be theck of patience in the true sense.


    With a sudden roar, the Lord Master raised the de and suddenly swung it like one would swing an iron rod.


    An unimaginable strength, sweeping the dead leaves away and bringing along an air-piercing sound, resolutely struck at the gold-crowned python¡¯s big head.


    A loud explosion urred. The Lord Master¡¯s feet were no longer steady. Exerting his feet at his front, he flew backward. However, even in mid-air, his body seemed extremely nimble. Stepping his feet onto a big tree, he discharged the immense momentum he¡¯d received.


    Before him, the movements of gold-crowned python only paused for a second, then it continued to rush forward.


    He Yiming and the rest sucked in a deep breath. Although all of them knew that this big guy would be quite troublesome to deal with, none expected that it would be this troublesome.


    With the Lord Master¡¯s strength, his de strike actually didn¡¯t even injure the former. This was too ferocious.


    He Wude¡¯s body was still in mid-air as he shouted, ¡°Third generation retreat. You shall not act. Quanxin and you three attack it separately. Don¡¯t fight it head on. We will engage it until the drug¡¯s effect res up.¡±


    Originally, he wanted his third generation to experience this as well. However, after understanding this big guy¡¯s strength, he immediately dispelled that thought.


    He Quanxin and his two brothers along with He Laibao immediately hopped out from their hiding positions. All of them were holding long weapons. They encircled it while asionally teasing it a bit but absolutely didn¡¯t dare go fight it head on.


    Only the Lord Master would asionally strike it with all his might. However, once he¡¯d struck, he would immediately retreat several steps, not daring to inflict the second blow.


    In this manner, the fight continued on for a while. The python¡¯s speed and reactions were bing increasingly sluggish. All of them knew that the drug was slowly taking effect.


    Everybody had excited expressions. Even the young ones who were watching from the sidelines were the same.


    Gold-crowned python was a spirit beast. If they had tried to deal with it by force, even He Wude¡¯s tenthyer Internal Energy wouldn¡¯t have been a match. However, its wisdom couldn¡¯t bepared to a human¡¯s after all. After being plotted against, its fate was actually predetermined.


    After fighting for a while, the python stopped bothering with the four people poking it from side. He had realized that these four basically posed no threat to its life. Only the old man by himself, who had a gigantic de in his hand, constituted the most of the threat.


    Gold-Crowned pythons differed from ordinary snakes. Its most hardest region was its long crowned head. Therefore, regardless of where the Lord Master turned, its head was able to fearlessly lock onto him. As for the attacks of the rest, they were painful but not something it couldn¡¯t deal with.


    However, once it felt drowsiness, it suddenly turned its head. No longer paying attention to the old man, it wanted to return back.


    The Lord Master suddenly advanced and struck his de at the center of the python.


    A series of sparks erupted from the de. Such a heavy strike couldn¡¯t chop apart the python. In fact, not even a scratch could be seen on its skin. Hereby, the frightening degree of toughness this snake¡¯s skin had reached could be clearly estimated.


    However, this strike was not good at all. Its body, which had be evidently sluggish due to the drug, suddenly shook once. Apparently, the pain from this strike jolted it out of the anesthetic effect.


    Its head rose and a cruel light flickered in its small eyes before it suddenly pounced towards the Lord Master.


    He Wude¡¯s recent strike seemed to have injured the python, but at that same time, it seemed to have jolted it out of the numbness. However, the former never imagined that this gigantic snake would retaliate this quickly.


    With his eyes on the rapidly approaching opened mouth of the snake, he exerted his feet and retreated as fast as possible while holding the de out, wishing to gain momentum.


    However, this time, the gold-crowned python was in extreme pain. Even the crown on its head seemed somewhat bigger.


    The de and the head collided. This time, He Wude was unable to endure, and blood spurted out from the space between his fingers and thumbs. His hand dropped the de, and he flew backward. Losing the control over his body, he heavily collided with a big tree.


    His chest and stomach felt a wave of pain as streams of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.


    However, the python¡¯s mouth didn¡¯t slow down. Instead, it approached him even quicker.


    A bitter expression flickered in He Wude¡¯s eyes as he suddenly felt, ¡®I was too greedy¡­.¡¯


    Even if it was an inferior spirit beast, it was still not something a tenth level cultivator could hunt.


    ¡®Ah, the greed. Hard to imagine my life would ultimately be ended due to this one word.¡¯


    He felt overwhelmed with emotions. At this moment, his thoughts were not of his death, but the predicament He family would have to face after his death.


    He only hoped that Quanxin and the rest would manage to restrain themselves and not try to fight this spirit beast. As long as they live, He family could still be passed on.


    His vision started to blur as that gigantic head incessantly approached. He could clearly hear the appalled cries of his descendants and the old servant Laibao.


    However, right at this moment, his vision turned dark. The illuminationing through the thick leaves seemed to have been blocked by something.


    Vaguely, he saw a figure. Not tall but seemed as sturdy as a mountain at this moment.


    Vaguely, he could see a patch of radiance. A patch that was not wide at all, but bright and beautiful.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 53 - Xiantian Strength Exhibition

    The dense, green forest seemed as a jade pond.


    Ink-ck mountains and swaying trees emanated a natural scent containing the odor of all sorts of matter.


    However, at a certain ce in this beautiful forest, a human and a beast were fighting a deathmatch.


    This battle was simply ¡®you die, I live¡¯. There was no other possible option. This scene was undoubtedly the embodiment of a human¡¯s greed. Humans, who stood at the top of the food chain, could step on anything they desired. Even the powerful spirit beasts were no exceptions.


    However, killing a spirit beast was undoubtedly the most dangerous feat. Even a cultivator with tenthyer Internal Energy couldn¡¯t bepletely sure of aplishing this feat.


    When He Wude suffered the counterattack of the spirit beast, the de in his hand was discharged in the air, and it coincidentally flew towards He Yiming.


    He Yiming, who had been paying keen attention to the fight between the man and the beast, even more clearly saw the gold-crowned python¡¯s huge, opened mouth quickly closing in on his grandfather.


    At this moment, He Yiming held an unprecedented concentration. At this moment, the blood in his body started to flow upwards. At this moment, he attained a realm which would have been eternally inconceivable for him.


    Indescribably, he was different from the other members of He family who were issuing miserable but futile shrieks. Exerting his feet, he dashed like a nimble steed.


    His body flipped in mid-air as he approached the de in the sky. He extended his hand, and that three sixty jins heavy chopper dropped into his hand, seemingpletely weightless.


    His body didn¡¯t drop because of the de¡¯s weight. Instead, with a flick of his wrist, he neutralized the momentum and further used it to elerate before dropping in front of his grandfather.


    His front suddenly blurred as a giant snakehead was right on him. He could already smell the nauseous odoring out of its mouth. He felt being firmly locked by those two small, emotionless eyes.


    However, his movements still didn¡¯t stop in the slightest. At this critical moment, his both hands grabbed the center of the sword¡¯s handle.


    Holding the de with his both hands, he erected it before him. One hand holding it on the level his forehead and the other past his head, he raised the weapon that had a notorious reputation back in He Wude¡¯s time.


    The dazzling de did not seem dazzling just due to the sunlight.


    His Internal Energy had already climbed up to the ninthyer. At this moment, he had no thoughts of concealing his strength.


    Ninthyer Primordial Energy, ninthyer Ripple technique, ninthyer ze technique.


    At this moment, three utterly different techniques that had no interrtions whatsoever were simultaneously operating inside his body.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The clothes on his body started to melt. Apparently, a hurricane had been unleashed with his body as its center.


    That short figure seemed to be issuing an aura capable of engulfing mountains and rivers.


    Like that lofty mountain which eternally stood after Pangu split heaven and earth apart.


    Like the ancient battle god who swept the world, fought heavens, fought earth, fought men, and never bowed his head before anyone.


    Like the peerless Sage emperor of the legends who was the sole monarch of the universe.


    At this moment, as the three distinct ninthyer primary techniquespletely erupted, He Yiming was no longer He Yiming.


    Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms, tenth form¡­


    The glistening edge of the de- bright and beautiful, a little fiery red and a little azure -chopped at the python¡¯s wide opened mouth.


    A loud explosion urred as if a head-on collision between two meteors and spread around, epassing huge distances.


    Within a radius of several li¡¯s, all the living creatures were affected by it.


    The small creatures passed out, and the big or medium-sized creatures immediately fled in the direction opposite to the explosion.


    As the de and the snake¡¯s mouth touched each other, the time seemed to have stopped for a moment.


    Subsequently, for the first time, the enormous head of the snake was blown away.


    Flying upwards, it went increasingly higher¡­.


    Even its body started to leave the ground, and its bucket-thick frame, looking like a long wing, flew upwards. Ultimately, its ten meters long bodypletely left the surface.


    Gigantic tree branches all around were thoroughly crushed. It seemed as if here, a part of the forest had been swept clean in a straight line, causing the sunlight to suddenly fall on the ground unrestrained.


    Everybody raised their head and nkly stared at the gold-crowned python which had been blown away by the huge de.


    This gigantic monster broke countless branches while flying away for several tens of meters before eventually falling down.


    With another loud explosion, the python fell onto a big patch of dead leaves. That sharp tail twitched for a few moments, then never moved again.


    At this moment, the entire forest seemed to have bepletely silent. Even the birds that created the most mor in the forest were nowhere to be seen or heard at this moment.


    As if premeditated, everybody simultaneously turned their heads back towards He Yiming.


    This moment, holding the de, He Yiming¡¯s body still emanated that world-shattering aura.


    However, both of his legs had prated deep into the ground. Just now, the might of the [Splitting Mountian Thirty Six Forms]¡¯s tenth form had been exhibited to the extreme. In fact, it was beyond extreme.


    Even the senior who created this Xiantian battle skill might not have imagined that somebody could exhibit such a frightening strength by using this technique while being at the ninthyer of Internal Energy.


    This might had already transcended beyond what could be achieved through normal Internal Energy cultivation.


    He Yiming¡¯s body faintly shuddered. He was also unable to preserve anymore. The meridians inside his body had suffered a tremendous impact. He spurted a mouthful of blood, and his hands powerlessly dropped the de on the ground.


    That one heaven-shattering strike actually drained every single bit of Internal Energy inside his body.


    ¡­..


    After this strike, even He Yiming was unable to endure the enormous impact his channels suffered and lost consciousness.


    Two wrinkled hands suddenly came forward and supported He Yiming¡¯s falling body.


    ¡°Quanming.¡± The Lord Master¡¯s voice was clear but anxious, ¡°Hurry up with the healing.¡±


    He Quanming was immediately jolted awake. His body flickered and arrived beside the Lord Master. He extended one of his hands and ced it t on the Lord Master¡¯s back.


    Within the second generation, he was the sole individual who cultivated in wood-type techniques, which were extraordinarily effective in treating Internal Energy.


    He Wude moved his hand backward and pped away former¡¯s hand while furiously saying, ¡°Fool, heal Yiming.¡±


    He Quanming faintly blushed and immediately epted his son¡¯s tiny body before eighthyer wood type Internal Energy unrestrainedly entered He Yiming¡¯s body.


    This moment, all the other people including the third generation had already surrounded them. No one even cared to nce at that already dead gold-crowned python.


    Seeing He Quanming¡¯splexion, everybody¡¯s heart sank. He Wude asked in a strict voice, ¡°How is Yiming?¡±


    He Quanming promptly said, ¡°Father, Yiming is fine. He is healing by himself.¡±


    ¡°Healing by himself?¡±


    All looked at each other¡¯s faces as if they hadn¡¯t heard his words. Metal-type techniques could also exhibit self-healing effect?


    He Quanming nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. The Internal Energy inside his body should be that of water-type Ripple technique. Although the Internal Energy inside his body is exceedingly sparse, it¡¯s self-healing indeed,¡± After pondering for a few moments, he said, ¡°His Internal Energy ought to bepletely consumed. That¡¯s the reason he couldn¡¯t maintain his consciousness and passed out. He will wake up soon.¡±


    He Wude and the rest then rxed a bit. He Quanyi suddenly asked, ¡°Just now, how did Yiming do that?¡±


    Everybody suddenly turned silent. As they thought about the might behind that strike, everybody felt their blood boiling and heart shuddering at the same time. If that strike had been aimed at them, they wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to even run for their life.


    ¡°That strike,¡± He Wude coarsely said, ¡°That one strike instantaneously concentrated all of Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy together, then conformed it to the Xiantian battle skill. Thus, he was able to exhibit such a frightening might. However, how he managed to do it¡­? I do not know either.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s body shuddered, and he eventually sobered up.


    Everybody¡¯s vision returned to his body. This instance, even He Yitian¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t contain the slightest bit of envy.


    ¡°Yiming, how are you feeling?¡± He Quanming carefully asked.


    He Yiming shook his head as he inspected his body. Hispletely dried up Internal Energy was slowly restoring. Although the speed was not quick and was actually quite slow, it was restoring nheless.


    He wished to lift his hand but then felt that his legs and hands werepletely powerless. Even his channels were in burning pain. Fortunately, the Internal Energy inside his body was slowly circting, tenderly nourishing his channels.


    ¡°Father, I am all right. Only, feeling powerless.¡±


    Hearing He Yiming¡¯s words, He Wude and others eventually rxed.


    ¡°Gold-Crowned python? Dead?¡± As He Yiming recalled that frightening strike, he involuntarily thought of his opponent.


    He Wude threw a nce towards the motionlessly lying python and said, ¡°Be at ease, it¡¯s already dead.¡± He straightened up and said, ¡°Make preparations, we will return back as soon as possible. Quanxin, Quanming, you will take care of Yiming. Make a stretcher. Don¡¯t let him be injured again.¡±


    Everybody made sounds of agreement and dispersed. He Yiming could clearly perceive that everybody¡¯s attitude towards him had once again undergone a subtle transformation.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 54 - Passing The Blade

    Since He family went all out this time, they were fully prepared in advance.


    Especially the aftermath. However, they never expected that killing a spirit beast would turn out to be this troublesome.


    Fortunately, He Yiming emerged as a new force and indescribably killed the spirit beast in one strike. Otherwise, after preparing so meticulously, they would still have suffered a huge loss.


    However, since the gold-crowned python had been killed, He Yiming need not concern himself with the subsequent matters.


    By the time everybody took care of the python, He Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy was also almost replenished. However, what made him depressed was despite his desperate urging, the Lord Master didn¡¯t allow him to travel by himself. Instead, thetter asked his eldest uncle and father to put together a simple stretcher and made him travel on it.


    After his countless urges were disregarded, without any better option, he was forced to return back on the stretcher.


    When they set out, none amongst them imagined that they would be returning in such a state.


    Although it was already quitete in the morning, before leaving, they had made suitable arrangements through their trusted servants. With these arrangements, there would obviously be nomotion upon their return.


    Of course, they didn¡¯t enter the manor together, but in groups. Furthermore, the gigantic corpse of the python was carried into the basement below the family¡¯s great courtyard.


    So as not to rm the outsiders, the family took the work ofbor upon themselves. After sorting out everything, they once again assembled in the Lord Master¡¯s main hall.


    Eventually, this moment, He Yiming couldn¡¯t endure anymore and suddenly jumped from the stretcher. Amidst the focus of several concerned gazes, he silently waved his fist in the air.


    He didn¡¯t use ninthyer Internal Energy, but the eighthyer. That swift and somewhat air-piercing sound immediately made everybody understand that this feat was absolutely impossible for an injured person.


    He Wude inhaled a deep breath and said, ¡°Yiming, you are truly fine?¡±


    ¡°More or less,¡± He Yiming said as if vowing, ¡°At most a day of cultivation, and I would definitely make aplete recovery.


    In truth, this time, after emptying out his Internal Energy to thest bit, his meridians suffered serious injuries. If someone else had been in his situation, although he might not have died, he would have at least been seriously injured.


    However, He Yiming¡¯s body was special. Furthermore, water-type Ripple technique had been silently operating inside his body all along, nourishing his meridians. In his estimation, at most by tomorrow, he would be as good as ever.


    ¡°Yiming, back then, you aroused all of your Internal Energy together?¡± He Quanyi had been pondering over this question all along. Seeing that the situation was proper, he couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He Yiming recalled that time¡¯s situation. This indeed was the case.


    ¡°How did you do it?¡± He Quanyi asked with a twinkle in his eyes.


    Hearing this question, everybody¡¯s gazes once were once again focussed on He Yiming. They all wished to hear his answer. Because setting off all the Internal Energy in one¡¯s body was almost an inconceivable feat.


    He Yiming¡¯s brows suddenly creased and fingers found the scalp. At that time, under such circumstances, he acted without thinking. Moreover, his Internal Energy was divided into three parts, which simultaneously circted, fused, and erupted. As for why such a matter happened, or how he managed to aplish it, he himself was in dark.


    Shaking his head, He Yiming eventually waved his hands and said, ¡°Third uncle, at that time, when I saw grandfather was in danger, I jumped out without thinking. Then¡­.¡± He bitterlyughed and continued, ¡°I also don¡¯t how on earth I managed to do it.¡±


    He Quanyi pondered for a moment then said, ¡°Then, can you do it again now?¡±


    He Yiming was about to try it when he heard He Wude¡¯s enraged shout, ¡°Quanyi, what nonsense are you spouting. By arousing all the Internal Energy of his body, although Yiming was able to obtain tremendous strength, the burden on his body was also equally huge. Whatever the case, such a thing couldn¡¯t be casually experimented with.¡±


    He Quanyi¡¯s face revealed an extremely awkward expression, and his gaze on He Yiming had a trace of sincere apology.


    All of his thoughts were upied with that earth-shattering strike. He even forgot such a thing. He was quite ashamed.


    He Yiming smiled towards his third uncle in a carefree manner, then said, ¡°Grandfather, your grandson is aware.¡±


    He Wude faintly nodded and said, ¡°Yiming, your potential is still far beyond what I had imagined. Since your potential is so brilliant, keep in mind, only if your own life is in danger will you do such a thing. Otherwise, never do such a thing again,¡± He paused and lowered his voice, ¡°Fortunately, you came out unscathed this time. Otherwise, if for these old bones, something happened to you¡­¡±


    He Yiming promptly said, ¡°Grandfather, what are you saying. Nothing happened to your grandson.¡±


    He Wude faintly smile and said, ¡°Fine, fine, I will not speak anymore.¡± He then lightly sighed and swept his vision through everybody before saying, ¡°Everybody, bear in mind, today¡¯s affair are not to be leaked outside. If others knew that our He family has managed to kill a spirit beast, it will initiate a chain of endless conflict.¡±


    All made sounds of agreement. They all knew this reasoning. Thus, they will naturally not leak this matter.


    Turning his body, He Wude pointed to the center of the main hall.


    A big broadsword with a long handle could be seen there. This was precisely the Lord Master¡¯s weapon when he was young. However, after Lord Master himself, it was never used by another person.


    After all, nobody liked such a gigantic weapon and neither did anybody possess the innate divine strength to wave it.


    ¡°This broadsword is my partner. Ever since I attained the eighthyer, it has apanied me through several decades of summer and winter. He family¡¯s establishment wouldn¡¯t have been possible without its contribution.¡± The Lord Master stepped forward, picked up the de and softly stroked it. His movements were quite gentle as if this wasn¡¯t an object but a livingpanion of his.


    Indeed. For cultivators, a weapon that had followed them for several decades was no less than their kin.


    Because at the moment of life-and-death, one could only trust one thing, the de in one¡¯s hand.


    After a while, the old man lifted his head. His gaze had suddenly turned sharp as he said, ¡°Yiming, today I saw that the might you disyed while wielding this weapon was even above mine.¡±


    After saying these words, he swung the de in his hand, producing a whoosh sound.


    ¡°Yiming, from hereon, this de belongs to you.¡±


    He Yimig was astonished. Although he was quite pleased with this broadsword, he never thought about depriving the counterpart.


    He was a cultivator as well. Thus, he was clear on what a weapon that followed a cultivator for several decades meant to its master. This represented the spirit, qi, and essence of a cultivator. Even describing this as a cultivator¡¯s bones and flesh would not be wrong.


    Taking away a cultivator¡¯s weapon was akin to taking his wife. This would lead to a hatred under which the two couldn¡¯t live under the same sky.


    Many cultivators would even have their bodies buried alongside their weapons, not to mention a living one.


    ¡°Grandfather, it¡¯s your weapon. Your grandson doesn¡¯t dare ept it,¡± He Yiming unhesitatingly said.


    He Wude faintly shook his head; his voice although somewhat solitary but filled with gratification.


    ¡°Yiming, forty years ago, your grandfather came to Tai Cang county alone with this de,¡± He Wude patted the de and continued as his grandeur ascended to the clouds, ¡°Relying on this de, I established this big foundation for He family. Back then, I had already decided that this de would be passed onto the most promising young ones of the family and allow this de to witness the rise of our He family,¡± Raising his head, he faintly smiled and continued, ¡°I can use this de toy the foundation of He family, can you use this de to prosper and protect the family?¡±


    He Yiming opened his mouth, but seeing the hopeful gaze of his grandfather, he respectfully extended both his hands and received this exceedingly heavy de from his grandfather¡¯s hand.


    Looking at the shining edge of the de, He Yiming felt that he¡¯d not merely epted a de but also a responsibility, a duty that he¡¯d to tend throughout his entire lifetime as a member of He family.


    A bizarre thought emerged in his mind. Perhaps this would be his burden and cause of anxiousness during his entire life, but also the driving force throughout his lifetime.


    Facing his grandfather¡¯s gaze, He Yiming heavily nodded and said in powerful, resounding voice, ¡°Grandfather, I will not let this de down.¡±


    There were no heroic words nor any solemn oaths. Only a pair of eyes was all it took for He Wude to be absolutely sure that his grandson would keep today¡¯s words throughout his life.


    He Wude heartilyughed and said, ¡°Yiming, I know that your future aplishments would not just be limited to Tai Cang county. Therefore, I don¡¯t wish you to stay in the n forever. However, if nes across some cmity, you must lend a hand.¡±


    He Yiming astoundedly looked at his grandfather, not sure of the intent behindtter¡¯s words.


    He Wude let out a long sigh and said, ¡°I am a bit tired. You all can leave.¡±


    He Quanxin and the rest looked at each other before sounding their agreements in chorus.


    In the main hall, only two individuals remained; He Wude and He Laibao.


    ¡°Lord Master, you don¡¯t intend to pass on He family to sixth young master?¡± He Laibao suspiciously asked.


    He Wude faintly shook his head and said, ¡°He family¡¯s foundation is here in Tai Cang county. However, Tai Cang county is truly too small. If Yiming wishes to have some achievements, he couldn¡¯t be trapped in this small pond.¡±


    He Laibao thought for a bit. He also remembered today¡¯s that stunning strike. Moreover, he also knew the meaning behind former¡¯s words. Therefore, he didn¡¯t find the Lord Master¡¯s decision strange in the slightest.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 55 - Cheng Familys Call For Help

    Amp was suddenly lit in the overcast underground room. The radiance spread around, chasing away the darkness wherever it went.


    This was He family¡¯s special me. Every underground room had one. As long as it was lit, it might not be as resonant as daytime, as long as one possessed the thirdyer of Internal Energy cultivation, one would be able to see basically every corner and crevice in the room.


    He Yiming lowered themp¡¯s cover and went to the room¡¯s center.


    Yesterday¡¯s that strike seemed to be taking ce before his eyes at this moment. This instance, even he didn¡¯t know how he managed to pull together such a frightening strike.


    At that moment, his mind only had one thought¡­To save his grandfather from being swallowed by the gold-crowned python.


    This thoughtpletely overshadowed his mind. As if possessed, he integrated three different types of primary Internal Energy techniques together and issued an exceedingly inconceivable strike.


    However, this moment, as he tried to imitate that state, he surprisingly discovered that he waspletely incapable of doing so.


    Although the Internal Energy inside his body was still exceedingly formidable and he could control it as he pleased, he could only employ a single primary technique at a time. Not to mention three distinct primary techniques, he couldn¡¯t even employ two of them simultaneously.


    He didn¡¯t know the reason. However, he knew that without being able to operate three distinct techniques simultaneously inside his body, he wouldn¡¯t be able to produce such frightening might again.


    He lightly sighed. After trying many times without any results, he had no choice but to give up.


    He also knew that being able to use that world-shattering move by chance was in itself extremely lucky. If such a thing could be aplished this easily, that would have been fishy instead.


    Because of this reasoning, although he was not d, he was not dejected either.


    Sitting cross-legged, He Yiming trained his primary techniques once.


    Knowing one¡¯s goods was good, butparing them was was even more important.


    Afterparing the three primary techniques, He Yiming had to admit that the ze technique he obtained from the Xu family was indeed a notch above Primordial Energy and Ripple technique in terms of cultivation speed.


    After every instance of cultivating this technique, not only his meridians felt warm andfy, even the increase in the Internal Energy was somewhat higher.


    This technique was indeed worthy of its top-level technique¡¯s reputation.


    After contemting for a while, although he hated to part with the Primordial Energy, he decided that he would primarily cultivate ze technique and promote his strength as soon as possible.


    The little bell in the room suddenly rang. He Yiming shifted nced at it while pondering who could havee to visit him.


    He left the training room and looked outside. It turned out to be his old man He Quanming.


    Promptly weing his father inside, he hurriedly found the tea which had been stored for who knows how long, then brewed a cup for his father.


    Quanming looked at the half-filled tea cup ced on the table and also the ck, murky, and round tea lump inside it which looked like cockroach stool. Eventually, he couldn¡¯t gather the courage to lift the cup and could only disappoint his son.


    He lightly coughed as said, ¡°Yiming, today, I felt like checking your progress.¡±


    ¡°My progress?¡± He Yiming nkly stared, ¡°Father, there was such a rule in the n?¡±


    He Quanming shook his head and said, ¡°No, It¡¯s just that I am a little curious about your cultivation speed.¡±


    He Yiming immediately understood that this was definitely a cmity brought by yesterday¡¯s de strike.


    ¡°Yiming, tell me honestly, have you already crossed over seventhyer¡¯s peak and attained the eighthyer?¡± He Quanming¡¯s face was exceedingly earnest as he watched his son without blinking his eyes.


    He Yiming hesitated while inwardly saying¡­ I have not only cultivated up to the eighthyer but have even attained the ninthyer.


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t speak these words out as they were. He chuckled, then assumed an expression as innocent as he possibly could and nodded, ¡°Father, your, old man¡¯s, vision is indeed sharp. During yesterday¡¯s journey, your son indeed broke through the seventhyer and attained the eighthyer.¡±


    The meaning behind his words was that I originally hadn¡¯t attained the eighthyer, but made the breakthrough under the gold-crowned python¡¯s pressure.


    He Quanming¡¯s eyes shined as a pleasantly surprised expression covered his face.


    Yesterday, everybody¡¯s thoughts were upied with the frightening strength of that spirit beast and that exceedingly powerful strike of He Yiming.


    Thus, after going their separate ways, none of them, including the Lord Master thought about the fact that since He Yiming could exhibit such frightening strength, his cultivation must have advanced once again.


    While He Quanming came due to his own curiosity, but it was also true that he was acting on behalf of everybody while asking this question.


    After obtaining the confirmation from his son¡¯s own mouth, he was naturally unable to contain his joy anymore.


    Suppressing his overwhelming emotions, he said while extending his hand, ¡°Yiming, let¡¯s try it.¡±


    He Yiming felt helpless. Forcing out a smile, he shook his head. All of his elders were the same. Each one of them had to confirm with their own hands every time a member of the young generation made a breakthrough. This had already be one of the n¡¯s unwritten rules.


    Casually extending his palm, He Yiming weed his father¡¯s palm. Both palms touched and Internal Energy from both sides was aroused for an instant before being restrained back.


    However, an instant was already enough for He Quanming to feel the formidable strength that the former¡¯s Internal Energy contained.


    This was a strength which even he needed to fear.


    Eighthyer, it¡¯s truly eighthyer¡­


    He Quanming was eventually unable to hold the joy in his heart, and he broke into heartyughs.


    Looking at his son before his eyes, his heart was full of pride. This was but a fourteen-year-old youngster, who actually attained the eightyer- a realmparable to him.


    He still remembered how depressed He Yiming had been a year and a half ago due to not being able to cross the bottleneck of the fifthyer. However, in a sh, in a mere one and a half years of a time period, thetter already possessed a realm that wasparable to his.


    His decades of bitter cultivation had actually been chased down within one and a half year. However, he didn¡¯t feel gloomy or jealous at all.


    Because the individual who made this aplishment was but his, He Quanming¡¯s, own son.


    As he thought about this, his smile widened even further. His mind was full of pleasant thoughts while his face full of smiles.


    He Yiming speechlessly looked at his father who seemed to have suddenly be possessed. He truly didn¡¯t understand why would the former behave as such.


    Without being a father himself, one would never understand a parent¡¯s heartfelt joy on the sess of his child.


    However, the parents who could obtain such fortune were extremely rare. Most could only birth average children.


    Therefore, when He Quanming found out that his son already had aplishmentsparable to his at an age of merely fourteen years, one could imagine the joy he felt.


    Suddenly, several figures appeared at the entrance. Unexpectedly all He Yiming¡¯s elders, including He Wude, hade.


    He Quanming immediately restrained his smile and nodded towards them, ¡°I have confirmed, He Yiming has attained the eighthyer.¡±


    Everybody¡¯s face showed smiling expressions and also some shock. Although they had already guessed in their minds, hearing the confirmation was an entirely different feeling.


    As everybody was feeling all sorts of emotions welling up inside them, a servant suddenly appeared and handed a letter over to the Lord Master.


    He Wude opened the letter and immediately seemed surprised. Subsequently, even the smile on his face began to stiffen.


    After a few moments, he said in a lowered voice, ¡°This is from Cheng family, saying that the identities of the criminals have been discovered.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s heartbeat slightly quickened as he promptly asked, ¡°Who were they?¡±


    Originally, official affairs of the n were not for the third generation to discuss. Even He Yitian would rarely open his mouth. However, this moment, nobody expressed any dissatisfaction on He Yiming¡¯s words. Even the Lord Master had admitted that the former possessed such qualifications.


    The fact that he had attained the eighthyer during yesterday¡¯s battle had indeed raised his position in the n to such heights.


    He Wude casually handed over the letter to him and said, ¡°Those people were a group of horse-bandits from outside. After hearing the information about the blood ginseng, they devised a n on the spot. However, what¡¯s strange is that they unexpectedly made a mistake and lost the blood ginseng. Therefore, they have still not left. As such, one of their men was captured by the Cheng family and tortured to reveal the inside information.¡±


    He Yiming, after reading the letter, passed it to his eldest uncle. However, he knew that these people would have obviously slipped since the blood ginseng was in his possession.


    He Wude pondered for a while and said, ¡°Cheng family wish to deal with these people in one, clean swoop. However, among these people, there is a ninthyer cultivator. Even if Cheng Zhusheng personally acts, he is not certain to restrain that man. Thus, he has asked help from us. How do you see it?¡±


    He Quanyi, ¡°Father, they only asked us for help, then what about Xu family.¡±


    He Wude faintly shook his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t know. There¡¯s nothing in the letter. But they should be helping as well.¡±


    After seeing the letter, He Quanming said in a lowered tone, ¡°Father, those horse bandits were too unrestrained in the county. In a single night, the casualties in Cheng Residence has surpassed the figure of hundred. Old, women, children; corpses were everywhere. It was too terrible,¡± He paused for a moment, then continued, ¡°If we allow those bandits to do as they please, perhaps someday, it will be our He family¡¯s turn.¡±


    While saying these words, his vision intentionally or unintentionally shifted over towards the great courtyard of He family.


    Everybody immediately understood. If the news of He family killing a spirit beast leaked outside, they couldn¡¯t deny that those bandits would note knocking on their doorstep.


    He Wude¡¯s eyes shined as he said, ¡°Your words are correct. Quanxin, Quanming, take Yiming and Yitian, and use any necessary means topletely suppress these deranged men.¡±

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 56 - The Confusion

    On the road leading to the county town, the sound of galloping horses could be heard.


    Four robust horses rushed out of the He family manor, and within half a day, arrived in the county town. The leader of the group was precisely He family¡¯s reputed ninthyer cultivator, He Quanxin.


    After arriving in the town, the group didn¡¯t go to their home in the town, rather immediately went to the Cheng Residence.


    Regarding the arrival of He family members, Cheng Shine did not find it strange at all. However, the quickness of their arrival was quite out of his expectations. Regardless, this was undoubtedly a good news for Cheng family.


    This Cheng family member who held a high authority in the family personally weed them in and unexpectedly lead them straight into the inner hall. His vision would often linger on He Yitian. Everybody was aware of his thoughts. He Yitian¡¯s face was further slightly red.


    Being the eldest grandson of the eldest son, he already knew that he would not able to decide his marriage himself. In the interest of the n, the criteria for his wife would not be based on his like. However, regarding this rule, he was not too opposed. He knew this was his duty towards the n.


    In the Tai Cang county, Cheng family¡¯s girl indeed possessed the most fitting social status. And from his father and grandfather¡¯s disy, it was indeed the case.


    As soon as he thought of this, he threw a nce towards He Yiming and sighed inwardly.


    His father had already talked to him. His sixth brother¡¯s talent was too extraordinary. Thus, it was already predetermined in the n that thetter would not be bothered with troublesome matters like marriage so as not to affect his cultivation. Like Xu family¡¯s fourth Senior Xu Right, who had been cultivating wholeheartedly and had yet to take a wife.


    After everybody took their seats, He Quanxin immediately asked about the situation of horse-bandits.


    Cheng Shine frankly spoke, ¡°For your righteousness, your brother would thank you in advance,¡± Subsequently, a deep-rooted hatred emerged in his eyes.


    He Quanxin and the others exchanged a nce. They could easily tell that a man like Cheng Shine, possessing such an identity and status, not glossing over his hate, apart from his intense hatred for the bandits, also indicated hisplete trust in He family.


    ¡°Our Cheng family still have some influence in the county. After an investigation, we eventually discovered some suspicious figures,¡± Cheng Shine¡¯s voice turned strict, ¡°In their hunt, two died while one was captured alive.¡±


    Although he toned down his words a lot, everybody could imagine Cheng family¡¯s desperation at that time.


    ¡°That person confessed?¡± He Quanxin supplemented. In his mind, he added another line, ¡®Confession through torture seems likely¡¯


    Of course, he would not say these words out loud.


    Cheng Shine heavily nodded and said, ¡°At first, this man wanted to kill himself. However, after falling into our hands, how could we allow him to do as he wished? After torturing him, we have already got to their bottom,¡± His voice suddenly turned cold as he continued, ¡°That group is Atai county¡¯s Red-cloth Bandits.¡±


    He Quanxin faintly started, then faintly creased his brows.


    Atai county and Tai Cang county didn¡¯t share a border. There was still Tai Chong county between them. However, Atai county had the most chaotic county town in the whole Jadeting region.


    That ce was one of the rare non-mountainous counties in the northwest. Being on the border and having a t terrain, that ce had always been a chaotic area full of bandits. Whenever the authorities tried to initiate an assault on them using the military, they would just run to the other side of the border, and troops didn¡¯t dare cross the border to chase them.


    Red-cloth Bandits is one of the reputed bandit groups in Atai county and could be regarded one of the top bandit groups in that region. Even though He family lived in Tai Cang county, they had heard this infamous name.


    Among them, the most reputed were the chief and the vice-chief of the group. Reportedly, both were peak tenthyer cultivators.


    With a slight cough, He Quanxin asked, ¡°Brother Cheng, who is their leader?¡±


    ¡°Their leader is one of the Red-cloth bandits¡¯ squadron leaders, named Guan Wei.¡± Cheng Shine¡¯s facial muscles slightly twitched. While thinking of his foe, he instead started to calm down.


    ¡°Guan Wei?¡± A slight astonishment could be seen on He Quanxin¡¯s face, ¡°I remember Red-clothed gang¡¯s leader is also surnamed, Guan.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This Guan Wei is the younger blood brother of the Red Cloth bandits¡¯ leader. Furthermore, former¡¯s Internal Energy had already attained ninthyer,¡± Cheng Shine spoke without trying to hide anything. He knew that he absolutely couldn¡¯t trick the counterpart on such a matter. Otherwise, not to mention being rted by marriage, they might even be sworn enemies in future.


    Several thoughts emerged in He Quanxin¡¯s mind. After pondering for a few moments, he asked, ¡°Brother, I wonder who came from Xu family to help?¡±


    ¡°No one came from their side.¡± Cheng Shine calmly and indifferently said.


    He family members faintly started. He Quanxin rasied his brows a bit and asked, ¡°Could it be¡­Xu family is frightened by Red Cloth bandits and didn¡¯t send anyone?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Cheng Shine surprised everyone, ¡°We simply didn¡¯t ask them for help.¡±


    This time, He family members were truly at a loss. Only He Yiming was different. He had already guessed the cause.


    As he expected, Cheng Shine continued, ¡°Fellow brothers might not know, that night, one of the bandits after snatching the thousand year blood ginseng came across your brother. At that time, I exchanged fists with him,¡­.hehe,¡± He self-mockingly chuckled and continued, ¡°The result was, I sustained heavy injuries on the spot. Had that man not been in a hurry, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t have necessarily been able to see everybody today.¡±


    He Quanxin and the rest¡¯splexion once again transformed. Injuring Cheng Shine in just one exchange, that person¡¯s strength was no small matter.


    ¡°Brother Cheng, that person ought to be Guan Wei?¡±


    ¡°No, at that time, Guan Wei was fighting with my father. He couldn¡¯t have find the opportunity to sneak out,¡± Cheng Shine coldly continued, ¡°That person was a ninthyer cultivator.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯splexion turned grave as he said, ¡°There were actually two ninthyer experts together?¡±


    Cheng Shine waved his hand and said, ¡°Brother He, ording to our questioning, we know that there is only a single ninthyer cultivator, Guan Wei, in their group that hase to Tai Cang county. As for that person, he was not a part of Red Cloth bandits at all. In the chaos, dressed up as the part of their group, he snatched away the thousand year blood ginseng.¡±


    Since He Quanxin and the rest were high-level Internal Energy experts, they were naturally witty. Connecting this with the matter of Xu family not being sent an invitation, they understood the crux of the matter.


    The two brothers exchanged a nce before He Quanming said, ¡°Could it be¡­that person has some connections with the Xu family?¡±


    ¡°Correct. He indeed has a connection with Xu family. Furthermore, a certain, direct connection.¡±


    ¡°Brother Cheng, could there be any misunderstanding in all this?¡± He Quanming said in lowered voice, ¡°With Xu family¡¯s reputation in the county, they couldn¡¯t have done such an underhanded thing.¡±


    Cheng Shine coldly chucked a few times, ¡°If not for the Red Cloth bandits, they perhaps would not have acted. However, having such an opportunity, how could have they stopped themselves,¡± He threw a nce in the direction of Xu family before saying, ¡°They couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of thousand year blood ginseng in the end.¡±


    He Quanxin lowered his voice as he said, ¡°Brother Cheng, you are so sure. There ought to be some proof?¡±


    Cheng Shine¡¯s eyes shined momentarily, ¡°I exchanged blows with that person. Brother He might not know the technique that man used¡­¡±


    He Quanxin nkly shook his head. At such a high-level, there were too many techniques. He couldn¡¯t possibly guess the techniques used by the counterpart.


    He Yitian, however, slightly trembled inwardly as he said, ¡°Could it be¡­one of the two special techniques of Xu family?¡±


    He Quanxin and the rest¡¯splexion immediately transformed. Xu family¡¯s two special techniques, the ze technique and the Withered Tree technique, were extremely famous primary Internal Energy techniques in Tai Cang county.


    These techniques were secrets of Xu family that couldn¡¯t be passed to the outsiders, not even to the indirect descendants. If it really was one of these two techniques, even if Xu family jumped into the holy river, they wouldn¡¯t be able to clear themselves of this usation.


    Under the watchful eyes of everybody, Cheng Shine slowly nodded and said, ¡°Correct. It was one of the two special techniques, the ze technique.¡±


    He Quanxin sucked in a deep breath and said, ¡°ze technique, ninthyer ze technique?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Everybody immediately understood why would an eighthyer cultivator like Cheng Shine suffer internal injuries in a single exchange and confidently imed that it was certainly rted to the Xu family.


    ¡°Ninthyer ze technique¡­.¡± He Quanxin suspiciously said, ¡°ording to my knowledge, training in ze technique and possessing the ninthyer Internal Energy, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­it was Xu Right?¡±


    ¡°Not him,¡± Cheng Shine concluded, ¡°That man¡¯s build and height was too different from Xu Right. It couldn¡¯t have been the same person.¡±


    With his strength and eye-sight, he would naturally not make a mistake in this assertion. Moreover, everybody was familiar with Xu Right¡¯s conduct. Latter would never do something such as altering his appearance and profit off other¡¯s misfortune.


    He Quanxin¡¯s expression was bing increasingly puzzled, ¡°In Xu family, apart from Xu Right, there is another ninthyer expert?¡±


    Everybody was silently thinking. However, the members of He family immediately recalled He Laibao.


    Since He family could have such a secret card in their hands, Xu family, a family that had been passed through several centuries, having a hidden ninthyer expert, wasn¡¯t too strange.


    However, this exined why Cheng family didn¡¯t ask Xu family for help and also perfectly exined their marriage proposal.


    After a few moments, He Quanxin seemed to have reached a decision as he said in a clear voice, ¡°Regardless of whether Xu family truly stole thousand-year blood ginseng, as far as the Red Cloth bandits are concerned, we will absolutely not sit idle. This instance, we are here at the disposal of brother Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Shine bowed courteously and said, ¡°With the help of everyone, we will certainly clean these Red Cloth bandits in one swoop,¡± A cruel expression flickered on his face as he said, ¡°I will make sure not a single one of them is left. All of them will be offered to the spirits of deceased.¡±

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 57 - Encirclement

    Verdant leaves on big trees swayed with the wind, producing whistling sounds. A huge leopard cat hunched its back, disying its might. Small birds flew with the wind, covering the sky whole sky like fluttering ck dots. Thin, long grass growing on the steep shore resembled countless raised spears swaying in the air.


    These dense woods had a group of several tens of men.


    These were precisely those ck-clothed, masked men who had attacked Cheng family for the thousand-year blood ginseng. After entering the mountain forest, they had been staying here ever since. Apart from sending some men outside to gain information, not much was happening on their side.


    Their leader was a tall man. There was nothing unique about his facial appearance. However, his skin between the neck and back of the head was peculiarly dense red-colored and strictly creased, as if several thin streams on a muddy ground.


    These were marks that were left behind due to him being not careful while training. Although this appearance looked somewhat unsightly, he¡¯d an exceedingly high reputation among the bandits of Atai county.


    They had already cleared up their surrounding area. There was nothing remaining that could be attracted by the fire. Thus, they were assuredly roasting some prey they had caught.


    However, Guan Wei¡¯s thoughts were evidently not on the barbecue. While biting off the leg of a golden rabbit, he casually broke a branch from the tree beside him and said, ¡°Copperhead and the rest have been gone for three days, where the hell they are?¡±


    One of his subordinates approached him and said, ¡°Captian Guan, after the ruckus we have created in the Tai Cang county, the county town is in chaos. Gathering information at such a time will certainly not be easy. Moreover, they are not familiar with this region. If they could return back in four-five days, that would already be considered pretty good.¡±


    Guan Wei faintly nodded. Although his temperament was violent, he was not an unreasonable man.


    His brows slightly creased, ¡°They couldn¡¯t have encountered some danger, could they?¡±


    Another one promptly said, ¡°Captain can be at ease. This is not the first time Copperhead and the others are doing such a thing. Not to mention, with their strength, even if they were to be caught, escaping for them would be same as having some fun. As long as they don¡¯t waste all of their energy in a lowly brothel while gathering information, it would be fine.¡±


    Everybody burst intoughter. After hearing thisparison, they were itching to swap positions with theirpanions.


    A lewd smile emerged on Guan Wei¡¯s face as well. However, the words that came out of his mouths were, ¡°If they neglect the main task, see if don¡¯t pull off their skin.¡±


    They were exceedingly confident about theirpanions. Not to mention Tai Cang county, a small region, even in the county town of Jadeting city, the authorities on duty only have a few members possessing the fifthyer of Internal Energy. While Copperhead and the rest all had the fifthyer, and Copperhead himself further possessed the cultivation of the seventhyer. They would obviously not ce the authorities here in their eyes.¡±


    However, these bandits who were used to act as tyrants in Tai Chong county had no idea that Tai Cang county was different than the former. Here, Cheng family itself was the authorities. In order to avenge their dead family members, they had spared no effort. Moreover, they already knew that this external bandit group¡¯s strength was extraordinary. Therefore, they were prepared in advance and sessfully caught the men send by the former.


    However, the bandits were not aware of the events urring in the county town. This was the reason they could be this carefree.


    Distantly, a bandit could be heard cursing loudly. His voice was filled with a sense of urgency.


    Guan Wei threw a nce to his side. One quick-witted subordinate immediately ran towards that direction. After a short while, that man returned and said, ¡°Captian, today, none of the two groups that are responsible for hunting have returned until now. So, elder brother Ma is getting angry.¡±


    Guan Wei¡¯s vision suddenly turned sharp as he asked in a lowered voice, ¡°Two squadrons, not a single one has returned?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­yes.¡± That man was frightened as he hurriedly said.


    Guan Wei¡¯splexion was getting increasingly ugly. He was after all the leader of bandits. He had encountered many life and death situations. At this moment, he eventually felt something was not right.


    ¡°Convey themand¡­.pack up, we will leave immediately.¡±


    As everybody by his side was at a loss, a loudughter echoed in the woods:


    ¡°Leave? Where do you think you are going?¡±


    This voice didn¡¯t seem to be echoing from one spot. Instead, it felt like drifting everywhere through the woods as if someone had spoken these words while running at an extremely fast speed in a circle.


    The next moment, the sounds of des being drawn could be heard among the bandits. Although the bandits were quite afraid of this unfathomable voice, none of them lost their minds due to fear.


    Being tempered through countless life and death battles, the mindset of these bandits was simply unreachable for ordinary people.


    Although startled inwardly, Guan Wei rolled his eyes and snorted before flinging his hand. A cold light wasunched from his hand at a lightning fast speed, flying towards the woods.


    ¡°Peng¡­¡±


    After a small flight, it crashed against something like steel, which issued a brittle sound.


    Guan Wei coldly said, ¡°Who is ying devil while being dressed up as god, sneaking around and afraid to show his face.¡±


    ¡°I am of course not afraid,¡¯ That person, however, didn¡¯t reveal himself and still remained hidden in the woods, ¡°Speaking of sneaking around, who is better than the ghosts who sneak in night with their face covered.¡±


    Guan Wei¡¯splexion slightly changed as he raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Cheng family?¡±


    As soon as he said these two words, his earlobe slightly shook a few times before he hurriedly said, ¡°Not good. Many horses and men are rushing over here. Everybody, quickly leave.¡±


    Several tens of men quickly raised their weapons and retreated to the predetermined escape path. Not a single one among them went to collect their belongings at this moment. Hereby, one could conclude that this was not their first time being in such a situation.


    At this moment, two figures suddenly emerged out of the woods. One was precisely Cheng Shine, but the other one was actually He Quanxin.


    Aftering out, they immediately went after Guan Wei.


    Guan Wei sneered. With a wave of his hand, a broadsword appeared in his hand. Although this broadsword was not as exaggeratedly huge as that of He Wude, it was still several inches thick and about one meter long. He shed towards them, which brought a thick air-piercing sound along with it like a tsunami.


    Cheng Shine¡¯s figure suddenly halted while He Quanxin simrly waved his hand and a two-meter red spear, like a viper rushing out of his cave, engaged its counterpart.


    Both of these experts possessed ninthyer Internal Energy. Although He Quanxin¡¯s strength seemed slightly superior, Guan Wei possessed the identity of a bandit leader. His execution carried a sort of berserk aura. His strikes seemed to be filled with an enmity as if He Quanxin had killed his father or hate as if thetter had seized his wife. It was as if his life depended on the de, and his moves were aimed at reaping counterpart¡¯s soul.


    Under his moves, which were almost shameless, He Quanxin couldn¡¯t hold on and soon found himself at a disadvantage.


    Cheng Shine didn¡¯t step forward at all. Instead, taking the advantage of this fight, he wished to chase those ordinary bandits. However, another bandit came back and engaged him. Although the former only possessed seventhyer cultivation, the big de in his hand was the same as that of Guan Wei. Life dependent on de, and strikes aiming at the counterpart¡¯s soul. Like a bitchy woman, he didn¡¯t let the handsome Cheng Shine advance a single step.


    After the four had fought for a while, the sounds of countless approaching footsteps could be heard. The Cheng family¡¯s reinforcement had finally arrived.


    At this moment, Guan Wei and that other bandit simultaneously issued a longugh and retreated back, following the path used by the other bandits.


    Since these two had attacked with their own will, they could always withdraw at any time they wished.


    However, they didn¡¯t realize that although both Cheng Shine and He Quanxin were cursing and shouting at them, they did not seem desperate to stop them and instead had mocking expressions while looking at their retreating backs.


    These two were anxious inwardly, and their footsteps were quite hurried. When they arrived at the front region, their eyes bulged out as if they would explode.


    More than forty men who had arrived earlier were lying at the edge of the forest, several arrows stuck in each of the bodies.


    Evidently, some people were hiding here, specifically waiting for them.


    Guan Wei immediately understood who leaked the information about their escape route, ¡°Copperhead¡­.is in your hands.¡±


    An old man, with white hair and white beard, calmly walked out of the trees ahead. This old man was precisely Cheng Lord Master, Cheng Zhusheng.


    The old man was looking at Guan Wei; not concealing the killing intent in his eyes in the slightest.


    ¡°Correct. Although that Copperhead was quite tough, this old man¡¯s methods are tougher. When I crushed every single bone in his body, he immediately opened his mouth and didn¡¯t close it until he¡¯d blurted out every single piece of information he had.¡±


    Chen Zhusheng¡¯s tone was quite calm as if he¡¯d reunited with an old man of his. However, his eyes caused Guan Wei to feel a chill deep inside.


    Suddenly, he felt slight regret, ¡®Is it possible that I looked down on this region¡¯s influential families too much?¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng extended his hands, holding a staff made up of steel, ¡°Mister Guan,st time¡¯s battle was not to my heart¡¯s content. Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    As the sound of his words was barely emitted, more than hundred people emerged behind his back. As soon as he looked at these people¡¯s movements, Guan Wei¡¯s heart sank.


    Among these people, there was nock of seventh and eighthyer experts.


    Hereby, it could be seen that in order to take revenge, the Cheng family had emptied out all their resources!

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 58 - Revenge

    A loud shout, full of hatred, came out of Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s mouth as he raised the staff in his hand, and his beard and hairpletely unfolded, making him look like a majestic deity.


    Even Guan Wei, who had fought countless battles, felt fear at this time. He knew that this old man¡¯s strike, filled with all the anger and hatred inside of him, would be no small matter.


    Retreating a step, he erected his de in front of his chest and stood with rapt attention.


    However, his attention was not on the raised staff which might chop down on him anytime. Suddenly, his front suddenly shined with more than ten dots of light. He immediately knew that this strike from Cheng Zhusheng was fake. What was truly meant to deal with him were more than ten crossbow arrows.


    Fortunately, his experience was too ample. Especially, in dealing with bows and arrows.


    He curled up his body like a hedgehog and rolled on the ground without the slightest care about his appearance. Although his figure seemed in somewhat a sorry shape, he¡¯d sessfully dodged all the arrows.


    This was his true skill, developed above the pile of dead bodies and under the torrents of arrows.


    However, before he could even stand up, whooshing sound of gales approached him.


    He inwardly cursed and staggeringly defended himself, eventually avoiding more than ten staff strikes Cheng Zhusheng had issued while taking the advantage of his peril. However, he still didn¡¯t have the time to breath. From behind the body of Cheng Zhusheng, two old men and four middle-aged men emerged, running towards him. They were actually all eighthyer Internal Energy cultivators.


    Fuming with rage, these people desperately chopped at him with their raised weapons as if one life of him wouldn¡¯t be enough to settle their hatred.


    Although he was a ninthyer cultivator, in front of such an assault, he was scared. Six eighthyer cultivators were not easy to deal with, even for him.


    With great difficulty, he managed to fend off all the strikes. However, the next moment, a staff was once again right before him.


    Guan Wei¡¯s temper was suddenly ignited. He loudly roared. He ignored the iing staff and instead shed his de directly at Cheng Zhusheng, wishing to harm both him and his opponent.


    However, as his swing was halfway through, a pike suddenly blocked it.


    Guan Wei cursed ¡®not good¡¯ inwardly and tried to desperately dodge but was struck on his left arm. He immediately felt a burst of burning pain, and even half of his body also seemed to have paralyzed.


    A figure emerged from his side and stood alongside Cheng Zhusheng, coldly looking at him.


    As Guan Wei firmly clenched his teeth, he suddenly heard countless screams.


    Originally, the arrows were not just for him but also to deal with the rest of his men as well. Almost all of his subordinates, seniors, brothers, who had followed him for several decades had suffered injuries from the arrows.


    He shifted his vision towards He Quanxin and nastily smiled, ¡°Who are you, sir? Cheng family didn¡¯t seem to have two ninthyer cultivators.¡±


    He Quanxin withdrew the spear in his hand and said, ¡°He Family¡¯s Quanxin greets captain Guan.¡±


    ¡°He family¡­¡± Guan Wei repeatedly nodded. Gnashing his teeth, he said, ¡°Very well, He family and also Cheng family, since you dared to harm the men of Red Cloth bandits, leader and second leader won¡¯t let you off. For you, the only thing remaining isplete and thorough extermination. Not even a chicken will be left alive.¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng unhurriedly withdrew his staff. The hatred in his eyes was no less than that of the counterpart.


    ¡°All right¡­Then we are waiting right here. Red Cloth bandits, hehe¡­.we will see who will be exterminated.¡±


    This time, the figure of Cheng family¡¯s casualties had surpassed the mark of hundred. Even the thousand year blood ginseng had been lost. The Red Cloth bandits had already been decided as their sworn enemies. It was simply I live, and you die or vice versa.


    He Quanxin slightly hesitated. He sighed inwardly, knowing that He family can¡¯t exempt themselves from all this.


    However, Red Cloth bandits were bandits of Tai Chong county while He family was an influential family of Tai Cang county. If due to all this, they could make friends with Cheng family, it wouldn¡¯t be considered as too big of a loss.


    After speaking, Cheng Zhusheng raised the staff in his hand, ¡°Nephew Quanxin, you and me join hands and kill this man, what do you say?¡±


    ¡°All right. As the Lord Mastermands,¡± He Quanxin said in a clear voice.


    The two figures moved. One staff and one spear struck at Guan Wei like torrents of rain sprinkling everywhere.


    Guan Wei was furious and frightened at the same time. However, in such dire circumstances, he didn¡¯t reveal the slightest bit of weakness. His big de danced, not leaving the slightest of the opening. Although, he was facing two against one, taking him down in a short time wouldn¡¯t be possible.


    Others were naturally not idle. He Quanming and He Yitian, mixed with Cheng family members, surrounded those injured and unscathed bandits.


    Neither side said anything and tried to fight with all their might. However, in this time¡¯s life and death battle, the strength of bandits was far inferior to thebination of He family and Cheng family. Although they were still exceedingly ruthless, all of them were swept away like dead leaves by an autumn wind; either captured or killed.


    He Yiming hadn¡¯t acted. From package on his back, he took out three pieces of steel, each about one meter long, and began to assemble them.


    After assembling all the three parts, it immediately turned into a three meter gigantic, long-shafted broadsword.


    As the Cheng family¡¯s old men and the middle-aged men looked at this de,plexions of each of them changed.


    This de, for their generations, was not unfamiliar at all. All of them had personally experienced the awe of this de.


    However, in the recent twenty years, this de had already returned back to its sheath. The young generation had not even heard about it. However, as they saw this de today, their past memories suddenly cleared up once again.


    Looking at He Yiming, who seemedcking in age, all sorts of emotions welled up in Cheng Lord Master¡¯s heart.


    As for the young generation of Cheng family, they were equally appalled by this gigantic and frightening broadsword. They perhaps never heard its legend and didn¡¯t know that the entire foundation of He family had beenid out with the help of this de, but as they looked at the appearance of this de, not a single one among them was idiot enough to think that this de was just for show.


    He Yiming, holding the broadsword, watched the battle between Guan Wei and the other two.


    He didn¡¯t join the fight. Although there was no need to think about fairness while dealing with such a person, the aim was to kill thetter and not to keep him trapped. Under such conditions, the more people attacking the better it would be, need not necessarily be true.


    After a while, He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased. They had underestimated this guy¡¯s tenacity somewhat. Although under the assault of two same level experts, he seemed to be in a sorry shape and looked as if he would fall any moment, from the beginning of the fight, he¡¯d yet to suffer a single major injury.


    Ninthyer Internal Energy experts. At this stage, defeating one¡¯s opponent might not be hard, but to kill, that was no easy feat.


    As all of his men around him were executed, Guan Wei suddenly roared and waved his left hand, which was followed by several air-piercing sounds in quick session. Several knives suddenly appeared out of nowhere and flew towards Cheng Zhusheng, twinkling and emitting white radiance under the sunlight.


    Although Cheng Lord Master hated the former to his bones, under such aplete advantage, he wouldn¡¯t go as far as to trade injuries. He stopped and swept his staff, blocking all the knives.


    However, at this moment, Guan Wei, bing one with the de, charged towards He Quanxin like lightning.


    He Quanxin¡¯splexion slightly changed. He had already perceived that this strike contained all of the former¡¯s Internal Energy. Furthermore, from that intense aura, he could perceive a feeling of desperation. If he tried to receive it head-on, probably both of them would suffer injuries.


    He¡¯d no choice but to retreat back two steps as he gently raised the spear in his hand while dodging from the counterpart¡¯s strike.


    Guan Wei loudlyughed as his figure, like lightning, escaped from the encirclement of the likewise two ninthyer experts.


    Although he¡¯d lost all of his brothers this time, as long as he lived, he coulde back again and take revenge.


    He only remembered that He and Cheng, these two families joined hands and exterminated all his men. He never thought about the fact that they were the ones who provoked the counterpart first.


    As far as these bandits were concerned, they could kill people. It was justified and given. However, families killing them, that was simply intolerable. They would never forget about revenge until theirst breath.


    However, before hisughter could even be finished, his front suddenly blurred. Subsequently, he felt an intense- almost inconceivable -gale directly hitting across his face. At the same time, his eyes squinted due to the dazzling radiance in front of his eyes.


    Fortunately, years of life and death experiences allowed him to react in time. He raised the de in front of him as if his life depended on it.


    With a loud sound, He Yiming¡¯s gigantic broadsword, without performing any fancy maneuvers, directly struck at former¡¯s de.


    Although Guan Wei¡¯s longsword was not small, it was no match to He Yiming¡¯s broadsword.


    The impact was as if the pressure of mount Tai had descended on him. This time, Guan Wei was unable to stand anymore and retreated in staggering steps, wishing to discharge the impact.


    However, he¡¯d barely retreated a few steps when he felt a powerful forceing from behind. He screamed ¡®not good¡¯ inwardly, but was unable to do anything.


    As he issued an appalling scream, his body was rigidly smashed into two pieces. From top to bottom, his flesh was badly mutted, and his miserable shrieks could make anybody¡¯s heart shudder. Arge portion of ground sprinkled with blood as his internal organs began to drop down.


    However, even in such circumstances, he didn¡¯t die immediately. His screams echoed for a few moments before his voicepletely cracked, and he finally died.


    Cheng Zhusheng coldly watched him with an ted and vengeful expression, causing the others to shudder and tremble inside.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 59 - Ninth Layers Peak

    Note:


    This is a sponsored chapter. A huge thanks to ROBERT GARZA from UNITED STATES for sponsoring the first two chapters of this series.


    Tranted by: toomuchnoob


    A section of mountain forest was a mess. Red Cloth bandits had been executed. Not a single one of them was spared. The leader Guan Wei further died an exceedingly cruel death, being smashed into two halves by the Lord Master¡¯s staff.


    However, after settling his hatred, Cheng Zhu Sheng didn¡¯t seem happy and didn¡¯t even gave a smile. Instead, his face had a profound expression.


    Who could have guessed that in order to obtain the thousand-year blood ginseng, Red Cloth bandits would unhesitatingly ughter hundreds of innocents. Within a single night, hundreds of people died. Although this hatred was now settled, his heart held no excitement.


    After quite a while, Cheng Zhusheng let out a long sigh before he said, ¡°Disaster lies with good fortune, and good fortune lies with disaster.¡±


    He family members exchanged nces, equally chilled in their hearts.


    At the time of Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s birthday banquet, Jadeting city¡¯s Lin family came to congratte the former and offered a thousand-year blood ginseng as the present. It was such a grand asion. Cheng family¡¯s prestige had attained its peak after that.


    However, the subsequent events concerning Red Cloth bandits immediately pulled down Cheng family from the topmost ninthyer clouds into the depths of hell.


    This transformation of good fortune into a cmity truly couldn¡¯t have been anticipated by anybody.


    He family members once again recalled the matter of He family killing a spirit beast. If they slipped and this information leaked outside, perhaps their conclusion might not be better than what happened to Cheng family.


    After a few moments, Cheng Zhusheng organized his thoughts as his vision was attracted by the gigantic long-handled broadsword in He Yiming¡¯s hand.


    Aplex expression emerged on his face as he said, ¡°If this old man has guessed correctly, this de should be elder brother He Wude¡¯s weapon in his younger days,¡±


    He Yiming faintly bowed his body and said, ¡°Your, old man¡¯s, vision is truly sharp.This is indeed grandfather¡¯s weapon.¡± (Tl: He used a more polite/respectful form of address. Something like respected you.)


    Cheng Zhusheng had a reminiscing expression as he said, ¡°Back then, senior, wielding this de, swept through the entire Tai Cang county. It was reputed to be the number one de in the entire county. Not many could have contended against this de. How majestic it was. Even today, this de still seems as fascinating.¡±


    He Yiming involuntarily tightened his grip on the sword in his hand. Hearing an evaluation of this de from outsiders was indeed much more thrilling than hearing it from his own family members.


    Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s vision eventually rested on He Yiming¡¯s body, ¡°Elder brother Wude has passed this de to you, and you have not disgraced the brilliance of this de. Just now, that strike, even Guan Wei was unable to hold out against it. Truly, an outstanding youngster.¡±


    He Yiming embarrassedlyughed, then disassembled the de into the three parts and collected them back into the sheath while saying, ¡°Lord Master, you praise me too much. Just now, Guan Wei, after escaping from you and eldest uncle, was already an arrow at the end of its flight. That¡¯s the reason Yiming could mount a sneak attack on him. Otherwise, if he¡¯d been in his peak condition, how could Yiming have dealt with him.¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng profoundly nced at him. As if he¡¯d epted former¡¯s exnation, he didn¡¯t speak anymore.


    This time, thebined assault of Cheng and He families achieved the perfect result.


    Under the instructions of Cheng Zhusheng, the corpses were properly handled. ording to his words, these corpses would be whipped and beheaded, then offered as sacrifices to their casualties.


    Regarding these matters, He Yiming was naturally not interested.


    However, after going through this battle, the rtionship between the two families had evidently improved a lot. Moreover, He Quanxin also approved Cheng Shine¡¯s proposal, and the grand day was set to be after the new year.


    Regarding this affair, He Yitian¡¯s attitude was neither servile nor overbearing, which ted the elders of both sides. However, He Yiming knew that for the interest of n, whether it was Cheng family¡¯s girl or Xu family¡¯s girl, it wouldn¡¯t make the slightest difference to his eldest brother.


    After parting from Cheng family, He Quanming naturally stayed in the town. However, He Yiming went back to the main n.


    This time, the Cheng family¡¯s birthday banquet gave rise to so many unforeseen incidents. It was truly out of everybody¡¯s expectations.


    After returning back to the n, the treatment He Yiming received had already beenpletely transformed. Regardless of whether it was his elders or He Yitian and other siblings, all of them attached a lot of importance to him. Even the words he carelessly blurted out would give birth to a serious contemtion.


    This transformation was extremely distinct. Even He Yitao, who was the closest to He Yiming, could feel these changes even though thetter was notpletely clear on the reason.


    In the third generation, He Yiming had be a special existence.


    After a few days, not being toofortable with this transformation, He Yiming started a closed-door cultivation. Since the day he announced his closed-door cultivation, not a single person dared to disturb him. Even He Yitao had been grabbed by his ears and warned a few times by He Quanyi.


    He Yiming¡¯s cultivation had be a matter of paramount importance in the n. Nobody dared to treat it lightly.


    Day by day, summer slowly passed and winter approached. Half a year had again passed.


    Although day and night were not too different in the underground training room, the change in temperature allowed He Yiming to keep track of time.


    Within these six months, He Yiming didn¡¯t allow him the luxury of a single day andpletely threw himself into cultivation.


    Within half a year, his primary cultivation technique had changed from Primordial Energy to fire-type ze technique.


    The more Internal Energy advanced, the more the further difficulty.


    Before he¡¯d reached the ninthyer, He Yiming had not felt this fact too clearly. However, once his Internal Energy attained the ninthyer, this feeling had been extremely clear to him.


    Ninthyer was just one step apart from the tenthyer.


    However, at this stage, the advancement turned extremely difficult. Although He Yiming¡¯s body was special, as long as he tried, he would advance. However, at this stage, it was not as easy as before.


    The advancement in Primordial Energy and Ripple technique didn¡¯t have as good of an effect as ze technique on the advancement of Internal Energy.


    However, after a month of insane cultivation, He Yiming discovered a surprising fact. Excessively putting effort into the cultivation of ze technique would actually cause a burning pain in his channels.


    He immediately guessed that Xu family must have some method to remove this concealed danger. Otherwise, Xu Right wouldn¡¯t have been able to cultivate this technique to the ninthyer.


    That technique had not been copied along with the ze technique, that was all.


    If other people suffered injuries in their channels while cultivating this technique, neutralizing it would certainly prove quite challenging. However, He Yiming¡¯s body was different. At a critical moment, he could even operate three different attributed primary techniques inside his body simultaneously and even make aplete recovery in a single day afterward.


    As such, tiny bit of injured meridians to him was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Nourishing his channels with water-type Ripple technique for half a day was already sufficient to make aplete recovery.


    However, after learning this lesson, He Yiming trained three days in the ze technique followed by one day in Ripple technique. As he expected, with thebination of fire and water, his channels no longer ached.


    However, he didn¡¯t know that if Xu family members became aware of this fact, they would certainly be speechless and would not dare to believe.


    A tyrannical fire-type primary cultivation technique such as the ze technique could be cultivated together with an ordinary water-type technique such as Ripple technique, resulting in a mutually supplementary effect, such a matter for them would be simply inconceivable.


    However, since the effect was evident on his own body, He Yiming didn¡¯t think much of it.


    Due to the high cultivation speed of ze technique, He Yiming was eventually able to reach the peak of the ninthyer and also touch the corresponding bottleneck after half a year.


    After attaining this level, he stealthily left the manor and arrived into the deeper parts of the mountain forest.


    After finding a decent spot where no signs of humanity could be seen, he trained all his battle skills once.


    He didn¡¯t dislike his underground training room. It was just that it could no longer allow him to train freely.


    This time¡¯s training was much to his satisfaction. All of his battle skills, metal-type Rolling Boulder Fist, water-type Silk Palm, and signature [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms], had huge improvementspared to past.


    Furthermore, after attaining the peak of the ninthyer, their might was also a notch above.


    The difference between attaining the ninthyer and the peak of the ninthyer was even somewhat bigger than between the eighthyer¡¯s peak and ninthyer.


    This, he¡¯d personally experienced, and it caused him to sigh in wonder.


    No wonder one could still find many ninthyer cultivators, but peak ninthyer cultivators were so rare. As for cultivators who could breakthrough the bottleneck, they were as rare as unicorn¡¯s horn and phoenix¡¯s feather.


    While training for half a day in the mountains, his only regret was that no matter whatever means he tried, he was unable to obtain that day¡¯s special state in which three distinct techniques were simultaneously operating inside his body and hence, also that frightening strike.


    Even after his Internal Energy attained the ninthyer¡¯s peak, it still seemed impossible.


    Although ninthyer peak Internal Energy¡¯s might was quite formidable, it was nowhere near the might of that day¡¯s strike.


    Helpless, he could only return home. He went to the Book Pavilion, closed his eyes, and selected a scripture.


    This time he¡¯d intentionally gone to the wood-type techniques¡¯ shelf.


    As he looked at the scripture in his hand, he didn¡¯t whether tough or to cry. He¡¯d yet again selected a supplementary type Internal Energy technique.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 60 - A Miraculous State

    Hello guys, I¡¯m back. Had to deal with some family issues. The end of my college life is not too far off, and I wanted to take the trantion aspect of my life a bit more seriously. Thus, I had to let my parents know. Long story short, after a few talks, everything worked out, and I¡¯m good to go(at least for a good while)


    As a part of apology for my unannounced absence for the past month, this week-


    I will do a total of 20 chapters (Which, incidentally, is also the number of chapters we arecking from thepletion of book 1.)


    Further, from the next week-


    I will be doing 5 regr + up to 5 sponsored chapters a week.


    One more thing, if any of you are interested in proofreading MG on a daily basis, please leave your email address in thements section below.


    And Of Course, Happy New Year!


    Bone Transformation technique: Wood Type Supplementary Technique.


    He Yiming faced upwards and sighed deeply, ¡®Could this really be the will of heavens?¡¯


    Ever since he¡¯d attained the sixthyer, every time he selected a technique, it would always turn out to be that of supplementary type.


    Not to mention primary techniques, he¡¯d not even selected a single battle skill.


    If it had been one or two times, it could be passed off as nothing but a chance. However, four times in a row¡­.


    Even though he didn¡¯t believe in ghosts and spirits, He Yiming couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat queer.


    After pondering for a bit, He Yiming decided to ce the book on the table. He didn¡¯t make another selection. If this truly was fate at work, he would silently oblige.


    Of course, inwardly, he was aware that this was nothing more than a series of lucky coincidences. However, this luck of his was indeed too weird.


    Neatly spreading the scripture on the table, He Yiming moderated his frame of mind and began to make copies.


    While making copies, one couldn¡¯t afford the slightest bit of distraction.


    Although this was only a supplementary technique, it represented a deepprehension of a senior figure. Every letter written on the scripture represented blood and sweat of the former. If he made an error due to slight negligence on his part, it would lead to a disaster while cultivating.


    However, going by He Yiming¡¯s cultivation realm and inconceivable tenacity of his channels, an insignificant supplementary technique wouldn¡¯t be able to inflict fatal injuries. However, nobody looks for trouble deliberately- even more so when the matter concerned Internal Energy cultivation.


    Indescribably, He Yiming¡¯splete attention concentrated solely on the tip of the brush in his hands.


    He¡¯d not done this intentionally, rather had unwittingly entered a realm which he himself couldn¡¯tprehend.


    It seemed as if he¡¯d forgotten the scripture on the table, the brush in his hand, and even his entire being.


    At this moment, he¡¯d a strange feeling. He seemed to have faded away, and recing his existence was his grip on the brush.


    When all of his energy concentrated on the brush, it seemed as if the brush had be alive. It seemed as if miraculously, his life force and wisdom had been imparted to the brush, invoking life in it.


    If someone watched this scene, he would report his finding to be rming.


    He Yiming¡¯s wrist seemed as steady as a mountain, and the brush in his hand seemed to be moving by itself. Moreover, the drawings and the characters he copied were the exact, carbon copies of the original scripture. Even the slightest bit of difference couldn¡¯t be seen.


    If a schr wished to aplish such a feat, in addition to a practice worth of several decades and matchless determination, he would require a heaven-defying talent.


    Such a bizarre transformation urring on He Yiming¡¯s body seemed quite mysterious.


    While He Yiming¡¯s spirity in this mysterious state, in the two side halls, both He Quanxin and He Laibo were jolted awake simultaneously.


    Their Internal Energy had attained the ninthyer¡¯s peak. They could faintly perceive the turbulence in the air flow.


    At this moment, they suddenly felt a pure, dense auraing from the main hall.


    This aura held no provocation towards them, rather it seemed to carry a sort of omnipresent, all-inclusive, mysterious force.


    Both of them simultaneously had the same feeling as if they had suddenly arrived in a beautiful scenery made up of mountains andkes shrouded in white mist and found themselves unwilling to revert back.


    After a few moments, their bodies faintly trembled before escaping away from the delusion. However, they were inwardly stunned and felt strange.


    Simultaneously, they walked out of their residences and stepped out of the courtyard.


    They obviously knew who was in the main hall. However, they had no idea what actually happened inside.


    However, the state just now didn¡¯t bring them any negative effects. Instead, they felt as if their spirits had undergone some sort of cleansing. Moreover, when they wished to leave that state, they felt no resistance whatsoever.


    Under such circumstances, even an idiot could understand that what happened just now was anything but bad.


    The only two ninthyer cultivators of He family exchanged a nce. Both of them could see astonishment, tion, horror, and many other emotions in the other¡¯s eyes.


    He Quanxin made a gesture with his hand and said as quietly as possible, ¡°Uncle bao, did you see¡­.¡±


    He Laibao firmly shook his head and said in an equally low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t disturb him.¡±


    Both nodded, aware of what the counterpart was thinking. Two individuals moved far away from each other and began to keep an eye on the whole courtyard.


    They had already understood that Yiming inside was experiencing some miraculous event, and this event meant nothing but good for thetter. As such, they would try each and every means to let He Yiming experience that miracle as long as possible.


    After a while, He Yiming let out a long sigh and set aside the brush in his hands.


    The brush in his hands had seemed to be moving as fast as lightning before he had copied down the entire scripture in one breath.


    Although he¡¯d cultivated Breath Restraining technique, while employing this technique, he couldn¡¯t have made too many movements and he wouldn¡¯t have been able to enter that mysterious state.


    If one fought while employing Breath Restraining technique, it would be precisely what they say digging up one¡¯s own grave.


    Although He Yiming just now had not been fighting, the energy he¡¯d consumed while copying this scripture was no small matter. However, still, he had not breathed out beforepletely copying the entire scripture.


    This one breath seemed to contain all the impure air in his body and seemed evestingly long.


    After eventually letting out this breath, he raised his head as his consciousness returned to his body.


    At the same time, the strange force and aura that permeated throughout the entire courtyardpletely vanished.


    He looked at his hand, then the brush in his hand before feeling puzzled. His memory of the recent few minutes seemed unclear.


    Although he could faintly remember that he seemed to have entered a strange state, to him, this state was, yet again, same as seeing not the moon itself but its reflection in theke, and it annoyed him endlessly.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    A loud voice came from outside. Although this voice was somewhat unfamiliar, He Yiming immediately guessed whom it belonged to.


    After thinking for a bit, he went forward and opened the door.


    His eldest uncle He Quanxin and old servant He Laibo were standing side by side. That voice just now had originated from He Laibo¡¯s mouth.


    Regarding this old man who enjoyed a high reputation in the n, He Yiming didn¡¯t felt the slightest negligence. He promptly bowed and said, ¡°Grandpa Bao, sorry for disturbing you.¡±


    He Laibao¡¯s face was covered in smiles as he waved his hand and said, ¡°Sixth young master, you are too polite.¡±


    During his whole life, he never married and always stayed by He Wude¡¯s side, eventually retiring in the He manor itself.


    For him, this descendant of He family was no different than his own grandson. The more He Yiming¡¯s strength grew, the happier he would feel.


    He Quanxin, however, slightly raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Yiming, what were you doing just now?¡±


    He Yiming had no intention of hiding since he himself had no idea either.


    ¡°Eldest uncle, I was just copying a scripture.¡±


    ¡°Copying a scripture.¡±


    He Quanxin and He Laibo exchanged a nce, and both quickly nced at the table in the middle of the hall.


    On the table, there was indeed a scripture surrounded by a few papers. Furthermore, the ink on these papers had yet to properly settle down.Just a look was enough to tell that someone was indeed making copies just now.


    Both individuals simultaneously frowned, what on earth could have happened while making copies?


    Especially He Laibao. He¡¯d guarded this ce for several decades. Furthermore, all the scriptures ced here had been copied by him. Something this strange had never happened before.


    After pondering for a bit, He Quanxin asked, ¡°Yiming, while you were making copies, did something happen?¡±


    He waspletely incapable of putting that mysterious feeling into words.


    He Yiming repeatedly nodded his head and said, ¡°Eldest uncle, while making copies, nephew felt something strange was going on. However, when nephew stopped, this feeling was gone.¡±


    He Quanxin astoundedly asked a few more questions to ascertain that this situation was truly connected with He Yiming. However, it turned out to be something that He Yiming had no control over and was achieved by thetter involuntarily, which caused him to sigh with regret.


    After giving a few pieces of advice, the two elders withdrew. He Yiming, unreconciled inwardly, ced the original scripture of Bone Transformation technique back to its position, took out the Rolling Boulder Fist¡¯s and Silk Palm¡¯s scriptures, and began to copy the content pertaining to their tenthyers.


    While copying, He Yiming tried to concentrate his spirit onto the brush once again. However, unfortunately, he never once seeded throughout the whole process.


    Helpless, he could only return back to his residence with the set of copies.


    However, he had a feeling, sooner orter, he would enter this state again, and at that time he wouldpletely grasp it, definitely.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 61 - The Peak, Tenth Layer

    After returning to his courtyard, He Yiming rested for a while, then went to the underground training room.


    He opened the copy of the wood type technique and started to contemte.


    The next moment, he felt amazed. The content inside the scripture seemed extremely familiar to him. He¡¯d barely opened the book, and he felt as if he¡¯d already understood everything that was written inside.


    This kind of feeling was the same as when he cultivated Primordial Energy- the technique which had already been thoroughly engraved inside his bones and spirit.


    Astonished, he thought about the inconceivable and iprehensible realm he¡¯d encountered in the Book Pavilion a little while ago.


    He¡¯d a feeling that the reason he could understand everything written in the scripture as clearly as if he¡¯d spent a lifetime of research on it was rted to this indescribable realm.


    Bone Transformation technique. This technique sounded like a frightening bone-chilling technique. However, in reality, this was not an offensive technique at all, but a basic one.


    After cultivating this technique, one would be able to lengthen or shorten one¡¯s bones within a certain range. ording to the description, even an adult would be able to instantly reduce his/her height.


    Of course, attaining this feat couldn¡¯t be done overnight. Furthermore, one required talent in this field as well.


    If one¡¯s bones didn¡¯t fit the requirements, attaining the peak realm of this technique would be eternally impossible.


    Moreover, the best would be to train in this technique from a young age. After reaching the adulthood, the bones would havepletely matured. If one started to cultivate this technique at such a time, one would have to exert twice the effort to obtain half the result, and of course, even then one might not necessarily seed.


    However, regarding these issues, He Yiming was not worried at all. After repeatedly experiencing bizarre cultivation experiences, he had full confidence in his body.


    Ever since his encounter in theke, he¡¯d never seen a technique which he couldn¡¯t cultivate or couldn¡¯t attain its peak realm.


    Setting down the copied scripture, He Yiming sucked in a deep breath before the Internal Energy in his dantian began to surge like a tide.


    With each wave stronger than the next, his Internal Energy incessantly flowed, and his bones under the influence of this Internal Energy began to exhibit a bizarre transformation.


    He felt a burning sensation from every bone in his body. It was as if an iron ore was being baptized at a high temperature- excluding the impurities within little by little and being slowly purified.


    He felt as if his bones were bing softer. His originally rock solid bones, which had suffered countless tests of Rolling Boulder Fist, were undergoing a bizarre transformation. They seemed to be bing sponge-like as they started to huddle together.


    This is Bone Transformation technique¡¯s ultimate ability, Bone Refining.


    Using his own body as a furnace, every bone in his body had been refined. Not only this process was lengthy, but extremely painful as well. However, if someone could endure it till the end, not only his bones would be tempered and would be ten times as tenacious, he would also be able to use the ¡®Silk Transformation¡¯ technique and would be able to adjust his bones as he pleased.


    Of course, the bones of humans could never bepared to silk. However, after cultivating this technique to the peak, reducing one¡¯s height- which was the state mentioned in the book - didn¡¯t seem difficult to achieve at all.


    He Yiming was wholeheartedly perceiving every single change in his body.


    For him, the pain of Bone Refining didn¡¯t seem unbearable. This was not to be med on the technique, but to the fact that his bones were different than the usual. It seemed as if his bones had already received a refinement, and this Bone Refining was merely an icing on the top.


    However, He Yiming didn¡¯t know that his body had already begun to shrink. Not some specific part of it, but as a whole.


    After a while, his closed eyes slightly trembled before eventually opening.


    He let out a long breath. This technique¡¯s cultivation was far more difficult than his earlier expectations. If not for the fact that he understood this technique¡¯s content too clearly, he might not have been sessful in his first attempt.


    He looked ahead and involuntarily gasped. He suddenly discovered that everything around him had undergone a bizarre transformation.


    However, the very next instant, he realized that the surroundings had not changed at all, but his own stature.


    His body had truly shrunk by a full head. Moreover, even his built seemed to have transformed.


    He lifted his hand and discovered that it had already shrunk back inside the sleeve of his dress. He then extended his leg, and sure enough, it had also shrunk somewhat.


    A strange expression appeared on He Yiming¡¯s face. He was still a fourteen year old child. Such a matter was indeed somewhat amusing to him.


    After fumbling with his arms and legs for a while, He Yiming finally had enough fun. He then stretched his arms out and faintly pulled on them backwards.


    Subsequently, his body began to miraculously grow.


    After a few moments, He Yiming had again returned to his original body.


    He¡¯d already obtained the greater sess in the Bone Transformation technique in a single day.


    However, He Yiming didn¡¯t stop here. He sucked in a deep breath, and along with the breath, his body started to erge.


    This was another use of Bone Transformation technique. One could increase the size of cracks inside bones, thus erging one¡¯s body.


    Of course, the difficulty of erging was far morepared to that of shrinking. Even though He Yiming had cultivated this technique to the peak, he could only erge his body by half a head.


    After erging by half a head, his growth stopped. This state was already the limit of human body.


    If one wished to erge the body further, perhaps it could only be done after attaining the Xiantian realm.


    After trying out all the uses of the Bone Transformation technique, He Yiming was finally determined.


    For him, Bone Transfomation technique was nothing but a means of amusement, like a toy to a child.


    However, his objective to cultivate Bone Transformation technique was not for amusement, but to increase his cultivation and attain the tenthyer.


    He sat down cross-legged once again, and the immense Internal energy inside his body began to slowly circte.


    This time the speed of cirction was not fast, but it seemed as steady as a mountain. It carried a sort of stubborn aura as if it would never give up before reaching its objective.


    Inside his channels, the technique operating was not the ze technique, but the technique he¡¯d been training in since the age of five years- the metal-type Primordial Energy.


    This was the first technique he ever cultivated. This moment, the technique attacking the tenthyer was also the same.


    Slowly, the Internal Energy began to umte at the bottleneck of the tenthyer.


    Neither attacking the bottleneck nor dispersing, just slowly building up.


    The bottleneck seemed like a dam and all the Internal Energy like water. Regardless of how the water surged, unless it reached the height of the dam, it would never be able to leave the dam.


    While cultivating Internal Energy, a person¡¯s body resembled a reservoir, inside which water constantly umted.


    When Internal Energy attained ayer¡¯s peak, in other words, the amount of water exceeded the holding capabilities of the dam, it was the time to attack the bottleneck.


    From this point onward, regardless of how the cultivator tried to cultivate, the Internal Energy in the body would not increase.


    In order to gain more Internal Energy, the cultivator must find a way to let the water out of the dam, and thus, allow it to enter a much broad world.


    This was precisely the process of breaking through a bottleneck.


    However, although everybody knew and understood this reasoning, to break through the limit of the dam without breaking the entire dam was no easy feat.


    After encountering a bottleneck, cultivators would enter a period of bitter closed-door cultivation, or perhaps roam around, or try some other means- all in order to find an opportunity to break through.


    However, those who could actually find this opportunity and breakthrough were quite rare.


    The ninthyer was still somewhat simple, but breaking through into the tenthyer was as difficult as ascending the heavens.


    Throughout the entire Tai Cang county, there were only two tenthyer cultivators. And even in the Tai Chong county, where bandits rampaged, the number of cultivators who had attained the tenthyer were no more than ten.


    From this, it was evident how difficult it was to cross this threshold.


    However, on the body of He Yiming, all of this lost its significance.


    His body was rather unique. After encountering a bottleneck, as long as he cultivated a technique, even if this technique happened to be the most garbage one in the world, he would be able to increase his Internal Energy by a little bit.


    And this tiny bit of Internal Energy was the same as thest straw that broke camel¡¯s back.


    This tiny bit of Internal Energy was enough to provide sufficient power for the water to break through the dam.


    The difference as minute as a hair, the results thousand li apart.


    Relying on precisely this tiny bit more Internal Energy than what others could work with, He Yiming earned his reputation of a genius.


    This moment, as all the Internal Energy assembled at the opening of the tenthyer¡¯s channels, the juncture finally sumbed to the immense pressure and opened with an explosion.


    The Internal Energy poured into the new channels. As if a dragon returning to the ocean, a beautiful feeling that couldn¡¯t be put into words bloomed in every part of his body.


    Tenthyer.


    He¡¯d finally attained the realm which, for an ordinary cultivator, was too high to ascend.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 62 - Metal Births Water

    Under the sunshine,yer uponyer of different shades made the color of mountain forest hard to recognize- verdant, bluish green, yellow, and also, fiery-red.


    At a certain ce in this forest, He Yiming exhaled in a loud voice, evenly stretched out both his hands, and started to move about on the ground- resembling a rolling boulder. Following his movements, intense ¡®whoosh¡¯ sounds were continuously being emitted into the air surrounding his body.


    All the living things in the vicinity had already run far away from these frightening sounds.


    Rolling Boulder Fist was merely an ordinary technique. Tenthyer movement sequence was already this technique¡¯s peak. In the hands of He Yiming, this technique had truly turned the surrounding air into a giant rolling boulder, which could be controlled at his wish.


    The cultivators who trained in this technique were many, but those who could attain such a level of expertise were extremely rare. One may not find a single such cultivator even in a thousand.


    After a few moments, the Rolling Boulder Fist suddenly transformed. Although the movements still conformed to Rolling Boulder Fist, the feeling it gave was starkly different.


    The intense, imprable aura on his body suddenly transformed. A metal type technique actually began to emit a gentle, soft aura.


    After another few moments, his two striking fists transformed, and Silk Palm appeared. A pair of palms filled the sky and seemed as if it would shroud the world.


    Perhaps due to being recently promoted to the tenthyer, He Yiming¡¯s spirits were high, and his eyes faintly shined. The Internal Energy inside his body again shifted before a fiery red color emerged on his palms, and the air in his surroundings also became slightly hotter. In his hands, water-type Silk Palm actually began to emit a fiery feeling.


    Conforming fire-type Internal Energy to a water-type technique- this would probably be counted as an unrivaled masterpiece in the entire He family.


    After another few moments, He Yiming¡¯s fist technique once again changed. This time, he didn¡¯t bind himself by using movements of a specific battle skill andpletely unleashed his will. His hands were continuously changing into fists and palms. He himself didn¡¯t know which style woulde up next.


    This moment, He Yiming had actually begun to blend the Silk Palm into the Rolling Boulder Fist.


    If He Wude and others were allowed to see this scene, they would certainly start to doubt their own eyes.


    It wasn¡¯t as if there had never been any case of switching between techniques. However, the difficulty of switching Internal Energy and battle skills was exceedingly high. Even a person who had researched in this field for several decades wouldn¡¯t dare try casually changing his technique during a fight.


    However, this moment, He Yiming didn¡¯t seem to be paying attention to this at all. In his hands, these two distinctly attributed techniques were interchanging as if it was a natural process. It seemed perfectly smooth.


    At the same time, the Internal Energy inside his body was no longer that of sole Primordial Energy, or Ripple technique, or ze technique. Instead, it was alternating between the three of them.


    Internal Energy cirction and battle skill employment were two entirely different concepts.


    Through sheer hard word, two distinct type battle skills could be mixed together. Although the resultant power might not necessarily be above that of either of the original techniques, at the very least, anybody could try it.


    However, to alternate between two different attributed Internal Energy- this was not something an ordinary cultivator could even imagine.


    Legends said that such a feat could be aplished, but Still, it shouldn¡¯t be happening inside the body of a young cultivator like He Yiming.


    However, this moment, three different attributed Internal Energy techniques were alternating inside his body, without hindering each other in the slightest. It seemed as if his channels could support any manifestation of nature. Be it water, fire, oil, gas- it simply didn¡¯t matter.


    He Yiming was also clear about the fact that only because of his extraordinary body could he aplish such an unimaginable feat.


    Suddenly, He Yiming withdrew his fists as his body turned motionless- as if a monk entering meditation.


    This moment, as the three techniques began to circte at their peaks, He Yiming had a feeling. If he continued to advance in this direction, one day, he would be able to recreate the scene when the three distinctly attributed techniques were simultaneously aroused in his body.


    Since then, he¡¯d tried it numerous times. However, that state seemed to be covered in mist- simply unfathomable to him.


    However, this moment, after experiencing this feeling, he actually stopped.


    It was not that he didn¡¯t wish to grasp that heaven-shattering strike, but his current situation was not ideal. In this section of mountain forest, he was the lone individual. If he truly erupted with that might, all of the Internal Energy inside his body would be emptied, and he would lost consciousness.


    If due to this, he were to be eaten by a ferocious beast, that would be an extreme injustice to him.


    As such, regardless of how unwilling he felt, he pulled his fists back and stood still, moderating his stimted state of mind.


    Slowly, his mind calmed down. He let out a long sigh; his mind operating at a lightning fast speed.


    At the sixthyer of Internal Energy, regardless of however he cultivated, he never felt as such. However, when his Internal Energy attained the tenthyer and three different kinds of Internal Energy techniques started to alternately operate inside his body, he felt as if would be able to attain the state required for that frightening strike.


    For him, this was a huge deal. He had absolute confidence that as long as he continued to research in this direction, he would be able to grasp the mysteries within andpletely master that strike.


    After gravely contemting the situation he¡¯d just experienced, He Yiming suddenly felt he¡¯d caught onto something. He recalled that the sequence of techniques just now was Primordial Energy, followed by RIpple technique, then ze technique.


    When his Ripple technique switched to ze technique and subsequently, ze technique switched to Primordial Energy, he didn¡¯t have that feeling of simultaneous arousal. However, when his Primordial Energy switched to Ripple technique, that feeling automatically emerged and even intensified.


    Primordial Energy was metal type technique, Ripple technique was water type technique. In the Five Phases, metal birthed water¡­.


    His eyes immediately shined. Although this deduction may not necessarily be correct, he wouldn¡¯t mind trying once at all.


    Trying this theory was quite straightforward. As long as he selected a wood type and an earth type primary cultivation technique and cultivated both to the tenthyer, he would be able to verify his hypothesis.


    His body suddenly leaped up in the air, as if an eagle beginning its flight, and began to step across trees, swiftly moving towards the mountain¡¯s foot.


    However, as he arrived at the manor¡¯s entrance, his mind cooled down.


    With his special body, since he could attain the tenthyer in a certain technique, he could easily attain the tenthyer in other types of techniques too.


    Therefore, cultivating one earth type technique and one wood type technique, for others might be a feat as difficult as ascending the heavens, but for him, it was nothing more than flipping his palm.


    However, after attaining such a realm, his horizons were far broader than what they used to be.


    In his eyes, an ordinary technique held no attractiveness. Only a top level technique like Xu family¡¯s ze technique could attract his attention.


    Once he recalled Xu family, he recalled the night of Cheng family¡¯s celebration and further recalled the agreement between the drunkard and the ck-clothed man.


    Capable of being discussed in the same breath with the ze technique, there was only one other technique- Xu family¡¯s wood type Withered Tree technique.


    However, this was not surprising to He Yiming anymore. After experiencing the cultivating speed and might of the ze technique, He Yiming understood quite well that this top level fire type technique was far above Primordial Energy and Ripple technique.


    It was the same principle that says one would never be satisfied with tofu after eating meat.


    HIs eyeballs were spinning as he had already begun to think about how to snatch that technique from the hands of Xu family.


    If his Internal Energy had not attained the tenthyer, perhaps he wouldn¡¯t have dared thinking as such. After all, Withered Tree technique was one of the two special techniques of Xu family. To go to the Xu castle and steal this technique under their nose was the same as going to a tiger¡¯s den to steal its prey. Each and every detail about this whole ordeal pointed towards a disaster.


    However, currently, his Internal Energy had already attained the tenthyer. Furthermore, with the alternate cirction of three different techniques inside his body and [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] as his trump card, he couldn¡¯t help but feel tempted.


    This is precisely the so-called ¡®Boldness of execution stems out of skill.¡¯ Once a person¡¯s power crosses a certain realm, his boldness also starts to increase correspondingly. The things he wouldn¡¯t have dared to imagine previously had started to appear in his mind.


    With his thoughts going rampant, he finally entered his courtyard. However, subsequently, hisplexion changed as he saw another existence in the room.


    He raised his head to look at the other person while astoundedly saying, ¡°Grandfather, howe you are here?¡±

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 63 - The Journey

    The old man in the room who slightly nodded towards He Yiming was precisely the Lord Master of He family, He Wude.


    ¡°Yiming, Quanxin said that yesterday, you obtained some fortune in the Book Pavilion?¡± The Lord Master talked straight to the point. In front of his own descendant, he need not conceal his intentions.


    He Yiming made a sound of agreement before saying, ¡°Grandfather, yesterday, while copying scripture, I suddenly entered a sort of bizarre realm,¡± He thought for a bit before continuing, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to describe it, but it felt extremely strange.¡±


    He Wude¡¯s eyes shined as he pondered for a bit before saying, ¡°Yiming, tell me all the details.¡± ?!¨Cmore¨C>


    He Yiming would naturally not hide it from his grandfather. He, who himself was ignorant, wished to know what happened yesterday more than anybody.


    As He Wude heard He Yiming¡¯s extremely detailed exnation, his brows began to crease increasingly. However, what surprised He Yiming was the fact that he could discern a pleasantly surprised expression from his grandfather¡¯s eyes. Suddenly, he felt that the Lord Master truly might know something about it.


    After a few moments, the Lord Master said in a lowered tone, ¡°Yiming, when you came back from that bizarre state, did you feel any transformation?¡±


    He Yiming thought for a bit and said, ¡°It seems there was indeed something strange. At that time, it seemed as if I had already memorized all the content within while I was copying, and it further aided my understanding of the scripture.¡±


    He Wude¡¯s eyes immediately shined with a peculiar radiance as he said, ¡°Your copied scripture, huh? Let me take a look.¡±


    He Yiming promptly went to the underground training room and brought back not only the scripture of Bone Transformation technique, but also the eighthyer contents of Rolling Boulder Fist and Silk Palm.


    Apart from the Bone Transformation technique, all the rest of scriptures had some minor errors. Especially the diagrams. It was simply impossible to copy them to perfection. Of course, this was due to the different drawing skills of the two individuals. On the whole, it couldn¡¯t be considered as wrong.


    ¡°Grandfather, this is my yesterday¡¯s copied scripture. It is indeed a bit different than the scriptures I copied before.¡±


    As He Wude looked at the three words, Bone Transformation Technique, written at the top of the scripture, he couldn¡¯t help but be a little shocked. He raised his head and threw a nce at He Yiming while thinking why wouldtter choose such a supplementary technique.


    However, the Lord Master didn¡¯t ask this question out loud since he had already determined that he would allow He Yiming to mature on his own. Since thetter had made this selection, he must have had his own reasons.


    He opened the scripture and looked at it carefully. After a few moments, his expression slightly changed as he said, ¡°Come with me.¡±


    Following the Lord Master, He Yiming arrived at the Book Pavilion. He Quanxin and He Laibo naturally came out to greet them. However, the Lord Master immediately discarded them with a wave of his hand.


    After the entering the Pavilion, the Lord Master picked out the scripture of the Bone Transformation technique from the shelf and ced in next to the copied one.


    If these two scriptures were observed separately, one wouldn¡¯t have paid much attention to it. However, when these two scriptures were ced next to each other, one could easily see the mysteries within.


    The content of these two scriptures was exactly the same.


    If not for the difference of the paper and the time passed, these two scriptures could easily be treated as parts of a single book.


    He Wude let out a sigh and faintly nodded his head, ¡°Sure enough, it is indeed as I thought.¡±


    He Yiming promptly asked, ¡°Grandfather, you know what happened?¡±


    He Wude turned his head towards He Yiming; his eyes unable to conceal the joy within, ¡°Yiming, actually, I have only heard about this sort of matter. If not for seeing with my own eyes, I wouldn¡¯t have dared to be certain. You actually managed to enter this state.¡±


    He Yiming blinked his eyes; his heart brimming with curiosity.


    He Wude pondered for a bit, seeming as if he was thinking how to phrase his exnation. He Yiming also didn¡¯t urge him. The room suddenly turned silent.


    After a while, He Wude said, ¡°Yiming, as far as the majority of cultivators are concerned, what we cultivate is Internal Energy, which is precisely the so-called Jin-dao(dao of energy). However, there are some absolute geniuses or perhaps cultivators who somehow manage to eat some heavenly treasure and manage to break through the shackles of Internal Energy and attain the Xiantian realm, and henceforth, they cultivate the ¡®Qi-dao¡¯.¡±


    He Yiming felt quite amazed. This was, after all, the first time his grandfather was talking to him about the Xiantian realm. For him who had already attained the tenthyer, these things held unountable charm.


    ¡°Grandfather, you are saying that Xiantian realm and that bizarre state has some connection?¡±


    He Wude bitterlyughed and said, ¡°I am also not too clear. Since I will not be able to break through into the Xiantian realm throughout my entire life, I will not able to offer you much help,¡± His voice was full of regret, ¡°However, my teacher once said that above Xiantian realm¡¯s ¡®Qi dao¡¯, is ¡®Shen dao¡¯. This shen dao is extremely mysterious. Cultivators who don¡¯t possess high willpower and blessings of heavens simply don¡¯t stand a chance of touching this realm. And once a cultivator enters in this ¡®Shen Dao¡¯, he will achieve the ability of ¡®Memory Engraving¡¯. Yesterday, your copying of the Bone Transformation Technique word to word while being in that mysterious state is precisely one of the Shen Dao¡¯s ability.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes were wide opened. He never expected to hear such a secret today.


    So it turns out that Xiantian realmprises of Qi dao, and Qi dao really isn¡¯t the peak of cultivation. Since above Qi dao there is further Shen dao, then¡­


    He Yiming was unable to suppress his surging emotions. He could even feel that his heartbeat was a lot quicker than normal.


    ¡°Grandfather, how can one attain the Xiantian realm and cultivate QI dao.¡± He Yiming asked in a lowered voice.


    He Wude faintly started before involuntarily chuckling and saying, ¡°Yiming, you need not concern yourself with this question. Wait until you attain the tenthyer. I will tell you then,¡± Seeing that He Yiming¡¯s brows were slightly creased and he seemed unsatisfied, He Wude faintly shook his head and bitterly smiled, ¡°Yiming, you have the biggest potential of our He family in this age. You must remember at all times, never bite off more than you can chew.¡±


    Feeling extremely gloomy inwards, He Yiming said, ¡°Yes, grandfather.¡±


    At this moment, he even felt like exposing his entire strength.


    However, this thought was merely his imagination running wild, and it was immediately suppressed the next moment. His disy was already terrifying enough. He should wait for two more years, and take it slowly.


    As his thoughts turned in another direction, He Yiming suddenly asked, ¡°Grandfather, who is your teacher?¡±


    He Wude¡¯s face sank. Although he didn¡¯t seem down to the point of being furious, to say the least, he was not happy.


    He Yiming¡¯s heart jumped before he smiled and said, ¡°Grandfather, there is something for which your grandson requires your consent.¡±


    He Wude¡¯s expression slowly rxed as he said, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°During recent cultivation, I feel that my advancement is not good, and I also feel my mental state is notpletely calm. As such, I wish to end my seclusion and roam outside.¡±


    He Wude¡¯splexion slightly changed as he immediately said, ¡°Yiming, Internal Energy cultivation is exceedingly dry and dull. Don¡¯t try to exert yourself too much. Proceed slowly but steadily.¡±


    He Yiming docilely said, ¡°Yes grandfather, your grandson understands.¡±


    He Wude thought for a few moments before saying, ¡°Every person¡¯s talent is different, and so is the temperament. Even the amount of time one could endure while cultivating behind closed doors vary from person to person. Considering your young age, your time can already be considered quite good. You should indeed go out and roam for a while.¡±


    He Yiming faintly started and astoundedly looked at his grandfather.


    He¡¯d already formed this n when he was training in the mountain forest. However, he was worried that he¡¯d not even turned fifteen yet, and thus, his family would not allow him to go out on his own. However, currently, from his grandfather¡¯s manner of speaking, it seemed as if thetter was quite in favor of this.


    He Wude extended his shoulder and patted He Yiming¡¯s shoulders as he said, ¡°A man should aspire to travel far and leave his mark everywhere he goes. Since you can think in this direction, your grandfather will naturally support you. However, I have one request.¡±


    He Yiming promptly said, ¡°Grandfather, please tell.¡±


    ¡°Alone on the road, you would feel lonely. How about I let Laibao apany you?¡±


    He Yiming rolled his eyes while incessantlyining inwardly.


    He¡¯d a specific objective while traveling outside. If he allowed his grandpa toe with him, he would have no chance to obtain the Withered Tree technique from Xu family.


    He Yiming unhesitatingly shook his head and said, ¡°Grandfather, I wish to travel alone. If there is some else by my side, there would be no meaning to it.¡±


    He Wude thought for a bit and decided to oppose. However, he suddenly felt that He Yiming words carried a sort of determination. He faintly trembled inwardly as he thought that if he forcefully opposed, it might produce some negative influence of He Yiming¡¯s mental state.


    Looking that his grandfather was somewhat moved, He Yiming immediately struck when the iron was hot, ¡°Grandfather, in any case, I am an eighthyer expert. Adding [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] on top of it, do you believe that in Tai Cang county, there is still a region where your grandson cannot go?¡±


    He Wude faintly started and looked at He Yiming with a peculiar gaze.


    He let out a sigh and said, ¡°Very well. However, after one month is the day of Yitian¡¯s marriage. I wish you will return and participate in the wedding.¡±


    He Yiming rapidly calcted in his mind and ascertained that one month would be enough.


    However, he understood why his grandfather had spoken such words. Traveling and returning within one month- he would only be able to travel within the Tai Cang county or perhaps some neighboring county. If he had wished to travel further away, that would be impossible now.


    Heavily nodding his head, He Yiming vowed, ¡°All right. Grandfather, I will definitely return within one month.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, his vision momentarily turned towards a certain direction as his heart brimmed with confidence. Within one month, he would definitely be able to get his hands on the Withering Tree technique.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 64 - Xu Castle

    The white, stationary ocean of condensed clouds seemed like a bone-chilling, deste ruins.


    On the road, scattered groups of hurriedly moving people could be seen- each individual minding his/her own business. He Yiming was precisely among these people.


    However, even if He Yiming were to run into one of his acquaintances, he wouldn¡¯t dare recognize thetter.


    Fourteen years old, He Yiming¡¯s body was quite nicely developed due to training in martial arts from a small age. However, his figure was not one of those bulky types. Therefore,pared to an average grown man, he seemed somewhat petite.


    However, under the assistance of Bone Transformation technique, his body had been forcibly lengthened.


    Apart from this, he¡¯d even disguised his face. He seemed like a down-in-life, thirty-year-old man. As long as he didn¡¯t talk, even if he were to sit right before He Quanming and Lin Wenyu, neither of them would suspect anything.


    However, He Yiming himself was aware that his experience was limited, and thus, he would not be able to perfectly imitate a middle-aged man. However, this was merely a try on his part. With time, he would naturally be able to garner enough experience. Moreover, here, nobody would pay particr attention to him.


    He raised his head. As the stagnant, endless stream of white clouds entered his eyes, he slowed his footsteps somewhat. Since his objective was exceedingly secretive, he opted not to ride a horse and rely on his own feet.


    With his strength, he would naturally not feel any exhaustion. However, walking by himself, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little solitude.


    After all, this was but his first time leaving the home by himself.


    His both ears faintly shook as soft sounds of horse¡¯s hooves clicked his eardrums. He faintly trembled inwardly. This road was extremely reputed in Tai Cang county- the only road leading to Xu castle.


    ¡®Daring enough to travel on hurriedly galloping horses, this individual must have some rtion with Xu family,¡¯


    He shifted his body to the side slightly and continued to walk slowly. When the sounds began to be louder and approach nearer, he astoundedly turned his head.


    As his visionnded on the rider, he involuntarily started for a moment. The rider was actually Xu Yucai whom he¡¯d already beaten before.


    He Yiming threw a quick nce at him. The face of this illustrious member of Xu family¡¯s third generation carried an anxious expression as if something was keeping his mind. The horse rushed past He Yiming, and the rider didn¡¯t even nce at him.


    He Yiming felt strange. He pondered for a bit then increased his speed as he hurried ahead.


    By the evening, he¡¯d already arrived in the small town next to the Xu castle.


    Xu castle was surrounded by mountains on two sides. After a hard work worth of centuries, the ancestors of Xu family eventually seeded in constructing this hard-to-attack-easy-to-defend, gigantic castle that upied an area of hundred of mu¡¯s.


    Apart from the descendants of Xu family, many external spongers that Xu family had managed to attract and a lot of servants resided inside this castle. Over the years, as the number of residents in the castle increased, a town that entirely relied on the castle to survive developed outside the Xu castle.


    The number of people living in this town didn¡¯t amount to much- just a few hundred- however, each and every of them had some sort of rtionship with Xu family.


    After arriving in this town, He Yiming easily located the only inn of this town.


    The scale of this inn was not small at all. For such a small town, this inn was actually quite big. However, the visitors of this inn were not the residents of the town, but the visitors of Xu family.


    As He Yiming entered the inn, he immediately felt the at least three gazes lingering on his body for a short period of time.


    Perhaps since the men that shared his appearance were too much around here, these gazes soonpletely disappeared.


    He Yiming thought, ¡®Father and others were indeed right. This inn indeed has Xu family members behind it. Every visitor of this inn has to go through their inspection,¡¯


    A waiter smilingly approached him. He Yiming thought for a moment before asking for an independent room and food.


    This waiter evidently looked startled before resuming his smiling expression. However, at this moment, to He Yiming¡¯s surprise, the inspecting gazes had once again returned.


    Being clever, he immediately discovered the cause.


    He resembled a man who seemed in dire straits. Why would such a man ask for an independent room?


    He bitterly smiled. Actually, he had no need to enter this inn at all. He didn¡¯t even have to enter this town.


    However, since he had already entered, abruptly leaving would instead attract more suspicion.


    He moderated his state of mind and followed the waiter to the independent room. After a few moments, the waiter brought back some simple food items and drinks.


    When the waiter was just about to leave, He Yiming called him and said, ¡°Xu castle his right ahead, right?¡±


    That waiter bowed and answered with a smiling face, ¡°That¡¯s correct, uncle. A few li¡¯s ahead stands our Tai Cang county¡¯s reputed Xu castle.¡±


    He Yiming touched his chin where a full beard grew- sufficient to make him look well over thirty. On the other hand, this waiter seemed only about sixteen-seventeen years old at most. Thus, calling He Yiming uncle was not excessive from his side.


    ¡°Waiter, I heard that Xu family is one of the three influential families of this county. I wonder what is their criterion for hiring spongers?¡± He Yiming casually asked.


    Beforeing here, He Yiming had already formed a n. If nobody suspected him, that would naturally be for the best. However, if somebody did suspect him, he would temporarily rely on the identity of a Xu family¡¯s sponger.


    In any case, he had to leave within a month. If he couldn¡¯t seed in this period, he would have to give up. After he left, whether Xu family tried to find this man or not, he would have nothing do with it.


    The smile on the waiter¡¯s face remained unaltered, but his expression turned increasingly respectful as he said, ¡°Uncle, Xu family is indeed our Tai Cang county¡¯s one of the three influential families. Their requirements for hiring a sponger is not high at all. It is said that as long as one¡¯s Internal Energy is at the thirdyer, one could easily be Xu family¡¯s sponger. If Internal Energy is at the fifthyer, one will have the qualifications to enter the inner-castle and learn Xu family¡¯s battle skills.¡±


    His tone was quite fast. Evidently, he didn¡¯t know how much he should have said.


    He Yiming nodded his head with satisfaction and tossed a copper coin. The smile on the waiter¡¯s face immediately lengthened before he profusely thanked, bowed, and left.


    After leaving the room, the smile on waiter¡¯s face immediately vanished. He walked down and entered the inner room of inn.


    Inside the room, an old man in his fifties was smoking a pipe. As he saw the waiter entering, he casually asked, ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°I have already probed him. That man ought to be a cultivator from outside the county, hoping to be a sponger of the castle,¡± The waiter respectfully said. This moment, he gave off a dignified aura. He was poles apart from the waiter just now who had been grinning from ear to ear in ttery.


    ¡°Humph, bing our Xu family¡¯s sponger is not so easy,¡± The old man puffed out a ring of smoke and changed the topic, ¡°Did you make out that man¡¯s cultivation?¡±


    The waiter respectfully said, ¡°ording to what this disciple saw, that man¡¯s Internal Energy lies somewhere in between third to fifthyer. It¡¯s more than enough to be castle¡¯s sponger.¡±


    The old man nodded with satisfaction and said, ¡°You are correct. My evaluation is also as such. I reckon he will go to the castle tomorrow. You go to the castle and pass a message. If this man truly has some abilities, ask him to rify his identity.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The old man took in a big puff before suddenly asking, ¡°How long it has been since you came here?¡±


    ¡°It has already been one year since disciple came here.¡±


    ¡°En. One year is not short, and your eye has also been trained. When the next shiftes, you can return to the castle.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Many thanks to the seventh uncle,¡± The waiter raised his head in surprise before profusely expressing his thanks.


    The old man casually tapped his pipe before saying, ¡°Since you are a non-familial disciple, upon your return, you must properly cultivate. If you can attain the sixthyer before the age of thirty, you will naturally be epted into the n as an elite. However, even if you fail, there are a lot of n¡¯s businesses that are always in need of some young blood. In any case, as long as you don¡¯t betray the n, the n will certainly treat you good.¡±


    The waiter¡¯s face became increasingly deferential. His face even blushed a little due to his aroused state.


    The old man faintly waved his hand, and the waiter withdrew.


    At a distance of ten Zhang away from them, He Yiming slowly opened his closed eyes. His brows creased a little as he tried to guess the identities of these two men.


    If that old man and the waiter knew that a peak level, tenthyer cultivator was staying in the inn for the night, they wouldn¡¯t have dared to talk in such a carefree manner. However, they simply couldn¡¯t imagine that a man who seemed in dire straits yet carried a faint aura of an expert¡­. was actually a peak level expert.


    However, even though He Yiming had heard their conversation, Xu family was unlike He family. This was but a n that carried a legacy of centuries. Theplexity of its internal affairs was not something He Yiming could thoroughly understand.


    For example, this seventh uncle who was overseeing this inn- He Yiming had never heard of him before. However, the former¡¯s Internal Energy was actually at the eightyer, which would make him a top level expert in the county.


    Although in terms of strength, Xu family and Cheng family were indeed inferior to He family, the depth of influential families possessing a legacy of centuries was no small matter. To say the least, as far as the number of eighthyer cultivators was concerned, He family was no match for these two families.


    He Yiming inwardly sighed thinking that perhaps only after a hundred years, He family would truly be an influential family of Tai Cang county from every aspect.


    A thought suddenly emerged in his mind. He could discern the cultivation of that old man- this¡­.. seemed like an utterly inconceivable matter.


    He bitterly smiled inwardly. He didn¡¯t know how many secrets stilly hidden inside his body, and how many of them would be good for him.


    He turned his head and saw that the color of the sky had turned dark. He extinguished the me and went to bed.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 65 - Sponger

    At the dawn of the next day, He Yiming woke up and took a bath. The downtrodden and dejected appearance of his immediately turned better, and he started to look somewhat in a better shape.


    It was true that his yesterday¡¯s appearance was to pull wool over people¡¯s eyes. However, since he¡¯d already been inquired yesterday plus that seventh uncle himself had sent a word for him, he would be a fool to not make use of this opportunity.


    Since he had to act as a sponger these few days, he must clothe himself a bit better. If he went with that downtrodden appearance, it would instead arouse more suspicion.


    Afterpleting his preparations, he left his room, settled his bill, and stepped on the road.


    For a cultivator, a mere distance of few li¡¯s didn¡¯t require much effort.


    However, He Yiming deliberately held back and only arrived at the Xu castle after an hour.


    As he saw the castle for the first time, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh inwardly. A n that had been passed on through several centuries indeed wouldn¡¯t be surpassed by He family so easily.


    The entire castle upied an area of several hundred Mu¡¯s. Furthermore, a gigantic fence wasid along the mountains. The wall was about fifty meters high and made up of huge boulders. From afar, it seemed like a crouching beast of ancient times, emanating an imprable feeling.


    He Yiming had seen the city wall of the county town. However,pared to the wall in front of him, the former paled significantly.


    He sighed inwardly. The power of authorities in the Tai Cang county was indeed far inferior to that of the influential families.


    His third brother had once said to him that although the main n of the Cheng family resided in the county town, they also owned many manors outside the town. These manors were also strictly guarded, hard-to-attack-easy-to-defend structures.


    Whenever He Yiming saw how many hidden cards Xu family and Cheng family had in their hands, he would sigh endlessly. Even after possessing a clear advantage in terms of peak strength, them being at the very tail of the influential families was indeed not baseless.


    He suddenly thought of a matter. He family had not yet started to hire spongers. This was not entirely due to just financial problems. Any sponger who would look at the awe-inspiring Xu castle would obviously choose Xu family over He family. This was perhaps the true reason his grandfather had not tried to attract spongers yet.


    He Yiming raised his head and looked at the sky for a while before eventually advancing towards the Xu family castle. As soon as he arrived at the entrance, he was immediately stopped by a man. This man was in his thirties- wearing a long robe which was evidently different from the outfit of servants that were entering and leaving the castle. He cupped his hands towards He Yiming said, ¡°Brother, you look sort of unfamiliar here. I wonder what has brought you to our castle.¡±


    He Yiming cupped his hands in response and squeezed out a smile as he said, ¡°My humble name is Xiao Qin, a resident of Tai Chong county. I heard the reputed name of Xu family and decided toe here to look for a job.¡±


    His words concisely rified his identity and purpose.


    That man didn¡¯t show the slightest surprise as if he already knew this, ¡°So, this is the case. My humble name is Xu Yuchang, one of the outer-castle managers. Brother, please follow me.¡±


    After saying these words, he turned his body and started walking.


    He Yiming hesitated a little before following after him. Since thetter¡¯s name had the word ¡®Yu¡¯, he evidently belonged to the same generation as that of Xu Yucai. However, he seemed to be over thirty yet his Internal Energy was around the fifthyer and was only a manager of the outer-castle. He must have received the message from the town. Therefore, he specifically came to wee He Yiming.


    Regardless of any viewpoint, this man¡¯s position in the Xu family was not high at all.


    However, this once again caused He Yiming to sigh inwardly.


    Xu family was truly flourishing in numbers. He family, on the other hand, their entire third generationbined didn¡¯t the cross the figure of ten, let alone having a thirty-year-old member.


    As soon as he entered the castle, a wide stretch of fine farnds entered his vision. He faintly started and immediately figured out why this castle upied so much space. It turned out that this castle had its own farnds.


    Although it might not necessarily be sufficient to feed all the people inside, in case of an emergency when the gates of the castle needed to be closed, the people inside would be able to sustain for a long time without any assistance from outside.


    Hereby, it could be seen that the elders of Xu family must have gone through extensive amounts of thinking and nning beforeying this foundation.


    Going through the farnds was a road which could fit eight horses galloping side by side. After this road was the residential area.


    Leading He Yiming, Xu Yuchang arrived in a spacious courtyard and said, ¡°Brother Xiao, I wee you to the Xu castle. However, our Xu family has some rules in hiring spongers. I wonder if you have heard about this.¡±


    He Yiming slowly nodded his head and said, ¡°Beforeing here, I have asked around. Xu family¡¯s spongers must possess at least thirdyer cultivation.¡±


    While speaking these words, He Yiming was feeling rather emotional inwardly as well.


    Although in He manor, those servants had all been meticulously cultivated by the Lord Master himself, among these servants, the highest cultivation was merely the thirdyer. Furthermore, the majority was below the thirdyer.


    Whereas in the Xu castle, the minimum requirement to be a sponger was to possess a cultivation of the thirdyer. This difference was too big.


    Xu Yuchang faintly smiled and said, ¡°Correct. Xu family spongers must possess the cultivation of at least the thirdyer. However, if brother Xiao¡¯s Internal Energy can attain the fifthyer, you can directly enter the inner castle and assume amanding position. And if you earn enough merits for the castle, you can even enter the Book Pavilion and learn battle skills.¡±


    He Yiming heavily nodded as his eyes showed a zealous light. However, his heart remained undted.


    Xu Yuchang calmly watched the counterpart. He had seen far too many wandering cultivators. Most among these failed to meet the required thirdyer cultivation. Even those who managed to meet this requirement only had mediocre basic strength.


    However, this was to be expected. How could truly strong cultivatorse to a deste region like Tai Cang county. Most of the cultivators who opted toe here were those who scored big on the age department but not so big on the achievements¡¯ and had no other choice but to look for jobs in remote regions.


    He Yiming sucked in a deep breath, retreated a few steps, cupped his fists towards Xu Yuchang, crisscrossed his arms and began to perform a fist technique.


    The technique he used was the water-type Silk Palm.


    This was a widespread technique among all the cultivators. As long as a cultivator had cultivated in a water-type primary technique, the odds were that he would have cultivated in Silk Palm.


    As He Yiming executed the Silk Palm, Xu Yuchang¡¯s brows faintly creased while his evaluation of the counterpart went down quite a bit.


    However, after a few moments, the contempt in his eyes was swept away by a peculiar radiance and even a slight astonishment.


    Although He Yiming had suppressed his Internal Energy to the fourthyer, the Silk Palm he exhibited was far beyond what an ordinary cultivator could exhibit.


    Although he only exhibited the basic movement sequences, they all contained an endless, continuous sort of feeling.


    Xu Yuchang suddenly felt as if he¡¯d forgotten to breathe.


    Although ording to his strength, he couldn¡¯t associate himself with people and matters of high importance, having matured in the castle, he could at least determine the standard of a battle skill.


    After looking at the water like Silk Palm exhibited by He Yiming, he had already made his evaluation.


    This man¡¯s Internal Energy is perhaps not too high leveled, but as far as battle skills are concerned, this expert has exceedingly high experience. He¡¯s further a deeper understanding towards the Silk Palm. To say the least, he¡¯s already grasped this skill¡¯s basic essence.


    And this was a feat which a lot of cultivators failed to aplish throughout their entire lives.


    In Tai Cang county, such a man could already be considered as a genius.


    After the time that a incense stick takes to burn, He Yiming had already demonstrated the first sequence of the Silk Palm. He withdrew his fists and stood still, calmly looking at Xu Yuchang.


    In reality, he was not quite clear on what the specific criteria Xu family had set. Thus, he was quite apprehensive as well, and as such, while employing the Silk Palm, he really had put in some effort.


    Xu Yuchang faintly nodded, reached out with his palm and said, ¡°Brother Xiao, please.¡±


    He Yiming was speechless. So it turned out that even after this whole disy of Silk Palm, this man was unable to discern that his Internal Energy was at the fourthyer.


    However, this was not too strange. To be able to discern counterpart¡¯s strength just by observing a few fist moves and techniques- this was not so easy. Such a feat not only required a sharp eye and strength, but also abundant experience.


    For He Yiming to discern the old man¡¯s cultivation just by his voice was an exceedingly unique case which wouldn¡¯t ur to everybody.


    Extending his palm, He Yiming, along with Xu Yuchang, aroused his Internal Energy momentarily as their palms made contact.


    Xu Yuchang faintly smiled as he said, ¡°Congrattions brother Xiao, your cultivation is at the fourthyer, and your achievements in Silk Palm is exceedingly high. You have cleared the qualifications to be a sponger for Xu family.¡±


    He Yiming revealed a grin as if he¡¯d just been freed from a huge burden. This expression further reduced the counterpart¡¯s skepticism of him.


    The subsequent procedure was quite simple. After receiving Xu Yuchang¡¯s approval, one could obtain a house of about twenty square meters in the outer castle, three meals a day, and a silver coin per month. This treatment could already be scaled as a top level one throughout the entire Tai Cang county.


    After ascertaining He Yiming¡¯s strength, Xu Yuchang¡¯s tried to probe the former¡¯s native ce.


    He Yiming naturally understood thetter¡¯s intention. Confirming whether an individual named Xiao Qin lived in a specific area of Tai Chong county posed no problem to Xu family with the strength they had their disposal. However, this would mean a dy of at least a month.


    And by that time, He Yiming would be long gone ording to his ns.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 66 - Inner Castle

    Night.


    The weather did not seem good. Moon was concealed behind dense, dark clouds, and the starlight also couldn¡¯t prate through the atmosphere¡¯s abdominal.


    A shadow flickered, and without cognition of anybody, arrived before the Xu family¡¯s inner castle.


    This dark figure, which had its face covered with a turban, was none other than that of He Yiming who had arrived in Xu castle five days ago.


    After receiving his lodging arrangements, he¡¯d been staying inside in a well-behaved manner like other spongers and hadn¡¯t made conspicious moves. He was aware that Xu family wouldn¡¯t trust a new sponger such as him and would not assign him any important tasks. Only after observing him for a while would they gradually assimte him into the gigantic organization- that was the Xu family.


    However, this, for him, was the optimal situation. If Xu family had instead sent him to perform some dangerous tasks or assigned him in the county town, he would have felt endlessly troubled.


    In these days, he¡¯d familiarized himself with the environment of outer-castle. Such a behaviour from him not only didn¡¯t attract any suspicion, it instead even made people trust him a little.


    After familiarizing himself with the outer castle, He Yiming turned his thoughts towards the inner castle.


    He didn¡¯t have the time to go around in circles. One month was nowhere enough time to earn Xu family¡¯s trust.


    This being the case, directly stealing was undoubtedly the optimal alternative.


    HIs figure faintly moved before it closely stuck to the wall. As the Internal Energy circted inside his body, his figure, as if a huge lizard, started to move upwards.


    Although the inner castle¡¯s wall was not as exaggerated as the outer castle, it was still about four meters high. However, in ordinary, peaceful times, the security on the wall was not too strict. He Yiming¡¯s movements remained undiscovered.


    Arriving on the wall, He Yiming looked around and absorbed everything into his eyes.


    Compared to the inner castle, the outer castle seemed like a patch of darkness. He could see dim candlelighting out from various houses.


    However, He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased. He had no idea where to look for Xu family¡¯s Book Pavilion. In any case, he couldn¡¯t check every building one by one.


    He sighed inwardly. His experience was toocking. If his father or other elders were in his situation, they would surely have figured out how to find the Book Pavilion. However, he was also a bit skeptical, wondering whether his father and other elders had ever done something like this- which was crafty and sinister.


    From afar, he could hear sounds of hurriedly approaching footsteps. Subsequently, in the light of antern, several individuals hurriedly walked past below him.


    How clear He Yiming¡¯s eyesight was? He¡¯d immediately discerned that among these people, one figure was that of Xu Right. Feeling a bit startled, he climbed down the wall and began to cautiously follow after them.


    His cultivation had already attained the tenthyer¡¯s peak. Moreover, he¡¯d also cultivated the Breath Restraining technique. When he concentrated all his attention at his ears, all sorts of prying eyes- be it open or secret- meant nothing more than mere decorations to him.


    Moreover, Xu family¡¯s night security was not strict at all. Based on a few sparsely distributed sentries, they had basically no chance of discovering He Yiming¡¯s traces.


    He Yiming originally intended to keep following after them. However, as he approached closer to the courtyard they seemed to be going to, he suddenly felt danger- as if something inside this courtyard could pose a threat to him.


    This feeling was quite abrupt. He stopped and thought for a moment. He suddenly figured out the cause.


    Ever since he¡¯d attained the tenthyer, he would only feel as such in the presence of his grandfather. Thus, he knew that inside this courtyard ought to be the only other tenthyer expert of Tai Cang county- Lord Master Xu, Xu Yinjie.


    Currently, although He Yiming need not feel afraid of this exceedingly top-level expert, his objective this time was not to exchange blows with this person.


    He decided not to go any closer. Adjusting the Internal Energy inside his body to the peak state, he concentrated all of his attention at his ears and began to eavesdrop.


    If he were to be discovered by the counterpart even when he stood so far away, he felt he could only ept his fate.


    As his Internal Energy reached the peak, he suddenly felt peculiar.


    He¡¯d never tried to concentrate such an immense amount of Internal Energy at his ears. Even when he¡¯d eavesdropped the conversation between the old man and that waiter in Xu town, it had not been to this extent.


    If not for the fact that the person ahead was someone he couldn¡¯t afford to have the slightest contempt for, he would have never tried to eavesdrop from such a distance.


    His earlobes were faintly swaying- as if wind was blowing beside his ears at all times.


    Apparently, the voices entering his ears were no longer ordinary sounds. Instead, after going through a bizarre perception, these voices were producing a mystical scene inside his mind.


    From the sound of Xu Right¡¯s and servants¡¯ footsteps, He Yiming could apparently hear a peculiar echo which normal people had no way of discerning. Based on this echo, He Yiming actually started to form a three-dimensional image in his mind. He could even discern the dimensions of the building.


    In this manner, a ck-and-white, ever-changing scene appeared in He Yiming¡¯s mind. Although this scene was exceedingly vague, it left He Yiming He Yimingpletely stunned.


    He was quite certain that this had already stepped beyond the capabilities of a tenthyer expert. Because if his grandfather had this ability, the former would have certainly discussed it with them at some point.


    However, ording to his memory, nobody had ever mentioned anything rted to this subject.


    The servants behind Xu Right suddenly stopped. Thetter continued for a few more moments and apparently entered a room before suddenly stopping.


    ¡°Father, I¡¯vee,¡± Xu Right¡¯s voice suddenly sounded.


    ¡°Hmm¡­how is the investigation going,¡± An aged, unhurried voice replied.


    He Yiming¡¯s interest was immediately aroused. However, due to this, not only the scene in his mind didn¡¯t crumble, it even started to be increasingly clear.


    He could imagine Xu Right deferentially paying his respects to an elderly person while thetter loftily sat on a chair. At the same time, he could even feel an intense wrathful aura surrounding thetter.


    Of course, this old man was not deliberately emitting this aura. Though since He Yiming could detect this aura, the former was not deliberately concealing it either.


    ¡°Father, Yucai has returned from the county town. The information he has brought¡­. is not good. Cheng family has already decided to form marital bonds with He family. Moreover, for this matter, Jadeting city¡¯s Lin family has also reportedly dispatched some people.¡±


    ¡°Jadeting city, Lin family? What have theye for?¡±


    ¡°Since their present- the thousand year blood ginseng- was robbed by the bandits, they must have felt that they have lost too much face. Thus, they havee to show their support for Cheng family.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­is there any information about the thousand year blood ginseng?¡±


    Xu Right¡¯s voice contained an indescribable bitterness as he said, ¡°There is no information. However, it seems that Cheng family had already determined that it was us who acted to obtain the ginseng.¡±


    The old man furiously snorted before saying, ¡°In the end, who the hell used ninthyer ze technique- passing himself off as a part of Xu family!¡±


    Xu Right hesitated a bit before saying, ¡°Father, is it possible that Cheng family deliberately spread this information?¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡± The old man unhesitatingly said, ¡°I have mingled with the Cheng family for several decades. How can I not know what kind of person Cheng Zhusheng is. If he had not beenpletely certain that it was a ninthyer ze technique¡¯s user who escaped with the thousand year blood ginseng, that old man would never have leaked information which could cause our two families to turnpletely hostile against each other.¡±


    Xu Right¡¯s voice turned even more bitter as he said, ¡°However, father, in our Xu family, only this child has cultivated the ze technique to the ninthyer.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± The old man sighed, ¡°I am not ming you at all. However, you should also know that this ze technique had not exactly been passed on through our family. If¡­.¡±


    Xu Right seemed to have sucked in a breath of cold air before he said, ¡°Father, you mean to say, Ancestor¡­.that ce¡­¡±


    The old man directly expressed his consent. On the other hand, He Yiming, who stood far away, couldn¡¯t understand much from this conversation. However, in any case, he understood one thing quite clearly. Xu family¡¯s two special techniques¡­.were not exclusive to the Xu family. At the very least, some external power also controlled these techniques.


    He felt all sorts of emotions welling up inside. A move, which he¡¯d executed on a mere impulse, could create such an aftermath- it seemedpletely unimaginable to him.


    However, seeing these two individuals forced to suppress their sufferings inside and not being able to do a thing about it- he didn¡¯t feel guilty at all and even felt quite good inwardly.


    After a while, Xu Right asked in a low voice, ¡°Father, so what should we do?¡±


    ¡°What can we do,¡± The old man bitterly said, ¡°We can¡¯t just take this matter to the Ancestor and seek confirmation. If only Lin family personallyes to investigate can we pass this matter to the Ancestor. Actually, I wish to see if Jadeting¡¯s Lin family has the nerve to bother Ancestor for the sake of a thousand year blood ginseng.¡±


    Xu Right bitterly smiled and said, ¡°Lin family certainly doesn¡¯t possess such audacity. However, as far as we are concerned, they wouldn¡¯t put us in their eyes.¡±


    The old man waved his hand and said, ¡°Let it be. Since things have already developed as such, regardless of whatever we do, it wouldn¡¯t create any good effect. After a few days, I will personally participate in Cheng and He families¡¯ wedding ceremony and exin those two old fellows¡­..¡¯ He deeply sighed and said, ¡°This cmity truly spawned out of nowhere.¡±


    At this moment, He Yiming heard the sounds of approaching footsteps of two people. Although He Yiming couldn¡¯t see their appearances, a familiar feeling welled up inside him as if he¡¯d met these two before.


    Soon after, these two entered the room from another direction.


    A familiar voice sounded, ¡°Grandfather, we¡¯ve returned.¡±

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 67 - Looking Everywhere

    Hearing this voice, He Yiming started.


    Although he¡¯d not spoken more than a few lines with this person, he could easily guess the identity of this person. This person was one of the two most outstanding members of the Xu family¡¯s third generation, Xu Yude.


    Xu Yinjie faintly nodded and said, ¡°Yude, the collection of scriptures in the storehouse is the hard work of your elders¡¯ lifetime. Now that you are in charge of it, you¡¯ve to manage it properly. You mustn¡¯t allow any damage to it.¡±


    Xu Yude respectfully nodded. Xu castle¡¯s regtions were indeed way more stricter than that of He manor.


    He family was restricted in numbers. Their third generation only had nine members. However, Xu family had been passed on through several centuries. Not to mention the third generation members, even the members that were born in the same generation as that of the Lord Master himself exceeded nine.


    Therefore, inparison, when Xu Yude and others of his generation faced the family master, they all trembled with fear. They didn¡¯t dare slip in the slightest. If they caused their elders disappointment in any way, they could be marginalized at any time.


    Xu Yinjie continued, ¡°Anzhi, since how long have you assumed duty in the inner storehouse under Yude?¡±


    A slow and prudent voice sounded, ¡°Reporting to Lord Master, two years have passed since.¡±


    Distantly hearing, He Yiming¡¯s two eyes slightly widened. He absolutely couldn¡¯t forget this voice. In fact, he remembered this voice even clearer than that of Xu Yude.


    On that night when he was attending Cheng family¡¯s banquet, it was this voice¡¯s owner who had delivered the scripture of ze technique to the ck-clothed man. That ck-clothed man was not able to escape with the scripture and was intercepted by him halfway through. However, that was a different story.


    One of his most important objectives ining to the Xu castle was to find this person. He hadn¡¯t expected that he would be able to find this person right away. This was truly what they say ¡®looking everywhere and finding it under one¡¯s nose.¡¯


    ¡°Two years¡­.good. Yude said that these two years, you have been quite sincere- not inferior to your father and grandfather at all,¡± Xu Yinjie said in a satisfied voice, ¡°If you have some request, you can ask. Our Xu family will not treat a loyal person unjust.¡±


    That man seemed to be fawning- as if he wished to say something but didn¡¯t dare.


    Xu Right scolded him with augh, ¡°Hong Anzhi, your three generations have sincerely served our Xu family. Your grandfather and father were both straightforward men. Why is it that by your generation, you all have turned into such cowards.¡±


    That man seemed to have straightened his chest before he said, ¡°Esteemed Lord Master, two years ago, ever since this disciple started to follow young master Yude, this disciple has only gone outside two times. However, during these times, this disciple has gotten closer to Hehua of Xu town. So¡­so¡­.¡±


    ¡°Hehua?¡± Xu Yinjie started before asking, ¡°You have already been together?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hong Anzhi said in a low voice.


    Xu Yinxie pondered for a few moments before saying, ¡°When did this happen?¡±


    ¡°About half a year ago, when this disciple went out with young master Yude, this disciple happened to meet with Hehua in the Xu town. These six months, Hehua has alsoe to the outer castle many times. However, due to n rules, we can only see each other about once in a month or so,¡± Hong Anzhi mumblingly said.


    Xu Yinxie didn¡¯t seem dissatisfied, and he instead said, ¡°Anzhi, you really do understand the rules. You¡¯ve managed to not betray the castle rules. In your wedding, I will rece yourte grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks to esteemed Lord Master,¡± Hong Anzhi immediately knelt down and heavily kowtowed.


    After hepleted the greeting, Xu Yinxie again said, ¡°However, since you are getting married to a person outside the inner castle, ording to the rules of the castle, you can no longer manage the storehouse.¡±


    Hong Anzhi lowered his head before suddenly saying, ¡°Lord Master, this disciple is willing to move to the outer castle, but ask your permission to keep following young master Yude.¡±


    An ¡®en¡¯ sound escaped from the mouth of Xu Yinxie, evidently quite pleased with the former¡¯s response, ¡°I give you my word, get up.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± One could easily discern the joy in Hong Anzhi¡¯s voice.


    However, outside, He Yiming couldn¡¯t help but exim in wonder. If he had not heard this man¡¯s conversation with the ck-clothed man, he would never have believed that this man¡¯s three generation had actually been deeply concealing themselves as spongers.


    At the same time, he finally understood, why Hong Anzhi could get his hands on the Xu family¡¯s two special techniques.


    ze technique and Withered Tree technique, these two techniques, just like the Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms, couldn¡¯t be ced in an ordinary storehouse, and from thetter¡¯s tone, this indeed seemed to be the case, and these two techniques seemed to be stored in the inner storehouse.


    As such, in charge watching over the inner storehouse- Hong Anzhi possessed the qualifications of sneaking nces at these scriptures. Although He Yiming couldn¡¯t guess the exact method he used to actually copy them down, he could tell it must have been quite expensive.


    However, this moment, He Yiming had no thoughts of exposing these matters.


    Whether Xu family had a mole in their ranks or not, he couldn¡¯t care less. The only thing he cared about was to obtain the Withered Tree technique.


    After a few more minutes, Xu Yude and Hong Anzhi both left the room together. As for Xu Right, he was still discussing something with the Lord Master. However, at this point, He Yiming had lost all interest in their conversation.


    He slowly raised his body; his ears still attentive as he carefully paid attention to every movement of Xu Yude and Hong Anzhi.


    Soon after, those two parted at an intersection. Xu Yude went towards the inner section, while Hong Anzhi went to a round-shaped courtyard in the outermost section.


    Even the inner castle was further divided into sections that had varying importances. An individual like Hong Anzhi obviously didn¡¯t have the qualifications to enter the important sections.


    He Yiming strictly followed after this guy. Since thetter had himself made the request to be assigned outside, he ought to havepleted the copying of the other scripture. If this had not been the case, he certainly wouldn¡¯t even have dared to mention this topic.


    Hong Anzhi walked inside a building. After cleaning himself, he blew the light off. Subsequently, He Yiming could hear the sounds of removing of clothes and Hong Anzhi lying down.


    However, from the sounds of his breathing, He Yiming could tell that he had not fallen asleep.


    After a few minutes, a faint sound could be heard. Fortunately, He Yiming could form an image in his mind just by the help of iing sounds.


    Although the image was not too precise or beautiful, he could faintly discern what Hong Anzhi was up to.


    Apparently, this guy was rummaging under the bed, but was exceedingly careful to not to let a single sound escape outside. Apart from He Yiming, even if someone else could hear the sounds, that person wouldn¡¯t have been able to discern the meaning behind actions of Hong Anzhi.


    Eventually, Hong Anzhi returned back to the bed. However, this time, just after a few moments, He Yiming could hear the sounds of his even breathing.


    He Yiming rolled his eyes. Not opting to act immediately, he walked back following the same path.


    Although Hong Anzhi no longer worked at the inner storehouse and would probably move out of the inner castle, this was not something that could be done in a day. He Yiming felt he still had ample time. He didn¡¯t need to hurry at all.


    He left the inner castle and returned back to his residence in the outer castle-pletely undiscovered.


    Actually, once he concentrated his Internal Energy at his ears, within a perimeter of thirty meters around him, even the sounds of an ant couldn¡¯t escape his ears. Thus, all disguised and undisguised eyes naturally couldn¡¯t discover a trace of him.


    Not to mention going by the current reputation of Xu family in the Tai Cang county, which was akin to that of the sun in the sky, no petty thief or small fry would dare to create trouble here. Although the castle had conventional patrol arrangements and secret garrisons, all of the personnel had quite casual attitudes. They never had a chance of discovering He Yiming¡¯s traces.


    This time, he¡¯d gained a lot. Although he¡¯d juste here, to obtain the Withered Tree technique, half of his work had already been done.


    Calming his mind and body, he fell asleep.


    Of course, if somebody entered his room, and unless this person had a cultivation even higher than that of his grandfather or Xu Yinjie, he/she wouldn¡¯t be able to slip past him unnoticed.


    The next day, He Yiming opened his eyes, took in a breath of morning air, and went to outer castle¡¯s gigantic public square.


    This public square was even bigger than the He estate¡¯s backyard/training ground. It was notte in the morning, but a lot of spongers and castle workers had already arrived here to conduct their morning training.


    He Yiming casually exhibited a sequence of the Silk Palm. Whenever he exhibited Silk Palm, he would garner a lot of envious stares from the surroundings.


    Even among these spongers, a gang-like system ran. If a new recruit wished to firmly nt his feet, either he needed some backing or formidable strength.


    And the best way of exhibiting one¡¯s strength was undoubtedly to show one¡¯s cards here- the region where the majority of spongers conduct their morning training.


    Although Silk Palm was not a rare technique, understanding the essence of this technique was not a feat in the reach of an ordinary person.


    Therefore, ever since he¡¯d disyed the essence of Silk Palm with fourthyer Internal Energy, no trouble came to find him.


    However, at this point, all the people were still maintaining a certain distance from him. He knew that this was because his identity had not yet gained the approval of Xu family. Once the members of Xu family confirmed his identity in the Tai Chong county, he would naturally start to blend in the Xu family. At the same time, he would also start to obtain assignments.


    Of course, nobody knew that there was no Qin Zhao in Tai Chong county, and by the time this information would travel back, he would have slipped away.


    After idling his way around in the morning, as the time for lunch approached, He Yiming slipped away from the eyes of others and arrived beside a section of inner castle¡¯s wall that was shrouded by trees. His figure sprang up and crossed the wall- undiscovered.


    He inwardly sighed. Xu family¡¯s feet had indeed been nted since way back. Surprisingly, nobody cared about the fact that so many big trees were growing by their inner castle¡¯s wall.


    After a few turns, he arrived before Hong Anzhi¡¯s residence. He focused his attention on his ears and immediately found out that thetter was not present inside.


    Faintly smiling, he barged in. Although the door had a big, shiny lock on it, against his brute force, how could it have preserved?

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 68 - Right Under Ones Nose

    He Yiming obviously selected this time to infiltrate considering the fact that most of the people at this time would be gone for lunch. Thus, the chances of Hong Anzhi being away from home were quite high.


    After entering, he unhesitatingly arrived before the bed and bent down.


    He swept his vision through deep inside. Although the illumination below was quite low, it wouldn¡¯t be able to conceal anything from his eyes.


    All he could see was various pieces of junk scattered around. Nothing seemed to be conspicuous here. However, He Yiming¡¯s vision was attracted by a wooden framework under the nk.


    This region evidently had a lot less dust on it aspared to other sections. ording to his guess, the reason for it was that it had been frequently touched by someone.


    He extended his hand and stroked it a few times before immediately feeling its profoundness.


    It turned out that the framework could actually be moved. He pulled out the framework. As expected, the interior had a square book covered in a oilcloth.


    A slight smile emerged on He Yiming¡¯s face as he removed the cloth and opened the book. Sure enough, it was the other scriptureparable to the ze technique with three words clearly written on its first page, Withered Tree technique.


    After collecting the scripture inside his clothes, he felt so delighted that he even felt disinclined to restore the mechanism under the bed.


    In any case, once Hong Anzhi saw the broken lock, he would certainly check under the bed. However, He Yiming felt certain that the former would not open his mouth even if his head were to be chopped off.


    Unhurriedly leaving, He Yiming closed the entrance and casually walked towards the outer castle.


    En-route he encountered two strangers. He Yiming didn¡¯t avoid either of them and instead took the initiative to strike a greeting with a faint smile. Both returned the greeting while wondering since when did they have such a neighbour.


    While following the path outside, He Yiming sighed inwardly as he thought of how he was bing increasingly adept in disguising. Going by this manner, eventually, he would be able to assume any disguise he pleased.


    This time he didn¡¯t jump over the wall. Instead, he was walking out of the inner-castle entrance in arrogant steps.


    After observing for these few days, he¡¯d discovered an interesting fact.


    For a person to enter the inner castle from the outer castle, not only one needed the lead of someone with a high status or written consent, in addition, one must undergo a round of interrogation as well. However, while leaving the inner castle and entering the outer castle, one didn¡¯t have to face any hindrance whatsoever.


    Therefore, he didn¡¯t felt the need to cross over the wall.


    However, as he arrived at the entrance, He Yiming suddenly started. At his front, the person who had admitted him in the Xu castle- Xu Yuchang- seemed to be discussing with a guard. From their behaviour, they seemed quite close to each other.


    Upon seeing He Yiming walking out of the inner castle, Xu Yuchang stopped speaking before an incredulous expression emerged on his face.


    A sponger who had the entered outer castle barely ten days ago was actually arrogantly walking out of the inner castle. This seemed inconceivable to him.


    He Yiming didn¡¯t avoid his gaze, but cursed inwardly at his misfortune. However, on the exterior, there was no change in his expression as he kept walking and cupped his hands, ¡°Brother Yuchang, what a coincidence.¡±


    Xu Yuchang nodded. However, no matter how he tried to think, he couldn¡¯t have imagined that He Yiming had malicious intents and was inside without permission.


    After all, such an affair had not happened once in the recent hundred years. He was naturally incapable of thinking as such.


    As he saw He Yiming nodding towards him and walking past him, he hesitated a bit then turned around while hurriedly saying goodbye to the guard before following after the former.


    At the same time, the guard was also inwardly astonished, ¡®When did this strange face enter the inner castle?¡¯


    However, the rules regarding the entry and exit of inner castle had been deeply engraved in the minds of all guards. Thus, he couldn¡¯t stop and ask He Yiming even if he wanted to.


    Xu Yuchang quickly caught up to He Yiming and asked in a lowered voice, ¡°Brother Xiao, why were you inside?¡±


    He Yiming mysteriouslyughed. The sound of hisughter was filled with tion. However, inwardly, he was quite gloomy. Why on earth would he go to the inner castle?


    However, seeing the expectant expression on the counterpart¡¯s face, He Yiming had no option but to talk big, ¡°Brother Yuchang, today, I was training silk palm on the field¡­.¡± At this point, He Yiming paused to think about how to fabricate the excuse.


    However, Xu Yuchang¡¯s eyes shined as he said in a pleasantly surprised manner, ¡°Brother Xiao, could it be that some big-shot has taken fancy to you?¡±


    He Yiming faintly started and blinked his eyes before following up, ¡°That¡¯s right. How does brother Yuchang know this?¡±


    Xu Yuchangughed and said, ¡°Brother Xiao, the big-shots of the inner castle would oftene to the outer castle to take a look at the morning training. If someone manages to catch their eye, he will certainly make huge progress,¡± He paused before adding, ¡°There has been many such instances. However, as quickly as this¡­. a case like brother Xiao¡¯s is quite rarely seen.¡±


    He Yiming immediately understood and threw a thankful nce at the former. Unexpectedly, the counterpart himself offered an excuse when he was feeling vexed about what to say.


    However, this thankful gaze was misunderstood by Xu Yuchang as he promptly said, ¡°Brother Xiao, this matter lies solely on you, yourself. I don¡¯t have much to do with it. I wonder which big-shot was it, and when will you join the inner castle?¡±


    One could tell by his envious and admiring gaze that this urance was quite significant.


    He Yiming hesitated a bit before saying, ¡°Brother Yuchang, it¡¯s nothing like that. I have only gained a bit of approval, that¡¯s all. Distance to inner castle is still quiterge. As for that senior, he doesn¡¯t wish his name to be out.¡±


    Xu Yuchang immediately made an understanding gesture with his hand as he said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I understand,¡± Heughed and continued, ¡°If you manage to enter the inner castle in future, don¡¯t forget to take care of your brother.¡±


    He Yiming promptly cupped his hands and said, ¡°Of course, brother Yuchang as well.¡±


    The twoughed facing each other, seeming quite harmonious.


    He Yiming suddenly asked, ¡°Brother Yuchang, I wish to make a trip to county town. I wonder whom should I seek permission from?¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do in the county town?¡± Xu Yuchang asked.


    A faint embarrased expression emerged on He Yiming¡¯s face as he said, ¡°This time, I have obtained an opportunity to advance, I naturally don¡¯t want to miss it. So, I was thinking of going to the county town and buy some quality stuff. Uh¡­¡±


    Xu Yuchang immediately understood as he smilingly said, ¡°Since brother Yuchang has such a wish, there is no need for any permission. You can go without worries.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s whole face was covered with smiles as he nodded and continued towards the outer castle.


    Xu Yuchang hesitated a bit before suddenly asking, ¡° Brother Xiao, if you n to go to the county town, I wonder if you have some money problems. If you don¡¯t mind, I have some savings here. If you like, I can bring them to you.¡±


    He Yiming astoundedly looked at the former. He was clear that the counterpart was making an investment in him and even if he were to act greedy, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. However, his face wasn¡¯t that thick yet. He smiled and said, ¡°Many thanks brother Yuchang, but I have roamed around the world for many years. I actually have some savings of my own.¡±


    After saying these words, he heavily bowed, turned around and left.


    Xu Yuchang followed him with his vision up to the outer castle, then waved his hand and left in the opposite direction himself.


    He Yiming nced back at him as he stepped outside the inner castle while sighing inwardly. It was true that members of Xu family were quite flourishing in numbers. However, after a certain limit, one couldn¡¯t avoid partiality.


    Xu Yuchang, Xu Yude and Xu Yucai were clearly members of the same generation. However, the treatment of the former and thetter two was as different as heavens and earth.


    If thetter two encountered a fourthyer, outer-castle sponger, they would certainly be full of contempt. They wouldn¡¯t even think of exchanging greetings with him.


    However, when Xu Yuchang saw that a big-shot of inner castle had taken a fancy to a sponger of the outer castle, and this sponger was thus likely to make an astonishing progress in the castle, he was willing to throw his status aside and develop a good rtionship with him.


    Upon seeing such a difference in the treatment of the members of the same generation, He Yiming started to feel gloomy. Even the excitement he felt after obtaining the Withered Tree technique had started to fade away.


    This was because he could tell that although He estate was not close to such a transformation yet, under the constant development that was happening, after one or perhaps two generations, such situations would start to arise.


    He subconsciously nced at the imposing and majestic castle surrounded by the mountains, and felt quite emotional.


    Eventually, he turned, flicked his sleeves, and calmly left.


    This kind of a matter lied far beyond his grasp. Furthermore, to stop the progress due to such matters was also not an option. As such, he decided not to worry over such illusory and unsubstantial matters.


    As He Yiming had expected, there was no news of any theft from the inner castle.


    However, the next day, Hong Anzhi disappeared from the Xu castle- his whereabouts unknown.


    After all, he had a guilty conscience. When he returned back after lunch and found his lock broken, he was immediately scared witless. Under a highermand, their three generations worked their blood and sweat off to obtain the authority of managing the inner storehouse.


    It could even be said that they paid the cost of the two special techniques in blood. However, he never expected that one of these two scripture would suddenly disappear. Scared witless, he didn¡¯t dare stay in the Xu castle any longer and immediately escaped.


    Hong Anzhi¡¯s sudden disappearance was taken quite seriously by the Xu family. After subsequent investigation and a series of searches, they found some clues. However, by then, the culprits were long gone. Not just Hong Anzhi, even his widowed mother was nowhere to be found. Even the woman at the Xu town- Hehua- feignedplete ignorance, replying ¡®don¡¯t know¡¯ to every question.


    Eventually, without any better options, Xu family had to leave the matter unsettled. However, the rules of Xu family changed since that day. Since that day, nobody outside the blood-rted members of Xu family could assume the responsibility of the inner storehouse.


    Xu Yuchang also felt queer since Xiao Qin had also disappeared. He made a few guesses but was never able to gather the courage to look into it, and he also pretended not to know anything.


    Tl: The title of this chapter and the previous one makes oneplete idiom.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 69 - Withered Tree Technique

    He Yiming¡¯s agility technique although was only mediocre, as far as thickness of the Internal Energy was concerned, he could easily rank among the top three even while taking the whole Tai Cang county into ount. Therefore, when he decided to make a run, even a horse paled inparison.


    He didn¡¯t return to the manor immediately. Instead, he went to the county town. He adjusted his appearance, went to an inn, and rented a luxurious courtyard for himself.


    In any case, he¡¯d quite a bit of wealth. For an individual like him who belonged to the young generation, if he didn¡¯t unt his wealth a bit, he would feel regret afterwards. Therefore, he felt that in the given situation, unting a bit while assuming the role of a young noble should be excusable.


    Tai Cang county was not a prosperous ce. Not to mention the entire Heaven Sieve country, even in the Jadeting region, it had no reputation. However, county town was after all the county¡¯s center. (Tl: Tian Luo country ¨C> Heaven Sieve country)


    Even if a region was considered poor, some rich people would inevitably be there. In a few inn¡¯s of the county town, there were several high-quality locations. The courtyard He Yiming had rented was precisely one such location.


    In a solitary, secluded room, He Yiming opened the copied scripture.


    He calmly studied, asionally closing his eyes and asionally frowning- as if only half-understanding some of the content. After attaining the tenthyer cultivation, his understanding of the Internal Energy had improved once again.


    Currently, as he wasparing the contents of this top level primary Internal Energy technique against his understanding of Internal Energy, he felt enlightened.


    Evenpared to the ze technique, Withered Tree technique¡¯s cultivation difficulty seemed a notch above.


    Since the technique had ¡®withered tree¡¯ in the name itself, its use and effects were quite clear.


    After cultivating this technique and gaining some achievements, a person¡¯s entire being would start to be increasingly like wood. This didn¡¯t mean only in the sense of one¡¯s temperament. Reportedly, even one¡¯s body would start to undergo a simr development.


    When He Yiming saw this, even he became somewhat hesitant.


    His original character was not one of unting his achievements. Even after attaining the tenthyer cultivation, he¡¯d not tried to increase his fame.


    However, at the same time, he was not a monk either. If this technique caused to him be a log of wood, it wouldn¡¯t be to his liking either.


    As for the information in the book which mentioned that his body would also be increasingly slim and eventually look like a tree-trunk, he didn¡¯t care about it too much.


    After all, his body was extraordinary. While cultivating several techniques simultaneously, even if he deliberately wished to cultivate his body to the level where it would resemble a tree, he would be hard-pressed to do so.


    Of course, since transformations in character and body were the shoring of Withered Tree technique, its advantages were also not few.


    Withered Tree technique was considered the technique that had the most healing effect among all the techniques of five-phases. After making certain aplishments in this technique, it would be like bringing along a doctor with you- a doctor that didn¡¯t need herbs, but could cure very many diseases.


    An ordinary cultivator, after feeling ack in his ability, would decide to venture into the outside world. As such, he would look forpanions that shared his aspirations. Among thesepanions, the most weed one would definitely be a cultivator of wood type techniques. Moreover, even during a fight, wood-type cultivators would be protected by everybody.


    Before the destruction of the entire force, wood-type cultivators basically didn¡¯t need to fight on the front lines.


    As one of the top level wood-type techniques, Withered Tree technique¡¯s healing effect was far above that of the ordinary wood-type techniques. Although He Yiming had not tested it for himself, he could tell that there was not much room for exaggeration.


    If this technique didn¡¯t have such a potent effect, why else would it be crowned as one of the top-level wood type techniques?


    In addition to the healing ability, Withered Tree technique was most distinguished for its defensive ability.


    Among the five-phase techniques, earth-type techniques were acknowledged as the best defensive techniques. However, the other types also contained some special techniques which possessed defensive capabilities not one bit inferior to top level earth type techniques.


    WIthered Tree technique was precisely one such technique. After cultivating this technique to the realm ofrger sess, one¡¯s body would be tempered like a tenacious thousand-year-old tree. It would not be inferior to the earth type techniques by any means.


    Of course, cultivating Withered Tree technique to such an extent was no easy matter either.


    After analyzing everything, He Yiming clearly understood the merits and demerits of this technique.


    He casually closed the book and carefully ced it back inside his robe. Through the day, he¡¯d thoroughly memorized the content of this book.


    It was not like that day¡¯s mysterious realm, in which every character, every picture, every detail had been profoundly drilled into his mind. However, as far as cultivating this technique for the first time was concerned, it was more than enough.


    Concentrating his spirit and mind, He Yiming immediately entered a mystical realm.


    As his Internal Energy aroused, he sunk deeper into the cultivation state, and the speed of his cultivation also increased correspondingly.


    During these two years, by his own experience and probing his elders, he¡¯d rified quite a few matters. Ordinary cultivators while cultivating would rarely be able to cultivate with apletely calm mind. Although they could also cultivate Internal Energy, their speedcked substantiallypared to that of those who wholeheartedly cultivated.


    He Yiming being able to make constant breakthroughs every half a year was inextricably linked to the cultivation state.


    Precisely because He Yiming could enter the cultivation state with all his mind, he could always directly attain the peak of a certainyer within half a year and also touch its bottleneck.


    Otherwise, after attaining the seventhyer, by only relying on slowly umting Internal Energy, he would have taken ten, or several ten years, to reach his current state.


    Currently, as He Yimingpletely sank into cultivation, the Internal Energy inside his body immediately entered an excited, berserk state and started to gradually spread throughout his body.


    Slowly, his meridians, his blood, five viseras and six bowels- to his entire body, seemed as if it had received a hint.


    I wish to cultivate¡­.


    It seemed to have turned into a thirst, allowing his entire being to be excited and left craving for more.


    A strand of Internal Energy gushed out of his Dantian, and like flowing water, rushed towards an unknown channel.


    Almost instantaneously, under the assault of his gigantic inner force, this unknown channel waspletely opened.


    A human body contained countless mysteries. The techniques in the five-phases although did not havepletely identical channels, they didn¡¯t havepletely seperated channels either.


    In fact, as Internal Energy unceasingly circted in the body, it covered a lot of channels. Only the specific cirction routes and emphasis on them differed while cultivating different techniques.


    He Yiming was not cultivating an unknown technique for the first time. The number of techniques, diversity of techniques, and even the realms attained- his peers couldn¡¯t even dream of having such aplishments.


    Apanied by such an abundant experience, He Yiming would naturally not make a beginner mistake.


    Along with the passing of time, He Yiming¡¯s stepped increasingly higher on theyers of Withered Tree technique.


    As he reached the seventhyer, his body seemed to have already started to wither. His originally well-proportioned healthy body suddenly seemed to have lostrge amounts of moisture. As if a patient with withered muscles- his skin began to lump together.


    However, He Yiming seemedpletely unconcerned. As if he hadn¡¯t even noticed, he continued to cultivate with all his heart and soul, and make progress.


    A day and a night passed- He Yiming cultivated non-stop.


    This moment, his face seemed to have thinned a lot. Even his tightly closed two eyes seemed to have pressed towards inside. Although it was not yet to the point of being all skin and bones, others would no longer be able to guess his original features.


    Although Withered Tree technique was not an appearance changing technique, the effect aroused due to it could even beat the top appearance changing techniques under the heavens.


    The Internal Energy was still constantly circting inside his body. His breath and heartbeat also seemed to havepletely stopped. This wasn¡¯t inferior to even the Breath Restraining technique.


    If he went out at night assuming this appearance and yed devil while being dressed up as a god, he wouldn¡¯t require to put on any make-up at all.


    Eventually¡­.He Yiming¡¯s two eyes opened as he gradually exhaled.


    His eyeballs slowly swiveled, which didn¡¯t fit the ingenious figure he¡¯d a few moments ago at all. His vision suddenly fell on his skinny, withered arm, and he was instantly left gobsmacked.


    After a while, realization appeared in his eyes, bringing along bits of uneasiness.


    He breathed in deeply before the Internal Energy in his body suddenly switched to water-type Ripple technique. After a few moments, his muscles started to swell as if he was performing a magic trick, and before long, regained their original state.


    Looking at his body, He Yiming eventually understood.


    Withered Tree technique shared some simrities with the Bone Transformation technique and could alter one¡¯s height, flesh, and other external features to a certain extent. However, after cultivating this technique to a profound level, the resultant transformation was a bit too excessive- enough to make one¡¯s body tremble inwardly.


    After a long contemtion, He Yiming discovered that although his appearance had resumed its original form, if he used this technique at all times or if it happened to be suddenly aroused to the tenthyer duringbat, his external appearance would also undergo an equivalent change.


    At that time, except for a blind person, anybody would be able to recognize the origins of this technique.


    This was simply an even more of a trademark than the ze technique.


    However, since he¡¯d already grasped this technique to the tenthyer, he would naturally not discard it and could only try to be cautious with its use in future.


    Moreover, other techniques could also be used as a cover up for it. Avoiding suspicions would not be hard for him at all.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 70 - Four Phases

    After finishing the cultivation of Withered Tree technique, He Yiming calmly walked out to settle his bills. Only then he realized that a whole day had passed while he was cultivating.


    This was but the longest time he¡¯d ever spent on any technique after attaining the sixthyer, and it caused him to sigh to himself.


    However, if others knew that he had such a line of thinking, they would feel like snapping their own necks and just die. One day and one night. A mere one day and one night. For an ordinary cultivator, not to mention the cultivation itself, just the process of examining the technique before cultivating might not suffice within such a short duration.


    However, in this short duration, He Yiming was able to cultivate from the firstyer to the tenthyer¡­.


    This had already exceeded the limits of a human.


    Fortunately, nobody knew. Otherwise, he would be the subject of curiosity and envy of countless people. Regardless of how much he strength he possessed, he wouldn¡¯t be able to change his fate of being dissected and examined.


    Of course, that is, if this world actually had something like anatomy in the first ce.


    After settling his bills, He Yiming rushed out of the county town- venturing deep into the mountains.


    With his strength, not to mention a few hours without food and water, he would be fine even if he didn¡¯t eat or drink anything for several days.


    Tai Cang county consisted quite a few high mountain ranges. In the true sense of word, these mountains didn¡¯t stand too high, but still, the entire county towny in between a stretch of mountain ranges extending from far east and going endlessly towards west, which resulted in its terrain beingplex and roads craggy. The number of high-quality official roads amounted to a pitiful figure, which was also the primary cause of Tai Cang countygging far behind other areas.


    However, to He Yiming, walking on the mountainous trails or walking on the spacious roads of the continent didn¡¯t seem much different.


    After walking for an hour, he arrived at a deste ce.


    A forest could be seen as the best cultivation ce. Regardless of how much destruction one might wreck here, the forest would gradually smoothen it out.


    He¡¯d heard his grandfather mention that deserts and wends- located far away from here- made even better ces to silence somebody. However, he¡¯d never witnessed these ces in person. Thus, he had no way of imagining what these ces looked like.


    In the forest, He Yiming ensured that he was alone. With a loud shout, the Internal Energy inside his body began to circte in a frenzy. Instantaneously, the tenthyer Withered Tree technique¡¯s Internal Energy erupted.


    Suddenly, he indistinctly felt as if all the sounds in his surroundings had vanished.


    He seemed to have transformed into a gargantuan tree that had been standing loftily at its ce for thousands of years.


    At the same time, his body started to undergo a subtle transformation. With a rate noticeable by a pair of naked eye, his flesh started to wither.


    This was not true withering, but a mechanism to form a defensiveyer around his body. At this moment, he felt that even weapons wouldn¡¯t be able to injure his body in the slightest. Though he would still like to maintain his distance if this weapon turned out to be something like his grandfather¡¯s de.


    Of all the techniques he¡¯d learned so far, Withered Tree technique indeed ranked number one in terms of defense.


    In his mind, an idea emerged. If he could find a peak level earth type technique and cultivate it, what realm would his defense end up attaining then?


    Of course, ordinary earth type techniques like the trash in his n¡¯s Book Pavilion couldn¡¯t even bepared to the Withered tree technique.


    His mind reeled at a lightning fast speed but his movements didn¡¯t slow at all. Taking a step forward, he struck at the tree that stood right before him and had a width of about half a man¡¯s.


    ¡°Bang,¡±


    An explosion rang out. The big tree didn¡¯t fall due to the strike but developed a hole as He Yiming¡¯s arm pierced it through.


    His eyes shined. The offensive power of Withered Tree technique was no trifling matter either and didn¡¯t seem one bit inferior inparison to tenthyer Primordial Energy. Not only had the flesh on his arms withered and bonespacted like iron, when his fist prated the tree, he didn¡¯t feel anything at all.


    As if he hadn¡¯t pierced a huge tree but a paper.


    When he withdrew his arm, he suddenly discovered that in his current situation, his joints seemed a bit rigid. The instant he pulled his arm back, he felt as if he¡¯d lost some of his control over his arm. However, this tiny bit of inconvenience didn¡¯t amount to much before the offensive power that Withered Tree technique offered.


    Slightly exerting his feet and without bending his knees at all, he jumped upwards- his entire body seeming rigid. Just relying on the strength of the tip of his feet, he jumped as high as himself in the air.


    In mid-air, against the onught of iing wind, he opened his arms wide. Resembling like a log, he dropped down.


    When his body reached the ground, it had been disced several meters apart from his original position. This ending seemed rather surprising to him. Under the influence of Withered Tree technique, his speed actually didn¡¯t suffer at all. However, this jumping style appeared rather odd. If somebody were to see this scene in the night, he might think as if something had suddenly popped out in air from a human-sized chest going by how t He Yiming looked while jumping as such.


    Suddenly, a childish desire emerged in his heart, and he began to jump about in the forest.


    His knees didn¡¯t bend and his arms remained motionless, but with a base of tenthyer Internal Energy, just the tip of his feet were no less than a cannon. Jumping, he advanced at a lightning fast speed.


    En-route, even a group of vicious wolves that he came across turned their tails and ran away- not to mention small animals scattered all around.


    After all, these beasts had never seen a such a strange creature in the forest before. Although this creature didn¡¯t emanate a ferocious aura, its every jump that covered about two meters of the sky and several meters ofnd made these beasts tremble with fright.


    After quite a while, He Yiming had enough fun and decided to stop for a rest. The Ripple technique covered every single meridian of his body. After a short while, his body resumed its optimal state.


    His face had an excited expression and irrepressible joy filled his heart- like a child who had gotten his hands on his favorite toy.


    Gradually, he calmed down. At this moment, he felt a sort of indescribable emptiness inside him.


    How much time had passed since he hadst felt something like this?


    Since his strange encounter in theke, he seemed to have never felt anything like this.


    Since that day, his mind seemed to have matured and pleasures of childhood seemed to have gone far out of his reach.


    Two years.


    In these two years, never for a moment had he felt like following his heart¡¯s desires without thinking of the consequences.


    As he looked at his recovered arm, he suddenly thought. Withered Tree technique could push one¡¯s heart into quiescence. However, for him, what it pushed into quiescence was not his original heart, rather a sort of pretense- something he¡¯d been always forcefully repressing.


    After this pretense was peeled off, the resultant that emerged from underneath was the true him.


    He listlessly looked at his two arms like a statue- unsure of his own thoughts.


    After a long long time¡­


    He raised his head to look towards the sky before his eyes gained a bit of rity.


    More one¡¯s strength grows, more responsibility one has to shoulder. These were the words his grandfather always said. Since he¡¯d obtained the fortune in theke, he was bound to lose some things.


    If he had another chance. If he could go back to that night, he would still choose to enter theke without the slightest hesitation.


    However, this time he wouldn¡¯t be ignorant. He would enter thatke even if knew he might die hundred times for it.


    At this moment, bits and scraps of these two years shed in his mind. His mind seemed to have undergone transformation one more time and had entered a higher realm yet again.


    Not a bit of indecisiveness or loss could be seen in his eyes anymore.


    With a flick of sleeves, his Internal Energy resumed.


    However, this time, the operating Internal Energy wasn¡¯t that of a certain type. Instead, the four different types of Internal Energy began to alternate inside his body.


    First, metal-type Primordial Energy, followed by water type Ripple technique, then wood type Withered Tree technique, and finally, fire type ze technique.


    After the four types of Internal Energy made aplete cycle, themand switched back to Primordial Energy again¡­and so on¡­forming an endless cycle.


    After a short while, He Yiming clearly felt.


    A light and feathery sort of feeling emerging in his body. He felt as if his abilities had gained a substantive improvement. He felt an extreme confidence as if he controlled everything in the palm of his hand.


    This kind of confidence reflected his mastery over the Internal Energy. He felt as if he could, at any time, recreate that day¡¯s gold-crowned python-yer strike.


    However, this was merely a feeling, and he felt this feeling gradually disappearing away.


    Because when his Internal Energy switched from that of ze technique to Primordial Energy, he would feel a strong sluggish, obstructive feeling.


    This kind of feeling was quite unbearable andpletely ruined that perfectly synchronized feeling.


    Furthermore, this unbearable feeling was bing increasingly stronger. He felt like that this alternating of different types of primary techniques inside his body would also not be able to preserve for too long. This situation was akin to a perfect machine suddenly encountering a fault in one of itsponents and being disabled from working due to it.


    Letting out a sigh, He Yiming eventually gave up.


    However, his mind already had several thoughts on how to resolve this issue. He felt like as long as he could get his hands on an earth type Internal Energy cultivation technique and cultivate it once through, he should be able to resolve this problem.


    However, he was not too excited. Because for him, ordinary techniques could no longer get the job done.


    After all, in the light of his current strength, not even his grandfather or Xu Yinjie would necessarily qualify as his opponent. Moreover, that unconscious state which he would have to sustain after recreating that strike was also akin to a housefly in a delicious soup- making him apprehensive of touching the soup.


    Faintly turning his head, he looked at the faint red glow and the gradually disappearing sun on the horizon before quickening his footsteps as he advanced towards the main n.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 71 - Receiving Bride

    ¡°Bang¡­Pop¡­.¡±


    Deafening sounds of exploding firecrackers resounded in the manor, originating from the manor¡¯s head and spreading to its tail. Everybody had smiles stered across their faces. This year was more tiresomepared to the previous ones, but the amount of money they had earned was equivalentlyrger as well. If every year could be like this where they could earn more money even if they had to strain themselves a little, everybody would be pleased to do so.


    The reason for so many good events this year was obviously the marriage of manor¡¯s first young master He Yitian.


    The eldest young master¡¯s bride was not a girl from some trifling, small family, but from a family that equivalently constituted one of the three influential families of Tai Cang county alongside He family- the Cheng family.


    Cheng family took a massive hit to their reputation previous year, but as they say, a camel in dire straits is still bigger than a horse. Even He and Xu- the other two influential families didn¡¯t dare to look down upon them.


    Manor¡¯s entrance opened with a rumble, and a group of people walked out amidst pounding of drums and beating of gongs.


    He Yitian was dressed in a red gown. Although his Internal Energy had already attained the realm of the seventhyer, at this moment, it didn¡¯t seem to make a difference as fine beads of sweat emerged on his forehead.


    This was not due to being tired or dressed too heavily, but due to anxiousness and feeling himself at the edge.


    Following closely behind He Yitian were He Yihai, He Yixuan, and He Yiming- his siblings who had attained the sixthyer. Looking at their eldest brother¡¯s appearance, each and every one of them wasughing inwardly and dly extracting joy from his misfortune.


    Looking at their undisguised wry smiles, He Quanyi couldn¡¯t help but recall his own younger times. His face stiffened as he furiously shouted, ¡°You brats, we should marry you off next year as well!¡±


    He Yihai and the rest immediately restrained their smiles and even assumed an honorable appearance. Only He Yiming¡¯s face was still incessantly twitching.


    Passing year, he¡¯d turned fifteen. If he was a junior of an ordinary peasant household, he indeed might have to get married. However, in He family, furthermore as a prominent member of the family¡¯s young generation, nobody would allow his marriage- be it his father or grandfather.


    A slight cough sounded from behind, and everybody immediately straightened up, even including He Yitian, who respectfully said, ¡°Grandfather.¡±


    He Wude walked out to the front; his face carrying a gentle smile which was bing increasingly gentler as his vision fell upon He Yitian.


    As an old man, watching his grandson taking a wife and continuing the n¡¯s bloodline was naturally a joyful asion for him.


    ¡°Quanyi, when you arrive at the Cheng family, keep them in check. Don¡¯t let our n lose face.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father,¡± He Quanyi respectfully said, ¡° You can be rest assured, we will definitely ensure Yitian¡¯s bride returns here.¡±


    ording to the local traditions, the groom¡¯s side should bring a huge group. However, He Yitian¡¯s father and grandfather were unable to go in person. As such, only his third uncle could assume the charge. Though with He Quanyi¡¯s poprity and strength, he was more than qualified to assume this responsibility.


    He Wude nodded his head in satisfaction before suddenly waving his hand, ¡°Yihai, Yixuan. ording to the county customs, if the bride is from a martial family, duels would be held and only groom¡¯s brothers can participate. Only after the defeating the bride¡¯s side- the hosts- would you be able to bring back the bride. You two, how confident you are?¡±


    He Yihai and He Yixuan simultaneously straightened their chests and heroically said, ¡°Grandfather, you can be rest assured. We will certainly not let the eldest brother lose face.¡±


    Yihai and Yixuan¡¯s strength had already attained the realm of Internal Energy¡¯s sixthyer. In Tai Cang county, such members of young generation could be counted on fingers. Cheng family¡¯s young generation although had a few members at the sixthyer, these two had frequently dueled with them and had rarely suffered defeat. This was the reason these two were so confident.


    The Lord Master¡¯s vision shifted to He Yiming who was wordlessly smiling. From the beginning to end, the former had not mentioned his most formidable grandson at all.


    He Yiming¡¯s strength was already at the eighthyer half a year ago. Adding [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] on top of that, not to mention the fact that he was essentially a paragon in the young generation, even members of the second generation who possessed such strength could be counted on fingers. Moreover, if he could deliver that day¡¯s frightening strike again, nobody in the entire Tai Cang county could sustain that strike.


    Therefore, he was only going to enjoy the hustle and bustle. He wouldn¡¯t have any chance to act all.


    After all, this time, the asion was the marriage between Cheng family and He family- not a true martialpetition. The arranged guards for bride would obviously not be too strong. If He Yixuan and He Yihai truly couldn¡¯t beat the guards, that would not be a loss of face for just He family, but also for Cheng family.


    After bidding farewell to the Lord Master, He Quanyi took the lead. The younger generation followed behind him as they hastened towards the county town.


    He manor was quite a distance away from the county town. ording to the customs, the groom side would spend the night in a random courtyard of the county town, then return back the next day.


    As for pnquins and other things, He Quanming had already made suitable arrangements in the county town. Once the two sides met, they could then immediately proceed to the Cheng Residence.


    The group steered their horses. Apart from the five directly-rted males, the group consisted of ten carefully chosen servants. Although their strength was only somewhere around the thirdyer, their reputation and usefulness in other matters was more than enough to make for it.


    After ruthlessly steering their horses for an hour, they arrived at the county town.


    He Quanming and his wife had alreadypleted all the preparations. The asion was but the wedding of the eldest grandson of the eldest son- the first person to be married in the third generation. Nobody dared to be neglectful in the slightest.


    For today¡¯s preparations, He Quanming and his wife had gone through a lot of troubles. They had all the courtyards in the town swept, and further, red ribbons and other decorations could be seen everywhere in the county town.


    As soon as He Yitian and the rest dismounted their horses, He Quanming¡¯s side came out to wee them in. As they were entering, they discovered that two big neighboring courtyards lit up with cheering, and their decorations were also not one bit inferior to their own family.


    Stealthily pulling his elder brother away, He Quanyi asked in dissatisfaction, ¡°Second brother, these two families also have marriage today?¡±


    In the Tai Cang county, the three influential families were not just for name. Especially in this deste region, their martial power spoke much higher than either the power of authorities or the wealth.


    A marriage between the Cheng family and He family was an important affair of the county town. There were actually other families daring to step on the stage with them. Moreover, their preparations didn¡¯t seem one bit inferior to them. This naturally provoked He family¡¯s third lord. Since today was a festive asion, he couldn¡¯t go and make a ruckus for the fear of beingughed at, but he¡¯d already decided that he would pay these families a visit in the future and im today¡¯s lost face back.


    He Yiming could hear his third uncle¡¯s question. He immediately understood thetter¡¯s intention. Although he didn¡¯tpletely agree, he wouldn¡¯t stop it at all. After all, he was certain that if the positions were reversed, the other side would absolutely act as such.


    The one who has the bigger fist, is the one who is just. This was the absolute truth of Tai Cang county.


    An awkward expression covered He Quanyi¡¯s face. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°Third, don¡¯t charge in recklessly.¡±


    He Quanyi¡¯s eyes shone as he asked in a lowered voice, ¡°Second brother, who are these two families?¡±


    He Quanming light coughed and said, ¡°They are Yitian¡¯s uncle inws.¡±


    He Quanyi started before astoundedly asking, ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°These two courtyards have already been purchased by Yitian¡¯s father-inw, Cheng Shine, and would act as a part of Yanli¡¯s dowry. If you ruin it in your hot-headedness, you might have to settle ounts with the eldest brotherter.¡±


    He Quanyi eventually realized and forced out augh. So these two families had put so much energy in reaching their voices to them so that they could wee their new nephew.


    Lightly coughing, He Quanyi sincerely said, ¡°Cheng family really showed their hand this time.¡±


    He Quanming faintly nodded. He was also in awe of Cheng family¡¯s financial prowess. Although Cheng family¡¯s martial power was not too high, with regards to their depth andworks that had been running through centuries, they were indeed a notch above the rest.


    After entering inside, everybody hurriedly cleaned up.


    After the journey, their new clothes had been painted with dust. Fortunately, He Quanming had already made all the preparations. He quickly and efficiently managed everybody¡¯s cleaning process. Subsequently, they left for the Cheng Residence.


    This time, however, the group received an addition of pnquin. Of course, this was a pnquin prepared specifically to carry the bride.


    Moreover, this time, except for the groom, He Yitian, even He Quanming and He Quanyi didn¡¯t ride on horses.


    Hundreds of people pounded drums alongside the group as they advanced towards the Cheng family. This naturally attracted attention everywhere they went.


    He Yitian was the sole person riding on the horse- the He family¡¯s eldest grandson of the eldest son, sitting tall and head head. Although he felt quite nervous in his heart, on the exterior, a smile hung at the corner of his lips, which made him look dazzling and caused passersby to exim in admiration.


    He family had made quite a few preparations. The entire way, sweets and fruits were being sprinkled around, arousing countless yells of children. Even some adults cast their face away and snatched a few delicacies before covering their faces and escaping, inviting jeering sounds from others.


    The group unhurriedly advanced as they received incessant congrattory greetings along the way.


    Eventually, when the group arrived at the Cheng Residence, a burst of ear-deafening crackers exploded from every side.


    At the entrance, Cheng Shine heartilyughed. Looking at his elegant and handsome son-inw on the horseback, he pleasantly smiled.


    However, he subsequently recalled his elder daughter who had been wed into the Lin family as a concubine. Although her husband loved her dearly, in future, when her appearance would have waned with age, who could say with certainty that the rtions would remain as harmonious?


    However, he only entertained this thought momentarily before he immediately broadened his smile and went to wee the opposite party.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 72 - Marital Duel

    Everybody congratted each other as they entered the Cheng Residence. Everybody who saw He Yitian praised thetter to the height of the heavens itself.


    Although they knew that these people were just putting words in their mouths without actually meaning it, it still brought a smile on everybody¡¯s face.


    Today was the day of marriage between Cheng family and He family. In any case, this was the biggest event of county town throughout thest decade. The people who hade to congratte the two families were muchrger in number even whenpared to Lord Master Cheng¡¯s recent grand feast.


    Cheng Residence¡¯s exterior was packed with endless streams of carriages and countless rows of people. The interior was equally packed with people as well.


    However, the main hall was evidently much less crowded. In the middle was obviously Cheng Lord Master. His seniority was undoubtedly unmatched in Tai Cang county except for the Lord Master He and Lord Master Xu.


    Beside the Lord Master was a couple. Although these two were quite aloof in terms of appearance, their conversation with each other seemed quite affectionate. Anybody could tell at a nce that these two were husband-wife.


    While everybody in the main hall had gone out to greet the groom side, only these people had remained seated on their seats with Lord Master Cheng- motionless like a mountain.


    He Quanming swept his nce and immediately took a guess at their identities. He bowed and said, ¡°Greetings, Lord Master Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng chuckled and stood up. Assuming an appearance of a kind and gentle elder, he weed everybody to their seats.


    ording to the customs, only He Quanming and He Quanyi could share the principal seats. While He Yixuan and the rest along with the leader of the servants who had also entered the main hall could only settle on the subsequent lower seats.


    However, when He Quanyi sat on his seat, he suddenly said, ¡°Yiming, youe here as well.¡±


    He Yiming faintly started and involuntarily paused his footsteps.


    He Quanyi exined while beaming with smiles, ¡°Lord Cheng, while we were leaving, my father said He Yiming should share the same seat as of us brothers.¡±


    Everybody¡¯s vision fell upon He Yiming¡¯s body. In the influential families, the importance of seats that one sat on such asions was quite high. He Quanyi¡¯s words made it clear that He Yiming had already obtained enough qualifications to sit with the second generation, and even strength.


    This sort of treatment, even the former number one member of the third generation- He Yitian had never enjoyed.


    Under the weight of countless gazes which contained suspicions, disbelief, envy and many other emotions, He Yiming suddenly discovered that after going through so many of such experiences, he didn¡¯t about much about it.


    He Quanming faintly nodded. Although he¡¯d not visited the main n for quite some time, regarding He Yiming¡¯s strength and position in the n, he was quite clear. ording to He Yiming¡¯s strength, him sitting on the same positions as them couldn¡¯t be attributed to them overstepping the bounds of their authority in the slightest.


    He Yiming bitterly smiled. He¡¯d hoped that his father would be able to decline. However, his father had actually chosen to attest.


    Faint astonishment flickered in Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s eyes. Although his evaluation of He Yiming was quite high, he never thought that it should be this high.


    However, he immediatelyughed heartily and loudly said, ¡°Good, heroes always shine in glory since a young age. Let He Yiming have a sit.¡±


    He Yiming, who had been maintaining a cordial smile on his face all along, could only step forward and join the principal seats.


    Before everybody had even settled down, a loud chant echoed, ¡°Xu family¡¯s Lord Master Xu Yinjie has arrived¡­¡±


    There were no chants of the people that hade with him. Because the name Xu Yinjie was already enough to cause everybody¡¯s heart palpitate.


    Cheng Zhusheng, He Quanming, and the rest exchanged nces. Apart from He Yiming, who had previously eavesdropped, all the rest were thoroughly astounded.


    The next moment, Cheng Zhusheng slowly stood up, his face covered in an expression which nobody could decipher, ¡°Everyone, Xu Yinjie is after all the leader of Xu family. I must wee him in person. Please do without me for a while.¡±


    He Quanming and He Quanyi, the two brothers exchanged a nce and simultaneously stood up. Xu Yinjie was but a senior who shared the reputation of the county¡¯s top experts with their grandfather. Their reason told them that they couldn¡¯t remain seated.


    Meanwhile, most of the other people who had not even ced their bottoms on their seats bolted up straight again. However, He Yiming and the rest noticed that even after the announcement of the arrival Xu Lord Master, that young couple had not budged from their seats.


    Everybody could immediately confirm their identities. Except for the guests from Jadeting¡¯s Lin family, who else would dare to behave in such a manner.


    He Yiming followed everybody to the outside and immediately heard Xu Yinjie¡¯s heartyugh.


    Although he¡¯d already heard this person¡¯s voice, he¡¯d yet to officially face him.


    Looking from afar, he saw an old man withpletely white hair and a face like a withered tree. However, his eyes were full of radiance. Although they didn¡¯t seem ferocious at all, his prestige didn¡¯t allow many to look straight at him.


    He Yiming could tell at a nce that this old man¡¯s cultivation technique was undoubtedly Withered Tree technique, and he¡¯d already attained the extreme level that was mentioned in the scripture. Although this didn¡¯t seem the peak of the tenth level, it was not too far away from it.


    Cheng Zhusheng and his son weed Xu family¡¯s group with faint smiles. Everybody sat down after another round of disturbance.


    Under the lead of their Lord Master, this time, Xu family¡¯s group included Xu Xiangci and Xu Right in addition to Xu Yucai and several other members of third generation.


    However, among these, the only members capable of seating on the principal seats were the two brothers of the second generation. When their group saw He Yiming making his way towards the principal seats and joining them, none of them forgot to reveal astounded expressions.


    However, considering the asion, none of them tried to ruin the atmosphere by questioning it.


    With a loud cough, Cheng Zhusheng stood up and loudly spoke, ¡°Everyone, let this old man make the introductions. This gentleman is Jadeting city¡¯s Lin family¡¯s number one expert of the young generation, Sir Lin Taoli, and apanying him is this old man¡¯s granddaughter, Yanjuan, who is also Yanli¡¯s older sister. Today, at Yanli¡¯s wedding, her sister and brother-inw havee to congratte her- which is also an honor for our Cheng family.¡±


    Although everybody already knew that Yuanjuan had been married off to Lin Taoli as a concubine, this moment, they couldn¡¯t help but feel extremely envious.


    With Lin Taoli¡¯s identity as the number one expert of the Cheng family¡¯s young generation, Cheng family marrying off their daughter as a concubine didn¡¯t bring them shame in any way whatsoever. Further, for Lin Taoli toe to a ce as deste as Tai Cang county just to congratte her wife¡¯s sister- even people with the strictest of the temperament couldn¡¯t help but feel envy at Cheng family¡¯s good fortune.


    He Yiming had already been paying attention to Lin Taoli in secret. This youngster seemed about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old- sitting calmly on his chair, like a lofty mountain, he emanated a feeling of wisdom and experience, and of one with many secrets.


    Furthermore, his tall and thin figure, elegant and refined features that could bepared to that of a woman, and gentle smiling expression as he talked to his wife beside him, gave off the feeling as if he could never be angry.


    His actions didn¡¯t seem to be done deliberately at all, instead felt like originatingpletely from his heart and soul. Everybody could tell that he doted on his concubine quite a bit. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have apanied in such a distant journey either.


    Cheng Zhusheng introduced everybody on the principal seats. When Lin Taoli heard that Lord Master Xu was peak tenthyer expert, his eyes brightened as he revealed an interested expression.


    This was the first time he¡¯d shown an interest in some other individual. Evidently, the tenthyer was enough to move him. When he heard that He Yiming was barely fifteen years old and had already attained the seventhyer¡¯s peak, he involuntarily disyed a shocked expression and threw a few interested nces.


    He Quanming and He Quanyi exchanged a nce and smiled. In their minds, He Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy had already attained the eighthyer. However, seventhyer¡¯s peak already made him an unparalleled paragon in the young generation. Thus, this matter could still be easily concealed for a few more days.


    After the introductions, the banquet immediately started. All sorts of vegetables, meats, and other delicacies could be seen in the main hall.


    After three rounds of winde, the undermen removed a huge red cloth which spread at the main hall¡¯s side, revealing an arena made of stone and some wood.


    The size of this arena hardly differed from the one in the streets of the county town and was simrly one of the smallest scale arenas of the Heaven Seizing country.


    A robust man jumped into the arena. He performed a greeting towards principal seats before speaking in a loud voice, ¡°Brother Yitian, taking my sister as wife would require some real skill. Which of my brother from He family would be kind enough to advise me..¡±


    The crowd formed somewhat of a circle around the arena. Fortunately, under the arrangements of servants, the situation wasn¡¯t as chaotic as it frequently urred at the county town¡¯s arena. While the people in the main hall couldn¡¯t go and stand in the circle to watch for the fear of their identities, they could still see everything clearly while sitting in the main hall.


    The people who could enter the main hall were all top figures of the county. However, the martial way flourished in the country. Looking at the present scene, they were also filled with anticipation inwardly.


    He Quanyi said in a lowered voice, ¡°Yiming, this is a well-known figure of Cheng family¡¯s third generation, Cheng Lannuo- a sixth level expert like your second and third brother.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded. Although He Yiming¡¯s strength had increased gigantically, he¡¯d note across too many experts of the outside world. Thus, He Quanyi didn¡¯t forget to fill the details.


    He Yihai ced the wine cup in his hand down and loudly said, ¡°Brother, Lannuo, I shall challenge you.¡±


    He advanced forward in big steps and suddenly entered into the arena with one big jump.


    He Yihai cultivated fire type techniques. This moment, as he stood unbridled on the arena, his grandeur seemed to have further ascended to the clouds, gaining an apuse from everyone in audience. Even those seated on the principal seats couldn¡¯t help but nod their head in approval inwardly.


    ¡®This HeYihai¡¯s fate is not too good, for him to actually born in He family¡­.¡¯


    In addition to being firmly suppressed by his eldest brother He Yitian all his life, he was now again being suppressed by He Yiming who possessed same qualifications as that of the second generation. As such, his name had not shined as much amongst thebined third generation of influential families.


    However, in reality, his strength was exceedingly high. If he¡¯d been born in either of the other two families, he would have long ago excelled among his peers and would have been seen as a rising future star.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 73 - Lin Familys Challenge

    After He Yihai entered the arena, the two individuals cupped their fists, then gently and cautiously raised their hands.


    Although everybody knew that this was only a custom that had been followed through generations and it wouldn¡¯t be a life-and-death battle in any case whatsoever, witnessing a duel between direct members of two influential families was quite rare even for the majority of members sitting in the main hall- much less to speak of those who were circling around the arena.


    As such, relentless echoes of cheers and apuds had started since the beginning. Therefore, when the two cultivators actually started the duel, themotion only increased by a slight amount.


    Cheng Lannuo cultivated a bizarre water-type technique. His both fists seemed to be rippling like a wave- boundless and endless.


    He Yihai was a cultivator of fire type techniques, and thus, was innately repressed by his opponent. However, what astonished people was that as soon as he started to circte his fire type technique inside his body, his entire being, as if a zing furnace, emitted a heatwave which gave off an unapproachable feeling. This heatwave surged, and as it approached his opponent, it didn¡¯t seem to be afraid of the water type technique¡¯s force at all. On the contrary, one could indistinctly feel that it actually threatened to break off the restrictive effect of the water type technique at any moment.


    The experts recognize the skill while themon man merely enjoys the show.


    The numerous people watching the duel loudly cheered and shouted. However, those who could truly decipher the inner workings here were inwardly astonished.


    Both the individuals inside the arena were sixthyer cultivators. Moreover, evidently, both cultivated in ordinary techniques and ordinary battle skills.


    ording to the reason, water-type cultivator Cheng Lannuo should have already gained the upper hand. However, in reality, he¡¯d lost his advantage and was actually pushed back slowly.


    This was not because he was acting out due to the asion, but because his strength was not enough.


    Although he possessed the cultivation of the sixthyer,pared to He Yihai, his Internal Energy was a notch below, and he alsogged behind in terms of the understanding of battle skills.


    He Yihai had already cultivated his fire type battle skill to a profound degree and had also understood its essence.


    The result of his painstaking devotion was thisprehension which he¡¯d developed by researching, exploring, and testing in battles against He Yixuan and He Yitian repeatedly. Only after suffering countless defeats had he finally learned the true essence of this battle skill.


    Therefore, when he employed this technique, his entire being seemed to have transformed into a zing furnace, and his opponent¡¯s water type technique immediately boiled away like scattered drops of water as soon as it came in contact with the furnace- only leaving behind a faint mist.


    He Yihai was innately restricted. However, as they say- before a condensed force, a scattered one stands no chance.


    As soon as the fight started, He Yiming and others with sharp eyes could immediately see the conclusion. After a few moments, even He Yitian and others let out a sigh.


    Suddenly, Cheng Lannuo¡¯s both palms waved intensely. He seemed to have produced countless palm strikes instantaneously. Countless cheers exploded immediately. However, as the people expected him to bring out a heaven-shattering move, he suddenly retreated while shouting, ¡°Brother Yihai, I concede. My Cheng brothers, use tag-team strategy on them!¡±


    Everybody was thrown into an uproar, not understanding why the former had insisted on conceding despite having a clear upper hand. Even if he needed to deliberately lose, it needn¡¯t be this obvious.


    Only those in the main hall had faint smiles on their faces. Cheng Lannuo lost, but not in terms of face. Moreover, the words he shouted while leaving the arena caused everybody tough despite themselves.


    Using a tag-team battle in a duel indicated that these two families were not truly engaged in a martial struggle, and all this was only a means to create trouble for He Yitian so that thetter couldn¡¯t take his bride away easily. These words had already eased up a lot of tension, and those at the principal seats revealed a knowing smile.


    This Cheng Lannuo is indeed a genius. Otherwise, Cheng family wouldn¡¯t have sent him first.


    Amidst bursts ofughs from the crowd, one after another, members of Cheng family¡¯s young generation made their appearances.


    The maximum cultivation among these also didn¡¯t exceed the sixthyer, and in terms of battle skills, none of them were even above Cheng Lannuo. As such, they naturally didn¡¯t cause too much trouble for He Yihai and He Yixuan.


    Of course, thetter also knew that this was not Cheng familiy¡¯s true strength. They had themselves visited Cheng family¡¯s base where they trained their young generation. Only a few of these true experts of young generation were present at this moment.


    Although the remaining who were not present at the moment had not broken through the barrier of the sixthyer and thus wouldn¡¯t be an opponent to their eldest brother, as far as the two of them were concerned, the oue wouldn¡¯t have been so predetermined.


    Theughter andmotion continued for a long time. The sun was inclined towards the west. He Yihai and He Yixuan although acted in turns, they both were left gasping at this point. At this moment, everybody understood that this trial was not all fun and easy either.


    Lord Master Cheng faintly nodded, and Cheng Shine stood up and was about to conclude the duel, when a gentle and light voice sounded, ¡°Senior father-inw, wait a moment.¡±


    Cheng Shine faintly started before turning his head and smilingly asking, ¡°Does young master Lin has some wish?¡±


    Their respective form of address was not equivalent. However, none of them felt it strange.


    ¡®A ¡®young master¡¯ shouting ¡®father-inw¡¯ was only due to him being considerate about your face. He wouldn¡¯t be so tactful if he wished to trample on your face.¡¯


    Lin Taoli slowly stood up and said, ¡°After watching everybody in the arena, this Lin couldn¡¯t help but feel aroused. If father-inw allows it, your son-inw would like to go for a round.¡±


    Cheng Shine and his father exchanged a nce. From their expressions, it was evident that this was not a part of the n and was definitely an impulsive request from this young master of Lin family.


    He Quanming and He Quanyi¡¯s brows creased. Although they had not seen the former¡¯s martial prowess. However, capable of possessing the title of the number one expert of the Lin family¡¯s young generation, He Yihai and He Yixuan would definitely not be able to deal with him.


    Simultaneously, their vision fell on He Yiming. When they had begun their journey, He Yiming was not to act ording to the n. However, currently, He Yiming seemed the only possible option.


    He Yiming saw his father and uncle¡¯s gaze on him and was aware of the inevitable. Cursing inwardly, he was about to stand up when Lin Taoli calm voice sounded, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about the reputation of Xu family¡¯s ze technique- being the number one unique technique of Tai Cang county. May I be lucky enough to broaden my horizons.¡±


    As soon as these words were spoken, a pin-drop silence sank into the main hall.


    Everybody recalled a rumor- a rumor that had spread like a wildfire half a year ago. Moreover, it was believed that the source of this rumor was precisely one of the three influential families, the Cheng family itself.


    Half a year ago, Cheng family suffered a defeat at the hands of horse bandits, resulting in hundreds of casualties on their side.


    Although all of these bandits were executed in the end, the thousand-year-blood-ginseng gifted by the Lin family, which was supposedly robbed by a masked man, had not been recovered.


    This masked man didn¡¯t follow after the rest of horse bandits and exchanged blows with Cheng Shine. The technique former used was one of the Xu family¡¯s two unique techniques- the ze technique. An even more terrifying fact was that this man¡¯s cultivation had already attained the ninthyer.


    Although Cheng Shine had never mentioned this matter publically, he never stepped out of his way to deny it either. Thus, tacitly approving.


    Xu family and Cheng family¡¯s rtions tensed day by day. Further, the marriage between Cheng and He family exined many more things.


    Currently, the proimed husband of the Cheng family¡¯s daughter had raised such a request for Xu family. What else could be the reason?


    Lord Master Xu, Xu Xinjie, slowly raised his head. On his withered tree alike face, not a shred of expression could be seen.


    After a few moments, he unhurriedly said, ¡°Young master Lin, in my Xu family, there is only one person who cultivates in ze technique and has attained the ninthyer.¡±


    Lin Taoli¡¯s vision immediately shifted onto Xu Right. This forty-year-old cultivator who seemed to be in his thirties lightly sighed and slowly stood up, ¡°Since young master Lin wishes as such, Xu Right shall risk his life to apany young master for a round.¡±


    The two men left their seats and went to the arena side-by-side.


    This time, everybody in the main hall felt a chill in their hearts.


    These two individual¡¯s identities were far beyond what a bunch of third generations couldpare. Even more important was the fact that their entrance in the arena didn¡¯t feel simple at all.


    Everybody could feel the oppressive atmosphere. Even the cheering voices gradually faded away.


    The moment these two stood to face each other, Xu Yinjie¡¯s eyes suddenly flickered and he suddenly spoke while looking straight at Cheng Zhusheng, ¡°In our Xu family, Right is the only one who has seeded in cultivating the ze technique. Apart from him, among those who cultivates in ze technique, not a single one has reached the sixthyer.¡±


    His words were loud and clear. The sound of his voice severely dropped- crashing against people¡¯s mind.


    Subsequently, Xu Yinjie closed his eyes without giving anybody a single nce.


    Cheng Zhusheng and Cheng Shine- the father and son immediately understood his implications. The two exchanged a nce and simultaneously nodded at each other. Xu Yinjie had emphasized these words two times. With his identity, performing such an action on such an asion meant that these words couldn¡¯t possibly be lies.


    This moment, the father and son felt that perhaps, they had targeted the wrong enemy over these past six months.


    However, regardless of all their conjectures, they could never have imagined that the thousand-year-blood-ginseng was not in the hands of Xu family but with the youngster who was sitting alongside them.


    Not only Cheng father and son were scratching their hands, even the He brothers were amazed and puzzled.


    Since thousand-year-blood-ginseng is not in the hands of Xu family, then who is it? Could it be¡­.a new power has appeared in the Tai Cang county?


    Perhaps¡­..

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 74 - Ninth Layer Battle

    In the arena, Lin Taoli and Xu Right cupped their fists at each other, then retreated a few steps away from each other.


    The atmosphere suddenly tensed. Even the people who had nothing to with this matter couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill in their hearts.


    Cheng Lord Master and Cheng Shine were the most tense. They never anticipated such an event urring today.


    Their vision turned towards the only woman among the principal seats, Cheng Yanjuan.


    In the Heaven Seizing country where the martial wind blew- not to mention the principal seats, a woman capable of entering just the main hall would be considered an extraordinary one.


    Of course, if this woman forged her way relying on her own strength, it would be apletely different matter. Looking at her sweet, charming appearance, anybody could tell that even a nobody from the young generation of the three influential families would be able to beat her with ease. However, apanying her was Lin family¡¯s Lin Taoli. From the evident affection between the two, nobody dared to challenge her authority to sit on the principal seats.


    Seeing that her two elders were looking at her, she sweetly smiled and gently said, ¡°Taoli is aware of the propriety, please be at ease.¡±


    The father and son faintly smiled and nodded, feeling quite assured. If she hadn¡¯t affirmed, they could have only believed that this young master of Lin family hade to deliberately create trouble.


    Xu Yinjie swept his nce over her beautiful face and immediately understood with a crystal rity the reason Lin Taoli had gone to the arena- it waspletely due to her instigation. After hearing the disappearance of the thousand year blood ginseng, she must have inquired her old man. Subsequently, due to theck of a clear suspect, all the me had been shifted to the Xu family.


    He inwardly sighed. This was what they call as ¡®undeserving cmity¡¯. However, he was certain that even if Right suffered a loss, they could not look for retaliation at all.


    In the arena, the two people stood far away from each other. Formidable auras began to gradually spread from their bodies.


    After a few moments, all knowledgeable people had their expressionspletely transformed


    He Quanming and He Quanyi exchanged a nce; both could see the appalled expression in each other¡¯s eyes. He Quanyi moved his hands under the cover of table and made a ¡®9¡¯ gesture.


    He Quanming faintly nodded; his expression grave,cking the slightest bit of the previous smile.


    It could be even said that Xu Right had raised the fame of Tai Cang county. He was indeed one of the rarely seen ninthyer expert in the county. He was definitely among the top ten experts throughout the whole county.


    The moment he held his ground, the aura that burst out from his body caused everybody who was moving towards the arena for a closer look to have trouble breathing.


    The people surrounding the arena were crammed towards the vicinity of the arena. However, this moment, all of these people simultaneously began to retreat. Even the servants who were in charge of maintaining the order and calm were no exception.


    Xu Right had not acted yet. However, his aura had already maintained the dominance.


    However, his opponent, a young expert from Lin family, had his hands behind his back. As if he didn¡¯t even put the opponent in front of him in his eyes.


    Moreover, even though Lin Taoli¡¯s aura had yet to erupt, he stood firmly and seemed unshakable.


    Xu Right¡¯s face had a heavy appearance. He originally thought he¡¯d gone a bit extreme too early. Under his father¡¯s instructions, he was to cook a half-hearted move. However, when the two of them stood facing each other, he realized that he¡¯d underestimated this guy. Even when his aura attained eighthyer¡¯s peak, he couldn¡¯t shake his opponent at all.


    Although this man was young, the cultivation of his body was no small matter and was not inferior to his already.


    Sucking in a deep breath, Xu Right¡¯s both eyes suddenly shined with a fiery radiance. His aura suddenly exploded forth to extreme, enveloping everything in the surrounding.


    Although this was an invisible and untouchable force, under its effect, the retreating people suddenly elerated. Even in the main hall, a few people seemed to have been affected by it.


    Complete silence reigned over the arena. This was the effect of frightening expulsion of theplete might of a ninthyer expert.


    Lin Taoli¡¯s expression also eventually turned grave as an equivalently formidable aura rippled from his body before gradually spreading around.


    If one were to say that Xu Right¡¯s aura was like zing fire, Lin Taoli¡¯s aura was endless and incessant like that of river¡¯s water- one wave one top of another. Although it was not fierce, it seemed inexhaustible.


    The two auras threatened to erupt in confrontation, causing an uproar in the spectators once again.


    This moment, everybody knew that this twenty-seven, twenty-eight-year-old male actually stood as equal before Xu RIght. He was an expert whose Internal Energy had already attained the ninthyer.


    Among all the techniques, the cultivation of Internal Energy was the most difficult. It required step by step advancement while the difficulty increased with every step.


    It was unlike many battle skills which only required a moment of enlightenment for a substantive progress. No shortcut existed in the cultivation of Internal Energy.


    He, Xu, and Cheng- thebined members of the young generation of these three families easily amounted to more than a hundred. All of these had begun the cultivation of the Internal Energy from the age of five. However, to this date, those who could break through the sixthyer and attain the seventhyer had only been two.


    Among the second generation, those who could break through to the ninthyer were only two. Moreover, both of these individuals had to cross the age of forty before taking this step. However, these two were still seen as the future cores of their respective ns.


    However, at this moment, looking at the man on the stage who had yet to turn thirty, everybody felt all sorts of emotions welling up inside.


    This man had actually attained the ninthyer before the age of thirty. What monstrosity was this¡­..


    He Yitian was only slightly smaller than the former in age. However, by the disparity of the seventhyer and the ninthyer, these two couldn¡¯t even be considered in the same ss.


    Compared to this man, the three influential families seemed utterly mediocre and worthless.


    He Quaming and He Quanyi nced at He Yiming and felt a littlefort.


    He Yiming was currently fifteen years old. Although no one could say for sure whether he would be able to attain the ninthyer within the next ten or so years, just his existence constituted a hope- the sole hope of contending Lin Taoli.


    On the stage, Xu Right eventually hissed loudly, which apained that fiery aura.


    His both feet faintly stamped before he instantly covered a distance of more than ten meters and arrived directly before Lin Taoli. While confronting an expert that was of the same rank, he¡¯d already discarded all caution and apprehension. If one held back against such an enemy, it would be just following the path of one¡¯s destruction.


    His both palms fluttered about. His every fist contained the maximum possible strength. The entire strength of his body had exploded forth.


    Moreover, his both palms began to gradually turn red, and his surroundings also emanated bursts of scorched air.


    He family¡¯s He Yihai was also a fire type cultivator. Just now, he¡¯d shown his might and defeated several members of Cheng family¡¯s young generation- gaining admiration of everybody. However,pared to Xu Right this moment, he seemed like a apprentice showing his tricks before a wizard. It was not worth fart.


    As Xu Right released his Internal Energy and employed his battle skill, his entire being seemed to have turned into a gigantic fireball. Wherever this fireball went, everything turned a shade of pitch ck.


    The shoes under his feet had already been destroyed- being unable to endure the heat. However, the clothes on his body were stillpletely intact. This was because he still held back a part of his strength and the clothes were made of special material. They couldn¡¯t be easily damaged.


    On the stage, many pitch ck pathways could be seen along with footprints which seemed as if they had been deeply engraved in the ground. However, on top of every footprint, bits and traces of ck could be seen. These were the residual traces formed after exhibiting the ze technique to the extreme.


    Furthermore, the air itself felt sort of scorched. Everybody had to exert a lot more effort than normal in order to breathe. Moreover, the inhaled air also brought a scorching sensation to the lungs, making people extremely ufortable.


    However, although Xu Right seemed as mighty as a god, he was unable to do anything in front of this youngster.


    Thetter¡¯s face had remained serene. Regardless how powerful Xu Right¡¯s aura became, as soon as it entered one meter around his body, it vanished like smoke in air- incapable of influencing him at all.


    The air surrounding his body actually seemed to ripple like flowing water. The restraining effect of water type techniques on fire type techniques was being exhibited thoroughly and vividly.


    In this manner, neither slow nor fast- as if training in solitude- he began to exhibit moves of his battle skill. This unhurried and steady to the extreme disypletely discarded Xu Right¡¯s ze technique.


    The experts who were watching all had unsightly looks on their faces. If a member of young generation possessed such skill, then about Lin family¡¯s first generation?


    At this moment, everybody seemed to have felt the insignificance of Tai Cang county. Facing this colossal entity from Jadeting city, even Cheng father and son duo felt immense trepidation.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 75 - Prostrate Imprint

    Continuous whizzing sounds exploded from the arena.


    A battle between two top level experts- both exhibiting theirplete strength.


    Lin Taoli looked at ease, but this didn¡¯t mean his cultivation technique was rtively special.


    Regardless of how difficult the situation might be, this technique required one to possess a mountain like temperament, which was faintly evident in Lin Taoli¡¯s disy. Under the constant oppression of Xu Right, Lin Taoli could although preserve, he¡¯d no chance of pressing back.


    Fortunately, Lin family¡¯s technique was quite extraordinary as well. If thetter wished to focus solely on defence, Xu Right wouldn¡¯t be able to do much.


    It seemed as if the two sides could continue to engage in a deadlock forever.


    And this situation was the best Cheng Zhusheng and the rest could hope for. If neither of the two could determine a clear victor for a while, they could interfere and call it a draw.


    Furthermore, the presence of tenthyer expert, Xu Yinjie, also couldn¡¯t be overlooked. At a critical junction, he would also not sit idle.


    Although water and fire were mutually restrictive, for cultivators of such high level, the probability of settling the oue in a short duration didn¡¯t seem high. Even if Lin Taoli could gain cumtive advantage and press for victory, it wouldn¡¯t be happening in a short duration.


    However, at this moment, Xu Right, who had been berserkly attacking, suddenly stopped and retreated.


    Lin Taoli, wishing to grasp the opportunity, was about to push back. However, the next moment, hisplexion transformed before he lifted both his palms in air and quickly moved them to form a profound and mysterious seal.


    This sealy vertically across his chest. However, in the eyes of others, this sign seemed to have transformed into a lofty, imprable mountain.


    Others might not now, but Lin Taoli was well aware that this was one of his n¡¯s mystical techniques- Prostrate Imprint.


    Once the imprint formed, it could be employed to concentrate all of the body¡¯s power onto a single point without any dy. It was considered as one of the strongest kinds of defensive techniques. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t cultivate in earth type techniques. Otherwise, after cultivating this imprint to the extreme, he could even borrow strength from the ground under his feet- attaining the eternal realm.


    The reason he¡¯d abandoned offense and immediately pulled out his strongest defensive move was he¡¯d just felt a burst of chill that had prated to his bones.


    In his front, Xu Right had already retreated to a corner of the arena- his eyes shade of deep red and body faintly stopped low. A strange red coloryered on the skin of his whole body. Especially his lifted palms, which were a shade of bright crimson, blood color.


    An intense aura erupted from his body, carrying a hint of insanity. The clothes on his body started to wither- unable to preserve for a second longer.


    After continuously attacking for a long time without sess, Xu Right finally had enough and had employed ze technique to the extreme. Combining it with a fire type battle skill of his n, he wished to deliver the ultimate strike.


    If He Quanming or the rest had been exchanging moves with Xu Right, thetter wouldn¡¯t have behave in such an almost crazy manner.


    However, his opponent was a young man. Although this young man was from Lin family, he was too young. So much so that he¡¯d sessfully sparked the envy in Xu Right¡¯s heart. Ususally, thetter would have been able to push down the envy in his heart through reason like other people in the main hall.


    However, amidst fight, his heart had already turned chaotic. The surrounding silence seemed no different than countless sneers to him- causing the fierceness in his heart to erupt.


    In the main hall, Xu Yinjie¡¯s both eyes hadpletely opened. Traces of anxiety and graveness appeared in his seemingly indiscernible eyes. His body faintly trembled, but he ultimately restrained himself. However, he didn¡¯t close his eyes again and calmly watched.


    With a loud shout, Xu Right¡¯s fists intertwined before he rushed forth looking like a harbinger of zing torrents.


    Lin Taoli¡¯s imprint rose and a bizarre energy erupted from it, rigidly obstructing Xu Right¡¯s final strike.


    The berserk me seemed to have received a resistance. It turned even more berserk- burning with all its might and wishing to burn everything in its path down to ashes.


    However, against mes¡­.seemed to be the ash itself. Regardless of how powerful mes are, against ashes, which contains nobustibility, it could do nothing but die out eventually.


    Lin Taoli¡¯s palms seemed to be spinning like a windmill, in ordance with which, his hand seals changed. The Prostate Imprint became increasingly bigger. All the surrounding mes seemed to have beenpletely blocked.


    Contained, waned, and exhausted.


    Xu Right¡¯s final attack eventually couldn¡¯t continue, and it showed a momentary gap.


    It was only the time required to breathe before his strength coulde back up.


    However, right at this moment, Lin Taoli¡¯s both palms suddenly intertwined, and at the same time, the imprint at this front scattered away. That imprable and invincible imprint instantaneously turned non-existent.


    Xu Right faintly started, still unable to think clearly why he¡¯d followed the path of his own destruction in such a manner as he felt an intense heaven-shrouding aura descending upon him.


    He was immensely astonished before he inwardly cursed not good. However, at this moment, the situation was already beyond saving. Having no time at all, he immediately struck out with all the strength present in his body while hurriedly retreating.


    However, Lin Taoli¡¯s figure, as if a shadow following the host, followed closely after Xu Right while his two palms relentlessly struck, bringing an irresistible pressure.


    Although Xu Right was aware that as long as he could obtain a breathful of time, he could once again turn the situation to what it had been just now. However, Lin Taoli had also been waiting for an opportunity to turn the tides since the beginning of the battle. Two figures, as if flying, started to flutter about in the whole arena like two butterflies.


    Although the scene didn¡¯t seem too extraordinary and it didn¡¯t left spectators stunned, the inconceivable speeds of the two nevertheless allowed spectators to take a measure of two¡¯s abilities- causing them to shudder inwardly.


    Xu Yinjie eventually sighed deeply and said, ¡°Right has already lost, would you please consider stopping, young master Lin?¡±


    Although his voice was quite downcast, it caused the eardrums of listeners to ache.


    Lin Taoli heartilyughed, firmed his feet on the ground before cupping his fists, ¡°You let me win.¡±


    Xu Right¡¯s whole face was a shade of deep red- unknown whether because of the loss or something rted to ze technique. He forced out a greeting in return, then jumped out of the arena without speaking a word.


    Lord Master Xu¡¯s expression was extremely vicious. The former indeed couldn¡¯t have win. Leaving the arena was much better than further disgracing himself.


    He Yiming, who had been watching the battle, was quite moved inwardly. He was extremely interested in this purely defensive Prostrate Imprint used by Lin Taoli.


    In his perception, this symbol would be ssified as an earth type technique. However, for some reason, this technique seemed as if it could be used with all sorts of Internal Energy while maintaining an exceedingly strong defensive power.


    He¡¯d never heard of such a technique before. If not for seeing today with his own eyes, he would never have thought of such a thing.


    ¡®So, leaving myself out of the picture, this world already has techniques that could allow people to employ distinct Internal Energies,¡¯


    After jumping down the arena, Xu Right followed people of Cheng family into the inner hall.


    After the desperate fight, his clothes and shoes were already somewhat in tatters, making him look rather pathetic. However, not a single individual dared tough or ridicule him.


    As for Lin Taoli, he stood smiling as ever on the stage. Not a single speck of dust could be seen on his clothes- as if the battle just now didn¡¯t cause any trouble to him whatsoever.


    Cheng Zhusheng lightly coughed and said, ¡°Young master Lin has indeed profoundly acquired Lin family¡¯s inheritance; we old man couldn¡¯t admire you more. Young master Lin, pleasee down and enjoy a few drinks with everybody.¡±


    Lin Taoli faintly smiled and nced at Xu Yinjie who seemed to be like a statue. Recalling that voice just now which had dropped like hammer on his ears, he knew that this man¡¯s cultivation was above his. As much guts as he possessed, he wasn¡¯t an idiot. He knew that he couldn¡¯t thoroughly provoke this old man of Xu family.


    Waving his hands, he was about to leave when he saw Cheng Yanjuan, on the principal seats, had already stood up. In a charming, twinkling voice, she said, ¡°My Lord husband, today is a rare opportunity, why don¡¯t you test sister¡¯s husband?¡±


    A faint astonishment flickered on Lin Taoli¡¯s body before immediately changing into a tacit smile. He lovingly nodded at Cheng Yanjuan and said, ¡°Ah¡­Brother, He Yitian, if you want to marry Yanjuan¡¯s sister, you must pass through me.¡±


    Originally, he wished to adress He Yitian directly by his name. However, he then realized that the former was about to marry Cheng Yanli. However, inwardly, he didn¡¯t put the young disciples of these small regions in his eyes at all.


    He Quanming¡¯s and rest¡¯splexion slightly changed. If this had happened before the fight of Lin Taoli and Xu Right, they still might have felt some hope for He Yitian. However, after seeing that ninthyer strength which even forced Xu Right to admit defeat- what could He Yitian do in front of it?


    Cheng Zhusheng faintly smiled and said, ¡°Yanjuan, what are you up to? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want your sister to get a good husband?¡±


    Cheng Yanjuan faintly smiled and said, ¡°Grandfather, I only have one sister. I can¡¯t let her suffer unjustly. Why don¡¯t you let brother-inw receive some pointers from my husband?¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng and the rest felt themselves at loss. He Quanming and He Quanyi, however, helplessly smiled. Cheng Yanjuan wasn¡¯t creating trouble at all, rather she wished to tell He family that her younger sister had a backer and couldn¡¯t be bullied in any possible way.


    However, asking Lin Taoli to personally act was no less than putting a fine timber to a petty use.


    He Yitian slowly stood up under numerous vision. Although he knew that he was no match for his opponent at all, acting as He family¡¯s grandson, he wouldn¡¯t back down from a challenge.


    However, before he could advance, a person shrouded his vision.


    ¡°Elder brother, today is the day of your wedding. Let your younger brother act on your behalf.¡±

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 76 - Essence Of Metal Type

    After a momentary silence, a strange atmosphere permeated throughout the main hall.


    Everybody could see that Lin Taoli¡¯s invitation to He Yitian didn¡¯t have any malice and was merely meant to demonstrate his support for Cheng family.


    If He Yitian had epted, although he wouldn¡¯t be a match for the former, no one would have looked down on him.


    After all, Lin Taoli had already defeated Xu family¡¯s fourth lord- an exceedingly high level expert.


    Not even the craziest of men would think that He Yitian had the slightest chance of victory.


    Therefore, in everybody¡¯s opinion, He Yitian would have suffered defeat, then the ceremony would have continued. This was the supposed route. Even if they had some faith in He Yiming, they didn¡¯t believe that he was a match for his enemy. Moreover, they didn¡¯t quite understand that why He Yiming, who usually behaved quite steadily, would behave in such a crude manner.


    ¡°Yiming, what are you doing,e back quickly.¡± He Quanming sternly said.


    He Yiming¡¯s brows faintly creased. The reason he¡¯d acted was not to create trouble, but because Lin Taoli¡¯s imprint had caught his interest. He¡¯d a strange feeling that if he could study that symbol up close, it would greatly assist him in producing that frightening strike without losing consciousness.


    This was merely his conjecture. However, once his thoughts took such a path, he couldn¡¯t repress his desire. Otherwise, it would only grow like weeds multiply after spring rain.


    Seeing He Yiming¡¯s disy, He Quanyi lightly coughed and said, ¡°Yiming, young master Lin merely wish to test Yitian. You are conting things,e back.¡±


    As He Yiming¡¯s father, He Quanming could naturally stern his tone as much he as he pleased. However, considering He Yiming¡¯s strength and position in the n, He Quanyi- his uncle¡¯s voice contained a faint consultative tone.


    A peculiar glint flickered in the eyes of Xu family and Cheng family¡¯s elders. He Quanyi¡¯s tone made one thing clear. This He Yiming¡¯s position in the He n was no small matter. At the very least, it was hardly any different than that of He Quanyi. This indeed was reason the two had wholeheartedly agreed on He Yiming sitting among the principal seats. It held no exaggaration at all.


    ¡°Ha ha, this truly is a problem,¡° On the stage, Lin Taoliughed, ¡°Little brother He, since you wish toe, thene¡­let¡¯s y¡±


    If any other person had acted as such, Lin Taoli perhaps would have felt some discontentment. However, facing a fifteen year old seventhyer peak cultivator, he felt some curiosity as well.


    He Yiming¡¯s face immediately revealed a joyful expression. Inwardly, he was itching to exchange moves with his opponent and study that Prostrate Imprint up close. To aplish his objective, he felt so urged that he was willing to pay almost any price.


    He felt an indescribable certainty that this sort of art wasn¡¯t limited to this move only, and this art would only bloom fully in his hands.


    At this moment, the frantic desire of exploring martial daos hidden in He Yiming¡¯s heart had been aroused.


    His figure faintly moved two times before arriving at the edge of the arena. Subsequently, slightly stamping his feet, he immediately jumped inside.


    These movements were not quick at all, but seemed as natural and graceful as flowing water- emanating a pleasant aura.


    ¡°All right..¡±


    Thunderous cheers echoed from the distant crowd.


    He Yiming¡¯s fame had thoroughly spread in the whole Tai Cang county. Not a single individual in the county had not heard his name.


    Last year, at the arena in the streets, when he¡¯d sent Xu Yucai flying with a single punch, his fame had already outstripped He Yitian¡¯s, and he¡¯d been crowned as the number one expert among young generation of thebined three influential families. Although nobody felt he would be able to match Lin Taoli, his presence on stage still attracted countless apuds.


    Perhaps, somewhere in their hearts, they also hoped that He Yiming would be able to defeat this external person.


    On the stage, Lin Taoli¡¯s hands were ced behind him as he calmy looked at He Yiming. In his eyes, although this youngster was good, it was only good, nothing more. However, after running into such a genius at such a ce, he felt no harm in testing thetter. If thetter truly possessed future prospects, he could represent his n to recruit him.


    With Jadeting region¡¯s Lin family¡¯s fame, these small ns ought to be overwhelmed by the favor, no?


    After entering the arena, He Yiming deeply bowed to Lin Taoli and resolutely said, ¡°Young master Lin, please instruct me.¡±


    The words he said werepletely sincere, but only he knew what he meant, ¡®Please take out your imprint, so I can learn it.¡±


    Lin Taoli felt quite pleased with He Yiming¡¯s ttering attitude. However, if could have heard He Yiming¡¯s inwardly spoken words, he would surely have an immediate fall out with thetter.


    After bowing, He Yiming immediately straightened as his vison sharpened and body began to emantate a sort of acute aura- an aura like that of a sword which had undergone through countless grindings.


    He naturally didn¡¯t bring out either ze technique or Withered Tree technique. If he were to truly employ these techniques under the eyes of everybody, he couldn¡¯t even imagine what sort of cmity he would incur on himself. At that time, not only Xu family would be his archenemy, even Cheng family would have to reconsider their marriage arrangements with He family.


    However, currently, even if he used Primordial Energy, his strength was not inferior to anybody present.


    After perceiving He Yiming¡¯s aura, Lin Taoli¡¯s rxed appearance altered, and traces of graveness appeared on his face.


    He Yiming¡¯s figure suddenly moved. His one hand stretched forward, thumb closed in, and four fingers stuck together like a knife as his figure shot towards his opponent.


    This was not a battle skill. This was an attack constituted purely of Internal Energy. With He Yiming¡¯s perfect control over Internal Energy, it did not cross seventhyer¡¯s peak.


    Although it was not some battle skill, it brought astonished expressions on the faces of spectators


    Body like shaft and fingers as a spearhead bolting forward- his figure emanated an intense unstoppable aura.


    This aura permeated his surrounding, and his determination leaked out of this aura.


    Regardless of whoever it was, an expert like Xu Yinjie or these ordinary people who had never cultivated Internal Energy, everybody seemed to have been influenced by it.


    At this moment, in the eyes of spectators, He Yiming seemed to have disappeared, and what reced him was a¡­¡­¡­spear. An awe-inspiring spear capable of toppling heavens and earth.


    Lin Taoli¡¯splexion eventually changed, ¡®This aura¡­.it¡¯s actually this aura¡­.¡±


    His both fists intertwined, and a bizarre transformation urred at his two palms. The mysterious battle skill he¡¯d used to resist the ze technique had been brought out instantaneously.


    Although He Yiming was only using peak seventhyer Internal Energy, the fist carrying his strike had instantaneously exploded with strongest offensive power of a metal type technique.


    In the five phases, the power of metal type techniques was already unmatched. It could pierce anything.


    Strong experts of metal type techniques were imed to be the first under heavens in terms of offensive power. Since the ancient times, once a metal type cultivator stepped on battlefield, he would immediately be a paragon. Regardless of how thick enemy ranks could form, resisting the impact of metal type force was impossible.


    In the arrangement of troops, the position of the cone¡¯s tip always belonged to metal-type cultivators.


    If He Yiming had used some sort of battle skill and brought such an aura, Lin Taoli and the rest wouldn¡¯t have been so shocked. However, the problem was that He Yiming hadn¡¯t even prepared before he casually struck out with his palm and exhibited the fundamental essence of the metal type power.


    Such a feat- not to mention the Tai Cang county, even while considering the whole Jadeting region in the picture, one might not find another such instance.


    Capable of disying the fundamental characteristics of a certain type of force meant that the cultivator had already thoroughly understood the fundamental essence of that type of force. For this person, it could even be said that this force contained no secrets, and cultivating in this force would yield him twice the effects in half the efforts.


    Just relying on this one palm strike, He Yiming had established himself as a genius of metal type cultivation.


    With a soft rumble, the two individual¡¯s palms, without disying any fanciness, directly collided with each other.


    He Yiming¡¯s palm, which seemed as if it could through any mountain, was roughly obstructed by the Prostrate Imprint.


    This extremelyplex hand seal seemed to be containing a miraculous strength.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes shined. Although his strike had been blocked by the imprint, his Internal Energy had already entered the imprint and was exploring the marvels inside.


    Lin Taoli felt that the opponent¡¯s fist energy was somewhat strange. However, unfortunately, even if he killed his opponent, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find out what He Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy was up to.


    By the means of momentary contact, exploring the marvels of counterpart¡¯s Internal Energy cirction- a feat such as this, not to mention nobody present had ever heard it before, it couldn¡¯t even be imagined.


    However, this moment, relying on the momentary contact between his thrust and imprint, He Yiming had gained a rough idea ofplicated transformations within.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 77 - stealth Study

    The two Internal Energies momentarily touched and separated before He Yiming jumped and shot backward. However, as soon as his feetnded on the ground, he pounced at Lin Taoli again.


    However, being on guard this time, Lin Taoli would obviously not hold his position like an idiot.


    His feet moved rapidly as he moved about the ten-meter wide arena in a bizarre manner.


    He Yiming¡¯s metal type technique seemed quite strong since he¡¯d understood the true essence of this technique. However, regardless of how strong of an attack he could bring out, it would be useless if he couldn¡¯tnd a hit.


    He Yiming was not anxious. He withdrew his palm- Internal Energy contained but also being constantly employed.


    He then started to rain down Rolling Boulder Fists- the fist technique he felt most familiar with.


    Outside the arena, He Quanming and He Quanyi exchanged a nce with astonished and joyful expressions.


    Although they had been optimistic about He Yiming, they never thought that this child¡¯s talent was far beyond what they had imagined.


    The essence of metal type that emerged with that one palm strike, as if a gigantic boulder, crashed into their heart-river, giving rise to billowing waves.


    They involuntarily swept their vision through surroundings, taking in others¡¯ shocked, envious, and even danger-implicative expressions in their eyes. They were already eager to narrate He Yiming¡¯s disy to the Lord Master who would probably be even more excited than them.


    Rumble¡­.


    Following the increase of He Yiming¡¯s fist technique¡¯s might, both side¡¯s movements were bing increasingly dangerous. However, nobody knew why they both still seemed at ease under such circumstances. They didn¡¯t seem to be engaged in a life-threatening battle at all, instead seemed as if taking a casual walk in a garden.


    These two had already attained a frightening control over their strength, not one bit of which was being squandered.


    Suddenly, Xu Yinjie¡¯s eyes suddenly snapped open with a momentary glint flickering in them, ¡°Nephew He Quanming,¡±


    He Quanming faintly started and immediately turned his head, docilely saying ¡°At yourmand, Senior Xu¡±


    Unless Xu and He family decided to shred all the pretense and turn against each other brazenly, their rtions would always remain in a peaceful order. Therefore, upon hearing Lord Master Xu¡¯s call, He Quanming had so deliberately paid attention to courtesy.


    ¡°He family is indeed a family that produces geniuses. After He Yitian, another individual has turned out to be dragon among men, it¡¯s praiseworthy indeed.¡±


    He Quanming waved his hands and said, ¡°Many thanks for your praise, Sir, but Yiming, this child, has merely achieved some sess, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Xu Yinjie faintly shook his head and said, ¡°I only wish to know whether your son has already attained the eighthyer?


    As soon as these words were uttered, everybody¡¯s ears erected. Even He Quanyi was no exception.


    Battling Lin Taoli, He Yiming had not only not shown any weaknesses, he¡¯d even turned the tables and gained an advantage.


    Although people knew that Lin Taoli had not aroused his Internal Energy to the ninthyer, even this much of a feat caused people to feel an endless shock. This had caused many to think whether his cultivation was actually at, as per rumors, seventhyer¡¯s peak or not.


    Of course, people were merely skeptical. Because nobody seemed to believe that a fifteen-year-old youngster could cultivate to the eightyer.


    He Quanming waited for a few moments while looking at the fight in the arena which was bing increasingly intense. He suddenly realized that even if he wished to conceal this matter, it would be out for the disy of everyone at any passing moment.


    Heavily nodding towards Lord Master Xu, He Quanming proudly announced, ¡°Senior Xu, Yiming is indeed a bit of genius. Half a year ago, he broke past the bottleneck of the seventhyer and attained the eighthyer.¡±


    Although his voice was not loud, in the ears of people present in the main hall, his sound was akin a thunderp- almost crushing their beliefs in entirety.


    Especially the few members of Xu family¡¯s young generation. They looked at each other; their eyes nk.


    He Yitain¡¯s seventhyer Internal Energy was already pushing down on their hearts like a mountain, making them feel discouraged to even try and surpass the former. Now knowing that He Yiming, a fifteen-year-old youngster had the cultivation of eightyer since half a year ago, they could only see their futurepletely dull and devoid of any light.


    Lord Master Cheng and other members of Cheng family also exchanged a nce; the shock and awe in their eyes quite evident. This moment, they felt d that they had decided to establish marital rtionship with He family.


    At this moment, everybody understood that a super genius lurked in He family. Once this genius matured, he could easily transform the three-influential-families phase of Tai Cang county.


    This would be even more significant if this genius could advance into the Xiantian realm.


    Cheng Shine¡¯s eyeballs swirled- already thinking of a scheme to find a suitable female in Cheng family¡¯s young generation. If he could establish ties of marriage with He Yiming as well, Cheng family¡¯s position would be iron-d in future. However, the next moment, his brows faintly creased. Firstly, Cheng family didn¡¯t have a female of suitable age. More importantly, going by He Yiming¡¯s age and cultivation, he himself found it hard to imagine that He Quaming would agree to He Yiming¡¯s marriage so easily.


    However, the thoughts of people had no effect on the battle going on the stage.


    With He Yiming¡¯s punches, Rolling Boulder Fist¡¯s might wasing out bit by bit. This technique¡¯s important feature was that it allowed one to continuously umte strength. As long as one¡¯s Internal Energy could support, the might would continue to build up and smash apart anyone in its path.


    Not only this, as He Yiming battled, he seemed to have an innately sharp sense of every transformation urring on the battlefield. Every time Lin Taoli¡¯s technique showed a weakness, thetter would be met with a ferocious attack and had already been forced to use that mysterious imprint skill several times.


    Constantly brushing against this technique, He Yiming had already formed a general understanding of this technique.


    He was almost certain that this technique was not limited to this one form. However, he didn¡¯t know why Lin Taoli would only use this one form again and again.


    He didn¡¯t know whether thetter had only been able toprehend this one form or disdained to use other forms against him. However, this one form was already sufficient to offset the might that was being constantly umted by He Yiming¡¯s Rolling Boulder Fist.


    Every time he brushed with this imprint, his understanding would increase by a bit and be more profound. Like a trained chef- when he tastes a rare dish, he will silently ponder how the dish was made. The more times he eats that dish, the more his understanding will increase.


    Although He Yiming¡¯s strikes were bing increasingly rapid, inwardly, he was feeling more and more refreshed. Furthermore, he also knew that he would only obtain this one opportunity to study this imprint openly, without tricks. Therefore, his strikes were bing increasinglypact, not giving his opponent any chance to break free.


    Lin Taoli was bing increasingly anxious. So far, he¡¯d not managed to take the initiative to strike a single time.


    When was battling against Xu Right before, although former¡¯s ze technique seemed incredibly magnificent, under his water type technique, he could easily defend and easily retreat.


    However, under this Rolling Boulder Fist- a technique much inferior to ze technique, he¡¯d to painstakingly defend, and he wasn¡¯t able to retreat at all. He felt rather helpless.


    He realized that relying on the seventhyer¡¯s realm, he wouldn¡¯t be able to break free.


    His face turned faintly red. Although he didn¡¯t wish to thoroughly suppress his opponent, if the situation continued to progress in this manner, he would only lose more face.


    He suddenly shouted, and his aura immediately exploded out.


    With the promotion of Internal Energy, his acting potential increased by several folds. Simply speaking, his strength increased, speed quickened, reactions became nimbler, and bones turned as solid as steel. He was not a human anymore.


    Suddenly, with the backing of eighthyer technique, even a water type technique seemed to have be awe-inspiring. After being suppressed for so long, Lin Taoli suddenly seemed like a dragon that hade to life.


    However, this feeling only remained for a few moments beforepletely disappearing.


    Because he suddenly discovered that along with his technique¡¯s upgrade, He Yiming¡¯s Rolling Boulder Fist also seemed to have received a corresponding upgrade.


    This upgrade seemed quite lukewarm. It didn¡¯t create some heaven-shattering disturbance, but this lukewarm upgrade was yet enough to suppress him again.


    Eighthyer. He suddenly realized that this had to be eighthyer¡¯s strength.


    His eyes knitted. This fifteen years old youngster- he is actually not at the seventhyer¡¯s peak but an expert of the eighthyer.


    Suddenly, he felt a huge rolling boulder rolling about near him, emanating an unbreakable, imprable, and immovable feeling.


    Such a feeling of restricting one¡¯s opponent was usually enjoyed by water type cultivators. However, this moment, it was being perfectly demonstrated by a metal type genius.


    Suddenly, his heart pumped out a bitter feeling. In Lin family, he was admired as a genius. However, today, he discovered that this insignificant Tai Cang county sheltered a genius who was not one bit inferior to him.

 Chapter Book 1 - What Is A Genius - 78 - What Is A Genius

    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    A shout suddenly escaped from Lin Taoli¡¯s mouth. At the same time, his hands again formed that same imprable imprint.


    He Yiming¡¯s expression slightly faltered. However, he didn¡¯t stop his fist immediately, and instead, let it gently brush against the imprint- feeling the subtle transformations urring within due to the contact of the two distinct Internal Energies. He then pulled his fist back while retreating.


    After steadying himself, he threw a skeptical nce at Lin Taoli. However, inwardly, he wished nothing more than to escape somewhere in solitude and digest his gains.


    He wondered what bizarre transformation this technique would produce when used with his four different types of primary techniques.


    Of course, in front of Lin Taoli and even the rest of these people, he couldn¡¯t use this technique. If they were to found out that he¡¯d actually schemed to secretly study former¡¯s imprint, even if they would be scared to death, they would first kill him in the name of devil.


    Lin Taoli also retreated a few steps. Looking at He Yiming with a grave expression, he said, ¡°Brother He, just now during the feast, Lord Master Cheng- while making introductions- said that you are the number one expert in Tai Cang county¡¯s young generation- the biggest this county has seen in the past century. I didn¡¯t care about it much then, but now, I know¡­.¡± He paused, his face revealing a bitter smile, ¡°I admit that I looked down on you.¡±


    A faint red color appeared on He Yiming¡¯s face. Although he¡¯d already be habitual of being under countless gazes, this was the first time he¡¯d received such praise on the stage in front of everybody.


    He thought for a bit. Not finding any appropriate words to reply with, he could only bow and say, ¡°Young master Lin, you praise me too much.¡±


    Lin Taoli faintly shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never praised someone in vain. However, I¡¯m convinced that you will definitely count among the top geniuses of our Jadeting region.¡±


    The people in the main hall had already been aware of He Yiming¡¯s hidden strength. A fifteen -year-old, eighthyer cultivator who had excelled the metal type techniques¡¯ essence- this evaluation from Lin Taoli was not out of their expectations. If even such an expert couldn¡¯t obtain such an evaluation, wouldn¡¯t the rest of cultivators be same as trash?


    However, this was the beginning of astonishment for the ordinary people who were distantly watching the battle.


    In the minds of these people, although He family¡¯s sixth young master was quite formidable being the number one young expert of Tai Cang county, when did he be a Jadeting region¡¯s genius as well? This had indeed exceeded the scope of their understanding.


    For a moment,plete silence reigned over the arena. Not even whispers flew around.


    He Yiming bitterly smiled, then looked at his old man outside while thinking how to deal with such a situation.


    Apparently, father and son understood each other as He Quanming, after seeing his son looking at him, loudly said, ¡°Yiming, young master Lin has just given you pointers, you are still not thinking young master Lin?¡±


    He Yiming delightedly bowed towards thetter and said, ¡°Many thanks, young master Lin.¡±


    After fighting with Lin Taoli, he¡¯d more or less understood the imprint. Although he was not confident in reconstructing it perfectly, it would still bring an enormous benefit to his cultivation. This moment, Lin Taoli had truly turned into a great man for him.


    Lin Taoli faintly smiled and lightly waved, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Brother He, do you know why I suddenly asked to stop?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t imagine.¡±


    Lin Taoli¡¯s smile started to disappear as he said, ¡°Your metal type Rolling Boulder Fist has already been cultivated to peak. This technique is already at its maximum might. Ordinary battle skills no longer contains any value for you. However, even for me, breaking your battle skill is in no way, easy,¡± He paused for a bit, and his face started to be solemn, ¡°However, I have cultivated a battle skill which contains an extremely strange might. Once I use it, even I wouldn¡¯t be able to perfectly control its might,¡±


    Although his words were quite haughty and faintly implied that the fear to act was the reason he¡¯d asked to stop, nobody present doubted him at all.


    Instead, if the young master of Lin family didn¡¯t have a frightening battle skill with him, that would have felt suspicious.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes suddenly shined. He cried out in surprise, ¡°Ah¡­ Young master Lin, you say battle skill¡­.but just now you used this¡­¡± He patted his hair, then extended both his arms, forming an imprint. Under his meticulous care, this imprint only revealed eighty percent simrity to the original in appearance. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t imbued with Internal Energy at all. It was just a prototype that shared a simr appearance with the original.


    Astonishment flickered in Lin Taoli¡¯s eyes. Although the defensive power of this imprint was unparalleled, the difficulty of actually learning it was too much- so much so that the in the entire Lin family, those who had managed to learn it could be counted on fingers. He never expected that the youngster in front his eyes could form a prototype of it by just touching it a few times.


    Although this prototype seemedughable in his eyes, just this much perceptive power was enviable in itself.


    Faintly nodding, Lin Taoli profoundly said, ¡°This technique is called Prostrate Imprint- a defense type battle skill of our Lin family. But if I wish to break your Rolling Boulder Fist, I need to use a different sort of imprint technique.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s heart suddenly jumped intensely before immediately pouring out joy. Originally, he thought that being able to study one type of imprint was already an excellent fortune, but he never imagined that he would be able to study another type of imprint too.


    His heart, which had just calmed down, began to throb again.


    He wouldn¡¯t obtain such an opportunity again.


    His vision sharpened as he suddenly bowed and said, ¡°Young master, please excuse my rudeness, but I wonder if I can experience this imprint¡­¡±


    After saying these words, he lifted his head and solemnly looked at Lin Taoli.


    ¡°Yiming, don¡¯t create trouble.¡± Outside the arena, He Quanming¡¯s back broke out in cold sweat.


    The counterpart had already said that he wouldn¡¯t be able to control his technique, which implied high chances of injury. Even under such circumstances, He Yiming had taken the initiative to continue- wasn¡¯t this simply following the path of one¡¯s own doom? Even if he were to be beheaded on the spot, he would have no one but himself to me.


    He Yiming didn¡¯t falter in the slightest as he continued to calmly observe the counterpart. However, his mouth opened, ¡°Father, this is a rare opportunity. Son cannot give up¡­¡±


    Lin Taoli¡¯s brows slightly creased. He first thought that He Yiming didn¡¯t trust his words, believing him to be boasting, and had thus issued this challenge. However, looking at the current expression of He Yiming, he slightly started.


    This was an extremely clear expression. In thetter¡¯s two profound eyes, nothing except longing could be seen. This sort of expression¡­he¡¯d seen it before and had a profound impression of it.


    His principal wife had given birth to his child before, and he loved thetter dearly. He clearly remembered the expression with which his child would look at him to express his desire to eat. It seemed the same as He Yiming¡¯s, except for the former, it would be apanied with a loud weeping.


    Gradually, a faint and gentle smile appeared on Lin Taoli¡¯s face.


    ¡°Uh¡­whatever, I guess I will help you, ¡° Lin Taoli said in a clear voice, ¡°However, you have to be careful. If you suffer a serious injury, you can¡¯t me me for going too hard.¡±


    He Yiming excitedly nodded his head. From his appearance, one could easily refrain from believing that these two were actually talking about going to battle.


    Lin Taoli slowly stretched out his two hands and warped them around each other.


    This time, the warping of the two arms seemed starkly different from that of before. If one were to say that the transformation before seemed like an imprable existence like the earth itself, this time, it seemed a bizarre and mysterious one- shrouded in mist.


    He Yiming¡¯s gaze turned sharp as hemitted every moment and every detail performed by his opponent in his memory. However, he also knew that this merely made this imprint¡¯s cover. If he truly wished to get his hands on its essence andprehend the transformation, he must personally test this imprint¡¯s ferociousness.


    Even if this meant unpredictable dangers, it was unavoidable.


    He had felt an extremely dangerous feelinging from the seal the moment it formed. He could clearly tell that Lin Taoli¡¯s words were not exaggerated at all.


    Lin Taoli nced at He Yiming as his aura soared.


    Eightyer, eightyer¡¯s peak, however, he still didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of stopping.


    It was not that he didn¡¯t wish to stop, rather he¡¯d notpletely mastered this imprint¡¯s power. Once it was unleashed, it would automatically arouse all of his Internal Energy.


    Although it couldn¡¯t possibly imitate He Yiming¡¯s stunning strike at that time, where all oftter¡¯s Internal Energy had been consumed to thest bit, one could still see the ferocity of ninthyer Internal Energy.


    Of course, inwardly, Lin Taoli had already decided that he would point his strike a bit off-target since the ssh itself would be able to deal with the opponent.


    However, he once again found himself to be astonished. Even though his Internal Energy had attained the ninthyer, in terms of aura, he had not suppressed his opponent in the slightest.


    This fifteen-year-old youngster, He Yiming, as if a gigantic rock in a river, didn¡¯t even budge in front of his aura.


    Right at this moment, even Xu Yinjie couldn¡¯t help but stand up in astonishment.


    The most important details that one needed to attend to at all times in order to train in Withered Tree technique- which was one¡¯s heart must be of wood- had been tossed far away at this moment.


    ¡°Ninthyer, it¡¯s actually ninthyer¡­¡±


    The almost inaudible mumbles of the old man fell with extremely rity in the ears of those around him.


    He Quanming¡¯s eyes wide opened before his lips started to tremble, ¡®Yiming¡¯s cultivation isn¡¯t at the eightyer, but the ninthyer¡­.¡±


    This¡­.


    As of now, this very instant, a single thought upied everybody¡¯s mind.


    What is a genius?


    (End of Book 1)

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 1 - Xiantian Imprint

    The sun had yet to shine brightly but the dust in the arena had already started to glow brilliantly. The air seemed to be boiling. The two experts had yet to exchange a move but their aura had already started to create a boundless suppression.


    Outside the arena, not a whimper could be heard. Every single person had been affected by this suppression, feeling as if the slightest of carelessness on their part might disturb the two extraordinary individuals on the stage.


    Xu family¡¯s fourth lord, Xu Right, had his fists tightly clenched. His facial appearance looked different than the rest. Amidst the astonishment and fury, he found himself at a bit of loss.


    Last year, after ascending to the ninthyer, he hadn¡¯t been putting anyone into his eyes throughout the entire county except for a few.


    However, at this moment, as he looked at the two individuals on the stage, especially Lin Taoli- from the body of whom he could feel an aura which was even a notch above that of ze technique, he felt a chill in his heart. When he¡¯d fought with Lin Taoli, thetter hadn¡¯t used his entire strength at all.


    If Lin Taoli had revealed this bizarre imprint technique from the beginning, how long he could have survived?


    His vision then shifted onto the individual standing before Lin Taoli.


    His mouth suddenly felt bitter, extremely bitter¡­


    Fifteen years old, ninthyer expert¡­¡­how the hell has this guy actually cultivated?


    At this moment, a thought appeared in his mind. Perhaps, it would have been better if the second brother has killed this guy a year ago in the mountain forest. If this guy is allowed a few more years, what state would this guy end up maturing to?


    In the future Tai Cang county, could Xu family maintain their existence?


    Perhaps¡­


    A frightening idea came in his mind. Perhaps one day, this child might even surpass the ancestor¡­.


    If that day truly came, even he wouldn¡¯t dare say for sure that Xu castle could stand firm.


    Momentarily, faint killing intent flickered in his eyes. His eyes swept through the surrounding people. Apart from the members of He family, he could see varying sorts of terrified expressions on every face.


    Although He family¡¯s fame would spread far and wide, they would also be doomed to suffer people¡¯s envy.


    On the stage, Lin Taoli¡¯s sound could be heard- soft, gentle, and seemingly without any base behind it, ¡°Comes without a trace, leaves shadowless- the Illusory Rain Cloud imprint. Brother He, be careful.¡±


    Until now, he¡¯d addressed He Yiming as ¡®little brother¡¯. However, when his Internal Energy had attained the ninthyer and thetter still stood motionlessly, he realized that this individual¡¯s Internal Energy cultivation was not below his at all.


    At this moment, the feeling of contempt hadpletely disappeared from his heart, and the way he felt about He Yiming had also undergone a subtle transformation. Addressing He Yiming as brother was the same as recognizing thetter as his equal.


    He Yiming brightly said, ¡°Young master Lin, please.¡±


    His voice brimmed with anticipation as if he couldn¡¯t wait any longer to face this strike. However, at this moment, not a single spectator felt him being arrogant.


    Lin Tao¡¯s fingers slightly crooked, then his right forefinger slightly jerked.


    He Yiming faintly started, what sort of battle skill is this? As he felt skeptical inwardly, his chest suddenly tensed before both of his fists clutched the section between his chest and stomach.


    His palms had not truly touched his body, rather had brushed against an extremely strange energy.


    His expression immediately transformed as he realized that this was actually the Internal Energy that had left cultivator¡¯s body and was hardly any different than hidden weapons.


    An inconceivable idea emerged in his mind. Subsequently, his two eyes closed in on Lin Taoli¡¯s two palms which formed that bizarre imprint.


    Generally, regardless of how strong one¡¯s Internal Energy became, it couldn¡¯t leave cultivator¡¯s body and exist independently.


    He¡¯d personally tested this fact out many times. Not to mention, Lin Taoli¡¯s ninthyer Internal Energy, even his own tenthyer Internal Energy couldn¡¯t exist independent of his body.


    However, through countless years of development, humans had developed all sorts of mystical arts.


    Legends mentioned a secret art named Air Cleaving Palm, which could allow Internal Energy to leave the body and remain condensed for a short term of time to attack the enemy.


    Of course, the difficulty of cultivating such a palm technique must have been inconceivably high. Reportedly, since the creation of this technique, only a handful of people had managed to sessfully cultivate it. Moreover, this was only a legend. He Yiming had never seen it before.


    Today the situation before his eyes was quite simr to the strange technique of this legend.


    His thoughts suddenly turned in another direction as he suddenly recalled the words Lin Taoli had just said,


    Rain Cloud Imprint-es without trace, leaves shadowless, and Illusionary. It is indeed as such!


    With a soft shout, his two fists began to dance again as an equally formidable aura exploded from his body.


    A moment ago, he¡¯d just realized that defending against such a technique was simply impossible. Nobody could defend against an attack which could strike without a trace.


    Since defending wouldn¡¯t be of any use, he might as well try to break this attack by force.


    Relentless fists, carrying intense fist winds and sounds, swarmed at his opponent. At his moment, He Yiming¡¯s surroundings had beenpletely shrouded in fist images. His fist technique was being disyed at full power- Rolling Boulder Fist¡¯s ninthyerpletely unleashed.


    If it had been someone other than Lin Taoli, like Xu Right and Cheng Zhusheng who were cultivators of the ninthyer as well, they would have no choice but to reveal their hidden cards and immediately break He Yiming¡¯s Rolling Boulder Fist. Otherwise, if they were to allow He Yiming¡¯s Rolling Boulder Fist to develop its peak momentum, in the absence of a technique simr to Lin Taoli¡¯s strange imprint, they would be immediately defeated and even injured.


    However, on the stage, Lin Taoli seemedpletely unfazed. His feet seemed steady despite the fact that he was nimbly moving on the stage- like drifting clouds.


    Although his movements avoided direct confrontation with He Yiming¡¯s Boulder Fist, to other people, he seemed not to be evading¡­.but attacking with an unorthodox style.


    Lin Taoli would slightly bend his finger, then jerk it, and He Yiming¡¯s figure would faintly pause. Although this pause would be extremely minute such that ordinary people had no way of seeing, the people seating in the main hall were no ordinary people. They had seen all sorts of things in life. Just after a few moments, they had already grasped the core of the fight.


    Whenever Lin Taoli¡¯s fingers, which were constituting the imprint, faintly trembled, He Yiming would recoil as if he¡¯d been struck by a lightning. Their actual confrontation was not what it seemed to be. They were confronting while moving through the entire arena, and due to this, it seemed as if He Yiming was crazily attacking Lin Taoli.


    In reality, regardless of how fierce Rolling Boulder Fist became, it had been strictly controlled by the counterpart from the very beginning.


    The people looked at each other¡¯s faces. What kind of technique was this? It contained such a gigantic might, and more importantly, neither could one resist it, or even evade it.


    However, how could others experience the bittersweet feelings He Yiming was going through at this moment.


    Rain Cloud imprint indeed was an inconceivably secret art which could allow one¡¯s Internal Energy to materialize outside one¡¯s body for a short duration.


    Furthermore, from this technique, He Yiming could faintly perceive an extremely familiar feeling- the same one when he cultivated [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms]. This helped him to ensure that this technique of Lin Taoli belonged to the extremely rare type Xiantian battle skills.


    However, now that he thought about it again, apart from Xiantian techniques, no technique should be able to let one¡¯s Internal Energy leave body while maintaining its offensive power.


    Although He Yiming¡¯s fists seemed quite majestic, he didn¡¯t darepletely rely on it.


    Once Internal Energy left the body, it would immediately dissipate. However, Rain Cloud imprint could actually condense Internal Energy to quite a high degree. Only then could it inflict injury directly through air. The strike through the air was although quite formidable, it merely caused him some pain. However, to directly collide with the imprint- He Yiming didn¡¯t dare even imagine the might it contained.


    He felt perhaps his entire being would be sted off the stage.


    His body suddenly shuddered as he suffered yet another crafty strike at the section of his body between his waist and abdomen.


    Although he was trying his best, against a battle skill which attacked without any warning, it was simply impossible to defend. If not for his special body, he would have long ago ceased to stand.


    However, after suffering for so long, his harvests also weren¡¯t low. Every time he suffered, his understanding regarding this technique would increase a little. Although it couldn¡¯tpare to Prostate imprint, which he¡¯d been able to study up close by exploring the Internal Energy cirction routes, he¡¯d still managed to obtain a subtle feel of it, and he was still exploring it.


    Perhaps this was the so-called simultaneous pain and joy.


    Lin Taoli let out a long sigh. Regarding He Yiming¡¯s endurance, he already wished to prostrate himself in admiration. If he¡¯d been in ce of He Yiming, he couldn¡¯t imagine himself this lively after enduring so many hits of such a bizarre attack.


    However, he himself wouldn¡¯t able to hold out much longer.


    Rain Cloud imprint couldn¡¯t be used by a ninthyer cultivator for a long duration. Therefore, even he couldn¡¯t go on for much longer.


    With a long hiss, Lin Taoli suddenly stood still. The seal formed by his hands had not changed as he said in an exceedingly grave voice, ¡°Brother He, this is my final strike. If you can withstand it, it will be your win. If you can¡¯t, please retreat to back no matter what, this Lin promises to not chase after you.¡±


    After saying, he slowly lifted his two hands which were forming the imprint.


    His hand emitted a bizarre energy, causing his two hands to glow with an indescribable charm, attracting everybody¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Xiantian battle skill¡­.¡±


    Lord Master Xu¡¯s face faintly twitched as he muttered in a low voice.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 2 - Xiantian Face Off

    As Xu Yinjie¡¯s words echoed, the faces of each and every one of those who understood the meaning of these wordspletely transformed.


    Lin family indeed belonged to one of the few major ns of the Jadeting region. Even the rare Xiantian techniques did not lie out of their reach. Xu Right could tell that the moment this move made its appearance, within the same rank, the cultivator would be unrivaled.


    He Quanming and other He family members¡¯ faces trembled several times before the former loudly shouted, ¡°Yiming, quickly retreat!¡±


    ¡°Yiming, be careful!¡± He Quanyi warned as well.


    Although his voice was extremely loud, he didn¡¯t dare enter the arena. He knew the might of a Xiantian battle skill.


    When He Yiming was at the seventhyer, he¡¯d already sent He Quanming flying as if thetter was made of rubber. As such, in the hands of a ninthyer cultivator, one could only imagine the might of a Xiantian battle skill.


    Although, he knew He Yiming also had a Xiantian skill in his hands, at this moment, he didn¡¯t wish to see He Yiming in a direct confrontation against the Lin Taoli- he didn¡¯t wish for it at all.


    Furthermore, he¡¯d one more misgiving. If He Yiming were to suddenly burst forth with that heaven-shattering strike which he¡¯d used against the gold-crowned python, nobody could say for sure that Lin Taoli would be able to withstand it, and if thetter were to be killed as a result, the entire He family would have to pay the price.


    This moment, He Yiming¡¯s eyes slightly sharpened as his mind entered an exceedingly subtle state.


    His opponent¡¯s imprint didn¡¯t seem to have undergone much of a change, but he felt as if he had no chance of withstanding this strike. Furthermore, he discovered that he wouldn¡¯t likely be able to dodge it either. He felt as if his opponent¡¯s imprint itself had formed a perimeter around him,pletely cutting off all of his escape routes.


    Perhaps, only his opponent¡¯s words, which were to retreat backwards, was his only alternative.


    He heard his father and uncle¡¯s anxious shouts.


    He didn¡¯t hear it too clearly since his entire focus was on the imprint. He felt as if his eyes could see through any transformation.


    At this moment, he seemed to have seen through the Internal Energy cirction flow of the Rain Cloud imprint. He seemed to have understood a little about the cause of Rain Cloud imprint¡¯s inconceivably mystical might.


    In his eyes, the surroundings of his opponent¡¯s body seemed to contain traces of Internal Energy flow.


    When this Xiantian battle skill erupted with full power, it produced a frightening might but also gave him an opportunity to understand it more clearly.


    As a result, at this moment, his mind had immersed in this state- unable to revert back.


    Suddenly, a deafening roar sounded, dragging him out of this mystical realm a little bit.


    Amidst indistinctness, he decided this ought to be his father¡¯s voice, ¡®But what is father saying? Why is his voice so urgent and anxious?¡¯


    He faintly started. As he was about to turn his head and take a look, his vision suddenly fell on Lin Taoli¡¯s two hands.


    Subsequently, he heard his uncle¡¯s shout,


    ¡°Yiming, be careful.¡±


    Ah¡­they were actually warning me!


    As a warm feeling spread in his insides, the desire of victory which he¡¯d been suppressing all along exploded out.


    Determination permeated He Yiming¡¯s vision. Since father and uncle are this concerned, I can¡¯t let them despair¡­.


    He Yiming, who was about to retreat, suddenly changed his mind.


    He stepped forward. This step seemed like a provocation to Lin Taoli¡¯s world-shattering aura that approached him.


    Subsequently, his two hands rose up in air.


    [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] tenth form.


    An immensely powerful aura, as if an erupting volcano, exploded out from his body.


    At this moment, as his body erupted with power, his figure, which looked somewhat petite, seemed to have erged. From his body, crackling of bones echoed as if beans popping in fire.


    He Yiming, having cultivated the Bone Transformation technique, seemed to have already attained a profound level regarding the bones of his body. He¡¯d discovered that while employing [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms], erging his body brought additional benefits to this particr form.


    Therefore when he decided to bring glory to his n, he didn¡¯t hesitate to add this move as well.


    In any case, the might of [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms] was already so strong that even if people discovered this change, they would only think that it was rted to the Xiantian battle skill. They wouldn¡¯t be able to think in any another direction at all.


    Under the sunlight, his two raised hands seemed to be shining with a metal like luster. The ebuting aura- permeated with a heroic yet savage, barbaric vour- emanating from his body seemed as if his body contained a might that could kill gods and devour buddhas. Facing Lin Taoli¡¯s imprint, it didn¡¯t seem one bit inferior.


    At this moment, not a sound escaped in the main hall.


    It seemed as if only two individuals resided under the heavens.


    Two different Xiantian battle skills had appeared in Tai Cang county, and these two skills were actually about to collide against each other under so many watchful eyes.


    Nobody could have even imagined such an affair.


    As if tacitly, the two auras gradually climbed and simultaneously reached their respective extremes.


    With a sudden roar, which nobody could tell whom of the two issued or was issued by both simultaneously, both figures disappeared.


    A gigantic explosion rang, rattling the eardrums of everybody present. The servants further lost all the color from their faces and fell down- their hands on their ears.


    The arena made up of wood and stone was cleaved apart like a thin paper.


    From the two individuals as the centre, the entire arena crumbled into pieces. However, everybody could still see the gigantic line running through the arena from where the destruction had begun.


    Every single individual who had still managed to preserve his consciousness thought of a question, ¡°Are these two humans?¡±


    With a heartyugh, a figure jumped over the perimeter of arena and stepped into the main hall. This person was Lin Taoli. However, the clothes covering his body seemed in tatters- not one bit betterpared to Xu Right a little while ago.


    Everybody in the main hall let out a sigh of relief.


    Just now, when these two exchanged the final blows, everybody had been repressed into silence by the immense aura shrouding the arena. However, inwardly, they all had cold sweat running down their backs.


    Jadeting city¡¯s Lin family- if such a guest were to encounter an ident in Tai Cang county, the conclusion would be something they didn¡¯t dare even imagine, nor could have sustained.


    Even Xu family, who had no connection with this whatsoever, might not have been able to escape without losing a chunk.


    The few experts nced at the unscathed fence, wondering when did this guy jump out.


    As soon as Lin Taoli entered the main hall, Cheng Yanjuan immediately stepped forward and anxiously took his hand. Lin Taoli faintly smiled and exerted a little force in his hand, which caused thetter¡¯s expression to ease a little.


    Raising his head, Lin Taoli loudly said, ¡°Brother He, this was battle was extremely refreshing. This Lin can¡¯t express his joy in words. Are you fine over there?¡±


    His words had barely echoed when He Yiming entered from the other side. Thetter waspletely naked above the waist- flesh and muscle exploding with strength. Although his height seemed a little low, nobody dared to think of him as a youngster anymore.


    Under the vision of everybody¡¯s stares, He Yiming bashfully smiled and said, ¡°Uncle Cheng, can you please lend me some clothes?¡±


    Cheng Shine then jolted awake and promptly made arrangements for the two to go to back room and change.


    After the two returned to their seats, the members of Cheng family underwent a huge transformation regarding their attitudes towards He Yiming. Even He Quanming and He Quanxin had never received such a zealous reception.


    Not a single individual inquired the result of their battle. It seemed as if this battle never happened. However, every individual whom He Yiming met gazes with, would faintly bend down while disyingpletely unconcealed reveration.


    If He Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy was at the eighthyer, these people perhaps would have thought in a different way. However, as soon as they discovered that this youngster was actually at the ninthyer and had even grasped such an powerful Xiantian battle skill, all thoughts of malice disappeared in thin air like smoke.


    He Yiming and Lin Taoli exchanged a nce. Although the two were ten years apart from each other, after going through this battle, they seemed to have bonded in an indescribablepanionship and felt as if they had known each other since way back.


    In reality, during the final exchange, He Yiming held slight advantage. However, at the deciding moment, he held back. Although Lin Taoli was sent flying, he didn¡¯t suffer any injuries. Moreover, He Yiming also flew out in the opposite direction at the same time before he ripped apart the clothes on his upper body himself.


    Although he didn¡¯t feel fond of making a bare-chested entry, this seemed reasonable enough. All of these changes had been aplished instantly. Even Lin Taoli had not beenpletely clear on what happened. However, he could faintly perceive that He Yiming¡¯s strength should be slightly above his. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t point it out. Lin family couldn¡¯t afford to lose this person.


    In the main hall, only a single individual could see through everything that happened, Xu Yinjie. However, like the rest, he couldn¡¯t guage He Yiming¡¯s true strength either.


    Because he was simply incapable of imagining that He Yiming¡¯s strength had actually attained the tenthyer.


    However, looking at He Yiming and Lin Taoli being the center of the main hall as everybody showered them with praises, his heart gradually sank.


    New generation surpasses the old, could it be¡­I have really turned old¡­.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 3 - Agreement

    After a martialpetition filled with twists and turns, He Yitian finally managed to im his wife.


    However, what truly caused He Quanming and He Quanyi to feel iparable excitement was He Yiming¡¯s performance.


    The strength he¡¯d disyed simply horrified them. However, at the same time, this strength had earned enormous face for He family. Anyone who saw Lord Master Cheng or his son¡¯s behaviour while they escorted He family out of the mansion could easily testify to this.


    Especially towards He Yiming. Even an eighty-year-old elder like Cheng Zhusheng threw his face away and chatted with the former while beaming with smiles. The courtesy he offered to He Yiming didn¡¯t seem one bit inferior to how he treated Jadeting¡¯s Lin family¡¯s young master.


    Simrly, Lin Taoli¡¯s attitude towards He Yiming seemed affectionate to the point of being excessive. For a stranger, the two could easily qualify as a pair of brothers.


    As the sun inclined to west, Cheng Shine could no longer find an excuse to stop He family and had to let them leave.


    Amongst sounds of drums and gongs, the group covered half of the county town before arriving at the courtyard that He family had already prepared beforehand.


    The main members of the family could only resume their journey on the next day.


    Lin Wenyu personally apanied Cheng Yanli to the bridal chamber. Today naturally wouldn¡¯t be the bridal night, and thus, her personally apanying the bride seemed the best alternative.


    In a room, He family¡¯s few direct, blood-rted members dismissed all the servants before staring at He Yiming with a gaze full of joy and also resentfulness.


    He Yiming touched his hair as his vision roamed about. Regarding this joint interrogation sort of attitude from his family members, he felt quite a headacheing his way.


    However, his eyes slightly brightened as he perfunctorilyughed and said, ¡°Father, third uncle, I have gained a lot from today¡¯s fight. I wish to cultivate behind doors to digest today¡¯s gains. Please don¡¯t disturb me before tomorrow.¡±


    After saying these words, he effortlessly flicked his sleeves once, then left the room.


    Behind his back all looked at each other¡¯s faces. Although they knew that He Yiming¡¯s words were ny percent bluff, even still, none of them dared to confront him.


    If, by any shred of chance, his words happened to be true, none of them could bear the responsibility of ruining hisprehension of daos.


    Bitterly smiling, He Quanyi said, ¡°This little rascal¡­¡±


    However, as he remembered He Yiming¡¯s god-like might today, he forced his subsequent words down his throat.


    With a slight cough, he continued, ¡°Yiming, this chap, has actually cultivated to this level. Second brother, as his father, how can you not know?¡±


    He Quanming mood worsened as he red at He Quanyi, ¡°I¡¯m his father, fine¡­.but how many times can I see him throughout the year? But you? As his third uncle, who oversees all the matters in the manor, you actually didn¡¯t have a clue.¡±


    He Quanyi bitterlyughed a few times before saying, ¡°Second brother, don¡¯t tell me you forgot that I no longer have control over the children after they attain the sixthyer, especially He Yiming- he¡¯s had such achievements since a young age. How could I have looked after him?¡±


    He Quanming faintly nodded. What his third brother spoke was true as well. Their father had specifically said not to watch over He Yiming at all and allow him to grow on his own. However, today, this self-growth had actually resulted in him growing to such a realm- this was rarely seen.


    At this moment, the two brothers felt like prostrating in admiration before their grandfather¡¯s profound vision.


    A festive atmosphere enveloped the Cheng Residence. Lanterns and colored banners could be seen everywhere.


    Lord Master Cheng and Cheng Shine were grinning from ear to ear regardless of whomever they talked to.


    These two seemed exceedingly pleased regarding their marital connections with He family. From their appearance, it seemed that if they were not bound by rules and propriety, they would have left for He manor themselves.


    After they bid farewell to their daughter with great difficulty, the guests also started to leave. These two individuals who held the highest authority in the Cheng family remained by the side of Lin Taoli- chatting with him merrily, lest they make the young master of Jade Ting city¡¯s Lin family feel neglected.


    In thepany of Cheng Yanjuan, Lin Taoli had been extremely courteous, at least so far, he¡¯d truly treated them as a part of his family.


    At night, the Lord Master finally left. Lin Taoli sat in the backyard¡¯s most luxurious courtyard. With a faint smile, he said, ¡°Senior father-inw, how much do you know about the affairs of He manor?¡±


    Cheng Shine faintly started, then pondered for a bit before saying, ¡°He manor¡­was established single-handedly by He Wude forty years ago. After sustaining forty years of rain and storm, He manor now sits as a tyrant at their side of the county. From today, He manor¡¯s fame would certainly climb to the top of the county¡¯s three influential families.¡±


    As he spoke these words, Cheng Shine¡¯s expression was exceedingly grave.


    Overall, Tai Cang county could be considered as a peaceful and harmonious region. However, here, the martial way was extremely prevalent. Although, one wouldn¡¯t find a single person in a hundred who could obtain teachings of Internal Energy and further cultivate in it, anybody could get their hands on body strengthening techniques. Under such conditions, every single individual¡¯s strength and prestige mustplement the n as a whole.


    If not for such conditions, He Wude wouldn¡¯t have been able toy the foundation of He manor relying on his martial power alone.


    Of course, the fact that he could aplish this also meant that he¡¯d encountered many strokes of fortunes. This feat was not something a tenthyer cultivator could easily aplish relying on his own strength.


    After recounting the past achievements of He Wude, Cheng Shine said with a bit of hesitation, ¡°This person is from my father¡¯s generation. If young master Lin wishes to know more about this person, I can ask my father toe over.¡±


    Lin Taoli casually waved his arm and said, ¡°No need to disturb Lord Master. I was just casually asking.¡± After thinking for a bit he continued, ¡°After some time, I wish to visit He manor. Please ask senior to make suitable arrangements.¡±


    Cheng Shine immediately agreed but felt quite grave inwardly. He could faintly guess young master Lin¡¯s objective.


    After Lin Taoli left, Cheng Shine thought for a short while then eventually turned his body and headed to his father¡¯s courtyard.


    After a few moments, he arrived in the Lord Master¡¯s room where Lord Master was leisurely drinking tea- taking every sip unhurriedly as if amon old man enjoying himself.


    ¡°Father, you guessed correctly. Lin Taoli indeed asked about He family¡¯s affairs.¡±


    The Lord Master faintly nodded while slowly taking another sip, then said, ¡°This time He family hade up with such a geniu¡­.devil spawn. If Lin family didn¡¯t make their move, that would have been strange instead.¡±


    Cheng Shine lowered his head for a few moments, thenmented, ¡°He Yiming is indeed a genius¡­.Unfortunately, not one of our Cheng family¡¯s.¡±


    For a super genius such as He Yiming, big influential families indeed wouldn¡¯t spare any cost to attract him.


    The reason influential families of Jadeting region didn¡¯t had their vision on Tai Cang county was that the cultivators here were too weak. Moreover, a true genius had never emerged from here. Thus, nobody paid much attention to this region.


    However, this wouldn¡¯t be the case anymore. A fifteen year old ninthyer who had even grasped a Xiantian battle skill- no influential family would even think of declining such a character.


    Although He family was an influential family in Tai Cang county, once they left this county, this wouldn¡¯t remain the case anymore.


    Thus, if Lin family showed intentions of recruitment, they would most likely seed.


    Cheng Zhusheng ced the teacup in his hand down then partially closed his eyes- seemingly pondering over something.


    Suddenly, his eyes snapped open before he said:


    ¡°Shine, you can leave. Your uncle is here.¡±


    Cheng Shine made a sound of agreement, feeling absolutely puzzled as he subconsciously walked out of the room, thinking, ¡®Since when did this family have an uncle of mine?¡¯


    Suddenly, his front blurred, and a withered, seemingly bloodless face appeared before him, making his heart leap out to his throat. Fortunately, he managed to calm himself down quickly. Although his mouth opened, he prevented himself from crying out.


    Subsequently, he clearly saw what appeared in front of him wasn¡¯t some ghost, but Xu family¡¯s Lord Master, Xu Yinjie.


    He felt extremely shocked, ¡®When did my old man be this understanding of Lord Master Xu?¡±


    As he respectfully sent him in, Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°You¡¯vee.¡±


    Xu Yinjie softly said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you have already guessed that I wille?¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s face suddenly tensed as he said emphasizing every word, ¡°Thousand Year Blood Ginseng, it was truly not you?¡±


    Xu Yinjie calmly weed his stare- not even flinching as he coolly said, ¡°No.¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng took a deep breath before saying in a voice filled with a myriad of emotions, ¡°Hehe, we fought together against He Wude for so many years. Hard to imagine it¡¯s his victory in the end.¡±


    ¡°This round, it¡¯s his victory. However, this doesn¡¯t mean that he will eternally suppress us.¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng faintly shook his head, ¡°As long as He Yiming could ascend to Xiantian, He family¡¯s position would be as stable as Mt. Tai for two hundred years. They will never decline in this period.¡±


    ¡°We can wait,¡± after pondering a bit Xu Yinjie suddenly said, ¡°Uncle, I don¡¯t think you would wish to see He family- as the only big family in Tai Cang county for eternity either.¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng faintly started, then bitterly smiled, ¡°Several decades before, to resist He Wude¡¯s rise, our two families established marital bonds. Didn¡¯t expect that now, several decadester, we¡¯ll have to resist from getting suppressed.¡±


    Xu Yinjie cooly said, ¡°There won¡¯t be just a single genius forever. Who knows, perhaps, one day one of our two families will also see the likes of a genius.¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng pursed his lips before saying, ¡°Fine. We two families will help each other. However, if He Yiming ascends to the Xiantian realm, for these two hundred years, we have to behave properly and let He family take the lead.¡±


    Xu Yinjie faintly nodded, then suddenly eximed, ¡°If our Xu family¡¯s ancestor agrees toe in person¡­.¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s expression revealed a bit of schadenfreude as he said, ¡°Wasn¡¯t your Xu family¡¯s Ancestor chased out of the Xu family by his predecessor? The fact that he can let go of the old hatred is extraordinary in itself, don¡¯t tell me you truly expect him to return good for evil?¡±


    Xu Yinjie¡¯splexion darkened a little but he eventually let out a sigh and remained quiet.


    As the two Lord Masters chatted, Cheng Shine slowly left the room. Looking at the sky, he himself didn¡¯t know what to infer of his own thoughts.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 4 - Hidden Needle Imprint

    After entering his room, He Yiming closed the door.


    He¡¯d randomly found an excuse to escape from the questioning of his father and other elders. Although he knew that they might not have been convinced of his words, he also knew that as long as the matter concerned his martial dao, nobody in the He manor would create difficulties for him.


    He could see this point bing increasingly clearer along with the growth of his strength.


    As he looked at the small wooden peg on the door, he had a faint feeling that if he didn¡¯t open the door tomorrow morning, nobody woulde his way to urge him, and his eldest brother and sister-inw would just leave for He manor amidst sounds of drums and gongs.


    Moreover, his father or third uncle would also leave behind a caretaker for him that would stand by for as long as he took to leave.


    This was the result of his performance in the martial duels. It had promoted his position in the n to unprecedented heights.


    He faintly shook his head. The distance between him and his family members seemed to be growing increasinglyrger. Not only did get this feeling from his siblings, even his elders were the same.


    This transformation had not urred overnight, but had been going on for the past two years. However, when he substantially felt it, it had already gone past redemption.


    He let out a sigh. He had long since known that after receiving that strange fortune in theke, he was definitely going to change. However, he never expected that this change would alienate him from his own family so soon.


    After feeling emotional for a while, He Yiming moderated his state of mind and turned his thoughts towards the two imprints from today¡¯s exchange.


    Prostrate Imprint, and Rain Cloud Imprint.


    After experiencing the might of these two imprint techniques, He Yiming felt certain that both of these imprints belonged to a kind of Xiantian techniques.


    However, this kind seemed a bit different than normal Xiantian techniques. Use of these techniques held no requirement for a certain attribute. In other words, regardless of whichever primary technique one cultivated, he would be able to bring out the might of these two Xiantian techniques.


    Of course, the might corresponding to different attributes would differ to some extent.


    However, studying and experimenting all of this was precisely He Yiming¡¯s future n.


    His eyes faintly closed as he reyed everything that transpired in the arena.


    Everything since the moment Xu Right and Lin Taoli started their battle started to y in He Yiming¡¯s mind. Although some details were inevitably missed, those concerning Prostrate Imprint remained as fresh as new in his memories.


    After entering that mystical realmst time, he¡¯d discovered that his memory had improved a lot. Although he wouldn¡¯t dare im that he could remember everything that his vision fell upon, he could say with full certainty that his memory was currently multiple folds better than before.


    Only because his memory was so good could he stealthily study the two imprints of Lin Taoli.


    Scenes flickered in He Yiming¡¯s mind. Although Xu Right¡¯s ze technique was no trifling matter and it also provided He Yiming a tform which he could use topare his experiences with, his main interest lied much more in the Prostrate Imprint.


    Subsequently, He Yiming recalled his exchange with Lin Taoli.


    In the room, he¡¯d unwittingly stood up- both hands wrapped in a bizarre shape. This intricate imprint didn¡¯t conform to a rigid shape but was governed by a strange movement rule. At the same time, it also required the corresponding Internal Energy cirction. Both of theseponents were essential, and one would be useless without the other.


    Other than He Yiming, people would have found remembering so many details impossible. He Yiming was indeed different. He¡¯d not only remembered all the movements pertaining to the hands, after colliding with this imprint several times, he¡¯d even understood the Internal Energy transformations urring within down to seventy percent.


    Although his understanding was not a perfect one and it had some gaps, he¡¯d started to experiment on this imprint with four distinct types of Internal Energy. As long as he managed to fill one of these gaps, he could use his own understanding to fill the rest.


    In this manner, after contemtion and countless experiments, a new, modified Prostrate Imprint emerged.


    Perhaps this Prostrate Imprint was imperfect, different from the original, and even its might was unpredictable, but He Yiming¡¯s heart at this moment brimmed with tion and pride.


    Although this imprint technique¡¯s framework had been stolen from Lin Taoli and was then organized by him taking bits and pieces from here and there, in any case, this imprint qualified to be his own original technique.


    The number of techniques inside He manor was indeed quite big. Although the might of these techniques differed, they shared onemon trait. The creator of each technique had devoted his life and blood in the creation of its scripture.


    The absolute majority of cultivators, in their whole lives, only cultivated techniques that were passed onto them by their seniors.


    Only an exceedingly small minority of geniuses could absorb ideas of different schools and produce an innovative Internal Energy technique or battle skill.


    Moreover, not all of these innovations spread through generations. Only a few truly useful techniques could stand up to the tests and trial of years. Those which couldn¡¯tplement their gaps and deficiencies, or perhapscked practicality, disappear in the time¡¯s eternal river.


    In short, those who could create pragmatic techniques were geniuses among the cultivators in true sense.


    He Yiming didn¡¯t know whether the technique he¡¯d created would be passed on to the future generations or not, but being able to create his own technique at this age- this was perhaps unprecedented throughout the history.


    If father and grandfather knew¡­..I¡¯m afraid¡­


    I¡¯m afraid not only would they not be convinced, they would even think that I¡¯ve gone astray.


    As soon as he thought up to here, he even felt the corner of his eyes hot due to excitement.


    With a deep breath, He Yiming stretched out his hands and eventually formed aplex seal. This seal was subtly different than that of the normal Prostate Imprint.


    The reason was that He Yiming felt that only this could allow his Internal Energy to flow unobstructed. He Yiming, who had not understood the Internal Energy cirction behind the Prostrate Imprint to its core, hadn¡¯t hesitated to apply modifications that suited his characteristics. As such, change in the outer appearance of the imprint was only natural.


    If Lin Taoli were to see He Yiming¡¯s hand seal, he would, at most, only feel some familiarity with it. He wouldn¡¯t associate it with the imprint technique of his n at all.


    Moreover, if he were to know that He Yiming had actually modified the secret art of his n at his will, he would immediately turn his tail and escape far away, much less to speak of showing interest in recruiting thetter.


    Indeed. Except He Yiming, if a tenthyer cultivator had tried to modify a Xiantian technique, he would have gone astray and turn insane before dying, much less to speak of excitedly testing out new techniques.


    This was what they say ¡®Who doesn¡¯t know is not guilty¡¯. Since He Yiming was not aware of dangers that apanied the process of altering a technique, he could fearlessly apply such modifications. If he¡¯d been aware of these dangers, even if he¡¯d three times more his guts, he wouldn¡¯t have acted so recklessly and wishful.


    His two hands swiveled like flowing water as the seal constantly changed.


    After a few moments, a bizarre energy slowly rippled in his surroundings. However, this energy vastly differed from the steady, Mt. Tai like feeling that Prostrate Imprint emanated.


    Although this imprint could barely still be qualified as a defensive one, it also offered a strong offensive potential.


    Like a needle concealed in silk floss.


    As he continued to employ this imprint, this feeling became increasingly dense. Moreover, the concealed needle seemed to be carrying a strand of scorching fire type energy. Even Lin family had never seen such a strange version of Prostrate Imprint.


    Slowly, his two hands parted as he contemted over this imprint which had neither fish nor fowl of its kind. Eventually he decided to bestow this imprint a new name.


    Hidden Needle Imprint.


    Needle Concealed In Silk Floss.


    He could tell that the defensive capabilities of this imprint lied nowhere near the original one. However, at the same time, this imprint was like a fire needle enveloped in cotton on the outside.


    If used on somebody, the opponent would be caught off guard and pay a bitter price. From this perspective, this imprint was a notch above the original one.


    However, this technique had a major shoring. If the opponent¡¯s attack outstripped imprint¡¯s limits, not only this imprint would fail to defend, it would even make the user lose the opportunity to counterattack- adding salt on injury.


    This imprint was kind of extreme; hard to say whether it was good or bad.


    Of course, all this was merely He Yiming¡¯s conjectures. It had not gone past realbat experiences. To decide whether he wants this imprint or not, he still needed time to verify his predictions.


    After setting aside this technique, he raised his head and saw that the color of sky had already started to brighten.


    However, the courtyard which was extremely lively and full of activity yesterday was quiet today. Although he could hear faint voices of many people, all of these were extremely cautious and prudent- seemingly afraid to disturbing someone.


    He Yiming let out a sigh. It was indeed as he¡¯d guessed. Apparently, in his elders¡¯ minds, his cultivation was more important than even his eldest brother¡¯s marriage.


    Faintly shaking his head, He Yiming moderated his thoughts, then pushed the door open and walked out.


    After a short while, the sounds of gongs and drums reverberated throughout the courtyard.


    A group of people majestically left the town, heading to the He manor.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 5- Recruitment

    New year passed, and the eldest young master of He family married Cheng family¡¯s girl, who had entered the n.


    However, this new year, what caused people to sigh in admiration was, in fact, the sixth young master¡¯s performance. In this new year, all the servants surprisingly discovered that sixth young master¡¯s position in the n was alreadyparable to that of He Quanxin, the eldest Lord. Even the Lord Master He Wude, whenever he looked at He Yiming, his face broke out in smiles. Regardless of whatever requests thetter made, he would happilyply without any questions, and the rebuke seemed to be a thing of the past.


    The rest of the third generation disciples in the manor also seemed to have gradually adapted to this transformation, and they acted quite reserved before the sixth young master.


    The cause of all this was precisely the evaluation of ¡®peerless genius¡¯ that came out of Lin Taoli¡¯s mouth.


    This evaluation, coupled with He Yiming¡¯s disy of ninthyer Internal Energy, allowed He Yiming¡¯s fame to reach a new height- unmatched in the entire He manor except for He Wude.


    However, they didn¡¯t expect that their magnificent, omnipotent genius, at this moment, was miserably tangling with the problem of imprint techniques.


    In ordance with Prostrate Imprint, he¡¯d produced a new, modified Hidden Needle Imprint. Although it had not been tested through actual battle, anyhow, it had been produced.


    However, regarding the other, more profound one- Rain Cloud Imprint, he felt as if his hands had been tied.


    Although Rain Cloud Imprint left behind a more profound impression on He Yiming, the situation regarding this imprint was unlike that of Prostrate Imprint. During his battle with Lin Taoli, He Yiming hade in direct contact with the former imprint only once. The rest of the time, he repeatedly suffered the offense of this imprint, but his gains wereparably nothing.


    After returning to the manor, he even thought of returning to the county town and having another match with Lin Taoli.


    Of course, this line of thinking was merely an imagination of his active brain.


    Although he desired to fight again, he knew quite clearly that if he really did that, what awaited him next was an endless torrent ofints from the n.


    Lightly sighing, He Yiming, who had been hiding in the underground training room, unwittingly formed the self-created Hidden Needle Imprint while he contemted on the Rain Cloud Imprint.


    Suddenly, he heard the sharp, crisp sound of the little bell.


    He Yiming astoundedly shifted his vision. He was no longer that former sixth young master.


    In his underground training room, even He Wude didn¡¯t dare make sudden sounds to call him.


    His brows faintly creased, ¡®Could it be¡­the manor has suffered something life threatening? Otherwise, who could be so brave as to pull the bell and disturb my cultivation?¡¯


    His figure faintly flickered, leaving the room.


    After all, he was a descendant of He family. If the n had truly encountered some big problem, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to help at all.


    As soon as he arrived in the courtyard, he immediately saw his fifth brother, He Yizhang.


    Before he attained the sixthyer, his rtionship with his fifth brother was like fire and water. However, strangely, as his strength shot upwards like a rocket, the rtionship between them turned quite harmonious.


    As the difference in their strength grew, their past grievances disappeared in air like smoke.


    For He Yiming, this had already turned into one of his rare childhood memories which he clearly remembered.


    While in He Yizhang¡¯s eyes, the current He Yiming had already gone past the heights which he could attain. Currently, he didn¡¯t dare to be even jealous. Imagine a friend at your side. If he excels you by a certain margin, you would perhaps feel jealous. However, if he bes a mayor or governor, how could an ordinary man feel jealous. Even the past enmity and grudges would unwittingly dissipate.


    ¡°Fifth brother, is there something?¡± He Yiming faintly smiled.


    He Yizhang severely nodded and said, ¡°Sixth brother, grandfather asked you toe over. He said it¡¯s the Cheng family- someone named young master Lin Taoli is here.¡±


    ¡°Lin Taoli?¡± A pleasantly surprised expression emerged in He Yiming¡¯s eyes. His figure shed and disappeared, leaving behind his voice, ¡°Fifth brother, I am going first.¡±


    He had just been plotting whether to look for a opportunity of exchanging pointers with Lin Taoli again or not. This guy decided toe on his own ord, which obviously ted He Yiming.


    Seeing He Yiming disappear like ghost, He Yizhang sucked in a breadth of cold air while feeling increasingly helpless at the same time. At this point he¡¯dpletely given up on surpassing his sixth brother.


    He Yiming, who had spent all his childhood in this manor, could find his way even if he had his eyes closed.


    After a few turns, he arrived in the main hall. He knew that his grandfather would wee an important guest here.


    The identity of young master of Jadeting city¡¯s Lin family was sufficient to make his grandfather act in person.


    As soon as He Yiming entered, his vision fell on the guest seat where Lin Taoli sat. His eyes shined as he said, ¡°How fortunate brother Lin, were you thinking of having another round with me?¡±


    Lin Taoli who sat as steady as Mt. Tai stared nkly for a moment before bitterly smiling, ¡°Brother He, you sure can crack jokes.¡±


    He sighed inwardly. Before, if someone had told him that he would adress a fifteen year old youngster as his brother, he wouldn¡¯t have believed. However, as he looked at the current He Yiming, he could faintly guess how a youngster could possess such powerful strength.


    Perhaps, his world ispletely pure and simple. The pursuit of martial dao constituted the entirety of his world. As such, he could abandon everything else and reach his current realm.


    At this moment, he truly began to somewhat admire and envy He Yiming.


    Born into a small n, one wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy various cultivation facilities and would also be restricted in avability of techniques. However, in such a family, one would be able topletely immerse himself in cultivation and need not worry about the affairs of n, or an internal strife. This may be considered a sort of blessing as well.


    He Wude gently coughed. Feeling likeughing and crying at the same time, he said, ¡°Yiming, don¡¯t be rude. Young master Lin has specificallye your to meet you in person.¡±


    He Yiming faintly started, then involuntarily asked, ¡°Brother Lin, you are going back?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lin Taoli sighed, ¡°Originally, I intended to stay here for a few days. However, something has happened in the n. Thus, I must go back.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s face looked quite regretful. This expression came from the innermost section of his heart. It didn¡¯t have the slightest pretense, which immediately moved Lin Taoli greatly and even lead him to think that this youngster considered him as close as a real brother.


    If he were to know that He Yiming only felt regret due to the fact that he wouldn¡¯t be able to study Rain Cloud Imprint once he left, he would immediately break off all ties with him on the spot and stay far away from him all his life.


    ¡°Brother He, we felt a connection since we first saw each other. If you still feel as such, why don¡¯t you try spending some time in Jadeting city?¡± Lin Taoli invited in quite a hospitable manner.


    Sitting on the principal seat, Lord Master He Wude¡¯splexion transformed momentarily before resuming its original appearance.


    He¡¯d not lived his entire life being an idiot. He immediately understood that the former wished to recruit He family¡¯s future star.


    However, unfortunately, the Lord Master would never allow it.


    Before the old man could even speak his mouth, He Yiming unhesitatingly said, ¡°Brother Lin, at present, my heart is set solely on cultivation. I don¡¯t want to go outside and distract myself.¡±


    Lin Taoli faintly smiled and said, ¡°Brother He, as a fellow cultivator, I will absolutely not distract you. Moreover, I promise you that if you are willing to be an Enforce Elder of our Lin family, our n¡¯s martial art¡¯s storehouse will unconditionally be open for you.¡±


    He¡¯d already determined that He Yiming was a martial lunatic. Therefore, he¡¯d immediately pulled out the move that could express his sincerity to the greatest extent.


    Lin family had been passed on through millennials. The gigantic martial arts collection they possessed could move any martial artist¡¯s heart.


    Sure enough, He Yiming¡¯s eyes brightened as he asked, ¡°Does Lin family¡¯s storehouse has your Prostrate Imprint and Rain Cloud Imprint?¡¯


    ¡°Yes, and not only these two techniques,¡± Lin Taoli calmly said, ¡°Imprint techniques are actually a whole set of techniques among Xiantian battle skills. But every individual¡¯s constitution is distinct. Those who can cultivate in Xiantian techniques are already extremely rare- learning the entire set in the houtain realm is simply not possible. I¡¯ve nearly cultivated in imprint techniques for a full ten years but have only managed to learn two of its styles. I wonder how many brother He would be able to learn¡­¡±


    He Yiming opened his mouth- extremely desirous of telling the former that he could definitely learn the entire set.


    However, he forced it back down his throat. He turned his head and carefully observed his grandfather. His heart was already moved. Now, all he needed to do was observe his grandfather¡¯s attitude.


    He Wude took a deep breath and said, ¡°Young master Lin, we appreciate your kind intentions.¡±


    Lin Taoli¡¯splexion slightly changed as he said, ¡°Lord Master, I know this seems somewhat rude. However, we have no intention of snatching He Yiming from you, and only wish for him to be an Enforce Elder of the Lin n. He could still inherit He family.¡±


    He Wude shook his head and said, ¡°You misunderstood, young master Lin¡±. He bitterlyughed, ¡°To tell you the truth, you might know that He manor wasid out by this old man forty years ago, relying on this old man¡¯s de. However, do you know where this old man was before that?¡±


    Lin Taoli¡¯s expression turned grave as he said, ¡°I would very much like to know.¡±


    He Wude stood up and cupped his hand towards a certain direction, ¡°Beforeing here, this old man was a registered disciple of Hong Mountain.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 6 - Graceful Rejection

    Lin Taoli nkly stared for quite a while before eventually forcing out a fewughs, ¡°Lord Master He, Taoli was presumptuous.¡±


    At the side, He Yiming felt quite strange inwardly. He didn¡¯t know what Hong Mountain¡¯s registered disciple represented, but as he observed Lin Taoli¡¯s behaviour, he could say for sure that it was not anything minor. Otherwise, Lin Taoli wouldn¡¯t have behaved in such a manner.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, this old man is merely a registered disciple.¡± He Wude shook his head, ¡°Since this old man is not an official disciple, young master Lin¡¯s discerning eye failed to recognize this old man.¡±


    Lin Taoli said a few modest praises then hesitated for a few moments before saying, ¡°Lord Master, I understand your intentions. You wish to send brother He to Hong Mountain.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± He Wude said without the slightest hesitation. His words didn¡¯t contain the slightest bit of leeway topromise.


    He Yiming felt a bit sour inwardly. His grandfather had said that he would not interfere in his cultivation at all. However, from Lin Taoli¡¯s tone, the old man seemed to have already set a different path for him. He could only wonder, in the end, what would this path be.


    Lin Taoli faintly nodded but still said, ¡°Lord Master, with He Yiming¡¯s talent, entering Hong Mountain would be quite easy. However, even if he bes an official disciple of Hong Mountain, sooner orter, he will have to leave and assume a post, and I don¡¯t believe Hong Mountain¡¯s sect rules forbid their disciples to assume a position of Enforce Elder in an influential family. As such, I invite brother Yiming to join Lin family, and it wouldn¡¯t be in the way of your wishes either.¡±


    He Wude also nkly stared before astoundedly looking at Lin Taoli.


    Returning to Hong Mountain was his life¡¯s biggest wish. However, allowing He Yiming to enter Lin family was an equally extraordinary alternative. Lin family possessed a legacy of millennials. Their martial arts collection wouldn¡¯t be as rich as Hong Mountain but, in any case, would be vastly above He family¡¯s. For the current He Yiming, this was, undoubtedly, the best alternative.


    As He Yiming saw the conflicting expressions in his grandfather¡¯s eyes, his heart softened as he said, ¡°Brother Lin, since grandfather has already decided, I can¡¯t go. However¡­..¡±, he thought for a moment before continuing, ¡°If, in the future, I can truly enter there, that ce called Hong Mountain, and pass out, I will certainly not forget today¡¯s words. If I arrive at Lin family¡¯s door at that time, please don¡¯t decline.¡±


    Lin Taoli¡¯s expression rxed before he said with heartyugh, ¡°This Lin is already so happy since you have agreed toe, how could I decline?¡±


    Actually, he felt quite regretful inwardly. However, He Yiming had already made his decision. He couldn¡¯t coerce thetter. Otherwise, it might even turn into enmity.


    However, for He family to actually originate from Hong Mountain¡­this he could never have imagined. This old man, He Wude, had been so deeply hidden that even Cheng family couldn¡¯t find any information. He must have been biding his time quite patiently.


    After their discussion concluded, Lin Taoli prepared to leave but was forcibly stopped by He Yiming.


    ¡°Brother He, I am merely returning to my n. In the future, there will be many opportunities to visit you,¡± Lin Taoli also felt somewhat reluctant to part. However, he immediately supplemented,¡± If brother He wishes to meet me, you might as welle to Jadeting city. That ce is, after all, a big city. Being able to expand your horizons will also be good for you.¡±


    He Yiming shook his head like a rattle-drum and said, ¡°Brother Lin, if you want to leave you can. However, before that, you must have another round with me. I want to try your Prostrate Imprint and Rain Cloud Imprint again.¡±


    Lin Taoli: ¡°¡­¡­..¡±


    He Wude: ¡°¡­¡­..¡±


    Under He Yiming¡¯s ¡®hospitable¡¯ urging, Lin Taoli stayed for three more days. After three days, regardless of how sincerely He Yiming urged, Lin Taoli didn¡¯t agree to stay more and left as if he¡¯d escaped for his life.


    In these three days, He Yiming seeked his guidance on martial dao whenever he could.


    Prostrate Imprint and Rain Cloud Imprint were Lin family¡¯s secret arts. Without permission of the family master and elders, even the family¡¯s young master couldn¡¯t rashly impart this technique to other people.


    However, this didn¡¯t pose a problem to He Yiming at all. He didn¡¯t seek theplete battle skill techniques and merely wished to obtain a feel of the imprints¡¯ Internal Energy cirction routes through real fights.


    Since he knew that he would hardly obtain such opportunities again, he didn¡¯t waste any time. Within these three days, Lin Taoli¡¯s bottom didn¡¯t have a moment of rest.


    Such a bitter cultivationpletely drained Lin Taoli, and he felt that he would not be able to handle it.


    As such, although He Yiming was not even closed to finished, Lin Taoli hurriedly left.


    One can say that a time period of three days is not long, but it¡¯s not short either.


    Under He Yiming¡¯s meticulous scheming and nning, after many discussions and fight sessions, the unfathomable Rain Cloud Imprint, which had been covered in mist, somewhat opened up for him.


    However, inparison, although Rain Cloud Imprint was mightier, its cultivation was exceedingly mysterious. Without aplete scripture, even He Yiming felt helpless.


    Whoever created this technique couldn¡¯t be a trifling cultivator. This technique was not one with which he, who only possessed a superficial knowledge- a three-legged cat, could reconstruct or modify.


    However, even though he couldn¡¯t understand the Rain Cloud technique in its entirety, he still had a rough prototype of it in his mind. In the future, as his cultivation would improve and experiences increase, he could slowly bring it to perfection.


    This situation was much better than the one before, where he could neither make out its head nor tail.


    In addition to this, his understanding regarding Prostrate Imprint had also improved. Although, he still couldn¡¯t recreate it in its entirety. Regarding his own Hidden Needle Imprint, he¡¯d been able to make some improvements, which in turn had increased its might by quite a bit.


    After three days, when Lin Taoli left, He manor returned to its previous calm. The affairs of the manor resumed the previous order.


    Although He Yiming now lived alone in the manor for the most part, it didn¡¯t make any difference to him at all.


    However, the only matter which He Yiming felt strange was that as soon as Lin Taoli left, his grandfather He Wude, eldest uncle He Quanxin, and old servant He Laibao mysteriously entered a closed-door session.


    He Quanxin and He Laibao even left the Book Pavilion unguarded as they joined the Lord Master in the session- their activities seemingly mysterious.


    As these three entered closed-door cultivation, all the matters of the n befell on He Quanyi¡¯s shoulders. His third uncle immediately asked He Yixuan and He Yihai to stop their cultivation and rece He Quanming in the county town, while thetter returned to the manor.


    After all the second generation brothers gathered at the same ce, He family immediately loosened from the outside and tightened from the inside. Even the number of everyday patrols also increased by several folds.


    The Book Pavilion temporarily closed, and He Quanming stayed in the outer hall of the grand courtyard, clearly indicating that he was standing guard for the Lord Master and the others.


    In addition to this, even He Yitian had been added to the n administration- helping his second uncle and third uncle in dealing with the n¡¯s affairs.


    Even He Yiming had been informed by his father to not cultivate any technique that consumed too much time. When needed, he would have to provide his assistance in defense.


    The entire He manor seemed as if echoing with rumbles of wind and cries of cranes as the storm clouds approached. Although people inside the manor were not frightened, they couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious.


    Regarding these circumstances, He Yiming didn¡¯t seek his grandfather for exnation. After all, they seemed to be doing something shady. Instead of slowing down his cultivation, he followed his father¡¯s example and started to live in one of the grand courtyard¡¯s side halls. He naturally still pondered over the two imprints despite living here and kept on implying modifications- incessantly moving towards perfection, but with extremely slow speed.


    Seeing such sensibility from He Yiming, He Quanming felt extremely pleased and satisfied. However, regarding the former¡¯s interrogations, he opted to preserve silence.


    This strange transformation in He manor actually didn¡¯t alert outsiders at all, and the reason was that just after one month, the three individuals ended their closed-door session.


    When they walked out, although their appearance looked quite tired, their expressions were that of iparable excitement, and spirits seemed to be soaring.


    Anyone who could see their appearances could tell, at a nce, that their closed-door session¡¯s harvest was quite good.


    However, what made He Yiming feel at aplete loss was the fact that despite his grandfather¡¯s excited appearance, thetter¡¯s Internal Energy had not even budged from its stagnated level. In fact, it even seemed to have lessened by a minute amount.


    Evidently, the purpose of these three¡¯s seclusion was not to attack the Xiantian realm of legends but something else entirely.


    After seeing that He Wude and the rest had sessfullypleted their closed-door session, the manor truly resumed its original state.


    He Quanming left for the county town, and He Yihai and He Yixuan returned again. Maintaining a firm position in the county town without an eighthyer overseer was quite difficult. One would be hard pressed to keep conflicts in check in absence of a high-level cultivator.


    However, after spending this month in the county town, He Yihai and He Yixuan¡¯s attitude had matured a lot. Joining the secr world could often times directly improve one¡¯s training results.


    After a few days, the effects of this unexpected change started to slowly dissipate. Even the servants stopped talking about it.


    A few days after it was over, Xu and Cheng families also identally discovered this information. However, they simrly felt absolutely puzzled. Without any better options, they had to leave it unsettled. Because they had no clue what He Wude and the other two could have been doing in this one month.


    He Yiming returned to his own residence. In addition to Internal Energy cultivation, he continued to relentlessly steer these two techniques towards perfection.


    This was an enormous undertaking- not something that could be done in a short period of time.


    However, after several days, the Lord Master himself rang the bell of the training room and guided him to the grand courtyard.


    As He Yiming entered the room, he saw He Quanxin and He Laibao.


    He Yiming immediately understood that his grandfather wished to talk about their strange closed-door session.


    However, for some reason, not a single person could be seen aside from the three of them. Even his father He Quanming, third uncle He Quanyi, and He Yitian were nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 7 - Golden Pellet

    In the bright room, a pragmatic table made of red wood along with a few chairs made of the same wood wereid out.


    These few pieces of furniture weremon goods. Even their style was the one that prevailed twenty years ago. As a part of the three influential families of Tai Cang county, Lord Master He Wude would definitely be considered as the most stingiest of all the old men. Even the children of his n hadn¡¯t contracted the luxurious air of the riches.


    And this was probably because He family had yet to see a ck sheep in the n.


    He Yiming sat at one side of the table. Even in the present situation, his seat held substantial weight.


    ¡°Yiming, you should have guessed by now why we¡¯ve called you.¡± He Wude faintly smiled. Whenever he saw this most outstanding grandson of his, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of joy from the depth of his heart.


    He Yiming faintly nodded and said, ¡°I know that you¡¯ve called me regarding your previous closed-door session. However, what I couldn¡¯t guess is why would you be so overly secretive and tense- skeptical of everybody.¡±


    He Wude sighed and said, ¡°I also don¡¯t wish to be like this. However, this matter is of paramount importance to our He family. As such, we would rather be excessively tense than to slip up in the slightest.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s vision swept through his eldest uncle and old servant before he suddenly asked, ¡°You seeded?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Sitting on the chair, He Wude seemed to have slightly straightened his back before he said with an indescribably excited voice, ¡°We have indeed seeded.¡±


    ¡°Grandfather, you still haven¡¯t told me.¡± He Yiming said rather resentfully.


    He Wude heartilyughed a few times. Suddenly, he blinked his eyes and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a guess?¡±


    He Yiming nkly stared. This was the first time he had seen his grandfather behaving in such a manner. Even when thetter discovered that his Internal Energy had attained the ninthyer, he¡¯d not revealed such an lively behaviour. From this, it could be seen that the old man had rarely felt so happy in decades.


    Countless thoughts shed in his mind before his heart suddenly trembled faintly, and he said, ¡°Does it has something to do with the gold-crowned python?¡±


    The smiles on the faces of three elders suddenly turned stiff before they shared a nce with each other and bitterly smiled.


    He Quanxin asked, ¡°Yiming, how did you guess?¡±


    He Yiming slightly spread out his hands and said, ¡°This year¡¯s most significant affair had been the hunt of the gold-crowned python, and I can¡¯t think of any other event that could make you people this tense.¡±


    He Wude took in a breath and said,¡± Not only is Yiming extremely talented, but iparably bright as well. Our He family could obtain such a unicorn like descendant- this truly is the blessings from heaven.¡±


    He Quanxin and He Laibao nodded in session.


    ¡°Grandfather, in the end, what happened? Tell me already.¡± He Yimingughed.


    ¡°Fine. By hunting the gold-crowned python, we obtained a pellet. After six months of efforts, we eventually managed to collect the essential medicinal herbs and began its refining. In the end, we managed to reap three gold pellets.¡± He Wude said with a grave expression.


    ¡°Gold pellets?¡± He Yiming asked puzzledly.


    He¡¯d, after all,e across such a matter for the first time. The body of spiritual beasts actually contain a pellet, and with the help of suitable herbs, it could be further refined to golden pellets. He¡¯d never heard of such matters before.


    ¡°Correct, golden pellet,¡± He Wude unhurriedly said, ¡°Back in the day, I¡¯ve spent entire twenty years in the alchemic chamber. While spending my twenty years before a furnace, I¡¯ve refined quite a few golden pellets. Now that I¡¯ve resumed my work after several years, my skill does not seem to have deteriorated- not bad, not bad at all.¡±


    Although the words that came out of his mouth were quite modest, his delightful expression andcent smile tantly exposed his current feelings.


    He Yiming¡¯s vision swept through his three elders. Not only his grandfather was quite excited, even the other two were also the same. He asked in a mumbling voice, ¡°Can this golden pellet improve one¡¯s cultivation?¡±


    He Wude faintly started for a moment beforeughing, ¡°You, small chap, are indeed quite sharp. Golden pellets not only improve one¡¯s cultivation, but could even help in clearing bottlenecks.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes immediately shined. Although, to him, bottlenecks weren¡¯t hard at all and were hardly any more difficult than an ordinary man eating his food, for others in his family, golden pellets would be extremely useful. Such an object held extreme significance from the perspective of a n.


    After finishing his exnation, He Wude took out three small jade bottles and carefully ced them on the table.


    He Yiming could feel a faint, scorching passion in He Quanxin and He Laibao¡¯s eyes. For a cultivator, this object was an extreme rarity.


    ¡°Yiming, I have thought about it. These three bottles will go to you, Quanxin, and Laibao - one each.¡± He Wude said in a lowered tone.


    He Yiming hesitated a bit before saying, ¡°Grandfather, currently, your Internal Energy is at the tenthyer¡¯s peak, right?¡±


    He Wude faintly nodded and said, ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°In that case, this grandson wants you to use this bottle,¡± He Yiming said with a bright smile, ¡°This grandson hopes that grandfather will soon ascend to the Xiantian realm and im the position of the sole leader of Tai Cang county.¡±


    Previously, He Yiming used to believe that the peak of cultivation represented the tenthyer. However,ter, he gradually discovered, above the tenthyer was the Xiantian realm, and further, above the Xiantian realm were much higher realms which he couldn¡¯t even imagine at his current realm. If his grandfather used this pellet, perhaps thetter would be able to take a step further.


    However, He Wude deeply sighed and helplessly said, ¡°Yiming, I appreciate your good intentions, but for me, this golden pellet doesn¡¯t hold much use.¡±


    He Yiming faintly started and asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Gold-crowned python is a spiritual beast, but that of the lowest rank. A golden pellet refined from the inner pellet of a gold-crowned python can only help cultivators that are below the Xiantian realm, and to help cultivators at the tenthyer¡¯s peak to break into the Xiantian realm is also not in the limits of this pellets ability.¡±


    He Yiming astonishedly eyed the three jade bottles on the table. This indeed was good stuff, but in his hands, it would bepletely wasted.


    ¡°Yiming, you are currently at the ninthyer. Keep this bottle in your safe keeping. Once you attain the ninthyer¡¯s peak, swallow the golden pellet, and your chances of breaking through will increase significantly.¡±


    He Yiming thought for a while before eventually picking up a bottle. However, inwardly, he¡¯d already decided to save this bottle for his eldest brother.


    ¡°Quanxin, Laibao, you two also take yours.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He Quanxin acknowledged and also picked one up. His Internal Energy had attained the ninthyer¡¯s peak since a long time. However, he¡¯d never managed to take the next step. This golden pellet might be his life¡¯s final opportunity of taking this step. How could he not treasure it?


    He Laibao¡¯s vision lingered over the final jade bottle for a long time before he suddenly sighed and said, ¡°Old Master, I cannot ept this.¡±


    He Wude¡¯s expression stiffened, ¡°Laibao, what nonsense are you speaking.¡±


    He Laibao still shook his head and said, ¡°Old master, how old are you this year?¡±


    He Wude faintly started and involuntarily replied, ¡°Eighty-three.¡±


    Those who cultivated in the martial dao married quitete inparison to ordinary people. For those who had cultivated to the level of He Wude, this was even more the case.


    He Laibao incessantly sighed and said, ¡°Old master, in a wink, you have already turned eighty-three, and I- following you since childhood- have also turned eighty.¡±


    He Wude¡¯s voice towned down as he emotionally said, ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve both turned old.¡±


    He Laibao lifted his head and said, ¡°Yes, we are both old. You already have a cultivation of tenthyer¡¯s peak. If you somehow managed to break through and enter the Xiantian realm, you will be able to prolong your life by several decades. However, I can¡¯t hope as such. Even if I use this golden pellet and break through into the tenthyer, I would only be able to struggle at death¡¯s door for a few more years. So rather than this, why don¡¯t you save it for Yitian? He will surely have a use for it.¡±


    He Wude¡¯s expression changed to one of hesitation. He naturally knew that this old man, who had been together with him since his childhood, had spoken the truth.


    Even if He Laibao consumed this golden pellet and became a tenthyer expert, he would not increase his life expectancy by much. Generally, houtian experts only had a lifespan of hundred years. A time period of twenty years would naturally be far worse than saving it aside for He Yitian¡¯s future use.


    However, he and He Laibao had spent so much time together that their servant-master rtionship had changed to that of brothers. Like efforts of the horse that a knight rides to aplish heroic deeds, thetter¡¯s contribution in theying the foundation of He manor couldn¡¯t be overlooked. If he were to revoke this golden pellet, he would never feel at ease.


    He Quanxin¡¯s face turned slightly red as he ced his bottle back on the table and said, ¡°Uncle Bao, I am putting aside this bottle for Tian-er. If you can ascend to the tenthyer, it would be quite beneficial.¡±


    He Laibao coarsely smiled and said, ¡°Eldest Lord, you must be joking. If the old master couldn¡¯t ascend to the Xiantian realm and joined me in death prematurely, He manor would have to rely on you as its main support. At the very least, before I and old master leaves this world, you must attain the tenthyer.¡±


    Although his words didn¡¯t sound too optimistic, ording to his age, they were not too far from truth either.


    He Quanming nced at He Yiming and said, ¡°Uncle Bao, our family still has Yiming.¡±


    He Laibao still shook his head and said, ¡°Eldest Lord, Yiming is unlike us. He will not be bounded by He family or Tai Cang county.¡±


    He Yiming profusely sweated inwardly and immediately said, ¡°Grandpa Bao, eldest uncle, you don¡¯t need to argue,¡± He ced the bottle in his hands on the table and said, ¡°I will leave this bottle for eldest brother.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    Three distinct voices simultaneously echoed.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 8 - Tenth Layers Peak

    In the main hall, furious expressions appeared on the faces of all the three old men.


    Before refining the pellet, the reason they didn¡¯t inform He Yiming was that if they had informed him and had failed to seedter, he would have been greatly disappointed, and it might even have affected his state of mind while cultivating.


    However, the moment refining of this pellet seeded, all the five members of He family who knew the situation tacitly knew one of the three bottles would go in He Yiming¡¯s hands.


    Because He Yiming was the youngest child in the n who had the most potential to grow.


    An important cultivation resource like a golden pellet would naturally be given to him. If not for the fact that such a low level golden pellet would only be potent once, they wouldn¡¯t even have minded giving all the three to him.


    As for whether if it would be of any use to He Yiming, this didn¡¯t enter their consideration at all.


    Therefore, the allocation of the remaining two bottles had not been confirmed yet, but the one in the hand of He Yiming had no chance of being revoked.


    If He Yiiming were to say that he didn¡¯t feel emotional when he saw the angry expressions of his three elders, he would be lying to himself. His insides felt warm- so much so that the words about his special constitution almost came to his throat before he forced them back.


    This didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t trust the three people that stood before him. However, every individual has secrets that one doesn¡¯t wish to divulge to anyone. To He Yiming, the fortune he gained in theke was his biggest secret which he wouldn¡¯t be willing to divulge ever.


    ¡°Yiming, take the golden pellet,¡± He Wude calmly said, ¡°And don¡¯t say such childish words again.¡±


    He Laibao and He Quanxin also nodded their heads. By their appearances, it seemed if he didn¡¯t pick up the bottle, he would be immediately assaulted with countless verbal assaults.


    After pondering for a bit, He Yiming slowly stood up.


    As he stood up, a powerful aura, full of self-confidence, spread out from his body.


    The expressions of the three slightly changed as they felt a grandeur like that of sunriseing from He Yiming.


    They had no doubts about the fact that He Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy had already attained the ninthyer. However, in any case, they were also ninthyer and tenthyer experts. Even still, the aura that He Yiming released had stunned them.


    The part of this aura which affected them the most was not its strength, rather a force of absolute confidence that nobody could overlook.


    Facing this aura, the three old men somewhat understood He Yiming¡¯s thoughts. Although they didn¡¯t quite approve, they chose to preserve silence nevertheless.


    With a resolute gaze and steady back, He Yiming said, ¡°Grandfather, Grandpa Bao, eldest uncle, can you think of someone that canpete with me in talent?¡±


    The three old men shook their heads. Comparing talent with this freak? What a joke!


    He Yiming candidlyughed and said, ¡°Since it¡¯s like this, I give you my word. Three years¡­three years at most, I will attain the tenthyer,¡± His vision swept, carrying a hint of disdain that could make one blindly believe his words, ¡°Do you trust me?¡±


    He Wude and the rest gaped. They previously wished to say that advancing to the tenthyer was no easy feat. Otherwise, He Quanxin and He Laibao wouldn¡¯t have spent so much time being stuck on this junction.


    However, for some reason, they found themselves unable to say a single word of rebuttal.


    The three old men shared a nce and bitterly smiled. For the first time, they felt that the future aplishments of this child would be far beyond what they had anticipated.


    Knowing his limits and also when to stop, He Yimingpletely withdrew his aura.


    If he¡¯d continued to maintain this suppressive aura, the old men would have flipped out sooner orter.


    ¡°Grandfather, I suppose you won¡¯t ask me to take the golden pellet now,¡± He Yiming said with a chuckle. He seemed apletely different personpared to a moment ago.


    He Wude deeply sighed and said, ¡°Since you are so confident, this golden pellet will remain with me. However, after three years¡­¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes shined as he resolutely said, ¡°Grandfather, rest assured, I will definitely attain the tenthyer within the next three years.¡±


    His words carried a force of unquestionable authority. He Wude had not even finished speaking before he was stopped in middle.


    Thetter bitterlyughed. If any of his other grandsons had dared to cut him off in middle, he would have felt extremely irritated. However, he simply felt incapable to take offense on being interrupted over this matter.


    He Laibao suddenly patted his hands and said, ¡°Sixth young master is so confident. This is obviously quite good. Old master let¡¯s wipe our eyes and wait.¡±


    He Wude pondered for a moment, then deeply nodded.


    Since He Yiming was this confident, there was no need to force him. At worse, he would fail after three years, and this golden pellet would still be waiting. **


    After leaving the grand courtyard, He Yiming returned to his room.


    He didn¡¯t care about the three year agreement at all since he was already a genuine tenthyer expert. Even if he didn¡¯t budge from his position for these three years, he would still havepleted the agreement.


    Therefore, after he entered the underground training room, he immediately cleared his mind and engrossed himself in studying the secret arts.


    The first position among the secret arts he¡¯d learned obviously belonged to [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms].


    This was a true Xiantian battle skill. Even whenpared to Lin family¡¯s Imprint techniques, it didn¡¯t pale at all. Furthermore, it even consisted of thirty-three forms, which would be sufficient to keep him upied in the future.


    In addition to this, the other secret arts were the two palm imprints.


    Prostrate Imprint and Rain Cloud Imprint were both exceedingly powerful Xiantian battle skills. Although they seemed quite simple, the subtle seal formations and the corresponding Internal Energy cirction they required made it far moreplex and intricate than [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms].


    Apart from a freak like He Yiming, one wouldn¡¯t find a single individual who could stealthily learn these two techniques through directbat.


    Of course, He Yiming had merely learned a substantial part of the two techniques. Although he¡¯d patched up Prostrate technique with his own understanding, the resultant had changed beyond any resemnce to the original. As for the Rain Cloud Imprint, although he¡¯d learned quite a lot after probing Lin Taoli for three days, he still had to cover a long distance before he couldplete the patching of this technique.


    Inparison, Rolling Boulder Fist and Silk Palm seemed a lot inferior.


    Although he¡¯d cultivated these two techniques to their peaks, in terms of might they could offer, these two techniques still couldn¡¯t even bepared to Xiantian techniques.


    After his discussion with Lin Taoli, He Yiming hade to understand a few matters.


    Xiantian techniques were meant for the use of Xiantian cultivators. Generally, when Houtian cultivators tried to cultivate Xiantian techniques, they would fail to take the correct path and would only gain basic, superficial knowledge.


    In the Lin family, the young generation had countless members. However, among these, those who had the qualifications to cultivate Xiantian techniques while being in Houtian realm didn¡¯t amount to more than ten in numbers. Among these, only two had managed to obtain some sess, one of whom was Lin Taoli.


    Simrly, from his elders¡¯ conversation, He Yiming came to know that in the three influential families, nobody- regardless of whether they were members of the old generation like He Wude and Xu Yinjie or were members of the young generation like He Yitian- had cultivated in Xiantian battle skills.


    In other words, he was the sole individual in Tai Cang county who had cultivated in Xiantian battle skills.


    With a might corresponding to the tenthyer of Internal Energy and Xiantian battle skills, He Yiming was, in fact, the number one expert of the county.


    Precisely because Xiantian battle skills were so powerful he had concentrated all his mind on these techniques andpletely ignored the ordinary battle skills.


    In this manner, He Yiming continued to polish the two Xiantian techniques at hand while also bitterly cultivating his Internal Energy- slowly increasing its amount.


    More than half a year passed. He Yiming¡¯s life remained fairly stable and ordered.


    Apart from eating, drinking, and other necessities, most of his time passed in the underground training room.


    He constantly trained in ze technique, Withered Tree technique, and even Ripple technique. Primordial Energy- the technique he used to be obsessed with- was instead cultivated the least by him.


    Comparatively, the Primordial Energy had the least potent effect on the Internal Energy. Therefore, after numerous attempts, it was involuntarily eliminated by him.


    As for Ripple technique, although its effect on the Internal Energy was the same as that of Primordial Energy, in addition it had a soothing effect on meridians. Therefore, after cultivating ze technique, he cultivated the Ripple technique.


    After many trials, he¡¯d established an order.


    First Withered Tree technique, followed by ze technique, and finally Ripple technique.


    Going by this order, not only the increase in Internal Energy was to his satisfaction, his meridians didn¡¯t have to suffer any harm at all. Thus, this could be considered as the optimal order.


    One day, he sat cross-legged in the underground training room. The Internal Energy inside his body surged like billowing waves.


    His four limbs and bones seemed to be brimming with strength. His Internal Energy¡¯s strength had seemed to have covered every inch of his body, causing him to feel his blood and qi overflowing and seeming as if it would burst out of his body.


    His heart trembled before he stopped his cultivation and stood up while feeling this strange transformation inside his body.


    After a long time, a pleasantly surprised expression emerged on his face. He¡¯d finally ensured that this strange feeling had not originated due to his cultivation going astray, rather because his Internal Energy had actually reached the tenthyer¡¯s peak- only separated by a thin but clear line from the Xiantian realm of the legends.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 9 - Complications

    In the forest, a nimble figure pushed through like a ghost.


    Soon, this figure arrived in the deepest parts of the forest, where one would rarely find signs of humanity.


    Apart from the veteran hunters who grew up in the forest itself, only the strong cultivators could ignore the dangers of this ce.


    This figure was precisely that of He Yiming, who had hurried over from the He manor.


    Yesterday, when he couldn¡¯t increase his Internal Energy at all, he immediately understood that his Internal Energy had once again attained the currentyer¡¯s peak.


    He himself felt somewhat speechless about his cultivation speed.


    Since he¡¯d once again attained the peak, he first thought about finding a new cultivation technique, but then he suddenly gained a new insight about Hidden Needle Imprint.


    After pondering for a bit, he immediately left for mountains to perform some tests and modifications.


    Such insights were extremely rare, like a sudden inspiration- if he didn¡¯t capitalize on it right now, he might never obtain another such opportunity in the future.


    His legs stood firm as his hands formed multiple, random Hidden Needle Imprints.


    Inparison to Prostrate Imprint, since Hidden Needle Imprint relied on differently attributed Internal Energy, its seals were much moreplex. In Houtian realm, one would probably not find another individual who could grasp this technique other than He Yiming, the creator of this technique himself.


    As the seals formed, the Internal Energy in his meridians suddenly surged.


    Strangely, the Internal Energy circting inside his body didn¡¯t belong to a certain type of his four primary techniques. Instead, it began with the metal-type Primordial Energy, and following the sequence of the five-phases, ended at the ze technique.


    Under this constant transformation, the shape of the imprints formed by his hands also changed. However, regardless of how it changed, it still emanated a feeling like that of a needle hidden in a ball of silk floss. It wasn¡¯t a stable and resolute feeling like that of a mountain which Prostrate Imprint emanated, but a strange, gentle one.


    At the same time, his feet started to move about in the forest. If Lin Taoli were to see this scene, he would astonishingly discover that the rhythm of He Yiming¡¯s steps somewhat resembled the way he moved while employing the Rain Cloud Imprint.


    Gradually, He Yiming¡¯s body started to emit an exceedingly dangerous feeling. His hands started to wave at a lightning fast speed while still emanating a drifting clouds and flowing water sort of natural feeling. When his Internal Energy attained the peak, his palms slightly bulged as a section of Internal Energy quickly rushed in the forefinger of his right hand which stood concealed behind his left hand.


    Subsequently, the right hand ¡®s forefinger suddenly jerked and flicked through the cracks between the fingers of his left hand. A section of swift and fierce Internal Energy ejected out like an arrow shot from a bow.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    With a soft sound, a slender hole, as if pierced by a pin, appeared on the trunk of a several meters wide and several meter high tree. After piercing the tree trunk through, the Internal Energypletely dissipated.


    He Yiming stopped and arrived before the tree. As he observed the hole in the tree trunk, an uncontroble excitement surged in his heart.


    However, as he nced at his right forefinger, his brows faintly creased.


    This was precisely the enlightenment he¡¯d gained. By blending the Rain Cloud Imprint¡¯s sneak attack into his Hidden Needle Imprint, he could shoot such a strange needle-shaped Internal Energy.


    The might of this distant assault was indeed extraordinary, but the cost he had to pay was also not light. At this moment, his right forefinger was slightly swelled, even including the meridians inside, which were aching.


    With a thought, he immediately circted Withered Tree technique and Ripple technique in these meridians. Under the soothing effect of these two techniques, the aching in his meridians eventually calmed down.


    He had to wait as long as half an hour before he could resume.


    After beingpressed to the extreme, Internal Energy could leave the body.


    This was the special property of Rain Cloud Imprint, but at this moment, it had been assimted into the Hidden Needle Imprint by He Yiming.


    However, the finger energy aroused by He Yiming¡¯s Hidden Needle Imprint was far above that of Rain Cloud Imprint inparison.


    During his battle with Lin Taoli, if the former had been able to produce such a might from a distance, he would have been defeated immediately and even died.


    Although one could continuously temper one¡¯s body, some vital parts nevertheless remain weak. Under the assault of such a ghost-like unfathomable sneak attack, one wouldn¡¯t be able to always defend these body parts.


    Of course, although the finger energy aroused by the Hidden Needle Imprint was immense, in terms of frequency of attacks, it couldn¡¯t even bepared to Rain Cloud Imprint.


    To produce such a frightening distant finger energy, he must circte all the four primary techniques inside his body in a way that they couldplement each other. When his blood and qi would start to boil- seemingly about to explode out of his body- only then could his Internal Energy bepressed to such an extreme.


    In other words, it could only be aroused while his Internal Energy circted at tenthyer¡¯s peak, and even still, unlike Rain Cloud Imprint, he shouldn¡¯t even dream about unleashing more than one such fingers in session. Otherwise, his meridians wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain such frantic cirction.


    Despite such time gaps and ws, He Yiming feltpletely satisfied.


    Henceforth, his Hidden Needle Imprint not only had the ability to counterattack, he could even take the initiative. This indeed was an immense win for him.


    However, the only regret he felt was that he¡¯d only grasped Rain Cloud Imprint¡¯s mechanism which allowed one topress Internal Energy. It¡¯s ultimate move, which could allow one to explode with a thunder-like power, was still far beyond hisprehension.


    During that battle, He Yiming had confronted Lin Taoli¡¯s Rain Cloud Imprint with the tenth form of [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms]. Relying on his body which was above his opponent¡¯s by oneyer of Internal Energy, he¡¯d managed to gain slight advantage. However, he clearly knew that if their Internal Energy had been at the same level, Rain Cloud Imprint¡¯s instantaneous power burst was, in fact, superior to the tenth form of [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms].


    It was somewhat simr to that stunning strike he¡¯d produced while confronting the gold-crowned python- the only difference being that the Internal Energy in the former case didn¡¯t arouse at such an exaggerated rate in its entirety.


    He Yiming flicked his sleeves before letting out a soft sigh. Perhaps he should lower his ims and learn an earth-type technique. Perhaps with thepletion of the five-phases, he would be able to understand that final strike.


    His feet faintly moved before his figure swiftly disappeared from its original position.


    Following the familiar path, He Yiming quickly returned to the manor. He unhesitatingly made his way to the Book Pavilion.


    Currently, He Laibao solely guarded the Book Pavilion. His eldest uncle, He Quanxin, lived in the grand courtyard with his grandfather.


    During this long period of time, he¡¯d been in seclusion- not receiving any visitors. His objective was naturally to cleanse his thoughts and spirits and attain the optimal state before using the golden pellet.


    Breaking through the ninthyer¡¯s bottleneck was like fighting with one¡¯s back to the river. At this junction, nobody would dare to be neglectful in the slightest. This point could be clearly seen from the fact that his eldest uncle had been meditating for more than half a year and had still not consumed the golden pellet.


    Entering the Book Pavilion, He Yiming directly arrived before the earth-type techniques¡¯ shelf.


    This time, he didn¡¯t take out a random technique but made his selection serious consideration. After a long time, he pulled out a book.


    Power Secrets- earth type primary cultivation technique.


    This technique befitted its name. Once cultivated, one would be able to obtain boundless strength.


    Of course, this ¡®boundless strength¡¯ at low level merely meant some advantage in terms of strength over cultivators of the same rank. However, ording to the scripture, after cultivating this technique to the tenthyer, one¡¯s bones would be tempered to the extreme and flesh would be as tenacious as leather- strengthening the basic essence of one¡¯s body to the extreme.


    Although one might not be able to be exceedingly strong, it didn¡¯t seem much of an exaggeration.


    The most bizarre aspect of this technique was its im for an exceedingly high essence of a cultivator¡¯s body, and its cultivation speed was, mildly put, undesirable. Therefore, although the might it offered was pretty good, the number of cultivators that would be able to gain some aplishment in this technique would be extremely rare.


    He Yiming¡¯s face revealed a slight smile. In the five-phases, the cultivation speed of earth-type techniques was already the slowest. It required slow and steady step-by-step progress.


    And this technique evidently belonged to the slower ones, even amongst the earth-type techniques. Therefore, this technique not being famous among cultivators seemed quite reasonable.


    Putting the scripture of Power Secrets onto the table, He Yiming proficiently copied down its content, then returned to his underground training room.


    With the previous experiences in his mind, He Yiming began the cultivation of this earth-type primary cultivation technique.


    As always, he didn¡¯t encounter any troubles while cultivating this technique. Like canals formed wherever water flows, he smoothly transcendedyer afteryer.


    In a period of merely two days, he cultivated this technique from naught to the tenthyer.


    The technique¡¯s efficiency outstripped his expectations. His muscles and bones seemed to have undergone a new baptism and were far stronger than they were before.


    At this moment, he felt that these techniques in the book pavilion being passed down to generations was indeed not baseless.


    Previously, the reason he could wield his grandfather¡¯s de was due to his exceedingly high level of Internal Energy. However, currently, he could easily wield that broadsword just relying on his body¡¯s strength.


    To the current him, such a heavy weapon would no longer be a burden.


    However, none of this could make He Yiming feel any excitement at all.


    After cultivating this technique, he¡¯d discovered that there were no signs of Xiantian realm. All of his techniques still remained at the tenthyer¡¯s peak.


    This change made him feel as if he¡¯d fallen into an ice cer. Could it be¡­Houtian realm is the peak of my special body¡­.what if it¡¯s incapable of entering the Xiantian realm¡­

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 10 - The Library

    With a gloomy face and an anxious heart, He Yiming walked out of the underground training room.


    Ever since his fortuitous encounter in theke, this was the first time he¡¯d felt such indecisiveness and loss.


    At this moment, that askew disdainful gaze and that extreme confidence seemed to havepletely disappeared, and the future seemed to be indistinct and despairing.


    If one possesses a certain strength and is habitual of using it, when this strength is suddenly taken away from him, the shock it imparts is simply iparable.


    In any case, He Yiming was still a fifteen year old youngster. Although his strength already stood at the peak of the Tai Cang county, to this day, he¡¯d never felt too satisfied with it.


    However, the truth is cruel. When he discovered that he couldn¡¯t use his special body to break through anymore, the intense disappointment he felt could cause anyone to sink in despair.


    At this moment, he once again seemed to have turned into a fifteen year old youngster, who had no confidence regarding his future at all.


    He left his courtyard and strolled around- unsure of where his future path lied.


    Unwittingly, he arrived before a courtyard. Faintly startled, he discovered that he¡¯d arrived outside the Book Pavilion¡¯s courtyard.


    He bitterly smiled inwardly. So, even subconsciously, he felt unresigned.


    However, he knew that before finding out the crux of the problem, regardless of how many more techniques he cultivated, he would not be able to make the breakthrough.


    ¡°How are you, Yiming?¡± A familiar voice came from his back.


    He Yiming faintly started before thinking how could he hear this voice here?


    Turning around, he astoundedly asked, ¡°Eldest uncle, howe you¡¯re here?¡±


    He Quanxin arrogantlyughed and said, ¡°You tell me.¡±


    Although his mind was thoughts were somewhat clouded, He Yiming had not lost his spiritual sense. After a few careful nces, his eyes slightly brightened as he said, ¡°Congrattions eldest uncle, on attaining the peak, tenthyer.¡±


    He Quanxin heartilyughed, unable to hide how proud he felt. However, his happiness only lived for a few moments until he discovered that He Yiming before him seemed quite different than as always.


    If one were to say that He Yiming usually seemed full of liveliness and confidence, today, he seemed quite listless, not far from resembling a stray dog.


    The immensity of these two changes werepletely out of He Quanxin¡¯s imagination. He could never have thought that in merely half a year, he would sessfully cross the bottleneck of the ninthyer, and on the other hand, He Yiming would lose so much confidence and be so listless.


    His chest tightened. He knew that for a cultivator habitual of continuous sesses, how catastrophic a loss of confidence could be.


    ¡°Yiming, has something happened in the family?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± He Yiming thought for a bit. He himself didn¡¯t know for sure as he¡¯d spent all of thest six months in his training room and had not been involved in other affairs.


    He Quanxin lowered his voice, ¡°Then, did you run into some trouble while cultivating?¡±


    He Yiming hesitated a bit before nodding.


    ¡°What trouble? Can you discuss with me?¡± He Quanxin slowly said.


    Currently, he stood at the tenthyer of Internal Energy. His confidence had increased by hundred foldspared to past. Regardless of what troubles He Yiming had, he felt confident to give a few pointers.


    He Yiming¡¯s face revealed a bitter smile. He was not looking down on his eldest uncle at all, rather the trouble he¡¯d encountered was such that there might not be a single individual under the heavens who could guide him.


    He Yiming shook his head and declined. Although his tone was soft, it contained resolute rejection.


    He Quanxin didn¡¯t feel anger, but a headache. Although this nephew of his is a peerless genius, but also extremely obstinate- regarding cultivation in particr. He¡¯d always tried to work his way around by himself and had never consulted any elder of the family.


    Being confident was quite good, but being excessively obstinate was not.


    However, he¡¯d no way of insisting He Yiming.


    After thinking for a while, his gaze turned towards the Book Pavilion as he suddenly said, ¡°Yiming, although training hard is a must, sometimes, reading the ounts of our senior¡¯s experiences is also quite beneficial. If you¡¯ve encountered some trouble in your cultivation and can¡¯t make up your mind, why don¡¯t you check some of these books?¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes brightened a bit. His eldest uncle¡¯s words had merit. If there were ounts of Xiantian realm seniors and they contained information regarding how they break through into the Xiantian realm, it might prove beneficial to the current him.


    He Yiming turned his head and went in, but immediately stopped afterwards.


    ¡°Eldest uncle, if I remember correctly, there are no such books in the Book Pavilion?¡±


    Indeed. Although he¡¯d not visited the Book Pavilion too many times, all the scriptures inside had already been browsed by him.


    Although he didn¡¯t remember with extreme rity, he could say quite certainly that the Book Pavilion had no written-ounts type of books.


    All the bookshelves contained the scriptures of the five-phases, and such books wouldn¡¯t likely be mixed among these.


    He Quanxin chuckled, ¡°Yiming, previously, some matters could only be told to you after you have grown into an adult. However, now, there is no harm in telling you.¡±


    After saying these words, he turned around and started walking, ¡°Come with me.¡±


    After a slight hesitation, He Yiming immediately followed.


    After a short while, leading He Yiming, He Quanxin entered the grand courtyard. He then entered He Wude¡¯s residence, said a few lines before calling for He Yiming to enter.


    As He Yiming entered, He Wude carefully inspected him for a while before feeling rmed inwardly.


    A few moments ago, when He Quanxin had told him, he¡¯d notpletely believed thetter. However, at this moment, he felt certain that something was amiss with this grandson of his.


    He didn¡¯t inquire. Since He Quanxin had already failed, he wouldn¡¯t be able to aplish anything either.


    Nodding at He Quanxin, He Wude walked to a bookshelf in the room.


    He seemed to be moving an exceedingly frail looking porcin bottle in the shelf. After a few moments, a series of cracking sounds came out from the wall behind.


    The gigantic bookshelf opened up from the two sides, revealing a huge, dark entrance.


    The Lord Master entered while feeling the side of the entrance. He then took out an already prepared fire torch from inside. From his actions, one could easily tell that he¡¯d done this many times in the past.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes brightened with curiosity. He¡¯d no idea that his grandfather¡¯s room contained such a secret entrance.


    ¡°Yiming, in the manor, Quanxin and Laibao are the only two individuals who know about this. Currently, you are the third.¡± He Wude said in a lowered tone, ¡°Keep in mind, don¡¯t tell anyone else.¡±


    He Yiming promptly nodded and realized even his father and third uncle weren¡¯t aware of this.


    Not too long after He Wude stepped down the stairs while holding the torch, they entered an underground room with an unusualposition.


    This underground room was not a training room, but a huge book cer.


    The cer¡¯s atmosphere seemed rather dull, and each book within seemed to be stored with meticulous care.


    He Yiming nced at He Wude only to seetter smilingly nodding at him. He stepped forward and browsed through the books for a few moments before immediately realizing that therge part of these books constituted the original editions of the books in the Book Pavilion.


    Suddenly, he found a dense book, which was precisely the [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] short of three forms.


    This book had not been showcased in the outer Book Pavilion, but was included here. This surprised He Yiming a bit.


    He Wude lit the two fire torches which had already been prepared beforehand, and the room immediately brightened a lot.


    He Yiming didn¡¯t feel any change at all. After looking for a bit, he¡¯d found that apart from the Xiantian technique, most of the scriptures could be find in the outer pavilion. However, the main attraction here was not scriptures, but ten other books which seemed to be written ounts of somebody¡¯s insights and experiences.


    As he flipped through these, he immediately determined that these books covered everything- from experiences regarding how to attack everyyer¡¯s bottleneck in Houtian realm, to a detailed description of the Xiantian realm.


    However, with He Yiming¡¯s insight, he could tell that these books were copies, not the originals. However, despite this being the case, these books were extremely rare. At the very least, these were much more precious that those ordinary techniques¡¯ scriptures, and thus, had been ced together with the Xiantian battle skill.


    His hand slightly caressed the book in his hand. This book had no mention of its writer. However, it had a detailed ount of the author¡¯s experience of breaking through everyyer, and of course, most importantly, it contained information regarding how to breakthrough into the Xiantian realm.


    To He Yiming, this book was priceless.


    ¡°Yiming, you can stay here till tomorrow,¡± He Wude gravely said, ¡°In the future, if you want to read here, feel free to do so at any time, but not for more than a day.¡±


    He Yiming profoundly bowed and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    He Wude nodded with satisfaction and left with He Quanxin.


    After leaving the room, He Quanxin asked with some hesitation, ¡°Father, you saw He Yiming¡¯s appearance¡­.¡±


    He Wude skeptically said, ¡°I believe He Yiming had attained the ninthyer¡¯s peak.¡±


    ¡°So quickly?¡± He Quanxin said with astonishment all over his face. To attain the ninthyer¡¯s peak since he attained the ninthyer, he¡¯d spent an entire eight years.


    He Wude faintly smiled and said, ¡°Extraordinary individuals exhibits extraordinary deeds. Yiming¡¯s talent is not something you can fathom.¡±


    Inwardly, he felt a littlecent but also a little anxious. However, he could never have imagined that he¡¯d still been vastly underestimating his grandson.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 11 - The Three Energies

    ¡°Temper bones, condense essence into Internal Energy, and cultivate Internal Energy¡­this is Houtian.¡±


    In the room, He Yiming¡¯s slow, skeptical voice sounded.


    The booky opened in his hands as he read by the torch me on the wall. He discovered that this was the not theplete book, but a major part of it.


    However, it was still the most detailed among all the books he¡¯d ever seen.


    Other than the author¡¯s personal experience, for the most part, it exined the essentials to break through at everyyer below the tenth. The author of this book had evidently not experienced the Xiantian realm for himself, and thus, this book didn¡¯t help He Yiming at all.


    Of course, this book would prove to be extremely beneficial to the family¡¯s third generation in the future- saving them a lot of troubles during their cultivation path.


    He Yiming could even bet that although his father and third uncle had not visited this room, they had certainly read these books.


    Although he wouldn¡¯t say that they had read all, he was certain that they had at least read all the content regarding the breakthrough. Only, they had failed to advance nevertheless.


    And the reason his eldest uncle and grandfather never mentioned this subject to him was that his speed was already too quick- so quick that it was simply beyond their expectations. Thus, they simply never had the chance to mention it to him.


    If they had not seen his listless appearance today, they probably wouldn¡¯t have disclosed this information to him.


    Among all these books, only one book mentioned the Xiantian realm.


    ording to this book, the way of cultivation was divided into three daos- Essence, Qi, and Spirit.


    In Houtian realm, one cultivated the physical body.


    The physical body innately contained Essence. Every individual¡¯s physical constitution differed and so did the Essence, but what cultivators cultivated¡­ was precisely this Essence.


    All the techniques, regardless of their types, paid special attention to continuous advancement and umtion of the Essence so that one¡¯s body could sustain the bitter cultivation practices, which then lead to the tempering muscles and bones.


    If one¡¯s muscles and bones were sturdy, one¡¯s Essence would naturally thrive. Only after possessing a strong Essence could one begin the cultivation of Internal Energy. Cultivating Internal Energy was precisely to convert this Essence into Internal Energy.


    Refining Essence into Internal Energy¡­is Houtian.


    These words were the best portrayal of all the Houtian realm experts.


    ording to the book, Essence was Houtian¡¯s Jin(energy) dao, Qi was Xiantian¡¯s Qi dao, and Spirit was Heaven and Earth¡¯s Spiritual dao.


    The three realms had different types of cultivation. Xiantian¡¯s Qi dao was exceedingly strong in itself. One could even say that attaining the Xiantian realm was already separating oneself from humankind to some degree.


    Peak, tenthyer experts were exceedingly strong individuals who possessed tyrannical physical bodies and unmatched Internal Energy reserves.


    However, confronting a million people or even abined encirclement of a few hundred cultivators along with a troop of ordinary men who hadpletely disregarded their personal safety, such strong tenthyer experts could only die out in the end.


    However, if one had attained the Xiantian realm, this would no longer be the case. Only under a seize of tens of thousands of ordinary cultivators would a cultivator of Xiantian realm be killed.


    Moreover, Xiantian realm¡¯s cultivators would also not choose to struggle before such a big army.


    One could safely assume that after attaining the Xiantian realm, a cultivator could not be killed by relying on numbers alone.


    As for Spiritual dao, the realm above, this book didn¡¯t mention anything regarding it except for its name. He Yiming didn¡¯t know if the original book had more entries because this copy only contained a single page about the Xiantian realm.


    Perhaps it hadn¡¯t been copied in its entirety or this section had been lost before it was copied, whatever the case, He Yiming felt extremely regretful.


    However, this single page had already enabled He Yiming to somewhat understand the reason he¡¯d not made the breakthrough after cultivating a new Internal Energy technique.


    ording to this book, a human body in the Houtian realm resembled a big, unfilled water tank.


    Before cultivating a primary cultivation technique, the body¡¯s essence would be refined and purified, transforming into Internal Energy, which would then eventually fill the tank.


    With the constant improvement of Internal Energy, the water in the tank would also increase correspondingly.


    With everyyer, a human body- the water tank- would also be bigger and more stable, which would increase its holding capacity.


    However, after attaining the tenthyer, water would have attained the peak and also the limits of a human body. At this point, a human body could no longer rely on Internal Energy to erge itself.


    One could say that at this realm, the potential of a human body had already been maximised.


    Therefore, the ancient cultivators came up with the idea of the above mentioned ¡®Qi¡¯.


    The so-called Qi was not a reference to one¡¯s breath, but to a strange energy that pervaded the heavens and earth.


    This strange energy had many names- Worldly Yuan Qi, Worldly Spiritual Qi¡­so on.


    After countless efforts and wasting countless lives, the ancient cultivators eventually discovered a technique to utilize the Worldly Qi.


    After attaining the tenthyer¡¯s peak, they would try to connect with the Worldly Qi and try to absorb this boundless energy in their bodies.


    After entering the body, this Qi would naturally transform into a new energy, and the power of this new energy could easily allow a human¡¯s body to break its previous limits.


    Although it was said that if the water tank ruptured, the body would also die out as a result, as long as one could absorb the Worldly Qi, one could easily forge another water tank which would be inconceivably huge.


    This was precisely the so-called ¡®if the old doesn¡¯t leave, new will note.¡¯ Only after experiencing ¡®destruction and reestablishment¡¯ would one be able to attain the Xiantian realm.


    Putting down the book in his hand, He Yiming bitterly smiled.


    No wonder he didn¡¯t feel any reaction after cultivating [Power Secrets]. Although he had converted all the Essence of his body into Internal Energy and his body now stood at the peak of the Houtian realm, his water tank had no more holding capacity at all.


    To step further, he had to break the limits and connect with the Worldly Qi. Only then he could obtain a new scope.


    Although the words in the book seemed quite simple and easy, he¡¯d been racking his brain for so long but had not feel any sort of worldly power around his body at all.


    If this book had not talked in such a confident manner and his grandfather had not preserved this book as if it was the family heirloom, and if he¡¯d not cultivated Xiantian battle skills and thus knew that difference between the two genres of cultivators was so huge that it defied reason, he wouldn¡¯t have believed that some Qi permeated the entire world.


    He faintly shook his head. In order to break through the tenthyer¡¯s peak, he would apparently need to establish a friendship with this Worldly Qi- the very existence of which felt skeptical to him. This didn¡¯t seem easy.


    Of course, if it was easy, He Wude would have entered the Xiantian realm long ago.


    Suddenly the room¡¯s door opened and He Wude entered.


    He Yiming faintly started, ¡°Grandfather, one day has passed?¡±


    He Wude faintly shook his head and brought out a bamboo basket from his back. Taking out a bowl, he said, ¡°I know you probably aren¡¯t feeling hungry, but you should still eat something and take a rest.¡±


    He Yiming astoundedly nced at the bowl. Bamboo shoot roasted meat, roasted chicken wings..so on- although these few dishes were merely part of the family¡¯s daily meals, this part was his favourite among the daily meals.


    Feeling warm inside, he respectfully said, ¡°Yes, grandfather.¡±


    With his current strength, whether he didn¡¯t drink a drop of water for a few days or ate like a pig, he wouldn¡¯t have to face any problem at all. Although the old man also knew this, he couldn¡¯t help but bring some food. As he looked at He Yiming happily eating away, he also smiled.


    Sweeping his gaze around, He Wude faintly smiled, ¡°Yiming, why are you reading this book?¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s heart faintly stirred before he asked, ¡°Grandfather, where did this booke from?¡±


    He Wude deeply sighed, ¡°Back in the day, when I was a pill-helper, I casually copied this book in my free time.¡±


    He Yiming blinked his eyes. He felt certain that this certainly had a story behind, but since the Lord Master was not willing to divulge, he didn¡¯t follow up either. After thinking for a bit, he said, ¡°Grandfather, this seems iplete.¡±


    ¡°This is indeed an iplete book. However, it is still enough to be our family¡¯s heirloom.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded. He¡¯d no qualms on this at all. However, the issue was that this iplete book didn¡¯t hold much value to him.


    He Wude suddenly pped his forehead and said, ¡°Right! There seems to be one more page. It fell down due to carelessness. I think¡­¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes brightened up. Not to mention a full page, he would be fine even it was a part of page.


    He Wude¡¯s brows faintly creased as he said, ¡°That page mentioned the method to break through tenthyer¡¯s peak and enter the Xiantian realm. Where did I end up putting it?¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s breath suddenly quickened.


    At this moment, he forgot that if such a good method existed, howe the Lord Master hadn¡¯t used it?


    He Wude thought for a while before he suddenly turned around and left. When he returned back, one of his hands held a paper.


    ¡°Ten years ago, I always kept this paper right next to me. However, in recent years, I have understood that Xiantian is hopeless for me, so I just put it in the bookshelf outside. If I hadn¡¯t seen you flipping through this book, I wouldn¡¯t have thought about it at all.¡±


    The old man sighed relentlessly. His memory had started to gradually fall off.


    He Yiming epted the paper from his grandfather, not minding the old man¡¯s bbering.


    On the front side, he didn¡¯t find anything relevant.


    He impatiently flipped the page around and quickly swept his vision downwards.


    Sure enough, it mentioned the author¡¯s own experience and the method he¡¯d used to break through the tenthyer¡¯s peak and attain the Xiantian realm.


    However, when he saw the method, even he who had cultivated his Internal Energy to the tenthyer¡¯s peak by himself couldn¡¯t help but curse towards the heavens, ¡°Inhuman¡­.!¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 12 - Leaving Home

    The world has spiritual beasts which live for five hundred years. Kill one to obtain its inner pellet, refine it into a golden pellet, consume the golden pellet, and break through the extreme bottleneck toprehend the Xiantian Qi dao.


    In a few lines, the method to break through the tenthyer and attain the Xiantian realm had been clearly illustrated.


    However, knowing this method wasn¡¯t much different from not knowing it. All it did was add another concern for the mind to work on.


    Although spiritual beasts were not humans, the wisdom they possessed did not pale much inparison to humans.


    The gold-crowned python that their He family had killed was merely a hundred-year-old spiritual beast.


    A hundred-year-old spiritual beast possessed such formidable abilities. If they had not been fortunate, the entire eliteyer of the He manor could have been wiped out in that fight.


    If that gold-crowned python had lived for five hundred years¡­


    He Yiming indeed felt himself incapable to imagine the might required to kill such a beast.


    He Wude didn¡¯t pay attention to the change in hisplexion and frankly told him that when he¡¯d advanced to the tenthyer¡¯s peak, he also harbored simr thoughts. However, after the one time he¡¯d gone to hunt a spirit beast, he dispelled all such thoughts from his mind.


    First of all, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find a five-hundred- year-old spiritual beast, but even if he did, he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill it. Thus, hepletely abandoned this idea.


    Moreover, his age was too high. Even if he swallowed a golden pellet from a five-hundred-year-old spiritual beast, he might not be able to break through.


    For an eighty-year-old Houtian expert to consume such a golden pellet, him dying due to his body bursting seemed more probable than him making the breakthrough.


    The reason he¡¯d handed over this page to He Yiming was that he wished to re-ignite the fighting spirit in his genius grandson.


    After sorting out the things he¡¯d brought, He Wude gave a slight nod, turned around, and left.


    As the entrance of the room closed, the lighting suddenly dropped down, leaving behind two fire torches on the wall, gradually burning with a ming sound.


    He Yiming¡¯s mind schemed at a lightning fast speed. Although he¡¯d not personally witnessed a five-hundred-year-old beast¡¯s might, it probably wouldn¡¯t be too shabby.


    The current He Yiming was vastly different than the one a few years before.


    Especially after cultivating the two Xiantian battle skills, his self-confidence had vastly increased. With his current strength, if he mounted a sneak attack with Hidden Needle Imprint, or used the [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] with his grandfather¡¯s de to produce that one frightening strike, he felt he had a chance.


    As soon as he thought till here, his heart zed.


    Since that senior could aplish this feat, why couldn¡¯t he? His confidence slowly increased,pletely overshadowing his previous concerns.


    His body once again began to emanate that intense aura of confidence.


    Profoundly reading the additional page in his hand, his yearning for Xiantian realm increasingly thickened.


    Those who could resist a Xiantian realm cultivator were only the cultivators of Xiantian realm themselves.


    These people absorbed the Worldly Qi and strengthened their body to an extent that simply couldn¡¯t bepared with that of Houtian realm cultivators. On one side was Internal Energy, and on the other side was the true Qi extracted from the heavens and earth itself. The difference was simply poles apart.


    Moreover, this Qi contained endless mysteries, and these mysterious could be brought out using some strange techniques. You could say that if a family had a Xiantian overseer, they would basically not be provoked, at least not before the death of this overseer.


    Furthermore, by absorbing the Worldly Qi, cultivators could reap enormous benefits regarding their bodies, thereby prolonging their life.


    Of course, prolong by how much- that would rely on the age of cultivator when he entered the Xiantian realm.


    The earlier one could enter the Xiantian realm, the more one¡¯s body could be transformed and life prolonged. Simrly, as far as an eighty year old individual like He Wude was concerned, not only the probability of entering the Xiantian realm would be exceedingly low, even if he managed to seed by a fluke, he wouldn¡¯t be able to extend his life by more than fifty or sixty years.


    If one could attain the Xiantian realm at about the age of fifty, generally, one would be able to live for two hundred years.


    As for before twenty years¡­.


    It wasn¡¯t mentioned. He Yiming reckoned that even the author of this book didn¡¯t think it was possible.


    After reading the book, He Yiming carefully pasted this page at the book¡¯s end.


    Sitting in silence, he contemted for a long time. Eventually, he arrived at a decision.


    He suddenly stood up while throwing a nce at that book with his electric-sharp eyes. Subsequently, walking in big steps, he arrived before the room¡¯s entrance before slowly knocking a few times.


    After a few moments, the gate opened, and he saw He Wude looking at him with a slight surprise.


    The time of one day had not beenpleted. He Wude didn¡¯t expect that He Yiming woulde out before the allocated time, ¡®Could it be¡­he didn¡¯t find anything worthwhile here?¡¯


    However, as he saw He Yiming¡¯s appearance, he immediately understood and his concernspletely disappeared.


    He could see that currently, He Yiming no longer looked listless and seemed full of energy once again- his eyes in particr, which again shined with an unquestionable confidence.


    Sensing the change in his grandson¡¯s mood, He Wude felt quite pleased. He suddenly recalled another matter before he asked with a faint smile, ¡°Yiming, the golden pellet is still with me. Do you want to use it?¡±


    After saying these words, he took out a small jade bottle from his bosom and ced it on the table.


    He Yiming faintly started before his brows rose up and a slightly annoyed expression emerged on his face.


    He Wude waved his hand, ¡°Yiming, I understand your thoughts. I only want to let you know that using a golden pellet to breakthrough is not something to be embarrassed about. You should have also seen that that senior also broke through the limits of Houtian realm by consuming a golden pellet refined from the inner pellet of a five-hundred-year-old spiritual beast.¡±


    He Yiming bitterly smiled inwardly. If this golden pellet had truly been refined from the inner pellet of a five-hundred-year-old spiritual beast, he probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist.


    A hundred-year-old gold-crowned python held no use for him. It would only be wasted if he consumed it.


    He faintly shook his head, then faintly smiled, ¡°Grandfather, the three year agreement has not concluded yet.¡±


    He Wude deeply sighed, feeling quite helpless about his grandson¡¯s stubbornness. However, subsequently, he heartilyughed and said, ¡°Fine. Since you are so confident, I will not make things difficult for you. I hope to see you ascending the tenthyer soon.¡±


    He Yiming heavily nodded before suddenly saying, ¡°Grandfather, I have been cultivating behind closed-doors in the n for quite some time now. Nowadays, I feel like making a trip outside.¡±


    When he said these words, although his tone seemed permissive, it still contained a hint of determination, seeming as if even his grandfather didn¡¯t agree, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to execute his ns.


    He Wude faintly started. He hesitated for a bit. However, he also knew that although He Yiming was only fifteen years old, thetter¡¯s strength was not below his.


    Although ninthyer was no match for tenthyer, with the support of Xiantian battle skills, even he would have to back down.


    However, travelling alone at an age of fifteen still seemed quite premature.


    Seeing the hesitation in his grandfather¡¯s eyes, He Yiming said, ¡°An unpolished jade is worthless. Grandfather, you yourself said that this grandson¡¯s ambitions doesn¡¯t lie here.¡±


    He Wude¡¯s eyes slightly rose, but he eventually nodded and said, ¡°Fine. You can go out. However, you still have to uphold our three year agreement.¡±


    He Yiming retreated a step, bowed, then turned around and left.


    After a short while, he¡¯d alreadypleted his preparations. This time, he was also carrying the huge broadsword, which was no longer a burden to him, in its three-part form at his side.


    Carrying a huge, meter-long package, He Yiming left the home without conversing with anybody.


    Currently, the sun was ascending.


    Outside the manor¡¯s entrance, He Wude¡¯s eyes followed the grandson he felt most prideful about, shining with unspeakable arrogance and emotion.


    He had a feeling that when his grandson woulde back, he would have certainly attained the tenthyer- bing the youngest peak, tenthyer Houtian cultivator in the history of Tai Cang county.


    And relying on him, He family would be the number one family of the Tai Cang county.


    Silently and wordlessly, a person arrived beside him. This person was precisely his childhood friend, He Laibao.


    ¡°Sixth young master left.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he left.¡±


    ¡°Old master, we are already old. Today belongs to these young masters.¡± He Laibao unhurriedly said.


    He Wude turned his head. For the past two years, the appearance of his old friend had increasingly waned. Perhaps, they both knew that they didn¡¯t have much time left. Therefore, they shared a sentiment that others couldn¡¯tprehend.


    ¡°Laibao, in this life, I have only one wish apart from the establishment and development of the He manor. If that wish can be fulfilled, I can happily close my eyes.¡±


    Laibao lifted his head. His originally pale face seemed to be possessing a bizarre luster, ¡°Old master, that wish will certainly be fulfilled. Sixth young master will not let you down.¡±


    He Wude faintly smiled and said, ¡°Yes. I believe he will certainly aplish it for me,¡± He profoundly nced at the former before continuing, ¡°So, what about you? Did you forget, this is the desire we created for ourselves together?¡±


    He Laibo¡¯s both eyes gradually brightened with a golden luster, as if he¡¯d recalled something extremely emotional to him.


    ¡°Old master, be at ease. I will not die so easily. Before seeing sixth master grow and you returning back to the Heng mountain, this old man¡¯s voice wouldn¡¯t be so easily stifled.¡±


    Seeing He Laibao momentarily brimming with vitality, He Wude heartilyughed- the sound of hisughter was so loud that it covered the entire He manor and also entered He Yiming¡¯s ears.


    Thetter turned his head and distantly waved towards He manor before following after the ascending sun.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 13 - Entering The Forest Again

    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    In the mountain forest, a gigantic air-cleaving sound suddenly rang out. As a swift, majestic white light shed, a huge fox bear¡¯s head rolled down before it could even make a sound.


    Two fox bears had teamed up to mount a sneak attack on a certain individual in the mountain forest. However, they didn¡¯t expect that just by a casual wave of that individual¡¯s hand, one of them would lose its head as soon as they revealed themselves.


    The other one trembled from head to toe. It could smell the odour of death. The human, who had seemedpletely harmless a moment ago, this moment, exuded such a dangerous feeling that it couldn¡¯t help but shiver uncontrobly.


    The cunning fox bear had no intentions of taking revenge for its friend. It suddenly turned its head and fled for its life several times more nimbler than it had revealed itself a moment ago. Henceforth, this fox bear would never dare to even approach the humans who seemed much weaker than it.


    He Yiming reached out with his hand and made a grasping gesture before the huge de obediently returned back to its owner.


    The broadsword, which vividly exhibited its might in the Tai Cang county during He Wude¡¯s youth, was constituted of three parts.


    Apart from the two sections made of pure steel that stretched one meter long and constituted the body, it consisted of a long de. This de further consisted of a handle, which could be used as a mid-sized weapon.


    If all three parts were to be assembled together, the broadsword would weigh one hundred and eighty kilograms. Apart from those who possessed innate divine strength, even cultivators of the tenthyer wouldn¡¯t risk showing it off.


    He Wude had possessed innate divine strength in his youth, and ever since he attained the eighthyer, this de became his signature weapon. Even his old opponent, Xu Yinjie, felt a headache while dealing with this de.


    Nobody dared to sh head-on with him.


    Although He Yiming¡¯s strength was not weak,pared to the innate divine strength of his grandfather, hecked far behind. The only reason he could previously wield this de was the support of his strong Internal Energy.


    In reality, he¡¯d not intended to carry this de along with him at first. However, this time¡¯s objective was a five- hundred-year-old spiritual beast. Thus, the might of this de felt indispensable to him. However, after walking with the broadsword for several days, He Yiming suddenly discovered¡­


    For the current him, this de didn¡¯tprise any trouble at all.


    This time, he¡¯d cultivated the extremely difficult earth type technique [Power Secrets].


    For ordinary people, the difficulty of cultivating this technique would be almost on par with that of cultivating a peak level technique. Therefore, apart from young immatures or those who had no other choice, nobody would likely make this technique as their primary cultivation technique.


    However, after cultivating to the tenthyer, this technique had brought enormous benefits for He Yiming.


    His strength had received an enormous gain. Even if he didn¡¯t use his Internal Energy at all, this one hundred and eighty kilograms heavy broadsword didn¡¯t effect him much. In particr, while holding the de with only the foremost section in one of his hands and imbuing a little bit of Internal Energy, it feltpletely weightless.


    He naturally felt overjoyed at this discovery.


    After leaving the He manor, he prated deep into the mountain forest, wielding this de.


    Tai Cang county contained immense mountain ranges, and nobody had ever seeded in uncovering these boundless mountain ranges. He Yiming¡¯s thought process was quite simple. Since a gold-crowned python could appear here, it ought to have other high level spiritual beasts.


    Spiritual beasts had myriad of sses. However, they all shared one characteristic. They lived in areas far away from human grounds. The stronger a spiritual beast happened to be, the harder its traces would be to discover.


    Although He Yiming knew that chances of finding a spiritual beast by relying on luck like this would be quite low, even if he couldn¡¯t find one, he could always temper himself. This was his thinking when he¡¯d begun his journey. As such, despite not finding a single spiritual beast, he did not feel discouraged.


    However, living in the wild and facing the difficulties of the forest had instead rejuvenated his spirit. Moreover, while using battle skills, he could act as he pleased, which increased his thought process as well.


    Poisonous snakes, mosquitoes, and assaults of all sorts of ferocious beasts presented an excellent training opportunity for him. After three months, his conduct didn¡¯tg behind that of those hunters that lived in the mountains. As such, with his strength, which hunters couldn¡¯t even hope to attain, he obviously wouldn¡¯t encounter any life-threatening situation.


    Of course, some matters gave him endless headaches as well. Walking in the forest for three months, he¡¯d no idea about his whereabouts.


    Since half a month, he¡¯d not found a single other human. If not for his n, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to endure such loneliness and returned back.


    Turning around, he disembowelled the fox bear that had followed the path of its own death. Subsequently, he found a few thick trees, prepared a stand, and began to roast the bear meat.


    He clearly remembered that he¡¯d also faced a fox bear when he¡¯d just attained the sixthyer. At that time, he¡¯d barely managed to scare away the beast. However, this time, a mere wave of his hand had settled the oue while also scaring the other fox bear witless and making it flee for its life.


    As he recalled the past as if it happened yesterday, he felt somewhat emotional.


    The meat slowly cooked over the branches. However, it was merely being cooked. Expecting He Yiming to bring out some sort of exotic delicacy from this meat would be a fool¡¯s errand. Stringing the meat properly was already an extraordinary progress for him.


    As he recalled his first time roasting the meat, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a shiver run throughout his body. Fortunately, after leaving behind this time period filled with horrendous memories, his current product could barely be considered as consumable.


    After eating a little bit, He Yiming¡¯s movements suddenly stiffened before he slightly inclined his ears, quietly listening.


    In the forest, apart from the rustling wind and sounds of animal¡¯s movements, he actually heard a sound that he didn¡¯t expect to hear.


    This sound was that of leather shoes stepping on dry branches. He Yiming had not heard this sound for a long time. He Yiming¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened. Meeting another group of people in this region was indeed quite fortunate.


    You guessed correct. The sound wasn¡¯t made by a single person, but a group of people- probably a hunter household that lived in these mountains.


    From their sounds, they seemed to being right at him. ncing at the me which was about to die out, He Yiming immediately understood that they ought to be attracted by the meat¡¯s aroma.


    He Yiming threw a quick nce at the gigantic body of the fox bear before revealing a faint smile, ¡°Even including the people that areing, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to finish off this big guy¡­¡±


    He remained seated and had no intentions of weing his guests.


    In the forest, the animals didn¡¯tprise all of the danger. Even humans also meant a certain sort of danger. However, with his current strength, this wouldn¡¯t likely be the case. If these people came with evil intentions, they would be the ones to regret it afterwards.


    The movements of these people were rather quick- evidently, quite experienced in moving through the forest.


    In reality, apart from a guy like He Yiming who relied on his strength for guts, even a normal eighthyer expert wouldn¡¯t dare create trouble in an unknown forest.


    The more these people approached, the gentler their movements became. Evidently, they had already discovered that someone had roasted meat here and didn¡¯t wish to be discovered.


    Faintly shaking his head, He Yiming¡¯s bluntly said, ¡°Friends, since you are already here, why don¡¯t you just show yourself. I have lots of unfinished meat here. Help yourself.¡±


    The footsteps suddenly stopped. This action seemed to have been aplished in an instant and in a synchronized manner.


    He Yiming faintly started. He had clearly heard their movements. Ordinary hunters simply couldn¡¯t posses such order and discipline. He vaguely felt that these people certainly weren¡¯t ordinary hunters.


    An effortless and candid voice sounded, ¡°Since the gentleman here has shown such hospitality, we wouldn¡¯t dare notply.¡±


    The next moment, eight individuals revealed themselves not too far away before moving towards the fire.


    They seem to be careless, but He Yiming knew that six among them were walking rather scattered and cing their feet quite carefully. Clearly, they were protecting the two in the middle, and trying to feel if any ambushesy in wait with their bodies.


    The two in the middle walked alongside each other, enjoying this treatment as if it should be deemed as proper and expected.


    He Yiming¡¯s heart faintly shook. From the attire of these six, they seemed to be from the same region. Probably some influential family¡¯s attendants. An influential family that could cultivate such faithful attendants couldn¡¯t be looked down upon.


    Moreover, all these attendants¡¯ Internal Energy cultivation could be considered as quite high.


    With his spiritual sense, from their footsteps, speed, force¡­..so on¡­ He Yiming could tell that these people ought to be somewhere around the seventhyer.


    Although He Yiming didn¡¯t know whether Jadeting¡¯s Lin family had such high-level attendants, he felt absolutely certain that Tai Cang county¡¯s three influential families¡¯ attendants simply couldn¡¯t attain such a realm intrinsically.


    In a few steps, the two individuals arrived before He Yiming. As they took a clear look at He Yiming¡¯s face, they couldn¡¯t help but reveal faint astonishment. Following the me, their vision fell upon the fox bear and the meter long, one-section broadsword.


    The head among the two individuals was a big, stout middle-aged man. His face had big, coarse pores and somewhat swollen eyes, but as soon as He Yiming met eyes with him, he didn¡¯t dare to hold the slightest contempt for the former.


    This man gave a faint feeling of danger. If he¡¯d not misjudged, this man¡¯s cultivation was not inferior to his grandfather.


    Tenthyer Internal Energy. At such a wild, deste region, a peak Houtian expert had appeared.


    At the side of the big man, a white-faced young master stood. This young master¡¯s age was around He Yiming¡¯s. His whole body was covered in skin tight clothes, revealing his figure which had evidently been tempered through tough training.


    He resembled the big man somewhat, making them look like a pair of father and son. The former¡¯s cultivation lied around the seventhyer¡¯s peak,parable to that of He Yitian.


    In a mountain forest, suddenly encountering an expert duo of father and son waspletely out of He Yiming¡¯s expectations.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 14 - Xie Family Of Fire Crow Country

    ¡°Please have a seat, you two.¡± He Yiming said with a wave of his hand.


    Although this group consisted of a tenthyer, peak Houtian expert, He Yiming neither felt happy nor sad about it. He didn¡¯t care much about it at all.


    Relying on his two Xiantian battle skills, even if a fight erupted between the two sides, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be at the bottom end of it.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes exuded a strand of strange light, which lingered on He Yiming¡¯s body for a moment. Subsequently, he first started, then nkly stared before assuming his normal appearance and saying with a smile, ¡°Many thanks, little brother.¡±


    After saying these words, he immediately patted his dress, and imitating He Yiming, ced his bottom on the ground without the slightest hesitation.


    The youngster at his side and the attendants dumbfoundedly looked at him with expressions of disbelief. Despite following him for so many years, this was the first time they had seen him behaving in such an unbridled and casual manner.


    ¡°I am Xie Grace, and this is my son Xie Mingjin. May I ask little brother¡¯s name?¡± The middle aged man asked with a face beaming with smiles.


    The youngster and the attendants were inwardly rmed. If the man¡¯s previous words had surprised them, then these words simply left them appalled.


    They all knew what sort of person this man was. Therefore, when they saw him treating the youngster before them with such respect, going as far as to assuming him as an equal, the astonishment they felt was not small.


    He Yiming faintly smiled before speaking without the slightest hesitation, ¡°He Yiming.¡±


    After rushing through the forest for three months, only heavens knew where he¡¯d ended up. In any case, he was certainly not anywhere near the Tai Cang county, and thus, he¡¯d no misgivings about revealing his real name.


    Xie Grace¡¯s smile didn¡¯t falter at all but his mind operated at a lightning fast speed. However, he couldn¡¯t recall if he¡¯d heard about this young expert before.


    He Yiming pointed at the fox bear on the ground and said, ¡°Everyone, please help yourselves. No need to be courteous.¡±


    Xie Grace heartilyughed and said, ¡°Many thanks for your gracious invitation. Everybody, go on.¡±


    His words were like amand. Two men immediately walked out. Their actions were hundred folds more skillful than He Yiming¡¯s. Holding sharp small knives, they quickly and efficiently skinned the entire fox bear, stringed the meat, sprinkled seasoning, and slowly roasted it over the fire. Just after a few moments, a dense, alluring smell spread around.


    He Yiming¡¯s nose slightly shook before he felt quite ashamed inwardly.


    Looking at these mens¡¯ actions, they would be considered as professionals, and looking at the half-baked meat slices produced by his own hands which seemed no different than stones again, he could no longer swallow them past his throat.


    With a faint smile, Xie Grace extended a bottle gourd towards him, ¡°Little brother, this Xie can¡¯t thank you enough for your kindness. Here is some good wine. If you don¡¯t mind, try it.¡±


    He Yiming eyes brightened. He felt a bit ashamed in replying. He¡¯d heard the fame of a fine liquor. However, the rules of the manor were extremely strict. Before reaching the age of eighteen years, even he wasn¡¯t permitted to drink wine, and he could also be considered as a type of obedient child. Thus, he¡¯d never tried wine before.


    With a slight hesitation, He Yiming epted the bottle gourd from Xie Grace¡¯s hands. As he uncovered it, a fragrant aroma pervaded the air. The tip of his nose faintly twitched two times before he pretentiously said, ¡°Good wine.¡±


    Subsequently, he raised his head high and fiercely took a big gulp.


    As the wine entered, he suddenly felt a burning sensation, as if being cut apart by a knife, in his throat. His chest and abdomen further felt as if been set aze.


    He Yiming blinked his eyes. His only feeling was that of the internal heat inside his body before he almost threw up on the spot.


    Fortunately, his Internal Energy was iparably profound. After it circted in his body once, the troubling sensation immediately turned a lot better.


    He let out a deep sigh. He Yiming had so boldly drunk the wine because he¡¯d the support of his Internal Energy. He couldn¡¯t be unwittingly poisoned. As long as he prepared beforehand, he could always expel out the poison from his stomach.


    However, although this feeling felt strange to him, it didn¡¯t feel like that of poisoning at all. Instead, it seemed almost the same as his eldest brother and the rest had described about the feeling one would have after drinking wine for the first time. Thus, he also eased his concerns.


    However, this wine was too intense- so much so that he almost couldn¡¯t endure it.


    Xie Grace astoundedly observed He Yiming as he took a huge gulp, then forced down his throat and eventually exposed miserable appearance as his face turned a shade of red.


    He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Little brother He, don¡¯t tell me this is your first time drinking wine.¡±


    He Yiming said with a slightly red face, ¡°Hehe, I drink asionally. However, this wine is a bit too different. Mr. Xie, you can enjoy it yourself.¡±


    Xie Grace heartilyughed as he took the bottle gourd back from He Yiming¡¯s hands.


    While Xie Mingjin and the rest simultaneously revealed expressions that contained a bit of contempt.


    This bottle gourd wine was an exceedingly reputed wine in Fire Crow country. It¡¯s price was simply that of gold. Just by looking at He Yiming¡¯s appearance, they could tell that thetter had no appreciation of wines and was certainly not a character from a big, powerful family.


    However, since they had seen Xie Grace¡¯s amiable behaviour, they would obviously not dare to be presumptuous.


    After a few moments, the two attendants had finished roasting the first batch. They respectfully presented it. Xie Grace picked one slice for himself while offering another to He Yiming, ¡°Little brother, this fox bear was killed by you. Would you offer me the courtesy of epting this borrowed offering?¡±


    He Yiming inwardly praised. This man had previously seen that the meat slice in his hand seemedpletely vourless and had thus deliberately talked in such a manner. Talking to this man was indeed quitefortable and pleasant.


    He epted the roasted meat while casually expressing his thanks. Not standing on ceremony, he began to eat.


    At the first bite, he almost swallowed his tongue inside. Although he¡¯d not been starving for these three months, his diet was no better than a monk¡¯s. Thus, when he suddenly tasted a delicacy, he somewhat couldn¡¯t control himself.


    Continuously smiling, Xie Grace patiently waited for He Yiming to finish before offering another slice in apletely natural manner.


    He¡¯d already assigned six of the attendants to collect firewood, slice the meat, string the branches, and roast the meat. These six divided themselves ordingly, and like flowing water, continued to bring roasted meat slices.


    Father and son ate to their heart¡¯s content together with He Yiming. They actually finished twenty percent of the gigantic fox bear before He Yiming eventually stopped eating after beingpletely satisfied, following which, the father and son also stopped ordingly.


    With a hint from Xie Grace, the six attendants then began to eat. However, two among them separated themselves out to keep watch- being extremely cautious and attentive, giving no chance for the slightest nitpick.


    ¡°Brother He, this is a wild, deste region. I wonder what brings you to such an area?¡± Xie Grace asked in a casual tone.


    He Yiming also didn¡¯t hide, ¡°I heard that this forest has spiritual beasts. Thus, I came to hunt one.¡±


    ¡°Hunt spiritual beast?¡± Astonishment covered Xie Grace¡¯s face, and Xie Mingjin lost hisposure. A glint flickered in his eyes, as if he¡¯d turned somewhat hostile to He Yiming.


    However, He Yiming didn¡¯t even nce at him and said in a rather blunt tone, ¡°Correct. However, I have spend a few months in the forest now but have yet to see a single spiritual beast.¡±


    Xie Grace faintly shook his head, ¡°Brother He, entering forest like this¡­is it not a bit impetuous?¡±


    He Yiming indifferently smiled, ¡°Perhaps a little. However, if I can¡¯t find a spirit beast, it could also be regarded as tempering myself. At the very least, spending these few months in solitude has reaped me abundant gains.¡±


    Xie Grace started and pondered for a bit. He then threw quick nce at Xie Mingjin beside him and nodded as if he¡¯d realized something.


    His gaze turned grave as it lingered on He Yiming¡¯s body momentarily, ¡°Brother He, are you from our Fire Crow country?¡±


    ¡°Fire Crow country?¡± He Yiming astoundedly asked, ¡°I¡¯ve already left Heaven Sieve country?¡±


    Inwardly, he said, ¡®No wonder the clothing of these people seemed so strange. So it turns out they are from Fire Crow country. Where is Fire Crow country though?¡¯


    Xie Grace faintly smiled and said, ¡°So it turns out you havee from Heaven Sieve country. That¡¯s right, this region is already inside the boundaries of Fire Crow country.¡±


    His voice didn¡¯t seem surprised at all. Evidently, he¡¯d already guessed He Yiming¡¯s origins from his clothes.


    He Yiming rather awkwardly smiled and said, ¡°Mister Xie, I¡¯d entered through the mountain ranges of Heaven Sieve country. After continuously moving through the past few months, I identally arrived here. I wonder how far this ce is from Heaven Sieve country.¡±


    Xie Grace thought for a bit before saying, ¡°Heaven Sieve¡­if you take the official road, the distance is a thousand li. Even if you walk thirty li a day, you will need a month or two to cover the distance. Moreover, there is Gold Forest country in between as well. However, there are no roads in the mountain forest, and one can move as he pleases. I reckon brother He must have moved around in a few circles to arrive here in three months.¡±


    He Yiming heavily nodded. When he¡¯d entered the forest, he¡¯d no fixed destination in mind, and he¡¯d followed his heart. Arriving here could be said to be as karma.


    Sweeping his vision through Xie Grace and the rest¡¯s faces, He Yiming directly said, ¡°Mister Xie, I can see that Xie family is probably a big influential family of Fire Crow country.¡±


    Xie Grace had yet to show any reaction, but faces of Xie Minjin and the attendants turned a littlecent.


    ¡°Not a big influential family¡­but we do have a little fame.¡± Xie Grace slowly said.


    He Yiming brightly said, ¡°Mister Xie is too polite. May I ask mister Xie in return, what brings you to such a deste, wild region?¡±


    Xie Grace immediately said, ¡°My purpose¡­.is same as your¡¯s- to hunt a spirit beast.¡±


    Xie Mingjin and the rest were looking at Xie Grace, and some of them even shifted their hands to their weapons, seeming as if waiting for thetter¡¯s orders.


    He Yiming didn¡¯t pay attention to any of it and calmly waited.


    As he¡¯d expected, Xie Grace continued, ¡°This area has been explored by our Xie family several times, and we¡¯ve indeed spotted two long-armed racoons.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s heart faintly shook as he asked, ¡°How old are these two spiritual beasts?¡±


    Xie Grace bitterly smiled, ¡°We don¡¯t know their specific age. However, from their movements, we¡¯ve deduced their life expectancy to be around two hundred years.


    A slight disappointment flickered on He Yiming¡¯s face. As far as he was concerned, a spiritual beast with a life expectancy of two hundred years held no use at all.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 15.1 - Long-Armed Raccoon

    From this chapter, the size of the chapters have doubled- 3000 to 6000 characters on avg. So I will be releasing chapters in two parts until the normal size returns.


    The disappointment in He Yiming¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t contain a trace of pretense, nor did he try to gloss it over in the slightest.


    As Xie Grace saw He Yiming¡¯s expression, he suddenly thought of a certain matter. However, as he carefully analyzed He Yiming¡¯s age, he immediately discarded it.


    Even he wouldn¡¯t dare believe that He Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy had already attained the tenthyer.


    He faced upwards and chuckled, ¡°Brother He, don¡¯t tell me even these two long-armed roons can¡¯t appease you?¡±


    He Yiming shrugged. He indeed didn¡¯t feel too excited. However, he also knew that being able to locate two long-armed racoons was already extraordinary. As for a five-hundred-year-old beast, the possibility of finding such a beast was almost zero. One could say that such a beast could only be met, not sought.


    ¡°Mr. Xie, since your family has already located these two spiritual beasts, why not go hunt them?¡± He Yiming sincerely asked.


    If He family could hunt a hundred-year-old gold-crowned python relying on their strength, hunting two spirits beast with two hundred years of age couldn¡¯t even be considered as an aplishment for Xie family who possessed several times more strength.


    Xie Grace faintly started. Only after he saw He Yiming¡¯s water-like clear eyes, did he confirm that thetter had not been mocking him just now.


    He bitterlyughed before saying, ¡°Brother He, you have surely never seen a spirit beast before.¡±


    He Yiming faintly raised his eyes, ¡°How can you tell?¡±


    ¡°If you had, you wouldn¡¯t be saying such words,¡± Xie Grace bitterly smiled, ¡°Not only spirit beasts are extremely powerful, their movements are extremely nimble. These two roons further have extremely hard skin and tough bones. Even a tenthyer expert shouldn¡¯t be thinking of inflicting a injury on its body.¡±


    He Yiming recalled that when He family had hunted the gold-crowned python, they had not engaged in a direct confrontation with it and had rather poisoned its prey. Then they had intercepted it and had still almost lost.


    A single spirit beast was so troublesome by itself, what about two?


    He eventually grasped the counterpart¡¯s line of thinking. Even such a big family might not necessarily be able to easily deal with spiritual beasts.


    Seeing the thoughtful expression on He Yiming¡¯s face, Xie Grace further said, ¡°Except for a powerful cultivator who had attained the Xiantian realm, no one can im to hunt spirit beast withplete certainty. If youe across a spirit beast, whether you hunt the beast or it hunts you, nobody knows.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s brows faintly creased, ¡°A powerful cultivator of Xiantian realm¡­.does your noble n have the assistance of such a person?¡±


    Xie Grace¡¯s smile eventually stiffened a bit. He forced out augh said, ¡°A powerful Xiantian cultivator¡­ how can you find such a person so easily?¡±


    He Yiming immediately understood that Xie family didn¡¯t have a Xiantian cultivator watching over them.


    ¡°Then, what do you have in mind?¡± He Yiming curiously asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you will continue to dy it like this?¡±


    When he spoke these words,plexions of Xie Mingjin and the attendants worsened. However, Xie Grace still revealed a smile and helplessly said, ¡°Our Xie family has three peak level experts who have attained the tenthyer¡¯s peak. However, we still have no certainty in taking on two long-armed roons. However, if we can obtain help from another tenthyer expert¡¯s assistance, we might be able to try our hand.¡±


    He Yiming blinked his eyes, admiring the former inwardly. This person had already seen through his depths. However, he still couldn¡¯t guess how the former had aplished this feat when none among his grandfather, Xu Yinjie, Lin Taoli and so on¡­.had been able to discern that his Internal Energy was the tenthyer.


    Xie Grace suddenly cupped his hands slightly and said, ¡°Brother He, although our Xie family is not the number one family of the Fire Crow country, we are still one of the four big influential families. Currently, our family¡¯s leader is my elder brother Xie Nuanhang.


    He Yiming immediately guessed former¡¯s intentions, ¡®So he is also trying to recruit me like Lin Taoli¡­¡±


    Faintly waving his hand, He Yiming puzzledly said, ¡°Mr. Xie, I truly don¡¯t understand, with your identity, why are you so courteous to this youngster. It surely couldn¡¯t be because I treated you with bear meat, right?¡±


    Inwardly, he added, ¡®I truly can¡¯t tell who treated whom, though.¡¯


    This was the question Xie Mingjin and the rest had been asking inwardly all along. Why a person like Xie Grace, who counted as one of the three top experts of Xie family, would attach so much importance to a random, strange youngster.


    Xie Grace¡¯s face gravened, ¡°Since brother He has asked, this Xie will speak in clear words.¡±


    He pointed at the fox bear on the ground, ¡°This ought to be brother He¡¯s masterpiece.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded. The answer to this question was evident, concealing it would be useless.


    ¡°I saw the fox bear¡¯s corpse. It was a single strike, and the cut was smooth and round. Clearly, the head was cut off in one strike without even a possibility of struggle,¡± Xie Grace took in a deep breath before continuing, ¡°Although a fox bear is not too troublesome of a beast, its movements are exceedingly quick. To cut off its neck in one strike, and do it so cleanly, I¡¯m afraid even I might not be able to do it this cleanly. Moreover, I can see this massive de here. To use such a de so swiftly, brother He must have already grasped the essence of the way of de. Am I right?¡±


    He Yiming faintly smiled. He might not necessarily haveprehended the true essence of the way. However, he¡¯d assimted [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] into the way of de. One could see a hint of the seventh form in his de strikes. So saying that he¡¯d already grasped the true essence should barely be usible.


    Xie Grace continued, ¡°Apart from de techniques, I couldn¡¯t see through your Internal Energy cultivation either. If I can¡¯t see through, then your Internal Energy cultivation should have at least attained the eighthyer, or¡­.¡± He momentarily paused, ¡°Ninthyer?¡±


    This time, theplexions Xie Mingjin and the rest eventually transformed. They simultaneously shifted their incredulous gazes onto He Yiming¡¯s body.


    This person actually possesses eightyer, or ninthyer Internal Energy? Has the lord made some mistake?


    He Yiming admiringly smiled and said, ¡°Even if it¡¯s eightyer or ninthyer, what does it matter? Xie family has three tenthyer experts.¡±


    Xie Grace astoundedly smiled and said, ¡°To me, brother He¡¯s most prominent feature is not your current cultivation.¡± His face suddenly turned dignified, ¡°If I haven¡¯t seen wrongly, little brother¡¯s age must be currently below eighteen years. If you possess such strength before the age of eighteen, your future prospects are simply boundless. Therefore, this Xie had acted so presumptuously. Please pardon me.¡±


    Xie Mingjin and the rest eventually understood why the old man had offered such respect to the counterpart. If this youngster truly possessed such a strength and had an age below eighteen years, not to mention softening their tone a bit, even if they had to marry off a girl from the family in order to attract him, it would be all worth it.


    He bitterly smiled. He didn¡¯t expect that even this much of disy would lead to such trouble, and people would try to recruit him from so far away.


    He shook his head and was about to decline when he heard, ¡°Little brother, our Xie n carries a legacy of thousands of years, and our connections are also quite deep. I know your objective behind hunting spiritual beasts.¡±


    He Yiming faintly started before involuntarily tensing up.


    Xie Grace promptly waved his hand and said, ¡°Brother He, don¡¯t misunderstand. The information about spiritual beasts¡¯ inner pellet being converted into golden pellets is known even to influential families with legacies of a few hundred years. Frankly, our Xie family has inherited a few golden pellets. If brother joins Xie family, after a few years, our family would definitely not be stingy in offering a golden pellet to you.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly jumped but he didn¡¯t reply. Making such a promise to a person he¡¯d just seen¡­.this indeed felt a bit too unexpected.


    At the same time, He Yiming also felt quite astonished. He naturally understood the worth of a golden pellet. He felt somewhat touched by the counterpart¡¯s sincerity, ¡°Mr. Xie, I am a cultivator. All I have learned is the teachings of my family. As such, I can only turn down your kindness.¡±


    Xie Grace didn¡¯t seem to have be angry. On the contrary, heughed, ¡°Brother He, as far as I know, Tian Luo country¡¯s five influential families don¡¯t include He family, and it doesn¡¯t have a reputed expert with surname He either. Although my Xie family is humble, we have some fame in the northwest. If I were to meet your elders, I believe they will alsoply with my request.¡±


    He Yiming had truly started to admire this man somewhat. Within this short time period, this man had already guessed so many things. Not all the men possessed such ability. Furthermore, with his identity of a tenthyer expert, he presented himself with such humility, one couldn¡¯t help but admire him.


    If it had been an ordinary youngster, he would have already been moved by him, and a youngster from a small family would have already joined the big, influential family to acquire more opportunities.


    A pity, He Yiming¡¯s situation was rather unique. How could he put someone in his eyes if not a Xiantian expert?


    He faintly cupped his hands and was about to politely decline when his ears suddenly twitched. His expression had not transformed before his vision, like two knives, turned to his right.


    He Yiming¡¯s actions aroused everybody¡¯s attention, and all shifted their vision to that direction.


    With a burst, leaves of trees trembled before apletely ck, two meters long, human-like hand slowly came out.


    One look at this arm, theplexions of Xie Grace and the rest transformed, and Xie Mingjin further blurted, ¡°Long-armed racoon!¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 15.2 - Long-Armed Raccoon

    His voice brimmed with fright. Evidently, he knew the terror of this spiritual beast.


    The six attendants immediately rushed ahead and ced themselves in front of the father and son. One of them severely said, ¡°Second lord, young master, quickly leave!¡±


    His voice didn¡¯t seem loud but brimmed with determination. His fivepanions simultaneously drew their des out, and the six men arranged themselves in a small, strange formation. Not a single one among them thought of escaping.


    ¡°Impossible. They can¡¯te out in this season.¡± Xie Mingjin¡¯s voice brimmed with panic, which surprised He Yiming a lot, ¡®Could the strength of these two spiritual beasts be that far above gold-crowned python¡¯s?¡¯


    Xie Grace¡¯splexion changed a few times before he grabbed his son with one hand while saying, ¡°Brother He, quickly leave with us.¡±


    He Yiming skeptically nced at him and said, ¡°Why leave?¡±


    Xie Grace hurriedly said, ¡°These two Long-armed racoons have always been together. Since one has appeared, the other will certainly be nearby as well. Without three tenthyer experts, we wouldn¡¯t be able to fend them off. If you stay here, it will only lead to death.¡±


    His words clearly indicated that he¡¯d given up on the attendants, and all of them, be it father and son or the attendants themselves, deeply felt that this was the proper action.


    However, He Yiming faintly shook his head and said, ¡°Mr. Xie, you people are powerless against these two spiritual beast, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How about I take on one. It shouldn¡¯t be problem then, right?¡± He Yiming said with a faint smile.


    ¡°What are you saying¡­¡­¡± Xie Grace¡¯s eyes suddenly constricted, because he¡¯d already seen He Yiming¡¯s movements.


    He¡¯d picked up the sword before he opened the long package on the ground. Inside the package were two long rods, which were even more exaggerated than the de itself. He flicked his foot, and the two rods flew into his hand before almost magically transforming into a almost four meter long gigantic broadsword.


    The father and son¡¯s eyes momentarily lost all color. The sudden appearance of this gigantic de sent even them into a daze.


    Of course, what surprised them was that He Yiming had not tried to use this opportunity to make his escape, but to make his preparation to battle the spiritual beasts.


    After recovering, they couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile. A naive, country bumpkin. If the two spiritual beasts could be killed just by relying on a massive weapon, why would the three tenthyer experts of Xie family feel such trepidation while facing these beasts?


    Xie Grace took in a deep breath. At this point, his desire to recruit He Yiming had also lessened a lot. Such an idiot who overestimated his capabilities, regardless of how talented he might be, he would only die in the end due to his own idiocy, and during the moment of life-and-death, he would even drag down those nearby.


    After all, he could never believe that He Yiming could kill two long-armed racoons which required three peak Houtian experts to confront them.


    Truly a pity, heaven has bestowed such talent upon such an idiot.


    ¡°Brother He, since you have decided to stay, we will not bother you. Hope to see you again,¡± He faintly cupped his hand, grabbed his son, and turned around while adding another line inwardly, ¡®In the next life.¡¯


    However, he¡¯d barely took a step forward when a huge steel rod appeared before him.


    Xie Grace¡¯s eyes sharpened. Dying at this moment would only lead to death. He even felt a bit killing intent at this moment.


    ¡°Brother He, what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xie, did you not say that there were two long-armed racoons?¡± He Yiming said without turning his head, ¡°There is only one ahead.¡±


    Xie Grace reacted extremely quick and realized his misunderstanding before trembling inwardly.


    Calming and focusing his mind, he looked far in the opposite direction.


    There a myriad of trees stood and all sorts of grasses ran rampant in the mountain forest. Nobody could see any disturbance. However, at the end of the eye¡¯s reachy a patch of darkness. As a tenthyer expert, his vision was extremely sharp, and he could distinctly see something inside this patch.


    With a wave of hand, Xie Mingjin brought out a long sword and asked, ¡°Ah¡­Mr. He, are you saying one long-armed racoon is behind us?¡±


    He¡¯d first thought of addressing He Yiming as brother. However, as he thought how his father had addressed thetter as brother himself, he thought better of it. However, looking at the exceedingly young features of He Yiming, he simply couldn¡¯t force the word ¡®uncle¡¯ out of his throat and settled for Mr. in the end.


    He Yiming faintly nodded and withdrew the sword, gently sweeping its steel body above a big rock on the ground.


    This rock had previously been used as a seat by He Yiming. Swept by the de at this moment, it issued a whoosh sound as it soared in the opposite direction like lightning.


    A trace of astonishment and envy appeared in Xie Grace¡¯s eyes.


    The rock¡¯s weight would be around forty or fifty jins. For a tenthyer expert like him, this didn¡¯t amount to anything. However, to make it soar this effortlessly using a sword and with such a speed that it resembled a hidden weapon, this was not so easy to perform.


    Not only did this feat require formidable Internal Energy, even the body¡¯s strength must have attained a frightening degree.


    So this youngster also possesses innate divine strength?


    The rock streaked past the trees and leaves. However, when it entered the dense canopy of a certain gargantuan tree, a fierce roar echoed. Following which, an intense colliding sound echoed, and countless stone fragments rained down from the tree.


    Theplexions of father and son immediately transformed before they both threw a quick nce at He Yiming. They suddenly discovered that the more they saw this youngster, the more he seemed unfathomable, ¡®Have I really judged him wrong?¡¯


    Perhaps because their whereabouts had been revealed, from the front and the back, two coarse roars echoed. Following which, two almost identical looking strange beasts nimbly jumped down from the trees.


    Looking at their appearance, He Yiming faintly started.


    These were obviously horse and monkey like creatures. Only, their arms were two meters long. It truly felt quite strange. He couldn¡¯t understand why they were named roons though.


    Their arms were extremely long. Thus, they looked extremely nimble when they operated in the forest- grabbing the trunk of a tree with a casual stretch of their hands. Even an Internal Energy expert might not have been able to match their lightning fast jump of just now.


    Holding the huge de, He Yiming said, ¡°Mr. Xie, how about we equally divide these two guys among our two sides?¡±


    Xie Grace faintly trembled and said, ¡°All right, but please be extremely careful brother He.¡±


    This moment, he held no contempt for He Yiming and wished with all his heart for He Yiming to take down one of the two spiritual beasts. Otherwise, under the pincer ambush of these two long-armed roons, even if he somehow managed to escape, Xie Mingjin and the attendants would die for certain.


    He Yiming smilingly nodded. His hand shined as the sword in his hand emitted a buzzing sound, which was the sound of Internal Energy being imbued on the body of the de, exuding a feeling of resonance.


    With but a flicker, his body disappeared.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 16.1 - Fist Concept, Blade Techniques

    After jumping down, the two long-armed racoons didn¡¯t immediately attack. Rather, they slowly circled about. Perhaps they were teasing or trying to figure out how this bunch of humans had seen through their n.


    They were unlike humans. In addition to a high wisdom, they also possessed exceedingly sharp perception. In their perception, the male holding the huge broadsword exuded a dangerous feeling. Inparison, although the rest were quite a lot in numbers, they didn¡¯t amount to much.


    The racoon in the back gradually opened its mouth. This huge spiritual beast, which looked hardly any different than a horse-monkey(macaque), stretched its upper limbs, which were longer than its whole body, and suddenly jumped. Grabbing an arm-thick branch, it observed the humans before it; its body half-suspended in the air.


    Subsequently, like a ray of light streaking across the horizon, a snow-white color filled its eyes.


    Its wisdom and beastial instinct screamed danger. Its two arms released the branch before its body curled up as it retreated backwards while its two arms recklessly struck at its front.


    In one jump, He Yiming¡¯s figure had alreadynded on this spiritual beast¡¯s head. The broadsword in his hands flickered- appearing and disappearing- as it severely shed at the roon¡¯s arm.


    This was not some secret art or peerless de technique. It was merely an illusion created due to the swiftness of He Yiming¡¯s broadsword.


    ¡°Bang, bang, bang¡­¡±


    A burst of acute noises rang out in session, bringing a painful sensation to the ears of listeners as if metal had been struck.


    Suddenly, the roon issued a long screech. Subsequently, its body flew back. In this series of severe exchanges, the first who had failed to preserve was not He Yiming, but this long-armed roon who had seemed so majestic all along and had treated the humans before it as weeds.


    He Yiming heartilyughed, the sound of which contained an unspeakable feeling of being rejuvenated. Even as hisughter echoed, his footsteps unceasingly followed after the retreating roon. At the same time, the broadsword in his hand danced, limiting the path of roon to a straight line.


    Xie Grace and the rest all had their eyes opened wide. If this scene had not been ying right in front of their eyes, they wouldn¡¯t have believed it even in their death.


    He Yiming¡¯s de techniques exuded nothing extraordinary. Every individual present here could use a broadsword to this degree.


    Of course, they didn¡¯t know the true weight of this sword. If they had known that the weight of this sword exceeded three hundred jins, even Xie Grace wouldn¡¯t dare think as such.


    However, although they didn¡¯t know the de¡¯s true weight, in any case, they could clearly see He Yiming forcing the beast into a retreat while it even issued howls of pain. As such, they could somewhat estimate how much strength this broadsword actually contained.


    In addition to the possession of innate divine strength, this person¡¯s Internal Energy had reached an exceedingly high realm. This was the only exnation.


    Suddenly, a thought struck their mind like lightning.


    Tenthyer. Only a tenthyer expert who had the support of innate divine strength could aplish this feat.


    Suddenly, Xie Grace¡¯s front blurred before he sternly shouted, ¡°Careful!¡±


    Even as the sound of his voice spread, he scuttled out, arriving in front of the attendants. With a wave, a deft soft-looking sword appeared in his hand. Infused with his Internal Energy, this flexible sword immediately stretched perfectly straight while emitting a soft humming sound.


    Like a viper, the flexible sword stabbed at the long-armed racoon pouncing at him. Xie Grace didn¡¯t possess innate divine strength like He Yiming and nor he had that broadsword, which was so gigantic that even the entire Fire Crow country might not have its match. Thus, he didn¡¯t dare to directly engage with the long-armed roon. Instead, he skillfully flicked his wrist, aiming straight for the beast¡¯s eyes.


    Although spiritual beasts were quite fierce, their eyes were one of the weakest pair among all creatures. The long-armed roon obviously wouldn¡¯t allow the sword to pierce its eyes. It waved its long arm. Followed by a loud air-cleaving sound, its palm opened, aiming to grab the sword.


    Xie Grace had squandered the major portion of his life on this sword, how could he fail this easily? His wrist remained as steady as Mt. Tai but the Internal Energy in the sword suddenly lessened. Suddenly, the perfectly straight and stable sword¡¯s pointed edge softly bent down.


    As the long-armed roon grabbed the air, the sword once again erected, again poking at the eyes of spiritual beast like a viper opening its fangs.


    The furious spirit beast brought one hand before its eyes while waving the other like a long rod, aiming to kill this cunning human on the spot.


    With his skill, how could Xie Grace let it happen. His feet performed a set of wondrous steps, circling around the roon¡¯s body as he retreated. At the same time, the aim of his sword shifted to the ears and other vulnerable parts of the roon which were not far from its eyes.


    As for the roon¡¯s body, Xie Grace had no intentions of even touching it, and its two arms were even further out of his consideration.


    In this manner, his figure hovered around the roon¡¯s body at a lightning fast speed. Although it appeared quite dangerous, for a short period of time, he wouldn¡¯t have too much problem protecting himself.


    With a heavy countenance, Xie Mingjin softly said, ¡°Defense formation.¡±


    In the wake of his words, the attendants retreated a few steps and arranged themselves around the former, maintaining a subtle distance between each other. This formation technique was taught to the core attendants of Xie family from childhood for the time when they had to confront a high-level cultivator.


    In this formation, these eight individuals could even confront a ninthyer expert for some time.


    However, inwardly, they all knew a spiritual beast was not some ninthyer cultivator. If it acted on them, this formation would not stand a chance. It was merely a method tofort themselves in this moment of crisis.


    As for helping Xie Grace, although they did harbour such thoughts, they knew even more clearly that if they involved themselves in the fight, they would be instead creating more troubles for their second lord.


    Such a high-levelled fight was not something they could interfere in.


    Hearing the distant sessive painful mourns of the long-armed roon on one side, and on the other hand, seeing Xie Grace exerting all his might and barely resisting the long-armed roon here, their faces had turnedpletely white, ¡®In this forest, where the hell did this youngstere from?¡¯


    The attendants who had viewed him in contempt a few moments ago and had wished to capture him were even more pale. They rejoiced that they had not been reckless. Otherwise, not to mention the ambush of these two spiritual beast, just this youngster would have been able to leave their corpses behind.


    The broadsword in He Yiming¡¯s hand waved like swift winds and fierce torrents. Apart from a single straight path, it didn¡¯t allow the spiritual beast to escape anywhere.


    At this moment, he feltpletely rxed- free from all anxiety. The Internal Energy in his body was surging and rampaging, seeming as if it could burst out any moment.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t signify that he would explode. Rather, it signified an indistinct, mystical connection of Internal Energy with the external world. He even felt that if he could maintain this feeling, he might not even need the golden pellet refined from a five-hundred-year-old spiritual beast to attain the Xiantian realm.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 16.2

    Note:


    Fifth and final regr chapter of the week


    In Tai Cang county, He Yiming had always repressed his true strength because he didn¡¯t wish his grandfather, father, and other elders to discover his true strength.


    The progress of his strength had been too quick- to the extent that even he himself sometimes felt skeptical. In all honesty, he actually might be treated as a devil for real. Even if he somehow made them empathize with his situation, the word ¡®genius¡¯ alone still wouldn¡¯t be able to cover the exnation.


    Consequently, if he had to reveal his fortuitous event at the bottom of theke, the further development would spiral out of his control. Therefore, as long as he remained in the He manor, or even Tai Cang county, he couldn¡¯t help but conceal his strength. In the passing two years, this had already transformed into an instinct for him. Although he did a good job of it, it had also changed into an inescapable giant shadow of his heart.


    Like a massive chain, it had been weighing down on him, suffocating him.


    However, in these months, braving the wind and dew every day, associating with wild animals as he walked in the forest, using heavens as his roof and ground as his bed, he¡¯d beenpletely carefree and exempt from all worries.


    In these three months, his mood had been quite pleasant. Be it physically or spiritually, he¡¯d not felt any repression at all.


    Spiritually in particr, which seemed to have undergone a natural cleansing, making it pure and bright.


    The spiritual repression he¡¯d suffered through the course of two years had been swept away in one swoop.


    Precisely because he was a stranger in this strange ce known as Fire Crow country, which was several thousand li away from Heaven Sieve country, he had discarded all his concerns and engaged Xie Grace with apletely free mind and confronted this spiritual beast without concealing his strength at all.


    Here, he would not hide, and neither did he need to do so.


    His eyes shined brightly while his face had an excited expression, even carrying a hint of going berserk.


    From the beginning of the fight, he¡¯d only used brute force without using any technique behind it at all. However, at this moment, his sword began to exhibit a hint of fist concept.


    The broadsword surged like a gigantic rolling boulder as it danced in the air while maintaining the immense pressure on the spiritual beast, seeming endless and incessant.


    He¡¯d never thought of merging the moves of Rolling Boulder Fist into his de technique. However, today, he¡¯d indescribably, involuntarily, and unwittingly aplished this feat.


    While employing the de with all his skill, the moves of Rolling Boulder Fist, the technique he¡¯d trained throughout his life,pletely integrated with his broadsword.


    This was the fist concept. It was not some fist technique, but the spot where the profound essence of fist techniques lied.


    If He Wude and his other acquaintances were to see this scene, they would be once again stunned at his disy.


    ¡°Ha, haha, hahahaha¡­¡±


    Heartyughs of contentment and joy echoed. His broadsword was bing increasingly swift- producing whistles like wails of ghosts and howls of wolves in the air.


    Rolling Boulder Fist¡¯s characteristic was precisely that more the time of use, more the might umted. As long as the opponent was evenly matched and the user could ensure that the momentum of Rolling Boulder Fist would continue to build up, the final victor would always be Rolling Boulder Fist.


    Of course, if the opponent could forcibly break it halfway, or use some mysterious skill and disrupt its momentum gain, that would be a whole different matter.


    However, this long-armed roon evidently didn¡¯t possess such capability. It was already trembling at the sight of the broadsword before it. At this moment, it further discovered that all of the four directions around it had suddenly been shrouded by the images of the broadsword. Even its path of retreat had also been obstructed by that flowing water-like de light.


    Regardless of where he tried to breakthrough from, he only found a huge screen of light. As its imprable, iron-hard hands would make contact with this screen, he felt as if he¡¯d been struck with countless hammers, hurting him to the bones. Not struggling was out of the question as well, since this de would asionally seed in breaking the defense of its two arms, smashing its body.


    At that moment, the umted might of Internal Energy wouldpletely shake its spirit as if being struck by an iron hammer, making it see stars in the day. Even its movements would be somewhat sluggish.


    In its memories, this was the first time it had felt so close to death, feeling as if spirits of death were looming around its body, waiting for it to die.


    Suddenly, it raised his head high up before its mouth issued a series of unspeakably shrill cries. As these cries spread around, all the creatures in the vicinity immediately fled for their life.


    At the same time, the long-armed roon that was engaging Xie Grace raised its head and issued a series of simr shrill cries before rushing in the direction where He Yiming was forcing its partner into retreat.


    As its figure disappeared, Xie Grace also stopped. Currently, his clothes had two long holes. These represented his momentary wishfulness while battling the long-armed roon. Fortunately, he¡¯d always been a cautious person and had not fullymitted. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be his clothes sustaining the damage but his body.


    While confronting such a spiritual beast, relying solely on the light sword didn¡¯t seem too effective. A broadsword, like He Yiming¡¯s inconceivably huge one, seemed much more potent. However, using a broadsword to an extent that even spiritual beasts couldn¡¯t resist- aplishing such a feat was not possible for everybody.


    ¡°Father,¡± Seeing that the spiritual beast had left, Xie Mingjin let out a sigh and advanced two steps while saying, ¡°We should quickly leave.¡±


    A trace of hesitation flickered in Xie Grace¡¯s eyes. He¡¯d seen the direction in which that spiritual beast had just rushed off and had also heard those cries which even a deaf person might hear. He naturally understood that spiritual beast¡¯s objective.


    ¡°Father, why are you still thinking about him?¡± Xie Mingjin shouted, ¡°This is the best opportunity to escape. Don¡¯t tell me you still intend to help and recruit that He Yiming?¡±


    Xie Grace red at him while sighing inwardly, ¡®How can you ever understand your father¡¯s thoughts¡­¡¯


    As he hesitated, Xie Mingjin turned even more anxious, ¡°Father, these two spiritual beasts had never killed our people in these past two years, why would they suddenly want to attack us?¡±


    Xie Grace faintly started, ¡°You think it¡¯s rted to He Yiming?¡±


    ¡°I also don¡¯t know,¡± Xie Mingjin bitterly smiled, ¡°However, regardless of how powerful he is, he won¡¯t be winning over two spiritual beasts. Father, this is our best opportunity to leave.¡±


    Xie Grace¡¯s brows creased before he suddenly said, ¡°You all leave first, I will go take a look.¡±


    Xie Mingjin and the rest were about to oppose but Xie Grace waved his hand, ¡°My expertise lies in sword and agility. Even if those two long-armed roons are together, I can make my escape. However, this wouldn¡¯t be the case with you. With you troublesome bunch, I wouldn¡¯t be able to escape even if I wanted to.¡±


    Xie Mingjin and the attendants looked at each other¡¯s faces. Xie Grace¡¯s face stiffened as he sternly said, ¡°You¡¯re still not getting lost? Do you really want to take me down with you?¡±


    Xie Mingjin left in heavy footsteps. The attendants behind him bowed at Xie Grace, and one of them said, ¡°Lord, be at ease. Even if we lose our lives, we will ensure young master¡¯s safe return.¡±


    Xie Grace faintly nodded. The seven attendants immediately followed after Xie Mingjin.


    With their familiarity with this forest, they would only require half a day at most to return back. In this forest, besides the two long-armed roons, nothing could pose a threat to their group. As such, Xie Grace felt quite assured.


    Distantly, the roars of the long-armed roon had yet to stop. Instead, they seemed to have be even louder.


    In Xie Grace¡¯s perception, each roar sounded like a toll of death, making his heart anxious.


    Holding the sword, Xie Grace headed in that direction.


    Like Xie Mingjin, he also didn¡¯t believe that He Yiming could take on two long-armed roons at once. As such, the reason he was going there was to buy as much time as possible.


    He¡¯d stayed behind not to help He Yiming, but for the sake of his own son.


    The species of long-armed roons were known to hold a grudge to the extreme. Since their two sides had already battled once, with their memory, they would certainlymit all their appearances into their memories. Perhaps, He Yiming and he would be able to escape. However, if He Yiming fell, these beasts would again pursue the rest. At that time, Xie Mingjin and the rest would have nowhere left to go.


    Only if they could stall these two beasts here would his son and attendants be able to return safely. As for himself, if he wished to escape, he certainly held some certainty.


    Xie Mingjin had obviously failed to discern his thinking. However, one of the attendants had. That was the reason he¡¯d said that line ensuring the safety of Xie Mingjin.


    As he neared the battlefield, his body began to exude an intense aura. He¡¯d already determined that regardless of the method, he would make sure that these two spiritual beasts would remain here.


    For this objective, even if he had to sacrifice the life of the recently acquainted He Yiming, he would not hesitate in the slightest.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 17.1 - Frantic Blade Technique

    ¡°Ha¡­.¡±


    Even though Xie Grace had not arrived at the battle scene, he gave a loud shout.


    He wished to let He Yiming know that he¡¯d not escaped, so that thetter could preserve the confidence to continue the battle. At the same time, he also wished to tell the two spiritual beasts that there is another expert here, ¡®Don¡¯t you dare take advantage of your numbers.¡¯


    However, as his aura exploded, covering the heavens, and he appeared out of a big tree, he was immediately stumped. Of all the countless scenes he¡¯d imagined in his mind, none even came close to the reality.


    As heid his eyes upon the scene before him, he was somewhat sent into a daze.


    This section of the forest had already been destroyed. All the trees had been uprooted, leaving behind a huge patch of opennd.


    In this section of opennd, three figures were circling around.


    In Xie Grace¡¯s perception, these three figures resembled huge boulders which were chasing after each other.


    Among these, the biggest stone emanated an intense white radiance, enveloping the ground and issuing indistinct stormy sounds.


    In the forest, the sunshine wouldn¡¯t have been reflected so brightly before. However, currently, all the surrounding trees had been cleared, and thus, sunrays were falling straight down on the broadsword, dazzling the eyes of the spectator.


    The twoparatively smaller, dark spheres were not rocks, but the long-armed roons that had no choice but to keep track with He Yiming¡¯s broadsword. They wished to jump above, but the broadsword seemed to bepletely seeing through every movement they made, keeping them strictly at ground. He Yiming had forced these two spiritual beasts to fumble about the ground in humiliation. Since the beginning, they never obtained a chance to exhibit their strong points.


    Due to this situation, Xie Grace felt as if three rocks were rolling about the ground.


    Although his strength was inferior to He Yiming¡¯s, as soon as he saw the situation, he immediately understood that the upper hand had not been imed by the two spiritual beasts, but this youngster he¡¯d recently met.


    The astonishment he felt this moment was indeed hard to exin in words.


    If he couldn¡¯t tell that He Yiming was the highest level, peak tenthyer, Houtian expert even at this moment, he would have lived his life in vain.


    However, a tenthyer expert who is not even eighteen¡­


    Pursing his lips, he speechlessly smiled inwardly, ¡®Which rock¡¯s crack has popped out such an expert?¡¯


    After closely observing the battle for while, Xie Grace¡¯splexion changed even more.


    He Yiming is a tenthyer expert, fine. However, an ordinary tenthyer expert, even if he encounters only one long-armed roon, can only look to make his escape.


    However, relying solely on his broadsword, He Yiming had been able to strictly restrict the movements of these two roons within the de rays.


    Slowly but surely, from He Yiming¡¯s de rays, Xie Grace could perceive a mysterious pressure. He suddenly realized that this was the essence of metal type.


    The broadsword in He Yiming¡¯s hand was not using any exquisite de technique, but rather a kind of strength stemmed from the true essence. Only after grasping the fundamental essence of a certain technique would one be able to exhibit that technique to such level.


    Although he¡¯d not been able to recognize He Yiming¡¯s modified Rolling Boulder de technique, he could sense the profound fist concept embedded in this de technique.


    Xie Grace¡¯splexion paled. Capable of exhibiting a battle skill to this level, ¡®Where on earth has this guy learned from? Or is this technique actually invented by him¡­..¡¯


    As he was lost in his thoughts, two loud howls jolted him awake.


    Xie Grace trembled inwardly. He couldn¡¯t tell whether these roons were extremely furious or frightened. He took a deep breath and prepared to help He Yiming; the flexible sword in his hand jumping about like a viper.


    While in battle, He Yiming had already taken notice of Xie Grace before thetter had arrived at the scene.


    However, he couldn¡¯t guess thetter¡¯s true intentions and was still under the impression thattter was concerned for his safety. As such, he naturally saw Xie Grace in a slightly more favourable light.


    These two long-armed beasts were indeed spiritual beasts who possessed great strength.


    However, after fighting for so long, He Yiming could tell that they were quite inferior to that gold-crowned python. In terms of strength at least, these two might not be as powerful as the gold-crowned python even if taken into considerationbined.


    The gold-crowned python could directly grasp the broadsword, forcing He Wude, who possessed innate divine strength, into retreat time and time again. Moreover, it had aplished this feat under the influence of anaesthetic drug. Even He Yiming couldn¡¯t help but admire that unountable strength.


    However, these two long-armed racoons evidently paled inparison. Their strength lied in their rock-solid body and bones, and nimble movements patterns.


    Even if He Yimingnded the broadsword on their body, it would only leave behind a white scar at the point of contact.


    However, since they couldn¡¯t suppress He Yiming with strength, He Yiming was naturally able to employ the might of the broadsword to the extreme. The weapon weighing three hundred and sixty jins seemed weightless in his hand. It had formed a gigantic of light, confining them within.


    Only a broadsword could aplish this feat. If the might of the weapon had been slightly less, these beasts could have escaped in return for some pain, and He Yiming wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything about it.


    Of course, if He Yiming had not abruptlyprehended the fist concept of Rolling Boulder Fist and integrated it into his de technique, aplishing this feat would have been simply impossible for him.


    However, what worried He Yiming was that although the battle seemed quite shy, neither of the sides had sustained any substantial injury. Under his pressure, the two long-armed roons were obviously unable to injure him. However, he too could only suppress them. Injuring them relying on Houtian battle skills evidently seemed impossible.


    Suddenly, he felt a strong aura. The flexible sword in Xie Grace¡¯s hand gently swayed, seeming as if he could enter the fight at any moment.


    He Yiming was slightly rmed inwardly. Under these circumstances, an increase in numbers was not necessarily a good option. On the contrary, theg that would ur during the formation of their mutual coordination might even allow the roons to escape the.


    ¡°Mr. Xie, leave these two roons to me,¡± He Yiming¡¯s clear voice sounded from the battlefield, ¡°I will trouble you to hold the rear line and prevent these two from escaping.¡±


    The flexible sword in Xie Grace¡¯s hand slightly shook as he smilingly said, ¡°All right. I will act as your rear guard brother He. However, be careful, these two spiritual beast have exceedingly endurant bodies. If you wish to fight them by tiring out each other, I¡¯m afraid you will not have your wish fulfilled.¡±


    He Yiming heartilyughed, ¡°So this is the case. Many thanks for showing the correct direction.¡± Inwardly, he suddenly understood why despite fighting for so long and sustaining so many de strikes, these roons had merely issued howls of pain, which had always seemed full of energy. Moreover, their movements hadn¡¯t dulled in the slightest, seeming extremely smooth and capable of continuing forever.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 17.2

    Since it¡¯s like this, let¡¯s settle it directly¡­.


    The battlefield suddenly changed. That flowing water like boundless de technique suddenly ceased to operate. The light, which had seemingly shrouded everything, was suddenly reduced to one respondent thread, lingering over He Yiming¡¯s head.


    After enduring the suppression for so long, when the pressure on them suddenly disappeared, the two spiritual beasts were naturally overjoyed. Moreover, enduring for so long had also thoroughly ignited their fury. As soon as the pressure was lifted, they issued furious roars and immediately wanted to tear apart the human who was the cause of their suppression.


    However, as soon as they straightened their body, they felt an intense sense of deadly crisis.


    Spiritual beasts could innatelymunicate with heaven and earth through some mysterious force.


    It was just like Xiantian cultivators among humans, who couldprehend Worldly Qi. However, unlike humans, spiritual beasts didn¡¯t practise cultivation and only relied on time to slowly build their strength.


    However, all spiritual beasts possessed extremely keen spiritual sense. This spiritual sense allowed them to pursue fortune and avoid dangers. Especially while confronting a life-threatening danger, it issued a clear, premature indication.


    That gold-crowned python had hesitated over and over again before swallowing the wolves. This was certainly not a normal beastial instinct. If not for its insatiable greed for food and the fact that the wolves weren¡¯t poisoned in true sense, it would never have swallowed those dead animals.


    Therefore, as they sensed the current aura on He Yiming¡¯s body, their fierceness immediately disappeared, leaving behind only one thought- to turn around and flee as soon as possible.


    However, right as they heeded this thought and were about to act, their body suddenly turned cold, as if they had suddenly entered an ice cer, no longer able to even budge.


    A ferocious, baleful aura hid the sky and shrouded the ground,pletely enveloping their ability to react.


    Holding the broadsword, He Yiming¡¯s both hands lifted up above his head.


    At this moment, his body exuded a feeling of a deity looking over the world, and his aura like billowing waves.


    Holding the huge de high in the air, his nted shadow seemed to be boundlessly extending into the forest. It seemed as if this de could extend to the infinity, capable of splitting apart the heavens and earth, capable of cleaving this entire forest into two parts.


    Under the sunlight, the one-meter long head of the de shone with a dazzling resplendency.


    [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] twelfth form.


    This form was the strongest form among the Houtian ones.


    From the twelfth form, the subsequent forms couldn¡¯t be employed by a Houtian cultivator. To learn and cultivate the subsequent forms, one would have to attain the Xiantian realm first.


    The might of the twelfth form was the strongest a human could bring about while being in Houtian realm. Such a might was already infinitesimally close to Xiantian realm.


    Of course, it was still somewhat inferior to that gold-crowned python yer strike. However, the repercussions of using this form were also much better than that of the former.


    As He Yiming lifted the broadsword high in the air, not only had the two spiritual beasts felt as if they had fell into the death stare of a viper, even Xie Grace, who was standing not too far away, felt himself shivering from head to toe.


    With his discerning eye, he could naturally see the might that this form contained.


    Xiantian battle skill; only a Xiantian battle skill, which had further been studied to the peak of Houtian realm, could release such a frightening aura.


    At this moment, he¡¯d eventually understood the reason He Yiming could tangle with two spiritual beasts relying on his own strength. He was not only a peak, tenthyer expert, but one who had also learned a Xiantian battle skill and was infinitesimally close to the Xiantian realm.


    Compared to breaking through the tenthyer, learning a Xiantian battle skill prematurely in Houtian realm was much more difficult.


    Xie family had altogether three tenthyer experts. However, among these three, only one had been able to learn a Xiantian battle skill, and that person was his elder brother Xie Nuanhang.


    This was precisely the reason his elder brother had inherited themand of the family.


    In the absence of an Xiantian battle skill, confronting a spiritual beast would require at least two tenthyer experts working together. On the other hand, if a tenthyer expert had learned a Xiantian battle skill, regardless of how petty it was, he could deal easily with a long-armed roon.


    Of course, experts like He Yiming, who could suppress two long-armed roons relying merely on ordinary techniques, were extremely rare.


    Such a genius who could grasp the true essence of a certain battle skill would definitely be an exceedingly illustrious character in the future. One could say that such an individual was an otherworldly person only seen once in centuries. How could ordinary people match him?


    Xie Grace¡¯s eyes slightly twitched. A less than eighteen-year-old, tenthyer cultivator; a genius who had grasped the essence of a metal-type battle skill and even a Xiantian battle skill.


    If not for seeing it with his own eyes, he would never have believed the existence of such a genius.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes zed as he suddenly issued a roar before the broadsword in his hands swiftly struck.


    High in the air, although the broadsword struck in an downward arc, the two spiritual beasts before He Yiming felt as if their surroundings had frozen, strictly holding them at their positions like a giant rope.


    The moment the broadsword chopped down, they feltpletely incapable of escaping regardless of the direction, and instead, they seemed to be perpetuating the de¡¯s aura.


    The two long-armed roons simultaneously howled, rippling outwards and going far deep into the forest, bringing a dense hopelessness with it.


    Subsequently, the four arms lifted high in the air. Even though they were under an immense pressure, they wouldn¡¯t give up without a fight.


    The gigantic broadsword transformed into a streak of white rainbow, ovepping and shrouding the four arms.


    Momentarily, that meteor-like rainbow stopped.


    However, at that very moment, the de once again chopped down.


    Subsequently, the radiant rainbow fiercely burst forth. Xie Grace involuntarily closed his eyes due the seemingly omnipresent white radiance.


    This had already stepped beyond the capability of a Houtian expert. This represented a kind of resonance with the heavens and earth which only a Xiantian expert could attain.


    Although this de strike contained a de technique pertaining to Houtian realm, at the same time, it was infinitesimally close to Xiantian realm. Thus, it triggered an extremely faint resonance with the heavens and earth, creating this bizarre and mystical scene.


    As this seemingly illusory scene disappeared, Xie Grace eventually opened his eyes.


    The scene in front of him was a spectacle that would remain forever in his memories.


    The arms of the roons, which were even harder than steel, had been rigidly chopped off. In addition to this, the de had not stopped at this point. Taking the two gibbons with it, it had entered halfway into the soil.


    The two heads of the long-armed roons were powerlessly dangling. Xie Grace could tell at a nce that these two roons¡¯ internal organs had suffered a severe impact; wordless and instantaneous deaths.


    The might of this strike was far beyond their endurance, rendering them incapable to even issue the final cry before death.


    The heaven shrouding white light hadpletely disappeared. A few meters away from the two corpses, He Yiming stood holding the broadsword; his eyes focused on the head of the de, as if contemting something, not even paying attention to the two dead long-armed roons at all.


    Xie Grace felt himself tongue-tied and as if his feet had been filled with lead.


    Apparently, he could still see a patch of white before him. That indescribable, peerless de strike seemed to have frozen his blood and stopped its cirction,pletely stiffening his body as if he¡¯d already died.


    Although that strike was not directed at him and he¡¯d only been subjected to its influence, it was enough to make him, a tenthyer expert, to give up on all thoughts of resisting.


    This was the strength of Xiantian realm. In front of the strength brought about with the help of Xiantian realm¡¯s Qi, a Houtian cultivator was simply defenseless.


    Of course, he could also indistinctly tell that He Yiming had not really broken through into Xiantian realm.


    However, since he¡¯d learned a Xiantian skill, to the point of almost touching the boundary of Xiantian realm, such a circumstantial, mystical transformation had been triggered.


    If he was truly a Xiantian cultivator, why would he tangle with two long-armed roons, which didn¡¯t even have a lifespan of five hundred years, for so long.


    However, even though this was the case, he was thoroughly convinced by He Yiming¡¯s might.


    This moment, he had no thoughts except for establishing good rtionship with He Yiming.


    ¡®The talent which I had no use for, shall be extinguished by me¡­..¡¯ All such unrealistic thoughts had gradually disappeared from his mind.


    In front of absolute strength, all tricks and schemes are nothing more than delusions.


    Looking at the youngster before him, who had entered a deep contemtion, Xie Grace waspletely motionless. He simply didn¡¯t dare make any movements, lest he disturb the former¡¯s thoughts.


    In his eyes, the figure of this youngster had started to gradually rise, going up to the extent that he even felt admiration for thetter.


    Suddenly, he heard sounds of footsteps behind him. He turned his head and saw his son and the attendants, who had already left, rushing towards him inrge strides.


    He inwardly cursed ¡®not good¡¯. His vision returned just in time to see He Yiming lifting his head; an annoyed and dangerous glint flickering in his eyes.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 18.1 - Returning Favour

    The shade of trees and mist shrouded the forest as the autumn wind rustled through.


    Xie Mingjin, who had rushed away from the battlefield with all his might, suddenly stopped in his tracks.


    Behind him were seven attendants of Xie residence. These attendants were either orphans adopted by the Xie family or the sessors of their great grand ancestors who had themselves served the Xie family.


    If they were discovered to possess cultivation talent, they would be bestowed with Internal Energy cultivation techniques. However, their final aplishments were quite limited. Attaining the seventhyer was already considered quite extraordinary for them.


    This was not only rted to their talent and provided techniques, but also to the limited allocations of resources to them.


    However, the attendants raised by such means were nevertheless extremely loyal and devoted to the Xie residence and wouldn¡¯t hesitate to sacrifice their lives for the family¡¯s cause. They were far more dependant than the spongers who were only attracted by the riches and power.


    This moment, as Xie Mingjin suddenly stopped, the forty-year-old attendant who held the most seniority in their group cupped his hands and said, ¡°Elder young master, this ce is not safe. You should quickly leave.¡±


    A peculiar glint flickered in Xie Mingjin¡¯s eyes as he asked in a lowered voice, ¡°Xie Mingsan, tell me honestly, why did father go there?¡±


    That middle-aged attendant faintly started, then bitterly smiled and said, ¡°Young master, since your father has already decided, you don¡¯t need to rack your brains, and quickly get out of this ce.¡±


    Xie Mingjin red at him once and said, ¡°So, father has not gone to recruit that person but to stall the long-armed roons?¡±


    Xie Mingsan didn¡¯t utter a word.


    Xie Mingjin snorted, turned around, and left. Xie Mingsan immediately blocked his path and said, ¡°Elder young master, you can¡¯t go back. Otherwise, all of the lord¡¯s effort will be in vain.¡±


    A faint killing intent flickered in Xie Mingjin¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°Xie Mingsan, you are a father¡¯s personally selected attendant. Don¡¯t tell me you will silently watch him throwing his life away?¡±


    Xie Mingsan faintly shook his head. His gaze quite calm, not evading the former¡¯s at all, ¡°Elder young master, calm down a bit. The lord¡¯s words were correct. If you go, you will only be a burden to him. With you away, the lord¡¯s chances of escaping will increase by a lot.¡±


    Xie Mingjin coldly said, ¡°If my father doesn¡¯te back, then?¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Xie Mingsan faintly shook his head and said, ¡°I believe the lord will certainlye back.¡±


    After pausing a bit, Xie Mingjin slowly said, ¡°If father doesn¡¯te back, I will enter the mountains and challenge those two long-armed roons myself.¡±


    Everybody nkly stared. With his insignificant strength of seventhyer, entering the mountains and battling the two long-armed roons was simply following the path to his own death.


    If Xie Grace truly didn¡¯t return, he wouldn¡¯t be the only one dying.


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s took a deep breath and said, ¡°All right, I will follow you all¡­¡± Saying up to here, he suddenly exerted his feet and circumvented Xie Mingsan, rushing ahead.


    Theplexions of the seven attendants instantly paled before one of them asked, ¡°What should we do?¡±


    Xie Mingsan¡¯s figure moved, following after the Xie Mingjin while saying, ¡°Chase.¡±


    The seven attendants simultaneously chased after thetter. However, they all had varying thoughts inwardly.


    Although Xie Mingjin was their elder young master, he possessed an outspoken, straightforward temperament, unlike other members of influential families¡¯ young generation. Moreover, his way of dealing with affairs was somewhat that of taking everything for granted. If he¡¯d been born in an ordinary n, this kind of temperament wouldn¡¯t have amounted to much. However, in a n that possessed a legacy of millenniums, this wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing.


    The reason Xie Grace had entered the forest was to actually teach him thew of the jungle. However, from the present scene, it seemed it hadn¡¯t been too useful.


    As the trouble reached up to the neck, the elder young master had failed to heed reason in the end. Even though he clearly understood that he would worsen the situation by going there, he was still not willing to quietly leave.


    Although the cultivation of the seven attendants and that of Xie Mingjin was the same, both at the seventhyer, the techniques they had learned differed vastly. Especially, the agility technique which Xie Grace had imparted to his son. It was far out of their reach. Fortunately, Xie Mingjin¡¯s experience was quitecking and had to pause again and again in order to confirm the direction. Otherwise, they would have been left far behind.


    At the beginning of the chase, they had felt extremely anxious. However, in the end, they had instead calmed down.


    They had already given up on their lives when they had first encountered the long-armed roons. Currently, it merely amounted to a bit of dy, nothing more.


    As the group eventually scuttled out from behind a big tree, they first saw a section of opennd and also a strange scene on the ground.


    He Yiming¡¯s entire attention was focused on the de. A few moments ago, the twelfth form of [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Mountains] had surprisingly aroused a certain power in the void. The profound mysteries of such a power that originated from the nature itself were simply inconceivable.


    He clearly knew that although this strike was quite powerful, it shouldn¡¯t have been able to directly sever the arms of long-armed roons, killing them instantly.


    The reason it could aplish this feat was that, at the time of its deployment, it aroused a certain force of heavens and earth, creating a miraculous effect.


    Killing two spiritual beasts in one de strike, this was definitely the might pertaining to Xiantian realm.


    However, this strike was the result of He Yiming infusing the Rolling Boulder Fist into his de, then building up its might for a long time, and eventually using a Xiantian de technique for an instantaneous deployment.


    This strike not only contained the might of [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms], but also the umted might of Rolling Boulder Fist. Precisely because he¡¯d assimted the two into one, he¡¯d been able to arouse the unfathomable and mysterious Worldly Qi.


    If the circumstances were to be changed, allowing He Yiming to use the [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] since the beginning, it definitely wouldn¡¯t bring forth such immense might.


    However, since the might of this move had stepped beyond the limits of Houtian realm¡¯s boundaries, triggering a response from the Worldly Qi, a mere trace of Xiantian realm¡¯s power in his de strike had instantly killed two spiritual beasts.


    An exceedingly high leveled de strike had allowed He Yiming to sense the Worldly Qi for the first time. For a Houtian cultivator, this was an extremely rare insight. Momentarily, all thoughts in He Yiming¡¯s mind had vanished, and he¡¯dpletely immersed inprehending that feeling.


    Although his surroundings hadn¡¯t undergone any change, in his perception, the wind of the forest or rather the sound of faintly swaying trees carried by the wind, and even the slender world of insects whichy hidden in the vegetation, exuded a mysterious feeling.


    In his spiritual perception, this world constituted a fictitious setting. He didn¡¯t need to open his eyes to explore his surroundings, and his explorations were far more vivid and real than the capabilities of an eye.


    The current him seemed to be like his former self, when he¡¯d eavesdropped on Xu Right and others in the Xu castle.


    At that time, he¡¯d used his hearing power to create a three dimensional image in his mind. However, that image seemed amateurish in front of the current one. The two simply couldn¡¯t even bepared.


    As he was indulged in this mysterious perception, he suddenly sensed an overflowing killing intent before several quickly rushing people appeared in his perception,ing towards him. The appearance of these people seemed to have cause a sudden disruption in his spiritual sense, jolting him out of this mystical realm.


    He suddenly lifted his head; his gaze involuntarily carrying a trace of malice towards Xie Mingjin and the rest.


    However, thetter didn¡¯t pay attention to him and emotionally shouted, ¡°Father, are you alright?¡±


    Xie Grace¡¯splexion turned as pale as possible. He¡¯d faintly perceived He Yiming¡¯s situation. Being disturbed during such a rare moment of insight, if He Yiming turned out be short-tempered, he could easily kill them all to vent his anger.


    With the strength He Yiming had recently revealed, even if thetter didn¡¯t use that exceedingly frightening Xiantian battle skill, he could easily leave behind both the father and son for all eternity.


    However, he never expected that after hearing Xie Mingjin¡¯s voice, He Yiming¡¯s expression not only didn¡¯t show any signs of ring up, it even seemed to be calming down extremely quickly.


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s cry had reminded him of the familial love. He¡¯d already been away from He manor for three months now. After two months, it will be the new year. Although his agreement with his grandfather stated his return within three years, he¡¯d already decided to spend the new year at his home.


    Only three months had passed since he¡¯d left his homnd for the first time, but he¡¯d already started to feel concern about his family members.


    Although previously, he used to enter closed-door cultivation for several months straight, only after he left the manor did he realize that these two situations werepletely different.


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s cry for his father immediately touched his soft spot, and thus, he naturally failed to preserve his anger.


    Seeing Xie Grace¡¯s paleplexion, Xie Mingjin immediately paled himself in fright before quickly rushing to his father, ¡°Father¡­.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 18.2

    Note:


    Fourth regr chapter of the week. I''ve exams, so release timings might be off for a few days


    Xie Mingsan and the rest also arrived, but their reaction was unlike Xie Mingjin¡¯s. As soon as they appeared, they immediately encircled the father-son duo, arranging themselves in a rudimentary battle formation. However, as their vision fell upon the two roons, which were halfway through into the ground, especially the four severed arms, their expressions changed vividly.


    Severing the arms of renowned long-armed roons, such a feat had already stepped beyond their imagination.


    In their minds, although the light sword of their second lord was quite formidable, if thetter wished to aplish this feat, it would be merely a wishful fantasy.


    Subsequently, the eyes of the seven attendants simultaneously shifted onto the four-meter long, thick, bulky, and unimaginablyrge weapon. Looking at their second lord¡¯s paleplexion, then looking at He Yiming¡¯s mighty appearance, even a fool could guess the killer of the two long-armed roons whichy on the ground.


    Xie Grace let out sigh of relief, feeling ashamed inwardly. His face regained some color as he said, ¡°Esteemed brother He, are you¡­..alright?¡±


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s and the rest immediately had their eyes opened wide, feeling skeptical whether they had heard correct, ¡®Second lord is using honorifics?¡¯


    Even in the family, he conversed in this manner only before his great uncle, who resided at the tenthyer¡¯s peak and had already been living in seclusion for many years.


    However, as they looked again at the spiritual beasts, whichy in the pool of their own blood, they felt this didn¡¯t seem too unreasonable.


    He Yiming candidly smiled and twisted his wrist a few times. The huge broadsword immediately split in three parts. However, every one of these parts was by itself more than one meter long. Even in its first form, just the long de was enough to make it a stand alone, tyrannical weapon.


    ¡°Mr. Xie, be at ease, I¡¯mpletely fine,¡± He patted his chest and casually said, ¡°We will follow our previous agreement.¡±


    Xie Grace faintly started and asked, ¡°What agreement?¡±


    He Yiming¡¯splexion slightly sank as he said, ¡°We agreed to divide the two beasts each between our sides, and thus, the harvests would also be one for each.¡±


    Xie Grace revealed a slight astonishment before he repeatedly nodded and said, ¡°Since brother He is so generous, this surnamed Xie conveys his sincere gratitude.¡±


    Although these two beasts had first been discovered by the Xie family, in the forest, one has to abide thew of the forest- weak are for the strong to prey upon. Since these two beasts had been killed by He Yiming, Xie Grace never thought of stealing a tiger¡¯s prey. However, now that the other side hadplied with the previous verbal agreement, the surprise and joy he was feeling at this moment didn¡¯t need to be mentioned.


    He Yiming stretched his hand and pulled out the two spiritual beasts from the ground.


    However, after observing the beasts for some time, He Yiming felt himself at a loss. He¡¯d absolutely no clue how to deal with this situation.


    Xie Grace thought for a moment before stepping forward, ¡°Is brother He worrying about how to deal with these beasts?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± He Yiming unhesitatingly said, ¡°I wish to extract its inner core and refine it into gold cores. However, I don¡¯t know how to do it.¡± (Tl: pellet ¡ª-> core)


    Xie Grace cordially said, ¡°Our Xie family started out by concocting pills. With a legacy of millenniums, we have some knowledge in this field. If you are willing to take a leap of faith, allow our family to deal with this long-armed roon. Within a month at most, we canplete the process and hand over the gold cores, fur, skin, and other items to you.¡±


    He Yiming was faintly astonished inwardly, ¡°Mr. Xie, your family can refine gold cores ?¡±


    Xie Grace¡¯s voice brimmed with confidence as he said, ¡°I can guarantee you that in Fire Crow country, our Xie family is the most aplished in refining gold cores.¡±


    He Yiming hesitated inwardly. However, after thinking for while, he made his decision.


    From his grandfather, he already knew that an inner core couldn¡¯t be consumed directly. It must be first refined into golden cores, only then would it benefit a cultivator in breaking through a bottleneck.


    However, refining gold cores was no easy task. Previously, in order to refine the gold-crowned python¡¯s inner core, they had to spend half a year merely to prepare the supplementary ingredients. Even after that, in his grandfather¡¯s words, it was the gates of fortune smiling on their He family that made the refining process a sess.


    Hereby, it could be seen that the process of refining gold cores didn¡¯t have a high sess rate, whereas the cost of the process was extremely high.


    However, the words that came out of Xie Grace¡¯s mouth told a different story. He couldplete the refining process within a month and even felt quite certain about it. This made He Yiming feel quite amazed and even moved.


    ¡°Mr. Xie, if your noble family can truly refine gold cores, this surnamed He is willing to divide half of them with you. Moreover, the long-armed roon¡¯s other parts are also not needed.¡±


    Xie Grace chuckled and said, ¡°Brother He is too courteous. Since your esteemed self has already gifted one of the two long-armed roons to our family, if we can¡¯t even do this much for you, will there be anything left of our face as one of the Fire Crow country¡¯s four big influential families?¡±


    With a wave of his hand, the attendants stepped forward. However, they didn¡¯t disembowel the beasts immediately. Instead, they collected the corpses. The four severed arms were further collected by them with extreme caution.


    At this point, Xie Grace seemed to have remembered something. He turned his head and asked, ¡°Mingjin, didn¡¯t you leave? Why are you back here?¡±


    Xie Mingjin was immediately tongue-tied. He fumbled about, not uttering a word.


    Xie Mingsan stepped forward and said, ¡°Second lord, after going halfway through, elder young master had to return to help you at all costs. We lowly people couldn¡¯t stop the young master. Please grant our punishment.¡±


    Xie Mingjin and the other attendants lowered their heads, not uttering a word.


    Xie Grace turned his head back and said, ¡°Brother He, I wish to take a look at these two beast¡¯sir. Then, we will immediately return to refine your golden cores. What do you say?¡±


    He Yiming naturally had no objections.


    Xie Grace continued, ¡°Mingjin, you all wait here. We will return soon.¡±


    Xie Mingjin and the rest obviously respectfully agreed. Since the two long-armed roons didn¡¯t exist here, no other creature would be able to pose a threat to Xie Grace with his strength.


    Xie Grace was evidently a notch above He Yiming in terms of agility. Of course, this was also rted to He Yiming carrying a three hundred and sixty jin heavy weapon.


    At this point, Xie Grace¡¯s heart had somewhat calmed down. If he couldn¡¯t beat this youngster in his strongest aspect, agility, his martial heart truly might have crumbled apart.


    He Yiming curiously asked, ¡°Mr. Xie, is something not to your liking?¡±


    Xie Grace shook his head and said, ¡°I sure have disgraced myself before brother He. I am merely concerned about that child Mingjin.¡±


    ¡°Brother Mingjin?¡± He Yiming astoundedly asked, ¡°Brother Mingjin is so kind and righteous - not willing to escape leaving you behind. Why are you still concerned about him?¡±


    Xie Grace bitterly smiled, ¡°Brother He, Mingjin is too impulsive. He clearly knew that his presence here would only increase our troubles, but he still came back. Although currently, it does seem that he valuesradeship a lot, if he were to take the lead of Xie family in the future, I¡¯m afraid our family¡¯s legacy of thousands of years will be cut at his hands.¡±


    He Yiming blinked his eyes. Although he didn¡¯t agree with Xie Gracepletely, he¡¯d acknowledged his meaning inwardly.


    This kind of nature from the perspective of running a knight¡¯s errand seemed fine, but from the perspective of inheriting a big n, it was not too good.


    Unwittingly, He Yiming¡¯s impression of Xie Mingjin turned quite favourable. However, he failed to notice that after turning his head back, a peculiar glint flickered in Xie Grace¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 19.1 - Pulpless Fruits

    The color of the sky had evidently started to darken. However, it didn¡¯t affect He Yiming and Xie Grace much. With their strength, even if the color of the sky turnedpletely dark, they could easily see their surroundings with the help of starlight.


    After a hour, Xie Gracing, who was leading the way, eventually stopped and pointed at a huge tree, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    He Yiming felt apprehensive inwardly. At the time of leaving, this man had imed an early return before Xie Mingjin and rest. However, they had continuously rushed through the forest for an hour before finally arriving at their of the long-armed roons. Adding in the time to return, this simply couldn¡¯t even be associated with an early return.


    He faintly shook his head. However, since they had already arrived, he¡¯d no intentions ofining.


    ¡°Mr. Xie, why you wished toe here? Is there some treasure here?¡± He Yiming said with a chuckle.


    Xie Grace said in a grave voice, ¡°Whether there is treasure or not is hard to say. However, I¡¯vee here due to seek confirmation of the words contained in a certain medical book of my n.¡±


    He Yiming was quite curious but since the counterpart had said n¡¯s book, he felt too awkward to ask another question.


    Xie Grace arrived underneath the tree. With a slight jump, his body quickly climbed up the tree. After a few moments, his pleasantly surprised voice could be heard down below, ¡°Brother He, quicklye up. We¡¯ve found some good stuff.¡± He Yiming faintly started before binding the broadsword with the vine strips.


    These vines were rather unique, perfect for binding the broadsword. However, climbing up while such a heavy weapon made him feel quite sour.


    As Internal Energy covered every part of his body, the strong feeling of being pushed downwards gradually disappeared. Subsequently, He Yiming quickly climbed up like Xie Grace had done a few moments ago.


    Amidst the dense clusters of trees and branches, He Yiming suddenly spotted a treehouse.


    The only noticeable aspect about this tree house was its immense size. Its interior contained thick, bulky branches ced horizontally across. This treehouse was quite simple. Even those mud huts ofmon people on the surface seemed far more morous than it.


    Upon finding this tree house, Xie Grace¡¯s face was slightly flushed due to excitement.


    He Yiming immediately understood that the former had found something truly good. Otherwise, with his shrewd temperament, he wouldn¡¯t have showed such emotions.


    After a few twists and turns, He Yiming arrived beside Xie Grace. Not too far away from the top end of the treehouse, he could see ten green colored fruits growing down.The size of these fruits was not big at all- hardly different than the fist of a grown man. However, somehow, they were causing He Yiming to feel like plucking them and take a bite.


    ¡°Mr. Xie, which fruit is this?¡± He Yiming gravely asked.


    ¡°This is pulpless fruit. ording to the book, this kind of fruit only grows on a tree that is more than three thousand years old,¡± Xie Grace suppressed the excitement in his heart and said, ¡°Not only this, only if a spirit beast lives on such a tree for a hundred years will such a fruit be born.¡±


    He Yiming threw a quick nce at the treehouse and immediately understood that it was made by the two long-armed roons. He hadn¡¯t expected long-armed roons to be possess such wisdom.


    ¡°What is the use of such a fruit?¡±


    ¡°This thing is extremely useful,¡± Xie Grace took in breath, ¡°Originally, these two long-armed roons wouldn¡¯t have taken initiative to attack us humans, especially since we were big in numbers. As long as we hadn¡¯t provoked them or entered their territory, it would have beenpletely safe.¡±


    He Yiming nodded. If it wasn¡¯t safe, Xie Grace wouldn¡¯t havee in the forest with his son and attendants.


    ¡°Brother He, today, these two long-armed roons suddenly appeared and surrounded us from both sides, wishing to kill us all. This is quite queer. Do you know why it happened?¡±


    He Yiming faintly trembled inwardly, ¡°Does it have something to do with these pulpless fruits?¡±


    ¡°Correct. A pulpless fruit is born on an ancient tree and receives breath of a spiritual beast for a hundred years. Thus, it has miraculous effects. If a spiritual beast swallows it directly, it could certainly increase its physical strength and spiritual Qi. However, after consuming the fruit, its blood and qi will be stimted, making its temperament aggressive. In this state, it could easily attack harmless creatures.¡±


    He Yiming unhurriedly nodded. However, inwardly, he supplemented, ¡®Although these roons tried to kill us after swallowing the fruit, it can¡¯t really be said as attacking harmless creatures.¡¯


    Not to mention him killing the two beasts, even Xie family had been nning to kill them for so long. If not for their adequate strength, Xie family wouldn¡¯t have allowed them to trespass on theirnds.


    He had a feeling that precisely because these two long-armed roons recognized Xie Grace and rest had they taken the initiative to attack their group after consuming the fruits. His appearance here was merely a coincidence, and because of this coincidence, these two long-armed roons had to lose their lives.


    Xie Grace didn¡¯t pay attention to He Yiming¡¯s expression and unhurriedly continued, ¡°Apart from increasing the strength of spiritual beasts, pulpless fruits has another significant use. They will increase the sess rate of refining our long-armed roons¡¯ inner cores.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s shook inwardly before asking, ¡°Mr. Grace, how much do they increase the sess rate?¡±


    Xie Grace pondered, then confidently said, ¡°Normally, it¡¯s around eighty percent. However, now that we¡¯ve obtained this rare fruit, it should increase to ny percent.¡±


    He Yiming calmed his surging heart. Sighing inwardly, he thought if his grandfather knew that the efficiency was ny percent how would he feel? Even without pulpless fruits, the eighty percent efficiency was quite high. Xie Grace had taken the initiative to refine the gold cores because he was brimming with confidence, which was backed by his n¡¯s legacy of millenniums.


    Lightly exerting himself, Xie Grace¡¯s body jumped up like a light feather floating in air before he reached out with his hand, plucking down all ten fruits one after another in one swift motion.


    Subsequently, he took out two square, blue cloth strips. Dividing the ten fruits into two equal parts, he made two wrappings.


    Offering one wrapping to He Yiming, he said, ¡°Brother He, finders are keepers. We will divide this equally.¡±


    He Yiming faintly started before declining, ¡°Mr. Xie, I have no use for this thing. Since your noble family possess a medicinal legacy, it would be better to leave them in the safekeeping of your noble residence.¡±


    Xie Grace chuckled and said, ¡°Brother He, you are looking down on this thing¡¯s value too much,¡± Restraining his smile, he continued in a lowered voice, ¡°This thing¡¯s value is not one bit below that of a golden core.¡±


    He Yiming was inwardly rmed, involuntarily revealing a trace of unconvinced expression.


    Xie Grace could tell the former¡¯s thoughts from his expression. He smilingly said, ¡°Brother He, actually the most important use of the pulpless fruits is not to increase the sess rate of refining inner cores of long-armed roons.¡±


    He Yiming suddenly realized and astounded said, ¡°Could it be¡­..this thing can also be used to increase the efficiency of refining inner cores of other spiritual beasts?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Xie Grace said, pleased with He Yiming¡¯s reaction, ¡°Refining inner cores to gold cores, which are then consumable by cultivators, is not an easy task. Just refining the inner cores of spiritual beasts below life expectancy of five hundred years is extremely difficult in itself. Our n, even after going through an experience of a thousand years in this field, can only manage about eighty percent efficiency. However, as far as the spiritual beasts above five hundred years are concerned, not only are their inner cores extremely precious, the efficiency of the refining process is simply pathetic. Even if a Xiantian cultivator were to undertake the task of refining, the sess rate would not be good. However, after adding the pulpless fruits, the sess rate can be increased to cross the mark of seventy percent.¡±


    He Yiming sucked in a breath of cold air and said, ¡°Mr. Grace, didn¡¯t you just say that this thing only increases the efficiency by ten percent?¡±


    Xie Grace chuckled and said, ¡°Brother He, there isn¡¯t a person who could guarantee hundred percent efficiency in refining golden cores. We already had some confidence toplete the refining process with eighty percent efficiency. However, the addition of the pulpless fruits will further increase the chances. However, for the refining of golden cores that have bad efficiencies, this fruit works wonders.¡±


    He Yiming finally understood and didn¡¯t decline any further, carefully cing the wrapping in his bosom.


    The duo tried to look for more fruits, but returned empty handed.


    However, these ten fruits were already an unnned gain, making them feel that they had not made this one hour trip in vain. Aftering down from the tree, Xie Grace raised his head and saw the color of the sky. He was quite familiar with the forest. At the very least, he was much better than He Yiming who had yet topletely mature.


    ¡°Brother He, we should return,¡± Xie Grace patted the wrapping in his bosom with satisfaction and said, ¡°If we wait longer, I¡¯m afraid Mingjin, that chap, will begin to search the entire forest for us.¡±


    He Yiming naturally didn¡¯t have any objections. With but a flicker, the two figures hit the path back.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 19.2

    After a while, He Yiming thought for a bit before asking, ¡°Mr. Xie, can your noble family refine golden cores of spiritual beasts above five hundred years?¡±


    Xie Grace bitterly smiled, ¡°Brother He sure can joke. If we truly had this ability, why wouldn¡¯t there be a single Xiantian cultivator in the n? Why would be unable to deal with two long-armed roons?¡±


    He Yiming was not surprised. It was indeed as he¡¯d expected. He was only casually asking as well.


    ¡°Mr. Grace, do you know where one can find a five hundred year or older spiritual beast?¡±


    Xie Grace thought for quite while before saying, ¡°Generally, spirit beasts flourish in deste regions. Five hundred year or older spiritual beasts¡­.I have also merely heard about them, not seen one with my own eyes. However, it is said that in the few restricted zones of Grand Extension country, several such spiritual beasts can be found.¡±


    ¡°Grand Extension country?¡± He Yiming could only bitterly smile. These words almost meant the same as nowhere.


    To them, who lived in the small countries in the east side of the continent, Grand Extension country in the north, which upied more than one-fifth of the entire continent¡¯snd, seemed too far-fetched.


    To say the least, He Yiming never even thought of going to Grand Extension during his journey.


    Within the agreed time period of three years, he wouldn¡¯t be able to even make a round trip.


    Xie Grace could naturally discern his line of thinking. He smiled and said, ¡°Brother He, actually encountering a five hundred years or older spiritual beast also depends on one¡¯s luck. If your luck is not good, even if you were to travel ten thousand li and go to Grand Extension country, you wouldn¡¯t seed. However, if your luck is good, you might find your desired spiritual beast in this mountain forest.¡±


    Feeling quite surprised, He Yiming asked, ¡°This mountain forest also has five hundred year or older spiritual beasts?¡±


    Xie Grace extended his hand and shed a big circle in the air, ¡°This mountain range is endless, running through the continent¡¯s entire northwest region as an aisle. From our Fire Crow to your Heaven Sieve merely constitutes a minute section of it. Since ancient times, nobody has ever seeded in exploring this entire mountain range. What the core of this mountain range looks like, nobody knows. That ce is a truly deste region. Even five hundred year spiritual beasts wouldn¡¯t be considered rare there.¡±


    He Yiming slowly nodded, a brilliant luster flickering in his eyes.


    While scurrying, Xie Grace threw a quick nce at He Yiming before suddenly taking a deep breath, ¡°Even if one manages to find a five hundred year spiritual beast, whether it¡¯s a good thing or not, it¡¯s hard to tell.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xie, why would you say that?¡± He Yiming puzzledly asked.


    ¡°The more time a spiritual beast lives, the more its wisdom will be, and its strength would further simply be like a boat riding on a tide. Long-armed roons are ranked at the bottom among the spiritual beasts. Living for merely about two hundred years, they possess such strength. If you run into some other ferocious spiritual beast, or one that has lived for more than five hundred years, not to mention hunting it, you might not even be able to escape,¡± His tone was quite slow and even seemed somewhat that of advice, evidently persuading He Yiming to abandon this frightening notion.


    Looking at the cordial and sincere expression in Xie Grace¡¯s eyes, He Yiming faintly smiled. The recent battle had given him another method to break through.


    During the life and death battle, only when hepletely freed his heart and spirit and foughtpletely unrestrained, he¡¯d been able to faintly establish a connection with the mysterious Worldly Qi.


    Forging these circumstances in a closed-door cultivation was almost impossible.


    Therefore, he¡¯d already decided to continue seeking spiritual beasts in the forest. If he encountered a five hundred year or older spiritual beast, even if he couldn¡¯t win, with the two grand Xiantian battle skills at his disposal, he held faith in his ability to escape.


    After extensive fighting and killing, perhaps he could gain some sort of enlightenment and breakthrough without consuming a golden core.


    However, this line of thinking needn¡¯t be shared with others.


    ¡°Mr. Grace, if I somehow managed to obtain the inner core of a five hundred year beast, can your noble residence refine it for me?¡±


    Seeing that his earnest advice had been turned down by the counterpart, Xie Grace bitterly smiled inwardly. However, after hearing He Yiming¡¯s request, he thought for a while before eventually shaking his head, ¡°Pardon me, the worth of a five hundred year spiritual beast¡¯s inner core is too much. Even if you ask someone to refine it for you, you will have to ask a Xiantian realm Pill master. Only then can you have some chances of sess.¡±


    ¡°Xiantian realm Pill master? There are such people?¡± He Yiming skeptically asked.


    ¡°There are,¡± Xie Grace assuredly said, ¡°Be it Grand Extension country, or the three strongest nations of our northwest region, all have Xiantian realm Pill masters. However, inviting them to refine a gold core for you is extremely difficult. If you manage to get hold of two inner cores and wish to refine both of them into gold cores, you will only have the opportunity to get one.¡±


    He Yiming lightly sighed. He was not surprised by such astronomical cost, rather the vastness of the world beyond Tai Cang county.


    At this moment, he finally understood the true meaning behind his grandfather¡¯s words that said he doesn¡¯t belong in the Tai Cang county.


    In the entire Tai Cang county, there were only a total of three tenthyer, peak Houtian realm experts including his eldest uncle who had advanced by consuming a gold core.


    However, in Fire Crow country, even an influential n that excelled in the medical field and not versed in the martial way had three tenthyer experts.


    Then what about the entire Fire Crow country? And Heaven Sieve country? How many tenthyer, peak Houtian experts were there?


    Above these experts, there were also Xiantian realm experts which hadprehended the Worldly Qi.


    With his cultivation speed, sooner orter, he would step into the Xiantian realm.


    At that time, he would discover how wonderful and mysterious this world is, and after that, how could he be willing to keep himself bound in a corner?


    His grandfather had already anticipated. His eldest brother might be content with inheriting the n. However, this was definitely not the direction he would be willing to steer his life in.


    Indistinctly, an indescribable emotion welled up inside He Yiming. His blood boiled with the desire to witness with his own eyes, hear with his own ears, and feel for himself- to go and experience the entire world.


    Currently, the two individuals were on their way back, walking side by side.


    This moment, Xie Grace¡¯s figure momentarily paused before resuming. However, in this moment, he felt an indescribable transformation.


    This transformation stemmed from the young expert walking beside him.


    This transformation couldn¡¯t be described in words and seemed one pertaining to mentality.


    However, its extent was so big, even he, who was walking beside thetter, was strongly affected.


    Xie Grace recalled their conversations and actions. Apart from obtaining the five pulpless fruits, there didn¡¯t seem to be anything worthy to move their hearts.


    However, after all that, only at this moment had he felt the transformation in He Yiming¡¯s disposition.


    He could only bitterly smile inwardly. He truly couldn¡¯t make out any sense from this youngster. However, perhaps only because this was the case, this youngster could possess this almost impossible, miraculously tyrannical strength.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 20.1 - Alchemy

    The rays of the rising sun entered the window, illuminating the insides, and morning birds chirped.


    The door silently opened, without issuing any creaking sound at all.


    He Yiming walked out of the room. Before his feetnded outside, Xie Mingjin was already before him, ¡°Mr. He, you are awake.¡±


    This moment, Xie Mingjin¡¯s face didn¡¯t have a trace of the arrogance that he had in the forest. After learning that He Yiming had killed the two long-armed roons relying on his own strength, whether it was him or the seven attendants, they all now viewed He Yiming as a celestial being.


    In Xie Grace¡¯s words, even if all the three tenthyer experts of the family joined hands, they could only fight the two long-armed roons to a standstill. Wouldn¡¯t it be same as saying that He Yiming could easily deal with the n¡¯s three top experts?


    Before such strength, Xie Mingjin simply couldn¡¯t hold arrogance in any aspect.


    Throwing a surprised nce at him, He Yiming smiled and said, ¡°Brother Xie, you are up quite early. You wouldn¡¯t be waiting here specifically for me, would you?¡±


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s face turned slightly red as he said, ¡°Mr. He, father asked me to await you here sir.¡±


    ¡°Where is Mr. Xie?¡±


    ¡°Father is in the lobby, awaiting you to join him for breakfast.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded and followed after Xie Mingjin.


    After killing the two long-armed roons and obtaining the pulpless fruits, He Yiming followed Xie Grace and the rest down the mountains.


    Under the lead of people that were familiar with that section of the forest, he only had to spend one day to get out of the forest. Subsequently, after crazily steering their horses through the day, they arrived in the Fire Crow country¡¯s capital, Downwind city.


    Downwind city was obviously far iparable to the insignificant county town of the Tai Cang county. The city wall was as high as fifteen meters, and the city was quite vast. Reportedly, the permanent residents of the city exceeded the mark of thirty thousand. Adding in inflow and outflow, the city¡¯s poption measured above forty thousand.


    Xie family, one of the four reputed influential families of Fire Crow country, owned arge manor in the city, which sustained 2000-3000 people.


    Xie Grace¡¯s status in the family was extremely high, having a independent courtyard for his bloodline. Due to arriving quitete in the night, the group hadn¡¯t immediately announced their arrival and had instead gone to rest.


    He Yiming naturally received the best guest room. After spending three months in the forest, this was his first time sleeping on a bed. However, he was awakened by Xie Mingjin arriving at his door.


    Although Xie Mingjin had been cautious to the utmost, softening his footsteps as much as possible, how could it escape past the current He Yiming?


    Knowing that someone was waiting for him outside, He Yiming¡¯s skin had not thickened enough to ignore thetter. Moreover, seeing that the color of the sky had started to brighten, he left the bed.


    The two seemed to be walking shoulder by shoulder. However, Xie Mingjin¡¯s appearance seemed slightly rushed and body faintly inclined towards He Yiming, as if escorting thetter.


    En route, all the servants who saw this scene were left rubbing their eyes, as if having a hard time believing their eyes.


    In the n, the family head, Xie Nuanhang, wholeheartedly pursued the martial dao and never married.


    Although Xie Grace was the second lord, his son, Xie Mingjin, was the big young master of the n. Although this young master was not the best candidate for the position of n leader due to his straightforward temperament, he was loved dearly by the second lord, and thus, was quite haughty in the n. Therefore, his current submissive appearance seemed quite unbelievable to everybody.


    Soon after, they arrived before the lobby.


    As soon as He Yiming entered, Xie Grace stood up and brightly said, ¡°Brother He, did you sleep wellst night?¡±


    Faintly nodding, He Yiming smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while since I slept on a bed. Many thanks for Mr. Xie¡¯s hospitality.¡±


    Xie Grace chuckled. With a wave of his hand, servants served the breakfast. The breakfast in the Xie family consisted of light ingredients. Eighteen kinds of congress and soups wereid out, allowing He Yiming to vastly broaden his horizons.


    He Yiming heartily ate and drank all the items. Although he wouldn¡¯t go as far as to clear everything out, this big-belly monarch caused all the servants to be tongue-tied inwardly. At the same time, they also disdained him incessantly, feeling puzzled why their second lord, who was such an heroic character, had brought back such a moronic bumpkin.


    The father and son happily apanied He Yiming, asionally taking a bite from the chopsticks. However, their eating was quite cultured inparison. Seeing He Yiming patting his stomach in satisfaction, the father and son also put down their chopsticks, indicating they had finished just now.


    Although this was merely an insignificant action, it earned them quite a favourable impression from He Yiming.


    After the breakfast, Xie Grace again waved his hand. Subsequently, the servants quickly sorted out bowls and chopsticks before quickly withdrawing.


    With a faint nod from Xie Grace, Xie Mingjin immediately stood up and gave a deep bow to He Yiming, ¡°Mr. He, we father and son have a request for you.¡±


    He Yiming hoarselyughed and said, ¡°Brother Xie, if you have something in mind, just say it.¡±


    Xie Mingjin¡¯splexion somewhat tensed but he still said, ¡°Brother He, please don¡¯t publically proim that we killed two long-armed racoons yesterday.¡±


    He Yiming unhesitatingly nodded and said, ¡°All right.¡±


    The father and son exchanged a nce in astonishment. Originally, they thought they would have to extensively reason with him or pay a considerable price in order to convince him. They hadn¡¯t expected him to agree directly.


    Little did they know, He Yiming had profoundly experienced the results of how riches and fame could move people¡¯s hearts firsthand.


    Why would their He family be so secretive about the gold-crowned python?


    Xie Mingjin bowed to the ground and said, ¡°Many thanks to brother He for understanding.¡±


    He Yiming immediately helped him up and said, ¡°No need to be courteous, brother Xie.¡± Subsequently, his vision shifted to Xie Grace before he grimly said, ¡°Mr. Grace, I have a request as well.¡±


    Xie Grace solemnly said, ¡°Whatever request brother He has, if it¡¯s in our power, we will spare no effort to fulfill it.¡±


    ¡°I wish to learn Xie family¡¯s alchemy. I will trouble Mr. Grace to help me fulfil this wish.¡± He Yiming sincerely said.


    XIe Grace faintly started and said, ¡°Brother He, I will go take a look if my elder brother is awake. If he is, I will pass on the information about your arrival and request to him. Then it will be up to him to decide. Is that fine with you?¡±


    He Yiming deeply nodded and said, ¡°Please,¡± before supplementing, ¡°I merely wish to learn the technique of inner core extraction. Please, make this distinction clear on my behalf.¡±


    Xie family was, after all, a n with a medicinal legacy. Thus, alchemy would obviously be of utmost importance to the family. The decision that whether it could be passed to an outsider made by the n leader only seemed fair and reasonable.


    Xie Grace¡¯s face revealed an understanding smile and said, ¡°So, it¡¯s like this. Brother He, be at ease, my elder brother will certainly not decline.¡±


    After saying these words, he briefly cupped his hands, threw a meaningful nce at Xie Mingjin, then left.


    Although Xie Mingjin¡¯s nature was candid, he was not a fool by any means. He immediately picked on the gesture and immediately called for tea.


    ¡°Mr. He, this is Grand Extension country¡¯s reputed tea Mist. It is said that this tea grows on mountain peaks amidst dense fog. Plucking its leaves is extremely difficult. After being transported to the northwest, it bes extremely expensive- equivalent to gold,¡± He bowed and said, ¡° Please have a taste.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s curiosity got better of him. In the He manor, although he did drink tea, for him, it was no different than an ox chewing peony flower. He¡¯d no appreciation at all.


    He picked up the exquisite cup, which seemed more like a piece of art, and sniffed. As he expected, there was a mild fragrance. However, upon taking a light sip, he discovered that it wasn¡¯t any different than the tea back home- at least not in any way he could discern.


    Xie Mingjin also took a sip, then expectantly shifted his vision over to He Yiming.


    Four eyes met. After a while, Xie Mingjin embarrassedlyughed and said, ¡°Mr. He, actually, I have studied a bit about tea sampling, but never managed to understand a thing about it. Please, forgive me.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 20.2

    He Yiming¡¯s eyes immediately shined, ¡°Brother Xie is correct. This Mist tea is although somewhat fragrant, in my mouth, it seems hardly any different than the tea we grow back home.¡±


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s jaw dropped open in astonishment. Slowly, smiles flickered in their eyes.


    Although the identities, strengths, temperaments, and growing conditions of the two were different, indescribably, they found each other to their liking. They slowly started to chat, even feeling quite friendly.


    After having a friendly chat with Xie Mingjin, He Yiming could clearly tell that this was due to their temperaments being quite suited to each other. Although he¡¯d a simr warm and affable conversation with Lin Taoli previously, he also knew, if thetter didn¡¯t have intentions to rope him in, he wouldn¡¯t have been this affectionate.


    Although currently Xie Mingjin also might have been trying to rope him in substituting his father, as their conversation deepened, He Yiming couldn¡¯t help but admit that his impression of the former had vastly improved.


    Of course, gaining such a quick approval from He Yiming was closely rted to that time in the forest when hepletely disregarded everything and tied his life and death with his father¡¯s.


    Although such a decision might seem impulsive and path to one¡¯s own doom, not something the leaders of influential family would approve, as far as He Yiming was concerned, he would rather make friends with such a rude and impetuous fellow than those noblemen who imed to act while taking the bigger picture into consideration.


    Xie family¡¯s principal courtyard. A man with delicate features and seemingly younger than Xie Grace by a few years suddenly turned around.


    Along with his movements, a cold aura abruptly spread out. Even Xie Grace, who was standing before him, couldn¡¯t help but palpitate.


    However, this aura only remained momentarily. As he controlled his intensely stimted emotions, he immediately restrained himself.


    ¡°Second brother, two-long armed roons have been killed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, elder brother,¡± Xie Grace said, ¡°I¡¯ve even brought back the corpses.¡±


    This man was precisely the current n leader of Xie family, the n that possessed millenniums of medicinal legacy and counted as a part ofthe four big influential families of Fire Crow country, Xie Nuanhang.


    Although he seemed quite young, his true age was full ten years above Xie Grace¡¯s- already in his seventies.


    ¡°What is his name?¡±


    ¡°He Yiming, a person from Heaven Sieve.¡±


    ¡°He Yiming?¡± Xie Nuanhang muttered. However, he¡¯d no impressions of this name whatsoever.


    ¡°Yes, He Yiming.¡± Xie Grace praisingly said, ¡°Not only he¡¯d already grasped the true essence of metal type, having already understood its dao, he is also a peak, tenthyer expert and even possesses a Xiantian de technique.¡±


    Xie Nuanhang waved his hand, cutting off his younger brother¡¯s unceasing praises, ¡°Although Heaven Sieve country is quite far away from here, I¡¯ve heard about the reputed people there. If there truly was such an expert who has grasped the essence of metal type and learned a Xiantian battle skill, how could he not be famous?¡±


    Xie Grace coarselyughed and said, ¡°Elder brother, I¡¯ve seen He Yiming¡¯s age. He is not even eighteen yet. Thus, he obviously couldn¡¯t be too famous.¡±


    The truth was that he waspletely unaware that He Yiming was already extremely famous in Tai Cang county. However, under careful suppression of Lin family, the news had not spread out.


    Xie Nuanhang was immediately rmed. If one were to say that he was shocked just now, currently, he was appalled.


    Such achievements were already quite praiseworthy for a fifty or sixty year cultivator. However, a youngster, who was not even eighteen, having such achievements was too horrifying.


    If these words had note out of his own brother¡¯s mouth, and he hadn¡¯t personally seen the corpses of long-armed roons, he wouldn¡¯t have dared believe them.


    After quite a while, he asked in a lowered voice, ¡°Have you asked this person¡¯s origins?¡±


    ¡°No, but I suppose he ought to be a disciple of some hidden sect.¡± Xie Grace said with a sigh.


    Xie Nuanhang faintly nodded and said, ¡°Since he has such achievements at such a small age, he is certainly some sect¡¯s inner disciple, or even a core disciple raised in abundance of cultivation resources,¡± He also deeply sighed before continuing, ¡°Unfortunately, such a genius who has been fostered with utmost care will certainly be a Xiantian cultivator in the future and is of no use to our Xie family. Furthermore, we can¡¯t afford to offend his sect either.¡±


    Xie Grace nodded to show his agreement but said, ¡°Elder brother, although he can¡¯t join our family, maintaining close rtions with such a character will be quite of assistance to our family.¡±


    Xie Nuanhang¡¯s eyes brightened slightly as he asked, ¡°Second brother, do you have some way to establish rtionship with him?¡±


    Xie Grace¡¯s said in a heavy voice, ¡°This person is quite curious about alchemy and wish to learn our family¡¯s alchemic technique. However, his request is not high at all. He merely wishes to learn the technique to refine gold cores.¡±


    Xie Nuanhang¡¯s brows slightly creased as he estimated benefits and losses.


    Slightly hesitating, Xie Grace stepped forward and said, ¡°Elder brother, during this time¡¯s trip in the forest, Mingjin was with me. When he encountered the long-armed racoons, although he returned in the end, making me extremely disappointed, it resulted in him earning He Yiming¡¯s favourable opinion. His attitude was clearly different than what you would usually see. If you allow it, I wish to try recruiting him with the help of Mingjin.¡±


    Xie Nuanhang lifted his head and deeply looked at his brother. After quite a while, he eventually nodded and said, ¡°Refining technique of golden cores is merely a subsidiary of our medicinal legacy. If he wishes to learn it, he is free to do so. Moreover, I will have a word with seventh uncle. He Yiming can watch when he refines the gold cores.¡±


    This time, it was Xie Grace¡¯s turned to be astonished. He sucked in a deep breath and heavily bowed, ¡°Many thanks, elder brother.¡±


    Xie Nuanhang supported his brother up, then said in grave voice, ¡°Second brother, I understand your intentions. If Mingjin¡¯s luck is good and he can obtain a Xiantian realm expert¡¯s support, there will be no question about passing the family to him. However, if he fails to obtain He Yiming¡¯s assistance, or He Yiming fails to ascend into Xiantian realm before my death, the family¡¯s future cannot be left in Mingjin¡¯s hands.¡±


    Xie Grace deeply lowered his head and said, ¡°Yes, everything will be ording to elder brother¡¯s instructions.¡±


    In the inner courtyard, He Yiming and Xie Mingjin were merrily chatting away.


    Even in the He manor, He Yiming had never talked this freely and unrestrained with any of his brothers.


    After all, He manor had been recently established. As such, all the members of the younger generationpletely immersed themselves in cultivation. Although the affection of siblings ran quite deep, they never talked as such.


    Only an individual who was close to him in age and had also met his approval could gain his true friendship.


    Suddenly, a servant arrived beside Xie Mingjin in quick steps and handed over a letter and token to him.


    Xie Mingjin opened the letter and was immediately overjoyed at the good news. He waved the letter and excitedly said, ¡°Brother He, eldest uncle has already agreed and has sent the gold token. With this token, we can enter the pharmacy and alchemic chamber. Hehe, your reputation is not small. Not only you have ess to entire core refining recipe, you can even watch the eldest grandfather¡¯s core refining.¡±


    He suddenly raised his head and said, ¡°Brother He, when you go to watch the core refining, you have to bring me along at all costs.¡±


    After conversing for half a day, their way of addressing each other had already unwittingly changed. To say the least, Xie Mingjin no longer addressed He Yiming as Mr.


    He Yiming chuckled and said, ¡°Of course, but right now, I wish to take a look at the recipie.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 21.1 - Copying Recipes

    Although the area of He manor was not small, when He Yiming had entered the Xu castle, he had realized that Xu castle was actually far bigger than He manor.


    However, currently, as he steered the big horse he was riding under the lead of Xie Mingjin, he truly understood how muchnd a n that possessed a legacy of millenniums could possess.


    Of course, if one were to ount the area of the fields in the Xu castle as well, its area would exceed Xie mansion¡¯s. However, as far as living area, rooms, constructions, decorations, and other aspects were concerned, the three influential families of Tai Cang county simply had no chance.


    Xie Mingjin stopped his horse before a strictly guarded courtyard. Although he was recognized as the n¡¯s big young master in the entire Xie mansion, the guards here didn¡¯t try to tter him at all, and only after he took out the gold token did they respectfully open the way.


    Hereby, one could see a glimpse of how strict Xie family¡¯sw enforcement was.


    This courtyard had more than ten chambers. Every chamber had something written on it. Xie Mingjin directly led He Yiming to the chamber that had ¡®Gold Core¡¯ written on it, pushed the door open, and entered.


    From his movements, it seemed that the reason of his familiarity with this ce was due to Xie Grace bringing him here many times before.


    Upon entering the chamber, He Yiming was quite astonished. In this chamber, there were two bookcases,pletely stacked with books. Some of the books seemed old-fashioned, some seemed new, and some were even in the form of ancient bamboo strips of legends. This kind of means of writing had died out around eight hundred years ago. Perhaps only these ns that possessed millenniums of legacy could possess such antiques.


    As He Yiming swept his gaze through the bookcases, he suddenly felt bitter inwardly. There were so many books merely pertaining to gold cores. How could he read them all?


    He¡¯d raised his request in hopes to obtain some recipes of refining gold cores. However, to find what he desired among so much material would be quite troublesome.


    As He Yiming was feeling quite troubled, Xie Mingjin scurried to the bookcases and asked, ¡°Brother He, do you wish to start from scratch or just refining gold cores will do?¡±


    He Yiming faintly started, then asked, ¡°Is there some difference?¡±


    ¡°If you wish to learn from scratch, you will have to start by reading introductory books. After reading about one-fifth of all the books here and further mastering the subject viaprehensive study of some surrounding fields, you would have basically finished the study.¡±


    He Yiming shook his head without thinking. He didn¡¯t have that much time.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to learn in entirety, you can learn about a few varying types of gold cores and their properties. As for the recipe, you can memorize it raw,¡± Xie Mingjin¡¯s face turned grave as he said, ¡°You can see the recipe here at your will, but can¡¯t copy and take it outside.¡±


    He Yiming nodded in understanding. Agreeing to let him see the recipe was already a huge favour by them. If he were to ask a mile for an inch, he would only incur the counterpart¡¯s loathing.


    However, he also understood why Xie Grace had been so generous. Relying only on memorization, he would only be able to remember a few tens of recipes, which would be merely like a droplet in the ocean. Thetter was evidently clear on this reasoning and had thus shown such generosity.


    ¡°Brother Xie, I will settle for the use and recipes of a few gold cores.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Xie Mingjin stood contemting a few moments before the bookcases, eventually picking out a few books, ¡°These are the most important ones, take a look.¡±


    He Yiming epted the books and gratefully nodded at the former. If not for Xie Mingjin, he truly wouldn¡¯t have known how to go about this ordeal.


    Xie Mingjin suddenly moved closer to him and said in a low voice, ¡°Brother He, you take your time, I will bring some good stuff for you.¡±


    He Yiming perfunctorily nodded, not knowing the ¡®good stuff¡¯ the former was talking about.


    Xie Mingjin left, and He Yiming opened the first book. From the beginning of the first page, the book stated various uses of gold cores and theories pertaining to it.


    Gold cores surprisingly had so many types. Each kind had its own use. Apart from the gold cores that allowed cultivators to easily cross bottlenecks, there was another type which cultivators yearned for in their dreams.


    This kind of gold core was called a Vitality gold core. After consuming such a gold core, one could increase one¡¯s vitality. In clear terms, one would thus be able to increase one¡¯s Internal Energy. Although these kinds of gold cores, which could boost cultivation speed, were not as expensive as the former kind, they were still unattainable for ordinary cultivators.


    However, due to the rarity of inner cores, the inner cores were always first refined for the purpose of crossing bottlenecks, and Vitality gold cores were only refined with the remnants of the above refining process. Despite all this, if Vitality gold cores were to hit the market, they would be immediately sold out and were considered as an absolutely priceless marketmodity.


    In addition to all this, the book had a few more applications of different types of gold cores. However, these were quite random.


    Some could help in stopping bleeding quicker, some could cure internal injuries, and some could even defend against infections and poisoning. It was so random and all over the ce, it made He Yiming feel light-headed, almost causing him to give up immediately.


    After turning a few pages, He Yiming suddenly saw an exnation regarding the effect of gold cores on breaking through bottlenecks.


    After carefully reading it through, he was marveled inwardly.


    This author had alsopared the human body to a water reservoir. After reaching a certain point in Houtian realm, the water in the reservoir would hit the limit, and its amount could no longer be increased.


    At this point, to increase one¡¯s strength further, one must increase the capacity of the reservoir. In other words, one would have to increase the level of the body¡¯s Internal Energy cultivation itself. Aplishing this point was not as difficult as ascending into the Xiantian realm, but was still not easy by any means.


    It was at this point that Limit gold cores exhibited their effect.


    Consuming a Limit gold core would not increase the body¡¯s vitality, but Internal Energy directly.


    At this point, the body¡¯s Internal Energy had already attained an extreme. As long as it could increase by a bit, it would provide the best opportunity to break through. Under these circumstances, a little bit of extra force could open the closed meridians, thus enabling breakthrough.


    However, if one failed to open the meridians, this bit of extra Internal Energy would slowly lose its potency, ultimately dissipating from the body.


    It was clearly illustrated that gold cores¡¯ potency would closely follow the amount of consumption and the user¡¯s age.


    The more gold cores consumed, the more probability of sess. Simrly, lesser the user¡¯s age, the more abundant would be the user¡¯s own vitality, and thus, the more probability of sess.


    However, these weren¡¯t the absolute facts. Whether one would eventually break through or not would rely on one¡¯s own will power and many other factors. These were two different aspects and shouldn¡¯t be confused together.


    After going over these details, He Yiming felt genuine admiration. He didn¡¯t know who the author was, but could certainly tell that thetter must have been an esteemed senior, worthy of admiration.


    Suddenly, the gate opened. Xie Mingjin entered in poised steps and threw a meaningful nce.


    He Yiming skeptically turned around, puzzlement written all across his face.


    Xie Mingjin closed the door, arrived before him, and took out a few objects from his bosom. He Yiming¡¯s eyes stretched wide open, speechlessly looking.


    Xie Mingjin had actually brought back a brush and some papers.


    He Yiming immediately understood what the former had referred to as ¡®good stuff.¡±


    ording to the rules, you could only look and not copy. Considering it into ount, he could only have noted down about twenty to thirty recipes at most.


    However, with a pen and paper now, he wouldn¡¯t go as far as to say that he could note down all the recipes here, but at the very least, a hundred would not be a problem.


    He Yiming said in a low tone, ¡°Brother Xie, you¡­.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 21.2

    Xie Mingjin waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. In any case, these recipes are merely being wasted here.You can make copies and help promote them to new glories.¡±


    He Yiming nkly stared before saying, ¡°How can they be wasted here?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they are being wasted. This time in the forest, you also saw how ferocious spiritual beasts are. Would you imagine how many people are killing spiritual beasts and obtaining inner cores like you?¡± Xie Mingjin sighed and said, ¡°Our Xie family toiled hard for thousands of years and collected so many books, containing more than a hundred ways to refine the cores of spiritual beasts. However, we may not be able to perform a single refining throughout several decades. In your hands, these techniques would have much more chance to be used.¡±


    He Yiming thought for a few moments, eventually admitting that the former¡¯s words were quite reasonable.


    However, copying the ssified arts of the counterpart¡¯s own family in front of him¡­..He Yiming had encountered such an affair for the first time and felt quite apologetic inwardly.


    If Xie Mingjin had not been so benevolent and had made He Yiming note down the recipester, relying on his memory, He Yiming wouldn¡¯t have felt any burden in his mind at all. However, stealthily bringing pen and paper constituted a whole different story.


    Lightly sighing, He Yiming eventually made his decision. He profoundly nced at Xie Mingjin before extending his hand and saying, ¡°All right, I will ept your kindness.¡±


    Xie Mingjin put the brush and papers on the table and left. Distantly, he saw Xie Grace outside the courtyard. He nodded at his father with a faint smile. Thetter turned around and left.


    Although Xie Mingjin¡¯s guts were quite big, how could he have brought pen and papers for He Yiming without the consent from n elders?


    Even though he¡¯d spoken the truth and these recipes seemed to be quite precious, under a severeck of supplies of inner cores, they didn¡¯t hold much practical value. However, even if they were like chicken ribs, he couldn¡¯t distribute them out at his will.


    However, since these were his father¡¯s orders, he was happy to oblige. He understood that this was his father enabling him to do a favour. That way, the recipient of the return-favour would not be the n, but he himself.


    Despite his character not suited to be the n leader, he was no fool. He could clearly see through these matters.


    After two days, He Yiming eventually left the ¡®Gold Core¡¯ chamber.


    He carefully examined the books Xie Mingjin had selected and copied down more than a hundred gold core refining techniques. He discovered that all these techniques required inner cores of spiritual beasts, some of which had extremely harsh requirements of spiritual beasts¡¯ age and species.


    However, the uses of these gold cores was beyond the reach of Houtian realm cultivators. These gold cores could only be consumed by Xiantian realm cultivators. If a Houtian realm cultivator were to consume them, what awaited him wouldn¡¯t be a boost in Internal Energy, but death due to body exploding.


    He Yiming was quite confident in himself. Since he believed he would surely step into Xiantian realm, he copied down these recipes as well.


    Subsequently, he casually flipped through other books in the bookcases and discovered that although their content differed somewhat, the majority of it was covered by the few books Xie Mingjin had selected for him.


    As far as gold core recipes were concerned, one could safely assume that these few books were the most valuable books in the whole chamber.


    At this point, his gratitude for Xie Mingjin further increased.


    In these two days, nobody brought him food. This was because everybody knew that he was a tenthyer expert. Not to mention two days, even if he were to not eat and drink for several days, he wouldn¡¯t have any trouble.


    When he left the chamber, a servant immediately notified Xie Mingjin.


    ¡°Brother He, you have finished?¡± Xie Mingjin deliberately asked in an emphasized tone.


    ¡°Yes,¡± He Yiming faintly nodded, showing an understanding smile.


    The two walked out of the courtyard alongside each other when Xie Mingjin lightly sighed and said, ¡°Brother He, I didn¡¯t expect you would be this quick. If I had known earlier, I would have selected a few more books for you.¡±


    He Yiming waved his hand and grimly said, ¡°Brother Xie, I appreciate your kindness but I¡¯m actually very satisfied with my gains.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine too.¡± Xie Mingjin brought him to his own courtyard and asked servants to bring some food and drinks, ¡°Rest today. Tomorrow, I will take you to the Clothing Hall, then we will go to the Alchemic Chamber. All the ingredients have been prepared, and seventh uncle has opened the furnace. Three dayster is the auspicious day, we will be able to go and watch the refining process.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s was quite moved. He already had the recipes in his hands. If he could examine the process as well, he would be able to make the attempt himself. Of course, he understood that alchemy was an art- one that was extremely hard to learn by imitating at that. However, observing with his own eyes was, after all, different than indulging in baseless imaginations.


    His thoughts turned in another direction before he asked, ¡°What is the Clothing Hall?¡±


    ¡°The region where our n¡¯s special tanning leather clothes are produced. You shouldn¡¯t look down on it. Every cloth thates out of our Clothing Hall is a priceless treasure that couldn¡¯t be bought with just gold,¡± Xie Mingjincently said.


    He Yiming astoundedly asked, ¡°Could your manufactured clothes serve some special purpose?¡±


    ¡°Correct, not only our leather clothes are made through tanning, they also contain many medicinal textures. If wore frequently, they offer enormous benefits to the body. However, I am taking you there due to that long-armed roon. That guy¡¯s skin is extremely tough. It¡¯s imprable and also possesses strong contraction property. I have already asked for an underfitting leather armor in your ce. Not only would it serve well in defensive purposes, it would also allow you to keep warm in the cold.¡±


    He Yiming was slightly moved, ¡°Such a wonderful application, can¡¯t you make a few more of these?¡±


    Xie Mingjin helplessly said, ¡°Brother He, how big is a long-armed racoon? Peeling of the entire skin of one long-armed roon is barely enough to make one set. If you manage to hunt a few more of these guys, I can make you a few more.¡±


    He Yiming nkly stared, then let out augh. Merely for two long-armed roons, he spent several months in the forest. Where would he find a few more? The former was just messing around with him.


    The next day, they went to the Clothing Hall. He Yiming saw the already stripped off inner-wear, stretched perfectly straight and immersed in an unknown liquid.


    ording to Xie Mingjin, itsplete manufacturing would require a month¡¯s time. This was also the reason Xie Grace had asked for one month before.


    After the third day, holding the golden token, they entered the most heavily guarded location in the Xie Mansion, situated in the center.


    Xie family¡¯s Alchemic Chamber was a courtyard established in a gigantic area of two thousand square meters. Inside, there were several tens of chambers. However, the one that seemed the most important was the chamber at the very front.


    As they entered this chamber, there were already two youngsters about the same age as them in taoists robes, sorting out the chamber.


    Seeing them enter, these two remained indifferent, not trying to fawn over them due to Xie Mingjin¡¯s identity at all.


    Xie Mingjin led He Yiming in and pulled out two chairs, arranging them before a giant furnace. The furnace¡¯s body seemed quite dull. There were no engravings nor any decorations. However, this dull and mediocre furnace exuded a feeling of having gone through many tests and trials, allowing He Yiming to feel that it must have had quite a history.


    Long after, an old man with white hair and a white beard entered the chamber. The two attendants immediately weed him while paying their respects.


    Xie Mingjin also jumped up as if his buttocks had caught fire and said, ¡°Grandfather, you have finallye.¡±


    The old man faintly nodded. Shifting his vision over to He Yiming, he said, ¡°This ought to be Mr. He- a fine youngd, as expected. Pardon this old man Xie Zhien, for having you wait.¡±


    He Yiming immediately stood up, bowed, and said a few courteous lines in return.


    Xie Zhien chuckled and said, ¡°A youngster showing interest in alchemy is good. However, for us cultivators, there is a prerequisite to obtain some aplishments in alchemy.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly raised as he said, ¡°Please advise.¡±


    ¡°Refining an ordinary golden core could be aplished by anybody. The more precious and rare a core is, the requirements to refine it is equally higher. For instance, if your gold core refining process were to be given to an ordinary man, the sess rate wouldn¡¯t be above fifty percent. However, at this old man¡¯s hands, it will be eighty percent.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes slightly brightened as he respectfully asked, ¡°May I ask the reason?¡±


    ¡°Very simple, because this old man is a fire and wood, dual attributed cultivator.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 22.1 - Engendering Techniques

    ¡°Ha¡­..¡±


    The furnace zed, increasing the temperature of the room. However, Xie Zhien and the two attendants evidently seemed ustomed to it, not feeling troubled at all.


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s body was dripping with sweat. He¡¯d already drunk two big jars of water but to no avail.


    He Yiming, on the other hand, was attentively watching their every movement, as ifmitting all of their actions into his memory.


    Actually, He Yiming¡¯s emotions were quite aroused at the moment. Before opening the furnace, Xie Zhien had told him that to be a distinguished alchemist, one needed to possess exceedingly high innate talent. This talent, in addition to possessing a highprehensibility about medicines, also referred to an imperative possession of fire and wood- these two types of Internal Energy attributes.


    Of course, if you possessed three kinds, even among the alchemists, you would be seen as an extremely rare kind of alchemist and would be deemed as a pioneer of alchemy.


    Be it Grand Extension country or various countries of northwest, all of the reputed Xiantian alchemists were at least fire and wood dual-attributed, powerful characters. As for the three attributed alchemists, their sess rate in refining was beyondparison.


    This introduction naturally moved He Yiming.


    Suddenly, Xie Mingjin, who stood beside him, spoke in a low voice, ¡°Brother He, are you getting it?¡±


    He Yiming nkly turned his head and honestly said, ¡°No.¡±


    Xie Mingjin was quite surprised as he asked, ¡°Were the books I left for you not detailed enough, or you actually didn¡¯t read them at all?¡±


    He Yiming whispered, ¡°I have read them, but couldn¡¯t quite understand.¡±


    Indeed. The dao of alchemy was a unique subject. He Yiming could understand the written characters independently, but the words, phrases, and sentences they constituted had simply gone above his head.


    After copying, He Yiming flipped through the pages again and again but still couldn¡¯t get the gist of it and had no choice but to leave it alone.


    Xie Mingjin nkly stared, then smilingly said, ¡°I understand. Take out your stuff, I will teach you.¡±


    He Yiming was thrilled and immediately took out the copies. While he was copying, he¡¯d specifically separated the parts pertaining to the refining process with that of recipes. Thus, at this moment, his hand only held a tiny amount of pages.


    Xie Mingjin had the fortune of being born into the Xie family. He¡¯d been in contact with these things since childhood. Although his alchemycked far behind his seventh grandfather¡¯s, his basics were quite strong.


    After being exined to by Xie Mingjin, He Yiming felt enlightened.


    The old man and the two attendants turned a blind eye on their whisperings and treated them like air.


    After seven full days, a rich aroma pervaded the chamber. However, currently, alchemy was no longer greek to He Yiming. He immediately understood that the gold core was about to be taken out of the furnace.


    Xie Zhien¡¯s movements were as quick as lightning, enough to make anyone wonder how many times had he done this throughout his life. Barely relying on his perception, he could tell the condition of the core in the furnace.


    As he eventually opened the furnace, his expression turned exceedingly grave, as if he wasn¡¯t lifting the cover of the furnace, but the entire heavens and earth, causing He Yiming to feel admiration from the bottom of his heart. This was an expression which could only appear on the face of a person who hadpletely immersed his entire being into a certain upation.


    With a roar, the old man eventually removed the cover.


    He Yiming was still sitting wordlessly, but Xie Mingjin involuntarily tensed up. He poked his head out and looked around a few times before his face turned delighted.


    Xie Zhien heartilyughed and said, ¡°Youngster, this old man has fortunately not disgraced himself and has seeded in refining five gold cores.¡±


    He Yiming deeply bowed at him and said, ¡°Elder, may I ask how many times have you performed the refining process of gold cores¡±


    Xie Zhien pondered for a bit, then sighed, ¡°In my entire life, throughout my hundred years, I¡¯ve refined gold cores three times.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ve only refined three times, then how can you obtain eighty percent sess rate?¡±


    Xie Zhien faintly smiled and said, ¡°Youngster, the dao of alchemy equals to the dao of umting experience. If you have performed ten thousand refinings of ordinary pills, you will naturally have eighty percent sess rate while refining low level gold cores.¡±


    He Yiming felt aghast, ten thousand times¡­.


    He deeply bowed before the old daoist. Although he didn¡¯t say a word, his actions clearly illustrated his heartfelt respect for thetter.


    Refining of ordinary pills wouldn¡¯t require seven days, but even if one refining process required one day, it would require about thirty years toplete ten thousand refinings.


    He Yiming had nothing but admiration for such determination, such perseverance, and such will power.


    Xie Zhien¡¯s was quite satisfied with He Yiming¡¯s behaviour. His vision shifted when he suddenly saw the papers in Xie Mingjin¡¯s hands.


    An embarrassed expression suddenly covered thetter¡¯s face before he quickly hid his hands behind his back and revealed an idiotic smile which only made the situation worse.


    He Yiming¡¯s face also turned slightly red. This kind of feeling of being caught wasn¡¯t too good.


    Xie Zhien bitterly smiled while shaking his head and said as if speaking to himself, ¡°Those recipes in the Gold Core chamber should have been made public a lot earlier.¡±


    He Yiming and Xie Mingjin rxed, knowing that this old man was intending to turn a blind eye on this matter.


    Sure enough, Xie Zhien shifted his vision onto He Yiming and unhurriedly spoke, ¡°I heard from Grace that you wish to hunt a spiritual beast above five hundred years?¡±


    He Yiming grimly said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Your age is quite modest and yet you have managed to attain the absolute peak of Houtian realm. Your desire to breakthrough is only natural. However, relying on your strength alone, you might not win against a five hundred year spiritual beast,¡± The old daoist lightly sighed and said, ¡°For spiritual beasts, five hundred years is a threshold as well. If they managed to pass it, their inner core gains a miraculous effect of transforming Worldly Qi. Refining the inner core and using it to absorb Worldly Qi is the most simple method to enter the Xiantian realm. However, after five hundred years, spiritual beasts can also arouse Worldly Qi, gaining tremendous might. This is undoubtedly shedding their mortal body. If not for a Xiantian realm expert, they are extremely hard to kill.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯splexion slightly changed. He naturally understood that this old man wouldn¡¯t cheat him. So it turns out that five hundred year spiritual beasts were as strong as Xiantian cultivators. He seemed to have been thinking of these beasts too simply.


    The old daoist hesitated for a bit before sighing, ¡°Unfortunately, you are not a dual attributed cultivator. Otherwise, you could have directly entered the Xiantian realm without requiring to use a gold core at all.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes momentarily brightened before he respectfully asked, ¡°Senior, please advise.¡±


    The old man stroked his long beard and said, ¡°ording to the historical texts, the ancient human cultivators didn¡¯t rely on gold cores to breakthrough at all. For most, the tenthyer¡¯s peak was the absolute achievement. However, some Houtian cultivators who mastered two different attributes techniques, which further mutually engender each other, managed to breakthrough the boundaries of Houtian realm and enter the Xiantian realm.


    ¡°Houtian techniques that engender each other?¡± Suddenly, an idea shed in He Yiming¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Correct. Like this old man¡¯s fire and wood techniques, or metal and water¡­and so on, mutually engendering techniques,¡± The old daoist solemnly said, ¡°If some genius, talented in two engendering attributes, could also cultivate two peak level Houtian techniques, in that case, at the time when both of these two techniques would reach the tenthyer, he could force one of these techniques to transform such that it could engender the other. If the transformation seeds, he could automatically absorb the Worldly Qi and make the breakthrough.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 22.2

    He Yiming palpitated. If not for the presence of other people, he would have already screamed.


    However, his thoughts immediately shifted as he suspiciously said, ¡°Many thanks for your guidance. However, since this is the case, have you not tried this method?¡±


    Xie Zhien face immediately revealed a regretful expression as he said, ¡°In my youth, I wholeheartedly indulged myself in alchemy. Although I made some aplishments in alchemy, my Internal Energy cultivation was dyed as a result. My fire and wood type cultivation only reached the tenthyer at the age of eighty. By that time, my meridians had already solidified and vitality was dissipating. If I had still tried to breakthrough relying on this method, I¡¯m afraid as soon as I¡¯d absorbed the Worldly Qi in my body, it would have instantly exploded, and I would have died.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯splexion slightly changed before he asked,¡±Could it be¡­..there is no method to resolve this?¡± He Yiming inwardly nodded. Although one had to admit that this old man¡¯s alchemy had already reached the perfection, the price he¡¯d paid was in form of giving up his chance to breakthrough into the Xiantian realm. In other words, it was basically neglecting the core and picking the tip.


    He Yiming would certainly remember this lesson paid in blood by the old daoist and wouldn¡¯t be distracted before entering the Xiantian realm.


    The old man faintly shook his head before taking out the five gold cores from the furnace. He then put them into a jade bottle and handed it over to He Yiming. He seemed to have remembered his youth- he flicked his sleeve and immediately left in graceful steps, as if floating.


    He Yiming carefully collected the bottle, but his thoughts still lingered on the recent conversation with the old daoist.


    Xie Mingjin waved his hand before He Yiming¡¯s eyes and asked, ¡°Brother He, are you fine?¡±


    He Yiming, as if awaking from a dream, smiled and said, ¡°I wish to borrow a solitary room in your mansion. Is it possible?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Xie Mingjin unhesitatingly said, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I wish to go in seclusion for while, to properly consider some matters.¡± He Yiming seriously said.


    For this request, Xie Mingjin himself was enough to make the arrangements. Under his arrangements, He Yiming arrived in a secluded courtyard. This courtyard used to be Xie Mingjin¡¯s residence. Currently, all the servants had left, leaving behind He Yiming alone.


    Closing the door, He Yiming arrived in a quiet room and sat down. The old daoist¡¯s words had enlightened him, revealing a path through the heavens that will lead to the Xiantian realm.


    If the old daoist had known that his words could cause such a result, one could only wonder whether he would have still exined these matters to He Yiming.


    In the forest, He Yiming had only revealed metal type techniques.


    Regardless of how strong one¡¯s single attribute could be, it wouldn¡¯t lead to breakthrough into Xiantian realm without help of gold cores.


    However, this was not the case with He Yiming. He was not a single-attributed cultivator, but an exceedingly powerful cultivator of the entire five phases. His only weak point was that he only had two peak level primary techniques. These two techniques didn¡¯t engender each other, which others might rejoice about.


    ze technique and Withered Tree technique, from the Xu castle.


    At this moment, he felt extremely d that his trip to Xu family, an act he¡¯dmitted on impulse, turned out to be one that seemed so foresightful now.


    If he didn¡¯t have Withered Tree technique, regardless of how many more techniques of five phases he cultivated, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to breakthrough into Xiantian relying on this method.


    The Internal Energy in his body began to surge. Backed by this powerful Internal Energy, his ears, eyes, and nose immediately sharpened. The next moment, he immediately ascertained that not only this courtyard didn¡¯t have a single person except him, the area in a circle of fifty meters around it had further been turned into a restricted zone.


    Although Xie manson was quite big, they wouldn¡¯t easily execute such an action. Hereby, it could be seen that Xie Mingjin was a conscientious person. They had only met each other recently, and He Yiming also knew that their rtionship contained a hint of mutual benefit.


    However, he couldn¡¯t deny that the two had also formed a favourable impression of each other. If he were to seed in ascending the Xiantian realm as well, it would be due to the old daoist¡¯s words. This would be an act of extreme kindness to him, and it would have to be repaid to Xie Mingjin in future.


    He Yiming faintly shook his head and moderated his stimted emotions.


    First, he took out all the objects on his body and ced them into an unremarkable corner, including even the copies of pill recipes and the jade bottle containing gold cores.


    Subsequently, his mind immersed into circting the Internal Energy inside his body.


    Withered Tree technique- this strong peak level wood type technique began to slowly operate inside his body.


    He didn¡¯t raise the technique to the tenthyer directly and instead increased it step by step from the beginning of the firstyer. However, as the powerful Internal Energy gradually circted in his meridians, his body¡¯s appearance started to change correspondingly.


    The flesh on his body started to wither in a strange manner, as if the moisture on his body was being sucked out by some force. As the Internal Energy continuously strengthened, this appearance also started to deepen, beginning to affect even his face.


    If He Yiming were to stand beside Xu Yinjie, the Lord Master of Xu family, with their dead tree kind of appearance, one could easily treat them as brothers who were on the verge of entering their graves.


    As the Withered Tree technique circted, He Yiming¡¯s vitality seemed to be vanishing. His body seemed to be fostering a different kind of power, and this vanishing vitality seemed to be acting as a rich nutrient for this power.


    When the Withered Tree technique attained the tenthyer, He Yiming didn¡¯t stop and instead began to slowly operate the ze technique.


    This was not the first time he¡¯d operated the five phases techniques in alternation. However, previously, he never tried to circte another technique after pushing one technique to its peak.


    This was a problem of control. After pushing one technique to its peak, the difficulty of instantly switching to another technique was frightening beyond measure. If it was aplished through force, the meridians would instantly suffer bacsh, and in case of serious consequences, one could even die.


    However, currently, He Yiming was weing the challenge. He¡¯d no intention of stopping the Withered Tree technique as he slowly operated the ze technique.


    Dividing his Internal Energy into two different sections of powers inside his body had been the objective he¡¯d always sought after.


    However, this time, his objective was different. He was not trying to divide his Internal Energy into two parts evenly, but to preserve the tenthyer of the Withered Tree technique. As for the ze technique, although he was barely managing to operate it, it was like a dim me that could blow out at any time.


    It was still circting in his body at an extremely slow speed, continuously pushing forward.


    Once again, a mystical transformation urred on He Yiming¡¯s body. His seemingly withered body slowly reddened at various spots.


    This transformation was quite evident; his skin turning scarlet like blood.


    In the beginning, it was only a small patch of bright red colored skin. Gradually, it began to spread all around his body.


    The rate of spreading of the red color was also quite slow in the beginning, seeming as if it could never cover the whole body.


    However, when its scope expanded and it covered ten percent of the entire body, it burst forth like an ignited me, spreading around at a lightning fast speed.


    In a few breaths, He Yiming¡¯s entire body seemed to have be a red, hot furnace, exuding frightening heat waves.


    The clothes on his body withered and curled as his body temperature stepped beyond the limits of heat that a human body could endure, seeming as if his entire being was burning.


    However, He Yiming seemed as if he¡¯d not felt any of it. The ze technique operating inside his body had already attained the tenthyer and was continuously swallowing the vitality dissipated due to the Withered Tree technique. As it seemed that his entire body had been set aze, a mystical transformation urred.


    Like a phoenix of the legends, a powerful life force re-emerged from within the raging mes.


    It was nothing but Phoenix¡¯s Nirvana¡­..

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 23.1

    Sun shined brightly, the trees stood calm and stationary, and the beautifulndsy serenely.


    However, this secluded courtyard was pervaded by an aura which almost seemed substantive. Fortunately, all the servants and workers in the vicinity of this courtyard had already been moved to somewhere else. Otherwise, the transformation urring at this moment would have brought a disastrous impact on them.


    In the secluded room, He Yiming¡¯s body had turned into a furnace. The fire type Internal Energy was being exhibited to the extreme, seeming as if He Yiming¡¯s body itself was burning as fuel.


    The clothes on his body had turned into ashes, even the mat under his buttocks had suffered a fatal disaster.


    Fortunately, the four walls of this room were made of stone and bricks. If they had been made of wood, they probably wouldn¡¯t have survived.


    He Yiming, however, inwardly brimmed with hope and expectations at this moment. He could feel that ze technique¡¯s power had already reached the limit but under the catalyzation and addition of Withered Tree technique¡¯s power, ze technique¡¯s power was still climbing up.


    Eventually, all the energy umted by the tenthyer Withered Tree techniquepletely transformed into a nutrient and was absorbed by the ze technique.


    An inconceivablyrge power suddenly erupted.


    This was a variation- a variation in the quality of the energy. The ze technique was no longer a Houtian realm¡¯s technique. After absorbing the essence of Withered Tree technique, it had transformed into a technique that hadpletely different characteristics than the original.


    Suddenly, He Yiming¡¯s body severely trembled a few times from outside, as if countless pointed needles had been thrusted into his body.


    After cultivating Withered Tree technique, his body was already quite resistant to pain. Not to mention needles, he wouldn¡¯t have much trouble even if he were to catch a knife stab.


    However, his current feeling of being pricked by needles hadpletely exceeded his imagination, as if there were countless hole-punchers, punching holes in his body both from inside-out, and outside-in.


    Enduring this pain already seemed beyond the capabilities of a human body, enough to make one feel that death would be a better choice.


    However, this feeling only emerged momentarily.


    Immediately disappearing after.


    After the pain subsided, He Yiming¡¯s spirit suddenly shook. He felt a bizarre energy flooding into his body from outside.


    This was not Internal Energy transformed by his body but an energy of the external world.


    This energy had been aroused by the transformation in the ze technique and was continuously entering his body as a result. His body was like a vessel that had been elongated ten times, and the continuously entering energy was quickly filling it.


    His skin, flesh, muscles, bones, internal organs, and all the cells were undergoing a subtle transformation due to this energy.


    As if soaking in a hot spring, an extremelyfortable feeling overtook his body.


    This was a cleansing that was transforming his entire body upside down. Not only his strength had been increased by an inconceivable degree, even his life expectancy, under the effect of this mystical transformation, had been increased through unknown and mysterious means.


    The energy his body was absorbing from the external world seemed to be carrying an exceedingly indistinct burning feeling, which allowed him to know that this energy being absorbed by him was, in fact, that of fire type- an energy that would be ssified as fire attributed in the natural world.


    This was because he¡¯d used a fire type technique to breakthrough. If he¡¯d used a differently attributed technique, the transformation that would have urred probably would have differed correspondingly.


    He took in a deep breath, feeling this mystical transformation.


    Eventually, the pouring of the energy from the external world slowed down. The holes that had appeared inside his body were also been filled by the cleansing of this energy. However, they were notpletely closed off and instead formed a subtle resonance with He Yiming¡¯s spirit.


    Soon after, He Yiming quickly discovered that these so called holes were actually the acupuncture points on the body and were also the positions through which meridians must pass through.


    However, the only thing that amazed him was that the total number of these holes were far more than the acupoints he knew about. This made him understand that the number of acupoints in human body were far more than one hundred and eight.


    The energy, which was still continuously pouring inside his body, caused him to have an urge to vent out.


    Inexinably, He Yiming knew that this was the berserk effect contained within the fire type energy. Since it was entering in the body for the first time, it brought an enormous burden to the body. If he couldn¡¯t vent out quickly, it could cause an enormous harm to his body.


    His eyes suddenly opened. Lifting him palms up above, he swatted towards the hollow above his head.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The Internal Energy, or perhaps it should now be called True Qi energy, that had been repressed inside the body suddenly found a huge outlet. It immediately concentrated and madly rushed out.


    A gigantic explosion rang out in the sky above the room. The roof, which was made of tiles and bricks, blew off with an explosion without offering any resistance at all. The entire roof exploded, its splinters flying off to huge distances.


    Furthermore, small fragments of stones and dust didn¡¯t dissipate right after. Instead, it fluttered about the True Qi, flying in the air.


    Suddenly, a gigantic, red-colored tornado appeared in the sky, emitting frightening heat waves which could discourage anyone to approach it.


    Such a hugemotion could easily wake people from their deep slumber in night, let alone now when the sun was shining brightly.


    Almost the instant explosion sounded, the three peak level, tenthyer experts in the mansion simultaneously left their residences.


    Xie Nuanhang, Xie Grace, and the only expert who had lived past a hundred years, old daoist Xie Zhien, all tongue-tied looked at the bizarre tornado unleashed from a certain building in the residence.


    Although it was quite distant, the three people simultaneously felt an enormous suppression which seemed as heavy as Mount Tai, and invible. This was an ability which was beyond theirprehension or experience, in front of which, as many Houtian cultivators there might be, they would have no chance of putting up any resistance.


    This moment, the disturbance created was no longer confined to the Xie Residence.


    In the Downwind city, the experts of the other three influential families as well as the experts of the Fire Crow nation¡¯s royal family witnessed with their own eyes the fiery red tornado that had suddenly rose but had remained confined in a small area.


    In the imperial pce, there was a fifteen meter high tower.


    Even the king of Fire Crow country didn¡¯t dare be slightly presumptuous under this tower. In this tower resided the number one senior of Fire Crow country.


    He was the divine protector of the Fire Crow country¡¯s royal family, also that of Fire Crow country, and the sole Xiantian realm expert of the Fire Crow country.


    This moment, after observing and hearing the strange tornado in the distant, he eventually issued amand thatpletely turned the imperial pce upside down.


    After fifteen minutes, He Yiming finally felt his meridians hadpletely recovered, havingpletely drained out that berserk feeling.


    He lowered his hands, restraining the True Qi while the red-colored tornado in the air disappeared without a trace.


    Looking at the mess around him, he sighed unceasingly. If he¡¯d known earlier that ascending into the Xiantian realm would trigger such a reaction, he would have long escaped somewhere outside. Why would he have taken shelter in the Xie Residence?


    All of his surrounding was covered with dust, but not a speck could be found on his body.


    Looking at hispletely naked body, He Yiming faintly shook his head. Suddenly, his heart trembled before he inwardly cursed, ¡®Not good.¡¯


    His figure faintly flickered before he arrived in the room¡¯s corner.


    As he peeked at the papers and jade bottle, which hadn¡¯t suffered any harm except for ayer dust covering them, his anxious heart calmed down.


    Those few recipes weren¡¯t that important. With his strength, even if he were to copy them openly, Xie family wouldn¡¯t stop him. However, the jade bottle contained five golden cores. If they were lost as a result of this ordeal, that would be too unfortunate.


    He Yiming had stepped into Xiantian realm inside the Xie family, after all. Not only had they showed him hospitality, he¡¯d also received guidance from Xie Zhien. Even if his skin thickened several times, he wouldn¡¯t try taking Xie family¡¯s golden cores.


    Sorting out the room, patting himself a few times, he stepped out of the room. Although the interior waspletely wrecked by him, the outside had not suffered too much damage.


    His footsteps didn¡¯t stop as he passed through the external hall and arrived in Xie Mingjin¡¯s bedroom.


    Their age was simr and statures were also quite simr. He casually chose a pair of clothes. Although they were somewhat oversized, in any case, it was much better than beingpletely naked.


    Xie Mingjin naturally didn¡¯t have to worry about clothes ever, being born in a big, aristocratic family. Not only there were several tens of pairs of clothes, evenpletely new shoes and socks were also plentiful. He Yiming of course epted his kindness without a trace of hesitation.


    As he¡¯d finished dressing, he felt a bigmotion outside. Some people were cautiously and prudently advancing towards this courtyard.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 23.2

    In a circle of hundred meter with him acting as the center, it seemed like nothing could escape his senses.


    It was a mystical feeling. After absorbing the fire type energy from the heavens and earth, he seemed to have formed an exceedingly subtle connection with these energies. Through this fire energy, which was present throughout the heavens and earth, and through his interaction with this energy by absorbing and exuding it, he could miraculously make out an image of everything within a hundred meters around him.


    Of course, this image was extremely indistinct. Even inparison to the image He Yiming could form after concentrating his attention on his ears, it wasn¡¯t any better. However, in sensing the stationary objects and the atmosphere around his body, it seemed much more precise than the former.


    He could feel that people dressed in the attire of attendants were flocking within his eighty meter range. These people seemed to be indistinctly standing by a line. They were looking at each other with traces of rm evident on their faces. However, regardless of how much their numbers increased, they didn¡¯t dare take a step forward. Suddenly, one individual came running from afar. From this person¡¯s footsteps and breath, He Yiming could tell that this individual was none other than Xie Mingjin.


    He didn¡¯t know where thetter had been until now, for him toe sote. However, he was unlike the attendants. He directly entered while shouting, ¡°Brother He, are you here?¡±


    He Yiming felt warm. If Xie Mingjin had shown the slightest hesitation in entering, He Yiming would have definitely started to slowly alienate him. As for the help Xie family had provided to him, he would have repaid it slowly in the future. However, Xie Mingjin was the same as he¡¯d been in the forest and hadn¡¯t shown the slightest hesitation in rushing in.


    This kind of temperament wouldn¡¯t be favoured in his n, but it had managed to let He Yiming feel his true friendship. Once this guy had decided that you are his friend, he will absolutely not abandon you.


    Stepping out, covering frightening distance in one sweep, He Yiming suddenly appeared before him.


    Although He Yiming had not cultivated any agility technique, his current strength was so high that he could casually deal with several strong Houtian cultivators even if they were to use special techniques.


    Although the gap between Xiantian and Houtian was only a singleyer, it was impossible to be covered or even pulled closer.


    ¡°Brother Xie, I am here,¡± He Yiming chuckled and said, ¡°Everything is fine except for your destroyed cultivation room.¡±


    Xie Mingjin nced at He Yiming, then took a deep breath, ¡°It¡¯s good that you are fine, just a training room that¡¯s all¡­.¡± He suddenly stopped before seriously observing He Yiming. He could tell that this He Yiming was different than the one a few hours ago. However, what actually was different, he had no idea.


    After a while, his eyes shined as he said, ¡°Brother He, the clothes on your body?¡±


    He Yiming lightly coughed then chuckled, ¡°I burned my clothes due to carelessness. So, I borrowed a pair. Pardon me.¡±


    Xie Mingjin waved his hand and asked, ¡°What happened just now? How is there such a bigmotion? I just hope elder uncle hasn¡¯t been disturbed.¡±


    He Yiming faintly smiled. Although he hadn¡¯t seen this acting family head of Xie family, from Xie Mingjin¡¯s appearance, he could tell that that he ought to be a strict senior. However, even the seniors of Xiantian realm didn¡¯t have any qualifications to put on any air before him.


    His expression suddenly flickered as he raised his head and looked outside. He smiled and said, ¡°Brother Xie, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s toote.¡±


    ¡°Toote for what?¡± Xie Mingjin suspiciously asked.


    ¡°Your elder uncle is already here.¡±


    Xie Mingjin¡¯splexion underwent a huge transformation. However, before he could continue his chain of questions, he heard an exceedingly familiar voice, ¡°Is Mr. He here? This old man hase to pay his respect.¡±


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s eyes opened wide, looking at He Yiming as if he¡¯d seen a ghost.


    This was precisely the voice of his elder uncle- the voice of the acting leader of Xie family. However, from this voice, even an idiot could make out a faintly prudent, respectful, and appeasing intent.


    Although he¡¯d also seen the red-colored tornado in the air, seeing was one thing while understanding the underlying meaning was another. His experience was, after all, quiteckingpared to Xie Nuanhang and his other elders. He¡¯d never seen the capabilities of a Xiantian cultivator, and thus, obviously didn¡¯t find anything strange.


    He Yiming smilingly nodded at Xie Mingjin, who was nkly staring him, and said, ¡°This surnamed He is here. Please enter Xie family head.¡±


    Three people entered in session. As soon as Xie Mingjin saw them, the shock he was feeling further increased to the extreme.


    The three individuals, which were the three big shots of the n, were currently gathered together at this ce. At this moment, he finally understood somewhat. He first looked at the roofless training room, then looked at He Yiming with an incredulous expression.


    The three individuals also hadn¡¯t expected to find Xie Mingjin beside He Yiming. Moreover, from the way two were standing side by side, the two seemed to be quite good friends as well. However, after exchanging nces, they seemed as if they hadn¡¯t noticed it.


    ¡°Mr. He, Congrattions.¡± Xie Nuanhang stepped forward. Stopping not too far away from He Yiming, he deeply bowed.


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s eyelids jumped before he immediately jumped aside. He didn¡¯t dare take family head¡¯s bow.


    He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased. After hesitating a bit, he returned the courtesy and said, ¡°Xie family head is too polite. This surnamed He was lucky and only seeded because of the advice from Xie Mansion¡¯s old lord, Xie Zhien.¡± After saying these words, he performed a bow to the ground towards Xie Zhien. His words werepletely sincere. If not for the old man¡¯s advice, He Yiming would probably have entered the forest again to search for spiritual beasts above five hundred years.


    However, after entering the Xiantian realm, He Yiming knew that if the spiritual beasts above five hundred years could also start absorbing True Qi like him, in that case, if he encountered one, it would be him who would have to ultimately flee.


    The difference between Houtian and Xiantian realms was too big. One could only understand after personally experiencing it.


    Xie Zhien repeatedly waved his hands. This old man, who had lived past hundred years, deeply sighed and said, ¡°So Mr. He is also a dual-attributed genius. This old man ended up unting before a real expert, shaming himself.¡±


    Inwardly, he felt strange. Since He Yiming couldprehend two peak level, engendering primary cultivation techniques, he must be from some big sect or big influential family.


    However, after he cultivated to the tenthyer, why didn¡¯t anyone exin this method to him? If not for a few lines he¡¯d idently said, thetter would have actually still be stuck. However, he only pondered this matter for a bit.


    He Yiming shook his head and smiled before saying, ¡°Senior Xie, your advice was unimaginably beneficial for this young one. This young one could enter the Xiantian realm so soon only due to some guidance you randomly offered,¡± He paused for moment to think, then said, ¡°Within three years, this young one will certainly return senior¡¯s favour.¡±


    Xie Zhien¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened as he said in a faintly trembling voice, ¡°He¡­.Mr. He, what are you saying?¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded. His vision brimmed with sincerity as he said, ¡°My father always taught me- when you receive a drop of favor, you must return torrents of spring.¡±


    Xie Zhien¡¯s lips trembled. Eventually, he stepped forward and performed a bow to the ground and said, ¡°Many thanks for Mr. He¡¯s help.¡±


    The two brothers immediately felt ted. They exchanged a nce, then prostrated themselves as well. Xie Mingjin bitterly smiled and looked at He Yiming, finally understanding what kind of monster his father had ended up bringing in the n.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 24.1

    Looking at the Xie family members who were respectful and fawning over him, He Yiming sighed inwardly.


    Before he¡¯d entered the Xiantian realm, although they were still polite to him, it was nowhere near this exaggerated. After ascending to the Xiantian realm and further promising to help the old daoist, Xie Zhien, they had be respectful to the extreme.


    Xie Zhien, this hundred year old man in particr- he even disyed courtesy that somewhat resembled that of a disciple.


    Suddenly, his heart faintly trembled before he asked, ¡°Senior Xie, under the protection of a Xiantian realm cultivator, can all the Houtian realm, tenthyer cultivators breakthrough?¡±


    Xie Zhien bitterly smiled and said, ¡°Mr. He, this is simply impossible,¡± He faintly shook his head and sighed, ¡°A Xiantian ream cultivator could only helping in increasing the endurance of meridians, making so that a cultivator wouldn¡¯t go as far as to die due to body exploding while making the breakthrough. To truly breakthrough, one has to rely on his own efforts. Either cultivate two engendering, top-level techniques, or get a gold core refined from the inner core of a five hundred year or above spiritual beast. And even if these circumstances were to be fulfilled, one only has a chance to breakthrough. As for whether if one really makes the breakthrough¡­..¡±


    Looking at the old man¡¯s expression, which suggested that he wished to say something but was hesitating, He Yiming immediately understood.


    He inwardly sighed, knowing that although he¡¯d made the breakthrough, but his n of helping the old man doing the same waspletely fruitless.


    ¡°So it means, even if I help, elder wouldn¡¯t necessarily advance?¡±


    Xie Zhien¡¯splexion darkened before he said, ¡°It¡¯s precisely as such. However, this will be thest opportunity this dying, old man would get. I would have to rely on Mr. He to fulfil it.¡±


    Afraid that He Yiming would take back his words, he immediately bowed to the ground once again; his eyes¡¯ sincerity enough to move anybody.


    He Yiming immediately helped him up and said, ¡°Senor, please be at ease. Since I¡¯ve already agreed, I¡¯ll not back out.¡± His voice calm, carrying a force to convince anyone involuntarily.


    The big rocks on the hearts¡¯ of Xie Zhien and the rest were immediately lifted. Although obtaining help from He Yiming didn¡¯t ensure sess, a hope was much better than having no chance.


    For this hope, Xie family would be willing to pay any cost.


    An old servant hurriedly rushed in, holding a gold-stamped card in his hand. His face looked excited as he shouted from the entrance before even approaching, ¡°Lord, his majesty, Prince Ting Brightriver, is visiting.¡±


    Xie Nuanhang and the rest¡¯s expression slightly changed. They exchanged nces before Xie Grace respectfully said, ¡°Mr. He, Prince Ting Brightriver must havee because of you. Would you like to meet him?¡±


    He Yiming astoundedly asked, ¡°Who is Ting Brightriver?¡±


    Xie Grace thought for a bit before saying, ¡°In Fire Crow country, there are four big influential families thriving. Among these, the Ting family is the royal family and also the only family to have a Xiantian realm cultivator. Ting Brightriver is one of the Ting family¡¯s three great experts. Although in your eyes, he might not seem like anything, but in Fire Crow country, he is quite an illustrious expert.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded, then thought for a bit and said, ¡°This surnamed He has just entered the Xiantian realm and wishes to go in seclusion for a few days. I will not receive any outside guest, pardon me Mr. Xie.¡±


    Xie Grace deeply bowed; a delighted glint flickering in his eyes. Subsequently, he said, ¡°Since this is Mr. He¡¯s wish, this surnamed Xie will certainly pass it on as it is.¡±


    Xie Nuanhang and the rest also inwardly let out a sigh of relief. From their standpoint, they naturally didn¡¯t want to see He Yiming bing intertwined with any other influential family of Fire Crow country except for Xie family.


    Looking at the color of the sky, He Yiming faintly cupped his hands and said, ¡°This surnamed He wishes to make a trip outside. Within three days at most, one day at minimum, I will certainly be back.¡±


    After speaking these words, he faintly nodded at Xie Mingjin. His figure flickered, turning into faint mist, having already disappeared.


    The Xie family members exchanged a nce. After a few moments, Xie Nuanhang stepped forward and softly said, ¡°Mingjin, I can see that Mr. He sees you in a very favourable light. You should know what you have to do, right?¡±


    Although He Yiming had not spoken a word to Xie Mingjin in their presence, these old foxes had attained an extremely high level in measuring someone from their actions and expressions. While leaving, He Yiming¡¯s action of specifically nodding at Xie Mingjin had not gone unchecked past them.


    Xie Mingjin faintly started, then silently nodded and said, ¡°Yes, elder uncle.¡±


    His eyes brimmed with emotions. Although he was certain that He Yiming would have sooner orter advanced to the Xiantian realm, he never expected it would be so soon.


    As he thought about their ages being simr but their strengths being so far apart, even though his temperament was straightforward, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a loss inside him.


    He Yiming¡¯s figure moved towards the Xie Mansion¡¯s main entrance like lightning. His speed was simply beyond an ordinary person.


    Entering the Xiantian realm not only meant a qualitative improvement in his Internal Energy, turning it into Xiantian True Qi, which couldmunicate with the energies in the external world, even his physical body had also gained an unimaginable improvement in every aspect, at its essence.


    Although he seemed to be leisurely walking in a garden, his speed was as such that even if people saw him, they only felt their eyes blurring.


    In a few moments, he¡¯d already arrived at the Xie family¡¯s main entrance. Currently, the main entrance was already opened, and about two hundred armored men were standing outside. Their figures stood as straight as a mountain; their whole body exuding a grave, dangerous aura.


    He Yiming could tell at a nce that they were all cultivators of sixthyer or above.


    He didn¡¯t need to ask anyone to ascertain that these men were protectors of that prince, Ting Brightriver.


    His heart slightly trembled. In speaking, fifthyer and sixthyer only had a difference of oneyer. However, the absolute majority of cultivators remained stuck on this junction for their entire lives.


    Although with the prince¡¯s strength, he wouldn¡¯t becking in attendants and spongers of seventhyer or eighthyer, but even his guards were all sixthyer cultivators. This was simply too much of an exaggeration.


    He pondered for a bit before slowing down, stopping beside the troops.


    The two guards before him were standing perfectly straight. A person suddenly appeared before them out of nowhere. Even with their ability, they had not been able to discover a clue about this person¡¯s appearance.


    Under the many years of arduous training, they involuntarily reacted by taking out their swords while shouting, ¡°Who?¡±


    Their reaction immediately startled the entire troops, immediately attracting several tens of sharp, ferocious gazes.


    He Yiming proudlyughed. Without paying any attention, he made a big motion of flicking his sleeves and left. However, this time, he didn¡¯t leave quickly. Instead, he left at a pace of an ordinary person, under the vision of the troops.


    Theplexions of those guards transformed. Although they didn¡¯t run amok in Downwind city, they had never been ignored so thoroughly by anybody.


    However, for better or worse, they remembered that they were in front of the entrance of Xie Mansion. Although they felt quite furious inwardly, they didn¡¯t dare create a scene.


    In the middle was a pnquin sustained by sixteen big men. Every one of these men were tall and sturdy, seeming like iron towers. Even under the current situation, they didn¡¯t even budge and stood upright before the pnquin.


    Suddenly, the door of the pnquin opened, and a man wearing a fancy gown walked out.


    As soon as this man walked out, all the surrounding people showed exceedingly respectful expressions.


    He asked in a rxed voice, ¡°What¡¯s the fuss about?¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 24.2

    Those two guards immediately knelt and said, ¡°To prince, just now a man suddenly appeared. We failed to notice him. Please allow us to atone for our crime.¡±


    That man raised his head and nced in the direction He Yiming had left. Actually, although he¡¯d been in the pnquin, he was fully aware of everything that was happening outside. However, to his horror, even he¡¯d no clue when He Yiming appeared before his troops.


    If not for such a situation, this small matter wasn¡¯t enough to make him make an appearance.


    Although He Yiming was not using any technique, the length of his footsteps far exceeded that of an ordinary person. This moment he¡¯d already arrived at the street¡¯s corner. His figure flickered, suddenly disappearing from the vision of that man.


    He hesitated a bit, turning his head and looking at the entrance of Xie Residence, and eventually forced himself to not deal with that person. For some reason, when he thought about dealing with that person, he felt a slight chill in his spine. Faintly shaking his head, as he wasughing at himself, a candid heartyugh sounded.


    ¡°Xie Nuanhang wees your highness.¡±


    The source of the voice seemed to be increasingly approaching before the current family head of Xie family appeared outside the entrance.


    Ting Brightriver shook his head and couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°Brother Xie, don¡¯t joke with me. When have I ever put on any airs of a prince when Ie to your ce?¡±


    Xie Nuanhang wholeheartedly smiled and said, ¡°Fine, since you say so, brother Ting. Pleasee inside, let¡¯s have a chat.¡±


    The two individuals entered side by side and entered the main hall of the Xie Mansion. As for the serving guards, some people automatically came to receive them. They didn¡¯t have to go through any trouble at all.


    After they arrived in the main hall and took their seats, the tea was served and Ting Brightriver said, talking straight to the point, ¡°Brother Xie, you should have guessed the reason for my visit, right?¡±


    Xie Nuanhang faintly nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve guessed somewhat, but I will still ask brother Ting to rify.¡±


    ¡°Fine. My ancestor, Master Liferay has invited Master Xie Zhien for a visit in the Fire Crow tower.¡± Ting Brightriver stood up and said while faintly bowing in the direction of the Royal Pce.


    Xie Nuanhang didn¡¯t dare to be neglectful in the slightest and stood up as well. However, his expression seemed somewhat nked as he said, ¡°Seems like brother Ting has misunderstood. My ancestor has not ascended to the Xiantian realm yet. How can he be fit to be addressed as Master?¡±


    Ting Brightriver nkly started. An astounded expression covered his face. He only managed to speak after a few moments, ¡°Brother Xie, just now, the person who just advanced, clearly advanced through a fire type technique. Don¡¯t tell me it really wasn¡¯t Mr. Zhien?¡±


    Xie Nuanhang bitterly smiled and shook his head, ¡°Of course, it wasn¡¯t.¡±


    Ting Brightriver hesitated for bit before saying, ¡°Since it¡¯s not Mr. Zhien, then which expert of your noble residence is it?¡±


    Xie Nuanhang lightly sighed and said, ¡°That master is a friend my second brother met outside by chance and invited to our home. However, we didn¡¯t expect that he would actually enter the Xiantian realm in our lowly mansion.¡±


    Ting Brightiver¡¯s face turnedpletely lifeless. If not for hearing from the mouth of Xie family leader himself, he absolutely wouldn¡¯t have dared to believe these words.


    A friend made outside by chance, after being invited to the family, actually broke through into Xiantian realm¡­.. What the hell! What kind of luck is this?


    His face twitched a few times, ¡®Why doesn¡¯t such a good thing happen to me?¡¯


    Suddenly feeling two intense gazes closely observing his face, Ting Brightriver suddenly jolted awake and awkwardly smiled, ¡°Brother Xie, is that master your Xie family¡¯s sponger?¡±


    Xie Nuanhang¡¯splexion slightly changed as he promptly said, ¡°Of course not. Mr. He is our Xie family¡¯s most important guest. Even if he were to assume the position of elder in our n, it would be a disgrace to his status.¡±


    Ting Brightriver inwardly nodded to himself. Xie family was a big n passed through millenniums and they had already seen the likes of a Xiantian cultivator in their n, but not every one of its generation could produce such extraordinary genius.


    Currently, the most troublesome figures of the Xie family were naturally the three tenthyer experts which made the family¡¯s core. However, among all the numerous elders among the n, the highest achievement was merely the ninthyer of Internal Energy.


    Ninthyer Houtian experts were illustrious figures in Fire Crow country. To rope in such experts, the four big ns had to spendrge amounts of wealth and effort every year, assigning them positions of elder in the n.


    However, if one were topare such experts with a Xiantian realm expert, they simply amounted to nothing.


    If Xie family had not lost their minds, they would certainly not mention the position of a n elder before such a figure.


    After a few moments, Ting Brightriver probingly asked, ¡°Brother Xie, is it possible for me to pay my respects to master He?¡± As he saw Xie Nuanhang¡¯splexion instantly worsening, he immediately exined, ¡°Brother Xie, don¡¯t misunderstand, please. I merely wish to offer my grandfather¡¯s token, inviting Mr. He to the royal pce to take a look. I have no other intentions whatsoever.¡±


    Xie Nuanhang¡¯s face eased a bit. However, he bitterly smiled after and said, ¡°Brother Ting, unfortunately you are a stepte ining here.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Ting Brightriver asked in puzzlement.


    Xie Nuanhang heaved a sigh and said, ¡°Mr. He has left a few moments ago.¡±


    Ting Brighriver¡¯s face immediately revealed apletely undisguised astonishment and irritation. Of course, he didn¡¯t think that Xie Nuanhang was fooling him over this matter.


    Xie Nuanhang lightly coughed and said, ¡°Brother Ting, while leaving, Mr. He said that in three days at most, and a day at minimum, he would certainly return.¡±


    Ting Brightriver¡¯splexion again changed. He deeply bowed and said, ¡°In that case, I would request brother Xie to let me stay in your noble residence for the time being and introduce meter.¡±


    Xie Nuanghang returned the courtesy and said, ¡°This a trivial matter. However, Mr. He has already said that he¡¯s just entered the Xiantian realm and wants to be in seclusion for some time. If he doesn¡¯t meet for the time being, I¡¯ll have to ask brother Ting for forgiveness.¡±


    Ting Brightriver smiled and said, ¡°Of course, that doesn¡¯t need to be mentioned.¡±


    As he said these words, a figure shed in his mind. His back already had cold sweat.


    Fortunately¡­fortunately¡­.Ipletely ignored my urge¡­.


    Before long, He Yiming had left the Downwind city and arrived on a high mountain outside the city.


    Currently, the weather had already started to cool down. Even on the mountains outside the Downwind city, a few travelers could be seen. He Yiming had deliberately selected a deste road to travel on. Eventually he found himself in a small, secluded valley.


    This valley was although not big, it had a small stream going through it. He Yiming arrived by the stream and sshed water on his face. The ice-cold water gradually cooled off his face which was somewhat heated.


    After a while, he stood up.


    Gradually closing his eyes, he began to feel everything around him.


    He could feel that his body apparently had a profound connection with the external world, and this connection was maintained with the help of True Qi.


    He sat down by the stream; his eyes closed. The True Qi inside his body began to slowly circte.


    The technique he used was precisely the one that allowed him to enter the Xiantian realm, ze technique.


    Gradually, the energy present in outside world began to enter his body through indescribable means. He could clearly feel every acupoint in his body strengthening as the True Qiing from outside circted inside his body.


    Gradually, when the ze technique waspletely circted through its course, when all the Internal Energy returned back to his Dantian, he felt a faint burning sensation. However, this feeling was extremely dim, and it disappeared almost immediately afterwards. It seemed that this fire type energy was undergoing some bizarre transformation.


    However, what sort of energy it changed into? This was beyond hisprehension.


    After thinking for a few moment, He Yiming had understood somewhat.


    The ze technique was not circting through all the acupoints. However, each and every acupoint that it was passing through seemed to be capable of absorbing some external True Qi, being slowly strengthened thereby. On the other hand, the acupoints which were not included in this process had no changes.


    However, all the acupoints were connected with the meridians in the body. Even the acupoints that didn¡¯t have True Qi passing through them also received some influence and were strengthened. However, the rate of their strengtheningpared to those that were absorbing True Qi can only bepared to drinking the water left behind in the process of cooking if thetter was akin to eating meat.


    After a few moments, the ze technique in his body switched to [Power Secrets], then Primordial Energy, Ripple technique , and Withered Tree technique.


    However, he soon discovered that even if he circted all the five attributed techniques, a lot of the acupoints were still not covered.


    Moreover, all the techniques except ze technique absorbed True Qi from external world at an extremely slow rate.


    He had a vague idea. After receiving the aid of Withered Tree technique, ze technique seemed to have undergone a subtle transformation. The efficiency of this sort of technique already seemed to have far outstripped that of Withered Tree technique, which was simrly a top level technique.


    Moreover, along with his cultivation, the four other techniques including Withered Tree technique were although also developing in the right direction, this development was too slow- far too behind the ze technique.


    He Yiming took a deep breath, eventually realizing why techniques were further divided into Xiantian realm techniques and Houtian techniques.


    Xiantian techniques not only represented strong capabilities, but were the techniques aimed specifically for the cultivation of Xiantian cultivators.


    He waspletely certain that Xiantian techniques not only consisted of battle skills, but also corresponding primary Internal Energy cultivation techniques.


    Although he currently possessed [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] and other strong Xiantian battle skills, if he wished to progress smoothly in their cultivation, he must learn further Xiantian realm primary Internal Energy techniques.


    He inwardly sighed, deciding to cultivate the modified ze technique first. As for the techniques pertaining to the rest of the attributes, he could only leave it to fate.


    Or perhaps, through the means of relentless cultivation of the Primordial Energy and other techniques, he could develop them into techniques of the same level as that of the current ze technique.


    However, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to aplish this feat in a short time.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 25.1 - Xiantian True Qi

    Looking at his hands, an idea suddenly emerged in He Yiming¡¯s mind.


    He extended his hands t out before sping his palms and making a bizarre seal. This was precisely the Hidden Needle Imprint invented by him, which could also be considered a type of Xiantian battle skill.


    As the True Qi inside his body circted through the predetermined course, the center of his palms faintly swelled before shooting two streams of air at a lightning fast speed.


    These two streams were no longer soundless and colorless. They carried a faint red glow and had been shot with a severe air-cleaving sound.


    Their speed was such that even He Yiming merely saw a red glow flickering before him.


    His jaw dropped in rm as he looked ahead with a bewildered gaze.


    Before him was the valley¡¯s stone wall. At this moment, two fist-sized holes had mysteriously appeared on the wall. Furthermore, in the depths of the holes, a scorched ck color could be seen, emitting white mist that was rising in spirals.


    He Yiming gulped. Even he himself was not fully convinced whether he was responsible for this oue.


    He sucked in a deep breath before extending his arms out again. True Qi slowly circted from his Dantian to his meridians before arriving in his arms.


    A bit of True Qi slowly spread around from the center of his palms. Suddenly, a strange red-colored substance grew out from the center of his palms.


    He Yiming¡¯s face turned exceptionally grave. He focused his whole attention on this strange substance.


    He was quite certain that this was precisely the True Qi. The particr True Qi of his body which had been aroused with the help of ze technique.


    His figure flickered, disappearing from his original position. The next moment, he¡¯d arrived before the stone wall. He lightly waved his hand. With a scattering sound, countless dust particles dropped down from the wall.


    As He Yiming closely observed, a deep trench appeared on the wall¡¯s surface.


    This was the harm caused by the True Qi after leaving the body.


    This was the biggest difference between a cultivator¡¯s Internal Energy and True Qi. Regardless of how strong one¡¯s Internal Energy can be, it can never leave one¡¯s body as an offensive measure. Once Internal Energy left the body, regardless of how strong it might be, it would disappear without a trace even before it could travel an inch outside one¡¯s body.


    To injure somebody from a distance, Houtian cultivators only had two options. First- to cultivate a Xiantian battle skill simr to Hidden Needle Imprint, which could only be aplished by a genius.


    The other method was much simpler and also the method used by the majority of Houtian cultivators- the use of secret weapons. Be it a flying needle slenderly hidden within cattle fur, or bow and arrow, or flowers and leaves, anything could be used to injure somebody from a distance.


    However, the prerequisite was that one¡¯s Internal Energy must be able to sustain the flight of whatever object was being used. Apart from this, there was no way for Houtian cultivators to aplish this feat.


    However, Xiantian¡¯s True Qi was evidently different. Even if this power were to venture outside the body, under the maniption through the True Qi inside the body, it could interact with the Worldly Qi outside, thereby aplishing the feat of injuring somebody from a distance.


    He Yiming¡¯s True Qi was quite shallow- far from the optimal state. However, byparison, this was a qualitative leap, and it represented his formal entry into the Xiantian realm.


    He sucked in a deep breath. As the True Qi inside his body unceasingly circted, his figure moved about at a lightning fast speed. His two hands relentlessly waved, and his two palms seemed to have grown two and a half meters long with red-colored light-swords on them.


    These two light-swords seemed substantial, transforming everything they touched into ashes.


    The True Qi produced due to the ze technique was strong- strong to an extent that it filled He Yiming¡¯s heart with an unshakable confidence.


    The difference between the Xiantian and Houtian was too big- so much so that even a tenthyer expert wouldn¡¯t have a chance against the current him.


    Before attaining the Xiantian realm, one would never be able to understand the true disparity between the two realms.


    Suddenly, He Yiming, who had been jumping about like a monkey, stopped before his brows slightly creased. The light-swords on his palms had already disappeared.


    The light-swords stretching out from his hands although looked quite majestic and yielded quite good results, the rate of their True Qi consumption was beyond horrifying. For He Yiming, who had recently entered this realm, this was simply a burden that he couldn¡¯t sustain for long intervals of time.


    Although after attaining the Xiantian realm, he could absorb certain energies from the external world, thereby replenishing the lost True Qi at a fast rate, this rate had a limit. If the consumption of True Qi far outstripped the replenishment, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use this technique.


    He Yiming stayed oneplete day in the valley, training all his learned battle skills once.


    He could eventually ascertain that even in the hands of a Xiantian cultivator, Houtian battle skills couldn¡¯t exhibit a might equivalent to that of Xiantian battle skills.


    As for the Xiantian battle skills- Hidden Needle Imprint was a technique he¡¯d created by stealthily studying another Xiantian technique. Thus, there was no need to mention it. However, he could now cultivate four new forms of [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] in one swoop after attaining the Xiantian realm.


    He wished to continue for more, but was stumped at the seventeenth form.


    This seventeenth form¡¯s diagram was quiteical, demonstrating an individual like a windborne kite, and its requirement of True Qi could only be described as horrifying- simply impossible to fulfil for the current He Yiming.


    He tried to force it once, and it resulted in his True Qi surging backwards, almost destroying his meridians.


    He Yiming was finally convinced that from the beginning of the seventeenth form, the current him was incapable of cultivating this technique.


    Although there were only four new forms, He Yiming waspletely satisfied. The might of any of these four forms was far above what any Houtian battle skill could hope to attain. Furthermore, each of these four forms could slightly arouse the Worldly Qi, thereby gaining an increase in the power of the battle skill.


    He hadplete confidence if he encountered a gold-crowned python again, he wouldn¡¯t be forced into wasting all of his Internal Energy and employing a move that would injure both sides.


    As long as he used any of these four forms, he could easily kill that spiritual beast on the spot.


    After a day¡¯s experimentation, He Yiming had gained a basic understanding of Xiantian realm. Of course, it was all conjecture based on his understanding. To gain a true understanding, he still had a long road to cover.


    His figure flickered before he left the valley and advanced towards the Downwind city.


    Meanwhile, he decided that as soon as the manufacturing of that inner-wear made of long-armed roons skin was finished, he would leave.


    Currently, Xie family was surrounded by their distinguished friends.


    The only individuals qualified to be present at this asion were the core members of Xie family and the high ranking members of the other three influential families that existed in Fire Crow country alongside the Xie family.


    After the royal family¡¯s prince, Ting Brightriver arrived, the other two families also decided to make an appearance.


    They were also like Ting Brightriver, believing that Xie family¡¯s Xie Zhien had crossed the bottleneck to Xiantian realm. After they learned the truth of the matter, they all were exceedingly astonished.


    Subsequently, they all tacitly decided to temporarily take shelter in Xie Mansion, and Xie family naturally didn¡¯t decline.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 25.2

    Currently, Xie Mingjin¡¯s small courtyard had been restored. Except for the huge hatchway opened above that secluded room and a few stone-grinding marks, it looked exactly the same as before.


    Xie Mingjin was personally living in this courtyard. However, he used one building at most.


    He was quite apprehensive inwardly as well. He simply couldn¡¯t assure himself that He Yiming would return. Although he knew that words of a Xiantian realm cultivator should hold some certainty, he was still quite troubled about the potential losses and was unable to calm down.


    Suddenly, aughter echoed in the courtyard, ¡°Brother Xie, why are you alone here? Where did you send off all the servants?¡± Xie Mingjin immediately jumped from his chair. After leaving the building at a lightning fast speed, as he saw He Yiming jubntly smiling at him, all the worries in his heart dispersed.


    ¡°Brother He, you are finally back.¡± Xie Mingjin in a tone as if he¡¯d been relieved from a burden.


    He Yiming turned his head, ncing towards a certain courtyard, and asked, ¡°Brother Xie, who is there?¡±


    Xie Mingjin forced a bitterugh and said, ¡°They are powerful figures of the other three big families of our country,¡± He paused for a bit as his eyes revealed a trace of admiration before he continued, ¡°Master He, they all havee to pay their respects to you.¡±


    ¡°Master He?¡± He Yiming didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry as he said, ¡°Why are you calling me Master?¡±


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s face turned grave as he said, ¡°In our northwest countries, every powerful figure that enters the Xiantian realm is bestowed the title of Master as a token of respect. Eh? You didn¡¯t know¡­..?¡±


    He Yiming nkly shook his head. Previously, when he lived in Tai Cang county, he¡¯d no chance toe in contact with a Xiantian realm cultivator. How could he have known these things?


    Xie Mingjin observed him for a while and was eventually left speechless, ¡°Master He¡­.¡±


    He Yiming waved his hand and said, ¡°Brother Xie, you and I, although have been acquainted for a short time, see eye to eye in lot of matters. Just addressing each other as brothers would do.¡±


    If He Yiming had lived for a few more years and have had an abundant amount of interactions with people, perhaps he would have indifferently epted Xie Mingjin¡¯s way of addressing him. However, in the end, he was still a fifteen year old youngster, and he truly viewed Xie Mingjin in a favorable light. Thus, when thetter addressed him as Master, his whole body felt ufortable.


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s eyes turned somewhat emotional momentarily. He naturally understood the underlying meaning of these words.


    Deeply bowing his head once, he said, ¡°All right, Brother He. Among these people, whether you meet the family leaders of Mu family and Luo family, it doesn¡¯t matter. However, Ting Brightriver from the Ting family has personallye here. It would be best if you take out some time to meet him once.¡±


    He Yiming faintly startled and asked, ¡°Why? Because he is from the royal family?¡±


    ¡°No. Ting family is indeed royal family, but I am not asking you to meet him due to this reason,¡± Xie Mingjin calmly said, ¡°Our Fire Crow country has a single Xiantian expert keeping watch over it.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes brightened as he asked in a lowered voice, ¡°A person of the royal family?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Royal family¡¯s Master Ting Liferay,¡± Xie Mingjin faintly nodded and said in a grave voice, ¡°ording to elder grandfather, Master Ting Liferay has already lived for hundred and fifty years. He is an elderly figure who belongs to the generation even preceding that of elder grandfather. Ever since he ascended to the Xiantian realm, he¡¯d always been the national protector of our Fire Crow country.¡±


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s voice exuded tant admiration for this senior of Xiantian realm.


    He Yiming¡¯s heart faintly trembled as he asked, ¡°Brother Xie, amongst our northwest countries, does every country have a powerful Xiantian cultivator?¡±


    Xie Mingjin hesitated for a bit before saying, ¡°Basically every country has one. However, not all Xiantian cultivators make their appearances public. Therefore, many countries don¡¯t have a Xiantian cultivator watching over them but they can¡¯t be provoked regardless.¡±


    He Yiming unhurriedly nodded. Although he had no clue whether Heaven Sieve country had a Master protector, he now knew that at the very least, there ought to be hidden Xiantian realm experts.


    His thoughts turned to another direction before he said, ¡°You want me to ept Ting Brightriver¡¯s visit because Ting Liferay wants to meet me?¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Xie Mingjin looked at He Yiming in surprise, wondering how quickly thetter had guessed the crux of the matter.


    He Yiming thought for a bit before making his decision and said, ¡°Fine, then I will trouble brother Xie to introduce them to me.¡±


    ¡°Them?¡± Xie Mingjin astoundedly asked.


    ¡°Yes. Since I am seeing one, I might as well see all three. There is no use in being impartial.¡± He Yiming casually said.


    Xie Mingjin immediately understood his intention. He thankfully nced at him before promptly leaving the courtyard, leading the way.


    How can meeting one individual be same as meeting three? Furthermore, the meaning behind asking him to make the introductions was also almost evident. How could he not feel grateful?


    Although there were no servants in this courtyard, outside, there were several tens of servants keeping an close eye on this courtyard.


    The news of He Yiming¡¯s return arrived in Xie Grace¡¯s ears as if it had grown its own wings.


    When Xie Mingjin arrived in the lobby, leading He Yiming, the two brothers were already a step ahead in arriving there. They ordered to invite the representatives of the three family for a get together.


    After a few moments, three individuals entered the lobby side by side.


    He Yiming immediately took the appearance of these three in his eyes.


    In the middle of the three was an elegant middle-aged schr. Beside him was a tall and sturdy man, but thest one was a bit out of his expectations. It was actually a middle-aged woman who still looked attractive.


    As soon as these three individuals entered the lobby, their vision immediately found He Yiming, which instantly caused them to reveal appalled and astounded expressions.


    Xie Grace had told them that He Yiming was a friend of their family but hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about his age. Therefore, they considered that if He Yiming wasn¡¯t a virtuous old man, he would certainly be a young, vigorous middle-aged man.


    However, as they saw He Yiming¡¯s appearance, he didn¡¯t resemble a middle-aged man at all. Instead, he ought to be called a youngster.


    All of them simultaneously thought, ¡®Don¡¯t tell me this is the person who has broken through into the Xiantian realm?¡±


    However, in the lobby, apart from the Xie brothers, Xie Mingjin was also present.


    They were not unfamiliar with Xie Mingjin. To convince them that Xie Mingjin had entered the Xiantian realm, you would be better off convincing them that tomorrow, the troops of Grand Extension country will be here and annihte all the countries of Northwest.


    When the three individuals entered, the Xie brothers had already stood up while Xie Mingjin had never sat down to begin with. As for He Yiming, he was casually sitting on the chair of the greatest authority. Except for ncing at them once, he¡¯d not made any movements at all.


    However, to these three people, this arrogant behaviour made them feel nervous, increasing their suspicion even more.


    Xie Mingjin lightly coughed, stepped forward, and said, ¡°Brother He, this is our Fire Crow country¡¯s prince, his majesty Ting Brightriver. This is Senior Mu Yuan, the current family leader of the Mu family, and this is Lady Luo Xin, the current family leader of the Luo family.


    After Xie Mingjin finished speaking, the three individuals immediately made the judgement inwardly. Even with their identities out in the open, this youngster had remained indifferent. This only had one exnation.


    A powerful Xiantian cultivator. Only a powerful Xiantian cultivator could stand above the bounds of the courtesy of secr world and ignore the bounds of secr world¡¯s powers.


    However, what felt astonishing and inexplicable to them was that Xie Mingjin had addressed this person as brother He. What kind of rtionship did they have?!


    At this instant, the status of this big young master of Xie family, who was not seen as too bright, suddenly increased to new heights.


    He Yiming nodded at them, giving a few nces to Luo Xin.


    With a body of a female, overpowering all the males and bing the family head- such women were rarely seen. At the very least, He Yiming¡¯s memory didn¡¯t have a second such woman.


    Luo Xin¡¯s face had a respectful smile. If any other kid, who still let his hair flow down, had dared to size her up with such an unbridled and astounded gaze, she would have immediately gouged his eyes out.


    However, before He Yiming, she simply didn¡¯t dare have such a line of thinking.


    Xie Mingjin turned his head and said, ¡°Three elders, this is your little nephew¡¯s close friend, Master He Yiming.¡±


    Bizarre expressions flickered in the eyes of Ting Brightriver and other two. This person is indeed a powerful Xiantian cultivator, but he is surprisingly a close friend of Xie Mingjin.


    Thereupon, Xie Mingjin¡¯s status in their eyes rose as high as Xie Nuanhang, even leaving behind Xie Grace.


    ¡°Paying our respects to Master He.¡± The three simultaneously said and bowed to the ground.


    Before a Xiantian realm powerful person, one can never be too respectful.


    He Yiming hesitated a bit before returning a greeting. A fine upbringing from childhood had caused him to feel a bit strange epting respects from people senior to him in age.


    However, his greeting undoubtedly revealed his inexperience, causing the three old foxes to feel inwardly apprehensive. Even though they had seen the strange urrence in the Xie Mansion, they still had some reservations whether this youngster, who had yet to see the world, was truly a powerful cultivator of Xiantian realm.


    He Yiming sharply held onto the traces of hesitation in their eyes. He couldn¡¯t help but crease his brows as a powerful aura involuntarily spread out from his body.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 26.1

    A powerful aura that was simply irresistible for Ting Brightriver and the rest assaulted their faces.


    It only took an instant to dispel all the doubts they had as their legs became unsteady and they retreated three steps back.


    A cultivator above the sixthyer could arouse his body¡¯s aura through the cirction of Internal Energy.


    However, in the end, this aura only pertained to Internal Energy. Even an expert with a cultivation of tenthyer¡¯s peak couldn¡¯t break this limit.


    However, Xiantian realm cultivators were different. They didn¡¯t use Internal Energy, but True Qi, which could interact and transform Worldly Qi pervading the world.


    The aura produced by the True Qi simply couldn¡¯t be contended by that of Houtian realm¡¯s Internal Energy.


    Like a fire produced by coal could neverpare to the fire produced by wood regardless of how big of a pile one may set to fire.


    Therefore, as soon as the three individuals perceived this aura, they immediately felt boundless regret.


    They had experienced this perception once from an old man¡¯s body. Henceforth, they never dared to question that old man¡¯s authority, and currently, this was their second time perceiving such a tyrannical power.


    He Yiming immediately withdrew his aura. He wished to meet the Xiantian cultivator of Fire Crow country, not to create new enemies for Xie family.


    When the Ting Brightriver and the others had once again steadied themselves, their reverence of He Yiming could clearly be seen in their eyes, perfectly demonstrating their attitudes towards him.


    He Yiming sat down in satisfaction. He looked at the pale-faced Ting Brightriver and said, ¡°You¡¯vee on the orders of Master Liferay?¡±


    Ting Brightriver immediately took half a step forward and faintly bowed, ¡°Yes, my ancestor, Master Liferay, cultivates in the Fire Crow Tower. The old man has not stepped a foot outside the tower for a full thirty years. That¡¯s why he has asked me to invite Master He. I humbly request you to take the trouble of visiting him.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s face eventually revealed a smile before he stood and said, ¡°All right. I also wish to meet other Xiantian cultivators. It¡¯s rare to receive Master Liferay¡¯s invitation. We¡¯ll immediately leave,¡± He turned his head towards Xie Mingjin and said, ¡°Brother Xie, I take my leave.¡±


    Xie Mingjin naturally didn¡¯t dare stop him and immediately nodded with a smile.


    The rest looked at each other¡¯s faces. They didn¡¯t expect He Yiming to be leaving this quickly. Furthermore, he¡¯d not exchanged a single word with Mu and Lu family heads.


    Ting Brightriver could onlyugh bitterly before sounding his agreement and leading the way.


    The rest followed them to the entrance then followed the two with their eyes.


    Mu Yuan heaved a sigh and said, ¡°In a Xiantian cultivator¡¯s eyes, only cultivators of the same rank exist.¡±


    Luo Xin eyes were strictly fixed at the street¡¯s entrance, as if she was still following He Yiming and Ting Brighriver¡¯s figures that had already disappeared. She only spoke after a few moments, ¡°Xiantian realm¡­. I wonder whether we will be able to breakthrough into this realm in our lifetimes.¡±


    The illustrious figures standing at the entrance of Xie Residence suddenly lost their voices. Their eyes peculiarly glowed, as if pondering over this question. However, in the end, nobody offered any answer.


    ¡°Master He, this is precisely the Royal Pce.¡± Ting Brightriver respectfully said.


    However, inwardly, he was bitterly smiling.


    He Yiming immediately set off after speaking, not allowing him any time to gather his attendants and making him walk on feet.


    As one of the Fire Crow country¡¯s princes and the only prince that was a tenthyer expert, he had not gone through such an experience for more than ten years.


    However, he didn¡¯t darein in the slightest.


    Among all the three tenthyer experts that were present in the Xie Residence, he was the only one who had seen his ancestor Liferay act. He knew that although he was an expert among Houtian cultivators, before Xiantian realm cultivators, he didn¡¯t amount to anything.


    To lead the way for such a powerful character, he didn¡¯t feel disgraced in any way.


    He Yiming stopped and looked at the Fire Crow Royal Pce.


    This was the residence of the Fire Crow country¡¯s king. Naturally, it was the country¡¯s most luxurious and beautiful ce, but at the same time, also the most heavily guarded ce.


    However, the first thing He Yiming saw was actually a high tower.


    This tower stood the tallest among all the buildings inside the Royal Pce. Not merely the tallest, but also far surpassing the height of all the other constructions.


    He immediately knew that this was certainly the Fire Crow Tower, and also the residence of the elderly Xiantian cultivator of the Fire Crow country.


    The guards stationed outside the pce naturally recognized Ting Brightriver¡¯s identity. When they saw thetter¡¯s attitude towards He Yiming, they were horrified.


    Ting Brightriver waved his hand. Not a single guard dared to stop him, though a few rushed inside the pce.


    Under the lead of Ting Brightriver, the two soon arrived before the tower, where someone was already awaiting them.


    Ting Brightriver stepped forward and performed a courteous greeting, ¡°Your majesty, I¡¯vee,¡± Subsequently, he turned his head and said, ¡°Master He, this is our Fire Crow country¡¯s king, his majesty Ting Brightfire.¡±


    Ting Brightfire faintly waved his hand and said, ¡°Brother, no need to introduce me as a king before a Xiantian Master.¡±


    He Yiming astoundedly looked at him. These words from Ting Brightfire certainly allowed him to gain He Yiming¡¯s favorable impression. However, after experiencing the recent matter, He Yiming only gave him a nod.


    Ting Brightriver retreated a step and personally opened the entrance of the tower, ¡°Master He, the ancestor is looking forward to meeting with you.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s heart suddenly stirred. He was not afraid, but excited.


    This was the first Xiantian cultivator he was about to meet. Naturally, he was filled with expectations.


    After He Yiming entered the tower, Ting Brightfire slowly closed the entrance. After he turned around, the mild smile on his face had thoroughly vanished, reced by a shrewd yet grave appearance.


    ¡°Pass down mymand. Within a hundred meters of this tower, nobody could pause nor enter the tower. If someone dared to interrupt these two Master¡¯s conversation, I will kill every single one of you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your majesty.¡±


    A sound echoed before countless figures were mobilized.


    Ting Brightfire and Ting Brightriver quickly moved outside the hundred meters of tower. Subsequently, the king of Fire Crow country coldly said, ¡°This person is so young. Is he really Xiantian Master?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Ting Brightriver unhesitatingly said, ¡°His aura is like ancestor¡¯s¡­. Terrifying.¡±


    Ting Brightfire¡¯s eyes brightened as he said, ¡°I heard he is not from our country?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he has quite a friendly rtionship with Xie family¡¯s Xie Mingjin. That¡¯s the reason he is a guest in Xie family. They hadn¡¯t expected him to suddenly breakthrough into the Xiantian realm, though.¡±


    ¡°Xie Mingjin?¡± Ting Brightfire pondered, as if searching his brains for the details pertaining to this name. After a few moments, his face revealed an extremely queer expression before he said, ¡°Brother, if I haven¡¯t remembered wrongly, Xie family¡¯s Mingjin is only seventeen years old, right?


    ¡°Your majesty, your memory is correct. That child is indeed seventeen years old.¡±


    ¡°So¡­.¡± Ting Brightfire¡¯s face turned even more queer, ¡°This Master He is friends with Xie Mingjin? What actually is his age?¡±


    Ting Brightriver bitterly smiled and shook his head, ¡°He didn¡¯t say, and I didn¡¯t dare ask. However, from his appearance and conduct, it¡¯s certainly not too big.¡± He first wished to say about twenty. However, these words simply refused toe out of his mouth. Without any better options, he was forced to give a vague answer.


    Ting Brightfire turned around, looking at the towering Fire Crow country for quite a while, ¡°Such a young Xiantian Master. I wonder whether Ancestor will be able to convince him. If he agrees to be my Fire Crow country¡¯s National Guardian Master, Fire Crow country will remain peaceful for hundred more years.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 26.2

    After entering the tower, He Yiming¡¯s vision observed his surroundings before following the tower¡¯s staircase and slowly walking upwards.


    Although there didn¡¯t seem to be anyone in the tower, he could feel that on the fifth floor resided an expert capable of posing a threat to him.


    The two were yet to face each other, but through special abilities of True Qi, they could feel the other¡¯s existence and also the dread.


    The extent of destructive power possessed by a Xiantian cultivator lied far beyond theprehension capabilities of an ordinary person.


    The fifth floor waspletely empty except for five mats arranged on the floor. There was no decorations, no furniture.


    On one of the mats sat an old man withpletely white hair and beard. Although his appearance seemed quite aged, making him look in his seventies or eighties, his eyes brimmed with a vigour that He Yiming never expected to see.


    It seemed as if the individual sitting before him was not a old man, but a male in his thirties or forties.


    However, the instant both saw each other, although He Yiming was quite surprised, Ting Liferay¡¯s¡¯ astonishment was such that the calmness he¡¯d preserved for several decades was overrun by the billowing waves in his heart.


    Although Ting Brightfire and Brightriver were incapable of determining He Yiming¡¯s true age, Ting Liferay was already certain that this partially curious, partially excited, and partially eager Xiantian cultivator was not twenty yet.


    His heart was suddenly pricked by trace of extremely bitter and agonizing feeling.


    This youngster has already passed that most critical juncture and have be a true Xiantian cultivator¡­..


    He was even more clearer of the underlying meaning behind this feat than Ting Brightfire and the rest. His original ns of persuasion immediately disappeared.


    He already knew that he had no chance of convincing this youngster to be trapped within Fire Crow country.


    The two looked at each other for a few moments before He Yiming eventually performed a deep bow and said, ¡°Junior He Yiming, greets senior.¡±


    Ting Liferay stood up and cupped his hands, ¡°Brother He need not be too polite. Please have a seat.¡±


    He Yiming sat down on the opposite mat, feeling quite strange inwardly. He couldn¡¯t figure why would a Xiantian cultivator reside in such miserable conditions.


    Liferay¡¯s face revealed a calm and peaceful smile as he said, ¡°Brother He, you have recently entered the Xiantian realm, so you might not know some Xiantian rules.¡±


    He Yiming immediately shook his head and said, ¡°This is indeed the case. Seeking guidance from Senior.¡±


    Ting Liferay suddenly ced his hands on his legs. This motion suddenly exuded an extremely harmonious feeling. He Yiming vaguely felt that his interaction and connection with the Worldly Qicked far behind inparison to the individual before him.


    ¡°The world is vast and cultivators innumerable. However, those who can step into the Xiantian realm are dragons and phoenixes above the mortal world,¡± Ting Liferay¡¯s voice was not heavy but contained a strong air of arrogance, ¡°Dragons and Phoenixes when fly, fly above nine heavens, when dive, dive deeper than nine hells, and so can extraordinary people.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded, but inwardly, he was somewhat at a loss. Strangely, the old man¡¯s words exuded a strong feeling of looking down and standing above all living things, as if he held no regard for the lives of ordinary people.


    However, this feeling didn¡¯t connect with He Yiming at all. The number of people he cared about was indeed too much.


    Ting Liferay closed his mouth, as if having felt something from He Yiming¡¯s eyes.


    After a few moments, the old man bitterlyughed and said, ¡°I am really an old fool. Why am I exining these things to you now? After you live for hundred years, you will naturally understand this reasoning,¡± He paused for bit before continuing, ¡°in simple terms, once you attain the Xiantian realm, your identity will no longer be simr to that of ordinary people. Henceforth, you are above the mortal world, and your age is no longer an issue. Your strength will be the only measure to judge you.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s face revealed a sudden understanding. However, inwardly, he didn¡¯t quite approve. Though he had no intentions to wrangle with this old man before him.


    ¡°Brother He, if you meet a Xiantian Master in the future, as long as you address the counterpart by their name or surname, it will be enough. You need not use or consider yourself with a junior¡¯s identity.¡±


    He Yiming hesitated for a bit, then faintly nodded. If these were the agreed rules among the Xiantian cultivators, he¡¯d no problem abiding them.


    Although Ting Liferay¡¯s age was quite high, he was notcking in the energy department. He chatted about anything and everything with He Yiming, telling him various sorts of interesting tales about northwestern countries.


    He Yiming then came to know that this old man had apparently travelled the whole world. He¡¯d basically travelled every country in the northwest, even once making a trip to the faraway Grand Extension country, which was called the country of ten thousand countries.


    Due to this, the old man¡¯s knowledge was profound, provoking extreme yearning in He Yiming.


    The topic once again returned back to Fire Crow country. Ting Liferay suddenly sighed and said, ¡°Unfortunate.¡±


    He Yiming faintly started and said, ¡°What¡¯s unfortunate?¡±


    ¡°This old man previously thought that it was that child Xu Zhien from the Xu family who has cleared the bottleneck,¡± Ting Liferay said while incessantly sighing.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes immediately opened wide and face twitched.


    In this old man¡¯s eyes, that white-haired Xie Zhien has actually be a child. As He Yiming recalled Xie Zhien¡¯s appearance, he suddenly felt likeughing and crying at the same time.


    This child would probably be one of its kind in the world.


    Ting Liferay shook his head and said, ¡°For brother to step into Xiantian realm is obviously a joyous asion. However, as far as our Fire Crow country is concerned, Xie Zhien entering the Xiantian realm would have been quite fortunate.¡±


    He Yiming, although somewhat dissatisfied inwardly, understood the meaning behind these words.


    Ting Liferay suddenly changed the topic, ¡°Brother He, since you¡¯ve broken through in my Fire Crow country, you and this country have karma between you. I wish to offer you a present. Please, don¡¯t decline.¡±


    After saying these words, he pushed his hands into his robe and took out an old-looking, ck stone.


    He Yiming observed the stone, but was unable to guess its identity.


    Ting Liferay looked at this stone. Momentarily, his eyes seemed as if he couldn¡¯t bear to part with this stone. However, it was only for a moment before he directly presented the gift before He Yiming.


    ¡°This is my humble gift, please don¡¯t decline.¡±


    He Yiming didn¡¯t know what this thing was, but even an idiot can tell that this stone was extremely precious. Otherwise, Ting Liferay wouldn¡¯t have treasured it so much.


    Hesitating a bit, He Yiming said, ¡°Master Ting, it is said that don¡¯t ept the reward you don¡¯t deserve. I don¡¯t dare ept this thing.¡±


    Ting Liferay lightlyughed and said, ¡°Brother He, this old man has no other intentions except for friendship. Is that not enough?¡± He slightly caressed the stone as he continued, ¡°This is a chunk of Maic Steel Source I found in my former day while travelling the world. Although it¡¯s not some extremely precious artifact, it is one of the metals that can sustain True Qi. Brother He, if you forge some weapon, you can merge the two without any worries at all.¡±


    He Yiming cried out in surprise before asking, ¡°Master Ting, could it be that ordinary weapons can¡¯t sustain Xiantian¡¯s True Qi?¡±


    Ting Brightray coarselyughed before saying, ¡°How powerful is Xiantain¡¯s True Qi? So, how can ordinary weapons sustain it?¡±


    Cold sweat seeped out of He Yiming¡¯s clothes. His heart only had one thought that he¡¯d fortunately left the broadsword in the Xie Residence. Otherwise, if he¡¯d infused it with True Qi, it would have been destroyed.


    After thinking for a bit, He Yiming eventually picked up the stone and said, ¡°I will no longer decline Master Ting¡¯s kindness. If there¡¯s something I can do for Master Ting, I will certainly spare no effort.¡±


    Ting Liferay nodded while beaming with smiles. He was quite pleased with He Yiming¡¯s attitude. Subsequently, he gravely exined the use of this stone and properties. What made He Yiming astonished was that this object¡¯s use was quite simple. One only needed to melt it in liquid form, then ce the weapon inside. The weapon will automatically absorb it.


    He Yiming had never heard about such a wondrous metal before. However, looking at this fist-sized metal, he felt rather awkward inwardly.


    Would this bit of Maic Steel Source be able to transform his entire broadsword?


    As soon as he thought about the length of his broadsword, he didn¡¯t feel positive in the slightest.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 27.1

    The tower¡¯s gate slowly opened, and He Yiming¡¯s figure suddenly appeared outside the gate. He turned back and performed a deep bow towards the insides of the tower. Subsequently, he waved his sleeves and immediately left, walking towards the entrance of the Royal Pce.


    All the guards had already beenmanded to pretend as if they hadn¡¯t seen anything regarding He Yiming¡¯s departure. However, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop him even if they wished.


    A few momentster, He Yiming had left the Royal Pce. However, right at this moment, Ting Brightfire appeared in the tower himself.


    ¡°Ancestor, has Master He agreed to serve as our Fire Crow country¡¯s national protector?¡±


    Before Ting Liferay, he never put on any air as Fire Crow country¡¯s king. The truth was that if he¡¯d not received the former¡¯s approval back in the day, he might not have ascended the throne.


    Ting Liferay faintly shook his head, ¡°We can¡¯t ask this person.¡±


    Ting Brightfire¡¯s face slightly changed as he said, ¡°Ancestor, Master He seemed to be a Master who had recently entered the Xiantian realm. The scriptures and treasures our royal family had collected are innumerable. If we allow him to take his pick, he might not be able to decline, no?¡±


    Ting Liferay gave him a cold look before saying, ¡°Brightfire, I know you¡¯re very expectant, but keep in mind that this person¡¯s future aplishments are beyond yourprehension, and those capable of raising such a person are only those super high level sects that are hidden from the world. He might not put our tiny Fire Crow country¡¯s trifling treasury into his eyes,¡± He toned down his voice as he continued, ¡°However, I¡¯ve attempted to establish friendly rtionship with him. In the future, if we meet again, he shouldn¡¯t see Fire Crow country as his enemy.¡±


    Ting Brightfire finally gave up and let out a sigh, not speaking a word.


    While Ting Liferay was actually sighing inwardly. Although Maic Steel Source was quite rare, a Xiantian cultivator wouldn¡¯t consider it as a precious treasure at all. However, after knowing He Yiming¡¯s true age, hepletely gave up on convincing him to be the protector of Fire Crow country.


    Therefore, the true treasure he¡¯d been originally intending to give was reced at thest moment.


    If this article could win a Xiantian expert¡¯s acquaintanceship, it was more than enough for its worth.


    After leaving the Royal Pce, He Yiming naturally returned to the Xie Residence.


    Currently, Mu Yuan and Luo Xin had already left. However, they both had left behind some precious treasures, asking Xie family to deliver in their stead.


    When Xie Mingjin took out these gifts, even He Yiming was somewhat astonished.


    The treasures they left behind were not as exaggerated as the Maic Steel Source but were still exceedingly rare artifacts, some among which, He Yiming had never heard of.


    He thought for a while and asked Xie Mingjin about the rtionship between these big influential families.


    He then finally understood. Although these four big influential familiespeted each other for power, at the same time, they were interrted with marriage. You have a part of me, and I have a part of you¡­..It was aplete mess.


    However, this was not strange. As long as one thought about the current situation in the Tai Cang county, it was evident.


    Not to mention the ns possessing legacies of milleniums, even the ns that had been passed on through a few centuries also took marriage extremely seriously.


    Tai Cang county¡¯s He and Cheng families had only recently established a marital rtionship. However, how long had it been since Xu and Cheng families did the same? These ns¡¯ rtionships were quite tangled andplicated. Sometimes, they tried to suppress each other, but other times, they also supported each other.


    In other words, the rtionship between them simply couldn¡¯t be described in words. He Yiming also didn¡¯t care much. After understanding a little bit, he immediately escaped from this mess.


    Looking at the shining piles of gifts in the courtyard, He Yiming said in a straightforward manner, ¡°These things don¡¯t have much use for me. You can do as you see fit.¡±


    Xie Mingjin faintly started before involuntarily creasing his brows. He Yiming indeed had the authority to make such arrangements, but he didn¡¯t dare casually deal with these gifts.


    ¡°Brother Xie, I¡¯ve already spent many days here. I must return home,¡± He lowered his tone, ¡°I wonder whether that innerwear has beenpleted?¡±


    Xie Mingjin was rmed inwardly, ¡°Brother He, I¡¯ve already ordered to speed up the process. However, it would take at least about ten more days. But why are you leaving so soon? Could it be that my families reception was somehow unsatisfactory?¡±


    He Yiming waved his hand and said, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean it in that way. I¡¯ve already been away from home for a long time. Now that I¡¯ve even entered the Xiantian realm, I naturally wish to make a trip back home. I can¡¯t always wander outside.¡±


    Xie Mingjin faintly nodded. He first wished to ask the location of He Yiming¡¯s home, but at thest moment, he forced himself to stop. Without any better options, he was forced to change the topic, ¡°Brother He, what are your ns upon returning home?¡±


    He Yiming thought for a bit then said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any specific ns. After a bit of rest at home, I will probably travel outside once again and see for myself whether this world is truly as wonderful as they say.¡±


    As he said these words, his eyes shined momentarily.


    Conversing with Ting Liferay had ced the notion of travelling the world in his heart. Moreover, this notion was quite strong.


    Xie Mingjin inwardly sighed, recalling his elder grandfather¡¯s words. He Yiming indeed couldn¡¯t be bound within the struggles of a particr region.


    He Yiming¡¯s suddenly felt something. His gaze intentionally or unintentionally, momentarily shot towards the entrance. Subsequently, he let out a chuckle and said, ¡°Brother Xie, I still remember the three-year agreement. Within three years at most, I will return back here and help the elder in attacking the Xiantian realm.¡±


    Xie Mingjin immediately retreated a step and deeply bowed to him before sincerely saying, ¡°Many thanks, brother He.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks, Master He.¡±


    At the same time, an aged voice sounded from the entrance. Xie Mingjin immediately ran to the entrance, and as expected, found Xie Zhien standing at the entrance.


    The old man entered and immediately performed a respectful greeting, ¡°Master He, this lowly old man just heard that you will be leaving soon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, about ten dayster, I will be returning back home.¡± He Yiming said without hiding anything.


    Xie Zhien heaved a sigh and said, ¡°Since Master He wishes to leave, we naturally don¡¯t dare stop you. However, since you¡¯ve agreed to protect this old man while ascending, this old man doesn¡¯t dare act unconcerned.¡± He extended his hands, presenting a several inch thick book.


    As He Yiming saw the prudent and grave appearance of the former, he immediately understood that the contents of this book were quite significant.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 27.2

    He extended his hands and epted the book while his eyes carefully observed Xie Zhien¡¯s face.


    Xie Zhien said with a grave face, ¡°Master He, the number of ns with a legacy of millenniums are actually not few in Fire Crow country. However, have you wondered why our Xie n managed to stand tall and rise as one of the four big ns?


    He Yiming faintly started and said, ¡°It ought to be because your n raised Fire Crow¡¯s name with your profound alchemic legacy.¡±


    Xie Zhien stroked his beard and faintly smiled, ¡°It¡¯s undoubtedly one of the reasons. However, the true reason is that in the past, a Xiantian Master had appeared in our Xie family.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes slightly rose before he slightly trembled and his vision went to the book in his hands.


    Xie Zhien¡¯s voice contained myriad of emotions as he said, ¡°All of the Fire Crow¡¯s four big ns once had a Xiantian Master, and each had enjoyed their share of glory.Two hundred years ago, which was also the Fire Crow country¡¯s most glorious phase, there were three Masters as the National Protectors. However, there is only one from the royal family at the moment, unfortunately.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded, but didn¡¯t offer any assertions. He faintly understood the counterpart¡¯s expectations from him. However, he¡¯d no intentions whatsoever to be the National Protector of the Fire Crow country.¡±


    Xie Zhien¡¯s vision fell on the book in He Yiming¡¯s hand as he said, ¡°Our family is reputed for our dao of alchemy. However, basically all we refine are Houtian pills. If we have something that is truly precious, it ought to be the records left behind by that senior who treaded the path of Xiantian realm.¡±


    He Yiming sucked in a breath and said, ¡°Elder Xie, this book is the records left behind by that senior?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Xie Zhien bitterly smiled and said, ¡°ording to reason, this book ought to be the most precious treasure of our Xie family which couldn¡¯t be shown to outsiders ever. However, the truth is, the contents of this book has no use for us,¡± He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°You¡¯re humble enough to see Mingjin as your friend, as such, you¡¯re no outsider. Therefore, we, Xie family, present you this original version in hopes that it would be beneficial to you.¡±


    He Yiming gravely nodded and cautiously ced the book in his bosom.


    However, inwardly, he knew that the words that came out only seemed majestic. In reality, he¡¯d only gave such a precious gift to see He Yiming return after three years and provide him help.


    ¡°Many thanks for your kindness, elder. This surnamed He will never forget it,¡± He Yiming pledged, ¡°Three years after, irrespective of whether I have made any progress in the dao of alchemy or not, I will definitelye back to seek your guidance again.¡±


    Xie Zhien¡¯s eyes shined, and his face revealed a sincere smile.


    He Yiming suddenly recalled another matter. Turning his head, he asked, ¡°Brother Xie, do you know where I can find a furnace made of Jadestone?¡±


    ¡°Furnace of Jadestone?¡± Xie Minjin astoundedly asked, ¡°Although Jadestone is not too valuable, using it to cast a furnace is rarely seen.¡±


    Jadestone was a strange rock that grew everywhere in Northwest countries.


    This rock had a strange property. Its heat conduction was exceedingly good and once heated, it would maintain its temperature for long periods of time.


    Moreover, this stone was as white as jade. Due to its pleasing appearance, it was the favourite option of those big, aristocratic families to serve as their heating brick-bed in winter.


    Xie Zhien faintly creased his brows. Although the request raised by He Yiming was quite queer, it was an opportunity for some ttery and to score some favourable impressions. Even if thetter had raised a request hundred fold stranger, they would have tried their hardest to fulfil.


    ¡°Master He, If I may ask, what use do you have for a furnace made of Jadestone?¡±


    He Yiming also didn¡¯t hide anything and said, ¡°A while ago when I entered the royal pce and conversed with Master Ting Liferay, he gifted me a chunk of Maic Steel Source. Once this metal is melted and is assimted into my weapon, the weapon I wield could then be infused with Xiantian True Qi.¡±


    Xie Mingjin asked in a strange tone, ¡°What type of metal is Maic Steel Source? Could it be that it can¡¯t be melted with ordinary, steel furnaces?¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s brows faintly creased as he said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t. If it is melted with ordinary steel furnaces, it will be automatically absorbed by the furnace. However, it won¡¯t be absorbed by Jadestone. Thus, it can only be melted in a furnace casted in Jadestone,¡± His face suddenly revealed a teasing smile as he said, ¡°Brother Xie you wouldn¡¯t actually presume that I would want a steel furnace as my weapon, would you?¡±


    Xie Mingjin¡¯s face slightly reddened as he said, ¡°Of course not. However¡­.¡± He hesitated a bit before continuing, ¡°Even if there is a furnace made of Jadestone, going by the length of your weapon, I¡¯m afraid it wouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±


    Xie Zhien interjected, ¡°Master He, the weapon you wield is¡­?¡±


    In the Xie Residence, apart from the father and son, other people had not seen his frightening broadsword. As such, when he saw Xie Mingjin talking in such a manner, he couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat curious.


    Xie Mingjin immediately said, ¡°Wait a bit, elder grandfather. Brother He, can my grandfather see your broadsword?¡±


    Although the broadsword could be partitioned into three parts, each of these parts was a meter long and was extremely heavy. The weapon was not fit to be carried around at all times. Therefore, He Yiming had ced it in his bedroom.


    Hearing Xie Mingjin¡¯s question, He Yiming coarselyughed and said, ¡°Of course.¡±


    His feet moved, leaving the entrance in a sh. His movements didn¡¯t have a bit of abruptness and seemedpletely natural. It seemed once he stepped out, this ought to be the distance covered.


    Xie Mingjin couldn¡¯t discern the strangeness of this step but Xie Zhien was only too clear. He heaved a sigh, brimming with envy inwardly.


    The speciality of Xiantian realm not only shined during battle, even in daily life, it could ascend one to another level.


    Moving in such a natural manner- if Xie Zhien himself were to try it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to aplish it in such a rxed and smooth manner.


    After a few moments, He Yiming returned. When he revealed the broadsword, even with the knowledge Xie Zhien possessed, he couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes.


    He bitterlyughed and said, ¡°Master He, this is the weapon you wield?¡±


    ¡°Correct, ¡° He Yiming assembled the broadsword and cautiously ced it t on the table. If he¡¯d erected it straight, would it have stab opened a huge hole in the roof? Hard to tell.


    Xie Zhien now understood the meaning behind Xie Mingjin¡¯s words. Finding a Jadestone furnace that could fit this sword was almost impossible.


    However, this old man merely thought for a few moments before suddenly saying, ¡°Master He, the matter of furnace is not a hard one to solve. Your sword can be disassembled into three parts, and our Xie Mansion is also notcking in Jadestone to make a rockbed. As long as we are given five days, we can certainly make the furnace. However¡­..¡± His gazed at He Yiming and continued, ¡°Your weapon is extraordinary. As such, the materials required will be several timespared to normal weapons.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded. The older, the wiser. The old man could tell at a nce that He Yiming himself had no way of solving this issue.


    Taking out the Maic Steel Source given by Ting Liferay, He Yiming said, ¡°The quantity of this metal is not that much, but to refine one section of the sword, it will be more than enough. If elder can solve the issue of the furnace, we can immediately begin the refining.¡±


    Xie Zhien immediately patted his chest as if making an oath. At the same time, he also promised to ask the other members of Xie family to keep an eye for Maic Steel Source for his entire sword.


    However, He Yiming didn¡¯t care about this promise at all.


    If Maic Steel Source was this easy to obtain, Ting Liferay wouldn¡¯t have valued it so much. To find this treasure in the hands of an ordinary person- this could only be counted as an extremely lucky chance.


    However, the promise made to He Yiming was treated as the most important task in the entire Xie Mansion.


    In the afternoon, the most reputed craftsmen of the Downwind city was invited to the Xie Mansion. They didn¡¯t invite a single individual, but a group of more than ten people. Three among which were in the middle of working for Mu family.


    The Mu family immediately discharged the men after hearing Xie family¡¯s exnation. They absolutely wouldn¡¯t wish to offend a Xiantian expert over such a trivial matter.


    Taking a time of merely four days, the craftsmen had produced a two meter long furnace. Moreover, this furnace differed from the usual. It wasn¡¯t erected, but ced t on the ground. Furthermore, it had twenty legs for support. Regardless of how you look at it, it was a colossal monster.


    He Yiming was exceedingly pleased with this object. As soon as the manufacturing process wasplete, he politely asked the Xie family for the refining process without the slightest hesitation.


    The fist-sized Maic Steel Source was ced into the furnace, and the me underneath was ignited.


    After a while, all the Maic Steel Source waspletely transformed into paste.


    Jadestone not only had an excellent heat conduction, even more significant was its exceedingly high melting temperature. Under ordinary conditions, it would never melt.


    He Yiming ced the first section into the paste. As expected, a mysterious phenomenon urred. The paste particles, as if alive, took the initiative to enter the sword. Moreover, ording to He Yiming¡¯s observation, the distribution was also quite homogenous.


    If not for seeing with his own eyes, he wouldn¡¯t have believed this phenomenon.


    After an hour, there was no paste in the furnace. When He Yiming took out the head of the sword, there was actually an indistinct, mysterious glow on the broadsword.


    After cooling the de, when He Yiming again picked up the de, he could apparently feel the unusual strength contained in its body. This made him sigh in wonder.


    Only because there were so many people, He Yiming was able to force himself to not try the sword on the spot, and instead put it back into its sheath.


    A few dayster, under the supervision of Xie Mingjin and the rest, the manufacturing of the inner-wear waspleted. He Yiming bid them farewell and left.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 28.1 - The Road Back Home

    After leaving the Xie Residence, He Yiming didn¡¯t take the mountain road again and instead followed the official road, heading towards Heaven Sieve country.


    While leaving, he refused all the gifts except for a colt from Luo family- a reputed breed of horse in the north.


    This horse named ¡®Red Silk¡¯ was only two years old. It was an exceedingly rare red-colored breed, which didn¡¯t have a single hair of different color on its body. Its ability to bear weight was outstanding. It didn¡¯t seem to be going through any trouble while carrying both He Yiming and that three hundred jin heavy broadsword.


    Even an idiot could tell that this horse was precious and rare. However, only because this was the case had He Yiming epted it.


    Travelling merely five days on the horse, He Yiming left the borders of Fire Crow country, arriving in the Gold Forest country.


    Actually, if he¡¯d used Red Silk¡¯s speed to its limit, he certainly wouldn¡¯t have required five days. However, He Yiming was travelling for the first time on the road after all- unlike the previous instance when he could move as he pleased in the forest. As such, in order to avoid taking a wrong turn, he¡¯d no choice other than to steer the colt slowly.


    In the northwestern countries, apart from those three powerful countries, the rest didn¡¯t contain more than five county districts individually, among which there was nock of those that only contained a single county and county town.


    The Gold Forest country only had two counties and was ranked in the far back among the northern countries. Moreover, currently, He Yiming wished to return as soon as possible. As such, he¡¯d no interest in stopping here.


    Turning at a mountain road, He Yiming pulled the reins. As his gaze fell down, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal an astonished expression.


    On this road, ten corpses were lying around. All the corpses were covered with bloodstains, clearly indicating that they had been killed in battle.


    He Yiming was not seeing such a scene for the first time. Be it the massacre in the Cheng family, or the Cheng family returning the favor to the bandits, in both the cases, there were far more deaths than the scene currentlyid out before him. Therefore, He Yiming didn¡¯t panic at all, and rather inspected the scene before him with creased brows.


    Around these corpses, weapons were randomly lying around. It seemed that this battle had already been over for quite some time. However, He Yiming couldn¡¯t figure out why nobody had sorted out the scene.


    He Yiming thought for a bit. As he was looking at the weapons on the ground, his heart suddenly stirred.


    Ting Liferay had said that ordinary weapons couldn¡¯t sustain the Xiantian True Qi. He¡¯d not verified this fact for himself.


    Sitting on the horse, He Yiming reached out with his hand. Immediately afterwards, a steel sword on the ground suddenly stirred and went into his hand.


    He Yiming softly waved it. Although he couldn¡¯t tell this weapon¡¯s standard, he¡¯d a feeling that this sword was the best among all the weapons lying here.


    The ze technique immediately operated inside his body, carrying the True Qi to the sword through the meridians of his arm.


    Imbuing with Internal Energy could increase the weapon¡¯s might. This wasn¡¯t strange. However, True Qi was grossly different.


    At first, there didn¡¯t seem to be any change in the sword. However, after a few minutes, it started to turn red. By touching the sword, He Yiming could even tell that the interior of this sword had begun to rupture. With a sigh, he threw the sword down. However, as soon as the sword¡¯s body touched the ground, it exploded into pieces.


    He Yiming faintly shook his head, astoundedly looking at his palm before his gratitude for Ting Liferay slightly increased.


    Regardless of the value of the Maic Steel Source that the old man had given him, it was a treasure that solved a desperate situation for him. This favour must be paid back in the future.


    His thoughts slightly stirred before he unwrapped the bundle on the horseback, picking up the first section of his weapon.


    Compared to the two bare rods, this one meter long de seemed to have a peculiar luster. He Yiming was convinced that if his grandfather were to see this de, he might not be able to sound his recognition.


    After all, after the Maic Steel Source had seeped into it, the broadsword had gone through some transformations and simply couldn¡¯t be associated with the original one.


    Bit by bit, pure Xiantian True Qi entered the broadsword. He Yiming¡¯s movements were quite cautious and prudent. This was, after all, his own broadsword. Although Ting Liferay had said that after being modified by the Maic Steel Source, there should be no problems, if it still failed to sustain the Xiantian True Qi and was destroyed as a result, it would be toote to cry.


    With the continuous imbuement with True Qi, the entire broadsword began to emit a faint, red glow. This red glow was vastly different than the red color that had appeared on that sword a few moments ago. It seemed to carry a trace of spirituality and vary ording to the amount of True Qi being subjected upon it.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes shined. This de could truly sustain the Xiantian True Qi without crumbling apart. Moreover, it could even conduct the True Qi, bringing about a sword radiance within a certain range.


    He casually swung the sword towards the ground. Amidst the flickering sword radiance, a deep cut appeared on the ground. Like a hot knife through butter, the cut seemed extremely smooth without a bit of resistance.


    He was exceedingly pleased. His thoughts again shifted before a red-colored light-sword slowly protruded out from the center of his left palm. This sword didn¡¯t have any substance to it, and was rather purely made from the True Qi inside his body, which in turn, stimted certain energies in the external world.


    Raising the broadsword in his hand, he lightly bumped it into the light sword on the other palm.


    The light-sword immediately dissipated whereas the broadsword remained unaltered.


    He Yiming let out a sigh. He¡¯d understood that although the True Qi allowed him to create a light-sword, its strength was limited. In simple terms, it was extremely frail.


    Before a stationary tree, it might seem majestic but before a weapon in the hands of a Xiantian cultivator, the oue was evident. If he shed with his light-sword head-on against a weapon in the hands of an expert of the same rank, he wouldn¡¯t even know how he died.


    As he was inwardly sighing with emotions, he indistinctly heard sounds of horses rushing towards him.


    He Yiming collected his thoughts and ced the broadsword back in the cloth before slowly urging the horse. He slowly moved forward, not minding the corpses lying on the ground at all.


    As he turned at a corner, he saw seven or eight horses sweeping past him. The riders of the horses had robust statures and were assuming cold faces without a trace of a smile. The moment they crossed paths with He Yiming, all of them threw a quick nce at him; their eyes gleaming with cold and fierce expressions.


    However, the strength of these men didn¡¯t fall into He Yiming¡¯s consideration. He simply ignored thempletely and kept going unconcerned. Of course, under his control, Red Silk slowed down; not much quickerpared to the donkeys at his home.


    Not long after, the sounds of horses once again echoed from his behind. Those few riders again went past him but from behind this time. The moment they crossed paths, they all threw nces filled with malice at him. However, they didn¡¯t create any trouble and continued onward.


    However, He Yiming had already seen three of the horses carrying a corpse each. The attire of the corpses seemed somewhat simr to these individuals¡¯. He immediately understood that three among those corpses werepanions of these riders.


    These riders had hurriedlye and hurriedly returned, seeming quite affectionate with these three corpses.


    He lightly kicked with his legs. The horse immediately picked up a little speed. Since these riders didn¡¯t find any trouble with him, he¡¯d no reason to stay here either. As for the remaining corpses, someone from the authorities would deal with it.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 28.2

    After a few hours, the sun had already inclined towards the west. However, He Yiming could hear amotion from ahead.


    He Yiming faintly bent his ear to listen. This was not a fight breaking out but sounds of a group of people gathered together.


    He again exerted his feet, and this time, the horse rushed forth like lightning. After a few moments, he could see a group of people setting up a camp.


    The Northwest was vast and unbounded. Although there were many countries of varying magnitudes, on the whole, the whole region was quite sparsely popted.


    Noting across a single vige or inn for a whole day was quitemon while travelling. Caravans outside for touring or business purposes could often be seen setting up camps out in the open.


    Within a mere few days, He Yiming hade across such sights two times. The current scene was already the third time. The previous two times, there were only a few tents. This time, however, the camp seemed to be set for more than a hundred people.


    Before He Yiming¡¯s horse had even approached them, five riders from the group rushed out of the group. They skillfully manipted their warhorses and charged towards him.


    As the two sides drew closer, the expressions of these men somewhat changed. He Yiming, however, had already discovered that these were the same riders he¡¯d encountered before.


    Among them, a forty or fifty year old rider cupped his hands and said, ¡°Friend, you¡¯ve followed us all the way until here. I wonder what is the reason.¡±


    Although their expressions brimmed with malice, not a single one among them acted. Of course, He Yiming¡¯s appearance being too young was also one of the reasons.


    He Yiming astoundedly said, ¡°Uncle, you must be joking. I I am taking my path, not following you.¡±


    That rider gravely observed He Yiming. After a few moments, his face eased somewhat.


    ¡°Good horse.¡±


    A bright voice sounded from the far back of the group. Subsequently, more than ten riders could be seen rushing over at a lightning fast speed.


    Ten robust men were escorting a handsome, young master.


    This young noble¡¯s gaze never left Red Silk. His eyes were shining with a peculiar luster.


    He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased, feeling a premonition of the impending trouble.


    Although he was not afraid of trouble, he would rather not have it. If possible, he wouldn¡¯t want a conflict with the counterpart.


    ¡°Fan Seventh , what¡¯s happening? Who is this?¡± The young master raised the whip in his hand and asked while pointing it towards He Yiming.


    That middle-aged man faintly bowed on the horseback and said, ¡°Second young master, we were setting the camp when this Mr. came from the rear side. Therefore, we approached him for an interrogation.¡±


    ¡°What did you find out?¡± The young master¡¯s eyes faintly shined as he asked.


    Fan Seventh faintly shook his head and said, ¡°Second young master, this Mr. is merely a traveller passing through here.¡± After saying these words, he turned towards He Yiming, ¡°Friend, this is the second master of Fan Vastmoon of the Golden Forest¡¯s Fan family. You still haven¡¯t paid your respects.¡±


    He Yiming was quite amazed inwardly. He astoundedly nced at the seventh uncle. This middle-aged man seemed to be covering up for him and had even pointed out their identity. Although he didn¡¯t know the strength of this Fan family, this was nevertheless a good will. He¡¯d no connection with this person whatsoever. As such, what was the reason for this action?


    One of the individuals beside Fang Vastmoon suddenly threw a few measuring nces at He Yiming, then muttered a few words in the former¡¯s ear.


    After hearing attendant¡¯s words, Fang Vastmoon¡¯s eyes shined, ¡°Fan Seventh, this person has actuallye from that road. Why didn¡¯t you say so?¡±


    He Yiming then remembered that the attendant beside Fan Vastmoon was actually one of those riders.


    Fan Seventh revealed a trace of a helpless smile, ¡°Second young master, although this Mr. ising from that road, he is certainly not a survivor from the Hu family.¡±


    Fan Vastmoon coldly snorted and said, ¡°Fan Seventh, I don¡¯t need your guidance to know whether he is a survivor of Hu family or not,¡± He turned his head towards He Yiming and said, ¡°You, get down from your horse and answer my questions.¡±


    He Yiming pointed towards himself with a smile that didn¡¯t quite look like a smile, ¡°You will question me?¡±


    Fan Vastmoon¡¯s face instantly turned cold as he signaled with his head. Two riders immediately rushed out from behind him.


    Although He Yiming had attained the Xiantian realm, his appearance was too young. These people couldn¡¯t have a clue about his strength. Hungry for scoring some merit, these two riders were further only possessed cultivations of about the sixthyer. For dealing with an ordinary youngster, it would have been more than enough. However, unfortunately they had bumped into a iron wall today.


    Throwing a quick nce at Fang Vastmoon¡¯s face, He Yiming suddenly heartilyughed before kicking his feet and steering Red Silk forward.


    The sh between the riders was over within an instant. Those two riders cried out in surprise before being thrown high in the air. They had not jumped by themselves, but were blown away as soon as He Yiming¡¯s hands touched them.


    Fan Seventh and the rest with him had been silently looking without budging from their position. However, He Yiming immediately surprised them. Among them, Fan Seventh jumped forward without the slightest hesitation. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he shot towards He Yiming like a shell.


    He Yimingpletely ignored the scene ying behind his body as Red Silk, as if a red streak, rushed towards Fan Vastmoon.


    All the riders behind his body issued loud shouts, and steered their horses forward almost instinctively.


    However, these riders only had the cultivation of about the seventhyer at most. In He Yiming¡¯s eyes, there was no difference between ants and them. He casually tossed them aside like rubber balls without even looking back.


    Fortunately, He Yiming didn¡¯t decide to kill. Otherwise, there would have been no path of retreat left for them. However, even though he didn¡¯t kill, these individuals sustained severe falls on the ground. Without at least a month of repercussion, they wouldn¡¯t be able to recover.


    At this point, Fan Vastmoon¡¯s face paled. He eventually understood that the person before him was far beyond what he could afford to provoke.


    He pulled the reins, wishing to escape. However, Red Silk was like lightning. It instantly arrived beside him. He Yiming incessantlyughed as he secured the former¡¯s arm in his iron grip.


    Fang Seventh suddenly shouted, ¡°Mr. please show leniency. We had no intentions to offend you.¡±


    He Yiming waved his hand. Fan Vastmoon rose up in the air like soaring clouds and rising mist. Subsequently, Red Silk turned into a streak, circumventing the vast area around the camp, and disappearing into the distance.


    Fan Seventh hurried over. By the time Fan Vastmoon fell, he was already kneeling below. His two raised hands, steadily caught thetter.


    This chain of events urred quicker than anybody¡¯s imagination. The riders behind Fan Vastmoon only reacted at this moment. They one by one turned around, looking at the distantly speeding He Yiming with appalled expressions.


    Their Internal Energy cultivation was hardly any different than the attendants of their young master. Since that youngster could easily take care of thetter, there was no suspense what would have been their oue.


    Several more riders rushed over. Their leader had an appearance that was seventy percent same as that of Fan Vastmoon, only slightly bigger in age. His eyes brimmed with mystery. Each and every individual that fell under his vision trembled inwardly.


    Upon arriving, he looked around and said in a lowered voice, ¡°Fan Seventh, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Fan Seventh respectfully stooped down and said, ¡°Big young master, a conflict broke out between second young master and a passerby. So¡­.¡±


    Big young master¡¯s brows slightly creased and said, ¡°What conflict? Tell me in detail. Don¡¯t leave anything out.¡±


    Fan Seventh bitterly smiled and recounted everything from the beginning without adding any vour from his side. Ultimately, he said, ¡°Big young master, although that youngster¡¯s age was not big, he was riding a treasured horse. Moreover, this subordinate simply couldn¡¯t see through his strength at all. This subordinate tried to prevent second young master as well, but¡­.¡± He paused for a bit before continuing, ¡°Fortunately, young master hasn¡¯t suffered any major injuries. It seems that person was somewhat lenient.¡±


    Big young master¡¯splexion turned ashamed as he furiously said, ¡°This useless thing, creating trouble for me all day. If you truly ruin my important affairs, see if I let you off.¡±


    This moment, Fan Vastmoon had already recovered. His appearance wasn¡¯t unbridled in any way before his eldest brother. He was evidently quite afraid of his elder brother.


    Big young master red at him and said, ¡°Vastmoon, how did that person actually offend you? Why are you so rude and impetuous? You ought to be learning from Fan Seventh, roaming the country with him. If you still haven¡¯t gained a bit of eye, you would be better off staying nicely and well-behaved inside the home.¡±


    Fan Vastmoon obediently sounded his agreement, but his expression said apletely different story.


    The big young master turned his horse around and advanced forward. Fan Seventh and the rest followed closely behind him. Only now did Fan Vastmoon lift his head and look in the direction He Yiming had left; his eyes brimming with resentment.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 29.1 - Returning Home

    Winter¡¯s bone-chilling rain silently poured down- neither too hard nor too light- knitting an exquisite veil, which shrouded the distant vision.


    ¡°Winter hase.¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­ another year has passed.¡±


    Before the He manor, two core servants were leisurely sitting in the gatehouse, watching the rain and sighing incessantly.


    Suddenly, sounds of a hurriedly approaching horse entered their ears. Amidst the rain, a red-colored shadow, sshing the rain water along the way, arrived before the He manor.


    The two guards stood up in astonishment. They had never seen such a mystical horse. Therefore, although they didn¡¯t know the person who hade, they didn¡¯t dare be neglectful in the slightest.


    After all, a person riding such a horse couldn¡¯t be an ordinary figure. A normal person simply couldn¡¯t afford such a colt.


    The person who had arrived lightly pressed one hand on the horseback and effortlessly jumped down before the two servants.


    Apart from the conical hat for the rain, an exceedingly familiar face appeared before them.


    ¡°Sixth young master, it¡¯s sixth young master¡­¡±


    The two faintly started, then immediately shouted in pleasantly surprised voices. One of them immediately rushed forward, whereas the other rushed back into the manor.


    The sixth young master had already been away from the home for several months. During the family banquet, the Lord Master and the second Lord had brought this up many times. The servants were already attentive of this. Today, it was almost new year. Sixth young master¡¯s sudden return was an exceedingly joyous asion for the manor.


    He Yiming handed over the horse¡¯s reins to the servant and said, ¡°This is a fine horse. Tell them to take good care of it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The servant¡¯s respectful voice gave He Yiming a familiar and rxed feeling.


    He was eventually back¡­.


    Although the treatment he enjoyed in the Fire Crow country¡¯s Xie family was far above the treatment he enjoyed in his family, this was after all his home.


    As soon as he stepped inside the manor, a strong feeling that one would only experience upon returning home burst out from his insides.


    This was his home!


    ¡°Sixth brother, sixth brother¡­.¡±


    Along with a delighted voice, a youngster, rather shortpared to He Yiming, rushed out from inside, unconcerned of the rain falling on his head.


    ¡°Yi Tao.¡± He Yiming immediately rushed forward. His speed was far beyond anybody present here. In a sh, he was before the former. With a chuckle, he took him in a hug.


    ¡°Sixth brother, you¡¯ve returned.¡±


    In a few moments, the entire manor knew the news of his return. Even his eldest brother and the third brother also made their appearance.


    Although the rain was pouring down, the enthusiasm of these people couldn¡¯t be washed away by it.


    The news of He Yiming travelling outside was known to everybody in the manor. However, those who knew that he¡¯d opted to do so for the sake of breaking through were only a handful. However, nobody expected him to return after a few months.


    ¡°Everybody in!¡± A fierce voice sounded from the second entrance. In charge of He manor¡¯s internal affairs, He Quanyi walked out in big steps. Seeing his strict face, apart from He Yitian and He Yiming, all the other members of the young generation assumed silence out of fear.


    ¡°So many dripping wet for no reason, really outrageous! All of you, get inside!¡±


    Along with his shout, everybody immediately fled inside like rats that had seen a cat. He Yitao further pulled a sly face at He Yiming. However, his movements didn¡¯t slow at all. After all, among all his siblings, he was the one who had eaten the highest number of bamboo shoot meat slices.


    He Yitao exchanged a smile and entered side by side, looking like cranes in a flock of chickens.


    ¡°Sixth brother, did you seed?¡± He Yitian mumblingly asked.


    He Yiming faintly smiled and said, ¡°Fortunately, I didn¡¯t disgrace my reputation, eldest brother.¡±


    He Yitian¡¯s immediately paused as he heavily patted He Yiming¡¯s back, ¡°Good..good..good..¡±


    The three sessive ¡®good¡¯ words clearly exhibited the state of his current emotions.


    Currently, they had already entered the main hall. He Yitian¡¯s actions immediately attracted everybody¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Eldest brother, why did you say good?¡± He Yitao puzzledly asked.


    He Quanyi¡¯s face however slightly changed. He stepped forward and said, ¡°He Yiming, you truly seeded?¡±


    He Yiming touched his hair. He¡¯d not performed this action for a long time. However, as soon as he returned home, he unwittingly did it again.


    ¡°Third uncle, my reputation shouldn¡¯t be that bad, no?¡±


    He Quanyi heartilyughed and habitually raised his palm. Looking at this gesture which had almost be a custom of the manor, everybody understood the meaning behind their eldest brother and third uncle¡¯s words.


    However, He Quanyi faintly started, suddenly receiving his palm back, ¡°I¡¯m really stupid. Your strength is already beyond my measuring capability¡­ better to have eldest brother or father personallye.¡±


    It immediately caused an uproar in the younger generation. They then recalled that at this year¡¯s beginning, at the time of their eldest brother¡¯s marriage, He Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy had already attained the ninthyer. If he¡¯d broken through anotheryer¡­.


    Within an instant, everybody¡¯s eyes somewhat dulled. Even the He Yitao, who was always bustling with energy, also couldn¡¯t help but purse his lips as he saw his sixth brother¡¯s expression also changing somewhat.


    He Yitian lightly coughed, ¡°Sixth is back, and he¡¯s set an example for us. Henceforth, we have to strive more to reach sixth¡¯s¡­.¡± Saying up to here, he suddenly discovered that he simply couldn¡¯t let the subsequent words out.


    With He Yiming¡¯s cultivation speed, how could one strive to reach him? If this was set to be the standard for measurement, nobody would have the confidence to continue cultivation.


    He Quanyi faintly shook his head and said, ¡°Yiming, father already knows of your return. Come with me to see father. Yitian, you alsoe.¡± His vision swept around as he said, ¡°As for you all¡­ disperse!¡±


    Following his re, the few members of the younger generation issued cries of surprise and escaped like birds, abandoning He Yitian and He Yiming. After all, in their minds, their third uncle was the most terrifying among all the elders. Even their grandfather or eldest uncle came nowhere close.


    He Yimingughed inwardly, but at the same time, felt quite emotional as well. If his strength had not advanced by leaps and bounds, surpassing his third uncle¡¯s, he would have also been one of the members among them today.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 29.2

    The three individuals advanced towards the great courtyard; He Yitian and He Quanyi walking closely at either side of He Yiming.


    After a few moments, both experienced a strange feeling. The current He Yiming indeed seemed different, but how? They simply didn¡¯t have a clue.


    However, after observing He Yiming during the walk, they were now convinced that He Yiming had indeed advanced. However, in any possible case, they simply couldn¡¯t imagine that He Yiming had not actually advanced to the tenthyer, but Xiantian realm.


    As he gently opened the entrance of the great courtyard, his face revealed a trace of a queer smile.


    He already knew that in the courtyard¡¯s main hall, his grandfather was not alone. His eldest uncle He Quanxin and the old servant He Laibao were also present.


    Upon hearing the news of his return, the two had ignored the affairs of Book Pavilion and arrived here.


    ¡°Grandfather, Grandpa Bao, eldest uncle.¡±


    He Yiming performed a bow and brightly said.


    ¡°Quickly get up.¡± He Wude stood up and arrived before He Yiming, helping him up while carefully measuring him up as well.


    As He Yiming saw pale gray hair on his grandfather¡¯s temples, he suddenly felt sour. The old man had indeed done as much as he could for the n.


    In a few months he¡¯d not seen his grandfather, although thetter had not changed visibly, the above feeling in his heart had increased to the extreme.


    The twinkle in He Wude¡¯s eyes increasingly brightened as his smile increasingly widened.


    Eventually, he excitedly said, ¡°Yiming, did you seed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, grandfather.¡± He Yiming firmly said.


    He Laibao and He Quanxin exchanged a nce. Their eyes revealed a trace of their emotionally stirred appearance.


    He Wude didn¡¯t lose his cool like He Yitian and only gave a heavy nod while saying, ¡°He Yiming, you are good¡­ very good.¡±


    He Yiming faintly smiled and suddenly said, ¡°Grandfather, during this time¡¯s trip, I didn¡¯t progress in just cultivation, but also received other benefits.¡±


    He Wude asked in an interested manner, ¡°What benefits?¡±


    In his mind, as long as He Yiming could smoothly advance, it would be sufficient. As for the other benefits, he didn¡¯t care about it at all.


    He Yiming took out a jade battle and handed it out, ¡°Grandfather, the biggest benefit I¡¯ve obtained is inside this.¡±


    He Wude epted it and opened it somewhat skeptically.


    However, when he opened the bottle, his nose received an extremely familiar smell.


    He could never forget this smell. His vision quickly shifted to the insides of the bottle. Hisplexion immediately transformed as he couldn¡¯t help but cry out, ¡°Gold core?¡±


    Apart from He Yiming, all four individuals had their facespletely change.


    They all knew about the hunting of the spiritual beast and also the gold core. They further knew that there were only three refined gold cores and apart from the one that had already been consumed by He Quanxin, the other two were in the hands of He Wude. This being the case, where did this bottlee from?


    He Wude¡¯splexion further changed, for he¡¯d already seen the number of gold cores in the bottle.


    Five pills; there were actually five pills. Two more than the number of pills they had been refined from the inner core of the gold-crowned python.


    He slowly put the lid back on the bottle. His expression had already turned exceedingly grave.


    ¡°Yiming, where did you find these gold cores?¡±


    He Yiming faintly smiled and said, ¡°My luck is quite good. Following the forest, I actually crossed the Gold Forest country and arrived in the Fire Crow country¡­.¡±


    He recounted his meeting with the Xie family. Of course, he omitted some details, especially those pertaining to the Xiantian realm. As for the matter of two long-armed roons, he shifted the responsibility onto the Xie family, saying that the two sides joined hands to settle the matter.


    He didn¡¯t wish to still conceal the truth. However, if he spoke out now, it would simply offend everybody. This being the case, it would be better for him to wait another half a year. In any case, everyone seemed to be bing habitual of his breakthroughs every six months.


    However, although his story was simple, He Wude and the rest were already rmed and trembling inwardly.


    After a long time, He Wude heaved a sigh and said, ¡°Yiming, your luck is indeed good. Encountering a noble n, inner core of two spiritual beasts¡­hehe..Xie family surprisingly didn¡¯t swallow everything by themselves. You¡¯ve indeed made good friends.¡±


    He Yiming chuckled, not retorting at all.


    Although he and Xie family could be considered on friendly terms, he knew what had actually transpired. If he¡¯d not revealed himself to be an extraordinary tenthyer cultivator with unparalleled strength since the beginning, whether they would have still treated him fair was hard to tell.


    After ascending to the Xiantian realm, Xie family¡¯s bearing naturally turned increasingly respectful. Even a noble n like them wouldn¡¯t dare covet a Xiantian cultivator¡¯s assets.


    He Quanxin let out a sigh. Suddenly rubbing his two hands a few times, he said, ¡°Since He Yiming has broken through, he is also a tenthyer cultivator. Come.. let¡¯s exchange a few moves.¡±


    He Yiming faintly started and said, ¡°Eldest uncle, how could this little nephew dare fight with you?¡±


    He Laibao chuckled and said, ¡°Yiming, just try your eldest uncle. Previously when the eldest lord was still at the ninthyer, he came to me almost every day to fight. However, now that he is unfortunately at the tenthyer, he doesn¡¯t have any opponent left. These few months, he¡¯d already suffered quite a bit.¡±


    He Yiming couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    In the He family¡¯s second generation, He Quanxin was undoubtedly the most talented member. At the same time, he was also the most diligent in cultivation. He¡¯d the highest achievement, which was admittedly a lot because of his talent. However, it was also because the intensity with which he cultivated was far morepared to his two brothers.


    Before He Yiming, a member of the younger generation, made his name known far and wide, He Quanxin and Xu Right were reputed to be the two martial lunatics of Tai Cang county.


    He Yiming peeked at his eldest uncle. Thetter¡¯s face indeed had a trace of embarrassed smile.


    Thetter had indeed no opponent ever since he attained the tenthyer. As much guts he possessed, he would never try to look for his old man for a duel. However, he¡¯d no such misgivings as far as the current He Yiming was concerned.


    He Wude pondered for a few moments, then actually gave a slight nod. He also wished to take a look, in the end, how far his most outstanding grand descendant had reached after leaving home for several months.


    The hall was quite spacious. They moved away the tables and chairs and opened up a small area.


    He Yiming and He Quanxin stood at a distance from each other, but their faces were quite rxed. This was, after all, a martial duel inside the family. There was no danger involved.


    As He Yitian watched his father and sixth brother before his eyes, his mind seemed to have returned back to the new year¡¯s skillpetition two years ago.


    At that time, although he was not as good as He Yiming, he still aspired to chase after thetter. However, he hadn¡¯t expected that in a mere two years, He Yiming wouldpletely and thoroughly leave him behind. Even his father, whom he¡¯d worshiped all his life, only seemed to stand at an equal footing with He Yiming. As such, after a few years, what extent his aplishments would be when he¡¯d matured?


    As He Quanxin slowly lifted his hands, the rxed appearance of his face was slowly substituted by an exceedingly grave one.


    He Yiming¡¯s two legs were erected in the position of character ¡°°Ë¡± and his two fists were ced before his chest. This was the basic position of Rolling Boulder Fist. As soon as it would be initiated, He Yiming could rush towards his opponent like a huge, rolling boulder and strike.


    Although He Quanxin hadn¡¯t learned this metal-type technique, it didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t know its sequence of movements as well.


    Moreover, what he cultivated was earth-type techniques.


    In the five phases, the earth-type techniques were undoubtedly the strongest in terms of defense. Even the offensive power of metal-type techniques couldn¡¯t break earth-type technique¡¯s defense under the same ranks.


    However, for some reason, as he saw He Yiming¡¯s movements, a strange thought suddenly emerged in his mind. The more they would remain in a deadlock, the more his chances of victory would fade.


    This feeling had no reason as its basis, yet was so distinct. Moreover, it was growing stronger every passing moment.


    He bitterlyughed inwardly and ultimately took the initiative to act.


    The cultivator of metal-type techniques- ranked number one in terms of offense- had actually chosen to defend, whereas the cultivator of earth-type techniques- ranked number one in terms of defense- had chosen to attack.


    Apart from He Wude, all the other individuals exchanged nces. All feeling puzzled and confused.


    He Wude, on the other hand, was feeling quite pleased. His Internal Energy was at the tenthyer¡¯s peak- a notch above He Quanxin¡¯s. As such, this feeling was even clearer for him. He obviously understood that He Quanxin had not taken the initiative willingly, but was rather forced into it.


    If these two continued to battle in this manner, He Quanxin would quite likely even lose the confidence to take action.


    At this moment, he suddenly thought, ¡®Don¡¯t tell me He Yiming¡¯s cultivation¡­¡­is truly above He Quanxin?¡¯


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    He Quanxin struck out his fist. Although this fist was not quick, it was extremely steady. His arm was as firm as a mountain.


    He Yiming neither backed away nor dodged. The Rolling Boulder Fist was eventually unleashed.


    The two individuals unleashed every bit of knowledge they had learned. The might in their blows gradually increased. However, under the tacit understanding between the two, the decorations and objects in the main hall were not destroyed.


    He Quanxin¡¯s earth-type fist technique and He Yiming¡¯s Rolling Boulder Fist were somewhat simr. However, the only difference was that Rolling Boulder Fist was an ¡®always forward¡¯ technique. One fist after another- it was almostpletely offensive. On the other hand, He Quanxin¡¯s traditional technique was undoubtedly a defensive one. As the two exchanged blows, the sound of fists colliding continuously sounded. However, in a short while, both seemed evenly matched. Neither of them had gained an apparent lead.


    He Wude faintly nodded, and after a while, eventually said in a lowered voice, ¡°Stop.¡±


    He Yiming and He Quanxin immediately jumped away from each other. Although they seemed quite indulged in the battle, none of them dared to ignore Lord Master¡¯s words and immediately opened a distance between them.


    He looked at He Yiming with his heart brimming with joy, ¡°Henceforth, our He family also has three tenthyer cultivators. In Tai Cang county, the era of our He family is imminent.¡±


    He kneaded the bottle in his hand as he pondered for a few moments, ¡°One pill will be for Lai Bao. In addition to this, whoever in the n can cultivate to the ninthyer¡¯s peak can have one as well.¡± His vision shifted to the jade bottle in his hand as he softly mumbled, ¡°With this thing, perhaps our He family can truly be passed on for a thousand years.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 30.1 - The Incoming Letter

    Auspicious snowfall foretold a prosperous uing year.


    When the new year¡¯s first heavy snow fluttered down from the sky, He manor was already filled with cries of joys andughter.


    For every person in the manor, the new year held a different significance. The youth, with the addition of another year, matured. The old turned even older. However, the two old men in the He manor were nevertheless quite delighted. Their younger generation had already matured enough to rece them.


    Their days of shielding the He manor from wind and rain had graduallye to an end.


    And this was perhaps the most cherished wish of all the old men!


    ¡°New Year¡¯s Skill Competition, officially begins¡­.¡± Following the vigorous words of the third uncle He Quanyi, the training ground echoed with an ardent apuse.


    The differencepared to the previous years was that among the younger generation, only one member had attained the sixthyer.


    He Yiling- third uncle He Quanyi¡¯s eldest daughter. This year she had turned twenty and could be considered as the female expert of the third generation. In ordinary peasant households, the females had already married before this age. However, for cultivators, twenty years was not considered old at all. Instead, it was considered as the beginning of the magnificent youth.


    Therefore, when He Yiling ascended the stage, she received the loudest of the reception. Her opponent was He Yihai. Confronting his younger sister¡¯s offense, he could only bitterly smile and drag the fight around before issuing a sudden, lucky winning strike. Seeing this, the elders of the family were all beaming with smiles.


    Subsequently, He Yixuan and He Yitian appeared on the stage. Their skill seemed to have be increasingly polished.


    Under the provocation from a freak like He Yiming, they all had raised the goals they had set for themselves, which, in turn, had increased thebined battle strength of the third generation to a new level.


    Although none of them had broken through their respective bottlenecks during the year, their progress had already pleased their elders.


    As for He Yiming, when he stood up, all the members on the stage dispersed like a flock of birds. Nobody would willingly disgrace themselves.


    With He Yiming¡¯s strength, not mention the younger generation, even if the entire manor swarmed him, he wouldn¡¯t have too much trouble.


    Seeing this, He Wude and the rest could only bitterly smile and shake their heads. However, inwardly, they were quite pleased.


    If the future generation would also be like this, the foundation of He manor would be steadfast for several decades.


    During the Skill Competition, He Yitian and Cheng Yanli, husband and wife, sat separately from the elders. They could be considered to have settled down as a couple, living in their independent residence.


    Within one year they have married, even if they were not too affectionate with each other, at the very least, they exhibited the mutual respect between husband and wife. Their conduct was quite appropriate during the event.


    However, He Yiming indistinctly felt that as a married couple, they were too courteous to each other.


    Perhaps only after a certain amount of time would they truly ept each other as partners.


    However, it was not all perfect.


    The only matter they were to be condemned about somewhat was that after one full year of their marriage, the He family had yet to see the appearance of the fourth generation.


    Although He Wude and the other elders didn¡¯t speak about it openly, from their behavior, certain clues were apparent. However, these old men were quite good at deception. They didn¡¯t let He Yitian and Cheng Yanli to pick up on these clues.


    After the Skill Competition, everybody dined together and went their separate ways.


    However, in the great courtyard, He Wude, the second generation¡¯s three members, He Yiming, and He Yitian were gathered together.


    The topic of their discussion was precisely the development n for the new year.


    Previously, among the third generation, even He Yitian had never participated in this discussion. However, today, He Wude had specifically called He Yitian and He Yiming to attend the discussion. His intentions were evident.


    The children of the third generation had officially begun to participate in the affairs of the manor.


    Around a round table, He Yitian and He Yiming were responsible to fill their elders¡¯ teacups while listening and offering their assertions at the same time.


    He Quanming ced the ount book on the table and said, ¡°Father, this year¡¯s profit is quite good. ounting the expenses and sales of the shops, we¡¯ve altogether summed up a profit of two thousand silver taels.¡±


    He Quanyi also tossed out an ount book and said, ¡°A lot of thend around the manor has already been cleared out. The revenue from the grains is also quite good. Adding the hunts from the forest and the sales of mountainous local specialities in the city, the harvest is plentiful,¡± He paused for a bit before continuing, ¡°However, there are hundreds of mouths to feed in the manor. Adding in their monthly sries, special rewards and so on¡­.the profit is not as much as it seems. Adding in the new constructions, repair, and assembling the materials for the future castle, it¡¯s a huge expense- in total an expenditure of five thousand silver taels.¡±


    He Yitian and He Yiming exchanged a nce. It turned out that even after everybody in the manor painstakingly worked, they were unable to cover their expenditure.


    He Wude faintly nodded. His face didn¡¯t have a shred of expression, as if already expecting such an oue.


    ¡°Second, how is the business with Yuan family?¡± The old man calmly asked.


    He Quanming¡¯s face immediately revealed a full smile, ¡°Father, this year, our business partnership with Yuan family has gone extremely smooth. All the products have been sold without a hitch, fetching a profit of a thousand gold taels.¡±


    He Yitian and He Yiming gaped, almost not daring to believe their ears.


    Although gold and silver were both expensive metals, the difference in their values was quite significant. In the Northwest, two taels of gold could easily be exchanged for ten taels of silver.


    Two thousand gold taels meant ten thousand taels of silver. Inparison, the manor¡¯s five thousand taels deficit didn¡¯t even seem worth mentioning.


    He Wude smiled in satisfaction before suddenly saying, ¡°Yitian, Yiming, do you understand now? Although we¡¯ve shops in the city, due to constant expansion of the manor, even after all these years, we¡¯re still not able to cover this debt. To continue the expansion of the manor and save for the n as well, business with Yuan family is our true lifeline.¡±


    He Yitian thought for a bit before saying, ¡°Grandfather, this Yuan family you speak of, is it the same as Yuan family of the Gold Forest country?¡±


    ¡°Correct, the Yuan family of Gold Forest country,¡± He Wude faintly nodded and said, ¡°Although their strength in the Gold Forest country is not too big, they have vast connections. Moreover, the current family head of Yuan family, Yuan Zeyo, is mypanion from back in the day who ventured the world outside with me. They are definitely the best partners for our He family.¡±


    He Yiming eyed everybody around and asked, ¡°What¡¯s our business with the Yuan family that involves such a profit?¡±


    He Quanming hesitated a bit, then said, ¡°Smuggling.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 30.2

    ¡°Smuggling?¡± He Yiming astoundedly asked, ¡°Our family still needs to rely on smuggling to survive?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± He Quanming said in a lowered voice, ¡°Actually, every big n is secretly involved in one illegal activity or another. We¡¯re only involved in smuggling, which is the cleanest one of all.¡±


    He Yiming bitterlyughed, not expecting to hear smuggling being just and expected from his father¡¯s mouth.


    He Wude lightly coughed and said, ¡°Yiming, if in the future, our He manor can be as built as the Xu castle, the debt every year can be overlooked.¡±


    He Yiming made a sound of agreement. He inwardly said, ¡®Xu castle¡¯s background of hundreds of years was indeed too far above the current He manor.¡¯


    He Quanyi lightly patted the table and said, ¡°Yiming, actually Xu and Cheng family are also the same as our family. They are also secretly involved in shady businesses. It¡¯s just that their current reach is too far and wide. However, a few hundred years ago, when they had barely started to develop, they were much crazier than us. If this was not the case, where do you think they managed to get such big family properties?¡±


    He Yiming thought for a bit, then slightly nodded. His ittle bit of hesitation hadpletely dissipated.


    ¡°All right,¡± He Wude waved his huge hand and said, ¡°Enough of this. What about Yiling?¡± As soon as these words sounded, everybody¡¯s brows creased.


    Although Yiling was a cultivator in speaking, her cultivation talent was not too good. She¡¯d taken two years to make the breakthrough pertaining to the sixthyer.


    Hereby, one could say that her future aplishments would be quite limited. Moreover, cultivation was more challenging for females inparison to males. As such, the possibility of another breakthrough was quite low for her.


    Under such circumstances, female cultivators usually gave up on cultivation and thought about marrying into influential families.


    The elders of the He manor had been the most worried about this issue recently.


    Both Xu family and Cheng family had raised marriage proposals for He Yiling.


    If it had been happening before, He Yiming certainly would have sneered at this issue. However, his trip outside had made him understand many things.


    To establish one¡¯s n firmly in a certain region, moreover to pass it on for a thousand years, was in no way easy.


    Even though He family was exceedingly strong currently, they couldn¡¯t possibly stand against the whole county. Otherwise, when He family¡¯s power would wane in the future, the counterattack they would suffer could easily destroy the He family in its entirety.


    Xu family and Cheng family could be considered as the two oldest influential families in the Tai Cang county. Previously, there had been several families standing alongside them. Several among them had their share of glory in the history of Tai Cang county. However, after a hundred years, these families had already waned, and some among them had evenpletely lost their roots.


    Only Cheng and Xu, these two families had silently developed on, spreading their roots deep into the Tai Cang county.


    This affair was simr to that of the four big, influential families of Fire Crow country. Regardless of the ce, regardless of the n, if one wished to pass on one¡¯s family milleniums without fail, he wouldn¡¯t be able to aplish this feat on the power of his own family alone.


    More swift the rise, the more swift the fall.


    Only by stretching branches and scattering leaves, continuously enriching one¡¯s connections, developing good rtionships with nearby powers¡­and so on..could one nt one¡¯s roots deep into the ground.


    When the n flourishes, seize all the power and gather all the powers under one banner.


    Likewise when n declines, retreat to one¡¯s roots and adhere to the powerful. In other words, as long as one¡¯s blood vessels are innumerable, one would have a chance of nirvana and be reborn from ashes.


    Before the third generation had matured, although He family was still reputed to be one of the three influential families, their foundation and connectioncked too far behind that of the other two. If their strength hadn¡¯t been too high, they wouldn¡¯t have even this qualification.


    However, as He family¡¯s third generation slowly made their appearance and exhibited outstanding development, the family eventually gained the approval of the other two.


    After the marriage with the Cheng family, the two families had again dropped the olive branch.(Tl: symbol of peace)


    Seeing everybody preserving silence, He Wude involuntarily let out a sigh and said, ¡°Quanyi, you¡¯re her father. You tell, Xu or Cheng, which one do you choose?¡±


    Old man¡¯s words immediately set a tone. He Yiling¡¯s future husband could only be chosen from these two families.


    He Quanyi bitterlyughed and said, ¡°Father, it would be better if you decide this matter.¡±


    He Wude was about to speak when he suddenly closed his mouth and his vision shifted to outside. After a few moments, everybody heard a sound of hurriedly approaching footsteps.


    They exchanged a few skeptical nces. To be disturbed at such a time, could it be that something big has happened?


    He Quanyi immediately stood and walked outside inrge strides.


    After a few moments, he entered back with a graveplexion, ¡°Father, it¡¯s from Gold Forest¡¯s Yuan family.¡±


    He Wude stared nkly, ¡°Why would Yuan familye at this time? They wouldn¡¯t be sending us some present this year, would they?¡±


    He Quanyi bitterly smiled and said, ¡°I am also not too clear. You should see for yourself.¡±


    He flipped his wrist and presented a ck, leather letter. After seeing this letter, everybody¡¯s heart slightly sank.


    Using such an envelope on the eve of new year wasn¡¯t an auspicious sign. Hereby, it was evident that Yuan family had certainly encountered some big trouble.


    He Wude¡¯s face also turned grave. Yuan family was their partner in smuggling. If Yuan family took a hit, He family would also suffer significant losses. After all, looking for a n with low strength yet vast connections was not easy.


    Moreover, after going through a partnership of many years, they had also formed mutual understanding. At the very least, He Quanming wouldn¡¯t be willing to easily change partners.


    He Wude picked up the envelope and opened the letter.


    ¡°Father, what happened?¡± He Quanming took the initiative to ask.


    He Wude thought for a bit, ¡°Gold Forest country¡¯s Yuan family has encountered a big trouble,¡± He lightly sighed, ¡°In Gold Forest¡¯s Zheng Tong county, a new influential family has suddenly emerged. This family¡¯s conduct is vicious and merciless. Regarding those who are hostile, they always kill until the end, leaving no means of survival. They seem to have taken a fancy to the connections in the hands of Yuan family and intend to substitute in their stead. Hehe¡­..so the Yuan family has requested our help and promised that if we could help them cross this obstacle, they will give ten thousand taels of gold and in the future transactions, they will give another ten percent of the profits.¡±


    Although he¡¯d spoken these words quite tly, He Quanxin and the others were already palpitating.


    Not to mention the ten thousand gold taels, merely ten percent more profits by itself made a gigantic figure. Moreover, it was also permanent. For the He family, who aspired to continue their development in the Tai Cang county, this money was indeed too significant.


    ¡°A suddenly-emerged new influential family? What¡¯s their martial strength?¡± He Quanxin asked in a lowered voice.


    He Yitian and He Yiming exchanged a nce. They already knew He Quanxin¡¯s intentions.


    Although the eldest uncle¡¯s cultivation was second only to the Lord Master in the family, he¡¯d spent all his life focused on his martial skill. He¡¯d not been involved in the affairs rted to business in any way.


    Currently, even he¡¯d attached such an importance to this matter; his intentions were only too evident.


    He Wude lightlyughed and said, ¡°A peak, tenthyer family head is indeed not bad. If they truly shed all pretense of cordiality, Yuan family might not be the one toe out on top.¡±


    Everybody nodded in session. For the current He family, a peak, tenthyer expert didn¡¯t amount to anything. However, for an abruptly-risen n, a tenthyer expert was an extremely precious and irreceable source of martial strength.


    As long as one had seen He Wude single-handedly establishing the He manor or even the Fire Crow country¡¯s Xie family merely having two tenthyer experts, this fact was evident.


    Aplishing this feat when one still had some vigor left was extremely rare. One wouldn¡¯t find a single such case in ten thousands.


    He Quanxin stood up and said, ¡°This matter¡­.. let me go handle it.¡±


    He Quanming and He Quanyi both faintly nodded. Since the counterpart was a tenthyer expert, only an expert of the same rank would be able to assist the Yuan family.


    After all, He Wude had already crossed his eighties. Inparison, sending out He Quanxin naturally felt much more appropriate.


    He Wude pondered for a bit, then said, ¡°Quanxin, go and take Yiming and Yitian along this time. Let them participate and gain some experience.¡±


    He Quanxin faintly nodded and said, ¡°Good, with He Yiminging as well, it would be absolutely safe.¡±


    Everybody nodded. In their minds, He Yiming and He Quanxin were both tenthyer experts while the counterpart had only one. Therefore, everybody was quite confident. If thetter had also two, or perhaps more, they definitely wouldn¡¯t have thought as such.


    With a light sigh and bitter face, He Yiming said, ¡°I¡¯ve juste back, why do I have to go again?¡±


    Everybody smiled, and He Quanxin¡¯s face sank as he said, ¡°Yiming, don¡¯t y. This time¡¯s affair is too important. If you can¡¯t defend the Yuan family, don¡¯t think you would get a penny from my ce next year.¡±


    He Yiming immediately restrained his gloomy expression and said, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry. Eldest uncle and I will definitely settle this affair smoothly. There won¡¯t be any slip-ups at all.¡±


    He Quanxin thought for a bit, then suddenly said, ¡°Father, if Yuan family is unable to hold out and copse before we arrive there, what should we do?¡±


    He Wude faintly started, then eventually said, ¡°If Yuan family exists, don¡¯t spare any effort to assist them. If they have already copsed, think of continuing our cooperation with other ns. In short, our road to Gold Forest country must not be cut. However, there is one thing you must keep in mind. Do your utmost to preserve the direct descendants of the Yuan family. Don¡¯t let their n exterminatepletely no matter what.¡±


    He Quanxin respectfully sounded his agreement.


    He Yiming¡¯s thoughts suddenly stirred before he asked, ¡°Grandfather, which one is that newly-emerged family?¡±


    He Wude shifted his vision to the letter in his hand before saying, ¡°Gold Forest¡¯s Fan family.¡±


    ¡°Fan family?¡± He Yiming immediately recalled that the group he¡¯d encountered also seemed to include people surnamed Fan. He suddenly felt queer inwardly, ¡®It couldn¡¯t be this coincident, could it?¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 31.1 - The Treasured Colt

    A snow-white kitty, which had its whole body covered in long fur, was looking at the few individuals in the main hall with its ss ball-like big eyes, appearing somewhat timid.


    The few individuals in the main hall had long since noticed this small kitten hidden in the corner but hadn¡¯t paid any attention to it. Although their faces seemed quite tranquil, the anxiety in their eyes couldn¡¯t be masked.


    Suddenly, a sound of footsteps came from outside. Following which, six individuals entered together.


    Seeing one of the entered individuals, that kitty immediately rushed forth and directly leapt into He Yitian¡¯s bossom.


    He Yiming looked at his eldest brother with his eyes wide opened, wondering when he¡¯d begun to foster pets.


    He Yitian rather embarrassedly smiled and softly said, ¡°This is your sister-inw¡¯s precious.¡±


    He Yiming immediately understood that it had actuallye from the Cheng family.


    The eldest sister-inw¡¯s status in the family was indeed extraordinary. This was not merely because He Yitian was the eldest grandson of the eldest son. More importantly, the dowry sent by her parent¡¯s home, which would be the Cheng family, was so ample that even the few old men in the family couldn¡¯t help but see her in a favourable light.


    As such, not to mention, fostering a kitten for amusement, even if she were to foster a tiger, the n members would turn a blind eye to it.


    There were three individuals in the hall. Apart from the manor¡¯s old servant that was in-charge of handling the affairs in the manor, there were two individuals that appeared to be carrying the wind and dust of the road with them. One was a forty or fifty year old man while the other was rather young, about twenty-five years old, simr to He Yitian.


    As soon as He Wude entered the main hall, that middle-aged man immediately stood up, hurriedly walked up to He Wude, knelt, and suddenly kowtowed heavily, ¡°Nephew pays his sincere respects to elder uncle He.¡±


    He Wude first stared nkly- evidently not expecting such a response from the counterpart- before quickly reacting. He reached out with his hand and supported thetter, pulling him up, and said, ¡°Nephew Yuan is a guest from afar, no need to be this courteous.¡±


    Yuan Earnest intended to heavily tap his head on the ground a few times. However, being supported by He Wude¡¯s arm, he could no longer do so.


    However, inwardly, he was quite pleased. This old man was indeed as his father had said- a tenthyer expert. However, he wasn¡¯t too hopeful that his heavy kowtow would be enough to aplish his wish this time around.


    Standing up, he made a gesture with his hand and said, ¡°Liling, hurry up and meet your grandfather and brothers.¡±


    That youngster quickly stepped forward. Followed by a slight hesitation, he heavily kowtowed like his father.


    This time, He Wude didn¡¯t stop him, and instead stiffly epted this ceremonial gesture. However, after epting the gesture, he again reached out with his hand while saying, ¡°Yitian, Yiming, you two alsoe and meet your Yuan uncle.¡±


    He Yiming inwardly cursed at his bad luck, but didn¡¯t dare defy and could only step forward with his eldest brother and kowtow.


    Yuan Earnest¡¯splexion slightly changed. Without even daring to speak, he immediately wished to reach out but was held in ce by He Wude¡¯s arm. Without any better options, he could only stiffly ept the greeting. However, the smile on his face seemed to have be rather forced.


    After both the sides paid their respects, He Wude talked straight to the point, ¡°Earnest, I¡¯ve already read your esteemed father¡¯s letter. Our two families had cooperated with each other for many years. Today, since you¡¯re being bullied by outsiders, this old man will not watch with folded arms either.¡±


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s gloomy appearance immediately disappeared without a trace, and his eyes brightened in astonishment. He¡¯d evidently had not expected for the Lord Master He to agree this easily.


    Actually, He Wude was rathermenting inwardly. If it had happened before three years, when He Yiming had yet to emerge and He Quanxin had still not consumed the gold core and had advanced to the tenthyer, even if Yuan family¡¯s reward had been several times higher, he wouldn¡¯t have easily taken action.


    After all, the opponent was a tenthyer expert. While confronting such an opponent, the slightest of slip-up might cost him his life.


    However, merely within three years, there had been an enormous transformation.


    Not only the tenthyer expert count in the family had attained three, there were further seven gold core pills avable for use. As such, since Yuan family had promised ten thousand gold coins and ten percent profits, He Wude also had to agree.


    Yuan Earnest sucked in a deep breath. He suddenly recalled the words his father had said to him before leaving- precisely because He family is so far away from Yuan family, they are the ones most likely to lend a hand. Currently, it seemed like his old man¡¯s vision was quite profound.


    Slight moisture flickered in his eyes as he said in a lowered voice, ¡°Elder uncle He, our Yuan family will never dare to forget your kindness.¡±


    Their Yuan family had already issued countless letters pleading help. Although Yuan family didn¡¯t have a tenthyer expert, with their connections, they had friendly rtionships with several ns, all of which had at least one tenthyer expert inmand. However, not a single one among these had given them a formal reply them back.


    Therefore, when He Wude bluntly agreed, his state of mind could be well imagined.


    He Wude faintly smiled and said, ¡°Nephew Yuan, no need to be formal. I see that you¡¯ve covered a long road and appear to be quite tired. It would be better to rest here for the night. Tomorrow, I will have Quanxin, Yitian, and Yiming apany you to Gold Forest country.¡±


    Yuan Earnest promptly said, ¡°Uncle He, if it¡¯s convenient, we can immediately¡­.¡± He suddenly paused before saying, ¡°Uncle He, what did you say? Have brother Quanxin and the two nephewse apany me?¡±


    He Wude unhurriedly nodded and said, ¡°Correct, they should be enough.¡±


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s face immediately turned dark in apletely unconcealed manner. His lips twitched several times before he eventually let out a sigh and said, ¡°Uncle He, this nephew has one request. I hope you¡¯ll agree.¡±


    ¡°Speak.¡± He Wude calmly said.


    Yuan Earnest pulled Yuan Liling beside him and said, ¡°This is my humble son who is the eldest among the direct third generation grand-descendants. I wish to leave him in your care. If misfortune befalls our Yuan family, I hope you will provide him shelter for the sake of old friendship and preserve our Yuan family¡¯s bloodline. Our Yuan family would be eternally grateful to you.¡±


    He Quanxin and the rest looked at each other¡¯s faces. His words were so pessimistic that it seemed as if Yuan family was already at death¡¯s door.


    He Wude lightly snorted and said, ¡°Nephew Earnest, if you leave Liling in our care, we will naturally take care of him properly. However, how can your Yuan family so easily run into misfortune.¡±


    Yuan Earnest let out a long, helpless sigh and said, ¡°Uncle He, Gold Forest¡¯s Fan family¡¯s current n leader is but a peak, tenthyer expert. If you don¡¯t personally act, I¡¯m afraid nobody would be able to contend against him.¡±


    Yuan Liling, who had been long since pursing his lips and had yet to speak, suddenly stepped forward at this moment and said, ¡°Father, this child will return back with you and will not stay here.¡±


    The sound of his words was not heavy nor it had any intense implications, yet it carried an absolute determination that made everybody understand that these words were his decision, which would not be reversed.


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s face turned red. He suppressed the fury that had erupted like a volcano inside him and merely said in a cold manner, ¡°Liling, you¡¯re Yuan family¡¯s eldest grandson of the direct bloodline. You have your responsibilities. If you can¡¯t shoulder them, our Yuan family has no need for such an unfilial descendant.¡±


    Yuan Liling¡¯s face twitched but eventually, he didn¡¯t retort at all, rather suddenly kneeled before He Wude and heavily kowtowed, knocking his head on the ground.


    Merely after two times, a patch of red covered his forehead, making theck of Internal Energy involved in his gesture evident, and thereby, his sincerity as well.


    He Wude promptly reached out with his hand and helped him up, ¡°Good child, since you¡¯vee to He family, how can we let you despair.¡±


    The eyes of father and son immediately brightened with hope, ¡®Could it be¡­the old man is really going to act in person?¡¯


    He Wude pointed towards He Quanxin and said, ¡°This is my eldest son Quanxin. You probably haven¡¯t seen him before. Since he is going, you might not be unable to contend against the Fan family leader.¡±


    Father and son nkly stared before their eyes increasingly brightened. Yuan Earnest tremblingly said, ¡°Brother He, you¡­.you¡¯ve already attained the tenthyer?¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 31.2

    He Quanxin candidly smiled and said, ¡°Merely luck, brother Yuan.¡±


    This time, the father and son were truly overjoyed. At the same time, their revere for the He family¡¯s strength climbed to new heights.


    A n with a tenthyer expert was already an almost unprovoked existence. As such, with two tenthyer experts, He family¡¯s name would certainly spread far and wide. Even those ns possessing millenniums of legacies wouldn¡¯t dare easily provoke them.


    In terms of scale, Tai Cang county¡¯s He familycked behind Yuan family. However, in terms of battle strength, there was noparison between the two sides.


    He then nced at He Yitian and He Yiming behind He Quanxin¡¯s body, ¡®These two from the young generation are probably going to gain some experience.¡¯


    As vast as his experience was, he couldn¡¯t imagine that He Yiming was even more powerful than He Quanxin.


    After two hours, eight horses suddenly rushed out of He manor.


    Among these eight horses, apart from He Yiming¡¯s Red Silk, the rest were also the manor¡¯s best horses. Althoughparing them with Red Silk would be simply unjust, during long journeys, they were far better than relying on manpower.


    After two hours, Yuan Earnest had eaten, washed off, and taken a short nap. Although he was an eighthyer expert, after rushing through such a distance, he still felt extremely tired. If his heart hadn¡¯t been brimming with anxiety, he certainly would have rested for a few days.


    On the other hand, He Quanxin and the rest quickly bid farewell to their families. Although Cheng Yanli and Lin Wenyu were a little upset at their departure on the eve of new year, they didn¡¯t try to stop them.


    He Quanxin was basically the family¡¯s head. Once he made a decision, apart from He Wude, nobody could try to correct it.


    Thereupon, in merely two hours, they had left the He manor and stepped on the road, heading to Gold Forest country.


    Two dayster, on a deste official road, eight horses sped past.


    Ahead was a stream. In the cold winter, this stream only had a smallyer of ice forming on it. Even the muffled sounds of the water running under could be vaguely heard.


    One of the riders faintly pulled the reins, and all the horses immediately stopped one after another.


    He Quanxin nced around and said, ¡°Brother Yuan, we¡¯ve already sped for half a day. How about we take a rest for a few moments?¡±


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s face already looked extremely tired. Although his heart was still burning with anxiety, he said without the slightest hesitation, ¡°It sounds reasonable.¡±


    The reason four people had brought along eight horses with them was to enable them to take turns. However, even under such arrangements, the horses were unable to endure such a frantic journey.


    By the side of the stream, they broke theyer of ice and washed off, immediately regaining some spirit.


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s vision fell on Red Silk beside He Yiming before he sighed, ¡°Nephew He Yiming, where did you buy this horse from? It is truly a treasured colt.¡±


    Among all the eight horses, the burden Red Silk carried was far above the weight carried by the other horses. That three hundred and sixty jin heavy chopper, apart from Red Silk, none of the other horses could endure its weight.


    Moreover, He Yiming had been riding on it since the beginning, not switching even once.


    However, even under such circumstances, it still seemed in the best condition among all the eight horses. Furthermore, from its appearance, it even seemed eager for more, as if it still hadn¡¯t enjoyed the two days of hastened journey to its heart¡¯s content.


    As long you are human, you can¡¯t help but envy such a good horse.


    He Yiming faintly smiled and lovingly stroked Red Silk¡¯s body a few times, ¡°Uncle Yuan, it was gifted to me by someone.¡±


    ¡°Gifted?¡± Yuan Earnest¡¯s insides went cold. This colt was simply priceless. He couldn¡¯t imagine who could possibly gift such a treasured horse to He Yiming.


    Actually, He Quanxin was quite envious of this horse as well. However, he knew a bit about He Yiming¡¯s experiences. Therefore, he¡¯d no doubts regarding this matter.


    Suddenly, a sound of galloping horses sounded from afar. A group of people was rushing along the official road.


    It was a group of more than thirty riders. Their leader suddenly pulled the reins and stopped. After a few moments, they headed in the direction of the stream.


    At a distance of a few tens of meters from them, these men also broke the ice. Furthermore, some among them bluntly pushed their heads into the stream¡¯s water, seeming as if they didn¡¯t care about the ice-cold water at all.


    Not too long after, these thirty plus men began to unbridledlyugh and shout, making He Yiming and others frown.


    ¡°Horse bandits!¡± Yuan Earnest suddenly said.


    He Yiming faintly started before asking, ¡°Uncle Yuan, how did you find out?¡±


    Yuan Earnest randomly pointed around, ¡°This ce, the border of the Heaven Sieve and Gold Forest, has always been the paradise of horse bandits. If you look at their movements and outfit, you can tell.¡±


    He Yiming looked at their clothes. Sure enough, on their heads or necks, a red turban was fastened.


    His mind slightly stirred, ¡°Red Cloth Bandits?¡±


    Yuan Earnest astoundedly asked, ¡°Nephew He actually knows about Red Cloth Bandits?¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded. He¡¯d once fought against these men. How could he not know?


    ¡°Aren¡¯t Red Cloth Bandits in Atai county? Why have theye here?¡± He Quanxin asked with creased brows.


    Yuan Earnest involuntarilyughed and said, ¡°Brother He, they are but horse bandits. As long as it¡¯s awless region, why will they note?¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s face turned slightly red. Although his strength was quite high, in terms of experience, he was indeed a notch below the former.


    ¡°We should leave.¡± Yuan Earnest stood and softly said, ¡°We¡¯re not afraid of trouble, but there¡¯s no need to invite it.¡±


    He Yiming hesitated a bit before asking, ¡°Since they are horse bandits, why haven¡¯t theye to rob us?¡±


    Yuan Earnest conceitedly smiled and said, ¡°These horse bandits certainly have some discerning eyes among their group. Even if they wish to loot, they ought to see their targets first.¡±


    He Yiming looked at himself, then the other three and immediately understood somewhat.


    The four of them had brazenly ced their weapons on the horses. Furthermore, his eldest uncle, Yuan Earnest, and even He Yitian were all seventhyer experts at the very least.


    Their every movement, even expression in their eyes exuded a calm, stable feeling.


    Furthermore, upon seeing a group of thirty riders, every one of whom was a vicious-looking huge man, they had remainedpletely unfazed and hadn¡¯t shown the slightest bit of panic.


    If it had been He Yiming, he wouldn¡¯t have easily acted against such an unfathomable group either.


    The four individuals sorted out their things a bit, then pulled their horses towards the maind. As far as those thirty men were concerned, they didn¡¯t even spare a superficial nce for them.


    Upon arriving on the main road, He Yiming suddenly leapt on Red Silk¡¯s back.


    As if it understood that they were about to hit the road, Red Silk suddenly raised its neck and loudly neighed.


    A few tens of meters apart, there were two individuals among those thirty plus men, who had been silently paying attention to their movements.


    Precisely as Yuan Earnest had said, since they couldn¡¯t see through their opponent¡¯s depth, they hadn¡¯t dared to act.


    However, as soon as Red Silk¡¯s neigh echoed. The majority of the heads turned. These were the people who dealt with horses throughout the year. As soon as they heard the neigh, they knew that they hade across a fine horse.


    When Red Silk was standing in the midst of the other eight horses, it didn¡¯t seem anything special. However, as soon as it neighed, it attracted everybody¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Stop¡­.¡±


    A fierce voice echoed from within the group. Following which, a tall and sturdy man with his whole face covered in beard walked out. His gaze was fixed on Red Silk, and greed overflowed out of his eyes.


    ¡°Sir, what do you intend to do?¡±


    Yuan Earnest¡¯splexion strictened as his heart burned with fury. To hasten the journey, he¡¯d tried to avoid all unnecessary troubles. However, these people were toocking in understanding, really wishing their own destruction.


    However, his vision shifted and also fell on Red Silk¡¯s body before he inwardly sighed. If he¡¯d not known He Yiming¡¯s identity, he would have most probably also tried every means to take this fine horse for himself.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 32.1 - The Choice

    The patreon for MG is up. Moreover, the releases will be evenly distributed from Tuesday to Saturday(yes, I¡¯ve finally done it). I¡¯m embarrassed(don¡¯t ask why) and somewhat thrilled(don¡¯t judge) to say that this week¡¯s releases will be shifted onto the next week.


    *******


    That big man gloomily looked at Yuan Earnest. Since he¡¯d been the first to speak among their group, he naturally attracted everybody¡¯s attention.


    However, his reaction was contrary to what they had expected. While confronting thirty plus Red Cloth horse bandits, he¡¯d not shown the slightest bit of panic. On the contrary, the corner of his eyes contained a trace of disdain.


    That Red Cloth bandit had also seen the ways of the world. He naturally didn¡¯t make any error in discerning it. His brows twisted as the group of people before him turned even more unfathomable.


    ¡°Boss Liao, why exchange meaningless words with them. These horses are quite good. Let¡¯s keep them all. Leader will certainly have a reward for us.¡±


    One of the bandits walked out with glowing eyes. His vision had also been on Red Silk since the beginning. However, his intentions were even more sinister. He actually wanted to take all the horses. As for how to deal with the people after taking the horses, he didn¡¯t care to even mention it.


    Boss Liao¡¯s eyes eventually glowed with a cruel glint. Inwardly, he was telling himself how could one so easily run into experts in this world? With his eighthyer cultivation along with his thirty plus brothers who had fourth and fifthyer cultivations, they could easily rampage on this road.


    Indeed, why would true experts travel by switching their horses. Moreover, how rare are experts? They are not cabbages sold in the markets.


    Once he made his decision, his pitch immediately increased, ¡°You people, leave the horses and your possessions behind. Then, you may leave.¡±


    Yuan Earnest inwardly sighed and calmly spoke as before, ¡°You wish to rob us, right?¡±


    Boss Liao chuckled and said, ¡°We¡¯re not robbing, rather taking from the rich to help the poor. You have so many horses and so much stuff on the horses. You are obviously those selfish, rich sharks. Leave all your stuff behind, and Lord Liao will leave your life.¡±


    He Yiming couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle. This was his first time exchanging words with horse bandits. He hadn¡¯t expected that they would actually refer this as taking from the rich to help the poor instead of robbery. Only after taking from the rich, the wealth would probably not arrive in the hands of the poor.


    Yuan Earnest was about to speak when He Yitian suddenly said in a bright voice, ¡°Uncle Yuan, if we hand over the horses and our stuff, do you think these people will truly let us live?¡±


    Upon hearing these words, Boss Liao immediately determined he¡¯d been truly over imagining. These people actually only seemed profound on the outside. His face had already started to darken, deciding that he would kill all four of them.


    Yuan Earnest hesitated a bit before saying, ¡°Horse bandits love to ughter for fun. Furthermore, Red Cloth Bandits¡¯ reputation is so widespread that you can even hear about them asionally in our Gold Forest country. Their conduct is vicious and merciless. Even if we hand over all our possessions, they will not leave us alive.¡±


    He Yitian disyed a sh of understanding on his face before he turned his head and said, ¡°Boss Liao, are my uncle¡¯s words correct?¡±


    Boss Liao heartilyughed and said, ¡°So the young fellow has seen the world and is somewhat experienced. Correct¡­¡± His face strictened, ¡°Today, you will leave behind your possessions and horses, and also your lives.¡±


    While He Yitian and the Boss Liao were conversing, the thirty plus bandits had already scattered, blocking all the escape routes on the road.


    To them, these four were already like a turtle in a jar who had no chance to escape.


    He Yitian faintly shook his head. Seeming as if he was thinking to himself, he said, ¡°Since handing over our stuff to you is the same as not handing it over, why should we listen to you? Isn¡¯t that so, sixth?¡±


    He Yiming faintly started, then smiled, ¡°It¡¯s precisely as eldest brother said.¡±


    Looking at the gradually converging bandits, He Yitian suddenly said, ¡°But they have a huge advantage in numbers, sixth. We better give a bit of our stuff,¡± He pointed towards the sack on He Yiming¡¯s horse and said, ¡°This thing¡¯s worth is quite substantial, perhaps it can buy our life.¡±


    Although his voice was not loud, following it, the vision of the few horse bandits ahead immediately followed his hand and arrived on the sack on the He Yiming¡¯s horse.


    The sack contained He Yiming¡¯s chopper. It was more than a meter long thanks to the three sections inside. Therefore, from the outside, it was hard to determine what was contained inside.


    Boss Liao¡¯s heart faintly trembled. The horse He Yiming was riding was a treasured colt. If thetter staked his life and made a run forward, he might not be able to chase him down. At the very least, he¡¯d no certainty aplishing this feat without taking the risk of inflicting harm to the horse.


    ¡°Hey, you there. What is in your sack? Hurry up and take it out. If it is truly some precious treasure, it might buy your life.¡± Boss Liao red and fiercely said, ¡°If you make Lord Liao happy, you might be able to preserve everybody¡¯s life.¡±


    At this moment, He Yiming had already understood his eldest brother¡¯s intentions. He tacitly smiled and said, ¡°All right, since you want to look, you can look. However, if this thing is to truly buy our lives, it is more than enough to do so.¡±


    After saying these words, he untied the sack from the horseback and casually tossed it.


    In his hands, the broadsword seemedpletely weightless, seeming as light as a feather.


    The huge, one meter long package streaked about twenty meters across the sky and dropped down from six or seven meters of height.


    Under He Yiming¡¯s ingenious skill, it didn¡¯t give rise to any strong wind sound. Whoever saw this scene would only believe that this package weighed five kilograms at most.


    The horse bandits didn¡¯t feel anything. All of them had a trace of a sinister smile on their faces.


    However, He Quanxin and Yuan Earnest¡¯splexions immediately changed. After going through the journey of these few days, even Yuan Earnest also knew what this package contained.


    The reputed weapon of Lord Master He, He Wude, from his younger days.


    However, he¡¯d always felt strange .Why had this weapon not been given to the Lord Master¡¯s eldest son He Quanxin, or the eldest son¡¯s eldest grandson He Yitian, but had instead been passed on to the sixth grandson, He Yiming?


    However, now he had an answer.


    ¡®This He Yiming¡­.is absolutely not simple. Not only has his physical strength attained an inconceivable degree, his Internal Energy is also far above mine. Furthermore, his ingenuity of employing Internal Energy is even more beyond my imagination.¡¯


    However, he didn¡¯t know that even the tenthyer expert, He Quanxin, upon witnessing this scene, was exceedingly astonished.


    Using tenthyer Internal Energy, throwing such a heavy weapon to such an height and distance was naturally possible. However, aplishing this feat in such a nonchnt manner, seemingpletely effortless was not.


    Boss Liao lifted his head. With his vision on the cloth bag, he casually stretched his hand out and opened his huge palm, positioning it to catch the baging down towards his head.


    Suddenly, his expression transformed. Half a second after his palm made contact with the bag, the arrogant and sinister look in his eyes waspletely reced by an inconceivable fear emerging from deep within him.


    He lifted his other hand, as if wishing to raise it above his head. However, the moment the bag had made contact with his palm, it suddenly elerated.


    ¡°Dong¡­.¡±


    A brittle noise sounded as the sack resolutely smashed his head.


    Boss Liao copsed without a sound. His body incessantly twitched on the ground as if he¡¯d been suddenly attacked by a seizure.


    The bandits tongue-tied watched this scene without a clue what had happened.


    However, when their vision focused on Boss Liao¡¯s body, all of them without exception sucked in a breath of cold air.


    The front section of Boss Liao¡¯s skull had been ttened downwards as if it had been struck by a huge hammer.


    The misceneous red and white brain was vaguely visible. After a few moments of twitching, his bodypletely stopped moving.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 32.2

    Note:


    We''ve already reached the first goal of 50$ on Patreon. There will be six regr chapters per week from now on- Tuesday to Sunday. This a bonus chapter dedicated to my patrons. Thanks for the support!


    As if the time started at this instant, all the bandits simultaneously felt an intense trepidation.


    They were not fools, and upon witnessing this scene, even a fool could tell that the group they had encountered was anything but ordinary.


    Actually, Boss Liao was an eighthyer expert. Althoughparing him with He Yiming and the rest would be unjust, at the very least, he shouldn¡¯t have been crushed to death by a three hundred and sixty jin heavy chopper.


    However, he¡¯d underestimated the sack too much. Upon seeing He Yiming effortlessly tossing it several meters high and twenty meters far, it was simply impossible for him to think that this thing¡¯s weight was so frighteningly high.


    Moreover, while throwing, He Yiming had ingeniously used Jin Dao to aim at his head specifically. (Tl: Jin-> Energy here)


    Only under thebination of all these conditions had Boss Liao, an eighthyer expert, died in such a mysterious way, not understanding his death till thest moment.


    He Quanxin sighed and said, ¡°Yitian, Yiming, since you¡¯ve acted, there is no need to hold back. The way they wished to deal with us, we should return the favor alike.¡±


    The two brothers simultaneously sounded their agreement. Their bodies suddenly jumped from the horses, charging in the middle of the bandits like two huge birds.


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s body also moved to join the battle but was pulled back by He Quanxin, ¡°Brother Yuan, leave it to them.¡±


    Faintly smiling, Yuan Earnest immediately loosened up. He would have done the same for Yuan Liling. The battle power of these horse bandits was not high. They were undoubtedly the optimal target for the young generation¡¯s training.


    However, as he watched He Yiming, he suddenly asked, ¡°Brother He, how manyyers has nephew Yiming¡¯s Internal Energy reached?¡±


    He Quanxin gave a candid smile and said, ¡°His talent is not bad. So it¡¯s a bit high.¡±


    Somewhat realizing, Yuan Earnest nodded. However, for some reason, he was certain that this ¡®a bit high¡¯ was definitely a bit too high.


    He Yitian was, after all, twenty-four years old. Under the meticulous training under the family elders, he¡¯d already experienced a few truebats. Especially when he was twenty, he joined the Feudal Organization¡¯s operation for surrounding and killing horse bandits and fought a true battle involving real swords and real spears.


    As such, his execution was quite fierce. It didn¡¯t resemble that of an ordinary youngster at all.


    The sword in his hand was dancing, issuing whistling sounds. Although the strongest aspect of earth type techniques was defense, when the difference between the strength of the opposing sides was too high, the killing speed of earth type techniques was notcking either.


    The sword in his hand fluttered and danced as if it had gained life. Each and every individual that exchanged blows with him would either have his weapon effortlessly knocked away in two or three moves, or found a hole had opened in his body. Furthermore, He Yitian¡¯s moves showed no mercy. In a sh, he¡¯d already killed seven or eight people.


    He Yiming¡¯s movements were absolutely not exaggerated as He Yitian¡¯s. He was moving through the crowd of bandits as if strolling in a garden, casually tossing everybody in his way as he moved.


    This toss was not to be underestimated. It made the bandits¡¯ entire body go numb, rendering them incapable to exert any strength. Furthermore, the bodies made a beautiful arc in the air, falling twenty meters away in the end.


    At this point, the horse bandits somewhat understood the reason why a cloth bag which seemed weightless yet had crushed a person to death.


    Horse bandits sought advantage in numbers, but regardless of whether they tried to swing their swords or turn around and flee, they simply couldn¡¯t escape from He Yiming.


    He Yiming was casually tossing bandits around. Apart from this, it seemed he wasn¡¯t using any other method. However, this method which seemed extremely simple disyed his frightening might.


    After a few moments, the twenty bandits that had been blocking their front had all tasted the air-trip and were groaning in one of the road¡¯s corner.


    By merely imparting a bit of True Qi, He Yiming had plunged their Internal Energy into chaos. Currently, they couldn¡¯t employ Internal Energy at all, nor could they even perform any heavy movement.


    This was the disparity between True Qi and Internal Energy.


    After another few moments, the few remaining bandits behind them also no longer dared to tangle with He Yitian. They turned around and fled, only hoping that nobody would chase them.


    He Yitian hissed, and his figure chased after them on the road at a lightning fast speed. For the most part, all of the escaping bandits died under his sword. Only one bandit, who was extremely agile, went to the stream and immediately jumped inside, disregarding everything.


    Although the stream¡¯s water was quite cold, before one¡¯s life, bathing a bit in cold water didn¡¯t amount to anything.


    He Quanxin coldly snorted. He was quite displeased regarding one of the bandits escaping but he didn¡¯t act. Him acting to deal with these third to fifthyer bandits would indeed be the same as losing face.


    ¡°What to do with these people?¡± He Yiming pointed at the pile of twenty people.


    He Quanxin faintly shook his head and said, ¡°He Yiming, how had these people wished to deal with us before?¡±


    ¡°They wanted to take our horses and possessions.¡±


    ¡°After that?¡± He Quanxin continued to ask patiently.


    He Yiming opened his mouth but didn¡¯t speak.


    He Quanxin sighed, ¡°Yiming, you understand why Yitian inquired their intentions before, right?¡± He paused, then coldly said, ¡°These people, after robbing, would have killed us immediately.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s vision fell on the corpse of Boss Liao. These words were said by this man himself. That was the reason He Yiming had targeted him and killed him.


    However, as he shifted his vision to the other bandits who were howling in grief, he hesitated.


    At the side, Yuan Earnest preserved silence. This was He Quanxin instructing his family¡¯s young generation. This was definitely not a good time to interrupt him.


    Looking at He Yiming¡¯s hesitating expression, He Quanxin shook his head and said, ¡°Yiming, these people have been captured by you. As such, how to deal with them will also be decided by you.¡±


    After saying these words, he softly patted his horse while saying, ¡°We¡¯ll await you in the small town ahead. Your horse is quick, you can easily catch up.¡±


    Yuan Earnest urged his horse and left following after He Quanxin. He Yitian cleaned his sword, then patted He Yiming on shoulder, ¡°Yiming, regardless of what you decide, I will have your back.¡±


    After saying these words, he also mounted his horse and left, following the road.


    Suddenly, He Yiming was left alone. Of course, there were also dead bodies scattered around, horse bandits who were issuing mournful cries, and also more than thirty horses that had lost their masters.


    Horses in such a huge number were indeed a good fortune. However, this moment, everybody was too tense to notice. How could anybody pay attention to such a trivial matter? As such, the horses could only be left ignored.


    After thinking for a few moments, he arrived beside Boss Liao and retrieved the sack.


    The red and white colored brain on the sack seemed quite disgusting. He Yiming untied the outermostyer and threw it away. Fortunately, the leather inside had not been infected. With a few light pats, it was already clean.


    Red Silk affectionately arrived beside He Yiiming, stuck its big head out, and rubbed it against his body.


    When this horse had begun to be together with him, it was somewhat wild and untamable. However, when He Yiming would mp down on it with a bit of force, it would turnpletely well-behaved.


    However, currently, even in He manor, nobody except He Yiming could hope to ride it.


    His vision shifted to the bandits howling in grief. This moment, they were already scared witless. Each and every one them opened their mouths and pled mercy.


    They were fully aware that this was the sole opportunity of saving their lives. As such, nobody spared any effort in their pleas.


    The expression on He Yiming¡¯s face fluctuated indefinitely. Although the road was quite deste, there were still some people passing through asionally. However, as soon as these people would see the situation on this section of road, they would immediately steer their horses and leave as quickly as possible. Nobody dared to pause here.


    Ultimately, He Yiming let out a sigh.


    Turning around, he mounted Red Silk and patted two times. The horse immediately turned into a red streak and disappeared into the distance.


    Not long after, he caught up to his eldest uncle and the rest.


    Evidently, He Quanxin and the rest had deliberately slowed down, allowing him to catch up in such a short time.


    They didn¡¯t ask how He Yiming had dealt with the bandits at all. Perhaps, He Quanxin was not concerned with the result at all and merely wished to provide a course of contemtion for him.


    After the group merged, their speed immediately increased. As if the brief encounter with the horse bandits didn¡¯t take ce, they steered their horses towards the Gold Forest country.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 33.1 - Fallout Between Brothers

    Although Yuan family was not a big, influential family possessing a legacy of millenniums, it was still a family with centuries of history.


    But this family had never seen the likes of an unusually strong expert. Moreover, the main n was located near the suburban Zheng Tong county. Therefore, merely going by the influence of positioning alone, they were even inferior to Tai Cang county¡¯s He family.


    However, precisely because Yuan family was situated at such a geographical location, and they had always been low key on top of that, they possessed such connections. Unfortunately, these connections couldn¡¯t assist them in resisting a powerful adversary.


    In the outskirts of Zheng Tong¡¯s county town, outside a huge manor, several galloping horses sounded.


    After a few moments, eight fine horses arrived outside the manor¡¯s entrance. Among these eight horses, one was particrly majestic.


    This horse¡¯s entire body was red without a single odd fur. Its color was the same as that of a plum. Upon witnessing this horse, nobody could resist uttering a word or two in praise.


    The entrance opened soon after. An old servant walked out from inside and respectfully said, ¡°Lord, you¡¯re finally back.¡±


    Yuan Earnest¡¯splexion somewhat changed. His figure moved, cing two legs on the ground immediately, and said in a lowered voice, ¡°Something happened in the manor?¡±


    That old servants shook his head. His vision shifted to the He Quanxin behind Yuan Earnest. As for He Yitian and He Yiming, he¡¯d already subconsciously neglected them.


    Yuan Earnest continued in a low voice, ¡°Be assured. This is He family¡¯s Lord He Quanxin from Tai Cang county. With him here, even Fan Shui is nothing to worry about.¡±


    These words were said resolutely and without a bit of hesitation. The weight of these words carried a power that could stir one¡¯s heart and soul.


    Ever since Fan family had decided to deal with Yuan family, Yuan Earnest had been suppressed. As such, he¡¯d used this opportunity to vent and let everybody know that the current Yuan family possessed the means to contend against the Fan family.


    As expected, that old man¡¯s face immediately lit up as he looked at He Quanxin with a gaze filled with reverence.


    It was well-known that the current n leader of Fan family, Fan Shui, was a tenthyer expert. Since this Lord of He family had the qualifications to contend against him, he must be an expert of the same rank as well.


    Before such an expert, the old servant was naturally quite moved inwardly.


    The news of Yuan Earnest returning home quickly spread throughout the manor. However, the even more important news was that he¡¯d brought back a tenthyer expert with him, which undoubtedly boosted everyone¡¯s confidence in the manor.


    When Yuan Earnest arrived in the main hall with He Quanxin, some people were already awaiting him.


    A stout man stood on the stairs of the hall with a gratified smile on his face. As soon as he saw He Quanxin and the rest, he immediately stepped forward to wee them.


    ¡°Haha, fifty years ago, this old man, together with elder brother He, left home and roamed for a full ten years in Heaven Sieve country to seek sess. Afterwards, elder brother He stayed in the Heaven Sieve country. I, however, returned back to the n. It¡¯s hard to imagine that it has already been more than forty years.¡± The old man heartilyughed, then said, ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for so many years, is elder brother He doing fine?¡±


    He Yiming and the others immediately understood that this individual was certainly He Wude¡¯s old friend and also the current head of Yuan family, the old man Yuan Zeyu.


    He Quanxin immediately stepped forward and kowtowed, ¡°Uncle Yuan, my father ispletely fine except for his longing to see you.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu promptly helped him up and said, ¡°Our two families have been lifelong friends, you mustn¡¯t be so courteous.¡±


    Behind He Quanxin, He Yiming inwardly muttered, ¡®Several decades ago, perhaps you and grandfather were friends. However, after not seeing each other for so long, if the two families¡¯ rtionship hasn¡¯t been preserved through business, and if eldest uncle didn¡¯t have any use for you, you probably wouldn¡¯t have been so courteous either.¡¯


    Of course he only dared to say these words in his mind. He wouldn¡¯t dare say these words out loud in any case.


    The two individuals chatted for a few moments outside the main hall before entering the hall on a polite reminder from Yuan Earnest.


    The servants served tea. Yuan Zeyu¡¯s vision fell on He Yiming and Yitian before he faintly smiled and said, ¡°After not seeing each other for so long, elder brother He has already spread his reach so far out. Even the third generation has matured to this state.¡± He let out a long sigh and said, ¡°Liling, even after bitter cultivation for twenty years, is currently only at sixthyer¡¯s peak. However, nephew Yitian has already attained the seventhyer. You¡¯re indeed one of the heaven¡¯s proud children.¡±


    He Yitian stood up and deeply bowed towards the old man, ¡°Grandfather Yuan, you praise me too much.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu chuckled. But as his vision shifted onto He Yiming, he somewhat hesitatingly asked, ¡°Earnest, whom of the He family¡¯s children is this?¡±


    Yuan Earnest immediately said, ¡°Father, this is brother Quanyi¡¯s second son, He Yiming.¡±


    (Tl: I am not sure if this was a mistake from author or intentional.)


    Yuan Zeyu faintly nodded. Thinking that this was an ordinary disciple who hade to gain some experience, he didn¡¯t pay any attention to him after a simple greeting.


    He Yiming¡¯s fame in Tai Cang county had already reached the peak. Not only was he considered the number one expert among the young generation of the three influential families, many further believed that he could even be counted as number one amongst the seniors who had long since established their name in the county.


    After all, during the Cheng family¡¯s wedding duel, He Yiming had pulled out a draw against Lin Taoli, who had previously defeated Xu Right.


    However, Tai Cang county was after all quite a minor county seat. The reputation of a figure from here usually experienced a huge loss as it travelled to the regions outside. Those big ns didn¡¯t put such experts in their eyes at all. Moreover, the event of Lin Taoli suffering a loss had also not been proimed unbridledly. Therefore, He Yiming¡¯s reputation had not been spread out even to the Jadeting region, much less to speak of Gold Forest country.


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s expression faintly flickered. Although he was not too clear on He Yiming¡¯s reputation, he¡¯d personally witnessed thetter¡¯s strength during this time¡¯s journey. Be it casually throwing the chopper, or simply tossing the bandits afterwards, all of it implied a strength that he could only long for.


    Although He Yitian was a seventhyer expert, as long as one was not blind, it was evident that the difference between him and He Yitian was not a small one.


    Lightly coughing, Yuan Earnest said with a rather embarrassed expression, ¡°Father, nephew He Yiming is the number one expert of the He family¡¯s young generation.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu then astoundedly turned his head and seriously measured He Yiming.


    After a few moments, Yuan Zeyu¡¯splexion slightly transformed. In his eyes, He Yiming resembled an unfathomable well, the depth of which was beyond his measure.


    Yuan Earnest added further oil by saying, ¡°The chopper that uncle He wielded back in the day had been passed onto nephew Yiming as well.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu¡¯s eyes immediately brightened. As soon as he recalled that three hundred and sixty jin heavy chopper, he suddenly felt a chill deep within him, ¡®Such a heavy weapon¡­. don¡¯t tell me¡­. there is still someone else who can smoothly use this weapon apart from a guy like He Wude who possessed innate divine strength?¡±


    However, looking at He Yiming¡¯s appearance, he didn¡¯t strike him as a strong and bulky man in any possible way.


    However, since Yuan Earnest had spoken as such, and He Quanxin and He Yitian had further preserved their calm expressions, these words must be true.


    He sucked in a deep breath, ¡°Good, heroes indeed start to emerge from a young age. This old man didn¡¯t expect to make such an error in judgement.¡±


    He Quanxin lightlyughed and said, ¡°Since we¡¯ve arrived, can youy out the current circumstances?¡±


    Yaun Zeyu¡¯s smile somewhat stiffened. He bitterly smiled and said, ¡°This affair is a long andplicated one and is also my Yuan family¡¯s bad luck and failure.¡±


    He Quanxin and the other two were inwardly astonished. They indistinctly felt that this affair was not as simple as they had imagined.


    Yuan Zeyu heavily flicked his sleeves and suddenly spoke in a loud voice, ¡°Prepare a feast, I wish to hold a weing dinner for our guests.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 33.2

    On that evening, a big banquet was held in the Yuan family. Not only had all the core members of the young generation scattered in various regions been called back, even some of the personnels engaged in important tasks had been called back to the manor.


    The old man was clearly borrowing He Quanxin and the others to suppress his nsmen, who had begun to stir.


    He Quanxin and the others knew this old man¡¯s objective, but it also happened to conform to their objective ining here. Therefore, currently, even He Yiming, who would wish rather to not be the center attraction, could only sit among the principal seats like a statue with a smile forced out on his face, like his eldest uncle.


    On the other hand, He Yitian was quite suited for this asion. His conduct wasmendable, winning a favourable impression from thers.


    At the principal seats, Yuan Zeyu gravely introduced He Quanxin. When everybody heard that this fifty something man was actually a peak, tenthyer expert, every one revealed a pleasantly surprised smile.


    All this time, they had been suppressed by the Fan family. It was as if a big rock had just been lifted from above them.


    To them, a tenthyer expert was like a mountain that was too high to be transcended and had been weighing down on them with an unimaginable pressure.


    However, not all the nsmen showed pleasant expressions. On the subsequent seats, the few n seniors showed queer expressions, some of which even carried a trace of loss and panic.


    Yuan Zeyu swept his gaze through them and brightly said, ¡°Elder brother, I will trouble you to make a trip to the town and pass on the message to Mr. Fan Shui. I¡¯ve decided, the n¡¯s shops in the county town, as well as the surrounding farnds, are but the n¡¯s properties. Regardless of how much money he offers, we will not sell.¡±


    At the subsequent seats, an old man stood up from his seat. His age wasparable to that of Yuan Zeyu and face had some vague simrities as well. But his face had a pair of triangr eyes which had a viper-like gaze that could make one shiver inwardly.


    ¡°Second, Mr. Fan has made the offer with good intentions as well. The farnd around our manor is already enough, and the business of the shops in the town is not good either. Why not cash it out while there¡¯s an opportunity?¡±


    Yuan Zeyu coldly snorted and said, ¡°Elder brother, what¡¯s the reason that the shops are having a loss? Don¡¯t tell me you truly don¡¯t know.¡± He paused, then spoke again, ¡°These shops have been passed on with the long-established brand of our first generation seniors. Whatever happens, it will not be ruined in my hands.¡±


    A youngster suddenly stood among the subsequent seats. This youngster¡¯s age was about twenty. His whole body was hidden behind a long moleskin cloak, and he was wearing a rabbit-furred gloves. As soon as he stood up, the atmosphere immediately tensed.


    He took one step forward and said, ¡°Second grandfather, although the family¡¯s shops have long-earned brands, since the business is not good, there¡¯s no harm in selling them for the time being. When there is money in the future, they can be bought back.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu red at him once before eventually standing back.


    Under his re, the people on the subsequent seats all lowered their heads. Even the old man who had first spoken was no exception.


    Yuan Zeyu suddenly let out a long sigh and said, ¡°I wish to have word with the branch family leaders. The rest can leave first.¡±


    After a suddenmotion among the subsequent seats, apart from a few people on the principal seats and subsequent seats, everybody had left.


    He Quanxin and the other two were also about to leave but were firmly stopped by Yuan Zeyu. He faintly shook his head, allowing them to realize that there must be an inside story.


    Yuan Zeyu waited for everybody to leave, then finally said, ¡°Yuan Zewei, I know you covet my position of family head with all your heart and soul. However, even so, you shouldn¡¯t have involved external help.¡±


    That old man suddenly lifted his head. His triangr eyes shone with a cruel glint as he coldly chuckled and said, ¡°Second, you have even stopped to address me as elder brother, could it be¡­you want apletely fall out with me?¡±


    Yuan Zeyu heaved a sigh and said, ¡°The shops that had been reputed for centuries have actually incurred losses in your hands. On the contrary, the manor has to provide for you from savings. For the sake of our dead father and mother, I¡¯ve always continued to endure you. However, currently, you¡¯ve turned even more severe. You actually delivered my Yuan family¡¯s granddaughter to the doorsteps of Fan family, and threatened me with their power. It has alreadye to this, don¡¯t tell me you still expect me to address you as elder brother?¡±


    He Quanxin and the rest immediately understood. No wonder why with Yuan familiy¡¯s centuries of foundation, they were not able to seek assistance from a single tenthyer expert here and had to request Lord Master He, travelling such a distance.


    Moreover, Fan family was merely a newly-emerged influential family. Despite this, they showed such a huge appetite, aiming for a n with centuries of legacy.


    Defending against an internal thief was indeed hard. Since the counterpart had managed to get hold of an insider, the other ns would naturally not act easily.


    He Yitian faintly shook his head and suddenly said, ¡°Elder Yuan, there is something my humble self would like to consult you with.¡±


    A sinister glint flickered in Yuan Zewei¡¯s eyes. However, since he knew that He Yitian was the son of He Quanxin, who was a peak tenthyer expert, he wouldn¡¯t dare be rude no matter what and could only cup his hands distantly, ¡°Mr. He may ask.¡±


    He Yitian gulped down the entire wine ss on the table before him and said, ¡°Elder Yuan, if I haven¡¯t understood wrong, you have an agreement with Fan family. If you can transfer the shops under the name of Fan family, they would return them back to you in the future, am I right?¡±


    Yuan Zewei hesitated a bit but ultimately chose to preserve silence. However, his appearance gave a tacit approval.


    He Yitian let out a long sigh and said, ¡°You¡¯re an elderly person who has lived for eighty years. Don¡¯t tell me you truly believe in Fan family¡¯s words? Perhaps Fan family has left something in your safekeeping which has convinced you that they will certainly keep their promise after getting the shops and farnds?¡±


    He Quanxin and He Yiming exchanged a nce; both sighing inwardly incessantly.


    They had wholeheartedly immersed themselves in cultivation. As such, they were unavoidably somewhatcking in other aspects.


    He Yitian could figure out the crux of the issue with such rity and had further articted it in such a manner, while they could only be his support.


    Yuan Zewei¡¯s face turned red and green at the same time. However, the youngster behind him rushed out and said, ¡°We naturally trust in brother-inw¡¯s words. You don¡¯t have to sow dissension.¡±


    He Yitian chuckled, not retorting. However, he superficially nced at that youngster- implying an extreme contempt which even an idiot could discern.


    That youngster immediately turned furious and took a big step forward, ¡°He Yitian¡­..Mr. He Yitian, your esteemed is said to be a tenthyer expert whom I don¡¯t dare. But¡­what about you? I wonder if you can offer some guidance?¡±


    He Yitian¡¯s eyes sharpened. An aura far exceeding that of the former erupted.


    His figure arrived before the former like lightning like and waved his hand, pping him at lightning fast speed.


    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    Four ps in quick session turned that youngster into a sorry state. He opened his mouth, spurting a streak of blood, which further contained a good number of teeth.


    Only at this moment, did that individual finally react. His eyes turned red, wishing to stake his life against He Yitian. However, He Yitian had already returned to his original position, not even sparing a nce for his reaction.


    Yuan Zewei¡¯splexion slightly changed. He supported the youngster and said, ¡°A fine skill. Sure enough, a son of a lion can¡¯t be a dog. We¡¯ve experienced the skill of He family¡¯s big young master.¡±


    That youngster wished to say something but was pulled back. Some people immediately stepped forward and forcibly dragged him away to treat his injuries.


    Yuan Zewei¡¯s eyes shone with a cold glint as he slowly said, ¡°Second, back in the day, if you¡¯d not managed to entice father with your glib tongue, how could he have given you the position of n leader. Hehe, you became the n leader, but what could I, the elder brother, be assigned as? The only reason you assigned me to manage the shops was to avoid denouncement from the people for being too ruthless.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu faintly shook his head and said with a sigh, ¡°Elder brother, the only reason father passed on the position of n leader to me was that you are too petty minded. He feared that if the position of n leader was passed on to you, you would end up bringing down the entire n.¡±


    Yuan Zewei suddenlyughed loudly and said, ¡°Second, no need to speak old matters. Whatever the reason was, it no longer matters. Who will ultimately obtain the authority in Yuan family¡­..will depend on our individual strength.¡±


    After saying these words, he waved his hand. The people on the subsequent seats arrived behind his body, escorting him out.


    Yuan Zeyu¡¯splexion had turned extremely gloomy. He suddenly said in a loud voice, ¡°Yuan Zewei, even if you ultimately win, do you actually believe that Fan Shui will leave Yuan family in your hands.¡±


    Yuan Zewei¡¯s footsteps paused; his voice extremely gloomy, as if his heart and lungs had frozen.


    ¡°Yuan family was originally mine. If I can¡¯t get it, other members of Yuan family also shouldn¡¯t imagine to do so¡­¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 34.1 - Gold Thief

    Hen Tong county town was a bustling city. Although it wasn¡¯t as big as Fire Crow country¡¯s Downwind city and it didn¡¯t have a majestic city wall either,pared to Tai Cang county¡¯s county town, it was uncountable folds more prosperous.


    Since the night of the banquet, after the Yuan brotherspletely ripped each other¡¯s face apart, the rtionship between their sides also dropped to the freezing point.


    Yuan Zeyu didn¡¯t hesitate in the slightest before ordering the banishment of the branch family from the Yuan family and regained the authority of the shops in the city as well.


    At first, he believed that under these circumstances, Fan family would immediately act for Yuan Zewei. However, he hadn¡¯t expected Fan family to not even budge for five days straight despite Yuan Zewei¡¯s side leaving the manor and their whereaboutspletely unknown.


    This strange event instead made Yuan Zeyu overly suspicious.


    However, He Yiming and Yitian, after staying in the Yuan Mansion for several days couldn¡¯t help but begin to feel a little bored. They made a request to make a trip to the county town. Yuan Zeyu naturally had no objections regarding this request. On the contrary, he even made one of core members of the young generation apany them. As for He Quanxin- this tenthyer, great expert would obviously keep watch over the Yuan Mansion.


    Apanied by Yuan Residence¡¯s Yuan Lixuan, He Yiming and He Yitian arrived in the external region of the county town. The two brothers were not country bumpkins in the true sense at all. Be it He Yiming or He Yitian, both had experienced being away from Tai Cang county. At the very least, both had seen a county town that wasparable to the one before them.


    However, the hustle and bustle of the city was still somewhat out of their expectations.


    Especially in front of the few city gates, there were neatly arranged stalls. Along the street, each and every one of these traders was shouting and enticing their customers with smiles, trying to drum up the business.


    However, at the same time, although these people were shouting, it was strictly under regtions. Their positions were far enough to not influence the traders inside the gate or the pedestrians walking past.


    Not to mention Tai Cang county¡¯s county town, even Downwind City didn¡¯t have such arrangements.


    Hereby, it was evident that the city administration had gone through a lot of trouble.


    ¡°Elder brother Yitian, this is the county town.¡± Yuan Lixuan respectfully said, ¡°There are indeed many interesting ces and reputed tourist spots in the county town. Wherever you two wish to go, you only need to speak once, this little brother guarantees to take you there.¡±


    These few days, He Yitian had stayed with the young generation of the Yuan family. Being young, they were naturallybative.


    Nobody dared to provoke the reportedly tenthyer expert He Quanxin, but as far as his son was concerned, they were not too keen on letting him off.


    However, despite being only twenty-four years old, He Yitian was a true expert who had attained the seventhyer five years ago. On top of that, after receiving stimtion by a freak like He Yiming three years ago, he¡¯d further cultivated bitterly and was far more superior than the past.


    On the other hand, among all of Yuan family disciples that were under the age of thirty, there wasn¡¯t a single seventhyer expert. As such, there was only consequence of challenging He Yitian.


    When Yitian struck down the entire third generation of Yuan family, they immediately epted him wholeheartedly and their attitudes towards him further turned respectful.


    As for He Yiming, he didn¡¯t act at all. He Yitian pulled everybody¡¯s vision, and the only individuals who knew a bit about He Yiming¡¯s depth, Yuan Zeyu and his son, kept their mouths sealed as if they were not aware.


    After entering the city amidst the stream of people, He Yitian didn¡¯t choose any destination and let Yuan Lixuan decide on his own.


    Under the lead of this individual who was reportedly born in the county town and knew every street like the back of his hand, the two brothers spent an exceedingly satisfying day.


    He Yitian even bought some misceneous items, saying that it was for elders and siblings.


    Receiving his call, He Yiming inwardly cursed at himself. When he¡¯d returned homest time, he hadn¡¯t thought about this point at all. He was indeed somewhat ashamed towards his family.


    However, he didn¡¯t recall the five gold core pills he¡¯d taken out in a single instance.


    The price of five gold cores would certainly be far above that of a few small presents. Especially for influential families, it was simply amodity that could safeguard the development of the family.


    After roaming for the majority of the day, the three individuals had many items in their hands. However, the money they had actually spent was not much.


    At the suggestion of Yuan Lixuan, they temporarily left their items in one of the Yuan family¡¯s stores and came out empty-handed once again.


    As they had barely stepped in a wine shop, they heard a moring from not too far away from their positions.


    Observing that the two were paying attention to that direction, Yuan Lixuan immediately said, ¡°Ahead is the ce where life and death martial duels in the county town takes ce. Every night there would be people to issue duels, but they may not necessarily be life and death ones.¡±


    He Yitian faintly nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look.¡±


    Yuan Lixuan naturally wouldn¡¯t object. He headed in that direction, leading the two brothers.


    He Yiming faintly pulled his elder brother and asked, ¡°Elder brother, why would you wish to see such an arena? Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s impossible for true experts topete here?¡±


    This was what he¡¯d gained from experience. After attaining eighthyer, it would be basically impossible for one to enter the arena and fight under watchful gazes.¡±


    He Yitian turned his head and gently said, ¡°Yiming, aftering to an unfamiliar city, if you wish to understand its average martial strength, the best way is to see a few life and death duels in the arena.¡±


    He Yiming faintly started and said, ¡°Is there any use for it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it has.¡± He Yitian solemnly nodded.


    After a few moments, the three individuals had arrived before the arena.


    Currently, there were already two men in the arena, fighting unbridledly. Their skill was exceptionally good and Internal Energy was also around sixthyer.


    Seeing countless spectator¡¯s cheering, He Yiming faintly recalled the feeling he¡¯d experienced in the arena of Tai Cang county.


    Although the moves in the arena seemed quite shy, in the eyes of the He brothers, they were full of openings.


    However, both the contenders in the arena were sixthyer experts, which implied that the quality of the life and death duels here was far above that in Tai Cang county.


    After looking at a few more duels, He Yiming discovered that the only individuals qualified to enter this arena were basically the experts of the fifthyer or above. Even big influential families would offer them a good sponger position. However, ording to Yuan Lixuan, most of these people were too proud to be spongers in big influential families.


    After a while, He Yiming deeply sighed and said, ¡°Eldest brother, you were correct. You can indeed deduce a city¡¯s average cultivation through the life and death duels.¡±


    He Yitian coarselyughed then prepared to leave. Although Yuan Lixuan was somewhat reluctant to part, once He Yitian made his position clear, he immediately followed after him.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 34.2

    Note:


    The second goal of 100$ on my patreon ount has been met! My hands are already full this week, so the bonus chapter will be released next week along with seven regr chapters.


    After having a casual meal, Yuan Lixuan took a few turns and led them to a spacious street.


    On this big street, there weren¡¯t much people. The decorations of the shops at the sides of the street were exceedingly in and simple. However, there was a baselessly profound atmosphere pervading the street.


    ¡°What is this ce?¡± He Yitian astoundedly asked.


    ¡°This is the street of county town¡¯s most reputed antique shops,¡± Yuan Lixuan proudly said, ¡°Every antique here is at least five hundred years old. The good stuff in here is simply too vast to be countable. You can only slowly explore by yourself. If your luck is not good, you can only return with empty hands. However, if your luck is good, striking rich overnight is also not umon.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded. He wasn¡¯t too fond of such things. However, He Yitian appeared to be somewhat interested.


    With the introduction of Yuan Lixuan, they headed towards a store that reportedly had some goodmodities.


    He Yiming gently tugged and said, ¡°Brother Yuan, does your family have a shop here?¡±


    Yuan Lixuan¡¯s face turned slightly red, ¡°Unfortunately, our Yuan family doesn¡¯t deal in antiques.¡±


    He Yitian took out a gold ingot that was more than ten taels heavy and said, ¡°Yiming, I¡¯m going in to take a look. If you don¡¯t want toe, you might as well roam on your own. We¡¯ll meet here again two hourster.¡±


    He Yiming thought for a bit, then said, ¡°All right.¡±


    However, he didn¡¯t ept the ingot from his elder brother¡¯s hands, and instead took out two himself with a flip of his hand.


    Stuffing one into He Yitian hands, he gentlyughed and left, heading towards the depths of the street.


    Watching his brother¡¯s retreating figure, He Yitian couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue in wonder, wondering how could he have so much wealth despite being so young.


    However, he didn¡¯t know that the current wealth He Yiming had disyed was merely what he¡¯d acquired from Hubin¡¯s body. As for the gifts that the four big influential families of Fire Crow country had given to him, the most of them had been left in the Xie Residence. If He Yitian were to see those things, he would be absolutely terrified.


    He Yiming indeed didn¡¯t have an ounce of interest in the antiques on this street. He simply couldn¡¯tprehend why would people chase after these things which could neither be eaten nor drunk. Even his father was quite obsessed over these items.


    Perhaps for the current He Yiming, only the road of martial dao was the true target of his pursuit.


    Especially after attaining the Xiantian realm, with every breath he took, he could distinctly feel that he¡¯d not attained the peak. It was akin to climbing a mountain only to discover that this small mountain was nothing but an entrance to a big mountain that prates the clouds.


    This made him recall the mountain behind the He manor. That big mountain with flourishing nature was enough to make the majority of people lose their way. However, the reality was that it was merely a small entrance. Only after entering inside this entrance would one be able to see the gigantic mountain range that stretched across millions of li, running through the entire northwest region.


    He Yiming¡¯s footsteps were soundless and nimble. He headed towards the street¡¯s exit. However, as soon as his foot stepped out of the street, he suddenly turned back and walked. But his movements remained graceful and nimble, not attracting anyone¡¯s attention.


    A moment ago, he¡¯d caught sight of an individual. If he hadn¡¯t remembered wrong, it was precisely Fan Vastmoon whom he¡¯d encountered while returning from the Fire Crow country. As soon as he saw him, he thought of the Fan family. However, he wasn¡¯t sure if the two were rted.


    Beside Fan Vastmoon were two attendants. The three individuals rushingly arrived before a shop and entered without the slightest hesitation.


    He Yiming immediately swept his vision around, silently circled around, and snuck inside.


    With his strength, if he wished to engage in such shady affairs, he wouldn¡¯t be discovered even under broad daylight.


    The back of this shop was extended to a several ten meters big courtyard, which further contained more than ten buildings.


    With the help of True Qi, He Yiming immediately discovered that this ce was heavily guarded. There were actually ten cultivator guards, one among whom was even an eightyer expert.


    For such an expert to appear inside a shop indeed felt quite queer. His heart faintly trembled, ¡®Don¡¯t tell me this ce is concealing some secret?¡¯


    Not long after, Fan Vastmoon entered one of the buildings with a middle-aged man. He Yiming immediately focused inside this building.


    Although he couldn¡¯t see the interaction of his true Qi with the mysterious external energies with his eyes, in his perception, he could receive a substantial amount of information regarding the movements and sounds made by the individuals inside.


    ¡°Second young master¡­ howe it¡¯s not big young master this time?¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s voice gently echoed. At the same time, a scene of the middle-aged man cautiously asking this question appeared in He Yiming¡¯s mind. Furthermore, he could strangely evenprehend this middle-aged man¡¯s state of mind, seeming as if he didn¡¯t trust Fan Vastmoon but had no way out.


    Indistinctly, He Yiming somewhat understood. In this n, this young master¡¯s reputation was evidently not good. Whereas that big young master¡¯s impression was quite favourable.


    Fan Vastmoon coldly snorted and said, ¡°Why? Do you think only elder brother is Fan family¡¯s lord? That I am nothing?¡±


    His voice was gloomy, carrying a chill as if a ferocious dragon had been provoked.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s frightened voice immediately sounded, ¡°Second master, with heavens as my witness, I would never dare think as such.¡±


    ¡°Humph, if you don¡¯t think, it¡¯s fine. If you truly think, see if I don¡¯t put you in your ce.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­yes¡± The middle-aged man said in a frightened voice. This moment, he wouldn¡¯t dare reveal the slightest bit of distrust even if his brain was chopped apart.


    ¡°Fine, so what is the treasure you¡¯ve obtained? Take it out quickly.¡± Fan Vastmoon impatiently said.


    As much unwilling the middle-aged man was inwardly, he didn¡¯t dare be neglectful. Although the second young master before his eyes and the big young master were both born of the same mother, be it skill, or their way of conduct, the difference simply couldn¡¯t be ounted with reason.


    However, in any case, he was still a leader of Fan family- not someone that he, a lowly servant, could resist.


    After a few moments, the middle aged man gently and cautiously took out a package from a chest. However, subsequently, a furious voice could be heard, ¡°What is this?! A stone? Have you gone insane? You¡¯ve asked me to hurry over for a stone?¡±


    The middle-aged man felt wronged inwardly, ¡®I wished for your elder brother, not you- a spoiled brat who only knows his own pleasure and uses his position to bully others.¡¯


    Although he was quite resentful inwardly, his voice became even more deferential, ¡°Second young master, this thing was personally delivered by Golden Rat Thief.¡±


    ¡°Golden Rat Thief? Is it some toy?¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face stiffened as he rather awkwardly said, ¡°Golden Rat Thief is a nickname. He is our Gold Forest¡¯s most reputed tomb raider.¡±


    Fan Vastmoon red, ¡°So you are saying, this thing is stolen from a tomb?¡± He vigorously waved his hand and threw the stone towards outside, then flung his arm around two times; his whole face wretched.


    The middle-aged man immediately leapt and secured the stone before it could hit the ground. However, his face was indistinctly green. Whoever met such a young lord probably would have lost his mind as well.


    ¡°Second young master, although Golden Rat Thief is merely a tomb-plunderer, he has his family¡¯s skill that has been passed on for three generations. Moreover, he often scores good stuff.¡±


    Fan Vastmoon coldly snorted and said, ¡°Is that so? In that case, are you saying this is good stuff?¡±


    The middle-aged man bitterlyughed and said, ¡°Second young master, my knowledge is pitiful. I can¡¯t tell. However, this time, Golden Rat Thief himself said that he entered a huge cave. After barely preserving his life there, he finally found this stuff on the coffin. Reportedly, this was the only thing with the coffin.¡±


    Fan Vastmoon faintly creased his brows and said, ¡°So what?¡±


    The middle-aged man helplessly said with a smile, ¡°Usually, this thing ought to be the most precious object in the entire tomb.¡±


    Fan Vastmoon coldly smiled for a few moments before saying, ¡°Most precious? If that Golden Rat Thief was only digging up a country bumpkin¡¯s tomb, this would naturally be the most precious object.¡±


    Although the middle-aged man was quite disapproving, he cautiously said, ¡°Second young master, Golden Rat Thief has been doing this work for more than twenty years and has a golden reputation in this line of work. Unless he wants to tear down this reputation, he would never do such a thing.¡±


    Fan Vastmoon thought for a bit, ¡°Pack this thing up for me. I will take it back to have it properly inspected. If it¡¯s truly some treasure, you will naturally profit. However, if it¡¯s merely a stone, be prepared for your punishment.¡±


    The middle-aged man repeatedly sounded his agreement while wondering inwardly, ¡®Both big young master and second mastere from the same womb, how could they be so far apart?¡¯


    After a few moments, at Fan Vastmoon¡¯s call, the two attendants immediately entered inside.


    Fan Vastmoon pointed at one of them, made him hold a small package, and left the store with them.


    The three individuals walked out of the store. However, they had a small package in addition.


    He Yiming thought for a few moments, faintly shook his head, and was about to leave.


    But he suddenly recalled how this Fan Vastmoon wished to rob him of his Red Silk. Although he¡¯d already imparted a suitable punishment, since they had met again, he might as well increase it a little bit.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 35.1 - Unexpected Delight

    When He Yiming walked out into the street, his face was alreadypletely transformed.


    The current him, regardless from which angle one looked, looked like a man above forty. Furthermore, even his height had been increased.


    Before leaving the shop, he opportunistically grabbed a long gown, and adjusted his stature to fit it.


    Although he¡¯d cultivated [Bone Transformation Technique], arge part of the reason he¡¯d been able to aplish this feat so easily was that he¡¯d attained the Xiantian realm.


    Fan Vastmoon and his two attendants were walking on the road without a care. Not to mention they weren¡¯t aware of the jinx behind them, even if they were, how would they have escaped from the pursuit of a Xiantian cultivator?


    He Yiming quickened his footsteps and soon overtook them.


    He turned around and bought a shoddy wine from a shop at another street¡¯s opening. Sprinkling some of it on his clothes, he headed in the opposite direction.


    At a street¡¯s entrance, he burped and stopped. His eyes also seemed to have be distant.


    Inwardly, he slowly counted the sounds concerning their footsteps.


    After reaching such a realm of strength, merely by relying on the sounds entering ears, one could make a lot of deductions.


    Although He Yiming couldn¡¯t tell the destination Fan Vastmoon and his two attendant were headed, from the sound of their footsteps, he could tell the direction they would take the very next moment.


    Slowing footsteps and taking a turn is different from walking straight in an extremely subtle way. An ordinary person naturally wouldn¡¯t be able to perceive this difference. However, if a Xiantian cultivator were to pay a little attention, he could easily discern it.


    Perhaps an individual who had gone through an appropriate training for some time could also aplish this feat. However, a Xiantian cultivator could easily do so relying on his own power. Such a feat was far beyond the imagination of an ordinary individual.


    Right at this moment, He Yiming ascertained that Fan Vastmoon would walk straight.


    Eventually, the corners of his mouth curled into a mischievous smile before he rushed out of the street with staggering footsteps.


    ¡°Peng¡­¡±


    The moment Fan Vastmoon walked past a street¡¯s entrance, an evidently drunk man walked out in staggering steps from there within.


    His brows creased, wishing to dodge involuntarily. However, he suddenly discovered that regardless of which direction he tried to dodge, he would not be able to seed.


    This thought merely flickered in his mind momentarily, not provoking his conscious attention.


    He lifted his leg, wishing to kick. The next moment, the leg supporting his body indescribably slipped. Thereupon, his other leg obviously kicked air. On top of that, his body resolutely collided with the drunkard.


    A patch of darkness emerged before Fan Vastmoon¡¯s eyes. He only felt himself to be colliding against an iron wall; everything seeming brightly lit.


    Fortunately, the attendants with him reacted quickly. Before he could touch the ground, they quickly stepped forward and supported him.


    ¡°Young master, young master¡­.¡±


    The two attendants anxiously shouted. This collision didn¡¯t seem light.


    However, that drunkard was also holding his hand and gasping and groaning in pain. His condition was evidently worse.


    Fan Vastmoon shook his head, as if sobering up. However, he immediately regretted doing so. This collision was too terrible. It actually made his entire body ache.


    Furious inside, he fiercely shifted his vision over. That man was already staggeringly standing up; his face covered in a mask of innocence.


    ¡°You, you all¡­.why¡­.you ran into¡­ me?¡±


    Fan Vastmoon felt a fury burning inside him. It was always him who had wronged others, since when did the others have the courage to do so?


    ¡°Hit, hit him for me¡­.hit him ruthlessly¡­.¡±A voice filled with resentment escaped out from the space of his teeth.


    The two attendants exchanged a nce. One of them continued to support Fan Vastmoon, and the other forced out a bitterugh before advancing forward.


    As if sensing something was not right, the drunkard immediately shook his hands, ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t create trouble, you people. I am actually very ferocious!¡±


    This moment, the conflict had already gained the curiosity of a few people on the street. Such actions of the drunkard immediately aroused a burst ofughter.


    That attendant coldlyughed. Not responding with words, he waved his fist.


    This person had offended the second young master. Although it was not intentional, at the very least, it had angered the second young master. Once he was angered, for the two of them, who were responsible for his safety, it was anything but good.


    Therefore, his fist was not lenient at all. As long as it wasn¡¯t fatal, a beating was a must.


    The fist flew straight at the drunkard¡¯s stomach. This was because the attendant didn¡¯t want to kill him. Otherwise, he would have directly aimed at the vital sections.


    The drunkard immediately flew out upside-down while spurting a mouthful of blood, which dyed the ground red.


    The attendant was inwardly rmed as well as pleasantly surprised. This drunkard had just collided with the second young master. He is obviously a guy with a strong physique. ¡®My casual strike actually made him fly off, spurting blood? When did I be so powerful?¡¯


    However, subsequently, another event urred that was even beyond his expectations.


    That drunkard, after hitting the ground, immediately crawled up, and furthermore, ferociously shouted, ¡°You dared to hit me? I will fight you with my life!¡±


    Following which, with his head down, he charged forward like a savage bull. At this moment, the drunkard¡¯s body erupted with an aura that caused everybody¡¯s heart to palpitate.


    The appalled attendant was already groped by the drunkard, pushing him backwards.


    Unceasing shrieks echoed. By the time the attendant sobered up, he discovered that somewhere along the line, he¡¯d fell down, and beneath his body were precisely his young master and the other attendant.


    By the time they stood up amidst roaringughters of spectators on the street, that drunkard had already left.


    Although Fan Vastmoon was quite haughty, he was no fool. A random drunkard running into him was already a queer event. Then easily pushing his attendant, moveover, implicating him and his other attendant in the process- this was definitely not normal.


    The moment they stood up from the ground and saw that the drunkard had already gone missing, they immediately understood that this drunkard was certainly not simple.


    One of the attendants suddenly said, ¡°Not good! My package¡­.¡±


    Fan Vastmoon and the other attendant immediately shifted their vision onto him. The parcel that contained the ck stone had mysteriously disappeared from his body.


    The three exchanged a nce before Fan Vastmoon sternly shouted, ¡°Chase!¡±


    However, they all knew that the chance of catching that drunkard was almost zero.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 35.2

    When He Yiming slowly walked out from the street¡¯s opening, his face had gained its true appearance and even the body hadpletely reverted back to normal. As for the long gown on his body, he¡¯d dumped it in some corner sometime along the way.


    His figure faintly moved. The next moment, he was already inside one of the Yuan family¡¯s shops. The shop¡¯s assistant, who obviously recognized He Yiming, immediately struck a greeting.


    He Yiming asked him to prepared a room where he could rest and further made him send someone to that antique shop along with the message for his eldest brother that he would be waiting here.


    The servants in this shop naturally didn¡¯t dare be neglectful and immediately made all the arrangements.


    After entering the room prepared for him, the first task He Yiming did was precisely to open that package.


    Inside was a box made from gold and iron. There was an exquisite chain on the box.


    He Yiming coldy snorted and gave a gentle pull to the chain. The chain immediately broke apart. For a powerful Xiantian cultivator such as him, such shackles wouldn¡¯t cause anyplications even in the absence of a suitable key.


    The box opened, revealing a round object wrapped in a cotton cloth.


    With his brows faintly creased, He Yiming tore the cotton cloth, revealing a dark and seemingly devoid of luster, ck stone.


    Upon seeing this ck stone, his expression turned into one of disbelief.


    This time¡¯s encounter with Fan Vastmoon was aplete ident. Originally, He Yiming had no greed for such a treasure. He¡¯d merely thought of Fan Vastmoon¡¯s repulsive behaviour previously when he¡¯d decided to leave a lesson of reaping what you sow for thetter.


    However, he could never have possibly imagined that this box contained such a treasure.


    His movements immediately slowed down, bing soft and gentle.


    Before knowing what this box contained, he didn¡¯t have much expectations in his mind. For a Xiantian cultivator, ordinary objects held no value.


    However, upon seeing the object inside, he immediately turned cautious, and at the same time, also understood why this object was deemed as the most precious treasure on the corpse.


    This dark stone, which seemedpletely ordinary, was actually the same Maic Steel Source He Yiming had obtained from Ting Liferay.


    For an ordinary person, this object didn¡¯t hold much use. At the same time, due to this object¡¯s rarity, ordinary people also couldn¡¯t identify it.


    However, for a Xiantian expert, especially those who had yet to form their weapons, this object was simply priceless and couldn¡¯t be bought with mere money.


    As he estimated the weight of this stone, a wide smile emerged on his face. The size of this stone was so big that it defied his expectations- almost double the size of the stone given to him by Ting Liferay.


    Sucking in a deep breath, He Yiming put the stone back in the box.


    This time¡¯s fortunate encounter actually allowed him to obtain such a big chunk of Maic Steel Source.


    It was hard to imagine what kind of character that deceased must have been to have such a treasure act as his funerary item. In any case, since he understood the worth of this treasure, it could be assumed that he, at least, wouldn¡¯t be a nameless person.


    Such a big chunk of Maic Steel Source could certainly make the refining of the remaining two sections of his chopper possible.


    However, the biggest problem before him now was that he didn¡¯t have a suitable Jadestone furnace.


    He didn¡¯t know how much time he¡¯d spent alone in the room before a sound of hurriedly approaching footsteps came from outside. He Yitian¡¯s image immediately appeared in He Yiming¡¯s mind.


    After a few moments, the room¡¯s door was opened. As expected, it was He Yitian along with Yuan Lixuan.


    The two were talking and smiling. Hearing for a few moments, He Yiming¡¯s face turned rather awkward. From their conversation, it seemed that the trick he¡¯d pulled on Fan Vastmoon had already been heard by them and was also spreading around. What He Yiming found even more ridiculous was that this Fan Vastmoon precisely belonged to the Fan family that stood against the Yuan family. It was not surprising in the least that while mentioning this subject, Yuan Linxuan¡¯s entire face exuded schadenfreude.


    He Yiming walked out. They then immediately left for the Yuan manor outside the town.


    As for the extra, small package on He Yiming¡¯s body, nobody paid any attention to it since nobody could associate that forty year old man with He Yiming.


    ¡°Idiot! What have you done? Who told you to go to the antique shop?¡±


    A furious voice echoed in the Fan family. This voice was extremely substantive and carried an oppressive aura- evidently a voiceing from the mouth of an individual habitual of ordering people around.


    In the Gold Forest country, Fan family was merely a newly-emerged small n, but since they had a tenthyer overseer, they had attracted countless eyes¡¯ close attention.


    Currently, in the Fan family¡¯s main hall, Fan Vastmoon was kneeling on the ground with a dejected face. Beside him, the two attendants¡¯ face were even more miserable. Before the family leader, they didn¡¯t dare utter a word.


    Fan Vastmoon lifted his head and stole a nce before immediately lowering it again, ¡°Father, at that time, elder brother was not at home. I merely wished to lend a hand to elder brother.¡±


    ¡°Lend a hand?¡± Fan Shui coldlyughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you were thinking of stealing the limelight for yourself.¡±


    Fan Vastmoon further lowered his head. However, his hands on his knees involuntarily strictened.


    None of his movements escaped Fan Shui¡¯s eyes. His original intentions of scolding him a bit more dissolved away butmented in his mind that his second son was trulyckingpared to his elder son.


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    A gentle voice could be heard, following which, Fan Vastsun entered in quick steps and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already heard about this incident. Second seemingly had good intentions and only came out on the losing end because that person was too cunning.¡±


    Fan Vastmoon lifted his head again, looking back and forth between his father and elder brother. When he lowered his head again, his eyes didn¡¯t have a trace of gratefulness and were instead filled with resentment. But he also knew that he currently couldn¡¯t reveal this expression no matter what. Otherwise, even he didn¡¯t know what kind of punishment awaited him.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡± Fan Shui shook his head. Regarding these two sons of his, he no longer had any strength to discipline them, ¡°Stop it, just say what was the thing that you lost?¡±


    Before Fan Vastmoon could open his mouth, he heard his elder brother¡¯s voice, ¡°I¡¯d dispatched someone to make inquiries. It was stolen from the tomb of a senior from a previous dynasty. Reportedly, it was a treasure to keep pressure on the coffin. But in terms of shape, it was merely a chunk of ck stone.¡±


    Fan Shui¡¯s brows creased. This kind of object, not to mention without personally witnessing it, even if he¡¯d seen it, he might not have been able to recognize it.


    ¡°Let it be. Since nobody knows what it was, there is no need to talk about it.¡± Fan Shui¡¯s voice suddenly strictened, ¡°But that guy who actually dared to fight over Fan family¡¯s stuff¡­.he must be found. I will scatter his ashes.¡±


    Fan Vastsun bitterlyughed and said, ¡°Father, son heard that this person is exceptionally agile. Moreover, his face ispletely ordinary. To find such a person¡­.I¡¯m afraid¡­.¡±


    Fan Shui again snorted angrily. He knew his elder son¡¯s meaning. Such a clueless case¡­they could only clench their teeth and endure. After all, people were boundless like an ocean. With their Fan family¡¯s strength, they wouldn¡¯t be able to look for such a figure in the entire county town.


    After lecturing Fan Vastmoon some more, Fan Shui eventually stood and left.


    The attendants beside Fan Vastmoon both rejoiced. Escaping punishment this time could only be attributed to gates of fortune opening for them.


    With a wave from Fan Vastsun, they immediately turned around and left as if having received amnesty.


    They had no desire to mix in the internal affairs of these two brothers.


    Fan Vastsun gently sighed and said, ¡°Second, I sent someone to make inquiries. This time, the Yuan family has managed to invite a tenthyer expert. After receiving the backing of this individual, Yuan Zeyu¡¯s conduct has taken aplete turn, and he insists on having an attitude of life and death struggle with our family.¡±


    Fan Vastmoon¡¯s coldy snorted and said, ¡°Elder brother, you should discuss these things with father. Why are speaking with me- an ignorant and ipetent chap?¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s brows creased as he said, ¡°Second, do you rememberst time¡¯s incident when you failed to take that guy¡¯s horse and were instead taught a lesson by him?¡±


    Fan Vastmoon suddenly raised his head and furiously said, ¡°Why are mentioning this? Do you wish to humiliate me?¡±


    Fan Vastsun helplessly waved and said, ¡°Second, Fan Seventh said that among the people that Yuan family has invited this time, there is that red horse and also that youngster who he was unable to see through.¡±


    Fan Vastmoon¡¯s face suddenly revealed a trace of killing intent.


    ¡°Second,¡± Fan Vastsun¡¯s face eventually sank, ¡°When Yuan family asked for help, nobody replied to them. However, people from Heaven Sieve country anxiously rushed here. Don¡¯t tell me¡­you don¡¯t find it strange?¡±


    Fan Vastmoon¡¯s eye suddenly shone with a vicious glint, ¡°Elder brother, could it be that you think¡­.these people are here because of me?¡±


    ¡°It might not be connected with you. However, this is also a lesson. In the future, don¡¯t be rash when you act.¡± Fan Vastsun earnestly and sincerely said.


    Fan Vastmoon let out a longugh. But this smile didn¡¯t have a trace of respect, ¡°Elder brother, I will keep your instructions in mind. As for that red horse¡¯s rider, if he creates trouble for you, I will certainly help you deal with him.¡±


    After saying these words, he flicked his sleeves and left in huge strides, leaving behind Fan Vastsun silently watching his back with a frown.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 36.1 - Extraordinary Strength

    Well I made a mistake in keeping count of chapters. I forgot to include the first chapter of the week in the count and only realized when one of thements tossed a hint. This is the ninth chapter of the week


    Basically all the small countries to the west of the north-western countries had sections of the mountain range that was stretched across the whole north-western region. However, apart from these sections, the regions to the north were evenly stretched grasnds for the most part.


    Heaven Sieve country was also one such country. Tai Cang county and Atai county were both considered to be a part of the Jadeting region. However, the difference between them was that unlike Tai Cang county, Atai county was mostly constituted of evennd rather than the mountains.


    Furthermore, the border between Heaven Sieve country and Kairong country was also here.


    Kairong country was but one of the three great nations of the northwest. Their strength was far beyond that of Heaven Sieve country.


    The horse bandits of Atai county also usually avoided the caravans from Kairong country. As a result, the troops of Kairong country usually turned a blind eye to the activities of these horse bandits, not willing to spend too much energy topletely eradicate them.


    However, as far as Heaven Sieve country was concerned, these horse bandits were undoubtedly a huge, poisonous tumor. Unfortunately, regardless of how they tried, under theck of cooperation from the troops of Kairong country, they couldn¡¯t eliminate this tumor in its entirety.


    The horse bandits of Atai county had no fixed territory. However, due to this reason, they were flexible and had managed not to be caught in one big so far.


    In the broad sense, since Atai county was situated at the border and further had horse bandits, the martial wind was more prevalent here inparison to the other counties. Merely the horse bandits had five tenthyer Internal Energy experts among them.


    The Red Cloth bandits were one of the top organizations among the horse bandit groups throughout the Atai county.


    This huge organization surprisingly had two tenthyer experts. For ordinary horse bandits, this was simply an unimaginable feat.


    Tenthyer experts- regardless of where they went, the influential families would spare no cost to rope them in. Even if such a person didn¡¯t wish to live under others, he could easily start his own sect and establish his own n.


    Although not every tenthyer expert could establish a n with millenniums of legacy, at the same time, almost every big n with over a millennium of legacy had been founded by a tenthyer expert.


    Currently, the two leaders of the Red Cloth bandits were leading a group of horse bandits to a vige. They arrived on a section of evennd and decided to rest.


    The leader Guan Qing and the second leader Guo Shaofeng, both were big, brute men. The characteristic that they both shared was that they both had ice-cold expressions, seeming as if they could see through whoever they faced.


    The Red Cloth bandits had no shortage of fearless men. They neither fear heavens nor earth and never hesitated to take the lead of troops. However, before these two leaders, merely a re was sufficient to transform these tigers into rats.


    This was the courage and resolution of these two leaders. If this was not the case, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to take charge of the Red Cloth bandits either.


    Inside a big tent, these two leaders were enjoying wine and delicacies while discussing their future course of action.


    Regarding the viges in the Atai county, as long as they handed over the tax as per the established rules, these bandits didn¡¯t create too much trouble for them. After all, if they wish to continue living for a long time, apart from looting the travelling caravans, they also required these viges to survive.


    If there weren¡¯t any viges inside Atai county, they also couldn¡¯t possibly live in such leisure.


    Suddenly, the curtains of the tent opened.


    A slender male entered and performed a respectful salute before saying, ¡°Leader, second leader, I¡¯m back.¡±


    Guan Qing faintly nodded and said, ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Leader, both the leaders of Wolf Fangs and Fierce Tigers have agreed to our request and are willing to make a trip to Tai Cang county with us to massacre the Cheng family, and take revenge for Captain Guan. However, Azure Sea¡¯s leaders didn¡¯t agree. They said that this matter has nothing to do with them, and it¡¯s not worth it to throw their lives away for us Red Cloth bandits.¡±


    Guan Qing¡¯s face immediately sank. He coldly snorted and said, ¡°Did you tell them that we, Red Cloth bandits, will not im any of the gains this time and leave everything to them?¡±


    That man lowered his head and said, ¡°This subordinate told them, but the second leader, Sea Huqiao, ordered this subordinate to let you know that¡­. she said¡­.¡±


    Seeing him hesitate, Guan Qing annoyed said, ¡°Sea Huqiao, what did that woman say?¡±


    That man bit his tongue and said, ¡°She said, Guan Wei coveted others¡¯ wealth. He acted in Tai Cang county and broke the rules. Therefore, he was only digging his own grave. Even if the few of our groups join hands and seeds in exterminating the Cheng family, we will have humiliated the Jadeting¡¯s Lin family into anger. At that time, a full blown retaliation from Lin family would certainly be extremely troublesome. Therefore, please leader, don¡¯t be impulsive and think carefully before acting¡­.¡±


    His words had been bing increasingly slow. Seeing Guan Qing¡¯s face gradually bing overcast to an extent that it could drip water at any time, he tacitly closed his mouth.


    Guo Shaofeng¡¯splexion slightly changed, ¡°Senior brother, since Sea Huqiao, that loathsome woman fails to appreciate our kindness, we also don¡¯t need to care about them. This time, since we¡¯ve managed to invite Wolf Fangs and Fierce Tigers, even if Tai Cang county¡¯s all the three influential families join hands, we can simply exterminate them all.¡±


    Guan Qing¡¯s face was although quite unsightly, he hadn¡¯t lost his rationale.


    ¡°Junior brother, you can¡¯t look down on Tai Cang county¡¯s three influential families,¡± He coldly snorted, ¡°Although Tai Cang county only has two tenthyer experts, as far as I know, they have at least five cultivators above ninthyer. Moreover, excluding He family, both Xu family and Cheng families have centuries of legacy. Although ninthyer experts wouldn¡¯t appear that easily, they have no shortage of seventh and eighthyer experts.¡± He chuckled as his eyes calmed down, ¡°If we were to truly fight with our lives, even if our alliance of four ultimately triumphs, our strength will have taken a huge hit.¡±


    Guo Shaofeng¡¯s mouth faintly twitched a few times, eventually speaking, ¡°Senior brother, are you saying that those people from Azure Sea will try to take advantage of this opportunity?¡±


    Yuan Qing faintly nodded and said, ¡°Correct. Although Azure Hanyang is also a tenthyer cultivator like us, everybody knows that his cultivation is the most profound among all of us. Furthermore, that woman Sea Huqiao is not only extremely resourceful, her Internal Energy is also at ninthyer¡¯s peak. Even if the two of them fought together against us two brothers fair and square, the oue would be hard to predict.¡± He lightly sighed and said, ¡°With such a power behind our back, it¡¯s indeed hard to feel rxed.¡±


    Guo Shaofeng blinked his eyes. Although he was extremely powerful, in terms of wisdom, hecked far behind his senior brother. Therefore, he waspletely willing to bend down and reside under Guan Qing. Otherwise, with his strength, he could have left the Red Cloth bandits long ago and formed his own group.


    ¡°Senior brother, since it¡¯s like this, what should we do? Do we still seek revenge for Guan Wei?¡± Since Guo Shaofeng could no longer see the situation clearly, he straightaway asked without trying to think.


    Guan Qing¡¯s eyes coldly glowed momentarily, ¡°This enmity will certainly be settled. However, Sea Huqiao¡¯s words are also reasonable. We must think carefully before acting.¡±


    The fact that the Red Cloth bandits could do as they pleased in Atai county for decades was not merely to be ounted to their battle power.


    As they were engaged in the discussion, the door suddenly opened with a sound, and an individual rushed in as if he was on fire.


    If He Yiming and the others were to see this person, they would definitely recognize that this person was precisely thatst bandit who had jumped in the stream at the border of Gold Forest country.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 36.2

    Currently, his body was in a terrible shape. The hair on his head was curled all around and his face looked unsightly to the extreme, seeming as if he could fall at any moment.


    Seeing him in such a terrible shape, the two leaders were obviously quite startled. Especially Guan Qing, since he knew where he¡¯de from. His expression changed as he sternly asked, ¡°What happened? What about boss Liao?¡±


    That man¡¯s voice carried a hint of weeping as he said, ¡°Leader, boss Liao died.¡±


    Guan Qing¡¯s face twitched but the expression in his eyes instead calmed down, ¡°What happened? Tell me in detail.¡±


    That man made a sound of agreement and immediately gave a quick ount of his journey. He specifically mentioned the treasured horse that He Yiming was riding, saying that if not for this horse, they wouldn¡¯t have acted.


    After hearing, Guan Qing¡¯s face darkened, ¡°Four people¡­.just four people wiped out all of you?¡±


    ¡°Leader, actually only two of them acted, ¡° That man ashamedly said, ¡°But those two were too terrible, even leader Liao fell prey to their plot.¡±


    Boss Liao was crushed alive under a long cloth sack. Such an incident was too iprehensible. Even though he had personally witnessed, he was not too clear on the reason. Without any better options, he had to say that boss Liao was plotted against, and hence, died a mysterious death.


    Guo Shaofeng¡¯s brows twitched up as he said, ¡°Do you know who those four were?¡±


    That man docilely said, ¡°Aftering out of the river, I immediately followed their trail. Later, when they made a stop at an inn, I inspected the horses they were riding. Apart from that treasured horse, all the other horses had imprints of Tai Cang county¡¯s He family.¡±


    ¡°Tai Cang county¡¯s He family¡­.¡± Guan Qing couldn¡¯t help but erupt with anger. He suddenly stood up. The wind that followed made the burning me in the tent flicker, seeming as if on the verge of blowing out.


    ¡°Tai Cang¡­ it¡¯s Tai Cang again.¡± Guan Qing furiously paced about in the tent. After a while, he eventually made his decision and said, ¡°Come on, prepare the horses. I will personally make a trip to Fierce Tigers and Wolf Fangs.¡±


    Guo Shaofeng started, then said, ¡°Senior brother, you mean?¡±


    ¡°The Red Cloth bandits that the two of us established has rampaged unbridled in the Atai county for entirely twenty years. My own brother died due to Tai Cang county, and now even boss Liao has died due to Tai Cang county. If we still continue to endure, our reputation is bound to take a big fall. How could we show our faces outside?¡± Guan Qing gnashed his teeth and said, ¡°I will invite Fierce Tigers¡¯ Xu Hanbai and Wolf Fangs¡¯ Zhong Wei and make a trip to Azure Sea together. If those husband and wife agreed to join us, that will be the end of it. However, if they don¡¯t, hehe¡­.we four will first take care of them.¡±


    Guo Shaofeng heavily nodded and said, ¡°Since senior brother has decided, junior brother will be sure to follow.¡±


    His eyes brightened. Being on the verge of fighting and killing, to him, seemed to have filled him with boundless anticipation.


    Two neither big nor small hands were gently caressing a stone bed, as if one would caress his beloved, constituting an exceedingly strange sight.


    After a few moments, He Yiming sighed in disappointment and stood up.


    ¡°Sixth brother, what do you actually want?¡± He Yitian finally couldn¡¯t endure anymore and asked.


    He Yiming briefly chuckled and said, ¡°Elder brother, I am searching for some material.¡±


    He Yitian asked in a strange manner, ¡°What kind of material are you trying to find? Could it be some kind of stone?¡±


    ¡°Correct, I want some Jadestone.¡± He Yiming unhesitatingly said.


    ¡°What do you want to do with Jadestone?¡± He Quanxin also eventually couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    Upon returning, He Yiming directly found He Quanxin and Yuan Earnest who was always beside thetter.


    He Yiming¡¯s request was extremely strange. He wished to look for a satisfactory bed in the Yuan family.


    The current He Yiming¡¯s status in the n had already outstripped that of He Quanxin. Although He Quanxin and others didn¡¯t know that he¡¯d already stepped into the Xiantian realm, a sixteen-year-old, tenthyer expert was already enough for them to see the potential of He Yiming¡¯s future strength.


    Simrly, Yuan Earnest, who had travelled together with them, was although incapable of probing He Yiming¡¯s depth, from the attitudes of the father and son towards He Yiming, he¡¯d clearly seen a few issues.


    As such, upon hearing He Yiming¡¯s strange request, he unhesitatingly agreed. Furthermore, he even personally apanied him to visit all the bedrooms of the family and allow him make his selection.


    If this request had been made by He Yitian, He Quanxin would have certainly declined and even reprimanded him for it immediately. However, with He Yiming, He Quanxin opted to keep his mouth shut.


    After they had entered ten bedrooms, they all understood the situation.


    The request He Yiming had raised was not for an ordinary bed. If the bed was made of wood nks or iron nks, he would immediately exit the room after a mere nce. However, if the nks were made of stone, he would carefully feel it once but would ultimately leave in disappointment.


    It was only at this moment, when He Yitian inquired, did He Yiming state his actual objective.


    Yuan Earnest bitterlyughed. Although he was somewhatining inwardly, his face was grinning from ear to ear, ¡°Nephew Yiming, if you wished for a bed made of Jadestone, you should have said so earlier. It¡¯s just that this kind of bed¡­.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased as he said, ¡°Is it inconvenient in some way?¡±


    Yuan Earnest bitterlyughed and said, ¡°A bed made from such a stone is too coarse and has always been used by the lowly servants in the mansion as their bed.¡±


    He Yiming eventually understood the actual reason.


    In Heaven Sieve country and Fire Crow country, although Jadestone was not considered as a particrly expensive material, due to its properties, rich and powerful families would often make a few bed out of it. During winter¡¯s cold, lying on such a bed felt quite warm andfortable.


    However, the rich and powerful families of Gold Forest didn¡¯t acknowledge such pleasure.


    In their eyes, Jadestone was a lowly material, and thus, was only fit to be used by servants.


    In winter, to save firewood, letting servants sleep on a big bunk made of jadestone was undoubtedly the best option.


    This was a different custom of a different region. As clever as He Yiming was, he¡¯d no way of knowing it.


    However, since he¡¯d found the ce he was looking for, He Yiming would naturally not be courteous.


    Under the lead of Yuan Earnest, they arrived in the residential area of the servants. As soon as He Yiming saw the bunk, his eyes immediately brightened.


    Surprisingly this bunk was made of one big chunk of jadestone. Merely its width was two meters and the length had further attained ten meter. One could squeeze twelve people on it with ease.


    ¡°Uncle Yuan, making a bed out of such a piece of Jadestone like this¡­isn¡¯t it a bit too wasteful?¡±


    ¡°Wasteful? That couldn¡¯t be.¡± Yuan Earnest smilingly said, ¡±Nephew Yiming, you may not know but our Gold Forest¡¯s Zheng Tong county is one of the biggest producers of Jadestone in the northwest. Such a big chunk of Jadestone might be rare in other areas, but here at our ce, they could be seen everywhere. They are not considered as something precious at all.¡±


    He Yiming suddenly nodded and said, ¡°In that case, uncle Yuan, gift this stone bed to me.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you can take it with you.¡± Yuan Earnest immediately agreed but hesitated immediately afterward, ¡°Nephew Yiming, this is the residential area of servants. You don¡¯t fit to be here. However, to move this thing to your residence¡­.this¡­¡±


    With this bunk¡¯s width and length, there wouldn¡¯t be many bedrooms that could fit it in.


    He Yiming faintly smiled and said, ¡°Uncle Yuan, I don¡¯t need this bed to sleep on at all.¡±


    Yuan Earnest stared nkly before saying, ¡°Then what does nephew wish to use it for?¡±


    He Yiming mysteriously smiled and said, ¡°Since uncle Yuan has already gifted me this thing, I can do whatever I please with it.¡±


    Hearing He Yiming ignoring his question didn¡¯t anger Yuan Earnest at all. On the contrary, he gently chuckled and said, ¡°That is naturally true. This thing is already nephew¡¯s.¡±


    There were at least ten servants that slept on this bunk. However, as far as Yuan Earnest was concerned, finding a new ce for them was no trouble at all. As long as He Yiming could be satisfied, everything was fine.


    After a few moments, under the orders of Yuan Earnest, all the things on the bed had been removed.


    He Yiming faintly nodded at everybody and arrived at one of the bed¡¯s corners. Crouching down, he seemed to be feeling something under the bed.


    Eventually, his eyes suddenly snapped open as a soft shout escaped his mouth, ¡°Up!¡±


    Following this word, the entire bunk was lifted up high in the air by him.


    Including He Quanxin, everybody was tongue-tied as they watched the scene before their eyes, even doubting their own eyes.


    ¡°Uncle Yuan, I am taking away this thing. Thank you very much¡­.¡±


    A loud explosion echoed as the bunk lifted up in the hands of Yiming collided with the wall. His two legs moved like a rolling wheel, instantaneously disappearing from everybody¡¯s line of sight.


    Among the various kinds of stones, Jadestone was considered to be a light type of stone.


    However, such a gigantic nk would be at least several thousand jin heavy. Even He Quanxin wouldn¡¯t dare im that he could lift such a object and further leave at a flying speed.


    After quite a while, Yuan Earnest eventually turned his head back. With eyes filled with admiration, he said, ¡°Brother He, I¡¯ve finally understood.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He Quanxin seemed as if he¡¯d just awakened from a dream.


    ¡°I¡¯ve eventually understood why uncle He would pass down the chopper de to nephew Yiming.¡± He deeply sighed before continuing, ¡°I¡¯ve previously heard my father say that uncle He has innate divine strength. I had never believed it. However, now I know that this world does truly have such exceptionally powerful men. I even wonder if this de is too light for nephew Yiming¡­¡±


    He Quanxin: ¡°¡­..¡±


    He Yitian: ¡°¡­..¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 37.1 - Reappearance

    Note: We¡¯ve a big storm over here at my ce. The power was cut throughout the day and has only just returned. Therefore, I won¡¯t be able to release thest chapter today.


    Update : The name of He Yiming¡¯s weapon has been changed to ¡°Reclining Moon de¡±. This weapon has quite a history in China which I only recently discovered. Click this LINK to see the picture of his sword. If you¡¯re intrested more in this, check out this POST I made on patreon.


    *******


    The sessiveyers of mountain peaks shrouded amidst clouds and mist exuded an enigmatic feeling.


    Gold Forest country was a part of Northwestern countries. Zheng Tong county town leaned towards further west, and the area outside the city was an expanse of tall mountains.


    He Yiming, who had already observed this terrain earlier, immediately rushed to the mountains after lifting the jadestone bed.


    The True Qi unceasingly circted inside his body, and the wonders of [Power Secrets] were being exhibited to the extreme. Every time his feet touched the ground, he¡¯d a feeling as if he was connected to the entirety of thend and could easily replenish the consumed True Qi inside his body at any time by absorbing energies from thend.


    The peak level Houtian cultivators, especially those who had already attained the peak of Internal Energy, could also attempt to lift such a several thousand jin heavy Jadestone bed. They would barely be able to force it.


    However, to lift it and travel in such quick strides like He Yiming, that would be simply too hard for them.


    Yuan Earnest and other Yuan family members had not been able toprehend how He Yiming could have possibly aplished this feat. Therefore, they could only ount it on the basis of his innate divine strength.


    However, He Quanxin and He Yitian¡¯s rtionship with He Yiming was anything but ordinary. In their memory, He Yiming was never an individual with extraordinary innate strength. Therefore, they felt amazed and puzzled. However, regardless of whatever their skepticism be, they couldn¡¯t imagine that He Yiming had already stepped into the Xiantian realm.


    In truth, if He Yiming had not stepped into the Xiantian realm, he couldn¡¯t have aplished this feat to the current degree.


    Xiantian realm, particrly the earth-type [Power Secrets] operating inside his body, allowed him to feel a mysterious connection with thend underneath his feet- as if the True Qi inside his body was and unceasing inexhaustible.


    Yuan family¡¯s Manor in itself was situated in the outskirts of the county town. It was originally chosen to be constructed at a defensive terrain with high mountains at its back. Therefore, although He Yiming running with a gigantic bed could have shocked the entire universe, he didn¡¯t encounter many people by the time he entered the mountain forest.


    However, the servants that saw him shattering two walls at the time of leaving the manor were left appalled and terrified.


    As he entered deep inside the mountains, the number of avable pathways to him gradually decreased. Especially while carrying such a gigantic bed, it was even more difficult to find a region through which one could smoothly travel.


    However, for He Yiming, it didn¡¯t cause any disturbance at all.


    He continued to travel into the mountain forest inrge strides. Although he wasn¡¯t walking on an even road, by moving left-right, back-forth, he was able to keep the bed in his hands away from the gargantuan trees.


    Fortunately, he seemed to have eyes above his head, allowing him to take all of his surroundings into his vision and take every step precisely.


    He Yiming¡¯s insides surged as a silent smile appeared on his face.


    So it turned out that after employing his True Qi to such degrees, his connection with the external world would also be greatly strengthened, even inducing a bizarre feeling in him that the entire world was in the palm of his hand.


    It seemed everything, even that which he hadn¡¯t seen yet, could appear in form of aplete picture in his brain, thereby allowing him to make precise judgements in advance.


    Before today, although he¡¯d experienced a simr perception,pared to the current one, the difference was too vast.


    It was evident that the words- pressure propels one to move forward, are not false in the least. Had he not been running in the forest while holding a huge bed, he could never have aplished this feat.


    Eventually, He Yiming arrived in a region with rtively even surface. He swept his vision around, feeling quite satisfied with this region¡¯s terrain.


    He lightly threw the bed on the ground.


    His ingenuity of using Energy had already attained an inconceivable degree. Although it seemed as if he¡¯d thrown the bed, when this big fellow dropped on the ground, it stood steady and firm, not issuing any sign of toppling.


    Throwing a nce at the stone bed, He Yiming turned around and left. Without the burden of the bed implicating him this time, his speed quickened even further. Almost in a few moments, he had already arrived inside the Yuan manor.


    Upon returning to the manor, he discovered that people were engaged in spirited discussions, and when they saw him, almost all of them revealed rmed expressions.


    If it had been an ordinary youngster, there obviously would have been nothing to fear. However, this youngster actually lifted a several thousand jin heavy object and rushed out as fast as a horse. This was too abnormal.


    Merely in this brief interval, some people had even started to rumor him as the devil¡¯s reincarnation.


    How strong was He Yiming¡¯s hearing power? He was thoroughly speechless over these suspicions. Fortunately, these rumors originated from somemoners who had no understanding of worldly affairs. Those who cultivated Internal Energy obviously disdained to even consider their words.


    In any case, these people had somewhat of a fanatic veneration regarding the strength He Yiming had disyed.


    He Yiming touched his hair. He could never have imagined that a mere act of lifting a bed made of Jadestone could give rise to such amotion. He lightly sighed and proceeded onto finding Yuan Earnest, then requested him some fuel that could offer a high temperature.


    As of now, in Yuan Earnest¡¯s eyes, He Yiming¡¯s status had already risen like a rocket going straight up in the sky.


    He¡¯d already regarded him as quite powerful before, but he could never have imagined that he was strong to this extent.


    Even without considering anything else, merely a strength that could lift such a Jadestone bed and further run with it was already sufficient to make him feel ashamed about himself. Therefore, when He Yiming requested fuel, he immediately agreed without even giving it a thought, and furthermore, took out the best quality charcoal.


    He Yiming made three round trips, moving charcoal worth more than a thousand jins, before eventually stopping.


    With the fuel ready, He Yiming took out the Reclining Moon de¡¯s first section and imbued it with True Qi. The edge of the de immediately emitted a several inch long de light.


    Under He Yiming¡¯s control, this de light deeply prated the stone bed.


    Previously, when the craftsmen had carved the furnace, He Yiming had also witnessed the process. Although he didn¡¯t possess a craftsman¡¯s skill, if a Xiantian cultivator wished to carve out a stone, it would be much quicker than craftsmen.


    Under the prerequisite of not attaching much importance to the external appearance, digging out a big hole inside a rock was not aplicated task.


    Quickly and efficiently, in a short interval of one hour, He Yiming had already produced a simple stone furnace.


    However, the differencepared to Xie family¡¯s exquisite furnace was that this furnace was notplete. It didn¡¯t even have a lid for covering its surface. The only praiseworthy point it had was that it was quite big- at least twice the size of Xie family¡¯s furnace.


    After aplishing these tasks, He Yiming eventually let out a sigh. Looking at the stone furnace before that didn¡¯t resemble one from any angle, he was quite ashamed inwardly. The so-called ¡®professionalism¡¯ was indeed not false. Compared to the craftsmen who indulged in carving stones for their entire lives, his strength was his only advantage.


    The stone furnace had a two meter long and about half a meter wide and deep cavity. He Yiming took out the Maic Steel Source and ced it inside the furnace. He then gradually burned the charcoal.


    When he¡¯d previously witnessed the members of Xie family performing this task, it seemed extremely easy and effortless. However, now as he was performing this task by himself, he understood that it was not that easy at all.


    The melting temperature of Maic Steel Furnace was far lowerpared to that of ordinary iron ores. In the hands of a skilled cksmith, it could be easily be melted. However, in the hands of He Yiming, the process seemed to have be somewhat messed up. This was because the size of this stone bed was too big, and He Yiming¡¯sck of experience was also a big problem. The stacks of firewood were evidently disarrayed and were being wasted.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 37.2

    However, after a prolonged heating, the temperature eventually attained the required standard, and the Maic Steel Source in the stone bed began to slowly melt.


    When all the Maic Steel Source had been converted into liquid paste, He Yiming took out the other two sections of the chopper and ced them inside.


    After a few moments, this liquid began to slowly seep inside the steel rods, resulting in their gradual color change.


    It took one full hour for the liquid topletely disappear. He Yiming didn¡¯t dare dy and immediately extinguished the surrounding charcoal. Fortunately, it was winter. If it had been summer, He Yiming wouldn¡¯t have dared to start such a big fire in the forest even though he had such a big stone bed.


    Taking out the two sections, he ced them amidst the snow that was stacked on the mountains. Not too long after, the two scalding steel rods had cooled off.


    He Yiming rejoiced in his mind. Fortunately, Maic Steel Source¡¯s melting point was quite low. Otherwise, in his present condition, he had no chance of aplishing this feat.


    As his vision fell on the stone bed that had be quite queer, he suddenly began to feel interested regarding weapon forging.


    Before trying, one would never be able to know the challenges of a particr task. However, after trying his hand and learning the difficulties it presented, He Yiming¡¯s interest had been thoroughly aroused.


    He decided in his mind that if he¡¯d an opportunity, he might as well learn a bit from the county¡¯s cksmiths. Then he would be able to forge his own weapon in the future.


    Reclining Moon de was indeed quite good, but precisely as Yuan Earnest said, with thebination of his current strength and True Qi, this three-hundred and sixty jin heavy weapon had already begun to feel light.


    [Power Secrets]- after He Yiming stepped into the Xiantian realm and began to continuously absorb the True Qi from external world, this earth-type, primary Houtian cultivation technique had begun to undergo a slow and subtle transformation, allowing his strength to slightly improve everyday, as if it would continue to increase forever.


    Of course, He Yiming understood that this increase must have a limit, and this limit was merely too distant for the current him.


    However, even so, with the increase in his strength, whenever he waved the Reclining Moon de, it felt a bit too light.


    If other Xiantian cultivators knew his circumstances, they would certainly be left speechless.


    Although Houtian realm¡¯s Internal Energy techniques were powerful, after a cultivator attained the Xiantian realm, they were basically the same as chicken ribs. Furthermore, to bring out the effect of the Xiantian realm in the techniques of Houtian realm through painstaking cultivation as He Yiming had done- this aplishment was simply one of its kind.


    A strand of True Qi gently entered the two steel rods. Gradually, the two rods revealed a dim, red-colored glow.


    This was the result of True Qi being spread outwards after ze technique had been employed to the extreme. Of course, under He Yiming¡¯s control, this light on the rod was not long, but condensed to the extreme.


    Holding both the rods in either hands, he casually gave them a few waves, which left behind a series of deep marks on the ground. Especially the snow, which gradually melted away as if it had been exposed to the scorching sun for a whole day.


    He Yiming retracted the two rods in satisfaction. The tip of his foot slightly jumped, and the first section of the chopper immediately flew in the air. He Yiming¡¯s wrists slightly twisted, and the two rods immediatelybined together stretching towards the sky. The other end of the steel rod perfectly took the dropping de section within.


    Just in this manner, as the True Qi operated and an exceedingly crisp sound of gears fitting echoed, almost a four meter long Reclining Moon de had miraculouslybined in his hands.


    Even if He Wude, who had wielded this weapon for several decades, were to see his current actions, he would only have admiration for thetter and would be d that he he¡¯d not selected a wrong candidate for this weapon.


    Assembling the Reclining Moon de in such a juggling manner clearly demonstrated that He Yiming¡¯s understanding of this weapon had reached a frightening degree. If this had not been the case, he couldn¡¯t have aplished this feat.


    Holding the end of the sword in one hand- neither too hard nor too soft- He Yiming raised it up above his head.


    His eyes gleamed with an excitement that was hard to conceal. After refining the de, he¡¯d always been troubled by the issue of the remaining two sections. He¡¯d originally thought that he wouldn¡¯t be able to find sufficient Maic Steel Source even in ten years, little did he know that this issue would solve itself in such a short duration.


    This moment, holding the assembled Reclining Moon de high in the air, He Yiming was filled with an intense confidence that allowed him to look down on the world.


    His legs faintly bent down, and his eyespletely opened as he his thunderous roar echoed.


    Following which, the de in his hands resolutely chopped down.


    This was not his ultimate move- [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms], but merely a casual strike. With a grandeur like that of a tsunami andndslide, and raising a burst of fierce gale along with it, the de struck at the snow-covered surface.


    However, the moment it was about to touch the surface, all of its grandeur seemed to have disappearedpletely.


    Three hundred and sixty jin heavy weapon currently seemed to have be like a thin paper. The tip of the de lightly touched the ground, not raising a single snowke.


    He Yiming leapt up, scurrying about on the snow-covered surface like a leopard while the sword in his hands seemed gentle, as if it was the palm¡¯s lover, without a bit of ferocity.


    Silk Palm- water type battle skill, Silk Palm.


    The technique He Yiming had currently employed was the evolved form of Silk Palm.


    Around his body, a soft whirlpool gradually and effortlessly spread out. Snowkes began to rise from the surface and float about, also pulling the leaves, broken stone fragments and other things buried in the snow inside the whirlpool. As if a mystical force was being emitted with He Yiming at its core, all these objects had been pulled in and were fluttering in the air about his body.


    He Yiming¡¯s movements became increasingly quick, but even so, they never fell into disorder. Furthermore, along with the quickening of his movements, the objects in the whirlpool also circled quicker.


    Eventually, when He Yiming¡¯s True Qi attained its extreme, his figure suddenly halted in the same way as a machine rotating at a high speed suddenly stops.


    In the air, the snowkes, stones, and the other things, after a momentary pause, also immediately erupted outwards in all directions in the absence of anything to ount for this drastic change.


    For an instant, snowkes and stones that had been revolving around He Yiming filled the sky and rained down.


    However, there seemed to be an invisible force around He Yiming¡¯s body that appeared to be deflecting everything.


    His legs opened up like the character °Ë. His both hands firmly grasped the de- one at the level of his eyebrows and other above his head, lifting the chopper high above in the air.


    Powerful True Qi unceasingly circted inside his body. First Primordial Energy, followed by Ripple technique, Withered Tree technique, ze technique, Power Secrets, and finally again returning to Primordial Energy.


    Five-phase True Qi circted in the order of engendering each other, growing stronger after switching every time. At the same time, the de radiance overhead also increased in ordance, and the aura on his body further intensified like a fire with oil being poured down on it.


    When the True Qi made aplete cirction, a tremendous might that couldn¡¯t be described in words filled his body. Even his Xiantian body was somewhat incapable of sustaining this might.


    A strand of dim, golden radiance slowly began to extend, growing more than half a meter before eventually stopping. The dim golden color began to intensify, seeming as if the de radiance had gained a solid body- so dazzling that it could make one¡¯s heart palpitate.


    Suddenly, He Yiming¡¯s body faintly shivered, and the raised chopper shed down like lightning.


    [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms], tenth form.


    A simple andpletelyckluster strike chopped straight down.


    A tremendous amount of True Qi instantaneously concentrated together and rushed out like meteor streaking across the sky.


    ¡°Sha¡­¡±


    A sharp wind-cleaving sound suddenly erupted. A several hundred year old tree before him suddenly exploded apart, and a huge de imprint abruptly came into existence and wiped everything clean in a straight line.


    Whizzing sounds unceasingly echoed, and torrents of snow rose from the ground and rained down- hundred folds more frightening than the explosion that urred a short while ago.


    After a while, when everything had settled down, He Yiming lifted his head. Even he himself found his mind rmed and skin crawling.


    Before him, a thirty meter long and five meter wide nk space emerged.


    Along this line, anything and everything had been turned into nothingness.


    Even the surface had several in-erasable scars. A deep and long scar extended from underneath his feet to beyond, as if it had gone through a selective explosion, enough to terrify one to the bones.


    He Yiming sucked in a deep breath, feeling overwhelmed and tongue-tied.


    He¡¯d eventually seeded.


    That one de strike of the former days had eventually reappeared in his hands¡­..

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 38 - The Challenge

    The heavens andnds glimmered with the snow¡¯s silver radiance, and the entire forest resembled a sculpture carved out of white marble.


    As He Yiming stood in silence atop the snow-covered ground of the forest, facing the destruction that could only have been caused by an inhumane power, countless emotions welled up inside him.


    Ever since he¡¯d started cultivating Internal Energy, the strongest move he¡¯d executed was undoubtedly that stunning de strike which he¡¯d carried out against that Gold-Crowned python and was produced by exhausting all the Internal Energy inside his body instantaneously and bringing out his body¡¯s potential to the extreme.


    However, after that day, he¡¯d never produced such a powerful move again.


    Even after aplishing the greater sess in five-phases techniques, he hadn¡¯t been able to use this move again. Every time after umting his strength for a long time, he would be absolutely incapable of bringing it out instantaneously.


    Today, he¡¯d unexpectedlypleted the refining of Reclining Moon de, integrated the fist concept of Silk Palm on a snowy day with the de, then even produced a move that could only be described as world-shaking.


    The meridians inside his body seemed to have be capable of enduring the bacsh of this move. Five phases operating in turns had thoroughly brought out the potential of the engendering loop.


    The power of this de strike was even higher than the former one by a bit. However, more importantly, He Yiming didn¡¯t lose consciousness due to exhaustion like before. Although he still feltpletely exhausted and had burned out an enormous amount of True Qi instantaneously, during the time he took another breath, energies in the external world had begun to converge and enter his body in huge amounts, allowing him to replenish his True Qi.


    Of course, the iing of True Qi was nowhere near the amount that the strike had consumed. Currently, his body only had sufficient True Qi to allow him to perform simple actions. However, if he wished to execute another such strike, that would be absolutely impossible to do within a short period of time.


    He calmed his mind and sat down by this frightening twenty-meter-long straight line.


    his brows creased as he¡¯d begun to contemte.


    The de strike of the past demanded every single bit of the Internal Energy inside his body, and thus, was able to bring out such a strong might even when he was in the Houtian realm that it killed a Gold-Crowned python in a single use.


    Although the current de strike was also equally powerful, he was currently already in Xiantian realm.


    There was unexpectedly hardly any difference between the ultimate moves of Houtian and Xiantian realms. This shouldn¡¯t be the case at all.


    If he truly desired to produce this might, it seemed like he would have to simrly arouse all his True Qi instantaneously. If this was the case, he still had a long road to tread¡­.


    Withered Tree technique instantly operated to the peak, immediately increasing the speed of external energies entering his body.


    He Yiming took one full hour before standing up again. The tip of his foot slightly jumped, following which, the three-hundred-sixty jin heavy Reclining Moon de immediately flew up and into his hand. He then started to wave the big de, performing simple moves and stances.


    This time he¡¯d not used Silk Palm, but those forms of [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] which he¡¯dplete mastery over.


    However, he was evidently not using the five-phases techniques in alternation. Usually, by purely using metal-type Primordial Energy, this metal-type battle skill¡¯s power could be brought out to the extreme.


    [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] was a metal type battle skill. All of its forms were straightforward. The only differencepared to the ordinary battle skills was that this battle skill¡¯s cirction route was quite innovative and could vividly disy the potential of True Qi.


    As He Yiming smoothly carried out the moves of the first form, there was even a dim, golden aura surrounding his body. Moreover, the Reclining Moon de, which was producing wind-cleaving sounds and flickering with a golden glow, seemed heavenly and majestic.


    Among the sixteen forms, in addition to straight up-and-down chops that weighed down like Mt. Tai, there were also left-and-right horizontal shes that broughtplete annihtion along the way. However, regardless of whichever form, they all imed assistance of a strong power. With every increase in the power of the user, the might of this battle skill also seemed to gain a ten fold increase.


    With such a tremendous gain, this technique was extremely powerful even when taking Xiantian battle skills into ount.


    Half an hourter, He Yiming eventually retracted the de. He was already quite satisfied with his martial skill.


    He swept his gaze around. This section of the forest had already been wrecked by him. Especially the ck soil that seemed to havee out due to an explosion, looked extremely frightening.


    With his brows creased, he thought for a few moments, then raised the Reclining Moon de and issued a few chops onto the Jadestone bed furnace which didn¡¯t resemble either a furnace or bed.


    With every chop, the bed was immediately cut inpliance to the de. Soon, it was cut into ten uneven parts by him.


    With a slight poke, ten rocks appeared sailing in the air before dropping down over the ck ground in session.


    Following which, He Yiming¡¯s figure moved about in the snow like lightning while pouring snow and soil over this path.


    After a while, the path had beenpletely straightened out by him. Although it still looked quite terrible, at least, it was not as frightening as before.


    As long as there was another snowfall, this path would have anotheryer of cover. The only eyesore was that there wasn¡¯t a single grass or weed growing on this path. It would certainly feel quite strange to spectators.


    However, here in the forest¡¯s depths, after a few years at most, trees and dense vegetation would certainly grow once again andpletely cover up all these marks.


    After aplishing all this, He Yiming dismantled the Reclining Moon de, patted his butt, and leisurely walked down the mountains.


    This time, repeatedly travelling back and forth, he¡¯d already wasted a whole day. However, despite that, the extent of his current excitement could be estimated from his external appearance.


    However, when he returned back to the Yuan family, he felt an extremely grave atmosphere pervading the manor.


    This time, the eyes of the servants that encountered him, apart from apprehension, also contained heavy expectations and joy.


    He Yiming felt quite puzzled. ¡®What happened with these people? Could it be they stopped believing that I am a devil¡¯s reincarnation in merely a day¡¯s worth of time?¡¯


    An individual approached him in hurried steps. It was Yuan Lixuan who was in charge of keeping them entertained.


    Previously, he¡¯d always been lurking around He Yitian. Only when He Yiming disyed unimaginably tremendous strength, he eventually discovered that the most frightening among He family¡¯s young generation was not He Yitian, but He Yiming who appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary youngster.


    Currently, upon seeing He Yiming, he frantically rushed to him and said, ¡°Sixth elder brother He, you¡¯re finally back.¡±


    Goosebumps broke out on He Yiming¡¯s body. This form of address, wasn¡¯t it a bit too affectionate? Moreover, this person¡¯s age was evidently a lot bigger than him. Even if He Yiming¡¯s face had been twice as thicker, he wouldn¡¯t have been able endure such reception.


    Squeezing out a little smile, He Yiming said, ¡°Brother Yuan is too polite. Do you know where my eldest uncle and brother are?¡±


    Yuan Lixuan immediately said, ¡°Sixth elder brother He, elder uncle He and brother He are both in the main hall.¡± He took in a deep breath, then supplemented, ¡°Fan family¡¯s elder young master hase along with two spongers for a visit. Elder uncle Earnest is there with them.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes momentarily shined with a radiance that could dissuade one from meeting gaze with him, ¡®Didn¡¯t expect while I had gone to refine the sword, these people will actuallye knocking at the door.¡¯


    Yuan Lixuan¡¯s rection was the exact opposite of He Yiming¡¯s. His heart trembled, and his entire body, as if fallen into an ice cer, began to faintly contract. He thought to himself, ¡®Which realm has this guy actually cultivated to? How can his aura be so strong? It seems even more frightening than the uncle¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°How long have they been here?¡± He Yiming asked in a heavy voice.


    ¡°They have just arrived, merely about a cup of tea¡¯s worth of time.¡± Yuan Lixuan quickly replied.


    He Yiming faintly nodded at him, then headed to the main hall inrge strides.


    Although he¡¯d not arrived in Yuan family for too long, he hadn¡¯t overlooked the way to the main hall.


    The reason was that as long as one walked straight forward from the entrance, he would certainly arrive at the main hall. Nobody could forget such a location.


    Yuan Lixuan eagerly followed after him, but he was quite anxious inwardly. It seemed like Fan family could no longer endure and had decided to act but he¡¯d no way of knowing whether Yuan family would be able to ovee this challenge.


    When He Yiming arrived in the main hall, he discovered that the atmosphere in the main was not hostile as he¡¯d imagined and was instead warm and affable.


    But as soon as he entered, he attracted everybody¡¯s gazes.


    Apart from Yuan Earnest, his eldest uncle and brother, there were three more unfamiliar people.


    Among the three strangers, one was a twenty-seven or twenty-eight year old young man while the other two seemed like middle-aged men.


    The young man¡¯s face was handsome. Especially, his two long sword-like, dark eyebrows which resembled like two feathers of a goose, two eyes that gleamed with wisdom, and a faint smile that seemed to have always been there.


    As for the two spongers, their faces, on the contrary, carried a kind of sallow countenance, as if suffering from malnutrition.


    However, as soon as He Yiming¡¯s vision fell upon them, his brows slightly creased.


    He¡¯d already stepped into Xiantian realm. He could easily see through the true strengths of Houtian realm cultivators. That young man didn¡¯t amount to much. Despite being bigger than He Yitian by a few years, his Internal Energy was merely at the seventhyer.


    However, the two middle-aged men were not simple. Although they were not tenthyer experts, their cultivation was still at the ninthyer. Moreover, from their breathing tempo, he felt that they must have cultivated in the same technique. Moreover, from the small movements they had made, He Yiming could tell that if these two acted together, they would certainly have a high mutual coordination.


    Merely a passing nce was all He Yiming needed to understand so many things. This was the reason Xiantian realm¡¯s powerful cultivators were so frightening.


    When they inspected someone, they didn¡¯t merely use their eyes, but at the same, by using their connection with the external world through the Worldly Qi, they could often discern many things that others couldn¡¯t by paying attention to minute details.


    As Yuan Earnest saw He Yiming, his eyes immediately shined. The current He Yiming¡¯s status in his mind was no longer any inferior to that of He Quanxin. Therefore, when he saw him return, he felt even more at ease.


    ¡°Nephew He Yiming, hurry over here,¡± Yuan Earnest chuckled and said, ¡°I will make the introductions. This gentleman is Fan family¡¯s elder young master Fan Vastsun- a brilliant talent in the Zheng Tong county¡¯s young generation.¡±


    Fan Vastsun gracefully smiled and said, ¡°Uncle Yuan is too ttering. How could my little bit of skill catch the eye of the He brothers.¡±


    Yuan Earnest chuckled once before saying, ¡°These two gentleman are spongers of Fan family- Mr. Xiao Yifan and Mr. Xiao Yilin.¡±


    Even after hearing Yuan Earnest¡¯s introduction, these two continued to loftily sit on their chairs, turning a blind eye on He Yiming.


    A furious expression flickered on Yuan Earnest¡¯s face but was quickly suppressed.


    He Yiming faintly nodded at them and was about to walk to his eldest uncle¡¯s side when he saw his eldest brother He Yitian signaling him with eyes.


    Following his eldest uncle¡¯s vision, he saw that in the arrogant gaze¡¯s of the two Xiao brothers, there was actually a hint of provocation. But their target of attention was his eldest uncle, not him.


    He Yiming immediately understood that his eldest brother had actually been angry at these two individuals. However, since he was not an opponent for them himself, he wished for He Yiming to act.


    Faintly nodding, He Yiming¡¯s feet paused but immediately saw He Quanxin¡¯s brows slightly creasing as he said, ¡°Yiming,e sit beside me.¡±


    Helpless, He Yiming shrugged towards his eldest brother and obediently walked to his eldest uncle¡¯s side and sat down.


    Currently, he still had the three-hundred-sixty jin heavy Reclining Moon de on his back. However, when he sat on the chair- as if the de didn¡¯t weigh at all, the chair didn¡¯t even sway in the slightest.


    Fan Vastsun and the spongers didn¡¯t know but Yuan Earnest and others clearly knew the weight of the long cloth wrapping on He Yiming¡¯s back. Their eyes immediately revealed a trace of admiration, even He Quanxin was no exception.


    They could also counteract the weight of Reclining Moon de with the help of Internal Energy. However, aplishing this feat in such a carefree manner, as if it was nothing, that would be too hard to aplish.


    After the two sides exchanged a few lines, Fan Vastsun¡¯s words suddenly took a turn, ¡°Uncle Yuan, this time I¡¯vee to represent Lord Weiyu.¡±


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s smile immediately disappeared as he calmly said, ¡°So it was because of Lord Weiyu. Could nephew Fan not be aware that as of now Lord Weiyu has already been expelled out of the n by my father and can no longer be regarded as a member of our Yuan family? His activities no longer has anything to do with our Yuan family.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s face remained unchanged, ¡°Uncle Yuan, such words are not good. Lord Weiyu, after all, is the blood-rted eldest son of Yuan family. Although he hasn¡¯t received the seat of the n leader, in any case, he still possess Yuan family¡¯s most purest bloodline. How could he be so easily expelled out of the n?¡±


    Yuan Earnest coldlyughed and said, ¡°Nephew Fan, this seems like an affair of our Yuan family that has nothing to do with you, no?¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s smile remainedpletely intact, ¡°Originally, our Fan family was unrted. However, uncle surely already knows that I¡¯ve married Lord Zeyu¡¯s grandaughter.¡± His eyes shined momentarily as he said, ¡°As my wife¡¯s husband, I can¡¯t watch her father being subjected to such grievances in his own family and do nothing about it.¡±


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s corner of the mouth curled into a smile, but this smile brimmed with coldness, ¡°In that case, how is nephew Fan intending to intervene?¡±


    Fan Vastsun spoke with a faint smile, ¡°Lord Weiyu has asked me to convey his message. ording to the tradition of the n being passed onto the blood-rted eldest son, Yuan family belongs to his own self. Therefore, second lord Zeyu and uncle can move out of the main n within ten days,¡± The smile on his face intensified, ¡°This way, everybody takes a step back, and there will be room left for both sides to be able to see each other in the future.¡±


    Yuan Earnest was furious but he smiled and said, ¡°And if we don¡¯t agree?¡±


    Fan Vastsun bitterlyughed and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t agree, that would be troublesome. I¡¯m afraid Lord Weiyu will personallye to im his possession.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s thoughts slightly stirred. These few days Fan family has beenpletely silent, but now all of a sudden, they are overbearing and threatening, simply not leaving any room for retreat. Don¡¯t tell me they don¡¯t know eldest uncle is also a tenthyer expert?


    Before Yuan Earnest could speak, He Quanxin let out a longugh and said, ¡°Little brother Fan really talks big. In that case, please sir,e and im it by all means.¡±


    Yuan Earnest let out a sigh of relief and threw a grateful nce at He Quanxin. Confronting Fan Vastsun, he couldn¡¯t be that confident. After all, Fan family also had a frightening tenthyer expert looking over them.


    ¡°Elder young master, we two brothers have already said, we should directly take what belongs to us. Why should we nag with them? If they don¡¯t agree, we¡¯ll just have to send them off.¡±


    A coarse voice sounded, which belonged to one of the two spongers- Xiao Yifan.


    He Yiming immediately noticed that although this man said ¡®elder young master¡¯ his tone had no respect for thetter. However, Fan Vastsun immediately turned his body on the chair and faintly smiled, ¡°Uncle Xiao, please advise. I will be sure to learn.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯splexion immediately sank. Even with his cultivation, he couldn¡¯t help but feel furious.


    He slowly stood up. His vision sharpened as a sword as he said, ¡°Little brother Fan, this is Yuan family¡¯s matter. ording to the norm, you and I, both should stay out of it. However, since little brother is so overbearing, this old man will also not hold back. However, I ask little brother Fan to be extremely prudent. Some matters are not to be meddled with. Otherwise, not only there will be no benefit, you might lose whatever you have instead. Then it will be toote to regret.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯splexion slightly changed. He was able to calmly confront Yuan Earnest. However, before a tenthyer expert¡¯s threat, he couldn¡¯t make himself ignore it.


    Xiao Yifan and Xiao Yilin exchanged a nce. Conveying their intentions to each other, they simultaneously stood and cupped their hands towards He Quanxin, ¡°Many thanks for brother He¡¯s guidance.¡±


    Before their words even sounded, they¡¯d already taken a step forward. And with this step, their bodies had already covered the distance and arrived before He Quanxin.


    Four arms twisted at an extremely strange angle, as if they didn¡¯t have any joints at all, and whipped at He Quanxin like maces bringing along wind-cleaving sounds.


    He Yiming¡¯s pupils constricted. Their actions were absolutely out of everybody¡¯s expectations.


    Two ninthyer Internal Energy cultivators were actually battling against a tenthyer expert fair and square. This had already gone beyond their understanding.


    Although ninthyer and tenthyer only had a difference of oneyer, this oneyer was like the difference between heavens and underworld. Advantage of two against one absolutely couldn¡¯t counteract this difference.


    They couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡°Are these two actually a duo of lunatics?¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 39.1 - Arms

    ¡°Bang¡­.¡±


    Sharp and crisp sounds rang out in session.


    He Quanxin¡¯s figure remained unmoved. Although his actions didn¡¯t seem quick, the palm he¡¯d stretched out perfectly issued a light p on each of the four arms of the Xiao brothers separately.


    However, the following result was out of everybody¡¯s expectations.


    This seemingly light p actually issued brittle sounds in session as if iron had been struck with stone. Moreover, Xiao brothers didn¡¯t seem to be at a disadvantage at all.


    He Quanxin¡¯s face involuntarily gravened. He was inwardly astonished. Their four arms actually carried extremely strong Internal Energy. It was so strong that it didn¡¯t pale even whenpared to his own Internal Energy.


    Although he hadn¡¯t exerted himselfpletely, he¡¯d not looked down on his opponents either. In front of his palm strikes that he¡¯d issued just now, even a ninthyer could only have retreated. However, seeing the current energetic appearances of the two brothers, he couldn¡¯t help but think to himself, ¡®Could these two actually be tenthyer experts?¡¯


    Once the two brothers begun, they showed no mercy. Four armsshed out one after another, sometimes harsh, and other times soft. At the same time, their footsteps followed a strange pattern as they sharply moved about within a small area. Even He Quanxin felt a headache confronting it. He¡¯d absolutely no way of using his full strength to issue a fatal strike.


    He Yiming¡¯s and others had stood up long ago. Everybody had their vision on their bodies. Even Fan Vastsun, who had been quite provocative before, was no exception.


    The movements of the Fan brothers became increasingly quicker. Not only their hands danced and waved in the air at a lightning fast speed, even the quickness of their footwork became too quick for the eyes.


    Even Yuan Earnest, an eightyer expert, soon found his vision blurring out. He was absolutely incapable of following their movements.


    There was only one individual who could truly see through the mysterious within, and that individual was none other than He Yiming.


    His eyes were half closed. In his perception, although the technique with which the Xiao brothers were waving their arms was quite rare and strange, it was not something rming. As long as one could see He Quanxin¡¯s steady appearance as he attacked and defended, it was evident that they wouldn¡¯t be able to prevail over him.


    However, what He Yiming couldn¡¯t understand was that the Internal Energy their arms brought was far more powerful than the limits of a ninthyer cultivator. Even if a ninthyer cultivator were to store power for a long time, he wouldn¡¯t be able to strike with such power. Otherwise, with his tenthyer Internal Energy, He Quaxnin could have easily repelled and injured them in one strike, why would he tolerate their chain attacks?


    Of course, their footwork was profound and mysterious.


    He Yiming was inwardly rmed. Even he, a Xiantian realm cultivator, was unable to see through their mysterious footwork. Therefore, his eldest uncle not being able to not issue an attack with his full power was naturally not strange.


    Slowly, He Yiming¡¯s consciousness began to concentrate. A mystical scene appeared in his mind.


    There was an empty space where two clouds were twirling and fluttering about in small circles. After every small circle, they underwent a peculiar transformation. Sometimes nimble, sometimes heavy, condensing, dispersing, joining together, separating apart- every transformation different in its own way, the so-called boundless and unceasing ten million transformations.


    He Yiming¡¯s temples and the centre of the forehead were faintly twitching. It seemed as if his insides were filled with power and could burst at any moment.


    His heart was palpitating due to his aroused state. In his mind, at the time when two clouds appeared, two hands had also appeared. These two hands were nimble as if they didn¡¯t have bones.


    These two hands were constantly transforming. However, their transformations were indistinct as if covered behind ayer of thin cloth, rendering him incapable of seeing clearly.


    Slowly, the two clouds disappeared, and so did the two hands. The rumbling in his mind transformed into¡­.clouds and rain.


    The indistinct, floating about clouds, and the rain that was present everywhere¡­


    Indistinctly, He Yiming understood¡­


    The reason these two had dared to challenge He Quanxin with ninthyer Internal Energy was not that they were preposterous, but because they already had a n.


    Every time they waved their arms, they could bring about a power that was far beyond limits of a ninthyer cultivator and was sufficient to make even his eldest uncle feel apprehensive. What they truly relied for this power was, in fact, this mysterious footwork.


    If he hadn¡¯t concluded wrong, this ought to be a Xiantian technique.


    An agility Xiantian technique. This kind of technique ought to be created by some Xiantian senior by taking inspiration from rain clouds. That was the reason it felt so illusory to him.


    Moreover, this footwork made He Yiming recall the Rain Cloud Imprint used by Lin Taoli.


    Rain Clouds, and Rain Cloud- the footwork and hand imprint of these two techniques unceasingly flickered in He Yiming¡¯s mind, moreover mutually conformed and mutually fused- as if going through an inexplicably mysterious alteration.


    If the creator of these two techniques were to know that their techniques were studied and altered in this manner, they would certainly turn pale with fright and wouldn¡¯t be able to convince themselves.


    They could create such techniques because they had indulged themselves in clouds and rain for decades, or even centuries, before understanding the transformations of Clouds and Rain, which was a part of the daos of heaven and earth, by a stroke of fortune.


    Even a super genius, in Houtian realm, could only imitate a Xiantian technique without understanding the concept behind it. Bringing out the thirdyer or fourthyer¡¯s might of such a technique was already such a person¡¯s limit.


    However, merely through the technique that only had a might of its third or fourthyer, He Yiming had begun to probe these two techniques¡¯ fundamental power. This was indeed an unimaginably horrifying feat.


    Gradually, the Rain Clouds were bing more and more clearer in He Yiming¡¯s mind. Lost in his own world, he¡¯d already forgotten everything else.


    Fortunately, everybody¡¯s attention was focused on the battle between He Quanxin and the two Xiao brothers. Otherwise, his peculiar appearance would have certainly been discovered.


    However, at this moment, a giant roar came out of He Quanxin¡¯s mouth.


    This roar, as if a hammer, heavily pounded against the chests of Xiao brothers, causing a momentary pause in their footwork.


    He Quanxin immediately followed up, eventually taking the initiative.


    Although earth type techniques were indeed the strongest defensive techniques among the five-phases techniques, but when earth type techniques unleashed counterattack, it was equivalently powerful and fierce.


    He Quanxin¡¯s two palms struck, aiming at the chests of Xiao brothers as if tworge axes. These two palms carried peak, tenthyer Internal Energy as they whizzed through the air. Evidently, He Quanxin had already decided to go for the kill.


    Fan Vastsun¡¯splexion immediately paled. He was the only one who realized the origins of these two brothers. If these two brothers were to die here, not only the Yuan family would suffer a n-extermination, even their Fan family would also be implicated in the process.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 39.2

    However, in such a level of fight, he¡¯d no way of interfering at all. Therefore, although his face had already lost all its color and was pale beyondparison, he could only helplessly watch with his hands tied.


    Right at this moment, the Xiao brothers simultaneously withdrew their four arms and ingeniously defended their front. He Quanxin¡¯s two palms pped at their arms. The two brothers flew up in the air and did a somersault in the air before dropping on the ground.


    Having received the impact of the tenthyer powerful Internal Energy, they stumbled back a few steps. Their faces suddenly turned white before they were able to stand firmly.


    He Yiming inwardly shouted ¡®How unfortunate!¡¯. He didn¡¯t felt that their escaping away unscathed was unfortunate, but that they hadn¡¯t been able to continue.


    With the footwork of these two, He Yiming had a feeling that even the Rain Cloud imprint used by Lin Taoli was on the verge of being unveiled, and he was about to receive enlightenment.


    However, right at this critical juncture, the oue of their fight was decided which caused He Yiming¡¯s enlightenment to be forcefully interrupted.


    If possible, he still sincerely hoped that their fight could have gone for a few moments more. Perhaps after a few moments, he could have gained some enlightenment. However, as of now, all of his efforts had undoubtedly been wasted.


    Actually, even he himself didn¡¯t know how could he suddenly enter such sort of enlightenment realm, and he couldn¡¯t tell even more if he would have an opportunity to do so ever again.


    Previously, while copying the Bone Transformation Method in He family¡¯s Book Pavilion, he¡¯d gone through a simr sort of mystical circumstances as well. However, after that incident, regardless of how he tried, he never experienced this feeling.


    Involuntary enlightenment, and Voluntary attempts. The efficiencies of these two kinds werepletely different.


    That was the reason he felt it was too unfortunate¡­.


    He Quanxin¡¯s face revealed a trace of regret. Even such a fierce strike that contained his umted power hadn¡¯t been able to inflict a critical injury. Such a good opportunity would be extremely hard to find again.


    However, he immediately moderated his thoughts and looked at the Xiao brothers¡¯ arms.


    This moment, the sleeves over their arms had beenpletely torn apart, and its fragments were fluttering about in the air.


    From within the torn sleeves, two robust arms had been exposed out. The most eye-catching part of the two arms were the four resplendent, golden armguards on them. These four armguards begun from the wrist and covered all the way up to the elbow. The armguards that offered such a big protective cover had to be extremely rare.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes shined. He distinctly felt that the reason the Xiao brothers could arouse their Internal Energy to such a frightening extent ought to be the merit of these four armguards.


    Sucking in a deep breath, He Quanxin said in a loud and clear voice, ¡°This old man has heard before that some great influential families with millenniums of legacies often have a few special artifacts. All these artifacts have some miraculous effects. If this old man is not mistaken, the armguards on the hands of brother Xiao is precisely one of these.¡±


    Xiao Yifan sneered and said, ¡°Brother He¡¯s eye is quite keen. That¡¯s right, we two brothers have Grand Extension defense equipment on our arms.¡±


    He Quaunxin faintly nodded with a grave face.


    When Vastmoon had seen these objects for the first time, his first thought was precisely to take them for himself. However, as He Quanxin saw these two golden armguards, his first thought was concerning the background of these Xiao brothers.


    How could an ordinary person use such miraculous armguard?. Heavens knew what could possibly be the power that sat behind them. If they truly had a n with millenniums of legacy backing them up, even if his old man was asked toe from Tai Cang county, it might not be enough.


    Van Vastsun¡¯s fiercely palpitating heart finally calmed down. It was extremely fortunate that these two brothers only seemed to have suffered light injuries. However, this was already the limits of his endurance.


    He promptly stepped forward, arrived before the two Xiao brothers, turned around, and said, ¡°Uncle Yuan, my father has asked me to convey his message. He¡¯s asked you and second lord Zeyu to move out. If not, my father will personallye with elder lord Weiyu, and im his old self¡¯s possession.¡±


    After saying these words, he faintly cupped his hands, turned around, and left, pulling the Xiao brothers with him.


    When these two brothers had first entered, they were extremely haughty and even looked down on He Quanxin. Even Fan Vastmoongged far behind in front of such a haughty attitude. However, after the recent battle, their arrogant manner had be a lot restrained. Especially when they looked at He Quanxin, their eyes even contained a trace of profound trepidation.


    Yuan Earnest didn¡¯t attempt to stop them and merely looked at their backs with a concerned gaze.


    He¡¯d originally thought that Fan family only had one tenthyer expert. He hadn¡¯t expected that they actually had two ninthyer experts who were far more powerful than the experts of simr ranks. By joining hands, these two were actually able to keep a tenthyer expert upied for so long.


    Although they were defeated ultimately, even when He Quanxin struck with full power, he wasn¡¯t able to kill them. If during the official fight ten dayster, Fan Shui was able to keep He Quanxin upied, who would be able to resist these two brothers?


    His vision unwittingly fell on He Yiming, and his eyes automatically brightened. Perhaps, only someone like He Yiming who had a tyrannous innate divine strength could resist these two individuals.


    He Yiming thought for a bit and said, ¡°Eldest uncle, in the end, what were their armguards?¡±


    He Quanxin bitterlyughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ve also never seen this object before, and have only heard your grandfather mentioning it several times.¡± He paused, as if trying to remember something, before continuing, ¡°It is said that in the eastern part of the maind, there is a great nation called Grand Extension. That ce have countless skilled craftsman that can use strange materials of this world and forge them into powerful weapons or defense equipment. If, we cultivators can get our hands on these artifacts, we¡¯ll be able to increase our power by many folds.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes shined momentarily. He¡¯d been thinking all along that the reason every attack of the Xiao brothers could exhibit a might that far surpassed the limits of ninthyer cultivator was a mysterious Xiantian technique. However, currently, he¡¯d already ascertained that it ought to be the miraculous effect of those two Grand Extension defense equipment.


    Yuan Earnest took two steps forward. His face was extremely gloomy. Anyone who were to suddenly discover that the enemy¡¯s group had two more experts also wouldn¡¯t be looking in good shape either.


    ¡°Nephew Yiming, actually such weapons and defense equipment are not merely made in Grand Extension. Even our northwestern countries also produce such things.¡±


    He Yiming faintly started, ¡°Why have I never seen them, then?¡±


    Yuan coarselyughed and said, ¡°These things are not something an ordinary cksmith can forge. It is said that the only people who can forge such weapons or defense equipment are Xiantian realm experts.


    He Yitian sucked in a breath of cold air. He was also hearing about these artifacts for the first time. Although he understood that these things must be quite expensive, to be actually made from the hands of Xiantian cultivators, this was no longer something he could hope for.


    He Yiming remained expression as he calmly asked, ¡°Uncle Yuan, do you know who can make these, then?¡±


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s expression was solemn as he said, ¡°There are many hidden sects within the northwestern countries. These sects ought to have Xiantian cultivators, and some experts among them should be able to make such powerful weapons and defense equipment. Furthermore, the three great countries of the Northwestern countries also have experts in this respect. However, if you wish to invite them, that is simply an impossible task.¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded but was quite attentive inwardly.


    Yuan Earnest let out a long sigh, ¡°These two armguards must have some special ability. That¡¯s why they were able to tangle with brother He for so long relying on these four armguards.¡±


    He Quanxin faintly shook his head, ¡°These two doesn¡¯t just have a pair of armguards. Their strength is also exceptional.¡±


    He Yiming thought to himself, ¡®Eldest uncle¡¯s vision is indeed a notch above. Although the armguards of these two are quite troublesome, relying on four dead objects, how could they have tangled with him for so long? Their true strength lies in their Xiantian footwork. The reason they are able to battle above their rank is because they have cultivated a Xiantian battle skill in Houtian realm.¡¯¡¯


    As soon as he recalled that mystical Xiantian technique, his heart was again set aze, and the same time, he also couldn¡¯t stop but feel regret.


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s face turned even more concerned as he said, ¡°Brother He, ten dayster, if you are not allowed to act, what will we do?¡±


    He Yiming coarselyughed and said, ¡°Uncle Yuan, be at ease. Although those two armguards are quite good, the Reclining Moon de in my hand is also not just in metal. It is more than enough to deal with them.¡±


    He said these words with absolute confidence. Because he supplemented inwardly, ¡°Even if my de can¡¯t cut down their armguards, getting rid of their four arms wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all.¡¯


    If [Splitting Mountain Thirty Six Forms], even an ultimate Xiantian technique, in the hands of Xiantian cultivator can¡¯t deal with two Houtian realm cultivators, he might as well hang himself and be done with it.


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s face immediately turned much better. He was just waiting to hear these words from He Yiming. After seeing the strength of Xiao brothers, although he was quite apprehensive inwardly, in the broad sense of the circumstances, apart from He Quanxin, only He Yiming who had unparalleled innate divine strength, could allow him to feel at ease.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 40.1 - Night Scouting

    The moonlight dyed the front yard in a shade of gray; stars dominated the night sky. An unspeakable serenity and profoundness prevaded the night in the manor.


    He Yiming was inside his room, and his thoughts were still on yesterday¡¯s visitors from Fan family.


    Fan Vastsun naturally didn¡¯t enter the range of his thoughts. This person¡¯s age was slightly bigger than his eldest brother and Internal Energy cultivation also seemed to be a notch above that of his eldest brother. Although it hadn¡¯t attained the peak of the seventhyer, he could still be considered as one of the top figures of the young generation.


    Although He Yiming had not travelled much, he¡¯d seen a lot of outstanding young talents. Especially in the four great ns of Fire Crow country, young experts were as numerous as clouds. However, those who had been able to attain the seventhyer¡¯s peak before the age of twenty-five were extremely rare.


    Those who had further seeded in attaining the ninthyer before the age of forty, like Lin Taoli, were even more rare.


    But after his experiences in the Xie Mansion, He Yiming had also understood that to attain such a realm, Lin Taoli must have consumed many gold cores.


    Apart from providing assistance in breakthroughs, there were also gold cores that could increase one¡¯s essence, thereby increasing the efficiency of its Internal Energy conversion. If someone were to say that Lin Taoli had attained his current realm without any assistance from these two kinds of gold cores, He Yiming wouldn¡¯t be convinced even in death.


    Therefore, young experts like He Yitian and Fan Vastsun who, after being born in ordinary influential families, could cultivate to the seventhyer¡¯s peak before the age of thirty were already geniuses who were seen only once in several decades.


    Of course, He Yiming himself was not included. After experiencing the strange encounter in theke, he could no longer be gauged by the means of cultivation speed of ordinary people.


    However, although Fan Vastsun was remarkable, it was not him upying He Yiming¡¯s mind, but the two Xiao brothers.


    The strength of these two was no joke. The strange armguards on their body was not that big of a deal. What truly made He Yiming¡¯s heart palpitate was, in fact, their mysterious foot technique.


    Ever since the two brothers left yesterday, He Yiming had been hiding in his room. He was trying his utmost to recall that foot technique and even attempting to fuse it with Lin Taoli¡¯s Rain Cloud Imprint, thereby making aplete agility technique of his own.


    He Yiming had a feeling that as long as he could create such a technique, it would certainly be a Xiantian one.


    However, creating a Xiantian technique was easier said than done. Even after his fortuitous encounter and having experienced that these two techniques had different abilities but the same source, it was not easy to aplish.


    With a long sigh, He Yiming eventually opened his eyes.


    His eyes shined as he schemed that if he were to capture the Xiao brothers alive, whether he would be able to force their Xiantian agility technique out.


    However, this thought merely flickered momentarily. The current him had not be so atrocious yet.


    Suddenly, He Yiming¡¯s head tilted to the side as his face revealed an astonished expression.


    If he hadn¡¯t heard wrong, some expert had probably infiltrated the manor taking the advantage of the night. If not for He Yiming- a Xiantian cultivator, nobody could have heard the slightest bit of movement outside.


    At the very least, He Yiming was sure that his eldest uncle, He Quanxin, wouldn¡¯t have heard anything at all.


    However, the next moment, He Yiming¡¯s face revealed an extremely pleasant expression.


    He¡¯d already discerned that this person¡¯s agility technique was extremely brilliant. More importantly, it was extremely simr to that of the Xiao brothers.


    However, after a few moments, he ascertained that this person couldn¡¯t be one of the Xiao brothers.


    Because this person¡¯s Internal Energy was not at the ninthyer, but had already attained the peak of the Houtian realm- the tenthyer. Although this person had not advanced too long ago, it was far iparable to ninthyer Internal Energy.


    Furthermore, although this person¡¯s agility technique resembled Xiao brother¡¯s a lot, it was merely a resemnce and was far from the true essence of the technique.


    After pondering for a bit, He Yiming immediately understood.


    This person probably had some rtionship with Xiao brothers. However, the former didn¡¯t have the talent of Xiao brothers as far as cultivating this agility technique went, and thus was incapable to master it.


    As a matter of fact, as powerful Xiantian techniques were, apart from exceedingly talented geniuses, one could hardly cultivate them.


    Even a tenthyer might not seed in cultivating a Xiantian technique of the same attribute.


    He Yiming¡¯s mind reeled, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold smile. SInce this person hade here, it was only naturally that he received a warm reception.


    The door slightly opened without making the slightest bit of noise under his ingenious control achieved through True Qi.


    The more he used True Qi, the more his understanding increased.


    While confronting an enemy, if one were to imbue their weapon with a huge amount of True Qi, one would be able to produce a powerful might. However, if the weapon hadn¡¯t been fused with Maic Steel Source or some other ore of simr rank, the powerful True Qi could easily melt the metal away. Especially during a battle, imbuing an ordinary weapon withrge amounts of True Qi would lead it to its destruction before it could even touch the enemy.


    However, as far as daily-life activities were concerned, merely a smidgen of True Qi could provide huge amounts of assistance and wouldn¡¯t end up damaging the objects on one¡¯s own body.


    The more time passed after he entered Xiantian realm, the more his experience of using True Qi increased, and the more unwilling he became to let go of True Qi.


    With a flicker, He Yiming advanced inrge strides. His feet seemed to be falling on the ground severely, but as if the bottom of his feet were padded with a thick cotton cloth, or as if they had transformed into a cat¡¯s w, no sound could be heard.


    Although he¡¯d never possessed a technique that specialized in agility, under the effect of True Qi, cing his feet on the ground without making a noise was quite a simple task.


    As soon as He Yiming stepped out of his courtyard, his feet suddenly halted, and a strange expression emerged on his face.


    He wondered whether this nist visitor¡¯s luck was good or bad.


    Right as thetter arrived in the interior of the manor, his eldest uncle also suddenly walked out from his room.


    He Yiming was bbergasted. ¡®Could eldest uncle have sensed this person?¡¯


    After a few moments, He Quanxin opened the gate of his residence and saw a dark figure out of the corner of his eyes. Almost at the same time, that dark figure also turned his head, and the two gazes met in the space.


    These were two prepared eyes with a ferocious and determined gaze, even carrying an overbearing aura.


    Although this person was covering his true appearance behind a ck cloth, his figure stood upright like a tree without bending in the slightest.


    He Yiming and He Quanxin both immediately understood that this person had no shady intentions to begin. Instead, he wanted to challenge He Quanxin fair and square.


    He Yiming inwardly sighed. He¡¯d looked down on this person.


    A tenthyer Houtian cultivator obviously had their pride. Despite acting under the cover of night, this person couldn¡¯t be looked down upon.


    He Quanxin¡¯s gaze constricted as he immediately felt the formidable aura erupting from the body of the counterpart.


    This was an expert of the same rank; an expert that was not weaker than him at all.


    Confronting such an expert, He Quanxin¡¯s blood also seemed to have begun to boil. Ever since he¡¯d entered the tenthyer, he¡¯d never found a true opponent for himself.


    In the He manor, be it Lord Master He Wude, or be it his freak of a nephew He Yiming, none of them could provide him an opportunity to fight with his life on the line. The Xiao brothers from the yesterday were, although quite powerful, after all merely ninthyer experts. The battle with them was indeed not to his heart¡¯s content.


    At this moment, however, there was an evenly matched opponent before him. The He family¡¯s martial lunatic- He Quanxin, was naturally quite excited.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 40.2

    As if having felt He Quanxin¡¯s battle intent, that masked man suddenly took a step forward, and this step was already enough for him to arrive right before He Quanxin.


    His charge unexpectedly brought a burst of scorching heat. Furthermore, the two palms that he¡¯d unleashed looked horrifying as if branding irons.


    He Yiming immediately thought to himself that this was certainly a fire-type technique that had attained the tenthyer.


    In the five-phases, fire-type techniques might not be the number one in terms of offense, but as far as aggression was concerned, they were the best.


    As the fire-type technique was unleashed to the extreme, an aura like that of burning the sky and boiling the ocean erupted like a volcano.


    ¡°Ha¡­.¡±


    The air in the surrounding was immediately influenced and became dry and scorched. The small flowers and grass, over which he¡¯d stepped across, immediately withered down.


    He Quanxin¡¯s eyes shined. He didn¡¯t issue any battle cry and counterattacked in silence.


    His hands evenly stretched out. It seemed as if there was a huge, insurmountable mountain before him. However, as his hands stretched out, it seemed even this mountain would be toppled.


    Earth-type technique¡¯s profoundness, steadiness, and severity was being vividly disyed by him.


    Precisely under such a battle where he could fight without worries and both sides fight severely without holding back, could he unleash his body¡¯s full potential. At this moment, He Quanxin only felt rejuvenated and brimming with vigour.


    ¡°Bang¡­.¡±


    A gigantic sound wave spread out as the palms of the two struck against each other.


    The masked man jerked forward before suddenly retreating. His hands that were surrounded in red somewhat paled.


    He Quanxin¡¯s legs were evenly stretched out, entering several inches into the ground. A red colored light suddenly shed on his body and a trace of dark, burnt color appeared on his outer robe. However, it was only a slight damage to his clothes. He hadn¡¯t suffered any true injury at all.


    Although this strike gave an impression that both were evenly matched, as a spectator, He Yiming could tell that his eldest uncle turned out to be a notch above in the end. The boulder weighing down on his heart was immediately lifted.


    During a battle of experts of the same rank, disparity of a thread was akin to a difference of a thousand li.


    With this much difference of a thread, if the masked man didn¡¯t have some special trick, he¡¯d basically no chance at winning.


    If any of the Xiao brothers somehow managed to break through into the tenthyer, He Yiming would be concerned for his eldest uncle. After all, they had grasped an agility type Xiantian technique. Houtian cultivators with Xiantian battle skills were absolutely unrivalled among the same ranks.


    However, this person was clearly different. He¡¯d evidently not cultivated some Xiantian battle skill, but merely some ambiguous agility technique. How could he prevail over He Quanxin?


    After all, He Quanxin was not a novice as well. He¡¯d cultivated his martial skill for several decades. Even He Wude praised him as the martial lunatic of the He n.


    Especially the techniques he cultivated were that of the earth-type which were the firmest among the five-phases. The most distinguished feature of such techniques was precisely stability. Unless in the presence of a restrictive technique, during the battle, if an earth-type cultivator¡¯s strength was somewhat weaker than the opponent, he¡¯d basically no chance of winning, but vice versa, he wouldn¡¯t be able to lose even if he wished.


    Latrine¡¯s rock, repulsive yet hard- this was the true portrayal of earth-type techniques.


    ¡°Who¡­.¡±


    ¡°An assassin¡­.¡±


    ¡°Catch the intruder¡­.¡±


    Almost the next moment, countless cries began to echo from various corners of the manor.


    The intensity of the exchange between two tenthyer experts was so severe, not to mention the people in this courtyard had no chance of sleeping again, even the people in the neighbouring courtyards were also jolted awake by the loud sound.


    The masked man profoundly gazed at He Quanxin, then suddenlyughed out loud and said, ¡°A fine skill, earth-type tenthyer¡­.. much appreciated.¡±


    After saying these words, his body flickered and left looking as if a cloud of unceasingly dancing ck mes.


    He Quanxin¡¯s feet slightly advanced before suddenly stopping, he began to involuntarily look at that retreating figure in contemtion.


    With his discerning eyes, he could naturally tell that the counterpart¡¯s agility technique was above his. Even if he chased with all his might, he would only fail in the end. This being the case, instead of disgracing himself, it would be better for him to save his energy!


    Yuan manor obviously had some people on night watch. Upon hearing this noise, they immediately rushed over. However, upon arriving, they discovered that there was only He Quanxin while the so-called intruder had long escaped.


    A figure flickered, and Yuan Earnest appeared. His face carried a trace of bewilderment and fury.


    Someone actually created trouble inside the Yuan manor . This was tant provocation, which naturally made him somewhat flustered.


    ¡°Brother He, who was it?¡±


    He Quanxin faintly shook his head, ¡°That person had his face covered. He exchanged one palm strike with me, then immediately left.¡±


    Yuan Earnest faintly started, immediately feeling a chill in his back.


    To exchange palms with He Quanxin and retreat, even he himself couldn¡¯t imagine aplishing such a feat.


    ¡°Brother He, was that person injured?¡± He hopefully asked.


    He Quanxin still shook his head and said, ¡°No. That person¡¯s Internal Energy is not any less powerful than mine.¡±


    This time, Yuan Earnest¡¯splexionpletely transformed. Tonight¡¯s intruder was actually a tenthyer expert? Fortunately this person encountered He Quanxin, if it had been him¡­


    Yuan Earnest shook his head, no longer daring to think any further.


    ¡°Brother He, fortunately you found out. If that person was truly allowed to run amok in the manor, nobody would have been able to keep him in check except you.¡±


    Hearing the ttering words, He Quanxin couldn¡¯t help but bitterlyugh, ¡°Brother Yuan, you overpraise me. I just had a sudden impulse to have a walk outside, then I ran into that person as soon as I opened the door¡± He briefly paused before continuing, ¡°It seems to me that person hade specifically for me.¡±


    Yuan Earnest hesitated quite a bit before asking, ¡°Brother He, you know who this person was?¡±


    He Quanxin lightly shrugged, then suddenly asked, ¡°Brother Yuan, you previously said that Fan Shui is a water-type cultivator, right?¡±


    Yuan Earnest immediately said, ¡°Correct. The techniques he cultivates are precisely that of water-type,¡± His face suddenly tensed as he asked in an strict voice, ¡°Could this person be Fan Shui?¡±


    He Quanxin lightly sighed and said, ¡°This person is absolutely not Fan Shui, because his technique was a tenthyer, fire-type technique.¡±


    Yuan Earnest immediately started. He¡¯d absolutely no clue which expert would choose night time to scout Yuan manor and even look for He Quanxin.


    However, if someone were to say that this person had no connection with Fan family, he wouldn¡¯t believe it in the slightest.


    He Quanxin thought for a few moments and said, ¡°Brother Yuan, although this person is not Fan Shui, his agility technique was somewhat simr to the Xiao brothers from yesterday.¡±


    Yuan Earnest¡¯splexion immediately paled. He¡¯d first hand witnessed the might of Xiao brothers. When the two of them joined hands, they could actually be equivalent to a tenthyer expert. If they had a tenthyer expert like them, the Ten Day agreement would be nothing more than a joke.


    Seeing the counterpart¡¯s face, He Quanxin inwardly trembled and immediately said, ¡°Brother Yuan, I could also have made a mistake in night. You don¡¯t need to worry too much.¡±


    Yuan Earnest forced out augh, but was not rxed inwardly at all.


    With He Quanxin¡¯s strength and eyes, how could he have casually spoken had he not been sure? Tonight¡¯s intruder must have a connection with the Xiao brothers.


    Although Yuan Earnest¡¯s mind was a mess, fortunately or unfortunately, he¡¯d seen the ways of the world. He knew that at this moment, he couldn¡¯t allow himself to panic. After loudly instructing everybody to go back to sleep, he also took his leave and left, heading towards the Lord Master Yuan¡¯s residence to discuss this matter.


    He Quanxin returned to his residence and immediately saw He Yitian. However, the current Yitian¡¯s face had lost his former calm appearance. He gently said, ¡°Father, Yiming has disappeared.¡±


    He Quanxin nkly stared before asking, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Just now, I saw that He Yiming has note out. Feeling concerned, I went to check out his residence. However, I didn¡¯t expect to find his residencepletely empty with Reclining Moon de ced inside the quilt as a pretense.¡± He Yitian bitterlyughed and spoke.


    He Quanxin¡¯s heart trembled. He immediately knew that He Yiming must have gone to chase after that masked man.


    He Yitian anxiously asked, ¡°Father, It seems that sixth brother must have went after that person. What should we do?¡±


    He Quanxin faintly shook his head and said, ¡°No need to worry about him. We¡¯ll go back to sleep.¡±


    He Yitian waspletely startled, ¡°Father, you haven¡¯t gone insane, have you? That person is a tenthyer expert!¡±


    He Quanxin patted his son¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Be at ease. Yiming¡¯s cultivation is no longer below your father¡¯s. Even if he can¡¯t win, there would be no issue when ites to protecting himself,¡± The corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile, ¡°And the little guy should also have the qualifications to take the charge.¡±


    Looking at his father leaving with a face full of joy, He Yitian felt quite emotional, wondering when he would ever hear such an evaluation from his father¡¯s mouth¡­.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 41.1 - Cruel Retribution

    A gentle night breeze blew across, and countless stars twinkled in a clear night sky with a gentle and warm radiance.


    He Yiming chased from afar. While following a trail, a Xiantian realm¡¯s powerful cultivator had no need to follow the prey closely.


    Even though that masked man was far from him, He Yiming could easily follow after him from afar.


    However, to his surprise, the masked man didn¡¯t go along the direction of Zhen Tong county town. After leaving the Yuan manor and walking merely a little more than thousand meters, he stopped in an area of sparsely scattered woods.


    These woods were the farnds of Yuan family. Daring to stop here, this person was indeed bold in addition to being skilled. However, it should also be considered that even while taking the whole Yuan family into ount, how many people could fight against this individual?


    The masked man was not alone. As soon as he entered the woods, two other individuals also emerged out of nowhere like ghosts.


    Although He Yiming had yet to see them with his eyes, he could already tell that these two were precisely the Xiao brothers who had apanied Fan Vastsun yesterday.


    ¡°Elder Senior brother, did you see that old man He Quanxin?¡± Xiao Yifan somewhat anxiously asked.


    Although Yuan manor was quite far away from these woods, themotion inside the Yuan manor during the night hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed by them. But since they were eager, they seemed somewhat anxious.


    The masked man faintly nodded his head and said, ¡°Yes, that man is truly troublesome. The power of his Internal Energy is even above mine,¡± He paused for a bit, ¡°No wonder why you two were not an opponent for him even after joining hands. With this person here, it will truly be quite troublesome.¡±


    Xiao Yilin suddenly chipped in, ¡°Elder senior brother, as long as you join hands with big brother Fan, you can definitely kill He Quanxin.¡±


    The masked man red at him and rebuked, ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense. If people find out that I, Zhuang Yuan actually joined hands and fought unfairly, wouldn¡¯t I be aughingstock? Moreover, if master finds out, what would the old man think of me?¡±


    The two Xiao brothers immediately closed their mouths, evidently quite apprehensive of their master.


    ¡°Elder senior brother, what do say, if big brother Fan personally acted, would he be able to kill He Quanxin?¡± Xiao Yifan suddenly asked.


    The masked man coldly snorted and said, ¡°Although Fan Shui has long since attained the tenthyer, the techniques he cultivates are of water-type. Before an earth-type master of same rank as him, you think he has any chance of winning?¡±


    Xiao Yifan immediately turned silent. This answer was too simple. Even a child who had barely started cultivation would know this answer.


    Zhuang Yuan muttered to himself for a bit before saying, ¡°You two are really¡­.. you¡¯ve actually managed to tangle yourself in such a matter during this time¡¯s training. If master finds out, he will certainly reprimand you.¡±


    Xiao Yifan bitterlyughed and said, ¡°Elder senior brother, we two have a friendship of several decades with elder brother Fan. Back then, when we didn¡¯t have much sess in martial arts, we¡¯ve received a huge, life-saving kindness from him. Now that he¡¯s invited us to act, we can¡¯t do nothing.¡±


    Zhuang Yuan sighed and said, ¡°Let it be. Since it¡¯s about returning a favour, it must be done. Since neither me nor Fan Shui is a match to this person, we can only ask master to act.¡±


    Xiao brothers exchanged a nce with joyous expressions, ¡°Elder senior brother, would master be willing to act for such a trifling matter?¡±


    Zhuang Yuan helplessly said, ¡°Usually, it would have been impossible. However, since you two are his beloved disciples, he might make an exception.¡±


    The two brothers immediately replied, ¡°Senior brother, it is you who is master¡¯s most beloved disciple.¡±


    Zhuang Yuan waved his hand, ¡°Master has even given you his armguards, and you still say you are not his most beloved disciples? Even I, master¡¯s brother, could only envy you.¡±


    The two brothers became quite embarrassed. Zhuang Yuan patted their shoulders, ¡°However, you two are also quite hard working. You¡¯ve actually managed to learn a Xiantian battle skill in Houtian realm. Just this feat alone is enough to make you above me. In the future, you must cultivate with all your strength and attain Xiantian realm. Don¡¯t disappoint master.¡±


    The two brothers could only sound their agreements, though their faces had bitter smiles. Attaining the Xiantian realm is easier said than done. Without a five hundred year beast¡¯s gold core, how would they be able to make the breakthrough?


    As if having remembered something, Zhuang Yuan probed inside his robe before taking out a jade bottle and handing it over, ¡°These are the gold cores from master, take it.¡±


    He Yiming and the two Xiao brothers were simultaneously gobsmacked. Unexpectedly, he¡¯d been carrying such a treasure on his body.


    ¡°Elder senior brother, which gold cores are these?¡± Xiao Yifan asked in a pleasantly surprised voice.


    ¡°Essence gold cores. After consumption, it will allow you to advance your Internal Energy to the ninthyer¡¯s peak in a very short time period,¡± Zhuang Yuan voice seemed quite envious as he said, ¡°It has four gold core pills inside. Remember, within ten days, you can only have one pill. Otherwise, the essence will be too excessive, and you¡¯ll lose more than what you¡¯ll gain.¡±


    Xiao brothers immediately sounded their agreement and epted the jade bottle. However, Xiao Yilin somewhat hesitated, ¡°Elder senior brother, if you were to take these Essence gold core pills, can you advance your Internal Energy and surpass He Quanxin?¡±


    Zhuang Yuan faintly shook his head and said, ¡°Although Essence gold cores have a godly effect, that is only for cultivators under the tenthyer. After attaining the tenthyer, Essence gold core¡¯s efficiency takes a huge hit.¡±


    The Xiao brothers then finally epted the gold cores. Although it wouldn¡¯t help a cultivator in breaking through the bottleneck, Essence gold cores were still equally valuable for a cultivator. Xiao brothers¡¯ faces beamed with smiles, looking quite excited.


    ¡°Elder senior brother, when should we contact master?¡± Xiao Yifan asked.


    ¡°No need to contact,¡± Zhuang Yuan casually said, ¡°The master will being here tomorrow. You can raise your request then. I doubt he will decline.¡±


    Xiao Yifan severely nodded. A sinister expression flickered in his eyes as he said, ¡°If master doesn¡¯t agree, that¡¯s fine. However, if master agrees, I will certainly ask to exterminate the entire He family.¡±


    Distantly hearing He Yiming suddenly raised his head, feeling incredulous and appalled.


    He could never have imagined that Xiao Yifan¡¯s enmity with He family would have reached such a degree that he would actually entertain such a frightening notion.


    However, unlike He Yiming, Zhuang Yuan didn¡¯t reveal a trace of surprise and instead acted as if it was only to be expected, ¡°If master really agreed to act, he will obviously exterminate both Yuan and He families.¡±


    An intense chill welled up from deep within He Yiming. Even as a Xiantian cultivator, he could feel the cold of winter at this moment.


    ¡°Elder senior brother, I heard that He family is far away in Heaven Sieve country. You think their n will have some treasures?¡± Xiao Yifan said with a hint of anticipation.


    Zhuang Yuan faintly shook his head, ¡°This is hard to tell. However, since they have a tenthyer expert, it¡¯s quite possible.¡±


    Xiao Yifan smilingly said, ¡°Elder senior brother, if we truly find some treasure in He family, we brothers will offer it to to you.¡±


    Zhuang Yuan loudly chuckled and said, ¡°You brothers are quite considerate.¡±


    These three were casually speaking as if the He family in Heaven Sieve country had already turned into a possesion inside their pocket.


    He Yiming¡¯s heart gradually chilled. He raised his head and looked at the sky. Indistinctly a bizarre idea came into his mind, ¡®He manor sustains several hundreds of people. Could it be that in the mind of these three, their lives don¡¯t hold any significance at all?¡¯

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 41.2

    He didn¡¯t doubt their words. Because when they had been speaking about exterminating He family, their tone waspletely indifferent. However, this indifferent tone made He Yiming feel a chill throughout entire body.


    He¡¯d not felt as such even when confronting a spirit beast or Ting Liferay.


    Slowly, He Yiming¡¯s expression changed, and his two clear eyes brimmed with ruthlessness.


    He sucked in a deep breath. This time, he didn¡¯t conceal at all and made a clear sound in the quietness of the night.


    In the woods, the faces of the three simultaneously changed. Although they were not Xiantian cultivators, such a clear sound of breath intake at such a distance couldn¡¯t go past their ears unnoticed.


    As if a gust of wind, the three emerged before He Yiming, and moreover emerged from three different directions, partially surrounding him.


    However, as their vision fell on He Yiming¡¯s face, their expressions immediately turned quiteical.


    They had thought that someone being able to get so close to them without being noticed must be a figure of the same level as He Quanxin.


    Zhuang Yuan¡¯s brows slightly creased as he asked in a heavy voice, ¡°Youngster, who are you?¡±


    Xiao Yifan¡¯s expression flickered, ¡°Elder senior brother, this person is He Quanxin¡¯s nephew, saw him briefly during the meeting with Yuan family yesterday. Apparently, his cultivation is quite good.¡±


    Killing intent flickered in Zhuang Yuan¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°He family¡¯s child, huh. Indeed, this youngster can slip past our eyes and ears; he is quite good.¡± He softly shook his head and spoke as if talking to himself, ¡°Unfortunate, truly unfortunate.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s gaze swept past them and ultimately fell on Xiao Yifan. He spoke in a lowered voice, ¡°I¡¯ve trouble understanding something. Senior Xiao, pease offer some advice.¡±


    Previously Xiao Yifan didn¡¯t wish to pay attention. However, for some reason, whenever he met eyes with He Yiming, he¡¯d an ominous feeling.


    ¡°Speak.¡±


    Zhuang Yuan and Xiao Yilin¡¯s faces flickered with astonishment. However, they immediately realized afterwards. This had to be Xiao Yifan having some fun with the prey since this kid was already doomed.


    He Yiming lowered his gaze and calmly asked, ¡°Our He family has no enmity with you people. Why would you wish to exterminate us?¡±


    Xiao Yifan coarselyughed and said, ¡°Who said we can¡¯t exterminate your family if we don¡¯t have enmity?¡± His voice exuded an impression as if he couldn¡¯t care less, ¡°Not to mention you people have already meddled in Yuan family¡¯s affairs, even if you hadn¡¯t acted, we could still have exterminated you people since you are such an eyesore.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s lips slightly trembled as his heart turned increasingly turned into ice.


    Before today, he¡¯d always believed that the coldest thing in this world was the winter¡¯s cold. However, at this moment, he¡¯d understood that there was a much more colder thing in this world.


    Human heart; the unfathomable human heart.


    When a human heart turns cold and detached, it is colder than the harsh winter¡¯s cold by ten times¡­. hundred times.


    Inexplicably, his insides seemed to have been pricked by something, causing him to feel pain.


    He lifted his head; his tone somewhat strange, ¡°Such a disregard for human life, could it be you people don¡¯t fear the punishment ofw at all?¡±


    ¡°Law?¡± Xiao Yifan¡¯s face turned odd, as if he¡¯d heard the world¡¯s most funniest joke, ¡°What isw? Law is something used to oppress themoners. How could it be applied on our bodies?¡±


    Hisughter didn¡¯t have a trace of over exaggeration or doubt, seeming as confident andposed as if he was stating a fact like sun rises from the east and sets in the west.


    Eventually, He Yiming slowly nodded and said, ¡°I understand. As long as I¡¯m stronger than you and also strong to an extent that I can ignore the existence ofws, I can take your life if my heart desires so. Tell me, am I right?¡±


    Xiao Xifan chuckled and said, ¡°Kid, you¡¯ve finally understood. But unfortunately, it¡¯s already toote.¡±


    Zhuang Yuan eventually turned somewhat impatient, ¡°Second junior brother, haven¡¯t you yed enough? Hurry up, we still have to go back and wee master.¡±


    Xiao Yifan said, ¡°I know, elder senior brother. However, he is indeed quite weird. Why would I waste so much time talking to a dying man today? This ispletely different from the usual me.¡±


    Shaking his head, he discarded this strange notion. Extending his arm out, he suddenly strode forward. Mysteriously covering the distance between the two, he arrived before He Yiming and casually waved his arm.


    This was not due to him being too careless, but He Yiming¡¯s age was indeed too small.


    If it had been He Yitian instead, Xiao Yifan wouldn¡¯t have been this careless. As a ninthyer expert, how could he take a sixteen or seventeen years old youngster seriously?


    He Yiming extended his hand and ced it before his chest, as if intending to resist the arm that wasing for him at a lightning fast speed.


    All three of them immediately lightly sneered. These were kind of cold and yful smiles. In their imagination, He Yiming would certainly be sent flying after being struck by this arm and even lose his life instantly.


    However, their smiles suddenly vanished.


    Xiao Yifan¡¯s arm resolutely smashed into He Yiming¡¯s palm. However, his body didn¡¯t fly away. In fact, it didn¡¯t even budge.


    His body still stood at the original position, as steady as Mount Tai.


    His expression didn¡¯t undergo the slightest bit of change. His eyes only had a calmness, devoid of human emotion.


    As if a stone sinking into the sea, the powerful force didn¡¯t manage to get a trace of response.


    Indescribably, Xiao Yifan suddenly felt his heart being clutched as if a hand was pulling at his heart, and it caused him to instantly lose his breath.


    With his ninthyer Internal Energy and the amplification ability of his armguards, even He Quanxin, a tenthyer expert, hadn¡¯t dared to show such disregard during yesterday¡¯s battle.


    Even though He Quanxin hadn¡¯t been pushed back yesterday during the exchange of arm and fist, his body still staggered.


    However, the youngster before him at this moment, seemed like a huge mountain, which his Internal Energy couldn¡¯t affect in the slightest.


    Zhuang Yuan and Xiao Yilin¡¯s expressions instantly strictened. Their tranquil breathing instantly turned hurried and the calm Internal Energy inside their bodies also instantly surged and rummaged like billowing waves.


    However, they were still somewhat hesitating. Because in their minds, they simply couldn¡¯t convince themselves that this youngster could actually be powerful to such a frightening extent.


    He Yiming¡¯s opened palm, under the watchful gazes of everybody, strictly tightened around Xiao Yifan¡¯s arm, grasping that mystical golden armguard.


    Xiao Yifan desperately tried to break free, but he suddenly discover, regardless of how much power he¡¯d exerted, the counterpart¡¯s palm had yet to even budge. As if inside his palms was not an arm, but an ant.


    At this moment, Xiao Yifan¡¯s suddenly had a feeling that before He Yiming, he was just like an ant, an ant that could be crushed at anytime.


    His eyes wide opened as he saw He Yiming¡¯s eyes, seeming as if he¡¯d seen something appalling like demons and gods.


    He was not experiencing this feeling for the first time. He also felt the same before his teacher. However, his master was a powerful cultivator of Xiantian realm.


    Suddenly, a frightening and inconceivable thought emerged in his mind, and his face immediately lost all color.


    rmed, he opened his mouth wide, wishing to announce his discovery. But he suddenly discovered a powerful energy invading his body from his armguards, rendering his body to instantly lose all its strength.


    Simrly, he was not unfamiliar with this energy either. Before such a power, not to mention him, even his senior brother, Zhuang Yuan, who had attained the tenthyer, was as insignificant as an ant.


    Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see two familiar figures. These two figures were not escaping, but approaching him, charging towards the youngster.


    He wished to shout, wished to tell them to flee, flee as far as possible even though he already knew in his mind that the two of them probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to escape.


    However, ultimately, from his mouth came out a voice simr to ¡°hu hu¡±, which even he himself couldn¡¯t discern clearly and even made him skeptical whether he¡¯d actually said anything or not.


    However, even more frightening was the fact that even this vague voice seemed to be going far away from him.


    The pressure on his arm suddenly disappeared, and his body slowly fell on the ground. In the final moment, he still saw a pair of calm eyes devoid of any expression- two bright eyes that seemed to be above the mortal world¡­.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 42.1 - Comprehending Dao

    True Qi- only the True Qi which lied above the ordinary martial dao could bring such an instantaneous destruction andpletely disregard the defense of the treasured armguards, directly attacking Xiao Yifan¡¯s internal body.


    However, by the time this powerful cultivator of Internal Energy was able to react, he no longer had the opportunity to inform his other two brothers.


    The moment his body seemingly lost all its weight and hit the ground, Zhuang Yuan and Xiao Yilin had already thrown themselves at He Yiming.


    Their movements instantaneously attained their limits. The ninthyer expert and the tenthyer expert immediately took out their ultimate moves and struck at He Yiming without holding back in the slightest.


    Zhuang Yuan¡¯s whole body seemed to be sparking faint, red-colored mes, indicating that his fire-type technique had been pushed to the extreme. The scorched air around his body carried an indistinct smell of sulphur, and even his clothes seemed as if they had begun to wither.


    Even while confronting He Quanxin, he¡¯d held himself back somewhat and hadn¡¯t exerted his entire strength. However, at this moment, his mind screamed disaster. Although his opponent was merely an unremarkable youngster, under the pressure of the critical situation, the palm strike he unleashed was the most powerful move of his entire life.


    Xiao Yilin didn¡¯t have Zhuang Yuan¡¯s strength, but his speed was even above that of thetter. The moment, He Yiming released Xiao Yifan¡¯s arm, he¡¯d already arrived behind He Yiming¡¯s back. He waved his arm like lightning and struck at the vital section in the middle of He Yiming¡¯s back.


    The sleeves of his arm blew without wind and suddenly began to crack open. This was because he¡¯d instantaneously poured all the Internal Energy he could concentrate into his golden armguards. After being amplified by the armguards, the Internal Energy could no longer be controlled by him, thereby tearing his sleeves and revealing two sparkling golden armguards.


    As if a wolf howling, a swift sound of wind originated and directly entered He Yiming¡¯s ears with a whoosh. As long as one had some sess in Internal Energy cultivation, he could easily feel the power of this move. Even if a tenthyer were to take this hit on his back, he would suffer the consequences.


    Confronting thebined attack of the two carrying all their might, He Yiming¡¯s face still remained expressionless. At this moment, his consciousness was boundlessly ted, and his heart had no sentiment. His gaze on them was as if looking at an ant, devoid of emotion.


    His two hands gently rose and palms moved in a bizzare arc, immediately pushing away Xiao Yilin¡¯s arm. Following which, the other palm struck against Zhuang Yuan¡¯s palm that brimmed with fire-type power.


    There was no sound, but it caused the two individuals to feel an astonishment that couldn¡¯t be described in words.


    Their most powerful attacks, as if striking against a ball of cotton, made them feel as if they couldn¡¯t vent out their power at all. The strengthing from He Yiming¡¯s palms didn¡¯t seem to be too powerful, but their strength was still not able to prate this cotton ball and injure him in the slightest.


    Immediately afterward, He Yiming¡¯s two arms danced in the air. His speed was not fast at all, seeming as if he was training by himself in an open field, and moreover, the technique he was training in was also the widely-spread Silk Palm.


    However, this ordinary technique brought about an inconceivable might when used by him.


    His palms pushed, pulled, rose up, or drew in- the indistinct movements they made seemed to carry a magical power, creating a firmly contained whirlpool several meters around his body.


    Be it Zhuang Yuan, or Xiao Yilin, despite struggling with all their might, they were not able to free themselves from this whirlpool.


    Their faces had turned extremely dark. As of now, they had obviously understood that this youngster¡¯s strength was too unfathomable, and further knew that Xiao Yifan, whoy on the ground, was in a terrible condition. However, at this moment, they couldn¡¯t even attend to themselves, how could they think of attending to others? They could only struggle with all their might to break free from this whirlpool and escape.


    Although this was the first time He Yiming had used Silk Palm against a human enemy, the essence of Silk Palm was being reflected vividly on his hands. Especially that skill of controlling the space, as if sticking people with glue, was being exhibited thoroughly and vividly.


    This moment, in Zhuang Yuan and Xiao Yilin¡¯s eyes, He Yiming looked like a huge spider in the form of a human. Every palm he dished out spat out a spider thread, which was strongly glutinous and would coil around them.


    Even using his Xiantian agility technique, Xiao Yilin increasingly felt that he would be unable to break free. If not for the terror of impending death, they would have gave up long ago.


    Slowly, they resembled insects caught in a web, pping their wings with all their might but unable to break free as the web increasingly tightened.


    However, they had one hope. The might of He Yiming¡¯s Silk Palm was not too strong. Apart from trapping them, it didn¡¯t seem to be capable of causing them a substantive injury, and this perhaps was the only reason that propelled them to press on.


    In reality, He Yiming was merely waving his palms casually. His attention was focused on the feet of the two individuals.


    Especially Xiao Yilin. His footwork was still profound and unfathomable as ever. If not for He Yiming¡¯s strength being too far above his, he would have probably long since escaped outside Silk Palm¡¯s control range.


    After hearing their conversation, He Yiming had already decided to kill them all. This feeling was so intense that it was simply irreversible.


    However, after killing Xiao Yifan, he suddenly recalled the Xiantian agility technique that the two brothers had shown in the Yuan manor. Stemmed out of rain and clouds, this technique aroused his interest to the extreme.


    This was the reason he used Silk Palm and contained the two individuals around his body as he slowly observed their movements and learned from the experience.


    Experiencing for oneself as opposed to spectating from afar indeed were two vastly different feelings. Although sometimes being a spectator allowed one to observe the situation with more rity, the former, however, allowed him to indulge himself inside.


    In his perception, Xiao Yifan was not a person, but had changed into a cloud which was constantly undergoing bizarre transformations and was trapped within an incorporeal wall formed by his palms.


    Nobody knew how long this feelingsted before He Yiming suddenly discovered that his cloud had dispersed away, as if mist clearing under sunlight.


    rmed, he was suddenly jolted out of that mystical realm.


    His gaze flickered. Xiao Yilin had already fallen on the ground. His eyes were nk, and his entire body was soaked in sweat like water. Furthermore, in He Yiming¡¯s perception, his muscles had turned soft, no longer resembling a set of powerful muscles of a cultivator and instead seeming as if that of a person who had been paralyzed for many years. His body was incessantly twitching and gasping, as if he could die at any moment.


    An intense gasp, as if an old ox pulling a cart, came from He Yiming¡¯s side. He turned his head and looked in that direction.


    Zhuang Yuan was still rotating around his body but still had no chance to break free from the powerful development of his palms.


    He Yiming¡¯s every palm made him expend a huge amount of Internal Energy. This moment, he was already on the edge, seeming as if he could fall down at any time.


    At this point, He Yiming eventually understood.


    Although he hadn¡¯t decided to kill them yet, due to the resentment he felt towards these two, he obviously hadn¡¯t shown any mercy in his execution.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 42.2

    He¡¯d maintained a powerful strength on his arms from beginning to end. It was as if a huge grinding machine had been slowly whittling away their Internal Energy.


    This kind of feeling was indeed quite frightening. Zhuang Yuan and Xiao Yilin would have rather had a swift death like Xiao Yifan instead of dying such a slow and tiring death. However, as of now, their life and death was no longer in their control. It only followed Yiming¡¯s baton, continuously spinning along with it.


    Itsted until one of the two hadpletely exhausted himself, causing He Yiming to sober up.


    This moment, Zhuang Yuan¡¯s eyes no longer had the haughtiness, astonishment, fury, or resentment from before, and like Xiao Yilin, there was only confusion, and loss.


    Underplete exhaustion, he could no longer preserve any emotion. Perhaps his only thought at this moment was to forget everything and just close his eyes.


    The reason he could still survive was almost purely instinctive which was supported by a desire to live.


    For some reason, He Yiming had no feeling of excitement. He only sucked in a deep breath, struck his hand out, which split Zhaung Yuan¡¯s arms and gave a silent push at his chest.


    Powerful True Qi frantically rushed out, instantly turning his entire internal body into powder.


    Zhuang Yuan¡¯s footsteps suddenly stopped, and a breath, which sounded like a sigh of relief, escaped his mouth. He seemed to have sobered at thest moment, but his eyes only seemed to contain delight of finally being free.


    He Yiming¡¯s gaze swept on the ground. He then raised his head and looked at the sky.


    Darkness still covered the the sky, but he knew, it would be day soon.


    The three individuals on the ground obviously could not be left as they were. Although He Yiming knew nothing about their master, except that his name was Lu Xinwen, since he could raise such disciples and by his disciples confidence in him, he couldn¡¯t be any weaker than them, and in fact, might even be in Xiantian realm.


    Encountering such a figure out of nowhere, even He Yiming couldn¡¯t help but let out a helpless sigh.


    He grabbed up the three individuals from the ground. Although their weight was much higher than that of Reclining Moon de, they still didn¡¯t bring him any inconvenience.


    Moving inrge strides, he advanced towards that section of high mountains where he¡¯d refined Reclining Moon de.


    Although his speed couldn¡¯t bepared to that of the Xiao brothers, with the support of True Qi, it wasn¡¯t any below than that of Zhuang Yuan.


    When the first ray of the dawn appeared, he¡¯d already climbed up the mountain.


    Fiercely striking the ground a few times, he opened up a huge pit. Thinking for a bit, He Yiming reached out and took off the armguards from the bodies of the Xiao brothers, then again searched their bodies for a few moments.


    The most precious object on their bodies was undoubtedly the bottle that contained Essence gold cores. In addition to this, they had some money in form of gold ingots. As for the Xiantian agility technique¡¯s scripture which He Yiming had hoped to find was not with them at all.


    After collecting these things, He Yiming dumped the three corpses into the pit and covered it with surrounding dust by his sweeping his feet.


    Suddenly, He Yiming recalled the dark-clothed man he¡¯d encountered during Cheng family¡¯s birthday banquet.


    Back then, he¡¯d only wished to snatch the scripture he was carrying but ended up directly killing him due to the formidable might of [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms].


    However, that was not his first killing. Therefore, he¡¯d dealt with it rather calmly.


    However, this moment, he thought that his actions at that time didn¡¯t seem different than the current actions of Xiao Yifan, except that thetter was too vicious and merciless.


    He slowly sighed as he thought to himself, ¡®Is it possible that there are such frightening thoughts and notions in the depths of every person¡¯s heart? The only difference being that a few are strong enough to act on it, while the absolute majority are not and could only hide such thoughts in their hearts?¡¯


    The corner of his mouth curled into a bitter smile. If it was truly as such, this world was simply too dreadful.


    Suddenly, a water droplet fell on his head.


    He astoundedly raised his head. Somewhere along the line, fine streams of rain had already begun to softly fall on the forest.


    For some reason, an inexplicable gloomy feeling welled up inside him. He suddenly sprang to his feet and ran up the mountain as fast as he could.


    The mountain, which was hard to climb for an ordinary person, although wasn¡¯t like even ground to He Yiming, at the very least, it couldn¡¯t halt his advancement by much either.


    His figure seemed like that of a monkey as he unceasingly moved by gently stepping on trees, covering vast distances with every step. Not too long after, he¡¯d arrived at the peak of this high mountain.


    The rain was bing increasingly intense. The water droplets seemed to be knitting a which hung before his eyes.


    The rustling sound of the leaves that floated within the wind and rain conformed to the rhythm of the rain- which was sometimes heavy, and sometimes soothing- seemed to be creating a pleasant symphony in his mind.


    He watched the multipleyers of mist and fog that pervaded the mountain range.


    Within an instant, the clouds suddenly began to shine, as if splendid red-violet flower buds, gently swaying and dancing like a charming young woman, and also as if a vast expanse of splendid, full bloomed camellia, each more beautiful than the rest.


    He Yiming¡¯s spirit and mind also seemed to have undergone a cleansing due to this sudden mountain rain, purging away all the impurities.


    His mind no longer had a single thought rted to the secr world. His clear and pure eyes seemed like that of newborn, curiously sizing up the world.


    A cloud once again appeared in his mind- a constantly fluttering and unpredictably transforming cloud.


    In the bride-receiving arena of Tai Cang county¡¯s Cheng family- that unfathomable, erratic, and illusory Rain Cloud Imprint.


    In Zheng Tong county¡¯s Yuan family- that strange, mysterious, and iprehensible mysterious footwork disyed by the two brothers of the Xiao n.


    Furthermore, hisprehension from his own experience from Xiao Yilin- all erupted at this moment.


    He Yiming slowly closed his eyes, no longer measuring the world with his eyes, butprehending this mystical world with his mind and spirit.


    The heavy downpour and the intensely fluttering cloud brought an extremely mystical feeling to him.


    The mysteries of nature were so vast that he, a Xiantian realm expert, was not worthy to be evenughed at.


    The unceasingly transforming and fluttering cloud in his mind gradually took the shape of a human figure. This human figure then gradually grew distinct, constantly performing various mysterious movements in his consciousness.


    He could see the reflection of rain and clouds in its movements and could also see the mysterious footwork of Xiao brothers. However, even more, as this figure altered, what he saw was actually the fine rain falling on his head and mist that prevaded the mountains.


    He silently stood atop the mountain peak, feeling the nature¡¯s rising, iprehensible odor. At this moment, his entire being seemed to have blended into the heavens and thends.


    His consciousness seemed to have left his brain and was soaring among the clouds and mist, bing a part of it.


    Suddenly, that human figurepletely cleared in his mind. His movements no longer looked all over the ce but seemed to be in perfect synchronization- indistinct and untraceable like nature¡¯s rain, clouds, mist, and rain.


    Ultimately, this figure stopped.


    And at this moment, He Yiming clearly saw that this figure was none other than him¡­.


    His two eyes suddenly opened. He lifted his head. The rain had already stopped somewhere along the line. The sun hung high up above his head, emitting warm light rays.


    Before his eyes, the mist pervading the mountains had already disappeared and tall mountains stood as far as the eye can see.


    He discovered that the seemingly tall mountain peak, which he¡¯d been standing on, was merely a bump on thend.


    Faraway, tall and lofty mountains stood superimposing each other, prating the clouds- so majestic and unparalleled.


    He softly let out a sigh, feeling as if stepping into the Xiantian realm was akin to mounting this mountain peak, where there were many more and much higher mountain peaks waiting for him to climb.


    Gazing into the endless horizon, his heart brimmed with excitement. Suddenly, a heartyugh proudly whizzed past the mountain forest, and into the heavens andnds.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 43.1 - Blood Slaughterer

    The red suny embedded inside the red clouds that were knitted by the red leaves. The branches shed the azure sky into various ribbons that coiled around these red clouds and the sun.


    In this charismatdscape, He Yiming¡¯s figure rushed through the ins like lightning and entered the Yuan manor.


    Although the day was already resonant, He Yiming¡¯s speed had reached an inconceivable degree. Even if some people saw him, they only felt a blur before their eyes and had absolutely no clue that a person had gone past them.


    This was the result of the dao He Yiming hadprehended on the mountain peak, the Rain Cloud dao- the new agility technique he¡¯d created bybining the agility technique of Xiao brothers with the nature¡¯s fine rain and clouds.


    He Yiming immediately proceeded onto naming this technique [Soaring Rain Cloud]. Although this was officially the first technique he¡¯d created, in regards to might, this technique was far above that of the Xiantian technique of the Xiao brothers.


    After all, the two of them were merely Houtian experts and were simply incapable of harnessing this Xiantian technique¡¯s source. If a Xiantian cultivator were to grasp their technique and cultivate it to the peak, then which of the two techniques was more superior, that would depend on their respective cultivation.


    However, in the absence of a Xiantian cultivator, as soon as He Yiming employed this technique, he immediately became ghost-like. Nobody could detect him as he rushed through.


    When He Yiming returned back to his room, his heart was surging. If he¡¯d been on the mountain peak, he would have certainlyughed out again and let out the excitement he felt at this moment.


    The cultivation in Xiantian realm had apletely different feelpared to the Houtian realm.


    In Houtian realm, one had to take one step at a time. Even He Yiming, who had such a miraculous talent and body, needed half a year to attain a certain rank¡¯s peak.


    However, Xiantian realm was vastly different.


    At dawn, the enlightenment at the mountain peak was not merely himprehending an agility technique. In addition, the Xiantian True Qi inside his body had also attained an inconceivably vigorous state.


    Apparently, during the course of that enlightenment, his body had also been elevated to a new height and was now capable of containing several folds more True Qi within.


    As of now, his Xiantian True Qi was at least more than two folds of before. This change naturally made him go wild with delight.


    As soon as his eyes nced around the room, he knew that someone hade here in his absence. However, that person had not taken any action and had left immediately after entering. Even the Reclining Moon de ced inside his quilt had not been touched.


    His brows faintly creased, but rxed immediately afterwards. To enter without his permission, there were only two people who could have done it- his eldest uncle and eldest brother. As for the servants of Yuan family, he reckoned they didn¡¯t have such courage.


    He pondered for a bit before a trace of smile appeared on his face. Although his clothes werepletely dry thanks to True Qi, they had some wrinkles on them. As a result, he changed all his clothes from head to toe and put them inside a basket, then moved the basket to the window.


    This was also one of the customs of Yuan family. If one needed to have his clothes washed, all they needed to do was to ce them by the window. The servants woulde by themselves. The guests were not required to take the slightest bit of trouble.


    Yuan Earnest and others had evidently gone through a lot of trouble to allow them to live here infort.


    He Yiming left his room, took a turn inside the courtyard, and arrived outside his eldest brother¡¯s residence.


    His two ears faintly moved, and he immediately heard the continuous, long breathing soundsing from inside.


    As these sounds entered He Yiming¡¯s ear, they gradually gave him a feeling as if he was standing in boundless ins.


    He inwardly praised, knowing that his eldest brother was in the midst of bitter cultivation. Moreover, from his own experience in the Xiantian realm, he could also tell that his eldest brother had gradually entered a blissful state while training in earth-type techniques,pletely indulging himself within.


    This was rted to his innate nature being conformed to earth-type techniques. In a few years, even without the help of Essence gold cores, he could have easily attained the seventhyer¡¯s peak. However, when would he be able to break through the seventhyer¡¯s peak and attain the eighthyer, nobody could say with certainty.


    After hearing from outside for while, until the breathing suddenly turned soft then hurried, He Yiming gently patted the door.


    From the sound of the breathing, he knew that his eldest brother had stopped training.


    After all, this was not He manor. He couldn¡¯t cultivate here for too long.


    Hearing a knock from outside as soon as he stopped, He Yitian felt quite strange. As he stood up and opened the door, his face revealed a trace of delight before heined, ¡°Sixth brother, where did you go in the night? Pursuing that masked man?¡±


    He Yiming thickened his face and touched his hair. He then chuckled and entered inside.


    He Yitian faintly shook his head. Looking at somewhat shameless smile on He Yiming¡¯s face, he felt rather helpless. However, the next moment, he stared nkly before sizing up He Yiming with an astonished gaze.


    He Yiming faintly started, ¡°Eldest brother, what are you doing?¡±


    He Yitian¡¯s brows creased as he said, ¡°Truly strange, something seems to have happened to your body. It seems a bit different thanst night.¡±


    He Yiming was inwardly rmed. Last night his mood had underwent huge up and downs, then he¡¯dprehended the dao by watching the clouds and rain. Although his appearance had not changed in any way, his attitude and bearing was indeed somewhat different and Xiantian True Qi inside his body was almost double.


    ¡®Eldest brother¡¯s eyes are too good. He¡¯s even seen through such things.¡¯


    He chuckled and said, ¡°Eldest brother, you¡¯re being too suspicious. I am still me, you think I am not me?¡±


    He Yitian nkly stared, somewhat confused by these words. Although immediately sobered up, the feeling from a moment ago had already disappeared. Smiling and crying at the same time, he said, ¡°You slyboots, talking nonsense again.¡± His voice gravened as he continued, ¡°That person from yesterday was a tenthyer expert, and a fire-type cultivator on top of it. You actually dared to secretly follow him, your guts have indeed be too big. After returning, I am definitely going to tell grandfather and the others.¡±


    He Yiming bitterly smiled and immediately cupped his hands, ¡°Eldest brother, please save these words for some other time. I am here,pletely safe and sound. There was no danger at all.¡±


    He Yitian lightly snorted, as if still somewhat discontent.


    He Yiming waved his hand, and when he stretched it out, it was magically holding a jade bottle. He Yiming chuckled and proudly looked at his eldest brother.


    He Yitian cried out in surprise. He couldn¡¯t see how his sixth brother had done this at all. He¡¯d only felt a blur before his eyes, and there was already something in He Yiming¡¯s hand. Such skill and speed was too far out of his reach.


    In reality, this was rted to He Yiming¡¯s actions bing exceedingly nimble after learning the mysteries behind the Rain Cloud Imprint. If he¡¯d not learned this mystical Xiantian Imprint technique, his movements wouldn¡¯t have been this exaggerated.


    ¡°Eldest brother, you know what¡¯s in here?¡±


    He Yitian nced at it, then revealed a disdainful expression, ¡°So, you want to bribe me? I don¡¯t care.¡±


    Chuckling, He Yiming opened the bottle and poured out a gold core.


    This gold core was light yellow in color. As soon as it came out, it began to spin in He Yiming¡¯s hand, and a peculiar aroma spread into the room.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 43.2

    He Yitian¡¯s face slowly gravened. Although he hadn¡¯t seen the appearance of a gold core before, after smelling this fragrance which could jolt one¡¯s spirit and mind, he immediately knew that this thing must be worth quite a bit.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Gold core.¡±


    ¡°Gold core?¡± He Yitian suddenly jumped to his feet, and his vision became astonished and unconvinced. Thinking for a bit, he said, ¡°Sixth brother, this is that gold core which can allow people to cross over bottlenecks?¡±


    He Yiming faintly shook his head and said, ¡°No, eldest brother. Those are called Limit gold cores, and the one in my hand is actually Essence gold core.¡±


    A trace of disappointment flickered on He Yitian¡¯s face as he casually asked, ¡°What is this thing used for?¡±


    ¡°An Essence gold core is a kind of medicinal pill that could increase essence in the body. After consumption, it would immediately provide a huge increase in essence. Cultivating during this time period would allow one to quickly increase the Internal Energy, and even attain the peak of the currentyer.¡± He Yiming grimly replied.


    His words were perfectly true. This kind of gold core had huge benefits for a ninthyer Internal Energy cultivator. In that case, if He Yitian, who had seventhyer Internal Energy, were to consume it, he could certainly promote his Internal Energy to the seventhyer¡¯s peak in a brief time period.


    He Yitian¡¯s face revealed a trace of excited expression. Although the use of this kind of gold core was not too exaggerated, for a cultivator, it was a rare and valuable resource nevertheless. If he were to say that he was not tempted, he would certainly be lying.


    He Yiming offered the gold core in his hands and said, ¡°This thing¡¯s efficiency is extremely high. Even a ninthyer expert can only consume one pill within ten days. In my estimation, one pill per year would be more or less same for you.¡±


    He Yitian gently and cautiously epted the pill. Hesitating a bit, he asked, ¡°Where did you get it? Don¡¯t tell me it was from the masked man¡­¡±


    Before yesterday, He Yiming didn¡¯t have this thing, and after today, he¡¯d immediately taken it out. This naturally made He Yitian feel skeptical.


    He Yiming faintly shook his head and said, ¡°Eldest brother, don¡¯t bother too much. Our ten day agreement with the Fan family is near. Hurry up and eat it, and promote your Internal Energy to the peak as soon as possible.¡±


    He Yitian nced at the gold core in his hand. Eventually incapable of suppressing the lure which, for a cultivator, could be termed as fatal, he sat down once again and ate the gold core. His face immediately transformed before he began to circte his Internal Energy.


    Retreating a few steps, He Yiming exited the room and softly closed the door. An extremely minute thread of True Qi spread out, and thetch inside the door immediately locked the door as if being controlled by two invisible hands.


    Subsequently, He Yiming found Yuan family¡¯s manager of this courtyard and notified him that his eldest brother would be bitterly cultivating and should not be easily disturbed by anybody.


    That manager naturally agreed, not daring to show the slightest bit of negligence.


    Quite pleased with his attitude, He Yiming turned around and arrived at his eldest uncle¡¯s ce. Before he could approach, he heard two voicesing from inside along with a kind of strange sound as if a small stone striking something.


    An image immediately appeared in his mind.


    He Quanxin and Yuan Earnest were sipping tea while ying chess.


    He faintly smiled, satisfied with his increasing understanding and maniption of True Qi. Furthermore, it also seemed as if his True Qi was incessantly increasing. He could only wonder when would it attain the peak, though.


    The entrance was not closed. He Yiming gave a soft cry at the door, and He Quanxin¡¯s voice could immediately be heard, ¡°Oh Yiming,e in.¡±


    Ever since he discovered the disappearance of He Yiming, although on the surface he¡¯d shown to be not caring at all, in his mind, he was somewhat anxious. Only after He Yiming returned back at his moment did his mind rx.


    He Yiming arrived before the two and and momentarily nced at the chessboard.


    He¡¯d no time to delve into Zither, chess, painting, and calligraphy- the daos of a well-educated person. He recognized the pieces on the board, but as far as he was concerned, the most useful trait of these pieces was that they could be used as hidden weapons to strike someone with.


    ¡°Eldest uncle, eldest brother asked me to let you know that he intends to go into seclusion for a few days.¡±


    He Quanxin immediately put down the chess piece in his hand and astoundedly asked, ¡°Why would Yitian suddenly have such a thought? Is this a time to go into seclusion?¡±


    He Yiming didn¡¯t wish to mention the gold cores in front of Yuan Earnest, and thus could only bitterlyugh, ¡°Maybe eldest brother is prompted by a sudden impulse?¡±


    He Quanxin red at him. He was thoroughly disapproving of this exnation. However, simrly due to Yuan Earnest¡¯s presence, he didn¡¯t wish to go into the details at this moment.


    He Yiming promptly changed the topic and said, ¡°Uncle Yuan, I wish to seek your guidance.¡±


    Yuan Earnest chuckled and said, ¡°Nephew Yiming mustn¡¯t be so courteous. If you have something on your mind, do tell.¡±


    ¡°I wish to ask if you know an individual named Lu Xinwen?¡± He Yiming solemnly asked.


    ¡°Lu Xinwen?¡± Yuan Earnest sucked in a breath of cold air and involuntarily revealed a trace of appalled expression on his face, ¡°Where did nephew He hear this name?¡±


    Seeing his expression, He Yiming¡¯s heart tightened. However, his face didn¡¯t reveal any gap and instead revealed a faint smile as he said, ¡°Thest time when we went to the county town. He seems like a really powerful figure.¡±


    Yuan Earnest then calmed down and said with a sigh, ¡°Nephew He is indeed correct. He is indeed an extraordinary figure.¡±


    He Quanxin also turned somewhat curious, ¡°Brother Yuan, who is this noble person? Could he be some great influential family¡¯s leader?¡±


    Yuan Earnest bitterlyughed, ¡°If he¡¯d been some big influential family¡¯s leader, I wouldn¡¯t have revered him so much,¡± He paused for a bit and continued as a trace of admiration emerged on his face, ¡°It is said that Lin Xinwen was an orphan and has roamed around the country from his childhood. However, he was exceedingly talented and hardworking. Gradually his reputation began to soar, and he built his name as an expert of his region. Countless influential families wished to rope him in, but he always disdained it. Afterwards, his attitude provoked a big, millennium n and was attacked by three experts of the same rank. However, in the end, he carved out a bloody path and disappeared without a trace.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s face slightly transformed. He obviously understood that these same rank experts meant three tenthyer experts for sure. Otherwise, Yuan Earnest wouldn¡¯t have spoken in such grave tone.


    ¡°Then?¡± He Yiming asked, ¡°He couldn¡¯t have remained unseen, right?¡±


    Yuan Earnest faintly nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Lin Xinwen, after full ten years of disappearing, suddenly reappeared twenty-five years ago. The first task he did after emerging was precisely that he went to that millennial n and massacred everybody inside. Thereby, he was named Blood ughterer,¡± His face revealed a trace of horrified and grave expression as he said, ¡°Throughout the entire family, not even chickens and dogs survived.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s facepletely transformed as an appalled expression emerged in his eyes, ¡°Xiantian expert?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Yuan Earnest faintly nodded and said, ¡°That was, after all, a millennial n. They had four tenthyer experts. Only a powerful Xiantian cultivator could kill them all without allowing a single one to escape.¡±


    He Quanxin thought for a bit then asked, ¡°How did he be a Xiantian realm cultivator?¡±


    Yuan Earnest bitterly smiled and said, ¡°There are many legends about it. The most believable one is that he found some previous generation Xiantian cultivator¡¯s cave and obtained a Xiantian gold core.¡±


    He Quanxin stroked his chin, revealing an envious expression. This kind of fortune was indeed too good.


    He Yiming suddenly raised his head and coldly asked, ¡°Uncle Yuan, how many people that big family had?¡±


    ¡°Over all, including servants, there were at least a thousand.¡±


    ¡°A thousand?¡± He Yiming faintly started, then thought for bit before asking, ¡°Uncle Yuan, if all thousand escaped in different directions, how could they possibly be killed in entirety?¡±


    Yuan Earnest shook his head and said as if it was only to be expected, ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it should be possible for a Xiantian cultivator.¡±


    He Yiming rolled his eyes. Yuan Earnest had way too much faith in Xiantian cultivators.


    Xiantian cultivators were quite formidable, possessing the boundless True Qi, but if a single person were to chase after a thousand people fleeing in different directions, he couldn¡¯t kill them all. If he could aplish this feat, he was not a powerful Xiantian cultivator, but Xiantian God.


    He was sure that there must be a reason for this, and he was merely unable to figure it out at the moment.


    Yuan Earnest suddenlyughed and said, ¡°If there is enmity, it must be repaid. To cut the grass, roots must be eliminated. This is the only method that should define a man.¡±


    He Yiming nkly stared, and his gaze on Yuan Earnest inevitably turned a little strange.


    To kill a thousand people including unountable old, weak, children, and women- in Yuan Earnest¡¯s words, it had be a man¡¯s defining trait. Such an attitude¡­


    Although he understood, the current him couldn¡¯t ept it.


    However, after hearing this information, his face also somewhat changed. He didn¡¯t expect that this person would have such a vengeful heart. He could easily see that as long as thetter found out that his three disciples were killed by him, he would absolutely not be willing to take it without doing anything and would certainly involve his family as well.


    However, he then thought that the Xiao brothers had already decided to ask their master¡¯s assistance andpletely exterminate He family. Even if he hadn¡¯t killed those three, they still wouldn¡¯t have let off He family. In that way, whether he acted or not, didn¡¯t make any difference at all.


    As soon as he thought up to here, his heart immediately turned resolute.


    Although he¡¯d heard that this man had stepped into the Xiantian realm more than twenty years earlier than him, He Yiming wasn¡¯t flustered or nervous at all. Insead, he¡¯d be even calmer.


    Before stepping into this realm, he¡¯d extreme yearning and all kinds of conjectures regarding this realm.


    However, after entering this realm, he knew that although Xiantian realm¡¯s cultivation was rted to time, the most important factor was enlightenment.


    A momentary enlightenment could allow a huge increment in strength.


    His two fists slightly tightened. If Lu Xinwen came, he would let him have a taste of Reclining Moon de¡¯s [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms].

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 44.1 - Xiantian Blade Light

    After leaving his eldest uncle¡¯s residence, He Yiming went to his own room, grabbed the Reclining Moon de, and once again headed towards the mountains.


    After learning that Lu Xinwen was a Xiantian cultivator, although he was not afraid in the slightest, he didn¡¯t dare be carefree or neglectful either.


    If he were to be neglectful and withholding even while confronting a Xiantian cultivator, it wouldn¡¯t be any different than courting death.


    He Yiming¡¯s current most powerful martial skill was undoubtedly [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms]. Furthermore, the use of this technique was not limited to his palm techniques and could even be used with de techniques.


    Of course, it was only Reclining Moon de that could bring out the powerful might of this technique most vividly.


    For some reason, He Yiming felt that using this technique with Reclining Moon de would allow him to feel the most satisfaction.


    In that case, being on the verge of confronting a powerful enemy, He Yiming would naturally not give up his most powerful weapon and move.


    With Reclining Moon de on his back, He Yiming ran towards the mountains at a much quicker speed than before.


    His figure resembled a wisp of smoke which had been blown by a gentle wind, floating hundreds of meters away. In a blink of an eye, unbeknownst to anybody, he¡¯d already left the Yuan manor.


    This kind of speed indeed exhibited the [Soaring Rain Cloud] skill vividly. It gave him a feeling that the more he used this skill, the more proficient he would be.


    Not too long after, he¡¯d already arrived at the location where he¡¯d refined the Reclining Moon de. The ce was still in a terrible condition. The destruction he¡¯d caused at this ce wasn¡¯t something that could be pacified in a small duration.


    Taking off the sack from his back, he gently jerked it upwards, and the three sections of Reclining Moon de immediately flew up in the sky.


    The heavy Reclining Moon de soared in the sky as if it was weightless.


    The next moment, He Yiming¡¯s figure swayed once, and merely with this one gentle sway, his body suddenly seemed as if it was about to evaporate. As if standing there was not an individual, but an illusory image, a wisp of smoke.


    Subsequently, his feet moved. This movement was no longer that of a human. He took countless steps instantly, as if he¡¯d taken tens, hundreds, or even thousands of steps in the surroundings.


    These footsteps were not illusory, instead they truly touched the ground, like the boundless mountain rain, enshrouding the entire mountain.


    Indistinctly, He Yiming¡¯s figure had already converted into cloud and mist, into swift gale and torrential rain.


    Suddenly, his figure paused. His two feet stepped out one after another, virtually stepping into the air several times. At the same time, his arms stretched out, catching the falling down three sections.


    His hands moved at an iparably fast speed, seeming like a blur in mid-air. The next instant, the Reclining Moon de had beenpletely assembled.


    In the air, the de stance opened and [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] was unleashed, pressing down with a pressure of Mount Tai.


    After a rumble, He Yiming dropped to the ground with a thump. Although he didn¡¯t fall t on his back, the fall was still quite terrible. Fortunately, he was able to thrust Reclining Moon de¡¯s handle into the ground. Otherwise, he would truly be lying on his back.


    He faintly gasped, and his face looked slightly flushed. The recent awe-inspiring aura hadpletely disappeared within an instant.


    Looking at the Reclining Moon de in his hand, he inwardly thanked his luck.


    A moment ago, he¡¯d been trying to assimte [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] into his body technique. If he could integrate these two Xiantian techniques, he felt certain that it would definitely produce an iparably gigantic might.


    Two Xiantian techniques- if two techniques could truly be superimposed, their effects wouldn¡¯t be added and could even go as far as to be multiplied.


    If he could truly aplish this feat, his chances against the Xiantian cultivator who would soon being to look for him would increase by as much as ten percent.


    However, [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] belonged to metal type techniques, whereas the agility technique, [Soaring Rain Cloud], he¡¯d created belonged to light, misty, and a roaming dragon kind of techniques. It was vastly different than the unstoppable force kind of technique, [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms]. Tobine these techniques was not going to be that easy.


    He Yiming let out a sigh, and his brows again creased.


    Actually, he¡¯d already thought about this problem, and he also knew that oveing this challenge shouldn¡¯t be too hard. After all, this was an issue of integrating two battle skills. It was far less difficult than coordinating primary True Qi cultivation techniques.


    As long as there was enough time, such as training for ten or twenty years, this issue could easily be resolved.


    At that time, unleashing [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] while using [Soaring Rain Cloud] would be quite easy.


    However, what current He Yimingcked was precisely time. He was quite sure that Lu Xinwen wouldn¡¯t wait ten or twenty years to fight the decisive battle.


    As long as he¡¯d the opportunity, he would immediately exterminate the He family from the roots and kill everybody in the He family, and his name would be undoubtedly the first one among the casualties.


    After thinking for a bit, he raised his head and gazed into the sky, as if there was something that could attract his vision.


    Suddenly, his figure once again moved. This time, he unceasingly ascended the mountain and finally arrived at the ce where he¡¯dprehended dao in the morning.


    He looked far into the distance. Tall mountains stood as far as the eye can see. At this ce, he, a human, looked as miniscule as a speck of dust.


    He casually extended the Reclining Moon de. This tyrannical weapon, which attracted countless people¡¯s appalled gazes, wasn¡¯t even a gazillionth fraction of this huge mountain range.


    He Yiming slowly closed his eyes. His thoughts seemed to have returned to that instant once again.


    He seemed to have once again returned to that mystical state where he¡¯d gained enlightenment at this ce.


    In his mind, that human image constituted of cloud, mist, and rain water appeared once again.


    This image started to use [Soaring Rain Cloud] skill. This figure exuded even more unrestrained and natural feelingpared to He Yiming. Slowly, mist unceasingly fluttered about this image and ultimately took shape of a Reclining Moon de.


    With this Reclining Moon de, the image¡¯s transformations seemed to have be somewhat hindered.


    However, this situation didn¡¯t continue for long. The Reclining Moon de in the hands of the image seemed to be slowly bing weightless.


    The image unleashed a series of swift de strikes. However, it was not [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms], rather simple de movements that conformed well to the body technique.


    There was no particr sequence amongst these de movements. Instead, they were unceasingly changing with the body movements.


    When He Yiming concentrated with all his might, what appeared in his mind was not some ghost or phantom. Instead, it was an ability that he¡¯d realized after gaining enlightenment.


    After observing the mountain rain and morning mist, the True Qi inside his body diffused, and as it interacted with the Worldly Qi, it brought about a mystical feeling in his mind, as if after exploring the wonders of the source of clouds and mist, the source of clouds and mist had integrated with his consciousness, allowing him to thoroughly master the ability of the transformations of rain and clouds.


    Subconsciously, his mind reflected this in the form of a human image that was proficient in all the transformations of rain and clouds.


    It was precisely this subconscious human image produced by absorbing the power of the source of rain and clouds whichbined all rain-cloud techniques and finally created the [Soaring Rain Cloud] technique.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 44.2

    This moment, what He Yiming had done was precisely to merge [Soaring Rain Cloud] and [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] into this subconscious to integrate these two mystical Xiantian techniques in a short time period with the help of the human image.


    This was not some legend of demons and gods, rather it was a special means of cultivation.


    Like a student, who, after studying painstakingly in the evening, wouldn¡¯t be able to remember all he¡¯d read firmly. However, after sleeping through the night, he would often find the things he¡¯d remembered before with more rity.


    Moreover, following periodic revisions, these memories would be increasingly firm, ultimately bing eternally unforgettable.


    He Yiming¡¯s present situation was precisely as such. The only difference being that he was again in the state of enlightenment. After grasping the power of the source of rain and clouds, a mysterious power seemed to have been awakened in his body, and as a result, this ability explicitly manifested in his mind.


    Training the subconscious human figure would allow him topress the time required tobine these to ipatible Xiantian battle skills to a frightening extent.


    After a while, standing atop the mountain peak, He Yiming¡¯s figure moved. His feet quickly moved as he once again stepped out in all direction like a swift gale or torrential rain. Although his body was on the mountain peak and his eyes were also closed, it seemed as if his feet had gained a pair of invisible eyes- regardless of how excessively he moved, he couldn¡¯t step outside the mountain peak and suffer a tragic fate of falling down the cliff.


    When his two feet began to move at an extremely fast speed, his body suddenly leapt high up, gliding in the air looking like a huge bird wing.


    If an ordinary person were to see this scene, he would certainly kowtow and cry out, deeming him as a deity. However, if a cultivator were to see this scene, he would be so astonished that even his eyeballs would pop out.


    To cultivate one¡¯s agility to such an extent- this had almost stepped beyond the limits of a human body.


    In reality, every Xiantian cultivator¡¯s body had already gone through a baptism from Worldly Qi and was further subjected to constant transformation due to Worldly Qi. Their bodies were far more powerful than that of the powerful Houtian cultivators, and this¡­ was the biggest asset of a Xiantian cultivator.


    So, to say that they could transcend the limits of Houtian cultivators was not exaggerated at all.


    In mid-air, He Yiming¡¯s wrist twisted, and Reclining Moon de once again shed the air. A huge de light frantically gushed out from the de¡¯s first section and shot out like lightning.


    This not at all substantive de light seemed as powerful as an unparalleled divine artifact made of pure steel. Each and every region that the light swept past was instantly cleaved into two parts. Even the rock walls that had survived countless years of wind and rain were not able to escape the fate of being cleaved apart.


    He Yiming¡¯s legs touched the ground, and a powerful True Qi suddenly gushed out from under his feet like a stream of smoke being emitted out of a jet. His shoes and socks instantly becamepletely tattered and the soles and middle portion directly turned into nothingness.


    An explosion as if a drum had been pounded echoed from the surface, and two huge holes appeared there out of nowhere.


    At the same time, He Yiming¡¯s body leapt up, raising the Reclining Moon de overhead as if a deity.


    An enormous aura frantically exploded out of his body and the raised Reclining Moon de, like a pir lifting the heavens, severely chopped down.


    A beam of light suddenly shot out from the de¡¯s head, boring through the sky before him, and appearing on a tree more than ten meters away in a sh.


    The light once flickered, then disappeared without a trace.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes and mouth opened wide. This move contained both [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms] and [Soaring Rain Cloud] skill together. However, it didn¡¯t encounter any hindrance at all, and instead, seemed to haveplemented each other like fish and water.


    The ultimate strike it issued was further unimaginably powerful, even arousing and shooting a de light.


    He hadn¡¯t imagined such a result ever before. Even the current him felt boundless astonishment. Unexpectedly, after conforming to each other, these two Xiantian battle skills increased each other¡¯s might to a whole new level.


    However, the credit for all these aplishments belonged to the illusory human image that had appeared in his mind after he gained enlightenment. This figure seemed to have a miraculous ability ofbining these partial techniques into aplete one that belonged to him.


    This was closely rted to his special body.


    His body had all kinds of five-phases techniques. However, the Internal Energy and True Qi condensed by these techniques, after coursing through the meridians and returning back to Dantian, would be a primal chaos like cluster.


    Regardless of whichever technique cultivated, his overall True Qi increased somewhat, and when he used a specific technique, True Qi naturally gained all attributes of that technique.


    Precisely because he¡¯d such a strange and miraculous constitution, he¡¯d been able to make breakthroughs in such short time periods and attain his current realm.


    Previously, he still only had this property with respect to Internal Energy and True Qi. However, after going through the course of enlightenment, even the battle skills seemed to have gained a simr property.


    He let out a gentle sigh as countless questions emerged in his mind.


    He knew that, in the end, all of these changes were rted to that day¡¯s fortuitous encounter at the bottom of theke. He simply couldn¡¯t fathom what that ball of light actually was, to have such inconceivably miraculous abilities.


    ¡°Thud¡­¡±


    A loud sound came from ahead, ending He Yiming¡¯s contemtion. As he astoundedly raised his head, his eyes suddenly constricted.


    Before his eyes, that huge tree that had been shed by the de light, actually copsed at this moment.


    The middle of the tree was as smooth as silk. It was actually cut without the slightest bit of resistance.


    As he was looking at the tree¡¯s roots, somewhere along the line, a long but not too thick scar had emerged on the surface. The scar began at the roots of the tree and extended beyond in a straight line.


    All the trees, nts, and flowers that this scar passed through were cut.


    He Yiming¡¯s face had apletely uncovered astonished expression. He¡¯d eventually understood that his de light¡¯s might was actually powerful to such an extent.


    Even a chop of Reclining Moon de containing all his might might not beparable to this strike.


    If he was subjected against this de light barehanded, would he be able to preserve?


    He nkly withdrew his vision and looked at the Reclining Moon de in his hands.


    This gigantic and tyrannical weapon had actually be cute in his mind. However, he suddenly thought of another issue, ¡®Is this Reclining Moon de truly a weapon made of ordinary iron?¡¯


    After a long time, he collected Reclining Moon de, wishing to once again enter the state of enlightenment on the mountain peak. However, he discovered that he couldn¡¯t do so regardless of how he tried.


    He let out a soft sigh, turned around, and decided to leave. In a brief time period of one day, he¡¯d already been able to enter the state of enlightenment two times. This was absolutely an outstanding feat. If he still didn¡¯t feel satisfied, he would be just like that snake that tries to swallow an elephant.


    In Zheng Tong county, all the servants in the Fan family were extremely cautious, not daring to let out a single sound.


    Because today, their master and Fan family¡¯s leader, Fan Shui, looked unusually irritable and uneasy.


    In the memory of the old servants, it had been several decades since the family leader had revealed such a behaviour. Therefore, everybody had realized that something big must have happened, moreover something that could give a headache to family leader.


    The elder young master, Fan Vastsun, entered Fan Shui¡¯s room in hurried steps and spoke with a grave face, ¡°I¡¯ve already looked everywhere, but there is no trace of the uncles.¡±


    Fan Shui¡¯s eyes flickered as he said, ¡°Did they leave behind some letter?¡±


    Fan Vastsun resolutely shook his head and said, ¡°No. Son has personally checked their rooms. Not to mention a letter, there isn¡¯t even a piece of paper.¡±


    Fan Shui preserved silence, seeming as contemting something.


    After a few moments, Fan Vastsun said in a lowered voice, ¡°Father, the two uncles wouldn¡¯t have left without saying anything due that that day¡¯s defeat, would they?¡±


    ¡°Humph,¡± Fan Shui coldly snorted and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been friends with Xiao brothers for several decades. How could I not know what kind of individuals they are? They will never abandon their friend on the brink of battle.¡±


    Fan Vastsun retreated half a step, no longer daring to continue. He only said, ¡°But father, it has already been a day since they disappeared. Moreover, there are no traces of any kind of struggle in their room¡­.¡±


    Although Fan Shui was quite fidgety inwardly, he couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°Don¡¯t let your imagination run wild. With your uncles¡¯ ability, nobody could apprehend them without rming them.¡±


    Fan Vastsun recalled the image where they had joined hands and battled against He Quanxin, and inwardly approved these words.


    Even a tenthyer expert wouldn¡¯t be able to apprehend them if they joined hands, much less to speak of doing so without alerting anybody.


    Fan Shui¡¯s brows creased as he continuously schemed in his mind.


    Suddenly, he felt that the air in his surroundings seemed to have turned somewhat strange. He suddenly turned around and paled with fright. Slightly exerting his feet, he leapt backwards as if bounced from a spring. The moment he performed this action, his arm had subconsciously stretched out, grabbing Fan Vastsun and pulling him behind his body.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 45.1 - Lu Xinwen

    In the spacious room, there was a warm furnace rich with firewood inside, causing the temperature of the roompared to that of the outside to be simply as if two different worlds.


    However, at this moment, Fan Shui felt a bone-chilling cold.


    In his room, unbeknownst to anybody, there was suddenly one more individual.


    This man¡¯s hair at the temples was faintly white but eyes were clear and somewhat strict. His face, which carried a faint purple-brown color, temples, cheeks, rim of the eyes, and earlobes exuded an abnormally full feeling, as if filled with a strange vitality and liveliness. His pointed, rectangr face starkly highlighted his thin lips, and the corners of his mouth were obstinately concentrated downwards and pursed to the inside.


    His eyes coldly watched Fan Shui, as if this tenthyer expert didn¡¯t have the slightest differencepared to a beggar at the roadside and waspletely incapable of moving him.


    It was these cold eyes that caused Fan Shui¡¯s heart to be filled with astonishment and an indescribable dread.


    As the n leader of the Fan family, he was obviously a knowledgeable and experienced person. Moreover, being able to be a peak Houtian, tenthyer expert before the age of sixty, his talent and efforts were far beyond an ordinary person¡¯s imagination.


    At the same time, in order to build up Fan family, he¡¯d gained friendship of many highly skilled figures. For instance, Xiao brothers were his friends whom he¡¯d spared no efforts to rope in.


    However, for all the friends he¡¯d made, he¡¯d never encountered an individual with such unfathomable depths. He didn¡¯t even know when this person entered his room.


    After pulling his son, Fan Vastsun, behind his body, he opened his legs, assuming a stance that would allow him to advance if he wished to attack or defend if he wished to retreat and calmly asked, ¡°Who are you, Sir? What brings you to Fan residence?¡±


    Fan Vastsun sneakingly nced from behind his father¡¯s back. The astonishment in his heart was no less than that of his father. This was actually the first time he¡¯d seen such a fear-stricken expression on his father¡¯s face.


    He¡¯d always believed that his father was a man who could support the heavens and earth- Zheng Tong county¡¯s uncontested tenthyer expert who wouldn¡¯t falter even if Mount Tai copsed before him. Therefore, when his father revealed a terrified expression, his heart was also filled with billowing waves of astonishment.


    The strange man with somewhat white hair but exceptional vitality neither replied nor continued to look at them, but turned around and went to the center of the room, and sat down on the big chair there.


    His movements were not quick at all, but still made the father and son feel heavy in their hearts.


    ¡°The words you just said¡­.are correct.¡±


    He slowly spoke. His voice was not loud, but contained a power that could make one feel fear.


    Fan Shui nkly stared. These words were as relevantpared to what he¡¯d asked as a horse¡¯s jaws with a bull¡¯s head.


    Cautiously and solemnly, he respectfully asked, ¡°Sir, you mean¡­.¡±


    ¡°Old man¡¯s two disciples will indeed not abandon arade in the face of a battle.¡±


    Fan Shui sucked in a breath of cold air as he suddenly realized, ¡°You¡­you are the master of Xiao brothers?¡±


    The man coldly said, ¡°What, those two little guys didn¡¯t tell you?¡±


    Fan Shui hesitated a bit, drew his two legs closer again, and respectfully said, ¡°Senior, those two never mentioned of senior before this junior. They said that only after their Internal Energy attains the tenthyer will they have the qualifications to proim their master¡¯s reputation under the heavens.¡±


    These words although seemed somewhat strange, he was telling raw truth.


    Previously, Fan Shui had made many indirect attempts to probe Xiao brothers, but the two brothers had always replied with these words in a resolute tone.


    If an ordinary ninthyer were to speak such words, Fan Shui would never have believed.


    Tenthyer- this was the peak that a cultivator of Houtian realm could attain. There were many ninthyer cultivators, but how many among them could guarantee that they would definitely cross thest bottleneck and attain the tenthyer?


    However, the Xiao brothers were different. Not only they had iparably precious armguards, they had evidently learned a Xiantian battle skill as well.


    If they had spoken as such, it hardly left any room of skepticism.


    Fan Shui had made a lot of guesses, even thinking that their master was perhaps a Xiantian realm cultivator.


    However, it was merely a guess. After all, Xiantian realm¡¯s cultivators were too far away from him.


    However, after seeing this strange man, his heart frantically throbbed.


    Perhaps, his previous guess was not wrong after all¡­


    That man eventually revealed a trace of smile at the corner of his mouth, appearing to be quite pleased with these words.


    Seeing this smile, which brimmed with confidence, Fan Shui¡¯s heart slightly sank.


    His bearing turned even more respectful as he said, ¡°Junior Fan Shui has been acquainted with the two Xiao brothers for several years, and we are as close as brothers. May I ask senior¡¯s noble name? If possible, stay in my humble home. Junior will try his best to serve senior¡¯s needs in the stead of your disciples.¡±


    The man faintly started, thenughed in spite of himself and proudly announced, ¡°I am old man, Lu Xinwen.¡±


    The father and son faintly trembled.


    He Yiming didn¡¯t know this name, but how could the father and son who had grown up on thends of Gold Forest country not know this name that symbolized terror.


    His notorious reputation of ughtering a thousand people in a span of one day could cause any power to shudder.


    Unless Xiantian cultivators fought with their lives without retreating, Houtian cultivators would never be able to kill them regardless of their numbers, and for Xiantian cultivators, unless the number of Houtian cultivators reached a frightening number, they posed no threat to them at all.


    In other words, relying on their own individual strength, Xiantian cultivators could see human lives as nothing more than weeds.


    Fan Shui¡¯s face slightly twitched a few times as he promptly said, ¡°So it¡¯s actually senior Lu. Junior had no idea, please pardon me, senior.¡±


    Lu Xinwen waved and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Since you are an old friend of those two disciples of mine, I will not make things harder for you.¡± After saying these words, his vision fell on Fan Vastsun before he suddenly said, ¡°You, are you really afraid of this old man?¡±


    Fan Shui¡¯s heart strictened. The mood of these Xiantian cultivators was extremely hard to predict. If Vastsun didn¡¯t deal with the situation properly, it would be extremely disastrous.


    However, although Fan Vastsun was nervous to death, he was still extremely clear-headed. He took one step forward, walking out from behind his father¡¯s body, bent down to his knees and heavily kowtowed, ¡°Great granduncle, I¡¯ve been scared a few moments ago, but now, I¡¯m not.¡±


    Lu Xinwen observed him with interest. He didn¡¯t go to support him up and instead asked, ¡°And why is that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve previously heard of your reputation, that¡¯s why I felt scared. However, then I thought that you are the master of the Xiao uncles, and immediately lost fear.¡± When Fan Vastsun spoke the first line, he¡¯d been somewhat trembling. However, during the subsequent line, he¡¯d been quick and fluent, showing that he¡¯d only said what was in his mind. There were no tricks involved.


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s eyes revealed a trace of pleased expression, ¡°Good. Your conduct is quite astute, and you are courageous as well. Barely over twenty and yet have already attained the seventhyer, and more importantly, you haven¡¯t consumed any gold core. Such a talent is already none in a thousand.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s heart faintly trembled. With the arrival of good fortune, his mindpletely cleared as he immediately heavily kowtowed; his head issuing a crisp sound as it touched the ground. When he lifted his head again, his forehead had a small patch of red, evidently because he¡¯d not used Internal Energy.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 45.2

    Lu Xinwen faintly smiled and said, ¡°Why are you paying respects to me?¡±


    Fan Vastsun respectfully said, ¡°Great granduncle, I admire your old self. I am not seeking to gain apprenticeship under you, but only wish to serve by you for a few days to fulfil my duty as a junior.¡±


    Behind his body, Fan Shui was both astonished and delighted. If the former could gain a favourable impression of this old man, not to mention him, it would be an extremely fortuitous event for the entire Fan family.


    However, while confronting Lu Xinwen, he himself was unable to speak out of fear. How could he dare speak of cooperation? He could only hopefully nce at him and respectfully bend over.


    Without a change in expression, Lu Xinwen said, ¡°You wish to serve by side, you don¡¯t care about my notorious reputation?¡±


    Fan Shui inwardly cursed, ¡®So you also knew that your reputation is spread everywhere?¡¯ Of course, he didn¡¯t dare express such thoughts in any way. At the same time, he was quite concerned inwardly, wondering how Fan Vastsun would respond.


    Fan Vastsun raised his head and brightly said, ¡°Great granduncle, your name in Gold Forest country is like sun in the sky. How could it be a notorious reputation?¡±


    Lu Xinwen chuckled and said, ¡°For over twenty years, people have rumoured in Gold Forest country that the old man has ughtered more than thousand people of Zhu family. Is this still not considered a notorious reputation?¡±


    Fan Vastsun rightly and justly said, ¡°Great granduncle, if I don¡¯t remember wrong, those from Zhu family provoked you first, and you took revenge fair and square after your cultivation advanced.¡± He paused then said out loud, ¡°We cultivators, ought to repay kindness with kindness and enmity with enmity. If we keep worrying about this and that, it wouldn¡¯t be actions worthy as that of a man.¡±


    Lu Xinwen eventually let out a heartyugh, brimming with delight and candidness.


    The hearts of the father and sonpletely rxed, and the pressure they had been feeling after learning the name of Lu Xinwenpletely disappeared without a trace.


    The two eximed in wonder inwardly. Because they themselves didn¡¯t know why they had suddenly felt as such. Their revere for the old man before them increased even more.


    Lu Xinwen retracted his smile and said, ¡°Fine. You child¡­ you are quite to my liking. I will let you stay by my side.¡±


    Fan Vastsun was overjoyed and promptly prostrated himself on the ground. However, this time, before his could touch the ground, Lu Xinwen flicked his big sleeves, and his body involuntarily stood up.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m keeping you by my side, I might as well tell you a few things. During these years, all these rumours are notpletely true. That Zhu family was indeed quite loathsome and was exterminated by this old man. However, they had over thousand people. How could this one old man have killed all of them by himself. When this old man entered the Zhu family, only those hundred or so stubborn core members of the family who surrounded this old man were killed. As for the rest, they had already escaped, scattered in different directions.¡± He coarselyughed and said, ¡°Even if I wished, I didn¡¯t have the ability to chase down all of them. The rumours is far from truth and should not be trusted.¡±


    The father and son had their eyes wide opened and only reacted after quite a while. However, as a result of this, they didn¡¯t look down on him, rather their faces revealed a sincere gratitude.


    With his identity, Lu Xinwen had taken the time to offer them this exnation. What kind of honor was this? They could never have imagined such a thing before.


    Lu Xinwen swept his vision through them and said, ¡°Do you know why I told you this?¡±


    ¡°(Junior) Grandnephew, doesn¡¯t know.¡±


    The father and son respectively said; their tones unprecedentedly solemn.


    Lu Xinwen unhurriedly said, ¡°Every time Xiao Yifan and Xiao Yilin returned back to the mountain after training, they would often reminisce about your ce, even saying that you are their life-long brother. Moreover, I see this child is also quite good. Otherwise¡­¡±


    He lightly snorted. Although his tone was not too strict, cold sweat broke out on Fan Shui¡¯s back.


    At this moment, Fan family¡¯s leader was extremely d that he¡¯d long since discerned that Xiao brother¡¯s origins were shrouded in mystery, and had thus painstakingly maintained friendly rtionship with them. Otherwise, today, the consequences would have been imaginable.


    Lu Xinwen slowly stood up and said, ¡°Arrange a room for me. I will rest for half a day. As for the Xiao brothers, you don¡¯t need to worry about them. They are probably gone to meet with my elder disciple. Though I don¡¯t know what could have happened that there is still no word from them.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s heart faintly trembled. He summoned his courage and asked, ¡°Great granduncle, elder uncle has alsoe?¡±


    Lu Xinwen faintly smiled, quite in admiration of the former¡¯s cleverness.


    ¡°Correct. My elder disciple is called Zhuang Yuan. You¡¯ve heard of him?¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s face slightly changed as he said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard. Elder uncle is a reputed cultivator of our Gold Forest country. Reportedly, he¡¯s already cultivated the fire-type technique to the tenthyer.¡± He slightly paused, then again spoke, ¡°However, as far as I know, elder uncle has still not joined any influential family. So it was continuing great granduncle¡¯s legacy.¡±


    Lu Xinwen mysteriously gave a faint nod. Subsequently, Fan Shui personally arranged a residence for him, and Fan Vastsun, as expected, discarded the airs of the Fan family¡¯s elder young master and began to serve Lu Xinwen.


    This matter was undoubtedly the most delightful one for Fan Shui.


    However, his good mood onlysted for two days. For three days, be it Zhuang Yuan or the two Xiao brothers, there was no news about them whatsoever.


    At this point, Lu Xinwen, who had the most confidence in them, also began to stir.


    He called Fan Shui and began to inquire the details, among which, what attracted his attention the most was undoubtedly the battle between the Xiao brothers and He Quanxin.


    Upon hearing this message, Lu Xinwen contemted for a while, then made Fan Vastsun prepare a small chariot and headed towards the Yuan family.


    Outside the west of the county town, they eventually arrived in a small section of woods outside the Yuan manor.


    All the territories around here belonged to the Yuan family. However, Lu Xinwen suddenly called to stop here.


    Fan Vastsun, who was personally steering the chariot immediately stopped, and saw Lu Xinwen dismounting the chariot with a grave face before he made several rounds in these unremarkable woods.


    Although Fan Vastsun was quite skeptical and discontent, he didn¡¯t dare open his mouth for a second.


    Ever since Lu Xinwen arrived in their family, his appearance had been brimming with confidence like those omnipotent deities, to whom there was nothing in this world they couldn¡¯t aplish.


    In reality, with their battle strength as Xiantian cultivators, if there was something they couldn¡¯t do, others would probably be unable to do so as well.


    However, in these woods, the expression Lu Xinwen revealed felt incredulous to Fan Vastsun. This expression seemed to be carrying hints of all sorts of negative emotions including astonishment, wrath, and grief.


    At this moment, the old man before his eyes no longer resembled an exalted Xiantian cultivator, but had suddenly turned into an ordinary old man.


    After quite a while, Lu Xinwen silently returned beside the chariot, seeming as if contemting something.


    Fan Vastsun cautiously and prudently asked, ¡°Great granduncle, did something happen?¡±


    Lu Xinwen gave him a nce and slowly said, ¡°While passing through these woods, I suddenly felt extremely unwell.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s face underwent a huge transformation, ¡°Great granduncle, you must take care of yourself.¡±


    Lu Xinwen forced out a smile and waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m only feeling somewhat uneasy. However, just now, I suddenly thought of Zhuang Yuan and the Xiao brothers. Therefore¡­.¡± He took a deep sigh and said, ¡°I am actually feeling somewhat worried that¡­.their situation is not good.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s heart turned as cold as ice, but he still said, ¡°Great granduncle, their martial arts is unparalleled. There is no chance for any mishap.¡±


    Faintly waving his hand, Lu Xinwen said in a lowered voice, ¡°I¡¯m clearer on theirbined strength than you. If someone has really killed them, it could only be a Xiantian cultivator.¡±


    After saying these words, he unexpectedly discarded the chariot and straightaway advanced towards the Yuan manor in huge strides.


    The more he walked, the more slowly he became, the more hisplexion gravened, and the more anxious and afraid Fan Vastsun, who was following closely behind him, became.


    Eventually, when he arrived a hundred or so meters away from the manor¡¯s entrance, hepletely stopped. He lifted his head and closely watched the unceasing mountain manor; an iparable light flickering in his eyes.


    Their movements had already startled the manor¡¯s guards. However, these guards didn¡¯t even dare to let out a breath.


    Although these guards couldn¡¯t have known who could this old man before them possibly be, the pressureing from him was just like a viper locking a toad within its death gaze. They didn¡¯t dare to even budge.


    Suddenly, Fan Vastsun shivered from head to toe. For some reason, he¡¯d suddenly felt an unimaginably enormous pressure. Although he didn¡¯t know where this pressure came from, he¡¯d certainly not mistaken that Mount Tai like gigantic pressure.


    Fortunately, merely after an instant, this pressure had alreadypletely disappeared.


    However, at this moment, Lu Xinwen turned around, and retraced his steps without looking back.


    Fan Vastsun immediately turned around in astonishment, still having lingering fear.


    Upon returning on the chariot, Lu Xinwen coldly asked, ¡°Your agreement with the Yuan family, how many days to go?¡±


    ¡°Back to great granduncle, there are still five days left.¡±


    ¡°Fine, immediately return,¡± Lu Xinwen¡¯s voice was unusually calm, as if devoid of sentiment, ¡°Upon returning, I will cultivate in seclusion behind close doors. After five days, I shall battle this person and avenge the deaths of my disciples.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯splexion immediately paled,pletely drained of blood!

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 46.1 - First Confrontation

    After integrating the two Xiantian battle skills on the mountain peak, He Yiming returned back to the Yuan manor and calmly waited.


    Inexplicably, he¡¯d a feeling that Lu Xinwen would certainlye looking for him.


    Today, in the morning, he was silently conducting a breathing exercise in his room. asionally, his body glowed with a peculiar luster. This was a method by which he was tempering the body¡¯s acupoints by the means of heavily absorbing in Xiantian True Qi. Although the efficiency of such a method was not high, it constantly stimted the acupoints and allowed those acupoints which didn¡¯t receive the tempering of five-phases techniques to slowly strengthen.


    He Yiming, who was immersed in training, obviously didn¡¯t know that one wouldn¡¯t be able to interact with all acupoints immediately after stepping into Xiantian realm. Moreover, to think of a method of tempering them, although he wasn¡¯t the first to do so, he still belonged to exceptionally rare existences.


    In reality though, this matter had an extraordinary connection with his special body.


    Suddenly, from outside the manor, a powerful gale blew inside.


    This gale contained a massive and unimaginable oppressive force, and power.


    This kind of power far exceeded that of Houtian realm and couldn¡¯t be perceived by ordinary Houtian realm experts either.


    At this moment, a clear realization urred in He Yiming¡¯s mind. That man hade and was issuing the strongest provocation he could towards the manor.


    If, a few days ago- when He Yiming had notprehended the dao on the mountain peak, gained a massive increase in his True Qi, and haven¡¯tbined the two Xiantian battle skills- he¡¯d been subjected to this provocation, he would have certainly felt quite apprehensive.


    However, at this moment, his two eyes twitched upwards, and an oppressive pressure which didn¡¯t pale to that of his opponent, simrly rose from his body.


    However, the difference was that his aura wasn¡¯t unrestrained. Instead his True Qi soared up, concentrated in the form of a sphere, then sprayed towards the source of that massive pressure.


    Although this method allowed him to exempt the residents of the manor, it was inevitably quite troublesome with respect to its discharge.


    Outside the manor, Lu Xinwen would naturally not back down. The auras unleashed by the two Xiantian cultivators fiercely collided.


    Facing an expert of the same rank and unknown depth, both held back somewhat. However, even so, when the immensely powerful, formless True Qi bluntly collided outside the manor, it brought huge and terrifying consequences.


    With the point of collision as the centre, within a circle of several hundred meters, all the living creatures felt a burst of palpitation of the same kind as you would feel if someone sneaked up behind you and shouted in your ear.


    Although this was not a method to directly kill people, it could quicken their heartbeat by several times. Furthermore, the people with a weak heart faced the danger of heart attack, and thus, death.


    During this time period, this region waspletely silent. Not only had all the conversations had disappeared, even the humming of insects and cries of birds were instantly severed. All the fierce looking dogs in the manor sat curled around their tails with four limbs powerlessly prostrating on the ground and without a trace of strength in them as if they had met their natural predator.


    Strangely enough, the vitality in the air here had not been suppressed at all.


    Subsequently, Lu Xinwen quickly turned around and left.


    This caused He Yiming to feel somewhat baffled. From his True Qi, He Yiming had felt his strength. He could even say with certainty that even after receiving a huge advancement in True Qi, he was not necessarily above this man in terms of the intensity of True Qi.


    However, for some reason, as soon as thetter made contact with his True Qi, he immediately turned and left. This didn¡¯t fit the character of Blood ughterer that He Yiming had pooled together.


    Feeling the Reclining Moon de on the bed, He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased. These few days, he¡¯d been conserving his strength for the big event, and he¡¯d been focused to the extreme. This was the reason he¡¯d immediately counterattacked as soon he made contact with the counterpart¡¯s aura, and moreover responded with an even stronger aura.


    However, the opponent¡¯s reaction waspletely out of his expectations. Not only did he not continue to engage him, he simply left.


    This made He Yiming extremely unwell. As if he¡¯d struck a fist out containing all his might but was gently and easily unloaded by the opponent, as if it had entered a lump of cotton,pletely powerless.


    Even for him, this kind of feeling was exceptionally difficult to bear.


    Indistinctly, he suddenly realized why Lu Xinwen would so easily leave.


    Letting go of the Reclining Moon de, He Yiming¡¯s corners of his mouth curled into a bitter smile.


    Ah! Xiantian cultivators are indeed a troublesome bunch.


    Right at this moment, an extremely familiar sound of footsteps came from outside. He Yitian had already rushed out of his closed-door room at some time and hade looking for him while shouting, ¡°Sixth brother, quicklye out. Father is looking for you.¡±


    County town, Fan family.


    The faces of father and son were extremely grave. If one were to closely observe, their current faces were even more anxious by a bit aspared to yesterday.


    These few days, the disappearance of the Fan brothers had made them feel that the situation was not looking too good for them. However, they never thought that the people in the Yuan family would have the strength of killing them.


    However, after Lu Xinwen made the round trip to Yuan family, their heartbeats hadpletely aroused, because Fan Vastsun received an information that had already been verified.


    In the Yuan family, there was actually a Xiantian cultivator. Moreover, from Lu Xinwen¡¯s behaviour, it seemed that this Xiantian cultivator¡¯s strength was no joke. Not only had Lu Xinwen¡¯s three disciples already met terrible fates, even he himself inexplicably returned immediately after circling in front of the Yuan manor once.


    This kind of behaviour made both father and son extremely anxious. They even regretted their actions. If they had known earlier that Yuan family had the ability to invite a Xiantian cultivator, they absolutely wouldn¡¯t have gone to provoke them.


    Fan Shui let out a sigh and said, ¡°Vastsun, you can rest first. Regardless of whatever happens, these few days, you must remain by the Senior¡¯s side. Our Fan family no longer has a path to retreat. Whether we¡¯ll be able to survive this cmity or not, will depend on senior Lu.¡±


    Fan Vastsun sounded his agreement. He obviously understood the crux of the matter. After reporting the details of the trip to his father, he immediately left.


    The residence arranged for Lu Xinwen was obviously the best independent courtyard in the Fan family. Everything inside it was arranged with extreme attention, even better than that of Fan Shui himself.


    Arriving before this courtyard, Fan Vastsun began to wait in person. At this crucial moment, he wouldn¡¯t dare lightly disturb Lu Xinwen¡¯s cultivation.


    However, a lukewarm voice came from inside, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Fan Vastsun nkly stared, then immediately entered in respectful steps. When he saw Lu Xinwen, his face involuntarily transformed somewhat.


    The current Lu Xinwen actually had somewhat of a grieving face.


    Even outside the Yuan manor, when he¡¯d announced the death of his three disciples with his own mouth, he¡¯d been as steady as Mount Tai and hadn¡¯t faltered in the slightest. However, upon returning, he¡¯d revealed such an expression without trying to conceal it at all.


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s lips quivered a few times, having no idea what he could say in this situation.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 46.2

    Lu Xinwen suddenly asked, ¡°Fan Vastsun, do you think that I¡¯m too cold and cowardly, knowing that my three disciples have been killed and the killer is in the Yuan manor, I still didn¡¯t dare to immediately take revenge for them?¡±


    Fan Vastsun immediately kneeled down and respectfully said, ¡°Great granduncle, I¡¯ve no such thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then what are your thoughts?¡±


    Fan Vastsun hesitated a bit. He didn¡¯t stand up and continued to speak while kneeling, ¡°In my opinion, Yuan family unexpectedly came up with a Xiantian cultivator. This is no small matter. Moreover, I know now that with a enemy in the dark, if we were to issue the challenge, there might have been traps prepared by the opponent in advance. Therefore, there is no harm in taking a step back and waiting until the enemy¡¯s depths are revealed. Then, the decision to advance or give up can be easily made.¡±


    Lu Xinwen calmly looked at him, eventually revealing a trace of appreciation, ¡°Get up.¡±


    Fan Vastsun then slowly stood up, still feeling as nervous as if walking on thin ice, not daring to even let the sound of his breath escape.


    ¡°Although your words are notpletely true, they are not far from the truth,¡± He lightly sighed and said, ¡°I and that person from Yuan family have already probed out each other with True Qi.¡±


    Fan Vastsun recalled that enormous pressure and immediately understood, at the same time, his revere for Xiantian cultivation increased even more. He¡¯d no clue how the two Xiantian cultivators had probed each other out.


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s voice was gentle and graceful. Fan Vastsun raised his head and suddenly felt as if the old man¡¯s figure before him was somewhat swaying. The words he¡¯d said were not an exnation for him- a nobody, but an exnation for the old man himself.


    ¡°That Yuan family¡¯s person already had his condition pushed to the peak. Be it aura, strength, or True Qi, everything was pushed to the limit. On the other hand, this old man had just discovered the inexplicable deaths of his three disciples, thus was inevitably somewhat unstable. If we¡¯d battled at such a time, even if this old man¡¯s cultivation happens to be a notch above, victory wouldn¡¯t have been assured. Do you understand?¡±


    Fan Vastsun respectfully said, ¡°Yes, grandnephew understands.¡±


    Lu Xinwen faintly nodded and waved his hand, ¡°Since you understand, you can go rest. Five dayster, I will meet with you people myself.¡±


    Fan Vastsun again tapped his head on the ground, then slowly left.


    The courtyard¡¯s gate slowly closed, and no activity could be felt from inside, not even the slightest bit of sound. It seemed as if inside the gate and outside the gate constituted two different worlds,pletely isted from each other.


    Fan Vastsun watched the closed entrance in mystery, and the anxiety he¡¯d been feeling recentlypletely disappeared. For some reason, he had a feeling that five dayster, when this old man woulde out, it would be the moment of this old man¡¯s peak.


    ¡°Eldest uncle, you were looking for me.¡±


    He Yiming entered his eldest uncle¡¯s room with a faint smile. Inwardly, he was fully aware of what had happened. With his eldest uncle cultivation, he must have been subjected to that intense pressure. That was the reason he¡¯d called him out.


    In the room, apart from He Quanxin, there were also Yuan Zeyu and Yuan Earnest.


    Yuan Zeyu seemed to have already decided to pass down the authority of Yuan family. During this time, he¡¯d always been in seclusion. However, at this moment, he couldn¡¯t help himself.


    ¡°Yiming, did you feel it?¡± He Quanxin asked with a grave expression.


    He Yiming faintly nodded and said, ¡°Yes, I felt it.¡±


    He Quanxin said in a lowered voice, ¡°Brother Yuan, you should continue.¡±


    Yuan Earnest gravely nodded and said, ¡°Nephew Yitian, nephew Yiming, the servants watching over the entrance just brought some news. A strange man just came outside the manor, hovered a few moments outside the manor, and immediately left. However, during this period, we all felt an enormous pressure A few among those servants still can¡¯t stand up as a result,¡± He paused for a moment, then said, ¡°If I am not wrong, all of this must be the work of that man.¡±


    In reality, Lu Xinwen also had Fan Vastsun apanying him. However, this Xiantian cultivator¡¯s aura was too grand, attracting everybody¡¯s attention. Fan Vastsun was just like a firefly under sunlight, ignored by everybody.


    If He Yitian had been present there, perhaps he would have paid attention to Fan Vastsun. However, expecting such insight from a bunch of servants was indeed being too harsh on them.


    He Quanxin asked in a lowered voice, ¡°Brother Yuan, who was that person in the end. Do you have any idea?¡±


    Yuan Earnest bitterly chuckled and said, ¡°If I¡¯d known, I would have already told you, brother He. Why would I keep everyone in suspense?¡±


    He Yitian nced at his father and said, ¡°Father, did this persone from the same way as that of thest night¡¯s person? He could be a helper of the Fan family.¡±


    He Quanxin expressionlessly shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. However, since this person hase here. I¡¯m afraid his connection with the Fan family can¡¯t be denied.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu suddenly let out a sigh and said, ¡°Nephew Quanxin, this old man has something to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Please ask,¡± He Quanxin said with a slight bow.


    ¡°If this person truly has some connection with Fan family, do you have any confidence of contending against this person.¡± Yuan Zeyu unblinkingly watched He Quanxin, as if looking to obtain a confirmation from him.


    He Quanxin¡¯s brows slightly creased. After quite a while, he eventually said, ¡°Uncle Yuan, although I haven¡¯t seen that person, under his pressure, I couldn¡¯t even summon any thoughts of resisting.¡±


    Theplexions of the father and son immediately paled. He Quanxin himself was their ace. However, Fan family¡¯s experts were turning out to be as numerous as flies. First the two Xiao brothers, who had learned an agility Xiantian technique and had treasured armguards, then there was someone who entered the manor in the night to probe He Quanxin¡¯s strength. However, today, it was even more exaggerated. A mysterious old man came and without even showing his face, caused He Quanxin to give up.


    These people were like rising tides,ing one after another and each higher than the one before. The members of Yuan family felt overwhelmed with the sheer numbers.


    Slowly, Yuan Zeyu¡¯s face transformed several times in sesion before he asked, ¡°Nephew Quanxin, what do you think of this person¡¯s strength? If elder brother He were to personally act, you think there would be any chance of victory?¡±


    He Quanxin was a tenthyer expert. However,pared to He Wude, who had long since attained the tenthyer, he was quitecking. Therefore, Yuan Zeyu asked this question with a slither of hope.


    He Quanxin shook his head without thinking at all, ¡°Uncle Yuan, if I am not guessing wrong, this person has already broke through the Houtian realm.¡±


    Although his words sounded somewhat hesitant, his tone was unwavering.


    Theplexions of Yuan father and son duo along with He Yitian immediately turned extremely unsightly. Only He Yiming stood without a change in expression.


    As He Quanxin saw all this, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh inwardly.


    Yuan Zeyu pondered for a few moments, then suddenly said, ¡°Since this is the case, then there is no need for us to make any preparations,¡± His age was big, but he was old yet firm, ¡°Earnest, convey this message. All of our family will immediately leave the manor. Henceforth, this manor will belong to the eldest brother¡¯s side.¡±


    Yuan Earnest¡¯splexion changed as he cried out, ¡°Father¡­¡±


    Actually, Yuan Zeyu¡¯s side had already prepared for the backup n in advance. Furthermore, some precious possessions had already been shifted. As long as they wished, they could leave at any time. However, before the final moment, how could they give up everything so easily?


    Yuan Zeyu waved his hand, ¡°No need to say anything. Since our opponents can invite a Xiantian cultivator, we¡¯ve no chance at victory, and instead, will be killed by their hands. It would be better for us to retreat in advance,¡± He sighed and helplessly said, ¡°Better a wretched life than death. To be able to preserve all the lives is also quite fortunate in the face of disaster.¡±


    Yuan Earnest and He Quanxin exchanged a nce. Their faces were quite unsightly. However, as soon as they thought about that pressure, they felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on their hearts.


    Yuan Zeyu bitterlyughed and instead consoled, ¡°We¡¯re actually quite fortunate. If that man unarguably rushed in the manor, I¡¯m afraid even escaping would have been difficult for us.¡±


    They immediately felt rmed, even Yuan Earnest seemed to be somewhat unstable.


    Looking at everybody¡¯s expressions, He Yiming suddenly smiled brightly and said, ¡°Granduncle Yuan, I also have something I wish to seek your advice.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu stared nkly before saying, ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°I wish to ask, you all keep repeating that this person has some connection to Fan family. But do they truly have a connection?¡±


    Everybody faintly started, following which, a gleam of hope appeared in their eyes.


    Yuan Earnest heavily patted his thigh and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, who knows who is this person. Perhaps he was merely passing by,¡± Saying up to here, he shook his head. Evidently, even he himself was not convinced of this exnation. However, he then said, ¡°Regardless of anything, we should make inquiries. If we need, we should leave after confirming the truth. Otherwise, if we¡¯re to suddenly retreat for no reason, we¡¯ll certainly beughingstock of everybody. In that case, even if we wish to stage aebackter, it would be an impossible feat.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu hesitated for a while, eventually silently approved his son¡¯s words.


    However, in the following few days, they were not able to gain any information about that strange man.


    And amidst worrying about gains and losses, the ten day agreement¡­¡­eventually arrived.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 47.1 - Boundless Essence

    In the deepest section of the winter, ice covered thends, and the entire world had turned into a freezer. Mountains trembled with cold, rivers had frozen stiff, and the air seemed as if it was about to condense.


    However, outside the Yuan manor, there was a burning atmosphere.


    Under the lead of Yuan Zewei, Fan family members had arrived outside the Yuan manor, carrying a huge, eight-bearer pnquin.


    Gold Forest country also had customs, and amon person couldn¡¯t sit inside such a pnquin. However, as far as these powerful influential families were concerned, they didn¡¯t put such customs in their eyes at all. Even the royal family of Gold Forest country could only turn a blind eye and go along with it.


    Yuan manor¡¯s entrance had been opened since a long time. When they arrived, Yuan Earnest personally went outside and guided them to the manor¡¯s training ground.


    Yuan Zeyu had made some preparations in advance. Everything inside the Yuan manor was as familiar to him as the back of hand, and in his opinion, the training ground in the backyard were the most optimal ce to conduct today¡¯s battle.


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s vision asionally swept through them; his eyes containing somewhat strange and also somewhat gratified expression. However, whenever his vision fell on the mysterious pnquin, his felt somewhat rmed and anxious.


    On the training ground, under the lead of Yuan Zeyu, He Quanxin and others had obviously been waiting for them since a long time.


    However, just like Yuan Earnest, when they saw a eight-bearer pnquin being carried into the backyard, each of them involuntarily revealed somewhat strange expressions.


    Even the wise and experienced He Quanxin couldn¡¯t refrain from guessing what could this pnquin be hiding inside it.


    If it had only person inside, then this person was being a bit too arrogant.


    The few of them who were aware of the strange event that urred a few days ago indistinctly and unwillingly associated the pnquin with that strange man. However, before receiving a confirmation, they would rather feign ignorance, deceiving others and themselves.


    Yuan Weiyu retracted his gaze from the pnquin and said, ¡°Fan family master, although our Yuan family is not some really big n, we¡¯ll not lock out doors and refuse to see a friend. I wonder who is the gentleman inside this pnquin, and why have they still don¡¯t want to show themselves?¡±


    Fan Shui bitterly smiled inwardly. In reality, he himself didn¡¯t know what Lu Xinwen was thinking, for him to raise such a demand. Not only sitting inside the pnquin, but refusing toe down even now.


    However, even if he had two times of his courage, he wouldn¡¯t dare ask the reason.


    He revealed a mysterious smile and said, ¡°Lord Master Yuan, inside the pnquin is my senior. His old self is really fond of sitting inside the pnquin. I don¡¯t know if your side have someone worthy enough to make him out, though.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu¡¯s heart sank, ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ it¡¯s truly that day¡¯s mysterious man inside the pnquin?¡¯


    However, even in the Fan family, the information regarding Lu Xinwen arriving in their family was only known to the father and son duo. Other members and servants had absolutely no clue that they had such a mighty expert in addition. As for Yuan family, it was even more impossible for them to receive any word or rumour. Therefore, although they had their suspicions inwardly, under such circumstances, they wouldn¡¯t show any weakness.


    Yuan Zewei took one step forward and loudly said, ¡°Second brother, we¡¯vee today. For the sake of that mother who gave birth to both of us, I will still urge you to pack up and leave. If the two sides truly fought a bloody battle, I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t be able to do so even if you wish.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu faintly smiled and said, ¡°Elder brother, don¡¯t you think you are saying these words a bit too early?¡±


    Yuan Earnest said, ¡°That¡¯s right. The victory and defeat¡­is not decided yet.¡±


    This moment, Fan Vastsun, who stood closely beside the pnquin, faintly inclined his ear and hard a clear voiceing from the pnquin, ¡°Who is that male carrying long cloth on his back?¡±


    Although this voice was not loud, it was undoubtedly Lu Xinwen¡¯s voice.


    Not daring to be neglectful in the least, Fan Vastsun quickly nced in that direction, then lowered his head and said in a low voice, ¡°Great granduncle, that is He Yiming- junior of He family who have been invited by Yuan family for assistance.¡±


    ¡°He family¡¯s junior?¡± The voiceing from the pnquin suddenly turned somewhat strange. Waiting for a few moments, he again said, ¡°Who are other people rted to him?¡±


    ¡°Other people rted to him are that tenthyer expert He Quanin and his son, He Yitian. Reportedly, all of them including He Yiming have direct bloodlines.¡± Fan Vastsun respectfully said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± The voice from the pnquin suddenly be indifferent, ¡°You father and son, kill those two.¡±


    Fan Vastsun astoundedly turned his towards the voice with an appalled look in his eyes.


    ¡°If you father and son can aplish this, I will ept you as disciple, and you will recive my legacy. Perhaps sometime in future, I will also let you advance into the Xiantian realm.¡± Lu XInwen said; his tone neither too quick nor too slow.


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s eyes shined, and he immediately made his decision. This opportunity was worth fighting with his life on line.


    Fan Vastsun suddenly turned, walked to his father¡¯s side, and quietly said two lines.


    Fan Shui immediately revealed a simr expression, and his two eyes strictened.


    He Quanxin was a tenthyer expert, moreover from the information brought by the two Xiao brothers, he was an expert of earth techniques, which happened to restrain his water type techniques.


    However, as he nced at the tightly sealed pnquin, his heart was set aze.


    Lu Xinwen actually agreed that as long as they could kill He family¡¯s father and son duo, he would help Fan Vastsun advance into the Xiantian realm. This promise in itself was worthy to involve the entire family.


    For a n, a tenthyer expert was extremely important. However,pared to a XIntian cultivator, it was as far apart as heavens andnds.


    If Fan family could produce a Xiantian cultivator, perhaps one day, they could truly be a millennial n.


    He sucked in a deep breath and was about to step out, but was pulled back by Fan Vastsun.


    ¡°Vastsin, what do you want to do?¡± Fan Shui discontentedly asked.


    ¡°Father, let me go first.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Uncle Xiao said before that He Quanxin¡¯s son He Yitian carries his father¡¯s bloodline and is also has earth type Internal Energy,¡± A peculiar killing intent flickered in Fan Vastsun¡¯s eyes, ¡°Child will go first and behead him right there. He Quanxin¡¯s state of mind will certainly be disrupted, then taking the advantage of the situation, father can certainly behead him.¡±


    Fan Shuo¡¯s eyes shined but he then shook his head and said, ¡°It won¡¯t do. You also cultivate water type techniques and are also at the seventhyer. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re not a match for him.¡±


    Fan Vastsun said withplete confidence, ¡°Father, uncle Xiao said that his Internal Energy is although at the seventhyer, it¡¯s far from attaining the peak, and is in the middle of the seventhter at most. My Internal Energy is already at the seventhyer¡¯s peak- a lot higher than his. As long as I fight safe and steady, I will certainly win.¡±


    Fan Shui hesitated for a few moments, the eventually gave a slow nod. Although the Xiao brothers were a notch below him in terms of Internal Energy, their discerning power was no small matter. If this had not been the case, he wouldn¡¯t have requested the so earnestly to pretend as Fan family¡¯s spongers and scout out opponent¡¯s depths.


    Fan Vastsun rushed out inrge strides, standing in the middle of the ground the next moment.


    The sudden disturbance caused by him made Yuan Zewei, who was engaged in a verbal war with Yuan Zeyu and others, immediately close his mouth shut.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 47.2

    Fan Vastsun sped his hands, deeply bowed, and said, ¡°Gentlemen, this affair has already spread so far out, words would not serve any purpose. I, Fan Vastsun, am nothing but an insignificant junior. On this eve, I don¡¯t dare be arrogant and only wish to be the cartman who pushes the horse to serve a modest beginning. I wonder which of you gentlemen wille and join me.¡±


    Everybody felt a bit strange at this moment. They also knew that today¡¯s ordeal wouldn¡¯t be settled with mere words and would be decided on the basis of a battle fought with true swords and spears. However, nobody expected that Fan Vastsun would be the first person toe forward.


    Yuan Zeyu¡¯s brows severely creased. He knew Fan Vastsun¡¯s strength, but also knew that in his family¡¯s young generation, there was no genius with seventhyer Internal Energy. However, to let second generation enter the field, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to open his mouth.


    Fan Vastsun chuckled and suddenly said, ¡°Brother He Yitian, previously, your noble father battled against my two uncles. That memory has always remained fresh in my mind. I know that I¡¯m no match for your father, I don¡¯t dare challenge him. However, what I wish¡­. is to have a battle with you, is it possible?¡±


    He Yitain faintly started, then revealed a confident smile and said, ¡°Since brother Fan is interested, I will take you up on the offer.¡±


    Flicking his sleeves, he unhesitatingly walked out.


    As he walked out, Yuan Zeyu and others also felt at ease. Among their group, only He Yitian and He Yiming were the best options to deal with this situation.


    The two arrived in the center of the ground. Neither of the two brought out any weapons. They cupped their hands towards each other confronted each other from afar.


    However, this situation only remained for a few moments before Fan Vastsun¡¯s body began to move as smoothly and naturally as drifting clouds and flowing water.


    He cultivated water-type techniques. He Yitian, however, cultivated earth-type techniques. If the two remained in a deadlock and didn¡¯t make a move, he would receive the short end of the stick in terms of aura.


    Therefore after briefly confronting each other, he immediately acted out first.


    As soon as he moved, his whole being began to glide forward, as if wheels had been fitted below his legs and the ground was extremely smooth.


    Almost at the same time, his palm erected up and water-type Internal Energy was instantly pushed to the peak.


    Although he was not even thirty, his Internal Energy had already attained the seventhyer¡¯s peak, and he could make the breakthrough into the eighthyer at any moment. This strike was issued by concentrating all Internal Energy inside his body. One could even say that he wished to aplish the victory in one move.


    He Yitian cultivated earth-type techniques, which meant paying particr attention to steadiness. However, if he were to retreat from the very first strike of the opponent, it would be anything but steadiness.


    Fan Vastsun had madeplete preparations before acting out. As long as He Yitian took a step back, his battle skill would burst forth like unceasing torrents of a flowing river. At that time, he would even put himself at the risk of suffering a serious injury to kill this person.


    As long as this person died, He Quanxin, as his father, would certainly lose his mind. At that moment, it would bemendable even if he were to disy eighty percent of his skill.


    If the father and son truly died at their hands, the mission given by Lu Xinwen would be aplished without any issues.


    As soon as he thought about receiving tutge under a Xiantian cultivator and even a chance to enter the Xiantian realm in future, his heart burned with passion.


    However, right at this moment, He Yitian, who stood before his eyes, raised his palms. Thetter¡¯s two palms stood steady like a boulder as if they had met their two fated lovers in the two palms that wereing at him like a rainstorm. The four palms resolutely collided.


    Suddenly and instantaneously, a huge, imaginable power gushed out of He Yitian¡¯s palms.


    Fan Vastsun cried out as his body suddenly rose up and turned upside down. He made a loop in the air, then steadilynded on the ground. However, his vision, which was on He Yitian, was full of horror and incredulity.


    Although this palm strike¡¯s strength was not at the seventhyer¡¯s peak, it was not much farther either, almost seeming to be separated by nothing but a fine line.


    Hisplexion suddenly turned quite unsightly. It turned out that Xiao Yifan actually made an error. He Yitian¡¯s Internal Energy was not at the middle of seventhyer, but was already approaching the peak.


    The difference between their Internal Energies was limited and adding the rtion of mutual restraint on top, his palm strike was naturally unable to make He Yitian move, and thus, all of his subsequent preparations turned into mere dreams.


    However, since they had already exchanged blows, he couldn¡¯t withdraw just like this. He gnashed his teeth and charged forward once again. Like a sliding mud fish, his whole being spiraled towards He Yitian.


    The moment he¡¯d retreated, he¡¯d already changed his tactics.


    Although He Yitian was quite powerful, he was still above him in terms of Internal Energy. As long as he dyed the fight and continued to make his opponent consume Internal Energy, the ultimate victor would definitely be him.


    However, after exchanging a few tens of blows, the more he struck, the more apprehensive he became. Because he¡¯d suddenly discovered that He Yitian¡¯s Internal Energy was improving at an unimaginably frightening speed.


    Every time he exchanged palm strikes with He Yitian, the powering from the opponent¡¯s two palms would be somewhat bigger. He Yitian seemed like a inhumane monster with unbounded hidden power, and like a spring- the harder the pressure, the harder he bounced back.


    Such a situation was unprecedented, how could he not feel terrified?


    After another few moments of battle, he despaired even more. As their four palms connected, he discovered that He Yitian, who was somewhat weaker than him, already possessed the strength to contend against him on equal terms.


    He¡¯d eventually ascertained, the current He Yitian undoubtedly had the achievement of the seventhyer¡¯s peak.


    He was extremely agonized inwardly. He could never have imagined that the opponent would so inconceivably make a breakthrough during the fight.


    Moreover, the counterpart¡¯s essence seemed boundless. As the two exchanged countless palm strikes, even when he was feeling somewhat weared down, He Yitian still seemed like a lively dragon and was actually bing more excited.


    This moment, Fan Vastsun had only thought, ¡®Could this guy be actually a freak¡­..¡¯


    In the huge pnquin, Lu Xinwen¡¯s eyes shined. This moment he¡¯d already ascertained that all of his three disciples had been exterminated and even the things on their bodies hadpletely disappeared.


    This person called He Yitian must have recently consumed an Essence gold core.


    Only a gold core, which had extremely powerful medicinal properties, could produce such an incredible result.


    Every strike from Fan Vastsun was like a rubbing and massaging for He Yitian, helping him in dissolving the medicinal power of the gold core into his body.


    If this battle hadn¡¯t urred, perhaps He Yitian could have brought out all the effect of this gold core in a few months. However, with such a good opponent who had such a suitable Internal Energy for him, the effect of the gold core would obviously elerate, allowing him to reach the peak of the seventhyer.


    In addition to this, since Essence gold cores actually increase the body¡¯s essence, after He Yitian¡¯s Internal Energy attained the seventhyer¡¯s peak, the remaining medicinal power continued to provide him the energy he was using currently.


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s strategy to slowly wear down He Yitian would never work.


    The old man slowly closed his eyes and took in deep breaths as True Qi circted through every part of his body. The speed of cirction was not quick but extremely natural, as if his entire being had blended into nature and had be a clear and transparentke.


    He Yiming, who had been watching the battle, raised his head and gazed at the big, mysterious pnquin. As he closely heard the sounding from inside it, his face involuntarily gravened.


    In his mind, thatke seemed to be bing bigger and bigger, and even more bigger. Perhaps, the moment thiske would turn into a vast ocean, the True Qi of the individual inside would reach the peak.


    He retreated a step,pletely restraining his True Qi. At this moment, all of his Essence and power had beenpletely concentrated in his body, like a bow fully stretched- once released, it would unleash a terrifying an arrow.


    If someone were to concentrate their attention on He Yiming at this moment, they would discover that thetter seemed to have turned into a stone sculpture, moreover one that didn¡¯t attract eyes.


    However, as of now, nobody paid attention to these two anomalies. Everybody¡¯s focus was on the two battling individuals.


    He Yitian¡¯s figure moved as he suddenly lifted his leg and stepped out while his palm closed into a fist before it struck out, cleaving the air. Even the sound of the fist echoing from the air seemed to be piercing the ears.


    In this battle, this was the first time He Yitian¡¯s feet had left the ground, and also the first time he¡¯d taken the initiative to attack. However, this fist had still been unleashed in his best condition.


    Fan Vastsun¡¯splexion slightly changed. He wished to dodge, but at this moment, his Internal Energy turned somewhat sluggish. He immediately understood that in the course of both sides consuming Internal Energy, he¡¯d actually been the first to fall.


    However, during this slightg, He Yitian heavily exhaled and increased the might contained in his fist by thirty percent.


    With a huge explosion, the two exchanged fists.


    He Yitain¡¯s body slightly shuddered, and his footing immediately changed. He stood proudly; his eyes brimming with the spirit of self improvement.


    Fan Vastsun retreated several steps and eventually steadied his figure; a line of blood trickling down the corner of his mouth. Looking at He Yitian¡¯s look, he felt extreme fury in his heart. No longer able to hold out, he suddenly spurted a mouthful of blood, sprinkling the ground with red dots.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 48.1 - Treasured Armguards

    He Yitian sucked in a deep breath. Not sparing a single nce for Fan Vastsun, he turned around and returned back to his position, and brightly said, ¡°Father, son has returned victorious.¡±


    He Quanxin heartilyughed and said, ¡°Good, worthy of being my He family¡¯s descendant.¡±


    He was not stringent with the praise, but in his mind, he felt quite strange. He was naturally well aware of He Yitian¡¯s cultivation. When did it advance so much?


    Moreover, after watching the course of mutual Internal Energy consumption, he felt even more uncertain. He Yitian¡¯s Essence was actually so prolonged. If it had been him, contending against him in mutual consumption with his Internal Energy restrained to the seventhyer, he would also have been whittled to death by this seemingly boundless Internal Energy.


    Of course, now was not the time for inquiry. He could only save his doubts for the future.


    He Yitian, however, knew too well. He gratefully turned his gaze towards his sixth brother and couldn¡¯t help but be somewhat startled. Thetter just stood there with a kind of- gentle breeze and floating clouds, as if his spirit was soaring beyond the horizon- expression on his face. As if his consciousness was not in his body. Even further, he couldn¡¯t feel He Yiming¡¯s living aura at all.


    Had he not been able to see with his own eyes, he would even have doubted if there was even a person standing there.


    He felt skeptical inwardly, whether to go near and inspect closely. However, right at that moment, he heard an unusual movement behind his body, and his attention involuntarily shifted.


    With a flicker, Fan Shui had already arrived behind his son¡¯s body. He gently patted his son¡¯s back a few times, and a strand of robust True Qi immediately entered thetter¡¯s body.


    The two of them, father and son, were also like He Quanxin and He Yitian- sharing the same bloodline.


    They both cultivated water-type techniques, which gave them a far superior advantage in terms of healing.


    However, Fan Vastsun suddenly struggled free. Looking Fan Shui in the eyes, he faintly shook his head and said with a trace of ashamed expression, ¡°I lost, father.¡±


    Fan Shui looked at his son in silence. That grieving, self-mocking expression caused him to feel extremely heavy on the inside.


    He knew that his son seemed perfect on the surface, not hesitating to even bend and bow before Lu Xinwen, but in reality, was extremely arrogant on the inside. Losing to an individual ofparable age today was undoubtedly a huge blow to him.


    This moment, he could clearly see hopelessness and loss in Fan Vastsun¡¯s eyes.


    He further knew that if Fan Vastsun couldn¡¯t break himself free from this, in the future, even making an inch of advancement would be difficult for him.


    As soon as he¡¯d this thought, it pierced his heart like a needle.


    Fan Shui¡¯s face gradually turned calm, as if suddenly making a decision when faced with a difficult choice.


    Patting his son¡¯s back, grandeur suddenly filled Fan Shui¡¯s heart. He said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m here for you.¡±


    Fan Vastsun nkly stared only to see Fan Shui walking forward inrge strides.


    At this moment, his father¡¯s back was so solid, so reliable!


    Fan Shui¡¯s every step was as steady as a mountain; unfaltered to the extreme as if a huge boulder was slowing moving.


    Yuan Zeyu and others constricted their eyes, overwhelmed with astonishment. This tenthyer water type expert was walking so steadily, not exuding a trace of gentle and misty feeling of water-type.


    And the more he continued to do so, the more they felt heavy and anxious.


    A water-type cultivator had actually disyed such a strength, what did this signify?


    He Yiming¡¯s pupils seemed to faintly stir. He felt boundless battle intent. This was one¡¯s aura erupting in its entirety; battle intent without any reservations whatsoever.


    In his brief sixteen years of life, the experts he¡¯d seen were as numerous as crabs in a river. Not merely Houtian experts, he¡¯d also seen Xiantian cultivators.


    However, never had he ever felt such a strong battle intenting from anyone¡¯s body.


    When amon man is angered, blood flows.


    He Yiming unexpectedly had such a frightening feeling.


    He suddenly understood, this was a true expert entering the battle with an attitude as if he¡¯d already given up on his life.


    ¡°Brother He, your son is indeed skilled, this Fan admires him from the heart. However, now, it should be our turn to fight.¡±


    Fan Shui was faintly smiling. His smile was so calm and unfaltered that it seemed as if he had discussed some extremely trifling affair.


    He Quanxin¡¯s smile had already vanished. He could clearly feel the intense feeling of dangering from this man¡¯s body. However, as of now, he also couldn¡¯t bring himself to cower back.


    ¡°Since brother Fan feels like examining this He¡¯s skill, this He wouldn¡¯t dare disobey.¡±


    People on both sides were silent. As they saw He Quanxin entering the stage, both sides involuntarily tensed.


    In the minds of majority of people, He Quanxin and Fan Shui were the two most important aces today for the two families.


    As long as victory and defeat among them was decided, today¡¯s contest was basically over and the owner of the Yuan family would be decided ordingly.


    When Fan Vastsun had challenged He Yitian, everybody thought they would certainly see some good show. However, they didn¡¯t expect that as soon as the fight between the two youngsters concluded, Fan Shui would immediately and impatiently go ahead and issue the challenge.


    Such a quick arrival of the ultimate battle indeed made the majority of the people feel somewhat unprepared.


    He Quanxin was about to step out, but heard He Yiming¡¯s voice, ¡°Wait a bit, eldest uncle.¡±


    Everybody started and shifted their gazes onto him, wondering what he intended to do.


    He Yiming advanced a few steps, turned his body- blocking everybody¡¯s line of vision- extended his two hands, and made a few shaking movements with a speed that a human eye couldn¡¯t keep up with.


    After cultivating the Imprint technique, both his hands had be extremely nimble. These movements further brought out the skill thoroughly, even deeming them lightning fast would not be wrong. Other than a few after images, no traces of his movements could be seen.


    Subsequently, he gently said, ¡°Eldest uncle, be extremely careful.¡±


    After saying these words, he returned to his original position and again immersed himself in that realm, converging all his attention onto a single point.


    He Quanxin¡¯s face turned quite strange. His two fists closed, and opened again. He then rubbed them against each other, as if feeling somewhat ufortable. However, he didn¡¯t dy, rather raised his head high and stepped into the center of the ground.


    Yuan Zeyu and Yuan Earnest exchanged a nce; their eyes filled with concern.


    They had no idea what was going on inside He Yiming¡¯s head, to pull off such a farce at such a crucial juncture. From He Quanxin¡¯s face and posture, he didn¡¯t seem in his peak condition from any angle. With him entering the stage in such a condition, the situation didn¡¯t seem too optimistic.


    ¡°Please.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 48.2

    After sping his hands towards He Quanxin, Fan Shui immediately acted.


    At this moment, the distance between the two was almost the samepared to the previous fight between He Yitian and Fan Vastsun, because this was the conventional distance during a duel.


    Fan Shui slightly raised his palms as his two heels lightly rose up and he glided forward.


    His movements were exactly the same as that of Fan Vastsun¡¯s initial movements. If one insisted on finding the difference, his speed was much quicker and he was much nimbler; his movements appearing to be even more like flowing water.


    The water without a ripple from an ancientke instantaneously transformed into that of a multivariate river. This sudden transformation gave a extremely contradictory feeling, seeming as if Fan Shui had always been two separate individuals, or as if there were simply two individuals acting in parts.


    Not a smidgen of ease could be seen of He Quanxin. His reaction was also simr to He Yitian¡¯s. He raised his palm, steadily waiting for the opponent¡¯s attack.


    With a light rumble, the palms struck against each other, and the formidable Internal Energy immediately unleashed iparable power. Strands of invisible Internal Energy rippled out from under their feet. Some cracks appeared on the ground as well due to the severe battle between two tenthyer experts.


    He Quanxin¡¯s figure stood as steady as a boulder as he severely resisted the powerful impact. With a slight shudder for a moment, he steadily stopped.


    Fan Shui¡¯s figure, however, shuddered once, then suddenly retreated a step back.


    Although his water-type techniques were quite formidable, as far as the cultivation base went, he was only on par with He Quanxin. Under the restraint of their techniques, he was inevitably a bit inferior.


    However, the step he¡¯d taken back only touched the ground with the tip of his feet before he again charged. However, this time, he thrusted out his palm like a knife.


    The slightly protruding out middle finger flickered with a faint sparkling glow, like a falling water droplet, reflecting the sunlight.


    Completely unfazed, He Quanxin again raised his palm, lightly pushing it towards his opponent¡¯s pointed palms.


    Suddenly, He Quanxin¡¯s face slightly changed. He¡¯d felt a strange power. This power appeared to be as soft as cotton, seemingly not too strong. However this power carried an aura as if it would never stop before prating through whatever be in its way.


    He Quanxin¡¯s suddenly felt a chill, ¡®Why is this feeling so simr to the characteristics of metal type?¡¯ However, as their Internal Energy collided, he clearly understood that Fan Shui had still used water-type Internal Energy without any change whatsoever.


    Fan Shui repeated half a step, then again advanced half a step, and every time he did so, he always thrusted out his palm like a de, seeming as if this constituted all of his techniques.


    However, while confronting this simple thrust that could almost make people feel drowsy, He Quanxin¡¯s face was exceptionally grave. His legs faintly bent, steadily resisting strike after strike. However, it was all he did. From the beginning to end, he¡¯d not struck once; not even once just in name.


    Under such an assault which was not quick at all, He Quanxin was actuallypletely powerless to retaliate.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyebrows slightly twitched. At this moment, his consciousness and True Qi werepletely concentrated. Under such state of high concentration, his perception capabilities were even higher inparison to usual.


    In his perception, Fan Shui no longer resembled the torrential water of a huge river, but water droplets that slowly fell down from a cliff¡¯s edge.


    Although such water droplets seemedpletely ordinary, their power couldn¡¯t be looked down upon.


    Although water of arge river flows with a torrential vehemence, covering thousands of li in an instant, after the flood is over, mountains still remains mountains,nds still remainsnds. It could not destroy thends itself.


    However, the water dripping down from a cliff is different. Even they it could never drown the big stones underneath, but their efforts allow them to create a new miracle, which is to prate the stones.


    When the count of dripping water droplets attains infinite, dropping on a specific part of the big stone for several years, regardless of how tough the stone is, the seemingly powerless water droplets open out a small opening on its surface.


    The current Fan Shui had done precisely the same. He¡¯dpressed all the Internal Energy to a high degree and striking out bit after bit, to pierce through the huge rock before him.


    However, such a method of battling withpressing one¡¯s Internal Energy would undoubtedly bring a certain impact and damage to the body. For a short time period, battling as such wouldn¡¯t be problematic at all, but if continued for a long time, even an individual made of iron wouldn¡¯t be able to preserve.


    However, at the same time, such a method of battling which ignored the harm brought to one¡¯s own body also provided unimaginably huge might.


    Even with the mutual restraint, Fan Shui had no trouble gaining the absolute upper hand.


    Not merely He Yiming, every individual present on the ground whose cultivation had attained the seventhyer could see through this matter.


    The nkness and loss in Fan Vastsun¡¯s eyes hadpletely disappeared, reced by grief and guilt.


    Suddenly, he understood the meaning behind his father¡¯s words.


    He understood that what his father intended to do was to simply stake his life on this victory.


    His means were- my son has been struck, so I, his father, will vent for him, and to do so, will not hesitate to even put my life on the line.


    Suddenly, a sparkling light flickered in Fan Vastsun¡¯s eyes. His fists subconsciously tightened, and emotions overwhelmed his heart, hating that it was not him instead of his father.


    The negative impact he¡¯d suffered from the loss a few moments agopletely disappeared. Feeling the gradually soaring Internal Energy in his body, he even felt that as long as he cultivated for a short time period, he could certainly break through the limits of the seventhyer and attain the realm of the eighthyer.


    On the battlefield, He Quanxin eventually couldn¡¯t preserve. His feet stumbled, and he eventually took a step back.


    Water prates the stone. Upon umting its power to extremes, there is no obstacle that water cannot destroy.


    Fan Shui¡¯s eyes shined. The faint scorching pain in his meridians couldn¡¯t seem to be able to influence him in the slightest.


    He let out a long hiss, and his originally steady body suddenly started to circle about. Like the flowing water of river, one wave rising after another.


    If a boulder stood firm, flood naturally couldn¡¯t flush it away. However, if the foundation was already weak, the boulder could only drift along with the wave.


    Staking his own life, Fan Shui had eventually won the bet.


    His two hands waved, and his entire being instantaneously transformed into raging waves, shrouding the heavens and earth, and rushed at He Quanxin, as if it wishing topletely drown him within.


    Losing the weight on his legs, He Quanxin knew that situation was anything but good. However, at this moment, he¡¯d no other choice but to brace himself and resist this attack with all his strength.


    However, in a battle between experts, once one of them fell into an disadvantage, recovering it back was extremely difficult.


    The moment he looked at the two palms that were fluttering about his body, He Quanxin eventually felt that his strength wouldn¡¯t be enough.


    Although he was extremely unwilling in his heart, he was without a choice. However, he deeply sighed and eventually erected out his two arms, whipping them out like a ironsh.


    Yuan Zeyu and Yuan Earnest¡¯s facepletely changed. Although He Quanxin had fell into a disadvantageous situation, with earth-type techniques defensive property, if he continued to defend, he might not be hopeless.


    However, he unexpectedly chose to attack at such a moment.


    Is this not equal to seeking one¡¯s own death¡­.?


    A sinister expression flickered in Fan Shui¡¯s eyes. He¡¯dplete confidence that as long as he unleashed his power on this arm, he could definitely take advantage of this momentary gap and injure his opponent, even following up with continuous strikes and killing him.


    His two hands lifted up, and his whole being from inside and outside, overflowed with killing intent. The powerful and severe murderous aura on his body clearly illustrating his desire.


    He Yitian¡¯s two eyes had already turned red. He could clearly see the killing intent bared out in the open by Fan Shui.


    However, the moment Fan Shui¡¯s palm touched He Quanxin¡¯s arms, hisplexion had a huge transformation, and his eyes revealed an appalled expression.


    A huge power was surged out from He Quanxin¡¯s arm.


    This power was far exceeded his imagination.


    At this moment, he even doubted whether a tenthyer¡¯s peak metal-type cultivator could have produced such a frightening power.


    The aching in his meridians was bing more and more severe. However, he could no longer show much consideration for it. All the Internal Energy inside his body gushed out like tides, to resist this arm sweeping towards his body.


    Resist, resist, can¡¯t resist¡­.


    The arm bringing along iparable power broke through the resistance of Fan Shui¡¯s palm and severely struck at his stomach.


    Fan Shui¡¯s body went airborne, as if a huge wing, and performed a huge somersault before softly dropping down.


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s body moved like lightning. Disregarding the injuries on his body, he pounced forward and firmly caught his father.


    Fan Shui¡¯s two eyes were opened wide, strictly staring at He Quanxin.


    At this moment, He Quanxin¡¯s sleeve had beenpletely torn apart from below the elbow, revealing a treasured armguard sparkling with golden light.


    A sh of understanding flickered in Fan Shui¡¯s eyes. His lips quivered, eventually revealing a streak of blood. He let out a long breath, then there wasn¡¯t a trace of breath.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 49.1 - Xiantian Battle

    Fan Vastsun suddenly raised his head and looked at He Quanxin with anpletely undisguised hostility in his eyes.


    Everybody who saw such a deeply hateful expression, felt a bit strange and could tell at a nce that the remaining half of this person¡¯s life would pass in the shadow of revenge.


    He Quanxin shuddered. Even with his present tenthyer cultivation base, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill hitting him in the face.


    ¡°This is my Xiao uncles¡¯ armguards. Where did you get them from?¡± Fan Vastsun gnashed his teeth and asked.


    He Quanxin¡¯s brows faintly creased. Inwardly, he was full of questions as well.


    These two armguards had been nimbly slipped onto his arms by He Yiming before entering the field.


    However, He Yiming¡¯s movements were just too quick. Not to mention others, even he himself only realized after the event. However, at that time, it was no longer possible to question the origins of these armguards.


    However, he hadn¡¯t thought that today¡¯s battle would actually be so dangerous. If he didn¡¯t have these armguards¡­


    He Quanxin nced at Fan Shui whoy on the ground without a breath. If he hadn¡¯t had these two armguards today, the one lying on the ground¡­.would have been him.


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s eyes shined. Upon witnessing the death of Fan Shui, his heart felt light as if a huge boulder had been lifted. He¡¯d no more worries.


    Fan family was not a big, reputed family. It only relied on Fan Shui, a tenthyer expert, for support.


    Perhaps after a few centuries, they could have be a new influential family. However, since Fan Shui had already died, this small n¡¯s days were limited.


    Not to mention Yuan family would certainly settle ounts with Fan family, even the other ns that had been swallowed by the Fan family would not let such a big opportunity pass by.


    Seeing He Quanxin frowning and not uttering a word, he believed that thetter disdained to reply. Therefore, he immediately stepped forward and said, ¡°Nonsense, you are young, what do you understand? If you say it¡¯s yours, then it¡¯s yours? I will even say that everything of your Fan family is mine.¡±


    His voice brimmed with unconcealed delight, and these wordsid out his ambition of swallowing the Fan family in open.


    A cold smile hung on Yuan Earnest as he said, ¡°Young master Fan, what your father did just now, you also saw. His moves were ruthless, and he was aiming for the kill. However, unfortunately, his skill was not sufficient and was killed on the spot by brother He. Since he was so vicious and merciless, he was only asking for it.¡± He raised his head high and swept his gaze all around, ¡°Gentlemen, are this old man¡¯s words not reasonable? Don¡¯t tell me you think that only Fan Shui is allowed to kill, and others are not allowed to kill him?¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s face was exceedingly ugly. He suddenly turned around. The servants and spongers behind his body were all cowering and retreating. There was not a single individual daring to step forward and stand alongside him.


    Many among them were even half bowing and repeatedly nodding, as if showing agreement to Yuan Earnest¡¯s words.


    At this moment, Fan Vastsun had understood. Fan family was already finished¡­.


    Suddenly, a clear voice echoed¡­.


    ¡°If I say, these two armguards are mine, then?¡±


    Although this voice was not loud and seemed more like a mumbling, it fell into everybody¡¯s ears with extreme rity.


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s face revealed a trace of hope, like a drowning person receiving support of the final straw.


    He knew that this person¡¯s assistance was Fan family¡¯s final opportunity to rise.


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s gaze strictened. Regarding this huge pnquin, he didn¡¯t dare have a trace of negligence.


    After all, the influence of that enormous, mysterious pressure from a few days ago was indeed too big.


    He hesitated a bit, then said, ¡°Sir, you are¡­¡±


    The gs of the pnquin blew without wind, and a tall man unhurriedly walked out of the pnquin.


    As soon as he emerged, everybody¡¯s attention shifted onto him.


    Although the hair on his temples was faintly white, the strong vitality on his body could be felt by anybody.


    Because of this reason, nobody was able to predict his age.


    The faces of Yuan Earnest and others instantly transformed. Although they didn¡¯t recognize this person, this person¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t have a trace of difference than what they had heard from the servants stationed at the entrance.


    At this moment, the joy in their heartspletely disappeared.


    Xiantian cultivator; Fan family truly have a Xiantian cultivator.


    However, they couldn¡¯t understand that if Fan family had such a strong assistance, why would they even bother to waste time, making the father and son act, which ultimately even resulted in Fan Shui¡¯s death.


    That man slowly opened his mouth, slowly sweeping his vision through everybody and said, ¡°Old man, Lu Xinwen. Have you people heard my name before?¡±


    As soon as these words sounded, the field turnedpletely silent. Nobody uttered a sound.


    After a few moments, only a thump sound was heard.


    Startled by this sound, everybody turned their head only to see a middle-aged man, among Yuan family¡¯s group, dropping his weapon on the ground; his facepletely devoid of blood.


    Even further, each and every individual in that direction had simr faces,pletely devoid of blood, seemingly surrounded by dark clouds and drowned in ghastly air.


    While on the other side, Yuan Zewei and others immediately revealed overjoyed expressions. The ghastly faces of Fan family¡¯s spongers and servants werepletely gone. However, those who had been recently nodding seemed as if they had swallowed a houseful;pletely silent.


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s gaze immediately fell on the armguards on He Quanxin¡¯s body.


    He lightly said, ¡°The Essence gold core consumed by your son, the treasured armguards you are using¡­¡­my three disciples must have been killed by you people.¡±


    He Quanxin forcefully suppressed his urge to turn around. This moment, he¡¯d already understood that this matter must be He Yiming¡¯s doing. However, what¡¯s with the Essence gold core?


    However, this moment, he¡¯d no time to think. He sucked in a deep breath and said, ¡°Correct, this junior is responsible and is willing to take the responsibility.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re responsible?¡± Lu Xinwen revealed a sneer and said, ¡°With your tiny bit of strength, can you kill my three disciples?¡±


    He Quanxin immediately turned dumbstruck. This moment, even a person with a smidgen of brain would know that the Xiao brothers and the tenthyer expert who hade that night to test He Quanxin were Lu Xinwen¡¯s disciples. However, from Lu Xiwen¡¯s words, it seemed as if they were all already dead.


    Who could possibly have such strength?


    He Quanxin¡¯s lips faintly twitched. As he was just about to speak, a patch of darkness appeared before his eyes. He faintly startled and carefully looked. A rectangr cloth strip was covering his front.


    His heart turned cold as he promptly said, ¡°Yiming¡­¡±


    ¡°Eldest uncle, leave it to me.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 49.2

    He Yiming¡¯s voice that carried a trace ofughter sounded, carrying a magical power which actually caused He Quanxin¡¯spletely despaired heart to throb.


    He Yiming said with a faint smile, ¡°Junior He Yiming, greets senior.¡±


    Lu Xinwen coarselyughed and said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve entered Xiantian, there is no such thing as senior and junior anymore.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s jaw dropped and eyes wide opened as he looked at his nephew with a lifeless gaze.


    What did Lu Xinwen say?


    He nkly looked around only to see everybody else also had the same expressions as if they had seen a ghost.


    At this moment, everybody felt as if they were hearing words out of air.


    He Yiming gently smiled. As its sound spread, everybody came back to life but their vision on him hadpletely changed.


    Especially He Quanxin and He Yitian, Yuan Earnest and others who had interacted with him for quite some time, they all carried incredulous expressions on their faces; the despair in their eyes reced with a gleam of hope.


    He Yiming said in a clear voice, ¡°May I ask brother Lu, why are you so sure that your disciples have already died?¡±


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s eyelids dropped as he said, ¡°Could it be that brother He has entered Xiantian realm recently? How can you not understand even this much?¡±


    He Yiming started and said, ¡°I truly don¡¯t know. Please, do tell.¡±


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s corner of mouth curled as he said, ¡°We, Xiantian realm¡¯s people, have extremely profound impressions of our closed-one¡¯s breath. As long as we go through a region that they had been to within a short time duration, their presence couldn¡¯t be concealed from us,¡± He softly sighed and said, ¡°The small woods outside the Yuan manor contains strong odor of my three lowly disciples. This odor is so strong and so rich, that it could only have been emitted at the time of death.¡±


    sh of realization flickered on He Yiming¡¯s face. Although he¡¯d entered Xiantian realm, he¡¯d yet topletely grasp the special abilities of Xiantian cultivators.


    Lu Xinwen suddenly said, ¡°Before I thought that brother He had left behind that odor as a challenge for my old self. Only now have I understood that it was actually a momentary carelessness on brother He¡¯s part. If you wish to erase the traces next time, just reveal a bit of your Xiantian fist technique at that ce and you canpletely disrupt the air there, making it impossible for anyone to sense anything.¡±


    He Yiming let out a bitterugh, cursing inwardly, ¡®If I had known this technique earlier, would I be before you at this moment?¡¯


    Lu Xinwen unhurriedly continued, ¡°Brother He, I¡¯m curious. My three disciples are not rude at all. They shouldn¡¯t have provoked a Xiantian cultivator; brother He has entered Xiantian at such a young age. Therefore, I believe a Essence gold core and two treasured armguards might not have been enough to move you. Therefore, this old man wants know¡­ why you decided to act and take their lives?¡±


    He Yiming astoundedly looked at him only to see Lu Xinwen¡¯s face quite serious, as if he couldn¡¯tprehend this affair at all.


    Faintly nodding his head, He Yiming resolutely said, ¡°That day, after disciple Zhuang Yuan retreated back after infiltrating Yuan manor, I followed the path taken by him and ran into your three disciples outside the woods. At first, I didn¡¯t want to act. However, they talked about inviting you and exterminating my He family, not sparing even chickens and dogs,¡± Saying up to here, He Yiming paused here for a bit, ¡°Since they were so merciless, how could I have spared their lives?¡±


    He Quanxin and others immediately felt their blood go cold and eventually understood the crux of the matter.


    They looked at Lu Xinwen with somewhat furious gazes. ¡®Completely exterminating He family? If these people were not killed, would there be any justice left in this world?¡¯


    Lu Xinwen eventually let out a long sigh and said, ¡°I understand. So this was the reason,¡± He chuckled and said, ¡°Since exterminating your whole family was the desire of my disciples, then it shall be fulfilled by the means of this old man.¡±


    A thick, almost substantial killing intent slowly soared on his body.


    There was no change in He Yiming¡¯s expression. He already knew that the enmity with this old man was irreconcble since the moment Xiao Yifan had proposed to exterminate his whole family.


    Since it was already out in open now, he would not hold his hand either.


    Retreating half a step, He Yiming firmly stood. He didn¡¯t fetch the sack behind his back, rather slowly lifted his two hands.


    A mysterious hand imprint appeared on his two hands in a strange manner.


    Ten fingers hooked into each other. Concealed in between fingers, where nobody¡¯s vision could enter, his palms slightly bulged, as if the space in between them was filled with something.


    Hidden Needle Imprint; the imprint he¡¯d created out by transforming Rain Cloud Imprint. This was his first time using it in an actual battle.


    He Yitian dazzlediy looking at his sixth brother. Among this group of people, only he¡¯d witnessed Lin Taoli¡¯s imprint technique.


    Although he¡¯d no way of knowing the transformations within, the outer shell looked hardly any different. He also knew that He family had no special techniques that had any connection to imprints.


    Therefore he was actually somewhat curious, ¡®Could Lin Taoli have imparted his n¡¯s imprint technique to sixth brother?¡¯


    But that Lin Taoli doesn¡¯t seem that foolish¡­.


    As soon as He Yiming assumed the posture of Hidden Needle Imprint, his entire being seemed to have disappeared.


    Although they could see his body with their eyes, in their perception, he¡¯d ceased to exist.


    Inparison to the strong vitality on Lu Xinwen¡¯s body, He Yiming seemed to have turned into a nk rock without any life force whatsoever.


    Their breath stuck in their throats, and indescribable emotions filled their heart.


    Each of every one of them knew that today¡¯s conclusion would rely on the battle between these two. Although the winning side would gain a lot, the losing side might not even be able to preserve their lives.


    Although they had not entered the field themselves, the anxiety and concern in their hearts was far above that of the two Xiantian cultivators in the field.


    Suddenly, Lu Xinwen¡¯s body faintly flickered. He stepped out, and as everybody felt a blur before their eyes, he¡¯d already arrived three steps away from He Yiming.


    Nobody had been capable to discern how he¡¯d moved. As if he¡¯d suddenly disappeared and reappeared. They blinked their eyes, confirming if they hadn¡¯t seen wrong. A few cowardly ones even wondered inwardly if this person was actually one of the demons and ghosts mentioned in the legends. Otherwise, how could he cause them to feel as if they were hallucinating.


    However, right at this moment, He Yiming also moved.


    His hand slightly moved. Each and every person could see a strand of golden light flickering.


    Merely a flicker, not even long enough for a wink.


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s figure trembled in a strange manner, and he retreated with an inconceivable speed.


    If nobody could see when he¡¯d advanced, when he retreated, everybody clearly saw a series of after images.


    Starting from three meters before He Yiming, a series of Lu Xinwen¡¯s could be seen retreating, going up to twenty meters away from He Yiming. He then raised one palm and ced it before his chest.


    A golden radiance flickered at the centre of his palm, then disappeared without a trace.


    After catching this golden light, Lu Xinwen¡¯s figure seemed to pause a bit, then changed directions one more time. This time his movements were even quicker as he spiraled around He Yiming.


    In the eyes of the spectators, this old man¡¯s figure had already disappeared. They were apparently seeing a wisp of mist, quickly circling on the field. As of this moment, Even He Quanxin, a tenthyer expert, was absolutely unable to make any sense, just like ordinary people.


    His face was extremely unsightly. He¡¯d heard He Wude saying that the difference between Houtian experts and Xiantian experts was simply inconceivable. In the eyes of a Xiantian cultivator, even a tenthyer Houtian cultivator merely amounted to a fly that was somewhat bigger in size.


    Although he¡¯d heard this so many times that even the skin of his earlobes had hardened, he still harbored suspicions.


    However, at this moment, he¡¯d wholeheartedly epted it.


    The two individuals fighting at the centre of the ground, be it He Yiming or Lu Xinwen, either one of them could easily take his life at any time.


    At this moment, his only happiness lied in the fact that He Yiming had actually be a Xiantian cultivator, and his prayer was only that He Yiming could win this battle and also to escape if his strength happened to be insufficient.


    He Yiming was still young. As long as he lived, there was no need to worry about revenge in the future.


    Everybody outside the ground had their own thoughts, but the two individuals in the center of the ground had all their attentions focused on the opponent.


    As if wind was under his feet, Lu Xinwen¡¯s figure had turned into a dense cloud, a wisp of mist.


    This wisp of mist and cloud was constantly circling around He Yiming, and with every circle, it seemed as if the air was concentrating somewhat, increasing the pressure inside the circle to some degree.


    He Yiming could feel a whirlpool like energy gradually originating and constantly squeezing in on him.


    Water-type technique, moreover Xiantian water-type technique.


    At this moment, He Yiming had understood the attribute of the Xiantian technique cultivated by Lu Xinwen.


    Confronting the power that was pressing in on him from every direction, He Yiming¡¯s figure stood steady as a mountain. His ten fingers altered at a lightning fast speed; strands of Xiantian True Qi constantly were emitted from the center of his palms one after another.


    Every time the hidden needle of the Hidden Needle Imprint was unleashed, as if poking a big hole in theyer of surrounding clouds, it immediately created an opening in that seemingly heavenly pressuring power, rendering it incapable of constituting further pressure on him.


    The speed at which He Yiming had unleashed the hidden needles was evidently out of Lu Xinwen¡¯s expectations. With a long hiss, the old man suddenly stopped and instantly retreated a few tens of steps.


    Only at this moment did everybody clearly see that he was holding another white-colored dress. It was actually this white dress that was fluttering amidst his exceedingly fast movements which emanated a feeling of mist and cloud.


    However, at this moment, this dress was already full of holes, torn to an extent that it would no longer suffice¡­.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 50.1 - Blade Light

    As Lu Xinwen watched the white dress in his hand, a regretful expression appeared on his face, ¡°Unfortunately, had this dress been made with thebination of North Iceberg Haven¡¯s natural silk and South¡¯s spider silk, it could have resisted your Xiantian needles.¡±


    He Yiming started inwardly and said, ¡°If brother Lu says so, it means your skill must rely on this special weapon to be performed to the extreme?¡±


    Lu Xinwen coarselyughed and threw the dress in his hands away, ¡°Even without this weapon, I can still exterminate your family.¡±


    After saying these words, he stepped out; his fists intertwined. This time, his speed was not as quick as before when nobody had been able to see him, and instead seemed to be somewhat slow.


    However, this was nothing more than an illusion. In merely three steps, he¡¯d already covered a distance of several tens of meters before striking out his hand with a loud rumble.


    Water-type techniques were not suited for greeting force with force, but this old man had chosen the dominant way.


    Because based on the initial conversation, he¡¯d understood that He Yiming had only recently be a Xiantian cultivator.


    Although he didn¡¯t understand how the former could possess a ferocious Xiantian technique such as Hidden Needle Imprint, in terms of True Qi, his opponent would certainly be far behind him who had entered Xiantian realm more than twenty years ago. Therefore, as soon as his technique to squeeze He Yiming in failed, he immediately adopted the most reliable method.


    All tricks are naught before absolute strength; although this reasoning was quite simple, it was usually the most pragmatic as well.


    A palm suddenly seemed to have appeared piercing out of thin air as it went straight towards He Yiming¡¯s chest. If this palm truly hit its mark, despite being a Xiantian cultivator, He Yiming would not be able to preserve.


    However, while confronting this palm that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, He Yiming¡¯s two hands suddenly flipped about and the Hidden Needle Imprint instantly transformed into the sturdy Prostrate Imprint.


    This imprint had also been stealthily learned from Lin Taoli and was the imprint that he¡¯d learned to the most perfection. Although it still looked somewhat differentpared to when used by Lin Taoli, in ordance with his own body, this form was the one that suited him the best.


    The indistinct arm swayed in the air, as if looking for an opening on He Yiming¡¯s body. However, the owner behind the palm suddenly discovered that as soon as He Yiming¡¯s hand imprint changed, there was no longer any opening on his body, as if his entire body was under the protection of this imprint.


    After the palm swayed countless times- up and down, left and right, severely and softly- it eventually struck the Prostrate Imprint.


    It seemed as if He Yiming¡¯s hand imprint had been specifically waiting to meet with this palm.


    Lu Xinwen immediately felt extremely gloomy. This palm strike had the support of his entire strength, but he still hadn¡¯t managed to gain the slightest bit of advantage in terms of technique.


    With his discerning eyes, he could tell at a nce that these two imprintsplemented each other, but at the same time, had different respective constructs. However, regardless of any case, there was no doubt that both of these imprints belonged to Xiantian techniques.


    He was amazed and puzzled. What could possibly be the origins of this youngster, for him to possess two kinds of Xiantian imprint techniques.


    If he¡¯d barely learned them, it was still not too strange. However, He Yiming had not only learned them, he¡¯d even grasped their essence. This was somewhat inconceivable.


    At this moment, he was truly somewhat skeptical of He Yiming¡¯s age.


    To promote Internal Energy, one could consume gold cores. To advance into Xiantian realm, there were gold cores as well.


    However, to learn a technique, there was no shortcut.


    Apart from the rare enlightenments that were hard to experience once even in a hundred years, there was only unceasing training, and more training until one finally grasped the technique¡¯s essence and attained perfection.


    However, He Yiming¡¯s disy hadpletely smashed this rule.


    He¡¯d already attained the realm where he could do as he pleased with these two Xiantian techniques, attaining such a skill in less than twenty years of bitter cultivation.


    On encountering such a freak, even the Blood ughterer Lu Xinwen felt bursts of helplessness.


    The moment Lu Xinwen¡¯s palm made contact with his Prostrate Imprint, He Yiming¡¯s knees slightly bent. This one action was all it took for him to divert half of Lu Xinwen¡¯s water-type True Qi into the ground. Subsequently, his legs transmitted a surge of power into his knees. His knees suddenly straightened with a shudder, and the more than three hundreds acupoints on his body immediately issued a huge power in response, which instantly transformed into a string and shot out of the Prostrate Imprint.


    ¡°Peng¡­.¡±


    A not too loud sound rang out. This sound was exceedingly suppressed as if something had exploded within a box, and it gave listeners a choked kind of feeling.


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s eyes suddenly opened wide as his palm resolutely struck against the Prostrate Imprint and two gigantic True Qi¡¯s bluntly collided.


    However, Lu Xinwen found the aftermath of the collision hard to believe.


    A power that was far beyond what he¡¯d imagined came out of the Prostrate Imprint, moreover this was a purely earth-attributed power;pletely restraining him even in terms of Xiantian attributes.


    In in astonishment, Lu Xinwen¡¯s figure flew back at a lightning fast speed; his feet unceasingly touching the ground in quick session and every step leaving behind an extremely clear imprint on the ground. In a short span of a few breaths, the ground had three hundred foot imprints.


    The power aroused by the more than three hundred points inside He Yiming¡¯s body was unexpectedly neutralized by him in such a strange manner.


    Lu Xinwen suddenly raised his head. Regardless of how he thought, he couldn¡¯t understand how a youngster who had recently entered the Xiantian realm could possess such a strong Xiantian True Qi, which was not the least bit inferiorpared to that of his more than twenty years of bitter training.


    At this point, a trace of doubt emerged inside him. His confidence of being able to certainly kill He Yiming faintly shook.


    He Yiming¡¯s two eyes suddenly jerked upwards. At this moment, he felt a clear drop in the opponent¡¯s aura. That condition of spirit, Qi, and essence pushed to the extreme no longer existed.


    The moment Lu XInwen¡¯s aura declined, He Yiming¡¯s aura involuntarily rose.


    Almost without thinking, He Yiming let out a long hiss and raised his foot. His being turned into a streak of lightning as he charged towards Lu Xinwen with a speed that was not inferior to that of thetter in the least.


    He Yiming ¡®s feet quickly treaded the ground; its frequency pushed to the peak.


    As this sound entered the ears of the listeners, it actually made them feel as if they had arrived amidst unceasing torrents of mountain rain.


    In this manner, He Yiming transformed into mountain rain, instantly took countless quick steps, and with his extremely quick body technique, cut off all the paths which Lu Xinwen could adopt to sidestep.


    At the same time, he lifted his hands and Prostate Imprint once again emerged before his body. However, this time, Prostate Imprint was not defensive, but had instantly turned into an powerful offense, as if bearing down with a pressure of Mount Tai.


    In the hands of Lin Taoli, Prostrate Imprint was merely a kind of purely defensive imprint. However, when it fell in He Yiming¡¯s hands, its Internal Energy cirction course underwent a subtle transformation which made an unexpected transformation in this imprint, and gave this method the one and only method of offense.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 50.2

    A powerful True Qi gushed out of the Prostrate Imprint, and the air strictly locked Lu Xinwen in ce as if been firmly tied by countless ropes without any room to move at all.


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s eyes flickered with rm, and incredulity filled his heart.


    With his recent palm, he¡¯d already ascertained that He Yiming was an earth-type cultivator. However, at this moment, the agility technique thetter was disying was undoubtedly belonged to the water-type.


    Earth-type Prostrate Imprint, and water-type [Soaring Rain Cloud] technique.


    The weight of earth, and softness of water were actually being disyed by his body at the same time, moreover being aplished with such beauty. At this moment, Lu Xinwen even felt a kind of sincere admiration.


    However, Lu Xinwen was after all a five hundred year old Xiantian cultivator who had fought countless big and small battles throughout his life. At this crucial moment, he sucked in a deep breath and made his decision.


    Since he knew he couldn¡¯t dodge, hepletely gave up on doing so. Pushing the Xiantian True Qi inside his body to the peak, he issued three palm strikes in session.


    His three palms closely followed each other and each carried a huge amount of raw power.


    As the first palm struck the Prostrate Imprint, his body retreated a bit, as the second palm struck, a little distance was opened up between him and He Yiming, and as the third palm struck the imprint, his figure immediately scuttled backwards like a bow shot from an arrow.


    He Yiming¡¯s feet stopped. Not because he didn¡¯t wish to pursue, but the three consecutive palm strikes constituted an enormous power. Even though He Yiming had the upper hand, he could only firmly nt his legs on the ground and neutralize this power.


    As he raised his head and looked at quickly retreating Lu Xinwen, emotions welled up inside him.


    In the beginning, rather than going offensive, he¡¯d been defensive like a turtle going in its shell. When Lu Xinwen¡¯s offense proved to be insufficient and his aura waned, he¡¯d suddenly attacked by the means of [Soaring Rain Cloud] technique. However, this sure kill situation was easily reversed by the former using three consecutive palm strikes.


    Xiantian cultivators were indeed not simple. The feat of killing this person simply couldn¡¯t be aplished by his bare hands.


    However, he had no idea, his astonishment was nowhere near than that of the current Lu Xinwen.


    Those three palm strikes were no ordinary strikes. It was the merit of his True Qi beingpressed to the extreme. Ever since he¡¯d attained the Xiantian realm, he never had to resort to do so while battling someone.


    Three sessive palm strikes were actually a kind of mystical trick of superimposing True Qi; not something the current Lu Xinwen could have mastered.


    However, he once had a fortuitous encounter and received the relevant specifics from somewhere. After fumbling about this trick, he could barely manage a threefold True Qi assault. However, once he¡¯d used it, his body would suffer some harm and he wouldn¡¯t be able to use it again.


    However, even with all its ws, this was the limit of his aplishment which he¡¯d obtained through countless tries and failures. He used to believe that relying on this skill, he could easily run rampant under the heavens. However, he never expected that during today¡¯s battle with He Yiming, he would actually have to use it in order to save his life. How could his current astonishment be described in words?


    Although He Yiming¡¯s counterattack didn¡¯t bear him any fruit, his spiritual sense was no joke.


    In his perception, Lu Xinwen¡¯s aura was continuously dropping. This case was precisely the so-called one man¡¯s loss is another¡¯s gain. If he allowed such an opportunity to go past, only heavens could tell whether there would even be second chance.


    His shoulder shuddered, and his back muscles twitched. The vine that was tightly fastened around his back was ripped into peices, and a meter long cloth sack suddenly flew up.


    With ingenious use of True Qi, the three section of Reclining Moon de flew over He Yiming¡¯s head.


    He Yiming¡¯s feet moved unceasingly as he raised his two hands high up and made a series of strange movements in the mid air, thereby assembling the tyrannical Reclining Moon de in mid air.


    Stepping out, he fiercely pounced at Lu Xinwen¡¯s retreating back, and at the same time, Reclining Moon de, following a strange hiss that resounded amidst the heavens andnds, bluntly struck towards Lu Xinwen.


    This seemingly ordinary de strike actually contained a miraculous and unimaginably profound power.


    [Splitting Mountain Thirty-Six Forms], form one was being beautifully disyed through the means of the Reclining Moon de.


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s eyes constricted, and a terrifying thought eventually emerged in his mind.


    From this almost four meter long weapon, he could smell a scent that felt like death to him. He¡¯d never experienced such a feeling since he¡¯d entered Xiantian realm.


    He immediately understood that this weapon used by He Yiming had the capability to kill him.


    At this moment, his heart no longer had the desire topletely annihte He Yiming and the others. To him, He Yiming was like a nightmare, giving him an extremely terrifying feeling.


    His feet stamped the ground as his figure shook before he suddenly changed direction and threw himself in the direction of He Quanxin and the others.


    This unexpected turn in events, not to mention He Yiming, nobody present on the scene could have expected.


    With Lu Xinwen¡¯s identity, he actually tried to escape from a battle with another Xiantian cultivator and was even rushing towards the opponent¡¯s family, clearly wishing to take hostage.


    Even a Xiantian cultivator couldmit such an act, moreover doing so under broad daylight and countless gazes. This was way beyond everybody¡¯s expectations. Even He Quanxin couldn¡¯t manage any form of reaction in time.


    He Yiming felt extremely anxious, and with a sudden explosion, like a thunderp in a clear sky, shed out. His whole figure turned into a shadow as he covered the shortest possible distance in a matter of seconds and arrived beside He Quanxin.


    However, as soon as he arrived beside He Quanxin, he felt something amiss.


    Because after nimbly dodging his de strike in mid air, Lu Xinwen immediately escaped out of the range of his de and escaped like a civet.


    He Yiming immediately understood that Lu Xinwen had no intentions to take hostage. He only wished to use this method to escape from the entanglement of his [Splitting Mountains Thirty-Six Forms].


    Suddenly, he understood that Lu Xinwen had already decided to escape. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have lowered his face and chose such an alternative.


    As soon as he thought until here, he was suddenly filled with an intense, almost capable of engulfing sun and moon, confidence.


    A Xiantian cultivator had chosen to escape from him, moreover this Xiantian cultivator had the enmity pertaining to the avengement of his disciples, but he still didn¡¯t dare fight with him.


    This fact, as if an inciting medicine, stimted his consciousness to the extreme.


    His two hands faintly shuddered as an enormous amount of True Qi gushed into Reclining Moon de. At this moment, he no longer had any reservations.


    Amidst intense confidence, five-phases techniques started to operate, engendering each other and igniting that strong power.


    A section of Reclining Moon de suddenly glowed with a de light. That dim, golden glow indefinitely extended, shortened, expanded, and contracted like a viper¡¯s tongue, dissuading one from looking at it up close.


    He Yiming roared and swung Reclining Moon de in his hand. That de light swiftly shot out like a meteor across the sky.


    The time seemed to have stopped this instant.


    It was not that time had stopped, but the speed of the de light was indeed too quick, quick to an extent that it could rip through space and disregard distances.


    After escaping the range of Reclining Moon de¡¯s swing, Lu Xinwen¡¯s figure quickly moved, arrived beside Fan Vastsun, pulled him, and quickly rushed to the outside.


    With Fan Shui already dead, leaving him here would be same as entrusting his life on Yuan family members¡¯ good faith.


    With his speed, there was naturally nobody to obstruct him. However, right after he arrived beside Fan Vastsun, he felt something strange behind his body.


    An unprecedented level of intense crisis shrouded his entire being.


    Almost without thinking, he suddenly waved his arm backwards.


    He seemed to have felt a bizarre power. This power was so sharp that it felt as if there was nothing it couldn¡¯t prate through, nothing it couldn¡¯t cleave.


    Feeling a lightness at his wrist, he turned around. His right hand had been severed from there and was lying on the ground.


    The golden light still didn¡¯t stop and instantly chopped at his body.


    A strange shade of blue color flickered on Lu Xinwen¡¯s face. After shing through his body, the golden light disappeared without a trace.


    As everybody tongue-tied watched him, he, seeming as if nothing had urred, leapt up and crossed over the wall while holding Fan Vastsun in his left hand; instantly disappearing.


    On his path of escape was a severed palm. However, the strange part about it was that apart from the blood of the palm, there were no other traces of blood, as if Lu Xinwen¡¯s body didn¡¯t have a trace of blood inside, and thus, it couldn¡¯te out.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 51.1 - Xiantian Gold Core

    He Yiming¡¯splexion slightly changed. While cultivating these few days, he¡¯d produced Reclining Moon de¡¯s de light several times. He was extremely well aware of this de light¡¯s potential.


    Furthermore, he considered this de light as his ace. Like Lu Xinwen¡¯s technique of superimposition, this was his ultimate life saving method.


    However, after receiving this de light, Lu Xinwen had shrugged it off like nothing and escaped away full of energy. To He Yiming, this matter was simply iprehensible regardless of how he tried to think.


    He pondered and said, ¡°Eldest uncle, nephew will be back soon.¡±


    After saying these words, his figure instantly disappeared. Although he held the Reclining Moon de in his hand, it didn¡¯t seem to amount to anything, not constituting any burden for him at all.


    After the two Xiantian cultivators left, the field first turnedpletely silent, then both sides underwent huge transformations.


    The Fan family¡¯s spongers and servants behind Yuan Zewei cried out and immediately scattered out like birds, leaving behind a few individuals who were looking at thetter with a pale face. They had alle following Yuan Zewei and were not Fan family¡¯s people. Although the current situation had gonepletely out of their hands and they wouldn¡¯t be able to take the Yuan family¡¯s lead ever, they were still not willing to abandon Yuan Zewei and escape at this moment.


    However, as of now, Yuan Zewei himself had no will to struggle left in him. His body slowly tumbled down on the ground; his eyespletely devoid of life.


    For the sake of Yuan family¡¯s lead position, he¡¯d struggled throughout his life, sparing no tricks be it fair or foul. The moment all of his efforts were about to be rewarded, he witnessed his dreampletely crumbling before his eyes.


    The old man couldn¡¯t sustain such a blow and died on his own.


    Simrly, Yuan Zeyu¡¯s eyes were also nk. He took a few steps forward and arrived beside Yuan Zewei¡¯s corpse. Gently crouching, he slowly closed the eyes that were still open.


    Yuan Earnest stepped forward, seeming as if he wished to say something but was hesitating. Ultimately, he chose to preserve silence. However, his hatred for Yuan Zewei was evident in his eyes. He absolutely wouldn¡¯t sympathize with his dead elder uncle.


    Yuan Zeyu stood up and unhurriedly said, ¡°Earnest, go to the county town and bring back all elder brother¡¯s descendants.¡±


    Yuan Earnest started, then hurriedly said, ¡°Father¡­.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu waved his hand and said, ¡°No need to speak anything. I¡¯ve already decided; the shops in the county town can be handed over to you, but thend and courtyards under the name of elder brother¡¯s house shall be preserved for them.¡±


    The old man¡¯s words were firm and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.


    Although Yuan Earnest was quite unwilling inwardly, before Lord Master¡¯s stubbornness, he eventually didn¡¯t dare disobey and could only sound his agreement with a deep sigh.


    Yuan Zeyu turned around, cupped his fist towards He Quanxin and said, ¡°Nephew Quanxin, today, Yuan family¡¯s bloodline being able to be preserved is entirely due to He family¡¯s power. This old man conveys our gratitude¡­.¡±


    His two knees slightly bent as he was about to kowtow.


    He Quanxin¡¯s facepletely changed. He immediately stepped forward and quickly stopped the former before he could kowtow.


    Yuan Zeyu tried to struggle out a bit, but He Quanxin¡¯s held him firmly, not allowing him any room to move at all.


    He Quanxin sternly said, ¡°Uncle Yuan, you¡¯ve been friends with my father for several decades. If I were to receive your kowtow, what will I tell my father upon returning?¡±


    Yuan Zeyu let out a deep sigh, straightened his body and suddenly said, ¡°Nephew He Quanxin, I¡¯ve something that I wish you to bear witness to.¡±


    He Quanxin promptly said, ¡°If uncle Yuan wishes, nephew is d to be of service.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu pointed at Yuan Zewei¡¯s corpse and said, ¡°As it is said, an individual dying is just like amp being extinguished. Regardless of whatever his body did before, it could be written off in a single stroke.¡±


    He Quanxin hesitated for a bit before saying, ¡°It is precisely as uncle has stated.¡±


    ¡°Alright, since nephew Quanxin approves, I ask you to witness as I re-include elder brother¡¯s descendants into Yuan n, and return their farnds and houses,¡± Yuan Zeyu resolutely said, ¡°I wish you to bear witness to this ordeal, and if in the future, somebody tries to covet their farnds and wealth, I hope you can uphold justice for them.¡±


    As He Quanxin¡¯s vision fell on Yuan Earnest¡¯s face, his face turned awkward.


    Yuan Earnest¡¯splexion was ashen as he said, ¡°Father, what is your meaning behind this?¡±


    ¡°My meaning, you should¡¯ve already realized, ¡° Yuan Zeyu lightly sighed and said, ¡°I merely don¡¯t wish elder brother¡¯s bloodline to be severed after my hundred years is over.¡±


    Yuan Earnest lightly snorted and said, ¡°Father, Yuan¡­..eldest uncle has done you so wrong and you are still doing this? Do you think they will actually be grateful?¡±


    Yuan Zeyu gently said, ¡°Whether they will be grateful or not¡­.is not important. I merely wish to preserve their bloodline, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°If they tried to do something again in the future?¡±


    Yuan Zeyu calmly said, ¡°I only wish to peacefully go down as a dutiful person.¡±


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s face calmed down as he said, ¡°Yes, son understands.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu turned and said, ¡°Nephew Quanxin, what do you think?¡±


    He Quanxin eventually nodded and said, ¡°Since uncle Yuan wishes so, nephew doesn¡¯t dare disobey.¡±


    Although he¡¯d sounded his agreement, inwardly, he was well aware that this was merely good will on the old man¡¯s part.


    Even if Yuan Zewei¡¯s descendants could return back to the Yuan family, ultimately, they would only be provided with food and shelter. Unlike before, if they wished to be a member of Yuan family¡¯s core staff that indulged in making family¡¯s vital decisions, it would be simply impossible.


    With such a marginalization, if this bloodline could still be preserved, nobody could say for sure.


    As long as Yuan Zeyu existed, perhaps nobody would dare humiliate them, but after his death, that might no longer be the case.


    He Quanxin¡¯s task was also to give this bloodline a bit of hope and dissuade other Yuan family members to brazenly get over their heads.


    After issuing his verdict, the old man went to rest. As for Yuan Zewei¡¯s corpse, it was personally dealt with by him.


    Upon seeing the Lord Master leave, the tense atmosphere on the scene gradually dispersed.


    Yuan Earnest let out a long, rxed sigh before smoothly issuingmands to the servants to sort everything. He then arrived beside He Quanxin in a few steps and said, ¡°Brother He, Yiming¡­.no¡­.Master He Yiming is truly your nephew?¡±


    Upon hearing these words, He Quanxin¡¯s brows creased, ¡°Yiming obviously is my nephew,¡± He paused for a bit, as if feeling that his tone wasn¡¯t convincing enough, he supplemented, ¡°one hundred percent genuine.¡±


    Yuan Earnest¡¯s face immediately turned delighted as he said, ¡°Alright. Brother He, you¡¯ve really kept me in the dark.¡±


    Although his tone wasining, his words brimmed with excitement. This was but theming back from the death¡¯s door.


    If not for Master He that hade out of nowhere, the one dead at this moment certainly wouldn¡¯t have been Yuan Zewei.


    He Quanxin stroked his chin, inwardly thinking, ¡®I myself didn¡¯t know, how could I have deliberately hidden it from you?¡¯ As he looked in the direction He Yiming had left, his heart was filled with a myriad of emotions.


    Second brother, oh second brother, your son has actually entered the Xiantian realm. Father¡¯s dream can also be fulfilled¡­.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 51.2

    In the vast expanse of mountain forest, a figure swept through the ground like a bird.


    This person was actually carrying another person in his hand, seeming as if thetter didn¡¯t weigh anything at all.


    Eventually, while passing through a mountainous depression, the figure¡¯s feet tumbled once before he stopped in ce.


    He then immediately sat down on the ground, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away.


    ¡°Senior granduncle.¡±


    A cry of surprise sounded at his side. Fan Vastsun immediately stood up and supported the old man.


    This old man was precisely Lu Xinwen who had recently suffered defeat in the Xiantian battle. At this moment, that strong vitality could no longer be felt on his body.


    In the brief span, his hair had turnedpletely white, appearing to be the same as anymon old man. Even wrinkles had appeared all over his forehead. It seemed as if his body had aged several decades.


    Although Fan Vastsun was not a Xiantian cultivator, upon witnessing the changes in the old man¡¯s external appearance, he also seemed to have understood, and his face had also turned exceedingly dark.


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s softly coughed; his voice extremely coarse, ¡°I¡¯ve checked, nobody is following from behind.¡±


    Fan Vastsun started, then immediately said, ¡°Yes, senior granduncle.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why I carried you away from there?¡± Lu Xinwen said in a lowered voice. Even under such dire circumstances, his voice didn¡¯t show a trace of urgency.


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s lips faintly trembled before eventually saying, ¡°Senior granduncle, you wish me to avenge you and your disciples.¡±


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s face revealed a trace of bitter smile. He fairly shook his head and said, ¡°Actually, the first time I saw you in the Fan manor, I¡¯ve already discerned that you are coincidentally suited to cultivate my technique.¡± He raised his head and let out a sigh, ¡°I originally wished to wait for the three of them toe back, then take you in as myst disciple. However, unfortunately, they will never be able toe back.¡±


    Fan Vastsun suddenly lifted his head and cried out with a voice filled with shock, ¡°Senior granduncle, you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hit by He Yiming¡¯s de light. Didn¡¯t expect that despite being so young, he¡¯d not only entered the Xiantian realm, he could even use the de light so well. Hehe¡­..¡± He self mockinglyughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ve really looked down on him.¡±


    Fan Vastsun opened his mouth, wishing to speak.


    Lu Xinwen waved his hand and said, ¡°Listen to what I am telling you. Don¡¯t interrupt me for no reason. My time is limited.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s heart turned even more heavy, and he immediately closed his mouth.


    ¡°He Yiming- this individual is extremely talented. His future prospects are boundless. Even if you bitterly cultivate your entire lifetime, you wouldn¡¯t be a match for him. I saved you, not for the sake of taking revenge, because that would be nothing different as throwing away your life.¡± Lu Xinwen gasped before continuing, ¡°I saved you, only wishing for you to inherit my technique. As long as you can allow the bloodline of my technique to be passed down, that would suffice.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s face fluctuated indefinitely. Today¡¯s defeat, his father¡¯s death, and Fan family¡¯s inevitable decline.


    Under such circumstances, even if Lu Xinwen could give up the enmity of the death of his three disciples, it wouldn¡¯t be so easy for him.


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s gasped a few times before saying, ¡°There is a rumour in the country that I found some elder expert¡¯s cave he left behind and obtained some treasure, that¡¯s the reason I was able to attain Xiantian.¡±


    Upon hearing these words, even Fan Vastsun had to moderate his thoughts and bring his focus back.


    ¡°Hehe, truly didn¡¯t expect that these people¡¯s guess would actually hit the nail.¡± Lu Xinwen helplessly said.


    Fan Vastsun inwardly said, ¡®It¡¯s not that these people¡¯s guess hit the nail. Anybody after discovering someone¡¯s strength suddenly receiving such a huge increment would also make simr guesses. You old man simply ascended the heavens in one leap, directly entering the Xiantian realm. It would have been weird if such rumours weren¡¯t there.¡¯


    Lu Xinwen let out a long sigh, ¡°In truth, thirty years ago, being ambushed by Zhu family, although I was able to luckily escape, my body was heavily injured in the process, almost dying. Later, by a stroke of luck, I indeed found a cave left behind by an elder expert. In that cave, not only there were several mystical Internal Energy techniques and battle skills, there were also two Xiantian gold cores.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s eyes immediately turned sharp. Perhaps people from a small ce like He manor wouldn¡¯t know about Xiantian gold core, but he, who had lived in the county town, was only too clear. Xiantian gold cores were precisely the gold cores refined out of the inner cores of spirit beasts with lifespans above five hundred years.


    Once being consumed by a Houtian expert at the peak of tenthyer, it would provide him an opportunity to enter the Xiantian realm.


    Although Limit gold cores and Essence gold cores were quite expensive,pared to Xiantian gold cores, they were simply worthless.


    Even saying that Xiantian gold cores that could provide opportunity to enter the Xiantian realm was worth more than entire cities was not excessive.


    ¡°Among the two gold cores, one I¡¯ve already eaten, which allowed me to enter the Xiantian. The other one I had left behind for the consumption of either of the two Xiao brothers. However, currently, the three of them are already dead. Therefore, it will be given to you.¡±


    Fan Vastsun severely knelt down and said, ¡°Yes, many thanks to senior granduncle.¡±


    Faintly waving his hand, Lu Xinwen said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be too courteous. Keep in mind that a Xiantian gold core is not something that anybody has the qualifications to consume. The gold cores I¡¯ve obtained are made of a water-attributed spirit beast¡¯s inner core. Therefore, only if a water-type cultivator consumes it, there will be a chance for him to enter the Xiantian realm. Otherwise, not only the medicinal power would not be of any assistance, the contradiction it would cause would be like a fatal poison.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯splexion slightly changed, immediately saying, ¡°Yes, disciple understands.¡± However, inwardly he said, ¡®Such a good thing, of course it has to be left behind for me.¡¯


    Lu Xinwen, as if reading his thoughts, once again gasped for breath and said, ¡°I know you are extremely tempted. However, bear in mind, if you can¡¯t attain the tenthyer¡¯s peak before the age of eighty, don¡¯t think about even touching this gold core.¡±


    Fan Vastsun promptly asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°A human¡¯s body has limits. If you can¡¯t reach the required standard before the age of eighty, your body will slowly deteriorate away and will no longer be able to sustain the impact of the gold core¡¯s medicinal power. Even if you attain the standard sometimeter, your body would still not be able to sustain the impact of medicinal power.¡± Lu Xinwen solemnly said, ¡°Keep all of this firmly in your mind, don¡¯t forget.¡±


    Fan Vastsun bowed and respectfully said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Faint disappointment flickered in his mind. Eighty years- for a Xiantian cultivator, this age was not considered too big at all. However, as far as amon man and an ordinary person was considered, this age was the same as one of the legs entering the coffin.


    In fact, in this world, the absolute majority of cultivator didn¡¯t live past the age of eighty.


    Even with his talent, he might not be able to cultivate to the tenthyer¡¯s peak before the age of eighty.


    Lu Xinwen took out a sheepskin scroll from his bosom and handed it over, ¡°In this scroll, the specific directions to that cave are written. Take it, and go. As long as you proceed with a bit of caution, you will certainly find it.¡±


    Fan Vastsun gently and cautiously epted the scroll. Giving it a thorough nce, he put it inside his bosom.


    Lu Xinwen deeply sighed and said, ¡°Back in the day, the cave I unintentionally entered was established by some unknown senior and was filled with mechanisms that were far beyond my grasp ofprehension. Fortunately, one of the rooms there seemed to be the dwelling of that senior¡¯s daily life, and was thus, devoid of any mechanisms. The techniques and gold cores I obtained were all from that room.¡±


    Fan Vastsun started, then involuntarily asked, ¡°Why would that senior ce these things in that room?¡±


    Lu Xinwen faintly shook his head and spoke in an agonized voice, ¡°I also don¡¯t know about this. However, from that room¡¯s situation, it seemed as if something big had happened at that time, causing that senior to leave in a hurry, only never toe back again. Ha¡­., perhaps that senior was just like me, falling to such a conclusion.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s eyes strictened as he promptly asked, ¡°Senior granduncle, your body?¡±


    Lu Xinwen coarselyughed and said, ¡°That de light from He Yiming¡¯s de had already snapped off my lifeline. I¡¯ve forcefully suppressed down my injuries and carried you here. I¡¯ve already used up all of my ability. As for this old man¡¯s life, it is already hopeless.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯splexion turned dark; tears flickering in his eyes. In some ways, the two of them were acquaintances of the same suffering. As one saw the other passing away before his eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but empathize.


    Lu Xinwen¡¯s voice was bing increasingly lower, ¡°The gold core and cultivation techniques are in that cave. Go and find them, and pass down my legacy; don¡¯t let it end.¡±


    Fan Vastsun severely kneeled down, tapped his head on the ground three times, and gravely said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lu Xinwen nodded his head in satisfaction. He slowly closed his eyes, mumbling, ¡°How could his True Qi be so strong? Could it be he¡¯d emerged a Xiantian cultivator from the womb of his mother? Could he be one of the innate Xiantians of the legends?¡±


    His voice turned lower and lower until it couldn¡¯t be heard anymore.


    Fan Vastsun kept kneeling, motionless. After quite a while, he reached out with his hand and tried to feel the former¡¯s breath. His face gradually twisted.


    He once again kowtowed heavily for a few times, and spoke as if speaking to u Xinwen, or to himself, ¡°Senior granduncle, rest assured, I will certainly avenge this deep hatred for you and Fan family.¡± His teeth produced a ttering sound, ¡°Perhaps this disciple will never be able to catch up to He Yiming, but Yuan and He families only have He Yiming- a single person. If this disciple manages to gain some aplishments, I will first kill every person in Yuan and He family, then kill their dogs and chickens. I will make him live his whole life in regret.¡±


    His voice came out with a rumbling sound; extremely resolute as if a nail had firmly entered a wall and could no longer be erased¡­.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 52.1 - Strangling

    A gentle breeze blew across, and He Yiming, along with Reclining Moon de, seemingly weightless, drifted along with this wind.


    His eyes were faintly closed as he attentively perceived the left behind odor in the air.


    Losing an arm, Lu Xinwen escaped as if nothing had urred. Perhaps others might not be able to see through, but He Yiming clearly sensed that vigorous, almost overflowing life force inside Lu Xinwen¡¯s body thoroughly severed by the de strike.


    The might of this de light could reach such a level, even He Yiming hadn¡¯t expected so.


    Of course, if Lu Xinwen hadn¡¯t probed He Yiming beforehand, resulting him being unable to anticipate such a deeply concealed ace in He Yiming¡¯s arsenal, he wouldn¡¯t have died from what seemed like almost a hidden attack.


    For this old man, He Yiming actually felt high admiration.


    Even after his bodily functions were practically disabled in entirety, he was able to grab an individual and escape with an inhumane speed. Such a feat was far beyond what an ordinary individual could hope to achieve.


    Perhaps, it was this perseverance and undying will that allowed him to have the qualifications to ascend to the Xiantian realm.


    After a few moments, He Yiming¡¯s eyes slightly opened. Through the means of left behind odor, he¡¯d determined the direction in which Lu Xinwen had escaped, and moreover it was bing stronger every passing moment, implying that he¡¯d arrived in his vicinity.


    Of course, the odor of death pervading the air was also bing increasingly strong, indicating that Lu Xinwen would not be able to hold out much longer.


    With a thought, the Xiantian True Qi inside He Yiming¡¯s body began to surge.


    Strands of True Qi churned through the acupoints like flowing water, and in the wake of the True Qi flow, He Yiming¡¯s body also underwent an inconceivable transformation.


    His facial muscles began to rapidly wither, and arms and legs transformed into tree trunk like structures. From his external appearance, he simply seemed to have changed into a different person.


    Upon entering the Xiantian realm, Xu family¡¯s Withered Tree technique seemed to be bing increasingly unfathomable. When the True Qi circted following the course of this technique, He Yiming¡¯s body didn¡¯t look any different from a wooden stake.


    A heavy odor dispersed out of his body. This odor waspletely different than that of one from the body of a human, and instead had no differencepared to that of his mountainous surroundings.


    If a Xiantian cultivator were to arrive before him with eyes closed at this moment, nine out of ten times he would treat He Yiming as a iparably ancient, millenniums old tree.


    Lu Xinwen had previously used strong True Qi while at death¡¯s door, thest sun ray of the setting sun, to probe his surroundings.


    The reason he¡¯d handed over his sheepskin scroll and history to Fan Vastsun was because at this ce, there was nobody else, and more importantly, he deeply believed that He Yiming hadn¡¯t chased after them.


    For He Yiming¡¯s body to support both water and earth type techniques was already an exceptional feat. Therefore, Lu Xinwen had specifically looked for water and earth attributed powers. If He Yiming were to approach him, the water and earth type odor surrounding his body would intensify by hundred foldspared to the other regions.


    When He Yiming pushed the Withered Tree technique higher, although the earth attributed odor surrounding his body was as intense as the brilliance of amp in dark, regardless of how Lu Xinwen could think, he could never imagine that it was He Yiming.


    Since he couldn¡¯t perceive any extreme change in the odor pertaining to these two odor, he obviously believed that He Yiming had gave up on chasing.


    However, he had no idea what He Yiming hadprehended was not merely earth, metal, or water attributed True Qi, instead his body could support all the five attributes.


    Therefore, when He Yiming bit by bit drew near, the two of them remainedpletely clueless.


    Of course, after employing the Withered Tree technique, He Yiming had even severed off his breath, and the human odor on his body had been suppressed to the extreme. Attaining such a level would be difficult even for the Breath Restraining technique.


    About a hundred meters away from them, He Yiming¡¯s True Qi spread out via the energies of the surrounding forest. In this region of dense forest, even if the earth attributed energies pervading the world were to be intensified somewhat, it wouldn¡¯t attract anybody¡¯s skepticism.


    When he listened with rapt attention, the entire conversation between the two of them entered his ears.


    In the beginning when he heard Lu Xinwen dissuading Fan Vastsun from embarking on the path of revenge, He Yiming immediately decided to let off these two. However, he absolutely didn¡¯t expect that after Lu Xinwen died, Fan Vastsun would make such a vengeful vow.


    Talking about how thetter wouldpletely annihte He and Yuan families and make him live his whole life in regret.


    If Fan Vastsun was truly allowed to do so, he would certainly have his wish fulfilled and He Yiming would spend his remaining life in regret.


    As soon as he thought along this line, his mind was immediately flooded by killing intent.


    Even when he¡¯d heard them talking about requesting Lu Xinwen topletely annihte He family, his desire to kill had not been this resolute.


    Especially when he heard the forceful and resolute words that came out of Fan Vastsun¡¯s mouth, he immediately understood that either He family or Fan Vastsun, only one would exist. This enmity had gone past beyond the possibility of reconciliation.


    His figure moved, jumping forward as if a wooden stake.


    In mid air, the Withered Tree technique operating inside his body transformed into slithering stream like Ripple technique.


    The muscles of his body quickly expanded and reinstated their original appearance in a few turns. If his mantle was to be changed, nobody would be able to associate him with that wooden nk like human from a moment ago in any way.


    Although the operating technique had been changed, He Yiming still didn¡¯t make any sound as hended on the ground.


    After confirming that Lu Xinwen had died, He Yiming¡¯s movements naturally became a lot quicker, not as cautious as before.


    An insignificant seventhyer Internal Energy cultivator, Fan Vastsun, was not worthy enough to enter his consideration.


    With a turn, he arrived outside that mountainous depression. Currently, Fan Vastsun was digging a grave, seemingly intending to bury Lu Xinwen right here.


    He softly sighed and folded his arms over each other.


    His sigh didn¡¯t issue any sound, but Fan Vastsun, who was digging the grave, as if having felt some anonymity, suddenly stopped. His body seemed to have turned rigid before he slowly turned around.


    When he saw He Yiming outside the depression, his face, which had been originally flushed due to being aroused,pletely lost all color.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 52.2

    Subsequently, an ominous glint flickered in his eyes, brimming with such hate that it could make one shiver.


    Under his gaze, He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased. He was exceptionally displeased with this gaze.


    ¡°So, you¡¯vee after all. Didn¡¯t expect you can even keep the senior granduncle in the dark,¡± His voice seemed to being from in between his teeth; the hate within apparent to whoever heard it.


    Since He Yiming hade looking for him, the former must have heard his final words, and since He Yiming knew his intentions, he had no chance.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯vee.¡± Looking at Lu Xinwen, who had already closed his eyes, He Yiming slowly said, ¡°In fact, he didn¡¯t have to die at all. If your Fan family had not coveted Yuan family¡¯s assets, him, his three disciples, your father, and you¡­.nobody needed to die.¡±


    For some reason, emotionspletely overtook He Yiming¡¯s heart. He was having some trouble speaking, feeling kind of choked.


    Perhaps it was rted to the death of a Xiantian cultivator by his hands.


    The awe-inspiring Fan family, due to coveting something that wasn¡¯t theirs, was ultimately exterminated even while having the assistance of a Xiantian cultivator.


    Although He Yiming¡¯s age was not big, during this short time he¡¯d interacted with Yuan Earnest, he¡¯d understood a few matters.


    If Yuan Earnest agreed to spare Fan family, sun would be rising from the west.


    Going by Yuan Earnest¡¯s conduct, not only he would be swallowing all of their assets, he would absolutely not spare their remaining bloodline either.


    However, the Fan family had nobody but themselves to me for all of this. Even He Yiming had no way to meddle with it.


    What they could do was to obtain their share from this giant feast, as to be expected.


    A trace of peculiar red color appeared on Fan Vastsun¡¯s face as he sneered and said, ¡°Our Fan family is strong, and Yuan family is weak, moreover we have an insider to exploit, why can we not profit by their assets? However, the only thing we didn¡¯t anticipate was that Yuan family will actually invite you¡­.¡±


    Hearing his blunt,pletely undisguised exnation, He Yiming¡¯s heart turned cold.


    Today¡¯s Yuan family, why couldn¡¯t it be He family of the future?


    Although He family was thriving today, if someday in the future it turned weak, there were certainly other ns lying in wait to rece it.


    At this moment, He Yiming vaguely had an objective in mind. He would certainly make He family a great, millennial n like Jadeting¡¯s Lin family and Fire Crow¡¯s Xie family.


    Only such ns who had deeply twisted and entangled connections with other powers of the same region could deter and cope with challenges of the rising and falling waves of newly emerging ns.


    Although Fan Vastsun¡¯s face carried a sneer, he didn¡¯t dare even budge his body.


    Even though he stood right before death¡¯s door, he didn¡¯t wish to die straightaway. If he moved and managed to gain He Yiming¡¯s misunderstanding, he wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain even a single move from He Yiming.


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s vision slightly dropped, falling onto the bosom section of his robe.


    Here was a sheepskin scroll, which was given to him by Lu Xinwen right before the end of his life. The old man hoped for him to continue the legacy of his technique. Even if it couldn¡¯t be passed down for millenniums, its legacy wouldn¡¯t have ended at his hands.


    However, this moment, Fan Vastsun only had one thought; how to destroy this map without leaving behind any trace.


    He¡¯d already believed his death to be a forgone conclusion. However, even in death, he wouldn¡¯t allow this map to fall into He Yiming¡¯s hands, which would allow thetter to find that cave and Lu Xinwen¡¯s remnants.


    His mind reeled, even a trace of perspiration appearing over his head. Suddenly, his eyes shined as he said, ¡°Master He, I know that my death is certain today. I don¡¯t dare ask forgiveness from you. However, I request you to let me dig this grave and bury Master Lu Xinwen. Then, I will take my own life.¡±


    He Yiming thought for a moment, then said, ¡°Fine, go ahead.¡±


    Fan Vastsun cupped his fists, turned around, picked up a long stone, and jumped into the grave.


    He superficially sneaked a nce in He Yiming¡¯s direction, only to discover that thetter¡¯s vision was still on Lu Xinwen with something strange in his eyes.


    Inwardly rejoicing, he turned his body, positioning so that he could block He Yiming¡¯s eyesight, then gently stretched his hands inside his bosom.


    With his seventhyer Internal Energy, as long as he could pinch the map, he could destroy it in its entirety. After that, even if it fell into He Yiming¡¯s hand, thetter wouldn¡¯t be able to gain any use from it.


    However, as soon as his hand made contact with the sheepskin scroll, his face, which was somewhat gratified, somewhat sinister, and somewhat smiling, immediately froze stiff.


    Because he suddenly discovered that he couldn¡¯t move. Not only could he not circte Internal Energy, he couldn¡¯t even budge his body.


    He Yiming¡¯s figure walked out from behind his body, looking closely at him, ¡°Since brother Fan is destined to die today, the map Lu Xinwen gave to you has no use for you. So¡­.¡± He Yiming softly sighed and said, ¡°Leave this map in my safekeeping. I will fulfill Lu Xinwen¡¯s desire and not let the legacy of his learning to be cut.¡±


    Fan Vastsun¡¯s face immediately turned ashen. His face weakly copsed. But his mouth could still twitch. His eyes seemed to be wishing toe out of the rims, and his face was red as if iron. If a gaze could burn somebody, He Yiming would have long evaporated away as of now.


    ¡°You¡­. are even snatching away granduncle¡¯s possessions. You won¡¯t die in peace.¡±


    He Yiming coarselyughed and said, ¡°Brother Fan, didn¡¯t you just say, Yuan family is weak and Fan family is strong, therefore you should rightly take their position? Today, you sir are weak, and this He is strong. Why should I not be able to take this map instead of you?¡±


    Fan Vastsun started. His lips trembled and two red streaks flew out of the corners of his mouth. He then loudlyughed,ughed until his throat turned sore and voice turned coarse, as if metal and stone grinding against each other.


    Ultimately, hisughter slowly dimmed, and his mutterings could be heard, ¡°Retribution, it¡¯s retribution. Today, it¡¯s our turn, and in future, it will be yours.¡±


    His voice sank lower and lower. Suddenly he spit out half of his tongue, spurting out a huge amounts of blood


    He Yiming didn¡¯t stop him and only revealed a trace of pity in his eyes as he watched him in silence.


    Not too long after, Fan Vastsun¡¯s body twitched a few times before bingpletely motionless.


    He Yiming faintly shook his head and picked up that simple stone stripe Fan Vastsun had been holding. He jumped into the hole andpleted Fan Vastsun¡¯s job, digging out a deep hole in a few turns.


    Living right before the mountain range in the He family, He Yiming was well aware that one must dig a deep grave to bury somebody. Otherwise, there would certainly be some wild beast that would dig out the corpse, and fill its belly such that not even the bones would be left behind.


    Lu Xinwen although had died, he was after all a peak, Xiantian expert. In any case, his corpse shouldn¡¯t be left out in the wild.


    Although the current conditions were far from ideal, it should be enough to allow him to rest in peace.


    As for Fan Vastsun, although Fan family¡¯s destruction was deserved by all means, after going through this whole ordeal, He Yiming had understood one reasoning.


    Weak died, and strong survived; this was the only truth of this world. The reason Fan family had taken such actions was also in order to be a millennium n.


    Only with one¡¯s own power would one be able to avoid other n¡¯s substitution.


    All they had done, how was it actually wrong?!


    Furthermore, in He Yiming¡¯s mind, there was actually a forbidden zone. Something he absolutely didn¡¯t dare question, or think too much.


    Forty years ago, He Wude, relying on Reclining Moon de and assistance of He Laibao, established He manor.


    In the course of this process, how much blood would have been spilled, and how many small ns had been exterminated?


    To say that they had the ability to establish He manor without hurting anybody¡­.


    Although he admired his grandfather and grandpa Bao, he also knew that despite their strength being counted exceptionally high in Tai Cang county, this feat was simply on a different level in respect to their abilities.


    Therefore, he didn¡¯t want to think along these lines, nor he wished to ask. If he could turn his eyes away from the truth, he could live his life with a clear conscience.


    Digging a deep hole, he buried the corpses of Lu Xinwen and Fan Vastsun.


    The depth of the grave he¡¯d dug out went past beyond two meters, which was deep enough that ordinary wild beasts wouldn¡¯t be able to dig the corpses out.


    Of course, before burying them, He Yiming checked their bodies and grabbed some of the things that were useful.


    In any case, they were just to be buried. These things held no value for a dead person and would be better off with him, where they still might serve some purpose.


    There was nothing on Lu Xinwen¡¯s body. Surprisingly, it was Fan Vastsun¡¯s body that had a few things.


    Apart from the sheepskin scroll, there were actually a few gold ingots and a bottle.


    Opening the lid, He Yiming sniffed a few times. His face slightly changed as he discovered that the bottle actually contained Essence gold cores, moreover five pills at that.


    He Yiming immediately understood that these gold cores were not Fan Vastsun¡¯s property at all. He¡¯d taken it from Lu Xinwen¡¯s body.


    It was no wonder that there was nothing on a Xiantian cultivator¡¯s body. It turned out that he¡¯d already been plundered before. Fan Vastsun could never have expected that although he¡¯d obtained the gold cores and map, he would immediately follow after Lu Xinwen¡¯s steps and wouldn¡¯t even get an opportunity to increase his strength.


    After collecting his gains, He Yiming opened the scroll.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 53.1 - Elder Brothers Distress

    From the feelinging from his hand, He Yiming could tell that this was not an ordinary sheepskin scroll.


    It seemed to have gone through some special maneuver, enabling it to gain some resilient properties.


    He Yiming gently opened the scroll and saw a series of clearly visible patterns. These patterns didn¡¯t seem to be drawn on the surface, but seemed to be sewn using some tenacious needlework. Moreover, to his further surprise, the strings didn¡¯t share the same color at all.


    The whole design resembled a gigantic apple and appeared quite alive, even carrying a temptation to make one take a bite.


    Suddenly, He Yiming felt somewhat excited. He raised the scroll above his head and examined it closely.


    Under the bluish-green outer skin was the white-colored pulp. Inside the pulp, at the center of the fruit, was a red, peach-shaped heart. Under the illumination, this heart emanated a bizarre feeling of transparency.


    As he stroked the scroll, he seemed to have experienced the centuries and millenniums of changes that it had gone through.


    He could distinctly tell that this thing was not created by Lu Xinwen, but was something he¡¯d found somewhere.


    This scroll¡¯s history was certainly not brief. However, even so, there wasn¡¯t even a crease on its surface. The color of the patterns was also quite bright, as if knitted not too long ago.


    If not for the extraordinary feeling that was telling him of its long history, he could never have made this assertion with such certainty.


    He suddenly thought of a strange idea. Hesitating a bit, his hands gently gripped the corners of the map before he began to slightly exert some force, tearing it.


    However, the oue was vastly out of his expectations.


    He couldn¡¯t even budge it.


    He decided to exert a little more strength, but the oue was nevertheless the same.


    Eventually, He Yiming didn¡¯t dare exert any more strength. However, this experience was enough for him to understand this object¡¯s tenacity was far from what he¡¯d expected. If it fell into an ordinary person¡¯s hands, it would never suffer any damage.


    With this in mind, he was quite certain that this map¡¯s origins were extraordinary.


    He then recalled the dying words of Lu XInwen- in that cave there were many other mechanisms which even he couldn¡¯t understand- and it gave him even more of a queer feeling.


    Lu Xinwen was but a Xiantian cultivator. There were such mechanisms that could even trap or stop such a high level expert? This was indeed too strange.


    This moment, he felt an intense desire to immediately go and look for that ce and see for himself what was so dangerous about that cave.


    Skimming over the map once again, his brows creased.


    The terrain depicted in the map, he couldn¡¯t recognize it at all.


    He didn¡¯t feel it was strange. After all, the maind had vast territories and a wide variety of resources. Not to mention him, nobody would dare im with certainty that they knew all the ces.


    On some of the important ces, there were a few small characters knitted. Anybody could tell that these characters represented the names of these ces.


    However, the issue was that even if these characters recognized He Yiming, he couldn¡¯t do the same for the characters at all.


    He¡¯d nevere across such a strange form of writing.


    Pondering for a few moments, He Yiming gently and cautiously collected the scroll back. This thing was not fit to be exhibited outside. As for the directions in the map, they could be slowly sought out.


    Although these characters were quite hard to understand, the world was vast beyond measure. There would certainly be people who could recognize these characters. Otherwise, Lu Xinwen also wouldn¡¯t have handed it over to Fan Vastsun with such certainty, being so confident that thetter would certainly find the cave.


    Therefore, even if these characters were not widely recognized, those who recognized it wouldn¡¯t be toocking either.


    Moderating his thoughts, He Yiming turned around and headed back.


    During the course of his arrival, he¡¯d been following Lu Xinwen¡¯s tracks and was naturally quite cautious. However, this time, with no such restrictions, as soon as he unleashed his agility technique, his figure immediately began to float like a cloud, borrowing the power of wind, as he advanced towards the Yuan manor with a speed far surpassing that of ordinary person.


    Seven days passed by in a sh.


    In these days, He Yiming indeed enjoyed the treatment like that of an emperor inside the Yuan manor.


    Without his instructions, there wasn¡¯t a single person walking inside the courtyard of the three members of He family. Even the true owner of this courtyard, Yuan Earnest, would ask permission through the servant in charge of this courtyard¡¯s maintenance before entering.


    Before these seven days, although Yuan family was quite polite and courteous, it was nowhere like the current state of fear and trepidation shown by them.


    When He Yiming¡¯s true strength was revealed, the bearing of the entire Yuan family underwent a drastic change.


    Sounds of long breathing could be heard outside He Yiming¡¯s residence. Be it inhaling or exhaling, both seemed extremely prolonged, seeming as if it would continue for eternity.


    Hereby, it could be seen that He Yiming¡¯s lung capacity far outstripped that of an ordinary person. Even the tenthyer expert He Quanxin was no different.


    Suddenly, He Yiming stopped, opened his eyes and spoke in a displeased voice, ¡°Eldest brother, if you have something on your mind, juste in and say.¡±


    The door immediately opened and He Yitian entered with an awkward expression on his face.


    ¡°Sixth brother, how did you know I¡¯vee to find you?¡±


    He Yiming rolled his eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been moving about outside the door, even my head is feeling dizzy. If I still couldn¡¯t tell, wouldn¡¯t I be too stupid?¡±


    Seeing that his sixth brother¡¯s bearing was not different than before in any way, He Yitian calmed down. He then bitterly smiled and said, ¡°You actually advanced to the Xiantian realm without giving away a sound. This is simply unbelievable.¡±


    He Yiming faintly smiled. At this point, giving any sort of exnation would be inappropriate. It would be better to simply preserve silence.


    ¡°Actually, when I discovered that you¡¯ve entered the Xiantian realm, I was quite worried.¡±


    ¡°Why were you worried, eldest brother?¡±


    ¡°I was worried if your bearing will have some change.¡± He Yitian resolutely said.


    He Yiming faintly started and sighed inwardly. Actually, his attitude indeed had undergone some transformation. However, this transformation was not too big.


    After all, he¡¯d not entered the Xiantian realm too long ago, and he¡¯d been interacting with his family for several years. Such a sentiment couldn¡¯t be erased within a short time period.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m relieved.¡± He Yitian said in a gratified voice, ¡°You are still my sixth brother, still the most hardworking youngster of the He manor.¡±


    He Yiming gave him a bright smile and said, ¡°Eldest brother, I won¡¯t change.¡±


    He Yitian heavily nodded before revealing a bitter smile on his face.


    He Yiming felt quite strange. He vaguely felt that his eldest brother had probably ran into some trouble. That was the reason thetter hade to find him.


    ¡°Eldest brother, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    He Yitian hesitated a bit, then said, ¡°Sixth, yesterday I had a meeting with Lord Master Yuan Zeyu.¡±


    ¡°What did he say to you?¡± He Yiming felt curious. His brother would never have mentioned this topic if it didn¡¯t serve any purpose.


    ¡°Lord Master Yuan Zeyu wants me to take a concubine.¡± He Yitian said with a slightly red face.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 53.2

    He Yiming nkly stared for a moment before casting an odd nce at his eldest brother.


    ¡°Eldest brother, you¡¯ve merely married this past year,¡± He Yiming probingly asked, ¡°Could it be your rtionship with the sister-inw is not good?¡±


    He Yitian repeatedly shook his head and said, ¡°No, my rtionship with your sister-inw is quite good.¡±


    ¡°So, why didn¡¯t you decline Lord Master Yuan?¡± He Yiming puzzledly asked, ¡°Grandfather and eldest uncle both said that we cultivators follow the martial way. Although we don¡¯t abstain from women, but indulging all year around, our strength will suffer greatly and might not increase for the rest of our lives.¡±


    He Yitian slightly changed, eventually saying, ¡°I know. I understand all of this. However, I really like that person.¡±


    He Yiming gaped. Whatever argument he was trying to present, after hearing these words from his eldest brother¡¯s mouth, remained stuck in his mouth.


    Although the rtionship between his eldest brother and his wife was quite good, it was after all the product of the arrangement of the two ns. Although thetter¡¯s appearance was quite beautiful and charming, she was not the partner his eldest brother had chosen for himself.


    His eldest brother had perhaps only seen this person¡¯s appearance but was saying that he liked her.


    Hereby, it seemed that he was indeed quite moved. But¡­.


    He Yiming¡¯s brows slightly creased as he said, ¡°Eldest brother, does eldest uncle know of this?¡±


    He Yitian embarrassedly shook his head and said, ¡°Father doesn¡¯t know.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s face turned somewhat queer, ¡°Eldest brother, are you thinking if eldest uncle finds out that you are coveting women, there will be some consequences?¡±


    Upon saying these words, He Yiming¡¯s vision subconsciously drifted over to He Yitian¡¯s buttocks. In his memory, his eldest brother had never suffered from the bamboo shoot meat slice.


    Though, he was already a twenty-four years old adult it was not sure if his eldest uncle would refrain from using it now.


    He Yitian sharply discovered his sixth brother¡¯s vision. His face automatically reddened as he furiously said, ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    He Yiming immediately restrained his thoughts and smiled, ¡°Eldest brother, I¡¯m wondering whether eldest uncle will punish you to meditate before a wall. If he punished you for three years, you will suffer quite a bit.¡±


    Hearing his sixth brother¡¯s quibbling, Yitian slightly snorted. When he thought about this issue, he also felt quite a headache.


    ¡°Actually, if it¡¯s just meditating before a wall, it¡¯s not a big deal. But I¡¯m afraid father will not allow it.¡± He Yitian let out a long sigh, ¡°From childhood, father has taught me that He family¡¯s basis is the martial way. No matter what, it can¡¯t be abandoned. If elders find out I am epting a concubine, they won¡¯t easily agree.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s two eyes slightly jumped upwards as he said, ¡°Eldest brother, I remember eldest uncle marrying at the age of fifteen, perhaps¡­.¡±


    He Yitian repeatedly shook his head, ¡°Sixth brother, that time is different than this. At that time, out He family didn¡¯t have much members and we were anxious to establish our footing. That was the reason grandfather agreed to arrange father¡¯s marriage so early. However, currently, our He family has already established a firm footing in the county. Even though I married before twenty five years of age, it was only due to my responsibility as the eldest grandson of the eldest son of the family. Otherwise, with our status as cultivators, even if we marry after thirty years of age, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    He Yiming also understood. His eldest brother¡¯s concerns were quite justified. Apart from those who had given up on advancing, a few of those who followed the martial way indulged in women.


    After saying these words, he unblinkingly stared at He Yiming with a rather queer gaze.


    Suddenly, He Yiming had an exceptionally bad feeling, ¡°Eldest brother, what are you thinking?¡±


    He Yitian lightly coughed and said, ¡°Sixth brother, I have a request.¡±


    Although He Yiming indescribably felt his scalp somewhat numb, he unhesitatingly said, ¡°What request? I am at yourmand, eldest brother.¡±


    ¡°Sixth brother, there are two girls at the side of Yuan Lord Master. I¡¯ve taken a liking to only one of them.¡± He Yitian fidgeted said.


    He Yiming¡¯s two eyes opened wide as he said, ¡°Eldest brother, what do you mean?¡±


    He Yitian eximed, ¡°Oh brother, eldest brother doesn¡¯t have a choice here. Nowadays, you have truly be the number one member of the He family. If you agree to receive one of these two, then me receiving the other wouldn¡¯t be a big deal at all.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s face turned quite amused.


    Although he¡¯d wholeheartedly thrown himself into the martial way, at this age, if one were to say that he didn¡¯t hold any curiosity towards women, that would be pure nonsense.


    However, his primary focus was still on how to advance in strength. Since every time¡¯s training truly brought a pleasing feeling to him, his attention towards women wasn¡¯t too much.


    However, since his eldest brother had suddenly raised this topic, he suddenly felt rather indecisive.


    After thinking for a few moments, He Yiming shook his head and said, ¡°Eldest brother, you think grandfather and eldest uncle would let us marry?¡±


    He Yitian coarselyughed, ¡°Sixth brother, you misunderstood, I don¡¯t want you to marry that girl at all,¡± He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°That girl is uncle Earnest¡¯s daughter but was given birth by a concubine, and her mother has also died long ago. However, her conduct is magnanimous, and responses appropriate. Even if she bes your concubine, she wouldn¡¯t lose you any face.¡±


    He Yiming said with a skeptical face, ¡°Concubine?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± He Yitian loftily said, ¡°Even if she was not born from a concubine, she could only be fit to be your concubine.¡±


    He Yiming thought for a bit and asked, ¡°Eldest brother, who is the one you¡¯ve taken a liking to?¡±


    He Yitian spoke with a slightly red face, ¡°The one I¡¯m concerned with is Yuan Zewei¡¯s granddaughter- a woman who knows when to push and when to back away, she wouldn¡¯tpete against Yanli.¡±


    He Yiming raised his brows upwards and said, ¡°Yuan Zewei¡¯s granddaughter? Eldest brother, you haven¡¯t made a mistake, have you? Yuan Zewei is already banished out of Yuan family, and he is just like water and fire with Lord Master. You want to marry his granddaughter, then if these two sides contended against each other in the future¡­..that¡¯s not right, how could Lord Master Yuan have introduced you to Yuan Zewei¡¯s granddaughter?¡±


    He Yitian gently sighed. That day, after He Yiming left, Yuan Zewei suddenly died, and Yuan Zeyu, considering the brotherly sentiment, not only re-included the members of their side, he even asked He Quanxin to bear witness to this event.¡±


    For Yuan family, this event was exceedingly important. However, as far as He Yiming was concerned, this event was quite insignificant. Therefore, there was naturally nobody daring to bring mindless gossip to him. Even though there were some who wished to incite trouble, they didn¡¯t have the qualifications to go near He Yiming.


    Therefore, upon returning three dayster, he¡¯d actually no clue of this matter.


    Upon hearing his eldest brother¡¯s exnation, He Yiming also sighed unceasingly. However, he couldn¡¯t tell whether this manner of dealing with this affair was correct or not.


    He Yitian continued on, ¡°Although Yuan Zewei¡¯s side has returned back to the n, they don¡¯t hold any power at all. Henceforth, they will be declining and marginalized, that much is obvious. To preventplete extinction of their bloodline in the future, Lord Master Yuan has specifically selected a girl with their direct bloodline and uncle Yuan¡¯s daughter who is born from a concubine,¡± He paused for a bit, then said, ¡°Do you understand what I mean?¡±


    He Yiming faintly nodded. If he still couldn¡¯t understand, that would be just way too stupid.


    He Yitian eventually rxed and said, ¡°In reality, Lord Master Yuan nevertheless emphasizes on main n¡¯s descendants. That¡¯s the reason they are offering uncle Yuan¡¯s girl to you and Yuan Zewei¡¯s granddaughter to me. He merely wished for their side to have some hope.¡±


    When He Yiming heard the word ¡®offer¡¯ from his eldest brother¡¯s mouth, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh inwardly.


    Although girls of big, influential families didn¡¯t have to worry about food and shelter, they couldn¡¯t avoid being sacrificed for the sake of the n¡¯s development.


    Yuan family was weak, and He family strong. This oue would be considered as proper and expected.


    However, all of this was only because he¡¯d stepped into Xiantian realm. Had this not been the case, Yuan family would never have done such a thing which was the same as bringing disgrace to oneself.


    Seeing He Yiming somewhat lost in thoughts, He Yitian immediately struck when the iron was hot, ¡°Sixth brother, since you are not really marrying and merely epting a concubine, it will not lead to too big of amotion. Moreover, Lord Master Yuan also said that even officially marrying is not needed. She can first serve you in He family, then marryter.¡±


    This time, He Yiming was truly somewhat astounded, ¡°Eldest brother, she is still Yuan family¡¯s girl, even this is also possible?¡±


    He Yitian coarselyughed and said, ¡°For others, it¡¯s of course impossible. But you are a Xiantian cultivator. As long as you are willing and even let out a sound, not to mention Yuan family, even a concubine from Jadeting¡¯s Lin family will also be willing to do the same.¡±


    He Yiming faintly started and thought for a while and eventually came to the conclusion that his identity as a Xiantian cultivator was way too powerful.


    In reality, his self-assessment was still somewhatcking.


    To enter Xiantian realm at the age of sixteen, what would his achievements be when he¡¯d matured?


    To curry a favor from such a strong youngster was worth whatever the price.


    ¡°Sixth brother, you don¡¯t need to hurry in making your decision. It would be better toe with me and make a trip to the Lord Master¡¯s, and make your decision afterwards,¡± He Yitian advised, ¡°As long as you agree, father will not rebuke me at all.¡± He paused, seeming as if sighing deeply with emotions, ¡°As of now, there is nobody in the He manor capable of rebuking you, not even grandfather.¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 54 - Yuan Familys Girls

    In the Yuan family, the Lord Master¡¯s residence was inside a secluded courtyard towards the west.


    Although the courtyard was secluded, the interior was brightly lit with sunlight. Even during winter, sunlight could be seen entering into the depths of the courtyard, creating a lukewarm atmosphere in the winter.


    Under persistent persuasion of He Yitian, the two brothers arrived inside Lord Master¡¯s courtyard.


    When He Yitian appeared inside the courtyard, he saw a smile blooming on the Lord Master¡¯s face.


    As far as thetter was concerned, if he could offer a granddaughter who had born from a concubine to this young Xiantian expert, he and Yuan family would bepletely satisfied.


    He fervently weed them inside, not showing a trace of an elder¡¯s authority. If someone who hadn¡¯t seen them before were to see this scene, he would certainly think that these three had profound friendship between themselves, though the difference in their ages seemed a bit too high.


    After the three sat down on seats corresponding to host and guests, Yuan Zeyu made an eye-gesture. There were naturally witty servants who immediately understood the Lord Master¡¯s intentions. After a few moments, two girls entered the main hall.


    One of the two was about twenty years old with tall stature. Her hair was smoothly knitted into a bun that hung high above her head, starkly highlighting her elegant face. In between two refined, parenthesis-like eyebrows and slightly high nose,y embedded a pair of eyes which were exceptionally bright, and which not only increased the brilliance of her smiling face, but even brightened the room as soon as she entered.


    The moment she entered the room, He Yitian¡¯s eyes brightened. A gentle smile involuntarily appeared on his face.


    The girl first nced at the Lord Master, then sneakily swept her vision around. When her vision fell on He Yitian, the moisture in her translucent eyes seemed to ripple. Although she immediately restrained her gaze afterwards, her face slightly blushed.


    He Yitian nced at He Yiming, faintly seeking approval.


    Upon witnessing such a dubious behaviour between his elder brother and this girl, He Yiming immediately knew that this was the girl his eldest brother had eyes on. However, although this girl was beautiful, she was not stunningly so and might not beparable to his sister-inw Cheng Yanli. He wondered what his eldest brother could have seen in this girl, resulting in him being so infatuated.


    Such a loving expression in his eyes clearly disyed that he¡¯d no qualms regarding his decision.


    Feeling a headacheing, He Yiming looked towards the back. Entering behind this girl in slow steps was a girl that was about his age.


    Compared to the former, although this girl¡¯s appearance was somewhat humble, she looked somewhat ripe. However, her bearing reflected an evident elegance and delicacy, emanating a soft and gentle feeling. Her small mouth faintly exuded innocence of a child. Especially her eyes, so clear and deep, shining with vitality.


    However, in He Yiming¡¯s perception, this young girl wasn¡¯t s sincere as she seemed. Concealed in the depths of her eyes, there seemed to be some thoughts which only she knew.


    Her face was fair and delicate, this point conformed to the norm of a big n¡¯s well-raised girl. However, He Yiming, who had eyes as sharp as a needle, could clearly see a few patches of callus on her hands.


    Although these patches were not eye-catching at all and not many would have paid attention to them, they couldn¡¯t slip past He Yiming¡¯s eyes unnoticed.


    In reality, in the first nce, He Yiming was simply unable to sort out his feelings regarding this girl. She felt like aplete stranger to him, unable to enter his heart at all.


    However, he knew the purpose ofing here beforehand and also knew the identity of this girl. Therefore, he naturally felt somewhat of a different kind of feeling.


    The expressions of the He brothers werepletely under Lord Master¡¯s observation. He Yitian clearly hadn¡¯t concealed the loving expression on his face in the slightest. However, the Lord Master¡¯s primary focus was after all on He Yiming.


    It could be said that in the absence of He Yiming¡¯s status, even though Yuan Liwen was Yuan Zewei¡¯s granddaughter, he wouldn¡¯t have offered her as a concubine to He Yitian.


    However, Lord Master was somewhat disappointed. He couldn¡¯t discern any information from He Yiming¡¯s expression at all.


    However, as he thought a bit, he immediately rxed.


    Although He Yiming was young, in the end, he was still a Xiantian cultivator. How could he so easily seen through?


    As long as the former didn¡¯t oppose epting his granddaughter as a concubine, he would bepletely satisfied.


    ¡°Ah Yiming,e I will introduce you,¡± The Lord Master said with a face full of smiles, ¡°These are this old man¡¯s two granddaughters, Yuan Liwen and Yuan Lixun.¡±


    As he introduced them, the two girls faintly bowed.


    When he introduced Yuan Liwen, he didn¡¯t exin that she was actually Yuan Zewei¡¯s granddaughter, and in the same manner, when he introduced Yuan Lixun, he didn¡¯t exin that she was born from Yuan Earnest¡¯s concubine.


    Since he¡¯d acted as such, He Yiming also happily pretended to be oblivious and returned the courtesy with a faint smile.


    Although the Lord Master addressed He Yiming directly by his name, his tone was extremely respectful without giving off any authority of an elder. However, such a manner of conduct instead was perfect to convey his friendly as well as respectful intentions to He Yiming. This eighty year old man was indeed quite skilled in dealing with such interactions.


    A few lines were exchanged in the main hall. The old man continued to maintain a kind, smiling expression. After a few moments, the old man stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ve really turned old. I¡¯ll go take a short rest, take care of our guests for me, you two.¡±


    After the Lord Master left, He Yitian lightly coughed and said, ¡°Sixth brother, I¡¯ve to discuss a few things withdy Liwen. We¡¯ll leave first.¡±


    Yuan Liwen¡¯s face immediately turned red and expression also turned somewhat awkward and ufortable. However, this red face exuded a beauty that could seduce one¡¯s heart and soul.


    He Yiming also faintly started. His eldest brother had always been quite calm and steady. However, thetter¡¯s behaviour today brought a strange feeling to him.


    He lightly coughed and said, ¡°Eldest brother, little brother wants to exchange a few words with you, is it possible?¡±


    He Yitian hesitated a bit and said, ¡°Alright,¡± He turned around and said, ¡°Ladies, please sit for a few moments, we brothers wille back right away.¡±


    The two brothers left the building side by side and began to chat before the Lord Master¡¯s yard.


    Although this was not their home, all the servants in the Yuan manor were aware of their identities. As soon as they saw the two brothers, they immediately issued a salute from distance. Who dare approach and question them?


    ¡°Eldest brother, you seem to have somewhat changed,¡± He Yiming said with a grave face, ¡°This is not like you.¡±


    He Yitian¡¯s face slightly changed, ¡°Sixth brother, I know I¡¯m really being impulsive and also creating trouble for you.¡±


    Feeling a headacheing, He Yiming shook his head, ¡°Eldest brother, we are brothers, what are you saying these things for? Besides, as far as I¡¯m concerned, these things aren¡¯t necessarily trouble. However, your state of mind doesn¡¯t seem to be right. This is not good.¡±


    He Yitian pondered, muttering inwardly. After quite a while, he bitterly smiled and said, ¡°Sixth brother, you¡¯re still young. There are somethings you don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°What do I not understand?¡± He Yiming asked in dissatisfaction .


    He Yitian¡¯s smile turned even more bitter, ¡°Sixth brother, if therees a day when you see a girl and suddenly discover that regardless of how much you try you can¡¯t pry away your eyes from her body, all your mind has is her figure, and all you can think of is her name, you will understand my feelings.¡±


    He Yiming tongue-tied watched his brother. Although he knew that his brother had somewhat of a love at first sight with that girl, he didn¡¯t expect that he was infatuated to this level. This was not good.


    He involuntarily looked in the direction of the main hall. Inside, the two girls were sitting, seeming to be discussing something.


    With his eye, he could easily see their every moment and action withplete rity. However, regardless of how he tried, he couldn¡¯t see Yuan Liwen being such a high-level beauty. Such a person was able to drive his eldest brother so crazy within a few brief interactions, this seemed inconceivable to him.


    He bitterlyughed. Perhaps he would only understand this sentiment through the means of doomed love.


    However, he felt quite skeptical whether he woulde across such a woman¡­.


    It would be basically impossible, for his true objective was nevertheless the boundless martial way.


    However, even though he didn¡¯t understand such sentiment, since his eldest brother had already bared it out in entirety, he knew he should probably make his decision.


    ¡°Eldest brother, if you marry Yuan Liwen, you can¡¯t neglect sister-inw,¡± He Yiming lightly sighed, ¡°Yitao has said to me that after moving into the manor, sister-inw has been exceptionally virtuous. Yitao and sister Yiling really like her.¡±


    He Yitian¡¯s eyes brightened. He knew since the former had agreed, this matter waspletely settled.


    Although He Quanxin was quite strict, before He Yiming¡¯s current status, unless he raised a request that could burn down the entire He manor, he would not oppose.


    Deeply bowing towards He Yiming, He Yitian lightly said two words, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Although the tone was quite light, it thoroughly conveyed his gratitude.


    He Yiming shuddered. The intense gratitude his eldest brother had disyed vividly revealed how highly he regarded Yuan Liwen. He could only wonder whether epting a concubine in such a manner would be good or disastrous for He manor, and also his eldest brother himself.


    Since the issue had already developed to this extent, he couldn¡¯t oppose, otherwise it would lead to a fall out between them.


    He let out a sigh. He would rather have three hundred more battles with Lu Xinwen than be in this situation.


    After finishing their discussion, the two brothers obviously went back inside.


    A wide smile hung on He Yitian¡¯s face. Without any apprehensions, he swiftly took Yuan Liwen¡¯s hand. Although Yuan Liwen¡¯s face waspletely red, she didn¡¯t resist and allowed him to lead her outside the main hall.


    They arrived in the back yard.


    At this ce, there were various kinds of nt species. It was the ce where the Lord Master enjoyed nature¡¯s beauty in winter. Furthermore, in the center of the yard, there was a pavilion and few rockeries, seeming somewhat of a fairnd.


    ¡°Liwen, we¡¯re settled.¡± He Yitian softly said.


    Yuan Liwen preserved silence for a long time. Slowly, her voice sounded, ¡°Young master He, yesterday you were saying that it would be difficult to ovee your father. Why are you so confident today?¡±


    He Yitian chuckled and said, ¡°If I am alone, of course I wouldn¡¯t be able to ovee father. However, if I have sixth brother with me, even if my father were to be wholeheartedly unwilling, he wouldn¡¯t lower sixth brother¡¯s face.¡±


    Yuan Liwen¡¯s eyes slightly shined, ¡°Is sixth young master He family¡¯s Xiantian cultivator who defeated blood ughterer?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that is my sixth brother.¡± He Yitian said loftily.


    Yuan Liwen seemingly let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Since sixth young master is willing to agree, what could Liwen stillin about. Henceforth, Liwen will certainly serve young master wholeheartedly. I only ask young master, for my sake, don¡¯t let my side suffer humiliation.¡±


    He Yitian stood up and said in a loud and clear voice, ¡°You can be assured, as long as I¡¯m alive, I will certainly oblige by my promise.¡±


    Yuan Liwen lowered her head. On her beautiful face flickered a trace of sorrow, helplessness, as well as a little bit of resentment.


    However, she immediately recalled the image when five days ago, her mother and father, trembling and shivering in fear, took her before her second grandfather.


    Then the words her grandfather said to her made her blood go cold.


    ¡°Liwen, although big brother collided with outsiders in order to gain the position of n master, he is still our Yuan family¡¯s member. We¡¯ve been birthed by the same mother and have grown together, scoping nests on the mountains, sshing each other in the river, and covering up for each other before mother and father. Even we had many days where we shared an extremely close rtionship,¡± The old man let out a sigh, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to have instantly increased somewhat, ¡°Only after we turned adults, this barrier emerged between us for the sake of this position of n leader, even making us wield swords within the n. Now that big brother has passed away, I will naturally ensure the continuity of his bloodline. However, as long as I¡¯m alive, nobody will dare to humiliate your side, but after the hundred years of this old man, going by Earnest¡¯s character, he will certainly find each and every possible way to create difficulties for you. That would be the end for your house¡­.¡±


    ¡°If you wish to ensure that your parents and siblings can live like before, think of every way you can to stay by He Yitian¡¯s side. As long as you can stay by his side, gain his affection, I can ensure you that as long as Earnest bes the head of the family, he wouldn¡¯t make a move against your house. Although you won¡¯t have any authority, at the very least, you wouldn¡¯t becking in expenses. In fact, not being involved in the n¡¯s trifles is also not too bad¡­.¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, He Yitian- this person is although not freakishly talented like He Yiming, he is a calm and steady person. If you can get in his good grace, you will have a good home.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m old. No matter how I try, I won¡¯t be able to push myself for more than a few years. Think for yourself¡­.¡±


    Her second grandfather¡¯s amiable tone and the words that carried a bone-chilling implications were sufficient for her to never forget that night¡¯s conversation.


    She could see the pleas in the helpless eyes of her parents and siblings. However, what aggrieved her was that in these eyes, she could neither find grief nor resoluteness, only fear and apprehension regarding the future.


    It seemed as if the moment Yuan Zewei died, the spirit of their house was alsopletely extinguished.


    Her head dropped even lower¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Perhaps in this life, nobody would be able to understand this sentiment of her.


    ¡°Liwen, what happened? Are you not happy?¡±


    ¡°No, I am happy, really happy. I¡­.am¡­happy¡­.¡±


    In the main hall, He Yiming¡¯s brows creased, as if pondering something.


    After He Yitian left, leading the beauty in hand, the atmosphere in the main hall turned somewhat heavy. When He Yiming didn¡¯t speak anything, Yuan Lixun also didn¡¯t dare to open her mouth.


    She of course knew that the status of the person before her was far above that of an influential family¡¯s child. She didn¡¯t dare leave a bad impression during the first meeting.


    After quite a while, He Yiming, who had still not found any subject to talk about, picked up the cup on the table and emptied it in one gulp.


    He was a Xiantian cultivator, but his experience in dealing with women was next to nothing.


    In his sixteen years of life, ever since the age of five when he touched upon Internal Energy cultivation, apart from his mother, Yitao, and Yiling, he¡¯d never been in the same room with a woman alone.


    Yuan Lixun stood up, picked up the teapot on the table, and again filled his cup.


    bbergasted, He Yiming nced at her. This was but his first time enjoying such a treatment.


    If he wished to drink tea in He manor, he¡¯d no one to rely on but himself. Even when He Wude and other manors visited his courtyard, they always enjoyed the treatment of tea leaves poured in cold water.


    Hesitating a bit, he once again picked up the cup and drained everything on one gulp.


    Which kind of tea was this, he¡¯d no idea. Even after it hit his tongue, he didn¡¯t had any particr feeling at all.


    Good tea, bad tea, it was all the same to him. He would never have cared about such details, but the feeling he had at this moment¡­.it didn¡¯t seem bad at all.


    Yuan Lixun¡¯s face seemed to be eternally carrying a faint smile. From the first impression this seemingly innocent girl gave didn¡¯t seem uneptable at all.


    Yuan Lixun once again filled the cup with tea. This time, He Yiming was a bit startled, wondering if he was supposed to be drinking.


    However, at this moment, a faint mor sounded outside.


    The voices seemed quite distant, almosting from outside the manor.


    Even under normal conditions, He Yiming didn¡¯t let his guard down, and at this moment, he was exceptionally attentive.


    His ears slightly twitched, discerning shouts of ¡°Elder Lord is back, Lord He is back¡­..¡± amidst the mor, as well as a lot of people¡¯s greetings, seemingly trying to be the first and avoid being thest.


    He immediately knew that He Quanxin and Yuan Earnest, who had been gone to deal with the funeral arrangements, hade back.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 55 - Ample Gifts

    The next day, Yuan Zeyu and Yuan Earnest sat smiling in the main hall when He Quanxin entered with He Yiming and He Yitian.


    The two sides exchanged greetings and sat on their seats.


    During these few days, He Quanxin and Yuan Earnest had been dealing with the aftermath of this ordeal. Even currently, they had only finished making preliminary arrangements.


    With a wave of Yuan Earnest¡¯s hand, all the servants left the room.


    He chuckled and said, ¡°Nephew Yiming, nephew Yitian, this time, we had plentiful gains in the city.¡±


    From his wide smile, one could easily tell that his words were not exaggerated at all.


    Seven days ago, when He Yiming returned back to the manor, be it Yuan Zeyu or Yuan Earnest, both began to address him as Master He, not daring to use his name again.


    At that time He Yiming didn¡¯t say anything, but He Quanxin felt this arrangement was somewhat suitable. Therefore, going along with his eldest uncle¡¯s idea, He Yiming kept the nephew-uncle manner of addressing between him and Yuan Earnest. Although order of seniority had not been changed, their tone had undergone a subtle change.


    Even at this moment, although Yuan Earnest kept on saying nephew Yiming, from his expression and attitude, he didn¡¯t seem to be addressing a junior in any way and instead seemed somewhat even more respectful than he looked before Yuan Zeyu.


    He Yiming faintly smiled and said, ¡°Congrattions to you then, uncle Yuan.¡±


    Yuan Earnest chuckled and recalled the course of the journey.


    After the news of Fan Shui¡¯s death and the disappearance of Lu Xinwen and Fan Vastsun, through the means of servants and spongers, the entire Fan family was plunged into chaos.


    And precisely at such a time, Yuan Earnest and He Quanxin entered the county town with Yuan family¡¯s numerous experts and straightaway found the only member remaining of Fan family¡¯s direct bloodline, Fan Vastmoon.


    He was nowhereparable to his father and elder brother. As soon as he received the information, it seemed as if the sky copsed on him. He didn¡¯t try to gather the remaining power of Fan family at all, and instead entered the family¡¯s inner cer, gathered all the valuables, wishing to escape.


    However, after the two pirs that supported the Fan family died, the remaining servants and spongers had nothing to keep them in check. A few with courage and malice even had their eyes on him. He was intercepted halfway during his escape by them.


    Although he had a good father and good elder brother, his own strength was quite low and only had a cultivation base of sixthyer. Under the encirclement of a few second grade spongers, his legs began to tremble, and he couldn¡¯t even talk his way out.


    At this moment, Yuan Earnest arrived at Fan family with others. When he saw this scene, he immediately rescued Fan Vastmoon and assumed total control of Fan family under the name of Fan Vastmoon.


    Fan family¡¯s condition in the absence of a leader allowed Yuan Earnest to gain control over the entire property of Fan family. Yesterday, Fan Vastmoon had already signed an agreement with Yuan Earnest, handing over the entire property of Fan family to Yuan family for a price of a thousand taels of silver.


    For an ordinary person, a thousand silver taels was an enormous amount of wealth, but to buy all the properties of Fan family with it was akin to buying cabbage in a sale.


    Fan Vastmoon of course knew this fact. However, even his life was in the hands of others.


    He waspletely at another¡¯s mercy, even preserving his life was to be rejoiced.


    After the agreement waspleted, Fan Vastmoon left the Zheng Tong county town in terrible shape with a thousand taels of silver in his pocket; his whereabouts unknown.


    In this manner, not only did Yuan family preserve all of their property, they even seized the opportunity and got their hands on all of Fan family¡¯s property. It was a benefit they could never have imagineding their way.


    Of course, upon witnessing Yuan family¡¯s gains, a few high level, big ns went red with envy.


    However, even though they were envious, at the same time, they also sent people to congratte Yuan family. Each and every influential family sent a lot of gifts and clearly stated that Fan family was indeed deserving of their oue and their property should rightfully belong to Yuan family.


    When He Yiming had heard up to this point, he meaningfully nced in the direction of his eldest uncle. He Quanxin faintly nodded at him, making him bitterlyugh.


    Such a response from these ns was of course because they had heard about the conclusion of Lu Xinwen.


    This Blood ughterer, relying on his own strength,pletely exterminated a millennium n in Gold Forest country. After witnessing such bloody means, all the influential ns were extremely apprehensive of him.


    This time, Yuan family defeated the Blood ughterer, and reportedly even killed him. Under such circumstances, they of course wouldn¡¯t look for trouble with Yuan family.


    After recounting all the details, Yuan Earnest¡¯s face gravened as he said, ¡°Nephew Yiming, brother He, nephew Yitian, in these days, we¡¯ve approximately calcted Yuan family¡¯s property,¡± He paused for a bit, ¡°Although Fan family is merely a newly emerged n, during its course, it has been vicious and merciless, and eliminated several small ns and forcefully snacthed a lot of property. Roughly calcting, thebined worth of these properties is about seventy thousand taels of gold.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s face slightly flickered. Seventy thousand taels of gold was an enormous amount. Even the current He family was nowhere around such a gigantic sum.


    Yuan Earnest continued in a grave manner, ¡°Me and father have already discussed. All the gains this time were possible only due to the merits of only three people. Without brother He and two nephews, not to mention taking Fan family¡¯s property, I¡¯m afraid even our skin and bone would have been swallowed up by them.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s brows faintly creased, ¡°Brother Yuan, you are talking as if we¡¯re outsiders. Our fathers shared a friendship of several decades. We Tai Cang¡¯s He family and you Gold Forest¡¯s Fan family have further been business partners for several decades. If Yuan family is in trouble, we couldn¡¯t just sit back and watch.¡±


    Yuan Earnest deeply nodded and said with an extreme gratification, ¡°Brother He, everything you¡¯ve said, I perfectly understand. However, friendship is friendship, and business is business. These are two entirely different things, and can never be discussed together.¡± He stood up and handed over something that looked like a document into He Quanxin¡¯s hands.


    As He Quanxin lightly flipped it over, his face somewhat changed, ¡°This is too precious, we can¡¯t ept it.¡±


    He Yiming and He Yitian exchanged a nce, both feeling quite astonished inwardly, wondering what had Yuan Earnest given to He Quanxin which had caused thetter to react in such a manner.


    Yuan Earnest faintly smiled and said, ¡°Brother He, this is the conclusion of the discussion between me and father. If you don¡¯t ept it, I really won¡¯t be able to show my face to anybody.¡±


    He Quanxin still waved his hand, not being able to bring himself to sound his agreement.


    Yuan Zeyu lightly coughed and said, ¡°Nephew Quanxin, I¡¯ve already sent a letter to elder brother He, and these things is also a present for brother He. I will trouble you to deliver them.¡±


    He Quanxin faintly started before involuntarily revealing a bitter smile. With such words from the Lord Master, he couldn¡¯t find any retort at all. In any case, he was not He Wude, and thus, couldn¡¯t overstep the bound of his authority.


    Curious, He Yiming stretched his hand. The list of gifts thaty on the table suddenly flew up in the air and softly dropped into his hands.


    Although this move seemed quite simple, to manipte True Qi outside one¡¯s body was a feat that could only be aplished by Xiantian cultivators.


    Although even the former Lin Taoli could use Xiantian hand imprint and discharge Internal Energy, it could only bring about a little destructive power. Itpletelycked the ingenious uses of True Qi that could be aplished through air.


    All of a sudden, Yuan Zeyu and others immediately stopped speaking and only looked at He Yiming with envious gazes.


    In fact, He Quanxin also understood quite clearly that the reason for such generous gifts was certainly not his contributions. If not for his nephew, even being able to return with the rewards Yuan family had promised before would have been a praiseworthy event.


    He Yiming opened the document. Even with his willpower, he couldn¡¯t help but feel moved.


    On top was written fifty thousand taels of gold along with all sorts of precious things. Twenty percent share in all of the former Fan family¡¯s shops, twenty percent return in the yearly transactions between the two families, and even the former Fan family¡¯s main courtyard had been transferred under He Yiming¡¯s name and would serve as He family¡¯s lodging in Gold Forest country.


    He stared for a while before looking at Yuan Earnest with a strange expression. So unbeknownst to him, he¡¯d begun to have his own residence in Zheng Tong county town. Moreover, this courtyard was the residence of former Fan family, assumably, it wouldn¡¯t be too small.


    Previously, Yuan family¡¯s promise was a ten thousand taels of gold and a ten percent return in yearly transactions.


    Although He Yiming was no merchant and didn¡¯t know how big of a price this truly was, like He Quanxin, he knew that gift was indeed too heavy.


    Not to mention other things, merely the twenty percent share in Fan family¡¯s business was like a hot sweet potato that would burn one¡¯s hand.


    Although these things looked delicious and they would certainly be able to rake in a lot of profits, how good of a catch was it really?


    In case they agreed, if Yuan family had some trouble in the future, they could brazenly knock on their door.


    Therefore, whether to ept this twenty percent or not was not that easy for them to decide.


    However, since the counterpart had already taken out fifty thousand taels of gold, regardless of how thick one¡¯s skin may be, he wouldn¡¯t be able to decline this twenty percent share.


    Moreover, the profits of this twenty percent share is not small by any means. If they were to truly ept it, He family¡¯s reliance on smuggling would almost be non-existent. It would also bring huge benefits regarding He family¡¯s standing in Tai Cang county.


    Suddenly, He Yiming felt somewhat strange in his body. He lifted his head and saw He Quanxin¡¯s vision on him with a questioning gaze.


    He Yiming immediately understood the old man¡¯s meaning. It seemed like he couldn¡¯te to a decision either. He must have smelled something fishy, but considering the time when He family was developing at a high speed, and thus, required huge sums of money, he was unable to make the decision and wished him to do so.


    He Yiming felt a big headache,ining inwardly,


    ¡®Eldest uncle, you¡¯re the elder here. Instead, you¡¯re giving me this look, asking me to make the decision. Isn¡¯t it just making things difficult for me?¡¯


    He thought for a few moments before suddenly looking at He Yitian.


    Although He Yitian sat calmly on his chair without making any movements, He Yiming could make out his distress from his elerated heartbeat.


    Suddenly recalling the agreement he¡¯d made before, He Yiming made his decision.


    Once he made his decision, his entire being also rxed.


    Of course he understood that the intent behind Yuan family handing over twenty percent of Fan family¡¯s business to He family was simply to use their strength to defend these shops.


    Had it been the previous He family, they certainly didn¡¯t have this ability. However, since now they had a Xiantian cultivator like him, the situation had obviously changed.


    Since his strength had already been thoroughly revealed, he no longer needed to act secretive. This being the case, they might as well gobble up this twenty percent.


    As soon as his thoughts arrived at this point, his grandeur reached to the clouds, and the aura of his body also somewhat changed.


    ¡°Eldest uncle, since grandfather Yuan and uncle Yuan both have decided, we should take their offer.¡± He Yiming calmly said with a faint smile on his face.


    He Quanxin faintly started. He hadn¡¯t expected He Yiming to agree so easily.


    If it had happened before, he would have tried to refuse or try to persuade He Yiming a bit. However, ever since He Yiming had defeated Lu Xinwen, his mentality had undergone a subtle transformation.


    Once He Yiming made the decision, he¡¯d no thoughts to resist at all.


    Bitterlyughing, He Quanxin said, ¡°Alright, since it¡¯s uncle Yuan and brother Yuan¡¯s goodwill, I will ept it in the stead of my father.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu and Yuan Earnest exchanged a nce and smiled, taking a breath of relief at the same time. Even offering a gift was so difficult, they could only sigh inwardly. However, since it had finally been epted, they were also satisfied. Moreover, they also knew that there were many influential families in Zheng Tong county city that were suffering due tock of connections. They wished to improve their connections with He family. As long as they could establish good connections with He Yiming, the young Xiantian cultivator, even if they had to pay a heavier price than this, they would be more than willing to do so.


    With a light cough, Yuan Zeyu swept his vision through three members of He family and said, ¡°Nephew Quanxin, since our two family has a business partnership and you also have property and business estate in Zheng Tong county city, this old man has a proposal for you to consider.¡±


    He Quanxin immediately sat straight and said, ¡°Please advise, uncle.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu faintly smiled and softly stroke his beard, ¡°This old man has two granddaughters. One is Yuan Liwen, smart and outstanding since childhood, educated and sharp. If nephew doesn¡¯t dislike her, let her go to Tai Cang with Yitian.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s eyes wide opened and jaw dropped. Not knowing wether tough or to cry, he said, ¡°Uncle, you can¡¯t not know that Yitian, this child is already married. His wife from one of the influential families of Tai Cang, Cheng family¡¯s Cheng Yanli.¡±


    When Yuan Zeyu raised this request, Yuan Earnest¡¯s face immediately changed. He first started, then as he understood his old man¡¯s intentions, his brows immediately creased, feeling quite displeased.


    This was not merely because Yuan Liwen being a granddaughter of Yuan Zewei, but because he¡¯d considered many matters.


    If this matter were to be leaked and Yuan Liwen could gain He Yiming¡¯s grace, one day, Yuan Zewei¡¯s house would once again begin to stir.


    Fortunately, He Quanxin declined immediately, which allowed him to calm down.


    Yuan Zeyu¡¯s face didn¡¯t have a trace of embarrassment as he said in a low voice, ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. Since Yitian already has a principal wife, let Liwen be a concubine.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s eyes constricted as he said, ¡°This matter absolutely can¡¯t be done without Liwen¡¯s say.¡±


    Yuan Earnest also urged, ¡°That¡¯s right. Father, since brother He is not willing, we should not make it difficult for him.¡±


    Yuan Zeyu continued as if he hadn¡¯t heard him at all, ¡°I have one more proposal. Old man has another granddaughter named Yuan Lixun whom I wish to offer as Yiming¡¯s concubine. I wonder what is Yiming¡¯s thoughts.¡±


    This time, he bypassed He Quanxin and directly asked He Yiming.


    He Quanxin and Yuan Earnest simultaneously opened their mouths, but as their vision fell on He Yiming¡¯s body, they immediately closed their mouths again. Opting not to say anything regardless of what He Yiming¡¯s decision might be.


    He Yiming sighed inwardly. Such a response from Yuan Earnest could be understood in a way, but even his eldest uncle had reacted in such a manner. Hereby, it could be seen that after he¡¯d attained the Xiantian realm, even eldest uncle who was kin, didn¡¯t dare interfere in his decisions. He could only wonder whether his mother and father would also have such change in their attitudes after learning his advancement.


    Raising his head, he looked at everybody one by one. The one who affected him the most was surprisingly still his eldest brother¡¯s somewhat of a pleading gaze.


    Compared to others, his eldest brother¡¯s change reaction was undoubtedly the smallest one.


    He sucked in a deep breath, and his face revealed a trace of rarely seen blush, ¡°Eldest uncle, nephew has seendy Lixun, everything will be ording to your decision.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s face turned extremely strange. Although he was called He family¡¯s martial luncatic, martial lunatic didn¡¯t imply he was a fool. One look at He Yiming¡¯s actions and behaviour, he immediately knew his intentions.


    He faintly shook his head, wishing to rebuke him a little. However, as he thought that this nephew had already entered the Xiantian realm, what qualifications did he have to rebuke him? How could he still criticize him for being fond of women?


    He lightly sighed and turned his head only to see the surprise and delight in Yuan Earnest¡¯s eyes. He couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat startled, ¡®Could it be he doesn¡¯t know about this?¡¯ As he again looked at Yuan Zeyu who seemed as if nothing had happened, he understood somewhat.


    These few days, Yuan Earnest had not rested his feet, where could he have found the time for such thoughts. It seemed like all the strings had been pulled by this old man.


    Although He Quanxin was somewhat discontent, he still said, ¡°In that case, many thanks for uncle¡¯s goodwill.¡±


    He Yiming faintly smiled and said, ¡°Many thanks eldest uncle. In that case, we¡¯ll take alongdy Lixun and Liwen upon returning.¡±


    He Quanxin faintly started. His lips twitched a few times, but as he saw that although He Yiming was splendidly smiling, his perfectly straight back seemed to be giving off a feeling as if nothing could shake his determination. His heart involuntarily trembled, and the words he was about to speak went back down his throat.


    At this moment, the only thought in his mind was that He Yiming¡¯s aura had actually be so powerful that even he had a feeling to not dare go against his wishes.


    ¡°Really a wonder how second brother gave birth to such a gem, but in any case, it¡¯s still a gem of my He family¡­¡±

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 56 - Night Conversation

    Sparrows flew across, white clouds undergoing countless transformations drifted in the blue sky. The green fields under their feet dyed thends with shades of dark and emerald green.


    Several days had passed since they left Yuan family.


    When they had arrived, it was close to Chinese new year. In order to rescue Yuan family, they rushed to the Yuan residence, madly steering their horses. By the time they reached it, seven of the horses had already given up.


    Currently, it was already the third month of spring. They had to spend two whole months in Yuan family to tidy up everything.


    Upon returning, they didn¡¯t merely have eight horses and four people.


    Fifty thousand gold taels gifted by Yuan family had been properly stacked into five big carriages. Every carriage was carrying a weight of about five hundred kilograms. Of course, the carriages were stacked with some random stuff on top to fool prying eyes.


    In addition to all this, Yuan family even sent abination of over hundred servants, attendants, and spongers as an escort squadron.


    Of course, be it the members of He family, or they themselves, all were well aware that this so-called escorting was nothing more than an act. At most, they would be able to perform some odd jobs and keep watch.


    Even if they were to encounter some ignorant horse bandits, not to mention a strong Xiantian expert like He Yiming, even He Quanxin and He Yitian would have no trouble taking all the bandits by themselves.


    After all, from here to Heaven Sieve, then to Tai Cang county, was a long official road.


    Even though Atai county was littered with unparalleled horse bandits, they wouldn¡¯t dare carelessly dispatch a big group here. Otherwise, they would be forcing the authorities in Heaven Sieve country to use force on them.


    As long as no big group was seen here, these people would absolutely not put small fries in their eyes.


    The whole squadron consisted of ten carriages. Apart from the five that were loaded with gold, three more had various chests, which would be the dowry of two girls of Yuan family. As for thest two, they were obviously reserved for the two girls.


    However, being away from home, they felt quite lonesome, and as fellow sufferers, they decided to ride together and squeezed in a single carriage.


    The lead of the caravan belonged to He Quanxin. His face had a faint discontentment. Although he didn¡¯t look gloomy, he didn¡¯t look happy in any way either.


    Although He Yitian was quite delighted, he didn¡¯t have the guts to show his smirking face to his father. Moreover, he couldn¡¯tugh and chat with that individual in the carriage either, making him feel quite depressed. Thus, hisplexion also didn¡¯t look good either.


    However, this expression of his unexpectedly helped He Quanxin dispel his doubts regarding the former. Otherwise, with his temper, even if He Yitian could escape a beating, he wouldn¡¯t have avoided a lecture.


    The sun gradually shifted towards the west. Yuan Lixuan, who was in the front, reined his horse back and said, ¡°Uncle, the sky has already turned dark. Ahead is a small town, it will be better if we rest for today there.¡±


    Although Yuan Lixuan wasn¡¯t Yuan Earnest¡¯s blood-rted son, after he gained favourable impression of He Yiming and He Yitian when he¡¯d assumed the responsibility of entertaining them, his status in Yuan family had risen like a boat rising along with a tide, directly bing a part of Yuan family¡¯s core disciples.


    Furthermore he¡¯d never disappointed Yuan Earnest and the rest, nor made He Quanxin and rest feel any difort. Running back and forth, all the arrangements he¡¯d made were regr and thorough.


    With his friendship with the He brothers, contributions, and witty conduct, his future prospects would certainly be bright upon returning.


    He Quanxin gazed into the distance and said, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll rest here.¡±


    With his approval, the group entered the small town and took hold of the biggest inn inside. Especially the backyard, which waspletely cleared out for He Quanxin and He brothers along with the two girls.


    This time, the money Yuan Earnest hadid down could indeed take care of all road expenses of the group. Even if every one of them resided in the most luxurious of the courtyards, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all. Unfortunately though, in this small town which was even far smaller than the Tai Cang county town, even finding a decent courtyard would be difficult.


    Upon entering the backyard and sorting it out a bit, some people naturally brought some food. Yuan Lixun and Yuan Liwen took the initiative to make arrangements for their dinner.


    Yuan Lixun¡¯s movements were exceptionally smooth, seeming quite proficient in such tasks. However, Yuan Liwen seemed rather out of ce. Though under the cover of Yuan Lixun, she wouldn¡¯t be discovered unless somebody paid close attention.


    After making the arrangements, they immediately took their leave from He Quanxin. Such proficient actions made He Quanxin quite satisfied as well.


    Watching them leave, He Quanxin said, ¡°Yiming, Yitian, in another two days, we¡¯ll be in the Tai Cang county, and at most in three to four days, we¡¯ll be back home.¡±


    He Yitian quite excitedly said, ¡°Father, this time we¡¯ve been away for two months. Grandfather will certainly be quite concerned. I wonder what would be his reaction when he finds out that the sixth brother has already entered the Xiantian realm.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s let out a faint smile. As he thought about the dumbstruck expression on his father¡¯s face, even he felt somewhat expectant.


    However, as his vision went outside the building and entered the building right across, his smile immediately somewhat dulled.


    He Yiming and He Yitian exchanged a nce, both bitterly smiling inwardly.


    ¡°Eldest uncle, are you too discontent about my decision?¡± He Yiming cautiously asked.


    He Quanxin faintly shook his head, ¡°Yiming, you¡¯ve already be a Xiantian cultivator. Taking your cultivation base into consideration, not to mention one concubine, even if you were to take seven or eight concubines, I¡¯ve noints at all.¡±


    He Yiming coughed, evidently quite embarrassed.


    He Quanxin¡¯s face eventually revealed a trace of smile, ¡°Since you¡¯ve the courage to raise this request, you should also have the courage to back it up. Haven¡¯t you met withdy Lixun and like her? If someone has a problem, deal with it yourself.¡±


    He Yiming bitterly smiled and said, ¡°Eldest uncle, what are you saying? He Quanxin¡¯s smile gradually vanished, and he said, ¡°Yiming, although I don¡¯t oppose you taking a concubine, you shouldn¡¯t have done the same for Yitian. He doesn¡¯t have your talent and he can¡¯t match you no matter what. If his cultivation suffers because of a woman, I¡¯m afraid he wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve anything in the end, not even breaking through the seventhyer¡¯s peak.


    He Yitian¡¯s face slightly changed, even standing as he said, ¡°Father, please be at ease. Son will put even more effort in cultivation and break through the seventhyer soon.¡±


    He Quanxin waved his hand and said in a displeased voice, ¡°Talking nonsense. How could seventhyer¡¯s peak be so easy to transcend? Be it your second uncle or third uncle, both spent almost ten years at the seventhyer before being able to breakthrough,¡± ncing at He Yiming, he continued, ¡°You think you¡¯re Yiming? He¡­.¡±


    At this point, He Quanxin stopped because he suddenly discovered that he simply couldn¡¯t describe He Yiming¡¯s ability to clear bottlenecks as if he having meal.


    Shaking his head, as he was about to speak, he heard He Yiming¡¯sughter, ¡°Eldest unlce, if you¡¯re concerned about this issue, I can assure you, eldest brother will certainly not disappoint you.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s eyes involuntarily shined as he said, ¡°How do you know?¡±


    He Yiming said, ¡°Eldest uncle, you should¡¯ve remembered that when eldest brother left the manor and arrived in Yuan family, his cultivation base was around mid section of seventhyer.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± He Quanxin faintly nodded. He was He Yitain¡¯s father and was the most concerned about his son, and thus, was extremely attentive of his son¡¯s cultivation progress. He Yiming was different. Since his performance was too odd, He Wudemanded to not interfere with his cultivation. This was the reason everybody had been kept in dark regarding his true strength.


    ¡°Eldest uncle, you should also have remembered the result of battle between eldest brother and Fan Vastsun.¡±


    He Quanxin immediately felt quite moved. He could never forget that battle. However, only in the hindsight was he able to discover that the reason for such a result was the Essence gold core which was given to He Yitian by He Yiming.


    ¡°Yiming, you¡¯ve more Essence gold cores?¡±


    ¡°Correct, not just me, even eldest brother has a few more gold cores.¡± He Yiming said with a chuckle.


    He Quanxin immediately turned his head and asked with a discontent face, ¡°Yitian, why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    He Yitian¡¯s face turned slightly red as he said, ¡°Father, sixth brother originally gave me four Essence gold cores. One I¡¯ve already consumed. But I thought since these gold cores have been obtained by sixth brother, they should of course be given to second uncle. So¡­¡±


    He Quanxin nodded his head in satisfaction and said, ¡°You were intending to give it directly to second brother?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He Yitian resolutely said.


    He Quanxin¡¯s started, then asked as his face sank, ¡°Then what do you intend to do?¡±


    ¡°Son intended to have Yixuan consume one, then give the remaining two to second uncle,¡± His voice calm and without hesitation, seeming extremely sincere, ¡°If second uncle directly receives them, I¡¯m afraid Yixuan might not have a share.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s face gradually eased. He lightly snorted and said, ¡°You, pack of little devils, are starting to not put us elders in your eyes more and more. Making your own decisions all the time, humph¡­¡±


    Although his expression was quite fiendish, his eyes brimmed with satisfaction.


    The third generation of the family cared for each other, and nobody was willing to monopolize any benefit. This indeedforted his old heart. Especially after witnessing the internal strife in the Yuan family which escted to both sides unsheathing swords on each other, he¡¯d begun see the importance of this even more.


    He Yiming¡¯s spiritual sense was exceptionally sharp. Immediately discerning his eldest uncle¡¯s feelings, he said, ¡°Eldest uncle, believe in your nephew. As long as the Essence gold cores work their magic, not to mention eldest brother epting one concubine, even seven or eight are not an issue.¡±


    After saying these words, he stared at his eldest uncle with a dead serious expression, though the craftiness in his eyes was evident.


    He Quanxin shook his head and said, ¡°Yiming, you¡­¡±


    Suddenly, a mor came from outside. Although the noise was not too loud, how could it go unnoticed past He Yiming and He Quanxin.


    A few momentster, He Yiming¡¯s brows creased as he said, ¡°It¡¯s our people.¡±


    Almost at the same time, He Quanxin¡¯s voice also sounded, ¡°It¡¯s Yuan family¡¯s people.¡±


    Although the words they had said were different, the implied meaning was the same. Outside, there were some people arguing with the Yuan family members.


    He Yitian¡¯s face slightly changed. He lifted his head.


    The three exchanged a nce, all astonished inwardly.


    This was after all an official road. There were no big horse bandit groups here, and even a group of hundred people here would be a rare sight.


    In the absence of certain strength, how could one have casually assembled such a big group?


    Moreover, this time with Yuan family¡¯s intention of ttering them, the attendants and spongers they had sent were all excellent.


    The depths of a n with a hundred year legacy was far above that of the current He family. Not to mention all of these spongers had a cultivation base of sixthyer or above, even the most ordinary of the attendants had a cultivation base of fifthyer or above.


    Although this was still notparable to those millenium ns, wherever one were to put this squadron, it would certainly be ssified as an elite one.


    However, this moment, there were actually some people in the inn who were arguing with them. This was too abnormal.


    He Yitian promptly stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±


    Originally, by seniority, He Yiming should have been the one to handle this affair. However, as of now, be it He Yitian or He Quanxin, none dared to take He Yiming as an ordinary member of third generation any longer. Therefore, the responsibility of this task naturally fell on He Yitian¡¯s shoulder.


    He Yiming hesitated a bit and said, ¡°Eldest brother, Yuan Lixuan still hasn¡¯t shown up.¡±


    He Quanxin faintly nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, wait a little bit.¡±


    During the journey this time, all the arrangements made by Yuan Lixuan had deeply gained him their trusts. If they were to handle this matter by themselves when he hadn¡¯t shown up, his recently established prestige would take a huge hit.


    He Yitian naturally didn¡¯t object. However, after a few more minutes, the noise didn¡¯t seem to be going down, instead it seemed to be developing bigger and bigger. Moreover, He Yiming¡¯s brows creased in dissatisfaction. Even He Yitian could feel the powerful aura from his sixth brother¡¯s body that could make one palpitate.


    Of course he also knew that this was already the suppressed aura of his sixth brother. If thetter were topletely unleash his aura like during the battle with Lu Xinwen, it would be enough to terrify anybody.


    He Quanxin suddenly let out a cold snort and said, ¡°How preposterous.¡±


    He Yitian faintly started and said, ¡°Father, what¡¯s happening?¡±


    Although his Internal Energy was at the seventhyer, it was still not enough to discern anything from the indistinct noiseing from outside.


    He Yiming tugged him and said, ¡°Eldest brother, there are a few newly arrived people outside, demanding the best ce to stay in the town,¡± His face revealed a sneer as he said, ¡°They are saying, they will pay twice the amount.¡±


    He Yitian also snorted in disatisfaction. Anyone encountering such an affair en-route would not be happy.


    ¡°Moreover, Yuan Lixuan has also shown up. He hasn¡¯t gone aggressive on them and only told them that there are already people living there and also women. Therefore, he is willing to open up the best guest room in his courtyard.¡± He Yiming continued


    He Yitian asked in wonder, ¡°When did he be so polite? This seems too impossible.¡±


    He Quanxin couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°It¡¯s not that he¡¯d be polite, rather we¡¯re here and we¡¯ve a lot of precious stuff. Therefore, he is not willing to create unnecessary troubles. Furthermore, this is not Gold Forest after all. Their Yuan family¡¯s influence here is quite low. The other side is being so domineering, so they must have some origins,¡± Saying until here, He Quanxin faintly nodded and said, ¡°Lixuan, this kid is indeed not bad. He can definitely be cultivated.¡±


    If Yuan Lixuan had known that this action of his had unexpectedly gain He Quanxin¡¯s favorable impression, he would have certainly thanked his good luck.


    He Yiming¡¯s face slightly sank, ¡°A fight has started.¡±


    He Quanxin and He Yitian started, then heard themotion outside bing bigger and bigger, followed by a few cries of surprise.


    Both father and son were aghast inwardly. He Yiming had such a grasp on the situation from so far away that even before the fight had started, he made the correct prediction.


    At this moment, He Quanxin and He Yitian had more of an understanding about the abilities of a Xiantian cultivator by firsthand experience, and their revere towards He Yiming increased even further.


    He Quanxin stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go out and take a look.¡±


    The two brothers simultaneously sounded their agreements. This issue had aroused due to the backyard. If they still pretended to be oblivious to it, that would be simply inexcusable.


    As He Yiming was about to leave the courtyard, his gaze lingered on the side building for a moment.


    Two big, bright eyes were watching them leave from a small opening in the window. Abruptly meeting gazes with He Yiming, after a momentary startelement, the two eyes immediately resumed their normal appearance and slowly went hidden.


    He Yiming turned around and inwardlyughed. He quickened his pace for an instant and silently arrived beside his eldest brother. Neither He Quanxin nor thetter discovered anything.


    Inside the building separated by a wall, Yuan Lixun¡¯s eyes seemed somewhat annoyed. As she looked at Yuan Liwen who was wholeheartedly concentrating on the embroidery task, she felt quite envious.


    If she could also have the former¡¯s calm, she wouldn¡¯t have peeked out of curiosity and ended up being discovered by He Yiming.


    As if feeling her gaze, Yuan Liwen lifted her head. Smoothly moving her wrist and making a few stitches, she said, ¡°Younger sister, what¡¯s up with you?¡±


    Yuan Lixun hesitated a bit, then said, ¡°Elder sister, why have you been sitting like this throughout the journey?¡±


    Yuan Liwen looked at her in astonishment, seeming as if considering something. She eventually said, ¡°Elder sister is sitting like this because she has no longer a path to retreat.¡± After saying these words, she again lowered her head and engrossed herself in the embroidery work in her hand.


    Yuan Lixun gaped. She didn¡¯t say anything, only questioned herself,


    ¡®Do you have a path to retreat¡­.?¡¯

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 57 - Grievous News

    In a small town, there was usually only a single group in the best inn. They lived free and unrestrained, and the courtyard that the rich resided in was further and also the only one.


    When two rich families encountered each other in such a ce and neither was willing to back down, some struggle was to be ensued.


    This moment, on the roadside before the inn, two bare-handed individuals were amidst a fierce confrontation. One among the two was naturally Yuan family¡¯s sponger Zhong Puyan- a cultivator of the eighthyer. With his cultivation, he could receive a fine treatment in any influential family whatsoever. However, because of receiving great kindness from Yuan family in childhood, he willingly served Yuan family. Even in the current escort squadron, he was the expert with the most brilliant cultivation base.


    The other individual was a middle-aged man in a skin tight outfit. He had exceptionally slim and narrow shoulders, long arms, long legs, and two long, chunk-like arms that dangled outside the sleeves.


    However, his Internal Energy had also surprisingly attained eighthyer. Moreover, this person¡¯s actions were vicious. His two long arms were like spider legs, every time they streaked in the air, a burst of strange air-cleaving sound whizzed through the air, seeming as if his arms were his weapon.


    Zhong Puyan was evidently quite apprehensive about the middle-aged man¡¯s arms. However, when he acted, his movements seemed light as a feather without any strength and was able to evade every time at the crucial moment.


    Although both sides had begun, they seemed quite restrained and hadn¡¯t truly gone for the kill.


    Both of them could see that the opponent certainly had some origins. Under such circumstances, nobody was a fool that would kill his opponent without fearing the consequences.


    To pull out a de and kill somebody on the road due to a small verbal spat was not a feat that any cultivator could do.


    Perhaps the horse bandits who acted willfully could do it, perhaps a Xiantian cultivator like He Yiming could do it, but absolutely not such people who had their limits and didn¡¯t have enough strength to be ced above thew.


    At the side, Yuan Lixuan and other individual exchanged a nce. Their faces looked quite unsightly, as if they didn¡¯t truly wish to see a conflict break out but since swords had already been unsheathed at this moment, taking them back would be difficult.


    Although Yuan Lixuan¡¯s Internal Energy was merely at the fourthyer, standing by his side were at least five experts of the seventhyer. Furthermore, the stream of continuously walking out men from the inn with vicious expressions and weapons in their hands were giving an enormous pressure to the other side.


    The atmosphere gradually started to tense.


    As the men standing behind Yuan Lixuan kept increasing, the few opposing individuals evidently became somewhat uneasy. Especially the middle-aged man who was fighting against Zhong Puyan. His actions were finally beginning to be fierce.


    If fact, anybody who saw the number of opponents gradually increasing would involuntarily think of dealing with the opponent at hand first and leave the rest for after the event.


    Moreover, based on his recent inspection, he¡¯d determined that Zhong Puyan was the only eighthyer expert among these people. As long as he could take care of him first, the remaining people could be easily dealt with.


    At the very least, even if they couldn¡¯t win, they would be able to escape with ease.


    Sometimes, the effect of an expert¡¯s control factor far exceeded that of a big group made of low level cultivators.


    As the middle-aged man started to turn serious, Zhong Puyan immediately felt an enormous pressure.


    The middle-aged man was clearly using rarely seen metal type techniques, at least half of which focused on his arms that were far longerpared to ordinary people. His waving arms seemed like a big sword streaking across. Furthermore, the edges of his palm indistinctly glowed with a golden light. This was evidently a special kind of metal type technique, which had been further cultivated to a certain degree.


    Currently, under the fanatic charge of that man, his palms were getting more and more closer to the golden light. The intensity of the palm strikes was increasing every moment. Merely the fierce wind-cleaving sounds could frighten somebody.


    Yuan Lixuan and the others all had anxious faces and were unwittingly moving closer to the fight.


    Upon seeing such a might from an opponent, nobody would dare lower their guards. They all had decided that if the situation didn¡¯t look good, they would all immediately jump in.


    As fierce as the middle-aged man was, in the end, he was merely one eighthyer cultivator. If more than a hundred people jumped him at the same time, he could only escape for his life.


    However, at this moment, a calm voice came from behind, ¡°Alle back, and watch.¡±


    As this voice sounded, the anxiety from Yuan Lixuan and other¡¯s faces immediately dissipated. Everybody let out a sigh a relief and retreated a few steps, opening up a distance from the battle.


    Because they all knew that this voice belonged to He Yiming.


    Although He Yiming¡¯s age was only sixteen, he was the Xiantian expert of legends. During recent times, these spongers and attendants of Yuan family had heard of He Yiming¡¯s deeds countless times.


    In their minds, He Yiming had almost turned into a legend.


    Since he was spectating the battle from the sidelines, what did they still need to fear?


    Although these people retreated back, the middle-aged man battling Zhong Puyan and the few people on the other side suddenly felt a chill in their hearts.


    A moment ago, even though so many people circled in seeming quite terrifying, even if they couldn¡¯t beat thetter, they felt certain that they would at least be able to escape.


    However, the voice that came from inside caused these people to obediently back down, and even more terrifyingly, the faces of these people didn¡¯t have a trace of resentment. Instead every one of them actually showed a bit of anticipation and excitement in their eyes.


    These all were experienced people. They immediately knew the identity of the speaker.


    The speaker was an extraordinary character who could suppress these hundred bulky men and had gained their full approval.


    As of now, they felt terror. If they were to provoke this mysterious character, they would probably not have a good oue.


    Their leader was even more regretful, denouncing himself on why he had to fight over this courtyard. If he¡¯d known earlier that these people would turn out to be so much trouble, he would have agreed to live in the upper rooms, or simply leave.


    Upon hearing He Yiming¡¯s voice, Zhong Puyan¡¯s spirits suddenly rose. He let out a soft shout, and his palm technique began to turn softer and gentler.


    The technique he used was that of water type. Although this technique was probably not top ss, it was not toocking either.


    His two hands unceasingly drew strange circles. After thepletion of every circle, a vortex grew immediately at the center of the circle, rebounding the middle-aged man¡¯s two arms.


    Although he¡¯d yet to meet the middle-aged man head-on from the beginning of the fight and he seemed to be somewhat disadvantaged from the looks of the zfight, he was just like gum; once stuck, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to take it off easily.


    After the battle had continued for a few more minutes, a light shout sounded from the other side, ¡°Li Fuzhou, no need to drag it out anymore. Settle it quickly.¡±


    That middle-aged man¡¯s brows faintly creased, but he still sounded his agreement.


    Zhong Puyan felt furious inwardly, ¡®We both are eighthyer cultivators. Even though your cultivation base is somewhat higher than mine, if you want to take care of me quickly, I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be that easy.¡¯


    However, as he was feeling furious, the middle-aged man suddenly retracted his arms back and retreated a few steps back.


    He¡¯d been upying an advantage. Thus, if he wished to retreat, he could easily retreat. There was no issue.


    Zhong Puyan started. He felt skeptical inwardly, being unable to decide whether he should immediately follow up with a counterattack or not.


    However, during the instant he hesitated, Li Fuzhou had already raised his arms. The two exceptionally long arms joined together in a strange manner, and the two hands evenly stretched out. The two palms were also a lot biggerpared to that of ordinary people.


    At this moment, his ten fingers were intertwined, surprisingly taking shape of a bizarre hand seal, which seemed as if ten fingersbined together in the form of a dragon. The two big thumbs were protruding out from in between the fingers, exposing two long, white fingernails.


    For some reason, as Zhong Puyan looked at this hand seal, his face involuntarily changed somewhat. This seal actually contained a strength that he was simply incapable ofprehending. Moreover, it was exceptionally dangerous, making him feel as if he¡¯d been closely stared by a viper.


    At this moment, inside a dark corner of the inn, He Yiming suddenly cried out in surprise, ¡°Eh, do I know these people?¡±


    He Quanxin and He Yitian faintly started, inwardly having the same thought, ¡°Could He Yiming have met these peoplest time he¡¯d ventured outside?¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes swept through their bodies. Faintly smiling, he said, ¡°Eldest uncle, eldest brother, look at their clothes.¡±


    He Quanxin and He Yitian were astonished. They carefully observed. Their clothes seemed to be somewhat familiar, only the two were unable to recall at the moment.


    He Yiming softly said, ¡°Eldest brother, the day of your marriage ceremony.¡±


    He Yitian¡¯s two eyes eventually brightened, ¡°I remember. They are members of Jadeting¡¯s Lin family. This attire is the special outfit of Lin family¡¯s attendants without a doubt.¡±


    He Quanxin faintly nodded. In order to invite He Yiming, Lin Taoli once made a personal visit to He manor. Though, he¡¯de in high spirits, ultimately he returned with disappointment.


    For the scene after the battle between He Yiming and Lin Taoli to leave a deep impression of their clothes was only inevitable.


    However, the two didn¡¯t know that the reason why He Yiming could recognize them was not due to their clothes, but due to the hand imprint used by Li Fuzhou.


    Although this imprint was neither Prostrate Imprint nor Rain Cloud Imprint, with He Yiming¡¯s exceptional visual prowess, he only needed a nce to tell that the technique of this hand seal had the same origin as that of Lin family¡¯s Xiantian imprint technique.


    Though inparison to Lin Taoli, the imprint currently employed by Li Fuzhou was undoubtedly a lot weaker in terms of might. One could even say that it was simply a level below.


    It could be due to him being not as proficient, or the imprint¡¯s capability being finite in itself, in any case, such might wouldn¡¯¡¯t move He Yiming.


    However, even though He Yiming could disregard it, Zhong Puyan couldn¡¯t.


    His two eyes were wide opened, and face unprecedently grave. The Internal Energy inside his body was circting at its quickest, and his strength had been pushed to the peak.


    The opponent¡¯s imprint beared down on him with an enormous pressure, making him thoroughly understand that this was perhaps the most powerful opponent he¡¯d fought throughout his life.


    Li Fuzhou suddenly issued a soft cry and stepped out. At the same time, the imprint smashed at Zhong Puyan like a sledgehammer.


    Indeed. He¡¯d opted to smash, from top to bottom. Aggressive and overbearing, basically leaving nowhere to dodge for his opponent.


    Zhong Puyan swiftly retreated. However, he immediately discovered that the opponent¡¯s imprint had maintained the same posture since the beginning. Regardless of where he escaped to, he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid being resolutely hit by this blow. He felt appalled inwardly, ¡®What type of battle skill is this, giving such a terrifying feeling?¡¯


    Actually, if he were told that this battle skill had been developed from a Xiantian battle skill, he wouldn¡¯t have felt so dispirited.


    Xiantian battle skill; how powerful of a existence this was? Even if it was a mere simplification with only thirty percent of the original power, how could he with his ordinary Houtian cultivation evade it so easily?


    His legs stopped. Since he could not evade, he would simply fight.


    With a loud cry, his two hands raised high up to go against the opponent¡¯s imprint.


    However, right at this moment, he saw at the corner of his opponent¡¯s mouth curling into a faint sneer, as if thetter believed he overestimated his ability.


    Zhong Puyan¡¯s center back immediately soaked in cold sweat, regretting his decision. However, at this moment, he was a shot bow and could no longer go back.


    All the Internal Energy inside his body concentrated as he pushed forward as if his life depended on it.


    However, his eyes suddenly blurred. Somewhere along the line, an individual suddenly appeared before him.


    His two palms had already struck out. He absolutely couldn¡¯t stop his arms as they resolutely stamped on the back of that figure.


    He was extremely astonished. Where did this figuree from, appearing like a ghost, and rendering himpletely incapable to react?


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    A voice sounded. Zhong Puyan felt quite strange This voice didn¡¯t seem to being from the person¡¯s back, rather it wasing from the front.


    He inwardly wondered, ¡¯What¡¯s going on? Could I have unwittingly mastered the mystical technique of striking from distance? Hitting at the back, but the damage is dealt at front?¡¯


    However, he only indulged in such thoughts momentarily since he knew such a feat was not possible.


    As he tilted to side, he clearly saw.


    In between him and Li Fuzhou was precisely He Yiming.


    As soon as he saw He Yiming, he immediately understood. Even though the power in his palms was not light, to hurt this person would simply be wishful thinking.


    He respectfully retreated; his arms automatically dropping down, seeming extremely respectful.


    Li Fuzhou¡¯s handprint had resolutely struck at He Yiming¡¯s chest.


    It was a vital section of the human body. An eighthyer expert had used all his might,bined it with a top level battle skill and resolutely struck this section.


    In Li Fuzhou¡¯s perception, even if this person had nine lives, he should have already lost eight and a half of them.


    However, from the smiling face of the youngster, he didn¡¯t seem to have even been injured in the slightest. Li Fuzhou retreated a few steps; his facepletely white and looking at He Yiming with a gaze full of fear.


    Although He Yiming¡¯s body didn¡¯t have a trace of aura, even if the former had three times the courage, he wouldn¡¯t dare provoke him again.


    The faces of the few individuals behind him slightly changed. They had of course witnessed the scene that had urred a moment ago. They immediately shut their mouths and stopped breathing; their faces no longer containing a trace of arrogance.


    He Yiming raised his hand and lightly patted his clothes a few times, as if casually taking care of some stain, ¡°Gentlemen, are you from Jadeting¡¯s Lin family?¡±


    Hearing his mild tone, Li Fuzhou let out a sigh of relief. He turned his head and looked back. The head among those few people came forward inrge strides and cupped his fists, ¡°Yes, we are from Jadeting¡¯s Lin family. Tonight, hurrying on the road, we missed our lodging, which lead to the conflict with your side. All of this was an ident, and we¡¯re in the wrong. Please Sir, forgive us.¡±


    He Yiming inwardly sighed. These people immediately discerned that they were not his opponent, and thus, were willing to lower themselves.


    ¡°No need to be polite. Since it was a misunderstanding, it can be overlooked once it¡¯s out in the open.¡±


    That man deeply bowed and said, ¡°Myself is Lin Wenkai, one of Lin family¡¯s manager, may I ask¡­..who are you, sir?¡±


    After witnessing He Yiming¡¯s appearance Lin Wenkai inwardly clicked his tongue in wonder, ¡®So young, but still has such an unfathomable cultivation base. Really a wonder how he cultivated.¡¯


    He Yiming faintly smiled and said, ¡°Tai Cang county, He Yiming.¡±


    ¡°Tai Cang county?¡± Lin Wenkai suddenly raised his head; his face full of astonishment.


    Not only him, all the other people behind him including Li Fuzhou had the same expressions.


    He Yiming¡¯s smile slightly dimmed. In his mind, he indescribably felt an intense, bad premonition. He inwardly quivered. His premonitions had never been wrong.


    ¡°Gentlemen, is there something wrong?¡± He Yiming asked in a lowered voice.


    Lin Wenkai hesitated a bit, seeming as if recalling something, and said, ¡°Sir, you are Tai Cang¡¯s, one of the three influential families, He family¡¯s young master, He Yiming?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Young master is returning from outside and hasn¡¯t reached back yet?¡± Lin Wenkai probingly asked.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± He Yiming¡¯s eyes began to sharpen as he asked, ¡°Could it be some ident has urred at our He family?¡±


    Lin Wenkai bitterlyughed and said, ¡°Young master He, to be honest, seven days ago, the horses bandits of Atai county joined hands and stormed into Tai Cang county town.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Two figures suddenly flickered. He Quanxin and He Yitian also quickly rushed out; their faces extremely unsightly.


    ¡°What happened after?¡±


    Lin Wenkai faintly shook his head and said, ¡°Thest message we received was that the county town has already been destroyed. After that, we¡¯re not sure.¡± Pausing for a bit, he continued, ¡°The family dispatched us to gather information about Tai Cang county. However, these horse bandits are runaways who see human lives as grass. I¡¯m afraid this time Tai Cang county¡­.¡±


    Although he stopped, everybody got the meaning his words implied.


    He Yiming¡¯s face sank, and his eyes chilled with an unsuppressable coldness.


    ¡°Father, mother,¡± He Yiming raised his head and softly mumbled. He then sucked in a deep breath and spoke in a loud and clear voice, ¡°Eldest uncle, Eldest brother, I¡¯ll return first.¡±


    Before the sound of his voice had echoed, his being disappeared like a ghost. After a time worth a few breaths, they all heard the sound of horse hooves as if the pounding of drums. They then saw a red shadow disappearing before them¡­..

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 58 - Destroyed County Town

    The stars had hidden somewhere. Night¡¯s curtain looked like a devil with a sinister face. The whole county town was quiet, as if it had sank into a deathly stillness.


    Suddenly, a loud sound of horse¡¯s hooves came from afar. This was a fast horse, seeming as if the indistinct sound had be clear instantaneously.


    Although it was night, the rider of the horse was looking at the destroyed main gate. What was a huge iron gate for an ordinary man, at this moment, seemed as if been smashed by something heavy.


    The opening of the gate had beenpletely destroyed, and left behind was a deep and dark way that lead directly inside.


    He Yiming had already been extremely anxious. However, as he saw the dangling main gate, his heart suddenly seemed to have frozen over. He clenched his teeth and lightly stamped his feet. Red Silk, as if connected with his will, quickened even more.


    Entering the county town without any hindrance, as Red Silk¡¯s hooves touched the stone road of the county town, the resounding sound seemed like a drum being pounded,pletely destroying the silence of night.


    Inside the county town, the signs of destruction were littered everywhere. One could seerge patches of ck, frozen bloodstains everywhere. Within the scope of his vision, he could even see more than ten corpses lying on the ground in any direction he looked.


    From their clothes, they were certainly ordinary residents of county town. They probably didn¡¯t have enough time to flee when the town was breached, and thus, were killed by suddenly appearing horse bandits.


    His ear faintly twitched. Sitting on the horse, He Yiming could even hear indistinct mor from several locations.


    He didn¡¯t know whether these noises were made by left behind horse bandits, or citizens that had luckily survived, and he didn¡¯t have any interest in finding out either.


    Red Silk was extremely quick, even quicker than the people¡¯s reaction speed. By the time, some people rushed there with weapons in hands and clothes draped over their body, He Yiming and Red Silk had already disappeared without a trace.


    En-route, his vision lingered on a big house that he was passing by.


    This ce was not strange to him. He¡¯d entered here many times before.


    Discovering an insider in Xu family during Lord Master Cheng¡¯s birthday feast, acquiring ze technique. In the bride-escorting arena, the huge battle with Lin Taoli, stealthily learning two strange imprint techniques¡­.these events flickered in his mind.


    However, once majestic and reputed Cheng Residence had beenpletely burned down; not even a tile was left standing. It could only seek its former glory from the remnant memories of those who had seen it.


    His nose faintly twitched. The air still seemed to contain a burnt odor. Evidently, the mansion had not been burnt too long ago.


    He Yiming unceasingly traversed this avenue, heading towards He family¡¯s residence in county town.


    In the county town, the once prestigious Cheng family could be overlooked, the nameless citizens could also be overlooked, in his mind, what he was concerned about the most, was only his father and mother.


    For the sake of family, his father and mother had been managing several shops in the county town for decades. Although these shops were merely to pull wool over prying eyes and the family¡¯s principal source of revenue was in fact the profit earned from the smuggling, thetter part was also managed by his father.


    When the county town was breached, did his mother and father have the foresight to escape one step ahead of the horse bandits- this was his primary concern.


    His biggest fear at the moment was to see the corpses of his mother and father upon arriving home.


    If this truly happened to be true, even if he killed every single existing horse bandit, it would still not be enough topensate for his regret.


    He residence came into his vision. It was pitch ck from inside.


    He Yiming¡¯s body moved. Without waiting for Red Silk to stop in ce, his body rushed forward and instantly crossed over the wall before firmlynding in the yard.


    Beforeing here, he was even worried that this ce would also be like Cheng Residence,pletely burnt down. However, at this moment, although the residence still stood strong, he didn¡¯t feel any relief at all.


    Because as he¡¯d entered inside, he was even more afraid that he would see the corpses of his father and mother.


    Through the way, although one couldn¡¯t say that the county town was littered with corpses, he¡¯d seen several tens of corpses, and even that was merely on the road he¡¯d travelled.


    Taking into ount those who had died inside their houses unseen, it would be hard to estimate how many more had died in this cmity.


    At this point, He Yiming had acknowledged the viciousness of these horse bandits.


    His figure moved like lightning as he inspected every room. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief. In He family¡¯s several yards and buildings there wasn¡¯t actually a single corpse. Moreover, the arrangements inside also didn¡¯t seem to be made in a hurry. It seemed probable that when the horse bandits first arrived, his parents received the information, and thus, were able to retreat so unhurriedly.


    As he was about to leave, his thoughts slightly stirred. He tilted his head and quietly listened for a few moments.


    His face slightly changed before he took arge step out, and merely with this step, arrived before a piece of rockery in the courtyard.


    He reached out with one of his hand and evenly ced it on the rock. The True Qi circted, and a gigantic power gushed out.


    The rock swayed before suddenly leaving the ground. It had actually been uprooted by his palm.


    Dust scattered in all directions. Under the rock, arge cave emerged, inside which, was an underground room with an area more than ten square meter.


    At this moment, in that room, a person was tongue-tied gazing up. His vision on He Yiming was full of fear, as if he¡¯d seen some frightening monster. Even his body was trembling.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes, however, brightened as he shouted in a stern voice, ¡°He Chen, what are you doing here?¡±


    He Chen was servant of He family, moreover a servant that had his parent¡¯s trust. He was an orphan, raised in the manor. His actions were witty and speech eloquent, and thus, was able to catch his parents eyes. They brought him to the county town where he helped his parents in managing shops as one of several managers in He family.


    Currently, all the members of He family in the county town had disappeared somewhere, and he was hiding at this ce alone. Thus, it made He Yiming quite astonished and angry.


    If he¡¯d not entered the Xiantian realm and gained an inconceivable powerful pair of ears, he might not have been able to discover the secret this rock had been hiding.


    He Cheng first started, but after hearing He Yiming¡¯s voice, his eyes immediately shined. Even his body stopped trembling.


    ¡°Sixth young master, you are sixth young master?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You are really sixth young master.¡± He Chen immediately ran out of the cave. The dust that fell down on him just now did nothing to diminish the delighted expression on his face.


    After witnessing his expression, He Yiming¡¯s face somewhat rxed as he asked, ¡°Why were you here? Where are my mother and father?¡±


    ¡°Sixth young master, it was lord anddy that asked me to stay behind here.¡± He Cheng bitterly smiled and said, ¡°This underground room was secretly built by Lord after he assumed control of this residence. Some of our expensive things and gold is stored here. Lord anddy left and instructed me to guard here.¡±


    As He Cheng looked at the distantly lying rockery that had been uprooted a few moments ago, his face turned bitter, ¡°I¡¯m afraid now this secret no longer exists.¡±


    He Yiming gaped. Of all the possibilities he¡¯d thought, he could never have imagined this was the cause.


    However, at this point, even if this room contained more wealth, it was nowhere as important as his parents.


    ¡°He Chen, what has actually happened in the county town?¡±


    ¡°Sixth young master, that day we were just earning our living, when people from Cheng family suddenly came to notify us; they said that Atai county¡¯s horse bandits areing to kill. He quickly made arrangements and left county town,¡± He thought for a bit, then continued, ¡°The Lordmanded to close all the shops and move all valuables inside the underground room, and ordered me to enter the room with food supplies. He told me not toe out regardless of anything unless the food supplies are exhausted or some He family memberes.¡±


    He Yiming started to feel anxious. This He Chen also didn¡¯t seem to know much. He casually asked, ¡°Do you know where my father and mother have gone?¡±


    He Chenn faintly bowed and said, ¡°Sixth young master, before entering the underground room, I heard Lord mentioning about going to Cheng family.¡±


    As He Yiming recalled Cheng family¡¯s devastation, his mind buzzed, and he only felt all the blood inside his body frantically swarming to his brain, almost seeming to explode out.


    He Chen astonishedly reached out with his hand, ¡°Sixth young master, what hap¡­..Ah!¡±


    As soon as his hand made contact with He Yiming¡¯s body, he immediately flew backwards. Fortunately, even under his present condition, He Yiming could differentiate between a friend and foe, and had not used True Qi. Otherwise, the result wouldn¡¯t have been this simple.


    As his vision fell on He Chen who was lying on the ground and groaning in pain, He Yiming finally sobered up. He took a big stride forward and arrived beside He Chen. He stretched his hand and pulled him up. A strand of wood type True Qi entered his body and immediately smoothened the minor injuries on his body.


    ¡°He Chen, you continue with what lord told you.¡±


    He Chen sounded his agreement. However, as he turned his head, he was stupefied.


    Now that the rock had already been uprooted, leaving behind a dark green cave entrance, whoever saw this entrance would definitely think of going down and investigating it. If he were to guard this cave¡­.


    He Yiming ran towards the gate at a lightning fast speed. He¡¯d already heard neighs from outside and also delighted cursing voices¡­.


    ¡°Fine horse, what a fine horse, quickly catch it¡­.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it ran there, quickly catch it¡­.¡±


    ¡°It ran me over¡­..¡±


    To have the mind of catching a horse at this moment- apart from horse bandits, there would be nobody else.


    He Yiming silently crossed over the fence and stood still at a corner. Red Silk immediately discovered him and instantly ran over to him.


    Behind its body were more than sinister-looking men. However, these men were without a doubt fond of this horse. Even after being ran over, they were not willing to use weapons.


    However, when Red Silk stopped and they saw He Yiming, they felt something amiss.


    One among them wordlessly lifted the big de in his hands and chopped down. From the vicious glint in his eyes, one could easily tell that he¡¯d developed an addiction while killing during these few days and could no longer stop himself.


    He Yiming¡¯s eyes opened, and his body remained motionless. Suddenly, one of his leg flew up.


    This leg was quick as lightning and as heavy as a huge hammer. Evenpared to that man¡¯s de, it was a lot quicker.


    That man nkly stared at He Yiming¡¯s leg and was unable to react. By the time he thought of retreating or evading, the leg had already kicked at his chest.


    Although it was merely a brush with the tip of the foot, that man flew out as if he¡¯d been struck with a thousand jin(500 kg).


    While in mid air, the big de dropped from that man¡¯s hand. Following a nking sound, the horse bandit flew for more than ten meters before heavily crashing down.


    The other horse bandits were appalled. The leader flicked his sleeve upwards. A sound arrow flew straight into the skies, resounding throughout the county town.


    He Yiming sneered unceasingly. He¡¯d worried all along that he wouldn¡¯t be able to gather horse bandits together. Now somebody had actually done it for him.


    The leader had no clue about what He Yiming was thinking. He only wished to stall for time. Cupping his hands, he said, ¡°I am Zong Kui from Red Cloth Bandits. Who are your, sir? Why do you wish to kill us brothers?¡±


    He Yiming understood well that this man was merely stalling for time, waiting for hispanions to arrive. However, they both had the same thought. He Yiming coldlyughed and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who I am. I only wish to know Red Cloth Bandits have always stayed in the Atai county, why have you attacked Tai Cang county?¡±


    Zong Kui¡¯s brows twitched, ¡°Our third leader Guan Wei and fourth leader boss Liao were killed by Tai Cang county¡¯s Cheng and He families. Therefore, our leader led everybody to take revenge for our brothers.¡±


    He Yiming face turned even more cold, ¡°Taking revenge for brothers, hehe. You can kill people, when others kill you, you will settle it by taking revenge. Truly worthy of being horse bandits.¡±


    Zong Kui coldly said, ¡°That¡¯s right, we can kill, but others can¡¯t offend us.¡±


    He Yiming lowered his head, before suddenly asking, ¡°I know about Guan Wei, but boss Liao? How are you so sure that it was done by Tai Cang¡¯s He family?¡±


    Zong Kui threw a quick nce in a distant direction. He could indistinctly saw flickering torches hurriedly approaching them. He felt delighted inwardly, and his mouth issued unceasing torrents of words, ¡°Those fools from He family still think that nobody will recognize them outside Tai Cang county. However, they don¡¯t know that the horse they were riding all had imprints of Tai Cang¡¯s He family. A few of our escaped brothers merely needed to stealthily observe a little. Hehe, at first our leader was also indecisive whether we should really carry out a purge hundreds of li away. However, when we received the information of boss Liao¡¯s death, he immediately made his decision and rode his beloved horse to Lan Hai gang¡¯s two leaders. Thus, all gathered together for this majestic undertaking.¡±


    Zong Kui¡¯s words became slower and slower, and delight in his eyes became richer and richer. At this moment, rumbling sounds resounded, and from several directions, several tens of people rushed towards them, adding up to a total of more than hundred.


    One individual loudly said, ¡°Zong Kui, what happened? Why you shot sound arrow?¡±


    Zong Kui respectfully said, ¡°Leader Li, there¡¯s a bit of trouble, but it¡¯s a really fine horse.¡±


    Leader Li¡¯s eyes immediately shined as he stared at Red Silk without blinking. As a member of horse bandits, he could of course discern a horse¡¯s quality at a nce.


    He turned his head. Beside the horse stood a strange youngster who had an extremely long cloth on his back. However, this moment, his eyes were only for the horse. How could he care for this guy with unknown origins?


    ¡°Yeah, a good horse indeed. I want this horse. Children, kill this guy for me.¡±


    Horse bandits sounded their agreements. A few impatient ones further unsheathed their des and were about to charge.


    However, at this moment, the expressionless youngster suddenly raised his head.


    His eyes shone like stars.


    The horse bandits started. For some reason, looking at these eyes were making them feel an indescribable chill in their hearts.


    He Yiming¡¯s corner of mouth revealed a faint smile. This smile seemed to contain inexplicable regret and indignation.


    He slowly opened his mouth and softly said, ¡°Uncle, I was wrong. Eliminating the roots was the correct option to begin with.¡±


    His words were although not loud, more than hundred horse bandits heard his words clearly. They looked at each other. This person didn¡¯t look scary, then why were they feeling such deep chill.


    Suddenly their vision blurred, and the youngster disappeared from their line of sight.


    ¡°Ah¡­.¡±


    A blood-curling scream pierced the sky. Their vision blurred, and they seemed to have a seen a person being thrown up in the air, drowning in the darkness of night without a trace. In a blink of an eye, that scream, like an infection, spread around- one rising after another.


    Numerous furious shouts of horse bandits sounded in session, wishing to surround and kill that person. However, they soon discovered, they were simply unable to follow thetter¡¯s rhythm. In a few moments, half of the more than hundred bandits had fallen. Only a few ten with discerning eye, seeing that the situation didn¡¯t look good, turned around and escaped.


    Boss Li was extremely astonished, and was thinking about escaping. However, he felt his body sinking, and his knees gave away.


    He Yiming¡¯s one handy on his shoulder and spoke in a chilling voice, ¡°After you destroyed the city, where did Cheng members go?¡±


    Scared out of his wits, leader Li involuntarily said, ¡°Senior, spare my life. By the time we destroyed the city, Cheng family and He family escaped to Xu castle?¡±


    ¡°Xu castle? Everybody from He family is also there?¡±


    ¡°Precisely. Following the message of leader¡¯s arrival there, all the core members of the three influential families gathered together, defending Xu castle with their life.¡±


    Xu castle¡¯s high wall emerged in He Yiming¡¯s mind, and he felt somewhat calm.¡±


    ¡°How many people do you four have in total?¡±


    Leader Li hesitated and immediately felt a powerful strength pouring into his shoulders, instantly prating to the bone marrow. The powerful, almost substantive aura of the counterpart immediately destroyed his will to resist in entirety.


    Before a Xiantian cultivator, even a person with powerful spirit would be unable to endure such a pressure.


    ¡°In total, over five thousand.¡±


    ¡°What about their strength?¡±


    ¡°Five experts of tenthyer, eighth ninthyer experts, several tens of¡­.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s insides turned increasingly cold. Thebined power of horse bandits was actually so high, even above that of a millennium n.


    ¡°What is Xu castle¡¯s condition?¡±


    ¡°Leader¡¯s letter tonight says that they have already surrounded Xu castle for five days and have struck a few holes. Tomorrow will be an all out attack, and they can certainly conquer¡­..¡±


    ¡°Hehe, certainly conquer?¡± He Yiming suddenly burst outughing; his voice brimming with killing intent.


    Leader Li knew the situation was dire and immediately hung onto thest thread of hope, ¡°Senior, spare my life. I¡¯ll no longer dare act as a horse bandit.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s gaze was sharp as he said, ¡°I¡¯ve already been mistaken once, I won¡¯t be mistaken twice.¡±


    His figure leapt high up in the air. Unexpectedly Red Silk also did the same without a rider, and they sped like wind towards Xu castle.


    Behind his body, leader Li¡¯s body swayed a bit, softly falling down in the end. Like the countless people he¡¯d killed, he didn¡¯t stand up again.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 59 - The Dawn

    The night¡¯s odor was gloomy and unusual; the silence had its own unique sound


    The mountain range seemed to be forming shadows of enormous beasts, stirring and lying in ambush all around us.


    The easy-to-defend Xu castle, after going through five days of defense, had eventually reached the limit.


    Although Xu family elders spared no efforts while building the Xu castle, they never expected their predecessors to encounter such a situation.


    Under the cooperation of the four leaders of horse bandits, there were actually more than five thousand bandits, which further had five tenthyer experts and more than ten ninthyer experts.


    None of the influential families in Tai Cang county could resist such an enormous power.


    Five days. For a full five days, under the lead of He Wude and Xu Yinjie, all the core members of the three families had taken turns to fight. Almost every one of them was injured and at the point of exhaustion.


    They had already lost count how many times they had repelled the horse bandits¡¯ assault. As of now, the corpses of horse bandits amassed under the Xu castle had almost reached the frightening number of a thousand. Among these thousand bandits, there was nock of seventh and eighthyer cultivators, and even two ninthyer experts. Such heavy casualties made the leaders of the horse bandits extremely furious, but at the same time, also firmed their determination to wipe out of Xu castle.


    At this moment, everybody inside the Xu castle knew that if Xu castle was breached, not a single one of had any chance of surviving.


    ¡°Ah¡­.¡±


    A blood-curling scream sounded on the wall. In the quiet night sky, the sound travelled for miles. However, the surrounding people acted as if they hadn¡¯t heard anything; not even sparing a nce in that direction.


    Xu Yinjie softly patted his hands. His thin, dried-up face had caved in, making him look like a ghost in the dark night. Wherever he passed by, the younger generation of all three families straightened their chests; their gazes on this dried-up, bamboo pole like old man filled with admiration and gratitude.


    During the night, he¡¯d killed seven horse bandits that had sneaked onto the wall. If this old man had not kept watch without caring for himself, their defense would have already crumbled.


    However, looking at the three families¡¯ blood soaked young generation, Xu Yinjie¡¯s heart was quite heavy.


    His vision fell upon the city wall which already had several openings. Even thebined strength of three families couldn¡¯t fill this gap.


    The horse bandits hade too abruptly, and their strength was also too high.


    ¡°Brother Xu, you¡¯ve killed one again- more than onepared to the result of my yesterday¡¯s battle.¡±


    An aged voice came from a different direction. He Wude walked over in big strides. Cheng Zhusheng followed right behind with a big smile on his face.


    It seemed as if he wasn¡¯t walking on a blood-covered wall that had gone through a battle of several days, but that beautiful garden back at his home.


    The surrounding young disciples, spongers, and attendants involuntarily felt refreshed after seeing his smile, seeming as if a lot of the fatigue umted over the past few days was dissolved.


    Xu Yinjie nodded at them, and the three tacitly walked over to a corner. With a wave of a hand from Xu Yinjie, the few people that had been guarding there immediately bowed and left in quick steps.


    Although there were only three old men here, these were the three most powerful individuals in Tai Cang county.


    If some horse bandits tried to breach through at this moment, they would undoubtedly be following the path to their own deaths.


    Along with a light from a huge torch, distant gazes fell on them. The light rays illuminated Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s face; his splendid smile sending a clear message.


    However, although thetter¡¯s smile didn¡¯t change, the words that came out of his mouth weren¡¯t funny in the least, ¡°Brother Xu, the situation tonight seems somewhat too abnormal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I also feel the same. They have already begun to gather horses and people below.¡±


    Xu Yinjie spoke in a cold and detached tone. There wasn¡¯t a trace of expression on this old man¡¯s face. However, nobody felt it was strange at all, because everybody knew that he cultivated Withered Tree technique. His face without emotion was natural; if he were to learn to smile like Cheng Zhusheng, that would simply make one feel as if the heavens were about to copse.


    He Wude let out a sigh. His back stood perfectly straight. After spending more than eighty years of his life experiencing hardships, he was still brimming with vitality; hardly any different than young men.


    ¡°If we aren¡¯t misreading, they will probablyunch an all-out attack tomorrow morning,¡± His gaze fell upon the destroyed regions, ¡°I¡¯m afraid this time, we truly might not be able to resist.¡±


    The other two didn¡¯t say a word, but their eyes tacitly showed agreement.


    Cheng Zhusheng suddenly said, ¡°Brother He, brother Xu, I have a suggestion. You mind hearing it?¡±


    ¡°Speak,¡± He Wude said in a lowered voice.


    ¡°This time the three influential families havee across a disaster. However, we can¡¯t truly be exterminated just like this. If you don¡¯t oppose, I wish to gather the most outstanding members of our third generation and separate them at morning. During the attack of the horse bandits, He Quanyi, Xu Xiangci, and my family¡¯s Jiayun will lead them out of the heavy encirclement and let them escape through the back mountain trail.¡±


    Even when he said these words, the smile on Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s face didn¡¯t falter in the slightest and still gave off a soothing feeling.


    ¡°Why would you pick them?¡± Xu Yinjie discontentedly said, ¡°Just let Right rece Xiangci.¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Cheng Zhusheng resolutely said, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking and also know Xu Right is the number one member of Xu family¡¯s second generation. However, this is precisely the reason. If Xu Right were to do this, it would undoubtedly attract a lot of attention, and it would be the end of the only chance of the third generation¡¯s escape.¡±


    ¡°Brother Cheng¡¯s words are correct. If we are to escort the most outstanding members of our third generation out, I¡¯m afraid that not only we can¡¯t leave, nephew Right also has to stay here.¡± He Wude sighed deeply.


    Cheng Zhusheng smilingly continued, ¡°A pity, if your Xu family¡¯s old Ancestor could return, not to mention four gangs of horse bandits, even if there were ten, we wouldn¡¯t have to fear them at all.¡±


    An indescribable glow flickered in Xu Yinjie¡¯s eyes, as if he was somewhat regretful and somewhat annoyed.


    ¡°Brother Cheng, why are saying such things now?¡± He paused and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve already selected your candidates?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cheng Zhusheng said, ¡°I¡¯ve selected seven who¡¯ve good state of mind and drenched their hands in blood in this battle. They ought to have room for development in the future. Entrusting Cheng family¡¯s future in their hands, I¡¯m fairly relieved.¡±


    He Wude lightly shrugged and said, ¡°Our He family¡¯s poption is sparse. After receiving the information this time, we¡¯ve already made those with Internal Energy below the sixthyer take shelter in the mountain forest, and it¡¯s only Quanming, Quanyi, Yihai, and Yixuan who¡¯vee with me. After several discussions, we¡¯ve decided Quanyi will lead Yihai and Yixuan to try to break through the encirclement, and I will stay here with Quanming.¡±


    Xu Yinjie¡¯s face slightly changed as he suddenly said, ¡°Your suggestion is alright, but I think we better have some changes.¡±


    He Wude and Cheng Zhusheng exchanged a nce, simultaneously revealing a trace of puzzled expression, ¡®Could this old man havee up with some brilliant idea? This is not like the usual him at all.¡±


    Xu Yinjie¡¯s voice became even lower, even the two standing right beside him had to focus in order to hear clearly.


    ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll stay behind alone. You all, leave.¡±


    He Wude and Cheng Zhusheng simultaneously rolled their eyes, and thetter discontentedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t joke. If you stay behind alone, our bravado would take a huge hit. In that case, I guarantee you not a single one will escape.¡±


    Xu Yinjie¡¯s eyes revealed a trace of bizarre expression as he said, ¡°Gentlemen, there is something you don¡¯t know. Our Xu castle has a secret path leading directly to the mountains in the back. This path has existed since the day Xu castle was created. It¡¯s just that it has never been used in these hundred years.¡±


    He Wude and Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s eyes shined with delight.


    With the existence of such a secret path, although it was not possible topletely evacuate the castle, escorting the core members was not an issue at all.


    Xu Yinjie continued, ¡°Tomorrow early morning, these robbers will probablyunch an all out attack. Seize the opportunity and leave with everybody.¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng hesitated a bit, then asked, ¡°What about you? Noting with us?¡±


    Xu Yinjie coarselyughed. He didn¡¯t reply, only ridiculed himself, ¡°We are called the three influential families of Tai Cang county, but inparison to them, we¡¯re nothing. Hehe, Tai Cang county¡­.Tai Cang county is too small, too weak.¡±


    He Wude and Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s face started to be unsightly.


    In fact, it could even be said that thebined strength of these families constituted more than half the strength of the entire Tai Cang county. However, not to mention entire Atai county, they couldn¡¯t evenpare to the four biggest horse bandit gangs in Atai county.


    This fact was indeed somewhat hard for them to digest, and thus, made them feel a little unwell.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Xu Yinjie sighed and said, ¡°We¡¯ll return and escort all the disciples with potential in our respective ns out. No need to be stingy. Leaving a hope for them to live is far better than sending them to death¡¯s door here. I even believe that after this cmity, these youngsters will certainly rise once more and make our three family¡¯s name resound in Tai Cang county once more, and even Jadeting county.¡±


    ¡°And you? Really not intending to leave?¡± Cheng Zhusheng suddenly asked.


    Xu Yinjie swept his gaze all around the castle; his eyes filled with unwillingness to part, ¡°This is my home. I was born here, and will be buried here upon death as well. I must take responsibility for all of those who are connected to Xu family,¡± His gaze dropped to the ground, ¡°Right knows about the tunnel. After making your selection, find Right; he will take you out.¡±


    In the discussion between the three, all they talked about was rted to the three family¡¯s core members. As for the spongers and servants, not even a word was mentioned. Even all those women inside the Xu castle couldn¡¯t gain any consideration from Xu Yinjie.


    Evidently, in their minds, as long as they could get the core members of the three families out safely, they were satisfied.


    He Wude deeply nced at him, then suddenly turned around and walked away.


    Cheng Zhusheng, however, retreated a few steps and suddenly stopped, ¡°Yinjie, you don¡¯t me me for leading these people here, do you?¡±


    Xu Yinjie faintly smiled and said, ¡°Brother-inw, the four biggest bandit gangs of Atai county had joined hands. Don¡¯t tell me you really think their target is merely county town? Even if you and He Wude hadn¡¯te here, they still would have razed He manor and Xu castle to the ground. Otherwise, how could they have agreed to make such a trip.¡±


    Cheng Zhusheng coarselyughed. Not speaking any further, he slowly walked down the wall.


    With a flicker, an individual suddenly walked out from a dark ce. This individual was precisely the most outstanding member of Xu family¡¯s second generation, Xu Right.


    ¡°Father, why have you informed them about the secret path?¡±


    Xu Yinjie faintly shook his head, ¡°Right, bear in mind, Tai Cang county is our base. We can¡¯t let this ce be truly powerless. We can let He family and Cheng family take the lead, we can endure our submission to them, but keep in mind, as long as their is a slither of hope, we should never allow an external power to establish a footing here.¡±


    Xu Right¡¯s face flickered, seeming as if he was thinking of something. However, Xu Yinjie shook his head and said, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. If a second He Wudees into Tai Cang county, let him be a resident of Tai Cang county by all means, let him truly treat this ce as his native ce. You understand?¡±


    Xu Right eventually lowered his head and said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll remember.¡±


    ¡°En, this time there is no escape for Xu castle. After you lead everybody outside, immediately seek help from old Ancestor. If Ancestor agreed, not to mention rebuilding a castle, even building two or three castles is not a problem. Xu Yinjie¡¯s voice was low but powerful, ¡°This is a good opportunity, and perhaps the only one. You must grasp it.¡±


    Xu Yinjie vigorously sounded his agreement and suddenly said, ¡°Father, you really don¡¯t intend to leave?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Xu Yinjie¡¯s brows twitched as he spoke, ¡°This is my family. Whosoever wants to intrude in my home will pay the price for it.¡±


    Although his tone was dull, it carried an unquestionable perseverance.


    Xu Right¡¯s fists tightly clenched. He knew that there were countless eyes observing him at this moment. He couldn¡¯t divulge any clue. If people were able to guess that the core members of the three families are nning to abandon the castle and escape, the people in the castle would certainly have no will to fight remaining in them.


    As long as horse bandits charged inside, they would easily decapitate everybody inside.


    Sighing deeply, Xu Right turned around and departed in heavy steps; his heart filled with sorrow. He knew this would be thest time he was seeing his father.


    Under the castle wall, a kilometer away, a group of horse bandits was carefully patrolling. Whoever had made the futile attempt of escaping outside the castle, had been intercepted by them and ruthlessly killed.


    A middle-aged man with a tall and lean build but a cold face had locked Xu castle under the sky in his viper gaze.


    This individual was precisely one of the four horse bandit gangs¡¯ leaders, Wolf Fangs¡¯ Zhong Wei. Although he appeared to be in his forties, his true age had long crossed the mark of sixty years.


    All the leaders of the four biggest horse bandit gangs of Atai county were above sixty in age and reputed tenthyer experts. However, Red Cloth bandits had two tenthyer experts. In terms of strength, they indeed seemed above the rest of the gangs.


    Upon receiving Red Cloth bandits¡¯ invitation, he thought it over and over before eventually agreeing.


    Apart from the fact that he also wished to gain some benefits, he didn¡¯t wish to go against Red Cloth bandits¡¯ idea.


    After all, even among tenthyer experts, there was distinction of strong and weak, and he, Zhong Wei, was undoubtedly the weakest among the five leaders.


    At first, everything went smoothly. However, none of them expected that after easily conquering the county town, they would bump into a hard bone like Xu castle.


    Inparison to Xu castle, the county town was like a mud wall which copsed in one push.


    On the other hand, against Xu castle¡¯s high wall, even though they had experts as numerous as clouds, they had to spend a full five days and sacrifice over a thousand men and horses before finally seeding in opening a few entrances through the wall.


    Though these few entrances were enough in itself.


    Zhong Wei licked his somewhat dry lips. A vicious glint flickered in his eyes as he sped his hands and slowly released them. Internal Energy circted its course through his body. As it passed through his right shoulder, his right shoulder faintly ached.


    His face faintly twitched, and the killing intent he was emitting became somewhat denser, which made his subordinates quiver in fear.


    When they had begun to seize, he happened to run into Xu Yinjie. During the few palm strikes they exchanged, he was hit by Xu Yinjie on his right shoulder. Although it was not fatal, it caused him a lot of sufferings.


    He¡¯d already decided that once they broke into the city, he would certainly capture Xu Yinjie alive, and before him, behead all of the males one by one, give all the women to suffer humiliation from his brothers, and make Xu Yinjie regret that he¡¯d injured him.


    Suddenly, a blood curling scream once again sounded in the darkness of the night, followed by a sound of something heavily dropping on the ground.


    Zhong Wei¡¯s brows slightly creased as he said, ¡°Raiders are still preparing?¡±


    One man immediately replied, ¡°Leader Zhong, raiders haven¡¯t stopped once. Leader Sea is personally directing the preparations.¡±


    Zhong Wei lightly snorted. In his opinion, since they were going for an all attack tomorrow morning, even if they didn¡¯t attack tonight any further, it wouldn¡¯t matter. However, since it was ording to that woman Sea Huqiao¡¯s ns, he immediately dispelled all thoughts of meddling.


    Sea Huqiao was Azure Hanyang¡¯s wife. The husband and wife were the leader and second leader of Azure Sea horse bandits. Although the former was a tenthyer expert and thetter a ninthyer expert, they excelled in coordination and their techniques alsoplemented each other. After joining hands, the might they could unleash was hardly below that of two tenthyer experts.


    More importantly, Sea Huqiao had exceptional witts and had always been considered as a mastermind.


    This time when five thousand horse bandits raided the county town, she was the only one who advocated to first conquer Xu castle, then attack county town.


    Unfortunately, apart from Azure Hanyang, nobody agreed with her suggestion. The fact that nobody was willing to be ordered by a woman was probably a big reason for it.


    However, the battle proved to be a testament for her foresight.


    Tai Cang county was merely a name. It was conquered without any effort. However, the guarded Xu castle became a thorn in their eyes and flesh, costing them nearly a thousand brothers before they could see the dawn of victory. Although it seemed that they would be able to seize Xu castle tomorrow, who knew how many more brothers would be buried here tomorrow.


    Not too far away from him, pairs of horses and men began to gather together.


    During these five days, these people had been living in Xu town in turns. As for the people in town, they had either taken shelter inside Xu castle or had been killed by horse bandits.


    The entire town had been upied by the horse bandits, serving as a base camp for thousands of horse bandits.


    Although the color of sky was still dusky at this moment, all the people in the town had arrived here and had started to assemble. Even though they were horse bandits, their quality didn¡¯t pale inparison to an army at all. Thousands of bandits slowly gathering in the night filled the air with a kind of intense inauspicious aura.


    Horse bandits didn¡¯t have too many tools at their disposal, but they were no ordinary men. They were cultivators who cultivated Internal Energy with their body and soul. As far as they were concerned, although the wall was a huge obstruction, it was not untranscendable. The battle of these five days was already a testament.


    Of course, if there was no wall and thousands of horse bandits were allowed to charge into the castle, everybody inside the castle would have died long ago.


    As of now, under the coordination of several experts, several breaches had been opened in the wall. As long as they organized a charge with sufficient manpower, they could definitely obtain the ultimate victory.


    Five individuals appeared beside Zhong Wei.


    Among them, four were males and one was female.


    They were Red Cloth bandits¡¯ leader Guan Qing and second leader Guo Shaofeng, Fierce Tigers¡¯ Xu Hanbai, and Azure Sea¡¯s Azure Hanyang and Sea Huqiao.


    The four had nothingmon in appearance, and even the youngest of the four, Azure Hanyang, was above sixty years old.


    However, even though his age was the lowest, in terms of cultivation base alone, he was undoubtedly the strongest among them. Even Guan Qing would be unwilling to face him.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Guan Qing¡¯s voice sounded like a stifled thunder.


    ¡°Ready.¡±


    A voice that couldn¡¯t be considered sweet came out of Sea Huqiao¡¯s mouth. However, none of the men present dared to look down on her as a woman.


    This was not because of her husband, but because she¡¯d received this status through her own efforts.


    Almost at the same time, the gazes of the few individuals tacitly shifted to their target.


    The ck wall that seemed even more sinister in the darkness of night.


    It was right before dawn, when night was the darkest.


    Nobody said a word as they silently awaited for the unceasing raids carried out through five consecutive days to end.


    As if the two sides had a tacit understanding, there was no sound on the wall either. It seemed as if both sides were waiting for the first light.


    In the horizon, there was already a narrow, milky white strip stretching beyond, seeming as if joining all these mountain peaks together. Then appeared a scarlet, intoxicatingly red halo, and also a wisp of deep gray colored cloud.


    The sky was a shade of light blue; extremely light blue. Suddenly, a red colored beam appeared, slowly expanding, and as its glow intensified, eventually the first light ray appeared¡­.


    Sea Huqiao slowly nodded. Guan Qing raised his hand high above, and all bandits tightly held their weapons; glints of madness flickering in their eyes.


    However, right at this moment, they heard a heaven-shaking disturbance like that of andslide and tsunami.


    On the wall, Xu Yinjie kicked a bandit who had climbed up the wall, sending him flying down.


    His face still didn¡¯t have a ripple,pletely expressionless as if he hadn¡¯t kicked a man but a withered leaf.


    Suddenly, he raised his head and saw an exceptionally familiar face with whom he¡¯d fought for decades.


    His eyes carried a trace of questioning look, as if he found the presence of this old guy on the wall strange.


    He Wude¡¯s both hands were behind his back as he arrived beside him in neither hurried nor slow steps and looked into the darkness underneath.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡±


    ¡°I wished to leave, but if I leave, I wouldn¡¯t be able to fulfil a wish of mine throughout my life.¡±


    ¡°What wish?¡±


    ¡°I wish to see whether your Withered Tree technique is more ferocious or my Reclining Moon de is still unmatchable,¡± He Wude pointed towards the dark night ahead and said, ¡°There are so many bandits ahead, sufficient for us to have a match.¡±


    Eventually, Xu Yinjie¡¯s eyes opened somewhat wider, and his eyeballs deep inside the rim of his eyes seemed to have turned somewhat livelier.


    ¡°Your Reclining Moon de?¡±


    He Wude nkly stared, then bitterlyughed, ¡°I gave it away.¡±


    Xu Yinjie once again lowered his head; his voice carrying a trace of envy, ¡°You¡­..have a fine grandson.¡±


    He Wude heartilyughed and said, ¡°Indeed. As long as there is He Yiming, our He family certainly has a hope of revival,¡± He patted his hands against each other and suddenly said, ¡°But don¡¯t you worry, even without Reclining Moon de, my two hand des are not that inferior.¡±


    ¡°Tch, a hand de. This old man actually wants to see it,¡± Cheng Zhusheng walked over with a chuckle.


    Xu Yinjie and He Wude simultaneously turned their heads with incredulous gazes, as if they had seen the sun rising from the west.


    Although Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s skin was quite thick, at this moment, his face slightly blushed with anger.


    ¡°You two, what are these gazes?¡± Cheng Zhusheng furiously said.


    He Wude astoundedly said, ¡°Brother Cheng, have you gone mad with age? You, the sly old fox of Tai Cang, really aren¡¯t afraid of death?¡±


    Xu Yinjie¡¯s lip slightly trembled. Although he didn¡¯t say anything, this reaction was enough to clearly convey his current feelings.


    In his youth, Cheng Zhusheng was called Tai Cang¡¯s fox. Thus, after he turned old, he automatically turned into Tai Cang¡¯s old fox.


    The people this old fox had swindled during his life were countless. It was because of this old man that Cheng family was able to maintain a powerful status despite theck of a top level battle power and avoid being truly pushed down by He family and Xu family.


    Moreover, Cheng Zhusheng¡¯s biggest weakness that had remained throughout his life was his fear of death.


    Perhaps because he was this cunning, he was overly skeptical and indecisive, resulting him being stuck in his cultivation.


    This was his nature, carved deep inside his bones. It couldn¡¯t be changed.


    Be it He Wude or Xu Yinjie they never thought he woulde to the wall at this moment. Even in their dreams, they couldn¡¯t have such extravagant hope.


    Cheg Zhusheng arrived beside them and put his hands behind his back like He Wude, ¡°This old man didn¡¯t want toe, but there was something I couldn¡¯t let go. So I came back to join in the fun.¡±


    ¡°What is it that even you can¡¯t let go?¡± He Wude astoundedly asked.


    Cheng Zhusheng angrily said, ¡°We three have fought throughout our lives. What I want to know the most is, in the end, who among you two is the number one expert of Tai Cang county.¡±


    He Wude and Xu Yinjie exchanged a nce, then looked at Cheng Zhusheng who had a furious face, and eventually couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. Even Xu Yinjie, who cultivated Withered Tree technique, revealed a rare, frightening as if starved, sort of smile.


    The color of the sky seemed to have turned dark to the extreme. They stopped smiling and looked down the city wall.


    Cheng Zhusheng slowly said, ¡°With you two as opponents, my life wouldn¡¯t be regarded as wasted.¡±


    The two old men preserved silence, but inwardly, how could they have not felt the same.


    The beautiful glow of sunrise gradually appeared. As sun hid behind the summits, it enveloped the surroundings of mountain peaks in a hazy brilliance, which slowly influenced the surrounding light blue sky, and following it, the golden glimmer of dawn appeared in the sky.


    The first light, amidst the focus of thousands of gazes, appeared¡­.


    The gazes of three old men simultaneously ignited. Their Internal Energy slowly aroused and a powerful aura suddenly soared.


    However, at this moment, they heard a heaven-shaking disturbance like that of andslide or tsunami.


    Inside Xu castle, inside a courtyard near the back mountains, under the lead of Xu Right, He Quanming, and Cheng Shine, about fifty people were standing before a huge rockery.


    Xu Right aroused his ninthyer Internal Energy and unhurriedly shifted a corner of rockery. There appeared a dark pathway sufficiently wide to sustain three people walking simultaneously.


    The color of the sky was still dark. Only the light and brightness given by the torches in their hands provided them a glimmer of hope in this endless darkness.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Xu Right said in a low voice, ¡°Yucai, go and find a path first, brothers from He family will follow afterwards, brothers from Cheng family will be in the middle, and Xu family will be in the end.¡±


    Xu Yucai sounded his agreement; his voice carrying a hint of sobbing. However, at this moment, nobody had any thoughts of mocking him.


    This time, the people who were leaving were elites of Xu family- the true elites. Apart from this, even Xu family¡¯s women were not included, which also included Xu Yucai¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± He Quanming lightly said.


    Xu Right and Cheng Shine¡¯s gazes simultaneously turned towards him.


    He Quanming said in a heavy voice, ¡°Third brother, Yihai, Yixuan, follow me in offering three kowtows to father.¡±


    He turned around and knelt down towards the wall. He Quanyi, He Yihai, and He Yixuan also did the same.


    Xu Right and the rest faintly started, then slowly knelt down on their own ord. Apart from the sounds of heavy tapping of heads on the ground, there was only sorrow and gloominess.


    Morning fog was still thick. An azure halo appeared in the east horizon, dimly floating about like smoke rising in spirals.


    That first light appeared before everybody¡¯s eyes.


    He Quanming stood up. His eyes faintly snapped before he sternly said, ¡°We¡¯ll leave!¡±


    However, right at this moment, they heard a heaven-shattering disturbance like that of andslide or a tsunami.


    The first light ray of the morning, as if a de cutting through the darkness, streaked across the night sky, and illuminated his body.


    As if a dazzling sh cutting through the darkness- in the sky, on earth, in people¡¯s eyes, in people¡¯s mind- cut open a rift.


    He raised his head and hissed; a thunderp quaking thends and shaking the mountains.


    Sailing on clouds, bringing rain, bringing an aura like that of billowing waves,


    Hiding the sky and covering the sky


    He surged in¡­..

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 60 - One Balde鈥檚 Might

    Dawn descended; a strip of rosy-red color was slowly stretching in the clear blue sky. Twilight¡¯s cyan color passed through the steep mountain passes, the lush of trees, even slipping through underneath the fallen leaves, covering every corner, dressing the earth to wee the splendor of the approaching sunrays.


    Outside the Xu castle, the tyrannical atmosphere of the war prevaded everywhere.


    On the wall, all the people seemed to have understood that this would be the final battle; they only waited in silence.


    However, as the sunlight illuminated the earth, what they had awaited did not turn out to be the reeked gales and downpour of blood, but a howl streaking across the horizon like a p of thunder.


    Amidst this howl, it seemed as if the entire world had changed colors; every individual¡¯s ears buzzed.


    Everybody¡¯s expressions transformed. They turned their head in the direction of the sound with a feeling of facing an imminent catastrophe.


    Suddenly, the howl that seemed to have prevaded through every single corner of the heavens and earth stopped. As suddenly as it had sounded, it went down even more abruptly.


    The intense buzzing in everybody¡¯s ears instantly disappeared, causing them to feel extremely unwell. Everybody with Internal Energy under seventhyer felt their legs going soft.


    Sea Huqiao was the first one to sober up. Although her Internal Energy was not the most powerful amongst the horse bandits, she was undoubtedly the most unperturbed and quickest to respond.This moment, her face didn¡¯t have a trace of color and eyes carried an intense dread.


    However, this expression only remained for an instant before she immediately assumed a nonchnt expression and said, ¡°This person is powerful, not someone that can be fought one on one. Brother Xu Hanbai, please lead a suicide squad of two hundred Fierce Tigers members as the first front. Brother Zhong Wei, please arrange a preparatory squadron Wolf Fangs; if this person can make his way through Fierce Tigers¡¯ two hundred men squadron, please continue to engage him. Make sure not to let him disrupt our final assault¡¯s arrangements. Leader Guan Qing and second leader Guo Shaofeng, please proceed with our original n and begin the seize. As for us husband and wife, we¡¯ll support from the middle, and provide assistance whenever needed.¡±


    Everybody hesitated a bit, feeling inauspicious inwardly, as if something was off. However, after being stuck in front of Xu castle, they had always let Sea Huqiao be the battle advisor; everything had been done ording to her arrangements. The fact that currently, after five days, Xu castle had been put in dire straits by the group of these chaotic horse bandits could bergely credited to her.


    Therefore, although they felt somewhat queer, after a momentary hesitation, they still chose to believe her.


    Four thousand horse bandits, moreover every one of them being a powerful cultivator; it was impossible that they would leave due to one roar.


    Everyone whose name had been called was a powerful tenthyer expert. Their response was extremely quick. In a few moments, they had assumed their assigned positions.


    Seeing them leave, Sea Huqiao immediately pulled her husband¡¯s hand and mixed inside the crowd. She said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t mind anything. We¡¯ll quickly change clothes, and leave¡­..¡±


    Thetter faintly started and said, ¡°Why leave?¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be a chanceter,¡± Sea Huqiao¡¯s face was terror-stricken as he said, ¡°The person who ising is a Xiantian cultivator.¡±


    Azure Hanyang¡¯s face didn¡¯t change much. Upon hearing that heaven-shaking howl, he¡¯d already indistinctly felt as such.


    After all, he himself was a peak, tenthyer cultivator, only separated from the legendary realm by a single thread.


    Since he himself felt aghast upon hearing that roar, the uing person ought be a Xiantian cultivator.


    He slightly lowered his head and said, ¡°But we have four thousand people here. Don¡¯t tell me we can¡¯t defeat a single Xiantian cultivator?¡±


    The name of Xiantian cultivators had countless legends among millennium ns and peak Internal Energy cultivators. However, those who had truly witnessed a Xiantian cultivator were exceptionally sparse.


    Although the strength of Xiantian cultivators was depicted to be untranscendable in legends and they seemed to be super experts who couldn¡¯t be suppressed with numbers, before witnessing the true strength of a Xiantian expert first hand, whoever it might be would hold a glimmer of delusion.


    Not merely Azure Hanyang, even others also might have such a notion. Otherwise, the few of them might also have escaped long ago.


    Sea Huqiao¡¯s face turned extremely pale as she forcefully said, ¡°Listen to me, husband. Change clothes and leave!¡± She paused for a moment, ¡°Unless ten thousand elite riders do a surprise raid on the even grounds of Atai county, ordinary people can¡¯t contend against Xiantian cultivators.¡±


    She thought one more line inwardly which she didn¡¯t speak out.


    ¡®Even under these circumstances, only the lowest level of Xiantian cultivators could be contended against. If one had taken the next step in Xiantian realm, they could truly no longer be contended against relying on numbers.¡¯


    Fortunately, from the roar, it seemed that the Xiantian cultivator who hade was merely the lowest level one. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape even after changing clothes.


    Azure Hanyang¡¯s face twitched a few times before he hesitatingly said, ¡°But they¡­..¡±


    ¡°It has alreadye to this, don¡¯t tell me you still care about righteousness,¡± Sea Huqiao pressed her hand on his and said, ¡°We¡¯re here to help, not to get killed. Treasured horses, jewels, money¡­..is fine, but you first have to be alive to enjoy them.¡±


    Azure Hanyang eventually stopped opposing, and followed his wife deep into the crowd. In the cover of a few trusted subordinates, they changed into regr clothes.


    Guan Qing and Guo Shaofeng arrived at the front line and waved the big des in their hands, ¡°Boys, Xu castle is before you. Inside, there is unountable gold and countless beautiful women. As long as Xu castle is conquered, everything inside will belong to you all.¡±


    Guan Qing¡¯s voice was tyrannical, and his words were simple and straightforward. However, only due to this reason was he instead able to arouse the vicious nature of these horse bandits to the extreme.


    Along with a fierce roar, the horse bandits, seemingly having forgotten the roar that had made them palpitate a few moments ago, charged towards the few breaches in the wall.


    In a few moments, they arrived at the breaches. Before their eyes, the servants, guards, and spongers of the three families stood constituting the final line of defense. Guan Qing and Guo Shaofeng separated to find two Lord Masters each for themselves.


    They all knew this was the moment of life and death; every person tightly held the de in their hand. As the distance between the two sides drew near, apprehension and excitement shone in their eyes. At this juncture, nobody had room to retreat any longer.


    The eyes of those at the front could already reflect the figures of their opponents and could hear the heavy breaths of themselves, their nearbypanions, and even the enemy before them; the war could break out at any moment.


    Suddenly, they again heard a loud sound. It seemed like a gigantic roar that couldn¡¯t be produced by a human.


    Even under such tense atmosphere, even the horse bandits at the very front, felt a shiver running through their entire body. The tense atmosphere that could make one¡¯s hair on their neck stand erect also seemed to have been diluted by this roar.


    Everybody turned around or raised their heads. Their vision went past several thousand horse bandits and finally fell in one direction.


    In that direction, a person had eventually appeared rushing in and making contact with the two hundred member suicide squad of Atai county¡¯s reputed Fierce Tigers.


    Then, light, a boundless light flooded everybody¡¯s vision.


    ¡°Assemble, draw your des¡­.¡±


    Along with a loud roar, Fierce Tigers¡¯ Xu Hanbai majestically stood on the road with Nine Ring de in his hand.


    Behind him was the suicide squad of two hundred members that he¡¯d personally directed and taught and which could strike fear in any power of the Atai county.


    These people were the most powerful elites of Fierce Tigers. Adding his meticulous care on top, they had eventually be an army-like small unit.


    In this small unit, even the weakest member had the cultivation of the seventhyer. Moreover, these people revered and worshiped him as a god and would never go against hismands.


    It was this squadron that had enabled Fierce Tigers to gain such a reputation. Even against the two leaders of Red Cloth Bandits or the Azure Sea¡¯s couple, he would dare to use this suicide squad in a direct confrontation.


    At this moment, following his roar, the two hundred people behind him simultaneously drew their des out.


    Their movements were neat and ordered, as if a single entity. An intensely powerful aura suddenly congealed. Upon feeling this aura, even a tenthyer expert might not dare to charge straight through the troops.


    Before the troops, that man rushed in with a lightning fast speed. Looking at this male who was bringing such a mighty aura, their faces were sinister and every single one of them was gnashing their teeth; allowing their vicious auras topletely erupt.


    They werepletely confident that their squadron of two hundred men under their leader was imprable and omnipotent.


    Regardless of whoever came, they could forget about breaking through their defensive front. Before them, they could only have their head ruptured and blood flowing, and lose their life in the process.


    This was not blind faith, but their battle experience of several decades. This confidence that they had umted bit by bit was akin to the loftiest of mountains; simply indestructible.


    Suddenly, that person drew near. He made a throwing gesture, and something apparently flew up in the sky. He then leapt high up in the air. They raised their heads to look, but they saw¡­..


    Light!


    He Yiming¡¯s feet moved at a lightning fast speed; his figure was like a cloud, like a torrential rain. Rain Cloud technique had been employed by him to the extreme.


    The distance from hear to Xu castle absolutely couldn¡¯t be regarded as low, but it was not too far either. However, by the time he¡¯d set off, it was already quitete in the night.


    Fortunately, when he could faintly sense the pitch-ck dark wall ahead, the first light ray of sun shined and revealed a glimpse.


    With a long roar, he vividly let out his suppressed emotions, and his speed was pushed to the extreme.


    Before him appeared a square formation of two hundred men. Although the formation didn¡¯t go too deep, when the two hundred men pulled out their des together, their powerful and baleful aura together with confidence enriched with long battle experience soared to the sky.


    In He Yiming¡¯s perception, this aura seemed to have turned into a high mountain, an enormous and firm high mountain that couldn¡¯t be destroyed.


    At the end of his vision, he could already see the horse bandits at the front slowly advancing. They were extremely close to wall, and the wall had several breaches, as if portraying how intense the fight of these few days had been.


    He Yiming¡¯s heart suddenly throbbed, and an extraordinary power suddenly exploded forth from his heart and instantly circted to every cell of his body.


    His both eyes opened wide as he once again issued a howl that could shake one¡¯s mind and spirit like a p of thunder exploding in a clear sky.


    Confronting this suicide squad of two hundred men that stood tall like a high mountain, a strange scene suddenly appeared in He Yiming¡¯s mind.


    This moment he was apparently not on this merciless battlefield, but had once again returned onto the peak where he¡¯dprehended dao.


    Lofty mountains, endless mountain rain.


    The slender mountain rain wasn¡¯t intense, rather seemed soft, without any strength. Even upon falling on a person, it did nothing except for leaving behind a slight moisture.


    However, it enveloped the whole mountain peak; be it those gigantic, thousand-year-old trees or tender buds that had recently sprouted out, the rain had covered everything and everywhere.


    At this moment, He Yiming had this feeling.


    He seemed to haveprehended the dao of mountain rain; the mountain rain that didn¡¯t seem intense, but was present everywhere¡­¡­


    His back muscles twitched, and the nearly two hundred jin heavy Reclining Moon de suddenly shot up in the air from his back.


    He Yiming exerted his feet, and in mid air, pulled the de out of its sheath in one stroke. The three sections of Reclining Moon debined into one within an instant. Greeting the gradually spreading sunlight, the edge of the de glowed with a dazzling radiance.


    An instant; it was only an instant.


    This radiance suddenly changed¡­..


    One light ray turned into two, two into three, and boundless¡­.


    Rays of light; countless reflected rays of light softly sprinkled down in a mountain rain¡¯s manner.


    The entire group of two hundred men waspletely enveloped by the light.


    There wasn¡¯t that intense and domineering aura. After He Yiming issued that heaven-shattering howl, his aura abruptly changed; from strong and mighty, to dim and soft.


    Countless rays of light, like countless raindrops, prated through every inch of the square formation, turning this official road into that early-morning mountain peak that had beenpletely drenched in mountain rain.


    Under the mountain rain, it was fresh and clean, and under the de light, it was blood and massacre.


    Suddenly, all the light rays disappeared.


    He Yiming¡¯s body weightlessly drifted along the road, still advancing forward at a lightning fast speed.


    Fierce Tiger¡¯s two hundred men suicide squad that was personally trained by Xu Hanbai couldn¡¯t resist He Yiming for an instant and was shed through by He Yiming¡¯s de just in this manner; disappeared instantly.


    Xu castle¡¯s terrain wasn¡¯t particrly even. It was constructed along high to low terrain; the farther one moved away, the higher it looked.


    Outside the wall, all the eyes were fixed in that direction. When the light disappeared, the battlefield momentarily stumped.


    At that ce, the two hundred men that had been present there, had disappeared.


    They vanished, thoroughly vanished.


    Therey a mixture of blood and flesh. In their vision, except for fresh blood, there was only blood.


    Two hundred men; not one amongst them could be termed as human anymore. Including the tenthyer expert Xu Hanbai, all of them had turned into sections of blood and flesh; all mixed together and no longer separable.


    Nobody could tell that amidst the de light, how many de strikes this person had actually issued. However, every one of them saw clearly.


    Henceforth, Atai county¡¯s illustrious two hundred members of Fierce Tigers¡¯ suicide squad had been wiped from the face of the earth.


    A deep chill flooded the insides of everybody.


    Not only all the horse bandits instantly paled and lost all courage, even the servants, guards, and spongers of the three families on the wall had simr reactions.


    A de¡¯s might; an irresistible might¡­..


    The image of the person fluttering in the sky boundlessly expanded in everybody¡¯s eyes.


    At this moment, as if transformed into a devil incarnate from the ninth hell, his image would never be erased, and would always reside in the depths of all the spectators¡¯ hearts.


    A dark figure suddenly pounced out from the backside of the crowd.


    This man¡¯s face was cold. When everybody was dumbfounded, he escaped out like a leopard. His speed was exceptionally quick; almost instantly escaping ten meters out.


    On the deathly still battlefield, amidst the crowd that seemed like mud statues, this person¡¯s movements were exceptionally eye-catching.


    Almost in a breath worth of time, everybody clearly saw that this person was actually Wolf Fangs¡¯ leader Zhong Wei.


    Zhong Wei was a cautious and crafty man. When Sea Huqiao instructed him to make the second front, he was filled with indecision inwardly. Although he himself hadn¡¯t witnessed a Xiantian expert, he¡¯d heard some of the rumours.


    Regardless of whether he believed in them or not, he would never be arrogant and haughty like Xu Hanbai.


    Therefore although he¡¯d assembled horse bandits, he¡¯d always been keeping a watchful eye ahead. He wished to see whether Xiantian experts were as exaggerated as rumours.


    However, the subsequent events far exceeded his expectations. That de¡¯s mightpletely broke his courage, rendering him incapable of even thinking of resisting.


    Seeing He Yiming¡¯s body in mid-air, already rushing in his direction, he instantly tensed. He could only think of escaping away from him; the farther the better. As long as he could leave He Yiming behind, he was willing to pay any price.


    Therefore, he turned his body around without thinking and escaped without a moment of hesitation.


    However, being in mid-air, He Yiming had already taken the entire situation of the battlefield in his eyes. When everybody didn¡¯t dare to budge or had yet to recover from the awe of the de strike, this suddenly pouncing man appeared as quite an eyesore.


    After going through that ferocious strike, the intensity of He Yiming¡¯s aura had climbed to the extreme. Even when he¡¯d struck Lu Xinwenst time, his aura had not soared so high.


    With a flick of his wrist, Reclining Moon de trembled and powerful Xiantian True Qi inside his body gushed into the de¡¯s edge.


    Gigantic power concentrated instantaneously, and the edge of the de faintly flickered indefinitely with blue radiance.


    The differencepared to thest time was that instead of golden color, the de light was deep blue like that of an ocean this time.


    As the de light flickered for the third time, He Yiming¡¯s arm jerked, and the de¡¯s edge aimed at the fleeing Zhong Wei.


    As if it suddenly gained life, the de light that had been attached with the de¡¯s edge suddenly flew out.


    A dark blue beam of light streaked across the sky, as if tearing the sky and passing through the vacuum.


    Almost the moment the beam left the de, leaving behind a clear, blue colored beam, it arrived behind Zhong Wei.


    Although a tenthyer expert was far iparable to a Xiantian expert, before the death¡¯s door, he still managed to react.


    Almost instinctively, Zhong Wei moved his hand through his waist and took out a light sword. Within an instant, Internal Energy poured in it, making it bolt upright and issue ¡®zhi zhi¡¯ sounds like that of a viper¡¯s tongue.


    He¡¯d been a horse bandit for many years. His mastery of the light sword had already reached the extreme.


    With the support of Internal Energy, the light sword instantly took shape of an airtight behind his body. Even if countless hidden weapons were to be unleashed, not one would prate this.


    Two individuals; one in mid air, and one standing on the ground. Merely in a breath worth of time after the former had discharged the de light and thetter had formed the sword, the de light intertwined within the.


    ¡°Bang¡­.¡±


    With a huge explosion sounded, as if a huge rock had destroyed a ss wall, the seemingly densely packed sword was instantly destroyed in entirety.


    The de light cut through the without any resistance as if a sharp knife cutting through paper, and proceeded onto Zhong Wei¡¯s body.


    Zhong Wei hurried on as if nothing had happened. Suddenly, amidst the watchful gazes of everybody, his upper body fell backwards; filling the sky with sprinkling blood, and his lower half continued to proceed onward at a lightning fast speed; continuing to discharge torrents of blood. Even those standing faraway on the wall could smell the frightening reek of blood.


    After going a hundred meters away, the lower half suddenly copsed on the ground, twitching as it spurted blood for thest time.


    A person¡¯s body would discharge such a frightening amount of blood, this was simply unimaginable. Whoever witnessed this scene felt a bone-chilling cold emerging from the depths of their heart.


    Suddenly, a bloodcurdling shriek resounded. From the upper half of Zhong Wei¡¯s mouth, came out the world¡¯s most miserable shriek, letting out his painful suffering like a torrential flood.


    This scream acted like a signal, instantly ending the deadlock as soon as it sounded.


    ¡°Escape¡­.¡±


    It was unknown who said it, it only took a moment of startlement before four thousand horse bandits immediately turned and escaped along the other side of the road like stray dogs.


    Before the wall, the horse bandits who were yet to engage with the three families immediately disregarded the enemies right before them and turned around, escaping several times quicker than they had advanced.


    A few eighth and ninthyer experts, seeing that the road ahead was blocked, suddenly raised their des and ruthlessly chopped down as they escaped.


    In an instant, miserable shrieks resounded unceasingly as four thousand horse bandits tried to trample on each other. They were cultivators who had some basic skills, but precisely due to this reason, the havoc they created was even bigger.


    In a few moments, more than a hundred men had died at the hands of their own people.


    When He Yimingnded on the ground, this scene entered his eyes.


    Looking at these desperately escaping men on four limbs that littered his vision, he suddenly thought of a question.


    ¡®How could have the Blood ughterer Lu Xinwen killed every single person of a millennium n?


    Don¡¯t tell me those people were fools? Didn¡¯t they know to escape even after seeing a Xiantian cultivator¡¯s extraordinary might?¡¯


    Right at this moment, he heard a shout resounding like a p of thunder, ¡°Yiming¡­.Guan Qing, Guo Shaofeng are here, don¡¯t let them escape.¡±


    He Yiming turned his body and instantly caught a glimpse of four people tangling together.


    His footsteps halted for a moment before he swiftly rushed towards that direction. Once his speed attained the extreme, his body immediately transformed into a light and smooth wisp of smoke, and merely within a few breaths, arrived at the wall.


    Guan Qing and Guo Shaofeng had been long since paying attention to He Wude and Xu Yinjie. However, at the same time, the two old men were also focused on them.


    When the de light shined, He Wude and Xu Yinjie had already recognized this frightening weapon. Although they didn¡¯t understand how He Yiming could have be so incredibly powerful, they both instantly made the correct judgment and prevented Guan Qing and Guo Shaofeng from escaping.


    If these two disasters were allowed to escape today, Tai Cang county would certainly never be peaceful in the future.


    He Yiming arrived beneath the wall with an unimaginable speed and raised Reclining Moon de high in the sky- the zing sun shining on his face¡­¡­

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 61 - Old Fox鈥檚 Quick Wits

    Chapter ¨C 61 Old Fox¡¯s Quick Wits


    The Reclining Moon de that was shining with a radiance like that of the scorching sun suddenly chopped down, and countless rays of light expanded around within an instant, engulfing the four tenthyer experts ahead.


    The four entangled individuals suddenly felt an extremely strange sensation.


    Under the illumination of sunlight, Reclining Moon de was flickering with a dazzling radiance. However, this intense radiance gave them a feeling like that of clouds and soft winds.


    This de didn¡¯t seem as mighty and fierce as one would imagine.


    In their perception, this de transformed into a sea of clouds;yers uponyers of clouds that were twisted and warped around each other,bining to form a sea of clouds that pervaded in between a lofty mountain range.


    Rain Cloud Soaring Technique; He Yiming hadprehended this Xiantian technique by watching the mountain rain and mist covered valleys andbining it with his experiences with Rain Cloud Imprint and the cloud-like mystical agility Xiantian technique revealed by Xiao brothers.


    When he¡¯d initiallyprehended this technique, it was merely an agility technique. However, confronting the suicide squad of two hundred men that were as resolute as a mountain and as fierce as a tiger unexpectedly allowed him to once again feel as if he was treading a summit.


    At that instant, he seemed to have entered the realm of enlightenment once again and experienced that omnipresent mountain rain and boundless sea of clouds and mist.


    It was under these conditions was he able to eventually seed in merging this feeling into his de technique. The frightening Reclining Moon de waved like clouds; like mist; like rain. After blowing through the powerful formation of two hundred men, it again blew towards the two peak tenthyer cultivators.


    If one were to say that previously, it was the two old men who wished to keep Guan Qing and Guo Shaofeng upied, after He Yiming¡¯s appearance, the situationpletely flipped. The two horse bandits tried with all their might to trap the two old men. Completely disregarding their own bodies, they kept the two old men firmly locked near them.


    After witnessing He Yiming¡¯s de strike, they wouldn¡¯t dare confront him directly even in the face death.


    When He Yiming¡¯s de strike unfolded, the four battling individuals were simultaneously startled.


    They suddenly discovered that their opponents had suddenly disappeared, and not only the opponents, even thepanions who had been alongside them had also disappeared.


    Clouds and mist filled their surroundings, constituting a maze that they would be eternally incapable of leaving.


    He Wude and Xu Yinjie suddenly felt a power, which was neither too heavy nor too light, brushing against them. Subsequently, they involuntarily retreated three steps.


    In these three steps, the scene before their eyes had already returned to normal.


    de light was flickering around them. The clouds and mist from a moment ago had gone distant as if it had been an illusion, leaving behind only a mystical feeling that they would be eternally incapable of forgetting.


    Suddenly, the de light before their eyespletely disappeared. He Yiming¡¯s figure stood like the character ¡®°Ë¡¯ with de out.


    A few steps ahead of him, Guan Qing and Guo Shaofeng, the two leaders of Red Cloth bandits who were the masterminds behind the raid on Tai Cang county, tumbled as if drunk before eventually falling down.


    Their eyes didn¡¯t have intense hatred or grief, but merely bewilderment and disbelief.


    As if they never thought that there could be day when they would die in such a manner.


    ¡°Kill¡­.Kill for me¡­¡­go kill!¡±


    Three deafening cries of kill resounded at the wall, originating from an old man¡¯s mouth.


    Lord Master Cheng Zhusheng no longer had his usual calm and steady appearance. He roared as if he¡¯d insane; ninthyer Internal Energy being pushed to the peak.


    His middle finger was pointing towards the ocean of horse bandits. With a voice that resounded throughout the Xu castle, being heard even by those hiding in the caves, he roared, ¡°Guan Qing, Guo Shaofeng, Xu Hanbai are already dead, and bandits have dispersed. Gentlemen, kill as much as you can; kill one man, and you shall be rewarded thirty taels of silver.¡±


    Within an instant, every single individual on the wall had his face flushed with excitement. Everybody who was capable of movementpletely disregarded their safety and charged ahead, trying to outrun each other for the fear of losing out such a gargantuan credit to their aplice.


    He Wude and Xu Yinjie exchanged a nce. First they were stumped, then a sh of understanding flickered in their eyes. At the same time, they sighed inwardly. Tai Cang¡¯s old fox was after all Tai Cang¡¯s old fox. Such insight and thought process that took multiple aspects into consideration was simply too far out of their reach.


    Their gazes shifted and once again fell on He Yiming who was wielding the de with both hands. Standing under the illumination of rising sun, his youthful figure gave off a majestic aura like that of a high mountains great rivers.


    Thinking back to the absolute power he¡¯d revealed a few moments ago, the old men actually begun to revere him a little.


    In the Xu castle¡¯s backyard, the few tens of people standing before the rockery looked at each others faces.


    Upon hearing that heaven-shaking roar, they had indistinctly felt that something unexpected had happened outside.


    However, despite all of their conjectures, they could never have imagined that He family¡¯s sixth grandson He Yiming rushed back in the night and instantly turned the tides of battle.


    However, none of themcked expectations for a miracle to ur. Their movements became slower and slower, and everybody¡¯s vision fell on the members of the second generation who were in lead.


    However, He Quanming, Cheng Shine, and Xu Right were hesitating. They too hoped for a miracle, but didn¡¯t dare to put thest hope for their n¡¯s revival in danger.


    He Quanming suddenly stamped his foot and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look. Brother Shine, brother Right, please quickly lead them out.¡±


    ¡°Out of question. I¡¯ll go, you all leave.¡± Xu Right firmly said.


    He Quanming¡¯s brows slightly creased, ¡°Brother Right, our He family still has my elder brother Quanxin. Even if the familycks me, there won¡¯t be too much trouble. However, can Xu family and Cheng family afford to lose you two?¡±


    Xu Right and Cheng Shine immediately turned silent. They were no fools and understood former¡¯s meaning.


    Although the three influential families were sure to suffer, rtively speaking, since He family had the smallestnd unlike the massive estate of the other two families, the damage they would suffer would be instead minimal. Moreover, He Yitian and He Yiming had already left. They could serve as the hope for He family¡¯s preservation and revival.


    However, Xu family and Cheng family were exceptionally huge. Although their foundation ran deep and they would definitely be able to review with external help, if they were to lose Xu Right and Cheng Shine, two of their core members, they would certainly have to suffer a lot of obstacles on their road of revival.


    ¡°Second brother, I can go too,¡± He Quanyi faintlyughed, ¡°Have you forgot the words father instructed you? You must lead Yihai and Yixuan to safety. In the future, please take care of your sister-inw and two nieces.¡±


    As the sound of his words fell, his figure had already rushed back like a gust of wind.


    He Quanxin reached out with his hand, but surprisingly didn¡¯t stop him. Hisplexion had instantly turned ashen.


    This trip was naturally exceptionally dangerous. Moreover, they all knew that if he found the castle wall already breached and an influx of horse bandits, his only option would be to stay his ground and fight or lure the enemy somewhere else. Retreat was not an option for him, otherwise he would be bringing the enemy here.


    Cheng Shine lightly sighed and said, ¡°Go.¡±


    He reached out and gave a light push to Xu Yucai who stood in the front. He who was one of the most outstanding figures among Xu family¡¯s second generation also had an ashen face. However, he didn¡¯t say a word and only stepped inside the dark cave who with thentern he was already holding.


    However, the moment hended his first feet inside, a deafening roar sounded, ¡°Guan Qing, Guo Shaofeng, Xu Hanbai are already dead, and bandits have dispersed. Gentlemen, kill as much as you can; kill one man, and you shall be rewarded thirty taels of silver.¡±


    His legs suddenly stuck as if being chained by a thousand pounds heavy chain, no longer willing to budge half a step inside.


    At the same time, his body turned around and looked at the people above with a gaze carrying boundless hope.


    Every one of them revealed incredulous expressions, and the ecstasy which they shared on their faces was hard to conceal.


    ¡°It¡¯s my father¡¯s voice. It can¡¯t be wrong.¡± Cheng Shine excitedly said.


    At this moment, how could this authoritative figure of Cheng family could keep any of his cool. His two eyes brightened, twinkling like stars in the night sky.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± He Quanxin muttered.


    Xu Right¡¯s body suddenly trembled. Even with his ninthyer Internal Energy, he couldn¡¯t keep his excitement away from his face.


    ¡®Ancestor, it¡¯s certainly ancestoring here.¡± He spoke in almost a trembling voice. It seemed as if these words had drained all of the energy inside his body, and he seemed on the verge of copsing.


    He Quanming and Cheng Shine simultaneously started, then asked with delight and astonishment, ¡°Is it that elder?¡±


    Xu Right sucked in a deep breath and said, ¡°Apart from that elder, is there anybody else who could issue such a roar; apart from that elder, is there anybody else who could kill the four bandit leaders in such a short time, ¡°Ancestor certainly knows that Xu family has run into a catastrophe, and that¡¯s the reason he¡¯s personally rushed over.¡±


    As He Quanxin and Cheng Shine recalled that awe-inspiring roar that brought boundless suppression, both were immediately convinced inwardly.


    Among their families, only the legendary ancestor of Xu family could possess such an extraordinary strength.


    Cheng Shine¡¯splexion suddenly changed, ¡°Not good.¡±


    He Quanming and Xu Right astoundedly turned their heads towards him, wondering why would he say not good in regards to this change in the situation.


    He Quanming didn¡¯t care much about it, but Xu Right¡¯s face involuntarily sank a little as he inwardly grumbled, ¡°In any case, our two families are still rted. Don¡¯t tell me you would really want to see Xu family being exterminated?¡±


    However, he¡¯d barely thought as such when Cheng Shine turned his body and said, ¡°Listen well; the information of Xu family¡¯s secret passage to the back mountains is not to be leaked. Toady, the fact that you wished to escape is also not to be leaked. Now, go and kill as much as you can for me. The prestige of three influential families is not to be tarnished.¡±


    He Quanxin and Xu Right¡¯s faces immediately changed, and a sh of understanding flickered on their faces.


    No wonder Lord Master Cheng would shout in such a manner,pletely disregarding his image. It turned out that the reason the old man had done this was not that he was too excited, but because he wished to inform them.


    The enemy is already dead. If you haven¡¯t escaped, there is no need to do so. Come out and kill enemy, don¡¯t let anyone find out you were trying to escape.


    At the moment of the castle¡¯s fall, all the spongers and servants stayed while the masters escaped. Although it was not some catastrophic event, if it was leaked outside, it would be quite disadvantageous for the three families.


    At the very least, the spongers and servants that were fighting alongside them today would feel extremely disappointed from their conduct.


    Therefore, as soon as Cheng Zhusheng came to his senses, he immediately shouted, and Cheng Shine was definitely worthy to be his son. It only took him a few moments to decipher the hidden message ande up with the solution immediately afterward.


    The juniors loudly sounded their agreements and rushed out, seeming as if trying to outdo each other.


    They were young and vigorous; obviously not too pleased to act as deserters. Since they obtained a chance to retaliate, they were naturally quite d and excited. At the very least, they had no desire to be seen as cowards by their peers in Tai Cang county.


    Cheng Shine cupped his fists towards Xu Right and He Quanming and said, ¡°Please close the secret passage¡¯s opening, I will leave first.¡± He then rushed out of the courtyard, leaving behind all the youngsters.


    Xu Right and He Quanming helplessly closed the secret passage again and exchanged a nce, thinking inwardly, ¡°Cheng Shine is so cunning at this age, truly worthy of Tai Cang¡¯s old fox¡¯s son. The bloodline of cunning influential family.¡±


    After sorting out the situation, when they hurriedly arrived at the wall, their vision fell on the horse bandits.


    However, the white-haired old man possessing the elegance of an immortal they expected was nowhere to be seen. They only saw their fathers and He Yiming holding Reclining Moon de.


    They looked all around for a while but didn¡¯t have any gains.


    Xu Right suddenly said, ¡°Why horse bandits are escaping to the two sides. There is not a single person on the main road. Are they blind?¡±


    The three old men simultaneously looked ahead. At the middle of the road was a river of blood and dismembered bodies; an appalling scene of devastation.


    They then realized that not a single among several thousand bandits dared to cross over that area of blood and flesh, and all of them took the craggy, mountain paths instead.


    The three old men exchanged a nce, and their gazes on He Yiming again changed somewhat.


    An ocean of bandits were escaping for their lives,pletely losing the will to battle. Not a single one of them had the guts to turn and fight.


    Even if chasing after them were not some experts, but spongers who had cultivation bases inferior to theirs, they still didn¡¯t even think of fighting back.


    Flee, flee, flee¡­.


    Troops in defeat are like andslide. At this moment, even if immortals came to the world of living, they wouldn¡¯t be able to stop them from fleeing.


    The paths on the two sides were craggy and only had two narrow and coiling roads. The horse bandits were trampling each other as they tried to escape, and countless died.


    However, at this moment, not a single one among them cared about such issues. Their only thinking was that they couldn¡¯t be the one who ended upst.


    In the middle of the horse bandits, there was a group of people. Perhaps among all the horse bandits, they were the only people that could still maintain somewhat of a formation.


    This group didn¡¯t contain much people, only a little over thirty. In between four thousand horse bandits, they were not the least bit eye-catching either.


    However, among this group, even the least cultivation base was of the seventhyer. In the middle of the group were to two individuals; the only two remaining of the five tenthyer experts.


    In the beginning, their speed wasn¡¯t quick at all. After the multitudes of bandits started to flee, they drifted along with them. However, as soon as they left the craggy mountain trail and arrived at the road, their speed immediately quickened, instantly leaving all the horse bandits far behind them. Moreover, like birds startled by the twang of a bow, they rushed straight out of the Tai Cang county¡¯s border without stopping once in between.


    ¡°Wife, thanks to that shout of yours. Otherwise, we might not have been able to escape so easily.¡±


    After getting out of dangerous territory, Azure Hanyang sucked in a deep breath and bitterly smiled.


    That ¡®escape¡¯ cry that brought countless people to their senses originally originated from Sea Huqiao¡¯s mouth, though she shouted in a changed voice that nobody was able to recognize.


    The two of them were after all considered as top figures among the horse bandits. Had she not suddenly created a huge disturbance, they would have certainly gained attention from every side, and once that frightening youth¡¯s attention shifted onto them, the chances of their escape would have be next to nothing.


    Looking at the clothes on his body that didn¡¯t even look regr, Azure Hanyang inwardly rejoiced. If her wife had not prepared early, they truly would have left their lives there.


    As he thought about the conclusion of the other four who were as reputed as him, he couldn¡¯t calm his pounding heart.


    Sea Huqiao lightly sighed. Throwing a quick nce behind, she suddenly said, ¡°Husband, this might not be a bad thing for us.¡±


    ¡°You are saying?¡±


    Sea Huqiao faintly nodded and said, ¡°Although life as horse bandits is quite good, it¡¯s not good for long term. Although this time¡¯s defeat was unexpected for us, it may serve as an opportunity to shed off our horse bandits¡¯ identity.¡±


    Azure Hanyang¡¯s lips slightly shuddered, as if he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it.


    Sea Huqiao furiously said, ¡°Husband, you saw Guan Qing and rest¡¯s fate. If this person is not satisfied andes to Atai county to look for us, then what?¡±


    Azure Hanyang¡¯s body trembled once before he immediately said, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do as you say and won¡¯t go back.¡±


    Sea Huqiao eased her tone a bit, ¡°In these years, I have already saved enough wealth, we can just leave.¡±


    Azure Hanyang faintly nodded and looked back. He suddenly felt a chill, extinguishing thest bit of his hopes of returning.

 Chapter Book 2 - Fame Spreads - 62 - Aftermath

    Chapter 62 ¨C Aftermath


    The chase for the bandits continued for several days. By the time He Quanxin and the rest returned to the He manor with the gold, this huge incident which caused a sensation in the whole Tai Cang county had already been concluded.


    He Yitian repeatedly urged his father to quickly return and find out what happened.


    However, all of his suggestions were turned down by the wise and experienced He Quanxin. Although thetter usually didn¡¯t participate much in the n¡¯s affairs, at this moment, he was exceptionally resolute.


    ording to him, several days had already passed since multitudes of horse bandits attacked the county. Even if they rushed back at their quickest, it would still be toote to help. Moreover, He Yiming had already left, and if even he couldn¡¯t salvage the situation, they would simply be following their path to death.


    Rather than taking risks, it would be better to keep moving with the gold. First and foremost, this gold couldn¡¯t be lost.


    Even if the He family waspletely in ruins, it could be re-established with the help of this gold.


    However, when they returned, they discovered the course of events. Especially the legend of He Yiming had at least ten different versions. Even the servants of He family who witnessed the events unfold with their own eyes all had different versions. However, from all the versions, this much was clear, that He Yiming had turned into an inhuman monster in their eyes.


    Amidst shouts and cries, a total of ten huge carriages galloped into the He family. Under He Yihai¡¯s arrangements, all of the more than hundred members who had hailed from Yuan family found a lodging.


    After going through the battle of Xu castle, even He Yihai had matured a lot. As of now, he¡¯d begun to assist his father in managing the manor.


    On the whole, it seemed as if the third generation of the three ns had matured overnight after experiencing the bloody war. They had begun to gradually touch the n¡¯s core and slowly but surely began taking over their ns.


    He Quanxin along with He Yitian first arrived in the great courtyard of He family.


    The lord He had already returned from the Xu castle and was again residing in the courtyard. Moreover, thedies and children of He family who had escaped into the mountains during the chaos of war had returned even before him. The whole family had reunited, and a joyous and harmonious atmosphere pervaded the family.


    Under the assault of horse bandits, the three influential families¡¯ lords had joined hands disregarding all selfish desires. However, as soon as the horse bandits retreated, their minds immediately mobilized. But this much was certain, that as of now, unless either one of Xu Yinjie or Cheng Zhusheng had gone insane, they would never attempt to sh with He family again.


    In Tai Cang county, He family, who had the shortest history, would certainly be the number one n among the three influential families with absolute dominance.


    Upon entering the courtyard, He Quanxin and He Yitian immediately saw He Wude in the main hall.


    They immediately felt a tired feelinging from his body. He was after all quite old and couldn¡¯t be as energetic as young men.


    ¡°Father, your old self must have been shocked this time,¡± He Quanxin bowed and said.


    He Yitian also performed a deep bow, then straightened his body, walked behind him, and began to slightly massage his back.


    He Wude nodded in satisfaction, quite pleased with his grandson¡¯s attitude and skill.


    ¡°We fortunately had He Yiming this time,¡± The lord sighed, ¡°If not for his abrupt return and killing off all of the four tenthyer bandit leaders in one swoop, those guys wouldn¡¯t have dispersed so easily.¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s brows faintly twitched before he said, ¡°Father, this time while our visit to Yuan family, we were also fortunate to have He Yiming. Otherwise, we father and son also might not have been able to return.¡±


    He Wude was rmed inwardly. Seeing the two returning back, although he knew nothing ought to have urred, upon hearing these words, he was unable to keep himself from worrying.


    ¡°What happened? Tell me everything.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He Quanxin recounted everything which he¡¯d seen with his own eyes and heard with his own ears. When he mentioned Lu Xinwen, even his own bearing turned somewhat uposed. The shock He Yiming had given them at that time was indeed a bit too much.


    He Wude faintly nodded while feeling gratified inwardly. Fortunately, he¡¯d sent He Yiming this time. Otherwise, not only would they not have aplished anything, he would have even lost his eldest son and grandson.


    But nobody could have expected that small Fan family to have a connection with a Xiantian expert.


    However, at the same time, a strange idea shed in his mind. ¡®There probably won¡¯t be a person who could have expected to see a Xiantian expert in Tai Cang county¡¯s He family, no?¡¯


    If a Xiantian expert¡¯s existence was known, these horse bandits wouldn¡¯t have dared to casually provoke Tai Cang county even if they had much bigger guts.


    Subsequently, when He Quanxin mentioned the gifts given by Yuan family, He Wude¡¯s brows involuntarily creased.


    After a few moments, he said, ¡°Quanxin, this is certainly a mistake on your part. The gold is alright, but twenty percent share in their shops is not eptable,¡± He said in a lowered voice, ¡°Yuan family currently resides in the outskirts of Zhen Tong county city. The influential families there are really deep, not something contestable by small families like ours. Yuan family has pulled you closer only because they want He Yiming to fight their battle for him.¡±


    He Quanxin bitterlyughed and said,¡±Father, I obviously understand, but this was He Yiming¡¯s work. I can¡¯t refute him.¡±


    He Wude lightly snorted, ¡°You¡¯re his elder uncle, how can you not¡­.¡±


    Saying up to here, the scene of He Yiming gliding in with the wind and terrifying four thousand bandits with one de strike appeared in his mind.


    At this point, he asked himself if He Yiming was present and he was resolute regarding some affair, in that case, would he have the courage to refuse?


    As soon as he thought up to here, his face revealed a trace of bitter smile. How could one describe a Xiantian expert¡¯s might in words?


    Although this was his grandson, thetter couldn¡¯t be treated with usual means.


    ¡°Yitian, would you go and look for He Yiming? Upon returning, he actually shut himself in again. Sigh¡­.he¡¯s already a Xiantian expert, what is he putting in so much effort for again?¡±


    He Yitian made a sound of agreement and respectfully went out of the door.


    However, inwardly he said, the old man seems to be grumbling but his expression and bearing don¡¯t agree with it all. The old man really looks at sixth brother with a different gaze.


    Seeing He Yitian leave, He Quanxin somewhat puzzledly asked, ¡°Father, why did you send Yitian away?¡±


    He Wude¡¯s face gravened, ¡°You just mentioned that Yuan family also sent two girls for Tian-er and Ming-er. What¡¯s this about?¡±


    He Quanxin¡¯s face revealed an awkward expression, ¡°Father, both of these are Yuan family¡¯s pure girls, and one of them is even Yuan Earnest¡¯s concubine-born daughter. So I allowed them to stay.¡±


    He Wude¡¯s face strictened before he lightly snorted.


    He Wude immediately said, ¡°Father, He Yiming has already advanced to Xiantian, even if he takes a few concubines, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem at all. Enjoying women isn¡¯t considered anything for Xiantian experts.¡±


    He Wude sighed and said, ¡°You understand fart. I¡¯m not talking about Yiming, it¡¯s Yitian. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t care about his future prospects?¡±


    He Quanxin immediately took out a jade bottle from his bosom and said, ¡°Father, take a look at this thing. With this stuff, regardless of how many concubines Yitian takes, it won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    He Wude somewhat suspiciously opened the bottle, resulting in a sweet odor spreading around.


    His face faintly changed. He¡¯d recognized the contents of the bottle. He then looked at He Quanxin with a bewildered and questioning gaze.


    ¡°Father, these are essence gold cores brought back by Yiming.¡± He Quanxin hesitated a bit before continuing, ¡°From his tone, it seems he¡¯s many more of these gold cores.¡±


    He Wude gravely nodded. Although there were only three pills inside the bottle, he was aware of their worth. If used properly, the n¡¯s strength could be vastly increased.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. With these gold cores, Yitian indeed won¡¯t have any problems. However, Yitian was just married, if he takes a concubine right after, it won¡¯t be good for Cheng family¡¯s face.¡±


    He Quanxin brightly said, ¡°Father, if you want, we¡¯ll go to Yuan family and talk to their parents. I¡¯m sure they will understand.¡±


    He Wude pondered for a few moments, then eventually nodded in silence.


    ¡°Quanxin, how is that girl who came with He Yiming?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± He Quanxin bitterly smiled and said, ¡°I only know her name and identity, and even this I heard from He Yiming.¡±


    ¡°It was He Yiming again?¡± He Wude astonishedly asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He Wude preserved silence for quite a while before letting out a deep sigh, ¡°He Yiming has finally grown up and has begun to make his voice heard.¡±


    He Quanxin lowered his head, feeling quite moved inwardly. He hadn¡¯t expected that first among the third generation to have his voice heard among the elders wouldn¡¯t be the eldest son¡¯s eldest grandson He Yitian, but the sixth grandson He Yiming.


    ¡°Hold on a moment, call Quanming, Quanyi, Yitian and Yiming here, and those two girls as well,¡± He Wude said in a lowered voice, ¡±Since He Yiming has epted that girl, he should have some of his ownnd as well.¡±


    ¡°Sixth brother, you really are too awesome,¡± In He Yiming¡¯s room, He Yitao said with a bright face, ¡°Really worthy of a powerful Xiantian expert, simply inhumane.¡±


    He Yiming rolled his eyes, wondering whether these words were actually meant to praise him or condemn him.


    Behind him was precisely the third generation¡¯s smallest member, He Yitao.


    After returning as a Xiantian expert while carrying the reek of blood on his body, He Yiming immediately shut himself in to escape from the strange gazes.


    He Yitao repeatedly tried to find his sixth brother and ask what happened at the Xu castle but under He Quanyi¡¯s strict gaze, he was never able to find an opportunity.


    When He Yitian returned, he immediately saw an opportunity. He Quanyi also could only shake his head and bitterly sigh. He himself had been so cautious throughout his life, but the son he¡¯d given birth to seemed to have the skin of a monkey. Thetter simply couldn¡¯t be controlled regardless of what he tried.


    ¡°Sixth brother, tell me tell me, how did you do it? Beheading two thousand people in one strike, and killing eighty percent of four thousand people¡­¡± He Yitao¡¯s two eyes twinkled like stars, ¡°Were they standing at their ces, waiting to be killed?¡±


    He Yiming faintly started, then said, ¡°Yitao, what are you even saying? Where did you hear that I killed eighty percent of the horse bandits?¡±


    He Yitao innocently said, ¡°Sixth brother, I heard all of it from the servants. They were all with grandfather in the war. They all said that you killed two thousand men in their backlines. Then, in the next strike, you killed more than half of the remaining. After that, the left over horse bandits went on their knees and begged forgiveness. As a kind-hearted person, you saved their lives.¡±


    He Yiming¡¯s mouth was wide opened. Although he was a peak, Xiantian realm expert, upon hearing this tenfold exaggerated version of the war, even he felt his scalp going somewhat numb.


    He looked over towards his eldest brother, only to see that thetter was also looking at him with a face full of curiosity as if eagerly waiting for his exnation.


    Taking a deep sigh, He Yiming said, ¡°Eldest brother, Yitao is still small, I have nothing to say about him, but even you believe it?¡±


    He Yitian hesitated a bit and said, ¡°If it was someone else¡¯s legend, I may not have believed it. However, as far as sixth brother is concerned, I don¡¯t dare say anything.¡±


    Indeed. He¡¯d seen too many miracles appearing on his sixth brother¡¯s body. After being astonished for countless times, a feeling had developed inside him.


    Anything could happen if his sixth brother was concerned.


    If he¡¯d heard someone else killing two thousand men in one de strike, He Yitian would only have scoffed. However, when his sixth brother was concerned¡­.


    Even though his reason told him otherwise, he was still half-doubting inwardly.


    Feeling the two extremely hopeful gazes on him, He Yiming was eventually rendered speechless.


    He shook his head before suddenly feeling as if there was a heavy burden on his shoulders. The people beside him had such a trust in him, believing him to be an omnipotent deity. It quite touched him, but at the same time, made him feel somewhat apprehensive. If there was a day when he failed to live up to their expectations, how much disappointment would he cause?


    As soon as this thought flickered in his mind, he immediately suppressed it down.


    After going through repeated tempering, his willpower had turned rock solid. This momentarypse of himself was like a wave shing against the pir that supports the heaven and disappearing immediately afterward, incapable of constituting any threat to him at all.


    ¡°Eldest brother, Yitao, let me honestly tell you, this is nothing but a rumor,¡± He Yiming said in a lowered voice, ¡°Nobody could kill two thousand cultivators in one de strike, because it¡¯s simply not something a human can achieve.¡±


    As he was saying these words, a question emerged in his mind.


    When he¡¯d unleashed that strike, he¡¯d used everyst bit of his strength to barely produce the drizzling de light to envelope a formation of two hundred men.


    If those two hundred men had not produced a neat formation and confined themselves in a small area instead of spreading out, his de strike wouldn¡¯t have seemed so outstanding and brilliant.


    In a different situation, it would have been impossible for him to kill two hundred men in one de strike.


    One could say that this de strike¡¯s might had already reached its peak.


    However, in his mind, a frightening thought emerged.


    If his movements became quicker, his true Qi became stronger, and if his body truly blended into the entire mountain rain, would he able to shroud everything before him with his de strike?


    If he truly attained this realm, not to mention two thousand men, even if there were twenty thousand men, they wouldn¡¯t be able to resist such a de strike.


    Of course, such a thought was too far-fetched. Even for him, it was merely a wild imagination.


    How could an individual¡¯s strength be matched against nature? Those who brew such imaginations are only those lunatics who overestimate their abilities.


    He Yitian and He Yitao exchanged nces. Seeing that He Yiming seemed to have been lost in thoughts, they both felt quite strange.


    ¡°Sixth brother, what are you thinking?¡±


    As if waking up from a dream, He Yiming awkwardly smiled and said, ¡°I was thinking about a move and somewhat lost myself.¡±


    He Yitian and He Yitao both sighed inwardly, wondering if only such a attitude where one always put martial dao before anything else would yield such an inconceivably powerful person.


    ¡°Sixth brother, so you didn¡¯t kill two thousand men in one de strike?¡± He Yitao quite disappointedly said.


    He Yiming irritatedly said, ¡°Yitao, think a bit more realistically, one strike two thousand men? What else? You won¡¯t even be able to cut two thousand wheat nts.¡±


    As he spoke up to here, an idea emerged in his mind. He suddenly patted his thigh and said, ¡°I understand.¡±


    He Yitao asked in puzzlement, ¡°What did you understand?¡±


    He Yiming turned his head and confidently said, ¡°Eldest brother, do you remember Lu Xinwen?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°This man has a legend to have ughtered a millennial influential family, killing uncountable number of people,¡± He Yiming bitterlyughed, ¡°If everyone had escaped in different directions, how would he have gone about it? These were simply exaggerated rumours.¡±


    He Yitian eximed in surprise, then rxed.


    Although this was only a conjecture, with He Yiming¡¯s current identity, he knew it was more or less true.


    Although Xiantian cultivators were quite powerful, if a crowd of people escaped in all directions, he only had a pair of hands and legs after all. How many of them could he have chased and killed?


    Suddenly, a mild but somewhat powerful voice came from outside, ¡°Yiming, Yitian,e out. Grandfather has some instructions for you.¡±


    He Yitian and He Yiming immediately stood up. As for He Yitao, he pulled his neck in and quietly escaped in He Yiming¡¯s inner room, not even daring to poke his head out.


    He Yiming and He Yitian exchanged a nce. Before their third uncle, He Yitiao truly turned into a chicken.


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