Chapter 5

"Who is it?"

An irritated voice sounded from inside the room.

This was a voice that Rong Kexiong had been exceptionally familiar with since childhood. It was precisely under the lash of this voice that he had been able to practice martial arts diligently for over a decade, accumulating a sufficiently powerful foundation, and today, he had successfully condensed a thread of true qi.

A smile appeared on his face, and Rong Kexiong whispered, "Father, it's me."

"Oh, Kexiong, wait a moment."

This estate belonged to the Rong family, and within a hundred miles, no force dared to provoke them without cause. The fierce beasts in the back mountains also seemed to be restrained by some mysterious power, preventing them from invading the estate. Therefore, over the decades, Rong Yiyang had never encountered any enemy attacks, and his vigilance was understandably poor.

A moment later, Rong Yiyang and his wife came out together.

"Kexiong, what brings you here so late?" Rong Yiyang asked in a deep voice.

Rong Kexiong's mother, Fang Xiuli, looked at her only son with a worried gaze.

Rong Kexiong's face was filled with barely concealed excitement. After all, he was just a boy not yet fifteen. If he could remain as calm as a well after suddenly condensing true qi, that would be strange indeed.

"Father, Mother, I've succeeded."

"What?" The two elders looked at each other, puzzled.

Rong Kexiong scanned the room, took a deep breath, and struck a large wardrobe with a single fist.

At the moment he punched, the true qi in his dantian instantly flowed along his meridians into his fist.

"Crack..."

As expected, the large wardrobe could not withstand the impact of the true qi and was instantly shattered into pieces.

"Ah."

Rong Yiyang and his wife almost cried out in unison.

However, the meanings behind their exclamations were vastly different.

Fang Xiuli was horrified, not knowing what had possessed her son to knock on their door in the middle of the night and then destroy the wardrobe. She thought to herself, could this child have gone mad from being forced to practice martial arts by his father?

However, the effect of that punch was entirely different in Rong Yiyang's eyes.

All his life, he had dreamed of how to condense true qi, so he was very familiar with its effects.

Seeing his son's casual strike produce such powerful force, he immediately understood that the boy had likely succeeded in condensing true qi.

Reaching out, Rong Yiyang's fingers trembled slightly as he pointed at his son, his voice filled with surprise and joy, "You, you succeeded?"

Rong Kexiong nodded vigorously, "Yes, Father, I have not let you down. I have succeeded."

"Good, good, good." Rong Yiyang said the word "good" three times, each time with more emphasis and joy.

After decades of longing, his wish had finally been fulfilled, and it happened just when he had almost given up hope.

The joy of regaining what he had lost filled his heart.

Fang Xiuli was stunned for a moment before she asked tentatively, "Kexiong, have you condensed true qi?"

She was the closest woman to this father and son, and although she had never practiced martial arts, she was very familiar with their greatest and most persistent pursuit.

Seeing their joyful expressions, she naturally guessed the truth.

Rong Kexiong replied, "Mother, I have indeed condensed true qi."

Fang Xiuli's eyes lit up, "Lord, this is a great piece of news. If Kexiong can successfully condense true qi before he turns fifteen, he can become an inner hall disciple of the family."

Rong Yiyang paced back and forth in the room, and after a while, he finally calmed down.

"Although Kexiong has condensed true qi, he did so just before he turned fifteen," Rong Yiyang said slowly. "In our estate, he is unique, but in the entire family, he won't stand out much. However..." A smile appeared on his lips, "As long as he can condense true qi and is a family member, he can join the inner hall. Hehe, his future prospects will be much better than mine."

Fang Xiuli nodded repeatedly. Any mother would feel genuine joy when hearing that her son had a bright future.

Rong Yiyang pondered for a moment, "Kexiong, go back now and consolidate your true qi. In three days, I will take you back to the main family for a true qi test. Once you pass, you will be one of the inner hall disciples."

Rong Kexiong nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with joy.

Once true qi is successfully condensed, it will not disappear unless one suffers a severe injury like a damaged dantian or a mental breakdown. However, after initial condensation, there is a period of instability, so a few days of practice are needed to stabilize it.

After bidding farewell to his parents, Rong Kexiong returned to his room. However, that night, the three of them were too excited to sleep.

Back in his room, Rong Kexiong recalled the scenes of his battle with the fierce tiger and had a sudden realization.

In fact, he wanted to go back to the mountain to see how the strange body was doing.

Unfortunately, no matter how he tried to focus his mind, he could not sense the condition of that body, as if it had disappeared from the world.

Sighing softly, Rong Kexiong closed his eyes and quietly sensed the strange energy in his dantian.

After condensing true qi, one can use secret techniques to continuously refine and accumulate true qi, making it gradually stronger.

However, the method of cultivating true qi is a closely guarded secret in any sect. Although Rong Yiyang was a direct descendant of the Rong family, he could not access this secret because he lacked true qi.

Although Rong Kexiong had condensed true qi, he could only sense and play with the thread of strange energy in his dantian and could not use the secret techniques to cultivate it.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

The reason he could condense true qi was due to the battle with the mountain's king, the fierce tiger. In the moment of life and death, the results of years of diligent practice erupted, unleashing his potential and leading to success.

However, without that strange body, he would have been killed even if he had condensed true qi.

All the credit for this belonged to that strange body, or rather, the mysterious energy flow from his yintang (the space between the eyebrows).

Without that energy flow, he would not have achieved his current success.

His mind stirred, and his focus immediately shifted to his yintang.

To his surprise, the energy flow that had been completely depleted yesterday was now full again. Even more surprisingly, he noticed that the amount of energy flow seemed to have increased slightly.

Although it was a tiny, insignificant increase, it made him ecstatic.

Stuttering, he tilted his head and thought for a long time.

Finally, he decided not to tell anyone about this secret, not even his parents.

***

Three days later, Rong Kexiong's true qi had been fully consolidated.

Moreover, he discovered unexpectedly that although he had not yet mastered the method of cultivating true qi, the true qi in his dantian could still increase slowly. However, this increase was even slower than the energy flow in his yintang, almost negligible.

Nevertheless, he was quite satisfied with this discovery.

By this time, Rong Yiyang had also prepared everything and set out with his son on a high horse, heading for the main family estate several dozen miles away, under the envious gazes of all the servants in the estate.

The Rong family was the leading clan within a hundred miles.

The family had many martial arts experts, and even in the entire Yun Tan region, they were a powerful clan.

The main family estate was located in a scenic area within the Yun Tan region, a vast plain stretching under the sky, as calm as the tide on a windless day.

At least a hundred thousand Rong family disciples and servants lived here.

A place of such scale could be called a town without exaggeration.

Surrounding the entire settlement was a tall city wall that firmly protected the Rong family. If enemies came to attack, they would not be able to enter the town without paying a heavy price.

Although Rong Yiyang's family had fallen on hard times, he was still a direct descendant of the Rong family.

Therefore, when he presented his identity token, he easily entered the town.

This was Rong Kexiong's first time entering the so-called town. He looked at the crowded people around him with eyes full of curiosity.

Rong Yiyang glanced at his son, who was interested in everything, and shook his head with a bitter smile, feeling ashamed.

Over the past decade, he had forced his son to practice martial arts every day without a break, but he had never taken him out to play and relax.

He was not a qualified father.

After letting Rong Kexiong wander around the town for half an hour, Rong Yiyang finally took him to the main family estate.

Although it was called the main family estate, it was actually a building equivalent to an inner city.

Without sufficient status, one could not enter it.

Rong Yiyang, holding the identity token of a direct descendant, led his son into the estate and walked straight to a tall building.

Rong Kexiong looked up and saw three large, flowing characters on the building.

The Hall of Testing.

Rong Yiyang smiled and said, "Kexiong, this is where the family tests the true qi and potential of its disciples. Hehe, as long as you pass the test, you will become an inner hall disciple and can enter the academy to study martial arts."

Rong Kexiong responded softly, his heart filled with boundless longing.

Rong Yiyang sighed inwardly. His knowledge far exceeded his son's.

Although his son had condensed true qi, he had done so just before turning fifteen. Although he would definitely enter the inner hall for cultivation and have a better future than himself, it was unlikely that he would stand out in the talent-rich family.

Entering the Hall of Testing, Rong Yiyang collected his thoughts. He scanned the room, his eyes brightening, and led his son toward an old man.

Approaching the old man, he respectfully said, "Uncle Ming, it's been a long time. Your nephew has come to see you."