Chapter 65

Ye Qingxuan glared fiercely at Yun Xuan, thinking to himself that the more she laughed, the less Yun Cong would dare to speak.

Unexpectedly, his fierce and intimidating gaze was completely ignored by Yun Xuan, who instead shot him a big eye roll in retaliation...

This crazy girl—

Qingxuan didn't have the time to argue with a little girl. He shook his head repeatedly and had to refocus his attention on Lin Yuncang, praising him with a smile: "Hmm, very good, you did a great job... This is the result of long-term practice. Very good, very impressive. Even I, I heard that our Second Master, oh, that is, your Second Master Qingyan, when he was your age, didn't become strong as quickly as you. Really impressive... Think about it, is there anything else?"

Lin Yuncang's eyes lit up. He had felt embarrassed about what he had just said, but he never expected to receive praise from his young uncle. Especially when he heard that even the great Master Qingyan wasn't as strong as he was at his age, if he kept practicing, wouldn't he become as strong as Second Master one day?... No, he would definitely be even stronger...

Encouraged by the praise, Lin Yuncang became excited and started talking non-stop.

"Little Uncle, Little Uncle... Am I really stronger than Second Master was at his age? I have even more impressive things to share. In the past, I was the slowest when climbing mountains, and Da Yong was always impatient. Now, he can't climb as fast as I can. Also, when I went fishing with everyone, I used to run out of breath quickly, but now I can hold my breath longer than anyone else. And, and..."

Lin Yuncang spoke enthusiastically, and Qingxuan listened with a smile, nodding from time to time. It seemed like a harmonious scene, but in fact, while the little nephews were excited, Qingxuan was secretly suffering: He never thought that as a respected young uncle, he would not only have to lead the children but also act as their psychological counselor, flattering his nephews. The flattery just now was so foul that he almost vomited...

However, seeing the children become so excited, energetic, and passionate... Hehe, he did feel a bit proud—

The changes in children are endless. Lin Yuncang, after receiving praise, detailed every change he had experienced.

This narrative lasted for about fifteen minutes. When Lin Yuncang finally mentioned that even his bowel movements had become smoother, Qingxuan decisively interrupted him.

"Yuncang, this is very good, all of this is very good. This is the result of your long-term and consistent practice of internal skills. Now, your internal strength is already among the best... What? You don't understand what 'among the best' means?... Uh, uh, it means the best. You should know that since you started practicing martial arts with me, I have already examined your meridians. I found that your meridians are strong and wide, making it easy for you to cultivate qi. This is why your internal skills have progressed so quickly. You, my boy, are a genius—"

Lin Yuncang nodded excitedly, involuntarily extending his hand to examine it carefully.

Little Uncle called me a genius!

Lin Yuncang's eyes sparkled with stars, and his affection for Little Uncle soared...

When I go home in a few days, I must let my parents know that I am a genius. Hmph, I will definitely practice hard and show those senior brothers who look down on me in the back mountain, giving them a big surprise.

Seeing the confidence shining in Yuncang's face, Qingxuan felt it was time to use this opportunity to remind everyone.

"Yuncang, although you are a rare genius in cultivating internal skills, you must not be arrogant. You should know that although your internal strength is currently the best among everyone, what about in three to five years? Even if your senior brothers are currently far behind you, once they complete the process of cultivating qi and become proficient in the [Taiji Peiyuan Gong], their meridians will become as wide as yours. What good is it if your internal skills are currently stronger than theirs? If you don't persist, you will eventually be overtaken."

Cultivating and storing qi is the first major hurdle in practicing internal skills. However, once anyone passes the first major hurdle of sensing qi, cultivating qi is just a matter of time. Ye Qingxuan's meaning was clear: Although Lin Yuncang currently has an advantage, it only means he has taken a step ahead of others, and he could still be surpassed in the future.

Ye Qingxuan continued, "When I say you are a rare talent, it's not because of your physical strength. Yun Yong's physical condition is a hundred times better than yours, and in the martial world, there are many children with excellent physical strength. Out of a hundred or so, you can always find one or two, which doesn't make you the best in terms of natural talent. I say you are a talent because you are smart and good at thinking. When I taught you internal skills, I passed on the oral formulas and methods of circulating qi, but do you know what the most important thing in practicing internal skills is?"

Little Yuncang shook his head in distress.

Looking around, he saw that all the children had furrowed brows, deep in thought, and he couldn't help but smile: It's working.

He raised his voice and said solemnly, "Yuncang, and all of you, remember these words: All the martial arts in the world, all the methods of success, boil down to one word: 'diligence'... Only through diligent practice can you achieve what others cannot. Even if no one supervises you in the future, you must not slack off in the slightest... You must know that there are countless talents in the world, but how many can reach the peak of martial arts? Those who successfully reach the peak all share a common trait: strong willpower and deep perseverance... You are all talents in the world, and Little Uncle does not want you to waste your talents..."

Little Uncle Ye Qingxuan's concern deeply moved Lin Yuncang. He opened his mouth but felt his throat tighten and his nose sting, barely holding back tears of emotion. Finally, he managed to say just one word: "Yes—"

******

Zheng Biao had a terrible Spring Festival, very terrible.

Since he was brutally beaten by Ma Yunyong at Qingyun Temple half a year ago and returned in a miserable state, he had been bedridden for three months. Winning and losing are common in martial arts. Originally, Zheng Biao was quite open-minded about this matter. He was young and hot-tempered, and he always picked fights with those who were skilled, so getting beaten was a common occurrence for him.

Although Ma Yunyong was not a martial artist, and Zheng Biao, as a martial artist, being beaten by an unskilled boy was indeed embarrassing, he still had some admiration for Ma Yunyong in his heart, even though he would never admit it.

However, the reason for Zheng Biao's extremely bad mood was due to something else.

During his convalescence, his uncle's family came to visit, and unfortunately, his most disliked cousin, Chang Jingwang, came along with his uncle.

Upon learning about Zheng Biao being beaten, Chang Jingwang, true to his reputation as the "King of Annoyance," not only failed to comfort his cousin but also gloated and mocked him fiercely, calling him overconfident and ridiculing him for being beaten by an unknown, low-ranking temple, which was a great embarrassment.

Misfortune never comes alone. Chang Jingwang was a big mouth. After the New Year, when Zheng Daoguan, his wife, and children went to visit his in-laws, the news had already spread throughout the Chang family, even reaching the ears of the old patriarch, who had long been out of touch with worldly affairs, and who was also Zheng Daoguan's father-in-law.

The Chang family was a prominent clan in Yunxia County, with a rich martial tradition. They had many well-known martial arts techniques, and the Chang family's young members had close ties with the "Changkong Zhaojian Sect," the largest sect in Yunzhou. Several dozen young members of the Chang family were already disciples of this sect.

The "Changkong Zhaojian Sect" ranked 56th among the sects in the Divine Martial Continent, a behemoth outside the "Ten Great Sects." It had tens of thousands of inner disciples, and its influence extended across Yunzhou, even into Jingzhou and Shuzhou. Its sect leader, "Sword Xuan" Ling Zhaokong, was a transcendent expert ranked 24th on the "Heavenly Absolute List," whose [Taasu Zhanling Sword Technique] had been unmatched for decades, making him a legendary figure.

If compared with the low-ranking Qingyun Temple, the "Changkong Zhaojian Sect" would make one understand what "looking up to a high mountain" and "heaven and earth apart" truly mean...

Chang Jingwang, who would turn 16 after the New Year, had already been designated as an inner disciple of the "Changkong Zhaojian Sect" last year. After the New Year, he would report to the sect to begin his martial arts training. His cousin, Chang Jingfan, was already an elite disciple of the "Changkong Zhaojian Sect," and there were rumors that Chang Jingfan's talent had caught the eye of an inner sect elder, making him a strong candidate to become a personal disciple.

Becoming a personal disciple of the "Changkong Zhaojian Sect" would bring great glory to the entire family, elevating the Chang family's status in Yunzhou.

In contrast, Zheng Biao's performance was particularly glaring within the family, and even the old patriarch, when looking at his son-in-law Zheng Daoguan, had a look of disdain. After all, as a member of a prominent family, being beaten by a low-ranking temple's disciple to the point of being bedridden, and the opponent being an ordinary person who couldn't even become a martial artist... This was a great embarrassment to the Chang family.

Thus, during the Spring Festival, the Zheng family only appeared once