Chapter 74: Gang Qi

Xu Daoyan and Bai Shi were brought to the back mountain of Fulong Academy by Gao Ziqi.

Meng Ziyang placed an oil lamp on a large chessboard in the courtyard. He sat cross-legged, sipping tea and playing chess alone!

"Ziqi, have you brought guests back?" Meng Ziyang looked at Xu Daoyan and Bai Shi, his smile gentle and refined, making people feel as if they were basking in a warm spring breeze.

"Ziyang, guess who he is?" Gao Ziqi chuckled, sitting down on the chessboard and watching the game he was playing against Meng Ziyang, hoping to learn a few moves. Otherwise, losing every time would be too embarrassing.

"Who is it?" Meng Ziyang stopped looking at the chessboard, got up, and came to Xu Daoyan, examining him carefully. After a moment, he smiled: "Is it Xu Daoyan?"

"Hehe, that's right!" Gao Ziqi laughed, saying, "From today on, he will be practicing with us?"

"Yes, that's fine. After all, he is Master Su Wei's disciple, and we are of the same generation!" Meng Ziyang smiled, clearly knowing that Gao Ziqi had told him about the last time he met Su Wei!

"Meet Mr. Meng!" Xu Daoyan and Bai Shi bowed, and every move of Meng Ziyang made them feel very comfortable.

"Hehe, Daoyan, you can just call me Senior Brother Ziqi!" Meng Ziyang waved his hand. Although Su Wei's name does not contain the character 'zi', there is no doubt that his knowledge and cultivation are among the best in the Nine States Divine Dynasty, and he is highly favored by Confucius Yuan.

Otherwise, the people of the Xiong Clan Divine Dynasty would not go to such lengths to make Su Wei surrender and humiliate the Nine States Divine Dynasty!

"Ha ha ha, Senior Brother, that suits my heart..." Gao Ziqi also understood Meng Ziyang's thoughts. From the moment he saw Xu Daoyan, he felt that this young man was very good. Since Tian Tian has a good impression of him and they both dislike Xiao Yan, they naturally want to give Xu Daoyan a higher status, so that in the future, they can negotiate with the Tian family. Although Fulong Academy cannot be compared to the Xiao family, it is enough to match the Tian family.

Meng Ziyang and Gao Ziqi did not have a good impression of the older generation of the Tian family, as they all wanted to be closer to the royal family of the Nine States Divine Dynasty, seeking favor and power.

However, the royal family of the Nine States Divine Dynasty has very high standards, even for the children of dukes, who generally do not meet their criteria. Tian Tian, who finally emerged from the Tian family, was favored by Xiao Yan, who is a direct descendant of Empress Dowager Xiao and holds significant power in the Nine States Divine Dynasty. The older generation of the Tian family naturally hopes that Tian Tian will marry into the Xiao family to consolidate the Tian family's rule over Youzhou and even rise to a higher level.

"Yes! Senior Brother Ziyang, Senior Brother Ziqi!" Xu Daoyan knew that Su Wei was a very important figure, and since he was taken as his disciple, the generation order must not be confused. The Confucian school places great importance on generation order, and etiquette must not be overstepped.

"Good, since you call us Senior Brothers, from today on, we will guide you in your cultivation!" Meng Ziyang sat back down on the chessboard.

"Yes!" Xu Daoyan was very happy. He knew that Meng Ziyang was also a very important figure, and he was eager to learn what he could from him.

"I want to ask the two Senior Brothers, does Fulong Academy have tasks like those in the army, where completing them can earn rewards?" Xu Daoyan was penniless and wanted to earn money to buy cultivation stones.

"Oh? There are such tasks, but your cultivation is too low, so it's not suitable for you to take them. What kind of reward do you want?" Meng Ziyang was a bit puzzled.

"Um, I need high-quality, even top-quality, Five Elements cultivation stones. I am penniless and can only take some tasks to buy the stones I need..."

Xu Daoyan was a bit embarrassed. Meng Ziyang chuckled, waved his hand, and said, "I see. You don't need to worry about that for now. Rest in the next room for the night, and we'll talk tomorrow. I'll play a game with Ziqi first!"

"Okay!" Xu Daoyan bowed and led Bai Shi into a small bamboo house.

The bamboo house was no more than four zhang in size, square and simple. There were bamboo beds on both sides, a table in the middle with writing tools, and nothing else.

Xu Daoyan sat on the bamboo bed, and a strong, pure Wood Immortal Qi permeated his body.

He was shocked!

"This bamboo bed is extraordinary!" Xu Daoyan was overjoyed. He activated his liver, creating a large vortex that drew the pure Wood Immortal Qi into his liver, transforming it into vital energy and continuously accumulating it.

The pure Wood Immortal Qi nourished Xu Daoyan's entire body, filling him with vitality and vigor.

Bai Shi also began to cultivate. The concentration of Immortal Qi here was even more dense and pure than in the royal palace of the Tian Shi Mansion.

They continued to cultivate until dawn. Xu Daoyan continuously transformed vital energy in his liver, accumulating a significant amount, and his lifespan reached 19,999 years, but he found that he could not break through to the Earth Immortal realm!

"What's going on? According to the theory, as long as I continue to cultivate, I should be able to break through to the Earth Immortal realm!" Xu Daoyan was very puzzled and could not find an answer, as if something was blocking him.

At this moment, Meng Ziyang's voice came from outside the bamboo house: "Junior Brother Daoyan, come out for a moment!"

Xu Daoyan's heart stirred, and he immediately got up, walked out of the bamboo house, and bowed to Meng Ziyang: "Meet Senior Brother Ziyang!"

"Um, Daoyan, are you worried about not being able to break through to the Earth Immortal realm?" Meng Ziyang's voice was gentle.

"Yes, that's exactly it!" Xu Daoyan was quite helpless and sighed.

"To enter the true Immortal realm, you need to refine your internal Qi into Gang Qi!" Meng Ziyang smiled.

"What is Gang Qi?" Xu Daoyan's eyes lit up. With Meng Ziyang's guidance, he could not miss this opportunity and asked immediately.

"The character 'Gang' has 'four' at the top and 'correct' at the bottom. You need to condense at least four Immortal-level Qi to be called Gang Qi. The strength of Gang Qi is determined by these four Immortal-level Qi. Only those who can condense Gang Qi are true Immortals!" Meng Ziyang said solemnly.

Xu Daoyan raised an eyebrow and said, "So, are Human Immortals not Immortals?"

"Of course not. Human Immortals, Earth Immortals, and Heaven Immortals are not true Immortals. What are true Immortals? Only those who can condense four Immortal-level Qi into Gang Qi are considered true Immortals!" Meng Ziyang explained to Xu Daoyan. After all, he knew Xu Daoyan's background. Born in a border village, according to Gao Ziqi's description, there was a remarkable existence behind him who laid the foundation for him but did not teach him much else, aiming to let him find his own path. Therefore, Meng Ziyang would not impose his thoughts on Xu Daoyan but only guide him, leaving the rest to Xu Daoyan to understand on his own.

"I see!" Xu Daoyan was enlightened.

"Alright, Junior Brother Daoyan, go sweep the floor. Think about what your first Immortal-level Qi should be. This will be a transformation from the various types of Qi you currently control." Meng Ziyang pointed to a broom next to the chessboard.

Xu Daoyan was taken aback, not expecting Meng Ziyang to ask him to sweep the floor. Although it seemed strange, he knew there must be a deeper meaning.

"Yes!" Xu Daoyan bowed, took the broom, and walked out of the courtyard gate.

Following the back mountain, it was a winding path lined with trees.

It was late autumn, and winter was approaching. The air was filled with the chill of autumn, causing the leaves to turn yellow and fall, covering the mountain path.

Xu Daoyan followed the steps, sweeping the fallen leaves from the mountain path to the side. At this moment, his mind was in unprecedented peace.

"Gang Qi, now that the vital energy from my liver is the most concentrated, what should it transform into when it becomes Immortal Qi?"

While sweeping, Xu Daoyan deeply pondered this question.

The back courtyard of Fulong Academy was integrated with the mountain, and a stream flowed down the path, the water sound clear and pleasant.

Tian Tian, after seeing her parents the previous day, went to bed early. She arrived at Fulong Academy before dawn, heading straight to the back courtyard.

"Where is Daoyan?" She bounced into the courtyard, excited. She saw Meng Ziyang sitting at the chessboard, sipping tea and watching the game.

"Oh? I sent Junior Brother Daoyan to sweep the floor." Meng Ziyang kept his eyes on the chessboard. It was very rare for Tian Tian to come so early, as she usually avoided it and ran around.

"What? Master, you call him Junior Brother?" Tian Tian was surprised.

"Didn't Ziqi tell you? Daoyan is the great-granddisciple of Master Ziyuan, so he is naturally our junior brother." Meng Ziyang said softly.

"… This scoundrel, how did he suddenly become a great-granddisciple of Confucius Yuan?" Tian Tian was speechless, meaning that according to the generation order, she would have to call Xu Daoyan "Uncle."

"Tian Tian, be respectful. Go practice the zither with Ziqi!" Meng Ziyang waved his hand and said.

"Master Ziqi likes to sleep until noon. I want to go see that Xu Daoyan!" Tian Tian gritted her teeth, her small guard suddenly becoming her uncle. She turned and left, following the mountain path to find him.

At this moment, Gao Ziqi came out of another bamboo house and sighed, "This girl can even say that I sleep until noon. Only she