Chapter 3

In early March, the gentle breeze already carried a warm touch. The sky had been overcast for several days, and a spring rain was brewing.

Yuhua City was located in the southeastern part of Longyuan Province. If placed in the Great Wu Dynasty, it was just one of the 5,760 cities in the 48 provinces. On the Yufeng Continent, it was merely an insignificant speck in the vast galaxy.

As evening approached, with the sky growing increasingly dark, the Qin family in the southern part of Yuhua City had already lit their lamps.

The Qin family was the second-largest clan in Yuhua City, with a vast territory spanning thousands of acres and hundreds of tall buildings, arranged in neat rows. The lights flickered among them, and from a distance, it looked as if the Milky Way had descended to earth.

However, compared to the bustling outside, the Qin family's study, Langxuan Pavilion, remained as quiet as ever.

Qin Yi was currently putting back a book he had just finished reading, *Continental Annals*, to its original place on the shelf.

Qin Yi was sixteen years old, with a face as smooth as jade, eyes like stars, and a tall, slender build. More importantly, he had a calm demeanor, as if nothing from the outside world could distract him.

"From three years ago to now, I have read 1,750 books, but that is still less than one-thousandth of the total number of books in the family's collection." Looking at the rows of bookshelves stretching into the distance, Qin Yi sighed. "I've heard that the Imperial Academy of the Great Wu Dynasty has tens of millions of books. I wonder how many people it takes to manage so many books."

He glanced out the window at the sky, lit the candles in the room, and planned to select another book to read in the evening.

Suddenly, there was a loud and urgent knocking on the door of Langxuan Pavilion.

The sound was so loud and rapid that it didn't seem to be made by someone knocking with their hand, but rather by someone kicking the door.

"Come in," Qin Yi said, frowning.

The wooden door burst open, and a girl with a bun on her head, wearing a green dress with tassels, and around thirteen or fourteen years old, walked in.

The girl had fair skin and a cute face, but when she looked at people, she had a domineering air that made others feel uncomfortable.

"Master, the third patriarch wants you to go to the meeting hall. He says he has something to discuss with you," the girl said, addressing Qin Yi as "Master," but without any hint of respect in her tone, and even with a hint of disdain.

If Qin Yi were not the eldest son of the Qin family, she probably wouldn't even have glanced at him.

"Uncle Three wants me?" Qin Yi's brows furrowed slightly.

"The patriarch is there too, hurry up," the girl said rudely.

Hearing the word "patriarch," Qin Yi felt a sharp pain in his heart, but his face remained calm. "Uncle Two is there too, you can go back first. I'll be there in a moment."

Once the room was empty again, Qin Yi took a few deep breaths to calm himself, straightened his clothes, and then pushed open the door, heading towards the meeting hall.

The Qin family's territory was vast, and the buildings were connected by corridors. It took Qin Yi about the time it takes to eat a meal to reach the meeting hall.

The meeting hall's main door was twenty paces wide, and the nanmu door was over ten feet high. Two stone lions at the entrance looked extremely fierce.

Two Qin family guards, wearing steel chain armor and holding long swords as wide as two palms, stood like spears on either side of the meeting hall. When they saw Qin Yi approaching, a complex expression flashed in their eyes, a mix of pity and regret.

Qin Yi stood at the entrance of the meeting hall for a moment, remembering the last time he had been there, which was three years ago. That scene was one he would never forget.

At that time, his father, who was the head of the Qin family, was competing with the head of another prominent family in Yuhua City, the Fang family, for the position of the city's leading family. His father suddenly suffered from a heart ailment and was killed by the other party.

Qin Yi had lost his mother when he was young. After his father's death, he was devastated, spitting out three bowls of blood and fainting. When he woke up, his strength, which had once reached the Tendon Strengthening stage, had dropped to the Muscle Strengthening stage.

Reaching the Tendon Strengthening stage at the age of thirteen was unprecedented in the Qin family's history!

Qin Yi was once the hope for the revival of the Qin family!

However, after the great blow of his father's death, Qin Yi spent three years recuperating. His only form of entertainment was reading. Over the three years, his body had recovered to a large extent, but his strength had not improved. His peers, who were once far weaker than him, had now easily surpassed him.

Shaking his head, Qin Yi steadied his mind, crossed the threshold, and entered the meeting hall.

The meeting hall of the Qin family was a hundred paces long and wide. A thousand people could hold a meeting inside without feeling crowded. The roof beams were over ten feet high, and eight pillars, each requiring two people to encircle, stood on either side. The floor was paved with red-flame concrete bricks, which released warmth in winter and coolness in summer. A single brick, the size of a palm, was enough to support a family of three for a year.

On the wall opposite the main door was a huge tiger head cast in pure copper, about the height of a person. Its golden eyes shone with a fierce and majestic aura, as if it were about to burst through the wall. Ordinary people would feel their legs go weak at the sight.

Sitting in a large redwood chair below the tiger head was a man in his forties, wearing a red cloak. He had a well-defined face and exuded a natural aura of authority. He sat straight as a board, with a presence as majestic as a mountain and as deep as the sea. This man was Qin Yi's Uncle Two, the current head of the Qin family—Qin Hongyi.

To the right of Qin Hongyi sat a man with a slightly hunched back. His face was somewhat similar to Qin Hongyi's, but his insincere smile made it hard for people to like him. This man was Qin Yi's Uncle Three, Qin Hongren, who was in charge of the family's finances.

"Nephew, I greet the head of the family and Uncle Three," Qin Yi said, bowing at the foot of the steps. Unlike Uncle Three, who always had a fawning smile, Qin Yi's attitude towards Qin Hongyi was neither humble nor arrogant.

The head of the family had a unique position and authority in the family, so even Qin Hongyi's wife and children had to address him as "head of the family" when they saw him.

Qin Yi kept his head down, but he could clearly feel Uncle Two's gaze on him, a powerful pressure that made it hard for him to breathe, like the oppressive feeling before a storm.

"You may rise," Qin Hongyi said. Qin Yi felt the pressure on his body ease.

"Yi, how is your body recovering?" Qin Hongyi's authoritative voice asked again.

"Thank you for your concern, Head of the Family. After three years of recuperation, my body has recovered to about ninety percent," Qin Yi replied.

"And your strength?"

Qin Yi's breath caught, and he clenched his teeth before answering, "I have recovered to the third level of the Muscle Strengthening stage."

Qin Hongyi hummed, but said nothing more.

On the Yufeng Continent, martial arts were highly valued, and fire was revered. Families with the means would train their children in martial arts from a young age.

Martial arts, the training of the body, were divided into nine stages, each with nine levels.

First Stage: Skin Strengthening. This is the most basic stage of martial arts. Training to this level would make one physically strong, with a long breath and resistance to illness.

Second Stage: Muscle Strengthening. This is the stage Qin Yi was at after his decline. Training at this stage strengthens the muscles, making them firm and powerful. A punch can generate a force of about 100 pounds, capable of defeating five opponents.

Third Stage: Membrane Strengthening. At this stage, a protective membrane forms inside the body, enhancing resistance to attacks. A punch can generate a force of about 150 pounds, capable of knocking an adult off their feet, and the movements are swift and agile, capable of defeating ten opponents.

Fourth Stage: Tendon Strengthening. At this stage, the tendons and muscles in the body are fused, greatly enhancing flexibility. The body can stretch and store energy like a bow, and a punch can generate a force of at least 220 pounds, capable of defeating twenty opponents.

A boy of average talent, if he started training at the age of four, would typically reach the fourth stage around the age of twenty. However, three years ago, Qin Yi, at the age of thirteen, had already reached the fourth stage, showing exceptional talent and being considered a genius among geniuses. He was regarded as the top young talent in all of Yuhua City, and everyone believed his future was limitless.

Fifth Stage: Bone Strengthening. Once this stage is reached, the 206 bones in the body become as hard as iron or steel, making every part of the body a lethal weapon. A punch can generate a force of 300 pounds. If one can reach this stage before the age of thirty, even if it's just the initial level, they would be a key figure in the family, as they can defeat fifty opponents.

Qin Yi, at the time, might have even reached the Bone Strengthening stage before the age of fourteen, becoming a strength unprecedented in the history of the Qin family or any other family in Yuhua City! This event caused a sensation in the entire capital of Yuhua City, and even in the capital of the Great Wu Dynasty, where envoys were sent from afar to inquire about it, making it a major topic of discussion at the time.

Sixth Stage: Blood Sacrifice. The Bone Strengthening stage is a significant threshold, and many people never cross it in their lifetime. However, once it is crossed, the body undergoes a complete transformation, with the blood being completely renewed. One can have a photographic memory, and the strength can be concentrated in any part of the body at any time, generating a force of 500 pounds. A punch can shatter a thousand-pound stone, capable of defeating a hundred opponents.

Seventh Stage: Marrow Sacrifice. If one reaches this stage, not only in Yuhua City but even the royal family of the Great Wu Dynasty would actively seek to recruit them. At this stage, one's speed is as fast as an arrow, and a punch can generate a force of 800 pounds, making them a formidable opponent, capable of defeating five hundred opponents.

Eighth Stage: Body Sacrifice. At this stage, the body is filled with a continuous flow of thick true qi, like an ocean. One can kill from a hundred paces away and face an entire army, becoming a pillar of the family, capable of defeating a thousand opponents.

Qin Yi's Uncle Two, Qin Hongyi, was a master at the Body Sacrifice stage!

Ninth Stage: Soul Sacrifice. This is the limit of human cultivation and the threshold to the next major stage. At this stage, the soul and body are perfectly integrated, and one can see clearly up to 800 paces, capable of defeating three thousand opponents.

Qin Yi's arms hung by his sides as he waited for Qin Hongyi to speak.

After about half an incense stick's time, Qin Hongyi's voice came from above, "Yi, you should know that the Tian Sheng Academy will be recruiting disciples in the capital of Yuhua City in twenty days. This time, our Qin family has been allocated two spots."

Hearing the name "Tian Sheng Academy," Qin Yi's eyes lit up, and his heart trembled with excitement.

"You should also remember that one of these spots was reserved for you," Qin Hongyi continued.

"Yes," Qin Yi replied, his voice calm, but his heart was in turmoil.

For so many years, he had been waiting for this moment!

The Tian Sheng Academy was one of the top ten sects on the continent, with a status far surpassing the Great Wu Dynasty. Just being accepted into the sect, even as a low-ranking servant disciple, was a great honor. If one could become a low-ranking disciple, obtaining a noble title in the Great Wu Dynasty would be easy. With further advancement, becoming a king or a prime minister would also be within reach!

Qin Yi's long-held wish was to enter the Tian Sheng Academy and become a supreme powerhouse, dominating the world!

Now, with the news that the Tian Sheng Academy was finally recruiting disciples, how could he not be excited?

"Yi, I have only one question. Do you think you have the qualifications to enter the Tian Sheng Academy with your current strength?" Qin Hongyi's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Qin Yi's head.

Sensing the hidden meaning in Qin Hongyi's words, Qin Yi quickly looked up at him.

"Yi, today, the head of the family and I called you here to discuss this matter," Qin Hongren, who had been silent until now, said. "To be accepted by the Tian Sheng Academy, one must have a certain level of strength and exceptional talent. If it were three years ago, we would have no objections, but now..."

"Uncle Three, what do you mean by that?" Qin Yi's gaze focused, staring at the smiling Qin Hongren.

"Yi, isn't Uncle Three's meaning clear enough?" Qin Hongren's smile grew wider. "If we send you to the Tian Sheng Academy now, it would be a disgrace to our Qin family. Everyone would know that the Qin family of Yuhua City sent a weakling who has only reached the Muscle Strengthening stage. I'm sure your father would not want to hear such an evaluation from beyond the grave."

Hearing Qin Hongren mention his father and call him a weakling, Qin Yi clenched his fists, his heart burning with anger. "Uncle Three, the recommendation for me to enter the Tian Sheng Academy was unanimously approved by the entire family, with no objections. Although my strength is not what it used to be, if my body fully recovers, I can quickly return to my original level. You..."

"Yi, don't say any more," Qin Hongyi suddenly interrupted, cutting off Qin Yi's words. "I have already discussed this matter with Uncle Three. The two spots for the Qin family this time are for your cousin, Qin Yuwei, and your cousin, Qin Hanzong. I called you here to inform you of this. I know you will be dissatisfied, so Uncle Three will give you ten thousand Flame Gathering Pills as compensation."

On the Yufeng Continent, the various countries no longer used currency but instead used Flame Gathering Pills as a form of currency.

According to market prices, one Flame Gathering Pill was equivalent to ten taels of silver, one tael of silver was equal to a thousand copper coins, and one copper coin could buy a large pancake