Chapter 10: The March Duel

Yang Qi’s words about three months later left everyone stunned once again.

Yang Honglie’s eyes lit up: "Yang Qi, are you serious about this?" He didn’t believe that with Yang Qi’s current cultivation, he could catch up to him in just three months; that would be a pipe dream.

Even if a top expert were to forcibly impart their qi, it would be impossible. If it were that easy, everyone in the world would stop cultivating. Cultivation realms are achieved through gradual enlightenment, not instant success.

"Serious," Yang Qi said firmly. "Today, in front of all these elders, we can make a promise. In three months, during the autumn hunt, we will have a battle. Regardless of the outcome, we will fight to our heart's content. What do you say? Do you dare to accept?"

"Haha." Yang Honglie laughed loudly. "Cousin, you’re too arrogant, but since you’ve come to me, how can I refuse?"

Right then and there, the two of them made a promise in front of all the elders of the Yang family. In three months, during the Yang family’s autumn hunt, they would decide the winner.

The Yang family’s autumn hunt was modeled after the imperial hunts of the Holy Ancestor Dynasty on the continent. It was a gathering of the family’s experts to hunt demons and monsters, practicing martial arts to maintain the family’s prosperity.

On the Fertile Continent, martial prowess was paramount. All the noble families and major clans valued who had the most powerful qi cultivation, as that determined fame, power, and status.

Almost every time the Yang family gathered, the younger generation would be arranged to compete, to see which family’s disciples were the most outstanding. The parents would be proud, and it would increase their standing within the family.

"Qi, are you really confident?" Yang Zhan’s eyelids twitched when he saw the agreement, and a thread of qi entered Yang Qi’s ear.

"Father, please rest assured. I am certain of victory." Yang Qi also focused his voice into a stream of qi to communicate with his father.

"Very good. After this family meeting, we will have a detailed discussion and plan for the future. We will also discuss rescuing your elder brothers." Yang Zhan nodded, scanned the people in the meeting hall, and slowly said, "Everyone, I have called you here to discuss important family matters. Now, two out of the three points have been agreed upon. First, I, Yang Zhan, will compensate for the loss of the Fulong Pill. Second, my son has turned a disaster into a blessing, his qi cultivation has greatly improved, and he is not a waste but a genius of the family. Now, there should be no one who wants to punish him, right? Third, regarding the head of the family, we will wait for news from the council of elders."

Screech!

As he finished speaking, a loud eagle’s cry echoed from the sky. Then, a golden eagle larger than a horse appeared, its body bathed in sunlight like it was made of gold, landing in the courtyard and causing a strong wind.

"The family’s golden eagle."

Several elders stood up and came to the courtyard. This golden eagle was no ordinary creature; it was the mount of one of the Yang family’s ancient treasures.

A person descended from the golden eagle, his hair and beard completely white, looking to be around ninety years old, nearly a century.

"Uncle."

Even Yang Zhan immediately bowed upon seeing this person.

This person was called Yang Zhougong, one of the elders. Although he was not at the ninth stage of qi cultivation, he was a peak eighth-stage expert, with cultivation not far from Yang Zhan’s. Especially since he represented the will of the council of elders, his presence was significant.

"Hmm, I heard your son caused a great disaster, so I came on behalf of the council. Yang Zhan, your cultivation is becoming more refined. In another ten or eight years, you might reach the ninth stage and become a qi master."

As soon as Yang Zhougong landed, he patted the golden eagle, looked at Yang Zhan, and with a flick of his eyebrows, assessed his cultivation.

"Uncle, although my son caused a great disaster, he has also grown from it, turning a disaster into a blessing." Yang Zhan recounted the events, which surprised this elder. He then looked at the defeated Yang Feng and Yang Kui, and his gaze finally settled on Yang Qi.

Whoosh!

He reached out into the air, and a large azure true qi hand, the size of a water vat, grabbed Yang Qi.

Before Yang Qi could react, he was caught, and he felt a vast surge of qi rush into his meridians.

His expression remained unchanged, as he had already activated the Divine Elephant Imprisoning Hell technique, making his body as deep and profound as hell, with the thunder elephant disappearing without a trace, allowing Yang Zhougong to inspect him.

"His body is so tough and solid, his vitality so strong, rivaling that of ancient beasts, not human at all..." Yang Zhougong muttered.

"Uncle, it was the lightning strike that day that transformed my son. His meridians have been tempered by lightning," Yang Zhan explained.

"Even a life-threatening expert would die if struck by lightning, yet he turned a disaster into a blessing. It’s a miracle." In the end, Yang Zhougong didn’t find anything specific, but he knew that Yang Qi had enormous potential.

Releasing Yang Qi, the elder scanned the crowd. "Yang Zhan’s position as head of the family cannot be shaken. The family is facing difficulties, and now is the time to unite, not to fight among ourselves. It’s just a matter of compensating for some losses. As long as the people are here, everything can be rebuilt. Yang Zhan, you should cultivate this son well, make him recognize his mistakes, and use this as a lesson to contribute to our family in the future."

"Yes."

Everyone lowered their heads. The council of elders had spoken, and those with ambitions had to suppress their desires.

They all knew that this time, Yang Qi’s sudden rise had brought honor to Yang Zhan. Otherwise, without this son with limitless potential, it would have been difficult for him to retain his position as head of the family.

Whoosh!

Yang Zhougong leaped back onto the golden eagle’s back and soared into the sky, coming and going quickly.

A family internal crisis was completely resolved.

"Hmph! I will take my leave. We will meet again in three months, during the autumn hunt." Yang Shi threw his cloak and led his subordinates out.

Subsequently, the experts from the Yang family’s branches also took their leave.

An hour later, the entire Yang family estate was quiet. In the meeting hall, only Yang Zhan, the old steward, Yang Qi, and his two brothers who were poisoned by the Shadow Toxin remained.

"Qi, I didn’t expect you to turn a disaster into a blessing. I am very pleased," Yang Zhan’s eyes flashed with a cold light. "However, this time, your elder brothers were poisoned by the Shadow Toxin at just the right moment. Someone is targeting me, Yang Zhan, using your misdeed as an opportunity. I must find out who it is."

"Right, we must take revenge and cure our elder brothers." Yang Qi squatted down and channeled his powerful qi into their bodies. Indeed, he found the poison gathered and not dispersing, circulating with their blood, almost becoming a part of their bodies, participating in their metabolism.

The "Shadow Toxin" was like sweat, impossible to remove.

"Hmm."

At this moment, Yang Qi’s elder brother felt the true qi entering his body and shuddered, sighing deeply. "Third Brother, your true qi feels particularly comfortable, different from Father’s true qi."

"Really?" Yang Qi was delighted. "Could it be that my Divine Elephant Imprisoning Hell technique has the ability to counteract the Shadow Toxin? My true qi isn’t strong enough yet, so the effect isn’t obvious. I need to practice harder!"

"Qi, your true qi seems very strange, having undergone the tempering of lightning, it has undergone a fundamental change. Starting today, I will teach you our family’s ultimate technique, the Invincible King Fist," Yang Zhan said proudly. "Since you have made a vow to defeat Yang Honglie in three months, I will help you achieve it."

"Invincible King Fist!"

Yang Qi was stunned. He had long heard that the Yang family had a supreme technique, almost at the level of a king-level qi technique.

In the world, various qi techniques were divided into lower, middle, upper, king, emperor, holy, heaven, and divine levels.

The "Invincible King Fist" was a cultivation method between the upper and king levels.

For most families, having an upper-level qi technique was enough to sustain a noble family for hundreds, even thousands of years.

A king-level qi technique could establish a dynasty.

Emperor, holy, and heaven-level qi techniques were legendary.

A divine-level qi technique, as the name suggests, was not for humans but for deities, a technique even gods had to cultivate.

Yang Qi was almost certain that his "Divine Elephant Imprisoning Hell" technique was at least a heaven-level qi technique, and possibly even a divine-level qi technique. When this technique reached its peak, the body’s 840 million tiny particles would each have the strength of an ancient elephant, uniting to form a divine elephant, a power belonging to deities, not humans.

The appearance of a divine-level qi technique on the continent would bring disaster, so he dared not tell his father.

The more people who knew about this technique, the greater the danger. Even if it meant sacrificing a million lives and destroying a clan, it could not be passed on. Yang Qi knew that he could only tell his father when he had enough power to protect the family.

"Master, I will go and keep watch while you teach the young master the technique." The old steward bowed slightly and left.

"Qi, watch carefully! The Invincible King Fist qi technique, the first move, Invincible in Battle!"

Buzz!

A fiery qi surged from Yang Zhan’s body. In an instant, six long arms condensed from true qi on his back, resembling those of a crab or spider.

Each true qi arm was thick and muscular, vividly simulated, forming strange seals. Each seal was powerful and imposing, and Yang Qi was suddenly startled, feeling as if his father had grown six more arms.

"The perfected realm of the Invincible King Fist is the image of three heads and six arms. Father has only condensed the six arms, not the three heads. Once the three heads are formed, he will become a ninth-stage qi master. Watch carefully. These are the six moves: Invincible in Battle, Unconquerable in Attack, Unbreakable, Unfettered, Ever-Victorious, and All-Returning."

Yang Zhan roared, and the six vivid arms behind him vibrated, launching the six moves in succession. They burst out of the hall and directly struck the vast inner lake in the garden outside.

Like meteors falling into the lake, they caused a violent explosion, sending countless tons of water into the sky, creating a heavy rain over the entire Yang family estate.

"Such powerful strength."

Yang Qi’s face turned slightly pale. Although his father’s strike didn’t cause a flood, it could dry up a lake with qi alone. The power of this strike was enough to destroy a small mountain.