Chapter 2: Turning Misfortune into Fortune

Yang Qi was disheartened.

All his martial arts cultivation was destroyed when Luo Hun struck his dantian and qi sea with a single palm, leaving him with no hope of ever recovering his lifetime of cultivation.

However, he never expected to be struck by lightning.

The blinding explosion and the suffocating power of the electric current tearing through the air made him close his eyes. "Am I dead? It's better to be dead, so I don't have to live a half-dead life, to be ridiculed by others."

But he didn't die. The lightning transformed into a violent force, coursing through his muscles, bones, and meridians, eventually forming a vortex deep in his dantian qi sea.

The damaged dantian qi sea suddenly underwent a strange transformation. The spiral of electric current in the qi sea was like a raging elephant, churning the sea, forming a scene of "churning the sea and overturning the river." If there were someone with keen eyesight at that moment, they would have seen a lightning elephant roaring in Yang Qi's damaged qi sea.

Buzz!

The lightning continued to strike, and the tree was set ablaze.

Finally, Yang Qi saw a small golden figure in the depths of the lightning in the sky, which suddenly flew into his brow, and then his consciousness exploded in a dazzling light, and he fainted.

"What should we do?"

At the same time, several guards outside the forest were dumbfounded. They saw the lightning strike the tree where Yang Qi was, and the boy was turned into a piece of charcoal, rolling in the mud, seemingly dead.

"He was struck by lightning, it has nothing to do with us," one guard immediately shouted. "You, quickly return to the city and inform Lord Luo Hun. Although this boy deserves to die, he is from the prestigious Yang family. If he dies without proper handling, it could cause some unrest in Yan Capital."

Another guard immediately ran off like a galloping horse.

However, he had only run a mile when he was picked up by a steel giant.

"Lord Luo Hun." The guard broke out in a cold sweat, recognized the person, and immediately knelt in the mud.

"Struck by lightning..." The steel-like Luo Hun walked up to Yang Qi, reached out, and a stream of qi penetrated his body, but found nothing, only seeing the damaged meridians, qi sea, and charred body. "His body suffered severe trauma from the lightning strike, his qi sea and meridians are all destroyed, but he is not dead."

"Is that so?"

As Luo Hun was examining Yang Qi's body, several men in fine clothing emerged from behind, clearly high-ranking figures in Yan Capital. Among them was an old, white-haired man who looked like a major steward. He looked at Yang Qi's body from a distance and nodded. "Since that's the case, there's no need to take this boy back for interrogation, to avoid any trouble. Send him back to the Yang family and convey the city lord's order: this boy stole the Fulong Pill, and the Yang family must compensate for the loss, even if it means going bankrupt."

"Yes!"

The guards picked up Yang Qi and rushed toward Yan Capital... The sky was bright, and the night had passed.

The thunderstorm of the previous night had destroyed countless people, livestock, and trees, and even caused the Yan River outside Yan Capital to flood. However, now the sun was high in the sky, and the heat of midsummer was intense.

One of the prominent families in Yan Capital, the Yang family.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the Yang family was tense. Many servants were rushing about, and the guards were on high alert. Some maids and old women were whispering in the corners.

"Our Yang family has encountered a major disaster! Do you know? Last night, the youngest son of the family head, Yang Zhan, Yang Qi, went to steal a treasure from the city lord's residence, was beaten half to death, had his martial arts cultivation abolished, and was tied to a tree, struck by lightning, and brought back last night, now lying in bed, barely alive, and could die at any moment!" An old woman with a sharp tongue described it vividly, her voice low but unable to hide her schadenfreude.

"Yes, and the city lord's residence has issued an ultimatum, demanding that the Yang family provide a compensation plan for the stolen treasure within three days and pay it in full within a month. This will cost the Yang family at least half of its assets!" A steady servant said worriedly.

Immediately, many servants and maids burst out in a clamor: "Lose half of the assets? Won't the Yang family decline?"

"This is like cutting flesh..."

"Especially in Yan Capital, there are the Chen, Wang, Li, Hong... powerful families who have long been unhappy with our Yang family. They will definitely take advantage of the situation."

"Let's see, this time the Yang family is in big trouble. Yang Qi, that playboy, has caused such a huge disaster. Heh, I think his father, Yang Zhan, can't even keep his position as family head."

"I heard from someone at the city lord's residence today that Yang Qi stole the treasure for a woman."

"Spit, a playboy, a troublemaker, a menace." A servant cursed in secret. "His martial arts cultivation is abolished, and he will never have martial arts again. Even if he recovers, he will be a cripple."

These servants, some gloating, some worried about the future of the Yang family, and some cursing Yang Qi sharply.

At this moment, in the center of the courtyard, after passing through the winding corridors and eaves, in the spacious Yang family meeting hall, a tall, robust man in fine clothing stood in the center, listening to the report.

"Sir, Young Master Yang Qi's life has been saved, but his body has been severely burned by lightning, his internal meridians are damaged, his qi sea is broken, and his martial arts cultivation is completely abolished. From now on, he can only be a cripple."

An old steward and a physician were reporting slowly.

"Martial arts cultivation completely abolished, qi sea broken!" Yang Zhan repeated these two sentences.

Bang!

A huge palm slammed down.

A large ironwood table shattered.

The splinters flew out, whirling and howling like ghosts, embedding into the ground.

"Lost the Fulong Pill! Our Yang family can compensate, but why abolish my son's martial arts cultivation? Even if his limbs were cut off, it would be fine. Abolishing his martial arts means he can never cultivate again, but if his limbs were cut off, he could still become an expert with his martial arts." Yang Zhan was furious.

"Sir, there's nothing we can do now," the old steward, Yang Cai, bowed. "The problem now is that the city lord demands we compensate for the loss of the Fulong Pill, which will cost us at least half of our family's assets! The elders in the family will not agree. They will take the opportunity to seize power!"

"Hmph! Why did I become the family head? Because of my martial arts cultivation. In this world, it's not just about having a wide network of connections and alliances. Ultimately, it comes down to who is more powerful!" Yang Zhan sneered. "Go out and inform the elders of the family to hold a family meeting in three days. We need to discuss how to handle this. The city lord's deadline is one month, so we still have time to prepare."

"Yes!" The old steward nodded, about to leave, but stopped. "What about Young Master Yang Qi? This time he caused such a big problem, the elders will not let him off."

"His martial arts are abolished, and he is crippled from the lightning strike. Even the city lord of Yan Capital is no longer pursuing the matter. What more do these elders want? Do they want to kill my son?" Yang Zhan said angrily. "Whoever suggests dealing with my son, I will not let them off. Also, I will write a letter and send it to his aunt at the Tianwei Academy immediately."

"Right, how could I forget, there's also the eldest miss?" The old steward's eyes lit up.

The eldest miss he referred to was Yang Zhan's adopted sister, Yang Qi's aunt, a disciple of the Tianwei Academy, the most powerful sect on the Fertile Continent, with a significant status. She had left the Yang family ten years ago because of her extraordinary talent and was taken away by an elder of the Tianwei Academy to cultivate.

"How is Qi's condition now? When will he wake up?" Yang Zhan asked. "Doctor Cao, your medical skills are renowned throughout Yan Capital. You must treat Qi's injuries."

The physician beside the old steward immediately said, "I have already applied ointment to his skin and used qi to massage him. He will recover soon. His internal organs are not damaged, but his meridians are all destroyed, and his qi sea is broken. From now on, he cannot cultivate."

"Reward Doctor Cao with ten Qi Gathering Pills." Yang Zhan waved his hand. "When Qi wakes up, bring him to see me."

"Qi Gathering Pills" are the universal currency on the Fertile Continent. If a martial arts cultivator takes a Qi Gathering Pill, they can quickly gather true qi, break through bottlenecks, nourish meridians, and expand the qi sea.

"Yes!" The old steward and the physician left.

"Qi, your mother left early, and now you have encountered such a disaster. I will do everything in my power to help you recover your qi sea and cultivate again. In this world, one cannot be without strength..." Yang Zhan clenched his fists.

Deep in the Yang family's courtyard, in a room, Yang Qi had already woken up, lying quietly in bed.

The room was adorned with a crimson carpet, valuable ancient paintings, and incense burners shaped like copper turtles and cranes, emitting a rich and luxurious atmosphere.

Outside, the weather was hot, but a cool breeze blew through the room because it was next to a large inner lake, with misty waves and trees providing shade. Outside the room, large blocks of ice were placed to cool the air, and a young girl, about eleven or twelve years old, was serving, her head nodding like a chicken pecking at rice, dozing off.

Yang Qi was no longer in pain. He was familiarizing himself with the changes brought by the lightning. When he closed his eyes and looked inward, he saw a fist-sized lightning elephant galloping in his dantian qi sea. If there were any changes outside, the lightning elephant would immediately shrink to a dot.

This was why many experts, when using their qi to probe his body, could not detect any abnormalities.

The lightning elephant contained destructive power. Yang Qi could feel that if it burst out of his body, it would destroy the entire residence.

Why did he not die when struck by lightning, and why did the lightning enter his body and form an elephant? Yang Qi was puzzled.

Especially, every time Yang Qi tried to gather his qi, a small golden figure would appear deep in his brow.

This figure would emit a deep, resonant voice, making his mind buzz. Others could not hear it; it was purely a mental vibration.

The voice was eight words.

"Break and then establish, invincible in the world!"

---

(End of Chapter 2)