"My body feels a little weak. Looks like I still need to eat more meat and take some tonics."
With the cultivation boost from the Heavenly Origin Earth Realm, there were no side effects. It was as if Fang Yuan had spent a year focused solely on raising his cultivation. But when that cultivation fed back into his body, perhaps because his body hadn't adapted yet, he needed to replenish a huge amount of energy.
Of course, it was also possible that Fang Yuan's injuries hadn't fully healed.
Just then, a commotion rose outside the house, making Fang Yuan frown slightly.
"Young Master Hui, you can't go in..."
"I'm here to see my brother. That's not allowed either? What a grand attitude. Get out of my way."
"You can't go in. You really can't."
Seeing that the maid could no longer hold him back, Fang Yuan's door opened from the inside.
"Fang Hui, have you forgotten the rules now?"
Fang Yuan looked down at the person before him, his voice cold.
For the Fang Family to become one of the Three Great Families in Qinghai City, the rules within the clan had to be strict. No one was allowed to defy their superiors.
"Greetings, Young Master!"
Fang Hui felt deeply aggrieved, his face flushed red, but he still bowed respectfully, not daring to overstep.
"What do you want?"
Fang Hui was the Grand Elder's second son. He was about Fang Yuan's age and fairly talented, though nowhere near Fang Yuan's level.
"I heard Brother Yuan was badly injured, so I came to see him," Fang Hui said with a smile.
"Now that you've seen me, you can go back. I'm not saving you a meal," Fang Yuan thought with a cold laugh.
The Fang Family had never forbidden its younger generation from fighting among themselves. As long as no one was killed or left with serious injuries, such fights were tacitly permitted.
It wasn't hard to guess why Fang Hui had come at a time like this.
Only the Fang Family's higher-ups knew the full extent of Fang Yuan's injuries. Everyone else knew little more than scraps.
"I recently learned a martial skill, but there are some parts I don't quite understand. I'd like to ask the Young Master for guidance!"
Fang Hui cast off his fear and quickly took up a fighting stance, his expression utterly serious.
"If you don't dare to make a move, just see how you'll hold your head up in the family from now on."
Fang Hui didn't truly want to fight Fang Yuan. Even if he won, it wouldn't be anything to brag about, but he could still make things unpleasant for him.
I've been kept under your thumb for all these years. Today, I'm going to get even and vent my anger.
Fang Hui could already picture Fang Yuan begging him for mercy, and the thought filled him with satisfaction.
"Fang Hui, why don't you spar with me instead?"
A sudden voice rang out.
A young man in a loose brown robe walked over, smiling broadly.
He wasn't tall, perhaps five or six feet, but he was very fat and looked like a round, rolling ball.
"Fang Man."
Fang Hui was clearly a little wary of the fat fellow, but he put on a show of toughness.
"I'm sparring with Brother Yuan. What's it to you?"
"Brother Yuan's injured. You came here to spar with him? Have some shame."
With that, Fang Man's smile vanished. His round body moved surprisingly fast, and he came straight up to Fang Hui and slapped him across the face.
Thud... boom...
Fang Hui hadn't expected him to attack without warning. He was knocked flat onto the ground, his cheek swelling bright red.
"You bastard!"
Fang Hui flew into a rage and tried to get back up and fight, but Fang Man kicked the fight right out of him, leaving him to take a beating.
"That's enough."
After a while, Fang Yuan saw that Fang Hui had been beaten into a pig's head, his face swollen even larger than Fang Man's, and finally spoke up.
"All right!"
At Fang Yuan's words, Fang Man stopped at once and stood obediently beside him, his beaming smile returning.
"You..."
It took Fang Hui a good while to get back on his feet. His trembling finger pointed at Fang Man, but in the end, he could only leave with the help of his servants, utterly unwilling to accept it.
"If you want revenge, I'll be waiting anytime!" Fang Man shouted. "But if you come bother Brother Yuan again, I'll pay your home a personal visit."
Fang Hui felt the pain in his body intensify. He stumbled and nearly lost his footing.
"We're all brothers in the family. You don't need to hit him so hard next time," Fang Yuan said with a smile.
After Fang Hui had gone, Fang Man sent the servants away, wiped the smile from his face, and said solemnly,
"Brother Yuan, who hurt you? I'll smash his head into mincemeat!"
Fang Yuan's gaze turned distant as he recalled the trial at the Azure Cloud Sect. He waved a hand.
"Don't rush. Sooner or later, I'll make them pay back every debt—with interest."
"Your top priority now is to train hard and try to place well in the Flowing Cloud County Grand Tournament," Fang Yuan urged.
"The rewards are quite generous. You can help take some of the pressure off me, too."
Fang Man caught the meaning behind his words and asked cautiously, "Brother Yuan, are your injuries serious?"
"We can spar, too."
At that, Fang Man waved both hands repeatedly, a rueful smile appearing on his face. "I wouldn't dare fight you."
Fang Yuan knew Fang Man genuinely cared about him, so he patted him on the shoulder.
Fang Man, who was known in the Fang Family as the Little Madman, ranked among the top ten of the younger generation. Yet in front of Fang Yuan, he was exceptionally obedient and well-behaved.
The next day.
Quarter past noon.
Fang Yuan's Source Point refreshed again.
[You painstakingly cultivated for one year. Your true qi grew increasingly condensed, and the capacity of your Dantian increased by seventy percent. Your cultivation reached the seventh level of the Houtian Realm!]
Inside his room, Fang Yuan sat cross-legged. Wild surges of true qi coursed through his body, then quickly drew back within him.
"I've already returned to the seventh level of the Houtian Realm?"
Fang Yuan slowly opened his eyes. A sense of power filled his entire body, and the amount of true qi he could use had increased considerably.
"Disciples of the great sects begin practicing internal cultivation methods when they're young. Their true qi is far stronger than that of unaffiliated martial artists at the same realm."
Fang Yuan had seen the Azure Cloud Sect disciples' strength. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, they were like warriors from another dimension, nearly unmatched by anyone at the same realm.
"In the past, I devoted more time to external body cultivation. It brought quick results, but I fell behind in the end."
"The Mysterious Bright Heart Method is the best internal cultivation method in the family, but its grade is still a little low. I'll have to find a better one later."
Fang Yuan was now measuring himself against the disciples of the great sects. That was his own ambition, but it was also influenced by the deeply ingrained obsession of his predecessor.
"I should be able to return to the Xiantian Realm tomorrow."
It would originally have taken three years, but with the boost from the Heavenly Origin Earth Realm, Fang Yuan's cultivation was rising like a rocket.
In only three days!
As the Young Master, Fang Yuan's every move easily drew the attention of outsiders.
And sure enough.
News that Fang Hui had challenged Fang Yuan spread quickly. The outcome left everyone greatly disappointed.
"Fang Hui really is a clown. He tried to trample the Young Master and got beaten up by the Madman instead."
"Everyone knows the Madman is loyal to the Young Master. He had it coming."
"Fang Hui's older brother, Fang Yuan'er, recently broke through. Do you think he'll try to get even?"
One disciple's guess hit the mark.
But no one expected that on the very night Fang Hui was beaten, his mother would haul him over to apologize to Fang Yuan.
Then, the next day, Fang Hui's older brother, Fang Yuan'er, announced that he would formally challenge Fang Yuan once he had fully recovered!
Before you continue