Gathering Qi

"Brother Lu Ren is hosting a banquet tonight to celebrate, and he's invited you all to attend."

As dusk approached, Luo Dehu found Xu Yang and the others.

Zhang Hong hesitated for a moment, as if recalling something, and asked, "We don't have to chip in for the costs, do we?"

If it meant spending money, he wouldn't be interested, but if he could get a free meal without paying, he was more than willing.

Luo Dehu glared at him and said, "What kind of status do you think Brother Lu Ren has now? Since he's the one celebrating his own success, why would he need us to chip in?"

Zhang Yong frowned. "Do you dare to leave Wei Yuan Hall?"

Xue Fangsheng's threat still loomed; if they left the hall, they risked being intercepted and killed by him.

Luo Dehu replied, "Brother Lu Ren has already spoken with him. He won't touch us."

Having broken through to gather Qi, Lu Ren was no longer a mud-legged laborer struggling at the bottom; he was a martial arts genius tied to the Huang Family. With just one word, even someone like Xue Fangsheng, who had successfully gathered Qi for over a year, had to show respect.

"Alright!" Both Zhang Yong and Zhang Hong agreed.

Xu Yang thought for a moment and also agreed to attend, as people from the Huang Family would be there.

He was on the verge of gathering Qi himself, and it was time to lay some matters out clearly with the Huang Family.

"Watch your manners later. Many senior martial artists from the Inner Courtyard will be attending, along with some big shots who are on good terms with the Huang Family. Don't make Brother Lu Ren lose face," Luo Dehu cautioned.

This banquet was primarily for the Huang Family to announce that they had acquired a genius martial artist, so it wasn't just for their small group.

"Get lost, do you think we're starving ghosts?" the others retorted.

After washing the sweat and grime off in the bathhouse, they walked out of Wei Yuan Hall together and arrived at the banquet venue, where they were assigned to a table.

Aside from the five of them, the table included several people who appeared to be Lu Ren's relatives. Their conversation was filled with flattery toward Lu Ren, openly declaring that a dragon had emerged from the Lu Family.

Lu Ren and Huang Jin stood at the entrance of the restaurant, personally greeting the guests, their smiles never fading.

Xu Yang intended to approach Huang Jin for a conversation, but he couldn't find a suitable moment before the banquet began.

After eating and drinking their fill, Huang Jin remained in a private room with the big shots, so Xu Yang had no choice but to leave with Zhang Yong and the others.

However, no sooner had they stepped out of the restaurant than they were called back and led into a private room to wait.

After a while, Huang Jin entered, reeking of alcohol.

The group stood up and cupped their hands in greeting: "Greetings, Fifth Master."

Huang Jin waved his hand. "Sit down. I asked you to come back because there is something I need to tell you."

The matter he spoke of was exactly what Xu Yang had wanted to clarify today.

Huang Jin stated bluntly that the Huang Family's foundation was shallow and they could not support too many martial artists; they only needed Lu Ren.

If they managed to gather Qi successfully, the Huang Family would not hire them as resident martial instructors, and they should seek other paths. The investment the Huang Family had made in them would be considered a favor.

The group was not surprised; with Lu Ren having successfully broken through, the Huang Family had inevitably made their choice.

They held no resentment toward the Huang Family. Although the family was breaking their promise, they had only ever shown them kindness. Without the Huang Family, they would never have had the chance to join the martial arts hall.

If one could truly break through and gather Qi, there were plenty of people willing to hire a Qi-gathering martial artist as a resident instructor.

The conversation ended quickly, and the group dispersed.

The next day, Qiu Wenjie found Xu Yang and handed him the monthly stipend from the Qiu Family.

"Senior Brother Xu, will you be able to break through today?" Qiu Wenjie asked curiously.

In fact, it wasn't just him; many in the Outer Courtyard were waiting to see if Xu Yang would follow his usual pattern and break through the day after Lu Ren.

"Still a bit short. I need to wait a few more days," Xu Yang shook his head.

He was confident that his Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist could reach the Minor Accomplishment stage at any time, but his Turtle-Snake Great Stance was still lacking. Because he hadn't had money before, he had practiced it less, and his physical tempering was insufficient.

He planned to temper his body for a few more days before gathering Qi; he was in no rush.

Since the Huang Family had decided not to hire him, there was no point in competing with Lu Ren, and no need to show off.

That day, Xu Yang did not break through to gather Qi, leaving many in the Outer Courtyard feeling disappointed.

Lu Ren, who had been watching secretly, also breathed a sigh of relief. He was genuinely afraid that Xu Yang would break through today, as the Huang Family might have had second thoughts and rehired him.

Having two geniuses serving the same family—even though he was confident that Xu Yang was inferior to him—would inevitably split the resources, which was not something he wanted to see.

Because of this, he had even made secret arrangements that morning.

For the next two days, Xu Yang focused on tempering his body and nourishing his Qi and blood through the Turtle-Snake Great Stance; both were crucial to a successful breakthrough and could not be neglected.

Most people could not control the timing of their breakthrough, but he had his panel and knew the progress of his techniques clearly, allowing him to dictate the timing.

In the afternoon, the Qi and blood within his body surged, and the speed at which he nourished them increased significantly.

[Turtle-Snake Great Stance · Minor Accomplishment (1/300)]

The Turtle-Snake Great Stance had reached Minor Accomplishment!

Another key to breaking through and gathering Qi was reaching Minor Accomplishment in the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist. Most people could not clearly perceive the progress of their techniques, so many began their breakthrough unconsciously while practicing, which was why the success rate was so low.

Furthermore, for the same reason, many were forced to attempt a breakthrough before their Turtle-Snake Great Stance had even reached Minor Accomplishment.

If one reached Minor Accomplishment in the Turtle-Snake Great Stance before attempting the breakthrough, the success rate would inevitably increase significantly.

"The breakthrough to Qi Gathering happens today!"

Xu Yang found a corner to sit down, closing his eyes to conserve his energy while summoning the panel to add points to Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

His mind jolted as a massive influx of insights flooded in.

[Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist · Minor Accomplishment (1/500)]

Looking at the panel again, Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist had already reached the stage of Minor Accomplishment.

My method of breaking through is practically cheating!

When others attempt a breakthrough, they usually trigger some form of realization during the process of practicing their fist techniques, only beginning the breakthrough once their mastery improves. This process is prone to issues that lead to failure, such as insufficient insight into the technique, inadequate accumulation of blood-qi, or a physique that hasn't been tempered to its absolute limit.

Yet, he had everything prepared; before he had even begun the breakthrough, the mastery of his Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist had already reached Minor Accomplishment, granting him full knowledge of the Qi Gathering process as if he were cultivating it all over again.

In this situation, he couldn't even imagine how he could possibly fail. Unless he were to be interrupted, there was absolutely no possibility of failure.

"I am going to break through; guard me!"

After instructing Qiu Wenjie, Xu Yang leaped to his feet.

Qiu Wenjie was left completely bewildered. How did Senior Brother Xu know he was about to break through?

Once the Minor Accomplishment-level Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist was unleashed, Xu Yang immediately felt the difference. The blood-qi within his body flowed in accordance with the technique, moving as easily as his own limbs, no longer a scattered and uncontrollable force.

"Bang, bang..."

His fist wind grew increasingly loud. A surge of "qi" emerged from every part of his body, converging into his meridians and circulating alongside the fist technique, piercing through previously blocked pathways.

The moment this qi appeared, it felt as if something within his body had been unlocked. A massive amount of blood-qi surged through his limbs and bones, and his physical strength spiked dramatically.

The process of Qi Gathering was unexpectedly simple; everything fell into place as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

As the qi within his meridians grew, Xu Yang felt his fist power increasing, his five senses sharpening. His vision became clearer, and he could even hear the breathing of people far away.

"Boom, boom..."

The increasingly thunderous sound of his fist wind attracted those nearby. The disciples practicing on the martial arts field stopped their movements, staring at Xu Yang in shock.