Dragon-Tiger True Intent, Extraordinary Talent

The dust in the courtyard had yet to settle, and the broken iron rings strewn across the ground were still trembling faintly.

Qin Geng stood amid the scrap iron, heat steaming off his body. He looked like a piece of porcelain fresh from the kiln, still radiating fire, but his eyes shone with startling brightness. It was the sign of Essence, Qi, and Spirit at their peak.

Ye Lanzen clasped his hands behind his back. The thick-soled cloth shoes on his feet made a faint scraping sound against the bluestone slabs.

He circled Qin Geng twice, his cloudy old eyes now sharper than a hawk's. They swept him up and down as though he meant to see through flesh into the gaps between his bones.

"Good. Good. Good."

The old man said it three times, then slapped Qin Geng's still-reddened back.

He put no force into the slap, yet Qin Geng's whole body shook.

The force that had been surging wildly through him like a runaway horse was caught by that slap, as though a lead rope had tightened around it. It returned obediently to his dantian.

"Relax your stance. You've done it."

Ye Lanzen walked over to the wicker chair and sat down, looking more satisfied than if he had made the breakthrough himself.

Qin Geng let out a long breath of stale air. His muscles slowly relaxed, and the sharp drive that had seemed ready to punch a hole through the sky sank into his bones. He cupped his hands, bent at the waist, and bowed deeply. "Thank you for cultivating me, Master."

"What are you thanking me for? Those are your own strong bones, and you're the one who risked his life training."

Ye Lanzen waved a hand and pointed to the stone stool beside him. "Sit.