Qi Gathering

"Lu Ren is hosting a banquet tonight to celebrate. He's invited all of you."

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

Zhang Hong hesitated for a moment, as though remembering something, then asked, "We don't have to chip in, do we?"

If they had to chip in, he wasn't particularly interested. But a free meal? He was more than willing.

Luo Dehu glared at him. "Who do you think Lu Ren is now? He's celebrating his own success. Why would he need us to chip in?"

Zhang Yong frowned. "You dare leave the Mighty Far Hall?"

Xue Fangsheng's threat still hung over them. If they left the Mighty Far Hall, he might ambush and kill them.

Luo Dehu said, "Lu Ren has already spoken to him. He won't touch us."

Having broken through to Qi Gathering, Lu Ren was no longer a mud-legged peasant struggling at the bottom, but a martial arts prodigy tied to the Huang Family. At his word, even someone like Xue Fangsheng, who had reached Qi Gathering over a year ago, had to show him respect.

"All right!" Zhang Yong and Zhang Hong both agreed.

After some thought, Xu Yang also agreed to attend, because members of the Huang Family would be there.

He would soon reach Qi Gathering. It was time to lay certain matters out on the table with the Huang Family.

"Mind your table manners tonight. Plenty of senior martial brothers from the Inner Court will be there, along with some important people on good terms with the Huang Family. Don't embarrass Lu Ren," Luo Dehu warned.

The banquet was primarily the Huang Family's way of announcing that they had acquired a martial arts prodigy, so they weren't the only guests.

"Get lost. Do you think we're hungry ghosts?" the others cursed.

After washing the stink of sweat off in the baths, they left the Mighty Far Hall together and went to the banquet venue, where they were seated at the same table.

Besides the five of them, the table held several people who seemed to be Lu Ren's relatives. Every word out of their mouths praised him, declaring that the old Lu family had produced a dragon and so on.

Lu Ren and Huang Jin stood at the Wine House's entrance, personally welcoming the guests. The smiles never left their faces.

Xu Yang wanted to approach Huang Jin for a conversation, but even by the time the banquet began, he hadn't found a suitable opportunity.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Huang Jin was still entertaining the important guests in a Private Room, so Xu Yang could only leave with Zhang Yong and the others.

Unexpectedly, they had barely stepped out of the Wine House when someone called them back and led them into a Private Room to wait.

After a while, Huang Jin came in, reeking of alcohol.

They rose together and cupped their hands. "Greetings, Fifth Master."

Huang Jin waved a hand. "Sit down, all of you. I called you back because there's something I need to tell you."

What he wanted to discuss was precisely the matter Xu Yang had hoped to settle that day.

Huang Jin stated frankly that the Huang Family's foundations were shallow. They couldn't support too many martial artists; Lu Ren alone was enough.

If the others successfully reached Qi Gathering, the Huang Family would not hire them as Attendant martial masters. They were free to seek other paths, and the Huang Family's investment in their training could simply be considered the sowing of goodwill.

None of them found this surprising. Once Lu Ren had successfully broken through, the Huang Family was bound to have made its choice.

Nor did they resent the Huang Family. Though the family had broken its agreement, it had shown them nothing but kindness. Without the Huang Family, they would never have had the chance to enter the Martial Arts Hall.

If they truly broke through to Qi Gathering, there would be no shortage of people willing to hire a Qi Gathering martial artist as an Attendant.

The conversation soon ended, and everyone dispersed.

The following day, Qiu Wenjie found Xu Yang and gave him the Qiu Family's financial support for the month.

"Senior Brother Xu, can you break through today?" Qiu Wenjie asked curiously.

In fact, he wasn't the only one. Many people in the Outer Court were waiting to see whether Xu Yang would follow his usual pattern and break through the day after Lu Ren did.

"I'm still a little short. It'll take a few more days." Xu Yang shook his head.

He was confident he could advance the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist to Minor Accomplishment at any moment, but the Turtle-Snake Great Stance still lagged behind. Because he had lacked money before, he had practiced it less, leaving his body insufficiently tempered.

He intended to temper his body for a few more days before gathering qi. He was in no hurry.

The Huang Family had already decided not to hire him. Competing with Lu Ren no longer served any purpose, and there was no need to draw that kind of attention.

Xu Yang did not break through to Qi Gathering that day, leaving many people in the Outer Court deeply disappointed.

Lu Ren, who had been watching discreetly, also breathed a sigh of relief. He had genuinely feared that Xu Yang would break through that day, in which case the Huang Family might change its mind and hire Xu Yang after all.

With two prodigies serving the same family, some resources would inevitably be diverted, even though he was confident Xu Yang was inferior to him. That was not something he wanted to see.

For that very reason, he had even made some secret arrangements that morning.

Over the next two days, Xu Yang used the Turtle-Snake Great Stance to temper his body and build up his blood energy. Both were crucial to a successful breakthrough, and neither could be treated carelessly.

Ordinary people couldn't control the timing of their breakthrough, but he had the panel and could clearly see his progress in his techniques, allowing him to choose when to break through.

That afternoon, the blood energy in his body surged, and the rate at which he built it up suddenly increased considerably.

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

The Turtle-Snake Great Stance had reached Minor Accomplishment!

Another key to breaking through to Qi Gathering was attaining Minor Accomplishment in the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist. Most people couldn't clearly sense their progress in their techniques, so many began attempting a breakthrough unconsciously while practicing their punches. That was why the success rate was so low.

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

If they attained Minor Accomplishment in the Turtle-Snake Great Stance first, their chances of a successful breakthrough would surely rise dramatically.

Today is the day I break through to Qi Gathering!

Xu Yang found a corner and sat down, closing his eyes to gather his strength while summoning the panel to add points to the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

His mind shuddered as a flood of insights poured in.

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

When he checked the panel again, the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist had already reached Minor Accomplishment.

This method of breaking through is practically cheating!

Others triggered a particular insight while practicing their punches, then began their breakthrough only after their fist technique advanced. Problems could easily arise during that process and cause the breakthrough to fail: insufficient insight into the technique, inadequate reserves of blood energy, or a body that hadn't been tempered to its limit.

But he had prepared everything properly. Before he even began his breakthrough, the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist had already reached Minor Accomplishment. He understood the entire process of gathering qi, as though he were cultivating it all over again.

Under these circumstances, he couldn't imagine how he could fail. Unless someone disturbed him, failure was simply impossible.

"I'm about to break through. Stand guard for me!"

After giving Qiu Wenjie those instructions, Xu Yang sprang to his feet.

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

The moment Xu Yang began performing the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist at Minor Accomplishment, he felt the difference. The blood energy inside him flowed with his punches, obeying him as readily as his own limbs instead of remaining scattered and uncontrollable.

Bang, bang...

The wind from his punches grew louder and louder. A stream of "qi" emerged from every limb and bone in his body, flowing into his meridians and circulating with his fist technique, piercing through some of the blocked meridians.

The moment this qi appeared, it was as though something inside his body had opened. Vast amounts of blood energy rapidly welled up throughout his limbs and bones, and his physical strength soared.

The process of gathering qi was unexpectedly simple. Everything flowed into place like water finding its channel.

As more and more qi filled his meridians, Xu Yang felt his punches growing stronger and his senses sharpening. Everything he saw became clearer, and he could hear the breathing of people in the distance.

Boom, boom...

The increasingly thunderous rush of his punches drew the attention of those nearby. The disciples practicing on the Martial Training Ground stopped and stared at Xu Yang in shock.