The clan academy's teaching elder hurried out of the lecture hall, almost stumbling as he stepped forward and bowed, his voice trembling slightly. "I did not know the Young Lord would be visiting and failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive me, Young Lord!"
Yun Huang merely waved a hand and walked straight to the seat of honor before the immortal dais, which offered the best view and had just been hastily cleared for him. He settled into it and closed his eyes, an air of lofty elegance and aloofness surrounding him, seemingly without the slightest interest in the lesson about to begin.
Yun Qing stepped to the front of the dais, clad in black, his hair dark as ink, his bearing like a lone pine overlooking an abyss. Facing countless gazes filled with curiosity, admiration, scrutiny, and even hidden jealousy, he remained calm and unhurried as he began the day's lecture on "Basic Spiritual Power Circulation and Combat Microcontrol."
His voice was clear as a mountain stream, breaking down obscure, complex principles of spiritual power into profound yet accessible explanations. Occasionally, he stepped down to demonstrate a move himself, his movements flowing like drifting clouds and running water, precise and graceful. The young disciples below watched without blinking, their hearts filled with yearning, even their breathing unconsciously growing quieter.
"As I just explained, the core of spiritual power circulation lies in 'intent moves qi, and qi gives rise to force.' What matters is guidance and control, not brute force." His gaze swept over the audience before settling on a concubine-born boy who seemed particularly ill at ease in Yun Huang's presence. A gentle smile curved his lips, as soothing as a spring breeze. "For example... you, step forward. Circulate the basic Qi-Guiding Art and attack me with your strongest move."
The boy jolted in fright, circulated the spiritual power within him, and threw a trembling punch.
His stance was crooked, his spiritual power scattered like sand.
Yun Qing neither dodged nor evaded, nor did he even employ spiritual power. Just as the boy's fist was about to reach him, he extended two slender fingers and seemingly casually brushed, guided, and pushed at the boy's wrist joint. His movements were light and fluid as a butterfly alighting on a flower's heart.
The boy felt an irresistible yet exceptionally gentle, mellow surge of spiritual power pour into his meridians. His own power, previously scattered and disorderly, darting wildly in every direction, was instantly gathered and ordered as though by an invisible, wondrous hand. Of its own accord, it rapidly condensed and compressed along a path that resonated with the rhythm of heaven and earth, finally surging fiercely into his fist-
Whoosh!
A pure-white blast of force, several times more concentrated and powerful than before, shot through the air like an arrow loosed from a bow, producing a distinct ripping sound!
"Did you see how that worked?" Yun Qing withdrew his hand and smiled gently at the dumbfounded disciples, his tone carrying a composure and confidence that won their hearts. "Spiritual power is like river water. Channeling it is better than damming it, and guiding it is better than merely channeling it. The key is to find the crucial points and rhythms of its circulation and guide it along its natural course. Four ounces can deflect a thousand pounds-that is the essence of 'microcontrol.' It does not seek the greatest possible strength, but teaches you how to use every measure of spiritual power within you more efficiently and precisely."
After such a miraculous demonstration with immediate results, the disciples below rubbed their fists and flexed their palms, eager to try.
"You may spar with one another and test it out," Yun Qing added, and the atmosphere immediately grew lively.
Smiling, he watched these vigorous young figures brimming with limitless possibilities. Just as he was about to offer further guidance, a dull boom of fiercely colliding spiritual power suddenly came from the northwestern corner of Sunshine Court, accompanied by several stifled cries and a contemptuous sneer.
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw an arrogantly poised disciple of the main line in brocade robes driving a black-clad youth back again and again with a sharp blast from his palm.
The youth's steps were unsteady, his face pale. It was Yun Li, whose dantian had been damaged when Yun Huang severely punished him and had yet to heal. He clenched his teeth, a streak of glaring crimson seeping from the corner of his mouth, yet his eyes remained dark and unyielding as he stubbornly straightened his back.
"Yun Li, your 'Wave-Stacking Force' is limp and riddled with openings. Looks like that last punishment completely ruined your dantian's sea of qi! You're an utter disgrace to Sunshine Court!" Undisguised contempt covered the main-line disciple's face as he raised his voice. "Why don't you hurry up and crawl off to Moonglow... no, even Moonglow Courtyard would probably find you a burden. Go keep those nursing babies at Cloudsprout Cottage company instead! At least their dantians are intact. Their future achievements will probably far outstrip a useless wretch like you!"
His words were vicious, and every attack targeted Yun Li's old dantian injury, making it clear that he was deliberately humiliating him. From the corner of his eye, he kept stealing glances at Yun Huang, who sat with his eyes closed on the elevated dais, his desire to curry favor and show off utterly undisguised.
Many disciples watched coldly from nearby, some wearing mocking expressions, others angry but afraid to speak. Owing to his birth and temperament, Yun Li had never been particularly popular. Moreover, everyone knew he had previously angered the Young Lord and been severely punished, making ordinary people even less willing to become involved.
The concubine-born boy Yun Qing had called up for the demonstration earlier hid a short distance behind Yun Li. His lips moved a few times as though he wanted to say something, but after a brief struggle, he ultimately remained silent.
Yun Li bit down hard on his lower lip, his fists clenched and his eyes filled with humiliation and resentment. Yet the sluggish spiritual power within him and the faint ache in his dantian left him unable to fight back.
Yun Huang's divine power had previously wounded him and damaged his dantian. Though the injury was not incurable, only an exceedingly rare Essence-Consolidating Meridian-Fixing Pill could heal it completely. The pill was difficult to refine, and its medicinal ingredients were hard to find. Added to that were his concubine-born status and the fact that he had clearly offended the young clan head. Naturally, none of the elders and stewards responsible for allocating the clan's resources were willing to risk standing up for this "discarded pawn," leaving his injury untreated to this day.
Just as the main-line disciple's vicious grin deepened and spiritual power surged around him, ready to crush Yun Li completely and drag his dignity through the dirt before everyone-
A black-clad figure slipped between them like a cool breeze.
Yun Qing did not attack. He merely flicked his fingertips, sending a vast surge of Chaos spiritual power rippling outward and effortlessly dissolving the main-line disciple's fierce, ruthless palm blast into nothing. At the same time, a supple force securely supported Yun Li as he staggered, about to fall.
"Sparring between clansmen should stop once the point is made. Bullying the weak and attacking an injured opponent are not the conduct of a gentleman, and violate the teachings of the clan academy." Yun Qing's voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable authority. The shadowy gleam of his Double Pupils swept over the main-line disciple, instantly making him feel as though he had plunged into an ice cavern, all his arrogance freezing on his face.
The main-line disciple's face went from red to ashen. He wanted to defend himself, but the instant his gaze met Yun Qing's Double Pupils, every word stuck in his throat, becoming a halting reply. "...Yes, Eldest Young Master. You are right to reprimand me." He had meant to curry favor with the Young Lord, only to first offend this Eldest Young Master, whom the Young Lord plainly "indulged" even more.
Could that gloomy, unlikable brat Yun Li actually be on friendly terms with the Eldest Young Master?
Seeing his reaction, Yun Qing could not help sighing inwardly. What those above favor, those below pursue to excess.
He then turned to Yun Li, his gaze falling on his pale face and the hand pressed tightly over his dantian. Meeting his gaze, Yun Li instinctively turned his head aside, his expression carrying embarrassment, wariness, and a barely perceptible trace of... shame at his own inferiority.
Yun Qing said little. With a turn of his hand, he produced a plain jade bottle and casually tossed it to Yun Li, his tone gentle and even. "This is an Origin-Stabilizing Immortal-Restoring Pill. It will fully heal your old dantian injury. Take it and cultivate diligently. Do not let a moment's anger lead you astray again and undermine your own ambition and integrity."
Of course, this was not the box of Nine-Turn Jade-Restoring Pills wreathed in spiritual energy that Yun Huang had given him-what a joke. If he gave away pills that exalted personage had personally refined, which even contained his own essence, there was no telling what trouble he would stir up, given his seemingly cold and indifferent but actually "extremely petty" temperament. Yun Qing could practically picture those pale-gold eyes narrowing and the surrounding temperature abruptly dropping ten degrees.
Still, the Origin-Stabilizing Immortal-Restoring Pill he had given was more than a grade above the Essence-Consolidating Meridian-Fixing Pill, and was precisely suited to the injury.
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