Zhao Qi and Wu Tong

Chen Yang watched the two children as well.

Fifty-six children had taken the test, and two of them had turned out to possess aptitude. At first, he had been somewhat surprised.

But after thinking it over carefully, he no longer found it so exaggerated.

The area covered by the two towns was vast. Counting the villages and scattered households everywhere, there were more than ten thousand people altogether.

It was only because of the Beast Tide that some of them had gathered at the Yang Family. With such a large base, it was hardly strange for two children with aptitude to emerge.

It could only be said that the Yang Family had been fortunate. These two children had happened to arrive within the Yang Family's territory and had survived that calamity.

"Mm... they're getting ready to begin cultivating."

Chen Yang withdrew his thoughts and looked toward the side courtyard.

After discussing it, the two children decided to begin by trying the Circulating Qi Induction Art.

The cultivation method of this technique resembled the yoga of Chen Yang's previous life. It used special combinations of movements to stir the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Twelve movements formed one circulation, and twelve circulations made one complete cycle. Only after completing a full cycle could one draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body.

Compared to the Nether Spirit Path Seeking Scripture, this method looked somewhat clumsy, but its threshold was low. As long as one was willing to endure hardship, one merely needed to spend more time to successfully draw in qi.

The two children awkwardly imitated the circulation movements in the manual. After an entire day, their clothes had been soaked through with sweat several times, yet they had only barely grasped the first few movements.

"Ha... ha... Sister Wu Tong, let's rest for a while. My arms and legs have gone limp."

Zhao Qi plopped down onto the ground, panting as he wiped away his sweat.

This was far too different from the immortal cultivation he had imagined. The circulation movements looked simple, but when done smoothly in succession, they consumed an enormous amount of stamina.

He felt more exhausted than after spending an entire day working the fields with Zhao Dapeng.

Beside him, Wu Tong sat kneeling on the ground, her face flushed crimson. Her hair was soaked, strands of it hanging against both sides of her cheeks.

She did not answer Zhao Qi. Instead, she panted heavily and tried to steady her heartbeat. Before long, she rose again and resumed the circulation movements.

Zhao Qi stared at her with his mouth half open, unsure what to say.

After watching for a while, he felt too embarrassed to keep resting. He got up and continued practicing alongside Wu Tong.

They cultivated until nightfall that day, stopping only when their limbs could no longer move at all.

Later, Elder Yu appeared and took the two of them back to their rooms to rest.

The next day, Chen Yang had thought that after exhausting themselves so badly on their first day, the children would sleep in. Yet before dawn had fully broken, Wu Tong was already dragging the still-groggy Zhao Qi outside to sweep the courtyard.

After breakfast and a brief rest, they threw themselves back into cultivation.

Zhao Qi howled in pain from beginning to end, but not a single movement of his body fell behind.

Just as on the first day, Wu Tong remained silent and did her utmost to perform every movement properly.

By the fifth day, their bodies had adapted to the circulation movements, and they no longer felt sore.

This improved their efficiency considerably.

That night, the two of them completed a full set of circulation movements one after another, successfully taking their first step. After that, they only needed to repeat the movements until they could complete an entire cycle continuously.

The process was exceedingly tedious. There was no clever shortcut; they could only put in the effort bit by bit.

Zhao Qi wanted to slack off several times during the process, but seeing that Wu Tong was still persevering, he felt too embarrassed to stop.

"Hehe, these two little ones are quite interesting. Little Wu Tong is good—her temperament is tough enough, she has perseverance, and her will is truly resilient."

After observing them for some time, Chen Yang had basically come to understand the two children's personalities.

"Zhao Qi is always complaining, and every now and then he thinks about stealing a little rest. But he understands the stakes in his heart. When it is time to work hard, he is not careless in the slightest."

All in all, both children were quite good.

Elder Yu's view was much the same as Chen Yang's. He had seen countless people in his lifetime, and from the first two days of their performances, he had already seen through the children thoroughly.

Time slipped by little by little, and in the blink of an eye, a month passed.

This was the day Chen Yang was to repair Yang Lingqing's Qi Meridians. As soon as he withdrew his attention, he turned his gaze toward the side courtyard.

After a month of training, Wu Tong and Zhao Qi could finally complete an entire set of circulation movements.

Today, the two of them would officially begin drawing qi into their bodies.

After adjusting their states, they muttered incantations under their breaths, and their bodies began to move as well.

As they began their circulations, the spiritual energy around the side courtyard started to ripple.

After the first round, Zhao Qi seemed to have gained a faint clue, while Wu Tong felt nothing.

Then came the second round. Zhao Qi could already vaguely sense the flow of spiritual energy, but Wu Tong still felt nothing.

Then the third round, the fourth round...

From sunrise to sunset, the two children completed a full eight circulations.

"I did it, I did it!"

When the eighth round ended, Zhao Qi cried out in delighted surprise.

He had successfully drawn the first wisp of spiritual energy from heaven and earth into his body, feeling its lightness within his Qi Meridian.

"Sister Wu Tong, I successfully drew qi into my body!"

"That's wonderful! Congratulations!"

Wu Tong was sincerely happy for Zhao Qi, but when she thought of how she had made no progress at all today, her gaze could not help dimming.

Zhao Qi realized this as well and hurriedly offered a few words of comfort.

Hearing his childish consolation, Wu Tong gave a bitter smile and shook her head.

How could she not understand those principles?

It was simply that after a month of effort, she had gained nothing at all in the end. It truly was disheartening.

"Alas... her aptitude really is too poor. Not to mention comparing her with the Yang Family's three children, she is far behind even Zhao Qi."

Having witnessed everything, Chen Yang sighed inwardly.

Wu Tong could cultivate, but her physical aptitude was so terrible that it was almost absurd.

Chen Yang watched as the surrounding spiritual energy was stirred by her circulating movements and gathered around her. Yet it circled her body for a long while without finding a single entrance, before finally dispersing away.

All twelve entrances to Wu Tong's Qi Meridians were extremely narrow. This meant that she had to put in many times more effort than an ordinary person just to reach the same level as a normal cultivator.

The days of cultivation always passed swiftly, and another month went by in the blink of an eye.

After Elder Yu finished nourishing Chen Yang with spiritual power, he came to the side courtyard to check on the two children.

Zhao Qi had already opened his first Qi Meridian, and his circulation had become increasingly proficient. Whether moving or still, he could sense the flow of spiritual energy.

Elder Yu, who was quietly observing from the side, nodded silently before turning to Wu Tong, unable to stop a sigh from rising in his heart.

A full month had passed, yet Wu Tong still had not managed to draw qi into her body. Every time she reached the crucial moment, all her efforts fell short at the last step.

Even though her circulation movements were more standard and fluid than Zhao Qi's, she had made no progress whatsoever.

Even Elder Yu, whose thoughts ran deep, could not help sighing inwardly at this sight.

"Sister Wu Tong, it's getting late. Let's rest for today."

Zhao Qi steadied himself and looked at Wu Tong with concern.

Today, they had already completed ten full circulation cycles. Their bodies had basically reached their limits.

"You go back first. I'll try again." As Wu Tong spoke, she adjusted her breathing.

Zhao Qi looked at her, wanting to speak but stopping himself. In the end, he could only acknowledge her and return to his room.

After he left, Wu Tong rested for a quarter of an hour before getting to her feet again and beginning another circulation.

Elder Yu watched her complete the eleventh cycle, only to collapse to the ground once more without making any progress.

She clenched her fists tightly, pressed her lips together, and sobbed soundlessly. Two streams of tears fell down her cheeks and dripped onto the ground.

At that moment, the receding figures of her brothers and her mother's pained face kept surfacing in her mind.

After a brief cry, the strong girl shakily stood up once more.

She raised her hand, intending to begin another circulation.

"Alas..."

Elder Yu shook his head sorrowfully. He had seen all of Wu Tong's efforts over this time.

This time, he truly could not bear it any longer. He was about to reveal himself and stop her, lest she injure her body.

Just then, a thought reached him.

Elder Yu froze for a moment, then turned toward the main courtyard. "Immortal Venerable!"

Chen Yang stopped Elder Yu, then extended his consciousness and gently brushed it over Wu Tong.

When the surrounding spiritual energy was stirred by her circulating movements, Chen Yang began guiding it from the side, leading it toward the Qi Meridian at Wu Tong's abdomen.

Then, just as he compressed his own spiritual power, he twisted together the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around Wu Tong and sent it into that Qi Meridian.

As spiritual energy poured in, the entrance to the Qi Meridian naturally began to expand. It quickly reached a normal size, and the subsequent spiritual energy no longer needed Chen Yang's guidance to enter her body through that point.

Elder Yu stared at the scene in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.

After staring blankly at Wu Tong for a long while, he finally came back to himself and hurriedly gave a deep bow toward the main courtyard.

"Immortal Venerable's divine abilities are boundless. On Wu Tong's behalf, this old man offers his thanks!"