Zhao Qi and Wu Tong

Chen Yang watched the two children with equal intensity.

Fifty-six children participated in the test, and to have two with potential was surprising at first.

But after some thought, he realized it wasn't that exaggerated.

The two towns covered a vast area, and with all the villages and independent households combined, there were over ten thousand people.

It was only because of the beast tide that a portion of them gathered at the Yang Family. With such a large base, it wasn't strange for two qualified children to appear.

It could only be considered good luck for the Yang Family that these two children happened to be in their territory and survived that calamity.

"Hmm~ they're preparing to start cultivating now."

Chen Yang withdrew his thoughts and looked towards the branch school.

After discussing it, the two children decided to start with the Circulating Qi Induction Art.

The cultivation method of this technique was similar to the yoga from Chen Yang's previous life, using special combinations of movements to draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Twelve movements formed one cycle, and twelve cycles made up a complete set. Only after completing one set could spiritual energy be drawn into the body.

Compared to the Nether Spirit Path Seeking Scripture, this method seemed a bit clumsy, but its advantage was its low barrier to entry. As long as one was willing to put in the hard work, it would only take more time to successfully induce Qi.

The two children imitated the cyclical movements from the cultivation technique with youthful imprecision. Their clothes were soaked with sweat several times throughout the day, and they had only just mastered the first few movements.

"Ha... ha... Sister Wu Tong, let's rest for a bit. My arms and legs are going numb."

Zhao Qi plopped down on the ground, wiping sweat while gasping for breath.

This was far from the immortal cultivation he had imagined. The cyclical movements looked simple, but performing them continuously consumed a lot of stamina.

He felt like he had never worked as hard as he did working in the fields with Zhao Da Peng for a whole day.

Wu Tong, kneeling on the ground beside him, had a flushed face, her hair dampened and clinging to the sides of her cheeks.

She didn't respond to Zhao Qi, but instead gasped for air, trying to calm her racing heart. After a short while, she stood up again and resumed the cyclical movements.

Seeing this, Zhao Qi's mouth hung open, unsure of what to say.

After watching for a while, he felt too embarrassed to continue resting and got up to practice alongside Wu Tong.

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

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

The next day, Chen Yang had expected the two children to sleep in after being so exhausted the first day. However, as soon as dawn broke, Wu Tong pulled a groggy Zhao Qi out to sweep the courtyard.

After breakfast and a short rest, they plunged back into their cultivation.

Zhao Qi complained about the pain from beginning to end, but his movements were not neglected at all.

Wu Tong, just like the first day, remained silent, diligently performing each movement precisely.

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

This significantly improved their efficiency.

That evening, they both successfully completed a full set of cyclical movements, marking their first step. Afterward, they continued to repeat the movements until they could perform a full round continuously.

This process was incredibly tedious because there were no shortcuts; they could only rely on painstaking effort, bit by bit.

Zhao Qi felt like slacking off several times during this process, but seeing Wu Tong persist, he felt too ashamed to stop.

"Heh heh, these two little brats are quite interesting. The little girl, Wu Tong, is excellent; her disposition is tough enough, she has perseverance, and her will is truly resilient."

Chen Yang had observed them for a while and had a good grasp of the two children's personalities.

"This kid Zhao Qi, he complains non-stop, and he's always thinking about slacking off a little, but he understands what's important. When he needs to put in the effort, he's not sloppy at all."

Overall, both children were very good.

Elder Yu's opinion was similar to Chen Yang's. Having seen countless people in his life, he had already seen through the two children based on their performance over the past few days.

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

Today was the day Chen Yang was scheduled to repair Yang Lingqing's Qi Meridians. As he pulled his focus back, he turned his gaze towards the branch school.

After a month of training, Wu Tong and Zhao Qi could finally complete a full cycle of the Zhou Tian movements.

Today, the two were about to officially begin inducing Qi into their bodies.

The two adjusted their states, chanting words under their breath as their bodies began to move.

As they circulated the Qi, the spiritual energy around the branch school began to fluctuate.

After the first cycle, Zhao Qi seemed to have gained some insight, while Wu Tong felt nothing.

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

Then the third, the fourth...

From the rising sun to the setting sun, the two children completed a total of eight cycles.

"I got it, I got it!"

After the eighth cycle, Zhao Qi exclaimed in surprise and joy.

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

"Sister Wu Tong, I succeeded in Qi Induction!"

"That's wonderful, congratulations!"

Wu Tong was genuinely happy for Zhao Qi, but thinking about her own lack of progress today, her eyes inevitably dimmed.

Zhao Qi also noticed this and quickly offered words of comfort.

Listening to his childish consolation, Wu Tong shook her head with a bitter smile.

How could she not understand those principles?

It was just that a month of effort yielding no results was truly disheartening.

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

Chen Yang, who had witnessed the entire process, sighed inwardly.

Although Wu Tong could cultivate, her physical aptitude was exaggeratedly poor.

Chen Yang watched as the surrounding spiritual energy was drawn by her Circulating Qi Induction Art, gathering towards her. However, after circling her body for a long time, it couldn't find an entrance and eventually dissipated.

Wu Tong's twelve Qi Meridians had extremely narrow entrances. This meant she had to put in many times more effort than ordinary people to reach the same level as a regular cultivator.

The days of cultivation always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, another month had gone by.

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

Zhao Qi had already broken through his first Qi Meridian. His Circulating Qi Induction Art was becoming more proficient, and he could sense the flow of spiritual energy with every movement and stillness.

Elder Yu, who had been observing quietly, nodded in approval. He then looked at Wu Tong and couldn't help but sigh.

For a whole month, Wu Tong still hadn't succeeded in Qi Induction. Every time she reached the crucial moment, she failed.

Even though her Circulating Qi Induction movements were more standard and fluid than Zhao Qi's, she showed no progress whatsoever.

Even Elder Yu, with his deep thoughts, couldn't help but sigh at the sight.

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

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

They had already completed ten sets of Circulating Qi cycles today, and their bodies were basically at their limit.

"You go back first. I'll try a bit more," Wu Tong said, adjusting her breathing.

Zhao Qi looked at her, wanting to say something but holding back. He could only agree and return to his room.

After he left, Wu Tong rested for half a moment, then stood up again and began to circulate her Qi.

Elder Yu watched as she completed her eleventh cycle, only to collapse on the ground again with no progress.

She tightly clenched her fists, her lips pressed together, sobbing silently. Tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto the ground.

In that instant, the receding figures of her brothers and her mother's pained face flashed through her mind.

After a brief moment of crying, the resilient girl shakily stood up again.

She raised her hand, intending to perform the Circulating Qi cycle once more.

"Sigh..."

Elder Yu shook his head in heartache. He had seen Wu Tong's efforts all along.

He couldn't bear to watch any longer and intended to step in to stop her, to prevent her from harming herself.

Just then, a thought reached him.

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

Chen Yang called out to Elder Yu, then extended his consciousness, gently reaching out towards Wu Tong.

As the surrounding spiritual energy was drawn by the Circulating Qi cycle, Chen Yang began to guide it from the side, leading it towards the Qi Meridian in Wu Tong's abdomen.

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

The entrance to the Qi Meridian naturally began to expand as spiritual energy poured in, quickly reaching a normal size. From then on, spiritual energy could enter her body through this point without Chen Yang's guidance.

Elder Yu watched this scene in astonishment, his eyes filled with disbelief.

After staring blankly at Wu Tong for a long while, he finally came to his senses and quickly bowed deeply in the direction of the main courtyard.

"Immortal Venerable's divine abilities are boundless. I thank you on behalf of Wu Tong!"