Lingrui's Spirit Gathering

Yang Lingrui took the jade bottle and drank it down without hesitation, then began to meditate and digest.

Although he didn't know what this thing was specifically, he was certain that whatever the Old Ancestor gave him had to be good.

"This power is so pure, so potent!"

As soon as he began digesting the spirit liquid, he felt its might.

In just a few breaths, the sixth Qi Meridian was broken through with ease, and the momentum only grew stronger, directly blasting through the seventh Qi Meridian as well!

Realizing the extraordinary nature of this spirit liquid, Yang Lingrui immediately cleared his mind and focused all his attention on breaking through the Qi Meridians.

It took Yang Lingrui a full five hours to completely digest the spirit liquid, and he only woke up when night had fallen.

By this time, eleven Qi Meridians in his body had been opened!

He was only one step away from condensing a spiritual energy vortex!

Upon waking, Yang Lingrui quickly knelt to pay respects to the Old Ancestor who had been guarding him.

"Disciple Yang Lingrui thanks the Old Ancestor for the treasure!"

Yang Guanfeng smiled and helped him up, saying gently, "Lingrui, you are a promising talent. The fate of the Yang Family for the next hundred years rests on you."

"Lingrui understands! I will cultivate diligently without fail, not betraying the Old Ancestor's trust or the family's expectations!"

Yang Lingrui said respectfully.

But then he suddenly thought of something and asked, "Old Ancestor, regarding today's events, my brother and sister..."

Yang Guanfeng's interest was piqued, and he retorted, "How do you plan to tell them?"

Yang Lingrui pondered for a moment, then raised his clear eyes.

"I will tell my brother and sister the truth. They are the closest people to me and will be pillars of the Yang Family in the future. I should not hide anything from them!"

"Good! Lingrui, you've thought well. Go back and rest."

"Disciple takes his leave."

After this brief conversation, Yang Guanfeng put aside his last lingering concern.

He had indeed worried that Yang Lingrui, being young and not from the main lineage, might become arrogant after receiving such focused training.

Now, it seemed he had worried for nothing.

"I seem to have underestimated the younger generation of my Yang Family," Yang Guanfeng chuckled and shook his head.

Yang Lingrui returned to his room, where Yang Linghu and Yang Lingqing eagerly stepped forward to inquire.

When they learned he had received a gift from the Old Ancestor and broken through eleven Qi Meridians, they were almost ecstatic.

They were more excited than if they had broken through themselves.

"Lingrui, you've done wonderfully! You'll have to become a pillar of the Yang Family!"

"Good lad, you've pulled ahead by a huge margin!"

Yang Linghu clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Xiaoqing, this is great! We'll soon have another Qi Gathering Cultivator in our family!"

Faced with his siblings' praise, Yang Lingrui's face flushed slightly, and he smiled shyly.

"Brother Hu, Sister Qing, I will definitely work even harder to cultivate from now on!"

The next day, Chen Yang noticed the change in Yang Lingrui's internal spiritual energy.

"Wow, this kid is really something. He's on the verge of successfully opening his Qi Meridians. That spirit liquid is really effective."

Seeing that Yang Lingrui was about to reach Qi Gathering, Chen Yang recalled the previous matter.

With another Qi Gathering Cultivator, taxes would increase again. Could the Yang Family handle it?

That evening, after the children had gone to bed.

Chen Yang, off duty, was led back to his room by Yang Guanfeng.

Elder Yu followed closely behind. "Patriarch, what is it you called me for?"

"Are the preparations for the move outside complete?"

Yang Guanfeng asked.

Elder Yu nodded. "Everything is ready. The location, timber, stone, and all other materials have been transported out of the city. The new spirit fields are also prepared; they just need to be infused with spirit energy to stabilize."

"Mm, just leave them for now. We'll start construction after the secret realm closes and the surrounding area stabilizes. We can't delay too long, or the Dynasty will drain our coffers dry."

"Yes, I understand."

The two then discussed some more details before Elder Yu departed.

From their conversation, Chen Yang learned that Yang Guanfeng had long intended to relocate the entire family.

He was just waiting for the right moment.

And Lingrui's breakthrough to Qi Gathering was a perfect opportunity.

His plan was to inform the Town Chief about Lingrui's breakthrough and pay the full tax for the additional cultivator this year.

Then, he would move the Yang Family out of Willow Leaf Town and have Yang Linghu and Yang Lingqing break through outside.

This way, outsiders would see that the Yang Family had produced another Qi Gathering Cultivator and paid a hefty tax.

Since they couldn't afford the taxes long-term, they decided to relocate the entire family outside the town.

Three Qi Gathering realm cultivators would be enough to protect a small family in this area, so it seemed like a flawless plan.

This would allow them to hide Spiritual Tiger and Lingqing, giving the Yang Family a hidden strength unknown to outsiders, a contingency plan.

Having spent many years traveling, Yang Guanfeng knew the importance of hidden trump cards. The relocation was currently unknown to anyone in the Yang Family, with only Elder Yu secretly working on it.

Later, this old man would be responsible for establishing the Yang Family outside the town.

After Elder Yu left, Yang Guanfeng paced back and forth in his room for a long time.

His heart was filled with anticipation for the future, yet also a slight unease.

Leaving Willow Leaf Town had both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage was that without the Dynasty's high taxes, the family could develop faster.

But similarly, they would lose the Dynasty's protection, and from now on, they would have to rely on themselves for everything.

The Yang Family's relocation was just the first step, and the easiest one at that. Many more problems and troubles would arise later.

Whenever this happened, he would feel grateful to Elder Yu in his heart.

Without this old man's diligent efforts over the years, the Yang Family would never have achieved its current status.

Yang Guanfeng often recalled what the Yang Family's situation would be like if he hadn't jumped into the Fish Ridge River to save someone that day.

He had already decided in his heart to reserve a place for Elder Yu in the family's ancestral hall.

He would also be the first outsider to be enshrined in the Yang Family's ancestral hall.

Time continued to flow. This last Qi Meridian was truly demanding.

Even with Chen Yang's full assistance, Yang Lingrui, with his excellent talent, took three days to open it.

When spiritual energy truly flowed through his body, the child experienced the wondrous feeling of a cultivator connecting with heaven and earth for the first time.

That night, Yang Lingrui successfully condensed a spiritual energy vortex in his Dantian.

Over the next five days, he began constructing his Qi Mansion.

With guidance from the two elders, Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu, Yang Lingrui completed his Qi Mansion on the sixth day and condensed the first wisp of spiritual power in his life!

At the same time, this signaled the emergence of the Yang Family's third Qi Gathering realm cultivator!

"First Level of Qi Gathering, two Old Ancestors, brother, sister, I did it!"

As soon as Yang Lingrui opened his eyes, he excitedly shared the good news with the four people around him.

Yang Linghu and Yang Lingqing embraced him, their words filled with tears of joy.

Cultivation sounded easy, but only they truly understood the tediousness and hardship involved.

Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu, the two old ancestors, were filled with relief.

To achieve such a result, all their previous efforts and hard work were worthwhile!

By this time, the Lesser Treasure Realm outside had closed, and all the visiting cultivators had dispersed.

However, out of caution, Yang Guanfeng decided to postpone the announcement for a month.

A month later, he sent Elder Yu to inform all the factions in Willow Leaf Town.

"My Yang Family celebrates a joyous occasion today, we are hosting a banquet!"