This is a room that is wide enough to be the hall of a rich family, with countless books and gorgeous furnishings, and the owner is sitting alone on the only chair in the study.
He is an old man who seems to be in his sixties, and his actual age is nearly eighty, but because of proper maintenance, he seems to be much younger than his actual age.
Although the clothes on his body are only simple plain yellow, but exquisite tailoring, superb embroidery skills, and meticulous fabrics, all of which show its extraordinary value, and also set off the extraordinary identity of its owner.
The old man closed the memorial in his hand and angrily rebuked: "It's really nonsense, how dare you ask this king to stop using troops against the Tailong Empire, and don't think about whose blessing he relies on today to be a high-ranking official, Xu, are you there?"
As if responding to the old man's call, a dark figure emerged from the dark corner of the room, and bowed: "Your Majesty, you call me?"
"Tomorrow, I will take the head of Representative Metakin and let others know that although I, King Deye, have decided to abdicate, I will not allow anyone to question my decision," said the old man with great authority.What? So this person is actually the emperor of the Grand Duchy of Huanabang—King Deye.
Xu bowed again and said, "I will do as Your Majesty commands."
King Deye nodded and said, "Go!"
Xu's figure seemed to melt into the darkness and disappear, as if nothing had ever been there.
King Deye thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Kage!"
A figure emerged from another dark corner, just as before. It seemed that he (she) was the Kage.
Kage bowed and heard King Deye say, "Kage , has there been any movement from the Tiger family recently?"
Kage bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the Tiger family is at home and there has been no movement, but..."
The voice was crisp and clear—it was a woman.
King Deye initially seemed displeased upon hearing there was nothing unusual, but upon hearing there was more to the story, he hurriedly gestured for Kage to continue.
Kage hesitated and said, "Two days ago, the only son of the Long family visited, claiming it was to visit relatives. He departed yesterday."
King Deye exclaimed with joy, "The Long family of the Tai Long Empire?"
Kage nodded and said, "That's right. There is also intelligence that he had a conversation with the current head of the Tiger Clan late at night on the day of his visit, but the intelligence is not very reliable."
King Deye said happily, "It doesn't matter. Call the informant to see me, and notify the Right Minister to come see me tomorrow."
Kage sighed softly and bowed, saying, "Yes, sir." He then disappeared into the darkness.
King Deye laughed loudly, "Han Luo, you toothless tiger, I wonder where you can run to this time?"
Two months later, there was only one month left before King Deye's abdication.
During these two months, many major events occurred in the Duchy, including a mysterious fire at the home of Metakin, a senior member of the Anti-War Alliance, with no survivors; the Tai Long Empire presenting a ceasefire agreement; and the sudden resignation of the Navy Commander, Kabin Sairen.
But none of this had anything to do with Yafan.During those two months, aside from diligently practicing his breathing exercises every day, he enjoyed a family life he had never experienced before.
The long-standing enemy, the Tai Long Empire, had ceased its attacks, and the duchy was experiencing a rare period of peace.
As members of the Stark family, who served as the duchy's shield, it was only natural that they spent those two months of rare peace at home.
With his family by his side and the news that the parliament had ruled that the previous defeats were not the fault of his family, Yafan was happier in those two months than he had been in the previous fifteen years combined.
On this day, Yafan was, as usual, strengthening his physical training in the martial arts hall when suddenly, a voice came from the door: "Yafan, what are you practicing?"
Yafan turned his head and saw that his three older brothers had arrived, with the eldest brother, Yahua, asking the question.
Yafan stopped training and ran happily to his three older brothers, saying, "Brothers, why are you all here? I'm practicing my physical fitness."
Yahua laughed and said, "Why would you want to practice your physical fitness? I heard from the butler that you've been practicing very diligently these past two months!"
Yafan said shyly, "No! I'm just practicing qi and strengthening my physical fitness using the method Uncle Leon taught me."
Third brother Yaruo laughed and said, "I didn't expect our little brother to be practicing qi too. That's really impressive."
Yafan asked suspiciously, "Third brother, you said 'too'. Does that mean you guys practice qi too?"
Yaxu tapped Yafan on the head and scolded him with a smile, "Do you look down on your older brothers? Do you think their fame came out of nowhere? Let me tell you, not only can your older brothers do it, but even Grandpa and Dad can practice qi, and they're even better than your older brothers."
Yafan couldn't help but stick out his tongue when he heard this. He had been so proud that he was the only one in the family who could practice qi !
Then he suddenly felt something was off and confronted them, "Hey, brothers, you've been practicing secretly without telling me!"
Yahua and the others exchanged glances. Yahua spoke up, "This isn't our concern. It was your stepmother who always told us that you shouldn't be exposed to qi before you turn twenty, so your father never taught you how to practice it. We were actually quite surprised that you knew how to practice it."
Yafan wondered silently, "Mom said I couldn't practice qi before I turned twenty. Could it be because of my spiritual abilities? Does that mean it's okay for me to practice qi now?"
"Never mind, I don't feel anything unusual anyway, so maybe it's okay!" After reaching this conclusion, Yafan stopped thinking about it.
Ya Ruo asked him, "Yafan, what kind of qi cultivation are you practicing now?"
Yafan replied, "Third Brother, I am currently following what Uncle Leon taught me, just laying the foundation. He said that once I reach a certain level, I can continue with further cultivation."
Yafan then repeated what Leon had taught him to his three older brothers.
After listening, Yaxu said, "Leon is correct in teaching you this way, but did he mention what level you need to reach before moving on?"
Yafan shook his head: "The uncle didn't say, but according to him, I may need to practice for another year or two before I can achieve anything."
Yahua asked: "Yafan, how do you feel about practicing qi now?"
Yafan tilted his head and said, "When I practice qi now, I can feel a extremely cold energy flowing swiftly along the qi path my uncle taught me. And when I store this energy in my dantian, I feel a cold energy swirling there. When I practice physical training, part of this cold energy circulates throughout my body, making me feel cool and making the training less strenuous." Brother, what level am I at now?"
Yahua and the others exchanged surprised glances. Yahua asked again "Yafan, you said you started practicing qi cultivation under Leon's guidance?So you've only been practicing for less than two months?"
Yafan nodded.
Yahua was astonished and said, "This is truly incredible, Yafan. You know that your level of qi cultivation is already stable, and you have even reached the stage of internal and external projection. This is truly astonishing. If I hadn't been certain that you had never practiced qi cultivation before and that you were my younger brother, I wouldn't have believed a word of what you said. You must know that this is a level that most qi practitioners struggle to reach even after five or six years of practice. It took me four years to reach your current progress. I really have no idea how you did it."
Yaxu and Yaruo also nodded in agreement.
Upon hearing the affirmation from his three older brothers, Yafan couldn't help but feel overjoyed. He laughed and said, "I simply followed what my mother taught me in the 'Heavenly Heart Secret' which instructed me to practice thirty-six cycles at a time. Since my uncle didn't specify how many cycles to practice, I decided to do thirty-six cycles as well. I never expected the results to be so good."
Yahua shouted, "Practice thirty-six cycles in one breath?" Yaruo also shouted, "Heavenly Heart Secret?"
Only Yaxu nodded thoughtfully and muttered, "No wonder, no wonder."
Yafan asked inexplicably, "Is there a problem?"
The three of them exchanged glances, moved to one side, and whispered in a corner where Yafan couldn't hear them. After a while, the three of them returned to Yafan.
Yaxu said, "Yafan, would you mind telling us what the 'Heavenly Heart Secret' is all about? How did you come up with the number 36? If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine too. After all, it was left to you by your mother."
Yafan replied, "What does it matter?"
As he spoke, he told his three older brothers about his mother's will and showed them the "Heavenly Heart Secret".
After the three of them finished reading "Heavenly Heart Secret" they had another discussion and still recommended Yaxu as the spokesperson.
After returning the "Heavenly Heart Secret" to Yafan, Yaxu solemnly said, "Yafan, you must take good care of this copy of the 'Heavenly Heart Secret.' We have no idea where our stepmother obtained it, but in our eyes, the 'Heavenly Heart Secret' is a qi manual that is no less valuable than our family's 'Breaking Demon True Qi' No, I should say that it is slightly superior to the 'Breaking Demon True Qi'.
"Perhaps the stepmother and you both fail to understand the relationship about qi , focusing only on the aspect of training mental strength while neglecting the aspect of cultivating qi. Although you have only practiced the basic aspects of mental strength training, you have unknowingly laid a solid foundation for your future qi cultivation."
Yahua interjected, "Yafan, you no longer need to practice the basic mantras. Your qi is already stable. Now it's about how to refine your qi cultivation."
As he spoke, Yahua took the "Heavenly Heart Secret" from Yafan's hands and opened it, pointing to certain sections and saying, " When translating, the stepmother probably didn't understand the concept of qi, or perhaps because she emphasized mental strength training, these sections violate the principles of qi cultivation and should be revised. This is why, after practicing for eleven years, you have only increased your mental strength while achieving nothing in terms of qi cultivation. Now, if you modify the qi cultivation cycle, I believe that within a few years, you will surpass your brothers."
After finishing his explanation, Yahua pointed out the parts that needed to be modified one by one. The most important point was that after completing the Five-Heart Cycle, Yafan must concentrate his qi in the dantian. Otherwise, the qi he had worked so hard to cultivate would once again become mental energy.
After finishing his explanation, Yahua returned the "Heavenly Heart Secret" to Yafan, but Yafan refused to accept it, saying, "Brother, since the 'Heavenly Heart Secret' is better than the 'Breaking Demon True Qi' why don't you keep it and practice it together with Second Brother and Third Brother?"
Yaruo laughed and said, "Silly brother, although the 'Heavenly Heart Secret' is better than the 'Breaking Demon True Qi',' as our stepmother said, it is specifically designed for people like you who possess extraordinary spiritual powers. Even if we set aside the fact that our physiques aren't suited for it, and that practicing it wouldn't yield the same results as it does for you, the fact is that we've been practicing the 'Breaking Demon True Qi' for over a decade. Asking us to abandon the 'Breaking Demon True Qi' and start over with the 'Heavenly Heart Secret' would simply be a waste of time and effort."
After saying that, he chuckled and said, "We practice the 'Breaking Demon True Qi' to obtain 'Breaking Demon True Qi,' so the true qi you obtain from practicing the 'Heavenly Heart Secret' should be called 'Heavenly Heart True Qi,' right?"
Yahu and Yaxu nodded and smiled, saying, "Yes! Yes!"
From then on, Yafan's unique true qi finally had an official name.
After laughing for a while, Yaxu suddenly frowned and said, "Brother, I feel something is amiss. Our stepmother's original intention was for Yafan to use the 'Heavenly Heart Secret' to control his spiritual powers, but now that you've changed it, the 'Heavenly Heart Secret' has become a qi cultivation technique. Isn't this a departure from the original intent?"
Yahua also felt it was inappropriate, but couldn't think of a solution at the moment. He simply said, "Since that's the case, Yafan, you can spend half your time practicing qi cultivation and half your time practicing mental power. This way, you don't have to give up either, and you can train both at the same time. It's a kind of workaround. After a year, when your mental power growth slows down, you can focus on qi cultivation then."
Yafan thought about it and realized that this was the only option, so he agreed. But he had a question: "Brother, does that mean I have to practice thirty-six cycles every time?"
Yahua frowned and said, "I've never heard of practicing thirty-six cycles in one go. We only practice one cycle each time we cultivate our qi. But since Mom said that practicing thirty-six times is more effective, then you should practice thirty-six times. I also want to try practicing the 'Breaking the Demon Technique' thirty-six times in one go to see if the effect is as good as divine assistance."
Yafan nodded in understanding. If that were the case, then anyone would want to give it a try. Yaruo said maliciously, "All right! All right! Let's stop the discussion here. "Yafan, come here. Let's see how far you've progressed with your 'Heavenly Heart True Qi.' Fighting those minor soldiers on the battlefield is no longer satisfying. It's rare that you have such a unique skill. I've been itching to try it since earlier. Let's give it a go."
Yahua laughed and scolded, "All right, you fool, you're taking your martial arts obsession out on your own little brother. Come on, if it really itches, big brother will scratch it for you!"
Yaruo exclaimed joyfully, "Really, big brother? Since we last fought three years ago, we haven't had a chance to fight again. Today, we'll have a good try!"
"I also want to know how your 'Breaking Demon True Qi' has progressed over the past three years?" Yahua was also eager to try.
After saying that, Yahua and Yaruo shouted in unison:
"Lion's Flame, armor up."
"Thunder Eagle, armor up."
In an instant, a red light emanated from Yahua's body, enveloping him entirely. Yafan looked closely and realized that it was not a red light at all, but rather the spirit beast that had been possessing Yahua in its second form—the Fire Lion fire—which had transformed from its second form into its third form—the Beast Phantom Armor.
In other words, the Lion Flame, which had been tightly adhered to his body, rapidly altered its internal tissue structure within seconds, forming solid armor plates in the most robust form across every part of his body. These plates connected to form armor as sturdy as steel covering his entire body, including his head and neck. This was a full-body armor that increased in volume yet maintained the same mass.
In addition, on Yahua's chest is a vivid, spirited lion's head with red stripes, which, combined with the original fiery red color of the lion's flame, makes Yahua appear as if he is surrounded by a blazing lion-shaped flame.
On the other hand, Yaruo, like Yahua, had his spirit beast—the Thunder Eagle—transform into sky-blue armor at the same speed. On his chest was a lifelike black eagle soaring toward the heavens, its wings spread wide, with hints of lightning bolts, as if it had flown down from the depths of the blue sky.
Yaxu laughed and scolded, "Are you two serious? Do you want to tear this martial arts hall apart? Yafan, come behind me." After saying that, Yaxu also shouted, "Liefeng, armor up!"
At a single command, a sky-blue beast armor appeared on Yaxu's body, and a deep blue fox with claws and fangs appeared on Yaxu's chest, seemingly dancing in the wind. Yaxu stretched out his right hand, and Yafan vaguely felt an invisible, transparent membrane surrounding them.
Yaxu said to Yafan, "Yafan, remember not to stray more than five steps away from me. I have set up a 'cyclone shield' around us. As long as you stay within this range, the true energy emitted by my older brother and second brother will not be able to reach you."
Yafan was deeply puzzled. How could his second brother cast a defensive spell that only a magician could perform?
Before he knew it, Yafan had brought up this question with his second brother.
Yaxu stared at Yafan as if he were looking at some kind of monster, and asked doubtfully, "Yafan, you really don't know?"
Seeing Yafan shake his head, Yaxu sighed, "I really don't know how Leon taught you. You don't even know something like this?"
"You finally know about the spirit beast crystal, right?"
Yafan nodded and shook his head, saying, "I heard about it from my school teacher, but I don't understand it."
Yaxu couldn't help but sigh even more deeply: "I really don't know what you're learning at school."
Yafan couldn't help feeling embarrassed. How could he explain that he had been spacing out in class because he knew he couldn't have a spirit beast, so he hadn't been paying attention at all?
Yaxu sighed again and suddenly said, "Yafan, look!"
Yafan immediately turned his head to look in the direction of his older brother and third brother.
Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but be startled, for he saw his older brother's hands with the tips of his fingers touching each other, forming a hollow space between his palms. Within that space, a fiery red orb emitting intense heat had formed.
On the other side, the third brother extended his right hand toward the sky, his fingers curled into a claw-like shape. In the palm of his hand, a purple electric sphere as dazzling as his older brother's fiery red light sphere glowed, with faint sparks of electricity flickering from it, indicating its formidable power.
Yahua shouted, "Yaruo, take this three-power flame bomb of mine."
Yaruo smiled and said, "Come on, big brother! My lightning ball is waiting for you."
On one side, Yaxu said, "Yafan, did you know that all spirit beasts have a spirit beast crystal inside them? Normally, spirit beasts keep this crystal deep inside their bodies. Because they have this strange crystal, when necessary, spirit beasts can use the crystal to gather energy inside their bodies and shoot it out, just like a shock cannon."
"When the spirit beast fully matures, the spirit beast crystal becomes a medium connecting the master and the spirit beast itself. When the spirit beast transforms into magical armor, the master's will is transmitted to the spirit beast, which then uses the crystal as a medium to channel a small amount of its own power to activate a vast amount of external energy, creating magical phenomena. Chanting spells is merely a method magicians use to unify their minds to facilitate the exertion of magical power. When the spirit beast becomes a magical armor, it utilizes the crystal to infuse energy into the weapon it has transformed into, enhancing its hardness and power. Of course, it can also be used for other purposes, such as increasing the armor's defensive capabilities or the master's mobility, depending on the master's intentions."
"Those of us who possess qi can use it to increase the power of magic and reduce the preparation time required to cast spells when using magical armor. When used with beast armor, qi can be amplified and emitted through the spirit beast's crystal, creating an effect similar to magic and increasing one's defense or attack power, depending on how it is used."
After Yaxu's explanation, Yafan finally understood the use of qi and realized that the "cyclone shield" was his second brother's use of qi.
At this moment, Yahua and Yaruo had already fired their Explosive Flames and Lightning Balls.
Two energy spheres, one red and one purple, transformed into two beams of red and purple light, colliding at the center between the two. After pushing against each other for half a second, they suddenly exploded simultaneously. Although Yafan, who was within the "Cyclone Shield," could not personally feel the full force of the explosion, the sheer force of the resulting air current alone was enough to send everything in the training hall flying in all directions. Yafan could only imagine the true power of the explosion.
Imagining what would happen if one of his older brothers had used this technique on him, Yafan couldn't help but stick out his tongue. He was sure he would have looked pretty bad.
Seeing Yafan's actions, Yaxu smiled slightly and said, "It's still early. Big Brother and Third Brother are just giving each other a heads-up and testing each other's abilities. The real show is about to begin."
Sure enough, in an instant, Yahua and Yaruo stopped emitting energy and the two of them got together and started a hand-to-hand fight.
Yahua's movements were simple: clenched fists striking straight ahead, palms slashing horizontally, or arms swinging diagonally. Though simple, his powerful force and overwhelming might made him resemble a mighty lion, appearing both elegant and brimming with strength.
Yaruo, on the other hand, was different. He clenched his hands into eagle claws, using unpredictable movements to strike, sweep, grab, or tap around Yahuo's body. With a light and agile style that barely made contact before moving on, he attacked Yahuo like a soaring eagle, striking and then swiftly retreating.
After watching for a while, Yafan noticed something strange. Although Yahua's movements were few and far between, and he rarely hit Yaruo, whenever he did hit her, no matter where he hit her, it hurt so much that Yaruo grimaced in pain.
While Yaruo's complex and varied moves and incredibly agile actions often hit Yahua's body, they didn't seem to have much effect, only causing Yahua to pause slightly, without hindering his moves.
Yafan felt very strange. Why was there such a difference when they both hit the other person?
From the side, Yaxu's voice could be heard, sounding like he was talking to himself or explaining something to someone else: "My elder brother uses simplicity to overcome complexity. Though his moves are few, each one is packed with power. My younger brother's movements are fast and agile, but his power is dispersed, so even if he lands ten hits, it doesn't compare to my elder brother landing a single solid blow."
Yaruo seemed to have also realized his mistake and began to speed up his movements, focusing his attacks on Yahua's upper body. As a result, Yahua could no longer move as freely as before and had to accelerate his own movements to counter Yaruo's sharp attacks, which were as fierce as a hawk pouncing on a rabbit.
The two of them sped up their movements, which was tough on Yafan. All he could see was a blur of red and blue figures, and he couldn't make out their movements at all. After watching for a while, he felt dizzy and his body swayed.
A hand reached out from the side to steady him. Yafan looked up and saw that it was his second brother.
Yaxu smiled faintly and pointed to his lower abdomen, the dantian area: "Imagine you are controlling a stream of true qi from the dantian, flowing along the meridians and gathering in your eyes. Try to see if this helps you see more clearly."
Yafan tried it and felt a warm qi rising from his dantian. Following his will, it flowed upward from his dantian to his eyes. His eyes felt warm, which made Yafan feel very comfortable, and the world before his eyes seemed to become brighter.
He nodded to Yaxu, then looked at Yahua and Yaruo again. This time, it was serious.
He felt that although Yahua and Yaruo's movements were still as fast as ever, he could now see them clearly, unlike earlier when he felt as if he were looking at them through a fog.
Moreover, Yafan noticed something strange. He saw that his eldest brother Yahua and third brother Yaruo seemed to be covered with a faint white light. When he turned to tell his second brother Yaxu about it, he discovered that his second brother also had it.
Yaxu listened to Yafan's question and smiled lightly, saying, " Yafan, you know that your eyes now glow just like ours, but yours are a light golden color while ours are white. This is a concrete manifestation of the effects of true qi, but it also indicates that we have not yet reached the required level of cultivation. Like Grandfather and Father, once they reach that level of cultivation, unless they choose to reveal it to you, you would never notice it. Only at that level can one be said to have mastered qi cultivation, able to control it at will."
"Quick, don't miss it! Watching others practice martial arts has certain benefits for yourself. It would be a pity to miss it. Look, they have already begun using spirit beasts to transform into weapons for combat."
Yafan watched closely again and sure enough, his older brother Yahua suddenly had a five-foot-long spear with red flames on it, while his third brother had a blue sword about a meter and a half long that kept shooting out electric sparks.
The spear and sword clashed, sending out tons of red flames and purple electricity, which looked both dazzling and dangerous.
Yafan was dazzled by the sight. The faster Yahua and Yaruo moved, the more dizzy Yafan felt. But he remembered what his older brother had said—watching others practice martial arts was of great benefit to him—so he couldn't bear to give up. He focused all his attention on their movements.
A marvelous thing happened. Yafan suddenly felt as though the entire world had vanished, leaving only Yahua and Yaruo in their duel and himself. A tremor surged through the center of his forehead, and an energy far colder than true qi—ten times colder, in fact—flowed from his forehead into his eyes.
At this moment, in Yafan's eyes, the movements of Yahua and Yaruo gave him an odd feeling, different from the previous sensation where, despite their speed, he could still make out their actions clearly.
Though their movements were now so fast that the average person could only see a flash of light and not their actual forms, in Yafan's eyes, their actions seemed to have "slowed down." slow enough for Yafan to clearly see every movement they made, every detail of their bodies, even the shape of the flames on Yahua's long spear, the direction of the electric current on Yaruo's long sword, and the deformation of the point where the spear and sword collided—Yafan did not miss a single detail.
This does not mean that Yafan felt their movements had slowed down. On the contrary, Yafan clearly sensed the speed of Yahua and Yaruo's movements, which were so fast that even if he rode ten horses, he couldn't keep up. Yet he could discern every subtle detail of their movements, as if they were performing a super-fast slow-motion and magnified version right before his eyes.
Yafan couldn't help but deeply thank his older brother. Without his guidance, he would never have known that observing martial arts training should be done this way, and thus he came to understand what "martial arts" truly entailed. What he had been taught in school was truly...
However, Yafan was unaware that Yaxu, who was fully focused on the battle, had no time to notice him. Naturally, he also failed to notice that the faint golden glow in Yafan's eyes was flickering on his forehead, gradually mingling with an eerie silver light. By the end, Yafan's eyes had transformed into a dual-colored gaze—golden on the right and silver on the left—a true "golden-silver demonic gaze."
At this point, the battle between Yahua and Yaruo was nearing its conclusion.