PCJ – Chapter 753 The Yuan Family’s Qilin Child

Zhang Jiaohua had always been puzzled as to why the members of the Yuan family exhibited this peculiar “lower dantian funnel” condition. Was it truly hereditary, or was there some other hidden reason?

But aside from heredity, Zhang Jiaohua couldn’t think of any explanation for why the Yuan family would consistently suffer from this generation after generation.

“Forget it, no point worrying about this. At least their middle and upper dantians are fine. As long as they can successfully build their foundation, it won’t be a big problem. If they can reach the stage of Refining Spirit and Returning to the Void, they’ll be able to reshape their bodies entirely, repairing the lower dantian and restoring themselves to a perfect state.” Zhang Jiaohua simply set the question aside.

“Puff!” Another Yuan family disciple suffered qi deviation, his meridians badly damaged. If Zhang Jiaohua hadn’t intervened, yet another life would have been lost. Beginning cultivation from the lower dantian was the safest approach—even if one failed to draw qi into the dantian, the chances of suffering deviation were slim. But cultivating from the middle dantian was exceedingly perilous. A small mistake could lead to qi deviation, and with it, mortal danger. Fortunately, with Zhang Jiaohua, a master at the Returning-to-Void stage, standing guard throughout, there had been no fatalities.

The difficulty of cultivation was extremely high. In less than an hour, nearly half of the Yuan disciples had already encountered problems and were forced to withdraw. Only after their meridians fully recovered would they be able to attempt again.

Yuan Suihu and his son also sat in meditation within the spirit-gathering formation, desperately guiding spiritual energy into their meridians. For them, this part wasn’t too difficult. After all, they already had a foundation in the Yuan family’s qi training method. Their meridians were relatively smooth, and the resistance of spiritual energy was low. However, the paths to the upper dantian differed greatly from those leading to the lower dantian. Meridians were like circuits on a motherboard—densely packed and intricately interwoven. Even the smallest misstep could cause serious consequences: at best, wasted effort; at worst, qi deviation.

The cultivation method Zhang Jiaohua gave them was entirely unfamiliar. Yuan Suihu guided the spiritual energy step by step along the prescribed routes. Compared to the younger generation, Yuan Suihu had his own advantages. Though old, his meridians were still relatively open. Moreover, as the most accomplished martial artist in the Yuan family, his willpower was firm, and his understanding of their family’s techniques was profound. Even though this was his first encounter with Zhang Jiaohua’s method, he could quickly grasp its meaning.

Yet Yuan Suihu also had very clear disadvantages. Some meridians required for drawing qi into the upper dantian were ones he had never used in his life. Years of disuse had left them clogged. Guiding spiritual energy through them into the middle dantian was anything but easy.

After over two hours of perseverance, less than one-tenth of the Yuan youths were still able to continue. Yuan Suihu’s own forehead was dripping with sweat as he repeatedly forced spiritual energy to impact the blockages in his meridians. The effort consumed not only his body but also his will and spirit. Without his steadfast determination, he would have given up long ago.

“Puff!”

A mouthful of scarlet blood sprayed from Yuan Suihu’s lips, staining the wall before him bright red.

Zhang Jiaohua pressed a hand onto Yuan Suihu’s shoulder. A stream of pure spiritual energy immediately stabilized Yuan Suihu’s heart meridian, keeping him alive. “Stop for now. Wait until your meridians recover before trying again. Pushing forward will do more harm than good. Not only will you fail, but you’ll also risk birthing inner demons.”

Hearing this, Yuan Suihu—who had wanted to grit his teeth and push on—finally gave up. Forcing his weakened body forward, he bowed deeply to Zhang Jiaohua. “Many thanks, Immortal Master, for saving my life.”

“Rise. Cultivation requires not only perseverance but also fate. Without the right opportunity, nothing can be forced.” Zhang Jiaohua said.

Yuan Suihu nodded. “Thank you, Immortal Master, for your guidance.”

Among the fewer than one-tenth of youths still enduring, Yuan Rui was one of them. Among the younger generation of the Yuan family, he was considered highly talented. He had inherited Yuan Suihu’s greatest strength—unyielding perseverance.

As spiritual energy coursed through his meridians, it surged like a torrenting flood. Guiding this rushing flood through the correct channels was no easy feat. This was the very reason why so many other promising youths had faltered early on.

“Immortal Master, do you think my son has a chance?” Yuan Suihu asked anxiously.

“It’s hard to say. Matters of fate are difficult even for gods to divine.” Zhang Jiaohua shook his head. The greater the expectation, the harsher the disappointment might be.

Another hour passed. The number of youths who could endure dropped by half again. Only five, including Yuan Rui, remained. As the spiritual energy drew nearer the dantian, the difficulty rose sharply. The closer to the middle dantian, the more complex the interwoven meridians became. One small slip, and the energy would scatter chaotically within the meridians.

“Puff!”

Another disciple failed, all his effort wasted. Only four remained.

“Steady your spirit! Endure!” Yuan Suihu shouted. But the disciples had already sealed off their five senses; they could no longer hear his voice.

Within a short ten minutes, two more collapsed. Only Yuan Rui and another youth, Yuan Long, were left.

Suddenly, Yuan Long let out a long cry. The surrounding spiritual energy rushed wildly into him.

Zhang Jiaohua moved instantly to examine his condition—and was astonished to see that Yuan Long had actually succeeded.

Yuan Suihu hurried over, trembling with excitement. “Immortal Master, how is he?”

“It seems he has drawn qi into the dantian. A preliminary success.” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“Then my Yuan family has produced a cultivator!” Yuan Suihu was overjoyed. Though Yuan Long wasn’t his son, the birth of a future immortal within the clan was a monumental event. In his excitement, he didn’t even think of his own child.

Zhang Jiaohua, seeing Yuan Long was stable, let him continue cultivating and turned his attention back to Yuan Rui.

For Yuan Rui to have lasted this long was already a remarkable feat. His spiritual energy remained under control, but his progress was noticeably slow compared to Yuan Long’s. Though they had started together, Yuan Rui was falling behind.

After rejoicing over Yuan Long, Yuan Suihu finally remembered his son was also still struggling.

“Immortal Master, how is my son?” Yuan Suihu asked anxiously.

“Don’t rush. His condition is still fine. Whether he succeeds depends on his fate.” Zhang Jiaohua carefully observed the flow of spiritual energy through Yuan Rui’s meridians.

Yuan Rui himself was growing restless. The spiritual energy refused to obey easily, requiring tremendous effort to guide it along the prescribed routes. Many times it nearly went out of control, only for Yuan Rui to painstakingly force it back on track.

The spiritual energy was finally approaching his dantian, but the surrounding meridians seemed to exert a powerful pull on it from all sides.