Why did you provoke that old man? He's a reincarnation of a deity!

Xiao Nian has been sitting cross-legged for seven days.

As the first rays of dawn shone through the window, Xiao Nian slowly opened her eyes, her withered fingers gently opening and closing.

A layer of blue light flowed from his fingertips; that was spiritual energy being released.

Fourth level of Qi Refining. Finally, I broke through.

The spiritual energy in the dantian was no longer loose mist, but began to condense into a warm, liquid vortex. Although it was far from stable, it had already made a qualitative leap compared to the state of the first three levels.

Now he can imbue his fists, feet, or weapons with spiritual energy, and when he strikes, it has both physical impact and spiritual energy penetration to injure the enemy.

If an ordinary martial artist who has opened their meridians were to be slapped by him, they wouldn't just have one bruise on their face, but rather patches of bruises all over their face.

"Each level of the Qi Refining stage is the foundation." Xiao Nian stood up, twisted his neck, and made a cracking sound.

"The more solid your Qi cultivation foundation, the smoother your Foundation Establishment will be later. I can reach the Foundation Establishment stage in two months, but it's unnecessary. If you don't lay a good foundation, you'll find that your meridians can't hold more spiritual energy, and you'll be powerless to use higher-level immortal techniques—in short, you'll be unable to perform them."

"In my second training, I must take it one step at a time, solidifying each layer before moving forward. Once the foundation is strong, defeating enemies of higher levels will be a piece of cake later on."

He extended one index finger, channeling spiritual energy into his palm, and gently picked up and slapped down a rough porcelain teacup on the table. Before the teacup even touched his index finger, it shattered with a 'bang'.

"After infusing my palm with spiritual power, my palm strike reached the peak of a Qi Refining Martial General."

Xiao Nian stood up and stretched his limbs; his stomach was rumbling from the long period of fasting.

He pushed open the dormitory door and went out.

"Let's find something to eat first, then go get some money."

In those seven days, he used nearly fifty Spirit-Nourishing Pills, and the money was basically paid by Qian Yukun.

These thirty-five Spirit-Nourishing Pills were also refined by Qian Yukun with Xiao Nian's assistance.

Qian Yukun's initial Spirit Nourishing Pills were of very poor quality, and Xiao Nian had to purify them. Only the last five pills were barely acceptable to Xiao Nian.

During the refining process, Qian Yukun grew to admire Xiao Nian more and more.

At the same time, Xiao Nian did not allow him to call him godfather. Xiao Nian bluntly said: You are not worthy to be my godson. You might as well be my servant and call me Venerable Qingxiao or Venerable.

At first, Qian Yukun disagreed, but then he thought that Xiao Nian was incredibly powerful, so what if he was a servant under such a person? At least he could hold his head high in front of the others.

So Xiao Nian planted a blood oath in Qian Yukun's heart.

Later, Qian Yukun would boast about the decision he made for the rest of his life.

……

At the same time that Xiao Nian reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.

The highest training platform in the military academy.

Jiang Youwei stood calmly on the martial arts stage, her body drenched in sweat.

The stage was surrounded by blue stone railings. Seven people sat below the stage: Vice Dean Chen Daoming, three head instructors, and three martial arts masters who had come all the way from the Xuanwu Military Academy in Beiyang Town to supervise the exam.

Each of them possessed a cultivation level above True Qi Martial King, with one of them even reaching the Half-Step Transformation Realm.

This is the assessment for advancing to the True Qi Martial King realm. The fourth realm of martial arts in the Great Xia Kingdom, and in the entire Jiangbei Province, the number of registered True Qi Martial Kings can be counted on one hand. Aside from the freak Xiao Nian, no one in a century has been able to advance to this realm at the age of twenty.

Jiang Youwei's face was calm, her beautiful eyes closed.

Her body was surging with qi and blood, and her twelve main meridians were already connected. What she was now attacking was the final fusion of her eight extraordinary meridians and the core of her true qi.

The whispers of several masters in the audience could be faintly heard.

"To attempt to break through to the True Qi Realm at twenty years old, this girl's talent is truly remarkable."

"It is said that she is from the Jiang family of Ganlong."

"The Jiang family? They should have produced another Grandmaster of True Qi long ago."

"Grandmaster Li Hongzhong reached the True Qi Realm at the age of twenty-five, and she reached it five years earlier than Grandmaster Li."

"However, the True Qi Realm isn't something you can achieve just by talent. If your meridian capacity isn't sufficient or your True Qi isn't refined enough, forcing your way into it will only result in a 'Virtual Realm,' where you'll crumble at the first touch when facing an enemy."

"Stop talking and see what her final move is."

Jiang Youwei slowly raised both palms, palms facing inward, and the core of true energy in her dantian began to spin wildly.

The air currents on the entire training platform were stirred up, making a whooshing sound, and her clothes billowed in the air currents.

She took a deep breath and clasped her hands together.

The air around us seemed to have stopped moving.

Time passed second by second.

"Failed?" Chen Daoming frowned slightly when there was no response.

"Why are they different from us?"

"Shouldn't it?"

"No, she succeeded." The red-haired, half-step into the Qi Transformation stage, named Nalan Kong, said calmly.

Jiang Youwei opened her eyes.

"drink!"

A surge of powerful true energy suddenly erupted from her body, causing the bluestone ground beneath her feet to crack inch by inch, with the cracks spreading outwards in a radial pattern for a full three feet.

The air was forced out in a sonic boom, and the seven people below the stage simultaneously felt a wave of heat hit them, their expressions changing in unison.

True Qi is released outwards, forming a protective shield around the body, and the true Qi soars through the air.

Jiang Youwei flipped her palms over, and the surging true energy instantly receded back into her body. She let out a long breath and slowly lowered her palms.

There was a three-second silence in the audience.

Then thunderous applause erupted.

Chen Daoming was the first to stand up, his face crinkling into a wide smile:

"Excellent! A True Qi Realm cultivator at the age of twenty! Our Chu Nan Heng Yue Martial Arts Academy has gained another Martial King!"

The three head instructors also clapped, exchanging shocked glances.

Nalan Kong, who came from the Xuanwu Garrison Headquarters of Beiyang Town, slowly stood up and looked at Jiang Youwei, saying:

"You've mastered all three: True Qi condensation, meridian unblocking, and external Qi projection. Instructor Jiang, you are the first twenty-five-year-old to reach the True Qi Realm in the past few years at Beitang Academy. Your future is limitless."

Another master in the audience chimed in, "Lord Li has taken on a fine disciple."

Jiang Youwei bowed slightly in greeting, but there was not much joy on her face.

She knew in her heart that her successful breakthrough this time was thanks to what she had heard in Meng Chenhai's class three months ago.

The method of opening the meridians and the theory of alchemy he mentioned inspired her. She went back and tried it in conjunction with the Jiang family's classic texts, and the results were amazing.

It turns out that the theory of alchemy really works! If it weren't for that theory, we might not have made it this far so smoothly.

"Thank you all for your evaluation." Jiang Youwei stepped down from the martial arts stage and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Chen Daoming greeted her with a smile: "Youwei, we're having a banquet tonight to celebrate! A twenty-year-old True Qi Martial King—the whole Jiangbei Province will be in an uproar!"

"Furthermore, I am promoting you to the fourth head instructor today."

Jiang Youwei waved her hand: "Dean, these things aren't urgent. I have some other matters to attend to."

After she finished speaking, she walked quickly out of the martial arts arena. Chen Daoming's expression changed slightly when he saw her back.

Did you sense the sudden bursts of True Qi from those Martial Kings behind you?

"I can feel it. The level of refinement of true energy far surpasses that of others at the same level, unlike those who forcefully rush into the Void Realm."

"I remember her cultivation method was still hovering around the late stage of the Meridian Opening realm three months ago. How did she suddenly reach the threshold?"

"But this Xiao Jiang is so clueless about social etiquette; he's already advanced and he still hasn't had a few drinks."

"So disrespectful? Looks like the rumors are true."

"What?"

"It's said that there's a lot of infighting at the Chu Nan Heng Yue Martial Arts Academy, and Miss Jiang is in Dean Li's faction."

"I see."

Jiang Youwei had already walked far away and could not hear these words, nor did she know that her unintentional actions today would cause a chain reaction in the future.

She walked through the corridor, the autumn wind blowing in her face, making her ponytail flutter slightly.

She looked down at her palm; a faint halo emanated from the flow of true qi. A twenty-five-year-old True Qi Martial King was a unique talent in the entire Great Xia Kingdom.

But she knew perfectly well that Old Man Meng had done a good job.

Her obsession with martial arts made her want to find Old Man Meng immediately.

"This old woman... just who is she? Is her magical theory completely feasible? No, I have to go ask her."

She muttered to herself and quickened her pace toward the teaching building.