Chapter 12: Could I Really Be a Genius?
Feeling the curious stares all around him, Xiao Yuan didn't offer any explanation. He also ignored Xiao Mei beside him and walked straight toward the technique hall manager with the scroll in hand.
"Hey! Cousin Xiao Yuan!"
Xiao Mei quickly followed after him.
Although most of the younger generation in the clan viewed Xiao Yuan as a good-for-nothing, Xiao Mei knew better. Though he couldn't cultivate, he was by no means a useless person.
A fifteen-year-old who had managed to develop a mid-tier marketplace to the level of a high-tier one—such talent, even if he couldn't become clan leader, would still be guaranteed a place among the elders.
Of course, she had only come to understand this in the past two years, and so had begun treating Xiao Yuan with more enthusiasm since then.
"Something you need? I'm very busy."
Xiao Yuan turned around with a frown and looked at her calmly.
"Well, the technique you're holding… I've seen it before. It's very difficult to cultivate. You need at least eighth-stage Dou Qi, and even then, no one in the clan has ever successfully learned it."
Under Xiao Yuan's gaze, Xiao Mei felt a bit flustered and lowered her head slightly as she spoke softly.
"Thanks, but borrowing a technique is my own business. I'm well aware of the clan's rules—any scroll in this hall can be borrowed. Whether I can master it or not is my concern. Just because others need to be at the eighth stage to even attempt it doesn't mean I won't be able to."
Xiao Yuan nodded and righteously stated his case. Then he handed the scroll to the manager for registration.
Naturally, the manager wouldn't make things difficult for him. After all, Xiao Yuan's standing in the clan hierarchy far exceeded his own, and Xiao Yuan had made his stance perfectly clear. There was no need to invite trouble.
So he promptly registered the technique and handed the scroll back to Xiao Yuan with a respectful expression.
"Mm, thank you."
Xiao Yuan took the scroll, gave a polite nod, then walked straight out of the hall and down the gravel path, intending to return to his room to study the supposedly difficult-to-learn "Wind Hawk Kick."
Xiao Mei stood frozen on the spot, speechless after Xiao Yuan's rebuttal. A moment later, she realized—she'd forgotten to ask if he could actually cultivate now!
But from the way he carried himself, it seemed like he had indeed started producing Dou Qi...
Still, wasn't it a bit reckless? That technique required at least eighth-stage Dou Qi. Someone who had just started cultivating shouldn't be touching it!
"Xiao Yuan's started cultivating Dou Qi?"
"Never heard anything about that!"
"Heh, whatever. Picking a technique he can't even train is just a waste of time. So arrogant!"
Inside the hall, after Xiao Yuan left, whispers broke out among the others.
Back in his room, Xiao Yuan sat by the window on a rattan chair and unrolled the scroll, studying it carefully.
Wind Hawk Kick: High Yellow Tier. A mid-to-close range leg technique with extremely high offensive power. Once mastered, it allows one to execute aerial spinning kicks, concentrating full body force into a single point, with power comparable to Xuan-tier techniques.
"Tch, this sounds pretty cinematic."
Xiao Yuan couldn't help but recall images burned into his DNA and clicked his tongue in amazement.
"But yeah, this technique is hard to pick up. It's not just about legwork—you also have to circulate Dou Qi through specific meridians simultaneously. And for a technique that's only High Yellow Tier, the cost of training it is high, while the returns are relatively modest. Plus, it demands a lot from the body."
He put the scroll down and began contemplating.
Though he didn't have a mentor like Yao Lao to guide him, he did have some ideas about how to improve his physical condition.
Eat and train, basically.
If he had access to medicinal baths, even better.
But that was for later. For now, he needed to memorize the Dou Qi circulation pathways described in the scroll. The technique had to be returned after one week.
Since the clan's collection of techniques was limited, no one was allowed to keep a scroll for too long. Besides, Yellow Tier techniques weren't usually that hard to learn.
After thoroughly memorizing the circulation routes, Xiao Yuan moved to his bed, sat cross-legged, and began quietly channeling Dou Qi into the meridians in his legs.
Half an hour later, after successfully guiding Dou Qi through the full route, he opened his eyes, brows furrowed.
That… wasn't hard at all?
He'd already done it? What was so difficult about it?
Uncertain, he checked the scroll again.
Xiao Yuan flipped through it three more times and confirmed he had followed everything correctly.
Well then… time to test out the actual leg techniques.
He began replicating the postures and movements described in the scroll right there in his room, memorizing the combos and transitions.
An hour later, Xiao Yuan set down the scroll, deep in thought.
He'd already memorized the forms and had even begun integrating Dou Qi circulation while executing the techniques.
Unexpectedly, it was going… smoothly.
Could it be… I'm actually a genius?
No, I need to test this somewhere else.
Xiao Yuan put away the scroll, left the house, and headed toward the back mountain with practiced ease.
Soon, he arrived at a secluded forest clearing on the rear slope.
This place was rarely visited, and with Xiao Yuan's powerful soul perception, it was an ideal training ground.
After scanning the area carefully, his gaze landed on a tree trunk about the thickness of a bowl.
Immediately, he gathered Dou Qi, pushed off with his left foot and spun, his hip rotating, waist twisting, and right leg whipping out like a lash.
Crack!
With a sharp sound, the tree trunk snapped in half, the upper portion flying through the air and crashing to the ground.
"Huff… huff…"
Xiao Yuan panted heavily, but his eyes sparkled with excitement.
This Wind Hawk Kick… was pretty damn strong!
That one strike had completely drained the Dou Qi in his White Gold Qi Chamber, and his meridians still throbbed faintly.
Back when he practiced indoors, the amount of Dou Qi he used was manageable. But this time, he had followed the exact circulation and release volume described in the scroll. The result was impressive, but also slightly alarming.
At his current third-stage Dou Qi level, he couldn't even manage five full-force kicks before exhausting himself—if not dying from the strain first.
Clearly, he had underestimated the physical demands of this technique.
If it weren't for the reinforcement his body had received during the creation of his Five Yuan Qi Chambers—thanks to the energy absorbed from the magic cores via the ritual—he might've ended up injured just now.
Still, this trial had shown him exactly where he stood. And from it, Xiao Yuan now had a clearer idea of what kind of physical training he needed to focus on next.
(END CHAPTER)
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