Standing in the courtyard, Qin'an took out the spatial pouch and, with a slight movement of his internal energy, all the items inside the pouch came into view. He took out some spirit stones from the pouch.For post-natal cultivators, spirit stones are indispensable aids for cultivation. The spiritual power within the stones can be absorbed by cultivators and converted into internal energy.

The spirit stones in this spatial pouch were accumulated by Qin'an before he was injured, amounting to about a few dozen.He pressed his fingers on a spirit stone and guided it with his internal energy, trying to absorb it. Instantly, a pleased expression appeared on his face as he could feel the spiritual power within the stone flowing continuously into his body through his fingers and arms, entering his qi sea, and being converted into his own internal energy.After absorbing one spirit stone, Qin'an felt that his internal energy in the qi sea had become stronger than before."As I expected, my internal energy in the qi sea has condensed a lot, allowing it to store more internal energy. Although I'm still at the late post-natal stage, my strength is indeed increasing." Excitedly, Qin'an took out another spirit stone.Generally speaking, it takes about half an hour for a post-natal cultivator at the late stage to absorb one spirit stone, but Qin'an only used less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Before his injury, his speed of absorbing spirit stones was no different from that of ordinary cultivators, but now it had improved a lot, presumably due to his new qi sea.Immersed in the process of absorbing the spirit stones, Qin'an forgot about the time.

When he was awakened from his cultivation by Miaoyu, the sun had already set.He looked around and found that this once dilapidated courtyard had been completely transformed. Many flowers and plants had been replanted in the spacious yard, presumably transplanted by Miaoyu from the previous courtyard."Young master, it's time to eat," Miaoyu tied her long hair into a bun, making her look even more fresh and extraordinary. She set a dining table in the yard, where several dishes were now emitting an enticing aroma."Miaoyu, sit down and eat with me," Qin'an smiled at Miaoyu."Young master, I... I have mine over there," Miaoyu pointed to the side room, which was her residence.

In the Qin family, there is a strict hierarchy; servants are not allowed to dine with their masters. "From now on, when I'm at home, you will eat with me," said Qin Anping in a calm yet firm voice. Seeing Miaoyu about to refuse again, his expression darkened, and he said, "Now, even you won't obey me anymore?""Alright… fine," Miaoyu stammered, seeing the young master getting upset. A charming blush appeared on her pretty cheeks as she cautiously sat down beside Qin An.

A week passed. During this week, Qin An absorbed over forty spirit stones, filling his qi sea. At this moment, his internal qi in the qi sea was more than double its previous strength. In other words, although his cultivation level had not increased, his power had significantly improved compared to before.

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One day, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and a black-clothed guard entered. Qin An recognized this guard; he was the personal bodyguard of Qin Changxing, the head of the Qin family, and Qin Changxing was also Qin An's grandfather. "Young Master An, the patriarch requests your presence," the guard bowed and said upon seeing Qin An."What's the matter?" Qin An asked curiously. Although Qin Changxing was his grandfather, as the head of the family, he had many responsibilities to attend to. Even after Qin An was injured, Qin Changxing had only visited him once. Qin An doubted that Qin Changxing would summon him without a reason."I'm not sure either. The patriarch is waiting for you in the patriarch's courtyard," the guard replied respectfully but firmly."Alright, you can go back. I'll be there shortly," Qin An nodded.

Currently, no one else in the family knew that he had recondensed his qi sea. Since moving to this new courtyard, no family members had come to visit. Qin An didn't mind this; he actually preferred the peace and quiet. Shortly after the guard left, Qin An bid farewell to Miaoyu and left the courtyard as well.

To reach the patriarch's courtyard from Qin An's residence, one must pass through the family estate's martial training ground, with the patriarch's courtyard located not far behind it.Adjacent to the patriarch's courtyard are other important institutions such as the family treasury, the family council hall, and the family ancestral hall.

As Qin An approached the martial training ground, he could see more than a dozen young figures engaged in lively conversation from afar."Huh? Is that Lv Wei?" Qin An spotted a familiar silhouette among those figures.Lv Wei's mother belonged to the Qin family and had married more than a decade ago. Lv Wei didn't visit the Qin family often, with her last visit being two years ago. During that time, Lv Wei and Qin An forged a close friendship."Brother Qin An... Brother Qin An..." Qin An remembered how Lv Wei used to follow him around, calling out to him incessantly in such a manner.After two years of absence, Lv Wei had grown taller and become even more beautiful and charming. Upon seeing Lv Wei, Qin An hesitated whether to go over and greet her.

However, the presence of Qin Yuan, a direct descendant of the Qin family standing beside Lv Wei, caused Qin An to frown. Qin Yuan's father, Qin Mingyuan, was in charge of the Qin family treasury. Qin Yuan had always been at odds with Qin An, and once provoked him to the point of being publicly injured by Qin An. Since then, their relationship had been as hostile as fire and water.

Yet, despite being twenty years old this year, Qin Yuan was still only a mid-level post-natal cultivation practitioner, far inferior to Qin An in strength even before his injury. As such, Qin Yuan usually took a detour when he saw Qin An."Haha, Cousin Lv Wei, isn't our Qin family's martial training ground impressive? Look over there, that's the martial arena, inscribed with magical formations. Just this arena alone cost the family tens of thousands of spirit stones to build," Qin Yuan boasted, beaming with pride as he spoke to Lv Wei beside him."Very impressive," Lv Wei responded with a charming smile, her beautiful eyes sparkling."Brother Yuan, look over there," one of the young men standing beside Qin Yuan pointed in the direction of Qin An.