"At the beginning of the universe, the fusion of Yin and Yang gave rise to the creation of myriad things, extending endlessly. The Yin and Yang energies traverse the expanse of space and cosmos, condensing countless principles, known as the origin of all things.

In the deep, deep night, the sky suddenly burst with stars as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, shining brightly and twinkling freely.

Amidst this moonlit night, A young man poses in a strange posture for practicing martial arts, calmly gazing ahead. Maintaining such a posture was an extremely tiring task, yet the young boy's face remained incredibly composed, giving the impression that he wasn't squatting on  but rather lounging in a chair.

Suddenly, a faint rustling sound reached the young boy's ears. It wasn't the sound of wind blowing leaves; instead, it was the sound of someone or some creature approaching with extremely light footsteps.

The mountain was covered with towering trees that seemed to require several people to encircle them, forming a true ancient forest. However, despite its age, this forest, even during the scorching summer days, had very few wild animals descending from the mountain to cause trouble.

The young boy, still in a horse-riding position, listened carefully, and after a moment, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"er, come out."

With the young boy's soft call, another slightly younger boy immediately jumped out from behind a large tree.

" your hearing is really good. Once again, you've discovered me."

These two boys are descendants of the Zhou family in Zhoujiazhuang at the foot of the mountain.

The older one, who was still in a horse-riding stance, is Zhou Yi, the sixth in line among the third generation of the Zhou family. The younger one is Zhou er, the ninth in line. Even under the moonlit night, they continue to diligently practice their skills."

Even though they were only eleven or twelve years old, they had already begun to receive the elite education provided by the village for all young disciples.

As one of the legitimate sons of the Zhou family, Zhou Yi and Zhou er both possessed excellent talents. Although their talents were not enough to make them stand out among the third generation of the family, they were not inferior to others by much.

Zhou er leaped out from behind the big tree, suddenly crouching down and exerting force with his feet. Like lightning, he sprinted towards Zhou Yi, with his hands crossed over his chest. Taking advantage of the forward momentum, just before coming into contact with Zhou Yi, he forcefully thrust himself forward.

Despite being only eleven years old, the power and speed of this sprint were not to be underestimated.

However, Zhou Yi in front of him merely smiled slightly and casually extended both hands, gently tapping his powerful fist.

"Ouch..."

Zhou er let out a scream as his body uncontrollably spun half a circle in mid-air, landing forcefully on the ground.

In an instant, the soil flew everywhere, especially Zhou er, who was the main instigator, clutching his wrist in pain.

Zhou Yi shook his head slightly, noticing that he had also been splattered with some dirt, which further frustrated him.

"er, why did you use that move again? These are the clothes I'm going to change into tomorrow. Now they'll need to be cleaned."

"Hehe,I just wanted to give it another try," Zhou er said, shaking his wrist. Although he possessed considerable strength and had even reached a certain level of internal energy, his physical development was still incomparable to that of an adult. Although he wouldn't get injured from the collision, experiencing pain in the short term was inevitable.

"Hmph, you haven't even broken through to the fifth level of internal energy, so what's the point of trying?" Zhou Yi said discontentedly.

Zhou er blinked his bright eyes and suddenly asked, "Sixth brother, do you feel the opportunity for a breakthrough?"

Zhou Yi's face immediately turned dark, not at all resembling a twelve-year-old child. He lightly tapped his own head, and Zhou er quickly grabbed his hand, saying, "Sixth brother, I'm sorry for asking."

Zhou Yi forced a bitter smile, shaking his head. "It's fine. It's not your fault. It's my own issue."

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Starting from the age of five, the children of the Zhou family began practicing the family's internal energy techniques. Regardless of the attribute, all the techniques were divided into ten levels. For ordinary people, as long as they weren't as foolish as imbeciles or completely devoid of talent, they could reach the third level within five years of practice.

The first three levels of internal energy techniques mainly focused on improving one's physical strength and longevity.

As for the development beyond the third level, it depended on personal talent, comprehension, and opportunities.

At the age of five, Zhou Yi began studying one of the primary internal energy techniques of the Metal attribute, called "Hunyuan Force." Right from the beginning, he made rapid progress, and by the time he turned six, he had successfully advanced to the third level.

At that time, everyone had high expectations for his future because it not only indicated Zhou Yi's good talent and diligent practice but also his choice of an internal energy technique corresponding to his own attribute, which allowed him to advance so quickly.

It should be noted that internal energy techniques had various attributes. If one could cultivate a technique corresponding to their primary attribute, they would naturally progress rapidly. However, if the chosen technique was not suitable, it was likely that they would make no progress at all. For Zhou Yi to be able to choose an internal energy technique corresponding to his own attribute right from the start was undoubtedly an extremely fortunate event.

In the following three years, Zhou Yi advanced one or two levels each year, reaching the fifth level of the Hunyuan Force at the age of nine. However, after that, he encountered a cultivation barrier that everyone experiences, and he remained stuck at this bottleneck for a whole four years.

During these four years, his two elder brothers, elder sister, and a cousin in the family had caught up to him and advanced to the fifth level. Even his younger sister and the cousin before him had reached the fourth level. But no matter how diligent and hardworking he was, Zhou Yi was unable to make any progress. He seemed to be stagnant.

Of course, among the nine siblings in the third generation of the family, the eldest grandson, had reached the seventh level. The second and third siblings had reached the sixth level, while the rest hovered at the fifth or fourth level.

However, to reach the fifth level at the age of nine like Zhou Yi and then show no signs of advancement for the next four years was quite unusual.

Letting out a gentle sigh, Zhou Yi stood up straight. Under the moonlight, his young body exuded an indescribable loneliness.

Zhou er stuck out his tongue. His advancement was progressing steadily, unlike his sixth brother who had risen among their siblings from an early age and was hailed as a genius who could rival the eldest son and even surpass him. Therefore, he couldn't understand Zhou Yi's current distress.

Although Zhou Yi's father and elders had tried to console him multiple times and solemnly told him that if he couldn't let go of his obsession, it was likely that he would never break through the current cultivation barrier in his entire life.

This was the greatest secret of the internal energy techniques. After the third level, each advancement required a certain opportunity. When fortunate, one might naturally break through the barrier during practice, even without realizing it. But when luck was not on their side, they might remain without progress for decades on end.

As the cultivation level increases, the difficulty of breakthroughs also becomes greater. Just like the first and second generations of the Zhou family, after reaching the seventh level of cultivation, it took them more than ten years, or even decades, to make progress.

Although Zhou Yi understood this principle and knew that having the strength of the fifth level at the age of thirteen made him exceptional among his peers, even his second brother Yi Hai and third brother Yi Xuan only reached the sixth level at the age of seventeen. He still had plenty of time for cultivation.

However, knowing something and actually achieving it are two different things. Letting go of the obsession in his heart was incredibly difficult for a child of his age.

Seeing the increasingly gloomy expression on Zhou yi's face, Zhou er's heart raced like a startled deer. Although he was two years younger than Zhou yi and not his biological brother, they had always had a special bond. But whenever Zhou Yi furrowed his brow, Zhou er couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He forced a smile and said, "Brother yi, I have something to attend to, so I'll go ahead. You should head back soon too."

Zhou Yi nodded listlessly, waved his hand, and Zhou er immediately left like a monkey. But his young voice echoed in Zhou Yi's ears.

"Brother yi , if you really haven't felt any signs of advancement, why not try a different cultivation technique? It might have some effect."

Zhou Yi was taken aback, and his previously unwavering heart began to waver slightly.

Not everyone who cultivates inner energy techniques can find a suitable technique for themselves in one go, like Zhou Yi did. Some people have to make a second or third selection, or even more. Of course, this also depends on each person's talent. If their talent is too poor, then the results are naturally even more discouraging.Although Zhou Yi had chosen the right technique on his first attempt, after being stuck at a bottleneck for many years, trying out different techniques was also a viable option.

He understood this principle long ago, but when he thought about practicing the Hunyuan Force(Yuan Qi) technique for so many years, and especially since he had achieved significant progress, reaching the third level within a year, he was reluctant to give it up easily.

Glancing down at the foot of the mountain, Zhou Yi was about to continue downwards when he noticed mud stains on his clothes. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, and after a brief consideration, he turned and ran in another direction.

On the other side of the mountain's foot, there was a clear lake, a place where the third-generation disciples of the Zhou family often played.

Arriving there, Zhou Yi skillfully took off his clothes and began washing himself in the river. After a while, the mud stains on his clothes were washed away. Although they were a bit wrinkled, they were already much better than before.

Just as he was about to leave, a sudden flash of light appeared in the lake. Zhou Yi was taken aback, his eyes widening as he stared at the dazzling light that suddenly appeared in the lake. Unconsciously, his mind was captivated by it...