There are only nine of you.
“You’re able to live like a normal person now only because you have a powerful and capable father,” Father Yu said seriously, pausing to think for a moment. “And a mother as great as your father!”
... Ah, such strong survival instincts.
“Father, did you do something for me?”
Father Yu lowered his head slightly and looked at his eldest son. “Do you really think all those years of discipline were just for my amusement?”
Xiao Cai’s face was calm, unruffled, not a hint of surprise.
Heh, really? Don’t you know yourself?
Father Yu gazed at his son’s placid expression, feeling a strange pang of guilt.
“Ahem, listen well! All those years of ‘education’ were a last resort. It pained me too, and if there were another way, I would never have treated my child so.”
Xiao Cai watched his father place a hand over his heart, shaking his head slightly, wearing the look of a loving parent.
Keep pretending. I remember the terror of those years, the excitement and joy on your face when you beat me, daring anyone to try and stop you. Do you think your son is blind?
Father Yu continued to stare at his son’s unmoved face.
“Hm?”
“Hm???”
“Hm!”
“Uh... hmm hmm!”
Father Yu and Xiao Cai exchanged frantic glances.
“So Father is so great. I’ve truly misunderstood your intentions toward me—it was wrong of me! Although you still haven’t explained why you hit me, nor where that thrill came from, or how you could be so ruthless to your own son for so many years, but! I understand, Father! I get it! I really do!”
Though Yu Daoyi still didn’t quite understand, he knew that if he didn’t play along, he’d soon be in trouble.
His face was moving, but inside he was grinding his teeth.
Hearing his son’s words, Father Yu’s face faltered.
“Ahem, listen carefully! The reason I disciplined you so much was because your body as a child was far too weak. Even if I wanted to use spiritual power to heal you and remove the last remnants of illness, your body couldn’t withstand it.”
“So I had to find another way. I devised a method: when your body suffered injury, I would infuse a small amount of spiritual energy, letting your body repair itself naturally. Over time, the combination of self-healing and spiritual energy strengthened your physique and eventually removed the root of your illness.”
“Father, since you’ve explained it, I have no objections—I'm even moved to tears. But may I ask, was this truly the only way?”
“Child, don’t overthink it, or you’ll know too much,” Father Yu said with deep emotion.
??????
Don’t you dare threaten me again!
“Then may I ask, has the illness been removed from my body?”
“No, because you haven’t been beaten enough.”
??????
Father has been so cheeky lately.
“Ahem, back to the point. The illness in your body is quite strange. I once tried to resolve it all at once with spiritual power, but your body couldn’t handle it and I had to stop. Thankfully, after years of my careful care, your physique has grown stronger. Starting cultivation now is no problem.”
Heh, careful care? Is that so? Have you ever seen a father ‘care’ for his son with such force? Every strike was relentless—true black tiger claws and roc wings!
“When you formally embark on the path of cultivation, as your realm improves, the illness should naturally disappear. Don’t worry too much.”
Suddenly, Father Yu looked at his eldest son seriously and asked, “Child, hand on your heart, how has your father treated you?”
Xiao Cai retreated several steps, as if startled.
He swallowed hard.
“Father, you’ve always been good to me. Even if I’ve made countless mistakes, you shouldn’t try other ways to harm me!”
“Father, I still want to fulfill my filial duty to you and Mother!”
“And besides, you have a younger son if you’re upset!”
Xiao Yunfan turned away, clearly unwilling to get involved.
His brother’s head is still so hard—he’d been beaten three times today and still spoke so recklessly.
“Enough! Stop thinking nonsense. Here, take this,” Father Yu pulled out a book so damaged it was barely holding together.
“What’s this?”
“A body cultivation technique!”
“Oh~ so this is what a body cultivation manual looks like?”
“Why shouldn’t it?”
To fool a ghost—if you said you found this in a trash heap, I’d believe you!
“Are you my son?”
“Yes.”
“Am I your father?”
“Yes.”
“Then would your father ever trick you?”
“That’s hard to say.”
I, Yu Daoyi—Xiao Cai—am renowned for being honest!
Another quarter of an hour later—
“Say it again: would your father ever trick you?”
“Father’s always been wonderful to me!”
His face swollen, miserable, wanting to cry.
“Good, study well. I’ve examined it—though it’s incomplete, this body cultivation method rivals those of the major sects. I found it while exploring a small secret realm.”
“Have you practiced it?”
“No.”
??????
Say no more—I must be adopted.
“Don’t look at me like that. This method can only be learned once you reach the Qi Refining stage. I’m powerless now. Since you’ve had my care since childhood, you’re best suited to learn it.”
“What does it mean?”
“It’s this technique: receive the hardest beatings, forge the strongest body. Without a foundation, you can’t even begin to learn it.”
??????
“Father, are you serious?”
“Rest assured, I’ll help you well.”
May my father ‘love’ me a hundred more times.
“Father, I think my brother could use it too!”
“Oh, he doesn’t need it. I can’t bear to—he has another body refinement technique.”
Father Yu produced a jade slip, pale green and translucent, flawless.
“Yun’er, this is the body refinement method I practice. Once you reach the first Qi Refining stage, you can read it with your spiritual sense and cultivate well.”
Xiao Cai looked down at the battered booklet in his hand.
??????
He turned, crouched in a corner, silent.
Sorry, I’m not worthy.
Father Yu swept his sleeve and pulled Xiao Cai to his side.
“Stop sulking. Yun’er’s method doesn’t suit you. If others knew what you held, they’d fight for it. And this is only the incomplete version—once you find the rest, its power will be unmatched!”
He placed both hands on his sons’ foreheads.
Cool, even a bit ticklish—Yu Daoyi felt energy flowing through several meridians, forming a circuit before settling in his dantian.
“This is the Qi Refining method. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Xiao Yunfan replied first, slightly excited.
Then—
“Wonderful!” Xiao Cai couldn’t help but exclaim.
...
“Wonderful? You’ll have plenty to cry about later. I controlled the spiritual energy to teach you directly—when you cultivate on your own, you’ll know true agony,” Father Yu smiled gently.
“Remember: act within your limits, don’t rush.”
“Yes!” Both sons replied together.
“When you begin cultivation, officially step into the first stage of Qi Refining, you begin the path of trial and peril—this road of cultivation where survival is scarce!”
“As parents, we can’t always be with you. Remember to endure when you must, never act on impulse.”
Yu Daoyi couldn’t be sure, but as his father spoke, it seemed he looked at him specifically.
Don’t worry, your eldest son can endure anything—never suffers loss!
“Throughout history, only a few have truly ascended to immortality, and among them, only nine with truly peerless talent forced their way into the immortal realm.”
“Each was the pride of their era, a true child of the heavens! Legends say even in the immortal realm, they’re among the greatest, their stories widely told.”
“But that’s far, far from us. Remember: aiming too high is the greatest taboo for a cultivator. There’s never a path to immediate enlightenment or instant immortality.”
If there was, your father would’ve taken it already—why would it be your turn?
Though curious about who those nine were, Xiao Cai only wanted to hurry home to lie in bed, because... it hurt.