2: Chapter 2 Ye Hao

Ye Tian gripped the stone bead and stood up abruptly, dragging the tusked boar by its hind legs toward home.

His wounds had healed, and his strength had returned—it was even greater than before.

The tusked boar was heavy, but he walked quickly.

Returning to an old small courtyard on the edge of the Ye family settlement, he dragged the tusked boar directly into a small shed in the corner of the yard.

Hearing the commotion, his mother came out of the house coughing; her face turned pale when she saw the tusked boar and the bloodstains on Ye Tian.

"Tian'er! You..."

"Mother, I'm fine," Ye Tian interrupted her. "It's not my blood. I ran into a tough one and it took a bit of effort."

He didn't explain much and quickly processed the tusked boar.

Skinning it and portioning the meat.

His movements were much more agile than usual.

His mother watched from the side, worry in her eyes, but she didn't ask any more questions. She simply started a fire in silence, preparing to stew some meat broth.

By the time he finished, the sun was high in the sky.

Ye Tian washed his hands and said to his mother, "Mother, I'm going out for a bit."

He returned to his narrow room and closed the door behind him.

There was only a wooden bed and an old table in the room.

He sat on the bed and took out the stone bead once again.

He recalled every detail from the forest.

The brush with death, the warmth, the surging Spiritual Qi, the wounds that healed instantly, and that sudden burst of immense strength.

It wasn't a hallucination.

He tried to meditate as he had before, circulating the Qi Induction Mantra.

No reaction.

His Meridians remained deathly still.

He stared at the stone bead.

How could he make it absorb Spiritual Qi again?

He tried squeezing it hard, rubbing it between his hands, and even muttering to it under his breath.

The stone bead still showed no reaction.

He frowned, deep in thought.

Last time, he had been on the verge of death, and his blood had flowed onto the bead.

Ye Tian's eyes flickered. He picked up a small knife from the table and made a small cut on his fingertip.

A bead of blood seeped out.

He smeared the blood onto the surface of the stone bead.

The blood slid off; the stone bead remained dull and gray, neither absorbing it nor showing any change.

Still nothing.

It wasn't the blood.

Staring at the bead, a thought suddenly occurred to him. He tried to focus all his mental energy, attempting to "think" about absorbing Spiritual Qi and to "command" the bead.

Although he couldn't sense Spiritual Qi at all, he desperately thought "absorb," trying to drive it with his will.

Time passed bit by bit.

Just as his head began to throb and he was about to give up...

The stone bead in his palm vibrated ever so slightly.

Immediately after, a faint wisp of airflow appeared out of nowhere, circled his hand holding the bead, and sank into the stone bead.

Ye Tian's heart pounded wildly as he stared intently at the bead.

But that was it.

After the wisp of airflow was absorbed, the stone bead fell silent again, showing no further movement.

It didn't glow, it didn't get hot, and it certainly didn't trigger the terrifying Spiritual Qi storm from before.

He tried to focus his will again.

This time, not even a faint breeze was drawn in.

Unwilling to give up, he tried over and over.

Until his forehead was beaded with sweat and his mind was exhausted, the stone bead gave him no further response.

Ye Tian stopped, panting as he looked at the bead.

He understood.

The bead could indeed absorb Spiritual Qi, but it seemed unable to actively trigger such a massive disturbance as before.

Perhaps it required special conditions, like being on the verge of death?

Or maybe it needed time to recover after each absorption?

And that faint wisp just now was the limit he could barely manage to trigger for now.

He checked his body's condition.

There was no change.

That wisp of Spiritual Qi was too weak; it vanished into the bead without a sound and provided no feedback to him.

This bead was currently like a bottomless pit—it took a little in but gave nothing back.

But there wasn't a hint of discouragement in Ye Tian's eyes; instead, they shone even brighter.

This proved that what happened in the forest wasn't a fluke!

This bead really was useful!

In five years of hard cultivation, he hadn't been able to sense even a wisp of Spiritual Qi, let alone draw it into his body!

And now, thanks to this bead, he had done it!

Even if it was only indirect and so faint it was negligible!

It meant that a crack had appeared in the dead-end road!

He had hope!

Ye Tian suddenly gripped the stone bead tightly, his body trembling with excitement.

In the following days, Ye Tian continued to go to the back mountain every day.

It was no longer just for hunting, but more to find a secluded spot to repeatedly try and trigger the stone bead.

However, the progress was despairingly slow.

Only after exhausting his mental energy could he draw a faint wisp of Spiritual Qi into the bead.

The stone bead was like a dead thing; it just absorbed what it was given without any feedback.

His body still couldn't sense Spiritual Qi, and his Meridians remained sluggish.

But he didn't stop.

He had endured five years; he didn't lack this bit of patience.

One day, he was walking back dragging a scrawny mountain rabbit.

Just as he reached the side gate of the Ye family manor, several figures emerged and blocked the entrance.

It was Ye Hao and his two lackeys.

Ye Hao was the son of a Ye family manager. Having just succeeded in Qi Gathering, he often caused trouble for Ye Tian.

Ye Hao glanced sideways at the mountain rabbit in Ye Tian's hand and sneered, "Yo, the Trash isn't empty-handed today? Good luck."

Ye Tian said nothing and lowered his head, trying to pass by.

A lackey stuck out a foot to block him. "Brother Hao is talking to you. Are you deaf?"

Ye Tian stopped, his grip on the rabbit tightening.

Ye Hao stepped forward, snatched the mountain rabbit, weighed it in his hand, and curled his lip in disgust. "It's so thin it's just bones. Even a dog would find it a nuisance to eat." He tossed it to his lackeys. "A reward for you guys."

The lackeys took it with grins.

Ye Tian looked up at Ye Hao. "Give it back."

"Give it back?" Ye Hao was amused. He poked Ye Tian's chest with his finger. "You eat the Ye family's food and use the Ye family's resources, yet you're just a piece of junk. This mountain rabbit grew on Ye family land, so it's Ye family property. Taking it from you is doing you a favor!"

Some clansmen passed by, but upon seeing the situation, they immediately lowered their heads and quickened their pace. No one dared to interfere.

Ye Tian's chest hurt from the poking. He stared at Ye Hao.

"What are you looking at?" Annoyed by the stare, Ye Hao shoved him hard. "Not satisfied? A piece of Trash who can't even manage Qi Gathering—do you actually want to fight?"

Ye Tian stumbled back a step but steadied himself.

The strength in his body, slightly enhanced because of the stone bead, began to stir, but he suppressed it.

He couldn't win.

The gap between someone who had succeeded in Qi Gathering and an ordinary person was too large.

He stopped looking at the mountain rabbit and turned to leave.

"Stop!" Ye Hao barked coldly. "Did I say you could leave?"

The other lackey kicked Ye Tian in the back of the knee.

Ye Tian let out a muffled groan and fell to one knee.

"Trash should act like Trash." Ye Hao looked down at him. "Crawl through, and I'll let it go for today."

He pointed between his legs.

The two lackeys burst into laughter.

Ye Tian knelt on the ground, his head lowered, his expression hidden.

He slowly clenched his fists.

Suddenly, the stone bead in his bosom, which had been silent all this time, moved slightly.

It wasn't because of his will, but as if it were triggered by some external aura.

Was it the faint Spiritual Qi circulating within Ye Hao?

There was no time to overthink it.

That momentary movement of the stone bead stirred a faint trace of Qi sensation that had remained deep within his body from the last time.

A sudden surge of restlessness rushed to his head.

Ye Tian let out a low, inhuman growl and suddenly sprang up from the ground, slamming his head into Ye Hao's stomach!

Caught off guard, Ye Hao never expected this piece of Trash to dare resist. He took the hit full-on and doubled over with a howl.

Ye Tian took the opportunity to smash a fist into his face!

Ye Hao cried out in pain as blood streamed from his nose.

The two lackeys were stunned for a second before they reacted, charging forward with curses.

Ye Tian ignored everything else, fighting like a madman, focusing his attacks solely on Ye Hao.

Fists, elbows, headbutts—he used everything he could against Ye Hao.

All of that slightly enhanced strength exploded forth.

Although Ye Hao had succeeded in Qi Gathering, he was caught off guard and dazed by the beating, finding himself suppressed for a moment.

Fists and kicks landed on Ye Tian, causing sharp pain.

But he didn't care, staying doggedly focused on Ye Hao.

Amidst the chaos, someone shouted, "The Law Enforcement Team is here!"

The fighting stopped instantly.

His face bruised and swollen, Ye Hao clutched his bleeding nose and pointed at Ye Tian, trembling with rage. "You... you dared to hit me! Just you wait!"

Members of the Law Enforcement Team approached with cold expressions.

"What's going on?"

Ye Hao was the first to shout, "This Trash Ye Tian ambushed me!"

The Law Enforcement Team members looked at the disheveled Ye Tian and the clearly worse-for-wear Ye Hao, their brows furrowing.

"Take them both away! Lock them in the confinement rooms! Await judgment!"

The confinement room was cold and damp.

Ye Tian sat against the wall, his face and body stinging with pain.

That sudden surge of impulse and strength had come and gone quickly.

Now, only exhaustion and pain remained.

But he was excited.

He had managed to hit Ye Hao.

Though he was in a sorry state and had taken more hits, he had landed his own.

And furthermore, the bead seemed to react to other people's Spiritual Qi?