The morning mist gradually lifted as Lin Tianyuan and his father returned to Qinghe Village.
Sunlight spilled over the vast rice fields surrounding the village. Farmers had already begun their work, while several hunters were preparing to head into the forest.
Yet Tianyuan barely noticed any of it.
His mind was still filled with what had happened earlier.
The Stone Fang Beast.
The Essence Core.
And the black core within his body, which had swallowed that energy as if it were ordinary food.
He walked a few steps behind his father, secretly trying to sense his own body.
Warm energy still flowed through his meridians.
Every step felt lighter.
Every breath felt deeper.
"Father…" Tianyuan finally said softly.
Lin Feng did not turn around.
"What is it?"
"That energy… it's still inside me."
Lin Feng stopped walking.
He turned and looked at his son calmly.
"How does it feel?"
Tianyuan thought for a moment.
"It's like… something is constantly swirling inside me."
He closed his eyes briefly, trying to feel it more clearly.
"And the qi in the air seems to be drawn toward me."
Lin Feng nodded slowly.
"That's normal."
"But for you… it might be a little different."
Tianyuan furrowed his brows.
"Father knows something about this core?"
Lin Feng stared at him for a few seconds before turning and walking again.
"I know a little."
"But even I'm not entirely sure."
This answer only made Tianyuan more curious.
But his father did not continue the conversation.
Soon after, they arrived at the small courtyard behind their house.
This was the place Lin Feng usually used for cultivation practice.
The ground was hard and flat.
Several large stones were stacked along the sides of the yard.
Lin Feng stopped in the middle of the courtyard.
"Tianyuan."
"Yes?"
"Sit down."
Tianyuan immediately sat cross-legged on the ground.
Lin Feng stood in front of him, his hands behind his back.
"Now close your eyes."
Tianyuan obeyed.
The morning wind blew gently.
A few seconds passed before Lin Feng's voice sounded again.
"Tell me… what do you feel inside your body?"
Tianyuan focused his awareness inward.
He quickly felt a small vortex in his dantian.
The black core was still spinning slowly.
But this time, he also felt something else.
Three small streams of energy.
"Father…"
"There are three energy pathways."
Lin Feng raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Explain."
"One runs through the center of my body."
"One on the left side."
"And another on the right."
Lin Feng was silent for a few seconds.
Then he let out a soft sigh.
"As I suspected."
Tianyuan opened his eyes.
"What do you mean, Father?"
Lin Feng looked at him with a serious expression.
"In cultivation…"
"a cultivator usually opens one main meridian first."
"After that, they gradually open other meridians."
He paused for a moment.
"But you…"
"you've already opened three."
Tianyuan's eyes widened.
"Three?"
Lin Feng nodded.
"The Heavenly Meridian."
"The Earthly Meridian."
"And the Spiritual Meridian."
These three meridians were the most important energy pathways in the human body.
Many cultivators even spent years trying to open all of them.
Yet Tianyuan…
had them from the very start.
Tianyuan lowered his head and looked at his hands.
"Is this because of the black core?"
Lin Feng did not answer directly.
"Maybe."
"Or perhaps it's because of something even I don't know about."
He then pointed to the ground in front of Tianyuan.
"Now draw qi from the air."
Tianyuan took a deep breath.
He tried to do as his father said.
A few seconds later…
he felt the qi around him stir.
The subtle energy slowly flowed toward his body.
It entered through his meridians.
And flowed toward the black core in his dantian.
The small vortex spun a little faster.
Lin Feng watched closely.
Normally, someone in the early stages of cultivation could only draw qi very slowly.
But the qi around Tianyuan moved far more actively.
It was as if the air around him was being pulled by something.
"Enough."
Tianyuan opened his eyes.
Lin Feng spoke calmly,
"From today on, you are at the Qi Gathering Realm."
"Star 3."
Tianyuan was shocked.
"Star 3?"
Lin Feng nodded.
"You've already passed the Blood Refinement and Meridian Opening stages."
"Your body is strong enough."
"Your meridians are also open."
"Now all you need to do is strengthen your foundation."
Tianyuan nodded slowly.
Even though he had just started cultivating…
he had already come much further than most people.
But Lin Feng added in a serious tone,
"Don't get too happy."
Tianyuan looked at him.
"Why?"
Lin Feng pointed to Tianyuan's chest.
"Because of that core."
"Your essence may be able to absorb energy very quickly."
"But to advance to the next realm…"
"you will also need far more energy."
Tianyuan fell silent.
Lin Feng continued,
"An ordinary person might need ten portions of energy to rise one stage."
"But you…"
"you might need a hundred."
Tianyuan forced a bitter smile.
"So I have to work ten times harder?"
Lin Feng shook his head.
"Maybe even more than that."
But then he patted his son's shoulder.
"But that also means…"
"if you manage to advance…"
"your strength will far surpass others'."
The wind blew across the courtyard again.
Tianyuan looked up at the blue sky above him.
The path of cultivation…
was not as simple as he had imagined.
Yet a new fire of determination ignited in his heart.
"Father."
"Yes?"
"I want to become strong."
Lin Feng stared at him for a few seconds.
"Why?"
Tianyuan thought for a moment before answering.
"So I can protect the village."
"And…"
He paused briefly.
"So I can see the world out there."
Lin Feng smiled faintly.
"The world beyond this village…"
"is far bigger than you can imagine."
"If you truly want to see it…"
"you must become extremely strong."
That day, Tianyuan's training began.
In the morning, he practiced drawing qi.
At noon, he trained his body with basic techniques.
At night, he meditated to stabilize the core in his dantian.
Days passed one by one.
Tianyuan's body gradually changed.
His movements became faster.
His strength increased.
His Qi Gathering Star 3 became more and more stable.
But the more energy he absorbed…
the clearer one thing became.
The black core was like a bottomless pit.
The energy that entered it always felt insufficient.
As if it was waiting for something far greater.
Several weeks passed like this.
One morning…
Tianyuan woke up earlier than usual.
He stepped out of the house.
But when he reached the training courtyard…
he saw his father already standing there.
Lin Feng was gazing at the brightening sky.
"Father?"
Lin Feng turned slowly.
"Tianyuan."
"I have to go."
Tianyuan froze.
"Go?"
Lin Feng nodded.
"There's something I need to do."
"It might take quite a long time."
Tianyuan felt a weight in his chest.
"You'll come back, right?"
Lin Feng looked at him.
A few seconds passed before he answered.
"Of course."
But his expression looked a little complicated.
He then took out a small scroll from his robe.
"This is a basic cultivation technique."
"Practice it every day."
Tianyuan took the scroll.
His hands trembled slightly.
Lin Feng stepped closer and patted his head.
"Take care of yourself."
"And remember one thing."
Tianyuan looked at him.
Lin Feng said in a soft voice,
"Never reveal your true strength easily."
"This world…"
"is not as simple as this small village."
The morning wind blew gently.
A few seconds later, Lin Feng turned around.
Without looking back…
he walked toward the village path.
Tianyuan stood still in the courtyard.
He watched his father's figure grow farther and farther away.
A strange feeling arose in his heart.
As if something big was about to change.
And deep within his dantian…
the black core pulsed slowly again.
As if welcoming the beginning of a long journey that even Tianyuan himself could not yet imagine.