Chen Yang watched the two children with equal attention.

Fifty-six children had been tested, and two had shown spiritual roots. Initially, he had been somewhat surprised.

But upon further reflection, it did not seem so extraordinary.

The region covered by the two towns was vast, and the surrounding villages and scattered households totaled over ten thousand people.

It was only because of the Beast Tide that a portion of them had gathered at the Yang family estate. Given such a large population base, it was not unusual for two children with aptitude to emerge.

It could only be considered the Yang family's good fortune that these two children happened to reside within their territory and had survived that calamity.

"Hmm... they are about to begin their cultivation."

Chen Yang withdrew his focus and turned his gaze toward the separate courtyard.

The two children had discussed the matter and decided to start by attempting the Circulatory Qi-Guiding Art.

This cultivation method was somewhat similar to the yoga from Chen Yang's past life, employing specific combinations of movements to mobilize the world's Spiritual Qi.

Twelve movements formed one cycle, and twelve cycles constituted a full rotation. Only after completing a full rotation could one draw the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth into the body.

Compared to the Nether-Spirit Dao-Seeking Scripture, this method seemed somewhat crude and slow. However, its advantage lay in its low threshold. As long as one was willing to put in bitter effort, it was merely a matter of spending more time to successfully guide Qi into the body.

The two children clumsily imitated the circulatory movements outlined in the manual. Over the course of the entire day, their clothes were soaked through with sweat several times, yet they had only barely mastered the first few movements.

"Ha... ha... Sister Wu Tong, let's rest for a bit. My arms and legs are completely weak."

Zhao Qi collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily as he wiped his sweat.

This was far from the cultivation he had envisioned. The circulatory movements looked simple, but performing them continuously placed an immense strain on one's physical strength.

He felt this was even more exhausting than working the fields with Zhao Dapeng for an entire day.

Beside him, Wu Tong knelt on the ground. Her face was flushed crimson, and her sweat-drenched hair hung in damp strands against her cheeks.

She did not respond to Zhao Qi. Instead, she breathed deeply to calm her racing heart. Before long, she stood up once more and resumed the circulatory movements.

Seeing this, Zhao Qi's mouth hung half-open, at a loss for words.

After watching her for a moment, he felt too embarrassed to keep resting. He pushed himself up and followed Wu Tong, resuming his practice.

That day, they cultivated until nightfall, only stopping when their limbs could no longer move at all.

Eventually, Elder Yu materialized and carried the two children back to their rooms to rest.

The next morning, Chen Yang assumed the children would sleep in after exhausting themselves on the first day. To his surprise, just as dawn was breaking, Wu Tong dragged the still-groggy Zhao Qi out to sweep the courtyard.

After breakfast and a brief rest, they threw themselves back into cultivation.

From beginning to end, Zhao Qi continually cried out from the pain, yet his movements did not falter in the slightest.

Wu Tong, just as she had on the first day, remained entirely silent, striving to execute every single movement perfectly.

By the fifth day, their bodies had adapted to the circulatory movements and no longer felt sore.

This greatly improved their efficiency.

That evening, the two of them successively completed a full set of circulatory movements, successfully taking their first step. Afterward, it was a matter of repeating the process until they could sustain a continuous full round.

This process was incredibly tedious, offering no shortcuts; they could only grind away with bitter effort bit by bit.

During this time, Zhao Qi wanted to slack off on several occasions. However, seeing that Wu Tong was still persevering, he felt too ashamed to stop.

"Heh, these two little children are quite interesting. The young girl, Wu Tong, is excellent-her character is tough, she possesses great perseverance, and her resolve is truly firm."

Having observed them for this period, Chen Yang had formed a basic understanding of their temperaments.

"As for that kid Zhao Qi, his mouth never stops complaining, and he occasionally thinks of stealing a bit of leisure. But in his heart, he understands what is at stake. When it is time to exert effort, he does not cut corners."

Taken as a whole, both children were highly promising.

Elder Yu shared a similar assessment to Chen Yang. Having read countless people throughout his long life, he had seen through the characters of the two children from their performance over the first two days.

Time trickled by, and in the blink of an eye, a month passed.

Today was the day Chen Yang was scheduled to repair Yang Lingqing's Qi Channels. Just as he withdrew his consciousness from that task, he shifted his gaze back to the separate courtyard.

After a month of rigorous training, Wu Tong and Zhao Qi were finally capable of completing a full rotation of the circulatory movements.

Today, the two of them were to formally attempt drawing Qi into their bodies.

The children adjusted their breathing, chanting the mnemonics beneath their breath as their bodies began to move in unison.

As they executed the cycles, the Spiritual Qi surrounding the courtyard began to ripple.

Upon completing the first round, Zhao Qi seemed to catch a faint inkling of a sensation, whereas Wu Tong felt absolutely nothing.

During the second round, Zhao Qi could faintly perceive the flow of Spiritual Qi, but Wu Tong still sensed nothing at all.

Then came the third round, the fourth round...

From the rising of the morning sun to its setting in the west, the two children completed a full eight cycles.

"It's there! I felt it!"

Following the eighth round, Zhao Qi let out a jubilant cheer.

He had successfully drawn the first wisp of worldly Spiritual Qi into his body, sensing its light, ethereal presence entering his Qi Nodes.

"Sister Wu Tong, I've successfully guided Qi into my body!"

"That is wonderful! Congratulations!"

Wu Tong was genuinely happy for Zhao Qi. Yet, when she reflected on her own total lack of progress today, her eyes could not help but dim.

Zhao Qi noticed this as well and hastily offered a few clumsy words of comfort.

Listening to his childish reassurances, Wu Tong shook her head with a bitter smile.

How could she not understand those basic truths?

However, after a month of unremitting effort, ending up with absolutely nothing to show for it was undeniably disheartening.

"Alas... her aptitude is indeed too poor. Setting aside any comparison to the three children of the Yang family, she falls far short even when compared to Zhao Qi."

Having witnessed the entire sequence of events, Chen Yang sighed inwardly.

Although Wu Tong possessed the capability to cultivate, her physical talent was remarkably abysmal.

Chen Yang watched as the surrounding Spiritual Qi, stirred by her circulatory movements, gathered around her. Yet, it merely swirled about her form for a long time without finding a single point of entry, ultimately dispersing into nothingness.

The entrances to all twelve of Wu Tong's Qi Nodes were extraordinarily narrow. This meant she would have to exert many times the effort of an ordinary person just to match the pace of a standard cultivator.

The days of cultivation always flew by, and another month vanished in an instant.

After utilizing his spiritual power to nourish Chen Yang, Elder Yu walked over to the separate courtyard to inspect the two children's progress.

Zhao Qi had already forced open his first Qi Node, and his execution of the circulatory movements had grown increasingly proficient. The ebb and flow of Spiritual Qi could be sensed in his every movement and stillness.

Observing quietly from the shadows, Elder Yu nodded to himself. Then, his gaze shifted to Wu Tong, and a sigh escaped his heart.

For an entire month, Wu Tong had remained unable to draw Qi into her body. Time and again, she fell short at the critical juncture.

Even though her circulatory movements were more precise and fluid than Zhao Qi's, she had not made an inch of progress.

Even an old intriguer like Elder Yu could not help but feel a twinge of sorrow at this sight.

"Sister Wu Tong, it's getting late. Let's call it a day."

Zhao Qi collected his thoughts and looked at Wu Tong with concern.

They had already performed ten full sets of circulatory rotations today, and their bodies had essentially reached their absolute physical limits.

"You head back first. I want to try a few more times," Wu Tong replied, steadily adjusting her breathing.

Zhao Qi opened his mouth as if to speak, but hesitated and stopped. Ultimately, he murmured an assent and returned to his quarters.

Once he had departed, Wu Tong rested for a brief moment before standing up again to initiate the cycles.

Elder Yu watched as she finished her eleventh rotation, only to collapse limply onto the earth once more, having achieved nothing.

She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, biting her lower lip as she wept silently. Streams of tears traced down her cheeks, dripping onto the dry soil.

In that single moment, the departing figures of her elder brothers and the anguished countenance of her mother flashed vividly through her mind.

After a brief release of grief, the resilient girl shakily forced herself back to her feet.

She raised her arms, preparing to perform the circulatory movements yet again.

"Alas..."

Elder Yu shook his head, his heart aching. He had witnessed every ounce of Wu Tong's exertion over the past weeks.

This time, he truly could not bear to watch any longer. He intended to reveal himself and put an end to her practice, lest she permanently damage her foundation.

Just as he was about to step forward, a divine thought suddenly manifested in his mind.

Elder Yu froze for an instant, then turned his head abruptly toward the main courtyard. "Immortal Venerable!"

Chen Yang stayed Elder Yu's hand. Then, he extended his divine sense, gently wrapping it around Wu Tong.

As the surrounding Spiritual Qi was pulled inward by her circulatory movements, Chen Yang began to actively guide it from the side, directing the energy toward the primary Qi Node in Wu Tong's abdomen.

Following that, much like how he compressed his own internal spiritual power, he tightly coiled the world's Spiritual Qi gathered around her form and forcefully drove it straight into that narrow Qi Node.

Under the sudden, dense influx of Spiritual Qi, the entrance of the Qi Node naturally began to dilate, rapidly expanding until it reached a standard size. From this moment onward, subsequent Spiritual Qi would be able to enter her body through this channel smoothly, without requiring any external guidance from Chen Yang.

Elder Yu witnessed this sequence in sheer astonishment, his eyes wide with utter disbelief.

After staring blankly at Wu Tong for a good while, he finally collected his wits. He turned toward the direction of the main courtyard and executed a profound, respectful bow.

"The Immortal Venerable's divine abilities are truly limitless! This old man offers his deepest gratitude on behalf of Wu Tong!"

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