Yang Lingrui took the jade bottle and, without the slightest hesitation, drank it down in a single gulp before meditating to digest its power.

Although he did not know exactly what this drop of liquid was, he was certain of one thing. Anything the Ancestor gave him had to be an incredible treasure.

"This spiritual power... it is so pure, so fierce!"

As soon as he began refining the spiritual liquid, he felt its true might.

In just a few breaths, the bottleneck of his sixth Qi Node effortlessly dissolved. The momentum only grew fiercer, directly charging ahead to smash through his seventh Qi Node in a single breath!

Realizing how extraordinary this spiritual liquid was, Yang Lingrui immediately cast aside all distracting thoughts. He focused his mind completely, throwing his full strength into opening the remaining Qi Nodes.

It took Yang Lingrui a full five hours to completely absorb the spiritual liquid. He did not open his eyes until nightfall.

By now, the Qi Nodes within his body had already been opened to eleven!

He was only a single step away from condensing a Spiritual Qi vortex!

Upon waking, Yang Lingrui hurriedly knelt in deep reverence toward the Ancestor who had been guarding his side all along.

"Disciple Yang Lingrui thanks the Ancestor for bestowing this treasure!"

Yang Guanfeng smiled and helped the boy to his feet, his voice gentle. "Lingrui, you are a good seedling. The fate of the Yang family for the next hundred years will depend on you."

"Lingrui understands! I will cultivate diligently and without rest. I will not betray the Ancestor's trust or the family's expectations!" Yang Lingrui said respectfully.

But then he suddenly thought of something and hesitated. "Ancestor, regarding today's matter, what should I tell my older brother and sister..."

Hearing this, Yang Guanfeng looked intrigued and asked in return, "What do you plan to tell them?"

Yang Lingrui pondered for a moment before raising his clear eyes.

"I will tell them the truth. They are the people closest to me, and they will also be the pillars of our Yang family in the future. I should not hide this from them!"

"Good! You have the right mindset, Lingrui. Go back and rest."

"Disciple takes his leave."

With this simple exchange, Yang Guanfeng let go of the last remaining trace of worry in his heart.

He had indeed harbored some concern. Yang Lingrui was still young and not from the main branch. After receiving such immense focus and resources, there was a risk the boy might become conceited.

Now it seemed he had been overthinking.

"I suppose I underestimated the younger generation of my own family." Yang Guanfeng shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.

When Yang Lingrui returned to the side quarters, Yang Linghu and Yang Lingqing eagerly stepped forward to ask what had happened.

Upon learning that he had received a reward from the Ancestor and had already broken through eleven Qi Nodes, the two nearly jumped for joy.

They were even more excited than if they had broken through themselves.

"You've done wonderfully, Lingrui! You are going to become the pillar of our Yang family!"

"Good lad, you've really pulled ahead of us!"

Yang Linghu threw an arm around his shoulder and grinned. "Xiaoqing, this is fantastic. Soon our family will have another Qi Gathering cultivator!"

Faced with his older siblings' praise, Yang Lingrui's face flushed slightly, revealing a shy smile.

"Brother Hu, Sister Qing, I will definitely cultivate twice as hard from now on!"

The next day, Chen Yang sensed the profound change in the Spiritual Qi within Yang Lingrui's body.

"Whoa, this kid really has what it takes. He's on the verge of opening his Qi Channels. That spiritual liquid sure is effective."

Seeing that Yang Lingrui was about to reach Qi Gathering, Chen Yang recalled a previous concern.

"One more Qi Gathering cultivator means another increase in taxes. Can the Yang family even afford that?"

That night, after the children had returned to their rooms.

Chen Yang "clocked out" for the day and was carried back to the main room by Yang Guanfeng.

Elder Yu followed closely behind him. "Patriarch, for what matter did you summon this old man?"

"Are the arrangements outside fully prepared?" Yang Guanfeng asked.

Elder Yu nodded. "Everything is ready. The location, timber, stone, and various other materials have all been secretly transported out of town. The new Spirit Fields are also prepared and only require Spiritual Infusion to stabilize the soil."

"Mm, leave them as they are for now. Once the secret realm closes and the surrounding area stabilizes, we will begin construction. We cannot delay for too long, or the dynasty's taxes will drain our family's foundation dry."

"Yes, this old man understands."

The two then quietly discussed a few more details before Elder Yu departed.

From their conversation, Chen Yang realized that Yang Guanfeng had long planned to relocate the entire family.

He had simply been waiting for the right opportunity.

And Lingrui stepping into Qi Gathering was the perfect excuse.

His plan was to report Lingrui's breakthrough to the town mayor, paying the full tax required for an additional cultivator this year.

Immediately after, he would move the Yang family out of Liuye Town, allowing Yang Linghu and Yang Lingqing to safely break through their realms in the wilderness.

This way, outsiders would only see that the Yang family had produced a new Qi Gathering cultivator and had willingly paid the exorbitant tax.

But, unable to bear such crushing taxation long-term, they had been forced to move outside the town.

Three Qi Gathering cultivators were strong enough to protect a small family in this border region, so the move would look entirely logical to outsiders.

More importantly, this setup would conceal Linghu and Lingqing's true progress, providing the Yang family with hidden combat strength as a crucial trump card.

Having spent years wandering the dangerous outside world, Yang Guanfeng deeply understood the necessity of keeping hidden cards. Currently, no one in the Yang family knew of the relocation plan except Elder Yu, who had been quietly operating in the shadows.

The family would also have to rely on this old man to construct their new home outside the town.

After Elder Yu left, Yang Guanfeng paced back and forth in his room for a long time.

His heart was filled with hope for the future, yet a lingering unease remained.

Leaving Liuye Town came with both pros and cons.

The benefit was clear: without the dynasty's extortionate taxes, the family could develop at a much faster pace.

But at the same time, they would lose the dynasty's protection. From then on, they would have to rely entirely on their own strength to survive.

Relocating the Yang family was only the first step, and the simplest one at that. There would be countless dangers and troubles to face in the wilderness.

Whenever he thought of this heavy burden, he felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Elder Yu.

If not for this old man's diligent, unwavering loyalty over the years, the Yang family would never have survived to see today.

Yang Guanfeng often wondered what the Yang family would look like today if he had not jumped into the freezing waters of the Fish Ridge River to save that drowning man all those years ago.

He had already made a decision. In the future, he would reserve an honored place for Elder Yu in the family's ancestral hall.

He would be the first person without the Yang surname to be enshrined and worshipped by their descendants.

Time continued to flow. This final Qi Node truly tested Lingrui's limits.

Even with Chen Yang providing full assistance, a talent like Yang Lingrui still needed three entire days to forcefully push it open.

But when the Spiritual Qi finally circulated unobstructed through his entire body, the child experienced the wondrous sensation of a cultivator resonating with heaven and earth for the very first time.

That night, Yang Lingrui successfully condensed a Spiritual Qi vortex within his Dantian.

Over the following five days, he began constructing his Qi Mansion.

With two Seniors like Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu personally guiding him, Yang Lingrui formed his Qi Mansion on the sixth day and condensed the very first strand of spiritual power in his life!

At the same time, this monumental achievement declared that the Yang family's third Qi Gathering cultivator was born!

"First level of Qi Gathering! Two Ancestors, brother, sister-I succeeded!"

The moment Yang Lingrui opened his eyes, he proudly announced the good news to the four people guarding him.

Yang Linghu and Yang Lingqing immediately embraced him, their voices choked with tears of profound joy.

Cultivation sounded simple, but only they understood the sheer boredom, pain, and bitterness of the long, lonely process.

The two elders, Yang Guanfeng and Elder Yu, looked on with faces full of deep gratification.

To see a result like this meant all their previous sacrifices and painstaking efforts were entirely worth it!

By this time, the Earth-Treasure Minor Secret Realm outside the town had already closed, and the swarms of foreign cultivators had finally dispersed.

But out of an abundance of caution, Yang Guanfeng chose to suppress the news of Lingrui's breakthrough for another month.

Only when a full month had passed did he dispatch Elder Yu to formally inform the various factions within Liuye Town.

"Today, our Yang family celebrates a joyous occasion. We are throwing a banquet to welcome all guests!"