Chapter 19: Breakthrough
Chapter 19: Breakthrough
The vast Council Hall was empty and quiet, leaving only Qin Hongyuan and Qin Li inside. Qin Hongyuan’s face had returned to calm, but in his heart, he felt extremely unsettled by his grandson who dared to oppose him openly and left him no face at all.
Having lived for so many years, it was not an exaggeration to say: he had eaten more salt than Qin Li had eaten rice, and walked over more bridges than Qin Li had traveled roads!
But today, facing this grandson who was so smart, so calm, and so proud, Qin Hongyuan felt for the first time: he was old!
“Qin Li, you are smart, very smart! I did not expect someone as young as you to understand how to use leverage.”
A cold smile hung on Qin Hongyuan’s lips: “But, do you know the consequences of refusing me today? Or can you even bear them? If you fail, what will you do?”
Qin Li’s handsome face showed no trace of nervousness. He directly sat in the seat previously occupied by the Qin Family Elder, propped his chin with one hand, looked at Qin Hongyuan who still sat high up, saw the gloom in his old eyes, and said with a smile: “Does the Family Head think that if I didn’t do this, I would have a good outcome? With the Family Head’s intelligence, you must have thought about how Qin Feng and Qin Hu would treat me in the future, right?”
“Them?”
Qin Hongyuan certainly understood. Forget Qin Feng and Qin Hu, even the other Qin Family disciples now deeply hated Qin Li.
A genius that a major family produced only once in several hundred years—everyone understood how many benefits that would bring to the family. If the family grew stronger, they would naturally gain more and greater benefits. So even if they felt jealousy in their hearts, they all wished Qin Feng and Qin Hu could be even more talented! But now, this genius was very likely destroyed by Qin Li’s hands. How could they not hate him?
Qin Hongyuan snorted coldly: “As long as I live, no one can do anything to you! By the time I am gone, with your abilities, would you still fear their threats?”
Qin Li shook his head and said: “I have no high-level Yuanli Heart Method, nor any Advanced Combat Technique. Winning against Qin Feng today was only because he underestimated me and his combat experience was too poor. I only won by luck. If no one had stopped it today, I would have died at Qin Hu’s hands. How dare I stay in this family?”
Hearing Qin Li’s words, Qin Hongyuan fell silent. Then he was startled, suddenly realizing that from beginning to end, the initiative had been firmly held by this thirteen-year-old child! So many people in the entire Qin Family, not one noticed, or even if someone did, they simply couldn’t change the situation!
Qin Hongyuan looked at Qin Li with complex emotions. At this moment, he even thought of the future. He hoped this child… would not become an enemy of the Qin Family in the future.
He sighed, waved his hand, and said: “You may go. Very well, if the marriage with the Shangguan Family cannot happen, you take your mother and leave, go far away, don’t come back. As for Qin Feng and Qin Hu, I will warn them not to bother you. Whether you are willing to admit it or not, I hope you remember, half of the blood in your body is from the Qin Family!”
Qin Li was silent for a moment. He knew that Qin Hongyuan’s words were laying the groundwork for the future. He nodded and said: “Alright, I remember. As long as they don’t provoke me, I will never make trouble for the Qin Family!”
“Go now.”
After saying this, Qin Hongyuan once again felt that he truly was old. He had been manipulated and played by a teenager using leverage!
His eldest son Yongzhi was now over forty years old. It seemed it was time to consider letting him take over as Family Head. Watching that somewhat thin figure slowly walk out of the Council Hall, Qin Hongyuan let out a long sigh, filled with worries.
Returning to Zichen Garden, Qin Li saw Qin Xue and his mother standing at the door, looking very nervous. Only when they saw Qin Li return safely did their faces show relieved expressions.
“Son, are you alright?” Qin Hanyue held Qin Li’s hand, looking him up and down. No one understood Qin Hongyuan better than her. As the Qin Family Head, his methods were extremely forceful. It wasn’t that he had no family affection at all, but when faced with the large interests of the family, for Qin Hongyuan, family affection was something that could be sacrificed!
And Qin Feng, the genius most likely to lead the Qin Family to greater heights, was especially treasured in Qin Hongyuan’s heart. Now, with his injury status unknown, could Qin Hongyuan swallow this anger?
Qin Li smiled and said: “Mother, I’m fine, just a bit tired. I want to rest first!”
Only then did Qin Hanyue remember what Qin Xue had told her. Qin Xue said Qin Li was also slightly injured, but she dared not say Qin Li’s injuries were actually quite serious, afraid of making Qin Hanyue worry.
“Ah, alright, alright. Let Qin Xue take you to rest. Mother will prepare dinner for you!”
“Young Lady, please take the Young Master to rest. I will prepare dinner,” Qin Xue said with a smile.
Qin Hanyue hesitated for a moment, then said softly: “Alright then, sorry to trouble you, Miss Qin Xue.”
“Young Lady, you are too polite. This is what Qin Xue should do.”
Seeing his mother staring blankly at Qin Xue’s retreating back, Qin Li smiled and asked: “Mother, what are you thinking?”
“What a good girl! It’s a pity our family’s conditions… it’s mother’s fault…” Qin Hanyue’s eyes reddened slightly as she sighed and spoke.
“What are you saying!” Qin Li held Qin Hanyue’s hand, gazed into his mother’s eyes, and said seriously: “Mother, as the saying goes, a son does not dislike his mother’s plain appearance. In my heart, mother is the greatest person in the world!”
Seeing Qin Hanyue on the verge of tears, Qin Li quickly changed the subject: “Mother, tomorrow, I plan to move out of the Qin Family, rent a place. I will support you. Would you be afraid of hardship?”
Qin Hanyue took a deep breath and said comfortingly: “Silly child, how could mother be afraid of hardship? Don’t worry, mother is not afraid! Mother still has several dozen taels of silver here. If we use it sparingly, it should be enough for us to buy a small courtyard and live for a year. Mother knows many things, mother can earn money to support you! Your task is to grow up healthy. As long as I see you grow up healthy and carefree, mother will be happy!”
A mother’s deep love was like sunshine, able to nourish all things under heaven! Qin Li nodded silently, vowing in his heart: From now on, he would never let his mother suffer any grievance again!
After returning to his room, Qin Li began to sit cross-legged and meditate. During his practice of the Innate Purple Qi Art, he delightfully discovered that the originally very narrow meridians had actually widened slightly after today’s battle! So much so that his cultivation speed had increased quite a bit.
Looking inward at his Dantian, Qin Li was even more pleasantly surprised. Unbeknownst to him, a milky white, chaotic energy mass the size of a bean had appeared there!
According to the tradition of the Tianyuan Continent, the energy provided by this mass was called Yuanli!
Qin Li focused his mind, and that mass, only the size of a bean, suddenly became agitated. A surge of abundant power instantly spread throughout Qin Li’s entire body. His body seemed to become incredibly light. He opened his eyes, and two gleams of sharp light flashed within them.
Qin Li spread his palm, then made a fist, a smile appearing on his face. Although he hadn’t been tested yet, Qin Li clearly knew that he had finally broken through the first level of Yuanli and entered the second level!
To others, this was nothing, especially for a genius like Qin Feng, who had reached the frightening fifth level of Yuanli! But for Qin Li, this was simply a tremendous breakthrough!
You have to understand, what Qin Feng practiced was the Qin Family’s highest-level Yuanli Heart Method! To use an analogy, it was like Qin Feng received the best education from childhood, studying in the highest institutions, while Qin Li never entered any academy and hadn’t even read a single book. Then, in one exam, he handed in a more perfect answer sheet than Qin Feng. Such a thing was simply unbelievable in people’s eyes!
The Innate Purple Qi Art! It must be because of it! Even though Qin Li had strong self-control, he couldn’t help but feel excited now. He didn’t know how long it took for a genius like Qin Feng to break through to the second level of Yuanli, but he was sure it definitely couldn’t have been just one day!
Thinking of this, a cold smile appeared on Qin Li’s lips: Geniuses, I hope you don’t provoke me.