Chapter 5

Zhou Yi gently placed the manual in his hand down. He withdrew his gaze, his expression changing unpredictably, and a strong, boiling emotion surged within him.

At this moment, he recalled the time when he rapidly advanced in the past, attracting the attention of everyone in the family. He remembered his father’s joyful smile and the approving gaze of his grandfather.

However, after bearing the hopes of too many people, he could no longer bear the pressure. Years of stagnation and treading water caused the aura around him to gradually fade, and his status within the family seemed to decline year by year. Though no one explicitly showed it, it was evident in certain details.

The reason Zhou Yi often practiced late into the night these past few years was because a burning anger remained in his heart.

If this situation continued to develop, one day the brothers might truly clash. Fortunately, today this manual of Ripple Technique gave him a new hope.

His eyes, shining like stars, slowly closed, and the surging tide in his heart gradually subsided.

At this crucial moment, Zhou Yi inexplicably and completely relaxed. He didn’t understand why he could enter such a state of mind, but he knew that this state of mind would greatly benefit what he was about to do.

In his mind, the route of the sixth layer of Ripple Technique quickly appeared, like ripples on water.

His meridians were quickly filled with surging internal energy. His Ripple Technique, unconsciously, had reached the pinnacle of the fifth layer.

Countless streams of internal energy converged from every part of his body, slowly gathering in his dantian, and followed a fixed route, circulating one after another within his body, slowly accumulating tremendous power.

Zhou Yi unexpectedly decided to make a breakthrough tonight and attempt to reach the sixth layer after countless failed attempts.

Although this time he was not practicing the Mixed Yuan Force that he had been practicing for a full eight years, and although he hadn’t truly grasped and internalized the insights and experiences of his third brother, his heart was filled with an unwavering determination to move forward, never retreat.

For four years, day and night, every moment, he had been concerned about breaking through the sixth level, and he had been trapped here for too long…

The powerful internal energy slowly nurtured within his meridians. At this moment, Zhou Yi unexpectedly displayed such calmness and stability, which made him feel a strange sensation himself.

Finally, when the internal energy within his body reached its peak and reached the limit that his willpower could control, the surging internal energy rushed toward the internal energy route of the sixth level like a breached dam.

Although the operation routes of the Mixed Yuan Force and the sixth level of Ripple Technique were different, the difficulty of reaching this level was almost the same. With the experience of dozens of previous attempts, Zhou Yi suddenly felt a strange sensation in his heart, that this time the breakthrough would definitely succeed.

In his mind, a thunderous roar suddenly resounded, and everything in Zhou Yi’s mind instantly changed, transitioning to a different scene in an instant.

It seemed as if he had returned to the moment when he encountered the strange light last night. Countless images and visions flashed in his mind, allowing him to relive the incomparable grand scene once again.

Finally, amidst the thunder and lightning that seemed like the end of the world, Zhou Yi’s spiritual world returned to his body.

Zhou Yi’s body trembled slightly. As soon as his spiritual essence returned, he immediately sensed the distinct changes within his body.

Inside him, a new internal energy route had successfully opened up. The internal energy, even more powerful than before, flowed within him like flowing water, as if his body possessed infinite strength.

He opened his eyes, and the moonlight above had already dissipated, but his gaze just caught the first ray of sunlight as it rose.

On the training ground in the backyard of the Zhuang family, several third-generation disciples from yesterday were still carrying out their daily exercises as usual. Today’s person in charge was still Zhou Quanyi.

However, his expression was not very pleasant because after arriving late yesterday, Zhou Yi was absent again today.

Glancing in a certain direction, a burning anger surged in Zhou Quanyi’s heart, feeling frustrated at Zhou Yi’s lack of progress. But deep down, he also felt a hint of regret. Wasn’t there any chance to salvage this promising talent destroyed by the pressure within the family?

Suddenly, a figure swiftly ran over and within a few strides had already arrived in front of Zhou Quanyi.

Zhou Quanyi’s face darkened, and he said, “Why are you late again today?”

Zhou Yi murmured, “Uncle, I changed to practice the water-based Ripple Technique yesterday and didn’t manage the timing well.”

Zhou Quanyi’s expression softened, and he asked, “How’s your practice going? Do you feel any resistance?”

Zhou Yi quickly shook his head and said, “No, everything feels normal.”

“Good,” Zhou Quanyi nodded in satisfaction. “Keep practicing and let me know as soon as you reach the first level.”

Zhou Yi hesitated for a moment, finally nodded, but remained silent.

Although he really wanted to tell his uncle that he not only reached the first level but even reached the sixth level, he couldn’t be sure of the treatment he would receive within the family if he spoke the truth.

After all, practicing to the peak of the fifth level and even breaking through to the sixth level in just one night was enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine.

Zhou Quanyi waved his hand and said, “Go in and train.”

Zhou Yi replied and joined his brothers and sisters in their training. However, his mind was clearly elsewhere. Although his movements during the training were flawless due to years of habit, his mind remained somewhat absent.

Although Zhou Quanyi noticed this, he didn’t pay much attention to it. Perhaps this was one of the aftereffects of switching to another technique. Once his nephew figured things out, he should be able to let go of any lingering concerns.

The morning exercise quickly came to an end. After Zhou Quanyi left, Zhou Yi bid farewell to his elder and younger sisters, then turned around and left without giving Zhou Yizhang and Zhou Yiyu a chance to speak.

As Zhou Yi departed, a smirk appeared on Zhou Yizhang’s face, while Zhou Yiyu wore a worried expression. It seemed that Sixth Brother had started hating even his own siblings. What an undeserved calamity.

Zhou Yizhang’s eyes darted around, contemplating whether or not to tell his eldest brother and second brother. The relationship between these three brothers had always been quite good.

Zhou Yi left the Zhuang estate directly and glanced around to ensure there was no one nearby. Then he swiftly moved with agile steps toward the mountains.

The mountain behind the estate was not a small hill but rather one entrance among many in a vast mountain range. Within this mountain, there were countless treasures, such as medicinal herbs that had grown for hundreds or even thousands of years, as well as fierce and cunning beasts that could arouse human greed.

However, the mountain also held great dangers. Besides true hunters, few dared to venture deep into the mountains.

Since Zhou Family Estate was built so close to the mountains, they regularly delved into them. Although Zhou Yi was only thirteen years old, he had been exploring the mountains at least four times a year since he was ten. While he couldn’t claim to be completely familiar with the environment, as long as he didn’t venture too deep, he had no problem protecting himself.

Of course, previously, every time it was one of the second generation leading a group of younger ones into the mountains, but today Zhou Yi decided to go alone.

Although the mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse, in Zhou Yi’s eyes, it was nothing more than that. He infused his internal energy into the meridians of his legs, instantly becoming much more agile. Sometimes, with a light tap of his toes on the ground, he could leap several meters away.

Of course, this was only the most basic application of internal energy and did not count as any advanced light-footed technique.

According to the rules of the Zhou family estate, only direct descendants who have cultivated their internal energy to the sixth level are allowed to enter the Scripture Pavilion and search for suitable martial arts techniques to cultivate. Prior to this, all their focus must be dedicated to cultivating their internal energy because it serves as the foundation for all martial arts. Only with powerful internal energy can the full potential of martial arts be unleashed. If one’s internal energy is weak, even the most powerful martial arts techniques in the world would be nothing more than superficial moves, easily defeated.

Of course, under the same level of internal energy cultivation, extraordinarily powerful martial arts techniques can create a significant gap. However, once all of one’s focus is placed on martial arts techniques, it inevitably detracts from the cultivation of internal energy.

This dilemma truly gives all cultivators a headache.

But at this moment, Zhou Yi had no such concerns. He happily sprinted across the ground, not only did reaching the sixth level improve his internal energy cultivation, but his reaction speed and self-confidence also greatly increased. At this moment, he even had a strong belief that he could fight against heaven and earth.

After running along the familiar path for some time, he entered the forest.

Zhou Yi had come here to test the power of his Wave Ripple Technique, which he had cultivated to the sixth level. If he were to test it within the estate, he might accidentally alert others. After all, the patriarch of the estate, Zhou Wude, was a master who had cultivated his internal energy to the pinnacle of the tenth level.

However, Zhou Yi was self-aware and didn’t venture deep into the ancient forest. He wandered around the outskirts instead. He casually found a large tree that required three people holding hands to encircle and stood a few steps away from it. Taking a deep breath, he raised his palm and struck with all his might.

The sixth-level Wave Ripple Technique surged out from the palm of his hand like a tidal wave. In just that moment, he unleashed its maximum power.