As Zhong Yun frowned, contemplating the potential consequences of the matter, a chime sounded at the door. “Come in.”

“Brother Yun.” The door opened, and a familiar voice filtered in. Zhong Yun looked up to see a person clad in a thick, black protective suit, their head encased in a transparent helmet, making them resemble a robot.

Zhong Yun couldn't help but glance back at Hong Yuting, who was entering behind him. Hong Yuting merely shrugged, a look of helplessness etched on his face.

The visitor was none other than Qin Liuxing. Zhong Yun stared at him for a long moment, only stopping when Qin Liuxing thought something must be stuck on his face. “Why are you here too?”

Qin Liuxing replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “My sister told me not to come, but how could I possibly leave her alone?”

Because of this remark, Zhong Yun scrutinized him again. There was no hint of pretense in his eyes; the casualness in his tone when he spoke made it sound as if the statement was an absolute given.

Zhong Yun suddenly understood why Miss Qin the Second cared so much for this brother of hers. To outsiders, Qin Liuxing was an utter wastrel. But in the eyes of Miss Qin the Second, he was her irreplaceable treasure.

Considering the shared past of the siblings, Zhong Yun felt a degree of understanding. The Qin family had treated them well, but that benevolence came with conditions—it was calculating.

It was impossible for the two sisters not to have sensed that.

In such an environment, their lives might be described as privileged, but certainly not happy. The importance Miss Qin the Second commanded was rooted entirely in her beauty, something inherently fragile. That sense of impending crisis only forged a deeper bond between the two siblings who relied solely on each other.

Previously, Zhong Yun had looked down upon Qin Liuxing. Now, his perception of him had shifted considerably. To risk his life for his sister—he clearly wasn't entirely useless.

“Why are you wearing this contraption?” Zhong Yun tapped the transparent dome of his helmet.

Qin Liuxing managed an awkward laugh. “My sister forced me to wear this. She wouldn’t let me follow otherwise. This junk is cumbersome, and I can’t even take it off. It’s so annoying.”

“Only a young master like you would find this annoying,” Hong Yuting’s voice drifted over, tinged with envy. “This is the latest model of the Royal custom-made protective suit. Its defensive capabilities rival a heavy mech. There are only a thousand in the entire country; so many people would give anything just to acquire one.”

Qin Liuxing just shrugged, ignoring him. Hong Yuting wasn't offended. That was Young Master Qin’s typical demeanor; he was like that with everyone. Among Miss Qin the Second's many suitors, he was only civil to Gu Yue and Lan Ling; to everyone else, he was aloof.

But this Yun Zhongyu was clearly an exception. His attitude was almost ingratiatingly friendly. Hong Yuting was intensely curious: what manipulation had Yun Zhongyu employed to make Qin Liuxing consider him a true friend?

“What brings you here?” Zhong Yun could tell from Qin Liuxing’s expression that his sister hadn't informed him about their earlier conflict.

Truthfully, seeing him appear so suddenly had made Zhong Yun feel a bit awkward. It's hard to strike a man who greets you with a smile. If Qin Liuxing had come seeking a fight, Zhong Yun would have simply thrown him out.

Now that he was as warm and eager as ever, Zhong Yun felt unsure how to treat him. If Qin Liuxing ever learned the truth, he wouldn’t just seek retribution; he’d likely lose his mind. Having such a potential enemy nearby, especially one so blissfully unaware, created a very strange sensation.

Qin Liuxing then proceeded to vent his frustrations. “It’s so boring here. My sister keeps me locked in my room all day, and everyone else is terribly busy. I thought you might show up, so I came looking for Yuting. I didn't expect to find you here.”

Zhong Yun shot Hong Yuting a look. The latter managed an embarrassed smile. “I have something to do. You two chat,” he said, quickly beating a retreat.

Seeing him leave, Qin Liuxing confessed, “Don’t blame him. I threatened him not to bring me to see you, or I’d go complain about him to my sister.”

“Friendship forgotten for a pretty face,” Zhong Yun shook his head and chuckled.

“My sister’s charm is considerable,” Qin Liuxing said, sounding slightly proud when mentioning his older sister. After all, the most outstanding young talents in the country were captivated by her; as her brother, he naturally shared in that glory.

Then, as if recalling something, he sized Zhong Yun up from head to toe before uttering a disjointed sentence: “It’s a pity…”

Zhong Yun paid it no mind, already lost in thought over another matter.

Qin Liuxing’s presence was seriously disrupting Zhong Yun’s work, yet the boy clung on stubbornly, promising not to disturb anything.

Zhong Yun genuinely felt like he had shot himself in the foot; he couldn't exactly turn hostile towards Qin Liuxing. In the end, he had to abandon the task at hand, though fortunately, the research on the “gnats and ants” was nearly complete.

He needed to find something for this kid to do. Zhong Yun made up his mind; if Qin Liuxing kept coming to bother him daily, Zhong Yun wouldn’t be able to work at all.

“If I’m not mistaken, you are exactly First Rank, First Stage,” Zhong Yun declared, having settled his decision.

The designation First Rank, First Stage, was a classification used by advanced civilizations, equivalent to the eleventh level of supernatural abilities. For instance, Zhong Yun, at Fifth Rank, Ninth Stage, was equivalent to the fifty-ninth level.

In the Andu Empire, First Rank represented the minimum physical requirement for citizenship; anything below that could be considered a disability. In reality, the middle class generally possessed abilities above Second Rank.

Among the nobility, First Rank was practically equivalent to being useless. Those with high aptitude like Hong Yuting were nearing Third Rank at the age of twenty.

There was a reason Qin Liuxing was looked down upon. Beyond his profligate habits, the primary issue was his pathetic strength. If not for his sister protecting him, his treatment wouldn't be much better than that of an ordinary civilian. Even with the vast resources of the Qin family, they could only ensure that the less gifted children didn't sink into poverty.

“Mmm,” Qin Liuxing appeared indifferent, but Zhong Yun keenly spotted a flicker of unwillingness deep in his eyes. This observation only solidified Zhong Yun’s conviction: no one truly wanted to be deemed useless.

“Do you want to stop being looked down upon by everyone—for your sister’s sake—and make them see you in a new light?”

A brilliant spark ignited in Qin Liuxing’s eyes, his breathing momentarily hitched, and then his face flushed crimson. If anyone else had said this to him, he would have likely exploded in anger on the spot. Being treated as if he were useless was the perpetual thorn in his heart. Now, someone had brutally ripped it out, and it was a person he considered a friend who had done it. The pain pierced right through to his core.

Qin Liuxing stared at Zhong Yun, his eyes bloodshot, his complexion shifting from red to purple, looking somewhat menacing.

After a long gaze, he couldn't detect a trace of mockery in Zhong Yun’s eyes. It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him. His entire posture collapsed like a deflated balloon.

Zhong Yun shook his head, a flicker of disappointment crossing his gaze. “Have you truly given up already? Are you content to remain useless forever, hiding under your sister’s wing, looked down upon by everyone?”

These few sentences struck Qin Liuxing’s heart like heavy hammers. He seemed suddenly ignited, springing to his feet and roaring, “No, no—no!”

Zhong Yun sat quietly, waiting for him to vent.

Finally, Qin Liuxing stilled, looking at Zhong Yun with reddened eyes. “Brother Yun, I know you have a way to help me.”

Zhong Yun nodded. He certainly had means to help Qin Liuxing break through his bottleneck, but their current friendship wasn't strong enough to warrant the effort for such a favor. He merely intended to use Qin Liuxing for an experiment.

Since Zhong Yun dared to offer help, he naturally had some confidence. Primarily, his opinion of the boy had improved, prompting him to give him a hand. How far Qin Liuxing would go depended entirely on himself.

“Follow me.” Zhong Yun led the way out, and Qin Liuxing followed without hesitation.

The two walked until they exited the landing pod. Zhong Yun wore no protective gear; a faint purple light film enveloped his body, protecting him. Qin Liuxing followed behind, his eyes full of envy, his determination to become stronger only hardening.

When they were about ten kilometers from the base center, Zhong Yun descended from the air. The base personnel had been busy these past few days, demarcating a hundred-square-kilometer area as the base perimeter. Turrets were built on the outskirts, and mech squads were stationed there, so the area was quite safe.

Zhong Yun turned around, pulled out a fist-sized square box from his embrace, and tapped it onto Qin Liuxing’s protective suit. Then, he sat on the ground, closed his eyes, and paid him no more attention.

Qin Liuxing had no idea what Zhong Yun intended to do but dared not interrupt by speaking, so he could only endure the wait.

After what felt like half an hour, Qin Liuxing heard a soft beep. The transparent circular visor on his helmet suddenly retracted, startling him greatly. He quickly held his breath, about to cry out to Zhong Yun for help.

Zhong Yun opened his eyes just in time, reached out, and pulled him free from the armor-like protective suit, pressing down on his shoulders. “Sit down.”

Qin Liuxing realized he could breathe freely and only then remembered they weren't in outer space. The tension instantly dissolved from his heart. “That scared me half to death just now. Did you open that damned protective suit?”

Zhong Yun sat opposite him, not answering the question, but speaking with grim seriousness. “Listen carefully. If you want to become a true expert, you must obey my instructions. Now, close your eyes, and keep your mouth shut.”

Qin Liuxing’s heart tightened. Recalling the purpose of his visit, he also grew serious, closed his eyes, and dared not speak again.

“Start cultivating according to what you have learned,” Zhong Yun’s voice reached Qin Liuxing’s ears. He began to recall the methods of cultivation, controlling the frequency of his breathing.

Qin Liuxing’s aptitude was poor. In the past, he had cultivated diligently, but the agonizingly slow progress had driven him to despair. After facing scorn from those around him, he began to abandon himself, eventually ending up as he was now.

His problem was that the growth of his Yuan was several times slower than that of ordinary people. At twenty, he had barely reached First Rank, truly qualifying as trash. Most people reached First Rank by fifteen, and nearly half of them became stuck at First Rank, Ninth Stage, forever barred from the Second Rank.

What Zhong Yun intended to do was boost the growth rate of his Yuan. He had several ways to achieve this, but the one he planned to use now was a novel method to verify his hypothesis—which was why he had brought him here.

Having wasted so much time, Qin Liuxing’s spirit was scattered. He had expected that achieving a meditative state would be incredibly difficult, but unexpectedly, merely sitting down and taking a few breaths was enough for his mind to sink into stillness.

This was because Zhong Yun had used profound hypnotic techniques to assist him, fearing Qin Liuxing would take too long.

First release

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