A moment later, Daoist Master Jiyin disappointedly withdrew his gaze.

"It has been three days, and not a single one of you has managed to sense the presence of Spiritual Qi."

Seeing that the others remained silent, Song Wen chose not to step forward and reveal that he had already sensed it.

"It seems my cultivation aptitude is decent," Song Wen thought to himself. "At least, it is better than these hundred-odd people."

That very night, Song Wen successfully drew the first wisp of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into his body.

He felt the shimmering specks of light in the air surge into him. Instantly, a faint, warm current materialized within his meridians, circulating through his body according to the pathway of the Everlasting Longevity Art.

Song Wen's eyes lit up. But just as he was about to press on with redoubled efforts, a dark, unsettling thought entered his mind.

"What if Jiyin can perceive the cultivation level of others? If he finds out that I have already successfully drawn Qi into my body but deliberately hid it from him, it will likely bode ill for me."

Weighing the risks, Song Wen immediately stopped his cultivation.

The moment he ceased, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi that had been drawn toward him lost its focal point, scattering once more into a chaotic, aimless drift.

As for the wisp of Spiritual Qi that had just entered his body, because it had not yet been refined into his own true spiritual power, it lost the guidance of the Everlasting Longevity Art and slowly dissipated back into the air.

"That was close. It seems I must suspend my cultivation for the next few days. It will be enough to simply put on an act in front of the others."

Having made up his mind, Song Wen lay down and went to sleep.

Time flew by, and soon four more days passed, marking the seventh day since they had begun.

That morning.

Song Wen had just stepped out of his room when he heard an excited commotion nearby.

A group of young men had gathered around a youth with dark skin and a lean, sturdy build. Their eyes were filled with envy.

"Er Niu, did you really manage to draw Qi into your body?"

"Brother Er Niu, guide us a bit! Give us some pointers based on your experience!"

An embarrassed flush crept onto Er Niu's dark face. Born in a rural village, he was unaccustomed to such attention. It was his first time being the center of a crowd, and while he felt a surge of pride and excitement, he was also entirely at a loss.

His face turned crimson as he stood there, not knowing how to respond.

"What is the meaning of this racket!"

A harsh, severe voice abruptly cut through the chatter.

Jiyin strode into the courtyard of the living quarters, his face dark with irritation.

"First thing in the morning, instead of cultivating properly, you are out here making a scene?"

Faced with Jiyin's furious rebuke, the crowd instantly fell silent, fearfully lowering their heads.

Because Er Niu was standing dead center, Jiyin's gaze naturally locked onto him.

Er Niu began to tremble under that severe stare. It made him feel intensely uncomfortable-the exact same feeling he used to get as a hunter in his hometown whenever he was targeted by a wolf or a tiger.

Er Niu dared not move a muscle, offering only a low, trembling explanation.

"Reporting to the master... I successfully drew Qi into my body last night, so..."

"What? You have already drawn Qi into your body!"

Jiyin's fury instantly vanished, replaced by sheer ecstasy. He lunged forward and grabbed Er Niu's wrist. After probing for a moment, he burst into repeated praise.

"Er Niu, you have done exceptionally well! From this day forward, you are my first personal disciple. Once today's lecture concludes, you shall move into my pavilion so that I may guide you personally."

Finding himself suddenly elevated by Jiyin, Er Niu felt his blood boil with intense thrill and excitement. He could already see a glorious future laid out before him, and his speech became staggered.

"Th-Thank... thank you, Master Jiyin!"

"Why are you still calling me Master Jiyin? You should be calling me Master!" Jiyin said, his expression now perfectly warm and benevolent.

After offering Er Niu a few more encouraging words, Jiyin turned his gaze back to the rest of the crowd.

"The rest of you must also apply yourselves. As long as you can draw Qi into your body, you too can become my personal disciples and serve as Er Niu's Junior Brothers."

"Come, Er Niu, sit by my side. We shall begin today's explanation of the art."

As Jiyin began his long, droning lecture at the front, Song Wen sat quietly, carefully analyzing the sequence of events.

First, judging from Jiyin's ecstatic reaction, the old man had no idea who actually possessed cultivation aptitude beforehand. Gathering over a hundred youths to teach them the art was nothing more than casting a wide net and praying for a lucky catch.

Second, Jiyin could not detect someone's cultivation from a distance; he required physical contact to verify it.

Third, Jiyin had just proclaimed Er Niu as his 'first personal disciple.' Yet, from the prior conversation between Elder Yan and Gou Hang, it was clear that this was not the first time Jiyin had recruited a batch of youths. Could it be that not a single person from the previous groups had ever managed to draw Qi into their body? If some had, where were they now? And what had become of those who failed?

Until he solved these riddles, Song Wen knew he would find no peace. He felt a constant, suffocating weight, as though a sharp blade were perpetually suspended over his neck.

However, now that he was certain Jiyin could not probe someone's cultivation from afar, Song Wen could finally cultivate without reservation.

In the blink of an eye, another twenty days passed.

During this time, another youth named Zhang Cheng successfully drew Qi into his body.

This sent Jiyin into another fit of excitement. To him, finding two individuals with cultivation aptitude out of a hundred-odd youths was already a stroke of immense fortune that far exceeded his expectations.

Throughout this month, Song Wen had been cultivating in absolute secrecy. The warm current within his body had grown increasingly robust. As his cultivation advanced, his physical constitution, strength, and mental acuity underwent a massive transformation.

While he could not easily test his physical strength, he could distinctly feel that his spirit was more vibrant than ever, and his mind felt sharper and more agile.

He had also been closely tracking Er Niu's progress. Er Niu's growth was visible to the naked eye. Simple-minded and entirely lacking the urge to hide his gains, Er Niu frequently flaunted his capabilities before the others.

Just yesterday, Song Wen had watched Er Niu lift a hundred-jin boulder with a single hand, drawing loud cheers and envious looks from the onlookers.

Song Wen silently measured his own progress against that display. His own strength was undoubtedly superior to Er Niu's, meaning his physical power now easily cleared the hundred-jin mark.

Furthermore, the terrible fate he had feared Jiyin might inflict upon those who could cultivate had not yet come to pass.

Later that evening, after finishing his dinner, Song Wen took his usual walk along the base of the courtyard wall to digest his food. Because he did this every single day, the guards and other youths had long since grown accustomed to it, no longer paying any attention to his eccentric routine.

In truth, he was not walking for digestion; he was mapping out the courtyard's layout, performing reconnaissance for a future escape.

The courtyard wall stood a full zhang high, making it difficult to scale quickly. Moreover, numerous guards were stationed both inside and outside the perimeter, making a direct climb without being detected nearly impossible.

Yet, after a month of persistent scrutiny, Song Wen had not come away empty-handed.

At a spot roughly a hundred zhang from the living quarters, hidden beneath low shrubs and a dense patch of waist-high weeds, he had discovered a dog hole in the wall. It was just large enough for a single person to crawl through. It was incredibly well-concealed; had he not spent weeks combing the area, he never would have found it.

Unfortunately, guards patrolled the immediate vicinity, and the area outside the hole still fell well within the territory of the Heavenly Fiend Gang. To use this escape route, he would need to wait for the perfect opportunity.

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