C17 Strange Village

"Yuan Ling."

Yuan Ling picked up on the middle-aged man's agitation and quickly surmised that the man might have been thinking of his father, though he hadn't yet made the connection to Yuan Ling himself.

Yuan Ling was quite curious about his father, as his memories of him were scant. Despite his photographic memory, his father's image was oddly blurry in his mind.

Yet, the crowd's reaction suggested that his father was a remarkable man in this lifetime.

The man pressed on, "Then who is your father?"

Before Yuan Ling could respond, the village chief cut in.

"His father is just an ordinary warrior serving under me. Is there anything else you'd like to ask? These kids are exhausted from the journey. We're going to head back to our rooms to rest and not impose on Mr. Yuan any further."

The village chief had noticed Yuan Teng's realization and, anticipating eventual discovery, still preferred to keep Yuan Ling's identity under wraps for the time being.

He quickly herded the group away, and the children, having no particular fondness for the Qian City Yuan Family, complied without hesitation.

The village chief's response only deepened Yuan Teng's suspicion that Yuan Ling's father was no ordinary man.

Yuan Ling observed Yuan Teng, puzzled by the village chief's actions, which seemed unnecessarily secretive.

If Yuan Teng simply asked about the events that had transpired during their travels, he would likely connect the dots to Yuan Ling's father.

Yuan Ling was aware that if the Qian City Yuan Family discovered he was Yuan Yi's son, they would incessantly seek to cause him trouble.

Yet, even with this knowledge, he had no immediate solution.

His current priority was to enhance his own abilities as swiftly as possible.

The caravan had taken a considerable amount of time navigating the Misty Forest, and dusk was approaching.

The children trailed behind the village chiefs into the village, which was larger than it seemed, with an expanse of interconnected homes.

The villagers showed little interest in the newcomers, remaining diligently engaged in their tasks.

Despite being a village, it was home to more than just ordinary villagers. A diverse array of individuals in various attire mingled throughout, creating a vibrant tapestry of life.

Everywhere exuded an air of peculiarity.

A three-year-old child could leap ten feet in the air, while a woman casually tossed around a one-year-old infant. Even more shocking were the instances where children were struck with a stick, causing the older ones to burst into loud tears. Yet, after a bout of crying, they were back to bouncing around energetically, seemingly untaught by the harsh discipline.

Was this their way of teaching children?

Yuan Ling and his peers watched with a deep sense of sorrow for the village children's plight. Had they been subjected to such methods, they might not have survived.

The villagers, however, appeared unfazed, as if they saw nothing wrong with their approach. They didn't seem to think there was anything amiss with their disciplinary methods. Yuan Ling even overheard a woman complaining, "This stick is too light. That boy doesn't remember well. He needs a stronger hit to improve his memory."

Yuan Ling, witnessing the woman wielding a hefty stick, felt a shiver run down his spine.

Yuan Mu, noticing the scene, sidled up to Yuan Ling and whispered, "Thank goodness I wasn't disciplined like this as a child, or I doubt I'd be here today."

Yuan Sang looked on in astonishment. "The children from Yuan Village are incredibly resilient. I just saw toddlers who have already opened their meridians."

Yuan Ling, taken aback by Yuan Sang's observation, took a closer look. Indeed, many of the toddlers had already opened a meridian! There had to be some profound secret at play here. To have opened a meridian at such a tender age was no small feat. In his past life at the Sword Sect, this would have been considered average, but in the present, it was the mark of a prodigy, even if not quite on par with Yuan Loong.

Surveying the village, Yuan Ling quickly realized that the children breaking through their meridians were all exceptionally young. "This must be related to some kind of baptism, not innate talent," he concluded.

"They must have all undergone the baptism. How else could they be so formidable?" he mused.

Meanwhile, Yuan Mu, ever the loudmouth, continued to shout without a care in the world.

The village chief watched the children's faces and let out a sigh.

"You're right. All the children here have already undergone a baptism."

"Really? But isn't the baptism only held once every ten years? Are all these kids from noble families?"

Yuan Zheng let out a sigh and added,

"You could say that. Any family that has made a significant contribution to the Yuan family can have their offspring baptized at the age of two."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ling murmured, "So, Yuan Loong must have already been baptized."

"No wonder he's so formidable. He's been baptized already. Here I was thinking he got to where he is through his own cultivation efforts.

It's just not fair. If I had been baptized too, I'm sure I would have been able to open my meridians much earlier."

Yuan Mu's grumbling resonated with the children from both groups.

Moments ago, Yuan Loong's display of talent had nearly shattered their confidence.

But now, realizing that his prowess was due to a previous baptism, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuan Ling, however, saw things differently.

He was well aware that even with a baptism, it would be a challenge to open all nine meridians by the age of ten.

He suspected that Yuan Loong hadn't mastered any special techniques like the Meridian Opening Technique, indicating that his progress was due to innate talent.

Besides, complaining was pointless now.

The situation was irreversible; they were all ten years old, and time couldn't be turned back.

The innate disadvantage they faced could no longer be compensated for.

Yuan Ling's sole focus was to open an Independent Acupoint before the next baptism.

The initial steps are always the hardest, but he was convinced that once he opened the first Acupoint, he could leverage the upcoming baptism to quickly close the gap between them, perhaps even surpassing them in short order.

As someone who had been reborn, Yuan Ling not only appreciated the advantages of the baptism but also knew how to make the most of it.

With the right preparation, he might even break through to become a Level Nine Martial Artist all at once.

The residents of Yuan Village lived along both sides of the village road.

Their homes, though modest, were where the villagers resided.

Every year, descendants of the Yuan family came to Yuan Village to participate in the baptism ceremony, so accommodations had to be arranged for them.

With the village chief's assistance, Yuan Ling and his companions were quickly settled in.

Members of the Qian City Yuan Family, who had arrived earlier, were already staying here.

As a prominent force, the Qian City Yuan Family's lodgings were far superior to those of Yuan Ling and his group.

They stayed in a relatively independent courtyard, complete with a small Martial Practice Field and garden, a luxury compared to Yuan Ling's accommodations.

Yuan Loong had been here before, and his experience was much as Yuan Ling had surmised.

As a boy, he had undergone his first baptism here with his father.

Returning now, Yuan Loong felt a sense of ease, the recent altercation with Yuan Ling seemingly forgotten.

"Second brother, you're finally here! Xin was so bored she nearly died of it!"

Yuan Loong entered the courtyard, the center of attention, as a young girl in her teens bounded toward him, her laughter ringing out like bells.

Upon seeing the girl, Yuan Loong's face softened into a gentle smile, a stark contrast to his usual haughtiness.

He approached the girl and affectionately patted her head.

"The heavy snowfall during the trip caused some delay, Second Brother couldn't avoid it."

"Have you been with Big Brother for a while now? Have you completed your baptism?"

"Hello, third miss!"

At that moment, other young members of the Qian City Yuan Family approached to greet the third miss.

The girl frowned and sulked, voicing her complaints to Yuan Loong.

"The baptism starts tomorrow, hmph!

Second Brother must have found something interesting these past few days; otherwise, he wouldn't have arrived so late!

Big Brother is always so focused on the journey, missing out on all the fun!"

A wry smile crossed Yuan Loong's face. "You've got it wrong. I was freezing and got lost outside, taking quite the detour. There was nothing fun about it."

"Really? But those two had been here before. Shouldn't they know the way?"

The girl's eyes widened as she noticed Yuan Ding and Yuan Li's faces turning beet red.

Yet, the girls quickly lost interest in them, shifting the conversation with gleeful expressions.

"Second brother, I need you to make a decision for Xin before father gets here."

Yuan Loong asked with curiosity, "Xin is the prodigy of our Qian City Yuan Family. We're usually the ones doing the bullying; who could possibly bully you? Is there really such a person in our little Yuan Village?"

"Haha! Xin has had quite a few run-ins with that girl from Yuan City lately. She's the talk of the town now; everyone in the village knows we have a genius in the family!"

Before the girl could respond, a burst of hearty laughter echoed from inside the house.

A young man, about fifteen or sixteen, emerged, his face radiant with joy he couldn't hide.

"Big brother!"

This was Yuan Lan, the eldest son of Yuan Qian, sixteen years old and already at the Celestial Martial Stage.

Upon seeing Yuan Lan, Yuan Loong's face broke into an involuntary smile.

Despite his usual arrogance, he was remarkably well-behaved in front of his older brother.

"This time, the other Three Main Cities have also unveiled some impressive talents, all of whom have opened eight meridians. But compared to our Qian City Yuan Family, they fall short.

My second brother should be unmatched among them!"

Yuan Lan looked at Yuan Loong with a smile, his pride evident.

"Big brother, it sounds like you've already encountered the other cities' prodigies."

Yuan Loong's expression remained cool, seemingly unimpressed by these peers also deemed prodigies.

Before Yuan Lan could reply, the young girl at his side tugged at his arm, her face clouded with annoyance.

"Geniuses? Those two from Luo City and Mo City are insufferably arrogant. If I hadn't been too indifferent to bother with them, I would've put them in their place long ago.

The one who really irks me is that girl from Yuan City. She's not only unpleasant to look at but also dares to challenge me. It's infuriating just to think about it."

Yuan Loong offered a smile, "It looks like Xin has finally met her match."

The girl bristled at the comment.

"What? If it weren't for those two always shielding her, I would've sent her flying long ago."

"They have the audacity to bully my sister. I'll make time to check out these two so-called geniuses!"

A cold smile spread across Yuan Loong's face.

The girl hastily added, "Second brother, you mustn't take her. That girl belongs to Xin."