Once again, Qin Yun was sprawled out on the stairs leading to the Main Hall, reflecting upon the implications of his upcoming marriage. All around him, clan members passed him by as they gave him looks. You know the types: ones filled with mockery and derision. Still, Qin Yun wasn''t bothered by it.
the family''s shame. Yet, even when he kept a low profile, things didn''t improve. Honestly, they should make up their minds already.
As Qin Yun expected, when the boy couldn’t get the reaction he wanted with words, he resorted to violence. Typical. A slight trace of pressure swarmed around the boy''s palms as he struck forward. His eyes glowed slightly, and he sneered, expecting his strike to make short work of the failure before him.
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Qin Yun''s eyes narrowed slightly, but only because of how weak that strike was. While he didn''t remember who those boys were, judging by their relationship with Meihui''s sister, Qin Yun could infer they were probably of similar status. Qin Yun judged that strike to be somewhere between the 2<sup>nd</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup> level of the Qi Refining Realm.
What he used to base his observations on wasn’t the strike’s strength but its mastery over Qi. Even if the boy was holding back, this was the limit of his proficiency. Still, Qin Yun couldn’t wrap his brain around it. The boy should be somewhat talented in the clan, yet this was all he amounted to.
Qin Yun didn''t bother to block; such a weak strike was beneath him. The boy''s fist fell and met its target: the side of Qin Yun''s head. As the two collided, the boy laughed maniacally, then turned to see the young lady''s reaction to his posturing. Unfortunately, he would be disappointed as a look of surprise replaced the indifference in the lady''s eyes. The boy frowned and then turned back, expecting to see Qin Yun writhing on the ground in pain, yet all he saw was Qin Yun giving him a look of pity.
Undeterred, the boy struck again, this time with all the strength he could muster. Yet, to Qin Yun, this was only slightly more potent than his previous attempt. He could only shake his head at this deplorable sight.
The boy stood rooted in place, mouth slightly agape, unable to accept reality. As he was stuck in a stupor, his twin entered the fray, claiming some inane theories about how Qin Yun was a fraud, or he used some sort of artifact, or he had killed the real Qin Yun and was a doppelganger who wished to feast on their flesh. Indeed, a boy with a fertile imagination.
Qin Yun had no intention of being part of this farce. People started to gather, and Qin Yun wasn''t some sort of circus show for other''s entertainment. If anything, he was the one who needed to be entertained. He didn''t bother to acknowledge the twins'' existence and only nodded slightly to Qin Meihui''s sister. It was only proper courtesy as he appreciated her sister greatly.
The girl nodded back, but soon, indifference returned to her eyes as she resumed her climb, leaving the two clowns behind. Qin Yun smiled slightly, seeing this; the girl was quite interesting. He would have to ask Meihui for her name, as he presently had no idea.
Qin Yun hadn’t bothered to remember most of the members of his own clan, as his reputation was indeed at rock bottom. Also, the idea of procreating with family wasn’t as frowned upon in this world as most cultivators weren’t bothered by things like blood relations.
It didn''t surprise Qin Yun, as this world''s moral bottom line was truly low. Besides, he suspected those people had no idea of such a thing as Genetic Diversity. Of course, they probably had no idea what genes were, to begin with, much less of the consequences of consanguineous breeding.
Qin Yun had no intentions of educating them, as it was pointless anyway. The only reason to avoid breeding with family was to strengthen the blood so that the whole family line would not die out due to one single cause. However, they were cultivators; ordinary diseases and toxins were a non-factor.
The second reason was purely a matter of ethics—of societal norms—which were basically non-existent here. Everything was fair game, a free-for-all, so to say. Qin Yun had never seen such massive hypocrites in all the worlds he had visited. Their so-called idea of justice was just the biggest joke ever.
As for how Qin Yun could resist the boy’s strike despite being a realm lower, well... that was Qin Yun’s little secret. It all started one day when he was bored—as everything ever did—when he pondered the implication of the word: Peak. More precisely, the Peak of the Body Strengthening Realm.
Qin Yun was a scientist, after all. Defining things and seeking answers was what he did for a living.
Most cultivators claimed to be at the peak when they were close to achieving the next realm, but that was so broad that it rubbed Qin Yun the wrong way. So, he decided to run a small experiment. He wouldn''t stop until he reached the true peak of the Body Strengthening Realm. That was fifteen years ago, and he was still far from it.
Common knowledge was that each major realm was subdivided into ten minor stages, which most call levels, with the tenth being the peak. Once reached, one could attempt to break through to the next major realm.
Qin Yun’s hypothesis was thus: the so-called peak was only the bare minimum necessary to ascend to the next realm. Minimum, as opposed to maximum. Qin Yun wished to seek this maximum. Curiously enough, each level seemed to grant the same strength proportional to an individual''s base power. This meant that by measuring the amount of power gained at each level, one could infer which level was indeed the peak.
Qin Yun was at the 112<sup>th</sup> level of the Body Strengthening Stage and still seemed far from the peak. Or at least, that''s what he surmised. To his dismay, the strength curve after the 10<sup>th</sup> level wasn''t linear but exponential, which made estimating the levels more tricky.
As such, when he broke through the 11<sup>th</sup> level, his strength began to skyrocket, but it also brought some more problems that Qin Yun had to deal with. Still, there was no need to be so strict with it, as those further levels were simply arbitrary. This was only done for intellectual curiosity''s sake.
With this insignificant incident over with, Qin Yun strolled the clan’s grounds aimlessly, lost in thoughts. He had much to ponder, and wandering seemed to suit him well. Still, the sun was beginning to set as night was approaching. The meeting with the elders had taken much more time than he anticipated—really, he just slept through most of it—it was time for him to go home.
His feet led him to a massive mansion surrounded by impressive walls nestled in the centre of the clan''s grounds. Still, Qin Yun didn''t enter but continued on his way until he reached a secluded shack hidden in a dilapidated courtyard behind the mansion.
As he reached home, a slight smile flashed on his lips as he saw his cousin Meihui waiting for him inside. Still, his expression sunk just as fast when he heard her speak.
"Your father is waiting for you; you should go. Do not make him wait," she solemnly warned Qin Yun.
Qin Yun sighed; he simply couldn’t catch a break...