Qin Xin simply sat cross-legged, activating the martial spirit within his body, while simultaneously circulating the energy through his body, thus accelerating the absorption of that energy by the martial spirit.

As the body circulates, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth continuously cleanses the meridians.

One Sunday…

Three cycles of the heavens…

Ten cycles of the Heavenly Cycle...

Fifteen cycles of the heavens…

Qin Xin's speed of circulating his qi began to slow down: twenty cycles... forty cycles... fifty cycles... fifty-five cycles...

Qin Xin's face flushed red. His internal energy circulation seemed to have reached its limit. If he forced himself to cultivate any further, it might cause internal injuries.

A martial artist's training should follow a gradual approach and should never be rushed. This is common sense and a major taboo. Once the body's limits are exceeded, forcibly circulating the body's energy to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth will only lead to self-harm, causing more harm than good.

The cultivation of martial artists in the Later Heaven Realm involves using their martial spirit to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, relying on this energy to strengthen their meridians and physique. The stronger the meridians and physique, the more cycles of energy they can withstand, and the more true energy they ultimately convert. Therefore, the stronger a martial artist's martial spirit, the higher their cultivation talent will be.

It finally stopped after circulating for sixty-one cycles.

Qin Xin tried it out, activating his internal energy. Instantly, an explosive force condensed in his fist.

"Such a powerful feeling." Qin Xin smiled.

At this moment, the energy converted from the absorbed martial spirit fragments by the spirit-devouring stone has been completely absorbed by Qin Xin's black staff martial spirit. Although it is still completely black as before, Qin Xin can clearly feel that there are two streams of spiritual energy swirling on the martial spirit, complementing each other. Moreover, his martial spirit has broken through to the first star and entered the ranks of the second star martial spirit.

Now that Qin Xin has advanced to the Martial Spirit level, his speed of circulating true energy is much faster than before, and the speed at which his true energy is replenished after being consumed is also several times faster than before.

Feeling the transformation that had taken place in the martial spirit, Qin Xin was overjoyed and felt even more confident.

Qin Haotian possessed a seven-star martial spirit, and a celestial phenomenon occurred when the martial spirit awakened. Now, three years have passed, and his strength is likely immense. All Qin Xin can do now is continuously improve his strength.

The sun was already high in the sky, and Qin Xin got up to stretch his muscles.

QQ

The knocking on the door outside the courtyard caught Qin Xin's attention.

"Young Master Qin Xin, the clan chief summons you to the council hall."

The voices of Qin servants could be heard.

Qin Xin frowned slightly, as if he had a bad feeling.

I called out to Ziling, but she wasn't in the courtyard.

So Qin Xin changed his clothes briefly, left the courtyard, and headed towards the council hall.

~~~~~

The council hall is located at the very center of the entire Qin Clan Manor. It is the power center of the Tianyuan Qin Clan, and almost all major clan affairs are discussed here.

When Qin Xin arrived, the clan chief, elders, and deacons were already waiting there.

At this moment, Qin Xin also noticed that Zi Ling, the little girl, was standing beside the clan leader. She seemed a little aggrieved, and her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had just cried.

"Xin'er, come here," Qin Lin waved to Qin Xin and said in a deep voice.

Qin Lin, as the clan leader, sat at the head of the table. Qin Xin recognized the three elders beside him, but one of them was dressed in a Taoist robe with a pill cauldron symbol on his chest. It was obvious that this person was a second-grade alchemist, and Qin Xin had never seen him before in the clan.

"This person is named Qin Hongbing. He was sent by the clan and is now an honorary elder of the clan. He is from the lineage of the Great Elder," Zi Ling said, seemingly noticing Qin Xin's confusion.

"Third Grandfather, what brings you here?" Qin Xin asked.

Qin Lin paused for a moment, his expression slightly complicated, and asked, "Were Qin Yu and Qin Shi injured by you?"

"Yes." Qin Xin replied without hesitation.

"Clan leader, since he has admitted it, according to the clan rules, those who harm fellow disciples should be killed without mercy!"

A young man behind Elder Qin Maoyan glanced at Qin Xin indifferently and spoke.

This person was none other than Qin Yunfei, the grandson of the First Elder Qin Maoyan. Qin Yu and Qin Shi were both his subordinates.

"Let's hear what the news has to say first." Seeing Qin Yunfei's disrespectful attitude, Qin Lin frowned, but his tone remained calm.

"Oh, harming fellow disciples? May I ask if they are dead or not?" Qin Xin sneered.

"Although he didn't die, his dantian has been destroyed, and he probably won't be able to cultivate in the future. I didn't expect him to be so ruthless at such a young age." Unexpectedly, Qin Hongbing chimed in from the side.

"Oh? This must be Elder Qin Hongbing, sent by the Qin clan." Qin Xin glanced at the person who spoke, stroking his goatee from time to time. He was radiating heat from his body, probably from years of refining pills.

"Oh, you little piece of trash, you actually know my name." Qin Hongbing smiled faintly, seemingly not taking Qin Xin seriously.

Qin Xin sneered, "Since you are an honorary elder, you have no right to interfere in the internal affairs of my Tianyuan Qin Clan. According to the clan rules, those who bully the weak should have their dantian abolished and be expelled from the clan. Everyone here knows what Qin Yu and Qin Shi have done over the years. I am just following the clan rules. What's wrong with that? Am I doing something wrong?"

After speaking, Qin Hongbing's face gradually turned red, and his eyes were fixed on Qin Xin as if he were threatening him. He sat down to the side and stopped talking.

"Who do you think you are? The clan leader's affairs are decided by the elders and the clan leader. What right do you have to lay a hand on your own clan members!" Qin Yunfei said disdainfully.

"If your cultivation resources were robbed for no reason, what would you do? I was just acting in self-defense. After all, fists and feet don't discriminate, and sometimes it's unavoidable if you hit too hard," Qin Xin said with a faint smile.

"Then I'd like to ask Young Master Yunfei, Qin Yu and Qin Shi have been so arrogant and domineering in the clan for so many years, robbing the clan members' cultivation resources. I'm afraid they've all ended up in your pocket!"

"You...you...you little piece of trash, you're spouting nonsense!" Qin Yunfei was speechless for a moment.

"Alright, let's leave it at that. Qin Yu and Qin Shi deserved it." Qin Lin stopped their argument and then said, "The main reason I summoned everyone here is to discuss this year's quota for the Spirit Cleansing Pool. Elder, you set this quota every year, so tell me what you think."

"To obtain a spot, one naturally needs strength. Two spots have already been decided, and the other three spots will naturally be determined by participating in the clan competition."

"However, whether Yunfei's spot can be given up is a decision for the parties involved to make," Qin Maoyan said, looking at Qin Xin.

No sooner had Qin Maoyan finished speaking than Qin Yunfei smugly added, "Giving it to this good-for-nothing isn't out of the question."

"Hehe, as long as he kneels down and kowtows to me three times, and then brings Zi Ling to my courtyard, I'll give him the spot!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Xin's face darkened. Qin Yunfei was used to frequenting brothels, and now he was actually setting his sights on Zi Ling.

"Nonsense!"

Upon hearing Qin Yunfei's request, Qin Lin's expression changed drastically, and he gave a soft rebuke.

"We should not get involved in the affairs of the younger generation; let them discuss it themselves," Qin Maoyan said.

"It's ridiculous. You've been hoarding my things for three years, and now that I want to use them, do I need to agree to your conditions?" Qin Xin said coldly.

Qin Maoyan retorted in a deep voice, "Nonsense! This was bestowed upon my Tianyuan Qin Clan by the Qin Clan, and it rightfully belongs to the entire family. How can you say it's yours! If you don't agree to Yunfei's conditions, then this matter is off!"

"What a fine family heirloom!" Qin Xin showed no fear and retorted, "I'd like to ask the Grand Elder, how did they obtain this Spirit Cleansing Pool?"

Seeing that Qin Maoyan did not answer, Qin Xin continued with a cold laugh, "Since it is said to be something of the Tianyuan Qin Clan, then why do my clan's young disciples fight tooth and nail for these spots, while your Great Elder's lineage has a fixed number of spots every year!"

After Qin Xin finished speaking, the entire council hall fell silent, seemingly acquiescing to what he had said.

“What Qin Xin said makes sense,” the Third Elder chimed in.

"Some things in the family need to be adapted," the Second Elder added.

"Elder, what do you think?" Qin Lin glanced at Qin Maoyan and slowly spoke.

A cold smile appeared on Qin Xin's lips. The First Elder and the Honorary Elder were clearly in cahoots, and the Second Elder and the Third Elder naturally supported his Third Grandfather.

Of course, the Cleansing Pool was originally intended to compensate Qin Xin for having his martial bone stolen, but now it has become their private property, which has long made many clansmen unhappy.

Qin Maoyan simply hummed softly and did not say anything.

Seeing the heavy atmosphere in the council hall, Qin Qianfan, who had been sitting silently to the side, stepped forward and bowed to the clan leader and the three elders.

Then he said, "Elders, I have an idea."

"The number of places in the Cleansing Pool is of great importance. Since it was decided three years ago that only the top five young disciples in the family competition can enter to cultivate, we cannot break this rule now, otherwise we will not be able to convince the public."

"Now that Qin Xin has awakened, he is naturally qualified to compete for a spot in the Spirit Cleansing Pool. If he can enter the top five, the other clansmen will naturally have no objections. If he is not strong enough, then he can't blame others. After all, a country has its laws, and a family has its rules. Everything should be done according to the rules."

Qin Qianfan, as the clan leader's only son, has now reached the ninth level of the Awakening Realm and has a great chance of breaking into the Qi Sea Realm. He is expected to become an elder of the clan and is also a popular candidate for the next clan leader.

Moreover, Qin Qianfan also has a daughter who is currently cultivating at the Eastern Wilderness Academy.

Therefore, his words still carry some weight within the clan.

Upon hearing this, the elders all nodded slightly.

Qin Lin then spoke up, "Xin'er, what do you think?"

"Of course that's possible."

"Where is the Grand Elder?"

Qin Lin turned his head and looked at the Grand Elder.

"Hmph, since everyone has agreed, then let's do it Qianfan's way."

Qin Maoyan left his seat and gave a curt reply.

The meeting concluded, and all the clansmen left the council hall.

Qin Lin glanced at Qin Xin, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes, "As for the quota for the Spirit Cleansing Pool, you don't need to worry, Third Grandfather has his own way."

Qin Xin had long seen through this scheme, which was actually set up for Elder Qin Maoyan and others, with the aim of getting them to hand over the right to allocate the Spirit Cleansing Pool.