Courtyard House: Starting with handing over the keys, the state helps me abuse birds.

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing—the third row, Li Dayong.

Li Dayong was stunned.

His comrade next to him nudged him with his elbow: "I'm talking to you! Get out of here!"

Li Dayong mechanically stepped out of the queue and walked down to the foot of the platform.

He stood there, looking up at the young man on the stage, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Xie Weihong looked at him.

"You're not convinced?"

Li Dayong opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself unable to speak.

The pressure was immense.

It wasn't any imposing aura or intimidating presence; it was just the sheer presence of the person looking at him that made him feel as if a mountain was pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

"To be honest," Xie Weihong said.

Li Dayong took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and said, "Yes! I refuse to accept this!"

A collective gasp rippled through the audience.

Zhao Weize's expression changed, and he was about to step forward when Xie Weihong raised her hand to stop him.

"Why are you dissatisfied?"

Li Dayong, having gone all out, retorted, "You're too young! I look a few years younger than me! What makes you think you can be the head instructor? Just because you're lucky and started training a few years earlier than us?"

Xie Weihong looked at him without saying a word.

Li Dayong continued, "I was a top soldier in my old unit, I received awards and commendations, and I haven't neglected my training since I came here. I'm still in the top ten! I don't believe you're that much better than me!"

The audience was silent.

Everyone watched this scene, not daring to breathe.

Xie Weihong suddenly smiled.

"You think I got lucky?"

Li Dayong gritted his teeth: "Isn't that right?"

Xie Weihong nodded and stepped down from the platform.

He walked up to Li Dayong, and the two stood face to face.

The distance was less than one meter.

"You've been training for three months, you should know a thing or two," Xie Weihong said. "Use your strongest move to hit me."

Li Dayong was stunned.

"Go ahead and hit them," Xie Weihong said.

Li Dayong took a deep breath, clenched his fist, and his internal energy surged wildly, all concentrated in his fist.

He recalled the moves his instructors had taught him, and the results of his three months of hard practice.

He used all his strength in that punch.

"drink!"

The fist whistled through the air, heading straight for Xie Weihong's face.

Then--

"Smack."

The fist stopped.

It didn't stop by itself; it was blocked by a finger.

Xie Weihong's right index finger rested firmly on his fist, without moving an inch.

Li Dayong stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

He felt as if his fist had hit an iron wall; the force of the impact made his arm go numb, and he staggered back a few steps, almost falling over.

He steadied himself and looked down at his hands—his knuckles were broken and bleeding.

Xie Weihong stood still, without moving.

That finger was still in the position of pressing against the fist.

"You...you..."

Xie Weihong withdrew her hand and looked at him.

"You trained for three months, unleashing a full-force attack, which I caught with a single finger." His voice was calm. "How much stronger do you think I am than you?"

Li Dayong opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

The three hundred people in the audience were completely silent.

Those who had doubts in their hearts were now completely dumbfounded.

One finger.

A single finger caught a full-force blow.

What does this mean?

Zhao Weize stood to the side, his lips twitching slightly. He recalled the scene when he first met Xie Weihong—twelve men attacked together, and they all collapsed in fifteen seconds. At that time, he thought it was already quite shocking.

Now he can withstand a full-force blow with just one finger, making him even stronger than before.

Xie Weihong looked at Li Dayong's flushed face, then turned and walked back to the platform.

He stood on the stage, his gaze sweeping over the three hundred people.

"Anyone else want to give it a try?"

No one dared to make a move.

"If you're not convinced, fine. But you have to prove yourself with your abilities," he said. "You think you're strong? Fine. But in my eyes, you're not even beginners."

He paused.

"This spirit-gathering array can double your cultivation speed. But the array is only an aid; true strength comes from the heart."

"Three months ago, your instructor couldn't even withstand one of my moves."

Someone in the audience gasped.

"Now, they can withstand three moves."

Xie Weihong said.

"Only when you reach their level will you be qualified to stand before me."

The audience was silent.

The doubts disappeared from those young eyes, replaced by a burning fighting spirit.

Li Dayong stood below the stage, head down, looking at his chapped hands.

After a while, he raised his head and looked at the young man on the stage.

There was no longer any sign of resentment in his eyes.

There was only awe, and a hint of something else... a longing.

He wants to become stronger.

Become as strong as that person.

Xie Weihong glanced at him, then turned and walked towards Old Chen.

"Elder Chen, the stability of the formation needs to be continuously monitored."

Old Chen nodded quickly: "Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on it 24/7. We've arranged three shifts, eight hours each, and the instruments will record data constantly."

Xie Weihong nodded, then looked at Engineer Zhou.

What is the range of energy output fluctuation?

Engineer Zhou immediately replied, "The fluctuations we've been monitoring are within plus or minus five percent, which is very stable. We've tried running it continuously for twelve hours, and the data showed no significant changes."

"What about material waste?"

"The wear and tear is minimal," Lin replied. "At the current rate, this cultivation crystal should last at least six months. We can replace it with a new one after that."

Xie Weihong nodded in satisfaction.

Duan Chengyi walked over: "Wei Hong, everything's arranged here. Would you like to go check on the trainees' training?"

Xie Weihong thought for a moment and said, "Let me see."

Duan Chengyi led him down the platform and toward the training ground.

Twelve instructors followed behind, and the trainees automatically made way for them.

Li Dayong stood there, watching the figure walk past him.

The person walked slowly, each step steady, as if walking on clouds, yet also as if walking on the ground.

He suddenly remembered something his instructor had said: "A true strong person is someone whose strength you can tell just by looking at them."

He didn't believe it before.

Now he believes it.

---

On the training field, three hundred people were lined up in a square formation.

Xie Weihong stood at the front of the line, looking at the young faces.

"Let's begin," he said.

Zhao Weize stepped forward and began leading the team in training.

Three hundred people started moving at the same time, some punching, some kicking, some standing in a stance, some practicing breathing exercises, each doing their own thing.

The light of the Spirit Gathering Array enveloped the entire training ground, and everyone could feel the warm energy flowing within their bodies.

Xie Weihong walked slowly around the training field, occasionally stopping to look around and ask a few questions.

He stopped when he reached Li Dayong.

Li Dayong was practicing boxing when he saw him coming, and his movements froze for a moment.

Xie Weihong watched for a few seconds and said, "When you throw a punch, your qi should first sink to your dantian and then be sent out along your meridians. In your punch just now, you sent your qi out before it had sunk, wasting half of it."

Li Dayong paused for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Yes!"

Xie Weihong continued walking forward.

Li Dayong stood there, watching his back, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welling up inside him.

Is he teaching me?

He's actually teaching me?

A comrade leaned over and whispered, "Li Dayong, weren't you being unconvinced earlier? Now that he's teaching you, shouldn't you thank him?"

Li Dayong glared at him, but couldn't help but smile.

He took a deep breath and, as Xie Weihong had just instructed, threw another punch.

Sink your Qi to your Dantian and send it out along the meridians.

"Bang!"

The air exploded as the punch was thrown.

Li Dayong looked down at his fist and stood there, stunned.

It's more than twice as strong as before.

Just one sentence made him so much stronger?

He looked up at the figure that had already walked away.

The last bit of resentment in my heart completely disappeared.

---

An hour later, Xie Weihong left the training ground.

Duan Chengyi escorted him to the entrance of the base.

"Wei Hong, you really impressed all the trainees today," Duan Chengyi said with a smile.

Xie Weihong shook her head: "It's not that I intimidated them, it's that my strength intimidated them. It's normal that they're not convinced. It's also normal that they are convinced."

Duan Chengyi nodded, paused for a moment, and then said, "That Li Dayong is a good prospect. He's just too arrogant. After you taught him a lesson today, he should behave himself for a while."

Xie Weihong recalled those defiant eyes, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"Arrogance is not scary. What's scary is being arrogant when you have no ability."

He got into the car and closed the door.

He rolled down the car window and looked at Duan Chengyi.

"Keep a close eye on the spirit-gathering array. Contact me anytime if there are any problems."

Duan Chengyi nodded: "Don't worry."

The jeep started and slowly drove away from the base.

Xie Weihong leaned back in the back seat and closed her eyes.

The system's notification sounds kept ringing in my mind.

[Ding! A large-scale spirit-gathering array has been successfully activated, significantly improving the cultivation environment for 300 students.]

[Reward: 5000 Soul-Eroding Crystals]

[Reward: Body Tempering Elixir x1000]

[Reward: 500 Qi Gathering Pills]

[Reward: Special Technology - Miniature Spirit Gathering Array Design Blueprint (can be used in a personal cultivation room)]

A slight smile played at the corners of his lips.

The miniature spirit-gathering array is just right for those twelve instructors.

Outside the car window, the Western Hills stretched out in the morning light.

In the distance, the base receded further and further away, gradually disappearing from view.

He looked away and closed his eyes again.

It's time to go back.

The people in the courtyard were still waiting for him.

---

Training continues at the base.

Three hundred trainees lined up in a square formation, their sweat soaking the ground.

Li Dayong stood in the group, throwing punch after punch, each one more powerful and precise than the last.

A comrade next to him leaned over and whispered, "Li Dayong, you were really reckless today, daring to challenge the chief instructor."

Li Dayong glared at him: "Shut up, practice yours."

His comrade chuckled and said nothing more.

Li Dayong continued boxing.

One punch after another.

The image from just now kept replaying in his mind—that finger, pressing against his fist.

And there's that saying—"When you throw a punch, your energy should first sink to your dantian."

He took a deep breath and threw another punch.

"Bang!"

It's even stronger than before.

He grinned.

Chief Instructor, you wait.

One day, I'll be able to catch one of your fingers.

On the high platform, Old Chen was still staring at those instruments.

Engineer Zhou walked over and handed him a cup of tea.

"Mr. Chen, take a break. You've been standing all morning."

Old Chen took the tea but didn't drink it; he just held it in his hand.

"Old Zhou, when do you think we'll be able to fully understand the principles behind this Spirit Gathering Array?"

Engineer Zhou paused for a moment, then said, "Take your time. It would be best if you could figure it out, but if you can't, it'll be fine as long as it works."

Old Chen nodded, looking at the glowing array.

"Yes, as long as it works, that's fine."

He took a sip of tea and continued staring at the data.

Sunlight shone on the high platform and onto his gray hair.

In the distance, a unified shout came from the training field.

A new day has just begun.