Chapter 8 (1/2)
Chapter 8 - Main Hall Dinner
Inside the He family estate, the beginning of the month and the middle of the month were the two days when the old family head, He Wude, would reveal himself to dine in the main hall. On these two days, the entire family in the estate would dine together.
Apart from He Quanming, who could not rush back from the city, all the other directly related members attended the dinner. This was also the only time He Quanxin left the family’s Book Pavilion.
By the time He Yiming arrived in the Main Hall, all the other members had already arrived.
There were only five host seats.
Sitting on the middle seat was the old man who single-handedly established the He family estate: He Wude. Besides his left was an empty seat, which was the seat reserved for He Quanming; He Yiming’s third uncle was sitting on the seat to its right, however, on the last seat was a handsome and elegant youngster. This youngster was precisely the eldest son’s eldest grandson, He Yitian; barely twenty years old and had already attained the seventh layer of the Internal Energy.
In the estate, He Yitian was the only member of the third generation who’d the permission to sit alongside the elder generations.
In the cultivation of the Internal Energy, higher one goes, higher is the difficulty. If one can attain the sixth layer of the Internal Energy cultivation before the age of twenty years, it was already an excellent achievement. Among the third generation, He Yiming’s second elder brother, He Yihai, and the third elder brother, He Yixuan, attained the sixth layer somewhere in between eighteen and nineteen years. None of the elders had any doubt regarding the fact that without another ten or twenty years of hard word, they shouldn’t be thinking about taking the next step.
On the other hand, the eldest member of the third generation, He Yitian, attained the sixth layer when he was merely fourteen years old. After another hard work of six years, he advanced to the seventh layer before the age of twenty. He was considered as the clan’s number one future pillar.
As for He Yiming, when he’d attained the fifth layer, everyone in the family had high hopes for him. The attention he received even surpa.s.sed He Yitian. However, this excessive attention instead stagnated his Internal Energy cultivation. The status of the current him was nowhere near He Yitian’s.
On the subsequent seats, except He Yiming, the entire third generation was present. Even his two elder brothers who were always behind closed doors in order to improve their cultivation, He Yihai and He Yixuan, had also punctually arrived.
Seated on the main seat, possessing wide temples, dense eyebrows, and a wisdom that could see through others concealed inside his two deep eyes, He Wude, lifted his head and said with a smile:
“Quan Xin, you are late today.”
He Quanxin immediately paid his respects and said with his whole face covered in smiles:
“Father, although your child has come late, he has brought you a good news.”
A trace of surprise flickered in He Wude’s eyes as he asked:
“What good news?”
“Father, today Yiming came to the Book pavilion.” He Quanxin paused and pulled He Yiming to his side, before continuing:
“Yiming is already qualified to cultivate martial skills.”
The Main Hall immediately turned silent. After a short while, He Quanyi suddenly stood up and asked in a pleasantly surprised voice:
“Yiming you have advanced to the sixth layer?”
He Yiming heavily nodded and said: “Yes.”
The third generation seated in the subsequent seats all had different expressions. Those who had good relations with He Yiming exchanged glances with joyous expressions in their eyes. If elders were not present, they would have certainly created a huge ruckus.
While He Yizhang, who’d relatively bad relations with He Yiming, had a little change in his expression and his eyes seemed a little lost.
He Yihai and He Yixuan, these two disciples of the third generation who’d already advanced to the sixth layer, exchanged a look with each other. Their expressions were extremely complex, having dim traces of envy and admiration with immense joy.
Subsequently, as they turned their heads and saw Yizhang’s expression, they couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh. In their minds, they truly couldn’t understand why their generation’s number fifth and number sixth had such a hostility. These two were truly an odd pair inside the family.
He Yitian also stood up from his seat. Being the eldest son’s eldest grandson, he truly had a special privilege among the third generation. Even at this moment, he could say a few lines.
“Sixth brother, you are truly amazing. In attaining the sixth layer, your speed should be quicker than mine by a year.”
He Yiming scratched his head and foolishly laughed, however, he absolutely didn’t open his mouth. His circ.u.mstances of this breakthrough were too absurd; he didn’t dare run off his mouth.
On He Wude’s serious face, eventually, an extremely pleased smiling expression surfaced as he said:
“Yiming you are indeed not bad. Someone deliver this information to the city; let Quanming return and rejoice as well.”
Someone naturally took care of the Old Estate Master’s order. Directly related members of the clan didn’t have to worry about such things.
He Wude stood up from his seat and walked past the dining table in a few strides. He arrived in front of He Yiming and casually extended his palm towards the latter.
A faint helpless smile flickered on the face of He Quanxin. Apparently, the old man would never be convinced before confirming the truth with his own hands.
He Yiming, without having any time to think, resisted his grandfather’s palm with his own palm. Consequently, the sixth layer Primordial Energy rose up like a tide. This time, he’d some experience, thus, after the strike was delivered, he immediately restrained his Internal Energy. However, the strength behind this strike was enough for He Wude to clearly determine He Yiming’s foundation.
Subsequently, the smiling expression on the old man’s face became increasingly dense. He heartily laughed and said:
“Good, very good. He family once again has a sixth layer Internal Energy expert under the age of fifteen.” His loud and clear laughter, without concealing the happiness in his heart at all, echoed in the hall. He continued:
“Quanxin, you will later accompany Yiming to the Book Pavillion, and allow him to select a martial skill. Tell him the details as well.”
“Yes.” He Quanxin said with a smile.
As He Yiming watched his elders, he was extremely suspicious in his heart.
Attaining the sixth layer was not an extremely extraordinary event; in his memory, at the time of his second and third elder brothers’ breakthrough, although his grandfather was excited, it was nowhere close to being…. ecstatic, as he seemed at this moment.