Seeing that Chad Sullivan was eager to say something, William Sullivan smiled slightly and waved his hand, saying, “You’re being too polite, in-law. Little Emily is straightforward and adorable—I like her very much, there’s no way I’d blame her. Besides, what happened today may not even be Little Emily’s fault, so there’s no need to talk about punishment.”

John Thompson secretly glanced at Michael Bolton, and when he saw that Michael Bolton had no intention of blaming anyone, he finally felt a bit relieved. He gently said to Chad Sullivan, “Little Chad, if you’re feeling unwell, now that Mr. Bolton, your father, and Uncle Thompson are all here, you should speak up. Don’t keep it to yourself any longer.”

“Uncle Thompson, I’m really fine. Even if you asked me to get out of bed and cultivate right now, I’d be totally okay.” As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed about to lift the covers and get up, but Emily Thompson held him back and stopped him, saying, “You should rest a bit longer, don’t push yourself.”

“I really am fine…” Before he could finish, his stomach let out a loud growl, making him scratch his head in embarrassment. “I’m just hungry.”

“You haven’t eaten for three days—of course you’re hungry.” Emily Thompson rolled her eyes at him and immediately ran out.

William Sullivan saw her running toward the kitchen and chuckled, “This girl, she could have just asked the servants, but insists on going herself.” Then he turned to Chad Sullivan and added, “These past three days, Little Emily has barely left your side, taking care of you without even closing her eyes. For such a young girl to be so considerate, you couldn’t find another like her even with a lantern. Chad, you must never let Little Emily down in the future, or your father won’t forgive you.”

Chad Sullivan blushed a little. “Dad, what are you saying? Emily treats me so well, how could I ever let her down?”

Listening on the side, John Thompson was very satisfied with his answer. After making sure Chad Sullivan was all right, he felt at ease and got up to take his leave.

Both the The Thompson Family and the The Sullivan Family were ancient families with over a hundred years of history. The relationship between the two families mostly dated back to Chad Sullivan’s grandfather’s generation. Even the engagement between Chad Sullivan and Emily Thompson was arranged personally by the old clan leader. As for William Sullivan, the current clan leader, he actually had little direct interaction with John Thompson.

William Sullivan had spent many years away from home and didn’t know much about family affairs. If he hadn’t befriended someone like Michael Bolton, an innate expert at the eighth level of Qi Refining from the Shengxuan Sect, and invited him to oversee the The Sullivan Family, it would have been uncertain whether he could have become the clan leader at all.

While John Thompson got up and William Sullivan courteously saw him out, Michael Bolton wore a thoughtful expression.

When Emily Thompson returned with some food and let Chad Sullivan eat while lying down, Michael Bolton asked, “Little Emily, did you break through to the third level of Qi Refining?”

“Third level of Qi Refining?” Emily Thompson paused as she handed Chad Sullivan a cup filled with clear water. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head. “I’m not sure, but I really can now circulate true qi through a full cycle in my body, just like you taught me, Master.”

Chad Sullivan immediately said happily, “If your true qi can circulate through a full cycle on its own, that means you’ve reached the third level of Qi Refining! Emily, did you really break through so quickly?”

Michael Bolton was more straightforward: “Sit down and circulate your true qi once so I can sense it.”

“Okay.” Emily Thompson immediately climbed onto the bed, leaned against Chad Sullivan’s feet, and began circulating her true qi. After about half a stick of incense’s time, she completed a full cycle, and the true qi in her body, which she hadn’t cultivated for several days, actually grew a bit stronger. This progress… was almost visible to the naked eye…

Although Michael Bolton was an innate expert and could sense the flow of true qi in Emily Thompson’s body, due to the difference between men and women, he didn’t use his own true qi to probe her closely. As a result, he didn’t notice just how terrifying her true qi growth was. Otherwise, if others knew that every time she completed a full cycle, her true qi would grow substantially, they’d surely see her as a monster.

Even so, after she finished a full cycle, Michael Bolton was still extremely surprised and stared at her intently.

“What is it, Master? Did Emily really break through to the third level of Qi Refining?”

Michael Bolton wasn’t sure at first, but after having Emily Thompson circulate her true qi for another full cycle, he finally said with emotion, “It really is a full cycle.” Then he turned to Chad Sullivan and said, “Chad, you need to work hard. It took you half a year to break through to the third level, but Little Emily managed in just half a month—she accomplished in half a month what took you six. That speed is truly astonishing. If you don’t work harder, you might be surpassed by Little Emily before long.”

Chad Sullivan felt a bit of pressure and nodded. “Don’t worry, Master, I’ll definitely work hard.”

“Good. As a disciple of mine, Michael Bolton, you’re certainly not ordinary.” Michael Bolton continued hopefully, “Every year, the Shengxuan Sect publicly selects disciples with outstanding talent from within the country of Kaiming to join and strengthen the sect. Although it’s one in ten thousand, as long as you can break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining before you turn sixteen, with my recommendation, I can definitely get you into the Shengxuan Sect for further training. If you can catch the attention of the elders there, your future achievements will surely be no less than mine.”

“The number one sect in Kaiming—Shengxuan Sect!”

Longing appeared in Chad Sullivan’s eyes.