In fact, regarding his son's thoughts, William Foster was extremely pleased in his heart. Although he also hoped his son could embark on the path of cultivation as soon as possible, generally speaking, it was best for children to wait until after the age of eight to begin cultivating. First, before the age of eight, a child's meridians are not fully developed, making cultivation twice the effort for half the result. Second, cultivation and Qi refining require a mind as calm as still water, but young children are the most restless by nature, and if not careful, they could easily suffer from Qi deviation. It is better to wait until they are older and their temperament is more settled. Third, the path of cultivation is one of either progress or regression, and the process is extremely tedious. Children often lack the patience and may neglect their cultivation, making it much harder to resume later. Therefore, he still had concerns and couldn't help but want to test Yvonne Foster's determination once more.

"I've thought it through, and I'm not afraid of pain or hardship," Yvonne Foster, lying in his mother's arms, answered resolutely, his face full of determination.

Seeing this, William Foster couldn't help but burst out laughing, giving his son's thin shoulder a hearty slap and saying, "Good son! Truly a worthy descendant of our Jiang family."

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Although William Foster had agreed, the Qi refining incantation was not something one could learn or teach at will; it required going through several troublesome procedures.

The next morning, William Foster first took Yvonne to his eldest uncle's house to obtain the clan leader's consent. Then he invited two clan brothers who had already reached the Condensation stage to join them in bathing and changing clothes. At noon, led by his eldest uncle James Foster, after a round of prayers in the family ancestral hall, the four brothers, together with Emily Thompson, performed a ritual and jointly pressed two jade talismans into Yvonne Foster's dantian.

These were the secret family talismans of the Jiang clan: the Thousand Leaf Talisman and the Fiery Blaze Talisman, developed after the family had been hunted for thousands of years. Their original purpose was for clan members, before dying in battle, to activate the talismans with their minds and self-immolate.

Even if they turned to ashes after death, they would not become food for others—this was the intention and resolve of the ancestors when they created these two talismans.

Later, a family elder with exceptional talent in talismans and formations made significant modifications to the two talismans. While retaining their original effect, they could now increase the speed of Qi gathering by twenty percent and enhance the power of wood and fire-based Daoist arts. Of course, such good things naturally came with restrictions.

First, the two talismans had to be implanted into the dantian before a clan member began cultivation, when there was no true Qi in the body; otherwise, they would be rejected. Second, the talismans would lose their effect after the Golden Core stage. Third, the process of fusing the two talismans in the dantian was extremely painful. If one could not endure and fainted, they would never be able to cultivate again—a clear case of both risk and reward.

Therefore, after the ritual, all five people looked at Yvonne Foster with worried faces, especially Emily Thompson, whose fingernails had dug into her flesh without her realizing it. However, their worries were unfounded. William Foster had been an assassin in his previous life; what might be a major ordeal for others was nothing to someone who had undergone harsh anti-interrogation training. He endured it with ease. Still, when Yvonne Foster opened his eyes and saw the concern in everyone's eyes, he was deeply moved.

Next, the eldest uncle personally taught the Qi refining incantation and the locations of the meridians and acupoints. The foundational cultivation methods in the early cultivation world were basically the same and quite simple. The first step was to sense the true Qi flowing through the twelve main meridians. This was the hardest part; one had to reach a state of selflessness to sense the Qi in the meridians. Most children just starting out needed one or two months to achieve this, but William Foster succeeded on his first try, astonishing his uncle, who had only planned to teach the first step. Still, he didn't think too much of it, as such people were not unheard of in history.

The second step was to guide the true Qi in the twelve main meridians to circulate along a specific route, gradually filling the meridians until it overflowed into the Ren and Du meridians—this was called the Great Circulation. Crossing this step meant truly stepping onto the path of cultivation. In the cultivation world, this was called "obtaining Qi" or "obtaining the medicine," and one could now perform the most basic Daoist arts.

Generally, depending on one's aptitude, this stage could take anywhere from one to six years. However, Lily Foster found that the Qi in his twelve main meridians was naturally abundant; after just one Great Circulation, the true Qi overflowed into his dantian. At this, everyone was not just astonished, but utterly shocked.

Looking at the innocent-faced Yvonne Foster as if he were a monster, everyone felt a chill in their hearts, silently thinking: Even the legendary sixth-generation ancestor of Tianque, Master Qiuye, who was said to be the strongest in the world, took half a year to reach the "obtaining Qi" stage. This little guy, reaching it at four years old, might be even more of a genius than Master Qiuye! Only Emily Thompson wore a face full of joy and pride.