The Ferocious God in the Celestial Master's Mansion

The morning light of Longhu Mountain always carries a refreshing and spiritual quality, shining through the windows of Jingxin Garden onto the wooden bed covered with dry grass. Three-year-old Zhang Yulei can already sit steadily cross-legged, his small body upright, his eyes closed, imitating the breathing techniques taught by Zhang Qingjing, his tender face full of concentration beyond his years.

"Inhale evenly, exhale slowly, let the Qi flow naturally through the meridians, don't be impatient for quick results." Zhang Qingjing's voice, like a clear mountain spring, slowly flowed into Zhang Yulei's ears. He sat on a futon to the side, holding a string of prayer beads in his hand, his gaze gentle yet dignified as he looked at his last disciple.

Since Zhang Qingjing officially began teaching the breathing techniques a year ago, Zhang Yulei's performance has constantly surprised and delighted her. While ordinary three-year-old children are still playing and rolling around, he can calm his mind and meditate for two hours every day. Even more remarkable is that his perception of Qi far surpasses that of ordinary people. In just six months, he successfully guided Qi into his body, and in another six months, he will be able to accumulate Qi stably in his dantian. This progress is even three points faster than Zhang Zhiwei's back then.

Only Zhang Qingjing knew the hidden dangers behind this talent. Every time he examined Zhang Yulei's internal condition, he could feel that the latent ferocity was like a malignant tumor, slowly growing stronger as his Qi increased. It was like a malignant tumor nourished by spiritual energy, usually silent, but once stimulated, it could unleash a world-destroying power.

"Master, the Qi... the Qi seems to be disobeying me."

Suddenly, Zhang Yulei's face turned bright red, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. His previously steady breathing became rapid. The Qi within his body suddenly became violent, rampaging through his meridians with an uncontrollable restlessness. The ferocious Qi also awakened, roaring through his limbs and bones like a dormant beast.

Zhang Qingjing's expression hardened, and she quickly reached out, her withered fingers gently pressing on Zhang Yulei's head. A gentle yet powerful flow of Qi slowly surged in, like a spring breeze and rain, soothing the out-of-control Qi flow within him while suppressing the restless, ferocious energy.

"Calm down! Guard your true self!" Zhang Qingjing's voice carried a hint of authority. "Qi is the servant of the heart; when the heart is in turmoil, the Qi is in turmoil. You must remember, no matter what power exists within you, you are the one in control."

Zhang Yulei gritted his teeth and tried his best to follow his master's teachings, focusing his mind on his dantian. He could clearly feel his master's qi flowing like a warm river, guiding his violent qi back to the right track, while the fierce energy gradually subsided under his master's suppression, disappearing back into the depths of his body.

After a long while, Zhang Yulei's breathing returned to normal, and the flush on his face gradually faded. He opened his eyes, a trace of lingering red still visible, and looked at Zhang Qingjing with a mixture of grievance and confusion: "Master, why... why do I always have this destructive urge within me?"

Zhang Qingjing sighed softly and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "That's the inherent malevolence in your constitution, it's innate, and it's also a test for you. The path of cultivation is inherently a process of slaying demons and purifying one's mind. This malevolence is both your weakness and your strength; the key lies in whether you can control it."

He paused, then continued, "In your future cultivation, you must not be impatient for quick results, and you must not be controlled by negative emotions such as anger and hatred. Once your mind is lost, malevolent energy will take advantage of the situation, and at that time, you may become a monster that you don't even recognize yourself."

Zhang Yulei nodded as if he understood, his small hands clenching into fists. He remembered the pain of being dominated by resentment in his past life, and the discrimination and alienation he suffered because of his loss of control. In this life, he must not repeat the same mistakes.

"Disciple remembers, Master." His voice was still young, but it carried a firm determination.

Looking at the light in his eyes, Zhang Qingjing felt a slight sense of relief. This child was resilient and exceptionally intelligent; with proper guidance, he might be able to transform his resentment into a powerful force. However, this process was destined to be fraught with difficulties.

In the days that followed, Zhang Yulei practiced even more diligently. During the day, he followed Zhang Qingjing to learn Taoist mental techniques and the basic incantations of the Golden Light Mantra; in the evening, Zhang Zhiwei would come over to teach him martial arts and the basics of weaponry.

Zhang Zhiwei paid special attention to this junior brother. At first, he was worried that Zhang Yulei's special physique would make him difficult to teach, but after getting to know him, he discovered that the little guy not only had extremely high comprehension but also amazing willpower. He could often memorize the martial arts moves he was taught after only one demonstration, and master them after a few more practices. Before he was even five years old, his martial arts skills were already comparable to those of disciples over ten years old from the Celestial Master's Mansion.

"Junior brother, your punches must be fast, accurate, and ruthless, but you must also leave room for maneuver. You can't just be recklessly aggressive." Zhang Zhiwei unleashed a "Tiger Descending the Mountain" move, the wind of his punch whistling, but it stopped just inches away from Zhang Yulei's face. "Taoist kung fu emphasizes the balance of softness and hardness. You have a lot of violent energy in your body, so you must learn to restrain your strength, otherwise you will easily hurt yourself and others."

Zhang Yulei nodded, took a deep breath, circulated his internal energy, and threw a punch. Although his fist was not large, it carried a fierce energy force, striking the tree trunk next to him with a muffled "thud," causing the leaves to fall in a rustling sound.

"Not bad, you've improved quickly." Zhang Zhiwei nodded approvingly, then frowned. "But you see, while your punches are powerful, they're somewhat scattered. If you encounter a true master, such attacks can be easily neutralized."

He walked over to Zhang Yulei and corrected his posture hand in hand: "Remember, the Qi should be concentrated at the tip of the fist. When you punch, use your waist and body to generate power, which will drive your arm. Only in this way can you exert the maximum power and control it freely."

Zhang Yulei carefully listened to his senior brother's guidance and threw another punch. This time, the force of his punch was more concentrated, and the sound of it striking the tree trunk became crisp and powerful.

"Yes, that's it!" Zhang Zhiwei smiled. "Junior brother, you are exceptionally talented. As long as you practice diligently, your future achievements will be limitless. However, you must always remember your master's words, control your emotions, and not let anger control you."

He had witnessed Zhang Yulei's outbursts of temper firsthand. Once, several older disciples, seeing Zhang Yulei's youth and his favor with the Celestial Master and Senior Brother, harbored resentment and deliberately provoked him, stealing his sword. Unexpectedly, this act directly enraged Zhang Yulei.

At that moment, Zhang Yulei's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and the murderous aura within him erupted uncontrollably. He charged towards the disciples like a wild beast out of control. His speed and strength surged, and he knocked the disciples to the ground in just a few moves. If Zhang Zhiwei hadn't arrived in time to stop him, someone might have been killed.

From then on, Zhang Zhiwei paid more attention to Zhang Yulei's condition, not only teaching him kung fu, but also frequently guiding him and teaching him how to control his emotions.

Zhang Yulei was aware of his problem. Whenever he was about to lose control of his emotions, he would remember the teachings of his master and senior brothers, try his best to calm his mind, and circulate the mental technique of the Golden Light Mantra to let the gentle Qi nourish his mind and suppress his violent temper.

As he grew older, his cultivation level also advanced by leaps and bounds. At the age of six, he successfully cultivated the prototype of the Golden Light Mantra. Although the golden light shield was still very thin, it could already provide a certain degree of defense. At the age of eight, he was already able to use the Golden Light Mantra with ease. The light shield was thick and tough, and ordinary fists, kicks, and sharp weapons could not break through it. At the age of ten, he began to learn another core skill of Longhu Mountain - the Thunder Technique.

Unlike the Golden Light Mantra, which focuses on defense, the Thunder Technique is renowned for its astonishing offensive power, being fierce, domineering, and infinitely powerful. However, precisely because of this, the Thunder Technique is extremely difficult to cultivate. It not only requires a deep foundation of Qi but also an upright and unyielding character; otherwise, one can easily be devoured by the power of lightning, or even suffer from demonic possession.

For Zhang Yulei, the ferocity of the Thunder Technique resonated with the malevolent energy within him. At the beginning of his cultivation, he progressed rapidly, quickly mastering the basic methods of summoning lightning. However, the deeper he delved, the more he discovered that the ferocity of the Thunder Technique easily ignited the malevolent energy within him, pushing him to the brink of losing control.

Once, he was practicing thunder magic on the back mountain, attempting to draw upon the power of lightning in the world. At first, everything went smoothly; the Qi within his body resonated with the power of lightning in the world, and wisps of electricity danced at his fingertips. But just as he was about to further guide the power of lightning, the malevolent energy within his body suddenly erupted, intertwining with the power of lightning, and he instantly lost control.

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar, a thick bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting a boulder in front of him. The boulder shattered instantly, sending fragments flying everywhere. Zhang Yulei was also struck back by the lightning's power; his body convulsed, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his eyes turned bloodshot, and his reason was gradually consumed by ferocity.

Like a wounded beast, he roared and charged into the nearby woods, his hands like sharp claws, frantically tearing at the trees and bushes. Trees were snapped in half, bushes were leveled, and the entire back hill was a scene of devastation.

"Yulei! Stop!"

Just then, Zhang Qingjing and Zhang Zhiwei arrived. Seeing the out-of-control Zhang Yulei and the chaotic scene on the back mountain, their expressions changed drastically.