The Nine Cauldrons

Book 2 Chapter 16 - 30

Book 2 Chapter 16: New Leader

Teng Jia Village was surrounded by wooden fences and a gate guarded by villagers.

"The hunters are back!" shouted the gatekeeper.

Many villagers were talking and laughing on the training field, but their faces suddenly sank when they saw the bloodstained and bandaged hunters carrying several bodies.

Some villagers had died on the hunting trip!

"Qiangzi!" Shouts of sorrow could be heard.

"Go inform the chief!" Someone immediately cried with a sad voice.

......
A moment later, nearly two thousand people gathered on the training field. Except those who were working in the fields, everyone was gathered here with gloomy faces. In particular, the family members of the deceased were kneeling and crying on the ground. The Chief Teng Yunlong also had a hint of sadness on his face.

"This time, hunters encountered the Patrol of the Wolf King! Five hunters died... and four became disabled!" Teng Yunlong said with a low voice while faint cries could be heard among the crowd.

" Teng Yonglian, Teng Yongqiang, Teng Yongyi..." Teng Yunlong recited the five names of the deceased.

"They were the people who died for our Teng Jia Village. Their five families will be given a hundred taels of silver each in compensation for today, and our village with support them from this day onward," Teng Yunlong said calmly. It was an old rule inside the village to compensate a hundred taels of silver for those who were killed and fifty taels of silver for those who were disabled. Moreover, their family members would be supported by the entire village.

Teng Qingshan quietly watched this scene.

Over the years, he heard that other villages were wiped out by bandits, but he never saw it with his own eyes. He was never given such a shock when hearing about it since seeing it and hearing it were two different things. Teng Jia Village was a relative strong and big village, which was why bandits were generally reluctant to provoke them. Furthermore, the White Horse Gang received money from them and provided Teng Jia Village with some protection. Therefore, Teng Jia Village had been calm, and for a long time, no one was killed.

Going into the mountain and encountering the Patrol of the Wolf King was something that would happen only a few times per decade.

"Light the fire!" Teng Yunlong said suddenly, awakening Teng Qingshan from his daze.

Cremation.

It was a custom within the village to cremate the bodies of the deceased.

A huge flame soaring into the sky, and the corpses were placed on a wooden platform. Normally, the ones lying on the platform would be elders whom everyone was familiar with. Some crying sounds could be heard in the surrounding, but most people just watched in silence. They had already experienced a deeper and more unforgettable suffering.

They already knew that in order to survive on this piece of land, blood must be shed.

That was why the villagers would continuously practice hard from an early age and never even taking a single day off.

In the Teng Clan's ancestral hall.

The heavy iron gate was opened. The family members cried as they stepped into the ancestral hall with five urns held in their hands.

Teng Qingshan and his father Teng Yongfan were silently gazing at all of this . It was a wide hall and much larger than the weapons warehouse. There were tens of thousands of urns placed neatly within the hall.

"These are our ancestors' urns. They died for the clan for over the past thousand years." Teng Qingshan knew this.

Not everyone was allowed to enter the ancestral hall.

Teng Jia Village had over a thousand years' worth of history, and only those who fought for it or contributed to the village's survival were allowed to be place inside the ancestral hall after they died. Those who were incompetent and did nothing for the village weren't allowed to enter the ancestral hall after cremation. They weren't even allowed to put their name on the 'Teng Clan monument'.

"The Teng Clan monument!"

Teng Qingshan's eyes fell upon the eye catching monument. A block of massive stone stood there one Zhang high (10 feet), its face densely engraved with countless names. Each name represented the ancestors of the Teng lineage from the beginning of the village's history.

"Engrave the names onto the clan monument," Teng Yunlong said in a low voice.

A grey-haired old man holding a knife walked under the huge stone and cautiously carved the five names onto the massive stone's surface.

"Sniff,Sniff...." The dead's families sobbed in a mournful tone, making the atmosphere even more sorrowful.

Teng Yunlong walked to the families of the deceased. The men who died were still in their prime, leaving behind their young children. The oldest one amongst them was just 20 years old. Touching a child's head, Teng Yunlong looked at them and said, "Your fathers were the Teng family's heroes who died for the clan. You should be proud of them!"

"Ah." A young body suddenly nodded.

In a few years, these young men, like their fathers, would fight to protect the clan. The Teng Clan had been able to survive for a thousand years because of their indomitable spirit passed downwards from generation to generation.

Eight people gather at Chief Teng Yunlong's house.

Other than Teng Yunlong, there were Teng Yonglei, Teng Yongxiang, Teng Yongfan and the elders within the clan, along with Teng Qingshan!

"Yonglei, you did well. That Wolf King's body cannot be pierced by common blades. Its completely white, undamaged fur, larger than a tiger skin, will make many wealthy people with high statuses want to buy it. It will fetch a better price than even the snow ferret's fur." Teng Yunlong said.

The clan's gain was indeed not small this time.

The Wolf King's hide was rarer and more valuable than a snow ferret's fur, especially since its body was completely white like snow.

"Chief." Teng Yonglei said, "Actually, it was all thanks to Qingshan. If it weren't for him, only two or three of us would have been to escape, let alone kill the Wolf King. The Wolf King, the four Alpha Wolves and over one hundred wolves were all killed by Qingshan."

Everyone present all looked at the youth Teng Qingshan.

Although they felt grief for the villagers who lost their lives, but, living in this chaotic world, their hearts were overwhelmed with happiness when they realized Teng Qingshan's amazing power.

He alone killed one hundred wolves, four Alpha wolves and even the Wolf King... What fearful strength! Moreover, this strength belonged to someone who was less than ten years old... How strong would he be once he grew up? The most important thing is... such a strong person belonged to the Teng Clan!

"Well done, Qingshan." Teng Yunlong praised.

"Fortunately, Qingshan didn't go to the Gui Yuan Sect back then." Teng Yongxiang sighed, "If he went, he may not have had such an amazing Spear Arts. Qingshan refined everything by himself, and his Spear Arts are even more profound than the arts taught by others." Once they knew about Qingshan's combat exploits, everyone approved of Qingshan's strength.

He was indisputably the greatest hero within the family.

Teng Yunlong and others also felt grateful that Teng Qingshan didn't join the Gui Yuan Sect. If he have joined them, there would simply be no way for him to help the clan unless he reached a high position in the Gui Yuan Sect. However, distant water couldn't quench the present thirst, so having Teng Qingshan here was of course more helpful to the clan.

"Qingshan's long spear was broken during the fight with the Wolf King. Moreover, a spear of that length is a little short for Qingshan right now," said Teng Yongxiang.

"Yes, it's time for change to a longer spear. Qingshan, come, let's go to the armory." Teng Yunlong said with a smile.

Teng Qingshan went with everyone into the armory.

When Teng Qingshan was still six years old, his seven Chi (feet) green zhennan spear had been a bit too long for him. However, he was now nine years old and would be ten in three months. Right now, he was five Chi tall, and a seven Chi long spear would be a bit too short for him. With his height, the most suitable spear length would be seven Chi and six Chun (inch).

The armory opened with a loud bang.

"Qingshan, choose a long spear for yourself." Teng Yunlong smiled.

There were plenty of long spears stored in the clan and they didn't need to manufacture a new one, so he only needed to choose one without holding back.

For wooden spears, green zhennan wood was the highest quality, but from Teng Qingshan's point of view, the material was not good enough.

"Here are common big iron spears and steel spears! The quality of iron spears is much worse than steel spears, but they are much lighter." Teng Qingshan walked around and he eyes fell upon a steel spear. Stretching his hand, he wielded it around to see if it was suitable for him 'This steel spear's manufacturing quality isn't bad and the weight is just right. Adding the spearhead, it's almost two meters long. Although it's slightly too long, it doesn't affect me. When I grow taller, I can still continue use it for some time."

Teng Qingshan turned around and looked at Teng Yunlong, "Grandfather, I want this one."

"Qingshan, this is a first-class steel spear. Adding the spearhead, the spear is eight Chi long and weighs fifty Jin. If you encounter a group battle, it will waste too much of your strength. It's better to change to another one." Teng Yunlong wanted to say that a human's strength was limited. Wielding a long and heavy weapon for a prolonged period would exhausted the user.

Teng Qingshan laughed, "I want this one! There is no need to change for another."

Once reaching the 'One with the Spear' realm, Teng Qingshan's muscles would only partially use its strength when wielding a spear while the other part of his muscles would rest. He wouldn't even get tired after fight for a whole day. As a Xing Yi Martial Arts master who had control over all his muscles, how could he get tired by playing with a fifty Jin spear?

Furthermore, he had inner strength!

"Alright, you win." Teng Yunlong walked towards that box with a smile and took out the matching spearhead. The craftsmanship of that steel spear was indeed very good and the connecting between the spearhead didn't use a clamping slot. It was connected by a foot-long screw thread which forced the spearhead to firmly attach to its shaft.

Its red tassel gave off a bloody smell, indicating that this steel spear went through countless battles while soaking itself in blood.

"Huh?" Teng Qingshan surprisingly twisted the spear and screwed open the spear while diving it in two halves.

Teng Yunlong smiled. "This spear can be divided into two parts and it is connected by the central screw. When you are outside, you can disassemble the long spear if its length gets in the way and connect it again when you're about to use it." Teng Qingshan was very satisfied with this mechanical aspect and freely brandished his new steel spear a few times after assembling it.

"Huuh. Huuh!"

The spear's shadow danced freely and pierced the air while creating wailing noises.

"Not bad." Teng Qingshan became increasingly satisfied. This steel spear's toughness was very good and if he infused it with his inner strength, it could even withstand a power of 10,000 Jin.

"Chief." Exactly at his moment, Teng Yonglei, who stood at the side, spoke and his face revealed a hint of bitterness, "Now that my left hand is gone, I am not suitable to be the leader of the hunter squadron. From today onwards, I will stay in the village. As for the leader of the hunter squadron, you should appoint someone else."

The atmosphere immediately changed.

"Yonglei." Teng Yongfan pat Teng Yonglei in the shoulder with a consolation. Losing the left arm was a very painful thing for a martial artist.

"Yonglei, you can stay in the village from now on. As for the leader of the hunter squadron..." Teng Yunlong turned around and his eyes fell upon Teng Qingshan.

All the other elders currently present such as Teng Yongfan, Teng Yonglei, and Teng Yongxiang all turned around and looked at Teng Qingshan.

Teng Qingshan was startled.

What? He would only be ten years old in three or four months.

"Qingshan!" Teng Yunlong stared at him, "In this chaotic world, a hero isn't judged by his age but by his strength! Starting today, you are the leader of the hunter squadron! You have to remember... right now you are our Teng family number one hero! As the number one person, you should take on responsibilities."

Teng Yongfan also looked at his son, "Qingshan, a man should take on responsibilities! The first ranked hero of the village needs to undertake the responsibility worthy of the status. You have to learn to take on responsibilities, since the future our clan will depend on your leadership!"

"Yes, Father." Qingshan suddenly felt a sense of responsibility falling upon his small shoulders.

In the past, he had been carefree, and all various problems were tackled by his father, grandfather and others.

However, from today onward, he would have step up to his family's expectations!

Book 2 Chapter 17 Inner Strength Expert

Teng Qingshan formally became Teng Jia Village's new hunting squadron leader. Normally, the hunting squadron would enter the mountain once every two days, on average. However, due to five people dying and four people becoming handicapped this time, the hunting squadron had to recruit more members. Thus, for six days, they did not enter the mountain to hunt.

Within the clan, the clan chief held the highest position. Next to it was the Spear Arts Master and the hunting squadron leader.

Not yet ten years old and he had already become the hunting squadron leader, Teng Qingshan had realized the goal of many youngsters from Teng Jia Village. Numerous clansmen would praise Teng Qingshan; already so outstanding at such a young age, when he became an adult, how much more exceptional would he be?

"Hu!" "Hu!"

The cold wind whistled in the air; the sky was even more frigid. There was only a month until the next yearly sacrifice.

"He!" "Ha!"

Sounds of laborious shouts rang through the air. The Teng Jia Village's training field contained many youths who were training by rolling stones, lifting stone weights, kicking wooden barrels while simultaneously talking nonchalantly and laughing with each other.

"Brother Qingshan and the others slaughtered a tiger the other day! A tiger! Its claws were nearly as thick as my thigh!" A youth whose hair was tied in a plait smacked a sandbag while talking with his nearby companions. The youth next to him clicked his tongue and sighed, "Brother Qingshan is more than awesome. He already is the hunting squadron's leader! If I were to become even a hunting squadron member in my lifetime, then, "Tsk,tsk." This youth's face was filled with hope.

It was at this time...

The earth trembled slightly.

"It's the sound of horse hoofs!" Many people on the training field turned their heads and looked at the gate. They saw ten distant silhouettes mounted on fine steeds rapidly rushing over.

"Stop!" One of the Teng Jia Village's guards yelled.

"Hmph." A cold snort sounded. It oddly sounded as if thunder had pierced everyone's ears.

"Xiu!" A flash of cold light streaked across the gate, and the cast iron bolt across the gate unexpectedly ruptured. The entire gate immediately opened with a loud bang. The ten horsemen barged through without reducing their speed and immediately rushed into the training field. Many frightened Teng Jia villagers ran to the sides in an attempt to evade the intruders.

"Lu"

The 10 horses suddenly stopped, and their hooves kicked high into the air.

"Is this the Teng Jia Village?" A representative of the group yelled. His voice was extremely loud; the clansmen on the field felt their ears ring.

A perspiring youth who was just training took a step forward and said in a clear voice, "This is the Teng Jia Village. May I ask why you people have come?" Some of the Teng Village's clansmen had already left to inform the clan leader. The others did not act blindly without thinking.

One must know that the cast iron bolt of the gate was a foot thick and two feet wide, yet it was severed in a second. This sort of strength, who would dare oppose it?

"Get your village Chief to quickly come over here!" the representative coldly yelled.

Teng Yunlong quickly hurried over. Looking from afar, Teng Yunlong's heart was filled with alarm. He was able to see the representative's light gold complexion and the black fox fur coat on his body. His mount was completely scarlet and was about eight meters tall: "This top notch fox fur coat is worth at least two hundred taels of silver. Moreover, that completely red steed of his is clearly a Scarlet Flame Horse! Its value is one to two thousands taels of silver!"

Looking at the other followers, the accompanying horsemen all had an azurite cape on top of a light green armor. The fine horses under them were slightly inferior to that of the leader's but were clearly still incredible steeds: "These are Youzhou horses that are valued at two hundred taels of silver! They also have standard armor! Even a big family like the White Horse Gang would only begrudgingly purchase armor and horses like these! Where are these people from?"

After hearing clansmen say that the opposition could cleave the door bolt with one sword strike and seeing their attire, Teng Yunlong had a premonition of who they were.

"My lords, this old servant is the Teng Jia Village's Chief, Teng Yunlong. What affair brings you esteemed lords here?" Teng Yunlong bowed.

"I have heard that you can forge a Frost Jade Saber." The leader arrogantly glanced at Teng Yunlong before coldly speaking.

"That is correct." Teng Yunlong did not deny this.

"That's good. I have an important business transaction for you!" stated the leader in a resounding voice.

"My lord, you must be tired from your journey. Why don't you rest a bit first before we slowly talk about business?" Teng Yunlong faintly smiled. The leader's face exposed a slight smile before indifferently nodding his head and saying, "That's fine; lead the way to your place." Immediately, the group of ten horsemen headed towards the chief's house.

The hunting squadron members were talking and laughing. Amongst them, there were four people carrying a large black bear's corpse.

"Qingshan, that spear of yours today was as fast as lightning. When you easily blocked the bear's attack, you also impaled its skull." The clansmen were all extremely happy. During the past few days of hunting, they were already extremely respectful towards Teng Qingshan. The first reason was Teng Qingshan's keen sense of hearing. If an animal made the slightest noise, it would not be able to hide.

The second reason was Teng Qingshan's extremely proficient Spear Arts. No matter what sort of prey it was, it was incapable of blocking his spear.

How could they not be happy with such a leader?

"This black bear cannot be considered too big," Teng Qingshan laughed, "Didn't you say that one of the clan's elders had seen a Zhang(TL: 3.5 meters) tall bear that could break a large tree with one slap?" Although this black bear had the strength of a thousand Jin imbued in one slap, its speed was far from the Wolf King's. Thus, Teng Qingshan only needed one spear strike to kill it.

"We've returned home," Teng Qingshan laughed.

Looking at the village from far away, Teng Qingshan's expression changed because the village's gate was wide open. Teng Jia Village's gate was normally closed. Even returning clansmen would use a little side door to enter. The large gate would only open if a large group of people and horses like the hunting squadron were to return.

"Not good; move faster!" Teng Qingshan yelled.

The members of the hunting squadron were alarmed and rushed towards the village.

Teng Qingshan glanced around. He saw that the door bolt had unexpectedly been cleaved in two; the incision was extremely clean making Teng Qingshan's pupils contract: "What a sharp weapon, extremely strong strength too! This person was able to sever the cast iron bolt instantly. I can only achieve this if I used all of my inner strength and a top quality weapon."

"Brother Qingshan!"

"Qingshan!"

Many people on the training field came over. Normally, youngsters would call Teng Qingshan "Brother Qingshan" even if Teng Qingshan was younger than them by a few years. This was because of Teng Qingshan's special status, many youngsters considered Teng Qingshan as an older brother and worshiped him.

All the adults considered Teng Qingshan as one of the people in charge within the clan.

"What happened?" Teng Qingshan subsequently asked.

"Qingshan," a sturdy male said, "It was a group of cavalry; they were all riding powerful horses! Their cavalry leader used only one strike to break the iron bolt. However, they said that they wanted to do business with our Teng Jia Village. Right now, those people have already been brought by the clan Chief to his place."

Teng Qingshan heaved a sigh of relief.

"That's good. You guys stay here, I will go take a look." Teng Qingshan clutched the Damacus Steel Spear, and proceeded to walk towards his maternal grandfather's, Teng Yunlong's, residence.

From afar, Qingshan caught sight of horses and people dressed in armor. The green armored warriors were standing outside of his maternal grandfather's residence.These horsemen all had strict gazes and each one's strength was clearly not weak: "Look at their figure and eyes! They are definitely military! But, I don't know where these troops are from."

One would would be considered a Third Rated Warrior if he or she was able to lift a 500 Jin boulder.

Having the strength to lift a 2000 Jin boulder would place one as a Second Rated Warrior.

"Brat, move to the side!" one of the cavalrymen ordered.

The few people discussing inside the courtyard seemed to hear the commotion and looked outside. Teng Yunlong proceeded to say, "That is my grandson, let him enter."

The cavalryman coldly glanced at Teng Yunlong. Teng Qingshan smiled as he entered the courtyard and was not the slightest bit angry.

"Father, Grandfather." Teng Qingshan appeared in the courtyard. There were only two people from Teng Jia Village: his maternal grandfather, Teng Yunlong and his father, Teng Yongfan. Teng Qingshan's eyes swept over the currently seated large man. The man attired in a black fox fur coat also looked back. Teng Qingshan felt that the opposition's gaze was as sharp as a knife.

Teng Qingshan hid his surprise: "An expert."

"Teng Yongfan!" the cavalry leader stared at Teng Yongfan, "You are your clan's number one blacksmith, so tell me, do you agree to do this business?"

"The time is a bit too short!" Teng Yongfan's eyebrows creased and he said, "The art of refining a Frost Jade Saber is our Teng Jia Village's consummate skill. Every Frost Jade Saber requires earnest precision without the slightest carelessness. Moreover, my lord, would like a total of 182 blades. Furthermore, you would like the goods to be delivered by the end of the year. This..."

"Hm? So you do not agree?" The leader's complexion changed.

"Hu!" An incorporeal energy blasted out from the leader's body and the adjacent wooden bench instantly ruptured. Densely packed holes appeared on the ground.

Teng Yongfan and Teng Yunlong's faces changed.

"What powerful inner strength ," Teng Qingshan silently thought in his heart, "Able to blast it out from his body into the air and shoot it into the ground. This leader's inner strength should be much stronger than mine." Teng Qingshan understood that, although the Internal Martial Arts method could refine the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth into inner strength, its primary focus was still on the reformation of the body.

Moreover, the various secret books in this world that were specialized in refining inner strength were much faster than the Internal Martial Art's process.

"My lord, please do not be angry," Teng Yunlong laughed and said, "Refining 182 Frost Jade Sabers in a month is a problem. However, we will continue to forge them through the day and night. We will definitely be done before the new year."

The leader's face revealed a trace of a satisfied smile: "Very good."

"I do not know if the forging equipment will be provided by senior, or..." Teng Yunlong said.

"You will provide the materials yourselves!" The leader nonchalantly said, "As for the price, we will naturally not treat you unfairly."

Book 2 Chapter 18 Yangzhou Salt Merchant

"I wonder what you would be willing to pay, my lord." Teng Yunlong looked with a smile at the leader with the black fox fur coat.

The leader chuckled, "You are in charge of acquiring the materials. As for the price, let's set a whole number: 102 taels of silver per Frost Jade Saber! I believe you'll be satisfied with this offer."

"102 taels of silver?" Teng Yunlong frowned. Indeed, the sum was large; however, the Frost Jade Saber's craftsmanship was unique to the Teng clan. In addition, the materials needed to create a Frost Jade Saber were exceedingly expensive, and the refining process was very delicate. When sold, every Frost Jade Saber yielded at least 102 taels of silver. Thus, the leader's reduced priced of 102 taels of silver would allow for a minimal profit margin.
?
"My lord, maybe the price you mentioned is a bit too low," Teng Yongfan said respectfully.

The leader responded with a sneer. "Don't take me for a fool! If I was willing to pay a high price, I would not have come here! 102 taels of silver per Frost Jade Saber—do you accept this price?"

"Yes!"

Putting on a slight smile, Teng Yunlong said, "My lord, the sheer magnitude of the 182 Frost Jade Sabers you ordered is unprecedented. We only have enough materials in storage for two Frost Jade Sabers. Therefore, we are going to need a substantial amount of taels of silver to buy the materials. Could my lord please lend the taels of silver to us in advance?"

"We haven't even received the merchandise, yet we're already supposed to give you money?" The leader with the black fox fur coat sneered.

The adjacent Teng Qingshan was somewhat surprised, "This leader doesn't want to give us the money? 102 taels of silver per saber—collectively, this is a substantial amount of money adding up to about 20,000 taels of silver. If we were to squeeze out all the money our village has, it would barely be enough. Does the leader intend to use force?" Teng Qingshan was ready for the worst situation.

"You must be jesting, my lord. We are a common village, so how could we have a lot of money? We can hardly get the money for buying materials. Thus, how are we supposed to refine the weapons for you?" Teng Yunlong implored with a smile. "I hope my lord understands our difficulty."

The leader's face fell.

The neighboring Teng Yongfan smiled and said, "My lord, you are a great man of a majestic status. Don't tell me that you are worried that we will steal your money? We, the members of the Teng Clan, have been living here for generations. There is no way that we can leave our homeland. As long as my lord pays us in advance, I guarantee that you will receive the sabers by the deadline."

The leader hesitated and then coldly laughed, "Perhaps your clan really is too poor to raise the required money."

Then, he took out a pile of silver notes and slapped them on the desk.

"Here are 8200 silver notes stamped by the Yangzhou Bank. You can carefully check them yourself," the leader said.

Yangzhou Bank?

Teng Qingshan checked them carefully, as it was his first time seeing silver notes.

The silver notes had "Yang's Salt" printed on top, along with banking numbers like "one, two, three, [and] four." On the bottom of each note was a line stating, "The Nine Prefecture's Eight Supreme Sects stipulate that he who forges silver notes will be killed without pardon."
(TLN: Banking numbers in Mandarin are written differently than regular numbers. ie. ? (one) is the equivalent of ? and ? is the equivalent of ?)

Teng Qingshan felt surprise in his heart, "The Nine Prefecture's Eight Supreme Sects? Are these the eight strongest sects underneath the heavens?"

"Silver notes? This..." Teng Yunlong frowned, "My lord, we need to pay a fee to exchange money in the bank. In addition, the sum of money in the business transaction was 20,000 silver taels. The amount you gave us is far too little. Since we are a small clan, I am afraid..." Teng Yunlong hesitated.

The leader stood up suddenly and his face was dark.

"Hmph, 8200 silver notes; we don't have an extra copper to spare. We will set up a written contract entailing that when you deliver the goods to Yi City, we will pay the remaining balance." The leader coldly spoke. The two subordinates behind the leader also grabbed the hilts of the long sabers on their waists. The plethora of cavalry outside the courtyard menacingly glared into the courtyard.

Teng Qingshan took a deep breath; it might be time for him to act.

Teng Yunlong and Teng Yongfang looked at each other.

"Since the lord says so, let's immediately set up a contract." Teng Yunlong said while laughing.

"Right," The leader said, a gloating smile on his face.

Thus, the two parties signed a contract and specified the shipping location, time, payment, and other arrangements.

"Hm? My lord, you want us to send the goods to the Yangzhou's Chamber of Commerce representative at Yi City?" Teng Yunlong was surprised. "It seems that my lord is from Yangzhou's Chamber of Commerce."

"It's good that you know about it. You better not try and play any tricks on me. Also, when the time comes, we will carefully inspect each Jade Frost Sabre. If there is anything wrong with them...humph!" When the leader finished speaking, he snatched the contract and, without saying anything else, strode out of the courtyard.

"Brothers, let's go!"

His order rang through the air, and the cavalry majestically departed with him.

"Father, what is the Yangzhou Bank?" Teng Qingshan looked at the notes wonderingly.

Teng Yonfang smiled and explained, "Qingshan, among the Nine Prefectures under the heavens, the richest are the Yangzhou Salt Merchants and the Yuzhou Trade Conglomerate. After all, Yangzhou and Yuzhou are the two most prosperous prefectures. As a result, there are only two reliable banks in the world: one is the 'Yangzhou Bank' and the other is the 'Yuzhou Bank'. If one has silver notes from these two banks, then they can travel through the land unhindered. Of course, us common folks generally don't receive silver notes."

"Why not?" Qingshan questioned, not understanding.

Weren't silver notes more convenient?

"Actually, silver notes simply serve as 'exchange evidence' for when you're storing taels of gold and silver in either of the banks. There are special serial numbers in the silver notes, and they are manufactured with special technologies to prevent forging. Banks help you keep your wealth; of course, they will charge you for their service. So, even though this is 8200 taels in silver bank notes, I will not be able to take the entire amount from the bank."

Teng Qingshan understood.

In the modern world, if you were to deposit money in banks, you would earn interest; however, in the ancient world, if you were to deposit money in the bank, you would have to pay for its service.

This was easy to comprehend because in ancient times, it was troublesome for merchants to bring that much gold and taels of silver with them. It was more convenient and safe for them to keep silver notes.

"Do people really not forge silver notes?" Teng Qingshan asked.

The adjacent Grandpa Teng Yunlong laughed, "Haha! Who dares? Don't you see the words below 'The Nine Prefecture's Eight Supreme Sects'? Underneath the heavens, these are the eight strongest sects!"

"What are the Eight Supreme Sects?" Teng Qingshan asked.

Teng Yongfan explained, "Qingshan, I've told you that in our Yangzhou, the strongest sect is ''Qing Hu Island." Furthermore, in each of the other eight prefectures, there is a supreme sect as well. Underneath the heavens, there are eight supreme powers which are called the "Eight Supreme Sects". Together, they make laws, and if someone disobeys them, there will be nowhere to hide from them!"

Nine states, but only eight sects.

It seemed that there was either a state without a supreme sect or a super sect controlling two states.

"The Eight Supreme Sects are basically eight emperors!" Teng Qingshan thought.

Sects were the most powerful forces in the world, even controlling their own powerful armies! Even the Gui Yuan Sect had a 6,000 man army equipped with black armor!

Then what about the Eight Supreme Sects?

"The Yangzhou Salt Merchants are so wealthy, and they have so many experts that they don't care if we steal their money." Teng Yunlong said with a sneer. Then he turned to Teng Yongfan and instructed: "Yongfan, go to Wang Lao San's to silently place an order tonight! Tell their boss to prepare the materials and to deliver them as quickly as possible."
(TLN: Wang Lao San (???) means The third of the Wang family. A nickname.)

"Rest assured." Teng Yongfan nodded.

"The most troublesome matter is time!" Teng Yongfan frowned. "Master, it will be really difficult for us to refine 182 Jade Frost Sabers in one month. Besides, since the other brothers don't have the required skillset, there is no one else in the clan who can help us."

"It's alright. When the materials arrive, I will refine them with you." Teng Yunlong said.

"Master..." Teng Yongfan was surprised.

"What? You think I am too old?" Teng Yunlong began to laugh.

Teng Yunlong was now over 60 years old, and his strength and energy were dwindling. Moreover, the arm strength and skill required to refine Jade Frost Sabers, were extremely high.

"It's ok. I will just assist you. The majority of the Jade Frost Sabers will need to be refined by you." Teng Yunlong said.

"Ok." Teng Yongfan immediately turned to Qingshan, "Qingshan, I would like you to do something for me. Tomorrow, lead your hunting squadron to the mountain again and take water from the Jade Frost Pool."

"Where is the Jade Frost Pool?" Teng Qingshan asked.

Qingshan was able to infer that there was a connection between the Jade Frost Sabers and the Jade Frost Pool.

"Don't worry. Old members like Qinghu know the location and will guide you there. Jade Frost Sabers must be refined with water from this Jade Frost Pool. Take two water tanks with you and fill them up completely." Teng Yongfan sighed with sorrow. Qingshan knew nothing about forging and just nodded, "Alright, Father."

This business was of great importance to the Teng Clan.

It was worth 20,000 taels of silver and, thus, the Teng Clan could not slack off in the slightest. The next morning, Qingshan brought his hunting squadron into the mountain.

"Qingshan, our Teng Clan relies on the Jade Frost Saber to eat well and buy clothing." In the Great Yan Mountain, Teng Qinghu explained with a smile, "Moreover, refining a Jade Frost Sabre relies on techniques that are unknown to outsiders as well as the quenching water of the Jade Frost Pool. The water there is unprecedentedly cold."

Teng Qingshan was surprised.

"The water remains cold even during the summer and is even colder in the winter. Strangely, it never freezes," a clansman said. "Weapons refined by this water will be much sharper and tougher than other weapons."

"If one were to put his hand in the water, it would immediately go numb."

"Last time, we caught a wild chicken and dropped it into the pool. It immediately died from the cold and was not able to climb back out."

The clansmen around him had so much to say that it was obvious they had already witnessed the Jade Frost Pool's mystical properties.

"How mysterious!" Teng Qingshan was surprised.

Book 2 Chapter 19 :The Strongest Plan

"Qingshan, you will see the Frost Jade Pool after climbing to the top of Twin Peak Mountain," Teng Qinghu declared while pointing to the mountain ahead.

Having heard so much about the lake, Qingshan was naturally curious. "Frost Jade Pool has outstanding qualities! I would really like to have a look." Within, the hunters were moving abnormally fast; they had lived in the mountain for such a long time that it felt like their own backyard. Thus, they could easily skirt around dangerous areas .

However, as the proverb goes, "Things always seem closer than they are from far away"

Although Twin Peak Mountain was relatively small, the trekking distance was exceedingly long. As a result, the hunters ultimately spent an hour before reaching the breezy and comfortable peak.

"Qingshan, the lake on that mountainside is the Frost Jade Pool," Teng Qinghu said while pointing downwards.

Qingshan looked towards where Teng Qinghu was pointing and noticed that there was a white, immaculate speck halfway up the mountainside. Only after looking at the speck scrupulously could Qingshan discern that it was a pool of water.

"Let's go down, then." Teng Qingshan strided down the mountain ahead of everyone else.

Jumping off from a six meter stone, he finally arrived at the flat ground half way up the mountainside where the Frost Jade Pool was located.

"It is exceedingly cold here." Qingshan remarked in a surprised tone. "The Frost Jade Pool is seven or eight meters from my current position, yet I can clearly feel that the temperature has dropped. The present temperature is definitely below zero."

"Haha" The other clansmen had arrived, as well. Teng Yonghao was laughing. "How are you feeling, Qingshan? It's getting cold, right? However, we are still three Zhang from the pool! The current chill is nothing when compared to the pool itself! Even if you were to come here during a scorching summer and the surrounding areas were cracking under the scorching heat, you would still have to wear a padded jacket here!"

Teng Qingshan sighed as marveled at the Frost Jade Pool's sublime mysteriousness.

"Hey, everyone, let's start collecting the water." The clansmen immediately began collecting the water.

"Haa, it's so cold." They couldn't help but sigh as they dipped the water tanks in the pool of water.

Teng Qingshan scrupulously looked at the water of the Frost Jade Pool. It was meticulously immaculate; if one were to closely examine the lake, one would discover that the surface possessed a slightly purple shade. Scooping a small amount of water would render this observation obsolete. When in one's hand, the water would appear without color, a perfectly clear liquid.

Teng Qingshan squatted in front of the pool and was hit by a chilly breeze. Subsequently, he put his hands in the water and immediately felt his hands go numb.

"Huh..." Teng Qingshan took a deep breath. "It really is cold–at least negative 50 or 60 degrees Celsius!"
(TL: the author wasn't specific about whether this was in Celsius of Fahrenheit, so I assumed it was in Celsius)

In Qingshan's previous life, he had lived in a desolate region of Siberia where he underwent hellish training. The usual temperature there was negative 30 or 40 degrees. The coldest recorded temperature was negative 70 or 80 degrees. On the other hand, in the Teng Clan, the winter temperature would, at most, be a few degrees below zero .

This lake water's coolness was unprecedented!

Teng Qinghu discovered that Teng Qingshan had put his hands into the water, he roared: "Qingshan, don't put your hands into the water. It will damage your hands."

"It's OK." Teng Qingshan smiled. His hands trembling, Qingshan circulated inner strength to get rid of the cold.

Internal Martial Arts cultivators were not fearful of cold temperatures. Wearing single-layered clothes during the winter was normal.

"Uncles, once you fill your tanks with water, you can rest here for a while. We will depart after a break," Qingshan announced before turning his attention back to the Frost Jade Pool. The Frost Jade Pool had a width of three Zhang and a length of five to six Zhang. "The water is extremely cold. How can it be used to temper weapons?"

Though he knew very little about blacksmithing, Qingshan had observed the weapons being dipped into water as part of the forging process.

"Won't the heated weapons shatter when put into such cold water?" Teng Qingshan thought.

If Qingshan were to inquire about this with a weapon craftsmen, he would be laughed at. There were myriads of ways to "temper" a weapon; such as 'partial tempering', 'precool tempering', 'empty tempering', 'multiple tempering doses' etc. Even water colder than that from the Frost Jade Pool could be used as tempering liquid by weaponsmiths.

However, this did not entail that the colder the tempering liquid was, the better the quality of the weapons. Compatibility was more important.

The various combinations of different materials and forging methods required unique tempering liquid doses. Thus, created 1000 years ago by the Teng Clan's ancestors, the Jade Frost Saber was idiosyncratic to the Teng Clan. Except for the Teng's Clan, no other entity could forge the Frost Jade Sabre.

"I am but a layman. If my father plans to use this water as tempering liquid, he definitely has ways to do so." Teng Qingshan didn't think too much of it.

"However, the water here is definitely cold enough to allow me to stimulate my body once the 'Strongest Plan' phase of my training begins." Teng Qingshan's eyes lit up. He had made a training plan for himself when he first produced inner strength at the age of three.

He had begun to train his flexibility since the day he was born and had begun to learn Xing Yi Martial Arts when he was three. He used his inner strength to build up physique and muscle as well. This phase lasted until he turned ten.

The most important part of his plan was the training period; the training period of "Strongest Plan" was during puberty.

During this period, all of his bones and muscle would grow by leaps and bounds. Most boys started this period at 10 years of age, but some didn't begin until they were 14 or 15 years old. Growing 20 centimeter per year was common in this period, since it was indubitably the fastest growing period for humans!

Thus, Qingshan's 'Strongest Plan' was made to coincide with puberty where one's body would undergo incredible growth.

"In my previous life, I began hellish training in Siberia when I was 7. My latent potential was squeezed out, and when I went to live with my master, he only wanted me to stay in good health and make up for various small deficiencies. I still managed to train Iron Palms thanks to some medicine."

An ordinary man who loved sports would grow normally 10 or 20 centimeters during puberty.

If a man were to be malnourished during puberty, his body would never grow sufficiently again; even if he were to eat a substantial amount in his twenties or when he was older; it would never be able to substitute what he had already lost.

The best time to strengthen one's body and improve one's health was during puberty!

Of course, if an individual did not have 100% confidence and trained carelessly, the body would be in great peril and would have to suffer for the rest of his or her lifetime.

"Human puberty is granted to us by God so that we can train ourselves and strengthen our body to its pinnacle! This period occurs only once a lifetime; if you miss it, you can never aspire to strengthen your body to the limits. In my previous life, I trained Iron Palms too much so I needed various kinds of medicine to prevent my hands from becoming disabled." Teng Qingshan clearly understood the dangers of strengthening one's body during puberty.

"I needed various kinds of medicine in my previous life, but I won't need any in this life."

Teng Qingshan was quite confident. "I have been incorporating inner strength into my bones and muscles since I was three. Currently, the strength of my bones and muscles is incomparably stronger than that of most adults. Now I can begin my 'Strongest Plan.' Moreover, the medicinal powers of elixirs are merely an external aid. Right now, my inner strength is profound enough to surpass its barriers and replenish the depleted energy in my bones and muscles."

Bones and muscles required energy to grow stronger!

What kind of energy?

An ordinary person eats more when his body grows due to the need to replenish the body's energy. However, a martial artist learning Iron Palm would have his hand muscles and bones consume a large amount of energy. Just eating food would not provided the needed energy, so medicinal help would be required.

However, medicine was an external aid that was far inferior to the power of one's inner strength, which was an internal aid.

In his previous life, there were too few inner strength cultivators. Even if they refined their blood to earn a miniscule amount of internal strength, this amount of internal strength was too sparse. Only a Grandmaster level practitioner would have sufficient amounts inner strength. In his previously life, if he used the«Crossing Worlds»Technique" even once, his inner strength would be completely depleted. Thus, it was easy to imagine how little inner strength one would possess. This amount of inner strength was not enough to sustain 1/100th or even 1/1000th of the "Strongest Plan".

However...

The current situation was different!

In this ancient world, which was filled with Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, Teng Qingshan currently possessed the same amount of inner strength as the Grandmasters of his previous life. Furthermore, he possessed a great degree of control over his own bones and muscles. He could even feel miniscule changes in his bones and muscle. Thus, Teng Qingshan was confident in his ability to handle withstand any training as he proceeded through puberty.

He was 100% positive that he would be successful with his 'Strongest Plan'!

"Over 80% of one's muscle strength and bones are built up during puberty! If I manage to fully complete my 'Strongest Plan', my body will be stronger than that of any Grandmaster in my previous life! I will have reached the top of Internal Martial Arts!" Teng Qingshan's blood began to boil from excitement.

After all, in the history of Internal Martial Arts, how much inner strength did Grandmasters possess? It obviously was not enough for them to carry out the "Strongest Plan".

Moreover, even when these Internal Strength Masters successfully managed to cultivate inner strength, they were usually far beyond puberty.

Teng Qingshan, who had manifested inner strength at the age of three and had collected a substantial amount of inner strength over the past seven years, had just started his "Strongest Plan". Once puberty stopped, his body would reach an unprecedented level of strength.

"I am almost 10 and I feel that... my bones have already begun to change extremely rapidly." With Teng Qingshan's control over his muscles and bones, he could feel any changes they experienced. Truthfully, it would be considered normal to feel the changes in one's body at the apex of puberty.

However, during the initial stages of puberty, ordinary people could not feel the changes. Yet, as a practitioner of Internal Martial Arts, Teng Qingshan was able to sense every single change his body went through.

"After the Yearly Sacrifice, I will begin my 'Strongest Plan'!"

Teng Qingshan silently thought.

"Qingshan!" The clansmen began calling for him. "Shouldn't we return now?"

Teng Qingshan glanced at the Frost Jade Pool, and then looked at his clansmen. "Each water tank is about 400 to 500 Jin. How about this: Brother Qinghao and Brother Qinghu, both of you carry them first; I will switch with you midway. Alright then, let's return home now."

"Taking them home by ourselves is an easy task." Teng Qinghu smiled.

Teng Qinghu could carry 300 Jin when he was nine. Now he was one month away from turning 16 and could carry 1000 Jin. Teng Qinghao, who was older than him, could carry almost the same amount of weight.

"Don't boast. You will lose face if you have to put them down halfway."

The hunters talked and laughed as they began their descent.

Book 2 Chapter 20: The 26th day of the Twelfth Lunar Month

"Qingshan, you're back!" The gates of the Teng Clan's territory opened and the gatekeepers greeted the hunting squadron warmly.

Carrying two wild chickens, Teng Qingshan smiled and responded. "Yes, Uncle Fang. We have returned. We were able to get some prey, so you will have some delicious dishes to go with your wine tonight." While they were returning with the water tanks from the mountain, the hunters had decided to hunt some prey so that each family in the Teng Jia Village could get one Jin of meat.

"Hm?" Teng Qingshan's eyebrows creased upon entering the training field.

On the ground, he could vaguely make out the sunken imprints of a cart's wheels. The ground of the training field had been treaded on by practitioners for years, and it was extremely durable. Objects that were capable of rolling such deep tracks must without any doubt, be incredibly heavy. Teng Qingshan turned to the youth beside him.

"Sanzi, who came today?"

The youth replied, "Brother Qingshan, just now a troop of one hundred people escorted a huge cart pulled by two horses. They are currently outside the weapons shop."

Qingshan pondered a bit, and then he came to a conclusion that this cart must be here to deliver the minerals and resources required for refining the 182 Frost Jade Sabers.

"Brother, Brother!" A crisp voice rang through the air.

Qingshan turned around and saw Teng Qingyu next to their mother. The current Teng Qingyu was able to run quite quickly; she ran over and gave Qingshan a hug. Subsequently, she stared wide-eyed at the wild chickens in Qingshan's hands, "Brother, we have meat today! Two chickens!"

"Mother, please take the wild chickens back home; I am going to see Father." Qingshan gave his mother, Yuan Lan, the birds.

"Your father will be working hard for a while, so he needs to eat more in order to replenish his energy." Saying this, Yuan Lan took the two wild chickens.

In the Teng Jia Village, food was distributed based on each family's contribution. Thus, families that contributed very little would get the least food. On the other hand, families like Qingshan's, where Teng Yongfan was the number one blacksmith in the village and Teng Qingshan was the current strongest in the clan, as well as the hunting squadron leader, would receive a fairly substantial amount of food.

After the distribution, the two wild chickens were given to Teng Qingshan, for him to bring home directly.

"Brother, I am going with you." Teng Qingyu held onto Teng Qingshan's hand.

The adjacent Yuan Lan smiled upon seeing this. "Qingshan, just take your sister with you to see your father. You can play with her, but both of you have to be back for lunch." Teng Qingshan replied affirmatively and held his sister's hand. Then, they went to the weapons shop with the nearby Teng Qinghu and Teng Qinghao.

"Brother Qinghu,Brother Qinghao." En route, from far away, Qingshan saw a cart in front of the weapons shop along with a large number of people who were mumbling to one another. He then said, "Here, take these water tanks. Make a detour and go through the back door to deliver them."

"Yes." Although it was fine for outsiders to see the water tanks, Teng Qinghu and Teng Qinghao knew that it was best to keep village's matters a secret.

There was a veritable flood of people currently in the weapons shop. Most of the apprentices were carrying materials, while four people were sitting around a wooden desk in one corner of the courtyard. This group included Teng Yongfan, Teng Yunlong and two strangers, one of whom was tall and strong. This man seemed quite powerful, whereas the other was corpulent and he had a large stomach. The latter was wearing a yellow fox-fur coat and had a sparkling golden ring on his thumb.

"Qingshan, you came." Teng Yunlong greeted Teng Qingshan smilingly from a seated position in the courtyard of the weapons shop.

"Father, Grandfather." After greeting them happily, Teng Qingyu ran towards them.

"Yongfan, is this your daughter? She's very cute." The corpulent man said laughingly.

Teng Yongfan smiled and placed Teng Qingyu on his laps. The corpulent man continued: "Village Chief, Yongfan, we have cooperated for many years, so you should know that my price is not high. Of the 13,3200 taels of silver, I have already deducted a zero off the price."
(TL: he's not calling Yongfan the village chief, he's just addressing them one by one)

"Li Er," Teng Yunlong smiled and said: "We are old friends. I, Teng Yunlong have never lied; this you must certainly know. How could the person who gave us such a large business deal be ordinary? These men most likely came personally to our Teng Jia Village to forcibly lower the price. Our Teng Jia Village had no alternative but to take on the work. Only when you give me a slightly lower price can our clan can earn a little profit."

The corpulent man thought for a while.

"Okay." The corpulent man pounded the desk with his right hand that contained the yellow ring on the table as he straightforwardly announced: "It seems that we have been friends long enough for me to understand your struggles. I won't beat around the bush: 12, 500 taels of silver and not a tael less!"

Teng Yunlong and Teng Yongfan looked at each other.

"We accept." Teng Yunlong nodded.

"I will ask my man to bring you the silver!" Teng Yunlong said with a smile. Subsequently, he nodded to Teng Yongfan, who then left to personally bring the silver.

Teng Qinshan shot an inconspicuous glance at the strong man beside the corpulent man. "This man's eyes contain spirit, and his muscle and bones are extremely strong. He is a decent expert, but he is much weaker than the leader of the group from yesterday." At this time, Teng Yongfan returned while carrying a trunk with him.

"Peng!" The trunk fell onto the ground.

"Li Er, there are 4500 taels of silver in here! I also have 8000 silver notes!" Teng Yunlong pronounced while producing the banknotes.

"Silver notes?" Lee Er's face changed; he had formed a small frown. Upon seeing the two word stamp, 'Yang's Salt', his face brightened a bit. "Village Chief Teng, when I exchange the 8000 silver notes at the Yangzhou bank, I will have to pay a fee of 80 taels of silver."

The Yangzhou Bank took one out of every 100 parts that was exchanged as interest.

With a bitter smile, Teng Yunlong said: "Li Er, how could we have silver notes? These are from the buyers; I am worried that they won't pay the rest of the fee when the time comes. Alas, we are nothing but a small clan – just a pushover. Li Er, please excuse us from the transaction fee."

The corpulent man stood up and sighed. "It's fine. I don't care much. Since I am a businessman, I need to deposit money in the bank, anyways. Okay, have you finished counting yet?"

"4500 taels of silver." The strong man, who had opened the box and counted the silver, nodded.

"Okay then!" Li Er looked at Teng Yunlong, "Village Chief, Brother Yongfan, we have finished the transaction, so I will take my leave first."

Teng Yunlong immediately stood up and led them out.

After they left, the weapons shop immediately became much quieter than before. Teng Qingshan looked at his father, Teng Yongfan. "Father, did we suffer losses from this deal?"

"If we can get the rest of the money from the buyers, it won't be considered a loss." Teng Yongfan explained, "182 Frost Jade Sabres are worth about 18,200 taels of silver. Our cost for the materials is 12,500 taels silver, while the other special items already within the clan will cost about 2,200 taels of silver. There's also the water from the Jade Frost lake and the cost of labor."

Teng Qingshan nodded understandingly.

In total, material cost was about 14,500 taels silver. The water from Jade Frost lake was free for the Teng Clan, but it could definitely be counted as an invaluable asset to others. Furthermore, it would take Teng Yongfan and Teng Yunlong a month of continuous labour to forge the Frost Jade Sabers.

Even if they received the remainder of the money, this business deal could only be considered to have made a miniscule profit.

"Those salt merchants with such deep pockets are so stingy when doing business. Otherwise. why else would they come to place an order with us personally?" Teng Yongfan said with a sneer.

"Are we actually going to obtain the the rest of the money?" Teng Qingshan frowned.

Teng Yongfan pondered for a while and shook his head. "Although I am worried about it, logically speaking, those Yangzhou salt merchants, who have a mighty status compared to us, will not likely lower themselves to steal our money. From another perspective, these merchants have powerful forces, so they could have forced us to refine the weapons or be killed. Wouldn't this have been the more straightforward way to proceed, then?"

Teng Qingshan nodded.

There was logic behind his father's words, but the buyers still had dominant superiority, so the Teng Jia Village could not help but worry about the opposing party cheating them.

"Qingshan, from today onwards, I will be staying in the weapons shop every night until the required amount of Frost Jade Sabers have been forged. You should assist your mother with the housework, as Qingyu still doesn't understand much. Your mother is busy, yet she also has to take care of Qingyu. Thus, she is very tired every day." Teng Yongfan instructed his son.

Teng Qingshan nodded.

His sister, Teng Qingyu, was just a six-year-old girl and, unlike him, she did not have memories from a previous life. Therefore, she was very mischievous and didn't understand much like a normal kid.

...

During the ensuing days, Teng Yongfan and Teng Yunlong practically lived in the weapons shop. Sometimes, they were too busy to even have dinner at home, so their families would bring food to them.

...

In the blink of an eye, only five days remained until the yearly sacrifice.

"Qingshan, the clan leader has called for you to go to the weapons shop." Qingshan had just led his hunting squadron back to the village when a clansman informed him of this news.

"I understand." Teng Qingshan responded while giving his prey to Teng Qinghu. "Qinghu, why don't you go divide the prey." After speaking, he ran with his steel spear towards the weapons shop. Midway, he could hear the distant sounds of forging from the weapons shop.

Qingshan entered the weapons shop.

"Qingshan has arrived!" Most of apprentices smiled and greeted him.

Teng Qingshan noticed his father wielding an iron hammer barechested.

"Qingshan, come over here." Yunlong was taking a rest in the courtyard. Wearing only wearing a robe, he was sweating all over and panting. As soon as he saw Teng Qingshan walk over, he ridiculed himself: "I really am getting old. After only working for an hour, I get so tired that I can't continue. As a result, I have to rely on your father."

Teng Qingshan smiled and sat down. "Grandfather, most of the young clansmen do not possess the arm strength to forge Frost Jade Sabers. You are quite strong!"

Teng Yunlong smiled. "You manners are excellent! One other thing, Qingshan: I sought you out today to tell you that the 182 Frost Jade Sabers will most likely be finished late tonight. Tomorrow is the 26th day of the 12th lunar month; it is a good day for going out. Your hunting squadron members will disguise themselves as dealers selling wild beast fur in city. This way, you can take the 182 Frost Jade Sabers into the city. When you leave, your father will go along with you."

Book 2 Chapter 21: Delivery

"No problem," Teng Qingshan replied.

Teng Yunlong cautioned him: "You should prepare some more beast fur to wrap the Frost Jade Sabers with. The bandits' attention will most likely not be attracted by mere hunters travelling to the city to sell beast furs." Teng Yunlong took this business transaction very seriously since an exceedingly substantial amount of money was involved.

Perhaps for the salt merchant, it was just a drop in the water, but for Teng Jia Village, it was all they had.

"Don't worry, Grandfather. I will kill anyone who tries to touch the Frost Jade Sabers." Teng Qingshan said, full of confidence.

"Good!" Teng Yunlong smiled and gave Teng Qingshan a pat on the shoulder. Then, he rose and said: "Alright, your father and I have started working. You should go back for now, and later, tell your mother to bring lunch for your father."

"Okay."

Teng Qingshan glanced at his father, who was completely focused on forging the weapons, and proceeded to soundlessly leave the weapons shop.

Early the next morning, the sky was still completely dark. Most of the villagers from Teng Jia Village still had not woken up yet. The members of the hunting squadron, the Chief of Teng Jia Village, the Spear Master, and the other elders of the village had gathered in front of the weapons shop.

"Put 10 Frost Jade Sabers in one bundle, and make 18 bundles in total. Then, put the last 12 sabers into the last bundle!" Teng Yunlong commanded on the side. "Qingshan, you guys take the beast furs and wrap each bundle carefully before putting them into the cloth bags. Make sure that no one is able to tell that they are weapons from the outside!"

The members of the hunting squadron carefully wrapped the bundles of weapons.

Large amounts of beast skins that were acquired from their previous hunts were taken out, and soon, all 182 Frost Jade Sabers were bundled and wrapped up.

"Yongfan, Qingshan," Teng Yunlong came closer and looked at them. "You must be careful on your journey to the city! Make sure that there are no mishaps!"

"Yes, Grandfather!" smiled Teng Qingshan.

Likewise, Teng Yongfan replied, "Master, just wait for us to bring the silver back."

"Qingshan, let's go!" Teng Yongfan said. At Teng Qingshan's command, the hunting squadron began its journey. Some members carried their sharp spears, while others carried their bows and arrows. Teng Yunlong, Teng Yongxiang and the other members of the Teng Jia Village could only look at the departing individuals from a distance and pray for their success.
......

After an hour of travel, the sky brightened completely.
On the wide road, the hunters from Teng Jia Village were advancing forward with large strides; their vigilant glances revealed that they were on full alert.

"Father, take a look." Teng Qingshan pointed forward. Just ahead, along the road, there were some corpses that could be barely seen. "Everybody be careful." Teng Yunlong issued in a low voice. Then, the party once more began its careful advance. As they came closer, everybody could clearly see that there were twelve dead men.

The dried blood stains had already turned black; these twelve people had been robbed clean.
"It looks like they ran into some bandits. From the look of the corpses, they should have met their end last night." Teng Yongfan said after a quick glance "Well, that's enough. Let's carry on."

As they continued moving, Teng Qingshan asked, "Father, will their corpses be taken care of by someone?"

"Of course they will be taken care of! In this world, so many people die every day. If nobody collects and burns the corpses, a plague would occur." Just a moment ago, Teng Yongfan looked at the corpses indifferently. He then gave a short smile, "This place belongs to a village; the nearby villagers will discover it and take care of the corpses when their clansmen come out to farm."
Teng Qingshan frowned, "With bandits as rampant as these, won't we meet some on our way too?"

"Qingshan," a middle-aged man beside him smiled while saying. "These murderous bandits choose their targets very carefully. If their targets are travelling in a small party and are likely to possess wealth, then of course they would rob them! If there are a lot of people carrying a substantial amount of valuables, then the bandit groups would join hands to rob them. They won't spare a glance to poor hunters like us. Furthermore, killing hunters usually incurs a loss on the bandit's side, as well. Thus, they won't act against others unless they absolutely have to!"

Teng Qingshan silently nodded.

Even bandits would take into account whether it was worth robbing someone or not. Bandits rarely mess with poor hunters because they did not carry a lot of money and were simultaneously hard to deal with.
"Let's move faster. The earlier we get into the city, the better," said Teng Yongfan.
Along the way, the farms gradually began getting busier as people were starting to work.

Teng Jia Village was not very close to Yi City, but it was not too far either. On foot, it would take on average about four hours to reach it.
Outside the gates of Yi City, a hunting party wearing beast skins appeared. Indeed, they were Teng Qingshan's entourage. They had left when the sky was still dark, but the sun was at its zenith right now. Teng Qingshan and his entourage had finally arrived at Yi City! It was very fortunate that they had not encountered any bandits on their journey.

"We have finally arrived!" Teng Qingshan revealed a smile on his face. This was his first time visiting a city in this world.

In this chaotic world, children in villages did not get a lot of chances to enter cities.

"Two copper coins per person," the guard at the city gate lazily said. Even the entrance fee into the city depends on the person. For hunters who looked savage and poor, the guards wouldn't even bother raising the fee, so they only charged the lowest entrance fee for entering the city.
After paying 62 copper coins, Teng Qingshan and his entourage finally entered the city.

"Haha, as expected, the city is quite lively." Teng Qinghu's eyes were shining. "Qingshan, look, there are so many people on the streets. One cannot even see the end of the merchants lined along the street! Tsk tsk, when will we be able to see so many shops and fun things in our village?"

Teng Qingshan also felt the prosperity as he heard the hawkers calling out to customers. Guests from inns and restaurants were hustling and bustling everywhere.

"Hey, in the city, do not fight unless it is absolutely necessary." Teng Yongfan reminded the group. "Even if you meet some bastards and you are forced to fight, remember to never kill them! It's alright to kill someone outside the city, but in the city, if you are slow at fleeing after killing someone, you'll be caught and jailed. That will be the end of your future."

Everyone understood that the authorities would care only about matters happening inside the city. No matter how rampant the bandits and robbers were outside the city, even if the master of the city was very powerful, he would not bother with it. More importantly, he simply lacked the manpower to do anything about it.

"This time, let's not separate. After selling off our goods, let's just go shopping for a while and return back to the village. Understood?" Teng Yongfan asked.

"Understood." Everyone nodded.

Normally, every time they visited Yi City, they would have some fun since it was not often that they got to visit the city. For example, they would visit the betting house and gamble a bit. But this time, the business deal involved a large sum of money, so nobody dared to be careless.

Teng Qingshan and his entourage reached a wide and quiet street where there was very little people about.

At his side, Teng Qinghu smiled and said, "Qingshan, there might not be a lot going on this street right now, but wait till night comes. This will become the liveliest place in the whole of Yi City. Look at that three story building, do you know what that is? Haha, you'll never be able to guess! The beauties inside that place are so delicate that their skins are as soft as water."

"Hahaha..." The clansmen who heard him began to laugh out loud.

"Qinghu, have you really touched those women before?" Teng Yongfan grinned.

Teng Qinghu scratched his nose, "This place is very good, but it's just too expensive. It takes one tael of silver to just go in for a cup of tea and it gets even more expensive if you want to hire a woman! There is no difference from extortion!"

Teng Yongfan grinned, "Qinghu, can't you see that these three brothels are the best in the city? They are built right next to every merchant guild. All their customers are those rich merchants. It's not for people like us."

"Qinghu, if you want to taste a woman, there's a tofu shop right ahead. It just costs one string of coins for one time." the clansmen laughed.

"Get off of me!" Teng Qinghu jokingly admonished. "I don't even have a wife yet."

"Alright, stop it now. The Yangzhou Merchant Guild is right ahead." Teng Yongfan reminded.

Teng Qingshan spent his previous life in modern society, and thus, he had seen many large cities. Those metropolitans took an hour or two to get from one side of the city to the other by car. Yi City couldn't even compare to them. Of course, the buildings in his previous life were made of concrete and steel. On the other hand, the different buildings here had an older and more antique feeling.

"This area is filled with the different merchant guilds, and the Yangzhou Merchant guild takes up the largest space." Teng Yongfan pointed ahead and said, "And that is the Yangzhou Merchant Guild."

Teng Qingshan took a look and could not help but blow out an exhalation of surprise.

The door to the Yangzhou Merchant Guild was about 10 Zhang wide. Twenty to thirty people could comfortably walk in side by side at the same time. Two large, shiny, green-blueish stone lions overshadowed the entrance, increasing the feeling of power and prestige. Teng Yongfan sighed, "Qingshan, both of those stone lions are made of lapis. For stone lions as big as these, each lion definitely weighs more than ten thousand catties. Just these two stone lions alone cost thousands of taels of silver!"

Yangzhou Salt Merchants had overflowing wealth. This statement was definitely not an exaggeration.

"Piss off!" one of the four burly guards guarding the door to the Yangzhou Merchant Guild shouted at Teng Qingshan and his entourage.

"We are here to deliver some goods for Jiangning County's Master Lee!" said Teng Yongfan.

"Master Lee of Jiangning County?" One of the guards narrowed his eyebrows. "Wait here. I'll go pass the message."

Teng Qingshan and his entourage stood silently by the door. Moments later, two black clad men ran over. Once they saw Teng Yongfan, one of the men said in a clear voice, "Teng Jia Village right? Come in." They turned around and went in, followed by Teng Qingshan and the others.

The exterior of the merchant guild only displayed the tip of the iceberg of the extravagance. The full splendor of the merchants' lives could only be seen from the interior.

"Calm down," Teng Qinghu said to himself with his eyes wide open.

Teng Qingshan also exhaled in surprise. The floor was paved with huge azurestone blocks. How much manpower would it take to collect and organize the azurestones so neatly? On the side, there were numerous different varieties of flora and fauna, many of which were not from Yi City. They were definitely imported from many different places. There were also different plants inside the large pool and even a man-made spring towards the side.

"Even the luxurious villas in this modern times couldn't be compared to this," Teng Qingshan said to himself. "Moreover, this is just a merchant guild."
Yanzhou Salt Merchant guild was the number one merchant guild in the world, and only the Yuzhou Merchant guild might be comparable to them.
Inside the merchant guild, there were multiple large houses.

"You people be careful here. If you break anything, you won't be able to afford to replace it." One of the men clad in back who was leading the way said. "Also, some of the houses here are inhabited. Every single one of those residents have as much power as our lord. If you run into any one of them, don't expect to get out of here alive. Be extremely careful!"

"Yes, we understand." Teng Yongfan smiled.

All of the clansmen became even more cautious. Yangzhou Salt Merchants had connections with the largest organizations in the whole Nine Prefectures and the eight sects. Even if they killed some people, the master of Yi City couldn't do anything about it.

"Here it is." One of the men clad in black said. "For these kinds of small business, just talk to the steward. Don't go through the front door. If you disturb our lord, that will be the end of you. Follow me through the back door." They went through an alley behind two large houses and arrived at the back door of a large house.

Quite a number of servants and guards lived here.

"Oh, you've arrived." The leader of the horsemen who went to Teng Jia Village was sitting imposingly on a chair. He gave Teng Qingshan's group a glance and said, "Come in. Take out the goods and lay them out on the floor."

Book 2 Chapter 22: Greed

"Take the sabers out!" Teng Yongfan commanded. The clansmen took the cloth bags that they were carrying on their backs off and took out the bundles of Frost Jade Sabers wrapped in beast furs.

As the bundles of Frost Jade Sabers fell to the ground, a low ringing sound was produced. The cavalry leader sat on his chair and arrogantly looked towards the Frost Jade Sabers on the ground. "Old Zhang, inspect every Frost Jade Saber carefully. Don't let these mountain people get away with giving us shoddy goods!"

"Yes, milord." A middle-aged man with a large build strode forward with large steps and called out to the others, "Come over and check every saber!"

After untying the strings, loud noises made by colliding metal could be heard! All the Frost Jade Sabers were scattered on the ground.

The guards picked up the Frost Jade Sabers and carefully inspected them one by one. The Frost Jade Sabers' bodies gave off pale green light, and one could feel the chill emanating from the blades just by holding the hilts. The blades were also extremely sharp, and one could definitely tell that they were excellent swords.

"Milord." Old Zhang threw a Frost Jade Saber towards the cavalry leader.

The leader caught the Frost Jade Saber and carefully appraised it for a moment. He gave a slight nod. "It looks alright, but how good is it when used?"

"Your excellency, rest assured." Teng Yongfan smiled confidently. "Before we brought the Frost Jade Sabers over, we tested every single one of them. None of the Frost Jade Sabers sold by the Teng Jia Village are faulty."

"Hmph, we'll see after we test them." The cavalry leader glanced at Old Zhang, who instantly understood.

"Take out the logs!" Old Zhang shouted.

Numerous bundles of firewood were carried over and thrown directly onto the ground, and the wood scattered everywhere.

"Every one of you, take a Frost Jade Saber and test it by hacking the firewood," said Old Zhang.

The guards each took a Frost Jade Saber and casually swung at the firewood. The firewood split easily and the Frost Jade Sabers didn't chip. Teng Yongfan secretly gave a cold smile. The secret skills used to make the Frost Jade Sabers had been passed down and refined by many generations of Teng Jia villagers over a thousand years. How could the sabers be bad quality?

"Hm?" The cavalry leader suddenly stood up and took the Frost Jade Saber from a nearby guard. His right hand gently stroked the blade, and then his face immediately fell.

The men from Teng Jia Village felt their hearts skip a beat.

"What's this? Why is the blade bent?" The cavalry leader roared furiously and threw the Frost Jade Saber down with a clang. It fell right in front of Teng Qingshan and his entourage.

"How is this possible?" Teng Yongfan picked up the saber.

The surrounding clansmen looked and noticed that the Frost Jade Saber was indeed bent.

Teng Yongfan's facial expression changed drastically.

According to the written agreement, troubles would arise the moment there was a problem with the quality of the goods.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" Teng Yongfan shook his head, his face showing urgency. "I inspected every single blade myself. How could this be?"

"Impossible." The leader smiled coldly.

"Milord!" Teng Qingshan suddenly called out. His voice was very loud and it could be heard within a few hundred Zhang. The cavalry leader's expression changed and he snapped, "Brat, keep your voice down. If you disturb the master, who is resting, all of you should be prepared to go to jail."

Teng Qingshan was only 10 years old and thus looked like a youth.

"Milord, can you perhaps use inner strength? The inner strength written in the legends?" Teng Qingshan looked at the leader with an envious and excited expression.

The leader was startled.

"I just saw your hand touching the Frost Jade Saber and the sharp blade..." Teng Qingshan had not finished when the leader's expression changed. The leader became flustered and he angrily snapped, "Shut up, brat!"

Teng Qingshan showed an innocent expression on the outside, but on the inside, he was smiling coldly. Nobody had seen it, but with Teng Qingshan's sensitive six senses, he clearly noticed that the original regular Frost Jade Saber had curled up after the leader touched the blade. Actually, Teng Qingshan could also perform the same feat.

When using the power of inner strength on the side of the blade, it would be strange if the blade didn't curl up.

Teng Qingshan could see that the leader was obviously trying to scam the villagers in broad daylight and he was trying to gain from it himself.

"What's going on?" A voice rang out, and a group of people came out of the mansion. Leading the group was a middle-aged man in a black fur coat. His face was clean, and it was obvious that this middle-aged man was well respected. At his side, there was a cheeky, cute girl with two braids who was wearing a white snow leopard fur, and behind them were two servants and two bodyguards.

"Master." The people in the yard immediately bowed.

"Oh? The Frost Jade Sabers are here? Since they have been delivered already, pay them and let them go. Why are you fussing around?!" The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, master," the leader said.

"Hey, Qin San. What were you arguing about?" The playful girl asked this doubtfully while blinking her large eyes. She looked at the Teng Jia villagers, who were dressed in beast skins, curiously.

The cavalry leader bowed and said, "My lady, I will explain. We ordered some weapons from them, and they have all been delivered. However, when we were testing them out just now... some of the Frost Jade Sabres were of very mediocre quality. The blades bent when we were simply chopping some firewood." After listening, the cute girl looked at Teng Qingshan's group and furrowed her eyebrows. "Hmph. One Frost Jade Sabre costs one hundred and fifty-two taels of silver, and it bent by just chopping some firewood. How can we accept these weapons?!"

Teng Qingshan, Teng Yongfan, and the others were shocked.

One hundred and fifty-two taels of silver per blade?

The leader of the horsemen had only agreed to pay one hundred silvers per blade, and by his looks, he did not currently seem like he was going to pay.

"Qin San, and what about the other Frost Jade Sabers? How are they?" The middle-aged man asked apathetically.

"The other Frost Jade Sabers seems alright," the cavalry leader replied, "but we haven't checked them closely yet."

"Qin Da, you take a look," the middle-aged man said.

One of the two bodyguards standing behind him went over to the Frost Jade Sabers that were scattered on the floor. He glared at the cavalry leader and picked up a Frost Jade Saber. After swinging it a few times, he turned around and said, "My Lord, these Frost Jade Sabers are pretty well made. For normal guards, these are definitely enough."

"Good. Qin San, pay them the silvers and let them leave quickly. There is no point in causing a ruckus here," the middle-aged man said indifferently. He looked at the girl beside him. "Yuer, let's go. We still have to visit your Uncle Liu, and we shouldn't be late."

"Yes, Father."

The cute girl casted a curious glance at Teng Qingshan's group and left with the middle-aged man.

The bodyguard called "Qin Da" went over to the cavalry leader and said quietly, "Don't be so greedy this time. These people worked very hard to earn these taels of silver. If you end up making a huge fuss and angering the master, don't blame me for not helping you." Qin Da then turned around and left with the master.

"He won't even give me any face." The cavalry leader watched the group of people leave and angrily said, "Some elder brother he is. That ass is always looking down on me. Just you wait till I achieve the sixth rank, and then see if I'll still need to listen to you."

The cavalry leader looked coldly at Teng Qingshan's group.

"You mountain dwellers, one of the Frost Jade Sabers is bent, but luckily for you, I'm not in the mood to argue with you. Old Zhang, give them a note for ten thousand taels of silver and get them out of here," the cavalry leader ordered.

Teng Qingshan frowned as he heard this.

Ten thousand taels of silver?

The total price of this business deal was ten thousand and two hundred twenty taels of silver. From what the leader of the horsemen said, it did not seem like he was going to pay the remaining two hundred twenty taels of silver, which was not a small sum. For this business deal, the profit margin was very small, including the labor costs of Teng Jia Village. So, the two hundred twenty taels of silver was a big deal for them.

"Milord..." Teng Yongfan was cut off.

"Hmph." The leader of the horsemen glared coldly. "One of the Frost Jade Sabers was bent today, and I'm not going to try to get even with you. If you continue this nonsense, I'll cripple all of you. Get out of here."

Old Zhang took out a note for ten thousand silvers and handed it to Teng Yongfan.

Teng Yongfan took the note and carefully looked at it. Then he muttered, "Let's go!" Although every man in the Teng Jia Village was hot-blooded, they were not going to fight a losing battle. Two hundred taels of silver was not worth risking everybody's lives. Everybody swallowed their anger and left the Yangzhou Merchant Guild.

After leaving the Yangzhou Merchant Guild, they could not hold it in any longer and started swearing.

"The guy called Qin San, what was his deal? I won't even mention that he was going to pay one hundred taels of silver when the blades were originally one hundred and fifty-two taels of silver per blade, but he was prepared not to pay anything!" Teng Qinghu cursed. "If not for Qingshan speaking loudly enough to attract the lord, that Qin San probably wouldn't have paid us anything."
Teng Yongfan smiled at Teng Qingshan. "Qingshan, how did you get the idea to attract the lord's attention?"

"I was starting to get anxious, so I shouted." Teng Qingshan smiled. "I saw with my own eyes that the cavalry leader touched and bent the blade." Although Teng Qingshan said he was anxious, he actually intentionally raised his voice in order to attract the attention of the salt merchants.

Even if he couldn't attract the master of the mansion, it would've been a success if any of the salt merchants had come over.

Teng Yongfan, Teng Qinghu, and the others had lived their entire lives in the village, so they wouldn't understand the thinking of the salt merchants.

But Teng Qingshan was a super hitman in his previous life and thus, he understood the psychology of the super rich and the upper echelons of society. To these people, money was not a big deal, but face was very important.

If rumors got out that some big salt merchants had gotten into a fight with some mountain dwellers over some taels of silver, they would become a laughingstock. So, no matter what happened in the Yangzhou Merchant Guild, those merchants would not fight with them over a few taels of silver.

"Anyways, in the end, we got out of this safely." Teng Yongfan smiled. "Qingshan, since it's your first time here in Yi City, I want to take you somewhere before we return to the village. I have something that I need to buy there."

"Where?" asked Teng Qingshan, a little curious.

"Wan Xiang Tower," Teng Yongfan said.

Book 2 Chapter 23:«Earthly Ranking»

In the middle of the main road in Yi City stood a large, three-story building. A board hung on the gate. Written on the board in large letters were three golden words– Wan Xiang Tower!

In an alley 40 meters away from Wan Xiang Tower.

"Qingshan and I are going to Wan Xiang Tower. You guys go with Old Wang to the end of the street to sell these furs. We will meet up in this alley afterwards," Teng Yongfan said, then glanced at Teng Qinghu. "Qinghu, you have never been to Wan Xiang Tower. Do you want to come shopping with us?"

"Of course I want to!" Teng Qinghu proudly lifted his head.

"Then you should hand over your weapons to Old Wang for now," Teng Yongfan said. "Qingshan, hand over your spear. Weapons are not allowed in Wan Xiang Tower."

"Such strict rules!" Teng Qingshan gave his steel spear to the his clansmen.

Afterwards, Teng Yongfan, Teng Qingshan, and Teng Qinghu headed towards Wan Xiang Tower. In front of the gate of Wang Xiang Tower, two valiant women with swords at their waists stood there welcoming every customer with warm smiles while informing them not to bring any weapons inside.

Qingshan's group was dressed like hunters and walked in without being stopped by the two women.

"This place really is big." Teng Qinghu's eyes widened.

Teng Qingshan was surprised as well. The space inside Wan Xiang Tower was quite large, capable of housing more than a hundred traders by itself. Yet, this was only the first floor.

"Qingshan, Wan Xiang Tower has the patronage of people from many different backgrounds. In addition, there are various items here to cater to your every need," Teng Yongfan said. "The first two floors are for selling various goods. As for the third floor... no outsider is allowed to enter. Although the items in the third floor are exceptional, their prices are very expensive."

Teng Qingshan looked over the merchandise on the counter and sighed, "Wan Xiang Tower is so generous to display precious goods such as these. They aren't even concerned of being robbed!" Teng Qingshan glanced around and found special guards patrolling among the customers.

"They probably have some masters with inner strength to prevent people from stealing." Teng Qingshan thought.

Teng Qinghu stared at a bracelet with big eyes, "Isn't this a Blue Flower Stone bracelet? We happened to find one fairly large Blue Flower Stone in mountains. That was only worth 100 taels of silver. A large stone like the one we found can be made into more than 10 bracelets, but the price for this bracelet alone is 120 taels of silver?"

The vendor behind the counter shot a glance at Teng Qinghu with scorn.

With one look, the people saw that they were poor mountain folks from their dress and that it was simply impossible for them to afford such a fine bracelet.

"Alright, let's take a look inside." Teng Yongfan frowned and stared at Teng Qinghu. After walking a few steps, he said in a low voice, "Qinghu, don't be so superficial. Don't you know that your behavior is embarrassing us?"

Teng Qinghu just smiled and stopped talking.

"Father, what do you want to buy?" Teng Qingshan asked.

"I want to buy some materials to manufacture weapons. After forging the Frost Jade Sabers, almost all of our materials were used up, so I need to restock our supplies. This is the only place in Yi City that has such materials." Teng Yongfan walked further inside. "Let's go to the counter to look for weapon materials and widen your horizon."

Normally, when a villager came to Wan Xiang Tower for the first time, they were all stunned from sight.

However for Teng Qingshan, Wan Xiang Tower was much smaller and had fewer goods than the shopping malls in his previous life, so he wasn't surprised at all.

Teng Qingshan's group arrived at the stand selling weapon manufacturing materials.

"What a messy place." Teng Qinghu murmured.

Indeed, this counter had different kind of metal, stone and even some powder. In short, the goods here looked very conspicuous, but the prices were really high.

"Qingshan, look." Teng Yongfan pointed at a blog of silver metal with special pattern. "This is called Star Pattern Steel. It could be said that it is the steel with the highest toughness and the best material to make a spear! Of course, the price is high as well."

When the merchant behind the counter saw that Teng Yongfan knew about this material, he happily bragged about its qualities: "Even a legendary invincible master who reached the innate true origin would have a hard time breaking a spear made of Star Pattern Steel."

"Innate true origin?" Teng Qingshan was surprised.

As told by the , innate true origin masters could be born in a world filled with Spiritual Qi of Heaven of Earth.

"What!" Teng Qinghu stared at the tag below the metal, "One Jin of Star Pattern Steel is worth one Jin of gold?"

Teng Qingshan was shocked by the price as well.

The Star Pattern Steel had an the same value as gold. In this world where gold could buy many things, 1 tael of Star Pattern Steel was the same as 1 taels of gold or 100 taels of silver.

"Star Pattern Steel is heavy, and in order to make a spear, one would need 100 Jin of Star Pattern Steel." The seller smiled. "That means 100 Jin of gold, or 100000 taels of silver! Only wealthy people or strong fighters could afford this."

Teng Qingshan took a deep breath.

Unbelievable! 100000 taels of silver Just to make the shaft of a spear? The treasury of Teng Jia Village stored only about 20000 taels of silver.

"Millennium Coldsteel?" Teng Qingshan stared at a black stone near the Star Pattern steel and could feel the freezing pressure it emanated just by standing next to it.

"Ah, this Millennium Coldsteel cannot be refined and was dug out from some remote location. It's not as expensive as Star Pattern steel. One Jin of Millennium Coldsteel cost 2 taels of gold!" Teng Yongfan said. So the price of Millennium Coldsteel was 20 percent of the price of Star Pattern Steel.

Nevertheless, this was not something that Teng Qingshan's group could afford.

"These materials..." Teng Qingshan gasped in admiration. In a world full of Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, so many amazing materials were given birth. In his past life, Millennium Coldsteel existed only in books, not in the real world.

"Qingshan, you can browse through some of these merchant stalls. Once I finish buying the materials I need, I'll come find you," Teng Yongfan said.

"Alright, Father."

Teng Qingshan and his cousin Teng Qinghu strolled around to look at other counters.

"Qingshan, Qingshan." Teng Qinghu pulled Qingshan several times. Teng Qingshan looked at him with confusion. "What's up?" As he said this, he glanced in the same direction that Teng Qinghu was staring at. He saw a handsome man in blue-green long gown and a cute girl in white marten coat walking into Wan Xiang Tower.

Many servants and guards followed them close behind.

"She is the daughter of that big salt merchant." Teng Qinghu said in a low voice.

"Indeed, that's her." Teng Qingshan realized this as well, but his attention was on that man. "It's the middle of December and a cold winter, yet this handsome young man wears only one gown and does not feel the cold. He must be an expert in inner strength."

"Qingshan." Teng Qinghu looked at them secretly and said in a low voice, "This rich princess is vastly superior to the girls from our mountain village. Look at her skin, her face... Even more delicate than the girls from the brothels." As Teng Qinghu said those words, Teng Qingshan couldn't help but become dumbfounded.

"If you want to take a glance, just go closer. After we go back to village, you won't be able to see her any more." Teng Qingshan smiled.

The girls in their mountain village worked under sun and wind. How could they compare to a rich princess who did not need to worry about working for her clothes and food?

"Hmm, let's go closer." Teng Qinghu was quite brave. He went towards her as expected.
......

"Brother Liu, you always brag to me about how strong you are. Well, where is your name on the«Hidden Dragon Ranking»?" As they approached, Teng Qingshan heard the girl asking the black-clothed youth.

"Qingyu, there were only a few heroes all over the nine states who are listed on the«Hidden Dragon Ranking». Which of them hasn't practiced inner strength since early childhood? I began cultivating my inner strength too late... But I don't care about the«Hidden Dragon Ranking»! My ambition is the«Earthly Ranking»! Anyone listed on the«Earthly Ranking»is a true hero!"

Li Qingyu covered her mouth and smiled. "You are not on the«Hidden Dragon Ranking», yet you say you want to be on the«Earthly Ranking»?"

The young man flushed, "Qingyu, don't laugh at me, this is merely my ambition! Remember, my senior fellow apprentices inside Qing Hu Island are both on the«Hidden Dragon Ranking»and the«Earthly Ranking». What about your Gui Yuan Sect? Isn't there no one on either of the Ranking lists?"

"Your senior fellow apprentices are strong, but it doesn't mean you are strong as well." Qingyu sneered.

"Alright, Qingyu, don't get angry." The young man tried to coax, "Didn't you want to buy the current versions of the«Hidden Dragon Ranking»and the«Young Phoenix Ranking»? Lad, get us two books of the«Hidden Dragon Ranking»and the«Young Phoenix Ranking» each."

Teng Qingshan saw the trader get four books, each book having the thickness off a finger. Three words were printed on the cover similar in a design similar to a dragon and phoenix dancing with each other: "Hidden Dragon Ranking." The servants that stood behind the young man immediately paid 400 taels of silver for the books.

"400 taels of silver?" Qingshan wondered, "Four books cost 400 taels of silver? How could it be so expensive?"

Books should be very cheap.

When the handsome youth and the beautiful girl walked away, Teng Qingshan came to the counter selling the Ranking. Among all the books, three books stood out the most. They were the«Hidden Dragon Ranking»,«Young Phoenix Ranking» and «Earthly Ranking». The first two books were thick, while «Earthly Ranking» was quite thin.

While the first two books were worth 100 taels of silver each, the «Earthly Ranking»was only worth 10 taels of silver.

"What are these three books for?" Teng Qingshan asked.

The vendor took a glance at the young Teng Qingshan, smiled and said, "Youngster, these three books describe all training inner strength or some wealthy people who admired these heroes; as a result, these books were so expensive.

Hearing the vendor's words, Teng Qingshan's heart beat a little faster.

Although right now he knew there were eight super sects among the nine states, there were still a lot things he was not clear about.

"I want an «Earthly Ranking»." Teng Qingshan said and took out 10 taels of silver from his pocket.

As a leader of the hunting squadron, he got 10 taels of silver each month. In their clan, the leader of the hunting squadron, the Spear Arts Teacher, and the number one blacksmith contributed much to their clan, Therefore, the Teng Jia Village granted them an adequate pension. However, a salary of ten taels of silver was still low compared to some guards in Yi City.

Despite this, they devoted themselves to the village and wouldn't ask for more than ten taels of silver.

"Qingshan, ten taels of silver for a book?" Teng Qinghu, who just shifted his attention from the salt merchant's daughter to Teng Qingshan, noticed that he was spending ten taels of silver on a book.

"For me, this book is worth it." Teng Qingshan smiled and bought the book from the vendor.

"Humph, if your father knew about this, he would scold you." Teng Qinghu twitched his mouth.
However, Teng Qingshan just stood there and started reading his book.

Book 2 Chapter 24: Hong Si of the White Horse Gang

The first page of «Earthly Ranking»:

"In the Nine Prefecture, there are numerous heroes."

"In the bitter cold Youzhou and Yanzhou, the northeastern King 'Hong Tian' once conquered the greater part of the Nine Prefectures with his 80,000 You Yan cavalry soldiers. The Qinlong Mountain Range that was 3000 miles away from Yongzhou gave rise to the Celestial Emperor Ying Zheng, who was peerless amongst his generation. Being able to halt the Yan Jiang River with only one punch, he became the second person in history to unify the entire land! Emperor Yu from Yuzhou was the first person who divided the mountains and Nine Prefectures, unified the land, forged the nine cauldrons, and established a capital at the Yu Prefecture. After he became first emperor in history, his prefecture, the Yu Prefecture, became the royal capital, and it drew many heroes..."

"However, these heroes became dust in history. They were forgotten by their descendants after hundreds of years. The patriarch of the Wan Xiang Sect sighed every time he thought about this, so he came up with the idea to write the«Heavenly Ranking»and«Earthly Ranking». So he traveled all over the world, recording heroic legends from across the land. The descendants of Wan Xiang Sect completed the rest of the modification work. At last, the four ranks of the Nine Prefectures were made -«Heavenly Ranking»,«Earthly Ranking», «Hidden Dragon Ranking», and«Young Phoenix Ranking»."

"The four rankings of the Nine Prefectures is updated every six months! More heroes in the Nine Prefectures are recorded with every revision."

"We of the Wan Xiang Sect are determined to record all the heroes in the Nine Prefectures inside the four rankings. This way, the descendants will remember the heroes even after thousands of years."

After seeing this page, Teng Qingshan couldn't help but feel his blood boil.

Many of these heroes didn't care about money or treasure. However, being immortalized for thousands of years was every hero's dream.

Teng Qingshan turned to the second page.

"Among the four rankings of the Nine Prefectures, the«Hidden Dragon Ranking»lists the 108 most outstanding young heroes at the age of 30 or less. The«Young Phoenix Ranking»lists the 108 young heroines who are 30 years old or less."

Teng Qingshan's eyes were shining.

Only 108 men and women were recorded among the entire Nine Prefectures. They must favored by the heavens.

"The «Heavenly Ranking» and the «Earthly Ranking» are the core of the four ranks, and they are divided into Innate Realm and Postliminary Realm! However, to reach the peak of the Innate Realm, only one among thousands of people might succeed. Therefore, most of the heroes were Postlimiary Realm warriors. The«Earthly Ranking»lists 72 warriors who reached the peak of the Postliminary Realm."

Teng Qingshan's eyes lit up while thinking to himself, "The«Earthly Ranking»has no age restriction, and only by being the top 72 warriors amongst the hundreds of millions of people throughout the Nine Prefectures could one be considered truly powerful. The«Earthly Ranking»is more valuable than both the«Young Phoenix Ranking»and the«Hidden Dragon Ranking». No one on the«Earthly Ranking»should be underestimated. "

Teng Qingshan continued reading.

"The«Heavenly Ranking»lists 36 people who have reached peak of the Innate Realm. The«Heavenly Ranking»has changed very little in the last one or two decades because Innate Realm warriors are rare. On the contrary, the«Earthly Ranking»holds quite a competition. Thousands of people reach the Postliminary Realm, but only 72 of them are recorded in the«Earthly Ranking»! Half year ago, the ranking list took down 11 heroes and replaced them with another 11 warriors."

Teng Qingshan skimmed the introduction about the four ranking.

Apparently...

People valued the young heroes on the«Hidden Dragon Ranking»and the«Young Phoenix Ranking», but they paid even greater attention to the Heavenly and Earthly Rankings. The«Heavenly Ranking»rarely changed since there were very few people who reached the Innate Realm, while the«Earthly Ranking»was very competitive.

Many heroes didn't want to risk their lives and only leave their name on the«Earthly Ranking».

"Some are tempted by money, some are obsessed with beauty. However, most of the heroes value their fame." Teng Qingshan sighed in his heart. He continued reading the book to see who the 72 heroes that were listed on the«Earthly Ranking»were.

"Qingshan." A voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Huh? Father!" Teng Qingshan finally woke up from his trance.

"What are you reading that you caused you to become so enchanted?" Teng Yongfan smiled.

Teng Qinghu laughed and said, "Qingshan spent ten taels of silver to buy this book on«Earthly Ranking»."

"You're really not stingy on spending money." Teng Yongfan didn't blame Qingshan for his curiosity. "The materials are ready. Let's go to the alley and wait for the others." They then left Wan Xiang Tower and waited in the nearby alley.

There were less people in the alley. The rest of the clansmen hadn't shown up yet. Qingshan leaned against the wall and continued reading the«Earthly Ranking».

The Earthly Ranking described the 72 heroes and their famous deeds.

"One may reach to the peak of Postliminary Realm as long as they continue training inner strength for several decades. But having the same amount of inner strength as someone else doesn't mean their levels of actual strength will be the same." Reading this book, Teng Qingshan sighed. According to this«Earthly Ranking», many people could reach the Innate Realm.

However, depending on the method and individual perception, one's strength would vary.

For example, Teng Qingshan.

Teng Qingshan had reached a totally different level after learning «Crossing Worlds». At that time, it was the inner strength techniques that made this big difference.

One's perception was also a key factor.

Teng Qingshan had figured out two spear techniques, "Pursuing Shadow" and "Transmutation Unity Qi". Teng Qinghu, with his thousands Jin of strength, needed Teng Yonglei and Teng Qingshan assisting him when facing a wolf pack's attack. But if it was Teng Qingshan, having the same strength, he could easily killed hundreds of wolves with his spear.

The volume of the inner strength was only a foundation.

The way of using inner strength and one's perception were both very important. That was why people killed each other for various techniques.

"Huh?" Teng Qingshan's eyes suddenly lit up when he was reading the deed of the hero rank 58.

"When Yang Fan was 48 years old, he hunted down the infamous four brothers of the Hong clan. For three days and nights, he chased them over 1000 Li. Hong Si was the only one who survived amongst the four brothers. He escaped back to his hometown of Yi City and founded the White Horse Gang. However, Hong Si has not dared not find Yang Fan to seek revenge revenge in the past two decades. At Yang Fan's 52..."

(TLN: Si = four, which means kind of like the Forth Hong)

The story of Yang Fan and Hong Si was mentioned briefly in the book.

However, Teng Qingshan was quite surprise.

"Master Hong Si of the White Horse Gang has such a shocking history!" The White Horse Gang was the tyrant in Yi City, and Master Hong Si was its leader. His every word was absolute. Who would have imagined that such a great man had such an embarrassing history?

"Father, look." Teng Qingshan smiled and handed the book over to his father, "Read this paragraph."

Teng Yongfan read it with curiosity and was surprised, "Master Hong Si had three brothers, no wonder he's called Hong Si! But who is this person Yang Fan? He is so strong." As he said this, Teng Yongfan started reading the book from the beginning.

Teng Qingshan gave off a wry smile.

He'd never thought his father would also be fascinated by this book, but fortunately, he had finished most of it already.

"Master Hong Si's strength must be quite powerful." Teng Qingshan made a judgement based on on that story. "The ones listed on the«Earthly Ranking» must be at the peak of the Postliminary Realm and a significant figure among the Nine Prefectures. Even if Yang Fan had chased the four Hong brothers for three days, Hong Si still managed to escape. Hong Si shouldn't be underestimated. Besides... the Hong brothers must have certainly had some martial prowess in order to earn their infamy. It would be impossible to receive such an evaluation if they weren't powerful."

Merely being mentioned by a couple of words in the«Earthly Ranking»already meant that an individual was strong.

If the Hong brothers were not powerful, their story wouldn't have be recorded in the book.

....

As Teng Qingshan and his group were waiting for the rest of their people, some figures stood in the alley 100 feet away from them.

"Do you see them? There, those three hunters." A man in black pointed towards Teng Qingshan's direction and whispered.

"I saw them. Brother Lang, you said that they have a bill worth 10,000 taels of silver?" A lean man with triangular eyes asked in surprise.

The man in black sneered, "Why should I lie to you? If we weren't from the same village, I would never have told you this. This time, our master paid them a bill worth 10,000 taels of silver for a big order of weapons."

"10,000 taels..." The man's triangular eyes lit up as he chuckled, "Brother Lang, rest assured. Our men will kill them and rob them of this bill. I definitely won't forget you. But I don't understand, why did your master give the money away and let us rob them after he paid them?"

The man in black snuffed, "You don't understand. Our master takes revenge even for the smallest grievance! He did not want to pay the money to these mountain folks, but these guys were so noisy that the Lord came out. Our master had no way but to hand over the bill. However, although our master didn't dare to act against the Lord nor against his senior fellow apprentice, he would definitely take revenge on these villagers."

The triangular-eyed man chuckled, "Your master is so ruthless. But I like him, haha."

"Humpf, we get a lot of benefits working for this kind of master. If the Lord hadn't come out, I would have at least gotten 100 taels out of the 10,000 taels of silver."

"Be at ease. Brother Lang, if we get this bill worth 10,000 taels of silver, I will definitely honor you and give you much more than 100 taels." The triangular-eyed man said.

The man in black smiled.

"Hey, look. The other hunters came out, and it seems they are about to leave. You should hurry up and prepare to stage an ambush," The man in black said in a hurry.

"Rest assured, we are familiar with the layout of Yi City. They won't be able to escape us." The triangular-eyed man clasped his hands, "Brother Lang, I have my own business to tend to. I'll meet you again when night falls."

"Go." The man in black said.

......

Exactly at this moment, the people from the Teng Jia Village had gathered.

"Everyone is here. Let's go back." Teng Yongfan smiled and handed the book back to Qingshan. "This book is very good. Lend it to me after we return." As they chatted with each other, the hunters set out on their journey back to Teng Jia Village.

Book 2 Chapter 25: Bandits

As the sun hung high in the sky, the members of Teng Jia Village's hunting squadron were on their way back to their village. The cold winter sun was not vicious but rather warm and comfortable.

"Yongjiang, how much were the pelts sold for?" Teng Yongfan inquired.

"Old Wang had already completed many business transactions with us in the past, so he gave us a decent price. We sold all those skins for more than 350 taels of silver!" An middle aged man with a big stature and an honest appearance replied with a smile. "However, this can't be compared to the snow ferret that Qingshan caught."

"I inquired in Wan Xiang Tower today. For a fully undamaged snow ferret, they were willing to pay four thousand and two hundred taels of silver." Teng Qinghu sighed in fascination.

"There is no fixed market price for the snow ferret, and the Chief is not in a hurry to sell it. However, this was Qingshan's good deed, so the Chief should reward him."

Teng Yongfan smiled and glanced at his son. Having a strong son automatically made him very proud as father. He said with a smile, "It should be sufficient enough. Aren't we giving our all for the sake of our village? However, this snow ferret is really expensive. This time, Master and I created so many Frost Jade Sabers but the profit we gained can't even be compared to that snow ferret pelt."

The people surrounding them couldn't help but laugh.

"Before I forget, Yongjiang, take out the steamed bun and flat bread we bought this morning to eat. We have to walk nearly two hours before arriving at the village," Teng Yongfan warned.

"Come here, each person gets two steamed buns and two flat breads."

After untying a cloth bag, he started to distribute both the steamed buns and the flat bread to everyone. Teng Qinghu and Teng Qingshan both accepted the steamed buns and flat breads to eat.

With big bites and fierce chewing, they ate the food and drank cold water from bamboo containers.

"These steamed buns taste quite nice." Teng Qingshan thought to himself. Their group of crude men cracked jokes as they ate and buns and bread while drinking cold water. Teng Qingshan's attitude was warm towards them. "I like this life!" Teng Qingshan thought to himself as he watched the sun.

This group of men was simple and sincere.

"Does everyone know why that Master Hong Si of the White Horse Clan is called Hong Si?" Teng Yongfan asked while they were eating happily.

"It's just a name, isn't it? What else is there?" No one in the crowd knew why.

Teng Yongfan laughed, and began to talk about how the expert Yang Fan chased after the four Hong brothers and killed three of them.

While Teng Qingshan's group were on the road, a group of people waited five or six feet away from a crossroads.

On the side of the road amidst a mound filled with withered weeds and dead trees, a group of fierce bandits were lying in wait.

"Er Gouzi, you were in a hurry so I bought my men for the ambush. That brother Lang of yours is not lying or relaying a false message, right?" A man with dark skin, eyes as big as a bulls' eye, and a sturdy build asked. He was wearing a large black cotton robe that revealed his large, hairy chest while holding a machete. This person was a ruthless bandit leader.

The triangular-eyed man whispered: "Do not worry boss, my brother is absolutely telling the truth. He works for the big salt merchants,so why would he lie to me? If I didn't trust this information, would I ask for someone such as yourself to rush you here, boss?"

"You dare." The ruthless leader sneered, "Scout this stretch of road and immediately notify us when they arrive."

"Yes, sir." The lean and flexible triangular eyed man went out of hiding and payed close attention to the road.

"Brother, do we have enough men?" Behind the tree trunk spoke a handsome youth.

"Rest assured, according to Er Gouzi's information, the hunters only have 31 people! There was even a child, so in fact, they can only be regarded as thirty people! With our 103 brothers,, we will launch a few waves of arrows so that half of them would perish. The remaining eleven or twelve will then be surrounded. How can we not wipe them out! Humph, if it wasn't for those 10,000 taels of silver, I wouldn't even bring so many of our brothers." The ruthless leader laughed and stabbed the machete into the ground.

"Brother, we still have to be careful. After all, they are a group of hunters." The handsome youth cautioned his brother.

"What you scared of? Your brother alone could cut them to pieces with a blade and make them cry for their mothers!" The ruthless leader fiercely spit while cursing.

After a long time.

"Boss." The triangular-eyed man, who wasn't far away, bowed and rushed to the bandit leader with a face full of excitement. "The fat sheep are coming. They're about 100 Zhang away. That group is dressed in animal skins, so I immediately recognized them."

The ruthless bandit leader's eyes light up. Each of the bandits became very excited, but they remained quiet. These bandits were veterans and knew that their excitement could expose their current whereabouts.

"Brothers." The bandit leader said in a low voice, looking grim, "Wait until I give the order before shooting and killing them without merciless. If successful, most will be dead after the wave of arrows. After we robbed them of their money, we will go to the Spring Fragrance Court to enjoy ourselves in luxury!"

The group of bandits laughed while exposing cruel eyes. They were like a beast ready to attack its prey.

......

Teng Qingshan's group continued their journey without knowing about the ambush ahead. Those bandits already began preparing their arrows and were ready to fire at them.

The bandits' movements were very silent. An average person wouldn't have be able to notice it.

"Huh?" Teng Qingshan ears twitched as he glanced at the distant mound.

As an Internal Martial Arts expert who trained since childhood, Teng Qingshan's sixth sense was extremely sensitive, and most people that approached him would be detected. When they were at Yi City, that triangular-eyed man had glanced at Teng Qingshan several times, but because there were too many people in the city, Teng Qingshan didn't notice it.

However, they were currently in the middle of nowhere!

Surrounded by silence, the hundreds of bandits hidden at the distant mound began to prepare their attack. Teng Qingshan was already aware of their hiding places.

"Father." Teng Qingshan suddenly said.

"Whats wrong?" Teng Yongfan asked slightly puzzled.

"Everyone stop." Teng Qingshan frowned, and immediately all the clansmen looked at him. Teng Qingshan said in a low voice, "Do you see that? Behind the mound, I have a feeling... there are people hiding. Moreover, their numbers are frightening!"

All the clansmen's complexions turned pale.

After taking a look at the mound, Teng Qingshan immediately sped up his thinking.

In the previous world, professional hitmen never got close to Teng Qingshan. Although these robbers were bandits, they were unlike the past hitmen who were professionally trained killers. In terms of hiding, they were far worse, and moreover, they were over 100 men. It was very unlikely they wouldn't make any sound.

"Brother Fan, what should we do?" The surrounding clansmen looked at Teng Yongfan.

Teng Yongfan stared at the mound, lowered his voice, and said: "There is no other way, we have to go back! Let's take a detour through the field next to the mound to bypass it. If their objective is to attack us, they won't be able to avoid rushing at us. Also, by keeping a distance, it will prevent them from staging a sneak attack."

"Alright, let's do it."

The clansmen had no other options but to follow this plan.

Teng Qingshan's group walked down the road into the fields while maintaining 30-40 Zhang distance from the mound. At this distance, even if the arrows reached them, the power would be weakened greatly.

......

"Son of a bitch!" The ruthless bandit leader's complexion changed after seeing the group of hunters take a detour. "This group of hunters actually saw us."

"Boss, what should we do?" The guy with triangular eyes anxiously asked.

"What else can we do?" The leader showed a ferocious expression, and a light of madness flashed in his eyes. "I have hundreds of brothers with us, why would I be afraid of those hunters? Brothers, listen to me! Charge with me and when we are close enough, the archers will mercilessly shoot and kill them all!"

Those bandits were all covered with murderous intent. How many life had each one of them already taken?

......

Teng Qingshan intentionally walked the furthest to left because the mound was on that side of the group.

Those bandits shouldn't have come to rob us." Teng Qinghu said in a low voice.

"Don't talk nonsense. It doesn't matter if they were intentionally targeting us or if they were waiting for any helpless victim. Get ready." Teng Yongfan said solemnly, and all of the clansmen concentrated while preparing their weapons. This kind of event was not the first time it had happened. In order to live well in this world, one had to be ruthless.

All of them held their breath.

"Kill them!" A violent roar came from behind the mound, and they saw a dark brawny man holding a machete rushing over at the front. Behind him followed a large crowd of people who charged downhill like a pack of wolves.

"Attack!" Tang Yongfang gave a thunderous roar.

"Phew!" "Phew!" "Phew!" ......

Teng Jia Village's clansmen were the first to fire their arrows, but the distance was too far. Moreover, only twelve people had bows and arrows. After the first wave of projectiles, only one bandit was injured on the arm.

"Brother Fan, there are so many of them, what should me do?" Many Teng Jia villagers began to get anxious.

"Brother Fan, take the money and head back to village first. We will stop them here." Several clansmen were ready to face death for the sake of their village.

......

The ruthless bandit leader holding a machete saw the hunters begin to panic and could not stop from beginning to laugh. "Shooting at such a distance, what a bunch of morons. Humph, but their arm strength are not bad, being able to hit from that distance." At that moment, the ruthless bandit leader was surprised to see a young hunter holding a Damascus Steel Spear rushing towards him.

What speed!

"You are seeking death." the leader sneered. "Archers, shoot!"

Currently, the distance was already within the target range, and forty archers let loose numerous arrows. Since Teng Qingshan was the first one rushing towards then, they naturally shot many in his direction.

"This little guy has courage, but he is extremely stupid." The fierce bandit leader mocked him with a smile.

"Whistle!"

All of the sudden, the bandit leader saw Teng Qingshan's hands spinning his spear like a rotating flywheel. All the arrows that were close to him were reflected back, and after the first wave of arrows, there was not a trace of injury on him. Teng Qingshan's eyes were fixed tightly on the ruthless leader.

The bandit leader was dumbfounded.

So many arrows were fired, yet they were actually not able to hurt one individual?

At this time, the bandits were crazily rushing to kill the hunters from Teng Jia Village. Moreover, there were many bandits who readied their bows to fire a volley of arrows.

"Little guy, time to die." Within the chaotic charge, someone rushed towards Teng Qingshan with a face revealing a hideous complexion. Other bandits rushed towards the other members of the Teng Jia Village, and it was obvious that those thirty adults were the biggest threat in their eyes.

Faced against the bandit's machetes, Teng Qingshan didn't even need to reduce his speed.

"Poof!" "Poof!" "Poof!"

The Damascus Steel Spear in his hand transformed into a metallic snake that stabbed out continuously while leaving behind several afterimages in the air.

"Huff" The three bandits near Teng Qingshan widened their eyes while clutching their throats. "Huff, huff." They desperately tried to breathe, but the large hole in their throats could only spurt out blood.

Three bandits immediately tumbled down.

"Poof!" "Poof!" "Poof!" "Poof!" ......

The spear's shadow continued to dance and while the red tassel flew through the air, scattering blood accross the sky.

In the blink of an eye, Teng Qingshan crossed five Zhang, killing a total of thirteen bandits. All of them, without exception, had their throat pierced by Teng Qingshan's spear.

"What?!" The bandit leader's face became pale. He had made a terrible mistake since this boy was actually the most terrifying amongst the hunters.

Book 2 Chapter 26: Defeating the enemy's leader

When the bandit archers placed at the back of the group saw Teng Qingshan, they felt as if a fierce tiger had come down from a mountain to ruthlessly slaughter their 16 brothers. Watching him charge towards their leader, they grew incredible terrified.

"Shoot him!" the handsome youth anxiously commanded.

"Phew!" "Phew!" "Phew!" "Phew!" ......

Like a swarm of locusts, volleys of arrows were fired towards Teng Qingshan.

While Teng Qingshan attracted the bandits' attention, pressure on the other clansmen was greatly reduced. Teng Yongfan and Teng Qinghu, who were rushing at the enemy, felt anxious and roared: "They are surrounding Teng Qingshan! Everyone, let's slaughter our way towards him!"

"Kill them!"

The Teng Jia hunters' eyes turned crimson.

Their training that started since childhood paid off as they easily formed a formation. Raising their spears into the air, they stabbed the bandits to death.

......

"Hmph." Teng Qingshan simply ignored the incoming arrows as he swung his Damascus Steel Spear. With a strange power, he deflected all the arrows that were nearing him.

The spear art–"Transmutation Unity Qi"!

The ruthless bandit leader sneered. "Boy, you are courting death!" Refusing to run away from a young boy, the bandit leader furiously roared and and waved the machete in his hands in a big arc, producing a loud whistling as it cut through the wind. As the blade fiercely swung towards Teng Qingshan, the Damascus Steel Spear in his hands seemed as if had a life on its own, and the spearhead easily slammed against the machete's blade.

"What crazy strength." The bandit leader's complexion turned pale. "My machete..." After the spearhead had made contact with his blade, he felt that his hand was caught in a vortex, involuntarily pushing the bandit leader to one side.

"Huh?"

Teng Qingshan also felt that his spear's movements were slightly off balance after hitting the machete's blade. Spinning the spear in his hand, it was immediately stabilized and was directly stabbed towards the ruthless bandit leader's throat.

Its speed was as fast as lightning!

"Huh!" The bandit leader started to panic as he watched the sharp spear shooting towards him. "How is this possible?!"

The ruthless bandit leader was confident of his strength, and even if the long spear managed to block his blade, the spear should have also been deflected. How could the spearhead turn and directly stab at him as if it were completely unaffected? He would never understand the profound mystery behind the spinning spearhead.

The secret behind the spear art Pursuing Shadow was 'a spin'.

It could be said that this spin added spiraling force.

The spear art "Pursuing Shadow" was derived from the Five Elemental Fist Art technique 'Bursting Fist'. Even as a master of Xing Yi Martial Arts, Teng Qingshan needed to spend many years before successfully evolving his "Bursting Fist" into "Pursuing Shadow".

"Bursting Fist" was like an arrow, and the main characteristic of "Pursuing Shadow" was its incredible speed! It was faster than an arrow and an afterimage!

The second characteristic was the rotational strength the spin gave the spear.

Even if an enemy's machete was chopped or if a spear was thrusted towards him, Teng Qingshan's spear could easily block it. Moreover, with the rotational strength, his spear could deflect the opponent's weapon while his own spear remained unaffected. Teng Qingshan would be able to kill his enemy with ease.

Killing an enemy with just one move!

This move might look simple, but it was very challenging to execute because one had to have a good understanding of his or her own strength. Teng Qingshan needed to perfectly understand his opponent's strength as well as his own in order to force their weapon to rotate to one side while killing his opponent. This technique alone needed the user to reach the realm of "One with the Spear.'

In addition, an expert level skill on creating rotational force was needed in order to deflect the weapon from one side to another.

Only a master in Bursting Fist who reached the realm of "One with the Spear" could perfectly use this technique.

In a real fight, one only needed one move to kill an enemy. It may look simple, but in fact it took years of detailed researching and thinking.

"Ahh!!!" The ruthless bandit leader, facing his certain death, roared and used his left hand to grab Teng Qingshan's incoming spearhead.

"Chi!" The Damascus Steel Spear maliciously stabbed the bandit leader's palm and pierced both muscles and bones before coming out of his shoulder. Blood gushed out from his wound. "Humph!" With a push of his spearhead, Teng Qingshan forced the bandit leader onto the ground while increasing the size of the bandit leader's shoulder wound.

With a pull, he removed his spear from the bandit leader's body and pointed it towards the ruthless bandit leader's eyes.

"Stop!" Teng Qingshan ferociously shouted.

On the open field, the bandits were startled to see their boss lying on the ground with his life at the mercy of the hands of a youth. The bandits could not help but stop attacking.

Lying on the ground, the bandit leader's shoulder wound caused acute pain that made his face convulse. His eyes suddenly carried a hint of madness, and then he suddenly used the hand holding the machete to chop at Teng Qingshan's thigh as he lay on the ground.

"Go die!"

With a roar, Teng Qingshan's right leg flashed as fast as lighting before smashing against the bandit leader's right wrist, his leg infused with inner strength.

Crack! – A bone crunching sounds could be heard!

The machete rose high up in the air and fell on the ground far away from the bandit leader.

The bandit leader's right hand hung loosely in the air while his bones were completely smash into powder.

"Another move and I will kill you!" Teng Qingshan's eyes flashed like lightening as he stared towards the bandit leader.

The ruthless bandit leader, who was normally violent to the extreme, was scared from being stared at by Teng Qingshan. He clearly felt.... that if he moved, this youth would definitely pierce his skull with his spear. In a trace, the bandit leader felt as if... this youth holding a spear was Master Hong Si from the White Horse Gang.

Master Hong Si traveled the world with his three brothers and spread fear under their name. Even bandits that were notorious from taking countless lives would go limp under a stare from Master Hong Si.

And at this moment, Teng Qingshan's imposing manner and eyes made the bandit leader feel fear.

"Father, are you alright?" Teng Qingshan asked.

Teng Yongfan rushed towards Teng Qingshan with rest of his clan, carrying injured men on their shoulders. He shouted from afar, "Some are alright, but..." Teng Qingshan swept his sight over them, and saw a clan member's right leg missing with a cloth wrapped tight to stop the bleeding, and another member had a knife in his eye, his eye dangling out, making him look hideous.

Almost all of the clansmen were bloodstained.

Fortunately, they had used a spear formation to assist each other and therefore didn't have any casualties. If it wasn't for Teng Qingshan capturing the bandit leader, the fight would have taken a longer time, and some clansmen would have most likely been slain.

"Humph, Qingshan, we also killed some of them," Teng Qinghu said.
Teng Qingshan sighed, relieved that it was just a short encounter. Fortunately, he captured the bandit leader quite fast and didn't let the situation get out of hands. Teng Qingshan lowered his head and looked toward the bandit leader on the ground. "Talk, who wanted us dead? If you lie, I'll let you taste my spear."

"We are bandits, of course we rob people." The bandit leader raised his head as he roared.

Puff!

With a stab, the bandit leader roared in pain as Teng Qingshan's spear pierced his right shoulder. More blood gushed out as Teng Qingshan pulled out his spear.

"Motherf*cker, we are no fools." The nearby Teng Qinghu roared, "I have been to the city many times, and yet I have never come across a bandit willing to rob us hunters! If you don't spit it out now, even if my brother doesn't kill you, I will." With spear in hand, he rushed towards the bandit leader.

The Teng clansmen knew very clearly that bandits normally wouldn't rob poor but tough hunters.

Moreover, the Teng clansmen deliberately took a detour around the fields, yet the bandits still came out from their ambush to attack them.

What exactly could make these bandits try to kill this group of hunters?

The Teng clansmen naturally thought of the ten thousand taels of silver! It was enough incentive for the bandits to attack them.

"Let our boss go." The bandits were also anxious.

"Shut up." Teng Qingshan's eyes swept across the group of bandits.

A moment ago, Teng Qingshan swept through several bandits like cutting weed, terrorizing the bandits. Even their boss lost to Teng Qingshan after one small exchange. Which one of them would dare to fight against Teng Qingshan? The bandits were worried, but they didn't dare open their mouth. Most of them glared at the triangular-eyed guy with malicious intent.

The triangular-eyed guy was also frightened.

He wouldn't have thought that amongst the thirty hunters, the youth he looked down on the most was the most terrifying one.

"I will speak." The ruthless bandit leader finally submitted and looked towards the triangular-eyed bandit. "It's him, Er Gouzi! This bastard and his dumbass brother, who works for a salt merchant, told me you have a bill worth 10,000 taels of silver! I am now a cripple thanks to this Er Gouzi!"

Of course the bandit leader would hate this triangular-eyed fellow.

Both his hands were crippled, and his shoulders had been stabbed. He would be a cripple for the rest of his life.

"So that's how it is." Teng Qingshan wasn't surprised at all.

The only ones who knew that they had 10,000 taels of silver, except those from their clan, were the people who worked for the salt merchant.

"That man is called Qin San!" Teng Qingshan clearly remembered the scene at Yangzhou Guild and the cavalry leader's name. The culprit was most likely him.

"Which one of you is Er Gouzi?" Teng Qingshan looked towards the other bandits.

"Ah!" The triangular-eyed fellow became pale from panic and turned around to escape. Seeing his actions, the bandit next to him gave a strong kick to the triangular-eyed man's butt, pushing him on the ground in pain.

"Still want to escape?" The handsome young bandit grabbed the triangular-eyed fellow, before pulling him towards Teng Qingshan and throwing him to the ground.

The handsome youth cupped his hand and said to Teng Qingshan, "Fellow brother, we believed the words of this Er Gouzi, that there was a fat sheep coming our way, which was why we dispatched our brethren. Meeting this fellow brother, who resembles a tiger coming down from the mountain, was our bad luck! Please release my brother. Everything can be discussed!"

Book 2 Chapter 27: Teng Qingshan's Tiger Fist

Teng Qingshan swept over the rest of the bandits and pondered for a while."There are 80 bandits remaining, and the second I start killing them, they'll flee in every directions. At most, I can kill ten to twenty bandits, but this wouldn't help my clansmen. Instead, this would endanger them further." Teng Qingshan looked at his clansmen.

His clansmen were simple hunters that normally went with him to hunt animals in the mountains, but today they suffered far more than they were used to. Some were injured, and others were even blinded.

Teng Qingshan's heart burned with anger.

"Everything can be discussed?" Teng Yongfan came two steps closer and walked in front of Teng Qingshan. Looking at the group of bandits, he sneered, "If you want to save your boss, it's very simple. Hand over all the valuables you have to compensate for my people's losses. If it is enough, perhaps we will release your boss, otherwise..."

Teng Qingshan looked towards his father and didn't say anything. The other clansmen also kept quiet.

In this era, death was prevalent and common. If they were hot-headed, the Teng Jia Village would have already met its doom. Sometimes, matters must be considered rationally. Killing more bandits wouldn't give the Teng Jia Villagers any benefits and might even cause the bandits to become fixated on vengeance. If this were the case, perhaps more clansmen would be killed.

"Okay, no problem." The handsome youth took out three pieces of silver from his bosom before turning around to look at his people while shouting, "Hurry up!".

The bandits hesitated for a moment before taking out tael of silver one after another from each of their bosoms.

"Put everything together and throw it on the ground!" Teng Yongfan shouted.

Although the bandits were not very willing, they still threw all their silver and copper on the ground. Before long, a small mound piled up.

"Qinghu, you go and count how much there is," Teng Yongfan ordered.

"Alright." Teng Qinghu ran towards the heap and carefully counted before turning back his head and shouting, "Not including the copper, there's a total of 323 taels of silver!"

"Only this much?", Teng Yongfan sneered and looked at the handsome youth. "Your Tiger Hill's boss is worth only this much?"Hearing this, the handsome youth began to grow anxiously and, out of all these bandits, he was the most worried for their leader since he was the leader's blood brother! The handsome youth turned around and stared at a lean robber. "Where is the bill money that my brother let you keep?" That bandit hesitated before saying, "That...that money was supposed to be given to White Horse Gang!"

"At this time, why would you still care about White Horse Gang? My brother's life is on balance!" shouted the handsome youth.

It was obvious that this handsome youth held some prestige amongst the bandits.

"Alright." The bandit took out a stack of bills from his bosom and unwillingly threw it on the ground.

After taking a look, Teng Qinghu turned and shouted, "Sixteen bills, each worth a hundred taels of silver!".

"Humph, although it's not much, it's still adequate. Alright, you can leave now. However, he stays." When Teng Yongfan pointed at that triangular-eyed bandit, the bandit immediately kneeled down from fright and instantly turned to plead at the other bandits, "Fellow brothers...."

"He's not one of us Tiger Hill bandits, just a swindler. Kill him if you want, but quickly release our boss," the handsome youth said.

"Get lost." Teng Qingshan kicked the ruthless bandit leader's waist.

Flying in the air, the bandit leader fell heavily before the handsome youth.

"Let's leave. The bandit leader whispered as he lifted himself upwards with much difficulty and led the bandits away.

"Let's go!" The handsome youth supported the injured bandit leader and immediately ordered the other bandits to flee towards the distance.

"Honored brothers...." The triangular-eyed bandit was about to cry, but when he turned around to look behind him, he saw the angry Teng clansmen glaring at him. Shivers ran down his spine as he trembled in fear.

Teng Yongfan stared at the triangular-eyed bandit. "Tell us everything from beginning to end until everything is clear."

The triangular-eyed man's body trembled and he said, "Fellow heroes, this has nothing to do with me. Ah, I am just a messenger! My brother works for the Yangzhou salt merchant, Master Li. This time, his boss commanded him to find someone to deal with you. That boss seemed to have ordered from you and paid you 10,000 taels of silver. My brother said.... that his boss didn't even want to give you the money from the start.."

"Son of a b*tch. It's that bastard," Teng Qinghu roared.

Killing intent rose within Teng Qingshan's heart. "That cavalry leader should be called Qin San!" Although he really wanted to kill Qin San, Qin San worked under a large salt merchant, and furthermore, Teng Qinshan's strength might be not enough.... As for now, Teng Qingshan was still not be strong enough to deal with the enemy. Right now, he could only endure!

"Honored heroes, just pretend to fart and let me go." the triangular-eyed man begged.
(TL: This is an idiom. The triangular-eyed man basically wants them to see him as something unimportant)

Teng Yongfan moved the long spear in his hands.

"Puchi" The long spear pierced the triangular-eyed man's throat, and his eyes widened as he stared at his wound. Then, his life dissipated, his body collapsing on the field.

"Let's go," said Teng Yongfan after pulling out his spear from the man's throat.

Supporting their wounded members, the Teng clansmen quickly departed.

On the way back.

"Qingshan." Teng Yongfan opened his mouth.

"Father." Teng Qingshan looked towards his father.

"Could it be, that you think it was inappropriate for your father to take the money and let the bandit go?" Teng Yongfan sighed. "Your spear technique is good, and if I let you kill them, you would probably be able to kill some of them. However, they would also kill many of our clansmen. If we attacked, many of us would have perished."

"Following the spur of the moment and leading our clansmen into a crisis is something we absolutely cannot allow." Teng Yongfan was teaching Teng Qingshan important grains of wisdom on the road back to Teng Jia Village.

"Father, I understand."

If Teng Qingshan was a real ten year old child, he might have been more impulsive. However, because of his past life, he understood when to be patient and when to act.

"Qingshan, right now you have a say within the family, and your words carry value. However, you have to remember that, in order to let Teng Jia Village survive in these chaotic times, you cannot get emotional!" Teng Yongfan continued, "You have to always remember that you carry the whole clan on your shoulder."

"I understand, Father", Teng Qingshan's mind was somewhat in chaos.

It was not chaotic because of his father's word.

But because... Xing Yi Martial Arts!

"It should almost be time to teach the clansmen Xing Yi Martial Arts." Teng Qingshan continuously pondered in his mind. "When I was six years old, it was useless to speak within the family since it would have been a bit ridiculous to learn Xing Yi Martial Arts from a child. However, I'm currently the number one fighter within the Teng Jia Village, and everyone knows that I excel in Spear Arts! I just need to come up with a good lie, and the entire village will easily believe me."

While walking home, Teng Qingshan pondered carefully and finally decided, "Ah, when we return, I will talk with Father and the Chief."

After the group finally returned to Teng Jia Village, their family members saw that Teng Qingshan's group had many injured and were shocked. However, it was fortunate that no one died, since having injured members was easier to cope with than having dead members.

Inside Chief Teng Yunlong's residence.

The elders of the clan along with several members of high status such as Teng Yongxiang and the one armed Teng Yonglei were gathered inside.

"Yongfan, you did well this time," Teng Yun Long said. "I never thought that the cavalry leader was so narrow minded that after giving us a bill worth 10,000 taels of silver, he actually told bandits to rob us!"

"To the cavalry leader, we were like ants that he could easily crush." Teng Yonglei sneered.

"Didn't the once strongest gang of Yi City, the Copper Tiger Gang, want to destroy my Teng clan 100 years ago? Luckily, we quickly fled towards the mountains, but half of the clansmen were killed." Teng Qingshan's Third Grandpa sighed. "In this chaotic era, a life is almost worthless."

"Fortunately, everyone came back alive." Teng Yunlong looked towards Teng Qingshan and Teng Yongfan. "Yongfan, Qingshan, you both should be tired. You should go back and rest early."

"Yes, Master." Teng Yongfan nodded.

"Grandfather!" Teng Qingshan suddenly called.

"Hm?", Most of the people looked towards Teng Qingshan. The elders within the clan were very fond of him for being so young while having such a formidable strength. Having a master in the clan could only benefit it. For instance, if not for Teng Qingshan, fewer members of the hunting squadron would have made it back alive. Because of Teng Qingshan, not one person died, and they even forced the bandit to pay money as compensation.
Teng Qingshan looked towards the elders within the family. "Grandfather, I have something to tell you."

"Tell me." Teng Yunlong smiled.

"What's the matter, Qingshan?" The Third Grandfather asked.

Teng Qingshan continued, "Shortly after I joined the hunter squadron, we hunted a tiger. During the hunt, I carefully observed the tiger's movement, and after coming back, I carefully pondered over it. If that Li Jia Village's Li Jinfun can create a "Tiger Fist", then so can I!"

"Tiger Fist?" The clansmen laughed.

Under the heaven of the Nine Orefectures, there was countless varieties of martial arts. In chaotic times, who didn't want to know a few techniques?

"Qingshan is truly amazing."Teng Yunlong praised him and didn't saying anything else.

"However, when I practised my Tiger Fist and matched it with my breathing, I discovered that my body produced a mysterious power after a few days!" Teng Qingshan said.

"Your body produced a mysterious power?" The whole room fell silent, and shock appeared on their faces.

"What kind of power?" Teng Yunlong asked.

Teng Qingshan squatted down while saying, "Grandfather look." Teng Qingshan stretched his hand on a wooden bench and circulated his inner strength while keeping his body quiet.

"Crack!"

After an inner strength arrow shot out, everyone saw the wooden edge split up in pieces with a crackling sound.

Everything inside the room was dumbfounded and couldn't even mutter a word as they watched the scene, stupefied.

"Inner strength!!!", the one armed Teng Yonglei shouted.

"It's inner strength!" Teng Yongxian also began to shout full of excitement. "Indeed, it's inner strength!"

"It's real inner strength. I have seen it before!" Teng Yunlong was also full of excitement. The clansmen looked like a pack of hungry wolves seeing a lamb and stared towards Teng Qingshan, full of ecstasy.

"Qingshan actually developed inner strength! How can this be possible?!" Teng Yongxian exclaimed.

Teng Qingshan shook his head and pretended to be confused. "I don't know either. I just imitated the tiger's movements and felt that those movements could increase my physical strength. At the same time, I adjusted my breathing to coordinate with the movements. I didn't expect to produce inner strength after a few months. In fact, I still can't believe it."

"Haha....." Teng Yunlong burst out laughing. "What's so strange about it? All of the world's countless inner strength cultivation methods, weren't they created by humans? If others can create their own cultivation method, then why can't my Teng lineage, which has existed for thousands of years, produce a strong genius who can create his own cultivation method?"

One after another, they nodded their heads.

"With so many others creating their own unique methods, it should be normal for a genius to appear in our Teng Clan." Teng Yongxian burst out laughing.

"However, I only copied the movement and breathing of a tiger, so it currently has no further stages." Teng Qingshan shook his head.

"That's fine! Easy is good, and it's better to create a cultivation method step by step." Teng Yunlong was extremely happy. "That old man from Li Jia Village told me how proud he was that his grandson created the 'Tiger Fist'. Humph, it was just a fake technique. My grandson's Tiger Fist could generate inner strength and is much stronger than his technique."

Teng Qingshan knew very clearly that the Three Postures of Xing Yi and Five Elemental Fist Arts seemed simple but in fact were the hardest techniques to cultivate successfully. Many Xing Yi Martial Arts masters continuously practiced the Twelve Forms of Xing Yi, and it only after mastering the Twelve Forms that they were able to gradually begin their research into the Five Elemental Fist Arts and Three Postures.

"An expert is better than a jack of all trades. Therefore, instead of teaching the Twelve Forms, it would be better to teach them just the Tiger Form, which would give them a better chance to succeed," Teng Qingshan thought to himself.

The so called Tiger Fist was in fact one of the Twelve Forms, the 'Tiger Form Fist'.

"Grandfather, I think the Tiger Fist should be taught to all the clansmen," Teng Qingshan said.

"Good, good." Teng Yunlong nodded.

"Haha, if we have inner strength, then who would dare to provoke the Teng Jia Village?" Teng Yongxian said excitedly. The nearby Teng Yongfan patted his son's shoulder and said, "Qingshan, the thing that I, Teng Yongfan, am the most proud of is to be the father a son like you, haha..."

This group of clansmen were in ecstasy.

With the help of Tiger Fist, the strength of Teng Jia Village would change dramatically.

"You all have to remember," Teng Yunlong looked in all directions and said, "The Tiger Fist that Qingshan created cannot be spread outside of the village and must be kept a secret. In the future, this will be my Teng Jia Village's unique skill which no outsider can learn. We will only teach the men, not the women!"

"Yes, Village Chief!" Everyone nodded in approval.

Book 2 Chapter 28: The Strongest Plan begins!

Since a female clan members could marry outside the family, if the Tiger Fist was taught to girls, it would cause the clan's unique technique to be spread easily throughout the land.

"Qingshan, how are you going to teach it to us?" Teng Yunlong and everyone else in the room looked at Teng Qingshan. In their hearts, Teng Qingshan's reputation and value increased once again. Being able to create a technique that could cultivate inner strength, what would the future bring for this kind of genius? For Teng Qingshan, the sky was the limit..

No matter what, in Teng Clan history, Teng Qingshan's name would forever be remembered in the most dazzling manner.

Pondering for a while, Teng Qingshan said, "Grandfather, it's not possible for me to teach so many people at the same time. It's better to select the best 20 to 30 people to start with. Starting from tomorrow, let them come with me in the forest to train in the Tiger Fist during the morning exercise."

"Alright, we'll do it your way." Teng Yunlong smiled and nodded. "If I wasn't too old, I too would also want to learn Tiger Fist from you."

"Grandfather, your bones are still healthy and can withstand training the Tiger Fistt. If you produce inner strength, it will also prolong your life," Teng Qingshan said with a smile.

"Haha, alright. Your grandfather normally doesn't have anything to do, so I will go learn as well." Teng Yunlong burst out laughing.

"Qingshan, can I learn it as well?" Teng Yonglei hesitated before he asked in a concerned tone.

After losing his arms, Teng Yonglei might have looked cheerful on the surface, but his heart was in pain.

"Of course you can learn it," Teng Qingshan replied. In the history of the modern world, there existed many one-armed Tiger Form Fist masters.

......

The Tiger Fist was set as the clan's unique technique.

Starting the following day, 32 talented people from within the Teng Clan were selected, the oldest being Teng Yunlong and the youngest being Teng Qinghai, who was only 8 years old. Even Teng Yongfan, Teng Yongxian, and the one armed Teng Yonglei started to immerse themselves in training.

Each one of them started to learn in extremely seriousness, knowing that by practicing Tiger Fist, they could produce inner strength.

"Qingshan, how come the breathing is sometimes slow, sometimes deep, and often alternates between shallow breaths and deep inhalations? It's extremely cumbersome to coordinate it with the movement." During the first day of learning Tiger Fist, they all felt uncomfortable and awkward, and Teng Qinghu was the first one to complain.

"Listen to Qingshan and learn from him." Teng Yunlong shouted at Teng Qinghu, who immediately shut his mouth.

Teng Qingshan smiled while saying, "Cousin, you might feel uncomfortable now, but it will fade away once you learned the technique. By practicing this Tiger Fist, it will make you feel like a tiger later on, especially when breathing rhythm synchronizes with the movement. Therefore, you must listen well right now and not get sloppy."

For Xing Yi Martial Arts, the form was only secondary, while the meaning behind it was more important.

However, this rule was only for masters of Xing Yi Martial Arts. The clansmen were just beginning to learn it and had to focus on taking small steps without slacking off.

"For now, don't expect to immediately be able to imitate a tiger. The Tiger Fist needs to be taken step by step. The movements as well as the breathing are all necessary. Only after you have the foundation will you be able to learn the Tiger Fist." Teng Qingshan taught them slowly and patiently.

One day, two days, three days.... Half a month, a month....

After three months and eight days later.

Within the forest west of Teng Jia Village, a group of people were practicing Tiger Fist.

"My bones grew slightly stronger overnight, and the growth rate is still accelerating. I should have fully stepped into my growth spurt right now," Teng Qingshan thought to himself as he watched the group of people training. "Now, I can finally start my plan. The problem is that Father and Uncle aren't able to produce inner strength with their Tiger Fist yet, so I still need to look after them."

Teng Qingshan had already reached this growth spurt, which would normally last three to four years.

These three to four years were the most important period for physical growth.

Although later his body would continue to grow, it couldn't be compared to the speed of these three to four years.

"For now, I will look after Uncle and the other while doing some simple training for the time being. Later, I will go into the mountain and intensify my training," Teng Qingshan decided. "Moreover, this world is unlike my previous one and has an abundant quantity of Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth. Uncle and the others should be able to quickly cultivate inner strength."

According to Teng Qingshan's view, without training the Tiger First for a few years, it would have been impossible to cultivate inner strength in his previous world.

However, in this ancient era where there was an abundant amount of Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, it was possible to cultivate inner strength just with the breathing method.

"Haha! I cultivated inner strength!" Ecstatic laughing came from the people practicing Tiger Fist.

When Teng Qingshan turned around, he immediately saw Teng Qinghu jumping in excitement.

"Teng Qinghu, you managed to cultivate inner strength?" Everyone gathered around him.

"Yes, I can feel it," Teng Qinghu nodded his head, "But, I don't know how to use it."

"You can't use it? You dolt! Qingshan was able to use it and even managed to break the wooden bench!" Teng Yonglei said.

Chief Teng Yunlong said, "I have heard that people who haven't practiced inner strength have closed meridians. Cultivating inner strength allows one to open the body's, but it's almost impossible to forcefully open all of them."

As the Village Chief, Teng Yunlong was very knowledgeable and knew many things.

Teng Qingshan came close before saying, "Cousin, don't worry. Once you continue practicing, your inner strength will be able to circulate through your arm, and you will be able to use it. Moreover... while practicing inner strength, your body will be strengthened even further."

The Teng Jia villagers knew nothing about inner strength and simply thought that it was amazing.

"It can increase our strength?!" The clansmen were joyous.

"Yes, of course it will increase the body's overall strength. Right now, Cousin was able to cultivate inner strength, and if you all work hard, you should all able to do it," Teng Qingshan said.

Even though he said it with his lips, Teng Qingshan knew deep inside that not everyone would be able to absorb the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth to cultivate inner strength. It all depended on individual potential. Although these people were the best from within the clan, he estimated that only a fraction of them would be able to cultivate inner strength.

However ,Teng Qingshan kept quiet about it.

......

Half a month later, the one-armed Teng Yonglei unexpectedly became the second one to cultivate inner strength. Teng Qingshan knew that, although he lost an arm, Teng Yonglei secretly practiced at home day and night. Hence, there was no surprise that he became the second one to succeed.

Another half a month later, both his father, Teng Yongfan, and the eight year-old kid, Teng Qinghai, also managed to cultivate inner strength.

......

A group of people practiced Tiger Fist while Teng Qingshan stood upside down, supporting his body with his right index finger. By lifting his body from the ground with a single strength, he practiced his finger strength. Although Teng Qingshan was only ten years old, he had already the strength of a thousand Jin. The reason why he managed to train this way was because he was still young and light in weight. Coupled with his immense strength, this task required little effort.

Single F=finger handstands were a part of his basic training.

"Hu." Teng Qingshan dropped to the ground before standing up.

The clansmen stopped practicing.

"Grandfather, Father....from tomorrow on, everyone will practice Tiger Fist by themselves," Teng Qingshan said.

"Alright, everyone already knows the movement and meaning of Tiger Fist by now. Qingshan, you are free to do as you like,." Teng Yunlong said with a smile, "Seeing you practicing alongside us all this time, I finally know... that your strength is much stronger than I had originally guessed."

Teng Qingshan revealed a humble smile. "Grandfather, Father, I feel that it is not very suitable for me to study the technique and train inside the village anymore. I decided that from tomorrow onwards, except when leading the hunting squadron, I will stay in the mountains to practice during the daytime and come back at night."

"Training in the mountains the entire day?" The clansmen instantly began to talk with one another.

"Qingshan, feel free to tell me what kind of tools you will need for your training. I can help you get obtain whatever you need," Teng Yongfan said. "Why would you want to train in the mountains?"

Teng Qingshan continued. "I actually wanted to study wild tigers to perfect my Tiger Fist. Perhaps I can create a more powerful method. Regarding the tools I need for training, Father, I will tell you when I return home. "

After witnessing Teng Qingshan's Spear Arts, Teng Yongfan was not worried about his son facing any life-threatening danger in the mountains.

Teng Yunlong said, "Alright, no need to continued talking about this.Even that Li Jinfu from Li Jia Village spent a few years in the mountain. Furthermore, Qingshan is returning every night, so you have nothing to worry about. Moreover, not even the big tigers, wolves packs, or bears are a threat to Qingshan."

After the Chief spoke, everyone stopped arguing whether Teng Qingshan should train in the mountain.

The hunters entered the mountains every second day, and dawn had just arrived on this day.

Inside Teng Qingshan's courtyard.

"Qingshan, be careful once you are inside the mountains." Mother Yu Lan still told Teng Qingshan to watch out for himself, worried that he might run into trouble. She helped him pack his bag, and inside was the disassembled Damascus Steel Spear and several of Teng Qingshan's training tools.

"Don't worry, Mother." Teng Qingshan picked up his bag and patted his younger sister's head while saying, "Qingyu, listen to Mother and Father."

"I won't cause any trouble, Brother," said Qingyu in a crisp voice.

While watching his own parents, Teng Qingshan took a deep breath and slightly grinned. "Father, Mother, I will now go into the mountains."

"There are many poisonous vipers in the mountains. Be careful," Teng Yongfan finally opened his mouth.

"Ah." Teng Qingshan nodded, no longer hesitating. He walked out of the yard, leaving Teng Jia Village.

A world of silence appeared as Teng Qingshan arrived at the foot of mountain. Taking a deep breath, Teng Qingshan inhaled the fresh and cold morning air.

"Finally, finally,......finally, it's time to start the 'Strongest Plan'." Teng Qingshan's blood was boiling, as he had prepared for this for a long time.

Once a human had squeezed his potential, his future development would slow down. Teng Qingshan was still young and hasn't yet pushed his body to its full potential.

It had always been a process of self-cultivation, increasing his strong physique and blood essence while strengthening his vitality.

"Puberty is a person's fastest growing stage. Whether it's height, bones, muscles or internal organs, it's the best stage to push one's potential. However, it's also the most dangerous stage." Teng Qingshan understood very clearly that increasing his body's height by ten centimeters during this growth period was an extremely feasible feat.

However, once the bones of the body were set, it would be extremely difficult to increase it by another ten centimeters.

The opposite was also disastrous. If one pushed the body too far during this growth period, it would led to an irreparable lifelong regret.

"As someone who reached the Grandmaster Realm, I have some leniency since I can adjust my muscles and bones at any time I wish. The physical growth period is the 'golden' stage to increase once potential, and if this chance is missed, it will never appear again." Teng Qingshan looked towards the mountains. "There is a massive amount of energy stored inside my body, enough to nourish by growing bones and muscles. Actually, considering my body control as an Internal Martial Arts expert, I don't know to what extent my body will grow!"

In the history of the previous world...

There was never an inner strength expert who was fortunate enough to live in an era with such abundant Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth.

Moreover, there was never an inner strength expert who consciously started strengthening his body just after birth.

It could be said that Teng Qingshan never took a detour to improve his body during the past years. His growth was a model of the human body's limits, or rather the lack of.

"Once I finish with the 'Strongest Plan', I will finally know just how strong my body is." Teng Qingshan was already anticipating his future several years from now.

"Let's begin!"

Teng Qingshan carried his bag and entered the Great Yan Mountains to start his 'Strongest Plan'.

Book 2 Chapter 29: Four Years Later

As the seasons continued to change, four years had passed.

On the Great Yan Mountain that had towered over the earth since ancient times, thick, huge trees and messy grass and thorns grew, while decayed leaves carpeted the ground and numerous beasts inhabited this mountain. It was the same as four years ago, with nothing different.

It was now the beginning of summer, and the atmosphere of the forest of the Great Yan Mountain gradually became sweltering.

There wasn't even a breath of air. The forest was so hot and sweaty that it gave people a suffocating feeling.

"Whish Whish~~" The soft sounds of leaves fluttering suddenly rang in the originally silent forest. The volume of the sound gradually increased.

"Whew!" A shadow suddenly appeared in the forest at a distance and as the ground shook slightly, the shadow had already traveled ten or more Zhang.

This was a topless teenager wearing only a pair of short pants. The most shocking part was that this young man was actually lifting a terrifying huge rock that was a lot bigger than himself. The arms of this young man was as thick as the thighs of an ordinary teenager. At this moment, the muscles of his arms were like steel bars, lifting this enormous rock steadily with an outpouring of terrifying strength.

Simultaneously, the strong and powerful legs of that young man was thick to the point that they were terrifying. Every kick exerted a frightening strength of over ten thousand Jin. The legs trampled on the ground of the forest, and caused the earth to quaver as the young man dashed about in the forest.

Whether it is crushing the dead twigs or leaping over the deadwood on the ground, the young man lifting the enormous rock was as nimble as a monkey and darted forward easily.

After a long time.......

"Phew!" The young man who was like a prehistoric monster finally halted and threw the huge rock to the side.

"Bang!" The huge rock drew a long curve and crashed onto the ground at the side, causing a thundering sound. The branches and grass around where the rock landed were crushed, and a hole was made on the ground.

The weird thing was......

The prominent muscles and horrifyingly thick arms and legs actually experienced changes. The degree of the thickness of his arms and legs decreased, shrinking to the degree of the body of an ordinary sturdy man. It wasn't as horrifying as just now, and even the clear and obvious muscles hid themselves.

Nothing could be perceived by just looking at the appearance, but under the skin of those arms and legs hid the horrifying muscles.

"Two hour of long-distance running ended." Teng Qingshan looked up at the double peak. Four years passed by like a day. During these four years, Teng Qingshan challenged his limits every day. Simultaneously, he examined every parts of his body through the skills of the Grandmaster Realm. Teng Qingshan had also never gone beyond his physical limits or caused any injuries to himself.

Long-distance running was something that Teng Qingshan did every day.

Endurance was one of the most important physical qualities and long distance running was one of the best ways to train it. Additionally, long-distance running in the forest can train flexibility. Human bodies really do have too many muscles. Just relying on equipment, it would be impossible to train every muscle because strengthening specific muscles would stifle the growth of the other muscles.

This scenario was unacceptable.

Flexibility and speed were the two qualities that Teng Qingshan valued most.

The enormous rock just now weighed at least ten thousand Jin. In his previous life, Teng Qingshan could only just lift such a weight when he reached the Grandmaster Realm, but now......Teng Qingshan could even run in the forest for two hours while carrying the ten thousand Jin enormous rock. This meant that his endurance would remain fine even after battling against an army of a thousand men for a day and a night.

Plus, he was able to be as nimble as a monkey while lifting a ten thousand Jin huge rock. Therefore, if the rock was cast off, one could imagine how great his agility and speed would be.

"Phew!"

Teng Qingshan leaped upwards, and that one leap was several Zhang high. Jumping from place to place, occasionally using his hands,he rapidly darted towards the peak of the Twin Peak Mountain as if he were flying. If the hunters in the clan wanted to climb up the Twin Peak Mountain,, they would need to walk along a small path and go around the mountain, which would take a long time.

However, Teng Qingshan reached the peak within a short length of time.

There was a large amount of rocks littered about the peak of the mountain.

Teng Qingshan swung his arm forcefully and struck a huge rock as tall as an adult. The instant his arm approached the huge rock, the speed of Teng Qingshan's arm increased drastically as the bulging muscles on his arms became obvious. With a "Pa" sound, his arm hit the huge rock like a whip.

Immediately, cracks appeared on this enormous rock, which had stood on this mountain for numerous years.

"Pa!" "Pa!" "Pa!"........

Teng Qingshan's steps were nimble as he moved around the rock. At the same time, his arms hit continuously on this rock, and every strike caused large cracks to appear on the huge rock. He continued striking until the number of hits became unknown.

"Peng!" "Peng!" ......

The sound had changed because Teng Qingshan started attacking with his legs.

Teng Qingshan lashed out with sweeping kicks. The shadow of his legs fell on the huge rock, and every strike caused the rock to tremble. Deep cracks appeared as huge amounts of gravel fell from the besieged rock.

Teng Qingshan suddenly roared and smashed the center of the rock with his right fist. As a "Bang" sound rang out, many crevices immediately appeared. Simultaneously, his right fist changed into a palm and touched the surface of the rock, while he sent out a heavy left fist, smashing onto the center of the right palm. This brought forth a trembling force that was transmitted to the core of the huge rock, causing the internal areas to crack. As pieces of stones fell from the rock, a thunderous sound rang out, and the rock collapsed entirely.

"Crash!" Numerous pieces of stones fell away and tumbled about.

Currently, breaking a rock into pieces with his fists and legs was not difficult for Teng Qingshan. Even if a hundred people smashed a huge and lofty rock crazily with the use of large iron hammers, their destructive speed wouldn't be as quick as Teng Qingshan's. Just the destructive force of Teng Qingshan's fists and legs had already exceed the destructive power of a large iron hammer.

"I should get some rest." Teng Qingshan smiled and jumped down directly from the mountaintop towards the bottom of the mountain.

His whole body was falling down from the sky at lightning speed.

"Pa!" "Pa!" ......

As he was falling, Teng Qingshan patted the mountain rocks with his hands and brushed them with his feet occasionally, causing his falling speed to remain in a tolerable range. Otherwise, the speed down the mountain would truly be too fast.

Teng Qingshan suddenly kicked the mountain walls and leaped off forcefully like a fish, darting towards the lake in the mountainside.

With "Plop!" sound, Teng Qingshan dove into the water, causing water to splash in all directions. Teng Qingshan then came up to the surface of the water.

"Ah. This feels so good." The bone-penetrating coldness caused Teng Qingshan's muscles to shudder. He lay on the surface of the lake comfortably and actually floated on the surface of the water.

While training assiduously in the Great Yan Mountain, this Frost Jade Pool was Teng Qingshan's temporary residence. His bag and clothes were placed at the side of the Frost Jade Pool. If Teng Qingshan wore normal clothes during his tough training, with the strong level of Teng Qingshan's training, he would have to change to a new set of clothes everyday. There was no other way, which was why Teng Qingshan had to train in shorts.

"This Frost Jade Pool is really peculiar." Teng Qingshan stared at the reservoir and sighed with emotion, "The density of this water is actually higher than the density of the human body, humans won't even sink. Just like the Dead Sea in my previous world."

The water of this Frost Jade Pool was indeed peculiar.

Humans would naturally float in this water, so it was obvious that the density of the water was higher than the density of a human body.

Secondly, this temperature of this area remained very low throughout the year. Based on Teng Qingshan's experience in his previous life, the temperature of this place was fifty or sixty degrees below zero. Frost even formed in the surroundings of the Frost Jade Pool. Summer had just arrived and the other places of the Great Yan Mountain were hot and humid, yet it was extremely cold here. This difference caused puffs of steam to form around the Frost Jade Pool.

However, at such a low temperature, the water still did not freeze. Such an occurrence truly could astound anyone.

Usually, one's whole body would be sweaty and feel hot during training.

Even if it was Teng Qingshan, he only dared to jump down into the icy cold reservoir with the temperature of fifty or sixty below zero, under the circumstances of the body feeling extremely hot, last year. Such extreme heat and extreme cold stimulation would cause ordinary people to experience a seizure and die immediately because their heart was unable to withstand the pressure.

When Teng Qingshan was ten years old, his physical quality was already extremely good. With internal strength protecting his body, he wouldn't die immediately when he jumped into the cold reservoir suddenly with a body hot from training. However, seizures and cramps would still affect his body.

"Such hot and cold stimulation would stimulate both the skin on my body and the smallest, most hidden muscles and so could accelerate my improving speed." Teng Qingshan lay on the water and said to himself. He no longer needed inner strength to defend against this low temperature of ten degrees below zero, as just his skin and muscles is able to protect him from such low temperature.He then said to himself again, "However, it is obvious that the best stage has passed as the improving speed of my body has already decelerated drastically."

The 'Strongest Plan' had been in progress for four years.

One can say that the strongest plan had now ended.

Because of the physiological growth period of the human body, the first three years would show unbelievable improvements. After that, although the body will still continue to grow, but the growing speed and other things would began to decelerate.

"However, the improvement progress over these four years is slightly higher than what I had expected." Teng Qingshan recalled h improvements during these four years and felt overjoyed.

The results of the four years of training were astonishing.

Teng Qingshan's physical qualities were a lot stronger than when he reached the Grandmaster Realm in his previous life. The current him could kill Vishnu and Shiva with two moves. His body could be called 'Iron bones' and 'Almighty.' You could say he was now a monster in human form, and even the bullets in his previous life couldn't pierce through his skin.

Lifting a rock weighed ten thousand Jin was not a difficult thing. Of course, it would be extremely difficult for Teng Qingshan to walk while carrying a rock weighing ten thousand Jin. Therefore, he chose to use the ten thousand Jin rock for his long-run training.

His fists and legs were as tough as steel.

In his previous world, Teng Qingshan's hands could defend directly against the metal gloves of Body Crusher Dolegoterov. As for now, his fists and legs were even more powerful.

If he were in the previous world, the Teng Qingshan today would definitely be an invincible existence.

What about in this world of the Nine Prefectures?

What level was Teng Qingshan, this monster in human form?

"Living in this world filled abundantly with the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, the achievements are a lot better in comparison to my previous world. Regarding my meridians, only the tiny meridians on my face have not opened up." Teng Qingshan said to himself. In these past four years, Teng Qingshan had focused all of his energy on the improvement of his body while the speed of opening up his meridians slowed down.

"When the meridians are fully opened, I can practice the«Godly Tiger Form Technique»and improve my body again. In my previous world,«Godly Tiger Form Technique»improved the qualities of my body within a short time. I wonder what degree the effect of the«Goldy Tiger Form Technique» could reach in this world with abundant Spiritual Qi."

Teng Qingshan's improving speed had decreased radically, but......

He had the«Goldy Tiger Form Technique»!

One could only practice the«Godly Tiger Form Technique»when every meridian of the body was open.

Book 2 Chapter 30: Iron Mountain Gang

"ChiChi~~" A blurry figure floated in the icy cold air that permeated the area surrounding the Frost Jade Pool.

"The source of this Frost Jade Pool cannot be seen. It seemed to be a stagnant pool, but the water level doesn't sink at all. Also, the water level remains constant throughout the year. If I thrust a wooden pole towards the bottom of the pool, it wouldn't even reach the bottom." Teng Qingshan pondered about the mystery behind the Frost Jade Pool..

"It has been almost a month since I began looking the bottom of this Frost Jade Pool." Teng Qingshan circulated his inner strength and stood in the center of the pool. He was submerged within the pool, the water reaching Teng Qingshan's chest. "In comparison to a month ago, my ability has improved dramatically. I should try again and see whether I can touch the bottom of this pool."

During these few years, Teng Qingshan, who was curious about why this Frost Jade Pool was so marvelous, would always try to explore the bottom of the pool by holding his breath.

However,he had never truly reached the bottom of the pool, not even once.

"Walla~~" Teng Qingshan held a stone that weighed more than a hundred Jin and took a deep breath. Immediately, his entire body sank towards the bottom of the pool. Actually, with Teng Qingshan's control of his muscles and bones, he could easily submerge down to the bottom of the water if he was at a normal body of water, .

However, the density of the water within the Frost Jade Pool was a lot higher than normal water. In order to get to the bottom of the pool, there were only two ways. One was to weigh oneself down with a stone, piece of metal, or any other heavy object. The other way was to use inner strength. Of course Teng Qingshan would use the easier method instead of wasting his own inner strength.

Using his arms to wrap around a huge rock, Teng Qingshan continued sinking.

There were no weeds or living creatures in this Frost Jade Pool. It was dead silence.

As Teng Qingshan continued sinking, he could distinctly feel the water temperature dropping drastically, getting increasingly colder. However, Teng Qingshan relied on his physical toughness to endure the coldness.

"The water surface of this Frost Jade Pool is only seven or eight meters wide and more than a dozen meters long, yet the depth of this pool is actually this surprising." Teng Qingshan hugged the rock and continued submerging. "The Frost Jade Pool is located halfway up Twin Peak Mountain. I have sunk more than a hundred meters, so I should be at the base of the mountain."

Twin Peak Mountain was just a small mountain on top of the Great Yan Mountains, with a height of only three or four hundred meters.

"It's really cold." Teng Qingshan's muscles shuddered slightly. At this moment, the temperature of the water was so freezing that it felt like sharp needles pricking every part of Teng Qingshan's body and entering his bones. "I remember that particular rock protruding over there. I must have dived four meters deeper than last time because I used inner strength."

The rich inner strength in his body had already moved rapidly in his body, circulating rapidly to defend against the extreme coldness.

This Frost Jade Pool became wider the deeper one went. It was now already more than ten meters wide. However, Teng Qingshan still couldn't see the bottom of the pool.

"By now, I have gone beyond the foot of Twin Peak Mountain," said Teng Qingshan as he estimated the depth. "Down here, it's so dark." Even with Teng Qingshan's acute eyesight, he could only distinguish objects clearly up to five to six meters away. It was obvious that the Frost Jade Pool was already dark to an unknown degree. However......."

Teng Qingshan still hasn't touch the bottom of the pool.

With Teng Qingshan's ability, holding his breath for one to two hours wasn't a difficult thing. As a powerful practitioner of Internal Martial Arts, training the internal organs was more vital than anything else. His strong lungs allowed him to hold on for a long time while underwater. This was just one of the many reasons why he was able to reach such a depth and last so long. A large lung capacity alone won't allow Teng Qingshan to last underwater for one to two hours.

The most important reason was——

Teng Qingshan's main meridians and almost every pathway that connected his skin pores were unobstructed.

With Teng Qingshan's control over his energy and blood, he could easily absorb the oxygen in the water through his pores. Of course, the speed of absorption through his skin was a lot slower than breathing through his nose or mouth. It could only maintain a low consumption of oxygen; he was unable to afford to create any intense movements. If a fierce fight were to happen underwater, with Teng Qingshan's powerful organs, he could only endure for a short while before needing to go above the water to take a breath.

"It's getting colder and colder." Teng Qingshan could feel the bones wrapped by the skin being irritated by the freezing cold sensation.

Even if Teng Qingshan used inner strength, he still couldn't withstand such low temperatures.

"This can't go on." Teng Qingshan released his grip, and the rock dropped towards the bottom of the water. Free of the weight, his body floated upwards..

"Wa-lla!"

Teng Qingshan burst out of the water surface.

"The water on the surface of this pool actually made me feel warm. Haha......" Teng Qingshan laughed. In comparison to the deeper areas of the Frost Jade Pool, the water at the surface of the Frost Jade Pool was indeed 'warm.' Teng Qingshan also understood that this was due to a misinterpretation of temperature caused by the limits of the human body. Likewise, during the winter, cold running water sometimes felt warm.

However, during the summer, the running water always felt cold.

This was the same principle. The water at the bottom of the pool could be considered extremely cold. Feeling the water on the surface of the pool after feeling the extremely cold water, it wouldn't be weird if the water on the surface felt warmer in comparison.

"After submerging two hundred to three hundred meters deep, the water pressure is really high." Teng Qingshan took a deep breath and rested in order to stabilize his internal organs. Normal people couldn't withstand the water pressure once they dived ten meters deep. Teng Qingshan remembered clearly that in his previous life, the world's barehanded diving record was about one hundred meters.

Those people trained for a long time in order to be able to dive great depths. In his previous life, even Grandmasters of Internal Martial Arts wouldn't be able to withstand a depth of two hundred meters.

The water density of this Frost Jade Pool was a lot higher than normal water, so although Teng Qingshan had only dived two to three hundred deep, the depth was equal to diving four hundred meters deep in normal water. Facing such water pressure, even with his strong body, Teng Qingshan would still feel his chest being compressed, causing him to use inner strength to alleviate the pressure.

"By going deep down the pool every month, each nerve, bone, and internal organ would be simulated by this extreme coldness." During these few years, Teng Qingshan had notice the beneficial effects of the Frost Jade Pool's icy water.

After every deep diving, and during the training, his organs would become increasingly stronger.

Just like muscles could be strengthened through stimulation, so could organs. If organs experienced regular stimulation, they would be improved. However.......such simulation challenged the body's limits. Even Teng Qingshan was not audacious enough to do it often, which was why he only attempted this once a month.

After Teng Qingshan left the Frost Jade Pool, he used the towel in his bag to rub and wash his body before putting on his clothes and long pants. He then took out a long spear that had been disassembled into two parts and combined the two parts into one. This Damascus Steel Spear wasn't the same as the spear he used four years ago. Because Teng Qingshan had grown a lot taller, he switched to a nine Chi long Damascus Steel Spear with a weight of sixty-eight Jin.

"Phew!" "Phew!"

Teng Qingshan began practicing his Spear Arts besides the Frost Jade Pool.
......

The sky gradually darkened, and the clan members of Teng Jia Village that were out farming returned from the fields. Many people gathered at the lively training field, which was bustling with noise and excitement.

"Sister Lan, your son, Qingshan, has returned." The voice of a woman at the training field rang, announcing the return of the esteemed leader of the hunting squadron.

Yuan Lan, who was at the training field, immediately turned her head and saw Teng Qingshan, who was wearing linen suit and long pants with a bag on his back, walking in from the side entrance instead of Teng Jia Village's main entrance. At the same time, he was smiling and greeting the clan members surrounding him. The well-dressed Teng Qingshan looked very delicate and handsome.

Because he practiced Internal Martial Arts, his body was so tough that he didn't have a scar on his body. Although his facial features weren't very beautiful, they are still considered quite handsome.

No one would have expect a young man that looked so delicate to possess shocking, terrifying power.

"Mother," called Teng Qingshan while she was still at the distance from him.

"I'm waiting for you to come home for dinner." Yuan Lan looked at her own son with a bright smile on her face. Beside Yuan Lan was a cute girl, who is almost six Chi tall. This is Teng Qingshan's eleven years old sister, Teng Qingyu. Because of differences in gender, girls grew earlier than boys. Also, Teng Qingshan's household has favorable living conditions, so Teng Qingyu had already started growing at a fast pace.

"Brother, my tummy is growling," Teng Qingyu purposely yelled.

"Alright, go back and finish dinner." Teng Qingshan walked over lovingly and stroke his sister's head.

Teng Qingyu giggled in response. She was used to such loving actions from Teng Qingshan.

"Qingshan, you're back."

"Haha. Qingshan, don't forget you are going into the mountain to hunt tomorrow."

In the training field, many people were greeting Teng Qingshan enthusiastically. During these four years, Teng Qingshan's position in the Teng Jia Village had risen higher and higher. During the yearly sacrifice two years ago, Teng Qingshan lifted a two thousand Jin boulder in one breath, shocking his clansmen. Everyone guessed that the current Teng Qingshan could probably lift a boulder that weighed three to four thousand Jin.

Lifting three or four thousand Jin was already quite terrifying to the simple and honest clan members.

However, to Teng Qingshan, if it wasn't absolutely necessary, he wouldn't expose all his ability.

During the last year's yearly sacrifice, the cousin, Teng Qinghu, who also practiced the Tiger Fist, lifted a huge rock that weighed two thousand Jin and became the man in the clan with the power second to Teng Qingshan.
......

On the wooden table at Teng Qingshan's house, the family of four was eating dinner together. Because Teng Qingshan only came home at night, dinner was the most extravagant among the three daily meals in Teng Qingshan's house.

"Qingshan, eat." Yuan Lan picked up a chicken thigh and placed it in Teng Qingshan's bowl. She then picked up a chicken wing for her daughter, Teng Qingyu.

"Thank you, Mother." Teng Qingshan smiled. He never felt parental love in his previous life. Now that he felt it in this life, Teng Qingshan was very satisfied.

"Qingshan, have you heard? A very strong gang has risen in our Yi City." said the mature and prudent father, Teng Yongfan. Teng Yongfan already viewed Teng Qingshan as an adult. In the clan, Teng Qingshan's words held great importance.

"Father, are you talking about Iron Mountain Gang?" Said Teng Qingshan as he furrowed his eyebrows. "Yesterday, I heard someone mention it while we were hunting."

"Yes." Teng Qingfan was slightly anxious. "The Iron Mountain Gang is very arrogant and looks down upon the White Horse Gang. Within a short six months, they have become the second greatest gang in the region of Yi City. I was told that there are over three thousand core members. In addition, the three leaders are powerful masters. Within this half a year, the gang expanded to its current size. Now, this Iron Mountain Gang urgently needs money, and many villages in the territory of Yi City are being threatened by them.

Teng Qingshan nodded his head slightly.

The White Horse Gang collected the annual tribute to fund their normal expenses.

As for this Iron Mountain Gang, they were in a hurry to expand and develop their gang, so they obviously needed more taels of silver.

"I hear they demand large amounts of silver from local villages. I just received news that yesterday, the Black Wood Village, located thirty Li away from us, refused to pay the Iron Mountain Gang's ridiculous demands since they didn't have enough money......Who would have expected.. that this Iron Mountain Gang would slaughter the Black Wood Village, which was home to one thousand people?!"

"What! Total annihilation of the village?" No matter how calm Teng Qingshan was, he was still shocked by this news.