"Haha, exactly, mining!" Mu Yunji also laughed. "Sir, you can rest assured about this mining matter.

The Huoliu Iron vein is not difficult to excavate, and the Huoliu Iron ore, much like Thousand-Year Cold Iron and Xuan Iron, is entirely pure. However much the ore weighs, that is exactly how much Huoliu Iron there is." Teng Qingshan nodded.

Back in Teng Family Village, he had managed to retrieve two pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron from the Bihan Pond, and those were likewise utterly without impurities. "When do we start?" Teng Qingshan inquired.

"It’s getting late today," Mu Yunji glanced at the sky. "We'll spend tonight making preparations, and start mining tomorrow morning!

The more Huoliu Iron this vein holds, the longer it will take. I truly hope this consumes a significant amount of our time." "Yes, the longer the better," Duan Shijin and Fu Dao chuckled as well.

... On Bull Head Mountain, just a few li from the Huoliu Iron Canyon, atop an unnamed peak, Teng Qingshan commanded his disciple, 'Teng Shou,' to carve out a courtyard.

Back at Crescent Lake, Teng Qingshan had used the Samsara Spear to effortlessly construct several stone houses, but this time, Teng Shou utilized the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe! Teng Shou certainly dared not disobey his master's command, yet his speed was clearly inferior to Teng Qingshan’s.

After half a day's effort, a simple courtyard was completed on the mountaintop, with houses forming three sides within the enclosure. "A'Shou, your axe technique has some real flavor to it," Teng Qingshan observed the residence, revealing a slight smile.

Teng Shou's face flushed faintly. "Brother A'Shou is blushing, he’s blushing," Fu Yuping couldn't help but tease, while Yang Dong beside her covered his mouth to suppress a giggle.

Teng Shou immediately shot them a glare. "Brother Teng, A'Shou is much better suited to using an axe," Li Jun said, looking at Teng Qingshan.

Teng Qingshan, too, had been pondering what weapon his senior disciple, 'Teng Shou,' should ultimately wield. After this practical trial, he concluded: "Indeed, he is more suited for the axe, which makes sense.

Among my various fist arts, he excels most at the Fist of Earth Movement, and the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting created by Emperor Yu also begins with the Dao of Earth Movement..." "Then from now on, I shall teach him this Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique!" Although Teng Qingshan specialized in spear arts! During the process of comprehending the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting, Teng Qingshan had also achieved an extremely profound level in axe techniques.

This instruction would be more than sufficient even for a master of the Innate Golden Core realm. "A'Shou, starting tomorrow morning, I will begin teaching you axe techniques," Teng Qingshan announced.

"As for your weapon, the axe... for now, use this stone axe." "Yes, Master." Teng Shou reluctantly handed the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe back to Teng Qingshan.

... From the second day onward, Teng Qingshan immersed himself in comprehending the Heavenly Dao.

He was now truly, truly close to the Void Realm. Every morning, Teng Qingshan would spend a brief moment—the time it takes to drink a cup of tea—to offer some guidance to his eldest disciple, 'Teng Shou.' The axe technique taught was a distillation of Teng Qingshan’s own insights derived from the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting, a simplified set of techniques he termed the Seventy-Two Styles of Earth Splitting.

After all, he himself had only grasped a portion of the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting. However, the sheer might of this Seventy-Two Styles of Earth Splitting, if taken to the lands of the Nine Provinces, would surpass most Heaven-rank secret manuals.

It was, after all, simplified from Emperor Yu’s most powerful ultimate skill. Furthermore, an Innate expert trying to learn the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting would likely be utterly bewildered.

Learning the Seventy-Two Styles of Earth Splitting, however, would allow for tangible progress! Ultimately, what is suitable is what is best!

** While Teng Qingshan cultivated in seclusion on the nameless mountain, the mining operation within the Huoliu Iron Canyon was proceeding at a furious pace. Unconsciously, a month had passed.

One month later, as twilight descended upon the Huoliu Iron Canyon. Clang!

Clang! Clang!

The sounds of metal striking metal echoed intermittently, clearly indicating contact with Huoliu Iron. Numerous soldiers, clad only in thin undershirts, toiled arduously in the excavation.

It had been relatively easy at the surface layers, but the deeper they dug, the more they hit the solid rock stratum where the Huoliu Iron was embedded. Each time, large slabs of rock had to be broken away before the Huoliu Iron could be extracted.

"Tsk, tsk, with a single command, tens of thousands of soldiers mine Huoliu Iron," the slightly plump youth murmured, strolling through the canyon holding a bamboo pole. Watching the countless figures digging around him, his eyes shone brightly.

"If one day I possessed such authority, to command tens of thousands of soldiers with a mere word, that would truly be..." Childhood experiences instilled in Yang Dong a strong desire for power and martial might! That was why he had once joined a den of brigands.

"No, what is being an army general? Being like Master, that is truly formidable.

A single person, terrifying enough to strike fear into the hearts of hundreds of thousands of troops." Yang Dong recalled the scene from a month ago, when Teng Qingshan's roar had silenced the massive army; his desire intensified. Get stronger!

Stronger! "I wonder how Father is now..." The moment Yang Dong thought of his father, complex emotions surfaced.

Towards his father, Yang Wang, he sometimes felt intense hatred—hatred for abandoning him in a poor mountain village to endure endless humiliation. But sometimes, he missed him deeply, for his father was the only kin he had left in this world.

"Father, you must come back alive, you absolutely must!" Yang Dong murmured silently. "Dongzi," a voice called from not far away.

Yang Dong turned to see three figures emerging from the crowd of miners. As these three passed, the surrounding soldiers bowed with respect.

These three were none other than Mu Yunji, Fu Dao, and Duan Shijin. "Brother Mu, Mr.

Fu, Mr. Duan," Yang Dong greeted them with a smile.

"Came to check on the mine site for your teacher?" Mu Yunji asked kindly. "I was just stretching my legs," Yang Dong shook his head.

"Master is completely focused on cultivation and has no mind for these trivialities. Besides, Master trusts you all completely." Fu Dao patted Yang Dong’s head beside him.

"No matter how bold we are, we wouldn't dare steal from your teacher’s share. Alright, come, let’s go see your teacher together." "You guys?" Yang Dong was momentarily stunned.

Since the mining began, apart from the first day when they paid their respects to Teng Qingshan, the three of them—Mu Yunji and the others—had not visited Teng Qingshan’s residence for nearly a month, as Teng Qingshan had requested not to be disturbed. "Yes, the Huoliu Iron vein is nearly depleted.

We need to discuss the next steps with your teacher," Mu Yunji smiled. "Oh," Yang Dong realized, excitement bubbling up.

"Let's hurry! Master will surely be pleased to know." ...

It was already evening, the sky growing dim, as the four figures of Mu Yunji’s party arrived at Teng Qingshan’s residence. "Yang Dong, we were just waiting for you to finish eating," Fu Yuping opened the courtyard gate with a smile.

"Brother Mu, you came too! What a coincidence today, Uncle just came out of seclusion." In the center of the courtyard sat a simple square wooden table, surrounded by several small wooden stools.

On the table, three plates of delicious dishes were already set out. "Oh, you've arrived," Teng Qingshan and Li Jun emerged from the kitchen, each carrying bowls and plates.

"Sir can cook too?" Fu Dao exclaimed in surprise, smiling. "I'm just helping carry things; this was made by Xiao Jun," Teng Qingshan laughed.

Mu Yunji praised, "Miss Li Jun’s cooking is truly excellent... I ate it once before, tsk tsk, it rivals the head chefs in my Yunmeng Ancient City.

Mr. Teng, you are truly blessed." Li Jun blushed slightly upon hearing this and glanced at Teng Qingshan.

Teng Qingshan smiled, sat down, and looked at the three before him: "Yunji, since you are here, tell me what business you have." "Teacher, they said the mine vein is almost exhausted," Yang Dong reported. "Almost exhausted?" Teng Qingshan’s eyes brightened.

Huoliu Iron ore was directly linked to forging armor and equipment for a powerful army upon their return to the Nine Provinces; the importance of top-tier armor for a truly elite force needed no further explanation! "How much is there?" Teng Qingshan inquired.

"Sir, you have profited, while our Rising Sun Merchant Guild has suffered a loss," Mu Yunji shook his head with feigned helplessness. "I kept thinking, if the ore from this vein was plentiful enough—if the three-tenths share exceeded one hundred thousand jin, and you took one hundred thousand jin—our Rising Sun Merchant Guild would gain a great deal.

Alas..." Teng Qingshan frowned; he understood the implication... the three-tenths share this time would be less than one hundred thousand jin.

"It is estimated that the vein will be completely mined out in the next day or two. We estimate the total ore volume to be around three hundred thousand jin," Mu Yunji explained.

"Even if the estimation is slightly off, it won't be by much." "According to our prior agreement: the Fu family gets one and a half tenths, the Duan family gets two tenths, you, Mr. Teng, get three tenths, and my Rising Sun Merchant Guild gets three and a half tenths.

So..." "The Fu family gets approximately forty-five thousand jin of Huoliu Iron." "The Duan family, approximately sixty thousand jin of Huoliu Iron." "And my Rising Sun Merchant Guild only receives one hundred and five thousand jin of Huoliu Iron." Mu Yunji looked helplessly at Teng Qingshan. "I almost suspect Sir knew the total ore volume beforehand, stating a figure of one hundred thousand jin." Ninety thousand and one hundred thousand jin were indeed very close.

A smile also appeared on Teng Qingshan's face; he was quite satisfied with this number. After all, this Huoliu Iron was a heaven-defying treasure, and a total yield of three hundred thousand jin was already staggering; receiving ninety thousand jin for himself was excellent.

Calculated at thirty jin per suit of armor, this was enough to forge three thousand suits of Huoliu Iron armor! The Guiyuan Sect's Black Armored Army numbered six thousand; forging a three-thousand-man 'Innate Cavalry' force would be formidable in the Nine Provinces.

"Nine, that is a good number," Teng Qingshan stated with a smile. Suddenly— "Rumble~~~~" The very ground beneath Teng Qingshan vibrated violently, and a terrifying sound instantly propagated outward.

Crack! Thud!

The bowls and dishes on the wooden table tumbled off and shattered. "Look, over there," Yang Dong stared northward in shock.

Teng Qingshan, Li Jun, Mu Yunji, and the others also gazed northward in astonishment. They saw a pillar of fiery red magma erupting toward the sky, like the sharp sword of a War God attempting to pierce the firmament.

The deep red lava actually illuminated the sky in a fiery glow. Teng Qingshan and the group instantly understood—a volcano was erupting!

The mountain beneath their feet shook violently. "Boom~~" "Boom~~" "Boom~~"…… To Teng Qingshan's utter astonishment, on the Fiery Ridge to the north, apart from the first mountain that had just spewed the sky-piercing magma column, other fire mountains began to erupt in succession.

Terrifying jets of magma, like towering pillars, stabbed toward the heavens. The entire northern sky had turned a brilliant red, massive clouds of smoke and dust billowed out, and a dense scent of sulfur already washed over them.