“Of course, these are just my thoughts. How you proceed is ultimately up to you,” Zhuge Yuanhong chuckled.

Teng Qingshan nodded with a smile. “Master, you have considered things far more comprehensively than I have. By the way, Master, could I perhaps take some of that ‘Spirit of the North Sea’?”

“You risked your life to obtain that Spirit of the North Sea back then. Tell me, how many drops do you need?” Zhuge Yuanhong inquired. Teng Qingshan pondered for a moment. “The Fire Flowing Iron Armor can only equip a little over three thousand sets. I will bring an elite force from the Tai’a Mountain Range; fifteen hundred men should suffice. If you give me fifteen hundred drops of the ‘Spirit of the North Sea,’ Master, that will be enough.”

Zhuge Yuanhong looked toward Elder Wu and said respectfully, “Martial Grand-Master, the Spirit of the North Sea is with you. I must trouble you to bring two bottles.”

“Mm.”

Elder Wu smiled, transformed into a blur of motion, and vanished from the room.

In just a moment, Elder Wu returned.

“Qingshan,” Elder Wu handed over two black jade bottles sealed with wooden stoppers. “Each bottle contains about a thousand drops of the Spirit of the North Sea; two bottles make two thousand drops in total.”

Zhuge Yuanhong on the side remarked with a light smile, “If that isn't enough, just say so.”

“I only have a few people under me; this is enough… more than enough,” Teng Qingshan said with a smile, taking the two jade bottles and placing them into the bundle on his back. “Master, how many of these ‘Flame Red Lotus Seeds’ would you like? These seeds can allow a peak Houtian expert to break through and become a Xiantian Void Core, and they can also help a Xiantian Solid Core reach the Xiantian Golden Core level!”

“Truly a miraculous spiritual treasure,” Elder Wu couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

“Three should suffice,” Zhuge Yuanhong nodded.

Teng Qingshan opened the jade box from his bundle; eight lotus seeds remained inside. He took out three and handed them to Zhuge Yuanhong. Who wouldn't desire such treasures? In truth, Zhuge Yuanhong also wanted many, but… Zhuge Yuanhong understood that a Void Realm expert at twenty-one years old was practically unprecedented, perhaps never to be repeated!

It was almost certain that Teng Qingshan would reach the Great Completion of the Void Realm in the future.

Reaching the Cavernous Void Realm was also highly probable.

Becoming a legendary supreme expert, standing alongside figures like Emperor Yu and the Qinling Heavenly Emperor, was not out of the question! For the Guiyuan Sect to possibly pass down its legacy for thousands of years might depend on Teng Qingshan. Naturally, in many matters, Zhuge Yuanhong only offered suggestions, and even if there were treasures… he would not hoard them.

“Master,” Teng Qingshan’s voice suddenly grew somewhat low.

“Hmm? What is it?” Zhuge Yuanhong inquired.

“Where are Qingqing’s ashes?” As Teng Qingshan uttered these words, he felt a familiar pang of heartache.

Zhuge Yuanhong’s expression shifted, and he sighed. “Follow me.”

**

Because of constant warfare across the Nine Provinces, cemeteries were rarely built. For instance, in major sects, if a graveyard was built outside the city walls, they worried it would be desecrated. But within the city, how many burial sites would a major sect need over a thousand years? There simply wasn't enough space to construct them. Therefore, cremation was practiced, and the ashes were carefully preserved; this was the standard practice almost everywhere in the world.

“Eleven!”

Teng Qingshan’s gaze settled on a tower ahead. There were countless urns containing the cremated remains of fellow disciples who had died in the Guiyuan Sect throughout the generations.

“Qingshan, Qingqing’s urn is on the third floor of this eleventh tower. It is an urn cast from Glacial Jade Stone. You will spot it immediately once you go up,” Zhuge Yuanhong said, a trace of sorrow also visible in his eyes. What was more agonizing in the world than an elder burying the young?

The death of Zhuge Qing had indeed struck Zhuge Yuanhong hard.

“Yes, Master.”

Carrying a basket filled with incense, candles, a wine flask, cups, and various other items for worship, Teng Qingshan immediately stepped into the tower. Although the tower had windows allowing sunlight in, the entire structure felt inexplicably cold. On every floor stood towering stone steles, nearly three zhang high, each densely carved with numerous names.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Ascending the stone stairs, gusts of chilling wind swept through the tower.

The third floor had arrived!

There were not many urns on the third floor; clearly, it wasn't full yet. Although there were ten tall, standing stone tablets, only one was covered in densely packed names; the others were completely blank.

“Qingqing,” Teng Qingshan stood before the first stele and scanned the inscriptions.

Fifth row, seventeenth name—‘Zhuge Qing.’

The girl who once seemed like an exiled immortal was now merely one name among many on a tomb marker.

“It’s been nearly four years, Qingqing…” Teng Qingshan walked to the array of urns behind the stele. The urn made of what appeared to be transparent ice was particularly conspicuous. Engraved on the side of the urn were three characters—‘Zhuge Qing.’ To the lower right of these characters were a few smaller words: ‘Left by father, Zhuge Yuanhong!’

“Qingqing, it has been four years, but to me, it feels like it happened just yesterday,” Teng Qingshan crouched down, setting out the sacrificial items, lighting the incense and candles, and pouring cups of clear wine.

…

“Brother Teng.”

“C-can you… can you kiss me? Just like a husband kisses his wife!”

…

That desolate scene was still vivid before his eyes. Teng Qingshan looked at the urn before him, and his heart ached afresh.

Holding the wine flask, which still held more than half its contents, Teng Qingshan tilted his head back and poured the wine continuously into his mouth. Gurgle, gurgle~~~ Teng Qingshan kept drinking, draining almost the entire contents in one go. A little wine splashed onto his collar, the heat burning in his chest like a blaze.

“Qingqing, Brother Teng hasn't visited you for so long. I’m finally here today.”

“I’m finally back!”

Teng Qingshan gently stroked the urn. The Glacial Jade Stone radiated a bone-piercing cold. Teng Qingshan lowered his head and gently kissed the urn—kissed the urn of the pitiful girl who, before dying, only longed for one kiss from Teng Qingshan, a kiss as if from a husband to his wife.

“Qingqing, Brother Teng cannot do anything for you.”

“I can only guarantee that your brother, your parents, and the others will live well… that the Guiyuan Sect will endure forever. And that Qinghu Island, which caused your death, will vanish into smoke!”

Teng Qingshan swore softly before Miss Qing’s urn.

That evening, Teng Qingshan returned to the Li Residence in Nanxing Commandery with the two bottles of ‘Spirit of the North Sea.’

The next morning.

Hoo-hoo~~ The cold morning wind blew. On the martial practice field, the massive six-legged blade-mantis lay coiled in a pit, its huge, protruding golden eyes fixed on Teng Qingshan practicing his punches. Once Teng Qingshan finished, the behemoth began to lie still, seeming to be deep in thought.

“HooBreathe”

The six-legged blade-mantis exhaled a foul, fishy odor.

“A’Shou, A’Dong,” Teng Qingshan called out.

“Teacher (Master)!” Teng Shou and Yang Dong responded in unison.

Teng Qingshan couldn't help but glance at Teng Shou. “A’Shou.”

“Senior Brother forgot again that he should call you ‘Master’,” Yang Dong teased, stepping forward. Upon arriving in the Nine Provinces, Teng Qingshan had firmly ordered them to change their habits, addressing him as ‘Master’ instead of ‘Teacher,’ and calling themselves ‘Disciple’ instead of the previous term. Teng Shou scratched his head awkwardly and said in a low voice, “Yes, Master, this disciple remembers.”

Teng Qingshan nodded and looked at Yang Dong. “A’Dong, how is your fist technique practice going?”

“So-so,” Yang Dong shook his head helplessly. “Still no real feeling for it.”

Teng Shou beside him commented, “Master, A’Dong isn’t well-suited for internal martial arts.”

It had been half a year since Yang Dong became his disciple, yet Yang Dong had made no progress at all in internal martial arts. He was far behind the exceptionally gifted ‘Teng Shou.’

“What suits one is best; one should not be forced,” Teng Qingshan shook his head inwardly. If all the disciples he accepted could immediately practice internal martial arts, how wonderful it would be for the discipline to flourish in the future. Unfortunately, internal martial arts demanded slightly higher aptitude.

“A’Dong, open your mouth,” Teng Qingshan instructed.

“Huh?” Yang Dong was momentarily stunned.

Teng Qingshan walked to a spot on the ground, picked up his bundle, took out a jade bottle, and gently pulled out the stopper.

“Open your mouth,” Teng Qingshan frowned.

“Yes, Teacher,” under the tension, Yang Dong reverted to calling him ‘Teacher’ again.

Teng Qingshan extended a stream of water-blue vital energy (gang jin), dipped it into the jade bottle to collect a single drop of the ‘Spirit of the North Sea,’ then enveloped it with his gang jin and brought it to Yang Dong’s lips, releasing the vital energy.

Drip.

A single drop of the Spirit of the North Sea fell into Yang Dong’s body. Yang Dong’s face instantly flushed crimson, then turned blue, and his whole body trembled violently.

“Hmm?” Teng Qingshan placed a hand on Yang Dong’s shoulder, allowing a trace of water-blue gang jin to seep into Yang Dong’s body. Teng Qingshan immediately perceived the state of the meridians within Yang Dong, which caused a slight smile to appear on Teng Qingshan’s face. “As expected of the Spirit of the North Sea; its effect is even slightly better than the Vermilion Fruit.”

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Yang Dong’s expression calmed, and then he opened his eyes.

“Huh, Master,” Yang Dong looked at Teng Qingshan in surprise. “I… I feel my internal energy is incredibly strong.”

“You have already reached the Houtian limit, and even your meridians have been reshaped,” Teng Qingshan took a secret manual from his robes. The script inside was from the Duanmu Continent. “This is a high-grade secret manual from the Tianfeng family—the Fierce Wind Secret Codex. It is sufficient for you to cultivate to the Xiantian Golden Core realm. From now on, practice this manual.”

Tossing it over casually, Yang Dong received it with elation.

Among the Tianfeng family’s spoils, the Mu family hadn’t paid much attention to the numerous secret manuals, as they possessed the legacy of the Duanmu Heavenly God. However, Teng Qingshan had valued them highly and brought them to the Nine Provinces.

The Tianfeng family’s own secret manuals, combined with those seized from other families, meant their collection far surpassed that of the Guiyuan Sect by several times.

“Starting today, I will teach you the sword technique, the ‘Forty-Nine Swords of the Green Lotus.’ In terms of power, this ‘Forty-Nine Swords of the Green Lotus’ is comparable to the ‘Seventy-Two Slashes of Earth Splitting.’ You must not be careless. If you cannot even master the art of the sword, I will never teach you martial arts again,” Teng Qingshan said with grave seriousness.

“Yes, Master.” Yang Dong felt the pressure, no longer daring to be frivolous, and replied respectfully.

The morning after he started teaching Yang Dong swordsmanship, Teng Qingshan hired some personnel and Li Residence guards to escort three large chests of ‘Fire Flowing Iron’ to Jiangning Commandery City. After all, he couldn't allow the six-legged blade-mantis to arrive overtly at the Guiyuan Sect. The creature was too large and too likely to be exposed.

“Xiao Jun, I’m heading out for a trip. I’ll be back in a few days,” Teng Qingshan said.

“Be careful on the road.”

At the entrance of the Li Residence, Li Jun watched Teng Qingshan and the group of guards leave with the wooden chests of Fire Flowing Iron.

…

“Hmm? Second Brother, look at that woman over there.”

Not far down the street, two ordinary young men were watching Li Jun from afar.

“Hey, isn't that the person the higher-ups have been looking for? It seems they’ve been searching for this woman for about three years now?”

“Right, that’s her. She matches the portrait exactly. I can’t believe it’s been three years, and we found her.”

The two young men exchanged a look, their eyes shining with delight. They were going to be rich this time!