"How does Pei San also possess one of the Nine Provinces Cauldrons?" Teng Qingshan noticed Pei San flashing a mysterious smile at him.

"Master." A voice sounded from afar.

Pei San and Teng Qingshan turned their heads almost simultaneously. They saw two figures running toward them from not far away. One had a stern face, cold, with black hair and white eyebrows—it was the Sect Master of the Sword Sect, Li Chao. The other had flowing, unbound hair, his eyes sharp and fierce, resembling a wild man—it was the Beast King 'Wu Hou', with whom Teng Qingshan had some prior acquaintance.

The location where Teng Qingshan and the others landed was the courtyard of the temporary headquarters of the Heavenly God Palace in You Province.

"Hu He, let's discuss the Nine Provinces Cauldrons later." Pei San transmitted his voice to Teng Qingshan, then turned to his two senior disciples. "A Hou, Elder Guest Hu He, I suppose this is the first time you've seen him."

"So it's you who married Xiao Jun," Wu Hou looked at Teng Qingshan, scrutinizing him closely.

"I've long heard the great name of the Beast King Wu Hou." Teng Qingshan looked at Wu Hou. This Wu Hou could almost be considered Li Jun's master... and Teng Qingshan had interacted with Wu Hou before; Wu Hou suited Teng Qingshan's temperament well.

"What great name? Being number one on the Heavenly Ranking? Haha, after so many years without breaking through to the Void Realm, that's not a great name, it’s a notorious one," Wu Hou laughed heartily, then he took a close look at the Six-Legged Blade Chi beside Teng Qingshan—a creature two zhang tall, completely black with faint golden speckles and blood-red eyes. "Is this the legendary demonic beast? It certainly looks formidable."

Since Wu Hou was known as the 'Beast King,' he held a great fondness for demonic beasts.

"Roar~~" The Six-Legged Blade Chi coldly fixed its gaze on him.

"Tsk tsk, quite the temper," Wu Hou grinned.

"Let's go, don't stand here," Pei San commanded with a faint smile. At his order, Wu Hou, Li Chao, and the others obediently followed him into the living room.

Teng Qingshan’s arrival was met with such enthusiastic welcome from Pei San that even Li Chao and Wu Hou, Pei San’s own disciples, were astonished.

"With Master's temperament, why is he so warm to this Hu He?" Li Chao and Wu Hou walked side-by-side in the garden. Wu Hou frowned. "Senior Martial Brother, even if this Hu He possesses a powerful demonic beast, it shouldn't warrant such treatment from Master... I can't quite figure it out."

"Mmm," the stern Li Chao nodded. "Master appears calm and detached, but in reality, he is immensely proud. On the Nine Provinces Continent, very few people earn his notice. I don't understand it either."

...

This was Teng Qingshan’s first time interacting closely with Pei San. Pei San’s warmth didn't strike him as odd; he simply assumed Pei San was naturally a friendly and enthusiastic person toward others.

In Pei San's study.

"Hu He, sit," Pei San said with a smile as he poured tea. Only Teng Qingshan and Pei San were in the study.

"Palace Master..." Teng Qingshan frowned slightly.

"Have you been wondering about the Nine Provinces Cauldrons all along?" Pei San spoke with startling directness.

"Yes." Teng Qingshan did not deny it.

Pei San lifted his teacup, sniffing it lightly. "This tea is excellent. Let's talk while we drink. On the Nine Provinces Continent, there are exactly nine Nine Provinces Cauldrons. However, each one possesses incredible power and its own unique spirituality; it is rare for two Cauldrons to ever meet."

Teng Qingshan understood that Pei San knew he possessed a Nine Provinces Cauldron.

"Hu He, you should know the benefits of the Nine Provinces Cauldrons, right?" Pei San looked at him.

"I do not," Teng Qingshan shook his head, feigning ignorance.

"You don't?" Pei San chuckled lightly. "As far as I know, the first supreme expert of our Nine Provinces Continent, Emperor Yu, forged the Nine Cauldrons, after which the nine generated their own spirituality and vanished. The second supreme expert, the 'Qinling Celestial Emperor,' carried one Nine Provinces Cauldron with him personally. And the third supreme expert, 'Li Taibai,' even used a Nine Provinces Cauldron as a wine vessel. As for the fourth supreme expert, Patriarch Shakyamuni, there are no records of him possessing one."

"I know that the 'Northeast King,' Hong Tian, who once dominated the world, also wore a Nine Provinces Cauldron pendant on his chest."

"Also, three thousand years ago, the genius figure of Emperor Yu's Sect, the expert who reached the Void Glimpse Realm, 'Liu Yun'—though a woman—also wore a Nine Provinces Cauldron pendant," Pei San said while closely observing Teng Qingshan's expression.

Teng Qingshan couldn't help but reveal a look of shock.

Four supreme experts; the first created the nine Cauldrons, and two of the other three possessed one.

"This, this Nine Provinces Cauldron?" Teng Qingshan was greatly shaken.

"Haha, Hu He, are you frightened?"

"It's not as exaggerated as you might think," Pei San couldn't help but laugh loudly. "Yes, many heroic figures throughout Nine Provinces history carried the Cauldrons. But—there are far more heroes who never possessed one. You must remember, there are nine of them!"

"A person's lifespan is at most five hundred years! Over these six thousand years, even if the ownership changed every five centuries, the nine Cauldrons should have had nearly a hundred owners," Pei San explained.

"But—there were only four supreme experts. When Emperor Yu became a supreme expert, he did not have a Nine Provinces Cauldron," Pei San stated. "As for those who possessed them, many others merely attained the Innate realm."

Teng Qingshan suddenly smiled.

The Nine Provinces Cauldron he carried was obtained from a skeleton; the skeleton's owner in life was merely an Innate master.

"Even my disciples don't have a Nine Provinces Cauldron," Pei San continued. "According to my investigations, the Cauldrons possess mysterious abilities, especially during cultivation. Those who possess a Cauldron cultivate and comprehend the Dao much faster. But—it is only faster. When encountering certain bottlenecks, they still need to break through themselves!"

"Some people, even with a Cauldron, remain stuck at the Innate Golden Core stage their entire lives and never reach the Void Realm, because they cannot overcome the barrier." Pei San looked at Teng Qingshan.

"Without a Cauldron, comprehending the Dao might take a century. But with a Cauldron, perhaps thirty to fifty years," he suggested.

Pei San looked at Teng Qingshan. "Actually, many people in the world know this secret."

Teng Qingshan nodded.

"But so what if they know?" Pei San shook his head and smiled. "The Nine Provinces Cauldrons possess spirituality; they choose their own masters. Even if someone forcibly seizes a Cauldron... it will simply vanish and leave. In history, a Void Glimpse expert from the Ying Clan discovered a Cauldron and took it from another owner. But? The Cauldron disappeared the very next day, returning to its original owner."

"These Cauldrons are like mischievous children."

Pei San held the small Cauldron on his chest. "They choose their masters; no one can interfere."

"Haha, Palace Master," Teng Qingshan was quite calm as he stroked the small Cauldron in his embrace. "Since the Nine Provinces Cauldrons are willing to follow us... then we cannot disappoint them. On this continent, throughout thousands of years, there have been countless heroes. Some achieved the Void Glimpse Realm without a Cauldron. Then we—"

Pei San's eyes lit up, and he nodded: "Correct! Having a Cauldron means we must advance further! To become the fifth supreme expert in the history of these Nine Provinces!"

Teng Qingshan said no more; he held the same desire in his heart.

"Hu He," Pei San began.

"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan started.

"Let me remind you of one thing. You must remember this, no matter what, even a hundred years from now," Pei San said solemnly.

"What is it?" Teng Qingshan was stunned by Pei San’s grave expression.

"No matter what, even if you encounter the Four Great Divine Canons, do not study them. Even if you comprehend the Dao by following the Canons—stop immediately now," Pei San asserted seriously. "Do not look at any Divine Canon or secret manual. You must create, forge a 'Dao' that belongs entirely to yourself."

"Perhaps this is very difficult, but you must do this," Pei San insisted.

Teng Qingshan was momentarily surprised.

Although he drew inspiration from the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting, Teng Qingshan never copied it directly; instead, he studied it while transforming it into his own comprehension, expressing it through boxing techniques.

When observing the 'Immortal Jade Tablet,' Teng Qingshan always felt it for a long time before daring not to delve deeper. If he did, he would become completely immersed in the Dao of the Sword, making it impossible to cultivate the Dao of the Spear.

"Perhaps you have already learned the paths of predecessors, which accelerates progress," Pei San sneered. "Take the Emperor Yu Sect, for example; relying on the Nine Cauldrons Celestial Scripture, once they reach the Void Realm, they spend decades to nearly achieve Great Accomplishment in that realm. But they are all following the path given to them by Emperor Yu. The fastest, most convenient path."

"Don't be greedy for speed," Pei San warned seriously. "Your current rapid cultivation speed—are you following the old path of your predecessors?"

Teng Qingshan was taken aback.

The old path? Who attained the Void Realm relying on boxing and spear arts?

"I will say no more. Remember, walk your own 'Dao.' It might be difficult at the start, and even hard to turn back from the original 'Dao' you were following. But, it will benefit you." Having spoken, Pei San waved his hand. "My words are done; you may go."

"Thank you, Palace Master." Teng Qingshan cupped his fists and departed.

Pei San watched Teng Qingshan's retreating back: "My words are said. Hu He, I hope you don't disappoint me."

Time flowed by, and half a month passed quickly since Teng Qingshan arrived in You Province. During this fortnight, the Heavenly God Palace army from the south and the Heavenly God Mountain army from the north mirrored each other across the expanse, their morale soaring higher. In all of You Province, only the last commandery remained—Hong Tian Commandery, the place where the 'Northeast King,' Hong Tian, rose to power, was under its control.

"What Pei San said makes perfect sense."

"Recently, I practiced the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting using the Mountain Splitting Divine Axe, completely immersing myself in the Dao of the Axe technique. When I tried to study the Dao of the Spear, I always felt uneasy. I didn't realize it until Pei San mentioned it... To reach the pinnacle, a person can only walk a single Dao." During his stay in You Province, Teng Qingshan focused entirely on practicing his fist techniques.

Every day, he practiced the Three Stances.

"Hoo!"

"Chi!"

Even as a Void Realm expert, Teng Qingshan still felt that the root of this Xingyi Boxing, the 'Three Stances,' contained an immeasurable Dao.

Next to the training ground, Li Jun approached with tea, smiling faintly.

Suddenly—

"Boom!" A loud explosion echoed from a distance.

"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan looked sharply towards the south.

"Hu He, quickly, bring the Blade Chi! That old thief from the Carefree Palace has appeared," Pei San's voice reached Teng Qingshan's ears.

Teng Qingshan's expression shifted, and he immediately shouted: "Blade Chi!"

Whoosh!

The Blade Chi shot out. Teng Qingshan snatched the Mountain Splitting Divine Axe from the air, leaped onto the Six-Legged Blade Chi, and pointed south. The Six-Legged Blade Chi turned into a black streak and vanished from the training ground.