"Tiger Form Fist? The secret manual of the Teng Family Village that is never shared outside?" Meng Lutong excitedly gripped the manual.

"That's right. This is something your father worked hard to obtain," the plump middle-aged man said, finally wiping the sweat from his brow.

Meng Lutong quickly flipped through the manual. Each page held an illustration accompanied by one or two sentences of text. As he turned from the first page to the last, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise, "This is true internal martial arts! Whatever that 'Three Stances' technique was, it must be a fraud. These movements are the real deal."

"Haha," the plump middle-aged man let slip a smile of satisfaction.

Meng Lutong, unconcerned with his father standing nearby, immediately set the manual aside and began practicing according to the illustrations.

After the first copy of Tiger Form Fist was leaked, many powerful figures across Yangzhou obtained copies of the secret manual through various channels. In just a few days, the leak of Tiger Form Fist caused an immense uproar. The Guiyuan Sect even declared—anyone caught privately selling Tiger Form Fist would be arrested and thrown into prison!

Three days after the Guiyuan Sect issued its order.

The fourth day of the fifth month.

In every one of Yangzhou's thirteen prefectures, a new association hall opened for business. Remarkably, this hall was named—Qingshan Hall!

...

In the city of Nanxing Prefecture, along a bustling street, hundreds of people gathered before a large mansion. A red cloth was still wrapped around the plaque above the entrance, which bore four grand characters—'Qingshan Hall'!

"Qingshan Hall? Which association dares to take this name? Aren't they afraid of offending the Guiyuan Sect?"

"Heh, you wouldn't understand. This hall opened this morning, and even members of the Guiyuan Sect were present then."

"Why would this hall take such a name? Could it be that Lord Teng Qingshan is also establishing an association? Going into business?"

Many were puzzled, muttering to themselves. In their minds, the current prestige of the Guiyuan Sect was entirely due to the leadership of Teng Qingshan. Although Teng Qingshan was not the Sect Master of the Guiyuan Sect, his status surpassed that of the Sect Master. They couldn't comprehend why a Void Realm expert would bother with such a business venture.

As time passed, the crowd outside the hall grew larger.

"I heard the Qingshan Hall has a major announcement this afternoon."

"It's getting late; it should be time for the announcement."

The announcement made at the opening this morning—that there would be a major event in the afternoon—caused the gathering outside the hall to swell continuously. By an hour and a half past noon, the area outside Qingshan Hall was almost completely packed with people.

Suddenly—

Dong! Dong! Dong!

A large contingent of Guiyuan Sect soldiers, clad in armor, surged out from the hall and took up organized positions outside Qingshan Hall to maintain order. Following them, three figures emerged from within Qingshan Hall: the current Prefect of Nanxing Prefecture, the General of the City Guard, and the Master of Qingshan Hall.

"Greetings, everyone," the elder in the deep azure robe chuckled, cupping his hands in salute. "I am Wu Nian, the Master of Nanxing Prefecture's Qingshan Hall."

"Today is the grand opening of our Qingshan Hall. I mentioned this morning that there would be a major announcement this afternoon."

Instantly, the onlookers perked up their ears, and the previous clamor immediately subsided.

The Hall Master, 'Wu Nian,' spoke in a clear, resonant voice, "This major announcement concerns Lord Teng! It concerns Internal Martial Arts!"

A wave of hushed discussion and gasps swept through the crowd.

Among them was 'Meng Lutong,' who had come with his father and was being protected by guards; his ears were straining to hear. He watched as the Hall Master 'Wu Nian' surveyed the crowd and announced loudly, "A few days ago, Tiger Form Fist—the foundational technique of Internal Martial Arts created by Lord Teng during his youth—was accidentally leaked! Upon learning this news, Lord Teng was greatly enraged!"

The people present exchanged low whispers and some laughter. Why wouldn't he be enraged? Across the Nine Provinces, which major sect didn't guard their secret manuals zealously and forbid disciples from sharing them?

"However, Lord Teng is broad-minded."

Hall Master 'Wu Nian' boomed, "He considered the situation thoroughly and came to an understanding. The internal martial arts he created were always meant to be taught to disciples. Since it has been leaked now, we must accept fate's will. He has decided to go with the flow and make the Tiger Form Fist he created publicly available for sale to all aspiring practitioners of internal martial arts throughout the world, offering it at a low price so that anyone with the will to learn can do so."

"What!"

A huge gasp erupted. Chaos ensued! Since the beginning of time in the Nine Provinces, had any sect ever willingly shared its core knowledge? If a secret manual was passed on, wouldn't rival sects become stronger?

"Selling the manual to everyone in the world?"

"What on earth is Lord Teng Qingshan thinking?"

"Lord Teng Qingshan is still young, only twenty-three this year. Reaching the pinnacle at such a young age, it’s understandable that his temperament is unstable and he seeks attention. What a pity... such a precious manual should have been hidden and passed down only to his own disciples." Many in the crowd felt both delighted and mournful. Delighted that they might see the Tiger Form Fist manual, but lamenting that Teng Qingshan was too reckless.

"Hall Master, what is the price? Don't tell us it's tens of thousands of silver taels per copy; we can't afford that," someone shouted.

"An Internal Martial Arts manual selling for tens of thousands of silver taels is not expensive. If you can't afford it, don't buy it," another person retorted sharply.

Outside Qingshan Hall, a cacophony of voices rose.

"Everyone, please do not shout so loudly." Hall Master 'Wu Nian's' voice echoed down the street, and the noisy discussion immediately quieted.

"Cultivating internal martial arts is not easy," the Hall Master proclaimed. "Even with the manual, perhaps fewer than one out of a hundred people will succeed in mastering it." This statement held truth; when Teng Shou and others taught, only one in twenty managed to cultivate internal force. Without a master's guidance, relying solely on the manual made the difficulty significantly higher.

"We understand. It's normal for such miraculous techniques to demand high aptitude," a spectator called out.

Hall Master 'Wu Nian' smiled faintly. "According to Lord Teng... the manual that was leaked previously is the basic version from the Teng Family Village, which is rather rudimentary! Now, our Qingshan Hall is offering this manual for sale at a price. One copy of Tiger Form Fist will only cost one hundred silver taels."

"What?"

"Only one hundred silver taels?"

"Why so little?"

Everyone present was stunned. Learning to cultivate internal energy across the Nine Provinces was usually very costly in silver. It was worth noting that even one issue of the Qianlong Ranking or Chufeng Ranking cost one hundred silver taels. A standard internal energy manual usually sold for at least a thousand silver taels. For the legendary 'Internal Martial Arts' manual, selling for several thousand silver taels would not be surprising.

One hundred taels! Even the villagers of a common rural estate could easily pool together one hundred silver taels. This meant—at this price, ordinary villagers could afford to buy the manual and learn the Tiger Form Fist.

"Give me one copy," someone immediately called out.

"I'll take two."

Quite a few people started shouting right away. For such a low price, they could buy two or three copies and give them to friends.

"Very well," Hall Master 'Wu Nian' said with a broad smile. "This standard Tiger Form Fist manual is one hundred silver taels per copy, with a maximum purchase limit of ten copies per person. But let me be clear: this Tiger Form Fist manual is authentic, but it is only the basic version from the Teng Family Village, and the cultivation methods described are very rough."

Hearing this, the young Master Meng Lutong nodded repeatedly. In the past few days of practicing the Tiger Form Fist, he sometimes felt confused by a single illustration paired with just two lines of verse, unable to determine exactly how the move should be executed.

"Considering this, Lord Teng personally compiled a secret edition of Tiger Form Fist and had the Guiyuan Sect print it," Hall Master 'Wu Nian' announced loudly. "This Tiger Form Fist Secret Edition features extremely detailed and precise illustrations. Furthermore, the description for every movement is meticulously detailed. In essence, it is like being taught personally by a master! Moreover, this was written by Lord Teng himself."

Immediately, many people in the crowd looked envious. A book personally written by a Void Realm expert?

"Secret Edition?" Meng Lutong's eyes lit up instantly.

"This is the Tiger Form Fist Secret Edition." As he spoke, Hall Master 'Wu Nian' received a very thick, thread-bound book with golden paper for its cover from behind him. This Secret Edition of Tiger Form Fist was five times thicker than the previous rough manual! Holding it felt like grasping a brick.

On the golden cover, three large black characters—Tiger Form Fist! The calligraphy was powerful and fluid, as if a tiger was pouncing forward.

"Having one Secret Edition is equivalent to having a master teaching you," Hall Master 'Wu Nian' smiled. "However, producing the Secret Edition is difficult... and Lord Teng has commanded that the thirteen Qingshan Halls across the thirteen prefectures of Yangzhou will only sell ten copies of the Secret Edition per day. Today, the fourth of May, sales will continue until the sixteenth of May! After that, the Tiger Form Fist Secret Edition will absolutely not be sold!"

"But today is the opening day of Qingshan Hall, so there is no limit. Starting tomorrow, the maximum will be ten copies per day."

After Hall Master 'Wu Nian' finished speaking, many people immediately asked, "Hall Master, what is the price for this Secret Edition?"

Wu Nian smiled faintly. "One copy of the Tiger Form Fist Secret Edition will cost one thousand taels of gold!"

This price made everyone present gasp. One thousand taels of gold? That was equivalent to one hundred thousand silver taels—certainly not affordable for ordinary people.

"So expensive."

"Too expensive."

Many people couldn't help but exclaim.

"Everyone can decide which version to buy: the standard Tiger Form Fist or the Secret Edition. If you wish to purchase, please do so early. After May sixteenth, none of the Qingshan Halls will sell the Tiger Form Fist Secret Edition again." Hall Master 'Wu Nian' said with a faint smile. "Even if one hundred copies of the Secret Edition are sold, that amount of money means little to Lord Teng."

"There is a reason for selling the Secret Edition with a deadline of May sixteenth. Because that day marks the day Lord Teng establishes his sect!"

"Selling the Tiger Form Fist Secret Edition is also in celebration of Lord Teng establishing his lineage."

All the people present burst into discussion. Establishing a sect? Teng Qingshan would establish his lineage on May sixteenth?

"Although a sect will be established, Lord Teng will not be accepting new disciples that day," Hall Master 'Wu Nian' stated calmly. "If anyone can cultivate internal energy by relying on the Tiger Form Fist manual, it proves they possess the aptitude for internal martial arts. Such individuals may then travel to Teng Family Village on Dayan Mountain to learn even more profound internal martial arts techniques."