A gust of wind swept through, and a colossal divine bird, resembling a blazing inferno, materialized before the study—it was Xiaoqing.

"Yoo~~" Teng Qingshan let out a cry. Mastering beast language required innate talent, but a Void Realm expert commanded exceptional vocal control. Though Teng Qingshan’s focus lay mainly on spear techniques and enlightenment, he had learned a small amount of simple beast language from Li Jun. While he couldn't hold a normal conversation with demonic beasts yet, uttering basic words like 'kill' or 'go' was well within his capabilities.

The Undying Phoenix, Xiaoqing, had eyes full of delight and answered with a cheerful call of its own.

Teng Qingshan, his wife, and the Undying Phoenix, Xiaoqing, stood together in the courtyard.

"Jun'er, ask Xiaoqing. Have you found out where Linlin is now?" Teng Qingshan inquired.

"Alright." Li Jun responded with a series of calls directed at the Undying Phoenix, Xiaoqing, who quickly chirped back in response.

"Qingshan," a smile blossomed on Li Jun's face as she looked at Teng Qingshan. "Xiaoqing has already asked its subordinates. They've located Linlin—she's spending the night in Lian'an City, Yuzhou, along with Xiao Xiao."

"Ran off to Yuzhou? She certainly has spirit," Teng Qingshan said with a wry smile.

Over the past sixteen years, the Undying Phoenix, Xiaoqing, had mostly resided in the Savage Lands, though it frequently visited Great Yan Mountain. For a Void Realm demonic beast that loved to soar, Great Yan Mountain was quite confining. Furthermore, as a noble Undying Phoenix, Xiaoqing had amassed quite a few avian subordinates among the vast expanse of the Savage Lands, including several tribes of flying demonic beasts.

"Linlin is obedient when she's with you, but she’s naturally bold. You know that yourself," Li Jun glanced at Teng Qingshan with a mock rebuke. "It's all your fault, being such a doting father when she was little."

Teng Qingshan could only offer a helpless smile.

He then glanced toward the outside and called out, "Someone!"

Immediately, a maidservant hurried over, stealing a quick look at Teng Qingshan before bowing. "Sect Master."

"Go invite Elder Zong Lu." Teng Qingshan instructed.

"Yes." The maidservant respectfully retreated, quickly setting off to fetch Elder Zong Lu of the Xingyi Sect.

"It’s already so late; you're summoning Elder Zong? Couldn't this wait until tomorrow?" Li Jun frowned slightly, but Teng Qingshan just smiled and shook his head. "Elder Zong is accustomed to staying up late; he won't be asleep now. Otherwise, I wouldn't entrust all the intelligence matters to him."

Zong Lu was a member of the Teng Clan.

The Nine Provinces were plagued by constant conflict, leading to daily destruction and loss of life. Zong Lu had been taken in by the Teng Clan when he was just a boy fleeing disaster. Many others, like Zong Lu, had been adopted; for instance, Teng Qingshan's mother, Yuan Lan, was adopted as an honorary daughter by the old Clan Head, Teng Yunlong.

Zong Lu was now in his early fifties. He had watched Teng Qingshan grow up, and Teng Qingshan trusted him deeply. Although he bore the surname Zong, his connection to the Teng Clan members was nearly identical.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Faint footsteps sounded from outside, and then a figure in a green robe appeared at the courtyard entrance—it was Zong Lu. Though over fifty, Zong Lu had not a single gray hair, and having consumed some Vermilion Fruit Wine, his health was excellent.

"Uncle Zong. Come in," Teng Qingshan called out with a smile.

"Sect Master." Zong Lu entered carrying a thick stack of scrolls and said with a chuckle, "I heard the Sect Master's laughter around noon today. It seems your secluded cultivation yielded great rewards. This subordinate offers his congratulations."

Teng Qingshan could only offer a helpless smile. Having grown up addressing him as Uncle Zong within the Teng Clan estate, Zong Lu insisted that protocol could not be abandoned, always referring to himself as a subordinate in front of Teng Qingshan.

"Sect Master, here is the intelligence report from the various regions over the past ten days. Several items are highly significant," Zong Lu said, handing over the documents.

"Oh?" Teng Qingshan took the reports.

Thanks to the widespread network of the Qingshan Association across the Nine Provinces, and the deep integration of Inner Strength practitioners everywhere, the Xingyi Sect’s intelligence efficiency remained extremely high, even after separating from the Guiyuan Sect. Given the brewing undercurrents across the Nine Provinces, Teng Qingshan personally reviewed every report.

"Right, Uncle Zong," Teng Qingshan instructed as he took the intelligence. "Linlin has run off again recently."

"Indeed. But Linlin is skilled in disguise techniques," Zong Lu shook his head. "I couldn't locate her immediately."

Teng Qingshan smiled. "I've already confirmed that Linlin is currently staying the night in Lian'an City, Yuzhou, accompanied by Xiao Xiao... Surely, Uncle Zong, you can find them now."

"Haha, knowing they are in Lian'an City makes it much easier," Zong Lu chuckled. "Lian'an City is just a small place. Not many outsiders pass through daily. Finding two women shouldn't be difficult." Both Hong Lin, Teng Qingshan’s daughter, and Xiao Xiao were known within the intelligence network for certain peculiarities.

For example, Teng Hong Lin was always accompanied by a small white bird. If the white bird was spotted, Teng Hong Lin would certainly be within a few dozen zhang. This was one of the most obvious traits, though the bird's small size made it incredibly difficult to spot if concealed.

However, there was another method. The maidservant, Xiao Xiao, wore a seemingly ordinary ring—though it was far from common. This was another avenue for detection.

"Mm, inform me immediately once you find them," Teng Qingshan said. "Uncle Zong, you should rest now."

"This subordinate takes his leave."

Zong Lu departed with a smile. Teng Qingshan carried the thick pile of intelligence toward the study, while Li Jun remained in the courtyard chatting with the Undying Phoenix, Xiaoqing, filling the air with melodious bird calls.

Inside the study.

Teng Qingshan sat down and began poring over the reports, reading each one meticulously. He gave special consideration to any movements involving the other major sects, carefully weighing the implications. Each piece of intelligence included supplementary deductions made by the Xingyi Sect's own intelligence personnel.

"Hmm?" A look of joy appeared on Teng Qingshan's face.

"Qingshan, what did you see that has you so delighted?" Li Jun walked over, smiling.

"Haha, my Xingyi Sect has gained another Innate Master! How could I not be happy?" Teng Qingshan couldn't help but laugh while holding up a report. Inner Strength cultivation was different from Daoist or Buddhist paths. To reach the Grandmaster realm, the requirement for 'Spirit' was not as high, but the mastery of the martial techniques was paramount!

In his past life, Teng Qingshan only reached the realm of Xingyi Grandmaster after facing life and death. In that former life, many reached Inner Strength Grandmaster status in their twenties. Generally speaking, peak performance for boxing arts favors the young; if one passed fifty, the chances diminished significantly!

After the age of fifty, the body’s bones, tendons, and internal organs began to decline, which significantly impacted Inner Strength cultivation. Conversely, the Daoist and Buddhist lineages focused more on 'Spirit'; the older one grew, the stronger the Spirit tended to be, making it easier to attain the Innate realm. Of course, if one became excessively old, the Spirit itself would begin to deplete, precluding any breakthrough.

In these sixteen years.

Teng Qingshan’s third disciple, Xue Xin, possessed extraordinary talent and received direct instruction from him. In the ninth year after the Xingyi Sect was established, he attained the Grandmaster realm (Innate).

His second disciple, Yang Dong, was not adept at Inner Strength arts, following the Daoist path instead. Despite holding an extremely high position within the Xingyi Sect, he only reached the Innate realm in the fifteenth year after the sect’s founding. By then, two disciples of the third generation had already achieved Grandmaster status—Yang Dong was certainly a little embarrassing in comparison.

"Who is it?" Li Jun looked over, surprised. "Meng Lutong? The young man who was the very first to join our Xingyi Sect after it opened its doors?"

"Yes, it's him. I initially thought that since he came from wealth and hadn't endured hardship, achieving great things would be difficult for him. Who knew he would become the third person among the third-generation disciples to reach the Innate realm," Teng Qingshan marveled. The Xingyi Sect now commanded hundreds of thousands of disciples. If one included all the Inner Strength practitioners across the Nine Provinces who had been recruited by other sects, the total number practicing Inner Strength arts likely exceeded a million!

Over these sixteen years, the majority of these practitioners were in their twenties and thirties, the prime age for breakthroughs and achieving greatness!

"Meng Lutong has perseverance," Li Jun nodded and smiled. "With perseverance, success is natural."

"Mmm. Currently, the Xingyi Sect has four Innate Masters among the second generation, three among the third, two among the fourth, and none yet in the fifth," Teng Qingshan noted with satisfaction. "That makes a total of nine Innate Masters. Two follow the Daoist lineage; the other seven are from the Inner Strength lineage."

A wave of pleasure washed over Teng Qingshan. "I will meet Meng Lutong personally in a while to see which martial path suits him best." Any Inner Strength practitioner who achieved the Grandmaster realm was qualified to receive personal instruction from Teng Qingshan.

Teng Qingshan picked up another intelligence report, and upon reading it, his brow furrowed and his expression darkened.

"This..." Li Jun saw it too, and her face grew grim. "How can the Yu Huang Sect be so shameless?"

"Hmph. Among the other seven major sects in the Nine Provinces, the Yu Huang Sect is the most despicable," Teng Qingshan said, reading the report. It detailed how the Yu Huang Sect was not only using all manner of favors and benefits to attract Inner Strength practitioners in Yuzhou who had succeeded in practicing the Tiger Form Fist, but they were also outright intercepting talented Inner Strength youths, known for their potential, who intended to travel to Great Yan Mountain to join the Xingyi Sect!

If soft tactics failed, they resorted to force!

"They intend to absorb every single Inner Strength practitioner within Yuzhou into their ranks," Teng Qingshan sneered.

"Ever since the power of Inner Strength arts was recognized by the major sects," Li Jun frowned, "they started using various benefits to entice local Inner Strength practitioners. Many young people, wanting to stay close to home and support their localities, joined them and became members of their sects."

The Yu Huang Sect, the Celestial God Palace, the Snow Eagle Cult, the Ying Clan, and others were all doing this. Teng Qingshan couldn't stop it and could only tacitly accept it. However, Inner Strength practitioners who joined the Yu Huang Sect or the Celestial God Palace were often required to switch to the Daoist lineage, limiting their ultimate potential.

"Originally, they used benefits and favors to attract followers; that was acceptable if it was voluntary. But now the Yu Huang Sect is resorting to force—blocking youths determined to learn the more profound Inner Strength arts," Teng Qingshan gritted his teeth. Back then, Yu Tonghai had died by the hands of the Undying Phoenix, causing relations between the Yu Huang Sect and the Xingyi Sect to remain tense.

"Qingshan, look at this..." Li Jun opened yet another report, her eyes widening in alarm. "This situation is not good!"