"The despicable tactics of the Yu Huang Sect. Others dared not speak out, only Lord Teng dared to say it." "Hmph, let's see what the Yu Huang Sect does now." Many people in the caravan murmured amongst themselves. These merchants, who traveled across the land, had witnessed the Yu Huang Sect's actions countless times. They all knew the sect used slander and frame-ups to capture people. But no one dared offend the Yu Huang Sect! And today, Teng Qingshan's words were like a resounding slap across the Yu Huang Sect's face! How could the Yu Huang Sect maintain its arrogance after this? "Master," the young general looked at the bald elder, "Regarding these words, we..." "Report, of course, we report. Let the Grand Elders decide what to do," the bald elder gnashed his teeth with anger. "I refuse to believe that our Yu Huang Sect cannot contend with the Xing Yi Sect, which has only existed for sixteen years!"
The Yu Yang Grand Canal was a river that made Yangzhou and Yuzhou the two wealthiest prefectures in the entire Jiuzhou Continent.
A pleasure boat was cutting through the waves on the canal.
Aboard the boat were Teng Qingshan and his entourage. After leaving the caravan, Teng Qingshan did not return directly to Jiangning Prefecture. Instead, he brought a group of people to the Yu Yang Grand Canal dock, first purchasing a pleasure boat. Then, everyone boarded, drifting downstream, heading directly towards Yangzhou.
"The scenery is truly wonderful," on the second floor of the pleasure boat, Li Jun sat in a chair, gazing at the scenery along both banks of the river, smiling. "I truly have never drifted along the Yu Yang Grand Canal like this before."
"Let's take our time and see it all this time," Teng Qingshan smiled.
This trip had two purposes: one was to take Linlin home, and the other was to spend time sightseeing with his wife.
This Yu Yang Grand Canal originated in the northwest of Yuzhou and stretched southeast, traversing more than half of Yangzhou. It even passed right through Jiangning Prefecture City. As Teng Qingshan and the others floated downstream on the pleasure boat, they would quickly reach Jiangning.
"Father," Hong Lin was quite excited. "Look over there, how is Brother Wei Jiang's Cannon Fist practice coming along?"
"Linlin, don't just point out things randomly," Teng Qingshan cautioned her, then smiled as he watched Wei Jiang practicing martial arts on the front deck below the boat. Wei Jiang, along with two other youths, were fortunate enough to accompany Teng Qingshan to the Xing Yi Sect in Great Yan Mountain, and naturally, they had also received guidance from him.
The other two, whose foundation was in the Tiger Form Fist, Teng Qingshan instructed one to practice the 'Splitting Fist' from the Five Elements Fists, and the other to practice the 'Battering Fist.'
Of course, he also taught them unique training methods.
As for Wei Jiang, Teng Qingshan had him focus solely on the 'Cannon Fist' for now. Because Teng Qingshan himself had reached the Great Completion in the Void Realm and possessed profound research into the Dao of the Five Elements, the original Xing Yi Five Elements Fists had been personally improved by Teng Qingshan. He had even created many unique training methods and combat styles.
"Wei Jiang is indeed a genius in practicing internal martial arts," Teng Qingshan observed, unable to help but sigh again. "Even among the third-generation disciples in my own Xing Yi Sect, there are no more than ten who can match him in comprehension!"
"Hmph, that Yu Huang Sect." Thinking of how such a talent would have been taken away if he hadn't been there, Teng Qingshan felt a surge of anger.
Across the Jiuzhou Continent, for thousands of years, there had been established traditional rules.
Whichever sect a martial artist wished to join was entirely up to the martial artist's own will. There was absolutely no concept of forced recruitment. For example, when Teng Qingshan started out, he could have chosen to join the Gui Yuan Sect, or other sects like Qinghu Island! This was perfectly normal across Jiuzhou. It had always been this way, generation after generation.
It was one thing for other sects to use various benefits to attract internal martial arts practitioners, as these practitioners joined voluntarily.
But to think—
The Yu Huang Sect actually used slander and frame-ups to achieve their goals. This enraged Teng Qingshan.
"The Yu Huang Sect has gone too far," Li Jun couldn't help but agree.
Hong Lin, however, looked worried. "Father, Mother. What Father said earlier, didn't it—didn't it basically slap the Yu Huang Sect across the face? Is it... too much?"
"Haha," Teng Qingshan smiled, glancing at Hong Lin. "Linlin, you don't quite understand my relationship with the Yu Huang Sect. I'll tell you today. During the battle at Tianyun Mountain back then, if the Undying Phoenix and the others hadn't arrived, I would have died! And the result of the Undying Phoenix's arrival was the death of Shen Gongtu and Yu Tonghai."
"Since then, the relationship between my Xing Yi Sect and the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, as well as the Yu Huang Sect, has been very poor."
"When my Xing Yi Sect was founded, they never even showed up," Teng Qingshan chuckled. "Since there is enmity between us, since we are opposing sects, and they wish for nothing more than to see me dead, why should I give them face?"
"Oh, is that so?"
Hong Lin was greatly surprised. She had heard the stories of Teng Qingshan and Li Jun crossing the ocean, but she knew very little about Teng Qingshan's enmities with the Void Realm experts on the Jiuzhou Continent.
"Now that I've said it in public, let's see how the Yu Huang Sect dares to respond," Teng Qingshan said with a faint smile. "Unless they are willing to discard even their last shred of dignity!"
...
Indeed, when the bald elder, 'Hu Zhong,' transcribed Teng Qingshan's words exactly as they were into a letter and sent it to the Yu Huang Sect, the sect immediately forwarded it to the two Grand Elders, 'Liu Xia' and 'Huang Tianqin,' residing in the Xiongxiazi Mountain Range outside the city.
Inside the towering Holy Temple on the first floor in the Xiongxiazi Mountain Range.
"Ancestor Master, this is what Teng Qingshan said when he took an internal martial arts practitioner within our Yuzhou territory, and he had us deliver the message to both Ancestor Masters verbatim," a Yu Huang Sect elder stood respectfully outside the great hall, handing over the letter.
"Hmm?"
"Teng Qingshan?"
Liu Xia and Huang Tianqin exchanged a glance, both frowning slightly. Naturally, the two of them wished to kill Teng Qingshan immediately. But the current Teng Qingshan was not someone they could easily provoke.
"See what he said," Liu Xia opened the letter.
These two Great Completion Void Realm experts initially looked at the letter's contents with cold smiles, but immediately afterward, their faces instantly flushed red, and then turned ashen.
Liu Xia, clutching the letter, found his right hand trembling continuously with rage.
The content of the letter was—
"Go tell your Yu Huang Sect Grand Elders, Liu Xia and Huang Tianqin: It's tolerable if you use small favors to snatch disciples from my internal martial arts lineage. But if my internal martial arts disciples do not wish to join your Yu Huang Sect, then do not use this slander and frame-up, this kind of despicable tactic to forcibly capture people! If this gets out, it will be a disgrace! It will not only disgrace your Yu Huang Sect, but also disgrace... the face of your Founding Ancestor, Senior Yu Huang!"
It was indeed delivered verbatim, word for word!
"Insolence!" Liu Xia couldn't help but roar in anger.
"Teng Qingshan!!!" Huang Tianqin’s face was even paler.
Both of them felt a surge of fury rushing straight up to the crown of their heads, as if ready to erupt.
After a long while, the two Grand Elders in the great hall calmed down. They exchanged glances, feeling a sense of bitter helplessness. Teng Qingshan's words were indeed a severe slap to their faces. This was harsher than slapping them in person! Because these words were spoken publicly!
They would spread!
The countless citizens across the Jiuzhou Continent would soon learn of this, and they would all mock 'Liu Xia' and 'Huang Tianqin' for shaming the sect founder, 'Yu Huangmen'!
"There's nothing we can do," Liu Xia shook his head with a wry smile.
"Teng Qingshan's wings are now fully grown," Huang Tianqin shook his head. "Even the Venerables are unwilling to provoke him now. It's impossible to move against him. Moreover—our Yu Huang Sect simply cannot withstand the slaughter by the Undying Phoenix!" Recalling the terrifying nature of the Undying Phoenix recorded in ancient texts, Huang Tianqin shuddered.
Even the Venerables refuse to provoke him.
"What do we do now?" Liu Xia looked at Huang Tianqin.
"What can we do? First, we must firmly maintain that the person previously captured did indeed have a case against him. We must insist on this, regardless of anything else. Second, stop forcibly pressuring those internal martial arts practitioners in the future. Even if we encounter an exceptionally talented individual, we first invite them. If the invitation is refused... we secretly eliminate them. We cannot leave behind any evidence," Huang Tianqin issued the orders.
Teng Qingshan's words, spread by that caravan.
It went from one mouth to ten, from ten to a hundred.
In just one or two months, almost everyone across the Jiuzhou Continent was discussing the matter. For a time, the Yu Huang Sect became a laughingstock. This also scared off other sects that had been eyeing the Yu Huang Sect’s methods and planning to use similar forceful tactics.
What does a person seek in life? For these supreme experts, face was the most important thing. And the face of a sect was even more critical!
Unless facing a life-or-death crisis, no one would willingly sacrifice their reputation.
...
Wei Jiang and the other two, under Teng Qingshan's guidance, easily joined the Xing Yi Sect. The other two became fifth-generation disciples, while Wei Jiang, due to his exceptional talent, was directly taken in by 'Teng Shou,' a second-generation disciple, becoming a third-generation disciple!
The Xing Yi Sect indeed had such a rule.
If one's talent was truly exceptional, one could be accepted by a second-generation disciple or a Xiantian (Innate) Realm expert. Of course... directly becoming a disciple of Teng Qingshan was highly unlikely. Even those who had reached the Grandmaster Realm (Xiantian), like Meng Lutong, would at most receive guidance from Teng Qingshan, not direct tutelage.
Teng Qingshan had only three personal disciples—Teng Shou, Yang Dong, and Xue Xin.
...
During the dead of winter, the coldest region was naturally Youzhou, located in the far northeast.
In Xue Dao Commandery, a city within Youzhou, inside a seemingly ordinary mansion, despite snowflakes already drifting down from the sky, a handsome young man with a sharp, cold aura paced back and forth on the training ground, seemingly pondering something with hesitation.
"Master, the snow has gotten heavier," a maidservant approached respectfully.
"Retreat," the young man commanded coldly.
"Yes." The maidservant immediately withdrew.
The young man took a deep breath, looked up at the sky, and murmured, "Their actions... they are pushing my Qinghu Island into danger once again. Is Teng Qingshan really that easy to provoke? Teng Qingshan... you destroyed my Qinghu Island, causing countless deaths among my martial brothers. However, you also showed me great kindness back then."
"I cannot let them do this! Retaliating against Teng Qingshan will bring no benefit to Qinghu Island; it will only make things worse." Having stepped into the Xiantian Realm and being a high-ranking member of the current Qinghu Island lineage, he was deeply worried.
"Teng Qingshan!"
"Consider this repayment for the kindness you showed me. After this, our debts will be settled. I only hope that within my lifetime, I can see Qinghu Island rise again." The young man no longer hesitated. He immediately entered his study, closed the door, and began writing furiously, composing a secret letter.