The matter of the mysterious ambush on the Green Mountain Guild caravan within Yan Province. The Xingyi Sect expended considerable effort investigating, but ultimately, no truly useful intelligence was unearthed. Teng Qingshan could only forcibly suppress the rage simmering within him, while simultaneously ordering his sect's spies to intensify their surveillance of the Yu Huang Sect.

Under the blazing summer sun, within the training hall of the Donghua Courtyard.

This training hall measured ten zhang in length, eight in width, and five in height. Its main doors were shut tight, with only a sliver of light piercing through the narrow gap. Inside this hall, Teng Qingshan was utterly alone. Clad only in a loose, thin tunic, barefoot, and holding the Reincarnation Spear, he stood with his eyes closed, quietly aligning his state of mind, delving into the Dao of the Spear.

"Whoosh!"

A streak of icy, cold light flashed and vanished within the hall. The Reincarnation Spear abruptly transformed into a massive python, whipping about wildly. Subsequently, the entire training hall seemed to become a raging, monstrous ocean. A silver-scaled flood dragon soared through the sea, at times tearing at the sky, at others diving deep into the depths.

Suddenly—

The entire ocean appeared to overturn, and strangely, the endless seawater inexplicably orbited around a single long spear. For a moment, heaven and earth were reduced to nothing more than this one weapon.

Poof!

It was as if heaven and earth had been ripped apart.

...

Within the dark, enclosed training hall, Teng Qingshan relentlessly pondered and refined his Spear Dao. For seventeen years, he had endured this same arduous cultivation. Since achieving mastery in the 'Way of Wood' last year, naturally, all Five Ways had reached fruition. Teng Qingshan had been striving ever since—

To perfectly integrate the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth, forging the ultimate strike.

Ten parts of the power of Heaven and Earth, in its most perfect state, should be able to unleash twelve parts of force!

The Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting contained several moves capable of unleashing such power, but those were designed for an axe. Teng Qingshan had long since discarded the axe, dedicating himself solely to the profound study of spear techniques. Sixteen years of contemplation before reaching the Grand Completion of the Void Realm, followed by one year of fierce cultivation after achieving it. In the realm of the Five Ways, the spear technique that truly satisfied him was only a single move!

"The Five Elements generate and overcome each other: Water nourishes Wood, Wood feeds Fire, Fire nurtures Earth, Earth yields Metal, and Metal flows back to Water. Water then nourishes Wood again... cycling endlessly, forming a perfect loop. It resembles the Dao of Yin and Yang, ceaseless in its rotation. However, everyone understands this principle. To truly execute it, channeling the maximum force of the Five Elements into a single strike—that is difficult!" Teng Qingshan constantly wrestled with this point.

Presently, he was satisfied with only one move.

His goal was no less than five distinct spear techniques!

...

"Clang!" In the dim training room, Teng Qingshan tossed the Reincarnation Spear onto the nearby weapon rack.

"Seventeen years of relentless practice. I took the 'Way of Water' as the primary foundation, establishing a flawless cycle, thus creating this single strongest strike." Since this strike was primarily Water-aligned, with the other Four Elements contributing, Teng Qingshan named it the 'Five Elements Poison Dragon Drill.' According to Teng Qingshan’s vision... there should be five strikes in total, each imbued with the power of the Five Elements.

They were supposed to be the 'Five Elements Crimson Tiger Roar,' the 'Five Elements Mountain Splitter,' the 'Five Elements Following Shadow,' and the 'Five Elements Primordial Unity.'

The names were crude and simplistic. After all, no matter how ornate the title, they would ultimately remain variations of the same core technique.

"The highest form of virtue is like water: it benefits all things yet does not contend. I managed to use the 'Way of Water' as the foundation to create the 'Five Elements Poison Dragon Drill.' Yet, I cannot forge the other four strikes." Teng Qingshan shook his head. "This indicates my comprehension of the Heavenly Dao is still not thorough enough. If I could create the strongest spear technique for the other four Ways as well, I should be able to step into the Cave Void Realm."

Teng Qingshan’s thinking, however, was flawed!

He possessed the innate ability to transform his comprehension of the Five Ways into combat forms. His level of understanding was already extraordinarily high! This is why it took seventeen years to create this one peak technique! Creating such a move was already monstrously exceptional. To create five such moves would mean comprehending the Heavenly Dao to the absolute zenith—

Only a Supreme Being could achieve that.

But Teng Qingshan, having received no instruction and relying entirely on his own deductions, naturally did not realize this. He merely wished to strive and create the remaining four moves.

"I must diligently contemplate the Dao of the Five Elements. The deeper my comprehension, the closer I am to the Cave Void Realm," Teng Qingshan mused to himself.

"Hmm?"

Teng Qingshan frowned; he sensed the aura of his second disciple, 'Yang Dong,' just outside.

"Why is A'Dong here?" Without hesitation, Teng Qingshan rinsed himself in the training room, changed his clothes, put on his shoes, and opened the hall doors.

"Rumble~~~"

The two great stone doors of the training hall slowly pulled apart to either side, allowing the external light to flood in. The scorching heat of the summer immediately permeated the space. Teng Qingshan caught sight of Yang Dong outside, his face etched with anxiety. His son, 'Hong Wu,' was also standing nearby, appearing equally worried.

"Master."

"Father."

Both Yang Dong and Hong Wu rushed over.

"What happened?" Teng Qingshan asked.

"Master," Yang Dong handed over a folded letter while speaking, "We just received intelligence: the Yu Huang Sect is actually in possession of our Xingyi Sect's 'Cannon Fist' cultivation manual. Quite a number of practitioners recruited by the Yu Huang Sect from the lineage of Internal Martial Arts are already training the Cannon Fist there."

Although Yang Dong presented the secret letter, he clearly couldn't hold back and blurted it out.

"What?" Teng Qingshan's expression shifted drastically. He quickly opened the letter.

"How could the manual have leaked?" Teng Qingshan’s face grew anxious. "And it's the manual for the Five Element Fists' Cannon Fist?"

Among the Internal Martial Arts lineage, the Xingyi Twelve Forms were the foundation, but relying solely on the Tiger Form Fist made achieving mastery impossible. Even that 'Wei Jiang,' who had cultivated the Tiger Form Fist to an extreme, was only a First-Rate Martial Artist. However—the Five Element Fists were different!

Even in his previous life, the renowned Grandmasters of the Xingyi lineage relied on moves like the Collapsing Fist, Splitting Fist, and Cannon Fist.

Cultivating these Five Element Fists offered the hope of reaching the Grandmaster realm!

Therefore, within the Xingyi Sect, the manuals for the Collapsing Fist and Cannon Fist—and the dozens of variations in practice and application—were not lightly taught to disciples. Even when taught, it was never all at once, but gradually. Starting with the basics, deepening the understanding step by step... leading eventually to the ultimate killing moves.

"The Cannon Fist manual leaked?" Teng Qingshan felt a surge of worry.

Relying on the Tiger Form Fist and the Cannon Fist manuals, it was entirely possible for Internal Martial Arts practitioners to reach the Grandmaster realm.

"A'Dong, I gave strict orders long ago," Teng Qingshan stared at Yang Dong. "Within my Xingyi Sect, only elite disciples are taught the Five Element Fists like the Collapsing Fist. Even then, the teaching is gradual, and only those with impeccable backgrounds, absolute loyalty, and exceptional aptitude receive the complete instruction. Tell me—which version of the training and application methods did the Yu Huang Sect obtain for the Cannon Fist?"

After Teng Qingshan revised and perfected the Cannon Fist, the system organized it into nine distinct methods of practice and application.

"Master, it's on the second-to-last page of the secret letter." Yang Dong replied.

Teng Qingshan was distraught with worry and hadn't the patience to carefully flip through every page.

"Tell me," Teng Qingshan commanded directly.

"According to the investigation, it should be the application and training method for the 'Nine Sovereigns' Cannon Fist," Yang Dong answered.

"Nine Sovereigns Cannon Fist?" Teng Qingshan frowned. "The number of people in my Xingyi Sect who inherited the Nine Sovereigns Cannon Fist should not be high. Has the source been identified?"

"Not yet. The moment I got the news, I rushed here," Yang Dong replied. "However, I have already informed Elder Zong, asking him to investigate immediately and report back to the Master once confirmed."

Teng Qingshan forced himself to suppress his anxiety.

...

The weather was scorching, and Teng Qingshan’s heart grew even more agitated. The manual leak was a matter that could be small or monumental.

For sects like the Yu Huang Sect or the Heavenly God Palace, the leak of a single manual was minor, as the Daoist lineage was already widespread and not worth concealing. But the 'Internal Martial Arts lineage' was currently unique to Teng Qingshan's family! If the Collapsing Fist and other techniques were leaked, a second major sect dedicated to Internal Martial Arts might appear.

"Father, have some tea." Hong Wu carried over a cup of tea.

"I have no appetite." Teng Qingshan suddenly turned toward the doorway. Soon, a figure appeared at the entrance—it was Elder Zong Lu.

"Uncle Zong, have you found anything?" Teng Qingshan walked over quickly.

"Sect Master, look," Elder Zong Lu presented a piece of paper while stating, "Most disciples in my Xingyi Sect are still diligently practicing the foundational Xingyi Twelve Forms. Only a small portion have been taught the Five Element Fists. Among those taught the Cannon Fist, the total count is three thousand two hundred and eighteen people. And those who received the Nine Sovereigns Cannon Fist number only two hundred and ninety-one."

Teng Qingshan glanced at the paper.

"Among these two hundred and ninety-one people," Zong Lu continued, "two hundred and eighty-three have extremely clean backgrounds. The remaining eight also have relatively clean histories, though all eight have experienced being orphans or beggars. Logically, there should be no issues."

"However—just this March, one of these remaining eight, named Gong Yu," Zong Lu frowned, "went home to visit relatives."

"Visit relatives?" Teng Qingshan frowned. "Where is his hometown?"

"Yes, visiting relatives. He is from Yu Prefecture! Furthermore, he was a wandering orphan since childhood, later adopted by an old bachelor who never married. In that village, he managed to learn the Tiger Form Fist." Zong Lu explained. "But Sect Master, rest assured, according to the records, the version of the Nine Sovereigns Cannon Fist that 'Gong Yu' learned is, at best, at the Minor Accomplishment stage. Coupled with his background, his master hadn't yet had time to teach him the later essence."

Teng Qingshan nodded slightly.

Within the Xingyi Sect, it was difficult to fully master any single technique among the Five Element Fists like the Cannon Fist. This was because they were taught hand-to-hand by the master, with no written manuals. Masters would only teach step-by-step; they would only impart as much as the disciple’s current level warranted. After all, cramming too much was useless. Limiting the instruction also helped prevent leakage.

"Relying only on the incomplete portion of the Nine Sovereigns Cannon Fist that Gong Yu obtained, and continuing to practice the Tiger Form Fist, he can, at most, reach the level of a First-Rate Martial Artist," Zong Lu stated with certainty.

Teng Qingshan finally let out a quiet breath of relief.

It seemed the transmission strategy implemented earlier was indeed correct.

"This pernicious trend cannot be allowed to grow!"

Teng Qingshan's gaze turned icy. "Today the Yu Huang Sect stole a Cannon Fist technique; tomorrow another sect might steal another technique. If this continues long-term, where will it end? Moreover—this Gong Yu dared to betray the Xingyi Sect. This is the first disciple to defect since the founding of my Xingyi Sect. He absolutely cannot be dealt with lightly."

Kill the chicken to warn the monkeys!

This first instance of manual leakage, this first act of betrayal.

It must be handled severely!