And the entire Teng Clan held their breath, no one daring to speak, or even gasp too loudly in the stifling atmosphere; every eye was fixed on that seemingly ordinary child.

Teng Qingshan, a six-year-old, was going to lift a one-hundred-jin weight?

Was this even possible?

Was he just showing off, or did he truly possess the strength?

“Qingshan!” Teng Yongfan and his mother, ‘Yuan Lan,’ watched their son with equal tension.

“Hoo!” Teng Qingshan drew a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the stone lock before him—the very one the clansmen often used for practice. It weighed exactly one hundred jin, so for convenience during the assessment, it had been brought over.

Then, Teng Qingshan extended his small hands, gripping the sides of the stone lock.

A child barely reaching the height of a man’s waist attempting to lift a hundred-jin stone lock? The sight struck everyone as bizarre.

“Heh~~” Teng Qingshan exhaled sharply.

He suddenly exerted force with both arms, and his slender limbs instantly erupted with astonishing power. With a fierce heave!

Whoosh!

The one-hundred-jin stone lock was instantly hoisted to his chest by both hands.

“This—” The members of the Teng Clan, from the Clan Head down to the youngest child, stared with wide, intensely nervous eyes. Could Teng Qingshan lift the stone lock over his head?

With a low grunt, Teng Qingshan applied strength once more, driving the lock straight above his head in one smooth motion.

The entire training ground fell silent. Everyone watched this spectacle—a tender child hoisting a hundred-jin stone lock overhead. Confusion and dizziness clouded their minds. After a long pause, someone finally snapped back to reality.

“Good!” A loud shout pierced the quiet.

“One hundred jin! Haha, Qingshan, this child is truly amazing.”

“Qingshan succeeded!”

...

Immediately, cheers erupted all around. Every clansman was overcome with excitement. The history of the Teng Clan had finally been rewritten: a mere six years old, yet capable of lifting a hundred-jin stone lock. He was truly possessed of prodigious strength! If he was this formidable at six, what heights would he reach upon reaching adulthood?

While holding the stone lock, Teng Qingshan’s legs showed no tremor whatsoever, and his arms supported the weight powerfully.

“This... this isn't even Qingshan’s limit.” Many people, including Teng Yunlong, felt a tremor run through them.

Reaching the limit should have resulted in involuntary shaking in both arms and legs.

“Hoo.”

The stone lock crashed heavily onto the ground. Only then did Teng Qingshan withdraw his hands, smiled, and turned to face his parents.

“Brother Fan, your boy is quite the talent.”

“A-Lan, your Qingshan, truly... he will surely become even stronger than your man in the future.”

A crowd of men and women surrounded Teng Yongfan and Yuan Lan. The couple, their faces flushed with excitement, were beaming. With such a son, what more could one ask for? Teng Yongfan looked at Teng Qingshan standing in the center, his eyes alight with pride and emotion.

“Hahaha... My good grandson, hahaha...” Teng Yunlong excitedly scooped Teng Qingshan up in a hug. “I, Teng Yunlong, in my twilight years, have such an astonishing grandson! Hahaha, I can die without regret, hahaha...”

Teng Yunlong was beside himself with emotion.

Possessing extraordinary martial power would bring immeasurable benefit to the entire clan.

“Qingshan.” Many familiar uncles and aunts gathered around, all praising him and affectionately patting his small head.

** Logically, the coming-of-age ceremony, which was highly anticipated, was supposed to follow the six-year-old’s test. However, due to Teng Qingshan’s sudden emergence, the evening’s ceremony was somewhat overshadowed. Tonight, Teng Yongfan and Yuan Lan had become the most radiant figures in the entire Teng Clan.

Nearly everyone surrounded the couple, as Teng Qingshan had already used the excuse of being ‘too tired’ to retreat home.

At Teng Qingshan’s residence.

“Brother, you are amazing!” His younger sister, Qingyu, bounced excitedly in the main room. “That huge rock, Brother, you just lifted it with a ‘hoo’ sound.”

The hundred-jin stone lock wasn't large in volume. Yet, to the three-year-old girl, it was indeed a massive rock.

Seeing this, a smile touched Teng Qingshan’s lips.

“Showing off a little strength today seems to have been a great thing,” Teng Qingshan mused to himself. In his past life, his experiences had been so dark that he never revealed his true strength easily; even within the assassin organization ‘Red,’ he always held something in reserve.

It was precisely this caution that had saved him from death numerous times.

Now, although Teng Qingshan was only six years old.

He had undergone three years of grueling cultivation since the age of three, especially the relentless strengthening of his bones and tendons through his inner energy. Despite his age, in terms of physical constitution alone, he was already superior to his nine-year-old cousin, ‘Teng Qinghu.’ Teng Qinghu, at nine, could already lift three hundred jin.

Teng Qingshan, relying only on muscle strength, could currently lift three hundred jin with ease.

This was without utilizing his inner energy. Since the inner energy of a child is no different from that of an adult—it is still inner energy! Once he engaged it, Teng Qingshan would unleash terrifying power.

“Hm?” Teng Qingshan’s ears twitched slightly.

Immediately after, he heard the squeak of the courtyard gate opening. Teng Yongfan and Yuan Lan walked in. Teng Yongfan’s face was flushed crimson, and he staggered slightly as he walked. From a distance, Teng Qingshan could smell the heavy aroma of alcohol. “The alcohol in the clan is much less potent than modern spirits. How much did Father have to drink to become this inebriated!”

In ancient times, brewing techniques were far inferior to modern society.

Many people wouldn't get drunk after a whole jar.

And Teng Yongfan, known for his immense capacity, had never been seen drunk by Teng Qingshan in years.

“Hahaha, Qingshan, my son, come here.” As soon as Teng Yongfan saw his son, he happily stepped forward and swept Teng Qingshan into his arms. “Son, your father is so delighted today, hahaha... I, Teng Yongfan, have such an incredible son. Later, when your fame spreads and people know you have a father named Teng Yongfan, hahaha...”

Teng Yongfan’s tongue was beginning to betray him slightly.

“Alright, Brother Fan, sit down and rest,” Yuan Lan helped Teng Yongfan settle down.

“Mother, how much did Father drink tonight?” Teng Qingshan asked.

“Qingshan, during the banquet tonight, everyone in the clan came to toast your father. He was so happy, he didn't know when to stop drinking constantly...” Before Yuan Lan could finish, Teng Yongfan suddenly sprang up, swaying slightly, and rushed into the courtyard, bending over to vomit in a corner.

He was drinking enough to throw up; Teng Yongfan had consumed a truly massive amount today.

There was a water vat in the corner of the yard. Teng Yongfan snatched a ladle, scooped up cold water, and splashed it onto his face.

“Whoosh! Much better!” Teng Yongfan straightened up.

“Don’t drink like that again,” Yuan Lan said with a touch of maternal concern.

“Hahaha, it’s only this once! My son is so outstanding, your father has reason to be proud,” Teng Yongfan, clearly feeling much better after vomiting once and rinsing with cold water.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Dong, dong, dong!”

“Yongfan, open the door,” came a voice from outside.

“It’s Master.” Teng Yongfan hurried over, unlatched the bolt, and saw five or six people standing outside the courtyard gate. Leading them was the Clan Head, ‘Teng Yunlong.’ Seeing them, Teng Yongfan immediately called out, “Master, First Elder, Second Elder, quickly, please come in.” He ushered the group into the main hall.

There were six visitors in total.

Among these six, only Teng Yongxiang and Teng Yinglei were of the same generation as Teng Yongfan; the other four were clan elders, all highly respected.

“Qingshan, come here quickly,” Teng Yongfan instructed.

Teng Qingshan approached and greeted them: “Grandfather, Great-Uncle, Third Grand-Uncle, Great-Uncle, Uncle!” Due to the large population of the Teng Clan, although the elders present were all seniors to Teng Qingshan, only the Third Grand-Uncle was the blood brother of Teng Qingshan’s own grandfather. The two ‘Great-Uncles’ were the paternal cousins of Teng Qingshan’s grandfather.

As for Teng Qingshan’s grandfather, he had died long ago fighting bandits and brigands, and his grandmother had fallen gravely ill shortly thereafter and passed away.

“Qingshan ah.” Teng Yunlong and the other elders looked at Teng Qingshan with shining eyes; he was the future hope of the Teng Clan.

Teng Yunlong then turned to Teng Yongfan: “Yongfan, your uncles and I have discussed this. Qingshan has boundless potential. If we keep him here in Tengjia Village, only training his strength, his future will be limited. Therefore, our clan will contribute five hundred taels of silver to send Qingshan to the Guiyuan Sect, to see if he can cultivate inner energy.”

There were only two ways to join the Guiyuan Sect.

One was for children under ten years old: for a payment of five hundred taels of silver, they could stay at the Guiyuan Sect for one year. If they managed to cultivate inner energy within that year, they became disciples; if not, they were expelled.

The second path was for adults: they underwent an assessment to join the Black Armored Army.

“To the Guiyuan Sect?” The last vestiges of Teng Yongfan’s drunkenness vanished immediately.

“Qingshan is only six years old.” Yuan Lan, standing nearby, looked reluctant. “Godfather, I can’t bear to part with Qingshan...”

“Hmph.” Teng Yunlong snorted coldly, his voice low. “A loving mother spoils her son! Qingshan’s potential is limitless, his aptitude is so exceptional—who here can teach him? Should we teach him the spear techniques our clan painstakingly compiled? Those meager farming tricks are a waste of Qingshan’s talent!”

The clan was not capable of sending every child to the Guiyuan Sect.

But because Teng Qingshan’s talent was so extraordinary, they were willing to scrape together five hundred taels.

Rebuked by his Godfather Teng Yunlong, Yuan Lan dared not speak further.

“Master, you speak correctly. Our level here is indeed a waste of Qingshan’s talent.” Teng Yongfan, after all, was the foremost strongman of the clan and had seen many grand occasions. He nodded. “However, Qingshan is only six. Why rush to send him to the Guiyuan Sect now? Don't the Guiyuan Sect's requirements state under ten years old? We could wait another two years.”

A silver-haired elder standing next to Teng Yunlong, bearing a small fleshy lump on his forehead, said gravely, “Nonsense! Yongfan, haven’t you heard? The earlier one begins cultivating inner energy, the better!”

Teng Yongfan and Yuan Lan were parents, and the thought of sending their son away so soon caused them deep reluctance.

Teng Yongfan glanced at his wife, then gritted his teeth and nodded. “Very well, let Qingshan...”

“Grandfather, Father!” Teng Qingshan, who had been silent beside them, suddenly spoke up. “The Guiyuan Sect, I don’t want to go!”