"The name of the spear..." Teng Qingshan looked at the divine weapon, gazing at his father and maternal grandfather who had not rested for eighteen hours to forge it for him. A wave of emotion washed over Teng Qingshan. In his previous life, he was lonely, but in this life, he possessed loving parents, a sweet little sister, and many simple tribesmen.
Past life and present life seemed like a cycle, with this new existence completing the regrets of the former.
"This spear shall be called Reincarnation," Teng Qingshan declared.
"Reincarnation?" Teng Yongfan and Teng Yunlong exchanged glances. They had thought of many names—Cold Iron Spear, Purple Vein Spear, Cold Star Spear—but never 'Reincarnation'. After a brief pause, Grandfather Teng Yunlong burst into laughter. "Reincarnation, reincarnation! The Hellish Cycle! When this divine spear appears, it will plunge the enemy into the nightmare of the eighteen layers of hell. A great name, such profound meaning! Yongfan, this lad Qingshan is far more capable than you; even naming things is this excellent."
"If he surpasses his father, doesn't that mean each generation is inferior to the last?" Teng Yongfan also laughed heartily.
Teng Qingshan had only named the spear 'Reincarnation' out of his contemplation on his past and present lives and the impermanence of fate. He never expected his grandfather and father to draw so many associations from it.
"Qingshan, try it out, see how this spear feels," Teng Yunlong urged.
Teng Yongfan's eyes shone brightly. The spear was forged with painstaking effort; if his son could wield it well, the father would have no regrets.
Feeling the cold emanating from the shaft, Teng Qingshan flicked his wrist, holding the very end of the long spear. The 108 jin weapon was held perfectly horizontal: "Father, Grandfather, please step back a few paces." As he spoke, Teng Qingshan began to sense the intrinsic force of the Reincarnation Spear itself!
Because the spear's material differed, the difficulty in discerning the internal force differed for each weapon.
Like this Reincarnation Spear, weighing a full 108 jin with a dense shaft, made discerning its force much harder.
But Teng Qingshan, who had already achieved the state of 'Man and Spear as One,' gripped the weapon, felt it for a moment, and completely discerned the intrinsic momentum of the Reincarnation Spear.
"Hoo!"
Teng Qingshan suddenly yanked the spear, lifting it with his left hand and swinging it with his right. Instantly, the entire spear transformed into streaks of circular phantoms, like a protective cage enveloping him. Then, with a sudden stop, the twirling spearhead vibrated intensely. Immediately following, with a forceful thrust of his right hand, the spearhead stabbed forward three times in rapid succession.
Puh! Puh! Puh!
The speed generated a sonic boom.
In the descriptions of spear techniques from his previous life, there was the saying: 'Pole fears the tip-strike, spear fears the circle.' Generally, masters of spear techniques would whirl the spearhead to make its trajectory unpredictable, capable of killing in an instant. But upon reaching the 'Man and Spear as One' realm, the pursuit was stability! The pursuit was precision down to the minutest fraction!
The saying goes: Seeing mountains is mountains, seeing water is water. Seeing mountains is no longer mountains, seeing water is no longer water. This triple realm also applies perfectly to spear techniques.
'Spear fears the circle!' That is what ordinary practitioners strive for.
True masters demand absolute control: I want to pierce exactly half the thickness of this tofu, absolutely not one bit more. I want to stab the fly on this glass, absolutely without damaging the glass.
That is precision!
When Teng Qingshan executed his technique, the spear was as swift as lightning, yet capable of abruptly changing trajectory at the very last instant. Where he wills a thrust, there it strikes, combining the real and the illusory—this is the true master of the spear, leaving opponents utterly defenseless.
"Poison Dragon Drill!"
Teng Qingshan grew immersed in the movement. His right hand gripped the center of the shaft, channeling his internal force into the spear while simultaneously issuing a rotational force inward. Like an electric drill spinning at high speed to pierce a wall, the entire spear violently rotated, instantly becoming a streak of lightning. The surrounding air became turbulent, blurring the spear's shadow.
The instant the spear began its rotation—
"Boom!"
A harsh sound of exploding air erupted, like a spring thunderclap on flat ground, startling Teng Yongfan and Teng Yunlong nearby. The entire Teng Clan Village erupted into commotion, with many tribesmen shouting, "The furnace has exploded!" and rushing toward the weapon-smithing shop.
As the spear shot out, dragging his hand, Teng Qingshan followed with two steps before gaining firm control of the shaft.
The Poison Dragon Drill technique possessed immense power, rooted in its drilling momentum. It also featured a momentary drag on the hand control, but with Teng Qingshan's mastery, he could instantly retract the spear, shifting from offense to defense.
"Good lad!" Teng Yunlong shouted. "What technique was that? It looks like it could blast away a small hill."
"Haha, Qingshan, listen outside, the tribesmen are all running over," Teng Yongfan chuckled too.
Hearing the tribesmen outside shout "The furnace exploded," Teng Qingshan felt a mix of amusement and frustration. Internally, he was tremendously excited: "This Reincarnation Spear is indeed extraordinary. It can withstand my tens of thousands of jin of immense force and the full burst of my internal energy, and this is far from the spear's limit."
When using the Fine Steel Spear previously, Teng Qingshan could feel the material inside it trembling, like wood pressed to its breaking point, on the verge of shattering.
Every time, Teng Qingshan had to use his internal energy to support the Fine Steel Spear, fearing it would crack, preventing him from unleashing his full strength.
"With this power fully displayed, the Poison Dragon Drill is indeed potent enough. If I had fought that Flood Dragon with the Reincarnation Spear, even if that Flood Dragon won, it wouldn't have been so easily achieved," Teng Qingshan recalled. That day, using the Fine Steel Spear to execute the 'Poison Dragon Drill,' he had only managed to scratch the surface of the Flood Dragon's scales.
He couldn't even pierce the muscle beneath.
If he used the Reincarnation Spear, he should be able to pierce deeper. However, to kill a monstrous beast like that Flood Dragon, Teng Qingshan still wasn't confident. After all, the Flood Dragon's sheer strength, its defense, and the 'Black Mist' it spat out, all left Teng Qingshan with lingering dread.
"Let's go, we'll go out, and we can also tell the tribesmen that the furnace didn't actually explode," Teng Yunlong said with a hearty laugh, walking toward the main gate.
Teng Qingshan and Teng Yongfan could only follow him out, suppressing their smiles.
To a true martial artist, a divine weapon is akin to a sworn brother or sister. In the days immediately following the acquisition of the Reincarnation Spear, Teng Qingshan spent every day practicing with it. However, each time, he only used about ten percent of his strength, fearing that too much commotion would alarm the tribesmen.
Half a month later, in the woods west of Teng Clan Village.
Teng Qinghu found Teng Qingshan practicing his spear forms.
"Qingshan, my father and the people from Great Li Village have settled the date for the wedding—it's set for the sixth day of the third month!" Teng Qinghu spoke excitedly beside Teng Qingshan. "Haha, less than a month away! Qingshan, you absolutely have to come with me. Haven't you always wanted to see what your sister-in-law looks like? You'll know then."
"Look at you, so smug," Teng Qingshan laughed.
"Hehe, for the wedding, I've already decided—she'll be the only one I marry in this lifetime," Teng Qinghu declared blissfully.
"Look at your foolish expression." Teng Qingshan fully understood that a person's first love often leaves a profound impact. Since this was Teng Qinghu's first crush on a woman, and now his first marriage, his proclamation of marrying only once was entirely predictable to Teng Qingshan.
"Qingshan, you are my best brother; you must come with me to escort the bride on the sixth of the third month," Teng Qinghu insisted repeatedly.
"Don't worry, I definitely will be there. By the way, will many people from the clan be going?" Teng Qingshan inquired.
"Yes, my father, my grandfather, and some other tribesmen. At least dozens of people will go," Teng Qinghu replied.
The tribesmen of Teng Clan Village lived a peaceful life, and the days passed quickly until the sixth of the third month finally arrived.
The sixth of the third month, according to local custom, was the best day in nearly two or three months for holding important events like weddings and travels. On the morning of the sixth, the sun was already high in the sky. Large red silk cloths and bright red flowers adorned the main gate of Teng Clan Village, radiating festive joy.
The gate opened as many people gathered to send off the welcoming procession.
The vast majority of the escort party walked on two legs, with only the Clan Head, Teng Yunlong, and the groom, Teng Qinghu, each riding a yellow-maned horse. Yellow-maned horses were local to Yangzhou, costing only a few dozen silver taels apiece, making them relatively cheap. However, commoners rarely needed horses.
Oxen were used for plowing.
And for travel to the city, walking on two legs sufficed. Many villages didn't own a single horse; Teng Clan Village possessing two was considered quite good.
"Haha, Qinghu, sit up straight! Today is the sixth of the third month, your big wedding day. You must let the people of Great Li Village see what kind of men come from Teng Clan Village!" Teng Yunlong was extremely happy today, as Teng Qinghu was his biological grandson. A grandfather is naturally overjoyed when his grandson marries.
"Qinghu, be careful, don't stain your groom's robes," several surrounding tribesmen teased.
Teng Qinghu just smiled.
"Alright, set off!" Teng Yunlong gave the order.
Immediately, the welcoming procession advanced toward Great Li Village. Teng Qingshan was part of the escort party, naturally walking on his two legs, as the clan only had two horses.
"At this pace, we'll reach Great Li Village near noon. If we eat a little tangyuan or something there and return quickly, we'll be just in time for the feast," Teng Qingshan had attended many weddings over the years, and accompanying the clan's foremost warrior to escort the bride was not a new experience; he was quite familiar with the routine.
A gentle breeze blew, the sun shone high, and the welcoming procession moved toward Great Li Village amid laughter.