Within the Guiyuan Sect of Jiangning Prefecture, an almost absolute silence reigned; nearly everyone was asleep. Yet, in the study of the Sect Master, 'Zhuge Yuanhong,' the candlelight still burned brightly.

Zhuge Yuanhong, his long hair unbound and wearing a loose white robe, stood barefoot. Holding a paintbrush, he vigorously splashed ink across the paper spread out on his desk. A faint smile played on his lips, clearly indicating he was utterly immersed in the spirit of the painting.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"...

A knocking sounded on the door.

Zhuge Yuanhong paused, then glanced with satisfaction at his artwork before setting the brush aside, chuckling, "Come in."

The door opened.

The middle-aged man in the grey robe, who had been responsible for entertaining the more than three hundred martial artists earlier in the day, stepped in with a smile. He glanced at the painting on the desk. "Sect Master, your paintings are becoming increasingly vivid. You have a successor for your ultimate skills, but your brushwork lacks a worthy apprentice."

"It's merely casual scribbling, a pursuit of leisure," Zhuge Yuanhong dismissed it casually. He looked at the grey-robed man. "Senior Brother, how is the background check on that Teng Qingshan coming along?"

"It’s been checked," the grey-robed man replied.

The Guiyuan Sect was a major power controlling the entirety of Jiangning Prefecture, with intelligence personnel stationed at every border and city within its domain. For the Guiyuan Sect to investigate Teng Qingshan, the findings were clear within a few hours.

"Tell me quickly," Zhuge Yuanhong urged.

"Sect Master," the grey-robed man’s face was alight with amusement, "this Teng Qingshan is absolutely a person of singular, prodigious talent! He was born in a mountain village called 'Teng Family Village,' nestled at the foot of Dayan Mountain in Yicheng. It is said that by the age of six, he could lift stones weighing a hundred jin."

Zhuge Yuanhong's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Around the age of ten, his spear technique was already so superb he could slay a wolf king!"

"At fourteen, he sparred with Wang Tiefeng, the second of the three Wang brothers, and they were nearly evenly matched."

"At sixteen—this year—he single-handedly killed Li Yanshan, the leader of the Yanshan Gang. He is reputed to be the foremost expert in Yicheng. And the Teng Family Village is also well-known locally, a village famous for its martial valor," the grey-robed man recited in one breath.

Zhuge Yuanhong smiled and nodded. "Mm, his background is perfectly clear."

"Sect Master, rest assured, Teng Qingshan's origins are completely clean. Our people have long gathered information on him. His father is named Teng Yongfan, and his mother, Yuan Lan. There is absolutely nothing suspicious about them!" the grey-robed man stated with total certainty.

"Just as I suspected!"

Zhuge Yuanhong, still barefoot and disheveled, walked to the window. "I have never seen Teng Qingshan's spear technique before! It must be self-created; the possibility of it being taught by a master is extremely slim! Most importantly, his application of internal energy is too crude. His internal energy manual must be the absolute lowest grade."

Various internal energy manuals and sword technique manuals could allow internal energy to unleash immense power. Take Yue Song, for instance; that move, the 'Overlapping Waves Style' from the Cangjiang Sword Art, possessed an instantaneous offensive power ten times that of a peak Houtian expert. Even Teng Qingshan, while concealing incredible strength, had to rely on the 'Primordial Unity Qi' spear technique to defend against it. The reason the Overlapping Waves Style was so formidable was that the sword technique and the cultivation method were indispensable.

Teng Qingshan's internal energy manual… was not the worst. Rather… Teng Qingshan possessed no internal energy manual at all! The internal energy he did possess was a side effect of practicing internal martial arts.

"At merely sixteen years of age, without any guidance, he is already stronger than Brother Wei's prize disciple, Yue Song! And this is with inferior internal energy. He is a true genius, an uncut jade!" Zhuge Yuanhong's eyes shone. For a Sect Master, obtaining such a piece of raw, talented jade was a profound fortune.

"Sect Master, when do you plan to take Teng Qingshan as your disciple?" the grey-robed man couldn't help but ask.

Of the Four Commanders, Zang Feng was Zhuge Yuanhong's disciple! Commander Guan, the female commander, was also his disciple! Zhuge Yuanhong was not only immensely powerful himself but also extraordinarily adept at teaching; none of those he personally mentored were mediocre.

"No, I do not plan to take him as a disciple for now," Zhuge Yuanhong shook his head.

"This... Sect Master... why is that?" the grey-robed man was astonished.

The relationship between master and disciple was exceptionally close, the master’s status almost equivalent to that of a parent. Accepting Teng Qingshan as a disciple would better ensure his service to the Guiyuan Sect.

"Teng Qingshan's talent is comparable to Yun'er's. But more important than his talent is his temperament!" Zhuge Yuanhong stated. "Yun'er cannot endure solitude. Though his talent is high, a true master must endure loneliness! However, a personality cannot be forcibly suppressed, or it will backfire. With Yun'er, I can only wait patiently." Zhuge Yuanhong held high expectations for his son.

"But Teng Qingshan is different. I see in him a steadfastness that belies his age! A mountain-like steadiness. A terrifying composure that showed no ripple in his heart even when facing the admiration of six thousand Black Armored Troops! This temperament, coupled with his talent and that pure, unsullied heart... he does not need my instruction."

"The path one creates oneself is the most suitable. I only need to provide a slight guiding hand; he will create everything else himself," Zhuge Yuanhong chuckled softly.

The grey-robed man nodded thoughtfully.

"This is a piece of raw jade! A genius rare in the thousand-year history of our Guiyuan Sect. In the future, he may very well become a pillar of our sect. Such a piece of raw jade must be carved and polished with care," Zhuge Yuanhong sighed with emotion.

The grey-robed man gasped in surprise. "Sect Master, you say this Teng Qingshan might become a pillar of our Guiyuan Sect in the future? Do you mean... he can reach the Xiantian realm?"

On the lands of the Nine Provinces, in these ancient, powerful sects with legacies spanning millennia, the true foundation figures were Xiantian experts!

Zhuge Yuanhong’s gaze was profound as he looked out past the window into the night sky. "When spirit and Qi harmonize, one can step into the Xiantian realm. It is an opportunity encountered by fate, not sought... I dare not say he will certainly reach Xiantian. However, among the talents of the younger generation in our Guiyuan Sect, if anyone has the highest hope, it should be this Teng Qingshan!"

"That is enough. Senior Brother, you have been busy for so long; go back and rest early," Zhuge Yuanhong said faintly.

The grey-robed man then departed the study.

In the study, the dim candlelight flickered softly.

Zhuge Yuanhong, hair disheveled, stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the night sky, murmuring softly, "Teng Qingshan's background is entirely clean. But why do I always feel he is so mysterious? Where exactly is the anomaly?" Few people in the world were capable of making him feel obscured.

Afterward, Zhuge Yuanhong walked to the cushion behind the desk and sat down cross-legged.

With a flick of his sleeve, the candle was extinguished.

"Creek!" The study door closed itself automatically.

In the darkness, Zhuge Yuanhong closed his eyes and sat still.

As dawn began to break, the entire Black Armored Army camp buzzed with activity. With over six thousand Black Armored soldiers, the food provided was always plentiful. Single soldiers generally ate at the Cookhouse Camp at will. Soldiers with families, however, collected their rations from the Cookhouse Camp to take back to feed their wives and children.

Yes!

Black Armored soldiers were permitted to bring their wives and children to the barracks. After all, becoming a Black Armored soldier was a commitment for life, and the Guiyuan Sect would not be entirely heartless; they allowed the soldiers to bring their families.

The eating area in the Cookhouse Camp consisted of four very large buildings, each covering a vast area. Every large building was about ten zhang wide and around thirty zhang long. The Black Armored Army was divided into four Garrisons, and these four buildings were sufficient to accommodate all six thousand soldiers for their meals.

"Hahaha, Brother Qingshan!"

"Brother Teng, you're here."

"Sir, we’ve already eaten; you’re late."

As Teng Qingshan walked in, many people greeted him enthusiastically. There were fellow Centurions and some ordinary soldiers. During the celebratory banquet the previous night, many had already considered Teng Qingshan a close comrade.

"What's for breakfast this morning?" Teng Qingshan asked, walking over with a smile.

The Black Armored Army’s diet was excellent.

Steamed buns, eggs, egg pancakes, meat buns, dumplings, and more... they were brought out in bucket after bucket. Since the Black Armored soldiers had large appetites, the quantity of food was naturally immense.

"The food is even better than what we had in the village," Teng Qinghu said, wolfing down an egg, then two large meat buns, clearly enjoying himself.

"Eat up; you'll need the energy for the morning drills," Teng Qingshan smiled.

"Qingshan," Teng Qinghu suddenly frowned. "Though I am a Squad Leader, I am not in your Centurion squad. I am in the Spearman squad, and you are the Centurion of a Spearman squad. See if you can ask around and get me transferred into your squad!"

Teng Qingshan heard this and realized it was indeed an issue. Back when he was assigned under the Third Commander of the First Garrison, his cousin Teng Qinghu was also under the Third Commander, but not in his Centurion squad. After all...

There were only so many Squad Leader positions; one had to compete for them, earning the spot through merit if a vacancy appeared. Teng Qingshan's Centurion squad had no openings for a Squad Leader, so Teng Qinghu was naturally not assigned there.

"It’s a small matter. I’ll ask around later; getting you transferred over here shouldn't be a problem," Teng Qingshan assured him.

"Heh heh, it's better to stick with you, Qingshan," Teng Qinghu chuckled slyly.

Soon, the two finished their breakfast and, along with a large contingent of Black Armored soldiers, marched mightily toward the training grounds.

On the training grounds, training commenced, structured around each Centurion squad forming a block.

"Hah!"

"Hya!"

The hundred soldiers under Teng Qingshan, all clad in heavy armor, practiced their spear techniques. In large-scale military combat, overly intricate spear skills were unnecessary; simple thrusts were sufficient. What was required was power and speed! Teng Qingshan closely watched and supervised them.

Suddenly, Teng Qingshan glanced toward another nearby Centurion Spearman squad. Teng Qinghu was among them.

"Brother Tian Dan," Teng Qingshan walked over with a smile to the Centurion of that squad, 'Tian Dan.' The Centurions under the same Commander had certainly become acquainted over drinks the previous night.

"Brother Qingshan," Tian Dan greeted him, holding his long spear with a hearty smile. Teng Qingshan cut straight to the point. "Brother Tian Dan, I have a favor I need to ask of you."

"If you need help, just ask. If I can manage it, there will be no issue," Tian Dan replied generously.