Along the edge of the drill ground, many Centurions and Commanders were practicing; they were all peak Houtian realm masters, each possessing their own cultivation methods, bizarre and varied as could be. Meanwhile, Teng Qingshan was continuously practicing the Three-Stance Form.
“Tsssh!” “Hoo!”
One stance, one kick, one punch.
The movements of the Three-Stance Form appeared exceedingly simple and mundane. Without profound insight into Xingyiquan, and a deep understanding of the breathing techniques, the qi circulation, and the artistic conception of the form, it was utterly impossible to grasp just how vast and deep this technique truly was.
Some people nearby noticed Teng Qingshan practicing the Three-Stance Form, yet they failed to perceive anything special about the boxing style.
“The artistic conception of this Cannon Fist—how does it translate into spear techniques? How exactly should one execute these spear techniques? How can that moment of ultimate explosive force be generated through them?” Teng Qingshan hoped to find the answer within the Three-Stance Form, striking the pose again and again, pondering, “My Tiger Cannon Fist is the most formidable punch among the many secret methods of Xingyiquan, yet I cannot even transfer the conception of the Cannon Fist to spearplay, let alone the conception of the ‘Tiger Cannon Fist.’”
Among the Five Elements Fists, Teng Qingshan had completely converted the Collapsing Fist, the Horizontal Fist, and the Drilling Fist into spear techniques. But he had not yet successfully evolved the Cannon Fist and the Cleaving Fist.
The difficulty was immense.
“Hmm?” Teng Qingshan suddenly glimpsed Teng Qinghu approaching in the distance.
“He wanted to bring his cousin into my hundred-man squad, but that Bai Qi gave him trouble. Cousin will be disappointed, won’t he?” Teng Qingshan paused his Three-Stance Form and walked towards Teng Qinghu.
“Qingshan, Qingshan!” Teng Qinghu looked delighted.
“Cousin,” Teng Qingshan said helplessly. “Regarding your transfer to my squad, Commander Bai Qi refused.”
“Ah.” Teng Qinghu was momentarily stunned. He glanced at Commander Bai Qi, who was practicing spear forms in the distance, and lowered his voice, “That Commander Bai Qi? He refused to grant such a simple favor? I heard that of Gongyang Qing’s seven brothers, three were transferred by Gongyang Qing into his own hundred-man squad.”
Teng Qingshan understood. Commander Bai Qi was making things difficult for him.
But what could understanding do?
Official language is slippery; wasn't it all up to the other party to decide what to say?
“Forget about that. Qingshan, I have tremendous news to tell you,” Teng Qinghu said triumphantly.
“Oh?” Teng Qingshan was slightly surprised. What could possibly be considered great news?
“Qingshan, when we first arrived at the Guiyuan Sect. Didn’t we mention that the Black Armored Army of Guiyuan Sect possesses internal energy secret manuals for cultivation? Heh heh… Have you discovered what kind of secret manual the Black Armored Army is practicing yet?” Teng Qinghu acted mysterious.
Teng Qingshan’s eyes immediately lit up.
An internal energy secret manual?
Whether in his past life or this one, Teng Qingshan had never seen an internal energy secret manual. His only manual was the Tianya Xing movement technique manual. Movement technique manuals were only for expending internal energy; they could not be used to cultivate it. What a true internal energy secret manual looked like, Teng Qingshan did not know!
“Qinghu, you know?” Teng Qingshan felt his heart rate accelerating.
“Yes! I also know where this manual is located,” Teng Qinghu said proudly. “This manual is called the Mang Niu Da Li Jue!”
“Mang Niu Da Li Jue?” Those five words made Teng Qingshan’s blood boil.
Finally!
He would finally get to witness an internal energy secret manual!
“Where is it?” Teng Qingshan asked urgently.
“Look, there. That stone stele!” Teng Qinghu pointed north across the drill ground. Teng Qingshan followed Qinghu’s direction and looked, and indeed, in the hazy distance, there stood a tall, black stone stele.
“Let’s go!” Teng Qingshan grabbed his Samsara Spear lying nearby and immediately ran toward it.
He had waited for this internal energy secret manual for far, far too long!
The towering stone stele was entirely black, weathered by years of sun and wind, causing dust to coat its surface. Yet the inscriptions carved upon it were remarkably clear. Right at the very top of the stele were five large characters—Mang Niu Da Li Jue!
Teng Qingshan and Teng Qinghu stood before the stele, observing.
It wasn't just the two of them; many other martial artists who had recently joined the Black Armored Army were also studying the stele. Some even had paper and pens, already beginning to copy the text.
“Mang Niu Da Li Jue!”
Teng Qingshan’s eyes shone as he read the contents etched on the stone.
“The Mang Niu Da Li Jue was created by the twelfth generation Sect Master of our Guiyuan Sect, ‘Feng Shan,’ and it is one of the most potent manuals among our Guiyuan Sect’s Human-rank secret techniques.”
Teng Qingshan had heard that secret manuals were generally divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Human, and Unranked. However, for many people, there was little practical difference between Heaven, Earth, and Human ranks, because… what the Heaven and Earth ranks added over the Human rank were mostly cultivation methods applicable after achieving the Xiantian realm.
But how many people could ever reach Xiantian?
Therefore, a good Human-rank manual was entirely sufficient for the vast majority.
“Although the Mang Niu Da Li Jue possesses immense power, it is also extremely difficult to practice. Thus, even though its power is among the strongest of Human-rank manuals, due to its excessive difficulty, it is classified as only mid-tier among Human-rank manuals. This Mang Niu Da Li Jue is divided into nine layers. Upon cultivating to the fifth layer, one can possess ten thousand jin of brute strength, qualifying as a first-rate martial artist. Thereafter, each subsequent layer brings staggering leaps in strength. Upon reaching the highest ninth layer, one will find few rivals among Houtian masters!”
Reading this passage, Teng Qingshan couldn't help but be inwardly shocked.
The fifth layer grants ten thousand jin of brute strength, and strength surges with every subsequent layer. Just how powerful would the ninth layer be?
Seeing this, Teng Qingshan sighed inwardly: “Even if they are both considered first-rate martial artists, both at the peak of Houtian, their strength will differ drastically based on the manual they practice. That Yue Song, with one move like the ‘Overlapping Waves Style,’ could probably slaughter a group of first-rate martial artists with ease.”
This was the result of possessing different manuals.
“Just where is the cultivation of this Mang Niu Da Li Jue so difficult?” Teng Qingshan continued reading.
“The Mang Niu Da Li Jue is easy to begin cultivating, but it becomes progressively harder thereafter. This is because… every breakthrough requires opening new meridians. To cultivate the Mang Niu Da Li Jue to the ninth layer, one must open all the Extraordinary Meridians! Yet, even Xiantian experts have only managed to open a few of their Extraordinary Meridians!”
Reading this far, Teng Qingshan suddenly realized: “No wonder it possesses such power yet is only considered mid-tier among Human-rank manuals! Opening the Extraordinary Meridians? According to the methods in internal energy manuals, every time a meridian is opened, the impurities in the other meridians increase. Progress becomes exponentially harder the further one goes. Opening all the Extraordinary Meridians is indeed as hard as ascending to heaven!”
“Even Xiantian experts have only managed to open a few of their Extraordinary Meridians?” From this sentence, Teng Qingshan understood one thing—
The advancement from Houtian to Xiantian has nothing to do with whether the Extraordinary Meridians are fully opened!
And furthermore…
Most Xiantian experts haven't even opened all their Extraordinary Meridians, let alone every single meridian in their bodies.
“Haha, it’s difficult for others, but for me… forget the Extraordinary and Twelve Primary Meridians, I have already cleared every collateral, fine branch meridian!” Teng Qingshan felt an intense surge of joy in his heart. His decision not to come to the Guiyuan Sect when he was young had proven wise after all.
Over the years, his internal martial arts cultivation had reached its apex.
Every meridian in his body was unimpeded.
With his aptitude, the speed at which he cultivated any manual would be terrifyingly fast.
Teng Qingshan continued reading: “Crucially, when cultivating an internal energy manual, one must remain perfectly calm and tranquil, finding a quiet place free from outside interference. Otherwise, if one’s mind is disturbed, the internal energy may rush into unopened meridians, causing them to shatter. The lighter consequence is becoming crippled; the severe consequence is death from severed meridians!”
“The first layer of the Mang Niu Da Li Jue: Intent Gathers…”
Right there, before the stone stele, Teng Qingshan began practicing the Mang Niu Da Li Jue.
Going astray? (Zǒu huǒ rù mó?)
What did Teng Qingshan fear about adverse deviations? All his meridians were clear; his internal energy could instantly reach every part of his body. For others, a deviated path in the meridians meant nightmare! But for Teng Qingshan, it meant absolutely no effect.
Following the incantation, Teng Qingshan began circulating the first layer of the Mang Niu Da Li Jue.
“This internal energy manual is indeed different from internal arts,” Teng Qingshan followed the instructions, controlling his internal energy with rhythmic variations in speed, circulating it through a Minor Heavenly Cycle within the ‘Hand Taiyang’ meridian of the Twelve Primary Meridians. The stream of internal energy flowed like a diligent cleaner, carefully circulating and scrubbing the inner walls of this single meridian, stimulating it.
Simultaneously, while running the Minor Heavenly Cycle, his internal energy automatically began absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Internal arts relied on breathing and qi intake to refine heaven and earth spiritual energy. But an internal energy manual made the internal energy proactively refine and absorb it—the efficiency was far higher.
“Tsssh, tsssh~~” The internal energy moved swiftly like swimming dragons; Teng Qingshan’s meridians were wide, open avenues.
In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Teng Qingshan began practicing the second layer of the Mang Niu Da Li Jue.
In truth, since all Teng Qingshan’s meridians were clear, he could directly practice the highest layer. But this time, as it was his first experience with an internal energy manual, Teng Qingshan cautiously progressed layer by layer to fully grasp the fundamentals.
“Ah! The speed of absorbing heaven and earth spiritual energy has increased significantly,” Teng Qingshan was overjoyed. This Heavenly Cycle path was longer, and the absorption and refinement speed was much faster. “This rate of refining internal energy is more than ten times faster than relying on my Tiger Fist!”
This was only the second layer!
Teng Qingshan finally understood the difference between internal arts and internal energy manuals.
Internal arts mainly nourished life and strengthened the body; everything centered on nurturing and reinforcing the physical form. Internal energy manuals were purely about madly absorbing heaven and earth spiritual energy to refine internal energy.
“Fortunately, this is the ancient era; otherwise, in modern times where heaven and earth spiritual energy has dissipated, having an internal energy manual would be useless,” Teng Qingshan practiced with frantic speed. Moments later, the second layer was mastered. His cultivation speed was undoubtedly the most exaggerated in the history of the Nine Provinces.
“Good, beginning the third layer cultivation!”
Teng Qingshan swiftly moved to the third layer, and instantly, the speed of refining heaven and earth spiritual energy increased dramatically once more. The internal energy began to branch off, flowing through two different meridians, then merging, following a miraculous trajectory, sometimes even slowing down slightly to stimulate an acupoint.
“What a wondrous sensation!” Teng Qingshan clearly perceived that his meridians were being affected, but the impact was extremely subtle.
“Fourth layer!”
Teng Qingshan hesitated not at all and began the fourth layer of cultivation.