Before the stone stele. Quite a few people were holding brushes and paper, meticulously recording the contents of the Mighty Bull Strength Art. Teng Qinghu also borrowed paper and a brush from the side and began transcribing diligently.

The entire Mighty Bull Strength Art totaled over two thousand characters. Teng Qinghu, possessing considerable wrist strength, wrote continuously for nearly an hour before finally finishing the transcription of the entire text.

"Hmm? Why are there only the first six layers?" Teng Qinghu scanned the massive stone stele from front to back, only to discover that it contained only the incantations and mental methods for the first six layers of the Mighty Bull Strength Art. The seventh through ninth layers were conspicuously absent.

"Qingshan, Qingshan." Teng Qinghu called out beside him.

Teng Qingshan had his eyes closed, cultivating the sixth layer of the Mighty Bull Strength Art. The acupoints along his Shou Taiyang and Shou Taiyin meridians were experiencing waves of tingling numbness, as if someone were pressing forcefully on them with their fingers. The meridians themselves throbbed with sensation.

Traces of internal energy were swirling around the acupoints, making small eddies. Other streams of internal energy resembled tiny insects, lightly gnawing at the meridians, stimulating them.

"The senior who created this Mighty Bull Strength Art was truly formidable," Teng Qingshan marveled inwardly. "To devise such a method to stimulate and strengthen the meridians!"

This internal energy manual contained sections for circulating the Heavenly Cycle, as well as methods to stimulate acupoints and strengthen the meridians, along with techniques for projecting internal power from the hands.

Since the Mighty Bull Strength Art's internal energy erupted primarily from the hands, it focused heavily on cultivating the two main meridians related to the arms: the Shou Taiyang and the Shou Taiyin. These two meridians acted like a pair of 'cannon barrels,' launching the internal energy—the 'ammunition.'

Consequently, the Mighty Bull Strength Art spent most of its duration reinforcing these two specific meridians. The thicker and tougher the meridians, the more internal energy they could channel for expulsion.

"Hm?" Teng Qingshan opened his eyes. "What is it, Cousin?"

Teng Qingshan's meridians were completely clear and open. He could cease his practice at any moment without fear of his internal energy straying into incorrect paths.

"Qingshan. This Mighty Bull Strength Art only has six layers; the last three are missing," Teng Qinghu urged, slightly agitated. "The manual initially mentioned nine layers, so why are only the first six etched on this stele? I've checked the whole thing thoroughly."

Teng Qingshan started: "The last three layers are missing?"

He had already cultivated up to the sixth layer, and based on his perception of his own meridians, he felt perfectly capable of continuing the cultivation process.

"Hey, Brother Qinghu, aren't these first six layers more than enough?" A Black Armored Army soldier standing nearby, who had also joined the previous day and recognized Teng Qinghu, remarked. "That's six full layers! Reaching the fifth layer makes one a first-rate martial artist! Reaching the sixth, and you probably won't be matched by many Centurions. Don't be greedy; mastering these six layers would be excellent."

"Oh, that’s true."

Teng Qinghu scratched his head. "Iron Head, I hadn't thought of it that way. Six layers are certainly sufficient."

Sufficient? Sufficient my foot!

Teng Qingshan offered a wry smile internally. The first six layers of the Mighty Bull Strength Art had merely served to awaken his deeper 'craving.' Given the toughness of his meridians, only the cultivation methods of the sixth layer provided a noticeable stimulus; even then, he felt no real pressure.

Teng Qingshan's monstrous physique was simply too powerful.

"After all, this Mighty Bull Strength Art is only a Human-grade manual," Teng Qingshan observed the towering stone stele before him. "Carved into a public stele for the Black Armored Army soldiers to view, it’s not surprising that the much more potent final three layers are concealed."

"Qingshan, aren't you going to copy it?" Teng Qinghu asked, perplexed.

"Copy what?" Teng Qingshan chuckled. "I memorized these simple incantations after reading them once."

"Memorized after reading them once?" Teng Qinghu stared, stunned.

Over two thousand characters! Memorized after a single reading?

Teng Qingshan shook his head and smiled faintly. Having cultivated it once, he remembered the circulation pathways and methods perfectly. Furthermore, having reached the sixth layer, he only needed to employ the sixth layer’s methods for future practice, rendering the first five obsolete.

...

In the afternoon.

Teng Qingshan stood in his courtyard, gripping the Reincarnation Spear.

With a flicker of intent, his internal energy immediately surged from his Dantian according to the sixth layer's instructions of the Mighty Bull Strength Art. It then split into five distinct streams, flowing through five specific meridians within the Eight Extraordinary Meridians before rapidly channeling into Teng Qingshan’s right arm.

"Boom!"

The Reincarnation Spear slammed into the ground with tremendous force, creating a sharp explosion of air. Dirt scattered, and a deep crater formed in the muddy courtyard floor.

Teng Qingshan examined the large mud pit, a faint smile touching his lips. "The Mighty Bull Strength Art isn't lying; reaching the sixth layer truly delivers far greater power than the fifth. This single strike carried a force equivalent to nearly thirty thousand jin."

Teng Qingshan, possessing immense innate strength, could gauge the force of his attack by the resulting destruction caused by the internal energy release.

"However, for a typical martial artist reaching the sixth layer, their meridians wouldn't be as tough or wide as mine, so their explosive power would likely be weaker—perhaps around twenty thousand jin," Teng Qingshan surmised. Even though he used the sixth layer technique, his meridians could accommodate excess internal energy, amplifying the effect.

The power was considerable. But...

"The consumption of internal energy is staggering! Using it this wildly, I estimate my energy would be depleted after about thirty strikes. Even with the sixth layer's recovery rate, it would take at least a full day to regenerate everything," Teng Qingshan noted, yet a smile still played on his lips.

He felt genuinely pleased.

"Hahaha, compared to internal energy, the endurance of physical strength is vastly superior!" Teng Qingshan felt a surge of elation.

"My internal energy is already considered quite robust, yet I can only execute thirty full-power swings with the Reincarnation Spear before depletion! If it were an average martial artist, running out of energy would mean certain death."

"But my physical strength is overwhelmingly greater—my arms possess a colossal strength of one hundred and eighty thousand jin! And I can use dozens of thousands of jin of force repeatedly without tiring in a day!" Teng Qingshan had identified the clear advantage of muscular strength over internal energy output.

That advantage was sustainability!

As a master of internal martial arts, when attacking, only a very small fraction of muscle groups were actively exploding with power at any given moment. For instance, in throwing a punch: power originates from the soles of the feet, travels up through the hips, shoulders, and elbows, culminating at the fist. During this transmission, the leg muscles that initiated the force might rest while the power transfers to the waist. Even in frenetic combat, Teng Qingshan could keep the majority of his muscle mass in a state of relative rest.

This allowed...

Teng Qingshan to fight intensely for an entire day and night without issue. Meanwhile, ordinary martial artists would be utterly drained of their vital energy and subsequently killed!

"Still, from now on, I can openly deploy power around twenty thousand jin occasionally," Teng Qingshan understood clearly. His immense physical strength was a hidden trump card. Having been an assassin in his past life, it had instilled in him a deep habit—never reveal your ultimate card until the final moment.

Even when fighting Yue Song, Teng Qingshan had only utilized ten thousand jin of force.

But now, having learned the Mighty Bull Strength Art, Teng Qingshan could legitimately employ bursts of twenty thousand jin force now and then. If someone asked why he was so strong, he could legitimately attribute it to the Mighty Bull Strength Art.

...

As dusk settled.

"Brother Teng, Brother Teng!" A voice called from outside the courtyard gate.

Teng Qinghu immediately hurried to open it.

"Ah, Young Sect Master, Miss Qingqing." Teng Qinghu's face flushed slightly with pleasant surprise upon seeing the pair outside, before quickly composing himself. "Please, come in."

Zhuge Yun and his sister, Zhuge Qing, entered side-by-side.

Zhuge Yun and Zhuge Qing were both dressed entirely in white robes.

"It is the Young Sect Master and Miss Qing," Teng Qingshan, who had been drinking alone while idly flicking a throwing knife, rose to greet them.

"Haha, why the formality of 'Young Sect Master'? It sounds stiff! Wouldn't it be better to address each other as brothers? You might even be older than me, Brother Teng," the Young Sect Master, 'Zhuge Yun,' laughed heartily. Both he and Teng Qingshan were sixteen, making a definitive determination of seniority difficult.

"Oh? I was born in the early spring. What about you, Young Sect Master?" Teng Qingshan inquired.

"Ah, it seems I must call you Big Brother Teng then," Zhuge Yun conceded with a slight mock resignation. "I was born in the summer. Big Brother Teng, my little sister and I came today to invite you two brothers out for a farewell dinner—a proper welcome now that you’ve joined the Guiyuan Sect."

Zhuge Qing spoke up from beside him: "My brother wanted to invite Big Brother Qingshan and Big Brother Qinghu yesterday, but since the Black Armored Army was celebrating, we could only come today."

"Big Brother Qingshan, Big Brother Qinghu, you won't refuse us, will you?" Zhuge Qing looked expectantly at the two brothers.

When fixed with Miss Qing’s gaze, Teng Qinghu could only nod enthusiastically: "Go, of course we’ll go. Qingshan, what do you say?"

"When the Young Sect Master and Miss Qing personally extend the invitation, how could I possibly refuse?" Teng Qingshan stood up.

...

Walking along the main street of Jiangning Prefecture City, Zhuge Qing had donned a veil.

"There’s no helping it. If my sister doesn't wear a veil, she attracts a crowd wherever she goes," Zhuge Yun explained with a resigned sigh. Teng Qingshan nodded; the first time he saw Miss Qing, he noticed she possessed an innate, captivating allure. His cousin, 'Teng Qinghu,' had been utterly dumbstruck the first time, and indeed, many other martial artists had been similarly drawn in.

Some women possess an inherent sexuality woven into every gesture, even in moments of joy or anger. This kind of pure, almost celestial shock to the senses was also a potent form of enchantment.

"Even now, many people from the Guiyuan Sect have come seeking her hand in marriage," Zhuge Yun murmured quietly.

"Brother!" the young lady scolded, annoyed.

"The Sect Master hasn't agreed, has he?" Teng Qinghu asked with sudden concern. Zhuge Yun laughed: "Of course not. Do those fellows deserve to marry my sister? My father has stated that my sister's marriage requires the agreement of both herself and Father before it can be settled."

"That’s good," Teng Qinghu nodded in relief.

Teng Qingshan glanced helplessly at his cousin. His cousin was truly a simple fellow unfamiliar with celestial beauty; seeing Zhuge Qing made him somewhat lose his composure. "Miss Qing is indeed extremely enchanting, and she is also a pure young woman. It’s not strange that Cousin likes her. If my cousin actually married her, it would be a fortunate match. However... given Miss Zhuge Qing's status, it will be very difficult for Cousin to win her over!"

"Let’s go, the Lanyue Tower is ahead! We're going in," Zhuge Yun said cheerfully, leading the way into the Lanyue Tower.

Teng Qingshan, Teng Qinghu, and Zhuge Qing followed him inside.