Zhuge Yun and his sister, Zhuge Qing, walked along a narrow path within the Guiyuan Sect grounds; Zhuge Qing had finally removed her veil.

“Sister.” Zhuge Yun called out, but Zhuge Qing didn't react.

“Sister!” Zhuge Yun called again, louder this time.

“Ah!” Zhuge Qing snapped back to attention, catching her brother’s sly grin. Realizing what she had been contemplating moments before, a blush immediately crept up her neck. She huffed, “Brother, what are you yelling for?”

“What were you daydreaming about just now? I had to call out several times before you heard me,” Zhuge Yun chuckled.

“I was just…” Zhuge Qing’s cheeks burned crimson.

Zhuge Yun lowered his voice. “Is my little sister smitten with some young genius? Don't tell me it’s Brother Teng?” Zhuge Qing’s face looked ready to drip blood from the intensity of her blush, and she retorted with a mix of shyness and annoyance, “Brother, stop talking nonsense.” In truth, Zhuge Qing, being of an age where adulthood followed the next year's festival, was squarely in the season of girlish yearning.

Zhuge Qing’s standards were undeniably high; having a genius like Zhuge Yun for an older brother meant that most young men in the sect simply didn't measure up.

However, the sudden emergence of Teng Qingshan had caught her attention during the Centurion competition. She had only agreed to come to dinner today because he was invited. Most importantly… the sheer ruthlessness Teng Qingshan displayed when he killed that Qin San yesterday had utterly stunned Zhuge Qing.

Zhuge Qing couldn't quite articulate whether it was fear or something else, but the impression Teng Qingshan left on her heart was undeniable.

To say she was in love was far too soon. But at the very least, Teng Qingshan now occupied a distinct space in the quiet corners of her mind.

“I knew it, and it’s hardly surprising. A talent like Brother Teng is bound to attract interest. Even the older and younger sister disciples in the sect have been asking me about him—a first-rate martial artist at only sixteen. Sister, you need to be careful. If Brother Teng is snatched away by someone else, it will be too late to regret it,” Zhuge Yun teased with a playful smirk.

“Hmph, you just love making fun of me,” Zhuge Qing replied, turning her head deliberately away from him. Yet, a flicker of doubt crossed her mind: Could it be that I really have developed feelings for Brother Teng?

Love, as a concept, was inherently vague. Whether it was true affection was difficult to pinpoint. A whirlwind of confusing thoughts rushed through Zhuge Qing's mind, leaving her in turmoil.

“You two. Where did you disappear to so late in the evening!” Just then, a familiar voice echoed from not too far away.

Zhuge Yun and Zhuge Qing turned their heads simultaneously. In front of one of the nearby residences, Zhuge Yuanhong, clad in sweeping white robes, sat before a Go board, engrossed in a complex layout, sipping tea alone.

“Father!” both Zhuge Yun and Zhuge Qing called out, immediately walking over.

“Father, playing chess again? Let me give you a shoulder rub,” Zhuge Qing obediently went behind Zhuge Yuanhong, gently kneading his back and shoulders.

“Yun’er, where were you coming from?” Zhuge Yuanhong asked with a smile.

Zhuge Yuanhong was a relatively benevolent father. While his children held a thread of reverence for him deep down, their daily interactions were usually filled with comfortable banter.

“Sister and I treated Teng Qingshan and his brother, Teng Qinghu, to dinner today,” Zhuge Yun explained helplessly. “But halfway through the meal, we ran into trouble. Brother Teng Qingshan encountered an old enemy, and in a fit of rage, he killed the man.”

“Oh?” Zhuge Yuanhong’s expression didn't change at all. He smiled lightly. “Tell me the details of the incident, step by step.”

“Father, it was like this.” Zhuge Yun immediately began recounting the events, while the young woman massaging his shoulders chimed in occasionally. In a short time, they had recounted the whole affair.

Upon hearing the story, Zhuge Yuanhong nodded approvingly. “This Teng Qingshan is certainly decisive in his killings!”

As for the so-called Golden Sword Sect, Zhuge Yuanhong paid them no mind whatsoever… In his eyes, that sect was nothing more than an ant, easily crushed underfoot. They weren't worth wasting a moment of his attention on.

“Oh, Father,” the young woman, Qing, added suddenly. “When Brother Teng killed that Qin San today, he easily defeated Qin San’s two senior martial brothers. Later, when we asked Brother Teng… we found out he had actually reached the Sixth Level of the Mighty Ox Great Strength Technique!”

“Sister is right,” Zhuge Yun exclaimed excitedly. “It was indeed the sixth level. He achieved the Sixth Level of the Mighty Ox Great Strength Technique in just one day! Brother Teng also mentioned that most of his Extraordinary Meridians are already open, which is why his cultivation is so fast.”

“Is that so?” Zhuge Yuanhong’s eyes gleamed.

Qing continued, “If Brother Teng were to spar with Brother Yue Song now, he could definitely defeat Brother Yue Song with ease.” A cunning glint flashed in her eyes as she lowered her voice. “Father, if Brother Teng has reached the sixth level, and the Secret Manual Stele only shows the first six levels, shouldn't we give him the cultivation methods for the last three levels?”

Zhuge Yun glanced at his sister and chuckled.

“Yes, Father. Brother Teng has no manual to practice with now, and his strength cannot improve. It’s a complete waste of time,” Zhuge Yun added.

“You three seem to be on rather good terms with that Teng Qingshan.”

“However, the Mighty Ox Great Strength Technique is ultimately a Human-Grade Secret Manual of my Guiyuan Sect! The first six levels can be public, but the last three are not easily passed on to outsiders. Teng Qingshan is, after all, only a recent recruit to our Black Armored Army,” Zhuge Yuanhong stated. “We can discuss it after he has been in the Black Armored Army for a few years, or after he has made a significant contribution.”

“A few years? A great contribution?” Qing, usually demure in front of others, resorted to childish pouting with her father. “Father, didn't you permit Brother Yue Song to freely study all our Human-Grade manuals? And he only just joined the sect!”

“He is him, and Teng Qingshan is Teng Qingshan.” Zhuge Yuanhong deliberately held back. Yue Song was the disciple of Wei Wuyai, and Zhuge Yuanhong, having been entrusted by Wei Wuyai, naturally offered enthusiastic hospitality to the younger nephew.

Qing stood there, deliberately sulking and silent.

“Oh, it seems my precious daughter has taken a liking to that Teng Qingshan. Since that is the case… Yun’er, you will accompany Qingqing to the secret chamber and retrieve a complete volume of the Mighty Ox Great Strength Technique. Find a suitable time to present it to Teng Qingshan!” Zhuge Yuanhong conceded with resignation. “There’s nothing to be done. If my daughter doesn't get to give Teng Qingshan the manual, who will massage and knead the shoulders of this old father later?”

“Yes, Father!” Zhuge Yun readily agreed.

Qing’s face flushed slightly.

“Father, I’m going to bed now,” the young woman declared, scampering away immediately.

“Father, I’ll be heading back too,” Zhuge Yun said, following her out.

Zhuge Yuanhong watched his two children depart, a faint smile touching his lips. He then glanced towards the direction of the Black Armored Army. “This Teng Qingshan, to reach the sixth level in one go—it seems my initial guess was correct. He must have encountered some fortuitous encounter, consuming a Heavenly Treasure that furnished him with so much internal energy. That treasure changed his physique, opened up so many meridians… Give him the Mighty Ox Great Strength Technique. Let's see what heights he can reach with this manual! If he wants to be my son-in-law? He’ll certainly have to prove himself worthy!”

Zhuge Yuanhong dismissed the thought and immersed himself once more in his game of Go.

Deep into the night.

Teng Qinghu had long since fallen asleep, but Teng Qingshan was seated cross-legged in the courtyard, quietly cultivating. His Internal Martial Arts had already reached the peak; he could perfectly control his viscera, blood flow, and breath. In this state of stillness, his respiration was so faint it was nearly undetectable, and his heartbeat slowed to only a few beats per minute. Meditating like this, enveloped in a void of tranquility, one hour was equivalent to three or four hours of sleep.

As the darkness before dawn faded and the first hint of light touched the world, Teng Qingshan opened his eyes.

He immediately stood up and performed the Three Stance Form for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, then halted. “Back then, when Internal Martial Arts reached the Grandmaster realm, everyone believed it was the limit. Ancestor Ji Jike created the ‘Tiger Form Divine Connection Technique,’ which allowed Grandmasters to elevate their power further! Now, I have reached an unprecedented ultimate limit. Can I, like Ancestor Ji Jike, build upon the foundations laid by predecessors and create an even stronger secret method to further enhance the power of Internal Martial Arts?”

Internal Martial Arts were Teng Qingshan’s foundation. Currently, the Tiger Form Divine Connection Technique offered him no further benefit; his physical strength had hit a ceiling.

“Xing Yi Quan originates from the ‘Three Stance Form.’ I must search for the answer within the Three Stance Form. But how do I find it?” Teng Qingshan realized that through the process of deriving his spear techniques, his understanding of the boxing realm had surpassed his previous life significantly. However, this offered no immediate help to improving his physical constitution.

“Forget it. Creating a higher peak for Internal Martial Arts—no one has broken through in a thousand years. I can't rush this! The only way for me to increase my strength right now is to rely on internal energy!” Teng Qingshan understood this clearly.

Currently, his Mighty Ox Great Strength Technique had reached the Sixth Level. Given the capacity of his meridians, he could unleash an explosive force of around thirty thousand catties. Combined with the eighteen thousand catties of sheer strength in his two arms, if he unleashed his muscular and bone strength alongside his internal energy, the power in his arms would exceed two hundred thousand catties.

To skilled martial artists, the physical body was comparatively fragile; having a strength of one or two thousand catties was often considered good, which was negligible compared to internal energy. But Teng Qingshan was the opposite; his body was far stronger.

“It’s a pity that I only possess the first six levels of the Mighty Ox Great Strength Technique! I don't know when I will obtain the final three levels,” Teng Qingshan thought to himself.

That morning, after breakfast, the soldiers of the Black Armored Army resumed their morning drills.

“Hah!” “Kha!” The soldiers, clad in heavy armor, thrust their long spears repeatedly.

Teng Qingshan practiced his spear forms near his own hundred-man squad, but unlike the soldiers, the speed of his spear thrusts was incredibly fast, manifesting a dozen afterimages, one spear silhouette seamlessly following the next, like an endless cycle.

“Sir!” “Sir!” The spear-wielding soldiers suddenly called out.

“Hmm?” Teng Qingshan turned to look at them. One soldier pointed to a spot not far away: “Sir, over there!”

Teng Qingshan turned his gaze and saw Zhuge Qing, dressed in green, waving vigorously at him from the edge of the drill field. Teng Qingshan then paused his spear work and walked over.

“Miss Qing, what brings you here?” Teng Qingshan asked, slightly surprised.

“Oh, it’s my brother,” Zhuge Qing explained. “He got this complete copy of the Mighty Ox Great Strength Technique from Father yesterday. But he’s cultivating right now and doesn't have time, so he asked me to come over and give it to you. This is the complete version, containing all nine levels.” As she spoke, she took out a cloth-wrapped book from her satchel.

Teng Qingshan was overjoyed. “Please thank your brother for me, and thank you, Miss Qing, for taking the trouble to make this trip.”