Zhuge Qing and Qing Yu departed, leaving only the three of them—Teng Qingshan and the others—in the courtyard.

"June twelfth is when we recruit new members, meaning in a few days, the weakest eight Centurions will be decided. Brother Qinghu, I'm quite worried about you," Zhuge Yun teased with a laugh, but Teng Qinghu was overflowing with confidence. "Young Sect Master, just wait until the competition begins in a few days, and you will see!"

"Oh?" Zhuge Yun turned his head in surprise toward Teng Qingshan.

A smile also played across Teng Qingshan's face.

He knew his cousin's strength better than anyone. While he might not defeat the very best Centurions, he was certainly in the upper-middle tier.

...

In the following days, rounds of sparring matches erupted among the Centurions and Corporals within the Black Armored Army, turning the training grounds into a spectacle of high-level combat. As Teng Qinghu had recently been promoted from Corporal to Centurion, many of the established Centurions viewed him as an easy target.

Thus, as soon as the duels began, challenges were directed at Teng Qinghu.

However, Teng Qinghu swiftly used his two fierce and cunning techniques—'Pouring Oil on Fire' and 'Snatching Profit from Danger'—to decisively defeat three Centurions in a row. Instantly, the other Centurions understood that Teng Qinghu was not someone to be trifled with.

**

The summer evening was oppressively hot.

Ji Hong, still cloaked in his black robes, arrived outside the study of the Sect Master, 'Zhuge Yuanhong'. As he reached the door, a voice drifted out from within: "Second Martial Uncle, come in."

He pushed the door open.

Zhuge Yuanhong was studying a piece of paper.

"Sect Master, you summoned me in such haste. What is the matter?" Ji Hong inquired.

Zhuge Yuanhong smiled faintly. "An acquaintance of mine, 'Zhu Tong,' has asked me for a favor concerning his ninth son."

"Zhu Tong? The God of Wealth from Yangzhou?" Ji Hong was slightly surprised. Among the merchants in this world, the salt merchants of Yangzhou and the merchants of Yuzhou were the most famous. If one were to name the merchant who held the greatest fame across the ages, it would undoubtedly be 'Fan Li,' the God of Wealth, from over three thousand years ago!

Of course, Fan Li had long since passed away.

And in the current era, the most renowned figure was undoubtedly 'Zhu Tong,' the foremost salt merchant of Yangzhou. If one were to estimate Zhu Tong's wealth, few could truly grasp it.

Zhu Tong's father had only been a minor merchant. But at the age of ten, Zhu Tong opened the 'Fengyang Restaurant.' In just three years, the Fengyang Restaurant network covered nearly all of Yangzhou, earning him vast riches. Building upon this foundation, Zhu Tong gradually infiltrated various industries.

Zhu Tong followed a strict principle in his business dealings.

Step by step, he would focus on only one industry at a time, and only upon achieving success in that field would he move on to the next.

Sixty years passed, and Zhu Tong amassed boundless wealth.

The most astonishing part was...

This man, Zhu Tong, who was practically a 'God of Wealth,' was also a Xiantian realm expert. To dedicate such massive energy to commerce while simultaneously achieving the Xiantian realm—even Zhuge Yuanhong marveled at and deeply admired him!

Countless people across the land worshipped 'Zhu Tong.'

"Zhu Tong's ancestral home falls within the sphere of influence of Qinghu Island. Why would his son ask us for help instead of Qinghu Island?" Ji Hong wondered aloud.

Even the Guiyuan Sect treated the man known as the 'Foremost Rich Merchant of the World' with the utmost seriousness.

"Haha, in terms of business acumen, few in history can compare to this God of Wealth. But even with endless money, he faces dilemmas!" Zhuge Yuanhong chuckled. "He has sixteen sons! Daughters are simpler; they marry out with a dowry and that’s settled. But sons are difficult. The old man is brilliant, and all sixteen sons are exceptional. How should Zhu Tong divide his infinite fortune? Each one vies to become the head of the Zhu family!"

Ji Hong immediately laughed. "Dividing the estate? Haha... Interesting! Great sects have struggles for the Sect Master position, and the Zhu family has its own battle for the Patriarch role!"

A major family could only have one heir as the Patriarch, who would inherit the vast majority of the assets.

The other sons would only receive a small fraction. Even a 'small fraction' of Zhu Tong's wealth was enormous, but how many of those sons could truly be satisfied? Human greed is terrifying. Even if they claimed not to be greedy, how many could truly disregard billions in family fortune?

"Sect Master, Zhu Tong is a Xiantian expert, his lifespan is long, surely he need not worry about these matters yet," Ji Hong remarked.

"If one does not plan for the distant future, one will soon face immediate troubles! Moreover, this God of Wealth has lost interest in making money; he intends to dedicate himself entirely to martial arts research. Therefore, he must select an heir," Ji Hong stated. "His sixteen sons are all clever. Zhu Tong has set a rule: he grants each son a sum of money, and after ten years, the one who has earned the most will become the Patriarch!"

Ji Hong scoffed. "That method seems rather foolish. Does Zhu Tong not fear that some sects might interfere in his family's succession struggle by secretly supporting a certain son?"

"Foolish? A God of Wealth who could earn a million taels of silver by age ten is not foolish; if he were, then there are no truly clever people in this world," Zhuge Yuanhong said with a faint smile.

Ji Hong felt a blush of embarrassment. Indeed, who in the world dared to call Zhu Tong foolish? Even if Zhu Tong genuinely committed a blunder, people would surely rationalize that he had a deeper, esoteric purpose beyond common understanding.

"What did his ninth son ask of you, Sect Master?" Ji Hong inquired.

"He asked me to dispatch some experts to guard a shipment for him!" Zhuge Yuanhong replied. "The retainer fee is one hundred thousand taels of silver!"

This price for employing experts from the Guiyuan Sect was not considered high.

"Sect Master, will you agree?" Ji Hong asked.

Zhuge Yuanhong nodded. "When I visited Zhu Tong years ago, I met all sixteen sons; every one of them is a formidable character. His ninth son has good rapport with others; he appears to be a straightforward young man perhaps slightly naive, but in reality, his calculating mind runs deep. I have a feeling the future Patriarch of the Zhu family will be one of three: Zhu Tong's eldest son, the ninth son, or the thirteenth son."

Zhuge Yuanhong's wisdom was known throughout the Nine Provinces.

"Helping him will do us no harm," Zhuge Yuanhong said with a faint smile. "You watched the Centurion competitions a few days ago, didn't you?"

"Yes, I watched," Ji Hong nodded.

"Did you observe the spear techniques of Teng Qingshan's cousin, 'Teng Qinghu'?" Zhuge Yuanhong asked.

"Hmm?" Ji Hong showed surprise. "That Teng Qinghu has two impressive moves—one is violently fierce, and the other is bizarrely insidious. But those spear techniques... they don't seem to belong to our Guiyuan Sect."

"Let me remind you of something else: I once gave Teng Qingshan a copy of the Blazing Fire Spear Art." Zhuge Yuanhong stated.

"Blazing Fire Spear Art? Given to Teng Qingshan? I've seen that technique too; it has eighty-one forms, but the power is average," Ji Hong hesitated slightly, then his eyes lit up. "Sect Master, are you suggesting that Teng Qingshan has transformed that spear art..."

Zhuge Yuanhong nodded. "The power of each form in the Blazing Fire Spear Art is average, but those two moves Teng Qinghu displayed, I am certain, were integrated and created from that Blazing Fire Spear Art! However, Teng Qinghu’s overall strength is moderate, and he has only mastered two forms. I estimate that Teng Qingshan himself, having comprehended and integrated the Blazing Fire Spear Art to create his own techniques, likely has more than just two forms. Furthermore, the power of his moves should be significantly greater than what Teng Qinghu displayed!"

Zhuge Yuanhong’s gaze was piercing; just by observing the moves Teng Qinghu used in the Centurion competition, he had deduced the truth.

"To integrate the Blazing Fire Spear Art and then create a superior spear technique? And all within a few short months...?" Ji Hong shook his head with a wry smile. "I still find it hard to believe that Teng Qingshan has reached this level!"

"Second Martial Uncle," Zhuge Yuanhong said.

Ji Hong slightly bowed.

"This time, the task of guarding the shipment for the Ninth Young Master, 'Zhu Chongsheng,' will be entrusted to Teng Qingshan! He may select two Centurions from among the ranks, along with two ten-man squads from the Black Armored Army!" Zhuge Yuanhong said with a faint smile. "For the price of one hundred thousand taels of silver, having Teng Qingshan lead the contingent means that Young Master Jiu is getting quite a bargain."

"I will send a message to that Ninth Young Master, instructing him to bring his men and wait by the northern gate of our Black Armored Army camp the day after tomorrow morning," Zhuge Yuanhong added.

"Understood." Ji Hong accepted the order and swiftly left the study.

Zhuge Yuanhong gazed toward the Black Armored Army camp. "To create such spear techniques in merely a few months! I clearly underestimated you before! It seems that before long, our Guiyuan Sect will also see a genius listed simultaneously on both the Hidden Dragon Ranking and the Earth Ranking."

...

In the Guiyuan Sect, no one was listed on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, nor the Earth Ranking.

For one person to be listed on both rankings simultaneously meant they had to achieve a position on the Earth Ranking before the age of thirty! This requirement was exceedingly harsh. Given the vast population of this world, there were countless people with talent and perseverance. Zhuge Yun, while a genius within the Guiyuan Sect, was surpassed in talent by others in Yangzhou alone, let alone across the entire Nine Provinces.

To be listed simultaneously on both the Earth Ranking and the Hidden Dragon Ranking would bring renown throughout the Nine Provinces.

Morning drill on the training ground.

Teng Qingshan, having just received the command from Ji Hong, stood before a company of men and stated coldly, "Centurions Du Hong and Teng Qinghu, each select one ten-man squad from under your command. We depart for Chu Commandery tomorrow morning!"

As per the commander's orders, he was to select two Centurions. Du Hong was the oldest and most experienced, and with himself present, it would also provide valuable experience for his cousin, 'Qinghu.' Thus, he chose these two Centurions.

"Yes!"

Du Hong and Teng Qinghu bowed in acceptance and immediately selected their respective ten-man squads.

"I just returned, and already I'm heading out before I even see the new recruit intake!" Although Teng Qingshan thought this, he was deeply eager. Chu Commandery was in the far north of Yangzhou. Traveling from Jiangning Commandery to Chu Commandery covered nearly two thousand li. Because they had to escort goods, covering two hundred li a day would be considered good progress.

"Brother Qingshan, heading to Chu Commandery?"

Du Hong and Teng Qinghu approached and said in low voices.

"Yes, helping escort goods. Old Du, are there dangers along this route?" Teng Qingshan inquired.

"Those who request escort services from our Black Armored Army are handling major business! There are considerable troubles involved. Moreover, traveling from our Jiangning Commandery to Chu Commandery covers nearly two thousand li, and halfway, we pass through Xuyang Commandery—the most chaotic area! Danger is inevitable on the road," Du Hong frowned.

Teng Qingshan looked toward the north.

Danger?

Teng Qingshan feared no danger. He had been confined to Jiangning Commandery since arriving in this world. Finally, he had a chance to venture out properly.

'This trip, I must properly assess the strength of the experts in the world,' Teng Qingshan anticipated internally. It was difficult for him to fight openly within the Guiyuan Sect, but outside, he was the leader. When he unleashed his true strength in sparring with some experts, concealing it from those around him would not be difficult.

"Everyone, go prepare yourselves and get good rest. We depart early tomorrow morning. Including the return journey, this will be close to four thousand li traveled," Teng Qingshan commanded.