The Fire Mountain range spanned a vast area, and as Teng Qingshan and his group made their way back toward their quarters along the foothills, they encountered Ji Hong and his contingent descending the mountain as well.

"Qingshan, places where Heaven and Earth spiritual treasures sprout are generally exceedingly difficult to locate. We needn't rush things," Ji Hong said. "Ah, Guan Lü's contingent has also returned." At that moment, the group was only tens of zhang from their campsite, and they could already make out the elite core disciples of the Guiyuan Sect in the distance.

"Commander, they're back! Prepare dinner!"

The lavish feast, already prepared, was immediately served by the ten servants. A brand-new table, crafted that very afternoon, was set up, and over eighty people gathered to eat and drink. Indeed, the elite experts of the Guiyuan Sect dined exceptionally well, comparable to a top table at a fine restaurant.

And fine wine was plentiful!

"The chef sent by Yang Ta prepares quite decent food," Ji Hong praised.

Teng Qingshan raised a large bowl, took a swig of wine, and chuckled, "Commander, the martial artists surrounding us are quite envious." Ji Hong glanced toward the other martial artists lingering nearby and smiled.

Some of those martial artists were eating steamed buns and drinking cold water; others had managed to catch and roast some wild game.

But how could that compare to the Guiyuan Sect members? With dedicated chefs and numerous servants preparing everything. How could those martial artists not be envious? Yet, envy was useless.

...

After feasting and drinking their fill, some of the Guiyuan Sect experts retreated into their tents to cultivate their internal energy, while the majority remained outside, sitting in small groups and chatting.

"Qingshan!" Ji Hong walked alongside Teng Qingshan as they strolled along the mountain base. "Did any martial artists challenge you this afternoon?"

"There were," Teng Qingshan replied with a sigh. "Three of them, actually, but their strength was mediocre, so I paid them no mind!"

Ji Hong wore an expression of 'just as I expected' and commented, "This is not surprising! You are only seventeen years old, after all. In the eyes of many martial artists, someone seventeen years old, no matter how formidable, cannot be truly powerful. Even after you defeated Meng Tian, they will assume you used insidious means, perhaps poison!"

Teng Qingshan paused, startled.

"In short, quite a few people won't believe it without seeing it for themselves, refusing to accept you are that strong. They want to step on you to make a name for themselves across the world," Ji Hong turned to fix his gaze on Teng Qingshan. "Qingshan, I command you. If anyone else challenges you, you must accept! Moreover, strike ruthlessly. Killing them is permissible."

"Qingshan, you no longer represent only yourself; you represent the younger generation of our Guiyuan Sect! In the eyes of outsiders, you, having defeated Meng Tian, are the foremost expert among the Guiyuan Sect's youth! Therefore, you cannot yield. You must strike viciously—kill! Kill a few in one go, and those challengers will become fearful. Then, fewer people will dare to challenge you," Ji Hong stated.

Teng Qingshan replied, "Killing is unnecessary; making them remember the lesson for life should suffice!"

"Don't be too soft-hearted," Ji Hong chuckled. "Currently, among the Xiantian experts, the Ying Clan of Yongzhou in the Northwest, one of the Eight Great Sects, has an elder named 'Ying Rufan.' His strength is immense. In his youth, he was ranked on the Qianlong List (). Many challenged him, but he always held back, rarely injuring anyone, let alone killing! What was the result? Many took advantage of his kindness and specifically sought opportunities to challenge him. Some even used him to test their swordsmanship or saber techniques... Later, this Ying Rufan, weary of the constant disturbances, finally struck hard, and only then did his life become peaceful!"

The saying that kindness is met with aggression has its merits.

"Brother, this wild rabbit tastes excellent. Have a bite, fellas." A voice drifted over from not far away.

"Eh?" Ji Hong looked over in surprise.

Ji Hong's surprised expression piqued Teng Qingshan's curiosity, and he turned to look as well. Not far off sat a rugged man covered in stubble, roasting a wild rabbit, sending waves of savory aroma into the air. Standing beside him were three seemingly sturdy martial artists; one had already reached out to grab the roasted rabbit.

"Hmm? One-armed?" Teng Qingshan instantly discerned that the man in coarse cloth had an empty left sleeve—clearly one-armed.

"You three had better scram further away," a detached voice issued from the man's mouth.

"Oh?" The complexions of the three martial artists darkened. One barked, "Don't refuse courtesy when it's offered! For our brothers to eat one of your rabbits is giving you face. If you want to fight, our brothers don't mind sending you to see Yama."

The one-armed man drew the battle saber from his waist with a clang.

The three martial artists involuntarily took a step back.

But the one-armed man merely sliced a piece of rabbit meat with his saber, grabbed it, ate it, nodded, and then sliced another piece.

"Are you playing with us?" The complexions of the three darkened. One roared, "Brothers, let's teach this cripple—"

Before the word 'cripple' was fully out, a flash of azure light streaked forth!

Boom!

The sound of air whistling violently was immediately followed by a scream of agony.

The three martial artists stared at the one-armed man in terror. One, his face pale, clutched his right arm; there was a bloody gash at his wrist, and the tendons were severed.

From start to finish, none of the three had even seen the man draw his saber!

The one-armed man slowly sheathed his saber and stated coldly, "Scram!"

The three exchanged glances, knowing the man had held back his lethal intent, and they fled in disarray.

"So fast, a terrifying saber strike," Teng Qingshan murmured, somewhat shocked.

This single strike was definitely no slower than Meng Tian's Blood Moon Saber. Moreover, the one-armed martial artist had executed it while sitting on the ground—an awkward posture, yet the strike remained that formidable.

"I didn't expect him to be here too," Ji Hong's eyes gleamed. "Let's leave first; he dislikes being disturbed." The one-armed man glanced toward Ji Hong in the distance, then lowered his head to eat the rabbit meat.

Teng Qingshan grew more perplexed.

He accompanied Ji Hong back while inquiring, "Commander, who is that?"

"The Thunder God Saber, 'Wu Yue'!" Ji Hong stated gravely.

"Thunder God Saber?" Teng Qingshan was taken aback.

"Ninth on the Earth Ranking ()!" Ji Hong added, causing Teng Qingshan to gasp internally. "Ninth? Meng Tian was only ranked sixty-first. Just how strong is this Wu Yue?" Teng Qingshan could certainly gauge the disparity between sixty-first and ninth.

If the rankings were close, the gap wouldn't be so pronounced. But to rank in the top ten on the Earth Ranking while Meng Tian was near the bottom—this Wu Yue was definitely stronger than Meng Tian, and by a significant margin.

"When Wu Yue was young, at eighteen, he made the Qianlong List. He once ranked in the top ten of the Qianlong List, and many believed he had limitless potential!" Ji Hong praised. One had to realize that even figures like Zhuge Yun and Yue Song were not qualified to be listed on the Qianlong List, showing how difficult it was to enter.

"However, when he was twenty-six, he led his sect members on a campaign and lost an arm. He then went into obscurity for nearly twenty years. But in the last two years, his fame has rapidly increased; in three major battles, he successively defeated three Earth Ranking experts without a single defeat. His saber technique is renowned for its ferocity; when his ultimate move is unleashed, it is like a streak of azure lightning, hence his moniker, 'Thunder God Saber,'" Ji Hong admired. "This Thunder God Saber technique did not exist before; it is clearly self-created. He is now ranked ninth on the Earth Ranking! But since he remains undefeated, his ranking might climb even higher!"

Hearing this, Teng Qingshan also felt a surge of respect for the one-armed man. To rank in the top ten of the Earth Ranking while being disabled—this man's talent and willpower could definitely be called terrifying.

"A young expert is challenging the Iron Cloth Sect's top young master, 'Feng Wuxue'! Hurry, everyone, let's go!" An excited shout echoed from a distance.

Teng Qingshan looked over and saw a large crowd of martial artists running west.

"Feng Wuxue?" Teng Qingshan had long seen the Qianlong List, the Chufeng List (), and the Earth Ranking while at the Guiyuan Sect. Feng Wuxue was indeed a young expert ranked sixty-eighth on the Qianlong List.

"Let's go, Feng Wuxue? Qingshan, we should check it out," Ji Hong also said with a smile.

Teng Qingshan and Ji Hong hurried over.

In the distance, a large circle, spanning dozens of zhang, had formed, with about a thousand people gathered—likely most of the martial artists in the vicinity had arrived.

The sound of metal clashing arose.

"Hoo!" "Boom!"

Deep pits began to appear on the ground as the two figures moved rapidly past each other.

When Teng Qingshan and Ji Hong arrived, they witnessed this scene.

"That challenger is also an expert," Ji Hong's eyes lit up as soon as he arrived. Teng Qingshan asked, "Commander, which one is Feng Wuxue?"

"The one wearing silver-white clothes. The other, the short-shirted youth, is the challenger," Ji Hong explained.

"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!" ...

Following a dozen clashes, over ten streaks of saber light sliced through the night sky simultaneously.

"Pfft!" A splash of blood flew as the youth in silver-white was thrown backward, landing on the ground. A saber mark marred his chest, and blood slowly seeped out. Immediately, a large contingent of Iron Cloth Sect experts rushed forward to check his injuries and stop the bleeding.

"Wuxue, how are you?" an elder from the Iron Cloth Sect asked worriedly.

"Elder, the vital points were not struck," a middle-aged man quickly reported.

The thousand-plus surrounding martial artists erupted in commotion. Everyone was surprised that an unknown youth had actually defeated Feng Wuxue, the Iron Cloth Sect's top young expert. Feng Wuxue sat on the ground, his cold eyes fixed fiercely on the short-shirted youth in the distance, roaring, "What is your name!"

"Listen closely, my name is Yan Tie!" the short-shirted youth proclaimed loudly.

Teng Qingshan then realized that the short-shirted youth was barefoot!

...

"Yan Tie, this Yan Tie is incredibly formidable, actually defeating Feng Wuxue."

"What a pity for Feng Wuxue. If that previous sword thrust had been a little faster, he might have pierced Yan Tie. But Yan Tie's continuous dozen or so saber strikes were truly ruthless; each one stronger than the last. Feng Wuxue ultimately couldn't withstand it."

"Look at Yan Tie, he's quite young. The Qianlong List is about to see another change."

...

Many young people watched Yan Tie with envy. After this battle, Yan Tie's name would quickly spread across the world. If someone could defeat Yan Tie now, they would surpass him. However, having witnessed the terrifying strength of both Yan Tie and Feng Wuxue just moments ago, none dared to challenge him.

"Hey, look! That young man next to Commander Ji Hong is Teng Qingshan! He defeated Meng Tian!"

"Not only defeated, but killed! Teng Qingshan's name will likely appear on the next version of the Earth Ranking."

With so many people present, someone quickly recognized Teng Qingshan.

"If someone can defeat Teng Qingshan, making him utterly defeated in front of so many witnesses, perhaps they could replace him and earn a spot on the Earth Ranking."

Just then—

"Teng Qingshan! I, Sima Feng, Sect Master of the Heavy Sword Gate, have heard your spear techniques are exceptional and wish to exchange pointers!" A loud shout echoed out of nowhere. Immediately, the surrounding thousand-plus martial artists grew excited; a clash between Qianlong List level experts had just concluded, and now it appeared to be a contest between Earth Ranking masters.

Teng Qingshan, standing within the crowd, frowned.

"Qingshan, this is perfect timing! There are so many people here, strike fiercely and awe everyone!" Ji Hong, however, was somewhat thrilled, even glancing toward Elder Wei Canglong of the Iron Cloth Sect not far away, his gaze clearly carrying a hint of triumph.

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