"He follows the path of the spear; I walk the way of the blade! How could I teach him? In terms of spear technique, I am likely inferior to him. Although he is currently only at the Houtian realm, in terms of pure intent and mastery, he is not far behind me! I truly cannot teach him. Furthermore, I already have a cherished disciple! There is no need to take another... Kill him? If I kill him now, Zhuge Yuanhong will surely fly into a rage, perhaps even coming here personally. If it is discovered that I was the one who killed him, that will be troublesome."
Toward Zhuge Yuanhong, the old man still held a measure of fear.
"Even if he cannot trace it back to me, once he arrives, my chance to seize the Black Fire Spirit Fruit will diminish! Hmm, expediency is key. Once I have secured the Black Fire Spirit Fruit, then I shall eliminate this Teng Qingshan! Hmph, then I will destroy the body and all traces. Zhuge Yuanhong will never be able to investigate! Oh, Zhuge Yuanhong, Zhuge Yuanhong, who told you to help Wei Wuya? This time, you can’t blame me!"
The silver-haired elder having settled his plan, observed the battle with a placid smile.
At this moment, a wave of cheers erupted from the surroundings!
Everyone was praising Teng Qingshan. The way he handled his spear just now was truly magnificent; wielding the long spear felt like commanding a docile, swimming dragon, shifting between uncanny swiftness and ferocious might. With nothing more than this dancing spear, he had managed to strike down the master of the Heavy Sword Sect, 'Sima Feng,' until he could not rise.
"Brother Wang, you’ve been famous for decades. Why not try challenging him? If you win, your name will echo across the land." A lean man standing beside the silver-haired, grey-robed elder chuckled.
"Indeed, Brother Wang, you are one of Fanwu City’s foremost experts." Someone else squeezed in nearby, chiming in.
The silver-haired elder shook his head and laughed heartily, "Do you not know my paltry strength? Competing against a master ranked on the 'Earthly Ranking'? Am I tired of living?" The few martial artists around them also laughed. They were merely teasing 'Wang Yun'—Wang Yun was a martial artist of considerable skill from Fanwu City in Xuyang Prefecture.
He had indeed reached the peak of the Houtian realm.
Although the silver-haired, grey-robed elder was the subject of mockery, he maintained his smiling demeanor, yet a flash of cold light crossed his eyes, revealing the underlying savagery in his heart.
Among the thousands of martial artists, quite a few were shouting loudly.
"Teng Qingshan is truly formidable! He defeated Sima Feng so easily!"
"Teng Qingshan, truly worthy of being an 'Earthly Ranking' master."
...
Many of the weaker martial artists were making the most noise. They had mocked Teng Qingshan earlier, but now they were praising him frantically. In truth, the new edition of the 'Earthly Ranking' had not yet been released, making it impossible to confirm whether the Myriad Manifestations Gate would truly list Teng Qingshan in the upcoming ranks. But many martial artists were simply following the wind—they were the sort who feared an unchaotic world the least.
"Sect Master!" "Sect Master!"
Many people surrounded Sima Feng. Sima Feng was sitting cross-legged on the ground, using his internal energy to stabilize his injuries. After a moment, he managed to open his eyes, and with the help of his disciples, he stood up laboriously. He gazed at Teng Qingshan; though filled with reluctance, he nevertheless spoke loudly, "Commander Teng, truly worthy of being an 'Earthly Ranking' master who defeated Meng Tian. This spear technique has reached the level of Hua Jin; I, Sima Feng, am truly inferior! Cough..."
Speaking loudly aggravated his internal injuries, and Sima Feng began to cough, spitting up blood.
This sight startled many martial artists.
Teng Qingshan’s single spear strike had injured Sima Feng to this extent.
"Thank you, Commander Teng, for showing mercy." Sima Feng cupped his hands, then departed with his disciples supporting him.
Showing mercy?
Indeed, Teng Qingshan had held back. Sima Feng’s heavy sword had been shaken away. Faced with no defense, if Teng Qingshan had used the move 'Adding Fuel to the Fire' against his body, even an impact of tens of thousands of jin could have killed Sima Feng. Teng Qingshan had restrained his spear motion at the last moment. He had only managed to fracture one or two of the opponent's ribs and damage his internal organs. Although he would require a year or more to recover, his life had been spared.
"Defeat Teng Qingshan, and one might enter the 'Earthly Ranking'!"
"Yan Tie, you defeated Feng Wuxue, perhaps you can defeat Teng Qingshan too!" someone shouted loudly. Yan Tie, standing in the crowd, frowned and scanned his surroundings. But there were too many people, especially several tall figures completely blocking his view. He couldn't find who was shouting.
"Hmph," Yan Tie snorted coldly but made no move forward.
Yan Tie stared at Teng Qingshan in the distance: "What an astonishing spear technique. Although I could block those two moves with my full effort, the words Teng Qingshan spoke before the fight clearly indicated he was demonstrating techniques for his cousin. This fellow... could he truly be hiding his strength?" Yan Tie dared not act. The strength Teng Qingshan had displayed alone gave Yan Tie a headache.
"It seems I have underestimated the masters of the world! Hmm, there are many experts here, I should wait and see... Once this matter here is settled, I will return to Youzhou and find my master! After eight years of wandering, it is time to go home!" Yan Tie mused internally.
...
Teng Qingshan stood in the empty arena for a while. Seeing that no one challenged him, he finally walked back into the crowd.
The thousands of martial artists who had been watching dispersed as no one stepped forward to challenge him next. Wu Yue, the 'Thunder God Blade,' watched Teng Qingshan's retreating back, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "What a potent spear technique. Seeing one part allows one to grasp the whole; this Teng Qingshan absolutely did not reveal his strongest spear methods... He truly possesses the strength to kill Meng Tian! In this contest for the 'Black Fire Spirit Fruit,' he is a formidable opponent. However... my blade work has been honed for so many years; I refuse to believe a seventeen-year-old brat like him can withstand it!" Wu Yue was very confident.
The crowd dissipated, everyone returning to their respective places. Yet, groups of people continued to discuss the two prior matches, marveling endlessly.
The encampment of the Guiyuan Sect.
"Brother Qinghu, the two moves Commander Teng displayed, were those the same two moves you used in the Centurion competition?" Several Black Armored Army soldiers gathered around.
"Yes." Teng Qinghu’s eyes shone brightly. "‘Plucking the Chestnut from the Fire’ and ‘Adding Fuel to the Fire’ are relatively simple moves that Qingshan taught me. I never expected... these two moves could be so potent in his hands. If my skill with these two moves could reach half of Qingshan’s, I could win first place in the Centurion competition!"
"Keep dreaming,"
Laughter erupted from the surrounding soldiers.
"But why is the power of the same move so much weaker when I use it?" Teng Qinghu muttered. That night, Teng Qinghu practiced his spear techniques until past midnight. Teng Qingshan's demonstration had deeply moved him.
...
The night was utterly silent.
Teng Qingshan sat on the coarse grass, leaning against a large tree behind him. This spot was on the edge of Great Yan Mountain; looking down, one could see the tents pitched by the Guiyuan Sect.
"‘Adding Fuel to the Fire’ and ‘Plucking the Chestnut from the Fire’... their intents are diametrically opposed, yet they can be merged. This 'Five Styles of Raging Fire'..." Teng Qingshan closed his eyes, mentally attempting to simulate the fusion. Thinking about it, he stood up and began practicing, constantly making adjustments.
Teng Qingshan intended to draw inspiration from the intent of the Cannon Fist to merge and consolidate the 'Five Styles of Raging Fire' into a single technique. This technique would be the fourth move of his Five Elements Spear Art. He had pondered how to transform the Cannon Fist into spear techniques for several years, but had never succeeded. The 'Five Styles of Raging Fire' presented an opportunity. Within the 'Five Styles of Raging Fire,' the most difficult to integrate were 'Adding Fuel to the Fire' and 'Plucking the Chestnut from the Fire,' whose intents were completely contradictory. Since these two could be merged, Teng Qingshan’s progress in integrating the five styles accelerated immediately. Teng Qingshan spent the entire night immersed in spear techniques, completely unaware of the passage of time.
By the next morning,
Teng Qingshan felt no tiredness. A doubt arose in his mind: "Which direction should my fourth move of the Five Elements Spear Art take?" In fusing the spear techniques, he would inevitably discard the useless elements and integrate the essence, fully expressing the fire-attribute intent of the spear.
But— Which parts were the essence?
"If I integrate based on the main themes of ‘Beacon Fire Spreads Across the Plains’ and ‘Silver Flowers on a Fire Tree,’ combined with the Cannon Fist, it should result in an area-of-effect technique. But if I use ‘Fire Exhausted, Fuel Passed On’ as the foundation, it can combine with the intent of the 'Tiger Cannon Fist' to create the ultimate single-target destructive spear technique!" Teng Qingshan knew clearly.
These were two separate paths: one for mass attack, the other for single-target damage. The Tiger Cannon Fist was his strongest boxing technique in his previous life, and it had potential for fusion with the intent of ‘Fire Exhausted, Fuel Passed On.’ Teng Qingshan had a premonition— Once he chose the single-target path, the difficulty of creating this move would be ten or a hundred times greater than creating an area-of-effect technique. However... this single move, in concept, would surpass the 'Poison Dragon Drill,' becoming the most formidable of the four spear techniques!
"Area attack? My ‘Shadow Follows Form’ already serves as both single-target and area-of-effect, and the Poison Dragon Drill’s power is sufficient! I don't need a high-power area attack right now. Forget it; I'll be patient and expend more effort. After all, I’ve pondered this for years, no need to rush for a few more years!"
Teng Qingshan decided to dedicate himself entirely to studying and creating the fourth move of the Five Elements Spear Art, the one belonging to the fire attribute! This would be the most terrifying of the four moves, and the one that would consume the most time.
Teng Qingshan descended the mountain and returned to the encampment.
"Qingshan, practicing in the mountains so early?" Ji Hong had just stepped out of the tent.
Teng Qingshan nodded with a smile.
At that moment, Commander 'Guan Lü' also emerged from the main tent. He glanced at Teng Qingshan, his expression shifting slightly, though it quickly returned to indifference. He walked past Teng Qingshan, and his voice sounded out, "Commander Teng, don't forget our agreement. Once this business here is concluded, injury or not, we shall have a proper match." With that, Guan Lü walked away.
Teng Qingshan was taken aback.
...
In the following days, the Guiyuan Sect remained divided into three groups, searching throughout the Flaming Mountain. However, the mountain range was vast, and even as time passed and more martial artists arrived, the sheer number of them scattered across the massive mountain was merely a drop in the ocean. Soon, the forces from Qinghu Island, the premier sect of Yangzhou, arrived. The hundred-strong contingent from the premier sect of Qingzhou, the (Xiaoyao Palace), also rushed over. Countless martial artists, both famous and unknown, arrived in succession. Within a month, the number of martial artists gathered around Flaming Mountain had surpassed ten thousand. Every evening, these martial artists returned to the foot of the mountain. With ten thousand martial artists, conflicts were inevitable. Sparring matches and outright vendettas were common occurrences.