Watching Teng Qingshan depart, Zhuge Yuanhong let out a faint smile, picked up his book again, and settled back into his chair to read.

...

Walking along the path, Teng Qingshan felt a surge of excitement in his heart. "According to Master’s words, being able to project and control Neijin means that the 'Spirit' (Shen) has indeed broken through the obstruction of the Mud Pill Palace. I have one foot in the Xiantian realm! Isn't my Sorrowful Flying Blade precisely this? Could it be that I crossed halfway into Xiantian long ago?"

He had thought it would be difficult, yet now he realized he had nearly accomplished it without even noticing.

In truth, the reason Teng Qingshan could reach the 'Grandmaster' level in his previous life, although a previous-life Grandmaster could only compare to a Houtian expert on the Nine Provinces continent, meant that in terms of true combat power, an internal martial arts Grandmaster could likely kill a large number of first-rate martial artists. This was because, while a Grandmaster’s physical strength was only around ten thousand jin, that was pure physical power that could be sustained for a long time. Moreover, a Grandmaster of internal arts could completely conceal their aura, controlling their muscles with extreme precision. The realm was far superior!

If it hadn't been for the scarcity of spiritual energy in the previous world, the achievements of those Grandmasters might have been even higher.

As for the 'Spirit' (Shen) component of Essence, Qi, and Spirit—Teng Qingshan’s inherent realm was already high, and internal martial arts were excellent for nurturing life, which greatly helped in cultivating the 'Spirit'. Thus, Teng Qingshan’s 'Spirit' was naturally powerful.

"But why is my Neijin still only at the Houtian level, not yet Xiantian?" Teng Qingshan wondered secretly. "Never mind, no need to rush. On the twenty-first of September, I will formally become a disciple, and then I can see the detailed description of how to step into the Xiantian realm in the secret manuals." Teng Qingshan was very clear: the ultimate skill of the Sorrowful Flying Blade proved that he already had one foot in the Xiantian realm!

"When my Spirit and Qi harmonize, transforming into Xiantian True Essence... at that time, when my Xiantian True Essence combines with my physical strength..." Teng Qingshan anticipated in his heart, "Furthermore, my Neijin can no longer strengthen my body. I wonder... if that Xiantian True Essence can strengthen the body once more!"

Having consumed the Black Fire Spiritual Root, Teng Qingshan’s body had room for further improvement. But this improvement would eventually reach a limit. Xiantian True Essence was clearly a higher level than Neijin; perhaps it held miraculous effects.

**

When Teng Qingshan returned to his residence, just after washing up and changing his clothes, he was immediately dragged out by Teng Qinghu, Zhuge Yun, Xiaoyu, and Zhuge Qing for a hearty meal. The group ate and chatted by the Moon-Gazing Tower for a full hour and a half. Only when the sky had completely darkened did they walk back to the Guiyuan Sect amidst laughter.

"Brother Qingshan, when the twenty-first comes, we'll officially be fellow disciples," Zhuge Yun said cheerfully. "Well, I'll call you ahead of time: Fourth Senior Brother!"

"Junior Brother," Teng Qingshan replied with a smile.

"Fourth Senior Brother," the girl Qing also chimed in playfully.

Among the disciples of the Guiyuan Sect, seniority was determined by age. This was because disciples usually joined the sect before the age of ten, rarely enrolling later. Even if older disciples were specially accepted, they typically possessed exceptional talent or skills.

"It's getting late, Xiaoyun, you two should head back and rest," Teng Qingshan said with a smile.

The girl Qing nodded. "Mm-hmm. Xiaoyu, come to my place tomorrow morning, we’ll practice swordsmanship together."

"Okay," Qingyu agreed happily.

The two parties then split up. Teng Qingshan, Teng Qinghu, and Qingyu returned to their own quarters. The moon was a crescent high in the dark sky.

"Brother, it was so lonely here the other day when it was just me. You and Cousin Qinghu were both gone," Qingyu said with a smile. "Now that things are settled, Brother won't be going out again, right?"

"Not anytime soon," Teng Qingshan replied, walking toward his residence. "Qingyu, Cousin, follow me."

Qingyu and Teng Qinghu followed, somewhat puzzled. Teng Qingshan's quarters were in a two-story building behind the manor. Upon entering his room, they found a large cloth sack containing everything Teng Qingshan had brought back from the Flame Mountain.

He easily untied the knot.

"Xiaoyu, look," Teng Qingshan pulled out a soft, golden vest.

"What is this?" Qingyu’s eyes widened.

Teng Qinghu beside her quickly explained, "Qingyu, this is a treasure Brother Qingshan seized from the bandit leader when he captured him among thousands of horse bandits. It's called the Golden Silkworm Silk Vest! Once worn, even most Houtian experts cannot pierce it! And it's incredibly light, not like the heavy armor we wear in the Black Armored Army."

"Oh!" Qingyu happily took it. "Wow, it's so soft! Cool to the touch, very comfortable! And it’s not heavy either."

It wasn't heavy, weighing nearly a jin. Compared to some heavy inner armors, it was much lighter. Moreover, inner armors made of Cold Iron or Profound Iron were stiff when worn; how could they compare to the comfort of this Golden Silkworm Silk Vest?

"Brother, aren't you wearing it?" Qingyu asked. "I know heavy inner armor affects a martial artist's strength."

"Brother doesn't need it," Teng Qingshan chuckled and shook his head. With his current astonishing strength of twenty-one thousand jin, what did wearing several dozen jin of heavy armor matter? Wearing dozens of jin of inner armor for Teng Qingshan was like those who could lift two thousand jin wearing a light azure robe weighing a few taels.

"Cousin," Teng Qingshan then took out the Thousand Year Cold Iron Forceful Bow from the sack. "You practiced archery when you were in the clan. This Thousand Year Cold Iron Forceful Bow can withstand the force of tens of thousands of jin—more than enough for you to use. When you tire of practicing with your spear, you can practice archery too! Having an extra skill does no harm."

"Heh heh, I won't stand on ceremony with you then."

Teng Qinghu immediately took the Thousand Year Cold Iron Forceful Bow. Weapons of this caliber were extremely expensive. Just the sheer amount of 'Thousand Year Cold Iron' in the bow shaft was staggering.

"Cousin, here is sixty thousand taels of silver, take it!" Teng Qingshan handed over a stack of bank notes. "As a centurion, you'll need money for finding a wife, treating people to drinks and meals, and buying weapons in the future. Take it!" Teng Qingshan had confiscated over a hundred thousand taels of silver from the bandits previously. Of course, this amount of silver didn't mean much to Teng Qingshan now.

"Sixty thousand taels," Teng Qinghu looked at Teng Qingshan. "Qingshan, what about yourself?"

"I have plenty!" Teng Qingshan looked at his sister. "Xiaoyu, here is fifty thousand taels of silver! Put it with yours; use it whenever you need it!" Teng Qingshan knew well that within the Guiyuan Sect, where there were so many disciples, there would inevitably be secret comparisons. Being poor and lacking money would lead to being looked down upon. People were very realistic.

"Mm-hmm," Qingyu was thrilled. These past few days, hanging out with the girl Qing, going boating and shopping, she had been spending the other girl's money and was getting embarrassed.

"Brother, you don't need any?" Qingyu asked Teng Qingshan.

"Brother has plenty," Teng Qingshan pinched Qingyu's cheek and smiled.

In fact, Teng Qingshan had never intended to show off the astonishing wealth acquired from the 'Ghost Fox' Sima Qing. For a centurion or a Guiyuan Sect disciple, having tens of thousands of taels was not excessive. He was merely setting aside the large stack of bank notes for future use, perhaps eventually for the clan. As for himself? Teng Qingshan's need for gold and silver was quite low.

"Alright, you two go rest now; there’s morning practice tomorrow," Teng Qingshan said.

"Yes, Brother," Qingyu happily responded.

Once the two departed, Teng Qingshan turned, took out a large number of flying knives, and then leaped out of the window into the rear courtyard.

**

In the rear courtyard.

The night wind blew. Teng Qingshan first set aside over ten flying knives, then picked up some small pebbles, took a deep breath, and instantly entered the Sorrowful state. He casually tossed out a small pebble!

"Whoosh!"

The pebble flew slowly, and halfway through its trajectory, it burst apart with a peng sound.

"Hmm! I can control Neijin to explode at a distance. In the Sorrowful state, my 'Spirit' can indeed control the Neijin. Then... can I, like Master, control the Neijin to curve?" Teng Qingshan threw another small pebble and simultaneously tried hard to control the stone to turn!

However, as soon as Teng Qingshan's 'Spirit' sensed the Neijin and attempted to control the curve—

Peng!

The pebble shattered!

"This is wrong. The moment my 'Spirit' exerts control, the Neijin disrupts the balance and explodes," Teng Qingshan shook his head. Neijin was like a hedgehog, covered in barbs; any contact elicited a fierce reaction. Small pebbles, containing little Neijin, should be easier to control. If he couldn't even make a small pebble turn, let alone guide a flying knife.

Whoosh! Peng!

Whoosh! Peng!

...

Time after time, these sounds even drew the attention of his sister Qingyu and cousin, but Teng Qingshan waved them off with a single word. Teng Qingshan remained immersed in research, figuring out how his 'Spirit' could control the Neijin more skillfully to achieve the effect of turning the pebbles!

Gradually, Teng Qingshan discovered that the 'Spirit' shouldn't wait until the last moment before turning to control the Neijin. Instead, the 'Spirit' should connect with the Neijin the moment it was infused into the pebble, and during flight, the Spirit should strive to merge with the Neijin—you in me, I in you. Of course, the pebble only flies for the blink of an eye; achieving even a slight fusion between his 'Spirit' and the 'Neijin' in such a short time was extremely difficult.

...

Experiment after experiment, analyzing the reasons for failure, constantly improving.

"Whoosh!" Another pebble shot out.

When it reached the rock garden in the distance, it suddenly curved, tracing an arc, and smashed against a protruding stone on the rock garden, shattering with a peng.

"Success!"

A smile bloomed on Teng Qingshan's face.

"The Sorrowful Blade, the flying knife explosion, has an element of suddenness, but a shattered flying knife naturally has reduced power. Whereas this turning flying knife, its power doesn't diminish," Teng Qingshan rejoiced. "Now, the resonance between my Spirit and Neijin is much better controlled! Of course, Master's technique—making the Xiantian True Essence circle the body twice before returning—is far too difficult."

Having made progress, Teng Qingshan was very pleased. With this flying knife technique alone, Teng Qingshan was confident he could kill a weak Xiantian expert like 'Sima Qing'.

"Hmph, if an ordinary Xiantian expert tried to infuse their Neijin into a flying knife... most standard blade materials would explode from too much Neijin!" Teng Qingshan was well aware of this; weapons have a limit to the Neijin they can withstand, which is why divine weapons are so precious.

But Teng Qingshan's throwing of flying knives was different. His strength wasn't solely infused into the interior of the knife; only a small amount of Neijin entered, while his physical strength acted on the exterior of the knife. It was like throwing a stone; even if a stone was thrown with ten thousand jin of force, it would only explode upon impact. However, if Neijin capable of exploding with ten thousand jin of force were infused into a pebble, the pebble would likely explode internally into powder before it even left his hand.

"This is a major advantage of physical strength!" Teng Qingshan mused inwardly.