What transpired at Mount Dayan in Yicheng remained unknown to Teng Qingshan in Jiangning Commandery.

Jiangning Commandery, Teng Manor.

Beneath the pavilion, Teng Qingshan, clad in a stone-blue robe, sat quietly before a stone table where lay a thick, thread-bound volume—the Youyue Spear Canon—open near its latter half.

“According to the description in the Youyue Spear Canon, the so-called ‘Subtlety’ in the Innate Void Core realm has two components. Since my move, ‘Crimson Tiger’s Roar,’ demands an extremely rigorous requirement for Innate True Essence, it is evident that I have grasped the ‘Subtlety’ of my own self.” Teng Qingshan understood.

The realm of Subtlety is divided into two steps—

One is the Subtlety of the self, and the other is the Subtlety of space!

“The book describes that once the ‘Spirit’ can leave the body and diffuse across a range of one zhang for the duration of a cup of tea, the feat is accomplished. Achieving the Subtlety of space… is the crucial step toward comprehending ‘True Self’ or ‘Selflessness.’” Teng Qingshan gently closed his eyes, attempting to project his consciousness beyond his physical form. With his experience controlling flying daggers, Teng Qingshan easily managed to let his mind depart his body.

However, previously, his consciousness had an anchor—the flying dagger!

Now, it was only the void.

“Hmm?”

Teng Qingshan frowned and opened his eyes. “Without an object to tether it to, this ‘Spirit,’ merely diffusing around the body, consumes energy at an astonishing rate.” That brief moment left Teng Qingshan feeling dizzy, similar to the profound exhaustion he felt during his assassin training in his previous life when starved to the extreme.

“The consumption shouldn’t be this fast.” Teng Qingshan tried again.

The confrontation with Azure Water Island and the Return to Origin Sect, although it never erupted into a full battle, had placed immense pressure on Teng Qingshan.

It was clear—

Even at his full burst, he was capable of fighting a peak Innate Solid Core expert! But across the vast lands of the Nine Provinces, his current strength was sufficient for self-preservation, yet insufficient to intervene meaningfully in major affairs. This inexplicable psychological pressure only drove Teng Qingshan to train harder, desperate to break through sooner.

Currently, his goals were twofold:

First, to cultivate from the Innate Void Core to the Innate Solid Core!

Second, to devise a peak internal martial art that surpassed the Tiger Form Divine Transformation Art, further strengthening his physique! However, the difficulty was immense.

…

Qingyu walked cheerfully through the courtyard and spotted Teng Qingshan beneath the pavilion. “Brother really isn’t tired at all… I wonder why he doesn’t go spend some time with Little Qing.” Thinking of Zhuge Qing, Qingyu giggled slyly. “Hmph, in just over a month, when the Ancestral Commemoration ceremony arrives, Father and Mother will be here. By then, with Little Qing’s cooking skills and grace, Father and Mother will surely think highly of her. Hehe… Brother, let’s see how you handle it when Father and Mother lecture you then.”

“Just over a month left… Hmm, I really miss Father and Mother.”

Qingyu’s smile faded as she gazed toward the west.

Having grown up closely with her parents—her kind and benevolent mother, and her gentle yet authoritative father—and having eaten her mother’s cooking for over a decade… Qingyu truly missed them dearly.

“Just wait a little over a month more,” Qingyu thought to herself.

** In the heart of the Nine Provinces, Yuzhou! Yuzhou. The Prefecture City of Beihe.

It hadn't snowed in Beihe Prefecture a few days ago, but today, it was snowing heavily. Flakes like goose down drifted down, coating the entire world. When the commoners of Beihe Prefecture opened their windows that morning, they discovered an outside world blanketed in white. The accumulated snow on the ground was already three chi thick!

This spoke volumes of the intensity of the snowstorm! In the city of Beihe Prefecture, within the Wan Manor, a secluded study housed a gathering of eighteen people.

Eighteen individuals. There were elders, youths, and women…

On the desk in the study lay a single sheet of paper, densely covered with small script.

It primarily detailed the annihilation of the Iron Cloth Sect! Azure Water Island’s subsequent attack on the Return to Origin Sect failed, so they detoured to Mount Dayan in Yicheng, along with some information regarding their encampment there.

…

Silence!

After reviewing the contents of the paper, a long silence ensued.

“Everyone,” the woman in the floral padded jacket said in a low voice, “The Sect Master and the others are dead. Our most important task now is to rebuild the Iron Cloth Sect. Fortunately… we had already made copies of all the Iron Cloth Sect’s ancient texts and brought them along. Everyone, prepare according to the plan…”

For a sect to take root requires a great deal of time.

One must recruit disciples of sufficient quality, with good aptitude, insight, and perseverance, to achieve success. Consider that only one Innate expert might emerge from tens of millions! For the Iron Cloth Sect to produce another Innate expert, the only method was… continuous recruitment of disciples.

The more disciples, the wider the net cast to catch fish; perhaps only after decades or a century would a single Innate expert appear.

“Azure Water Island!” An elder with silver hair, his eyes bloodshot, grit his teeth. “The Iron Cloth Sect will one day avenge every single disciple we lost! Even if it takes a hundred years, or a thousand if a hundred is not enough, it must be done!”

“Revenge must be exacted. Absolutely.”

These eighteen were the most loyal members selected by the Iron Cloth Sect, and also the eighteen individuals most trusted by the Sect Master, ‘Nie Rong.’

Cold light flashed in the eyes of the woman in the padded jacket. “According to the plan, from this day forward, the Iron Cloth Sect will no longer be called the Iron Cloth Sect. We shall be called the ‘Blood Cloth Sect’! Our Blood Cloth Sect must never forget this great grievance, no matter how many years pass!”

“Senior Sister Hua,” a thin young man said gravely, “The establishment of the Blood Cloth Sect—selecting a site, setting up, recruiting disciples… it must happen step by step. Only when the Blood Cloth Sect produces its first Innate expert will it qualify as a decent minor sect. And producing one Innate expert… merely through nurturing takes decades, it’s impossible in less time. To achieve it within a century would be considered fortunate.”

All eighteen understood.

The downfall of the Iron Cloth Sect and the challenge of rising again were immense. But as long as they remained, they were a spark… and there was hope!

“Senior Sister Hua, we are destined to sacrifice our entire lives for the sect, to live ordinary lives.” The thin youth spoke somberly. He was in the prime of his life, yet for the sect, he had to abandon his wife, change his name, and dedicate himself. Still, a trace of resentment lingered deep in his heart!

“We can still strike back at Azure Water Island one more time, and we won’t expose ourselves,” the thin youth added.

The other seventeen turned to look at him.

“Junior Brother, explain,” the woman in the padded jacket said.

“We must obtain one of the Nine Cauldrons of the Yu Emperor’s Treasure to enter and explore it. Otherwise, death is certain.” The thin youth stated grimly. “All of us know this! And for our Blood Cloth Sect to excavate the Yu Emperor’s Treasure, it will likely take several centuries… Therefore, I propose we publicly release news now: Azure Water Island’s army is stationed at Mount Dayan in Yicheng because the Yu Emperor’s Treasure is located there!”

“Yes.”

The elder in the white fur coat’s eyes lit up, and he added quickly, “The Azure Water Island army is currently stationed at Mount Dayan. Once this news spreads… it will certainly attract the covetous eyes of many experts! Take the Yu Emperor Gate, for instance! Yu Emperor is their founding ancestor; would they give up? If the Yu Emperor Gate gets involved, Azure Water Island’s army will likely suffer losses!”

“When the news spreads, probably every major sect will send people!”

“However, the major sects might not fully trust the information, so the people they dispatch won’t be numerous. Azure Water Island already has the advantage of being stationed there! To secure the Yu Emperor’s Treasure, a fierce battle is inevitable… When Azure Water Island sustains heavy casualties in the fight and is forced into a difficult compromise with the other sects, they will realize with despair… that without one of the Nine Cauldrons, anyone entering the Yu Emperor’s Treasure maze is doomed!”

“Excellent!”

“Not only will Azure Water Island suffer great losses within the Yu Emperor’s Treasury Palace, but they will also cause many deaths among the other sects!”

“As for the other sects, they are greedy for the Yu Emperor’s Treasure anyway. If they die, they have no one to blame!”

…

Having just experienced the horror of their own sect’s destruction, these eighteen felt a perverse satisfaction thinking about the major sects losing more high-level experts. Driven by vengeance, these eighteen began quietly spreading news across various regions—news about the Yu Emperor’s Treasure.

Undeniably…

A massive, earth-shaking storm was about to erupt!

** In this chaotic era, every individual experiences a different destiny, and every sect faces a different fate.

Take the minor sects in Xuyang Prefecture, for example; they could be wiped out at any time. Now that Azure Water Island has unified Xuyang Prefecture, all the minor sects are finished.

No one pays attention to them!

However, the annihilation of the Iron Cloth Sect attracted the attention of the world because the Iron Cloth Sect was far stronger than those minor sects in Xuyang Prefecture. Comparatively, the Iron Cloth Sect had existed for over a thousand years, making it far more fortunate than those small sects.

…

Those who considered their fate poor found others even worse off.

Those who considered themselves fortunate found others whose destinies were even better!

The minor sects of Xuyang Prefecture envied the Iron Cloth Sect and the Return to Origin Sect.

The Iron Cloth Sect and the Return to Origin Sect hoped to catch up to Azure Water Island and become the strongest in Yang Province.

And Azure Water Island? They hoped that one day they could stand alongside the Mani Temple! Even if they couldn't match the Mani Temple, they first needed to rival the Yu Emperor Gate and the Ying Family!

…

And humanity.

The Young Master of Azure Water Island, ‘Gu Shiyou,’ had an excellent background and was hailed as a genius from childhood. But once Teng Qingshan rose to prominence, his psychological balance began to shift.

Teng Qingshan was already incredibly strong; at seventeen, he could fight a peak Innate Solid Core expert. But he would not be satisfied; he would continue to pursue the summit.

…

Teng Yongfan, an ordinary man. In his youth, he hoped to have a capable son, one who might not match Teng Qinghu, but would at least not be far behind. Heaven had blessed him with a son whose achievements far exceeded his expectations! His son had even made Teng Family Village strong enough that horse bandit gangs dared not provoke them.

If not for Teng Qingshan, during the several power struggles among the bandit gangs, even if Teng Family Village hadn't been annihilated, a large number of clansmen would have died.

However…

Because of Teng Qingshan, Gu Shiyou was now determined to take him away!

Was Teng Qingshan’s existence a blessing or a curse?

For the simple-hearted man, Teng Yongfan, the answer was clear—having such a son! He was immensely proud! What does a person seek in this lifetime? Having such a son, who allowed the clansmen of Teng Family Village to walk outside and be envied by the commoners of other villages, was enough!

This chaotic era saw daily deaths! Every person was precious in the eyes of their loved ones; no one was inherently more valuable than another. Even high and mighty Sect Masters and Ancestors, experts on the Heavenly Ranking, could die instantly!

This was the chaotic era!

Teng Yunlong understood this, which is why, in the past, when many women from Teng Family Village were captured by horse bandit gangs, they could only endure it!

Teng Yongfan understood this, which is why he followed the Azure Water Island contingent away!

Teng Qingshan understood this, which is why, when Azure Water Island attacked, Teng Qingshan could only grip his long spear and fight the enemy.

…

The Yu Emperor’s Treasure!

This was a treasure capable of making individuals stronger and sects more prosperous. Without a doubt… once the news spread, a bloody storm would be stirred up!

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