A massive contingent of cavalry thundered across the plains, shaking the very earth. At the forefront of this host, four Crimson Wind War Hounds raced furiously, pulling a carriage forged of black metal. Inside an iron cage welded to the carriage sat the slave youth known only as the 'Fierce Beast.'

A single Crimson Wind War Hound could haul nearly ten thousand catties, meaning their collective effort could manage far greater burdens. This specially made carriage weighed a full sixty thousand catties! Because of this immense weight, even after the Fierce Beast youth broke free from his cage, the chains binding him remained firmly tethered to the carriage. Dragging sixty thousand catties of dead weight, even he, the 'Fierce Beast,' stood no chance of escape.

"Fang Hong, how does it feel, commanding thousands of horses with a single command?" Young Master Fang Li asked, clearly excited.

Fang Hong merely smiled beside him.

"One day!" Fang Li pointed toward the endless expanse ahead. "I will make every inch of land visible to my eyes my dominion! I will make every soul upon this earth obey my every order!" Fang Li was brimming with ambition, fueled by the dream of one day unifying the entire continent, just like the Thunder Blade Celestial, 'Duanmu Yu'!

"All directions, boundless land!"

"One day, my will shall cover this entire continent; none shall defy it!"

Young Master Fang Li, mounted upon a Cloud-Treading Golden-Thread Hound, was filled with soaring resolve.

"Young Master, that group led by the man named Teng has arrived!" a subordinate immediately reported.

A faint smile touched Fang Li’s lips: "This Teng fellow, he too cannot defy my will! If he is a Martial Saint, I shall spare his life today. If he is not a Martial Saint…" Fang Hong sighed inwardly. This Young Master was excellent in every aspect, save for one: his arrogance was sky-high.

"Giddyap!"

Fang Li immediately spurred his Cloud-Treading Golden-Thread Hound, leading the carriage bearing the 'Fierce Beast,' accompanied by five hundred cavalry, onward toward the official road ahead in grand procession.

...

On the official road.

Teng Qingshan was riding a camel-beast, while the driver, Old Wang, urged the carriage forward. To ensure the comfort of Xiao Jun and Xiao Ping, the travel speed was kept moderate.

"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan gazed west, spotting an army approaching in a vast, surging tide.

"What is it?" Li Jun and Xiao Ping also looked out through the two windows on the left side of the carriage compartment. This was a four-wheeled carriage with a very spacious compartment, large enough to hold over ten people. Such a large carriage featured two windows on each side.

"Mister!" A clear, hearty laugh echoed from a distance.

There, clad in golden battle robes, was Fang Li, riding a terrifying beast nearly two zhang long—a 'Cloud-Treading Golden-Thread Hound'—advancing like a god of war, followed by hundreds of knights forming an unstoppable torrent of steel.

"Halt," Teng Qingshan raised a hand.

"Hee-haw~~" Old Wang stopped the beast. Li Jun and Xiao Ping peered out from the carriage windows.

"What a coincidence. I was just taking the Fierce Beast out hunting this morning, and I run into Mister," Fang Li reined in his war hound and chuckled loudly. "However, I hadn't expected Mister to be leaving the city so early this morning. If I hadn't met you today, seeing you again might have been difficult."

"The Fierce Beast?" Teng Qingshan looked surprised. "That slave youth, the Fierce Beast?"

"Indeed, him," Fang Li smiled. "Mister, why don't you take a look?"

Truthfully, Teng Qingshan was intensely curious about a slave youth who possessed tens of thousands of catties of physical strength without cultivating internal energy. After all, throughout the world—whether the Nine Provinces or the Duanmu Continent—he had truly never encountered anyone whose raw physical strength rivaled his own.

"Let’s go have a look," Teng Qingshan dismounted his camel-beast.

"The Fierce Beast?" Li Jun, along with Xiao Ping, also stepped out of the carriage.

"Mister, the Fierce Beast is right here in this carriage," Fang Li, still mounted on the Cloud-Treading Golden-Thread Hound, quickly rode up beside the massive vehicle. He looked back at Teng Qingshan and laughed, but Fang Li was secretly delighted. He glanced at the few people handling the carriage, one of whom was 'Hu Hai,' the one skilled in beast taming.

Hu Hai understood the Young Master's meaning: create the scenario of the Fierce Beast accidentally breaking its cage. Hu Hai had long since tampered with the cage mechanism; a slight adjustment was all it would take.

"Mister, please observe," Fang Li said enthusiastically.

Teng Qingshan stood next to the four Crimson Wind War Hounds, looking up at the 'Fierce Beast' slave inside the iron cage. Described as a fierce beast, he appeared to be merely a boy of fifteen or sixteen, lean and powerfully built, as if cast from steel. His hair was long and messy, but the most striking features were his fingernails and his eyes!

His nails were like sharp claws!

His eyes flashed with undisguised savagery.

"Roar~~ Roar~~" The Fierce Beast youth slammed against the iron cage, emitting guttural roars. The chains binding him vibrated, adding heavy clanging sounds to the air.

Fang Li was inwardly jubilant. Yesterday, Teng Qingshan and Li Jun had both worn white fur coats. In this cold season, clothes weren't typically changed daily. This was why Fang Li had specifically trained the Fierce Beast to attack those wearing white. If Teng Qingshan had changed clothes today... Fang Li truly wouldn't have had a viable plan. But, just as he predicted, Teng Qingshan and Li Jun had only worn the white coats for a day; changing them was unlikely.

"He really doesn't understand human speech."

Teng Qingshan watched the Fierce Beast youth battering the cage and let out a sigh.

Suddenly—

"Bang!" After repeated impacts from the Fierce Beast youth, a joint in the iron cage seemed to fail, and the cage door actually burst open. Few people knew the secret that the Fierce Beast was about to attack and harm someone. Among the carriage handlers, only Hu Hai was aware. The others, including the five hundred cavalry, knew nothing.

"Ah!" The driver cried out first.

"Protect the Young Master!" the cavalry shouted.

"Roar~~" The Fierce Beast youth braced himself with both hands and feet, leaping out like a fierce tiger, blurring into motion directly toward Teng Qingshan, who stood two zhang away, clad in a white fur coat.

The thick iron chain connecting him to the carriage was fifteen zhang long, meaning the Fierce Beast youth could attack within a thirty-seven-and-a-half-meter radius. At this moment, Teng Qingshan was only two zhang (five meters) from the cage. By the time a normal person could react, the Fierce Beast youth had already lunged.

"Mister, watch out!" Fang Li shouted, feigning horror.

"Interesting!" Teng Qingshan waved his right hand.

"Boom!" He slapped the Fierce Beast youth on the shoulder, sending him tumbling away. But the youth rolled instantly, landing on all fours like a wild animal, gathering momentum. Suddenly—the youth’s entire body seemed to expand slightly, his arms growing a bit thicker.

Hummmmmm~~

A faint buzzing sound resonated, but in Teng Qingshan's ears, it sounded like a thunderclap!

"What!"

Teng Qingshan’s eyes widened in shock. "This sound, this sound is coming from within him!"

"This is…" Since beginning his escape, Teng Qingshan had never been so stunned, not even when he saw the Divine Immortal Jade Tablet. "Bone and Sinew Resonance!!!"

"Boom!" The Fierce Beast youth charged again. This time, Teng Qingshan didn't exert full strength; he merely used slightly superior force, exchanging blows to push the youth back slightly, all the while meticulously observing the youth's attack methods and strength.

...

"Protect the Young Master!"

"Quickly!"

The shaken cavalry formed a protective ring around Fang Li. Fang Li, however, was shouting, "Mister, flee quickly! This Fierce Beast is wild and untamable, extremely frenzied." But Teng Qingshan barely heard him. While shouting this, Fang Li was secretly gleeful: "Hmph, to only gain a slight advantage? Yet... even powerhouses who had the upper hand back when the Fierce Beast was young were still killed by it!" Fang Li knew perfectly well how vicious and frenzied the Fierce Beast youth's methods were.

...

Teng Qingshan was completely absorbed in shock: "This Fierce Beast youth, who cannot speak and only roars, has actually reached the Bone and Sinew Resonance realm! This—this is only achievable by a Grandmaster of Internal Martial Arts! Could it be that by living alongside wild beasts for so long, he has comprehended the primal intent of Form-Intention?" In the history of the Form-Intention school of his previous life, there were many who learned from beasts to achieve breakthroughs to the Grandmaster realm.

But—to reach the Grandmaster realm without any guidance was terrifying.

"Back when Ancestor Ji Jike created the Tiger Form Divine Technique, this Fierce Beast youth, unable to understand language, has nonetheless grasped the essence of Form-Intention through repeated combat in the cage! What fine talent, what a fine jade, that I should encounter him!" Teng Qingshan’s eyes shone with excitement.

He desired to establish a third lineage in the Nine Provinces, distinct from Daoism and Buddhism—the Internal Martial Arts! But for a lineage to flourish, a master is crucial, yet there must also be disciples capable of inheriting that mastery. Internal Martial Arts demanded extremely high natural aptitude; reaching the Grandmaster realm was exceedingly difficult!

"Now Heaven has delivered such a rare talent right to my doorstep—how could I refuse to accept him?" Teng Qingshan’s eyes gleamed. "This Fierce Beast youth shall be my first disciple under the banner of Teng Qingshan!" Teng Qingshan had already made up his mind.

...

"Why hasn't he killed him yet? What's happening?" Fang Li, shielded by his knights, grew anxious inside.

"Hahaha…" Accompanied by a burst of utterly joyous laughter, Teng Qingshan suddenly grasped the Fierce Beast youth’s wrists with his right hand and kicked him sharply in the abdomen, causing the youth to collapse onto the ground, chewing dirt. The youth struggled unwillingly, trying to wrench free.

But Teng Qingshan's right hand acted like an iron clamp, making escape utterly impossible!

"What!" Fang Li’s face changed drastically as he watched this scene from afar, utterly astonished. "This... this Teng fellow is actually so strong!" He was well aware of the terrifying brute force of the Fierce Beast youth. Yet, someone was holding him immobile with just one hand—this strength was undeniably at the Martial Saint level!

"Martial Saint, Martial Saint!" Fang Li felt a pang of resentment, but he took a deep breath. "No matter what, this Teng fellow is a Martial Saint. If he could join my Fang family, wouldn't he fight for me, Fang Li, to conquer everywhere in the future? Hmph… I must subdue him and make him serve me!" Fang Li was resolute.

...

"Haha, this Fierce Beast youth possesses immense strength. It is true he can lift a ten-thousand-catties boulder single-handedly. I estimate his arm strength alone must be close to one hundred thousand catties!" Teng Qingshan chuckled inwardly. After all, he had followed the most perfect plan for his development, achieving nearly two hundred thousand catties of strength by sixteen—double what this youth possessed.

"Heh heh~~" The Fierce Beast youth bared his teeth stubbornly at Teng Qingshan, his eyes filled with savage unwillingness.

"Hmph!" Teng Qingshan’s gaze turned cold, filled with killing intent. Simultaneously, he tightened his grip; the youth's wrists immediately seized with agonizing pain.

The Fierce Beast youth was subdued, daring not to snarl or roar anymore. "This Fierce Beast youth's nature is wild. Once my strength absolutely surpasses his, and he senses killing intent, he too will bow to the strong!" Teng Qingshan mused, "The disciple I intend to take—is he even human? He’s a living beast! It seems instructing him will be quite difficult." Despite these internal thoughts, his joy was undeniable.

"Clang~~~" Teng Qingshan seized the iron chain connecting the youth to the carriage and bound the Fierce Beast youth severely, rendering him unable to struggle, before finally releasing his grip.

"Mister!" Fang Li rushed over, surrounded by his knights. "Are you unharmed?"

"Haha, I am fine." Teng Qingshan was in excellent spirits.

"This Fierce Beast retains its wild nature. If you had been injured today, Fang Li's heart would not have known peace," Fang Li smiled. "Fortunately, Mister's strength is transcendent and sanctified, allowing you to subdue this beast. This has also given me a glimpse of your astonishing power. Mister, my Fang family thirsts for talent. I, Fang Li, once again invite you to join my Fang family. State any wish you have, and present it."

"Fang Li, this matter need not be discussed again!" Teng Qingshan stated.

Fang Li felt bitter resentment, but having witnessed Teng Qingshan’s strength, he could only gnash his teeth inwardly: "This Teng fellow, I invited him repeatedly, and he showed me no respect… Fine, one day, I will make you kneel and beg me!!!"

"Since Mister is unwilling, my Fang family will not press the matter," Fang Li continued to smile. "Men, place the Fierce Beast back into the iron cage and secure it well, lest it harms people again."

"Yes." Several men rushed forward. With the Fierce Beast tightly bound by chains, he posed no threat now.

"Fang Li, from now on, this Fierce Beast stays with me," Teng Qingshan said calmly. How could he let this potential disciple go?

"What?" Fang Li froze, and the surrounding knights also halted, turning to look at their leader.

"Fang Li, I must continue my journey now, so I will be leaving," Teng Qingshan said, lifting the Fierce Beast youth easily. Fang Li was dumbfounded. He had intended to use the Fierce Beast to deal with Teng Qingshan, but instead, he lost both the bet and the prize—not only failing to deal with Teng Qingshan but also losing the formidable Fierce Beast.

Just then, Li Jun, standing nearby, interjected: "Brother Teng, don't rush." Teng Qingshan was too immersed in the joy of gaining a great disciple to notice the underlying issues. But Li Jun, observing from the outside, sensed something was wrong. Why did the Fierce Beast break free so conveniently? Why specifically target Teng Qingshan?

"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan looked at Li Jun.

Li Jun approached the Fierce Beast youth and let out a series of low growls. The youth first paused in confusion, then his eyes shone with frantic delight. After more than a decade without any means of human communication, he could finally converse. The Fierce Beast youth roared back, answering Li Jun’s questions. Listening to their exchange, Li Jun’s expression turned grim.

"What’s wrong, Xiao Jun?" Teng Qingshan asked, startled.

"Brother Teng," Li Jun shouted angrily toward Fang Li, who, realizing the situation had turned unfavorable, was already mounting his Cloud-Treading Golden-Thread Hound. "The Fierce Beast breaking out was no coincidence! It was deliberately arranged by Fang Li! He ordered the beast to attack those wearing white clothing! This Fang Li clearly intended to kill Brother Teng and all of us too—such a person must not be spared!"