"Better news?" Teng Qingshan's eyebrows arched, then he chuckled, "Sixth Elder, let's sit over there and talk!"

By the edge of Crescent Lake, four exquisitely carved wooden chairs were set around a smooth stone table, upon which sat a wine jug. Teng Qingshan and the Sixth Elder settled opposite each other.

Setting his Reincarnation Spear aside, Teng Qingshan smiled at the Sixth Elder. "I initially thought, Sixth Elder, you were here to deliver the manual for the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting. But you said you have better news! I can't figure it out... Could it be that the Rising Sun Merchant Guild has found news of the thirty-six stone carvings?"

"Of course not."

The Sixth Elder’s face was wreathed in smiles. "But it's not far off!"

"Oh?" Teng Qingshan glanced at him in surprise, pouring a cup of wine for both himself and the Sixth Elder. "Sixth Elder, please just say it directly. Don't play riddles with me."

"Just last night!"

The Sixth Elder chuckled. "Our other merchant guild here in Nanshan City, the 'Situ Merchant Guild,' formally sent word to all the major families. They claimed their guild had just taken on a consignment: a group of esteemed guests entrusted them with a complete set of vanadium stone slates inscribed with the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting. They've authorized the Situ Merchant Guild to auction them off! The auction date is set for the sixteenth of August! That's nearly a month from now."

"An auction? The slates of the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting?" Teng Qingshan was slightly taken aback. "Sixth Elder, please don't be mistaken, are those truly one of the sets from the Nine Vanadium Stone Slates originally from Divine Axe Mountain?"

"The Situ Merchant Guild has examined them carefully and confirmed—it is indeed one of the nine sets!"

The Sixth Elder was utterly certain. "They even brought in quite a few experts skilled in antiquities for authentication. Those vanadium stone slates have indeed been stored for several millennia. Furthermore, they even had a Martial Saint examine them. The carvings and inscriptions on those vanadium stone slates exude a powerful aura."

The nine sets of vanadium stone slates were all rubbings taken from the thirty-six original carvings. Since they were replicated from the originals, whether in the manner of the carvings or their size, they naturally generated a peculiar aura.

"While this set of vanadium stone slates is certainly not as precious as the original thirty-six carvings—perhaps not even equal to a single one—still... the original thirty-six carvings are currently nowhere to be found in the world. Therefore, this set of vanadium stone slates is guaranteed to attract numerous families eager to bid for them!" The Sixth Elder looked at Teng Qingshan. "Having this set of slates offers immense benefits to a family's descendants. Thus... the price announced at the 'auction' might be staggeringly high!"

Teng Qingshan felt a sharp pull of desire in his heart.

A complete set of vanadium stone slates—with Teng Qingshan’s comprehension of the ‘Dao,’ he was confident he could still glean significant insights from them.

"Sixth Elder, what price do you estimate this set of slates will fetch?" Teng Qingshan asked.

"As far as I know, the reserve price announced by the Situ Merchant Guild is thirty thousand taels of gold!" The Sixth Elder shook his head solemnly. "But that's just the starting price! Given the current rivalries among the great families, and their shared emphasis on educating their descendants, many families will surely covet this set of vanadium stone slates."

"I estimate—at least one hundred thousand taels of gold!"

"If all parties fiercely compete, or if two rival families clash directly, the bids could escalate wildly! In such a scenario, it would truly be impossible to predict the final price," the Sixth Elder sighed. "Regardless, this set of vanadium stone slates will be the most expensive treasure to surface recently."

Teng Qingshan felt a heavy weight in his chest.

If the Sixth Elder was correct, the price could easily soar into the hundreds of thousands of taels of gold! For some smaller families, like the long-destroyed Liu family of Black Iron River, such a sum would mean emptying the family's entire treasury. But for the great families who govern millions, or even tens of millions, of subjects...

Hundreds of thousands of taels of gold, while a massive figure, was not entirely unmanageable!

A single set of vanadium stone slates was enough to potentially foster the emergence of Axe Masters among the family's younger generation.

"Alas!" The Sixth Elder shook his head. "If our Rising Sun Merchant Guild were the ones 'auctioning' this set of vanadium stone slates, we could certainly assist you, Sir. It's unfortunate that the Situ Merchant Guild is handling the sale!"

The Rising Sun Merchant Guild, while the largest in the world!

Still, there were other guilds, weaker than them, yet capable of competing. The Situ Merchant Guild was one such competitor!

"Sir, are you planning to attend the auction?" the Sixth Elder inquired.

The term 'auction'—huì mài—meant selling to the highest bidder.

"Yes." Teng Qingshan nodded.

"Are you troubled by insufficient funds, Sir?" the Sixth Elder asked.

"That is a large sum." Teng Qingshan was indeed somewhat vexed.

The Sixth Elder frowned slightly, then spoke cautiously. "Sir... here is what we can do: You should attend the auction. You likely have some gold of your own, correct? Our Rising Sun Merchant Guild can lend you one hundred and twenty thousand taels of gold. That is the maximum we can mobilize here in Nanshan City; any more, and I cannot manage it. After you borrow it, you don't need to rush to repay. Pay it back whenever you have surplus funds."

For a major merchant guild, their wealth was naturally astonishing. But in Nanshan City, the foremost metropolis, the Rising Sun Merchant Guild could only allocate this much without affecting its operational stability.

"Sixth Elder, if it truly comes to that, I, Teng Qingshan, will repay it swiftly," Teng Qingshan promised.

"Does our guild not trust you, Sir?" the Sixth Elder smiled.

While commoners might toil their whole lives to earn a few dozen taels of silver, a Peak Innate expert like Teng Qingshan, purely based on his status, commanded a value of one hundred and twenty thousand taels of gold.

"August sixteenth!" Teng Qingshan silently committed the date to memory. * After the Sixth Elder departed, Teng Qingshan, that very evening, moved alone with astonishing speed toward the southern coast of the Duanmu Continent! Although the location where he had buried the Tung Wood Ship was nearly two thousand li from Nanshan City, Teng Qingshan’s solo running speed surpassed that of the Three Great Dragon Horses!

It was not surprising. Teng Qingshan’s physical power now exceeded eight hundred thousand jin, placing him on par with a Golden Core Innate-level demonic beast in terms of raw strength!

His speed naturally exceeded that of the Black Nightmare Steed. The Black Nightmare Steed could cover five thousand li in a day. Teng Qingshan, back in the terrifying ‘Chaotic Sea Region’ of the ocean, had towed a large sea vessel for one day and one night, covering two to three thousand li and pulling the ship out of the region. To swim that fast while dragging a ship in the sea...

On land, his speed could only be imagined!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Pedestrians on the official road felt only a gust of wind as Teng Qingshan shot seventy or eighty zhang ahead, then vanished from sight in another flash. ... Night had fallen. The hazy moonlight and starlight cast a veiled gauze over the sandy ground.

"Splash~~" The sea water crashed against the shore.

Teng Qingshan was within a large pit dug into the sand and gravel.

"Hah!" Teng Qingshan hauled the second chest out of the pit. He then rapidly shoved massive amounts of sand and gravel back into the hole, burying the entire depression. After a quick concealment effort, it became difficult for an observer to notice.

"Adding these two chests of gold, that brings the total to thirty-two thousand jin of gold, or three hundred and twenty thousand taels of gold! That should be enough to purchase that set of vanadium stone slates. If all else fails, the Rising Sun Merchant Guild still has one hundred and twenty thousand taels available!" Teng Qingshan held wealth in relatively low regard.

Money was necessary, but... with Teng Qingshan's methods, acquiring it was too easy. He could simply target families or gangs notorious for their wickedness and forcibly seize their assets!

"Let's go!" With one chest slung over each shoulder, Teng Qingshan, carrying over twenty thousand jin of weight, immediately began sprinting away from the sandy beach. Even someone as strong as Teng Qingshan could not run as fast while burdened with more than twenty thousand jin as he could when traveling light!

Of course, even at a slower pace, he was still faster than an ordinary warhorse.

Before dawn broke the next day, Teng Qingshan, carrying the two large chests of gold, had returned to Crescent Lake beneath Divine Axe Mountain, just outside Nanshan City.

"Thump!" "Thump!" The two large chests were set down onto the grass, and Teng Qingshan let out a breath of relief.

"Teacher!" An unusual voice sounded from the lakeside. Teng Shou, who was practicing the Three-Body Stance, looked respectfully at Teng Qingshan. Although he had only been learning from Teng Qingshan for two or three days, Teng Qingshan had to admit... Teng Shou was absolutely a genius when it came to learning Xing Yi.

Perhaps... before even learning the Xing Yi Quan, Teng Shou already grasped the true essence of the art.

Teng Qingshan only demonstrated the Twelve Forms of Xing Yi once. After just half an hour of instruction, Teng Shou's mastery of the Twelve Forms had reached its peak.

"Brother Teng, you're back," Li Jun emerged.

"Mmm." Teng Qingshan nodded with a smile, simultaneously pointing toward the two chests. "Ah Shou, move these two chests inside!" He gestured toward the dwelling.

Teng Shou might not have understood Teng Qingshan’s words, but he understood the gestures.

"Yes, Teacher."

With a surge of strength from his left arm, Teng Shou hoisted one chest; with a surge from his right, he lifted the other. Every step left deep indentations in the earth. Moving the two chests of gold from outside into the stone house required a considerable effort from Teng Shou. After coming back out, Teng Shou’s gaze toward Teng Qingshan became even more respectful.

How far did Teng Shou carry them? Teng Qingshan had sprinted for nearly two to three thousand li!

"Keep practicing your forms." Teng Qingshan commanded sternly, and Teng Shou obediently returned to his practice.

Teng Qingshan changed out of his dust-caked clothes, donned a clean, short shirt, and stepped out for his morning exercises. ... Teng Qingshan, Li Jun, Teng Shou, Xiao Ping, and the coachman Old Wang, the five of them sat around the table eating breakfast. The morning air was crisp, shrouded in mist, making Crescent Lake seem like a scene from a fairy realm.

"Mister Teng." A familiar call echoed from a distance.

Teng Qingshan turned to look. The silver-haired Sixth Elder, accompanied by a group of subordinates, approached with a smile. "The Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting arrived just last night. I brought it to you first thing this morning." As he spoke, he retrieved a book wrapped in golden cloth from his robes and handed it over.

"Thank you very much, Sixth Elder." Teng Qingshan rose and accepted it with a smile, then unwrapped the golden cloth.

A thin, thread-bound book with a black cover appeared before Teng Qingshan’s eyes, bearing six large characters embossed upon it—Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting!