After a short talk with the Sixth Elder, he led his retinue away. "Mr. Teng, the sixteenth of the eighth month. I will send someone to fetch you then."
Watching the Sixth Elder and his group depart, Teng Qingshan finally opened the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting.
"Brother Teng, is this the secret manual for Yu Huang's axe techniques?" Li Jun also came over for a look.
The manual was thin, filled with illustrations depicting a man wielding a massive axe in various stances. From the first form to the thirty-sixth, Teng Qingshan flipped through the pages one by one. As he turned them, the stances were naturally imprinted in his mind. The more he memorized, the more he felt a tremor of alarm run through him at the coherence of these moves.
Form One, Form Two, Form Three...
The more stances he retained, the more Teng Qingshan felt an unsettling resonance in his mind as these connected moves intertwined.
When Teng Qingshan reached the thirty-sixth form!
The thirty-six continuous moves in his mind seemed to coalesce into a giant axe, sending a surge through his consciousness.
"Hah, hah!" Sweat beaded on Teng Qingshan's forehead, his face growing pale.
"Brother Teng, what's wrong?" Li Jun, standing nearby, looked startled.
"What terrifying stances," Teng Qingshan said, his eyes betraying a naked astonishment. "These thirty-six moves, merely connected techniques, actually generate an inexplicable Artistic Conception!" Teng Qingshan finally understood... these thirty-six moves were the very embodiment of the Heavenly Dao!
Even without fully grasping them, Teng Qingshan could feel the immense pressure radiating from these thirty-six forms!
"Brother Teng, are you alright?" Li Jun asked nervously.
"Xiao Jun," Teng Qingshan glanced at her with a smile. "I'm fine."
Turning back to the manual in his hand, Teng Qingshan recalled his time on Mingyue Island.
"Back then, I observed the Immortal Jade Wall on Mingyue Island, only looking at the initial sections, not daring to delve deeper," Teng Qingshan marveled internally. "If I had overreached, forcing myself to comprehend the 'Way of the Sword' contained within the Immortal Jade Wall, it would be like being choked to death while eating. My 'Spirit' within the Numinous Mud Palace might have been damaged."
The manual Teng Qingshan held was merely a copy of the thirty-six forms, not personally left by Yu Huang, yet it held such might!
The true power of the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting could only be imagined.
"There's nearly a month until the sixteenth of the eighth month. I will spend this month diligently practicing this axe technique, to see if it aids my comprehension of the Great Dao and the creation of my spear techniques!" Teng Qingshan walked directly into the house and retrieved the Mountain Splitting Divine Axe he had kept stored in a chest!
The Mountain Splitting Divine Axe had a head as broad as a shield. Gripping it, Teng Qingshan faintly sensed the immense power contained within the divine axe.
Teng Qingshan walked to an open grassy area by Crescent Lake.
"Uncle, you practice with an axe too?" Xiao Ping stared intently at the Mountain Splitting Divine Axe in Teng Qingshan's hands.
"Do you want to learn, Xiao Ping?" Teng Qingshan joked.
Xiao Ping shook her head vehemently: "Xiao Ping can't learn."
"Mhm, go find your Sister Xiao Jun. Uncle needs to practice his axe work." Teng Qingshan didn't linger with Xiao Ping. He reviewed the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting manual one more time, every detail clear in his mind, then began practicing the set of thirty-six axe moves!
"Yu Huang must have practiced these axe forms countless times with this Mountain Splitting Divine Axe! Moreover, this divine axe itself embodies Yu Huang's World Dao. Practicing with it should help me achieve twice the result with half the effort!"
Teng Qingshan executed the forms one by one.
The first repetition, Teng Qingshan practiced very slowly, ensuring no mistakes in his movements. He focused on footwork, body posture, and so on. As for how to circulate his Innate True Essence, that was something he would have to experience himself.
The second repetition, Teng Qingshan was much faster.
By the fifth repetition, Teng Qingshan no longer needed to consciously focus on posture; he poured his entire being into experiencing the Artistic Conception of the thirty-six axe forms.
On the eighth repetition—
"Hm?" Teng Qingshan suddenly stopped. "This Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting isn't just an axe technique—it's also... a set of movement skills! Extremely agile and swift movement skills!" In every one of the thirty-six illustrations, the figure's footwork was subtly shifting, and Teng Qingshan now grasped the profound intricacy of the steps.
"This set of footwork is remarkably similar to my initially created Swimming Fish Movement Technique! It feels like both embody the Way of Water Movement."
Teng Qingshan immediately began practicing the axe technique according to his understanding.
Since Teng Qingshan himself had already achieved success in the 'Dao,' practicing came much easier.
By the twelfth repetition—
"If my feeling is correct, the first form of the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting should contain the 'Way of Earth Movement.' It should be executed like this!" Teng Qingshan swept the massive axe in an arc before him; slow, like grinding grain, a heavy, profound Artistic Conception naturally emerged.
Rumble~~~
The spiritual energy of the Earth Element world vibrated because of it.
"What a formidable defensive move! This first stance, the starting move, bears resemblance to the 'Primordial Unity' spear technique derived from my Five Elements Fist's 'Horizontal Fist'! This massive axe, its head like a shield. Using this move, the defense has a greater advantage than my spear technique!"
Teng Qingshan was overjoyed and began to explore this axe technique more deeply.
This was Yu Huang's ultimate skill! Yu Huang himself once said that the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting was a cut above the Nine Cauldrons Heavenly Book in power. However, such an ultimate technique, distilled into merely thirty-six illustrations, was impossible for others to learn. Teng Qingshan was only able to glean the essence of the footwork and the first form's conception because of his achievements in the 'Way of Earth Movement' and the 'Way of Water Movement.'
Once immersed, Teng Qingshan paid no mind to anything else. Poor Teng Beast, abandoned by his teacher, could only practice the Three Body Style, Five Elements Fist, and the Twelve Forms of Xing Yi daily—techniques Teng Qingshan had taught him in the initial days.
The ninth of August arrived.
The weather grew increasingly cold, and a thick layer of ice coated Crescent Lake.
"Sister Xiao Jun, Uncle hasn't eaten or drunk anything since he started practicing his axe technique," Xiao Ping watched the blurry figure in the distance. Teng Qingshan, practicing the axe forms, flashed in and out of sight, moving as if teleporting, incredibly bizarre. But Xiao Ping and Li Jun were long accustomed to it.
"It's fine. He gets angry if we interrupt him," Li Jun said with resignation.
"Sister Xiao Jun," Xiao Ping suddenly whispered.
"Mhm?" Li Jun looked at her.
"You really like Uncle, don't you?" Xiao Ping asked.
"What do you know, you little girl," Li Jun blushed slightly.
Xiao Ping continued: "Sister Xiao Jun, I've seen a lot. When I was a servant, I saw many things concerning the young masters and mistresses. Sister Xiao Jun, I can tell you like Uncle very much. And... sometimes, even when you disagree with Uncle's decisions, you just bear with them!"
Indeed...
Teng Qingshan rarely consulted others when making decisions. If he said they were traveling, they traveled; if he decided to stay at the foot of Mount Shenfu, they stayed! Li Jun, perhaps, also wanted to explore the Duanmu Continent properly. But... she didn't want to argue with Teng Qingshan. She didn't want to cause him trouble.
When Teng Qingshan practiced, she cooked. When Teng Qingshan got filthy, she did the laundry. When Teng Qingshan encountered demonic beasts or the like, Li Jun never minded the trouble and offered explanations at his side. She served Teng Qingshan wholeheartedly.
"Sister Xiao Jun, if you always accommodate him like this, you'll end up losing out," Xiao Ping said with the air of a little adult. "And I see Uncle's entire focus is on cultivation. If you continue like this... you'll only waste time."
"Then what should I do?" Li Jun asked, grasping at straws, consulting a nine-year-old girl.
Li Jun was also helpless... Her decision to follow Teng Qingshan wholeheartedly made her feelings clear. After a girl had gone this far, if Teng Qingshan showed no reaction, what else could Li Jun do?
"Let me tell you, Sister Xiao Jun," Xiao Ping declared confidently, "if you are always good to a man, he becomes heartless! So, you need to learn to... be a bit distant with him first. For example, don't cook for him, or make him wash his own clothes! If you're always good to him, he takes it for granted. You need to learn to apply the right amount of tension and slack!"
"It's like how stewards manage people in large families. You can't be too kind to your subordinates; if you are, they become presumptuous. You should be indifferent most of the time, with occasional praise—then subordinates are both obedient and grateful to the steward."
"Sister Xiao Jun, you need to learn this trick too. You have to make him grateful to you!"
"Of course, you shouldn't make him angry either."
"You need to use your brain a bit to truly capture a man."
Li Jun’s eyes widened, gazing at Xiao Ping with sudden enlightenment.
She was from a distinguished family since childhood, then suffered a great disaster, eventually becoming a core member of the Heavenly God Palace, holding the noble title of the Goddess of Heavenly God Mountain. How could she understand these subtleties? It was the young servant girl, who had witnessed so much worldly interaction in various households, who understood these matters.
"Mhm, Xiao Ping, you must help Sister more," Li Jun eagerly grasped Xiao Ping's hand.
How she yearned for the day Teng Qingshan would speak sweet words to her too.
"If I don't help Sister, who should I help?" Xiao Ping laughed playfully, but then her expression froze.
"That—"
Li Jun also stared ahead.
On the lakeside, and even above Crescent Lake, there were more than ten phantom images of Teng Qingshan, like clones, each figure representing a stance of the axe technique.
A thin, earth-yellow blade of light shot out from the edge of Teng Qingshan's Mountain Splitting Divine Axe.
The light blade streaked out like lightning, silently piercing into the dense woods ahead.
The ten-plus figures vanished, and Teng Qingshan landed on the ice surface of the lake, looking towards the forest ahead.
"Hoo!" The cold wind blew.
"Crack, crack~~"
Thick, strong trees began to slowly tilt, followed by the chaotic sound of branches snapping. Tree after tree crashed down. In a wide swath nearly half a zhang across and stretching for dozens of zhangs in length before Teng Qingshan, all trees, loose rocks, weeds, and vines were neatly severed!
It was as if they had been shaved clean by an invisible blade of light!
"Brother Teng!" Li Jun, Xiao Ping, and even the practicing Teng Beast and Old Wang rushed over.
"What terrifying power," Teng Qingshan felt a profound shock inwardly.
"Silently, that light blade was so thin!" Teng Qingshan was deeply astonished. "The power is so concentrated... If I'm not mistaken, the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting, starting with the 'Way of Earth Movement,' then integrating the 'Way of Metal Movement'..." Teng Qingshan's admiration for Yu Huang deepened.
"It's a pity that these thirty-six illustrations in the manual must have been drawn by someone imitating the original."
"If I could see the carvings left by Yu Huang, I could grasp much from the artistic intent within the lines of the carving, which would be enough to double my efficiency!" Teng Qingshan's current practice relied on his strong foundation to decipher the conception of the moves. But even now, Teng Qingshan had only managed to cultivate up to the third form!
However, because the footwork contained within the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting cross-referenced with his own Swimming Fish Movement Technique, Teng Qingshan's Swimming Fish Movement Technique had finally achieved minor success.
His current level of mastery, Teng Qingshan had designated as the first layer of the Swimming Fish Movement Technique!
"Even without obtaining the thirty-six carvings, seeing the set on the Tuofan Stone would be enough. After all, that set is an original rubbing; the characters and lines are identical to the source." Teng Qingshan yearned in his heart; in just half a month of cultivation, the first layer of the Swimming Fish Movement Technique was perfected.
Furthermore, his Way of Earth Fist, which hadn't advanced in a long time, now felt like it held the hope of creating a seventh move.
Even the Way of Metal Movement seemed poised for a breakthrough.
"One secret manual has brought me such massive gains. If I can obtain that set of stone slabs from the Tuofan Stone!" Teng Qingshan made up his mind at that moment. "No matter what, I must secure that set of stone slabs from the Tuofan Stone!"
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