In the woods north of the foot of Mount Shenfu, a sound like a pangolin burrowing through the earth—k'chih-chih~~—rang out. Simultaneously, a large chunk of soil swelled up, and with a poof, a pit appeared in the ground. A figure glowing fiery red shot directly out of this pit and landed on the ground—it was none other than Teng Qingshan.

"Much closer than I anticipated," Teng Qingshan observed, looking ahead. Not far in the distance lay Crescent Lake, and by its shore stood three stone houses, faintly wisps of cooking smoke rising from them.

"That cavern inside the mountain, I estimate it's about eighteen feet deep underground. Following the tunnel I dug, once I exit, I should be right near Crescent Lake," Teng Qingshan chuckled, shouldering the Reincarnation Spear and heading toward his dwelling.

"Uncle is back!" Xiaoping was the first to spot Teng Qingshan and burst out cheering.

Teng Qingshan walked directly into the living room of the central stone house where dinner was being prepared. Li Jun, along with Xiaoping, was already setting out platters of steaming hot dishes for supper. Li Jun smiled and murmured, "Brother Teng, Old Wang and Ah Shou, those two martial fanatics still haven't arrived. Go call them over."

"Those two rascals!" Teng Qingshan immediately shouted towards the door.

"Old Wang!"

"Ah Shou, time for dinner."

Teng Qingshan's voice was loud, echoing directly into the surrounding woods.

...

In the northern section of the woods, Teng Shou, clad in a black leather jacket, his skin dark and lean, was practicing the Earth Moving Fist. Bursts of air compression sounded out from time to time, causing nearby snow to scatter. Occasionally, he slammed a fist into a large tree—Boom!—and the trunk would immediately splinter and break, the massive tree slowly toppling over, affecting a large cluster of others.

Teng Qingshan's tutelage of Teng Shou was quite casual.

He would only check on his progress in the mornings and offer brief guidance. Otherwise, he simply let Teng Shou practice on his own; Teng Qingshan simply didn't have time to supervise. Generally, Teng Shou chose a quiet spot to practice alone.

"So amazing," not far away, a petite girl wearing a tattered grey padded cotton coat clapped her hands excitedly. Perhaps due to poor nourishment, the girl's face was slightly pale. "Ah Shou, you really are incredible." She clapped her hands with genuine excitement.

"Hoo." Teng Shou finished a set and stopped, turning to give the girl a simple, dopey smile.

"Big Brother Ah Shou, what kind of fist technique is this?" the farm girl asked, her eyes wide.

"Teacher teach, Ah Shou learn," Having followed Teng Qingshan for over two months, Teng Shou could speak quite a few words now.

"Ah Shou, time for dinner!" A shout, like rolling thunder, traveled across the distance.

Teng Shou flinched.

"You... go back," Teng Shou waved his hand. "Teacher, call, me."

"Mm, my aunt and the others haven't come to fetch me, they must still be finishing their work. I'm not in a hurry," the farm girl said, smiling and waving back. "Ah Shou, hurry back and eat."

"Mm."

Teng Shou nodded heavily, then, like a wild beast, he dashed towards the direction of Crescent Lake in a flash. The farm girl watched him go, then turned and walked north toward the fields beside the woods.

For the past half a month, since she first saw Teng Shou practicing his fists while resting in the woods after working in the fields with her elders, this farm girl had made it a habit to come watch him practice after her family chores were done each day. Moreover, the young farm girl found Teng Shou genuinely amusing.

He was just like the four-year-old child belonging to her second uncle—silly and very entertaining.

At the dinner table, Teng Qingshan, Li Jun, Xiaoping, and Old Wang were seated around, with Qingluan and the Raging Wind Eagle also nearby.

"Before we eat, I need to mention something important," Teng Qingshan began.

Immediately, everyone at the table stopped and looked at him. Of course, Qingluan and the Raging Wind Eagle paid no mind; they couldn't understand anyway and just focused on the food Li Jun had prepared for them.

"I discovered a place today," Teng Qingshan announced. "Deep beneath Mount Shenfu... very close to the lair of the Six-legged Saber-Chirping Insect!"

"The Six-legged Saber-Chirping Insect?" Li Jun sounded surprised.

Teng Qingshan nodded. "Next to the insect's lair, there is an open cavern. That cavern is vast and empty... however, living inside offers immense benefits to the human body! For instance, for a peak Post-Heaven master, the chance of reaching Xiantian through normal cultivation is perhaps only one in several hundred. But residing in that cavern, a peak Post-Heaven could reach Xiantian—I estimate the odds are at least one in ten."

"One in ten?" Li Jun and Old Wang both gasped.

One in ten—what concept was that?

It sounded small.

But one in ten meant that if a thousand peak Post-Heaven masters entered, a hundred Xiantian realm experts would emerge!

Keep in mind, the premier sect of Yangzhou, 'Green Lake Island,' probably had several thousand peak Post-Heaven experts, yet they only had about twenty-something Xiantian masters. The normal probability truly was one Xiantian among several hundred peak Post-Heaven experts.

"Brother Teng, how can such a thing be possible?" Li Jun shook her head, laughing. "If such a treasure land existed, a super-sect could just send in three thousand peak Post-Heaven masters and get three hundred Xiantian experts? Three hundred Xiantian experts... No, that's impossible."

Teng Qingshan paused.

He hadn't truly considered that aspect before. That rate of success was terrifying.

His master, Zhuge Yuanhong's, Guiyuan Sect only had a meager handful of Xiantian experts. As for peak Post-Heaven masters, the entire Guiyuan Sect could probably scrape together five or six hundred! One in ten would mean fifty or sixty Xiantian experts?

Guiyuan Sect, with fifty or sixty Xiantian experts?

"I never realized the true benefit of such a treasure land before," Teng Qingshan marveled internally. "The spiritual energy of heaven and earth in that place is over a hundred times richer than in ordinary areas. Living there long-term even nourishes the 'Spirit.' The hope for a peak Post-Heaven master to reach Xiantian inside should be one in ten."

One in ten was merely Teng Qingshan's estimated figure.

"This is the effect of the Nine Provinces Cauldrons!" Teng Qingshan also knew that such a place was incredibly rare—it required finding a convergence point of spiritual energy, and secondly, it required the Nine Provinces Cauldrons!

And there were only nine Cauldrons in total.

Each Nine Provinces Cauldron had fused with a source of heaven and earth spiritual energy, possessing mystical abilities. Who it chose as its master was completely uncontrollable.

"But this place is also extremely dangerous," Teng Qingshan quickly added.

"Even the Six-legged Saber-Chirping Insect dares not enter that treasure land, only establishing its lair nearby. You should all know the level of danger there," Teng Qingshan continued.

Li Jun and Old Wang both nodded.

A heaven-defying treasure land like that would naturally be fraught with peril.

"Only when I am there can I ensure that the treasure land poses no danger," Teng Qingshan stated. "How about this: tomorrow morning, we move our beds and everything over there. Sleep there every night! Even while sleeping, your 'Spirit' can slowly improve."

Li Jun and Old Wang were astonished.

It was one thing to improve while cultivating during the day, but to improve while sleeping—that was terrifying!

"During the day, around noon and in the afternoon, I will be cultivating outside. During those times, none of you are allowed to stay inside," Teng Qingshan instructed.

Others could only remain there when Teng Qingshan was present...

Once Teng Qingshan left, the treasure land immediately reverted to a perilous, evil ground.

"Understood, Brother Teng," Li Jun said, smiling widely; she desperately wished to reach the Xiantian realm. Because... the greatest benefit reaching Xiantian offered a woman was her appearance! Her looks would hardly age at all.

"Xiantian..." Old Wang's eyes gleamed, and the fist resting on the table clenched tightly.

Must reach Xiantian, must!!! Old Wang roared inwardly.

The next morning, Teng Qingshan, holding the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe, arrived early at the pit he had burst from the day before.

Using the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe, he began to dig downward along the tunnel!

He carved out a spacious passage with tiered steps. The surface was soil, but beneath the top layer, everything else was hard rock. Perhaps for ordinary people, excavating a stone path through the roots of solid mountains would be incredibly difficult. But for Teng Qingshan, it was as easy as drinking water.

The mountain stone was like tofu before him!

He dug straight down!

In less than half an hour, Teng Qingshan successfully excavated a tunnel wide enough for three people to walk abreast, leading directly to the underground cavern.

...

"Brother Teng, take a rest first," as soon as Teng Qingshan finished digging, Li Jun immediately brought over a bowl of tea.

Li Jun watched Teng Qingshan drain the bowl in one go, a happy smile gracing her face.

"Hm? Someone's here?" Teng Qingshan looked south.

Faintly, a group of people could be seen passing through the woods, approaching Crescent Lake.

"It's an old friend. Come on, we can move our things after we greet them," Teng Qingshan shouldered the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe and walked toward the shore of Crescent Lake, then sat down beside the stone table, placing the axe at his feet.

"Mister Teng," a hearty voice sounded. The arrivals were led by a thin, silver-haired elder, accompanied by a group of experts. This thin, silver-haired elder was precisely the Sixth Elder of the Rising Sun Merchant Guild.

"Sixth Elder," Teng Qingshan smiled and gestured to the opposite seat. "Please sit."

The Sixth Elder sat opposite Teng Qingshan, while his subordinates remained standing at a respectful distance, daring not to approach closely.

"Here, have some tea," Teng Qingshan poured tea first. "What brings the Sixth Elder here this time?"

The Sixth Elder's eyes narrowed into slits upon hearing this, and he chuckled, "Mister Teng is truly direct. I won't beat around the bush. Last time, you mentioned you were extremely eager to obtain the thirty-six carvings of the Thirty-Six Forms of Mountain Splitting, correct?"

"Yes!" Teng Qingshan's eyes lit up involuntarily.

The set carved on the Bald Vulture Stone, while containing thirty-six forms, still required Teng Qingshan to comprehend them himself. Although the efficiency was higher than practicing from a secret manual, it was far inferior to the thirty-six carvings left by Emperor Yu!

After all—

Those thirty-six carvings contained the 'imprint' left by Emperor Yu himself. Once combined with the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe, Teng Qingshan might even be able to witness Emperor Yu demonstrating and teaching the forms firsthand! That efficiency would be even faster than Teng Qingshan comprehending the 'Immortal Jade Tablet'!

"What, have you obtained the thirty-six carvings, or perhaps just one piece?" Teng Qingshan asked eagerly.

"Oh, no, no." The Sixth Elder shook his head. "We haven't obtained them yet, but... if Mister really wishes to acquire the thirty-six carvings, it's not difficult at all!"

"Oh?"

Teng Qingshan narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the Sixth Elder. "Sixth Elder, please elaborate carefully!"