The Nine Cauldrons
chapter-539

The hall of the Gui Yuan Sect was suffocatingly silent. All the elders and the young commanders, guardians, and the other members of the younger generations were all very quiet.

It was a dilemma.

If they forbade Teng Qingshan from establishing a sect, it would be like forcing Teng Qingshan to leave Gui Yuan Sect. If they allowed Teng Qingshan to establish a sect, they would have to share half of Gui Yuan Sect's success with Teng Qingshan's sect. The scariest part was the possibility of Teng Qingshan's sect devouring Gui Yuan Sect. No one doubted the potential of Teng Qingshan's sect.

"Sovereign." A hoarse voice sounded.

Everyone in the entire hall looked over. It was Ji Hong, the First Commander of the Black Armored Army.

"What did Teng Qingshan say?" Ji Hong asked.

Zhuge Yuanhong answered, "Qingshan said that his sect will have power equal to that of the Gui Yuan Sect. He said that if we are worried that both sects might devour each other, then we can imitate the Heavenly God Palace! The Heavenly God Palace has many divisions: the Snowy Lotus Cult, Million Beasts Valley, the Sword Sect, the God of Heaven Mountain, and many other branches. In the future, his sect and Gui Yuan Sect can be the two branches. Both sects shall be equally matched and become part of one new sect. His sect and our sect will be like the branches of the same tree."

"Branches of the same tree?" Some of the elders in the hall let out a sigh of relief.

If this was decided in the beginning, they wouldn't have to worry about Teng Qingshan's sect devouring the Gui Yuan Sect in the future.

In the Heavenly God Palace, the Snowy Lotus Cult wouldn't dare to devour the Heavenly God Palace.

"Sovereign, the branches of the same tree might sound great. However, in the end, wouldn't the Gui Yuan Sect still become a division under Teng Qingshan's command? If the sect established by Teng Qingshan is ranked equally with Gui Yuan Sect, then what would the main sect be called? The main sect wouldn't be called 'Gui Yuan Sect,'" the elder with the surname Wang said with a sneer. "By doing this, wouldn't Gui Yuan Sect be considered a division under the control of Teng Qingshan's sect?"

"Yeah, how can we allow this?" Immediately, some elders agreed.

"Everyone."

Ji Hong immediately said with a frown, "It is possible that Gui Yuan Sect might become a division under Teng Qingshan's sect, but we shouldn't forget that… Gui Yuan Sect was just a small sect that ruled the Land of Jiangning County. If we do what Teng Qingshan says… In the future, when the main sect rises and becomes powerful, the Gui Yuan Sect might become a division that rules over one prefecture. It's all normal. Although it might be under one main sect, the future would still be better."

Indeed, the God of Heaven Mountain was an example. Although the God of Heaven was a division under the Heavenly God Palace, it had a higher status and ranking than when Gui Yuan Sect when they controlled only Jiangning County.

"Hmph!"

The Law Enforcing Elder, Elder Ni, rolled his eyes and sneered, "I would rather have the Gui Yuan Sect control only Jiangning County. I don't want to see Gui Yuan Sect become a sect subservient to Teng Qingshan's sect! Gui Yuan Sect doesn't need other people's protection!"

"Yes, even if Gui Yuan Sect is weak, it is the sect established by the ancestors. We don't want any outsiders to tell us how to run our sect. By becoming a branch under Teng Qingshan's command, Gui Yuan Sect might become powerful. However, Gui Yuan Sect would become a sect controlled and commanded by others." Immediately, many elders agreed to this.

"Everyone, by doing that, aren't we going to antagonize Teng Qingshan?"

There were also people who were against this.

...

During the meeting that happened in the main hall of Gui Yuan Sect, many elders argued among each other. They even cursed in rage at each other. Some elders even scolded in the names of the founding fathers of the sect. Anyway, the dispute continued until midnight. In the end, the meeting only adjourned because a very old elder passed out after a very emotional argument.

In Teng Jia Village, which was located beneath the Great Yan Mountain:

The next morning, Teng Qingshan received a letter. It was from his cousin Teng Qinghu, who was now far away in Jiangning. The letter recorded everything that had happened in the main hall.

Whew~~Whew~~

The weather this morning was very cool and refreshing. Teng Qingshan was sitting on the branch of a tree and was holding some papers in his hand. Those papers were the letters from Teng Qinghu.

"How did this happen?" Teng Qingshan read the letter and frowned.

"The elders wouldn't even agree when I promised that the two sects would be equally ranked?" After reading the letter, Teng Qingshan realized what the sect meant to those elders. Although Teng Qingshan had always known the significance of the sect, he never really understood what the sect meant for the elders, as he had only been part of Gui Yuan Sect for a very short time.

Because he didn't understand, he thought that the elders would agree to his suggestion.

"If ruling over the entirety of Yangzhou meant that they would have to be under Teng Qingshan's command, they would rather have the Gui Yuan Sect still be the sect that only controlled Jiangning County." As Teng Qingshan read these words in the letter, his frown deepened.

"Qingshan."

Suddenly, an old-sounding voice rang.

Teng Qingshan turned to look. A silver-haired elder walked over with a smile.

"Grandfather." Teng Qingshan leaped down from the tree branch.

"What are you doing? Look at your frowns." Teng Yunlong laughed and said, "We have destroyed Qing Hu Island. You should be happy." Teng Yunlong looked around and the smile on his face brightened. "Look! The young men of the Teng Clan are all practicing their fist art diligently. Some men are refining weapons and some men are hunting. Life like this is very good. The Teng Clan has been with Gui Yuan Sect for many years, but these are the best days."

Teng Qingshan was affected by his grandfather's emotions.

"One should be satisfied with what one has…"

Teng Yunlong, who had been the chief for several dozen years, was very satisfied with the current state of the Teng Clan.

Teng Qingshan shook his head as he said, "I should be happy, but I don't know what to do now."

Teng Yunlong glanced at Teng Qingshan and grinned. "Qingshan, if you don't mind, why don't you tell me what's going on. Although I am not very strong and powerful, I have suffered and experienced many horrible events. Maybe I can give you, a powerful Emptiness Realm Expert, some advice."

"Don't even mention my cultivation level." Teng Qingshan couldn't help but laugh. "This letter is from Qinghu. Read it and you will know."

Teng Yunlong took the letter and began reading. As he read, the expression on his face became serious. A moment later, he had finished reading.

"Qingshan." Teng Yunlong raised his head and stared at Teng Qingshan as he asked, "You wish to establish a sect?"

"Yea." Teng Qingshan nodded and immediately smiled bitterly. "However, it's slightly troublesome now."

"True. Actually, this is very simple." Teng Yunlong smiled calmly and explained, "Because of your existence, Gui Yuan Sect was able to rise and become the number one sect in Yangzhou. After getting a taste of power, they don't want Gui Yuan Sect to become weak again! It's just like how it is hard to become frugal after becoming accustomed to luxury.

"The elders of Gui Yuan Sect just want you to serve Gui Yuan Sect with all your heart. Only then will they be satisfied."

Teng Qingshan agreed with these words.

"Qingshan, what do you want?"

Teng Yunlong smiled and continued, "I understand that you have a dream just like everyone else in the world. You wish to establish your own sect and become someone like Emperor Yu or the Heavenly Emperor of the Qin Mountains. After all, if you serve a sect, the sect would never be yours, even if you are extremely powerful. The hope to pass on the branch of Internal Martial Arts through a sect is part of your wish, but that is secondary. Most importantly, you wish to have a sect that will exist forever. Am I right?"

Hearing this, Teng Qingshan was stunned.

"Yes…"

Teng Qingshan never said it out loud, but he admitted it. His grandfather was very wise. Teng Qingshan's grandfather immediately understood thoroughly that a cultivator who aimed to reach the peak definitely aimed to attain the pinnacle of Martial Arts and also wished to establish a long-lasting sect. This was every man's ambition.

"Grandfather, tell me. What should I do now?" Teng Qingshan asked.

Teng Yunlong smiled and said, "Qingshan, you are young. You are a cultivator who pursued the ultimate cultivation! Therefore, you have a dream. It would be weird if you had no ambitions. However, I think differently from you young people. Life is about making choices. Life is about sacrificing and getting something in return!

"You can only get something if you are willing to sacrifice something!

"Qingshan, if you insist on establishing a sect independent of Gui Yuan Sect, it is true that you might establish a huge sect. You might reach the level of Emperor Yu or the Heavenly Emperor of the Qin mountains. Your name might be praised like the gods in history books. No one would badmouth you. However, there is one thing you should remember. Your teacher, Zhuge Yuanhong, and many disciples of Gui Yuan Sect will feel horrible and sad. By establishing your own sect, you might achieve great success, but your teacher and the other members of Gu Yuan Sect will be very disappointed."

"If you are willing to give up your fame and profit and join Gui Yuan Sect willingly, you can establish a school in Gui Yuan Sect. Through this school, you can teach the Internal Martial Arts and pass it onto the future generations. In the future, when Gui Yuan Sect rises to the peak, you will be known as the one who made Gui Yuan Sect powerful and esteem. You will also be the founder of the branch of Internal Martial Arts. Unfortunately, you won't be the founder of Gui Yuan Sect."

Teng Yunlong looked at Teng Qingshan with a smile and said, "Choose what you want and choose what you are willing to sacrifice. Do you want to give up on being the founder of a sect so that our relationship with your teacher and the other members of Gui Yuan Sect will be saved?"

"Or are you willing to sacrifice the relationship with Gui Yuan Sect so that you can acquire the status of sect founder?"

Teng Yunlong smiled and said, "You must make the choice. Back then, in order to save Teng Jia Village, I had no choice but to allow those bandits to take away our women. For the sake of the clan, I sacrificed my family and relatives. What you get depends on what you are willing to sacrifice. Qingshan, make the decision by yourself."

With this, Teng Yunlong left with a smile on his face.

"Sacrifice something…"

"Get something…"

Teng Qingshan was initially at a loss of what to do. However, after listening to his grandfather's advice, he understood everything very thoroughly. It was now up to him to make the choice…

In Jiangning County:

In the Sovereign's study room in the Gui Yuan Sect:

Although it was afternoon, the doors and windows of the study room were shut tight.

A nice scent pervaded the entire study room. Zhuge Yuanhong sat cross-legged in the study room. As he thought about the meeting that had happened last night, he felt a headache.

"Sigh…" Zhuge Yuanhong sighed deeply.

He was well aware of Teng Qingshan's thoughts regarding this. However, he couldn't ask Teng Qingshan not to pursue his dream. After all, who wouldn't want to obtain credit? Who wouldn't want to establish their own sect? Who wouldn't want to teach the following generations their cultivation art, and who wouldn't want to be respected as the sect founder by millions of disciples?

Countless young men dreamt of achieving these things.

He couldn't force Teng Qingshan to give up on his dream for the sake of Gui Yuan Sect. After all, Teng Qingshan relied entirely on himself to reach the current level.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Knocking sounds suddenly rang, and Zhuge Yuanhong felt his heart hammering away.

"Teacher, it's me." A familiar voice sounded.

"Qingshan?"

Zhuge Yuanhong hastily stood up and said, "Qingshan, come in quickly!"