The Nine Cauldrons
chapter-84

"Hu!"

The four Commanders stood up at the same time and stared in disbelief.

"How is that possible? Did his spear art just subdue the Wave Bending Technique of the"Cangjiang Sword Art"?" The silver-haired elder dressed in black cloak said in shock. The biggest and tallest guy among the four Commanders looked surprised as well. "What a powerful defense! This is a spear art that absorbs the strength! His spear art is almost at the level of the Realm of Simplicity."

"That defense…" Zhang Feng was in utter shock.

"Teng Qingshan…" The only lady among the four Commanders was also astonished.

The four Commanders couldn't help but stand as they were amazed by Teng Qingshan's 'Transmutation Unity Qi' spear art.

"Teacher, what spear art did Teng Qingshan just use?" The lady asked as she turned and looked towards Zhuge Yuanhong, who was sitting in the center.

*****

Of the five people on the stage, only Zhuge Yuanhong remained seated. His expression still appeared calm. However, his eyes lit up. As he observed Teng Qingshan, who stood on the stage, a smile gradually appeared on his face and he thought to himself. "Teng Qingshan! Amazing!"

The entire school grounds became quiet and noises ensued.

"Did you see the movements of that spear art? How did he block that move?"

"Whew, Yue Song's heavy sword suddenly flew away. No one knew what happened."

...

The over six thousand warriors on the school ground discussed fervently. All the cultivators might not understand the Bending Wave Technique of the "Cangjiang Sword Art"but they were able to see the terrifying power of the technique. However, they weren't able to see Teng Qingshan's moves as his defensive moves were too fast.

"Qingshan, good job!" Teng Qinghu shouted excitedly.

"What's your relationship with Teng Qingshan?" The Black Armored Soldiers and Warriors beside Teng Qinghu couldn't help but ask.

"That's my younger cousin!" Teng Qinghu said proudly.

The people on the Land of the Nine Prefectures respect the cultivators. When they found out that Teng Qinghu was related to Teng Qingshan, they immediately viewed Teng Qinghu in a different light and began conversing with Teng Qinghu, inquiring some famous things Teng Qingshan had done in the past.

On the arena!

"How did that happen? My Wave Bending Technique… This isn't right…" Yue Song stared at his right hand and shook his head repeatedly.

"Brother Yue!" When Teng Qingshan saw this, he couldn't help but frown. However, Yue Song couldn't hear him at all.

"Did my move earlier break him psychologically? He can't be that weak." Teng Qingshan thought to himself. Simultaneously, he flung his right hand forward and the Reincarnation Spear rocketed, pierced the stones nearby, and flicked the black heavy sword into the air. And so, the heavy sword flew back to Yue Song.

Clang!

The heavy sword landed on the rocks and made a sharp and clear tinkling.

Yue Song quivered and his mind cleared up. Immediately, he picked up the black heavy sword and cupped his hands as he said shamefully, "Brother Qinghsan, I was thinking about your spear art earlier and was just trying to figure out a way to win against your move. I was so immersed in this that I wasn't aware of my surroundings. For this, I apologize."

Hearing this, Teng Qingshan was stunned.

The lost was not a psychologically blow. He was just thinking about the way to subdue Teng Qingshan's spear art.

"Brother Yue, your "Cangjiang Sword Art"is extraordinary. I wouldn't be able to win easily if your Bending Wave Technique had attained culmination." Teng Qingshan said with a smile.

"This battle had enlightened me. I now understand the Bending Wave Technique more. This is all thanks to you." With a face full of smiles, Yue Song said, "Brother Qingshan, we will be in the Black Armored Army together. We have all the time in the world to compete and learn from each other. I will step down first so that the others can challenge you."

Yue Song laughed and walked down the arena. Simultaneously, he shouted at the surrounding, "To anyone that wishes to challenge Teng Qingshan, don't miss this good opportunity!"

...

Challenge Teng Qingshan?

Why would they challenge Teng Qingshan when they already knew that they were no match against Teng Qingshan? That would be equivalent to seeking pain and suffering.

"Fang Zong, you and I shall have a fight!" A loud roar sounded and another warrior leaped into the arena.

All First Rated Warriors were given two chances to challenge. Wu Man, Niu Zhan, Xia Shuo, and the other First Rated Warriors all began challenging and the fights that ensued were also very intense. The Black Armored Soldiers who watched the fights from the surrounding were very happy and excited.

Yet, no one challenged Teng Qingshan!

"I didn't expect this. Even if I had only used 10000 Jin of my strength, none of these people are able to defeat me." Teng Qingshan sighed and said, "If Yue Song's Bending Wave Technique had attained culmination, I might be forced to use more strength!"

Teng Qingshan's trump card was not"Crossing Worlds", but his terrifyingly and abnormally great strength.

After he turned sixteen, he cultivated the "Godly Tiger Form Technique"for a month. When he was fighting the Flood Dragon at the Frost Jade Pool, he had already possessed an enormous strength of 150000 Jin. He then stayed in Teng Jia Village for six months, and during this time period, he was still practicing the "Godly Tiger Form Technique". His progress was slow and no longer improved after six months,

However, when Teng Qingshan left his hometown with his cousin Teng Qinghu and headed towards Jiangning County, he was already a super powerful expert. As a super powerful expert, the control of his strength was very precise. He estimated that both his arms had a great strength of 180,000.

As the saying went, the so-called one 'strong guy could beat up ten people'!

With this monstrous strength, Teng Qingshan could kill Yue Song with just a simple smash.

The combination of this monstrous strength and this profound spear art, Teng Qingshan would become the God of Slaughter.

"Gui Yuan Sect probably has some inner strength cultivation manual I can learn and practice.

I wonder how the inner strength cultivation manual will improve my ability." Teng Qingshan was not arrogant. He didn't think that he could conquer the world with his monstrous strength.

After all, the legendary Emperor Yu had split the lofty mountains with five moves of his axe.

The legendary Heavenly Emperor of the Qin Mountains could stop the hundred Zhang wide Yan River from flowing with just his palm.

As Teng Qingshan thought about these legends, he trembled with fear. These legendary figures had caused the Yan River to run dry and the lofty mountain to collapse. They were a thousand or ten thousand times stronger than him. In fact, they could probably kill him with just an easy smack.

"There are definitely people stronger than me in this land. I just haven't met them yet as I have only met the younger generations. I would assume that Yue Song's teacher, whose name is Cang Jiang Swordmaster, is stronger than me" As Teng Qingshan thought about it, he somehow felt slightly excited.

He was excited to have opponents.

...

The fights continued. The seventeen First Rated Warriors had two chances of challenging the Lieutenants. Soon, the last fight occurred.

"This is the last fight. Haha, none of them dared to challenge Teng Qingshan." The tall and big Commander laughed and said.

"Teng Qingshan's spear art could be said to have reached the Realm of Simplicity. The others are not stupid. Of course they won't challenge him." said the silver-haired elder donned in a black cloak.

"Realm of Simplicity? He hasn't reached that level." Zhuge Yuanhong said with a smile.

"Sovereign?"

"Teacher?"

The four Commanders stared at Zhuge Yuanhong.

Zhuge Yuanhong praised, "However, he is only sixteen-years-old. Sixteen! He is only a sixteen-year-old youth, and he already has such marvelous spear arts that aren't inferior to the techniques of some great spear art masters in the Land of the Nine Prefectures. There are only two possible explanations. One, he is either the reincarnation of a great master in the Buddhism Sect or the reincarnation of the living Buddha.

On the Land of the Nine Prefectures, there were eight most famous sects with very strong foundations.

Of the eight sects, the strongest was the Mani Temple. Each of the other seven sects ruled over one prefecture. However, Mani Temple ruled over two prefectures. Located in the west of the Nine Prefectures, its sphere of influence was the southwest Rongzhou as well as Liangzhou in the west.

Of the eight Supreme Sects, Mani Temple was the only Buddhist Sect with a history of several thousand years.

Buddhist sect had absolute authority in Rongzhou and Liangzhou.

Among the Eight Supreme Sects of the Nine Prefectures, the practice methods of the other seven sects were 'Training Vitality into Qi' and the 'Unity of Spirit'. These were the two cultivation methods to reach the Realm of Qi and then the Spirit before attaining the Innate Realm. This was the most used practicing method in all of the Nine Prefectures.

However, the cultivation of the Buddhism Sect was completely different. They cultivate the three pulses and seven meridians, and the practice of finding one's true self in order achieve Sarira so that they could become Arhat one day. Among the great masters of the Buddhism Sect, those who could achieve Sarira would be called Arhat, and they were the equivalent of innate experts.

TLN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arhat

Because the human body is limited by the heavens and earth and would eventually die, some great master of the Buddhist Sect who had attained an incredible realm could preserve their soul and achieve reincarnation. They would become the reincarnation of the living Buddha, reborn with the memory of the previous life.

If Teng Qingshan was the reincarnation of the living Buddha, then it would make sense for him to display such marvelous spear arts.

"If he was the reincarnation of the living Buddha, the monks at Mani Temple would have already taken him away. He wouldn't be here." The silver-haired elder said.

"There's a very small possibility that he could be the Reincarnation of the Living Buddha." Zhuge Yuanhong admitted. Although Teng Qingshan was not the Reincarnation of the Living Buddha, he was the reincarnation of an Internal Martial Art Grandmaster from another world, but none of them knew about this.

"Teacher, what about the second possibility?" Zang Feng asked.

Zhuge Yuanhong sighed and said, "The second explanation is that he has the Innocence of a Newborn, which gives him the ability to comprehend the heavens and earth! He had lived in the forest since young and followed the natural law. With the heavens and earth as his teacher, he was able to comprehend and create such a profound spear art! This is the Innocence of a Newborn!"

Being in the world of mortals would only corrupt to one's heart.

However, on the Land of the Nine Prefectures, there were some naturally pure-hearted geniuses. These talented geniuses possessed the Innocence of a Newborn. They could comprehend the nature and learned from the heavens and earth. The moves of the spear art, saber art, and other techniques they created seemed simple but were absolutely profound.

"However, Feng, you must not be discouraged." Zhuge Yuanhong said, "Being able to create such an amazing spear art has its advantages and disadvantages!"

"Advantages? Disadvantages?" The four Commanders looked at the Sovereign with bemusement.

Zhuge Yuanhong nodded and said, "Normally, when people cultivate and practice sword art, saber art, etcetera, they start from the beginning. The sword art they learn gradually becomes more and more profound and complicated. It is a process of simplicity to complexity! The expert would discover the weak points of their sword art or saber art through each fight and gradually improve. Then, it would be a process of complexity to simplicity and eventually the Realm of Simplicity."

The process of simplicity to complexity and the process of complexity back to simplicity made every move infinitely powerful.

"The moves created through each setback, each moment of understanding, each alteration, and the final moment of enlightenment would be even more powerful than the simple and forceful moves created through by learning from nature." Zhuge Yuanhong said.

"I understand." Zang Feng nodded.

One could only gain higher achievements after experiencing setbacks and struggles in the mortal world.

"Geniuses like Teng Qingshan are too young. Although he could comprehend such powerful Spear Arts right now, he has not experienced many setbacks to progress further. He has yet to temper himself in the mortal world If he wishes to progress further, he must experience struggles and setbacks." Zhuge Yuanhong smiled and said. "Of course, geniuses who have established themselves in the mortal world will have limitless future prospects!"

The four Commanders nodded.

However, they didn't know that...Teng Qingshan had experienced much more setbacks and pain than they could imagine.

"Sovereign, the fights for the positions of Centurion have ended."

"Yes, it is time to award the heavy armor and warhorses!" Zhuge Yuanhong ordered.