The Nine Cauldrons - Paying a Visit

By evening, the sky was almost completely dark.     

In the forest north of the mountain. “Crickrackcrack” A sound similar to the drilling of a pangolin rang out. Simultaneously, large pieces of dirt rose with the sound of a bang, a pit appeared in the ground. A fiery red figure flew out from the pit and landed on the ground. It was Teng Qingshan.     

“It’s closer than I expected.” Teng Qingshan looked ahead. The Crescent Moon Lake was nearby. Three stone houses sat by the Crescent Moon Lake and faint traces of smoke could be seen as it escaped the chimneys.     

“That hollow cave is probably six zhang underground. According to the tunnel I dug, I should be able to see the Crescent Moon Lake as I exit the tunnel.” Teng Qingshan smiled as he lifted the Reincarnation Spear and headed towards the houses.     

“Uncle is back!” Little Ping was the first to see Teng Qingshan and promptly cheered.     

Teng Qingshan immediately headed towards the the living room of the stone house in the center, the place where dinner would be served. At this moment, Li Jun and Little Ping served the dishes of hot steaming food on the table. Li Jun smiled as she muttered, “Big Brother Teng, please call those two martial arts maniacs, Old Wang and Ah Shou. They are not here yet.”     

“Those two!” Teng Qingshan said and immediately shouted out the door.     

“Old Wang!”     

“Ah Shou, it’s time to eat dinner.”     

Teng Qingshan’s voice was so loud that it resonated throughout the forest.     

……     

In the northern region of the forest, the tanned and muscular Teng Shou, dressed ina a black leather coat, was practicing the 《Earth Element Fist》. Explosive sounds rang out, causing the accumulated snow to fly into the air. He occasionally punched a huge tree and a “Bang” would sound out as the trunk exploded. The big tree would collapse slowly, affecting the other trees nearby.     

Teng Qingshan had a very hands off approach to teaching Teng Shou.     

He only checked his progress every morning and gave instructions afterwards.. Teng Shou would then practice by himself as Teng Qingshan didn’t have the time to supervise. Normally, Teng Shou would choose a quiet place to practice by himself.     

“So powerful.” To the side, a petite little girl with an ordinary appearance and dressed in grey ragged cotton-padded jacket was clapping excitedly. Perhaps due to malnutrition, the little girl appeared slightly pale. “Ah Shou, you really are very powerful.” She said as she clapped her hands excitedly.     

“Whew.” Teng Shou finished practicing. He turned and smiled sillily at the little girl.     

“Big Brother Ah Shou, what was that fist art?” The little village girl widened her eyes.     

“Teacher…taught..Ah Shou.” After following Teng Qingshan for over two months, Teng Shou now understood many words.     

“Ah Shou, it’s time to eat dinner!” A shout akin to the rumbling of thunder echoed around them.     

Teng Shou shuddered.     

“You…go back.” Teng Shou hastily gestured and said, “Teacher….called..me.”     

“Okay. My aunt and the others haven’t called me yet. I reckoned they are not done with their business. I am not in a hurry. Ah Shou, quickly go back and eat dinner.”     

“Yes.”     

Teng Shou nodded heavily and dashed towards the Crescent Moon Lake like a beast. The village girl glanceed at him then turned northward and headed towards the farmland by the forest.     

Half a month ago, when the village girl followed her elders to help out on the farm, she saw Teng Shou practicing while she was resting in the nearby forest. Since then, whenever she was done with her work on the farm, she would come and watch Teng Shou practice fist arts…..This village girl also realized that Teng Shou was really fun.     

In her eyes, Teng Shou was just like the four-year-old kid in her Second Uncle’s house: silly and fun.     

Teng Qingshan, Li Jun, Little Ping, and Old Wang sat around the dinner table. Blue Luan and the Whole Gale Eagle were nearby.     

“Before we start eating, I would like to say a very important thing.” Teng Qingshan said.     

Immediately, the tableful of people stopped and stared at Teng Qingshan. Of course, Blue Luan and the Whole Gale Eagle weren’t paying any attention; they didn’t understand the human language anyway. They just lowered their heads and dived into the food that Li Jun had prepared for them.     

“I found a place today.” Teng Qingshan said. “It is beneath the Godly Axe Mountain…and near the lair of the Six Legged Bladelike Chi!”     

“Six Legged Bladelike Chi?” Li Jun was slightly surprised.     

Teng Qingshan nodded and continued. “Beside the lair of the Six Legged Bladelike Chi, there is a cave. The cave was completely empty….However, if one resided inside that cave, it would be of great benefit to the human body! For example, if one hundred experts that were at the peak of the Postliminary Realm cultivated normally, probably only one would reach the Innate Realm.     

However, if an expert at the peak of the Postliminary Realm dwelled and cultivated in that cave, I reckoned that there’s a ten percent chance for that Postliminary Realm Expert to reach the Innate Realm.”     

“Ten percent?” Li Jun and Old Wang cried out in shock.     

Ten percent? What sort of concept was that?     

It might sound insignificant, but this ten percent meant that if one thousand experts at the peak of the Postliminary Realm dwelled within that hollow cave, it would result in the birth of one hundred Innate Experts!     

One should know that the number one sect of Yangzhou, ‘Qing Hu Island,’ probably had a few thousand experts that were at the peak of the Postliminary Realm. However, Qing Hu Island only had around twenty Innate Experts. The normal ratio was around one innate expert for a few hundred experts at the peak of the Postliminary Realm.     

“Big Brother Teng, how is something like this possible?” Li Jun shook her head and smiled as she said, “If such a precious zone really exist, the super powerful sects could just arrange for Postliminary Realm Experts to reside in the precious zone and three hundred Innate Experts would then emerge, right? Three hundred Innate Experts….This..this is impossible.”     

Teng Qingshan was stunned.     

He had not thought about this. Such a figure was indeed terrifying.     

There were only a few Innate Experts in his Teacher Zhuge Yuanhong’s Gui Yuan Sect. As for experts that have reached the peak of the Postliminary Realm, there were probably only five to six hundred in the entire Gui Yuan Sect! Wouldn’t ten percent still be fifty to sixty innate experts?     

Gui Yuan Sect could have fifty to sixty Innate Experts?     

“I didn’t even realize the real benefit of such a precious area.” Teng Qingshan sighed in admiration, “The Spiritual Power of the Heavens and Earth contained in that area was a hundred times richer than normal. If an expert at the peak of the Postliminary Realm stayed there for a long time, it would result in the nourishment of the ‘Spirit,’ and a ten percent chance for that expert to reach the Innate Realm.”     

Ten percent was only an estimate by Teng Qingshan.     

“This is the effect of the Nine Prefectures Cauldron!” Teng Qingshan knew clearly that one could only come across such places serendipitously. Firstly, one would need to find a certain converging point of the Spiritual Power of the Heavens and Earth. Secondly, one would also need the Nine Prefectures Cauldrons!     

There were a total of nine cauldrons.     

Each of the Nine Prefectures Cauldrons integrated with a source of the Spiritual Power, thus possessing mysterious and marvelous powers. No one could dictate who it chose as its master.     

“However, that place is also very dangerous.” Teng Qingshan said hastily.     

“Even the Six Legged Bladelike Chi didn’t dare to go in the precious zone. It only dared to build a lair nearby. Through this, you should all be able to tell how dangerous that place is.” Teng Qingshan continued.     

Li Jun and Old Wang both nodded.     

It was certainly impossible for a precious zone in defiance of the natural order to have no danger at all.     

“It is only safe if I am there,” said Teng Qingshan. “How’s this? Tomorrow morning, we will move our beds, and sleep there every night! Even sleeping can help improve your ‘Spirit’ slowly.”     

Upon hearing this, Li Jun and Old Wang were slightly astonished.     

Not to mention cultivation during the day, but even sleeping would help one improve. That was certainly terrifying!     

“Everyday, I will practice outside from midday to the afternoon. During that time, none of you can stay in the hollow cave.” Teng Qingshan instructed.     

The others could only stay there if Teng Qingshan was there!     

Once Teng Qingshan left the hollow cave, it would become a very dangerous and evil place.     

“Big Brother Teng, we understand.” Li Jun was full of smiles. She also wanted to reach the Innate Realm. Because…to a woman, the biggest benefit of reaching the Innate Realm was an almost un-aging appearance! If she reached the Innate Realm, she would obtain a forever youthful look.     

“Innate Realm…” Old Wang’s eyes lit up as he clenched his fists on the table.     

“I must reach the Innate Realm! I must!!” Old Wang roared in his heart.     

Early next morning, carrying the Splitting Mountain Axe, Teng Qingshan headed towards the pit that he had drilled out yesterday.     

Using the Splitting Mountain Axe, he widened the tunnel from end to end!     

Teng Qingshan wanted to dig a wide tunnel with stairs. The surface would be covered with hard rocks and a layer of soil above that. Maybe to others, digging a tunnel through the hard rocks of the mountain foundation would be extremely difficult, but to Teng Qingshan, it was as easy as drinking water.     

The mountain rocks were like bean curd before Teng Qingshan!     

He continued to dig downwards!     

After about an hour, Teng Qingshan had successfully completed the tunnel that led to the underground cave. The tunnel now had a width that allowed three people to travel abreast.     

……     

“Big Brother Teng, get some rest first.” As soon as Teng Qingshan finished digging, Li Jun walked towards him carrying a bowl of tea in her hands.     

Watching Teng Qingshan gulping down the bowl of tea, Li Jun smiled happily.     

“Eh? Someone’s here?” Teng Qingshan looked southwards.     

A group of people could be vaguely seen passing through the forest and approaching the Crescent Moon Lake.     

“It’s an old friend. Come, let’s relocate later.” Teng Qingshan hefted the Splitting Mountain Axe and headed towards the Crescent Moon Lake. He then sat beside a stone table and placed the Splitting Mountain Axe at his feet.     

“Mister Teng.” A loud and hearty voice rang out. It was the skinny and silver-haired elder, leading a group of experts. The skinny and silver-haired expert was the Sixth Elder of the Rising Sun Trading Company.     

“Sixth Elder.” Teng Qingshan smiled and gestured to the seat opposite him. “Sit.”     

Sixth Elder and Teng Qingshan sat opposite each other, while the group of subordinates stood far away, not daring to draw closer.     

“Come, have some tea.” Teng Qingshan poured some tea and asked, “I wonder why Sixth Elder is here this time?”     

When the Sixth Elder heard this, he smiled so brightly that he squinted. He then replied, “Mister Teng, since you are so straightforward, I will not speak vaguely. Last time, Mister Teng told us that you really wanted the thirty-six pieces of the inscriptions of the 《Thirty-six Splitting Mountain Forms》 correct?”     

“Right!” Teng Qingshan’s eyes involuntarily brightened.     

Although the Blunt Vanadium Stone Tablets showed the thirty-six moves, it was still necessary for Teng Qingshan to comprehend them himself. Although it was a lot more efficient than the secret record of the cultivation….it was still significantly inferior to the thirty-six inscriptions personally left by Emperor Yu.     

After all—     

The thirty-six inscriptions were personally carved by Emperor Yu. With the Thirty-Six inscriptions combined with the Splitting Mountain Axe, Teng Qingshan would be able to see Emperor Yu personally demonstrate and teach! It would result in a marked increase in efficiency compared to when Teng Qingshan was comprehending the Celestial Jade Annulus!     

“Why? You guys obtained the thirty-six pieces of inscriptions? Or maybe one of the thirty-six inscriptions?” Teng Qingshan asked hastily.     

“Oh. No, no.” The Sixth Elder promptly shook his head and answered, “We didn’t get it, but….if Mister really wants the Thirty-six inscriptions, it is not that hard!”     

“Oh?”     

Teng Qingshan’s eyes narrowed. He looked intently at the Sixth Elder and said, “Sixth Elder, do elaborate!”