The Nine Cauldrons

In the morning on the 6th of December, the ground of the courtyard was covered in a thick layer of frost.

Teng Qingshan and his family were eating breakfast in the central room. Because Teng Qingshan ate very slowly, he was the only one who was still eating.

“Creak!” Honglin opened the door to the central room, immediately letting in a gust of chilly air.

“Father, can you eat quicker? We have to go to the Thousand Island Lake in Yuzhou today to watch the fight between Pei San of the Heavenly God Palace and Huang Tianqin of the Emperor Yu’s Hall. “Honglin urged impatiently. “I have heard so many disciples of the Xing Yi Sect talk about Huang Tianqin, but I have never met him before. I just want to see him with my own eyes… Father, just finish your food quickly.” Honglin complained grumpily.

Still, Teng Qingshan ignored her and continued slurping his congee in a carefree manner.

“Qingshan, the kids are done eating.” Li Jun stood up and said, “The first of the three duels between the strongest is happening today. And now, countless warriors and ordinary people have traveled ahead of time just to reach the Thousand Island Lake on time.”

Teng Qingshan looked up and grinned before he said, “Little Jun, Hongwu, Linlin, and Xiaoru, you all can ride the Undying Phoenix. I am not going today.”

“Not going?” Li Jun was surprised.

“Father, it’s our chance to watch Pei San fight.” Honglin hastily said, “You have to fight him in the future.”

“I know how strong Huang Tianqin is… He is not strong enough to make Pei San use his strongest technique.” Teng Qingshan said with a smile. Back then, Teng Qingshan had watched the fight between Pei San and the monk of the Mani Temple very carefully and had made a few conjectures regarding the way Pei San cultivated. The conjectures were just slightly unbelievable.

As for Huang Tianqin? Huang Tianqin was not powerful enough to make Pei San use his most powerful technique. Thus, there was no point in watching the fight.

“You all can watch the duel and tell me how it went.” Teng Qingshan said.

Unable to change Teng Qingshan’s mind, Li Jun, Honglin, Hongwu, and Lei Xiaoru began making their way out of the room. Even while they were leaving, Honglin was still complaining, “Hmph, he’s missing out on a chance to watch a fight between two Insightful Emptiness Realm Experts.” Soon, the Undying Phoenix carried the four people and left the Great Yan Mountain, flying towards the region of Yuzhou.

“Huang Tianqin…” Teng Qingshan walked out of the room and looked up at the sky. “Considering Huang Tianqin’s ability, he might die if he really tried to fight Pei San… Therefore, Huang Tianqin definitely won’t fight with all his strength.”

“However, the next duel—the fight between Pei San and Qin Shiqi…”

“After the duel between Pei San and Qin Shiqi, it will be my turn to fight Pei San. No matter what, I will have to make the very best of what time I have left… I still have five more years. Five more years!” Teng Qingshan’s eyes brightened. It felt as though two beams of swordlight had shone through his eyes.

At this moment, Liu Xia and Huang Tianqin of the Emperor Yu’s Hall were on the back of the Wind Splitting Dragon Falcon, flying towards the Thousand Island Lake.

Whew~~

The fierce wind that blew felt as sharp as knives.

Huang Tianqin sat on the back of the Splitting Wind Dragon Falcon, appearing very calm. On the other hand, Liu Xia was very worried as he said nervously, “Martial Uncle, you have to be careful. Pei San is too strong.”

“I know he is strong.”

“Don’t worry.” Huang Tianqin continued saying with a calm smile, “Unless it is a life-or-death situation or unless I am as strong as the opponent, I won’t go all out. Pei San is not as fast as me, so I won’t be in a life-or-death situation. I already know I can’t win. I would be a fool to put my life at risk. Because of how fast the Insightful Emptiness Realm Experts are, ordinary people will not be able to see the fight clearly. I can try to lose prettily.”

Hearing this, Liu Xia heaved a sigh of relief.

The Emperor Yu’s Hall has only one Insightful Emptiness Expert. If Huang Tianqin acted impulsively because millions of people were watching and fought desperately despite knowing that he was no match against Pei San, things would end very badly.

…

Currently, numerous people of the Land of the Nine Prefectures were gathering by the Thousand Island Lake in the distant Yuzhou.

While Teng Qingshan was alone on the Great Yan Mountain in Yangzhou, it started drizzling.

The cold rain playfully sprinkled the earth.

Teng Qingshan sat in the pavilion. A jug of wine was placed on the table in front of him. With a cup of wine in his hands, he stared at the rain silently. Occasionally, he would take a sip of the wine.

“Life and Death!”

“Birth, growth, aging, and death…”

Teng Qingshan kept reflecting on the moves of the fist techniques he had been practicing. Images of the moves of fist techniques would form in his mind and he would then remove the images. He would go through this whole process again and again. Teng Qingshan’s method of understanding Dao was very different from other cultivators. Typically, he would start with the cultivation of fist art. He would attempt to present his own Dao with the moves of his fist techniques.

Suddenly—

His eyes brightened and he gulped down the cup of wine. He then leaped out like a leopard. That jump took him fifty meters away and he landed on a spacious training field far away. Even though it was drizzling, Teng Qingshan still started performing the moves he had just created.

It continued raining.

Teng Qingshan continued practicing his fist techniques in the rain. The raindrops could not touch his body. The moves gradually changed, transitioning to the moves of the Three Postures. However, the performance of the Three Postures looked slightly different this time. The mood of the Three Postures appeared to have changed.

Time went by very quickly as Teng Qingshan practiced the fist art.

Soon, the rain stopped.

The sun came out. Teng Qingshan continued cultivating until it was almost noon. A beam of red light approached from the northwestern direction and quickly landed on the training field near the East Flower Garden. It was the Undying Phoenix. Li Jun, Honglin, and the others have returned from the Thousand Island Lake, and their faces flushed with excitement.

“Don’t rush.” Li Jun hastily whispered, “Your father is cultivating. Let us just watch quietly at the side.”

“Yes.” Hongwu, Honglin, and Lei Xiaoru nodded obediently.

They all had so many things they wanted to tell Teng Qingshan, but they waited patiently and watched Teng Qingshan practice his martial arts. Teng Qingshan himself acted as though there was no one around. Although he did sense the return of the Undying Phoenix, he did not stop cultivating. He remained immersed in the cultivation of the Three Postures.

As Hongwu and Honglin watched Teng Qingshan practice, they were gradually mesmerized by what they were seeing.

“The moves of the Third Postures are so simple. But when our father is practicing the Three Postures, the world feels different. Why?” Hongwu’s eyes brightened.

“If you could have 10% or 20% of our father’s power, you would have already reached the Grandmaster Realm.” Honglin teased.

Hongwu just responded with a grin, choosing not to quarrel with his sister.

After an hour, Teng Qingshan finally stopped.

“Hm.” A smile crept up Teng Qingshan’s face.

“Father, how did it go?” Hongwu was the first to ask.

Teng Qingshan cast a glance at his son and answered, “I understood a little bit more.” The experience of gaining enlightenment only occurred by fate. One must absorb more and more knowledge and eventually gain enough understanding to achieve a breakthrough. Ever since Teng Qingshan received the challenge, he has been making tiny breakthroughs in his cultivation.

And now, Teng Qingshan could sense a tiny bit of the Power of Life growing very slowly within his Niwan Palace.

When Teng Qingshan first generated the Power of Destruction, he had to learn to understand this power. Similarly, Teng Qingshan had to understand the Power of Life. Currently, he has yet to comprehend the tiny bit of the Power of Life within his Niwan Palace. If he gained actual enlightenment, he would then have an endless amount of the Power of Life.

However—

The experience of gaining enlightenment only occurred by chance. Thus, Teng Qingshan was already happy that he had been making progress.

“Father, you missed out on the duel on the Thousand Island Lake.” Honglin shook her head as she spoke. Her eyes brightened as she continued saying, “Today, the areas around the Thousand Island Lake were bustling with noise and excitement. There were so many boats near the shore and many people were watching the fight from the boats. Because of the Undying Phoenix, we were able to land on a tiny island near the center of the lake. The duel was amazing.”

“Amazing?” Teng Qingshan frowned.

Pei San was much more powerful than Huang Tianqin. This fight should have ended instantly. To ordinary people, this fight should have ended instantly. The audience should be cursing. How could the fight be amazing?

“It was amazing.” Hongwu nodded and said, “Father, the two beams of light tangled together in mid-air. Terrifying waves of energy split the water apart, revealing the bottom of the Thousand Island Lake. It was truly impressive.”

“The two beams of light tangled together?”

Teng Qingshan was astonished. Did Huang Tianqin attain the Culmination of the Insightful Emptiness Realm within one to two years?

“The fight was intense. Pei San even used his concealed weapons.” Li Jun shook her head and said in amazement, “In the end, Huang Tianqin died. He was beaten to death. He could only curse furiously once before his Niwan Palace was penetrated and he died on the spot.”

“What? He died?” Teng Qingshan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

It was completely different from what Teng Qingshan had predicted would happen.

If Huang Tianqin had demonstrated equal strength and fighting capacity as Pei San and was killed during the duel, this showed that Huang Tianqin had improved at an incredible speed.

If Huang Tianqin was much weaker than Pei San, why would he risk his life? Surviving in this duel should be easy. Then, how did he end up dying?

“No, something does not make sense.” Teng Qingshan shook his head and said, “Huang Tianqin should not have died.”

“Qingshan, do you regret not going?” Li Jun smiled and said, “It’s a pity you did not watch the duel, but it is too late to regret right now.”

While Li Jun was speaking, Honglin, who was at the side, even teased Teng Qingshan by making a funny face.

“Something is not right.”

Teng Qingshan shook his head and said, “Little Jun, you…” Suddenly, he stopped speaking and smiled helplessly. He wanted to ask his wife and kids a few questions, but unfortunately, his wife and children could not see what really happened during the fight. After all, his wife was only an Innate Expert, while his children have yet to reach the Innate Realm. They could only see two beams of lights tangling together.

But then, Teng Qingshan turned and saw the Undying Phoenix at the side. Immediately, his eyes brightened.

“Little Jun.” Teng Qingshan hastily called out.

“What?” Li Jun froze.

“Both you and the kids cannot see what really happened during the fight between Huang Tianqin and Pei San. However, Little Blue must have seen it all. Li Jun, help me ask her what actually happened during the fight?” Teng Qingshan hastily asked. He was really curious.

Li Jun blinked twice, appearing to be slightly speechless.

“Father, do you not believe what we said?” Honglin said helplessly, “Millions of people saw it. That is how Huang Tianqin was killed. The other Emptiness Realm Expert of the Emperor Yu’s Hall even cried out furiously before he flew away with Huang Tianqin’s body away.”

“Just ask Little Blue.” Teng Qingshan instructed.

“Alright then.”

Immediately, Li Jun made several bird sounds at the Undying Phoenix, and the Undying Phoenix responded very quickly. As Li Jun continued asking and listening, her expression turned strange.

She waited until the Undying Phoenix stopped talking.

Teng Qingshan quickly asked, “How did it go? What happened?”

Li Jun smiled helplessly at Teng Qingshan and answered, “Huang Tianqin suffered an unjust death!”