The Nine Cauldrons

Translator: Iamgt  Editor: Lucas

Chapter 24: What A Strange World!

“The third round! Teng Yongxiang and Li Jinfu, please enter the ring,” said the old man with a walking cane.

Teng Qingshan was carefully watching Li Jinfu.

“You can see that Li Jinfu’s eyes are full of murderous intent, just like a beast,” Teng Qingshan was worried for his uncle.

“Yongxiang, be careful, don’t go too far while fighting him,” Teng Yongfan spoke in a low voice, “His arm strength is equal to mine,” Teng Yongfan’s arm strength was number one in Teng Jia Village. If even Teng Yongfan said that Jinfu’s strength was at his level, then one could imagine the strength of the opponent.

“Got it,” Teng Yongxiang nodded.

The thousands of people in the audience were staying silent, not daring to make a sound.

Li Jinfu glared at Teng Yongxiang with a hard glint in his eyes as he walked into the ring with big steps, saying in a low voice, “You, hurry up!”

Teng Yongxiang narrowed his eyes and also entered the ring. He was completely focused on his enemy, so much so that his forehead was even covered in beads of sweat.

“You two, begin!” Shouted the old man. Immediately, Li Jinfu began moving.

“Howl!”

Li Jinfu roared like a beast, suddenly dropping to his hands and knees on the ground, and just like a tiger, he leapt towards Teng Yongxiang. The hide clothing that Li Jinfu wore made him look even more like a wild beast.

“So fast!” Teng Yongxiang quickly retreated, ”I planned to rely on my speed to fight with him, but he turned out to be even faster than me.”

“Hua! Hua!” As he jumped, Li Jinfu slashed his claw-like hands at Teng Yongxiang’s body.

After landing a strike, Li Jinfu forcefully opened his eyes, showing the murderous aura in them.

Li Jinfu thrust his hands onto the ground and leapt again, his hands curling into fists, and becoming like hammers, as they smashed towards Teng Yongxiang in rapid succession.

Teng Yongxiang, with no time to evade his enemy’s attack, decided to take the strikes head on.

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

“Bang!”…

Li Jinfu’s three powerful strikes hit Teng Yongxiang, sending him flying away. Teng Yongxiang landed outside of the ring, blood spewing from his mouth.

“Yongxiang!” Holding Teng Qingshan, Teng Yongfan ran towards him.

“Uncle!” Teng Qingshan was also staring in concern.

“You didn’t kill my uncle, so I will also spare his life. I only used half of my strength when I punched him so that he would not die,” Li Jinfu’s voice was harsh as he stared at Teng Yongfan and said, “You are good… Only you are capable of matching me in Teng Jia village.”

Teng Yongfan looked up.

Li Jinfu was about eight feet tall, just like a monster. Staring at Teng Yongfan, he said, ”What a shame, you’ll have no future if you stay in Teng Jia Village forever.” He then turned back to pick up the large mace that gave people shivers, placed it on his shoulder, and left.

The people of Li Jia Village immediately moved aside and made way for him.

“Li Jia village wins the Third Round. The competition is finished, Teng Jia village and Li Jia village each won a victory, so according to the rule, Teng Jia village and Li Jia village can each use the water for six hours each day.” The old man announced the result.

Both villages could use the water for half the time and thus, they both accepted the result peacefully.

“Li Huojun, looks like your grandson is about to leave your village,” Teng Yunlong said.

“Hahahaha.” Li Huo Jun laughed loudly, as if afraid that the others couldn’t hear him, ”My grandson Li Jinfu entered the Great Yan Mountain alone when he was only thirteen years old, and spent five years practicing his skills in the wild just to finally develop his ‘Vicious Tiger Fists’. He just completed his training and has decided to take the entrance test for the ‘Gui Yuan Sect’.”

The other bystanders were suddenly in an uproar..

“The Gui Yuan Sect?” Teng Qingshan quivered when he heard those three words.

“Sect?” Teng Qingshan had never before heard of a sect like this in Chinese history.

“Looks like your grandson will have a bright future,” Teng Yunlong said with a smile.

The crowd dissolved when the competition ended, but they were still talking to each other. Most of them were discussing about Li Jinfu.

On the way home.

“Dad, what is the Gui Yuan Sect?” Teng Qingshan asks in confusion.

“A very big and powerful sect. My future goal is to join the Gui Yuan Sect,” Teng Qinghu responded.

Teng Yongfan smiled and said, “Qinghu, you have good ambition! Qingshan, the Gui Yuan Sect is a sect that develops their disciples in such a way, that it improves their inner strength, which is much different from the strength of the body. It is very powerful, and some masters can smash giant rocks just using their palms, even when their hands look delicate.”

Teng Qingshan nodded in his heart!

He understood the wonders of inner strength.

“Dad, why don’t you join Gui Yuan Sect?” Teng Qingshan asked, “What’s more, aren’t there other sects? Why are people so eager to join Gui Yuan Sect?”

Teng Qingshan was very smart. Even though he was just four years old, his words and thoughts were logical and sensible.

Teng Yongfan was also proud of his son.

Teng Yongfan sighed with emotion and spoke detailedly, “Qingshan, the world has a total of nine prefectures. Yangzhou is the most prosperous prefecture, and in Yangzhou, the top sect is “Qing Hu Island”, while “Gui Yuan Sect” and “Tie Yi Hall” are both tied for second. These two sects are almost equal in strength.”

Teng Qingshan nodded and asked, ”But why don’t they join ‘Qing Hu Island’? Isn’t Qing Hu Island the first ranked sect?”

“There are thirteen counties in Yangzhou. Nine of those counties are controlled by ‘Qing Hu Island’. Qing Hu Island is the only sect in those nine counties, and all of the officials in these nine counties are appointed by ‘Qing Hu Island.’ To be exact, all the officials are the fringe members of ‘Qing Hu Island.’”

As Teng Qingshan heard, he was confused.

What kind of world was this?

What kind of era was this?

A single sect can completely control nine counties? Even government troops were nominated by the sect, and government officials were the fringe members in the sect?

“Out of the thirteen counties in Yangzhou, the most powerful sect ‘Qing Hu Island’ completely controls nine of these counties, while the Gui Yuan Sect controls our Jiangning County! All of the officials in the nine big cities of Jiangning County are the fringe members of the Gui Yuan Sect. So within Jiangning County, Gui Yuan Sect is god! None of the other sects dare to set foot in Jiangning County.”

Teng Qingshan was still shocked.

Teng Qingshan was extremely sure that in all the history of China, such things had never happened before.

This world certainly wasn’t a part of any of the dynasties of China.

“Qingshan,” Teng Qinghu excitedly said, ”Tell me. The ‘White Horse Gang’ are powerful, aren’t they? They’re a gang with eight thousand core members. However, every year, the ‘White Horse Gang’ still needs to pay tribute to the City Lord of Yi city! If the City Lord is unhappy, then he could lead a batch of warriors to kill them. Humph! Although the gang has eight thousand members, only one or two hundred warriors dispatched are enough to annihilate the ‘White Horse Gang!’”

Teng Qingshan completely understood now.

In Jiangning County, the Gui Yuan Sect was sovereign!

All of the officials were disciples of the Gui Yuan Sect! Even the ‘White Horse Gang’ and other gangs needed to be cautious as to not anger the Gui Yuan Sect.

“Is it difficult to join the Gui Yuan Sect?’ Teng Qingshan asked.

“Yes, it is very difficult,” Teng Yongfan sighed emotionally, ”There are only two ways to join Gui Yuan Sect: First, you must be less than ten years old. If you pay five hundred silver taels, you will get the chance to learn the secret techniques. However, if you cannot produce inner strength after one year of training, you will be kicked out of the sect immediately.”

Teng Qingshan understood in his head that even if someone had the secret technique, not everyone could absorb the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth to train and produce inner strength.

Only one in a million could successfully practice Internal Martial Arts.

While refining inner strength by absorbing the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth was simple, probably only one among a dozen of people could fulfill the requirement.

“Most people feel reluctant to pay five hundred silver taels in exchange for that one chance,” Teng Yongfan remarked emotionally.

“Isn’t there another way?” Teng Qingshan asked.

“In a sect, they also have an army to conquer and kill. For example, Gui Yuan Sect has the ‘Black Armored Army’. The second way to join the Gui Yuan Sect is to think of a way to join the ‘Black Armored Army’!” Teng Yongfan said, “The test to join the army is very simple. If you can lift a giant stone weighing five hundred Jin, then you will be counted as a Third Rated Warrior. If you can lift a giant stone weighing about two-thousand Jin, then you will be a Second Rated Warrior, but if you can lift a stone weighing about ten-thousand Jin then you will be a First Rated Warrior.

Teng Qingshan was shocked.

First Rated Warrior? A stone weighing ten-thousand Jin? Even attaining the Grandmaster Realm after practicing the «Godly Tiger Form Technique» Teng Qingshan, who was at the peak of his time, could only lift a stone weighing ten-thousand Jin with his best efforts.

This world was full of the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, so there were many people with good physical qualities, as well as many people with terrifying strength…

“An ordinary adult can lift a stone of about three hundred Jin, but it gets harder and harder, as only one in ten people can lift a stone of about four hundred Jin, and only about one in a hundred people have the strength to lift a stone weighing more than five hundred Jin.” Teng Yongfan sighed with emotion, “I started practicing from a very young age, and I can only lift stones weighing one-thousand and two hundred Jin now. I am the strongest in Teng Jia village, but……I am only considered a Third Rated Warrior among the warriors of the Black Armored Army.”

As stated before, if you could lift a giant stone weighing between five hundred Jin to two-thousand Jin, you would be counted as a Third Rated Warrior. If you could lift a giant stone about two-thousand Jin to ten-thousand Jin, you would considered a Second Rated Warrior. If you could lift a stone that weighs above ten-thousand Jin, you were a First Rated Warrior.

“Third Rated Warriors are just minions in the Black Armored Army, and are the cannon fodder in battle. If I join them, I might be able to obtain the most simple inner strength training method. However, I am thirty years old now, and have no future in practicing the inner strength training method,” Teng Yongfan said.

Even a person like Teng Qingshan’s father was cannon fodder in the Black Armored Army.

“Although the ‘White Horse Gang’ seemed very powerful to us, in the eyes of the Black Armored Army, this gang could be annihilated just by simply dispatching a team of one hundred people dressed in black armor, making them invincible against arrows, swords, and spears. With just a few charges and attacks like rolling stones, the Black Armored Army can smash the White Horse Gang into pieces,” Teng Yongfan spoke with no concern.

In all the ancient history of China, was there ever an army this frightening?

No!

The ones who could lift stones weighing a thousand Jin were only minions, while those who could lift stones weighing two-thousand Jin to ten-thousand Jin were elites!

If this kind of army were to wear thick armor, they would be an unstoppable flood of iron and metal!.

“With an army of eight thousand people like this, a common army with about one million ordinary people would still be defeated with ease,” Teng Qingshan started to understand why the sects could exist as the highest authority in this world.

“Dad! How many people are in the Black Armored Army of Gui Yuan Sect right now?” Teng Qingshan inquired.