The Nine Cauldrons

On the training field in the outer court, nine hundred children were practicing monkey fists, and everyone of them was jumping up and down.

Then suddenly—

“Roar~~” An exceedingly loud roar rang out from within the inner court, frightening the children. The sound even shocked Teng Shou, the teacher. As they all turned back to look, they saw golden rays emanating from the inner court as well as pieces of crushed rocks flying out.

“Watch out.”

Teng Shou dashed hastily before a kid and crushed a flying rock with just a punch. The over 900 children were still in daze with no idea of what was happening.

“Pew!” A rock hit a kid in the stomach. Immediately, the child screamed in pain, and a wisp of blood flowed out from the corner of his mouth.

“Get down!” Teng Shou shouted.

During this past half a month, the group of children had gotten accustomed to obeying Teng Shou’s orders. So, without any hesitation, all of them lay flat on the ground.

“Whiz! Whiz! Whiz!”

The rocks and pieces of crushed stone flew out from the inner court and rocketed past the kids who lay prostrated on the ground. The children had no audacity to stand up. They covered their heads and stared cautiously at the stones which were flying out of the inner court.

After a while...

It became quiet, and there was no sight of the stones.

“Eh? What happened earlier?”

“There was a golden glow in the inner court.”

“There are no more stones flying out.”

The group of children remarked as they looked up cautiously.

However, at this very moment, Teng Shou chided, “Stop your cultivation. Return to your residences.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

The children replied in synchronization with very clear voices. With this, all the kids ran towards their residences with excitement, chattering as they ran.

“Are you alright?” Teng Shou dashed before a child. This child was the only one who had unluckily been wounded by a stone.

“I’m fine,” the kid said, biting his lip as his face paled.

“Someone! Someone, come here quickly! Send this kid to the doctor!” Teng Shou hastily called for the guards and servants who awaited at the side. Immediately, two guards came and carried the kid to the doctor’s residence.

As for Teng Shou, he hurriedly turned and ran toward the inner court. He thought confusedly, “What happened earlier? That roar sounded like the Six Legged Bladelike Chi.”

The inner court was a mess, and the training field in the inner court had become a set of ruins. Even the houses nearby had been affected. Teng Shou ran into the inner court and stood beside Teng Qingshan. He hastily asked in shock, “Teacher, what just... happened? What is this golden egg...?”

On the training field, there was a huge golden egg! It was an oval-shaped and approximately several-Zhang-long and several-zhang-tall.

“This is the Six Legged Bladelike Chi,” said Teng Qingshan.

“The Six Legged Bladelike Chi? How did it become an egg? Perhaps...?” Teng Shou figured it out.

“Yes, I think so.”

Teng Qingshan fixed his eyes on the oval-shaped golden egg. He had seen the early scene very clearly. An endless number of golden rays had assembled and converged, enveloping the Six Legged Bladelike Chi into an oval-shaped egg. If one looked at the egg carefully, you would notice the trenchant metallic aura prancing around the gigantic golden egg.

“The Six Legged Bladelike Chi is about to break into the Emptiness Realm?” Teng Shou said with a gleeful expression.

“We will soon know,” Teng Qingshan said calmly. However, the expression in his eyes showed that he was very excited at this moment.

During his return to the Land of the Nine Prefectures, he still felt very constrained, despite having assisted the Gui Yuan Sect.

This was because he wasn’t strong enough. However, if he had the help of a demonic beast, things would have been different. However, the Undying Phoenix, Little Blue, was learning the most supreme techniques of an Undying Phoenix from her mother. According to Little Blue’s mother, the cultivation of the techniques would take a minimum of half a year and a maximum of one year.

However, this was just an estimate. In reality, more than half a year had passed by, but nothing had happened on the Heavenly Cloud Mountain.

However...

The Undying Phoenix, Little Blue, whom he had been anticipating had yet to arrive. However, who would have expected that the Six Legged Bladelike Chi would actually achieve a breakthrough! This was an unexpected joy! The Six Legged Bladelike Chi was a creature that dwelled underground. Although its flying speed was slightly slower than that of the Blue Luan before the breakthrough, it could drill the ground with a much faster speed.

The Six Legged Bladelike Chi was originally skilled at drilling the earth. Before breaking through to the Emptiness Realm, the Blue Luan had not been able to drill into the earth as well as the Six Legged Bladelike Chi could.

“When a demonic beast breaks into the Emptiness Realm, their appearance changes drastically. The Blue Luan became the Undying Phoenix, while the huge dragon turtle became a small golden dragon-turtle. I wonder what the Six Legged Bladelike Chi will become.” Teng Qingshan stared at the huge golden egg, which was encircled by a metallic aura, with great expectations.

This feeling of expectation continued for a very long time...

Then Teng Qingshan felt that the color of the huge golden egg gradually dimmed, and the aura surrounding it thinned.

Suddenly, the huge golden egg shrank speedily like the contraction of a heart!

“Chi!” After it shrank to a certain degree, the sound of an explosion rang out.

“Boom!” The remaining metallic aura encircling the golden egg exploded and dispersed, transforming into a great amount of Metallic Power from the Heavens and the Earth which then returned to the heavens and the earth. The training field in the inner court restored its silence, however, a peculiar-looking monster then appeared in the training field.

Yes, it was a monster!

This was a monster with a figure like that of a human body. It stood straight up, reaching a height of two Zhang (five meters). Its lower limbs stood straight like legs. However, its two lower limbs were much stronger and longer than its upper limbs. The bones of its lower limbs were extremely trenchant; they were like knives!

Besides the lower limbs, the monster had a pair of upper limbs and and pair of middle limbs! The upper limbs were slightly thicker than the middle limbs. These four limbs were like four peculiar-looking knives! The edges of the lower limbs and the four upper limbs were all covered with spikes, with each spike being one Chi (25cm) long. The spikes covered the edge of the limbs in an orderly manner. There were over a hundred spikes, appearing on the edges of the limbs like sleeves.

One could still recognize the Six Legged Bladelike Chi through the spikes on its limbs.

However...

The scale armor which covered the Six Legged Bladelike Chi’s entire body had turned black with golden spots, and the two pairs of folded wings which were kept behind its back now looked like a cloak. Additionally, the eyes on the triangular head had turned blood-red. If one were to stared into its eyes, he would feel as though he was losing himself in the red bloody seawaves.

“Teacher, is this the Six Legged Bladelike Chi?” Teng Shou asked, gulping.

Teng Qingshan stared at the metallic monster and couldn’t help but feel shocked. The Six Legged Bladelike Chi’s entire body was covered with a layer of scale armor, including its six appendages... Teng Qingshan felt that this purely black scale armor with golden spots could be the most terrifying scale armor he had ever seen. The aura that the scale armor contained was as daunting as the sleeping demonic dragon, Violet Rain, which Teng Qingshan had encountered back in the Jade Frost Lake.

“The defense of this scale armor is as great as the scale armor of the demonic dragon, Violet Rain. In comparison to the Demonic Dragon Violet Rain’s huge body, the Six Legged Bladelike Chi was so small previously. So, the essence of its power was condensed. Moreover, the Six Legged Bladelike Chi’s physical defense was always very strong. The defense of its body was so strong that even the flames of the Blue Luan only managed to scorch its skin black. Now, the Six Legged Bladelike Chi has achieved the Emptiness Realm. It has also become smaller. One can only imagine just how powerful the defense of this scale armor will be.”

Teng Qingshan could even imagine that if one were able to peel the scale armor of the Six Legged Bladelike Chi and use it to make a suit of armor, that suit of armor would absolutely be able to provide an exceedingly strong defense to the wearer. However, the Six Legged Bladelike Chi was his friend, therefore, Teng Qingshan wouldn’t do something like that.

“The aura of the Six Legged Bladelike Chi is so powerful and trenchant.” Teng Qingshan could sense the powerful aura which was formed with the integration of the metallic aura.

The Demonic Dragon Violet Rain and the Blind Swordmaster had both achieved culmination of the Emptiness Realm. However, the Demonic Dragon Violet Rain was much stronger than the Blind Swordmaster.

The same principle worked with the Six Legged Bladelike Chi. The Six Legged Bladelike Chi had lived for several thousand years. So, now that it had achieved the Emptiness Realm, its aura had become extremely powerful!

“Roar~~” The Six Legged Bladelike Chi emitted a deep roar toward Teng Qingshan, its blood-red eyes revealing excitement and a desire for battle.

Sensing the Bladelike Chi’s desire for a combat, Teng Qingshan couldn’t help but laugh, “Haha, why? You have just achieved a breakthrough, and now you already wish to compete with me? Come!” Immediately, Teng Qingshan raised his long spear and looked at the Six Legged Bladelike Chi with a smile.

The Six Legged Bladelike Chi responded with an excited and deep roar. Its pair of wings vibrated, and it then instantly appeared right beside Teng Qingshan.

“Whiz! Whiz!”

Its four bladelike limbs flickered coldly as they slashed toward Teng Qingshan.

“How fast.” Teng Qingshan was caught unprepared. He hastily blocked with his spear, but he was immediately thrown into the air by the forceful strikes of the Six Legged Bladelike Chi.

......

After achieving the Emptiness Realm, the Six Legged Bladelike Chi fought with Teng Qingshan. The result was that Teng Qingshan had no choice but to concede defeat.

Teng Qingshan had used the Reincarnation Spear instead of the Splitting Mountain Axe. Even so, the Six Legged Bladelike Chi was too powerful. According to Teng Qingshan’s words, the Six Legged Bladelike Chi was the most terrifying blademaster! Other experts used two hands, but the Six Legged Bladelike Chi used four limbs! This was because it would occasionally attack with its two lower limbs as well. Moreover, the defense of its scale armor was unbelievably powerful... With its two pairs of wings, it had managed to dodge and weave within a small area, which had made it appeared even more terrifying. How could one win against an opponent this powerful?”

Jealous!

How could one not be jealous! The Bladelike Chi had just achieved Emptiness Realm and become this excessively strong.

Demonic Beasts, especially talented Demonic Beasts, such as the Blue Luan, which was considered the best amongst demonic beasts, and the Six Legged Bladelike Chi, which was considered almost on par with the Blue Luan, were incredibly powerful after achieving the Emptiness Realm. Moreover, the Blue Luan had achieved a breakthrough in the Fire Elemental Dao, while the Six Legged Bladelike Chi had a breakthrough in the Metal Elemental Dao. Both of them had achieved breakthroughs in Daos which were in accordance with their talents.

With the Bladelike Chi’s support, Teng Qingshan was very confident. Additionally, Zhuge Yuanhong had also moved to Yi City just in case the Blind Swordmaster would suddenly attack.

Half a month after the Bladelike Chi made a breakthrough...

In the inner court:

Teng Qingshan and Zhuge Yuanhong were seated opposite each other.

“Hm. Now, only 42 of the over 900 children have managed to generate inner strength,” Teng Qingshan answered.

“What? So few?” Zhuge Yuanhong asked doubtfully.

“This number is not small,” Teng Qingshan replied with a smile. After all, it was much harder to cultivate inner strength with the use of the Three Postures and the Monkey Fist. “One more month. Let’s wait another month, Teacher. When the time comes, send home all the kids who are unable to generate inner strength.”

Then at this moment—

Someone dashed in. It was Teng Shou. After all, no one else was allowed in the inner court.

“Teacher, Sovereign Zhuge, this is a secret letter from Gui Yuan Sect.” Teng Shou hastily handed the letter over respectfully.

“Secret letter?” When Zhuge Yuanhong opened the letter, his facial expression changed drastically.

“What happened?” Teng Qingshan asked puzzledly

“Read it.” Zhuge Yuanhong passed the secret letter over to Teng Qingshan.