Chapter 5

At dawn, the quiet Dayan Mountain was broken by a hunting team advancing deeper into the forest.

In the surrounding thorny underbrush, wild chickens and rabbits occasionally leaped out. Due to the recent patrol of the Wolf King, many wild animals were frantically running, increasing the number of animals in the outskirts.

Thanks to this, today's harvest was quite substantial.

"Stay alert!" Teng Qingshan whispered. This area was already within the dangerous deep mountains, surrounded by remnants and bloodstains. A few days ago, it was here that the Teng Family Village lost five brave men to the Wolf King's patrol.

...

By noon.

Deep in Dayan Mountain, the hunters from Teng Family Village gathered near a water source, roasting a wolf.

In the world of Nine Cauldrons, the spiritual energy was abundant, supporting extraordinary creatures like demonic beasts. Even regular beasts were much larger than their counterparts on Earth.

Take this wolf, for instance. On Earth, it would only be about seventy to eighty centimeters tall and weigh fifty to sixty pounds. But here, this wolf was over a meter tall and weighed more than a hundred pounds.

Teng Qingshan squinted, surveying the surroundings for potential dangers. Survival skills were essential for a top assassin, which he was in another life on a different Earth, with full proficiency in wilderness survival.

Despite everyone resting, Teng Qingshan remained vigilant. Experience could be deceiving, as evidenced by the sudden patrol of the Wolf King. If not for Teng Qingshan's intervention, the hunting team might have perished in the mountains.

"Qingshan, what are you thinking about?"

A sturdy-looking Teng Qinghu (Alex) approached, handing over a roasted wolf leg.

Teng Qingshan took the leg, which was half his height, and took a big bite. Chewing, he said, "I was thinking about where we could find big game. If we could find wild boars, that would be great.

Wild boars are large and provide good meat. A few could supply the village with meat for days. But the Wolf King's patrol has disrupted the ecosystem, making it hard to find such large prey."

Teng Qingshan's concerns were valid. The Wolf King's patrol, involving hundreds of wolves, had driven away even ordinary beasts and some demonic beasts. The mountain animals, with their keen survival instincts, had either perished or fled their usual habitats.

Hence, finding animal herds using old methods would be challenging.

"Sigh! I understand what you're saying, but what exactly is an ecosystem?"

Alex scratched his head and asked with a naive smile. Though Alex from Earth knew these concepts, Teng Qinghu, the rustic villager, did not.

Playing the role fully, Alex maintained his character as Teng Qinghu to avoid arousing Teng Qingshan's suspicion. After all, in another life, Teng Qingshan was a top assassin with keen observational skills.

"The ecosystem... well..."

Teng Qingshan paused before explaining with a smile. He realized his cousin wouldn't know such terms and wondered if he was overthinking things.

Alex then whispered, "Qingshan, I want to talk to you about something."

"Go ahead, cousin."

Alex looked around at the chatting villagers and lowered his voice, "I want to leave the hunting team and search for animals alone!"

"Are you crazy!"

Teng Qingshan's expression turned cold. "You know how dangerous Dayan Mountain is! We were thirty-two men, now look at us!"

"Listen to me, Qingshan. I'm not acting on impulse."

Alex said, grabbing Teng Qingshan's arm. Internal energy flowed from his hand, which Teng Qingshan easily dispelled.

"That's... internal energy!"

Teng Qingshan was astonished. He knew the difficulty of mastering internal energy through internal martial arts. It wasn't impossible but required at least an introduction to internal martial arts.

And achieving that was no easy feat. Even Teng Qingshan took over a month. But Teng Qinghu? He had been learning for less than ten days!

Teng Qinghu whispered, "When practicing Tiger Form Fist, I felt a special connection in my body. Coupled with your breathing techniques, I felt this energy inside me.

Moreover, in Dayan Mountain, I feel a sense of direction, as if something is guiding me to go alone for my martial practice. So, Qingshan, please let me go!"

"Is that so?"

Teng Qingshan pondered, "Cousin has extraordinary talent. He lifted a 300-pound stone lock at nine, which in ancient times would be a general like Li Yuanba. It's plausible he mastered internal martial arts so quickly.

As for his sense of direction, it might be what people call a 'premonition.' This could be his opportunity... But the mountain is dangerous. Letting him go alone feels unsafe."

"Cousin, come with me!"

After a moment's thought, Teng Qingshan took Teng Qinghu to a secluded spot. "I won't stop you, but you must first learn another footwork technique. And by dusk, you must meet us at Tiancang Slope."

"Qingshan, I will."

Teng Qinghu (Alex) agreed, knowing how advantageous his situation was. As the protagonist's close relative, completing side quests was relatively easy.

"Listen carefully..."

Teng Qingshan demonstrated a footwork technique, moving slowly and explaining the key points.

"Ding!"

A notification sounded,

"Acquired martial art 'Tianya Xing'. Learning it increases personal progress by 0.01%."

[Tianya Xing]

Type: Footwork

Quality: B-level (Four-star)

Note: Uncertified skill, usable only in this world, cannot be taken back to the Lord God's Space.

Certification required: 1000 points, one bronze medal

"Ding!"

Another notification, "System notification: Host used 10 fortune points, successfully comprehended the footwork 'Tianya Xing'."

Alex's mind filled with countless shadowy figures, and by closely observing their movements, he quickly mastered the Tianya Xing footwork, surprising Teng Qingshan.

Though amazed, Teng Qingshan didn't dwell on it. Unlike internal skills and methods, footwork, once learned, could be quickly utilized, which was why Teng Qingshan taught it on the spot.