The Nine Cauldrons 546 Wood, One of the Five Elements

Teng Yunlong, Teng Yongfan, Yuan Lan, Qingyu, and the others were waiting in the corridor with excitement. Teng Qingshan himself stared at the door without blinking at all.

Creak!

The door opened and steam emanated as a midwife walked out carrying a baby wrapped in cloth.

"Sect Leader, congratulations." The midwife was very cautious in front of Teng Qingshan. "It's a girl."

"A girl?" Teng Yongfan glowered. Yuan Lan, who was at the side, immediately glared at Teng Yongfan. It was normal for countrymen to value boys more than girls. After all, girls would eventually marry to an outsider. This was also the reason why Teng Jia Village only allowed boys to learn the Tiger Form Fist Art.

However, Teng Qingshan didn't care about this at all.

"Give it to me." Teng Qingshan hastily took the baby. At this moment, he was even more careful than when he was taking the Dreamy Cloud White Fruit and the Undying Grass.

"She has very black eyes." Teng Qingshan held his daughter and felt magical. The baby gradually stopped crying and tried to open her eyes to stare at Teng Qingshan. She seemed to be very interested in this "giant" before her. At this moment, she probably still didn't know the meaning of "father."

"This magical feeling."

As Teng Qingshan held his daughter, he couldn't help but feel that there was some sort of connection between him and this baby girl.

Yes, it was the feeling of being bound together by biological ties.

"This little baby girl is of my own flesh and blood." Teng Qingshan stared at the baby girl in his arms and thought, "In the future, she will pass down my genes to her child and her child will pass it down... The lifespan of a human has a limit. No one can live forever. However, the heavens has its ways to pass down my blood continuously, allowing it to exist forever. It's like how it will grow and multiply ceaselessly."

The biological ties between Teng Qingshan and his daughter made him realize the true meaning of growing and multiplying ceaselessly. One might know about certain principles, but he would never be able to truly understand unless he personally experienced it.

"Like this—"

Teng Qingshan held the baby girl with one hand and began performing his fist art with the other hand.

"Qingshan!" A loud roar sounded.

Teng Qingshan was shocked and immediately came back to his senses. He looked back and saw his father, Teng Yongfan, glaring at him. Teng Yongfan shouted, "How can you practice your fist art while holding a baby? If the baby fell…" While Teng Yongfan was still speaking, Yuan Lan immediately went over and took the baby from Teng Qingshan's arms.

"Wahhh~~" The roar had scared the baby, and she began crying.

"Ohhhh... Be a good baby. Don't cry." Yuan Lan immediately began trying to calm the baby.

As Teng Qingshan faced his parents and saw the expressions in his parents' eyes, he rubbed his head awkwardly. Actually, he had just accessed the threshold of the "Wood Elemental Dao", which he had been searching for a long time. He had uncontrollably immersed himself in the cultivation of fist art at that very moment. However, in comparison to his daughter's safety, the research and analyzation of the "Wood Elemental Dao" were not that important. He could always do it later on.

"Although I missed the chance to gain enlightenment, at least I know the feeling and I found the threshold!" Teng Qingshan had some idea of how the first move of the "Wood Element Fist" would be like…

Walla~~

The pittering-pattering heavy rain was gradually easing.

"Weird. When the child was about to be born, it was pouring rain. But it immediately became bright when she was born." Teng Yunlong stared at the sky and looked back at Teng Qingshan with a smile as he said, "Qingshan, looks like your daughter is extraordinary as well."

"Yes, of course." Teng Qingshan added secretly, "She is the reason why I am one step closer to understanding the Wood Elemental Dao."

At this very moment—

Creak! The door opened.

Li Jun, who looked slightly pale, actually walked out. Teng Qingshan hastily walked over as he called out, "Little Jun." Li Jun smiled and shook her head as she responded, "I am fine. I am just a little weak, but it's not gonna affect me a lot." No matter what, Li Jun was also an Innate Expert. She had drunk the Scarlet Fruit Wine.

"Little Jun." Yuan Lan smiled as she gave the baby girl to Li Jun.

"Come! Mom will hold you," Li Jun said as she took the baby. She was so happy that her eyes squinted up as she grinned.

"Qingshan, have you decided on a name?" Li Jun looked up at Teng Qingshan. They had thought about the child's name for a long time. Teng Qingshan looked at the baby girl and then looked up at the sky. At this very moment, the rain stopped. The storm came quickly and left quickly. It was indeed true.

"Since it was raining when she was born and her birth helped me gain an understanding of the wood elemental Dao. Then…this child will be named Lin. The character that has the character that means 'rain' on top and two characters that both mean 'wood' below. The rain watered the trees and caused the trees to grow unceasingly." Teng Qingshan immediately rejected the name he had thought about and gave the child this name instead—

"Teng Honglin!"

This was his daughter's name.

"Teng Honglin? Linlin?" Li Jun nodded her head with satisfaction and looked down at the baby girl in her arms. She smiled and said, "Linlin, this is the name your father gave you. Doesn't it sound good?"

Teng Qingshan, who was at the side, could no longer endure and immediately whispered into Li Jun's ear, "Little Jun, take good care of Linlin. I have to go into closed-door cultivation. I just had a moment of enlightenment. If I wait too long, I am afraid—"

Li Jun was stunned. Closed-door cultivation?

The father was going into closed-door cultivation when the baby had just been born?

"Hm, go then." Still, Li Jun understood… She was well aware that it would be best to try understanding Dao immediately after the moment of enlightenment. The longer Teng Qingshan waited, the more he would forget.

Even while he was talking, Teng Qingshan had already forgotten some of the feelings he had experienced when he had that moment of enlightenment.

Whoosh!

Immediately, Teng Qingshan left rapidly and headed towards the secret room next to the East Flower Garden that he had specially prepared for himself.

"Qingshan, where are you going?" Teng Yongfan shouted. He didn't hear what Teng Qingshan had said to Li Jun.

"He is going to do something important," Li Jun hastily said.

"The baby was just born. What's more important than this?" Teng Yongfan was slightly dissatisfied.

And so—

On the day Teng Qingshan's daughter, Teng Honglin, was born, Teng Qingshan went into closed-door cultivation.

The birth of Teng Qingshan's daughter was a very happy thing. For the next few days, many of Teng Qingshan's friends from Teng Jia Village and the Gui Yuan Sect rushed over with gifts. They were all here to meet Teng Qingshan's daughter. However, they were surprised when they learned that Teng Qingshan, the father, was absent.

"Qingshan is being ridiculous. The child was just born and he is already busy with his own things." Many elders of Teng Jia Village scolded.

...

On the seventh day of the child's life:

Li Jun was sitting by the pond. Beside her was a cradle with a baby girl inside. Li Jun shook the cradle softly as she looked at her daughter with a smile. The two maids at the side were laughing and chatting with Li Jun.

"Madame Teng."

Teng Shou and Yang Dong ran over.

"Hm?" Li Jun looked at the two confusedly as she asked, "Ah, Shou, why are you guys here?"

"Because..." Teng Shou answered. While Teng Shou was still talking, Yang Dong interrupted with a smile, "Madame Teng, has Teacher's closed-door cultivation ended?

"Not yet." Li Jun shook her head.

Yang Dong looked anxious as he whispered, "Madame Teng, when Teacher comes out, please let us know."

"Yes, I will tell your teacher." Li Jun nodded.

Yang Dong immediately pulled Teng Shou away and left.

"Madame, it seems to be about something important," the slightly taller maid said. Li Jun nodded and looked towards the secret room with an anxious expression.

"It has been a long time since he went into closed-door cultivation. Teng Qingshan still hasn't come out of the secret room. Is he going to stay there for several months, like how he did when he was in the forbidden zone in Bright Moon Island?" Li Jun thought to herself. Still, she could only endure. She could only continue taking care of the baby.

When the sky was getting darker, a figure could be seen walking over.

"Qingshan." Li Jun hastily stood up. Her eyes gleamed.

"I am sorry for my absence these days." Teng Qingshan smiled as he walked over. He first looked down at the baby girl in the cradle. When he saw the baby girl, he couldn't help but praise, "Little Jun, Linlin is much prettier than when she was just born. Look at her tiny face and her nose."

"Kids grow the quickest at this age. By the way, how was your closed-door cultivation?" Li Jun couldn't help but ask.

Teng Qingshan stooped down and picked up his daughter. Simultaneously, he answered, "The seven days of closed-door cultivation were not as effective as the moment of enlightenment. Even after pondering for seven days, I was still only able to create the first and second moves of the "Wood Elemental Fist". No matter what I did, I just couldn't create the third move. Such a pity. If only Father hadn't interrupted that moment of enlightenment…"

"If he hadn't, were you going to practice your fist art and throw Linlin into the air?" Li Jun glared at Teng Qingshan.

"Of course Linlin is more important."

Teng Qingshan frowned slightly and said, "However, of the five elemental Daos, my understanding of the wood elemental Dao is the weakest. Through the short moment of enlightenment and the years of contemplation, I finally created the first two moves. However, the first nine moves of the fist art are considered the easiest to create. It will gradually become much more difficult."

"Considering how fast my cultivation speed is now, I deduced that the process of understanding the Wood Elemental Dao will be ten times slower than the Fire Elemental Dao and the Earth Elemental Dao," Teng Qingshan said helplessly.

Even though Teng Qingshan had the experience of cultivating martial arts in his previous life and had analyzed the thirty-six forms of Splitting Mountain carved on the Celestial Jade Annulus, it was still impossible for him to understand the Daos of the five elements without making any effort.

"It will be ten times slower? Then when will you reach culmination?" Li Jun asked worriedly.

"I don't know." Teng Qingshan shook his head as he said, "For example, if Pei San had never instructed me to begin the cultivation by understanding the Dao of Life and Death, it would've taken me two or three more years to understand the Water Elemental Dao. As for the Wood Elemental Dao, it was already very difficult to step across the threshold. Therefore, I am afraid the creation of every move will be rather difficult."

"Unless I am able to gain a few more moments of enlightenment…." Teng Qingshan grinned. As he said this, he couldn't help but laugh at his own delusional thoughts.

The moment of enlightenment was not something that could be sought. It doesn't happen easily.

"This means that it will be very hard for you to improve in the near future?" Li Jun asked.

"Yes," Teng Qingshan responded with a nod. "I now control 80% of the Power of the Heavens and Earth. That's the total after the addition of my physical strength. If I want to improve, I must gain a higher understanding of the Wood Elemental Dao. However, according to my estimation… Without ten or twenty years, my understanding of the Wood Elemental Dao won't be able to reach culmination."

Li Jun couldn't help but nod.

"There is no shortcut for the understanding of Dao. I can only continue my cultivation firmly! One step at a time," Teng Qingshan said with a slight smile. "Now, my goal is to gain a complete understanding of the Wood Elemental Dao. If I am able to do that, I will have successfully understood all five elemental Daos. Only then will I be powerful enough to begin my attempt to step into the Insight Emptiness Realm." 

The journey ahead will gradually become more and more difficult.

And now, Teng Qingshan stumbled upon the hardest of the Five Elemental Daos.

Chapter end