Crisis Emerges

Seeing how excited Hong was, Teng Qingshan understood.

After Hong had calmed down.

Teng Qingshan said, "The first time you cultivate, the improvement is the greatest. But there's still some Genetic Origin Energy inside you that you haven't absorbed. It's lying dormant throughout your body. Now I'll teach you another secret technique of the Xingyi Sect: the Tiger Form Divine Technique!"

"Once you've learned the Tiger Form Divine Technique, you'll be able to absorb all the Genetic Origin Energy lying dormant in your body. It'll also keep raising the upper limit of how much energy your cells can devour."

"Thank you, Master!"

Hong thanked him sincerely. Being taught such a precious secret technique only deepened Hong's respect for Teng Qingshan.

Next.

Teng Qingshan personally guided Hong as he practiced and mastered the Tiger Form Divine Technique.

Hong had already broken through to the Grandmaster realm by practicing the Tiger Form Fist.

That gave him twice the results with half the effort when cultivating the Tiger Form Divine Technique. An hour later.

Hong had basically grasped the essentials of the Tiger Form Divine Technique.

All that remained was to practice it over and over until it became instinct.

Seeing how remarkably gifted his disciple was, Teng Qingshan felt gratified.

Since he'd decided to pass down the Xingyi Sect in this world too, he naturally needed talented disciples who could bring honor to the sect.

Hong had the talent and temperament to take on that responsibility.

Once he'd confirmed that Hong had basically mastered it.

Teng Qingshan struck while the iron was hot and taught Hong the "Samsara Guidance Technique," along with the more advanced Fire Element Fist and Earth Element Fist.

These were two new fist techniques Teng Qingshan had created over the past few months based on his own insights.

He had now developed the first five forms of each technique.

Learning just the first three forms would allow someone to grasp the basics of a Domain.

Learning all five would bring them to the Domain Second Layer.

Of course.

That was Teng Qingshan's own path, and it might not suit Hong.

After all, once one reached the Internal Martial Arts Grandmaster realm, everything beyond that depended mostly on oneself.

But there was no doubt that fist techniques pointing directly toward a Domain could serve as excellent examples.

Under the bright lights.

Two figures crossed paths.

Teng Qingshan's hands flowed through one profound fist technique after another.

Hong focused all his attention on understanding them.

After a long while.

Hong quickly learned the simple Samsara Guidance Technique.

He had only grasped the outward forms of the profound Earth Element Fist and Fire Element Fist, without understanding their deeper meaning.

But Hong wasn't in a hurry.

These were his master's ultimate techniques, fist techniques capable of stirring strange phenomena in heaven and earth. Naturally, they wouldn't be easy to comprehend.

Hong was prepared for a long struggle.

After Teng Qingshan had taught him everything he could at this stage.

He and Hong finally returned to the residential compound where the old man lived.

By then, Old Master Teng Yongyuan had prepared a whole table of sumptuous dishes.

The old man had initially been rather surprised that his grandson had taken on a disciple.

But when he thought of how his grandson's Breathing and Exhalation Method and Health Preservation Fist Technique had helped him easily weather the Double R Virus, taking on a disciple seemed like a small matter.

Besides, after spending time with Hong, the old man had realized that although he was quiet, he was a fine young man.

After they'd finished dinner together, chatting and laughing, Hong took the dishes to wash as usual. Then the three of them sat on the sofa and started talking.

It was one way for Teng Qingshan and Hong to relax after a day of cultivation.

Watching TV and chatting with the kindhearted old man was a rare chance for them both to unwind.

Cultivation, too, required a balance between exertion and rest.

"Grandpa Teng, a lot of animals outside seem to have become very aggressive lately. Please be careful when you go out. Don't go anywhere with few people around, or anywhere remote."

Hong spoke with concern. These past few days, while cultivating at the villa, he'd occasionally seen mutated wild animals charging out of the woods. Even when he went into the city now and then, he'd noticed rats and cockroaches in the sewers undergoing some unknown mutation.

The most obvious changes in these animals were their larger size and increased aggression. There were reports of people being attacked by animals all the time.

"Don't worry. Qingshan already warned me. These days, I only go around the residential compound, and I don't leave it unless I have to. Thanks for looking out for me, Hong."

"You're welcome, Grandpa. The virus may have passed, but it seems our world has changed too. The animals in particular are completely different now. I expect something bad might happen down the line. I wonder how the government will deal with it."

Hong was only eighteen, a year younger than Teng Qingshan, but as an experienced assassin, he was extremely sensitive to changes in his surroundings.

Teng Qingshan had naturally noticed this long ago as well.

"We should trust our government. Don't the news reports remind everyone every day to exercise more, avoid places where few people live, and eat healthy food?"

The old man said with a smile.

As it happened, the evening news on TV was reporting the same things.

The three of them fell silent for a moment as they watched footage of the mutated animals: a wild boar more than two meters long with long tusks, a wildcat over a meter long, and rats half a meter long.

The news then reported that mutated wild boars had already attacked people in other countries, and ordinary bullets were ineffective against them.

In some countries, tens of thousands of mutated rats had poured out of sewers and attacked people. Like a swarm of locusts, they had ransacked warehouses full of grain.

"The virus mutation last time didn't just strengthen humans. The animals seem to have changed even more drastically," Teng Qingshan said quietly. "If things keep going this way, these mutated animals may be the crisis we'll face in the future."

Hong and the old man had wanted to say that humans had weapons and could easily wipe out the mutated animals, but then they'd seen a wild boar withstand bullets.

If these animals mutated further, even more powerful weapons might not be able to kill them.

Most importantly, Earth was home to countless animals besides humans!

If all those animals mutated, it was easy to imagine how dire the situation would be for humanity.

Hong and the old man fell silent too, quietly watching the news.

Thinking of a future overrun by Monsters, Teng Qingshan grew exceptionally somber.

Humans were not made of wood or stone; how could they be without feelings?

The thought of monsters like those on the Nine Provinces Continent slaughtering the people of China in the future weighed heavily on Teng Qingshan's heart.

"It looks like I'll have to take action!"

Teng Qingshan couldn't do anything about other countries and regions, and he didn't want to.

But he still wanted to do what he could for the people of China, so that as many of them as possible would survive.

After all, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.

If Teng Qingshan did nothing, the entire Earth would eventually be overrun by Monsters. He might be able to keep himself safe, but what about his grandfather?

What about Hong, the disciple he'd taken?