Chapter 33: Genius

With a swing of his arms, the child, barely four years old, displayed an astonishing strength of eight thousand jin (about 16,000 pounds). The villagers of Stone Village had never seen or heard of such a thing before. They were dumbfounded, mouths agape.

A crowd of people, in a mix of astonishment and excitement, rushed forward, lifting the small child and squeezing him up and down, wondering if he was truly a human child or some sort of divine beast.

"What are you made of, little one?" asked Er Meng's father, a burly man with a wide mouth full of white teeth and large, copper-ringed eyes. He pinched and prodded the child, his demeanor rough but filled with wonder.

The group of strong men were similarly coarse and enthusiastic. Children soon joined in, squealing and squeezing the child repeatedly until they finally let go.

The little one was pristine and radiant, with a divine glow that was restrained but evident. His long, black, and silky hair fell to his shoulders, and his large eyes were lively and full of spirit. He appeared exceptionally vibrant.

"Heaven truly must be favoring our clan, to send us such a child," murmured an elder, trembling with emotion, his lips quivering as he spoke.

"Do you feel any discomfort, child?" asked Shi Yunfeng, concerned that the transformation might have left any hidden issues.

The child’s voice was young and earnest as he replied, "No, I feel great. I have abundant energy and endless strength."

The old chieftain laughed heartily, relieved. He examined the child from left to right, looking ten years younger in his joy, with the wrinkles on his face visibly smoothing out.

Then, the child lifted the eight-thousand-jin (16,000 pounds) Huowen Ding (a kind of ritual vessel) again, and walked around the open space with it. Despite its immense weight, he did not seem to be out of breath, showcasing an extraordinary divine strength.

When he set the Huowen Ding down, the ground shook violently, causing the villagers’ eyelids to twitch in surprise.

"Such strength! If you’re going to forge weapons in the future, it will be quite a task," said an elder with a beaming smile, clearly more pleased than troubled.

"Bring the strongest bow in the clan and let the little one try pulling it," said Shi Linhu, grinning broadly.

It was a massive rhinoceros horn bow, but unfortunately, it was too large. Although the child could draw it, his arms were not long enough to fully draw it back.

"Good thing your arms are short; otherwise, you would have snapped this bow," Shi Linhu said, wiping his sweat as the villagers burst into laughter.

The clan members were simple and sincere, their emotions clearly displayed on their faces. Despite their rough exteriors, they exuded warmth.

"Little one, go to Auntie's house today for some roast meat."

"Child, you’re almost four now. It’s time to consider a match for you. How about the girl from Uncle Linhu’s family?"

"What does this have to do with weapons? You’re off topic," someone interjected.

The villagers were all very happy. With such a child, who, when grown, would surely become a powerful protector of their land, ensuring Stone Village’s prosperity.

"Little one, although you have successfully undergone the baptism and your strength has surged, you must not be arrogant. Remember, there are many powerful beings in this world, and they are all extremely terrifying," the old chieftain warned sternly.

"Grandpa Chieftain, I understand," the child said, nodding earnestly.

Shi Yunfeng was still somewhat uneasy and added, "Legend has it that in the ancient times, a divine ape, without using its ultimate treasure techniques, wielded a metal rod weighing a hundred thousand and eighty thousand jin purely with physical strength."

The children were stunned, and the adults were even more shocked. Such power was terrifying. Handling a weapon and merely lifting a heavy object were two completely different things. Just imagining the immense strength required was awe-inspiring.

Later, the villagers had Shi Hao leap into the air to see how high he could fly. This time, they were taken aback. The little one leaped with great effort, reaching about thirty meters in height before crashing down into the ground like a spear, causing the earth to tremble and crack.

"Good heavens! If you join us hunting in the mountains, your current strength should be more than enough to push through giant beasts," someone said.

With an incredibly strong physique, the little one’s internal organs were as crystalline as his bones, all purified. The runes glimmered, merging with his flesh, transforming into divine radiance, indistinguishable from one another.

In every inch of his flesh, there was a light point, like a deity. This was the manifestation of divine runes, continuously drawing the essence of heaven and earth into his body.

"Chirp chirp."

Three young birds squeezed into the crowd, their scales shining and wings flapping. Their large eyes seemed almost to speak. They had great strength and pushed aside a group of children.

"Great Peng, Little Qing, Purple Cloud!" the little one shouted, running towards them.

The three young birds were full of spirit, chirping excitedly. They rubbed their heads against his arm affectionately, showing their joy. For more than half a month, they had been guarding a stone cave behind the village, watching over the mother bird, and occasionally came out to play with the little one.

"Has Auntie Green-scaled Eagle recovered? She took the chieftain's medicine and the true blood of the Fire Bull Demon, so she should be fully restored," the little one asked with concern, not knowing the state of the eagle while he was undergoing the baptism.

"When we dismembered the ancient beast’s body, we sent her a lot of Suanni blood and flesh. She should be working hard to refine it now," the chieftain said.

The chance to obtain the Suanni’s body was due to the Green-scaled Eagle’s life-risking battle in the mountains. Without her, they could not have returned with the prize. Stone Village would not forget her contributions and benefactions. Over the past few days, with careful care from the villagers, the critically injured beast slowly recovered. However, it had been so weak that the poison was barely neutralized by the bull’s true blood; otherwise, it would not have been able to withstand the nourishment. Now, with the Suanni’s true blood and flesh delivered to her, she was gradually recovering.

"Consuming more of the ancient beast’s true blood and precious meat might bring her great benefits," the little one said.

A loud cry pierced the sky, like lightning splitting the air, shaking the ground and causing pain in the ears. A massive fierce bird, glowing with a blue-green light, soared from behind Stone Village, sweeping across the sky before diving into the depths of the mountains.

"It’s better now. Is it leaving?" the little one shouted, waving vigorously. "Goodbye, Auntie Green-scaled Eagle!" A long cry echoed back, signaling a response. In the blink of an eye, the fierce bird vanished into the clouds.

"It might be preparing for a breakthrough and has gone into seclusion," Chieftain Shi Yunfeng said with a serious expression.

"Breakthrough?" The villagers looked at the distant clouds with a mix of astonishment and uncertainty. If it advanced further, it would certainly surpass the fierce bird from the neighboring village.

Soon, the villagers rejoiced. The Green-scaled Eagle had become a close ally, and with three children entrusted to her, her increased strength would benefit Stone Village greatly.

"You’ve all grown a bit more," the little one said with a smile.

The young birds had grown to three meters in length, their scales now radiant with divine light. They had also been consuming the ancient beast’s blood and flesh recently, gaining tremendous benefits and becoming even more intelligent.

"Chieftain, when will we undergo the baptism?" The children looked eagerly at the little one, admiring his strength and no longer fearing the pain of the process.

"We’ll start right away, but you certainly won’t be able to handle such a strong medicine all at once. It must be diluted," Chieftain Shi Yunfeng said.

Immediately, Stone Village became bustling once more. Large cauldrons boiled, making full use of the ancient beast’s precious blood, benefiting the entire village.

On this day, Stone Village was filled with cries and wails. Although the children gritted their teeth and endured, they were still tortured by intense pain, cryi

After sunset, everything came to an end. Some of the adults also consumed some of the blood and flesh, though not in the same quantities as the children. They could not handle the baptism like the young ones, as it was simply beyond their endurance.

It wasn’t until two days later that Stone Village returned to calm. The remaining precious meat and true blood were sealed away to be slowly refined, ensuring that not a single bit would go to waste.

After a few days of work, Chieftain Shi Yunfeng brought out a palm-sized piece of translucent white bone, the center bone of the Suanni that retained its original runes. It had taken the village’s strong men several days and nights of arduous labor to extract it.

Fortunately, the bone with the runes had already separated from the entire forehead bone and was a distinct piece on its own. If it were still connected, it would have been nearly impossible to extract.

The chieftain spoke with great seriousness, "Little one, for the next few days, you must do nothing but memorize these runes. If you don’t, the vitality of the precious bone will fade, and the mysterious marks of the runes will become invisible, merging into the bone and turning into a mere treasure rather than a source of divine techniques."

Just like the beast tooth pendant from the neighboring village, the runes and the translucent beast teeth had crystallized, making the most mysterious parts no longer observable. It could only be a treasure and not provide divine techniques.

The child listened attentively, nodding earnestly. For the entire day, he did nothing but hold the translucent bone and scrutinize it closely, not blinking, fully engrossed.

Though it was only a single rune, it represented an entire race, and the divine technique was astonishing. The marks constantly shifted, like the stars in the sky, flowing and changing in a complex and mysterious manner. It was late into the night before the child forced himself to record all the changes, imprinting them in his mind.

"Grandpa, I’ve memorized it, but the Suanni’s divine technique is so complex that I can’t fully understand it yet," the child admitted honestly.

Shi Yunfeng was taken aback. If understanding it immediately were possible, it would be like replicating the might of an ancient beast. No one could achieve that instantly; it required time to comprehend and digest.

"Take your time. You will eventually understand it. For now, focus on comprehending the divine technique of the ancient demon bird. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Remember that," the chieftain advised.

"Grandpa, I understand," the child replied.

Two days later, a series of powerful figures began arriving at the mountains. There were tribesmen riding silver unicorns, nobles standing on huge beast bones and flying close to the ground, and formidable individuals arriving on dragon-backs.

"Wow, Grandpa, look! The village’s sacrificial spirit is so strange. It’s just a scorched old willow tree with only a single tender branch remaining."

A snow-white feather, six meters long, glowing with a pure light, was fluttering. Standing on it were an old man, two youths, and two beautiful young girls, as lovely as elves, their eyes sparkling with brilliance.

"What a peculiar sacrificial spirit. Even in such a state, it hasn’t died, only a single tender shoot remaining. It must be extraordinary. The lightning strike must have birthed a powerful new force. It’s certainly a rare treasure. No one should compete with me; this willow branch is mine," a five or six-year-old child said as he jumped down from the dragon, still ten meters in the air.

"What kind of village is this? How can it have such a sacrificial spirit?" A youth from another group stared in amazement at the scorched willow tree.

"It’s unusual. It has gone through a great catastrophe and emerged reborn from the destruction. That single tender shoot must be a treasure," another person spoke.

"Do you all want to compete with me? Feel free to try and see who is the true genius," the child who had jumped down from the dragon sneered.

"Fine, let’s have a duel. This time, let’s wager treasures. If you have anything less valuable than the ultimate blood, don’t bother showing it."

Soon, the adults also stopped, their eyes glowing with curiosity as they watched the old willow tree. They did not oppose the children’s competition; instead, they were eager to provide precious blood to encourage them.

"Let’s see who among you is the true talent. In twenty years, who will dominate this territory?"

"But don’t start killing the sacrificial spirits of others."

Some of the adults, known as terrifyingly powerful figures across the land, spoke up.

Tonight’s updates will be posted until midnight. It’s the weekend, and we’re at number one on both lists. Brothers who are online tonight, be sure to come. We need to start the week at number one on both lists!