Chapter 6: Preparation

The villagers were stunned into silence, some of them staring blankly. Even though they had heard that the little one’s physical strength far exceeded that of his peers, they were still astonished by how extraordinary his physical prowess was.

“Could he be using the mysterious power of his bones?” someone questioned.

“No, I saw it clearly. This is pure physical strength,” said Shi Linhu, the leader of the hunting team.

“Boom!”

Little Shi Hao threw the bronze cauldron onto the ground, causing a cloud of dust to rise. He quickly stepped back and was not enveloped by the dust. The massive noise once again made the villagers’ hearts tighten; this truly was a prodigy.

The result was unbelievable. A three-year-old child lifting a thousand-pound cauldron was extraordinary not just in this mountain range but even at the ends of the earth.

The villagers were all astonished. Even the village chief, Shi Yunfeng, was taken aback. He had thought that Shi Hao at his current age would not be able to lift the large cauldron, but he had done so ahead of time.

“Is this real? How can Shi Hao, such a young child, have such immense strength? I’ve never heard of a child like this,” someone said in disbelief.

“It’s indeed a bit unbelievable. If he weren’t human, I’d think he was the offspring of an ancient legendary beast,” another person remarked.

The villagers, regaining their composure, began to discuss. The little one's performance was like a thunderbolt from the sky, shocking and deeply impressive.

“Chief, have you ever seen such a child in the prosperous regions you’ve visited?”

“Yes, Yunfeng, you’ve traveled to many powerful tribes. Have you heard of such prodigies?” Even some elders were unable to stay calm and asked questions, feeling astonished by the little one’s performance.

Shi Yunfeng said, “I’ve seen a few exceptional children in a large tribe with a population of several million. They were extraordinary talents and very powerful even at a young age, but I think they were slightly less impressive than Shi Hao.”

The villagers were momentarily stunned, then they all laughed. It seemed that Heaven had bestowed upon Shi Village a child comparable to the offspring of ancient fierce beasts. If he grew up, Shi Village would surely become prosperous because of him.

An elder analyzed, “Those large tribes are so powerful, with experts everywhere. They can certainly hunt terrifying beasts and use the rare blood of ancient species to refine and temper their exceptional children. Otherwise, their gap with Shi Hao might be even greater.”

“The world is vast and boundless. There might be even more formidable children in the legendary super tribes or royal territories. After all, the world is so large, and what we know is just a small part of it,” Shi Yunfeng said.

The martial arts demonstration had made the villagers happy. The children were all strong with immense potential. Shi Hao was an unexpected surprise, and his performance was stunning.

When the crowd dispersed, the elders and important figures like Shi Linhu remained, still discussing the earlier events.

“If Shi Hao grows up, could he really defeat a True Howler or kill a pure-blooded adult Xuan Niu with his bare hands in a one-on-one fight? Such legendary ancient beasts, if they appeared, could easily annihilate a super tribe,” an elder speculated.

Another elder extinguished his excitement and said, “Having potential as a child doesn’t guarantee becoming an astonishing powerhouse. Many geniuses have withered away in their youth.”

The group fell silent and nodded.

Shi Yunfeng frowned and said, “By the way, Shi Hao was born in our village and has some inherent disadvantages. His starting point is relatively low. We cannot provide him with the true blood of ancient species or legendary mountain treasures and sacred medicines like those large tribes.”

Shi Linhu said, “It’s fine while he is young, but if this continues, he will really fall behind the children of those large tribes.”

Shi Yunfeng thought for a moment and said, “From what I know, in the powerful tribes at the ends of the earth, children with potential undergo their first significant ritual at age five. They are sealed in a bronze furnace and tempered with various sacred medicines and ancient blood to increase their potential.”

Others sighed lightly. After all, this was just a village. How could it compare with those large tribes? It was difficult to find sacred medicines and the true blood of ancient species.

“Let’s do our best. We should aim to hunt some giant beasts, extract some precious blood, and gradually accumulate it to prepare for the five-year-old ritual for the little one,” an elder said with a sigh.

Shi Linhu frowned and brought up another issue, “To compare with those legendary formidable children, besides establishing a solid foundation with physical strength, the training and inheritance are also crucial.”

The village chief, Shi Yunfeng, nodded and said, “I’ll find a way for that.”

The others were immediately taken aback. They all knew that the chief had traveled far with some tribesmen and had entered many prestigious families, eventually bringing back some bone books at the cost of blood and lives. Could they rival the inheritance of those super tribes?

Among the dozen or so life-and-death brothers, only two returned covered in blood, and eventually, only the chief survived, though with lingering ailments. He had never detailed what had happened in those years, and the villagers had not asked further.

What had truly happened back then clearly had another hidden story.

In the following days, the village chief, Shi Yunfeng, was extremely busy, often refining medicinal herbs. The furnace in the courtyard never went out, and the smell of medicine filled the air.

“Grandpa Chief, don’t overwork yourself. Please take care and rest,” little Shi Hao said with his long eyelashes fluttering, looking very pretty and understanding as he advised the elder to rest.

“It’s nothing,” Shi Yunfeng said with a smile and a shake of his head.

The elders and those in the know did not say much to Shi Hao. He did not realize that Shi Yunfeng was preparing for his “ritual” at the age of five.

Under the setting sun, the hunting team returned, each person carrying a beast on their shoulders. Although some were injured, they were all chatting and laughing.

The chief’s courtyard was located at the edge of the village. Shi Hao was standing in front of the courtyard door, watching the return of the group.

“Uncle, you’re back!” he said, tilting his little face up. His skin was white and tender, his eyes clear and bright. He greeted the group politely.

“Here, this is your favorite berry, specially picked for you,” Shi Linhu said, handing over a beast skin pouch. Inside, the red berries were fragrant and shiny, like gleaming red agate.

“Thank you, Uncle,” Shi Hao said, blinking his big eyes and happily accepting the pouch.

In the evening, the villagers performed a ritual in front of the willow tree using the beast carcasses. After the ceremony, several spirit-like prey were moved into the chief’s courtyard.

Soon, the smell of blood filled the courtyard. Several fierce beasts lay there, covered in blood, and their bodies were shrinking and adorned with mysterious symbols.

These were bones, now interwoven with the blood like fine lightning streaks. Shi Yunfeng was casting a spell, using mysterious powers to refine and extract the essence from the beast’s blood, harvesting “blood medicine.” After continuous refinement, the beast blood dwindled, and each beast only left a drop of blood, which fell into a jade jar, the blood droplets clear and sparkling like blood diamonds.

“According to the bone book, if there is enough sacred medicine and true blood during the five-year-old ritual and it is extraordinary, the foundation laid will have far-reaching effects, affecting future achievements,” Chief Shi Yunfeng whispered.

He did not want to waste Shi Hao’s potential. He hoped he would not fall behind the talents of super tribes and was always pondering how to accumulate the precious items needed for his “ritual.”

“Better to have none than to have a surplus of inferior ones. Only high-quality true blood will be useful for the little one. It’s a pity that such blood is extremely rare and too powerful to handle.” He murmured softly to himself.

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