Speculation on the Celestial Meridian Realm! (Seeking Reads)

A third-tier desolate beast is not easy for a small tribe like the Blazing Flame Tribe to handle.

According to tribal records, the third-tier beast blood used by Huo Tang for his advancement was hunted by the previous tribal chief with all his might before he died.

Four Mountain Opening Realm martial artists died, over a dozen Stone Splitting Realm martial artists died, and dozens were injured.

If not for the witch medicine to paralyze the odd fish, they would have to use the old method to drag it ashore.

If the odd fish struggled, the casualties would depend on the tribe members' luck.

Although the odd fish was struggling now, its movements were significantly smaller, keeping everyone within a safe range.

"A-Can, what are you thinking?"

Huo Tang approached Shen Can.

Previously, he and Shen Can had discussed hunting a second-tier desolate beast for ancestor worship, to be used as a catalyst for the tribe's improvement.

They hadn't expected their luck to be so good as to find a third-tier odd fish.

A second-tier desolate beast would at most excite everyone, but a third-tier desolate beast would boost the morale of the entire tribe.

Huo Tang planned to beat the odd fish into a near-death state, drain a lot of its blood, and reduce it to a weakened state, as long as it had one breath left, so they could drag it back to the tribe.

But Shen Can felt that since they were going to use it, they should use every part of it.

Wouldn't capturing it alive and bringing it back, rather than near death, make the tribesmen even more spirited?

They could capture it, raise it, and then knock it out on the day of ancestor worship.

We have the medicine, what are we afraid of?

Moreover, within the tribe, only Uncle Huo Shan had any hope of advancing to the Celestial Meridian Realm.

But "hope" was just Huo Tang's speculation; Shen Can didn't know how big the gap between Huo Shan and the Celestial Meridian Realm was.

Third-tier beast blood was not easy to obtain. For example, they could conduct a special training session for veteran Mountain Opening Realm martial artists like Huo Shan and Huo Kui, using a month to maximize their strength, and then soak in the beast blood.

At the very least, it would increase the success rate.

The tribesmen watched the two of them whisper for a long time before Huo Tang grabbed two jars of Mafeisan and walked towards the odd fish.

After pouring two more jars of Mafeisan into the odd fish, he instructed, "A-Kui, go back immediately and tell the tribe to excavate a large pit to raise the fish."

"Raise the fish?"

Huo Kui's gaze fell on the odd fish, his eyes widening.

The other tribesmen who heard Huo Tang's words had the same expression.

Was the chief talking about this third-tier odd fish?

Although the tribe had tried to raise desolate beasts over the years, they had never thought of raising a third-tier desolate beast.

It was too sudden.

This was a third-tier odd fish.

"Hurry up."

"Okay, okay!" Huo Kui, snapping back to reality, quickly ran towards the direction of the tribe.

"Get out of the way, do you want to wait for the odd fish to recover and bite you?"

Seeing the tribesmen still gathered nearby, Huo Tang snapped, "Those who are fine, go and catch the fish fry."

Apart from those that were knocked out by the odd fish, the remaining fish fry in the pool were all floating.

There were seventeen fish fry in total. After catching them, their blood was not drained. Mainly, Shen Can felt that since they were drugged, draining their blood now might still have residual medicinal effects, which would be detrimental to the tribesmen's cultivation.

Out of ninety jars of witch medicine, Mafeisan, thirty-seven jars remained.

To transport the odd fish back to the tribe, the tribesmen cut down large trees to make a massive wooden frame, binding the odd fish to it.

The Mountain Opening Realm tribesmen carried the frame, while Huo Tang personally held the ironwood spear at the fish's head, his hands constantly gripping the spear and pressing it against the fish's skull.

If the odd fish showed any unusual movement, he would send it on its way beforehand.

On the way back to the tribe, they would pour Mafeisan into its gills three times a day, three jars each time.

The people traveled day and night without rest, heading directly towards the tribe.

Three days later, the Blazing Flame Tribe.

It was approaching evening.

The bonfires had already been lit.

Shen Can had returned ahead of time and stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance.

Tribesmen gathered around, their spirits excited, craning their necks and looking into the distance.

A live third-tier desolate beast!

When Huo Kui returned first to deliver the news, the entire tribe knew.

The Temple Guardian had prepared new witch medicine and had successfully drugged a third-tier odd fish.

For tribes without a witchcraft heritage, the shaman was an unfathomable mystery to everyone.

First the witch runes, and now even a third-tier desolate beast could be subdued with medicine. Shen Can became increasingly mysterious and awe-inspiring in everyone's eyes.

"They're here!"

Someone shouted from the city wall.

In the distance, a group of people carried a wooden frame.

On the frame was a fish.

On the fish was Huo Tang.

Huo Tang had transformed into a fish rider.

"Roar..."

A howl sounded from the city wall, and many tribespeople rushed down, heading towards the area outside the city.

Fortunately, they had their wits about them and didn't jump directly from the city wall.

The group poured out of the city. Before they even got close to the odd fish, a potent, deadly aura washed over them.

It pressed down on the tribespeople, forcing them to retreat, but their excited faces couldn't hide their joy, and they wanted to get closer to see it again.

For safety's sake, Huo Tang had to repeatedly shout commands.

But the tribespeople's eyes seemed fixed on the odd fish, unable to look away.

Capturing a third-tier odd fish alive meant the tribe now had a method for capturing third-tier desolate beasts.

It also represented a potential expansion of the Martial Arts path.

Everything was a symbol of the tribe's growing strength. With a stronger tribe, they could live better lives.

Huo Shan and other tribesmen who remained behind rushed forward, took over the wooden frame's poles, and laughed as they carried it towards the tribe.

"Shaman!"

"A-Can!"

Suddenly, a tribesperson pointed at Shen Can on the city wall, and a group of people started shouting.

"Tribal Shaman!"

"Temple Guardian!"

"Blazing Flame!"

Various names burst forth. Some tribespeople rushed onto the city wall, lifted Shen Can, and ran towards the tribe.

"Give him to me, let me carry him."

Those who couldn't get a turn carrying the odd fish started vying to carry Shen Can.

Shen Can, unable to be carried, picked up the tribal children instead.

Together, they escorted the odd fish into the tribe and placed it in a newly dug deep water pond.

Even then, it wasn't over. They carried Shen Can and the children, circling the pond from a distance.

"Being able to hunt this third-tier odd fish so easily, and bring it back alive without a single tribesperson getting injured, is all thanks to our tribe's shaman."

Seeing the odd fish enter the water, Huo Tang breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the excited tribespeople gathered together, he announced, "Tonight, we feast! Let's celebrate our shaman for catching the tribe's first live third-tier desolate beast."

"Um... put the shaman down first, he's frail."

That night.

The Blazing Flame Tribe's bonfire blazed, as if it were day.

Fish and beast meat sizzled on the grills, their fat dripping into the flames with crackling sounds, filling the air with a rich aroma.

"Come, let me pinch you."

Beside the bonfire, the screams of children accompanied their playful chases.

Shen Can was also surrounded by people.

"Hurry, let the Temple Guardian pat your head."

"One by one."

The tribe had alcohol, though its taste was somewhat bitter and the yield was low.

Shen Can chuckled as he lined up the children in front of him, patting each of their heads.

Happy times were fleeting. The well-fed women left with their children, leaving behind a group of wailing men by the bonfire.

Others were engaged in arm wrestling by the fire, drawing cheers from the crowd.

"I'm setting off tonight to bring back the witch medicine."

In front of the bonfire, Huo Tang leaned close to Shen Can and spoke.

To keep the third-order odd fish docile, they needed enough Mafeisan.

Since returning, they didn't have much Mafeisan left. To ensure the odd fish were all well-behaved by the time of the ancestral sacrifice, Huo Tang planned to go out and gather some from the tribes.

Why was he going?

Because he was fast.

Huo Shan and the others needed to train with Shen Can.

In the blink of an eye.

Over a month had passed.

Inside the Ancestral Temple.

Huo Shan, Huo Kui, and Huo Qi, three tribesmen, exuded a powerful aura.

After receiving special attention from Shen Can, both Huo Shan and Huo Kui could now draw the old bow that Huo Tang used before he advanced to the Celestial Meridian Realm.

Huo Qi was a bit behind.

"A-Can, when will the ancestral sacrifice and blood collection take place?"

Huo Shan asked first, his gaze filled with eagerness.

"I've already discussed it with the tribal chief. The ancestral sacrifice will be in three days."

"However, I hope Uncle Huo Shan will forgo this beast blood immersion."

Shen Can spoke.

Huo Shan could already draw the wooden bow Huo Tang used before reaching the Celestial Meridian Realm, even before his training began.

This was also why Huo Tang believed Huo Shan had the potential to advance to the Celestial Meridian Realm.

But after a month of consuming second-order desolate beasts without regard for cost, Uncle Huo Shan's vital energy had significantly increased.

Therefore, Shen Can had a guess: there was actually a range between the Mountain Opening Realm and the Celestial Meridian Realm.

Previously, Huo Shan's vital energy and strength might have represented a lower limit for his body to generate blood qi.

The past chiefs of the Blazing Flame Tribe had all adhered to breaking through this lower limit, and after advancing to the Celestial Meridian Realm, they had made no further progress.

There was no choice before, but Shen Can felt that now they could choose.

Three days later, early in the morning.

Huo Shan led people to throw Mafeisan into the pond.

"It's going down! It's going down!"

The massive fish body tilted on the water's surface. Huo Shan laughed heartily and called for his tribesmen to get the ropes.

Whoo whoo!

Outside the Ancestral Temple, a horn sounded, drawing the attention of everyone in the tribe.

It was Huo Xian.

No one knew where Huo Xian had found a bull horn, but he was blowing it towards the sunrise.

Today, Shen Can wore a dark blue linen robe, a necklace of beast teeth hanging around his neck, making a clinking sound as he walked.

A chant sounded from the foot of the mountain; Huo Shan had already lifted the odd fish onto a wooden frame.

Over the past month, the mountainside between the tribal city below and the Ancestral Temple had been carved into wide stone steps, and a small stone plaza had also been carved out.

Huo Tang also arrived at the stone platform.

Shen Can looked at the third-order odd fish being carried up from below, waiting for the odd fish's lifespan to be put into the pot.

"Can you pierce the fish's neck? Do you need help?"

"No need. As a witch doctor, I not only know how to administer medicine but also have some skill in fists, feet, blades, and spears."

Huo Tang didn't speak. He glanced sideways at Shen Can's small frame, then looked at the third-order odd fish.

"..."