Young Clan Leader

Shi Gang announced that Shi Kang would become the Young Clan Leader, and the crowd below instantly erupted.

"Young Clan Leader! Young Clan Leader!"

The cheers were like mountains collapsing and seas roaring, shaking the entire Stone Realm with a hum. Countless eyes fixed on Shi Kang, filled with awe and fervor.

No one stepped forward to object.

The Dou God Clan recognized only strength and bloodline. At eighteen, Shi Kang was already a Nine-star Dou Emperor with an Eighth Grade Dou God Bloodline, not to mention he was the clan leader's only son. The position of Young Clan Leader was his beyond doubt.

Shi Kang said, "Father, I will definitely lead the Shi Clan toward revival!"

"Ha ha ha, good! Good! Good!" Shi Gang laughed heartily, saying "good" three times in a row.

Becoming the Young Clan Leader was well within Shi Kang's expectations.

He was the Shi Clan's crown prince. As long as the bloodline he tested wasn't exceptionally poor, the position of Young Clan Leader was bound to be his.

And now that he had tested an Eighth Grade Bloodline, who else could the Young Clan Leader be but him?

Of course, there was another reason for Shi Kang's confidence: the younger generation of the Shi Clan was simply too weak.

In terms of bloodline, most of them had Fifth Grade Bloodlines. The better ones had Sixth Grade Bloodlines, but there was not a single Seventh Grade Bloodline.

In terms of talent, among those his age, none had even reached the Dou Emperor realm.

Their cultivation realms were lower than Shi Kang's, and now their bloodline grades had been utterly crushed by his as well.

What could they possibly use to compete with Shi Kang for the position of Young Clan Leader?

Shi Kang's assessment of his peers in the Shi Clan was: utterly worthless, and a bunch of dimwits to boot.

When it came to fighting the Soul Clan, Shi Kang no longer expected them to be of any help.

Relying on others was never as good as relying on himself.

As soon as the bloodline test ended, Shi Kang immediately dragged two Six-star Dou Ancestors toward the Training Ground.

The two of them were hesitant and restrained. It wasn't that they feared Shi Kang's status as Young Clan Leader; they were simply terrified of him from the bottom of their hearts.

Who didn't know that this fellow was a monster?

He was clearly only a Nine-star Dou Emperor, yet his body was as tough as black iron. Back when he had still been a Seven-star Dou Emperor, he had already been able to take turns pinning the two of them to the ground and beating them senseless.

Although being a sparring partner came with plenty of resources, and people in the clan were practically fighting over the job hard enough to form a line all the way to the Stone Realm's gates, getting beaten black and blue was just too embarrassing...

Shi Kang stood in the center of the field, his posture straight as a spear. Sunlight fell across him, outlining the smooth lines of his muscles. They were not as knotted as those of the other clansmen, yet they carried a condensed, explosive force, like refined steel hammered again and again.

Shi Kang's arrival drew quite a few spectators.

"Today, the two of you will come at me together." Shi Kang rolled his wrists, his joints giving off faint cracks.

The two Dou Ancestors were startled. They exchanged a glance and saw the same hesitation in each other's eyes. "Young Clan Leader, this..." Neither of them could beat him alone, but if two fought one and failed to hold back, seriously injuring the Young Clan Leader would be a grave offense.

"Cut the crap." Shi Kang raised a brow. "If I tell you to attack, then attack."

Six-star Dou Ancestors were at the very bottom of the Stone Realm.

Even before this, Shi Kang could command them as he pleased. Now that his status had risen and he had become the Young Clan Leader, ordering the two of them around was even less of an issue.

"Yes!" With no other choice, the two men hardened their resolve and assumed their stances. Yet inwardly, they had already decided to hold back—getting hurt themselves was fine, but nothing could happen to the Young Clan Leader.

Shi Kang suddenly took a deep breath. Dou Qi surged around him, and his skin rapidly flushed crimson at a visible rate, as though he had entered a berserk state.

The Cultivation Method Shi Kang currently practiced was called the Soul Body Unity Art, a Low-tier Heaven Grade Cultivation Method.

Low-tier Heaven Grade was not particularly high, but it was quite suitable for cultivation at lower realms.

During the early stages of cultivation, a higher-grade Cultivation Method was not necessarily better. What mattered most was whether it suited the cultivator.

A lower grade was no issue; he could always switch to a higher-grade Cultivation Method later.

The effect of Shi Kang's Cultivation Method was to merge his soul into every inch of his body, strengthening his physique. The moment a thought arose, his body could immediately respond, achieving perfect unity between thought and movement.

Furthermore, it could also grant immunity to a portion of soul attacks.

Naturally, such precise use of Soul Power also had the effect of strengthening one's Soul Power.

Though the improvement was slow, it was highly practical.

Shi Kang had chosen to cultivate this method because Shi Gang had advised him to do so.

What body cultivators feared most were soul attacks.

While his strength was still weak, he could cultivate his Soul Power. Even if he changed Cultivation Methods later, he would still retain some of its traits to a certain extent.

Take Shi Gang, for example. He had cultivated this method back then as well. Although he had since switched to a higher-grade High-tier Heaven Grade Cultivation Method, he could still merge his Soul Power into his body through experience and skill.

Though it was not as powerful as when supported by the Cultivation Method itself, it was still quite impressive.

Shi Kang felt that his father was indeed farsighted. Knowing that the soul was his weakness, he had done his best to shore it up.

Back to the matter at hand: once he saw the two men were ready, Shi Kang suddenly stomped off the ground. His body shot forward like a cannonball, his fist smashing toward them with the howl of tearing air.

Shi Kang did not use any Dou Skills. He attacked purely with his physical body.

"Boom!"

The force of the punch slammed into the Dou Qi Shields the two had hastily raised. They felt an immense force surge toward them, staggering back dozens of zhang before they managed to steady themselves, their arms numb.

As for Shi Kang, he stood firmly where he was, without even shifting his feet.

"You held back?" Shi Kang's gaze turned cold, his voice like ice. "Use your full strength, or get the hell out of the Stone Realm right now!"

Shi Kang was somewhat annoyed. He was only fighting two Dou Ancestors—did they really need to go easy on him?

He had sought them out precisely to unleash his body's potential. What was the point if they held back?

The two Dou Ancestors shuddered at his words. How could they dare conceal their strength any longer? They immediately mobilized all their Dou Qi, the light of their Dou Skills surging as they attacked from both sides.

"Good!" Shi Kang shouted. Without using any Dou Skills, he relied solely on his physical strength, charging straight into their attacks without dodging.

The sounds of fists striking flesh rang out in succession, making the spectators' eardrums tremble.

There was still quite a considerable gap in realm between a Nine-star Dou Emperor and two Six-star Dou Ancestors.

Several bloody marks soon appeared on Shi Kang's body, but there was no fear in his eyes—only battle intent and excitement. His fists swung even more fiercely.

The two Dou Ancestors grew more alarmed as the fight continued—their fists landed on Shi Kang as though they were striking mountain rock, jolting their finger bones with pain. Yet Shi Kang seemed as though he had been pumped full of adrenaline, his attacks becoming increasingly savage. Every punch tore through the air with a sharp whistle, and when they struck the two men, it felt as though they had been crushed beneath a massive boulder.

"The Young Clan Leader is way too fierce!" the watching Shi Clan members couldn't help exclaiming.

A Nine-star Dou Emperor was directly confronting two Six-star Dou Ancestors and actually held the upper hand? This physical strength was simply absurd!

As the battle went on, the two Dou Ancestors gradually lost their rhythm.

They were covered in wounds, with more than half their Dou Qi depleted. Shi Kang had suffered only minor superficial injuries, but when they saw the battle intent still blazing in his eyes, all that remained in their hearts was fear.

How were they supposed to fight an opponent with maxed-out defense and strength?

The two Six-star Dou Ancestors were actually being pressed back by a Nine-star Dou Emperor.

This was far too monstrous!

When Shi Kang saw their movements slow and their gazes lose focus, he immediately lost interest.

Dense earth-attributed Dou Qi gathered around his right fist as he threw it out, accompanied by a dull rumble like thunder.

Sensing the power behind that punch, the two men panicked and hurriedly joined their palms, using every last bit of strength to block it.

Bang!

With a deafening boom, the two flew backward like kites with snapped strings, crashing heavily to the ground, too dazed to get back up.

KO!

Shi Kang shook his slightly numb fist. Without even looking at the two men on the ground, he said to the guard beside him, "Take them to collect healing medicine and three months' worth of Cultivation Resources." With that, he turned and left.

Although the two Dou Ancestors had been knocked down by Shi Kang, their injuries were merely external, compounded by their exhausted Dou Qi.

Once they returned and took some healing pills, they would be mostly recovered after a few days of rest.

They could receive three months' worth of Cultivation Resources just by sparring with Shi Kang. For such a worthwhile opportunity, plenty of people would fight tooth and nail for it.

As people would say in his previous life: if you wouldn't do it, plenty of others would!

The Training Ground fell silent for a moment before erupting into discussion.

The women stared at Shi Kang with stars in their eyes. "The Young Clan Leader is incredible! He took down two Six-star Dou Ancestors!"

The men admired and respected him, though of course, some were also envious of the two lying on the ground.

"If I could trade getting beaten up by the Young Clan Leader for three months of resources, I'd gladly take a beating every day!"

As though he could not see the ravenous looks in the Shi Clan girls' eyes, Shi Kang headed straight back to his residence.

Because of their body tempering, Shi Clan members were generally quite muscular, and the women were no exception. Though not as exaggerated as the men, they were still rather sturdy...

They were not ugly, but they always looked somewhat awkward.

In any case, they did not suit Shi Kang's tastes.

He returned to his residence.

"Young Clan Leader!" A stunning woman dressed in a maid uniform spoke respectfully.

The maid wore an inky-black maid outfit. Her waist was slender, her long straight legs perfectly toned. A snow-white bow at her collar hung lightly over her delicate collarbones, while her skin, like fine white jade, was so pale it was nearly translucent.

Her features were so exquisite that not the slightest flaw could be found. The maid outfit added a hint of submissiveness, and her exceptional beauty and figure made it impossible to look away.