Fight, Boy

Wu Tie lay like a sleeping arched bridge, his breaths long and deep, sweat dripping constantly from his body.

Blood-red light flickered in Old Tie's eyes as he watched Wu Tie for a while. A ray of red light shot from his left eye and flashed rapidly across the opposite wall.

On the wall, a cluster of dark-blue electric light wriggled soundlessly like rippling water. After a while, the metal wall beneath it bulged into a deathly pale skeletal face.

Gradually, a white skull roughly three meters across, almost identical to Old Tie, flew out of the wall and silently drifted before him.

Blood-red light flickered in the eyes of both Old Tie and the enormous skull. As those crimson glows crossed, they exchanged countless pieces of information through some unfathomable method in an instant.

"So many years..." Old Tie muttered deeply.

A small doorway silently opened in the wall from which the white skull had emerged. Accompanied by faint ding-ding sounds, four white Metal Spiders about a foot long scuttled out at speed.

The four spiders reached Old Tie's side, each extending two forelegs to lift him.

Amid the ding-ding sounds, the huge white skull led the way while the four Metal Spiders carried Old Tie toward the doorway.

They walked a hundred meters or so down a straight passage and arrived at another vast square metal hall. Several neat piles of materials, glinting with a faint metallic chill, were stacked in the empty hall.

The metal hall spanned several miles on each side, yet the materials piled inside occupied only a few square meters. Those tiny heaps looked so pitiful and lonely in the enormous hall.

"Only... this much?" A streak of red light flashed through Old Tie's eyes.

The white skull let out a few low, rumbling sounds.

Old Tie snorted. "Fine, let me think... With this little stuff, even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice..."

The white skull tilted slightly, its two enormous eyes fixed on Old Tie as the blood-red light within them flashed rapidly.

Old Tie's eyes froze. Then he suddenly bared his teeth and burst into laughter. "Hahaha, of course... I'm male, male... a bona fide real man. It's a figure of speech, a figure of speech! Do you understand?"

"I won't waste words on an idiot like you whose intelligence hasn't awakened... You're practically making me stupid too."

"Give me a hand. Fetch two pieces of Low-grade Primordial Metal, quickly, before that kid wakes up."

Breathe, breathe—each inhalation and exhalation was immensely long. The muscles beneath his skin rippled faintly like water in a stream, while the Foundation Establishment Potion continued to work its effects in every tiniest corner of his body.

After sleeping for who knew how long, Wu Tie slowly opened his eyes.

Old Tie stood beside him, blood-red light flickering in his eyes. On the huge light screen, the figure clad in white fitted armor was holding the same posture as Wu Tie.

A soft, sweet female voice quietly sounded. "Foundation Establishment Form, close the stance... exhale... inhale... exhale... inhale... slowly rise."

Following the figure's movements, Wu Tie slowly sat up, then naturally stood and straightened his back.

His physical condition had never been better.

Ever since he could remember, Wu Tie had been frail—extremely frail.

Forget training his body by carrying enormous stone locks like Wu Jin, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong. At his weakest, Wu Tie would be gasping for breath after merely walking a little faster, with pain tearing through his internal organs.

In the past few days, under Old Tie's direction, he had carried Old Tie all the way to the Ancient Divine Weapon Camp while undergoing the most basic Foundation Establishment training. Although his body had grown somewhat stronger, his muscles, tendons, and bones had been sore and badly swollen.

Not to mention transporting a thousand jin of prey flesh from outside the Ancient Divine Weapon Camp to this place. Wu Tie had nearly exhausted himself, and every inch of his body had hurt beyond measure.

But now, his entire body felt brand-new.

Every organ, every bone, every muscle, every tiniest nerve and vessel felt as though it had been soaking in hot water, warm and comfortable beyond compare.

Wu Tie began running instinctively.

He sprinted at full speed around the metal hall, which was nearly ten miles on each side and roughly forty miles in circumference.

His feet had become nimble and powerful. With every heavy stomp against the ground, explosive force drove his body rapidly forward.

His arms swung powerfully, his body balanced and harmonious. Even while sprinting at top speed, he could maintain his balance with ease.

His breathing was smooth, cool air flowing through his chest. Every breath came without the slightest discomfort or obstruction.

His heart beat steadily and forcefully. Wu Tie had already sprinted more than three miles at full speed, yet his heartbeat had only quickened slightly, and he felt no discomfort whatsoever.

Wu Tie suddenly recalled a technique Wu Tong had once shown off before him.

He shouted, his body sharply tilting as both feet slammed hard against the vertical wall. His body was nearly perpendicular to the wall and parallel to the ground. With several whoosh-whoosh-whoosh sounds, he ran forward more than a dozen steps before lightly dropping back onto the floor.

Both feet landed heavily. His body instinctively swayed nimbly from side to side, regaining near-perfect balance before he continued sprinting forward at full speed.

This was the Spider Step that Wu Tong had flaunted years ago after achieving modest success in his training—a technique for racing up steep, vertical rock walls like a spider.

Yet that time, Wu Tong had only managed seven or eight steps along his family's courtyard wall before falling flat. He had landed headfirst and been left battered and bruised, even bleeding from the nose.

Wu Tie had covered more than a dozen steps with ease. He landed lightly and nimbly, his footing steady and swift, without the slightest sign of awkwardness or strain.

"Father... Brother..."

Wu Tie abruptly stopped. Both hands clenched tightly into fists as he raised his head toward the glaring white ceiling and gritted his teeth hard.

This was strength?

Having strength felt wonderful!

Wu Tie was no longer that frail, windblown weakling, that useless cripple who would gasp for breath just from walking a little faster.

"Done being moved by yourself?" Old Tie's voice came from afar. "Then let the battle begin, hot-blooded boy!"

With a ding, electric light flashed across the ceiling above Wu Tie's head. A whirlpool more than a foot wide appeared in the ceiling like rippling water. A long shadow shot from it, grazing Wu Tie's nose before striking the floor and bouncing several times with a ding-ding-clang-clang.

It was a spear.

A spear forged entirely from metal.

The gray shaft was more than a foot taller than Wu Tie, while the sharp spearhead measured over a foot long.

Old Tie's voice sounded again. "I've already picked a weapon for you. A spear—I like spears... Men should all play with spears. Hahaha! Long spears kill enemies, short spears poke girls... Cough, cough..."

Old Tie coughed dryly a few times. "This mouth of mine... You didn't hear those last two lines. You didn't hear them."

Wu Tie paid no attention to Old Tie. His entire focus was fixed on the spear at his feet. Almost by instinct, he bent down, grabbed it in one motion, and tightly gripped the shaft.

The entirely gray spear bore no shine whatsoever, its surface densely covered in incredibly fine patterns. The shaft fit perfectly in his grip. His palm did not slip in the slightest when wrapped around it; it felt comfortable and natural in his hand.

The spear was neither too heavy nor too light. When Wu Tie swung it, everything felt smooth, natural, and incomparably comfortable.

This spear had been custom-made precisely according to Wu Tie's current height, build, and strength.

The moment the spear entered his hand, Wu Tie fell in love with it after only a few swings.

"What exquisite craftsmanship!" Wu Tie narrowed his eyes, studying the extremely fine patterns along the shaft. The spear appeared simple, but his instincts told him that it was crafted far better than the sabers Wu Zhan and Wu Jin carried.

Its material was also far, far superior.

"What nonsense. Craftsmanship?" Old Tie harrumphed. "This is the Ancient Divine Weapon Camp, the main base where Ancient Divine Weapons rested, healed, resupplied, and received support for prolonged battle... Naturally, the craftsmanship is top-tier."

Wu Tie gripped the spear excitedly and strode back to Old Tie's side.

He had already decided that he would never let this spear leave his side. It was his first weapon—the first weapon that truly belonged to him.

In the Wu Family, only warriors were qualified to possess weapons.

"Listen carefully." Blood-red light flickered in Old Tie's eyes as he stared fixedly at Wu Tie.

"If you want revenge, you must grow strong. You need Foundation Establishment Potions—more Foundation Establishment Potions." Old Tie roared, "But I can't help you anymore... So from today onward, you must hunt prey and gather materials yourself for every Foundation Establishment Potion you need."

"If you want strength, then fight like a real man, boy!"

Old Tie's tone turned extremely cold and rigid. "Fight without cease, grow stronger without cease, until the day you possess enough power to do what you want to do. Before then, don't you dare die."

Wu Tie stared blankly at Old Tie.

Old Tie's tone made him uneasy.

Before this, Old Tie had helped him hunt a thousand jin of flesh.

But now, Old Tie wanted him to hunt prey himself. He had to leave the Ancient Divine Weapon Camp, venture into the strange realm outside, and hunt those terrifying underground creatures.

"Think of your father... your brother..." Old Tie seemed to see the hesitation and fear in Wu Tie's heart.

Boundless fury and pain suddenly surged through Wu Tie's heart.

His mind could no longer hold a single other thought. He merely muttered, "Foundation Establishment Potion," then turned and strode outside.

He walked faster and faster, the fire and pain in his heart growing fiercer and fiercer. Wu Tie suddenly let out a roar and raced outside in great strides, gripping the spear in both hands. Behind him, two Metal Spiders the size of human heads followed from afar.

At the end of the passage, the white metal seal slid open like rippling water.

Wu Tie roared, stomped heavily with both feet, and actually leaped more than three meters into the air. His right foot kicked off the wall of the pit, launching him another two meters upward. He sprang directly out of the pit more than five meters deep.

His body landed heavily at the pit's edge. Wu Tie stood there dumbly for a long while before shouting in delight, "Strength!"

He could run this fast. He could jump this high.

This was strength!

He looked around and spotted a rock over ten meters away, about as tall as his calf. He strode over, casually set his spear aside, wrapped both arms around the stone—which was roughly two feet square—and heaved it up with all his might.

It was somewhat difficult, but Wu Tie resolutely raised the stone above his head.

He held it overhead for a full quarter of an hour before roaring and hurling it four or five meters away.

He gazed joyfully at his hands.

This was strength!

Before, it would have been impossible for him to even move such a large rock.

But after taking a Foundation Establishment Potion and practicing the Foundation Establishment Form, he had gained such tremendous strength.

"Father... Brother... I will avenge you. It won't be long now. I will definitely avenge you..."

Wu Tie clenched his fists tightly. He lowered his head to pick up the spear when a sharp hiss-hiss suddenly came from behind him. A massive force crashed into him as a Gray Rock Lizard nearly as tall as Wu Tie pounced, its two foreclaws slamming viciously onto his back.

This Gray Rock Lizard was clearly not yet fully grown. Compared to the massive adult Gray Rock Lizards, each as large as four or five Wu Ties, this one was still merely juvenile.

The juvenile Gray Rock Lizard's sharp foreclaws viciously tore at Wu Tie's shoulders, ripping away great chunks of flesh. Wu Tie howled in agony and slammed face-first into the ground. The Gray Rock Lizard landed atop him, its hind claws raking wildly over his thighs and calves, turning great patches of flesh to pulp and even exposing white bone on his lower legs.

This Gray Rock Lizard's hunting technique was terrible.

Had it been an adult with sufficient hunting skill, after one successful pounce, it would have clamped its fanged jaws around Wu Tie's nape. A single roll of its heavy body would have easily snapped Wu Tie's neck.

The juvenile lizard's four claws shredded Wu Tie's back to pieces. Blood covered the ground as Wu Tie roared and struggled desperately.

But his shoulders and legs had suffered severe injuries, more than half his strength drained away. Wu Tie had no strength at all to break free from the juvenile lizard's attack.

While frantically tearing at Wu Tie's body, the juvenile lizard opened its jaws and tilted its head, trying to bite down on Wu Tie's nape.

This was a hunting instinct born of bloodline.

The rich scent of blood wafting from Wu Tie's body was rapidly awakening the juvenile lizard's hunting talent.

Cold, sharp teeth touched Wu Tie's neck.

Wu Tie screamed. His right hand suddenly seized Chi You's Fang from his chest and stabbed backward with savage force.

With a pfft, Chi You's Fang pierced through the juvenile lizard's head, blasting a hole the size of a bowl through its skull.

Blood mixed with brain matter streamed out, splashing all over Wu Tie's head and face. His body twitched a few times, his vision went black, and he fainted.

Amid ding-ding sounds, two deathly pale Metal Spiders crawled out of the pit and quickly reached Wu Tie's side.

They circled Wu Tie twice, then opened their hard mouthparts, bit down on his long hair, and dragged him slowly across the ground.

The dead Gray Rock Lizard lay atop Wu Tie's back and was dragged with him toward the pit.

With a thud, Wu Tie and the Gray Rock Lizard dropped heavily into the pit. The gray-white metal ground wriggled, swallowing both Wu Tie and the Gray Rock Lizard.

Streaming blood left a long trail across the ground.