Cultivation

This is too difficult; how could a child possibly achieve this? Even adult experts couldn't manage it. Without using the secret power of bone inscriptions, how many possess such a formidable physical body?

"I will work hard and achieve this in the shortest time possible." Little One nodded earnestly, his gaze filled with determination.

From this day on, Shi Hao began his arduous training. Occasionally receiving guidance from the Willow Deity, he diligently tempered his body and strengthened his sinews and bones.

Shi Lin sat cross-legged atop a giant boulder, golden light radiating from his entire body. Wisps and specks of light slowly drifted outward, making him appear like a deity...

"Rumble!"

The earth trembled, and dust filled the air.

"My goodness, what is Little One doing? He lifted a Dragon-Horned Elephant and ran out from the mountains?!"

Early in the morning, a group of children stood dumbfounded. If they hadn't been paying attention, they would have thought a massive beast was charging toward Stone Village. Looking closer, they saw it suspended off the ground, struggling incessantly.

Beneath the Dragon-Horned Elephant was a little fellow, carrying its massive body with its four legs pointed toward the sky, sprinting toward Stone Village. Every step he took caused the ground to shake violently.

Dragon-Horned Elephants are incredibly massive, each weighing tens of thousands of jin. Their bodies are covered in scales, and they possess a pair of enormous dragon horns, making them extremely ferocious.

Yet, at this moment, Little One had subdued one and was carrying it back as he sprinted. The rare birds and strange beasts drinking by the beautiful lake were all startled, raising their heads to stare in disbelief.

The children had been practicing by the clear, azure lake, but they all stopped, shocked and excited. This was truly astonishing—he hadn't hunted and dragged it back, but had captured a tens-of-thousands-of-jin Dragon-Horned Elephant alive and carried it back on his shoulders. It left everyone speechless.

With a "thud," Little One threw the Dragon-Horned Elephant at the village entrance. The group of strong men who had heard the commotion immediately swarmed it, dispatching the massive prey on the spot.

"Squeak!" Furball jumped from Little One's shoulder onto the elephant's head, chirping incessantly as if declaring that this prey belonged to him.

"Little One, your strength is terrifying!" A group of children surrounded him, chattering with excitement and longing, their expressions clear for all to see.

"Just practice diligently," Little One said, scratching his head in embarrassment. Because he had been running while carrying such heavy prey, he was panting slightly, his little face flushed red like a large apple.

"Child, well done. You are now our village's number one hunter, haha..." The group of adults laughed heartily, patting him on the shoulder.

The next day, the earth shook and the mountains swayed. Little One ran back again, once more carrying a massive Dragon-Horned Elephant, the tens of thousands of jin of weight making the ground tremble with every step.

With a loud "thud," he dropped it at the village entrance, once again causing a stir. The children practicing by the lake were startled into coming over to watch, and the adults mobilized once more.

The third day, the fourth day...

Half a month later, when Little One sprinted back carrying another Dragon-Horned Elephant, the children no longer lost focus, and the adults were incredibly calm, busy with their own tasks. Only the two uncles responsible for processing the prey stepped forward efficiently to handle it.

People had grown accustomed to it. After half a month of this, they had gone from initial shock to numbness, quickly adapting.

"Little One, there's too much meat. We can't finish it, and eating Dragon-Horned Elephant meat every day is getting sickening," one child complained.

The two "calm uncles" who were processing the prey also looked up, speaking concisely: "Indeed."

"Squeak..."

Furball protested. He was the only one who didn't find it sickening. Over the past half-month, he had eaten more than half a Dragon-Horned Elephant every day; his appetite was enough to scare people to death. Despite being only the size of a fist, his stomach was like a bottomless pit, capable of devouring an entire mountain of roasted meat.

"It's fine, give whatever we can't eat to Furball. Starting tomorrow, I'll catch a different kind of beast. It's not good to keep catching Dragon-Horned Elephants; we'll wipe them out," Little One said, scratching his head sheepishly.

Over the next two months, Little One caught a completely different giant beast every day, all weighing tens of thousands of jin and shockingly massive.

During this time, the village chief personally prepared a special meat stew for him every day, using ingredients like Dragon-Tendon Snake to strengthen his sinews and nourish his body, supplemented by various ancient herbs. His strength was skyrocketing.

Stone Village sat by the lake, and the clear, azure water was home to many Dragon-Whisker Fish, which were also rare creatures that enhanced strength. The villagers went into the lake almost every day to catch several of these spiritual, tens-of-jin fish. Their golden scales shimmered and their dragon whiskers were crystalline; their essence blood was so precious that even large clans considered it a luxury.

These naturally ended up in the children's stomachs, and their strength grew rapidly.

Little One, in particular, had an extraordinary physique, so the villagers prepared special meals just for him. His strength was practically skyrocketing, and he had used every ancient recipe recorded in the village.

One must know that these ancient recipes were no ordinary items. The villagers hadn't understood it in the past, but now they realized that they had been incredibly glorious in the ancient era and had once produced deities. These ancient recipes had been accumulated over long ages; how could they be anything ordinary?

Fortunately, the Willow Deity had found them a treasure land, which not only solved the problem of food shortages but also allowed them to find various spiritual creatures. They could find traces of almost all the materials recorded in the ancient recipes, and the meat stews and medicinal powders brewed this way had miraculous effects.

Three months later, Little One could lift a fifty-thousand-jin weight. Without using bone inscriptions, relying solely on his physical body, his divine strength was world-shaking, especially considering he was only a little over six years old.

"Seventy miles away, there is a group of chaotic stone waterfalls. You can go there to train. Additionally, I have an ancient recipe here—a recipe for building a foundation for the cubs of Primordial Ferocious Beasts," the Willow Deity transmitted his voice, informing Little One of an ancient recipe.

Little Shi Hao was instantly stunned. A recipe for Primordial Ferocious Beasts—the old herbs and living creatures required were so astonishing that even a super tribe with tens or hundreds of millions of people probably couldn't produce them.

Not to mention the rare medicinal treasures, even the essence blood and precious bones of descendants were hard to obtain. Yet, this was to be something he had to consume daily? How could Stone Village possibly provide that? Those things were too shocking and incredible.

Why were Primordial Ferocious Beasts so powerful? Even as cubs, they were so heaven-defying, far surpassing the mundane, almost like myths—this was inseparable from such things!

"Willow Deity, we cannot find these things," Little One whispered, lowering his head.

"It is of no matter. Aside from the main ingredients, you can use ordinary things as substitutes," the Willow Deity transmitted.

"And the main ingredients..." Little One's eyes widened; he understood what the Willow Deity meant.

"You are raising this Zhu Yan; you can't let it just eat and drink for free. Let it offer a drop of blood every other day to serve as the main ingredient," the Willow Deity said.

"Ao..." The fist-sized golden Zhu Yan had its fur standing on end. It stopped chirping and instead let out a howl, its large eyes wide and glaring indignantly at the Willow Deity.

"Furball, I'll take you to the Primordial Divine Mountains to eat medicinal treasures later. For now, you have to help me..." Little One grabbed him and shook him vigorously.

"Brother Lin, let's go train together!" Little One said.

"Alright!"

"Squeak..." The golden Furball wailed, one hundred and twenty percent unwilling. Dozens of miles away, stone mountains stood side by side, and violent waterfalls hung from them. Perhaps these could no longer be called waterfalls, but rather mountain floods, the rumbling sound enough to deafen one's ears.

Three great rivers converged, rushing through the chaotic stone mountains. Below was a low valley, forming a vast cliff. The water was violent, as if cascading from beyond the heavens. Waterfalls were everywhere, and chaotic stones tumbled down incessantly.

Arriving here, let alone climbing against the current, even just approaching it made one tremble with fear. The vast mountain floods were too terrifying, and many of the giant rocks swept down by the current weighed thousands or even tens of thousands of jin. With the force of the water falling from such a height, how fierce would that impact be? It was soul-stirring.

This was the new training ground for Little One and Shi Lin. He had to climb up the sheer cliff against the mountain torrent, braving the impact of falling boulders, which was clearly extremely dangerous.

"Boom!"

As soon as Little One entered beneath the waterfall, he was flipped over by the white waves. The waterfall cascaded down from a cliff hundreds, even thousands of meters high, and its force was far too violent.

Shi Lin experienced the same when he entered, though the fierce waves caused him slightly less damage, perhaps because his strength was greater.

Little One did not lose heart. He stood up, his hands gripping the rock like iron pincers, held his breath, and began to climb, step by step, with extreme difficulty.

The white waves submerged him, and one could only see a protruding white spray of water against the cliff face, for the water's force was too fierce and vast to be resisted by ordinary human strength.

"Thud!"

A boulder weighing over a thousand jin fell, crashing toward Little One. The sheer speed and ferocity made one's heart tremble.

Even though he was submerged by the white waves, he sensed it and quickly dodged to the side. Although he avoided the crashing boulder, he stumbled and, with a loud rumble, was swept away by the current.

Little One leaped out of the water, performing a perfect carp-spring.

"Are you alright?" Shi Lin asked.

"I'm fine!" Little One replied.

"Little One, let's work hard together!"

"Yeah!"

This was only the beginning. The ultimate training required them to climb the broken cliff against the mountain torrent, braving the vast waves and boulders weighing tens of thousands of jin crashing down from above. This was destined to be a difficult and terrifying journey of cultivation.

When the sun set, Little One returned to the village covered in wounds. No matter how powerful his physical body was, it was difficult to remain unscathed when facing such a terrifying waterfall of debris.

His body was covered in blue and purple bruises, a sight that made one's heart ache. In his past training, he had never been injured, and the clansmen, seeing this, opposed him undergoing such a dangerous trial.

Shi Lin also bore wounds, looking no better off than Shi Hao.

They had visited the scene, and the terrifying spectacle was more dangerous than charging through an army of thousands. A boulder falling from such a height carried a force far exceeding ten thousand jin; if it truly struck someone, they would surely be crushed into pulp!

"It's okay, I must work hard to break through to the physical limits achievable by a Primordial Vicious Beast of the Heavenly Tier as soon as possible." Little One blinked his large eyes, his gaze resolute.

"Right, we must work hard!" Shi Lin said.

Beneath the ancestral Black Cauldron, the flames blazed fiercely. The cauldron was already boiling, and various old herbs, Dragon-Tendon Snake, golden centipedes, and Dragon-Whisker Fish had long since dissolved, emitting a unique fragrance.

"Only the main ingredient is missing," the old village chief said, looking at the golden Zhu Yan the size of a fist.

Furball's fur glowed, his large eyes darting around as he prepared to flee, but he was grabbed by the well-prepared Little One. "Furball, will you help me, please?" Little One whispered.

"Furball~," Shi Lin said with a cutesy, affected tone.

The golden Furball let out a miserable shriek, torn by conflict. Finally, he covered his eyes with one small claw and, steeling himself, bit down on the pad of his other small claw.

Everyone laughed. Furball kept crying out as if he were being slaughtered, covering his eyes and reluctantly dripping two golden beads of blood into the cauldron.

With a boom, the walls of the Black Cauldron glowed. The liquid inside boiled, emitting a roaring sound. There were echoes like the chanting of gods, and grand sacrificial hymns resonated, shocking the villagers into a daze.

The cauldron walls shone, and carved images emerged: towering mountains, the sun and moon in motion, and ancient ancestors offering sacrifices to heaven. The sounds were grand, sacred, and solemn.

It was as if they had returned to the ancient era, listening to the chants of the gods.

On the cauldron, the Chi Dragon, Pixiu, and other Primordial Vicious Beasts appeared lifelike, exuding a fierce aura as if they were about to leap out from the walls, making one's soul tremble.

This was truly astonishing; the cauldron seemed to possess a spirit!

"This is... a supreme treasure!" The old village chief's voice trembled. The ancestral medicine cauldron was unexpectedly this extraordinary.

Crystalline liquid appeared on the inner walls of the cauldron like drops of dew. Though sparse, they emitted a refreshing fragrance that made one feel invigorated, with every pore on their body opening up.

Using the golden blood of the Zhu Yan as the main ingredient had a shocking effect, causing the ancestral ancient cauldron to awaken and produce such phenomena, leaving the group stunned.

The old village chief had heard of certain secrets and legends. "This cauldron is priceless," he said. "It has brewed rare medicinal treasures for years, and the cauldron walls have continuously absorbed the medicinal properties, integrating them within. Now, the golden blood of the Zhu Yan has fallen into it, causing it to resonate."

The cauldron boiled, the pale golden medicinal liquid fragrant and accompanied by sacrificial hymns and the chanting of gods, appearing mysterious as if a furnace of divine medicine were about to be born.

"Good, good, good!" A group of village elders trembled, reaching out with wrinkled hands, wanting to touch the cauldron that was so miraculous.

The dew slid down the cauldron walls and merged into the boiling liquid, making the fragrance even richer. The clansmen stared, watching closely.

"This is the 'Medicine Root,' nourishing this furnace of liquid!"

This cauldron had brewed many treasures in the past and was saturated with medicinal properties. The droplets appearing on the walls were the "Medicine Root" accumulated over long years, which could enhance the quality of the liquid being brewed.

A cauldron capable of producing a "Medicine Root" was surely a priceless treasure, worth more than any jewel. At this stage, it had become spiritual, capable of autonomously absorbing the essence of heaven and earth and adhering it to the cauldron walls. This Medicine Root was a combination of accumulated medicinal properties and the essence of heaven and earth, with infinite miraculous uses.

Sure enough, after the Medicine Root slid down, the pale golden liquid became even more fragrant. The liquid was crystalline and bright; one sniff made one feel refreshed, with skin and bones feeling clear and comfortable.

"This can already be considered a furnace of precious medicine!" Shi Linhu exclaimed, hardly able to believe that a mere village could refine such a liquid.

The children couldn't help but drool. The medicinal broth was so fragrant they longed to take a sip immediately, feeling as if their tongues were about to melt into the nectar.

"Squeak, squeak..."

Furball was also restless, jumping up and down and nearly falling into the cauldron before Little One hurriedly grabbed him.

"Although we are only a village and lack the blood of Primordial Remnants, precious bones, or many rare spiritual herbs, the medicine refined with this cauldron and the golden blood of the Zhu Yan is not inferior," Shi Feijiao said, clenching his fists in excitement.

Little One had not hidden his background from the villagers, and having told them his story, the others sighed, cheering him on and hoping he would rise rapidly in the Great Wilderness.

Shi Yi, with the talent of an ancient sage and a divine being, had even obtained the Supreme Bone. He was destined to far surpass ordinary geniuses. Born in an ancient kingdom and nurtured by the strength of an entire clan, he would surely be terrifying.

Even the villagers knew of him; with such a peerless opponent, anyone would feel uneasy, and they naturally hoped Little One would soar to the heavens as soon as possible.

"That little brat Shi Yi is in the house of a prince, able to mobilize infinite resources. He won't lack the blood of archaic remnants or rare spirit medicines. If he continues to grow like this, it is truly terrifying."

He is now over nine years old, nearly ten. One need not guess to know that he is destined to hang above the ancient kingdom like a brilliant divine sun, dazzling and the focus of all eyes.

Shi Linhu snorted and said, "Our Stone Village is not bad either. With this Ancestral Cauldron, the medicinal soup we refine is no weaker than anyone else's; we will certainly be able to contend." "Indeed, that glorious ancient kingdom originated from Stone Village; it walked out from here. Now, we start over from the beginning to see which lineage's genius is truly formidable, and whether the people of the ancestral land are stronger." The village elders, acting like children, refused to admit defeat and told the villagers to rummage through their chests and cabinets to find every ancient object passed down by their ancestors, hoping to discover something extraordinary.

With a "boom," the medicine cauldron vibrated, spewing out sheets of rosy light. The blood of the Zhu Yan dyed the entire cauldron a pale gold, and the medicinal liquid boiled violently.

The area was filled with swirling mists and flowing colorful rays, looking gorgeous and beautiful. The fragrance was refreshing, making one feel as if they were about to transcend and ascend.

"So fragrant!" Everyone gulped, swallowing their saliva in anticipation, while the group of children twitched their little noses incessantly.

The cauldron walls shone brilliantly, and the sacrificial chants of the ancestors echoed once more, incomparably grand. Archaic fierce beasts and birds appeared ferocious, and the gods were blurred, all shedding light in a mysterious and unfathomable display.

The medicine cauldron shuddered, and the fire beneath it extinguished automatically. The pale golden medicinal liquid was ready!

"Squeak, squeak..." Before Little One and Shi Lin could move, the golden Zhu Yan could no longer hold back, preparing to "start the feast," eager to have a taste.

"Furball, this medicine was refined using your blood as the main ingredient. Do you really want to drink your own blood?" Er Meng asked.

This left Furball in a dilemma, scratching its head and cheeks, but it could not resist the temptation of the medicinal fragrance. It snatched a porcelain bowl from a villager, scooped up the liquid, and began to gulp it down.

"You're even drinking your own blood?"

"Squeak, squeak..." Furball chattered incessantly, meaning that it was no big deal—it just wanted to.

When Little One drank a bowl of the golden medicinal liquid, he immediately felt as if a flame had surged from within his body. His whole body glowed, followed by a profuse sweat. In an instant, he looked as if he had been fished out of water; mist steamed from his body, rosy light overflowed, his skin became crystal clear, and his bones crackled.

The medicinal potency was truly too great, giving him an immediate and obvious sensation. His limbs and bones felt as if they were being tempered; all the stagnant blood in his body receded, the bruises and welts healed rapidly, and the bones within him shone with a pearly white light.

Wisps of essence emerged, turning into clusters of light mist that submerged Little One, only dispersing after a long while.

"How is it?" A group of clansmen watched with bated breath.

"The effect is incredibly good," Little One said.

The village chief scooped out another bowl and handed it to Little One to drink. One must properly regulate the body when tempering the physique during childhood, otherwise, it would leave behind hidden ailments and cause great trouble in the future.

Afterward, the village chief also scooped a bowl for Shi Lin.

Clearly, the two of them could not finish such a cauldron of medicinal liquid, so the group of children all held up small bowls to receive their share, quickly pouring it into their mouths. However, their physical bodies were far behind those of Little One and Shi Lin; they had barely swallowed a large mouthful before rosy light sprayed from their mouths and noses, as if they were on fire.

"Awoo..."

The group of children scrambled and jumped, charging toward the lake together. With a series of splashes, they dove into the water, otherwise, their bodies would have felt as if they were burning up.

That night, none of them found peace; having drunk only half a bowl, they soaked in the lake until dawn.

The cauldron of medicinal liquid was boiled into a thick concentrate, with the majority entering the stomachs of Little One and Shi Lin, while the rest was shared by the children and adults. Naturally, the three young birds were not left out; all of them glowed, feeling incredibly feverish. It was a sleepless night.

Little One, however, slept very sweetly. His internal organs were crystal clear and his bones were white, as if he had been thoroughly cleansed. When he woke up in the morning, he found his body covered in a sticky substance—all of it expelled from within.

He picked up a set of clean clothes, placed them by the lake, and dove in with a splash, immediately startling a group of children whose eyes were as red as rabbits'.

"You're really early," Little One greeted.

"Wuu wuu... we haven't slept yet," the group of children said miserably. However, they were not tired; on the contrary, they were full of energy, otherwise, they wouldn't have been soaking there.

"Oh, carry on then. I'm going to train." A new day began, and after breakfast, Little One ran toward the cluster of rocky waterfalls.

Days passed, and Little One and Shi Lin left early and returned late.

The waterfall was like a galaxy, deafening as it cascaded down from the rocky mountain. Little One braced himself against the white, surging waterfall, climbing upward with great difficulty.

"Bang!"

When hundreds of pounds of rocks rolled down, he no longer dodged, letting them strike his body as he gripped the rock wall and climbed higher. In just three months, he had forged a body of bronze and iron.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a boulder weighing several thousand pounds rolled down from above. Although it did not fall from the highest point, the momentum as it rushed down with the waterfall was astonishing. It weighed thousands of pounds, but the impact force upon collision would be at least tens of thousands of pounds.

Little One was submerged by the white waterfall, leaving only a protruding white dot on the cliff face. However, his spiritual sense was extremely sharp, and he sensed the danger. Yet, this time he did not dodge, instead relying on his physical body to take the hit head-on.

With a "thud," the boulder fell and struck his back, emitting a dull sound. White waves surged into the sky, a vast expanse of white.

Little One did not circulate his Bone Text, but his body possessed a crystal-clear luster, emitting a hazy radiance as he received the blow with his physique. He succeeded!

His body shook violently, and the hazy treasure light receded. Although his back was in intense pain, his bones and tendons were unharmed. He had withstood it—truly astonishing!

This was the result of several months of hard work, daily tempering his body. He did not need to circulate his Bone Text; his skin and flesh automatically emitted a layer of treasure light. This was the power of pure blood energy, protecting him of its own accord.

"Is this the true meaning of the Blood-Moving Realm that the Willow Deity spoke of?" Little One whispered to himself.

What the Willow Deity said and the current name of the realm were the same, but the results of the cultivation were completely different; it measured progress by the standards of archaic fierce beasts.

Just like that, day after day, month after month, Little One left early and returned late, covered in wounds every day. But with the ancient prescription from the Willow Deity, he frequently refined medicinal soup, and after drinking the pale golden concentrate, he would recover in an instant.

He remained delicate and handsome, his little face fair and tender, his large eyes full of spirit, but his physical body grew increasingly powerful. When attacked, his blood energy rolled like a surging celestial gale, and his skin and flesh were crystal clear. Ordinary boulders striking his body would be directly deflected, unable to harm him in the slightest.

In the blink of an eye, nearly a year of training had passed, and Little One was about to turn seven.

When Shi Lin was ten years old, he successfully broke through the ten-thousand-pound limit, stepping into the peak of the Blood-Moving Realm!

In the early morning, at the rocky waterfall cluster, Little One held a boulder weighing tens of thousands of pounds with a single arm, climbing with one arm and two legs, bracing against the vast waterfall and the falling mountain rocks as he ascended.

"Thud!"

Stones tumbled and crashed down, yet they could not force him back; his figure remained steady, and like a divine ape, he surged upward, neither the surging waves nor the massive boulders able to knock him down.

Finally, he climbed onto the rocky mountain and stood there, his entire body glowing with a precious light; this nearly year-long cultivation had caused a terrifying transformation in his physical body. He had been capable of this feat as early as a month ago, and his recent efforts had merely been for consolidation.

"Rise!"

Above the vast waterfall, a small figure faced the morning glow, lifting a hundred-thousand-jin boulder, his whole body radiant, his flesh exuding a precious light.

This scene shocked the nearby beasts into roaring and fierce birds into striking the sky, all of them trembling, terrified by that small figure.

In the morning glow, that small figure was brilliant, radiating a terrifying aura like a young deity standing atop the waterfall, his entire being imbued with an indescribable charm.

Only the cubs of heaven-tier archaic fierce beasts could achieve this; the hundred-thousand-jin limit—Little One had broken through to this stage!

He was only one month behind Shi Lin in achieving this breakthrough!