Divine Strength (Please Vote and Favorite)

Time slipped by unnoticed. In the blink of an eye, two years had passed, and Little One was already three and a half. He had a name of his own now—Shi Hao. When he was just over a year old, he could only run after the older children, but now, at three and a half, his physique was astonishingly strong. He often ran wild through the village alongside a whole group of older children.

Shi Lin, who was three years older than Little One, was now six and a half. He was unquestionably the foremost among the village's young people. Three years ago, he could already lift a thousand-pound boulder; now he was even more formidable.

At that moment, people crowded around an open space in Stone Village, packed in so tightly that no one could squeeze through. The men, women, and children of the village had gathered to watch the boys practice their martial skills.

A group of children, their upper bodies bare and their muscles taut, sparred in pairs, sweat flying everywhere. Some could even swing copper hammers weighing over a hundred pounds, sending them whistling through the air.

They ranged in age from six or seven to twelve or thirteen. Every one of them was like a little ferocious beast from the mountains, with boundless strength and astonishingly sturdy, muscular bodies.

"Look, that's my boy! He's only six, and he can use a hundred-pound slab of bluestone as a shield. How many can match that? He'll surely grow into a remarkable hero of the Great Wilderness!"

"My boy's the one who's impressive. Look, he's drawn that rhinoceros-sinew bow, the kind only an adult can pull, all the way back. One day, he'll surely kill a mighty True Hou with a single arrow and bring down an adult Pixiu."

The villagers were simple folk, but when they gathered together, they still enjoyed boasting about their children and comparing them. A few burly men clenched their big, fan-like hands into fists and waved them around, beaming with pride.

The village women were all smiling from ear to ear, too. These children were truly exceptional, every one of them bursting with energy and strength. Stone Village would surely grow stronger because of them.

"Moo..."

The bellow of a Reckless Bull shook the village.

"Look! Er Meng's only eight and a half, and he's actually flipped a Reckless Bull over! What a remarkable boy!"

A huge, blue-black Reckless Bull stood in the field, its hide gleaming like black satin. It let out a thunderous bellow, but the moment it went berserk, a boy who wasn't especially tall wrestled it to the ground. The sight drew gasps of admiration.

"At least all that effort hasn't gone to waste. Every so often, the clan elders give them true blood from ferocious beasts and precious bone-tonic herbs to temper their bodies. It's made a huge difference."

"The children are all strong. Maybe a few of them will grow into great heroes who can venture out and drive those powerful primordial creatures in the depths of the mountains fleeing for their lives."

With a loud thud, a scrawny boy in the distance hurled a stone mill. It flew more than ten meters.

"Hey, Pi Hou is years old, isn't he? He looks so skinny, yet he's got that much strength. You really can't judge a book by its cover."

"Of course. Just look at whose boy he is! I named him Shi Zhonghou. He's destined to leave the mountains and go to some renowned, prosperous tribe to become a marquis and king."

The grown men all bragged to one another, each convinced his own child was extraordinary.

"Rumble!"

The earth shook violently, and dust billowed into the air. Everyone's attention was drawn over. The crowd stared in astonishment—someone was going to lift a cauldron!

In the middle of the open space stood a bronze cauldron weighing over a thousand pounds, decorated with designs of birds and beasts and bearing an ancient air. Its walls were thick, lending it a heavy, imposing presence. People often grabbed its legs to lift it, polishing them until they were as smooth as mirrors. A Vermilion Bird pattern was branded on the surface.

"Little Shi Jiao can't manage it. He nearly threw out his back just now, and all he did was lift the cauldron a little off the ground. You're still too young—you won't be able to lift it for another four years." One of the adults teased him.

A thousand-pound bronze cauldron wasn't something to handle carelessly, or someone could get hurt. Ordinary children couldn't possibly lift it, and they were usually forbidden from going near it. It was simply too heavy.

"Let me try!"

A very strong boy stepped forward. He looked about twelve or thirteen. Grabbing one of the cauldron's handles and one of its legs with both hands, he strained with all his might. The massive cauldron shifted and lifted off the ground, but then came crashing down again with a boom, kicking up a cloud of dust.

He had obviously failed, but luckily, the boy wasn't hurt.

"Let me try too!"

Another boy came forward. He had just wrestled a Reckless Bull to the ground. His name was Shi Meng, and he was the second child in his family. His nickname was Er Meng. He was indeed thickset and powerfully built, though only eight and a half years old.

With a hum, the bronze cauldron left the ground. He gradually raised it into the air, leaving everyone astonished. He was only a child, yet he had managed to do this. It was truly remarkable.

"Boom!"

Unfortunately, he couldn't raise it over his head. His arms were already trembling, so he tossed it away with a rumble. It struck the ground and gouged out a pit, sending dirt and sand flying.

With someone having taken the lead, the other children were eager to try as well. One by one, they stepped forward to test their strength against the cauldron. But no one managed to lift it.

At last, a tall, broad-shouldered boy with thick eyebrows and bright eyes stepped forward. His name was Shi Dazhuang. He took a deep breath, grabbed one of the cauldron's handles and one of its legs, and heaved it up in one swift motion, raising it above his head.

His arms trembled slightly, and his legs wobbled a little, but he had succeeded. The adults were amazed. He was only nine years old, yet he could be called a born strongman!

"Da Zhuang, well done! You're sure to achieve great things one day!"

"He's only nine! I don't think anyone his age within thousands of miles can match him. He's sure to become one of the strongest people in this region!"

The adults were naturally generous with their praise. They also encouraged and praised Er Meng, who had nearly succeeded and possessed astonishing strength.

"I'll try too!" Shi Lin rushed out of the crowd. He had a distinctive kind of beauty: a sturdy build, fair skin, sword-straight brows, and bright eyes. He stood tall and straight, and at six and a half, he was already 1.3 meters tall.

Shi Lin calmly walked up to a black cauldron weighing five thousand pounds.

"Look! Shi Lin's going to lift that five-thousand-pound giant cauldron!"

"If Shi Lin can lift it, he'll surely achieve great things in the future!"

Shi Lin gripped the cauldron's handle, braced his legs, and slowly summoned his strength in a peculiar stance.

"Rise!" Shi Lin shouted.

The giant cauldron actually lifted off the ground. Shi Lin had raised it!

"Shi Lin is incredible! He's so young, yet he's already this strong—stronger than his father, Shi Linhu, was at the same age!"

"Lin is mighty!"

The clan elders smiled. All the effort they had invested over the years hadn't been wasted. They had often used the true blood of ferocious beasts to temper the children's bodies, and now the results were showing. Stone Village would surely produce some formidable people one day.

Shi Linhu was grinning from ear to ear.

"Little One, why are you craning your neck? You want to give it a try too?" one of the adults teased.

In the crowd, a little fellow was looking around curiously. It was Little One. He had a name now—Shi Hao. He was still so small that he had to stand on tiptoe and push his way forward just to see the older children lifting the cauldron.

"That's right. They say Little Hao is astonishingly strong. He's a little young, but why not give it a try? Don't lift the cauldron yet; start with the stone weights."

Someone nodded. "My boy says Little Hao is no weaker than the others. I never believed him, so this is the perfect chance to find out. Little One, come and give it a try."

Shi Hao was three and a half. His dark hair fell to his shoulders, and his large black eyes were bright and lively. His skin was fair, and he was a pretty, adorable child.

Little One looked toward the clan elders. They all smiled, and Shi Yunfeng said, "Go ahead. I'd like to see how strong you are now, too."

"Ya-heh!" Shi Hao was tiny, so his voice naturally sounded childish when he exerted himself. Yet he lifted a huge stone roller with ease.

"Not bad at all!" The villagers all nodded.

Then he picked up a stone mill and hurled it with all his might. With a whoosh, the heavy stone implement flew sixty or seventy meters, as easily as an ordinary stone.

With a boom, the mill slammed into the ground, leaving a deep pit. Sand and gravel flew everywhere, dust surged into the air, and the ground shook violently.

Everyone stared, speechless.

Next, Little One suddenly ran toward the blue-black Reckless Bull. He gathered his strength in a flash, grabbed one of its horns, and threw it to the ground.

He had used a great deal of skill in his movements, but it was still enough to show just how astonishing his strength was. Everyone present sucked in a sharp breath. The villagers felt as if they were watching a little ferocious beast unleash its fury—a sight that struck straight to the heart.

One had to remember that little Shi Hao was still very young. He was the shortest person in the crowd and looked like a white porcelain doll. It was hard to imagine such a child possessing brute strength.

As the crowd watched in stunned silence, Shi Hao walked toward the cauldron. He was too short to grab its handles, so he crouched and braced the bottom with both hands. Then he heaved with all his might. With a rumble, the bronze cauldron rose off the ground, and he lifted it above his head.

Everyone was dumbstruck, scarcely able to believe their eyes. This was only a three-and-a-half-year-old child, yet he could lift a thousand-pound cauldron. It was simply astonishing.

What was he? He was practically the child of a Golden-Winged Dapeng, or perhaps the offspring of a pureblood Pixiu King. Little Shi Hao was comparable to a true young primordial ferocious beast.

The villagers were petrified, some staring blankly. They had heard that Little One's physique far surpassed that of children his age, but they still hadn't expected his body to be this monstrous.

"Could he have used the mysterious power of Bone Text?" someone asked.

"No. I saw it clearly. That was pure physical strength," said Shi Linhu, the leader of the hunting party.

"Boom!"

Little One, Shi Hao, threw the bronze cauldron onto the ground, raising a cloud of dust. He quickly retreated, avoiding the billowing cloud. The tremendous crash made the villagers' hearts clench again. This child was truly a monster.

The result was hard to believe: a three-year-old child had lifted a thousand-pound cauldron. He would be hard to find even at the farthest reaches of the world, let alone in the mountains nearby.

Shi Lin had lifted a thousand-pound stone at the age of three and a half, making him Stone Village's foremost child. Little One had done the same. What, then, would the future hold for Stone Village?

The villagers were all shaken. Even the clan chief, Shi Yunfeng, was startled. He had thought Shi Hao was still too young to lift the great cauldron, never imagining he would manage it so soon.

"Can this be real? How can little Shi Hao be so strong? I've never heard of a child like this."

"It really is hard to believe. If he weren't human, I'd have thought the cub of a primordial True Hou had wandered in!"

The villagers came back to their senses and began discussing it among themselves. The little fellow's feat had been like a sudden bolt of thunder across the sky, leaving everyone's hearts pounding and their minds deeply shaken.

"Chief, you've been to some prosperous regions. Have you ever seen a child like this?"

"That's right, Yunfeng. You've visited many powerful tribes. Have you ever heard of a monster like him?" Even some of the elders couldn't sit still. They couldn't help asking, shocked by Little One's performance.

Shi Yunfeng said, "I once saw a few extraordinary children in a great tribe with a population of several million. They had heaven-gifted talent that left people staring in amazement, and they were already powerful at a very young age. But I think they still fell a little short of Little One."

The villagers stared blankly at his words, then burst into laughter. This was a great gift from Heaven to Stone Village! A child who rivaled the young of primordial ferocious beasts—what wouldn't he achieve once he grew up?! Stone Village would flourish because of him.

An old man offered his opinion: "Those great tribes are incredibly powerful, with experts as numerous as the clouds. They must be able to hunt terrifyingly powerful ferocious beasts, using the true blood of rare Primordial Remnants to temper and cleanse the bodies of those gifted children. Otherwise, the gap between them and Little One might have been even greater."

"The countless domains are vast beyond measure. The territories of those legendary super-tribes and some of the nobles may hold children even more extraordinary. The world is simply too vast; what we know of it is only one small corner," Shi Yunfeng said.

The martial practice had filled the villagers with joy. The children were all strong and had enormous potential, and Shi Lin had especially astonished everyone. As for Shi Hao, he was a surprise beyond anyone's expectations, and his performance had been breathtaking. When the crowd dispersed, several clan elders and important figures like Shi Linhu stayed behind, still discussing the matter intently. Their earlier conversation had not yet ended.