Life returned to its peaceful rhythm. The only difference from before was that the village now had a monkey as gluttonous as Taotie. In just half a month, it had stolen from every household in the village. Fortunately, all it stole was food; otherwise, they would have slaughtered it long ago.
Jade Lake was clear, and golden fish leapt from its waters now and then. A group of children sat cross-legged on the shore, beginning their daily cultivation.
It had been more than a year since Stone Village was unsealed. Over the past year, Bai Yixin's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. Like a butterfly breaking free from its cocoon, he could lift a boulder weighing fifty thousand jin with his physical strength alone.
Little One, Shi Hao, had also grown stronger under Bai Yixin's encouragement. His physical strength was no less formidable, and he soon followed suit, breaking through to fifty thousand jin of strength.
During this time, Bai Yixin had made rapid progress in Bone Text. The old patriarch had collected a pile of ancient books, and Bai Yixin had studied them thoroughly. As he and Little One discussed them together, their understanding continued to deepen.
But once the two of them had mastered these Runes completely, there were no other Bone Books left to study, so they began researching Treasure Techniques.
One was the Primordial Demon Bird's original Runes, the Silver Moon Precious Technique. The other was the great divine ability of the Golden Suanni—a Lightning Precious Technique powerful enough to make a clan of tens of millions burn with envy.
As they urged each other on and improved together, both of them seemed to be on the verge of sublimating to the utmost, as if they were about to break through into another realm.
But Bai Yixin knew full well that they had yet to reach the pinnacle of the Blood-Moving Realm. There was still plenty of room to advance.
Shi Yunfeng hadn't let them do so, either, because Bai Yixin and Shi Hao were cultivating too quickly. At such young ages, they had already traveled a path that many people couldn't complete in a lifetime. It was hard to believe.
He felt that, at this stage, Bai Yixin and Shi Hao needed to build a solid foundation. They could wait until the Willow Deity revived and ask for its advice.
"It's said that in the ancient era, the young of the strongest vicious beasts could lift divine iron weighing a hundred thousand jin with nothing but their physical strength! I believe Little One and I can do it too!" Bai Yixin said.
Shi Yunfeng and Little One had grown accustomed to the astonishing secrets Bai Yixin shared. Over the past year, the villagers had come to believe the rumors that Bai Yixin was an Immortal Reincarnation.
No matter how outrageous the things Bai Yixin said, the people of Stone Village believed him now.
"That's right. Don't rush to break through. Do your best to raise your physical strength to a hundred thousand jin as soon as possible. That threshold of the pinnacle will benefit you greatly." The Willow Deity, silent for a year, suddenly spoke.
"The Willow Deity has revived!" the old patriarch cried out.
"I'll do my best!" Bai Yixin and Little One said together.
Little One blinked his big eyes, then suddenly clenched his tiny fist and timidly asked the Willow Deity,
"Willow Deity, can you help me see what's in my subconscious? I want to know what happened back then."
"Yes." The Willow Deity answered with just that one word.
The charred willow trunk began to emit a hazy mist that spread outward, like primordial chaos. The entire world seemed to fall silent, as if it had returned to the time before heaven and earth were created.
Everyone was shaken. In the past, only a single willow branch had shone, but now even the broken trunk had changed, producing such an astonishing sight. They couldn't help but retreat.
The villagers also moved away, leaving only Little One at the head of the village. The mist gradually enveloped him until he was but a hazy silhouette, difficult to make out.
Watching as the mist slowly swallowed Little One, Bai Yixin's expression turned complicated, but he said nothing.
The Willow Deity naturally couldn't miss the change in Bai Yixin's expression. It had long known of his extraordinary nature, which was plain from the cultivation methods he had given the people of Stone Village. But the Willow Deity made no move.
Since the Willow Deity wasn't one to pry, Bai Yixin had gone from being on tenterhooks at first to simply letting things be, displaying his unusual abilities without a care.
After all, in the eyes of a great being like the Willow Deity, he was as good as standing naked—he had no privacy at all. He couldn't exactly stop using his golden finger, so he might as well use it openly in front of the Willow Deity.
The Willow Deity was a good person. Bai Yixin believed this without a doubt.
Well, as long as it didn't go rummaging through his memories. That would be like checking his browser history; Bai Yixin wanted to preserve what little dignity he had left.
As for Bai Yixin being remarkable, well, he only knew a little about the plot of Perfect World and could bring out a few things from other worlds. Apart from that, he didn't seem to have any exceptional qualities beyond those of an ordinary person.
He had neither a Supreme Bone from birth nor Double Pupils that could see through all things. The only things Bai Yixin could rely on were grinding away, putting in one hundred percent effort, earning money, exchanging it in the shop for various divine artifacts, divine abilities, secret techniques, and resources, then grinding his proficiency higher and higher. Only then could he catch up with the geniuses of this world.
Perhaps it was only natural that he lacked confidence in his talent. He thought of himself as an ordinary person with no extraordinary bloodline, and he hadn't even been born and raised in this world.
But that wouldn't stop Bai Yixin from growing. It could only make him work harder.
The Game Panel let Bai Yixin clearly see his own progress.
And when even the slightest improvement could be displayed, the motivation it unleashed was unimaginable.
People always said that hard work was bound to pay off, but... was that really true?
Yes, the prerequisite for getting something in return was putting something in. If you didn't work hard, you were certain to get nothing.
But was it really that people didn't want to work hard? No. More often than not, they simply couldn't see any hope.
Things were different now. This Game Panel, his golden finger, wasn't all that overpowered, but it had given Bai Yixin that glimmer of hope—the hope that he could make his dreams come true.
That hope filled Bai Yixin with boundless motivation. He faced every day with endless enthusiasm, and the conviction in his heart grew firmer and stronger.
The chaotic mist dispersed, and the head of the village grew clear and peaceful once more. A streak of Golden Light darted back and forth before a round, golden Furry Ball the size of a fist landed on Bai Yixin's shoulder, chittering nonstop.
Once the mist had cleared, Little One appeared, his face streaked with tears.
The patriarch and a large group of people crowded around him. Seeing the tears on Little One's face, they all tried to comfort him.
"Little One, this is your home. Whether or not you know your own background, we're still your family," said a group of middle-aged women.
"Little One." After the villagers had left, Bai Yixin called out to him.
"Brother Little White."
"Would you be willing to tell me about your background?" Bai Yixin sat beside the willow tree and patted the spot next to him.
"Mm." Little One nodded firmly.
The tale of an older brother digging out his younger brother's bone unfolded slowly.
Bai Yixin fell silent. As he listened to Little One's account, a fragment buried deep in his memory stirred.
Double Pupils were an invincible path; why borrow another's bone?
"Little One."
"Here!" Shi Hao answered.
"Are you confident you can go and demand justice?" Bai Yixin asked.
Shi Hao froze for a moment.
That Stone Kingdom ruled over boundless lands stretching for millions of li. Its territory was vast beyond measure, and its population numbered in the hundreds of millions. It was sure to be teeming with geniuses, with extraordinary heroes emerging generation after generation.
His "older brother" was an especially dazzling sun among them, destined to light up the entire land. Born with Double Pupils, his talent was on par with ancient Saints and divine beings. And on top of that, he had gained Shi Hao's Supreme Bone. If he grew to maturity, he would be like a Heavenly God!
But... so what!
"Yes!" Shi Hao answered firmly after a moment.
"Good. The title of Supreme isn't decided by a mere bone. Every Supreme's name is forged in blood and bone!" Bai Yixin said with a smile, ruffling Little One's hair.
"So what if he has Double Pupils? I'll fight my way to the summit and become an immortal!"
Above their heads, the glowing tender branches swayed gently, seeming to take great comfort in the lofty ambitions of the two children.
Before you continue