The ten-thousand-jin Black Cauldron stood in the middle of the crowd.
The white-haired elders deftly opened sealed pottery jars. Without the slightest reluctance, they poured in all kinds of precious medicines, ancient spring water, poisonous insects, and even spirit creatures that they had treasured for years, stirring them together into a mysterious medicinal liquid.
The old chief, Shi Yunfeng, held a sharp Bone Blade and carefully butchered the Old Suanni, whose entire body seemed cast from gold and shimmered with divine radiance. Golden blood gurgled from its savage wounds and flowed into the cauldron. Not a drop was wasted.
The true blood of an Ancient Relic was immensely valuable. It held abundant divine energy and fragments of divinity inherited from its ancestral emperor, making it an excellent ingredient for medicine.
Beside him, two other elders were butchering the enormous Devil Ape and Separated Fire Bull Demon. Black, crimson, and gold—the three kinds of powerful true blood tangled together, clashed, and eroded one another, before finally blending.
The children nestled in their mothers' arms, peeking at their uncles' busy work from behind them. Even the most mischievous Pihou knew that what was happening before him was no ordinary affair.
Before long, a cauldron of seven-colored medicinal liquid, wafting with a strange fragrance, appeared before them all.
The instant the mysterious liquid took shape, the ancient-looking Black Ancient Tripod changed as well. Every pattern on its surface seemed to come alive.
Vast expanses of sun, moon, and stars appeared, along with the phantom images of ancient mountains and rivers. A True Hou roared, a Pixiu raged, and one ancient forebear after another stepped out of the scenes. They sat cross-legged in the void, chanting scriptures and offering praise to an enigmatic being.
"It seems the Ancient Tripod passed down in our village is quite extraordinary..."
A glint passed through the cloudy eyes of several elders. They looked thoughtful.
"This is the foundation-building medicinal liquid recorded in our clan's ancient formula. It was made using the complete Treasure Bodies of three Ancient Relics, along with over a thousand secret medicines. But its medicinal properties are too potent, so only you, Little One, can undergo the baptism first."
"Once your baptism is complete, we can dilute the liquid and use it to bathe the other children in the village. After all, their foundations can't compare to yours."
After placing a pair of Golden Beast claws into the Black Ancient Tripod, Shi Yunfeng let out a long breath and turned around. "Little One, get in."
Shi Hao nodded lightly and leaped in without hesitation. He sat cross-legged in the cauldron, his bearing solemn and dignified. Streams of vast, pure divine essence rushed into his body through every pore and patch of skin, almost frenziedly.
"Seal the cauldron!"
At the old chief's wave, several men worked together to lift the millstone-sized Black Ancient Tripod lid and seal the enormous opening tight.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Several strange roars rang out, and the heavy lid was jolted upward.
The faint, looming images of three ferocious beasts came into view: a miniature Old Suanni, Devil Ape, and Separated Fire Bull Demon. Their soaring ferocity had not diminished.
"Something's wrong! The divine imprints of the Ancient Relics have awakened. Little One is in danger!"
"Open the medicine cauldron at once! The few of us will work together and use Bone Text to disperse the remaining divinity!"
The old men's expressions changed in unison. They rushed forward with an agility that belied their age.
"Good, then let's—"
Shi Yunfeng's expression was just as grave. He nodded firmly.
"Boom!"
At the same time, the lid was jolted high into the air once again.
"You've come all this way. Why the rush to leave?"
A soft laugh rang out. A fair little hand shot out like lightning, seized the three terrified phantom beasts with wild force, then swiftly pulled them back into the cauldron.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
As the lid settled completely into place, a flurry of frantic beastly roars erupted from inside the cauldron. Desperate and shrill, they soon faded away entirely.
"..."
For a moment, the old men stared at one another.
"Uh, I think... I think Little One should be safe for now, right?"
One of the young villagers couldn't bear the eerie atmosphere any longer. He craned his neck and spoke in a timid voice.
"He's safe, he's safe. Of course he's safe..."
The old chief, Shi Yunfeng, shook his head reflexively and answered in a peculiar tone.
After witnessing this, the elders finally set aside their worries for Little Shi. They sat down casually and waited patiently.
After all, a foundation-building baptism was an exceedingly long process.
Seven days and seven nights later.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous crash, the Black Ancient Tripod jolted violently. Surging blood qi billowed out like rolling smoke, condensing into a crimson pillar of light that shot into the sky.
"Look, Little One has finished his baptism!"
The villagers rose as one, their eyes burning as they stared at the figure in midair.
"Cave Heaven, open for me!"
At the heart of the crimson pillar, a figure like a youthful Heavenly Deity stood in midair. Amid waves of divine sound, he clenched his fists and cried out in a clear, spirited voice.
His cry rang out, and the void shattered.
Five enormous Grotto-Heavens rumbled into view above his head. Like ancient volcanoes spewing forth, they ceaselessly drew in the boundless essence of heaven and earth.
Faintly, a sixth, smaller, illusory Grotto-Heaven appeared.
Perhaps it had emerged too soon, or perhaps its reserves had been exhausted. In any case, after struggling fiercely for a moment, the illusory Grotto-Heaven could only fade away in frustration.
Five Grotto-Heavens had fully formed!
"Willow Deity above, what am I seeing? Five Grotto-Heavens! I remember that after years of roaming the outside world, the chief only just managed to open five, didn't he?"
"Exactly. By rights, once you've opened five Grotto-Heavens in the Cave Heaven Realm, you can start building up your strength and prepare to break through to the next realm."
"A Divine Son! Our village has produced an unparalleled Divine Son!!"
At the sight of this astonishing spectacle, all of Stone Village erupted!
In the Desolate Region, opening four or five Grotto-Heavens qualified one to attempt Spirit Transformation.
Six Grotto-Heavens made one a genius; seven, a peerless prodigy of the age; eight, a supreme prodigy, rare in the world. Nine existed only in ancient texts and had not appeared in ages. Ten brought one close to godhood, the province of beings from the Mythological Era.
Nearly every villager rushed toward the small figure as he descended, expressing their warmth and joy in the unique manner of the Great Wilderness.
Well, whether he accepted it or not.
At last, the commotion died down.
Once they had calmed themselves, the elders used the medicinal liquid left over from Little Shi's baptism to prepare a diluted version of the foundation-building medicine and bathe the village's other children.
One Pihou after another was forcibly caught by their fathers from every nook and cranny, then casually stuffed into one Ancient Tripod after another. They grimaced and hollered as the whole lot of them underwent foundation-building together.
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one.
Just as another broad-shouldered auntie shoved her way through the crowd, parting it like no one was there as she came to plant a demon's kiss on him, Little Shi had no choice but to turn and flee.
To think that Shi Hao, a dignified cultivator of the Cave Heaven Realm, had fallen into such a state. What a sad and lamentable fate!
"Willow Deity, my foundation-building baptism is complete."
At the village entrance, beneath the charred willow tree, Shi Hao vigorously wiped the spit from his face.
"Not bad. I saw it all."
Beneath the Willow Deity's calm words lay laughter she could not conceal.
Shi Hao: "..."
P.S. Actually, there's no need for everyone to send this book red packets.
First, it wastes money and doesn't help much. It only increases the number of dead bookmarks—people who won't read the book.
Second, I'd rather see how good I really am. I don't want the artificial boost from red packets to blind me.
Third, editors don't judge a book's performance by its bookmark count alone. They care more about daily active readers, retention, and paid subscriptions. They compare a book against itself—today against yesterday. Even if a book's initial paid subscriptions are low when it goes on sale, a high conversion rate can still earn it more recommendations later.
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