"To our first-place winner, cheers!" The banquet was in full swing. Old Red Spear raised his cup high, his face already flushed as he shouted.
Hurray!
His words set off a chorus of cheers. Everyone raised their cups and clinked them together in the air.
Gulp, gulp...
They drank heartily, liquor running down their chests. The blazing sunlight and the men's bold spirits made this coconut grove feel scorching and virile.
Chu Yun set down his cup and drew a deep breath, savoring the fragrance of the fine wine and the cool sea breeze against his face. His heart swelled with delight, as if his chest had expanded many times over.
The sky was blue and the air crisp. Tall coconut palms stood on the snow-white beach, their trunks orange, leaves deep green, and fruits like gold. Each tree resembled a towering pagoda. The seaside scenery was breathtaking. This was the Copper Bell Coconut Forest, tended by Old Monkey Qiao.
After Chu Yun took first place in the second test, Old Red Spear was the first to suggest holding a celebration banquet.
The coming-of-age ceremony had three tests. Chu Yun had now won two in a row, and even if he came in last in the final one, nothing could change the fact that he would take first place overall.
At this point, his admission to Heavenly Song Academy was all but certain.
So when Old Red Spear proposed a celebration banquet, everyone immediately chimed in.
Old Monkey Qiao went a step further, bellowing, "It wasn't easy for that kid Chu Yun to win. I'm going all out today! Everyone, come to my place and drink Coconut Milk Wine!"
The mood around them soared even higher.
At the mention of Coconut Milk Wine, Old Red Spear licked his lips, while Old Fish King's eyes lit up.
Seeing the Three Elders so fired up, Chu Yun had no choice but to nod.
"Now that's a fine drinker!" Old Red Spear cried happily when Chu Yun downed his fifth cup in one go. The old man treated Chu Yun like his own grandson. Seeing Chu Yun make him proud by taking first place, Old Red Spear grew merrier with every drink.
"Old Red Spear, what a needless thing to say. Which man of our Shu Clan can't hold his liquor?" Old Monkey Qiao burped and burst into laughter.
Though Chu Yun's surname was Chu, he had inherited Shu Family Island's fierce and bold nature to the bone. Just look at how he'd beaten Shu Er senseless at the Earth Altar—vicious and merciless. It had been a sight to warm the heart.
The All-Star Archipelago revered strength and admired the strong. On Shu Family Island, those values were taken to the extreme. People looked down on Shu Er, lying on the Earth Altar and wailing over his defeat. But they had gained a new appreciation for Chu Yun, who was both wise and courageous.
Once the crowd that had watched the fight dispersed, Chu Yun's fame would spread across all of Shu Family Island. As for Lady Shu, Shu Da, and Shu Er, they would become clowns, serving as foils to a hero.
"By the way, I've taken care of selling that Immortal Pouch for you." As Old Red Spear spoke, he handed over a pouch of Earth-Fiend Stone Coins.
Chu Yun took it and weighed it in his hand. He could tell there were at least eight hundred Earth-Fiend Stone Coins inside.
His heart leapt with joy.
The Immortal Pouch was spoils from the spy he'd helped eliminate from the Remnant Wolf Pirate Group. Along with it, he'd received nearly a thousand Earth-Fiend Stone Coins. It had been a bountiful haul.
But later, hatching the Heavenly Fox Egg had cost far more than he'd expected, leaving him with barely any of his nine hundred-plus Earth-Fiend Stone Coins.
Chu Yun was now utterly broke, without a coin to his name. And the eggshells he used to feed the Heavenly Fox were almost gone. From now on, he'd have to support the Heavenly Fox entirely with his own resources. These eight hundred-odd Earth-Fiend Stone Coins truly were charcoal in a snowstorm.
As he tucked the pouch of Earth-Fiend Stone Coins into his clothes, some of the weight on Chu Yun's heart lifted.
"There are still three days until the third test. I plan to head into the forest and train during that time, raising my Demon Beast's cultivation." Chu Yun told everyone what he had in mind.
"You're going to train in the forest? ... That'll do." Old Red Spear considered it for a moment, then voiced his approval.
In truth, Chu Yun had only one Demon Beast, a Fire Fox with eight years of cultivation. Venturing alone into the forest on Shu Family Island would be a stretch, and dangerous besides.
But Chu Yun's recent performance had made them see him in a new light. They all chose to trust him.
"Mm, an eight-year Fire Fox is indeed a little weak. When are you setting out?" Old Monkey Qiao set down his cup and asked with concern.
"After the banquet, I'll sort out my gear and head out. I'll spend the night in the forest," Chu Yun replied.
"So soon?" Wu Datou asked in surprise.
"I've always been well prepared. How could I be rushing?" Chu Yun smiled calmly. His confident smile was as bright as the sun, putting everyone at ease. His spirited enthusiasm was infectious.
"Young people have it good!"
"Chu Yun, do your best. If you run into trouble, come to us anytime."
"You know how to strive and never let up. Just like the island lord when he was young!"
The Three Elders sighed, memories of days gone by rising in their minds.
"When the island lord was young, he was so spirited. It seemed there was nothing in the world he couldn't overcome. Heh, heh, heh."
"The island lord made a name for himself at just sixteen. They called him the 'All-Star Fierce Tiger.' He crushed the younger generation. A true young hero!"
"Alas... Ever since that accident, the island lord lost his left arm, and his Demon Beast, the Raging Sea Tiger, died. He's been down ever since."
"People say a tiger without fighting spirit is no different from a sick cat. The island lord has supported all of Shu Family Island these years, but this old man still wants to see him as he was then—spirited, surveying the four seas!"
Everyone sighed without end. When they spoke of Chu Yun's adoptive father, the island lord Shu Tianhao, their words were filled with hope, pride, and regret.
Chu Yun fell silent as well.
Losing his left arm had dealt Shu Tianhao a devastating blow. People said the once-mighty All-Star Fierce Tiger had lost his claws and fangs and posed no threat anymore.
"No! I believe in the island lord! Who hasn't hit a low point in life? He'll rise again. He'll regain his fighting spirit and command the respect of all. I believe that day will come, sooner or later!"
Amid the sighs, Wu Datou spoke with conviction. His face brimmed with reverence and admiration whenever he mentioned Shu Tianhao.
He was an orphan of war. When his life was hanging by a thread, Shu Tianhao had arrived and saved him, then brought him back to Shu Family Island to raise him. From then on, he had followed Shu Tianhao's lead, serving him with unwavering loyalty. If Shu Tianhao told him to climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of fire, he wouldn't hesitate for a moment.
"You don't know. That scene is etched deep in my mind. I'll never forget it for as long as I live." As he recalled being rescued as a child, deep emotion welled in his eyes, moving everyone.
"The fire was raging, blazing and surging, roaring up into the sky! I thought I was going to die. Then, at that very moment, a figure cleaved through the sea of fire!"
"He held a gleaming blade. Flames curled around him, as if even they were cowed by his presence and didn't dare run wild. His build was as mighty as a mountain, like a heavenly god descending from the sky!"
Wu Datou had drunk too much. His face was red, and he mumbled incoherently. His eyes seemed to pierce through time, glistening with tears and filled with longing and admiration.
Chu Yun sighed inwardly. Suddenly, he understood something.
In his previous life, his adoptive father Shu Tianhao had died at the hands of the pirate Remnant Wolf. In this life, Chu Yun had given him an early warning, so he ought to be able to change some things.
But that wouldn't be nearly enough. Even if he eventually managed to "wipe out the Remnant Wolf Pirate Group and keep his adoptive father Shu Tianhao alive," that still wouldn't be enough.
Shu Tianhao was alive, yet he was as good as dead. Without his left arm and his fighting spirit, he was no longer the All-Star Fierce Tiger.
He was holding the whole island together only because of the responsibility on his shoulders.
Nothing more.
To truly bring Shu Tianhao back to life, he had to rekindle his fighting spirit! He had to let the "All-Star Fierce Tiger" rise again!
But that would be difficult. Truly difficult.
Changing a person's heart was far harder than destroying them.
Chu Yun suddenly felt a heavy burden settle on his shoulders. In a sense, awakening the All-Star Fierce Tiger might even be harder than being reborn himself.
Chu Yun's rebirth had been physical. His heart had never changed; he remained the same, forever full of fighting spirit and unyielding resolve.
But Shu Tianhao's heart had already died.
To truly bring Dad back to life won't happen in a single stroke. Nor can a few words change him. The only right path is to lead by example and gradually influence him through my actions! Chu Yun's eyes flickered as countless thoughts raced through his mind.
No feast lasts forever. After the celebration banquet ended, Chu Yun used his newly earned eight hundred-odd Earth-Fiend Stone Coins to buy plenty of pills and supplies.
Once he had made his preparations, he went to take his leave of the Three Elders.
"By the way." Chu Yun had already started away, but seemed to suddenly remember something. He stopped and turned back. "Has there been a problem with the Jade Sea Kelp in Grandpa Red Spear's salt fields lately? I just thought of a way we could try to save it."
The salt fields were planted with vast stretches of Jade Sea Kelp. This kelp absorbed moisture from seawater and separated out the salt. It was the heart of the entire salt-field operation.
But some time ago, large patches of Jade Sea Kelp began to sicken and die. Only later did they discover that it was a strange epidemic. By the time they developed a targeted formula, the disease had already spread across the entire All-Star Archipelago, causing tremendous economic losses. Salt prices had skyrocketed during that period, throwing the whole market into turmoil.
The formula Chu Yun had in mind was the one developed later, capable of curing the disease at its root.
At first, he hadn't wanted to mention it.
The reason was simple: the benefits were small, and the drawbacks great.
Shu Family Island didn't rely on salt fields as a major industry. If every salt field across the All-Star Archipelago was stricken with the disease except for Shu Family Island's, people would inevitably suspect that Shu Family Island was behind it.
Even if those suspicions had no basis whatsoever, anger over their tremendous losses would blind many people.
Even if that didn't lead to the islands rising up against them, there would still be people scheming by every means to get their hands on the cure.
For Old Red Spear and Shu Family Island alike, the drawbacks outweighed the benefits.
But the insight he'd gained at the banquet had just changed some of his plans. He understood that this epidemic would bring both immense danger and immense opportunity. At his current strength, he couldn't seize it.
Even if he did manage to seize it, he couldn't hold on to it. It would only bite back and leave him worse off.
But if he couldn't do it himself, perhaps his adoptive father Shu Tianhao could.
Could this dangerous opportunity be enough to awaken him?