Genius

With a swing of his arms, he wielded eight thousand jin of divine strength. He was only a child, not yet four years old. The people of Stone Village had never heard of or seen anything like it. Every one of them stood dumbfounded, mouths hanging open. A crowd of people howled strangely as they rushed forward, lifted Little Dot up, and wildly squeezed him all over. Was he really not a young Suanni in human form?

"Little Dot, what are you made of?" Er Meng's father was exceedingly burly. With his huge mouth wide open, flashing a mouthful of snow-white teeth and glaring with eyes like bronze bells, he pinched and kneaded Little Dot all over.

All the burly men did the same, rough and uninhibited. Then the children began shouting too, rushing over to squeeze him from head to toe, only letting go after a long while.

Little Dot's entire body was white and crystalline, his divine radiance contained within. His soft black hair fell loose to his shoulders, his large eyes were lively, and he was brimming with spirit and vigor.

"Heaven truly favors our clan, to send us such a child!" An elder rambled on, trembling as he spoke, his excited lips quivering.

"Child, do you feel any discomfort?" Shi Yunfeng asked, afraid that some hidden danger had been left behind during Little Dot's transformation.

Little Dot answered earnestly in his childish voice, "No. I feel great, full of energy, like I have endless strength."

The old clan chief laughed heartily, finally putting his mind at ease. He pulled Little Dot over and looked him up and down, seeming to grow ten years younger at once; even the wrinkles on his face had faded considerably.

Afterward, Little Dot lifted the eight-thousand-jin Hou-Pattern Cauldron again and walked around the clearing with it. Though it was incomparably heavy, he did not gasp for breath. His divine strength was world-shaking!

When he set down the Hou-Pattern Cauldron, the earth quaked and the mountains shook. The ground trembled violently, making the villagers' eyelids twitch.

"With strength this great, forging you a weapon in the future will be troublesome." An elder beamed from ear to ear. No matter how one looked at him, he did not seem bothered by the trouble at all—he was delighted.

"Bring out the strongest bow in the village and let Little Dot try drawing it," Shi Linhu said with a broad grin.

It was a massive treasure bow made from rhinoceros horn. Unfortunately, it was too large. Little Dot drew it open at once, but his arms were not long enough to pull it fully taut.

"Good thing your arms are short. Otherwise, you'd have snapped this treasure bow." Shi Linhu wiped away a bead of sweat, and the villagers burst into laughter.

The villagers were all simple and sincere, their feelings written plainly across their faces. Though they were rough people, they gave off a warm feeling.

"Little Dot, come to Auntie's house for roasted meat today."

"Kid, you'll be four soon. It's time to think about arranging a marriage. What do you think of Lin Hu's daughter, Hu Niu?"

"We were talking about weapons. How did you drag us onto that?"

The villagers were all overjoyed. With a child like this, once he grew up, he would surely shake the four directions, protect this land, and bring Stone Village to the height of prosperity.

"Little Dot, though you have succeeded in your cleansing ritual and your strength has soared, you must never grow arrogant. You must know that this world has countless powerful beings, and all of them are immensely terrifying," the old clan chief warned sternly.

"Grandpa Clan Chief, I know!" Little Dot nodded seriously.

Shi Yunfeng was still somewhat uneasy and deliberately sought to temper him. "Legend says that in the ancient era, a divine ape did not even need to use its strongest treasure technique. The iron staff it wielded with physical strength alone weighed one hundred and eight thousand jin!"

The children were petrified, and the adults were even more shocked into clicking their tongues. This was too terrifying. Wielding a weapon and merely lifting a heavy object were entirely different matters. Just how much strength would that require?

Then the villagers had Shi Hao leap into the air to see how high he could jump. This time, he truly startled them. Little Dot jumped with all his might, rising more than thirty meters off the ground. With a boom, he crashed down like a spear, piercing the hard earth and shaking the ground until it split in all directions.

"Good heavens! When we go hunting in the mountains from now on, you should come along too. With your current strength, I think you could sweep aside giant beasts!"

His fleshly body had become immensely powerful. Little Dot's internal organs were crystalline, his bones translucent. Every part of him had undergone cleansing. Runes flickered and fused with his blood and flesh, transforming into divine radiance, no longer distinguishable from one another. Within every inch of his flesh was a point of light, like a deity. It was the manifestation of divine runes, constantly drawing in the creations of heaven and earth and bringing them into his body.

"Chirp chirp..."

Three young birds squeezed into the crowd, their scales shining as they flapped their wings. Their large eyes were full of spirit, as though they were about to speak. They were so strong that they shoved all the children aside.

"Roc, Little Green, Purple Cloud!" Little Dot shouted as he rushed over.

The three young birds were highly intelligent. They chirped without pause, rubbing their heads against his arms in great affection, expressing their joy. For more than half a month, they had remained before a stone cave behind the village, guarding their mother, and only occasionally came to the front of the village to play with Little Dot.

"Auntie Azure-Scaled Eagle should be all right now, shouldn't she? She took Grandpa Clan Chief's medicinal powder, as well as the true blood from the Li-Fire Bull Demon's treasured horn. She'll definitely make a complete recovery," Little Dot asked worriedly. He had been undergoing his cleansing ritual these past two days and did not know how the Azure-Scaled Eagle was doing.

"When we dismembered the ancient relic's treasure body, we already sent her plenty of Suanni flesh and blood. She should be working hard to refine the essence blood now," the clan chief said.

They had only managed to seize the Suanni treasure body because the Azure-Scaled Eagle had fought desperately in the mountain range, bathing in blood and risking its life. Without it, they could never have returned laden with spoils. Naturally, Stone Village would not forget its kindness and achievements. Under the villagers' careful care these past days, the dying fierce bird had slowly escaped danger. It had simply been too weak before; taking part of the horn's true blood to purge its poison was already its limit, or it would have been too weak to withstand such nourishment. Only now had it gradually recovered, and only after Stone Village had opened the Suanni treasure body did they send it true blood and chunks of meat from the ancient relic.

"Having eaten more true blood and treasure flesh from an ancient relic, it might gain enormous benefits," Little Dot said.

A cry tore through the sky like lightning striking down, piercing metal and splitting stone, making everyone's eardrums ache. A massive fierce bird, its entire body flowing with azure treasure light, rose from behind Stone Village. It blanketed the sky, circled above them once, then shot toward the depths of the mountain range.

"It's recovered. Is it leaving?" Little Dot waved hard and shouted, "Goodbye, Auntie Azure-Scaled Eagle!" A long cry came from afar in response. In the blink of an eye, the fierce bird vanished into the clouds.

"It may be about to break through and has gone to find a place for secluded cultivation," Clan Chief Shi Yunfeng said gravely.

"Break through?!" A crowd of people looked uncertainly toward the distant clouds. If its strength advanced another step, it would surely be stronger than Bei Village's Fierce Bei.

Then the villagers rejoiced greatly. The Azure-Scaled Eagle and they were already companions who had faced life and death together, and it had entrusted its three children to them. The stronger it became, the more beneficial it was to Stone Village.

"You've all grown another round!" Little Dot said with a smile.

The young birds had each grown to three meters long. Their scales glowed with treasure radiance. These past two days, they too had been eating the flesh and blood of the ancient relic, gaining immense benefits and becoming increasingly intelligent.

"Clan Chief, when will we undergo the cleansing ritual?" The children stared eagerly. Seeing Little Dot become so powerful, they were all deeply envious and no longer feared the excruciating pain to their flesh.

"We'll begin now. But you certainly cannot endure medicine that potent, so it must be diluted!" Clan Chief Shi Yunfeng said.

At once, Stone Village became busy again. One great cauldron after another boiled, and the precious blood of the ancient relic was put to full use. Everyone in the village would benefit.

That day, Stone Village was filled with cries like ghosts wailing and wolves howling. Though the children clenched their teeth and endured it, the agonizing pain still tormented them beyond bearing, and they kept screaming.

After sunset, everything ended. Some of the young adults also consumed some flesh and blood, but like the children, they could not devour large amounts or undergo cleansing rituals. Ordinary people simply could not withstand it.

Only two days later did Stone Village finally settle down. The remaining treasure flesh and true blood were sealed away to be slowly refined, with not a single portion wasted.

After several days of processing, Clan Chief Shi Yunfeng brought out a palm-sized piece of lustrous white bone. It was the Suanni's brow bone, the piece that bore the primordial rune. It had taken all the village's grown men several days and nights of arduous grinding to remove it.

Fortunately, after the brow bone had produced the rune, it was no longer connected to the rest of the forehead bone. It had long since separated and formed an independent piece of bone. Otherwise, they could not have budged it in the slightest.

The clan chief said with utmost solemnity, "Little Dot, for the next few days, do nothing else. Imprint this rune firmly in your heart. After some time, the vitality in the treasure bone will fade, and the rune's mysterious mark will no longer be visible. It will merge into the bone and can only become a treasure artifact; you will no longer be able to obtain its treasure technique."

It was like the beast-fang string from Bei Village. The runes had condensed into the lustrous white beast teeth, and their most mysterious depths could no longer be observed. They could only become a beast-fang treasure artifact, with no treasure technique to be gained.

Hearing this, Little Dot nodded seriously. That day, he did nothing else, holding the lustrous white bone fragment as he studied it carefully, his eyes unblinking and his attention utterly focused.

Though it was only one rune, it represented an entire race. Its treasure technique was world-shaking. The mark shifted constantly, like stars in the sky, flowing without end—complex and mysterious. Not until deep into the night did Little Dot forcibly memorize its various transformations and brand them into his heart.

"Grandpa, I remember it. But the Suanni's treasure technique is too intricate. I can't understand it all at once," Little Dot said honestly.

Shi Yunfeng was speechless. If one could understand it immediately, one could reproduce the divine might of an ancient relic. No one could achieve that; it required time to comprehend and digest.

"Take it slowly. Sooner or later, you'll understand it. For now, first thoroughly comprehend that treasure technique of the ancient demonic bird. Remember: biting off more than you can chew will leave you unable to digest it!"

"Grandpa, I understand!"

Two days later, group after group of powerful figures hurried toward the great mountains. They were heading into the mountain range. There were tribes riding silver unicorn horses, young lords flying close to the ground atop giant beast bones, and formidable figures riding flood dragons through the sky.

"Grandpa, look! This village's sacrificial spirit is so strange. How can it be an old willow tree scorched black by lightning? It only has one tender branch left."

A snow-white feather five or six meters long flowed with pure white radiance, incomparably sacred. Standing atop it were an old man, two youths, and two beautiful little girls. They were as lovely as elves, their eyes shimmering and their glances radiant.

"What a strange sacrificial spirit. It still hasn't died after becoming like that, with only one tender sprout remaining. It must be extraordinary. After being struck by lightning, it gave birth to an incomparably powerful new life-force. It must be a rare supreme treasure. None of you are allowed to fight me for it—that willow branch is mine!" A five- or six-year-old child leapt from the flood dragon while still more than ten meters above the ground.

"What kind of village is this? How can it have such a sacrificial spirit?" Among another group, a youth stared in surprise at the charred Old Willow Tree.

"There's something strange about it. It suffered a great calamity and was reborn amid destruction. That lone tender sprout must be a supreme treasure!" someone else said.

"You all want to fight me for it? Go ahead and try. Let's see who is the number one genius!" the child who had jumped from the flood dragon sneered.

"Fine, then let's have a match. This time, we'll wager treasures. Don't bring out anything unless it's precious blood capable of remolding one's body!"

Then a group of adults stopped as well. Strange light gleamed in their eyes as they stared at the Old Willow Tree. Not only did they not object to the children fighting, they even intended to bring out precious blood to encourage them.

"Fight! Let's see which among you is the favored child of heaven, and who will rule the rise and fall of this land twenty years from now."

"But don't go killing someone else's sacrificial spirit at the drop of a hat!"

Several adults spoke. All of them were terrifying experts renowned throughout this land.

Tonight, we're charging the rankings. The update will come at midnight. Awoo! It's the weekend now, and we're only first on both rankings. Brothers who are online tonight, make sure to come then! We have to start the week at number one on both rankings!