Preparation

The villagers had all turned to stone, staring blankly. Though they had long heard that Little Dot's physique far surpassed that of children his age, they had never imagined his fleshly body could be this monstrous. "Could he have used the mysterious power of Bone Script?" someone asked.

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

Boom!

Little Dot, Shi Hao, tossed the bronze cauldron onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. He swiftly retreated, avoiding the dust it raised. The tremendous crash made the villagers' hearts clench once more. What a true freak.

The result was unbelievable. A three-year-old child had lifted a cauldron weighing a thousand jin. Forget these nearby mountains—even at the far ends of the earth, such a child would be hard to find.

The villagers were all shocked. Even the clan chief, Shi Yunfeng, was startled. He had thought Shi Hao would not be able to lift that great cauldron at his current age, yet he had done it ahead of time.

"Is this real? How could Shi Hao, such a little fellow, possess such tremendous strength? I've never heard of a child like this."

"It truly is rather inconceivable. If he did not have a human body, I would have thought a cub of an ancient True Hou had wandered here!"

The villagers came back to their senses and began discussing it heatedly. The little fellow's performance had been like a thunderclap splitting the sky, making their hearts pound again and again as they were deeply shaken.

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

"Yes, Yunfeng, you've visited many powerful tribes. Have you ever heard of such a freak?" Even some of the elders could not remain seated, unable to resist asking. They were stunned by Little Dot's performance.

Shi Yunfeng said, "I once saw several unusual children in a large tribe with a population of several million. They were blessed by heaven, their talent enough to leave one dumbfounded. They were already very powerful at a young age, but I think they were still slightly inferior to Little Dot."

The villagers were stunned upon hearing this, then all burst into laughter. This was Heaven's lavish gift to Stone Village! A child who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the cubs of ancient vicious beasts—if he grew up, who knew how formidable he would become?! Stone Village would flourish because of him.

An elder analyzed, "How powerful are those great tribes? Experts stand as thick as forests there. They must be able to hunt unimaginably fearsome beasts and use the true blood of rare ancient remnants to temper and cleanse the bodies of those exceptionally gifted children. Otherwise, the gap between them and Little Dot might be even greater."

"The realms are boundless and the land vast beyond measure. Among those legendary super clans and within the territories of certain kings and lords, there may be even more formidable children. After all, the world is too vast; what we know is only one small corner of it," Shi Yunfeng said.

This martial exhibition delighted the villagers. The children were all strong and possessed tremendous potential. As for Shi Hao, he was an unexpected delight, his performance profoundly shocking.

When the crowd dispersed, several clan elders and important figures such as Shi Linhu did not leave. They continued their serious discussion, not yet finished with the topic at hand.

"If Shi Hao grows up, could he truly kill a True Hou barehanded in a one-on-one fight, even strike down a full-blooded adult Suanni? If even one of those legendary ancient vicious beasts emerged, it could easily wipe out a super clan!"

An elder doused the fire in his heart. "Potential in childhood does not mean one can truly become a peerless powerhouse. You must know that many geniuses withered in their youth."

Everyone fell silent, then nodded.

Shi Yunfeng furrowed his brow. "Come to think of it, Shi Hao was born in our village, so he is somewhat lacking from the start. His starting point is lower. We cannot provide him with the true blood of ancient remnants, nor the legendary mountain treasures and sacred medicines, as those great tribes can."

Shi Linhu said, "It is fine while he is still young, but if this continues, he truly will not be able to match the children of those great clans."

After thinking for a moment, Shi Yunfeng said, "From what I know, among the powerful clans at the ends of the earth, gifted children generally undergo their first important cleansing at the age of five. They are sealed inside bronze furnaces, and their bodies are tempered with many sacred medicines, ancient true blood, and the like, to increase their potential."

The others all sighed softly. This was only a village, after all. How could it compare to those great tribes? They simply could not obtain sacred medicines or the true blood of legendary ancient remnants.

"We will do our utmost. We'll try to kill some giant beasts, refine some precious blood, and slowly accumulate it in preparation for Little Dot's cleansing when he turns five," an elder sighed.

Shi Linhu frowned and raised another issue. "If we want him to stand shoulder to shoulder with those legendary, formidable children, then aside from laying a solid foundation for his body, his cultivation inheritance is also an important matter."

Clan chief Shi Yunfeng nodded. "I'll think of a way for that."

Everyone was immediately taken aback. They all knew that, back then, the clan chief had ventured far away with some tribesmen and entered the gates of many aristocratic families. In the end, at the cost of blood and life, they had brought back several bone books. Could those be comparable to the inheritances of super clans?

Of more than a dozen brothers who had shared life and death, only two returned, covered in blood. In the end, only the clan chief survived, though he had been left with hidden ailments throughout his body. He had never spoken in detail of those old events, and the villagers had never pressed him for answers.

What exactly had happened back then? Clearly, there was another hidden story.

In the days that followed, clan chief Shi Yunfeng was busy every day. He often brewed medicinal herbs, and the furnace in his courtyard never went out, the air thick with the scent of medicine.

"Grandpa Clan Chief, don't tire yourself out too much. You need to rest." Little Shi Hao had long eyelashes and was prettier than a little girl. He sensibly urged the old man to rest.

"It's nothing," Shi Yunfeng said with a smile, shaking his head.

The few clan elders, Shi Linhu, and the others who knew the truth did not tell Shi Hao much. He did not know that Shi Yunfeng was preparing for his cleansing at the age of five.

Under the slanting rays of the setting sun, the hunting party returned. Every man carried a wild beast over his shoulder. Though some were injured, they laughed and chatted all the way back.

The clan chief's stone courtyard stood at the entrance to the village. Shi Hao was standing before its gate when he saw the group returning.

"Uncles, you're back!" He raised his little face. Fair and tender, with clear, bright black eyes, he politely greeted the group.

"Come, these are your favorite berries. Your uncle specially picked them for you." Shi Linhu handed over an animal-hide bundle. When it was opened, it revealed a mass of crimson fruit, fragrant and fresh. Each plump berry was like a glistening red agate.

"Thank you, Uncle." Shi Hao blinked his big eyes and happily accepted it.

That evening, the villagers offered the beast carcasses in sacrifice before the Willow Tree. Once the ritual was complete, several spiritually endowed prey animals were carried into the clan chief's courtyard.

Before long, the scent of blood spread through the stone courtyard. Several fierce beasts lay there, blood flowing from their bodies as they gradually shriveled. One rune after another gleamed across them, mysterious and eerie.

Those were Bone Script, intertwining amid the blood like tiny streaks of lightning. Shi Yunfeng was casting an art, using mysterious power to refine and brew the essence from the beasts' blood, harvesting "blood medicine." After repeated tempering, less and less beast blood remained. In the end, each fierce beast yielded only a single drop, which fell into a jade jar. The blood droplets were crystalline and brilliant, shining like blood diamonds.

"According to the bone books, if there are enough sacred medicines, true blood, and other divine substances during the cleansing at age five, the foundation laid will have far-reaching consequences and determine one's future achievements," clan chief Shi Yunfeng murmured.

He did not want to waste Shi Hao's talent, nor did he want him to fall behind the geniuses of the super clans. He kept pondering how to gather the precious items required for his cleansing.

"Better to lack than to accept anything indiscriminately. Only true blood of high quality will be useful to Little Dot. Unfortunately, unusual breeds are too rare, and far too powerful to deal with," he muttered softly.