Intimidation

The moment Shi Yi stepped out of the great hall, he noticed a spider behind a nearby stone pillar swiftly turn and leave, while another remained where it was, watching him cautiously.

Clearly, someone was keeping him under surveillance. As soon as they saw him leave the hall, one immediately went back to report.

Recalling Old Golden Spider's earlier warning, Shi Yi understood. In all likelihood, these two spiders had been sent by the Pure-Blooded Creature whose place he had jumped the queue to take.

To be precise, that Pure-Blooded Creature's elders had probably tacitly approved as well. After all, the Blood Pool Baptism was immensely important, a rare opportunity to undergo a transformation. Who could accept having it snatched away by a human who suddenly appeared midway?

If the Pure-Blooded Creature that had lost its place could prove itself stronger than Shi Yi, it would have a chance to reclaim what belonged to it.

As for an elder personally stepping in to suppress Shi Yi, that was impossible. Old Golden Spider and Azure Demon Black-Eyed Spider now held Shi Yi in great esteem, regarding him as their hope for resisting the coming catastrophe in the Desolate Region. Any spider that bullied him with the strength of an older generation would surely face an extremely terrifying punishment.

Thus, Shi Yi paid them no mind and headed straight for the body-tempering area.

A month ago, he had already been able to lift a hundred thousand jin of divine iron with his physical strength alone. Now, after spending some time cultivating bone text and runes, Shi Yi had improved again, long since surpassing his former self. Even in a contest of physical strength against a Pure-Blooded Creature, he had no fear and was confident he could overpower his opponent.

Soon, Shi Yi arrived. It was a plaza filled with heavy objects used for body tempering and all manner of equipment for honing the body. A mighty waterfall also plunged down, its terrifying force having carved a hollow visible to the naked eye into the huge rock below where practitioners stood.

At that moment, quite a few spiders were tempering their bodies, honing their physical strength. Most were young spiders, as only spiders of that age were suited to this method of body tempering. This training ground had been built specifically for spiders at their stage of development.

When they saw Shi Yi arrive, many spiders stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.

None of the young spiders looked particularly friendly. Every spider knew that this human was about to replace a pure-blooded young Golden Spider and enter Qilin's ruins nine months later to undergo the Blood Pool Baptism.

Those not of our kind must harbor different hearts. That saying applied everywhere, especially in places like the Primordial Divine Mountain, where creatures thought highly of themselves and believed they were born a cut above humans.

Thus, even though Shi Yi possessed double pupils and extraordinary talent, deep down, these spiders still sided with the pure-blooded young Golden Spider whose place had been taken.

That was perfectly normal, and entirely within Shi Yi's expectations. It would have been strange if these spiders had sided with him.

However, Shi Yi needed no one to side with him, nor did he care what these spiders thought. In the Gods and Demons World, strength always came first. Words spoken with absolute strength behind them were the truth.

If anyone refused to submit, he would beat them into submission. Speaking with his fists was both simple and clear.

Facing those hostile gazes, his eyes remained cold as he met them one by one, and the terrifying pressure of his double pupils spread outward.

At that moment, every young spider that met his gaze shuddered from head to toe, trembling uncontrollably. Even their souls quaked.

There was no helping it. Those eyes were simply too terrifying. As they opened and closed, runes flickered and Order Divine Chains swam within them. Vague, horrifying visions of the sun and moon being destroyed and rivers of stars being reborn emerged, drawing the spiders in against their will until they could no longer free themselves.

There was also an indescribable pressure that bore directly upon their souls, stirring terror from the depths of their hearts.

By the time these young spiders had mustered every ounce of strength and struggled free of that clash of gazes, their backs were soaked in sweat, perspiration streamed from them, and their legs were shaking.

Such terrifying double pupils.

Every young spider's eyes widened, that same thought rising from the depths of their hearts. Was this the legendary bearer of double pupils? Merely meeting his gaze had almost pushed them beyond what they could endure. It was truly horrifying.

Remembering how they had just stared at a bearer of double pupils with cold, hostile eyes, they were seized by lingering fear. Fortunately, this was Demon Spirit Lake, and he would not dare act recklessly here. Anywhere else, showing such hostility toward a powerful individual would probably have left them dead without a place to be buried.

After that profound lesson, none of the young spiders at the body-tempering ground dared disrespect Shi Yi again or look at him with such insolence.

Most of the young spiders lowered their heads and panted heavily. A few had gone weak in the legs and collapsed to the ground, while others withdrew their hostility, their eyes filled with awe.

Shi Yi was quite satisfied to see their gazes become somewhat clearer. His indifference to others' opinions did not mean the weak were free to disrespect him. That display of intimidation had merely been a light punishment.

Old Golden Spider had said that if anyone refused to submit, he should simply beat them into submission. He had the right to cow those who disrespected him.

Once that was done, Shi Yi walked straight into the body-tempering grounds, stripped off his upper robes, and began tempering his body.

He had just consumed some Precious Medicine and medicinal pills that could boost his blood and vital energy. Combined with a thoroughly invigorating session of body tempering, they would yield excellent results and help him absorb their medicinal properties.

With his mind free of distractions, Shi Yi treated the young spiders at the training ground as though they did not exist and focused on honing his body.

The young spiders, whose gazes had now cleared, cautiously observed Shi Yi. As far as they knew, humans were inherently frail. Even a bearer of double pupils would have a weak body. Thus, they were eager to see how Shi Yi tempered his.

At first, while Shi Yi was warming up, the young spiders could still accept what they saw. But when he went all out and began relentlessly challenging his limits, every one of them froze in place.

Didn't the ancient texts say that the body was a human double-pupil bearer's weakness? Why was this human completely different?

Not only did he lift a sixty-thousand-jin cauldron with one hand, he held one in each hand, raising and lowering them.

All the young spiders stared dumbfounded, unable to resist rubbing their eyes, convinced they must be hallucinating.

Sixty thousand jin of strength in a single arm-was he even human? Not even the young of Pure-Blooded Creatures were this monstrous.

The world called the races of the Primordial Divine Mountain Fierce Beasts, but now it seemed that Shi Yi, a human, was the true Fierce Beast-a Fierce Beast in human form.

"This..."

A young spider covered in golden spots, whose bloodline strength ranked above average, was already speechless, unable to find anything to say.

When it came to physical strength, it had still felt somewhat superior, believing that Shi Yi could not compare to it and that only a Pure-Blooded Creature could be stronger.

But now, it was dumbfounded. With physical strength on Shi Yi's level, never mind itself-even a Pure-Blooded Creature would have to bow its head in submission and willingly concede defeat.

After all, even Pure-Blooded Creatures had to undergo a period of evolution and body tempering before they could lift a hundred thousand jin of divine iron.