Growth

Shi Yi had done nothing serious to the little Golden Spider. This was Demon Spirit Lake; naturally, he would never do something as foolish as killing a pure-blooded creature.

Thud!

The little Golden Spider, no longer able to resist, was tossed back. It now lay exactly where it had charged from.

The young spiders nearby were not particularly surprised by the sight. Everything had unfolded just as they had expected.

Although battles in the Blood Moving Realm did not depend solely on physical strength, but also on mastery of runes and bone text, combat instincts, the strength of innate divine abilities, and so on, the fact that Shi Yi, a human, could crush a pure-blooded creature in raw physical strength was enough to show how formidable he was in other respects.

The little Golden Spider was still too young. Outclassed in every respect, it was only natural that it had lost to a single hand of Shi Yi's.

By comparison, the other Golden Spider youngling was somewhat stronger, so it had retained its baptism slot.

Still, in the eyes of the young spiders, it was no match for Shi Yi either. If they clashed, it would surely be suppressed without mercy.

"It seems this human with double pupils is destined to rise. With his strength, there are hardly any creatures throughout Primordial Divine Mountain who could contend with him," one young spider remarked.

"Not necessarily. Our clan's two pure-blooded creatures are still quite young. Compared with the pure-blooded descendants of other primordial divine mountains, they are at an inherent disadvantage by more than a little. Besides, even among pure-blooded creatures, some are stronger than others.

"As far as I know, Jin Yunteng of the Golden-Winged Roc clan, who lives on Roc Mountain, is hailed as the greatest genius of the younger generation of Primordial Divine Mountain.

"If he were the opponent, the double-pupiled human would never have such an easy time," another offered a different opinion.

At the mention of Jin Yunteng's name, all the young spiders present were visibly moved. This pure-blooded creature dwelled on Roc Mountain and possessed world-shaking talent, already showing the towering promise of greatness. From an early age, he had displayed terrifying gifts surpassing those of other pure-blooded creatures, repeatedly accomplishing astonishing feats. That was how he had earned the title of the most outstanding genius of Primordial Divine Mountain's younger generation.

This was not something they had invented. It was a distinction acknowledged by the entire younger generation of Primordial Divine Mountain.

"For this blood pool baptism, the two slots allotted to the ancient Roc Mountain should belong to Jin Yunteng and his brother. His younger brother, Jin Yunxiao, is also extraordinarily gifted, an outstanding figure among pure-blooded creatures."

"Actually, for our clan's other pure-blooded creature, having the double-pupiled human participate in this blood pool baptism is a good thing.

"After all, some spots within the blood pool are better than others. Without an absolute powerhouse of the Blood Moving Realm joining in, our clan's participant would inevitably be pushed to the fringes."

"Alas, what a pity Shi Yi isn't a prodigy of our clan."

Shi Yi paid no attention to the young spiders' discussion. After tossing the little Golden Spider onto the ground, he removed his robe, one corner of which had been torn, and began another round of tempering with his upper body bare.

During his baptism at the age of five a month earlier, Shi Yi had not only achieved a major breakthrough in the Blood Moving Realm, but had also developed his two innate gifts further and accumulated deep reserves within his flesh and blood.

Those reserves would not erupt immediately. Instead, they would pour forth little by little during his future cultivation, exerting a profound influence on what lay ahead.

Shi Yi felt this keenly as he tempered his body. He could sense that while his flesh refined the precious medicine and precious pills he had swallowed, divine power would also quietly well forth from within it. Though it was only a murmuring stream, its strength lay in flowing steadily without end.

That was precisely why Shi Yi kept growing stronger.

The gradual release of his body's latent potential, the precious medicine and precious pills he consumed, the human limits he continually broke through, and the increase in blood and qi that came as he grew older-all these factors sent his raw physical strength climbing steadily, bringing him step by step toward the ultimate limit of the Blood Moving Realm he longed to reach.

After the other young spiders helped the little Golden Spider up from the ground, it still wore a defiant expression, its several pairs of golden eyes brimming with fury.

Yet after witnessing Shi Yi's astonishing body-tempering process, much of the anger in its eyes faded, and a profound sense of helplessness rose deep within it.

Physical strength of a hundred and twenty thousand jin was enough to look down upon ordinary pure-blooded creatures. A young pure-blood like itself, which had yet to mature, could only take a beating before Shi Yi.

Once it realized the unbridgeable gulf between them, the little Golden Spider left in dejection and never returned to challenge him.

Having run into Shi Yi, all it could do was admit its bad luck.

The blood pool baptism opened only once every ten years. The little Golden Spider could not possibly spend ten years waiting idly for a baptism. It was destined to have no part in the Qilin Secret Realm.

After this brief episode, the heated debate about Shi Yi within Demon Spirit Lake came to an abrupt halt. No one ever said he was unworthy again.

In the Gods and Demons World, force was the best way to settle things, especially in a place like Primordial Divine Mountain.

Shi Yi gained a stretch of peaceful days, with no one disturbing him anymore.

The days of body tempering were arduous and monotonous, yet he delighted in them. Every day brought progress, and he could feel the strength of his blood and qi constantly growing.

The young spiders who shared the body-tempering grounds witnessed this training fanatic's transformation and rise. He had started out holding a sixty-thousand-jin cauldron in each hand; after enduring all manner of trials, he now held an eighty-thousand-jin cauldron in each hand.

In just nine months, Shi Yi's raw physical strength had undergone an earth-shaking transformation, leaving Demon Spirit Lake's younger generation wide-eyed with disbelief.

The other pure-blooded creature that had retained its slot, in particular, had once come to the body-tempering grounds to observe Shi Yi from afar. In the end, it could only acknowledge its inferiority and shake its head helplessly.

Rumble!

A waterfall bearing crushing weight plunged from the heavens and slammed into a massive boulder. Years upon years of impact had already carved a distinct hollow into its surface.

This was one of Demon Spirit Lake's body-tempering grounds, reserved for the spiders to hone their physical toughness and strength.

Ordinary creatures did not dare stand at the center of the waterfall and endure that terrifying force. They only dared remain at its edges.

Now Shi Yi had arrived. In another two months, he would turn six. Although he was still a small child, he already looked like a youth.

His expression was calm, his posture straight, his black hair hanging loose, and his eyes like rivers of stars. A divine halo enveloped his entire body, and every line of his sharply defined features revealed resolve. His bearing was transcendent and extraordinary, like that of a young god. Wherever he went, he would become the center of attention.

Under the young spiders' awed gazes, Shi Yi strode forward, braving the waterfall's crushing force until he reached its very center.

The impact was most terrifying here, and that force poured down without a moment's pause. Ordinary creatures of the Blood Moving Realm could not withstand it.

Shi Yi did not invoke the power of runes or divine radiance. Instead, he lowered his defenses and allowed the waterfall to scour his body.

An immense, crushing force hammered into him, and many parts of his body immediately reddened.