Shi Hao did not give up. He got back up from the ground and practiced the Green-Scaled Eagle Precious Art again.
After falling dozens of times, even his chubby little face was scraped and bruised, but he finally mastered the Green-Scaled Eagle Precious Art.
Two purple wings sprouted from his body, and he circled above Stone Village, his laughter ringing out across the entire village.
Shi Tianba, Skinny Monkey, and the others could only watch quietly, their faces full of envy.
Skinny Monkey sighed softly. "Ah, if only I had an older brother like Shi Teng!"
Shi Tianba gave a light snort. He looked somewhat resentful, but his face was also full of envy.
Shi Teng planted his hands on his hips and called out, "Do you want to be as powerful as Shi Hao?"
Skinny Monkey was the first to jump forward. "Yes, of course we do! Brother Shi Teng, hurry up and teach us!"
Shi Teng nodded. "Well, although you aren't as talented as Little One, you'll still improve as long as you work hard. Surpassing your fathers will be a piece of cake!
"We're brothers who grew up together. Of course we should share anything good we have.
"I have a few cultivation arts here that are just right for you!"
Skinny Monkey moved closer to Shi Teng. "What cultivation arts? Are they powerful?"
Shi Teng continued, "Skinny Monkey, you're nimble, and your talent isn't bad either. I have a Demon Ape Thirty-Six Staff art here that suits you.
"As long as you put in the effort and cultivate it to full mastery, you'll be able to smash a Fierce Beast to death with a single strike!"
Excitement spread across Skinny Monkey's face. "It's... it's that powerful?"
Shi Tianba snorted softly. "All you ever do is talk out of your ass!"
Talk out of my ass!
Without another word, Shi Teng produced a Sky-Reaching Staff in his hand. He leaped into the air and brought it crashing down, instantly blasting a nearby hill into flat ground.
Everyone froze in utter shock. Even Shi Tianba's eyes widened.
It really was powerful!
Shi Teng waved his right hand and tossed the Sky-Reaching Staff toward Skinny Monkey. It plunged straight into the ground in front of him, giving him a fright.
"This is the Sky-Reaching Staff used to practice the Demon Ape Thirty-Six Staff. It also counts as a low-grade treasured artifact!"
"A treasured artifact!"
Hearing Shi Teng's words, everyone was dumbfounded again. After all, the whole of Stone Village had only a handful of ordinary treasured artifacts.
Shi Teng had casually tossed out a treasured artifact. It seemed the boy must have struck it rich on this trip.
Shi Sky Leopard had originally been on Shi Tianba's side, but now he shamelessly stepped forward as well. "Big Brother Shi Teng, what about me?"
"You're built like a leopard, swift, agile, and vigorous. I'll teach you the Through-the-Back Fist.
"To practice the Through-the-Back Fist, you need to train with your clothing. This fist art emphasizes releasing force as your palm brushes against your clothes. During practice, you brush your own clothing to produce a sound. The Through-the-Back Fist has nine forms, also known as the Nine-Sound Force.
"Each form produces a crisp sound when unleashed, with each successive strike stronger than the last. The nine sounds are external, but the tenth comes from within. This method brings the muscles and bones into perfect coordination, pushing the force of the ninth sound, already nearing its limit, to yet another peak.
"A single palm strike is powerful enough to split mountains and shatter stone!"
As he spoke, Shi Teng demonstrated the Through-the-Back Fist. Wherever his fists struck, even the air seemed to crack and snap under the blows.
Although the boys stood far away from Shi Teng, they could still feel that surging, formidable force.
Shi Sky Leopard accepted Shi Teng's Through-the-Back Fist, his heart brimming with excitement.
Born in the Great Wilderness, every boy yearned to grow up and become strong!
Shi Teng looked at the eager expressions on Shi Tiezhu's and Shi Baoshan's faces.
He patted their shoulders. "Don't worry. No one will be left out!"
"I'll teach you the Stone-Splitting Leg!"
"I'll teach you the Mountain-Collapsing Fist!"
The Old Chief stood nearby, holding his staff in his left hand and stroking his long beard with his right. He nodded with deep satisfaction.
It seemed all the affection everyone had shown the two brothers since childhood had not been wasted.
Shi Teng then walked over to the Old Chief again and said warmly, "Grandpa Chief, this is a ten-thousand-year dragon emperor ginseng. It can prolong your life and make your body stronger!"
Ten-thousand-year dragon emperor ginseng!
Shock spread across Shi Yunfeng's gaunt face, and he stammered, "Th-this is far too precious! You should keep it and eat it yourself!"
Shi Teng took the Old Chief's right hand and placed the ten-thousand-year dragon emperor ginseng in it.
"You've treated us brothers like your own grandsons since we were little. You are our real grandfather. When a grandson honors his grandfather, what does it matter whether the gift is precious?"
The corners of the Old Chief's eyes grew damp. "Good, good. Grandpa will accept it!"
Shi Teng then took out dozens of cultivation arts and handed them to the Old Chief. "Grandpa Chief, these are all cultivation arts I acquired on this trip. They contain detailed training methods, so you can teach them to everyone one by one.
"That way, our Stone Village will grow stronger!"
Shi Yunfeng nodded. "Good, good! Indeed, a golden-scaled fish is no creature destined for a mere pond. Once wind and clouds arise, it transforms into a dragon!"
Shi Teng paused, then continued, "Grandpa Chief, there's one more thing I'd like to trouble you with. Would that be all right?"
The Old Chief rubbed Shi Teng's head and said with a touch of irritation, "You little rascal! You just said I was your real grandfather. How could a grandfather refuse something his grandson asks of him?"
An honest, simple smile appeared on Shi Teng's face. "This takes some skill, so I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving it to anyone else. But I know Grandpa can do it well!
"We harvested a lot of corn this time. We'll keep some for seed, and I'd like Grandpa Chief to brew the rest into corn liquor!"
Brewing liquor?
The Old Chief's brows twitched slightly. "I think I've read about that in Stone Village's ancient records. But supposedly, only the Mystic Yellow Domain has methods for brewing liquor. You really are asking too much of your grandpa!"
Shi Teng continued, "You don't need to worry about that, Grandpa. The reason our Desolate Region has no liquor is partly because we lack the ingredients needed to brew it, and partly because we don't have the brewing methods.
"On this trip, I happened to obtain an ancient brewing method. As long as you follow our method, Grandpa, you'll definitely be able to brew corn liquor!"
Hearing Shi Teng's words, the Old Chief could not help swallowing. "Anything that could make both the Willow Deity and the Fire Emperor linger, unwilling to leave, must be something good. I wonder what it tastes like!"
Shi Teng smiled. "Won't you find out once you brew a little and taste it, Grandpa?"
With that, Shi Teng explained his ancient brewing method to the Old Chief.
Then he continued, "Once we brew corn liquor, we can trade it for all sorts of things in the Desolate Region, expand Stone Village's influence, make everyone stronger, and restore the Shi Clan's former glory!"
As Shi Yunfeng listened to Shi Teng, the hot blood that had long since run dry in his veins actually began to burn again.
This was the wish of every chief of Stone Village. Yet it was already an achievement for such a tiny village to scrape out a living in the Great Wilderness. Without powerful experts to support them, how could they possibly expand their strength?
Looking at Shi Teng before him, Shi Yunfeng felt as though he could see the hope of Stone Village's future.
Still, they had come from that place, after all!
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