"Stakes?"
The hook-nosed elder from the Thunder Clan scoffed as though he had heard a joke. "What, are you afraid we'll welch on the bet?"
"You never know."
Shi Hou walked over to Shi Hao and slung an arm around Little One's shoulders, resting most of his weight on the child.
"These days, plenty of people dress like respectable human beings but behave like dogs."
He pointed at the black pot by his feet.
"What's in this pot? A Suanni, a Primordial Remnant. A walking treasure medicine, a supreme opportunity that can transform you down to your very bones."
Shi Hou held out one hand, spreading all five fingers and waving them before the adults.
"If your factions want equal shares, you'll have to put up something of equal value."
"Otherwise, no deal."
The middle-aged man from the Purple Mountain Marquis's line narrowed his eyes.
He was shrewd too, and understood what the boy meant.
"You've got guts."
The middle-aged man untied a brocade pouch from his waist and pulled out a piece of wood as red as blood.
The moment the wood appeared, the surrounding air grew hotter and drier. Faint birdsong could even be heard coming from within it.
"Redfire spiritwood, a precious material that grows beside lava. It contains pure fire essence."
The middle-aged man tossed the wood onto the ground. "Enough?"
Shi Hou glanced at it.
"Barely good enough for firewood, but it'll do."
The Thunder Clan elder snorted coldly and tossed out a fist-sized piece of ore glowing blue.
"Thunder source stone. A superior material for forging Treasure Weapons."
Shi Hou's eyes brightened. "Not bad. I can use it to patch my pot later."
Not to be outdone, the Golden Wolf Tribe produced a spirit herb with soil still clinging to its roots, its medicinal fragrance filling the air.
Out in the world, these treasures would have been enough to spark a small, bloody conflict.
"All right."
Shi Hou swept everything over to his feet with satisfaction, then had Kang plop down on top of the pile to guard it.
"Now that the stakes are in place, let's begin."
He patted Shi Hao's head.
"Go loosen up these young masters' bones."
Shi Hao had long since grown impatient.
"Who's first?"
Little One stepped forward, his face all innocent sweetness.
"I am!"
A burly youth stepped out from the Golden Wolf Tribe's group.
He looked eleven or twelve, stood two heads taller than Shi Hao, and had bulging muscles and a Wolf-Fang Necklace around his neck.
"Kid, remember my name. I'm from the Golden Wolf Tribe-"
"Save your breath."
Shi Hao waved a hand and interrupted him earnestly. "You're going to end up flat on the ground anyway. No need for names."
"You're asking to die!"
The burly youth flew into a rage.
Roar!
He let out a beastlike roar and shook his arms, conjuring the phantom of a gigantic golden wolf behind him.
It was the Golden Wolf Tribe's ancestral precious technique.
Though less sinister and venomous than the Sacrificial Spirit Old Vulture's technique, it excelled in sheer ferocity.
The youth kicked off the ground and hurtled toward Shi Hao like a vicious wolf pouncing on its prey, bringing a gust of blood-reeking wind.
His palm, wrapped in golden runes, slammed toward the crown of Shi Hao's head.
If that strike landed squarely, it could pulverize a boulder.
Several people from Stone Village cried out in alarm.
And yet.
Shi Hao did not move.
He did not even blink those big eyes.
Just as the palm came within three inches of his forehead.
Hum.
A ball of light flared in Shi Hao's chest.
His blood energy erupted.
"Break!"
Shi Hao shouted in his childish voice.
Clenching his right hand into a fist, he drove it straight up into the descending palm.
The two fists, one large and one small, collided in midair.
Crack!
The sharp sound of breaking bone was especially piercing at the quiet village entrance.
Immediately afterward.
That arrogant Golden Wolf Tribe youth flew backward twice as fast as he had charged in.
Thud!
He slammed down at the feet of the Golden Wolf Tribe's mount, his entire right arm twisted at a grotesque angle, stark white bone jutting through his flesh.
"Aaaagh!"
Only then did his belated scream ring out.
Dead silence fell over the gathering.
The middle-aged man from the Purple Mountain Marquis's line felt his pupils contract sharply.
The Thunder Clan elder nearly dropped the second stake he had taken out.
That was pure physical strength?
A little boy who looked only four or five had crippled a youth already in the middle stage of the blood moving realm with a single punch?
"Too weak."
Shi Hao drew back his little fist and blew nonexistent dust off it, his face full of disappointment.
Behind him, Shi Hou rolled his eyes.
"Come at me together."
Shi Hao waved his little hand at the three remaining, pale-faced "geniuses." "I'm still waiting to eat meat."
His arrogance knew no bounds!
The Thunder Clan elder's beard trembled with anger. "You little brat! You have no idea how high the heavens are or how deep the earth runs!"
He turned toward the purple-clad Thunder Clan youth who had remained silent all this time.
"Lei Ming, go show him what a real precious technique is!"
The youth named Lei Ming took a deep breath and stepped forward.
He was different from the Golden Wolf Tribe youth before him.
He held a silver shortsword, its blade engraved with intricate runes, with faint arcs of electricity dancing over it.
It was an exceptionally precious treasure artifact.
"You really are strong."
Lei Ming stared at Shi Hao, his gaze cold and sinister. "But brute strength alone won't keep you alive for long in the Great Wilderness."
Bzzzt.
He suddenly thrust his shortsword toward the sky.
"Thunder Summoning!"
Boom!
Dark clouds abruptly blanketed the previously clear sky.
Drawn by the shortsword, a bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket struck down from the clouds, heading straight for Shi Hao.
He was borrowing the might of heaven and earth!
Shi Yunfeng's expression changed.
An attack of this level already exceeded the scope of the blood moving realm. Even an ordinary cave heaven realm expert would have to avoid its edge.
"Little One, watch out!"
Shi Linhu roared.
As Shi Hao watched the descending lightning, a flicker of excitement finally appeared in his eyes.
"Now that's a little more interesting."
He did not dodge.
Instead, he spread his arms.
Two azure full moons appeared in his palms.
But this time, golden arcs of electricity also wound around the moons' edges!
That was the profound meaning of the Thunder Dao he had comprehended from the Suanni's treasure bone!
"You have lightning? So do I!"
Shi Hao shouted and thrust both hands upward.
The two lightning-wreathed azure moons shot into the sky.
Rumble!
The two forces of lightning collided in midair.
The expected explosion never came.
Instead, a jaw-dropping sight unfolded.
The two azure moons Shi Hao had released acted like an enormous millstone, forcibly grinding the lightning descending from the sky to pieces!
Countless tiny arcs were absorbed into the azure moons, making them shine even more brilliantly.
"Go!"
Shi Hao pointed.
The azure moons, now infused with the lightning's power, traced a graceful arc through the air and slashed toward the youth named Lei Ming.
Lei Ming was horrified.
He frantically raised his shortsword to block.
Clang!
Sparks flew everywhere.
That priceless treasure shortsword was cleaved clean in two by the azure moons.
Half the blade spun away, grazing Lei Ming's cheek and drawing a string of blood droplets.
Lei Ming stood frozen, staring at the broken half of the sword still in his hand, trembling all over.
Just one inch farther.
It would have been his head severed, not the sword.
"Th-this is the Suanni Precious Technique!"
The middle-aged man from the Purple Mountain Marquis's line finally recognized it, his voice trembling. "He's already mastered the Suanni's primordial runes? How is that possible?!"
How many days had it been since that Suanni died?
Even the most dazzling genius would need months or years of secluded cultivation to comprehend the primordial true explanation.
Was this child a monster?
Silence blanketed the scene.
Shi Hao stood in the center, bathed in faint lightning.
"Who else?"
His gaze swept over the remaining people.
Just then.
A youth in white, who had been standing at the very back with a folding fan in his hand, gently closed it.
He did not even glance at Shi Hao.
Instead, he looked at the dark-skinned youth squatting on the ground, counting the treasures.
"Your name's Shi Hao, right? You do have some skill."
"But I'm not interested in fighting."
He pointed at Shi Hou, his tone dismissive.
"Hey, you lump of coal tending the fire."
"That pot of yours looks decent. Leave it behind, and you can get lost."
Shi Hou froze at those words.
He slowly raised his head.
Looking at the white-clad youth, he wore a faintly puzzled expression.
"Are you talking to me?"
"Who else?"
The white-clad youth covered his nose and mouth with his folding fan in disgust, as though he had smelled something foul.
"Who else here besides you is as black as a lump of charcoal come to life?"
"I'd say that black hide of yours is a pretty good match for your pot."
"How about it? Offer up the pot, and I'll take you on as my fire-tending boy."
"It beats being a savage in this poverty-stricken backwater."
The air suddenly froze.
The lightning around Shi Hao gradually faded.
But the killing intent in his eyes burned fiercer than at any moment before.
"You dare insult Skinny Monkey?"
Shi Hao gritted his teeth and was about to charge forward.
A hand pressed down on his shoulder.
That hand was very dark, and very strong.
Shi Hou stood up.
First, he put the half-length of spirit wood in his hand back among the pile of treasures, even carefully patting off the dust clinging to it.
Then he looked at the white-robed youth and grinned.
"You said I was a lump of charcoal come to life?"
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