That night, the moon shone bright and the stars were sparse.
Little Shi Hao went alone to the village entrance, stopping beside the charred willow tree.
"Willow Deity, I want to become stronger. Can you help me?"
His voice was timid, and he clenched his little fists. He was terribly nervous, but he desperately wanted to improve his strength.
The Willow Deity answered him through divine thought. "At your age, you're already very strong. All you need is time to grow."
"Time... Today, I saw my sister lose so much blood and get badly hurt. I was so worried, but I couldn't do anything."
Shi Hao lowered his head and crouched beside the tree, saying in a muffled voice, "I want to grow up quickly. I want to protect my sister, and I want to find Father and Mother..."
As he spoke, tears began to shimmer in his large eyes.
"You're a kind child. It's good to worry about your family," the Willow Deity transmitted, then continued, "But don't pursue strength so obsessively that dust clouds your heart."
Shi Hao nodded in understanding, because his sister had told him these things before.
"I know, Willow Deity. Actually, I just wanted someone to tell what's in my heart. But I can't tell my sister, and I don't want to worry Grandpa Chief, so I could only bother you." He blinked and rubbed the back of his head as he spoke, then chuckled.
"It's no trouble." The Willow Deity thought nothing of it and would not blame a child with such a pure heart. After a while, the deity added, "If you want to grow stronger, there are ways."
Shi Hao sprang to his feet and immediately clenched his little fists. His large eyes shone brightly with anticipation and longing.
"I have an ancient formula here, one used by heaven-tier primordial fierce beasts to establish their young's foundations. It can deepen your reserves and improve your strength. Also, seventy li away is the Chaotic Stone Waterfall Cluster. You can cultivate there," the Willow Deity transmitted.
Shi Hao's mouth fell open. A formula for primordial fierce beasts required astonishing ingredients: all sorts of rare, precious medicines, the true blood of Ancient Species, and more. And it was meant to be taken daily.
Stone Village certainly could not obtain such things.
Fortunately, the Willow Deity said they could have Zhu Yan contribute some blood as the main ingredient and substitute ordinary things for the rest. They did not actually need to gather every ingredient in the ancient formula.
"If you want to improve your strength, there is another path you can take," the Willow Deity said slowly.
"There's another way?!" Shi Hao was overjoyed.
"Do you remember that you were once a born supreme, that a Supreme Bone formed within your body from birth, only for you to lose it later?" The Willow Deity brought up an old matter.
"Willow Deity, you even know about that?" Shi Hao was startled. Then he instinctively covered his chest, as though something had occurred to him. "Were you the one who saved me?"
Back then, he had been terribly weak. His body had even regressed, and he had nearly died.
"Of course I know. But I did not intervene. At first, I merely watched quietly. When you were on the verge of withering away, vitality emerged within your body again, and in the end, you pulled through on your own."
The Willow Deity told him the truth, explaining that even with divine intervention, he would only have survived to live an ordinary life, with great achievements all but beyond his reach.
"Willow Deity, did you mention the Supreme Bone because you want me to take back the one I lost? Or could the Supreme Bone in my body grow back?" Shi Hao asked thoughtfully.
"Your understanding is excellent. Just as plants wither and flourish again, with the right opportunity, it is not impossible for a Supreme Bone to regrow. If you truly succeed, it will be like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon-a rebirth through nirvana that will let you transcend your former self."
The Willow Deity continued, "Of course, I must remind you that nothing is absolute. Though you survived on your own and vigorous vitality surged within your body, whether you can regrow a Supreme Bone remains uncertain."
"I understand." Shi Hao nodded earnestly, without blindly giving in to optimism.
After all, he had yet to sense any sign of a precious bone forming inside him.
"It was just a bone. If it's gone, it's gone. My sister said that one bone doesn't decide whether you're supreme, and it certainly isn't a title someone else can bestow. Sooner or later, I'll grow stronger, step by step, and become a true supreme!"
His gaze shone, his large, black-gem eyes growing even brighter.
Seeing how the little fellow mentioned his sister in every breath, the Willow Deity hesitated over another matter that had been about to be raised, experiencing a rare flicker of emotion.
Only after a long while did the deity slowly say, "It seems you don't know where that Supreme Bone is. In that case, it would not be appropriate for me to say more."
Earlier, when Little Shi had spoken outright of taking back the Supreme Bone, the Willow Deity had realized something and deliberately steered the conversation elsewhere.
Now it seemed he truly did not know that the bone he thought was beyond the horizon was actually right before his eyes.
Shi Hao froze. Hadn't his Supreme Bone been dug out and given to that older boy?
He really knew nothing about what had happened afterward. After all, he had been unconscious when the bone was removed, and had remained dazed afterward, unaware of those upheavals.
"Huh? Willow Deity, please tell me!" Shi Hao felt inexplicably anxious. Throwing caution aside, he clung to the tree and refused to leave.
A willow branch drooped down, wrapped around his waist, and pulled him away, leaving him dangling in midair.
"Your sister is here," the Willow Deity said at last, then fell silent.
At some point, Shi Zhao had appeared at the village entrance. Her slender, graceful figure was already beginning to develop curves. She stood quietly a short distance away, lips pressed together and a hand over her chest, saying nothing.
"What are you doing running out in the middle of the night to bother the Willow Deity?" She stepped forward and picked up little Shi Hao.
Shi Hao hung his little head, his heart taut with nerves.
His clumsy words during the day had already displeased his sister, and now he had been caught "doing something bad" at night. He could not help trembling slightly.
Timid, pitiful, and helpless.
"All right, I'm not going to hit you or scold you. Children shouldn't stay up late. If you don't grow tall and can't find a wife, you'll have plenty to cry about."
Shi Zhao curled a finger and tapped her silly little brother's forehead.
She might as well bully him a little more while he was still small. Later, she would not have the chance.
Shi Hao covered his head and grumbled, muttering softly, "I don't want any wife. When I grow up, I'm going to protect my sister!"
"Then go back and rest early. You'll have to grow big and strong to protect me." Shi Zhao laughed and ruffled the little fellow's hair.
"I want to sleep with you, Sis~"
"...This is the last time. From now on, you have to be good and sleep on your own."
"Whaaat~~? No!!"
From that day onward, Shi Hao began his grueling cultivation. Shi Zhao did not soften her heart in the slightest, keeping a stern face whenever she devised his training plan or supervised his cultivation
, frightening all the children in the village.
Dozens of li away, the Stone Mountains stood side by side, with raging waterfalls cascading down. Three great rivers converged and surged through the jumbled rocky mountains, forming a vast cliff here, while loose rocks constantly tumbled down.
This was Shi Hao's new cultivation ground. He would have to climb the cliff against waterfalls like raging mountain torrents, braving huge boulders that could come crashing down at any moment. It was clearly an extremely dangerous and difficult undertaking.
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