To Show Stone Elder

Four days later.

Xiao Yi had ventured deep—one hundred and fifty li—into the heart of the Panlei Mountain Range. Beyond the first hundred li, mid-tier wild beasts began to appear in greater numbers; among every ten wild beasts encountered, one had reached the mid-tier level.

Now, having truly ascended to the Squad Leader level, Xiao Yi's combat prowess had soared to a whole new dimension. In merely four days, no fewer than twelve mid-tier wild beasts had fallen beneath his spear. Though none of these creatures were the mightiest among their kind, their combined vital energy was formidable enough to push Xiao Yi's cultivation to its zenith. He now stood but one step away from opening his ninth Heavenly Vein.

Back at the Bloodstone Tribe, nearly two thousand warriors roared before the towering blue-black stone wall. They practiced their battle formations with explosive war Qi, and surging streams of blood energy soared skyward. Even from a distance of ten li, the fierce aura of killing intent could be heard in its chilling clarity. 

In this past year, some warriors had grown old and retired from battle; others, through relentless training, had become the new blood. And a few had broken through their shackles to ascend to the Squad Leader rank. Only the number of Centurions remained unchanged—since progressing from the Lesser Blood Refinement Realm to the Greater, one faced a different threshold, not just in strength but in cultivation itself.

Then, the sound of a horn resounded. At the front of the Bloodstone Tribe, as the morning sun rose, a vast and majestic horn blast echoed across heaven and earth. Instantly, every clamor of weapons and battle formation ceased. On each Bloodstone tribesman's face shone profound reverence and fervor. This was the Heavenly Soldier Horn—a symbol nurtured within every top-tier human warrior; it signified the living embodiment of a human war master.

It was the fifth day, and Xiao Yi had returned to the tribe. Before the grand mountain wall, Stone Elder Shi—hunched and leaning against the weathered stones—appeared more frail than ever. Yet, his eyes shone with an unprecedented brightness.

"The Heavenly Soldier Horn... every human warrior must nurture a human war soldier. Out of the 108 heavenly soldiers, there is always one whose horn is borne aloft in battle," Elder Shi voice trembled with emotion. "It is the cry of our warriors—a sound that, even if we fight across the eight desolate realms until our souls scatter and our blood stains the heavens, still belongs to us human warriors!"

His gaze swept into the distance, and at that moment Xiao Yi felt as if a blazing fire had ignited within his heart. The blood of the human race was boiling in his veins—even if separated by ages or dimensions, the same red blood pulsed within him.

The deeds of our ancient forebears have long been swallowed by the mists of time—lost, sealed away. What truly occurred in those bygone eras, what secrets lay hidden in the ancient temples, Taoist grottos, and divine shrines scattered across the great mountains and rivers—no one can say for sure. Now, as Xiao Yi's thoughts churned, he sensed deep within that in the not-too-distant future, he might very well unveil one of these grand mysteries.

"Go on," Elder Shi voice came, gentle yet resolute. A smile graced his withered lips as he patted Xiao Yi's shoulder. "I know you've striven mightily. Before you depart, show me—let me witness firsthand the power of your Barbarian Elephant Mighty Strength Mantra. I have practiced my whole life and never achieved it. To see it now would bring me true contentment."

A pang of sorrow tightened Xiao Yi's chest as he looked upon Elder Shi deeply lined, almost lifeless face—an old man whose very essence seemed nearly extinguished. That tender smile made it all the more heartbreaking. In another time and space, Xiao Yi had loved ones and friends he longed to see again. Here, on this vast, ancient land, Elder Shi evoked the same deep yearning.

After a long, silent moment, Xiao Yi bowed his head deeply. Removing the Purple Radiance Bow and its arrows from his back, he hung them at his waist and gripped his black broken spear. With his back turned to the elder, he knelt on one knee and spoke in a low, steady voice, "Elder Shi, I will take you to see."

Elder Shi… I will take you to see!

In that instant, the fire within Xiao Yi burst forth without restraint. He did not seek fame or to awe the masses—what he longed for was to bring his true power home, to have someone witness it with their own eyes.

And so, with unwavering determination burning in his heart, Xiao Yi rose to fulfill his promise.

The old man trembled slightly, yet the smile on his face grew ever warmer. His hand quivered as it reached out and rested on Xiao Yi's shoulder, and with great effort, he slowly rose to his feet—as if the weight of his body had lightened considerably. Xiao Yi understood all too well that the elder's vital energy was failing, that the essence of his flesh was slipping away; in the end, all that would remain was an empty shell.

The sound of the Heavenly Soldier Horn was blown by Shi Hu, one of the three great thousand-chief commanders of the Bloodstone Tribe. In this tribe, every member who aspires to join the ranks of the human war masters must demonstrate their mettle before all the warriors. It is a testament, a pledge to the brothers who fight shoulder to shoulder—because they face the might of the great clans across the realms, and what matters above all is an indomitable will to fight, a fearlessness in the face of death.

As Shi Hu advanced to the very front of the two thousand warriors, a palpable pressure filled the air. Even if none of them raised a hand or stirred a single ripple of blood Qi, their collective presence exuded an oppressive aura. For these were human war masters—each bearing bloodstains on their hands from countless battles against alien clans. Every one of them bore a trace of killing intent, and even when they strove to contain it, the sheer force of two thousand warriors gathered together evoked the sensation of mountains crumbling and the earth splitting apart.

The Heavenly Soldier Horn wailed mournfully, its sound reaching out for tens of li. In a ten-li radius around the Bloodstone Tribe, an eerie silence fell; even the nearby wild beasts withdrew into hiding. It was an oppressive atmosphere—a suffocating, invisible force that permeated every corner.

Shi Hu, a middle-aged man clad in azure leather armor and wielding a crimson war spear that glowed like blood under the sunlight, stood at the forefront. In his grasp, he held a pitch-black horn, upon which was emblazoned the image of a wild beast—a bovine figure with three twisted horns, each gnarled and pointing skyward.

Before him stood dozens of young warriors—Shi Lei, Shi Qian, Yun Shan, Shi Yuan, and many others. Facing two thousand battle-hardened soldiers, even those who had already tasted the bitterness of blood felt their hearts tighten and their grips on their weapons grow firmer. Their blood boiled, and their spirits burned with unyielding determination.

At the moment the horn sounded, the two thousand warriors froze in place. Their eyes, unblinking, fixed steadily ahead. Ahead of them were nearly a hundred Squad Leaders and over a dozen Centurions. There was only one Thousand-Chief—Shi Hu himself. All those who ranked above Squad Leader were either in seclusion, patrolling the ancient wild forests, or entrusted with guarding the tribe's borders against invaders.

Though Xiao Yi's footsteps made little sound, they rang clearly in that charged silence. Shi Hu's gaze fell upon him, and for an instant, the commander seemed taken aback—his eyes flashing an unusual glimmer.

Shi Lei and Yun Shan exchanged puzzled looks but remained silent as Xiao Yi, carrying the elder on his back, ignored the awestruck stares of the young warriors and strode forward. After what felt like the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, he reached the front of the two thousand soldiers. In that instant, a weighty, mountain-like force crashed upon him. He abruptly turned around, standing alone before the assembled warriors. The combined aura of two thousand battle-hardened souls slammed into him, yet he remained unmoving, standing firm with calm, unyielding eyes as he met their gaze.

"Elder Shi!"

Many warriors glanced over his shoulder, their hearts skipping a beat. There, behind Xiao Yi, stood an elderly tribesman—once a battle-hardened warrior who, many years ago, had swung his war axe in the heat of battle. In the days when most of these young men were barely children, the battle-worn Stone Elder, already middle-aged then, had led the charge with bloodstained weapons. Countless predecessors had fought right here before the ancient stone wall, clashing with thousands of immortal warriors.

Now, this old veteran—who had spent his life in endless battle—had come to this fateful moment. His blood Qi was nearly spent, his face etched with deep wrinkles, and his back hunched in age. His lean body resembled withered, decaying wood; his life force flickered like a dying bonfire, trembling precariously in the cold wind.

Some battle-hardened warriors, long past middle age, sighed inwardly. Decades had slipped away unnoticed, and before they knew it, they too had grown old. The scars on their bodies—old wounds healed and new ones forming—spoke of countless battles, and the familiar faces of the elders had all but vanished, replaced by many new ones.

"Xiao Yi," the voice of Thousand-Chief Shi Hu rang out. He fixed his gaze on the young man, who in the year since they last met had undergone a transformation nothing short of revolutionary. The once feeble figure had vanished, replaced by a body exuding blood Qi so potent it surpassed that of many veteran warriors.

"You are to join our ranks as a human war master."

"Yes!" Xiao Yi replied, his voice calm yet resonant.

"Very well." Shi Hu nodded, then swept his eyes over the gathered youths. "To join the war masters, you must possess two things: strength and archery. If you can muster ten jun of power and your archery reaches the Wind-Breaking Realm—accurate within a hundred zhang—then you may join us and become a warrior."

At his words, every youth's gaze turned toward the front, where dozens of deep-green stones, each as tall as a person, stood arranged. Their sharp, well-defined edges glimmered softly in the sunlight with an ethereal green hue.

"These are the Blue-Iron Stones," Shi Hu announced coolly. "You must leave a fist imprint one foot deep on each stone—each inch of depth equating to one jun of force. They can withstand the full strike of someone newly entering the Lesser Blood Refinement Realm. Begin!"

At his command, the hearts of the young warriors surged with anticipation—they had trained for years for this very moment.

Almost immediately, a young man stepped forward. In a few determined strides, he reached a Blue-Iron Stone. With great effort, he steadied his racing heart. Punching in front of two thousand battle-hardened soldiers was pressure enough. Then, with a deep exhalation and a roar, his right arm burst forth with pale blue battle Qi as he unleashed a powerful punch.

Thump!

The Blue-Iron Stone shuddered as the young man's fist sank deep into it. When he finally withdrew his hand, Thousand-Chief Shi Hu nodded approvingly, "A fist imprint one foot, two inches deep—pass!"

A fleeting look of joy brightened the young man's face before he quickly composed himself and stepped aside. But the trials were far from over.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

One by one, young men and women stepped forward. They poured every ounce of their strength into their blows, and each left an imprint meeting the required depth. No one was surprised—joining the war masters demanded solid cultivation. Those present were confident in their own power; anyone failing to meet the basic strength requirement would be nothing more than a joke.

Even Shi Yuan passed immediately, leaving a fist imprint one foot, one inch deep. He then shot a disdainful glance toward Xiao Yi, unable to believe that Xiao Yi's cultivation had surged so rapidly. Deep inside, doubts stirred. Since their parting at the Warbow Hall that day, Shi Yuan had mulled it over, and the more he thought, the more convinced he became that something was awry. He resolved that he would not believe it until he saw it with his own eyes.