Chapter Nine: The Old Village Chief's Request

The old village chief, Shi Yunfeng, asked Shi Jian, "Little Shi, how are you progressing with the bone texts I passed on to you?"

"Quite well. Those bone texts have been a great help; my arms now possess the strength of eighty thousand jin," Shi Jian replied.

Shi Yunfeng was astonished. "Eighty thousand jin? Doesn't that mean your strength has long since surpassed the Blood-Moving Realm?"

Having traveled extensively in his youth, the old village chief was knowledgeable about the various stages of cultivation. A body undergoing transformation that attained eight thousand jin of force was considered to be in the early stage of the Blood-Moving Realm, while ordinary people reaching thirty or forty thousand jin were already at the peak. If Shi Jian had reached eighty thousand jin, he had surely transcended the realm.

Shi Jian shook his head at the old man's words. "For ordinary people, thirty or forty thousand jin is the limit of the Blood-Moving Realm, but the geniuses of great clans can break through this ceiling. The true limit of the Blood-Moving Realm is one hundred thousand jin. The closer one gets to that mark, the greater their potential for future growth."

"One hundred thousand jin!" The old village chief was even more shocked. This "ultimate limit" of the Blood-Moving Realm was something he had never known before.

"You already possess eighty thousand jin of strength—are you intending to reach that one hundred thousand jin limit?" Shi Yunfeng asked, looking at Shi Jian with a dazed expression.

Since childhood, Shi Jian had displayed heaven-defying talent, stepping directly into the Blood-Moving Realm after his physical baptism. The village chief had been overjoyed that a true dragon had emerged from their small Shi Village. However, Shi Jian’s progress had been so rapid that the villagers could hardly assist him anymore, and the old man had been unaware of just how far his cultivation had advanced. This realization left him stunned. Shi Jian had not only attained eighty thousand jin of strength but was aiming for the absolute peak of one hundred thousand.

Compared to Shi Jian, the other children of the same age in the village struggled to lift a hundred-jin boulder. It was truly a case of "comparisons being odious." Perhaps only the little one, Shi Hao, could even remotely compare.

Shi Jian nodded. "I will not break through the Blood-Moving Realm until I reach the ultimate limit."

Shi Yunfeng sighed. "It is our fault for lacking the resources. In my youth, I visited many prosperous regions and tribes, yet even children from clans numbering in the millions could hardly compare to you. They are tempered from birth with the rare true blood of archaic descendants. You have lacked such advantages here in Shi Village; our starting point is too low, and I cannot provide you with the true blood of archaic beasts as those great tribes do."

The old village chief’s voice was filled with dejection and self-reproach. He felt he was holding Shi Jian back. A prodigy had finally appeared in their village, yet they were unable to offer any real help. He hadn't even known the "ultimate limit" existed until Shi Jian mentioned it.

Seeing the old man’s distress warmed Shi Jian’s heart. "Reaching the pinnacle of the Blood-Moving Realm relies on personal karma, opportunity, perseverance, and talent; none can be dispensed with. How could it be achieved merely through precious blood and elixirs?"

Shi Jian comforted him. "Shi Village has already given me the best it has to offer, and that sincerity is worth more than any medicinal herb. Furthermore, if I am truly extraordinary, I will rise regardless. Conversely, without inner strength, even the greatest resources are but hollow vanity."

Shi Jian had his own secrets, so he had little need for common spiritual items. Only top-tier treasures could benefit him, but those were rare and beyond the reach of even the most powerful sects, let alone Shi Village. He was more than satisfied with the devotion the old village chief had shown him.

Feeling Shi Jian’s confidence, the old village chief’s hunched back straightened. "Good child, good child!" he exclaimed, patting Shi Jian’s shoulder repeatedly. To be able to suppress others without the aid of rare blood—this was a true son of Shi Village. He knew he no longer needed to worry about the boy.

Turning his gaze toward Shi Hao, the chief said, "The little one’s talent is not a whit inferior to yours. In two years, he will be ready for his baptism, as will the other children. I wish to ask you to hunt some archaic descendants to refine their blood in preparation for their rites."

Shi Jian smiled. "I had the same intention. The village protected me when I was young; now that I have the strength, it is only natural that I do something for the village in return. However, after this task is finished, I intend to leave the village and travel."

He had revealed his strength to the old village chief precisely because he planned to leave. His current power had outgrown the village, and he longed to see the wider world. He would help Shi Hao with his baptism, but he would not be a nanny. Shi Hao had his own destiny to fulfill; if he did not face his own trials, how could he ever become the legendary Huang? Shi Jian could support him at critical junctures, but he could not solve every problem for him. If one is always helped, can they truly become the Emperor of Heaven?