Chapter Eighteen:
“Xiao Shi Zi, have you finished your training?”
People in the village greeted Shi Jian as he emerged.
Shi Jian nodded in response.
The group of little kids, grimacing in pain, let out strange cries upon seeing Shi Jian:
“Brother Xiao Shi, Grandpa the Chief said you can lift an eighty-thousand-pound giant cauldron. Is that true?”
Shi Jian gently pressed a naked toddler back into the cauldron, then smiled and said, “Of course it’s true. Yesterday, I caught dozens of ferocious beasts. If you stay in the cauldron a little longer, you’ll become like me someday!”
“That little one hasn’t cried once or asked for milk despite staying so long. Don’t let him outshine you!”
Hearing this, the kids who had been crying and trying to climb out of the cauldron stopped their tears and grit their teeth, crouching inside.
Satisfied, Shi Jian smiled and then approached the old village chief.
“Xiao Shi Zi, you’ve finished your training? Yesterday you were like a furnace, almost frightening us. Luckily, the Spirit Sacrificer woke up and said you were undergoing a profound retraining, so we shouldn’t disturb you...”
The old chief recounted the events of the previous day and earnestly advised Shi Jian, “The Spirit Sacrificer seems to value you greatly. Don’t miss this chance!”
Has the Spirit God noticed me?
Shi Jian pondered and nodded.
“Don’t worry, Chief. I’ll try to communicate with the Spirit Sacrificer during the ritual.”
Hearing this, the chief finally relaxed.
The village had almost finished preparing the offerings for the ceremony.
Once the children completed their cleansing baths, they began the ritual to honor the Willow Spirit.
...
After discussing the ritual details with the old chief, Shi Jian busied himself in the village square.
His cultivation and insight far surpassed those of the villagers.
He could easily discern the physical limits of the children undergoing the medicinal baths.
Though the baths were beneficial, exceeding one’s bodily limits would cause harm instead.
The village adults lacked the ability to judge these limits and could only pull the children out once they could endure no more.
With Shi Jian overseeing, the bath’s effects were maximized.
Those not yet at their limits were kicked back into the cauldron, no matter how much they cried.
Those who reached their limits were taken out.
For a long while, the square echoed with children’s wails and adults’ laughter!
After quite some time, all the children except Shi Hao reached their physical limits and could no longer absorb the medicinal power.
There was still some precious blood left in the cauldron, so a group of adults climbed in to absorb it.
This precious blood also benefited the adults, enhancing their physiques.
The villagers hated to waste anything...
The toddlers who had been crying stopped once they saw their elders enter the cauldron and hurried to add firewood, showing their filial piety.
Others gathered around the little one, watching closely.
“小One, doesn’t it hurt?”
Several children looked at him in amazement.
They had personally experienced the pain of the medicinal bath.
It was agonizing enough to make them cry and scream.
They used a cauldron, while Xiao One was cooked directly in a giant cauldron.
This giant cauldron was dozens of times more painful.
Yet Xiao One neither cried nor fussed inside it.
Truly astonishing.
“Xiao One’s talent might rival Xiao Shi Zi’s. He stayed in the cauldron for so long!”
“It’s infuriating! My kid is four or five years older than Xiao One, but he started crying and complaining as soon as he entered. I had to kick him back in...”
“Stone Village is rising. With Xiao Shi Zi in front and Xiao One behind...”
“Heaven blesses our tribe by sending such a child!”
The adults gathered around Xiao One, their faces flushed with excitement.
The old chief was also thrilled, though he harbored some worries—Xiao One was too young.
He feared that the transformation might leave hidden risks.
So he leaned toward Shi Jian and asked,
“Xiao One absorbed so much precious blood. Will he be alright?”
Shi Jian shook his head decisively:
“No!”
Shi Hao was a born supreme being. Though his supreme bone was removed, his foundation remained!
This amount of precious blood was far from his limit.
This level of baptism could lay a solid foundation for the other children but not for Shi Hao.
To forge an Eternal Overlord who could suppress the ages... stronger medicine was needed.
Preferably from the Suanni beast.
Originally, Shi Hao’s physical baptism was with a Suanni, reaching the Blood Manipulation realm.
But that was a lucky find—the corpse of a Suanni.
When the Suanni died, it destroyed much of its divine essence, and Shi Hao only obtained scraps.
If he could undergo baptism with a complete Suanni, that would be extraordinary.
In the original timeline, Shi Hao’s greatest rival was the Heavy-Eyed One, chasing after the title of “Most Fond of Beast’s Milk.”
He broke one record after another set by the Heavy-Eyed One.
This time, he switched places—letting the Heavy-Eyed One chase the “Most Fond of Beast’s Milk.” Let’s see if he can break that record!
Shi Jian thought this prospect exhilarating.
Not merely ruling as the Eternal Overlord, but suppressing the ages.
...
Several hours later, Xiao One finally completed his medicinal bath.
He absorbed nearly all the essence within the giant cauldron.
He shed a layer of dark, rough skin, revealing a crystalline, radiant body.
“Wow, Xiao One smells so good!”
The children shouted.
The old chief and other adults also reached out, touching Xiao One’s body with wide hands.
“Not bad. After this baptism, your body has gained a hint of divine marvel. You can start comprehending runes!”
Shi Jian commented.
Xiao One blushed deeply.
Seeing this, some adults playfully touched him more.
The Eternal Overlord raged, only to be suppressed.
He had never been so thoroughly subdued, even on the plateau.
...
“Child, show us what you’ve achieved now!”
The old chief rescued the Eternal Overlord from danger and handed him a garment.
Xiao One quickly accepted the clothes, dressed, and ran to the square to lift the cauldron.
After the medicinal bath, all the village children’s strength had increased by several hundred pounds.
They had all lifted cauldrons before to test their strength.
Now everyone eagerly awaited Xiao One’s performance.
After all, he had absorbed far more precious blood than the others.
Xiao One lifted from a few hundred pounds to three thousand pounds.
Previously, he could lift a thousand-pound bronze cauldron; now his strength had increased by two thousand pounds at once.
This progress was astounding.
Keep in mind, Xiao One was still under four years old!
Shi Jian watched nearby, extremely satisfied.
The plan to nurture the Eternal Overlord was underway!