Chapter 6

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This was an ordinary stone fragment, only as big as a baby's palm, with an irregular shape. Apart from some natural patterns, it also had a hollow small hole, like a pendant.

But overall, there was nothing particularly unusual about it, looking quite ordinary.

The only somewhat peculiar thing was that when Su Ming held the fragment, he felt warmth, as if a warm current was flowing into his body, making him very comfortable.

"Huh?" Su Ming examined it closely, but after a long while, he couldn't discern anything unusual.

"Grandpa mentioned that a long time ago, this place was once the land of the Fire Savages. Judging from this, this object might possess some Fire Savage power, which is why it feels warm. That's not bad." Su Ming untied the crescent bone necklace from his neck, slipped the fragment onto it, and hung it back around his neck. The fragment pressed against his chest, and the warmth intensified.

"Home!" The boy took large strides and ran quickly toward the distant area with lights. At that moment, he didn't notice that the stone fragment pressed against his chest emitted a faint glow that quickly disappeared.

As he approached, the faint lights gradually became clearer, revealing a tribal village surrounded by a fence made of giant trees.

The area wasn't large, with only a few hundred people living there, but in Su Ming's eyes, it felt warm and cozy. Faint sounds of joy and laughter could be heard, and through the gaps in the giant tree fence, he could see a large bonfire in the center of the village, surrounded by many tribespeople. Some of the village women were dancing around the bonfire.

The village gate was also made of giant trees. When opened, it was usually suspended by several ropes. Now it was closed, and a few burly men, wearing animal skin clothes and rough skin, with white bone necklaces and bone rings in their ears, stood guard. They had a fierce appearance and were staring intently around. When they saw Su Ming running from a distance, they all grinned.

"La Su, Grandpa has been looking for you all day. Why are you just coming back now?"

"Did it rain earlier? Did you go to collect the Wu Long saliva again?"

"Grandpa was looking for me? Throw down the rope, the harvest this time was pretty good." Su Ming ran a few steps to the gate, patted the woven basket on his back proudly, and shouted loudly.

As a woven rope was lowered from above, Su Ming grabbed it and climbed up the gate nimbly, reaching the top in a few breaths. He smiled at the night guards and quickly walked down the side stairs.

"This little boy is agile and brave. He dared to go to Wu Long Mountain alone to collect herbs years ago. It seems that he will definitely become a common healer in the tribe in the future."

"Unfortunately, he doesn't have a Savage body. Otherwise, he might have become a Savage healer like Grandpa." The burly men watched Su Ming as he left, sighing slightly.

Su Ming entered the village and ran through, and people in the surrounding grass and wooden houses often called out to him kindly, "La Su."

La Su was not just his name but referred to all children in the tribe who had not yet undergone their second Savage initiation.

Su Ming ran quickly and soon arrived at the center of the village, where many tribespeople were gathered around the bonfire, laughing and chatting.

Outside the bonfire, a circle of fire-resistant wooden barriers was set up, with many large pieces of meat roasting and dripping with oil, emitting a fragrant aroma.

A few young women in the tribe glanced at Su Ming as he ran by but didn't pay much attention.

In this tribe, the slender and handsome Su Ming was physically smaller than most tribespeople, who were all much more robust.

He managed to squeeze through the crowd, grabbed a piece of fragrant roasted meat, and ran forward while biting into it.

In the crowd, at the front, sat an old man who was the only one not wearing animal skin but a coarse linen robe. His hair was braided into many small braids, and he looked very old, but his eyes were sharp and piercing, making anyone who looked at him feel as if they were being drawn in.

He seemed to be of high status, speaking softly, with a few tribespeople listening and nodding respectfully.

Seeing Su Ming running from a distance, the old man smiled, nodded, and gestured for Su Ming to sit beside him, then continued talking to the tribespeople.

The tribespeople also saw Su Ming and smiled.

"Our Wu Shan tribe may be small, but we are a legitimate descendant of the true Wu Shan. This time, the Feng Zhen tribe's chief is celebrating his birthday, and I have a past relationship with him, so we cannot be impolite." The old man spoke slowly.

"Unfortunately, our Wu Shan tribe split several hundred years ago, and now only three lineages remain. Otherwise, our Wu Shan tribe would be a medium-sized tribe, and the Feng Zhen tribe would be a subordinate. But now... sigh." The speaker was a man in his forties, the chief of the Wu Shan tribe. He was burly, full of explosive power, and had nine finger-thick teeth on his bone necklace.

Especially on his face, there was a faint, fierce pattern, like a ghost or a god, but it was very blurry, as if it could never fully solidify.

Su Ming looked at the pattern with envy. Through the animal skin scroll, he knew that it was an unformed Savage pattern. No one in the tribe had the ability to draw and solidify a Savage pattern.

Even Grandpa was only at the ninth level of blood condensation.

But even so, Grandpa was one of the strongest in the surrounding tribes, comparable only to the other two lineages, the Hei Shan tribe and the Wu Long tribe.

"There's no point in talking about the past. Without a Dust Opening realm strong guardian, it's impossible to become a medium-sized tribe. The split of the Wu Shan tribe was ultimately due to the death of the two Dust Opening realm ancestors.

I have been practicing until now, but I can't break through the ninth level of blood condensation. Without reaching the tenth level, let alone the ultimate eleventh level, I can't draw a fully solidified Savage pattern, and I can't open the dust..." The old man in the coarse linen robe sighed and spoke slowly.

"Enough, go and prepare the gifts. Tomorrow... Shan Hen, as the leader of the Wu Shan hunting team, you will lead the journey." The old man stood up, glanced at a middle-aged man standing next to the Wu Shan tribe chief, and then left, walking away.

The middle-aged man remained calm, bowed, and agreed.

Su Ming quickly followed Grandpa, leaving the bustling bonfire area.

The old man didn't speak on the way, just walked silently. When the laughter behind them faded, he came to a grass and wooden house and went inside.

The house was small and simple. After entering, the old man sat cross-legged and looked at Su Ming, who had followed him in.

"Did you go to collect Wu Long saliva again?"

Now alone with the old man, Su Ming respected Grandpa, who had watched him grow up. He put down the woven basket, picked up the small clay bottle, and handed it to the old man.

"With your agility, those Wu Longs can't hurt you, but it's best to go less often... that area belongs to the Hei Shan and Wu Long tribes."

"This Wu Long saliva is useless to me. You can keep it to nourish your body." The old man looked at Su Ming with a kind expression.

Su Ming nodded and put the small bottle away. Over the years, he had drunk a lot of it, which was why he was so agile.

Moreover, Grandpa often boiled medicinal soups for him, making him stronger than ordinary tribespeople despite not having a Savage body.

"In three days, it will be the time for your generation's La Su Savage initiation. I remember you are already sixteen... you need to go and worship the Savage statue."

"Our Wu Shan tribe's Savage statue is inherited from the true Wu Shan tribe. Although it is not the main statue and cannot compare to the statues of medium-sized tribes, it is very powerful in the surrounding area."

Su Ming remained silent for a moment and nodded.

"Stay in the village for the next few days and rest well. In three days, go with them for the Savage initiation." The old man said, slowly closing his eyes.

Su Ming stood for a while, then silently left with the woven basket, heading to his nearby grass and wooden house.

He would never forget the scene when he was seven, circling the Savage statue with all the children of the same age in the tribe for the first Savage initiation.

As a member of the Savage tribe, one must undergo two initiation ceremonies in their lifetime, one at seven and one at sixteen.

At the same time, the tribe's elders would use the power of the Savage statue to select those with a Savage body.

Sighing, Su Ming felt a bitter taste in his heart. He longed to become a Savage warrior. The scenes described in the animal skin scroll had fascinated him since childhood, but the harsh reality became clear when he first worshiped the Savage statue at seven: he did not have a Savage body and was not qualified to practice as a Savage.

Savagery is the essence of the world. Only by becoming a Savage warrior can one laugh and soar above the nine heavens and become a true strong person!

From the animal skin scroll, Su Ming knew as a child that there were many tribes of various sizes in the world, each with its own unique Savage statue, the foundation of the tribe and the essential item for descendants to become Savages.

Understanding the Savage statue, if one can gain a response, they can naturally inherit the practice of Savagery, without needing to be taught and can practice on their own.

But if one fails at both seven and sixteen, it means everything is forever unchangeable. Su Ming's heart was always hesitant. He had hoped for an answer, but now, with only three days left before the final understanding, he was afraid.

"This time... will it work..." Su Ming silently returned to his house, sat down, and fell into a daze.