Chapter 2 of 100

Chapter 2

15 min read3,833 words

"Quickly, quickly, quickly!"

At the foot of Black Eagle Ridge, Lu Li hurriedly ran, the sky was almost dark, and if he didn't pull the coffin to the mountaintop, he would receive no reward.

Pulling a three-thousand-pound ancient coffin for half a day, Lu Li's entire body ached, his legs trembled, and now he was climbing uphill, which was even more strenuous.

Black Eagle Ridge was very high, with a winding mountain path stretching for two or three miles. Although it wasn't steep, the continuous uphill climb was extremely tiring, and the mountain path was covered in snow. A single misstep could cause him to slip, and the ancient coffin would slide backward. If it flipped over, not only would he receive no reward, but he might also face severe punishment.

"Roar!"

Lu Li roared a few times, like a raging beast. His muscles were taut, his eyes blurred by sweat, but he still moved forward steadily, step by step.

"I must persevere!"

Many times, Lu Li almost wanted to give up, his legs feeling as heavy as if they were tied with sandbags. But thinking of the Body Tempering Pill, he gritted his teeth and continued, step by step, climbing toward the mountaintop.

"Whoosh~"

Suddenly, Lu Li's legs slipped, and he fell to the ground. The massive ancient coffin immediately began to slide backward. His face changed drastically; if the coffin flipped over, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Roar!"

He roared again, wrapping the iron chain around his hands several times and digging his fingers into the ground. At the same time, he kicked his legs into the snow and soil to stabilize his body, reducing the momentum of the sliding coffin.

After retreating a few meters, Lu Li stabilized his body, and the ancient coffin stopped sliding. His knees and hands, rubbed against the ground, were red and swollen, with blood seeping out.

"Phew!"

After confirming that the coffin wouldn't slide back, Lu Li panted heavily. A little injury was nothing; as long as the coffin didn't flip over, it was a stroke of luck, otherwise, he would have wasted his efforts today.

After a brief rest, he continued. Just before it got completely dark, he finally reached the mountaintop. Looking at the dozen or so ancient coffins emitting a faint glow, Lu Li let out a long sigh of relief.

...

The mountaintop was very wide, with protrusions on both sides, resembling a soaring eagle, hence the name Black Eagle Ridge.

This mountain ridge was originally a tribal ice burial site, later forcibly occupied by the Liu family. As the dominant force in Wuling City, the Liu family controlled all tribes and families within a thousand miles, so occupying a mountain ridge was no big deal.

There were many people on the mountaintop, including guards riding silver wolves, array construction masters, and elderly people who had finished pulling coffins and were waiting to receive their rewards or pills.

"Such a young coffin puller?"

A beautiful girl in a white fox fur coat sat on a silver wolf, holding a silver whip, looking majestic and noble. She was about sixteen years old and was slightly surprised to see Lu Li. So young and already pulling coffins? Lu Li was bare-chested, young and handsome, with a well-built body, and his wild aura was particularly attractive to women.

"Yes, Miss Yi!"

The guard commander Liu Wu replied, "Coffin pullers are hard to find. Although Lu Li is not a warrior, he has innate strength. He volunteered to pull the coffin, so I made the decision on my own."

"Ah."

Miss Yi quickly收回了目光，对她来说——连玄力都修炼不出，这样的人注定是个废物，只配做最卑贱的活，比如拉棺。

Lu Li pulled the ancient coffin to the designated position, rested for a while, and then took out a black cotton jacket from his burlap bag to wear. He wasn't completely immune to the cold, but he needed to use his shoulders to pull the coffin, which easily tore his shirt. Each piece of clothing was made by his sister with great effort, and he didn't want to damage them.

After waiting for a while, a few more coffin pullers arrived. Lu Li counted and found there were seventeen people in total, including himself. The others were all elderly warriors, at least in their fifties, indicating that this job was not favored by young people in the Northern Desert.

"Alright, come to receive your rewards."

Guard Commander Liu Wu jumped off the silver wolf and walked to the front of the coffin pullers. He looked at an old man and said, "Two hundred gold leaves, Spirit Essence Pill, Body Tempering Pill, or a Rank 1 Human-grade Mystic Weapon, which reward do you choose?"

The old man said very confidently, "Spirit Essence Pill!"

Liu Wu took out two jade boxes from his chest and threw them over. This old man had pulled two coffins today. He was a warrior, though at the lowest level of the Mystic Warrior Realm, but his strength was much greater than Lu Li's.

"What about you?"

Liu Wu turned to another old man, who also said very confidently, "Sir, I want two Spirit Essence Pills."

Several people in a row chose the Spirit Essence Pill, and Liu Wu was not surprised.

These old men were either in the middle or late stages of the Mystic Warrior Realm, clearly hoping to use the Spirit Essence Pill to advance to the next realm. If they could break through to the Divine Sea Realm, their lifespan would increase, and their combat power would surge.

"Lu Li, what about you?" It was Lu Li's turn, and Liu Wu asked. Lu Li said very firmly, "I want the Body Tempering Pill."

"Body Tempering Pill?"

Liu Wu frowned, and the old men nearby shook their heads. After a moment of thought, Liu Wu said, "Lu Li, the Body Tempering Pill can strengthen your body and increase your strength, but you should understand that raw strength is useless. To become a warrior, Mystic Power is the foundation. Why don't you choose gold leaves to improve your life?"

"Thank you, sir, I want the Body Tempering Pill." Lu Li said firmly.

Liu Wu said no more, took out a yellow jade box, and threw it over. Lu Li opened it and found a soil-colored pill emitting a faint fragrance, and his face lit up with joy.

"Idiot..."

Miss Yi saw the intense look in Lu Li's eyes and sneered. To her, Lu Li clearly didn't understand cultivation.

Mystic Warrior, Divine Sea, Soul Pond, Nether Wheel, Immortal, Duke, and Human Emperor!

These were the cultivation realms of warriors in the Northern Desert. Each advancement in realm would significantly increase combat power. Strong warriors could break through mountains, level cities, and destroy the heavens and earth with a single move.

Becoming a strong warrior would grant unimaginable power, the ability to soar to the sky, and enjoy endless glory and wealth. They could become city lords, domain lords, or even human emperors.

But!

All of this was based on Mystic Power. Without the ability to cultivate Mystic Power, one could not break through the Mystic Warrior Realm, and everything would be like the moon in a well or a flower in water.

Lu Li was already fourteen or fifteen years old and still couldn't cultivate Mystic Power, indicating his low aptitude, making it difficult for him to enter the world of martial arts.

So, why did he need the Body Tempering Pill? Even if he trained his strength to ten thousand pounds, what good would it do? Not to mention a Divine Sea Realm warrior, even a peak Mystic Warrior could easily and instantly kill him.

"Alright!"

The rewards were quickly distributed, and Liu Wu waved his hand. "Everyone, go back and rest. If you want to pull coffins again tomorrow, go to Broken Blade Ridge early."

It was already completely dark, and everyone had long wanted to leave. Hearing this, they all hurried down the mountain.

Lu Li's muscles ached, and his legs were heavy, but he was eager to return home. He ran quickly and soon disappeared down Black Eagle Ridge.

...

Lu Li lived in Dilong Tribe, thirty miles south of Black Eagle Ridge. He held the jade box and ran through the dim night, taking an hour to finally reach the tribe.

Despite being extremely tired, he didn't rest for a moment. He knew his sister would be waiting for him outside the tribe.

Sure enough!

At the gate of the tribe, Lu Li saw a delicate white figure. Looking at the snow-covered figure, Lu Li felt a pang of sadness and shouted from a distance, "Sister, I'm back."

The snow figure moved, revealing a girl of about eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing a hood. Her pale face was exceptionally beautiful, far surpassing Miss Yi of the Liu family.

However, she was leaning on a cane, seemingly with some difficulty in her legs? Hearing Lu Li's voice, she smiled faintly, like a snow lotus blooming, beautiful to the point of being breathtaking.

"Sister, didn't I tell you not to wait for me?"

Lu Li walked over, grabbed his sister's cold hand, and said with a slight scolding, "You're so weak. What if you get sick?"

The girl smiled again, looking at Lu Li with affection, and said softly, "I was worried about you. Let's go home; I made your favorite cured deer meat."

"Alright!"

Lu Li smiled and helped the girl walk into the tribe. She leaned on the cane, limping, with one leg clearly shorter.

Such a beautiful face, yet a cripple?

Lu Li had innate strength but couldn't cultivate Mystic Power. It seemed that fate was not kind to this brother and sister...

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