“How is that impossible? Hundreds of years ago, a group of descendants from ancient divine beasts entered, and among them were definitely some pure-blooded vicious beast cubs. Many witnessed it with their own eyes, shocking the entire world.”
“But why go there?” Little Rascal still didn’t understand—what was the point of joining the commotion?
An elder explained, “Naturally, it’s because there are great opportunities there. Those who entered hundreds of years ago now stand supreme in their own domains, revered across the vast lands. Take, for instance, the Human Emperor of the Stone Kingdom, the Dean of the Zhulu Academy, and many other prodigies—now they wield immense power, ruling over territories spanning tens of thousands of miles. And that’s not even mentioning the leaders of the ancient noble families, all of whom have reached unfathomable heights.”
According to the elders of the Sky Mending Pavilion, the Hundred Shattered Mountains held countless opportunities—inheritance from ancient sages, fragments of celestial bones, even sacred herbs. It was practically a divine land.
Little Rascal frowned. He wasn’t so easily fooled. If even the ancient sages had shed tears and blood there, it must be fraught with endless dangers. One misstep, and he’d be dead. These elders were clearly sugarcoating things, trying to persuade him to join the battle for their own purposes. A well-calculated scheme.
“If you want me to go, what’s in it for me?” he suddenly asked.
The crowd froze. This kid was truly unconventional. Others would be overjoyed at such an opportunity, yet he was demanding benefits in return?
“That’s a death trap. No benefits, no deal.” Little Rascal wrapped his arms around Elder Xiong Fei’s neck.
Everyone was stunned. Was this kid extorting them? They’d never seen a disciple like this before.
“If you don’t go, the one beside you won’t let it slide. Sooner or later, you’ll lose your life,” Tao Ye said.
“Ugh!” Little Rascal sighed. This didn’t seem like a bluff—having a death god trailing him was truly troublesome.
“If there are so many benefits, why don’t you go yourselves?” he grumbled.
“We’d love to, but time spares no one. The ancient era has passed, and the Hundred Shattered Mountains now only allow entry to those under eighteen,” someone lamented helplessly.
“Fine then!” Little Rascal nodded. He knew there was no escaping this.
“This time, many will enter—prodigies from ancient noble families, princes of ancient kingdoms, descendants of divine beasts, even the bloodline of the Golden-Winged Roc. If you go, you must be cautious. A single misstep could cost you your life,” the elders warned before mentioning the potential rewards.
Little Rascal was distracted, his face gloomy. He didn’t want to be in such danger—it was too passive.
Truthfully, the place was indeed perilous. Each time, only about forty percent of the geniuses who entered survived. The mortality rate was terrifyingly high.
The only thing that tempted him was the possibility of encountering pure-blooded vicious beast cubs. Back in the village, some of the uncles had joked that when he grew strong enough, he should capture one to raise as a guardian for Stone Village.
Though he wasn’t yet powerful enough to dominate the world, if he stumbled upon a cub without its parents noticing… maybe he could snatch one. After all, he had the strength to fight a true juvenile *Hou*!
Lost in thought, Little Rascal suddenly grinned.
“Hey, what are you thinking about? Did you hear what we said?” someone beside him asked. Just moments ago, the kid had been frowning, and now he was grinning like a fool. Truly a child.
Snapping out of his daydream, Little Rascal wiped his drool and declared, “I want to catch a Golden-Winged Roc cub.”
The crowd turned to stone, promptly ignoring him.
“Ahem. Xiong Fei, take him away for now. We have matters to discuss,” Tao Ye said.
Half an hour later, Little Rascal was brought back into the hall. Most had left, leaving only four old men staring at him with eerie grins, their eyes gleaming.
“You… what do you want with me?!” He sensed something amiss and glared.
“Nothing much. Just want to give you a good spanking, heh!” The four elders rose from their seats and closed in.
Little Rascal knew he was in trouble. He shouldn’t have gotten so close to these old foxes—they must have figured out who he was.
“If you dare lay a hand on me, I’ll defect to the Zhulu Academy!” he shouted.
The old men chuckled, their eyes still gleaming.
“Ow! You’re really hitting me? That hurts!” Little Rascal yelped as someone smacked his rear.
**Boom!**
He wasn’t about to take it lying down. With a swift slap, he clashed with one of the elders, the impact resonating like muffled thunder through the hall.
“Impressive, kid! Such monstrous physical strength is truly heaven-defying!” one exclaimed in amazement.
“Enough, let’s not torment him further,” Tao Ye said with a smile.
The others relented, not truly intending to punish him.
At this moment, Xiong Fei finally realized something and pointed at Little Rascal. “You… you’re that *holy terror*, aren’t you?!”
Gnashing his teeth, he lunged forward. Ever since the *holy terror* had entered the Sky Mending Pavilion, chaos had followed. Xiong Fei and Zhuo Yun had been driven to the brink of madness, desperate to catch and thrash him. And just now, he’d been carrying this brat on his back, nearly cursed by an ancient specter! Unforgivable!
“Enough, Xiong Fei. Leave for now.”
Fuming but not daring to disobey, Xiong Fei shot Little Rascal a glare before storming off.
“Elders, did you see that? I can’t stay here anymore—Elder Xiong will definitely come after me later!”
Xiong Fei, who hadn’t even left yet, stumbled mid-step. The little brat was already tattling on him?!
“Xiong Fei, don’t be too hard on him. He’s just a mischievous child,” Tao Ye said kindly.
Xiong Fei wanted to cry. *Mischievous?* The entire Void God Realm wants to beat him up—it’s not just me!
“Mm, you may go.” The four elders shooed him away, leaving Xiong Fei seething.
“Child, our Sky Mending Pavilion has always been open-minded. Small mistakes can be forgiven, but don’t commit grave errors,” one elder said with a chuckle.
Little Rascal nodded eagerly like a pecking chick, putting on an angelic act.
“When you enter the Hundred Shattered Mountains, keep an eye out for the Fountain of Youth. If you can bring it back, your name will be engraved on our Eternal Monument,” another elder said.
Little Rascal’s lips twitched. No wonder they were being so nice—they wanted something from him.
“*Holy terror*, what’s with that look? Once you join our sect, you should never forget your roots. Is it so hard to do one thing for us?” an elder snapped.
“Instead of lecturing him, just tell him that if he succeeds, he can pick a treasure technique from the Scripture Pavilion. That’ll motivate him,” Tao Ye interjected.
“Hey, don’t underestimate me… I’m happy to serve the sect,” Little Rascal said coyly, twisting his fingers. “But when I come back, I should at least get to stay in the Scripture Pavilion for a month. One technique isn’t enough!”
At first, the elders nodded, pleased. He was still just a child, after all.
Then the second part of his sentence hit them, and their faces darkened instantly.
The Fountain of Youth was located in a treacherous part of the Hundred Shattered Mountains, surrounded by an ancient saintly formation that could erase runes. Only those with immensely powerful physiques could approach.
When Xiong Fei next saw Little Rascal, he thought the boy was munching on a radish. But after rubbing his eyes, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
“You—you dare steal spirit herbs?! That’s the Snow Jade Ginseng planted at the hall’s entrance!”
“Elder Tao Ye gave it to me,” Little Rascal replied.
“Nonsense!” Xiong Fei refused to believe it.
“Before leaving, I asked Elder Tao if I could eat the ‘radishes’ in the garden. He nodded impatiently.”
From inside the hall, Tao Ye’s exasperated voice rang out: “Keep an eye on him from now on. Don’t let him near the herb fields. Send him a basket of real radishes later!”
From that day onward, Little Rascal was truly free. Aside from training diligently, he explored every corner of the Sky Mending Pavilion.
Every night, the sword-bearing elder would appear, as if urging him to hurry. At first, it was unsettling, but eventually, Little Rascal grew used to it—even hanging his clothes on the ancient corpse like a coat rack, or tossing Furball onto its head to sleep.
Of course, Furball would wake up screeching, its fur standing on end.
By dawn, the elder would vanish without a trace.
“Hey, isn’t this just an ordinary disciple? What’s he doing in our genius camp?”
The genius camp was surrounded by breathtaking scenery—azure lakes, emerald valleys, and majestic peaks bathed in radiant auras, far surpassing the training grounds for regular disciples.
“Stop right there. You can’t just barge in.”
Little Rascal halted. “I’m looking for Qingfeng.”
“Why?”
“He’s my little brother. I brought him medicine.” He held up a bundle.
Soon, Qingfeng arrived and unwrapped it, gasping at the sight of a glowing spirit herb, its fragrance intoxicating.
“Big brother… where did you get this?” Qingfeng’s hands trembled. He knew his elder brother too well—this had to be stolen from the herb fields.
The moment the bundle opened, others noticed and exclaimed in envy. Even genius disciples only received rare medicinal powders, not entire spirit herbs.
“Hey, kid, as a regular disciple, there’s no way you obtained this legally. You must’ve stolen it. That’s a serious offense—you’ll be expelled,” someone accused.
“Lies! I won this by defeating the descendant of an ancient divine beast,” Little Rascal retorted sternly.
Technically, it wasn’t entirely false—Furball *had* tried to eat it before being subdued.
No one believed him, scoffing instead.
“Don’t believe me? Let’s bet. Who wants to challenge me?”
The crowd burst into laughter. This kid was full of himself—a mere ordinary disciple, not even qualified for the genius camp, daring to challenge them?
“I’ll take you on. If I win, do I get your spirit herb?” A green-robed girl stepped forward, her figure graceful, her eyes clear as autumn water.
“Oho! A pretty sister! What’s your wager? Got any spirit herbs?” Little Rascal’s eyes sparkled.
The crowd laughed. This kid was a head shorter than the girl, yet he called her “sister”?
The girl smiled. “Little brother, don’t get ahead of yourself. You’ll be crying soon. I don’t have a spirit herb, but I have rare medicinal powders and other valuables. Combined, they should suffice.”
“Talking to beauties is always pleasant. You’re in! Who else wants to bet?”
The crowd was dumbfounded. Was this kid an idiot? He was about to lose his spirit herb, yet he wanted more opponents?
“You’re confident. Count me in,” another girl said, clad in beast hides, her limbs exposed, her skin sun-kissed and healthy, her eyes wild.
“Another pretty sister! I love dealing with pretty sisters!” Little Rascal put on an air of maturity, his gaze wandering where it shouldn’t.
“Brat, I’ll knock your teeth out!” the wild-eyed girl snapped.
“Pfft, like I’m scared. Don’t cry when you lose, sister.” He waved grandly at the boys. “You guys are useless, letting the girls fight for you? Unacceptable!”
Then, to the girls: “Those guys are unreliable!”
The boys nearly choked on their rage. This brat was *begging* for a beating!
In an instant, a swarm of fifteen- and sixteen-year-old geniuses surrounded him, eager to teach him a lesson—under the guise of a “friendly wager,” of course.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage