Shi Hao had large, bright eyes and wore a patched animal hide coat. He was so modest that he exuded innocent charm, prompting a warm smile from the entire group surrounding him.
“A shy little brother? So adorable,” a lady leading the group chuckled, her eyes sparkling with beauty radiating soft luminescence across her lovely porcelain face.
Shi Hao awkwardly scratched his head and smiled candidly, speaking not a single other word. By his shoulder slouched Mao Qiu, appearing equally dumbfounded, utterly like an unintelligent fledgling beast with a lackluster droop to his posture.
“Young master, aren’t you exceptional! The bloodstained coat suggests heavy carnage against savage beasts?” an elderly shi-tid questioned in tone brightened by glinting silver glyphs flaring deep in her eyes-a penetrating gaze brimming with mysterious unfathomability.
“Indeed,” the boy confirmed with seriousness. “Mountain wilds hold dire danger; I was but compelled to fight back.”
“So, little one, did you separate from Grandpa many days ago? How else explain such tattering to garb?” the leading maiden softly teased, her eyes shimmering with illusions so mesmerizingly beautiful that both she and her company momentarily wavered in composure to drink her in.
Nodding affirmatively, Shi Hao ‘blurted out’ the simple ‘truth’-as though secrets would instantly tumble forth from one so guileless. “Grandad said I must be tested. He’s letting me struggle through alone without intervention so long as lives aren’t risk.”
All in their group involuntarily shivered-considering how many elite children went only when flanked by experts. Yet few had ever wandered deep into dangerous, wild territories alone for trial by beast.
“Indeed. In these recent years, several extraordinary youngsters made it safely crossing thousands of dangerous miles without an elder, defeating monstrous feral creatures through perilous expeditions.”
Though young Shi bore a guilelessness winning trust with eyes of remarkable purity free of deceit, the hardened company still eyed shrewdly for all his innocent appearance.
“You certainly can’t be one of the elite few traversing hundreds upon hundreds of perilous wilderness alone without guardians, could you?” the exquisite enchantress teased while pushing back her ebony mane, revealing the porcelain smoothness of elf-like ears with a grace ethereal in its splendor.
“Wo! Traversing so vast wilderness alone… wouldn’t they all fear meeting ancient species?” Shi Hao’s awe burst with wide eyes.
Their eyes exchanged glances, their skepticism wavering in the face of this untarnished sincerity-a child capable of single-handedly traversing dangerous hundreds across primal wilderness? How rarely could such a specimen ever appear?
Unexpectedly, the enchantress launched into movement, robes whither in motion while twisting elegantly in a supple swish, like slender willow gracing sudden force with alabaster limbs aiming strike on the youth so abruptly without warning from mid-conversation.
Shi Hao gasped startled, never imagining such a sudden shift from chat to attack. But honed reaction surged through him as two years training against wrathfulness of nature-tempest and avian warfare had prepared this swift instinct within him.
From his eyes radiated beams of startling sharp light like twin little blazes in miniature flare. He soared swift as a crane extending wings mid-flight, executing an elegant arc through air, right reaching out suddenly with ‘pfft’ to grasp at the jade-like alabaster arm mid-strike pulling her off-balance into stumbling fall to lower altitude as he followed close.
None dreamed the youth’s solitary arm could exert strength so prodigy-such an early age yet with still-childlike large eyes blinking wide awake, but movements so thunderbolt swift they defied sight!
Light speed spun mid-action twisting in rapid arc around the nearly-falling damsel’s back. His left shot forward clamping round her gleaming snowy neck in constricting noose; his right, crackling glyph runes flashing ominously at ready poised to pierce through her heart unless restraint held!
In a blink, all moves completed seamless with the rapid precision like lightning flashing before eyes, astounding the entire group with this unexpected turn-a youth actually gaining the advantage temporarily over Lady Yu!
“Hey elder Sister? Why did ya wanna hurt me just like that?”
Still child’s voice, yet his eyes shone clear with focus beyond his tender countenance, watching old shi-tid’s party rather than at Yu’s herself.
On snowy white breast where his small red-dirtied palms pressed, dark hand-prints stood unmistakable. So too marred flawless smooth white neck, a dark smudge stark against lustrous fairness.
Young males of the surrounding crowd watched this turn with mixed surprise flickering across their faces, while the matriarch soothed gently, saying,
“We bear no ill will, child.”
Then ‘Shsh!’ – Glyph script patterns spread over Yu’s translucent skin blooming like heavenly tome of countless markings carving ethereal air around, her whole form encased in radiant shimmering sheen. Like gliding fish, she slid effortlessly from Shi Hao’s grasp with fluid movement.
His heart thudded; Yu truly transcendent in her abilities-somehow slipping effortlessly between fingers where once secured as fish from net.
“Lovely Lady really quite something!” came chuckling praise, Yu genuinely awed that mere youth managed even momentary hold over her. If word of this escaped her own lips… she pondered implications shaking head internally.
Once slipping free, the boy relaxed, showing no chase intention adopting a look entirely innocent gazing at her, repeating confusedly, “Sister, why did ya do that to me just before now?”
“I wish merely to test young master’s talent-his power indeed prodigious! Even in infancy, his potential roars in torrents vast as oceans.”
Nodding Yu commented, eyes still holding flickers of impressed wonderment.
As all eyes shifted focus to lady’s chest region where smudges of prints remained all too visible for a time despite her subsequent movements, neck bearing equal marking.
But Yu simply smiled. Rather than any indignation or mortification from these visible evidences, her exquisitely fine-featured face retained serenity as dainty hand lifted to trace across, a flash of multicolored radiance instantly eliminating every mark from her skin like water washing off dust.
“My name is Xia Yooryu. And you, little one?”
“I’m known as Haotian,” Shi Hao quickly answered.
A moment’s silence befell the whole party at his name, then Yu released bright charming smile. Shi-tid herself beamed with benign affection saying,
“What spirit the child holds. A great, magnificent name indeed! Whichever way examined, however unfortunate Lady Yooryu’s momentary inattentiveness, to have captured such an advantage so swiftly still constitutes a miraculous feat indeed.”
Xia Yooryu combed through silken strands falling along her black lustrous hair, her radiant cheeks gleaming with a soft glow and her crystalline elven ears catching glimmers, while her large, lively eyes exuded pure otherworld beauty and her small palms suddenly flared luminously, bringing forth an enigmatic item. Not metallic, but resembling neither a typical gem nor regular stone, its intricate surface bore inscribed complex lines.
“What’s this?”
“You keep it securely,” the damsel passed the token offering into youthful hands, smiling at same breath continued explanation. Then, let the boy take it into own possession. “Bring this to your superiors. This insignia will permit your entry to ‘Blessed Vault’ where the worthy are nurtured.”
“Blessed Vault?”
Thoughtfully Shi Hao paused puzzled at unfamiliar term.
“You’re certain you’ve heard of Hunt Courtyard? It gathers many prodigies across vast land to cultivate the elite under tutelage. Blessing Hall, Divine Kings Sanctum share parallel renown.”
Nodding thoughtfully Shi Hao withheld further queries and properly, respectfully gave thanks. Murmurings broke out through group watching surprised expressions. Who imagined Yu would just hand it carelessly to one seemingly just an unsophisticated child-thing not just any trivial trinket.
Later Shi Hao eventually parted company to resume his own solitary trial, leaping astride a unicorn stallion, traversing mountain ranges in galloping strides toward destiny.
In all these dealings Mao Qiu remained quiet, limp, his eyes vacant; no other than a small beast indistinct among forest denizens.
“Yooryu,” one middle-aged inquiery, “were assigned only eight such insignia upon your mission to the West Border territories. Is that piece truly your last? Simply given to him just now?”
Another youthful figure sighed, observing, “Who possesses this insignia, can enter Bless Vault to claim high esteem there. Valuable remedies, secret glyph techniques-privilege all granted instantly upon possession. This token worth more than its weight in gold.”
“It must be considered; Stone Dominion Rain Lineage particularly hoped for last remaining insignia from your possession, arranging advancement for powerful scion destined into Blesssed Vault themselves. Reconsider before parting with it, surely.”
“Marks from prestigious blood rarely ever stumble in cultivation trial passage into Hall of Divinity. Do clan houses like them really lack those resources which this insignia can provide?” Yooryu remained casual.
“Traditional Houses, of course, care very much about social standing.” murmured the elder woman.
“Therein lies the reason why they need seek help from others. As fate would have it, my tokens had already been gifted along our expedition West, leaving that my last one to grant.” Yoory said serenely, flashing an enigmatic serene.
The older one cautiously urged. “Yet Rain family stands among formidable powers, their might too significant to risk offense. Especially in epochs that are to follow, where they would blaze triumphantly into ages destined. They are also none other than the Stone family’s maternal relatives to child of legend.”
At that word old shi-ti narrowed eyes and murmured contemplatively, adding, “Then I shall obtain another token for their sake. Better not to offend certain ruling lineages thoughtlessly.”
“Whatever the case, that boy remains a rare gem indeed. If I didn’t intervene, Hunt Courtyard people would rush to ‘claim’ him. In such a scenario, even Bless Vault itself might later suffer bitter regret for missing out beforehand.” Yu added, reminding that their quest for Primeval Eldritch Primordial Egg-although not the chief aim of their current journey, remained one important incidental pursuit.
“A formidable child?” a nearby queried.
“Tremendously vast potential,” the damsel’s previous levity faded while confirming, face dead-serious. “I measured one swing of arm with sheer muscle carrying strength alone exceeding several myriad ‘jin.”
Such strength from flesh so youthful? Others gasps showed clear disbelief.
Realization dawned: suddenly explaining how a lady of her caliber found herself so nearly knocked sideways, teetering towards stumble.
“From my estimate, assuming this modest-pretending but seemingly genuine boy withheld no strength, I expect both his arms combined should reach at least fifty-seven thousand jin of sheer power.” The elder woman solemnly elaborated.
“NANI!?” shocked gasps escaped entire group, exuding incredulity.
Impossible that arms combined reach strength of several myriads of jin? Equivalent to those rigorous ancestral rite tests of the Primeval Savage Beast Clans, marking elite juveniles!
“This… This one must prove an epoch-defining rarity, worth immense efforts in recruitment and cultivation investment.”
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