Chapter 66: The Trial (Part One)
Chapter 66: The Trial (Part One)
“Yours.”
“This is yours.”
“And yours.”
Beside the Giant Rhinoceros Beast, dozens of Shan Yue Village children stood in line in front of Shan Guoer.
Even the naughtiest kids dared not cause trouble.
Shan Guoer wouldn’t spoil them.
Getting a good beating was nothing compared to missing out on sweet Peanut Brittle.
The little girl wasn’t stingy.
Other kids might hide their treats, refusing to share.
She never thought of keeping all Peanut Brittle Gao Jing had brought just for herself.
Though all those candies were hers.
Because Gao Jing had brought ten thousand pounds this time, so Shan Guoer gave five pieces to each child.
Everyone was happy.
Some kids hid their candy the second they got it.
Others eagerly peeled off the cling wrap, stuffing it into their mouths to chew happily.
A few unwrapped theirs but only licked slowly.
Unable to bear eating it all at once.
“Don’t throw away the wrappers!”
Shan Guoer sternly warned them. “Give them all back to me, or no more candy later!”
She spoke with pure authority.
Naturally, no one disobeyed.
Would anyone risk losing future treats this delicious?
Actually, collecting the cling wrap was Gao Jing’s specific instruction for her.
Maybe because he treated the Great World as his private realm, Gao Jing didn’t want carelessly littering non-decomposable trash from the Primary World here.
Polluting the Great World’s pure environment!
So, not just cling wrap, but even coarse salt bags, he took back with him.
Environmentally friendly and positive!
Having a Storage Space made it easy anyway.
Secrecy was another reason, as these were modern technology products.
Earlier, dealing with the Shan Yue Tribe, especially Elder Shaman Shan Yan, Gao Jing worried his gear and supplies might expose his origins.
Risking capture for dissection.
Later, learning more about the Great World eased that fear.
Ten thousand years ago, some Great Wilderness Humans hid in the underground Abyss to escape giantization dangers.
The harsh environment let them survive, yet over time, geological changes split them into different factions and clans.
Just one quake could seal underground passages. Isolated Abyss Remnant Clans evolved over millennia, developing unique languages, writing, and cultures.
Some Abyss Remnant Clans grew powerful, mastering advanced crafting and rich heritage.
Others lingered in ignorance, even turning savage.
After the Great World changes ended, many Abyss Remnant Clans reopened paths to the surface.
Reconnecting with Great Wilderness Humans, their shared ancestors.
But everything had changed!
So Gao Jing’s strange clothes didn’t shock the well-traveled Elder Shaman Shan Yan.
The underground Abyss was too complex, with too many Remnant Clans.
Stranger things were common.
Besides, the Elder Shaman treated Gao Jing kindly, uninterested in his possessions.
Gao Jing posed no threat to the Giants.
Of course, Gao Jing stayed careful, never showing high-tech items like phones or laptops.
Only the tiny, hidden GoPro, being very useful.
Remained on him constantly.
“Let’s head back!”
Finally done distributing candy, Shan Guoer cheerfully hopped back onto the Pack Beast.
“Pi-Pi Rhino, let’s go!”
Pi-Pi Rhino was Gao Jing’s name for the beast, adopted by the girl.
Though she lacked its Beast Control Talisman, she knew it far better than Gao Jing ever could.
Pi-Pi Rhino obediently followed her command.
Carrying the girl and Gao Jing, it trotted toward the Village Fort.
A crowd of little Shan Yue Giants skipped behind them, absolutely thrilled.
Sticking with Shan Guoer meant candy!
As for Gao Jing?
Who? Too tiny to notice!
Back in the Village Fort.
Gao Jing clearly sensed the Shan Yue Giants treated him more warmly now.
No longer just: Oh, the tiny one’s back.
How amusing!
Overall.
If Gao Jing were playing an RPG, his Shan Yue Village Fort reputation had reached the Friendly level.
Close to Respected now.
Inside his wooden house at the valley’s deepest end, he met Elder Shaman Shan Yan again.
“Oh?”
Wrinkles deepened on the Old Shaman’s surprised face. “You’ve Ignited your Bloodline?”
He keenly noticed shifts in Gao Jing’s body and aura!
Gao Jing admitted openly. “Yes.”
He bowed respectfully. “All thanks to your guidance and help.”
He credited the Elder.
But Elder Shaman Shan Yan shook his head, smiling faintly. “Igniting your Bloodline so soon shows your true talent.”
“Hard work was also necessary.”
If someone only had talent but didn’t make effort, it was definitely impossible to achieve such great success.
In the Elder Shaman’s memory, no one ever, including Great Wilderness Humans and the Abyss Remnant Clan, could ignite their bloodline in such a short time.
He felt even more sorry for Gao Jing deep inside.
“Then…”
The Elder Shaman reached out and kindly patted the head of Shan Guoer beside him.
She was happily hugging the teddy bear.
Shan Guoer was a very smart kid and knew this stuffed toy was totally different from her usual playthings.
So she was careful to control her strength.
Otherwise, if she broke it, she would be heartbroken to death!
Woof woof woof~
It was just pitiful that at that moment, Ah Huang, squatting at her feet and wagging its tail hard, didn’t get even a tiny bit of love.
“Then are you planning before my…”
The Elder Shaman went on: “…completing the ascension to Totem Warrior?”
This was plainly clear.
But he asked seriously.
Gao Jing also got serious: “Yes, please help me with it, Shaman Chief!”
Only a Shaman could run the Totem Warrior ascension ceremony, helping ordinary fighters awaken their totemic power.
“I can run the ascension ceremony for you.”
The Elder Shaman nodded and said: “But since you picked the Shan Yue Tribe, you must follow our traditions.”
Gao Jing paused: “What traditions?”
The answer was: the hunting trial!
This was one tradition of the Shan Yue Tribe.
Ordinary fighters, before rising to Totem Warrior, had to show their bravery and strength.
How to show it?
Go alone into the Wilderness to hunt a Wild Beast bigger than themselves.
And it had to be a fierce beast!
If they couldn’t get this proof, they weren’t fit to make a Shaman run the ceremony.
They might just as well give up and die.
“You are a member of the Abyss Remnant Clan…”
The Elder Shaman was tolerant: “Naturally, you can’t go hunt lions, tigers, wolves, or leopards—you can pick a good target yourself.”
Gao Jing couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
If he had to hunt Wild Beasts like lions or tigers, he truly might as well die.
They weren’t even close in strength.
Gao Jing didn’t wait any longer: “I will follow the Shan Yue Tribe traditions and finish the hunting trial!”
The Elder Shaman smiled: “I believe you can do it.”
“But…”
He changed his topic: “Before that, you still need to keep practicing the Great Wilderness Combat Manual.”
Gao Jing didn’t get it: “When am I to practice it until?”
The Elder Shaman answered: “You’ll know for sure when the time comes.”