Chapter 1026: Test
The Endless Mountains was an area in the Hundred Thousand Mountains within the Flybarb tribe’s sphere of influence.
“It’s unlikely they’ll leave us for dead since it’s just a test for those at the early Predatory realm. We are all future elites and the vitality of the tribe!”
Fang Yuan wore beast skin clothes, carried a bamboo basket, and held a saber in his hand as he walked through the jungle.
“After awakening the totem, our physical fitness improved, and we no longer need to fear ordinary wild beasts… We will develop our own totems through constantly killing beasts and seizing their bloodlines and spirit essences in the Endless Mountains! This is the Predatory realm!”
He recalled the previous lessons. “I will be able to enter the mid Predatory realm once I accumulate to a certain extent, and I can then display some of the abilities of the totem… This is also the tribe’s requirement—returning only when we reach the mid-stage!
“But I feel that this method is a bit stupid. We don’t even have a technique to cultivate the power of the totem… It’s all based on external forces!”
Fang Yuan felt some regret.
If his realm were still there, it would be very easy to create some techniques based on his totem.
Unfortunately, this was a totally different universe with different nomological rules. He did not dare to do anything out of the ordinary in fear that he might damage his body’s natural source. If that happened, then he would have no one to blame but himself.
Unless… he managed to find hundreds of experimental subjects to test whatever he wanted on!
Sha Sha!
Just then, the nearby trees rustled.
“Hmm?” Fang Yuan narrowed his eyes and saw a black shadow. “An ordinary wolf? No, it seems to be a banished wolf king!”
There were also hierarchies within wolf packs. The fate awaiting a defeated wolf king was either death or banishment.
This old wolf with emerald eyes might be wounded at the moment, but it was still gritting its teeth and very tough.
“Kill!” He struck an attack posture.
“Ahwhoooo!” The old lone wolf stepped aside and leaped violently in reflex.
“This wolf has an iron head and a tofu waist!”
Fang Yuan’s eyes flashed coldly. The result was set when this old wolf was confused by his killing intent and lost the first move.
He raised his saber. “Chopping Wood!”
Bang!
A cold light flashed. A huge wound appeared on the old wolf’s waist, and blood poured out.
Fang Yuan hopped a few steps away and watched the old wolf fall to the ground, bleeding out.
“Bloodline? And spirit essence?”
Through his totem, he could feel something different in this old wolf whose life was quickly slipping away.
“Now, if I use the technique that Brutal Thunder taught, I can let my totem absorb the spirit essence…”
He shook his head without doing anything.
“Regardless of whether its bloodline or spirit essence, the most taboo is to absorb indiscriminately and conflicting attributes… My clam totem is the water element and illusion oriented. It isn’t compatible with this old wolf at all. Although I can still absorb it, it will inevitably cause some issues later!”
This reasoning was something he comprehended himself.
After all, Flybarb was only a small tribe without any great inheritance. Perhaps even the high priest did not know about this.
But just how powerful was Fang Yuan’s knowledge? He instantly found out about this little secret of the Predatory realm. “Since it’s the cultivation of spirit essence and bloodline, it’s best to kill beasts more suitable for my totem. For me, it would be water beasts or mutated beasts inclined toward psyche and illusions. Only then can my totem be more perfect!
“Even though neither the high priest nor Brutal Thunder mentioned it, I am confident that my theory is right. It’s not much of a loss for me even if it isn’t!”
He left the wolf corpse and started toward a river.
“The beasts of this world are powerful… and the variety and density are amazing!”
Before long, Fang Yuan arrived at the river and started fishing.
He took out a piece of wolf meat, tied it to a branch, and suspended it over the river.
Blood dripped, immediately attracting a large creature.
Splash!
Water splashed, and a black shadow leaped out, exposing sharp fangs that latched onto the wolf meat.
“Great!”
Fang Yuan’s eyes lit up, and he swung fiercely.
A huge resistance came, but it still lost to Fang Yuan and was thrown ashore.
Smack!
It was a giant fish half the size of a human. It had black scales, and its mouth was full of sharp teeth, convincing Fang Yuan that it could definitely bite off an adult’s fist in one go.
“Sawtooth fish! One of the fiercer species!”
He took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward while looking at the fish flopping on the ground and trying to return to the river.
“Cutting Wind!”
The saber turned into a stream of light, chopping at the fish’s head.
Smack!
The sawtooth fish went taut and stopped moving.
“Clam totem! Absorb!”
Fang Yuan’s right hand formed a strange hand seal, and a totem light pattern appeared from his body and pressed onto the sawtooth fish.
A heat current was drawn from the fish and went into the totem.
His body seemed to improve, giving him a fluttering feeling.
“My clam totem seems to be brighter now that I’ve absorbed the bloodline and spirit essence!”
Fang Yuan stared at his big shell totem that swallowed clouds and spat fog.
In the Awakening and Predatory realms, a bloodline warrior’s totem looked like a two-dimensional picture, akin to a rune.
It would only become three-dimensional and come alive when it reached the Materialization realm.
“Not enough! I have to kill at least another hundred sawtooth fish to make the totem improve a little and advance to the mid Predatory realm… I can’t materialize it at that stage, but the totem would be able to exert some abilities!”
Brutal Thunder did teach them in regards to this.
Fang Yuan set up a campfire and grilled the sawtooth fish. He ate the fish slowly and placed the saber beside him. “Before the mid-stage, we can only rely on our own martial arts to survive. Of course, we can easily deal with ordinary wild beasts under the nourishment of the totem! I can only really rely on the Splashing Wind Saber Technique for now!”
It would seem as though the barbarians in the Hundred Thousand Mountains were a bit stupid and had problems understanding things like techniques.
Among this group of youngsters, only Dark, Moon, and that young boy with the tiger totem had learned the first stance.
However, Fang Yuan was proficient in all three stances!
“The three stances are actually just one stance. The core is the strength-exerting technique! An ordinary warrior uses their arms to exert strength, while these stances use the whole body. Especially the last stance, Splashing Wind. It uses almost ninety percent of the whole body’s power!”
This was rather frightening.
For example, Fang Yuan’s physical fitness was currently about on par with those youths, maybe even slightly inferior to Dark. However, he was confident that he was now superior to them with the Splashing Wind Saber Technique!
“Even if the clam totem improves, it would be in the aspect of illusions. It might be in line with me, but I still have to depend on the saber in my hand when talking about lethality!”
Fang Yuan gazed at the saber in his hand with understanding.
In this world, he had to rely on the saber in hand to cut all obstacles!
“Hmm? Who’s there?”
His eyes moved to the side halfway through his meal.
“Smells good! There is indeed someone here!” Several young men emerged from the thicket. “Lunatic Ancient, you’re pretty brave to light a fire in the Endless Mountains!”
Although many wild beasts might be afraid of fire, there were several powerful mutated beasts that would be attracted by the flames.
“So it’s you, Dark, Strain, and Tiger!” Fang Yuan looked coldly at these people. “What do you want?”
Strain was the young man with the mastiff totem. However, it was obvious that Dark was the leader here. “We found a mutated beast and need help!”
“Mutated beast?” Fang Yuan sneered. “With us? Wouldn’t we just be delivering it free food?”
“Of course not. We’ve already found everyone but you. Also, that mutated beast is injured…” Dark said slowly. “Ancient, come and help me. We’ll split it fairly afterward!”
He spoke impressively, with the air of a young leader. He had obviously become the core of these youths.
The Flybarb tribe had long cleaned up the truly dangerous mutated beasts in the Endless Mountains, and only some ordinary ones were left.
Fang Yuan’s heart moved, and he asked suddenly. “What mutated beast is it?”
“Brute bull!”
This was the most common mutated beast. It merely had more strength and thick skin.
“I’m not going!” It was an earth element mutated beast and had no ability in the psyche aspect either, not attractive to Fang Yuan at all.
“What?” Strain started angrily “How dare you…”
“What can you do to me?” Fang Yuan glanced obliquely. “Also, stop calling me Lunatic Ancient. I’ve given myself a new name. It’s Fang Yuan!”
There were no surnames in the Flybarb tribe, and everyone just had a casual word as a name.
They could give themselves a new name after the coming of age ceremony.
Of course, there were also special cases. After becoming part of the higher echelons of the tribe, they would be given a ‘Brutal’ word to their name, like Brutal Thunder and Brutal Bones.
“Fang Yuan!” Dark took a step forward. “Why don’t you come with us? Even Moon has joined my camp. We have to work together to survive better in the Endless Mountains. I am confident that I can lead everyone to the mid Predatory realm and return alive!”
“Thank you! But I don’t need it!” Fang Yuan got up and left.
“Boss…” His face full of anger, Strain stared at Fang Yuan’s back. “This kid… really doesn’t know what’s good for him. Why do you need to…”
“Shut up!” Dark suddenly slapped him, and his face was gloomy. “What do you know? Before the mid Predatory realm, no one can use the power of their totem to attack. We all have to rely on our physical fitness and martial arts. Do you think you can compare to Lunatic Ancient?”
Strain finally understood.
Lunatic Ancient, who was currently Fang Yuan, was among the top five in a hundred-odd youngsters.
Furthermore, even Brutal Thunder had praised Fang Yuan. In terms of martial arts, he was simply the best in this cohort.
“Are you going to block the brute bull without Fang Yuan?” Dark gnashed his teeth. “We have to kill this mutated beast no matter what!”
A mutated beast contained bloodline power and spirit essence rich enough to meet most of the needs for the improvement of his horned dragon totem.