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The concentrated Essence flowed into his Sea of Qi, and it felt as if a fog was defusing rays of the morning sun. Wutian could see sceneries that were hundreds of feet away, and his spirit was refreshed as his perception extended. It was a type of transcendence, where the Essence broke free from its shackles and entered another realm.

Right then, Wutian felt that a forceful surge of energy was about to burst out of his body like a powerful sea current rising to the surface.

He rose to his feet all of a sudden. Immediately after, he lunged forward and punched his fist into the ground. The cave shook as rocks and soil fell from above due to the earthquake.

Wutian was startled. The power he currently possesses after he had unlocked his physique was on another level. Compared with what he previously had, the difference was akin to the gap between Heaven and Earth. Only by closing that gap was he able to see the scenery on the other side.

It was a scary transformation. No wonder everyone wanted to become a cultivator.

Running out of the cave, Wutian disappeared into the forest. Not long after Wutian left, a man arrived in front of the cave. His face sank when he saw the scene.

"That bastard's still alive? Impossible! The cliff is thousands of feet high; he couldn't have survived the fall. Some monster beast was probably just practicing its cultivation here. Nevertheless, I still need to find his body just to make sure," Longhe mumbled to himself. A cruel glint flashed in his eyes as he stepped out and disappeared into the dense forest.

"Caw!" Three hundred feet from the cave, a sound came from one of the trees in the dense forest.

"Stop making noise, you rascal, or we'll be exposed." Wutian cupped his hand over Little Tian's mouth as he fixed his eyes on a figure that was weaving through the forest.

"By the looks of things, Longhe will not give up until he finds me. He will surely wait at the village entrance. Hiding at the back of the mountain is the only choice for now until the Fire Cloud Clan comes to recruit students. When that time comes, I can get out and he won't dare to do anything to me in front of everyone else regardless of how daring he is."

Wutian mumbled to himself and jumped down from the tree. Soon after, he hopped about and disappeared into the mountainous area.

Time flew, and twenty days passed by.

At the break of dawn, while the earth was still engulfed in darkness.

Roar!

Somewhere on the rear side of the mountain, an ear-shattering roar rose, as though some monster beast was looking forward to seeing the morning sun. Upon careful listening, however, one could make out the despair and fear in the call.

Zooming in closer, it turned out that it was a Wild Boar. Its body was massive at two meters long, and it had muscular limbs like that of an ox. Its body was also covered in inch-long black hair that glinted like steel needles.

Wild Boars were the most common monster beasts in that part of the mountain. The Wild Boars' sweet meat was a common food for the villagers in Dragon Village. But since the wild boars had Reborn-Alpha strength, only Longhe could hunt them. Others would flee whenever they faced these beasts.

Right then, Longhe was not there, but the beast had wounds all over its body with blood continuously oozing out. Its fearful eyes were wide open, similar to a pair of lanterns.

Standing ahead of the beast was a teenager, who was holding a dagger in his hand, his clothes seemingly drenched in blood. Yet, some parts of his clothes appeared to be tan, which meant that he was not wearing clothes. Instead, his body was covered in blood that gave off a strong pungent smell.

There seemed to be a fist-sized Demon Toad behind the Wild Boar, but a closer look would confirm that it was not a Demon Toad. It turned out to be a Gobbler, which was ranked tenth on the list of exotic beasts. 

The human and "toad" were none other than Wutian and Little Tian.

"Let's corner it, Little Tian."

Wutian commanded quietly as he leaped out with his glinting dagger, aiming straight for the Wild Boar's head. At the same time, Little Tian cawed and sprang into the air with its mouth wide open to reveal two rows of heinous, shiny-white, steel teeth.

The Wild Boar grunted loudly as it went mad. Standing on two feet, it pounded its chest and stomped its feet before it rapidly charged at Wutian. Just as it approached its target, the wild boar kicked out his muscular front leg, seemingly at Wutian's dagger.

"Do all mad Wild Boars behave this way?"

Wutian was struck dumb. Over the past few days, every time he went hunting, any Wild Boar he encountered would inevitably go mad, just as it did now. They would lose their minds and aimlessly charge at their attacker.

Having dealt with such a situation for several days, Wutian was quick in his reaction. While he bent his body backward to dodge the attack, he flipped the dagger over and thrust it into the Wild Boar's belly. Blood gushed out of the wound instantly.

"Caw!"

Simultaneously, a shadowy figure in the form of Little Tian moved past in a flash and sank its teeth into the Wild Boar's neck, severing its throat. That resulted in blood spewing out of the creature's neck.

The Wild Boar's body convulsed as it dropped to the ground with a grunt, its eyes turning whitish. Wutian quickly rolled aside to avoid getting crushed by the falling beast.

After he scrambled to his feet and saw the bloodstains, as well as dirt all over his body, Wutian forced a smile. He had been so engrossed in cultivation, fighting the monster beasts, and gaining combat experience for the past few days that he had not been conscious about how dirty and stinky he was. He was now no different from a beggar.

Wutian shook his head and looked up at the rising morning sun. "Today, the Fire Cloud Clan is coming to recruit students. I should head back now."

...

As the morning sun rose into the sky, six bare-chested children stood in the open field before the village. They would shout energetically each time they swung their fists.

"Kids, the day starts in the morning. When the sun rises, that's when it is easiest to inhale qi and turn it into an element that unlocks our physiques. It helps us to become powerful cultivators!" Longhe pointed out any shortcomings as he taught the kids, who were only eleven to twelve years old. But they all looked like they meant business, sweating profusely even in the wintry weather.

"When the Fire Cloud Clan arrives for recruitment, all of you will be able to become its students, provided that you possess the necessary physical strength. You will become real men, the pride of Dragon Village. The responsibility of protecting the village will lie on your shoulders in the future."

Longhe swept his eyes around, and his voice was loud like the toll of a large bell. "Are all of you confident enough?"

"Aye!"

The kids replied loudly as their faces turned red.

Not far away, a few old folks were sitting in wooden chairs, sunbathing, and talking with each other. They had smiles on their faces as they watched the six kids, whom they deemed the hope of the village.

Yet, one of the old men seemed to be out of tune. He looked tired, and his eyes, which were focused on the mountain, lacked vigor. He knew that his grandson was safe, but a month had passed, and Wutian still had not returned. Longshan could not help but feel a little uneasy.

Right then, the loud cry of a bird came from the sky. The high-pitched cry then turned into an ear-piercing shrill the moment the bird flew above the village, casting a massive shadow over the land below.

The bird was massive and ten meters wide when its wings were fully spread. It had no feathers. Instead, scales that had seemingly been cast from red-hot lava covered its body.

The monster beast was a Flamingo. It had a relatively low level of cultivation, but its movements were quick. Hence, it made an excellent mount for humans.

Once the Flamingo swooped down and landed on the open field, it generated a violent draft of hot wind, kicking up withered leaves and dust into the air.

A middle-aged man, dressed in black, was riding on the bird's back. He was eight feet tall with unkempt hair that fluttered in the wind. His gleaming dark eyes gave him the vibe of a capable person. 

Standing on either side of him were a boy and a girl. The boy was tall and extremely good-looking, while the girl was astonishingly beautiful, almost straight out of a fairytale. Dressed in the finest clothes, they stood on the back of the giant bird, overlooking the people down below.

The villagers of Dragon Village were nonchalant in the face of the Flamingo. It was not their first time seeing it, as every year, someone would ride on such a giant bird and visit the village.

"Welcome Elder Linshan!"

The villagers came down on one knee, looking extremely respectful.

The middle-aged man was Linshan, the Fire Cloud Clan's elder, whose cultivation was at the Reborn Omega stage. He was no stranger to the villagers because he had visited them several times over the past few decades.

"Get up and please be at ease."

Linshan smiled as he hopped down from the bird and waved his hand. Everyone felt relaxed and stood up.

"It has been a few years, Longhe, yet you seem to be stagnant in your cultivation. That's not good!" Linshan was very down-to-earth. He shot a beam of Essence into Longhe's body with a flick of his hand.

Longhe's body trembled as a black substance was drained out of his pores. He instantly looked invigorated, and his body became even steadier than before.

"Thank you, Elder Linshan." Longhe shuddered and the black substance dissipated from his body.

"You're welcome. We've known each other for years. I just hope to see one or two kids with the physique I'm looking for. What happened to your arm?" asked Linshan.

"It's a long story." Longhe forced a smile.

"In that case, save it for another time. We're here for something else, and we have to leave once we're done," said the boy, who was in Chinese-style clothing. His voice reeked with pride.

"Who are these two, Elder Linshan?" Longhe asked in a low voice.

"They are the clan's junior masters. One is the great elder's direct disciple, a younger generation elite of the Fire Cloud Clan, very powerful. You don't want to mess with him," said Linshan in a whisper. 

"What?"

"They've tagged along this time to broaden their experience. All of you have to be careful not to offend these two young masters. Otherwise, even I will be helpless to save your a**es," Linshan warned as he cast his eyes over the few inattentive kids. "Where's Wutian? Why isn't he here?"

The color in Longhe's face changed while he kept quiet.

"Elder Linshan, a month ago, Wutian fought with a monster beast and fell down the cliff. He hasn't returned until today. We haven't been able to find his body. He's probably dead, so maybe you should just skip him," said Longquan.

"Dead?" Linshan was startled. He suspiciously eyed Longshan, who glanced back at him with a faint smile before he shifted his eyes back to the village entrance.

"Dear Elder Linshan, I was at the scene, not far away, when Wutian fell off the cliff. I was tied up with a monster beast and couldn't save him in time. It was the beast that wounded my arm, and I have not fully recovered yet. Sigh, I'm the one to blame. I was too weak to save Wutian." 

It looked as if Longhe blamed himself, but deep inside, he could not have hated Wutian more. He just dared not show it on his face because he knew that Linshan and Wutian were very close.

"Elder Linshan, Wutian lacked physical prowess. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't unlock his physique. So, it really wouldn't matter even if he were here today," one of the kids sneered.

"His death is a good thing; he will no longer be a burden to the village," said another kid coldly.

Many villagers burst into laughter, especially those selected kids. They were laughing so hard that they could not even keep their bodies straight.

The Samsara Continent was a world where the strongest ruled. Those without physical strength could not practice cultivation, which implied that they could only be mortals who lived mediocre lives.