Chapter 62: Unexpected Strength
The rain gradually lessened.
With the disappearance of the white flames, this year's Grand Sacrifice also came to an end.
Standing in the light rain, Ye Xi looked down at his palm and clenched his fist, feeling the power within his body.
"Ye Xi, what level of beast core did you use to have such a prolonged awakening?" Ye Xi looked up to find Zui staring at him with a mix of surprise and disbelief, visibly excited.
More and more tribespeople gathered around, their expressions similar to Zui's, all looking at Ye Xi with intense eyes.
Amidst everyone's anticipation, Ye Xi spoke, "It was probably a barbaric beast's core."
Hearing this, Pu Tai made his way through the crowd to the front, "A barbaric beast's core, how did you find it?"
Pu Tai was one of the ten warriors who had been drumming earlier. Now flushed and sweating, he clearly exhausted himself during the Grand Sacrifice.
Not many tribespeople knew about barbaric beasts, but Pu Tai did, and his knowledge only added to his shock.
Ye Xi replied, "I was lucky, I stumbled upon the corpse of a barbaric beast."
This response left Pu Tai speechless, "...No way, you're too lucky. That's the core of a barbaric beast."
Someone asked Pu Tai, "Are barbaric beasts stronger than pureblood beasts? What level warrior could Ye Xi become? Surely a third-level warrior is no issue, right?"
Pu Tai scoffed, "Third-level? He might reach fourth or even fifth level!"
Everyone gasped. A fifth-level warrior! What did that even mean? Even the most powerful Heize Tribe had only third-level warriors. They dared not even dream of a fourth-level warrior, and now there was a potential for a fifth...
Everyone was momentarily lost in shock, unsure what to say. If Ye Xi could reach fifth level, wouldn't their Tu Shan Tribe be able to walk horizontally across the Black Spine Mountains? Even the Heize Tribe would have to pay them respect!
Zui looked Ye Xi up and down, noting nothing but the flame mark on his chest that seemed unchanged. He appeared nothing like someone who could become a fifth-level warrior. Thus, he said, "I want to see just how strong a warrior awakened with a barbaric beast core is!"
Ye Xi smiled slightly, "Alright, come on!"
Zui, a bit resentful of Ye Xi's casual demeanor, warned, "Don't underestimate me. I used a pureblood beast's core, after all!"
"How could I?"
Zui added, "I won't hold back."
Though confident in his strength, Zui did not underestimate Ye Xi, given the extraordinarily long awakening and the legendary nature of the barbaric beast core used.
Ye Xi, feeling the surging power within him, provocatively invited, "Go all out! Come at me!"
Every totem warrior was competitive, and Ye Xi's challenge greatly stirred Zui's fighting spirit. He stood tall, fingers flexing before clenching into fists, cracking his knuckles loudly.
The surrounding tribespeople stepped back to give them space.
The chieftain and the witch also watched this fight closely, curious about the strength of a warrior awakened with a barbaric beast core.
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
One had awakened using a precious pureblood beast core, and the other, a legendary barbaric beast core—how different could their powers be?
Most thought Ye Xi would win, but not by much.
Zui, full of fighting spirit, assumed his stance.
Ye Xi just stood there casually, blinking.
"Ready!" Zui shouted and launched a fierce punch towards Ye Xi's head.
The punch was swift and powerful, the sound alone indicating its force.
But to Ye Xi, the punch seemed to move in slow motion, surprisingly slow; he just stood there watching Zui without moving.
As Zui's fist was about to make contact, he realized Ye Xi hadn't moved. Shocked, he tried to pull back but it was too late.
Onlookers, panicked, involuntarily rushed towards Ye Xi.
But just as they started moving, Ye Xi deftly stepped aside at the last moment, perfectly dodging Zui's punch.
Zui swung at air and stumbled.
Recovering, he looked at Ye Xi in astonishment, "You..."
Ye Xi chuckled, "Again, you lose if you hit me. You were too slow just now."
Zui's eyes narrowed, and he grinned, "Is that so? Then take another punch!" He cunningly bent his knees and lunged at Ye Xi's abdomen.
Ye Xi casually stepped aside, just enough to dodge Zui's lunge.
Zui's pupils shrank, then he swung his fists like a tempest, every strike whistling through the air.
Yet, to everyone's amazement, Ye Xi easily dodged, perfectly evading what seemed like a relentless barrage of attacks.
After several hundred punches, Zui hadn't touched even a single hair on Ye Xi, becoming increasingly frustrated, he stopped and gasped, "Stop dodging!"
Ye Xi grinned, "Are you sure?"
Zui, with a sudden bad feeling, still insisted, "Come on! It's no fun if you keep dodging!"
"Alright."
As Ye Xi agreed, Zui took a deep breath to relax, his gaze sharpening, his presence more intimidating. He roared and charged at Ye Xi like a cannonball!
Ye Xi got serious, watching ahead, his right foot stepping back slightly, his hands gradually curling into fists.
Zui's punch came straight for his face, the wind from his fist blowing Ye Xi's hair, his eyes suddenly sharpening, and he met Zui's punch head-on!
Their fists collided!
Bang! The sound of flesh and bone hitting each other.
The next second, Zui grunted and flew backwards!
To the shocked eyes of the onlookers, Zui was caught by the crowd after flying back several meters.
Ye Xi was also startled; he knew his strength was great, but he hadn't expected to send Zui flying.
Worried, Ye Xi quickly ran over to him.
Now a warrior, his speed was incredible; he covered the distance in nearly the blink of an eye, standing before Zui.
Zui, grimacing, climbed out of the crowd, shook his arm, and hissed in pain.
Zui's hand was bloody and mangled, his right arm unnaturally twisted, clearly seriously injured.
Ye Xi frowned, apologetically saying, "Sorry, I didn't control my strength well." He had only used 80% of his power, yet he had injured Zui this badly.
The chapter ends here, thanking the readers and sponsors who have supported the book so far.