The winds of the Abyss Bear Domain carry the rough, churning energy of the deepest abyss. When they sweep across the continuous black stone mountains, they whip up pebbles and withered grass, emitting a "whooshing" howl, like the low groan of a savage beast.
The deepest abyss in the domain is perpetually shrouded in a gray-black mist, from which the roars of beasts can be faintly heard.
Even the fiercest monsters dare not approach, and the surrounding cities and mountain villages, like sentry posts guarding the abyss, are rooted in this rugged land.
One of the mountain villages, nestled against the mountainside, had houses built entirely of black stone, with dried animal bones hanging on the courtyard walls, and under the old locust tree at the village entrance...
Several villagers covered in thick black hair were chopping at a black rock as tall as a person. With each swing of their axes, sparks flew and the black rock cracked.
They remained unfazed, their arm muscles as hard as rock.
The villagers here are all born with strong bodies; black hair is their mark, and brute force is their instinct.
At this moment, on the mountain path behind the village, a tall figure was moving with difficulty.
It was a stone.
He was shirtless, his bronze skin covered with bulging veins, like gnarled old tree roots, with every step he took...
The soles of their feet sank half an inch into the black stone ground, as if they were stepping not on a mountain path, but on a red-hot iron.
The carrying pole he slung over his shoulder was made of "mysterious ironwood," a specialty of the abyss, as hard as iron and weighing over a hundred pounds.
The buckets at both ends of the carrying pole are carved from "Chenyuan Stone".
The water in the bucket was drawn from the "Frosty Spring" near the abyss. The spring was icy cold and carried a downward force, making each bucket weigh ten thousand pounds.
The two buckets of water swayed on his shoulders, and with each sway, it felt like a small mountain was pressing down on him.
His spine bent slightly, and sweat streamed down his face and chest, dripping onto the black stone ground where it evaporated instantly, leaving only faint white marks.
"Huff...huff..." Stone panted heavily, each breath carrying a scorching heat.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on the village entrance not far ahead, taking one step, two steps... finally...
He moved to the gate of his own yard, trembling as he put down the carrying pole, held the water bucket with both hands, and slowly poured the water into the black stone water vat in the yard.
"Not bad, not bad!"
A loud voice came from the courtyard gate, and an old man with gray hair but still a strong physique walked in.
His black fur, though tinged with white, remained thick; the wrinkles on his face bore the marks of time; yet his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.
It was none other than the village chief, Xiong Yue.
He looked at the water in the water vat, smiled and nodded, "In just half a month, you went from being exhausted from carrying one load of water a day to now being able to easily carry ten loads. Your perseverance is stronger than many young people in the village!"
Shi Tou wiped the sweat from his face, a simple smile appearing on his dark face, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Village Chief, so... so I guess I passed?"
He still remembers the scene when he woke up half a month ago. At that time, he only felt excruciating pain all over his body, and when he opened his eyes, he was in the mountains behind the village.
His bones felt like they were falling apart. It was Xiong Yue who found him, gave him herbs to heal his wounds, and said he would teach him how to temper his body, on the condition that he carry ten loads of cold vein spring water back to the village every day.
At first, he thought it would be easy, but as soon as he picked up the first bucket of water, he was almost forced to his knees by the weight.
The ironwood carrying pole rubbed my shoulders raw, the abyss stone bucket felt like it was filled with lead, and the icy spring water carried a bone-chilling cold and the weight of my falling body.
He carried the water for only a few steps before he became so tired that his whole body went limp. In the end, he dragged the buckets back to the village step by step, and fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion that very day.
Meanwhile, the other villagers, carrying the same buckets, could walk briskly back and forth dozens of times a day, and even manage to go hunting in the mountains along the way.
This made Shi Tou both envious and unwilling to admit defeat. He gritted his teeth and persevered, carrying one more load each day than the day before, until today, when he finally completed his goal of carrying ten loads.
Xiong Yue patted Shi Tou on the shoulder, his hands finding only hard muscles. A hint of approval flashed in his eyes: "Good! Not only did you pass, you exceeded expectations!"
He turned and gestured with his chin toward the village entrance. "Come with me. Now that you've passed the test, I'll teach you our unique physical tempering method from the Abyss Bear Domain."
Upon hearing this, Shi Tou's eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly followed Xiong Yue's footsteps, his simple face full of anticipation.
He still remembered the scene of Big Yellow slapping him, and he was still burning with a desire to become stronger quickly.
When they find Da Huang, they'll ask about Xiao Chen's whereabouts. He doesn't want to keep being a burden.
On the mountain path, Xiong Yue's figure stood tall and straight like a pine tree, with Shi Tou following behind. Although his steps were still a little unsteady, they were much more stable than before.
The mist in the depths of the bamboo forest grew thicker, carrying the crisp scent of bamboo and moisture. We had just passed through the last bamboo grove...
The roar of the waterfall suddenly amplified, like thunder exploding in one's ears.
Stone looked up and was instantly stunned by the sight before him.
On the cliff ahead, a curtain of water, over ten zhang wide, cascaded down like a silver river, falling from the hundreds-zhang-high cliff top and crashing into the deep pool below, splashing white spray ten zhang high.
The air was filled with mist, carrying a biting chill; you could feel the icy vapor seeping into your throat with every breath.
On the cliff face, dozens of figures were clinging to the slippery rock, carrying half-person-high sinkhole stones, struggling to climb upwards.
The water pounded hard against their backs, soaking their clothes, and the weight of the abyss stone pressed down on their backs, causing them to bend slightly.
But everyone clung tightly to the cracks in the rock wall, using both hands and feet, and for every inch they moved upward, they had to fight against the impact of the water flow and the weight of the rocks.
Occasionally, someone would lose their strength and slip, falling into the deep pool along with the stone, splashing a huge spray of water. But they would simply get up, shake off the water, and pick up the stone again to try again.
"This is the physical tempering method of our Abyss Bear Domain, 'Reverse Waterfall Carrying Stone'."
Xiong Yue stood by the pool; his voice was somewhat drowned out by the sound of the waterfall, but it was still clear.
"The force of the water flow can temper the body's resilience, and the weight of the sinking stone can solidify the foundation of your bones and blood. Climbing here for three hours every day will improve your strength more than carrying ten loads of water."
"Go and choose a piece of the Abyss Stone, and practice with them. If you really can't hold on, just shout, and the people above will pull you down."
Shi Tou nodded, his gaze sweeping over the abyss stones on the cliff face. The smallest of them was half his height, with a deep black luster on its surface, clearly indicating that they were quite heavy.
Just as he was about to step forward, a figure walked over from the side. He was slightly shorter than Shi Tou, but more sturdy, and covered in thick black hair. It was Xiong Huai, the villager who had helped him before.
"Stone, if it's your first time here, choose a lighter one. Don't push yourself too hard."
Xiong Huai patted him on the shoulder, his tone friendly, "You asked who could last the longest on their first visit?"
"It's Xiong An from the village. That kid has superhuman strength. The first time he came, he carried a stone and climbed up for half an hour, and he had climbed almost halfway up the cliff. Now he can climb to the top of the cliff."
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