"I understand, thank you, Brother Xiong Huai." Shi Tou grinned, but his eyes revealed a stubbornness. "I will do my best and won't force myself."
After saying that, he walked to the edge of the pool, selected a small, sunken stone that was slightly smaller than those of the other villagers, bent down, and carried it.
As soon as he touched it, he felt a heavy weight pressing down on him, several times heavier than the carrying pole used for fetching water. He took a deep breath, pushed off the slippery stone wall with his feet, and climbed up against the current.
After climbing only a few steps, the water slammed against my back, like countless heavy hammers pounding on me.
The weight of the abyss stone pressed down on his shoulder, causing his arm to tense instantly, his fingers gripping the cracks in the stone wall so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
He gritted his teeth and moved upwards little by little. With each step, he could feel his muscles being stretched and aching, while his bones felt faintly hot under the pressure.
This is the feeling of the body being tempered, more intense and more painful than when carrying water.
At the edge of the pool, Xiong Yue walked up to Xiong Huai, his gaze falling on the stone wall where Xiong Huai was struggling to climb, a faint smile on his lips: "What do you think of this kid's physical strength?"
Xiong Huai frowned and said honestly, "They are much stronger than the humans from outside. Their bodies are strong enough and they have enough willpower. It is already very difficult for them to complete the water-carrying task in half a month."
“But compared to the people of our Shenyuan Bear Domain, he is still far inferior. Look, he has only climbed a dozen steps and his arms have started to shake. When Xiong An first came here, he was much more steady than him.”
"Oh?" Xiong Yue raised an eyebrow, but his eyes showed no worry, only a hint of anticipation.
"Are you so sure he can't beat Xiong An? I think he might break Xiong An's record."
"Impossible!" Xiong Huai immediately retorted, his tone resolute.
"He's human. We people of the Abyss Bear Domain are naturally strong physically. We've been training under waterfalls since we were little. How could an outsider like him possibly break Xiong'an's record? Village Chief, aren't you overestimating him?"
Xiong Yue did not refute, but simply looked at the stubborn figure on the stone wall and smiled faintly: "Human potential cannot be measured by common sense."
"Didn't you notice? Every time he was about to give up, his eyes didn't lose focus; in fact, they shone even brighter."
"This kind of resilience is even rarer than innate superhuman strength. Just wait and see, this kid might surprise us."
Xiong Huai looked at the stone with suspicion, only to see that although the stone was climbing slowly and its arms were trembling, it did not stop.
Each time the water hit and swayed him, he quickly regained his balance and moved upwards little by little.
Like a wild grass growing tenaciously in a raging wind, it stubbornly moves closer to the top of the cliff.
The water pounded against his back like a hammer blow, each impact causing his muscles to ache as if they were about to burst. He gripped the crack in the rock face tightly.
The fingertips were rubbed raw and red from the rough rocks, even bleeding slightly, yet they dared not loosen their grip even a little.
The stone wall beneath your feet is as slippery as ice; a moment's carelessness could send you tumbling back into the deep pool.
After climbing about ten feet, Stone suddenly realized something was wrong: the Abyss Stone on his back seemed to come alive, slowly increasing in weight.
With each step I took, I felt the weight on my shoulders increase, as if an invisible force was pulling me down.
He looked down at the stone on his back. The dark stone surface remained unchanged, but the heaviness was becoming increasingly clear, causing his knees to tremble slightly.
"No wonder Brother Xiong Huai didn't think highly of me..."
Stone gritted his teeth, but showed no sign of backing down.
The waterfall water splashed on his face, icy cold, yet he grinned.
This extreme pain, on the contrary, made his blood boil, as if he had returned to the exhilarating feeling of breaking through limits when he was cultivating with his senior brother Xiao Chen.
He took a deep breath, his muscles tensed instantly, and pale golden runes suddenly appeared on his bronze skin, like tiny earthworms wriggling under his skin.
The moment the runes appeared, the heaviness on his body seemed to lessen, and his trembling arms regained strength. He used both hands and feet to continue climbing upwards.
The golden rune was something he had since childhood. He hadn't thought it was anything special before, but whenever he encountered danger or was in a state of extreme difficulty, the rune would automatically appear and help him overcome the challenges.
Under the immense pressure of the waterfall, the runes' movements were more pronounced than ever before, as if they were actively absorbing some kind of power from the water and transforming it into resilience to support him.
By the pool not far away, Xiong Huai watched this scene, his eyes widening instantly, his tone full of astonishment: "How...how did he adapt so quickly? And what are those? The patterns on his body?"
He had thought the stone wouldn't last more than fifteen minutes, but now, looking at its condition, it not only didn't collapse, but climbed more and more steadily, even more composed than some of the young people in the village who had been practicing for half a month.
Xiong Yue remained standing in place, his gaze fixed on the golden runes on the stone. A look of understanding flashed in his eyes, but he did not explain. He simply nodded slowly and said, "I told you, he is no ordinary person."
Just then, a loud "whoosh" came from the top of the cliff, and several fist-sized pebbles rolled down with the water, hurtling towards the rock with sharp force!
These pebbles are not ordinary rocks, but "Frost Abyss Stones" that have been eroded by the waterfall over many years and have absorbed the frigid air of the abyss.
Its hardness is comparable to that of a magical weapon; if it hits you, it can cause bone fractures at best and serious injury at worst.
"Watch out!" Xiong Huai shouted instinctively.
Stone also heard the sound of falling rocks, but he was currently clinging to the middle of the rock wall, with no support above or below him, so he had no time to dodge.
He could only press his body tightly against the stone wall, simultaneously channeling the last of his spiritual energy to protect his back.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two shards of rock slammed into his back, the edge of the abyss stone digging painfully into his bones, instantly tearing the skin on his back.
Blood seeped from the wound, staining the abyss stone behind him, then was washed away by the waterfall, leaving faint streaks of blood in the water.
The pain caused the stone to shudder violently, and its fingers almost slipped out of the crack in the stone wall.
He groaned, sweat mingling with blood and the waterfall's water, streaming down his forehead, blurring his vision.
But he didn't give up.
He gritted his teeth and dug his fingers deeper, so deep that he could feel the rock piercing his fingertips, and blood dripped from his fingertips onto the stone wall.
He looked up at the cliff top; the waterfall was still surging, and boulders were still tumbling down from time to time, but his eyes were brighter than before, and the smile on his lips was more resolute.
This injury is nothing compared to the time I was slapped away by Big Yellow and almost died!
"I'm still a long way off..." Stone murmured, exerting his strength once more, and with the wound on his back and the ever-increasing weight of the Abyss Stone, he continued to climb step by step toward the top of the cliff.
The pale golden runes on his skin became increasingly clear, and the chill in the water was absorbed by the runes, transforming into power to temper his physical body.
Although the wound on his back was painful, it was healing slowly at a visible speed under the nourishment of the runes.
Every step he took was incredibly heavy, yet incredibly firm, like a pine tree growing tenaciously on a cliff, facing the wind and rain, never bowing its head.
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