Chapter – 60
The Grand Competition (Middle)
As expected, the Heaven and Earth Stone showed no reaction.
But just as Qin Mo was about to withdraw his hand, the Heaven and Earth Stone suddenly burst forth with a scorching red light—far more demonic than when Qin Mo had tested his bloodline after refining it previously.
Deep red represented a high-grade red bloodline. Even in a large tribe, a high-grade red bloodline was worthy of full cultivation—let alone in the Hammerstone Tribe.
Yet Qin Mo showed neither surprise nor joy. Instead, he immediately flashed away from the Heaven and Earth Stone and returned to his stone hut.
An abnormality occurring at the Heaven and Earth Stone in the middle of the night was bound to attract attention, especially such a pillar of red light that shot skyward. By now, the entire tribe was likely alarmed.
Qin Mo left swiftly. When the tribe’s sentry warriors arrived at the Heaven and Earth Stone, he was nowhere to be seen. However, the red glow still lingered on the stone. Though it was gradually fading, it was enough to shock the sentries. Within the entire tribe, there were several red-blooded individuals, but high-grade red bloodlines numbered only three.
These three were the pride of the tribe: Qin Luo, Su Qin, and Qing Wei.
From a young age, the three of them had trained in the Blackstone Mountains, personally protected by the chieftain. They were also the hope of the entire tribe.
“Judging from the residual red light, this is definitely a high-grade red bloodline. When did our Hammerstone Tribe gain another one?” a sentry warrior said in confusion.
“Report this to the military division and let Centurion Li Hai handle it,” another suggested.
“At this hour, there’s probably no need to disturb Centurion Li Hai,” the first warrior replied. “It’s likely one of the three prodigies testing their bloodline again, unwilling to let others know.”
“That makes sense. The Awakening hasn’t even begun yet, and the grand competition is still being prepared. How could another high-grade red bloodline suddenly appear?” the other warrior shook his head.
The two then left the Heaven and Earth Stone, and the matter was not reported. However, others had also seen the dazzling red light.
At present, with the chieftain absent from the tribe, most people assumed that one of the three prodigies had returned from the Blackstone Mountains, obtained some fortuitous opportunity, and thus tested their bloodline.
The tribe soon returned to calm—but Qin Mo did not.
He had not expected that the red gourd could actually alter one’s bloodline.
“Unfortunately, this change isn’t a true change,” Qin Mo sighed helplessly.
He knew very clearly that this alteration was merely a disguise. His essence had not changed at all—or rather, it was an illusion, a false appearance presented to others.
Qin Mo did not know how long the illusion created by the red gourd would last, but he knew that this was exactly the kind of identity he needed right now.
A high-grade red bloodline was enough to allow him to display far greater strength without arousing suspicion.
If anyone questioned it, he could simply claim that he had successfully refined his bloodline. After all, during the previous bloodline refinement, his test had once shown a high-grade red bloodline as well—only for it to fade later.
Summoning the red gourd again, Qin Mo played with it, unable to put it down.
“The gourd is named Tongtian—Heaven-Piercing. It truly does live up to its name. I wonder if it has other abilities.”
Afterward, Qin Mo attempted to uncover the red gourd’s other powers, but in the end found nothing. Still, he firmly believed that the Tongtian Gourd was far from as simple as it appeared.
Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and soon the day of the grand competition arrived.
On this day, all the warriors of the Hammerstone Tribe remained within the tribe. There were no hunting missions, and Qin Mo was no exception.
The chieftain returned from the Blackstone Mountains, accompanied by the three prodigies. The tribe members regarded the three with reverence, sensing that they had grown even stronger.
This reverence was born of goodwill, for the three prodigies were the hope of Hammerstone—its hope to advance to a two-star tribe, or even an even stronger one.
Once they matured, Hammerstone might gain several centurions, or even commanders of ten thousand.
With the tolling of a great bell, the Awakening began. Each family brought their children, standing obediently before the Heaven and Earth Stone. As the Great Elder chanted incantations and prayed to the heavens, everyone stood solemnly, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
After the prayers ended, the children stepped forward in turn, nervously placing their hands on the Heaven and Earth Stone to test their bloodlines.
“Gray bloodline, high-grade. That’s Old Wang’s child—he’ll definitely become a warrior in the future.”
“Hahaha, black bloodline, mid-grade. That’s my kid—not bad. He might become a squad leader someday.”
“Black high-grade—actually black high-grade…”
As the tests continued, bloodline talents were revealed one by one. In the Hammerstone Tribe, even testing a gray low-grade bloodline was a cause for celebration.
Because testing as gray low-grade meant the tribe would gain another warrior. One more warrior meant Hammerstone grew that much stronger.
Of course, some children could not test any bloodline at all. Though disappointed, the people comforted them, offering no harsh blame.
Bloodlines were determined by fate, but lacking one did not mean being abandoned by heaven. Though such a person might remain ordinary for life, there was still hope of awakening a bloodline.
At least in the eight eras of human history, there had been ordinary people who showed no bloodline in childhood, only to awaken one accidentally in middle age—and then rise to fame, becoming Human Kings.
Moreover, those who tested no bloodline were highly likely to become exceptionally gifted priests.
In major tribes, priests held far higher status than warriors. For instance, Qin Tianli, a two-star priest—despite lacking combat strength—could still stand on equal footing with the chieftain.
Thus, the truly useless ones were not those without bloodlines, but those with white waste blood. For white bloodlines, the cost of refining blood was extremely high.
More importantly, even after refinement, only half the effect could be exerted. For example, if a high-grade red bloodline were refined into a white bloodline body, at most it would result in a low-grade red bloodline.
Such an effort with little reward was something no one wished to undertake. That was why, when Qin Mo—then the young chieftain—tested as having a white bloodline, he was immediately labeled a waste.
First, the Hammerstone Tribe lacked the ability to refine a bloodline for him. Second, even if they did, the effect would be halved. Who would be willing to sacrifice themselves for such a waste of a young chieftain?
“It’s Little Tiger’s turn.”
A chubby little fellow nervously walked forward—it was Li Xiaohu.
All eyes turned toward him. Everyone knew that during the previous bloodline refinement, he had been the most outstanding, possessing four hundred jin of strength.
Given more time, he might have reached the five-hundred-jin limit. Even so, under Centurion Li Hai’s yuan-qi body refinement, he already had four hundred and fifty jin of strength.
If he tested a bloodline during this Awakening—even a black one—his future prospects would not be poor.
As everyone watched Li Xiaohu, the usually carefree chubby boy grew even more nervous. If not for Li Hai giving him a push from behind, he would have remained frozen, afraid to step forward.
“Brother Mo, wish me luck,” the little fatty said just before raising his hand, glancing toward Qin Mo in the crowd.
“Good luck,” Qin Mo replied. Even he was nervous now. He did not want the little fatty to end up like himself, testing as white blood.
With Qin Mo’s blessing, the little fatty seemed to find courage. No longer trembling, he placed his hand on the Heaven and Earth Stone.
All eyes were fixed on the stone, waiting for the result. Many even held their breath, afraid to miss anything.
Only Qin Mo knew that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment—just as it had been for him back then. Thus, he silently prayed that the little fatty would test one of the Nine-Star Bloodlines.
Buzz—
At that moment, the Heaven and Earth Stone suddenly vibrated and emitted a gentle pale-yellow glow. The light stunned the entire Hammerstone Tribe.
“Look at the color—this is…” Qin Tianli, standing closest, saw it most clearly. As the Great Elder, he should have remained calm.
Yet at this moment, he could not.
“Hahahaha! Yellow low-grade—yellow low-grade bloodline!”
Li Hai flashed forward, scooping Li Xiaohu up and tossing him into the air in sheer excitement.
Still stunned, Li Xiaohu nearly lost his senses. Fortunately, another figure appeared and caught him steadily—it was the chieftain, Qin Lin.
“Excellent! My Hammerstone Tribe has produced a yellow bloodline. Heaven truly has not abandoned us!”
Qin Lin looked at the chubby boy, and even his normally stern face revealed excitement.
The entire Hammerstone Tribe—men and women, young and old—burst into smiles. A yellow bloodline, once grown, held limitless potential.
The most dejected person was Qin Yu. He had been waiting to watch a joke, looking down on the little fatty’s bloodline—only to find that the fatty had suddenly turned the tables, surpassing him in bloodline rank. How could he not feel dejected?
Among the Nine-Star Bloodlines—gray, black, red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—yellow lay exactly in the middle. Back then, the young chieftain of the Heavenly Demon Tribe, Li Tian, had possessed a yellow bloodline.
As for the three prodigies, though surprised, they did not take it too seriously. Bloodline talent was important, but personal will was even more so.
Perhaps one day the little fatty would truly surpass them—but they believed that in the short term, such a goal was impossible. Thus, they did not regard him as a rival.
At least in their hearts, they were happy for him. A yellow bloodline—even if low-grade—was already a miracle in the Hammerstone Tribe.
“Congratulations,” Qin Mo said calmly on the surface, though his heart was anything but calm. He was the happiest of all that the little fatty had tested such a bloodline.
“Brother Mo, I’ll surpass you soon, hahaha!”
The little fatty bragged shamelessly, patting his chest.
“When I get strong, let’s see who dares mock you—especially certain roosters who think their bloodline talent is amazing. If they dare say those things again, I’ll break their legs!”
Obviously, he was mocking Qin Yu in the distance, whose reaction was entirely predictable—his face darkened.
Those around them naturally understood the meaning of his words. They secretly shook their heads but did not scold him—after all, it was just childish talk.
Li Hai, however, gave him a hard smack on the butt and scolded with a laugh, “Getting cocky already.”
The little fatty immediately ran into the crowd, pulling out a middle-aged woman who was laughing so hard she could barely stand. Pointing at Li Hai, he shouted:
“Wang Meiren! Hurry up and discipline your man! Look how he’s bullying your precious son!”
