PBSE 08

Chapter 8 – Two-Star Ancient Beast: Savage Bear

Author: Wei Yi Yong Heng , December 24, 2014.

Qin Mo had failed.
Like most who stumble, he sank into dejection — dull-eyed, aimless, stripped of all vitality.

But unlike most failures, he possessed the memories of two lifetimes. So even though he looked dispirited, every day he still forced himself to get up, walk to the old willow tree by the tribe’s training field, sit beneath it from dawn till dusk, and silently watch the warriors practice under the sun.

No one stopped him — after all, he was still the young chief of the tribe.
But gossip spread regardless.
Friends who once played with him had all vanished, and even the tribe’s children had begun to mock him as a useless good-for-nothing.

And perhaps they weren’t wrong.
He had even used the precious Blood Condensation Pill, yet still failed to open his meridian points — if that didn’t make him a waste, what would?

Even Qin Mo himself thought so.
Yet deep inside, resentment burned. He couldn’t stop thinking — why had the meridians I opened sealed themselves shut again?

Could it be that the Holy Emperor above had discovered him — a soul who had crossed over from another world — and had forcibly closed his meridians?

He refused to accept it.
Even if the Holy Emperor himself stood in his way, Qin Mo could not resign himself to fate. He hadn’t chosen to come to this world — he had been thrown into it inexplicably.

Fortunately, though he failed to open his meridians, the baptism of heaven and earth’s spiritual energy had left some benefit — his strength had increased.
He now possessed a brute force of seven hundred catties.

Even among the tribe’s warriors who had successfully opened their meridians, few could reach that level.
Six hundred catties was already exceptional.

“According to cultivation law, each opened meridian increases strength by a hundred catties. That means I already have the power of someone who’s opened two meridians,” Qin Mo thought.

He stood up quietly. The strange looks from others no longer bothered him. Without realizing it, his steps carried him toward the cliff behind the mountain.

“Hey, hey, hey! Brother Qin Mo, cheer up! Sure, you failed to open your meridians, but you can’t lose the will to live!”
The voice came from behind — the chubby Li Xiaohu.

“What’s that supposed to mean, you cursing me to die?” Qin Mo turned and said coolly.

“Huh? Aren’t you… gonna jump off the cliff?” Li Xiaohu blinked, confused.
But seeing Qin Mo’s cold face, he quickly grinned and trotted over. “Hehe, I thought you were planning to jump, so I followed you secretly. Turns out you’re not, huh?”

Qin Mo rolled his eyes. “Didn’t your father forbid you from hanging around me? Aren’t you afraid he’ll spank you again for disobeying?”

“He wouldn’t dare!” the chubby boy said firmly — then, glancing around to make sure no one was near, he added in a whisper, “If he dares hit me, my mom will take care of him.”

“Greetings, Captain Li Hai,” Qin Mo suddenly said, bowing toward the space behind Li Xiaohu.

The chubby boy froze, face going pale. He instinctively dove behind Qin Mo, trembling for a moment before peeking out — only to see no one there.
Realizing he’d been tricked, he exploded: “You lied! You actually dared to lie to me!”

“Weren’t you the one who just said you’re not afraid of your dad’s spanking?” Qin Mo teased. “Then why hide behind me the second you hear his name?”

“You—!” Li Xiaohu sputtered, pointing at him for half a minute before muttering, “You’re getting more and more annoying…”

Qin Mo shivered — why did that sound like the words of a scorned lover?

He reached out, intending to smack the little fatty three times on the rear, when suddenly—
Boom… boom… boom…
The ground began to tremble violently beneath them.

“Crap! The earth’s splitting open?!” the chubby boy yelped, diving behind Qin Mo again. His curses — very clearly learned from Qin Mo — echoed across the cliff.

Qin Mo frowned. The tremors weren’t an illusion. The powerful warriors of the tribe had already been alarmed — the disturbance came from the Blackstone Mountains.

“Damn it… it’s a beast tide! The beasts are rioting!” Li Xiaohu shouted, grabbing Qin Mo’s arm and trying to drag him away — but Qin Mo didn’t budge.

Before he could question it, the ground quaked harder. A tall, broad figure appeared before them — Captain Li Hai himself, Li Xiaohu’s father.

“Leave this place at once!” Li Hai barked, his face grim as he stared toward the distant mountains.

If a beast tide truly came, this cliff at the back of the tribe would be the first point of impact.

Li Xiaohu had already wanted to leave, but Qin Mo still stood there, heart pounding, refusing to move.

“Do you have a death wish?!” Li Hai roared, stepping forward to drag him away by force.

Then Qin Mo suddenly murmured, dazed, “That sound… it’s footsteps.”

“Of course it’s footsteps!” Li Hai snapped.

“No… human footsteps. Familiar footsteps…” Qin Mo stared into the distance.

Li Hai frowned, unsure what he meant — and then he saw ancient trees falling one after another, crushed by something massive.

If it truly was a beast tide, he would have to hold the line here — buy time for the tribe’s evacuation.

Then, from the depths of the Blackstone Mountains, a colossal shadow burst forth — a beast as large as a small mountain. Even from hundreds of meters away, the pressure radiating from it made Li Hai’s scalp tingle.

“A Savage Bear — a Two-Star Ancient Beast!” Li Hai gasped.

There were thirteen ranks among Ancient Beasts.
A Two-Star Savage Bear was equivalent to a Crown Meridian–level human expert — but even then, beasts of equal rank were far stronger than humans.

And Li Hai was merely at the Meridian Opening Realm, having opened only sixty meridian points.
If he encountered such a beast in the wild, he wouldn’t stand a chance — the creature could swat him to death with a single blow.

But no one moved. Not Li Hai, not Qin Mo, not Li Xiaohu.
They simply stared — faces filled with shock.

Because beneath that giant bear’s corpse… was a man.

Compared to the mountain-sized beast, the man looked small — insignificant even.
But he was carrying the dead beast on his shoulders, striding forward, each step shaking the earth.

Other captains and commanders from the tribe rushed over.
When they saw the scene, they too froze — and then awe and pride replaced their shock.

“It’s the Chief! The Chief has returned!” someone shouted.

The Savage Bear was already dead.
The man carrying its corpse was none other than the Hammerstone Tribe’s chief — Qin Lin — Qin Mo’s father by name.

Boom!
Qin Lin dragged the bear’s massive body into the tribe and slammed it to the ground, the impact nearly knocking everyone off balance.

He ignored the stunned looks, paid no attention to his own blood-stained clothes, and swept his gaze across the crowd.
Then he spoke:

“Cut up the flesh, drain the blood — tonight we’ll fuse the bloodline!”

The first part was meant for the tribe’s warriors.
The second — was meant for Qin Mo.