Chapter – 61
Luck Just Happens to Be This Good
Wang Meiren was indeed very protective, especially when it came to her beloved son—her protectiveness was absolute and without hesitation.
Who would have thought that Li Hai, the head of the Five Thousand Captains, would be so intimidated by his wife? Even in such an important occasion, he did not dare to show the slightest disrespect.
As a result, the little chubby boy once again won a victory that seemed almost unfair.
Everyone present erupted into laughter, paying no heed to Li Hai’s strength. Even Qin Lin, who usually never smiled, was watching the scene with a slight smile.
“Holy Emperor, protect my Hammerstone. Among this Heaven’s Awakening, one hundred children have successfully tested and revealed the Nine-Star bloodline, and even Li Family’s Little Tiger has tested with the Yellow Bloodline. On behalf of Hammerstone, I give thanks to Heaven, and I give thanks to the Holy Emperor.” Qin Tianli said, then bowed deeply to the ground.
“Thanks to Heaven, thanks to the Holy Emperor, protect my Hammerstone, everlasting through the ages.” Everyone bowed simultaneously, standing solemnly, and no one dared to laugh in such a solemn setting.
“The ceremony is complete.” Qin Tianli stood up and spoke.
As he spoke, Qin Tianli stepped aside. The elders would handle the sacrificial rites, while military appointments and strategies within the tribe would be presided over by the clan chief.
Qin Lin stood in the square, scanning the crowd, and said, “This time, for military rank promotions, there will be rewards. We will select the strongest squad leader, the strongest section leader, and the strongest centurion.”
At this, Qin Lin paused. Everyone’s anticipation grew because it was widely rumored that this strongest competition would bring generous rewards, second only to the war merits earned against other tribes. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the chief to announce.
“The strongest squad leader will receive ten low-grade spirit stones, ten Foundation Cultivation Pills, and the right to choose one battle technique from the ten first-tier techniques in the tribal martial hall,” Qin Lin said.
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted into murmurs. Spirit stones and pills were very rare even in the Hammerstone Tribe.
Spirit stones in particular were almost impossible to obtain without merit because they were so scarce. Even though the Hammerstone Tribe controlled a lower-grade spirit vein, its annual output was only around a hundred stones, rarely exceeding two hundred.
Apart from merit, they could also be obtained through military rank. A squad leader received only one low-grade spirit stone per month, a section leader five, a centurion ten, a thousand-man commander twenty, and even the clan chief only thirty per month.
So spirit stones were essentially priceless within the tribe. As for the Foundation Cultivation Pills, while not as precious as spirit stones, they were still the best for body strengthening and cultivation. They required a second-level priest to refine and were also extremely scarce.
Offering such generous rewards for this competition naturally excited everyone.
Compared to ordinary soldiers, Qin Mo was indifferent. What caught his interest was the battle technique. Although he already had the Tyrant Divine Blade—a king-tier sword technique—he could not display it publicly as it was essential for survival and might bring disaster if revealed. Therefore, he needed another battle technique to conceal his real strength.
Compared to spirit stones and pills, a battle technique was truly rare and cannot be obtained at will. In the Hammerstone Tribe, very few were qualified to cultivate battle techniques, not only because battle techniques represented the tribe’s legacy but also because they were very difficult to master.
Promotion to squad leader already allowed one to learn a battle technique, but it was assigned by the tribe—you learned whatever was given.
Now, being able to choose any technique was a rare opportunity. Even the little chubby boy was excited and eager to try.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t opened his meridian points yet, so he couldn’t participate.
“The strongest section leader will receive twenty low-grade spirit stones, twenty Foundation Cultivation Pills, and the right to choose two battle techniques from twenty first-tier techniques,” Qin Lin said calmly. “The strongest centurion will receive fifty low-grade spirit stones, fifty Foundation Cultivation Pills, and the right to choose five battle techniques from the tribal hall.”
At these words, the tribe’s centurions were thrilled beyond measure. Being able to choose five techniques might seem trivial, but in reality, it was far from it.
The tribe had strict rules: battle techniques could not be passed outside the tribe or even within without authorization. If someone shared it with others without permission, they would be severely punished under military law.
Being able to choose five techniques allowed one to exchange them with other tribe members if not personally mastered.
This was why the rewards were so exciting. Everyone had close companions and family, and even if they couldn’t cultivate all five techniques themselves, they could pass them on to their loved ones.
“As for the thousand-man commanders…” Qin Lin scanned the crowd before continuing, “they will not participate in this comparison. But if someone wishes to challenge a thousand-man commander and wins, they may learn any battle technique in the martial hall and receive one hundred low-grade spirit stones and one hundred Foundation Cultivation Pills as rewards.”
The square fell silent. The reward was simply too generous and tempting. Even the three tribe prides felt tempted.
But everyone knew that challenging a thousand-man commander was not easy; otherwise, there wouldn’t be only five.
As for the five thousand-man commanders, they were not overly concerned about missing this comparison but were secretly looking forward to someone attempting to challenge them.
Thus, they all looked at the three prides, hoping they would step up.
“Similarly, if a soldier defeats a squad leader, a squad leader defeats a section leader, or a section leader defeats a centurion, they will all receive rewards,” Qin Lin said. “The ceremony begins.”
“Victory! Great victory!” Several thousand soldiers echoed in unison.
After taking their seats, the ceremony for promotion to squad leader began. Several hundred soldiers were attempting promotion.
But few would actually succeed, because the requirements were not only to open ten meridian points but also to lift a 1,500-pound stone block.
Qin Mo was among the hundred candidates, but he remained calm.
“Hammerstone Wang He, success!” With the stone block set down, the first soldier was promoted to centurion.
“Hammerstone Li Ye, failure…”
“Hammerstone Zheng Xin, failure…”
Promotion to squad leader had both failures and successes. It was much harder than just a regular promotion test, as military rank represented both honor and strength.
After over an hour, it was Qin Mo’s turn. He was the eighty-first candidate. All eyes turned to him.
Since the incident at the armory gate, ninety-nine percent of the tribe recognized and respected Qin Mo.
Qin Mo walked onto the stage without hesitation, picked up the stone block, and lifted it effortlessly, expressionless.
Although everyone knew he could lift two thousand pounds and had opened ten meridian points, seeing it firsthand was still shocking. After all, he had once been labeled a lifetime useless person.
“Hammerstone Qin Mo, success.” The centurion announced. Unsurprisingly, Qin Mo was promoted to squad leader.
The little chubby boy immediately congratulated him, grinning mischievously. Qin Mo merely smiled faintly.
The squad leader promotion ended quickly. Among the hundred soldiers, fifteen succeeded, including Qin Mo.
Next came the squad leader competition. With new promotions, the tribe now had over six hundred squad leaders, all eager to prove themselves.
With so many participants, it would take a long time to determine the strongest. The tribe provided 2,000-pound stone blocks for elimination rounds.
Anyone unable to lift the block would be eliminated. Only those remaining could compete further.
After two hours of elimination, plus some voluntary withdrawals, only thirty-one remained.
“Don’t get eliminated midway, or you won’t even get a chance to face me,” Qin Yu said as he walked by.
Qin Mo understood but said nothing.
The matches began. A draw would eliminate fifteen, with one lucky person advancing directly.
Qin Mo had never felt so lucky—he drew the automatic advancement lot.
Holding it in his hand, he felt helpless. Some were surprised but understood—someone had to be the lucky one among thirty-one.
“Such luck… let’s see if it lasts,” Qin Yu said, then jumped onto the martial platform.
Qin Mo didn’t reply, only watching the matches.
He was somewhat disappointed; the matches that excited others seemed crude to him.
It wasn’t that the squad leaders were weak—it was that his standards were too high. Besides the three prides and a few thousand-man commanders, only his father Qin Lin shared such vision.
Soon, the thirty-person matches concluded. Fifteen were eliminated. Qin Yu’s match was the easiest; he defeated his opponent in just ten moves.
“Scared yet?” Qin Yu teased. “Don’t worry; maybe you’ll get an opponent who forfeits too.”
“My luck has always been good,” Qin Mo said with a smile.
“Then let’s wait and see,” Qin Yu replied coldly.
The draw continued. This time, no automatic advancement lot existed, so Qin Mo had to compete.
Qin Yu drew first, facing a squad leader named Qian Jun. Clearly, Qian Jun was unlucky.
Qin Mo drew last, facing a squad leader named Zhou Tian—but unexpectedly, Zhou Tian forfeited.
The platform erupted in surprise. Zhou Tian explained: he had been seriously injured in the previous match and had no chance of winning. Better to forfeit than risk more harm.
Thus, Qin Mo again advanced without a fight. Many tribe members now looked at him with unusual eyes. No one thought he cheated—they envied his incredible luck.
“Bloody luck!” Qin Yu mocked, then jumped onto the platform again.
“Luck just happens to be this good. If you can, draw one yourself,” Qin Mo said confidently.
