PBSE 62

Chapter – 62

The Strongest Squad Leader

At that moment, Qin Luo suddenly thought of something. He fixed his gaze on Qin Mo and asked, “How is it possible for you to have three thousand jin of strength? Where did you get it?”

After speaking, his gaze swept toward the distance, landing on the usually expressionless clan leader, Qin Lin. Even though Qin Mo had defeated Qin Yu with a single punch, Qin Lin did not seem particularly surprised.

“Shut up!” Qin Luo naturally understood his brother’s implication, but he also suspected that maybe Qin Lin had given Qin Mo some kind of aid, allowing him to break through in such a short time.

Qin Mo remained silent, yet his eyes were fixed on Qin Lin, as were the eyes of the other senior officers. Although Qin Lin was Qin Mo’s father, if he had helped Qin Mo achieve this, it would have seemed unfair in the eyes of others.

But it was only a matter of fairness. After all, everyone knew that the Grand Elder had given Qin Yu considerable help. Otherwise, no matter how talented Qin Yu was, how could he have advanced from ten meridians to twenty-one meridians in just a few months?

“I want to know as well,” Qin Lin suddenly spoke.

At these words, everyone was shocked. The clan leader was known for his honesty and fairness. If he had truly helped Qin Mo, he would not have hidden it. Given his personality, he would have arrogantly explained everything. But instead of clarifying, he asked a question—this proved he had not helped Qin Mo. So how could Qin Mo have three thousand jin of strength?

All eyes turned to Qin Mo, looking at him like he was some kind of monster. Even the little chubby boy stared, and some people even began to wonder if Qin Mo was the mysterious black-clad figure. If so, it was unclear whether this would be a blessing or a disaster for the Hammer Stone Tribe.

“Because I recently secluded myself and broke through to twenty meridians,” Qin Mo explained simply.

When he had opened ten meridians, he had two thousand jin of strength. Now, with twenty meridians, having three thousand jin was perfectly reasonable.

But though this was reasonable, no one believed it. If Qin Yu had done this, people might have believed it, but when Qin Mo did, everyone doubted it. They thought: if opening meridians were so easy, why hold competitions to encourage people to strive?

“White-blooded trash, breaking through twenty meridians in just a month… even a Saint Emperor wouldn’t believe it,” Qin Yu sneered.

“Why? Just because I’m white-blooded trash, I can’t break through meridians like you? Why must I report to you that I now have three thousand jin of strength? Why can’t I defeat you?” Qin Mo asked in succession.

The three “whys” left Qin Yu speechless, and even the tribe members didn’t know how to respond.

Indeed, why should Qin Mo have to explain anything? He had neither stolen nor robbed, nor brought misfortune to the Hammer Stone Tribe. Why should he report to everyone?

Even Qin Luo and Qing Wei no longer dared to question him. If it had been them, they might have reacted just as angrily.

Curiosity lingered, but no one dared to ask further. They only watched Qin Mo.

“Since you really want an answer, I’ll give you one,” Qin Mo said with a smile.

He meant you, not all of you. The intention was clear: this answer was meant to make Qin Luo finally give up.

After saying this, he walked toward the tribe’s “Heaven-and-Earth Stone.”

“Could it be… could it be him…” Qin Tianli stood up.

Even Qin Lin, who had always remained expressionless, also rose, clenching his fists with anticipation.

Everyone watched Qin Mo. He placed his hand on the Heaven-and-Earth Stone, and the stone, which had long resisted him, suddenly began to emit a red glow—growing deeper and deeper until it became a dark crimson.

The light shot up into the sky.

“Red… red high-grade bloodline…” the little chubby boy gasped. Many others also gaped at the sight of the towering red light.

“That night… that night’s red light… it turns out it was the young clan leader…” stammered two tribe warriors. They had been on guard that night and had seen the red light but assumed it was one of the tribe’s three prodigies, so they hadn’t reported it.

Seeing the red light again, they finally realized the truth and explained it, sending shockwaves throughout the Hammer Stone Tribe.

A white-blooded individual transforming into a red high-grade bloodline wasn’t unheard of, but it was rare nowadays.

Qin Yu stared at the red light in almost stunned disbelief. “How can this be… how… how is this possible…”

“Why not?” Qin Mo turned back and looked at Qin Yu. “You said I was white-blooded trash, and you were red mid-grade bloodline. You said I had no right to compete with you. But now, I am red high-grade bloodline. What right do you have to compete with me?”

“You said I opened twenty meridians with difficulty, while you barely opened ten, and that I could never catch up to you. But now, I open twenty meridians easily and have three thousand jin, while you opened twenty-one meridians but only have two thousand five hundred jin. What right do you have to chase me?” Qin Mo asked.

The arena fell completely silent. No one cheered or stopped him, because Qin Mo’s words perfectly mirrored the insults Qin Yu had once thrown at him.

From white-blooded trash to red high-grade bloodline, from five hundred jin to three thousand jin, Qin Mo had achieved it all—not lightly, but he had done it.

And so, whatever Qin Mo said, no one could stop him—not even Qin Tianli or Qin Luo.

Qin Luo coughed up several mouthfuls of reverse blood, his face turning pale. He could no longer dare to look Qin Mo in the eye.

At last, he understood why Qin Mo always wore a faint smile whenever Qin Luo mocked him. Qin Mo wasn’t showing weakness—he simply no longer considered Qin Luo a threat. Qin Luo was the one who had to catch up, who had been left far behind, who deserved the ridicule.

Now, the humiliation Qin Luo endured was self-inflicted. He wanted an answer from Qin Mo, and Qin Mo gave it—without holding back.

The answer was unbearable: a bloodline beyond his, strength beyond his, even if the meridians had not surpassed, it was infinitely more insulting.

“Pfft!” Another mouthful of reverse blood sprayed out. Qin Yu nearly passed out, but he didn’t. He raised his pale face toward Qin Mo and admitted, “I lost.”

“You didn’t lose. You were just too proud,” Qin Mo replied calmly. “We are from the same tribe. Why must we fight so fiercely?”

This last sentence was not mockery—it was a way to relieve Qin Luo’s burden.

Qin Yu lifted his head and gritted his teeth but ultimately said softly, “Thank you.”

Many didn’t understand why he said thanks, but for a tribe’s strong warrior, it carried deep meaning.

Without Qin Mo’s words, Qin Yu might have carried this loss for life, depriving the tribe of future hope.

“‘We are from the same tribe. Why must we fight so fiercely?’” Qing Wei repeated the phrase, chewing over it carefully. She, like Su Qin and Qin Luo, felt that Qin Mo’s words were perfectly fitting.

Moreover, the phrase carried profound wisdom.

“Thank you,” Qin Tianli said, bowing to Qin Mo, then helped Qin Luo leave the arena.

Before this, he had held some resentment toward Qin Mo. But now, with Qin Mo helping Qin Luo unburden himself, he only felt shame.

As the tribe’s Grand Elder and a Level 2 Ritualist, he should have been calm and fair, but he realized his mindset was inferior even to a child. He felt naturally humiliated.

Qin Mo returned the bow and watched them leave.

“I give up my past judgment of you. Regarding my brother, I thank you,” Qin Luo said, bowing as well. “I will wait for the day you fall behind me, and then I will avenge my brother’s humiliation today.”

“That day will come,” Qin Mo said expressionlessly, sensing that the intense hostility in Qin Luo had not yet disappeared.

Qin Luo said nothing more and returned to his seat.

“‘We are from the same tribe. Why must we fight so fiercely?’” Qin Lin finally spoke, looking at the sky. “Good, very good. It seems that the two-star ancient beast ‘Wild Bear’ truly had a mutated bloodline; otherwise, it couldn’t have created your red high-grade bloodline. The essence and star core were used well.”

Qin Lin’s words also clarified a common question: the two-star Wild Bear’s bloodline, though high-grade, could not turn a white-blooded individual into a red high-grade bloodline.

But a mutated, ancestral Wild Bear was different. Even a partial awakening of the bloodline was extremely high-grade.

The ancient Gigantic Bear Clan, dating back to prehistoric times, was on par with the Golden Giant Ape Clan. In terms of strength, the Bear Clan even surpassed the Ape Clan. Their skin and flesh were tough, excelling in defense, though their speed was slightly inferior. Otherwise, they could have surpassed the Ape Clan entirely.

“Clan leader wins! Young clan leader wins big!” the tribe warriors shouted, their voices replacing the prior shock. “Victory” signified power, and “great victory” signified immense power.

The following “Top Four” matches became simple. Qin Mo entered, and opponents immediately conceded. No one wanted to face a three-thousand-jin powerhouse.

This alone qualified him as a squad leader—so why fight further?

And just like that, Qin Mo naturally became the tribe’s new, youngest, and strongest squad leader.

The squad leader qualification required opening twenty meridians and lifting a 2,500-jin stone block. Qin Mo had already surpassed that limit.

Before anyone could react, Qin Mo quietly became the youngest and most formidable squad leader in the tribe.

Though he had the strength to defeat several senior officers, Qin Mo had no intention of competing for the title of “Strongest Squad Leader.”