It was a long time before the phantom of the Ghost-Head Blade above the young boy’s head slowly dissipated, and the echoing ring of clashing metal gradually faded.
Shitou instinctively clenched his fists, his bones letting out a series of crisp, crackling pops.
A surge of billowing energy crashed and surged within his dantian. It was fierce yet surprisingly gentle, making him feel as though he had an inexhaustible supply of strength.
The boy, who had previously been as thin and frail as a hemp stalk, now had a completely transformed temperament.
His back was as straight as a spear, and his gaze was as sharp as a blade’s edge. His entire being felt like a precious saber that had just been unsheathed, radiating a piercing sharpness that warned others not to approach.
Chen Zhou performed a brief scan and discovered that the villagers' flesh energy had skyrocketed!
Previously, all twelve people combined didn't even amount to 0.1 portions. Now, each individual generally reached 1-2 portions.
The kid was even more ridiculous.
He alone was already equivalent to 5-6 portions of flesh energy.
He truly got back what he put in.
Based on the vague combat power Chen Zhou could sense, Shitou’s current power might already be close to a Bone Ghost Servant summoned with 5 units of basic bone material.
Of course, his exact status panel remained unknown.
Chen Zhou was also extremely curious as to why the kid produced such a miraculous reaction after consuming the pill.
'You little brat, just you wait.'
'Once I unlock new buildings, I’ll use my Test Immortal Stone to see every detail of your little status panel!'
Chen Zhou muttered under his breath, then ordered the Netherflame to distribute some tools gathered from the secret realm to the group.
There were chipped bone cleavers, rusty saws, and miniature hatchets with worn-down handles.
They weren't professional tools by any means, but they were better than nothing.
After the distribution, Chen Zhou ordered a skeleton to face a tree and strike it several times with its fists.
In moments, the large tree fell with a crash.
The Netherflame moved in perfect coordination to divide the wood, breaking it down into one portion of common wood.
Only then did the villagers, who were still immersed in the divine grace of the immortal pill, snap back to their senses.
Shitou stepped forward, his voice carrying a hint of caution and uncertain inquiry.
"Does My Lord need us to chop down trees?"
Chen Zhou immediately had the skeleton give Shitou a big thumbs-up.
He praised the boy in a voice only he could hear: 'The kid’s comprehension is actually quite good!'
'He’s observant and proactive—truly a prime candidate for a beast of burden~'
The affirmation from the skeleton seemed to give Shitou immense encouragement in an instant.
He picked up the miniature hatchet from the ground, which was clearly ill-suited for his hand, gripped the wooden handle tight, and headed toward another large tree with a bowed head, his pace fast and steady.
Seeing this, Li Dazhu immediately began shouting eagerly while thumping his chest, "My Lord, My Lord!"
"Leave it to me! I’ll take care of everything! I used to be our village's woodcutter!"
"I’m a professional at chopping trees!"
A dark-faced man nearby, unwilling to be outdone, flushed red and added in a muffled voice, "Me... Me too!"
With the two of them leading the way, the remaining villagers also began to move. Regardless of gender, they all picked up tools.
With looks as fierce as hungry wolves, they rushed toward the trees.
It was as if falling a single step behind would be a sign of great disloyalty to Chen Zhou.
Chen Zhou was very satisfied with the scene before him.
"Excellent!"
"Such spirit!"
With so many top-tier laborers working enthusiastically to collect basic resources, he felt that the materials spent on the pills were not wasted at all.
Total profit!
Chen Zhou had the skeleton punch down five trees and five boulders.
He prepared to return to the Ghost Domain to retrieve the common iron ore from the warehouse, which would be enough to unlock the 【Well】 and complete the next beginner tutorial task.
The common iron ore had also been collected while grinding in the Living Dead Secret Realm the previous night.
As a secret realm with a modern post-apocalyptic setting, metal products were not uncommon.
Iron pots, iron shovels, and iron railings had all been conveniently packed up by the skeleton and brought back for the Netherflame to refine into materials.
However, the quantity wasn't high. After grinding all night, he had only harvested about 50 portions of common iron ore.
It should be enough for now.
...
During the interval when Chen Zhou returned to the Ghost Domain, several whistling sounds of metal piercing the air suddenly erupted from the forest.
This was followed by a series of crisp cracks.
In an inadvertent moment, a wisp of sharp blade qi that Shitou had not yet mastered or retracted into his body shot out from his palm.
It sliced directly through several massive trees nearby, causing them to topple.
"!!!"
"Is this... my power?"
Shitou looked at his palm, shocked into silence.
Ever since he took the pill, a strange power had been surging within him.
He felt as though several cultivation methods and battle techniques had spontaneously surfaced in his mind.
He was clearly illiterate, yet he could clearly understand the meaning of every word.
While chopping trees just now, he had merely been distracted thinking about how to use a battle technique.
He hadn't expected that a slight lapse in control would allow a sliver of the restless energy in his body to release, causing such a huge commotion.
Zhao Laoshan, being the eldest and most experienced, saw this with shrinking pupils and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
"Drawing qi into the body, externalizing spiritual energy!"
"Shitou, you have stepped into the Innate Realm and become a cultivator!"
The villagers were all shocked to hear this.
"A cultivator?"
"Doesn't that mean Shitou is now just like those lords in White Jade City?"
The villagers were all envious.
Cultivators had the authority to enter White Jade City at will.
Some might even be able to go to the legendary White Jade Sword Sect.
In such chaotic times, entering the Innate Realm and becoming a cultivator meant having the ability to protect oneself.
Even if they encountered a terrifying monster like the snake demon again, they might have the strength to fight back.
"This must be the great power of a deity! It is the strength bestowed upon me by My Lord!"
Shitou's heart trembled with excitement.
But his gaze was exceptionally pious and firm. With a heavy thud, he knelt deeply at the spot where the skeleton had disappeared.
"Shitou thanks My Lord for bestowing divine power! I will follow My Lord for all eternity!"
The others also followed suit, kneeling again with utmost respect.
"We thank My Lord for protecting our lives!"
"We thank My Lord for granting us health!"
"I, Li Dazhu, will serve as My Lord's beast of burden for the rest of my life!"
"Me too!"
Previously, everyone might have been more or less uneasy about worshipping an evil spirit.
But after seeing Shitou ascend to the heavens in a single step and become a cultivator, all doubts vanished.
One who could bestow divine power upon mortals must be a true deity!
Only the deities of legend possessed such a compassionate heart to save those in misery!
Having witnessed such divine power, every one of them became pious and resolute.
How fortunate they were to be taken in and sheltered by a true deity in the wilderness; they had to repay him with a lifetime of loyalty and faith.
Chen Zhou exited the Ghost Domain after grabbing the iron ore, only to be caught off guard by the sight of this group bowing and kowtowing to him again.
He felt even more drained.
What was going on now?
They couldn't even chop trees without causing a scene?
He had only looked away for a second, so why were they kneeling again?
Chen Zhou was speechless.
He was just about to urge his workers along when his sharp eyes noticed something.
Among the portions of common wood that had been chopped and neatly stacked...
A piece of timber that was emerald green all over, as round and lustrous as imperial jade, was secretly mixed in.
But because it was far too conspicuous, its attempt at hiding was a failure.
Rate on N.U.
