WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Spear after spear tore through the air, piercing one block of solid ice after another. But no one could replicate Jiang Qiu’s feat of shattering ten blocks in a single throw; their spears ultimately plunged cleanly into the soil.
Pile’s spear, however, had already shattered nine blocks of solid ice. Unfortunately, the spearhead went askew as it erged from the ninth block. When it hit the final one, it failed to strike true, rely chipping off a flake of ice instead of piercing through.
A result like this hadn’t been seen in the North Snow Tribe for hundreds of years, yet it still fell far short of Jiang Qiu’s. Ice spared a glance for the red-faced Pile before turning his attention back to the unfazed Jiang Qiu.
’The power to shatter ten blocks of ice at once, yet he’s not even flushed or out of breath, as if it was just a casual toss. This Chosen One’s potential is truly imnse.’
"Young Master, under these circumstances, are you still going to go through with the test...?"
Python tugged at his robe, his brow slightly furrowed.
As the son of the South Mountain Tribe’s Leader, Ice was not the eldest. Most of his older brothers were still alive, and he had only just turned seventeen.
The reason he was the Young Master, however, was because of his Talent and his proud, fearless aura.
Aside from Wall—this generation’s long-awaited Chosen One—he was the youngest Warrior the South Mountain Tribe had seen in millennia, peerless among his contemporaries.
His personal visit to the North Snow Tribe was for more than just considering a marriage alliance; his main purpose was to test the strength of their Chosen One, Hill.
Since a tribe’s rise or fall often hinged on its Chosen One, it was impossible for them to duel before the official contest; the losing side would face imnse pressure.
The South Mountain Tribe genuinely needed to assess the potential of the North Snow Tribe’s Chosen One. If he wasn’t qualified to stand against the West Ice Tribe, then they would have to seriously reconsider the matter of a marriage alliance with the West Ice Tribe.
Sending a fully grown Hunting Team Warrior to do the testing would be beneath the status of a Chosen One and would smack of a senior bullying a junior. But Ice was the Young Master of the South Mountain Tribe and only four years older; he was considered part of the sa generation and could test him.
They had never expected Jiang Qiu to participate in the coming-of-age ceremony at thirteen, let alone shatter ten blocks of solid ice in a single throw. But against all expectations, it had happened.
One had to rember that the Chosen One, Wall, could only just achieve this much at the sa age. And Wall’s awakened Talent was geared toward strength and physique, giving him an Innate advantage over Hill...
"Why shouldn’t I?" Ice let out a soft laugh, his eyes burning with arrogance. "The purpose of this trip is to challenge him. Why would I be intimidated just because he’s displayed impressive strength? There’s no reason to turn tail and run."
Python was not surprised. The Young Master’s Talent surpassed that of the Leader, and his own presence was formidable. He had never been one to shrink from a challenge.
Of course.
In his first seventeen years, he had never faced a true challenge.
Soon, the thousand or so youths had completed the test. Python, who had been observing from the side, frowned. "This generation of the North Snow Tribe is wildly inconsistent. Though their numbers aren’t small compared to us in South Mountain, less than half of the thousand participants could even shatter a single block of ice.
Only about a hundred managed to pierce two blocks, and eleven pierced three. On the other hand, there was that one nad Pile who shattered nine, and one nad Wood who shattered six.
But the overall ratio is poor, even worse than our South Mountain Tribe."
From what we’ve seen, the North Snow Tribe’s population is still considerable. The number of participants in this year’s ceremony was more than three tis that of the South Mountain Tribe, yet the proportion of potential Warriors is far lower.
Perhaps it’s due to having too many people and too few resources, especially since the West Ice Tribe seized the Ice and Snow Ridge.
But if that’s the case, won’t it be even more difficult for the North Snow Tribe to resist the West Ice Tribe?
"It doesn’t matter if the ratio is a little off. North Snow still has a large number of Warriors, and it’s not like West Ice can engage in an all-out war with them. After all, the main enemy is still the Demon Race," Ice said with a dismissive wave, his gaze distant. "The only thing that can determine the future of the North Snow Tribe is their Chosen One.
If their Chosen One has enough potential, even if he can’t ultimately seize the Enlightennt Fruit and achieve a grand victory in the final contest, he can at least guarantee the North Snow Tribe’s security for this generation.
And if he is willing to leave behind a bloodline, the next few generations might prosper as well.
It’s just a sha that most Chosen Ones never truly integrate into the tribes that take them in. It’s as if there’s always a barrier between them. They’d rather spend twenty years tempering their bodies than spare a few nights to pass on their bloodline..."
Out of the corner of his eye, Python saw Ice’s tightly clenched fist and sighed inwardly.
Chosen Ones almost never leave a bloodline behind. Throughout history, the number of those willing to do so could be counted on one hand. Those peerless, heaven-sent prodigies didn’t consider the tribes their adoptive hos, acknowledging only an exchange of benefits.
The only tribe in history that tried to force a young Chosen One to produce an heir has long since vanished into the river of ti, slaughtered to the last person by that sa Chosen One’s hand.
This incident served as a stark warning to the entire Northern Boundary Human Clan. The tribes’ attitudes toward Chosen Ones beca much more cautious, and they would almost never force a Chosen One to do anything even slightly against their will.
The exception was any tribe that didn’t want a Chosen One in the first place. They would kill any they found on sight, lest they lack the resources to nurture the Chosen One while simultaneously attracting the unwanted attention of the Demon Race.
The Human and Demon Races were constantly testing each other’s boundaries. They sotis even dared to send out teams to ambush and kill a rival tribe’s Chosen One during their training hunts. A small tribe couldn’t possibly offer enough protection...
But Ice, like his father the Leader, desperately wanted the tribe to grow powerful in the coming decades, so he was naturally concerned with the continuation of a Chosen One’s bloodline.
His own sister was considered one of the pri candidates for a match with the Chosen One, Wall. But Wall refused, even seeming to look down on her, and had unceremoniously rejected Ice’s personal visit to propose a marriage alliance.
After the incident, Ice said little and never ntioned it again, yet it was as if he was always ntioning it...
Recalling all this, Python glanced at the group of brightly dressed young won from the North Snow Tribe and interrupted Ice’s low complaints. "Young Master, a Chosen One may not leave an heir, but you must. Have any of the girls from the North Snow Tribe caught your eye?"
’A marriage alliance is one of the goals of this trip, after all. It can’t be ignored.’
’As the envoy from the South Mountain Tribe, and with his title of Young Master, he should have the first pick of a bride.’
’Once the Young Master has chosen, the other young n from the South Mountain Tribe in our delegation will make their selections in turn, each taking a wife ho to continue the tribe’s bloodline.’
In truth, Python had already received a list of the young won’s basic information from the North Snow Tribe. He knew what kind of Warriors their fathers were and whether the girls themselves had begun to practice Martial Arts.
He was asking now mainly to respect the Young Master’s first impression. If the Young Master chose soone he liked, Python would check her against the roster later. As long as her bloodline seed acceptable, they could take her back to the tribe. If she was a poor match, it wouldn’t be too late to have him choose again...
"An heir..." Ice mused for a mont before turning to look at the young won of the North Snow Tribe. His gaze naturally fell on the most eye-catching girl. Pointing casually, he said nonchalantly, "Her. She’s the best-looking one here."
"Hmm..." Python squinted, then pulled out the roster given to him by a North Snow Tribe Warrior. He scanned the list, looking for the na corresponding to her position in the lineup, and his brow furrowed. "Flower?"
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