In a perfect world, you start by relying on your own strength.

A group of children could only hang their heads, reluctantly squatting beside the precious egg, their faces full of bitterness and resentment.

Shi Geng's eyes darted around, and he dashed over to Shi Linhu, tilting his head back to ask directly, "Uncle Linhu, could you take me with you next time you go hunting?"

Shi Linhu was taken aback at first, then looked down at Shi Geng, who was looking serious, and immediately waved his hand: "What are you doing getting involved? Hunting is extremely dangerous. Even we can't guarantee that we'll all return safely. You're not even as tall as a ball, are you just going to cause trouble?"

Several children squatting around incubating their eggs joined in the laughter.

"Shigen, why don't you come and incubate the eggs with us first!"

"That's right, you have to be an adult to hunt. Let's go together when we're all grown up."

Shi Geng, his neck stiff and his small fists clenched, said, "I'm quite strong, and I can help. I definitely won't hold you back! Uncle Lin Hu, please take me with you just this once, just this once!"

He genuinely wanted to contribute to the village.

Now his appetite is getting more and more frightening. If he continues to eat like this, even if the villagers don't say anything, he himself will feel guilty.

Moreover, the martial arts he practices emphasize honing one's muscles and bones and tempering one's qi and blood in actual combat. Only by fighting ferocious beasts with real swords and spears can one make rapid progress.

If he could join the hunting party to experience the Great Wilderness and hone his skills, he would definitely become stronger much faster.

"No, the Great Wilderness is dangerous, far more complex than you think. Once you are strong enough, I will naturally take you out."

Shi Linhu shook his head, his tone very firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

Undeterred, Shi Geng's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward, saying, "Uncle Lin Hu, tell me, what kind of strength is enough? Or... shall we practice right now?"

"Hey, you little brat, you dare to provoke me? You want a beating? Fine, I'll give you a good spanking today!"

Shi Linhu was both angry and amused. He decided to take advantage of the competition to dampen the other's arrogance and let him know his own limitations, so he simply agreed.

The children who were squatting next to the egg saw that there was something to watch and immediately surrounded it, making a ruckus.

Clan Chief Shi Yunfeng simply stood aside with a smile, without saying a word to stop them.

He had witnessed Shi Geng's transformation over the past month and was genuinely curious about the extent of the boy's current strength.

The crowd instantly formed a circle, clearing the space in the middle, and everyone stared wide-eyed, eager to see the competition.

Shi Linhu stretched his limbs, his bones cracking softly, his face casual, not taking the child seriously at all.

"Kid, don't say I'm bullying you. I'll take one of my moves with just one hand."

Before he finished speaking, he took a step forward and lightly pressed his large hand towards Shi Gen. It seemed casual, but it carried the unique fierce strength of the hunters of Shi Village, which ordinary children could not even dodge.

Shi Geng's eyes narrowed, his blood and qi surged, he shifted his feet, used his waist and abdomen to exert force, and dodged to the side with an extremely exquisite skill. At the same time, his elbows sank slightly, containing hidden Tai Chi strength, and gently led and pulled.

There was a loud "bang".

Shi Linhu felt his hand slip, and the force was dissipated to the side, causing him to stagger slightly.

This sudden turn of events silenced the noisy children around them.

Shi Linhu himself was taken aback, and the casualness on his face finally faded a bit.

"You've got some skill, let's try again!"

A hint of approval flashed across Shi Linhu's face. He took another step, this time holding back, and his fist, carrying a fierce and powerful force, smashed out.

Shi Geng neither dodged nor evaded. He assumed a martial arts stance, lowered his shoulders and elbows, and his blood and qi surged throughout his body, faintly exuding the aura of wind and thunder.

He doesn't rely on brute force; instead, he moves with Bagua steps, alternating between punches, drills, horizontal strikes, chops, and cannon strikes, each move cunning and designed to target joints and weaknesses.

Shi Linhu felt that the kid in front of him was as slippery as an eel. He wasn't very strong, but every block and deflection was just right. He couldn't use his brute strength and was forced to retreat repeatedly by Shi Geng's fast punches.

"Good lad!"

Shi Linhu was both surprised and delighted. He roared and tried to block with both arms.

But Shi Geng suddenly changed his stance, lowered his body abruptly, and delivered a powerful backbend to Shi Geng's waist.

"Bang!"

Shi Linhu's burly body was knocked off balance and he almost fell.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

The group of children incubating the eggs stared in disbelief, and even the clan chief Shi Yunfeng's eyes flashed with surprise.

Shi Linhu steadied himself, looked at Shi Geng, his face no longer showing any contempt, only solemnity. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "You... who taught you these skills?"

"Nobody taught me, I figured it out myself." Shi Geng shrugged, his eyes bright, and gestured with his chin towards Shi Linhu. "Uncle Linhu, can you take me hunting next time?"

The children around them were dumbfounded, their mouths agape, completely forgetting about hatching the eggs.

Shi Linhu's face turned pale and then red. Forced into such a sorry state by a mere child, he still stubbornly managed to retort, "Hunting isn't just about skill; you also need real strength! The moment you can lift the heaviest cauldron in the village, I'll take you hunting in the Great Wilderness!"

Upon hearing this, a group of kids immediately started booing.

The largest and heaviest cauldron in the village weighs a full eight thousand catties. Very few people in Shi Village can lift it; only a few, like Shi Linhu, can do it.

Asking Shi Geng, a four-year-old child, to lift the tripod is tantamount to outright refusal.

"Uncle Lin Hu broke his promise, he's shameful!"

The children immediately joined in the commotion, making faces and clearly believing that Shi Linhu was deliberately making things difficult for them.

Shi Linhu's face darkened, and he feigned anger: "What do you little brats know! A single claw strike from a ferocious beast in the Great Wilderness carries thousands of pounds of force. Without that kind of brute strength, going up there is just suicide! I'm doing this for his own good!"

Shi Geng didn't join in the commotion. Instead, his gaze sharpened as he looked at the large, dark cauldron in the distance, and he said softly, "Is it a deal?"

Shi Linhu was taken aback, thinking he had misheard.

"What did you say?"

"I said, it's a deal."

Shi Geng's tone was calm, yet it conveyed an undeniable certainty: "I will lift that cauldron, and you will take me hunting."

As soon as he said that, the surroundings fell silent instantly, and even the noisy children were stunned.

Shi Linhu was stunned at first, then burst into laughter, slapping his thigh and saying, "Good! You have ambition! Uncle will make this agreement with you! When you can lift it, not only will you be in charge of hunting, but I will also take orders from you when hunting!"

He didn't believe for a second that a little kid could move an eight-thousand-pound cauldron; he just thought it was a young man's momentary impulsiveness.

Shi Geng said nothing more and turned to walk straight toward the dark and heavy cauldron.

The sunlight fell on his thin figure, yet it seemed as if invisible energy was slowly boiling around him.