Chapter 12

Wu Tie lay still like an arched bridge, breathing long and deep, sweat continuously dripping from his whole body.

Old Tie's eyes flashed with Blood Light, he stared at Wu Tie for a while; a thread of red light shot from his left eye, rapidly flashing on the opposite wall.

On the wall, a cluster of azure electric glow writhed silently like ripples; after a while, the metal wall beneath the electric glow bulged into a pallid skull face.

Gradually, a white skull head about three meters in diameter, almost identical to Old Tie's, flew out of the wall silently and hovered before Old Tie.

Old Tie and the huge skull head both had Blood Light flashing in their eyes; the Blood Lights intertwined, and in an extremely short time they exchanged countless information via some inexplicable means.

"So many years have passed..." Old Tie muttered lowly.

Just as the white skull head appeared, a tiny door silently opened on the wall where it had emerged, accompanied by a faint 'ding-ding' sound; four palm-sized white metal spiders darted out swiftly.

The four spiders came to Old Tie's side, each extending two front claws to lift him up.

Amid the 'ding-ding' sounds, the huge white skull head led the way, the four metal spiders carrying Old Tie toward that doorway.

They proceeded straight down a corridor for over a hundred meters, arriving at an expansive square metal hall. In the empty hall, neat piles of materials glimmered with a faint metallic cold light.

The hall's side length measured several li, while the materials stacked inside were only a few meters square; these tiny piles looked pitiful and lonely in the vast hall.

"Just this much stuff?" A flash of Blood Light crossed Old Tie's pupils.

The white skull head let out a low rumble several times.

Old Tie snorted coldly: "Well, let me think… this amount of stuff is really… a clever wife can't cook without rice…"

The white skull head slightly turned its body, its two huge eyes fixed on Old Tie, Blood Light flashing rapidly in its pupils.

Old Tie's eyes narrowed, then he burst into laughter: "Hahaha, of course… Grandpa I am male, male… pure and true manly men. It's a metaphor, you get it?"

"I won't waste more words on you, a dim-witted fool… Grandpa I'm almost being made stupid by you."

"Help me, take two pieces of low-grade yuan metal, while that kid hasn't woken up, hurry."

Breathing, breathing, each inhale and exhale extremely long; the muscles under his skin writhed like tiny ripples in a stream, the foundation-building elixir still working in every minute corner of his body.

After sleeping who knows how long, Wu Tie slowly opened his eyes.

Old Tie stood beside him, Blood Light flashing in his eyes; in the huge light curtain, a figure clad in white tight armor performed the same movements as Wu Tie.

A soft, sweet female voice whispered: "Foundation style, finish… exhale… inhale… exhale… inhale… slowly rise."

Following the figure's movements, Wu Tie slowly rose, then naturally stood up, straightening his waist.

His physical condition was unprecedentedly good.

Since he could remember, Wu Tie's body had been very weak, extremely weak.

Don't even mention carrying huge stone locks like Wu Jin, Wu Yin, Wu Tong to temper his body; at his weakest, Wu Tie could barely walk a few steps before gasping, his internal organs feeling as if torn apart.

Recently, under Old Tie's command, he had carried Old Tie all the way to the Ancient Divine Armory, undergoing basic foundation training along the way; Wu Tie's bodily strength increased somewhat, yet his muscles and bones ached and swelled badly.

What's more, hauling a thousand jin of beast flesh from outside the Ancient Divine Armory here had nearly exhausted Wu Tie's strength; every part of his body felt extremely uncomfortable.

But now, his whole body felt completely renewed.

Every organ, every bone, every muscle, every finest nerve and vessel felt as if soaked in hot water, warm and comfortable to the extreme.

Wu Tie instinctively started to run.

He sprinted full speed around the metal hall whose sides were nearly ten li, perimeter about forty li.

His feet became agile and powerful; each step pressed hard against the ground, strong explosive power propelling his body forward swiftly.

His arms swung powerfully, his body harmonious and well-proportioned, able to maintain balance even at high speed.

His breathing was smooth; cool air flowed in his chest, with no discomfort or stagnation between breaths.

His heart beat steadily and powerfully; Wu Tie had already run full speed for over three li, his heartbeat only slightly accelerated, his whole body feeling no discomfort.

Wu Tie suddenly recalled the skill Wu Tong had once shown off in front of him.

He shouted, his body lunged forward, his feet stomped hard on the vertical wall; his body nearly perpendicular to the wall, parallel to the ground, he 'swish-swish-swish' ran forward a dozen steps before lightly landing back on the ground.

His feet landed heavily, his body instinctively swayed left and right lightly, maintaining near-perfect balance, and he continued sprinting forward at full speed.

This was the 'Spider Step' Wu Tong had once bragged about after minor training, like a spider sprinting across steep, vertical rock walls.

But that time, Wu Tong only ran seven or eight steps on his own courtyard wall before falling flat on his face, his nose bruised and swollen, even blood spurting from his nose.

Wu Tie easily ran over ten steps, landing lightly and nimbly, his steps steady and agile, with no awkwardness or strain.

"Father… older brother…"

Wu Tie abruptly stopped, clenched his fists tightly, lifted his head to stare at the gleaming white ceiling, and gritted his teeth.

Is this power?

Having power feels great!

Wu Tie is no longer that weak, fragile wretch who gets out of breath just walking a bit faster.

"Done with self‑pity?" Old Tie's voice came from afar: "Then let's begin the battle, hot‑blooded youth!"

With a 'ding', electric light flashed on the ceiling above Wu Tie's head; the ceiling rippled like water, forming a vortex over a foot wide. A long shadow shot out from the vortex, grazing Wu Tie's nose and landing on the ground, clinking 'ding-ding-dang-dang' as it bounced several times.

It was a long spear.

A long spear forged entirely of metal.

Its grayish shaft was over a foot longer than Wu Tie, and the sharp spearhead was also over a foot long.

Old Tie's voice sounded again: "Grandpa I've already chosen your weapon, a spear; Grandpa I love spears… men should play with spears, hahaha, long spears kill enemies, short spears strike girls… cough, cough…"

Old Tie gave a dry cough a few times: "My mouth, those last two lines, you didn't hear, you didn't hear."

Wu Tie's attention wasn't on Old Tie; he focused entirely on the spear at his feet, instinctively bending down, grabbing it, and gripping the shaft tightly.

The entirely grayish spear had no sheen; its surface was covered with extremely fine patterns. When gripped, the palm fit snugly on the shaft with no slip, feeling very comfortable and natural.

The spear's weight was neither light nor heavy; when Wu Tie swung it, he felt only smooth, natural motion, extremely comfortable.

This spear was made exactly to Wu Tie's current height, build, and strength, tailored to his physique.

Upon taking the spear, after just a few swings, Wu Tie fell in love with it.

"The craftsmanship is excellent!" Wu Tie narrowed his eyes, examining the extremely fine patterns on the shaft. Though the spear looks simple, his instinct told him its workmanship far surpasses that of the long swords carried by Wu Zhan, Wu Jin, and the others.

The material is much, much better.

"True nonsense, work?" Lao Tie grunted: "This is the Ancient God Soldiers' camp, where the Ancient God Soldiers rest, heal, resupply, and are guaranteed long‑term combat capability……Work, naturally, is top‑notch."

Wu Tie excitedly gripped his spear and strode back to Lao Tie's side.

He had decided he would never part with this spear even half a step; it was his first weapon, truly his first weapon.

In the Wu family, only warriors are qualified to possess weapons.

"Listen up." Lao Tie's eyes flashed with Blood Light as he stared fixedly at Wu Tie.

"If you want revenge, you must become strong. You need foundation‑building potions, you need more foundation‑building potions." Lao Tie roared: "But Grandfather I can't help you anymore……So from today on, all your foundation‑building potions must be obtained by you hunting beasts and gathering materials."

"Want to be strong? Fight like a real man, kid!"

Lao Tie's tone turned extremely icy and stiff: "Constant battle, constant growth, until the day you have enough power to do what you want. Before then, whatever you do, don't die."

Wu Tie stared blankly at Lao Tie.

Lao Tie's tone made him uneasy.

Before, Lao Tie had helped him hunt a thousand catties of flesh.

But now Lao Tie wants him to hunt beasts himself. Leaving the Ancient God Soldiers' camp, he must go to that strange outer realm and slay those terrifying subterranean creatures.

"Think of your father……your brother……" Lao Tie seemed to see Wu Tie's hesitation and fear.

Wu Tie's heart suddenly surged with boundless anger and pain.

His mind could hold no other thought; he merely muttered "foundation‑building potion" under his breath, turned and strode out.

The faster he went, the more his inner fire and pain grew; Wu Tie suddenly bellowed, gripping his spear with both hands and sprinted out. Behind him, two metal spiders the size of human heads followed at a distance.

At the end of the passage, the white metal seal slid open like a ripple of water.

Wu Tie let out a loud shout, stamped his feet hard, and actually leapt straight up over three meters; he pushed off the pit wall with his right foot, leapt another two meters, and jumped directly out of the pit over five meters deep.

His body landed heavily at the pit's edge; Wu Tie stood there a long while before joyfully shouting: "Strength!"

He could run this fast, he could jump this high.

This is strength.

He looked around and saw a stone about the height of his shin several meters away. He strode over, casually set his spear aside, gripped the two‑foot‑square stone with both hands, and lifted it.

It was somewhat strenuous, but Wu Tie firmly raised the stone over his head.

He held the stone aloft for a full half‑quarter hour, then roared and flung it four or five meters away.

He looked at his hands, delighted.

This is strength!

Before, he could never have moved such a large stone.

But after taking a foundation‑building potion and training in the foundation‑building method, he now possesses this strength.

"Father……brother……I will avenge you; before long I will surely avenge you……"

Wu Tie clenched his fists tightly, lowered his head to pick up his spear, when a harsh "hiss" came from behind; a huge force surged, and a gray‑rock lizard about his height lunged forward, its foreclaws slamming hard into his back.

This gray‑rock lizard is clearly not yet adult; compared to an adult gray‑rock lizard, which would be four or five times Wu Tie's size, this one is merely juvenile.

The juvenile gray‑rock lizard's sharp foreclaws ruthlessly tore at Wu Tie's shoulders, ripping away large chunks of muscle; Wu Tie screamed in agony, slamming face‑down onto the ground. The lizard clung to him, its hind legs raking his thighs and calves, shredding flesh until even the bone of his shin was exposed.

This gray‑rock lizard's hunting skill is terrible.

If it were an adult with adequate hunting skill, after a successful pounce it would bite Wu Tie's nape with its tooth‑filled maw, and a mere roll of its heavy body could easily snap his neck.

The juvenile lizard's four claws tore Wu Tie's back to shreds, blood staining the ground; he bellowed loudly, struggling desperately.

But his shoulders and legs were severely wounded, his strength halved, and he had no strength left to shake off the juvenile lizard's attack.

The juvenile lizard, while madly shredding Wu Tie's body, opened its wide mouth, cocked its head, and tried to bite his nape.

This is the killing instinct born of his bloodline.

Wu Tie's blood gave off a strong bloody scent, quickly awakening the juvenile lizard's killing talent.

Cold sharp teeth touched Wu Tie's neck.

Wu Tie screamed, his right hand snatching the Chiyou's Tooth from his chest and stabbing backward fiercely.

Chiyou's Tooth went "puchi" and pierced the juvenile lizard's skull, blasting a bowl‑sized hole in its head.

Blood mixed with brain matter poured out, drenching Wu Tie's head and face; his body twitched a few times, his vision darkened, and he fainted.

A "ding‑ding" sounded, and two utterly pale metal spiders crawled out of the pit, quickly reaching Wu Tie's side.

They circled Wu Tie twice, then opened their hard mouthparts, bit his hair, and dragged him slowly across the ground.

The dead gray‑rock lizard lay on Wu Tie's back, being dragged along with him toward the pit.

With a "thud," Wu Tie and the lizard sank heavily into the pit; the gray‑white metal floor undulated, swallowing them.

Profuse blood trailed a long stain across the ground.