William Clark's gaze swept over the stone pedestals, and he suddenly called out, "Thomas Miller, why don't we have a contest? Whoever wins is right."

Thomas Miller's eyes lit up as well. "Sure, how do we compete?"

William Clark reached out and pointed at the stone pedestals. "In another two or three years, we'll be able to take the hunter's exam. The most important part of the test is strength. Let's see who is the strongest."

Thomas Miller's face immediately showed hesitation. The few of them had played together for so many years and knew each other inside out. He certainly knew that, if it was just about strength, William Clark was definitely the strongest among the three.

With a snort, Thomas Miller said, "The hunter's exam has eight events in total. Let's compete in all of them and see who wins the most."

"Alright," William Clark agreed without hesitation. "The three of us will compete together."

David Wright opened his mouth, thinking to himself in confusion, Am I going to get dragged into this just by standing here quietly?

He wanted to refuse, but seeing the two of them glaring at each other like bullfighters, he immediately gave up on that idea. Since they wanted to compete, he might as well join in. Anyway, except for the trap-setting event, he was sure to come last in all the others.

"What should we start with?" Thomas Miller asked.

William Clark flexed his wrist. "Of course, we start with strength." His gaze swept over the stone pedestals. "We'll start with the lightest one and take turns lifting. Whoever can't lift it loses."

Thomas Miller nodded. He knew he wasn't as strong, so he didn't argue about it, just started thinking about how to win more rounds in the later events. As for David Wright, he didn't even have a say in the matter. Among the three, he was just the tagalong.

The conversation between the three kids quickly caught the attention of the men on the playground, who were rarely idle. They watched with smiling faces, hoping that more talented people would emerge in the village so everyone could have a better life.

William Clark walked up to the smallest stone pedestal. It wasn't very big, only about twenty jin, and even David Wright could lift it.

He grabbed the handle, gave it a light tug and swing, and immediately raised the stone pedestal high above his head.

Thomas Miller, not to be outdone, stepped forward. He didn't think much of the weight and easily did the same.

David Wright shrugged. For men in the mountains, ten years old wasn't that young, and twenty jin wasn't much.

He stepped up, grabbed the handle, lifted and swung, and raised it above his head.

However, at that moment, a strange expression appeared on his face again.

No one else could see anything unusual, but he felt it very clearly. His strength seemed to have increased—a lot.

Before, lifting the stone pedestal took a lot of effort, but now it felt effortless, as if he was holding nothing at all.

"Hey, not bad, the kid's gotten stronger."

The men on the playground laughed and joked. Their eyes were sharp, and a few who knew David Wright well immediately noticed the difference.

William Clark silently lifted heavier and heavier stone pedestals above his head. Thomas Miller's movements became more and more strained, and in the end, he was gritting his teeth to keep going.

In contrast, David Wright seemed much more relaxed. Although the increasing weight started to put pressure on him, he found that it was still well within his limits.

"Heh..."

William Clark let out a loud shout and raised a stone pedestal weighing over a hundred jin above his head.

Thomas Miller's face flushed slightly. After thinking for a moment, he wisely shook his head. Judging by William Clark's movements, he still had strength to spare. What made him even more frustrated was that David Wright's performance had far exceeded his expectations.

How did both of his friends get so much stronger?

William Clark grinned and said, "Haotian, just give up."

Although David Wright's performance today was quite impressive, he was only ten years old. No one thought he could lift the hundred-jin stone pedestal in front of him.

However, David Wright ignored everyone's gaze. It was as if he hadn't heard William Clark's words. He just stared at the stone pedestal, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.

Chapter Four: The Hundred-Jin Stone Pedestal

"I can lift it..."

For some reason, a voice kept calling out in David Wright's heart. It was his own voice, unheard by anyone else.

After discovering his inexplicable increase in strength, his courage seemed to have grown just as mysteriously.

Human confidence—or ambition—often grows with strength. A minister at the peak of power may have ambitions for the nation, but a starving beggar would never dream of becoming king.

At this moment, David Wright suddenly realized he had an urgent desire to lift the stone pedestal—and to do it in front of everyone in the village.