His strange expression finally drew people’s attention. Thomas Miller exclaimed in surprise, “David, you’re not actually thinking of trying it, are you?”

David Wright nodded firmly, striding forward to stand in front of the stone block.

William Clark’s face immediately fell. He grabbed David Wright’s arm and said, “David, don’t joke around. You’ve only just recovered from your injury. If you accidentally strain your back or something now, my father will definitely kill me.”

Everyone smiled at this, breaking into a round of good-natured laughter.

It was already well known that William Clark had injured the black bear but had also knocked David Wright out in the process. Although Jason Clark was proud of his son’s performance, he had also given him a severe scolding. Today’s events had been stirred up by William Clark and Thomas Miller again. If David Wright were to get hurt because of this, given Jason Clark’s temper, he definitely wouldn’t let William Clark off easily.

David Wright hesitated for a moment, but insisted, “I want to give it a try.”

His voice was young and clear, carrying a distinct childlike determination.

The laughter around them gradually faded, and even the adults seemed to sense something unusual.

“All right, then give it a try.” A loud voice rang out from behind the crowd.

Everyone stepped aside, greeting the brave village chief. William Clark shrank his neck a little, but seeing that his father’s face showed no anger, he relaxed.

Jason Clark came up to David Wright, a hint of delight flashing in his eyes. David Wright was a good kid in every way, except that he lacked a bit of confidence. After all, the two friends he usually played with were three and four years older than him, so he basically had no advantage over them. Over time, it was no surprise he’d developed such a personality.

But today’s performance made Jason Clark extremely satisfied. For a moment, he even wondered if that fall the other day had somehow knocked some sense into his head.

He reached out and patted David Wright on the shoulder, saying kindly, “David, go ahead and try.”

David Wright responded, standing in front of the stone block and taking a deep breath.

The fresh mountain air filled his lungs, but instead of calming him, it made his heart beat even faster.

This was the first time he had ever volunteered to do something in front of so many people.

At this moment, although his face was a little flushed, it wasn’t from shyness, but from excitement. Being the center of everyone’s attention felt rather wonderful.

He reached out, grabbed the handle of the stone block, and his muscles instantly tensed.

“Heh…”

With a breath and a shout, the stone block left the ground, and he actually lifted it up to his abdomen.

Everyone was secretly amazed—a ten-year-old child being able to do this was already quite impressive.

Jason Clark moved his feet forward a little. As soon as David Wright showed any sign of not being able to hold on, he would step in to take the stone block.

But today, David Wright’s performance truly exceeded his expectations.

When David Wright lifted the stone block, he himself felt it was quite strenuous. A hundred-jin stone block might not be much for the adults here, but for him at this moment, it was still an unbearable weight.

Yet, with so many eyes on him, he really didn’t want to give up.

Suddenly, it felt as if a warm current was slowly flowing through his body—a very familiar sensation. Every time he ate bear meat porridge, he would feel something similar.

As this feeling appeared again, David Wright actually felt the stone block in his hands become lighter.

Although he didn’t understand what was happening, he instinctively raised the stone block high above his head.

“Wow…”

Exclamations of amazement echoed across the training ground.

The weight itself wasn’t extraordinary—aside from a few of the younger kids, even some of the sturdy women in the mountains could lift a hundred-jin stone block over their heads.

But for a ten-year-old child to do this was truly astonishing.

Everyone around nodded happily. With David Wright’s strength, he could at least become an excellent hunter in the future. The more skilled people there were in the village, the better life would be for everyone. This was the consensus in every small village.

Jason Clark stepped forward, took the stone block from David Wright’s hands, and nodded in satisfaction. “David, very good.”

He held a high position in the village, and after receiving his praise, David Wright scratched his head, grinning. His little face was flushed, whether from excitement or embarrassment.

Jason Clark turned around, clapped his hands a few times, and called out loudly, “Brothers, it’s been a month since the black bear attack. Although every household has some surplus grain now, we can’t just sit around and eat it all up. Everyone get ready—we’ll head into the mountains to hunt early the day after tomorrow.”