It was with great difficulty that he squeezed his way out, grabbed a piece of aromatic roasted meat, and, biting into it, hurriedly ran forward.

In the crowd, directly ahead, sat an old man—the only one not dressed in animal skins, but in coarse linen clothes. This elder’s hair was braided into many small plaits, and though he looked extremely aged, his eyes were full of spirit. Just one glance at him made people feel as if their soul was being drawn in.

He must have a highly respected status, speaking in a low voice, with several tribesmen accompanying him, listening and nodding respectfully.

Seeing James Walker running from afar, the old man smiled, nodded, and motioned for James Walker to sit beside him, then continued his conversation with the other tribesmen.

Those tribesmen also noticed James Walker, and smiles appeared on their faces.

“Though our Wushan tribe is small, it is, after all, the orthodox Wushan lineage. This time, the Fengzhen tribe’s chieftain is celebrating a grand birthday, and I had some friendship with him in the past, so we must not be disrespectful.” The old man spoke slowly.

“Unfortunately, our Wushan tribe split hundreds of years ago, and now only three branches remain. Otherwise, our Wushan tribe would also be a medium-sized tribe. Back when we ruled the surrounding lands, the Fengzhen tribe was just a subordinate. But now... sigh.” The speaker was a man of about forty, the chief of the Wushan tribe. He was burly, seemingly full of explosive power, and wore a bone necklace with nine finger-thick teeth around his neck.

Especially on his face, there was a faint, looming pattern—fierce and demonic, though blurry, as if it could never fully solidify.

James Walker looked at that pattern with envy in his eyes. Thanks to that scroll of animal hide, James Walker knew it was an incomplete barbarian mark. In the entire tribe, no one currently had the ability to draw a barbarian mark and make it solidify.

Even Grandpa was only at the ninth level of condensing barbarian blood.

But even so, Grandpa was still one of the strongest among the many tribes near Wushan, rivaled only by the two other branches that had split off in the past—the Heishan tribe and the Wulong tribe.

“What’s the use of bringing up the past? Without a Dust-Opening realm expert to protect us, we can’t become a medium-sized tribe. The real reason for the Wushan tribe’s split was the death of our two Dust-Opening realm ancestors.

I have cultivated all these years, but have never been able to break through the ninth level of blood condensation, let alone reach the tenth, much less the ultimate eleventh level. I cannot draw a fully solidified barbarian mark, and it’s hard to open the Dust…” The old man in coarse linen sighed softly and spoke slowly.

“Enough, you all may go prepare the gifts. Tomorrow… Eric Bennett, as the leader of the Wushan hunting party, you will lead the team to set out.” The old man stood up, glanced at a middle-aged man standing beside the Wushan tribe chief, then turned and walked away into the distance.

The middle-aged man’s expression was calm. Upon hearing this, he immediately bowed and accepted the order.

James Walker hurriedly followed behind Grandpa, leaving the lively bonfire area together.

All the way, the old man said nothing, just walked silently. When the sounds of laughter behind them gradually faded, he arrived at a hut made of grass and wood, and went inside.

The hut was not large and quite simple inside. After entering, the old man sat cross-legged to the side and glanced at James Walker, who had followed him in.

“Went to collect Wulong Saliva again?”

Now alone with the old man, James Walker felt great respect for Grandpa, who had watched over him since childhood. He put down the woven basket from his back, picked up the small clay bottle, and handed it to the old man.

“With your agility, those Wulong beasts can’t hurt you, but it’s best not to go too often… After all, that area belongs to both the Heishan and Wulong tribes.

This Wulong Saliva is useless to me; you keep it to nourish your body.” The old man looked at James Walker with a kindly expression.

James Walker nodded and put the small bottle away. Over the years, he had drunk a lot of it, and it was precisely because of this that he had such an agile body.

Moreover, over the years, Grandpa often brewed medicinal soups for him, so even though he did not possess a barbarian body, he was still much stronger than ordinary tribesmen.

“In three days, it will be time for your generation’s Lazu Barbarian Awakening. I remember you’ve already turned sixteen… You’ll need to go pay respects to the barbarian idol.” The old man looked at James Walker and spoke slowly.

“The Wushan tribe’s barbarian idol is inherited from the true Wushan tribe of old. Although it is not the main idol and cannot compare to those of medium-sized tribes, it is still very powerful in this area.”

James Walker fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Don’t go out these next few days. Rest well, and in three days, go to the Barbarian Awakening with the others.” As the old man spoke, he slowly closed his eyes.

James Walker stood for a while, then quietly left with his basket, heading to his own grass-and-wood hut not far away.

He would never forget that year when he was seven, circling the barbarian idol with all the other children of his age in the tribe, experiencing the first Barbarian Awakening.

As a member of the barbarian tribe, one must undergo two such initiation-like ceremonies in a lifetime—this is the Barbarian Awakening: once at age seven, and once at sixteen.

At the same time, the Grandpa in the tribe would, at this time, use the power of the barbarian idol to select those with the barbarian body.