With a light sigh, James Walker felt a wave of bitterness rise within him. He longed to become a barbarian warrior, and the scenes described in that beast hide scroll had fascinated him since childhood. Yet the harshness of reality became clear when, at the age of seven, he first worshipped the barbarian totem—he did not possess a barbarian body and was not qualified to cultivate as a barbarian.

Barbarians are the foundation of the world; only by becoming a barbarian warrior can one stand proudly above the nine heavens and become a true powerhouse!

From that beast hide scroll, James Walker had known since he was young that there were many tribes in this world, large and small, each with its own unique barbarian totem. This totem was the very root of a tribe and an essential item for descendants to become barbarians.

By comprehending the barbarian totem, if one could sense its resonance, they would naturally inherit the legacy of barbarian cultivation, able to train on their own without a teacher.

But if one failed both at age seven and sixteen, it meant nothing could ever change. James Walker had always hesitated in his heart—he hoped when he hadn’t seen the answer, but now, with only three days left until his final chance to comprehend the totem, he was afraid.

“This time... will I succeed...” James Walker silently returned to his hut, sat to the side, and stared blankly into space.

Volume One: If Life Were Only as It Was at First Sight

Chapter 3: Piercing the Darkness

Late at night, James Walker lay in his own hut, staring into the darkness around him, unable to sleep for a long time. His grandfather’s words lingered in his ears, and scenes from nine years ago kept replaying in his mind.

With a long sigh, James Walker sat up, silently pushed open the wooden door of his hut, and a cool breeze ruffled his messy hair. The wind was chilly, as if it had come with the moonlight, scattering across the land.

All around was quiet, with only the occasional faint neigh echoing from distant Wushan Mountain. The tribe was mostly shrouded in darkness, except for the central bonfire and a few scattered flames. There were also some torches on the massive wooden walls surrounding the area, their crackling faintly audible in the deep night.

James Walker looked up at the sky. The moon and stars were sparse but dazzling, and the Milky Way seemed eternal, filling James Walker’s eyes with growing confusion.

“Everyone in the tribe treats me well... but I clearly look different from them... Maybe it’s because I failed to worship the barbarian totem...

Without a barbarian body, I can’t cultivate as a barbarian. I’ll be stuck here for life, unable to leave, unable to see the world described in the beast hide books...” James Walker sat down quietly, leaning against his hut, gazing at the sky, the confusion in his eyes deepening.

Just then, a faint, mournful melody began to swirl from somewhere in the tribe, blending with the moonlight and settling over the land of the Wushan tribe.

James Walker frowned, his confusion interrupted by the music. He didn’t need to get up to know that it was the tribe’s Henry Clark playing his xun again.

Henry Clark was a low-ranking barbarian warrior in the tribe, and his favorite thing was playing those strange xun tunes. The music was always sad, and every time James Walker heard it, he felt a little down and didn’t like it much.

“The barbarian tribe has ancestors, who created the world and mankind, their legacy passed down for countless generations... Those who possess the barbarian power can soar to the heavens, burrow into the earth, move mountains and overturn seas... With barbarian markings reaching the sky, one can pluck the sun, moon, and stars...” On this deep night, within the Wushan tribe, a young man gazed at the sky, murmuring to himself amidst the mournful sound of the xun...

At that moment, he didn’t notice that the black fragment hanging from his neck flashed with a faint glimmer of light once again...

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the third day.

As the day of Walker Laura’s barbarian awakening for this generation of the Wushan tribe, the entire tribe was bustling from early morning. Nearly all the clansmen came out, bringing their own Walker Laura, gathering in the central plaza of the tribe.

The awakening ceremony usually lasted the whole day, especially for the sixteen-year-old Walker Laura, whose awakening was like a coming-of-age ritual. On this day, those who completed their awakening could even choose a partner.

The rhythmic beating of drums echoed through the tribe, and with the sound, one Walker Laura after another stepped out from the crowd, standing in the very center.

This time, there were more than thirty Walker Laura completing their awakening, most of them teenagers. Though young, they were all extremely robust, exuding a fierce aura.

Even the girls were the same, making James Walker stand out sharply among the crowd. His delicate features made him seem out of place with those around him.

Even so, the people here had long accepted James Walker. Although he looked a bit different in their eyes, they did not reject him, but instead welcomed him as one of their own.

After surrounding the Walker Laura preparing for awakening, all the Wushan tribespeople began to dance their primitive dances, worshipping the heavens with their bodies to express reverence and offer sacrifices to the world.

“James Walker, I heard from the tribe that you went to Wulong Mountain a few days ago and even brought back some Wulong Saliva.” As the clansmen on the outskirts sang and danced, a hearty voice sounded beside Laura Walker.

It was a boy of the same age, with rough skin and a strong build, nearly twice the size of James Walker. His eyes were bright as he looked at James Walker, grinning.

Looking at the boy, James Walker smiled. This boy was David Harris, one of his few friends in the tribe.