It was a ferocious statue, half human and half beast, exuding a wild and primitive aura. One hand gripped a long dragon, while the other held a massive spear, its eyes filled with madness and bloodlust.

Its appearance caused even the sky to suddenly darken, as if its majesty was pressing down upon everything.

“Wushan barbarian statue…” James Walker's heart pounded violently, as if it was about to burst. But at that moment, the fragment on his neck emitted a faint warmth, merging into his body and causing that unbearable feeling to vanish without a trace.

This sensation startled James Walker, and he instinctively lowered his head to look. Just then, Grandpa's voice echoed out.

“Step forward one by one and enter the barbarian statue to pay your respects!”

As soon as the words fell, a young man quickly walked a few steps and stepped beneath the statue. In an instant, he disappeared. Not long after, at the spot where he vanished, the youth reappeared with a dim expression, retreating to the side in silence.

“Next!” The speaker was the chief of the Wushan tribe, a burly man with a solemn expression, his gaze sweeping over the Lasu youths.

One by one, the Lasu who had awakened their barbarian bloodline stepped forward, disappearing and then reappearing shortly after, until a young woman entered the statue and a flash of crimson light burst forth from it.

Instantly, the entire tribe was invigorated, even Grandpa focused his attention. They saw the crimson light flash nine times before the girl's figure reappeared.

“She possesses the barbarian body!!”

“Nine flashes from the statue—this means she has the barbarian body!”

The girl appeared, her face full of joy.

“Your name is Ula, right? Very good, come to my side.” Grandpa smiled, nodding at the girl.

Watching the girl walk toward Grandpa, James Walker remained silent. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward toward the statue, immediately drawing the attention of the surrounding tribespeople.

For this youth who was clearly different from them, most of the Wushan tribe looked at James Walker with kindly pity, their eyes fixed on him as he stood beneath the statue.

James Walker took a deep breath, glanced at Grandpa watching him from not far away, and closed his eyes. The moment his eyes shut, he felt an indescribable power envelop his whole body, as if he had sunk into mud. When he opened his eyes, everything around him had completely changed.

This was not the Wushan tribe, but a small space, pitch black all around, with only a black statue floating ahead, radiating crimson light.

The statue looked exactly like the barbarian statue he had seen outside, exuding a wild and primitive aura.

Staring at the statue, James Walker was silent for a moment, then bowed deeply to it.

He bowed for a long time, a bitter expression on his face. He knew that if he possessed the barbarian body, a single bow would cause the statue to emit crimson light. But just like nine years ago, nothing had changed.

“I will never become a barbarian warrior in this life…” James Walker bit his lower lip, sighed deeply, and turned to leave.

But the instant he turned, his whole body suddenly trembled. He whipped around to look at the statue, stunned!

At the same time, he saw the fragment on his chest—the one he had always ignored—suddenly emit a blinding, eerie light…

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

Chapter 4: Mutation

At the foot of Wushan, within the Wushan tribe, nearly all the tribespeople were gathered at the center, watching the group of Lasu who had awakened their barbarian bloodline.

But just then, the massive barbarian statue floating in midair suddenly shuddered, as if trembling, and a thunderous roar erupted. The sound came so suddenly that everyone around was stunned.

Grandpa's eyes flashed sharply as he strode forward several steps. He did not look at the statue, but immediately raised his head to the sky. As he watched, his eyes grew grave.

At that moment, more tribespeople noticed something was wrong and looked up at the sky.

They saw streaks of black mist appear out of nowhere, converging madly from all directions. Soon, a gigantic vortex formed, so vast it seemed to occupy most of the sky above, shrouding all of Wushan. Even from far away, the anomaly could be seen.

After the vortex formed, it slowly rotated, emitting a thunderous rumble that echoed all around. Within the vortex, countless arcs of lightning flickered, bolts of electricity flashing and intertwining with the thunder.

“The Barbarian Ancestor has manifested!?” Someone in the Wushan tribe shouted, and immediately everyone knelt in worship, their faces filled with awe and fear as they bowed to the sky.

The only ones still standing were Grandpa and a few tribal leaders beside him. Except for Grandpa, these burly leaders all looked panicked.

The vortex in the sky spun faster and faster. Moments later, it was as if a wild wind swept the land, completely enveloping the area around Wushan.

The barbarian statue floating in midair trembled even more violently, as if it could not withstand the vortex above.