As he was condensing the bloodlines within his body, he clearly felt that the warmth emanating from the fragment at his chest had increased, which made James Walker feel even more invigorated. He vaguely sensed that he had grasped the key to this treasure.

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed. During these seven days, James Walker barely left his house, and he hardly even felt hungry, which puzzled him for quite a while. After all, the beast hide scroll had mentioned that practitioners of the barbarian arts, especially during the Blood Condensation stage, would experience a greatly increased appetite due to the circulation of bloodlines within their bodies, allowing their bodies to grow rapidly and forge more fresh blood for cultivation.

But in James Walker’s case, this did not happen. After some thought, he attributed it to the strange effect of the warm current from the fragment.

During these seven days, David Harris visited once, bringing James Walker some sable-deer blood and taking away some black dragon resin. David Harris had already formed his barbarian body at the age of seven during the tribe’s worship ceremony, and now he had reached the fourth layer of the Blood Condensation stage, with twenty-three bloodlines condensed within his body. Even among the hunting party, he was a mainstay.

When he was about to leave, he hesitated for a moment, wanting to comfort James Walker with a few words, but in the end, he just looked at James Walker and spoke in a muffled, honest voice.

“James Walker, we grew up together. From now on, I’ll protect you. Anyone who dares to mess with you will have to deal with me, David Harris!” After saying this, he swung his arm forcefully, grinned broadly, and walked out.

James Walker watched David Harris leave, feeling a deep warmth in his heart.

Life in the tribe, though simple, was not dull. Almost every tribesman had their own responsibilities, needing to contribute their strength for the tribe’s survival.

However, there were always a few people whose families had lost barbarian warriors in battle, and who themselves did not possess a barbarian body nor were they strong, so they could not do much. As a result, they were somewhat special in the tribe, mostly idling their days away, always interested in novel things, and often doing nothing while others were contributing to the tribe.

Half a month after the end of the barbarian initiation, James Walker once again strapped on his woven basket. After greeting his fellow tribesmen, he left the tribe alone and headed toward the distant forest.

Once James Walker stepped into the forest, it was as if he became a different person, full of agility. His figure flickered like an arrow, darting forward. With a few nimble leaps, he climbed up a tall tree, sat on a branch, and smiled, seemingly very satisfied with his speed.

“Although I haven’t fully completed the first layer of Blood Condensation, my body is at least several times more agile than before.”

James Walker placed two fingers of his right hand to his lips and whistled. The sound of the whistle spread far and wide, echoing through the woods. Before long, a red streak shot toward him at lightning speed, drawing near in the blink of an eye, heading straight for James Walker.

James Walker grinned. As the red streak arrived, he leaped forward. From within the red streak came a series of chittering sounds, as the pursuer gave relentless chase.

“Little Red, let’s race again today and see who gets to the mountain first!” James Walker called out cheerfully as he bounded forward. The red streak behind him was the little red monkey, who wore a look of disdain on its face, gnawing on a fruit pit as if it couldn’t be bothered to take James Walker seriously. It scratched its face lazily and gave chase.

But as the chase went on, the little monkey’s eyes turned red, its chittering grew sharper, and its expression became one of surprise and frustration. In a fit of pique, it threw away the fruit pit and gave it everything it had to catch up.

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

Chapter 6: Grace

Within the forest, James Walker leapt and darted, his figure like an arrow loosed from a bow. Relying on his familiarity with the area and his agile body, it wasn’t long before he caught sight of Black Mountain in the distance.

Once he passed through this forest, he would reach Black Mountain.

For James Walker, who had gathered herbs here since childhood, nearly every blade of grass and tree in this place exuded a comforting aura.

“The beast hide scroll said that practitioners of the barbarian arts, during the Blood Condensation stage, temper the barbarian blood within, causing their blood to unleash power and their bodies to grow ever stronger. I once thought I’d never experience this in my life, but now I can truly feel it!

The first layer of Blood Condensation requires condensing three bloodlines within the body. I haven’t finished yet, but my speed has already increased a lot, and even my strength…” James Walker’s body flickered as he leapt forward, suspending himself beside a large tree. He clenched his right fist and struck the tree hard.

With a bang, a faint fist mark appeared on the tree, though James Walker’s right hand tingled with numbness. Still, his face showed excitement.

But just as he was rejoicing, a red blur flashed past him, accompanied by a string of triumphant chittering—it was the little monkey, who had caught up and overtaken James Walker.

James Walker smiled slightly and chased after the red blur. Although he was not slow, he still couldn’t match the monkey’s speed. In the past, every time he reached Black Mountain, the little monkey would always be lying there with a look of disdain, as if it had been waiting for a long time.