“I had just surfaced from Mirror Lake when I saw an old man fishing by the shore—it was he who gave me these two items. Do you know what this stone can do?”

　　“You’re really lucky!” Emily Thompson took the stone, examined it for a while, then shook her head and said, “I can’t tell what use this stone has. Maybe you could ask Old Howard; he’s the most knowledgeable person in Xici Town.”

　　“Looks like I’ll have to pay a visit to Old Howard.”

　　Seeing that William Carter was empty-handed, Emily Thompson couldn’t help but laugh, “Big brother, are you here on the Xici grasslands to hunt as well? Why don’t we go together and look out for each other.” William Carter thought for a moment and agreed. Although Emily Thompson was a young girl, her swordsmanship was enough to fight off demon wolves—far better than his own half-baked skills.

　　They hadn’t gone far when they encountered a demon rabbit, pure yellow all over. This rabbit was half again as large as its kind, clearly having cultivated for many years. Its fur was glossy and bright, and its eyes sparkled with spirit.

　　William Carter didn’t dare be careless. With a flick of his palm, a five-colored stone circled around him, syncing with the mysterious power inside his body to reach optimal condition. Only then did he exhale and shout, “Strike!” The five-colored stone instantly turned into a barely visible gray streak, shooting toward the demon rabbit’s left eye.

　　The yellow demon rabbit wasn’t fazed. It flicked its forepaw, and the five-colored stone struck its paw with a loud bang. William Carter felt as if he’d been hit by a speeding train, his chest tightening. Watching the five-colored stone fly back, he suppressed his rising nausea, pointed again, and shouted, “Strike!” The second five-colored stone shot out, collided midair with the returning one, and both fell to the ground.

　　Emily Thompson drew her short sword and leapt forward, blocking the giant yellow demon rabbit. Her swordsmanship was a direct inheritance from the White Lotus Sect—nimble and fierce. Having been on the battlefield and faced life and death, the young woman showed not a trace of fear before this unusually ferocious demon rabbit.

　　William Carter had tried twice, but the two five-colored stones showed no reaction—clearly ruined. Even so, William Carter remained calm, his workplace-honed composure kicking in. He quickly grabbed a third stone and hurled it with force.

　　A hint of mockery flashed in the yellow demon rabbit’s eyes. This time, it didn’t even bother to lift its leg; with a slight tilt of its head, it dodged the stone. In its eyes, Emily Thompson’s short sword was a much greater threat—William Carter was almost negligible.

　　But what the demon rabbit didn’t expect was for William Carter to suddenly shout, “Turn!” The five-colored stone abruptly changed direction in midair, smashing hard into the rabbit’s left ear, breaking it cleanly.

　　Ever since discovering that the mysterious power within him could control the five-colored stones, William Carter had thought about enhancing his flying stone technique, though he hadn’t had time to practice. He hadn’t expected that, in a moment of crisis, it would actually work, catching the yellow demon rabbit off guard and injuring it.

　　Having its ear broken completely enraged the yellow demon rabbit. With a sharp, piercing screech, it abandoned Emily Thompson and leapt at William Carter. William Carter hurriedly used the footwork taught by David Miller, lunging forward and narrowly dodging the rabbit’s powerful legs aimed at his chest.

　　Before he could get up, William Carter grabbed two more five-colored stones and hurled them backward with a shout. The yellow demon rabbit dodged both flying stones, thinking William Carter’s abilities were nothing special and, eager for revenge, let its guard down. Unexpectedly, the two stones William Carter had thrown were slightly different in speed; one after the other, they collided right in front of the rabbit’s eyes and exploded.

　　The yellow demon rabbit hadn’t anticipated this move from William Carter and couldn’t dodge in time. Both its eyes were blinded by the shrapnel, and with a miserable screech, it leapt high into the air. At the critical moment, Emily Thompson’s short sword flashed across the rabbit’s throat. The giant yellow demon rabbit hit the ground, demon blood spraying everywhere, convulsed a few times, and died instantly.

　　William Carter casually tossed a clod of dirt onto the rabbit’s corpse. The yellow demon rabbit didn’t move, confirming it was truly dead. Pain surged through his body, and he regretted that four of the five-colored stones David Miller had given him were now destroyed, leaving him feeling deflated. Compared to Emily Thompson, who calmly wiped her short sword and sheathed it at her waist, William Carter felt he was far inferior.

Chapter Seven: The Nüwa Stone

　　This demon rabbit was truly unlucky. After cultivating for over a hundred years on the Xici grasslands—untouchable even by higher-level demon beasts—it was killed when a shard of stone shot through its eye socket into its brain. Even with its tenacious vitality, it couldn’t withstand such a blow. Then, with its throat pierced by Emily Thompson’s short sword, not even a deity could have saved it.

　　“I must never take such risks again. The power of those two exploding five-colored stones was immense, but I only managed it by chance. Who knows if I’ll be able to pull it off again in a future crisis? That flying stone turning technique was also quite marvelous—how did I manage to do it?”