"Are there any! Are there any Monthly Tickets! Old Gu doesn't explode unless he’s asked to! Every time I beg for votes, I explode! Are there any!

Amidst a wave of admiration, Ye Chen suddenly stepped forward, appearing somewhat abrupt and conspicuous. All eyes instantly converged upon him, sparking curiosity, murmurs circulating amongst the onlookers. [Full text]

"Is that the outsider?"

"He looks so short."

"What is he going to do?"

Amidst the surrounding chatter, the young man also looked up, casting a curious glance at Ye Chen, then raising an eyebrow with a smile. "I heard an outsider came to our island. Seeing you look quite interested, do you want to come and play?" He gestured towards the golden stone.

He felt a slight discomfort because in Ye Chen's eyes, he saw no astonishment or reverence. Thus, assuming Ye Chen was unaware of how incredibly heavy the stone was despite its modest size, he smiled casually, intending to let Ye Chen try moving the stone himself.

As the youth finished speaking, the onlookers turned to look at Ye Chen, offering encouraging cheers and laughter.

"Friend from outside, this stone isn't ordinary."

"Haha, go ahead and try it too, see what it's like."

"Go for it!"

Many applauded, welcoming Ye Chen.

Ye Chen remained impassive, glancing coolly at the youth. Then, under everyone’s gaze, he walked over, stopping directly in front of the youth. He scrutinized the massive golden stone up close, then spread his stance, settling his weight, sinking his Qi into his Dantian.

"The handles are here!" Seeing Ye Chen's movements, the youth’s lips curled into a faint, hidden contempt as he pointed to the two protruding handles. "Are you planning to push the stone from the side?"

Ye Chen ignored him. He extended his palms, pressing them against the golden stone. The touch was icy cold. As he channeled power through his arms, corded veins and muscles, thick as entwined dragons, became exposed. And then, before the eyes of the crowd, the heavy, solid golden block began to slowly tilt, its base lifting off the ground, rising inch by agonizing inch!

The entire assembly, which had been laughing and chattering moments before, fell into an instant, absolute silence!

Everyone’s necks seemed to freeze; mouths hung wide open, staring dumbfounded at the slowly tilting golden stone…

The youth standing nearby, whose face had worn a superior smile, suddenly had his expression freeze. He stared at Ye Chen in disbelief. He couldn't fathom how such terrifying strength could erupt from such a small frame, and judging by how high the stone’s base had risen off the ground, it was higher than what he could manage!

Even the girl standing next to him covered her red lips with her hand, her face etched with shock.

At that moment, Ye Chen suddenly twisted his palms, moving them to the underside of the golden stone. His other hand gripped one of the handles, and slowly, he began to straighten his body. The weighty golden block was being lifted inch by inch in Ye Chen’s hands!

Until the last corner of the stone left the ground…

The entire scene was so silent it felt suffocating.

Moving and lifting were two entirely different concepts demanding vastly different levels of power, yet the figure barely reaching their waists had managed to hoist the entire stone!

Force enough to uproot mountains, spirit that overwhelms the world!

He stood like a War God, rooted at the very center of the assembly!

Everyone’s jaws dropped, staring at the golden stone, which hadn't been fully lifted off the ground in centuries, and then at the figure radiating such terrifying strength. They shared a strange, powerful illusion—the shock was comparable to an ant slaughtering a divine dragon!

Then, amidst the dead silence, Ye Chen slowly lowered the golden stone. Sweat beaded on his forehead. The stone’s weight must have been at least 50,000 G! Even with his strength, lifting it was somewhat strenuous.

Ye Chen retracted his arms, paid no further attention to the stunned youth beside him, and turned toward the astonished Huang Shan and his son. Even Huang Lu, submerged in his own sorrowful world, was startled by Ye Chen’s feat.

Lifting it was something they dared not even imagine. They only knew from ancestral tales that when powerful figures from the Inner Sea Shrine came to the island to select candidates for the Divine Battle, they could lift this golden stone casually, as if it were straw. This was why the Inner Sea Shrine held such immense status in the villagers’ eyes.

"Let's go!" Ye Chen patted Huang Shan's arm.

Huang Shan snapped back to reality, looking at Ye Chen with utter amazement. "How is that possible? Just how much strength do you possess to actually lift the Divine Stone?"

Ye Chen replied casually, "Sixth-Tier strength."

Tears streamed down Huang Shan’s face. This wasn't Sixth-Tier strength; it was perhaps even Tenth-Tier! With this kind of might, perhaps no one on the entire island, save for the Elder, could surpass him.

Whoosh!

The surroundings erupted in a thunderous roar of excited discussion, everyone looking at Ye Chen with shock and disbelief.

Huang Shan gradually recovered, his expression agitated. "Come on, let's test your speed next, see which tier of warrior your speed reaches!"

Strength alone meant little; just like a blacksmith who is immensely strong but moves slowly and clumsily in a fight, remaining useless.

Ye Chen nodded. The three turned to leave. Huang Lu glanced back one last time at the beautiful figure standing by the stone, his expression shadowed with sadness, before biting his lip and turning to go.

"Stop!" A cold voice rang out from behind, emanating from the youth. Though he tried to suppress it, everyone detected a trace of fury in his tone: "I challenge you!"

The crowd froze momentarily, then turned to look at Ye Chen and the two others who were already turning away. Huang Shan looked back in surprise. Beside him, Huang Lu’s sorrowful look transformed into rage as he glared fixedly at the youth, his fists clenching until they cracked.

All eyes gathered on Ye Chen's back.

After a moment, Ye Chen slowly turned around, his gaze placid. He glanced at the youth and uttered two words: "Too juvenile!" Then, he turned and led the way forward.

The entire assembly was taken aback.

Too juvenile?

He dared to call a Sixth-Tier Warrior childish?

The youth was momentarily stunned, then flew into a rage. "You coward! You don't dare accept my challenge! You’re no man!!"

"Shut up! Huang Zheng!" Huang Lu suddenly erupted in fury, shouting, his Fourth-Tier strength echoing across the crowd, making the unprepared youth Huang Zheng actually flinch.

Huang Zheng felt deeply humiliated, fueling his anger even more. "Get out of the way! A mere Fourth-Tier Warrior, you have no right to speak to me!"

Huang Lu glanced at the beautiful girl beside him, his rage intensifying. He grit his teeth and stated word by word, "In three months, I will definitely defeat you. I accept this challenge!"

Huang Zheng raised an eyebrow and sneered, "You accept? If I recall correctly, your current assessed rank is only Fourth-Tier. Do you truly think you can reach Sixth-Tier in just three short months?"

Huang Lu gritted his teeth so hard that blood seeped from his gums, making him look somewhat savage. "If I fail, I will carve myself on the spot!"

The entire crowd was visibly moved.

Although duels were common in the village as part of their custom—they were a people who revered martial strength—threatening self-mutilation was extreme. This was tantamount to a life-and-death duel, usually reserved only for crimes like murdering a father!

To advance two tiers in three months?

Everyone looked at Huang Lu with a sense of helplessness, wondering what had possessed the boy to utter such an outlandish vow. Even a fool knew that increasing one's combat tier required at least four or five years for those with poor aptitude, and even then, success wasn't guaranteed; the talented needed a year or two of training!

To advance one tier in three months was barely a sliver of hope; two tiers was completely impossible!

Huang Lu looked at the gazes around him, as if understanding their thoughts. Intense humiliation flooded his chest, a wild fire threatening to consume him entirely. He looked toward the beautiful figure beside him; his face had paled considerably. Perhaps he gripped his fists too tightly, as his nails dug deep into his palms, because even on her face, a look of astonishment was visible…

Finally, he bit his lip and lowered his head in silence.

Deep within his core, a profound sorrow welled up, for he realized that even he believed it was impossible.

Huang Shan patted his son’s shoulder lightly. "You’ve done very well. Let’s go."

Huang Lu silently turned and followed Ye Chen, never looking back again…

Huang Zheng glared at the receding figures of Ye Chen and Huang Lu, his heart filled with fury. "Bastard, when we meet next, I’ll make sure you understand how foolish it is to look down on a Sixth-Tier powerhouse!!"

The small disturbance passed, and the onlookers lost interest, dispersing one by one.

Huang Zheng turned to the girl beside him and sneered, "That loudmouth who was talking big earlier, is he the idiot who confessed his feelings to you yesterday?"

The beautiful girl nodded, her delicate brows furrowing slightly as she pouted. "I thought he was quite honest before, I didn't realize he was that kind of person. So rude."

Huang Zheng lifted his head slightly. "Let's go. Don't pay any attention to that idiot from now on. People who aim too high never end well. I think he got carried away by his achievements, thinking that reaching Fourth-Tier Warrior at his age was a huge deal, so his self-confidence ballooned!"

"Mm!" The girl agreed thoughtfully, nodding. "Let's go!"

Immediately, the two turned and left. Having finished their showing off from East Ox Village to High Slope Village, the only unpleasantness was being undercut by an outsider, which dampened their spirits considerably.

On the other side, Ye Chen and the other two arrived outside the village, entering a patch of jungle.

"I know an area where the Thorn Beasts are often active," Huang Shan said, experienced as he was, leading Ye Chen along the mountain path. Huang Lu followed silently behind.

Not long after, they reached a stretch of grassland. Huang Shan suddenly crouched down, pushing aside the weeds. He spotted a small 'U'-shaped footprint. He traced the print, gauging the depth of the soil, and pondered briefly, his expression turning serious. "A Fifth-Tier or maybe even a Sixth-Tier Thorn Hound Beast might have passed through here!"

"En," Ye Chen nodded. "Lead the way."

Huang Shan glanced at him. Given Ye Chen’s previous display, his confidence in him had increased significantly. The group proceeded, and soon arrived near another stretch of open ground.

The group crouched low in the grass, looking out. In the distance was a monster entirely covered in sharp spines, roughly the size of a common tiger, appearing extremely aggressive. (To be continued.~~~~)