Pursuit of the Truth

Su Ming did not find the elder and the others among those who looked at him. Most of the members of the Berserker Tribe were from Wind Stream Tribe. Su Ming had left after the elder and the rest but arrived quicker than them.

Once Shi Hai placed Su Ming down, he gave him a black plate. He did not say anything and left, turning into white mist.

Su Ming stood there alone and surveyed his surroundings. Not a single familiar face was in sight. He had no choice but to remain silent. He lowered his head and looked at the black plate in his hands. There was a number on it written in the language of the Berserker Tribe. It was 109.

The black plate looked normal. It was made of stone but when he held it in his hand, it felt cold.

”I heard that the amount of people taking the test this time is the largest in history. There’s more than 100 people taking the test!”

”It’s more than 100 people now. This is just the first stage. I’m certain there won’t be so many people taking the tests for the second and third stage. After all, if they don’t have enough strength to handle it, there’s no need for them to be there to humiliate themselves.”

”You’re wrong on that account. There are three stages in the test and the first stage is the hardest! The second stage is about power and speed whereas the third stage is a test in actual combat. These two stages require a certain amount of power and it also involves luck. This is something that has been proven in the past. The firstt stage may not seem to require any sort of power but in reality, this stage is a test of stamina and potential!”

”There’s no way to cheat in this and it’s really brutal! No matter how much power you have, once your results in the first stage aren’t good, it just means that you don’t have enough stamina and potential. The tribe won’t pay much attention to these tribe members after that.”

Su Ming lowered his head and toyed with the black stone plate as voices of discussion from the people around him traveled into his ears.

”But still, in every single test that was ever held, the top 50 people mostly consisted of us, Berserkers from Wind Stream Tribe. The other tribes only barely made it in. It’s especially so for the top 10 places. I heard that there has never been an outsider who made it in.”

”Obviously, it’ll be the same this time. Honestly, those who will place in the top 10 and top 40 will be the same people, especially the top 10. Besides those monsters in the tribe, no one else will be able to make it.”

Su Ming listened and gradually heard similar discussions on the same topic. Not all of the people gathered here were going to take the first stage of the test. Most of them were only here to watch.

As he listened, he thought about the six numbers the elder told him. Suddenly, Su Ming lifted his head towards his side as he felt something. There was an elderly person approaching him quietly. When he saw Su Ming looking at him, the elderly man quickly smiled at him and closed the distance between them in a few brisk steps.

The old man wore beast skins and bone earrings. Judging from his attire, he should have been from Wind Stream Tribe.

”Lad, I am Bei Qiong. I saw a stone plate in your hands. You must be entering the first stage of the test. That’s why I decided to come and talk to you. I have no ill-will, promise.” The old man looked hilarious. He had a sharp mouth and cheeks that resembled a monkey. When he smiled, his entire face seemed to move, leaving a deep impression on other people.

Su Ming’s demeanor remained the same. Once he heard the old man’s words, he nodded.

”Lad, I’ll say this straight. Don’t mind me. The level of my training may not be high but I’ve lived a long time. If anything, I’ve got a pair of good eyes. I see your potential… and well… you’re very normal.” The old man winked.

”This test only happens once every few years. I’ve always come here to watch. With your potential, it’ll be difficult for you to get into the top 50. Based on my experience, you’ll only get into the top 100… but…” The old man took a few steps towards him with a mysterious look. He looked around to check whether there was anyone looking at them. Then, he quickly spoke in a low tone.

”But you’re in luck since you have met me, lad. I have an herb here that allows a person to bring out his full potential for a short period of time. Entering the first stage with this, you can get a place in the top 50 ranks! If you buy more of these and eat them at once, entering the top 10 ranks is not impossible,” the old man spoke in a low tone. He opened his shirt slightly, quickly revealing some of the herbs he had within before covering it up again. The mysterious air around him became stronger. He seemed afraid that the herbs would be discovered by too many people.

Su Ming was momentarily stunned. He looked at the old man and found himself speechless.

”You don’t believe me?” The old man saw Su Ming’s expression and immediately spoke in a low tone once again. ”Lad, you’re still too young. You can only determine the authenticity of these things after you’ve tried them. Once your placing increases, treatment towards you in your tribe will be completely different. Looking at you, it seems like you aren’t treated well in your tribe.”

”That’s enough. If that herb of yours is really that effective, why is it that the top 50 places in the test mostly consisted of Wind Stream Tribe members in the past? No outsider has ever made it into the top 10 ranks either. I won’t buy it. Go and sell it to other people.” Su Ming frowned and retreated a few steps.

The old man widened his eyes and gave a thumbs up to Su Ming with his right hand, praising him.

”You’re good, lad. You’re really good! Great of you to think of this so soon. Looks like I’ve been wrong. You may not have a lot of potential but at least you have a smart head on your shoulders.”

”But lad, you’re wrong on this account. It’s not that there have never been any outsiders who made it into the top 10 in the first stage. Fifty years ago, there was one person who managed to continuously get first place. Surely, you have heard of this person before – Mo Sang, the Elder of Dark Mountain Tribe! Do you know how he made it? He bought a lot of these herbs from me that year.”

”There was also someone from Black Mountain Tribe. He too bought my herbs and got a place in the top 40. Then, there was also someone from Dark Dragon Tribe. She also did the same.”

”Hey, don’t go. I’ll give you a recent example. In the previous test, there was a lad called Bei Ling who got into the top 50, who bought…” The old man was like a chatterbox who would not stop talking. Su Ming frowned and took a few more steps back.

”Lad, we were fated to meet each other. That’s why I’m selling this to you. If it were anyone else, I would not be selling it to them. I sell this herb to others for 10 stone coins each. I’ll sell this to you for three stone coins. How about it? Three stone coins is extremely cheap. Hey, if I shout out loud that I’mselling this herb for such a cheap price, there will definitely be a lot of people who will surround me to buy it. Since fate has allowed us to meet each other, if you buy one, I’ll give you another for free, I…” The old man kept talking and as he spoke, his spit flew out of his mouth. Moreover when he spoke, he even clapped his hands together, getting more excited by his own pitch. Su Ming was stupefied. He instinctively took another few steps back.

The old man was about to continue when suddenly, there was a commotion in the field. The sky started twisting and a giant dark python entered. There were several people standing on the python – the elder and the others.

”It’s the people from Dark Mountain Tribe!”

”I heard that the Elder of Dark Mountain Tribe is extremely powerful but there is no one in the tribe who can inherit his position. I heard that as of late, there’s been a youngster called Bei Ling who got the 49th place in the previous test though.”

The dark python disappeared. The elder and the others descended upon one corner of the field. He stole a glance at Su Ming from afar and averted his gaze. Bei Ling stood over there, carrying himself in an aloof manner. His face was cold.

Lei Chen and Wu La looked around with small hints of excitement.

”Do you see that old man and the cold-looking boy by his side? They’re Dark Mountain Tribe’s Elder, Mo Sang and Bei Ling.” The old man standing beside Su Ming quickly spoke up. His face was still schooled to express mystery.

As he spoke, there was uproar once again and it was much louder this time. The space outside the field before them started twisting and five people sauntered in. The individual who led the team was a bald young man wearing a black robe. It was Wu Sen. His face was dark, showing small signs of anger. It was obvious that the incident on the previous night was a great humiliation to him, especially the loss of his dark green blood. It made him anxious but he did not reveal any of his anxiety.

The four people behind him were also silent as they followed Wu Sen into the field.

”Wu Sen!”

”He’s one of the people from Wind Stream Tribe who’ll definitely get into a spot in the top three. I heard that the Berserker’s Method he’s training with is really strange…”

”Quiet. His mood changes at the drop of a hat…”

”Shut up!” As Wu Sen walked, he suddenly growled. His surroundings fell into silence instantly. Wu Sen’s face was dark as he walked past Su Ming. The moment he walked past, he turned around and looked at Su Ming coldly. There was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

Still, after he scrutinized Su Ming closely, he found that the person before him was not the person he met the night before. He snorted and walked past him, sitting down cross-legged at a distant spot after that. The four people with him surrounded him to protect him.

Su Ming looked at Wu Sen and then at Bei Ling, who was standing in the distance before he shifted his gaze.

”Wu Sen trains in the Devourer of Corpse Blood. He worshiped an evil statue of the God of Berserkers in Wind Stream Tribe. He’s a fierce one and he’s always in a bad mood. He’s not the good sort!” The old man standing beside Su Ming whispered softly as if he was angry but also afraid that Wu Sen could hear him. Judging from his looks, he had failed in his attempt to sell the herbs to Wu Sen and probably even suffered because of it.

”Lad, don’t bother that person… But if you end up bothering him, it’s fine. I have another type of herb with me. If you eat it, you’ll get stronger physically for the rest of your life…” The old man looked back and tried to persuade Su Ming again.

Su Ming frowned, thinking that the old man was far more talkative than Lei Chen. In fact, Lei Chen was considered quiet compared to him.

The old man continued trying to persuade him. It seemed like he was not going to let Su Ming off unless he bought his herbs.

At that moment, the space outside the field twisted once more. This time, dozens of people arrived. These people were talking and laughing amongst themselves. They stood in a protective formation around the person in the center similar to how stars would surround the moon. The person was not tall and was slightly plump. He was laughing and talking to the people beside him while waving his hands around as though he was gesturing something.

He had a vague presence which stood out among the dozens of people. Everyone focused their gazes on him the moment they saw him.

”Chen Chong!” Wu Sen, who was sitting cross-legged opened his eyes and stared at the slightly plump person. He narrowed his eyes.

Su Ming’s gaze also landed on the person. He could feel a faint presence but it was not Qi. It was something else he found hard to describe.

”Chen Chong is a lad everyone knows in Wind Stream Tribe. He’s a good lad, much better than Wu Sen,” the old man quickly whispered.

”Don’t tell the others about this but Chen Chong is a huge customer of mine. He always comes to buy herbs from me.”