Chapter Fifty-Five: The Selection Tournament at the Third Settlement

A single day of flames and turmoil, countless dead—an internal uprising is always the hardest to predict and defend against. This time, the rebellion erupted in multiple cities and regions at once, yet in the end, the human race suppressed it. The losses were neither negligible nor catastrophic, but nonetheless significant.

A great many hybrids of barbarians and humans were rooted out and executed. A small number of barbarians serving the human race were also implicated and put to death. On the human side, over a hundred perished, most of them prominent officials.

Subsequent investigations revealed that the reason the hybrid rebels could coordinate their actions so precisely was thanks to a single tool—the newspaper. The morning edition, distributed nationwide, arrived at dawn in every household that subscribed. Those hybrids lurking in human homes used it to incite rebellion, rousing the barbarians within the manor and assassinating human officials. Familiar with the layout, their attacks struck true; some went further, setting fires and causing mayhem in the city.

Their aims were twofold: first, to abolish the ancient law binding them as lifelong servants; second, to lead the barbarians back to the northern lands and found their own nation.

Alas, their ambitions failed. The strength of the human race, built up over a millennium, could not be matched or overturned in a single day. Thus, they were swiftly suppressed and purged by the human powers, their bodies hung at the city gates.

Far in the northwestern desert, the Barbarian Lord received word only after the uprising had ended, having no chance to interfere.

Yet this rebellion ignited discord within the human race itself. Now, not only barbarians and hybrids but some lower-class humans were bound by the same lifelong servant contracts. The hybrids’ revolt stirred the blood of these people, and so the ancient nation, weathered by five centuries of peace, entered another period of unrest.

Once more, flames rose and rebellions broke out everywhere. Various sects from the cultivation world sought to exploit the chaos, while the much-despised demons seized their opportunity.

The Barbarian Lord, however, was unmoved by the news. He understood one truth: the barbarians were not yet a match for humanity. He would wait, and his people would gather their strength. His cultivation of the Dharma Form still had a path ahead, greater potential to be mined.

As time passed and the human race grew ever more chaotic, the Barbarian Lord began to tame giant beasts, forging alliances with the monsters of the desert.

Both an outsider and a participant, Grandfather Luo declared he would simply watch, enjoying roasted meat as he did so.

While much transpired in the world within the pot, only a single afternoon had passed in the wilderness; Grandfather Luo was just now having his evening meal.

He was contemplating major decisions for the Third Settlement. The population of Luo Township was once again nearing the critical threshold.

That night, he convened the main tribal leaders for discussion.

The roast meat Grandfather Luo ate did not come from hunting, but was cut from a six-legged mountain goat delivered from Tigerhead Village. Tigerhead had made progress in animal husbandry after a year’s effort.

Though the achievement was only that the captured beasts had adapted to captivity and begun to breed, at least they no longer tried to escape and instead eagerly accepted the fodder offered by the humans.

This was a fine outcome, just as Grandfather Luo had anticipated. The next phase of domestication would focus on their offspring, raising them from birth to rely on human feeding, then gradually adjusting their fodder and changing their appearance.

Though Grandfather Luo could accomplish this directly through manipulation of fate, his intuition told him that observing this process would benefit him greatly.

"Fire Boy, Stream, from now on, select those six-legged goats and eight-legged wild cattle that fatten easily. Raise them separately, let them interbreed, and then separate out the fattest offspring, repeating the process. Do you understand?" Grandfather Luo tore off a chunk of leg meat and gave instructions to the two headmen from Tigerhead Village.

Fire Boy and Stream nodded their understanding.

"Ironhead, if you spot any birds lately, capture them and send them to Tigerhead Village." Grandfather Luo turned to Ironhead Boy.

Ironhead Boy nodded sheepishly.

Next came the matter of surveying sites for the Second Settlement.

The hunting party had found three locations meeting Grandfather Luo’s requirements.

The first was ten kilometers from Luo Township and six from Tigerhead Village, surrounded by hot springs and fresh water, with flat terrain and fertile soil. The hunting party scattered grass seeds, which sprouted in three days and matured in seven. When they returned, the wild fruit from the new grass was rotting on the stems.

Further investigation showed that the hot spring produced saline water; many beasts came here voluntarily to replenish their salt and other essential elements.

The second site was thirteen kilometers from Luo Township and three from Tigerhead Village, discovered by the villagers themselves. It was a valley with a large waterfall, its waters gushing from a mountain and carving out a small plain through erosion. Grandfather Luo personally inspected the site, finding the soil rich in various metals, especially iron, along with some mysterious ores. It was well-suited for an ironworks.

However, the valley had a major problem—water. In the rainy season, it would be inundated, the waterfall spraying like a high-pressure hose, flushing out accumulated earth and stone, and then repeating the cycle after each rainfall.

This was no small obstacle, so Grandfather Luo marked the location as provisional.

The third site was much farther, twenty kilometers from Luo Township and fifty from Tigerhead Village. Seen from above, it formed a straight line with the two settlements.

Its selection for the Third Settlement was due to its exceptional qualities, rivaling the ancestral river valley of the "Cave Dwellers" by only a small margin.

The terrain was open, a gentle river flowing through, mountains clear, water pure, breezes frequent, and the spiritual energy abundant—far surpassing any other region in the wilderness.

Such a place would be a shame to pass up.

Yet it had more than distance as a drawback—a giant beast resided in the valley.

This creature was over three miles long, with three heads—tiger, wolf, and leopard—each possessing supernatural powers: one breathed fire, another acid, and the third wind. Its body was covered with monstrous insects the size of calves, capable of spraying acid as well, feeding on the remains of its prey, numbering over a thousand and hard to handle.

Still, if Grandfather Luo wished to kill it, he had methods: fire, water, various spells, or even luring it to Kuafu Lake, which now bore that name.

Yet he worried that this prized land would, like the river valley before, constantly attract marauders.

Thus, he hesitated, unable to decide.