After a while, Mountain River Oak began to introduce the “Stone-Carrying Trial,” sharing some information that Zhou Leng and Molten Hammer were previously unaware of. Everyone listened attentively and took notes.

“Actually, the first trial is relatively easy, but the difficulty of the subsequent two trials varies, sometimes high, sometimes low. We need to pay close attention.”

“No worries, if it’s hard, it’s hard for everyone. I’m not actually afraid of the trials; I’m more afraid of those orcs and demons. They never have good intentions.” Molten Hammer glanced at the green-skinned orcs and red-skinned demons.

Mountain River Oak nodded and said, “Yes, their reputations are bad, but we are not afraid of them either.”

As everyone was talking, Zhang Xinglie returned.

After both sides introduced themselves, Zhang Xinglie smiled and looked at Mountain River Origin.

“You’re particularly famous in our Xiong City, and many experts from Yunhua Jinjing want to challenge you. After the trial, want to have a spar?”

“Sure!” Mountain River Origin stared at Zhang Xinglie.

Mountain River Oak smiled brightly; being challenged by a Human Race expert from Yunhua Jinjing is quite an honor for a giant.

Zhou Leng looked at Zhang Xinglie’s muscular build and asked, “How is your realm now?”

Zhang Xinglie replied helplessly, “Almost can’t hold it down. I’ve brought Promotion Supplement Pills, and I expect to advance to Vitality Stage once the Ancestral Protection ends.”

“How’s your physical condition?” Zhou Leng asked.

“Not bad, probably not worse than yours.” Zhang Xinglie laughed.

The dwarves stared at Zhang Xinglie in surprise, shocked by the human’s strong physical talent.

Even these dwarves, with their pure physical strength, were already inferior to Zhou Leng.

“Compared to me?” Mountain River Oak asked with a bright smile.

“Slightly stronger than you.” Mountain River Origin commented seriously.

Mountain River Oak was stunned.

“No way.” Molten Hammer rubbed his sore neck.

Zhou Leng looked at Zhang Xinglie’s towering figure of two meters tall, others might not believe, but he believed.

Despite consuming very few pills growing up, Zhang Xinglie’s physical quality surpassed those Martial Valve Race descendants who consumed pills worth billions.

Apart from slightly lacking in True Qi manipulation, he was practically a six-sided War God.

“Come on, arm wrestling!” Mountain River Oak extended his arms and placed them in mid-air.

Zhang Xinglie smiled and raised his hands, interlocking his fingers with Mountain River Oak in mid-air.

Molten Hammer said, “I’ll be the referee. Ready… Begin!”

With the order, Zhang Xinglie and Mountain River Oak exerted their strength simultaneously.

Both of their faces turned slightly red, with the redness spreading across their bodies.

At nearly four meters tall, Mountain River Oak exerted force but maintained his form.

However, as Zhang Xinglie applied strength, his shoulders swelled, chest and back expanded, his lion-like hair tensed up, making him resemble a mighty bear.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

A full thirty seconds passed, and neither took a step back.

“Stop!” Molten Hammer called out, and both released their force.

“You didn’t use True Qi?”

“No, I didn’t.” Zhang Xinglie replied.

Mountain River Oak was bewildered. He was a giant, naturally possessing a Giant Body, heavily trained by the tribe, and had even ascended the Celestial Ladder.

Yet pure physical strength could not surpass a human?

Although not the strongest among giants in the Body Refining Stage, he wasn’t far off.

Zhou Leng remarked, “I’ve always suspected that you possess an unknown Body of Wonders. Doesn’t your martial arts perception detect it?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Xinglie said, “It does. It’s a very strong power, but it’s not a Body of Wonders, it feels like something else.”

Zhou Leng recalled the Golden Page’s records.

This beast might be a legendary Innate Martial Body?

Even in high-level civilizations, it is incredibly rare.

Zhou Leng asked, “Have you trained hard skills?”

Zhang Xinglie nodded.

“Did your body grow especially fast after training hard skills?”

“Yes. If it weren’t for the hard skills, I wouldn’t be able to match Mountain River Oak now.”

Zhou Leng nodded silently, thinking that someday he must provide Zhang Xinglie with a complete Martial Body Technique.

Training hard skills with an Innate Martial Body is such a waste.

“Any advice?” Zhang Xinglie asked.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Leng said, “In the future, try to find a way to acquire that special hard skills cultivation technique from the Martial Valve Race, even incomplete versions are better than ordinary hard skills.”

“Okay.” Although Zhang Xinglie didn’t fully understand, he committed it to memory.

Zhou Leng continued, “If you can pass this Giant Trial, your strength will soar, and you should have the qualification to negotiate terms with Yunhua and other forces. The hard skills produced by relics will be your most important martial arts resource, always prioritize them.”

Zhang Xinglie nodded gently.

Zhou Leng added, “Unfortunately, I’m still in the Mid-Stage Body Refining. If I were at the Late Stage of Body Refining, I’d really want to give it a try against you.”

As everyone chatted, a thunderous drumming sound echoed.

Boom…

The dragon skin drum whipped up winds exceeding level ten, buzzing everyone’s ears.

“Little brats, time for your trials.”

“Old rules, failing the three trials means breaking your legs and crawling in the street for three days!”

From deep within the plaza, a giant roughly the height of a four-story building shouted, standing around ten meters tall.

The voice was incredibly loud, vibrating everyone’s eardrums like the dragon-skin drum.

“Second old rule, any giant losing to an Alien Race, regardless of ranking, still gets their legs broken and crawls for three days!”

Zhou Leng and the others shook their heads, surprised at the giants’ straightforwardness.

“You’ve played and fooled around enough yesterday. Today, adhere to the trials earnestly.”

“I’m too busy to bullshit with you. Get the stones, and carry them to the Ancestral Mausoleum! Now!”

“Too slow, break your legs!”

“Putting down the stone midway, break your legs!”

“Using pills, break your legs!”

“Receiving help, break your legs!”

With the giant’s command, everyone began to look around.

“Over there.” Mountain River Oak pointed as Zhou Leng and the others quickly ran forward.

As they got closer, they saw blocks of stone two meters tall, one meter long, and one meter wide, weighing at least five tons.

Not far away, some human participants were swearing.

“Damn it.” Molten Hammer swore softly, enunciating clearly.

“How far is the Ancestral Mausoleum?” Zhou Leng asked.

Mountain and River Origin: “Over three hundred kilometers.”

Zhou Leng and Zhang Xinglie fell silent. For ordinary people to walk three hundred kilometers nonstop, it’d take two and a half days.

Even farther than when they escorted the Ancient River Jade Stele last time.

Over such a distance, unable to consume pills, the True Qi wouldn’t last.

Relying solely on the body.

“Let’s go.” Ban Chui said with a look of despair.

Zhou Leng walked over, picked up a block, and carried it on his back.

He found it a bit strenuous, but manageable.

Bending his waist, he looked towards the others.

A Steel Dwarf swore aloud, just as a dwarf was crushed to the ground by a two-meter-high stone.

His arms and legs stuck out, turning his head to the side, and shouted for help.

Then, several humans and those with weaker strength from other tribes were successively crushed under the stone, screaming miserably.

Ban Chui stood by the stone, exerting continuous effort and finally cried, “I can’t carry it, you guys go on.”

“Sigh…”

Everyone sighed, not expecting a team member to fail even before they started.

In contrast, Mountain and River Origin and Mountain River Oak carried the stone like they were holding a sapling, striding forward.

Zhou Leng walked for a while and began to pant slightly.

Without True Qi, carrying five tons was indeed a huge burden.

Zhou Leng slowly deployed the Sea Suppressing Technique.

Entering the veins, his body slightly expanded, strength surged, and the stone felt lighter.

“I need to hurry, or my True Qi won’t hold out.” Zhou Leng said, quickening his pace.

“We need to move fast too, or we might not last long.” Molten Hammer’s face turned red.

Everyone quickened their pace.

With the exception of a few frail giants, all giants easily carried the stone forward.

A vast number of trial takers left the square, heading towards the Ancestral Mausoleum.

At the starting point of the stone carrying, the unsuccessful trial takers from various tribes sighed.

The giant examiner grabbed an iron stick with his right hand and slowly walked over.

The rough black iron stick dragged on the ground, making a clanging sound, sparks flying.

Then came a series of thuds, followed by cries one after another.

Zhou Leng continuously adjusted True Qi and speed, slowly finding the most suitable state, started running in big strides.

“Can you manage?” Molten Hammer yelled.

“Yes.”

“Monstrous!” Molten Hammer only jogged lightly, not daring to run like Zhou Leng.

“Alright.” Zhang Xinglie saw Zhou Leng running like this, also didn’t use Qi, carried the stone with just his body, and started running.

Mountain River Oak and Mountain and River Origin immediately took big steps forward.

Seeing someone run, the others pushed themselves and started running.

Many in the back cursed inwardly, gritting their teeth, following with all their might.

One kilometer, two kilometers…

Ten kilometers, twenty kilometers…

At a hundred kilometers, even the giants were sweating profusely.

Some Sea Sirens had their skin cracked all over, dehydrated and shrunk by two sizes.

After a few steps, they screamed and got crushed under the stone.

After two hundred kilometers, the number of people from each tribe dwindled.

Not knowing how long had passed, a sweat-drenched Zhou Leng heard a giant shout, looked up.

Ahead, tombs appeared in a sprawling landscape.

Almost there.

Zhou Leng breathed a sigh of relief, glanced back slightly.

Silhouettes behind were sparse.

Mostly giants, only two or three Sea Sirens left, the human race halved, dwarves and demons reduced by a third.

Carrying stone for three hundred kilometers was an easy task for giants but a deadly trial for many tribes.

Molten Hammer, Black Barrel, Malt Beer, and Gray Light staggered forward, exhausted and dazed.

Not far ahead, the Mountain and River brothers seemed to be taking a stroll, except for slight sweating, nothing seemed amiss, chatting and laughing all the way.

Zhang Xinglie used only his body in the first half, gradually using True Qi in the latter half.

Zhou Leng alternated between body and True Qi the whole way.

Thanks to the Sea Suppressing Technique’s enduring True Qi and its backflow feature, the whole process was tiring but manageable.

Moreover, the effect of the Orange Blossom Fruit was fully evident.

Directly enhancing the Dantian True Qi capacity.

Having consumed five Orange Blossom Fruits these days, the total True Qi in the Dantian increased by 10%.

Dragging his weary body, Zhou Leng crossed the finish line and put down the stone.

“Don’t forget to check the exam instructions,” Mountain River Oak reminded.

His voice had just fallen when a giant examiner kicked someone out.

Amid the sound of bones breaking, an Eagle Alliance member spewed blood, flying backwards with a scream.

“Can’t read Giant Language, huh? It says you’re only allowed a few supplement pills, and you took a Qi Nourishing Pill. Why not take a Demigod Pill next time…” The giant examiner cursed.

The others, terrified, quickly read the instructions on the sign ahead.

Sure enough, it listed the pills allowed for use in this exam.

For humans, the pills were limited to Great Nourishing Pills, Marching Pills, Healing Medicine, and a few others.

It even stated that giants were prohibited from taking pills.

At this time, a young giant shouted with a smile, “Mountain and River Origin, do you want to take some pills?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep