Chapter – 27
The Real Battle…
The blast of light drained almost all of the Three-Eyed Bullfrog’s strength. At this moment it was extremely weak—every swollen blister on its body had collapsed, and the vertical eye in the center of its forehead was oozing green fluid. That was the blood of a Three-Eyed Bullfrog.
Its breathing grew unnaturally heavy. Using the binding eye had exhausted all of its power. Almost no Three-Eyed Bullfrog would use this third eye under normal circumstances.
But the fatal allure emanating from Qin Mo made the Three-Eyed Bullfrog risk everything, treating this as a fight to the death. Yet when the flash of light faded, the human figure before it had vanished without a trace.
Ancient beasts possessed spiritual senses far sharper than those of humans—especially in perceiving fluctuations of vital energy. Not even the slightest tremor could escape them.
But now, the Three-Eyed Bullfrog discovered that the weak human truly had disappeared, as if he had never existed at all.
Instinctively, it tried to flee. Its decision was correct—but unfortunately, it was far too weakened. Even a savage beast on the outer perimeter that had yet to form a Star Core could kill it now.
Then suddenly, it felt danger—danger seemingly coming from every direction. It wanted to dodge, but it was already too late. Above it, a naked human youth hefted a thousand-jin boulder and smashed it down toward its head with brutal force.
With a heavy thud, the massive rock landed on the Three-Eyed Bullfrog.
A miserable howl echoed through the mountain forest. The youth landed lightly, staring at the creature that had survived the crushing blow. A thread of ruthlessness flickered in his eyes.
He snapped off a tree branch as thick as an arm and quickly sharpened it to a point. Then he ruthlessly drove it into the bullfrog’s binding eye.
A wet splurt. The wooden stake pierced into the creature’s body and was then pulled free. The youth extended a hand covered with vital energy, reached into the hole left behind, groped for a moment, and then pulled out a dim crystal nucleus.
It was the Three-Eyed Bullfrog’s Star Core. The moment it was removed, the ancient beast lost its life.
The youth did not linger. He swiftly left the scene and found a safe place to hide. This person was Qin Mo.
Not long after he left, a black-clad figure appeared at the site. His thin frame was wrapped in a long robe, his handsome face carrying an ethereal air.
He looked at the bullfrog crushed beneath the boulder, a hint of surprise flickering in his clear black-and-white eyes.
After examining the scene carefully, he rubbed his chin and murmured, “Judging by these marks, this bullfrog was killed within the span of a single incense stick’s time. And the killer evaded two venomous arrows and its full-power gaze… could this person be someone in the Crown Core Realm?”
The more he thought about it, the more puzzled he grew. The massive boulder pressed atop the beast was simply too unbelievable.
“If he truly were a Crown Core expert, he would have his own weapon… why would he use a rock?” He picked up a wooden stick the thickness of an arm. The green corrosive fluid on it had yet to dry. After studying it for a long moment, his eyes widened in disbelief. “If he isn’t in the Crown Core Realm, then this person is terrifying. He avoided the arrows, avoided the gaze, then crushed the bullfrog with a boulder, and finally carved this crude wooden spike to pierce its eye…”
If Qin Mo were here, he would be stunned—this man’s deduction matched his actions perfectly.
“But fighting this way… isn’t this far too reckless?” The black-clad youth studied the battlefield again, then closed his eyes and visualized the fight. “If I used all my strength, I could kill this bullfrog as well, but not without taking some injuries. But if I were to abandon my weapon and fight the way he did…”
His brows furrowed—the outcome was clear. It would be death, or at least severe injury.
“Could this be a genius from one of the great tribes, here to train in the Blackstone Mountains?” he speculated silently.
“No.” A voice cut off his thoughts.
A graceful figure stepped into the battlefield. She carried a green sword on her back, wore a light-green long robe, and her cascading hair and peerless beauty made her resemble a celestial maiden—ethereal and distant, with a cold aura that kept others at bay.
If Qin Mo were present, he would immediately recognize her—the one who had saved him from the striped tiger: Qing Wei, one of the three prodigies of the Hammerstone Tribe.
The black-clad youth showed no surprise and simply smiled. “You arrived quickly.”
Qing Wei surveyed the battlefield without speaking. Then another figure appeared—a youth in white clothing, carrying a long spear, smiling as he approached. “I agree with Qing Wei.”
The black-clad youth shot him a sideways glance. “She hasn’t made a judgment. How can you agree with her?”
“Hasn’t she already?” The white-clad youth didn’t mind and examined the scene carefully, his expression growing increasingly serious.
“You were right earlier,” Qing Wei finally spoke, her tone indifferent. “But he is not a genius from a great tribe. He must have some type of movement technique for rapid displacement, but his combat method is crude—he can’t even be considered a true expert.”
“How do you know?” the black-clad youth asked.
“The boulder. The wooden spike.” Qing Wei answered simply.
But both young men immediately understood.
A true expert would never rely on makeshift tools during battle—they used their own best weapons. Even a genius would never underestimate a Three-Eyed Bullfrog.
The creature was dangerous not only because of its venomous arrows, capable of wounding even those in the Crown Core Realm, but also because of its gaze—once struck, even a Crown Core expert would be gravely injured.
Even so, the black-clad youth shook his head. “If he isn’t a genius from a great tribe, then how could he possess a movement technique capable of avoiding venomous arrows and the gaze? Not just our Hammerstone Tribe—even the eight surrounding tribes, or the powerful Three-Star and Four-Star tribes—don’t have such a technique!”
Qing Wei remained silent, but her expression was resolute.
The white-clad youth spoke next. “Maybe he had some kind of fortuitous encounter. Just like the ones we’ve had.”
“If it’s truly a fortuitous encounter, then his luck is far too heaven-defying,” the black-clad youth sneered.
“Look at the traces of battle again. His fighting style is far too clumsy. A true fighter wouldn’t be this panicked. But the marks he left behind clearly show panic.” Qing Wei continued, “You want to say he avoided using a weapon because he was seeking tempering through life-and-death combat, but I don’t believe that. The more talented one is, the more they cherish their life.”
“Besides…” Her eyes sparkled with certainty as she stared at the black-clad youth. “Geniuses like things clean.”
The black-clad youth’s expression darkened. If the killer were truly a genius, he would never reach into the disgusting, poisonous body of a bullfrog with his bare hand to dig out a Star Core. But the corpse clearly showed that this person had done exactly that.
Qing Wei was right. The prouder the genius, the more cleanliness they demanded—just like the three of them. And with a creature as foul and toxic as the Three-Eyed Bullfrog, any real fighter would never retrieve its core by hand.
“All we can conclude is that whoever killed this Three-Eyed Bullfrog is not a genius from a great tribe,” the white-clad youth said with a gentle smile. “To lift a thousand-jin boulder, leap from above, and crush the bullfrog—he must have at least three thousand jin of strength, maybe more. Possibly four thousand.”
“No, I think five thousand,” Qing Wei countered. “Otherwise he couldn’t have dodged the arrows and the gaze.”
“So according to you, if someone reached the 500-jin strength limit at the Opening Apertures stage, he must have already opened at least forty-five apertures?” the black-clad youth said coldly. “Forty-five apertures opened, plus a mysterious movement technique… it seems we finally have a worthy opponent.”
“Isn’t it good to have a worthy opponent?” The white-clad youth smiled, though his grip on the spear tightened.
“With an opponent, life won’t be dull,” Qing Wei said softly, then turned and disappeared into the depths of the forest.
These three were the three prodigies of the Hammerstone Tribe:
the black-clad youth Qin Luo,
the white-clad youth Su Qin…
