Endless Ocean: Survival Begins with a Dugout Canoe

The other, older youth nodded. His eyes were filled with approval, yet held a hint of melancholy. In that instant, it seemed he had been reminded of some regrettable memory all his own:

"Good,"

"With this, you’re sure to pass the tribe’s hundred-man trial and become a true warrior. The Priest will recommend you, and you’ll go to the altar to receive a divine revelation and serve the King."

’Altar? Divine revelation?’

’Priest? Serve?’

Shi Ming keenly picked up on the keywords.

He took a piece of jade from his robes, one that seemed to contain countless facets. He tossed it lightly into the air. The jade spun once in the sunlight before landing steadily back in his palm. In that instant, Shi Ming saw the youth’s destiny through the Ten Thousand Flowers Jade.

He was born fourteen years ago.

His parents died when he was seven, leaving him to rely on his brother, who was three years his senior.

He had always secretly striven for a "King" he had never met.

He had become the third-bravest youth in this tribe of ten thousand people.

He had been bathed in the blood of much prey on his hunts and had witnessed the deaths of many fellow tribespeople.

He was promised the chance at a "divine revelation" if he could become the best.

He had been striving all this time...

Amidst the overlapping, colorful fragments, two motes of Silver light and one of golden light simultaneously appeared within the Kaleidoscope-like mirrored shards. These were the entries provided by the Ten Thousand Flowers Jade, each with a different name.

And they could be fit seamlessly into the youth’s unfolding destiny.

Silver Entry: [One of the Masses]

Silver Entry: [Burning Wood]

Golden Entry: [King-Slayer King]

Three entries, two Silver and one golden.

Compared to Bai Yimo’s tricolor, the youth’s entries were far inferior. But in the Star Sea, most beings only had three Silver entries. To have even one golden entry was to be one in a hundred; the case of an Elder Ancestor like Bai Yimo was the true anomaly.

With Shi Ming’s current sensitivity and understanding of "destiny," he could attempt to interpret the information contained within the names of the entries, even if these interpretations couldn’t be verified anytime soon:

For instance, the Silver entry [One of the Masses] could imply that this youth would become one of the vast masses—just like all the other tribespeople and ordinary folk—and live a mundane life. Or it could mean he would become the most special person among the crowd, destined for a fate worthy of an epic.

But judging by the entry’s Silver color, the former possibility was far more likely than the latter.

This was not a curse.

Perhaps it was the best outcome—

The name of [Burning Wood] was inherently malicious. Its literal meaning was not good, signifying the prime culprit who brings a fiery disaster upon the clan, and who would also die in the catastrophe.

As for the final entry, [King-Slayer King], it undoubtedly possessed a domineering aura worthy of its golden quality! But the youth was currently intent on serving the King. If his ultimate fate was to become the King-Slayer King, it would be, for the person he was now, a betrayal of his own principles—or else a different kind of gruesome growth.

Destiny was formless.

The very act of interpretation was like trying to find an illusion that might become real within a fleeting soap bubble.

Conversely, "interfering" was the result of human will pitted against destiny. Strangely enough, it was even simpler than interpretation.

The two youths had also noticed Shi Ming.

Although Shi Ming’s current attire was very similar to their own style—draped in beast hides, with the clear bearing of a warrior—he was an unfamiliar face to the two youths. There seemed to be no such warrior in their tribe or any of the nearby ones. He seemed anything but ordinary. At the very least, his gaze was piercing, like that of the most powerful beast in the jungle.

"Are you a traveler from a distant land?"

One of the youths spoke up.

"Traveler" was a tactful term. Most people would call them the Landless. The majority of these landless people came from tribes that had been wiped out, leaving them with no home and forcing them to wander between the wilderness and the territories of other tribes. Most of the time they posed no threat, but occasionally, some of the Landless brought disaster, like plagues or conflict.

Because their beast hides or clothes would fade after long hardship, the Landless were also known as the "Faded" or the "Colorless."

Shi Ming had not intentionally disguised his aura. His beast-hide clothes were quite new, with fresh bloodstains still visible where the pelt had been cut. Without realizing it, one could sense the difference between him and a typical Landless person, which inevitably added a measure of respect to their words.

"Yes. I am a traveler."

"I heard you say that after passing the tribe’s hundred-man trial and becoming a true warrior, you can go to the altar, receive a divine revelation, and serve the King?"

Seeing that the man was merely curious, the slightly older youth nodded.

"Do you want to serve the King, too?"

"It’s just that those who receive the divine revelation cannot be older than sixteen. The King only requires the youngest warriors, the purest souls. Only such warriors are worthy of serving under the King."

The implication was clear: the competition for a divine revelation was already fierce, a one-in-a-thousand chance at best. Furthermore, he was past the age limit, so there was no way for him to get such an opportunity.

"Hmm... That’s a real shame."

Shi Ming sounded very regretful.

"If I were the right age, I’m absolutely confident I could win the final spot for the divine revelation and become the bravest warrior under the King’s command..."

Hearing this, the younger youth’s eyes lit up.

’Absolute confidence?’

If some slovenly, disheveled Colorless person had been making such a bold claim, the youth would never have believed him. But the man before him... though he looked to be in his twenties and well past the age for the divine revelation, his eyes, his physique, his scars, and the trophy he wore—the pelt of a ferocious wild bear—all proved he wasn’t just bragging.

The Priest often said that one can learn from everyone.

’If I could get some of his combat experience, wouldn’t I have a much better chance of jumping from the top three in the tribe to number one?’

’But how could I get him to teach me for no reason?’

The youth pondered for a moment.

’I’ve got it!’

’This traveler has journeyed all this way, and he’s a complete stranger, so he must have just arrived. Travelers always live rough, with the ground for a bed and the sky for a blanket. If I invite him to our home to rest for a few days and offer him meat and fruit, perhaps this experienced warrior would be willing to teach me a few things in exchange?’

’Yes!’

’That’s what I’ll do!’

Before he could speak, his older brother—the youth who was three years his senior and now the "head of the household"—spoke up and extended an invitation first. In that moment, the two brothers’ thoughts were surprisingly in sync.

Shi Ming naturally agreed.

The older brother’s name was Arrow Wood,

The younger brother’s name was Fire Stake.

Both were very simple names.

The journey from there to the brothers’ "home" wasn’t long, and the three of them talked the whole way.

"I have traveled through many tribes, but I’ve rarely heard stories of a King, let alone a King’s summons or this so-called divine revelation. Why is it that only your tribe has this tradition?" Shi Ming asked, confused.

"We are different from them."

"The King’s ancestor once left his noble bloodline in our tribe. Many years have passed since then, but the King still favors this place and left behind the Hundred-Man Battle Stage."

Shi Ming put on an expression of understanding.

"What kind of ritual is the divine revelation?"

"The divine revelation uses the power of the Priest and the bloodline of the King to communicate with the gods. A god then personally bestows a gift, granting extraordinary power. With that power, you can kill a wild bear with a single punch. More importantly, you can lead the tribe’s people to a good life where they never have to worry about food or clothing."

’Huh?’

’Isn’t this just an Awakening?’

"Sounds pretty good."

"Of course it is! Look, over there! That clearing in the distance is where the hundred-man trial is held. The winner will stand atop the altar and be guided by the Priest to receive the divine revelation... They say there are seven other altars just like this one!"

’7 + 1? Eight of them?’

Shi Ming followed Arrow Wood’s finger with his gaze.

He saw a clearing and an altar marked with strange patterns. The altar was spattered with bloodstains, likely the victory blood shed by brave warriors of the past. At the center of the altar was a pitch-black circle.

A faint aura of death drifted from within the circle.

The dark crystal hidden within his beast-hide clothing seemed to stir.