Only in the details can the truth be seen.
Watching the small ball piercing the air, he suddenly realized that his seemingly powerful swordsmanship was nothing more than a surface gloss built on the Martial Artist level physique, but inwardly unstable and hollow.
Martial Arts is not like studying; it's not that just because you've understood it, you can master it.
Memory is just memory. To turn it into one's own requires repeated practice over and over, forging through intense training until it becomes muscle memory and instinct. There's no shortcut in this aspect.
The impatience in his heart faded away, quickly calming him down.
Then, he once again thrust his sword at the small ball!
...
About a hundred kilometers away from here on a small island.
This island is much larger than the one Chen Shouyi is on, measuring five to six kilometers in radius, rich in resources, with lush trees.
Especially one large tree that stands out among the others, about several hundred meters tall, with jade-like leaves spreading like a giant umbrella, covering nearly a fifth of the island's area.
Underneath the big tree, a tribe of several hundred people is settled here.
This is a rather primitive tribe, with civilization still in its infancy.
The young adults, holding higher status, are mostly clad in animal skins, while the young and women are mostly naked.
Of course, here, animal skins have transcended their meaning as clothing, becoming a symbol of martial prowess and status.
However, this tribe survives quite well, with strong men, rosy-cheeked women, and a high ratio of youth.
Under the protection of the Tree God on the island, there are no fearsome beasts or dangerous Natural Spirits, and the tribe thrives with strong vitality, with yearly births far surpassing deaths.
Since five years ago, under divine guidance, sacrificing over thirty tribe members to help the Tree God kill a Giant Beast on the island.
They have gone for exactly two years without having an abnormal death in the tribe.
Until yesterday!
Before night fell, two tribe members went fishing and never returned.
The night in this world is dangerous, while the island has the Tree God's protection preventing any Natural Spirits from harming them.
But once on the ocean, the Tree God's great power temporarily cannot extend to that area, making it likely a matter of life and death.
Regarding this matter.
Early in the morning, the tribe's Wizard, before the people headed out for hunting and gathering, summoned all tribe members for a sacrifice to the Tree God.
The Wizard is already elderly, with wrinkles all over his face, and at his age, he's already pondering matters of life after death.
In this world, death is not the end of life.
During one of his communications with the Tree God, while he was semi-conscious, he vaguely saw countless deceased tribe members continuing life there, peaceful and harmonious.
Later communications confirmed such insights from the Tree God.
And offering sacrifices to the Tree God not only highlights his transcendent status in the tribe but more importantly wins over the favor of the Tree God.
Such activities are mandatory, and if conditions don't allow, conditions must be created.
'Tree God' is quite enormous, not to mention the gigantic umbrella-like canopy, just the trunk alone has a diameter of more than ten meters, and no one knows how many years this tree has lived; its bark is akin to a dry, cracked earth, evoking a sense of ancientness.
According to status and age, all tribe members surround the Tree God, forming several circles.
The innermost circle consists of the Clan Leader and some of the strongest Warriors, followed by developmental teens, and lastly women and children; even smaller infants naturally wouldn't be brought here.
Being a primitive tribe and a 'Tree God' of nascent divinity and still awakening.
The sacrificial ritual naturally speaks of no complex ceremony, let alone formal prayers, yet despite this, the solemn atmosphere is palpable.
The elderly Wizard dances madly, gesticulating wildly, uttering strange incantations he himself doesn't understand.
Soon, a beast the size of a goat is carried by four strong men to the vicinity of the tree.
The Wizard takes out a black Stone Blade seemingly made from black obsidian, and amidst its piercing cries, slit its throat in one swift motion, causing plentiful blood to gush forth and spill onto the ground.
The moment the blood trickles down, a fresh and faint radiance emanates from the tangled roots.
The once-convulsing beast's head lolls to one side, completely silent, as though its soul has been absorbed.
Silence envelops the surroundings; all Barbarians bear faces mixed with reverence and fear, even ignorant children close their mouths in unease.
In the glow, the old Wizard sits down with closed eyes, head tilted, seemingly unconscious.
Not a single Barbarian dares disturb the Wizard's communication with the Tree God.
After a long while, the old Wizard finally opens his eyes, seemingly startled, his expression frightened and twisted:
"Danger comes from the North!"
...
Chen Shouyi was completely unaware of all this.
Once he started practicing, he continued for four to five hours straight.
With the swiftly moving small ball, he went from initially hitting two to three times out of ten to later hitting four to five times out of ten.
Of course, Chen Shouyi is also aware that it's because this is his first practice, allowing for such rapid progress; any further improvement would require significantly more effort.
It's like a test, where going from scoring in the twenties and thirties to forties and fifties is the easiest, just requires a bit of focus, maybe even just paying careful attention during the exam; but going from seventies and eighties to nineties, that's certainly not achievable with just short-term efforts.
The further he progresses, the more challenging each step becomes!
...
Feeling the hunger in his stomach, Chen Shouyi finally stopped.
Just as he returned to the passageway entrance, after half a minute, the muscle soreness quickly subsided under the Natural Healing talent's ability.
He opened his briefcase, took out the cooked beef and bread meant for lunch.
The Shell Lady flew over lightly, pointing out a newly gathered pile of golden sand in the distance while shouting:
"Gem! Gem! Gem!"
Chen Shouyi felt less excitement for the golden sand compared to before, but to encourage the Shell Lady, he went over for a look.
Weighing about thirty grams, accumulated with the previous days, now totaled over a pound.
Based on estimated weight, he immediately fished out three small Glass Beads from his pocket as a reward.
With a delighted face, the Shell Lady accepted them and held them up to the sunlight, then flew up, circling above some bushes for ages, warily keeping an eye on Chen Shouyi like a thief, quickly flying into the bushes once he's distracted.
Using the bush's cover, she squatted down, using her slender hands to dig open a small dirt pit, revealing a shell buried within.
She opened the shell and placed the three Glass Beads inside.
The Glass Beads already filled the shell completely, radiating a gleam of shimmering jewels.
Afraid of being dazzled by the glow, she squinted slightly.
Looking at this 'gigantic' treasure chest filled with gems, she felt enchanted and completely lost in thought.
After a long time, she regained her senses, closing the shell again, and covered it up with soil.
Acting nonchalantly, she swayed in front of Chen Shouyi and then energetically continued searching for golden sand.
While eating lunch, Chen Shouyi finally lifted his head and looked at her busy figure speechlessly.
PS: Asking for recommendations, ah ah ah