Chapter Three: The Wheel of Fortune Turns

"Forget it! It's only a few dozen meters—once I escape, the world is wide open. I'll risk it!"

He gritted his teeth fiercely. Seizing the moment when the stone beast closed its eyes to rest, he planted his feet, summoned every ounce of strength, and with a thunderous roar, shot forward like a cannonball.

But in that very instant, the stone beast sensed something amiss and abruptly opened its enormous eyes!

A dreadful howl split the air, and its colossal paw, as vast as a mountain, swept sideways like a broom.

The ground shook violently in a deafening crash. Trees and rocks shattered, obliterated; everything touched by the giant paw was wiped flat.

Staring at the sweeping paw, Tu Lu's eyes widened, his heart pounding in terror and exhilaration—so many sensations surged through his body at once!

Unable to hold back, he let out a scream, stomping the ground for another burst of speed, but he was still a fraction too slow, about to be struck by the giant paw!

This is bad!

His heart quivered, as if caught in a vise, breathless, icy dread rising from his feet to the crown of his head.

At that critical instant, the black stone in his pocket began to heat up, an immense energy pouring into him, causing his strength to surge dramatically for a brief moment!

He exceeded his limits in a flash.

With this new power, his figure shot across the air like an arrow, skimming just under the giant paw, and flew straight out the exit.

He tumbled several dozen meters before finally stopping.

At the same time, a terrifying roar echoed from the entrance to the rear mountain—the sound was clear even outside.

Panting heavily, Tu Lu recalled the scene, his back drenched in cold sweat. Though it lasted only a moment, he felt utterly exhausted.

It took him a long time to recover.

"That was... that was unbelievably thrilling!"

He trembled with excitement.

He had survived the hand of a giant stone beast!

No ordinary mortal could accomplish such a feat; it gave him a real sense of his new identity.

"I'm a cultivator now!"

He puffed out his chest, a sense of vindication swelling inside him.

After all, even across the whole Divine Wind City, cultivators were rare—every one of them was an honored guest in the Gongsun family.

As for that red-bearded brute, although he was a martial artist, he was nowhere near the realm of a cultivator!

Thinking of Ding San, the red-bearded man, Tu Lu's expression soured as if he'd swallowed a fly, but then brightened as a thought struck him.

"When I get home, I'll let my sister try it too. Then we'll both be cultivators. Who in the entire slums—or even the whole Divine Wind City—would dare bully us?"

The idea thrilled him, and he hurried home.

But he hadn't gone far when he spotted Ding San in the distance, dragging a raggedly dressed little girl toward the rear mountain.

Tu Lu's heart gave a jolt; instinctively, he hid behind a boulder, but then remembered—he was a cultivator now, there was no need to fear him!

"Stop right there!"

Tu Lu leapt from behind the rock, shouting loudly.

"Who are you?!"

Ding San was startled. Seeing who it was, his surprise turned to joy.

"So it's you! Ha! Finally, someone came out of the rear mountain. My luck is incredible!"

"Kid, hand over the Thunder Stone you found in the rear mountain!"

Ding San laughed heartily, tossed the little girl aside, and strode toward Tu Lu.

He thought this boy was his lucky star—he'd already delivered a Thunder Stone, and now he had a whole sack of them!

He was determined: once he got the Thunder Stones, he'd throw the boy back inside—maybe he'd bring out another sackful!

Thinking this, Ding San reached straight for the Thunder Stones on Tu Lu’s back.

As for Tu Lu, a beggar child from the slums, he didn’t even register as a threat.

Watching this, Tu Lu's eyes bulged, fury blazing inside.

Becoming a cultivator had put him in a good mood, even lessening his resentment toward Ding San. He was thinking about what to say to make Ding San realize the gap between them, release the girl, and apologize.

But Ding San didn’t even acknowledge him!

Even a clay figure has a temper—Ding San was simply intolerable!

Especially since Ding San’s gaze was fixed greedily on Tu Lu's Thunder Stone.

He’d risked his life to bring it out of the rear mountain, nearly dying—his anger flared even hotter.

"Get lost!"

Tu Lu bellowed, slapping Ding San across the face.

If Ding San’s movements seemed fast to ordinary folk, Tu Lu’s were now so quick they were nearly invisible.

In a flash, he closed the distance.

Ding San, still wearing a look of surprise, had no time to react before he was slapped away like a sandbag.

Tu Lu leapt, landed atop Ding San, grabbed his hair, and punched down hard.

"Let’s see how lucky you are!"

"You—!"

"I’ll show you!"

"No—!"

"I’ll show you no!"

Tu Lu unleashed a flurry of punches. Ding San looked as if he’d seen a ghost; before he could utter a word, Tu Lu’s blows left him seeing stars, his face swelling like a pig’s head. He gasped and promptly fainted.

"Hmph!"

Seeing Ding San unconscious, Tu Lu still felt unsatisfied and landed a few more punches before feeling a bit better—he’d held back enough not to kill him.

But... he still wasn’t entirely appeased!

If he hadn’t been lucky, he’d have died in the Thunder Mountain just now.

Yet... killing was not something he could bring himself to do.

"That’s it! I’ll take his Thunder Stones and throw him into the rear mountain—then we’re even!"

His eyes lit up as he considered Ding San, growing more convinced.

He acted at once.

In short order, he searched Ding San and took all his Thunder Stones. Still unsatisfied, he stripped Ding San’s clothes, put them on himself.

"Now that’s better!"

After finishing, he nodded in satisfaction. Looking at Ding San, his face twisted as if he’d eaten a fly. He dragged Ding San to the entrance of Thunder Mountain and tossed him inside like garbage.

Only then did he dust his hands and prepare to leave.

"Wait!"

Just as he was about to go, he remembered something, smacking his forehead.

"Are you alright?"

He walked over to the little girl and asked.

The girl sat on the ground, shook her head, and remained silent.

She’d woken up long ago; in fact, she was awake when Ding San was dragging her toward the rear mountain.

She didn’t know why, but she hadn’t resisted.

Seeing her in tattered clothes, Tu Lu suddenly thought of himself and felt pity.

After all, he was now a cultivator—he ought to help the girl.

Yes!

As if to convince himself, he nodded firmly, took out a Thunder Stone about the size of a fist, its surface ringed with blue light, and handed it to the girl.

"Take it. You can split this Thunder Stone into at least ten pieces—use it to start a better life."

When the girl didn’t respond, he frowned and pressed the Thunder Stone into her hand, hesitated a moment, said goodbye, and hurried home.

What he didn’t know was that after the girl accepted the Thunder Stone, she sat in silence for a long while before leaving.

And her direction... was toward the City Lord’s Mansion.