"He seems to have been strengthened,"
Ji Yang thought to himself as he watched Chen Tianmo, now full of life. Just moments ago, he had feared Chen Tianmo would die on the spot, so he had used two points of vital energy.
Now, it seemed that much wasn't necessary to save a martial artist in the early stage of the Blood Coagulation Realm.
Next time, he would need to think more carefully; after all, accumulating those blood and Qi points bit by bit was no easy task.
With the departure of the clansmen, the Ancestral Hall became quiet again. Only the two living souls under the shade of the tree uttered exclamations.
They were closely examining Chen Tianmo, almost wanting to strip off his clothes to see if the injury was fully healed and whether there were any lingering aftereffects. However, the two couldn't find any problems, which left them puzzled.
Chen Changming sighed deeply.
"If the clan's Divine Tree had such divine power, how could the clan have fallen to this point?"
But after a moment of reflection, he reconsidered. The decline of even the most powerful families was inevitable over time. It was often the internal contradictions within the clan that led to downfall. Now that he had been reborn, he vowed never to allow the clan to revert to its old ways.
He gazed at the new branches that had sprouted on the Divine Tree, feeling a deep sense of gratitude. Perhaps only by shedding old bark could new buds grow, much like the current state of the clan.
Above, Ji Yang glanced at Chen Changming, who appeared lost in thought, wondering what the old man was muttering about.
Meanwhile, Chen Qingyu had returned to the clan with the injured Chen Tianlu and the corpse of an Azure Bull. The Azure Bull, though not large, was covered in blue skin and sported a single horn.
It was adept at hiding and ambushing---traits that made it the culprit behind the clan members' recent injuries. However, with Chen Qingyu's swift action, the beast was quickly slain. Chen Tianlu, who had accompanied him, suffered only minor injuries.
After learning the details, Chen Xingzhen deliberated for a moment and decided to reduce the previous three teams to two. One team would be led by Chen Qingyu and the other by Chen Tianjing, with Chen Tianlu, who was at the early stage of the Blood Coagulation Realm, assigned to one of the teams.
The beasts around Chaotic Burial Mountain had been hunted by the tribe's warriors for over half a month, leaving only ordinary wild animals.
To hunt stronger beasts, they would need to venture deeper into the mountain, where the challenges---and the strength of their prey---would increase. Thus, bolstering the hunting teams' strength was crucial.
As for stopping the hunt altogether, Chen Xingzhen hadn't considered it.
While the tribe currently had enough food, and the harvests from their hunts were sufficient to get through winter, the new Blood Rice had not yet matured.
The tribe's warriors still needed the flesh and blood of wild beasts to temper their bodies and to make weekly sacrifices to the Divine Tree.
To maintain the Divine Tree's power, they had to sacrifice a wild beast in the Blood Coagulation Realm each week. This expense was essential and could not be halted, or else the clan's progress would slow dramatically.
By the time spring arrives, the situation will be less tense, and the clan may even have the opportunity to develop rapidly.
For now, Chen Xingzhen had no other desires in his heart---only the hope that the clan will survive this winter.
One day, as Chen Xingzhen stepped out of his room, he heard the excited shouts of the clansmen:
"Chief, the Divine Tree has changed again!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xingzhen quickly made his way toward the Ancestral Hall. It had been ten days since the Divine Tree last displayed its divine power.
During this time, everything within the clan had been stable---the Blood Rice was growing well, and the two hunting teams had not encountered any major risks. Just yesterday, Chen Tianjing had mastered the Taizu Long Fist martial technique during a hunt, becoming the second person in the clan to comprehend a martial skill.
Now, with the news of another change in the Divine Tree, it seemed like more good fortune was on the way. When Chen Xingzhen arrived at the Ancestral Hall, he looked up at the Divine Tree, his face full of joy.
The Divine Tree, originally just two meters tall and as thick as a fist, had now grown to three meters in height, and the trunk had also thickened. Lush branches and leaves had sprouted at the top, signaling that the tree was thriving.
This transformation filled Chen Xingzhen's heart with joy, for it meant that the clan's weekly sacrifices were working, and the Divine Tree's power was steadily growing.
A few days ago, his father had passed on through dreams the two Yellow-ranked martial techniques that the clan had inherited from the past.
The first technique, Shadow Step, was a lower Yellow-rank movement-based martial art. It allowed a martial artist to move faster and gain an edge in battle. When mastered, it could create afterimages with each step, confusing the opponent.
The second technique was a Yellow-ranked mid-tier attack called Heart-breaking Palm Technique. This martial art enabled the practitioner to unleash blood and Qi explosively from within, generating significant power.
Mastery of this technique allowed one to damage an opponent's internal organs without leaving external injuries, making it a renowned skill within the clan despite its modest rank.
Chen Changming had first mentioned these techniques in his dreams, but due to their complexity and the short dream duration, learning them was slow.
Each technique was intricate, filled with detailed knowledge that could not afford any mistakes.
Fortunately, within a month, Chen Xingzhen had managed to memorise most of them. In a few more days, he would have them fully remembered and ready to pass on to the clan.
With these two martial arts, the clan's strength would undoubtedly grow. Through this experience, Chen Xingzhen gained a deeper appreciation for the Divine Tree's skill transmission.
Unlike the arduous memorisation he had gone through, the Divine Tree could directly imprint martial arts knowledge into one's mind.
Initially, when Chen Xingzhen learned about these techniques, he felt uneasy. The clan had previously been defeated by a rival clan and forced to flee.
Would reviving these techniques now attract their old enemies back? But Chen Changming's reassurance dispelled his concerns.
According to his father, the rival clan suffered greatly after their defeat. Other clans exploited their weakened state, and after the major battle with the Chen clan, the rival clan was nearly wiped out.
Decades had passed since then, and it was uncertain whether their old enemies even existed anymore. Additionally, these two techniques had already spread widely, and many martial artists had learned them.
Relieved by this information, Chen Xingzhen felt his worries at ease. After paying his respects to the Divine Tree, he left the Ancestral Hall.
As he passed the spirit tablets of the clan elders, a trace of doubt lingered in his mind. Considering the clan's current state, was it still necessary to honour these spirit tablets?