Early the next morning, Shao Xuan tied the animal skin bag with gravel and ran to the training ground with Caesar.
In the past, when he hadn't awakened, he had always been afraid. If he wasn't careful, he would be accidentally injured or even die. Now, he was much more confident. At least he wasn't so weak that he couldn't take a beating.
People in the tribe did not know too many tricks. They could only imagine a prey and make a more direct response according to the prey's habits.
Some warriors would treat the cliff as some kind of wild beast, and then hit the cliff with their fists and feet. Therefore, if you saw sand and stones flying around on the mountain, don't be surprised. It was just a totemic warrior practicing.
Just like that night at the shaman's place, the kid could break an ordinary stone "spear" with one punch.
After Shao Xuan ran to the training ground, he chose a mountain and carried a stone. He ran from the foot of the mountain to the top. On the way, he looked for a good stone and started to dig it.
"Fortunately, I have such a special ability." Shao Xuan looked at the different shades of gray in his vision and sighed.
Compared to the totemic power, Shao Xuan's other ability undoubtedly helped him a lot. It saved him a lot of time and effort to find it.
Shao Xuan could not dig a middle or upper grade stone. If he hit it with his bare hands, it would hurt his own hands.
After digging out the stone he liked, Shao Xuan looked at the sky. It was almost noon, so he carried the stone and ran back. He went back to the wooden house to eat something, and then went to Old Ke's place with the stone he dug out.
In the afternoon, Shao Xuan arranged for him to learn how to make stone tools.
Stone tools looked simple, but there were many skills involved. It was not just about knocking.
"First of all, you have to know how to identify the stone. Even stone cores of the same hardness may not be the same." Old Ke took out two similar stone cores and said.
Shao Xuan watched as Old Ke directly knocked and peeled off one of them, while the other was heated and cooled. Old Ke explained to Shao Xuan the color change and cooling time of several kinds of stones after heating.
Some stones would change in color and texture after being heated, while some would only change in texture, and some would have no reaction to the heating process at all. Sometimes, the temperature had to be controlled during heating. It was necessary to understand what temperature was the best for peeling and what temperature was not suitable for peeling. As for this temperature, without a precise instrument to measure it, he could only rely on his feelings and experience.
For example, if Shao Xuan felt the same temperature, Old Ke would be able to tell which one was hotter just by touching it.
Different stones have different reactions to different temperatures, heating times, cooling changes, and other characteristics.
Old Ke placed one of the two stone cores he had just taken out above the fire. Holding a stone stick in each hand, he placed the stone core in the middle.
The fire burned very brightly, as if it wanted to dry people out. Just by standing next to the fire for a short while, one would be covered in sweat. Old Ke's face was also covered in sweat, but his hands were still very steady. His movements of flipping the stone core were also very agile.
Half an hour later, the stone core that was being heated above the fire turned from its original grayish-white color to a reddish-brown color. Old Ke then took the stone core away from the fire. However, he did not start peeling off the stone leaves. Instead, he waited for the stone core to cool down and the reddish-brown color to lighten before he began peeling off the pieces.
The peeled stone leaves, whether they were slender or round, were almost the same thickness!
What kind of control was needed to achieve this?!
At least in Shao Xuan's previous opinion, without advanced cutting tools, it would be impossible to achieve this level.
The so-called "ideal polishing" was actually a very complicated process. Those who did not understand it would not be able to imagine it at all.
After the theory came practice. Shao Xuan spent most of the afternoon practicing peeling stone leaves.
"Too much trash. Again!"
"What the hell are you peeling off? Again!"
"Poor control of the strength of the hammer. Again!"
"Wait! Can this stone be peeled off directly? Did you eat too much fish?! Take it and burn it!! "
… …
Some people who lived closer to Old Ke all knew that Old Ke's temper had become worse recently. When they talked about Shao Xuan, they all shook their heads and sighed, "Xuan, that poor child!"
In fact, the situation in the house was not as bad as the people in the tribe thought.
Old Ke was not merciful with his words, but he still put a lot of effort into teaching Shao Xuan the skills of peeling, so he was willing to part with the stone cores.
Shao Xuan knocked off five stone cores in one afternoon. Not counting the one he brought, the other four were Old Ke's own. The stones were not bad, so it was a waste to use them as practice stones. Old Ke did not feel sorry for Shao Xuan, but he felt ashamed of himself.
Every day, Shao Xuan returned to his wooden house tiredly from Old Ke's place. His muscles were stinging, and the pain was getting more and more intense. Setting up a stone pot and lighting a fire was painful enough to make him grit his teeth. The area between his thumb and index finger was even more painful. He held the stone hammer even more tightly. It took him several tries to set up the stone pot successfully.
Shao Xuan felt like the one being hammered wasn't the stone core, but himself. However, he slept very well that night, and when he woke up, his whole body felt refreshed, as if the muscle pain from yesterday was just an illusion.
Shao Xuan did not know if this was a totemic warrior's own ability, or another special ability.
Early in the morning, Shao Xuan planned to go to the training ground as usual. Yesterday, he saw a place with good stones. He could dig out some good stone cores. This way, he would not have to use Old Ke's stones all the time. What if he made Old Ke poor?
As he walked, Shao Xuan felt that something was wrong. People who were not so active usually got up early and gathered in the same direction.
After thinking for a while, Shao Xuan patted his forehead.
He almost forgot! Today was the day that Lang Ga and the others went out to hunt!
Shao Xuan took Caesar to the place where the crowd gathered.
There was a road from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, almost in a straight line. This road was higher than other places, and no one had built a house on it. The hunting team would pass through this road when they went out or came back, so they would not disturb the other residents in the tribe.
Over time, this path also took on a different meaning. People in the tribe called it the "Path of Glory".
It was like a grand farewell to warriors who were about to go to the battlefield. People had mixed feelings. Some were proud, some were heavy, and some were hopeful. They did not know if their families were still safe when the hunting team came back. Would they be able to bring back enough food?
Most of the people gathered on both sides of the "Path of Glory" were the families of the warriors who went out this time, from the elderly to the children. When the hunting team came back, these people would be here to welcome them. And the two times, their feelings would be completely different.
However, besides welcoming and sending off the hunting team, for the warriors in the hunting team, this road also represented a kind of meaning. It was an affirmation of their own strength. If Shao Xuan were to describe it, for many warriors, this road was a "road to show off their wealth".
When they came back from the hunt, it was clear who got how much food, just like the disclosure of assets. Rich people naturally did not lack reputation, status, or women. These were all things worth showing off.
"They're coming!" Someone shouted.
Shao Xuan looked over.
There were about two hundred people coming down from the mountain, and the one walking at the front was the leader of the hunting team. Shao Xuan had seen him on the night of the sacrificial ceremony. Not only the leader, but also several people behind the leader, Shao Xuan also felt familiar. They were all the people who danced by the fire pit that night.
The people walking down the mountain, no matter if they were smiling or looking serious, each of their steps was full of momentum, like a general on the battlefield.
At the back of the team, among the tall warriors, several children who were obviously shorter than the others were very eye-catching. Among them were the leader's grandson, Mao, and Fei, who had shown off in front of Shao Xuan before.
"Hey, who are those children?"
"Of course, they are strong enough to join the first hunting team."
"They are the best among the awakened warriors this year."
"Hey, is that Mao? No wonder he is the leader's grandson! "
…
The crowd was talking about it.
Sai's father pointed at Fei and the others in the hunting team, and said to Sai, "Look, they are about the same age as you, and awakened in the same batch. They can join the first hunting team. What about you?"
Sai straightened his neck, "Why don't you live on the mountain?"
Sai's father choked, and directly threw two punches and two slaps at him.
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