C459 Super Gluttonous Rice(2)

Needless to say, the Qi Blood Crystal ended up in Rice's stomach.

While Woo Zhengyang was busy digging, Rice had already picked another spot. Woo Zhengyang got to work again and quickly unearthed another crystal, about the same size as the last one. It seemed that larger ones were quite rare.

As they continued their search, Woo Zhengyang and Rice encountered a young boy from a nearby village. The boy was hard at work, swinging his hoe with determination. Woo Zhengyang asked him a few questions, and the boy started complaining.

He had been digging since he arrived and hadn't even caught a glimpse of a Qi Blood Crystal. As they left, Rice whispered to Woo Zhengyang that, at the boy's current pace and direction, it would probably take him all day to find just one crystal. And that was if he didn't give up halfway. If he decided to change locations and got unlucky, he might end up wasting the entire day.

At this point, the true purpose of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion was starting to become clear. However, Woo Zhengyang still couldn't quite understand. Could it be that the Thousand-village Martial Competition was just an elaborate scheme to get people to mine for them?

It couldn't be that simple. If they just wanted people to dig, there was no need to hold a competition. They could simply recruit more people from the villages, which would be much faster.

Whether through force or enticing offers, the Azure Sun Martial Mansion could easily gather a group of miners. After digging up a few more Qi Blood Crystals, Woo Zhengyang and Rice encountered Liu Dahu. Liu Dahu was fairly lucky, having managed to unearth at least one crystal.

When Rice saw the Qi Blood Crystal, he rushed over. Liu Dahu thought Rice just wanted to play with it and didn't pay much attention. Then, to Liu Dahu's astonishment, Rice began to eat the crystal, bite by bite.

For a long moment, Liu Dahu stood there, eyes wide and mouth agape, completely frozen.

Not far from Liu Dahu, Rice spotted another Qi Blood Crystal. Woo Zhengyang handed Rice the pickaxe to dig it up himself and pulled Liu Dahu aside.

"What about Rice's parents? Were they big eaters too?"

Woo Zhengyang only knew that Rice was an orphan, raised by the Old Village Chief's family. He hadn't asked much about Rice's parents. In a village plagued by demonic beasts, death was all too common. Especially during beast tides, entire villages could be wiped out.

Woo Zhengyang had to ask about Rice's unique nature now that he noticed something different. An Innate Spirit Body is mysterious and can appear unexpectedly, but it can also be passed down through generations. According to ancient records, this hereditary Innate Spirit Body is known as a bloodline inheritance.

Every family with a bloodline inheritance, regardless of their current strength, must have been powerful at some point, as only a strong enough Innate Spirit Body can pass down its bloodline power. If Rice truly has a bloodline inheritance, even if her parents aren't Innate Spirit Bodies, they must be different from ordinary people. That's why Woo Zhengyang asked.

Understanding her parents' situation would make it easier to determine the nature of Rice's spirit body.

"Rice's parents?" Liu Dahu looked at Woo Zhengyang with suspicion after hearing his question. Then he glanced at Rice, who was making a jingling noise, and said softly, "Rice doesn't have parents?"

"How could she not have parents!"

"Five years ago, Uncle Li and my father went hunting outside the village and accidentally stumbled into a demonic beast's nest. In that nest, they found Rice..."

Liu Dahu's explanation surprised Woo Zhengyang. Rice was discovered in a demonic beast's nest!

When Little Rice was first brought back, many people in Great Leaf Village thought she wasn't human but a human-shaped beast. They kept their distance, some even wanted to get rid of her, or at least send her far away. Only the Old Village Chief felt differently and insisted on bringing her back.

Little Rice had a big appetite from a young age, and just one grain of rice could make her smile. That's how she got her name. As she grew, she didn't turn into a beast, and the villagers slowly accepted her. However, they were still a bit uneasy and didn't let their kids play with her alone.

That's why, when she met Woo Zhengyang, she became so close to him. He was the only one who was always by her side. Woo Zhengyang never believed the rumors about her being a beast.

Ancient texts did mention that some powerful beasts could take human form once they reached a certain level. Even then, their true nature was easy to spot. But the mystery remained: why was Little Rice found in a beast's lair unharmed?

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