Path of Alchemy Mastery-Chapter 263 - 264: The Protective Mu Dao

The Mu Family’s hunting event is a solemn and dignified affair for the Mu Family; every year’s hunting event receives adequate attention from the Mu Family.

Mu Can distinctly remembered that this was his first time participating in the hunting event, and also his last. Here, Mu Can experienced the first turning point in his life and gained a heart set on becoming stronger.

"This year’s hunting seems to be grander than last year’s," said the elders of the Mu Family who had long filled the stands.

Looking at the younger generation of the Mu Family below, they all nodded in satisfaction. The younger generation is the future of the Mu Family. The stronger the younger generation, the stronger the Mu Family’s future will be.

"Yes, there should be quite a few promising youngsters this year. It’s just uncertain what kind of results they’ll achieve." The person next to him agreed. Almost all the members in attendance were from the older generation of the Mu Family, who lead a monotonous life apart from Cultivation. They come to watch the hunting event every year to see the younger generation of the Mu Family.

"Look, isn’t that your family’s little Demon King? How come he can’t sit still this year and has come to participate in the hunting event?"

An old man with a goatee and neatly arranged white hair, who looked to be in his sixties, spoke to another old man with a youthful appearance and white hair.

"Hehe, that little brat of mine, who knows what medicine he took that he insisted on participating in the hunting event," chuckled the youthful-looking old man, who was Mu Can’s own grandfather, Mu Dao.

When Mu Dao was in his thirties, he had Mu Yuhang. In the Mortal World, where early marriage and childbearing are common, having a child at an older age was rare. Mu Dao pampered Mu Yuhang so much, and when Mu Can came along, he was almost raised to the heavens. The formation of Mu Can’s spoiled childhood habits was inextricably linked to Mu Dao.

With such an indulgent grandfather, it was no wonder that Mu Can was called the little Demon King in his childhood.

"Hehe, did you see your grandson hitting someone just now?" the old man with the goatee asked with a smile on his face.

"Hitting someone? My grandson, Mu Dao’s, a bit of fighting, how much could that mean?" Mu Cao asked with a slanted eye, retorting.

"Haha, with your indulgent nature, it’s no surprise that your little Demon King has his current disposition," the goatee old man said with a beard-stroking chuckle, clearly having a very special relationship with Mu Dao.

"My grandson, how could he be ordinary?" Mu Dao looked on at Mu Can from afar with a smile.

Mu Can felt Mu Dao’s gaze and looked toward him.

"Grandfather." Mu Can called out in his heart.

Mu Can’s childhood was unfortunate, as he had never met his mother, but it was also fortunate because Mu Dao and Mu Yuhang gave all their love to Mu Can.

Mu Can gazed at the old man from afar. When the news of Mu Dao’s death came, Mu Can went three days without eating. His most beloved grandfather died at the hands of a Demon Beast, the grandfather who always gave him the best conditions and fiercely protected him, now lay there silently, without a sound.

"Grandfather." Although he knew this was an illusion, Mu Can’s eyes still began to slowly redden.

"Can, what’s wrong?" Mu Hanyu looked puzzled, staring at Mu Can with big eyes.

He didn’t understand why Mu Can, who was fine a moment ago, suddenly got teary-eyed.

"It’s nothing." Mu Can shook his head, pushing all the emotions behind him. He was still in the illusion, after all, and no matter what, Mu Dao was never coming back. Dwelling on it would only add to the sadness.

"Oh." Seeing that Mu Can did not wish to speak more, Mu Hanyu did not ask further. This was his second time participating in the hunting event, and the excitement in his heart had not yet dissipated.

...

"The Mu Family’s hunting event has officially begun."

As a resonant voice announced the start, the Mu Family’s annual hunting event officially kicked off.

The hunting grounds were located within the Pingyun Mountain where the Mu Family dwelled.

A month in advance, the strong members of the Mu Family had driven out all the slightly mightier Demon Beasts from the Pingyun Mountain Range and released wild beasts and Demon Beasts caught from outside, suitable for the younger generation’s hunt, back into the Pingyun Mountain.

"Charge!"

The Mu Family’s youngsters, as if injected with adrenaline, charged into the hunting grounds specially created for them.

It was a feast, a feast meant for the young ones.

Inside the Pingyun Mountain Range, the density of Demon Beasts had far exceeded normal levels.

To say "a wild beast every ten steps, a Demon Beast every hundred" was no exaggeration. Yet, somehow, these wild beasts and Demon Beasts coexisted without battling, instead watching the foot of the mountain with covetous eyes.

"Let’s also head out," Mu Can suggested to Mu Yuhang, starting to trek slowly up the mountain path once most people had departed.

The first batch of children to ascend had already engaged in fierce conflict with the wild beasts. Although the Mu Family’s power was ranked amongst the top in Pingyun City, they also faced crises.

It was precisely the external pressure that instilled a spirit of self-improvement in the Mu children from a young age. In comparison, children of six or seven from other families, if not urinating themselves, would be lucky to face wild beasts head-on.

"Kill!"

Such scenes were indeed rare to witness—children barely seven or eight years old wielding weapons taller than themselves, hacking fiercely at the wild beasts.

The melee began, gradually spreading toward the distance.

One might ask, aren’t the Mu Family too careless? What if a child gets injured in such chaos, wouldn’t that ruin their future?

As the first major family of Pingyun City, the Mu Family would never gamble with the future of their clan.

Each child was accompanied by an adult for protection.

They wouldn’t intervene unless severe crises arose. Only if their protected child faced disability or life-threatening danger would they step in to help—yet the saved child would lose the qualification to continue participating in the hunting event.

"Kill!" a child with a fierce demeanor swung a large sword, even longer than his own body, violently hacking towards the wild boar baring its teeth, ready to charge any moment.

The thick-furred wild boar, a beast at the Samurai Peak-level; among the wild beasts, it was one of the harder ones to deal with and had reached the peak stage of wild beast strength.

"Fiery Flame Slash." The child let out a roar, flames bursting from the long sword, cleaving through the wild boar and splitting it into two halves.

Such a young child had already reached the Martial Spirit Peak. With a single strike, he killed the beast, which for ordinary people, could be considered a nightmare.

The child skillfully cut off the thick-furred wild boar’s ear, ignoring the corpse on the ground and striding forward.

The deeper one went, the fewer wild beasts there were, but more Demon Beasts would appear. This also provided more opportunities to others; if some people came face to face with Demon Beasts right from the start, they would end up with not a single trophy, and then the competition would be meaningless.