True Martial World - Chapter 32: The weak are enslaved as slaves

"Everyone is here, Lord Zhang. Please take your pick. Of course, I will want to participate in the Kingdom's selection. If possible, I wish to be a subordinate of the Lord, receiving the Lord's teachings," said Lian Chengyu respectfully.

Zhang Yuxian took a glance at Lian Chengyu and measured him up.

"Oh? What is your cultivation level?"

A Mortal Blood warrior was after all in the beginning stages of cultivation, all they practiced were skills that involved their bodies. The five levels in Mortal Blood were classified by a person's physical phenomena. Hence, it was hard to tell with a look that a person had opened up their meridians, or if their bones and tendons could make sounds.

Only a person who had reached a cultivation level at the spiritual level could sense a person's level of accomplishment. This was called "Opening Heaven's Eyes". Only then could they judge a Mortal Blood warrior's cultivation level.

Evidently, Zhang Yuxian had not reached such a level.

"My Lord, I have reached the peak of Mortal Blood level five, Qi Gatherer. I'm one step short of the Purple Blood realm!"

"Oh?" Zhang Yuxian furrowed his brows. "To be able to reach such a level while growing up in a small tribe that lacks resources. You must either have exceptional talent or have had an opportunous event. Either way, it's all very good!"

Zhang Yuxian nodded saying, "Stay behind then!"

"Thank you Lord for your appraisal!" Lian Chengyu said respectfully. He was not overjoyed because he had taken for granted that he would pass Zhang Yuxian's assessment!

His goal was the Kingdom's selection. If he could not even pass the preliminaries, there was no point talking about his high ambitions.

After choosing Lian Chengyu, Zhang Yuxian turned his head and looked towards the members of the warrior preparation camp. He stared at them for five minutes before feeling a sense of disappointment.

Besides Lian Chengyu, no one else in the entire Lian tribal clan caught his eye.

He could only choose a general from among the dwarves. He reluctantly began choosing some.

Although he was ordered by his superiors to choose thirty, Zhang Yuxian had his own principles. He could not be bothered to teach those who seriously lacked talent.

"Is there no one else in the Lian tribal clan who wants to participate in the Kingdom's selection?" Zhang Yuxian's eyes swept through the commoners of the Lian tribal clan.

Coming into contact with Zhang Yuxian's glance, the people were a prudent lot. They too wanted to be given pointers from a legendary person like Zhang Yuxian. But they could not even make ends meet, so they knew no martial arts. Even if they stood forward, they would be brushed off by Zhang Yuxian.

It would only be humiliating to step forward; the entire tribe will mock his feeble attempts.

The commoners' reaction was within Lian Chengyu's expectations, he laughed saying, "Sorry for the joke displayed before the Lord, the ones who practice martial arts in the tribe are all here. As for the rest, they are commoners who are good for nothings. They are only good for agriculture and picking herbs, unsuitable for martial arts. May the Lord not pay attention to these people, may the Lord please…"

Before Lian Chengyu finished, a voice rang from the crowd, "Please let me through…"

In a moment, a growing boy holding on to a young lass had squeezed out of the crowd.

Yi Yun was originally late, so he was at the periphery of the crowd. He did not enjoy the good positions afforded to the warrior preparation camp members.

"Yun-er, you…" Jiang Xiaorou had been pulled forward before she could grasp the situation. Only when she went through the last layer of the crowd did she realize where she and Yi Yun were.

Jiang Xiaorou was dazed. This was the center of the square!

Seeing Zhang Yuxian surrounded by the Lian tribal clan's upper echelon standing in front of her, Jiang Xiaorou was momentarily lost.

And at that moment, Jiang Xiaorou felt Yi Yun release her hand, and saw him walking forward. He stopped walking only when he reached the group of warrior preparation camp members.

Jiang Xiaorou’s mouth gaped, but nothing came out of her mouth.

As for Lian Chengyu, his smile froze. All the members of the warrior preparation camp were also stunned!

Zhang Yuxian looked surprisingly at Yi Yun asking, "You want to participate?"

"Yes, milord!" said Yi Yun in a short but powerful voice.

Those words stunned the crowd into silence. Everyone looked at Yi Yun in a flabbergasted manner.

Yi Yun must be mad?

He didn't know his place. He was like a little chick and probably didn't even weigh eighty pounds. All the strongmen in the crowd who were ineligible were stronger than him by a hundred times!

Besides, Yi Yun had never practiced martial arts. He had almost died picking herbs. He couldn't even chop the firewood for the desolate bones well, and he wanted to sign up?

The men who wanted but did not dare sign up looked furiously at the young child, Yi Yun.

"This kid is creating trouble at such an occasion, does he not want to live?"

When a person sees another with courage do something he lacks the courage to do, it is often he would feel a sense of envy. Many of the commoners in the Lian tribal clan were precisely in that situation.

"Yi Yun, you little slave. How dare you show no respect for your elders. Today's situation is not one you can mess with! Get the f**k down!" Lian Chengyu did not expect a retard like Yi Yun to take such actions on such an important occasion.

Yi Yun was just a child, and he was the weakest among the children. To dare sign up for the selection, it was clearly him using Zhang Yuxian to pass time!

It was so humiliating. It could even damage his reputation in front of Zhang Yuxian. Zhang Yuxian would think that he had disciplinary troubles or that he could not even control a child.

Yi Yun took a glance at Lian Chengyu and responded to his atrocities calmly and sharply, "In the wilderness, the weak are enslaved as slaves. To put it bluntly, the weak are slaves. If my strength is weak, then it is only right to call me a slave. I will not retort that. But if one day, Young Master Lian meets a person stronger than himself, he too will become a slave. What does Young Master Lian think of that?"

Lian Chengyu's expression changed. He was furious. What was this? A little slave in the tribe dared to talk to him like that!?

If not for Zhang Yuxian, Lian Chengyu would have killed Yi Yun with a slap.

"The weak are enslaved as slaves?" Zhang Yuxian smirked. He did an unexpected glance at Yi Yun, "Interesting. To have such insight despite being born in a small tribe. You said it right. The weak are enslaved as slaves, and that is applicable to everyone. If I were to one day be subjected to someone more powerful than I, I too would become a slave."

Hearing Zhang Yuxian's words, Yi Yun was surprised. He never expected that Zhang Yuxian would openly admit that he could submit to another. This frankness may not be rare among important people, but it was seldom displayed from an important person to someone of lower stature since it was disdainful.

Zhang Yuxian's approachability surprised Yi Yun.

Lian Chengyu had to pull back his rage with Zhang Yuxian's words. An elite Jin Long Wei had already admitted so, he no longer dared say anything!

However, it did not mean that Lian Chengyu could tolerate Yi Yun causing a mess at such an occasion. He said to Zhang Yuxian, "High Ambassador, this child is named Yi Yun. He is a lowly medicine boy in our Lian tribal clan. He has no martial arts background. He's here only to use you to pass his time. I will throw him out. Please do not fault my inability to discipline my tribe and to incur ridicule on myself."

Lian Chengyu was so furious not because Yi Yun had questioned his authority, but because he had humiliated him in front of Zhang Yuxian.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yuxian did not mind. He casually pointed to a spot saying to Yi Yun, "As a child, you are surely interesting. Stand here. I will check your suitability for practicing martial arts later." noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Zhang Yuxian may have appreciated Yi Yun but he was not overly concerned. From his point of view, few people in the wilderness were suited for martial arts. Since Yi Yun dared to stand forward, he would help examine him. With Zhang Yuxian making clear his position, other than shooting a resentful glance at Yi Yun, Lian Chengyu could only remain silent.

"Thank you, milord." Yi Yun thanked him in a decent manner and stood beside the warrior preparation camp troops. Incidentally, he was standing beside Zhao Tiezhu.

This was because Zhao Tiezhu was close with Lian Chengyu, so he had become the unspoken leader of the warrior preparation camp. As such, he stood first in line among the troops. With Yi Yun coming over, he naturally ended up standing beside Zhao Tiezhu.

As a result, Yi Yun was now standing at the first position.

As for this, Zhao Tiezhu was a bit irritated. What a joke, he was of great stature and great strength, how could he be compared to this little retard?

He was planning on entering the city with a high position as part of the family of a Kingdom Knight in the future. What was there to nitpick with a retard?

"Little slave, you are here as a joke, right?" Zhao Tiezhu mocked. He was waiting to see Yi Yun make a fool out of himself.

Yi Yun could not be bothered with him, and stood there silently.

At that moment, Zhang Yuxian began his selection. No one knew what Zhang Yuxian's selection criteria was. They had all gathered their strength awaiting it.

True Martial World - Chapter 31: Preliminaries

As Yi Yun was in deep thought, someone caught his glance.

Ever since breaking into the Meridians realm, his five senses were extremely keen. He spotted Jiang Xiaorou who was looking around while tip-toeing among the tumultuous masses.

"Sis Xiaorou!" Yi Yun let out a cry.

"Yun-er!" Having seen Yi Yun, Jiang Xiaorou was pleased. "Oh, Yun-er you…"

She felt a difference in Yi Yun today, but she couldn’t quite put her thumb on it.

If one were to describe the Yi Yun of the past, it would be a submissive harmless child. The present Yi Yun was that of a smart-looking handsome young lad. Even his rag-like clothes could not suppress Yi Yun's aura of elegance.

A diamond in the rough…

Jiang Xiaorou suddenly recalled this phrase. Every good sword was hidden within a sheath, waiting for the day it would be unsheathed.

The present Yi Yun gave Jiang Xiaorou such a feeling.

However, only Jiang Xiaorou could feel that difference because she was extremely familiar with Yi Yun from their constant interaction. For people not familiar with Yi Yun, they would only find something different about him before brushing it off. After all, Yi Yun was an ill kid who was good for nothing.

"Sis Xiaorou, I'm fine," Yi Yun laughed. He knew that his aura had changed after breaking through into the Meridians realm. "Let's see what's going on."

He grabbed Jiang Xiaorou's hand naturally and pushed through the crowd. Having reached the Meridians realm, an invisible force would push the people apart with a stretch of his hand, allowing him easy passage. People who came round to figuring out what happened would only see a kid passing through.

By the time they had a response, they would think that Yi Yun's body was small, allowing him to squeeze through the masses.

…

At the center of the square, the Lian tribal clan’s upper echelon were still carefully giving the sword bearer a proper reception.

"Chengyu, give the order. Kill the cows and set up a feast!" The Patriarch waved his hand, although his heart ached.

The tribe reared a few cattle, which comprised the entire fortune of the Lian tribal clan. Although the cattle looked similar to the cattle on Earth, their strength was much greater.

In the wilderness, rocks littered the ground. Some of the rocks were black ironstone. Opening up a piece of land for agriculture was extremely difficult. Without the cattle, the Lian tribal clan would not be able to produce any food. And when that happened, the Lian tribal clan would totally rely on the Tao tribal clan for food.

Hence, in the Lian tribal clan, each cow's value was worth more than ten lives. It sounded pathetic, but that was reality. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

With the Jing Long Wei arriving in the Lian tribal clan, the tribe had to entertain the guests. However, the tribe had been tightening the belt for the refinement of the desolate bone, so there was no food left. They could only resort to killing the cattle.

The sword bearer naturally knew that the small tribes in the wilderness led tough lives. He said coolly, "You don't have to kill the cattle. I met several fierce beasts, who attacked me on the way here. I killed them and stored the meat on the near-horned beast as rations. You just need to get people to take it down and cook it."

The man may have said it without any flair, but the people of the Lian tribal clan were shocked.

In the Cloud Wilderness, there were three types of beasts that would attack humans. They were the wild beasts, fierce beasts and the desolate beasts!

Wild beasts were the most common kind of beasts. They were similar to tigers and leopards on Earth. An experienced hunter, even if they lacked martial arts would be able to capture one using traps.

As for fierce beasts, they were a power unto itself. They were comparable in strength to a Purple Blood warrior!

There were many fierce beasts in the Cloud Wilderness. In fact, the greatest threat hunters of the tribe who went out to hunt, were these fierce beasts.

Although desolate beasts were strong, but they would lay dormant in areas known as "Desolate Lands" that had dense Power of Desolates. As long as one avoided the "Desolate Lands", they would be safe.

However the proliferation of fierce beasts was too wide, it was unavoidable!

A Purple Blood realm warrior had the ability to hunt, not only because they had the ability to kill many fierce beasts, but because if they couldn't defeat one, they had no trouble escaping.

This sword bearer had crossed the wilderness and easily killed numerous fierce beasts. Such strength was very enviable!

Lian Chengyu took a deep breath and clenched his fists. The large bulging bag on the near-horned beast was clearly the meat hunted from the fierce beasts.

"One day, I would eventually have that strength, and would even far exceed that!" Lian Chengyu decided.

Hearing that they did not need to kill the cattle, the Patriarch was delighted. Still he politely said, "How can that do? We can't let a guest prepare the food. Our Lian tribal clan may be poor but…"

"Enough, you don't have to carry on. My trip here is on official business," said the sword bearer with an authoritative voice. He was not interested in the fake niceties the Lian tribal clan displayed.

"High Ambassador, please speak! Although my Lian tribal clan is nothing, it has a thousand people. If the High Ambassador has any requests that would need us, please speak your mind!" The Patriarch spoke humbly without any vexation from having his words cut off. He knew that a member of the Jing Long Wei would not come to such a worthless place like the Lian tribal clan.

The man said, "Recently, the Cloud Wilderness had a huge event. And the location of the Lian tribal clan happens to be within the area of the event! The Jing Long Wei is here for that reason."

As the man's voice tapered off, the Patriarch's expression changed. Something happened in the Cloud Wilderness?

Furthermore, from the tone of his words, he was just one of the many Jing Long Wei members who had come.

An event that could be considered great by the Jing Long Wei was something the Lian tribal clan could not even fathom. He did not know if it was a blessing or curse for the Lian tribal clan to be within the event's area of influence.

If they got engulfed by such a big matter, the ant-like existence of the Lian tribal clan would be extinguished without a sound.

Seeing the Patriarch's expression, the man said coolly, "This matter shouldn't involve you. However, there will be plenty of people passing the vicinities of your tribe. There may be many big shots among them. It's best not to offend them."

"Yes, I will keep what the High Ambassador said in mind," said the Patriarch with a nod.

The man carried on, "My visit to the Lian tribal clan was a matter of convenience. My superiors have ordered me to give you some pointers in preparation for the soon-to-be Kingdom's selection!"

Having said that, the man turned towards the tribe. His voice was loud and clear even five kilometers away.

Momentarily, the rambunctious crowd was silenced.

"My name is Zhang Yuxian. Remember well. My visit here to the Lian tribal clan is to choose thirty youngsters below the age of twenty-eight as my temporary disciples. I will give pointers on your stances and techniques!"

"I will only be here for about three to five days. You will need to work hard. If you understand the content I teach, you will definitely pass the Kingdom's selection!"

The Lian tribal clan held their breath the moment Zhang Yuxian said those words.

The Kingdom's selection!

It was tied to their future. The entire tribe had burnt their bridges to ensure that Lian Chengyu passed the warrior selection!

The members of the warrior preparation camp were especially excited. They were so excited that they had trouble breathing.

An expert from the Jing Long Wei actually came to their Lian tribal clan to give them pointers on their skills and techniques. This was such a good opportunity!

They did not harbor any hope at passing the Kingdom's selection, but if they received Zhang Yuxian's pointers, and learned an advanced skill from the Jing Long Wei, it would aid them in their future growth!

When Lian Chengyu eventually passed the Kingdom's selection and entered the city, those who were stronger could win themselves riches!

"The thirty people will be chosen by me. The participants of the Kingdom's selection will also be chosen from those thirty! In other words, those not chosen by me will not be qualified to participate in the Kingdom's selection!" After hearing Zhang Yuxian's words, Yi Yun suddenly understood. This Zhang Yuxian was the kingdom selection's first examiner.

The Kingdom's selection was rarely held in the Cloud Wilderness. There was a lack of resources in the Cloud Wilderness, so the warriors' average strength was low. Since the population distribution was sparse, it was difficult to hold an examination. To ensure that all the tribes could participate in an examination would involve large amounts of manpower and resources.

So having an experienced elite Jing Long Wei member like Zhang Yuxian do a preliminary selection would save a lot of time!

"Now, all those who wish to become a temporary disciple of mine by participating in a three day training period, and wish to participate in the Kingdom's selection, step forward. I will choose thirty!" A commotion arose the moment Zhang Yuxian finished his sentence.

The members of the warrior preparation camp were the first to lunge forward with all their might.

Those who knew how to read the attitudes like Zhao Tiezhu first looked at Lian Chengyu for approval before they squeezed forward to be before Zhang Yuxian.

In a short moment, the entire warrior preparation camp's members had stood forward.

There were about sixty people in the warrior preparation camp, and those who matched the age requirement numbered about forty.

Zhang Yuxian was only going to choose thirty, which meant there would be about a dozen people who would be eliminated! noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

The weaker members of the warrior preparation camp became nervous, afraid they would be brushed off by Zhang Yuxian.

True Martial World - Chapter 30: Jing Long Wei

 Having broken into the Meridian realm, the world seemed different to Yi Yun.

He did not need to use the Purple Crystal Origins to perceive the ubiquitous Yuan Qi in this world. This Yuan Qi was like the air; it would enter his body with each breath and be exhausted from his pores. This subtly changed Yi Yun's physique.

Heaven Earth Yuan Qi had a higher grade of energy than food.

Normal people ate grains, but a cultivator could use the Heaven Earth Yuan Qi as their energy source. Upon reaching a certain level, they could avoid eating grains completely.

In ancient China, "Zhuang Zi–A Happy Excursion" contained records of people "not eating the five grains, but sucks the wind and drinks the dew".

It meant that a person could survive solely on the energies provided by the Heaven and Earth, losing the need to eat the five grains. Such a survival method allowed a person's body to be purer. With fewer impurities, they could also live longer.

The ancients held this state in high esteem, so there was plenty of documentation in the ancient books.

Of course, Yi Yun was still far from the state of avoiding grains. Yi Yun felt that even if he had reached the state where he could avoid grains, he felt that he would never succumb to that state.

On Earth, Yi Yun was a glutton, erm...that lacks sophistication. It should be said that Yi Yun was a food connoisseur — yes, a food connoisseur. The former was a symbol of laziness and gluttony, while the latter was for someone who could enjoy the beauties of life.

Yi Yun not only enjoyed eating, he was also a good cook. He had lived alone for a long time on Earth. Although his dishes were not comparable to a top chef, his home-cooking was absolutely delicious.

If Yi Yun had worked hard to build a career after two years, with his looks and culinary skills, he would be an extremely eligible bachelor in the eyes of women.

Unfortunately, having crossed worlds, he had to start from scratch. In the poor and sufferable Lian tribal clan, Yi Yun could not display his culinary skills.

Yi Yun could only hope that he would lead a good life in the future. He would set up a table of delicacies to reward himself. As for avoiding grain, sucking the wind, and drinking the dew, all of that could go to hell. Such a way of living was terrifying. If he could not satisfy his tastebuds, wouldn't that be a great loss in the pleasures of life?

Having arrived in this strange world for a month, the only meat Yi Yun had seen was that piece of bacon. Although it tasted bad, it was still meat. With the bacon finished, there was only coarse grain porridge. Yi Yun's tastebuds were crying in dissatisfaction.

Of course, under his conditions, Yi Yun could only endure the gut-wrenching hunger, and replenish his energy using the desolate bone essence.

Thankfully, the desolate bone essence tasted great.

Since the Lian tribal clan has withheld the food, leaving no food for me, I'll eat their desolate bone essence!

After all, he had already decided to absorb the desolate bone essence clean. Yi Yun was not planning to stand on ceremony and decided to absorb as much essence as he wanted today with the aid of the Purple Crystal's capabilities.

It was what Yi Yun had always been doing, but there was a disruption in his plans today.

At dawn, Yi Yun realized that the tribe was extremely lively when he returned to the village.

The young and old from the tribe had come out of their houses. They had gathered in the square in front of the Patriarch's compound, causing the tiny square to be filled with people.

In the midst of the crowd, there was a massive object about the size of a hill.

Yi Yun focused on it and was surprised. That small hill like object was a huge beast!

This...

Yi Yun was stunned, how could such a huge beast appear in the Lian tribal clan? Looking at the head of the beast, it was absolutely mighty. One such beast could easily level the entire Lian tribal clan!

But with so many people crowding around it, the huge beast clearly was not on the offensive, cohabiting with the Lian tribe in that small space peacefully.

Oh?

Yi Yun's mind suddenly flashed, "This beast..."

He recalled to the day he had crossed into this world. He had seen a huge beast running in the wilderness while returning home with Jiang Xiaorou!

That beast was about ten meters long, with sharp fangs and muscular limbs that resembled metal pillars. Its running speed was extremely fast.

And on the back of that monster was a man, who had a sword slung on his back. That man's aura was commanding and extremely terrifying.

That scene had left a deep impression on Yi Yun. After all, being an earthling, such a scene was extremely shocking.

And now, this huge beast in the square looked identical to that beast running through the fields. It might even be the same beast!

Yi Yun suddenly understood that someone important had arrived in the Lian tribal clan. This huge beast was the VIP's mount!

How could Yi Yun miss such an important matter? He flew quickly towards the square.

En route, Yi Yun saw the villagers celebrating, as if it were the new year.

Yi Yun also listened in to the conversations. These conversations made Yi Yun's heart race.

The owner of the huge beast was a member of the Jing Long Wei 1  !

The Jing Long Wei was the elite military division of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. The levels of the leading members were above the Purple Blood realm!

With the basic units comprised of Purple Blood warriors, the Jing Long Wei’s battle prowess was unbeatable!

The person who founded the Jing Long Wei was the founding emperor of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. Back then, the Tai Ah Emperor led the Jing Long Wei across the lands, laying the foundation of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom.

This overwhelming division, the Jing Long Wei carried on its legacy till now, for an unknown number of generations.

Chosen personnels at the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom warrior selection would enter the Jing Long Wei reserves. They would first cultivate in the reserves, and after passing the evaluations, they could become an official member. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

But it was extremely difficult to pass the evaluations. If they failed the final evaluation, they would be sent to the regular army. It will then end their journey towards being an elite member of the Jing Long Wei.

"If he's a Jing Long Wei member, then that is to say this person who came to our tribe must be at least a Purple Blood warrior."

A Purple Blood warrior from the Jing Long Wei was totally different in battle prowess from a Purple Blood warrior born from the Cloud Wilderness.

In actual fact, the Jing Long Wei member who came to the Lian tribal clan was an expert at the peak of the Purple Blood realm.

Having reached such a level, and having been well honed in the Jing Long Wei, his battle prowess was unmatchable. He was an elite warrior of the Jing Long Wei!

For such a person who came to the vast wilderness, even the Patriarch of a large tribe with a hundred-thousand-strong population would have to bow respectfully.

To the Lian tribal clan, such a status was terrifying.

As such, the upper echelon of the Lian Chengyu went all out. Lian Chengyu and the Patriarch put on their biggest smiles while leading the welcoming party.

Yi Yun had also seen it clearly. The man was the same man he had seen when he first arrived into this strange world. He had a commanding aura, and exerted a pressure even from afar.

"It's indeed him!" Yi Yun's mind began to light up. This was the second time meeting him.

Having met him just after tunneling into this world, it was definitely not a coincidence.

Thinking it through, ever since he came into this world, and from his understanding of the Cloud Wilderness, he knew that the Cloud Wilderness, and especially the Lian tribal clan, was a poor tribe that no expert would ever bother with.

That is to say, as an elite of the Jing Long Wei, he must have had his reasons for staying around the Lian tribal clan for such a long period. But what could be the reason?

...

True Martial World - Chapter 29: Opening up the Meridians

As the days went by, the Lian tribal clan's back mountain was dotted with Yi Yun's footsteps.

Yi Yun would refine the bones at night, peek at the warrior preparation camp in the morning, and then spend the rest of the day in the back mountain cultivating. Only at dusk did he return home to sleep for two hours.

Yi Yun's cultivation was extremely tough, but it also caused his strength to jump leaps and bounds.

The back mountain was separated a distance from the herb mountain, and since his location was very far from the village, few people ever came here in the day. At night, there wasn't even a shadow, so Yi Yun could train at ease.

Fifteen days later—

"Ha!" Yi Yun roared, as his body shot up like an arrow into the sky. He had leaped past a ten-meter-high rock!

With the air ringing in his ears, every joint in Yi Yun's body cracked loudly like a dragon or tiger's roar!

"Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain!" Yi Yun kept his body taut with his feet pressed against his hip, before sending a punch flying out!

"Twang!"

Yi Yun's body emitted a clear sound; it was the sound of a strong bow's twang. Yi Yun’s tendons had made the noise! Compared to Yao Yuan, this sound was even more intense!

"Ka-cha!"

A huge rock crumbled in front of Yi Yun as he smashed through it with a punch!

Spider web-like cracks appeared throughout the rock!

This was no ordinary rock, but one made of black ironstone. It was stronger than ordinary rocks, but today it had been smashed by Yi Yun's punch.

"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!" In the forest, several birds flew away in fright. All the bugs and frogs quieted immediately due to the shock!

At that moment, the entire mountain was silent. Only leaves and bird feathers fell to the ground, or onto Yi Yun's head and shoulders.

Thunder Occurring in the Nine Clouds, Surprise Bow Drops Flock!

My fists have reached such a state!

Currently when Yi Yun exerted all his energies, his joints would crack loudly like the sound of thunder. As for Surprise Bow Drops Flock, it would only be possible for a lone injured goose. Because even a nine-shi strongbow would have trouble intimidating a flock to drop.

A casual movement of Yi Yun's body issued "Ka Ka Ka" sounds. His bones were well forged like metal and his tendons were as strong as dragon ribs!

"My current level has been fully consolidated. It's time to attempt at opening my channels, and enter the fourth realm of Meridians!" The human body had meridians, but ordinary people did not have their meridians opened, so they were unable to complete a circulation to accommodate the Yuan Qi from the Heaven and Earth. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

When a warrior practiced the arts, he would attempt to clear his meridians after his body was completely trained. It was the first step on the path of martial arts.

A human's channels consisted of twelve regular meridians and eight special meridians.

The twelve regular meridians spread throughout a person's limbs. They were the three arm yin meridians (lung, pericardium, heart), three arm yang meridians (large intestine, triple burner, small intestine), three leg yang meridians (stomach, gall bladder, bladder), and three leg yin meridians (spleen, liver, kidney).

As for the eight special meridians, they spread throughout the body. The most two important special meridians were the conception and governor vessels.

The position of the conception and governor vessels is in the central axis line of a person, and will be seen as a straight line from the front.

The conception vessel is located in the front, while the governor vessel is in the back. The two lines circle into a bundle in a person's body, passing through the dantian and huiyin. Like two ropes that passed through a person's crotch, they held up a person's body.

There were broken channels between the conception and governor vessels. When the conception and governor vessels was opened up, the broken channels would heal up, forming a central expressway for a person's energy to fully circulate. So to be able to open up the conception and governor vessels was an important step to opening up the entire body's meridians.

In the wuxia novels that Yi Yun had previously read, there were multiple ways to open the conception and governor vessels.

For example, in the famous novel, ‘The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber’, Zhang Wuji used the 'Heaven and Earth Great Shift' to open up his meridians. On the other hand, Xuzhu opened up his meridians by inheriting the powers of Li Qiushui and Tonglao.

Including the ancient medical books, there were multiple records on how to open up the conception and governor vessels. The moment the conception and governor vessels were opened, a person would be rejuvenated, and enjoy a boost in power.

The perfect outcome of the meridians would pave the way for a higher realm of martial arts in the future.

Yi Yun crossed his legs and sat down. He began to accumulate his energies to open up his meridians!

As long as he opened up his meridians, Yi Yun's strength would be about the same level as a peerless expert from those wuxia novels.

In ancient China, he would be able to walk up walls, settle any grievances, and behead the general of an entire enemy division.

There were two ways to open up the conception and governor vessels. One was to rely on external help, while the other was to depend on him.

In the novels, there would be peerless experts helping the protagonist to open up the conception and governor vessels, causing the protagonist to increase in strength. This was also known as "power transfer".

It may be fast, but it was not the proper way. It was better to cultivate by himself.

Of course Yi Yun chose the second method of opening up his meridians by himself.

Written in the "Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist" was a way to open up the meridians. By sitting cross-legged, every breath should be made as long as possible.

Once a warrior reaches the third level of Mortal Blood, their breaths would mix with the energy accumulated in their body causing a circulation that spread like fire!

Yi Yun consciously sent that energy to his dantian, and compressed it!

Again and again, Yi Yun's body was filled with energy. His breaths increased in speed, but each breath was deeper than the last.

Obtaining the essence of the Sun and Moon, and breathing in the Heaven Earth Yuan Qi!

If someone looked from a distance, they could see Yi Yun's body engulfed in a thin layer of faint light.

Especially Yi Yun's chest there was a purple light concentrated there, which slowly spread throughout his body.

This was the light the Purple Crystal Origins emitted after absorbing the Yuan Qi from the surroundings. When Yi Yun breathed out, the Purple Crystal in his heart would absorb the energies from the surroundings, helping to finish Yi Yun’s effort towards opening his meridians.

Slowly, the purple light surrounding Yi Yun grew denser. This purple light resembled the ancient Chinese legends of "Purple Air Comes From The East", a symbol of a saint!

With the energy accumulated time and time again, Yi Yun's body began to make sounds resembling the roars of dragons and tigers. His blood flow was like a mighty stream, flowing without restraint!

With each breath, the air around Yi Yun swirled rapidly. It was as astonishing as a whale sucking in water.

"Phew–Phew–Phew–" Yi Yun's breaths became heavier and heavier. Every breath would muster up his body, his body was like a boat being roughed up by the waves.

As his body moved up and down, the energy in Yi Yun's body began to condense.

His tendons began to emit twang-like sounds, while his skin was like blown up leather. His bones emitted popping sounds.

When this accumulated to its extremes, Yi Yun felt his body about to explode. He controlled his energy and sent the heat flow towards his dantian, wave after wave, as if they were crashing on the rocks!

Yi Yun slowly began to approach his limit. When the small vessels on the surface of his body were about to burst, he heard a "boom". With Yi Yun in the center, energy exploded out. The rock Yi Yun was sitting on cracked, and the trees in a five-meter radius broke!

Yi Yun felt his body go limp. His nostrils, ears were all bleeding. But this wasn't fresh blood but black blood. Including Yi Yun's pores, a greyish sweat pulp oozed out.

It's done.

Fourth level of Mortal Blood—Meridians!

Yi Yun knew that he had finally opened up his meridians, and had become equal to a hero from a wuxia novel.

When Yi Yun read wuxia novels in his youth, he had often dreamed of becoming a handsome gallant, walking up walls, upholding justice and settling grievances.

As for today, he had finally obtained that power.

However, in this strange world, the energy was much richer than on Earth. Opening up the conception and governor vessels on Earth would make one a peerless master, but that would be because Earth did not have the "Heaven Earth Yuan Qi".

But in this world, not only was there Heaven Earth Yuan Qi, there was also Power of Desolates, psychic powers and other mysterious energies Yi Yun was still unable to understand. These energies were as powerful as the nuclear powers on Earth.

These energies could be used by him, so the fourth stage of Mortal Blood, Meridians was just infant steps on the path of martial arts.

Yi Yun leaped up from the ground. He could clearly see and feel his surroundings. He knew everything that occurred within a ten-foot radius, every rustle of the leaves and every squirm of a worm was heard loud and clear.

He could count the number of leaves that had dropped in front of him with a glance. There were thirty-two leaves!

With a clear awareness and a sharp mind, many martial artist experts had an eidetic memory. This was a result of their meridians opening up resulting in an improvement of their brain's capabilities!

After all, the conception and governor vessels cycle through the brain. With energy passing through the brain, it improves a person's memory and reactions.

"It feels awesome. So awesome!" Having undergone a body transformation, Yi Yun was extremely delighted. He had perfectly broken through into the fourth level of Mortal Blood's Meridians. Not only that, he had experienced another round of marrow cleansing.

Mortals eat all sorts of grains causing their bodies to be filled with impurities. Before reaching the Purple Blood realm, it was a necessity to undergo a round of marrow cleansing.

The more thorough a marrow cleansing was, the better it was. Yi Yun having gone through it twice, had less dirt than the previous time.

Yi Yun undressed himself and jumped into the plunge basin for a bath. He dived dozens of meters deep, and held his breath underwater for about twenty minutes before swimming back up.

"Puah!" Yi Yun emerged out of the water like a giant carp, creating an explosion of water droplets!

He was buck-naked. Without any change of clothes, Yi Yun wore his old damp clothes.

This set of clothes was soaked with water. It stuck to Yi Yun's body, clearly outlining the firm curves of his body.

After days of arduous practice, Yi Yun's muscles had grown firmer, and his body shape was getting better by the day. He had also grown taller, becoming a handsome young lad.

Yi Yun gave off a brand new aura after breaking into the Meridians realm. He stood on a large rock, with his body like a sheathed sword. He had an overpowering presence. Under the soft moonlight, it illuminated Yi Yun's delicate skin, making it shimmer like mercury.

Such a young lad no longer looked like a poor kid who had nothing to eat.

He was like a diamond in the rough, but had already shown the inkling of his beautiful luster. The clothes he wore could only be described as "rags", but it could not conceal his shimmering aura.

True Martial World - Chapter 28: Faking

With the Blood Thinning Pill handed out, all the men who had contracted "typhoid" recovered by the next day.

Having received the elixir and bacon, they were naturally extremely grateful, and worked even harder to refine the desolate bone.

Of course, Yi Yun was one of them. His "recovery" was the fastest for he simply needed to wipe off the fake sweat—water he had sprayed on his face.

As such, Yi Yun headed to the grain-sunning ground the next morning as if full of energy,

After this bout of illness, Yi Yun and the group changed from the night shift to the day shift. This suited Yi Yun's wishes since he could no longer learn much more from Yao Yuan's "Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist". Yao Yuan was not planning to teach the remaining stances, but the first few stances was enough to occupy Yi Yun for a period of time.

Refining the desolate bone in the day, and practicing in the back mountains at night made it more covert.

"Kiddo Yun, is your body feeling better?" asked the auntie from next door. She had seen Yi Yun skipping down the road, as if he had excessive energy.

"Auntie Wang, I'm totally fine! Thanks to Young Master Lian's elixir! Young Master Lian is such a great person!" smiled Yi Yun, with a look of gratitude. As he went down the road, he boasted to others about the effectiveness of the Blood Thinning Pill.

"That's great, that's great!" Auntie Wang said as she saw Yi Yun's energy, knowing that he had fully recovered.

For an adult like Yi Yun, it was pretty awkward for him to skip down the road, but he was after all a twelve-year-old child in the eyes of others.

The age of twelve was when kids were the most playful. Yi Yun was "noticed" by Lian Chengyu because Lian Chengyu had felt he was too mature, unlike a child.

A twelve year old had to behave like a twelve year old. If he acted as one occasionally, it would reassure people that nothing was out of the norm.

"My family's man wanted to brew that bone soup thingy, but too bad he was not able to. Kiddo Yun, you sure are lucky." Auntie Wang said with envy.

"Ha ha, Auntie Wang, There's still some bacon left from the one I received. I'll give you a piece tonight." Yi Yun said casually; he did not cherish this piece of bacon that were coveted by all these poor commoners.

Actually, Yi Yun had cut a small piece from the bacon to feed a dog. Of course, that dog did not belong to Yi Yun's family for a poor family did not have the means to rear a dog. Even if they did, the dog would have long been slaughtered and eaten.

In the entire Lian tribal clan, only the warrior preparation camp reared a few dogs. All of these dogs were hunting dogs. As there were few wild beasts near the wonderland, searching for rabbits without hunting dogs would be no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.

Yi Yun had fed the meat to the dogs because he was worried that Lian Chengyu had poisoned the bacon. Although it was unlikely, Yi Yun had to be cautious.

After seeing that the dog was all right, Yi Yun then allowed Jiang Xiaorou to use the meat for cooking.

Yi Yun had not enjoyed the taste of meat for ages. However, the taste of the bacon wasn't great, as it had been cured far too long. The meat was hard and tasted like wood. It only tasted salty and lacked the fragrance of meat.

But for such a piece of bacon, Jiang Xiaorou had insisted on leaving it for Yi Yun, and refused to eat it. Yi Yun took a lot of effort to convince Jiang Xiaorou to have a small bite.

Yi Yun did not eat much himself. He even hung the remaining meat on the wall.

Yi Yun was aiming for the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom warrior selection in two months, so he was not concerned about this tasteless piece of bacon. He had heard from Jiang Xiaorou that Auntie Wang from next door had taken care of them in the past, especially in the years after Yi Yun's mother had passed away. Jiang Xiaorou was always out of food before the ration distribution, and if not for Auntie Wang giving them some food, they would have long since starved to death.

It was a great, kind debt. After all, few people would give their food to others in this world. It was much more difficult than lending money on Earth.

Hence, giving this piece of bacon to Auntie Wang was fitting.

"How…How can you. Kiddo Yun, you and your sister are undergoing puberty, it was hard for you to obtain this meat. Auntie can't accept it!" Auntie Wang said firmly, giving mixed feelings to Yi Yun.

In this poor and backward tribe, although there were many obstinate citizens and wicked people, there were people like Auntie Wang who thought of others even when they were starving.

Such a land could actually produce all kinds of people.

"Auntie Wang, Xiaoke is also in the growing stage. Even if you don't eat it, Xiaoke would need it too." Auntie Wang's child, Zhou Xiaoke was about the same age as Yi Yun. When they were young, she used to follow Yi Yun all around.

With Xiaoke growing up and full of life, together with Yi Yun's resurrection, the two had interacted a lot less.

"Auntie, say no more. I'm going to brew the bone soup." Yi Yun did not wait for Auntie Wang's reply before running away.

"This kid!" Auntie Wang shook her head, but a happy smile plastered her face.

In the Lian tribal clan's Patriarch compound, Lian Chengyu was standing in the middle of the granite courtyard, practicing his boxing.

He wore a loose practice suit. This practice suit was made of a rare silk fabric uncommonly found in the Lian tribal clan. It was very expensive. This practice suit was smooth and soft to the touch, and was extremely comfortable when worn.

Lian Chengyu walked in circles with varying speeds. When he was slow, he was like an old man exercising in the morning, but when he was fast, he was like a cheetah hunting a prey.

Through it all, Lian Chengyu's eyes were focused on his fingertips. His arms were like a snake sliding through the woods, making it difficult to determine where he would launch his attack .

Zhao Tiezhu stood silently by the side, waiting for Lian Chengyu to finish his practice.

After about half an hour, Lian Chengyu was finally done.

He held his hands by his waist and spit out a breath arrow. This arrow flew far without dissipating.

Spitting out a breath arrow was the symbol of the Vigor realm, but Lian Chengyu's breath was no longer a simple Vigor realm's breath. It was powered from the Mortal Blood's fifth level, Qi Gatherer. Lian Chengyu was able to gather the Yuan Qi from the environment into his body, so the air he spit out was not only air, but also consisted of Yuan Qi!

"Fabulous! It's absolutely fabulous!" shouted Zhao Tiezhu as he saw Lian Chengyu finish. His eyes lit up as he began to kiss ass.

"This strength, this skill, in the warrior selection in two months, Young Master will definitely become a Kingdom Knight of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom!" Zhao Tiezhu began his flattery once again. Lian Chengyu's strength was indeed not bad. For him to have that ambition, he had to have the means to do so. He had reached the fifth level of Mortal Blood the previous year, so the few punches he displayed were reminiscent of a master's.

"Cut the crap, how is the refining of the desolate bone?"

"Everything is going as per normal! It has to be normal!" said Zhao Tiezhu as he patted his chest. "Those cheap people were extremely grateful after receiving Young Master's bacon and drugs. They wish they could refine the bones all day!"

"Hmm…Give them some of the herbal dregs then," said Lian Chengyu casually. The herbal dregs were of no more value to him. Suddenly, Lian Chengyu asked, "Right, what happened to that Yi Yun?"

"Yi Yun…" Zhao Tiezhu gave a look of disdain. "That kid fell sick a few days ago and had diarrhea, and was covered with sweat. The entire house stank. He was no different from a beggar."

"If not for Young Master's mercy, he would have long died without the elixir! Lowly me followed Young Master's instructions and saw with my own eyes that the kid swallowed the pill. But thankfully, that kid still has some conscience. These few days he had been going around singing praises of Young Master, saying that he could recover all thanks to Young Master's medicine!"

"This…" Lian Chengyu's mouth formed into a gentle arc after listening to Zhao Tiezhu's narration.

This tribe of cheap lives, each more foolish than the preceding one. He thought that there were a few clever ones in the tribe like Yi Yun, but it seemed as though he had worried too much.

It was good, them being dumb allowed him to cover up any incidents in the future.

"Make sure to keep watch. The nearer we are to the end, the more we need to ensure that nothing goes wrong with the refining of the desolate bone. If it's refined successfully, I'll reward you greatly. If anything wrong happens, you will pay with your head!" Lian Chengyu said the last word with great killing intent, scaring Zhao Tiezhu into nodding incessantly.

"Young Master, don't worry. This servant will keep watch day and night, I will ensure that nothing goes wrong!"

…

Zhao Tiezhu hurried to the grain-sunning ground in a flurry. Yi Yun was still chopping wood in his usual unhurried manner. Yi Yun secretly smiled when he saw Zhao Tiezhu. It was true that an idiot could do no harm. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"What are you looking at, get to work! Are you looking to die!?" Zhao Tiezhu roared and threw a big bag. When the bag was opened, out came a huge pile of herbal dregs.

These were the remnants after Lian Chengyu finished soaking his body in.

"This herbal dregs are a reward for you. The necessary supplementary drugs are in there too. Take them back and boil it in water. Soak your body in it while it's still hot, and it will benefit you much. Damn it, you guys really have it good!" Zhao Tiezhu swore as he said those words. The men's eyes lit up after hearing it. They rushed to grab the herbal dregs.

Of course, Yi Yun did not get any. Even if it was given to Yi Yun, he would not have wanted it. That was the bathwater of Lian Chengyu after all, would he want to soak in the leftover bathwater? What a joke!

Yi Yun still did the motions of lunging forward. When he did not get any, he just sighed.

Seeing Yi Yun having such a slow response, and appearing dim-witted, Zhao Tiezhu could not help but laugh. This idiot could not do anything even when in a hurry, what else could he do? He deserved starving to death!

Zhao Tiezhu left, as the men carried on refining the desolate bones. The refinement process was to brew the desolate bones' essence in the Li Fire Water, and then evaporate all the Li Fire Water, allowing the dissolved essence to crystalize.

The Li Fire Water's boiling point was extremely high, so it was not easy to evaporate it away. Countless amounts of firewood had been burnt. The men in charge of the refinement had their skin grilled red.

But Yi Yun was an exception. His skin was still like a baby's bottom and his cheeks were rosy. This rosiness was not a result of the fire, but from the absorbing of the desolate bone's essence. Because he was well-nourished, his healthy body displayed a healthy pink.

As Yi Yun looked at Zhao Tiezhu's back, he glanced at the huge cauldron. Again he had satiated his appetite, and could not wait to go "rampant" on the back mountain.

His body was full, but his fist was unable to endure the thirst!

True Martial World - Chapter 27: Sick

Yi Yun absorbed the desolate bone's energy at night, filling up his energy reserves. In the day, he would spy on the warrior preparation camp's practicing, secretly listening in on Yao Yuan's teaching of "Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist".

The warrior preparation camp was not a restricted area. It was common for people to come and go. As long as Yi Yun was careful, he would not be discovered.

After learning the skills, Yi Yun would go to the back mountain to cultivate. He would digest the energy from the desolate bone, fusing it into his body. Such a cultivation rhythm was perfect.

Within days, Yi Yun's Thunderous realm became more and more stable. He could stay underwater for twenty-five minutes, almost as long as a dolphin.

About a month before the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom warrior selection, a man who was refining the bones with Yi Yun fell sick.

Although Yi Yun had absorbed as much of the toxic blue light energies as he could, there were still some light dots that entered the bodies of others. Unfortunately, the leftover blue dots still caused them to contract the so-called “typhoid”.

After the first person fell sick, Yi Yun also "fell sick", and his "sickness" was extremely serious.

Yi Yun could no longer refine the desolate bone. According to Jiang Xiaorou, he had diarrhea, was pale in the face, and was extremely weak. Jiang Xiaorou had to take leave on his behalf as he was bedridden.

Zhao Tiezhu strained his ears to finish hearing Jiang Xiaorou's description. A delightful sense of schadenfreude engulfed him as he broke into a smile, "Oh my, diarrhea? Pale in the face? Extremely weak? Tsk tsk tsk, wasn't he pretty hardy? How could he be bedridden this time?"

Zhao Tiezhu said it with an eccentric voice. Jiang Xiaorou face turned cold, as if in a rage. But in fact, she was just acting. She obviously knew that Yi Yun was fine, and that he was just feigning sickness.

"Your brother was originally a weakling. Even if he died, it wouldn't be a big deal. But Young Master Lian sure has a good heart, and he has handed me the pills!" Zhao Tiezhu said as he reluctantly pulled out a red pill from his hip.

Zhao Tiezhu had no intention of giving Yi Yun the pill. He could only wish for Yi Yun's death, but he did not know why Lian Chengyu had high appraisals for Yi Yun, and specifically gave him the pill to pass to Yi Yun. He was to make sure that Yi Yun ate the pill.

Did Young Master Lian really think that highly of the little bastard?

Zhao Tiezhu felt upset thinking of this.

"Young Master Lian is such a good person!"

"Young Master Lian is too kind!"

During that period of time, as the men refining the desolate bone fell ill one after another, many people had gathered to obtain a pill. Having seen Zhao Tiezhu take out the legendary pill that could bring people back from the dead to give to Yi Yun, the people began to sing praises of Lian Chengyu.

These people had previously thought Lian Chengyu would ignore them. But seeing that a useless lad like Yi Yun could receive a pill, they believed that their strongman at home would also receive one.

Furthermore, the bulging bag Zhao Tiezhu held in his other hand looked like it contained bacon. These people became even more agitated. The situation had put the crowd in a nearly uncontrollable frenzy.

"Lord Zhao, my man in the house has fallen sick too!"

"Lord Zhao, my child's father is seriously ill. He has been vomiting for three days!"

A crowd gathered around Zhao Tiezhu hoping for a pill, and some bacon. Their eyes were full of hope. They were almost about to kowtow to Zhao Tiezhu.

Zhao Tiezhu was pleased for he enjoyed being praised by a crowd of people. He found Young Master Lian too soft hearted. Giving such precious pills and bacon to these poor commoners was such a waste!

Zhao Tiezhu had originally wanted to secretly eat a pill, but Lian Chengyu had warned him previously, so he had to give up on that thought. The fact that he had to personally deliver the pill to that monkey Yi Yun upset Zhao Tiezhu tremendously.

"Stop making a fuss! As long as you are really ill, there will be something for you!" Zhao Tiezhu opened up the cloth bag, and after accounting for the number of people, handed out the pills and bacon.

Everyone who received a pill and bacon gave endless thanks, "Thank you Lord Zhao! Thank you Lord Zhao!"

"What are you thanking me for. You should thank Young Master Lian. Young Master Lian will remember your sacrifice to the tribe. As long as you work hard refining the bones, Young Master Lian and the tribe will not let you down."

Zhao Tiezhu said it with a sense of achievement. He had the illusion that he was representing the Lian tribal clan‘s upper echelon. In fact, at that moment, Zhao Tiezhu felt like he was one of the upper echelon of the Lian tribal clan.

"Yes, yes. Thank you Young Master Lian," as some of the people knelt down and kowtowed towards the Patriarch's compound.

Zhao Tiezhu was pleased with the outcome. He had distributed most of the pills and bacon. There were two pieces of bacon left: the biggest and smallest pieces.

Of course the biggest piece was left for himself. The moment Lian Chengyu had allowed him to distribute the bacon, he had reserved the largest piece for himself.

There was a count of the number of pieces of bacon, so it was a problem if there was one less. The solution was to cut out a small piece from the second largest piece of bacon.

Of course, this piece was the smallest piece of bacon. He gave this smallest piece of bacon to Jiang Xiaorou.

"This is yours." Zhao Tiezhu said it straight.

"You…" Seeing the tiny piece of bacon, Jiang Xiaorou knew Zhao Tiezhu had done it on purpose. However, she knew that it was pointless to argue, so she accepted the piece of bacon.

Yun-er had not had meat in a long while.

"How's your brother?" said Zhao Tiezhu lazily as he kept the largest piece of bacon.

“Didn’t I tell you earlier!?” replied Jiang Xiaorou sharply.

"Hehe, let me follow you back. What can I do? I have a good heart and I care for the citizens," said Zhao Tiezhu as he made a division between himself and the commoners. The word "citizens" was extremely irksome to the ears.

As for why he wanted to see Yi Yun was partly due to Lian Chengyu's instructions, or he couldn't care less. Zhao Tiezhu did not understand why Lian Chengyu was taking such good care of the little monkey.

Actually, Lian Chengyu had only said it to Zhao Tiezhu casually, and did not take it to heart. He had aspirations higher than the sky, to become one who lords above all, and enjoy endless riches. Why would he bother about some small character like Yi Yun?

He was just curious why Yi Yun had not died all this while.

He had fallen off a cliff when picking herbs the first time. He was even able to dig himself out after being buried.

The second time was when he had secretly transmitted a fatal Yuan Qi into Yi Yun's body, but Yi Yun still did not die.

Lian Chengyu wanted to know that with the refining of the desolate bones—the desolate bone's frost poison together with the toxicity of the Blood Thinning Pills, could Yi Yun still survive it?

To Lian Chengyu, Yi Yun was like a cockroach. Although a cockroach was small and weak, it had an extremely tenacious vitality. Even after being squashed with its organs bursting and losing the capacity to move, a cockroach could still survive a day or two without food and water.

Yi Yun was similar. Although he was so weak, he had survived numerous death experiences.

"Peng!"

The yard door was kicked open. Jiang Xiaorou asked with a crisp angry voice, "What are you doing!"

"Haha, to see your brother." Zhao Tiezhu strutted in and saw Yi Yun lying on the bed.

Yi Yun's face was covered in sweat. His hair was wet and sticking to his forehead. There was a pot that seemed to contain vomit, emitting a foul stench. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Damn it, it's noxious!" Zhao Tiezhu pinched his nose and passed the Blood Thinning Pill to Yi Yun, "I don't really know how you lucked out for you to get special treatment from Young Master Lian. You look worse than a beggar of beggars. Looking at you makes me feel sick. Quickly eat this pill!"

Yi Yun picked up the Blood Thinning Pill on his blanket with a deadpan expression. Jiang Xiaorou rushed forward with a bowl of water.

When Yi Yun held the Blood Thinning Pill, he could feel the energetic properties of the pill.

There were pathetic amounts of energy in it. It did not contain any valuable herbs, but contained a very poisonous substance.

A good pill contained energy within it. The pill's medicinal essence would spread through the body when a person consumes it. It will then naturally heal injuries, giving the person a new lease of life.

But a bad pill like the Blood Thinning Pill contained nearly no energy. It used the toxic substance to stimulate a person's potential, without any concern for the consequences.

So although a person could recover quickly after eating this pill, it would greatly shorten the person's life.

Yi Yun obviously did not eat a pill that did more harm than good.

Although Zhao Tiezhu was looking from the side, it wasn't hard for Yi Yun to deceive him. He ate the Blood Thinning Pill and drank a mouthful of water. It seemed like he drank a lot of water, but when the bowl was removed, Yi Yun had spit out all the water back into the bowl.

Following that, Yi Yun looked as if it took a lot of work to swallow, but his mouth contained no water, so naturally nothing was actually swallowed.

Immediately after that, Yi Yun pretended that his body was weak to point that he had difficulties even in drinking water and coughed violently.

Jiang Xiaorou came forward with a cloth to wipe Yi Yun's mouth. In the process of wiping his mouth, Yi Yun spit out the Blood Thinning Pill without any trace, leaving the pill in the cloth.

With the cloth scrunched up, nothing could be seen.

Zhao Tiezhu was full of disregard and impatience, so he did not see through Yi Yun's act. Even if it was Lian Chengyu who came, he would probably not have seen Yi Yun spit out the pill.

After all, Yi Yun had the appearance of a twelve-year-old. Who would think that he could be capable of such acts?

"Count your blessings! After eating this pill, it will not only save your life, but it will make you more energetic. It's better than looking like a ill-ridden weakling!" With that said, Zhao Tiezhu walked off.

After Zhao Tiezhu left, Yi Yun scrutinized the Blood Thinning Pill in the cloth with a flash in his eyes. Lian Chengyu is truly cruel. To refine that piece of desolate bone, he was prepared to kill numerous people!

This strange world was unlike Earth.

On Earth, there would be instances where a child brought a knife to school to stab another child to death after a quarrel between the two. These kind of situations were rare, and only seen on news networks like Tencent.

But in this power-oriented strange world, such matters where someone could be killed over some words, eh…Could it still be labeled a matter?

Because of the peaceful rule of law on Earth, murder was a huge deal, but over here, murder was as commonplace as slaughtering cattle.

In fact, plenty of times, killing someone did not need a reason. Not looking right was sufficient reason…

True Martial World - Chapter 26: Thunderous

The emerald green plunge basin may look green on the surface, but it had an unimaginable depth. Yi Yun had previously tried exploring its depths but he had never managed to dive to the bottom.

After submerging himself at about a depth of ten meters, he felt his ears hurting.

Human ears were extremely vulnerable. The most unbearable pressure a diver experiences comes from his ears. Martial artists were no different.

As a person goes deeper, his eardrums will rupture before his organs could feel the pressure. Yi Yun blew up the air in his mouth. By increasing the pressure from his mouth, he could balance the external pressure surge, reducing the pain in his eardrums.

After diving to an unknown depth, Yi Yun experienced poor light conditions underwater. Only by looking towards the water surface would he see the beautiful sunshine being transmitted down.

In order to have a means of escaping danger, Yi Yun kept close to the cliff. Peppering the cliff were weird rocks. The rocks led downwards into a deeper depth that was complete darkness. It was a terrifying and bottomless darkness.

Thankfully, Yi Yun had reached the Vigor realm; his breaths could last him a long while. With one breath, he was able to endure about fifteen minutes.

On Earth, the breath holding record underwater was about thirteen minutes. Of course, those people had undergone professional training, and if Yi Yun trained himself more, his timing would be longer.

As the pressure increased, Yi Yun felt his lungs being compressed. His abdominal cavity was filled with bodily fluids.

The ribs enclosing his lungs were under immense pressure. It was as if a huge bear was stepping on his chest. Yi Yun even heard a creaking sound from his ribs.

If not for the bone training he had just completed, Yi Yun's ribs would most definitely have broken.

With his abdominal cavity compressed, tremendous pressure was transferred to Yi Yun's body, compressing his bodily fluids and organs.

Slowly, Yi Yun felt his limit approaching.

Diving was a dangerous sport. The moment one lost consciousness due to the water pressure, one was undoubtedly doomed. The corpse would slowly fall to the bottom and get completely crushed. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

On Earth, deep diving enthusiasts had to make all sorts of preparations such as ropes, balloons and other life-saving devices.

As for Yi Yun, he naturally had none of that. He had to rely on his own assessments.

"Splash! Splash!"

In the quiet depths underwater, Yi Yun could hear his own heartbeat and even the sound of his blood flowing.

The sunlight in the mountains was already dimmer, but at these deep depths, one could say that Yi Yun was totally surrounded by darkness. Under a quiet, dark and high-pressure environment, the only thing that Yi Yun could clearly feel was the Purple Crystal Origins in his chest. That cool feeling flowed through his bloodstream.

This cool feeling was like the fountain of life in fairy tales. Although it was extremely weak, it could ensure Yi Yun's survivability. It allowed Yi Yun to stay conscious under such extreme conditions.

This situation resembled the time when he had experienced the cave-in back on Earth. Trapped under the earth, the Purple Crystal had accompanied him in that quiet and dark environment.

Yi Yun also felt that the Purple Crystal was like his life's last refuge. When his organs were damaged under the immense water pressure, the Purple Crystal would silently repair his organs. It allowed him to not only experience the immense water pressure but also recover in the shortest time possible.

Yi Yun lost his sense of time underwater. He kept following the theories of "Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist" by circulating his energy. When he felt his breath was mostly used up, he began to swim upwards.

Deep-sea divers would usually not have much energy or air. As swimming upwards consumed a lot of energy, most people on Earth used devices like balloons to propel their bodies upwards, but Yi Yun had to rely on himself.

This was without question a great test for Yi Yun's heart and lungs.

Under such immense pressure, his breathing and heart beats experienced a hundred times more stress.

Yi Yun held his breath, and by virtue of his willpower and the lifeline provided by the Purple Crystal, he swam upwards meter by meter!

"Splash!" As Yi Yun's head emerged from the water, he took in large gasps for air. His face was pale. His lips were white and his pupils constricted.

Having dived to a depth of more than a hundred meters for more than twenty minutes, Yi Yun could not believe that he had done it without any device except a rock. He was surprised at the degree he performed "Dragon Dancing in Vast Water" for the first time.

Yi Yun swam towards land as water dripped from his hair. After a few long breaths, he was certain that his body was no longer the same.

The energy from the Power of Desolates had been completely digested. Before coming to the plunge basin, Yi Yun had felt bloated with energy, but after this round of cultivation he now felt extremely hungry. It was as if he had not eaten for three days.

This was the effect of "Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist"!

The "Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist" combined with the Power of Desolates from the desolate bones had increased Yi Yun's strength by leaps and bounds!

"It really…feels great!" Yi Yun could not help uttering a cry.

"Ka Ka Ka!"

In the midst of this long cry, Yi Yun's joints began to emit cracking sounds. Although they were not loud, they were extremely clear, like the sound of stirring steel pellets.

"Thunderous realm, this must be Mortal Blood's third realm, Thunderous!" Yi Yun was delighted. The five levels of Mortal Blood were natural endpoints after sufficient training. Without any bottlenecks, as long as one worked hard, anyone could reach the fifth level of Mortal Blood with sufficient energy supplied.

Although anyone could reach level five of Mortal Blood, the difference in speed of doing so was great.

A talented person would not only cultivate quickly, his fundamentals would be solid, making him much stronger than ordinary people.

As for people with little talent, being stuck among the levels of Mortal Blood for three to five years wasn't uncommon.

Yi Yun knew that he lacked talent. After tunneling through space-time, he was a normal person who was thin and weak. He had little strength that amounted to being able to lift a 30-catty rock weight.

Such a body’s talent could be in no way good. It was probably not far from the son of one of the men refining the desolate bones, "Da Tou".

But with the help of the Purple Crystal, Yi Yun's cultivation had improved tremendously. In half a month, he was already at the third level of Mortal Blood.

Then was it possible for him to become a Purple Blood Warrior in two and a half months' time at the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom warrior selection?

With a Purple Blood Warrior in this tiny tribe, it would cause a sensation and craze among the people!

No matter who it was, if they could become a Purple Blood Warrior in the Lian tribal clan, they would be worshiped!

He would have the highest prestige and wield absolute power in the tribe to determine life and death.

Yi Yun looked at the time. After this round of cultivation, it was already late afternoon. He had cultivated since morning and Yi Yun had once again not slept.

Having just broken through to the Mortal Blood level three's Thunderous realm, Yi Yun did not feel a tinge of sleepiness. He meditated according to the 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist' methods for two hours, and felt as if he had slept soundly for eight hours. He felt he was brimming with energy!

"It's about time to refine the desolate bone. I'm famished from cultivating the whole day!" Yi Yun had not eaten for a day. Previously, he had the energy from the desolate bone to support him, so although his stomach was hungry, his body was able to provide him the energy without problems. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

But after undergoing the intense training from the "Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist", the desolate bone energy within Yi Yun's body had been depleted, so his hunger was much more unbearable.

From the color of the sky, the sun was about to set. Yi Yun returned to the village.

At the grain-sunning ground, the cauldron was burning bright, and it was time to change shifts.

Seeing Yi Yun return, Da Tou's father pointed to a stack of firewood and said straight, "These firewood. Chop them up for me. You didn't do anything last night. This place doesn't employ useless people. If you can't finish it, there will be no porridge for you today."

Yi Yun was speechless upon hearing that. It was not as if he had eaten any porridge yesterday. The men had all rushed headlong into the fray. The number of rice grains Yi Yun had managed to receive could be counted with his fingers. The bucket of rice porridge was drank and licked clean that it didn't even need scrubbing.

Yi Yun sat in the corner and began to chop the wood unhurriedly.

This firewood was as thick as a fully grown leg. It had to be chopped apart before dicing it into uniform sizes, in order for the fire to burn uniformly.

Without anyone realizing, a sheet of red and blue light that came from the cauldron, now covered Yi Yun as he chopped wood.

Previously, Yi Yun did not absorb all the energies from the herbs, leaving something for Lian Chengyu, because he was fearful that Lian Chengyu would realize something was amiss.

But this time, for the desolate bone, it was different. Yi Yun was determined to absorb all the energy from it, and increase his strength by leap and bounds. By then, he would no longer fear Lian Chengyu.

Yi Yun felt a little sorry for Lian Chengyu. He confessed in his mind: "Young Master Lian, I'm sorry. If I don't reach the Purple Blood realm, then it's too bad. For me to finish up this piece of desolate bone cleanly, with nothing left, I can only apologize."

"If through luck, I can reach the Purple Blood realm before I finish absorbing the desolate bone, then I'll…er…carry on sucking it dry. After all, the Purple Blood realm is just the beginning step on the road of martial arts. There's still a long way ahead."

"So please be a good man till the end. I will always remember you in the future." After Yi Yun finished confessing, he began to absorb the desolate bone energy.

It was a tremendously comfortable feeling to be able to absorb the Power of Desolates without any restrictions while his body was seriously lacking in energy.

The lack of energy and hunger—although they were two different feelings—had much in common.

In the case of extreme hunger, what greater joy was there besides having a sumptuous meal of delicacies?

Yi Yun did not stand on ceremony with Lian Chengyu. He knew that the desolate bone’s energy was so vast that he would need a while to absorb fully.

After all, Lian Chengyu's primitive methods of brewing the desolate bones could at best refine a small amount of the desolate bone's essence. Just this small amount of essence was enough for Lian Chengyu to break through to the Purple Blood realm.

However for Yi Yun, using the Purple Crystal to absorb the desolate bone's energy, he could absorb it completely and with high efficiency. Also, Yi Yun’s cultivation level was still low at the Thunderous realm: if his cultivation speed increased any faster, Yi Yun might even scare himself…