True Martial World - Chapter 50: The fat elder’s vile interest

"You want me to take you in as a disciple?" said the fat elder as his eyes flashed. The disdain he had for worldly affairs vanished. His eyes turned into one that exerted pressure!

Yi Yun held his breath and looked into the fat elder's eyes, and he said slowly while shaking his head, "You're asking me if I want to be taken in as your disciple, it’s pointless since the decision is not made by me. My wishes are not important. If you wanted to take in disciples, I'm sure many elites would come to your feet, allowing you to choose. Even if they begged you on their knees, it would be useless."

"Oh?" The fat elder was surprised by Yi Yun's words once again. Although this kid was greedy, he knew how to push for and retract from his demands!

It was extremely rare!

Some people did not know how to obtain the greatest benefits, and they did things mediocrely and trudged through life without aim. These people were undesirable.

As for others, they were greedy without an understanding of their standing. By being presumptuous, they would eventually lead themselves to self-destruction. This was described by the saying; "human beings die in pursuit of wealth and birds die in pursuit of food." Such people were even more undesirable.

As for this twelve-year-old kid, he had a scheming mind and he went against the flow. Yet, he knew his place and he had a sense of propriety. It was indeed not simple to possess such qualities.

This kid could tell that he did not want to accept him as a disciple, so he had not insisted.

"Kid, I appreciate you. You guessed right, I can't take you in as a disciple. I'm indeed very interested in your culinary skills. But culinary skills are just a pleasure for the mouth. But for me, taking in a disciple is a huge matter. To be honest with you, I have been looking for a suitable successor all these years, but for you… I’ve seen your constitution and it's not good, so you lack the qualifications. Although what I say may sound harsh, it is the truth…"

Yi Yun was not affected by it and said calmly, "I know."

"Ah…It's good that you understand. You are much smarter than kids your own age. You can try taking a scholastic exam and become some minor official. When that happens, you will not worry about food anymore."

In the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, the real government officials were experts. As the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom was under military jurisdiction, be it a general or district magistrate, they were all martial artists at the very least! Those who could study, but not do martial arts, could at most be an advisor or a minor official like a clerk.

Seeing that Yi Yun was obviously not listening, the fat elder carried on, "As for cultivation, the mind isn't unimportant, but the key is a person's talent."

"In this world where resources are valuable, a warrior's resources are the various treasures and desolate bone relics! In a large tribal clan, there are limited desolate bone relics, and only the ones with the most talent would be prioritized."

"Those with talent will improve a lot from absorbing a desolate bone relic, as for those without talent, the same desolate bone relic will only improve their strength by a tenth. And the further one goes, the harder it gets to improve one's strength. At that point, no family will be able to afford it!"

After hearing the fat elder's words, Yi Yun understood it firmly. He had some idea about cultivation matters from Jiang Xiaorou, but only after listening to this elder did he understand it clearly.

In a situation with limited resources, one's talent was indeed important.

Lian Chengyu had the ambition to break through to the Purple Blood realm was obviously because he had the talent. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

If he lacked talent, even with the entire Lian Clan Herb Mountain and the desolate bone, Lian Chengyu would never have been able to encroach into the Purple Blood realm territory.

Yi Yun knew his conditions. He was just an average youth. He was a normal mortal to the bone, and he had no relations with martial families, so how could he have the talent to practice martial arts?

But thinking of his absorbing of the energy from the herbs and the desolate bone, his cultivation speed had indeed been very fast over the past few days. This was all clearly the credit of the Purple Crystal.

With the Purple Crystal deep within his heart, every heart beat would spread energy to each and every part of his body, improving his fitness. This method of absorption was much more efficient than other warriors who used their stomachs to absorb energy.

After understanding this, Yi Yun's thoughts became clearer as he raised his head looking at the fat elder saying, "I don't need to be your disciple."

Since he had already indicated his position, Yi Yun did not want to insist. Actually, even if the old man had wanted to take in Yi Yun as a disciple, Yi Yun would have to think very carefully. After all, his body had a huge secret. If he did not carefully think of the special characteristics of the Purple Crystal Origins, his master might discover the secret and the consequences would be unthinkable.

"What I want from Senior is a miracle medicine! Be it fierce beast essence, desolate beast meat, herbs or even desolate bones!"

After hearing those words, the fat elder laughed, "You sure know how to take a mile from an inch. You thought well, exchanging a desolate bone relic for some chicken that was provided by myself?"

The desolate bone relics stored in his rings were all high in quality. To exchange them for a few dishes was no trifling matter.

"I guess you aren't willing to listen to me," said the old man as he shook his head in disapproval at the kid that could not be taught. "You are still bent on going down the path of martial arts. It was not easy for you to attain a Tempered Body through an opportunity. Although your physical state is not bad as of now, you have never had any systemic martial arts cultivation. Do you even know any cultivation technique? Do you know any fighting technique? Do you have a soul cultivation technique? Without a master or any manual, are you planning on reaching the Purple Blood realm through self-learning?"

After a barrage of rhetorical questions, Yi Yun remembered it all. Cultivation technique! Fighting technique! Soul cultivation technique!

Although there was plenty he did not understand, they were not important. Without question, he needed to obtain those by himself!

As for the Purple Blood realm that the fat elder said…The Purple Blood realm was not Yi Yun's goal. Yi Yun knew that there were many higher realms beyond the Purple Blood realm.

Since he had received the mysterious Purple Crystal card, how could he just become a Purple Blood Warrior, and drift in life as someone in a small tribe of the Cloud Wilderness?

Of course, he could not mention his goals, or people would think that he has mad.

Yi Yun said, "I really haven't had contact with fighting techniques and soul cultivation techniques. But as for cultivation techniques, I have practiced one known as the 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist'!

"'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist'!" said the elder as a flicker of surprise flashed across his face. "You actually know this set of fist techniques? This 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist' is considered as the top cultivation technique of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. Even to me, I think there are many merits to this set of techniques. It's a classic! If so, did you have a master who taught you this?"

Although the 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist' had been opened to the public by the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, it was rare for a poor kid in the Cloud Wilderness to be able to learn it.

The fat elder was shocked to learn that Yi Yun knew a bit of 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist'.

"I don't have any master. I secretly learned it when people in the tribe were practicing it!"

"Secretly learned", said the fat elder as he shook his head.

Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist may be the foundation, but it's not easy. From his lack of foundation, how could this kid learn anything even if taught properly, what more him learning it secretly?

Secretly learning was equivalent to imitation. It was difficult to understand the key points.

Besides, what sort of master could there be in such a backwater village in the Cloud Wilderness?

The person who taught this kid the technique probably was just a dabbler. How good can his "Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist" be?

A mediocre master, and with the kid secretly learning, he must have learned some superficial tricks and thought that he was good.

It wasn't the case of the fat elder looking down on the people of the Cloud Wilderness, but it was because the people of the Cloud Wilderness had limited knowledge; they did not know how big the outside world was or how many experts there were.

"'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist' can be learned secretly? Do you know Tendons like Bowstrings? Do you know Thunder Within Bones? Can you punch out a tremor?" asked the fat elder. Those who had learned the basics of martial arts could easily display 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist', but they were all superfluous. They did not know the essence of 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist'.

Yi Yun cupped his hands saying, "I'm lacking but I know a thing or two about Tendons like bowstrings and Thunder Within Bones!"

Thunder Occurring in the Nine Clouds, Surprise Bow Drops Flock was the key result of the set of 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist', so how could Yi Yun not know? He could already create snapping sounds in his tendons, scaring the birds in the forest before reaching the Meridians realm! noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Now he had completely opened up his Meridians, his governor and conception vessels were opened, and he had a Tempered Body! Yi Yun felt the energy within him trashing like the ocean waves. If not for the sudden appearance of the fat elder and the girl in white, Yi Yun would have done a round of 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist' to see the progress of his cultivation.

"Haha! Nice try! Know a thing or two!?" The fat elder was clearly not convinced of Yi Yun's accomplishments. "Since you've said that, I do want to see what sort of Thunder Within Bones you have reached!"

As the fat elder laughed, he had the sudden vile interest of wanting to teach Yi Yun a lesson. He turned his head and said to Lin Xintong, "Xintong, during this tour to the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, I gave you the 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist' for you to roughly look through, didn't I? For this cultivation technique, I guess you had also casually practiced it for about half a month. Although you didn't work hard at it, there has to be some minor accomplishment!"

"Why don't you spar with this kid and give him some pointers?"

"Right, you should suppress your level too. Lower it to the level of the third level of Mortal Blood, Thunderous would do. Don't hurt this kid."

True Martial World - Chapter 49: I want one item

Yi Yun could no longer wait. He poured the sauces he had prepared earlier and tore off a pheasant leg and bit down. The skin was crisp and the flesh juicy. The meat was tender, and oil oozed out with each bite. His mouth was filled with fragrance.

It had to be said that the fat elder's unknown pheasant was absolutely delicious. It was no wonder that he was still able to enjoy it even after roasting it to such a pathetic state.

Besides, the meat included a stream of pure energy. As it entered Yi Yun's stomach, this energy spread throughout Yi Yun's body, giving him a sense of warmth that was indescribably comfortable.

The old man's wine was also extremely special. After baking in salt, the taste of alcohol had not evaporated. It had fused into the pheasants flesh, giving it an intoxicating aroma.

The wine contained even purer energy, refreshing Yi Yun's entire body till his pores opened.

Lin Xintong looked curiously at Yi Yun. Just from the smell and appearance, it was easy to guess that it tasted great.

This kid is at most twelve and he has such skills?

"Sister Fairy, do you want some?" Yi Yun's words were extremely sweet. He knew that the girl's stature was extraordinary. The old man had treated her as the apple of his eyes, so although Yi Yun didn't know her name, there was no harm calling her Sister Fairy.

"Eh…" Lin Xintong hesitated, but seeing Yi Yun tear off an untouched drumstick for her, she was unsure what to do.

After hesitating a moment, she accepted it and took a small bite.

It was indeed delicious!

In comparison, this would make her master's "Black Charred Pheasant" unappetizing.

The girl took out a handkerchief, wiped her mouth and thanked him with a smile.

She had never tried such a way of cooking and the taste was very unique.

Although Lin Xintong lead an austere life, and she was not obsessed with food, she had reached her limit after eating the bitter "Black Charred Pheasant" daily while out in the wilderness for training.

Although the girl appreciated it, she did not embellish her praise. But the fat elder was different. He was a greedy glutton. Despite him reaching the state where he could avoid grain many years back, he had never succumbed to it. He made sure to have four meals a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper.

Usually, he would be supplied with food and drink at home; it tasted good, and it was sufficient to satiate his taste buds. But now with him out with his disciple, it was tough on him. He was already sick of eating ash barbecue continuously.

His gluttony had led to him salivating, but he could not lower his status to ask from Yi Yun. As Yi Yun did not seem to have any intention at giving him some of the pheasant, the fat elder was unhappy. This kid was such an ingrate, did he forget who gave him the pheasant and wine?

"I didn't expect that you could cook. I have tasted all the world's delicacies, so I am definitely an authority when it comes to taste! Come on, kid, I'll appraise you, and see how good is your culinary skills. I'll give you pointers if there's any room for improvement." As he said that, he stretched his greasy fat hand stained with soot out. He had not even wiped his hands after eating the roasted pheasant!

Yi Yun wanted to avoid by instinct, but for some reason, although the fat hand's speed wasn't fast, he was unable to evade it. In the end, a small portion of the pheasant was ripped off. Two wings par excellence were gone!

Damn it! noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Yi Yun cursed in his heart. But at that moment, the fat elder had already bitten down. He gave Yi Yun a sardonic look which read, "You think you could avoid my moves with your trivial abilities?"

As he bit down, the grease exploded and fragrance filled his mouth. The fat elder's eyes lit up!

The meat was of course delicious, but the most important thing was the taste of alcohol.

In fact, the old man had eaten lots of delicious delicacies, but this was the first time he encountered such a cooking style.

The meat which had absorbed the alcohol was made even tastier!

He was not only a glutton, but also an alcoholic. It had never crossed his mind that alcohol could be used in this way. He found it unbelievable that alcohol and pheasant, two distinct and delicious flavors could be so delicious when combined!

In contrast, the roasted pheasant he previously made was only fit for dogs!

Although the old man had already finished a pheasant previously, and the unknown pheasant was extremely large in size, he was still able to eat another half of a pheasant without any indications of being full. Having learned the Elephant Swallowing Technique, Yi Yun knew that the meat was extremely resistant to digestion. A normal person could survive on a drumstick for days without going hungry.

The old man was able to eat at an astonishingly fast speed despite looking refined as he ate. He finished half a pheasant in about a minute, leaving only a pile of bones.

The bones, even the delicate rib bones were eaten clean, putting a dog to shame.

The old man was not bothered about Yi Yun's surprised gaze, as he calmly wiped the oil off his mouth. He said, "The taste is passable. If you improve further, you will catch up to my roasted pheasant."

Yi Yun nearly choked upon hearing the old man's brazen claims. What sort of person was he? It felt like his stature was extraordinary, but why was he so shameless?

The old man pretended not to notice Yi Yun's despising glare and looked at the salt-baked pheasant in Yi Yun's hands saying, "Why aren't you eating, are you full?"

"No!" Yi Yun was shocked, he quickly shook his head and attacked the salt baked-pheasant in his hands.

What a joke. If he was slower by a second, or even the time it took to blink, the pheasant in his hands could have turned to a pile of bones.

Besides being tasty, the meat was great nourishment for the body. Yi Yun felt his originally empty body fill up with energy in a short while. It made his blood begin to stir, and made him grow stronger.

Could this pheasant be a descendant of some ancient bird desolate beast?

Yi Yun felt mixed emotions. Rich people ate such food daily so their strength was bound to naturally increase rapidly.

He was initially feeling joyous from completing his Tempered Body, but this made him calm down.

His starting point was considered low. Even if he made a meteoric rise in a small tribe, it would have been nothing spectacular in a big tribe. He still had a long road ahead.

"Hey, from what I see, you have some culinary skills, and it can be considered fate that we got to know each other…" With that said, the fat elder touched his ring.

This was the second time Yi Yun heard these words, and he was already immune to it. He calmly wiped his mouth as he waited for the fat elder to take something out.

"Hehe, Kid, take this to buy some sweets," said the fat elder as he took out two golden ingots from his ring. It looked like it weighed half a pound.

This was the first time Yi Yun was seeing golden ingots. Back on Earth, he had only seen gold plates displayed in the glass cases of banks, but they were not this big.

Yi Yun could not help but take another glance.

"Come, I still have over twenty chickens. You can cook it, and I'll give you these two gold ingots. Then, you can buy lots of sweets," said the old man in a jolly manner. Although he did not admit it verbally, he knew that his culinary skills were nothing compared to Yi Yun’s. Yi Yun's salt-baked pheasant, especially combined with the alcohol and the meat’s fragrance had made the fat elder's mouth water.

Upon hearing this, Yi Yun curled his mouth. In the Cloud Wilderness, gold ingots were only pleasant to the eye, but they were of no use.

On Earth, these two large gold pieces would have been enough to buy a lifetime's worth of food. But in this world, food was very expensive, especially in the Cloud Wilderness. Even with gold ingots, one might not be able to buy anything. If he were to use gold to exchange with Lian Chengyu for food, it would be throwing himself to the wolves.

"I don't want gold," said Yi Yun who was unmoved. This old man had initially given him bronze coins, and now he had given gold. It was clear that he was treating Yi Yun as some kid who got lucky, and not someone who practiced martial arts. "Senior, don't you know that the outcome would be disastrous if a kid carries gold into the streets?"

"Eh?" choked the fat elder. Thoughts such as even if Yi Yun couldn't use it, he could have given it to his parents floated into the elder's mind.

Lin Xintong, who was by the fat elder's side, looked at Yi Yun with surprise. The principle of an innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth was simple, but as a twelve-year-old child, he was not only unmoved by the gold, but the way he calmly said it was pretty impressive.

"Then what do you want?" said the fat elder as he put away the gold.

"I only want one item from you, Senior," said Yi Yun slowly and calmly as he looked the fat elder in the eye.

The fat elder said with interest, "Say it."

"I can tell that Senior is some extraordinary person. You must be someone of a high standing and exceptional status, with…"

"Alright, cut the flattery." The fat elder looked at Yi Yun with a despicable look. This kid sure was odd.

"Oh…I'm not sucking up to you, I'm just expressing my admiration towards you. You can have all that and be admired by many, including me, because…Senior you have the strength!"

"In this wilderness, those with strength will be honored by others!"

"So I will make a request with great courage for one item, that is—strength!"

Yi Yun said those words with confidence. Although he had said it slowly, it entered straight into the fat elder’s ears, giving him a shock. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Lin Xintong blinked her pair of beautiful eyes and looked at Yi Yun with surprise. What Yi Yun had said was very simple, but when her master had asked him what he wanted, he had said those words to express his desire of becoming strong. This was unlike how kids spoke without thought.

Those words were unlike that of a child.

True Martial World - Chapter 48: As a glutton with principles, no compromises

The fat elder was holding up the pheasant, but he was placing it too close to the fire, and the speed at which he rotated the pheasant was too slow. Roasting food with a naked fire was unlike grilling in a barbecue eatery. A barbecue eatery uses specialized grills that are easily lit. Its flame is uniform and most importantly, it is smokeless.

But for firewood, the fire is not uniform, and the smoke is thick. This smoke was the ash from the unburned wood and would rise up with the flames, sticking onto the pheasant's skin. So in a while, the pheasant in the old man's hands was already burned black. It wasn't overcooked, but it was covered in a layer of ash. It not only affected the texture, but it would also taste bitter.

Although the old man wiped oil every now and then, it was unable to change the situation of the layer of ash growing thicker. From the way the old man did it, it was clear that it was a matter of time before it was burnt.

Using firewood to grill meat was a difficult job. Even a barbecue eatery's experts might not be able to do it well, but the old man was even worse.

This was understandable, after all, what sort of position did this old man have? Time was precious, so he need not prepare food for himself.

His culinary skills were naturally nothing flattering. Furthermore, grilling meat with firewood was extremely difficult.

"This is practically the destruction of Heaven's property!" As a glutton, eh, no, as a connoisseur who enjoys researching delicacies, Yi Yun could no longer endure the travesty in front of him.

As the pheasant was almost done roasting, the old man sprinkled various spices and offered the blackened roasted pheasant to Lin Xintong.

Yi Yun felt that there was no spot one could get a bite in!

But Lin Xintong did not seem to mind it. She said "Thank you, Master", accepted the grilled pheasant before taking small bites at it. Although her lips were pink and tiny, her lips were colored black after eating such a roasted pheasant. This scene made Yi Yun's lose all expression on his face. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

It was a great offense against food culture.

The old man treasured his disciple, so the roasted pheasant was naturally left for her. As for Yi Yun, there was no doubt that he would be last. But Yi Yun was still grateful. If this pheasant was sold, its price would be expensive, even someone like Lian Chengyu would not be able to afford it.

After he finished grilling one pheasant, the old man began grilling the second one.

As the first was given to Lin Xintong, the old man had grilled it with extra care, but since the second one was for himself, it looked even worse.

However, the old man was still very pleased with his work. After he finished grilling both pheasants, he took out a jug of wine from his ring. He began eating the roasted meat savorily and drinking his wine with pleasure. After finishing it, he had a look of enjoyment, and his white beard was curling with satisfaction.

He then had a sudden thought and looked at Yi Yun, saying lazily, "That's for you. You can roast it for yourself. I won't be serving."

What the…

Yi Yun was speechless. Although he did not expect the old man to roast a pheasant for him, the old man had previously said, "Not many people have tasted my culinary skills!"

When Yi Yun heard those words, he believed that the old man would roast a pheasant for him, but from the looks of it, that was no longer the case!

Yi Yun wasn't very confident about roasting it himself. Although he had done research on food, he was after all a modern man, he could easily cook a tender and crisp roasted chicken easily with a barbecue pit and smokeless coal.

But it was hard for him to do it with firewood. There was no way of blocking the ash from the firewood, and no matter how much he turned the pheasant, the ash would still end up on the pheasant meat.

"I say, do you have a wok?" Yi Yun asked extremely politely. As a glutton with principles, he was not willing to compromise no matter how hungry he was! This was the first time he had seen meat in two months, not to mention that it was high-grade meat!

"I do," said the old man as he took out a pot from his ring.

Although the pot was made of an unknown material, it was well made and of appropriate size. Yi Yun was very satisfied.

Yi Yun began to busy himself. He began identifying the spices the old man had taken out. He was surprised at the complete assortment of spices, oil, sauces, and salt. There was even some plant spice that resembled green onions and parsley.

"That wine, can I borrow it?", asked Yi Yun again.

"Eh? Wine? You want to drink two cups with me?" said the old man with a smile as he passed the wine to Yi Yun after recovering from a momentary shock. This kid actually appreciated wine?

Although he was stingy, he was eager to have an alcohol buddy as that was the only meaning in drinking.

Although he didn't like the kid in front of him, Yi Yun was better than nothing. After all, Lin Xintong did not drink alcohol, so he had been drinking alone for one whole year.

"Master!" Lin Xintong was a bit speechless, "How can you give a child alcohol?"

But they never expected that after Yi Yun had dried the pheasant, he had poured the wine, spreading it evenly, not missing the pheasant's abdominal cavity.

"Kid, what are you doing?" The old man stared at Yi Yun as his beard flared up. This was a thousand-year-old wine. As a wine enthusiast, he could not endure the waste of his alcohol.

"I'm cooking." a surprised Yi Yun answered matter-of-factly.

I must say, this wine sure is good. Its aroma is sweet. I wonder what sort of treasure was it distilled from. I believe drinking one gulp of this will do wonders for cultivation!

"Cooking? Wine can be used for cooking?" The old man repudiated.

After some hesitation, Yi Yun understood.

The culinary methods in this world were very different from Earth's.

Even during the period when food culture was at its peak in China, all the cooking techniques were very simple in ancient times.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, the basic cooking methods were steaming or boiling. Be it vegetables or meat, they were mixed with salt, covered with a lid and eaten once it was cooked.

As for stir-frying, quick-frying, blanching, smoking, or cooking with alcohol, etc, these methods of cooking could only be developed after material wealth was improved.

Each region had different food cultures. About eighty percent of Chinese cuisine was unique.

Even the most simple stir-frying of vegetables was a product of China. Although it sounded incredible, that is what is it.

In the entire Earth, the most complex cooking techniques belonged to the Chinese, with no near rival.

In this world, leaving out the vast wilderness, the hard labor lives people led were too tough, so there was no energy or materials left for food experimentation.

As for the rich cities, the rich were experts. They were focused on their martial arts, arrays, and the techniques for refining desolate bones, so there was no time to research cooking.

Only the servants of large clans could research on this. These people made good meals, and through experience, accumulated some cooking skills. But in such a lowly area, there was a limit to one’s culinary skills.

Yi Yun glazed the pheasant's body with oil and soy sauce. He poured wine into the abdominal cavity and sprinkled some spices that resembled spring onions and cilantro. Yi Yun had tasted the spice, and with his gluttonous talent, he knew that it wouldn't be lacking as compared to using spring onions or cilantro.

Next was the crucial point, Yi Yun used a clean coarse cloth to wrap the pheasant. He then poured large amounts of salt into the pot and buried the pheasant in it. After completely covering the pheasant, he sealed the pot and began steaming it.

The fat elder looked at Yi Yun with suspicion. He had used so much salt and wrapped up the pheasant? Wouldn't it be extremely salty!?

Have the poor children of this tribe not eaten salt?

Even if they lacked salt, it wasn't meant to be eaten this way. It was a speechless turn of events. The fat older scoffed at the kid’s eccentricity.

He carried on eating his roasted pheasant, but Lin Xintong had stopped eating and began watching the pot Yi Yun had placed above the fire with curiosity.

Slowly, the pot began to emit a fragrance. The fragrance was not obvious. If these people were not martial artists with keen senses, they would not have smelled it.

Could something with such a light scent be delicious?

The fat elder had already finished his roasted pheasant and began licking his thick and short fingers. At that moment, Yi Yun opened the pot, and used a ladle to brush away the hot salt, and took out the pheasant.

A savory salt-baked pheasant was completed.

The moment the salt seal was broken, a fresh savory fragrance emitted, making Yi Yun eager to eat.

Yi Yun was surprised that he was able to prepare the meal to his fullest capabilities. Of course, the main reason stemmed from the fact that the pheasant’s flesh was filled with energy. It was much better than the bred chickens on Earth. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

And the wine, which was brewed from some treasure had turned into the ambrosia of the gods with just some yeast and a few hundred years.

With the two combined, Yi Yun was able to produce a salt-baked pheasant of a quality that reached unprecedented heights.

"Eh?", flared up the old man's beard as his eyes suddenly rounded up.

True Martial World - Chapter 47: Scrounging a free meal

Yi Yun knew that he was a normal person. Even just two months ago, this body was so weak that it could not even hold a chicken. The fat elder was already being very euphemistic by saying "extremely normal".

Yi Yun was worried. If the fat elder had opened Heaven's Eye, could he not see what lies within his heart…

"Normal constitution, born poor, yet…" The fat elder pondered. He looked at the plunge basin behind Yi Yun, and a thought flashed through his mind.

He touched all over Yi Yun's body, giving him goosebumps.

What's this old man doing, doesn't he know it was improper to touch between men!?

"I understand now. This kid must have eaten some valuable item, and he trained his body in the deep pool. The valuable item's violent energy was neutralized by the cold pool water. As such, you accidentally tempered your whole body, allowing you to reach such a state!"

This old man's words made Yi Yun speechless. This old man was impressive. Although his guess was not fully accurate, he was in fact very close to the truth.

"To be able to obtain such an achievement at this age sure isn't easy. Although it's because you lucked out and managed to eat some treasure, in the future…I doubt there will be more. But, it's still not easy!"

The fat elder's words made Yi Yun roll his eyes. Was this a compliment or an insult!?

"Hey kid, I guess it must be fate that you met me…" said the fat elder as he reached into his chest as if he was taking something.

Yi Yun's eyes lit up. Is this the early indications of a pie in the sky? Could it be that the old man had appreciated him, and was planning on giving him some technique manual or desolate bone essence? Even magical pills would do!

The fat elder's hand was thick and fat. He wore a gaudy jade ring on his thumb. It was unlike the wrinkly look normal elders would have.

Having grabbed something, his fat fist was clenched tight. Like a white steamed bun, he placed it on Yi Yun's palm and released gently.

Clink! Clink!

A few bronze coins fell into Yi Yun's hands. The bronze coins were still warm from the fat elder's heat.

Bronze coins?

A dark cloud filled Yi Yun's mind.

"Take it and buy some sweets." said the fat elder as he smiled. He did so while waving his hands with an air of generosity. The linen clothed girl beside him smiled mildly. They had treated Yi Yun has a child.

"What the f**k!" Yi Yun looked at the twenty bronze coins in his hand, with a thousand lines of "f**k your mother" running through his head.

In this world, mortals did use gold, silver, and bronze as currency. But in the Cloud Wilderness, gold and silver were only an auxiliary form of payment. The real currency was food, armor, and weapons.

This old man was obviously an expert, but he was still required to carry around some currency in this world.

Silver bullion were a large denomination in the mortal world. It was essential to have bronze coins for the typical inn or food stall.

So it was not a surprise the old man had bronze coins.

But…

But to experts, gold and silver were of little value to them, let alone bronze coins. If you wanted to give me something, at least give me a few golden ingots!

Yi Yun was speechless.

Actually having such thoughts of hoping to get something out of nothing was an embarrassing. As the saying goes, "poverty acquaints men with strange bedfellows".

With his training resources spent, Yi Yun was still in the Meridians realm. Although having a Tempered Body was great, he did not dare to hunt in the vast wilderness without being at the Purple Blood realm. Without hunting, how was he going to eat? Am I supposed to just eat grain porridge?

And even for grain porridge, Jiang Xiaorou had always left the grains for him, while she just drank the porridge water. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

If Yi Yun were to starve, he would also cause Jiang Xiaorou to starve.

Yi Yun felt ridiculed, but he still collected the bronze coins. He might as well take it. After all, if he gave it to Jiang Xiaorou, she could exchange it with the tribe or other people for some food.

Indeed, there was no pie in the sky.

Also, the fat elder only considered him a child; hence, he was given some bronze coins for sweets as a form of amusement.

Although he had a Tempered Body, he was nothing special as his constitution was average and he had reached that state through the consumption of a treasure.

He was small, poor, and lacking in strength. He was also complete strangers with the old man, so why would the old man give him any benefits?

The old man just found him amusing, and he was just teasing him.

"I say, elder, where are you going?" Yi Yun tried to make conversation.

There was no harm in becoming an acquaintance of the old man after all.

"We are going to the Tao tribal clan."

The fat elder did not bother keeping it secret.

"Tao tribal clan…" Yi Yun knew the Tao tribal clan was a large clan near to the Lian tribal clan and was the patron of the Lian tribal clan!

The Lian tribal clan's manufacturing of weapons and armor were supplied to the Tao tribal clan.

This old and young duo were obviously people of stature. They had the ability to cross the Cloud Wilderness without any hesitations; it was admirable.

Yi Yun suddenly recalled that when talking to the Lian tribal clan, Zhang Yuxian had mentioned that something had happened in the Cloud Wilderness. He had also mentioned that several VIPs would pass by the Lian tribal clan, so as to prevent the Lian tribal clan’s Patriarch from neglecting any niceties.

From the looks of it, this old man and the young girl were VIPs!

The fat elder was already planning on leaving. But just before he took a step, he suddenly felt hungry. He looked at the sun and rubbed his fat double chin saying, "It's time to eat something. The scenery here is not bad. There's a mountain and the water is clean. Let's eat here."

"Eat?" Upon hearing that word, Yi Yun suddenly felt…hungry, very hungry.

Having eaten porridge for two consecutive months, he had been using herbs and the desolate bone essence as energy sources, but he had digested all the energy he had absorbed last night in the deep waters.

It was as if Yi Yun's body was empty on the inside.

"Hey, disciple, let's eat." the fat elder called to Lin Xintong.

Lin Xintong nodded and looked at Yi Yun, saying "Little brother, why don't you join us?"

"Eh?" Yi Yun was stunned. He was exploding with happiness. He felt that the girl's voice was extremely touching, "That…You don't have to do that…"

Although Yi Yun had said that, he was already finding a spot to sit.

This old man and the young girl must be of exceptional stature, the food they eat can't be that bad, right?

Any dish would be very conducive for cultivation!

The fat elder was planning to light a fire; however, seeing that Yi Yun was planning to drag out his stay, he scorned with disdain. But since his disciple had already invited him, he could only accept it.

He touched the jade ring on his right hand and pulled out three plucked pheasants like a magician. He pierced them using a pole and placed it by the side of the fire.

The old man's jade ring was like Doraemon's pouch. In a short while, he took out a bunch of bottles and jars filled with spices.

Yi Yun was envious. He had initially brushed the old man's ring off as a magical performance, but the item was a treasure that could hold the largest items.

Looks like this was similar to the legendary "interspatial rings".

"Hehe, count your lucky stars, kid. Not many people have tasted my culinary skills!" Saying this, the old man rubbed his hands and began grilling a pheasant. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Only then did Yi Yun realize that this was no ordinary pheasant. It looked like a pheasant, but within it was tremendous amounts of energies. This was because Yi Yun could see the light dots floating from the pheasant. This energy was very pure. It made him crave it.

Yi Yun felt his mouth salivating. It was good stuff!

He had not eaten meat in two months, so having seen this plump pheasant which consisted of pure energy, how could he not salivate?

He could not wait to roast the pheasant and swallow it down his stomach.

But very quickly, Yi Yun felt depressed when he saw the old man's method of roasting.

The old man's "culinary skills" were…too terrible to watch!

True Martial World - Chapter 46: Cleared Meridians, Dragon Pulse

In a haze, Yi Yun saw the girl inches away from him clearly.

Her pale white skin, clear eyes, a fresh feeling and a weak scholarly aura that exuded from her body made her seem like a daughter of a big tribe.

But her clothes were not made of extremely expensive silk, instead, it was made of white linen. It was washed clean, without a spot marring it.

In the vast wilderness, this type of clothing was what the poor wore.

A rich child would only wear linen clothes when an elderly relative had passed away. This was to indicate an impoverished state, also known as putting on mourning apparel.

The girl in front of him did not look like a poor child in terms of her temperament or looks; yet, she wore linen clothes.

And with her slim figure and jade-like skin; after wearing the linen clothes, it gave an impression of a fairy hiding in the mountains after she descended to the mortal world.

"You…You are…" Yi Yun had doubts. This girl was definitely not from the Lian tribal clan, so could she be an outsider?

Yi Yun looked at the sky and it was already late in the morning. When he entered the water, it was in the middle of the night. Did he stay in the water for a whole night?

Suddenly, Yi Yun realized something with a great shock!

He had stayed underwater for an entire night, which was beyond the capabilities of a normal person.

Although Yi Yun had been in a trance-like state, he knew that the Purple Crystal's cool energy flow had maintained his bodily functions, allowing him to not die of asphyxiation.

The Purple Crystal was his biggest secret.

Why would this girl be at the plunge basin at that moment? Did she know how long he had been in the water for?

Thankfully, the girl's next words dispelled his worries.

"Why were you floating on the water? Were you drowning?"

Floating on the water?

He was apparently floating when the girl appeared.

Yi Yun heaved a sigh of relief, and cupped his fists saying, "Thank you, Miss, for saving me, eh…"

Yi Yun then realized that there was a fat elder behind this girl. The elder's head was full of silvery white hair, and he did not look young. However, his skin was extremely fresh and bright. Not only did he lack wrinkles, it was ruddy.

Yi Yun thought of a phrase "red amidst white, exceptional in might" out of nowhere.

Yi Yun felt a chill. This phrase was used to describe beautiful girls, but using it to describe an old man was ridiculous. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Yi Yun realized that the old man was looking at him cheekily as if he was very interested in him.

His eyes were originally small, and his face was plump. This smile had nearly caused his eyes to disappear, but that pair of eyes seemed to be able to see through Yi Yun.

Yi Yun suddenly had a feeling of having nowhere to hide, and that feeling was extremely uncomfortable.

Was he…able to see the Purple Crystal in my heart!?

But at the next moment, Yi Yun realized he had been worried for no reason. The fat elder's gaze did not stay at his heart, but said with meaning in between the lines, "Young lad, you may be young, but you have many deep thoughts!"

"Oh?" Yi Yun shivered. What did the old man mean by that?

"You were not drowning, yet you thanked us. We didn't even save you, but you still took advantage of the situation for your benefit. Are you hiding something? Your expression looked somewhat panicky just a while ago."

Having said that, the fat elder smirked as if he had caught on to something.

Yi Yun's heart skipped a beat!

At that moment, the fat elder's hand had already rested on Yi Yun's shoulders. This made Yi Yun worried. F**k, I hate it when people pat me on the shoulders! It nearly cost him his life the last time Lian Chengyu did it!

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not interested in the little secret your body has." The fat elder said jovially.

What a joke, as an elder of esteemed status, why would I harbor thoughts of the secret a child who was slightly more than ten years old would have? Furthermore, the child resided in a small tribal clan located in the vast wilderness. An equivalent would be like an emperor snatching the belongings of a small beggar.

How could that happen!

Of course, these were the thoughts of the fat elder, but in the eyes of Yi Yun, he felt the elder's smile was…extremely wretched.

"I'm just curious…you seem to be…oh…" The fat elder's expression changed as he said, "You can actually reach such a level?"

The fat elder's words gave Yi Yun a slight treble.

Things had happened too suddenly. Yi Yun had just floated up from the water only to meet this old and young duo, and he had not been able to check his own physical condition. After checking, he realized his cultivation was…huh? Why is it still at the fourth level of mortal blood, Meridian realm?

His cultivation had not improved, but deep down, something was different.

"What is going on. Previously I had absorbed herbal essence from a huge pile of herbs, and with a tiny amount of desolate bone energy, I could go from a weakling to the realm of opening up my governor and conception vessels. Last night I had sucked dry all the desolate bone essence and succeeded in completely digesting it. I thought I would be able to surge into the legendary Purple Blood realm, but even if I did not reach it, I should be at the peak of the Qi Gatherer ream. Why am I still stuck at the Meridians realm?"

Having finished an entire piece of desolate bone, it was greatly disappointing to be still at the fourth level of Mortal Blood! This was the energy Lian Chengyu needed to break through into the Purple Blood realm.

Could my natural talent be that bad? But…what did the fat elder's words mean, saying "actually" reach such a level?

Was breaking through to the Meridians realm an unbelievable feat for a warrior from a small tribe?

The fat elder looked with uncertainty at Yi Yun, mumbling, "Cleared Meridians, Dragon Pulse, Tempered Body, Bone Blood as One. It can't be. This kid is born from the Cloud Wilderness and should be from the Lian tribal clan, it would be impossible to have a Tempered Body, Dragon Pulse?"

The fat elder looked at the dull clothes and torn old shoes Yi Yun wore, and guessed his background. Even if a disciple of a big tribe had come to the Cloud Wilderness for training, they would wear linen clothes, but it would be new; it would be different from Yi Yun, who had clearly worn those for years.

"Cleared Meridians, Dragon Pulse, Tempered Body, Bone Blood as One?"

Yi Yun did not know the meaning to the fat elder's words, but he could tell that it was something good!

It appeared as if he had unknowingly obtained a great benefit?

"Master, you say this lad has a Tempered Body?" said the surprised young girl upon hearing the fat elder's words.

It seemed like this assessment was something out of the ordinary!

"Yeah…if it was an elite from a family with a long heritage, it is of no surprise accomplishing it. But for a young poor child in the vast wilderness to accomplish a Tempered Body, it is very rare!"

The fat elder could tell that Yi Yun did not know the meaning of such a state, and explained to him, "Although there are five levels to Mortal Blood, only the first four levels have anything to do with training the body. The fifth level, Qi Gatherer is an intermediary stage between Mortal Blood and Purple Blood. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Reaching the fourth level isn't hard, but to train to the extreme, such that every inch of body reaches the state of Tempered Body is not easy. Such a person not only has cleared all of his meridians, his meridians are also stronger than a normal warrior's. They would have a strong life force as if there was a dragon dancing within his body! And when the tempering of the body is complete, the bones, flesh, and blood are perfectly one. A strike would cause the bones and blood to shout out as one!"

The fat elder's explanation enlightened Yi Yun. It was no wonder he still had zero improvements despite finishing more than half the desolate bone's energy. All the energy was used to reach this Tempered Body state!

His improvements in his training had been fast, and Yi Yun knew the principle of more haste makes waste, so having risen through the levels at those speeds might not have been a good thing!

But having accidentally gone into deep sleep underwater, he had removed many latent problems!

"Hmm, your constitution is extremely normal," said the old man as he squinted his eyes. Compared to Zhang Yuxian, his ability was much higher.

The method Zhang Yuxian had used to test Yi Yun's talent had obtained the "talent" of the Purple Crystal.

As for this old man, he could tell Yi Yun's true talent with his bare eyes. Yi Yun was stunned, this fat man had clearly reached the realm of having opened "Heaven's Eye"!

True Martial World - Chapter 45: Purple Clouds' Birth

 Few people resided in the Cloud Wilderness, while desolate and wild beasts were everywhere. This resulted in many small tribes.

Under such situations, to gather all the small tribes together for an examination needed lots of manpower and resources.

Although the kingdom had a long history, the number of warrior selections held in the vast wilderness could be counted with one hand.

It was needless to say that being born in the vast wilderness was a tragedy. Not only was there a lack of resources, even a prodigy would not be noticed by others. So it was impossible to get ahead in life.

The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom knew that, but nothing could help the situation. Besides the Cloud Wilderness, even some prodigies from the 108 states might be missed!

Over the years, an unknown number of prodigies born in the wilderness had died in vain. They either died from starvation, illness, falling to their deaths while picking herbs or being eaten by beasts.

Those who could become great men ended up dying as beggars. Even after their deaths, they were not given a proper burial and were simply buried underground. Sometimes there might be a wooden stick erected as a tombstone–just like Yi Yun's. However, these tombstones would decay and collapse after a few years. Once those who remembered the dead died too, their presence in the world was erased. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Born poor and dying without a trace; that was the fate of the people in the wilderness. Lian Chengyu understood it deeply, resulting in his distorted view of life.

The fat elder said, "Our trip here has both something and nothing to do with the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's selection. To put it more concretely, the reason why we are here and the reason for the sudden warrior selection by the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom are likely caused by the same incident."

"Oh?" This had evoked the young girl's interest. A pair of slender long eyes gently stirred as her long eyelashes caught the faint sunlight.

"Five months ago, some strange phenomenon had happened in the Cloud Wilderness. It was a day with clear skies, but in a couple of seconds, the entire sky in the Cloud Wilderness, a region of a few hundred thousand kilometers was covered by thick clouds!"

"And the strange thing about it was, the clouds were purple in color!"

"The purple cloud covered the entire Cloud Wilderness. This sort of phenomenon was simply amazing. Even the astronomers of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom declared that night an astronomical phenomenon, and named it: ’Purple Clouds' Birth’!"

"This phenomenon had happened again two months ago. It was even more spectacular, covering the celestial bodies and masking the world!"

"This Purple Clouds' Birth had alarmed the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom; but for the commoners in the Cloud Wilderness, they did not know anything. As the phenomenon happened at night, with their normal eyesight, it would be hard for them to distinguish the colors at night. They also didn't know that the purple clouds had covered the entire Cloud Wilderness, nor did they know that the Purple Clouds' Birth had caused a Yuan Qi disorder in the confines of the Cloud Wilderness."

"At that time, even in the deepest parts of the Cloud Wilderness, desolate beasts that lay dormant for hundreds of thousands of years were startled!"

"There are only a few possibilities for such a phenomenon to happen."

"First, it could be the birth of some treasure. However, the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom had used treasure compasses five months ago to search the Cloud Wilderness. Although the treasure compasses would have been unable to find the exact location of the treasure, they would have been able to confirm the existence of a treasure within a large vicinity."

"But the treasure compasses did not ready at all. That meant that there was either no treasure, or that the treasure was so mysterious that the detector could not detect it. If it was the latter, it would be hard to imagine! Such a treasure would be capable of stirring a storm of bloodshed on the lands!"

"The second possibility is a reclusive lord among the human race had made a huge breakthrough. Or it could have been an ancient desolate beast causing chaos. However, such a possibility is extremely unlikely. Although the Cloud Wilderness is extensive, it would be a speck when considered under the backdrop of the entire world. There's nothing special about it, so a reclusive lord or an ancient desolate beast would not likely choose this place."

"As for the third possibility, the odds are slimmer. They are legends purely from hearsay, it's pointless speaking of those. I've brought you here to the Cloud Wilderness, one was for that phenomenon, for who knows if there will be a treasure that will join up your Yin Meridians!"

"Master…" the girl sighed faintly. Although she was touched, she could not bear seeing this fat elder rushing everywhere over even the tiniest possibility of curing her of her terminal illness.

But she knew that her terminal illness was a curse. Although rumors mentioned of an ancient Great Empress having managed to join up her meridians through her own powers, it was after all a rumor. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Such rumors proved the difficulty of joining up the meridians of this terminal illness!

The fat elder knew Lin Xintong's thoughts and smiled, "Alright, coming here for such a phenomenon to enrich your experience is a must, even if there are no results from it. This phenomenon that happened within the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom has alarmed the Tai Ah royal family. Besides the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, even neighboring kingdoms has sneaked into the Cloud Wilderness to investigate!"

"In the past few months, the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom has sent out the Jing Long Wei, looking for the cause of the phenomenon. They were hoping that it was the revelation of some treasure. Since the Jing Long Wei were in the Cloud Wilderness, they might as well hold a warrior selection."

After the fat elder's monologue, the girl understood immediately. It was no surprise that the Jing Long Wei had drawn up a detailed map, that included even the thousand-household small tribes for the Cloud Wilderness.

"Alright, let's get going. After passing that mountain, we will pass through the Lian tribal clan, then we will stop by at the Tao tribal clan. That is a big tribe of over a hundred thousand households. We can rest there."

Just as the fat elder finished saying that, his heart skipped a beat and let out of soft exclamation.

"Master, what's the matter?"

"In the waterfall ahead, there's someone there. It seems like a case of drowning. Let's go take a look!" he said as he started moving forward through the dense forest. Although his steps looked slow, each step yielded a large distance, as if the ground under his feet had contracted in length.

Lin Xintong followed as well. They were people who lived at the pinnacle of existence, and they would not interfere with the sufferings of the millions of people in this world. But if they were to actually encounter a situation, they would interfere by saving lives.

…

Yi Yun did not know how long he had been under the plunge basin. From the previous night, after absorbing all of the desolate bone’s energy in one go, Yi Yun had jumped into the plunge basin, entering a trance-like state. Till now, Yi Yun was still not fully awake; it was as if he was still in a dream.

The desolate bone's energy had already been digested completely by Yi Yun's body, with not a drop left!

His body had entered starvation mode once again.

In a daze, Yi Yun felt a soft hand grabbing him by the collar, lifting him up…

Yi Yun's body felt light, like he was on a soft grass patch, and the soft hands were pressing on his chest.

"Puah!"

Yi Yun spat out a mouthful of water. The water wasn't clear, but cloudy. It was mixed with Yi Yun's impurities that had resulted from his physical cultivation.

"Eh?"

The girl who had saved Yi Yun did not reveal any expression of aversion, but instead, it was one of surprise. As a Desolate Heaven Master, she knew immediately what it meant by spitting out such water.

After Yi Yun woke up and recovered his vision, he had trouble opening his eyes from the bright sunlight.

True Martial World - Chapter 44: Female Desolate Heaven Master

"Master, didn't you say we were going to the northwestern divine wilderness to kill the desolate beasts there? Why did we end up coming to the Cloud Wilderness? The Cloud Wilderness is a barren heathland, probably void of strong desolate beasts!" The young girl said with a sweet and gentle voice.

"Northwestern divine wilderness…Sigh. You were born with Yin Meridians and lack physical strength. Among the desolate beasts that roam the northwestern divine wilderness, there are some high level desolate beasts. It will be tough for you to handle them," said the fat elder as he shook his head.

"Alright, Xingtong, I'll give you fifteen minutes to refine this level six fierce beast into a desolate bone relic. As mentioned before, this is to give you experience. Unless your life is in danger, I will not interfere." After the fat elder finished his words, he chose a big rock to rest his buttocks, and began to look at the scenery.

The girl nodded her head. She rolled up her sleeves with a finger, then she took out a bronze disk which was inscribed with dense runes. The moment the disk appeared, it flew up into the sky and grew larger. Very soon, the disk was about the size of a house. Following that, the level six fierce beast was absorbed by the disk, turning into a blinding white light.

In the white light, the fierce beast's carcass seemed to burn up. Its flesh melted and together with the essence from the blood, it seeped into the bones. In a few seconds, the fierce beast had turned into a skeleton. After a few more seconds, the skeleton also began to melt and started to fuse…

As this was going on, the girl's fingers began to link up to form a seal. Her fingers were long, and due to the fast movements of the sealing process, finger shadows were formed. A series of sealing charms were sent out by her, flying into the disk as they combined with the beast's bones.

In less than fifteen minutes, the entire beast's bones had completely melted, eventually reducing to a bone relic the size of a green bean. If Lian Chengyu saw this scene, he would have yelped out in shock. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Desolate Heaven Master! This young girl was a Desolate Heaven Master! It was hard to believe that the girl had this fearsome ability of easily refining a level six fierce beast in less than fifteen minutes. If this girl wanted, refining the Lian tribal clan's Frost Python desolate bone would have been a breeze!

The bone relic fell into the palm of the girl who began frowning upon seeing the bone relic. She was clearly not satisfied. "It's still not small enough." The girl shook her head. Her goal was to reduce a six grade fierce beast to the size of a rice grain in fifteen minutes. Judging from the outcome, it seemed like she was still a distance away from the goal.

"Xintong, don't be too eager. You are the most talented Desolate Heaven Master I've seen in all my years of traveling the world, unfortunately…" The fat elder said with a sigh. To be able to reduce a six grade fierce beast to a relic the size of a rice grain within fifteen minutes was not something he could have done at seventeen.

It was a pity that the girl named Xintong had Yin Meridians. Her skin was so pale because of the extremely rare condition of having Yin Meridians. It was a terminal illness that would only appear in females.

A girl with Yin Meridians was weak to the cold. Even during the summer, she would have to wear a coat. A normal person with Yin Meridians would at most live to eighteen before falling into a slumber for two to three days. As time went on, she would sleep longer and more frequently, to the point of each slumber lasting nearly a year. Over time, her body's vitality would slowly wilt away, eventually leading to death.

But Xintong was born in the ancient Lin family clan, which enjoyed an old heritage. With the support of the Lin family, she could consume fire elemental desolate beast relics. With the fire elemental relics' fiery force, she was able to combat the chilling cold within her body.

Although living a long life wasn't a problem, for cultivation it was a different story. A person born with Yin Meridians could never completely open up her meridians during the Meridian realm. A latent danger would result from this realm. It would also be harder to cultivate to a higher realm, and the higher it was, the more difficult it was. Eventually, a bottleneck was reached!

Although having Yin Meridians was a curse, there were always exceptions. Legends told of a human Great Empress who had Yin Meridians during ancient times. She had used her own strength to connect her meridians. When the Yin Meridians were connected again, an unknown transformation would happen. However, this was poorly documented in the history books.

Lin Xintong's master was the fat elder. He had tried to connect up Lin Xintong’s broken meridians using ancient methods left by Desolate Heaven Masters, but none of them were successful. Those ancient methods were arcane and obscure. Be it the ingredients or the refinement techniques, they were too confusing for the old fat man, resulting in abysmal results. The fat elder cared for his disciple and he had tried all sorts of methods while wandering the vast wilderness, but to no avail.

"Master, don't sigh. Although I have Yin Meridians, with fire elemental bone relics, I can live for at least three hundred years. I'm much more blessed than other commoners." Being born from a clan with a long heritage, the young girl never needed to worry about her meals and she had seen all sorts of treasures. But over the years of wandering the wilderness, her experience taught her the hardships of the world. She knew how commoners struggled in this world. This made her empathetic. Indeed, although she had Yin Meridians, she was much more blessed than the commoners by thousands of times.

The girl swallowed the bone relic that she had just completed refining. A bone relic refined from fierce beasts was poorer in quality to a desolate bone relic. However, few warriors actually ate desolate bone relics. It was sufficient to eat fierce beast relics, as it took a long time to refine a desolate bone relic.

"Up ahead, we will enter the territory of the Lian tribal clan. Hmm, this Lian tribal clan is a small tribe of less than a thousand households. We don't really have to enter," said the fat elder as he took out a map made of rubber. He unfurled it and while looking at it, he said happily, "This map is all thanks to the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's Jin Long Wei. They created a new map. Originally the map of the Cloud Wilderness had not been updated in eight hundred years. Many small tribes have changed positions and an old map would not have all this indications." noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Lin Xintong looked at her master's map, provoking a sense of doubt within her. To make a map of the Cloud Wilderness was a thankless and pointless job. Those small tribes were as many as the sand grains of the five Ganges Rivers. It was unknown which tribe would collapse, giving birth to a new one. Such a detailed map required a great deal of effort to draw, but it would be useless in about a hundred years.

Connecting it to the recent ongoings of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom in the Cloud Wilderness, Lin Xintong asked, "Master, why did we deliberately travel from afar to the Cloud Wilderness? Also, I heard that the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom has sent the Jin Long Wei here, in preparation for the warrior selection in the Cloud Wilderness that will be held soon. It requires a lot of effort to hold a warrior selection in the vast wilderness, so why did the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom do it?"

"Is the reason why we are here in the Cloud Wilderness related to the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's selection?"