True Martial World - Chapter 58: Returning Home

With the plague as an excuse, the blame was pushed to him. Such a move was extremely vile. And with the intelligence of the villagers, there was no way for them to see through it!

How would they know about the pill that could overdraft their vitality? How would they know that desolate bones had toxins that could kill when refined?

There were many among them that had not even heard of desolate bones just two months ago.

The poor had led lives that suffered from starvation and the cold. Besides food, they had no way of accommodating anything else in their brains. Even if you explained it to them word for word, they might not be able to understand.

"Damn it!"

Yi Yun's eyes turned cold. If he showed himself, it would be the same as declaring war on Lian Chengyu!

Yi Yun knew his hand, his cultivation was still at the Meridians realm, but it had reached a Tempered Body, Dragon Pulse state.

As for Lian Chengyu, he was at the brink of the Purple Blood realm, and was at the peak of the Qi Gatherer realm. If not for Yi Yun, Lian Chengyu breaking through into the Purple Blood realm would have definitely been a done deal.

Yi Yun did not have confidence fighting with a Tempered Body in the Meridians realm versus Lian Chengyu who was bordering on the Purple Blood realm.

In the Lian tribal clan, besides Lian Chengyu, there was also the Patriarch and the instructor Yao Yuan!

The three of them were at the fifth level of Mortal Blood, Qi Gatherer. He would be fighting against three!

Yi Yun was not worried about the Patriarch, but as for Yao Yuan…

Yi Yun did not know Yao Yuan's true strength. He had previously reached the Purple Blood realm, but he had dropped from that realm.

Not only was Yao Yuan's level was greater, but Yao Yuan would also have much richer battle experience than Yi Yun.

As for Yi Yun, besides the 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist', he had never learned any other offensive martial skill, and did not know any movement skills.

In terms of fighting skills, Yi Yun was lacking. He was in the beginning stages in terms of martial arts.

So Yi Yun calmed down and began making plans.

"Lian Chengyu, I will make sure you die in agony!" Yi Yun clenched his fists tightly. He was originally from Earth and he had tunneled into this strange world where power ruled supreme. Yi Yun had previously not wished to murder anyone directly, but after today, he was determined to kill Lian Chengyu!

Lian Chengyu had harmed Yi Yun twice secretly, but Yi Yun had never been so mad to such a degree. Lian Chengyu should have never ever done this to Jiang Xiaorou.

His sister was alone and helpless; as a fifteen year old girl, she had to face the entire tribe's accusations!

And when those strong men died from their illnesses, there was no need for Lian Chengyu to do anything to push the blame onto Yi Yun. At that time, what would the families of the victims do to Jiang Xiaorou? It was the unthinkable!

If at that moment, Lian Chengyu appeared and wanted to do anything to Jiang Xiaorou, she would have no way of resisting!

Yi Yun picked up a pebble and threw it at Lian Cuihua's face from the grass.

"Pa!"

This pebble smacked Lian Cuihua right in the face.

"Ouch!" Lian Cuihua screamed as she crouched down. She covered her face in pain. Her face had turned blue-black.

"Who the f**k dare hit me?" Lian Cuihua angrily said. The children around her immediately shook their heads, saying it had nothing to do with them.

Yi Yun did not give any killing blows. Although he had the urge to kill the mean woman, he knew that if he did anything to Lian Cuihua, he would arouse the suspicion of Lian Chengyu.

He would remember Lian Cuihua's debt. In a month, in at most a month, he will collect the debt with interest. The insidious woman will pay the price.

"Ah!" At that moment the boy beside Lian Cuihua jumped up clutching his buttocks, "Who hit me?"

This child was the ringleader of the children.

"It's not me!"

"It's also not me!" Many people hurriedly clarified, distancing themselves from the matter.

But at that moment, the screams began to sound out one after another. Yi Yun's hands were tremendously fast. The pebbles he shot out were well guided and properly controlled. The moment the pebble hit the child, it would bounce off and disappear into the night. This prevented the children from knowing what they were hit by, nor did they know where the pebbles came from.

"What is it!?" The children knew something was wrong.

It was already late in the night, and they were doing the heroic job of "ridding evil". They began to break into cold sweat after being hit by mysterious objects.

"There…There are ghosts!"

An unknown child shouted, and with that the rest of the children were scared white, and they scattered in a blink of an eye!

Lian Cuihua was even more afraid as she tumbled while running away.

The village was especially afraid of the supernatural such as demons and ghosts.

After the children scattered, Yi Yun surveyed the surroundings to ensure there was no one before heading to his house like a ghost, jumping over the wall.

The courtyard was filled with cow dung, but Yi Yun had already reached the Meridians realm, and was had achieved a Tempered Body, so he was the same as a Kung Fu master. With one breath, he had crossed the entire sea of dung.

Yi Yun crossed the yard without sullying his shoes.

He pushed the void, and a gust of wind blew forward pushing the door open, and Yi Yun stepped into the house.

Right in front of the house was the stove. There was no light, so it was pitch black.

But in the bedroom, the window had been smashed through by cow dung, letting in some moonlight. Yi Yun could clearly see Jiang Xiaorou's thin figure under the moonlight.

Her face and her shoulders gave people the urge to give her infinite love.

"Who!?" Jiang Xiaorou had descended into grief and anxiety after Yi Yun disappeared. But she was still extremely alert. The moment she heard noises, she would grab the arrow by her side!

Jiang Xiaorou was an unyielding girl, she constantly strived to become stronger, but her living circumstances made her have given her the thoughts that "without a man in the house, life would be sad".

With her brother around, her life revolved around him. Without her brother, she had lost her spiritual column of support. And a girl living alone in the vast wilderness would be bound to be the subject of bullying.

Also Yi Yun had previously warned Jiang Xiaorou that Lian Chengyu coveted her, so Jiang Xiaorou had never separated from the arrow for the past day.

"Sis, it's me…Yun-er…" Yi Yun said with a trembling voice as he looked at the house filled with dung. Seeing Jiang Xiaorou in the middle of the mess, he could only feel a lump come up his throat, urging him to cry.

Jiang Xiaorou was stunned. In the darkness, she used the moonlight to see Yi Yun's face. Although it was blurry, how could she not recognize that familiar outline?

"Yun-er! !" Jiang Xiaorou ran forward with tears in her eyes and embraced Yi Yun tightly!

"Yun-er, you're fine. As long as you alright, as long as you are alright!" Jiang Xiaorou's voice was urgent. She used all the strength in her two arms to hug Yi Yun, afraid that the moment she released him, Yi Yun would disappear.

With Jiang Xiaorou hugging him tightly, Yi Yun could feel her shaking body and her rapid heartbeat. Yi Yun could feel a warmth at his neck. It was Jiang Xiaorou's tears.

"Sis, I'm fine…"

"I know…I knew from the beginning," cried Jiang Xiaorou as she said. Although she said she knew, she could not rest assured.

She was not bothered by the insult of having the walls plastered with cow dung, nor was she bothered by the curses of that mean woman. The only thing that mattered to her was if her brother will return. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Now, it had finally happened after a long wait!

"Let's go. Sis, we need to leave this place. We can no longer stay in this village!"

Yi Yun's sudden words were a bolt in the blue for Jiang Xiaorou who had been going through a roller coaster of emotions. "If we don't stay here, where can we go? Are you saying to go into the Cloud Wilderness?"

True Martial World - Chapter 57: Lian Chengyu’s evil motives

At that moment, in the Lian tribal clan Patriarch compound.

Zhao Tiezhu ran in, and excitedly reported the situation of Yi Yun's house to Lian Chengyu.

"Young Master Lian sure has the best plans. Yi Yun's house is now completely covered with dung, hahaha!"

Zhao Tiezhu laughed and Lian Chengyu just responded with a terse affirmation before he waved his hands saying, "Leave, and occasionally pay attention to Jiang Xiaorou's house, and report to me anytime."

"Yes, yes. I will take my leave," Zhao Tiezhu accepted his orders as he bowed while retreating out of the house.

Zhao Tiezhu was in a good mood. He felt that Lian Chengyu was beginning to grow fond of him, for he was giving him tasks to do.

After Zhao Tiezhu left, Lian Chengyu calmly poured a cup of tea for himself. He then filled another cup to the brim.

At that moment, from inside the back room came out a yellow robed elder.

He laughed as he picked up the tea cup Lian Chengyu had filled, and took a sip.

This elder was the Lian tribal clan's Patriarch.

"Chengyu, you have done well regarding this matter. I've really grown old," shook the elder's head. For the past few months, every matter of the Lian tribal clan was dealt with by Lian Chengyu.

Lian Chengyu had used the strong men to refine the desolate bone, worrying the yellow-robed elder, since there would be deaths caused by the refinement of the desolate bone. And with the starvation, it was a matter of time before the people began to riot.

Even if Lian Chengyu used the Blood Thinning Pill to draw out the potential of those people's lives, and stabilize their condition, it was an unsustainable method as it overdrafted their life force. In a few days, those people would grow sick again and die.

When the matter was exposed, the Lian tribal clan would come under unprecedented pressure!

If not handled properly, it would cause a riot amongst the people. It would cause loss of lives, and could affect the refinement of the desolate bone. The consequences would be disastrous.

But the yellow-robed elder could not believe that Lian Chengyu had pushed all the blame to the dead Yi Yun before the illness broke out.

If so, even if the strong men who were refining the desolate bone died, no one would become suspicious, they would all believe that Yi Yun had initially contracted a strange illness and had been possessed.

Yi Yun spread his strange illness to the other men who were refining the desolate bones. This illness would later become an epidemic plague.

Also Yi Yun's possession would give an ominous omen to the tribe.

At that point, the people would believe that Yi Yun had caused the deaths of everyone.

As such, the people would only hate Yi Yun and not hate Lian Chengyu. And there would be new strong men willing to carry on refining the desolate bone, and everything would be perfect.

This was the main reason for Lian Chengyu's direction of the matter. It could be said as killing two birds with one stone. Not only would he be able to affirm himself as the number one genius in the tribe with absolute authority, he could also ensure the smooth refining of the desolate bones.

"It's just some small tricks. Grandpa has thought too highly of me," said Lian Chengyu casually. "Based on the Frost Python's toxin, and the effects of the Blood Thinning Pill, in about three to five days, those who were refining the desolate bone would die. At that time, the people would be angry. They wouldn't just simply throw dung at Yi Yun's house, they would probably directly burn the house down."

As Lian Chengyu said it, he took a sip of tea and gently wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. His movement was extremely graceful. He was the only person in the Lian tribal clan who continuously maintained the style of an aristocrat.

He was born in the Cloud Wilderness; although the young masters of the Cloud Wilderness had a higher standing, but which of them followed the way of the aristocrats? But Lian Chengyu was different, he had learned the manners of the aristocrats from Yao Yuan, and ensured that he followed those protocols all the time.

Because he thought that he was fated to one day be one of the upper class, and even be among the upper echelon of the kingdom, and attending the banquets of the kingdom.

He did not want to be ridiculed by the upper class people as a Cloud Wilderness brat.

He wanted people to know that although he was born from the Cloud Wilderness, he could also do everything equally well!

"It's such a pity I didn't get to see Yi Yun's corpse with my own eyes…" Lian Chengyu said with thoughts in his head.

"Haha, Chengyu, you worry too much. Do you think the kid can still survive under such conditions? Besides the lack of a cure for the Frost Python toxin, simply falling several tens of meters down a cliff would have broken a person's body. Furthermore, the East River's flow is extremely fast. There is even a waterfall downstream, so even the best swimmers would either die from the fall or from drowning.” noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

The Patriarch was not worried one bit.

Lian Chengyu nodded his head, "Yes…Grandpa is right. Yi Yun just began practicing martial arts, and he hasn't even reached the Valiant realm. There's no chance he can avoid that."

Lian Chengyu placed his teacup down. Yi Yun may be dead, but his sister was still around. After this disaster, and having her house plastered with cow dung, and burnt down, she would have nowhere to go. She was even hated by everyone in the Lian tribal clan, except himself, who would be willing to have her under their wings?

When he thought of that, a smile formed on Lian Chengyu's lips.

This girl would fall into his hands sooner or later. Letting her suffer a little would temper her attitude, making her more docile. Whatever he said would be what it was.

"Yi Yun-ah, Yi Yun. You made me lose face in front of Lord Zhang, killing you and then enjoying your sister can only be considered fair."

"With you dead, I'm actually saving your sister. In the future, she will obediently listen to me. You can rest easy in the netherworld. And when I make my meteoric rise, I will let her be one of my concubines, and will not abandon her."

…

It was finally dark, but the few "brave" children were still extremely dedicated. They did not leave even in complete darkness till the entire pile of cow dung was thrown. Not only Jiang Xiaorou's door and walls had been smeared, even the foundations were buried in a small pile of dung.

"Well done!" Lian Cuihua clapped her hands. She had originally wanted to touch the boys' heads as an encouragement, but she realized they were dirty and retracted her hand. "Come to Aunt Cuihua tomorrow, Aunt Cuihua will give you sweets to eat."

These sweets were of course from Lian Chengyu. In the Lian tribal clan, sweets were a rare thing.

When the kids heard that there would be sweets, their eyes lit up.

"Alright, alright, we will carry on throwing cow dung tomorrow, will there be sweets then too?"

"Yes, of course there will be," laughed Lian Cuihua. "Not only will there be sweets, by throwing the cow dung, you have driven the evil away, saving everyone!"

"Yes, we saved everyone!" said a bigger child proudly.

"We are heroes!" another child echoed. Children at this age all had dreams of being heroes. They wanted to be a warrior that flew through the skies for that would be very impressive.

At that moment, there were a pair of dark eyes in the grass watching all this.

These were Yi Yun's eyes!

He had figured the details of what happened from the conversations of the children and villagers. Thus, Yi Yun had also guessed this was planned by Lian Chengyu.

He clenched his fists and a sense of killing intent flashed in his eyes!

True Martial World - Chapter 56: Siege

Just after the sun had set, the sky had not completely gone dark. In the Lian tribal clan, about seven children and a few women stood around Jiang Xiaorou's house. These kids were about eight years old. The eldest was about the same age as Yi Yun. Every one of them wore rags and their bodies were dirty. In their hands were cow dung, as they threw it one after another at Jiang Xiaorou's door.

"Splat! Splat! Splat!"

The dirty cow dung exploded upon contact with Jiang Xiaorou's door, giving rise to a strong stench.

Behind the child was an old women dressed in long black robes, looking like a witch. She began dancing as if she was in an epileptic shock and chanted weird phrases.

"All gods are my brothers, all bodhisattvas are my sisters, all the diseases and disasters, stay away from me! Demons and ghosts, hasten and leave! Bewitching evil spirits, show yourself! Ah Ah Ah...Wu Wu Wu...Ah Ah Ah..."

Using the mouth which had few teeth left, she kept wailing like a ghost, as if she was experiencing an orgasm.

As the old woman's voice reached its climax, the children around her became more excited and threw the cow dung.

The cow dung was obtained from the Lian tribal clan's cattle. There was always a large pile in the farms, so they could obtain a large amount.

The villagers wanted the cow dung to exorcise evils.

The news of Yi Yun bleeding from his seven orifices had spread throughout the Lian tribal clan.

Deaths in Lian tribal clan were nothing new, but to die so horribly was something that grabbed the attention of the people.

And at noon, the Lian tribal clan had suddenly released information saying that Yi Yun had died from a mysterious disease! It was a kind of plague!

Suddenly the entire Lian tribal clan exploded in activity!

Numerous people began spreading the news and in two hours, the news had been spread throughout the tribe!

Plague!

It was an extremely fearsome word in the vast wilderness. Plagues were terrifying, as it killed more than famines.

Typically, a plague could easily wipe out an entire tribe.

In ancient China, there was the possibility of escaping a plague, but in the Cloud Wilderness, having a plague was equivalent to a death sentence. There was nowhere to run. Escaping to the vast wilderness would only result in being eaten by fierce beasts.

The citizens of the vast wilderness were terrified of plagues to the bone!

The medical facilities in the vast wilderness were backward, be it herbs or doctors, they were small in number. But in the face of a plague, they would not sit there doing nothing to await death.

As such, the citizens of the vast wilderness "invented" several methods to counter the plague, and one of the most common ones was the "witch exorcism".

A witch would "Dance to the Gods" in order to drive out the plague. As for its effectiveness, it was unknown.

This may sound ridiculous, but in the vast wilderness filled with ignorance, this sort of phenomenon was common, and was regarded as the Truth. In Earth's ancient times, there were all sorts of witches around the world, and they were all strikingly similar.

Besides, the citizens of the vast wilderness believed that cow dung or dog blood could be used to drive away evil. Dog blood was too rare because it would have long been drunk by the tribal people to stave off their hunger.

But cow dung was common, so they used cow dung to throw at Jiang Xiaorou's house. They threw it at the walls and doors to seal the plague, preventing it from spreading.

Because of this, these self-proclaimed "brave" kids threw with great strength. They felt they were warriors of the Lian tribal clan, fighting a war with the plague and the evil!

"That place isn't covered yet!" A leader among the kids said as he pointed, and a large heap of cow dung flew over.

"Splat, splat, splat!'

The cow dung exploded. This wall was close to the window, and Jiang Xiaorou had only stuck a piece of paper across the window. In the Lian tribal clan, paper was expensive, but the windows could not be left uncovered, for it would be too cold in the winter. Without the paper blocking the window, the wind would not be kept out.

Jiang Xiaorou had spent the whole day putting up this thick window paper, bit by bit, as she hoped to ensure that she and her brother could enjoy a warm winter.

But now.

"Pa!"

With a snapping sound, a pile of cow dung had broken through the paper window, flying into Jiang Xiaorou's house.

As the pile of cow dung hit the floor, it made the entire place filthy.

Jiang Xiaorou was sitting by the bed looking grim.

When the news of her brother broke, she was of course the first to hear it. But she did not believe it to be true, for her brother had been able to survive repeated catastrophes without dying.

This time, they said that her brother was dead. And even two men claimed that Yi Yun had jumped off a cliff tens of meters high with his last breath. Such a drop could even kill cats!

Brother...jumped into the river...to his death...

These words circled Jiang Xiaorou's mind like a curse. It was unknown how she managed, but she was totally dazed.

She could not believe that her brother was dead. She knew that Yi Yun had undergone change in the past few days. He had greater abilities, became stronger, and after practicing martial arts, he had become even stronger.

How could such a strong brother die?

Jiang Xiaorou could not believe it, she had pinned all hopes on Yi Yun!

But no matter how much Jiang Xiaorou believed in Yi Yun, Yi Yun's disappearance was a fact...

Especially with the rumors of Yi Yun contracting the plague, Jiang Xiaorou was afraid, afraid that Yi Yun had really been infected by the plague, and was worried that he would spread it to her, hence drowning himself.

"Pa!"

Another clump of cow dung was thrown in, hitting the dining table. The only two bowls in the house were immediately dirtied by the cow dung, unable to be used ever again.

However, Jiang Xiaorou did not even take a glance.

The siege on Jiang Xiaorou's house with cow dung had lasted for an entire afternoon.

Even with the sun setting, the operation had still not concluded.

"Cover it tightly! This lass and that dead imp are jinxes. We should have never accepted them into our tribe!" Outside of the broken window came a woman's mean voice.

This woman was tall and her face long. Her cheekbones were raised and her sleeves were rolled; she looked like a shrew. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Even the poor citizens were categorized in classes. Those who had Lian as their surname in the Lian tribal clan were afforded better treatment. They would sometimes enjoy special privileges in the tribe, after all, they shared the same surname as the Lian tribal clan's leaders.

The women who spoke had Lian as her surname. Her name was Lian Cuihua. She was known as Aunt Cuihua.

In fact, her aggressive posture this time leading a group of people to throw dung at the walls was ordered by Lian Chengyu.

Lian Chengyu wanted to stir up a storm, and he naturally found a person to "care for the children" among the people, so that she could fan the flames.

"I think we might as well burn the house, to prevent any filthy things from coming out. Do you know, Da Tou's father saw the kid turn sick with his own eyes. He even said that not only did the kid get infected with the plague, he had been possessed!"

"At that time, Da Tou's dad touched the kid, and it felt like a snake had bit him. It's no simple matter! Think about it, this little bastard has such a cheap life, cheaper than a dog, how could he have been chosen by Lord Zhang? And to think he was said to be a martial arts prodigy, how is that possible? Lord Zhang may not know, and you may not know! He was a good-for-nothing, no different from a beggar. He was weaker than a wench. A martial arts prodigy, my foot!"

"Only was he possessed can we explain how a good-for-nothing could suddenly become so powerful. It was because he was possessed! When the ghost was within him, he was strong, but with the ghost gone, he died!" Lian Cuihua said it with a queer voice, depicting the story of Yi Yun of days past as a living zombie.

In the past day, Lian Cuihua would say the same speel whenever she met anyone. This was of course taught to her by Lian Chengyu.

As Lian Chengyu could not do it himself, he allowed Lian Cuihua to spread the rumors. By using possession to explain Yi Yun's apparent talent, many of the people were willing to believe it.

After all, the Yi Yun they knew could not have been a martial arts prodigy.

Doing so could retain Lian Chengyu's absolute authority. He was the most talented person in the Lian tribal clan, and no one could match him!

This would make the tribe believe that only through him Lian Chengyu, could they be led towards glory.

"What Aunt Cuihua says makes sense."

"So he was possessed. I already said that weakling Yi Yun could not be more talented than my Er Dan."

A few women echoed her as they shared the Lian surname, and was the foundation of the Lian tribal clan.

However, in the room, Jiang Xiaorou turned a deaf ear to all of this.

Yun-er, where did you go?

Why aren't you back?

Jiang Xiaorou was in a daze. Although she knew her hopes were slim, she still refused to believe that Yi Yun had died.

Dual Sword God - Chapter 47: The Ascending Phase

The towering construct stood firmly within the square as all spectators and major influences observed their geniuses that went towards the Ascending Dragon Platform's stairway. Soon, the area around the new central platform was filled with over a thousand youths all below the age of 23. They stood at the center of the square waiting for instructions from the woman dressed in white.

Seeing that all of the participants have gathered the woman smiled as she spoke to the audience and competitors once more.

"Now that everyone is ready, I have one more news I'd like to share, ascending the Ascending Dragon Platform is not an easy task as it is a test of your will. While mounting its steps, you will be unable to utilize any benefits that would have been brought about by your cultivation and would be forced to utilize the only your mortal body, and movement skills. Your task is to reach the summit of the stairway if you can and stand there for an incense stick of time." she said as he looked at the competitors seriously.

Hearing her words each of the geniuses looked on quietly as they pondered about the challenge.

Feng Yu looked at the stairs in front of him as he thought to himself "How strange, the fluctuations I feel from this stairway reminds me of the fluctuations I felt from Path of Swords, even those runes carry a similar style to those of that Trial."

The Mysterious Spear Youth looked on the platform with interest as did the Youth from the Southern Wasteland.

As Tang Wu and Xin Qing scanned it with their soul strength, they looked at each other and discussed amongst themselves.

"Brother Tang, it feels as if this won't be an easy challenge," said Xin Qing as she looked at the stairs feeling apprehensive.

"Em. However, it would do us no good to lose our fate so early," replied Tang Wu as he looked at the stairs challengingly.

Ji Weng and Xuan Bei looked on with sparks shining in their eyes as a few other mysterious geniuses looked on solemnly.

Seeing that they had all prepared themselves for the challenge the woman smiled with vague appreciation showing in her eyes as she spoke once more.

"Good! The Ascending Phase will now start!!" said the white clothing woman as her voice reverberated throughout the entire square.

Soon, a few of talents feeling excited rushed forwards and mounted the stairway.

"HA HA! I'll be the first one to make it to the top!" said a slim and speedy looking guy as he transformed into a stream of blurs climbing towards the limits of the stairway.

"Not before me!" said a woman who just so happened to be right on his tail, moving no slower than he was. Soon, she overtook his figure and transformed into a streak of light seemingly trying to pierce the heavens.

Buzz!!!!!

Instantly, a loud sound resounded as an invisible pressure filled the region around the stairway. A few of the geniuses who were already twenty or more steps on the stairway soon succumbed to an unexpected heavy pressure.

"Argh!!!!" one genius cried in immense pain as his body was flung from the stairway collapsing onto the hard floor.

Bang!!

Looking at his body that was now covered in blood, there were multiple ruptures shown on the surface of his skin as if he had withstood the worlds greatest pressure forcing his body to be torn from the inside to outside.

As a few individuals saw this scene, they soon felt a broad sense of crisis, quickly they halted their rush towards the stairway. The guy and the girl who was now a few hundred steps ahead of the masses could now be seen falling at the rate faster than their previous ascension.

Swish! Swish! Thud! Thud!

Quickly, they fell to the ground while skillfully maneuvering themselves when in mid-air to avoid a fatal crash.

"Cough! This, how could the pressure be so strong!" said the guy who rushed the platform as he tried to rotate his 8 Tier cultivation base to mend his injuries only to find that some kind of unknown force blocked his essence-energies.

"......." the woman looked on in silence as she realized she couldn't recover her injuries.

The woman in white seeing this scene smiled as she spoke once again. "I may have forgotten to mention this previously, but, the gravity of this stairway will only increase as you travel further along its course. Do be careful now," she said politely.

"Chet! This damn woman!" said an individual from the spectator's stand who was the associate of the guy that fell.

"The Fallen can only be blamed for their lack of cautiousness, true experts keep their guard up regardless of the situation they face." said an aged voice beside him.

"Mother F---ker! Who the hell do you th----" before he could finish his statement he finally saw the man who sat beside him in a leisure mood. It was an old man that gave a strange aura appearing as if he was there but not there at the same time. He looked at the man and smiled vaguely before vanishing once more.

The man looked on in shock but seeing that no one else showed any strange expression he frowned as he thought. "Am I seeing things?..."

As the crowd and talents were in a commotion regarding the pressure and words of the woman in white, a few of the geniuses started to move once more.

Xuan Bei and Ji Weng turned into two blurs respectively, as Xuan Bei's form shuttled forward in a unique style moving like a serpent with his body swaying as he mounted the stairs. While Ji Weng had a flexible method of moving up the stairway with his arms grasping the railings utilizing his entire body to climb the stairs almost as if a monkey climbing a tree.

The significant figures seeing this scene commented in praise.

"It seems that Bei Childs achievement on his <Bright Fire Serpent Steps> has finally taken form reaching large success stage. " said the man with the flame engraved pendant.

"Dear Lie, Xuan Bei has been practicing sole heartily for this past year, this selection event is the best chance for him to show the world his achievements," said Mistress Xuan.

Xuan Lie smiled as he continued to observe his son while feeling slightly proud. However, he soon frowned as he saw Ji Weng threatening to overtake his form.

"The Genius of the West is truly deserving of his praise indeed, his <Drunken Monkey Steps> from the Sheng Imperial Family's five most famous Top Tier Mortal Rank Skills have also seemed to have reached its crescendo. " said the skinny old man with the long beard by Xuan Lie's side.

"Hmph!" Xuan Lie snorted in response.

As Ji Weng and Xuan Bei continued their struggle upwards while bearing the pressure, Tang Wu and Xin Qing had also made their moves.

Xin Qing promptly disappeared turning into a shadow that seemed to have been giving a life of its own, as she made her ways through the corners of the steps ascending upwards at unthinking speeds.

Tang Wu seeing this smiled as he spoke. "Sister Qing's <Shadows Steps> are quite profound as always. It seems she has also gotten better since our last fight. However..." not wasting any more time he moved his body forwards and started leaping traversing multiple steps per leap as figure blurred leaving only remnant shades of his true form as he spoke.

"My <Ascended Toad Steps> are not to be taken lightly!"

As Feng Yu looked at the figures of the genius traversing the stairway he could help but feel a competitive spirit rose within him. He looked at Dai Lin, Lang Kuang and Miren Fei, then nodded towards them while keeping his hands crossed behind his back.

Having seen Feng Yu's go ahead, Dai Lin and the rest wasted no time, as they rushed up the stairway.

Crackle!!

Instantly, Dai Lin's entire form became shrouded by electricity as he transformed in a streak of blue lightning quicky traversing the stairway upwards unaffected by the pressure.

Lang Kuang seeing this immediately urged the silver-white wolf power within his unique body and rushed forwards while howling towards the sky.

"Awoouu!!!!!!" as he howled the illusion of a wild wolf superimposed with his form as he galloped along the stairway in full momentum overtaking many of the geniuses.

Miren Fei also performed a strange set of movement technique almost as if she transformed into a goddess dancing about the stairway. She gently stepped on the steps while gracefully moving her slender body swiftly overtaking many of the talents, each of her actions would leave behind a strange jade mark on the ground.

Feng Yu felts strange as he saw Miren Fie and Wild Wolf's techniques "How odd? Both of their techniques are too powerful to be classified as an ordinary class used by rogues. It seems I will have to take some time to truly look at their matters after all of this is over."

The Audience seeing Feng Yu's group make their move were stunned.

"Isn't that Wild Wolf and Charming Jade! Did they join that troublemaker Feng Yu?" a man asked in shock.

"He's lucky to have such powerful retainers, look he's just standing there watching the show, Chet!" said a young man with jealousy.

A few of the influential figures looked at their techniques in surprise.

"Where did they learn such profound skills? I have never heard of such techniques being prominent in this Kingdom," said Xuan Lie as he looked at Lang Kuang, Miren Fie, and Dai Lin's movement skills curiously.

After a short while, he looked at the skinny old man with the long beard beside him and said "Fei Tan! This Feng Family what do you know of them?"

"Your Excellency, regarding the matters of the Feng Clan. I had already begun scouting out their information upon entering Machen Town, subordinate find them unique." said the Fei Tan.

"Unique? What do you mean by they are unique? How could a common local clan of this town be worth the title of unique." replied Xuan Lie as he looked at Fei Tan puzzledly.

Fei Tan hearing his questioning took out a parchment from his storage ring and passed it over to Xuan Lie.

Quickly receiving the parchment and inspecting it with his spirit sense Xuan Lie couldn't help but frown as he looked towards the Feng Can with a slightly more weary expression.

"Place them on the 'Watchlist'" he said in an unemotional tone.

"As you wish!" said Fei Tan as he took a jade slip and poured his aura into it.

"This Feng Clan is youngster is lucky to be able to gain such talent retainers, even if he is a troublemaker with an unusual talent. He could still be proud." said a major character.

Xiang Tian frowned as he looked at Feng Clan's side before looking back on Feng Yu who stood in the field before the steps seeming as if not wanting to take part in the trials.

As the influences were discussing the unusualness of the Feng Clan and Feng Yu's lucky break for getting top class retainers Feng Yu was currently pre-occupied by something else.

Standing at the corner not too far away from Feng Yu was the Mysterious Spear Youth with the Brawny Youth and Pretty Young Girl, along with the Youth from the Southern Wasteland and Xiang Shu.

Sou!

Soon, the form of Hui Ying appeared quickly making his way towards Feng Yu.

"Brother Yu! You didn't wait long did you?" said Hui Ying who appeared unrushed.

"Not really, did you find what you were looking for?" asked Feng Yu curiously.

"No, It was only my imagination, I thought I saw someone familiar that's all," he replied as he recalled the scene of a strange youth with a bamboo hat who walked out from the Midnight Temple group. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Good! Let's go then! As our competitors were kind enough to wait for us." said Feng Yu with a strange smile on his face as he viewed the group before him.

Hui Ying hearing cast his vision towards the group as if sensing something the Mysterious Spear Youth and the rest glanced towards both Feng Yu and Hui Ying.

Crackle!!!

A clash of invisible aura rippled, as a smile came on both the Mysterious Spear Youth and Southern Wasteland Youth's face.

Xiang Shu looked on indifferently but his eyes shone with a strange light.

Feng Yu smiled as he spoke softly. "Shall we begin..."

Dual Sword God - Chapter 46: The Ascending Dragon Platform

The crowd looked on in silence as the Sky Splitting Sword School elder announced the commencement of the talent selections. All influential groups and hidden forces paid close attention to the central platform to not miss any vital changes. The elder seeing everyone listening then continued with his speech.

"Most of you are probably tempted to ask why we have decided to hold a Talent Selection here in such a remote place and not at the usual major cities. The answer fellow practitioners and citizens alike is a rather simple one, recently we have received a prophecy, a prophecy about the talents within our kingdom." As he said this, he whole machen help but look around at the reactions of the audience.

"Prophecy? You mean to say that the strange rumor of the kingdom is true!" said an individual.

"How can a prophecy told by an outsider be capable of affecting the affairs of the kingdom?" said another shocked.

Not bothering to answer the audiences outbursts the elder continued to speak.

"It was foretold that on this eve chosen's will be born, each of them being highly gifted talents that can pave the way for the new generation. However, for these chosen to truly be identified another prophecy must be fulfilled." said the elder as he glanced around with a solemn look on his face.

The audience hearing this became quiet once more as looks of curiosity arose in a vast majority. Seeing this the elder was about to continue his speech but was soon interrupted by the beautiful woman who was also standing within their group, she wore a white robe and carried with her a unique presence.

"It is the rising of a legacy that once thrived in the east, an ancient way of the past used to judge chosen beings. The ancient way of the Ascending Dragon Platform..." said the woman, as she spoke softly with her voice trailing through the wind reaching the ears of all members of the audience.

"Ascending Dragon Platform?..." said someone confusedly.

"Why have I never heard of this kind of thing before?" said another.

The Influences such as the Bright Flame King's group, the Southern Wasteland, Golden Dragon Empire and others each had a look of excitement shone on their faces as they heard the name.

Feng Yu who was also puzzled looked towards his father and uncle with a questioning gaze.

"So that's how it is! No wonder. It all makes sense now..." said Feng Junling as a look of interest came over his face.

Feng Yunlong seeing Feng Yu's puzzlement spoke with a bit of excitement. "Yu'er, it seems that this is the reason why this prophet was able to determine Machen Town as the place where the Mystic Realm would appear. The Ancient Battle Platform, or rather what used to be called the Ancient Dragon Talent Arena was the place that was used in the past by many to test the talent of practitioners whom battle upon it. It is said that if talents are deemed worthy by the Ascending Dragon Platform. It will directly give that person a token of acceptance to enter the realm of the Ancient Dragon Battlefield itself."

Hearing this Feng Yu felt enlightened "No wonder, but if it's like this doesn't that mean that this so-called platform is in Machen Town."

"Yes, but the question where?" replied Feng Junling as he looked towards the woman on the platform with interest.

Not paying attention to the clamoring of the people, the woman on the platform showed a mysterious smile as she snapped her fingers.

Snap!

The sound of her fingers snapping resounding throughout the entire square filling the minds of everyone. But before they could react to it, there was a sudden change.

Rumble!!!!!

Very soon, the entire square began to change as the whole Machen Town started to shake violently, the platform that stood within the center of the square had also begun to change as a bright blinding light erupted from it covering the entirety of the square.

Puuiii!!!!!

As this occurred, the entire square within the center of Machen Town expanded to about twofold of its previous size pushing the original central platform away by a few hundred of meters as a new platform arose from the ground. The square became more circular as all of the practitioners and individuals were arranged around the new central platform similar to the audience section commonly seen in a colosseum.

The new platform rose to the very limits of the sky itself seeming as if it was trying to reach the heavens, as a stairway soon appeared connecting the earth to the very apex of the sky. If one inspected these stairs, they would see strange runic markings that were engraved on their surface giving off a strange and mysterious light. There were sculptures of dragons that seemed lifelike as they acted as railings to the stair of heavens, wounding around its edges also ascending to the limits of the sky.

The woman seeing this smiled as she spoke once more "The Ascending Dragon Platform has now risen, those seeking to challenge their destinies and prove themselves worthy may walk to its limits. If you reach the sky, you will be selected to continue the battle for the title of chosen. " as she said this she looked around once more before speaking.

"Good! Now, let the Ascension Phase commence!!"

As she said this, the blinding lights illuminating the square quickly receded as it revealed the foot of the stairway where the central platform once stood. The people seeing couldn't help but feel shocked.

"What on earth is this?.." said an individual.

"What the hell is going on?" another exclaimed in shock.

As they people couldn't quite come to terms with what they had just seen, the major clan leaders and influential figures belong to certain powers wasted no time. They looked towards their nurtured talents and gave them well wishes.

The man with the flame engraved pendant looked at Xuan Bei who stood before him and spoke softly.

"Do your best? Strive to reach the top. It said that those who made it will receive certain blessings." he said as he waved his hand casually at Xuan Bei.

"Understood, I will not disappoint you, father!" said Xuan Bei as he walked towards the stairway.

The man and Mistress Xuan looked at Xuan Bei proudly.

Over at the Xin Clan and Tang Family side, the two elders Tang Fei and Xin Zhu gave their best wishes towards Xin Qing and Tang Wu.

"Wu'er give your best shot, this is the best opportunity for you to prove yourself amongst the best and come on on the top," said Tang Fei.

"I will not disappoint uncle's wishes," replied Tang Wu with a firm look in on his face.

"Little Qing'er, if you make it to the top three Old Zhu will promise to answer any one of your requests," said Xin Zhu as he looked at Xin Qing with spoiled affection.

"Really? Then Grandpa Zhu better not regret it!" as soon as she said this she vanished into the shadows not wasting a little bit of time as if she didn't want Old Zhu to retake his statement.

Seeing this Xin Zhu couldn't help but sweat as he felt a profound sense of trouble coming in the future.

On the side of the Golden Dragon Empire, the mysterious spear youth and brawny youth along with pretty young girl decided to make their moves.

"Let's go..." said the mysterious spear youth as he made his way towards the stairway.

"Alright! This should prove to be quite exciting." said the brawny youth.

"Brother Zang, cant you wait a little longer... sigh," said the pretty girl who quickly fixed her clothes before following along.

Xun Yanshan seeing this shook his head slightly, as he then turned his attention towards the Southern Group.

Soon, the young man wrapped in thick cloth also started to make his way towards the stairway without saying anything to his group as if they didn't need to converse.

The Core Disciples and Young Geniuses of the Midnight Temple, the Sheng Imperial Family and other major powers had also started to make their way towards the stairway in glee.

On the side of the Xiang Family, Xiang Tian looked at Xiang Shu who walked towards the stairway with saying a word to anyone. His face was filled with cold indifference as if everyone in the world did not exist.

Seeing his son like this Xiang Tian felt something that he didn't think he would still be capable of feeling even after so many years as he thought to himself. "Sigh... What did I do wrong?... Will he be ok if he continued to act like this?"

Huan Mang looked at these individuals sending out their children to the platform with a dazed gaze, soon, his eyes became cold as he glanced at Xiang Shu and then at the Feng Clan's location eventually resting on the form of Feng Yu.

As if he felt something Feng Yu returned the vision, seeing that Feng Yu picked up on his gaze Huan Mang felt shocked, quickly his state of mind returned to usual and dark an in-depth look soon cloud over his eyes.

"You hid well! You damn brat. I now have complete certainty that you had something to do with my son's death. You better be ready for once I deal with this damn Xiang Shu, I will be coming for you!!!" Huan Mang said as he roared within his thoughts.

Feeling the killing intent coming from Huan Mang Feng Yu did not panic he smiled as he moved over beside his aunt.

Aunty Xingyu feeling something strange looked over at Huan Mang, instantly Huan Mang soon felt as if a weight dropped from the world and was trying to crush him to bits. He soon found that he lost the ability to breathe and move as if all he could do was merely stand and wait for death. Huang Mang felt panicked he tried his best to open his mouth, but couldn't do anything, as death slowly drew closer and closer.

Swoosh!!!!

As a gust of wind blew throughout the square, the pressure vanished, and Huan Mang collapsed onto his knees while gasping for breath, with beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Haa... Haa... Cough! Cough!"

Xiang Tian and Town Lord seeing his state felt shocked they came over and inquired.

"Brother Mang! Whats the matter?" asked Xiang Tian.

"Clan Leader Huan, Are you feeling ok?" asked the Town Lord.

"I... I... I'm... Fine, Cough!" said Huan Mang as he tried to regulate his breathing as he pondered to himself. "Such a powerful constriction, how could the Feng Clan have such a powerful master hidden within it? Was it my imagination?" as he said this he couldn't help but look towards the Feng Clan once again only to Feng Xingyu pouting slightly while looking at Feng Yunling.

Feeling a bit strange regarding the previous situation he decided to take his vision back quickly. "No matter whether it's real or false I will not provoke this demonic family ever again!" he said to himself as if trying to burn it into his soul.

On the side of Feng Family, Feng Yunlong had just finished admonishing Feng Xingyu for her behavior. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"If you do that again you will compromise our mission remember it next time you want to flaunt your divine power domain," said Feng Yunlong.

"Fine! Fine! But he deserved it, I'll promise not to do it again during this period but once we are done here I will teach him a lesson." replied Feng Xingyu.

Hearing her childish like words Feng Yunlong felt pained as responded. "Sigh.. fine, but remember not to go too overboard."

Feng Junling smiled as he watched them and spoke: "Brother, you need not be so worried a small figure like that cant possible pose any nuisance to our family when it truly comes down to it."

Feng Yunlong frowned but didn't reply instead he looked towards Feng Yu and his Dawnwing squad and spoke: "Yu'er, remember that this is nothing more than a tempering exercise don't go overboard!"

"Yes father, I will try not to break their game," said Feng Yu with a look of confidence on his face, he then looked towards his companions and spoke.

"Dawnwing! It's time to spread our wings..."

Dual Sword God - Chapter 45: The Beginning of the Selections

Quickly, time flew pass once more.

It was a great day today in Machen Town, as the sky was partly cloudy revealing a bit of the brilliant azure sky that hid behind its cover, as the cold atmosphere became cooler ushering a change into the environment. The bright rays of the sun beamed down upon the earth once more bringing life to the town of snowy white.

The day of the Sky Splitting Sword Talent Selection has now arrived, practitioners and wanderers could be seen making their way towards the Central Square of Machen Town, each dressed in their unique martial wear hoisting various assortments of weapons on their backs or carrying them by their sides.

The Central Square was an expansive space stretching out for hundreds of meters, standing proudly behind it was a vast mansion that was two times the size of the Feng Clan's Manor. The gates were currently opened as an array of well-organized soldiers stood within the Central Square surrounding the two individuals who remained positioned at their center, they were the Town Lord and his wife.

Currently, they were both looking at the vast platform that stood within the Central Square. Watching as a group of men with shiny armor and bright flame-like capes escorted a few individuals dressed in sky blue robes towards the central area of the platform. Within the group were also the forms of Xuan Bei and Mistress Xuan who traveled alongside a man who carried a dignifying presence, he wore a decorated robe with flame engraved pendant around his neck.

Following beside them were a group of mysterious origin each wearing white robes carrying a unique type of presence a woman could be seen amongst this group carrying an otherworldly kind of beauty capable of striking the hearts of many men.

As they positioned themselves at the center of the platform, a few significant influences could also be seen making their way to the platform. These influences where the groups from the Tang Family, the Xin Clan, the Sheng Imperial Family, the Southern Wasteland, and the Golden Dragon Empire, followed along by the various top class influences and hidden sects.

They arranged themselves at opposing corners as the organizers being that of the Sky Splitting Sword Sect and Bright Flame Kingdom's forces remained positioned at the core.

A few practitioners seeing this scene muttered softly.

"To think that there would be such an arrangement in Machen Town's Talent Selection, why would so many big-time clans and major influences take such a keen interest here?" said a vagabond.

"Hmm, It seems today will not be an ordinary selection. " said a female practitioner.

As the crowd chattered amongst themselves, soon, a commotion could be heard coming from behind them.

A group of men followed by prominent local figures walked on the scene. However, when a hidden forces saw who they were, they didn't have any particular reaction as the men did not go up the platform but went to the side of the Town Lord's group.

"Hey, Isn't that the Xiang Family Clan?" a local woman said.

"Yeah, it looks like the genius of our town is still looking participate amongst these guys, do you think he still has a shot?" said a man who seemed a have a relatively decent knowledge of some of the influences gathers.

"I'm not sure if it was his older brother we might have had an interesting show, but if it's just him I'd say he won't last more than a few rounds." said a woman.

"What about the son of the Huan Clan?" said another local.

"I haven't heard any details regarding him for a while now, he's probably still out training and has yet to return." said another.

The Town Lord seeing this group appeared quickly walked out from his shield of guards and welcomed them with a simile.

"I see that Clan Leader Xiang Tian and CLan Leader Huan Mang has made it on time, what do you think about the Talent Selections? Any confidence in your son's coming out on top?" said the Town Lord.

Huan Mang frowned as he did not reply but looked at the influence gathered on top of the central platform.

Xiang Tian hearing his question responded after cupping his hands "Respected Town Lord! Surely you jest. We may have stood a shot of claiming the top positions originally, but as of right now... " as he said this he cast his vision towards the stage before continuing.

"With these many powers gathered here, it's hard to say what's truly going to be happening..." Xiang Tain said in a soft unconfident voice.

The Town Lord hearing his reply smiled as if he didn't listen to what he said or noticed Huan Mang's expression he continued. "Hmm, what about your son Xiang Shu? It's been a while since I've last seen him fight, how was his progress recently?"

"Ha Ha! You could say that while he's still quite talented, he misses far when compared to his older brothers previous glory," replied Xiang Tian in a light manner. However, if one looked carefully, one would see a look of disappointment hidden within his eyes as looked towards the back of his group and saw the indifferent form standing there.

"Is that so? Well I suppose that's too bad and here I was looking forward to seeing another 'Dark Horse' rising from my Machen Town." replied the Town Lord as a look of sadness came on his face.

Xiang Tian seeing this frowned as he clenched his fists tightly but did not make any actions.

As the wife of the Town Lord saw this, she grinned to herself as she thought "Hmph! This husband of mine is certainly taking out his stress caused by these major characters on this fellow. I wonder how I should punish him later?"

As the group continued to converse the number of practitioners and wanderers who had gathered within the Central Square had reached its peak. The Sky Splitting Sword Sect noticing this had decided to begin the welcoming for the Talent Selection's official commencement.

However, right when they were about to get started there was a new group that made their way into the square they were all dressed in stylised scarlet robes with long dark gold sleeves, as bright red hair danced on top heads and flowed with the wind. Leading this group were four people, two middle-aged men or rather youthful men who seemed to be at the peak of their 30's emitting an aura of youthfulness.

Beside was a beautiful red-haired woman who walked beside a handsome young man that shouldered two swords on his back.

Following by his side were three individuals, a blue-haired man with a sizeable black bamboo hat who wore a dark-colored battle gi robe. A robust silver-haired young man with wore a similar battle gi robe but only it had been modified to have silver outlines and a beautiful jade hair young girl who's dark-colored gi robes had green colored designs.

Following along behind them were two mighty looking elders one with spiky red hair and another with his head in rappings that flowed about the air with the rise of wind, behind them were a group of other figures with red hair followed along by a squad of men who each wore crimson-red masks.

As Feng Yunlong, Feng Junling, Feng Xingyu, and Feng Yu with Dai Lin followed by his group made their way to a slightly large corner of the square, they were accompanied by Elder Duan and Elder Chen with a few core members of the Family and the Crimson-Masked Soldiers 2nd Unit.

The crowd who saw these individuals started clamoring.

"The Feng Clan is also participating?" said a local woman in surprise.

"That can't be right, could it be that they are just here to observe the Talent Selections? or do they have another member in their family who's going to participate?" another local figure pondered.

"Most likely, there is no way that their clan's young master is ready for this stage, after all, he performed his coming of age ceremony no too long ago." replied the individual.

"Wait! Isn't that..." suddenly another figure noticing someone who was beside Feng Yu.

"Blue Thunder Dai Lin! No wonder they're here, it seems that the servant will be the one fighting for his master..." said, the individual, as he looked towards Dai Lin in awe.

A few influential figures who stood on the central platform also noticed this scene and cast their visions towards the Feng Family group. A look of surprise could be seen on a few especially that of Xin Family.

"So you finally, show yourself. I wonder, what kind of strength do you truly possess?" said Xin Qing as she looked at Feng Yu's walking beside Dai Lin and Hui Ying.

"Dai Lin of the Blue Thunder..." muttered Tang Wu as a visible battle intent shone within his eye.

Ji Weng and Xuan Bei looked towards Dai Lin with a fierce light in their eyes as the Southern Wasteland Youth and Mysterious Spear Youth from the Golden Dragon Empire looked towards Feng Yu silently.

"Hmph!" Xiang Tian looked towards the Feng Family and snorted while he clenched his fists.

Xiang Shu glanced at Feng Yu for a moment before removing his vision as if he wasn't worth his time.

Feng Yu smiled as he felt the visions of certain individuals fell upon him but showed no visible sign of discomfort or interest as he calmly walked towards the spacious area. Soon, their family reached their destination and directed their visions towards the central platform.

Feng Junling took a quick inspection of the individual on the platform with his spirit sense before swiftly removing it.

"Hmm, what was that just now?" said Xun Yanshan as he glanced around the square.

The Mysterious Man from the Midnight Temple and the unknown man from the Southern Wasteland group also looked around the square with a puzzled look in their eyes.

Feng Junling smiled as he sent a voice transmission to Feng Yunlong. "It seems we have quite a few 'heavyweights' gathered at this party."

"Realy? Then what our odds at confrontation?" Feng Yunlong said as he frowned slightly.

"30 - 70, but, that is in the circumstances of us not utilizing second layer or even third layer strength," replied Feng Junling as a look of battle intent rose within him.

"I've only derived a small portion of our bloodline, right now I can only barely manage the second layer," said Feng Yunlong.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it if the situation calls me to act," said Feng Junling with a look of confidence in his face.

Feng Yunlong seeing his older brother like this couldn't help but smile as he thought to himself "It's been a long, long, time since I've last seen Junling with such look on his face."

Feng Xingyu who was observing them smiled as she said: "It looks like the eldest brother is eager to run amok once more."

Dai Lin who was feeling the stares from the others looked towards them unperturbed while speaking to Feng Yu "Young Master! Can I truly participate in this tournament? Would I not be interfering with the clan's plans?"

Feng Yu hearing Dai Lin's question replied: "You do not need to over concern yourself regarding the plans of the family, just consider this event as a place to temper your strength."

"Understood!" replied Dai Lin as a look of excitement shone in his eyes.

Feng Yu looked towards the Lang Kuang and Miren Fei and spoke once more "Make sure to give it your best. There aren't many opportunities where you'll get to meet so many talents gathered together. Strive to make the best of this selections and improve your skills."

"Yes, Young Master!" they replied.

Lang Kuang gripped his fist tightly causing his muscles to ripple, as Miren Fei glanced around at the competitors with a charming light shine within her eyes.

Finally, the Sky Splitting Sword Sect elder walked to the complete center of the platform and clapped his hands together loudly.

Clap!!!

In a short momment, silence took over the square. The Sky Splitting Sword Elder seeing this smiled as he spoke to the public.

"Greetings Everyone! I would like to offer my gratitude for your interest in our School's Annual Talent Selection. Some of you have traveled from distant lands, and the journey must have been especially dangerous. Congrats on making it here!" as he said this he stopped for a moment before speaking once more. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Welcome, to the beginning of the Talent Selections!" he said with a sharp look in his eyes as the winds began to pick up and blew around the Central Square.

A woman seated on the platform looked at the sky and muttered softly.

"It has begun..."

Limitless - Chapter 40: Golden Necklace

The ship travelled quickly and transported Chu Yu back to the river within a few hours.

In the moment it transited from the open sea to the river, Chu Yu felt like he had penetrated the space-time continuum.

Chu Yu felt an inexplicable connection to the river when he saw it.

As he looked out, a mesh of energy continued to float on the river surface.

Yet, the power gave way to the ship.

Finally, the ship stopped by the river bank.

It stopped on the side of the palace.

Chu Yu looked at the palace, slightly exasperated and said, "Brother boat, can I make a deal with you? How about you drop me off on the other coast?"

The ship did not make a sound, nor did it move.

Chu Yu was also speechless, he was not so arrogant to think that he was the best in the world.

Of the five people who had entered the palace, the three Han Xiao Invigorated Meridian realm experts as well as the two Jiu Xiao ones, especially Liu Qing, could easily overpower Chu Yu.

Even Qi Heng, if he wasn’t injured, would overwhelm for Chu Yu.

Was the ship trying to find trouble for him by sending him here? Chu Yu did not think that Qi Heng would show him mercy if he met him.

What now?

Why not just stubbornly stay on the ship and not disembark? After all... there was no shamelessness when dealing with a ship

Just as he thought about it, a strong wave of force was emitted from the ship and directed at Chu Yu!

Chu Yu felt as if someone had kicked him in his butt, and he was kicked off the ship.

"F*ck!" Chu Yu turned to raise his middle finger at the ship, only to find that the ship had disappeared. He was completely speechless and his expression had elements of depression.

Chu Yu stood on the river bank, pondering for a moment before sighing. His mouth twitched and he murmured impatiently, "I guess this is the only way."

Afterwhich, his appearance began to change!

Chu Yu was extremely talented in cultivation. As such, even though he had not spent much time learning the technique to change his appearance, he had relatively good control over it.

The secret to changing one’s appearance lay in a unique method of utilising one’s internal energy to change the arrangement of one’s muscles and bones.

Of course, it was more than just this, one had to imitate the other’s posture, disposition, aura, even voice, as well as many other intricate details.

All of these were difficult to master, and required strong talent and above average powers of observation.

Else, even if the appearance changed, no matter how much it changed, you will still be yourself. As long as others are meticulous enough, they will not be fooled.

Chu Yu did not dare say that he imitate someone perfectly, as such, he tried his best to take on the body of a stranger.

However, he could not do so this time.

This was an ancient ruin!

In such a place, everyone who was not a friendly was the enemy, there was no other option.

Furthermore, if given the chance, Chu Yu wanted to sneak in an attack on Qi Heng.

As such, Chu Yu prepared to morph into someone in their midst. However, he could not choose Liu Qing from Jiu Xiao. He and Qi Heng were brothers in arms, and would definitely know quite a lot about each other.

It could be the case that even a tiny movement could cause the entire ruse to fall through.

Chu Yu decided to morph into someone from the Han Xiao side.

But who?

Chu Yu thought about it before making a decision. He was going to be Xiao Zhangqing.

This was for Xiao Zhangqing’s choice to side with Qi Heng against his own junior. Since he was going to find someone to bury, Xiao Zhangqing was a good choice.

Chu Yu was rather vengeful.

In a moment, Xiao Zhangqing’s face appeared on CHu Yu. Following which, Xiao Zhangqing’s unique aura was also imitated by Chu Yu.

Right now, even if Xiao Zhangqing stood here, he would also be confused, wondering when he had a twin brother.

The only flaw is that Chu Yu’s cultivation level was far lower than that of Xiao Zhangqing’s.

However, with things such as cultivation level, not everybody can release strong energy fluxes on command. Furthermore, Chu Yu could block the scrutinizing vision of others. For short interactions, he could still cover it up.

Chu Yu guessed that the five of them would have separated, as long as he wasn’t so unlucky as to meet Xiao Zhangqing, there should be no problem.

Afterwhich, Chu Yu swaggered in the direction of the palace.

When he neared, Chu Yu used his vertical eye to observe the palace. He found that the palace also contained many magical formations.

Furthermore, one could not sense the presence of the magical formations until one was close enough.

"This is good."

Chu Yu was ecstatic, his vertical eye would be put to good use in such a situation.

After he entered the magical formation, he realized that the situation here and what he saw outside had slight differences.

From the mountain top, he could see the entire palace clearly, including the highest tower.

Even when he reached the river, he could still see the entire palace clearly.

However, upon entering the palace, it seemed that the entire layout had changed.

Chu Yu had wanted to get to the high ground, but found that there was a spider web like mesh of strong energy just above his head. This energy was more terrifying than the one found on the river!

He could not see it from the outside!

If he was careless and jumped, he would have been killed instantly!

"How vicious!" Chu Yu exclaimed.

He tried to open some of the doors to the palace, yet he found that all of them were protected by a large amount of inscriptions.

Some of the doors to the palace were engraved with more complicated inscriptions, when one neared them, you could feel the aura of danger emanating from it.

It had a repulsive aura.

He searched the entire area, but could not find a single palace that he could enter.

This caused Chu Yu to be extremely disappointed. He had initially thought that he had stumbled upon an intact ancient ruin, and could get a large amount of treasure.

He realized now that it was merely a fantasy.

Even though he had already become a disciple of Confucius in the whirlpool and gotten the Superclass, to be greedy was part of human nature. As such, if he could possibly gain more, why would he say no?

As Chu Yu walked, he suddenly heard a beastly sound. The sound was crisp, almost like thunder, and was rather startling.

Chu Yu was shocked, and his eyes were dull.

"There was life here?"

What a rare find!

This was really a terrifying thought. An ancient ruin that had been left untouched for aeons actually had living things within?

Chu Yu walked towards the direction of the sound. Even though he was anxious, his curiosity got the better of him.

He wasn’t far from the point of origin of the sound.

He avoided the killing zones in the magical formation and quickly closed in on the location.

There was a silhouette over there, and it was sprinting towards Chu Yu. However, Chu Yu was inside the magical formation and thus was invisible to the sprinting figure.

However, Chu Yu had kept his vertical eye open the whole time. As such, he saw who that person was immediately. His heart leapt at the coincidence.

The person running frantically towards him was no stranger, it was Qi Heng!

He had so many secret treasures on him, so even though he could not see through the entire magical formation, he could easily avoid all the dangerous zones.

There were only the few paths leading through the magical formation, so when Qi Heng ran towards Chu Yu, Chu Yu could avoid him. However, he was currently Xiao Zhangqing from Han Xiao, furthermore, he wanted to know what had happened there.

As such, he continued in walking in the direction of Qi Heng.

Qi Heng thought himself extremely unlucky. Chu Yu was not seeing things, he was carrying a magical item that could be classified as a secret treasure.

However, he did not take it out previously as he was saving it for this final stage, to reap maximum benefits for himself.

After entering the group of palaces, and activating this magical item, the journey had been very smooth sailing for him.

However, he met with the same situation as Chu Yu. The tens of thousands of palaces here were inaccessible. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Qi Heng had fumbled around and ended up in a parade square. He found a pond in the middle of the square and there was a strong spiritual energy emanating from it.

Qi Heng was almost certain that this was no ordinary pond, this was the spirit pond from the legends!

When there was sufficient saturation of spiritual energy, it would congeal into a liquid. With enough spiritual liquid, it would form a spiritual pond.

It was said that there were also spiritual lakes and spiritual oceans.

Cultivators only needed to drink spiritual fluid from the spiritual lake daily in order to advance at breakneck speeds, even without much effort.

As a result, such places were inhabited by saints, commoners rarely got close.

What was unexpected was that in this well preserved ancient sect, there was a spiritual pond!

This was a complete surprise!

What caused Qi Heng even more awe and excitement was that there was a golden water lily in the middle of the pond!

The leaves of the water lily were golden and they sparkled in the light.

In the middle of the water lily were a large number of golden lotuses!

Upon closer inspection, one could smell whiffs of medicinal scent.

For any normal lotus, Qi Heng would not lose his composure. Yet, these golden lotuses, according to legends, were the superior medicine of choice for many ancient sects.

The lotus could not only heal people on the brink of death, but could also rapidly increase a person’s power, letting them break through in a short period of time.

Even in the golden ages 60 million years ago, such golden lotuses were considered a superior medicine.

Even though the spiritual fluid was extremely valuable, it was a class lower when compared to the golden lotus!

"Golden lotus... golden lotus ah! It is the golden lotus that the legends speak of! Hahahahaha, golden lotus... I love you!"

Qi Heng was born rather late, and he did not like to read, as such he could only express his excitement this way.

However, anyone who could recognize a golden lotus would find it difficult to keep their composure.

However, just as Qi Heng was preparing to leap towards it, a ferocious beast appeared from the false hill behind the spiritual pond, its scary aura almost squashing Qi Heng to death instantly.

It shrieked, its voice like thunder, and it caused Qi Heng’s ears to ring, nearly causing his eardrums to rupture!

Qi Heng’s face darkened and he escaped immediately.

Luckily, the ferocious beast did not give chase.

However, Qi Heng was extremely depressed, as if he had been trampled over by ten thousand beasts.

When he looked up, he saw Xiao Zhangqing.