True Martial World - Chapter 72: The pinnacle of Zhao Tiezhu’s life

Matches in the vast wilderness did not have many rules. The way it proceeded was simple; a person will stay on the stage and he would be attacked by others in a duel fashion. Whoever had the capability, could go up.

Eventually when no one went up on stage, then the person standing in the arena would win a spot. He would then be able to take a wooden board that symbolized his victory.

Such a system might sound chaotic, where it was possible for two similarly-matched warriors to engage in a brutal match, or by tag-teaming, causing the warrior who was hoarding the stage to run out of energy. However, the people of the warrior preparation camp did not bother to think too deeply into that. Simple and rough was their style.

Originally, neither Yao Yuan nor Lian Chengyu could be bothered with this meaningless matches. Yao Yuan had given Zhao Tiezhu the authority to decide on the rules, but for a boor like Zhao Tiezhu, was it possible for him to come up with reasonable and fair rules? If the rules were too complicated, the people competing wouldn't understand.

When the match began, Zhao Tiezhu was first on the stage!

He was unable to reel in his patience, for he had waited long for this opportunity where he could display his hidden strength.

The arena was a hundred feet wide. Zhao Tiezhu stood in the middle of the arena and began making poses to showcase his muscles, "Come! Who wants to spar with me?"

Zhao Tiezhu began shouting. Likewise, the onlookers began shouting too.

They did not expect that it would begin with an expert duel. Zhao Tiezhu was famous, together with his high profile way of doing things, everyone knew that Zhao Tiezhu was one of the top ten experts in the warrior preparation camp.

"Hehe, Brother Zhao, I'll spar with you!" A strong man jumped into the arena. His surname was Sun and he was of average strength in the warrior preparation camp. He was not Zhao Tiezhu's match, but he was on good terms with Zhao Tiezhu. He was a pal who could share in the meat with Zhao Tiezhu on the occasional successful hunt.

He could tell that Zhao Tiezhu wanted to parade himself, so he had gone on stage to complement him.

The people of the warrior preparation camp had trained together for a long period, so all of them knew each other's standing. They knew that Sun knew he would not be within the top nine spots, so he might as well give Zhao Tiezhu a favor.

"Haha, good, Brother Sun, come on!" Sun and Zhao Tiezhu both had aggressive attitudes. In the arena of the vast wilderness, there was no messy etiquette. The match began once you came into the arena!

Since everyone was watching, the both of them fought with their best.

The members of the warrior preparation camp indeed had large strength. As for fighting skills and techniques, then that was too much. Their sparring was similar to a Hong Kong action film, where the motions were slow, punches always landed and out of nowhere, they would grab each other in a twist.

Sun was not Zhao Tiezhu's match even before his power had increased. Hence, in a few rounds, Zhao Tiezhu had grabbed his waist, pinning him down in the arena.

The two had fought without any style for as they fought, they realized all the fist techniques and stances they had learned before were not easy to use. In the end, grabbing each other and rolling on the ground was most pragmatic!

Whoever had the greater strength won.

This was also the logic of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In the popular mixed-martial arts competitions like the UFC in America, the person who was able to twist the arm or crush the other party's neck would obtain victory, albeit the awkward looking moves.

"Good!" The audience shouted. Although Zhao Tiezhu's movements were not elegant, it was a great pleasure in the eyes of the Lian tribal clan clansmen. They were easily excited just seeing wrestling.

After Sun, another person went up on stage to spar with Zhao Tiezhu but he had also lost to him.

After two matches, Zhao Tiezhu status was even better for the more he fought, the more courage he gained.

"Haha, who else is coming up?" shouted Zhao Tiezhu glowing. It was as if he had drunk a jar of rice wine.

The people could tell that Zhao Tiezhu would obtain one of those warrior spots today.

A man jumped up the stage and said with a low muffled voice, "Brother Zhao, let me have a shot with you."

When this person went on-stage, it immediately drew cheers.

"It's Zhang Dali! Zhang Dali was naturally born strong. At fifteen, he could lift a 100-kilogram rock weight. It's unknown how strong Zhang Dali is now!"

In the Lian tribal clan, the names of the leading members of the warrior preparation camp were also widely known.

When Zhang Da Li could lift 100 kilograms of rock weights at fifteen, he had become famous in the Lian tribal clan.

There was a high chance Zhang Dali would be among the nine selected ones.

With Zhang Dali and Zhao Tiezhu, this match of strong versus the strong caused the crowd to erupt.

"Dali, haha, good! I've long wanted to spar with you, come!" Zhao Tiezhu eyes lit up. A year ago, he was weaker than Zhang Dali by a bit, but this year he had a substantial change in his strength. He had been yearning to find a strong opponent to test his strength out!

Zhang Dali leaped onto the stage and was separated from Zhao Tiezhu by thirty feet. Without any etiquette, they rushed towards each other with a roar.

Both men were stout, so it was as if two bulls were charging towards each other.

"Peng!" Zhao Tiezhu and Zhang Dali collided into each other without any gaudy display. People could hear the sounds of flesh and bone colliding, scaring them white.

Such a collision if it directed onto their bodies would have broken their bones.

The battle between Zhao Tiezhu and Zhang Dali was obviously much more aggressive than Sun's battle from before.

Both men's strength measured about 350 kilograms, more than twice a tier-one male. Such a disparity in strength ensured that even if a dozen tier-one men attacked Zhao Tiezhu, he would still be able to easily down them.

"Tiezhu well played!" In the crowd, Lian Cuihua was shouting at the top of her voice. As she had recently been roped in by Lian Chengyu to do some "job", she had been close with Zhao Tiezhu, and soon they were an item.

Thinking of the Zhao Tiezhu's vigorous prowess from the previous night, Lian Cuihua could not help feeling a lustful desire.

Hearing the people cheer and with Lian Cuihua's support, Zhao Tiezhu seemed to gain some inexplicable strength and began lashing out a storm. But, Dali did not wish to be outdone; with his huge strength, he still had a big advantage.

The essence of a typical fight among the members of warrior preparation camp was a battle of strength. This was also why lifting stone rollers was their leading performance and the way to gain bragging rights.

After wrestling on the ground for a long time, Zhao Tiezhu finally managed to suppress Zhang Dali. He was held down and could no longer move.

The main reason why Zhao Tiezhu was able to suppress Zhang Dali was due to him eating lots of herbs causing his fitness to increase along with prolonged stamina.

He had won this match due to his stamina!

Zhang Dali had been suppressed till he was a bit asphyxiated. He did not understand how Zhao Tiezhu was able to be like a tireless bull, how did he have an unexpendable amount of energy?

It has to be said that although the average member of the warrior preparation camp had great strength, their arms would still be sore after lifting a 250-kilogram stone roller eight times. It was not easy to be like Zhao Tiezhu, who become stronger the more he fought.

Zhang Dali gasped for air as he asked, "You…you can't have broken through to the Vigor realm, have you?"

"Hahaha, almost!" Zhao Tiezhu began to brag. Most of the members of the preparation camp were in the Valiant realm, and Zhao Tiezhu was far from the Vigor realm. How could it be easy to be at the stage of Breathes in like a Snake, Out like an Arrow?

Zhao Tiezhu had just a bit more endurance, but if he stayed in a poor place like the Lian tribal clan, he most likely would never be able to break through to the Vigor realm.

The surrounding commoners knew what the Vigor realm meant. After all, the kingdom's selection had been known for a long time, and Lian Chengyu had long announced what was the Purple Blood realm.

Under the false information by the ruling class of the Lian tribal clan, the people had all believed that Lian Chengyu had entered the Purple Blood realm. To the ignorant commoners, they felt that the Purple Blood realm was as powerful as a deity in Heaven.

If Zhao Tiezhu was said to be a bull, then Lian Chengyu was a terrifying desolate beast. The gap between them was heaven and earth.

The more they felt Lian Chengyu's strength, the more hope they had that Lian Chengyu would bring them into the city. At the same time, they felt that by following Lian Chengyu, it would be an honor to become a servant under him. In this chaotic world, people did not think about freedom. To those who could not fill their stomachs, freedom was an extravagance and a joke. All they wanted was to follow a good master and to be satisfied with a meal.

"Hahaha!" Zhao Tiezhu broke into a laughter. He was very pleased with the present scene. He also knew that there was no way he would be able to pass the kingdom's selection but to be able to show off, Zhao Tiezhu felt like he had reached the pinnacle of his life.

True Martial World - Chapter 71: Nine spots

The way to choose the remaining nine was to have a fighting match!

It was a fair, simple and direct method.

In all these years, the Lian tribal clan had led an unexciting life, for all they did was to search for food. This fighting match was a rare event!

How could the villagers miss it?

So, on the day the fighting match began, all the villagers that could come, came. They were there to see the men from the warrior preparation camp fight.

With tough and boring lives, the villagers were extremely excited to be able to watch the lively fighting match. Among them, the children were the happiest, even more so when bacon was given out.

The fighting match was scheduled to happen late in the morning and it was held in the square in front of the Lian tribal clan's Patriarch compound. But, even before daybreak, the arena was already filled with people looking for a good spot.

Children were riding on their fathers' necks, and with a favorable spot faced the stage.

Many children were about the same age as Yi Yun, and wouldn't be considered young. How often would you see such old children ride on their father's neck? They would have been mocked, but today, no one could care less.

The children were rubbing their fists and knuckles, hoping they could have been the ones fighting on stage. This fighting stage was extremely stimulating for them.

They had always dreamed of becoming a member of the warrior preparation camp. It was so prestigious!

The crowd grew bigger. Even the trees, houses, and roofs were packed with people.

In this world, most people's eyesight were good, so they could clearly see everything that happened on-stage from afar.

Late in the morning, the members of the warrior preparation camp appeared. They were all wearing a warrior uniform, something they seldom wore. So the blue clothes they wore looked new. Although it wasn't much better than the linen clothes Yi Yun wore, it was pretty impressive in the eyes of the people of the Lian tribal clan!

One by one, the high-spirited members of the warrior preparation camp entered. When they surveyed the surroundings, they felt that they had proven their value in life today. They had been training all those years just for today.

"It feels great! Today I'll be able to show my might!" thought a short twenty-year-old man. His face was radiant with vigor.

By his side was a perverted comrade. He glanced at the girls surrounding them as if stripping them off their clothes saying. "This time I'll show my prowess, letting all the bitches in this village see how much vitality I have. In the future, when I shake my pinky, all these girls would be running to me."

Life was tough in the village, so besides eating, men had only one other primal pleasure. As the old Chinese saying goes, "Food and sex!"

The basic human nature comprised of the need to eat and the need to have sex. These were natural instincts animals had when they came into this world.

For today's fighting match, the men from the warrior preparation camp had specially slaughtered two dogs.

They had planned to celebrate after the match by eating meat and drinking alcohol.

These two dogs were the hunting dogs reared by the village. But it didn't matter, the kingdom's selection was soon. They would be leading good lives soon, what use was there for a hunting dog?

"Look, it's Young Master Lian!" With a loud shout, a sudden uproar arose from the crowd. Everyone looked over and indeed, out from the Patriarch's compound came two men carrying a rattan chair.

Lian Chengyu was sitting on that rattan chair with an animal skin rug draped over him. His eyes were squinted as if he was asleep.

Behind him were the four maidservants. In their hands were a stove and a fruit plate. They looked like they were being extremely careful.

"Young Master Lian, it's really Young Master Lian!" The villagers immediately became excited. Ever since Lian Chengyu had "broken through" to the Purple Blood realm, his prestige in the Lian tribal clan had reached unimaginable heights.

Everyone had placed their hopes into Lian Chengyu leading them into the city to lead a better life. It could be said that Lian Chengyu was now the spiritual pillar of support of the Lian tribal clan!

The people began to fervently worship Lian Chengyu, as he was now the absolute king of the tribe. Anything he did would obtain the unconditional support of the Lian tribal clan. Whoever he wanted dead, a word without reason was sufficient to make the people be his murdering tool. Whichever girl he wanted, with a word, the people would wash her clean and deliver her to Lian Chengyu's bed.

For the past few days, Lian Chengyu had been a recluse, preventing the people from seeing him. How could they not be excited when they finally saw him?

Many seventeen-year-old girls were flushed with excitement. It was indeed true that the girls of the vast wilderness worshiped the strong, but compared to a rough, dark-skinned man like Zhao Tiezhu, a pretty boy was much better.

In the hearts of the girls of the wilderness, an ideal match would be someone like Lian Chengyu who was both strong and extremely handsome.

These few days, Lian Chengyu had already become the dream lover of many girls in the Lian tribal clan.

"Begin," Lian Chengyu said lightly. He clearly did not care for whatever happened on-stage. What a joke, it was the brutes from the warrior preparation camp. To him, they were all a bunch of straw bags. Even if they trained for another hundred years, they would not even be able to touch the Jin Long Wei's gates!

It was clear to the people that he was haughty and that he even had a faint disdainful look. But to the group of girls, it made him even more charming, making them worship Lian Chengyu even more.

They all flocked to this grand match, yet Young Master Lian could not even be bothered with it. This was the difference in outlook.

"Battle begin!" Zhao Tiezhu shouted at the top of his lungs. Ever since he got closer to Lian Chengyu, he was the unspoken leader of the warrior preparation camp.

In the past few days, he had enjoyed the benefits of the Lian Clan Herb Mountain because he had managed to get the herbs that Lian Chengyu rejected. This caused Zhao Tiezhu's strength to increase a lot.

In a situation with scarce resources, whichever member of the warrior preparation camp had the most resources, they could cultivate the fastest!

Because he was afraid the others would be jealous, he had secretly used the drugs. He had also hidden from others that his strength had increased by leaps and bounds.

Even Zhao Tiezhu did not know how much his strength had increased. He wanted to test it out on stage, for it was a place that gave Zhao Tiezhu the chance to flex his muscles!

"Hehe, after hiding it for so long, when I go on stage, I'll amaze the world with a single brilliant feat!" After having a significant increase in strength, Zhao Tiezhu's ambitions had grown. He had already planned to be the number one henchman of Lian Chengyu, and no one was to vie with him.

True Martial World - Chapter 70: Prologue to the Selection

In the courtyard of the Lian tribal clan, Yao Yuan squinted his eyes as he looked at the large words in the sky. He recalled that the large eagle was known as a Divine Wind Eagle, specially bred by the Jin Long Wei.

These Divine Wind Eagles were fed with fierce beast meat from a young age, and they possessed a very high intelligence. Due to their speed and agility, they were able to fly in the vast wilderness.

Previously, when the Jin Long Wei made the maps, they had already indicated all the locations of the small tribes. Now, the members of the Jin Long Wei had sent the eagles to all the small tribes to convey the news about the kingdom's selection!

Large rows of the text were left burning in the sky for an hour before it slowly dissipated.

In the back mountain of the Lian tribal clan, Yi Yun was leaning on a large rock looking at the words while munching on a blade of grass.

"Ten people…decided by the tribe!" Yi Yun began to ruminate over the meaning of the words. Obviously, the Jin Long Wei were planning to hold the warrior selection in the Tao tribal clan. For such a small clan like the Lian tribal clan with only ten places, the process would be simpler if the tribe chose the ten people themselves!

"Chosen by the tribe? Heh!" Yi Yun sneered for it was obvious that the ten places would be taken up by Lian Chengyu and the rest of the most reliable members of the warrior preparation camp. As for Yi Yun, he was considered a 'dead person' in the tribe. No matter what selection method was used, Yi Yun would not be chosen.

Yi Yun spat the blade of grass in his mouth and a thought came to him, "Three days later at noon…I'll get my spot by myself!"

…

At the same time in the Lian tribal clan's courtyard, snowflakes were slowly falling. Lian Chengyu was lying on a soft animal skin by a fire, as he squinted at the large words in the sky. Ever since he failed to break through to the Purple Blood realm, Lian Chengyu had been lying in bed for days. His face was pale and it was lacking in blood. He gave off the feeling of a weak scholar.

Because he was physically weak, he had been lying on a chair piled with soft animal skin. He was carried around in and out of the house and was served by maidservants everywhere.

At that moment, Lian Chengyu was surrounded by four seventeen-year-old maidservants who were awaiting orders. They were either holding a plate of dried cured meat, fruit or a pan of charcoal.

The day was cold and the four maidservants had been standing in the snow for four hours.

They were far from the fire, so they could not enjoy its warmth. Their faces, ears, and hands were all red from the cold. Because of the snow, their linen shoes were wet trapping their numbed feet in an ice cavern-like environment.

But still, they stood there tall and straight without moving. They held the items in their hands properly, even though their arms had long turned numb.

A few maidservants bit on their lips as they were almost about to faint. They desperately held on because they knew if they moved, their outcome would be miserable!

All these days, they had been waiting on the sickly looking Lian Chengyu, and he was prone to mood swings, making him very terrifying!

Three days ago, a maidservant beside Lian Chengyu had accidentally spilled the porridge on the animal skin rug when she was bringing the porridge over. As a result, Lian Chengyu broke her four limbs and tied her in the firewood chamber for two days and two nights without providing food and drink.

That maidservant was probably almost dead by now.

But no one dared to give her a glancing look, nor did anyone dare to give her anything to eat or drink.

In the past when Lian Chengyu beat or scolded people, he would not go as far as taking their lives, but now, in the eyes of these maidservants, Lian Chengyu had become an evil beast. Worst of all, his face showed no trace of killing intent before he killed.

He could be laughing one second, and in the next second he would pull out a knife to stab you blind, cut your tongue and crucify you before placing you into an urn.

"Chengyu, the examination will begin in three days!" At that moment, a person had walked into the courtyard. It was a middle-aged man dressed in blue.

In the entire Lian tribal clan, there were only a few people who could address Lian Chengyu as "Chengyu". It was mostly the elders of the Lian tribal clan. As for the only qualified outsider, it had to be the warrior preparation camp's instructor, Yao Yuan.

"Yes, I've seen it." Lian Chengyu answered weakly. He had never expected that he would be in such a state.

With the desolate bone essence failing to work and his failure of breaking through to the Purple Blood realm, Lian Chengyu had received too great a setback!

He had accumulated all of his assets, spent all his fortune, and burned down bridges just for that one bet, but when the time came, it was relentlessly destroyed.

His life of seventeen years to which a decade of that was spent practicing martial arts was for that one dream. And just as he made the final step towards success with the kingdom's selection, he had completely failed!

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. It was evidenced by Lian Chengyu's angry vomiting of fresh blood at the altar.

"Chengyu, you had been triggered by anger, causing you to injure your meridians. This is not a light injury and you will need plenty of rest." During this period, you must not use martial arts, nor should you circulate your body's energy. It's best you do not even move, or there might be permanent damage." Yao Yuan said that as he glanced thoughtfully at the four maidservants by Lian Chengyu's side.

Lian Chengyu wrapped his body in the animal skin rug and said, "I got it. Instructor Yao, look at my body, do you think I'll be completely fine when the selection begins?"

Yao Yuan answered, "You have already recovered plenty. You should be fine in another four to five days. The Jin Long Wei will escort you to the Tao tribal clan, and settle you in. They will have to prepare the examination area, which will take a day or two. By the time of the examination, you would have recovered to your prime condition."

"Alright, that's good." Lian Chengyu's voice was very calm but when he spoke, his eyes flashed with a cold glare that would palpitate the heart of others!

It was a combination of vileness, loathing, and hatred towards the world.

It was hard to tell what the impact of the failure to break through to the Purple Blood realm had done to Lian Chengyu's psyche.

He seemed to hate everything around him.

Why did I have to go through all these tribulations, and cross this bumpy road?

Why did Heaven steal my last chip?

If there was a Heaven, I curse you to oblivion! If there was a God, I curse you to be struck by lightning!

Seeing Lian Chengyu's demeanor, Yao Yuan did not know what to say. He just comforted him, "Chengyu, don't lose heart. You may have failed to break through to the Purple Blood realm, but you still have a high chance of passing the kingdom's selection. The kingdom's selection is mainly to see your potential, not how high your current cultivation is."

He did not purposely hide his words from the maidservants, for these four maidservants knew better than to go around gossiping.

"Yes, I know. Instructor Yao, I will have to trouble you to choose nine people from the warrior preparation camp. At that time, they will accompany me to the Tao tribal clan."

Even after hearing Yao Yuan's consoling words, Lian Chengyu was still not in high spirits. He had not only planned to pass the kingdom's selection, but he had planned to shock and awe, gaining the attention of the Jin Long Wei's high brass, allowing him to be knighted as a "Kingdom Knight", or even become a Jin Long Wei Hundred Household or Thousand Household.

But now, it was no longer guaranteed that he would pass the selection. It was impossible for him to make progress in a short time.

True Martial World - Chapter 69: Diagram

In an elegant courtyard, there sat an old man dressed in fine clothes playing chess with a girl dressed in white clothes.

"Master, it's your turn." The girl in white smiled. She was the girl, Lin Xintong, who Yi Yun had the chance to meet. And the old man she addressed as master, was of course Old Man Su.

"Eh…" Old Man Su knitted his ​brow in ​concentration as his fat finger tightly squeezed a chess piece, indecisive of his next move.

He had used various excuses to retract the last eight chess moves he had made, but once again, he had been forced into a corner by Lin Xintong. Seeing that his king was about to succumb, he did not have any way to get out of his predicament.

"Ahem…Xintong, your chess skills have improved and it resembles my skills of the past. Looks like I have to get serious…" said Old Man Su brazenly which made Lin Xintong snigger, but all she did was to urge her master to make his next move.

Lin Xintong seldom smiled. Only in front of Old Man Su would she display the small liveliness a young girl would normally display. In Lin Xintong's mind, Old Man Su was both her master and a grandfather.

At that moment, a voice came from the door," This lesser commander, by order of the Emperor, is here to deliver a letter to Grandmaster Su."

"Ah? There's a guest," said Old Man Su as if his savior had arrived. "Not playing anymore, not playing anymore. A guest is here. Xintong, bring the pot of tea here."

With that Old Man Su, used his fat arms to swipe across the chessboard, messing up all the chess pieces.

"Eh…" Lin Xintong was speechless and said with humor, "Your disciple has already prepared the tea. Master had been too focused on the game that you didn't drink it."

"Eh?" Old Man Su looked at the teapot on the table as he blinked speechlessly.

Fortunately, the Jin Long Wei's Thousand Households Zhang had entered the yard and cupped his hand, saluting Old Man Su.

"This lesser commander, by order of the Emperor, is here to deliver a letter to Grandmaster Su. May Grandmaster Su look over it." As Zhang Tan said that, he placed the letter on the chess table politely. It was a red letter with a seal rune on it.

Old Man Su's main reason for being at the Tao tribal clan was to wait for the letter that Zhang Tan brought him.

He took the letter and with a serious look on his face said casually, "Zhang Tan, right? You've worked hard. Have some tea." Zhang Tan paused for a moment and glanced at the teacups on the table.

He was a careful person. He could see that the tea was drunk while Old Man Su and Lin Xintong played chess, and it was most likely brewed by Lin Xintong.

Lin Xintong was a person of great stature that many elites from the big families chased after. She may one day be betrothed to a prince of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom and become a princess. She might even become empress one day.

As a Thousand Household of the Jin Long Wei, Zhang Tan would be courting death to drink tea brewed by a future empress!

Although it was unlikely, Zhang Tan had to consider the big picture as a Jin Long Wei Thousand Household when dealing with all kinds of people.

He immediately replied, "Thank you, Grandmaster Su, for the offer, this lesser commander still needs to return to report, so I'll not drink."

Zhang Tan followed etiquette to the letter and was proper with his words, but Old Man Su was a person with no fixed place of abode, so even the kingdom's royalty would have to treat him with courtesy. He was not mindful of the etiquettes of the world, nor was he interested in it.

"Alright, you can leave then." Old Man Su waved his hand and waited till Zhang Tan left. He tore up the wax and with a few hand gestures released the seal.

Next, Old Man Su took out something inside the envelope. It was not a letter full of text, but a diagram.

When Old Man Su took out the diagram, a phantom image of an ancient beast rose up before disappearing. It was like a curl of smoke.

Seeing this diagram, Old Man Su's eyes lit up. It was as if he was a poor vault guard seeing a priceless treasure.

He said to himself, "This Cloud Wilderness might really have some treasure! Even Marquis Wenyun could not do it himself and needs my help… Looks like the kingdom's search for treasure was not in vain!"

"Master, what's the matter with the diagram?" asked Lin Xintong, who was pondering on the side as she looked at the phantom image of the ancient beast that had already dissipated.

She could not uncover the mystery from the diagram but she could feel its mysticism.

Old Man Su said, "This diagram is something that was passed down from ancient times. I do not know if it's related to the Purple Clouds' Birth, but even if it isn't, it's something quite good! Xintong, don't worry. I will search to the ends of the world just to find a way to join up your broken meridians.

…

Ever since Lian Chengyu failed to break through into the Purple Blood realm, the Lian tribal clan had quietened down. There were no more grand scenes of hundreds of people on the mountains picking herbs, nor were there strong men fanning the fires in the grain-sunning ground.

The news that Lian Chengyu was injured had been covered up. All the people had believed that Lian Chengyu had broken into the Purple Blood realm, and had increased his strength by leaps and bounds!

Now, all they had to do was to wait for the kingdom's selection; Lian Chengyu would become a kingdom warrior and bring the Lian tribal clan to a better life.

This day, the sky was dotted with snow as the clouds hung low. A large eagle was flying in the skies of the Lian tribal clan.

This eagle had a wingspan of over ten meters, and its flight picked up a gust of wind, causing the snow to dance in a chaotic manner.

"What's that?"

How could the poor of the Lian tribal clan have ever seen such a big eagle?

"Is it a fierce beast? Or could it be a…desolate beast!?"

Seeing such a large eagle had panicked the people. Typically under the protection of a wonderland, normal fierce beasts or desolate beasts would seldom encroach into the vicinity of a tribe.

But those were under "typical" conditions, there could be instances when fierce beasts or desolate beasts would charge into the wonderlands that hosted people, resulting in a mass murder.

That had the same meaning as genocide. There were numerous small tribes in the entire Cloud Wilderness, so it did not matter if a few small tribes were to collapse.

If it was really an attack by a desolate beast, it would be a tragedy for the Lian tribal clan!

As the people panicked, the large eagle suddenly dropped something that began burning in the sky.

"Peng!" A large explosive sound resulted in a row of text appearing in the sky.

Each of these words would have taken half an acre of land if they were placed on the ground. In the sky, this allowed anyone in the entire region of the Lian tribal clan to see it clearly.

"In three days at noon, the Jin Long Wei will send ambassadors to the Lian tribal clan and take with them ten warriors to the Tao tribal clan for the selection. Those who pass the selection will become the kingdom's warriors, members of the Jin Long Wei! The ten people have to be below the age of twenty-eight. They are to be chosen from those who had passed the preliminary examination and their eligibility will be decided by the tribe!"

Seeing the large row of text, everyone paused. The kingdom's selection was finally beginning!

After all these days of waiting, and all that they had sacrificed, it was here! The day they had been waiting for was here!

True Martial World - Chapter 68: Behemoth Troop

In the dark night, there was a row of fire torches in the valley moving like a slithering fire snake.

Using the light, Yi Yun could see that the troops were made up of huge beasts marching through the mountains. Atop the beasts were people holding torches.

"It's the Jin Long Wei's beasts, it's the Jin Long Wei army!"

With a glance, Yi Yun could see about eighty behemoths; one wouldn't need to go into detail about such a troop's battle prowess!

Among them, the behemoth leading the pack flew a flag banner on his back.

That flag was golden yellow in color, and on it was a beautiful dragon (Jin Long).

This was the flag of the Jin Long Wei!

When he had parted with Lin Xintong and Old Man Su, Yi Yun had asked regarding the kingdom's selection. He also knew that the Jin Long Wei had purposely created an extremely detailed map of the Cloud Wilderness.

Of course, Old Man Su did not tell Yi Yun anything about the two occurrences of the purple cloud phenomenon that happened in the past few months. If he did, Yi Yun's thoughts would run wild.

"They are finally here. For this troop to enter the Cloud Wilderness, it has to be for the kingdom's selection! I guess it's about time!"

The Cloud Wilderness was extremely broad, and the small tribes were numerous. To organize the kingdom's selection, they could not go to every tribe to hold the examination. Hence, they would gather all of the candidates in one of the large tribes, set a particular standard and collectively assess them.

The destination for the Jin Long Wei was the Tao tribal clan. They had decided on the Tao tribal clan’s land as the examination center for the kingdom's selection. The Tao tribal clan controlled an area that spanned several hundred kilometers in diameter. The biggest tribes had hundreds of thousands of households, which was equal to a million people.

In the Cloud Wilderness, the population census was based on the number of able-bodied men, as this number was most meaningful. Able-bodied men were the main labor force, and also the leading warriors in battle. To reflect a tribe's real strength, including the old and sick would make it meaningless.

An able-bodied man had a wife, parents and a few children. As for the families without able-bodied men, like Yi Yun and Jiang Xiaorou, they wouldn't even be considered a "household", so when a population census is made, Jiang Xiaorou will not be included in it.

For a large tribe, a "household" was about six to seven people, so with hundreds of thousands of households, it would be about a million people.

In the Cloud Wilderness, to have a tribe consisting of a million people was quite amazing.

…

Cloud Wilderness, Tao tribal clan—

The Tao tribal clan had survived in the Cloud Wilderness for more than a thousand years. As they had a long history, they were able to form a martial art heritage they could call their own.

As for a small tribe like the Lian tribal clan, they had no fences surrounding them, but for the Tao tribal clan, strong sturdy fences circled them.

These wooden fences were made of thick circular logs placed side by side. Each was over ten meters high. These logs were obtained from a particular tree in the vast wilderness. Its body was extremely dense and solid and it wouldn't rot even after a few hundred years of experiencing the elements.

For the Tao tribal clan to able to last all these years, the key reason was due to the tribe's wonderland—Tao mountain. Desolate beasts avoided wonderlands, and only lived in the 'Desolate Lands'; hence under the Tao mountain's protection, few desolate beasts appeared in the area controlled by the Tao tribal clan.

Also, the Tao tribal clan had no lack of Purple Blood warriors or warriors at the peak of the Purple Blood realm. Not only that, the Tao tribal clan had a precious ancestor weapon, even if a strong desolate beast mounted an attack, with the ancestor weapon as the core, the numerous Purple Blood warriors could create an array, giving them the power to battle.

Because of these reasons, the Tao tribal clan had lasted for many years and had grown in strength.

But a strong and large tribe would not be able to compare to the large entity like the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. The comparison would equal to that of a pebble at the foot of a mountain, or a dust speck under the roots of a tree. It was not worth mentioning.

At that moment, the Tao tribal clan had received the news. At high noon, the Jin Long Wei would arrive. The Tao tribal clan's Patriarch and a large number of tribal elders were there to receive them.

At high noon, the Jin Long Wei arrived punctually as mentioned.

The leader of this convoy from Jin Long Wei was a man in red armor. He was the Jin Long Wei's Red-shirts leader, Zhang Tan.

"The Tao tribal clan is honored for life to have Thousand Households Zhang to grace his presence here!" Seeing Zhang Tan, the Tao tribal clan's Patriarch immediately came forward to receive him in an extremely deferential manner.

In the Jin Long Wei, the Red-shirts leader commanded a thousand people, so they were commonly addressed as Thousand Households. Of course, the "Households" refer to able-bodied men.

In the armies of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, the Jin Long Wei did not have any females. Women formed their own troop.

A typical Thousand Households was nothing, but a Thousand Households of the Jin Long Wei was not the same. To the Tao tribal clan, this sort of person was not someone they could afford to offend.

"These are our tribe's new generation of aspirants. Come, greet the Thousand Households!" The Tao tribal clan's Patriarch said that as he waved his hand. Behind him were a hundred young warriors with ages ranging from thirteen to twenty years of age. They greeted Household Zhang in unison.

These people were all the next generation of elites from the Tao tribal clan, and they were participating in the kingdom's selection.

The Patriarch had hoped that by getting the young warriors to greet Zhang Tan, one or two of them would catch the eye of Zhang Tan, allowing them more chances of nurturing.

But it was a pity, Zhang Tan had absolutely no interest. In fact, the Jin Long Wei's officers were extremely elitist. Having come from the Kingdom's capital, it was rare for them to appreciate a warrior from the Cloud Wilderness. It wasn't because they looked down on them, but because the warriors of the Cloud Wilderness were inadequate.

From Zhang Tan's point of view, the reason for the Jin Long Wei to come to the Cloud Wilderness was to investigate the phenomenon that appeared in the Cloud Wilderness. As for the kingdom's selection, it was just a matter of convenience, and there were no expectations to discover any prodigies in the Cloud Wilderness.

Zhang Tan took a slight glance at the group of youths in front of him and said with a business-like attitude, "The reason for my trip is for official business, so there's no need for extravagance! Enter the city!"

Zhang Tan waved his hand and the Jin Long Wei directly moved in.

The young warriors of the Tao tribal clan were originally full of anticipation, and they had prepared for it meticulously; but having waited for the day to come for the Jin Long Wei to arrive, they were ignored. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

With this, the young warriors were depressed.

"This Thousand Households Zhang, he totally looked down on us!"

"That's too much. Our Tao tribal clan is the biggest tribe in the region. Although we are located in the wilderness and are poor in resources, we have grown up experiencing battles and seeing blood after growing up in the wilderness. How could those greenhouse flowers stand up to our real fighting experience?"

"Soon it will be the selection, we will make the Jin Long Wei officers know that they were wrong. We may not do well, but our Tao tribal clan's first young master is about to complete a Tempered Body, and reach a state of 'Dragon Pulse'. In this warrior selection, he will definitely shine!" These young warriors discussed in private with a defiant tone.

The Tao tribal clan's first young master was named Hu Ya and he was well known throughout the tribe. This was because he was extremely close to reaching the state of Tempered Body. In the vast wilderness, it was extremely hard to reach a Tempered Body state.

Zhang Tan led the Jin Long Wei straight to their encampment. After a short rest, he changed and left alone in the middle of the night, without any followers and without anyone noticing.

True Martial World - Chapter 67: Conceal the secret

The Patriarch completely ignored Zhao Tiezhu's words. Having lived to a ripe old age, he was able to tell with his own abilities. He worriedly asked, "Doctor, how is he?" The Lian tribal clan's barefooted doctor's knowledge was originally limited, so he was unable to tell.

This quack began to panic and was utterly dumbfounded by the question of the Patriarch.

What did he know?

"The situation…I can't really tell, I'll write a prescription to the Young Master. The Young Master's foundation is solid and he’s strong, he…he should be fine…"

"Are you sure he will be alright? Could it be that the Young Master is weak after having broken through? Was the backlash in his vitals caused by the Yuan Qi? As such, he should recover soon, right?"

"This…" The quack did not dare guarantee this. His forehead was filled with sweat, but he composed himself with a sigh, "Everything will depend on the Young Master's future conditions. Let him take the prescription and have a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we should be able to tell. Tomorrow."

The quack had just said a bunch of crap that was as good as not saying anything. As for Yao Yuan, he frowned and walked to the side of the Patriarch and whispered a few words into his ear.

"What did you say!?"

After hearing Yao Yuan's words, his heart skipped a beat, "You say Chengyu failed to break through!?"

The Patriarch hushed his tone for this matter was of great concern. He did not want this to spread.

"Hmm… it should be a failed breakthrough, resulting in a counter flow of energy against him. It might have been due to anger that resulted in this…" Yao Yuan had chosen his words wisely in order to not agitate the Patriarch.

But those words still made the Patriarch dizzy.

"How could it be?" Zhao Tiezhu, who was extremely calm, turned anxious upon hearing Yao Yuan's words.

But Yao Yuan gave him a stern look, shutting Zhao Tiezhu up.

He knew that Yao Yuan's experience was extraordinary. Yao Yuan had previously broken into the Purple Blood realm before, so what he said could not be bunk, it had to be the truth!

Young Master Lian really failed in his breakthrough?

Seeing Lian Chengyu's barely breathing and unconscious self, Zhao Tiezhu could no longer deceive himself.

"Chengyu ah…" The Patriarch suddenly seemed to age by eight years as he stumbled to pick up Lian Chengyu.

Seeing the crowd approaching, the Patriarch hurriedly said in a hushed tone to the surrounding people, "Chengyu's failure to break through is to be kept confidential… It cannot be announced…"

The Patriarch's voice was weak. Be it the refinement of the desolate bones or the breakthrough of Lian Chengyu, it was a high profile and great event.

Such an event of great importance was tied deeply to the prestige and reputation of the leadership.

If the tribe were to know that Lian Chengyu had failed to break through, in spite of all that was put in to obtain the desolate bone essence, including the lives of the weak and the old, what would the tribe think?

What sort of prestige would be left? How were they to rule the clan in the future?

Besides, all the cattle had been slaughtered, the herb mountain was picked dry, and there was no more stored rations left. Under such a situation, if the tribe were to know that Lian Chengyu had not only failed to break through, but had even vomited blood, wouldn't they revolt?

They were all hoping for Lian Chengyu to have good days ahead!

"Carry Chengyu into the courtyard. Unrelated personnel are not to come close!" The Patriarch said in a harsh tone while having a sullen expression.

"Then… Then what should we say to the tribe people?" Zhao Tiezhu asked puzzledly.

"Say that Chengyu had broken through to the Purple Blood realm, but he has received some injuries from the violent energies of the desolate bone. He will need to be nursed back to health for a few days!"

The Patriarch decided to cover up the secret, and everything had to wait till Lian Chengyu had recovered.

…

As the Lian tribal clan were in a frenzy, and the mess the tribe's upper echelon was in, the culprit, Yi Yun was building a fire in the back mountain. Oh, he was grilling chicken wings. Yi Yun sang as he grilled. This was a parody of a song in the movie, "Flirting Scholar", in the scene when Stephen Chow was caught eating chicken wings when he was supposed to be on his deathbed.

"I love chicken wings. I love grilled chicken wings the most! I love Hong Shao chicken wings the most!"

This was a comedic song without any sense and poor rhythm, but Yi Yun still sang it very happily.

Although using firewood to grill meat was difficult, it could not deter a glutton's desire for barbecue.

Soon, Yi Yun's chicken wings were smelling good. Drop after drop of grease dripped into the fire as it roared in response.

"It's done!" Yi Yun cut the meat on the grilled chicken wings and sprinkled some seasoning. "Sis Xiaorou, try it."

Yi Yun gave Jiang Xiaorou the first chicken wing that finished grilling.

"Be careful, it's hot," Yi Yun warned. To Yi Yun, Jiang Xiaorou was the most important person in the world.

"You little kid, beginning to warn your elder sister now?" Jiang Xiaorou gave Yi Yun a stare. In the past, Jiang Xiaorou would make porridge for Yi Yun; and because she was afraid Yi Yun would scald himself, Jiang Xiaorou would always cool the porridge by blowing at it, warning him, "Slowly eat, be careful, it's hot."

A simple phrase yet it sounded very sweet.

Yi Yun made sure that the chicken wings he grilled were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Although there were some black spots, it was harmless.

Jiang Xiaorou opened her mouth and took a tiny bite. It was really tender and juicy, making it extremely delicious.

"So delicious!" Jiang Xiaorou's face was glowing. What could be happier than circling a fire and sharing delicious chicken wings with her brother?

"Yun-er, you should eat too."

"Oh, of course. It took me a great deal of research to find a firewood that doesn't give off black smoke!"

Yi Yun smiled. Yi Yun's progress had slowed down the past few days and he was no longer breaking through into new realms every few days.

The Qi Gatherer realm was a demarcating line. Cultivation progress upon reaching it would slow down. A person without talent will be stuck at this bottleneck for life, never to improve.

Yi Yun had already absorbed half of the Chi Lin's head's energy.

Yi Yun had further deepened his understanding of the Purple Crystal. He could now control the speed at which the Purple Crystal could absorb energy.

Back then, when Yi Yun first broke through to the Meridians realm, he had nearly burst his body due to an unrestricted flow of incoming energy within his opened meridians.

Now, Yi Yun could control the speed of absorption of the Purple Crystal, so he would no longer make the same mistake again.

"The energy in Chi Lin's head is much richer than the energy in Lian Chengyu's desolate bone. It should be able to last another ten days or so; by then, it would be almost time to participate in the Kingdom's selection…"

As he thought about it, he suddenly heard a faint sound in the distance.

After reaching the fifth stage of Mortal Blood, Yi Yun's senses were keen, so he could easily hear the sounds from afar.

"Sis Xiaorou wait for me." Yi Yun said before jumping down the large tree with ease. In the distance, what he saw made him gasp.

True Martial World - Chapter 66: The wilderness will be unified for many generations

Seconds changed to minutes as Lian Chengyu began to have his doubts. As the matter was of great importance, he was afraid something wrong had happened.

Why hasn't the desolate bone essence revealed its effects after such a long time?

When he bought the desolate bone, he had carefully checked it. The desolate bone had no traces of having been refined before. And in the beginning of the refinement process, there was the appearance of the Frost Python toxins that was recorded in the books. It had caused a group of able-bodied men to fall ill. That meant that the desolate bone was genuine.

Did something wrong happen during the refinement process? Thinking carefully, it couldn't be. There were many of his men who were watching the refinement process, and he had checked on the process every now and then, how could there be a problem?

Lian Chengyu was no ordinary person. After a deep round of pondering, he calmed down quickly and said to himself, "Mud can be solidified after a rain, but jade amber has to be buried for millions of years to be nourished by the land."

"Sweet corn can be harvested in a year, but an immortality pill needs to be subjected to millions of years to absorb the essence of the surroundings."

"An unscrupulous charlatan can write a fist technique book in three days, but the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's founding emperor had to train for ten thousand years to create the 'Tai Ah Sacred Technique'!"

"A mud block will be smashed with one stomp, but a jade amber will become a piece of art handed down for generations; Sweet corn will become the waste of humans, but an immortality pill could make a king a god; a charlatan's fist technique manual can only be used to cheat a fool of his money, but the 'Tai Ah Sacred Technique' will be spread down for ages, sought after by warriors!"

"To accomplish greatness, patience must be honed. If I cannot endure these few minutes, how can I accomplish greatness!"

Lian Chengyu began thinking and his expression turned calm.

But, one hour passed…

Lian Chengyu still sat with a calm mind. His words had been repeated to himself an uncountable number of times.

Two hours passed.

Lian Chengyu's forehead started to ooze sweat.

Four hours passed.

Lian Chengyu's eyes were blood red, his fists clenched tightly, with his nails lodging deep into his flesh.

Six hours!

Zhao Tiezhu and the rest were already aching in their feet. As for the people crowding around Lian Chengyu, waiting for him to soar into the sky and bringing them into the city had already stretched out their necks till they became stiff.

Eight hours, the sun had set. Lian Chengyu had been sitting there in his silly meditation the whole day.

How could this be? How could this be?

How could this be!

Lian Chengyu shouted in his heart. Veins looking like earthworms appeared on his forehead making him look hideous.

Seeing Lian Chengyu in this state, Zhao Tiezhu and company began to rouse themselves. Even the Lian tribal clan Patriarch was staring widely with full attention.

They knew this was probably the legendary explosive power of the desolate bone!

Because the energy was too strong and Lian Chengyu was at his body's limits, it caused his veins to protrude. If something inadvertent happened, it could cause Lian Chengyu's veins to explode!

In history, there was no lack of warriors who ate the desolate bone essence greedily, but instead of absorbing it, they only ended up blowing up their bodies.

"Everyone, take a step back, no one is to interrupt. Kill anyone who takes a step forward!" The Patriarch issued his command. This was Lian Chengyu's most crucial moment. If anyone were to disturb Lian Chengyu, he might receive damage to his meridians, destroying hopes of breaking through. When that happened, it would not be enough to grind the person to death.

Ten hours.

The sky was totally dark and the moon was high in the star-filled sky.

But the Lian tribal clan upper echelon and the members of the warrior preparation camp had not left. The tribe's witch and doctor were all awaiting orders. They had just eaten a few bites for their meals.

The witch would kneel down to pray from time to time, continuing on her ceremony, blessing Lian Chengyu.

At that moment, Lian Chengyu who was meditating suddenly made a loud roar!

"Ah–"

This roar was deep but loud. It was like the angry roar of a beast, soaring to the ends of the skies!

"Boom!"

The altar Lian Chengyu was sitting on cracked open. This was caused by Lian Chengyu's energy.

"Young Master has broken through! Young Master has broken through!"

Seeing such a display, Zhao Tiezhu leaped up in joy.

The members of the warrior preparation camp got up to cheer and celebrate.

The Patriarch only stroked his beard and revealed a happy smile. Only the warrior preparation camp instructor, Yao Yuan, looked curiously at Lian Chengyu. His eyes were puzzled because why did Lian Chengyu's roar contain a deep sense of irreconcilability and hatred?

Zhao Tiezhu signaled to the people behind him. It's meaning was to shout with him–

"Congratulations Young Master, congratulations Young Master! With Young Master's Purple Blood completed, he will unify the wilderness! Young Master is to live for many generations, having a life as long as the heavens!"

The members of the warrior preparation camp began shouting in unison.

They had practiced this chant for very long which was planned by Zhao Tiezhu in secret. Zhao Tiezhu, who was a master of sucking up, would never have passed up this opportunity.

It had to be said that the members of the warrior preparation camp were much stronger than the average person. Having practiced this chant, the sound was loud and could be heard from five kilometers away.

As such, everyone in the Lian tribal clan knew that Lian Chengyu had broken into the Purple Blood realm!

For the past few days, Lian Cuihua had been deliberately spreading the news, so even a granny whose teeth were all dropping off knew what the Purple Blood realm meant.

It was the best of the best of the best among all the experts. The Zhang Yuxian who came a few days ago to the Lian tribal clan was in the Purple Blood realm.

Now Young Master Lian can't be that much weaker than Zhang Yuxian.

"Young Master Lian has broken into the Purple Blood realm, we will have a good life in the future."

"Yes, Young Master Lian had previously said it, we will all be brought into the city."

"You may not know, but back then when Young Master Lian was born, the entire sky was lit red. It's obvious Young Master Lian is a star that descended, and not someone ordinary!"

People discussed animatedly because they had been yearning for a life of ease. The sufferings and hunger they had endured were no longer important.

As long as Lian Chengyu broke through, then all sorts of good things would come. They did not seek prosperity, but as long as they a stable life, they would be thankful.

The people were prevented from coming close, but the members of the warrior preparation camp had already circled Lian Chengyu and were chanting even louder.

"Young Master to live for many generations, the wilderness will be unified!"

"Young Master's prowess is unparalleled, life as long as the skies!"

All they could chant were those few words, but at that moment Lian Chengyu's face was pale. His eyes looked at the surroundings in an unfocused manner.

"Puah!"

A mouthful of scarlet fresh blood spit out from Lian Chengyu's mouth like a red fountain, spraying all over the floor!

Zhao Tiezhu was kneeling right in front of Lian Chengyu, and that mouthful of blood had sprayed onto Zhao Tiezhu's face, drenching him crimson.

Zhao Tiezhu was dumbfounded, he just stood there dazed.

The other members of the warrior preparation camp were dumbfounded too, what…what…happened?

"Chengyu! Chengyu!"

The Patriarch jumped in shock and frantically rushed over and supported Lian Chengyu, "Doctor, call the doctor!!"

The tribe's only doctor had been waiting on the sidelines all this time. He was old and did not know any martial arts. His legs were aching from the long standing. Seeing Lian Chengyu vomit blood suddenly, his face turned pale. He ran over, but because his legs were not stable, he had tumbled and crawled to Lian Chengyu's side.

When he measured Lian Chengyu's pulse, he could only find that his pulse was in utter disorder, and he was unsure of the matter.

At that moment, Zhao Tiezhu opened his mouth and waved, "Everyone, rest assured. Young Master must have just broken through, causing his pulse to be unstable. He vomited out black blood, it's known as marrow cleansing, I guess you don't know about it. Marrow cleansing requires the vomiting of the impure black blood in the body."

As he said that, Zhao Tiezhu wiped the blood off his face. For a moment, Zhao Tiezhu's face was as red as the dancing witch.

The people around looked at Zhao Tiezhu's face and gaped. They did not know what to say, nor did that know how to break the silence.

After wiping the blood off his face, Zhao Tiezhu was still calm and said, "Soon Young Master will recover and when that happens, the wilderness will be unified for many generations."

In Zhao Tiezhu's heart, Lian Chengyu was a god.

What could happen to a god? Besides, Lian Chengyu had just broken through to the Purple Blood realm, so a little imbalance was normal.