True Martial World - Chapter 111: You owe me ten lives

Lian Chengyu couldn’t wait to get up on stage.

Yi Yun walked up the stage, took a deep breath, and firmly stood a hundred feet away from Lian Chengyu. He did not expect his first battle to be against Lian Chengyu. It was no doubt a destined battle!

For a long time, Yi Yun had wished to fight Lian Chengyu. To brutally beat him with his own two hands, to have fist meet flesh in an eye for an eye fashion.

Both Lian Chengyu and Yi Yun were fired up for this battle!

It was a day Yi Yun had waited too long for! After enduring so much for so long, he would finally settle everything!

"It's unexpected, but Thousand Households Zhang actually helped Lian Chengyu. I know some of what happened between Yi Yun and Lian Chengyu. Apparently, Yi Yun backstabbed Lian Chengyu, and now there’s a huge feud between the two!"

"It will be great, both are from the same tribe so they know each other well. Lian Chengyu definitely won’t go easy on Yi Yun!"

The gathered crowd discussed the upcoming battle with a feeling of schadenfreude. As members of the Tao tribal clan, it pleased them to see an internal fight between members of the same tribe. Furthermore, one of them was Yi Yun; Yi Yun who had stood out for a long time, who pissed off the Tao tribal clan.

"Thousand Households Zhang! Might I ask a question?" Upon standing in the arena, Lian Chengyu did not immediately take a fighting stance, but instead asked Zhang Tan a question.

"Speak!" Zhang Tan responded.

"Thousand Households Zhang, warriors must give their all in battle. It often results in injury, disability, and even death. Since we are having a direct showdown, what would happen if someone were to die or be severely disabled in this battle?" When Lian Chengyu asked this, there was a collective gasp.

Nothing was wrong with Lian Chengyu's question. Injuries were indeed common in a duel. But by asking that, he made clear his intention to maim Yi Yun in this battle. He needed to be certain from the outset if there would be repercussions from the Jin Long Wei.

If Zhang Tan gave his blessing, he could make Yi Yun suffer.

Lian Chengyu was truly cruel!

Zhang Tan frowned slightly and said indifferently, "There is plenty of danger in the vast wilderness. A warrior learns martial arts to face life and death battles. During normal practice, demonstrations, training or sparring, everything must be taken seriously and you have to give your all. We demand that every battle be treated like a true battle. And death is a real consequence of battle!"

"As long as your opponent doesn’t surrender, you can carry on attacking. If this results in death, you will not be held accountable!" Zhang Tan's proclamation raised an uproar among the crowd.

"So without an admission of defeat, I am not responsible for causing grievous injury or death?" Lian Chengyu asked. Zhang Tan's words contained a loophole. All he needed to do was beat Yi Yun to the point of him being unable to speak, such as choking him, or ripping off his chin!

Lian Chengyu knew that Zhang Tan was aware of the loophole. His inquiry was just to confirm that he could take advantage of it!

Zhang Tan looked thoughtfully at Lian Chengyu without a word.

Lian Chengyu knew that Zhang Tan could read his intentions. As such, he decided to openly say it, "I do not want to lie to Lord Zhang, but I have a great feud with Yi Yun! Yi Yun used a despicable method to steal my desolate bone essence. He stole my resources, which is as grave as killing my parents. Yi Yun ruined my chance to break through to the Purple Blood realm. He is my mortal enemy!"

The loud words exclaimed by Lian Chengyu stunned the crowd, and they instantly began murmuring.

So that was the matter between Lian Chengyu and Yi Yun. Yi Yun had severed Lian Chengyu's cultivation path. It was no wonder Lian Chengyu hated him so much!

"So it turns out Yi Yun is a thief!" Someone said privately.

"When a slave steals from his master, it's reasonable for the master to kill the slave. Furthermore, Yi Yun stole a desolate bone essence, so Lian Chengyu is even more justified to kill him!"

"That's right, severing off the path of a warrior is grounds for a great vendetta. The Jin Long Wei wouldn't say anything even if Lian Chengyu killed Yi Yun."

"I thought it was just a tournament, but it has become a battle of vengeance. There will be no end to it! If the Jin Long Wei stood on the side of reason, they would not interfere."

The crowd continued to buzz. Lian Chengyu could feel his blood boiling as he took it all in.

He looked at Zhang Tan, waiting for his reply.

Finally, Zhang Tan nodded his head slowly. Indeed, according to the rules of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, and considering his vendetta, it was well within reason for him to request a deathmatch with Yi Yun!

"Thank you for granting my request, Lord Zhang.” Lian Chengyu was overjoyed. The humiliation, frustration and defeat he had bottled up for months were about to burst.

His aura grew stronger as his killing intent rose!

"I have the support of the people and Thousand Households Zhang is aiding me! Good! With all signs affirming me today, I'll cripple this bastard's martial arts and show him a fate worse than death!" Lian Chengyu cried in his heart!

Yi Yun looked indifferently at Lian Chengyu.

People talked about and condemned him. They showed their disdain and contempt for his stealing of the desolate bone essence, but Yi Yun turned a deaf ear.

The current Yi Yun was like a deep well, calm and unfathomable.

Lian Chengyu clenched his fists and said with a cheeky grin, "So what if you stole my desolate bone essence? Even after consuming it, you are not my equal!"

He flexed his muscles, and they emitted an explosive crackling!

Bones like Thunder, Tendons as a Strongbow!

Lian Chengyu learned the Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist at a very young age, so he was well-versed in it. His powerful display appalled the surrounding warriors in the crowd.

Lian Chengyu was truly a ruthless person.

With every step that Lian Chengyu took towards Yi Yun, the ringing of his body's joints and muscles could be heard.

"Ka Ka Ka!"

The ground below him cracked. His power only continued to swell and grow!

"Young Master Lian, kill the little bastard!"

"Break his tendons and twist off his head!"

Amongst the crowd, the members of the warrior preparation camp cheered wildly for their master.

For them, it was a time to hold their chins up high.

Yi Yun stood motionless until Lian Chengyu was right in front of him.

"Roar!"

Lian Chengyu roared like a beast and pounced like a vigorous tiger!

Tiger Descends Flattening Dust!

Lian Chengyu swept out his leg towards Yi Yun's chest with a kick that could easily shatter a black ironstone the size of a stone roller—it would reduce a person to pieces upon impact.

The crowd howled!

At that moment, it was as if time had suddenly slowed down for Yi Yun. He could see Lian Chengyu's every move clearly.

With his perceptivity, Yi Yun gained a lot of insight from constantly sparring with Lin Xintong. Furthermore, Yi Yun's 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist' had reached the state of perfect harmony, inducing the Purple Air Comes From The East. So by using 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist' against Yi Yun, Lian Chengyu had sealed his own fate!

With a mere glance, he could read every single flaw in Lian Chengyu's technique!

But even without taking advantage of those flaws, he could easily crush Lian Chengyu with the tremendous difference in their strength.

Lian Chengyu's fierce kick approached with howling winds, such that it felt like knives crossing Yi Yun’s face!

But Yi Yun did not move one step. He waited for the instant when Lian Chengyu’s foot was about to connect, and then reached out his hand like lightning!

"Pa!"

With a crisp sound, Yi Yun's hand clutched Lian Chengyu's ankle!

Lian Chengyu's charge came to an abrupt stop when Yi Yun placed his hand on his ankle. It was as if Lian Chengyu had crashed into a bronze wall at high speed!

"What?" Lian Chengyu suddenly felt a strong power emitting from his leg, interrupting his charging momentum. His leg bent as Yi Yun's hands gripped it like metal tongs. The pain was excruciating.

"You…" Lian Chengyu was stunned, and the crowd instantly turned silent. Lian Chengyu's high-speed kick was filled with power, how could someone catch it with a bare hand? Furthermore, Yi Yun did not take a single step back!

"You’re courting death!" Although the unexpected turn of events shocked Lian Chengyu, he did not lose his composure. With his right ankle caught he rose up and twisted, roaring as he attacked Yi Yun's neck with his left foot!

Although Lian Chengyu's reaction was fast, it only made things worse!

"Pa!" Yi Yun reached out his other hand; Lian Chengyu's left foot was caught by Yi Yun.

With both feet held by Yi Yun, Lian Chengyu's entire body was suspended!

Yi Yun held onto Lian Chengyu's feet and lifted him as if holding a humanoid wooden pole.

"You!" Lian Chengyu's blood rushed to his head. He was feeling angry and resentful, but he also found it unbelievable.

His attack had been perfect and powerful; how could Yi Yun easily crack the flaws in it? How was this possible!?

Yi Yun looked at Lian Chengyu like a judge that determined life and death. He said in a deadpan manner, "You have ten crimes!! You owe me ten lives!!!"

With that said, Yi Yun held onto Lian Chengyu's legs and swung him up.

Yi Yun moved his arms up and down three times—all done while holding onto Lian Chengyu's legs—before smashing Lian Chengyu to the ground!

"Boom!"

Yi Yun flung Lian Chengyu as if he were a wooden plank, slamming him down. It caused the ground to crack and debris was sent flying!

The top half of Lian Chengyu's body had smashed onto the ground!

Lian Chengyu had been training his body for a very long time. His body was very tough as a result, and could endure such a blow. But even so, his face was covered with blood and he saw stars!

This scene made everyone dumbfounded.

The high and mighty Lian Chengyu had put all of his power into his 'Tiger Descends Flattening Dust' strike, but it was easily blocked by Yi Yun.

Not only that, but then there was a huge reversal. Lian Chengyu was grabbed by Yi Yun, and like a human pole smashed into the ground head first.

It was an extremely humiliating way of being beaten up! How could that have happened?

True Martial World - Chapter 110: The Selection’s final battle

At noon, the sound of drums thundered in the sky above the outskirts of the Tao tribal clan’s city!

Two hundred warriors of the Tao tribal clan rode their horses on the plains in a line.

Two hundred horses might not seem as much, but in reality, they created a dust storm while running in the wilderness plains.

In the vast wilderness, rearing a horse was a luxury. The Tao tribal clan only had a few hundred cavalry warriors. A large number of them were used to cheer on the finals!

The platform had long been set up. The Tao tribal clan's Patriarch and Grand Elder had come in person, waiting to witness a historic moment. They were waiting to see their Tao tribal clan leave the vast wilderness and to head outside, into the world.

After the scene was set up, Zhang Tan rode on his horse to the center of the arena.

Today was the last day of the selection.

After the semi-finals, there were only twenty remaining Mortal Blood warriors.

The twenty people were extremely nervous. It decided the outcome of their future. Success was like a carp leaping through the dragon's gate, while failure meant wasted effort, and they would carry on their poor lives in the vast wilderness till they died of old age.

That sort of fate was too tragic, and the thought of it was depressing.

"The third round of the Kingdom's selection. The topic for assessment will be…" Zhang Tan said in a long tone as the people held their breath…

"The topic for assessment is…actual combat!"

When Zhang Tan said the two words, "actual combat", the people stirred with excitement.

"Actual combat? Hahaha! Finally, they are testing actual combat!"

"Right! With actual combat, one can immediately tell who is stronger and who is weaker!"

"Great! I'm not good at fancy things like Spirit. Neither am I good at demonstrating my cultivation technique. But for actual combat? I've never feared anyone! I've fought with experts in my tribe ever since I was young. After years of practicing martial arts, I've undergone so many battles!"

The warriors, who had passed the semi-finals, began rubbing their hands with glee. They all agreed that this should have happened early on! They had never heard of the tests Zhang Tan did, so how could they do well?

It would have been easy if they had just tested actual combat ability right from the start!

It was fair and easy to understand! What's the f**king point of testing all those useless things?

The participants were excited, and so was the audience.

It was a sight to watch actual combat. It could also reveal the true form of those who had resorted to trickery. There was no trickery in actual combat!

Among the contestants, Lian Chengyu and Tao Yunxiao looked at Yi Yun. The former displayed a grim smile, while the latter revealed a sardonic smile.

They had been waiting too long for an actual combat.

They originally did not have much hope for it, but Zhang Tan had given them a pleasant surprise.

They finally had a chance to prove themselves!

"Good, very good! I can't wait for it. I want to maim you, you little bastard, giving you a living death!" Lian Chengyu sent the voice suddenly into Yi Yun's ear.

Yi Yun looked at Lian Chengyu; but since he didn't know how to transmit words silently, he could not be bothered to answer him.

Lian Chengyu's eyes blazed with hatred. He clenched his fists as he couldn't wait another second. He wished that Zhang Tan would quickly finish speaking, allowing him to fight Yi Yun!

At that moment, Zhang Tan was still announcing the rules. In this battle, weapons were allowed, because weapons were a part of a warrior's battle power. By practicing with weapons, warriors had to use a large amount of energy, so it would be unfair if weapons were forbidden.

As for the outcome of the battle, the battle would go on till one person admitted defeat, or until one lost the ability to carry on fighting!

The order of battle was decided by the Jin Long Wei. There was no drawing of lots. Whoever the Jin Long Wei wanted to fight, they had to fight.

The final ranking was decided by the Jin Long Wei, and there was no need for them to explain their criteria to anyone.

Soon, the first round was about to begin. Yi Yun and Tao Yunxiao, who shined in the semi-finals, were not called up.

But Lian Chengyu was called up to the arena.

His opponent was a person who barely passed the semi-finals. The opponent was a Yellow rank grade one person, so he was unlikely to pass the kingdom's selection.

Lian Chengyu's strength was alarming. The battle lacked any suspense as that person was defeated easily by Lian Chengyu, who reached the second round.

As for Yi Yun, he entered into the second round without fighting.

This made many people, who wanted to see Yi Yun's strength, angry. The Jin Long Wei examiners were too biased to this guy.

"He may avoid the first, but he can't avoid the second! Sooner or later you will be exposed." Lian Chengyu who easily won was pleased as he sneered at Yi Yun, "Others might not know your background, but I know everything! You have just practiced martial arts for three months! Your strength is only enough to abuse characters like Zhao Tiezhu. Have you ever fought a real expert? I'm afraid you don't even have any battle experience!"

"For me, I've sparred with Instructor Yao since I was young. I'm at the peak of the Qi Gatherer realm, the highest possible state in the Mortal Blood realm. What makes you think that you can fight me!?"

Lian Chengyu knew that Yi Yun was a genius, but although Yi Yun had induced purple mist during his demonstration of his technique, or possessed good Spirit, it only proved that Yi Yun had talent. So what if he was talented? It was a real battle today. A genius had to grow in order to instill fear in others!

He wanted to maim Yi Yun and destroy his confidence in this battle so that he was nothing but dust in the future!

Lian Chengyu’s hate for Yi Yun was like the river waters of the East River, a never ending flow.

Yi Yun took one look at Lian Chengyu and said, "Beat your opponents first if you want to battle me. There are over ten people here. Your strength isn't the best among them, who knows, you might be defeated in the next round."

After listening to Yi Yun's words, Lian Chengyu laughed, "You are really foolish to continue taunting me when your death is at hand!"

The moment Lian Chengyu said those words, Zhang Tan shouted suddenly, "Next round, Yi Yun! Lian Chengyu! Enter the arena!"

This voice shocked the numerous contestants. They had come to the realization that Yi Yun and Lian Chengyu were bitter enemies. They were waiting to watch a show, but they knew that there was a chance they might never meet in battle.

But they never expected that Yi Yun's first match was against Lian Chengyu!

Was this a coincidence? Or a deliberate arrangement?

"It may be because Thousand Households Zhang has noticed the hostile relationship between the two and deliberately arranged it!" Someone said affirmatively. How could it be this coincidental?

"Isn't this helping Lian Chengyu? It was all Lian Chengyu could wish for." The people looked at Lian Chengyu and saw an excited Lian Chengyu. He was like a wolf that had spotted a lamb after starving for a month. It was as if his entire body was burning.

"Good! Good! Just to my liking! Even Thousand Households Zhang is helping me, hahaha!" Lian Chengyu was elated. He looked at Yi Yun with his eyes red with excitement. People tend to lose their rationality when they are in extreme anger.

"Today is the day of your death!" Lian Chengyu transmitted his voice that was infused with a grim smile.

True Martial World - Chapter 109: Blood Lineage

After the semi-finals ended, the participants, whether they had succeeded or failed, went back to their own residences.

As for the people, no matter how indignant they were, they could not change the results of the competition and began to disperse.

But the battle never stopped.

When Yi Yun finished eating dinner, he met a bunch of children, who wanted to mess with him, after he came out from a Tao tribal clan cafeteria.

Their leader was a fourteen-year-old girl, and behind her were a bunch of boys and girls, all teenagers.

The little girl was their boss; no different from the school honchos in his memories.

Even in this alternate world, the children also entered their rebellious stage in their teens. Kids at this age easily formed their gangs such as the Azure Sect, the Hong Sect, the Youth Alliance, etc.

The little girl flicked her hair coolly and stared at Yi Yun without a sound. Her eyes were full of hostility.

They were here to demonstrate their might.

In fact, they treated Yi Yun like someone of their own age, and someone of the same IQ level.

If nothing else but height mattered, Yi Yun was an inch shorter than that girl.

How could kids know anything about Purple Air Comes From The East or manifestation of Yuan Qi? To them, strength was measured by a person's height.

They would not dare to offend them those who looked tall and strong looked powerful. Those who were short in stature were not intimidating, and they were push-overs.

The leader of the children, of course, knew Yi Yun was strong, and the bunch she had brought with her wasn't his match, but, Yi Yun was shorter than them by a head. This made them subconsciously gain a mental advantage, as they had often bullied the weak.

It was hard to describe the thoughts of these children. They felt that their idol had been insulted, so they needed to do something to stand in solidarity for their idol.

Of course, the real people who "insulted" their idol was the Jin Long Wei, but they did not have the courage to mess with the Jin Long Wei, so they came to mess with Yi Yun.

They just needed to make a gesture, to prove their undying support for Hu Ya. As for their desired outcome, they didn't really know either.

Yi Yun was speechless. To be pestered by kids who didn't know anything, he really felt unlucky.

Yi Yun simply released a tiny amount of aura to push the kids away. He strode out of the crowd, leaving them suppressing their rage.

In fact, ever since the semi-finals concluded, Yi Yun realized that the eyes of the Tao tribal clan's people were full of hostility.

Yi Yun had crushed the three young masters of the Tao tribal clan in one blow. It was like walking into someone's house to smack them in the face. How could the Tao tribal clan's people be friendly with him?

What was worse was that Yi Yun had never shown his true strength the entire time. The results were decided by the Jin Long Wei. The people of the Tao tribal clan were extremely disgruntled with the results announced by the Jin Long Wei.

Yi Yun ignored these people and only wanted to quickly get out of the crowd. At that moment, Yi Yun noticed that not far away from him stood a girl in white. She was smiling at him.

The setting sun made the girl cast a long shadow upon the ground. Her dress was coated with a golden luster that shimmered in the setting sun like dancing elves.

The girl only smiled without saying a word. Upon seeing Yi Yun look over, she turned and left.

Yi Yun understood her intentions and followed.

The two moved forward and soon disappeared from the Tao tribal clan's city.

With a change of the scenery, Yi Yun and the girl had arrived at the Tao tribal clan's back mountain. At that moment, the sun had set and its glow was burning the western sky red.

"You don't seem popular…" Lin Xintong leisurely said as she turned towards Yi Yun.

Yi Yun smiled helplessly and said, "My appearance in the Tao tribal clan has stolen their thunder. Naturally they wouldn't welcome me, besides…they are indignant about it."

"The Jin Long Wei's evaluation results are quite authoritative. You can ignore those people…Right…I've previously agreed to carry on sparring with you." Lin Xintong had set an appointment with Yi Yun for them to continue their sparring today.

"Good!" Yi Yun could not ask for anything better. Lin Xintong was a master; although Yi Yun did not know what rank Lin Xintong was, he knew that the things she revealed benefited him a lot.

Lin Xintong gently touched her wrist and pulled out a sword.

Sword!?

Yi Yun's eyes lit up. This was the first time he was seeing Lin Xintong use a weapon.

In the past sparring matches with Lin Xintong, she had used her hands to spar with Yi Yun.

"Tao Yunxiao uses a sword, so does Hu Ya. The swords they use are the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifacts. But why do I feel that the quality of those two swords can't match the sword in Lin Xintong's hand?"

The body of Lin Xintong's sword was extremely soft, like a swimming silver snake. Although it was a distance from Yi Yun, that luxuriant cold beam felt like it was stabbing into Yi Yun's brows, giving his brows a chill.

"The sword's name is Frost Water; it is my sword. Usually, when I face enemies, I would use a sword. You can say that I have a special talent in swords. This talent is also known as "Sword Heart".

"Sword Heart is a form of blood lineage. It's not something any person can awaken. Maybe in the future, you will have your own blood lineage." Lin Xintong's words seemed to have opened a new door for Yi Yun.

Blood lineage? Sword Heart?

Yi Yun did not know what it meant to have a blood lineage, but he suddenly felt a strong interest in it.

Lin Xintong said, "You just need to break through to the Purple Blood for now. You can ignore blood lineage for the time being. It is still something out of your grasp…"

With those words, she swung her sword and said, "A weapon is part of a warrior's body. The first contact for warriors in the way of the sword is to wield a sword with their bodies. The next step is to use Qi to wield a sword. The third step is using the heart to wield a sword!"

"Look well today, for this is 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven'!" Upon saying that, Lin Xintong's sword began to move. She did it slowly, but each move and stance had induced the power of the Heaven and Earth. Her movement was perfect and harmonious.

Lin Xintong's sword technique was the 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven'!

Yi Yun was shocked. It seemed as if there was no cultivation technique that she didn't know.

She knew "Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist", as well as the 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven'. And these two cultivation techniques were not her main cultivation technique; her main cultivation technique was the 'Fairy Maiden Heart Sutra'!

But even though she had learned the 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist' and 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven' on the side, she had practiced them to an extremely high level!

Just Lin Xintong's notes on 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist', had benefited Yi Yun a lot.

As for 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven', her swordsmanship was perfect. Even Yi Yun who was not well-versed with swords could feel the wonders of it.

Especially with the vision that the Purple Crystal Origins gave Yi Yun, he could see the surrounding Heaven Earth Yuan Qi condense towards Lin Xintong, forming innumerable points of light.

"Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!" Out came nine golden sword beams from Lin Xintong's body. This was the manifestation of Yuan Qi that Hu Ya previously demonstrated!

But Hu Ya's manifestation of Yuan Qi had only appeared for an instant before shooting to the sky.

But Lin Xintong's manifestation of Yuan Qi–the nine small golden swords were like fairies flowing around Lin Xintong's sword beams.

When Lin Xintong struck, the small golden swords flew out', but when she pulled her sword back, the small golden swords would follow her back.

This move amazed Yi Yun.

Thinking it through, Lin Xintong was one year younger than Hu Ya. It was hard to imagine at which grade Lin Xintong's talent was.

"I am really a frog in a well." Yi Yun said to himself. He had first understood 'routines have limits, but martial arts is without limit', and he had induced Purple Air Comes From The East. Yi Yun could not help but feel proud of these two accomplishments.

But when compared to Lin Xintong, it was nothing.

Lin Xintong had definitely achieved the realm of "routines have limits, but martial arts is without limit" a long time ago. Or she could not have written the note in the manual.

Just by casually studying a cultivation technique for half a year, Lin Xintong had reached such a state. He still had a long way to go!

Lin Xintong demonstrated her swordplay as Yi Yun watched.

Although it was the same 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven', Hu Ya's was much worse than Lin Xintong's. As for Tao Yunxiao’s demonstration, it was not worth even mentioning.

Having lived two lives, Yi Yun's soul was stronger and he had a high perceptivity. Lin Xintong just demonstrated her swordplay without a word. But by simply watching Lin Xintong's swordsmanship, Yi Yun could recall the various flaws in Tao Yunxiao's swordsmanship.

"Tao Yunxiao was not able to show the full potential of this 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven' and the ancestral artifact of the Tao tribal clan. If the way of the sword had levels, then Tao Yunxiao was at the stage of wielding a sword with his body, and just at the beginning stages…" Yi Yun began to make his evaluations. With Lin Xintong's perfect demonstration in front of him, Yi Yun was able to review Tao Yunxiao's swordsmanship.

In terms of martial arts, Yi Yun was a good distance away from Lin Xintong.

Yi Yun could not understand even a tenth of Lin Xintong's swordsmanship. But even this amount allowed Yi Yun to create his own views on swordsmanship.

Many things could only be understood but not described. Everyone had a different level of perceptivity, so Lin Xintong did not speak, and only demonstrated.

Now, the insight Yi Yun gained had sown a seed within his mind. When his abilities improved in the future, that seed would grow into a towering tree!

The environment greatly influenced a warrior's practice of martial arts.

Often when sparring with an expert, even if it was an expert-dominated one, one would become a partial expert after being abused for long.

If one sparred with a dummy often, even if they could beat the living daylights out of the dummy, one would still be a dummy after a few years of beating.

Yi Yun and Lin Xintong practiced till it was almost daybreak.

After Lin Xintong departed, Yi Yun returned to the Tao tribal clan quietly.

A few hours later, it was the last round of the kingdom's selection. It was the moment the finals began. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

This battle would decide the final results.

"I wonder what the last round's topic would be?" Yi Yun thought with anticipation!

He meditated for about an hour before sleeping and ended up entering a deep sleep state. With four hours of sleep, he was able to restore his mental state back to its optimal state…

True Martial World - Chapter 108: Yet another slap in the face

The semi-finals of the Kingdom's selection had not ended. The examination of the Purple Blood warriors was even more intense.

Although the Purple Blood warriors were sure to pass the kingdom's selection, they still vied for a better spot amongst themselves, so that they can gain more resources and a higher status in the Jin Long Wei!

Yi Yun watched all the Cloud Wilderness' Purple Blood warriors' demonstrations.

A Purple Blood warrior was indeed much stronger than a Mortal Blood warrior. The Tao tribal clan's first young master Hu Ya, who appeared last had pushed, the atmosphere to a crescendo!

Hu Ya had also demonstrated "Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven"!

Hu Ya used the ancestral artifact of the Tao tribal clan, the female-male pair's male component.

The male-sword was three feet long. In Hu Ya's hand, it was as if the sword with a startling aura was alive. As Hu Ya continued demonstrating, each slash caused sword Qi to emit out shockwaves, and the battlefield was filled with beams of sword flashes, like a silver waterfall.

Hu Ya's sword moves were too fast for the eyes to follow.

At times, Hu Ya would slow down his speed; but even at a slower speed, it was hard to read his moves. This feeling was similar to Zhang Yuxian performing the Elephant Swallowing Technique. One could see him move, but one couldn't tell what the sword move was.

The warriors from the large tribes of the Cloud Wilderness were full of praise. Even a few Jin Long Wei members nodded slightly.

When Hu Ya finished the last stance of "Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven", nine sword beams flew out from Hu Ya's body and into the sky!

These nine sword beams looked like golden swords from afar. It was colorful and had an extraordinary beauty!

"Cha! Cha! Cha!"

The golden swords sliced through the air, tearing open a rift in the clouds.

The surrounding Tao tribal clan people let out a gasp.

If one were to call Tao Yunxiao's sword Qi the light from a firefly, then Hu Ya's golden sword beams were like the moonlight. They stood in stark contrast.

"This is a manifestation of Yuan Qi!"

In the crowd, a warrior said, "To release the body's Yuan Qi out and condensing it into a shape. It's an extremely ingenious technique. It is something that only the best Purple Blood warriors can manage. If the clouds the nine golden sword beams struck was black ironstone, it will still be sliced up like tofu even if the black ironstone was the size of a house! Young Master Hu Ya just didn't want to flaunt his destructive power!"

"Manifestation of Yuan Qi!" Yi Yun was stirred. He recalled that when he sparred with Lin Xintong the previous night, his last fist attack had formed a dragon-tiger phantom image!

He had not paid attention back then, but Lin Xintong had noted that it was a manifestation of Yuan Qi!

The manifestation of Yuan Qi not only looked powerful, but it could also greatly improve an attack’s damage!

In the battles of Mortal Blood and Purple Blood realm warriors, they would often use their bodies to attack. But as their martial level increases, the battle between warriors would become a competition of Yuan Qi!

For a high-level martial world, a manifestation of Yuan Qi was part of the basics.

But for the warriors of the vast wilderness, manifestation of Yuan Qi was a spectacular sight.

The crowd's reaction was filled with excitement as they cheered vivaciously!

Commoners had no chance of witnessing the manifestation of Yuan Qi. Besides, Hu Ya was extremely popular in the Tao tribal clan, so all the cheering came from his admirers.

Hu Ya's demonstration was done.

The faces of the Tao tribal clan people were red with pride. It was as if they had drunk a bottle of vintage wine, and could not disguise their euphoria. Previously, Yi Yun had upset them by overshadowing their prominence. But now, with Hu Ya, they were immediately elated with pride.

Also, the First Young Master Hu Ya was close to reaching the Tempered Body state. In a few days, he would likely make that last step. It was something the people of the Tao tribal clan were looking forward to.

The entire Tao tribal clan, in its several hundreds of years, had never given birth to a talent who could reach the "Tempered Body, Dragon Pulse" state.

"Young Master Hu Ya is too powerful!"

"Of course! Young Master is just about to reach the ‘Tempered Body, Dragon Pulse’ state. His cultivation level is in the middle stages of the Purple Blood realm. Soon, he will enter the late stages of the Purple Blood realm. How can he not be powerful? Young Master Hu Ya will definitely exceed Yi Yun!"

"That's for sure! Nine golden sword beams formed from energy; that is a true strength! It's not those illusory phenomena. That's right, what sort of person is Young Master Hu Ya? He will teach those self-important people from the small tribes a lesson. They shall see the strength of our Tao tribal clan!"

The people were excited. The Jin Long Wei's examiner had used fifteen minutes to rank the Purple Blood warriors.

Again, the order was based on the order of appearance. Hu Ya was the last one.

When Zhang Tan mentioned Hu Ya, everyone in the Tao tribal clan held their breath. This was the moment that concerned their Tao tribal clan's honor.

They were waiting for Hu Ya to overshadow Yi Yun!

The Tao tribal clan's strength was ten times stronger than tens of small tribes combined. How could they let a kid like Yi Yun overshadow them?

The people were filled with anticipation. Zhang Tan opened his mouth.

"Hu Ya, eighteen years old, demonstrating 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven', Grade…"

"Mystic rank…gradeless!"

When Zhang Tan announced Hu Ya's grade, the Tao tribal clan's people were stupefied before exploding.

Hu Ya had finally managed to reach the Mystic rank, but he had no grade. He was a gradeless Mystic!

The difference between the Yellow rank ninth grade and the Mystic rank first grade was huge. Some people could be judged to be better than Yellow rank, but to say he was a Mystic rank, he would fail to meet the mark.

As such in the talent evaluation rules, there was a gradeless level.

Gradeless Mystic meant they could barely make the rank of Mystic, but it was not enough and it would fade away. To be accurate, it was a transient level between the Yellow and Mystic rank.

Hu Ya was the number one young expert in the Tao tribal clan and he wasn't much weaker than the older peak-Purple blood experts. It symbolized that the highest standard the Tao tribal clan had was just evaluated at a transient level between Yellow and Mystic rank?

Was this a joke?

There were numerous fans and supporters of Hu Ya in the Tao tribal clan.

Now, with the Jin Long Wei giving Hu Ya a gradeless Mystic rank, these supporters could no longer accept it! They were preparing to celebrate, but just before they could leap up in joy, they were ridiculed!

If the entire Cloud Wilderness had no Mystic rank, and Hu Ya had obtained a gradeless Mystic rank, they could settle for it because the Jin Long Wei's evaluation criteria were strict.

But now, a rascal named Yi Yun had reached Mystic rank fifth grade, and Hu Ya was just at the transient period of the Mystic rank. How could they accept it?

"It's not fair!"

"How can Hu Ya be gradeless? We don't accept this!" Some people shouted. Previously, when Yi Yun overshadowed Tao Yunxiao, there weren't many who shouted. But now, with Hu Ya also overshadowed, they could no longer bear it.

The power of fans was fearsome, especially passionate fans. For their idols, they were willing to risk their lives.

So what if it was Zhang Tan? So what if he was the Jin Long Wei Thousand Households? By belittling their idol, they would rebel!

"I don't accept it. Hu Ya should be at least a Mystic rank sixth grade!" A young girl shouted, red from agitation. In the Tao tribal clan, there were numerous young girls who had a crush on Hu Ya. For Hu Ya, they were willing to run naked.

"Right! At least Mystic rank sixth grade. How can our Young Master Hu Ya lose to Yi Yun?"

"What the heck is that Yi Yun? He's just a commoner from a small tribal clan. His cultivation isn't even high. On what criteria, do you rank him a Mystic rank grade five? I don't accept it!" Another girl echoed with extreme agitation. How could their idol be inferior to a commoner? It was an insult to their idol!

Seeing the Tao tribal clan's young girls being agitated, Yi Yun was speechless. He was blamed for no reason. His competition with Tao Yunxiao and Lian Chengyu had nothing to do with the Purple Blood realm's Hu Ya, how did he get pulled into this?

Yi Yun felt that Hu Ya was like a Korean drama star in his past life, and the fans were rabid.

Most of the time, fans would not be rational. Why did you have to be given a Mystic rank fifth grade, overshadowing their idol?

Yi Yun subconsciously looked at Hu Ya, but he realized that although his fans were agitated, Hu Ya was still holding his sword and standing at his spot, silent and expressionless. It was as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.

This made Yi Yun slightly surprised. This Hu Ya was interesting.

Facing such a crowd, he could still take things calmly. This kind of bearing was unlike that of a passionate young man.

True Martial World - Chapter 107: Let’s test their actual combat ability

Many people began to question the rankings as they discussed in private. That included the Tao tribal clan's elders who were stunned. Among them, although the most knowledgeable ones were not surprised that Yi Yun had exceeded Tao Yunxiao, they had never expected him to exceed Tao Yunxiao by that much.

"How could it be? I don't believe it!"

Among the crowd, there was a person who finally exploded like a simmering volcano.

That person was Lian Chengyu. He was the most agitated person in the crowd. "He's a Mystic rank grade five, and I'm a Yellow rank grade five. He is one entire rank higher than me, how could it be!?"

Lian Chengyu could feel his blood start to boil. His handsome face turned a deep red. Lian Chengyu's face had distorted as if he was a red-faced demon that crawled out from hell.

He felt distanced from the surrounding people. Their noises had drowned into the background. He clenched his fists, with his nails biting into his flesh to the point of them bleeding. But Lian Chengyu could not feel the pain.

He had gone mad. He wanted to die.

He had watched Yi Yun, a poor kid whose life was cheaper than grass, slowly rise up and soar into the sky, with his own eyes. Yi Yun was a villager of his Lian tribal clan, and Yi Yun could be said to be his slave.

But now, the slave had surpassed the master!

What made him hate Yi Yun the most was the fact that Yi Yun had stolen his desolate beast essence!

Originally, he could have broken into the Purple Blood realm. All that glory could have been his!

When people get overcome by anger, they would often lose all reason.

At that moment, Lian Chengyu had lost all reason. He hated Yi Yun so much that he wanted to tear off Yi Yun's flesh with his mouth.

"I… don't accept it!"

Rage had given the courage needed for Lian Chengyu to challenge everything. He dared to shout out his indignation when facing Zhang Tan under such a situation. Immediately, the gazes of the people were gathered on Lian Chengyu.

Lian Chengyu clenched his fists, with a blue vein protruding from his forehead.

"I don't accept it…"

Lian Chengyu repeated again as if he had experienced a tremendous amount of humiliation.

In the crowd, there was another person with a gloomy face, he was Tao Yunxiao.

"I don't accept it as well!" Tao Yunxiao shouted. He really could not accept it!

He felt that he could reach the Mystic rank. Also, he didn't think that Yi Yun could qualify to be a Mystic rank grade five. How could the Jin Long Wei make such an arbitrary conclusion? They didn't even give any specific reason!

"I want to know what the judging criteria is!"

Tao Yunxiao's eyes burned with rage.

"Hmph!" Zhang Tan coldly grunted. A cold gaze infused with energy entered Tao Yunxiao and Lian Chengyu's ears, exploding within their ears!

Both their bodies quivered as if they were struck in the chest. They nearly fell to their knees.

"I am under no obligation to explain to you! If you can't accept it, you can withdraw from the kingdom's selection! No one is forcing you! But the moment you choose to be a Jin Long Wei member, you have to remember that in the Jin Long Wei, you only serve and never question! This is the first time you are questioning me, and it shall be your last!" A fearsome aura was imbued in Zhang Tan's voice. Not only were Lian Chengyu and Tao Yunxiao affected, even the elders from the Tao tribal clan felt the pressure.

If you did not accept it, you could withdraw.

If you stayed, you had to obey!

The Jin Long Wei was an army, and it was the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's most powerful army. Its standing was exceptional!

For such a large force, how could a lowly person question the rules they set?

Even the son of a duke could not do that to the Jin Long Wei, let alone the young masters from the Cloud Wilderness's tribal clans!

As for an explanation, would a lion ever need to explain anything to a mouse?

"Yunxiao, admit your mistake!" At that moment, Tao Yunxiao's ears rang with his father's voice. Tao Yunxiao clenched his fists, the veins on his arms squirming like a worm. Even with his father's voice, he was indignant.

"Yunxiao, admit your mistake! Who do you think you are?" Tao Yunxiao's father's voice rang again.

Tao Yunxiao took a deep breath. He hated his circumstances. He hated that he was unable to prove his strength.

"I… am sorry!" Tao Yunxiao winced his face as he endured the insult, before saying those words with great difficulty.

Zhang Tan was emotionless. With a wave of his hand, the members of the Jin Long Wei stepped down temporarily.

Next was the Purple Blood warriors' selection, which had nothing to do with Yi Yun and Tao Yunxiao.

Seeing Zhang Tan leave, Tao Yunxiao stared at Yi Yun. His gleaming eyes figuratively stabbed at Yi Yun like knives.

The relationship between Tao Yunxiao and Yi Yun was different from Lian Chengyu's. Lian Chengyu hated Yi Yun while Tao Yunxiao was not convinced. He felt that he was stronger than Yi Yun in every aspect!

"Hehe, these 'young masters' of the Cloud Wilderness think so highly of themselves. They think that our evaluation results—that we as examiners make—have to take into account their views?" When Zhang Tan stepped down, a Jin Long Wei elite said disdainfully. The people from the heartlands despised the Cloud Wilderness because they treated the people of the Cloud Wilderness like barbarians. And in fact, that was the truth.

The difference between the Cloud Wilderness and the heartlands was too large a gap.

"This kid, Yi Yun, could induce Purple Air Comes From The East. The Purple Air symbolizes the Son of Heaven. Yi Yun has the chance to become a lord in the future!" said another Jin Long Wei elite.

"But then, it's just a possibility. There are too many unknown factors ahead of a young lord. They might fall behind, in the middle or exhaust all of their potential, eventually falling out of sight…But some young lords grow at terrifying rates. They eventually become sages, great emperors. Anything is a possibility…" Zhang Tan said lightly. When he mentioned great emperors, the Jin Long Wei elites around him looked at each other and swallowed a gulp of saliva. To them, a great emperor was something too distant. Even the founding emperor of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, whose accomplishments had overshadowed thousands of generations, was considered a sage.

Zhang Tan carried on, "We do not need to bother about those young masters' doubts, but since they are unconvinced… for the last round, let's test their actual combat ability…"

Zhang Tan said that casually. He knew that those who were indignant was not limited to Tao Yunxiao or Lian Chengyu. It included the other participants and the commoners of the Tao tribal clan. None of them could accept it.

To the people of the Cloud Wilderness, the only way to convince them was through strength. Other things were flashy to them, but to know if it mattered, only strength was needed.

"Oh? Test their combat ability?" A Jin Long Wei elite's eyes lit up upon hearing it.

"That's right. These people have differences in their age and their cultivation time. There is no uniform standard to test their strength, but…I had previously asked Yi Yun. His cultivation level is at the peak of the Qi Gatherer realm; so even if we were to test their combat ability, it will not appear unfair. Actually, I want to see how the kid's actual combat ability is." A smile formed on Zhang Tan's lips as he said that.

What was the limit of the twelve-year-old child's combat ability? Zhang Tan was anticipating it!

True Martial World - Chapter 106: Yi Yun’s rank

Zhang Tan announced the results one by one but remained expressionless from the beginning until the end.

"Lian Chengyu!"

As Zhang Tan shouted out that name, Lian Chengyu held his breath and waited in suspense. It was finally his turn!

The result Zhang Tan announced indicated his future to a certain extent. Was he an elite? A hero? Amongst the elite heroes, where did he stand?

Tao Yunxiao also began looking at Lian Chengyu. From Lian Chengyu's results, he was able to tell how high the accepted standards of the world was.

"Lian Chengyu, seventeen years old! Demonstrating cultivation technique: 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist'! Grade: Yellow rank, grade five!"

Yellow rank grade five?

Lian Chengyu took in a deep breath. He felt as if his heart had been squeezed tightly. It was painful.

Just Yellow rank grade five…

He had subconsciously hoped that his results would be higher. He wished that the Jin Long Wei would see that he was different from the crowd.

But, he didn't even reach the peak of the Yellow rank. He was just in the middle.

Although his results were better than the participants before him, it had disappointed Lian Chengyu. As a middle-ranked human elite, this was too far from his goals.

He had put in great effort, hoping to leave the vast wilderness; how could he be willing to just be a middle-ranked human elite?

"Even Lian Chengyu was not enough to enter the Mystic rank?" Tao Yunxiao noticed Lian Chengyu's disappointment.

Mystic rank was the mark of Human Lords. What was a Human Lord? A Human Lord was someone who was able to rule over men and territory. The generals, ministers, and the nobles of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom were considered Human Lords.

It was no joke being a Tai Ah Divine Kingdom noble. They were given vast lands and command over numerous territories. Many people lived in those territories!

To be able to become a Mystic rank, even the lowest Mystic rank grade would be extremely difficult!

But Tao Yunxiao was confident of himself. He wanted to obtain the title of a young lord at this semi-final at the kingdom's selection.

"Yunxiao, don't get your hopes too high. The Jin Long Wei's selection process is extremely tough!" Tao Yunxiao's ears rang with the voice transmission from his father.

Tao Yunxiao's father was quite a figure.

For Tao Yunxiao to be able to live in a sheltered environment, besides having talent, it was because of his powerful father.

His father was a warrior at the peak of the Purple Blood realm, and there were only a few peak-Purple Blood warriors in the Tao tribal clan. He was also young, so his position in the Tao tribal clan was formidable.

The peak of the Purple Blood realm might sound impressive as many of the elite warriors of the Jin Long Wei were at the peak of the Purple Blood realm. But Tao Yunxiao's father knew clearly that the gap between them was still huge even if they were at the same rank.

Because of some specific reasons, a tribal clan in the vast wilderness, like the Tao tribal clan, had little chance of giving rise to an expert who could exceed the Purple Blood realm.

Tao Yunxiao's father knew that his life had been delayed and that he would be unable to go another step further. Thus, he wished for his son to become an overlord.

He knew that his son was arrogant; he was afraid Tao Yunxiao had overly high expectations that might result in him suffering a setback.

"Don't worry Father. I know how strict the standard is, and I know my strength. I do not ask for much. I would be satisfied as long as I barely hit the Mystic rank!"

Tao Yunxiao knew that having been born in the Cloud Wilderness was a natural disadvantage. To be able to reach the first grade of the Mystic rank would be difficult.

Being at the first grade of the Mystic rank did not matter; he could slowly climb upwards from a low rank till he became a general, a minister or a noble!

"Tao Ping, twenty-two years old, Yellow rank grade four!"

"Sun Chenghai, nineteen years old, Yellow rank grade five!"

Zhang Tan finished reading three people's names. No one had exceeded Lian Chengyu; they had at most tied with him.

At that moment, Zhang Tan was down to two people.

"Tao Yunxiao, fourteen years old, demonstrating 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven', results are…"

Upon saying this, Zhang Tan paused and looked towards Tao Yunxiao. Tao Yunxiao immediately let down his arms and stood at attention while holding his breath.

The surrounding people of the Tao tribal clan tiptoed on their heels in anticipation. They wanted to know the final results of their young master.

"Yellow rank grade eight!"

The moment Zhang Tan said those four words, Tao Yunxiao's brain buzzed.

Yellow rank grade eight?

Am I just at Yellow rank grade eight?

Tao Yunxiao clenched his fist. How could it be so low?

He was not satisfied. He had great ambition for his future. Although the kingdom's selection was just his starting point, this starting point was far too low.

"Even Young Master Yunxiao didn't reach the Mystic rank? How hard is it to reach the Mystic rank?"

"Heaven, Earth, Mystic, Yellow ranks. They said that there are four ranks, but after all the evaluations, either they didn't even get into the Yellow rank, or they would be in the Yellow rank. Even if they were in the Yellow rank, not a single rank nine has appeared. What the hell are the Jin Long Wei judges doing, what's the point of all those ranks above? For show?" someone said indignantly.

"Don't talk nonsense. To be able to get the Mystic rank, the person will be a young lord. In the future, they could be made a minister or some bigwig of a big sect. Let's ignore the Cloud Wilderness, but even in the entire Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, there are few with a Mystic rank. There are so many people in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, but how many of them can be generals, ministers or nobles?"

As a large tribe, the Tao tribal clan were well informed. They knew that the rankings like "Heaven", "Earth" and "Mystic" ranks could be ignored. Announcing it was just paying tribute to the saints and nobles of old.

The only meaningful rank was the "Yellow" rank. In the vast wilderness, it was something to be proud of if one was ranked above the fifth grade of the Yellow rank.

"Last person!"

When Zhang Tan reached Yi Yun. As the last person to appear, he had stirred the sky purple and shattered the teacups on the platform. Yi Yun was naturally getting the most attention.

Everyone suddenly stopped their discussion of Tao Yunxiao and began to prick their ears to hear Yi Yun's results.

"Yi Yun, it's finally his turn. I wonder which grade of Yellow rank he will be?"

"Him spewing those clouds may look powerful, but it cannot beat Young Master Yunxiao's sword Qi. How good can he be?"

Everyone was anticipating the result. When Zhang Tan announced Yi Yun's name, he paused and looked Yi Yun deep in the eye.

At the platform, the Tao tribal clan's elders were paying full attention. They wanted to know what that purple mist was.

"Yi Yun! Twelve years old, demonstrating cultivation technique: 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist', Grade: Mystic rank… grade five!" Zhang Tan's voice was loud and clear and he could be heard more than five kilometers away. At that moment, the people were stunned.

Mystic rank!?

Yi Yun actually reached the Mystic rank, and even at grade five!?

Then he's a young Human Lord? He could become a general, a noble or some bigwig of a sect?

How could this be? He just spat out some purple clouds, and he was appraised as Mystic rank grade five!?

Many people were slow to react. They believed that the Jin Long Wei had made a mistake in their evaluation. How could their Young Master Yunxiao be a Yellow rank grade eight, but Yi Yun was a Mystic rank grade five?

This gap was too large!

True Martial World - Chapter 105: Evaluation Results

Just as Yi Yun and Lian Chengyu were ready to jump at each other's throats, Zhang Tan had walked to the center of the square. He was announcing the semi-finals ranking and results of the Mortal Blood warriors! The semi-final was different from the preliminaries. It was clear who won the preliminaries with one look, but the results of the semi-finals had to be decided by the Jin Long Wei examiners.

Previously when everyone went on stage, the Jin Long Wei examiners gave scores based on the contestant's age and performance. After a discussion, and arranging the scores and averaging them, a ranking was completed.

"They are about to announce the rankings!"

Seeing Zhang Tan hold a roll to the stage, the crowd immediately began anticipating it.

It was an exciting moment.

They wanted to know what the third young master Tao Yunxiao's ranking would be.

"I will announce the rankings of the semi-finals and your grades. From highest to lowest are Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow. With the Heaven rank being the highest and the Yellow rank being the lowest. Each rank has ten grades, from zero to nine. In total, there are forty grades!"

"Heaven rank is the mark of ancient great emperors!"

"Earth rank is the mark of ancient sages!"

"Mystic rank is the mark of Human Lords!"

"Yellow rank is the mark of human elites!"

Although Zhang Tan had yet to announce the results, just from introducing the ranks, it caused the numerous contestants and the listening audience to become excited!

Ancient emperors, ancient sages, Human Lords!

Even the worst Yellow rank was a human elite.

Very clearly, these evaluation rules were not set by the Zhang Tan or the Jin Long Wei, and probably not even the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom.

The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom may be a behemoth, but they did not dare evaluate an ancient great emperor or sage!

The evaluation must have followed a uniform standard that was recognized by the world!

Upon realizing this, many of the contestants took short, light breaths. Some could not help but clench their fists as they waited to hear the results!

Many people subconsciously wished they were different from the rest; they wanted to see how far they were from the ancient sages and lords of old.

Was it possible that they could receive a grade close to those legendary figures?

Some of the proudest ones, especially Tao Yunxiao, believed that they would leave the vast wilderness, or even leave the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, eventually creating an empire. These people found it the hardest to remain calm!

Tao Yunxiao crossed his arms; although he looked cold and proud, one could tell from his shaking fingers that he was uneasy.

Tao Yunxiao's eyes gleamed with excitement. He wanted to know, based on a standard agreed upon by the world, what his future achievements would be? How high could he go?

"Sun Yu, twenty years old, demonstrating cultivation technique: 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist', Grade: None!"

Zhang Tan announced with a commanding voice. In the crowd, a tall thin youth was stretching out his neck, listening to Zhang Tan's words with bated breath. But when he heard, "None", his mind went blank.

To think that he did not even have a grade…

Sun Yu let out a depressed sigh. But it was expected, to enter the Yellow rank, one had to be a human elite.

As for him, he had been first in the semi-finals, which meant that he was the last person in the preliminaries. Not being able to be an "elite" was reasonable.

But Sun Yu felt embarrassed having his results announced in front of so many people.

But very quickly, that feeling lessened.

Because after Sun Yu, Zhou Kang, Chen Pingguang, and Tao Hai were told by Zhang Tan that they had no grade; they had not reached the Yellow rank.

Zhang Tan was announcing the results according to the order in which they performed at the semi-finals. Those without a grade basically had no results, they had come to the end of their journey in the kingdom's selection for they had been eliminated.

Up to the twenty-fifth person, which was almost half of the semi-final contestants, no one achieved any grades!

Based on the standard, none of them reached the rank of "human elite" and they were considered ordinary!

Such a strict screening made Tao Yunxiao's eyes light up with fire. The stricter the standard was, the more it made his blood boil. This standardized screening gave it credibility. As such, he would be able to tell his future success!

When Zhang Tan announced the thirtieth person, there was still no one with a ranked grade!

The ten thousand strong spectators began to burst into a discussion. Many of the gradeless people were heirs of small tribal clans that were specially nurtured, yet they could not even obtain a grade in the semi-finals. It was terrible.

They were speculating what sort of person would be able to obtain the Yellow rank.

"Say, what do you think our Young Master Yunxiao's rank will be?" Some people in the Tao tribal clan suddenly asked; in their eyes, Tao Yunxiao's talent was not inferior to the talent of the first young master of the Tao tribal clan.

Tao Yunxiao was also one of the idols in the Tao tribal clan, so he had many admirers.

"Of course, Young Master Yunxiao will not be bad, but I wonder what Yi Yun's rank will be?"

The people broke out into speculation. They had never seen Purple Air Comes From The East; they did not know what the purple mist that surged into the air meant. They felt that it should be something amazing to induce such a phenomena.

Without a doubt, in the semi-finals, only Yi Yun had the qualification to compare with their Young Master Yunxiao.

As for people like Lian Chengyu, they were much worse.

"You say, that kid Yi Yun shattered those cups, how would it compare with our Young Master Yunxiao's sword Qi?" asked a Tao tribal clan citizen.

"Are you silly, which do you think is stronger, a teacup or black ironstone? Young Master Yunxiao used the sword Qi to split through black ironstone! Since both shattered the items through the air, whichever object is harder means whoever broke it is stronger! How can Yi Yun match that? But then, that kid Yi Yun puffing out that cloud sure was odd."

"Yes, say, why did he puff out that cloud?"

The citizens of the vast wilderness were filled with questions. Could humans do that?

Although it didn't seem to have any power, it still seemed pretty impressive.

Just based on the cloud, it was hard to determine whose rank was higher.

Finally, Zhang Tan announced the first person with a rank, "Bai Chong, nineteen years old, demonstrating cultivation technique 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist', Grade: Yellow rank, grade one!"

The vast wilderness used a system of nine; nine meant the highest, while zero was the lowest.

Bai Chong had just managed to enter the Yellow rank, but even so, it made him excited. The thirty people before him had no results, but he had managed to obtain one!

From that day onwards, he could be considered a human elite.

After Bai Chong, there were again, a few people without a grade. They may have done better than Bai Chong in the preliminaries, but they had failed to exceed him in the semi-finals.

After three consecutive participants without grades, the remaining people all had grades.

As it reached the ten last participants, Yellow ranks grade two and sometimes grade three appeared!

In a blink of an eye, Zhang Tan had already announced the results for fifty people. There were only six people left.

Yi Yun, Lian Chengyu, and Tao Yunxiao were part of the six participants.