True Martial World - Chapter 122: Tao Yunxiao vomits blood too

To fall from hundreds of feet high, even a peak-Qi Gatherer warrior would die. A Purple Blood warrior might not die, but the outcome would be pretty embarrassing.

But this girl was walking on air and slowly approaching the ground. It was as if there was an invisible hand gently holding her up.

"This… This… She can fly!?" The people of the vast wilderness were shocked. They had seen people ride on eagles into the sky. That was impressive, but today, they actually saw a person fly in the sky with just their flesh and blood?

What sort of method was that!?

It was completely unheard of!

The eyes of the commoners nearly popped out of their sockets. But for the Tao tribal clan's Patriarch and elders, they had a vague idea what realm that was.

In this world, when warriors reached a certain level, they were able to fly in the sky. And this realm was beyond their understanding.

At least, it was something that was impossible to achieve in the Purple Blood realm.

This girl… Did she exceed the Purple Blood realm?

But her age… she's just a teenager!?

To exceed Purple Blood as a teenager? How could this be possible!?

The tribal elders began to stand up one after the other. Although they knew that two wealthy people had come to their Tao tribal clan, they did not know a thing about their identities. Today, they actually saw a teenage girl flying in the air!!

Heavens, who is this girl!?

Seeing this mysterious girl, the tribal elders felt immense pressure. To such a figure, the Tao tribal clan was insignificant.

The girl's white dress fluttered in the wind till she landed.

Tens of thousands of eyes were concentrated on the girl in extreme shock.

They had been shocked too many times over the past few days. First, it was Yi Yun who had risen in prominence, overshadowing all the geniuses in the Tao tribal clan.

Next was this teenage girl who could fly.

The slim girl stood there gracefully, like a fairy that fell from the sky.

She had a veil across her face, concealing her appearance. But even so, many could guess that underneath that veil was a stunning beauty!

In fact, Lin Xintong usually did not mask herself. But Lin Xintong did not want to reveal her face in front of tens of thousands of people.

From the time she descended from the sky to the time she found her feet, she did not take a single look at Yi Yun. It was as if she did not know him. Yi Yun rubbed his nose and wondered why. What was Lin Xintong doing down here? From Yi Yun's impression, an extraordinary girl like Lin Xintong would not wish to show herself in public. Besides, it was just a medium sized tribe in the Cloud Wilderness, filled with ignorant masses. Such an event was of no significance to her.

Apart from Yi Yun, the seriously injured semi-conscious Tao Yunxiao was also looking earnestly towards Lin Xintong.

Although he was seriously injured, he had not lost consciousness. The mental blow from Yi Yun had been too great for him, so with his sunken heart, he looked as if he had lost consciousness.

But now with Lin Xintong coming down from the airship, Tao Yunxiao suddenly woke up. He stopped coughing out blood; his eyes looked rejuvenated. He could even raise his head and was even struggling to stand up.

Lin Xintong was a goddess that Tao Yunxiao had been admiring! The goddess had descended, but his current state was too humiliating in front of her.

Tao Yunxiao was still unsure of the reason of Lin Xintong's arrival. He saw her take out a white bottle by wiping her left wrist's interspatial wristband.

Lin Xintong did not take a look at Yi Yun, let alone Tao Yunxiao. For a toad like him who lusted after her, Lin Xintong had no good feelings for him.

She flicked her fingers gently and the white bottle turned in a white flash before entering Zhang Tan's hands.

Zhang Tan blankly caught the white bottle but remained confused.

Lin Xintong's lips moved slightly as she transmitted some words. Following that, her body began to float as she headed back to the airship in the sky!

Under the red setting sky, her white figure made the scene even more beautiful…

The people looked in a shocked manner.

Was she human? Or was she a fairy?

Zhang Tan was still holding the bottle in his hands as if in a daze.

He pulled the cap open hesitantly. Two green pills rolled out and the fragrance assailed his nostrils!

Zhang Tan swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Damn, they were actually Jade Spirit Pills!

She was indeed worthy to be Grandmaster Su Jie's disciple. She was the pearl of the ancient Lin family, an extraordinary girl who might one day become the wife of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's Crown Prince…

She had easily given two Jade Spirit Pills. To use such precious pills to treat a physical wound was such a waste.

After the girl flew back to her airship, the people's attention was now on the white bottle she had left behind. They had already guessed that there was some extremely valuable elixir within it!

Just based on the girl's strength and identity, could her possessions be anything but normal? And Zhang Tan's expression decisively confirmed this thought.

An elixir that could change the expression of a Jin Long Wei's Thousand Households had to be priceless!

The Tao tribal clan's elders suddenly turned envious.

Without a doubt, the two pills Lin Xintong had specially flown down from her airship to give, was for the injured.

They did not know why Lin Xintong had done so. But there wasn’t time to consider it. There was no doubt about the price of the pills. If one out of the two pills were given to Tao Yunxiao, then he would be able to quickly recover from his injuries.

Even the blood he had lost would be quickly replenished. As such, the aftereffects of his injury would be reduced to a minimum.

The Patriarch and the Grand Elder was filled with anticipation.

They did not know how the pills would be distributed, but it seemed reasonable that each person was to be given one.

Why did the girl in white give them the pills? Logically, Tao Yunxiao did not know the girl in white, so there was no reason for her to rescue him.

As for Yi Yun, his background was worse. He was just a poor kid from a small tribal clan, so he was less likely to know this extraordinary girl.

So, it was less likely the girl in white had especially left the pills for Yi Yun.

The reason could only be narrowed down to the kind nature of the white-dressed girl. She must have decided to leave the precious medicine for Tao Yunxiao to recover after seeing the young seedling they had painstakingly nurtured injured.

It was even possible that despite eventually losing, Tao Yunxiao's sacrifice of blood to fight valiantly in the final battle had touched the girl in white, resulting in her giving the elixir.

The tribal elders came up with many possible explanations in a short period of time, but none of them were important. The important thing was that the elixir was here, Tao Yunxiao was saved.

Tao Yunxiao, who was on the ground, gained hope. The fairy had descended to this world to save me.

That's wonderful.

With this elixir, I would be able to recover quickly. When that happens, I'll work hard at cultivating. In a few months, I'll break through to the Purple Blood realm and defeat that little bastard!

I will make that kid pay the price!

Tao Yunxiao screamed in his heart. At that moment, Zhang Tan was walking over to the arena with the pills in hand.

Zhang Tan was still puzzled… What relationship did this kid have with Fairy Lin? Why did she favor him so much? His hand was only sliced up by a sword. Although the wound was deep and he had hurt his bones and tendons, such a wound could be recovered in a few days with normal medicine for a warrior like him. He would at most miss a few days of training.

To use Jade Spirit Pills is making a mountain out of a molehill.

Unless Fairy Lin has something to do with this guy?

That is so unlikely. He's just a medicine child from a small tribal clan. Even if he had met Fairy Lin while picking herbs, they wouldn't have many interactions.

After all, for a person of stature like Lin Xintong, not only Yi Yun, even Zhang Tan was considered a small fry. If it was not because he had a mission in the Cloud Wilderness of handing that letter over to Su Jie, he would never have had any interaction with Lin Xintong.

Even he could not get to know her, let alone Yi Yun?

Regardless, Lin Xintong had given the Jade Spirit Pills to Yi Yun, which proved that Yi Yun was of extraordinary significance to Lin Xintong.

If so, I have to treat Yi Yun with greater respect!

Zhang Tan began to have his thoughts run wild as he neared the arena.

Tao Yunxiao was by the corner of the arena, so Zhang Tan had to walk past him to reach Yi Yun.

Tao Yunxiao had an eager look on his face.

Zhang Tan was walking closer and closer to him. Tao Yunxiao's eyes looked at the bottle in Zhang Tan's hands without blinking. His breathing sped up as he got more excited.

He could even smell the fragrance of the medicine. It felt as if simply smelling it was enough to refresh him, making him feel much better!

This sort of medicine would not only replenish his blood deficit but would make him go a step further!

Thinking that he had a blessing in disguise, Tao Yunxiao turned excited.

"Heaven still treats me well. That mysterious girl is a blessing from the Heavens. I must cherish it well. Since I have met such a goddess, I must grab this opportunity… She may have saved me not because of being fond of me, but simply out of convenience. Regardless of that, I will remember this kindness. In the future, when I've grown in power, I'll be sure to treat her well…"

With these thoughts in mind, the depression and pain of having lost to Yi Yun had been swept away from Tao Yunxiao's mind.

The surrounding tribal elders were also filled with anticipation.

With two pills, it was reasonable to think that each person would get one. But, Yi Yun's injury did not need such good medicine. But Tao Yunxiao, his injuries were more severe and he had expended his blood. Those two pills should be used on Tao Yunxiao; as for Yi Yun, the Jin Long Wei's normal medicine would do.

As the elders were having such thoughts, Zhang Tan had come to five feet from Tao Yunxiao and he was steadily approaching.

Four feet… three feet… one feet…

Because of his injuries and pain, Tao Yunxiao had a twisted expression. He forced a smile and with great effort, held out his hand while looking at Zhang Tan, hoping to receive the bottle within Zhang Tan's hands.

But…

When Zhang Tan came to Tao Yunxiao's side with the bottle in his hand, it was as if his mind was preoccupied. He did not lower his head one bit, and neither did he slow his pace…

He…just walked past Tao Yunxiao.

Just walked past like that.

Walked past like that.

Past like that.

Like that…

Tao Yunxiao's outstretched hand froze in midair. The smile he had squeezed out through great difficulty completely stiffened.

Tao Yunxiao felt his ears buzz. At that moment, it felt like a hundred people had stuck their feet forward, and with a hundred shoes, trampled his face mercilessly!

All his blood surged to his face! He was already severely injured and his condition was in trouble. Now, from the shame and anger, his vessels had enlarged, causing him to nearly faint.

But Tao Yunxiao still had hope that Zhang Tan was just giving one pill to Yi Yun, and would hand him the other pill when he came back. He endured his anger and looked at Zhang Tan's back.

This is going too far! Just because Yi Yun has a great future ahead, you treat him better by giving the pill to him first?

The surrounding tribal elders all had terrible expressions on their faces. When Zhang Tan completely disregarded Tao Yunxiao by walking past him, they felt like they had been slapped in the face hard!

They realized that things were not going as they had thought! Could those two pills be for Yi Yun? What's that? He only has a superficial wound, why would he need such precious medicine!?

Many tribal elders and people of the Tao tribal clan, including Tao Yunxiao, watched helplessly as Zhang Tan walked to Yi Yun's side. He then handed both pills to Yi Yun. The originally stern and unsmiling Zhang Tan suddenly showed a friendly smile!

Zhang Tan had a friendly expression never seen before. With an amiable tone, he said to Yi Yun, "Little Brother Yi, these are excellent medicine known as Jade Spirit Pills. Miss Lin instructed you to eat one of these two pills and ground the other with water and apply it to your wound. Before tomorrow, your wound will be completely healed. Also, slowly digest the potency of the medicine. It will do good for your cultivation."

Zhang Tan's words were like a curse echoing above the arena. The tribal elders all had great hearing, so how could they not hear it.

Out of the two pills, to eat one and ground the other with water and apply it to your wound!!

He had just been cut by a sword on his fist. Such extravagance was absurd!

"Puah!"

Not far from the arena, Tao Yunxiao, whose heart had been weakened by the loss of blood, suddenly vomited out a mouthful of blood!

His vision went blurry as his brain hummed. With that, he went weak and fell to the ground.

The heavy medicine box filled with lucidum and knotweed was knocked over by Tao Yunxiao. All sorts of hundred-year-old herbs scattered to the ground.

In Tao Yunxiao's mind, he could only think of Lin Xintong's beautiful figure as she slowly flew down from the airship.

This time, Tao Yunxiao really fainted.

He had hurt his heart due to his anger and fainted. The injury due to the loss of blood became even worse!

True Martial World - Chapter 121: The Selection is Finalized

The crowd fell into a long silence. The fight that had just happened was surreal.

It went beyond the limits of their understanding of Mortal Blood warriors.

Mortal Blood warriors could uproot willow trees and smash rocks. But when they fought, it would be done using their flesh and muscles. Occasionally there would be sword Qi and fist winds colliding, but that would be the limit.

They had never seen a battle between Mortal Blood warriors reach such a stage.

That red sword beam and that dragon-tiger phantom image that reflected the setting sun was too appalling! It was unbelievable!

But the huge hole in the stone stage set up by the Tao tribal clan proved that it had really happened.

A deep hole five feet wide was surrounded with cracked rocks. These rocks had spiderweb like cracks; it made it hard to believe that this was a battle between Mortal Blood warriors.

Tao Yunxiao had used the forbidden energy of the ancestral artifact, so to achieve such a destructive power was understandable.

But how did Yi Yun achieve it?

He had actually defeated Tao Yunxiao, who used the ancestral artifact's energy, with his bare hands?

The people of the Tao tribal clan could not believe it. Even the girls who were secretly supporting Yi Yun had their mouths agape and their minds blank. Among them, there were some who had harassed Yi Yun the day before. This Yi Yun, who looked like a little boy from next door, actually had such terrifying strength.

They felt that they were like a bunch of mice yesterday, harassing a dinosaur. Thankfully the dinosaur didn't go into a rage, or the outcome would have been unthinkable.

"Manifestation of Yuan Qi, it is indeed a manifestation of Yuan Qi. Only by invoking the power of Heaven Earth Yuan Qi could he have such destructive power." The Tao tribal clan's Patriarch looked dejected as he slumped back into his seat.

"Manifestation of Yuan Qi… How could it be!?"

Actually, there was no need for the Patriarch to confirm this because many people could tell that Yi Yun's attack was a manifestation of Yuan Qi.

After all, the image of the snarling Divine Tiger and the soaring Purple Gold Dragon were still imprinted on their minds.

What else could it be but Manifestation of Yuan Qi?

The people of the Tao tribal clan neither knew about the ‘Purple Air Comes From The East’, nor Minute Subtlety, but they knew Manifestation of Yuan Qi very well.

There was only one reason. The only person amongst the younger generation in the Tao tribal clan, who was capable of manifesting Yuan Qi was Hu Ya.

Hu Ya had reached the middle stage of Purple Blood and he was just a step away from reaching the "Tempered Body, Dragon Pulse" state.

As such, he could use the Manifestation of Yuan Qi. Yesterday, Hu Ya had displayed Manifestation of Yuan Qi on stage to great applause.

People of the Tao tribal clan had been overjoyed over it and they had discussed excitedly over their meals. Hu Ya was the pride of the Tao tribal clan. Previously, Yi Yun had risen to prominence in the preliminary and semi-final, causing the elites of the Tao tribal clan to shy away with shame. But Hu Ya had given them back their pride.

But now…

Yi Yun was also capable of the Manifestation of Yuan Qi!

How could this be possible!?

Isn't Manifestation of Yuan Qi something only the best Purple Blood warriors could do? Hu Ya had only managed to do so at the mid-stages of the Purple Blood realm; Yi Yun was at the peak-Qi Gatherer realm. Yet, he managed to accomplish it!?

"Ignoring talent, could Yi Yun also be much better than Hu Ya in terms of strength?" commented someone from the Tao tribal clan. No one could accept it.

"Yi Yun's strength can't be greater than Hu Ya. But Manifestation of Yuan Qi isn't something a strong person can attain. Even some peak-Purple Blood warriors aren't capable of the Manifestation of Yuan Qi! This Manifestation of Yuan Qi depends on a person's perceptivity. It's a gauge of a warrior's ability to control energy. Besides, if a Mortal Blood warrior manages to achieve 'Tempered Body, Dragon Pulse', then he would be able to obtain the ability to Manifest Yuan Qi before the Purple Blood realm.” A warrior from the Tao tribal clan explained.

This did not resolve their doubts but made them even more shocked.

They were stunned!

Tempered Body, Dragon Pulse!?

Yi Yun has reached such a state?

They had long since heard from the Patriarch that Hu Ya was a rare genius, not seen in the Tao tribal clan for hundreds of years. The key was that he was eighteen years old, and just a step away from the "Tempered Body, Dragon Pulse" realm. Before this, in the past several hundred years of history, no one in the Tao tribal clan had reached this state.

They were proud because of that. They were waiting for Hu Ya to enter that stage, bringing them out of the vast wilderness and establish a family clan in the heartlands.

But now, Hu Ya was still a step away from that state, but for Yi Yun, he had already reached that stage at twelve years of age!?

How could this be possible!?

The people of the Tao tribal clan stared at Yi Yun. Their expression was as if they had seen a ghost!

They could not believe it; but seeing the warriors of the Tao tribal clan not have any objections and the Patriarch silently agreeing, they had no choice but to believe.

Yi Yun had really reached such a stage at the age of twelve!

Tempered Body, Manifestation of Yuan Qi, and he had previously produced purple clouds, and he had the strongest Spirit…

They did not dare think any further.

It was a torture to compare; trash was thrown out upon comparison!

They finally understood why Yi Yun had been graded Mystic rank grade five, but Hu Ya had been given a gradeless Mystic rank. It wasn't because the Jin Long Wei were being unfair, but because it was the truth!

Yi Yun was much stronger than Hu Ya!

As for Tao Yunxiao, he was not even worth mentioning. He was the trash that had to be thrown out immediately upon comparison!

If they took a step back, Lian Chengyu…

Lian Chengyu was not worth mentioning. He was incomparable to Tao Yunxiao, so when he was compared against Yi Yun, he was like cow dung against a pearl!

The warriors of the Lian tribal clan were petrified. Their brains lost the ability to think. Yi Yun's last battle had caused tremendous damage to their minds. It would take them a long while before they would come to.

As for Lian Chengyu, who had been crippled by Yi Yun, he had not said a word. However, his eyes showed a deep sense of despair!

This despair was ten thousand times worse than the despair he felt when he failed to break through to the Purple Blood realm after swallowing the desolate bone essence.

Yes, Yi Yun was not only a strong and ruthless person who crushed Lian Chengyu without any further thought, he had also declared a fact to Lian Chengyu. Lian Chengyu, who had been crippled and lost all his martial arts, had no chance of revenge against Yi Yun in the future.

Lian Chengyu's lost all hope. He had used the thoughts of revenge to sustain himself. But now, there was no chance of revenge and he has lost the meaning of life. His body may still be alive, but he was no more than a walking zombie.

"Yi Yun wins!" Zhang Tan gave Yi Yuna meaningful glance. Although he had given Yi Yun excellent reviews, he had still underestimated Yi Yun.

If he were to evaluate Yi Yun's rank again, he would have given him a Mystic rank grade six!

The kingdom's selection’s final Mortal Blood battle had ended. The outcome was obvious at a glance. Yi Yun was still standing within the arena. But his right fist was seriously injured. After all, he had used Yuan Qi to wrap his fist in the final attack that went against Tao Yunxiao's fighting technique, Extreme Scarlet Blood Hell.

Although he had employed Manifestation of Yuan Qi, his fist was still made of flesh. That impact had wounded Yi Yun's fist so badly that even bone could be seen! If not for his Tempered Body, his right fist might have split into two.

Of course, Tao Yunxiao was even more injured. Not only was it a result of Yi Yun's punch, but the blood he had wasted on feeding the female sword would also prevent him from recovering in a year.

"Doctor… Call the doctor…" The Tao tribal clan's Patriarch waved his hand. He closed his eyes for he could no longer bear to watch further.

But no matter what, Tao Yunxiao was a young elite that the tribe had spent great amounts of resources on. He was one of the few who could bring the Tao tribal clan out of the vast wilderness.

Even if he was hurt, they still needed to use their best medicines to treat him.

The Patriarch was worried. After this foray, it would become a huge blow to Tao Yunxiao. Together with the loss of blood and cultivation, would a proud person like him survive this ordeal? Would he ever rise back up because of this?

The best doctor in the Tao tribal clan came with a heavy box. Within the box were several herbs produced from the Tao tribe’s herb mountain. There was plenty of ginseng, knotweed, and lucidus that were all more than a hundred years old. They were not stingy with it and took it all out to be used.

These were expensive herbs—the only aspect in which they could still be condescending against Yi Yun. Their Tao tribal clan was rich in resources!

Yi Yun was also seriously hurt in his right fist, but he was not treated with such good herbs. His bone and tendons had been lacerated by the ancestral artifact. If it was a normal person, their fist would have been crippled. For warriors, it wouldn't be a problem but it would still be troublesome to heal.

The panting old doctor placed a box down. He did not know martial arts and compounded by his old age, he was like a candle guttering in the wind.

The old doctor grabbed Tao Yunxiao's arm. He began to feel Tao Yunxiao's pulse and soon, his wrinkled face frowned.

Tao Yunxiao's pulse was in a terrible state. The old doctor felt that the possibility for him to heal Tao Yunxiao was nearly zero…

Zhang Tan waved his hand, indicating the doctors from the Jin Long Wei to help.

The Jin Long Wei had several life-saving drugs. But it could only prevent death. It could not replenish the shortfall of blood. In fact, drugs that could replenish blood were priceless. It was more expensive than several desolate bone relics. Even if the Jin Long Wei had such a drug, they would not use it on a contestant at the kingdom's selection.

So what the Jin Long Wei doctor took out were just normal medicines. Whether it was Yi Yun or Tao Yunxiao, they were just injured with no threat to their lives; hence, the Jin Long Wei doctors were not flustered in any way.

Suddenly, people heard the sound of soft clothes fluttering in the wind. When they raised their heads, they saw a girl in white floating down from the airship!

True Martial World - Chapter 120: Defeating Tao Yunxiao

"Yi Yun, curb your arrogance." Tao Yunxiao's expression was ferocious. He had gone mad with anger!

The surrounding people of the Tao tribal clan were similarly incensed. Yi Yun was too arrogant. He completely looked down on Tao Yunxiao.

Tao Yunxiao had made his last challenge. Even if you didn't want to accept it, at least answer. What's the meaning of closing your eyes?

But at the same time, there were girls from the Tao tribal clan that began to look at Yi Yun with eyes sparkling.

These girls' faces were flushed red.

"Yi Yun is so cool!" A girl subconsciously said out loud.

"Ah! you think the same way? Me too!" said a blushing fourteen-year-old girl beside her.

Tao Yunxiao was very strong, but in front of Yi Yun, he was nothing.

Yi Yun did not even touch Tao Yunxiao, and Tao Yunxiao was bleeding from his nose. This gap was too big.

If Yi Yun had touched Tao Yunxiao, Tao Yunxiao would have peed in his pants.

Girls worshiped heroes, especially a young hero who was the same age as them.

The two girls began to excitedly discuss after having found their soulmate.

This scene happened in various corners of the crowd. Many young girls had turned into fervent fans of Yi Yun.

"You have gone too far!" Tao Yunxiao was like a wild ox as he took in deep breaths. He had goaded Yi Yun into accepting his strike, but neither did Yi Yun respond or open his eyes. It was as if he was here to sleep instead of the competition.

To Tao Yunxiao, this was showing him disrespect.

Tao Yunxiao was outraged. He touched the blood on his nose and wiped it on the female sword.

Following that, he used the female sword to slit his wrists. Fresh blood spewed out and was absorbed by the female sword.

This scene made the Tao tribal clan's Elders worried.

"Yunxiao, have you gone insane!?" Tao Yunxiao's father could tell that his son was likely to lose the battle. But this time, Tao Yunxiao used even more of his body's blood for a desperate last chance. This action was extremely irrational.

But Tao Yunxiao ignored his father's advice, "I'm not crazy. I can't give this up or it will be something that will stay with me for the rest of my life!"

Tao Yunxiao activated the ancestral artifact's forbidden energy once again. Because he had overdrafted his blood, Tao Yunxiao's face turned pale and bloodless.

He had not only sliced his left wrist, he had also sliced his right wrist.

More and more blood flowed, while Tao Yunxiao's face grew whiter. Back at the platform, the tribal elders and Tao Yunxiao's father were shocked.

This was too big a price to pay.

Because of this battle, Tao Yunxiao would suffer an inevitable decline in his cultivation, setting him back by at least a year.

With the female sword in hand, Tao Yunxiao immersed himself in the sword's hum.

He had used all his body's energy to merge as one with the female sword.

"You will have to receive this strike of mine whether you like it or not!"

A vein bulged out from Tao Yunxiao's forehead like an earthworm. He had catalyzed all his potential energy to the maximum. His body began to emit a sanguine red light.

"Hum Hum Hum Hum"

The female sword began to hum intensely. It sounded like thousands of ferocious ghosts were wailing from the sword.

The surrounding Heaven Earth Yuan Qi was gathering, forming a black whirlwind in the arena.

The black whirlpool got faster and faster, condensing to the point of solidity before it enveloped Yi Yun and Tao Yunxiao.

"Ground Rune Imprisonment!"

A tribal elder's eyes lit up. "How did I not know that Yunxiao can actually use the Ground Rune Imprisonment attack?"

When the Tao tribal clan received the pair of male-female swords, they had received a sword manual which consisted of many moves and 'Ground Rune Imprisonment' was one of them.

By using the energy induced by the male-female swords, one could trap an opponent within a prison, preventing the opponent from escaping. It forced the opponent to meet and take on the swordsman's attack directly.

By using Ground Rune Imprisonment, it would restrict Yi Yun's movements, making it an extremely appropriate move. But the attack consumed a lot of energy, so it was considered as a high-level move. Hence, the tribal elders felt that it would be difficult for Tao Yunxiao to use it with his cultivation level.

"Under extreme pressure, one can go beyond their limit. Previously, it was probably under pressure that Yi Yun managed to gain insight into Minute Subtlety. Now, Yunxiao is in a similar situation, but the price he is paying is much greater."

Forced by Yi Yun, Tao Yunxiao had used his ultimate strength. But this ultimate strength was obtained through overdrafting his blood to feed the female sword. It was not everlasting.

Once his blood ran dry, Tao Yunxiao would revert to normal, and he would even be seriously injured that would take him a long time to recover. The breakthrough he did at his limits would also cease to exist.

This was the difference between learning through shortcuts and the orthodox path.

"It's already tough on Yunxiao to use Ground Rune Imprisonment but if he were to make another attack…" Tao Yunxiao's father's eyes were filled with worry. Tao Yunxiao had pushed himself to his absolute limit.

"Hum Hum Hum Hum"

The black squall grew stronger and enveloped Yi Yun. The strong wind nearly tore apart his clothes, and there were even times when a ghostly claw would materialize on Yi Yun's body, grabbing his ankles.

This was the effect of the Ground Rune Imprisonment.

"Yi Yun has been caught!"

The crowd was surprised. This ghostly claw was their final glimpse of a possible reversal in this shocking battle. Tao Yunxiao, who had been suppressed, finally had the upper hand.

"Yi Yun, take this!"

Tao Yunxiao's eyes were bloodshot, and his face flashed a sickly red. He had injected all his body's remaining energy into the female sword.

"Weng!"

The female sword sounded out, and a dark red glow shined brightly from the sword.

"It's a fighting technique!" shouted someone from the Tao tribal clan. Fighting techniques were different from cultivation techniques. Cultivation techniques were used to train the body, allowing a warrior to break through.

But a fighting technique was used to kill.

It was specialized, in terms of lethal power, as cultivation techniques could not hold up against fighting techniques. And good fighting techniques would be primed and powered by Heaven Earth Yuan Qi. Similarly, the fighting technique used by Tao Yunxiao had Heaven Earth power within it to kill the enemy.

"This was found together with the ancestral artifact and the cultivation technique. This fighting technique could only be used with the ancestral artifact. Likewise for Ground Rune Imprisonment."

"By using Ground Rune Imprisonment to restrain Yi Yun and then use a fighting technique exclusive to the ancestral artifact to attack Yi Yun."

The eyes of the Tao tribal clan warriors lit up. As long as Yi Yun lost the use of his bizarre movement technique, Tao Yunxiao had a chance of winning.

A wind rose in all directions while the female sword flashed dark red light.

Suddenly, Tao Yunxiao moved. The female sword's light beam began to converge into single red line with the thickness of a finger, like a swimming snake flying at Yi Yun.

"Extreme Scarlet Blood Hell!"

Tao Yunxiao pushed himself to the limits of his potential by using both Ground Rune Imprisonment and Extreme Scarlet Blood Hell. These were fighting techniques that were tailored for the female swords and powered by its evil powers.

This attack had already exceeded the limits a Mortal Blood warrior in the vast wilderness would have. All the Mortal Blood realm warriors only practiced the "Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist", so this fancy attack presented to them a brand new world.

Moves could both be fancy and effective.

Although they were a distance away, the people could feel the bloodthirst and ferocity of the red snake. They felt the coldness in their chests and their brows went numb. It was as if that red snake was attacking them.

Such a fearsome move was indeed from a thousand-year-old Tao tribal clan. That ancestral artifact possessed a lot of power.

The people even suspected that an early stage Purple Blood warrior might not be able to withstand this Extreme Scarlet Blood Hell attack.

For people like them who had only practiced the 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist' or exchange physical blows during their battles, how were they to withstand such an evil fighting technique?

The people stared at Yi Yun. They knew that Yi Yun also practiced in the 'Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist', and with just that cultivation technique, how could he withstand a sword with his bare hands?

With killing intent looming at him, Yi Yun suddenly opened his eyes!

He felt the extremely powerful "aura" from Tao Yunxiao. The Extreme Scarlet Blood Hell was extraordinary.

Tao Yunxiao held a huge advantage over a bare-handed Yi Yunt with his ancestral artifact. Many people would probably lose most of their fighting stance before the battle even began.

However, Yi Yun did not show any fear. Against the strike, he condensed his body's aura to the limit. The Purple Crystal Origins within his heart began to pulsate as the pure energy continued in it began to nourish Yi Yun's body.

Yi Yun's joints rang, and his tendons roared.

He punched with the same old Dragon Rib Tiger Bone Fist.

"Boom!"

This punch was the first time he used his entire strength in front of the audience in the kingdom's selection.

After Yi Yun had broken through to the peak of the Qi Gatherer realm, this punch was the best in form and expression.

"Roar!"

“Growl!”

At the moment Yi Yun charged forward, phantom images of a tiger and dragon formed behind him. It wasn't an azure dragon and white tiger one would expect, but a Purple Gold Dragon and a Divine Heaven Tiger.

The tiger and dragon flew with the red setting sun as a backdrop.

"Manifestation of Yuan Qi!"

On the platform, the Tao tribal clan's Grand Elder had the greatest reaction. He directly stood up and as a result of his reaction, the table underneath his hand was crushed with the pressure of his single hand.

The Manifestation of Yuan Qi was to coalesce Yuan Qi into a phantom image and be used with an attack move. This could only be used by the best of the Purple Blood warriors.

How could this appear on Yi Yun?

Did he have a Tempered Body?

This thought flashed through the Grand Elder's mind, but at that moment, Yi Yun had already clashed with Tao Yunxiao.

The dragon-tiger phantom against the red snake from hell.

"Boom!"

The arena exploded with debris flying everywhere. The energy from Yi Yun and Tao Yunxiao blasted out.

Yi Yun's shirt was dyed red with blood. His right fist was mangled, with a deep wound that went right to the bone.

But Yi Yun managed to get his footing after taking ten steps back. As for Tao Yunxiao, he directly flew out of the arena and fell heavily to the ground. His face was pale, his lips were quivering, and blood was gushing out from his nose.

True Martial World - Chapter 119: Small Success stage of Minute Subtlety

The Tao tribal clan's Patriarch was a sixty-year-old man. For the ceremony, he wore a ceremonial dress for the Tao tribal clan's ritual. However, due to his surprised reaction, the ceremonial dress became extremely untidy.

"Patriarch, what's Minute Subtlety?" Not every tribal elder knew of this realm, so someone asked with uncertainty.

"By having Minute Subtlety, one can use the smallest action to avoid their opponent's attacks. Warriors who understand Minute Subtlety are able to pull off many evasive maneuvers…" A middle-aged man said. He was Tao Yunxiao's father, the youngest peak-Purple Blood warrior in the Tao tribal clan.

"To have Minute Subtlety, not only would it be easy to dodge, but he would be able to stay close to the enemy. Hence counterattacking would be even easier! So opponents who know Minute Subtlety are extremely fearsome!"

"And even in Minute Subtlety, there are the introductory state, small success stage, large success stage… Currently, Yi Yun is borrowing the ‘force’ from Yunxiao's attacks to avoid. This is considered the small success stage of Minute Subtlety!" The middle-aged man said with complicated expressions. He knew about the realm of Minute Subtlety because he had carefully studied Minute Subtlety many years ago. And it was because he had studied it that he knew how hard it was.

But now, a twelve-year-old, who demonstrated the small success stage of Minute Subtlety, was his son's opponent. How could he not be worried?

The difference between Tao Yunxiao and Yi Yun was too great. Even by activating the female sword's energy, he was still no match for Yi Yun!

At that moment, up on the airship, Su Jie saw Yi Yun's movements and laughed, "This kid has Minute Subtlety, hehe! Xintong, he had already gained the insight into Minute Subtlety the last time you sparred with Yi Yun, right?"

"Yes!" Lin Xintong nodded. "Yi Yun did not reach the Minute Subtlety realm that night, but he had touched the gates of Minute Subtlety. He knew how to dodge, but it was unlike what he has achieved now by reaching the small success stage of using the opponent's 'force' to avoid."

"In just a few days, Yi Yun's progress can only be described as having divine speed." Lin Xintong deliberated on her words, giving Yi Yun an appropriate evaluation.

Even to a large family clan, and with the demanding standards of a genius, Yi Yun's progress in his movement techniques was very fast.

To be able to gain new understandings in battle and quickly put it in practice, such an opponent was fearsome!

"Haha, I'm beginning to like this kid. Look at him, he's not attacking Tao Yunxiao at all. He's just dodging, enjoying the Minute Subtlety realm!"

Yi Yun was indeed enjoying it.

He was enjoying the insight into Minute Subtlety. This feeling was too wonderful. He felt his body lose its weight; he was like a light feather, easily dodging any kind of attack.

He even wished Tao Yunxiao's attacks would be faster and more aggressive so that Yi Yun could gain further insight, consolidating his understanding of Minute Subtlety.

But Tao Yunxiao was going crazy. He had really gone mad, for no matter what he did, he could not touch Yi Yun!

The faces of the Tao tribal clan's elders turned ugly. The crowd stopped their shouting.

They could no longer shout as they had discovered that Yi Yun was not fighting with Tao Yunxiao, but he was training his movement technique!

Yes, Yi Yun was purposely using the battle process with Tao Yunxiao to train his movement technique!

This was an absolute insult to Tao Yunxiao!

Tao Yunxiao had sacrificed his blood to activate the forbidden energy of the female sword to do battle. He had pushed his combat power to the extreme, but Yi Yun did not beat Tao Yunxiao; instead, he used the ultimate attacks of Tao Yunxiao to train his movement technique. He was too arrogant, and he absolutely looked down upon his opponent!

Very soon, they realized that there was an even more arrogant matter.

The crazy kid Yi Yun had nothing he couldn't do, such as… while Tao Yunxiao was crazily attacking him, sending sword beams enveloping Yi Yun, Yi Yun actually… actually… closed his eyes!

Eyes closed?

The tens of thousands of spectators were stunned!

Yi Yun had actually closed his eyes to dodge while facing such intense swordplay that they couldn't discern!? Is he mad?

But soon, they began to suspect that it wasn't Yi Yun who had gone mad, but themselves. They actually saw Yi Yun easily dodge all of Tao Yunxiao's attacks with his eyes closed. His movement was like flowing water!

It could be said that Yi Yun's movements were more fluid with his eyes closed.

How could that be possible!?

The Tao tribal clan's people were shocked. They nearly popped their eyes out of their sockets!

Yi Yun had entered a strange state where he realized that he did not need to rely on his eyes to avoid Tao Yunxiao's attacks. All he needed to rely on was to perceive Tao Yunxiao's 'force'.

Tao Yunxiao's attacks had sword Qi and killing intent, and infused within the sword by Tao Yunxiao, was Heaven Earth Yuan Qi!

These combined together formed a ‘force’. By perceiving this ‘force’, Yi Yun could easily avoid Tao Yunxiao's attacks.

This way of dodging was faster than using the eyes!

To use the eyes to track an enemy's attack, it had to be transmitted to the brain. The brain would then send the command before the body could avoid it. This made it one beat slower.

But for a body to feel the attack's ‘force’, it could be conditioned to subconsciously evade. By using this ‘force’, the dodging would be faster.

Because of this, a layman would think that Yi Yun was pushed away from Tao Yunxiao's attacks instead of dodging his attacks.

It was clear which of the two dodging methods was better.

Since Yi Yun understood that he was using the perceived ‘force’ to avoid the attack, he decided he might as well close his eyes!

When the chaotic sword beams disappeared from his sight, Yi Yun's concentration became more focused, and his perception of the ’force’ became even more sensitive.

As such, no matter how Tao Yunxiao attacked crazily, he had no way of touching Yi Yun's sleeves.

In the airship, Su Jie touched his fat jaw that formed a double chin. He said with glee, "This kid Yi Yun sure isn't nice. He's clearly bullying others! Just because he has Minute Subtlety, he's bullying others… This isn't right, but then… I like it!!"

Lin Xintong, who was beside, Su Jie chuckled. She knew that what Yi Yun had learned today would do great things for Yi Yun's future. So it was best to partake in that feeling as long as possible. But if this carried on, he would demolish Tao Yunxiao's confidence.

Lin Xintong did not think nicely of Tao Yunxiao. In the few times they barely met, Lin Xintong noticed that Tao Yunxiao's eyes at her were those of exploitative aggression.

Lin Xintong was not angry because of this. In fact, for such an insignificant small fry like Tao Yunxiao, he was not worthy of Lin Xintong's attention. Lin Xintong was speechless because the so-called young masters of the Cloud Wilderness did not know the vastness of the world. They did not know what it meant to be a frog in the well. They did not know how far away they were from the ancient family clans. Tao Yunxiao's aggression towards Lin Xintong was something laughable.

Since time immemorial, backwardness and ignorance were a pair of twins that never left each other's side. The Cloud Wilderness… was like that too.

If Tao Yunxiao knew Lin Xintong's thoughts, he would have truly suffered a mental breakdown.

He was an extremely proud person! Because of his youth, he had never seen the outside world. In Tao Yunxiao's dictionary, the word "no" did not exist.

But then he met Yi Yun, a young man, younger than him by two years, but Yi Yun was stronger than him.

Tao Yunxiao did not want to lose; he had expended his blood and took on the danger of sliding backward in his cultivation just to activate the ancestral artifact's forbidden energy, but the outcome he received in return was his opponent using him to train his movement skills!

This shattered Tao Yunxiao's tremendous pride!

"Ah!"

Tao Yunxiao let out a frantic roar. The veins on the hand that held the sword bulged. His sword was brandished in an extreme manner, but still, he could not hit Yi Yun!

In front of everyone's eyes, in front of the tens of thousands of people of the Tao tribal clan, in front of his father, grandfather and the upper echelon of the Tao tribal clan, the upper echelon of the Jin Long Wei, he was teased by a child two years his junior with no way of retaliating.

He was really going mad!

He was pressed to strike Yi Yun. To do so, he was willing to give up twenty years of his life!

But, reality is cruel.

Yi Yun's movements were as fluid as water, and Tao Yunxiao could feel his strength getting weaker!

The female sword was a sword that fed on blood. The power gained from the blood Tao Yunxiao sprayed onto the sword had been exhausted!

"Ah!"

Tao Yunxiao let out a heart-wrenching cry. His heart felt like it was exploding. Two streams of blood flowed out from his nostrils like a winding snake.

Firstly, he had hurt his heart due to the anger. Secondly, due to the blood ritual from earlier, he had damaged his lifeblood, making his lifeblood unstable.

Tao Yunxiao came to a halt. He was breathing in deeply while the blood gurgled out from his nose!

In his entire life, Tao Yunxiao had never embarrassed himself like that!

"Yi Yun, do you dare take a direct strike from me?!"

Tao Yunxiao's eyes were blood red. He did not attack for he knew it had no effect!

But Tao Yunxiao did not want to concede defeat. He wanted to directly attack Yi Yun once. If not, today's experience would forever become a lingering demon in his life!

As a last resort, he had to goad Yi Yun on.

Currently, the hand that Tao Yunxiao was using to hold the sword was trembling. He stared angrily at Yi Yun.

Yi Yun still had his eyes closed as he was still immersed into the insight he had previously gained.

For his movement to go from the introductory stage to the small success stage of Minute Subtlety, Yi Yun had a lot of things to digest and understand.

Immersed in his own world, he did not hear Tao Yunxiao's words. In fact, everything that happened around him was no longer important.

He had entered a ‘No Law, No Shape, No Void, No Me’ trance-like state.

But in Tao Yunxiao's point of view, Yi Yun's response was that of absolute contempt!

True Martial World - Chapter 118: The insight gained from battle

Yi Yun's expression changed when he saw that scene.

Initially, it was easy for him to beat Tao Yunxiao. But after Tao Yunxiao used the blood ritual on the sinister sword, there were some changes.

Yi Yun even felt that the surrounding Heaven Earth Yuan Qi was being drawn by that sword into a tiny black swirl.

"Master, that sword…" Up in the air, Lin Xintong frowned when she saw the sword in Tao Yunxiao's hand.

"Oh… that's strange… This sword of the Tao tribal clan isn't high in quality, and wouldn't be considered a treasure, but… the way this sword was forged and the mystic runes inscribed on it, don't look like they were made by humans!"

"If this was a place close to the boundaries of human civilization, then it wouldn't be odd to have something forged from a nonhuman race… but… this is the Cloud Wilderness and it has always been the land of humans. It's infinitely far away from those nonhuman races. How did such a low-quality weapon reach the Cloud Wilderness?" Old Man Su was feeling puzzled, but at that moment, Tao Yunxiao's aura was beginning to rapidly increase!

Tao Yunxiao's lips were painted with fresh blood, under the sword beam of the female sword, he looked ferocious.

"Yi Yun, try taking this strike!"

Tao Yunxiao's body rose and having activated the ancestral artifact's energy, Tao Yunxiao was no longer the same as before!

The female sword's speed was at its limits.

"Huh!?" Yi Yun constricted his pupils and in a moment, Tao Yunxiao's sword was before his eyes!

Although Tao Yunxiao's swordplay had flaws, as the saying goes that there was no way of beating a fast move, Tao Yunxiao's speed was at its maximum, so even if he had flaws, Yi Yun could not use them against him!

Because in terms of speed, Yi Yun was worse than Tao Yunxiao!

Yi Yun felt that Tao Yunxiao had turned into a demon with the ancestral artifact in hand. The sword was giving him energy! What Tao Yunxiao was using wasn't his own body's energy, but the energy of the demonic sword.

"Cha!"

Yi Yun dodged Tao Yunxiao's sword, but the sharp wind that accompanied the sword sliced open Yi Yun's linen shirt!

"Chi!"

The hear a light sound clearly.

"He got struck!"

The crowd yelled. They could see a foot long hole appear on Yi Yun's arm. His left sleeve had been cut off.

"No, it's just the sword’s wind. Yi Yun isn't injured."

Although Yi Yun had not been hit by Tao Yunxiao's sword, the accomplishment excited the people of the Tao tribal clan greatly.

"Young Master Yunxiao is sure to win!"

"Kill that kid!"

The people of the vast wilderness were crude. As for the people of the Tao tribal clan, especially the hot-blooded youths, they did not want the tribe to be overshadowed by Yi Yun. Furthermore, they were extremely jealous of Yi Yun.

On this point, they were different from the young girls of the Tao tribal clan.

In a savage world where strength determined a man's position, wealth, and women, it was no different than the law of the jungle. Males who feel a threat to their territory from an outsider would treat the outsider with hostility.

And Tao Yunxiao was the alpha-wolf among those beasts.

Seeing his left sleeve cut, Yi Yun's eyes focused.

Tao Yunxiao had really become a lot stronger.

"He dodged it? Hmph! The next time, I'll cut off your arm!" Tao Yunxiao sneered. Suddenly his right arm moved with a shrill ringing sound.

"Cha!"

The air was compressed by the female sword and with an explosion, blue waves of air raced at Yi Yun!

"Sword Qi!" Someone screamed outside the arena. Tao Yunxiao had released sword Qi the day before while demonstrating his swordplay, hence leaving a deep impression of sword Qi in the people's minds.

And today, Tao Yunxiao released sword Qi again to the point of it being visible. This power and speed far exceeded the previous day's!

Yi Yun's pupils constricted as he dodged!

"Cha!"

Yi Yun dodged the sword Qi just in time, but at that moment, Tao Yunxiao had already appeared in front of Yi Yun!

With his extreme speed, it was as if he had teleported in front of Yi Yun. His ferocious expression was reflected in Yi Yun's pupils!

At that moment, Yi Yun had just avoided the sword Qi and was in mid-air. He had no way of avoiding anymore!

By using the sword Qi to force Yi Yun into revealing a weak point, appearing before Yi Yun in a blink of an eye and sending out a killing blow was a fantastic chain of events! This was too much for the audience's eyes to feast on!

How could anyone avoid this kind of attack?

Young Master Yunxiao was about to win! The people opened up their eyes, afraid to miss the next exciting scene.

The Tao tribal clan's Grand Elder tightened up. This battle was of utmost importance. Tao Yunxiao was just about to defeat Yi Yun making him excited and nervous!

Even on the airship, Lin Xintong, who was full of confidence for Yi Yun, jumped in fright! She consciously touched her interspatial wristband, prepared to take out elixirs from within to save Yi Yun!

With nowhere to step on, Yi Yun had no way of dodging!

"Die!"

Tao Yunxiao struck! The sword traveled towards Yi Yun's chest. The female sword was only two feet long and its blade was as red as blood!

At that moment, time seemed to come to a halt. In Yi Yun's eyes, the blood red female sword was like a venomous snake approaching him!

Yi Yun had unprecedented focus. He seemed to have returned to the previous night when he had sparred with Lin Xintong. Lin Xintong had attacked him again and again. Although her suppressed attacks were not as fast as Tao Yunxiao's, it had greater charm than him. Lin Xintong's attacks on Yi Yun were not only physical attacks but were forceful attacks!

Force…

Yi Yun's mind flashed the words Lin Xintong had said the previous night.

"That is the introductory stage to a movement technique known as 'Minute Subtlety'. By using the smallest actions to avoid an enemy's attack, this is known as ‘Minute Subtlety’! This ‘Minute Subtlety’ technique, after the introductory stage is known as the small success stage, which can borrow the opponent's 'force' to aid in avoiding. Even if I said more, it will be hard for you to comprehend. Everything will depend on your own enlightenment…"

At that instant, Yi Yun suddenly understood something. Facing Tao Yunxiao's attack, Yi Yun forcefully twisted his body and the red blood sword grazed Yi Yun's nose. With a distance less than an inch, Yi Yun had dodged it!

The airborne Yi Yun had nowhere to land, yet he had managed to dodge it. It gave people the feeling like he was a leaf that was blown by Tao Yunxiao's sword Qi.

"Huh!?"The whole Tao tribal clan was stunned. On the Tao tribal clan's platform, the Tao tribal clan's Patriarch, Grand Elder, and others were shocked. How did Yi Yun manage to avoid in mid-air?

"Impossible!" Tao Yunxiao refused to believe the result and attacked once again!

Flowers of the Storm!

Tao Yunxiao, who had stimulated the female sword's energy, could nearly force out a hundred strikes when he used Flowers of the Storm!

This swordplay speed made the female sword's body melt into the desert wind; only the wind of the sword could be felt, but the sword was unseen!

But something strange happened. Yi Yun's body was like a feather without weight. Tao Yunxiao's sword would strike, but Yi Yun's body would move backward as a result. It felt like Tao Yunxiao was not brandishing a sword but a fan, and the wind that blew from the fan blew Yi Yun away.

Tao Yunxiao's sword Qi was extremely sharp that it could cut through black ironstone, so how could the sword wind blow someone away? But that was what had happened in front of the crowd!

Yi Yun's movements were too strange. Tao Yunxiao's swordplay was extremely fast, but in front of Yi Yun, it looked slow and heavy!

It was as if Tao Yunxiao was using a fan to attack a feather. No matter how he fanned, it would not hit the feather, because the stronger he fanned, the greater the wind, making the feather fly faster!

After continuously attacking with a few hundred strikes, he could not even touch Yi Yun's sleeve. Tao Yunxiao began to sweat profusely.

How could this be possible!?

On the Tao tribal clan's platform, the Tao tribal clan's Patriarch, Grand Elder, and others were distraught, with sweat oozing out of their foreheads.

They had lived for a long time and read many books. They had much greater knowledge than Tao Yunxiao. They knew what Yi Yun's movement was.

"Minute Subtlety…This is the movement skill, Minute Subtlety!" The voice of the Tao tribal clan's Patriarch trembled.

First, it was Purple Air Comes From The East, next it was the Minute Subtlety realm!

How could all of this appear in a twelve-year-old!?

True Martial World - Chapter 117: Yi Yun VS Tao Yunxiao

There was a thirty minutes break before the final match. The Tao tribal clan took this opportunity to hold a ritual and a prayer before the ancestral artifact was taken out.

The ritual involved slaughtering a cow and the dancing and chanting by two witches, who had their faces smeared with cow blood.

A witch took out the Tao tribal clan's female sword component of the ancestral artifact and washed it with blood.

This was a necessary ritual the Tao tribal clan used when taking out the ancestral artifact. It was not needed when practicing or demonstrating. But the ancestral artifact would see blood when used against an enemy; hence, they had to hold a ritual to honor the souls of their ancestors within the ancestral artifact.

It could be said to be odd because, when the female-sword was immersed in a copper bucket filled with cow's blood, the cow blood suddenly bubbled as if it were boiling. In a while, the entire bucket was dry. It gave the feeling that the blood had been absorbed by the sword!

"That sword…is a bit malevolent…" Yi Yun frowned slightly. He had originally thought the ritual did not do a thing because it stemmed from the superstitions of the vast wilderness. But he did not expect that the female sword of the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact would absorb the blood.

After feasting on the blood, the female sword looked redder, as though an invisible force circulated on the sword's body. From the looks of it, the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact was extraordinary!

After the ancestral artifact tasted blood, the Tao tribal clan's witch carefully wiped the sword dry before handing it over to Tao Yunxiao.

Tao Yunxiao genuflected and raised both his hands above his head to accept the female sword.

After he received the female sword, Tao Yunxiao felt his body brimming with energy. He looked towards Yi Yun with eyes burning with battle flames.

"Yi Yun! Get on the stage!" Tao Yunxiao said as he jumped into the arena.

Yi Yun gave a meaningful glance at that female sword before working his way into the arena.

The sun began to set in the vast wilderness, its bright glow dyeing the western sky red.

There were tens of thousands of people watching Yi Yun and Tao Yunxiao, who stood a hundred feet apart. They all held their breath and paid full attention. They did not want to miss any interesting moments of the duel.

This was a battle using the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact!

The Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact was no trifling matter; many people of the Tao tribal clan had never even seen the ancestral artifact, even at an old age. Some did not even know what the ancestral artifact looked like.

How could they not feel excited about seeing the ancestral artifact's power today?

"Young Master Yunxiao is sure to win! Long live the Tao tribal clan!" shouted someone in the audience. This shout slowly turned into a tumultuous wave, with each succeeding wave being higher than the last.

It was a battle that determined their future!

Yi Yun wanted to become a Kingdom Knight because he knew that the best among the Kingdom Knights could enter the Divine Kingdom's royal capital, and enjoy the cultivation resources of the Kingdom, practicing the "Tai Ah Sacred Technique"!

Becoming a Kingdom Knight was an important step on his martial path.

Not only that, Kingdom Knights' had their own territory. So, Yi Yun could bring his sister Jiang Xiaorou to the heartlands and lead a comfortable life.

He would include people he received favors from like Aunt Wang, Uncle Zhou and the delicate and touching Zhou Xiaoke. Yi Yun wanted to bring these people into the heartlands, letting them bid farewell to the uncertain life of the Cloud Wilderness.

"Yi Yun, you and I do not have any feud, but the sword is blind. Don't blame me if I were to hurt you accidentally. I'll give you another warning. With the female sword in hand, my strength is at least doubled!" Tao Yunxiao said in high-spirits while embracing the female sword with his arms crossed.

"It's meaningless talk, make your move!" Upon saying those words, Yi Yun opened up his arms to fight bare-handed with Tao Yunxiao's female sword of the ancestral artifact!

The desert wind was fluttering, blowing Yi Yun's linen clothes. Yi Yun's figure and aura left a deep impression in the eyes of many.

Some girls from the Tao tribal clan suddenly had a subtle change of heart when they saw Yi Yun looking like this. The girls of the vast wilderness worshiped heroes; the current Yi Yun was a hero in their eyes!

He was a genius and he had a great future ahead of him. He showed no fear as he faced Tao Yunxiao's sword bare-handed!

This arrogance tormented the hearts of these girls. They looked at Yi Yun's back, and some of their faces blushed red as their heartbeat increased in speed.

If Yi Yun beat Tao Yunxiao, they could follow him to the Kingdom Knight's territory in the event Yi Yun showed them mercy. They could escape the poor and dangerous vast wilderness and to serve Yi Yun for life wasn't a bad thing…

The thoughts of these girls were not known to Tao Yunxiao. If he knew, he would have gone mad from anger. He only felt Yi Yun's aura growing stronger, with a grunt, the female sword he embraced had been unsheathed!

"Clang!"

The female sword flew to Tao Yunxiao's hands as if it were alive. Tao Yunxiao could not wait to defeat Yi Yun.

Time seemed to freeze as tens of thousands of people watched Tao Yunxiao attack!

His body suddenly appeared as a line of shadows and the people could only hear the sounds of his steps and the sword cutting through the air!

"Cha!"

The female sword sliced through the desert wind; it was so fast that people could not see clearly.

"Such a fast sword!"

"We can't even see Young Master Yunxiao's sword, how can it be avoidable?"

When a person attacks with a sword, compared to using fists, it would increase the attacking range, attacking power and the attacking speed as well.

The speed difference between a slash of the sword against a punch from the fist was very different.

"Whew!"

Tao Yunxiao had quickly moved in front of Yi Yun and his female sword had gone straight for Yi Yun's throat!

If this sword were to hit, Yi Yun's throat would split apart. Even if the Jin Long Wei's doctor was nearby, he was unlikely to be saved.

The people exclaimed but Yi Yun remained calm.

He had seen the 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven' before!

Last night, he had seen Lin Xintong's full version of the 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven'. Compared to Lin Xintong's swordplay, Tao Yunxiao's 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven' was not worthy of mention.

Although Yi Yun had never adapted to Lin Xintong's sword, he could see the flaws of Tao Yunxiao's swordplay. It was not a problem.

Just at the moment, Tao Yunxiao was about to pierce through Yi Yun's throat, Yi Yun suddenly moved backward and dodged the killing blow. The sword's tip was less than an inch away from Yi Yun's throat!

"Huh!?" Tao Yunxiao was not pleased that Yi Yun managed to dodge his first attack in an extremely serene manner, and he quickly responded with a second attack.

He was using the 'Flowers of the Storm' stance of the 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven'. When this stance was practiced to the extreme, a sword could stab out over a hundred times in the time it takes one breath!

Tao Yunxiao could not reach that level, but he could thrust a few dozen strikes out. From afar, Tao Yunxiao's strikes were a spectacular light show.

The 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven', when brandished, was so tightly bound that it could prevent water from entering. The sword beams around Tao Yunxiao's body together with sword Qi would form a protective boundary. Tao Yunxiao was in the early stages of this state.

When this dense sword beams hurled at Yi Yun to envelop him, Yi Yun's body turned into shadows that people couldn't read.

This feeling was the same illusion Zhang Yuxian gave off when he demonstrated 'Elephant Swallowing Technique'. They did not know what moves Yi Yun was making, but all they felt was that the arena was covered with afterimages!

The sword beams and afterimages were dazzling!

But there was no doubt that Tao Yunxiao's strikes had failed to hit their target!

A person with a sword had issued a dense rain-like attack, while the other was avoiding barehandedly. It was clear who was better!

"What!?" Tao Yunxiao's face turned a flustered red. He knew that Yi Yun would be a tough fight, so he had requested permission to use the ancestral artifact against Yi Yun. But he did not know that fighting Yi Yun would be much harder than he expected.

He had practiced his swordplay for several years, where his sword was as if a part of him; yet, he could not even touch the sleeves of Yi Yun!

"Yunxiao, don't be anxious!" The voice of Tao Yunxiao's father came into his ears. He could tell that his son was turning distraught from facing Yi Yun.

"I know, Father. Since he has such strength, I have no choice but to use the ancestral artifact's strength!" Although Tao Yunxiao was haughty and arrogant, he wasn't a fool who couldn't tell Yi Yun's strength. He knew that Yi Yun had withheld a lot of hidden power during his battle with Lian Chengyu. Still, Tao Yunxiao had the confidence to beat Yi Yun, because he could borrow the ancestral artifact's energy!

"Yunxiao, are you sure…?" Tao Yunxiao's father was worried because using the ancestral artifact's energy was no trifling matter.

Tao Yunxiao did not respond because he hit himself in the chest.

"Puah!"

Tao Yunxiao spat out a mouthful of blood onto the female sword.

And just like before, the female sword absorbed Tao Yunxiao's blood like the cow's blood and soon turned red and sinister!

This scene transfixed the audience.

They knew the Tao tribal clan had an ancestral artifact, but for what it was or its powers, they had no idea.

"Using blood to honor the ancestral artifact… Yunxiao really is desperate." The grand elder frowned. The Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact had some sinister side to it. Just using it as a sword gave one immense strength.

To use the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifacts greatest power, the artifact had to be fed with blood. And it was most effective if the blood was the swordman's!

But to use the swordman's blood to feed the ancestral artifact would cause great harm to his Yuan Qi. By doing this blood ritual, Tao Yunxiao might take about half a year to recover which was extremely precious for a young warrior like Tao Yunxiao.

Tao Yunxiao had laid his bets; if he did not win, it would be a huge blow to him!

"Buzz——"

After the female sword fed on the blood, it began to emit a hum across the entire area. The people of the Tao tribal clan were stunned.

They did not know that such a scene would happen after the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact was fed blood.

Although an ancestral artifact that fed on blood seemed sinister, there was no doubt of its power. One could tell just from the hums of the ancestral artifact.

True Martial World - Chapter 116: Kingdom Knight

Zhang Tan was satisfied with the responses of Tao Yunxiao and Yi Yun and said, "Good, in thirty minutes, you will begin your duel. If Tao Yunxiao were to win, he will be designated as a Jin Long Wei elite."

Hearing this from Zhang Tan, Tao Yunxiao was stunned and overjoyed.

Jin Long Wei's elite!

Under normal circumstances, only the exceptional Purple Blood warriors would be inducted as a Jin Long Wei elite. Upon becoming a Jin Long Wei elite, they would be given much greater resources and facilities. They were promised a bright path ahead.

Originally, Zhang Tan promised this to the Mortal Blood's first place, and with Yi Yun winning the first two rounds, Tao Yunxiao felt there was little hope in him coming in first even if he won the final battle. Unexpectedly, luck had turned in his favor and Zhang Tan had promised that he could be a Jin Long Wei elite by beating Yi Yun.

How could Tao Yunxiao not be excited?

Thankfully, he had received the ancestral artifact. With the ancestral artifact aiding him, his might would be doubled, and it would not be hard for him to defeat Yi Yun.

At that moment, not only Tao Yunxiao but all the Elders and the Grand Elder of the Tao tribal clan were stirring with excitement. If Tao Yunxiao could become a Jin Long Wei elite, it would greatly aid that bid of bringing the Tao tribal clan out of the vast wilderness.

But Zhang Tan carried on with his words that shocked the Tao tribal clan's elders and Tao Yunxiao. Their original excitement had evaporated and they were left in a prolonged silence.

Zhang Tan said, "In this final battle, Yi Yun would become a Jin Long Wei elite regardless of the outcome. But if Yi Yun were to win, he will also be conferred the title of Kingdom Knight."

The words “conferred the title of Kingdom Knight” shocked everyone.

Being defeated meant becoming a Jin Long Wei elite.

Not only did victory make him a Jin Long Wei elite, but he would also become a Kingdom Knight.

What was a Kingdom Knight in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom? Under the divine emperor were the nobles. The nobles were divided into seven ranks: prince, duke, marquis, count, viscount, baron, and knight.

The knight was of course "Kingdom Knight".

Although Kingdom Knights were ranked last amongst the nobles, it was in no way of little value. All the nobles of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom were canonized by the royal household.

The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom was a vast country. The founding emperor of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom was a sage, so it was difficult to measure the number of territories under it.

The great vastness of the Cloud Wilderness was just a remote place in the northern part of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom and it was of little value.

As for the Tao tribal clan, they were just one of the many tribes in the Cloud Wilderness. Their territory just spanned five hundred kilometers.

It was a great honor to be conferred nobility by the royal household in such a vast empire, even if was only in name.

The title of nobility could not be used in idle talk. The difference between nobles and plebeians was great in any country in the vast wilderness.

Previously, the henchmen of Lian Chengyu often claimed that "Lian Chengyu will become a Kingdom Knight", while Lian Cuihua and those women would spread information on how powerful a Kingdom Knight was throughout the Lian tribal clan. This made it seem like Lian Chengyu would immediately become a Kingdom Knight. But in reality, there was a huge gap between passing the kingdom's selection and to be a Kingdom Knight.

Normally, to be a Kingdom Knight, one had to render meritorious services in battle. If not for meritorious services, they had to have outstanding talent to be noticed by the top before they could be conferred.

Just take the Jin Long Wei as an example. 99% of the Jin Long Wei warriors were never conferred titles. Their status was the same as a commoner and not a noble.

Even Zhang Tan as a Thousand Households of the Jin Long Wei was just a 'Kingdom Knight'.

Which is to say, in terms of nobility ranking, Yi Yun would be at the same level as Zhang Tan.

Zhang Tan did not have the authority to confer Yi Yun as a Kingdom Knight, but after Yi Yun had induced Purple Air Comes From The East, it meant that he was bound to have a bright future and to become either a future duke or prince.

For a person who could become a duke in the future, so what if they gave the title of Kingdom Knight?

So to bestow Yi Yun the title of Kingdom Knight, Zhang Tan had consulted the senior members of the Jin Long Wei. Only after they gave their permission did he procure the Kingdom Knight title.

The next thing to do was to enter the capital for approval. In fact, a title like Kingdom Knight was a sure thing once the upper echelon of the Jin Long Wei had decided on it. Going into the capital for approval was just a process.

"As long as Yi Yun beats Young Master Yunxiao, he would become a Kingdom Knight." The warriors of the Tao tribal clan knew clearly what it meant by the words Kingdom Knight. They could not believe that a poor kid from a small tribal clan could become an esteemed noble.

Days later, they would have to bow to Yi Yun upon seeing him.

It would be such a humiliating scene for them.

"Tsk, that will only happen if he beats Young Master Yunxiao. Young Master Yunxiao has obtained permission to use our Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact. With the ancestral artifact in hand, Young Master Yunxiao would be successful in any endeavor." Some Tao tribal clan warriors said indignantly. The warriors of the Tao tribal clan found it hard to accept that such a title could be given to a commoner of a small tribal clan. They were extremely proud but Yi Yun had trampled on their pride.

"That's right, for Yi Yun to get the title, he has to cross the hurdle of our Young Master. Our Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact has killed numerous ancient desolate beasts. Can Yi Yun withstand the ancestral artifact?"

The title of Kingdom Knight made everyone green with envy, because this title was not just idle talk, but was something packed with real benefits.

Kingdom Knights could obtain resources from the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom annually. Not only that, a Kingdom Knight would receive a small piece of land in the central heartlands, where they could build their home.

Don't belittle this, it was an absolute attraction to the people of the vast wilderness.

Typically, a Kingdom Knight was pretty wealthy. As a Kingdom Knight was strong, he had a respectable status. As such, many would come to seek refuge under the Kingdom Knight, giving up their numerous possessions in order to become a servant of the Kingdom Knight.

Many beautiful young women would vie to dedicate themselves, selling their bodies to the Kingdom Knight and serving him. If they were lucky to be noticed by the master, they could become a room maiden or a concubine. It would be a great blessing.

This was the present situation of this chaotic world. Commoners lived arduous lives in this world. By being sheltered by a large tree, their lives would be easy even if they were to lead a freedomless life of servitude.

What Lian Chengyu had previously mentioned of a family clan was this. If he became a Kingdom Knight, he could own his little piece of territory. He could take in servants and beauties and enjoyed splendid riches.

This vague promise had made the people of the Lian tribal clan excited. To these suffering people, they could get by through their labor, with no fear of famine, plagues or attacks from beasts if they could follow Lian Chengyu into the central heartlands of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. Such days would be like paradise.

Now, Lian Chengyu's dreams had been crushed like his body—never to be realized.

How ironic it was that Lian Chengyu's ambitious goals were realized by Yi Yun.

Once Yi Yun became a Kingdom Knight, he could bring a group of people to his land in the heartlands. He could build his homes, take in servants and become a real lord of nobility.

The thought of a twelve-year-old noble made many jealous. It could only be described as a bright future.

Added with the fact that Yi Yun was handsome, even many girls of the Tao tribal clan would end up admiring him if he were to become a Kingdom Knight. Those fans of Hu Ya and Tao Yunxiao might even turn their backs on their infatuation and go for Yi Yun as one of his admirers. This was the power of the title of Kingdom Knight had.

Tao Yunxiao was so green with envy that his intestines turned green.

He originally thought that defeating Yi Yun to become a Jin Long Wei elite was a great honor.

But in a turn of an eye, Zhang Tan's promise to Yi Yun shattered his pride mercilessly.

Even if Yi Yun lost, he would still be a Jin Long Wei elite, and if he won, he would be a Kingdom Knight!

Tao Yunxiao's ambitions were similar to Lian Chengyu’s. He too wanted riches and concubines, great power and glory. Tao Yunxiao just had a greater ambition than Lian Chengyu.

At that moment, his ambition had not even been realized one bit, but Yi Yun had already taken his first step. This made him jealous.

"Kingdom Knight? How could I allow you to become a Kingdom Knight? Stop dreaming. I'll defeat you no matter what it takes." While thinking this, Tao Yunxiao gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

He wanted to be a Jin Long Wei elite and absolutely did not want to see Yi Yun become a Kingdom Knight. He had to win this final battle.