True Martial World - Chapter 157: Traveling to the Divine Wilderness

"Yun'er, that Divine Wilderness campground… do you have to go?" Jiang Xiaorou bit her lips and looked at Yi Yun with complex emotions.

Yi Yun did not tell Jiang Xiaorou about the mortality rates in the Divine Wilderness campground, but Jiang Xiaorou had found out everything about the Divine Wilderness campgrounds.

A 15% mortality rate and a 5% disability rate was too disturbing.

"I'll be fine," said Yi Yun seriously.

Jiang Xiaorou's lips quivered when she heard Yi Yun's words. She wanted to say something but she chose not to in the end.

Finally, she just gave Yi Yun a gentle hug. She knew that Yi Yun had the life he wanted. She had no way of changing his mind on what he had decided on.

A wild horse was destined to belong to the prairie…

Jiang Xiaorou gave everything that Yi Yun could bring with him. She sewed a bag that suited Yi Yun, with a "Rou" embroidered on it. There were well wishes the people of the vast wilderness believed in sewn on the back. She also sewed the protective talisman Su Jie had given to Yi Yun within, hoping it would keep Yi Yun safe…

With that, Yi Yun embarked on his journey…

…

The third day, at the appointed time around dawn. Yi Yun carried a bag made of beast hide that was half the size of a human. He had been waiting in the Jin Long Wei's square for a long time.

Not long after, Song Zijun's figure appeared in Yi Yun's vision.

The exchanged knowing nods with each other, but there was not much to be said, as they both looked in the direction of the Divine Wilderness.

The two upright figures were like two straight javelins.

When the first golden ray of the Sun appeared, an emerald green speckle appeared on the distant horizon. Its figure grew and soon, it covered the sky.

Yi Yun looked up and secretly clicked his tongue. It was an airship. He had previously seen Lin Xintong in one back in the Cloud Wilderness.

It was a military airship, much bigger than the one Lin Xintong was on, but it was less sophisticated.

Airships were the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's air transports that were worthy of praise. Especially the airships that could cross the divine wilderness, they were also called divine ships. They were made by several of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom’s refinement masters. The metals used were all engraved with runes and arrays. They had strong defenses and many offensive measures. They could overcome the flying desolate beasts in the Divine Wilderness.

The famous divine naval fleet of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom was comprised of divine ships. It was a national symbol of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's strength.

The divine ship slowly lowered its altitude. Round droplets of water under its cold metallic belly flashed with the early morning sunlight while a few mysterious ancient runes inscribed on it shrouded the airship in a sacred halo.

Yi Yun was pumped when he saw such a mighty airship. This was the first time he was flying on such a huge flying treasure.

He squeezed the certificate of proof needed for entering the Divine Wilderness.

Buzz—

The airship roared as it suspended itself a hundred meters above the ground after stopping its descent.

A thick, black metal chain the size of a water bucket fell from the airship's belly, crashing into the ground in front of Yi Yun and Song Zijun, which stirred up a dust storm.

A thin, bald middle-aged man stood there with his hands crossed within his sleeves when a cabin door opened in the flying boat’s body. Commanding from above, he looked down at Yi Yun and Song Zijun.

"Are you the Divine Wilderness campground students that the Divine Capital Jin Long Wei have chosen? Show me your proof!" The man said authoritatively, sending the voice into Yi Yun's ears as if he was beside Yi Yun.

Yi Yun and Song Zijun answered and threw the certificate of proof upwards.

After examining the certificate, the middle-aged man nodded, "Alright, get up here using the chain."

Yi Yun and Song Zijun immediately began climbing up the chains, but they realized the metal chains slid within their hands. It seemed like it was covered in layers of China wood oil.

It was likely a small test.

But this test was nothing to Yi Yun and Song Zijun. With their flexibility, they climbed up the chain agilely like monkeys.

Yi Yun was especially outstanding. He climbed up it as if he was walking on flat ground. It made the middle-aged man take a few more glances at him.

Upon entering the airship, the leader brought them to the northeastern corner of the airship. After explaining some of the rules to be observed in the airship, he left, giving Yi Yun a chance to take a look around carefully.

Within the airship, there were more than twenty people seated. It came to him that these were participants from neighboring cities. There were many people just around the Divine Capital.

These people were all gallant and manly.

Some of them did not stop cultivating even while on the airship. They sat down meditating while others exhaled heavily as they punched out. None of them looked relaxed.

This made Yi Yun realize that the people chosen to enter the Divine Wilderness campground were not ordinary people!

Yi Yun did not say much to anyone. He sat down on his spot and began regulating his breathing.

Soon, the divine boat flew out of the Divine Capital's influence. Along the way, there were about a dozen people who boarded the divine boat in the neighboring cities of the Divine Capital. After flying to more than ten cities in a row, more than 100 people had boarded.

Following that, there was no one else. The divine boat flew higher and higher into the clouds, and with the array activated, it whistled through the air as it left behind a thunderous roar.

Yi Yun could not help but open his eyes and look out the window.

The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's scenery was a spectacle!

For a person like Yi Yun, who came from a small tribal clan, it was a form of training and accumulation of experience to enjoy the panoramic view of the mountains and rivers.

Outside the airship, Yi Yun soon saw a huge roaring river. This river was several hundred kilometers wide and there were dark shadows within the river when suddenly a shadow billowed out the waters. It was a giant beast many times the size of a whale. It leaped out from the water and grabbed a giant bird in the sky before diving back into the water.

Yi Yun could not help but be shocked. He had never seen such a murderous water beast.

He also saw flocks of strange birds that blotted out the sky in an endless desert. Their wings spanned several thousand feet and their flaps caused the airship to experience turbulence.

Also in the vast ocean, there were many tiny islands appearing out of the water for air that spat out rainbows. They were actually colossal giant tortoises.

Many wonderful beasts amazed Yi Yun as it was an eye-opening experience.

The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom was extremely vast, but after flying for a few days, the airship charged into a towering giant fortress.

The fortress had a magnificent array within it with countless numbers of crystals that radiated brilliant energy into the sky.

These were the super-long-distance arrays.

As the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom was too big, and the Divine Wilderness was too far away, just flying in the airships would take an extremely long time. Hence, they had to rely on ancient arrays to travel.

Yi Yun had kept count and they had entered three of those magnificent fortress arrays. They had teleported three times, covering an unknown distance that spanned tens of millions of kilometers.

Finally, they reached a barren wasteland near the Divine Wilderness.

The Lian tribal clan was originally in the Cloud Wilderness, which was beside the Jing state. But the Divine Wilderness was at the other end of the Divine Kingdom. Traveling from the Jing state to the Divine Wilderness covered a large area of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom!

It was a really long journey.

The setting sun was blood-red as its glow spilled on the airship.

At the top of the airship, there were a few potholes, which had arrays embedded within the extraordinary metal to protect the divine boat. On their journey, they had been attacked twice by desolate beasts. And they left some traces on the metal.

"Divine Wilderness! We've reached the Divine Wilderness!" shouted someone inside the divine boat. Everyone rushed to the hall and looked out.

Yi Yun raised his eyebrows as he looked through the airship's glass window. He found that the fog had lifted quite a distance away.

It seemed like there was an air of desolate wilderness that came surging over.

Roar!

A roar shook the world.

Below them, there was dust all over. There were many large behemoths running on the dust plains. Their hooves rumbled on the ground like thunder.

A black jungle spanned across the distant horizon. Each towering tree was like a beam rising into the blue sky.

There were sharp cries in the sky from the numerous flying beasts swooping around with their razor sharp claws that resembled blades. A beast that looked like a lion had been grabbed from the chaotic dust storm as its blood smeared the sky.

Even further away, there was a mountain that towered into the clouds. There was a bright light circulating around it like a heavenly realm. But this divine realm would shoot out black web-like silk capturing monsters that passed it…

Some of the mountain peaks were also bare and lifeless. A huge lion that produced thundering snores as it lied prone on a mountain, completely covering it.

When the airship reached this area, it began to fly more cautiously. It flew to an even higher altitude.

Below the airship was endless mountain stretches.

Occasionally, a large black swamp or sweltering desert could be seen.

There were mountain piles of white skeletons in those places.

"This is the Divine Wilderness…" Yi Yun took a deep breath for the Divine Wilderness was too mighty and dreadful.

"Look, isn't that a Crackling Fire Beast?!" Someone suddenly said as Yi Yun looked down. He saw in the wilderness plains below the flying boat were small mountains of bones. Within these bones, there was something flowing like lava. It was apparently a Crackling Fire Beast.

But now, the Crackling Fire Beast had been killed. Its innards were exposed and a colorful huge bird was sitting on it, devouring its flesh.

Yi Yun's eyes twitched. He knew that the Cloud Wilderness also had Crackling Fire Beasts, and it was a well-known beast in the Cloud Wilderness. But in the Divine Wilderness, it had become the prey of the colorful huge bird.

There was danger at every turn in the Divine Wilderness. It was daunting and compared to the Cloud Wilderness, it was at a totally different level.

The Cloud Wilderness was a barren land with little Heaven Earth Yuan Qi. Hence, it could not give birth to treasures or strong desolate beasts.

There was a lack of types like grand behemoths that were primordial strain.

The Cloud Wilderness's strongest desolate beasts would enter desolate wastelands to the north of the Desolate Human Valley. The desolate wastelands were two completely different places from the Cloud Wilderness.

But the Divine Wilderness was different. It had countless numbers of grand behemoths within it.

Normal people could survive, with great difficulty, in the Cloud Wilderness, but in the Divine Wilderness, there were no normal people. Very few people trod these lands. There were legends of mysterious tribes within that had special blood heritage and they were mysterious and powerful!

True Martial World - Chapter 156: Divine Wilderness Campground

Early in the morning, just as the rooster made its morning call, the Jin Long Wei's recruits gathered in the square!

Yi Yun was also living in the military barracks. But as a Kingdom Knight, he got his own dormitory and it was in great condition.

Yan Menglong stood in the middle of the square inspecting the new recruits.

"Today is the first day you become a soldier! From today, you will receive tough training ranging from one to six years!"

Many of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's Jin Long Wei would reach the late-stages of the Purple Blood realm, and even more would exceed Purple Blood when they retire.

A late-stage Purple Blood warrior had a lifespan of more than 150 years and could stay in their prime to a late age.

A Jin Long Wei solider could serve for a long time; hence taking 5-6 years of training was nothing much.

"All of you will be divided into three batches to undergo special training!"

"The three batches are… The third batch is to stay in the Divine Capital's campgrounds. You will be trained in the Divine Capital! After completing your training, you will become Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's normal soldiers. If you render any meritorious services, you can be upgraded to an elite. Some feats might even make you a Kingdom Knight! Everything will depend on yourselves!"

"The second batch is the Zhong state campgrounds. The Zhong state is the biggest state in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, and it is where the imperial city is in. Hence, it is controlled by the Imperial Divine Majesty himself. To enter the Zhong state for training gains you utmost glory! Those who undergo special training in the Zhong state would become Jin Long Wei elites upon completion. If there are any meritorious services, they will be made Kingdom Knights!

"As for the last batch, the Divine Wilderness campgrounds! Qualified personnel will be selected by the military division. They can voluntarily decide to go or not. The training grounds will be in the Divine Wilderness! There is no shortage of danger in the Divine Wilderness, and it is a place filled with death! One has to be prepared to die anytime within the Divine Wilderness!"

"The Divine Wilderness campground is also known as the death camp or the death gantry! There is a 15% mortality rate there and a 5% chance of disability. Together, it's 20%! Those who train there are the elites among elites. If you aren't careful, you will be doomed eternally!"

"But if you were to complete your training, you will become an elite soldier of the Divine Kingdom. You can even become a Human Lord in the future! The Divine Wilderness campground is the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's goal post. If you can jump across it, you will have eternal glory, but if you fall through it, you will be smashed to smithereens!" While saying those words, his focus shifted onto Yi Yun and Song Zijun. In the Divine Capital, only Yi Yun and Song Zijun were qualified to enter the Divine Wilderness campgrounds but the choice of going was up to them.

“Divine Wilderness…” Yi Yun muttered to himself. He had learned more about the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom in the recent days.

The Divine Wilderness did not belong to the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom.

In fact, the Divine Wilderness did not belong to any country. Its dimensions were unknown. Its area was more than ten times bigger than the vast Tai Ah Divine Kingdom!

To use one word to describe it, it would be: endless!

Deep in the Divine Wilderness lurked real prehistoric giant beasts that had primordial blood. These divine beasts were equivalent to human Sages, and might even be comparable to legendary Great Emperors!

The Divine Wilderness was without end. The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom had only explored a small area of the Divine Wilderness.

Due to the many uncontrollable factors of the Divine Wilderness, the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom established a camp in the Divine Wilderness. Hence, the danger was obvious.

To say that the Divine Wilderness campground was a death gantry was not an exaggeration.

"Dismissed! Yi Yun and Song Zijun, stay behind!"

Yan Menglong was brief. The three camps were distributed in a pyramid fashion. What he was most concerned about was the pinnacle of the pyramid, the Divine Wilderness!

"Yi Yun! Zijun! I'm sure you have probably guessed the reason for me keeping you behind." Yan Menglong crossed his arms in front of his chest. He stood with his legs slightly apart and with a grand posture on the stone stage, he overlooked Yi Yun and Song Zijun.

Yi Yun and Song Zijun nodded.

"Entering the Divine Wilderness campground is only by choice! If you do not choose to go, you can choose to go to the Zhong state campgrounds. There's only a 2% mortality rate there. With your strength, you will definitely be the top of the Zhong state campgrounds, and you would safely complete your training without any trouble. In the future, you will also get a good position, slowly rising to the rank of Baron and be a Thousand Households. You can also marry a few wives, and lead a peaceful life as a master, do you want that?" Yan Menglong asked them rhetorically.

Yi Yun and Song Zijun answered at the same time, "We don't!"

Serving safely in the Jin Long Wei for dozens of years and then be decommissioned; eventually, marrying and having children, living a wealthy squire life before dying after a hundred years. Besides leaving behind bones, nothing was left. Neither Yi Yun nor Song Zijun wanted to lead such a life!

A person had to have dreams and pursue them!

Lin Xintong had such strength, yet she still pursued her terminated meridians. Yi Yun naturally did the same thing.

"Very good!" Yan Menglong nodded with appreciation. "If you choose the Divine Wilderness campground, I have to tell you that there are numerous elites in there."

"The Divine Wilderness campground doesn't only have the Jin Long Wei. Out of the three campgrounds I mentioned previously, the former two are run by the Jin Long Wei, but the last Divine Wilderness campground is run by the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. The Jin Long Wei only comprises about 10% of the people in the Divine Wilderness campground."

"Besides the Jin Long Wei, there are also the Qing Luan (Great Argus) Wei, the Royal guards, and children of large family clans and members of the royal family!"

"These troops and family clan elites would all enter the Divine Wilderness campgrounds!"

"Once you enter, you will see what it means to be a genius, and what's monstrous. They have been bathing in drugs from the age of three, reaching Tempered Body at eight years of age. Some might even have a special bloodline, giving them natural strength that makes one envious, and… there are even some geniuses who are considered young Sages!"

"The Divine Wilderness campgrounds has a 20% disability rate and it is no laughing matter. Those who fall are top geniuses. Many geniuses who have died have greater talent than you!"

Hearing Yan Menglong's words, Song Zijun inhaled deeply and clenched his fists. He knew that in the Divine Wilderness campgrounds, no one was weaker than him. There were even many who were stronger than him!

In the entire Divine Capital city, only two were chosen, Song Zijun and Yi Yun. Song Zijun admitted that he was beneath Yi Yun, so he was considered as one of the inferior ones in those who were selected to enter!

By being weak, it would be dangerous. He might end up being one of those in the 20% mortality and disability statistics!

Yan Menglong carried on, "When you go to the Divine Wilderness, you will be representing the Jin Long Wei, and representing the Jin Long Wei Divine Capital branch! Do not be an embarrassment for the Jin Long Wei, and do not embarrass the Divine Capital branch. Most importantly, what I want to tell you is… to come back safely. Life is most important!"

Yan Menglong did not bother to make sure if they regretted their decision because he had found the answer within their eyes.

The Divine Wilderness campgrounds was a challenge, but it was also an opportunity!

The path of practicing martial arts was to go against the Heavens. Those who wanted to achieve much had to charge forward bravely!

"Alright, go back and rest for two days. Early on the third morning, an airship will take the two of you there. Oh yes, I agreed to give you desolate bone relics." As Yan Menglong said that, he flicked his fingers, and two bean-sized crystals flew into Yi Yun's hand.

Back then Yan Menglong had said the winner of the competition would receive not only weapons but desolate bone relics.

"Thank you, General!" Yi Yun caught the two relics with delight. These two things were too critical. Yi Yun had already finished all the fierce bone relics he had accumulated back in the Desolate Human Valley.

A warrior's cultivation needed endless amounts of elixirs and relics. To get a horse to run, it had to be fed.

"Do well! Don't disappoint me!" Yan Menglong patted Yi Yun and Song Zijun firmly on the shoulders and left, leaving behind Yi Yun and Song Zijun, who had mixed feelings.

Song Zijun breathed deeply as he clenched his fists, his fingers trembling.

Yi Yun was surprised at Song Zijun's reaction and asked, "Scared? Excited?"

Song Zijun sighed with his back facing Yi Yun, "Both I guess…"

"General Yan is right, many of those geniuses who have died from missing the goal post are stronger than me! In fact, my strength is nothing when placed there. It might end up that my name will be on that 20% mortality and disability list!"

Yi Yun nodded. The weaker you were, the easier you would be eliminated.

"In the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's 108 states, the Jing state we are in is an average sized state. And just in the Jing state, there are 100 provinces! My Song family clan is considered a pretty good family clan in the Jing state’s Nanjun province, but it’s just one of many! I may not be bad in Nanjun, but it's just not bad. Among the younger generation in the Nanjun, there are many that are much stronger than me. They just didn't enter the Jin Long Wei and went elsewhere!"

"Oh…" Yi Yun understood it deeply. The dominating Divine Capital Jin Long Wei recruit camp was nothing much. They were just another division of the Jin Long Wei. They only held a small spot in the Divine Capital and wasn't the be-all, end-all. Besides, the Divine Capital was just a big city in the Jing state. Placed in the humongous Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, it was nothing.

The world was too large. What would the Divine Wilderness campground with all the young elites of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom be like?

Yi Yun was filled with anticipation!

Yi Yun and Song Zijun encouraged each other. Later, Yi Yun returned to the Soft Clouds Mountain Manor. He had to handle the matters of estate.

But there was not much to handle. Jiang Xiaorou had settled everything. He only bade farewell to Jiang Xiaorou.

Yi Yun was never at ease with Jiang Xiaorou.

Thinking back, the people in his estate were all kind people. They had been carefully selected by himself from the Cloud Wilderness. And because they showed gratitude towards him, they adored Jiang Xiaorou from the bottom of their hearts. So it was unlikely that there would be any trouble.

On the way back, he entrusted Zhang Tan to take care of the Soft Clouds Mountain Manor. With Zhang Tan, he could feel at ease.

At the same time, Yi Yun also hired a few martial artists to protect his house. Occasionally, they could teach Jiang Xiaorou and Zhou Xiaoke martial arts.

It was a helpless case. Yi Yun had rushed to the Divine Capital and then rushed to the Divine Wilderness. He had no time to train Jiang Xiaorou in martial arts. Besides, he was not a skillful master. If only Lin Xintong could train Jiang Xiaorou, it would be great…

Lin Xintong, I wonder what happened to her. She had said her family had summoned her back for something. I wonder what happened…

True Martial World - Chapter 155: Soft Cloud Mountain Manor

Two hours later, Yi Yun took Jiang Xiaorou, Zhou Xiaoke, and the other followers to his land under the Jin Long Wei's guidance.

With the Divine Capital as a city, it was under the Duke of the Jing state, and it was his own territory. As for the other nobles' territory, they were outside the city.

Yi Yun's land was about fifty kilometers away from the Divine Capital, which was an extremely good location.

Upon reaching the land, the people of the Lian tribal clan were amazed.

Yi Yun's land was not some barren land. There was even a house within his land.

To be specific, it was a manor.

Although the courtyard, being half a kilometer in circumference, didn't sound big, it looked spectacular. The houses were close together in a row, and there were pavilions, rockeries, and ponds. It resembled the gardens of Jiangnan.

Such a large manor could hold a few thousand people.

Yi Yun knew that in the mortal kingdom palaces, they were a few kilometers in radius. They could hold thousands of houses and even ten thousand houses. Eunuchs had to ride a horse just to light up the rooms.

"Although a Kingdom Knight was the lowest of all nobles in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, it is still extremely good!" Yi Yun sighed. The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's territory was so vast that it was difficult to measure. So for the normal nobles, they were all given land, but the nobility rank was not hereditary in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. Wealth could be inherited but not the title.

Without the title, one did not have the land. If the next generation was useless, they would have to quickly give up the land.

Hence, the sons of the nobility would often work hard on cultivation. They actually were more stressed than normal people.

After all, after being used to a pampered and decent life, to not be able to maintain it was not only a loss of material goods but a psychological pain of humiliation.

The main entrance to the manor could allow four to five wagons to travel side by side. There was a red lacquer door and it had ingots, the size of a fist, on it.

There were two large stone lions by the door and beside the stone lions, there was a flying fish stone sculpture.

Yi Yun led the people into the manor.

There were lines of red brick walls and glazed tiles. The manor was surrounded by thick century-old trees. There were many pavilions, magnificent buildings, and a wide practice ground. There was also an emerald green pond…

These images were too much for the eye to feast on.

The Lian tribal clan people were all stunned. They had never heard of such a manor, let alone seen one.

In the Cloud Wilderness, they had lived in cottages and the walls were made of mud.

The best ones built their houses out of stone, which was a great luxury.

And Yi Yun's manor was built with fine cement bricks through an arduous process. The resulting bricks were strong and even smooth to the touch.

The wood used to make the house was well-aged pine. As for materials like ‘snow fir’ and ‘golden lines nanmu’, Yi Yun's rank was still insufficient. It was not that he could not afford it, but his rank was not high enough.

The members of the Lian tribal clan did not know the costs of the houses, but if they knew, their jaws would have dropped off.

This was the world of warriors. The materials used by mortals to build houses may sound precious, but compared to the treasures used by the warriors, it was nothing.

Either of Yi Yun's two weapons, the Tai Cang Bow and the Thousand Army Saber was worth more than the entire manor!

At that instant, the people who were unacquainted with the world grew excited from everything that was new around them.

They wanted to touch and to look, but they were afraid they would break something.

"So big, so pretty!" Seeing the scenery, Zhou Xiaoke was filled with joy. She could no longer resist the crystal clear pond. She rolled up her trousers, took off her shoes and jumped into the pond to play. Her pair of tiny feet gleamed, which dazzled others.

She chased after the butterflies in the garden and played with the koi in the ponds. She had a great time playing by herself.

The other Lian tribal clan's children were envious seeing Zhou Xiaoke play like this. Yi Yun had brought many children during this migration as the children were most innocent.

They had simple minds and it was easy for them to become loyal. Actually, Yi Yun did not care about loyalty; all he wanted was for them to not have wicked hearts that harmed people.

On the road to the central plains, these children had been exhorted by their parents that, upon arriving in Yi Yun's house, the boys were to become menservants, and the girls to become maidservants. They had to understand the rules and not do anything they wished like they did in the tribe.

According to the rules of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, they had entered the Kingdom Knight's territory. Their title was "seeking refuge from the master". Besides Yi Yun and his sister, Jiang Xiaorou, all of them, including Zhou Xiaoke were slaves.

So now, they were all reserved and did not dare to enjoy playing like Zhou Xiaoke.

But, having selected these people, he did not treat them as slaves.

Before leaving the Cloud Wilderness, Yi Yun had done a character test on everyone he took away. Those that had questionable characters, had plundered by cajolery and coercion, or had been bullies were left behind in the vast wilderness. They were given some meat and left to run their own course.

This was to prevent the bad people from mixing in.

Some people were innately bad. They wouldn't show gratitude just because they were taken out of the vast wilderness. When Yi Yun was around, they would be servile, but once Yi Yun left, it was hard to tell.

Yi Yun was joining the Jin Long Wei and was destined to train and fight in wars. It would be normal for him to be away from home for several years.

If there were wicked people within his home, they could betray him, erode the benefits of the manor and create all sorts of trouble. They could even do something to Zhou Xiaoke and Jiang Xiaorou. It was something Yi Yun did not wish to think about.

Hence, Yi Yun did not bring more than a hundred people from the Lian tribal clan out of the vast wilderness.

Yi Yun said, "In the future, just treat this manor as the Lian tribal clan. This is our new village. It's just a prettier village.”

“Go ahead and play. There are no restrictions." Yi Yun said casually. The children were initially scared, but Yi Yun smiled and chose a few children he was familiar with and let them lead the other children to play.

Initially, they were all timid, but slowly they opened up and played happily.

They chased each other across corridors, played hide and seek in the rockery and splashed water in the ponds…

The water droplets that splashed up in the air were like pearls in the sun…

To the children of the vast wilderness, everything related to this manor was fresh. It made them excited and fond of it.

Seeing the children's innocent smiles, even the adults had big smiles of satisfaction. Yi Yun was pleased too. He was glad that he had brought happiness to these good, honest people.

"In the future, this manor shall be called the Soft Clouds (Rou Yun) Mountain Manor!"

Jiang Xiaorou was shocked when she heard Yi Yun said it as she turned to face Yi Yun.

Facing the setting sun, Jiang Xiaorou's face suffused a reddish glow, "Soft Clouds Mountain Manor… sounds very good…"

Of course, she knew that Soft Cloud Mountain Manor were parts of her and Yi Yun's name combined together.

In Soft Clouds Mountain Manor, there were clouds and mountains. The clouds were soft and the mountains were green. It was an artistic concept that gave limitless fanciful thoughts.

…

The manor, in addition to the houses, had several thousands of acres of fertile fields. Not only did these fields grow crops, they also grew mulberry and tea leaves.

Beside the fertile fields, there was a large river. Its water entered the fish ponds, and the water could be used for irrigation and fish farming.

Not far off, there were beast pens and horse stables. They could be used to feed the owner's mount and also raise livestock and poultry.

Without any exaggeration, with some salt and metal, this manor could be cut off from the external world and still continue on. All the necessities of life allowed them to be self-sufficient.

Yi Yun let Jiang Xiaorou preside over the distribution of the land. Based on the size of the population, each person was given about a dozen acres. One hundred was probably the optimal number of people that could live in Yi Yun's land.

The people Yi Yun had brought from the Lian tribal clan were now tenants of Yi Yun.

Initially, Yi Yun wanted to take a few percentage of their harvests, but Yi Yun was not going to be limited to this area. Neither did he want to pursue the food that these people survived on. As such, he decided not to take a cut, and all the crop production belonged to the tenants themselves.

Because of this, the Lian tribal clan people were extremely indebted to Yi Yun. Where could someone find such a landlord?

Back in the Lian tribal clan, a large portion of the fruits of their labor was given up. Every month, they would receive only a tiny amount of food from the Lian tribal clan's headquarters.

And back then, the land belonged to the tribe as a whole. But now in the Soft Clouds Mountain Manor, it was all Yi Yun's. Yi Yun had given them fields rent-free and provided them with clothing and shelter. Such a master made them willing to die for him.

When the lands were distributed, the people's mood was indescribable.

They had never seen such broad and fertile land in the vast wilderness. Some old farmers who had been farming for their entire lives burst into tears as they knelt down to kiss the ground. To farmers, the land was life. They had deep feelings for the land that ordinary people could not understand. It was the greatest gift to have land and food to eat.

As Yi Yun's sister, Jiang Xiaorou was the mistress of the manor.

The large fields, with a hundred people, had to be managed properly. Who was to rear fish and who was to man the fields were planned. The finances had to be put in order and the family rules had to be complete.

Yi Yun had to cultivate and had no time for it. Hence, this responsibility fell on Jiang Xiaorou.

Jiang Xiaorou had wisdom that was completely inconsistent with her age. Yi Yun got a few housekeepers from the city to teach Jiang Xiaorou for a few days, and before long, Jiang Xiaorou had already managed to put the manor in good order.

This made Yi Yun rejoice. He had come to this alternate world and gained a sister who cared and took care of him while helping him share his burdens.

After Yi Yun settled the matters of his house, he returned to the Divine Capital and entered the Jin Long Wei camp.

Yi Yun was not someone who would stay in his house, he had to carry on his military career…

True Martial World - Chapter 154: The Second Choice

"Tempered Body, Dragon Pulse! Together with the training from the Flowing Mercury Gown, you are constantly overcoming its binding strength. So your strength is pretty good."

Yan Menglong stroked his chin and nodded, "Having given you such a good bow, don't disappoint me. With this bow, be it out training or to achieving accomplishments in the future, there will be a form of assurance!"

"Thank you, General!" Yi Yun gave his heartfelt thanks. He knew he had revealed enough, resulting in Yan Menglong to show such commitment to nurturing him.

With the Tai Cang Bow slung around his back, Yi Yun took the quiver.

It was filled with Wind Chasing Arrows that were specially made for the Tai Cang Bow. They were made out of frost metal and their fletchings were made from the feathers of a primordial lineage monster bird. Such arrows could not change directions even with a Yuan Qi outburst from an opponent. They were top grade arrows!

Such expensive arrows would be a waste to shoot out. Strong bowmen could attach some Yuan Qi to the arrow’s shaft, retrieving it after shooting it.

After choosing the arrows and bow was the melee weapon!

Yi Yun looked through the entire Divine Capital Armory and he touched every weapon to decide on his selection.

This time, Yan Menglong did not say a thing and let Yi Yun choose by himself.

Yi Yun was unhurried. After two hours, he finally stood in front of a large rock.

There was a saber embedded in this large rock!

Although it was a saber, it looked like a spear.

This saber was six feet in length. Its handle was one foot two inches, resulting in a total length of seven feet two inches. It was almost equivalent to the height of an adult male and was much taller than Yi Yun.

There were silver-gray lines on the long saber's blade that looked like beautiful cracked ice on a lake in winter.

Although the saber was extremely long, it was only two inches wide. The blade's curvature was extremely mild. Together with its length, it made the saber almost straight, and it also felt like a sword.

It was like a saber and a sword at the same time!

It could be used as a saber and it could also be used as a spear!

This saber's exaggerated look reminded Yi Yun of katanas or miaodaos (苗刀) he had seen before. The word "miao" (苗) had nothing to do with addressing citizens but described the miaodao's narrow blade and length, which looked like a sprouted plant.

Of course, compared to the miaodao, katanas or samurai swords, they were much shorter than the saber Yi Yun saw.

The longer the blade was, the stronger each cleave could deliver.

And the narrower the blade, the faster the saber was!

With those two points, a blade master's saber tends to be long and narrow!

But the narrower and longer a saber was, the easier it was to break! It could be broken by an opponent's weapon, broken with Yuan Qi, or even broken by bones.

Katanas and samurai swords were considered long, but they were not made too long for fear of breaking in battle.

In this alternate world, the blade crafting masters could push the narrowness and length to the fullest!

This was because they had absolute confidence in the sabers they created!

It was a real Horse Chopping Saber. A saber was given the name “Horse Chopping” because of its length, which allows it to split a horse into two.

And the saber Yi Yun chose could completely split a horse vertically. He could split an opponent and his horse from head to toe!

"This is it!" Yi Yun grabbed the saber's shaft with both hands and pulled out the saber!

"Weng”” When the blade separated from the stone, its blade gave off a low hum of metal and a surging cold chill. It was like a dragon breaking out of its restraints, giving off an extended roar.

"A good saber!" Yi Yun's eyes lit up and used the saber to demonstrate "Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven"!

Although it was a saber, it was not much different from a sword, hence it suited the "Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven". In an instant, Yi Yun was covered with flashes of light like a snowstorm.

The blade winds generated by Yi Yun left tiny scratches on the walls and ground.

"Enough, stop messing around!" Yan Menglong stopped Yi Yun grumpily, "The Thousand Army Saber! Kid, you sure have thieving eyes!"

This Thousand Army Saber was also made by a master. Although it was worth less than the Tai Cang Bow, it was also one of the best weapons in the Divine Capital Armory.

The Thousand Army Saber was made of Ice Frost metal. On the Ice Frost metal, there were pretty lines, which looked like a cracked ice surface. These lines were not there originally but left there from the arduous forging process.

The Ice Frost Metal had a natural coldness to it. As the material of a saber, immersing the saber into a pond during summer would freeze it.

Using it to cut through other people’s weapons was as easy as cutting through the mud. Other than normal weapons, even Yi Yun's Yanchi saber would not last more than a few strikes against the Thousand Army Saber before breaking!

"Tai Cang Bow! Wind Chasing Arrows! Thousand Army Saber! Kid, you sure got a windfall!" Yan Menglong heart ached from Yi Yun's choice of the Tai Cang Bow and the Thousand Army Saber.

Compared to those two weapons, the two inferior grade desolate bone relics had a much lower value.

"Kid, you aren't even as tall as the saber and you already took away my Thousand Army Saber." Yan Menglong's face looked pissed. The Thousand Army Saber was not much shorter than Yan Menglong, let alone Yi Yun.

"Thank you for the General's generosity!" Yi Yun said it from the bottom of his heart. He knew that although Yan Menglong hated to part with it verbally, he still had the intentions to give Yi Yun both the Tai Cang Bow and the Thousand Army Saber. After all, Yan Menglong was the who purposely brought Yi Yun to choose the Tai Cang Bow.

"With the weapons chosen, the desolate bone relics are not a problem. Following that… there's still your land! F**k, I'm seriously bleeding today!" Yan Menglong swore as he spoke. After affirming Yi Yun, he was more relaxed, and no longer gave off a high and mighty feeling.

Yi Yun sheepishly scratched his head saying, "I came to the central plains with only a few dozen followers. I wouldn't need a large piece of land. A small one would do."

In the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, the monarch had absolute control over a vast piece of land. Below him, there were 108 states that were distributed. Each state was controlled by a duke!

A duke would then split the land further to generals and other state ministers of the vassal state.

The general would then distribute it among the Thousand Households and Kingdom Knights.

Yi Yun was the lowest of the nobles, so his land came from Yan Menglong.

Yan Menglong patted Yi Yun's shoulders and said, "You will soar in the future. Soon, you will be taking some land from the Divine Capital; and when that happens, this land will come back into my hands."

"So, I'll give you a good piece of land. It will make you look good in front of your people and your sister!"

Yan Menglong had been very attentive about Yi Yun. He knew Yi Yun was very close to his sister Jiang Xiaorou.

He took out an animal skin map from his interspatial ring and circled the land to be given to Yi Yun…

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 35: Emperor Ye Qing

As Yu Sheng took a few steps forward, a golden force field surrounded him, just like golden armor.

Mo Lanshan and his people looked very serious. Everyone charged at Yu Sheng with long spears gripped tightly in their hands.

A loud explosion erupted from a single punch from Yu Sheng. Even his fist that he used to enclose the tip of an attacking spear was golden. The point of the weapon was enveloped by his fist when a cracking sound was heard. The point had been broken off by the enormous amount of strength exerted by Yu Sheng.

Ye Futian continued to charge forward. He had no time to waste on these people.

However, Mo Lanshan had no intentions of letting him pass. Avoiding Yu Sheng, Mo Lanshan aimed his ice-frosted spear at Ye Futian.

Ye Futian did not slow down his steps. While in a light sprint, he reached out both of his hands. In a second, bursts of lightning flashed around him.

With the movement of his hands, a storm of lightning and thunder was projected toward Mo Lanshan.

"Excursive Sorcery. You're a Glory Plane sorcerer," knights observing the battle were shocked. The speed in which Ye Futian was cultivating was unbelievable.

Sorcerers had a natural advantage in battles with knights. Even though Mo Lanshan was a three-starred Glory Plane knight, he still did not dare underestimate his opponents, especially if it was Ye Futian.

The intent of battle flowed through the spear, forming a white light around the weapon. Mo Lanshan waved his spear around, and the white light enlarged to cascade around his body; but it was no use against Ye Futian's storm attacks. However, his defensive spear spell was able to create an impenetrable force field around him.

Ye Futian still did not stop proceeding. He was closing in on Mo Lanshan. As a sorcerer, he was supposed to keep his distance while battling with a knight but he chose to ignore this rule. It was easy to tell how confident he was.

"How presumptuous!" Mo Lanshan looked a bit embarrassed. Then, he saw Ye Futian swipe downwards. Almost simultaneously, the thunderous force formed into a flash of lightning, cutting straight through his force field.

A spell, the Thunder Lash. Even though it was only an Awakening level spell, when used by Ye Futian, it was different. It collected an enormous amount of thunderous force and contained the powers of the Glory Plane. To add to this, Ye Futian was a Mandate Sorcerer. His ability to perceive these spells was naturally stronger than others. When he applied these things to his spells, every attack he made would be more powerful than that of others in the same plane.

The lash continued cutting down, the spear in Mo Lanshan's hand shook and was ready to take on the lash.

However, at that same moment, Ye Futian's body became engulfed in flames. Raging flames were radiating off his body and made their way towards Mo Lanshan. Another spell, the Burning of Silence. Although it exhausted a large amount of Fire Elemental Spiritual Qi, it's destructiveness was frightening. It was considered a close-range spell.

The look on Mo Lanshan's face changed drastically. He quickly summoned all the Spiritual Qi in his body and created a force field. It acted as an armor to protect him against the attack of the Burning of Silence. Ye Futian's attacks were so quick that it made it difficult for Mo Lanshan to retaliate. The Burning of Silence was a spell feared by bi-elemental sorcerers because it was able to continuously release spells of different elements for a short period of time.

BOOM! A fist came down on Mo Lanshan's poorly defended head. He was propelled directly to the ground, blood gushing violently from his wound.

Ye Futian simply stepped over Mo Lanshan's body, not even bothering to spare him a glance. Onlookers felt bad for Mo Lanshan. Though Ye Futian had not said a single insulting word, his disregard for Mo Lanshan was even more insulting.

Sorcerers were, indeed, stronger than cultivators of martial arts; but Ye Futian was not exactly an ordinary sorcerer.

When the bystanders looked back to the other battle going on, they saw that Yu Sheng had defeated multiple high-leveled martial arts cultivators. They were confused. Yu Sheng was not using any sorcery, just the pure power of martial arts.

These two were monsters!

When Ye Futian made it to the training grounds, he saw Qin Yi sitting on top of a black qilin, practicing archery. Qin Yi gave off an air of valiance with her hair tied up. Her figure looked extraordinary in the tightly fitted clothing she wore but Ye Futian was in no mood to stop and admire this view. He called out to her, "Senior Sister Qin."

She followed his voice and was confused to see him. She dismounted the black qilin and jogged towards Ye Futian. Still a distance away from him she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"There may be a monster tide erupting on Mount Tianyao. You should inform General Qin as soon as possible," said Ye Futian.

Her gaze froze and her face fell. She then sprinted towards the black qilin and mounted the creature. As they were about to pass by Ye Futian, she said, "Hop on, we'll talk as we go."

Something sparked in his eyes and he got on behind Qin Yi without hesitation.

"What happened?" asked Qin Yi, worried. A monster tide could only mean calamity.

"Yu Sheng has been training on Mount Tianyao and noticed it," replied Ye Futian.

Qin Yi looked serious and said, "Hold onto me."

"Ugh..." Ye Futian hesitated but eventually grabbed onto her when he lost his balance as the black qilin rose into the air. He smiled bitterly and thought to himself, Fox, I'm not doing this on purpose...

On the ground, the people of the School of Martial Arts were speechless as they looked up at the sky to witness this scene. Why was his shameless jerk so popular with beautiful girls? First, it was Hua Jieyu and now that she was gone he was trying to make a move on the goddess Qin Yi.

"You bastard!" Mo Lanshan had just gotten his senses back when he witnessed the scene as well.

BOOM! He did not notice when Yu Sheng came back. A punch landed on his face and Mo Lanshan was thrown on the ground once again.

After hitting Mo Lanshan, Yu Sheng looked up to see Ye Futian leaving with Qin Yi and quietly made his way back home alone. He was mentally cursing Ye Futian as well. He really was a bastard.

In the sky above the City of Qingzhou, the black qilin soared in one specific direction. It was going fast and the wind was whipping against their faces. The situation that Ye Futian and Qin Yi were in was rather questionable, but he had no time to think about that. His only thought was that they had to reach their destination quickly.

However, before they could get there, they noticed a whole flock of black qilins up ahead soaring through the sky. Seeing this, Ye Futian thought, Could it be that word had already reached General Qin?

They caught up with the group very quickly. The person leading the group looked surprised to see Qin Yi. "Young Miss."

"What are you guys doing here?" Qin Yi was equally surprised.

"A monster tide is about to wash through the City of Qingzhou," the leader answered.

"I came for the same reason. Looks like father already knows. Where is he?" asked Qin Yi.

"He's taking care of some business by Lake Qinghai. We rushed here first," explained the leader.

"Okay then. You guys head there first; I'll go to father," suggested Qin Yi. The two parties separated once again. The knights of the Dark qilin Knighthood turned to take a quick glance at the young man sitting behind Qin Yi.

At that moment, outside a restaurant on the lake shore, stood a group of people from the Knighthood. Their gathering attracted a lot of attention. General Qin was having his people surround the restaurant, what was going on?

Naturally, when Ye Futian and Qin Yi arrived, they were met with this scene. They stood behind Qin Shuai, trying not to disturb him. He must be busy with something.

In the restaurant, a group of people appeared. Leading them was a young man. Upon seeing this group, Ye Futian furrowed his brows. He had seen these people before. It was on the night of New Year's Eve and the person leading them was Xia Fan.

"Would General Qin like to join me for a drink upstairs?" asked Xia Fan frivolously.

"Is this the doing of your people?" Qin Shuai asked coldly.

"I don't seem to understand what General Qin is saying." Xia Fan played with his cup and did not look at Qin Shuai.

"The monster tide on Mount Tianyao. Are you really going to put the whole City of Qingzhou in danger for your greed?" questioned Qin Shuai.

"I already said I don't know what you're talking about and please be aware of the tone you use when speaking to me," Xia Fan smiled with his eyes but his attitude was still as arrogant as before. He did not give a crap about the protector of Qingzhou City.

When he finished speaking, the people beside him took a step forward and the tension intensified.

"I can't believe that the City Lord's office and the Murong Chamber of Commerce had something to do with it too," said General Qin as he looked at Wei Feng and Murong Qiu. His sharp gaze caused them to lower their heads, not daring to look him in the eyes.

Finally, his gaze fell back to Xia Fan and told him chillingly, "You want to use Qingzhou City to satisfy your ambitions? I already sent people to spread the news to all of the East Sea Prefecture, that traces of 'him' were found here."

Finishing his words, Qin Shuai turned to leave. Xia Fan's expression darkened, and he glared at Qin Shuai's back, wanting to kill him so badly.

How dare Qin Shuai try to ruin his plans? When Xia Fan had found out about the secret of Qingzhou city, he sent someone to deliver the news back to the East Sea Prefecture. His father then sent a professional. The purpose of that was to keep things under wraps but if Qin Shuai really spread the news, then it was bound to attract attention.

Did Qin Shuai know about this secret early on?

Qin Shuai led the group of knights up into the sky. Quickly, Qin Yi, who was accompanied by Ye Futian followed right behind them. Then, she was beside her father.

"Father, what exactly is going on? Who are those people?" asked Qin Yi.

"Sweetie, the City of Qingzhou is in danger and we don't know what is going to happen next," answered Qin Shuai. "The City of Qingzhou is under the jurisdiction of the East Sea Prefecture and that person before was the son of the prefecture chief. I've been keeping an eye on him since he arrived in Qingzhou City, so I knew that he sent people to Mount Tianyao to search for hidden secrets. I just can't believe he actually found it."

"Mount Tianyao? Secrets?" Qin Yi was even more confused now.

"Long before you were born, my master wanted to obliterate the big demon of Mount Tianyao to save ourselves from future problems. He sent people into the mountains but realized that it was an impossible mission after paying a heavy price. However, he did find something important on Mount Tianyao," Qin Shuai reminisced. His mind seemed to be miles away. To this day, he could never forget the shocking scene he witnessed all those years ago.

"What did you guys find there?" Qin Yi asked.

Qin Shuai looked at his daughter and spoke the forbidden name, "Emperor Ye Qing."

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 34: The Crisis of Qingzhou City

Ye Futian played the guqin for a long while before he stopped. He sighed with a particular sadness. He felt empty deep inside after his fox was gone.

"Stop your fake sadness. The City of Qingzhou belongs to East Sea Prefecture, and the City of Donghai is the capital. You can get there simply by sailing through the East Sea, and I don't believe that you don't know this." Hua Fengliu looked at Ye Futian and said, "I know you'll leave once you reach the Glory Plane. With your talent and effort, it would be several months at most. Don't tell me you have no interest in this."

"Uh…" Ye Futian blinked his eyes and looked at Hua Fengliu. "As much as you already know, could you please just save me some honor? To reveal my plan like this makes me sound like a horrible person."

"How far did you go last night?" Hua Fengliu asked Ye Futian with a smirk.

Ye Futian felt really embarrassed and stressed. He had finally realized there was a difference between a professor and a father-in-law. Apparently, Mr. Hua was transitioning between the two roles smoothly.

His embarrassment actually made Hua Fengliu laugh. He told Ye Futian, "Just stay here until you reach the Glory Plane. You'll make it soon."

"Sure, Pro— father-in-law." Ye Futian understood Mr. Hua's plan. Now his professor was supervising him on behalf of his girlfriend, and the only way to regain freedom was to reach the Glory Plane.

"You glib-tongued boy," Hua Fengliu smiled at him and said, "I will teach you the songs I gave you before."

"Yes, sir." Ye Futian nodded. Since this man was going to be his father-in-law, there was no reason not to obey his orders.

Time passed by and the students of Qingzhou Academy came back to school after the break. Yu Sheng went to Mr. Hua's place to look for Ye Futian. Sometimes they went to Mount Tianyao for cultivation, sometimes they practiced songs in the yard.

One day, Ye Futian was sitting in the pavilion with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he felt that something was happening in his soul. He focused and all the fire-element Spiritual Qi of the universe gathered into a scarlet form around his body.

It was dusk, and the orange sunlight fell on his body. Ye Futian started freedom meditation to perceive the vast essence of the universe. Soon after, constant flames concentrated over his body. It was not merely just Spiritual Qi at all. In fact, it had taken solid form, and the space around Ye Futian was turned into flaming territory.

"Now his Spiritual Qi comes into form." Hua Fengliu happened to pass by and noticed the new progress made by Ye Futian. He smiled, genuinely pleased and proud.

Ye Futian opened his eyes. He laughed and mumbled, "That's the Glory Plane of Sorcery for me."

"Professor," he greeted Hua Fengliu.

"Since you have reached a new level of sorcery, the next step should be to break through in your martial arts," Hua Fengliu smiled and told him, then gave Ye Futian a letter. "Hua Jieyu sent it."

"Fox sent me a letter?" Ye Futian's eyes twinkled. He snatched the letter and could not wait to open it.

The letter said, "You lecherous boy, I dare you not to flirt, or even talk, with other girls while I am away. I know it's just unfair to you that I had to leave. But I promise you that when you come to Donghai city, I will compensate you for everything, big time."

"Compensate me for everything?" Ye Futian felt excited about this "everything." He could not stop thinking about Hua Jieyu's beautiful face and her curvy body that he saw the night before she left. In fact, he almost wanted to leave now.

This girl knew him so well that she was throwing him a daring temptation.

"How do you want to reply?" Hua Fengliu smiled at Ye Futian.

"Professor, you peeked at the letter before giving it to me, didn't you?" Ye Futian demanded when he saw Hua Fengliu's eyes. On the envelope of the letter was written: "Ye Futian's eyes only."

"Huh, why do you think that I would do that?" Hua Fengliu tried to sound harsh.

However, it didn't work at all. The way Ye Futian looked at him indicated that he didn't believe him at all.

"The messenger bird is still here. Reply soon, or I'll let her go," Hua Fengliu changed the topic. Ye Futian was frustrated. His professor was shameless too.

"Help me reply and just say 'Fox, wait for me,'" Ye Futian told Hua Fengliu because he didn't dare add anything else to the reply, since it was apparently being monitored by his father-in-law.

"Okay." Hua Fengliu smiled and left. This snooping had severely damaged the image of his greatness in Ye Futian's mind.

Bang, bang… Someone was stomping on the ground outside. Ye Futian felt like it was almost as strong as an earthquake. Soon, he saw it was Yu Sheng who was charging into the place. He was running so fast that his harsh steps actually cracked the ground.

"What's going on?" Ye Futian knew that there must be a reason for him to be in such a rush.

"A monster tide is coming." Yu Sheng was serious.

Ye Futian was shocked by this news. According to the historical profile, there had been several monster tides over the course of the city's history, and every one of them had been considered catastrophic. Countless people died because of these disasters. The tide stopped three hundred years ago when the nation was unified. In fact, the main reason that Qingzhou Academy was built near Mount Tianyao was to prevent the monster tide. Fortunately, a monster tide had not come once during the last three hundred years. It had been such a long time that people had almost forgotten how horrifying it was.

Hua Fengliu heard what he said, and he suddenly rushed to Yu Sheng's side. "Yu Sheng, are you sure that this is a monster tide?"

"Definitely," Yu Sheng nodded, "And it was possibly manmade. I actually saw some powerful sorcerers driving the monster herd."

"Man-made?" Ye Futian and Hua Fengliu felt terrible about this. The people who had started this monster tide were committing such a serious felony. If the monster herd in Mount Tianyao broke out of the restricted area, thousands of people would die.

"I will inform the academy. Ye Futian, go find General Qin and his daughter," Hua Fengliu commanded.

Ye Futian nodded. He knew that the Dark Kylin Knighthood under the command of General Qin was the most reliable force to help guard the city. If there was indeed a monster tide coming to the city, the force of Dark Kylin Knighthood needed to be activated.

They didn't even think about seeking any help from the City Lord. He had been nominated by the provincial government and was not a native of the city. It was possible he would be the first one to leave when such a crisis came.

Hua Fengliu hurried to the academy right after he made the command.

"Let's move," Ye Futian told Yu Sheng. They left the house, then ran to the location of the Dark Kylin Knighthood.

The official students and general students of Qingzhou Academy were located in different regions. The areas for the cultivation of martial arts and divination arts were also separate.

The School of Martial Arts was located on the mountainside. The arrival of Ye Futian and Yu Sheng quickly raised a lot of attention. They had become quite famous even among the official students. In fact, most of the students had witnessed the fight when Heiyan Academy intruded and challenged them.

"Why are you here?" someone asked.

"I'm here for Ms. Qin. Do you know where she is?" Ye Futian said.

"Looks like it's an emergency." The student looked at Ye Futian, "However, since you have quit the academy, you are not allowed to enter according to the rules."

"This is urgent," Ye Futian insisted.

The student realized that Ye Futian was here to warn of something serious, then he said, "I saw Ms. Qin go to the place of the Dark Kylin. I guess she was going to hone her riding and archery skills. Go ahead and find her."

"Thanks," Ye Futian responded, then ran to the practice area of the Dark Kylin Knighthood. However, on his way there, some people blocked him. Mo Lanshan looked at Ye Futian with contempt and said, "This is the School of Martial Arts. You are not allowed to enter this place. Leave now."

"I have an emergency for Ms. Qin. A monster tide is coming to the city." Ye Futian remembered this guy. The first time his natal spirit awakened, Mo Lanshan had invited Yu Sheng to join the Dark Kylin, and then tried to humiliate Ye Futian badly. A student from the School of Sorcery had once told Ye Futian that Mo Lanshan had feelings for Ms. Qin. It looked like he was jealous now.

"A monster tide hasn't occurred for more than three hundred years in this city. How could this be true without even a slight sign? Even if it was true, how are you the first one to see it coming? Stop trying to look for Qin Yi with such a lame excuse, boy," Mo Lanshan responded in a cold voice. When he was with Qin Yi, he had always talked maliciously about Ye Futian, but what Ye Futian had done just made him look like a total fool. Qin Yi had a bone to pick with him because of his contempt for Ye Futian.

What was intolerable for him was that Ye Futian used to flirt with Qin Yi so often. They had even hugged…

"I have no time for games with you. Back off." Ye Futian meant it. He knew that Yu Sheng would not give a false alarm for such an emergency. If the city were unprepared for the monster tide, buildings would be wiped out, and thousands would die.

Mo Lanshan was humiliated by Ye Futian's attitude. He believed that Ye Futian was embarrassing him only because of his contempt in the past.

"People say that Hua Jieyu has left the city. No wonder you're so desperate. Even someone as talented as you can't be matched with a perfect beauty like her, am I right? And you just changed your target?" Mo Lanshan started to humiliate Ye Futian, believing that Ye Futian was after Qin Yi because he had failed to pursue Hua Jieyu.

Bang! Yu Sheng stomped on the ground, a frenzy of energy all around his body. The group around Mo Lanshan frowned at Yu Sheng, and they prepared to fight. Someone said, "This is our place. You better not try to fight us here."

Ye Futian stared at Mo Lanshan. He was determined, knowing that it was the only way to solve this meaningless quarrel.

"Yu Sheng, are you ready?" Ye Futian asked.

"Sure," Yu Sheng nodded.

Ye Futian gave a simple order. "Go!"

As soon as he finished the command, Yu Sheng charged right toward the group to attack them.

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 33: Parting

The two coasts of Lake Qinghai were where the best restaurants in the city were. All of them had a picturesque view of the water.

There was a group of people seated at the best table in one of those restaurants, enjoying the beautiful sight.

Murong Qiu sat amongst this group. However, he was just a side character. Seated at the same table were people of a higher position than him.

At the head of the table was a young man, Xia Fan. He was a big character from the East Sea Prefecture and beside him sat the son of the City Lord, Wei Feng.

"Murong Qiu, any news from Mount Tianyao?" asked Xia Fan.

"Our people are still clearing the mountains. We got some news this afternoon saying that they found a mysterious area. It's possible that something could be hidden there," Murong Qiu reported.

"If this goes on, my people will have to be buried on Mount Tianyao. Shouldn't both of our groups send some more people over?" suggested Xia Fan.

"I will bring it up with my father when I return," said Murong Qiu. Wei Feng also nodded in agreement.

"Okay," said Xia Fan. He then added, "I hope you were not mistaken."

"The Pavilion Lord of the Earth Elemental Pavilion is my father's. My younger brother and I took care of everything personally. There's no way I could have been mistaken; there was definitely something that looked like a dragon at Mount Tianyao," Murong Qiu reassured him.

"Alright." Xia Fan turned his attention to outside the window. As fireworks filled the sky, two figures by the lake stood out to him. He was captivated by the girl's beauty. He pointed in their direction and asked, "Who are they?"

Murong Qiu looked over. His face frowned when he saw who Xia Fan was pointing at.

"Hua Jieyu, the daughter of Qingzhou City's ace, Hua Fengliu, and Ye Futian. He used to be a disciple of Qingzhou Academy, but left after rebelling against the academy. He is now Hua Fengliu's disciple," Murong Qiu explained.

"Hua Fengliu? As in the Qin Devil Hua Fengliu?" asked the man sitting beside Xia Fan.

"My father did some research on him. He really is known as the Qin Devil in the City of Donghai," Murong Qiu replied.

"If this is true, then that must be the daughter of Hua Fengliu and 'her,'" the man went into deep thought.

"He's the one who had his powers disabled by the Art Saint?" Xia Fan began to show interest. He would never have expected to meet such a legendary character from Donghai City here.

"That's right," confirmed the man. "That girl is a member of 'that family,' so it's best if you don't try anything with her. It'll only be trouble."

He knew exactly what type of person Xia Fan was and felt the need to warn him.

"I know my limits. Let's go say hello," said Xia Fan. He smiled, then got up and began walking out of the restaurant. The man followed behind him, as did the rest of the group. They all left the restaurant and headed toward Ye Futian and Hua Jieyu.

At this moment, Ye Futian and Hua Jieyu were enjoying the view but something felt amiss. They turned their heads and saw the lot headed in their direction. Ye Futian noticed Murong Qiu amongst them and was curious as to what he was up to.

"Miss Hua Jieyu, I am Xia Fan of the East Sea Prefecture," Xia Fan stopped in front of Hua Jieyu, his devilish eyes could not hide his admiration for her. No female he had ever met could compare to her beauty.

"Can I help you with something?" Hua Jieyu's tone was cold and aloof.

"I've always admired the Qin Devil's skills but have not had the honor of meeting him in person. To be able to run into you here is such an honor. Sorry to have disturbed you but if you are willing, please come join us at the restaurant for a meal," said Xia Fan. His smile was warm and inviting. Ye Futian furrowed his brows, he was completely invisible to this guy.

"No," said Hua Jieyu. Even though she was smiling, one could feel that she was trying to distance herself.

Besides Xia Fan, everyone had a strange look on their faces. Was she really going to be so blunt with him?

"I shall be excused then." It took a minute for Xia Fan to speak again. As soon as he turned his back, the smile on his face disappeared, replaced with a stone-cold demeanor.

"Mood ruined," complained Ye Futian. His hand reached out to try and grab Hua Jieyu's.

"What are you trying to do?" asked Hua Jieyu. She laughed and pulled her hand away.

"I thought our relationship was now confirmed," said Ye Futian innocently.

"Yeah, hasn't our relationship already been confirmed?" teased Hua Jieyu.

"Fox, how can you do this to me?" Ye Futian felt wronged. So, he couldn't touch her now that they're dating?

"Doing what to you?" laughed Hua Jieyu. "Now that we're dating, you are forbidden from flirting with other girls. Also, you have to come to me, no matter where I am."

"No, our relationship hasn't reached that point yet," Ye Futian felt like he was being scammed.

"Just you try! Father said that you're not trustworthy, and told me to hurry home. I have to go back," Hua Jieyu looked at Ye Futian. She did not want to leave him. They were going to have to part tomorrow. Would he be upset at her for leaving?

Ye Futian looked sad. Hua Jieyu could not bear to see him like this. She reached her hand out to him.

However, Ye Futian did not take her hand. He continued to look at her, "Do you really have to leave?"

Hua Jieyu knew when Ye Futian said "leave," he did not simply mean their parting right now.

"Parting ways after falling in love with one another, followed by a long journey to reunite. I never imagined my love life to be so melodramatic. Don't you think you're being a little unfair to me?" Ye Futian searched for something in her eyes. He obviously knew the kind of person she was after having spent months together. Even after realizing her feelings for him, there was no way she would pursue him actively. Plus, after what she had said before, Ye Futian knew exactly what was going on.

Hua Jieyu had a sad look in her eyes. She looked down when she felt her eyes begin to water. She did not know how to explain it to him.

"What do you want me to do?" she whispered, lifting her head to meet his eyes once again.

Looking down at her flawless face and puppy dog eyes, Ye Futian felt his heart melt. "If it's going to be melodramatic, so be it. Who told me to fall for a fox?"

The power of beauty was so great.

Hearing his words, she smiled, and her mood picked up. She looked at Ye Futian and said softly, "Okay, I'll make it up to you. What if I don't leave tonight and stay with you?"

"Umm... Aren't we going a little too fast?" asked Ye Futian, bright-eyed. Tonight? Stay with him?

Upon seeing the perverted look on his face, Hua Jieyu lifted her foot to stomp on Ye Futian. "What kind of dirty thoughts are you having? I didn't mean it like that."

"Like what?" Ye Futian blinked at her innocently.

"You...I regret everything I just said," she said. Before she could turn to leave, Ye Futian grabbed her by the arm and said, "I'll walk you back."

"Okay," Hua Jieyu nodded quietly, not trying to fight him on the subject. She let Ye Futian take her hand as they walked.

"Let's go take a boat," said Ye Futian. She nodded again, and they walked to the dock. After boarding the boat, they sailed down Lake Qinghai.

On the lake were many other boats. The surface of the water reflected the sky, lit up with fireworks. The couple sat next to each other at the front of the boat, leaning on one another like a picture, which attracedg looks of admiration from passengers on passing boats.

From across the water, a boat occupied by several people approached them. Two of them were shocked to see Ye Futian and Hua Jieyu.

"General Qin; Senior Sister Qin Yi," Ye Futian called out to greet them.

General Qin was dressed casually. He looked like any ordinary person, spending New Year's Eve with his family. Seeing who Ye Futian was with, General Qin gave him a thumbs-up.

"How romantic," teased Qin Yi.

Ye Futian chuckled as if he was caught doing something wrong. Another boat floated past them and they heard someone say, "Senior Sister, you have a really nice figure!"

By reflex, Ye Futian nodded and he hummed in agreement. He realized what he had just done immediately and turned towards Hua Jieyu, only to see her smiling wryly at him.

"But I still like you better," he blurted out quickly.

She huffed and turned away from him to stare ahead. Next, she felt an arm wrap around her waist. At first, she froze but then her body relaxed, tilting toward him and she laid her head on his shoulder. At that moment, everything was peaceful and beautiful. They felt closer than they ever had.

By the time Ye Futian and Hua Jieyu made their way back to her residence at Qingzhou Academy, it was already late at night. Compared to the busy city streets, the campus was dead silent. Hua Fengliu had already gone to sleep.

Stepping into her room, Hua Jieyu realized Ye Futian was still following behind her and her face flushed red.

"You're not going to kick me out this late at night, are you? It's dangerous out there," Ye Futian got his words in before Hua Jieyu could say anything. When he saw how hard she was glaring at him, he added, "Do you have the heart to do that?"

"You have your own room," she said to the shameless young man.

"You're leaving tomorrow. I just want to spend a little more time with you. I don't even know when I'm going to be able to see you again," he told her in a soft voice. Even though Hua Jieyu knew he was just trying to sweet talk her, her heart still softened. She'd allow this as compensation.

Walking next to the bed, she took off her outerwear, revealing her curvaceous figure. Ye Futian's eyes lit up. Hua Jieyu chuckled as she watched him. "How's my figure?"

"Perfect," answered Ye Futian, feeling a bit warm.

Hua Jieyu felt proud. She then climbed in between her sheets and had her back facing him as she blushed hard.

What a tease! complained Ye Futian. Women really did hold grudges...

"I can't see you this way," said Ye Futian but Hua Jieyu ignored him. However, she turned around to face him moments later and said, "Stay there, don't come any closer."

After that, she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.

Ye Futian sat there quietly and admired her beauty. Looking at her brought him warmth.

It seemed like a long time had passed when Hua Jieyu opened her eyes again to find that Ye Futian was still watching her. Gently, she whispered, "I can't fall asleep."

"Let me play a song for you," he said lovingly. He left his seat, and seconds later the sound of the guqin floated into her room.

It was peaceful and serene. The song flowed beautifully, full of love, but also with a hint of sadness. Hua Jieyu closed her eyes once again and drifted off to sleep. Quietly, two streams of tears rolled off her smiling face.

So, this was love. The warmth of a first love, the fluttering of your heart when he held your hand, and the sadness of parting.

...

Divine Prefecture Calendar, Year 10000. The morning of the first day of the new year.

A large black eagle descended upon Qingzhou Academy. It waited outside of Hua Fengliu's residence. Inside, Hua Jieyu was getting ready. Dressed in a long green dress, she lived up to her name as a goddess. Her beautiful smile never left her face.

As she approached the entrance of the residence, she looked back at Ye Futian. He was still playing the guqin. However, his eyes were fixed on her. They looked into each other's eyes and shared a smile. The look they shared bore a million unsaid words.

There was no promise to be together forever; no promises of "till death do us part;" just one smile. After that, Hua Jieyu left. She settled atop the black eagle and then was off into the sky. Very quickly, they disappeared into the clouds.

Ye Futian continued to play his instrument. Beside him, a handsome figure dressed in white stood silently and watched Ye Futian.