True Martial World - Chapter 175: Luohuo Association

Thinking that Yi Yun was making a fuss, Wang grunted, "Is it strange to have a record? Although herb-picking has no future, the divine city will still recognize and reward those who work hard at one job and specialize in it. In the divine city, anything that can be quantified will have a record, including things like forging! As for the herb-picking record, that was from two to three thousand years ago. The person who breaks a record will get a one-time reward of 10,000 dragon scale runes and a glory point."

10,000 dragon scale runes?

And a glory point!

Yi Yun's eyes lit up. 10,000 dragon scale runes were enough for him to cultivate within the Wilderness Divine Hall for 20 hours!

Besides that, there was a glory point. This was even greater. The most precious things in the Tai Ah Divine City could only be exchanged using glory points.

In the entire Tai Ah Divine City, 95% of the cultivators did not even gain a single glory point in their entire six years!

This showed how hard it was to obtain glory points!

To an ordinary warrior in the divine city, glory points were an unattainable thing.

Breaking a record gave high rewards; even if it was some unimportant little record, it was still extraordinary!

Yi Yun excitedly pinched the pages with his thumb and forefinger and flipped page by page. The herbs produced by the Tai Ah Divine City Herbal Mountain had very clear categories.

The most common herbs had ranks of Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow.

The most commonly found herbs were ranked Mystic or Yellow. The corresponding amount of dragon scale runes was relatively smaller.

Upon reaching the Earth-ranked herbs, things became amazing. One herb could be exchanged for a sizable amount of dragon scale runes.

But Earth-ranked herbs were difficult to find.

Moving up, there were Heaven-ranked herbs like Phoenix feathers or Qilin horns. By having one lucky encounter, one could obtain a massive amount of dragon scale runes!

Zhong Yi, who broke the herb-picking record many years ago, had obtained more than 19,000 dragon scale runes in two months because he had picked a few Heaven-ranked herbs!

But… Heaven-ranked herbs were not the best herbs. Moving up, there were primordial herbs, immortal herbs, primal herbs and other different strains of divine medicine.

These herbs had ridiculous value!

But, this manual had no record of them...

Oh? Why were there no records of the awards for the primordial herbs, was it because the cultivators from the Tai Ah Divine City had no chance of picking them?

If that was the case, how would the rewards be paid out if one found primordial herbs?

Yi Yun thought about this and asked Wang, "Might I ask a question? If I were to break the herb-picking record, will I be able to leave a name on Sage Avenue?"

Upon hearing Yi Yun's inquiry, Wang became impatient. She gave Yi Yun a glance which spelled out, "does this have anything to do with you?"

She tested her patience saying, "The people who can leave their names on Sage Avenue completed a tough task that showcased their strength, showing that they have a chance to become a Sage in the future."

"As for jobs like herb-picking, it doesn't reflect one's strength. Even if you break the record, it has nothing to do with being a Sage in the future. You will only have your name written on the exchange booklet."

"I see."

Actually, Yi Yun did not mind even if could not leave his name on Sage Avenue. All he cared about was the benefits. "Then allow me to ask more, is there a fixed amount of time for picking herbs? It says here that Senior Zhong Yi took exactly 60 days. Does it mean everyone is given 60 days?"

"Why are you asking so much? Could it be that you want to break the record?"

The Wang woman rolled her eyes at Yi Yun, and many surrounding girls managed a laugh.

Yi Yun scratched his head and gave an innocent little brother-next-door look, saying, "I'm just a kid asking, nothing else."

"The herb-picking record is indeed for a period of two months. As for breaking this record, stop dreaming about it. This record has been there for thousands of years. Are you done asking?"

"Eh… One last question..." Yi Yun said weakly.

"Just say it!" Wang was rendered speechless. This kid just keeps going on and on!

"Oh… It's this. There's this question a kid like me wants to know. If I were to pick a primordial herb or a primal herb, will there be a special reward? I tried looking in the manual, but there's nothing about it..."

When Yi Yun asked that question, Wang nearly threw her mirror.

She widened her pair of slender, mean eyes and looked incredulously at Yi Yun as if she was trying to tell if this youth had any mental problems.

"What did you say?"

Other than Wang, everyone in the vicinity looked strangely at Yi Yun.

This kid actually asked if there was a reward if he picked a primordial-ranked treasure?

"Oh..." Yi Yun gave a look of innocence. Was such a big reaction necessary...

"Pfft!"

A few female herb-gatherers couldn't help but laugh, and their voices rang out beautifully like a bell.

"Little brother, you sure know how to dream. Let's not talk about the rarity of the primordial herbs, the Tai Ah Divine City herbal mountain might not even have it. But the crux of the issue is, the entire herbal mountain is horrendously large. Finding a divine herb is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even if you have god-defying luck and chanced upon a primordial herb, don't even think about picking it. These herbs have a spirit within them. They can hide! Let's not talk about primordial herbs, even Heaven-ranked herbs are difficult to pick. They have all sorts of ways to protect themselves. You can walk by one without even knowing it!"

"Oh? There's such a thing?" Yi Yun looked at the female herb-gatherers with surprise. The herbs he picked in the tiny tribal clan were normal herbs. Yi Yun had never heard of herbs growing a spirit.

"Of course! Little brother, you really have a lot of questions. If you can really pick a good herb, the divine city will reward you and never let you down, or even give you less than the value of the herb! The crux is, can you even pick one?"

"The divine city is very generous to us cultivators. In recent years, there were even some descendants from family clans who mixed in some herbs that they brought from their family, pretending they were harvests from the divine mountain to exchange for the rewards from the divine city. I haven't heard of anyone picking herbs who tried to keep it for themselves!"

"But then again… Those Heaven-ranked herbs and above have never been picked by anyone in the past couple years. We cultivators who come to pick herbs don't have the ability, so if the divine city's Elders need any Heaven-ranked herb or above, they would have to pick it themselves. But that is a huge waste of time and effort, so the Elders are not willing to waste time. Even after putting so much effort, there is no guarantee of finding one. If someone were to find such a drug, the Elders will be very happy and would give out a generous reward, but… it's impossible finding one even if you wanted to!"

"Thank you, Sister." The female herb-gatherer's words made Yi Yun excited. It seemed like as long as he picked good herbs, the rewards given by the divine city would be amazing!

Firstly, it was because the Tai Ah Divine City was generous to cultivators and willing to nurture talent. The second reason was that the Tai Ah Divine City's herb mountain's herbs were grown due to the Heaven Earth Yuan Qi, and were not intentionally planted by the Tai Ah Divine City.

The herbs were considered part of the Divine Wilderness's wealth, and the Divine Wilderness was the common treasure of the entire world's warriors.

"I guess it would be difficult for me to pick a primordial herb… I might be able to find a herb with spirit within it, but to catch it… difficult!"

Yi Yun knew his own strength. The primordial herbs were definitely not easy to catch.

There were all sorts of treasures in the Divine Wilderness's herb mountain. Whoever had the skill could pick it.

"Little brother, what's your name?"

The female herb-gatherer found Yi Yun amusing, his words were silly and goofy as if he was not right in the mind.

It is indeed true that newborn calves are not afraid of tigers.

These fifteen-year-old girls liked such a handsome and innocent little boy because they found him adorable.

"Oh… My name is Yi Yun."

Seeing the female herb-gatherers looking at him as if he was an object of amusement, Yi Yun was speechless. He was an adult but was found to be amusing by these fifteen-year-old girls, this made Yi Yun at a loss of whether to laugh or to cry.

"So it's Little Brother Yi Yun. Alright, I'll remember you. My name is Zhao Qingcheng, just call me Sis Qingcheng in the future."

Sis Qingcheng?

Yi Yun rolled his eyes. As if I would call you Sis Qingcheng.

Zhao Qingcheng could tell that Yi Yun had no interest in her, and deliberately elongated her tone saying, "Little Brother Yi Yun, this sister is from the Luohuo Association!"

"Luohuo Association? Oh?" Yi Yun paused for a while, finding the name familiar. He guessed that Zhao Qingcheng had used her background to prove her strength. It was probably some large sect...

"Is that the name of your sect?" Yi Yun asked casually, without any interest.

Zhao Qingcheng managed another laugh and chattered, "Little brother, you sure are cute. In the Tai Ah Divine City, many of the cultivators will form an association amongst themselves. The purpose of the association is to let the members help each other through the sharing of resources, and trading."

"The Tai Ah Divine City has all sorts of fierce competition. Forming a group has its advantages. Our Luohuo Association is the biggest association in the Tai Ah Divine City. The Luohuo Association’s president is Luo Huo'er who is number one on the Man roll of honor. You must have heard of it!"

So it was Luo Huo'er!

Yi Yun, of course, remembered Luo Huo'er. It was no wonder he found the name Luohuo Association familiar. This Luo Huo'er had used her own name to create an association.

"This Tai Ah Divine City sure is complex. The cultivators even form their own societies..." Yi Yun secretly thought about it. But it was a rational choice. The people who came to the Tai Ah Divine City were all capable people. Forming an association and deepening each other's relationships was beneficial to their own future development and other aspects.

As strength came from unity, an association's strength naturally exceeded that of an individual.

True Martial World - Chapter 174: Even picking herbs has a record?

Yi Yun said, "Thank you for Instructor Qin's advice. I understand your good intentions."

However perfect people may be, someone better will always appear. He had barely inserted a single Primal Arrow, but a genius youth from a reclusive family had inserted seven.

The gap was obvious.

Baldy Qin's eyelids jumped, "Can you tell me your reason?"

He felt that for Yi Yun to stick to his beliefs meant that he had to have some reason, or else it would be too difficult to understand.

Yi Yun said, "There's no special reason. In the past, I picked herbs every day to earn a living when I was in the Cloud Wilderness. Once I could walk, I began picking herbs. Thus, after all these years, I have accumulated some experience picking herbs. Also, I have some talent in picking herbs, so I think I will do well."

Yi Yun casually gave an explanation, but when this fell onto the surrounding people's ears, they were stunned and looked at Yi Yun oddly.

Cloud Wilderness? Picking herbs to earn a living?

The young warriors present had sometimes gone to pick herbs, but that was only when they were searching for treasures that could aid in their breakthroughs. Who needed to pick herbs for a living?

They did not believe that one of them was previously a medicine boy, and was even from the Cloud Wilderness?

They knew Yi Yun's strength was greater than theirs!

This made it even more difficult for them to accept… A medicine boy from the poor, barren Cloud Wilderness was better than all of them who came from family clans?

It made them speechless. It was like a mule had infiltrated a group of horses and then it defeated all of the horses.

A mule was not necessarily worse than a horse. It excelled in endurance and strength, and it ate less. Although a horse was weaker, making it unable to do heavy work, it was better at running fast. It could be said that each had their own advantages, but… no one would wish they were the hard-working mule instead of the horse.

Now, the group of horses could choose a job that could hone their abilities, yet Yi Yun had chosen to pick herbs.

It was like the horses had chosen to go on the battlefield, but the mule had chosen to go mill grinding. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

And the reason was, he had done this in the Cloud Wilderness and it was his trade.

Besides, he even said he had talent in picking herbs.

This made them at a loss on whether to laugh or to cry. What talent was there in herb picking? Who couldn't pick herbs?

"This kid! What the hell?" Zhou Kui gave a frowning look at Yi Yun. He had engaged with Yi Yun a few times, and except for not necessarily losing the last round, he had lost the other two times. He knew of Yi Yun's strength, making him curious.

"Don't mind him, Brother Kui. I guess this kid must have been hooked on being a bumpkin. People who come from the vast wilderness have a special way of thinking..."

"Old Xiong is right. Brother Kui, since we have come to the Tai Ah Divine City, we need to quickly accumulate dragon scale runes to increase our strength. This way we can go out to hunt or engage in other high-risk, high-reward jobs. How can picking herbs be a fast way of accumulating dragon scale runes? This kid Yi Yun may be slightly stronger than us, but since he wants to take the road of ruin, no one can stop him. Perhaps, he will drown in an ocean of people in the future, and he will become a stepping stone for us to trample upon."

The people from the Xuanwu Army privately transmitted their voices. They were complete strangers to Yi Yun, so they would not say much. It should be said that for someone to make a foolish decision, they would actually gloat, as they were all competitors!

Baldy Qin shook his head. Finally, he gave up on persuading Yi Yun. He said, "Then take care of yourselves. Among the rookies every year, there will be a few exceptional ones. In two years time, both Qiuniu, Chu Xiaoran will become the Yang Qian and Yao Dao you saw previously!"

"The two of them have the chance to enter the top 1000 spots in the Heaven or Earth roll of honor within a year, but you? How long would it take you to enter the top 1000? Furthermore, will you even be able to enter the top 1000 before you leave the Tai Ah Divine City?" Saying those words, Baldy Qin left.

Baldy Qin had said that whoever managed to enter the top 1000 places in the Tai Ah Divine City would receive the attention of all the various large factions within the divine kingdom.

To enter the top 1000 in one year meant that it was easy to enter the top 200 in two years. At three years, it would be the top 50-60. When leaving the Tai Ah Divine City after six years, they were likely to enter the top 5 or top 3, or even be the first!

Being first in the Tai Ah Divine City's roll of honor sounded too far off. The person taking that spot was someone who Yao Dao and Yang Qian were a far cry from.

And Yao Dao and Yang Qian were someone that they were too far behind to catch up with.

The gap was obvious.

Yi Yun ignored the opinions of others. After he had his dinner, he went straight back to his residence. He began meditating, allowing his body to slowly fuse with the primordial strain essence.

After a night...

When the sky lit up, the Tai Ah Divine City was still filled with fog. After Yi Yun finished washing up, he prepared to report for his job.

Song Zijun, who lived close to him, had also come out.

Today, Song Zijun had changed into an ordinary combat shirt and looked less like a wealthy scion. He had a rustic flavor that looked somewhat unpolished.

"Yi Yun, picking herbs is such a waste of your talent. Your movement skills at your age, are the best I've seen in my whole life!" Song Zijun was still completely puzzled over Yi Yun's decision.

The most important part about being a sparring partner was not to be resilient against attacks. Even if you were resilient against attacks, you would still get beaten down after being hit multiple times. The most powerful sparring partner was the type that could dodge attacks and protect himself.

Yi Yun had entered the large success stage of Minute Subtlety, meaning he would have great benefits as a sparring partner. Song Zijun was actually very envious, but now, Yi Yun had chosen to pick herbs, which was a waste of a treasure.

"Are you really not thinking of following me?" Song Zijun still felt some regret over Yi Yun's decision.

"No." Yi Yun smiled and waved at Song Zijun.

Song Zijun shook his head, "Forget it, you have your own decisions. My thoughts might not suit you..."

Ever since Yi Yun managed to reach the threshold of the large success stage of Minute Subtlety, Song Zijun had greatly admired Yi Yun. Although Yi Yun's decision was odd, Song Zijun believed that Yi Yun had his reasons...

Fifteen minutes later, Yi Yun reached his job's location. The different types of miscellaneous jobs had their own respective locations.

Since sparring was very popular, it resulted in a surplus of applicants, producing a long line.

But the job of picking herbs was much quieter.

When Yi Yun reached his destination, he found a few girls who were arranging the herbs leisurely.

When these girls saw Yi Yun, they were a bit surprised. When they saw that Yi Yun was in rookie attire, it was apparent that he was a rookie that had just entered the Tai Ah Divine City. To be a boy and pick herbs as a rookie was unbelievable.

Boys who occasionally came to pick herbs usually suffered some injuries, resulting in them being unfit for sparring or forging; hence, they came to pick herbs.

Yi Yun ignored the girls, reported his name and received a drug basket, a jade box to hold the herbs, and a map of the herb mountain.

The person-in-charge was a woman in her thirties with last name Wang. She was indifferent with Yi Yun's arrival, and she just kept looking into her mirror. She kept fiddling with a lock of her hair, but she was never satisfied with whatever position it was in.

Even as the herb-picking person-in-charge, she herself felt that herb-picking was a dead-end business. Seeing Yi Yun coming to dawdle at his young age made her have no good feelings for Yi Yun.

"That… Sister… May I ask how many dragon scale runes will be received in exchange for the herbs picked by me?"

Wang glanced at Yi Yun and placed her mirror down. This was probably because Yi Yun used the word "Sister" making her feel good; hence, she grew some patience for this lazy child who came to pick herbs. She threw a manual at Yi Yun and said, "This is the exchange table of the herbs and dragon scales. Look at it yourself."

Yi Yun caught the manual and flipped to the first page. Seeing the words on the first page, Yi Yun was shocked.

The first page wrote—

"Qingli Year 82, Zhong Yi picked 315 kilograms of herbs using 60 days, obtaining 19,260 dragon scale runes. He had broken the records of the ancestors. This record is to encourage future generations!"

Record? This can't be...

"Even a miscellaneous job like picking herbs has a record?"

Zhong Yi, in 60 days, broke a record picking herbs!

True Martial World - Chapter 173: Ways to earn Runes

"Worm rearing?"

Hearing Baldy Qin's analogy, the young heroes felt disgruntled. They were all outstanding figures from their own lands, but the first thing they encountered in the Divine Wilderness City was for them to be fodder.

To gather all of them, it was only to make them fight against each other, eliminating the weak to decide who was the king worm!

Baldy Qin said, "Only the strongest from a circle of mighty warriors is the real king. Your circle decides your future. Hence, all of you are competitors! Human peerless experts come from stepping on numerous geniuses to reach the pinnacle of martial arts!"

"Not a single Sage is produced from a million people. How many young warriors have to be stepped on for a Sage to be born in the Tai Ah Divine City? The Tai Ah Divine City gives everyone the same conditions. It all depends on you, whether you become a peerless expert or a stepping stone that will be trampled on," Baldy Qin said with no holds barred.

Upon hearing this, the young warriors were filled with mixed emotions.

Success was built on a foundation of thousands of skeletons. No one wanted to become a stepping stone for others to trample on them.

Immediately, many of the youths felt a crushing sense of danger.

Whether it was the Wilderness Divine Hall's temptation, the thirst to accomplish great achievements, or the strong sense of danger, they were all spurred on to continue climbing higher.

Humans were never satisfied. Many of the young warriors present were from good family clans and they came to this mysterious sacred land, the Tai Ah Divine City, for cultivation, which was brilliant in and of itself.

But they knew that they were now being saddled with pressures.

Some of them had to face fierce competition within the family for resources and stature. Some had to shoulder the heavy burden of the family's prosperity. How could they become fodder? The pressure that they faced was not any better than the pressure Lian Chengyu faced before the kingdom's selection.

Most of the young heroes from every corner of the divine kingdom had to settle for miscellaneous jobs to earn dragon scale runes. The experiences they had in the Tai Ah Divine City made them understand that however perfect people may be, someone better will always appear. By not exceeding others, they had to begin from zero.

"There are about ten types of miscellaneous jobs. There is no fixed compensation. However much you make depends on your own skill! But generally speaking, there are some errands that are more profitable than others. I'll begin from the highest!"

"The highest is to be a sparring partner! Some veteran cultivators will need someone to spar with them during their cultivation. After wearing protective gear, you will spar with them. Upon enduring a certain amount of time, you will receive a corresponding amount of dragon scale runes. If you have some skill, you can take on sparring missions with rich people and the corresponding compensation will be significantly more. Of course, it is also easy to get injured. Additionally, it is highly likely that you might end up bedridden for half a month."

Sparring? Isn't that just being a punching bag for others?

These young warriors were prideful people. If it was in the past, they would find it unacceptable to do such shameful jobs. But after hearing Baldy Qin's words and after undergoing the training, their pride had received repeated blows. They did not mind anymore, because without strength, how were they qualified to speak about dignity? Besides, being a punching bag was better than being fodder.

To become an expert, one had to bear the weight, and they had to learn how to take a beating!

"The second highest is forging! None of you have the ability to refine weapons, but it's alright. Parts of the weapon refining process requires the forging of some special metals. Using a forging hammer, you need to forge it a million times and up! If you think you have the exceptional strength needed, then you can take on this mission!"

"The third is to patrol the walls and maintain the ballistae on the walls! This is a demanding job that requires you to know arrays."

"These three are the highest paying jobs. Following that there are more relatively common ones, like standing guard on the school ground or the city entrance."

"Or taking care of the spirit beasts reared in the Tai Ah Divine City's beast pens, picking herbs, managing the distribution of daily necessities, etc. The last few are usually done by females."

Baldy Qin finished introducing the various jobs. Upon hearing them, many of the youths felt that the first three were much more reliable.

The first one, which was to be a punching bag, didn't sound good, but by sparring with an expert, they could learn the offensive skills of the other. By dodging and getting beaten, they could gain the experience of fighting with an expert. Besides, the pay was good, which made it the most suitable job.

"I'll apply for the first!"

"I'll apply for the first too, as a sparring partner!"

The youths present immediately expressed their wishes. Baldy Qin's memory was good, and he remembered everyone's application.

"I'll apply for the second one, forging! My strength is pretty good. By hitting a few hundred thousand times, it can also train my strength! By then, I refuse to believe that I cannot pierce this purple tungsten wall 40-50 times with the Primal Arrows!" Zhou Kui rolled up his sleeves and said with a low muffled voice. He too wanted to stretch himself to obtain good results. He had received too much shock in just one day!

"I'll apply for the first… sparring." Song Zijun said. Among the group of people, he could feel the pressure. Although they were said to be weak by Baldy Qin, compared to them, Song Zijun was weaker than more than half of them!

There was fierce competition, even for doing miscellaneous jobs!

After making his decision, Song Zijun looked at Yi Yun, along with Baldy Qin.

Up to this point, Yi Yun's performance was the most outstanding.

Although it had not amazed Baldy Qin, he believed that with six years of training, Yi Yun would definitely shine. Although it was impossible for Yi Yun to enter the top 1000 in the first year, he had great promise to enter the top 1000 within three years.

Baldy Qin also wished that he could nurture a talented person.

Yi Yun thought for a while and smiled, "I'll apply for… erh, herb-picking…"

Yi Yun's simple sentence shocked the young heroes present.

Herb-picking?

Baldy Qin also slightly raised his eyebrow. Very few of the students he had taken in had applied for picking herbs, and they were all female.

After all, females could only be sparring partners for other females for modesty issues. If there were too many sparring partners, men could still do other jobs like forging. Females were not suitable for forging as it usually required going bareback. Similarly, patrolling and maintaining the ballistae were typically not something girls did.

Hence, those girls, who couldn't be sparring partners, ended up with jobs like picking herbs, taking care of the spirit beasts, and distributing materials.

But Yi Yun, who Baldy Qin felt had good prospects, wanted to pick herbs?

As such, the other young warriors looked at Yi Yun weirdly.

Isn't this guy pretty strong?

With his abilities, he would do well either in sparring or forging. Why would he pick herbs?

It can't be for him to get to know girls while picking herbs, and then trick them into giving their bodies to him? Or to push them down in the herb mountain and do it in the wild?

Many people thought negatively of Yi Yun, for they could see no reason for him to enter the female bunch.

"Herb-picking? Are you sure?" Baldy Qin looked Yi Yun in the eye, hoping to see Yi Yun change his decision.

"Yes! I'm sure." Yi Yun nodded.

Baldy Qin squinted his eyes as if he saw something from Yi Yun's body.

"Today I'll submit the name list. Once it is submitted, there can be no more changes in the next three months. Not only is picking herbs slow at making dragon scale runes, it also does not help much in training your strength. I'll ask you one more time, are you sure you want to pick herbs?"

"I am sure!" Yi Yun replied calmly and firmly.

The surrounding people were speechless. It was clear that Baldy Qin was appreciative of Yi Yun for him to say that much, but Yi Yun did not appreciate the favor.

Instructor Qin frowned, but finally, he shook his head. The decision was up to the trainee and he would not interfere. Since Yi Yun had made the decision, it was not up to him.

"Alright! I'll apply for the herb-picking job for you. I'll give you a word of advice. In the Tai Ah Divine City, slightly exceptional people aren’t that great. It is very easy for them to drown in the vast sea of people, never to be seen again."

"Among the 2000 rookies this time, there were several good seedlings. The 100 people, that is you who came from the Jing state or the southeastern states near the Jing state, are greatly lacking when compared to the Zhong state or the Imperial City, or those that were directly referred from the reclusive families."

"You probably do not know this. A day ago, in this school ground, a genius youth rookie by the nickname of 'Qiuniu' pierced this purple tungsten wall seven times. He was from a reclusive family clan!"

"And two days ago, a girl from the imperial city managed to gain some nomological insight from the primordial strain sculpture in the Wilderness Divine Hall! The girl's name is Chu Xiaoran and she is the beloved daughter of the Defender Duke of the Tai Ah imperial dynasty!"

Instructor Qin's words made everyone's eyelids twitch.

The Defender Duke's beloved daughter…

Genius youth from a reclusive family clan…

A Defender Duke was a Duke of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. A Duke together with the words "Defender" in his title made him an official of the highest level!

As for the reclusive family clan, that was even more terrifying.

In the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, some of the large family clans had family heritages that were unfathomably deep, and they might even be comparable to the royal family.

Some of these family clans had a longer history than the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. Some of them existed before the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom was built, or even a few dynasties before, as they passed down one generation to the other.

Some family clans had helped the founding divine emperor of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom gain its territories. As such, they were given nine big states of the divine kingdom's territories by the founding divine emperor as their eternal fiefdoms.

These family clans had marriages with the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom royal family for generations, creating an integral relationship between the two. It could be said that these family clans was the reason why the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom could last for so many years!

Due to the detachment of these family clans, ordinary people had no access to them. Hence, they were called reclusive family clans, not because they were really hidden.

As for Zhou Kui and company, they came from large families, but their families were from the Jing state or the surrounding small states. That kind of families just occupied a small province of a state.

A provincial family clan had no way to compare with the reclusive family clans at the divine kingdom level.

True Martial World - Chapter 172: Dragon Scale Runes

Yi Yun and company's training lasted all the way till sunset.

Including Yi Yun, all of them were exhausted. They felt like a layer of skin had been peeled off.

But, all the way until the end, there were only ten people who could lift the Primal Arrow. Among those ten, besides Zhou Kui and Yi Yun, the rest were Xuanwu Army members who had rested for a long time. They could just about manage to lift the Primal Arrow in a better condition.

But no one left a mark deeper than one foot in the purple tungsten wall using the Primal Arrow.

"From today onwards, you can come to this school ground to train at any time. This purple tungsten wall is for you to use! Thirty days! I will give you thirty days time, if anyone can pierce three Primal Arrows into the purple tungsten wall by then, I will reward him with two hours of cultivation time in the Wilderness Divine Hall!" Just before dismissing them, Baldy Qin suddenly said those words, stirring the hearts of the youths.

A reward of cultivation time in the Wilderness Divine Hall?

Not only Yi Yun, everyone else was also yearning to cultivate in the Wilderness Divine Hall. The primordial strain sculptures in the Wilderness Divine Hall was extremely beneficial for them! If they could enter occasionally, their cultivation level would increase by leaps and bounds!

But… there was no doubt that it was not an easy task to stick three Primal Arrows into the purple tungsten wall in thirty days. And… the reward given by Baldy Qin was only two hours.

Either Baldy Qin was stingy, or the cultivation time within the Wilderness Divine Hall was too precious, making it difficult to enter!

"Instructor Qin, if one wants to spend dragon scale runes to enter the Wilderness Divine Hall, how much is it?" Someone could not help but ask.

Instructor Qin sneered, "Heh! All of you look like a group of defeated soldiers! If I said it crudely, letting the current you enter the Wilderness Divine Hall is a waste of resources! Are you only using the Wilderness Divine Hall to endure the pressure to forge your body and condense your blood? That is such a waste of a treasure!"

"The most important thing in the Wilderness Divine Hall is the nomological insight left behind by the first city lord. When you can gain any of this nomological insight, no matter how tiny, then you will have entered the path of martial arts. A little achievement will be a great advantage, but… did any of you learn anything about the nomological truths?"

Instructor Qin fiercely swept across them with hawk-like eyes.

Many of the youths lowered their heads. The nomological truths were too far away.

After all, it was their first time entering the Wilderness Divine Hall. Their cultivation levels were low too. The pressure from the primordial strain was almost unbearable. As for gaining any insight to the nomological truths, ignoring perceptivity alone, all their strength was used to bear the Wilderness Divine Hall's pressure, where did they have the mental strength to gain insight into the truths?

Many of them felt humbled. They were proud geniuses in their own cities, but upon arriving in the Tai Ah Divine City, they could not succeed in anything. They were last in everything!

A youth mumbled, "The next time we enter, we will definitely gain some insight!"

The youth was short of breath because he had no clout in front of Baldy Qin.

"Hehe!" Baldy Qin sneered. The youth who spoke before immediately felt a like a cricket who got frightened by a cold late autumn breeze. He did not dare to say a word.

"Next time? To enter the Wilderness Divine Hall, two hours is a thousand dragon scale runes. There is no idea when your next time will be! Earn a thousand dragon scale runes before talking!"

The youth who spoke out shrunk his neck. He did not dare to retort the bald man.

"A thousand dragon scale runes, we do not know how much that is… How difficult is it to earn a thousand dragon scale runes?" A youth asked.

Yi Yun thought and asked, "Instructor Qin, may I know what the quickest ways to earn dragon scale runes are?"

Many of the present youths wanted to enter the Wilderness Divine Hall again, but the one who wanted that the most was none other than Yi Yun.

Every entrance into the Wilderness Divine Hall would make Yi Yun's strength increase by leaps and bounds!

No one could gain more from the Wilderness Divine Hall than Yi Yun.

Currently, Yi Yun had already absorbed most of the primordial strain energy. He felt that his cultivation level was approaching the middle-stages of the Purple Blood realm!

Baldy Qin said, "To earn dragon scale runes, there are six common ways. First, kill desolate beasts, and exchange the desolate beasts' corpses with the Tai Ah Divine City for dragon scale runes. If you are strong, then earning dragon scale runes would be very fast! But, the strength needed to hunt a desolate beast is extremely high. People such as you who go limp just from two hours in the Wilderness Divine Hall will only become food for the desolate beasts if you go hunting in the Divine Wilderness!"

"The second method is also fast. It is by earning dragon scale runes from other cultivators. For example, trading with others or fighting with others in a gambling match. The Tai Ah Divine City's fighting arenas not only allow you to bet dragon scale runes, even glory points can be bet! But I advise you not to go. With your current strength, you will be sheep for the slaughter. In front of a pack of wolves, you will lose all you have."

"The third method is to get onto the three rolls of honors. Every month, when the ranking is compiled, a sizable amount of dragon scale runes will be awarded. Of course, that is if you can enter the roll. There is probably no chance for you to do so in the next two years…"

"The fourth method is to complete certain achievements, such as breaking a record or gaining some nomological insight. It can give you a massive one-off amount of dragon scale runes, but… naturally, that has nothing to do with you."

"The fifth method is to receive rewards from your instructor. But do you think that with your qualifications, I will reward you with any dragon scale runes?"

"The last method, doing miscellaneous jobs, by mining, picking herbs or be a sparring partner for others to earn dragon scale runes. This method is, of course, slow, but the advantage is… as long as you are a human, you can do it."

Baldy Qin's words never left the concept of "you guys are weak". The young heroes were dumbfounded upon hearing this.

In the end, among the most common six methods, the first five methods of earning dragon scale runes had nothing to do with them. They felt like Baldy Qin was just telling them about those methods simply for his own amusement.

The most viable route was the last one, which was the least technical one, doing miscellaneous jobs!

It was slow in earning dragon scale runes and it didn't sound good. Before they could cultivate in the Tai Ah Divine City, they had to do miscellaneous jobs!

But for their training, they had to concede into doing miscellaneous jobs. This was, after all, the Tai Ah Divine City, which was a warrior's city. There were no normal mortals, and there weren’t many weaker warriors.

Then who was left to do the miscellaneous jobs in the city? Of course, it had to be them. After all, they were probably the weakest bunch in the Tai Ah Divine City.

"Then… Instructor Qin, I would like to ask. If we did miscellaneous jobs, how many dragon scale runes would we make a day?" A youth could not help but ask.

"This, it depends on what you do. Typically, it's about 20 or so a day…"

Hearing Instructor Qin's words, the youths present felt like their hearts were in a stampede of 10,000 near-horned beasts with mud-stained hoofs.

20 or so a day?

Then wouldn't they need to save a month or two before they could finally spend two hours in the Wilderness Divine Hall?

This must be a joke!

They knew that there were many cultivation resources in the Tai Ah Divine City, and the resources were not limited to the Wilderness Divine Hall.

There were other uses for the dragon scale runes.

Dragon scale runes were needed to purchase 90% of the Tai Ah Divine City's cultivation resources. It was impossible for them to refrain from eating or drinking just to save all of their dragon scale runes so that they could enter the Wilderness Divine Hall.

No wonder Baldy Qin said, "There is no guarantee when your next time will be!"

If they were to carry on like this, they were destined to not have anything to do with the Wilderness Divine Hall.

And it was obvious that there were other precious cultivation resources in the Tai Ah Divine City that were like the Wilderness Divine Hall. To obtain those, they needed thousands or tens of thousands dragon scale runes!

"I see… That's why rookies have two hours in the Wilderness Divine Hall cultivation time upon entering the Tai Ah Divine City. This is to tell the rookies that the Tai Ah Divine City is filled with good things. If you have the ability, come get it."

"This is to inspire the morale of the rookies. They are not counting on rookies to gain any insight of the founding city lord's nomological truths in that two hours."

Yi Yun understood. The person who had set up the various rules in the Tai Ah Divine City had put a lot of thought into it.

Many of the young warriors were now a little discouraged.

"Heh! Do you think that the Tai Ah Divine City's resources are prepared for you? There are so many cultivators in the Tai Ah Divine City. There are limited top-level resources, how can it possibly be allocated? In the Tai Ah Divine City, there is a strong polarization. Less than 10% of the experts here account for 90% of the resources!"

"What do you think the reason for gathering all the talent in the Tai Ah Divine City is?"

Oh?

Hearing Baldy Qin's words, they were dumbfounded.

A youth said weakly, "Isn't it to focus on nurturing us by gathering here in the Tai Ah Divine City?"

To them, the Tai Ah Divine City's resources were prepared for cultivators like them.

"Focus on nurturing?" Baldy Qin laughed. "It's indeed correct. It is to focus on nurturing. But this method is different from what you think. Have you heard of breeding venomous worms? Those who breed them will put all sorts of poisonous worms inside a jar. They will then feed all sorts of poisonous foods to the worms, letting them grow. Later, the jar will be sealed and no food will be provided. This to let the worms fight and devour each other! Out of a few hundred worms, only one remain. And that will be the king worm, the most venomous worm!"

"Right now, you are the worms being captured. The divine kingdom wants to nurture you, but it only wants to nurture a small number of you. The rest are destined to be eliminated. They are destined to become the stepping stones for those chosen to be proud sons of Heaven!"

True Martial World - Chapter 171: What it means to be a Sage

Yi Yun walked to the metal box and picked out a Primal Arrow. The moment he touched the arrow’s shaft, the ice-cold metal caused his heart to palpitate.

With his legs firmly planted on the ground, his left arm forward and right arm in the back, he applied pressure to the Primal Arrow. He did not choose to use his shoulder to lift the Primal Arrow, he wanted to use his two hands to carry the thick divine arrow!

Baldy Qin was right. A spear had to be thrust using one's hands, so how could one lift it with his shoulders?

"This kid!" Zhou Kui could tell what Yi Yun was up to.

Carrying the Primal Arrow with one's hands was much more difficult than lifting it with one’s shoulders!

Taking a deep breath, Yi Yun's eyes flashed. Using his legs and hips, he exerted strength into his two shoulders and arms. He used all his strength at that moment.

Up!

Yi Yun's muscles bulged as his veins twisted. The Primal Arrow was lifted up by him!

It was really ridiculously heavy!

Yi Yun clearly felt the terrifying weight of the Primal Arrow. It pulled on his arm muscles, nearly tearing them.

The Xuanwu Army members suffered a crushing defeat trying to lift the Primal Arrow, and it was not without reason.

"This kid really lifted it!"

When the Xuanwu Army members saw this scene their eyelids twitched.

But lifting the Primal Arrow was just the first step. The real difficulty was inserting the divine arrow into the purple tungsten wall.

With the Primal Arrow in hand, Yi Yun slid his arms forward to the middle of the Primal Arrow's center!

They could see Yi Yun's arm tremble. This was because his muscles could not bear the tremendous pressure from the Primal Arrow and they were protesting.

This proved that Yi Yun was on the verge of his limits.

If it was a month ago, it would have been impossible for Yi Yun to lift something like the Primal Arrow.

But now…

Within Yi Yun's dantian, his Qi was slowly circulating. This energy was from the primordial strain's Power of Desolates!

The primordial strain's energy was extremely pure. Upon entering Yi Yun's bloodstream, it made Yi Yun feel rejuvenated, cleansing his marrows! It had given Yi Yun strength ever since the frog jumps and it had been slowly fusing into Yi Yun's flesh and blood.

"Brother Yi, all the best!"

"Yi Yun, go!"

The Jin Long Wei members clenched their fists and cheered for Yi Yun!

Yi Yun looked at the purple tungsten wall, and with his teeth clenched, he charged forward!

Every step he made on the ground caused a violent tremor in the special tiles on the ground. Yi Yun rapidly raised the Primal Arrow up.

Both his hands jerked forward!

"Dang!"

With a loud rumble, the Primal Arrow made a heavy impact on the purple tungsten wall. A tremendous rebounding force sent Yi Yun backward as his blood surged around his body!

So hard!

The purple tungsten wall was terrifyingly hard.

The Primal Arrow only managed to pierce half a foot deep. This depth was not enough to keep the Primal Arrow stuck within the purple tungsten wall.

Releasing it would make the Primal Arrow drop!

A vein appeared on Yi Yun's forehead as he clenched his teeth. He took a few steps back and, using the strength from both his hands, he sent the Primal Arrow back in!

"Dang!"

The second impact made Yi Yun feel as if he heard all the muscles within his body tear.

Not far away, the people shuddered with fear. Yi Yun had actually used the Primal Arrow to pierce the wall twice.

But he had failed both times!

The strength of the second impact was weaker than the first. Although it sent the arrow deeper in, it was still less than a foot.

At this point, Yi Yun's muscles and tendons had been injured from the tear. He could not carry on!

"Ding-Dang!"

The Primal Arrow fell to the ground.

Yi Yun's arms trembled gently.

Training one's strength could not be done overnight. Although Yi Yun had absorbed the primordial strain's energy from the Wilderness Divine Hall, he was still worse than those who have been training their strength for long periods of time and soaked in herbs from a young age.

Compared to peerless geniuses like Lin Xintong, the gap was even greater.

Yi Yun needed time to catch up!

"Weak!"

Baldy Qin's evaluation was only a single word!

This word was used to evaluate the hundred people, including Yi Yun.

Yi Yun was silent. He knew the strength he displayed was considered normal.

In terms of movement skills, he had Minute Subtlety. But in terms of strength, he had no trump card. Just the training from the Flowing Mercury Gown did not give him reason to compare with those geniuses.

The atmosphere was solemn for a moment. After a long silence, Baldy Qin said, "Many years ago, I came to the Tai Ah Divine City when I was about the same age as you. My first training lesson was also like this, and back then… I did not manage to pierce the wall with a single Primal Arrow!"

Baldy Qin's words made many youths raise their heads towards the bald, middle-aged man.

He was thin and he had a scar on his face. Compared to before, his expression now looked less foul and it had a tinge of nostalgia and tenderness.

Was Instructor Qin once a trainee in the Tai Ah Divine City as well?

Baldy Qin carried on, "My results made me discouraged, especially when I saw the Primal Arrow piercing record on the Sages Avenue."

"Did you notice it?"

There were too many record platforms on Sages Avenue; hence, they did not see it all while they walked past. They shook their heads.

Baldy Qin said, "There is a special record for inserting the Primal Arrow into the purple tungsten wall. There are three requirements to leave a record. One, the cultivator has to be at fifteen years of age or below. Two, their cultivation level has to be below the Yuan Foundation realm. Three, there is a fifteen-minute time limit to insert using the Primal Arrow. Back then..the record was 109 stabs into the purple tungsten wall using the Primal Arrow!"

109!?

When they heard that, they drew a breath of cold air. That number was too ridiculous!

They felt a heavy pressure!

From Baldy Qin's description, the person who used the Primal Arrow to insert 109 times was most likely at the peak of the Purple Blood realm.

This person's cultivation level was higher than theirs, but not much higher.

Many of them could not even lift the Primal Arrow, not to mention insert it in. And that person had inserted the arrow 109 times!

The gap was too wide.

Yi Yun looked at the numerous marks on the purple tungsten wall. He asked, "Instructor, I want to ask, how old was the person when he left the record?"

The ridiculous number that was 109 had also shocked Yi Yun.

"At that time… he had just turned 14. The requirements demand that a person not be above fifteen years of age. But many geniuses would break through to the Yuan Foundation realm before fifteen years of age. The fifteen years age limit is just for geniuses who began their cultivation later…"

Fourteen-years-old…

The peak of Purple Blood realm at fourteen!

Yi Yun was almost thirteen years old and his cultivation level was only at the beginning stages of Purple Blood. He still had about a year to work towards his goal…

Baldy Qin said, "Now, that record has been unchallenged for 3000 years. In the past 3000 years, the nearest record was only 105. And that person who left the record eventually became a Sage…"

"Do you have any concept of what a Sage is?"

Upon mentioning Sages, Baldy Qin's expression turned into one of admiration.

"Sages are top human elites. In the Tai Ah Divine City, becoming a Sage allows you to choose to become an Elder of the Divine City! A Tai Ah Elder has certain control over the Tai Ah Divine City's resources. They stay above the 90th floor in the central divine tower. There are many benefits!"

"Tai Ah Elders do not number more than a handful. The largest number of Tai Ah Divine City Elders has never exceeded ten in all of history."

"And in the entire vast Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, including the royal family and reclusive families, there are more Sages, but there's not that much more. A Sage's lifespan can reach ten thousand years or above. By this count, in the entire Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, there might not be more than one Sage every 500 years!"

"But do you know how many rookies are sent to train in the Tai Ah Divine City?"

"You probably know the numbers. There are 2000 a year. Each batch spends six years. Hence, the number of young elites training in the Tai Ah Divine City maintains an average of 12,000 people."

"In this unshakable Tai Ah Divine City, there is no shortage of cultivators! There are 12,000 people in six years, 120,000 in sixty years. Then what about 500 years? It's a million people!

"And these people are the elites from all around the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom! A million elites and a Sage might not even appear! Can you understand the concept of this probability?"

"People often say so-and-so has absolute talent and is a young Sage! When their talent is evaluated, there is the so-called, Mystic rank Human Lord level, the Earth rank Sage level, and the Heaven rank Great Emperor level…"

"But in reality, those geniuses who were called young Sages have a very low probability of becoming a Sage. The young warriors who had been evaluated to be of Earth rank Sage only have a chance, and would they be able to?"

"Difficult!"

Baldy Qin's words made the young warriors present speechless.

A Sage once every 500 years. A million Tai Ah Divine City elites might not even give rise to one…

Qin Haotian was currently the number one person on both the Heaven and Earth rolls of honor in the Tai Ah Divine City. He was labeled as a young Sage. But even he did not have a 1% chance of becoming a Sage.

The atmosphere turned silent. Baldy Qin was not afraid to pour cold water on them. If their martial art compass could be so easily distorted by some cold water, then they were destined to never succeed.

Yi Yun ruminated over Baldy Qin's words. Back in the Cloud Wilderness Tao tribal clan, Yi Yun had been evaluated and his results were just–Mystic rank grade five!

That was at the Human Lord level. As for Lian Chengyu and Tao Yunxiao, they were just at the Yellow rank, or human elites.

People evaluated as Sage-rank geniuses might not become a Sage. He was just at the Human Lord level, and even amongst the Human Lords, his evaluation was not at the pinnacle. Then, he was still a long distance away.

But Yi Yun was not discouraged. After all, how long had he been practicing martial arts?

Not more than half a year.

In half a year, it was normal if he could not match those who came from martial families and began training from the age of five.

Yi Yun still had a long road ahead!

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 36: The Crisis of Qingzhou City Has Doubled

The ground of Qingzhou Academy kept shaking like an earthquake.

The bell sounded in the academy to call all the disciples. At the same time, along the perimeter of Mount Tianyao, the army of Dark Kylin spread out for the approaching enemy.

The words "Monster Tide" were being spread throughout the whole academy. Now the Dark Kylin Knighthood knew that Ye Futian was not joking. A monster tide was seriously approaching this place.

Mount Tianyao was such a vast place that no one knew exactly how many monsters were inside. If it was a minor tide, they could still hold it, but if it was a huge tide, the whole city could be destroyed.

When Ye Futian and the others arrived, they saw that the battle against the monsters had already begun. Countless monsters were gushing out of the mountain. People from the School of Martial Arts were standing at the frontlines, while the School of Sorcery released spells behind them. The whole mountain was neary engulfed in fire and the earth was fissured from the battle. The guards were just trying to lock down the entire place.

However, there were not only monsters running around on Mount Tianyao. A herd of demons was flying to the battleground as well, and they were about to launch an attack.

The big chiefs of the academy saw this from a distance, and they now looked extremely nervous. They realized that once the monsters broke through the front lines and attacked the city, they would be unstoppable.

"The whole city has now entered a state of siege. Inform the major families to protect the city together. Soldiers of Dark Kylin, I command you to spread out and secure the perimeter of Mount Tianyao," Qin Shuai commanded, then the black Kylin under him flew to the herd of monsters that were flying toward the army.

"Dad!" Qin Yi was worried about her father.

"Girl, stay away from Mount Tianyao," Qin Shuai told his daughter. Qin Yi was still worried about her father, and she was trying to follow him. Ye Futian yelled at her from behind, "Stay here! If you go with your father, you will just distract him!"

Qin Yi knew that he was right. She was only in the eighth Plane of Awakening of Martial Arts, and she was not strong enough to fight against the monsters.

"Ye Futian, what should we do now?" Qin Yi looked back at Ye Futian. She looked really flustered. They were practically pressed against each other.

Ye Futian felt Qin Yi's nervousness. He blinked his eyes and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"…" Qin Yi realized that they were too close and suddenly blushed. She punched Ye Futian's chest with her fist and cursed him, "You shameless bastard."

She turned around to avoid further body contact. Ye Futian smiled and tried to comfort her. "Don't worry. It'll be fine, and so will your father."

"I know." Qin Yi nodded. She understood Ye Futian was just trying to soothe her feelings. "Just get off my side." Her face was still red.

Ye Futian actually listened to her order this time. He looked into the distance, and he did not feel as assured as he seemed. This was a dangerous monster tide. The most he could do was comfort Ms. Qin, but he couldn't help much besides that.

All the people in the city had been informed of the monster tide outburst. All the significant families were now deploying their military forces. This fight was related to the survival of the entire city, and no one would survive if they lost. The cultivators were also rushing to Mount Tianyao to help secure the perimeter. If they didn't, once the monsters broke through the guards, their homes would be destroyed.

Inside the city, a remarkable troop was marching towards Qingzhou Academy. The troop was made up of foot soldiers and knights. The ground was shaking from the force of their marching, and the people who saw them were shocked.

Some of them are the Municipal Guard of this city, some are the soldiers of the Murong Family. But who are the other guys? People were curious about this mysterious army.

Some people noticed the symbols on their robes, and suddenly they sensed the danger.

"They are the powerful warriors and mages from the Heiyan Academy!"

"How could that happen? The City of Heiyan is our nemesis. Why are the Municipal Guard soldiers with the army from the City of Heiyan?"

"I don't know." People were now extremely nervous about this army. The monster tide was going to attack the city soon, but the Qingzhou Municipal Guard was not protecting the city with the Dark Kylin Knighthood. In fact, they were marching with soldiers from the City of Heiyan. The City of Qingzhou truly was in danger.

This mighty troop was directly approaching Qingzhou Academy. When they arrived, the people of Qingzhou Academy were still fighting against the monsters with the Dark Kylin Knighthood.

Such a huge army soon attracted the attention from all the people who were fighting. A lot of students froze when they saw the newcomers on the battleground.

"Wei Meng." Qin Shuai stepped out and stared at Wei Meng, the Lord of the City of Qingzhou. His face was ghastly pale. "You released the monsters from Mount Tianyao, and are now working along with the people from City of Heiyan. This is your territory!"

"I don't understand you. What I'm doing now is completely under orders," Wei Meng said in a cold voice.

"Xia Fan, what are you doing exactly?" Qin Shuai noticed that Xia Fan was in the crowd. An evil light flickered across Xia Fan's eyes. He was looking at Qin Shuai with contempt. He believed that Qin Shuai was only the commander of a private troop of a small city and shouldn't be allowed to talk to him in such a rude manner.

"Where is the Headmaster of Qingzhou Academy?" Xia Fan ignored Qin Shuai's question. He looked over the Qingzhou Academy group for the Headmaster. The Headmaster stepped out of the crowd. His hair was all white and gray, and it was apparent that he was over the age of seventy. However, he still looked graceful. He was the Headmaster of Qingzhou Academy, Gu Mu. He had left the school business for others long ago and focused on his cultivation. In fact, without the monster tide, he would not have even shown up in this place.

"Mr. Xia, the Lord of East Sea Prefecture, why are you here?" Gu Mu asked Xia Fan.

"Mount Tianyao has been a potential danger for the City of Qingzhou for many years. As the Lord of Donghai Province, I have come here as soon as possible to consult with the City Lord about how to defuse the situation. Therefore, I have summoned the army of the Municipal Guard, the Murong Family, and the City of Heiyan. We are going to break into Mount Tianyao, and we need your cooperation." Xia Fan laughed.

Gu Mu didn't believe his explanation. However, the crisis of this city had doubled. They were now surrounded by the monsters and the army. If he said no to Xia Fan, they might all be wiped out.

"Okay, we will cooperate," Gu Mu answered.

"I believe Mr. Gu is making this decision for the good of the city. General Qin is the ultimate guard of this city, and I believe you agree with Mr. Gu, right?" Xia Fan looked at Qin Shuai again.

"You are shameless." All the people of Qingzhou Academy were cursing Xia Fan in their hearts. They looked at him with contempt.

"You have summoned quite a lot of powerful people from the City of Heiyan. What promise did you make to them?" Qin Shuai asked Xia Fan.

"General, they're merely here to help. There are absolutely no conditions involved. Now, I know you're on edge, but I hope you can settle your attitude," Xia Fan said arrogantly. He had summoned a lot of influential people from the East Sea Prefecture and the City of Heiyan, so he had the advantage now.

"Okay," Qin Shuai agreed reluctantly. He knew that there must be some conspiracy occurring under the table. However, with reinforcements breaking into Mount Tianyao, they could actually push the frontline and minimize the damage to the City of Qingzhou. In fact, if he didn't agree and the two groups fought against each other right here, the result would be even worse.

"Then, let's go now." Xia Fan smiled.

"Mr. Xia, I want someone from Qingzhou Academy," a man from Heiyan asked Xia Fan.

"Who is it?" Xia Fan smiled.

The middle-aged man looked through the crowd of Qingzhou Academy and his eyes targeted Ye Futian.

Ye Futian suddenly had a bad feeling about it. This middle-aged man was the same man with eagle's eyes who had led the intruders to Qingzhou Academy last time.

"Ye Futian, have you quit the academy yet?" The eagle-eyed man asked him.

"What do you mean?" Ye Futian responded with a smile.

"Last time I invited you to Heiyan Academy, you turned me down. I believe you won't mind if I raise this question again."

"I did quit the academy, but I already have my own master, so I'm sorry that I still have to turn you down this time," Ye Futian answered.

"Who is so lucky to be your master?" He kept asking.

"I am," Hua Fengliu responded from the crowd.

"It's okay. In fact, Heiyan Academy is still willing to accept you even though you already have a master." The eagle-eyed man would not let him go easily.

"Heiyan Academy is making a really generous gesture, and I believe Mr. Hua, the Guqin Devil, would not prevent this, right?" Xia Fan also tried to persuade Hua Fengliu. He had not anticipated that Heiyan Academy would be looking for Ye Futian.

"He's too good for your academy," Hua Fengliu said peacefully.

In the Heiyan Academy crowd, an old man whose eyes had been closed for a long time suddenly opened his eyes and asked, "Hua Fengliu, you want to fight?"

"Mr. Hua, you're just causing me trouble." Xia Fan laughed, and the army around him stepped forward. They definitely had not dared to mess with Hua Fengliu when he was young. But now, since his natal spirit had been destroyed, they didn't fear him anymore.

Hua Fengliu began condensing power and preparing to attack. However, Ye Futian suddenly started laughing, "You know what? I feel so honored you keep inviting me to your academy. I've changed my mind, and I believe Mr. Hua will not stop me, right?"

Hua Fengliu glanced at him. He knew that this boy was really shrewd and there must have been a reason he suddenly changed his mind. He agreed and said, "Okay, I don't mind, but your academy must make sure he is safe. Otherwise, you will taste my rage."

"Don't worry, Mr. Hua." The eagle-eyed man was happy. Ye Futian had defeated someone as talented as Yun Tianhao. There were only two options for Heiyan Academy: either accept him or kill him.

Yu Sheng stepped forward. Ye Futian knew that he was trying to stop this decision. He shook his head, and Yu Sheng stopped. However, Yu Sheng was still angry and confused.

A young girl and a young man came out of the Heiyan Group. The girl smiled and greeted Ye Futian, "Now that you have been accepted by our academy, come over here!"

Ye Futian nodded and walked toward the Heiyan group. He ogled the body of the young girl and said, "If I knew there was a girl so beautiful in your academy, I would have said yes the last time."

"You're a smooth talker, boy." The sexy girl laughed.

"Please take good care of me in the future." Ye Futian naturally held the girl in his arms, and the girl also seemed to feel comfortable. She laughed even harder, "Of course I will, you cute boy."

"You shameless bastard." The people of Qingzhou Academy were swearing at Ye Futian.

"Traitor."

"How could a student of our academy be so off color?" People kept cursing him. Qin Yi looked sad about what had just happened.

Xia Fan was jeering at all of this. He believed Hua Fengliu must be extremely embarrassed now, seeing the boyfriend of his daughter betray the academy and flirt with another girl.

However, he was surprised that Hua Fengliu was still calm. It almost seemed like Hua Fengliu had no idea about the relationship between Ye Futian and his daughter. Xia Fan believed it was possible. Otherwise, Hua Fengliu would have been furious.

Still, he wondered how such a lame boy could get Hua Jieyu to fall in love with him.

What he did not know was that Hua Fengliu was calm because he knew Ye Futian all too well.

"Okay, let's head in there," Xia Fan made the command. He seemed to be pretty satisfied with all that had happened.

Dual Sword God - Chapter 61: The Absolute Spear, Overwhelming Mental Power!

The atmosphere was filled with tension as the Major Parties and Rogue Practitioners became lost into a deep discussion about the events that had just occurred on the battle platform.

"What the hell just happened?" said a rogue practitioner.

"That was a Grade 5 Void Transferrence Talisman!!!!" an elder from the RainSword Sect exclaimed in shock.

"Not only did this unknown Hui Ying displayed an Unusual Battle Prestige, he also had access to such a rare talisman. Who is he? and What does he have to do with the Wuqi Clan of Margerum Empire?" asked Xun Yanshan as his face was filled with puzzlement.

Xin Qing and Tang Fei looked at each other and shook their heads slightly as Xuan Lie was too preoccupied with his anger for his son's death to care about anything else as he calmly eyes Xiang Shu.

Xiang Shu smiled as if he didn't felt anything while a trace of surprise flashed across his eyes when he recalled the transformation of Hui Ying.

Wuqi Shouzhi who still stood blanky on the platform woke from his dazed and angry expression soon returning to his previous confident and calm state of mind.

Puiiii!

The Ancient Dragon soon glowed with a bright light gifting Wuqi Shouzhi a silvery token as it spoke to the world once more.

"Competitor Hui Ying has left the battle platform and is automatically disqualified, as such, I will declare Wuqi Shouzhi as the first True Chosen!" as it said this the entire platform that Wuqi Shouzhi stood on became pure silver in color as the two bronze squares where turned into a silver tone.

"Ha Ha Ha! I didn't think dog hunting would yield such an interesting turn of results. I should hunt more often." said Wuqi Shouzhi with excitement shining in his eyes.

Feng Yu who stood on his square had a ruthless light shining at the depths of his eyes, he thought to himself. "Hmph! Dare to compel my brother? You do not know who you're dealing with! This Major Event will be your last..." quickly his energies began to grow as his bloodline started to boil slightly causing his hair to rise and fall almost imperceptibly.

Dai Lin looked on with a fierce light in his eyes as electricity ran over his form.

As if sensing something Wuqi Shouzhi looked towards both of there forms with a trace surprise then mock."Eh? Are you two angry about my Trash Dog! Ha Ha! Well this is interesting, I look forward to your challenges." he said as he placed his hands in his sleeves and closed his eyes while sitting on his square in crossed- legged posture.

Feng Junling looked at Feng Yu with an understanding gaze. "Hmm, it looks like Yu Child plans to get involved in Hui Ying's conflict. Oh well, not that it will matter to us, this and the DarkSky Pavilion will serve as great whetstones."

Feng Yunlong also nodded with a smile on his face.

As each individual pondered to themselves the Ancient Dragons eyes started to glow once more.

Rumble!

The squares belonging to the Spear Child Zang Xu and the Shadow Child Xin Qing started to move towards an unoccupied silver square.

Quickly, they combined creating another battle platform and the figures of Zang Xu an Xin Qin stood silently on the platform.

"Well, it seems that is this is where your goddaughter is going to lose Old Zhu!" said Tang Fie with no remorse in his tone.

Xin Zhu frowned as he saw that they to were about the begin, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of unwillingness as he prepared for the inevitable.

"This girls talent in the Shadow Path is good! What a pity she had to go against one of the empire's four Supreme Prodigies!" said an elder from the RainSword Sect.

Dai Lin looked on with a strange interesting in his eyes.

As Zang Xu and Xin Qing stood on the platform a strange suppressive energy started to flow around their surrounds. Xin Qing who was of a weaker cultivation base started to grow uncomfortable as she felt this suppressive energy around her form. However, she promptly circulated her cultivation technique.

"Art of Shadows: Shadow Guard!.." she shouted as her shadow slowly overlapped with her form creating a type of barrier over her skin, aiding her to resist the suppressive force.

Zang Xu seeing raised his brows slightly as he spoke. "You are very talented in the Path of Shadows, If you have had to chance to encounter upon a Shadow Path Prestige Art your future will be limitless. However, as you are now you are not my match." as he said this he couldn't help but slightly increase the pressure emitting from his body.

Bang!

Xin Qing fell to her knees as her arms were placed before her body struggling to lift her form up off the ground.

"Argh!! I will not give in!!!" she roared with all her might until her knees and arm started to bleed even with the protection from the shadow. In a few moments, she managed to barely lift herself up back onto her feet as she struggled to maintain the standing posture.

"Very Good! How about three times my common spear force," said Zang Xu with a look of interest in his eyes.

Buzz!

As he spoke the powerful oppression instantly grew stronger threatening to crush anything within the vicinity of the battle platform.

Xin Qing who was bearing the brunt of this pressure started to feel as if she would break into the pieces.

"I... I won't lose like this... not until I.. I face him!..." she roared with determination as she went above her limits and utilized a different technique.

Dai Lin seeing this struggling form felt a hint of softness in his heart, deep in his eyes was an electrical current that sparked with a brutal light.

"Art of Shadows: Shadow Walk!..." she said as voice and form started to fade away into the darkness melding with night itself.

"Such incredible mastery over the Shadow Path, this is impossible for a Body Training Realm!" Feng Yu said in surprise as he saw this scene.

The Major Influences and common practitioners were shocked as Xin Zhu smiled slightly. "While my Qing'er is not his match she is no easy target!" he said as he saw her vanish.

Zang Xu seeing this was surprised once more as he spoke with a different tone. "Well, to think that you would be able to perform such a technique while still at Body Training Realm! You are quite special as it isn't a normal feat to become an almost formless shade. Hmm, it seems you are also an individual with an unusual body or trait." as he said this he couldn't help but remove his spear from his back and hold it vertically.

"However, there are forces which even the void itself cannot prevent..." as he spoke a terrifying pressure soon poured out from his spear eclipsing the entire platform.

BANG!!!

The spear power seemed infinite and invincible as Zang Xu stood proudly at the center of the battle platform, shorty a figure materialized out of thin air as it fell to the ground in an unconscious state.

Thud!

As he saw the collapsed form on the ground Zang Xu spoke softly. "You should be proud! To make me unleash a fraction of my Absolute Spear is the greatest of all honors." as he said this he fixed his spear back onto his back and turned to face the Ancient Dragon.

Flash!

The figure of Xin Qing was sent back to her bronze square as it was moved back to the location of the other bronze squares, as Zang Xu stood proudly on his silver square in a confident manner.

"Incredible! Spear Child Zang Xu of the Supreme Talents certainly lives up to his reputation." said the Midnight Temple strange man, as the DarkSky Pavilion, RainSword Sect, BloodRose Mercenaries and Seven Blade Mercenaries elders also shared similar opinions.

Feng Yu looked at Zang Xu with a deep gaze as he recalled the power he felt before. "It seems that this one will be quite the challenge if I don't use my bloodline..." he said to himself.

Dai Lin looked on silently at the unconscious form on her bronze square with a pondering expression. However, it wasn't long before the Ancient Dragon made its next move.

"The match is over! I declare Zang Xu as the second True Chosen! Commence Next Match!!" as it said this the platforms for Dai Lin and Nei Dongyuan started to move towards the next platform.

Rumble!

As Feng Yu saw who Dai Lin was about to fight he couldn't help but send him a voice transmission message. "Dai Lin, be careful..."

Dai Lin who stood now stood battle platform responded. "Em."

The audience looked with interest as they saw Dai Lin and Nei Dongyan prepare to compete.

"Show him the might of the Blue Thunder!!!" said a rogue practitioner.

"I've never heard of this Nei Dongyan is he even worth Dai Lin's time." said another rogue practitioner.

A more knowledgeable individual sneered and responded. "Of course you wouldn't, not in this backwater region... the south is more terrifying than you can imagine, and the youth you see before you is only the tip of its iceberg." said the individual with a deep look in his eyes.

"Nei Dongyan, rising genius of the Southern Revolution Faction amongst the four Great Factions of Southern Wasteland. A truly gifted prodigy or so I've heard, I must have a look to see what extent does the skill of a 'Wastelander' True Prodigy falls on." said a man from Sheng Imperial Clan as he carefully observed the fight.

"Squad Leader, don't lose now..." said Lang Kuang as he looked at Dai Lin from the platform of the vanquished.

As the audience counting to chatter, Dai Lin and Nei Dongyan were observing each other in silence. Soon, Nei Dongyan was the first to act.

"Blue Thunder Dai Lin, I know that you are strong. However, it seems as if you have only recently acquired your strength. You will not be able to defeat me with only a few months or weeks of training." said Nei Dongyan as a pressuring light shone from his eyes that were bearly visible due to head covering and clothes he was wearing.

Dai Lin hearing his words smiled and responded. "You are correct! My strength is a gift from my young master and I have yet to truly gain control over my strength. Still, I will not give up or back away from a challenge. If you want me to yield..." as Dai Lin said this he couldn't help but circulate his <Heavenly Shocking Circuit Scripture>.

Crackle!!!

The terrifying electrical energy field soon surrounded his form turning him to the 'Thunder Lord', as his hair straightened upwards and his eyes shone with electrical sparks. Instantly, his essence energy rose to its peak as he looked at Nei Dongyan and spoke once more.

"Then, do so with your strength!!!!!" as Dai Lin roared his body turned into a streak of Blue Lightning flashing before appearing in front of Nei Dongyan, he then stretched out his palms that became suffused with a blue electrical light and launch a myriad of palm attacks towards Nei Dongyan.

"Heavenly Shocking Circuit: Shock Palm Barrage!!!"

As Nei Dongyan saw all of Dai Lin's actions he only observed calmly as if nothing could disturb his state of mind. With both of his arms behind his back, he stood as if he was a mountain that shouldered the worlds greatest waves.

"What a pity! If only you had time to master your skills, maybe we could have enjoyed a much better battle..." as Nei Dongyan said this he calmly shook his head as his eyes grew sharp and strange power began to flow in the area.

BANG!!!!

An oppressive force quickly surrounded Dai Lin's form as if he was being crushed from angles.

"What! What is this?" said Dai Lin in shock as he tried to free himself from this strange power but his struggles were futile.

Nei Dongyan hearing this responded. "This is my specialty for you see I do not follow the normal route of cultivation. I don't have a cultivation base for my path needs no such limitations, be honored although what I'm using right now is only the most common technique it is leagues above Mortal Tier Skills."

"Mind Heart Sutra: Oppressing Arm!..." as he said this the powers surrounding Dai Lin soon congealed to look similar to that of a large semi-transparent arm that had grasped Dai Lin tightly. Soon, it increased its grip causing the bones within Dai Lin's body to start to break apart.

The audience seeing this scene was silent as only the common practitioners of Machen Town went into a turmoil.

"How can this be?" a practitioner said.

"This fellow is too strong even Blue Thunder Dai Lin can't withstand his first move," said another practitioner.

Feng Yu frowned as he saw the scene and thought to himself. "Mental Power... I would have never believed that a practitioner of that path was also in this world..."

"Shit! If I don't do something now, I'll lose..." Dai Lin said inwardly as he tried to risk the third style of the Heavenly Shocking Circuit once again. Sadly, Nei Dongyan did not give him this chance.

"Ah.. thinking of doing that technique again. Sorry, but I won't give you that chance!" said Nei Dongyan as he saw the look on Dai Lin's face, he couldn't help but smile as he lifted his right hand and made a gripping motion.

"Arghh!!!!!!!" Dai Lin roared in pain as he couldn't withstand the force behind the grip of the palm, after a few moments the electrical power surrounding his body started to fade as his eyes became lost and he slipped into an unconscious state.

Thud!

Looking at the collapsed body before him Nei Dongyan shook his head before looking at the Ancient Dragon.

The Major Figures looked on with a deep expression as they saw Nei Dongyans strength which easily oppressed Dai Lin's power.

Xun Yanshan looked on with a common expression as if the result was expected while Zang Xu, Xiang Shu, Feng Yu, Ye Wang, Wuqi Shouzhi, and Xia Rou looked with a serious expression.

Flash!

A bright light shone which sent Dai Lin back to the Pseudo Chosen Square and the ancient voice sounded once more.

"The match is over! I declare Nei Dongyan as the Third True Chosen! Commence Next Match!!" as it said this the squares began to shake once more.

Rumble!

Quickly, a light shone which shrouded both Feng Yu's and Ye Wang's forms sending both of them along with their squares to a silver square.

The Feng Clan members seeing this watched silently, while the woman in white looked towards the stage with a smile on her face.

"This should be interesting..." she said as her voice faded once more into the wind, time flew by as a new wind started to flow within the Chosen Battle Arena.