Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 83: The Arrogant Zhu Hong

"Will Zhang laoshi be okay?"

In the classroom, Zhao Ya, Wang Ying and the others were worried.

Cao Xiong laoshi had applied for the Enlightenment Will Trial to deal with Zhang laoshi. Even though not many people knew of it yet, as his students, they still heard some news of it.

"Don't worry, we had been through Zhang laoshi's lessons and we were all impressed with him. Liu Yang is impressed by him, so it is impossible for anything to go wrong!" Zheng Yang said.

Of the five students Zhang Xuan accepted, he was the one who was the most dissatisfied with Zhang laoshi. However, after two lessons, he was already thoroughly impressed with him. Right now, even if Wang Chao wanted to accept him in, he would reject him flat-out.

Since this was the case with him, it was bound to be the same with Liu Yang as well.

With such level of trust, how could Zhang Xuan fail the test?

Boom!

In the midst of speaking, someone abruptly sent the metal door flying with a kick from outside. After which, a young man walked in haughtily.

"Where is your respected Zhang Xuan laoshi? Get him to come out!"

With both hands behind his back, the young man's eyelids rose slightly as he said those words.

He intentionally emphasized on the words 'Zhang Xuan laoshi'. Not only was there not a single trace of respect in his expression, he seemed to be mocking him.

"Who are you? We don't welcome you here, so please leave!" Upon seeing the other party speaking of Zhang laoshi with such disrespect, not to mention that he kicked the door open, Zheng Yang's face darkened.

"Zheng Yang, don't be rash. He is the one who was ranked fourth in the entrance examinations, Zhu Hong!"

Recognising the young man, Yuan Tao's fat body shook as he hurriedly pulled Zheng Yang back and whispered to him in a hushed voice.

"Zhu Hong?"

Not just Zheng Yang, even the faces of Zhao Ya and the others darkened.

They have heard of this name before. Zhu Hong was reputed to have already reached Juxi realm pinnacle, and it was possible for him to break through into the next realm any moment now.

Ranking fourth in the entrance examination, this clearly showed that his strength and talent were something they were unable to match up to.

"To be able to recognize me, looks like you aren't as dumb as I thought. This is a war letter from Lu Xun laoshi. He wants to challenge Zhang Xuan laoshi to a Teacher Evaluation during the Freshmen Tournament half a month later. So, who is going to accept this letter in his stead?"

Upon seeing the others recognize him, the edges of the young man's lip crept upwards. With a condescending look, he spoke contemptuously to them.

This person was the one who just walked out of Lu Xun's classroom, Zhu Hong.

He had long heard of Zhang Xuan, the worst teacher in the academy who scored zero in the Teacher Qualification Examination. As one blessed by the heavens and Lu Xun's prided student, he looked down on him.

"Teacher Evaluation? Lu Xun laoshi?"

In that instant, everyone's faces changed.

Even though the ones to compete in the Teacher Evaluation were them, it was considered as a battle between the teacher's ability to guide their students. This concerned the pride of their teacher and very few people chose to hold it. Lu Xun was the academy's most famous teacher and there were countless experts under his tutelage. Why would he challenge Zhang laoshi?

"Indeed, the petty actions Zhang Xuan was doing behind Lu laoshi had incurred his wrath and he had decided to teach him a lesson. I will be leaving the war letter here, pass it to him later. If you all dare not to accept the challenge, then admit defeat earlier and head to Lu laoshi's classroom to apologize to him. Otherwise, prepare to be shamed!"

Zhu Hong threw the war letter onto the table and turned around to leave.

"Hold it right there!"

Before he could exit the classroom, Zheng Yang dashed forward and blocked his path. "You kicked the doors to our classroom and spoke of Zhang laoshi so disrespectfully. Apologize, or don't blame me for being discourteous!"

A student had the responsibility to guard the honor of his teacher. This fellow was without a sliver of respect for their teacher. How could they allow him to do as he pleased, wanting to leave right after dumping that war letter?

"You want me to apologize? You need to have the capabilities for it first!"

Sneering coldly, Zhu Hong looked at him contemptuously and sent a kick at him.

Zheng Yang's skill with the spear was incredible, but his punching and kicking mastery were severely lacking. Furthermore, as his cultivation level was beneath that of the other party, before he could even react, he was kicked squarely in his chest and flew backwards, crashing heavily onto the ground.

"Audacious!"

Zhao Ya's face warped in anger. With a roar, she charged forward.

Just like Zhu Hong, she was Juxi realm pinnacle as well. However, her fighting prowess was slightly inferior to the other party. After trading a few blows, she was struck on her shoulder and retreated backwards.

After which, Wang Ying and Yuan Tao also charged forward. However, since even Zhao Ya, who was the strongest of them all, wasn't a match for him, how could they stand up against him?

In a short moment's time, the four of them had sustained some injuries. They were enraged by the other party's actions, but they were helpless to do anything.

They might have learnt quite a few profound theories from Zhang Xuan, but due to the lack of time, they still weren't a match for one who was placed fourth in the entrance examination.

"A bunch of trash!"

After defeating the crowd, Zhu Hong flung his sleeves and said, "This is just a small punishment! He should have thought of this possibility when he challenged Lu laoshi! Tell him, if he doesn't dare to agree, hurry up and apologize, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

Before he could finish his words, a faint word echoed from the doorway.

Along with Liu Yang, Zhang Xuan walked into the classroom.

"Otherwise..."

Regardless of whether Zhang Xuan was a trash or not, he was a teacher. As a student of the academy, he wasn't someone he could insult. Even though Zhang Xuan had yet to fly into rage, Zhu Hong cowered backwards. Gritting his teeth, he harrumphed, "Otherwise, prepare to lose in shame in the Teacher Evaluation!"

"It is not your place to determine whether I would lose or win! Return and tell Lu Xun that I had accepted his war letter!"

Zhang Xuan waved him away.

Actually, he was a little dismal as well.

After expending much effort to coax Huang Yu and Bai Xun to leave, he had intended to continue the lessons for a bit more. Yet, before he could enter the classroom, he heard the bellowing of this fellow.

Lu Xun had challenged him.

[You have a few hundred students under you. It is just a single Wang Yan who is coming to my lessons to listen in by the side, surely you don't need to make such a big fuss out of it!

Furthermore, even if you wanted to dispatch a student to send a war letter you, you should at least choose someone reliable. This fellow, despite being a junior, he was acting so arrogantly. If not in consideration for my identity, I would have extinguished his life with a single slap!

If not so, do you think that I would allow him to be acting so snobbishly here?]

"That's for the best then. Farewell!" Zhu Hong prepared to leave.

"Wait!" Zheng Yang struggled forward. He looked anxiously at Zhang Xuan, "Zhang laoshi, not only did he speak disrespectfully towards you and smashed our door, he even attacked us. If we were to allow him to leave like this, wouldn't others just see us as easy targets in the future?"

"Why? That thrashing wasn't sufficient for you? Hmph! Despite being weak, you sure speak so arrogantly, you damned brat!"

With his head held up high, Zhu Hong's gaze swept across Zheng Yang, Zhao Ya and the others scornfully before sneering, "Just this shabby classroom and these few students, I don't care if that door really means anything much. After all, do you think anyone would secret listen into your lessons? Stop dreaming! Besides, you all would need more capable than that to keep me here. I will stand here, and if any of you think they're sufficiently skilled, come at me!"

At which, he paused for a moment before clasping his hands towards Zhang Xuan, "Zhang laoshi, as a teacher, surely you wouldn't stoop down to the level of attacking a student!"

Teachers had their own pride as well. If he were to really attack a student, he would be looked down by the others.

This was also what the saying 'soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals' meant. Even if a general were to defeat a small soldier, it wouldn't be something honorable for him.

Calculating that it was unlikely Zhang Xuan would make a move on him and that none of his students was a match for him, he was fearless.

"Zhang laoshi..."

Seeing Zhu Hong behaving so arrogantly, the faces of Zhao Ya, Zheng Yang and the others paled. They clenched their fists tightly together and an urge to charge forward and bash him surged through them.

However, they also knew that they weren't a match for Zhu Hong. They had already fallen tragically in defeat previously. They would only make a shame out of themselves if they were to continue making a move against him.

"You want to teach him a lesson?"

Ignoring that conceited fellow, Zhang Xuan turned to look at his students.

"Yes!"

All of them nodded their head simultaneously.

Seeing their expression, Zhang Xuan casually waved his hand. Then, with a serious expression, he said, "No matter what, he is Lu laoshi's student. It would be hard for me to account to him if he were to die! How about this, Yuan Tao, your strength is the weakest, and you have good self-control, go and beat him up into a pig-head and have him compensate for our door while you are at it! Remember to hold back! Also, during the fight, you must remember to play fairly and not to go overboard! Don't wound the camaraderie you have as fellow students!"

True Martial World - Chapter 181: Entering the Wilderness Divine Hall again

Yi Yun started a daily routine in the Tai Ah Divine City.

Every morning he would go to the herb mountain. As he trained his movement skills, he picked herbs. Then, at night, he would meditate. This slowly became Yi Yun's life.

As Yi Yun's job was separate from Zhou Kui’s and Song Zijun’s job, he slowly had less and less contact with them. This was compounded by the fact that he left early and returned home late, and then, never leaving his house.

Slowly, many Xuanwu Army members moved into the Tai Ah Divine City's inner rings, and they began to live in medium-class rooms.

Middle-class rooms were more spacious and they were in better locations. But if one were to compare the density of the Heaven Earth Yuan Qi in the Divine City, other than the central divine tower, there was not much difference. Some might be stronger, but not by much.

Of course, the middle-class rooms had a spirit gathering array which was more useful.

Besides that, the greatest advantage of staying in a middle-class room was reputation. Among the many young warriors, they had certain backgrounds; hence, reputation was very important.

Yi Yun did not move. He stayed at the corner of the city and he was happy being alone.

As for the spirit gathering array, his room also had one. The room had been snatched from Zhou Kui, and it was the best room in the area.

Today was Yi Yun's fifth day picking herbs.

Even Song Zijun was planning on moving out. He came over to bid farewell.

"Yi Yun, are you not moving to the middle-class district?"

Yi Yun shook his head, "There's not a big difference. Besides, my room is also a middle-class room. There's no need to."

Song Zijun said, "It may be so, but the cultivators at the middle-class districts are stronger. Having contact with them has several advantages. For example, trading, discussions, etc. They will help in increasing your strength."

That was the main reason behind Song Zijun moving into the middle-class district.

Yi Yun still shook his head.

"Alright then…" Song Zijun did not say more. "Yi Yun, you should come be a sparring partner soon. With your movement techniques, it is such a pity for you to not be a sparring partner…"

Due to the separate locations of their jobs, Song Zijun did not know of Yi Yun's herb-picking situation.

Yi Yun smiled and did not say further. "I'll only be picking herbs for a few months. I won't be carrying on after that."

"Okay… Alright then." Song Zijun said no more.

After Song Zijun left, Yi Yun headed to the Wilderness Divine Hall.

If there was a day Yi Yun wanted to change his residence, it would not be to the middle or upper-class rooms, but he would move to the central divine tower!

Middle-class district?

Yi Yun felt no need to live there.

In the past five days, Yi Yun had been receiving a steady amount of above 200 dragon scale runes a day from his herb-picking.

The Wang woman originally thought that Yi Yun had been lucky to pick so many herbs on his first day and she was waiting to see Yi Yun's dragon scale runes earnings slowly decline.

However, Yi Yun's herb count did not decrease; instead, it was increasing every day.

As a result, Wang had nothing else she could say. Her chattering foul mouth finally shut itself.

Yi Yun was a freak!

Although at this speed, it was unlikely he could break Zhong Yi's record, Yi Yun was the best herb-picking cultivator in the Tai Ah Divine City for the past several hundred years!

People who had ability were respected. Hence, no matter how mean Wang was, she no longer treated Yi Yun terribly.

And today, Yi Yun had amassed a thousand dragon scale runes. He wanted to enter the Wilderness Divine Hall again.

By then, it was already dark.

Yi Yun stood in front of the Wilderness Divine Hall and raised his head. Seeing the towering Wilderness Divine Hall, he was filled with emotion.

"Which room do you want?" Today, it was an old man in charge of manning the Wilderness Divine Hall. The old man's hair stood up like a sword and his pair of black eyes shined. In between his eyebrows, there was a red jewel, which was very special.

This jewel made Yi Yun take a second look. With that gem there, it gave the old man an indescribable flavor.

"Chimera! Two hours!" Yi Yun chose the chimera from before. His purpose was not only to absorb energy but to also gain insight on the chimera's nomological truths!

After handing over his token, a thousand golden runes flew out into the Wilderness Divine Hall's array. Yi Yun had finally gained the qualification to enter the chimera hall once again.

With a flash of light, Yi Yun was sucked in.

Immediately, Yi Yun felt that he was under intense pressure.

Yi Yun had made his preparations, he immediately interfaced his spiritual energy with the Purple Crystal and circulated his body's Yuan Qi, undertaking the baptism of the primordial strain's oppression.

In a short while, Yi Yun could feel the extremely pure energy boil and rise up within his body.

Yi Yun's vision turned white again. As he focused his spiritual energy, numerous points of light from the chimera's head gathered, eventually forming a blob of light, the size of a pigeon egg.

After going through the Great Yan gold, the light blob floated slowly towards Yi Yun. There were extremely small chimera phantoms that tumbled around within the light blob.

Yi Yun opened up his mouth and swallowed the energy blob.

Yi Yun was already very familiar with this and he found it much easier than the first time.

Yi Yun began to slowly gain insight of the nomological truths from the chimera's energy and he also allowed his body to take in all of the energy.

Yi Yun swallowed blob after blob of the primordial strain energy as he sealed it within his dantian.

Time soon passed and the two-hour limit was up.

"Dang!"

A bell rang!

In this two hours, Yi Yun was only focused on swallowing the energy. He did not digest it so his body was feeling warm. He did not return to his residence after he exited the chimera hall. Instead, he paid 80 dragon scale runes to rent a high-class room in the Wilderness Divine Hall for a night.

Yi Yun began to meditate on the stone bed within this cultivation room.

The energy that he had taken out from the Great Yan gold was not a lot, but due to its pureness and its primordial origins, it could not be compared to the energy from typical desolate bones.

Yi Yun used his spiritual energy to make the energy flow out from his dantian into all his limbs.

This energy had the ancient primal beasts' bloodline essence within it that slowly merged into Yi Yun's blood.

This feeling felt like he had drunk an entire pot of vintage wine. In time, Yi Yun's body was burning hot and gave off steam!

The Qi within the primordial strain's energy was like a raging flood, it surged through Yi Yun's meridians and blood vessels, all the way to Yi Yun's head!

Under the chaotic energy flow, it was extremely painful.

This feeling was as though his body was metal, and the primordial strain's energy essence was a hammer. Every surge was like a hammer, striking him, constantly forging Yi Yun's body.

Although it caused Yi Yun’s joints to hurt, the pain was an enjoyable experience for Yi Yun.

It was both painful and pleasurable!

Yi Yun was engrossed in this feeling, and after seven hours, his body was drenched with sweat. It was like he had been steamed in hot water vapor for a long time.

Slowly, the strikes weakened.

What replaced that was an intoxicated state. In this state, Yi Yun forgot about everything and without any conviction or worries, he was like a primordial beast, flying in the sky, overlooking the vast wilderness…

The control of the nomological truths by the primordial beast subtly branded within Yi Yun's mind.

These nomological truths were still unclear, but they left a seed in Yi Yun's mind, which was waiting to sprout in the future.

Late at night, after meditating for eight hours, Yi Yun woke up from his wondrous state.

He circulated his body's Yuan Qi and he was surprised to find his cultivation level a tiny distance away from the middle stages of Purple Blood.

It had been two months since Yi Yun had broken through to the Purple Blood realm. He had been wearing the Flowing Mercury Gown and had been constantly cultivating for the past two months. Together with the two absorptions of the primordial strain's energy, Yi Yun's current cultivation level had finally reached its current state.

Although he was just a tiny distance away from breaking through, he had fully absorbed all the primordial strain's energy!

To press on to the finish without letting up, with just half a step away from the middle stage of Purple Blood, how could Yi Yun give up?

He immediately took out two bean-sized crystals from his luggage.

Back at the Divine Capital's Jin Long Wei camp, General Yan Menglong had promised to give two upper-grade weapons and two desolate bone relics to the person who placed first in the Frost Metal Blood Balls!

Yi Yun had not used the two desolate bone relics until now, he was using the material where it was needed the most!

With a flick of his fingers, he swallowed the two desolate bone relics without thought!

"Boom!"

The energy within the desolate bone relics exploded like gunpowder within Yi Yun's body

Yi Yun's blood began to boil once again.

The mystical feeling came back once again. Under the surge of energy, Yi Yun could feel like he was touching the middle stages of Purple Blood.

The two desolate bone relics gave sufficient Yuan Qi to Yi Yun, which filled his body with energy.

"Break through for me!" Yi Yun roared together with his bones!

Peng!

At that instant, it was as if something exploded. Yi Yun felt his meridians clear and his blood become turbulent, which made him delighted.

He could not help but let out a long roar!

After that, the meditating Yi Yun suddenly opened his eyes. It was extremely late, but Yi Yun's eyes were like lightning at night. It electrified the void.

Yi Yun leaped from his stone bed like an agile hunting leopard.

The middle stage of Purple Blood! He had finally reached the middle stage of Purple Blood.

Yi Yun jumped to the center of the cultivation room and when he started moving his body, he formed a whole series of shadows. These series of shadows made Yi Yun's body look completely blurred and it looked unreal!

Yi Yun's speed grew faster, and slowly, it was like he had integrated himself into the surrounding space. He was one with his surroundings!

Large success stage of Minute Subtlety!

Yi Yun again demonstrated his movement technique to the extreme. It was really the large success stage of Minute Subtlety!

True Martial World - Chapter 180: Dragon Rune Ranking

"Simple…"

Facing the young ladies' inquiry on how he found the Meteorite Grass, Yi Yun gave an indifferent look as if it was not an issue at all.

"Of course I won't be able to cut every rock open. But Meteorite Grass can be found inside meteorites. I happen to know meteorites well. There may be many rocks in the Tai Ah Divine City's herb mountain, but there are few meteorites. I just opened every meteorite up."

"You know what meteorites are?" The young ladies asked again. They only had a vague concept of things like meteorites and they were not sure what it was because they were still young.

Yi Yun said, "Meteorites may look the same on the surface as normal rocks, but there is actually a difference. When a meteorite is falling, the heat bearing on it is extremely high. It will burn and melt in the Heaven Earth Yuan Qi, forming a molten shell on its surface. And it is shiny and glossy black, which makes it different from other rocks. Also, it falls at an extremely high speed, thus, it burns through a path of Heaven Earth Yuan Qi, leaving behind a texture of being blown on by Heaven Earth Yuan Qi when it cools. Although it is not obvious, you can look for this 'wind pattern'."

Yi Yun began to speak at random. He came up with a random story which wasn't entirely clear. Based on the knowledge he had of meteorites in his past life coupled with his own imagination, it sounded amazing.

However, validating the story was not easy. Distinguishing meteorites was like appraising jade. It was not something someone could learn after hearing a few words. Every meteorite was different. The characteristics he mentioned could be found in some kinds of meteorites, so he was not exactly speaking nonsense.

Even if someone proved that he was speaking nonsense in the future, there were no rules against speaking nonsense. There was always competition among the geniuses in the Tai Ah Divine City; hence, others would think he was making up nonsense so he would not share his secrets with others.

Sure enough, Zhao Qingcheng and company believed him. Even Wang could not find fault with Yi Yun's words that sounded reasonable. Wang had not done any research on meteorites as a warrior.

"Brother Yi Yun sure is great. You can even find a meteorite amongst all of those stones…" The thirteen-year-old girl was looking at Yi Yun with sparkles in her eyes.

She wanted to accompany Yi Yun while he picked herbs. However, according to the rules of the Tai Ah Divine City, warriors had to be alone while picking herbs. It was to prevent them from privately exchanging herbs.

If not, by combining 20-30 people's worth of herbs all to one person, one could easily break the record.

Yi Yun began to take out all sort of numerous herbs. After counting each one and drying the low-grade Yellow-ranked herbs, Wang quickly counted Yi Yun's actual harvest: 208 dragon scale runes.

"208…"

The few girls behind Yi Yun drew in a cold breath of air. Although they had already guessed in their hearts, they were still shocked when the number came out.

It was ridiculous. They had been arduously picking herbs all these days just to pay the bank loan. And that loan was only 200 dragon scale runes.

The amount of dragon scale runes the four of them borrowed was earned by Yi Yun in a day!

It was really an exasperating comparison…

"Your luck sure isn't bad. You might have some skill after all." After keeping Yi Yun's herbs, Wang used her slender eyes to size up Yi Yun, "It's no wonder you asked so much about breaking records. Some confidence you have there! Alright, bring your token here!"

Back when Yi Yun entered his residence, Baldy Qin had issued him the token. The front of the token was filled with inscriptions and on the back were the words "Divine Wilderness".

Each token was inscribed with 10 dragon scale runes at the beginning. Yi Yun's token was no different.

After taking over the token from him, Wang used her spirit to imprint something within. After a few seconds, some thickly-dotted golden sparkling runes flew from her token to Yi Yun's token. It was like a bunch of tiny golden bees.

Zhao Qingcheng and company looked by the sidelines. Those golden runes made them envious!

After Yi Yun's token absorbed all the dragon scale runes, golden lines appeared on the surface. They were like dragon scales, and extremely beautiful.

"Thanks." Yi Yun grinned, taking his token back. At this rate, in about four or five days, he would be able to accumulate enough dragon scale runes to enter the Wilderness Divine Hall.

"This… Little Brother Yi Yun…" Just as Yi Yun was prepared to leave the jobs office, Zhao Qingcheng called out to Yi Yun with a flushed face.

"Oh? What's the matter?" Yi Yun looked at Zhao Qingcheng and from the way she wished to say something, Yi Yun guessed what it was about.

"About this…"

"You want to borrow runes?" Yi Yun hit the nail on the head, making Zhao Qingcheng feel extremely awkward.

After all, she was not familiar with Yi Yun, so it was not easy to ask to borrow dragon scale runes.

In the Tai Ah Divine City, loans between cultivators were not protected by the officials of the Divine City. There were no terms of conditions or anything. In a nutshell, the divine city did not support the borrowing of dragon scale runes among cultivators.

What the Tai Ah Divine City supported were fair trade and gambling fights! If one wanted returns, they had to prove their strength. There was no such thing as reaping without sowing.

To borrow dragon scale runes, one had to borrow from the bank. With an interest rate of 12-15%, very few people dared to take out a loan, because it was easy to fall into an abyss of debt.

As for the private loans between warriors, the divine city had no way of interfering. Of course, one had to be prepared that the other party might not return it.

Besides, no one was rich in dragon scale runes and everyone had to pinch their every penny. To borrow from others?

Difficult!

"About this… We just want to return the loan from the bank. We just need thirty dragon scale runes, no… just twenty would do, is it possible…?" Zhao Qingcheng said with her face flushed and she no longer had any clout in her words.

Yesterday, she had asked if Yi Yun wanted to become an associate member of the Luohuo Association. Also, she said that she would protect Yi Yun if he ever needed help.

But today, she wanted to borrow dragon scale runes from Yi Yun. Not only was she not protecting Yi Yun, he had ended up protecting her.

Upon recalling the words she said yesterday, Zhao Qingcheng was ashamed and embarrassed.

"Twenty…" Yi Yun knitted his brows. To him, this was nothing. At his speed of making about 200 dragon scale runes a day, he could enter the Wilderness Divine Hall in five days. Lending Zhao Qingcheng 20 dragon scale runes would not affect the time it took for him to enter the Wilderness Divine Hall.

Having met by chance, Yi Yun was under no obligation to help Zhao Qingcheng, but since it was as easy as lifting a finger for him, Yi Yun did not reject it after some thought.

To get to know another person in the divine city would be beneficial. After all, it might be of use in the future.

He asked, "Sister Zhao, I want to ask something. Previously, on the roll of honor, I saw that Luo Huo’er was number one on the Man ranking. But she was ranked rather far back in the Heaven and Earth ranking. What's the matter with the Man ranking?"

"The Man ranking… The Man ranking is dragon scale runes. The amount of dragon scale runes on your token and a number of resources bought from the divine city will be combined to form a rank. Senior Luo is number one on that!"

"But Senior Luo isn't as rich as you think. Senior Luo earns a lot, but she spends a lot as well. She often worries about dragon scale runes… She's a Desolate Heaven Master, and she needs to practice the Desolate Heaven skill, so she needs a sizable amount of dragon scale runes."

"I see…" Yi Yun finally understood. Since the Tai Ah Divine City allowed private trade among the cultivators, as a Desolate Heaven Master, she could earn dragon scale runes quickly. But the practice of the Desolate Heaven skill was very expensive; so although Luo Huo’er was number one on the Man roll of honor, she was not very rich.

It should be said that with the rules set by the Tai Ah Divine City, no one could end up being rich. The dragon scale runes were used to buy resources.

There were many resources in the Tai Ah Divine City that were astronomical in price. No matter how much dragon scale runes one had, it could be easily spent.

"Twenty dragon scale runes, I can lend it to you…"

"Really!? Thank you so much!" Zhao Qingcheng was pleasantly surprised. Yi Yun had been a great help for her this time round.

Yi Yun's dragon scale runes could be used to pay off the month's interest, which was a timely gift.

"I'll return you on the fifth of next month." Zhao Qingcheng said with immense gratitude. She left behind a voice transmission mark with Yi Yun, facilitating their contact in the future.

"Okay." Yi Yun nodded.

After Yi Yun left, Zhao Qingcheng still felt like she was in a dream. This young boy had ridiculous observational power!

"He seems to be as old as me," The young lady from before said helplessly. She was also about twelve years of age, and she subconsciously still felt that she was still a child.

But the things Yi Yun did, was it something that a child could do?

"Yeah… That Yi Yun might one day become a rising star! If we have cordial relations with him, it might perhaps help out our families…"

Zhao Qingcheng began making her calculations. Even if Yi Yun's cultivation level was nothing in the future, just his observational skill would be beneficial. When warriors went to dangerous mystic realms on expeditions, a keen sense and observation could save lives. Partying up with these sort of people was an assuring matter.

True Martial World - Chapter 179: Handing Herbs Over

The one who wants to break the record?

Hearing the way Wang addressed him, Yi Yun nearly choked. This woman sure had a foul mouth. He had only asked a few questions and she was being this sarcastic about it.

But… Alright… Although he did want to break the record, he had not said it out loud.

"Little Brother Yi Yun, it's you."

Zhao Qingcheng looked at Yi Yun and forced a smile. She transmitted her voice, "This woman is a hedgehog. She wants to prick anyone she sees. She's also a metallic rooster made of black iron. She's so stingy that she won't allow you to pluck out even a single feather! You will know once you hand over your herbs today. She will reduce the price of your herbs drastically. Many rookies can't even pay the 25 dragon scale runes rent."

Zhao Qingcheng was full of complaints. She was still worried over the usury.

The few herb-picking girls were all at a loss. To cultivators, dragon scale runes were too precious. They had to pinch every penny to lead their days, wishing they could use one dragon scale rune as two.

"Thank you, Sis Zhao's advice. Why does Sister Wang have such a bad temper?" Yi Yun asked casually.

"Who knows. I heard that she was a cultivator in the Tai Ah Divine City. Then she found another cultivator who she liked and got engaged. Later, due to some mishap, the person she liked died while cultivating. Later on, this Wang woman stayed behind in the Tai Ah Divine City. She's actually very strong but she is not friendly with anyone; hence, she was sent to be in charge of miscellaneous jobs."

"This…" Yi Yun did not expect for this to happen. Hearing this story, he could feel the brutality of cultivating in the Tai Ah Divine City. It was so easy to die.

"Sis has to tell you. Dragon scale runes are very precious. Every dragon scale rune has to be wisely spent. Do not waste them. It's difficult for rookies to earn dragon scale runes. You make about 10 or so a day, and there are many places where you need to use them in the future."

Zhao Qingcheng knew this all too well.

Yi Yun nodded. He felt that although Zhao Qingcheng was never serious with her words, she was still a good person.

At that moment, Wang had already lifted the steelyard, and said to Yi Yun, "Herb picking is the same for rookies and veterans. 25 dragon scale runes, not one less! If there's not enough… then we will have to reduce your dragon scale runes to below zero."

Wang dragged out her tone and played with the pigeon egg-sized weight, knocking it on the table.

"Of course, if you don't want to sleep on the streets, you can choose to be like those debtors and borrow from the bank. As for the interest… for rookies, it's less. Only 12%, but of course it compounds."

While saying this, Wang glanced at Zhao Qingcheng and company. They all turned red with embarrassment. Wang truly had a foul mouth.

Yi Yun was nonchalant upon hearing Wang's words. He placed his herb basket onto the table.

Wang uncovered the cloth covering the basket and reached in to pull out the herbs.

But, with a grab, a strange expression appeared on Wang's face.

Having been in the herb-picking office for so long, she was extremely sensitive to herbs. With that reach, she could feel something amiss. Upon looking at the basket, she gave an odd look.

She flipped the herb basket and her face gradually froze.

"Oh?"

Zhao Qingcheng and company also noticed Wang's expression and were curious about what had happened.

"These… were picked by you?"

Wang raised her head and sized Yi Yun up from head to toe as if this was the first time seeing him.

Yi Yun nodded. Zhao Qingcheng and company also came to realize that something had happened. They came over out of curiosity and looked into the basket and were immediately stunned.

"Void Star Flower, Panniu roots. Oh? This is Duskwood Fruit… a treasure among Yellow-ranked herbs, and… what is this…?"

Zhao Qingcheng took out a worm-like object. After looking at it for good while, she recalled the record in the 'Divine Wilderness' book. "This… it can't be! Meteorite Grass?"

Zhao Qingcheng had picked herbs for a long time and she had only encountered a few low-grade Mystic-rank herbs, which were all very common ones among the Mystic-rank herbs.

And Meteorite Grass was a middle-grade Mystic-ranked herb that nearly approached upper-grade Mystic-rank.

Among the middle-grade Mystic-ranked herbs, Meteorite Grass was extremely rare. It was not easy to find one and it was worth a lot. Zhao Qingcheng had never seen the Meteorite Grass in the Tai Ah herb mountain, hence it took a while for her to recognize it.

"Hmph! To pick herbs with that knowledge of yours. You will fail to recognize the herb even if it's in front of you. What's the point of picking!?"

Wang mocked Zhao Qingcheng. Indeed, herbs in the Divine Wilderness were very difficult to find. If one was lucky enough to see one and not recognize it, it would be a great waste.

But, this situation had happened to a lot of cultivators.

Unless one was an alchemist, how would one be able to recognize the various kinds of herbs? Also, the herbs in the Divine Wilderness were different from those in the central plains. Alchemists who did not have enough experience had to learn how to identify herbs on the spot.

Typical cultivators would rely on the records written in the 'Divine Wilderness' book.

But after all, a book was a book. Just from some drawings and description, it was difficult to perfectly describe the different properties of the herbs. It was very common to not recognize one!

It was common for rookies to have dismal results picking herbs. Many herbs were missed due to their ignorance.

In fact, those who could recognize most of the herbs from the herb mountains’ thousands of species of plants using just a book's record were abnormal!

And now, Yi Yun was one of those abnormal people in Zhao Qingcheng's mind.

In the Tai Ah Divine City's herbal mountain, many of the grass, shrubs, woods, and plants all looked similar to herbs. It was not easy to distinguish which was which!

Many rookies had situations when they picked the wrong plant. Many spirit plants had some spirit gathered within it, making it look like a herb.

Also, many herbs could hide, making it even more difficult to find them.

For Yi Yun to pick so many herbs on his first time was ridiculous!

"This Void Star Flower… How did you find it?"

Void Star Flower could hide by transforming to make itself look like a tree. Zhao Qingcheng had not picked a Void Star Flower in all of her months here.

"Oh… Doesn't the 'Divine Wilderness' book say… A Void Star Flower will make itself look like a tree. But the tree it creates will have a speckled texture. Like when clouds clear, leaving behind a void of star-like water droplets, hence the reason for its name."

Hearing Yi Yun's explanation, Zhao Qingcheng looked at Yi Yun as if she had seen a freak.

Of course, Zhao Qingcheng knew how the Void Star Flower got its name and how to distinguish the fake tree made by a Void Star Flower and other plants.

But!

How small were the water droplets left behind after the clouds clear?

In the Tai Ah Divine City's herbal mountain, it was filled with trees and it would take a day to travel through it. At the speed a warrior traveled, they would see tens of thousands of trees. Who would notice that a single tree had some sparkles? Especially when the sparkles were about the size of a pinhole!

How did Yi Yun get those eyes!?

Zhao Qingcheng could not believe it.

The four girls crowded around Yi Yun. Yi Yun could not stand it, "Uh… Why are you surrounding me like that… Uh, you are even drooling."

Yi Yun saw that a girl his age was drooling while looking at the Meteorite Grass in Zhao Qingcheng's hands while standing beside her.

"Eh?" That thirteen-year-old girl quickly wiped her mouth and smiled sheepishly.

This Meteorite Grass was worth 80 dragon scale runes. It was a treasure. They were going mad from being poor, and they naturally wanted it.

And standing beside the Meteorite Grass, they could smell its milky scent, which was very appetizing.

"That… Brother Yi Yun, how did you find this Meteorite Grass?"

The young girl was a family friend of Zhao Qingcheng. She had just come to the Tai Ah Divine City and was following Zhao Qingcheng after being taken under her care.

But clearly, Zhao Qingcheng was not doing too well in the Tai Ah Divine City. She could only give limited care to this girl. At most, she could introduce the various rules and bring her around.

When this young girl asked the question, everyone looked at Yi Yun. Although the Void Star Flower was difficult to find, it at least had some defining characteristics. It was no wonder Yi Yun could find it if he had ridiculous observational powers.

But for Meteorite Grass, it hid within stones and could not be seen from the surface. Only upon cleaving a rock open would one see it. But there were more rocks than trees in the Tai Ah Divine City's herb mountain! How could you cleave open so many?

True Martial World - Chapter 178: The one who wants to break the record

Yi Yun had originally intended to pick a few herbs on his first day. It would be too amazing if he had picked hundreds of herbs on his first day. After all, it would arouse the suspicions and doubts of others if Yi Yun carried on picking so many herbs in the future.

Zhong Yi's record was due to the quality of herbs he picked, not the quantity.

With a keen perception and a certain amount of luck, it was not surprising to pick exquisite herbs. Just by picking a few herbs that were worth a thousand dragon scale runes, one could easily get tens of thousands dragon scale runes.

Hence, it was reasonable to break the record this way.

If he did not use this method and broke the record in terms of quantity by picking ten to twenty times more herbs, then something would be amiss.

Hence, Yi Yun wanted to win according to the quality of herbs he picked, not the quantity. There had to be a gradual process in breaking the record.

After collecting these herbs, Yi Yun began to concentrate on training his movement skills.

He practiced for most of the day. While practicing his movement skills, Yi Yun still managed to find some herbs here and there. After some hesitation, Yi Yun also plucked these herbs.

One of the Yellow-ranked herbs he picked was a Duskwood Fruit. The divine city exchanged it for 50 dragon scale runes.

This Duskwood Fruit was one of the best herbs among the Yellow-ranked herbs. It was worth even more than some of the low-grade Mystic-ranked herbs.

Today's harvest was estimated to be about 200 dragon scale runes, an amount seven or eight times more than what a normal cultivator could gather!

Yi Yun touched his nose guiltily and smiled helplessly. He had accidentally picked more than 200 dragon scale runes. It was considered pretty good for a typical rookie to pick about 30 dragon scale runes worth that was barely enough to pay the rent.

By slowly accumulating experience, one was able to pick about 40-50 dragon scale runes worth of herbs.

To pick 200 in his first day was somewhat exaggerated.

But upon careful thought, compared to Zhong Yi who left the record of 19,000, he was still inferior. Zhong Yi's average returns each day was above 300 dragon scale runes. That was every day!

That number was quite amazing!

For Zhong Yi to pick so many highly ranked herbs, it clearly could not be explained by mere luck alone.

Of course, picking herbs needed luck. Picking a Heaven-ranked herb due to luck was not surprising. But luck was not something that was unlimited. One or two lucky days was possible, but not every single day.

"Senior Zhong Yi must have had some keen perception or some other advantage. He must have had some special ability to leave behind such a record…"

In this world, there was a very tiny number of people who had sharp natural instincts. Some people could observe their surroundings and remember every detail of the scene, such as the position of each blade of grass. These people were like alert animals. It was very difficult to sneak up on them.

This intuition might not bring much to a person's fighting strength; but, if they entered a dangerous mystic realm, this intuition would often save their lives.

Yi Yun believed that Zhong Yi was such a person.

With Zhong Yi's record, it should not attract too much attention if he picked 200 dragon scale runes worth of herbs. People would just shrug it off as luck.

In the evening, when Yi Yun saw the setting red sun, he spat out a mouthful of foul air and sat down to meditate.

When the sun completely set, Yi Yun arranged his herbs and went through the teleportation array back to the Tai Ah Divine City.

Besides his harvest of herbs, Yi Yun could clearly feel that the Flowing Mercury Gown that weighed 200 cauldrons had been forging his body during his herb-picking journey. It made his body better and allowed him to absorb the primordial strain's energy perfectly. At the same time, under the huge pressure, he had managed to gain better control of his strength, allowing him to have a deeper understanding of the large success stage of Minute Subtlety.

Upon returning to the job office, Yi Yun saw a bunch of girls with herb baskets handing over their herbs.

These herb-picking girls, regardless of origin, wore coarse clothes in the Tai Ah Divine City. They did not put on any make-up, making them look like simple village girls. It was a breath of fresh air.

"Sister Wang, you are pressing too hard with the steelyard! I'm already unable to afford my meals. Why do you make things difficult for me?" wheedled a young girl with a pettishly charming voice.

However, Wang was basically immune to it. With a foot-long rod, a pigeon egg-sized weight, and a shiny plate, she measured the weight of the herbs.

The herbs handed over by the girl was placed into a moisture-removing array by Wang before its weight was measured. The herbs' weight was checked by Wang, and it would not be a big deal if she made some tiny changes to the number she recorded. But she was incorruptible and mean, so no one could gain any advantage from her.

"Next."

Wang impatiently waved and ignored the petulant young girl.

The young girl stuck out her tongue and retreated. Behind her were a few of the girls that Yi Yun had met here earlier.

The head of these girls was Zhao Qingcheng, and they were all from the Luohuo Association.

Zhao Qingcheng saw Yi Yun at the outset, but she did not greet him this time.

"Low-grade Yellow-ranked herbs, 545 grams. Rounding down to the nearest 50 grams, it will be counted as 500. A total of 100 dragon scale runes!" Wang deftly kept her steelyard. She rattled off a string of words rapidly. It was impossible to tell what she said without listening carefully.

In fact, with Wang’s cultivation level and keen perception, she could accurately tell the weight of the herbs using her hand. But she liked to use the steelyard to measure because by sliding the scale back and forth, it also tugged on the heartstrings of many cultivators.

"95 grams…"

Hearing this number, the jovial Zhao Qingcheng could no longer smile.

Typically, only middle-grade Yellow-ranked and above herbs would be computed one by one. Most of the low-grade Yellow-ranked herbs were all mixed together and dried using an array and given 10 dragon scale runes for every 50 grams.

By rounding down the last 45 grams, it made her heart ache!

She just needed 5 more grams!

Although low-grade Yellow-ranked herbs were not valuable, they were their main source of income for these herb-picking girls. The higher grade herbs were too difficult to find. For example, Yi Yun's Meteorite Grass was hiding inside a rock. Only by cutting open the rock could one see it. Who else could find something like that?

Zhao Qingcheng's little group had four girls. With all their middle-grade and upper-grade herbs, their days' combined revenue was 166 dragon scale runes.

Subtracting the 100 dragon scale runes rent, there was only 66 left, averaging to about 15-16 dragon scale runes per person.

This income was terrible…

"Ai, why the hell didn't I pick one more herb. Just a few leaves would make up 5 grams…"

Zhao Qingcheng heart chagrined. She looked at Wang and persisted, "Sister Wang, I'm just short of 5 grams to reach 550 grams. Just let it pass. Do you know, Sister Wang, we had found an extremely good elixir a few days ago. And the price was reasonable and it's perfect for us sisters to use. We grit our teeth and borrowed 200 dragon scale runes from the divine city's bank and together with our savings, we bought the elixir. This loan has a 15% interest rate and the interest compounds. If we can't return it in three months, all of us will be sleeping on the street."

"Seeing that it's nearly the end of the month…We are just short of the 200 dragon scale runes. If we have enough, we can return it. If we can't return it, we still need to pay a month's interest! What do you…"

As Zhao Qingcheng said it, she stared at Wang with a watery, wide-eyed, appealingly innocent gaze and fluttered her eyelashes.

Wang had put down her steelyard and was about to lift up her precious mirror. She did not even raise her head despite hearing Zhao Qingcheng say so much. She adjusted her hair and after a while said coldly, "What has all that crap you said have to do with me?"

Zhao Qingcheng's smile froze. She carried on smiling obsequiously, "Sis Wang's mirror is so exquisite… I say, Sis Wang is so pretty. If I were as pretty as Sis Wang, I'll never part from the mirror."

"Thanks."

Wang accepted Zhao Qingcheng's praise, and then… carried on fiddling with the small mirror in her hand.

She was impenetrable!

Zhao Qingcheng was wrecked. No matter how she counted, there was no way she could pay that sum of dragon scale runes.

15% interest would mean another month of scrimping and saving. If they couldn't return it, they had to sleep on the streets.

It was an absolute disgrace for a bunch of girls to sleep on the street, and looked at by a bunch of male beasts in the Tai Ah Divine City!

Yi Yun heard the conversation between Zhao Qingcheng and Wang.

This was the first time he knew that the Tai Ah Divine City had a bank. So it was possible for people with negative dragon scale runes to maintain a decent living by relying on loans.

But…15% compounded interest meant the bank was pretty much a usury!

By lending 100 dragon scale runes, the next month would be 115, and the following month 132!

Even a lot of usuries were not that bad!

It was no wonder that Zhao Qingcheng was under so much pressure. If they could not return the loan to a usury within the short period of time, it would be nearly impossible in the future. Who would want to keep bearing a high-interest loan during their six years of training? And the interest kept rolling!

Of course, this had nothing to do with Yi Yun. At that moment, Wang put down her mirror and allowed Yi Yun to weigh his herbs.

"Hey, aren't you the one who wants to break the record? What are you standing there for? Hurry and hand them over!"

Wang appeared very impatient. Her expression said to hand over the herbs quickly and go to a corner, don't waste my precious time.

True Martial World - Chapter 177: Meteorite Grass

In the endless Tai Ah Herb Mountain of the Divine Wilderness, a small figure was climbing and jumping in the mountains!

With 200 cauldrons of the Flowing Mercury Gown weighing him down, Yi Yun had to be careful with every step he took. He could not step on mud and he had to step on rocks, or his entire leg would sink into the ground.

In the Divine Wilderness's mountains, there were many rocks, and their hardness was sufficient for supporting Yi Yun's weight.

After stepping on a particular piece of rock, Yi Yun was just about to take the second step when the large granite rock he had rested his weight on flipped over suddenly. It was as if it could not handle the heavy weight Yi Yun possessed, causing it to be pried out of the soil.

This sudden turn of events surprised Yi Yun. With the rock’s flip, his entire body crashed downward.

With 200 cauldrons of weight in the Flowing Mercury Gown, if he did not change the weight in time, falling would be no laughing matter.

If Yi Yun fell on any normal rocks, they would shatter and injure him at the same time.

Despite him about to crash into a large rock, Yi Yun still chose not to change the weight of the Flowing Mercury Gown; instead, he twisted his body in the air and drew out his Thousand Army Saber from his back!

Cha!

The long Thousand Army Saber that rivaled a human's height sliced through the rock wall like tofu. Using this force, Yi Yun swung his body and somersaulted back into the air. With the strength from this backflip, Yi Yun's body, which was about to crash into the ground with his back first, managed to swing to the side.

He was like a lively monkey. After traversing a distance of ten feet and tipping his toes on a rock, Yi Yun regained his stability. But the simple tip of his toes had crushed the rock to pieces.

As a result, Yi Yun finally had enough power to firmly land on top of a boulder.

The series of moves he executed was a result of reaching the threshold of the large success stage of Minute Subtlety. If not, he could only have reduced the weight of the Flowing Mercury Gown while falling off the large rock.

Climbing a mountain with a weight of 200 cauldrons was difficult since he could accidentally crush the rocks he walked on.

Yi Yun was continuously attempting and experimenting. Under all these attempts, he slowly gained more and more precise control of his strength. Each ounce of strength was no more, no less than necessary. It was like he was dancing on the tip of a blade.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Step after step, Yi Yun climbed up the mountain. Each step was swift and cautious.

Every spot he passed by left behind an imprint that resembled a behemoth's footprint. There was a large crater left behind wherever he rested his feet.

Every time he encountered a situation with the rocks he stepped on, Yi Yun would emerge safely through the use of his movement skills.

"Oh?

Yi Yun suddenly realized that there was a shimmering light by a tree a hundred meters away. It was like starlight.

The Purple Crystal within Yi Yun's body began to pulsate slightly, bringing the light's existence to Yi Yun's attention.

With Yi Yun's cultivation level getting higher, his spiritual energy was growing more powerful. It allowed him to now perceive things in a keener manner. Yi Yun could perceive every bit of energy in a hundred-meter radius.

And if there was a primordial strain filled with pure energy in the vicinity, Yi Yun would still be able to detect one even if it were several kilometers away. Yi Yun’s perception was not affected even if the energy was sealed. Of course, being able to perceive sealed energy was one thing. Absorbing it was another!

This was the fantastic vision that the Purple Crystal gave Yi Yun—a world with energy as its building blocks.

Under the guidance of the Purple Crystal, Yi Yun easily found the source of the energy.

Brushing away the shrubs, Yi Yun found a fist-sized flower in between the cracks of a tree trunk.

"Void Star Flower?"

By looking at the flower's colors and the way the petals moved, Yi Yun identified the flower.

When he came to the Tai Ah Divine City, he had read the book 'Divine Wilderness', which had records about the Void Star Flower. It absorbed Heaven Earth Yuan Qi and rain to grow. It was rooted in an ordinary large tree as a parasite.

But this tree was actually no different than the Void Star Flower's own roots. Upon removing the Void Star Flower, the tree would slowly wither away.

In the Divine Wilderness, there were all sorts of treasures that had the ability to hide and protect themselves, if not, they would be easily eaten by desolate beasts or picked by humans.

The Void Star Flower was a high-grade Yellow-ranked herb and he could exchange it for about three dragon scale runes.

"After going so far, all I've found is this high-grade Yellow-ranked Void Star Flower. If it's the other cultivators from the divine city without the Purple Crystal, they can only find herbs by rummaging through grass and stones. Their efficiency at picking herbs will be much lower. To find a dozen Yellow-ranked herbs in a day would be quite amazing. If one were lucky, one or two Mystic-ranked herbs would be a great harvest."

"Low-grade Yellow-ranked herbs can only be exchanged for two dragon scale runes. Mystic-ranked herbs can get a bit more, but it's only around ten dragon scale runes. By this way of counting, a herb-picking cultivator can, at best, receive 40-50 dragon scale runes in a day!"

"But, by choosing the herb-picking job, there is a requirement of handing over at least 25 dragon scale runes of herbs a day. This is firstly a way for the divine city to gain resources, and secondly, to prevent people from being lazy. Once 25 dragon scale runes are deducted, there will be even less!"

No wonder people were reluctant to pick herbs. This was indeed a lonely, boring and dead-end job.

After picking the Void Star Flower, he carried on. By choosing to particularly step on rubble and easy to slip gravel, Yi Yun kept testing his movement skills and his power control.

This naturally slowed down Yi Yun's speed.

A typical herb-picking cultivator would begin searching for herbs upon reaching the herb mountain. They wouldn't have the time to care about anything else. If they could not hand over 25 dragon scale runes, then their dragon scale runes would go in the negative.

Upon reaching negative dragon scale runes for two consecutive days, the divine city would remove the free lodging privileges, causing one to sleep on the streets.

For a warrior, sleeping on the streets was nothing, and not really a punishment, but… it would be extremely shameful.

Those who could come to the Tai Ah Divine City were all prideful people. But to end up being ineligible to live in the divine city's free lodgings to the point of sleeping on the streets would bring great ridicule upon the news traveling back to their family clans. They might as well kill themselves.

Hence, the people who came herb-picking would not dare to skive. But Yi Yun proceeded slowly into the herb mountain. Most of the time, he was practicing his movement skills. As for picking herbs… He did that casually. With the Purple Crystal, he had a 100% efficiency rate.

Soon, Yi Yun's herb basket was filled with a dozen kinds of herbs, mostly of the Yellow-rank.

Yi Yun estimated that the herbs were only worth about 30 dragon scale runes.

"Oh? That is…?"

Yi Yun looked up and discovered that there was a fuzzy energy fluctuation several hundred meters away. The energy fluctuation was more intense than the Yellow-ranked herbs he had previously found.

"It has to be a Mystic-ranked herb."

Yi Yun licked his lips and began using his movement skill to head towards the energy fluctuation like an agile monkey.

Yi Yun interfaced his spiritual energy with the Purple Crystal. From his perspective, there was a huge blob of Heaven Earth Yuan Qi, burning like a fire cluster. It was apparent that there was some spiritual item at its origin.

But when he exited the Purple Crystal's vision, all Yi Yun could see was a black rock. The black rock was rough on the surface and was riddled with tiny potholes. It looked no different than an ordinary rock, with no sign of a herb.

Yi Yun stroked his chin and recalled an entry in the "Divine Wilderness" book. He quickly understood what this rock in front of him was.

Yi Yun drew out his Thousand Army Saber and slashed down!

"Cha!"

With a light sound, the black rock was cut into two!

"So hard! Guess I was right."

Yi Yun's eyes lit up. The Thousand Army Saber was able to cut through metal like mud, and with his strength, even a thick metal wall would be easily cleaved by Yi Yun, not to mention a rock.

Yet, the rock in front of Yi Yun caused numbness in his hands despite him splitting it apart.

This was no ordinary rock, but a meteorite!

"As expected of a meteorite! Due to the falling process, the meteor would turn hot due to the friction with Heaven Earth Yuan Qi, eventually combusting into flames. The fire would burn off any impurities, and Heaven Earth Yuan Qi essence will enter the rock. Through this way of casting, the rock would be on a completely different level than typical metals. It has the same principle as a blacksmith forging metal by striking it tens of millions of times!"

The meteorite that Yi Yun split was smooth and grayish-white on the inside. Within the grayish-white texture, there was a hole the size of a thumb which was very conspicuous.

Yi Yun put his finger into the hole to clasp it and a smile appeared on his face.

He quickly dug out a 'worm' from the hole!

However, this was not a worm, but something known as "Meteorite Grass". It was a tuber-like plant.

Meteorite Grass would send its seeds flying tens of thousands of kilometers away into the vast wilderness, finding a place to root.

It would be attracted by meteorites, especially metallic ones, before landing on the surface of a meteorite.

The Meteorite Grass' seed will then secrete a corrosive liquid and, after a few years, it would slowly bore into the meteorite, taking root!

Then, the Meteorite Grass would be like a worm in an apple. It would slowly crawl and make thumb-sized tunnels within. It would absorb the meteorite's essence that aided its growth!

These sort of amazing plants made Yi Yun sigh. In the Divine Wilderness, there were all sorts of wonders. The lifeforms here exceeded Yi Yun's past knowledge.

"Meteorite Grass! Middle-grade Mystic-ranked herb. As there aren’t that many, it wasn’t easy to find. The Tai Ah Divine City's manual says that this can be exchanged for 82 dragon scale runes!"

After Yi Yun began practicing martial arts, his memory had become extremely good. He had already memorized all the dragon scale runes rewards within the manual.

Mystic-ranked herbs began at ten dragon scale runes. Based on the herb's value, a few rare Mystic-ranked herbs could be worth as much as a hundred dragon scale runes, more than some Earth-ranked herbs.

"Oh… This should do for the day. I'll prepare to leave. I shouldn't be too ridiculous on my first day picking herbs."

True Martial World - Chapter 176: Herb Picking Profession

Zhao Qingcheng could tell that Yi Yun had some interest in the Luohuo Association and she turned slightly delighted, "Hehe, little brother, it will be difficult to last in the Tai Ah Divine City without being in an association. How about it, are you interested in joining our Luohuo Association? Our Luohuo Association has very strict entry requirements! But I will introduce you, and you can immediately become an associate member!"

The olive branch Zhao Qingcheng threw to Yi Yun was rejected by him with a shake of his head, "No thanks, I'll go at it alone."

Associate member? What a joke! I wouldn't even join as a full member!

Although Yi Yun had these thoughts on his mind, a harmless smile was still plastered on his face.

Actually, Yi Yun knew that his current situation as a rookie kid with a medicine basket on his back made him look like a poor, low-class peasant. Who would want to accept him!?

"Alright, if anyone bullies you, Sis here will protect you, hehe!"

Zhao Qingcheng fluttered her eyes at Yi Yun before she went off with her other sisters like larks.

Yi Yun was left holding the little booklet in a daze. The primordial herbs seemed difficult to pick. It was better for him to look for Heaven-ranked herbs, which was more reliable. Even Earth-ranked herbs would do.

But he could not be too exaggerated in his picking. He had to toe the line.

As he was thinking about this, a lioness suddenly roared behind him.

"Are you done? If you are done, stop standing here in a daze and blocking the path! Go elsewhere if you fancy dazing!"

Yi Yun jumped and turned his head and saw Wang rapping the table impatiently with one hand while holding a mirror in the other.

"Has this woman… reached her menopause?" Yi Yun maliciously thought, but he felt that it was not worth it to make a fuss with the bad-tempered woman. Well… the real reason is that he had no ability to make a fuss. His arms were thin and he had just arrived at the Tai Ah Divine City. He could not do a thing yet. He was just like a shrimp with no presence wherever he went.

But Yi Yun did not mind. He was extremely happy. Who said that there was no future in picking herbs? He had just received a goal he could work hard towards.

As such, Yi Yun carried a herb sickle and a herb basket that was about half his size out of the office.

In this pathetic, uncouth outfit, he walked on the streets of the Tai Ah Divine City, receiving all sorts of contemptuous, as well as odd and confused stares. Finally, Yi Yun reached the teleportation portal to the herbal mountain.

When he began to pick herbs, Yi Yun realized that trying to date girls while picking herbs was an unrealistic situation.

The Tai Ah Divine City herbal mountain had been divided into many sectors, and each sector was immense. Many of the sectors were segregated by arrays, preventing passage into another sector.

A herbal mountain was a wonderland nearly a few hundred kilometers in radius. Around the wonderland, there were multiple arrays surrounding it.

In this mountain, a rich spiritual aura and the protection of arrays prevented any typical desolate beasts from entering.

The herb mountain bred all sorts of treasures, which were widely distributed on steep cliffs, deep abysses, or in the middle of a huge divine mountain.

Herb-gatherers were randomly sent to a herb mountain and Yi Yun was the only person in this particular herb mountain. After the herbs were collected, a herb-gatherer would have to use the teleportation portal in order to return to the Tai Ah Divine City.

Upon reaching the Tai Ah Divine City, they had to turn over the herbs and calculate the dragon scale runes rewards.

Hence, the herbs picked in the herb mountain could not be traded or secretly kept.

There was even a body-search of the warriors before they went picking herbs. This was to prevent unscrupulous people from bringing their own herbs to exchange for dragon scale runes.

Under all these rules, herb-picking was a lonely and boring job. It was hardly surprising that few people were willing to do it.

But, this suited Yi Yun.

When his body entered the teleportation array, sparkles flew around his body and a violent wind blew, making Yi Yun experience some changes. When he opened his eyes again, he was already at the base of a huge unfamiliar mountain.

What Yi Yun saw made him speechless.

While in the Cloud Wilderness, Yi Yun had seen many magnificent mountains. But those mountains could not compete with the peak in front of him.

The mountain in front of him pierced the clouds and stretched far, with no end in sight.

The peak was probably obscured a few dozen kilometers away by a thick foggy mist.

Under the mountain peak, lush plants grew. Ignoring the large trees, just the shrubs alone were as tall as a person. Their roots were dense and sharp, like swords and spears.

There was jagged gravel that rolled down to the foot of the mountain like falling meteorites that were about the size of a house. Their hardness was greater than steel.

The huge, luxuriant mountain was so immense that it made one feel minute.

"Such a big mountain, it's really a wonderland!" Yi Yun sighed. This so-called 'herb field' of the Tai Ah Divine City was spectacular. The small area of the herbal mountain a person was transported to was already so vast!

Such a large divine mountain had limitless treasures and one only needed the sufficient number of opportunities to obtain them.

"Such a massive herbal mountain, and not the only one…The Tai Ah Divine City sure is bottomless…I wonder how many herbs I can pick here?"

Yi Yun felt more and more assured that choosing herb-picking as his job was perfect.

After cutting through grass taller than him, Yi Yun walked towards the deeper parts of the herbal mountain. The air here was misty and turbulent. There was a milk-like smell of herbs in the air.

When these aromas entered the body, it felt like every pore was being cleansed in top-quality nectar, making it extremely pleasurable.

By just sitting here meditating, needless to say, picking herbs would be extremely beneficial.

"Let's begin!"

Yi Yun warmed up his body and with a rub of his wrist, he felt he was at his optimal state! With this endless herb mountain that contained numerous treasures, Yi Yun was filled with lofty sentiments!

By interfacing with the Purple Crystal through his spiritual energy, Yi Yun's vision slowly turned white. In Yi Yun's vision, there was an area with slightly denser light, while another area was lacking. This meant that the different areas had different concentrations of Heaven Earth Yuan Qi.

Yi Yun naturally headed to the place with more Heaven Earth Yuan Qi.

With a thought of his mind, the Flowing Mercury Gown he wore had a bizarre change.

The weight began to surge up, pressing down every inch of Yi Yun's skin.

Soon, a sound came out from Yi Yun's feet. He had shattered the hard rocks under his feet!

Ka Ka Ka!

Crack lines appeared in all directions on the rocks with Yi Yun as the center.

It was as if Yi Yun was carrying a mountain on his body. He had adjusted the weight on the Flowing Mercury Gown to 200 cauldrons.

His back was slightly bent, making him look like a strong and vigorous cheetah, poised to strike any moment!

Yi Yun could endure 350 cauldrons while frog-jumping. But climbing up the herbal mountain was more difficult than frog-jumping. If he took on 350 cauldrons, his strength would be quickly drained.

Not only did Yi Yun want to pick herbs, he also wanted to take this opportunity to train his body's strength, allowing himself to continuously grow to his full potential.

Time was of the essence; due to the fierce competition in the Tai Ah Divine City, Yi Yun had to seize every second to train. Even picking herbs was a rare opportunity to train.

Yi Yun had become outstanding in the Cloud Wilderness in a short amount of time. He had gone from an ordinary youth step by step into his current state. The word miracle was not enough to describe this. The real reason was due to the Purple Crystal that he had. But using that as a foundation, Yi Yun had worked hard, and with good, decisive use of time, he was able to take every opportunity to cultivate.

It was challenging to climb such a tall mountain while wearing a 200 cauldron Flowing Mercury Gown. After all, the herb mountain did not have any special tiles within it. 200 cauldrons of weight were enough to crush the rocks to pieces!

After taking a long breath, Yi Yun sank Qi into his dantian, and all the bones in his body began to snap. The energy at the peak of the early stages of Purple Blood began to ignite.

With his flowing blood supporting him, Yi Yun was like a vigorous cheetah running through the mountain!

The Tai Ah Divine City's herbal mountain, with its limitless treasures, was awaiting Yi Yun's discovery.

Yi Yun was full of anticipation and yearning. The road of martial arts that belonged to Yi Yun had flipped open to an exciting new chapter.