Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 158: It's Your Turn

"However, it hasn't been long since you two came into contact with painting. Not only would it be ineffective to have you paint for your examination, it would be an insult to the craft. Thus, after discussing with Yuanyu, we came up with a new examination format.”

It has just been a month since Huang Yu and Bai Xun first came into contact with painting. Even if Master Lu Chen were to have them paint, what kind of painting could they come up with? It would just be embarrassing to have that. Thus, Master Lu Chen chose to use another method to test them instead.

Speaking to this point, he chuckled and continued, "The format would be that... I, Yuanyu, and Brother Zhang Xuan will first paint, and the two of you will then appraise and rate the paintings. The person, whose review is the most accurate and precise, will be presented the Ink Daylily Canvas!"

"To paint? Hm?"

Sipping on his tea, Zhang Xuan had merely intended to show his presence for the examination. But upon hearing Master Lu Chen's words, he staggered and nearly spat his mouthful of tea onto the elder’s face.

You must be joking! I am just here to add to your number, yet you want me to paint... Are you examining them or me?

I don't even know how to hold a brush, what kind of painting can I draw?

"I think it's better for me to not to paint..." Zhang Xuan said anxiously.

"Don't reject this offer, let's bond over literature. There are many literature gatherings that require one to come up with poems or drawing. It's rare to have you and Brother Yuanyu here at the same time, so let's interact through our paintings. At the same time, we can have these juniors understand the true charm of painting. Perhaps, they might even fall in love with the craft and become a master in the future."

Master Lu Chen stroked his beard and chuckled.

Zhang Xuan was on the verge of tears.

Are you listening to my words carefully?

What I mean is that I can't paint, and I don't want to paint. Yet, you go on rambling about interacting through painting…

The heck that we interact through painting!

"Cough cough, there's really no need for it. It's enough to have you two draw. I haven't done any preparations for this..."

Zhang Xuan could only phrase his words even clearer.

"I have already prepared the brush, paper, and ink slab. Brother Zhang Xuan, there's no need to be so restrained, treat this as your home and draw as you please. At the same time, let them understand what true painting!" Master Lu Chen replied.

"Restrained? Understanding what true painting is?"

This isn't what I am trying to say at all!

"Alright, Ah Cheng, go and prepare the painting tools. Xiao Yu and Bai Xun, watch carefully as we paint and learn from it!"

Lu Chen thought that Zhang Xuan was embarrassed and waved away his concerns with a smile.

"Yes!" The butler Uncle Cheng waved his hands, and a few maids carried in three sets of painting tools and placed it on the table before them.

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows twitched furiously.

He couldn't even draw with a pencil, and he has to do it with a brush now...

If he knew that the examination would be like this, he would never have come.

"Since we're here to get acquainted with one another through our paintings, let's not constrain ourselves to any topic!" Once the preparations were in place, Master Lu Chen looked at Master Yuanyu with a grin. "Brother Yuanyu, you are a guest, so it'll be best if you go first!"

"Alright. I will be displaying my inferior skills then!"

Master Yuanyu stroked his beard with a smile and walked forward to the table. Picking up the brush, he mused for a moment before starting on his painting.

His brush flew around the paper with astonishing force and elegance. The moment he started painting, his kind face and disposition transformed. He exuded the aura of an expert painter without an equal, garnering respecting from the onlookers.

"There are four main levels to painting. They are namely 'Reality Depiction', 'Spiritual Canvas', 'Infused Intentions', and 'Breathtaking Verisimilitude'. Reality Depiction means the recording of the sight one sees in reality perfectly. Even though such a drawing may be remarkably lifelike, it is the lowest level of a painting."

As Master Yuanyu started painting, Lu Chen explained the various levels that a piece of painting can be assigned to the crowd.

"Spiritual Canvas refers to the level where the scenery and objects one draw comes alive through the infuse of spiritual energy. The entire painting will look as though it is a living scenery. For example, if one drew a fish, the spectators would feel as though the fish is alive, and that it would leap out from the canvas at any moment."

"The third level, Infused Intentions, refers to the level in which one is able to infuse one's intentions into a painting! One must first attain a certain state of mind before they start painting in order to produce a painting that can move and allure others. My 【Summer-Autumn Painting】and 【Chi Xiong Howling to the Heavens】 happens to reach such a level. That's why one would feel as though the paintings are unfolding before him, as though he has been pulled into its world."

"Brother Yuanyu and I happen to have reached this level. If we're sufficiently lucky, there is a small possibility that we might be able to produce a level 4 painting. Breathtaking Verisimilitude refers to a painting in which characters carry a disposition of their own, to the point that even animals and savage beasts are unable to tell the difference between a painting and reality. The Ink Daylily Canvas that Xiao Yu wants and Brother Yuanyu's River Canary Painting of such a level."

"Oh!"

Zhang Xuan nodded his head.

He thought that whoever whose drawing was the most lifelike would be the better painter. Only after listening to the explanation did he realize that drawing a lifelike painting... was simply the lowest level.

Only when a drawing was infused with the painter's spirit and unique artistic conception can it be considered a true masterpiece.

In the midst of the discussion, Master Yuanyu's painting slowly began to take shape.

It is a painting of a Mountainous Jungle Sparrow. Within the tranquil forest, two sparrows are dancing around. Even though they are motionless, one can almost hear the bright chirping of the birds in the air, as though one had entered the mountainous forests, and is surrounded by the fragrance of the flowers and the melodious twitter of the birds.

"Master Lu, is this an Infused Intentions painting?

Huang Yu couldn't resist asking.

For it to induce such a sensation, this showed that the painting contained a profound artistic conception. One couldn't help but be absorbed into it with a single glance.

"Un!" Master Lu Chen nodded his head. "This painting has indeed reached the level of Infused Intentions. However, it barely meets the mark. As for why I say so, it is your job to analyze and appraise it. Whoever who is able to come up with the most precise answer will be the victor."

"Yes!" Huang Yu and Bai Xun immediately focused their gazes on the painting.

In no time, Master Yuanyu placed his brush down.

He had completed the Mountainous Jungle Sparrow Painting.

"Hehe, looks like my skills have gotten rusty after resting for too long. Here is my humble painting!" Master Yuanyu smiled. "Lu Chen, it's your turn!"

"Alright!" Master Lu Chen walked up to the table, picked up the brush, and his hands started to fly about.

Even though they are both master painters of the third level, it is clear through Lu Chen's fluid movements that he is more adept.

In his painting, a lone boat could be seen floating on the surface of a river. There were no astonishing waves or fearsome storms, but it gave the feeling as though one was trudging ahead against all odds, that the entire world was hindering the boat's path. Even though the person on the boat was drawn with just two mere strokes, his courage in charging ahead despite the dangers that lurked ahead induced the spectator's hot-bloodedness.

"Looks like Brother Lu's technique is superior to mine!"

Even before the painting was finished, Master Yuanyu couldn't help but comment.

He is skilled in painting and is renowned in the field as well, but when compared to Lu Chen, he is still a long way off.

While the artistic conception behind his Mountainous Jungle Sparrow Painting isn't bad, if one were to analyze the two paintings thoroughly, Lu Chen's artistic conception would be a tier higher than his.

He had only contrasted the silence of the forest along with the liveliness of the birds, but the other party had brought out the inner struggle of a person. It is clear that the other party is much more skilled than him.

"How is it? Can you tell anything from it?"

Master Yuanyu turned his attention to Bai Xun and Huang Yu and questioned them with a smile.

"I can tell that Master Lu had used three types of painting techniques and twelve types of painting strokes in his Flowing River Painting. Also, there seems to be the shadow of the renowned painter eighty years ago, Chen Jiao, in his painting." Huang Yu pondered for a moment before replying.

Chen Jiao was a famous female painter in Tianxuan Kingdom back then. Her strokes were delicate, and she specialized in painting mountains and rivers. In that aspect, she was said to have reached the pinnacle for river paintings, and she was honored as the number one painter in the Tianxuan Kingdom in the last three hundred years.

"I saw that too..." Bai Xun hurriedly said.

"Un, seems like you have good eyes!"

Master Yuan Yu chuckled.

"Three types of painting techniques? Twelve types of painting strokes?"

Zhang Xuan was speechless.

From his perspective, all he saw was Master Lu Chen picking up the brush and drawing randomly. He couldn't tell anything unique about it at all.

Even though he had infused all of the knowledge from the books which he had flipped through into his head through the golden page in the golden book, they were all mainly related to cultivation techniques, battle techniques, and pill forging. There were barely any painting-related books in the teacher Compendium Pavilion, and as such, he is nearly completely ignorant on the topic.

"Haha, Brother Yuanyu, you are way too humble!"

In a moment's time, Master Lu Chen completed the Flowing River Painting as well. Chuckling, he walked over and said, "I have been touring the Benma River these few days and accumulated several days of emotions before unleashing them all on this painting, that's why I was able to up you one in this painting. Brother Yuanyu is normally busy going around treating others and isn't as free as me. If you were to be like me and immerse yourself into painting, I'm afraid that I would be far from a match for you!"

"Painting is dependant on talent. It is because I find myself lacking talent that I chose to tread on the path of a physician!"

Master Yuanyu shook his head.

"Alright, we two old folks shouldn't be praising one another here like that. Speaking of talents, Brother Zhang Xuan is truly a genius. Despite being young, he possesses a unique view and understanding of painting. I believe that his painting ability is in no way inferior ours."

Master Lu Chen shook his head smiling and gestured Zhang Xuan forward. "We are already done painting. Brother Zhang Xuan, it's your turn!"

Huala.

The moment he said those words, everyone's eyes turned to look at Zhang Xuan.

Master Yuanyu also nodded his head in approval. His eyes were filled with curiosity, he was interested to see what kind of painting Zhang Xuan would come up with.

He had heard Lu Chen spoke of Zhang Xuan's matter before. Even though he does not doubt his words, he still found it a little unbelievable that Zhang Xuan could reach such an incredible level of expertise at such a young age.

Painting is different from martial arts. It isn't something one can succeed in just because one has talent. One needs to accumulate a multitude of experience and emotions in order to comprehend life so as to produce good paintings. Even for him, it was due to him treating innumerable patients that he gained the inspiration required for his mastery in painting to soar, reaching the current level he is at.

However, Zhang Xuan is not even twenty. Even if he was born with natural compatibility to painting, at the very most, he only has a solid foundation that allows him to reach the level of Reality Depiction. If he wants to create paintings of the level of Spiritual Canvas and Infused Intentions... He probably needs a lot more training.

Of course, he wouldn't vocalize these thoughts. After all, it would be impolite.

At that moment, when Master Lu Chen invited him to paint, he couldn't help but peer over to see what standards that fellow possessed.

Even Bai Xun and Huang Yu looked excited.

Zhang Xuan had performed impressively the previous time he was here, pointing out the flaws and secrets behind Master Lu Chen's painting, even giving him pointers. They couldn't help but admire him for that. Right now, they are truly curious to see what kind of level had this Zhang laoshi, who isn't much older than them, had reached.

"Me?"

Sensing their eager gazes, Zhang Xuan felt his head swelling up.

He thought that the other party was just casually bringing the matter up... To think that he really needed to draw.

How can he draw when he doesn't know a single thing at all?

He can't possibly draw a little chick, add a halo to it, and call it Divine Phoenix.

If he really did so, he probably wouldn't have to dream about stepping out from the residence alive. He would surely be beaten to death.

"This... this... Can I first browse through some books?"

Scratching his head, Zhang Xuan suppressed his embarrassment and asked.

True Martial World - Chapter 412: The conflict during the medicine trial

With Yi Yun standing up, the entire venue turned oddly quiet. Everyone looked at Yi Yun with a startled look.

They were dumbfounded. In this situation, if anyone was to stand up to say something, it would have been Su Jie or the Lin family's Matriarch, or someone from the upper echelons of the Shentu family clan.

What was the meaning behind Yi Yun standing up? With his status, what sort of qualifications did he have to speak?

"You?" Shentu Nantian looked at Yi Yun and sneered, "What's your name? Who are you in the Lin family? How old are you? What's your cultivation level? Do you know what the situation is? Do you know what the status of all these Elders and seniors are? With so many seniors not speaking, is it even your turn to speak!?"

Although Shentu Nantian wished he could kill Yi Yun, he had to maintain his gentlemanly image in front of the upper echelons of the Lin family and other large family clans. He could not scold without culture.

However, even so, his words were full of sarcasm and disdain. His three questions were all pointing at Yi Yun's weakness. Firstly, he was a junior. Secondly, he was lacking in strength. Thirdly, he was an outsider and had no relations with the Lin family. To suddenly speak out at that moment showed how lacking in etiquette he was.

"I am Yun Yantian, the Lin family's guest elder, Su Jie's disciple. I'm 15 years old, cultivation at the early stages of the Yuan Foundation realm..."

No one expected that against Shentu Nantian's obvious sarcasm, Yi Yun managed to answer his questions calmly, as if he could not tell the sarcasm in the words.

This behavior no doubt enraged Shentu Nantian. Probably everyone from the Shentu family clan was enraged, even the Lin family were puzzled over Yi Yun's behavior.

"Elder Su, this..." The Lin family's Matriarch looked towards Su Jie and was confused. She had a good impression of Yi Yun. Her impression of this youth was that he knew when to advance and retreat, and had a sense of etiquette. She did not understand why Yi Yun would suddenly stand up.

Su Jie was equally confused. This cheap disciple of his had never not let him worry.

"Enough!" At that moment, on the Shentu family clan's side, an old voice erupted. There was a strong energy shockwave contained within this voice, causing many people's ears to tremble!

"Pa!"

An angry looking Thousand Hand Granny smashed downwards on where she was sitting and the seat's arm was shattered into wood pulp!

The Thousand Hand Granny bent her body and slowly stood up. With her cloudy eyes, she stared angrily at Yi Yun, like an old vulture eyeing a prey.

During the Shentu family clan's negotiations with the Lin family, she had been angered greatly and was already fed up.

Especially half a month ago, her most beloved grandson, Shentu Nantian had suffered a backlash on his soul. Even after using soul nurturing medicine that cost a fortune, they had not managed to completely heal his soul. He was still nursing his health and his cultivation speed was significantly affected.

She had blamed this on the Lin family. If not for the Lin family doubting their Shentu family clan's Desolate Heaven technique heritage, and doubted Shentu Nantian, would they have needed to hold the Desolate Heaven technique tea session? Would they have needed to let Shentu Nantian demonstrate such dangerous techniques at the tea session? And this kid who did not know the immensity of heaven and earth had not only messed up the tea session, he had now messed up such an important moment.

"Where did this little bastard come from? Does he even know his manners!? If this were the Shentu family clan, to be such an unbecoming junior, for a little bastard that doesn't know what weight he has to jump out and make a fuss, I would have killed you with a slap!"

The Thousand Hand Granny said with a sullen face. Her words not only scolded Yi Yun, she had also secretly highlighted how the Lin family's family rules were too lax. Only then could a little bastard who showed no respect for his elders jump around at such an occasion. She could not specifically scold the upper echelons of the Lin family, but could only use this subtle manner to release her anger. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Upon hearing the Thousand Hand Granny's words, the Lin family's Matriarch's face also sank slightly.

"Thousand Hand Granny, what is the meaning of this?" In such a situation, the Matriarch had to speak.

"Matriarch Lin." The Thousand Hand Granny no longer sounded polite with her tone, "Don't blame that this old granny's words sound ugly, this marriage alliance was indeed proposed by my Shentu family clan; however, wouldn't this benefit the Lin family more? Even when Lin Xintong marries into our Shentu family clan, she is still a part of the Lin family. In the future, she will be your Lin family's peerless Great Empress. Nantian will only benefit slightly from this. And because of this, my Shentu family clan has to pay the great price of refining that Great Empress relic!"

"Although my Shentu family clan had suffered in the beast horde a decade ago, we are not reliant on your Lin family's protection. Even if my Shentu family clan might not be able to expand in the next few decades, we are still able to secure our family's heritage!"

Against the Thousand Hand Granny's hot and cold pressure, Matriarch Lin remained silent.

The Thousand Hand Granny would also not completely offend Matriarch Lin, so she turned to Yi Yun once again, "Little bastard, if not for Matriarch Lin, I would have killed you already!"

As the Thousand Hand Granny spoke, an aura came pressing down on Yi Yun. This was not the pressure from that of her cultivation level, it was just the aura of superiority she had obtained naturally from a long period of holding a high position.

Yi Yun pinched his nose. As a petty person, he naturally disliked people pointing at him and scolding him. With a hand, he casually straightened his cuffs and whispered, "I thought that… a person would be more stable in their bearing as they became older..."

As Yi Yun said these words, everyone became stunned!

This included Su Jie and Matriarch Lin. They also did not know how to react.

What was he saying? Although he did not curse, his tone and insinuations were no doubt more aggravating than cursing!

Besides, what Yi Yun had said wasn't false. Although Yi Yun was indeed disrespectful of his elders to speak at a situation like this, it was indeed unbecoming of the Thousand Hand Granny's status to jump up and curse at Yi Yun because of his words!

The Thousand Hand Granny's eyes turned red immediately. It was as if all her blood had surged to her face. The color of blood slowly swallowed one wrinkle at a time. She looked at Yi Yun with alarm and anger. Her expression was that of an old cat whose tail had been suddenly ripped off by someone.

"Little bastard, you are courting death!"

The Thousand Hand Granny wanted to make a move and kill Yi Yun, but at that moment, Su Jie and Lin Xintong stood up at the same time. With a flash, Su Jie had appeared in front of Yi Yun.

As for the Lin family's Matriarch, she had locked on to Yi Yun. If the Thousand Hand Granny were to make a move, Matriarch Lin had the means to pull Yi Yun back.

"Yantian, what are you doing!?"

As Su Jie protected Yi Yun, he spoke as if he was on the brink of collapse. He really felt speechless. What was Yi Yun thinking to actually start reprimanding the Thousand Hand Granny in front of so many people?

"Not doing anything, it's just that...I think the Great Empress relic taken out by the Shentu family clan is problematic!"

Yi Yun's words were resolute and seemed very confident.

Instantly, the entire scene quietened down. Be it the Lin family's elders or the upper echelons of the Shentu family clan, all of them were dumbstruck.

However, the elders of the Shentu family clan only froze for a blink of an eye, following that, they all began looking angrily at Yi Yun.

"What nonsense is this junior spouting!?"

"How dare he slander the great cost and efforts our Shentu family clan had put in to refine the Great Empress relic. If the Lin family does not explain itself, I will definitely not take this going down!"

The Shentu family clan Elders already found Yi Yun unbearable. At that moment, the Thousand Hand Granny's face was sullen. Her ferocious and muddy eyes contained murderous intent that seem like it was going to shoot through Yi Yun!

She said staccato words, "I want the Lin family to hand this little bastard over to me for disposal! If not, you can forget about eating this Great Empress relic!"

The Thousand Hand Granny's rage had reached an extreme. She began to use the Great Empress relic to threaten the Lin family. If they did not hand Yi Yun over, the Great Empress relic would no longer be given to Lin Xintong!

The expressions of many of the Lin family Elders turned upon hearing this.

The fate of Lin Xintong's naturally terminated meridians and their Lin family being able to produce a peerless Great Empress that could rule the Tian Yuan world relied on this Great Empress relic.

Although Yi Yun's value to the Lin family was not small, compared to Lin Xintong, he was almost negligible.

They did not know why Yi Yun was going crazy. At that moment, although many of the Lin family Elders wanted to protect Yi Yun, they could not support his manner of courting death. Why of all people did you have to antagonize that old hag?

The Thousand Hand Granny had always been ruthless. Especially when she grew older, she became even more ruthless. Whoever offended her would live a life worse than death once they fell into her hands!

"There's a problem? What problem is there?"

Yi Yun's words pricked the Matriarch's sensitive nerves. She had reluctantly consented to the marriage only because of Lin Xintong's lifespan. If the Great Empress relic was problematic, it would definitely be something that would let the Matriarch rage!

"What problem can there be, Matriarch? Don't listen to this kid's nonsense!" At that moment, Lin Xintong's grandaunt stood up. She had been pissed with Yi Yun for a long time.

"The Shentu family clan has incurred a great price just to refine the Great Empress relic. Would they have poisoned it and waste this treasured medicine and end up offending the Lin family, just to kill Xintong? What a joke! What good would there be for them?"

"Besides, Matriarch, you have personally inspected the Great Empress relic. With your eyes, could you be inferior to that kid? The way I see it, just hand the kid over to the Shentu family clan since he isn't one of our Lin family!"

Lin Xintong's grandaunt sneered as she looked towards Yi Yun. Don't blame others when you court death yourself!

The words Lin Xintong's grandaunt said was indeed a view all the Lin family Elders held. Based on what did Yi Yun dare say that the Great Empress relic was problematic?

However, the Matriarch did not dismiss Yi Yun immediately. Due to Yi Yun's performance at the Desolate Heaven technique tea session, she felt that Yi Yun wasn't a person who did not have any sense of decorum. The Matriarch's eyes flashed, "Little Friend Yun, tell me. Why do you think that the Great Empress relic is problematic?"

After she asked this, she used her Yuan Qi to transmit privately to Yi Yun, "Little Friend Yun, you must weigh your words. If you can't give a proper response, I may be able to protect your life, but I will endure too much pressure and criticism."

True Martial World - Chapter 411: The final voice

"Of course, Matriarch, please have a look!"

Shentu Nantian was all smiles as he handed the Great Empress relic over to the servant girl beside the Matriarch.

The Matriarch held the relic with her thumb and index finger. Under the sunlight, this ring-shaped relic turned crystal clear. It was like it was a ring constructed from immortal jade. The snake on the relic's surface even gave off a pervasive spiritual feeling.

"Good relic!"

A Lin family Elder could not help but praise it. The Matriarch opened her Heaven's Eye and sank her mental energies into it before slightly nodding. She was very satisfied with it.

With her perception, she could feel the hot energy flowing within the relic. It was extremely pure Yang energy.

Seeing the Matriarch's expression, Yi Yun's heart sank.

He had been hoping that the Matriarch would discover something odd with the relic, but in the end, he was disappointed.

It was needless to say how good the Matriarch's knowledge of the Desolate Heaven technique was. However, that was only limited to the understanding of the Tian Yuan world's Desolate Heaven technique heritage. As for ancient Desolate Heaven techniques, the Matriarch did not know much.

The reason there was a problem with the relic was likely not because the Shentu family clan had poisoned it, but was likely that the ancient Desolate Heaven technique itself possessed extreme danger!

If the Shentu family clan had poisoned it, the Matriarch would naturally have been able to sniff it out. However, with regards to the ancient Desolate Heaven technique, it was a domain that the Matriarch had never been exposed to. Hence, she could not see the defect in the relic.

This made Yi Yun's expression turn ugly. If the Matriarch had seen through it, everything would have been easier, but now, she had acknowledged that the relic was fine.

"Great!" A kind smile appeared on the Matriarch's face, "The Shentu family clan has really worked hard for this!"

Seeing this relic, the Matriarch's attitude towards Shentu Nantian turned kinder. It was like an attitude of an elder to a member of the younger generation.

This attitude made Shentu Nantian very excited.

"This is necessary for us. With the two families entering an alliance, we should trust each other and seek the future together."

As Shentu Nantian said this, his eyes landed on Lin Xintong, "What say you, Xintong?"

Feeling that his marriage with Lin Xintong was 90% in the bag, Shentu Nantian addressed Lin Xintong in a more cordial manner.

And this addressed made Lin Xintong frown slightly.

She did not respond, which resulted in the Matriarch being dissatisfied with her attitude, let alone those Elders who had supported the Shentu family clan, like Lin Xintong's grandaunt.

After all, the Great Empress relic that could cure Lin Xintong of her naturally terminated meridians was right in front of them. This opportunity was not to be missed!

Previously, the Matriarch had taken Lin Xintong's personal wishes into account and wanted to drag out the matter, hoping to see if there would be an opportunity for change.

However, with Shentu Nantian's introduction of the twelve relics, he had sealed their road to back down.

If they did not try the relic today, then there would be no chance in the future. It was equivalent to rejecting the Shentu family clan.

The Matriarch did not dare to take that risk. After all, to cure Lin Xintong of her naturally terminated meridians after missing such an opportunity would be as difficult as ascending to the Heavens.

A desolate bone relic of such a grade, and even made from an ancient recipe, was not something that the Lin family could refine.

"Xintong!"

The Matriarch's voice turned a little harsh.

And at that moment, Shentu Nantian added on, "Miss Xintong, it is not that I am pressing you. Previously, I said that when my Shentu family clan refined this Great Empress relic, we especially used Everlasting Purple Gold to build the box containing the relic to prevent the loss of its medicinal properties. This was why there was a total of seven seals on the relic box!"

"These seven seals are no trifling matter. Even so, the Great Empress relic can only be stored inside the Everlasting Purple Gold relic box for a year. Now, I have opened the relic box. As such, this relic can only be kept for less than an hour. Its medicinal properties are gradually being depleted. The more time passes, the lower its effect!"

By saying this, Shentu Nantian's words were like the final straw that broke the camel's back. The Elders of the upper echelon of the Lin family who was still hesitating immediately leaned towards the Shentu family clan.

Even Su Jie could only let out a long sigh as he helplessly shook his head. He used his Yuan Qi to speak to Lin Xintong, "Xintong, your master is useless. I could not find a divine medicine to join up your terminated meridians. Even if you give your master another 500 years, I do not have any confidence. Now that the Shentu family clan has found it, it is probably fate. Sometimes, one has to pay the price for certain things…"

"Master…" Lin Xintong slightly turned her head over to look at Su Jie. There seemed to be a thousand words in her watery eyes, "You think so too?"

Su Jie sighed, "Warriors practice martial arts to compete with the Heavens, but… looking at the past hundred million years of the Tian Yuan world, how many of them have the right to say that they have defeated the Heavens?"

"Competing with the Heavens is not as simple as just shouting out some brave words, one has to first experience long years of humiliation and stress to slowly sharpen oneself, slowly pushing oneself to an extreme, eventually climbing up to the peak of martial arts. Only then can a person really say that ‘Humans can Defeat the Heavens’. A sharp sword is formed from endless sharpening. No one can defeat the Heavens the moment they were born…"

Su Jie's tone was sincere, and it contained the insight he had gained from his 30,000 years of experience.

The currently slick and unreliable Su Jie's talent in martial arts and the Desolate Heaven technique far exceeded that of his peers when he was young. He too had been a high-spirited and arrogant proud son of Heaven once.

Slowly, through his experiences in martial arts and life, Su Jie had slowly changed into a character in the game of life.

Lin Xintong took a deep breath of air as she smiled wryly.

Two years ago, when she first returned to her family, she had heard of the Shentu family clan trying to form a marriage alliance with the Lin family by having her marry Shentu Nantian. Her first reaction was that it was preposterous. Lin Xintong believed that, with the relationship between the Lin family and the Shentu family clan, and her own understanding of Shentu Nantian, this was something that was impossible.

And back then, there were several Elders in the Lin family who stood by Lin Xintong's side.

Now, after two years, there was no one standing on her side anymore.

Even the Matriarch who had loved her so much, and Su Jie who had treated her as his own daughter, had begun to support the marriage.

However, the Matriarch and Su Jie had not bowed down to the Shentu family clan, but they had succumbed to fate. They yielded to the powers of Nature!

When warriors succumbed to their enemy, it was shameful.

When warriors succumbed to the Heavens, it was very normal.

As Su Jie said, looking back at the Tian Yuan world's past hundred million years, how many would dare say that they had defeated the Heavens?

Lin Xintong shook her head deep down before she stood up. She knew that there was no one who supported her at that moment.

As she was about to open her mouth and say something, a faint voice sounded out from the corner of the venue.

This sound was familiar to her, yet different from her memory.

"Wait! I have something to say."

Lin Xintong was shocked as she turned her head over. She saw that a hundred feet away, a youth dressed in green had stood up from his seat.

He was wearing a cold-looking silver mask. There were two grim-looking lines in the color of blood where the eyes should be. However, at that moment, Lin Xintong could feel an infinite warmth from the grim and cold mask.

Aware of Lin Xintong's gaze, Yi Yun nodded solemnly.

This tiny action was enough for Lin Xintong to understand that Yi Yun wanted to say something to support her.

This made Lin Xintong slightly dazed. At the final moment, when she was the most helpless, with no one supporting her, including Su Jie and the Matriarch, this youth stood up and spoke with a different voice.

Even if Lin Xintong knew that this youth could not do anything, nor could he change anything, but him standing up and sounding out was enough for Lin Xintong.

This voice seemed to be a tiny candlelight in a cold, dark winter night.

It could not provide much warmth or light, nor could it bring the spring or dawn, but… it brought Hope.

Lin Xintong looked at Yi Yun and piercing through the mask, saw Yi Yun's eyes. She could see her own reflection in his dark pupils.

She remembered what Yi Yun had said to her on the night of the victory party.

She had never known that Yi Yun swore to find the method to join up her terminated meridians that night in the Desolate Human Valley two years ago.

Even though the chances of him succeeding were extremely slim, he had still worked hard for it. And at that moment, in front of the Shentu family clan and the Lin family's pressure, he had sounded out with a different voice with his tiny capacity.

This touched Lin Xintong.

"Thank you, but… there is no need."

Lin Xintong shook her head and transmitted her voice to Yi Yun.

She knew that under these circumstances, Yi Yun could not change a thing.

Furthermore, if he said anything inappropriate, he would suffer the wrath of others.

After all, with a matter that was decided by the two large family clans, against the pressure from all the Elders present, anything Yi Yun said could anger some people.

Without mincing words, with his status, he did not even have the right to make a sound.

This was especially so with Shentu Nantian, who had the intent to kill Yi Yun. If the Lin family decided to cooperate with the Shentu family clan, then Shentu Nantian would have considerable influence in the Lin family, so when that came to be, Yi Yun would be in extreme danger.

"Oh?"

With someone suddenly interrupting, Shentu Nantian's expression sank as he turned to look towards the source of the voice.

Upon seeing Yi Yun, Shentu Nantian's blood immediately boiled. It was… that kid!

He still remembered Yi Yun's mask clearly. Although his failure at the Desolate Heaven technique tea session had nothing to do with Yi Yun, Shentu Nantian had already connected his failure with that mask.

Once he saw Yi Yun, he remembered his failure. The words he had said before failing ended up smacking him right back in his face. It was the greatest disgrace of his life!

True Martial World - Chapter 410: Small Black Snake

"A year..."

The Matriarch's expression sank slightly as she looked at Lin Xintong. At that moment, she too was in a dilemma. She finally knew why the Shentu family clan was willing to make a concession and let Lin Xintong trial the Great Empress relic.

According to what the Shentu family clan said, this Great Empress relic was extremely expensive. It was not easy to refine every single relic. The Shentu family clan would definitely not allow Lin Xintong to trial a relic and give the Lin family years to decide. It was impossible for them to to re-refine another similar relic to heal Lin Xintong's terminated meridians when the decision as made.

Now, by letting Lin Xintong eat the first relic, she needed to consume a desolate bone relic every month for the next eleven months. This meant that the Lin family had to decide on the Shentu family clan's marriage proposal.

For Lin Xintong's grandaunt, and the elders in the Lin family who supported the Shentu family clan, they did not have any objections. The grandaunt smiled happily and said, "Dear nephew Nantian, please don't keep us guessing. Quickly, take the Great Empress relic out and let it be an eye-opener for us!"

With her saying this, the sixth granduncle and other Lin family Elders echoed, eager to see the relic.

"Alright, I will open the box. This desolate bone relic was a result of the collective efforts of our Shentu family clan's top Desolate Heaven Masters and some reclusive experts. They used large amounts of treasured materials to successfully refine this."

"After the Great Empress relic was successfully refined, it was immediately sealed in the relic box. On this relic box, there are seven seals. Six of them have already been removed, and the final critical seal can only be removed using my mental energy. This is to prevent its medicinal properties from losing its efficiency."

As Shentu Nantian spoke, be it his tone or attitude, he exuded a tinge of pride. It was as if he had swept away all the unpleasant things said of him bumbling at the Desolate Heaven technique tea session a few days ago.

When Shentu Nantian took the Great Empress relic out, he was really elated. With the relic in hand, even the upper echelons of the Lin family had to be differential towards him, let alone the Lin family's younger generation.

"One of the seven seals can only be removed using Shentu Nantian's mental energy. The Shentu family clan sure wants to highlight the important status of Shentu Nantian."

The Matriarch pondered. She knew why the Shentu family clan had made such an arrangement. The desolate bone relic refinement process had nothing to do with Shentu Nantian, yet, the Shentu family clan had specially prepared a seal that needed Shentu Nantian's mental energy for it to be released. This was to forcefully add a halo on Shentu Nantian, and it was also telling the Lin family that Shentu Nantian would be the master of the Shentu family clan in the future, and his status in the Shentu family clan was extraordinary.

"Alright, I am going to release the seal. Please anticipate it."

Shentu Nantian smiled and he began forming a few hand seals as he injected his mental energy into the Everlasting Purple Gold relic box.

The mental energy needed to verify the mental energy seal was negligible, but as Shentu Nantian was seriously injured, just releasing the seal made his expression change slightly, as his lips turned slightly pale.

Shentu Nantian took a deep breath and he suppressed the pain in his soul. He pretended to easily open the relic box. At that moment, everybody could see the throbbing green vein on his forehead. He was clearly in great pain.

However, at that moment, no one cared about laughing at Shentu Nantian as all the focus was on the Great Empress relic in the box!

In the Everlasting Purple Gold medicine box, it was layered with white Heavenly Silk satin. Above the satin, there was a crystal-like relic.

This relic was not spherical in shape, but it was ring-like. In the hole in the middle of the relic, there was a small, red snake's phantom image swimming around slowly.

Shentu Nantian took the Great Empress relic out with both hands. This relic was like a little Sun, as it emitted extremely pure Yang Qi!

And the relic itself seemed to have a life of its own. A glance could tell the extraordinary value it had!

"It is indeed a treasure!"

The eyes of the Lin family's Elders lit up. They could tell the value of the relic at a glance and they could not stop discussing about it.

"That red snake phantom is a condensation of a pure Yang spirit . This Great Empress relic is also a pure Yang item. Indeed, Xintong's naturally terminated meridians is because of having an overly pure Yin body. Only an extreme Yang item can help join Xintong's terminated meridians up!"

"If I'm not wrong, the material of this relic has the life essence bone of a primordial true spirit desolate beast. Also, it is a primordial true spirit desolate beast that expirates pure Yang Qi!"

Primordial true spirit grade desolate beasts were extremely scarce and they could only be found deep in the Divine Wilderness, so it was hard to capture one. And pure Yang elemental primordial true spirit desolate beasts were even rarer.

The value of the bones of such desolate beasts was unimaginable.

"No wonder the Shentu family clan is so confident. With the Great Empress relic at this grade, there is a 80-90% chance of joining Xintong's terminated meridians up!"

Several of the older-generation Desolate Heaven Masters from the Lin family turned excited upon seeing the desolate bone relic.

This feeling was like a sword master seeing a top-grade sword.

Just seeing a relic of such a grade was a great joy for them.

Furthermore, there were still eleven other relics of this grade!

After appraising the Great Empress relic, everyone's eyes gathered on Lin Xintong.

They were waiting to see if the Great Empress relic would be effective for Lin Xintong. This was something that the Lin family Elders were greatly looking forward to.

"Haha, this Elder has a good eye!" Shentu Nantian suffused a proud smile, "This Great Empress relic is indeed refined from a pure Yang elemental primordial true spirit's life essence bone. As for what primordial true spirit it is, it is not convenient for me to disclose it. Our Shentu family clan managed to refine twelve relics exactly using the primordial true spirit's life essence bone. These relics have an invisible link to them. They were refined as a set."

People could not tell if what Shentu Nantian said was true. They knew that by emphasizing this once again, it meant that once the bone relic was eaten, the Lin family had to make a decision. They could not let the Shentu family clan waste an entire primordial true spirit's life essence bone just for a trial.

Lin Xintong remained silent. She knew that Shentu Nantian was forcing their hand. This made her not want to trial the relic, because once she ate it, they would owe the Shentu family clan, resulting in a complicated situation.

"Xintong!"

The Matriarch could tell what was on Lin Xintong's mind. At that moment, even the Matriarch, who always adored Lin Xintong, would not stand on her side.

Large family clans needed to consider niceties. The Lin family had already agreed to letting Lin Xintong trial the Great Empress relic, and now, the Shentu family clan had already shown their sincerity, so if the Lin family were to change their tune, they would be criticized by others.

Besides, the critical point was that this Great Empress relic had also stirred the Matriarch's heart. She was increasingly convinced that the Shentu family clan had the ability to heal Lin Xintong’s naturally terminated meridians.

Without any confidence, would the Shentu family clan have invited various important figures from the large family clans to witness this occasion?

"I never expected… the Shentu family clan could produce such a relic..."

Not far from Lin Xintong, Su Jie was also sighing as he quietly shook his head. Even Su Jie, who did not like the Shentu family clan, had nothing to say about the Great Empress relic.

If Su Jie spoke truthfully, he too wished that Lin Xintong would try it. After all, the chances of him using his abilities to join Lin Xintong's naturally terminated meridians was extremely small. He too did not want to see Lin Xintong die at a young age, wasting her extraordinary talent. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Xintong, consider it carefully. A strung arrow must be shot. If you do not trial the Great Empress relic, then the Lin family will not be able to salvage the situation."

The Shentu family clan had invited so many family clans as witness to force the Lin family, and the Lin family's Elders were happy to see such a situation.

Lin Xintong was silent. Immediately, the gathering turned silent as everyone's eyes were still on Lin Xintong.

Lin Xintong's attitude and decision was of utmost importance!

With the atmosphere turning heavy, people knew that there was immense stress for Lin Xintong at that moment.

A young girl, even with extraordinary courage, might not be able to handle the stress!

At that moment, no one noticed that on a chair in a corner, a masked Yi Yun was staring at the relic. His eyes were shining.

The Great Empress relic… seems to...

When Shentu Nantian opened the relic box, Yi Yun had opened his energy vision.

The Purple Crystal's energy vision could see through all illusions and seeing the essence of all things. Even in the sword and saber tomb, Yi Yun could use the Purple Crystal's energy vision to see the energy marks left behind by its owner despite the tens of millions of years that had passed.

This was an ability that even Great Emperor-ranked Desolate Heaven Masters lacked.

However, when Yi Yun was using his energy vision to examine the Great Empress relic, he found something odd.

In the relic, there was a tiny amount of black gas.

This black gas was hidden underneath the red snake. It was like an even thinner and smaller black venomous snake was slowly swimming around.

However, once the energy vision was disengaged, the black snake could not be seen. It was like a ghost that made his heart jump!

For some unknown reason, Yi Yun felt an extremely sense of foreboding seeing this black snake. This was a feeling Yi Yun never had before!

There might be a problem with this relic!

Upon realizing this possibility, Yi Yun's expression turned heavy.

And at that moment, the atmosphere in the square was still heavy. Lin Xintong remained silent while everyone looked at her. The scene had turned cold!

"Young Master Shen Tu, let old me look at the relic first."

At that moment, the Lin family's Matriarch suddenly spoke.

Actually, she had spoken to ease the situation as it was too awkward. Also, she could examine the relic to see if there was a problem.

True Martial World - Chapter 409: One Year Deadline

Three days later, the Desolate Heaven technique tea session resumed. This time, it was the stage of the older generation like Su Jie.

Shentu Nantian was absent. Ignoring the damage to his soul, even if he had completely recovered, he still wouldn’t have the face to appear at the tea session again.

For a proud person like him to embarrass himself as he did, at such an important occasion, was a really heavy blow that few could understand.

At the tea session for the older generation, Yi Yun only watched, from the beginning to end. While watching it, he opened his energy vision and paid attention to the sealing techniques the Elders of the Lin family and Shentu family clan used, and studied the essence of their Desolate Heaven techniques. During this process, Yi Yun did not attempt to sabotage by using the Purple Crystal.

After all, this was the older generation of Desolate Heaven Masters. Their control of energy was not like Shentu Nantian’s, who was at his limits. It was only because Shentu Nantian was at his limits that it was so easy for Yi Yun to use the Purple Crystal.

Against the older Desolate Heaven Masters, Yi Yun may be able to cause trouble with the Purple Crystal, but it was much more difficult. Also, forcefully reversing the energy flow trajectories would increase the risk of being discovered.

Furthermore, if this thing happened time and again, it would make people suspicious.

Finally, even if his sabotaging succeeded, it would be meaningless as the Shentu family clan had already made a concession by letting Lin Xintong trial the desolate bone relic they refined. Then, regardless of the tea session's outcome, the Lin family would first see the results Lin Xintong had after eating the desolate bone relic before they made a decision.

Compared to the younger generation, the Desolate Heaven technique skills displayed by the older generation were even more exaggerated. They could be described as being spectacular.

And overall, the Shentu family clan held the advantage.

Even though Su Jie and company used all the skills they had, they could not compete with the large number of people that the Shentu family clan had. At the end, the Shentu family clan sent a Grand Elder to display his Desolate Heaven technique. He was extremely thin, and seemed like a walking zombie, but his Desolate Heaven technique completely surpassed Su Jie. No one in the entire tea session could compete with him.

The Desolate Heaven technique tea session for the older generation lasted for three days.

In the end, the Shentu family clan managed to win back a bit of face.

After the Desolate Heaven technique tea session ended, the Shentu family clan entourage did not leave the Lin family, instead they stayed in the Lin family's Tian Hua peak.

In a blink an eye, half a month passed.

Today was extremely important for both the Lin family and the Shentu family clan. This was because this was the day when Lin Xintong got to trial the medicine.

If it succeeded, then the Lin family would very likely gain a peerless Great Empress. Then, the achievements Lin Xintong would have in the future would be on par with the ancient Great Empress.

And the Shentu family clan would form an alliance with the Lin family as they wished, while Shentu Nantian would get his wish of becoming Lin Xintong's partner and obtain great benefits.

However if it were to fail...

"My Shentu family clan have made several preparations for this matter. It is also the only copy of the peerless Great Empress's recipe found in the ancient mystic realm, so how can it fail?"

The Lin family used a square that was dedicated for large-scale sacrificial activities. People from the Lin family clan and the Shentu family clan gathered here and took their seats. Shentu Nantian sat on a front-row bench and was calmly and confidently answering the doubts a Lin family elder had.

Previously, at the Desolate Heaven technique tea session, Shentu Nantian had suffered a spiritual backlash and had nursed his health over the period of time, he used various medicines without considering their costs, resulting in him finally being able to leave the bed.

In fact, the Shentu family clan had waited for half a month mainly to allow Shentu Nantian to regain the ability to get off the bed. After all, Shentu Nantian was the star of the show today. If he did not attend it, it would be outrageous.

However, Shentu Nantian's soul had not completely recovered. If he were to fight, or use the Desolate Heaven technique, he would completely collapse.

At least under the situation of not needing to use his mental energies, he would be barely able to maintain his handsome and imposing appearance.

Furthermore, today was the day when the Shentu family clan took out the Great Empress relic to prove its effects. He could then use the opportunity to force the Lin family to decide on a marriage date for Lin Xintong. He did not want to drag it out any further with the Lin family by pushing and pulling.

He believed that with Lin Xintong's life at stake, and having already thought about the different reasons, the upper echelons of the Lin family, including the Matriarch, would have no choice but to agree to this matter.

And if he were to obtain Lin Xintong's primordial Yin, and have cultivational intercourse frequently, he would be able to look forward to becoming a Great Emperor.

Just thinking of this made Shentu Nantian feel even more high-spirited.

The other people of the Shentu family clan were feeling the same. The Lin family realized that all the people from the Shentu family clan came with a tinge of obvious pride. It looked like they were extremely confident in the desolate bone relic refined by using the Great Empress' ancient recipe.

Although these people did not like the way the Shentu family clan behaved, it was after all, a thought. The Lin family all ended up becoming anticipant and started to feel confident about the desolate bone relic.

And for today's main character, Lin Xintong, her expression was calm as she quietly sat there as if she was a fairy that was meditating. As the person who should feel the greatest emotions, she was the most indifferent.

At that moment, Yi Yun appeared together with Su Jie. When Lin Xintong saw Yi Yun, she revealed a faint smile and nodded at Yi Yun.

Yi Yun saw it and smiled back.

Seeing this scene, Shentu Nantian's expression sank. The triumphant smile he had on his face turned stiff.

Yi Yun also sensed Shentu Nantian's gaze. He turned his head and stared coldly at Shentu Nantian through his mask.

Shentu Nantian quietly and tightly gripped the fan in his hands as his eyes flashed coldly.

Yi Yun's gaze made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Just seeing Yi Yun appear immediately reminded Shentu Nantian of how he fumbled at the Desolate Heaven technique tea session half a month ago!

It was the greatest stain Shentu Nantian had ever suffered in his thirty years of living.

If this was not the Lin family grounds, he would have smacked Yi Yun to death with one hit.

However, although he could not do anything to Yi Yun now, he would become Lin Xintong's partner after Lin Xintong took the medicine. He would then become half the master of the Lin family. Then, wouldn't a small fry like Yi Yun be easily disposed of by him?

Shentu Nantian squinted his eyes at Yi Yun before turning his head to the Lin family's Matriarch, saying, "Matriarch, the auspicious hour to take the medicine is nearing. Let us invite out the desolate bone relic."

He smiled as he spoke and gently flapped his fan. Although he sounded calm, anyone could hear the hint of pride and confidence in Shentu Nantian’s voice.

Were they this sure that the desolate bone relic would definitely be effective on Lin Xintong?

"Alright." The Lin family's Matriarch nodded.

With the Lin family's Matriarch words, a few Elders of the Shentu family clan immediately stood up.

Shentu Nantian also stood up and walked with them to the middle of the square.

Immediately, everyone from the Lin family stretched out their necks to focus on them.

What would the desolate bone relic refined from the Great Empress' ancient recipe look like?

Feeling everyone's gaze landing on him, Shentu Nantian smiled as he reached out his hand to swipe his interspatial ring.

A stone box with complex patterns and a powerful presence appeared in midair.

"To prevent the desolate bone relic's medicinal strength from depleting, our Shentu family clan have especially used Everlasting Purple Gold and a top refiner master to manufacture this medicine box. Just this box alone is extremely valuable and can be compared to a city. However, if it was to be compared to the desolate bone relic inside, then it would be like a piece of dirt compared to a pearl." Shentu Nantian smiled as he said loudly.

The city he mentioned was naturally a warrior city in the Tian Yuan world. Many of the cities in the Tian Yuan world had millions of years of history.

Many of the surrounding people from the Lin family had heard of Everlasting Purple Gold. Many juniors could not help but exclaim.

"Just the box storing the medicine is already so expensive. This relic sure is worth the wait! Indeed, if they do not have any confidence, the Shentu family clan would not have brought the desolate bone relic here."

"This time, our Lin family will produce a peerless Great Empress. This would be a great matter for both of our families."

As Yi Yun had made an outstanding performance at the Desolate Heaven technique tea session, his standing amongst the Lin family juniors was now extraordinary. At this event, he had the right to sit on a chair, while the juniors, who were discussing, were standing behind their masters.

Hearing their discussions, Yi Yun took a deep breath as he waited silently for the result. It was indeed a very important matter if Lin Xintong managed to join up her terminated meridians.

Even the Matriarch stared unblinkingly at the medicine box Shentu Nantian had taken out.

The other members of the upper echelons of the Lin family also began to whisper and discuss. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

The grandaunt's voice was particularly striking, "I already said Nantian would not disappoint us. Look at how sincere the Shentu family clan is. This relic will definitely give us a pleasant surprise! As long as the terminated meridians are joined up, then there is no need to delay Xintong's marriage!"

As she said this, she looked towards Lin Xintong. However, she was disappointed as Lin Xintong's expression still remained as calm as before. Those not in the know would have thought that this matter had nothing to do with her.

"Grandaunt is right. This marriage cannot be delayed any longer. Furthermore… the Great Empress relics used to heal Xintong totals to twelve relics. After taking the first one, then another has to be taken every month."

"As such, the relics would be finished within a year."

Shentu Nantian said this slowly as his gaze landed on Lin Xintong and the Matriarch for a while. His smile seemed to imply that he had everything in control.

Lin Xintong frowned and her watery eyes looked towards Shentu Nantian!

Within a year!

This meant that the Lin family clan had to make their decision on the marriage within a year!

The Shentu family clan would definitely not allow the marriage to be dragged on any further after handing the twelve relics to the Lin family.

This meant that the Lin family had to make the decision on the matter of marriage in the coming months!

Lin Xintong did not know if what Shentu Nantian said about taking the twelve relics continuously every month was true. Maybe it was a lie fabricated by Shentu Nantian to force the Lin family, but this was no longer important. The Shentu family clan just needed a 'legitimate' reason to force the Lin family into making a decision!

The Lin family's Matriarch sighed. Whatever Lin Xintong thought of, she had naturally thought of. This had destroyed her intentions of delaying the marriage date...

True Martial World - Chapter 408: Night Chatting

In the Tian Yuan world, there would be several Great Emperors in every generation. For example, for super family clans like the Shentu family clan or the Lin family, the number of Great Emperors they had was not limited to one.

Take the Myriad Empyreal King, who was killed by the Shepherd Boy, he was considered average in strength amongst the Great Emperors.

As for the Shentu Patriarch, the power he possessed was frightening. When the Shepherd Boy was at his peak, he had borrowed from a Divine Lion from the Nether World Desolate God, and in the end he was barely able to heavily injure the Shentu Patriarch, failing to kill him.

As for the Shepherd Boy himself, he had been hit by the Shentu Patriarch's Death Heavenly Revolution, with the injuries lingering to date.

However… compared to the ancient Great Empress recorded in the books, the Shentu Patriarch was nothing.

A figure like the Shentu Patriarch was one of those who stood at the top of the Tian Yuan world for each generation.

However, it was only "one of".

The Lin family and other super family clans also had people like him.

In the same generation, there would be about a dozen people that matched him, and counting the old monstrous people that secluded themselves, there would be even more.

And this was only for the Human race. The Desolate race also have plenty of figures that could match the Shentu Patriarch.

Since there were so many people like that, it was destined that a person like the Shentu Patriarch would be unable to leave his name for tens of millions of years, or even hundreds of millions of years in this world.

This was because there was a huge gap between the Shentu Patriarch and the ancient Great Empress.

The ancient Great Empress was the only legendary woman who managed to join up her naturally terminated meridians in history. The legends she left behind remained in the endless river of history, and kept on being passed down.

Yi Yun actually did not know what the realm above Great Emperor was, as it was too far away for him.

However, he was sure that the mighty figures whose strength exceeded Great Emperors would have a great power disparity. Actually, the "Great Emperor" title was just a collective name people in the Tian Yuan world gave to strong warriors who reached a certain realm. It was not a specific name of a realm. It was the same as "Sages" and "Human Lords".

Hence, if the Myriad Empyreal King was to be compared to the ancient Great Empress, then the difference was probably like looking at a firefly against the bright moon.

Now, according to what Lin Xintong said, the Shentu family clan had already restored the ancient recipe left behind by the ancient peerless Great Empress and was able to refine the desolate bone relic recorded in it. For this, how could Yi Yun not be surprised?

The power of peerless Great Empress probably far exceeded the limitations of imagination many of the mighty figures in the Tian Yuan world had...

"The Shentu family clan's Desolate Heaven technique has actually reached that level?"

Yi Yun found it unbelievable. Who had refined the Great Empress' relic? Could it be the Thousand Hand Granny?

However, when he recalled the old granny, Yi Yun found it unlikely. The old granny was probably in the Empress-like realm, but compared to the Shentu Patriarch, she was probably far inferior despite being in the same realm. How could she refine the ancient Great Empress's recipe?

"I am not sure either..." Lin Xintong shook her head. "Maybe the ancient recipe is not that difficult to refine. The ancient Great Empress may be strong, but it does not mean that the recipe she left behind is difficult. These two things might not be related."

Yi Yun nodded hearing what Lin Xintong said. It was reasonable.

Lin Xintong added, "Regardless, the Shentu family clan will definitely be providing a relic this time. They have already made it public and have invited several of the family clans that have an alliance with them. They definitely cannot fake this matter, or else they will be considered as having gone back on their word. It would not benefit them in any way."

"Besides, they must be very confident with the relic or else they would be subject to criticism. As such, the alliance between the Shentu family clan and Lin family will naturally be void and null."

"Miss Lin, you are right." Yi Yun nodded. It did not matter how the Shentu family clan managed to refine the Great Empress' relic. Only by being able to provide it were they able to put forward such a proposal with the Lin family.

From the looks of it, the Shentu family clan was extremely confident!

Could it be that their ability to refine the Great Empress relic was because of the mystic realm they explored? Did the Shentu family clan manage to find a Desolate Heaven technique method in the mystic realm that allowed them to refine the Great Empress relic?

What sort of mystic realm was it? Yi Yun was highly interested in the mystic realm as a mystic realm of that level would definitely be extraordinary!

However, a mystic realm of that level was probably not something he could explore.

Yi Yun gently shook his head. He needed time. He was still too weak right now.

After staying silent for a moment, Yi Yun suddenly looked at Lin Xintong.

"Miss Lin..."

"Yes?" Lin Xintong looked up. Her face seemed to blur in the flickering candlelight. She was so beautiful that it did not seem real.

"If… I am saying if. If you are unable to find a method to join up your terminated meridians, would you accept the arrangements of your family?"

Upon hearing Yi Yun's question, Lin Xintong frowned as she looked deeply at Yi Yun.

"Why are you asking such a question? Do you not think that speculating about the future lacks any meaning? For example you… When I first met you in the Cloud Wilderness, I never expect for you to have come so far in two years."

"You are right..." Yi Yun nodded. "I am asking this because of that two years ago, in the Desolate Human Valley. There you told me that when your body touched mine, you seemed to feel your meridians have a faint energy flow..."

"Because of this, I had an idea that might sound like a joke. I want to join up your naturally terminated meridians!"

"However, I cannot guarantee that my thoughts would be achievable. And now… The Shentu family clan seems to have found a method to join up your terminated meridians. I do not know if their method will be effective, but at least, it seems like it is more reliable than the clueless thoughts in my head."

" I really want to join up your terminated meridians, but… I do not have any reason to let you risk your life because of my own wishes and an unrealistic thought of mind. After all, the chances of healing you is very small."

"I am thinking… when it is finally decided that there is no way to join up your terminated meridians, and when everyone is at a loss what to do. I believe that the Matriarch, and even Senior Su Jie, would wish for you to marry Shentu Nantian. At least, in that way, you will be able to live on..."

Yi Yun slowly said these words. These were the thoughts that had lingered in his mind, and was also the dilemma he felt by staying in the Lin family.

From a emotional point of view, he naturally did not wish to see Shentu Nantian heal Lin Xintong of her naturally terminated meridians, and use this coercive method to complete the marriage.

However… from a logical point of view, this was probably the best outcome for Lin Xintong.

Although Lin Xintong's grandaunt was irksome, she did say something that Yi Yun found very reasonable. That was, if life and innocence was compared, which was more important?

Maybe the word "innocence" was not accurate for Lin Xintong as what she insisted on was her dignity and the right to choose her own life.

"Thank you."

Lin Xintong said solemnly as she looked at Yi Yun. She had never known, prior to this, that Yi Yun wished to cure her of her naturally terminated meridians. If the Lin family or the Shentu family clan knew of Yi Yun's thoughts, they would probably laugh and ridicule, thinking Yi Yun was speaking idiotic nonsense.

However, Lin Xintong did not think so.

"Regardless, I will fight for my own fate. After all, who can tell the future… What I can guarantee you is that, even if the Lin family agrees to ally with the Shentu family clan, I will prevent you from being forced to leave."

Lin Xintong said seriously. Yi Yun knew that Lin Xintong was referring to the feud he had with Shentu Nantian.

"Alright, let us not talk about this anymore. The Matriarch had spent a great deal of effort to prepare this party for you."

Upon saying this, the corners of Lin Xintong's mouth curled up, revealing a light smile.

Yi Yun naturally understood the meaning behind her words. The Matriarch had probably informed a few female Elders in the family to matchmake suitable girls for Yi Yun.

With a slight turn of his head, Yi Yun noticed that the tall girl who wanted to practice swords with him was speaking to someone else while frequently looking over at him.

The lascivious bodied girl was probably intending to continue the discussion about swords after Lin Xintong left.

Yi Yun embarrassingly knitted his eyebrows. He had little experience in such events, be it in his previous and present life.

...

The party lasted for six hours and only ended late into the night.

In the end, the girls who had solicited Yi Yun wasn't that many. This was because Lin Xintong was beside Yi Yun most of the night. At the beginning, both of them chatted about the situation regarding the Lin family and the Shentu family clan. It was considered "official business".

Later on, they began chatting about anything under the sun.

Originally, Lin Xintong thought that Yi Yun's insight would be lacking and that she could not talk about a lot of things. She had planned to tell Yi Yun about the current situation of the Tian Yuan world and the interesting historical facts.

However, when they really began chatting, Lin Xintong found out that Yi Yun was the one speaking most of the time while she was the one listening.

Yi Yun seemed to have endless amounts of interesting tidbits in his head.

Yi Yun naturally knew very little about this world.

However, in his previous life, where he lived in the explosive information age and had the Internet in his hand through a divine device, the strange things he knew far exceeded what this world had.

He adapted many of the bizarre events and blurred out the temporal background, turning it into an interesting story for this world.

Especially the hilarious jokes on the Internet were endless in scope. It was completely beyond the limits of this world's warriors where cultivation was at the forefront.

In the beginning, Lin Xintong told Yi Yun some interesting historical facts, but soon, she realized that the interesting facts she knew were boring compared to what Yi Yun mentioned.

Later on, Lin Xintong was very happy to just quietly listen. She would sporadically cover her mouth as she chuckled. Sometimes, she would even widen her bright dark eyes and say stuff like, "That cannot be so right?", "Where did you you hear all this from?", "It is so interesting".

The surrounding Lin family's juniors were shocked upon seeing Yi Yun chat like that with Lin Xintong. Their impression of Lin Xintong was that she was a quiet and reserved person who did not laugh or talk much.

They felt that the number of times they had seen Lin Xintong laugh over the ten plus years was less than the number of times she laughed that night.

True Martial World - Chapter 407: Great Empress Relic

Due to Shentu Nantian's spiritual injuries as well as Shentu Hai and Shentu Feng also being wounded, the first day of the Desolate Heaven technique tea session, which was supposed to end at sunset, came to an early conclusion.

Shentu Nantian was supposed to be the star of the Desolate Heaven technique tea session. The Shentu family clan had intended to use the tea session to let Shentu Nantian build a good relationship with the upper echelons of the Lin family. At the same time, they planned for him to display his abilities, letting the old fellows of the Lin family realize his awesomeness.

However with the situation like this, all the song and dance that had been planned for the stage was devastated. The Shentu family clan did not feel proud about it.

The Desolate Heaven technique showdown between the older generation, which was to be the main highlight, was delayed to three days later.

After the tea session ended, the Shentu family clan gathered a few of their Elders to analyze what had gone wrong at the last moment in Shentu Nantian's Four Images Seal.

However, even after analyzing it all day, they still could not figure anything out.

This was quite demanding for them, as besides the Thousand Hand Granny, the others had never come into contact with the Four Images Seal.

Furthermore, Shentu Nantian, the person directly involved, could only give a vague description of what happened.

This made the Thousand Hand Granny's old face scrunch up.

Her greatest fear was that there was a problem with the heritage.

As it was a heritage obtained by them in a mystic realm, the Four Images Seal was definitely part of an ancient Desolate Heaven technique heritage. There was no doubt to that. However, what the Thousand Hand Granny feared was whether the Four Images Seal required the use of other Desolate Heaven techniques in combination with it.

In the martial world, there was no lack of cultivation technique manuals which required another cultivation technique as a foundation. Without the foundation, problems ranging from damaging one's Yuan Qi to suffering a qidong deviation could occur.

As to whether there was someone who caused Shentu Nantian's Four Images Seal to fail, the Thousand Hand Granny never even entertained the thought. At the tea session, there were so many experts watching. With countless numbers of eyes and spiritual energies pervading the square, who could have the ability to bypass the perceptions of all of them and secretly sabotage it?

...

As the Shentu family clan's Elders were racking their brains trying to figure out what went wrong with the Four Images Seal, the culprit Yi Yun was at the Lin family's Silk peak, participating in a victory party.

Actually, with Yi Yun's personality, he would not be interested in such celebration parties. The time was better off spent cultivating.

However, Su Jie had made it clear that the Matriarch held the party because of the Desolate Heaven technique tea session. And Yi Yun was the star of the party. If the star did not participate, then the party would lose its meaning.

As Yi Yun was still new to the Lin family, it was best to keep a low profile. If Yi Yun rejected the invitation the Matriarch sent, then it would inevitably lead to widespread criticism of him not being able to appreciate favors.

The Silk peak was not one of the Lin family's eighteen main peaks. It was a small mountain situated in the external perimeter of the main peaks. The Silk peak was about half the height of the other eighteen main peaks, but there were plenty of spiritual flowers there, and these flowers grouped together like silk, giving Silk peak its name.

Other than some miscellaneous events being held at Silk peak, not many of the family's disciples stayed here. Whenever there were any internal family celebrations, they would be held on Silk peak.

At that moment, in the opulent Silk Palace by the slope of the Silk peak, there were hundreds of people gathered. There were a few of the Lin family Elders amongst them. The others were all juniors about the same age as Yi Yun.

And amongst the few Elders, there was Yi Yun's cheap master, Su Jie, and the Lin family's Matriarch.

The Matriarch held a dragon-head walking stick and had her white hair was pulled back in a bun. Her hair bun was adorned with a piece of jade and she was giving Yi Yun a loving smile.

"Little Friend Yun, welcome to the Lin family. Your master Su Jie is the Lin family's guest Elder, so you can treat the Lin family as your own home and do not need to feel restrained."

When the surrounding juniors heard the Matriarch's simple words, they were secretly envious of Yi Yun.

The Lin family had many disciples, and many of them were part of their direct bloodline, yet most of them had never received the chance to directly speak to the Matriarch.

And now, the Matriarch was especially warm towards Yi Yun at the Lin family's celebration party. The treatment she gave Yi Yun by specifically saying those welcoming words made them envious.

The treatment many of these direct bloodline children received did not even match an outsider like Yi Yun.

However, there was nothing they could do. After all, Yi Yun had demonstrated monstrous talent in the Desolate Heaven technique!

"This junior thanks the Matriarch. This junior is greatly flattered by the love the Matriarch provides me." Yi Yun humbly bowed as the Matriarch's smile turned especially bright. She was even more satisfied with Yi Yun.

"This is a party for you young people. These old bones will not be joining." After the Matriarch said a few more words, she took her leave. "Xintong, have fun with them."

The Matriarch turned her head and spoke to Lin Xintong who was behind her.

Lin Xintong was still dressed in that spotless white dress of hers, but there was now a jade hair accessory on her head. This made her seem less distant, but also made her more charming.

"Alright. I will help you out."

Lin Xintong smiled at Yi Yun before helping the Matriarch.

The party officially began and without the Lin family's elders, the juniors became more carefree.

Many of the Lin family's disciples would spend most of their time cultivating. Even when they had free time, they could not go wild due to the various family restrictions.

However, because of this celebration party, many of the youths could completely let their hair down.

And Yi Yun was no doubt the focus of the party.

"Senior brother Yun, my name is Lin Caiyun. I am also learning the Desolate Heaven technique and have been learning it for two years. However, I am still greatly lacking and can barely refine relics of the lowest grade." A 14-15 year old girl of small stature and big eyes looked at Yi Yun without blinking, "Senior brother Yun, your Desolate Heaven technique is so awesome. Is there a secret to it? If you have the time, can you enlighten me?"

"Uh, I am also a beginner in the Desolate Heaven technique. There are many theories I am still learning. As for the techniques I know, it might be fewer than what you know."

After Yi Yun ate something, he quickly realized he was especially popular amongst the girls.

Girls, one after another, would solicit Yi Yun for various reasons.

Of course, most of them did so by discussing the Desolate Heaven technique.

After the big-eyed girl left, a 18-19 year old girl with a tall and full figure replaced her.

"Hehe, Little brother Yun, your Desolate Heaven technique is indeed not bad. However a warrior should have some means of self-defense. Are you interested in learning swords? This elder sister can teach you."

The girl's voice was crisp and tender, and sounded like music to one’s ears.

Yi Yun was a bit helpless. Ever since he came to this alternate world two years ago, girls did not seem to take the initiative to woo him, but today, there were suddenly more than five of them.

"There is no need. I do not have the intention on learning swords from others." Yi Yun could only reject. About the way of the sword, Yi Yun's accomplishments were extraordinary. Of course, he had no intention to learn from others. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Junior Brother Yun."

At that moment, a refreshing voice rang in Yi Yun's ear. Yi Yun turned around and saw the picturesque fairy-like Lin Xintong.

After sending the Matriarch off, she had returned to the party.

The moment Lin Xintong appeared, the few girls surrounding Yi Yun immediately knew to back off.

Amongst the younger generation of the Lin family, Lin Xintong's status was extremely special.

Lin Xintong gave a slight smile, and with a voice transmission, whispered, "This celebration party has the intention of letting the boys and girls of the younger generation mingle together. The Lin family's Matriarch has already decided to keep you in the Lin family."

"Oh?" Yi Yun was stunned. He understood what Lin Xintong meant. The celebration party was just an excuse, calling it a blind date would be more appropriate.

Yi Yun knew that he was a rare talent for the Lin family, having shown his talent and bright future.

And many of the young girls of the Lin family would be willing to marry Yi Yun. Yi Yun was handsome and with his extraordinary talent, it was easy for him to grab the hearts of the young girls.

Furthermore, marrying such a Desolate Heaven Master would make one's future martial path even smoother as there would be no lack of resources. In a large family clan like the Lin family, the girls were not as reserved as the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's nobles. They would pursue what they wanted.

"The Matriarch probably wishes to see you marry one of the girls in the family. This way, the relationships will be even more stable. Maybe not long from now, there will be a matchmaker who will matchmake you. Sometimes, children of the family marry late, but they would get engaged very early."

Lin Xintong's expression seemed like she was both smiling and not smiling at the same time. It was hard to tell what she was thinking.

Yi Yun felt a bit speechless hearing this as he frowned. This was reasonable. In the Tian Yuan world, where the family clans gained their power from their children, marriage was indeed a very stable relation.

"Well… and there is another thing." Suddenly, Lin Xintong changed the topic and her voice turned serious. "At this Desolate Heaven technique tea session, the Shentu family clan may have suffered greatly, but… the number of Lin family's Elders who support the Shentu family clan has actually increased..."

"Oh?" Yi Yun frowned. This was not good news. If the Lin family really forged an alliance with the Shentu family clan, then ignoring what Lin Xintong's fate would be, just his identity alone would be impossible to conceal forever.

This was the reason why Lin Xintong highlighted this to Yi Yun.

Lin Xintong's marriage was actually a matter that was far in the future. However, the alliance between the Lin family and the Shentu family clan would be forged much earlier and quicker.

This was of course not something Yi Yun wished to see.

"Is it because the Shentu family clan demonstrated many ancient Desolate Heaven technique heritages?" Yi Yun asked. He knew that these ancient Desolate Heaven technique heritages were very tempting for the Lin family. Furthermore, with the Shentu family clan willing to share them with the Lin family, it would be a very favorable condition!

"That is just a minor reason..." Lin Xintong gently shook her head. "The most important reason is that the Shentu family clan has finally agreed to first refine a few of the peerless Great Empress's ancient recipe's relics for me to try... Previously, the Shentu family clan was unwilling to do so as every relic made from the ancient recipe required a very high cost."

When Lin Xintong said this, Yi Yun was stunned. The Shentu family clan was already willing to refine the ancient Great Empress's relic!?