True Martial World - Chapter 1248: Evil Motives

"Use more strength. What did I buy you for!?"

The manager took another puff from his smoke pipe as he grumbled unhappily. He sensed the people entering but he paid them no mind. He had been a manager of the Miscellaneous Chores Department for centuries. It was a lucrative job and the outer-sect disciples that came to his department would always treat him respectfully. He was already accustomed to leading a life of a lord.

"Manager Song…" Qingwen spoke.

"Who’s there?" The middle-aged manager put down the smoke pipe and glanced at Duanmu Qingwen. Following that, he shot a glance at Yi Yun before lying down comfortably on his chair. He sucked a huge mouthful of smoke and languidly said, "Come back tomorrow. I'm not going to handle any matters now!"

Perhaps some outer-sect disciple was here trying to pull some social strings. Without sufficient benefits, he wouldn't even bother speaking, much less take part in a deal.

Yi Yun looked coldly at the middle-aged man and said, "Your surname is Song? You are a family member of Song Bowen?"

Yi Yun knew very well that in the Myriad God Ridge, there were many family clans with long heritages. When some of these family clans reached a place of influence, they would tend to commit nepotism, allowing their family clan to further entrench themselves in Myriad God Ridge and gradually grow stronger.

"Who are you?" The middle-aged man gave Yi Yun a displeased look. He did not know Yi Yun but, after seeing Duanmu Qingwen, he had a vague guess.

"This is my master, Yi Yun," explained Duanmu Qingwen.

"Ah? Young Master Yi?" He hurriedly got up with a grumble as his face scrunched into an obsequious smile. "So it's Young Master Yi that is gracing me with his presence. You should have told me earlier. I'm Song Yuanpin. Look at me, failing to recognize a great person. Young Master Yi, have a seat please."

Song Yuanpin bowed unctuously. His exceedingly sycophant gesture and acting irritated Yi Yun greatly. "Was it your Song family that had Zuoyan Xiaoyu transferred away?"

"Ah… Zuoyan Xiaoyu?" The middle-aged man's eyes flitted as he said ingratiatingly, "How could that be? The transfer of maidservants is decided by the Miscellaneous Chores Department's headquarters. How can the Song family intervene? The Miscellaneous Chores Department felt that if Zuoyan Xiaoyu could splatter food while carrying it, she was clumsy. Such a lass isn't fit for serving Young Master Yi so, naturally, she was transferred. Now, we have assigned a new maidservant to you. Not only is she beautiful and talented, she's also obedient. Look at how smart she looks, Young Master Yi. She's probably ten times better than Zuoyan Xiaoyu."

Song Yuanpin had been manning the Miscellaneous Chores Department for years and knew the proper way to deal with all sorts of people. He knew very well that most men would discard the old for something new. By giving Yi Yun such a petite lass, allowing him to indulge in sexual pleasures, it would be a great boon he could not resist. As for Zuoyan Xiaoyu, she was a mere girl, more like an ant than a woman. She would be forgotten by Yi Yun in less than two days. Therefore, Song Yuanpin thought nothing of transferring Zuoyan Xiaoyu away.

Her outcome was the least of his worries. Who did care about a lass like her? Then again, the lass was quite supple-looking. If only he didn't lack the status, he would have kept her for himself to enjoy.

While these thoughts flashed across Song Yuanpin's mind, he continued beaming. One did not smack a smiling person. Song Yuanpin was considered a slippery one, so even though he was facing Yi Yun, a person of much higher status than him, he was not worried. As long as he remained impervious to the questioning and pushed the blame, he could naturally dismiss Yi Yun with his smiling face.

"Oh? Your explanation seems rather reasonable."

Yi Yun nodded. Just as his voice faded, he suddenly punched out.

"Peng!"

With a boom, Song Yuanpin cried out tragically. He flew backward like a ball as the lounge chair behind him was flattened.

The maidservant that was massaging his leg was given a fright. She nearly thought that she was dead but, despite such a violent explosion, she was not injured at all.

"I… I… Cough…"

Song Yuanpin had been struck in the dantian by Yi Yun. His mouth was covered in blood and he was in a daze. All he saw were doubles, particularly of Yi Yun.

He never expected to encounter such a malignant star. He was struck before he could finish delivering his excuses.

"I left your dantian intact with this punch. The next one will cripple you. Go ahead and test my patience."

Yi Yun was overbearing. He knew he would offend the Song family, but so what? Everything he did at Myriad God Ridge boiled down to him finding Old Snake. And since he had accomplished that goal, he didn’t exactly need to stay in Myriad God Ridge. This was the reason why Yi Yun acted unbridled.

Since the Myriad God Ridge was an expedient measure, there was no reason for him to be bullied everywhere and suffer in silence. He might as well do as his pleased, allowing his mind to feel at ease!

"Don't… Don't do that. Spare… spare me." Upon hearing Yi Yun threatening to cripple him of his dantian, Son Yuanpin's face turned pale. He knew very well what sort of person Yi Yun was. He would definitely carry out his threat. He even dared to beat Song Bowen, much less a trivial Song family member like him. Crippling him was nothing!

Yi Yun was the sect master's personal disciple after all. The Song family could not attack Yi Yun, for the sect master wasn't from the Song family!

When the time came, he would sacrifice himself in the war. Who would mourn him? Even the Song family would abandon him like roadkill.

"Zuoyan Xiaoyu was taken by Song Bowen to be his servant," Song Yuanpin said through clenched teeth. Now that he told Yi Yun, if Yi Yun caused a big hooha over the matter, the Song family would learn it was him who leaked the news. He too would suffer greatly.

"What? He sure has guts. Does he have a death wish because of a servant?" Yi Yun's eyes flared with killing intent. "Where is Song Bowen!?"

"He… he went out on an experiential training expedition. He applied for the sect's permission the day before yesterday. He left early this morning. By now he must have traveled through a teleportation array and is millions of miles away. I'm telling the truth, nothing but the truth."

Song Yuanpin babbled on. He was afraid that Yi Yun would strike him again. It was not something he could withstand.

"Out on experiential training!?"

Yi Yun's gaze turned cold.

Song Bowen and that lanky youth had applied to go on an experiential training together. Song Bowen did not even plan on staying in Myriad God Ridge to recover from his injuries because of a malignant star like Yi Yun.

They had their faces smacked rotten by Yi Yun but could only suffer in silence. In the future, they would hardly be able to lift their heads in the personal disciples' zone. How could they stay? With all the talk and mockery from others, they could only choose to leave for an experiential training expedition!

But leaving in such a downtrodden manner was something they were unwilling to do. Since they could not deal with Yi Yun, they took their anger out on Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

From Song Bowen and the lanky youth's point of view, the lass had acted arrogantly because of Yi Yun's backing. It left them fuming with anger.

Now, bringing Zuoyan Xiaoyu out and ravaging her would give them a small spiritual victory.

If not, the sense of defeat Yi Yun had given them would be too immense. It was turning into a mental demon that plagued them. It could even affect their future breakthroughs. By venting their anger on Zuoyan Xiaoyu, it allowed them to redeem the situation slightly.

As for Yi Yun's wrath, it did not worry them. Firstly, Yi Yun knew no one in Myriad God Ridge. It would be difficult for him to find news of Zuoyan Xiaoyu. Furthermore, a maidservant he only got to know for a few days was unlikely important. He would probably forget about her if he failed to find her.

Song Bowen never imagined that Yi Yun would be that violent when questioning others. Neither did he think that Song Yuanpin would be so cowardly to instantly inform Yi Yun of Zuoyan Xiaoyu's whereabouts.

"Millions of miles…"

Yi Yun's heart sank. How was he to pursue them when they had flown that far?

"In which direction did they go?"

"I… I do not know. I really do not know." Song Yuanpin said in a fluster. He was only a Miscellaneous Chores Department manager, so how could he know the experiential training destination of personal disciples? In order to prevent opposing sects from harming personal disciples, such things were absolutely confidential. Typically, only the disciple's respective masters would know.

"Good, very good!"

Yi Yun was burning with anger as he stepped on Song Yuanpin's face. The sorry man let out a squeal like a pig in a slaughterhouse. His facial bones cracked and his facial features were rampaged into a mess.

Killing Song Yuanpin was pointless. He was only a useless figure in the Song family. The people that wanted to harm Zuoyan Xiaoyu was Song Bowen and the lanky youth. No matter how he dealt with Song Yuanpin, it would not be able to appease his anger. Instead, it would give the Song family an excuse to attack him.

"Song Bowen, I seldom get disgusted by trivial figures, but you have succeeded."

Having practiced martial arts for decades, Yi Yun's enemies were usually much stronger than he was. Occasionally, he would encounter an opponent of the younger generation, but he would step over them and overlook them in a lofty manner!

Song Bowen was nothing. He had been easily trampled by Yi Yun four days ago but now, he had disgusted Yi Yun greatly.

"Young Master, what do we do…" Duanmu Qingwen realized the gravity of the situation. Although she and Zuoyan Xiaoyu were competitors, they were both girls with the status of maidservants. She subconsciously treated Zuoyan Xiaoyu's experiences as her own. To a girl, that was completely unimaginable.

Yi Yun took a deep breath. He was out of ideas at that moment, but he could not sit idly by as Zuoyan Xiaoyu was destroyed by Song Bowen. However, it was easy to infer that Song Bowen and the lanky youth would not be back any time soon. They were deliberately avoiding him, so it would be difficult to kill them!

With millions of miles separating them and without any inkling of direction, how was he to pursue them? Now, the only person that knew Song Bowen and the lanky youth's destination was probably their master, Elder Taiqing. Unfortunately, it would be a joke to question Elder Taiqing.

True Martial World - Chapter 1247: Duanmu Qingwen

"Young Master… Young Master, are you dissatisfied with me?"

Duanmu Qingwen probed carefully.

Yi Yun did not reply to her. Instead, he closed his eyes and swept the Sunken Moon Tower's vicinity with his perception. He did not find a single trace of Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu was gone!

Yi Yun suddenly felt an ominous foreboding.

Yi Yun naturally remembered Duanmu Qingwen’s name. Previously, Zuoyan Xiaoyu had mentioned that Duanmu Qingwen was an outer-sect disciple that had entered Myriad God Ridge together with her.

Back then, Duanmu Qingwen wished to be a maidservant in the personal disciple division as well. She had even tried to use her family ties but, in the end, the job landed in Zuoyan Xiaoyu's hands because of her slightly higher talent.

If there were shifts, Duanmu Qingwen still shouldn’t have been there. She was not a maidservant in the personal disciple zone at all.

Although he knew this, Yi Yun still held hopes. He asked her, "Do you maidservants also take shifts? Zuoyan Xiaoyu was serving me previously. Where is she?"

"Xiaoyu? She's been transferred away. It was the Miscellaneous Chores Department that instructed me to replace her," replied Duanmu Qingwen.

"She's been transferred!?" Duanmu Qingwen's answer sank Yi Yun's heart. Indeed, it was as he thought!

There was no question on the reason. It must have been due to the banquet four days ago.

Yi Yun was a personal disciple and, with his powerful strength, those people would not dare touch him. However, Zuoyan Xiaoyu was different. She was only an outer-sect disciple, lacking in both strength and background. She could be easily strong-armed!

Although the Myriad God Ridge rules prohibited disciples from killing one another, there was not much punishment other than paying some Spirit Jade if a personal disciple were to kill an outer-sect disciple!

Song Bowen and that lanky youth were clearly not magnanimous people. Having suffered at Yi Yun's hand, they knew that there was no way to turn the tables, so they vented their anger on Zuoyan Xiaoyu!

Back at the banquet, Zuoyan Xiaoyu had smacked Song Bowen and the lanky youth's faces at Yi Yun's request! As such, Zuoyan Xiaoyu's outcome could very likely be terrible!

And the worst thing was...this was all a result of Yi Yun’s own actions.

Upon realizing this, Yi Yun was seized with remorse. His negligence put Zuoyan Xiaoyu in trouble! If he had brought Zuoyan Xiaoyu into his seclusion chamber, such a situation would not have happened.

"Where's Zuoyan Xiaoyu? Where did she go!?"

Yi Yun's voice was rushed and unknowingly contained killing intent. It made Duanmu Qingwen frightened.

"I… I do not know…"

Duanmu Qingwen was truly startled by Yi Yun. She was only at the Yuan Opening realm, and being enveloped by Yi Yun's killing intent was like a mortal standing naked in the cold wind. She trembled in fear.

"You replaced her but you do not know where she is?"

Yi Yun took a step forward and glared at Duanmu Qingwen.

Duanmu Qingwen shrunk backward but, faced with Yi Yun's imposing stance, she was unable to endure. Unknowingly, she slumped into a chair and stared at Yi Yun with a face full of horror.

She had previously heard from sisters about Yi Yun. As a newly recruited personal disciple, Yi Yun was not only excellent in bearing, he was also very powerful and nice to servants.

When she was transferred to Sunken Moon Tower, she was the envy of many girls. She believed that being picked to serve Yi Yun was a stroke of luck that she accrued from several lifetimes. She wanted to diligently do her part. Everything she did today took her hours, and it was all done meticulously.

However, not only did she fail to obtain a compliment from Yi Yun, she was also hounded by Yi Yun with questioning that was filled with killing intent. She felt truly aggrieved at that moment.

"I… I really do not know…"

As Duanmu Qingwen spoke, she was feeling emotionally hurt. Back when she entered the sect, she did not mind losing to Zuoyan Xiaoyu. But now, having replaced Zuoyan Xiaoyu, she had done so much only to be questioned by Yi Yun in such a fierce manner about Zuoyan Xiaoyu's whereabouts. It was impossible for Duanmu Qingwen to feel any sort of good about this.

Upon seeing Duanmu Qingwen's reaction, Yi Yun took a step back. His remorse and anger towards Song Bowen had caused him to lose control of his emotions.

"Sorry…" Yi Yun said.

On careful thought, Duanmu Qingwen likely had nothing to do with the matter. The Duanmu family was only a small family clan with a seven-floor Dao Palace realm warrior at its head. There was no way they could have any relations with a personal disciple like Song Bowen.

Perhaps, after Song Bowen had Zuoyan Xiaoyu transferred away, the Miscellaneous Chores Department had casually selected another girl to replace her. And with Duanmu Qingwen having used her family connections previously, she was the next natural choice.

Upon thinking things through, Yi Yun held Duanmu Qingwen's hand and helped her up from the chair.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm only feeling anxious over Zuoyan Xiaoyu. Things have happened that you are unaware of. I'm afraid Xiaoyu is in trouble. Where is the Miscellaneous Chores Department? Bring me there."

Yi Yun repressed the pangs of fury in his heart and tried to speak calmly to Duanmu Qingwen.

He knew very well that it had been some time since Zuoyan Xiaoyu was taken away.

If Song Bowen and the lanky youth were bent on revenge, the odds were greatly against Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

Such a long period of time was enough for them to do anything to Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

Yi Yun had killed countless warriors in his many years of cultivation. However, he never harmed the innocent. He felt uneasy if a girl in her prime was destroyed because of him.

"There will only be people in the Miscellaneous Chores Department...early tomorrow."

"Bring me there now." Yi Yun's tone did not leave room for doubt.

"Alright… Alright…"

Duanmu Qingwen was filling a myriad of emotions. She never expected Yi Yun to be so worried over Zuoyan Xiaoyu. As a Myriad God Ridge personal disciple, even an emperor had to treat him respectfully and fear him. Yet, he was worried over a mere maidservant that had no background. This made Duanmu Qingwen suddenly envious of Zuoyan Xiaoyu. If Yi Yun could be this nice to her, she would be willing to brave any dangers for him.

There was more than one branch of the Miscellaneous Chores Department. Every region had miscellaneous chores that needed to be done, so a Miscellaneous Chores Department was set up in every region. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Duanmu Qingwen led Yi Yun to the Miscellaneous Chores Department in charge of the personal disciples’ zone.

At that moment, the Miscellaneous Chores Department was deserted and quiet. There was only a manager on duty. He looked to be in his thirties and had his legs crossed as he sat comfortably on a lounge chair. Beside him, a girl that looked like a maidservant was kneeling on a mat, massaging him.

She was rather good-looking but she was only a mortal.

Although the Myriad God Ridge would choose virgin female outer-sect disciples with talent and excellent looks as maidservants, the selected were only used to serve personal disciples.

To put it frankly, the Myriad God Ridge had considered that some maidservants would be fancied by the personal disciples. Therefore, there was a strict requirement for the maidservants’ talent. Girls with great talent would be beneficial to the personal disciples' cultivation level after they extracted their primordial Yin!

As for the manager, he naturally did not get such preferential treatment. The servant beside him was likely one that he bought himself.

True Martial World - Chapter 1246: Newcomer

"What are you waiting for? Quickly pack your things!"

The steward impatiently said this when he saw Zuoyan Xiaoyu in a daze.

She was an outer-sect disciple, and as such her job was determined by the Miscellaneous Chores Department. Their orders were like a royal decree to her, so how could she refuse them?

To put it into perspective, outer-sect disciples were ranked lowest on the totem pole. They were too insignificant.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu bit her lip and accepted that indeed, with her status, she was not fated to serve Yi Yun, a powerful personal disciple who treated her well.

She smiled bitterly and said, "I'll leave with you… but when Young Master Yi started his seclusion, I stood in this spot to wait for him. At the moment, I still serve Young Master Yi in Sunken Moon Tower, so if I am to leave, I must wait for him to come out of seclusion to inform him that I'm leaving…"

The seclusion grounds in Sunken Moon Tower had its own array formation. Once it was activated, any information from outside could be transmitted in.

Unfortunately, warriors would sever their perception while in seclusion. They needed to be oblivious to everything that was happening around them, or they would not be able to focus their mind on breaking through. It was for this reason that warriors would seek expert guardians to protect them while they cultivated.

Under the current circumstances, Yi Yun would not be able to detect that Zuoyan Xiaoyu was leaving. Therefore, as his maidservant, she felt that she should not leave without a word.

However, the head steward became impatient when he heard Zuoyan Xiaoyu's words. He snorted coldly and said, "Who do you think you are? You are only a servant that usually serves tea and massages. The best you can hope for is to catch the eye of someone and become a concubine. If not, you will be forever a maidservant. Do you really think you are that important to a personal disciple? Bidding farewell? Quick, leave with us!"

The person who spoke was a dark-skinned steward. He looked like a mortal in his forties.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu was a mere outer-sect disciple and was unable to put up any resistance. She gave the tightly-shut door to the cultivation chamber a meaningful and longing glance before leaving with the dark-skinned steward.

…

A day later, in the cultivation chamber, a gray flame whirled around in mid-air. Amid the flowing flames was a gentle seven-colored light; and within it, one could vaguely make out a sleeping girl's face.

That girl was none other than Ling Xie'er.

Ever since she awoke, she became fused with the Heretical God Fire Seed. Now, while she slept, Yi Yun could sense that Ling Xie'er's soul power was constantly increasing. He guessed that when Ling Xie'er's soul power reached a certain apex, she would undergo a new metamorphosis. It was unknown what Ling Xie'er and the Heretical God Fire Seed would evolve into.

"My cultivation level has finally broken through to the fifth-floor Dao Palace realm. It's time to leave."

Yi Yun took a deep breath as the surrounding black flames and pure Yuan Qi rushed into his body as though he was a whale intaking water.

Yi Yun opened the array and walked out of the cultivation grounds. It was already night and there were orange-yellow lights lit in Sunken Moon Tower. There was a faint tea fragrance in the air that left Yi Yun feeling refreshed.

Yi Yun suddenly felt that a maidservant taking care of his daily tasks was quite a nice thing to have. In the past, he had been alone for too long and began to feel somewhat lonely.

Yi Yun pushed open Sunken Moon Tower's door and walked into the room, where he saw tea already prepared on the table. There were two plates of intricate desserts sitting beside the tea.

These desserts were another thing that the Myriad God Ridge gave solely to its personal disciples. Typical disciples had no chance of enjoying such perks.

A few of the desserts had been painstakingly chosen, with different colors and shapes placed together in an elegant and harmonious arrangement.

And on the table was a bronze heating stove. Hot air effused from it, maintaining the desserts' warmness and soft texture.

Yi Yun knew that Xiaoyu had no way of knowing exactly when he would finish his seclusion. As such, she must have freshly prepared all of this every day. She was quite thoughtful.

Just as he was thinking over the matter, he heard the maidservant room's door open from upstairs. A girl in a red dress stood by the door with an elegant posture. She was beautiful with her white skin effusing a healthy glow, making her look very endearing.

However… she was not Zuoyan Xiaoyu.

Yi Yun was taken aback. A girl had suddenly appeared in his Sunken Moon Tower and was living in the room on the second floor. This left him a little bewildered.

"Who are you?" asked Yi Yun.

The girl gave Yi Yun a poised bow and beamed. She said, "My name is Duanmu Qingwen, an outer-sect disciple that entered the Myriad God Ridge seven days ago. I was formerly tending the herbs in the southeastern herbal gardens. Yesterday, people from the Miscellaneous Chores Department instructed me to serve you, Young Master Yi."

"Young Master, you have been in seclusion for four days, am I right? You must be tired. I have made some Misty Flower Tea for you and have lit a stove of Sunken Water Fragrance. Young Master, I wonder if you like to drink alcohol? If you do, I'll warm a pot. You can take a bath first, and drink while soaking in it."

The red-dressed girl said all this as she arrived on the first floor like a gust of wind. She even pulled open the door to the bathroom on the first floor.

The bathroom in Sunken Moon Tower was extremely spacious. The bathing pool was made of superior suet jade and it was filled with water. There were flower petals of every color scattered across the water surface. Thick steam effused from it, blurring out the entire area. Just one look at it made one feel comfortable.

"I have filled the pool with Myriad God Ridge's main peak's ten-thousand-year-old Melted Ice Water. It has just been heated up and I have scattered petals from the Five-colored Flower. It has quite a refreshing effect. Young Master, are you satisfied with this? If you are, let me help you into the bath."

As Duanmu Qingwen spoke, she picked up the tray of tea. The tray made of softwood could float on the water. By placing alcohol and tea on it, one could imbibe it at any time during a bath. It was extremely convenient.

Duanmu Qingwen wanted to invite Yi Yun into the bath but it was not appropriate for her to pull Yi Yun's hand. Therefore, she stood by the bath's entrance, watching Yi Yun earnestly and with watery eyes.

At that moment, Duanmu Qingwen appeared poised and dignified. But in fact, she was feeling somewhat nervous. Although she came from the Duanmu family and enjoyed a particular status in the Wenyue Country, she knew how low her status was in the Myriad God Ridge. Compared to personal disciples, the difference was as stark as the difference between night and day.

Back when Duanmu Qingwen missed the opportunity to serve personal disciples, she had been somewhat disappointed. But despite abandoning hope, a twist of fate suddenly offered her such an opportunity.

As such, she cherished this opportunity even more.

Although her Duanmu family wielded great power, her patriarch was aged. His lifespan was coming to an end and if she could not hold up the family, the Duanmu family's position would be in extreme danger.

Now, she had been in Sunken Moon Tower for a day. Therefore, she was naturally meticulous and careful for there was no way she could neglect Young Master Yi—the person she needed to serve.

However, despite how much anticipation she had, she did not see any look of satisfaction on Yi Yun's face. Instead, she was panicked to find that he was frowning.

True Martial World - Chapter 1245: Green Spirit Jade Fragment

Zuoyan Xiaoyu placed the fruit in front of Yi Yun. The first dish prepared by Elder Lanqin was made from Green Spirit Fruit. It had a naturally refreshing fragrance, and the rice that was stuffed into the fruit was jade pearl rice. Golden-threaded dates adorned it, allowing every grain of rice to suffuse a light green color. The crystalline grains, when piled together, looked like jade fragments.

Just taking in the fragrance was intoxicating, and was enough to wipe away any physical exhaustion.

"Great food, it really is appetizing!"

Yi Yun had never eaten such food before. He had participated in several banquets held by important figures, allowing him to sample all sorts of precious delicacies, but none of them could match the Green Spirit Fruit rice in front of him.

Indeed, the Sinkhole was unique. As a large sect of the Calm Sea, the Myriad God Ridge's deep heritage was not to be doubted.

Most of the time, strength was displayed in ways other than wars or territorial disputes. Just the quality of basic necessities of life was enough to tell the difference.

Apart from the food, the Myriad God Ridge had lodging like the Sunken Moon Tower. Even the simple outfits worn by personal disciples were superior-grade enchanted clothes. Nothing could be faulted.

At that moment, Zhou Bingfeng said with a smile, "Brother Yi, just being able to eat a bit of Elder Lanqin's food is a great blessing. There's never enough for me. Besides, the food in these nine tripods and eight cauldrons form a natural set. They respectively nourish seventeen laws. This first rice dish is called Green Spirit Jade Fragment. It gathers rich wood-elemental Yuan Qi, and the Green Spirit Fruit's essence has long been absorbed by the rice. Enjoy your meal."

As Zhou Bingfeng spoke, he began wolfing down his food.

Zhou Bingfeng was clearly someone with much life experience, but his table manners were in no way elegant. He chomped down on the Green Spirit Jade Fragment, filling his mouth with rice fragrance.

Yi Yun ate two sets himself and enjoyed it all the more. Not only was the jade pearl rice gratifying, its texture was excellent. It was soft and did not lose its bounce.

In a few mouthfuls, he had finished a quarter of the rice within the fruit. However, Yi Yun noticed that Zuoyan Xiaoyu was sitting beside him with her head lowered. She looked very obedient.

With a thought, he pushed the other serving of Green Spirit Jade Fragment in front of Zuoyan Xiaoyu and said, "There's another serving. Take it."

"Ah?"

Zuoyan Xiaoyu hurriedly shook her head. "I couldn’t! This is food prepared especially for personal disciples. How can a maidservant like me eat it?"

Just being allowed to sit meant that a maidservant was given extremely high preferential treatment, much less eating the food in the mess hall.

"It's fine. There are two servings anyway."

As Yi Yun spoke, he pointed to the middle of the hall. Song Bowen had suffered such grievous injuries that he was still unconscious.

The stewards that presided over the meal began doing their jobs. They sought out people to send Song Bowen for healing and, as such, he naturally would miss his meal.

Thus, Yi Yun made it a point to not stand on ceremony by taking Song Bowen's meal for his own.

There was no reason to refuse such delicious food that was also greatly beneficial to one's cultivation.

"But, Young Master, I really can't eat it." Zuoyan Xiaoyu was adamant. She felt her lowly status did not afford her the pleasure of the expensive food.

"Then, get a small bowl and have some. If you just keep watching me eat, I'll feel uneasy."

Yi Yun was not accustomed to having people serving him while eating. He found it awkward if a maidservant was watching him while he had his meals.

After failing to decline the offer, Zuoyan Xiaoyu got a tiny bowl and used a ladle to scoop a portion of rice into her bowl, and absolutely refused anything else.

As she looked at the tiny bit of rice in her tiny bowl, Zuoyan Xiaoyu felt conflicted. She was acutely aware how inferior the status of outer-sect disciples was in the Myriad God Ridge. She felt blissful enough to be a maidservant of a personal disciple, but was even more happy to be able to serve Yi Yun.

Under the light, the crystalline pearl rice twinkled like perfect pieces of art. She could not bring herself to eat it and could even sense that the maidservants close by, especially the girl that had tripped her, were casting envious stares at her.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu opened her tiny mouth and carefully ate a mouthful of rice. The fragrance filled her mouth as she slowly chewed and held the food in her mouth, before swallowing it unwillingly.

But even so, the rice had already transformed into pure Yuan Qi that infused into her body while in her mouth. It nourished her dantian.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu clearly felt her cultivation level, that had recently been on a plateau, beginning to subtly increase.

The effects of such spirit food were more intense for cultivators at lower cultivation levels. If warriors with low cultivation levels consumed very enriching pills, their bodies might not be able to withstand the energy of the pills. The warrior could very well end up exploding to their deaths. However, food would not result in such a situation.

"Go get the second dish. Take two servings." Yi Yun said after wiping his mouth. He had eaten nearly two servings of Green Spirit Jade Fragment and felt his appetite being whet!

"Yea!"

Zuoyan Xiaoyu nodded and walked to a bronze cauldron and took the second dish.

She felt a little apprehensive as she approached the steward in charge of dispensing the food, afraid of asking for two servings, but she never expected the steward to just hand over two servings without her request. There was tacit consent over the situation.

This imbued Zuoyan Xiaoyu with the realization that the Myriad God Ridge was a sect that valued strength. Here, strength was the absolute greatest rule.

"For one person to eat two servings, and even let his personal maidservant have some? What arrogance! Senior Brother Ji, are you going to watch idly?"

Among the personal disciples, someone said this to Ji Changsheng.

They were all personal disciples, but the differences in status and strength were immense as well. Ji Changsheng had been a personal disciple for more than three centuries. Song Bowen was naturally incomparable to him. This was why he could run the entrance test and help Mo Shanqing preside over the Ascending Dragon Cauldron.

"So what if I do? Junior Brother Song was at fault in today's conflict. Without recognizing his strength, he wantonly provoked Yi Yun and ended up being taught a lesson. Who else is to blame but himself? However, this Yi Yun was ruthless in his retaliation. His personality is downright repugnant! Although the Myriad God Ridge values strength, there are numerous people stronger than Yi Yun. When he does encounter someone stronger, the one suffering will be him," Ji Changsheng said indifferently as he continued eating.

Although Yi Yun could not hear Ji Changsheng's conversation, his gaze had inadvertently swept past Ji Changsheng.

Yi Yun felt that Ji Changsheng gave others a deep and unfathomable impression.

"Xiaoyu, have more."

When Yi Yun saw that Zuoyan Xiaoyu would only eat a tiny mouthful of each dish before refusing to eat further, he gave her a huge scoop that filled most of her bowl.

"Young Master… I…"

Zuoyan Xiaoyu was overwhelmed by the favor but with the food in her bowl, she could not decline it.

"Eat it. It's Song Bowen's anyway. It will be a waste if you do not eat it. Besides, I can sense that the cultivation benefits you will receive from eating this food will be much better than mine. It seems like you are about to make a breakthrough."

…

Yi Yun enjoyed the meal, for it had been years since he had such a feast.

Previously, when he was in the Myriad Divine Territory, Yi Yun had entered seclusion for twenty-five years and practically did not eat or drink. When he went to the Mirage Sea Realm, he stayed there for a few years and led an idyllic life with Huan Chenxue. She was a woman that lived like a saint. She would often eat spirit flowers and drink morning dew. Although the diet was elegant, it was definitely not delicious from Yi Yun's point of view. How could it compare with the delicacies prepared meticulously by a Herbal Board Master?

Yi Yun felt that he could stay in Myriad God Ridge just for the monthly feast alone.

That night, after having his fill, Yi Yun began secluded meditation. After eating the seventeen dishes, Yi Yun felt that the Yuan Qi in his body was gathering together. Although it was not intense, it seemed never-ending and he felt like he was almost about to break through.

In fact, Yi Yun had cultivated in the Mirage Sea Realm for a few years and his cultivation level was extremely close to the fifth-floor Dao Palace. Now he was on the brink of a breakthrough, but it was not solely because of the meal. Even if he had not eaten it, he would have naturally broken through a few months later. What the meal did was save him some time.

And, of course, Sunken Moon Tower was very suitable for seclusion. As such, Yi Yun entered seclusion for three days.

During this time, Zuoyan Xiaoyu stood guard in Sunken Moon Tower's yard.

As she guarded Yi Yun, she cultivated as well. There were large amounts of Yuan Qi gathered by the arrays there, and with the Sunken Moon Wood nourishing her soul, it became a lot easier for Zuoyan Xiaoyu to cultivate.

She took two days to absorb most of the Yuan Qi given by the seventeen dishes. As she had a low cultivation level, her breakthrough came earlier than Yi Yun's. Her cultivation level had reached the perfected Yuan Opening realm. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

This cultivation level was not bad for her age. However, there was still the Heaven Ascension realm and Dao Manifestation realm separating her from Yi Yun's Dao Palace realm.

Even so, Zuoyan Xiaoyu was very delighted.

She speculated that if she had not entered the Myriad God Ridge, it would have taken another three years for her Dao Seed to grow into a Dao Tree, allowing her to officially enter the Heaven Ascension realm.

The time she would take to enter the Heaven Ascension realm had been shortened to a few months.

She was eager for Yi Yun to come out of seclusion so that she could flaunt her cultivation results. Although Zuoyan Xiaoyu knew that her accomplishments meant nothing, she felt that simply gaining an approving nod from Yi Yun would leave her drowning in happiness.

Just as Zuoyan Xiaoyu was anticipating that moment, there was a knock on the door.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu opened the door and saw four people standing on the other side. They were dressed in Myriad God Ridge steward garb and they were expressionless. They executed their job without any personal considerations.

"Are you outer-sect disciple Zuoyan Xiaoyu?" The man leading the group asked Zuoyan Xiaoyu coldly. His voice did not exude any emotions.

"That…is me…" Zuoyan Xiaoyu was taken aback. From the person's attire, he was likely in charge of the Myriad God Ridge's miscellaneous chores department.

"Alright. Your job has been changed. From now on, you do not need to continue being a maidservant for Sunken Moon Tower. Follow me, we will arrange a new job for you."

"Ah?" Zuoyan Xiaoyu's breathing stagnated. She once believed that entering Myriad God Ridge and becoming Yi Yun's maidservant was the luckiest and happiest thing to ever happen to her. But was this bliss only meant to last less than three days before turning into evanescent bubbles?

True Martial World - Chapter 1244: Tolerance Extraordinaire

Yi Yun's cultivation level could be seen at a glance. It was also easy to see that Yi Yun had a robust foundation, but his nomological insights and the strength of his techniques were naturally less conspicuous. As for Myriad God Ridge's personal disciples, they were proud people. The Myriad God Ridge spent large amounts of resources to nurture them, so they found it unbelievable that they would be inferior to a new disciple.

"Junior Brother Song, are you alright!?"

With a flash, the lanky youth appeared beside Song Bowen. When he inspected Song Bowen's injuries, his expression turned ashen. Song Bowen's dantian and meridians had suffered grievous burns. Although Song Bowen's cultivation was unaffected, he would definitely be bedridden for a month.

"You suddenly launched a ruthless sneak attack while he wasn't prepared. You have openly violated the sect rules! What insolence!" The lanky youth said sternly.

According to the Myriad God Ridge's rules, disciples were not allowed to suddenly attack another. If there was any strife between them, both parties could make arrangements to fight it out at Myriad God Platform. The loser would then compensate the other party as per the arrangement.

Once fights reached the Myriad God Platform, it would be a world-shaking battle. Although the sect rules prohibited killing, no one held back as the compensation would usually be quite a substantial amount. If one did accidentally kill the other, it was something that could not be helped. After all, blades did not discriminate!

Therefore, even if there was a conflict between disciples, they would not be too quick to head for Myriad God Platform.

For Yi Yun to suddenly attack, causing severe injuries in the process, was a punishable offense.

"Hehe!" Yi Yun sneered. "It's clear who exactly started this conflict. Don't you try to use the sect rules on me. If you resent anything, we can always go to Myriad God Platform and agree to an amount of compensation. I'll be glad to entertain you!"

"You…"

The lanky youth's voice stagnated and had nothing to return verbally.

Although he said that Yi Yun had garnered victory through a sneak attack, he was acutely aware that, even if Yi Yun had attacked openly, he was much stronger than Song Bowen.

It was even highly probable that he had not used all his strength. He lacked confidence in how he stacked up to Yi Yun, so how could he risk settling the dispute at Myriad God Platform?

"Are you trying to provoke me to the Myriad God Platform? Do you think I'm afraid of you!?"

Although the lanky youth lacked the courage to follow through, his speech remained adamant. He had already been a personal disciple for two decades. His strength was far greater than Song Bowen, who was only recently promoted to personal disciple.

He silently stared at Yi Yun as though he was trying to decipher Yi Yun's true strength.

And at that moment, Yi Yun said to Zuoyan Xiaoyu, "Xiaoyu, since the food has been spilled, go get me some more."

Ah?

Xiaoyu suddenly jolted out of her daze when she heard Yi Yun's words.

Yi Yun had defeated Song Bowen like a sudden clap of thunder, one that left no time to cover one's ears. She had seen all of it and never expected that the young master she served was so powerful.

"Young Master… About the food…"

Zuoyan Xiaoyu was a little taken aback. She had already spilled the food so where was she to get another serving? A person was only allowed one serving of Elder Lanqin's food.

Just as she was about to say something, she saw Yi Yun point at Song Bowen's table. His finger was directed at Song Bowen's food.

Was he… asking her to take away Song Bowen's food?

Seeing the lanky youth sitting at the table, with such a sullen expression, Zuoyan Xiaoyu felt extremely apprehensive.

She hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth to walk towards the table.

Although she was afraid of the lanky youth, she knew that Yi Yun's assault was partly on her behalf.

In that case, how could she undermine Yi Yun? Compared to Yi Yun's brutal assault, all she was doing was taking a serving of food.

When she walked in front of Song Bowen's table, Zuoyan Xiaoyu saw the maidservant that had tripped her. She was standing behind the lanky youth and staring at her angrily.

Personal disciples had their conflicts, while maidservants shared their own strifes. Zuoyan Xiaoyu's strength may have been lacking, but it was impossible for her to lose to the other party's maidservant. She grabbed Song Bowen's food.

And at that moment, Yi Yun spoke again. "Take both shares!"

What!?

The atmosphere in the mess hall completely froze the moment Yi Yun said those words!

The lanky youth's eyes flashed coldly. He had to turn a blind eye to Song Bowen's food being taken, but to even take his away was preposterous.

"Punk! You’re going too far!"

"So what if I am? I'm not one to suffer in silence. You previously instigated your maidservant to trip Xiaoyu, spilling my food. It's only right and proper that I make you compensate me. Even if this reaches the Table of Elders, I will not be faulted."

"If you want to keep that meal of yours, go ahead. If you agree to fight me at Myriad God Platform in three days, you can keep the food."

Yi Yun said this indifferently but his words left everyone present speechless.

What was overbearing? This was it!

Although the lanky youth never took a hit from Yi Yun, his outcome was worse than being hit. Yi Yun was quickly forming a mental demon in him.

If he agreed to face Yi Yun at Myriad God Platform, he would likely be outmatched. If that time came, he would end up being severely injured and also allow Yi Yun to profit from him.

However, if he were to reject the notion and allow a mere maidservant take away his food, how was he to face others in the future?

"How dare you?"

The lanky youth looked at Zuoyan Xiaoyu as though he could kill her with his gaze.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu felt her body tighten as she was stifled by the lanky youth's glare.

But at that moment, Zuoyan Xiaoyu felt a soft aura permeate her body. She immediately felt her body lighten and the pressure dissipated.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu turned to glance at Yi Yun. She knew that he was protecting her with his aura.

This left Zuoyan Xiaoyu with an odd sense of safety. She was of humble birth and had never experienced the feeling of having a powerful backer supporting her. She felt emboldened, even if she faced an enemy that was usually insurmountable.

Gritting her teeth, Zuoyan Xiaoyu extended her arms and took the food in front of the lanky youth!

The lanky youth's eyes flared with killing intent while, at that moment, Yi Yun pressed down on his interspatial ring.

"Are you intending to fight me now instead of waiting for the Myriad God Platform?"

Yi Yun's voice seemed to come from a nether abyss. It sent a chill down everyone’s backs.

In Myriad God Ridge, the so-called rules were used to restrain the weak. The stronger one was, the lesser the punishments were for violating the rules. Besides, it was the lanky youth and Song Bowen that had started the conflict. Yi Yun already stood on the side of reason. There was no doubt in people's minds that Yi Yun would truly take action the moment the lanky youth moved.

In fact, Yi Yun ordered Zuoyan Xiaoyu to take the food because he was certain he could severely injure the lanky youth before he could even lay a hand on her.

At that moment, time seemed to come to a pause. People watched as Zuoyan Xiaoyu's tiny hands lightly grabbed the lanky youth's spirit fruit.

Everyone fell silent. No personal disciple stood forward. The stewards let the matter play out as it did not affect them.

The lanky youth's expression reached an unprecedented ugliness. He wanted to strike the handmaid in front of him to death but it would not restore his reputation. He knew very well that if he truly did so, he was giving Yi Yun a reason to ruthlessly beat him up. In the end, the conflict would reach Myriad God Platform and things would only get worse.

And if he acted first, killing the maidservant in front of him, Yi Yun would not even suffer any punishments from the sect rules.

In the end, all the lanky youth could do was watch helplessly as Zuoyan Xiaoyu took away his food!

"He tolerated it… He actually tolerated it…"

"What do you know? The accomplished are always tolerance extraordinaires."

Some people laughed with derision. Among the many personal disciples present, there were many that did not see eye to eye with the lanky youth. Some could not help but crack wise. And hearing their jeers only made the lanky youth feel like dying.

He had never been so embarrassed in his life!

True Martial World - Chapter 1243: Humans Shouldn't Eat Pigswill

"Young Master… I…"

Zuoyan Xiaoyu looked at Yi Yun with watery eyes filled with grievance. This was the first day she was serving Yi Yun but she had already made a mistake. Furthermore, it was on such an occasion.

"It's fine."

Yi Yun stood up and helped Zuoyan Xiaoyu up. He looked at a girl dressed in maidservant garb nearby. He knew very well that the maidservant had tripped Zuoyan Xiaoyu. It appeared unintentional but the trip managed to make Zuoyan Xiaoyu lose her balance. Following that, someone had changed the spatial dimension laws, causing Zuoyan Xiaoyu to fall to the ground.

Upon noticing Yi Yun's gaze, the maidservant felt a little apprehensive. However, one look at her master emboldened her. She explained, "It wasn't intentional. She was walking over and happened to slam into my foot."

Yi Yun's gaze fluttered to a lanky youth behind the maidservant.

He was holding a cup of wine with eyes narrowed. He appeared listless but Yi Yun knew that he was the one who used laws to prevent Zuoyan Xiaoyu from maintaining her balance.

Yi Yun looked at a few stewards in the room. All of them remained composed, as though they had not noticed everything that had just happened.

Yi Yun sneered inwardly. There were many people that let things happen if they were not personally affected. When it came to these slippery people, personal disciples were not to be offended. The best action to take was to feign ignorance.

Upon sensing Yi Yun's gaze, the lanky youth met it, his slit-like eyes filled with derision.

"Do you have a grudge against me?"

Yi Yun asked as the lanky youth sneered. He did not answer, as though it was beneath him to even speak to Yi Yun.

At that moment, a laughter came from outside. "Hahaha, is that Junior Brother Yi? How is it? Are you accustomed to living in the Myriad God Ridge?"

Yi Yun turned around and saw four personal disciples appear at the entrance one after another. They were the ones who previously oversaw the entrance test.

And the person who spoke was the youth with thick brows, Song Bowen.

"We finally rushed here for the banquet after administering the test until sundown. It sure wasn't easy on us." Song Bowen stretched his arms as though he was exhausted.

Behind him, Ji and Junior Sister Jing did not speak. They only glanced at Yi Yun. They had all seen the conflict that had just happened.

The quartet took their seats as Ji sat with the last disciple out of the four. As for Junior Sister Jing, she sat beside a girl. The remaining Song Bowen sat beside the listless lanky youth.

With Song Bowen taking his seat, the lanky youth's maidservant automatically helped Song Bowen to a plate of food.

Yi Yun realized the situation with the scene unfolding. Song Bowen and the lanky youth clearly had a great relationship. They had probably discussed this beforehand.

"Junior Brother Yi, it seems you have attracted the misfortune of staying in Sunken Moon Tower."

Beside Yi Yun, Zhou Bingfeng chuckled through a voice transmission while hugging a charming beauty.

"Why do you say so?" Yi Yun asked indifferently. He seemed particularly unfazed, as though the food that spilled had nothing to do with him.

"Junior Brother Yi, you might not be aware that even the residences of the personal disciples are stratified. Sunken Moon Tower is one of the better places to be. By being the sect master's disciple that stays in Sunken Moon Tower, it is only natural to be targeted."

Oh?

Yi Yun did not know that Sunken Moon Tower was in such demand. In that case, his treatment was to be expected. In these people's minds, he had stirred the Ascending Dragon Cauldron due to his 'wisdom root.’ He was only lucky to become a personal disciple, he didn’t earn it by his own merit. As such, how could they be convinced of his tenure?

Adding in the conflicts he had with Song Bowen during the test, and it was easy to explain everything that was happening.

And at that moment, Song Bowen feigned surprise as he looked at the food that had splattered on the ground. "Eh? What's going on?"

The lanky youth beside him lifted his eyelids and languidly said, "Nothing much. Some maidservant was clumsy and spilled food all over."

"What sort of maidservant is she? Cutting off her limbs would not be enough to compensate such expensive food! This kind of servant that's as stupid as a pig should be sent away immediately, or at least she would if I had any say. She can't even deliver a meal properly, so why even bother practicing martial arts? What a joke!" Song Bowen said sarcastically.

As a young lady, how could Zuoyan Xiaoyu react to such nasty derision? She froze with a flushed face as tears began streaming down her cheeks. She wasn't able to say a word.

"Xiaoyu, come back," Yi Yun said.

He knew that Song Bowen's words were truly directed at him, a strike at him by reviling others.

"Young Master, I… I…"

As Zuoyan Xiaoyu sobbed, she felt aggrieved but, before she could say a word, Yi Yun had sat her down.

"Just have a seat," Yi Yun said. Although he had only been acquainted with Zuoyan Xiaoyu for less than a day, Yi Yun knew that it was not easy for a girl with a humble background like her to work diligently at climbing up the martial path. Yi Yun could not just sit idly by as she was being bullied, reprimanded, and insulted because of him."

"Oh? So it's Junior Brother Yi's maidservant that spilled the food. Look at me shooting off my mouth. I should have held back. I'm sorry! However, the food in these seventeen vessels was cooked by Martial Aunt Lanqin. The seventeen dishes are a set, and the effects are greatly reduced if any dish is missed out on! Why don't you get that clumsy maidservant of yours to pick the food up off the floor? The ground is swept perfectly clean here so the food isn't dirty. Besides, so what if it's a little dirty, right!?"

The personal disciples sitting near Song Bowen burst out into a rapturous roar of laughter when they heard his words. They had good relationships with him so they naturally backed him.

"Junior Brother Song, how can you say that. If you pick up food that's spilled, wouldn't that make it pigswill? How can Junior Brother Yi eat pigswill?"

"That's right. Junior Brother Song, you need to mind your language."

"All of you are right." Against the crowd's mockery, Yi Yun was not angered at all. Instead, he nodded calmly. "It's true that humans shouldn't eat pigswill."

When Yi Yun said those words without rhyme or reason, it left people somewhat baffled. At that moment, Yi Yun suddenly waved his hand as a dazzling black beam suddenly burst out from his palm!

"Whew!"

The black beam was as fast as lightning and, instantly, it reached Song Bowen!

Song Bowen was alarmed. He never expected Yi Yun to suddenly take action. An attack at such a blazing speed left him no time to react!

He retreated hastily but at that moment, the ice-cold killing intent from the black beam seemed to shatter the surrounding space, causing it to collapse down on him like a massive mountain!

"Ha!"

Song Bowen bellowed angrily as he forcefully pushed out his palms, forming a wall of light.

At the same time, the lanky youth next to Song Bowen took action as well. Song Bowen was his junior brother, so how could he sit idle?

In a split second, he produced a curved blade from his interspatial ring and slashed down!

Boom!

With an explosion, the black beam had slammed into Song Bowen's light barrier. A black flame burst forth as the light barrier was burned through!

The inferno did not abate as its flames coursed along Song Bowen's Yuan Qi and reached his arms!

What sort of fire was this!?

Song Bowen's expression was ashen. He had never encountered such a flame before. After all, it was impossible for him to recognize the Heretical God Fire Seed.

The flames burned and consumed everything. Song Bowen felt the surrounding Yuan Qi twisters howling and pressure coming from the rupturing space. It made his dantian feel like it would explode. His heart could hardly beat. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Peng!"

The contorting flames struck Song Bowen heavily in the chest and engulfed his flesh and burning his meridians!

Song Bowen grunted as he spat out a mouthful of blood before hurtling backward!

And at that moment, the lanky youth's curved blade came cleaving down a little too late. Song Bowen had already succumbed to heavy injuries as he flew backward. So when his blade slashed into an empty void, it left an extremely ugly expression on the lanky youth's face.

Were there spatial dimension laws?

The lanky youth was appalled. He believed that he could save Song Bowen in time but when he struck out, the flow of time seemed to dramatically slow. Besides, he never expected that an instant, Song Bowen would be injured in such a manner!

And at that moment, Song Bowen, still flying backwards, came to a sudden halt in midair when Yi Yun tapped his finger.

Following that, Yi Yun casually waved his hand and placed it back on the table. Just this action alone caused Song Bowen to be forcefully pulled back!

As if an invisible rope connected Yi Yun's palm to Song Bowen's head, Song Bowen crashed heavily in the middle of the hall when Yi Yun placed his palm down.

"Peng!"

Song Bowen fell head first and his nose smashed into the ground. Oddly enough, he fell right onto the pile of food that had splattered to the ground. His face and mouth were completely filled with food. His chest and everything under was burnt to a crisp and he looked as pathetic as could be.

At that moment, Yi Yun said slowly, "I was commending you on your logic a moment ago. Humans shouldn't eat pigswill. So why did you gorge on it without any regard? And from the looks of it, you seem to enjoy it?"

When Yi Yun said those words, silence befell the hall! From the start, Yi Yun’s intention was to beat Song Bowen soundly and throw him onto the pile of food.

From beginning to the end, Song Bowen was like a tiny chick that was helpless against him.

This was an unexpected outcome. Although Song Bowen had yet to be promoted to personal disciple, his strength was not to be doubted. Otherwise, he would not have been thought highly of by Elder Taiqing. Yet he was completely incomparable with Yi Yun.

Yi Yun had just entered the Myriad God Ridge and his entry was only because he had stirred the Ascending Dragon Cauldron. How was he so strong despite not being a proper personal disciple?

Sitting beside Yi Yun, Zhou Bingfeng could not help but clap his hands. "Impressive! Impressive! I thought Junior Brother Yi would suffer today, but I never expected you to be this strong. Is your cultivation level really only at the fourth-floor Dao Palace?"

True Martial World - Chapter 1242: Meal

Zuoyan Xiaoyu had only entered the Myriad God Ridge a few days earlier than Yi Yun, but in that few days, she became quite well-versed in the Myriad God Ridge's rules.

She was also very familiar with the layout of the personal disciple region. She led Yi Yun all the way to the mess hall for personal disciples.

The mess hall covered several kilometers and, upon entry, it looked to be a magnificent grand hall. In the middle of the hall were seventeen heavy and robust bronze artifacts. There were ones with three legs and two handles called tripods, and ones with two handles and no feet that were cauldrons.

There were a total of nine tripods and eight cauldrons that made for seventeen bronze enchanted vessels. Such a number was the highest order used in meal etiquette since ancient times.

Yi Yun could tell that the seventeen vessels were not ordinary enchanted artifacts. Due to their placement, the surrounding laws seemed to naturally form a system unto itself. From the looks of it, the seventeen bronze vessels were a complete set.

Surrounding the vessels were thirty-two tables, prepared for the personal disciples.

A table could only seat two and Yi Yun had shown up early. He sat down at a random table and Zuoyan Xiaoyu stood behind him. She studied her surroundings with an inquisitive look, for she found such a scene new and fascinating.

"Xiaoyu, you previously mentioned that this meal is only provided once a month and that it's extraordinary. In what way is it extraordinary?"

"Young Master, I heard that the monthly meal is cooked by Myriad God Ridge's Elder Lanqin. She has a rather rare job in the Calm Sea. She's a cook, but you could also call her a Herbal Board Master."

"In the Calm Sea, although there are few refinement masters, array masters, alchemists, Desolate Heaven Masters, or talisman masters, there are still many people who learn such trades. But cooks have nearly gone extinct. The people that manage to master cooking are few and far between. Elder Lanqin's attainment in cooking is at the crest of perfection. If she used mortal ingredients, such as ordinary rice, vegetables or meat, it would still be superior-grade tonic food. Not only would it taste excellent, it would also be extremely beneficial to one's body after consumption."

"If the meal is cooked using supreme-grade ingredients, the effects are even more obvious. Elder Lanqin will be able to refine away the impurities contained within the ingredients during the cooking process. It results in no harm to the body no matter how much is eaten. This is something pills cannot compare with."

As the saying goes, every medicine has its toxicity. It was inevitable for even superior-grade pills to contain a little pill toxicity. If one ate too many, the toxins would accumulate and time would be needed to purge them.

A well-cooked meal, however, would never result in such a situation. This was also the forte of a cook. However, as the effects from tonic food were less potent than pills, the number of people that studied the cooking of tonic food was even smaller.

"Young Master, take a look. The seventeen vessels placed in the middle of the hall are the enchanted artifacts that Elder Lanqin uses to cook. They are a set, and at this very moment, all the food is in them. In a while, I'll get some for you. There will be a total of seventeen dishes—nine meat and eight vegetarian."

Just as Zuoyan Xiaoyu was explaining the situation, people began streaming into the grand hall one after another. These people were also personal disciples and most of them had servants accompanying them. Some even had more than one servant. Yi Yun even saw a young man who was not dressed in personal disciple garb. Instead, he was wearing an embroidered robe commonly worn by rich scions. He was tended to by four women and all of them were gorgeous. Two of them were tugging onto the man from each side, allowing him to wander his hands over them. Yi Yun was a little surprised by this.

After all, this was in public. Such public displays of affection were rather preposterous.

Coincidentally, this man happened to pick the table where Yi Yun was sitting.

The man took a glance at Yi Yun and said with a laugh, "You must be the Yi Yun that stirred the cauldron!"

The man recognized all the personal disciples of Myriad God Ridge so, with the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar face, he immediately guessed at Yi Yun's identity.

"That is me." Yi Yun nodded.

After the man sat down, the table was filled with the pleasant chatter of women. This rendered Yi Yun somewhat speechless. Those who didn't know might even think he was here to fool around.

The youth obviously noticed Yi Yun's gaze as he said with a laugh. "I'm Zhou Bingfeng, and I have quite a number of maidservants and concubines. I applied for permission from the sect to have four. The other eight were brought from my family clan. The Myriad God Ridge's rules allow personal disciples to bring in eight, and not one more."

Yi Yun was rendered even more speechless by Zhou Bingfeng's explanation. So he had only brought a third of them. Eight of them were left at his residence. He sure had good fortune in love.

"Junior Brother Yi, as a personal disciple in Myriad God Ridge, there's no need to be overly restrained. It's not a problem if you’re a little ostentatious, as long as you have sufficient strength."

Zhou Bingfeng, whose personality screamed casanova, beckoned for two of the beauties to sit down. They sat on each side of him and joined him in drinking.

Yi Yun said to Zuoyan Xiaoyu, "You should sit down too."

Zuoyan Xiaoyu's face blushed as she said hurriedly, "Young Master, there's no need. I'll get you some food now."

At that moment, the lids of the seventeen vessels had been removed. A rich aroma of spirit food surged outwards, whetting one's appetite.

The fragrance that overwhelmed Yi Yun was something he had never experienced before. He could not help but be curious about Elder Lanqin's capabilities.

The people in charge of presiding over the banquet were a few old men. They were not Elders, only stewards.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu walked to the first tripod and anxiously received the food from the old man tending to it. It was a spirit fruit the size of a bowl. The flesh of the fruit had been removed and the fragrant food was placed in its core. Zuoyan Xiaoyu carefully held it in her bosom and felt the heat coming from it. She felt sensations going through her heart for, although she was not permitted to eat any of the food, it still excited her greatly.

She glanced at Yi Yun and brought Yi Yun the spirit food like she was handing over a treasure.

But at that moment, Zuoyan Xiaoyu suddenly felt like she was being tripped as she lost her balance.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu let out a shocked cry. Although her cultivation level wasn't high, she was skilled enough to adjust her balance in midair. But this time, just as she was about to fall, she felt the surrounding laws undergo a change. Maintaining her balance became impossible.

"Peng!"

Zuoyan Xiaoyu fell straight onto the ground. The spirit fruit in her arms dropped to the ground as the food that was once inside it spilled all over.

Zuoyan Xiaoyu sat on the ground in a daze. She looked at the food that was splattered onto the ground as tears began to brim in her eyes. She naturally knew the value of the food she was carrying. Perhaps, all the cultivation resources she had ever used throughout her life was not even as expensive as the spirit fruit. Yet, it was now splattered across the ground by her own hands.

Besides being an outer-sect disciple that worked as a maidservant, she was also one of the least powerful members of her family. As such, she learned to be extremely careful in the residences of personal disciples at all times, always afraid that trouble would befall her randomly. But now, she was in big trouble.