The next morning, Yi Yun woke up early to pick herbs.
Passing by the training grounds, Yi Yun saw that the members of the warrior preparation camp had gathered on the grounds. There was a huge pot centered amongst them. In it cooked something that smelled delicious!
It was the smell of meat!
Yi Yun recognized the smell immediately as he had been hungry for days.
After the marrow cleansing, Yi Yun realized that his appetite was tremendous. All the coarse rice porridge was cleanly digested the moment it entered his stomach.
Yi Yun understood that as his body got better, its appetite for energy would also grow larger.
Being a person in the early beginnings of martial training, he didn't have the ability to absorb "Heaven Earth Yuan Qi". He could only rely on food as his source of energy.
However, the pathetic amounts of rice porridge he ate daily was utterly inadequate to replenish his energy!
Without food, how could he grow stronger?
All the elites in the tribe ate desolate beast meat daily. It gave them large amounts of high quality energy and it was worlds apart from the whole grain porridge he ate!
Yi Yun knew that if he starved himself for prolonged periods, it would cause adverse harm to his body. He was still in his growing years and he only had a tremendous improvement in his body due to having been rejuvenated through the marrow cleansing.
Just like when a bamboo reaches the jointing stage, if too little water is provided, it would lead to the inability of harvesting it. It would cause tremendous trouble!
In fact, Yi Yun's current capabilities could easily allow him admission into the warrior preparation camp, where he could enjoy better treatment. However, if he wanted to obtain everything as a young fledging, the secret of the Purple Crystal might be revealed. His rejuvenation overnight could never be explained.
Besides, Yi Yun was not amiable with the warrior preparation camp, or Lian Chengyu, so he had no plans to enter the warrior preparation camp.
"It must be wild beast meat. They obtained it by hunting." Jiang Xiaorou said jealously.
Based on this world's customs, a normal person ate two meals a day. They wouldn't eat breakfast upon waking up at 5am, but would instead eat at 9am.
Only the warriors and the warrior trainees could have three meals a day. They could eat the moment they woke up as they needed the energy for training.
Because the members of the warrior preparation camp needed to train, they didn't need to participate in the manufacturing process. They would occasionally go hunting.
Due to the dangers of the wilderness, these warrior trainees obtained very little from their hunts. With the small amounts obtained, the food was eaten by themselves and none would be given the people. The reason being that they needed to eat meat for training and to grow strength. For the poor plebeians, all they did was handiwork, which didn't exhaust much energy, so grain would suffice for them.
When Yi Yun and Jiang Xiaorou passed by, the men from the warrior preparation camp saw them. Zhao Tiezhu whistled as he took a piece of meat, with the bone attached, and munched on it in front of Yi Yun and Jiang Xiaorou.
"This roe deer meat is so fragrant, hahaha!" Zhao Tiezhu laughed with a triumphant expression.
The meat was flame roasted with salt and spices, the juices oozed out with a fragrance!
Zhao Tiezhu ate messily while licking his lips and fingers, as if he was about to swallow his own tongue.
Besides doing that, he sporadically took out a goat hide container and sparingly drank from it.
It was alcohol!
In the Lian tribe, alcohol was an absolute luxury. With food being scarce, how was it possible to get grains to make alcohol?
The members of the warrior preparation camp could obtain a lot more rations, allowing them to use a small portion of their rations to make alcohol. They used the alcohol to warm their bodies during the winter mornings.
Even the remnants from the brewing were not wasted as they would distribute them to the poor. Although the remnants would have turned sour, it was still better than starving to death, so the remnants were never wasted.
As such, the tribal elders had never objected to the warrior preparation camp's secret brewing.
"Hahaha, drinking alcohol and eating meat are great joys in life."
Zhao Tiezhu laughed loudly without a care in life.
It was only during such times that Zhao Tiezhu enjoyed the joys of life and the benefits of being a member of the warrior preparation camp bestowed upon him.
"These two beggars are really pitiful. Let's give them some of the leftover broth later."
The doe deer was roasted, so there was no broth. Jiang Xiaorou knew Zhao Tiezhu was deliberately teasing them. With a grunt, she grabbed Yi Yun's hand, ready to leave. However, at that moment, her stomach betrayed her by growling.
Because Zhao Tiezhu was further away, he did not hear it, but Yi Yun heard it clearly. Jiang Xiaorou blushed red from embarrassment.
Yi Yun watched by the sidelines, amused at her cuteness. To Jiang Xiaorou, having her stomach growl was beneath her status as an elder sister.
"Sis Xiaorou, in the future I will get you all sorts of delicacies, letting you eat the most delicious foods in the world!" Yi Yun said seriously while looking into Jiang Xiaorou's eyes.
Jiang Xiaorou was shocked to hear her brother say such words. She brushed it off as child speak, but was happy that Yi Yun was so thoughtful of her.
She tenderly touched Yi Yun on the head and, with a baby voice, said to him, "Sis is waiting!"
Being teased and touched on the head by a young girl, Yi Yun was speechless. Though, what could he do when he was shorter than her? "Sis Xiaorou, do you know about the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom?
Based on what Lian Chengyu had said, there would be a Tai Ah Divine Kingdom warrior selection in three months. Once chosen, the person will undergo a drastic change in status. That was why Lian Chengyu was so desperate to cultivate himself, and why he wanted to obtain a piece of desolate bone at any cost.
"Tai Ah Divine Kingdom…" Xiaorou's expression wandered into her memories. "The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom is an ancient human kingdom. It has jurisdiction over 108 states and 24 wildlands!"
"Our present location is amongst the 24 wildlands, named Cloud Wilderness."
"The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom is very powerful and it has many experts in the capital. The kingdom's warriors mostly come from the 108 states. It's not that the wild lands' warriors are weak, but because of the low population in the 24 wildlands it requires a lot of logistics and manpower to organize a warrior selection, so the assessment costs are high."
For the warrior selection process, the preliminaries will be done by people from the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom to select people from the tribes, or those young warriors would be going to their deaths by crossing the wilderness.
"However, this time, the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's choice of doing the warrior selection in the Cloud Wilderness is extremely odd. Regardless, it is a great opportunity for the numerous small tribes in the Cloud Wilderness. Lian Chengyu has eyed this opportunity and wants to soar to the top in one go, escaping this poor small village."
Jiang Xiaorou slowly explained to a surprised Yi Yun, "Sis, how do you know so much?"
Jiang Xiaorou's voice may still sound juvenile, but her insight and verbal ability was nothing like a child's.
"I heard all of this from my birth mother. I also read quite a lot about strange phenomena when I was young, so I know quite a bit. Yun'er, it looks like you do not remember a lot of things. I taught you how to read too."
"Oh…" Yi Yun rubbed his head and smiled sheepishly. Indeed, how could a kid from a poor family read?
It was all thanks to Jiang Xiaorou that he could read.
To be able to read since she was young, Jiang Xiaorou must have been born with a silver spoon.
"Sis Xiaorou, Lian Chengyu said that if he were to become a kingdom warrior of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, he would bring the entire tribe into the city, is that true?"
"Extremely difficult…" Jiang Xiaorou shook her head. "The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's warrior selection has many rounds. There are things like the preliminaries and semi-finals. Many are eliminated each round. Those with exceptional results are bestowed with the title 'Kingdom Knight. That is an extremely prestigious title. The best amongst the Kingdom Knight will be able to enter the kingdom's capital and enjoy the kingdom's resources as well as learn the "Tai Ah Sacred Technique!"
"To bring the entire tribe into the city, not only does one have to pass the semi-finals, one has to have good results. Lian Chengyu might not reach that standard yet. Even if he were to reach that standard in the future, from his personality, it is unlikely that he will care about us."
"Yun'er, why do you ask? You cannot be hoping that Lian Chengyu will become a kingdom warrior and lead us to a good life, right?"
"I was just asking." Yi Yun said while touching his nose. He would be better off wishing that pigs could fly rather than count on Lian Chengyu."
If that guy was to come out of isolation and see him alive, he might kill Yi Yun at the first opportunity!
Yi Yun was banking on the fact that he would already have obtained the ability to protect himself by then. The identity of the destroyer was still up in the air!
"It seems like I could participate in the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's warrior selection. That is definitely a quick way to ensure that the both of us can lead a good life!"
"For the 'Tai Ah Sacred Technique', it has to be some kind of cultivation manual. To practice martial arts in this world, manuals are a must. The Purple Crystal may be magical, but it can only rejuvenate myself. If I do not enter the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, where would I get a cultivation manual from?" Yi Yun made the decision while mumbling to himself.
He couldn't leave the Lian tribe just yet, for even though his strength had increased it was still foolhardy to cross the wilderness. He had to enhance himself while in the Lian tribe and pass the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's warrior selection. That was the best choice he had under his circumstances!
Although the Lian tribe was located in the wilderness where living conditions were tough, the tribe owned a herb producing area, and that was the Lian Clan Herb Mountain!
The Lian Clan Herb Mountain was an area with a higher density of Yuan Qi, which was conducive for the growing of herbs. It could barely be considered a shrine.
Although said to be a shrine, it was only regarded as one by the poor Lian tribal clan. In the eyes of a large tribe, the Lian Clan Herb Mountain would be nothing. After all, in the vast wilderness, there were plenty of places with dense Yuan Qi.
A typical large tribe would choose to settle down next to rich wonderlands. Only such places were rich in production and beneficial for the cultivation of warriors.
The most important factor was that the strong desolate and wild beasts avoided these "shrines" for some unknown reason. This was most important as it ensured the safety of the tribes.
Of course there would be the rare occurrence of an injured or provoked desolate beast that would charge through and destroy a small tribe.
Everything had both advantages and disadvantages. While keeping out a large number of desolate beasts, the shrine also caused the number of animals in its vicinity to dwindle. Hunting was not an easy task as the rabbits or deer in its vicinity had been hunted clean early on.
As such, only Purple Blood Warriors had the ability to go into the vast wilderness to hunt.
The shrines in the vast wilderness were a highly sought after resource. The Lian tribe's herb mountain was considered to be of an extremely low grade, if not, how was the Lian tribe able to hold onto it?
Although the herb mountain was of a low grade, to the Lian tribe it was still highly treasured for it was the reason why the tribe was formed.
Every time the villagers were sent up the mountain to pick herbs, they would have to undergo a rigorous body search to prevent anyone from secretly hoarding herbs.
Yi Yun carried the herb basket and walked alongside Jiang Xiaorou, asking about the martial world's levels.
The lowest level of martial arts was called Mortal Blood, and warriors of the Mortal Blood level were called Mortal Blood Warriors.
Mortal Blood did not have a clear boundary for its levels, it was just a general term used by the martial arts community.
Mortal Blood came from the fact that they were mortals with normal blood.
Mortal Blood Warriors were in truth just normal warriors. Although they practiced martial arts, they were not able to distinguish themselves from other mortals. They could not escape the fact that they were still mortals.
However, Mortal Blood Warriors were much stronger than normal people. They could tear a tiger apart and run as fast as horses.
The realm of Mortal Blood was split into five levels, first level – Valiant, second level – Vigor, third level – Thunderous, fourth level – Meridians, fifth level – Qi Gatherer.
The first level of Valiant was obtained through continuous weight lifting, running, piling, wrestling and nourishing one's body through ginseng, antlers, meat and various treasured food. By slowly improving their body's constitution, their strength and speed would greatly improve!
Yi Yun's current level was considered Valiant. His strength had increased to about 300 catties and his speed was twice that of Zhao Tiezhu.
Yi Yun could be considered to be much stronger than most Valiant warriors as he was only twelve years old and his physical fitness was comparable to a fit male.
Strictly speaking, Valiant could not even be considered to be the first step into martial arts.
For Mortal Blood level two, Vigor would refer to a martial artist with greatly improved fitness, with extremely long breaths. A well trained Vigor could form an air arrow with one breath. This was known as "Breathes in like a Snake, Out like an Arrow". It was visually obvious in winter, and an air arrow could shoot as far as 5 feet away while piercing through paper!
A person at the level of Vigor would have a third of the heartbeat rate of a normal person. However, every deliverance of blood had lingering effects. Such a warrior could run as fast as a horse for an hour without panting or have his heart rate increase.
Third level Thunderous referred to the body's perfection of circulation, muscle, fascia, and bones. Every part of the body could be perfectly coordinated. One could stay perfectly still and attack like a lion.
A Thunderous warrior, having perfected his body, would emit thunder-like sounds from his joints when he exerted strength, giving the level its name.
Fourth level Meridians referred to the clearing of the twelve meridians, as well as the conception and governor vessels, resulting in the perfect circulation of the meridians. Upon reaching this level, a martial artist could feel the world's Yuan Qi.
Fifth level Qi Gatherer supplemented the fourth level's Meridians. A martial artist could feel the world's Yuan Qi, and also absorb it into his body.
At the peak of Qi Gatherer, the world's Yuan Qi would transform the body, rejuvenating a person and result in him reaching a brand new state, Purple Blood.
Strictly speaking, the Purple Blood realm was the true beginning of martial arts training.
When a warrior cultivated his body to a certain stage, his body would undergo changes. The moment he breaks through into the Purple Blood realm, all of his blood will become as heavy as mercury. This blood will appear as being golden purple in the sun.
This gave the realm its name!
Warriors entering the realm of Purple Blood were very strong, and could, single-handedly, support a small tribe. Hence, a Purple Blood Warrior enjoyed an extremely high status in the wilderness.
A Purple Blood Warrior would be treated as an emperor in any small or medium tribe. Every member of the tribe would obey his instructions for he had vast control and he determined the life and death of the tribe. All the pretty women in the tribe were up to the Purple Blood Warrior's choice. All the women with the Purple Blood Warrior would also be honored, so even if she was the daughter of the Patriarch, she would gladly climb into his bed.
This was unavoidable. Which girl, leading a precarious life eating tiny amounts of porridge, would not embrace the appearance of a hero who could lead her to a better life?
In this age, people exalted the strong, especially females!
"Yun'er, I will climb up to pick the herbs. I will throw them down for you to pick up." Jiang Xiaorou said as she tried climbing up a vine. The Lian Clan Herb Mountain covered a vast area but it was an extremely dangerous mountain!
Most of the previous herbs grew on the cliffs, so they were not easy to pick.
Climbing the cliffs to pick herbs was an extremely dangerous task. It led to many deaths. Yi Yun had previously fallen to his death.
With Yi Yun revived, Jiang Xiaorou was adamant not to let Yi Yun climb the cliff again.
Yi Yun insisted on not letting Jiang Xiaorou take the risk. He said, "Sis, you pick the herbs at the bottom. Leave the top to me!"
"Yun'er, stop fooling around! You just recovered. How could you have the energy to climb…" Jiang Xiaorou said as she suddenly saw Yi Yun grab onto the vine and climb up nimbly like a monkey.
"Yun… Yun'er…" Jiang Xiaorou stared as she saw Yi Yun climbing up. He was climbing the vertical cliff as though it was flat ground. When did Yun'er become so agile?
Picking herbs off a cliff wasn't just about climbing high. It also required experience and to be familiar with the herbs and where they most likely grew.
For example, some herbs preferred the shade, while others preferred to be in the sun. Some herbs preferred it dry, while others preferred it moist.
Yi Yun had caught up on his herbal knowledge the day before, but his knowledge was still limited.
He was planning on using his agility to make up for his lack of knowledge, but he quickly learned that it wasn't required.
Just as Yi Yun reached a height of 8 meters, he saw light dots rise up from a boulder a short distance away.
The light dots remained in the air for a few seconds before they flew straight into Yi Yun's chest.
Following that, the Purple Crystal's faint coolness became more vivid, and energy flowed through his veins, making him feel extremely comfortable.
Without question, the Purple Crystal was absorbing energy.
"Could it be…"
Yi Yun easily climbed over and looked under the boulder and saw fiery red fruits the size of his fists!
Dan Fruit was a low quality Purple Blood realm herb. Looking at its color, it was likely more than twenty years old.
Yi Yun was delighted. Just as he wanted to pick it, a light dot flew out from the Dan Fruit and right into his chest!
A few seconds later, a third light dot, followed by a fourth.
The number of light dots increased. The Dan Fruit's surface had a slight sheen, so without careful examination, it would have been missed.
The Purple Crystal could absorb the essence of the Dan Fruit!
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