True Martial World

Many people began to question the rankings as they discussed in private. That included the Tao tribal clan's elders who were stunned. Among them, although the most knowledgeable ones were not surprised that Yi Yun had exceeded Tao Yunxiao, they had never expected him to exceed Tao Yunxiao by that much.     

"How could it be? I don't believe it!"     

Among the crowd, there was a person who finally exploded like a simmering volcano.     

That person was Lian Chengyu. He was the most agitated person in the crowd. "He's a Mystic rank grade five, and I'm a Yellow rank grade five. He is one entire rank higher than me, how could it be!?"     

Lian Chengyu could feel his blood start to boil. His handsome face turned a deep red. Lian Chengyu's face had distorted as if he was a red-faced demon that crawled out from hell.     

He felt distanced from the surrounding people. Their noises had drowned into the background. He clenched his fists, with his nails biting into his flesh to the point of them bleeding. But Lian Chengyu could not feel the pain.     

He had gone mad. He wanted to die.     

He had watched Yi Yun, a poor kid whose life was cheaper than grass, slowly rise up and soar into the sky, with his own eyes. Yi Yun was a villager of his Lian tribal clan, and Yi Yun could be said to be his slave.     

But now, the slave had surpassed the master!     

What made him hate Yi Yun the most was the fact that Yi Yun had stolen his desolate beast essence!     

Originally, he could have broken into the Purple Blood realm. All that glory could have been his!     

When people get overcome by anger, they would often lose all reason.     

At that moment, Lian Chengyu had lost all reason. He hated Yi Yun so much that he wanted to tear off Yi Yun's flesh with his mouth.     

"I… don't accept it!"     

Rage had given the courage needed for Lian Chengyu to challenge everything. He dared to shout out his indignation when facing Zhang Tan under such a situation. Immediately, the gazes of the people were gathered on Lian Chengyu.     

Lian Chengyu clenched his fists, with a blue vein protruding from his forehead.     

"I don't accept it…"     

Lian Chengyu repeated again as if he had experienced a tremendous amount of humiliation.     

In the crowd, there was another person with a gloomy face, he was Tao Yunxiao.     

"I don't accept it as well!" Tao Yunxiao shouted. He really could not accept it!     

He felt that he could reach the Mystic rank. Also, he didn't think that Yi Yun could qualify to be a Mystic rank grade five. How could the Dragon Vanguard make such an arbitrary conclusion? They didn't even give any specific reason!     

"I want to know what the judging criteria is!"     

Tao Yunxiao's eyes burned with rage.     

"Hmph!" Zhang Tan coldly grunted. A cold gaze infused with energy entered Tao Yunxiao and Lian Chengyu's ears, exploding within their ears!     

Both their bodies quivered as if they were struck in the chest. They nearly fell to their knees.     

"I am under no obligation to explain to you! If you can't accept it, you can withdraw from the kingdom's selection! No one is forcing you! But the moment you choose to be a Dragon Vanguard member, you have to remember that in the Dragon Vanguard, you only serve and never question! This is the first time you are questioning me, and it shall be your last!" A fearsome aura was imbued in Zhang Tan's voice. Not only were Lian Chengyu and Tao Yunxiao affected, even the elders from the Tao tribal clan felt the pressure.     

If you did not accept it, you could withdraw.     

If you stayed, you had to obey!     

The Dragon Vanguard was an army, and it was the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom's most powerful army. Its standing was exceptional!     

For such a large force, how could a lowly person question the rules they set?     

Even the son of a duke could not do that to the Dragon Vanguard, let alone the young masters from the Cloud Wilderness's tribal clans!     

As for an explanation, would a lion ever need to explain anything to a mouse?     

"Yunxiao, admit your mistake!" At that moment, Tao Yunxiao's ears rang with his father's voice. Tao Yunxiao clenched his fists, the veins on his arms squirming like a worm. Even with his father's voice, he was indignant.     

"Yunxiao, admit your mistake! Who do you think you are?" Tao Yunxiao's father's voice rang again.     

Tao Yunxiao took a deep breath. He hated his circumstances. He hated that he was unable to prove his strength.     

"I… am sorry!" Tao Yunxiao winced his face as he endured the insult, before saying those words with great difficulty.     

Zhang Tan was emotionless. With a wave of his hand, the members of the Dragon Vanguard stepped down temporarily.     

Next was the Purple Blood warriors' selection, which had nothing to do with Yi Yun and Tao Yunxiao.     

Seeing Zhang Tan leave, Tao Yunxiao stared at Yi Yun. His gleaming eyes figuratively stabbed at Yi Yun like knives.     

The relationship between Tao Yunxiao and Yi Yun was different from Lian Chengyu's. Lian Chengyu hated Yi Yun while Tao Yunxiao was not convinced. He felt that he was stronger than Yi Yun in every aspect!     

"Hehe, these 'young masters' of the Cloud Wilderness think so highly of themselves. They think that our evaluation results—that we as examiners make—have to take into account their views?" When Zhang Tan stepped down, a Dragon Vanguard elite said disdainfully. The people from the heartlands despised the Cloud Wilderness because they treated the people of the Cloud Wilderness like barbarians. And in fact, that was the truth.     

The difference between the Cloud Wilderness and the heartlands was too large a gap.     

"This kid, Yi Yun, could induce Purple Air Comes From The East. The Purple Air symbolizes the Son of Heaven. Yi Yun has the chance to become a lord in the future!" said another Dragon Vanguard elite.     

"But then, it's just a possibility. There are too many unknown factors ahead of a young lord. They might fall behind, in the middle or exhaust all of their potential, eventually falling out of sight… But some young lords grow at terrifying rates. They eventually become sages, great emperors. Anything is a possibility…" Zhang Tan said lightly. When he mentioned great emperors, the Dragon Vanguard elites around him looked at each other and swallowed a gulp of saliva. To them, a great emperor was something too distant. Even the founding emperor of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, whose accomplishments had overshadowed thousands of generations, was considered a sage.     

Zhang Tan carried on, "We do not need to bother about those young masters' doubts, but since they are unconvinced… for the last round, let's test their actual combat ability…"     

Zhang Tan said that casually. He knew that those who were indignant were not limited to Tao Yunxiao or Lian Chengyu. It included the other participants and the commoners of the Tao tribal clan. None of them could accept it.     

To the people of the Cloud Wilderness, the only way to convince them was through strength. Other things were flashy to them, but to know if it mattered, only strength was needed.     

"Oh? Test their combat ability?" A Dragon Vanguard elite's eyes lit up upon hearing it.     

"That's right. These people have differences in their age and their cultivation time. There is no uniform standard to test their strength, but… I had previously asked Yi Yun. His cultivation level is at the peak of the Qi Gatherer realm; so even if we were to test their combat ability, it will not appear unfair. Actually, I want to see how the kid's actual combat ability is." A smile formed on Zhang Tan's lips as he said that.     

What was the limit of the twelve-year-old child's combat ability? Zhang Tan was anticipating it!