Long Breath

One day.

A cauldron, taller than a person, was set up on the Lian Clan's threshing ground, filled with Li Fire Water.

This Li Fire Water was also bought from a larger clan. Li Fire Water itself contained the power of flames, and its temperature could reach four to five hundred degrees Celsius without boiling, making it specifically used for simmering Savage Bones.

The firewood piled beneath the cauldron was also unusual; it was Purple Fire Wood, its exterior looking twisted and gnarled, like shriveled old snakes.

Though it looked unremarkable, Purple Fire Wood was quite precious. It also contained flame power. Burning half a foot of Purple Fire Wood could sustain a fire for an entire day, enough to boil several large pots of water.

The Lian Clan had actually been preparing for this day for a long time. However, even so, they couldn't afford to use much Purple Fire Wood, only one piece per day.

And so, the fire was lit.

The Purple Fire Wood spewed out deep purple flames. It burned quietly, yet the temperature of the flames was extremely high, capable of melting rock!

Under the scorching of the purple fire, the cauldron of Li Fire Water quickly became boiling hot!

Overseeing the simmering of the Savage Bones was the Lian Clan's Tribe Leader, Lian Chengyu's great-grandfather. This matter was of great importance, and the old Tribe Leader decided to personally oversee it.

"Add the Savage Bones!"

Seeing that the water temperature was almost right, the old Tribe Leader gave the order.

Several sturdy villagers carried the large wooden chest and brought the Savage Bones forward, tossing them into the cauldron!

The old Tribe Leader watched the churning bubbles in the cauldron, his expression somewhat solemn.

Normally, simmering Savage Bones was not a task that mortals like them could accomplish.

In this world, there were specific people who refined Savage Bones; they were revered as Savage Heaven Masters!

Savage Heaven Masters held incredibly esteemed positions!

Their ability was to purify the essence within Savage Bones and refine it into a crystal that fascinated, even drove to madness, many Martial Practitioners—the Savage Bone Relic.

The bones of ordinary Savage Beasts weighed thousands of pounds. Although it was known that Savage Bones contained astonishing energy, it was impossible for humans to consume thousands of pounds of bone. Even if they forced themselves to eat it, it would be difficult to digest!

How could the power within Savage Bones be easily absorbed? After eating a piece of Savage Bone, one might absorb less than a tenth of its power in the end.

However, Savage Bone Relics, refined by Savage Heaven Masters, were only the size of a dragon's eye, or even a soybean. If one had enough wealth, it wouldn't be a problem to consume seven or eight a day.

Furthermore, the refined energy essence was very easy to absorb. As long as a Martial Practitioner's realm was sufficient and they didn't risk exploding from the energy overload, they could eventually refine the Savage Bone Relic completely.

A Savage Heaven Master capable of refining the bones of high-level Savage Beasts was definitely someone all major powers would vie to recruit!

It was said that the Imperial Advisor of the Tai'a Divine Kingdom was a Savage Heaven Master, and the status and glory he possessed were beyond the imagination of mortals.

In this world, Savage Beasts also had many levels. Some Savage Beasts could overturn seas and rivers, tear apart mountains and rivers. The Savage Bones of these beasts were even more difficult to refine; ordinary people wouldn't even dare to think about it!

Legend had it that a Savage Heaven Master, whose cultivation realm was already unimaginable, once set up a peerless grand formation to refine the bones of an ancient Savage Beast, the Purple Gold Qilin. It took him a full twelve years!

Twelve years to refine a set of Savage Bones, and the person who undertook this task had a mysterious identity. Such legends naturally inspired admiration.

It was said that the refining process turned a thousand-mile radius of the Great Wilderness into a desert. In the end, even the Savage Heaven Master paid a certain price before he could refine the Savage Bone Relic.

As for what he used the refined Purple Gold Qilin Relic for, there were many theories. Some said it was to save someone.

As for who that person was, over a dozen versions of the story had been fabricated, each told with great conviction: the Savage Heaven Master's daughter, his lover, his beloved disciple, and so on.

Such legends precisely proved the esteemed status of Savage Heaven Masters in people's hearts, which was why they embellished their stories and passed them down through word of mouth.

This was understandable. For the people surviving in the Great Wilderness, their living conditions were incredibly harsh. They worshipped the strong, worshipped legendary figures. Even if they knew they could never become such people, hearing their legends could still excite them.

As for the Lian Clan, a tribe as small as an ant, they naturally couldn't afford a Savage Heaven Master. Even the lowest-tier Savage Heaven Master was an existence they could hardly look up to.

Therefore, they could only use primitive methods to refine Savage Bones.

Fortunately, the grade of Savage Bones they were refining was also low. With their crude methods, they could barely extract fifty to sixty percent of the essence from the Savage Bones.

For Lian Chengyu, this was enough.

Regardless of day or night, the Lian Clan's simmering of Savage Bones never stopped.

Especially at night, from any unobstructed vantage point in the village, one could see the dazzling deep purple glow – the light of the burning Purple Fire Wood.

While the Lian Clan was refining Savage Bones day and night, Yi Yun was also cultivating relentlessly.

The back mountain of the Lian Clan was usually deserted, making it the best place for Yi Yun to cultivate.

As of today, Yi Yun had been practicing the "Dragon Marrow Tiger Bones Fist" for five days.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Yi Yun threw out punch after punch. With each punch, a sound like a taut bowstring vibrating echoed within his body, like the pulse of life.

Tree after tree was broken by Yi Yun's punches. His blood circulation accelerated, and he breathed in deeply, the veins on his arms and fists slightly bulging.

"Hah!"

Yi Yun let out a loud shout and punched a rock in front of him.

"Crack!"

The large stone shattered, and the snapping of Yi Yun's tendons reached its peak at this moment!

"Rustle, rustle, rustle!"

A flock of early-rising birds in the forest was startled and flew up into the sky.

Because they flew in a hurry, some leaves were knocked down by the birds, scattering and falling onto Yi Yun's face.

At this moment, Yi Yun felt an exhilarating sensation, as if all the power within him had merged and flowed freely in an instant, an indescribable comfort!

The eighteen stances of the Dragon Marrow Tiger Bones Fist – although he hadn't reached the level of startling falling geese, being able to startle the birds in the forest, making them think a hunter had arrived, was already significant progress.

One had to know that Yi Yun's current strength was still insufficient, only a mere five to six hundred jin. If Yi Yun could one day achieve the strength of several cauldrons, or even ten thousand jin, then truly startling a lone wild goose in the sky wouldn't be impossible!

Even with only five to six hundred jin of strength, when Yi Yun used Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain, the power of his attack was actually far greater than five to six hundred jin!

Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain used the tendons as a bowstring, with the key lying in the accumulation of power. With this punch, through the technique of force generation, it could unleash over a thousand eight hundred jin of power, enough to shatter a tiger's skull.

Yi Yun closed his eyes in satisfaction, savoring the power he had just gained. This feeling of power merging and flowing freely made him very comfortable.

Unknowingly, Yi Yun's breathing became long and steady, and the speed of blood flow throughout his body also changed.

Hmm, this is...

Yi Yun looked at his hands and found that the slightly bulging veins on his arms had disappeared. His breathing grew calmer, and his heartbeat slowed considerably.

Yi Yun suddenly realized something. He lightly tapped the ground with his feet, took a deep breath, and exhaled forward.

"Whoosh!"

A stream of white air shot forward like an arrow, traveling five to six meters. The leaves that had just fallen due to the birds were actually pierced by this exhalation, spinning as they flew away.

"Long Breath Realm! I've finally entered the second level of Mortal Blood, the Long Breath Realm!"

Long Breath warriors had prolonged breaths and slow, powerful heartbeats. The biggest difference between them and ordinary valiant warriors was that Long Breath warriors possessed incredible endurance, allowing them to fight for extended periods and undertake long marches.

For example, an army composed entirely of Long Breath warriors could march hundreds of miles a day on the battlefield and carry out surprise attacks over a thousand miles.

Yi Yun's breakthrough to the Long Breath Realm could be considered a natural progression. When his body was refined to this extent, he broke through automatically.

It's only been five days since I truly started practicing martial arts in this world, and I've broken through to the second level of Mortal Blood in five days. And this Mortal Blood Realm is just the foundational stage for martial arts. I wonder what the future realms hold, and what level those experts in the Tai'a Divine Kingdom are at?

Yi Yun had the purple card, so the energy required for cultivation was not an issue. The problem lay in the cultivation techniques.

Without a cultivation technique to guide him, it was like a chef having a pile of good ingredients but not knowing how to cook – they still couldn't create a delicious meal.

"Now that I've entered the Long Breath Realm, I can also try the third stance of 'Dragon Marrow Tiger Bones Fist'."

Yi Yun muttered to himself. Seeing the sky in the east already showing the pale white of dawn, he moved with swift agility, darting down the mountain.

Along the way, Yi Yun slowed his pace as he passed the drying ground.

Under the thousand-jin great cauldron, the purple fire burned fiercely. A high wooden fence had been erected within a twenty-meter radius, preventing unauthorized personnel from approaching.

Due to the obstruction of the fence, Yi Yun couldn't see clearly what was happening inside, but he could feel the heat of the flames beneath the great cauldron from afar.

Yet, for some reason, amidst this wave of heat, Yi Yun vaguely sensed a chill.

Although this chill was not very noticeable, it pierced to the bone...

(The morning update time will be changed to ten o'clock from now on. The eight o'clock update is too challenging; if I sleep late, I can't wake up +_+)