Thunderous Sound

This pool of water appeared a vibrant green from the outside, its depth unknown. The last time Yi Yun explored it, he couldn't reach the bottom.

He dove about ten meters before his eardrums began to ache.

Human eardrums are the most fragile part of the body, and the first thing divers struggle with is the pressure on their eardrums, even Martial Practitioners are no exception.

Continuing to dive, the pressure on his internal organs wasn't significant yet, but his eardrums would rupture first. Yi Yun forcefully puffed out the air in his mouth, increasing the pressure within, which in turn drastically increased the pressure inside his eardrums, balancing it with the outside. His eardrums stopped hurting.

Yi Yun didn't know how deep he had gone. The light underwater was dim; only by looking up towards the surface could he see the dappled sunlight filtering down.

To make it easier to brace himself in case of danger, Yi Yun stayed close to the rock wall. The wall was covered in jagged, strange rocks that stretched downwards, growing darker until they vanished completely into the underwater darkness, feeling like a terrifying, endless abyss.

Fortunately, Yi Yun had reached the Long Breath realm, his breathing incredibly sustained. He could dive for fifteen minutes without needing to breathe.

On Earth, the record for holding one's breath while diving was thirteen minutes. Of course, those individuals had undergone professional training. If Yi Yun trained himself, his time would be even longer.

The pressure increased, and Yi Yun felt his lungs being compressed. His chest cavity was filled with body fluid.

His ribs, which supported his chest cavity, bore an immense weight. It felt like a giant bear was stepping on his chest, and Yi Yun could even hear his ribs creaking.

If he hadn't already completed Bone Refining, Yi Yun's ribs would likely have broken by now.

His abdominal cavity had completely contracted, and the immense pressure was transmitted into Yi Yun's body, compressing his bodily fluids and internal organs.

Slowly, Yi Yun felt he had reached his limit.

Deep diving is an extremely dangerous sport. If one loses consciousness due to the pressure during a deep dive, death is certain, with the body slowly sinking to the bottom and being completely crushed.

On Earth, deep diving enthusiasts must undertake extensive preparations, including safety equipment like ropes and balloons.

Yi Yun, naturally, had none of these; he could only rely on his own judgment.

"Plop! Plop!"

It was extremely quiet underwater. Yi Yun could hear his own heartbeat and even the sound of his blood flowing.

The sunlight in the mountains was not bright to begin with, and combined with the depth, Yi Yun's surroundings had become pitch black. In this quiet, dark environment of immense pressure, the only thing Yi Yun could clearly perceive was the Origin Purple Crystal in his chest. A faint coolness emanated from it, spreading throughout his body with his blood.

This coolness was like the Fountain of Life from myths and legends. Although extremely weak, it preserved Yi Yun's vitality, allowing him to maintain basic consciousness under such extreme conditions.

The feeling was akin to being back on Earth, trapped in a cave after a mountain collapse. The same quiet, darkness, the same body nearing its limit, and the same presence of the Purple Crystal.

Yi Yun even felt as if the Purple Crystal was the last sanctuary for his life. When his internal organs began to sustain damage under the immense water pressure, the Purple Crystal was slowly repairing them, allowing his organs to recover at the fastest possible rate while also enduring the greatest water pressure.

Yi Yun didn't know how long he had been underwater. He consistently circulated energy within his body according to the "Dragon Marrow Tiger Bones Fist." When Yi Yun felt he had used more than half of his energy, he began to swim upwards.

Deep divers have limited physical strength and air left in their lungs. Swimming upwards requires a significant amount of effort. Most deep divers on Earth rely on balloons to ascend, but Yi Yun had to do it himself.

This was undoubtedly another major test for Yi Yun's heart and lungs.

Under such immense pressure, his breathing and heartbeat had to withstand a hundredfold force.

Yi Yun held his breath, relying on sheer willpower and the vitality provided by the Purple Crystal, inch by inch, he swam to the surface!

"Plop!"

Yi Yun's head broke the surface, and he gasped for air. His face was pale, his lips devoid of color, and his pupils unfocused.

He had been submerged for over twenty minutes, diving to a depth of over a hundred meters, and without any auxiliary equipment besides a large rock for support. Yi Yun hadn't expected to achieve such a level on his first attempt at practicing "Dragon Dances the Vast Ocean."

Yi Yun swam out of the water, his hair dripping wet. After breathing deeply for a long time, he vaguely felt that his body was different.

The desolate energy he had absorbed from the Savage Bones was completely digested. Before coming to this pool, Yi Yun's body felt uncomfortably full, but after this session of cultivation, he felt an intense hunger, as if he hadn't eaten for three or four days.

This was the effect of the "Dragon Marrow Tiger Bones Fist"!

The "Dragon Marrow Tiger Bones Fist," combined with the desolate energy contained within the Savage Bones, allowed Yi Yun's strength to advance by leaps and bounds!

"It feels... so exhilarating!"

Yi Yun couldn't help but let out a long roar.

"Crack crack crack!"

With this roar, Yi Yun's joints emitted a series of crackling sounds. Though not very loud, they were extremely crisp, like the sound of popping roasted soybeans.

"Thunderous Sound Realm, this is the third layer of Mortal Blood, Thunderous Sound!"

Yi Yun was overjoyed. The five layers of Mortal Blood cultivation proceeded smoothly, without bottlenecks. As long as one cultivated diligently and had sufficient energy supply, anyone could achieve the five layers of Mortal Blood.

However, while everyone could achieve the five layers of Mortal Blood, their cultivation speeds varied drastically.

Those with good talent not only cultivated faster but also had a solid foundation, far surpassing ordinary people.

For those with poor talent, it wasn't uncommon to spend three to five years stuck at the five layers of Mortal Blood.

Yi Yun believed his talent was not very good. He had been an ordinary person when he transmigrated, with a thin build and little strength, barely able to lift a thirty-pound stone lock.

How good could such talent be? It was inferior to "Big Head," the son of the firewood porter.

But with the help of the Purple Crystal, Yi Yun's cultivation had advanced rapidly. In just half a month, he had reached the third layer of Mortal Blood.

Could he possibly become a Purple Blood Warrior in two and a half months, on the day of the Tai'a Divine Kingdom's Warrior Selection?

A Purple Blood Warrior, if achieved in a small tribe like the Lian Clan, would be astonishing, enough to cause a sensation and frenzy among the tribesmen!

Anyone who achieved the Purple Blood Warrior status within the Lian Clan would be revered like a god!

Within the tribe, they would possess the highest prestige and absolute power of life and death.

Yi Yun checked the time. His cultivation session had lasted until the afternoon. He hadn't slept since morning.

Having just broken through to the third level of Mortal Blood, the Thunderous Sound Realm, Yi Yun felt no fatigue. He meditated according to the "Dragon Marrow Tiger Bones Fist" method for about an hour, and it felt as if he had slept for four hours. He was full of energy!

"It's almost time to refine the Savage Bones. I've been cultivating all day and my stomach is practically touching my back!"

Yi Yun hadn't eaten all day. Before, the energy from the Savage Bones had sustained him. Although he felt hunger, his body's energy supply was fine.

Now, after the high-intensity cultivation of "Dragon Marrow Tiger Bones Fist," the energy within the Savage Bones had been depleted, making Yi Yun feel an even more unbearable hunger.

Glancing at the sky, the sun was about to set. Yi Yun returned to the village.

At the grain-drying ground, the large cauldron was burning fiercely. It was time for a shift change.

Seeing Yi Yun return, "Big Head's" father pointed to the pile of firewood nearby and said indifferently, "Chop all this firewood. You didn't do anything last night. We don't keep lazy people here. If you don't finish this, you won't get any porridge today."

Yi Yun was speechless. It was as if he had eaten porridge yesterday. They had all rushed to grab it, and I could count the grains I got with my fingers. After drinking the thin rice soup, they had licked the iron bucket clean, no need to even wash it.

Yi Yun sat in a corner and began chopping firewood at a leisurely pace.

These logs were as thick as thighs. They had to be sawed first, then split into uniform small pieces. This was to ensure the fire used to refine the Savage Bones burned evenly.

Yi Yun remained unfazed. No one knew that while he was chopping firewood, the large cauldron in his field of vision was already covered in red and blue energy dots.

Earlier, when Yi Yun absorbed the medicinal power of the ingredients with the Purple Crystal, he had left some soup for Lian Chengyu. This was because he was afraid Lian Chengyu would discover something was wrong with the ingredients.

However, this time, absorbing the Savage Bones was different. After Yi Yun absorbed all the energy from the Savage Bones, his strength would undoubtedly surge. By then, he wouldn't fear Lian Chengyu at all.

Yi Yun felt he was quite sorry for Lian Chengyu. He repented in his heart—

"I'm sorry, Young Master Lian. If I can't cultivate to the Purple Blood Realm, then there's nothing I can do. I'll probably have to devour this Savage Bone completely, leaving nothing behind. I can only apologize."

"If I'm lucky enough to cultivate to the Purple Blood Realm before I finish absorbing the Savage Bones, then I'll... well, I'll still have to devour it completely. After all, the Purple Blood Realm is just the beginning of martial arts. The road ahead is still long."

"So you'll be a good person to the end. I will remember you fondly in the future."

After his repentance, Yi Yun began to absorb the energy of the Savage Bones.

His body, after being severely depleted of energy, was now absorbing the Savage energy wantonly. This feeling was incredibly satisfying.

The emptiness within his body and being hungry were different sensations, but they shared many similarities.

When one is extremely hungry, what could be happier than having a feast of delicacies?

Yi Yun didn't hold back with Lian Chengyu at all. He could tell that this Savage Bone would be enough for him to absorb for quite some time.

One had to know that Lian Chengyu, using primitive methods to refine the Savage Bones, probably only extracted less than half of its essence. Yet, even this essence was enough for him to break through to the Purple Blood Realm.

But Yi Yun, using the Purple Crystal to absorb the energy from the Savage Bones, absorbed it extremely thoroughly and efficiently. Furthermore, Yi Yun's cultivation was low, only at the Thunderous Sound Realm. The speed at which he cultivated was truly frightening, even to Yi Yun himself.

[The book title "True Martial World" shares its name with a completed novel on another website. It's quite frustrating. Since the birth of web novels, there have been over a million books published. Many authors, on a whim, write a title and then abandon the story after a few chapters, but they still occupy the title. With over a million titles, it becomes increasingly difficult for later authors to find available ones. "True Martial World" was a title I planned to use long ago, but I later discovered it clashed with a novel that had already been abandoned. Uh, when you read "True Martial World," please recognize the author—Cocooned Cow.]