Chapter 46

In the hazy light, Yi Yun clearly saw the woman who was right before him.

Her skin was pale, her eyes like the clear waters of autumn, exuding a fresh and delicate scholarly aura, as if she were a young lady from a noble family.

However, she was not dressed in expensive silk, but in a clean, spotless white linen robe. In the Great Wasteland, such linen robes were worn by the poor.

Children from wealthy families would only wear linen robes during mourning to show their hardship, a practice known as wearing mourning clothes.

The girl before him, in terms of her demeanor and appearance, did not resemble a child from a poor family at all, yet she was wearing a linen robe.

Moreover, with her slender figure and skin like jade, wearing the linen robe made her seem like a celestial being who had descended to the mortal world, hidden away in the mountains and wilds.

"You... you are..."

Yi Yun felt a bit puzzled. This woman was definitely not from the Lian Clan. Was she an outsider?

Yi Yun looked at the sky; it was already high noon, but when he had entered the water, it was still midnight. Could he have stayed underwater for an entire night?

Suddenly, Yi Yun realized something and his heart was greatly shaken!

If he had really stayed underwater for a whole night, that was far beyond the capabilities of a normal person.

Although Yi Yun had been in an unconscious state, he knew that the cool, flowing energy from the purple crystal had sustained his life, preventing his body from dying due to lack of oxygen.

The purple crystal was his greatest secret.

When did this woman come to the edge of the pond? Did she know how long he had been underwater?

Fortunately, the girl's next words dispelled Yi Yun's worries.

"How did you end up floating in the water? Did you drown?"

Floating in the water?

It seemed that when the girl appeared, he had already floated to the surface.

Yi Yun breathed a sigh of relief and clasped his hands in gratitude, "Thank you, young lady, for saving me, uh..."

Only then did Yi Yun notice that behind the girl, there was a chubby old man. This old man had a head full of silver hair, and although he looked quite old, his skin was very fresh, with no wrinkles and a rosy complexion.

This made Yi Yun inexplicably think of an advertising slogan, "White and rosy, unique and different."

Yi Yun felt a chill, as this phrase was usually used to describe beautiful women, and it felt awkward to use it for an old man.

Yi Yun noticed that the old man was smiling at him, seemingly very interested.

His eyes were already small, and with the extra flesh on his face, they almost disappeared when he smiled. However, these eyes seemed to see through him.

Yi Yun instantly felt exposed before the old man, which made him very uncomfortable.

He wouldn't... have seen the purple crystal in his heart, would he!

However, the next moment, Yi Yun realized his worries were unfounded. The old man's gaze did not linger on his chest. He said meaningfully, "Young man, you seem to have a lot on your mind despite your young age!"

"Huh?" Yi Yun was startled. What did the old man mean by that?

"You weren't drowning, yet you still thanked us. We didn't save you, yet you took the credit. Are you trying to hide something? Your eyes seemed a bit panicked just now."

The old man smiled with a hint of mischief as he spoke.

Yi Yun's heart skipped a beat!

At that moment, the old man's hand was already on Yi Yun's shoulder, making him tense up. Damn it, he hated it when people put their hands on his shoulder! The last time Lian Chengyu did this, it almost cost him his life!

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not interested in your little secrets," the old man said with a chuckle. "I jest, what kind of person would I be to covet the secrets of a teenager from a small clan in the Great Wasteland? To put it bluntly, it's like an emperor wanting to take something from a little beggar."

How ridiculous!

Of course, this was the old man's inner thoughts. But in Yi Yun's eyes, the old man's smile... was very lecherous.

"The old man is just curious... you seem... hmm..." The old man suddenly looked moved, "You actually reached this realm?"

The old man's words made Yi Yun slightly stunned.

Caught off guard, Yi Yun had just floated up from the water and encountered this old and young pair, so he hadn't had time to check his body. Now, he checked and found his cultivation... hmm? Still at the Fourth Layer of the Mortal Blood Realm?

His cultivation hadn't advanced, but there was something subtly different.

"What's going on? I absorbed a large amount of medicinal herbs and a small part of the Wasteland Bone's energy, and I went from a weakling to the realm of unblocking the Ren and Du meridians. Last night, I absorbed all the remaining energy from the Wasteland Bone and digested it perfectly. I thought I had a chance to reach the legendary Purple Blood Realm. Even if I couldn't, I should at least be at the peak of the Qi Induction stage. Why am I still at the Meridian stage?"

Eating an entire Wasteland Bone and still being at the Fourth Layer of the Mortal Blood Realm, that's too weak! This energy was enough for Lian Chengyu to reach the Purple Blood Realm.

Could it be that my talent is too poor? But... what did the old man mean by saying I "actually" reached this realm?

Could it be that a small clan warrior breaking through the Meridian stage is already beyond his imagination?

The old man looked at Yi Yun with confusion and muttered, "All meridians unblocked, pulse like a dragon, body fully refined, bones and blood resonating. That shouldn't be the case. You were born in the Cloud Wasteland, and you should be from the Lian Clan. How could you have a fully refined body and a pulse like a dragon?"

The old man, seeing Yi Yun's worn-out clothes and broken old straw shoes, guessed his identity. Even if disciples from noble families came to the Cloud Wasteland for training, they would wear new coarse linen clothes, not like Yi Yun's, which were clearly worn for years.

"All meridians unblocked, pulse like a dragon, body fully refined, bones and blood resonating?"

Yi Yun didn't understand the old man's words, but he could tell it was a good thing!

It seemed he had inadvertently gained a tremendous benefit?

"Teacher, you mean this young man has a fully refined body?" The girl was also startled and very surprised by the old man's words.

It seemed this evaluation was extraordinary!

"Yes... If it were in those ancient noble families, it would be normal for their prodigies to achieve this. But in the Great Wasteland, for a poor child to have a fully refined body is extremely rare!"

The old man, seeing that Yi Yun didn't understand the meaning of this realm, explained, "Although the Mortal Blood Realm has five layers, only the first four are related to body refinement. The fifth layer, the Qi Induction stage, is the transition from the Mortal Blood Realm to the Purple Blood Realm."

"Reaching the fourth layer of body refinement is not difficult, but to refine every inch of flesh and blood to the extreme, achieving a fully refined body, is not easy. Such a person not only has all meridians unblocked, but their meridians are also thicker and more vibrant, like a dragon dancing within the body! After fully refining the body, bones, flesh, and blood are perfectly integrated, and when a move is made, bones and blood resonate!"

The old man's explanation made Yi Yun suddenly understand. No wonder his realm didn't advance after absorbing the last major part of the Wasteland Bone's energy; it was all used to fully refine his body!

Although his realm had advanced quickly before, Yi Yun knew that haste makes waste. Rapid advancement in realm might not be a good thing!

But this accidental underwater sleep eliminated this隐患!

"Hey, your bones and constitution are also ordinary." The old man's small eyes were incredibly sharp, far surpassing Zhang Yuxian's discernment.

At the time, Zhang Yuxian used the method of energy absorption to test Yi Yun's talent, and the result was actually the "talent" of the purple crystal.

But this old man directly saw through Yi Yun's true talent with his eyes, which made Yi Yun realize that the old man had clearly reached the legendary "Opening the Heavenly Eye" realm!