Chapter 158: Beneath the frog in the well.

The pill rapidly melted after entering Yao Jun's mouth, filling his entire body with a pure and refreshing energy. The energy rapidly moved towards his broken bones and bruised organs, covering the wounds and slowly healing them. Yao Jun could not help but be shocked at how efficient the pills were. They smelled similar to some of the herbs he had, but they were far more efficient at healing. Just looking at how much this one pill had healed his wounds, he calculated that he did not even need all three pills to fully restore his wounds.

Yao Jun was able to rapidly absorb the healing energy of the pill, only requiring three hours to use all the energy in the first pill. He grabbed the second pill and spent a few minutes inspecting it, before popping it into his mouth and absorbing the healing energy. After almost three hours, when he was just about to finish absorbing the second pill and heal the remainder of his wounds, he heard the door to his room open, the voice of Leylan sounding out.

“Yo! You should be halfway through absorbing the first one, so I figured I should come and check...”

His voice was energetic at first, but it started trailing off towards the end. He had just spotted that two of the pills were missing from the tray, meaning that Yao Jun had already eaten two. Yao Jun had his eyes closed, focusing on absorbing the last of the energy in the second pill, so he did not notice that a trace of worry and surprise flashed past Leylan's eyes, even Seshio who was silently following behind Leylan had a slight trace of astonishment in his eyes.

He had eaten two pills within six hours? Without his body exploding from an overload of energy? Leylan was well aware about how much energy there was in one such Returning Breath Pill. Even he would need at least half a day to fully absorb one such pill. Taking two within six hours would only lead to his veins being overloaded with energy and exploding. Yet this Yao Jun in front of him had done just that? Or had he hidden away a pill? Leylan was unable to figure it out, so he put the thought to the back of his mind, sitting down on the chair next to the bed.

“Seems like your body is sturdier than I first thought. Your wounds should be almost fully healed now?”

Yao Jun quickly finished absorbing the rest of the energy in the second pill, almost fully healing his wounds. Only then did he open his eyes and turn towards Leylan. He gave a slight nod of his head, then giving Leylan a short bow as he thanked him.

“Yes, these pills are truly efficient. Thank you for providing them.”

Without the pills, it would take Yao Jun much longer to heal all his wounds. Especially the wounds to his veins, healing them would take not just a lot of time, but also a lot of herbs and energy. Leylan let out a slight laugh and shrugged his shoulders.

“No need to thank me, I have so many of these pills that I have no idea what to do with them.”

Returning Breath Pills could be considered somewhat precious, but someone like Leylan would have quite a few such pills, easily enough to take out three and hand them to someone else. After Leylan shrugged his shoulders, Yao Jun narrowed his eyes slightly as he locked eyes with Leylan, asking a question he had been wondering about since he first met Leylan earlier.

“Why did you save me? Even giving me such pills?”

Yao Jun could not understand why Leylan would save him. Yao Jun's strength was weak, and his interspatial ring had been shattered inside the spatial rift, leaving him with nothing. Saving him would gain Leylan nothing. After hearing Yao Jun's question, Leylan broke out into a loud laughter, heavily patting Yao Jun on the shoulder.

“Hahaha! Why I saved you? Isn't that obvious? It's because I saw that you were in need of aid! I haven't become so depraved that I would simply ignore someone in need of help.”

To someone like Leylan, saving someone wounded was easy. Others might be a bit hesitant because they would have to use medicine to heal the wounded person, but Leylan did not care about any of that, he had plenty of medicine after all. He also liked to make friends, and saving others was a great way to make friends.

Yao Jun's eyes were slightly narrowed and serious, looking deeply into Leylan's eyes for any signs of falsehood. But he quickly discovered that Leylan's eyes were completely clear and innocent, pure and simple. There was a chance that he was simply good at lying, but Yao Jun chose to believe him for now, to believe in those pure eyes.

“I see. Forgive me for doubting you. Thank you for saving me, Senior Leylan.”

Leylan had a cultivation that had already reached the 8th Xiantian Heaven, so it was only right that Yao Jun called him Senior. After hearing how Yao Jun referred to him, the corners of Leylan's mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly. He grabbed Yao Jun and pulled him up from the bed, looking at him with serious eyes.

“Stop thanking me, and don't you ever call me that again. I am only 82, so how could I possibly stand being called Senior? Just call me Big Brother Leylan. Come, let me show you around a little.”

Leylan had said it so simply, but Yao Jun was completely shocked. This person who looked like a very tall youth was already 82? And he could not stand to be called Senior? Then how old would he have to be to be called Senior? But little did Yao Jun know, that was only the start of the surprises.

Leylan dragged Yao Jun out of the room, bringing him into a wooden hallway. But unlike the hallways that Yao Jun was used to, this hallway seemed like it was made out of branches that had been twisted around each other, he could even see leaves sticking out in several places. The walls of the hallway were filled with openings that allowed one to see the surrounding scenery, showing a massive courtyard that went on even further than Yao Jun was able to see.

As Leylan started walking down the hallway and introducing some of the places to him, most of Yao Jun's focus was still on that massive courtyard. Even after the two of them had walked for almost three hours, the courtyard still went on, without end in sight. The courtyard was filled with ponds of various sizes, tall and twisted trees that Yao Jun had never seen before, even mountains that reached high into the sky.

There was also a shocking number of people in the courtyard, far more than Yao Jun would be able to count. Most of the people were very tall, the smallest one being two meters tall, and the tallest one over five meters tall. They all had elongated features and pale skin, and they were all clad in a coarse brown robe, the same robe that Yao Jun was currently wearing.

Seeing so many people that shared the same features as Leylan, Yao Jun had already started guessing that they were probably a different race from humans. Seeing Yao Jun continuously looking at the courtyard and the large amount of people training in the courtyard, Leylan could not help but speak out in a smug voice.

“Surprised? This is one of the outer training grounds of my World Tree clan, most of the disciples of our clan train here, only the truly elite have the right to train in the core of the clan.”

There were even more elite disciples hidden away? Just the people Yao Jun could see here were all above the 7th Xiantian Heaven, and yet there were even more elite people hidden away? Just as Yao Jun was about to ask about the World Tree clan, a robust voice sounded out from further down the hallway.

“Little Leylan, good evening. Is this the youth that you fished out of the lake? He seems to have healed nicely.”

Yao Jun turned to check out the person who spoke, spotting a man who was a little over three meters tall. He had the same elongated features as Leylan, but his skin was a darker shade than Leylan's. He had golden hair that hung down to a little past his shoulders, his body rugged and robust, but Yao Jun could spot a few signs of hidden tiredness on the face of the man. He had a stern expression and light green eyes that were currently looking Yao Jun up and down with a somewhat curious light. Just by being looked at by this man, Yao Jun felt like there was an entire mountain pressing down on his shoulders. After seeing this man, a bright smile appeared on Leylan's face as he pat Yao Jun on the shoulder.

“Good evening Big Brother Gilberd. His body is quite sturdy, so he managed to heal extraordinarily fast.”

The robust man, Gilberd, gave a short nod at Leylan's words. He then stopped looking Yao Jun up and down, pointing at Leylan and speaking a few words before taking his leave, passing by Yao Jun and Leylan.

“So it seems. Pleased to meet you, I am the elder brother of that brat there. If he starts to pester or nag you, you should just ignore him.”

It was only after Gilberd left that Yao Jun felt the pressure vanish from his shoulders, allowing him to let out a slight breath. He had not even been awake for a day, but the things he had seen had shocked him greatly. Leylan pointed at the now distant back of Gilberd as he spoke out and introduced him.

“That was my eldest brother, Gilberd Grievin. He is a very pleasant and relaxed person most of the time, but he can be truly fierce during battle. He once had the luck of entering the tomb of the ancient Howling Earth Godking, finding not only a 361 Points Clearing pill, but even acquiring the legacy of that Godking. Because of that, he has a truly profound understanding of the laws of earth and wind, even getting an understanding of the laws of gravity.”

Hearing the introduction, Yao Jun could not help but be confused. In that short introduction, Leylan had used so many words that Yao Jun did not understand what meant, causing him to slightly tilt his head as he questioned.

“361 Points Clearing Pill? Godking? Laws of earth and wind?”

Seeing Yao Jun so confused, Leylan could not help but furrow his brows slightly. Why was Yao Jun asking questions about such common things, this was information that was known by everyone, especially information about the Godkings.

“You don't know about them? Did your master or clan never tell you about them?”

The moment one started cultivation, the person in charge of teaching you would explain this information to you. Had they forgotten to do so for this Yao Jun. In response to Leylan's question, Yao Jun gave a short shake of his head.

“I don't have a master or clan.”

Yao Jun had always been training alone, forget about the Yao clan, even his father had not taught him much about cultivation. After all, when he was a child, everyone thought that he had a useless power. Hearing Yao Jun's statement, Seshio and Leylan could not help but be surprised once again, Leylan patting Yao Jun on the shoulder.

“You cultivated all on your own, without knowing about the realms of cultivation or even about the laws? Yet you still managed to reach the middle stage of the 3rd Mortal Earth? Truly admirable.”

Cultivating without a master or a clan? One would not even know how to cultivate at that point, so how would they even start? But this Yao Jun had managed to reach the middle stage of the 3rd Mortal Earth, Leylan could only imagine how much effort that would take. Since that was the case, Leylan opened his mouth and decided to give a good explanation while they continued to walk.

“Allow me to explain it in depth then. The 361 Points Clearing Pill is a pill that does just that, it clears up all 361 acupuncture points in the body, allowing the Qi to flow much faster and increasing the rate at which one can absorb Qi. It is a truly rare pill, not just because there are only a handful of people able to create it, but also because of how rare the materials are.”

Creating a 361 Points Clearing Pill required materials that could only be found in some of the most dangerous places in the universe, and even some that were almost extinct already. Of course, that also meant that it's effect was truly outstanding.

“The laws are what we use to cultivate, engraving our Qi with the unique understanding we create of the laws. As we deepen our understanding of the laws, our cultivation will naturally rise, only a select few treasured herbs or pills able to forcefully rise our cultivation. Using Big Brother Gilberd as an example, he has engraved his Qi with his understanding of the laws of earth, wind, and gravity. This means that he can use his Qi to control the laws of earth, wind, and gravity, producing wondrous effects and controlling the corresponding element in the surroundings. He has already reached a point where there are rumors that say he is unbeatable as long as he has his feet planted firmly on the ground.”

The laws were the basics of everything. Only by having an understanding of the fire laws would one be able to create fire in their surroundings, only by having an understanding of the laws of life or medicine would one be able to heal or create pills. At least, that was what Leylan had been taught all his life.

“As for Godkings, they are the peak of this universe, reigning supreme above all others. The cultivation realms are as follows, the 3 Mortal Earths, the 3 Houtian Skies, the 3 Xiantian Heavens, the Immortal Rebirth, the Earthly Deity stage, the Heavenly Deity stage, and finally the Godking stage. Godkings hold truly unparalleled might, a mere wave of their hand enough to extinguish countless planets. Whatever you do, never offend a Godking. Then again, meeting a Godking is not something that is so easily done.”

After Leylan finished his explanation, Yao Jun felt like letting out a bitter laugh. When he battled Yuan Shen and Qiao Xian Yi, he had felt rather proud that he had been able to fight someone at the peak of the 6th Houtian Sky. Sword Empyrean Heng Jiang had already told him that the 9th Xiantian Heaven was not the peak of cultivation, but when he fought Qiao Xian Yi and forced her into the spatial rift, he had felt certain that it would not take him long to reach the peak of cultivation. Yet now he found out that he had barely even begun cultivation. He could not even be considered a frog in a well, he was below even that. Seeing Yao Jun let out a low laugh, Leylan's eyebrows furrowed slightly, speaking out in a slightly worried voice as he turned around and dragged Yao Jun back to his room.

“Was that maybe a bit too much information in such a short period of time? Let's cut the tour short for today and get you back to the room so that you can digest the information.”

–

Shortly after Gilberd passed Leylan and Yao Jun, his eyes flashed with a severe light. The shadows of the hallway stretched out, forming a tall and shadowy human shape that started to follow Gilberd. Gilberd did not even turn to look at the shadow as he spoke out his order.

“That youth that Little Leylan brought with him, find as much information about him as you can. I want to know everything about him.”

The shadow was slightly surprised at the order of Gilberd. Was there a need to care this much about someone who was only at the middle stage of the 3rd Mortal Earth? There was also the fact that the Young Master seemed somewhat fond of this person that he had picked up.

“Is that really necessary?”

The shadow could not help but question, the voice that came from the shadow a strange mixture of feminine and masculine. Gilberd's eyes narrowed slightly as he remembered the youth he had just met.

“Little Leylan puts far too much faith into his laws of destiny, bringing a stranger into the clan. What if he is a spy for the Primordial Sea clan? Or a spy for the Final Fire clan? And besides, it's not like I am going to do anything to him, I am merely going to find out who he is. If it turns out that he is not a spy, then that is wonderful. But if he is a spy, I will kill him without hesitation, the clan can not afford to have a spy in our midst right now, especially someone as strange as him.”

Their World Tree clan was powerful, but they also had several enemies that were on par with them. If one of their spies managed to form a good relationship with Leylan, it could end up disastrous for the clan, especially if they did not manage to root him out early on. Hearing how Gilberd described Yao Jun, the shadow could not help but be slightly interested.

“Strange? What is strange about him?”

The shadow had been following Gilberd for several hundred years, so it knew that Gilberd had seen a large amount of things, even entering the tomb of an ancient Godking. For Gilberd to describe someone as strange, that person must be truly strange. Gilberd could not help but furrow his brows as he started to explain.

“It's his laws. I can clearly feel that he is at the middle stage of the 3rd Mortal Earth, but I am unable to feel what laws he is cultivating. At times his Qi feels fiery like flame, at other times it is as cold as ice, while at other times it is like a black pit. His Qi felt like it was ever-changing. That is one of the reasons I want to know who he is. You tell me, what clan has such a profound technique to hide one's laws, that even I can not tell what laws he is cultivating?”

The laws ingrained themselves into a person's Qi, making it easy to figure out what laws they were cultivating. It was exactly Gilberd's understanding of the laws of earth that caused Yao Jun to feel such a pressure earlier. But Yao Jun's Qi had been far too chaotic and erratic, constantly changing it's properties and mark. Gilberd had never encountered such a strange phenomena, so he quickly grew curious and vigilant.