Overlord of the Wilderness

Outside the crowd, Liuu Suqing was stunned by her son’s performance. She knew Zhaang Ye had reached the Martial Arts Third Layer and possessed considerable strength, but she never imagined he could cultivate the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation to the Great Success Realm, effortlessly taking a palm strike from Zhaang Yun, a man renowned for his brute force.

Zhaang Yun was shocked that Zhaang Ye had blocked his strike with the simplest Defensive Form. A cold fury rose in him. He lunged forward, his massive frame bearing down as his palms became a blur, striking at Zhaang Ye again and again.

With an ice-cold gaze and a matching expression, Zhaang Ye repeatedly executed the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation. While it was the simplest of Defensive Forms, in Zhaang Ye’s hands, it seemed to turn the mundane into the miraculous. No matter how ferocious Zhaang Yun’s assault became, he always managed to parry every single blow with this one defensive technique.

Forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven!

With every palm strike he blocked, Zhaang Ye felt another sliver of the Medicinal Power dissolve within him. By the sixtieth strike, he felt the Medicinal Power suddenly erupt, surging through his entire body. A force swelled inside him, making him want to throw his head back and roar at the heavens.

’Great! The Medicinal Power has finally activated. Now, it’s time to finish off this Zhaang Yun!’ Zhaang Ye thought. Facing the next palm strike from Zhaang Yun, he no longer defended with the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation. Instead, he shaped his hand into a Palm Blade and chopped forward!

”Huh? He’s actually going to clash head-on with Zhaang Yun?” Almost every spectator was shocked by Zhaang Ye’s move.

Zhaang Yun’s greatest advantage was overwhelming opponents with sheer force. Parrying his attacks was one thing, but meeting him in a head-on clash was another entirely. Seeing this, even several of the Elders on the viewing platform shook their heads, thinking Zhaang Ye’s move was incredibly foolish—pitting his own weakness against his opponent’s greatest strength.

CLANG! The Palm Blade met Zhaang Yun’s hand, unexpectedly creating a sound like striking metal. Zhaang Ye felt a massive force travel up from the opposing palm, forcing him back two steps. The True Qi in his own palm nearly dissipated from the shock.

”Haha! You dare to trade blows with me, Zhaang Ye?! Watch my Wild Bull Force! I’ll break all your limbs and make you bleed from every orifice!” Zhaang Yun shrieked, launching another palm strike at Zhaang Ye.

CLANG! Zhaang Ye again met force with force, taking another of Zhaang Yun’s palm strikes. He was once again pushed back two steps, but he could clearly feel the Medicinal Power from the Body Refining Pill and the Body Tempering Pill continuously tempering his body. His physical form was gradually growing stronger.

Zhaang Ye was inwardly overjoyed. He roared at Zhaang Yun, ”Again!”

”What?” Not only had Zhaang Ye taken two of Zhaang Yun’s strikes, but he was now actively goading him on. This left the Elders on the viewing platform completely baffled. The Third Elder smiled and said, ”Tell me, what do you all think Zhaang Ye is trying to do?”

The Fourth Elder stroked his beard and said, ”I don’t know. But his approach is utterly foolish. Zhaang Yun has a brawny physique and astonishing power; the best way to deal with him is to win with speed. Yet here Zhaang Ye is, casting aside his advantage in speed to clash head-on with Zhaang Yun. It’s simply brainless.”

The Fourth Elder was the Zhaang Family’s Instructor Elder, and Zhaang Yun was more or less one of his disciples. As his master, he naturally hoped his disciple would win. Seeing Zhaang Ye’s strategy, he was certain Zhaang Yun’s victory was assured. He relaxed and took the opportunity to critique Zhaang Ye.

The Sixth Elder also nodded. ”It seems this is the trouble that comes from one’s Cultivation advancing too quickly. This Zhaang Ye has mediocre talent. He only reached the Martial Arts Third Layer within a year because he ate two stalks of Jade Red Grass. His Cultivation progressed too fast, and his skills have never been tested in real combat. The moment he faced Zhaang Yun’s fierce assault, he panicked and decided to clash head-on. It looks like Zhaang Ye is going to lose this match.”

The Sixth Elder’s direct disciple was Zhaang Shui. Since Zhaang Shui had been defeated by Zhaang Ye, the Sixth Elder now held a grudge against him. Seeing Zhaang Ye meet force with force, he couldn’t resist adding his own critical comments.

”Not necessarily!” the Second Elder interjected. ”Zhaang Ye’s choice to clash head-on seems to have some other purpose. It’s too early to say he’s lost. Let’s just keep watching.”

While the Elders were talking, Zhaang Ye and Zhaang Yun exchanged more than a dozen palm strikes in the span of just a few breaths. With every clash, the sound of striking metal rang out between their hands, echoing across the fighting stage and leaving the audience dumbfounded.

No one had expected Zhaang Ye, who had previously won a match with his speed, to choose to trade blows with Zhaang Yun—and to do so for more than a dozen strikes!

The continuous clashes made sharp pains prickle all over Zhaang Ye’s body, and his arms were sore, numb, and aching. But far from being alarmed, Zhaang Ye was delighted. He knew that the Medicinal Power from the Elixirs had now been completely absorbed into his body. His physical toughness was about to increase dramatically.

While Zhaang Ye fought with growing excitement, Zhaang Yun was becoming extremely irritated. Relying on strength that far surpassed an ordinary person’s, he was used to ending his fights in just a few moves. But now, though Zhaang Ye was clearly at a disadvantage in their exchanges, he showed no sign of collapsing. This annoyed Zhaang Yun. It annoyed him very, very much.

Zhaang Yun was about to erupt.

”Zhaang Ye!” Zhaang Yun roared. ”I’ll knock you off this stage within three moves!”

’Knock me off the stage?’ Zhaang Ye sneered inwardly. His posture suddenly changed. He became like a gust of wind, like a startled wild goose taking flight.