Overlord of the Wilderness

”Granny Mei, you struck too hard! Look, you’ve injured Zhaang Ye!” Zhaang Yumei finally snapped out of it. She complained to Granny Mei before asking Zhaang Ye, ”Zhaang Ye, are you all right?”

Zhaang Ye wiped the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. He forced a strained smile and said, ”I’m fine.”

”I’m glad you’re okay,” Zhaang Yumei said, relieved. ”Granny Mei’s palm strike just now really scared me. Thankfully, your strength is impressive, so you were able to take it. What do you think? Granny Mei is very powerful, isn’t she? I came looking for you to ask you one last time: are you willing to accept Granny Mei as your master?”

Zhaang Ye was speechless. ’This Zhaang Yumei seems a bit dense,’ he thought. ’Granny Mei’s hostility toward me is so obvious, how can she not see it? If I hadn’t been clever enough to bite my tongue and spit up some blood to fake an injury, that old hag probably wouldn’t have let me off. And she wants me to take that old woman as my master? Damn it all, is this her way of repaying a debt? This is more like a death sentence...’

Despite his inner thoughts, he said aloud, ”Thank you for your kind offer, Fourth Miss. My aptitude is lacking, and becoming her disciple would only bring shame upon Granny Mei. It’s better for me to just continue my Cultivation slowly on my own...”

Hearing Zhaang Ye decline so politely, Granny Mei snorted in anger. She would have been annoyed if Zhaang Ye had accepted, but his repeated refusals annoyed her even more. It made it seem as though she were the one begging him to be her student.

”If you’re unwilling to take Granny Mei as your master, I won’t insist.” Zhaang Yumei had finally noticed that something was amiss between Zhaang Ye and Granny Mei. She said, ”You saved my life, and I’m not sure how to properly thank you. How about this? Tell me if you’re facing any difficulties. As long as it’s within my power to help, I will.”

Upon hearing Zhaang Yumei’s words, Granny Mei’s expression faltered. She shot Zhaang Ye a vicious glare, a clear warning not to say anything foolish.

Zhaang Ye ignored Granny Mei’s venomous stare. After a moment of contemplation, he said, ”I’ve heard that the first and 2nd Layers of the Zhaang Family Library Pavilion are open to disciples. Unfortunately, since I’ve only just joined, I don’t have the right to enter. Fourth Miss, is there any way you could help me get into the first layer of the Library Pavilion to look through the Martial Arts Secret Manuals?”

To create his own Saber Technique, he needed to read voraciously, to open his mind and broaden his horizons. Although Zhaang Ye had read many Martial Arts Secret Manuals, none of them were Saber Technique Secret Manuals. This was precisely why Zhaang Ye had thought to use his connection with Zhaang Yumei to see if he could get into the Library Pavilion for a look.

The Martial Arts Secret Manuals collected on the first floor of the Cyan Mulberry Zhaang Family’s Library Pavilion were all low-level cultivation methods, but even the lowest-level techniques had their own unique characteristics. Zhaang Ye had high Comprehension; he believed that if he could just get inside for a look, he would certainly gain some new insights.

”The Library Pavilion...” Zhaang Yumei mused for a moment, then took out a small Jade Token and placed it in Zhaang Ye’s hand. ”I happen to have a Jade Token for the Library Pavilion right here. With this, you can enter the first floor. But be warned, you can’t spend more than two Hours inside each day, and this Jade Token is only valid for three months.”

Zhaang Ye was overjoyed. ”Thank you, Fourth Miss! You’ve helped me out in a huge way.”

Although the Zhaang Family’s Library Pavilion was open to disciples, this access wasn’t free. To enter and browse the Secret Manuals, one had to pay ten thousand taels of Gold for every Hour spent inside. For any Outer Disciple, this was an astronomical sum.

Furthermore, newly initiated Outer Disciples like Zhaang Ye had to pass a probationary period of several months before they were even allowed into the Library Pavilion. Now, with this Jade Token, Zhaang Ye not only saved a fortune but could also enter to browse whenever he pleased. It was incredibly convenient!

With the Jade Token in hand, Zhaang Ye was like a child with a new toy, unable to sit still. The moment Zhaang Yumei and Granny Mei left, he grabbed the Jade Token, ready to head for the Library Pavilion. Just then, the clear ”DING!” of a Jade Chime rang out from the Zhaang Mansion, followed by a voice calling out, ”Outer Disciples, hurry and come collect your Elixirs!”

Zhaang Qing, who lived nearby, suddenly appeared and said excitedly, ”Zhaang Ye, the mansion is handing out the Xun Pills! Let’s hurry and collect ours!”

Zhaang Ye smiled. ”Alright!”

The two of them then met up with Zhaang Que, and the three of them headed toward a great hall together.

For their first six months, new Outer Disciples of the Zhaang Family were given one Elixir every ten days to aid their Cultivation. The members of the Zhaang Family all called this Elixir the ”Xun Pill.”

This benefit shouldn’t be underestimated; many talented young people joined the Zhaang Family for this very reason.

The Elixir being distributed by the Zhaang Family this time was the Qi Gathering Pill. The Outer Disciples formed two long lines, each person taking a pill from a steward in turn before departing with a look of delight on their face.

After receiving their Elixirs, Zhaang Qing and Zhaang Que left immediately. They had just advanced to the Martial Arts Third Layer Middle Stage, and this Qi Gathering Pill was exactly what they needed to solidify their foundation.

As Zhaang Ye stepped out of the great hall, he suddenly found himself surrounded by a few people. A tall young man, who exuded a tyrannical aura, sized Zhaang Ye up and said, ”You must be Zhaang Ye. Hand over the Qi Gathering Pill. From now on, you’ll be one of us. Stick with us, and no one will dare to mess with you.”

Zhaang Ye’s brow twitched. ”Who are you? And why should I give you my Elixir?”

”What a hick!” one of the youths sneered. ”Brother Zhaang Dongyang is a renowned master among the disciples from the Branches, his strength second only to the ten great experts. You’re from one of the Branches too, right? I have no idea how you’ve managed this long without even knowing who Brother Zhaang is!”

”Heh, you can tell this kid’s a nobody just by looking at him.”

”Yeah. He’s too young. I heard he’s only thirteen.”

”Way too young. How could someone like that possibly have the strength of a Late-stage Martial Arts Third Layer expert?”

...

The group stared at Zhaang Ye, murmuring among themselves, but Zhaang Ye had no idea who any of them were. His brow furrowed, and he said in a grim voice, ”State your identities and your purpose, or I’m leaving.”

”Insolent! How dare you speak to Brother Dong like that?” A young man stepped forward, reaching out as if to knock Zhaang Ye on the head.

Zhaang Ye glanced at the man. His body didn’t move, but his hand shot out and clamped onto the young man’s wrist. The youth, shocked, was just about to shout in protest when Zhaang Ye’s arm gave a slight shake. A huge surge of force washed over him, and he was sent flying more than ten paces away, landing in a pathetic heap on the ground.

Everyone was shocked to see Zhaang Ye toss the young man away so cleanly. The one he had thrown was a Martial Artist at the Early Stage of Martial Arts Third Layer, yet Zhaang Ye had subdued and thrown him with a single move.

Their shock quickly turned to anger. They couldn’t believe Zhaang Ye had the gall to attack one of them in front of everyone. This was a blatant provocation.

”Kid, you have some nerve to strike first!” The three young men closest to Zhaang Ye roared in unison and lunged, trying to grab him.

All three of them had Cultivations at the Martial Arts Third Layer Middle Stage. Zhaang Ye, however, paid them no mind. With a slight shift of his feet, he dodged one man’s grasp, then lashed out with two Hand Blade strikes.

”CHOP! CHOP!” Not realizing the power behind Zhaang Ye’s Hand Blade technique, the two young men tried to block it directly. A piercing pain shot through their palms, and they scrambled back. Zhaang Ye pressed his advantage, taking a large stride forward and reaching for the last man’s arm, planning to grab him and toss him away like the first.

Just as his hand was about to connect with the young man’s arm, Zhaang Dongyang, who had been standing to the side, finally made his move. He shot out a hand, squarely blocking Zhaang Ye’s grasp.

”BAM!”

Zhaang Ye’s claw-like grip met Zhaang Dongyang’s palm. Both men took a step back, a solemn look appearing on each of their faces.

”This...”

Seeing this outcome, the onlookers were stunned. Zhaang Dongyang was an expert at the Late-stage Martial Arts Third Layer, yet they never imagined Zhaang Ye would be able to fight him to a draw.