Overlord of the Wilderness

After knocking Zhaang Dahong flying, Zhaang Ye ignored the crowd’s reaction. He strode over to Zhaang Dahong and held out his hand. ”Five Qi Gathering Pills. Hand them over!”

Zhaang Dahong glared furiously at Zhaang Ye. After a long moment, he finally reached into his robes, took out the bottle of Qi Gathering Pills, and placed it in Zhaang Ye’s hand.

Staring at the Qi Gathering Pills now in Zhaang Ye’s possession, Zhaang Dahong felt a sharp pang of loss. These five pills were a perk the family provided to disciples designated for special training. Even though he was one of those specially trained disciples, he only received six Qi Gathering Pills per month. Now, five of them had ended up in Zhaang Ye’s hands just like that.

How could it not pain Zhaang Dahong?

Zhaang Ye casually tossed the bottle of Qi Gathering Pills in the air before catching it and tucking it into his robes. He chuckled. ”Thanks, Dahong! You’re not just strong, you’re generous too. Giving away five Qi Gathering Pills at once... truly admirable. Haha...”

’He took my pills and now he’s mocking me!’ Zhaang Dahong’s face flushed from red to a deep crimson as he glared at Zhaang Ye. If he still had his iron staff, he would have charged forward and brought it down on Zhaang Ye’s head, ready to fight to the death.

Seeing the guy looked as miserable as if he were badly constipated, Zhaang Ye decided not to push his mockery too far. His gaze shifted to Zhaang Yuhu. ”Zhaang Yuhu, you also challenged me, so let’s get started. We’ll add a little wager, too. The loser gives the winner five Qi Gathering Pills. Anyone who doesn’t dare is a coward.”

No matter how much of a genius Zhaang Yuhu was, he was, after all, just a thirteen-year-old kid. Zhaang Ye had deliberately called him a coward to cut off any chance of retreat, forcing him to accept the fight.

Sure enough, Zhaang Yuhu sneered. ”Five pills it is! Zhaang Ye, don’t think your Body Technique is so impressive. I’m about to show you what a *real* Body Technique is!”

Zhaang Ye’s interest was piqued when Zhaang Yuhu mentioned his Body Technique. Rumor had it that Zhaang Yuhu possessed a Mid-Level Body Technique and had already cultivated it to the Minor Achievement Realm. Because of it, even when he was only at the Middle Stage of the Martial Arts Third Layer, he could fight experts at the Late Stage. Now, his power had grown even more. Though he hadn’t quite advanced to the Late-stage Martial Arts Third Layer, he was close. A Body Technique performed with that level of cultivation would surely be terrifying.

”Make your move!” Zhaang Ye said.

”This Footwork Technique of mine is called the Ten Thousand Miles Wind Chasing Step. Watch closely, Zhaang Ye!” As he spoke, his body vanished in an instant. Zhaang Qing, watching from the side, was still searching for Zhaang Yuhu’s figure when he suddenly reappeared behind Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Qing was about to shout a warning when he saw Zhaang Ye, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, lash out with a reverse hand-blade. The strike met Zhaang Yuhu’s incoming punch perfectly. Amidst a crackle of Powerful Qi, both were forced back a step, each secretly shocked.

Zhaang Ye was shocked by Zhaang Yuhu’s phantom-like Body Technique. His Ten Thousand Miles Wind Chasing Step was an extremely profound Footwork Technique. Even though Zhaang Yuhu had only cultivated it to the Minor Achievement Realm, its execution was still exceptionally mystical. For the first time, Zhaang Ye felt that he couldn’t track his opponent’s movements.

Zhaang Yuhu, in turn, was shocked by Zhaang Ye’s keen senses and potent True Qi. He had used his Body Technique to launch a surprise attack, yet Zhaang Ye had somehow sensed the subtle shifts in the air, instantly pinpointed his location, and blocked the blow. From that single exchange, Zhaang Yuhu could tell that even though Zhaang Ye had only recently advanced to the Mid-Tier of Martial Arts Third Layer, his True Qi was denser than that of an ordinary Martial Artist at the same level. In a direct clash of power, he was barely inferior to Zhaang Yuhu himself.

But Zhaang Yuhu was a genius, after all. Zhaang Ye was strong, but not strong enough to frighten him. After all, he had cultivated his Ten Thousand Miles Wind Chasing Step to the Minor Achievement Realm!

Zhaang Dahong and Zhaang Yang also trained in Mid-Level Combat Skills, but neither had mastered their entire technique to the Minor Achievement level. They had only reached Minor Achievement in a single move. For example, Zhaang Yang had mastered the ”Flood Dragon Strike” of his Falling Leaves Leg, while Zhaang Dahong had mastered ”Big Mountain Covering the Top” from his Chaotic Cloak Staff Technique.

Zhaang Yuhu was different. He had cultivated the *entire* Ten Thousand Miles Wind Chasing Step to the Minor Achievement Realm. To master a Mid-Level Body Technique to Minor Achievement at just thirteen years old—Zhaang Yuhu had every right to be confident and proud!

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! Zhaang Yuhu’s Body Technique grew faster and faster, and he repeatedly appeared in impossible positions to strike at Zhaang Ye. But Zhaang Ye’s response left the three onlookers secretly astonished. No matter how bizarre Zhaang Yuhu’s attacks were, Zhaang Ye blocked them with ease, looking completely unruffled.

’This... Zhaang Ye can’t be underestimated! Zhaang Yuhu’s Body Technique is so uncanny. If it were me, I’d be defeated in less than ten moves! I can’t believe Zhaang Ye is still so composed under this kind of assault, handling it with room to spare!’ Seeing Zhaang Ye’s performance, the expressions on the faces of Zhaang Yang and Zhaang Dahong finally changed.

Zhaang Qing, on the other hand, nodded to himself. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of secret joy, seeing Zhaang Ye handle Zhaang Yuhu’s relentless attacks with such composure and display such formidable strength.

Seeing he couldn’t defeat Zhaang Ye with speed alone, Zhaang Yuhu altered his Body Technique. Instantly, three images of him appeared in the fighting area. Two of them had to be illusions, but all three were so lifelike that even Zhaang Dahong and the other two spectators couldn’t tell which was real.

By creating two illusory copies of himself, Zhaang Yuhu’s offensive pressure seemed to triple in an instant. At a glance, Zhaang Ye was under attack from three sides, his situation suddenly becoming perilous in the extreme!

Zhaang Qing’s hands clenched into fists.

Zhaang Dahong and Zhaang Yang were screaming inwardly, ’He can’t block it! He can’t block it! There’s no way Zhaang Ye can stop this move!!’

As everyone watched with bated breath, Zhaang Ye simply ignored two of the figures and slashed at the one on the right.

BOOM! After a loud bang, the three Zhaang Yuhus suddenly merged back into one.

A look of utter disbelief was plastered on Zhaang Yuhu’s face. ”Zhaang Ye, was that just a lucky guess? How did you find my real body so accurately?”

Zhaang Ye only offered a cold sneer, saying nothing. Inwardly, however, he was silently thanking his past self for practicing his blade beneath a waterfall.

It was precisely by practicing his blade beneath the waterfall that Zhaang Ye had honed his uncanny perception. Back at the Three Rivers Zhaang Family, he had relied on this same ability to counter an attack from the Patriarch, Zhaang Chengtian. Now that he had advanced to the Middle Stage of the Martial Arts Third Layer, his senses were even keener. Although Zhaang Yuhu’s Ten Thousand Miles Wind Chasing Step was a Mid-Level Combat Skill, he had not yet reached the Great Success realm. By listening intently, Zhaang Ye had immediately located the real body and shattered the technique with a single strike.

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s profound and inscrutable expression, Zhaang Yuhu’s confidence wavered. He still had a few aces up his sleeve, but his greatest strength was his Body Technique. Now that it was proving ineffective against Zhaang Ye, the thought of retreating surfaced in his mind.

’Forget it! This Zhaang Ye always waits for his opponent to finish their technique before he counterattacks. My Body Technique is formidable, but I’m not sure I can withstand his counter. It’s better to leave than to take that risk. In half a year, I’ll advance to the Late-stage Martial Arts Third Layer. Then, Zhaang Ye will be no match for me!’

His mind made up, Zhaang Yuhu pulled a Jade Bottle from his robes and tossed it to Zhaang Ye. ”I admit defeat in this match!” he said sullenly. ”Zhaang Ye, I’ll be back for you in half a year!”

With that, he turned and walked away without a backward glance.

When Zhaang Dahong and Zhaang Yang saw Zhaang Yuhu concede and leave, they were both secretly disappointed. Zhaang Ye and Zhaang Yuhu were incredibly strong and destined to be their greatest rivals. They had hoped to see the two of them fight to the bitter end, never expecting Zhaang Yuhu to give up so readily.

Since Zhaang Yuhu was gone, Zhaang Yang and Zhaang Dahong had no desire to linger. Zhaang Dahong hurriedly retrieved his iron staff and departed, while Zhaang Yang also limped away and disappeared from view.

Watching Zhaang Yang’s retreating figure, a hint of regret appeared on Zhaang Ye’s face. ”That Zhaang Yang probably had a few more Qi Gathering Pills on him,” he said. ”What a shame...”

Zhaang Qing, standing to the side, was left speechless.