Overlord of the Wilderness

If Zhaang Ye had more time, he could have used a gentler approach to send those people away. But his time was tight, and he needed to seize every moment for his cultivation.

After returning from the outer forests of the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range, Zhaang Ye spent a full two months cultivating the Dragon Elephant Skill. It took him nearly another month to raise his cultivation to the Martial Arts Fourth Layer. Factoring in other miscellaneous activities, Zhaang Ye now had just over forty days until the Four Races’ Youth Expert Ranking Tournament and a little over seventy days until the contest for the Gathering Flower Fruit.

With time so pressing, Zhaang Ye didn’t have the energy to deal with every challenger who came to his door one by one. In this world where strength was everything, might made right. To avoid further trouble, Zhaang Ye had no choice but to display some of his power.

If he insisted on hiding his true abilities, it would only attract more challengers.

Although Zhaang Ye’s actions had been forceful, they were within the Zhaang Family’s acceptable limits, so even the Punishment Hall couldn’t punish him. As for Granny Mei, she was just a servant in the end; Zhaang Ye’s and her paths were never meant to cross. Therefore, no matter how bitter she felt, there was nothing she could do to him.

Returning to his small courtyard, Zhaang Ye began a new round of cultivation.

This cultivation session lasted for four days.

Zhaang Ye had been worried that someone from the family would come to question him. In fact, his past few days were unusually peaceful; no one came to cause him any trouble.

On the fifth day, Zhaang Ye’s figure flitted across the training ground, sometimes a shadow, other times a wisp of a cloud. His feet never touched the earth as he circled the training ground again and again. After dozens of laps, Zhaang Ye finally flared his arms and landed.

A hint of joy appeared on Zhaang Ye’s face. ’I’m getting closer and closer to Great Success!’ he thought. ’All I’m lacking now is a bit of refinement. Once that’s complete, my Cloud Stepping Technique will reach the Great Success stage. Then, I’ll finally have a formidable Body Technique. If I run into that man in black again, I’ll have a decent chance of cutting him down.’

After comprehending all the mysteries of the Cloud Stepping Technique and cultivating it to Minor Achievement, Zhaang Ye had spent the past few days continuing to integrate the Dragon Elephant Skill into his Footwork Technique. In just a few short days, his footwork had progressed even further. He could now move by Borrowing Power from small objects like twigs, stone walls, and even flowers. The earlier feat of circling the training ground without his feet touching the ground was accomplished by Borrowing Power from the surrounding plants and flowers. His speed was so great that it looked as if he were treading on air.

From obtaining the Cloud Stepping Technique’s manual to being on the verge of Great Success, Zhaang Ye had taken less than twenty days. Cultivating a Mid-Level Body Technique to near Great Success in just twenty days was something few would believe if told.

Zhaang Ye wanted to press on and cultivate his Body Technique to Great Success in one final push, but he had another matter to attend to. He had to hurry to the Cyan Stone Mountain training ground to receive an assignment from the family.

The Cyan Stone Mountain training ground was only three to four li from his small courtyard. Zhaang Ye used his Body Technique and arrived outside the grounds in no time. After the two guards verified his mission Beast Hide, they waved him in.

The Cyan Stone Mountain training ground was one of the Zhaang Family’s largest. It was not only fully equipped with all sorts of training apparatus but was also managed by designated Stewards. The facility even had its own Beast Arena, where various Fierce Beasts were kept captive. For a fee, the Zhaang Family’s disciples could use these Fierce Beasts as opponents to hone their real-world combat abilities.

Zhaang Ye walked into the main training area and saw nine young men in green robes sitting cross-legged and scattered about. The auras emanating from them were all deep and powerful. Zhaang Ye estimated that even the weakest among them was at the Late Stage of Martial Arts Fourth Layer, while the strongest had reached the peak of the Martial Arts Fourth Layer.

’So, these are the Inner Sect Disciples participating in the Four Races’ Youth Expert Ranking Tournament,’ Zhaang Ye thought to himself. ’Their strength is clearly on a different level from ordinary Inner Sect Disciples.’

When the nine of them saw Zhaang Ye enter, they opened their eyes slightly to size him up. After getting a clear look, some showed dawning recognition, others revealed shock, and a few displayed a trace of disdain. Clearly, they had little interest in Zhaang Ye. After a single glance, they quickly resumed their meditative state with closed eyes.

Since the nine ignored him, Zhaang Ye wasn’t about to invite a snub by trying to greet them. He looked around, found a spot of his own, and sat down cross-legged to silently regulate his aura.

After sitting for a while, Zhaang Ye suddenly heard a faint shuffling sound. He opened his eyes to see two more people arriving at the edge of the training ground. Seeing who they were, Zhaang Ye was slightly taken aback.

It turned out to be the two young men who had escorted the Outer Disciples to the assembly point back then. Zhaang Ye never knew their names, but one had a square face and the other a sallow one, making them easy to identify. He recognized them at a glance.

Before the two had even drawn near, all the Inner Sect Disciples around Zhaang Ye stood up. Cupping their fists, they called out, ”Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, you’re here.”

”Mm.” The square-faced and sallow-faced youths nodded slightly, their gazes sweeping across everyone’s faces. When their eyes landed on Zhaang Ye, they both froze for a moment.

The square-faced youth stared at Zhaang Ye, unable to conceal the shock on his face. After a long moment, he finally spoke, ”You’re Zhaang Ye from the Three Rivers Town branch, aren’t you? Just a few months ago, you were an Outer Disciple with only the cultivation of the Early Stage of Martial Arts Third Layer. To think that in such a short time, you’ve not only advanced to the Martial Arts Fourth Layer but also joined the Inner Sect.”

The moment the square-faced youth spoke, several Inner Sect Disciples who had never heard of Zhaang Ye gasped. Their gazes, now fixed on him, were filled with utter shock. A few others, who had perhaps heard something about Zhaang Ye, also looked surprised, though not quite as intensely.

Finding himself the focus of the square-faced youth’s stare, Zhaang Ye had no choice but to stand and speak. ”Zhaang Ye greets you, Senior Brother. I was merely fortunate in my advancement. It’s nothing remarkable.”

”Fortunate?” The square-faced youth chuckled wryly. ”I wish I’d had that kind of fortune. It took me a full year to enter the Inner Sect, and that was considered a very fast record. I never imagined you would be even faster. It’s truly a shock.”

The sallow-faced youth also looked shocked. His gaze roamed over Zhaang Ye several times before he sighed. ”Zhaang Ye, if I remember correctly, you’re only fourteen this year. Reaching the Martial Arts Fourth Layer at fourteen... you truly are astonishing.”

After exchanging a few more words, the two introduced themselves. The square-faced youth was named Zhaang Changguang. As his strength ranked second among the Inner Sect Disciples, everyone called him Second Senior Brother. The sallow-faced youth was Zhaang Dong. His strength ranked third, so the other disciples called him Third Senior Brother.

Zhaang Changguang and Zhaang Dong asked Zhaang Ye a few more questions. When they learned he was also there to participate in the Four Races’ Youth Expert Ranking Tournament, they both looked astonished. Zhaang Dong spoke up, ”Zhaang Ye, could the family have made a mistake with your mission Beast Hide? You just reached the Martial Arts Fourth Layer. Why would they send you to compete?”

Zhaang Changguang also shook his head. ”I agree, the family most likely made a mistake. The competitors in the Four Races’ Youth Expert Ranking Tournament are at least at the Late Stage of Martial Arts Fourth Layer. Zhaang Ye, you’re only at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer Early Stage. You have absolutely no chance of defeating the experts from the other families.”

The other Inner Sect Disciples nearby clearly agreed, and they all nodded. Just then, a clear and bright voice drifted over, laughing lightly. ”None of you think highly of Zhaang Ye? Well, I’m the exact opposite. I think very highly of him indeed.”

Hearing this voice, everyone turned. They cupped their fists toward a young man walking in from the edge of the training ground and called out in unison, ”First Senior Brother, you’re finally here.”

(A note of thanks to readers YHZ, Night’s End - Sea, Fallen Little Lamb, Cruel Vigil, and Meng Meng Beast for their generous donations! Thank you to Public Security Officer for the valuable rating ticket. Thank you to all the readers who have recommended this book. Also, a quick announcement: I have over a hundred ’highlight’ spots left for this week. If you want your post in the review section highlighted, just post it, and I’ll take care of it. Thank you all!)