Overlord of the Wilderness

Zhaang Ye stepped into the weapon shop and casually browsed the wares. He discovered that the craftsmanship of the various weapons in this shop, ”Xia’s Weapons,” was indeed quite impressive. Even the sabers and swords made from ordinary iron were of superior quality; to the naked eye, they were flawless. Zhaang Ye picked up a few weapons to test them out and found them to be decent enough.

Just then, a clerk approached and asked what Zhaang Ye needed. Upon learning that Zhaang Ye planned to commission a custom Heavy Saber, he led him to the back of the shop. After serving some fruit, the clerk quickly left to make a report.

Before long, a man in his sixties entered. His face was gaunt yet ruddy, and his skin had an unusual reddish hue. As he walked, he resembled a ball of fire. The old man sized up Zhaang Ye, and after sensing his Cultivation, a flash of surprise appeared in his eyes before he quickly concealed it. ”I am Xia Yan,” he said. ”Young man, you wish to commission a Heavy Saber?”

Zhaang Ye nodded slightly. ”Precisely. I heard your shop excels at forging weapons, so I came here in the hopes that you could craft a Heavy Saber that suits me.”

As he spoke, he unslung the Thick-Backed Saber from his back and placed it before Xia Yan. ”I have only two requirements. First, the saber must be heavy, between six hundred and seven hundred pounds. Second, its appearance must be an exact copy of this Thick-Backed Saber of mine. That shouldn’t be a problem, should it?”

Xia Yan glanced at the Thick-Backed Saber. Feeling the wisps of killing intent emanating from the blade, his pupils constricted. He sized Zhaang Ye up once more before saying, ”That’s not a problem. Our shop can tailor any weapon to a customer’s specifications. However, young man, you should know that to forge such a Heavy Saber, we’ll need to use Heavy Iron and Purple Copper. A Heavy Saber made from these materials will be very expensive.”

Zhaang Ye asked, ”How much Gold?”

Xia Yan chuckled. ”The amount of Gold will depend on the weight of the saber you require. The heavier it is, the more Heavy Iron we’ll need, and the higher the price. The lighter it is, the less it will cost. How about it? Shall I bring over a weapon rack so you can try some out before settling on a weight?”

Zhaang Ye shook his head. ”Make it six hundred and ninety-eight pounds.”

Zhaang Ye had settled on a weight near seven hundred pounds after long consideration. While a saber of this weight wouldn’t allow him to unleash his full power, he could still use eighty to ninety percent of it. Most importantly, carrying a blade of this weight on his back wouldn’t significantly impact his speed.

Xia Yan did a quick calculation. ”A six-hundred-and-ninety-eight-pound saber will require over five hundred pounds of Heavy Iron and over one hundred pounds of Purple Copper and other metals. The material cost alone will exceed seventy-five thousand. With the forging fee, I’ll charge you a round one hundred ten thousand Gold. You’ll need to pay half as a deposit, and the other half when you pick up the saber in five days.”

When Zhaang Ye walked out of the weapon shop, the stack of Golden Tickets in his possession was lighter by fifty-five thousand. In five days, he would have to hand over another fifty-five thousand to claim his Heavy Saber. The thought of spending nearly half of his hard-earned Golden Tickets in one go made him wince, despite his considerable wealth.

’These Golden Tickets are spent all too easily,’ he thought. ’It looks like I’ll have to find a way to earn more money...’ The further he progressed in his Cultivation, the more Zhaang Ye realized the importance of Golden Tickets. The Elixirs, weapons, and various other resources a Martial Artist required could only be obtained with them. The idea of holing up in some remote mountain forest to cultivate in seclusion was simply not viable.

Though the idea of earning money had taken root, he could set it aside for now. The Four Races’ youth ranking tournament was about to begin; Cultivation was the priority. Zhaang Ye pushed the thought of money aside and strode back toward his family’s estate.

After crossing two streets and turning into a narrow alley, Zhaang Ye suddenly caught the scent of a woman’s distinctive perfume on the wind. His heart gave a slight stir, and he called out sharply, ”Who’s up ahead? Show yourself.”

In response to his call, a young woman emerged from the far end of the alley. It was the same girl in green with her hair in two buns whom he had just seen at Xia’s Weapon Shop.

”Hm?” Zhaang Ye was slightly surprised. ”Miss, are you looking for me?”

The girl in green sneered. ”I’m here, so of course I’m waiting for you.”

Zhaang Ye was completely bewildered. ”Why are you waiting for me?”

The girl in green glared at Zhaang Ye. ”I’m waiting to give you a warning. From now on, you are not to associate with Sister Yue Mei. Don’t speak to her, and don’t try to get close to her. Also, you’re not to tell anyone what happened today. Do you understand?”

Zhaang Ye was taken aback by these bizarre demands. ’I don’t even know her,’ he thought, baffled. He said, ”Miss, we’re complete strangers. I don’t think you’re in any position to be ordering me around. As for these strange demands of yours... Hey!”

Before Zhaang Ye could finish, the girl in green produced a black Long Whip. With a sharp flick of her wrist, it struck out at him like a venomous snake.

The girl’s whip strike was quite skillful, with excellent speed and angle. But her Cultivation was only at the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer. No matter how outstanding her Combat Skill, she was no match for Zhaang Ye. As the Long Whip shot toward him, Zhaang Ye didn’t even blink, simply reaching out and snatching it from the air.

The girl tried to yank the Long Whip back, but Zhaang Ye’s strength was immense. After a few tugs, she found the whip seemed to have taken root in his hand; she couldn’t budge it at all.

”You...” The girl was shocked and furious, pointing at Zhaang Ye, at a loss for words.

Zhaang Ye chuckled, and just as he was about to question her, a voice cut in. ”Well, well, Zhaang Family whelp. Putting on quite a show of power!”

With the voice came a man in his late twenties dressed in yellow robes. He had a tall, lean build and was rather handsome, but his constantly shifting eyes spoiled the impression.

Zhaang Ye sensed the man’s aura, and his pupils constricted. Judging by his aura, this yellow-robed man was stronger than both Zhaang Changguang and Zhaang Dong. He was likely on par with even Zhaang Yizhi, the top-ranked disciple of the Zhaang Family’s Inner Sect. In other words, this man’s Cultivation had probably reached the Martial Arts Fifth Layer.

The girl in green clearly had no fondness for the newcomer. She shot him a glare and snapped, ”Lee Liang, aren’t you supposed to be preparing for the Four Races’ youth ranking tournament? What are you doing here? Have you been following me?”

The yellow-robed youth, Lee Liang, gave a dry laugh and waved his hand dismissively. ”Of course not, how would I dare follow you? I was just passing by and happened to see you, so I came over. Qing Zhi, this kid’s Cultivation is higher than yours. Let me teach him a lesson for you.”

This Lee Liang was clever with his words, successfully diverting her attention. The girl, Qing Zhi, shot a glare at Zhaang Ye. ”Fine! You can teach him a lesson for me!”

Lee Liang announced arrogantly, ”Don’t you worry. This punk is only at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer Early Stage. I could crush him with a single finger. Qing Zhi, just watch and see what a pathetic state he’ll be in!” With that, he fixed his gaze on Zhaang Ye and sneered, ”Kid, you heard me, right? Brace yourself. I’m making my move.”

*(Thank you to Layman Cuihua, Second Young Master Xie, and Meng Meng Beast for the tips. Thank you to reader 090510122535218 for the rating vote, and for the 1 vote and Kunlun Beggar King’s update vote. Thank you to all my readers for your recommendations. Thank you all!)*