Overlord of the Wilderness

Zhaang Ye wasn’t particularly proud after kicking Lee Qi off the Martial Arts Arena. He knew very well that Lee Qi was too reliant on that snake. The moment Zhaang Ye killed it, Lee Qi’s combat prowess plummeted, and he was kicked off the Martial Arts Arena within a few short moves.

This also served as a silent warning to Zhaang Ye. ’External power can be utilized, but not depended on. If I blindly rely on external power, I’m destined to never achieve anything truly great.’

Zhaang Ye’s match ended relatively early, while the other groups were still fighting fiercely. With nothing else to do, Zhaang Ye stopped to watch more than ten matches, which greatly broadened his horizons.

These people were truly the elites of their respective families. The various methods they used during their fights were dazzling, and some of their killing techniques left even Zhaang Ye secretly astonished.

For example, a True Disciple from the Luo Family wore a pair of semi-transparent gloves. With these gloves, he could directly grab his opponent’s weapon. If an opponent wasn’t careful for even a moment, they would be immediately defeated.

Another example was Lee Yan. The Body Refining Technique he cultivated was extremely formidable, and he had a set of Combat Skills to complement it. When his Body Refining Technique and Combat Skills were combined, his power in close combat was astonishingly great. Any part of his body, any muscle, could become a weapon to launch an attack, making him seem bizarre and unpredictable.

Then there was Zhou Yuhe of the Zhou Family. His Wave Riding Palm Technique had already reached the realm of Mastery. When he used it with his full power, he could actually draw the Water Qi from the air, causing it to gather on the Martial Arts Arena. This dense Water Qi obstructed his opponent’s vision and left them disoriented, while he himself was like a fish in water, unleashing all sorts of attacks from within the mist.

Recently, Zhaang Ye had won one victory after another and was basically unrivaled among his peers. Although Zhaang Ye had a calm and steady disposition, a trace of restlessness had still begun to grow in his heart. After watching the fighting styles of the various True Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples, Zhaang Ye’s expression slowly grew solemn, and that trace of restlessness was quickly tossed to the far ends of the heavens.

After watching a dozen or so more matches, by the time the thirteenth one began, someone who greatly interested Zhaang Ye stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena.

This person was none other than Lee Lie.

Zhaang Ye was a saber user, and Lee Lie was one as well. Furthermore, both of them had cultivated the Gentle Wind Slash to the Great Success Realm.

Zhaang Ye knew that the Nameless Saber Manual recorded a total of three Saber Techniques. As a saber-wielding Martial Artist, Zhaang Ye greatly hoped that Lee Lie would execute the latter two techniques for him to see.

At this moment, Lee Lie’s opponent also stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena. His opponent was a True Disciple from the Luo Family. The aura around him was powerful and heavy; he was a master with Martial Arts Fifth Layer Cultivation.

Lee Lie leisurely waited for his opponent to get into position, then casually raised three fingers and said, ”Three slashes. I only need three slashes. If you can withstand my three slashes, I will immediately admit defeat and leave the stage.”

That True Disciple from the Luo Family snorted angrily and said, ”What arrogance! Lee Lie, don’t think you can look down on everyone just because you’re one of the top ten masters of the Younger Generation. This time, I, Luo Zhongliu, will be sure to teach you a lesson!”

As he spoke, Luo Zhongliu suddenly flicked his hand. A faint shadow flew into midair and, with a soft HISS, transformed into a huge silk net that descended upon Lee Lie.

’Hm? Interesting.’ Seeing Luo Zhongliu use a silk net against Lee Lie, Zhaang Ye became even more interested in this fight. The saber is the hegemon among weapons, invincible with its horizontal chops and vertical slashes. But all weapons have weaknesses. The saber’s weakness is that it is too fierce and unyielding, and its blade is too short. Against some soft and pliable weapons, it would be subject to all sorts of restrictions, its movements fettered.

The silk net that Luo Zhongliu released had an extremely large attack range once it unfolded. The net itself was soft and yielded to force, so trying to break through it with just a saber would be impossible without a certain level of skill.

Zhaang Ye watched as a cold smile touched the corner of Lee Lie’s lips. He suddenly said in a low voice, ”First slash!”

Following his voice, Lee Lie’s long saber was suddenly raised and swept gently above his head. With this sweep, a seven- or eight-foot-long burst of Saber Qi erupted from the Blade Tip, forcefully striking the silk net in the air and knocking it upward, revealing a large opening.

Watching this slash from below the stage, Zhaang Ye nodded to himself. Lee Lie truly deserved his rank as third among the ten great young masters of Cyan Mulberry City. That seemingly casual sweep just now was actually the opening move of the Gentle Wind Slash. When the Gentle Wind Slash is executed, a gentle wind spreads out. But when Lee Lie executed it with his tyrannical Cultivation, what spread out was not a gentle wind, but a fierce Saber Qi. This Saber Qi contained immense power, forcefully tearing open Luo Zhongliu’s silk net.

Luo Zhongliu was slightly startled to see his silk net so easily torn open. His net was woven from specially made Silk of the Celestial Silkworm, each thread as fine as a hair and yielding to all force. After obtaining this Celestial Silkworm Net, Luo Zhongliu had practiced with it almost every day. Under the control of his True Qi, it was exceptionally agile. In the past, once his opponents were ensnared by the net, they couldn’t escape even if they had the power to uproot mountains. He never expected that a casual slash from Lee Lie could actually tear an opening in his net.

Luo Zhongliu wasn’t too flustered that an opening had been torn in his net. He had cultivated with this Celestial Silkworm Silk Net for many years and had long since reached a point where it moved like an extension of his own limbs. With a light shake of his arm, the entire Celestial Silkworm Net suddenly contracted, swooping down toward Lee Lie.

The Celestial Silkworm Silk Net contracted at an extreme speed. The instant it shrank, even Zhaang Ye, standing below the stage, could hear a sharp whistling sound. Judging by its power, even a boulder caught by the net would likely be crushed to dust.

The Celestial Silkworm Silk Net descended with great speed. Just as it seemed Lee Lie was about to become a fish in the net, he let out a soft shout, ”Second slash!” As soon as the words left his lips, a bright moon suddenly rose from within the net!

This bizarrely rising bright moon made Zhaang Ye’s eyes narrow slightly. He knew in his heart that this saber technique was definitely the second of the Saber Techniques recorded in the Nameless Saber Manual! This incredibly dazzling bright moon was, in fact, the light of the saber blade, erupting forth as Lee Lie unleashed his Saber Technique with all his might!

After getting a clear look at Lee Lie’s Saber Technique, Zhaang Ye’s eyes first narrowed slightly, then he broke into a small smile. It turned out that the Reverse Flow Slash Zhaang Ye had created himself was surprisingly similar to the Saber Technique Lee Lie had just executed. Both were saber arts that condensed a hundred slashes into one for a single, tyrannical strike.

Seeing Lee Lie execute this Saber Technique, Zhaang Ye knew that Luo Zhongliu’s defeat was certain.

*A bright moon emerges from the Heavenly Mountains, amidst a boundless sea of clouds.* Once the bright moon appears, even the thickest clouds are pierced by its light. And when the bright moon formed by Lee Lie’s long saber appeared, the Celestial Silkworm Silk Net was immediately and forcefully torn open by this tyrannical strike.

The Celestial Silkworm Silk was incredibly resilient and feared neither sword nor saber, yet when Lee Lie’s Saber Technique was unleashed, it was torn open. From this, one could see just how powerful Lee Lie’s slash was.

After tearing an opening in the Celestial Silkworm Net, Lee Lie let out a soft shout, ”Third slash!”

Following his voice, the saber in his hands suddenly transformed into a sky full of gentle wind, blowing toward every part of Luo Zhongliu’s body.

A trace of admiration appeared in Zhaang Ye’s eyes. After executing the second slash, Lee Lie had immediately followed up with the first slash, the Gentle Wind Slash. The transition between the two was so seamless and natural that even Zhaang Ye couldn’t find a single flaw.

Luo Zhongliu tried to abruptly retract his Celestial Silkworm Net to form a barrier in front of him and block Lee Lie’s Saber Force. But Lee Lie had struck first and held the initiative. His saber was a fraction faster than the Celestial Silkworm Net. Before Luo Zhongliu could even pull his net back, Lee Lie’s saber, carried by the gentle wind, had already reached him.

With no other choice, Luo Zhongliu could only flicker and reappear ten feet away. Even his Celestial Silkworm Net had been torn, so he knew he was no match for Lee Lie. However, Lee Lie had made his boast earlier. As long as he could evade this one slash, then even if Lee Lie defeated him afterward, Lee Lie would still have lost the bet.

Luo Zhongliu’s plan was good, but Lee Lie wasn’t about to give him the chance. He didn’t retract his Gentle Wind Slash. Instead, coordinating it with a wondrous Footwork Technique, he suddenly pressed forward, sticking close behind Luo Zhongliu.

After retreating ten feet, Luo Zhongliu found himself at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena. As Lee Lie pressed forward with his Gentle Wind Slash, Luo Zhongliu was completely unable to cope. Left with no choice, he leaped off the Martial Arts Arena.

Throughout the entire match, Lee Lie had started second but gained the upper hand, using only three slashes to force Luo Zhongliu, a cultivator at the Early Stage of the Martial Arts Fifth Layer, off the Martial Arts Arena, giving him no chance at all. This level of strength earned slight, appreciative nods from the nearby referees. As for the disciples watching from below, a look of dread appeared in every one of their eyes.

After waiting for the referee to announce his victory, Lee Lie’s gaze swept across the area below the Martial Arts Arena and fixed on Zhaang Ye. He chuckled and said, ”Zhaang Ye, you’re a saber user too. Do you dare come up here and fight me?”

Zhaang Ye’s heart leaped when he heard Lee Lie actively challenge him. He had only seen two of Lee Lie’s saber techniques; he had yet to witness the third. Fighting this person would not only allow him to see the third slash, but also to gauge the strength of the master ranked third among the top ten experts of the younger generation.

Just as Zhaang Ye was pondering the offer, a referee frowned and said, ”Private duels are forbidden during the Four Races’ Young Masters Ranking Tournament. This Martial Arts Arena is still in use. Lee Lie, get off the stage now!”

Left with no choice, Lee Lie could only walk off the Martial Arts Arena.

Zhaang Ye then noticed that the referee who had just spoken was a Steward from the Zhaang Family. ’He must have been afraid that I’m no match for Lee Lie, so he spoke up to interrupt the challenge.’

Zhaang Ye gave the Steward a slight nod to show his thanks, thinking to himself, ’I’m afraid a battle between Lee Lie and me is inevitable. I hope it comes sooner rather than later.’

As he was thinking this, Zhaang Ye suddenly sensed something and looked up at Lee Lie, only to see Lee Lie looking up at him at the same time. Their gazes clashed in midair, and both saw the intense fighting spirit in the other’s eyes.