Overlord of the Wilderness

SWISH! A figure dropped from the sky, resolving into a young man. Zhaang Ye focused his gaze and realized this young man was none other than the Second Hall Master of the True Hall.

The Great Hall Master gave Zhaang Ye the impression of a deep, unfathomable, dried-up well. The Third Hall Master felt like a vast, ethereal sky. This Second Hall Master, however, felt like a fiery volcano, one that seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

The moment the Second Hall Master landed, his eyes fixed on Zhaang Ye. He said with a wide grin, ”Zhaang Ye, any interest in taking this Hall Master as your teacher? Heh heh, this Hall Master specializes in the Artifact Refining Dao. If you just become my disciple...”

”That’s enough, that’s enough!” Before the Second Hall Master could finish, the Third Hall Master cut him off. The Third Hall Master glared at the Second Hall Master and said, ”Old Second, you already have Situ Houtu. Don’t you go getting any ideas about Zhaang Ye.”

The Second Hall Master laughed heartily and said, ”Old Third, you are mistaken. Situ Houtu is a genius among geniuses, and Zhaang Ye is a genius among geniuses as well. When you put two geniuses together to learn from and compete with each other, that’s how they can truly make rapid progress! I dare say, if Zhaang Ye becomes my disciple, he will absolutely advance to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer within twenty years!”

The Great Hall Master snorted at this and said arrogantly, ”Advancing to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer in twenty years? What’s so great about that? As someone who advanced to the True Dao a hundred years ago, I not only have a deep understanding of the Martial Dao, but my knowledge of the True Dao is also second to none. Zhaang Ye, if you become my disciple, your chances of advancing to the True Dao will be at least thirty percent!”

Zhaang Ye was completely stunned.

He never could have imagined that he would be favored by three Hall Masters at the same time. You have to understand, these three Hall Masters were all True Dao Experts who had transcended the secular world. Even in the eyes of Martial Arts Eighth Layer experts, the Hall Masters of the True Hall were still mysterious and unfathomable figures, impossible to even get a glimpse of.

For legendary figures like them, the line of people willing to become their disciples would probably stretch from Cyan Mulberry City all the way to the True Hall, and it still wouldn’t be long enough. Zhaang Ye would bet that even the Patriarch of the Zhaang Family would immediately abandon his family and everything else for the chance to study under these Daoist Masters.

Every True Dao Expert was a living legend, a legendary figure who had surpassed the Martial Dao. But for these legendary figures to suddenly appear today, wanting to take him as a disciple—even fighting over him—made Zhaang Ye suspect he was dreaming!

”Hmph! You three old codgers, how dare you try to steal my disciple!” A voice traveled from the distant horizon. When the first word was spoken, it seemed to come from miles away, but by the last, the voice was right above their heads!

A young man suddenly appeared before Zhaang Ye. This young man was none other than the Fourth Hall Master of the True Hall.

Also a Daoist Master, the Fourth Hall Master looked burly and strong; his every movement was exceptionally steady and solid. He gave Zhaang Ye the impression of a great mountain.

With a hint of anger on his face, the Fourth Hall Master glared at the Great, Second, and Third Hall Masters, saying, ”You old codgers, sneaking over here to snatch my disciple without a word. That’s just low!”

The Third Hall Master gave a dry laugh and said, ”Old Fourth, you’re wrong about that. Zhaang Ye hasn’t taken a master yet, so how is he your disciple?”

The Great Hall Master and the Second Hall Master both looked a little awkward. They didn’t speak, but they both nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with the Third Hall Master’s point.

The Fourth Hall Master snorted coldly and said, ”Zhaang Ye is from the Three Western Counties, so of course he’s my disciple. Talent is scarce in my Three Western Counties. We’ve finally produced a disciple with potential, so don’t even think about poaching him.”

The Third Hall Master chuckled and said, ”Old Fourth, while Zhaang Ye may be from the Three Western Counties, his current status is that of an Inner Hall Disciple. According to the rules of our True Hall, a Hall Master can accept any Inner Hall Disciple as their own. Zhaang Ye has good Comprehension, and my Alchemy Dao is perfectly suited for those with high Comprehension. Therefore, it couldn’t be more fitting for Zhaang Ye to become my disciple...”

The Second Hall Master spoke up, ”Old Third, Zhaang Ye has great potential. His goal should be to break through to the True Dao and become a True Dao Expert. If he follows you to practice Alchemy, he’ll be led astray. My Artifact Refining Technique allows one to raise their Cultivation while refining artifacts. It’s most suitable for Zhaang Ye to become my disciple.”

The Great Hall Master waved his hand dismissively. ”Old Second, your Artifact Refining Technique is a minor path, not worth mentioning. Old Third, your Alchemy Technique is also a minor path, also not worth mentioning. My Cultivation is the most profound, and my comprehension of the True Dao is the greatest. Following me would be most beneficial for Zhaang Ye’s future Cultivation.”

The Hall Masters spoke one after another, making Zhaang Ye’s head spin. He truly couldn’t understand why he had earned the favor of several Hall Masters, each promising him immense benefits and fighting to take him as a disciple.

Hearing the three Hall Masters trying to snatch the disciple one by one, the Fourth Hall Master finally grew angry. He glared at the three of them and said, ”You three old codgers are all talk. I can’t be bothered to argue with you. Zhaang Ye is from the Three Western Counties, so no matter what, he should be my disciple. You three old codgers, if you want to snatch a disciple from my hands, you’ll have to defeat me first!”

As he spoke, he pulled Zhaang Ye over, his figure flickered slightly and instantly vanished from the spot.

The Great, Second, and Third Hall Masters were all stunned to see the Fourth Hall Master grab Zhaang Ye and run. After a long moment, the Third Hall Master said with a wry smile, ”Old Fourth’s temper is as crude as ever! The old boy couldn’t win the argument, so he just snatched him and ran. That’s the behavior of a bandit!”

The Second Hall Master sighed softly. ”After all that talk, Old Fourth just snatched Zhaang Ye away. A pity, a real pity.” As he said this, he glanced down at the steps and chuckled again. ”Fortunately, I still have Situ Houtu. Heh heh, even if Situ Houtu can’t compare to Zhaang Ye, he’s still a once-in-five-hundred-years genius. There’s still a good deal of hope for him to advance to the True Dao...”

Just then, the Second Hall Master noticed that the Great Hall Master’s and the Third Hall Master’s gazes had also turned toward the steps.

The Second Hall Master’s heart skipped a beat. He flew over, grabbed Situ Houtu who had just finished climbing the steps, and laughed heartily, ”You two can forget about getting any ideas about him!”

As he spoke, his figure flashed and appeared in midair the next moment.

Situ Houtu had just barely passed the third trial and hadn’t even had a chance to catch his breath when he was immediately snatched into the air. The whistling wind rushed into his mouth and nose, filling his stomach and making him so uncomfortable he almost threw up.

...

As the Fourth Hall Master flew with him in tow, Zhaang Ye could only feel the strong wind whistling past his ears. The scenery below flew backward, their speed far faster than any bird’s.

After flying for nearly an hour, the Fourth Hall Master brought Zhaang Ye to a stop atop a massive tree.

The tree was thousands of feet tall. Its trunk was thicker than a small mountain, and its bark resembled slabs of rock, shimmering with a strange luster. The trunk was massive, and the branches were unusually large as well—so large that ten Mammoths could run across them with room to spare. Besides its size, Zhaang Ye also noticed that the giant tree’s leaves were very peculiar.

Each leaf was wreathed in mist and clouds and was an astonishingly vibrant green, like a layer of emerald clouds. Just a few glances at them was an exceptionally pleasing sight.

The Fourth Hall Master led Zhaang Ye to a rustic wooden house nestled within the giant tree.

It was only then that Zhaang Ye realized the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi inside the wooden house was incredibly dense and pure. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi had actually condensed into wisps of green mist visible to the naked eye, so tangible you could reach out and touch them!

’Such dense and pure Heaven and Earth Essence Qi!’ Zhaang Ye gasped, seeing the strange sight of the green mist swirling within the wooden house. He tried circulating his Cultivation Technique and felt the wisps of green mist flow like water into his Meridians, then into his Dantian, where they were rapidly refined into True Qi. In just the blink of an eye, Zhaang Ye felt his internal True Qi increase slightly. That rate of Cultivation was even faster than consuming an Elixir!

”Hahahaha!” the Fourth Hall Master laughed loudly. ”This is a great place, isn’t it?”

Zhaang Ye nodded emphatically. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi inside this wooden house was far denser than what was under the camphor tree at the Zhaang Family estate. If he could stay here in seclusion to cultivate for a long time, his Cultivation would surely advance by leaps and bounds. Reaching the Martial Arts Sixth Layer before the age of twenty would be no problem at all.

Taking a deep breath of the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, Zhaang Ye asked, ”Fourth Hall Master, could this tree be a legendary Spirit Tree?”

A trace of regret appeared in the Fourth Hall Master’s eyes. ”This tree is not a Spirit Tree. A true Spirit Tree can only grow and survive in a place with abundant Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. Although my True Hall Peak is a rare sacred ground for Cultivation, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here is very scarce. A Spirit Tree cannot grow in this environment...”

’A giant tree thousands of feet tall, and it still wasn’t a Spirit Tree!’ Zhaang Ye was secretly shocked. He couldn’t imagine what a real Spirit Tree would be like.

Seemingly sensing Zhaang Ye’s shock, the Fourth Hall Master chuckled and said, ”This tree of mine can gather the purest Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, and can even draw in a trace of Spiritual Qi. Cultivating within it has all sorts of benefits. Its Spirituality is far greater than that of the Cyan Mulberry Tree in your Cyan Mulberry City.

”But it still doesn’t count as a Spirit Tree. On a true Spirit Tree, every leaf and every branch can gather Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. If you cultivate beneath one, your Cultivation will advance a thousand miles in a single day. Its flowers and fruits also have all sorts of miraculous uses. It’s just a pity that Spirit Fruits are extremely rare; even True Dao Experts have a hard time obtaining them.”

After talking about Spirit Trees, the Fourth Hall Master suddenly chuckled, looked at Zhaang Ye, and said, ”Zhaang Ye, you must find it very strange that us old codgers are all fighting to take you as a disciple, don’t you?” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)