Overlord of the Wilderness

The True Hall’s initiation ceremony was not complicated. After the Great Hall Master read the True Hall’s precepts, the disciples recited them in unison and bowed before more than a dozen portraits of the patriarchs. This completed the entrance rite, officially making them Inner Hall Disciples.

Once the entrance rite was complete, it was time to formally take a master. In front of the patriarchs’ portraits and the various Hall Masters, Zhaang Ye performed the ceremonial bow to the Fourth Hall Master. Henceforth, he was the Fourth Hall Master’s eighth disciple.

At the same time, the Second Hall Master accepted Situ Houtu’s ceremonial bow and took him as a disciple. The Great Hall Master and Third Hall Master, in turn, accepted Feng Tongming and Jiang Ailiang as their respective disciples.

Once the ceremonies were concluded, the Great Hall Master’s gaze swept across the youths as he slowly said, ”As per the rules of our True Hall, anyone who joins the Inner Hall will receive an initiation gift. You can consider it a reward for passing the tests and entering the Inner Hall.”

Hearing the word ”reward,” the faces of all the youths lit up with joy, and their eyes shone with excitement. They all stared intently at the Great Hall Master.

’The True Hall is a cultivation holy land, so their rewards definitely won’t be ordinary items. If I could get a Martial Arts Secret Manual that suits me, or some elixirs to improve my cultivation, I could save several years, or even decades, of training! I could reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer much earlier and focus all my efforts on breaking through to the True Dao!’

The Great Hall Master smiled faintly. ”This is a reward you will have to take for yourselves. As for what exactly you obtain, that will depend on your own luck and opportunity.”

”Take for ourselves?” The youths were all taken aback for a moment.

The Great Hall Master’s gaze shifted to the endless starry sky within the True Hall as he slowly explained, ”An incomplete array operates within this True Hall. It is called the Barbaric Star Array, and the stars within it are formed from 4,051 Star Luo Stones. A cultivation method is inscribed upon each of these four thousand and fifty-one Star Luo Stones.”

”Among these four thousand and fifty-one cultivation methods are three thousand six hundred and fifty Advanced Techniques, three hundred and sixty-five Top-grade Cultivation Methods, and another thirty-six of an unknown grade. You each have three attempts. What kind of technique you acquire will depend on your fortune and your strength. Very well, you may begin.”

As they listened to the Great Hall Master’s explanation, looks of astonishment appeared on the youths’ faces; even Zhaang Ye was visibly stirred. Advanced Techniques were exceedingly rare—typically, only the Patriarch of a great clan could hope to find one for their cultivation. To think that these extremely scarce techniques numbered in the thousands here in the True Hall.

Advanced Techniques! Top-grade Cultivation Methods!

Watching the stars slowly revolving overhead and all around them, the youths’ eyes filled with feverish excitement. They wished their gazes could turn into hands and snatch every last star from the sky.

However, after observing the stars for a while, their expressions turned serious. The stars moving within the True Hall appeared to be incredibly slow, yet their trajectories were exceptionally profound and mysterious, making it impossible to predict their paths. Some stars even flickered in and out of sight, their forms impossible to capture no matter how wide one’s eyes were.

The stars’ movements were so peculiar, and each of them only had three attempts. If they failed all three times, not only would they miss out on a cultivation technique, but they would also be utterly humiliated in front of everyone.

After a long moment, a youth in brocade robes stepped out from the crowd. A confident expression on his face, his body moved like a nimble bird, suddenly soaring dozens of yards into the air and reaching for a bowl-sized star.

The stars within the True Hall varied; some were surprisingly bright and as large as a bowl, while others were dim and only the size of a fist. The youths were all exceptionally clever and immediately realized that the big, bright stars must be inscribed with Top-grade Cultivation Methods, while the dimmer ones likely held Advanced Techniques.

Given the choice, anyone would prioritize a Top-grade Cultivation Method. This youth in brocade robes was no different, which is why he reached for a bowl-sized star on his first attempt, planning to seize it and claim the treasure inscribed upon it.

Just as the brocade-robed youth was about to close his hand around the star, it traced a mysterious arc, slowly slipping past his fingers and gliding away into the distance.

”Hm?” The youth grunted. Instead of falling, his body twisted sharply in mid-air as he pursued the star once more.

Normally, it is impossible for someone to change direction in mid-air with no point of leverage. The fact that this youth could do so with ease demonstrated an extremely refined Body Technique and deep reserves of qi.

Standing beside Zhaang Ye, Situ Houtu chuckled. ”That guy is Feng Zhongyu,” he said to Zhaang Ye. ”He has a cultivation at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Middle Stage and his specialty is Body Techniques. He shouldn’t have gone for that star, though. I have a feeling this attempt is doomed to fail.”

Zhaang Ye nodded slightly. ”That star may very well be inscribed with a Top-grade Cultivation Method, but its trajectory is incredibly hard to predict—it looks slow, but it’s deceptively fast. Feng Zhongyu’s Body Technique is impressive, but he won’t be able to catch that star until he understands its pattern of movement.”

As they spoke, Feng Zhongyu, still in mid-air, flashed a confident smile and made his second move. His palm shot out like a Meteor Chasing the Moon, whistling sharply through the air as it lunged for the star.

SWOOSH!

Just when it seemed he was about to snatch the star, the unexpected happened once more. As if it had anticipated his move, the star swerved slightly, changed direction, and again slipped away from his grasp.

”Ah!” The smile on Feng Zhongyu’s face froze solid when his supposedly sure-fire grasp came up empty. He had now used two attempts, leaving him with only one last chance.

With only his last chance remaining, Feng Zhongyu dared not take any more risks. Resigned, his body carved a diagonal arc to a dimmer star, where he shot out his hand and snatched it from the air.

After watching Feng Zhongyu’s attempt, the other youths realized that the stars with Top-grade Cultivation Methods were not so easily acquired. Still, they weren’t willing to give up without trying. In the moments that followed, several other youths leaped into the air one after another to try their luck at catching one of the brighter stars.

But without exception, all of them failed. Each one ended up with nothing more than a star inscribed with an Advanced Technique.

WHOOSH!

Another figure soared into the air. It was Jiang Ailiang.

Jiang Ailiang shot into the air, making a beeline for a bowl-sized star.

Jiang Ailiang’s Floating Light and Shadow Step had already reached the Great Success Realm. Unleashing the Body Technique with his full power, he moved like a faint shadow, instantly appearing beside the star and reaching out to grab it.

Jiang Ailiang was fast, but just as his hand was about to close around it, the star that had been moving so sluggishly suddenly changed direction and evaded his grasp.

Jiang Ailiang’s expression flickered. He had no intention of giving up on this star. With a light wave of his right hand, a visible stream of Ice Qi surged from his palm, enveloping the star from afar. Simultaneously, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

This technique was called Ice Lock. It used an aura of ice to lock down an opponent before delivering a thunderous attack. Pinned by Jiang Ailiang’s remote lock, the star’s light dimmed as it prepared to vanish from sight.

Jiang Ailiang knew that if the star managed to fade away, he would lose it for good, no matter how great his abilities were.

’That Zhaang Ye was accepted by the Fourth Hall Master. If I don’t get a Top-grade Cultivation Method, I’ll never be able to compete with him! This technique must be mine!’ A savage look twisted Jiang Ailiang’s features. The True Qi in his body surged wildly, and his speed increased yet again. In less than an instant, he crossed nearly ten yards, his fingers splaying wide to snatch the star from the air!

”Ah!”

The youths below let out a collective gasp as they saw Jiang Ailiang successfully snatch a bowl-sized star. Although there were hundreds of Top-grade Cultivation Methods in the True Hall’s starry sky, Jiang Ailiang was the first to acquire one.

Clutching the Star Luo Stone that the star had become, Jiang Ailiang landed on the ground, completely satisfied. Zhaang Ye looked up, wanting to get a better look at the stone, but was met instead by Jiang Ailiang’s smug and provocative glare.

Seeing Jiang Ailiang’s provocative glare, Zhaang Ye simply chuckled in amusement.

Situ Houtu chuckled. ”Younger Brother Zhaang, it looks like that fellow is quite hostile toward you. Why don’t you go snatch that star in the very center and give him a real shock?”

In the very center of the True Hall’s starry sky orbited an enormous star. It was as large as a platter and shone with a dazzling light, looking less like a star and more like a moon. Situ Houtu had considered going for it himself, but after observing its trajectory, he had quickly abandoned the idea.

This massive star’s trajectory was even more profound and unpredictable than the others, and it moved far faster. No matter how confident Situ Houtu was, he had no assurance he could catch it. That was why he’d spoken up—to test Zhaang Ye and see if he had the confidence to try.

Hearing Situ Houtu’s words, Zhaang Ye glanced at the massive star and smiled faintly, but said nothing.

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s profound and inscrutable reaction, Situ Houtu’s heart skipped a beat. ’The movement of that star is incomparably profound,’ he thought. ’Can Zhaang Ye actually be confident he can snatch it? How is that possible?’

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) and vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)