Overlord of the Wilderness

Setting out from Three Rivers Town, Zhaang Ye crossed countless mountains and rivers in just under half a day to arrive at Cyan Mulberry City. The city was as vibrant as ever, and the great Cyan Mulberry tree continued to flourish. Its massive trunk was shrouded in a hazy mist, giving it a mysterious and beautiful appearance.

Zhaang Ye transformed into a streak of green light, instantly flying to the back mountain of the Zhaang Family estate and landing atop a camphor tree. The tree seemed to have grown a little larger, its leaves exceptionally verdant. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi at its peak was so dense that reaching out to touch it felt damp.

Zhaang Ye surveyed his surroundings and circulated his Celestial River Righteous Qi slightly. A faint, imposing presence spread out in all directions, blanketing the entire Cyan Mulberry Zhaang Family estate.

The Zhaang Family Patriarch, Zhaang Chuanqi, who was arduously practicing his Cultivation inside a cave, felt this imposing presence, and his expression changed dramatically. He rushed out of the cave without even putting on his shoes, his voice deep as he called out, ”Which expert has graced the Zhaang Family with their presence? I invite you to show yourself.”

Zhaang Ye had released his presence merely to announce his arrival; he never imagined it would frighten Zhaang Chuanqi. Seeing the Patriarch rush out barefoot and with his hair in disarray, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but laugh out loud. ”Patriarch, it’s me. Calm down, take it easy.”

Only then did Zhaang Chuanqi notice Zhaang Ye. He was both shocked and delighted. ”Calm down, my ass! The moment you get back, you unleash your presence like that. I thought some expert had it in for our Zhaang Family and came looking for trouble. It’d be a miracle if I could stay calm!”

Zhaang Ye laughed heartily again.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH—

Just then, a series of whooshing sounds tore through the air on the back mountain as the nine Elders of the Cyan Mulberry Zhaang Family rushed over in unison. Their faces were etched with extreme tension, and the pressure they exuded made the flowers, grass, and trees on the back mountain crackle and snap.

When the nine of them arrived at the back mountain and saw Zhaang Ye standing atop the camphor tree, they all froze for a moment. Eighth Elder Zhaang Tianlong recognized Zhaang Ye at a glance. He let out a long sigh of relief and said in pleasant surprise, ”Zhaang Ye, you rascal! That wasn’t very kind of you! Releasing your presence the moment you return to the family—you nearly scared us old guys to death!”

Hearing Zhaang Tianlong’s words, the other eight Elders let out a collective sigh of relief, and the imposing presence they radiated slowly dissipated.

Seeing the Elders’ reactions, Zhaang Ye felt it was impolite to remain on the treetop, so he flew down to the ground and greeted each of the Elders in turn.

Zhaang Tianlong, who was most familiar with Zhaang Ye, exchanged a few words with him before immediately asking, ”Zhaang Ye, the presence you just released faintly contained a Suppression. The higher one’s Cultivation, the more terrifying it felt. What level has your Cultivation reached?”

Zhaang Tianlong’s question was the very one Zhaang Chuanqi and the other eight Elders were most eager to have answered. All ten of them stared at Zhaang Ye, awaiting his reply.

Zhaang Ye smiled faintly and said, ”My current Cultivation is at the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer.”

”Hiss!”

Zhaang Chuanqi and the nine Elders all sucked in a sharp breath. They knew that Zhaang Ye had displayed incredible prowess after entering the True Hall, becoming not only the number one of the younger generation in the Wei Kingdom True Hall but also taking first place in the Thirteen Countries’ Newcomer King Tournament. However, they only knew of his titles and had no idea about the specifics, let alone Zhaang Ye’s true strength.

To suddenly hear Zhaang Ye state his Cultivation level left all ten of them utterly shaken. Zhaang Chuanqi and the nine Elders were all individuals of outstanding talent. They had cultivated arduously under the family’s nurturing since they were young, yet even after nearly a century, they had only reached the Martial Arts Eighth Layer. Now, Zhaang Ye, someone who had once been of extremely ordinary aptitude, had actually reached the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer in such a short time. It was truly beyond belief.

After a long moment, Zhaang Chuanqi finally composed himself and exclaimed in amazement, ”The Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer... that’s only a hair’s breadth from the Half-step True Dao. Zhaang Ye, with your level of Comprehension, it won’t even take you ten years to reach the Half-step True Dao!”

Zhaang Ye just smiled faintly, offering no reply. ’I now have a large supply of Elixirs and Essence Stones, and my Meridians have become exceptionally resilient after being tempered by the Celestial River Heavenly Qi. Under these circumstances, it won’t take me ten years to reach the Half-step True Dao. All I need is a proper session of closed-door Cultivation.’

At this, Zhaang Tianlong said, ”Excellent, excellent! To think you’ve already reached the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer! Zhaang Ye, how many days do you plan to stay with the family? If you’re not in a hurry to leave, perhaps you could offer some guidance to us old guys. We have many questions about Cultivation we need you to answer.”

Zhaang Ye considered this for a moment, then said, ”Three days. In three days, I must return to the True Hall and then accompany the Sect Envoy to the Sect. During these three days, I can spend half a day explaining my understanding of the Martial Dao. After that, I will answer your questions. You can ask me about any Cultivation problems you have.”

Upon hearing Zhaang Ye agree, ecstatic expressions appeared on the faces of Zhaang Chuanqi and the nine Elders. They had been stuck at the Martial Arts Eighth Layer for a very long time, unable to receive guidance from a master and forced to rely on their own trial and error. Now, with an expert like Zhaang Ye at the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, their most perplexing questions could finally receive a definitive answer.

Zhaang Chuanqi took the lead, guiding the nine Elders and Zhaang Ye into his personal Cultivation cave. Once inside, Zhaang Chuanqi offered the seat of honor to Zhaang Ye, then sat with the nine Elders, quietly waiting for Zhaang Ye to begin his lecture.

Zhaang Ye did not stand on ceremony and took the seat of honor directly. In learning, there is no first or last; the one who has attained mastery is the teacher. Since Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation was far superior to everyone else’s, there was nothing inappropriate about him taking this position. He sat on the cushion for a moment, gathered his thoughts, and then slowly began to explain.

Zhaang Chuanqi and the nine Elders had initially harbored some doubts about Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation, but after listening to his lecture, they finally understood how exquisite his mastery was. After just a few simple sentences, all ten of them were listening with rapt attention, truly treating Zhaang Ye as a master who could impart wisdom, teach his profession, and resolve their confusion.

「Two half-days later.」

The nine Elders departed, though they wished for more, leaving only Zhaang Ye and Zhaang Chuanqi in the cave. Zhaang Ye reflected for a moment, then took out several bottles of Elixirs from his robes and handed them to Zhaang Chuanqi. ”When I was cultivating in the family,” he said, ”I received the full support of you, Patriarch, and the Eighth Elder. Here are a few bottles of Elixirs. You should find them useful.”

Zhaang Chuanqi glanced at the Elixirs, his expression filled with emotion. ”Good heavens! Two bottles of Top-grade Body Tempering Pills, two bottles of top-grade Qi Gathering Pills, and two bottles of Top-grade Calming God Pills! Excellent, excellent! With these Elixirs, I have at least a fifty percent chance of advancing to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer.”

Zhaang Ye nodded slightly. ’Zhaang Chuanqi has been at the Martial Arts Eighth Layer for a long time; his foundation is extremely solid. With the help of these Elixirs, he has a decent chance of advancing to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer.’

Once Zhaang Chuanqi had stored the Elixirs, Zhaang Ye stood up and said slowly, ”Patriarch, I have two more things to give you. Let’s go outside.”

Zhaang Chuanqi followed Zhaang Ye out of the cave, asking in confusion, ”What else do you have to give me?”

Zhaang Ye gave a mysterious smile. With a slight wave of his hand, a glistening, jade-green branch instantly appeared. Seeing the branch materialize out of thin air, Zhaang Chuanqi was utterly astonished and gasped, ”Such dense Heaven and Earth Essence Qi! Don’t tell me this is a branch broken off a Spirit Tree?”

Zhaang Ye shook his head. ”I broke this branch off my master’s Pseudo Spirit Tree. While it’s not a true Spirit Tree, it’s not far from it. If you plant it, it will slowly grow into a new Pseudo Spirit Tree. At least this old camphor tree will finally have a companion.”

Zhaang Chuanqi was both astonished and overjoyed. ”Good, good!”

Zhaang Ye chuckled, handed the Pseudo Spirit Tree branch to Zhaang Chuanqi, and then took out another verdant branch. The moment this new branch appeared, Zhaang Chuanqi’s whole body trembled. He pointed at it and stammered, ”Wh-what kind of branch is this? The aura it contains is terrifying, like a flame! Wait... this aura feels like that of a Phoenix. Can this branch be from the legendary Phoenix Tree?”

Zhaang Ye was secretly impressed that Zhaang Chuanqi had recognized the Phoenix Tree at a glance. ”It is indeed a branch from a Phoenix Tree,” he said. ”The aura on it is precisely that of a Phoenix. While the tree it came from isn’t a true Spirit Tree, the branch has been saturated with a Phoenix’s aura and has many wondrous uses. Patriarch, if you plant it, it will surely become an ideal Cultivation site for the Zhaang Family in the future.”

In the Little World, Zhaang Ye had collected several Phoenix Trees while battling the Green-eyed Golden Eagle. These trees had grown beside a branch from an authentic Phoenix Tree, and over countless years, they had become infused with a trace of an Ancient Phoenix’s aura, making them extremely precious.

The branch in Zhaang Ye’s hand had been broken off one of those Phoenix Trees. Although it was just a small piece, it was still an exceptionally valuable item.

Zhaang Ye had originally intended to take out a whole Phoenix Tree to give to Zhaang Chuanqi. However, with the Zhaang Family’s limited manpower and resources, they wouldn’t be able to properly care for it. Furthermore, a whole Phoenix Tree was too conspicuous and would surely attract covetous eyes, bringing endless trouble to the entire family. Considering these two points, Zhaang Ye had decided to just break off a branch to give to Zhaang Chuanqi instead.

A branch of a Phoenix Tree was a much smaller target and wouldn’t attract as much attention.

After handing the two branches to Zhaang Chuanqi, Zhaang Ye took a Beast Skin Book from his robes and said, ”My master is an expert at cultivating various Pseudo Spirit Trees and has summarized much of his experience. This book records some cultivation methods for Pseudo Spirit Trees. Take it and study it carefully; it can greatly accelerate their growth.”

Zhaang Chuanqi accepted the Beast Skin Book, his hands trembling with excitement. The method for cultivating a Pseudo Spirit Tree was a closely guarded secret of True Dao Experts. This was an incredibly precious gift.

Having taken care of everything, Zhaang Ye strode toward the outside. At that moment, Zhaang Chuanqi seemed to remember something and called out to him, ”Zhaang Ye, were you hoping to find Zhaang Qing and Zhaang Que? The two of them have already gone out for training. If you have a message, I can relay it to them.”

Zhaang Ye felt a pang of disappointment but replied, ”Since they’re already out training, then never mind. They were my companions in the old days. I’ll have to ask you, Patriarch, to look after them.”

Zhaang Chuanqi replied without hesitation, ”That’s no problem at all! The family will focus on their development.”

Zhaang Ye nodded, gave Zhaang Chuanqi a cupped-fist salute, and transformed into a streak of green light, soaring into the sky and heading toward the Wei Kingdom True Hall. Not long after leaving Cyan Mulberry City, he suddenly sensed an anomaly behind him. Looking back, he saw a massive, fiery-red bird with its wings outstretched, speeding toward him.

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