Overlord of the Wilderness

”My God! Mo Luo’s been knocked unconscious!”

”He won! Zhaang Ye actually beat Mo Luo!”

”Zhaang Ye is incredible! This fight was a total surprise!”

”First place in the entrance competition! Inner Sect Senior Brother! Zhaang Ye’s rise is meteoric! Everyone is going to know his name now!”

The sight of Mo Luo smashed unconscious on the ground threw the entire valley into an uproar, like a cauldron of boiling oil. The crowd erupted in a frenzy of discussion, their howls, cheers, and sighs merging into a deafening roar. The immense noise kicked up clouds of dust, making the valley thick with swirling grit as the very ground trembled, as if the world were coming to an end.

Zhaang Ye looked at Mo Luo, unconscious on the ground, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. ’Thank goodness I managed to knock him out,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, I would have had to use my Long Whip to win.’

Zhaang Ye slowly descended from the arena stage. In his presence, all the young powerhouses lowered their proud heads. By defeating Mo Luo, Zhaang Ye had secured first place in the entrance competition, becoming the Inner Sect Senior Brother for the new generation of disciples. Before him, even the most arrogant of these young prodigies had to set aside their pride.

Watching the young powerhouses bow their heads before him one by one, Zhaang Ye’s heart swelled with pride. From his beginnings in the Zhaang Family of Three Rivers Town, he had strived, struggled, and improved his strength step by step. He had finally left the Land of Divine Abandonment and entered the Inner Sect of the Green Cloud Sect. As he recalled the many challenges he had overcome and gazed at the majestic, beautiful Green Cloud Mountain range, Zhaang Ye clenched his fists. ’This is only the beginning! The road to true power is long, and I will walk it step by step, leaving everyone else in my dust!’

Zhaang Ye returned to his seat with a calm and steady demeanor, his face showing no trace of pride or complacency. This composed mindset earned the silent, approving nods of the three Sect Elders.

Seventh Elder Jin Zhongyu chuckled. ”This boy, Zhaang Ye, is quite exceptional in all regards. What’s even more commendable is his composed state of mind, which will allow him to go much further on his path. I believe he is an excellent prospect. I intend to assign Rising Sun Peak to him for his Cultivation.”

The Eighth Elder was taken aback. ”Rising Sun Peak? I’m not sure that’s appropriate. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi on Rising Sun Peak is exceptionally dense. It was the Cultivation ground of the previous Inner Sect Senior Brother, Galaxy. Although Galaxy has been missing for eighteen years and his fate is unknown, Rising Sun Peak technically still belongs to him. If we just assign it to Zhaang Ye, I fear it will stir up unnecessary controversy.”

The Ninth Elder nodded slightly in agreement. ”The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi on Rising Sun Peak is incredibly dense, allowing for extremely fast Cultivation. It’s also perfectly suited for growing all kinds of Medicinal Herbs. Many disciples are currently eyeing that peak, desperate for a chance to move there and cultivate. If we give it to Zhaang Ye, I’m afraid the other disciples won’t accept it.”

The Seventh Elder said flatly, ”Rising Sun Peak has the densest Heaven and Earth Essence Qi of any peak in the Inner Sect. It has been sitting empty for eighteen years, which is an absolute waste. The twenty-year term on it is now up. I’m giving it to Zhaang Ye. What disciple would dare object?”

The Eighth and Ninth Elders shared a wry smile. Then, the Eighth Elder chuckled. ”Very well, let’s give Rising Sun Peak to Zhaang Ye. This will certainly bring him a lot of trouble, though.”

The Seventh Elder smiled. ”Zhaang Ye is the new Inner Sect Senior Brother. If he can’t even handle a little trouble like this, he’ll never amount to anything.”

While the three Elders were speaking, the referee had already roused Mo Luo. He cleared his throat, and his clear voice carried far, silencing the clamor of the crowd. He then announced the start of the ninety-eighth round of matches.

In the ninety-eighth round, Zhaang Ye’s opponent conceded immediately. After his victory over Mo Luo, Zhaang Ye was now the undisputed powerhouse of the younger generation. No one dared to challenge his authority.

This round featured two particularly noteworthy matches. The first was Sword King Ye Cangtian versus Power King Red Cliff Celestial Ape. The second was King of Hell, Mo Luo, versus Netherworld Green Blood.

Red Cliff Celestial Ape had been severely injured by Zhaang Ye in their previous fight, leaving his combat strength greatly diminished. Faced with Ye Cangtian’s fearsome Swordsmanship, he could neither use his Body Technique to evade nor rely on his immense strength to overwhelm his opponent. Under such conditions, Red Cliff Celestial Ape lasted just over a hundred exchanges before he was defeated.

Just as the battle between Red Cliff Celestial Ape and Ye Cangtian concluded, King of Hell, Mo Luo, was just regaining consciousness. He had been slashed several times by Zhaang Ye, leaving him with extremely severe internal injuries, and his Innate True Qi couldn’t recover right away. But Mo Luo was still Mo Luo. Despite his greatly diminished combat strength, he relied on his Light Luo True Fan to send Netherworld Green Blood flying in just a few moves, securing the win.

Next was the ninety-ninth round. Once again, Zhaang Ye’s opponent conceded immediately. With this, Zhaang Ye achieved his ninety-ninth consecutive victory. His point total reached 397, making him the undisputed number one.

Shortly after Zhaang Ye stepped down from the stage, the ninety-ninth round concluded. The valley erupted in celebration as everyone turned their eyes to the rankings.

Zhaang Ye had taken first place in the entrance competition with an overwhelming lead.

In second place was Mo Luo. After defeating several top-tier powerhouses, he had won ninety-eight matches, reaching a score of 294 and cementing his position.

Third place went to Sword King Ye Cangtian. He had lost two matches and won ninety-seven, for a total of 291 points.

Following him, in fourth place, was Red Cliff Celestial Ape, who lost three matches and won ninety-six, with 288 points. Fifth place was Netherworld Green Blood, who lost four matches for a score of 285. In sixth was Fengyun Sheng, who lost five matches, ending with 282 points.

Seventh place was taken by the dark horse, Huaa Jianxiong. Wielding his Willow Leaf True Sword, he defeated a series of formidable opponents including Clouds Parting and the Sun Shining, Ancient Wilderness, Zhong Pingtian, Augustus, and Bizhi Orchid, powerfully claiming the seventh spot.

In eighth place was Blood Chongyang of Northern Qu Mountain City. With the ”Chongyang True Skill” he had painstakingly mastered, he defeated a slew of geniuses to secure his spot in the top ten.

Ninth place went to Lie Xuefeng of Eastern Snow Sand City.

And in tenth place was Bizhi Orchid of Western Star-picking City.

Clouds Parting and the Sun Shining, who had previously been ranked tenth on the power list, was shockingly pushed out of the top ten, landing at fifteenth place. With his score now a full nine points behind Bizhi Orchid’s, he had lost his chance to advance to the Inner Sect. He could only remain in the Outer Sect and wait for another opportunity to enter.

Amidst the roaring cheers, the three Sect Elders slowly flew up into the air. A faint Suppression emanated from them, quickly silencing the hundreds of thousands of spectators.

Seventh Elder Jin Zhongyu spoke slowly, ”After two days and two nights of ranking matches, the top one hundred young experts have been decided. I will now announce the names...”

After announcing the names, Seventh Elder Jin Zhongyu continued, ”Our Green Cloud Sect selects disciples based entirely on their performance in the rankings. The top ten disciples will enter the Inner Sect directly and become Inner Sect Disciples. Those ranked eleventh through fiftieth will become Official Disciples of the Outer Sect.”

Disciples ranked fifty-first through one hundredth will become the Sect’s Preparatory Outer Disciples. Only after completing certain sect missions can you become full Outer Disciples.

”Ten of you have become Inner Sect Disciples in this competition. They are: Zhaang Ye, Mo Luo, Ye Cangtian, Red Cliff Celestial Ape, Netherworld Green Blood, Fengyun Sheng, Huaa Jianxiong, Blood Chongyang, Lie Xuefeng, and Bizhi Orchid. All ten of you will receive a mountain peak as your personal place of Cultivation. The specific assignments can be found on your Identity Recognition Jade Token...”

After the Seventh Elder finished, the Eighth Elder spoke slowly. ”For those of you who did not make it into the Inner Sect this time, do not be disheartened. Our Green Cloud Sect has two paths to the Inner Sect. The first is to place in the top ten during the entrance competition, which makes you an Inner Sect Disciple.”

”The second path is to reach the True Dao Realm before the age of fifty. Any of you—Outer Disciples, Preparatory Outer Disciples, even servant disciples—if you can break through to the True Dao before you turn fifty, you will automatically become an Inner Sect Disciple! You will receive the same level of the Sect’s resources and the same degree of the Sect’s attention!”

BOOM!

Hearing the Eighth Elder’s words, the faces of the Outer Disciples, Preparatory Outer Disciples, and servant disciples in the valley lit up with joy, and a wave of excitement passed through them.

Zhaang Ye was secretly impressed as he listened to the Eighth Elder. ’Becoming an Inner Sect Disciple just by breaking through to the True Dao... the Sect’s method is brilliant.’ With such a clear goal, the Outer Disciples, Preparatory Outer Disciples, and servant disciples would surely give their all to their Cultivation and desperately try to increase their strength.

’These people are all rare talents, and most of them already have a Half-step True Dao Cultivation. If they just happen upon the right opportunity, it’s very likely they’ll break through to the True Dao. By doing this, the Green Cloud Sect can gather every genius from the surrounding hundred-million-mile radius under its banner.’

The Ninth Elder then came forward to add a few words, mostly going over some final reminders. Afterward, the three Elders waved their hands and declared the entrance competition officially over.

As he was leaving the valley, Zhaang Ye’s Identity Recognition Jade Token glowed faintly. Zhaang Ye sent his Spiritual Power into the Jade Token, and several lines of information immediately appeared in his mind.

Identity Recognition Jade Token Holder: Zhaang Ye

Status: Green Cloud Sect Inner Sect Disciple, Inner Sect Senior Brother

Current Residence: Rising Sun Peak, Inner Sect

Wealth: 10,000 Essence Stones (First place prize for the entrance competition)

Elixirs: One Innate Golden Pill (First place prize), one thousand top-grade Qi Gathering Pills (First place prize)

Zhaang Ye withdrew his Mental Power from the Jade Token and smiled faintly, murmuring, ”Rising Sun Peak? Good. I finally have a Cultivation peak of my own. Now, I’m going to break through to the True Dao in one push and become a true powerhouse!”