Overlord of the Wilderness

After the Grand Elder announced his victory, Zhaang Ye slowly walked down from the Martial Arts Arena.

Zhaang Ye still wore that same placid expression, but by now, no one dared to underestimate him anymore. The few who had previously mocked and ridiculed him had run far away, afraid Zhaang Ye would come to settle accounts.

While others fled, Zhaang Qing approached.

”You weren’t using your full strength in that last fight,” Zhaang Qing said, staring at Zhaang Ye. ”With your power, it shouldn’t have taken you so long to defeat Zhaang Yun. You could have easily knocked him off the stage, but instead, you sliced him up, cut by cut, until he was covered in blood and forced to kneel in surrender. You were toying with him, playing with him.”

Zhaang Ye coughed, about to speak.

But Zhaang Qing spoke again, ”You’re very strong. You definitely still have some aces up your sleeve that you haven’t shown. Tomorrow is the advancement to the top sixteen. I hope I get to face you then.”

After speaking, Zhaang Qing walked away.

’Say what you will about that guy, his perception is pretty sharp,’ Zhaang Ye muttered to himself as he slowly returned to his small courtyard.

The Medicinal Power in his body had been successfully refined. Zhaang Ye wanted to use some time to cultivate his Footwork Technique, the Startled Swan Step, to the Great Success Realm, and then try practicing the relevant Body Technique from the *Lingbo Triple Extremes*.

Although a Body Technique was only an auxiliary Martial Art, if mastered, it allowed one to advance to attack or retreat to defend. If a strike missed, one could retreat a thousand li. With a good Body Technique, one’s chances of survival increased dramatically.

After his memories had awakened, whenever Zhaang Ye cultivated a Martial Art, he always enjoyed studying its profound mysteries at the same time. He had already more or less fathomed the secrets of the Startled Swan Step and had a basic grasp of the essentials for executing it.

The only reason he hadn’t been able to cultivate it to the Great Success Realm before was that his body’s strength couldn’t keep up. Now that his physical fortitude had improved significantly with the help of the Medicinal Power, it was the perfect time to bring the Body Technique to Great Success all in one go.

SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH— As Zhaang Ye executed the Footwork Technique, he secretly paid attention to the changes in the footwork and the True Qi within his body. This constant trial and error was exhausting, but the rewards were immense. After more than twenty attempts, Zhaang Ye finally got the hang of it. The True Qi in his body began to circulate naturally along a specific trajectory. His whole body became like a great bird, coordinating with his True Qi to trace a perfect arc before he landed softly on the ground.

Zhaang Ye’s heart leaped with joy. He continued to circulate his True Qi, his body tracing arc after arc. He moved around the small courtyard, his speed increasing until, in the end, only a faint afterimage could be seen spinning within it.

SWOOSH! After dozens of laps, Zhaang Ye finally stopped, an inexpressible exhilaration filling his heart.

His Startled Swan Step had, at last, entered the Great Success Realm.

A Body Technique emphasizes the coordination between internal True Qi and physical posture, making it very difficult to cultivate. Zhaang Ye’s aptitude was mediocre, so being able to cultivate a Footwork Technique to the Great Success Realm in such a short time was mainly thanks to his ever-strengthening Comprehension and body.

So-called Comprehension was, in truth, just the method and angle from which one viewed a problem.

After his memories awakened, Zhaang Ye was able to see problems from another perspective. Looking at things from multiple angles always revealed something new. The same was true for Martial Arts. Relying on this advantage, Zhaang Ye constantly contemplated the profound mysteries of Martial Arts, slowly pulling ahead of his peers.

Someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Zhaang Ye opened the gate and saw his mother, Liuu Suqing, and his older brother, Zhaang Shu, standing outside.

’For these two, who I rarely ever see, to show up at the same time... something must be up.’ Zhaang Ye’s heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a respectful expression. ”Mother,” he said. ”Please, come in. Big Brother, you too.”

Luu Suqing entered the small courtyard, her expression somewhat complicated.

She couldn’t figure out her youngest son, Zhaang Ye, at all. Just a few days ago, she had believed that even though Zhaang Ye had advanced to the Martial Arts Third Layer, his combat ability would be weaker than his peers like Zhaang Shu and Zhaang Fang because he had relied on medicine to advance. But to her surprise, Zhaang Ye had stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena twice and calmly defeated Zhaang Shui and Zhaang Yun, both of whom were at the Martial Arts Third Layer.

After watching Zhaang Ye’s match against Zhaang Yun, Liuu Suqing was stunned by the techniques he displayed. She suddenly realized that since her long-neglected youngest son could master the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation and the Basic Saber Technique to the Great Success realm, he likely had other skills he had yet to reveal. In the upcoming matches, Zhaang Ye might even defeat Zhaang Que, who was publicly acknowledged as the strongest, and become the number one of their generation.

According to the Zhaang Family’s rules, the number one of a generation was to be the next Patriarch. If they didn’t want the position, they had the right to nominate someone else. Thinking of this, Liuu Suqing couldn’t sit still. She grabbed Zhaang Shu and went to find Zhaang Ye.

Luu Suqing’s feelings were a mess, and Zhaang Shu’s were just as complicated. He never imagined that Zhaang Ye, his brother with such mediocre talent, could grow so much in a single year that he could now easily defeat Zhaang Shui and Zhaang Yun.

Zhaang Shu knew Zhaang Shui and Zhaang Yun’s strength very well. Even he couldn’t guarantee victory against them. But these two powerful masters of the Martial Arts Third Layer had been unexpectedly defeated by Zhaang Ye.

There was no room for luck in a martial arts competition. Zhaang Shu realized that his supposedly mediocre younger brother’s strength had already surpassed his own. He was now ranked alongside Zhaang Que—the number one of the Zhaang Family’s younger generation—as one of the strongest.

With his memories awakened, Zhaang Ye possessed decades of life experience. One glance at his mother’s and brother’s expressions was all it took for him to have a vague idea of what they were thinking. However, he didn’t say much, only asking respectfully, ”Mother, what business brings you here today?”

At Zhaang Ye’s direct question, Zhaang Shu’s face suddenly reddened, and he averted his gaze. A flicker of embarrassment also crossed Liuu Suqing’s face. But she was far more shrewd than Zhaang Shu and got straight to the point. ”Zhaang Ye, you told me last time that you have no intention of staying in a small place like Three Rivers Town, correct?”

Zhaang Ye’s heart stirred. He had a faint idea of what his mother was getting at. ”Yes,” he replied. ”I should be able to place in the top three in this competition. Then, I’ll go directly to the main family branch in Cyan Mulberry City to continue my Cultivation.”

Hearing Zhaang Ye’s reply, both Liuu Suqing and Zhaang Shu’s expressions relaxed considerably.

”That’s good,” Liuu Suqing said slowly. ”As your mother, even though I haven’t taken much care of you, we are still bound by blood. I have a request, and I hope you will agree to it.”

Zhaang Ye was now even more certain. He said, ”Please, speak. If it is within my power to agree, I will.”

A year ago, if Zhaang Ye had dared to speak like that, he would have surely received a harsh scolding. But now that he had demonstrated his strength, not even Liuu Suqing dared to casually berate him. She looked at Zhaang Ye and said, ”Right now, the only ones in the Zhaang Family qualified to compete for the next Patriarch position are Zhaang Shu, Zhaang Fang, Zhaang Qing, Zhaang Que, and you. Of them, you have no interest in the position. As for Zhaang Qing and Zhaang Que, their temperaments are far from ordinary, making them unsuited for the role. Therefore, the only real contenders are Zhaang Shu and Zhaang Fang. My request is this: if you take first place in the competition, I want you to nominate Zhaang Shu as the next Patriarch. You must agree to this.”

’So it really is about this,’ Zhaang Ye thought. ’But even if Zhaang Shu becomes the Patriarch, with his current strength, I doubt he could keep the old-timers in the family in line. Unless... unless he has Zhaang Chengtian’s support. Otherwise, there’s no way he could suppress the Elders and Stewards...’

While Zhaang Ye was lost in thought, the expressions on Liuu Suqing and Zhaang Shu’s faces changed, turning pale. Zhaang Ye’s prolonged silence had made them nervous. They were afraid he still held a grudge against them and would refuse to help.

Luu Suqing shot a look at Zhaang Shu.

Zhaang Shu knew Liuu Suqing well. One look at her expression and he understood her meaning: she wanted him to apologize to Zhaang Ye.

Apologize to Zhaang Ye!

Zhaang Shu’s face twitched. After a moment, he finally gritted his teeth and said, ”Little Brother, I was in the wrong before. I apologize. I hope... you won’t take it to heart...”

After mustering the courage to offer this apology, Zhaang Shu’s face burned. It went from ashen to pale, then beet-red in the next instant, overwhelmed with shame.

Luu Suqing also spoke up at this moment. ”Ahem, Zhaang Ye, please forgive your older brother. He’s young and immature and might have done some things to wrong you. You’re blood brothers, after all. Please forgive Shu’er’s past behavior...”

Hearing them speak, Zhaang Ye was stunned for a moment before he understood. ’So they’re begging for my forgiveness because they’re afraid I won’t support them.’

Seeing them like this, Zhaang Ye felt a trace of gratification. But that feeling was quickly replaced by a sense of sorrow. Familial love should be the most beautiful thing in the world, yet right now, Zhaang Ye couldn’t feel an ounce of it—only sadness. He waved his hand and sighed softly. ”There’s no need for all this. Don’t worry. If I take first place, I will nominate Zhaang Shu to be the next Patriarch.”

’Although Liuu Suqing has always ignored me, she is still the mother who gave birth to me. Her blood flows in my veins. It’s a small favor I should grant before I leave Three Rivers Town. Once Zhaang Shu is established as the Patriarch, I can leave the secular world without any lingering attachments and focus on walking the long road of the Martial Dao.’