Overlord of the Wilderness

That night, Zhaang Ye sat cross-legged in the courtyard. Holding a tree branch, he would alternate between deep thought and practicing moves with the branch.

Beside him lay more than ten Martial Arts Secret Manuals.

In the past year, Zhaang Ye had killed dozens of people and collected as many as a dozen Martial Arts Secret Manuals. Most of these manuals were unsuitable for his Cultivation, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t learn from them.

Zhaang Ye was now using these Martial Arts Secret Manuals for reference, leveraging his own understanding of the Martial Dao in an attempt to create a new technique.

Zhaang Ye’s attempt to create a Self-Created Combat Skill was, in fact, born of necessity. The Nameless Saber Manual recorded a Saber Technique with a total of three moves, but Zhaang Ye had only obtained the first, Gentle Wind Slash; he was missing the other two. Without them, his Gentle Wind Slash lacked continuity, and its power was significantly reduced.

After his duel with Zhaang Chengtian, Zhaang Ye had gained a more intuitive understanding of Mid-Level Combat Skills. It was this direct understanding, combined with the dozen-plus Martial Arts Secret Manuals available for reference, that sparked the idea of creating his own Combat Skill.

Every Combat Skill involved force, Footwork Technique, speed, angles, and the circulation of True Qi within the body. High-level Combat Skills even touched upon the incredibly mysterious Mental Power and Willpower. The difficulty of creating a new Combat Skill from scratch was immense, which was why Mid-Level Combat Skills were so rare.

Since his memories had awakened, Zhaang Ye had gained a new perspective. He was able to analyze and deduce Combat Skills from a different angle. As he practiced with the branch, his own ideas began to faintly form in his mind.

’After using Gentle Wind Slash, the speed is sufficient, but the Saber Force is too scattered, and the Attack Power isn’t dominant or sharp enough. Also, I can’t replenish my Qi quickly enough. A skilled opponent could easily exploit the brief moment when I transition techniques to launch a counter. Therefore, the first requirement for the follow-up technique to Gentle Wind Slash must be to gather the scattered Saber Force for the sharpest possible attack. This next strike must connect seamlessly with the previous one, leaving no openings...’

Zhaang Ye practiced continuously. Before he knew it, the moon had slowly moved to its zenith, then gradually descended as a new day silently dawned...

As sunlight began to spill into the courtyard, Zhaang Chengtian appeared right on schedule.

At that moment, Zhaang Ye was sitting cross-legged, the Purple Copper Thick-Backed Saber resting across his thighs.

”Hm?” Zhaang Chengtian sized up Zhaang Ye and said, ”Zhaang Ye, your aura has grown a little sharper. It seems your Saber Technique improved overnight.”

Zhaang Ye nodded, getting to his feet. ”I’ve made some small gains and was just about to ask for your guidance, Father.”

Zhaang Chengtian said nonchalantly, ”Come, then!”

Wasting no words, Zhaang Ye waved his hand. A faint saber light flashed and vanished as a gentle breeze suddenly stirred in the small courtyard. This was precisely the Gentle Wind Slash recorded in the Nameless Saber Manual.

Seeing the Saber Force Zhaang Ye unleashed, Zhaang Chengtian nodded slightly. Overnight, Zhaang Ye’s Gentle Wind Slash had gained a hint of nimbleness. While its power hadn’t increased by much, it now had more variations, making the Saber Force harder to predict.

Zhaang Chengtian was an expert at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Late Stage and had dealt with Zhaang Ye’s Gentle Wind Slash many times. Facing the strike, he was calm and unhurried. His body contracted slightly as he jabbed out with a finger.

DING! His finger landed squarely on the back of the saber, instantly neutralizing Zhaang Ye’s Gentle Wind Slash.

Zhaang Ye’s expression remained unchanged. He unleashed his Saber Technique again, instantly executing three Gentle Wind Slashes.

Zhaang Chengtian continued to counter with his fingers. He jabbed three times, striking directly at the weak points in Zhaang Ye’s technique. His perceptiveness and ability to seize opportunities secretly startled Zhaang Ye.

If this were yesterday, Zhaang Ye would have had no real way to handle those three finger strikes. But after a night of contemplation, he had already anticipated this exact scenario.

He took a deep breath, and the Thick-Backed Saber in his hand suddenly trembled. With a marvelous technique, he gathered the Saber Force that had scattered into the air, instantly forming a domineering and sharp saber strike aimed straight for Zhaang Chengtian’s wrist!

”Oh?” Zhaang Chengtian was startled, not having expected Gentle Wind Slash to have a follow-up technique. Caught off guard, he swiftly retracted his finger and dodged to the side.

SWISH SWISH SWISH— With a single move, Zhaang Ye had forced Zhaang Chengtian onto the defensive. Zhaang Ye’s Saber Technique unfolded again, and even when Zhaang Chengtian used a Mid-Level Combat Skill, he found himself at a disadvantage, not daring to clash head-on with Zhaang Ye’s Thick-Backed Saber.

DING!

Not until more than twenty moves had passed did Zhaang Chengtian find an opening in the Saber Technique. He struck, shattering Zhaang Ye’s assault and sending him flying.

”Yesterday, you could only handle eleven of my moves. Today, you managed twenty-five and even put me on the defensive for a time.” Zhaang Chengtian looked at his son in astonishment. ”Your Comprehension is excellent; very few among your peers possess such an aptitude. By the way, that Saber Technique you just used had impressive power. Where did you get it?”

Zhaang Ye said, ”I created that strike myself. It’s the follow-up technique for Gentle Wind Slash. I call it Reverse Flow Slash, from the concept of gathering many strikes into one and launching an attack against the flow.”

”What!” Zhaang Chengtian exclaimed in disbelief. ”You actually created this Saber Technique yourself?!”

Zhaang Ye gave a firm nod.

Hearing Zhaang Ye’s reply, Zhaang Chengtian was dumbfounded. The difficulty of creating a Self-Created Saber Technique was almost unimaginable. Even though he himself had cultivated to the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Late Stage, he was incapable of creating even one move of a Mid-Level Combat Skill. He never imagined that his son, who was usually so unassuming, could actually create a saber move in a single night!

In Zhaang Chengtian’s eyes, while this saber move still had some flaws, its basic form was already established. Given time and continuous refinement, it would undoubtedly become a technique with power on par with Gentle Wind Slash. In other words, Zhaang Ye had managed to create a move for a Mid-Level Combat Skill in a single night!

What terrifyingly powerful Comprehension!

Zhaang Chengtian sighed. ”I misspoke earlier. I should say, you have the most outstanding Comprehension of anyone in your generation. With an aptitude like yours, you wouldn’t be outshone even by the geniuses of Cyan Mulberry City.”

Zhaang Ye’s disposition was incredibly steady; he didn’t grow complacent from his father’s praise. He raised his saber and said, ”This technique is still new and has many imperfections. Let’s go again.”

Watching Zhaang Ye’s reaction, Zhaang Chengtian’s estimation of him rose even higher. He sighed to himself, ’How did I never notice before? How did I not realize I had such an outstanding son?’

The two clashed again. Zhaang Ye was still sent flying time after time, but with each exchange, he continued to perfect his self-created Reverse Flow Slash. By the time Zhaang Chengtian left, Zhaang Ye was able to last for forty moves using his Gentle Wind Slash and Reverse Flow Slash before being defeated.