Overlord of the Wilderness

Although Zhaang Ye disliked being in the spotlight, it would have been rude not to respond after the Fourth Miss had called him out by name. He slowly stood up and said, ”Fourth Miss.”

The Fourth Miss waved her hand. ”You saved my life,” she said. ”There’s no need for such formality between us. From now on, just call me Sister Zhaang.”

Upon hearing this, the other youths finally understood that Zhaang Ye had once saved the Fourth Miss’s life. The realization filled them with a mix of shock, envy, and jealousy.

Among them, the eyes of Zhaang Yuhu and Zhaang Yang flickered, their thoughts unreadable.

The Fourth Miss, Zhaang Yumei, gestured for Zhaang Ye to step aside with her. In a low voice, she said, ”Zhaang Ye, when disciples from the Branches join the main family, they must first undergo an aptitude test and a strength test. The results of the aptitude test determine whether a person will receive the family’s support. Zhaang Ye, I’ve seen your file... and your aptitude doesn’t seem to be very good.”

Zhaang Ye began to understand. ”Sister Zhaang,” he said, ”are you saying that with my level of aptitude, I won’t receive any of the family’s support?”

Zhaang Yumei nodded. ”Those with Upper Talent are given priority training. Those with Middle Talent get standard training. But if you have Lower Talent, you’re simply cast aside to cultivate on your own. Or, you’re assigned as an apprentice in the Artifact Refining Room, the Alchemy Room, a Medicine Collection Team, or a Trade Team, with no hope of ever advancing on the Martial Dao...”

Zhaang Yumei continued, ”I know your heart is set on the Martial Dao, but your aptitude isn’t great. So, I was planning to put in a good word and have Granny Mei accept you as her disciple. That way, you can raise your Cultivation step by step and strive to reach the Martial Arts Fourth Layer Heaven before you turn eighteen to become an Inner Sect Disciple...”

By now, Zhaang Ye understood her intentions. But without a second thought, he refused her kind offer. ”Sister Zhaang, I appreciate the sentiment,” he said. ”However, I am confident I can reach the Martial Arts Fourth Layer Heaven before I turn eighteen.”

Zhaang Yumei froze, taken aback. She never thought Zhaang Ye would refuse her so bluntly. Just as she was about to say more, another voice cut in. ”Heh heh, talk about not knowing your own limits! Do you think the Martial Arts Fourth Layer Heaven is so easy to reach? Let me tell you, not even one in ten with Upper Talent can do it before they’re eighteen. For those with Middle Talent, it’s less than one in a hundred. As for those with Lower Talent? I’ve never seen a single one reach the Martial Arts Fourth Layer Heaven before turning eighteen. The vast majority are stuck at the Martial Arts Third Layer their whole lives. So, Zhaang Ye, are you *still* so confident?”

The speaker was none other than Granny Mei. The old woman seemed to harbor a baffling hostility toward Zhaang Ye, mocking him the moment she spoke.

Zhaang Ye felt no goodwill toward this old crone. Outwardly, however, his expression didn’t change in the slightest. ”I may have Lower Talent,” he said, ”but I am not without confidence.”

Zhaang Ye’s tone was placid, yet it was laced with a deep, bone-bred confidence.

Granny Mei sneered. ”Confidence? What good is confidence?! So many hot-blooded young men arrive at the Zhaang Mansion just like you, full of themselves. But a few years later, they’ve made zero progress and slink away like defeated roosters. Just you wait, Zhaang Ye. You’ll be one of them.”

Granny Mei’s words were so harsh that even Zhaang Yumei, who was standing beside them, frowned. ”Granny Mei, Zhaang Ye is not an ordinary person,” she said. ”He reached the Martial Arts Third Layer at the age of thirteen. It’s entirely possible he could reach the Martial Arts Fourth Layer by eighteen.”

Granny Mei opened her mouth to retort, but Zhaang Yumei tugged on her sleeve, and she said no more.

Zhaang Yumei thought Zhaang Ye was just being too proud to accept her help. After a moment’s thought, she said, ”Zhaang Ye, don’t be so quick to refuse. How about this: I’ll give you some time to consider. If you change your mind, come find me anytime. I’ll arrange for you to be taken as Granny Mei’s disciple.”

Zhaang Ye felt a pang of frustration. ’This Zhaang Yumei is really dense,’ he thought. ’Can’t she tell that Granny Mei is hostile toward me? If I become her disciple, that old crone will torment me to death!’

Despite his inner thoughts, Zhaang Ye remained perfectly polite on the surface. ”Thank you for the kind offer, Sister Zhaang,” he said. ”But my mind is made up. There’s no need to persuade me.”

Zhaang Yumei tried to speak again, but Granny Mei pulled her away, sneering as they left. ”Utterly hopeless! The chance to become my disciple was a heaven-sent opportunity for you, Zhaang Ye. And you just threw it away. I predict you’ll be stuck at the Early-stage Third Layer forever, never progressing another inch in your entire life.”

’In this world, there is no love without reason, nor is there hate without cause. I’ve never done anything to offend her, so why does that damn old crone keep targeting me?’ Zhaang Ye stood calmly, but rage burned within him.

He wracked his brain but couldn’t think of any way he might have offended her. A vicious thought took root in his mind. ’That old crone said I couldn’t reach the Martial Arts Fourth Layer? Fine. I’ll break through to the Martial Arts Fourth Layer within a single year and rub it in her wrinkled old face!’

Reaching the Martial Arts Fourth Layer in a single year was an incredibly difficult goal. For someone with poor aptitude, it was practically impossible. But Zhaang Ye had his extraordinary Comprehension, the *Tao Te Ching* from an Otherworld, and a large number of valuable Golden Tickets on his person. With these things, he was confident he could achieve this monumental task.

As Zhaang Ye slowly walked back beneath the century-old Agarwood tree, he was met by a barrage of hostile stares.

Apparently, Zhaang Ye’s long conversation with Zhaang Yumei had rubbed the other youths the wrong way. Assuming there was some special relationship between the two, they had each begun to see Zhaang Ye as a rival.

Zhaang Ye calmly met their stares, his eyes sweeping over the group. He shook his head inwardly. ’Fighting out of jealousy for a woman they don’t even know... their character is far inferior to mine. The Cultivation Dao isn’t just about talent; it’s also about Comprehension and temperament. With their mindsets, surpassing them won’t be difficult at all!’

The *Tao Te Ching* was profound and immense, and the more Zhaang Ye contemplated it, the deeper his understanding became. His innate aptitude might be poor, but his temperament and breadth of vision were becoming increasingly formidable, far surpassing those of the so-called young geniuses.

It was this extraordinary perspective that gave Zhaang Ye such immense confidence in his own Martial Dao and caused him to look down on this gaggle of immature brats.

Just then, the central doors of the towering building nearby swung open. A man who appeared to be a Steward emerged and shouted to the youths, ”All Zhaang Family disciples from the various Branches, enter the main hall now to begin the aptitude and strength tests.”