Overlord of the Wilderness

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Hearing the Steward announce the results, Zhaang Ye put away his Thick-Backed Saber and walked out of the iron cage.

Of all the youths tested, only Zhaang Ye managed to walk out of the iron cage at a leisurely pace. The others had all been viciously swept out by the Black Armor Fang Beast, leaving them in a sorry state.

Back in the main hall, Zhaang Qing walked over, gave him a thumbs-up, and whispered, ”Zhaang Ye, you’ve really brought honor to our Three Rivers and One Lineage this time! Haha, I never would’ve thought you were hiding your strength so well. You even subdued that Black Armor Fang Beast! Zhaang Ye, you truly are the number one expert of the Branches!”

Zhaang Ye shook his head slightly and waved his hand. ”I was a bit lucky this time. I can’t accept the title of ’number one of the Branches.’”

Zhaang Ye was mature and had a clear understanding of his own abilities. It was indeed somewhat of a fluke that he had subdued the Black Armor Fang Beast so easily. First, the iron cage restricted the beast’s power, giving his Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation a chance to be effective. Furthermore, the Black Armor Fang Beast had been locked up day in and day out, its wild nature all but ground away, and it hadn’t used some of its more ferocious techniques. These two factors were what allowed him to win so easily.

If he were to encounter a Black Armor Fang Beast like this in the wild, he would have been able to put up a fight, but victory would have been far from certain. After all, this beast possessed the power of the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer!

BOOM! With the final youth being slapped out of the iron cage by the Black Armor Fang Beast, the strength test was finally over.

The Stewards in the main hall gathered to discuss for a while. A rather old-looking Steward stood up and said slowly, ”Young men, the talent and strength tests have now concluded. Over the next six months, we will dispatch several Disciples of Inheritance to explain Internal Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills to you. We hope that over this half-year, you will improve in both your Cultivation and your combat prowess.”

After finishing his speech, his gaze fell upon Zhaang Yuhu, Zhaang Dahong, and Zhaang Yang. He said, ”Zhaang Yuhu, Zhaang Dahong, and Zhaang Yang, you three will stay behind. The rest of you, follow the attendant to your quarters.”

Hearing the Steward’s words, a hint of joy appeared on the faces of Zhaang Yuhu, Zhaang Dahong, and Zhaang Yang. They knew that being asked to stay behind by the Steward definitely meant something good was in store for them.

The other youths looked at the trio with envy. They understood in their hearts that from this moment on, these three would become the focus of the family’s grooming.

A youth standing not far from Zhaang Ye sighed in frustration and muttered, ”Those three—Zhaang Yuhu, Zhaang Dahong, and Zhaang Yang—all have Upper Talent. Those with Upper Talent receive special grooming the moment they join. As for those with Middle Talent, unless they perform exceptionally well or become an Inner Sect Disciple, they’ll never be valued by the family.”

Someone else spoke up, ”That’s strange. Zhaang Ye reached the Martial Arts Third Layer at the age of thirteen and performed very well in all three tests. How come even he isn’t being specially groomed by the family?”

”If your talent is poor, it’s useless no matter how well you perform,” said the first youth. ”Zhaang Ye’s talent is Eighth Grade. With talent that low, who knows how many Elixirs and medicinal herbs it would take to advance his Cultivation. The Zhaang Family is a Martial Arts Family; they have plenty of outstandingly talented people waiting to be groomed. Why would they waste their energy on someone with inferior talent?”

”Heh, it looks like even though Zhaang Ye is strong now, he’ll eventually be caught and surpassed by Zhaang Yuhu’s trio.”

”That’s a given. Unless Zhaang Ye can become an Inner Sect Disciple before he turns eighteen, he’ll never amount to anything. But becoming an Inner Sect Disciple before eighteen? Easier said than done. Heh...”

Although the two youths were speaking quietly, Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation was profound, and he heard every word of their conversation. Hearing their discussion, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh. ’It seems Zhaang Yumei was right after all,’ he thought. ’The Zhaang Family truly values talent above all else. Without it, no matter how outstanding your performance, you won’t be taken seriously or receive special grooming.’

”Look how smug those three are!” Zhaang Qing muttered beside Zhaang Ye. ”Zhaang Ye, your temperament and your strength are both far superior to theirs. I just don’t get why they aren’t including you in their special grooming program.”

Zhaang Ye shook his head slightly. ”My talent is Eighth Grade. The family would never specially groom me.”

Zhaang Qing was about to offer some words of comfort, but Zhaang Ye clapped him on the shoulder. ”If you want to advance on the Martial Dao, the most important thing is to rely on yourself. Just you wait and see. I definitely won’t fall behind those three.”

Just then, Zhaang Que suddenly spoke up. ”I believe in you. You’re the kind of person who can work miracles. If you could advance to the Martial Arts Third Layer at thirteen, you can definitely reach the Martial Arts Fourth Layer before long.”

At that moment, a disciple in green robes walked in and called out, ”Everyone, follow me. I will lead you to your residences.” With that, he turned and led the youths out of the main hall.

The Cyan Mulberry Zhang Family estate was vast. Zhaang Ye and the other youths followed the green-robed disciple for nearly an hour before arriving at a mountain behind the Zhaang Mansion. Several hundred small wooden cabins were sparsely dotted across the low hill.

The green-robed disciple pointed to the cabins on the hill. ”These are your quarters. Pick one for yourselves. By the way, basic living supplies are already prepared inside. If you need anything else, you can check out the family’s market. All right, I’m off.”

As soon as the green-robed disciple left, the youths scattered with a clamor, running up the hill to find a cabin to their liking.

For Martial Artists, a secluded residence was always preferable. Relying on his Startled Swan Step, which was at the Great Success stage, Zhaang Ye quickly found a small wooden cabin by a lake. Before the cabin was a lake a hundred zhang across, and behind it was a large boulder. It was quiet, the scenery was pleasant, and it was an excellent place for Cultivation.

The small wooden cabin was dry and clean, with the faint, fresh scent of wood in the air. Zhaang Ye looked around inside, and his gaze suddenly fell upon a Beast Hide Scroll on the desk.

Zhaang Ye picked up the Beast Hide Scroll and saw that it contained the rules of the Zhaang Family. He read for a moment, and a few rules in particular caught his interest. For example, within the Zhaang Family, regardless of talent, anyone who could advance to the Martial Arts Fourth Layer before the age of eighteen would automatically become an Inner Sect Disciple. Inner Sect Disciples enjoyed rather generous benefits.

Another rule stated that the vast majority of the Zhaang Family’s Cultivation Techniques were accessible to all. As long as one had enough Gold, they could enter the Library Pavilion and peruse any Martial Arts Secret Manual that interested them.

Furthermore, if one encountered problems in their Cultivation, they could pay to request guidance from an Instructor Elder or a senior disciple. As long as one had enough money, there was no problem that couldn’t be solved.

...

Reading through the various rules, a smile touched the corners of Zhaang Ye’s lips. He muttered to himself, ”The Cyan Mulberry Zhang Family is certainly interesting. Still, I’d better focus on raising my Cultivation to the Martial Arts Fourth Layer first. One year. I must reach the Martial Arts Fourth Layer within one year!”