Overlord of the Wilderness

”Hoo—” Zhaang Ye let out a long, murky breath as he roused from his meditation.

He circulated the True Qi in his body, a faint smile gracing his features. The Cultivation Technique he had comprehended from the *Tao Te Ching*, when combined with Qi Gathering Pills, was surprisingly effective. After just one night of cultivation, Zhaang Ye could feel that his True Qi had grown stronger. Barring any setbacks, he was confident he could advance to the Martial Arts Third Layer Middle Stage within a month.

Zhaang Ye stood up and looked at an empty bottle on the table, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

The bottle had once been full of Qi Gathering Pills. But after this period of use, all twenty or thirty of the pills were gone.

If he wanted to use Qi Gathering Pills to accelerate his cultivation again, he would have no choice but to buy more.

The thought that each Qi Gathering Pill cost three hundred taels of gold was enough to make Zhaang Ye’s head spin. The pills were indeed a wonderful aid, but they were simply too expensive. Even with the small fortune he had acquired in the outer forests of the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range, it was a price he could barely afford.

”KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!” A knock sounded from outside the small cabin, followed by Zhaang Qing’s voice drifting in. ”Zhaang Ye, it’s almost dawn! We need to hurry to the lecture!”

Zhaang Ye called out in acknowledgment, quickly got himself ready, and then headed out with Zhaang Qing and Zhaang Que.

Every day at sunrise, the Zhaang Family would dispatch a Disciple of Inheritance to explain the Cultivation Dao to the new Outer Disciples. This would continue for half a year, and every new disciple was permitted to attend. As for how much one could grasp, that depended entirely on their individual Comprehension.

The lectures on cultivation techniques were held beneath a century-old Agarwood Tree. When Zhaang Ye and his two companions arrived, they found the area under the tree was already densely packed with people, at least five hundred by his estimation. Among them, besides the youths from the various Branches, were many unfamiliar faces.

Zhaang Qing glanced at the new faces and explained, ”The Cyan Mulberry Zhaang Family recruits a batch of Outer Disciples every four years. Some of these Outer Disciples come from the Branches, some are from the main family, and a portion are recruited from the ranks of Loose Cultivators. These unfamiliar faces must be from the main family or are Loose Cultivators.”

As he spoke, Zhaang Qing’s expression grew solemn. ”There are over five hundred new disciples alone. When you add the existing ones, the Cyan Mulberry Zhaang Family has well over a thousand Outer Disciples. It’s no easy feat to stand out among so many and become an Inner Sect Disciple.”

Zhaang Ye and Zhaang Que both nodded slowly. These thousand-plus people had all been carefully selected, and every one of them possessed considerable potential. To distinguish oneself from among them would be incredibly difficult.

Just then, someone whispered urgently, ”The instructor is here!”

Zhaang Ye looked up to see an azure figure suddenly appear in the distance. In just a few flashes, the figure arrived beneath the Agarwood Tree, resolving into a young man dressed in blue.

Though the blue-robed youth didn’t introduce himself, all the assembled youths knew he was the one who had come to lecture on cultivation techniques. Everyone fell silent, preparing to listen to his explanation.

The blue-robed youth wasted no words, speaking slowly, ”Starting today, I will spend one month explaining basic swordsmanship and some cultivation secrets to you. I will lecture on cultivation techniques starting at sunrise and stopping when the sun is three zhang high. I will not repeat anything, nor will I answer questions. How much you are able to comprehend will be up to you.”

Having said his piece, he immediately began to lecture. ”Sword Qi cuts across like a lonely peak; wield the sword forward and back to find the true source. Contain your Qi, nurture your essence, dance like a spirit snake; a single breath of Pure Yang soars into the sky...”

The blue-robed youth first explained the basic swordsmanship recorded in *Martial Arts Enlightenment*. His understanding of the Sword Dao was profound; he could elaborate on a great number of principles from even the most basic swordsmanship. Not only did this leave the sword cultivators listening in a captivated trance, but even a saber technique user like Zhaang Ye found it fascinating and felt he had benefited immensely.

Before anyone realized it, the sun had risen three zhang high. The blue-robed youth finished his last sentence and announced, ”Time is up. We will continue tomorrow.” With that, he simply drifted away.

It was a long while after the blue-robed youth left that the young disciples under the tree finally stirred from their immersion in the profundities of the Martial Dao.

Zhaang Ye opened his eyes to see looks of sudden enlightenment on the faces of both Zhaang Que and Zhaang Qing. The auras around them had grown stronger, and their eyes seemed a bit clearer. A thought struck Zhaang Ye, and he smiled. ”You two have gained a great deal. It looks like it won’t be more than a few days before you break through to the Martial Arts Third Layer Middle Stage.”

A rare smile touched Zhaang Que’s lips. ”We’ve been stuck at the Early Stage of Martial Arts Third Layer for a long time; all we were missing was a bit of insight. Now that our minds have been opened, it’s time to advance.”

Zhaang Qing nodded. ”It’s the same for me. I must return and enter seclusion to push for the Martial Arts Third Layer Middle Stage.” With that, he and Zhaang Que departed in a hurry.

Zhaang Ye was about to leave as well when he suddenly felt a fierce Sword Qi flare out. A moment later, someone burst out laughing. ”AHAHAHA! I’ve finally had an epiphany! My *Gale Swift Sword* has reached the Minor Achievement Realm! Haha, which one of you dares to fight me?!”

At the sound of this arrogant voice, the crowd suddenly scattered. Zhaang Ye looked over and saw a youth standing atop a large rock, his long sword held at an angle. Waves of sharp Sword Qi pulsed from the blade, forcing the surrounding youths to fall back.

In the blink of an eye, Zhaang Ye realized that everyone around him had retreated far into the distance, leaving him standing alone to face the sword-wielding youth.

”Hm?” The youth stared at Zhaang Ye. ”You want to fight me?”

Zhaang Ye shook his head slightly. ”Not interested. Excuse me.”

He had turned and taken only a few steps when he heard the youth’s voice again. ”Pah! And here I was, thinking someone might actually play with me for a bit. Turns out it’s just a coward who doesn’t even dare draw his saber before running off!”

Hearing the youth’s arrogant taunt, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but frown. He paused for a moment, and just as he was about to resume walking, someone in the crowd shouted, ”Hey, isn’t that Zhaang Ye? I heard he’s the top expert from the Branches, the one who easily subdued a Black Armor Fang Beast. As the number one from the Branches, why would he retreat without a fight?”

”What do you know! That Black Armor Fang Beast was strong, sure, but it was trapped in a cage. It couldn’t use most of its strength. Defeating it was no big deal. This sword-wielding guy is different. His name is Wu Guanghai, a famous expert among the Loose Cultivators with a cultivation at the Mid-Tier of Martial Arts Third Layer. The *Gale Swift Sword* he practices is a Mid-Level Combat Skill, and he’s defeated who knows how many of his peers with it. Now that his *Gale Swift Sword* has reached the Minor Achievement Realm, his power is certainly far beyond Zhaang Ye’s. It’s not strange at all that Zhaang Ye doesn’t dare to fight.”

Zhaang Ye had no desire to get entangled with Wu Guanghai, but after learning Zhaang Ye’s identity from the crowd, Wu Guanghai was even less willing to let him go. He laughed loudly and said, ”Zhaang Ye, right? I hear you’re the so-called number one from the Branches, but you don’t look like much. How about this: just take three of my moves. If you can withstand them, I’ll let you leave. If you can’t, then you’ll follow me from now on. Carry my sword, run some errands for me. How does that sound? AHAHAHA...”

Wu Guanghai already saw Zhaang Ye as a weakling, and his words grew more and more arrogant as he spoke. No matter how good Zhaang Ye’s temperament was, this was more than he could bear.

Zhaang Ye slowly turned back and sighed. ”I don’t look for trouble, but that doesn’t mean I’m afraid of it.” As he spoke, the Thick-Backed Saber on his back left its sheath with a sharp SHING! A grim, cold Sword Qi erupted from him, blanketing the entire area.

”What terrifying Sword Qi! This Zhaang Ye’s Sword Qi is even a bit sharper than Wu Guanghai’s! What’s more terrifying is that his Sword Qi carries the faint scent of blood. This Zhaang Ye has definitely killed many people!” someone in the crowd cried out in alarm.

Zhaang Ye gave Wu Guanghai a deadpan look and said slowly, ”Wu Guanghai, was it? Now... you will receive a slash from my saber!”

As his voice faded, the Thick-Backed Saber in Zhaang Ye’s hand transformed into a ghastly white arc of light, flying to slash at Wu Guanghai!