Overlord of the Wilderness

(Thanks for the support, my brothers and sisters! Hehe, I wish you all a protagonist’s halo in the New Year. May you become the stars of your circles and the heroes among your peers, build great careers, and live freely and with style!)

————————————————————————————————————

Seeing Zhaang Wu’s shocked expression, Zhaang Zisong said, ”Zhaang Wu, Zhaang Yitong, this is Junior Brother Zhaang Ye. I ran into him in the forest, so we came over together. What, do you know Junior Brother Zhaang?”

”Of course we do.” Zhaang Wu pointed at Zhaang Yitong and said, ”If I’m not mistaken, the Cultivation Technique Junior Brother Zhaang Ye is practicing is the Dragon Elephant Skill. And the Secret Manual for this Dragon Elephant Skill was sold to Zhaang Ye by Zhaang Yitong!”

Realization dawned on Zhaang Zisong.

After this brief explanation, Zhaang Wu turned to Zhaang Ye. ”Junior Brother, we owe you for this one. I won’t waste words on thanks. From now on, if you ever need anything in the Zhaang Family, just come find me.”

Zhaang Yitong also thanked Zhaang Ye. However, his attention quickly shifted to Zhaang Ye’s hands. Looking at his palms, which were glowing with a faint yellow light, he couldn’t help but ask, ”Junior Brother Zhaang, have you already cultivated the Dragon Elephant Skill to the Minor Achievement Realm?”

Zhaang Ye smiled. ”More or less.”

HISS—

Both Zhaang Wu and Zhaang Yitong gasped.

With Zhaang Ye’s confirmation, Zhaang Yitong was utterly stunned. Four months ago, he had sold that incomplete *Dragon Elephant Skill* manual to Zhaang Ye. He’d even made a bet with Zhaang Wu afterward, wagering on whether Zhaang Ye could reach the Minor Achievement Realm in the technique within three years. He had only made the bet for fun back then, not really thinking much of Zhaang Ye’s chances. But he never imagined that in just four short months, Zhaang Ye would have actually cultivated the Dragon Elephant Skill to the Minor Achievement Realm. Such a cultivation speed was simply beyond belief.

Looking at their astonished faces, Zhaang Zisong laughed heartily. ”Pretty shocking, right? Junior Brother Zhaang gave me a scare at first, too. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that he could reach the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer at the age of fourteen, and even cultivate his Body Refining Technique to the Minor Achievement Realm.”

”Fourteen years old? The Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer?” Zhaang Wu and Zhaang Yitong were both startled. They sized up Zhaang Ye again, only then realizing that his Cultivation had indeed reached the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer, and he could break through to the Martial Arts Fourth Layer at any moment.

”That’s right.” Zhaang Zisong had seen Zhaang Ye’s identity token. He said, ”Junior Brother Zhaang Ye is just a little over fourteen this year.”

”This...” Zhaang Wu and Zhaang Yitong were both dumbfounded. They had originally estimated Zhaang Ye’s age to be around fifteen or sixteen, but they never expected him to be only fourteen.

Cultivation is like rowing a boat upstream; every step forward requires immense effort. For Zhaang Ye to have reached the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer at the age of fourteen, while also cultivating his Body Refining Technique, the Dragon Elephant Skill, to the Minor Achievement Realm—this terrifying cultivation speed left both Zhaang Wu and Zhaang Yitong shaken to the core.

What is a genius?

This is a genius!

Zhaang Wu came back to his senses and sighed. ”If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I really wouldn’t believe Junior Brother Zhaang is only fourteen. Junior Brother Zhaang, your current cultivation speed is almost on par with the top geniuses in Cyan Mulberry City.”

Zhaang Yitong couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, ”I tried practicing the Dragon Elephant Skill for a while, but I had to give it up. I never thought that Junior Brother Zhaang would not only cultivate the Dragon Elephant Skill to the Minor Achievement Realm, but also reach the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer in his own Cultivation. His cultivation speed might not match the top geniuses of Cyan Mulberry City, but it’s not far off.”

”Genius?” Zhaang Ye gave a wry smile and waved his hand dismissively. ’Others might think I’m a genius, but I know the truth. My Comprehension is decent, and my dedication to the Martial Dao is firm. But my actual talent is nothing to write home about. Without the Mammoth’s help, there’s no way I could have reached the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer and the 4th Layer of the Dragon Elephant Skill so quickly.’

Zhaang Ye changed the subject. ”These great geniuses you’re talking about, who are they exactly?”

Zhaang Zisong smiled. ”Junior Brother Zhaang, you’re still an Outer Sect Disciple and have only just joined the Zhaang Family, so it’s normal that you don’t know. I’ll tell you about them. Cyan Mulberry City has five great geniuses in total: Zhaang Yijian, Luo Yongsheng, Lee Lie, Zhou Yutao, and Zhou Yuhe. With the exception of Zhou Yuhe, these five all have Second-Grade Talent. They had already advanced to the Martial Arts Third Layer by the age of twelve. Now, their strength has reached the Martial Arts Fifth Layer, and they are nearly unrivaled among their peers.”

Zhaang Wu cut in, ”There are only four great geniuses left now. The youngest one, Zhou Yutao, was killed. Hehe, the Zhou Family originally had two martial arts geniuses. After Zhou Yutao’s death, they’re only left with Zhou Yuhe. The situation now is that every Martial Arts Family in Cyan Mulberry City has one martial arts genius.”

Hearing them mention Zhou Yutao, a strange expression flickered across Zhaang Ye’s face. Enough time had passed that he had long since realized the white-robed youth who died by his blade was none other than the Zhou Family’s Zhou Yutao. ’To think I actually killed a genius...’ The thought left a peculiar feeling in his heart.

The three of them continued to discuss the four great geniuses for a while. Listening to them, Zhaang Ye was secretly astonished. ’From what they’re saying, even if Zhaang Yijian, Luo Yongsheng, Lee Lie, and Zhou Yuhe are older than me, it can’t be by much—four or five years at most. They’re only a few years my senior, but their Cultivation has already reached the Martial Arts Fifth Layer. They truly live up to their reputation as geniuses.’

’Zhaang Yijian and the others may be geniuses, but I’m not weak either. My innate talent is poor, but I still managed to reach the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer in just over a year. Just give me a little more time, and I’m sure I can reach the Martial Arts Fifth Layer too.’ Zhaang Ye compared himself to the four great geniuses and reached this conclusion in his heart.

After talking for a while, the four of them went to process the carcasses of the slain Bone Spike Beasts. Zhaang Ye had contributed the most in this battle, so Zhaang Zisong and the others insisted on giving him two of the carcasses to handle, while they each took care of one.

The most valuable parts of a Bone Spike Beast are its Bone Spikes.

Bone Spike Beasts liked to gnaw on various kinds of rocks. The metals contained within the rocks were absorbed by the beasts and would accumulate in their Bone Spikes. Because of this, a Bone Spike Beast’s spikes resembled sharp Long Swords and could be used directly as weapons. If taken to Cyan Mulberry City, these Bone Spikes could also be sold for a decent price.

A single Bone Spike Beast had several thousand Bone Spikes, so there was no way Zhaang Ye could harvest them all. He settled for taking the three thickest spikes from the back of each of his two beasts, leaving the rest behind.

Even so, with the addition of six Bone Spikes, Zhaang Ye’s backpack became heavier by three or four hundred jin.

Zhaang Zisong and the others also couldn’t carry all the Bone Spikes. However, they hadn’t had any other harvest yet, so they knocked off a few more. Each of them took thirteen or fourteen spikes, tied them into a large bundle with vines, and slung it across their back.

After they finished processing the Bone Spike Beasts, Zhaang Ye, wanting to leave the outer forest of the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range sooner rather than later, announced his departure. Zhaang Wu and Zhaang Yitong were both heavily injured, and with a harvest now in hand, they had no desire to linger in the dangerous woods. After consulting with Zhaang Zisong, all three decided to travel with Zhaang Ye.