Overlord of the Wilderness

(Thank you to Mei Xihe for the tip, and thank you to my readers for the Recommendation Tickets. I wish all the readers of this book a happy Chinese New Year! May you have a fresh start, new ventures, and great success! Also, could I ask for some Recommendation Tickets? If any of you have some to spare, would you mind tossing them my way?)

Dozens of yards up a massive tree, Zhaang Ye had used his blade to hack out a small hollow, just big enough for two or three people. He sat cross-legged inside this little tree hole, silently recovering from his injuries.

When Ninth Senior Brother had struck him, Zhaang Ye had spun his body slightly, using the Rotating Power to deflect fifty percent of the Palm Power. The remaining fifty percent, he could only take head-on with his body.

Fortunately, he cultivated the Dragon Elephant Skill and often soaked his body in the blood of Fierce Beasts, so his physical resilience was already quite formidable. Although Ninth Senior Brother’s palm strike, powerful enough to shatter a boulder, had crushed Zhaang Ye’s sternum, it wasn’t enough to kill him.

Back in the Mammoth Cemetery, Zhaang Ye had lost count of how many times he had been injured; he already had plenty of his own experience with healing. This time, with his sternum shattered, Zhaang Ye had immediately carved out this tree hollow and begun circulating his Dragon Elephant Skill to recover.

The Dragon Elephant Skill was a Cultivation Technique that tapped into the power of flesh, blood, muscle, and bone, and it had a miraculous effect on healing injuries. Combined with the Medicinal Power of the Bone Healing Powder, it took Zhaang Ye only a day to set the broken bones in his chest. He then spent another two days slowly nurturing the mended bones and damaged meridians with his Dragon Elephant Skill.

Just then, a wisp of Elephant Power that Zhaang Ye had refined slowly traveled to his chest along with the circulation of the technique. As the Elephant Power entered his broken bones, Zhaang Ye felt a trace of warmth, and the pain in his chest subsided even more.

’Can this Elephant Power actively repair the body? This stuff is incredible!’ Zhaang Ye was both shocked and delighted. He continued to circulate his Cultivation Technique, guiding more Elephant Power to mend his body.

The Elephant Power truly lived up to its origin as the power cultivated by the Elephant Race. With its help, the injuries on Zhaang Ye’s chest healed at an astonishing speed. By the third day, he had almost completely recovered. His chest showed no signs of injury, and even a heavy punch to the spot caused no pain.

A shattered sternum, fully healed in just three days—if he told anyone, they probably wouldn’t believe it. But the proof was right there before his eyes, and Zhaang Ye was thrilled.

What excited Zhaang Ye even more was that as his injuries healed, he faintly sensed an opportunity for a breakthrough. This prompted him to make a decisive choice: he would stay in the tree hollow for another two or three days and cultivate his Dragon Elephant Skill to the Late Fourth Layer before moving on.

Back in the Mammoth Cemetery, Zhaang Ye had refined several wisps of Elephant Power, bringing him to the verge of breaking through to the Late Fourth Layer at any moment. Now, getting injured had instead stimulated those wisps of Elephant Power. Zhaang Ye didn’t even need to take an Elixir; after just two days of normal cultivation, he easily broke through to the Late Fourth Layer of the Dragon Elephant Skill.

The 1st and 2nd Layers of the Dragon Elephant Skill trained the skin. The 3rd and 4th Layers trained the flesh. Now that Zhaang Ye had reached the Late Fourth Layer, he had completed the training of his skin and flesh. At this stage, his cultivation of the Dragon Elephant Skill could be considered to have reached Minor Achievement.

Having reached Minor Achievement in the Dragon Elephant Skill, while his skin and flesh were not yet as tough as an elephant’s hide, they could now easily withstand ordinary blows. If Zhaang Ye had reached Minor Achievement before, Ninth Senior Brother’s palm strike would never have been able to shatter his sternum.

Upon reaching the Minor Achievement Realm, the skin all over Zhaang Ye’s body had surprisingly returned to its normal color, but beneath that ordinary appearance lay immense power. He casually grabbed at the inside of the tree hollow, and the hard wood crumbled in his grasp as if it were soft mud.

’This is fantastic. Now that my Dragon Elephant Skill has reached the Late Fourth Layer, not only has my strength increased greatly, but my body is also much tougher. If I were to face Ninth Senior Brother now, I might not lose even in a direct clash.’ Feeling the immense power coursing through his body, Zhaang Ye couldn’t contain his joy.

His cultivation goal achieved, Zhaang Ye no longer wanted to stay in the cramped tree hollow. He quickly gathered his things, tied the whiskers of the Long-bearded White-footed Beast and the few Bone Spikes from the Bone Spike Beast to his back, plugged the opening with tree bark, and slowly slid down from the hollow to the ground to continue his journey.

Traveling alone, Zhaang Ye felt like a fish back in water.

Although the outer forests of the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range were teeming with Fierce Beasts, they generally kept to their own territories. As long as one could detect their presence in advance, it was possible to avoid them and greatly reduce the danger. Zhaang Ye had survived in the forest on his own for some time and had also been with the Mammoths, so he had a decent understanding of the habits of Fierce Beasts. He could usually avoid them ahead of time, making his journey thrilling but ultimately safe.

Two days later, Zhaang Ye successfully arrived at the Zhaang Family’s ferry crossing on the Boundary River.

Zhaang Ye presented his identification token, which made the Steward at the crossing a little surprised. He sized up Zhaang Ye and said in astonishment, ”You’ve got some nerve, kid. A mere Outer Disciple, yet you dared to enter the outer forests of the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range, and it looks like you had a good haul.”

Zhaang Ye replied calmly, ”I ran out of Gold, so I had no choice but to take a risk.”

The Steward checked Zhaang Ye’s information, and his eyes suddenly widened. He stared at Zhaang Ye and said, ”Kiddo, you’re only fourteen?”

Zhaang Ye nodded with a sigh of resignation.

”Impressive! Reaching the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer at just fourteen—you’re no simple kid!” The Steward looked Zhaang Ye over and praised him, ”Our Zhaang Family has plenty of talented people, but there are only a few who can reach the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer by the age of fourteen. With talent like yours, the family will surely cultivate you with all its resources. Why would you still need to risk your life in the forest?”

Zhaang Ye felt a wave of frustration. ’I can’t just tell him I only have Eighth Grade aptitude and the family doesn’t value me at all, can I?’

The Steward handed the identification token back to Zhaang Ye and said, ”Kid, in another six months, it’ll be Cyan Mulberry City’s ’Gathering Flower Fruit Competition.’ During this period, all the major powers are secretly assassinating their rivals’ promising young disciples. Since you’ve reached the Peak of Martial Arts Third Layer at such a young age, if you get noticed, you could very well become a target. So, after you get back, you should just stay put in the family compound and focus on your cultivation for a while.”

Zhaang Ye asked, a little curious, ”The Gathering Flower Fruit Competition, what’s that?”

The Steward chuckled. ”Do you know why our city is called Cyan Mulberry City? It’s because there’s a giant Cyan Mulberry Tree inside the city. Every three years, this tree bears a batch of fruit, and that fruit is called the Gathering Flower Fruit. Martial Artists can use it to refine various Elixirs, and consuming it directly also has many benefits. There’s only one tree and a limited number of fruits, so the major powers in the city have their younger generation compete for them. Get it?”

Realization dawned on Zhaang Ye. ”Thank you, Steward,” he said.

The Steward smiled, waved his hand, and went back to his duties.

Zhaang Ye put away his identification token and boarded the ferry. He had just found a place to sit down when he suddenly spotted a somewhat familiar figure, and his heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.