Overlord of the Wilderness

「Five days later.」

Zhaang Ye strode out of the Wind Cave, a hint of joy on his face. Wisps of airflow swirled around his body, and he looked as though he might rise with the wind and soar for a thousand miles.

Over the past five days, Zhaang Ye had finally managed to completely fuse the Dragon Elephant Skill with the Cloud Stepping Technique, cultivating the latter to the Great Success Realm. With his Cloud Stepping Technique at the Great Success Realm, not only was Zhaang Ye considerably faster, but he also gained a deeper understanding of the third move of his self-created Saber Technique. His combat power had increased by a small notch compared to five days ago.

Now that his Cloud Stepping Technique had reached Great Success, Zhaang Ye’s Attack Power had surged. He was now confident that he could slay any opponent he forced onto the defensive, even if their own Body Technique had reached the Great Success Realm. It would not be a repeat of that night with the man in black, who had clearly suppressed him with his Saber Technique but was ultimately unable to finish him off.

Zhaang Ye strode away from the clan grounds and headed to Xia’s Weapons. He needed to retrieve his Heavy Saber. He would use the remaining twenty-five days to continue his comprehension of the mysteries behind the Rotating Power and the Dissolving Power, and to create the third move of his Saber Technique.

As he approached Xia’s Weapons, while still outside the entrance, Zhaang Ye heard Xia Yan’s aged voice. ”Young Master Lee, I am truly sorry. This saber was custom-made for a customer. He’s already paid half in cash, so it is spoken for. Therefore, we absolutely cannot sell it.”

An impatient voice piped up. ”Shopkeeper, my older brother wants it, so just sell it to him! Big deal. You can just forge a new one later.”

Hearing this voice, a strange expression crossed Zhaang Ye’s face. He muttered to himself, ’Well, well. He recovered so quickly? Looks like I went too easy on him...’

Xia Yan’s voice rang out again. ”This saber was forged from several hundred pounds of Heavy Iron and over a hundred pounds of Purple Copper. My little shop doesn’t have enough materials to forge another one. What’s more, today is the scheduled day for the customer to pick it up. Even if I had the materials, I couldn’t possibly forge another Heavy Saber right away. So, we cannot sell this one. Young masters, please feel free to look at our other sabers.”

Zhaang Ye strode into the weapon shop. Near a weapons rack in the left corner stood the shop owner, Xia Yan, along with Lee Liang and a burly, short-haired man also dressed in yellow.

Lee Liang was still dressed in yellow, his face pale. His clothes seemed to bulge oddly, and his right arm was in a sling looped around his neck. The strong scent of medicine wafted from him, noticeable even from a distance.

The burly, short-haired man in yellow standing beside Lee Liang caught Zhaang Ye’s attention. This man’s aura was even denser and more powerful than Lee Liang’s; it seemed his strength was also a cut above his brother’s. At that moment, the man was holding a dark Thick-Backed Saber, giving it a few practice swings.

The seemingly immense Thick-Backed Saber whistled as he swung it, a testament to his incredible power. As he made a few mock cuts through the air, the burly man said, ”Shopkeeper, this saber’s quite heavy, but it’s perfect for my strength training. Do you happen to know who ordered it?”

Before Xia Yan could answer, Lee Liang suddenly saw Zhaang Ye. His jaw dropped wide open. He lifted his left hand to point at Zhaang Ye, his eyes spewing fire as he snarled, ”You! How dare you show your face to me again!”

Zhaang Ye glanced at him and spat out a single word: ”Loser!”

”You...” Rage flared in Lee Liang’s heart. His face flushed crimson, his eyes turned bloodshot, and his teeth ground together audibly, making him look like an enraged Fierce Beast.

Seeing Zhaang Ye enter, Xia Yan gave him a nod, a flicker of worry in his eyes. ’It seems there’s bad blood between this Zhaang Ye and Lee Liang, and now Lee Liang’s older brother has taken a fancy to this Heavy Saber. In a situation like this, it won’t be easy for Zhaang Ye to retrieve his blade.’

Just as he thought, Lee Liang’s reaction seemed to clue in the burly, short-haired man. He turned his gaze on Zhaang Ye, his cold, emotionless eyes studying him for a moment before he spoke slowly, ”Five days ago, were you the one who injured my little brother?”

A small smile played on Zhaang Ye’s lips as he replied nonchalantly, ”The other day, some clueless fellow decided to provoke me. I defeated him in a single move.”

”You... GRIND...” Lee Liang pointed at Zhaang Ye, his teeth and fists clenched so tightly they audibly creaked. He was so furious his entire body trembled.

Lee Liang’s expression was utterly savage, but Zhaang Ye didn’t even deign to look at him.

The burly man’s eyes were fixed on Zhaang Ye. ”You have a sharp tongue,” he said grimly. ”I hope your skills can back it up.”

Zhaang Ye’s gaze met the burly man’s. The man’s eyes were icy cold, like a winter gale or unmelted snow. In stark contrast, Zhaang Ye’s gaze was calm and composed. It held no aggression, yet it was like a spring breeze that effortlessly dissipated the frigid intent in the other man’s eyes, leaving him completely unaffected.

The eyes are the windows to the soul, and a battle of gazes is a duel of presence.

Lee Liang was shocked that his brother’s powerful presence was unable to overwhelm Zhaang Ye. Even Xia Yan, who had been standing silently to the side, was secretly amazed.

Unable to gain an advantage with his presence alone, the only option left was a physical contest. The burly man placed the saber back on the rack, then extended a hand toward Zhaang Ye. He stared coldly, his eyes filled with challenge.

Both Xia Yan and Lee Liang knew he was challenging Zhaang Ye.

The Dragon Elephant Skill Zhaang Ye cultivated was all about raw power; he had never feared anyone in a contest of strength. Seeing the burly man extend his hand, Zhaang Ye sneered inwardly. He reached out and gripped the man’s offered hand.

”CRACK—”

The instant their hands clasped, both men exerted their strength in unison. A series of pops and cracks, like soybeans bursting in a hot pan, erupted from their knuckles and bones.

The burly man possessed Innate Divine Strength, and his Cultivation had reached the Martial Arts Fifth Layer. As he squeezed, power surged from him like a collapsing mountain, enough to crush a block of solid iron.

Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Skill had reached the 5th Layer. The power circulating within him was fused with the Elephant Power of a Six-Threaded Ancient Mammoth. His arms possessed the strength of tens of thousands of pounds; even a casual squeeze could exert thousands of pounds of force.

As they both applied force, each was inwardly shocked by the other’s unexpected, tyrannical strength. A moment later, they both instinctively increased the pressure, intending to shatter the other’s hand.

”SZZT!”

The immense force caused their palms to grind together, creating wisps of smoke. The smell of burning flesh began to drift from between their hands.

Lee Liang and Xia Yan stared intently at the pair. After a moment, they saw that while Zhaang Ye’s face remained impassive, the burly man’s face was turning red, and beads of sweat began to drip from his brow.

”This...” Lee Liang was dumbfounded. ’I can’t believe it. My brother has Innate Divine Strength and his Cultivation is at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer, but he’s losing to Zhaang Ye in a contest of raw power!’

A moment later, the burly man’s entire body began to sweat. It poured from him like a fountain, drenching his clothes in an instant. DRIP, DRIP, DRIP. The falling drops of sweat soon formed a puddle on the floor.

The burly man felt that he had used every last ounce of his strength, straining every tendon and every inch of muscle in his body, yet he was still no match for Zhaang Ye. In fact, Zhaang Ye’s grip was only growing tighter. The man’s bones began to groan under the pressure, threatening to shatter at any moment.

The escalating pain forced the burly man to make a choice. He opened his mouth and, with great difficulty, managed to say, ”Sir... I concede.”

A flicker of regret crossed Zhaang Ye’s eyes as he slowly released his grip. He pulled his hand back, revealing a palm that was scorched black and gave off the faint scent of cooked meat. The burly man’s hand was in far worse shape. Not only was it also blackened, but a large patch of skin and flesh had been completely ground away from his palm and fingers, exposing the bone beneath.

The burly man gave Zhaang Ye one last, deep look, then silently grabbed Lee Liang and strode out. Only after they had left the weapon shop and walked for several dozen yards did Lee Liang speak, his voice filled with disbelief. ”Brother, that guy... he was way too powerful, wasn’t he?”

The burly man was panting heavily, and it took him a long moment to catch his breath. He spoke slowly. ”I possess Innate Divine Strength, and my Cultivation has reached the Early Stage of the Martial Arts Fifth Layer. I can typically hold my own against someone who has mastered an ordinary Middle-Level Body Refining Technique. But that man’s Cultivation Technique is freakishly powerful. If I hadn’t conceded when I did, he would have drained all of my True Qi and stamina and crushed my hand to dust. His power is terrifying. Challenging him to a contest of strength is suicide. I completely underestimated him.”

Lee Liang gasped. ”Don’t tell me he’s cultivating an Advanced Body Refining Technique,” he said, horrified. ”Those are incredibly rare and notoriously difficult to practice. He doesn’t look old enough. How could he possibly have succeeded?”

A puzzled expression crossed the burly man’s face. ”I find it hard to believe myself. But judging by the power he displayed, his Cultivation Technique is vastly superior to any ordinary Middle-Level Body Refining Technique.”

Lee Liang thought for a moment before stating firmly, ”Advanced Body Refining Techniques are incredibly hard to come by. Even if you find one, it takes decades to reach the Great Success Realm. That guy is only in his teens; there’s no way he could have mastered an Advanced Body Refining Technique. In my opinion, he must have consumed some kind of Celestial and Earthly Treasure. There are countless Medicinal Herbs in the world, some of which can grant a massive boost in strength. He must have eaten one of those to have such power.”

The burly man nodded slightly. ”That’s a possibility.”

Lee Liang gritted his teeth. ”I can’t believe he’s even stronger than you. I just hope we don’t run into him at the tournament for the young experts of the Four Races in twenty-five days. If we do, we’ll have no choice but to surrender.”

”Surrender?” The burly man shook his head. ”We don’t need to be that afraid of him. Fights aren’t won by strength alone. In a contest of pure power, I’m no match for him. But when it comes to Saber Technique, I am confident I have the upper hand. Let’s go. We’ll see him again in twenty-five days.”

(I woke up today and was pleasantly surprised to find a new Steward, thank you, Tian Yuanyuan. Thanks also to Gu Tianpei, Netherworld Town, Yang Fang, Meng Meng Beast, Little Torture the World, and Totem for the tips. Thank you to Deserted Mountain Collection for the update ticket. And a huge thanks to all the readers for your Recommendation Tickets. Your support gives me more motivation. Thank you all!)