Overlord of the Wilderness

Zhaang Ye’s and Lee Lie’s gazes met. A smile suddenly appeared on the corner of Lee Lie’s mouth. He approached Zhaang Ye and said in a low voice, ”In the next round, your group opponent is Luo Duan, and mine is Zhou Gang. Their strengths are about the same. Let’s see who can finish off their opponent faster.”

Without waiting for Zhaang Ye’s reply, he strode away.

Zhaang Ye chuckled, thinking, ’It seems Lee Lie’s desire for battle is even stronger than mine.’

Two hours later, the second round of the group matches began. A victory in this round meant advancing from the group and entering the top twenty. A loss meant they could only fight for a ranking between twenty-first and fortieth place.

The Zhaang Family’s situation was not looking good. Of the twenty disciples they had sent to compete, fourteen were eliminated in the first round. Only six had made it to the second round of the group stage to fight for a chance to advance.

These six from the Zhaang Family were: Zhaang Yijian, Zhaang Ye, Dong Wanqiu, Zhaang Yang, Zhaang Ying, and Zhaang Yizhi.

Among the six, the one who surprised Zhaang Ye the most was Zhaang Ying. Zhaang Ying’s Cultivation was only at the peak of the Martial Arts Fourth Layer. He had no idea how she had managed to defeat her opponent and advance to the second round.

But the one Zhaang Ye admired most was Zhaang Yijian. In his previous match, Zhaang Yijian had only used a single sword strike from start to finish. The moment he struck, the terrifying Sword Qi forced his opponent to leap off the Martial Arts Arena, unable to even put up a fight. Both were at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer, yet Zhaang Yijian could defeat his foe with a single strike. He truly lived up to his reputation as the number one of the younger generation.

After observing his own family’s situation, Zhaang Ye took note of the other three families. It was then he discovered that the Zhou Family and Luo Family each had ten people advance to the second round. The Lee Family, however, had twelve disciples moving on—a full fifty percent more than the Zhaang Family.

Zhaang Tianlong had long since noticed this grim situation. His expression turned cold as his gaze swept over Zhaang Yijian, Zhaang Ye, Dong Wanqiu, Zhaang Yang, Zhaang Ying, and Zhaang Yizhi. He spoke slowly, ”You’ve all seen the current situation. Twenty members of our Zhaang Family came to compete, and fourteen were eliminated in the first round. This is an absolute disgrace! The six of you, listen to me closely. In the upcoming matches, you will give it your all. You must force your way into the top twenty for me! Otherwise, we won’t be able to show our faces in Cyan Mulberry City! Do you understand?”

The six replied in unison, ”Understood.”

After Zhaang Tianlong gave his instructions, the second round of the group stage quickly began.

Zhaang Ye’s opponent, Luo Duan, was a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He had a dark complexion, long limbs, and a sharp glint in his eyes. He caressed the Long Sword in his hand, staring at Zhaang Ye as he said slowly, ”Zhaang Ye, I hope you can withstand more than a few of my strikes.”

Luo Duan was quite confident facing Zhaang Ye. His greatest specialty was his fast sword. The blade in his hand was light, thin, and sharp. Combined with his Cultivation Technique, he could deliver thirty-five slashes in the blink of an eye, instantly dicing a wooden stick into thirty-six pieces.

Luo Duan knew Zhaang Ye was formidable. He knew Zhaang Ye possessed a strange Power-Borrowing Technique and a decent Body Refining Technique. But Luo Duan believed that under his fast sword, all of Zhaang Ye’s skills were meaningless.

Zhaang Ye simply smiled without a word.

At that moment, the four referees shouted in unison, ”Begin!”

The referees had only spoken the first syllable of their word when Luo Duan preemptively struck. His wrist trembled, and the sharp, thin Long Sword in his hand hummed to life, unleashing fourteen slashes at Zhaang Ye in an instant. Each of the fourteen strikes was as fast as the wind and as swift as fire. Someone with poor eyesight wouldn’t just fail to see the moves; they wouldn’t even see the shadow of the sword.

The disciples watching from below the stage held their breath, waiting for Zhaang Ye’s reaction.

Lee Lie was also standing below the stage, observing the fight. He thought, ’This Luo Duan has some skill after all. The speed of his fast sword is incredible; it’s bound to force Zhaang Ye to reveal his true strength. I’m curious to see what Zhaang Ye’s Saber Technique is really like.’

”CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—”

Just as Lee Lie expected Zhaang Ye to unleash some astonishing Saber Technique, he saw Zhaang Ye’s body suddenly adopt the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation. He held his Thick-Backed Saber horizontally, like an iron bridge blocking the way. Amidst a sound like a torrential downpour of strikes, Zhaang Ye’s Thick-Backed Saber actually blocked all fourteen of Luo Duan’s gale-force slashes.

”WHOA—” The crowd below the stage was stunned. They never imagined that such an ordinary, basic Defensive Form could block Luo Duan’s Sharp Sword, which was faster than the wind.

Lee Lie was also stunned. A hint of shock appeared in his eyes as he thought, ’To be able to block Luo Duan’s attack with a single Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation means Zhaang Ye’s fundamentals are exceptionally solid. Moreover, his Comprehension is outstanding, and he knows how to adapt. There’s another thing: Zhaang Ye’s gaze is incredibly sharp. He must have clearly seen Luo Duan’s Sword Force, which is why he could position his saber at the points of attack in advance and block all fourteen slashes without any trouble.’

”Hmph!”

Having his fourteen slashes blocked by a common Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation made Luo Duan’s expression turn foul. In his eyes, a Defensive Form like the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation was complete garbage. For Zhaang Ye to use such a move to block his Swordsmanship—didn’t that imply his Swordsmanship was even worse than garbage?

With a tremor of his Sharp Sword, Luo Duan attacked again. This time, he unleashed twenty-one slashes in an instant.

Fast!

Eerie!

Not only were Luo Duan’s twenty-one slashes incredibly fast, but as he struck, his Sharp Sword suddenly split into three images, each delivering seven strikes, all heading straight for Zhaang Ye.

This sword-splitting technique was one of Luo Duan’s signature moves. The resulting Sword Lights were a mix of real and illusory; not even someone with the most brilliant eyesight could hope to see through them. Faced with this technique, if Zhaang Ye dared to use the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation again, Luo Duan was confident he could dice him into several pieces in an instant.

It wasn’t just Luo Duan who believed Zhaang Ye couldn’t possibly use the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation again; even Lee Lie thought Zhaang Ye would have to change his move. Otherwise, there was no way he could handle Luo Duan’s twenty-one rapid slashes!

What method would Zhaang Ye use to block Luo Duan’s sword?

Lee Lie stared intently at Zhaang Ye, when suddenly his expression froze and his eyes widened.

It turned out that, even in the face of those twenty-one swift slashes, the move Zhaang Ye used was still the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation!

Compared to Luo Duan’s storm-like fast sword, Zhaang Ye’s Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation was like an ancient tortoise that had lived for ten thousand years. The world outside could be turned upside down, yet it remained at ease. The wind could howl and the rain could pour, yet it remained serene. It was also like a mountain peak that had stood for a billion years—no matter how the world outside moved, it remained motionless, impervious to any external force!

”CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—”

Luo Duan’s fast sword once again struck the body of Zhaang Ye’s saber, creating a rapid series of clangs. The sounds were so fast they blended together, sounding like a single, drawn-out ring.

”Th-this is impossible!”

Seeing Zhaang Ye so easily block Luo Duan’s attack with a single Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation, someone cried out in shock. The person who shouted was none other than Lee Liang. Beside him, Lee Xiu was staring at Zhaang Ye with a solemn expression, her thoughts unreadable.

Lee Liang couldn’t believe it, and Luo Duan, the one in the middle of it all, couldn’t believe it either. His sword-splitting technique had simultaneously attacked Zhaang Ye’s head, chest, and feet. For such a fluid and dispersed attack to be blocked by a clumsy-looking Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation made him wonder if his eyes were playing tricks on him!

Lee Lie’s insight was far greater than Lee Liang’s or Luo Duan’s. And as an observer, he could see Zhaang Ye’s every move clearly. After his initial shock, a look of realization dawned in his eyes. He muttered, ”So that’s how it is. So that’s how it is. This Zhaang Ye is truly a terrifying person.”

As it turned out, Zhaang Ye had indeed used the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation, but at the same time, he had also employed the Cloud Stepping Technique and the Power-Borrowing Technique. Relying on his superior Footwork Technique and Power-Borrowing Technique, every time Luo Duan’s Sharp Sword struck his Thick-Backed Saber, Zhaang Ye’s body would shift its position. The movements were minuscule but incredibly effective, allowing him to effortlessly evade Luo Duan’s swift attacks.

Luo Duan couldn’t understand how Zhaang Ye had dodged his attacks, but he felt indignant and frustrated. With a tremor of his Sharp Sword, he attacked again. This time, he used his full strength, unleashing thirty-five slashes in a single breath. The entire Martial Arts Arena was filled with chilling Sword Qi and dazzling Sword Light.

Just as he unleashed his sword, Zhaang Ye suddenly moved. He lifted one foot slightly and stomped down hard.

”BOOM!”

The Martial Arts Arena where Zhaang Ye and Luo Duan stood was actually a massive stone weighing several hundred thousand pounds. The stone was hard and as thick as a mountain. But even a stone this massive actually trembled under Zhaang Ye’s stomp.

This tremor was terrible news for Luo Duan. His Swordsmanship had one defining feature: speed! Lightning speed! And the faster the Swordsmanship, the higher the demand for accuracy. A miss is as good as a mile. Now that the Martial Arts Arena had shaken, the precision of Luo Duan’s fast sword was instantly lost. Although his slashes were still full of chilling Sword Qi and crisscrossing Sword Light, their threat to Zhaang Ye had been greatly diminished!

At that moment, Zhaang Ye began his counterattack. He swung his Thick-Backed Saber in a simple, flat arc, striking Luo Duan’s Sharp Sword directly. With a sharp clang of metal, Luo Duan’s Sharp Sword, as fragile as a dry bone, was forcefully shattered by Zhaang Ye’s Thick-Backed Saber.

Luo Duan’s strength was all in his Sharp Sword. With his sword broken, his power was greatly diminished. Glancing at the Thick-Backed Saber in Zhaang Ye’s hand, Luo Duan had no choice but to helplessly admit defeat.

Watching Luo Duan walk dejectedly off the Martial Arts Arena, Lee Lie, Lee Xiu, and Lee Liang were all greatly surprised. They never would have thought that even someone with Luo Duan’s strength was unable to force Zhaang Ye to use his true abilities. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)