Overlord of the Wilderness

Zhaang Ye’s and Lee Lie’s gazes met. A slight smile touched Lee Lie’s lips. He approached Zhaang Ye and said in a low voice, ”Your next opponent in the group stage is Luo Duan, and mine is Zhou Gang. Their skills are pretty similar, so let’s see who can finish their fight faster.”

Without waiting for Zhaang Ye to agree, he strode away.

Zhaang Ye gave a wry smile. ’Looks like this Lee Lie’s desire for battle is even stronger than mine,’ he thought.

Two Hours later, the second round of the group stage began. A victory in this round meant advancing from the group and entering the top twenty. A loss meant they would have to fight for a ranking between twenty-first and fortieth place.

The Zhaang Family’s situation was not good. Of their twenty contestants, fourteen had been eliminated in the first round. Only six remained to enter the second round and fight to advance from their groups.

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

Of these six, the one who surprised Zhaang Ye the most was Zhaang Ying. Her Cultivation was only at the peak of the Martial Arts Fourth Layer; he had no idea how she had managed to defeat her opponent to advance to the second round.

But the one Zhaang Ye admired most was Zhaang Yijian. During his match, Zhaang Yijian had only made a single move from start to finish. With one strike, the terrifying Sword Qi had forced his opponent to leap from the Martial Arts Arena, unable to even put up a fight. Though they were both at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer, Zhaang Yijian could defeat his foe in a single blow. He truly deserved his title as the number one of the Younger Generation.

After observing his own family’s situation, Zhaang Ye took a look at the other three families. It was then he discovered that the Zhou Family and the Luo Family both had ten people who had advanced to the second round. The Lee Family, however, had twelve contestants, twice as many as the Zhaang Family.

Zhaang Tianlong had already 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. Our Zhaang Family sent twenty people to compete, and fourteen were eliminated in the first round. This is an absolute disgrace! The six of you, listen to me. In the upcoming matches, you must give it your all. You must fight your way into the top twenty for me! Otherwise, we won’t be able to hold our heads high in Cyan Mulberry City! Do you understand?”

”Understood,” the six replied in unison.

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

Zhaang Ye’s opponent, Luo Duan, was a man in his late twenties. He had a dark complexion, long arms and legs, and his eyes glinted sharply. Stroking the Long Sword in his hand, he stared at Zhaang Ye and said slowly, ”Zhaang Ye, I hope you can take more than a few of my strikes.”

Facing Zhaang Ye, Luo Duan was quite confident. His specialty was his fast sword technique. The sword in his hand was light, thin, and sharp. Paired with his Cultivation Technique, he could unleash thirty-five strikes in the blink of an eye, instantly dicing a wooden stick into thirty-six pieces.

Luo Duan was aware of Zhaang Ye’s prowess; he knew Zhaang Ye possessed a strange Power-Borrowing Technique and a decent Body Refining Technique. But Luo Duan was convinced that in the face of his fast sword, all of Zhaang Ye’s skills were meaningless.

Zhaang Ye just smiled and said nothing.

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

Before the referees’ call to ”Begin!” had even fully left their lips, Luo Duan struck. With a flick of his wrist, the light, sharp Long Sword in his hand hummed to life, abruptly unleashing fourteen slashes at Zhaang Ye. Each of the fourteen strikes was as swift as the wind and as fierce as fire. A person with lesser vision couldn’t hope to make out the moves; they wouldn’t even see a shadow of the blade.

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

Lee Lie was also in the crowd, watching the fight. ’This Luo Duan has some skill,’ he thought. ’His fast sword is incredibly quick. This will definitely force Zhaang Ye to reveal his true strength. I’m eager to see what his 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 shift into the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation. He brought his Thick-Backed Saber around horizontally, forming a barrier before him like an iron bridge. Amid a storm of clanging sounds, Zhaang Ye’s Thick-Backed Saber incredibly blocked all fourteen of Luo Duan’s wind-swift strikes.

”WHOA—” The spectators below were dumbstruck. They never would have imagined that a simple, basic Defensive Form could stop Luo Duan’s Sharp Sword, which was said to be faster than the wind.

Lee Lie was also stunned. A look of shock flashed in his eyes. ’To block Luo Duan’s attack with a single Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation... it means Zhaang Ye’s fundamentals are incredibly solid. Not only that, his Comprehension is extraordinary, and he knows how to be flexible,’ he thought. ’There’s one more thing. Zhaang Ye’s perception is exceptionally sharp. He must have seen right through Luo Duan’s Sword Force, allowing him to position his saber at the point of attack ahead of time and block all fourteen strikes without a hint of trouble.’

”Hmph!”

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

His Sharp Sword trembled, and Luo Duan attacked again. This time, he instantly unleashed twenty-one strikes.

Fast!

And deceptive!

Not only were Luo Duan’s twenty-one strikes executed at extreme speed, but as they were unleashed, the Sharp Sword seemed to split into three, with each of the seven-strike volleys aimed directly at Zhaang Ye.

This technique of splitting his sword strikes was one of Luo Duan’s specialties. The resulting Sword Light was a mix of real and illusory attacks that even the most perceptive martial artist could not hope to see through. Faced with this technique, if Zhaang Ye dared to use the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation again, Luo Duan was confident he could slice him into pieces in an instant.

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

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

Lee Lie stared intently at Zhaang Ye. Suddenly, his expression stiffened, and his eyes went wide.

Because, facing those twenty-one fast strikes, the move Zhaang Ye used was still the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation!

Compared to Luo Duan’s stormy barrage of fast strikes, Zhaang Ye’s Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation was like an ancient turtle that had lived for ten thousand years. The world outside could turn upside down, but it remained placid and unconcerned; the wind could howl and the rain could pour, but it remained perfectly at ease. It was like a mountain that had stood for a billion years; no matter how the world around it changed, it remained unmoved, unaffected by any external force!

”CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—”

Luo Duan’s fast sword once again struck the body of Zhaang Ye’s saber, producing a rapid series of clashes. The sounds were so quick and successive that they blended into what felt like a single, drawn-out ring.

”Th-this... how is this possible?”

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

Lee Liang was in disbelief, but Luo Duan, the combatant, was even more incredulous. His sword-splitting technique had simultaneously attacked Zhaang Ye’s head, chest, and feet. That such a nimble, widespread attack had been blocked by a single, clumsy Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation made him wonder if he was seeing things!

Lee Lie’s perception was far superior to that of Lee Liang and Luo Duan. As an observer, he watched Zhaang Ye’s every move. 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.”

It turned out that while Zhaang Ye had indeed used the Iron Bridge Stopping River Formation, he had simultaneously 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 shifted its position. These shifts were minuscule but incredibly effective, allowing him to effortlessly evade the assault of Luo Duan’s fast sword.

Luo Duan couldn’t understand how Zhaang Ye was evading his attacks, and he was both unconvinced and deeply annoyed. With a tremor of his Sharp Sword, he attacked once more. This time, he put forth his full strength, unleashing thirty-five strikes in a single breath. The entire Martial Arts Arena filled with menacing Sword Qi and blinding Sword Light.

Just as he launched his sword strikes, Zhaang Ye suddenly moved. He lifted one foot slightly and brought it stomping down.

”THOOM!”

The Martial Arts Arena where Zhaang Ye and Luo Duan fought was, in fact, a single massive stone weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds. This stone was incredibly hard and as thick as a small mountain. Yet, a stone of this size actually trembled under Zhaang Ye’s stomp.

This tremor was disastrous for Luo Duan. His Swordsmanship had one singular characteristic: speed! Lightning speed! And the faster the swordsmanship, the greater the need for precision. With the Martial Arts Arena shaking, the accuracy of his fast sword was instantly thrown off. A miss is as good as a mile. Though his fast sword still radiated chilling Sword Qi and cast brilliant Sword Light, the threat it posed to Zhaang Ye was now drastically reduced!

At that moment, Zhaang Ye launched his counterattack. He swung his Thick-Backed Saber in a simple, horizontal slash, striking Luo Duan’s Sharp Sword directly. With a shriek of metal on metal, Luo Duan’s blade, seemingly as brittle as a withered bone, was shattered by the force of Zhaang Ye’s Thick-Backed Saber.

All of Luo Duan’s strength was channeled through his Sharp Sword. With his sword broken, his power was greatly diminished. After a glance at the Thick-Backed Saber in Zhaang Ye’s hand, Luo Duan had no choice but to concede defeat.

Watching Luo Duan walk dejectedly off the Martial Arts Arena, Lee Lie’s expression became extremely grim. He muttered to himself, ”I can’t believe it. Even someone with Luo Duan’s strength couldn’t force Zhaang Ye to show his true abilities. This Zhaang Ye is truly powerful...” (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)