Overlord of the Wilderness

Below the Martial Arts Arena, Zhaang Ye was silently recovering his breath. But then, he suddenly noticed Zhaang Tianlong beside him. The Elder’s gaze was frozen, fixed on the sky above the arena, his face a mixture of excitement and reverence.

His curiosity piqued, Zhaang Ye followed Zhaang Tianlong’s gaze upward and couldn’t help but gasp.

There, dozens of yards above the Martial Arts Arena, a Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes stood suspended in mid-air. His features seemed hazy and ethereal, and his robes fluttered despite the absence of wind. He was silent, yet a faint Suppression radiating from him immediately alerted everyone on and around the arena to his presence.

’Void Borrowing Power, suspended in mid-air!’ Zhaang Ye watched the man’s fluttering robes and instantly understood. The man was using the movement of his clothes to borrow power from the air and remain afloat. Having comprehended the Power-Borrowing Technique himself, Zhaang Ye could also borrow power from the void through his clothing. Not long ago, he had used the force from his sleeves to leap to a height of thirty-five zhang on the Memorial Stone.

But while they both used Void Borrowing Power, the Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes was far more skilled than Zhaang Ye. Zhaang Ye had to violently flap his sleeves to stay airborne, and even then, he couldn’t remain there for long. In contrast, this man made no movements at all. His robes fluttered naturally, holding him aloft. From his relaxed posture, it seemed he could stay there indefinitely without any issue.

Zhaang Ye instantly compared his own Power-Borrowing Technique to the man’s, and a knot of apprehension tightened in his chest. ’If an expert of this caliber meant them harm, even the four Elders combined would likely not escape with their lives.’ He watched the man silently, wondering, ’This person’s strength seems even greater than Zhaang Tianlong’s! Why has he come here?’

Just as Zhaang Ye was pondering the man’s intentions, Zhaang Tianlong and the other three Elders abruptly stood up. They bowed respectfully toward the Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes and said in unison, ”Greetings, Daoist Master!”

’Daoist Master? A True Dao Expert?’ A tremor ran through Zhaang Yijian, Luo Yongsheng, Zhou Yuhe, and Lee Lie. All four of them stared at the Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes with expressions of pure awe.

’A Daoist Master...’ Zhaang Ye was shaken to the core.

Having practiced Cultivation for so long, Zhaang Ye naturally knew that a higher Realm existed above the Martial Dao.

This Realm was called the True Dao.

Anyone who cultivated to the True Dao was known as a Daoist Master.

According to legend, a Daoist Master’s lifespan far exceeded that of an ordinary Martial Artist. They could freely command the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, and with a simple gesture, they could unleash earth-shattering power, capable of toppling mountains and parting seas.

Tales of Daoist Masters annihilating entire cities, or even small kingdoms, were common in ancient texts.

The Martial Dao was a difficult path. In a city as large as Cyan Mulberry City, there wasn’t a single expert at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer. The True Dao was even more arduous; not even one out of a hundred experts at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer was guaranteed to become a Daoist Master.

Every Daoist Master was a legend.

’To think I’d actually get to see a Daoist Master today!’

Suppressing his excitement, Zhaang Ye followed Zhaang Tianlong and the other three Elders in bowing.

The Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes’s gaze drifted casually toward Zhaang Ye. He noticed the young man’s brief moment of shock, followed by his quick recovery. The man gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.

The Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes spoke, his voice unhurried. ”As you’ve probably guessed, I am from the True Hall. I’ve come to make an announcement and to give a few instructions.”

Zhaang Tianlong and the three Elders felt a surge of excitement. Zhaang Tianlong, in particular, was filled with high hopes for Zhaang Ye, praying he could enter the True Hall and become a True Hall Disciple. The thought was so thrilling that, despite his advanced age, a faint blush colored his old face.

The four Elders said respectfully, ”Please speak, Daoist Master!”

The Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes’s voice turned authoritative as he spoke slowly. ”My announcement is simple. Zhaang Ye possesses high Comprehension and strong combat instincts; he may become a disciple of our True Hall. In addition, Zhaang Yijian’s strength is superb and his Swordsmanship is outstanding; he may become a candidate disciple of our True Hall. In one month, come to the City Lord’s Mansion in Cyan Mulberry City. I will make arrangements for you then.”

As he finished speaking, the man’s sleeve stirred, and a streak of purple light shot toward Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Ye reached out and caught the purple light, revealing a purple Wooden Token in his hand. He couldn’t tell what kind of wood it was made from, but it was surprisingly heavy, feeling denser than iron or stone. Four large words were carved on its surface: ”Wei Kingdom True Hall.”

’Wei Kingdom True Hall!’ Seeing those four words, Zhaang Ye could hardly believe his eyes. He couldn’t help but rub them.

Ever since joining the Cyan Mulberry Zhaang Family, Zhaang Ye had focused entirely on his training, but he had long known of the famous True Hall.

According to legend, the True Hall was a mysterious entity that stood above all nations. It possessed immense power and was even presided over by True Dao Experts. The True Hall was said to contain countless Cultivation Secret Manuals, innumerable masters, all kinds of Elixirs for rapid cultivation, and a variety of special training grounds.

A place like that was, quite simply, the most ideal Cultivation Holy Land. Everyone with aspirations on the Martial Dao would do anything to enter the True Hall and cultivate there.

And in fact, the True Hall did periodically select a number of talented youths from various cities to be sent there for cultivation.

Any youth who trained at the True Hall was guaranteed to reach the Martial Arts Eighth Layer at a minimum. Those with exceptional innate talent, Comprehension, and fortuitous opportunities could even reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer!

In some ancient records, it was said that a few of these geniuses who trained at the True Hall could even break through the Ninth Level of Martial Arts, step onto the mysterious and unfathomable True Dao, and become a True Dao Expert!

Although Zhaang Ye had heard of the True Hall’s great fame, he knew he lacked the required aptitude. He had never dreamed that he himself would become a disciple of this Cultivation Holy Land!

’This is wonderful, absolutely wonderful.’ Zhaang Ye gripped the Token tightly, his heart surging with ecstasy. He finally understood why Zhaang Tianlong had wanted him to showcase his full strength. It was obvious now; Zhaang Tianlong must have known the Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes would be coming here to scout for talented youths. That was why Zhaang Tianlong had urged him to use the Four Races’ youth ranking tournament as an opportunity to display his power and win the purple-robed man’s favor.

Zhaang Ye shot a grateful glance at Zhaang Tianlong before looking back up at the sky. He discovered that in the blink of an eye, the man in purple had already transformed into a streak of violet light and vanished over the horizon.

After bowing in the direction where the man had disappeared, Zhaang Ye lowered his gaze and realized that everyone on and around the Martial Arts Arena was staring at him. Or more accurately, they were staring at the purple Token in his hand.

The Elders of the Zhou, Lee, and Luo Families all wore incredibly complex expressions. The Zhaang Family had produced Zhaang Ye, a full-fledged True Hall Disciple, as well as Zhaang Yijian, a candidate disciple. The fact made them sigh in resignation. They knew the Zhaang Family would now completely overshadow them and become the undisputed number one family in Cyan Mulberry City.

As for Luo Yongsheng, Lee Lie, and Zhou Yuhe, their gazes held nothing but unconcealed envy and jealousy. Entering the True Hall to cultivate was the dream of every prodigy. They had trained bitterly for over two decades, yet their performance in the tournament paled in comparison to Zhaang Ye’s. Now that Zhaang Ye had received this opportunity, his future was set to skyrocket. They would likely never be his equal again.

Even someone as cold and stoic as Zhaang Yijian revealed a trace of envy in his eyes. Although he was a candidate disciple, he would have to pass a series of trials to become a true disciple. Zhaang Yijian had immense confidence in his own strength, but when it came to the True Hall’s trials, he still felt completely unsure.

”Good! Excellent!” Zhaang Tianlong strode over and slapped Zhaang Ye hard on the shoulder, laughing heartily. ”It’s been over sixty years! Our Cyan Mulberry City hasn’t produced a single True Hall Disciple in all that time. To think that today we finally have one, and he’s from our Zhaang Family! HAHAHAHA! And not only a True Hall Disciple, but a candidate disciple as well! This is wonderful, truly wonderful!”

Listening to Zhaang Tianlong’s booming laughter, the Elders from the Zhou, Lee, and Luo families looked utterly dejected. Each of the three Elders shot a look of profound disappointment at their own family’s representative—a glare so intense it made Luo Yongsheng, Lee Lie, and Zhou Yuhe’s scalps tingle.

After some time, the competition resumed.

By this point in the competition, everyone’s relative strength was clear. Among the five young experts, Zhaang Yijian was undoubtedly the most powerful. Below him were Luo Yongsheng and Zhaang Ye. The weakest were Lee Lie and Zhou Yuhe.

Lee Lie and Zhou Yuhe had lost all desire to fight. They knew that while they were strong, the power of Zhaang Yijian, Zhaang Ye, and Luo Yongsheng was on another level entirely. Crushing defeat after crushing defeat had left them dejected and with grim expressions; they no longer had any wish to face those three.

Unlike Lee Lie and Zhou Yuhe, Luo Yongsheng was burning with fighting spirit. He glared at Zhaang Ye, his fists clenched and his face twisted into a ferocious snarl. He had reached the Early Stage of the Martial Arts Fifth Layer before the age of thirty and had cultivated both the Celestial Net Step and the Thunder Shock Sword Technique to the Great Success realm; by any measure, he was an outstanding talent. Yet the Middle-aged Man in Purple Clothes from the True Hall hadn’t even given him a second glance. This left him seething with resentment.

Luo Yongsheng now had only one desire: to defeat Zhaang Ye and thoroughly humiliate him. A single thought consumed him: ’So what if you’re a True Hall Disciple, Zhaang Ye? I’ll defeat you all the same!’

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)