Overlord of the Wilderness

’What incredible Cultivation, what incredible Swordsmanship!’ Zhaang Ye was horrified. He knew that channeling Sword Qi consumed an immense amount of True Qi. Zhaang Yijian had swung his sword with such ease, yet the Sword Qi he unleashed was terrifyingly sharp, its speed even surpassing that of sound. In the face of such a direct and powerful attack, Luo Yongsheng’s Thunder Shock Sword Technique, Lee Lie’s Clear Wind Bright Moon Dusk Slash, and Zhou Yuhe’s Wave Riding Palm Technique were all just a joke.

’Without my domineering yet agile Mountain-Breaking Slash, I would have had absolutely no way to block Zhaang Yijian’s Sword Qi.’

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s body drift away, Zhaang Yijian didn’t pause in the slightest. He shouted, ”Junior Brother, watch out! I’m using ninety percent of my True Qi now!”

With that, he raised his Long Sword and slashed out once more.

The moment this slash was executed, Zhaang Ye found it impossible to describe its speed. It was as if the Sword Qi crossed a distance of ten feet the instant it was unleashed, appearing before his eyes in a flash!

Dense!

This strand of Sword Qi was so dense it looked almost solid!

Sword Qi was True Qi infused with the Essence of the Five Metals, making it incomparably sharp on its own. Ordinary iron would be sliced in two with the slightest touch. And the Sword Qi Zhaang Yijian produced with his masterly Cultivation was faster than sound and sharper than the most formidable weapon. If it so much as grazed a person’s body, it would instantly leave a bloody hole!

At this point, Zhaang Ye dared not hold back any longer. He met the Sword Qi with the Heavy Saber in his hand.

In this slash, Zhaang Ye used the Dissolving Power for the first time. The Heavy Saber, propelled by the full force of his True Qi, began to vibrate subtly. This vibration combined with the Rotating Power, giving rise to a Devouring Power.

A Space Storm relied on this terrifying Devouring Power to consume everything in its path. Within the Mammoth’s Trial Space, this dreadful force would touch a mountain, and the mountain would instantly vanish. It would touch a great tree, and the great tree would be immediately annihilated. It was terrifying to the extreme.

Although Zhaang Ye’s slash possessed not even a billionth of a billionth of a Space Storm’s power, it already contained a hint of its Realm. This tiny sliver of a Realm was enough to dramatically increase the power of his Saber Technique.

SIZZLE—

Zhaang Yijian’s incomparably fierce, lightning-fast Sword Qi shot toward Zhaang Ye’s Heavy Saber. Like ice and snow meeting a red-hot iron block, it was actually neutralized by Zhaang Ye in the span of two blinks!

”What a miraculous slash!” The four Elders below the Martial Arts Arena stood up in unison. With their keen eyes, they could see that while the technique Zhaang Ye had just executed was still the Mountain-Breaking Slash, it seemed to contain several different kinds of force. When Zhaang Yijian’s fierce Sword Qi encountered these forces, it was ingeniously neutralized!

Zhaang Ye executing this slash and neutralizing Zhaang Yijian’s fierce Sword Qi came as a great surprise to the four Elders. As for Luo Yongsheng and the others, their jaws dropped. They never could have imagined that Zhaang Ye could block such a ferocious stream of Sword Qi.

”Excellent!” Seeing that Zhaang Ye had actually blocked his attack powered by ninety percent of his True Qi, Zhaang Yijian praised him, ”Junior Brother, your Saber Technique is truly impressive. If this were any other time, I would insist on having a proper match with you. But now is not the time. What a shame.”

After saying this, Zhaang Yijian announced loudly, ”In this battle, I concede.”

Hearing Zhaang Yijian concede, everyone from the Elders and the referee to Luo Yongsheng and the others was stunned. They could tell that while the Saber Technique Zhaang Ye had just used was miraculous, it was also extremely draining on his True Qi. If Zhaang Yijian had just continued his assault, he still had a high chance of winning. Why would Zhaang Yijian suddenly concede at a time like this?

Zhaang Ye was also taken aback. He had just merged the Rotating Power and the Dissolving Power for the first time to execute the Mountain-Breaking Slash. Although its power was immense, the True Qi consumption was also enormous. ’If Zhaang Yijian had attacked a few more times, I probably wouldn’t have been able to hold out.’ He never expected Zhaang Yijian to concede at this moment.

Zhaang Yijian smiled and explained, ”In one month, I must face the True Hall’s trial. Junior Brother Zhaang, your strength is considerable. If we continue fighting, even if I win, it’s very likely I’ll be injured. At such a critical time, I cannot afford to be injured.”

Upon hearing Zhaang Yijian’s explanation, everyone understood. Indeed, while the title of number one expert in Cyan Mulberry City was desirable, it paled in comparison to the status of a True Hall Disciple. If an injury from this battle caused him to lose his chance to enter the True Hall, it would be something he’d regret for the rest of his life.

It could be said that Zhaang Yijian’s timely concession was an extremely wise move.

Since Zhaang Yijian had conceded, the referee announced, ”Tenth match, Zhaang Ye is the victor.”

And so, the Four Races’ Young Experts Ranking Tournament finally came to a close. The final results were as follows: Zhaang Ye, with a perfect record of four wins, took first place. Zhaang Yijian, with three wins and one loss, took second. Luo Yongsheng, with two wins and two losses, was ranked third. Lee Lie, with one win and three losses, was ranked fourth. The most miserable of all was Zhou Yuhe, who lost all four of his matches and could only be ranked fifth.

After the results were announced, the Four Races’ Young Experts Ranking Tournament finally moved to its last procedure: the distribution of rewards to each contestant.

The rewards for the top five were all quite generous. For instance, Zhou Yuhe, who placed last, won five shops in a prime district of Cyan Mulberry City for his family, which would generate a large sum of income each year. Lee Lie, meanwhile, won a Beast Cave for his family. Although hunting the Exotic Beasts within was a bit of a hassle, his income would still be a cut above Zhou Yuhe’s.

As the third-place winner, Luo Yongsheng secured two Beast Caves for his family. With these two Beast Caves, Luo Yongsheng was guaranteed a handsome income, allowing him to focus on his Cultivation without needing to risk his life hunting Fierce Beasts.

Zhaang Ye and Zhaang Yijian received two mines, one large and one small. The one Zhaang Ye received was a mine that produced Heavy Iron, with an annual yield of ten million taels of Gold. By this calculation, Zhaang Ye would receive an income of five hundred thousand taels of Gold annually for the next five years.

With this, the Four Races’ Young Experts Ranking Tournament was officially over. At this point, Zhaang Ye could finally breathe a sigh of relief and address the issue of his own aptitude.

According to Zhaang Ye’s original plan, the way to improve his aptitude was to participate in the competition for the Gathering Flower Fruit, snatch one, and consume it along with the Nine-leaf Seven-branch Three-flower Grass. But Zhaang Ye’s status was different now. Not only had he gained the high regard of his family, but he also had the status of a True Hall Disciple.

With this new status, Zhaang Ye decided to first ask Zhaang Tianlong if the family had a method for improving aptitude. If such a method existed, he wouldn’t have to participate in the competition for the Gathering Flower Fruit, which had an extremely high mortality rate. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)