Overlord of the Wilderness

A layer of mist swirled around Jiang Ailiang as he struggled to expel the deathly aura that had invaded his body. Suddenly, a laugh reached his ears—a long, joyous peal of laughter.

The laugh was utterly unexpected. Faintly infused with True Qi, the sound spread far into the distance. Jiang Ailiang was at a critical juncture in his cultivation. The sudden sound threw his internal energy into chaos. His body trembled, and with a HACK, he spat out another large mouthful of fresh blood.

By now, several other young challengers had arrived on the path. Hearing the long peal of laughter, all eyes turned to Zhaang Ye.

It turned out that after repeatedly testing the waters, Zhaang Ye had not only absorbed a great deal of the aura of the Wilderness, causing his Dragon Elephant Power to increase dramatically, but he had also used his astonishing Comprehension to successfully find the Puppet’s weakness. Overcome with joy, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

As everyone watched, Zhaang Ye suddenly took a step forward.

The Puppet was swinging the Long Spear in its hand, its power as overwhelming as a landslide. Within a fifty-yard radius, every inch of space was enveloped by the spear. For Zhaang Ye to take such a step forward seemed like pure suicide.

But then, the unexpected happened. Zhaang Ye strode forward, and the Long Spear in the Puppet’s hand swept past him like a phantom, not even grazing him!

”Ah!”

The crowd let out a collective gasp.

”He’s deciphered this Puppet’s Combat Skill!” Jiang Ailiang’s eyes were filled with utter disbelief.

”He actually deciphered the Puppet’s Combat Skill!” Feng Tongming’s eyes glittered.

’How could he have deciphered it so quickly? Still, I’m almost there! I’ve already grasped ninety percent of it; only the final strike remains!’ A sharp glint flashed in Situ Houtu’s eyes.

”Ah, don’t tell me he’s deciphered the Puppet’s Combat Skill?” In the Grand Hall thousands of miles away, the four Hall Masters gasped in unison, their eyes glued to Zhaang Ye’s battle.

Before their very eyes, Zhaang Ye’s figure was like a dragonfly in a torrential downpour. He weaved between the afterimages of the Puppet’s Long Spear, advancing step by step.

With every step Zhaang Ye took, it looked as if he might be struck by the Puppet’s Long Spear and killed on the spot. But miraculously, amidst this storm of attacks, he remained completely unscathed. It was as if the Puppet’s fearsome spear was deliberately avoiding him!

One step!

Two steps!

Three steps!

Zhaang Ye advanced step by step, drawing closer and closer to the Puppet. The terrifying force generated by the swinging spear was like a tangible blade, constantly slicing through the air. Even though the Heavy Saber in his hand blocked the sharp blades of wind, the frightening pressure still whipped his robes about, threatening to tear them to shreds at any moment.

After three steps, Zhaang Ye was now within twenty feet of the Puppet.

At that moment, a deafening ROAR erupted from the Long Spear in the Puppet’s hand.

The roar was like muffled thunder rolling across the sky, its pressure bearing down in all directions as if it had physical weight. Far below in the fathomless Abyss, the sea of clouds churned violently from the terrifying sound.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, their gazes locked on Zhaang Ye. They knew this was likely the Puppet’s final gambit. If Zhaang Ye could evade this one attack, he would have successfully passed the third Puppet.

The Long Spear in the Puppet’s hand transformed into a gray cloud. A ghastly, deathly aura enveloped a space dozens of feet wide. It was like an immense mountain, about to crash down upon Zhaang Ye.

Unstoppable!

Unavoidable!

Seeing this terrifying power, Jiang Ailiang’s face grew pale, but his eyes remained locked on Zhaang Ye. He was screaming inwardly, ’Kill him! Kill him! Kill that brat!!’

Feng Tongming also watched Zhaang Ye intently. Her gaze, however, was perfectly clear, like a vast, empty sky—pure and unblemished.

Situ Houtu was like an eagle, his gaze so sharp it seemed tangible, carrying with it a faint trace of shock. That his rival, Zhaang Ye, had dared to be the first to break through the trial had greatly exceeded his expectations. He now watched Zhaang Ye for a single purpose: to see how he would handle the Puppet’s final attack.

As everyone watched, Zhaang Ye’s form suddenly dissolved into wind—a raging Tornado.

The Puppet’s Long Spear was the cloud, and Zhaang Ye was the wind.

In that instant, wind and cloud seemed to merge as one.

Dark clouds may press down on a city, threatening to crush it, but they are powerless against the wind.

In this world, the wind moves the clouds; the clouds never smother the wind.

As everyone watched, the Tornado that was Zhaang Ye suddenly swept through the cloud of death, passed effortlessly by the Puppet, and vanished into the distance down the path.

”He passed... just like that? What a masterful Body Technique that kid has!” Jiang Ailiang muttered, his face a mask of disbelief.

When he saw Zhaang Ye make his attempt, he had suppressed the roiling energy in his body to watch from afar. As the Puppet launched its final attack, Jiang Ailiang was certain Zhaang Ye would be blasted into the bottomless Abyss by the terrifying strike. He never imagined Zhaang Ye would transform into a Tornado and effortlessly evade the final attack, clearing the trial of the third Puppet!

’How is this possible? How?!’ a silent scream echoed in Jiang Ailiang’s mind. He wouldn’t have been so shocked if Situ Houtu had been the one to succeed. But for a relative nobody like Zhaang Ye to so easily pass this incredibly powerful Puppet... it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He felt resentful, uneasy—extremely uneasy!

Feng Tongming, the other challenger who had reached the second stage, also revealed a flicker of shock upon seeing Zhaang Ye succeed. But the shock was quickly replaced by a flash of understanding in her eyes, as if she had just grasped something profound. Without a second thought, she immediately sat down cross-legged and began to carefully meditate on her insight.

”Become the wind and merge with the cloud... Heh, that kid really is a genius!” A look of sudden realization dawned on Situ Houtu’s face after Zhaang Ye passed. He clenched his fist. ’You may have taken the lead this round,’ he thought, ’but after watching you, I’ve figured it out, too! I, Situ Houtu, won’t be far behind!’

Situ Houtu’s body suddenly shot forward. Weaving through the Puppet’s attacks, he advanced step by step, soon coming within thirty feet of it.

Seeing Situ Houtu enter the thirty-foot range, the Puppet began to swing its Long Spear and unleashed its final attack.

A gray cloud of death descended upon Situ Houtu.

When Zhaang Ye had faced this terrifying strike, he had transformed into wind and easily evaded it. Situ Houtu lacked the ability to become a Tornado, but he had his own method.

As the gray cloud of death descended, Situ Houtu’s tall frame instantly became a speck of dust. Though he was a large man, his body became weightless, like a mote of dust floating on the air, and merged seamlessly with the cloud of death.

Once he merged with the cloud of death, the Puppet no longer had a target. And with no target, the cloud of death immediately dispersed.

The instant the cloud of death dispersed, Situ Houtu’s shadowy form flashed, bypassing the Puppet at an unbelievable speed to successfully clear the trial!

「In the Grand Hall, thousands of miles away.」

Zhaang Ye and Situ Houtu had both successfully cleared the trial! The four Hall Masters watched the projection before them, and despite their usual composure, they couldn’t help but reveal expressions of disbelief.

No matter how highly they had estimated Zhaang Ye and Situ Houtu’s talents, they never would have imagined that the two of them could clear the third Puppet’s trial within two days.

After a moment, the Great Hall Master spoke slowly, ”Zhaang Ye’s Comprehension is a cut above even Situ Houtu’s. This is truly unexpected.”

The other three Hall Masters nodded slightly. By this point, it was crystal clear whose Comprehension was superior. Although Situ Houtu was a peerless genius, the time he had taken to clear the third Puppet’s trial was still slightly longer than Zhaang Ye’s. The margin was small, but in this comparison, he was undoubtedly second-best.

The Third Hall Master let out a long sigh. ”Our Wei Kingdom is a small place; we don’t produce many great talents. In the past, the most outstanding genius to attempt this took three full days to decipher the Puppet’s Combat Skill. Zhaang Ye and Situ Houtu both did it in just two. They are the kind of geniuses one might only see once in five hundred years!”

Once his shock subsided, the Fourth Hall Master’s eyes filled with excitement. ”I recall that in the last thousand years, only ten people have managed to pass this Puppet in under three days. Of those ten, three went on to become True Dao Experts. For Zhaang Ye and Situ Houtu to pass it in two days, their probability of reaching the True Dao has to be at least forty to fifty percent!”

Hearing the Fourth Hall Master’s words, the other three Hall Masters grew visibly excited. The Second Hall Master’s eyes flashed as he said, ”If our Wei Kingdom True Hall produces two True Dao Experts at once, we will surely be rewarded by the Sect. Perhaps... perhaps we could even leave this place ahead of schedule and return to the Sect to cultivate...”

At the mention of the Sect, the excitement on the Hall Masters’ faces was impossible to conceal. A look of deep yearning appeared in their eyes.

After a long silence, the Great Hall Master finally spoke. ”It’s too early to speak of such things. For now, let’s continue to keep a close watch on these two. Heh, Zhaang Ye and Situ Houtu are both exceptional. I’m quite curious to see which of them is truly superior. Hmm... the next trial is a test of willpower. I hope they can endure it successfully.”(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)