Overlord of the Wilderness

Not long after the masters from the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall left, Zhaang Ye suddenly sensed two powerful auras appear above his small courtyard.

”Hm?” Zhaang Ye was slightly taken aback. ’Someone’s already here to challenge me so soon?’ he thought. ’Do they see me as a pushover they can just crush at will?’

With this thought, Zhaang Ye’s figure flickered, and he darted out of the courtyard.

”HAHAHAHA—”

The moment Zhaang Ye stepped out of the courtyard, he heard a burst of earth-shattering laughter. The one laughing was a short, stout elder in his seventies. His body was round and pudgy, his face chubby, giving him a benevolent appearance. But the immense aura faintly emanating from him clearly told Zhaang Ye that this person’s Cultivation was at least at the Martial Arts Eighth Layer Middle Stage.

Behind this stout elder stood a young man. This man was handsome, his aura condensed and focused, marking him as a great expert of the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Late Stage. What Zhaang Ye noted was the man’s rather arrogant demeanor; the gaze he directed at Zhaang Ye held a hint of scrutiny, which made Zhaang Ye feel uncomfortable.

Seeing Zhaang Ye emerge, the stout elder chuckled. ”Kid, you’re really something! Tossing out the fifteenth and sixteenth-ranked young experts of the Da Ling Kingdom, and then taking three of Elder Ling’s moves head-on. Impressive, very impressive! Hehehehe!”

Sensing no hostility from the stout elder, Zhaang Ye paused for a moment before asking, ”Who are you?”

The stout elder chuckled, slapped his round head, and took out a Jade Token to show Zhaang Ye. ”I almost forgot to say,” he said. ”I am Wei Dajin, the external affairs supervisor for the Wei Kingdom True Hall, and I’m currently in charge of our interests here in Python City.”

The Jade Tokens of the Wei Kingdom True Hall each contained a unique aura, allowing any True Hall Disciple to distinguish real ones from fakes. After confirming the elder’s identity, Zhaang Ye asked uncertainly, ”Supervisor Wei, what business do you have with me?”

Wei Dajin laughed heartily. ”Of course I have business! I’ve come to take you back to the Wei Kingdom True Hall’s residence.”

Zhaang Ye was taken aback. ”What do you mean by that?”

Wei Dajin laughed again. ”This time, you first defeated the two genius experts, Zhang Bushuai and Bendong Building, and then took three of Elder Ling’s moves, causing the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall to lose a great deal of face.

The Younger Generation of the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall is now preparing to challenge you to regain their face. And now that the young experts in Python City know that the Wei Kingdom has produced a genius like you, they’re all preparing to challenge you, hoping to make a name for themselves in a single battle.

Among those planning to challenge you, there are quite a few experts at the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Late Stage, and even several at the Seventh Layer Peak. What’s more, as far as I know, among the Younger Generation of the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall, there’s a genius at the Martial Arts Eighth Layer named Li Zhongtian. Li Zhongtian is incredibly powerful—he’s already defeated several experts from the older generation...”

As Wei Dajin spoke, he sized up Zhaang Ye. In his mind, Zhaang Ye should have paled upon hearing about the challenges from so many genius experts. But contrary to his expectations, Zhaang Ye’s face showed no hint of alarm, as if he paid the Younger Generation in Python City no mind at all.

”Ahem.” Wei Dajin couldn’t help but speak up. ”Kid, are you listening to me? Many genius experts are planning to challenge you now. Among these geniuses are not only incredibly powerful individuals but also some who are bloodthirsty and cruel. They might not dare to kill you, but it’s very likely they could leave you severely injured or crippled...”

Zhaang Ye smiled faintly. ”Of course I understand. I’m waiting for them to come challenge me.”

”Uh—”

Wei Dajin was stunned. Zhaang Ye’s actions had thoroughly swept away the face of the Da Ling Kingdom True Hall, which had both excited and intrigued him. The moment he heard that the many young experts in Python City were planning to challenge Zhaang Ye, Wei Dajin had rushed over. He wanted to bring Zhaang Ye to the Wei Kingdom True Hall’s residence to protect this genius of the True Hall from getting injured in the challenges.

Who knew that Zhaang Ye would have no interest in returning to the True Hall’s residence, his mind solely set on battle? This left Wei Dajin feeling quite frustrated.

Wei Dajin sized up Zhaang Ye and said, ”Little fellow, you must have advanced recently, right? Having just reached the Martial Arts Seventh Layer, what you need most is to consolidate your Realm and slowly build up your body’s True Qi. So, it would be best for you to ignore these pointless challenges. Just come back with me to the True Hall’s residence. I’ll find a time to send you back to the main True Hall grounds, where you can slowly consolidate your Realm...”

After hearing Wei Dajin out, Zhaang Ye just smiled. ”I crave battle because I have some questions about the Martial Dao that I hope to comprehend through combat. As for my safety, you can rest assured. I believe there aren’t many in the Younger Generation who can defeat me...”

After his Cultivation reached the Early-stage Seventh Layer of the Martial Dao, Zhaang Ye felt his spirit and will had condensed to their absolute limit. With his spirit and will so intensely focused, Zhaang Ye’s senses had become far more acute, allowing him to perceive details he had never noticed before. He had a faint inkling that if he could just have a breakthrough in understanding, grasping a few key points, he could very likely awaken a mysterious and profound power—Spiritual Power.

A seed needs rain to sprout, take root, and grow into a towering tree. Likewise, Spiritual Power also required more tempering before it could be awakened. This was why Zhaang Ye had said, ”My hands have been itching lately. All challengers are welcome.”

Ever since he gained a sliver of insight into the mysteries of Spiritual Power from Xuli Qiqi, Zhaang Ye had been exceptionally eager to possess his own. He now genuinely hoped more experts would challenge him, so that in the heat of battle he could comprehend the mysteries of Spiritual Power and awaken his own.

With this goal in mind, Zhaang Ye was naturally unwilling to run back to the True Hall’s residence with Wei Dajin.

Wei Dajin was unaware of Zhaang Ye’s plan. Hearing the firm resolve in Zhaang Ye’s tone, he pondered for a moment before saying, ”Since your mind is so set, I won’t press the matter. However, I would like to understand your true strength, just so I have a baseline to work with...”

Having said that, he pointed to the young man beside him. ”This is Fang Shian, ranked twelfth in strength among the Younger Generation of the Wei Kingdom. Fang Shian, go test your Junior Brother Zhaang’s strength now.”

Fang Shian nodded slowly and said to Zhaang Ye, ”Junior Brother Zhaang, feel free to make your move.”

Fang Shian was ranked twelfth among the Younger Generation of the Wei Kingdom. The Wei Kingdom had a population of billions; if there weren’t a million genius experts, there were at least hundreds of thousands. To be able to overwhelm the masses and secure the twelfth position among so many experts, Fang Shian’s strength was beyond doubt. Thus, even knowing that Zhaang Ye had defeated two True Hall experts from the Da Ling Kingdom, he was still brimming with confidence.

Zhaang Ye knew that if he didn’t make a move, this Elder Wei likely wouldn’t let him be. Saying no more, his palm suddenly transformed into a sharp blade as he slashed toward Fang Shian.

The Combat Skill Zhaang Ye used for this strike was none other than the one he had created himself—the Reverse Flow Slash.

Ever since he began his Cultivation, the Combat Skills Zhaang Ye practiced had always been simple.

Strictly speaking, Zhaang Ye had only cultivated three Combat Skills: Gentle Wind Slash, Reverse Flow Slash, and Mountain-Breaking Slash. Yet, relying on just these three skills, Zhaang Ye could repeatedly defeat powerful foes, making him virtually unrivaled among his peers. Even someone as formidable as Mei Yuntian had ultimately died by his Mountain-Breaking Slash.

The reason Zhaang Ye was able to cultivate three Saber Techniques into an invincible art was singular: precision.

Only with precision could Zhaang Ye comprehend the true essence of the Saber Technique, evolve its Realm, transform the mundane into the miraculous, and unleash peerlessly sharp Sword Techniques.

No matter how his opponent changed their tactics, he could shatter them with a single strike.

Although Zhaang Ye was using his palm as a blade for the Reverse Flow Slash, its power was immense. The moment his palm slashed out, Fang Shian felt a sharp Sword Qi tear through the air, threatening to cleave him in two.

Fang Shian gave a slight wave of his palm, and his True Qi coalesced into a giant fist that smashed directly toward Zhaang Ye’s Hand Blade.

BOOM!

Zhaang Ye’s Hand Blade struck the fist, and with a loud bang, the massive fist immediately dissipated into nothing.

”Hm?” Fang Shian’s expression flickered. The fist he had just materialized from his True Qi had contained seventy percent of his power; he never expected Zhaang Ye to shatter it with a single strike.

”Hm?” Wei Dajin’s expression stirred. The slash Zhaang Ye had just executed showed a masterful and fluid Saber Technique, its Powerful Qi sharp and condensed. It had far exceeded his expectations.

”BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—”

Zhaang Ye and Fang Shian attacked simultaneously. They transformed into two blurred shadows, their movements slicing through the air with sharp whistles. The force of their impacts tore up the ground of the small courtyard as if a massive earthquake were shaking it.

The more they fought, the more astonished Fang Shian became. He had unleashed a sequence of forty-nine Combat Skill moves, yet Zhaang Ye had only used a single technique over and over: the Reverse Flow Slash. Yet this one move always managed to strike the weakest point in his techniques, forcing him to change his form and leaving him unable to unleash his full power.

What shocked Fang Shian even more was that Zhaang Ye’s True Qi was purer and more condensed than his own. Because of this, even though Fang Shian’s True Qi was far more abundant, he couldn’t gain any advantage. Every time their True Qi clashed, both would dissipate at the same time.

CLANG!

After one final clash with Zhaang Ye, Fang Shian stumbled back several yards, the arrogant look on his face completely gone, replaced by one of utter shock. Wei Dajin’s expression was much the same; his round mouth hung wide open, large enough to stuff a rat inside.

WHOOSH!

Just as Fang Shian and Wei Dajin were staring in astonishment, a figure suddenly descended from the sky. A bizarre, cackling voice rang out, ”Which one of you is Zhaang Ye? The Rakshasa King has come to challenge you!”