Overlord of the Wilderness

「Three days later.」

A clear, resonant bell chimed, echoing throughout Newcomer Peak. Knowing the top 100 ranking tournament was about to begin, people emerged from their cave residences and headed toward the valley.

In the valley, the fifty Purple Jade Arenas had been significantly widened, each one now measuring three hundred zhang in length and width. The Protective Shields above the arenas had also been thickened, their faint white glow exuding an aura of invincibility.

On the eastern side of the valley, a massive Crystal Screen had been erected at some point. One hundred names flashed across its surface—the top 100 of the younger generation. Zhaang Ye scanned the list carefully but didn’t find Yangx Guyuan’s or Tu Feiyuan’s names. It seemed the two of them had been eliminated.

At that moment, more than twenty top-tier experts began to file into the valley. Among them were the King of Hell, Mo Luo; Sword King Ye Cangtian; Power King Red Cliff Celestial Ape; Blood King Netherworld Green Blood; and Spear King Fengyun Sheng, as well as Lie Xuefeng from Eastern Snow Sand City, Luo Fusheng from Southern Black Stone City, Bizhi Orchid from Western Star-picking City, and Blood Chongyang from Northern Qu Mountain City.

These top experts exchanged glances before quickly looking away. When their gazes fell upon Zhaang Ye, however, a hint of surprise showed in their eyes.

In just three short days, Zhaang Ye had become even more profound and inscrutable. His aura was ethereal and unfixed, like a cloud, a fire, and a mountain all at once.

The twenty-some top experts gave Zhaang Ye a deep look before finding their own seats and closing their eyes to regulate their breathing.

Three Sect Elders flew into the sky. Seventh Elder spoke slowly, "After the past few days of competition, the top 100 of the younger generation have been chosen. You can see the specific list on the Crystal Screen. It’s no exaggeration to say that these one hundred young powerhouses are the elite from a radius of hundreds of millions of li around the Green Cloud Mountain Range. They are the geniuses among geniuses!"

The crowd nodded in silent agreement. Just being able to participate in the Sect’s entrance tournament was a sign of extraordinary talent. To stand out from over five thousand geniuses truly made them geniuses among geniuses, the strongest of the strong.

Seventh Elder then continued, "Starting today, you one hundred young powerhouses will enter the final phase of the competition. This phase will determine a power ranking based on your combat records.

The top ten disciples will directly enter the Inner Sect and become Inner Sect Disciples of the Sect. Those ranked eleventh to fiftieth will become Official Disciples of the Outer Sect.

Disciples ranked fifty-first to one hundredth will become Preparatory Outer Disciples and must complete certain sect missions to become Outer Disciples. Those ranked one hundred and first to three hundredth will become servant disciples. They can either await the next selection or complete designated sect missions to become Preparatory Outer Disciples."

Having said this, Seventh Elder gave a slight nod to Eighth Elder.

Eighth Elder stepped forward and said, "Now, I will announce the rules of the competition. The rules are simple. We will use a point system where every contestant fights ninety-nine matches. A win earns three points. A draw earns one point. A loss earns zero points. Withdrawing due to injury also earns no points.

After the ninety-nine matches, we will rank you based on your total points. This ranking will directly determine your status within the Sect, so prepare yourselves well!"

Hearing Eighth Elder announce the rules, the young powerhouses’ expressions all turned grim. Fighting ninety-nine consecutive matches was a monumental test for any expert. If they were injured during a fight or exhausted their True Qi, they would face one loss after another.

To earn more points across the ninety-nine matches, one needed not only formidable strength but also sharp judgment. When facing an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, it was crucial to forfeit decisively to preserve one’s fighting strength. Otherwise, getting injured by an opponent would spell disaster.

Once Seventh and Eighth Elder had finished, Ninth Elder waved his hand and declared, "There are fifty arenas in the valley, meaning each arena will host ninety-nine matches on average. Now, pay attention to your Identity Recognition Jade Tokens. When it’s your turn, you are to enter the arena immediately. No delays!"

The first round of battles began shortly thereafter.

Every one of the geniuses who made it into the top 100 was a powerhouse renowned in their own right. To secure victory, the young experts unleashed their signature techniques, leading to exceptionally explosive battles. In matches where the power gap was vast, a winner was decided in the blink of an eye.

In the second round, it was Zhaang Ye’s turn. His opponent, a Half-Step True Dao Expert, sensed the abyss-like, ocean-vast aura emanating from Zhaang Ye and forfeited without hesitation.

After Zhaang Ye’s victory over Red Cliff Celestial Ape, almost every contestant knew how formidable he was. In the following four rounds, all of his opponents forfeited immediately. As a result, Zhaang Ye gained fifteen points without even fighting, placing him at the top of the leaderboard.

Sharing the top spot on the leaderboard were more than twenty other top-tier experts. This group included the five super-experts and top masters like Lie Xuefeng, Luo Fusheng, Bizhi Orchid, and Blood Chongyang.

In the sixth round, Zhaang Ye once again stepped onto the arena. Facing him was a burly, bearded giant of a man, a full head taller than Zhaang Ye. His muscles bulged, and every move he made seemed to contain boundless power, causing the very Heaven and Earth Essence Qi to tremble with his breath.

The burly man drew two giant axes from his waist and laughed heartily. "Zhaang Ye, I know you’re strong. Many people don’t dare to fight you. But I, Li Xiaotian, am not afraid! I will defeat you in this battle!"

Hearing Li Xiaotian’s bold declaration, everyone’s attention shifted to them. This Li Xiaotian’s Innate True Qi had already reached ninety-four percent purity. He was skilled with dual axes and had placed second in his group during the round-robin preliminaries, making him a terrifying opponent. Seeing Li Xiaotian facing Zhaang Ye, the audience began to buzz with discussion, eagerly anticipating the fight.

The twenty-some top experts also turned their gazes toward the arena. Li Xiaotian’s combat prowess was extremely formidable, not much inferior to the likes of Lie Xuefeng, Luo Fusheng, Bizhi Orchid, and Blood Chongyang. With Li Xiaotian being so strong, it would be impossible for Zhaang Ye to defeat him without revealing some of his true abilities. The top experts intended to use this battle as an opportunity to observe Zhaang Ye’s strength.

"Zhaang Ye! Zhaang Ye!"

"Li Xiaotian! Li Xiaotian! Defeat Zhaang Ye!"

Amidst the crowd’s frenzied roars, the referee gave the signal, and the battle began.

"ROAR!"

The moment the referee’s voice fell, a terrifying torrent of Innate True Qi erupted from Li Xiaotian’s massive frame. The Innate True Qi surged into his dual axes, and the two weapons, each weighing over ten thousand jin, suddenly burst forth with a dreadful Axe Gang. This Axe Gang roared and burned, and an intensely thick, bloody stench filled the arena.

"KILL!"

Li Xiaotian swung his twin axes, and the three-hundred-zhang arena was instantly engulfed in a storm of blood and gore. The dense killing intent was suffocating. Even the spectators hundreds of zhang away from the arena felt waves of nausea and fear.

Some of the weaker cultivators were affected by Li Xiaotian’s terrifying killing aura and immediately lost control. Their eyes turned bloodshot as they swung their fists and bellowed, "Kill! Kill! Kill them all!"

Some of the top experts’ expressions shifted slightly. "Li Xiaotian’s killing aura has practically materialized! Under its influence, anyone with a weak will would be defeated in a single exchange! I’d like to see how Zhaang Ye handles this attack!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Xiaotian’s two giant axes came roaring toward Zhaang Ye like two fearsome beasts from the Wilderness. Empowered by the killing aura, Li Xiaotian’s attack was overwhelming, possessing the might to split mountains and part seas. It was an attack so ferocious that it was completely unavoidable and inescapable!

Zhaang Ye’s expression remained perfectly calm. Just as Li Xiaotian’s giant axes were about to strike, he suddenly raised a hand and made a light slash through the air!

With Zhaang Ye’s slash, a brilliant, resplendent golden Sword Gang appeared in the void! This golden Sword Gang was so solid it seemed tangible, as if the arena itself would be split in two by its passing. Even the blazing, dazzling sunlight seemed to dim in the presence of this Sword Gang!

BOOM! BOOM!

The terrifying golden Sword Gang struck heavily against Li Xiaotian’s giant axes. Upon impact with Zhaang Ye’s golden Sword Gang, Li Xiaotian’s two axes, weighing ten thousand eight hundred jin each, were sent flying from his grasp with a BUZZ. Li Xiaotian himself was knocked back more than ten steps by an incomparably sharp force, his hands covered in blood!

"Whoa!"

None of the spectators below the arena could have imagined that Zhaang Ye, with a casually released Sword Gang, could neutralize Li Xiaotian’s terrifying attack and send his axes flying. The sheer combat power Zhaang Ye displayed left the audience stunned. Those near the arena stared blankly at Zhaang Ye, unable to believe their eyes.

Li Xiaotian’s eyes were wide with disbelief as he blurted out, "Such a condensed Sword Gang! Such a terrifying Sword Gang! Zhaang Ye, how far can that Sword Gang of yours travel?"

Zhaang Ye replied nonchalantly, "Over nine hundred zhang, I suppose."

Li Xiaotian shook his head, staring at Zhaang Ye. "No! The Sword Gang you just unleashed definitely travels more than nine hundred zhang! I could absolutely withstand a nine-hundred-zhang Sword Gang. The one you just released contained immense power; it’s far more terrifying than that!"

Zhaang Ye just smiled without a word.

Li Xiaotian sighed in frustration and said to the referee, "I forfeit this match."

"Whoa!"

The spectators finally snapped out of their stupor, breaking into a frenzy of excited discussion. The magnificent Sword Gang Zhaang Ye had just unleashed was simply too shocking. After witnessing it, the crowd was as fired up as if they’d been injected with adrenaline.

Most of the other contestants couldn’t help but tremble slightly as they recalled Zhaang Ye’s Sword Gang. In their minds, they had already placed Zhaang Ye on the same level as the five super-experts. They made a silent decision: if they were matched against Zhaang Ye in the competition, they would forfeit immediately and not even attempt to fight him.

——————

This is the first Chapter of the day. The second will be around 9 o’clock. Thank you for your subscriptions, monthly tickets, and recommendations!

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