Chapter 157: Chapter 152: Floating Clouds Leisurely, Leisurely and Leisurely Again

Zhaang Ye had defeated Luo Duan, who was renowned for his fast sword, without even revealing his true abilities. This was not only a huge surprise to the disciples of the Zhou, Lee, and Luo families, but even the Zhaang Family’s own disciples found it hard to believe.

’This Zhaang Ye... he’s not so simple.’ By now, the Elders and True Disciples of the Zhou, Lee, and Luo families all regarded Zhaang Ye as a genius the Zhaang Family had poured all its resources into cultivating. The True Disciples of every Noble Family now saw Zhaang Ye as a formidable rival.

Seeing the looks on their faces, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

Zhaang Tianlong walked over to Zhaang Ye and said with a smile, "So? Are you feeling the pressure?"

Zhaang Ye smiled wryly. "Of course I’m feeling the pressure. After winning two matches in a row, it’s not just the True Disciples who see me as a formidable rival—even some of the top ten young masters of Cyan Mulberry City now consider me an opponent. How could I not feel pressured in a situation like this?"

Zhaang Tianlong nodded slightly. "It’s normal to feel pressure. That’s just how the world is—the more outstanding your performance, the more praise you receive, and in turn, the greater the pressure you’ll face. You’ve always been someone who keeps a low profile. The fact that you can remain so composed with all these eyes on you is already quite impressive."

At this, Zhaang Tianlong asked, "Zhaang Ye, do you know how big this world is?"

Zhaang Ye shook his head. "I’ve read some ancient texts, so I know this Desolate Continent is exceptionally vast. But as for its true extent, I have no way of knowing." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Zhaang Tianlong said calmly, "I don’t know its true extent either. I only know that beyond Cyan Mulberry City lies Celestial South County. Beyond Celestial South County lies the Wei Kingdom. And there are hundreds of other kingdoms on par with Wei. As for kingdoms more powerful than ours, there are at least thirty or forty..."

Zhaang Ye gasped. "This Desolate Continent is truly unimaginably vast."

Zhaang Tianlong nodded slightly. "Now do you understand? In the end, Cyan Mulberry City is just a small place. If you can’t even stand out here, you’ll never leave it in your lifetime. Zhaang Ye, you reached the Martial Arts Fourth Layer at just fourteen and even defeated a master of the Martial Arts Fifth Layer. Not even Zhaang Yijian could compare to you."

"With your accomplishments, you are destined to leave a small place like Cyan Mulberry City. You need to set your sights on the world beyond it and adopt the mindset of a genius. You can treat this Four Races’ Youth Ranking Tournament as a chance to temper yourself. Feel free to show your full capabilities, and don’t worry about what others think. Do you understand my meaning?"

Zhaang Ye gave a wry smile. "I can ignore what others think, but being too high-profile isn’t necessarily a good thing, is it?"

Zhaang Tianlong smiled faintly. "I’m not telling you to be deliberately high-profile. I mean, be conspicuous when it’s called for and reserved when it’s not. There’s no need to intentionally seek the spotlight, but there’s no need to excessively hide your strength either. Just be natural. A forbearing mindset might be useful in social situations, but it does nothing to benefit your Cultivation. You should know that Cultivators strive for a natural state of mind. If you’re constantly tiptoeing around, it will eventually affect your progress."

This was the first time Zhaang Ye had ever heard such an argument. After thinking it over, however, he felt there was a great deal of sense in it and nodded in agreement.

Zhaang Tianlong patted Zhaang Ye’s shoulder and said meaningfully, "Remember, the family is your shield. Also, if word of your genius spreads beyond Cyan Mulberry City, you might be in for a pleasant surprise." With that, he walked away.

’A pleasant surprise?’ Zhaang Ye couldn’t imagine what that could possibly be. He shook his head and focused his attention on the Martial Arts Arena.

On the Martial Arts Arena, Lee Lie stood with an air of arrogance. His opponent was a hulking man, his body a mass of bulging muscles. He had fierce, protruding eyes, and his hair seemed to stand on end. The thick iron staff in his hand looked to weigh at least three or four hundred pounds, and his casual stance alone radiated immense power.

’What a beast of a man! He must be Zhou Gang. I took two of Luo Duan’s moves before decisively striking him down on the third, a three-move victory. I wonder what trick Lee Lie will pull to defeat Zhou Gang within three moves?’ Zhaang Ye strode toward the front of the stage, waiting for the battle to begin.

"Begin!" With a loud shout from the referee, the iron staff in Zhou Gang’s hands WHOOSHED into motion. In an instant, the black staff became an ethereal shadow as it swept toward Lee Lie.

Zhou Gang clearly cultivated Body Refining Techniques, and his strength was incredible. The staff, weighing hundreds of pounds, went from a standstill to full speed in his hands almost instantaneously. While its speed was a fraction slower than Luo Duan’s fast sword, its power was a hundred, even a thousand times greater!

Zhou Gang’s attack was already incredibly fast, but halfway through its arc, he suddenly realized that Lee Lie, who had been standing right in front of him, had vanished in an instant!

It turned out that as Zhou Gang attacked, Lee Lie had executed a Body Technique. He flickered out of existence, instantly disappearing and reappearing to Zhou Gang’s left. The long saber in his hand became a crescent of bright moonlight as it slashed at Zhou Gang’s head.

Zhou Gang grunted, instantly and forcibly shifting the staff’s forward sweep into a horizontal block.

CLANG!

It was a strained effort, but Zhou Gang managed to block Lee Lie’s attack.

His Saber Technique blocked, Lee Lie instantly withdrew his blade and took a mysterious step. With that single stride, he closed the distance and was now inside the reach of Zhou Gang’s iron staff, near its center.

Seeing Lee Lie’s move, Zhaang Ye’s eyes narrowed. ’That strike from Lee Lie seemed casual, but it was a calculated setup. He used it to bait Zhou Gang into a horizontal block, then immediately used his Footwork Technique to close the distance and get to the middle of the iron staff. It’s an absolutely brilliant sequence.’

’An iron staff’s striking power comes from its ends. Its center is the point with the least Attack Power. For Lee Lie to identify that weak point in an instant and immediately use a Body Technique to exploit it... his insight is truly sharp.’

SWISH!

Lee Lie’s saber flashed.

To Zhaang Ye’s surprise, Lee Lie attacked from an incredibly bizarre angle—up from the ground. The slash was like a white dragon bursting from the earth, coiling straight for Zhou Gang’s legs.

’Hmm? What a bizarre slash!’ A hint of admiration flashed in Zhaang Ye’s eyes.

Zhou Gang’s hands were still high, holding the staff. Faced with Lee Lie’s bizarre attack, even a battle-hardened warrior like him panicked, unsure how to react. In desperation, he resorted to a mutual-destruction gambit. Ignoring the incoming slash, he brought his iron staff crashing down toward Lee Lie’s head.

If Lee Lie didn’t dodge, he could certainly slice Zhou Gang in two, but he would lose his own head in the process. Under the weight of the several-hundred-pound staff, his skull would be crushed to a pulp, even if it were made of iron.

As befitting the third-ranked member of the Younger Generation, Lee Lie’s expression remained unchanged in the face of Zhou Gang’s desperate, all-or-nothing attack. With a slight shift of his feet and a subtle flicker of his form, he evaded the blow.

Even as he moved, Lee Lie’s saber continued its lightning-fast slash. Zhou Gang had no way to defend against it. A flash of blade light, and a long gash opened on Zhou Gang’s body. Blood sprayed forth, the injury clearly severe.

CLANG! Zhou Gang’s iron staff fell to the side. He clutched the wound on his abdomen and said with a bitter smile, "Thank you for your mercy, Brother Lee."

A deep gash had been cut across Zhou Gang’s abdomen, so deep his intestines were about to spill out. And this was Lee Lie *showing mercy*. Otherwise, Zhou Gang would have been cut in two, left to lie on the Martial Arts Arena, screaming as he waited for death.

A gasp went through the crowd. Lee Lie had only used two strikes to severely injure Zhou Gang, a True Disciple of the Zhou Family. Such astonishing strength sent a wave of gasps and murmurs through the spectators below the Martial Arts Arena.

"I never thought Lee Lie was so powerful! At this rate, I’m afraid not even Luo Yongsheng, the second-ranked of the Younger Generation, would be his match!"

"Exactly! Zhou Gang may not be one of the top ten young masters, but his strength should still place him in the top twenty. To think he was severely injured in just two moves... it’s unbelievable."

"That last slash from Lee Lie was just so bizarre. I doubt anyone could have dodged that, could they?"

...

After being declared the victor, Lee Lie didn’t immediately leave the Martial Arts Arena. His gaze swept over the crowd below and stopped on Zhaang Ye. "Zhaang Ye," he called out, his voice loud and clear, "you’re a blade user too. If you were facing that last slash of mine, how would you have dealt with it?"

Zhaang Ye frowned slightly. He found this kind of public confrontation distasteful. However, he also knew that failing to answer, or refusing to, would only make Lee Lie even more smug.

Zhaang Ye chuckled. "Brother Lee, your slash was truly bizarre. Faced with such an attack, my only choice would be to retreat. I would use the move ’Floating Clouds Leisurely’ to save my skin first and foremost."

"Floating Clouds Leisurely?" someone in the crowd called out, dissatisfied. "Zhaang Ye, if you don’t know what you’re talking about, don’t just spout nonsense! ’Floating Clouds Leisurely’ is one of the most basic Footwork Techniques. You think you could survive Lee Lie’s slash with that?"

"That’s right, that’s right," many others chimed in.

A smirk appeared on Lee Lie’s face, his voice dripping with mockery. "Younger Brother Zhaang, forgive my ignorance, but I simply can’t imagine how you would dodge my slash with a single ’Floating Clouds Leisurely’."

Zhaang Ye smiled faintly. "Since Brother Lee can’t picture it, I’ll explain. Watch closely. I would use ’Floating Clouds Leisurely’ three times. I call it: Floating Clouds Leisurely, Leisurely Again, and Leisurely Once More."

As he spoke, Zhaang Ye demonstrated on the spot. His body first veered right, then drifted backward without the slightest pause, and finally, he stepped forward. The movement was inexpressibly graceful. Watching the demonstration, Lee Lie’s eyes went wide on the Martial Arts Arena. He realized that if Zhaang Ye really did execute the simple ’Floating Clouds Leisurely’ Footwork Technique in that way, he could actually dodge his attack!

The disciples below the arena were dumbfounded by the demonstration. Who could have imagined that in Zhaang Ye’s hands, the simple ’Floating Clouds Leisurely’ could be used to such a miraculous effect, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary!

The smug look vanished from Lee Lie’s face, replaced by a forced smile. "I never imagined Younger Brother Zhaang’s Power-Borrowing Technique was so incredible, allowing you to execute ’Floating Clouds Leisurely’ three times in an instant. However, what’s the purpose of that final forward motion?"

Zhaang Ye said faintly, "The final forward motion has only one purpose: to counterattack. I will take advantage of the moment before Brother Lee has withdrawn his saber and use a Quick Blade Chest Slash!"

"A Quick Blade Chest Slash!" When Lee Lie heard Zhaang Ye’s last words, a chill ran down his spine, and his face instantly turned pale. He understood in his heart that if Zhaang Ye really did drift forward and execute a Quick Blade Chest Slash, he would very likely be beheaded by Zhaang Ye’s blade!