At this current time, the Spirit’s illusory figure was gradually becoming corporeal, looking almost as if it was solid matter. In addition, Zhou Yuan’s Spirit power was rising at an alarming speed.
Invisible Spirit power shuddered around Zhou Yuan’s body, seemingly whipping up a storm.
In that very instant, Zhou Yuan suddenly felt his senses grow even sharper, all things around him appearing even clearer than before, while also allowing him to better see their source.
Even the mist wrapped Zhu Yue to his front was now within the range of his senses.
Zhou Yuan could feel a tiny flash of scarlet-red light in the mists surrounding Zhu Yue, faintly pulsing in a berserk manner.
“So that’s what happened…”
Iciness flooded Zhou Yuan’s eyes. Zhu Yue’s sudden burst in speed was likely due to some kind of pill that had forcibly strengthened the Ethereal Form technique.
“Is this the Corporeal stage…”
Zhou Yuan’s eyes were clear and calm, but this was not the time for him to discover the wonders of the Corporeal stage. With a thought, the Saint Rune between his brows flowed down into his pupils.
“Decoder Saint Rune!”
A low shout sounded in Zhou Yuan’s heart as the ancient Saint Rune slowly began to revolve in the depths of his pupils. A peculiar power abruptly erupted, immediately giving him a clear view of his entire body.
After reaching the Corporeal stage, the activated Decoder Saint Rune had grown even more detailed and effective.
Under the probing of the Decoder Saint Rune, Zhou Yuan could faintly see dot after dot of light suddenly begin to emerge...
There were a total of 14 light dots.
Currently, 58 apertures had already been unblocked in Zhou Yuan’s body. If these 14 were added, it just nicely added up to 72...
72 unblocked apertures meant that one had truly stepped into the second level of the Ethereal Form technique.
“Although it would be safer to unblock them one by one, it seems that I have no choice but to do them all at one go.” Mumbled Zhou Yuan to himself.
The Genesis Qi in his body began to churn violently, eventually whizzing through his channels as it charged towards the 14 apertures in succession.
Ch! Ch!
Apertures were easily unblocked wherever his Genesis Qi passed.
All 14 apertures were threaded together by Genesis Qi in a short few breaths.
72 apertures were now completely unblocked.
Although the 14 new apertures had yet to be polished and infused with mist essence, Zhou Yuan’s Ethereal Form technique had now just barely reached the second level.
And this was already enough.
Zhou Yuan raised his gaze, looking towards the figure that was zooming towards the peak, as a certain angle slowly rose from the corners of his mouth.
“Zhu Yue, I’ll show you what the true second level looks like!”
With a stomp of his foot, the space around him shook.
Countless gazes in the vicinity of the mountain looked over in shock and astonishment. Zhou Yuan’s body was gradually etherealizing, seemingly transforming into a figure made from mist.
At a cursory glance, one would only be able to see a blurry silhouette.
A storm of noise immediately exploded.
“What? Zhou Yuan’s entire body has etherealized?!”
“How can that be?! One needs to be at the second level to achieve that state!”
“Although it’s quite impossible, the facts are staring right at us…”
“My god…”
“......”
Overwhelmed voices sounded one after another, everyone completely stupefied as they gazed upon the fully mist like figure.
Han Qiushui had covered her mouth with her hands, shock coloring her entire face. Beside her, Gu Hongyi’s eyes flickered with a resplendent light as emotions surged in her heart.
“Little Yuan bro is awesome.” Uttered a dazed Shen Wanjin.
Qiao Xiu also swallowed time and time again.
“This guy…” Yang Xiu’s expression had turned rather serious.
Next to him, although Lu Feng did not say anything, his eyes had narrowed slightly. The current Zhou Yuan gave him a faint feeling of danger.
Under the countless shocked gazes across the area, Zhou Yuan’s body fully etherealized. His toes pushed off the ground as he transformed into a blurry figure that shot forward at an astonishing speed!
Chapter 246 Obtaining Victory
Swish!
Every gaze in the area was focused on a single thing. Zhou Yuan fully ethereal figure shot forth like a shadow as a seemingly entire sky’s worth of Genesis Qi knives continuously swept past his body. This time however, the knives seemed to be piercing through mist, unable to amount to much of a hindrance or do any harm to Zhou Yuan.
The second level of the Ethereal Form technique had allowed Zhou Yuan’s body to turn completely ethereal. He was now akin to a bundle of mist, ungraspable and formless.
His speed had also rose to an alarming level. Numerous disciples could only see a blur shoot past, unable to make out Zhou Yuan’s figure.
In the short span of a dozen breaths, the gap between Zhou Yuan and Zhu Yue rapidly shrunk.
The activity from behind was also detected by Zhu Yue at this moment. His gaze swept back, only to be scared stuff, horror and disbelief filling his eyes.
“How is this possible?! How can his body fully etherealize?!” Howls of terror and shock rang out in Zhu Yue’s heart.
How could it not know that the full etheralization of the body was a mark of stepping in the second level of the Ethereal Form technique.
Which was to say, Zhou Yuan had already unblocked 72 apertures!
But how could this be?! How long had Zhou Yuan practiced the Ethereal Form technique? Was his talent really at such a monsterous level?
Although Zhu Yue had borrowed the power of the Level Breaker Pill to forcibly raise the level of his Ethereal Form technique, it was for one only temporary, second, it had only allowed him to come very close to the second level of the Ethereal Form technique.
There was still a gap between this and the true second level.
Zhu Yue’s face began to warp and distort, evidently overwhelmed by this information.
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible! It must be some kind of trick!” Howled Zhu Yue in his heart. The Genesis Qi in his body quickly began to circulate even faster, pouring all of its power into the Ethereal Form technique as he frantically dashed towards the peak.
The peak was almost within reach, and he had to reach it first at any cost. If not, he would surely become a laughing stock.
Zhu Yue became quicker and quicker, as if squeezing out every ounce of his potential, as he headed straight towards the peak.
When the numerous gazes saw that Zhu Yue was about to reach the peak, their hearts leaped to their throats, clearly very anxious.
“I’m going to win!”
“As long as I reach the peak first, I will have won this match!”
Zhu Yue’s eyes were tightly glued to the rapidly approaching peak. At this current time, nothing else could enter his eyes.
The peak grew closer and closer.
A hundred feet… sixty feet… thirty feet… ten feet...
An almost crazed smile slowly began to emerge from the corners of his lips as the tree at the peak was reflected in his eyes. No matter what happened, he would be able to take everything back as long as he won this match!
So what if you have insane talent? I’m the one who will be winning this match!
However, when he was only a few feet from the peak, he suddenly heard the piercing sound of rushing wind behind him. The corners of his eyes twitched as his gaze swept to his back, causing his entire body to turn cold as he saw a blurry ethereal figure rapidly approach from behind as if riding on a cloud. In the end, the figure brushed past him in a single step.
Their gazes seemed to meet in that ver
y moment.
However, Zhu Yue’s was filled with terror, while Zhou Yuan’s remained chilly, not even the slightest ripple to be seen.
“NOOO!”
A cry of misery erupted from Zhu Yue’s mouth.
But Zhou Yuan’s ethereal figure had already taken the next step, reaching the peak of the majestic verdant mountain as countless gasps and cries sounded.
At the peak was a giant boulder on which Zhou Yuan now stood. His ethereal body gradually returned to normal as he looked down from above, the view of the countless figures dotting the surroundings of the mountain entering his eyes.
The instant Zhou Yuan stood on the peak, Zhu Yue’s body stiffened. He stood there, merely a few feet from Zhou Yuan, a dull look in his eyes and his face deathly pale.
He never imagined that he would actually lose.
In the air, Chen Yuan’s expression had also turned a little ugly at this scene. The corners of his mouth twitched as he cursed inside, “Useless trash!”
This outcome had also exceeded his expectations.
Woah!
The vicinity of the mountain was silent for an instant before cries of surprise swept across the sky and land. Stunned looks could be seen on every disciple. They too had not expected the ultimate winner to be Zhou Yuan...
An outer mountain disciple had beaten an inner mountain disciple in a Genesis technique match?
This was something that had never happened before in the Cangxuan Sect...
The sight of the young figure that stood atop the peak made even the proud Shengzhou disciple click their tongues in wonder at this moment. Although they were somewhat unwilling to accept it, the young man from a remote continent had indeed obtained a beautiful victory today.
“Wow, this guy is a little too amazing!” Han Qiushui’s hands were cupping her pretty face, a tiny trace of admiration in her watery eyes as she dazedly stared at Zhou Yuan’s figure.
After all, they clearly understood how difficult it was to win an inner mountain disciple even in a Genesis technique match.
Gu Hongyi’s snow-whtie chin nodded faintly, a slight smile flowing out from the corners of her lips. Zhou Yuan’s performance was indeed breathtaking.
On the huge tree, Zong Ming stood up and moved, appearing directly at the peak. His gaze swept across the deathly pale Zhu Yue as he announced, “The winner of this match is Zhou Yuan.”
“From today onwards, Zhou Yuan will have the right to teach the Ethereal Form technique, while Zhu Yue will be stripped of his Ethereal Form technique instructor status.”
“You shall return to the inner mountains tomorrow.”
Zong Ming looked towards Zhu Yue and indifferently said, “Besides this, you broke the rules during the match, so make sure to receive your punishment at the disciplinary hall.”
He had obviously caught Zhu Yue using a pill during the match.
Zhu Yue’s body shook as his complexion paled even further. In the end, his legs turned to jelly as he crumpled to the ground.
He never imagined that he would face such a complete defeat this time.
As Zong Ming’s voice sounded across the mountains, numerous cheers began to erupt from the surroundings. The disciples that were hoping to receive tutelage from Zhou Yuan even more excited and elated.
The other disciples sighed inside. Zhou Yuan was going to become famous after this match. It was likely that no one in the entire outer mountains would continue to look down on him.
Yang Xiu looked towards Zhou Yuan with interest as he listened to the cheers that filled the skies. Soon after, he sighed and said, “He does have some ability. If it were a real fight, his speed will be rather troublesome.”
Lu Feng’s expression remained indifferent. He looked towards Gu Hongyi below, and just happened to catch sight of her looking at Zhou Yuan’s figure with a smile. The former’s expression immediately sunk a little.
He had used numerous methods in an attempt to deepen their relationship, but there was ultimately no progress. Gu Hongyi did not seem to have any feelings for him.
Although he did not know whether Gu Hongyi was really interested in Zhou Yuan, Lu Feng did not like this attitude she had towards him… because Lu Feng himself had never experienced the same thing before.
Lu Feng raised his head, looking towards the figure on the peak as his expression darkened slightly. “Zhou Yuan, there are certain things that someone like you does not have the right to even think about… the most important thing for anyone is to know one’s place.”
“You had best not provoke me.”
Chapter 247 Nine Dragons Canon
The curtains had finally closed on the Genesis technique match. However, the resultant excitement bathed the entire outer mountains for the subsequent few days.
After this feat, Zhou Yuan’s name was now well known in the outer mountains.
Although many disciples had heard of him at the very beginning, the impression they had was one of mockery and disdain towards him, merely assuming he was a first class disciple that had taken the back door in.
Now however, there was no longer contempt in one’s tone when one talked about Zhou Yuan, because that contempt had been replaced by admiration.
After all, not just anyone could achieve the feat of winning against an inner mountain disciple in a Genesis technique match...
After that day, there were busybodies that began to dispute the outer mountain disciple rankings. All of them felt that Zhou Yuan’s strength would be able to enter the top five.
The reason why he was not ranked higher was because the Ethereal Form technique highly specialized in speed, while his cultivation was only at the first layer Alpha-Origin. If he were to fight against the higher ranked outer mountain disciples, everyone felt that Zhou Yuan may not be able to win.
On the other hand, if Zhou Yuan had faced and won Zhu Yue in a real battle, it was likely that no one would object even if he was ranked first amongst the outer mountain disciples...
Even so, Zhou Yuan was now already an existence that could not be ignored in the outer mountains.
...
Hidden Scriptures Pavillion, a certain rear mountain lecture hall.
Since Zhu Yue had already been sent back to the inner mountain, the lecture hall he originally used was now empty. Hence, elder Zong Ming allocated the hall to Zhou Yuan, giving him permission to teach disciples here.
The lecture hall was currently almost bursting with people.
Zhou Yuan sat at the center, the Heavenly Yuan Brush in his hand. Its snow-white hairs spread, wrapping around the wrist of every disciple. The numerous disciples present wore respectful and solemn looks on their faces.
Although there were many people inside, it was peaceful and silent.
Zhou Yuan’s eyes were closed, his senses reaching out through the brush hairs as the Spirit between his brows twinkled.
Ever since Zhou Yuan’s Spirit had reached the Corporeal stage, it had become much easier for him to sense the apertures of others, and he no longer felt as exhausted as before.
Likewise, his sensing effectiveness had also grown.
Zhou Yuan's eyes had been shut for a long time. At a certain moment, they suddenly opened as he began directing the Genesis Qi in the many disciples' bodies, sending it charging towards a certain spot in their bodies.
Chch!
A faint noise rang out as joy surfaced on the numerous disciples' faces. Everyone had clearly felt an aperture being unblocked in their bodies.
A wave of happiness washed over the lecture hall.
Zhou Yuan waved his hand. "Today's session shall end here. All of you should polish and complete your newly unblocked apertures after leaving."
The numerous disciples rose upon hearing this, respectfully cupping their hands together at Zhou Yuan, before leaving one after another with excited expressions.
Zhou Yuan stretched his back, easing the tension between his bones. Giving guidance every day was a dry and boring task, and he definitely would
not do it if not for the Genesis jade.
Most importantly, it was cutting into his own training time. Hence why he had yet to complete the 14 apertures he had unblocked in the match with Zhu Yue.
The disciples scattered, leaving only a single pretty figure behind. It was naturally Gu Hongyi.
She grinned widely as she gazed at Zhou Yuan and said, "Hey, everyone else has unblocked an aperture today, but there’s nothing on my end…”
Zhou Yuan shot a helpless look at her. “You’ve already reached the first level, it's only natural that sensing your apertures is more difficult.”
Gu Hongyi had fully completed 36 apertures two days ago, allowing her to reach the first level of the Ethereal Form technique. However, she was clearly unsatisfied with this result, hence wanting to continue onwards to the second level under Zhou Yuan’s guidance.
Gu Hongyi pitifully looked towards Zhou Yuan. “But you promised me.”
“Stop faking it.” Zhou Yuan shook his head in an annoyed manner. Someone like Gu Hongyi was clearly unable to pull off a convincing pitiful act.
Gu Hongyi glared at him, before she placed her hands on her hips and pretended to be fierce. “Kid, if you dare to break your promise, just wait and see how I’ll punish you.”
Towards the end, she could not help but break out into a smile.
Zhou Yuan sighed. He really could not be bothered with her antics. He stood up and walked towards the exit as he said, “I’ll give you some special service later, I really can’t afford to offend you after all.”
Gu Hongyi was indeed pretty talented, and had a powerful background. She would definitely become a core member of the Cangxuan Sect in the future, plus her character was not bad. Therefore, Zhou Yuan did not mind having her as a friend.
Only then did Gu Hongyi let out a soft, satisfied laugh. The corners of her lips could not help but raise slightly at the sight of Zhou Yuan’s helpless appearance. Though he was ferocious and ruthless in battle, he was very easy-going most of the time.
“I’ll be making a trip to the Hidden Scriptures House to borrow a Genesis technique.”
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 136