They had previously been prepared to see the lowest level baptism in history, but in the blink of an eye, Zhou Yuan had sent a big slap across their cheek that nearly knocked them unconscious.
This was an eight dragon baptism!
Before today, it had been something senior brother Chu Qing alone had enjoyed, but now… Zhou Yuan had become the third disciple to obtain this glory.
It was something even the other eight Chosens had never tasted it before.
Moreover, Zhou Yuan had done it as a gold sash disciple, a feat that no one had ever achieved in the Cangxuan Sect’s history. After all, even the almighty Chu Qing had only managed to attain it after becoming a Chosen.
Although there was barely any significance in achieving it earlier or later in the grand scheme of things, it was hard for everyone to get over the shock it brought.
On one of the mountains, Lu Yan dazedly stared at the eight dragon silhouettes circling around Zhou Yuan, the expression on her pretty face rapidly fluctuating. This scene had likewise stirred giant waves in her heart.
Several disciples around her could not help but sigh. “Zhou Yuan is indeed quite the capable individual. Even in the history of our Cangxuan Sect, there has never been a gold sash disciple who has enjoyed an eight dragon baptism.”
“Yeah, even senior brother Chu Qing only accomplished it after becoming a Chosen…”
When she heard this, Lu Yan could not help but icily retort, “It’s only an eight dragon blessing, and doesn’t really mean anything because there’s absolutely no way that he managed to slay a thousand feet aquatic beast with his own strength. He must have gotten it through some other method.”
A thousand feet aquatic beast was an existence that was comparable to a ninth layer Alpha-Origin expert, and even purple sash disciples like them would only flee if they encountered one. How could a second layer Alpha-Origin like Zhou Yuan have possibly killed one?
The other disciples knew she was a die-hard fan of senior brother Chu Qing, and thus merely laughed it off without arguing. However, they understood in their hearts that obtaining an eight dragon baptism was an indicator of one’s ability and luck.
After all, hadn’t Chu Qing also relied on luck to become the first person in their generation to find a thousand feet aquatic beast?
Lu Yan naturally had an inkling of their thoughts from their expression, causing her to become a little frustrated inside. However, she knew that she would not be able to convince them otherwise, and could only cast a slightly peeved gaze at Zhou Yuan’s figure.
“This guy…”
Lu Yan gritted her teeth as her lips pulled outwards. She had to admit that Zhou Yuan’s feat of achieving an eight dragon baptism was still very astonishing.
“No wonder teacher Shen thinks so highly of him…” Zhou Tai sighed in amazement as he gazed upon the eight dragon silhouettes.
Beside him, Zhang Yan and gang still had slack-jawed faces. Zhou Tai’s six dragon baptism had already surpassed the former’s expectations earlier, and he would have never expected Zhou Yuan’s performance to be even more shocking...
At the sight of the eight dragon silhouettes, even Zhang Yan was unable to retort for a time. The only thing he did was resentfully withdraw his gaze.
Zhou Yuan paid no heed to everyone’s shocked gazes, his eyes and face burning with anticipation as he gazed at the eight dragon silhouettes
“Eight dragon baptism, show me just how amazing you are.”
With a thought, the circling eight dragon silhouettes released a roar, before they charged downwards, bringing along boundless and pure Genesis Qi as they dived into his head.
Rumble!
The moment the first dragon silhouette arrived, Zhou Yuan felt heard a loud rumble in his head as boundless Genesis Qi began to wash over him like silver water, soaking every inch of his flesh and blood.
The Genesis Qi was exceptionally pure, and did not put up any resistance when it entered his body. With a thought from Zhou Yuan, the Genesis Qi began to circulate along his channels like a raging torrent.
Dragon silhouette after silhouette continued to enter his body.
The majestic Genesis Qi seemed to explode in his body, making even his skin dazzle radiantly. Genesis Qi was infused into his flesh, blood and bones, and began removing the impurities bit by bit.
Even more Genesis Qi flooded his Qi Dwelling, ultimately fusing with the Omni Python Qi there. Genesis Qi star after star was noiselessly created at a rate far greater than his usual training.
As Genesis Qi churned inside his Qi Dwelling, the Genesis Qi pressure from Zhou Yuan’s body began its steady climb...
What’s more, the golden Magical Python Scales started to emerge on the surface of his skin, and quietly began to absorb the dragon Qi contained within the Dragon Genesis Essence.
The Magical Python Scales came from the Omni Python Qi, and in a manner of speaking also shared certain ties with the dragon Qi from the Origin Dragon Vein...
As the golden scales absorbed the dragon Qi, they gradually began to change. The scales began to take on a faint azure hue, becoming less similar to the scales of a python, and instead growing to resemble that of a dragon!
While these changes were occurring to the scales, Zhou Yuan’s tightly shut eyes abruptly opened.
Rumble!
He could feel a rumbling noise spread from his Qi Dwelling.
The Genesis Qi pressure from his body seemed to breakthrough a certain bottleneck.
A smile finally appeared on Zhou Yuan’s face. By borrowing the power of the Genesis Marrow Baptism, his desire was finally fulfilled.
“I’ve finally reached the third layer Alpha-Origin…”
Chapter 330 Evaluation
Under the attention of countless disciples, the clouds above the Genesis reservoir slowly began to disperse along with the boundless Genesis Qi. It was clear that the baptism was fast approaching its end.
The eyes of many disciples were filled with envy. An eight dragon baptism… was something that benefitted even to the ten great Chosens, let alone someone like Zhou Yuan, who was only at the second layer Alpha-Origin. It was likely that he would gain even more from it.
As the clouds gradually vanished, Zhou Yuan’s figure slowly grew clearer.
He sat on the ancient stone pillar with his eyes lightly shut, only opening them after quite some time. A flash of gold flitted across his eyes, a half python half dragon hiss faintly echoing as Genesis Qi rose around his body.
Everyone could feel that the Genesis Qi undulations from Zhou Yuan’s body had grown a level stronger.
Third layer Alpha-Origin!
The crowd’s hearts shivered slightly. Sure enough, the baptism had directly pushed Zhou Yuan to the next cultivation level, allowing him to step into the realm of the third layer Alpha-Origin.
Numerous gazes were filled with envy. It was said that Zhou Yuan had been at the second layer stage for only slightly more than a month, and it was quite unbelievable for him to have advanced once again. Moreover, his Genesis Qi appeared exceptionally concentrated and robust, unlike that of someone who had forcibly ascended.
The first thing Zhou Yuan did when he opened his eyes was send his senses into his Qi Dwelling. A smile soon emerged on his face.
The number of Genesis Qi stars in his Qi Dwelling had reached over 700!
One must know that he only had slightly over 400 stars at the second layer Alpha-Origin!
The breakthrough had nearly doubled his Genesis Qi stars.
The number of Genesis Qi stars in one’s Qi Dwelling decided the quantity and quality of one’s Genesis Qi. In other words, the Genesis Marrow Baptism had nearly doubled Zhou Yuan’s Genesis Qi.
“Normally speaking, ordinary fifth layer Alpha-Origin disciples should have about 500 Genesis Qi stars in their Qi Dwellings. I may only be at the third layer Alpha-Origin, but my Genesis Qi is basically able to steamroll over normal fifth layer disciples.”
There was a sliver of excite
ment in Zhou Yuan’s eyes. If this had happened before his duel with Cao Shi, the battle would have been very one sided.
“Given my current Genesis Qi, I no longer need to fear any fifth layer opponents.”
Zhou Yuan sighed as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. This breakthrough was extremely important to him. With this strength, he was now confident of his chances in the subsequent cave match.
Zhou Yuan stood up, his burning gaze of desire looking towards the stone pillar beneath his feet.
It was obvious that he was hungering for more after tasting the sweetness of its fruit.
The Genesis Marrow Baptism was crazily beneficial to one’s cultivation.
Unfortunately for him, he was still only a gold sash disciple, and after using the chance bestowed upon him as the champion of the peak selection ceremony, he was no longer allowed to enter the Genesis reservoir.
“Looks like I have to become a purple sash disciple as soon as possible.” There was a look of thought on Zhou Yuan’s face. Only by becoming a purple sash disciple would he be allowed to enjoy the bimonthly Genesis Marrow Baptism.
Zhou Yuan ultimately cast away the numerous thoughts that were flashing past in his head, and lifted his head, seeing the countless amazed gazes that were looking at him.
They had obviously been drawn by the eight dragon baptism earlier.
However, Zhou Yuan’s expression remained rather calm, having long anticipated this. He too understood the meaning of an eight dragon baptism, because before today, only Chu Qing had achieved it amongst this generation of disciples.
Clap clap
Clapping was suddenly heard. Elder Miao looked towards Zhou Yuan in amazement and said, “Congratulations Zhou Yuan. This is the first time someone has reached an eight dragon baptism as a gold sash disciple in our Cangxuan Sect. I’m sure that your name will soon be known by everyone in the sect.”
There was a look of admiration on her face. Zhou Yuan’s performance today was truly breathtaking.
Zhou Yuan remained humble as he cupped his fists together towards elder Miao and said, “I don’t deserve such praise, it’s only a baptism and does not truly mean much.”
Upon seeing that Zhou Yuan did not display any arrogance after performing so well, the look of admiration on elder Miao’s face deepened.
“I did not realise previously why peak master was always feeling regretful after you chose Saint Genesis Peak, but I now have an idea why.” Elder Miao sighed.
“From what you have shown me, your future achievements may not lose to Chu Qing. Looks like there may once again be a Chosen from Saint Genesis Peak.”
Her words showed how highly she thought of Zhou Yuan.
Elder Miao had not tried to hide her praise, and it was naturally heard by numerous disciples in the vicinity, causing an uproar to rise.
They never imagined that elder Miao would have such a high evaluation of Zhou Yuan. To think that she would compare his future achievements to Chu Qing!
Who was Chu Qing? He was the most outstanding disciple in their generation, and the head of the ten great Chosens! Let alone the Cangxuan Sect, he was well known even in Cangxuan Heaven.
In comparison, Zhou Yuan was obviously not on the same level.
“What nonsense!
Lu Yan felt the most insulted by the elder’s words, but could not possibly openly rebuke the latter. However, she still coldly snorted. “What kind of genius did you think Chu Qing is? How can Zhou Yuan ever compare?”
“Although Zhou Yuan does have some ability, a single eight dragon baptism does not mean anything. When Chu Qing entered the inner mountains back then, it only took him half a year to become a purple sash disciple, and even stood amongst the ten great Chosens a year later! His rise was the fastest in the history of the Cangxuan Sect!”
“Elder Miao’s appraisal of him being able to stand shoulder to shoulder to senior brother Chu Qing in the future based on the baptism alone will not convince anyone.”
The other disciples around her secretly nodded. Even they felt that elder Miao was being a little too quick in her judgement.
Zhou Yuan may have indeed taken everyone’s breaths away this time, but saying he could match senior brother Chu Qing based on this alone was still an exaggeration. After all, everyone knew how remarkable Chu Qing was, and every disciple of this generation had absolute respect towards him. With just this little achievement alone, it was impossible for Zhou Yuan to match up.
While the mountains were abuzz with noise, Zhou Yuan’s expression remained unchanged, no happiness visible from elder Miao’s overboard acknowledgement of his abilities. He merely cupped his fists together towards her before leaping off the altar and returning to the mountain he had been on before.
In the wake of Zhou Yuan’s withdrawal, everyone knew that the Genesis Marrow Baptism was finally over.
On a certain mountain in the distance, Li Qingchan’s eyes ripple faintly as she watched Zhou Yuan jump off the altar. “Will you be able to match Chu Qing in the future?”
“Although I am somewhat doubtful, I do hope that you truly have that talent. If so, our Cangxuan Sect will no longer be boring in the future.”
“Show me whether you will turn out to be a hidden dragon that will soar across the nine heavens, or someone who will fade away into mediocrity…”
Li Qingchan’s eyes returned to calmness as her gorgeous face regained its frosty look. She stepped on Genesis Qi as she flew into the sky and swiftly disappeared into the horizon, the owners of the many adoring gazes on her letting out a long sigh as they watched her leave.
After Li Qingchan left, Kong Sheng and Ye Ge did not remain either and also departed. However, they took one last look at Zhou Yuan before they left.
All of the other disciples across the mountains also began to leave.
Lu Yan’s lips curled downwards as she glanced in Zhou Yuan’s direction. “Zhou Yuan, don’t let it get to your head just because you were under the limelight in the Genesis Marrow Baptism. The cave match between your faction and elder Lu Hong’s faction is soon approaching, and if your performance then is lacklustre, the high praise elder Miao gave you today will only end up humiliating you even further.”
The smile on Lu Yan’s face was quite the gloating one. Elder Miao’s words had clearly raised Zhou Yuan reputation, making even more people turn their attention to him.
If Zhou Yuan’s performance did not do justice to her evaluation, one could imagine the sneers that would follow.
She waved her hand and led her other fellow disciples away.
“Junior brother Zhou Yuan, we should get going too.” Said Zhou Tai.
Zhou Yuan smiled and nodded. He could naturally sense the various feelings behind the gazes that had looked at him before they left, but remained unfazed despite them, feeling no indignation due to their skepticism and doubt.
He knew that only strength would truly gain their acknowledgement, and no appraisal would be more convincing.
That’s why, the purple Genesis cave dwelling they would contest for in the upcoming cave match...
Was definitely going to be his.
Chapter 331 Stirring up a Commotion in Saint Genesis Peak
It was to no one’s surprise that news of Zhou Yuan’s eight dragon baptism caused quite a stir when it spread to Saint Genesis Peak. The disciples from all three factions were too shocked to say anything, unable to believe the news.
It was after all a little inconceivable. A thousand feet aquatic beast had strength comparable to the ninth layer Alpha-Origin, and there was absolutely no way that Zhou Yuan would be able to kill one given his current strength.
However, no matter how skeptical and doubtful they were, Zhou Yuan’s eight dragon baptism was a fact. No matter how envious the numerous were, there was nothing they could do.
When this matter spread to Shen Taiyuan’s ears, the stern elder could not stop joy from bubbling up in him. He even heavily praised Zhou Yuan during the morning less
on that day, and looked at the latter with eyes filled with even more expectation than before.
Ever since Zhou Yuan had joined them, Shen Taiyuan had been pleasantly surprised far too many times.
The truth was that Shen Taiyuan himself had been initially somewhat doubtful of Zhou Yuan living up to the high hopes that had been placed in him. It was because Shen Taiyuan likewise understood all too clearly that not every champion of the peak selection ceremony would turn out to be an amazing genius like Chu Qing.
However, Shen Taiyuan did not have many other options. The other six peaks of the Cangxuan Sect were just too powerful, and could directly take away all of the most talented disciples. Saint Genesis Peak could only fall further and further into decline, with no signs of things taking a turn for the better.
Now, even Lu Hong had been sent to Saint Genesis Peak. If Lu Hong’s group was allowed to take the seat of chief disciple, Shen Taiyuan would feel utterly ashamed, and would likely never be able to raise his head ever again in the sect.
As such, Zhou Yuan’s arrival was viewed by Shen Taiyuan as the final hope he could grasp onto.
However, Shen Taiyuan ended up being pleasantly surprised. Zhou Yuan had surpassed Shen Taiyuan’s expectations time and time again, causing him to grow more and more confident in Zhou Yuan.
Perhaps, the patriarch was blessing them, allowing them to finally welcome a prodigious disciple before they truly hit the bottom.
…
“I’ve heard that Zhou Yuan achieved an eight dragon baptism during the Genesis Marrow Baptism ceremony?”
It was Lu Hong’s factions turn to use the Dao Seeker Hall today. Lu Hong’s gaze nonchalantly swept downwards from the highest spot, clear having also heard that news that had already spread throughout Saint Genesis Peak.
Below Lu Hong, at the head of the numerous disciples was an expressionless Yuan Hong. He nodded and answered in a calm voice, “It was indeed an eight dragon baptism. I personally witnessed it that day.”
The other disciples in the hall broke out into whispers, their eyes filled with envy.
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 180