“The chief disciple seat must end up with our faction.” Lu Hong looked towards the many disciples in the hall. At the very front, were the six disciples who would be representing them in the upcoming chief disciple selection.
“Peak master Ling Jun has placed great emphasis on this matter. I also see no harm in letting all of you know now that peak master actually made a wager back then with sect master and the other peak masters to allow us to shift to Saint Genesis Peak.”
“If our faction fails to win the chief disciple position, Sword Cometh Peak will have to cough up a fifth of its cultivation resources… I’m sure all of you should know how huge this is.”
His words caused even the usually indifferent Yuan Hong to have a change in expression. The other disciples were overwhelmed, their eyes filled with shock.
A fifth of Sword Cometh Peak’s cultivation resources… it was a scale that they could not even imagine.
Lu Hong’s expression turned solemn. If they failed, peak master Ling Jun would surely be furious. It was due to this very reason that he had instructed Wu Hai to scout out Zhou Yuan, whom he usually could not even be bothered to give a glance...
He needed to ascertain the true strength of the participants from the other two factions to prevent any accidents from occuring.
Lu Hong slowly said, “... if we fail, we will be transferred back to Sword Cometh Peak. When that happens, our lives will definitely not be pleasant.”
His eyes turned frosty and stern as he stared at the crowd.
“That’s why, we must obtain the chief disciple seat!”
“Yes!” Wu Hai and the rest respectfully responded.
Yuan Hong also solemnly nodded his head, as an eerie smile emerged on his lips.
“Don’t worry teacher Lu, besides Zhou Tai, Zhang Yan and Lu Yan, who have a little ability, the other participants are useless and nothing to be worried about.”
“As for Zhou Yuan…”
Yuan Hong laughed, his eyes tinged with disdain. From the start, the fast rising newcomer over the past year had never once entered his eyes.
Lu Hong nodded, a gratified look in his eyes as he looked towards Yuan Hong. The latter was the culmination of his many years of sweat and blood, and the most reliable presence in the upcoming chief disciple selection.
He firmly believed that with Yuan Hong on the team, no one from the other two factions would be able to contend.
Chapter 454 Third Level
On a certain misty mountain.
Zhou Yuan was seated on the water and fire tempering dragon stage. His body was currently drenched in sweat as it faintly tembled without end. It was obvious that he had just endured another session of the fire and water Genesis Qi.
The fight with Wu Hai had long been thrown to the back of Zhou Yuan’s mind. He paid no attention to the ripples it caused, and instead buried himself in his training deep within the mountains.
The chief disciple selection was getting nearer and nearer, and he could no longer afford to relax.
“Oww…”
Groaned Zhou Yuan. His body had grown much stronger after reaching the jade skin stage, causing the first level of water and fire Qi to become much less effective.
Hence, Zhou Yuan had gritted his teeth and moved straight to the second level.
Though the tempering effect would be more effective, the pain he had to endure would also far surpass the first level.
Zhou Yuan got to his feet with some difficulty, and leaped onto the cliff before falling back down on his butt.
However, he did not take a rest, but instead retrieved a mottled tree scale from his clothes. Rich Yimu Qi spread from it, causing him to feel a surge of energy.
The day before, he had managed to chop off over twenty more tree scales with old Xuan’s help. Due to the heavy consumption of vital energy during his body tempering sessions, the single Taiyi Green Wood Mark in Zhou Yuan’s body had been pretty exhausted by his recent training. If he did not replenish it, it would have likely disintegrated.
Without the Tiayi Green Wood Mark, Zhou Yuan obviously could no longer undergo such intense daily physical tempering. If that happened, his cultivation progress would slow to a crawl.
Zhou Yuan closed his eyes as the scale began to float between his palms. Strand after strand of dark green energy rose from it and streamed into his body.
Dark green specks of light glimmered faintly in his flesh, as a somewhat faded ancient pattern started absorbing the light, slowly recovering its shine.
Bit by bit, vigorous vital energy and life force surged once again in Zhou Yuan’s body.
His originally somewhat pale complexion gradually returned to a healthy red, while the intense pain from earlier also stealthily faded away...
Two hours later.
Zhou Yuan opened his eyes as the tree bark between his palms turned to dust. The Yimu Qi within it had already been completely absorbed.
As he felt the replenished vital energy in his body, Zhou Yuan spat out a deep breath.
“There’s only slightly over twenty days till the chief disciple selection.”
His eyes narrowed as a look of thought flitted across them. At his current strength, there was no longer any need to fear an opponent on the level of Wu Hai. Even so, it was still clearly not enough.
Because the most troublesome opponent was Yuan Hong.
In their brief encounter previously, Zhou Yuan had felt a dangerous aura from Yuan Hong. He was most definitely going to be the biggest obstacle in the upcoming selection.
Even though he had achieved the jade skin stage of the little Mythic Saint Body, it was still not enough according to Zhou Yuan’s estimates. He would only feel confident if he managed to progress in the little Mythic Saint Body again and reach the silver bone stage.
However, it clearly won’t be easy to reach the silver bone stage.
It was already amazing for him to have mastered the jade skin stage in a month, while the silver bone stage was obviously going to be a much higher mountain to climb.
In fact, even though he had raised the water and fire Genesis Qi to the second level, his bones still showed no indication of transforming.
While Zhou Yuan was lost in thought, old Xuan’s voice sounded from the side, “Kid, hurry up and continue training since you’re done resting, what are you wasting time?”
In the broken stone pavilion beside him, old Xuan was grinding leaf tobacco into powder between his fingers and pouring it into his pipe. He lit the pipe and puffed, causing smoke to rise, while his murky eyes seemed to pierce through the smoke and lazily look towards Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan’s gaze faintly flickered in thought. A hint of struggle could be seen for a moment, before quickly being replaced by determination.
He raised his head, looked towards old Xuan and said, “Elder, I plan to raise the water and fire Qi to the third level.”
The old hand holding the pipe shook as rarely seen astonishment appeared in old Xuan’s eyes. “Do you not value your life? The second level is already very unbearable to your current self, and yet you still dare to challenge the third level?”
He stared at Zhou Yuan, under the impression that this was just some whimsical request. However, he was only met with Zhou Yuan’s determined gaze.
“Are you for real?” Old Xuan was a little in disbelief.
Challenging the third level was an act that required a tremendous amount of courage.
Zhou Yuan slowly nodded his head. Wasn’t all the tough training he had racked up over the past year for the sake of the impending chief disciple selection? If he failed, he would have no choice but to wait for next year...
But he clearly did not have that much time to wait.
Therefore, he needed to use the most extreme of methods to force out all of his latent potential… even if it would be rather cruel.
At the end of the day, one needed to have the courage to boldly advance on the path of cultivation.
Back then in the Great Zhou
Empire, his eight meridian channels had not appeared, making it impossible for him to begin cultivation. At that time, if he had given up inside, there would not have been today.
He had not given up back then… and it was even more impossible for him to give up now.
Old Xuan pulled in a deep breath from his pipe. Smoke rose into the air as he stood up and looked at Zhou Yuan with a solemn expression. “Kid, the third level is a little too strong for the current you. If you insist on going through with this, you have to be prepared for a tremendous amount of pain.”
He placed extra emphasis on the words ‘tremendous amount of pain’, clearly trying to tell Zhou Yuan that this was not going to be child's play.
Zhou Yuan merely smiled in response. His figure moved, appearing on the stone stage, before looking straight at old Xuan. Zhou Yuan had already conveyed his answer through his actions.
Old Xuan was a little taken aback, as he gave a slight nod, while deep admiration seemed to surge out from the depths of his murky eyes.
The road of cultivation was filled with countless difficulties and obstacles, and would never be a smooth journey. He had seen amazingly talented geniuses over the years, but at times, willpower and courage were more important than any talent.
Old Xuan did not say anything else, merely gently waving the broom in his hand as a Genesis Qi ripple pulsed.
Moments later, the third scale on the two stone dragon heads gradually brightened.
Rumble!
The entire land seemed to shake at this moment as high temperature and intense cold quietly spread, filling half the horizon.
In the end, the two stone dragons opened their gigantic mouths as vast torrents of water and fire burst out.
On the stone stage, Zhou Yuan’s seated figure was instantly engulfed. Half of the stage turned burning red, while the other half was covered in frost.
At the same time, a desperately suppressed howl of pain hysterically rang out from the torrential water and fire.
An incense stick of time later.
When the water and fire torrents finally began to wane, old Xuan hastily cast his gaze over, only to find a figure emitting steam from every inch of his body. All of Zhou Yuan’s skin had split open, as if he had been badly flayed. It was an exceedingly pitiful and torturous sight.
However, his eyes were tenaciously kept open as a very faint breathing sound was emitted from his nose.
His expression was extremely tense, finally reaching his limit when the water and fire stopped, and his body fell from the stage.
He had evidently fallen unconscious.
A stream of Genesis Qi surged over, wrapping around Zhou Yuan’s falling body. It lifted him up and gently placed him on the edge of the cliff.
Old Xuan gazed at the unconscious Zhou Yuan. The former could see faint dark green patterns emerging from under his skin, pulsing with vital energy that sustained Zhou Yuan’s life force as his skin gradually began to heal at a rate that could be seen by the naked eye.
Old Xuan’s gaze seemed to penetrate through Zhou Yuan flesh and blood, seeing a sliver of silver light flash past.
Old Xuan wet his lips as he sighed inside, feeling a little admiration at the kid.
“What a crazy little lunatic…”
…
While Zhou Yuan began his crazed training on the water and fire tempering dragon stage, time quietly passed in the Cangxuan Sect as the date of the chief disciple selection grew ever nearer.
The atmosphere that had been brewing over the sect grew more and more volatile, as every gaze in the entire sect converged towards the most major yearly event.
The chief disciple selection was fast approaching.
Chapter 455 Yaoyao’s Anger
As the date of the chief disciple selection gradually neared, it felt as if the entire Cangxuan Sect had been placed into a boiling cauldron. The various factions from the various were eagerly rubbing their hands together in anticipation, their eyes set on a certain position.
After all, it was a position that represented the number one disciple of each peak, while also a road one needed to traverse in order to become a Chosen...
From the very first day every Cangxuan Sect disciple entered the sect, the chief disciple position was the target they would strive towards for many years to come.
Hence, when the chief disciple selection arrived every year, its magnificence would far surpass the earlier purple sash selection.
It was known as the grandest event of the year after all.
...
Yaoyao leisurely walked through the mountain forest, her slim, beautiful figure looking as if it had gracefully walked out from a painting. At her feet, Tuntun closely followed on its short stubby legs.
She advanced with the aid of several markings to avoid the seal. The forest before her soon became a wide open space, as a cliff and the water and fire tempering dragon stage appeared in her sights.
The next thing that entered her eyes was an unconscious figure lying on the ground. It was Zhou Yuan, except he was currently in an extremely sorry state, as if he had just been scooped up from a boiling pot. All of his flesh seemed to be undergoing necrosis, and he had clearly sustained grave injuries.
Yaoyao was first taken aback, before her pretty face turned ice-cold as her eyes pointed towards the smoking old Xuan like a sword.
She had not come here ever since the talk she had with old Xuan, but she never expected to see such a situation today.
“What did you do to him?” Yaoyao's voice was as cold as ice.
Roar!
Tuntun also released a low roar, its beady eyes staring at old Xuan. Black light began to appear in its mouth, its tiny body starting to grow as its ferocious aura was revealed.
Upon seeing this, old Xuan helplessly said, “It has nothing to do with me. He’s the one who insisted on increasing the water and fire Genesis Qi to the third level.”
Yaoyao let out an icy snort, before she quickly walked forward and placed a finger under Zhou Yuan’s nose. Only after sensing his faint breathing did she breathe a small sigh of relief.
Her eyes proceeded to scan Zhou Yuan's bare upper body. Under the dying flesh, she could faintly see dark green light emerging. As the light soaked into the body, black sludge poured out from his pores.
As the sludge dispersed, his body slowly recovered.
However, even in this unconscious state, his body was instinctively trembling. One could easily imagine just how much pain he had endured earlier.
“Truly reckless!”
Yaoyao’s brows were furrowed, nearly shifting till they were vertical. So this was why he was returning back to the cave dwelling later and later, and appearing weaker and weaker each time. It turns out that he had raised the water and fire Qi to level three.
This was something he had not informed her about.
She turned her head and looked towards old Xuan as she frostily said, “He may not have fully understood the severity of this, but can you say the same for yourself? If one over tempers the body, it will rapidly break down! Can you afford to compensate him if his body is destroyed?”
Old Xuan opened and closed his mouth, clearly not expecting that he would receive such a scolding. He did not know whether to laugh or to cry. However, old Xuan constantly felt an unexplainable feeling of heart shaking fear of Yaoyao. Hence, he could only smile in an embarrassed manner as he said, “It’s not as bad as it looks. He practices the Taiyi Green Wood Mark that allows him to swiftly recover from even the most serious injuries. The only catch is that he has to suffer a little during the process.”
“You call this a little suffering?” Questioned Yaoyao.
To leave the tenacious Zhou Yuan in such a state, it was easy to imagine how terrifying the third level water and fire Qi was.
Old Xuan resentfully shook his pipe, realizing that she was just being unreasonable. Hence, he intelligently shut his mouth, sullenly hugging his broom as he squatted in a corner and gnawed on his pipe.
Yaoyao coldly snorted, paying no further attention to old Xuan. She too could tell that although Zhou Yuan’s injuries were extremely grave, the Taiyi Green Mark was rapidly repairing his body.
An incense stick of time passed as she stood there.
Only then did Zhou Yuan’s tightly shut eyes finally slowly crack open as a pained groan escaped from his lips.
He lay on the ground, facing the sky as waves of powerlessness pulsed through his body. The third level had been too huge of a burden on his body, resulting in a drastic loss of vital energy.
Fortunately, the Taiyi Green Mark in his body was releasing vital energy to replenish this loss.
*Cough*
While Zhou Yuan was thinking about silently lying there, a dry cough sounded. It was from old Xuan.
Zhou Yuan powerlessly croaked, “Let me rest a little longer.”
“How long do you plan on lying there?” A clear as spring water like voice sounded.
Zhou Yuan was startled as he hastily turned his head, quickly spotting the graceful as a willow figure. He immediately sat up and said, “Yaoyao?”
An awkward smile soon appeared on his face. “Why are you here?”
There was no expression on Yaoyao’s face. “If I came any later, I won’t even know when you will be tortured to death.”
In the stone pavilion, old Xuan gloomily breathed out a mouthful of smoke. Countless individuals in the Cangxuan Sect would die for his guidance, but it had become so unwanted and useless when mentioned by Yaoyao.
Zhou Yuan glanced at the depressed old Xuan and hurriedly said, “I’m fine, I can manage this training.”
Yaoyao ignored him and said, “Pack your things and follow me back.”
The sight of Yaoyao’s frosty expression caused a chill to rise inside Zhou Yuan. He obediently climbed to his feet, and nervously tidied himself the best he could.
“Kid, your recent training has been quite fruitful. Although you have yet to reach the silver bone stage, a breakthrough should be just around the corner. You should be able to achieve your goal with a little more effort.” Said old Xuan.
Zhou Yuan felt somewhat regretful. He did not expect that he would still fail to reach the silver bone stage even after so much suffering. The road of external cultivation was indeed a difficult one to walk.
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 247