As such, they no longer feared Lu Feng as much as before.
With such thoughts in mind, they exchanged a look, began to follow one after another, creating a crowd behind Zhou Yuan.
With them taking the lead, more and more non Shengzhou disciples began to flood over, forming a black mass that surged down the mountain.
The sight of this caused the expressions of numerous Shengzhou disciples to turn somewhat unnatural. For the first time, they felt that these country bumpkins were no longer easy targets.
The corners of Lu Feng’s lips involuntarily twitched at this sight, fury boiling within his eyes. In a certain manner of speaking, this was akin to stepping on their faces.
He never imagined that he would not only fail to destroy Zhou Yuan, but end up helping him instead, creating a central pillar that all these country bumpkins could now rally around...
Lu Feng took in a deep breath, his five fingers slowly clenching into a fist. The gaze that stared at Zhou Yuan’s back was filled with a chilling iciness.
“Go ahead and be happy for now. During the peak selection ceremony, I will personally stomp you into the ground!”
“I will teach you that the higher you climb, the harder the fall!”
Chapter 259 Guidance
After the confrontation on Genesis Mountain, the atmosphere in the outer mountains grew increasingly tense. Various clashes happening between the Shengzhou and non Shengzhou discipes time and time again.
However, there was one change compared to before. The non Shengzhou disciples no longer tolerated the bullying of the Shengzhou disciples, fiercely striking back instead, causing the Shengzhou disciples to be caught off guard.
After all, the Shengzhou disciples had only been able to act so proud and arrogant because Lu Feng had the power to sweep away all the other disciples, making many disciples afraid to even raise any objections against him. However, after the confrontation between Zhou Yuan and Lu Feng on Genesis Mountain, the non Shengzhou disciples suddenly realised that there was someone amongst them that had deeply concealed his abilities.
If this was the case, why should they continue to be accommodating and show tolerance to these guys?
Therefore, even though the day of the peak selection ceremony was fast approaching, conflicts constantly rose between the two sides, each wanting to force the other into submission.
With regards to the disagreements between the disciples, the Cangxuan Sect outer mountain showed no concern, allowing them to do as they pleased. It was an unspoken rule in the Cangxuan Sect.
Although the Cangxuan Sect was a titan like existence in Cangxuan Heaven, competition was needed for sustained growth. Without it, the Cangxuan Sect would become a lifeless pool of stagnant water.
The clashes between the Shengzhou and other continent disciples would allow them to polish each other, propelling them to strive even harder in their cultivation. From a certain point of view, it was a kind of motivation.
As for the disciples that were unable to adapt to such competition, they would eventually be eliminated.
However, while such disagreements continued to break out between the disciples, Zhou Yuan’s reputation began to rise at an alarming speed, until it was basically equal to Lu Feng’s. Zhou Yuan was now known as one of the top contenders amongst outer mountain disciples of this batch.
Of course, this was an opinion mostly shared by non Shengzhou disciples. The Shengzhou disciples on the other hand, merely viewed this with extreme contempt. They believed that if it was not for Chen Yuan’s interference, Zhou Yuan would have long been beaten back to his original shape on Genesis Mountain.
When all was said and done however, Zhou Yuan’s reputation in the outer mountains was now no lesser than Lu Feng’s.
As for who exactly amongst the two would become the true number one, everyone would only find out during the peak selection ceremony.
…
Currently, Zhou Yuan would still give guidance for the Ethereal Form technique everyday. Even more of his time, however, was spent on his own cultivation.
Lu Feng was no ordinary individual. Although he was loathsome, his strength was admittedly the real deal, a point that Zhou Yuan could not deny. Hence, he would not allow himself to relax.
While focusing on his own training, Zhou Yuan also started to fulfil his promise towards Qiao Xiu, Zhao Kun, Song Wanxi and the rest, the promise of giving them pointers in their Genesis techniques.
After all, he had already recruited them, and would also require their help in the peak selection ceremony. Thus, raising their strength would also end up benefiting himself.
By a certain mountain creek.
Zhou Yuan sat on a boulder, his gaze looking first towards Zhao Kun as he said, “The Genesis technique you practice is the Sky Dipper Hand, right?”
The Sky Dipper Hand was a mid grade little Heaven tier Genesis technique. It was powerful and unyielding in nature, and every strike would be accompanied by dipper wind. Even metal would seem akin to tofu before its might. At the advanced level, tearing apart mountains would be an effortless task.
It was as if a bolt of energy surged through Zhao Kun, while anticipation also began bubbling in the eyes of Song Wanxi and the rest also.
After so many days, Zhou Yuan was finally going to begin guiding them.
The past few days had been rather vexing for them. They had heard whispers that Lu Feng had managed to pull some strings, and arranged for personal tutors to guide some of the better ranked outer mountain disciples such as Qin Zhen and Lei Hongtao, allowing them to rapidly grow stronger.
This news made them feel very uneasy. After all, if the gap started to widen, their chances of winning would drop in the peak selection ceremony, making it extremely difficult to vie for the top ten spots.
However, they did not have the connections Lu Feng had, and were thus unable to obtain personal guidance from these tutors. Hence, they could only place their hopes on Zhou Yuan.
However, Zhou Yuan had not even hinted at this matter for the past few days, leaving them no option but to wait in silence. Now that Zhou Yuan had finally voluntarily brought it up, they were naturally elated.
However, there was still a little doubt mixed in with this happiness. After all, although they knew that Zhou Yuan seemed to have astonishing talent in Genesis techniques, each of them practiced a different technique. Would Zhou Yuan be proficient in all of them?
Hence, with regards to Zhou Yuan’s promise to give them guidance, they were still holding a ‘seeing is believing’ mindset.
Zhao Kun felt a little awkward as he asked, “Junior brother Zhou Yuan, will you really be able to help me with the Sky Dipper Hand technique? You’ve yet to see ts cultivation method, right?”
Zhou Yuan nodded and said, “I’ve not seen it before.”
He had indeed not seen the cultivation method for the Sky Dipper Hand. However, he possessed the Decoder Saint Rune, and could clearly find the weaknesses or deficiencies in any Genesis technique. Therefore, he only needed to bring their attention to places, naturally allowing them to avoid making such mistakes, allowing them to progress more efficiently.
This was something that no other instructor could so.
Of course, this was the extent of the aid he could give. Each individual had to continue spending time practicing and better understanding their techniques to improve. The Decoder Saint Rune was not all-powerful after all.
Zhao Kun could not help but let out a bitter laugh in response to Zhou Yuan’s honesty. “There are three levels to the Sky Dipper Hand. I’ve managed to master the first level, but am having difficulties with the second for quite some time.”
“The one you suppressed a few days ago, Qin Zhen, also practices this technique. I’ve heard he’s made significant progress during the past two days, and will likely reach the second level before the peak selection ceremony.”
“Rumor says that Lu Feng has found some instructors to personally guide them.”
A
t this point, Zhao Kun grinded his teeth in regret. The disciples from the Shengzhou Continent did have several advantages over the rest of them.
Zhou Yuan gave a slight nod upon hearing this. He was naturally also aware of this piece news.
It was this very information that caused the minds of Zhao Kun, Song Wanxi, Qiao Xiu and the rest to wander, and also hence why Zhou Yuan had brought up this matter today. If he were to delay any further, Zhao Kun and gang would likely soon lose their morale, let alone the other disciples.
This was obviously another one of Lu Feng’s schemes that aimed to destroy everyone’s faith.
Zhou Yuan did not want to waste any more time, and directly instructed, “Activate the Sky Dipper Hand.”
The sight of Zhou Yuan’s calm appearance made Zhao Kun feel a little less awkward. It seemed that he had some confidence?
Zhao Kun took in a deep breath as the Genesis Qi inside his body began to ripple. His hands started to grow a little, Genesis Qi light swirling around them to form glowing runes.
Strands of dipper wind circled around his hands, shredding even the air to pieces.
With a loud yell, Zhou Kun swung his hand. Dipper winds immediately swept forth, chopping open a 90 feet long cut on the ground in front of him, the dreadful force splitting even the boulders in its path.
The surrounding disciples inwardly sighed in amazement. The Sky Dipper Hand was indeed ferocious and domineering.
“The levels of the Sky Dipper Hand are marked by the power of the dipper winds. It’s said that the second level can reach over 240 feet, while I am currently only capable of about 90 feet.” Said Zhao Kun in a somewhat regretful manner.
“But my progress has slowed to a crawl recently, only making 3 feet of headway after several days of nonstop practice. At this rate, it will take at least half a year to reach the second level.”
“Junior brother Zhou Yuan, what do I need to do?” He gazed a Zhou Yuan, a flash of hope in his eyes.
The others also awkwardly looked towards Zhou Yuan. If he could solve Zhao Kun’s problem, they would naturally have more faith.
Zhou Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, an ancient rune appearing in the depths of his pupils. When Zhao Kun used the Sky Dipper Hand earlier, he had clearly seen how the Genesis Qi circulated along the channels and meridian points in the latter’s body.
At certain locations, Zhou Yuan had seen the circulating Genesis Qi turn a little sluggish.
While Zhou Yuan did not speak, everyone else fell silent, causing the atmosphere to become extremely suffocating.
Moments later, Zhou Yuan finally withdrew his gaze. He looked towards the grim faced crowd and chuckled. “No problem. It’s quite simple.”
Everyone was stunned, even Zhao Kun also a little in disbelief and unable to speak for a time.
Zhou Yuan was not offended by their response. He grasped the Heavenly Yuan Brush as its snow-white brush hairs shot out, swiftly marking out several locations on Zhao Kun’s body. “When you circulate your Genesis Qi through these locations, increase the speed by 30% and power by 40%”
Zhao Kun was taken aback. Although he was utterly confused, he still nodded in the end, still skeptical as he began to circulate his Genesis Qi. When it flowed through the locations indicated by Zhou Yuan, Zhao Kun followed the instructions given, increasing the speed and power.
Bzz!
Dipper Qi exploded from Zhao Kun’s palm as he ferociously chopped downwards.
Boom!
The ground before him was once again torn apart by dipper winds.
It was at this moment that Song Wanxi, Qiao Xiu and the rest’s eyes aburptly widened.
The scar left behind by the attack had reached 129 feet!
Compared to before, it had grown by a whole 24 feet!
Sss!
A series of gasps were heard as everyone turned towards Zhou Yuan in shock. No one had expected a few seemingly casual tips from him to bring about such apparent improvement.
Zhao Kun was likewise stupefied. It was a long time later before he looked towards Zhou Yuan with burning eyes and quivering lips. Even someone as proud as himself could not help by tremble as he said, “Young brother Yuan, I’m convinced.”
The other disciples instantly shifted their practically searing gazes towards Zhou Yuan.
Song Wanxi pretty eyes looked at Zhou Yuan as she said in a soft and sweet voice, “Junior brother Zhou Yuan, may I also ask for your guidance in my Black Ying Scripture.”
“Young brother Yuan, please guide me in my Flame Thunder Force!”
“My, my Thousand Wave Scroll!”
“.…..”
A wave of excited voices exploded by the mountain creek, drowning out the sound of flowing water.
With Zhou Yuan’s terrifying talent in Genesis techniques, the numerous disciples suddenly felt extremely confident in the face of the fast approaching peak selection ceremony.
They would perhaps really end up taking six of the top ten spots in the peak selection ceremony!
Chapter 260 Secret
The date of the peak selection ceremony grew closer every day.
The outer mountains were bathed in an atmosphere of desperate training, everyone making full use of every second they had in hopes of making themselves just a tiny bit stronger before the arrival of the peak selection ceremony.
After all, everyone clearly understood what it represented; their future prospects.
They had travelled millions of miles, and crossed uncountable continents just for the chance of entering the Cangxuan Sect. If they were unable to grasp this opportunity to enter the inner mountains, they would surely have to wait a long time for their next chance. Even if they managed to succeed then, they would have already lost the most ideal timing, and those of the same generation would have likely long left them in the dust.
Hence, not a single person in the outer mountains could relax in the face of such an important event.
Zhou Yuan was no exception.
By the mountain creek, Zhou Yuan was seated with his eyes closed as robust gold Genesis Qi whizzed around his body. One would see three swirling torrents of Genesis Qi in which the barely discernible figures of three beasts could be seen. A savage and domineering aura spread from them along with the faint echoes of dragon roars.
Rumble!
The three torrents of Genesis Qi shuddered, cracks suddenly appearing on the boulder Zhou Yuan was seated on as muffled explosions rang out in the air.
Zhou Yuan’s tightly shut eyes slowly opened, light blossoming within them before gradually receding.
He spat out a breath as faint joy sparkled in his eyes. After half a month of training, he had finally refined the three dragon type Genesis Beast essence blood, successfully cultivating three Nine Dragons Canon Genesis Qi.
The only thing he needed to do next was to break them in. These three Nine Dragons Canon Genesis Qi definitely possessed overwhelming power.
“It seems that you’ve reached the initial level of the Nine Dragons Canon.” While Zhou Yuan was appreciating his progress, a figure in red flew over, bringing along a slight fragrance. Gu Hongyi stood in front of Zhou Yuan with a wide grin.
Zhou Yuan glanced at her and smiled, “The Shengzhou and non Shengzhou disciples have been on pretty bad terms recently, and yet you still come here everyday.”
Over this period of time, she did as she wanted, coming to receive guidance from Zhou Yuan in the Ethereal Form technique. She was clearly not the least bit affected by the disagreements between the disciples on both sides.
Gu Hongyi pouted a little. “What do such meaningless conflicts have to do with me?”
She understood that the Shengzhou disciples believed a little too deeply that they were superior to others, while the non Shengzhou disciples whom were prided geniuses in their respective continents were naturally proud individuals. Contact between the two parties would naturally result in conflict.
With regards to such conflicts, she neither had the power
to stop them, not did she want to interfere.
Zhou Yuan said, “If everyone was like you, these troubles would naturally cease to exist.”
Although Gu Hongyi was also a proud individual, she did not bully and humiliate others by relying on her background. This was something Zhou Yuan admired about her.
Gu Hongyi sat down in front of Zhou Yuan as she inquired with interest, “After the peak selection ceremony, which peak do you want to enter?”
Zhou Yuan was taken aback. He did not answer, but asked instead, “What about you?”
Gu Hongyi placed a hand on her chin as she answered, “Of course I want to enter the Cangxuan Peak. It’s the peak where the sect master resides, and can be said to be one of the most popular peaks amongst the disciples.”
Zhou Yuan asked in surprise, “Isn’t your old ancestor the master of the Hongya Peak?”
Gu Hongyi frowned. “The Hongya Peak specializes in external tempering techniques, and everyone there is covered all over in metal lump like muscles, so ugly. I’ll never go to the Hongya Peak.”
Zhou Yuan was stunned. Once Genesis Qi cultivation reached a certain level, it would be divided into internal and external tempering. Internal tempering referred to the cultivation of Genesis Qi in the Qi Dwelling, making it magnificent as a river of stars, boundless and endless.
External tempering on the other hand referred to using Genesis Qi to temper the body. The fusion of the two would allow one to shatter the sky and land with one’s bare hands and feet. It was said that at the pinnacle, one’s body would achieve the Saint level, a realm where a single flick was enough to shatter stars.
However, regardless of whether it was internal or external, one’s cultivation first needed to reach a certain level. At the very least, the current Zhou Yuan did not have the qualifications, because he lacked sufficient Genesis Qi. There was no point mentioning internal or external tempering when even his Qi Dwelling had yet to be filled.
Zhou Yuan curiously asked, “What about the other peaks?”
Gu Hongyi laughed and explained, “The Sword Cometh Peak for example focuses on using one’s Genesis Qi to nourish the sword, allowing it to transform into sword Qi. Their attacks are sharp and deadly, with the potential to cut the milky way. With regards to sharpness, they are said to be the number one in the Cangxuan Sect.”
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 143
