After all, it had been the sect master and the other peak masters’ decision to send Lu Hong and his group to Saint Genesis Peak. He too was rather helpless with regards to this, because Saint Genesis Peak had indeed never succeeded after so many years.
If the Saint Genesis Peak chief disciple position was to land in the hands of Lu Hong’s faction, and they managed to retrieve the peak master seal, the two original factions of Saint Genesis Peak would truly lose all face.
Shen Taiyuan looked towards Lu Song, only to see the latter helplessly shake his head.
Saint Genesis Peak was after all unable to match the other six peaks. All the better disciples would be taken away by the other six peaks, naturally leading to them growing stronger and stronger, while the Saint Genesis Peak disciples lagged further and further behind. Now, their Saint Genesis Peak was unable to produce even a single one of the ten great Chosen...
While they were speaking, Wu Gang’s words had already begun to work their magic. Most of the new disciples here had been forcibly allocated to Saint Genesis Peak, and were thus naturally overjoyed to see elder Lu Hong’s faction that came from Sword Cometh Peak. The Sword Cometh Peak was, after all, one of the most popular choices amongst the outer mountain disciples.
As such, the disciples stirred for abit, before nearly half of them began to flood towards Wu Gang.
The sight of this caused the expressions of the disciples from the other two factions to turn a little ugly.
The cold, arrogant young lady called Lu Yan clenched her teeth, seething as she viciously glared at the disciples that had moved and angrily said, “A bunch of favor currying fellows! We don’t want them anyways!”
A pleased smile was revealed on Wu Gang’s face at the sight of this, before he turned to the remaining disciples on the plaza. These disciples stood behind Zhou Yuan, evidently waiting for him to make his decision.
After all, Zhou Yuan was the champion the peak selection ceremony, and possessed a degree of influence. Seeing that he had yet to choose, the other disciples also decided to observe for the time being.
Wu Gang’s gaze swept across Zhou Yuan, an unknown light flashing in his eyes, before he looked towards elder Lu Hong.
The latter’s eyes cracked open slightly, and cast an indifferent glance at Zhou Yuan. However, elder Lu Hong did not speak, merely nodding towards Wu Gang.
Wu Gang chuckled upon seeing this, before he turned to Zhou Yuan and said, “This junior brother must be the champion of this batch’s peak selection ceremony. I’ve long heard of your famous name. Our teacher Lu also rather admires you, and although you only managed to by some fluke take first place from junior brother Lu Feng, given how open-minded teacher Lu is, he will naturally do his best to guide you if you join his faction.”
His tone was rather provocative, seemingly not caring much about the so-called champion of the peak selection ceremony. Instead, it felt as if it was Zhou Yuan’s fortune to be given the chance to join them.
Wu Gang grinned as he stared at Zhou Yuan. “What do you think about your senior brother’s words? Do you want to join teacher Lu’s faction?”
At this moment, Shen Taiyuan and Lu Song cast their gazes over.
Behind them, the numerous disciples, including Zhou Tai and Lu Yan also looked over. They had evidently also heard that the champion of the ceremony had chosen to go to Saint Genesis Peak.
This was a very rare occurrence.
Under the numerous watching gazes, Zhou Yuan smiled at Wu Gang and said, “There as many talented geniuses as the clouds cultivating under teacher Lu, and being able to join them is indeed an honor.”
Upon hearing Zhou Yuan’s words, Wu Gang immediately laughed as he smirked slightly, clearly feeling that there was nothing special about this batch’s champion. After the former joined them, they would throw him out at any time if junior sister Lu Xuanyin wanted to vent her anger.
A trace of disappointed flowed out in the eyes of Zhou Tai and Lu Yan when they saw this.
Lu Yan coldly remarked, “The champion of this batch really has no backbone. Humph, the champion of the previous generation was senior brother Chu Qing, who has now become the leader of the ten Chosens.”
“Zhou Yuan is a far cry from him.”
When she talked about senior brother Chu Qing, her eyes would ripple slightly in adoration.
“Not bad, your judgement is pretty good.” Wu Gang pointed at Zhou Yuan and nodded with a smile. “Since that is the case, in the future…”
However, just as he was about to willfully appoint some silly duties, Zhou Yuan’s voice sounded again.
“But it is exactly because there are so many talented disciples under teacher Lu, that I feel that I would only be akin to a useless decoration there. That’s why… I feel that the other factions will suit me better.”
Wu Gang’s voice came to an abrupt halt, his finger still pointing at Zhou Yuan as the expression on his face turned stiff little by little.
Chapter 284 Gold Sash Disciple
When Zhou Yuan’s voice sounded once again on the stone plaza, it caused the atmosphere to instantly freeze as gaze after gaze was cast over in shock.
No one had expected Zhou Yuan to favor the other two factions...
After all, out of Saint Genesis Peak’s three current factions, Lu Hong’s was clearly the most superior.
However, this choice was no surprise to Zhou Yuan himself. From the very beginning, he had already decided not to choose Lu Hong’s faction.
It was because he could feel a tiny sliver of hostility in Wu Gang’s words and elder Lu Hong’s seemingly unconcerned gaze, hostility that was likely due to his relationship with Lu Feng and Lu Xuanyin.
Elder Lu Hong was obviously far from being as open-minded as Wu Gang had said.
Zhou Yuan could already foresee the endless amount of trouble that would be sent his way if he joined Lu Hong’s faction. Furthermore, it would be more likely that Lu Hong would not support him if Lu Xuanyin and Lu Feng came seeking revenge, and instead easily discard him to appease the two of them.
Therefore, Zhou Yuan would most certainly eliminate Lu Hong’s faction from his choices to avoid such trouble. After all, he felt that as long as he was provided with cultivation resources, it would not make much of difference regardless of which group he joined.
Truthfully speaking, as the possessor of the Decoder Saint Rune, Zhou Yuan did not require anyone to guide him in the area of Genesis techniques.
Zhou Yuan’s rejection also stunned the disciples under elder Shen Taiyuan and elder Lu Song. Zhou Yuan’s choice had likewise surpassed their expectations.
“This junior brother is somewhat interesting.” Zhou Tai grinned, a trace of admiration now present in his gaze when he looked towards Zhou Yuan.
Lu Yan’s cheeks balloned slightly for a while, the icy haughtiness on her pretty face fading substantially as she said, “At least he has some backbone…”
The other disciples from the two factions also cast friendly and welcoming gazes towards Zhou Yuan.
In contrast, hostility began to rise in the eyes of the disciples under elder Lu Hong, their slightly chilly gazes looking towards Zhou Yuan. It was obvious that they felt Zhou Yuan’s rejection to be an act of humiliation towards their group.
Especially Wu Gang, whose expression fluctuated indeterminately between anger and embarrassment. He had previously been under the impression that Zhou Yuan had tactfully chosen to join them. Who could have imagined that his earlier words were merely a ruse, turning the former’s earlier words into a joke.
“You!”
Wu Gang’s gaze turned piercingly chilly as he stared at Zhou Yuan and sarcastically said, “Junior brother Zhou Yuan really has character, it seems that you believe that as the champion of the peak selection ceremony, teacher Lu’s faction cannot do without you?”
“Do you really think that every champion is like the Cangxuan Peak’s senior brother Chu Qing?” There was no lack of mockery in his words.
There were many champions of the peak selection ceremony in the Cangxuan Sect. After all, there was one for each generation of disciples. Amongst them, there were no lack of amazingly successful disciples, but at the same time there were also many that ultimately fell back into mediocrity.
After rebuking Zhou Yuan, Wu Gang’s tone softed slightly as he said, “Junior brother Zhou Yuan, you do have some talent, but I advise you not to be too rash. If you fail to grasp this opportunity, regret will do nothing for you in the future.”
Zhou Yuan merely chuckled in response. “Teacher Lu’s faction is not too suitable for me, senior brother Wu Gang does not need to speak any further about this.”
Wu Gong’s words were always secretly threatening him, something that Zhou Yuan very much dislikes. Hence, he could no longer be bothered to talk it out nicely.
Wu Gang’s eyes hardened as an ominous look appeared on his face.
He was about to speak again, but saw elder Lu Hong open his eyes, indifference within them as he waved at the former. Hence, Wu Gang closed his mouth and venomously glared at Zhou Yuan.
Lu Hong nonchalantly said, “Since he is not willing, forget about it. We do not lack a so-called champion of the peak selection ceremony.”
He did not give Zhou Yuan a second glance. In his opinion, not joining them was undoubtedly destroying one’s own future. Once Zhou Yuan began to experience hardships in the future, he would naturally begin to understand how foolish he had been today.
Moreover, it was only a champion of the peak selection ceremony, someone who was merely number one amongst the outer mountain disciples. Who in the inner mountains had not gone through rigorous and careful selection? Zhou Yuan would soon understand what it meant to vanish into averageness.
Lu Hong had originally been a little interested in this batch’s champion. If the latter could be recruited, Lu Hong would first make him apologise to Lu Xuanyin and Lu Feng, before giving him proper guidance. But from the looks of it, this individual was clearly not going to cooperate.
Wu Gang understood Lu Hong’s character, and knew from his words that Zhou Yuan’s actions had already turned off teacher Lu. A gloating smile immediately revealed itself on Wu Gang’s face.
However, Zhou Yuan paid no attention to them. He really disliked Lu Hong from the bottom of his heart, and did not know what kind of terrible future awaited him if he were to join the latter’s faction.
Hence, his gaze turned towards elder Shen Taiyuan and elder Lu Song as he cupped his fists together and said, “This disciple hopes to study under either of the two elders.”
Shen Taiyuan and Lu Song exchanged a look as their expressions softened somewhat. They too never imagined that Zhou Yuan would actually end up rejecting Lu Hong.
Shen Taiyuan’s stern face was now much more relaxed than before. He was a rather inflexible and old-fashioned person by nature, but treated his disciples with amazing earnesty. Hence, numerous disciples both respected and feared him in Saint Genesis Peak.
He looked towards elder Lu Song and asked, “What does elder Lu Song think?”
Elder Lu Song laughed and said, “As the one who became the champion of the peak selection ceremony, he’s naturally a good seedling. This old man is tempted, but you should know that I'm a pretty mischievous one. The little guy will likely end up wasting much time with me.”
Elder Lu Song knew that Shen Taiyuan had been brooding over elder Lu Hong’s shift to Saint Genesis Peak. However, due to the repeated failures for so many years, Shen Taiyuan could only accept the arrangements made by sect master and the other hegemons.
Although Shen Taiyuan was strict and old-fashioned, he did give his all when he came to his disciples. The only problem was that it was an exceedingly difficult task to find any good saplings to nature in their Saint Genesis Peak, hence why his disciples still found it hard to compete with the other peaks.
Now that a champion of the peak selection ceremony had at long last came their way, and had even declined to join Lu Hong’s faction, Lu Song knew that although Shen Taiyuan appeared calm on the surface, his heart was surely churning with emotions.
Lu Song knew that Shen Tiayuan would never give up, and was definitely going to duke it out with Lu Hong.
“So I believe that it will best for this little guy to join elder Shen’s ranks.” Lu Song smiled.
Shen Taiyuan’s eyebrows moved, but that face of his remained impassive. After some silence, he nodded to Lu Song.
Shen Taiyuan gazed at Zhou Yuan and said in a slightly soft voice, “Since that’s the case, you shall join us today, and I will earnestly guide you.”
Zhou Yuan cupped his fists together towards Shen Taiyuan and bowed.
As Shen Taiyuan watched, a smile finally surfaced on his stern face. With a wave of his hand, a flash of gold flew towards Zhou Yuan, turning into a golden sash.
Faint, complicated runes were etched onto the golden sash as it gave off a peculiar ripple that was actually able to gather the surrounding Genesis Qi. It had clearly been inscribed with a Genesis gathering rune, and could be said to be a support type Genesis treasure.
“As the champion of the peak selection ceremony, I have bestowed upon you a gold sash.” A rarely heard kindness could be detected in Shen Taiyuan’s voice.
“Thank you teacher Shen.”
Under the many envious gazes, Zhou Yuan received the golden sash. He knew that he was now formally a gold sash disciple of Cangxuan Sect’s inner mountains.
Chapter 285 Purple Genesis Cave Dwelling
As Zhou Yuan tied the gold sash around his waist, the complex and ancient runes on it glittered faintly, and the surrounding Genesis Qi began to flow towards him strand by strand, ultimately slipping into his body.
The numerous surrounding disciples wore looks of envy as they watched. They knew that the gold sash was not merely a beneficial tool for cultivation, but also represented one’s status and perks.
After wearing the gold sash, Zhou Yuan moved to the side.
It this moment, Shen Taiyuan, Lu Song, and Lu Hong’s gazes suddenly turned at the same time, looking towards the most soul-stirring figure on the plaza.
It was naturally Yaoyao.
Yaoyao wore her light blue long skirt, her facial features so pretty it was as if they had been perfectly drawn, not even a tiny blemish to be soon. Her eyes in particular were akin to a clear and empty sky that gave off a faint feeling of distance, making it that no one dared to approach.
The moment Yaoyao appeared, numerous gazes of the plaza stealthily looked over as whispers began to spread in secret.
“This is way too pretty!”
“Her presence is also extraordinary, who is she? Such beauty and presence is stronger than even the Snow Lotus Peak’s senior sister Li Qingchan!”
“They do look a little similar, both feel rather distant…”
“They’re not the same at all. Although senior sister Li Qingchan is usually akin to mountain of ice, she’s actually cold and the outside and warm on the inside. The girl before us however has a cold indifference that spreads from within, and seems to be unconcerned about anything. Such coldness basically makes her untouchable.”
“Tch, acting like you understand…”
“……”
Regardless of what they whispered, it was clear that every gaze was amazed by Yaoyao. Even a girl like Lu Yan, who had confidence in her looks, had nothing to say.
Looks like the number one beauty of Saint Genesis Peak would undisputedly belong to Yaoyao in future.
Shen Taiyuan was pondered for a brief moment, before he finally opened his mouth and said, “Zhou Xiaoyao, your situation is quite unique. Peak master white brow has already sent someone to inform us that you need not take any of us three as a teacher. However, you may still stay in Saint Genesis Peak.”
They obviously already knew about Yaoyao, and also understood how unprecedentedly valued she was by the peak master of Spirit Rune Peak.
The truth was that they could not w
rap their heads around this matter. Why had Yaoyao insisted on coming to Saint Genesis Peak? Given her talent, if she went to Spirit Rune Peak, peak master white brow would certainly treat her like a queen.
Though they had heard that she chose to come here for Zhou Yuan, every fibre of her being seemed to give off an unapproachable feeling. Could she really be fond of Zhou Yuan?
They mulled over it for a while, but were unable to reach an answer.
Yaoyao nonchalantly nodded in acknowledgement. After all, she was only at Saint Genesis Peak to protect Zhou Yuan, and in her opinion, none of the three elders had the qualifications to teach her.
Now that they were done with Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao, the remaining disciples began to make their choices, the majority following Zhou Yuan to join elder Shen and elder Lu Song’s groups.
After the allocation was done, perhaps because of Zhou Yuan, the number of disciples that had joined Shen Taiyuan was roughly equal to Lu Hong.
Thus, all the new disciples were split up into three groups.
Of the three factions, elder Lu Song had the least number of disciples, but he was indeed more of a playful and mischievous individual, and did not have much interest in competing or grand aspirations.
Elder Shen Taiyuan and elder Lu Hong on the other hand, were very competitive. They had the most disciples, but elder Lu Hong’s disciples were clearly of better quality. He was after all from the Sword Cometh Peak, the resources available to him far greater than elder Shen Taiyuan.
Since they were done, elder Lu Hong stood up to leave, no intentions of discussing anything with Shen Taiyuan and Lu Song.
However, it was at this moment that the silent Shen Taiyuan suddenly spoke, “Please wait elder Lu Hong.”
Lu Hong’s foot paused as he turned around, looked at Shen Taiyuan and said, “What is it elder Shen?”
Shen Taiyuan hesitated for a moment, before he said, “I hope to discuss about the final purple Genesis cave dwelling of our Saint Genesis Peak.”
Lu Hong’s eyes narrowed slightly. Soon after, he seemingly smiled as he mockingly swept a glance at Zhou Yuan and said, “Elder Shen is truly a lover of talent. To think that you would even plan on preparing a purple Genesis cave dwelling for him.”
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 156
