Zhou Tai did not waste time chit chatting. After giving some advice, he said, “You can explore Saint Genesis Peak during the next three days to get used to things here. However, you can’t miss the morning lesson on Alpha-Origin Cliff in three days. It’s the biggest benefit we get in after entering the inner mountains.”
“Alpha-Origin Cliff?”
Zhou Yuan was somewhat puzzled.
However, Zhou Tai did not explain, merely mysteriously smiling as he said, “You’ll know when the time comes.”
He turned around, and was just about to leave when he suddenly hesitated for a moment. “Junior brother Zhou Yuan, you should be more cautious for the time being, and try your best to keep a low profile...”
Zhou Yuan was taken aback. “What do you mean?”
Zhou Tai revealed a helpless smile and said, “Teacher Shen values you far too much, which I believe will make the other brother disciples feel a sense of unfairness. Truthfully speaking, even I am a little envious of you, what more the others.”
Although Zhou Yuan was the champion the most recent peak selection ceremony, he was too new to the outer mountains and lacked experience. However, teacher Shen had not only gifted this newest disciple a gold Genesis cave dwelling, but was even doing his best to get a purple Genesis cave dwelling for the former. When such actions landed in the eyes of the other disciples, it was easy for feelings of unfairness to rise in their hearts.
Zhou Yuan silently nodded when he heard this.
Zhou Tai had nothing left to say, stepping onto a Genesis Qi cloud as he rose into the sky and swiftly disappeared into the distance.
Zhou Yuan remained standing on the spot, frowning slightly as he watched Zhou Tai leave.
He was naturally aware that teacher Shen’s actions would easily draw out feelings of jealousy and envy in the other disciples. The bottom line was that these disciples felt that he did not deserve such attention and treatment.
His eyes narrowed slightly. The reason he had come to the Cangxuan Sect was for the sake of growing stronger, and eventually earn the power to face king Wu. Since the purple Genesis cave dwelling would be very beneficial to him, he naturally also coveted it.
Hence, he did not intend to voluntarily give up just because other disciples felt it was unfair.
He had only tried to turn it down previously because he did not fully understand the situation, and did not wish to accept such kindness from others for no reason.
His eyes spun in thought. After some silence, he turned around and entered the cave dwelling.
He did not wish to comment on Zhou Tai telling him to keep a low profile, because he understood that trying to be low-key alone would not be of any use in this situation.
If anyone was unable to accept it, he would beat them till they did.
…
In a certain cave dwelling.
A dozen figures were seated here, unhappy voices sounding one after another.
“Teacher Shen is being way too unfair. Even if that snot-nose brat Zhou Yuan managed to win the peak selection ceremony, he’s only recently entered the inner mountains. To think that he would even be given a gold Genesis cave dwelling.”
“Agreed, that gold Genesis cave dwelling was clearly being eyed by senior brother Cao Shi, but has now ended up being taken away right under our noses.”
“Most importantly, from the looks of it, teacher Shen will likely send us out in the cave match a month later, but if we win? The purple Genesis cave dwelling will probably end up in Zhou Yuan’s hands.”
“On what basis should be enjoy such treatment? Just because he’s the champion? It’s not like we’ve never seen one before!”
“……”
The numerous disciples shared their grievances, releasing all of the unhappiness in their hearts.
Amongst the crowd was was a long-haired young man whose expression appeared exceptionally stormy. It was the disciple called Cao Shi.
He had been eyeing that gold Genesis cave dwelling for the longest time, and had been saving Genesis jade to trade for it. In the end, it had been so casually given to a new disciple by teacher Shen. How could he possibly
Cao Shi icily chuckled and said, “It will not be so easy for a mere new disciple to step on me.”
“What does senior brother Cao plan on doing?”
Cao Shi’s eyes narrowed as a faint smile appeared on his lips. “There are not many gold sash disciples amongst us who can still participate in the cave match. If nothing unexpected happens, I will likely be one of the choices.”
“I will gather some of the other senior brothers who also feel that teacher Shen is showering that brat with too much attention. When the time comes, we will propose that if we were to take part in the cave match, teacher must first agree that the purple Genesis cave dwelling will not be given to that snot-nose kid.”
These words immediately drew a series of approval from the group.
“Senior brother Cao is right. Zhou Yuan may have some talent, but he is ultimately only a new disciple. We must first make him understand his social standing. Before us, he’s only an inexperienced and new disciple!”
“That’s right!”
“……”
The sight of the crowd’s indignant appearances caused a smile to rise on Cao Shi’s face. He raised his cup and downed it in a single go, before lifting his head and peering into the distance as an icy smile flashed in his eyes.
“New kid, I will let you know that even if teacher Shen thinks highly of you, you still have to abide by the rules here!”
Chapter 288 Gold Sash Third Seat
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
After three days of acclimatisation, Zhou Yuan had gradually familiarised himself with Saint Genesis Peak. At the same time, he had also begun to realise the benefits of a cave dwelling.
In the inner mountains, every disciple possessed a cave dwelling, the only difference being its rank.
Every cave dwelling was connected to a Genesis Mountain, the higher ranked cave dwellings linked to higher ranked Genesis Mountains.
At the deepest part of each cave dwelling was a spring, which was also the connection point to its Genesis Mountain.
Pure, boundless Genessi Qi would endlessly gush out from spring, ultimately forming a faint mist that filled the cave.
The effectiveness of training in such an environment was incomparable to the single Genesis Mountain used by tens of thousands of people in the outer mountains.
Hence, Zhou Yuan was already able to feel the Genesis Qi in his body progress after the short three days he stayed in the gold Genesis cave dwelling. This made him realise how huge of a gap there was between an inner and outer mountain disciple.
However, although the cave dwelling was pretty darn amazing, it did come at a cost.
It was said that one could exchange Genesis jade for a cave dwelling, and the price of a gold Genesis cave dwelling was about ten thousand Genesis jade pieces. In addition, a maintenance fee of several hundred Genesis jade pieces had to be paid every month.
This was clearly not cheap at all. Fortunately, inner mountain disciples were treated better than outer mountain disciples, and would receive over a thousand Genesis jade pieces every month.
What’s more, the missions given by the task pavilion in the inner mountains were much more rewarding. All these factors allowed the inner mountain disciples to upkeep their cave dwellings.
In Zhou Yuan’s case, there was no pressure with regards to this matter. His previous work as a Genesis technique instructor had already earned him a sizable fortune. In addition, his gold Genesis cave dwelling was given to him by teacher Shen, saving him over ten thousand Genesis jade pieces. The only thing he had to worry about were the routine maintenance cost.
In his opinion, things that could benefit his cultivation were more useful, while Genesis jade was just a sort of means to an ends.
After cultivating in the gold Genesis cave dwelling for three days, Zhou Yuan was now a little more
interested in the higher ranked purple Genesis cave dwelling.
Since a gold Genesis cave dwelling was already so amazing, what level did a purple Genesis cave dwelling reach?
What’s more, it was said that if one became one of the ten great Chosens, one would be able to enjoy an entire Genesis Mountain alone. There would only be a single cave dwelling on these Genesis Mountains, and all its Genesis Qi would be provided solely to that lone cave dwelling. One’s cultivation progress would likely be even more rapid in such a place.
Those cave dwellings were called Chosen cave dwellings, and were even higher ranked than the purple grade. Of course, even elder Shen and the rest did not have the qualifications to give a cave dwelling of that calibre. Approval would have to be given by sect master Qing Yang and the other five peak masters.
However, a Chosen cave dwelling was too distant to Zhou Yuan at this current time. For now, he decided that he would first aim for a purple Genesis cave dwelling.
He had finally been able to sort out his thoughts towards Shen Taiyuan over the past few days. Since the latter valued him so greatly, there was no need for him to modestly decline any more. He understood that Shen Taiyuan merely hoped that this new champion of the peak selection ceremony would be different from the rest. Shen Taiyuan prayed that after some grooming, Zhou Yuan would be able to display his potential and rise above the numerous other disciples to eventually become the chief disciple of Saint Genesis Peak, retrieve the peak master seal, and bring back glory to them.
This goal of his was exactly the same as Zhou Yuan’s own. After all, he needed to enter the sealed main peak in order to find the second Saint Rune.
…
“Will you be attending this morning’s class?”
In the cave.
Zhou Yuan had already made his preparations. His gaze cast towards a nearby cliff that was surrounded by mists and led into a deep dark abyss. Yaoyao was leisurely seated on a swing made from vines, Tuntun on her lap as she stared at an old book in her hand
When sunlight shined through the mists and landed on her body, the originally fair as jade skin was infused with a slight glow, making it dazzle as if it was crystal. It was a sight that would take your breath away.
However, Zhou Yuan was already used to this long ago.
Upon hearing Zhou Yuan’s question, Yaoyao lifted her gaze slightly and lazily shook her head.
“Nope.”
She was not interested in training.
Zhou Yuan was not surprised by her response. With a nod, he stepped onto a Genesis Qi cloud and rose into the air, heading straight for the so-called Alpha-Origin Cliff.
Along the way, he met Shen Wanjin and the other new disciples. They made quite a ruckus as they travelled together.
After about a dozen minutes, their speed gradually slowed as their gazes looked to the front where a giant mountain pierced through the clouds. At its peak seemed to be a giant green cliff.
The cliff looked very out of place with the mountain, as if it had been placed here from somewhere else. This cliff was likely the Alpha-Origin Cliff.
On the green cliff stood a large green hall.
Numerous Genesis Qi clouds were currently flying over, landing one by one just outside the hall.
Zhou Yuan and the rest also landed before the giant green hall, and discovered three simple, bold words above it.
“Dao seeker hall.”
Zhou Yuan and gang stepped into the hall, finding its insides rather spacious and grand. The interior of the hall seemed to be built up like steps, and at the very top sat elder Shen Taiyuan’s figure.
On the wide steps that descended downwards were old looking mats.
These mats came in three colors, purple, gold and black.
The purple mats were located higher up, and were nearest to Shen Taiyuan, followed by the gold mats and then the black mats at the very bottom… it was obvious that these mats represented the status of the disciples.
Zhou Yuan’s gaze swept across the mats, faintly feeling a peculiar ripple spreading from them. These were no simple mats at all.
There were only eight purple mats, on which eight figures were already seated. At their head was Zhou Tai, and they were clearly the eight purple sash disciples under Shen Taiyuan.
When Zhou Yuan walked into the large hall, numerous gazes shot towards him. Zhou Tai smiled warmly at him, but the other disciples’ expressions were unreadable.
The three purple sash disciples closest to Zhou Tai in particular seemed to size Zhou Yuan up with sharp gazes.
“Zhou Yuan, you shall sit there.”
Shen Taiyuan likewise caught sight of Zhou Yuan. However, the former’s expression remained as cold and stoic like a rock as he extended a hand and pointed towards a certain spot below.
It was the third spot amongst the gold mats.
Shen Taiyuan’s actions immediately caused a buzz to grow in the hall, envy appearing in the eyes of many disciples.
The mats here was not some free-for-all seating. The closer one was to the front, the greater the benefits. At the same time, it also represents one’s status, and the third gold mat represented the third seat of the gold sash disciples.
If Zhou Yuan was seated there, it meant that even the more veteran gold sash disciples that had joined earlier but were ranked below third seat had to call him senior brother.
In the inner mountains, rank was even more strictly adhered to, and was nowhere near as relaxed as the outer mountains where one would address another based on age.
Normally speaking, however, new disciples would be placed towards the back, and slowly rise up as time passed. It was very rare to see someone like Zhou Yuan who would be given the gold sash third seat right away.
Zhou Yuan also understood this, but he was already over it. Since Shen Taiyuan was grasping onto him as if he was the final straw, there was no need for him to act too modestly. He would receive any benefit with open arms, all he had to do was return the favor later on.
Thus, he ignored the many gazes that were sizing him up or judging him and walked directly towards the third gold mat.
However, the moment he reached it, he suddenly felt a gaze filled with hostility.
He looked over, only to find that it belonged to long-haired young man that was seated on the fourth gold mat and was currently looking at him with a dark expression. It was the youth known as Cao Shi.
The third seat had originally been his, but he had to give it up to Zhou Yuan today.
Shen Taiyuan’s treatment of Zhou Yuan was something Cao Shi was extremely jealous and unable to accept. It may be true that Zhou Yuan was the champion of the ceremony, but so what? It was not like none of the champions of the past had eventually been surpassed by numerous other disciples and returned to mediocrity.
Was teacher Shen really so convinced that Zhou Yuan could become the second Chu Qing?
But how could the likes of him even be worthy of being compared to Chu Qing?
Chapter 289 Volunteer
Zhou Yuan paid no attention to the many skeptical gazes that were sizing him up. As for the clearly fuming Cao Shi, he too was ignored by the former as Zhou Yuan walked forward and seated himself on the third gold mat.
Upon seeing how rude Zhou Yuan was, some of the disciples frowned slightly, evidently feeling that this new disciple was quite arrogant.
Even if teacher Shen did have high hopes of him, it was merely with regards to the potential he might have. At this current point in time, they felt that the second layer Alpha-Origin Zhou Yuan basically did not have the qualifications to sit in that spot.
However, it was after all teacher Shen’s arrangement, so even if they were unhappy about it, they could only endure for the time being and cast indifferent looks at Zhou Yuan.
Cao Shi also took in a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, though the gaze that looked towards Zhou Yuan grew increasingly dark.
As such, the atmosphere in the hall turned strangely suffocating.
At the very top, Shen Taiyuan naturally detected the strange atmosphere, causing him to frown slightly for a moment. How could he not know that his actions would surely cause resentment to rise in the hearts of some disciples.
However, there was really nothing else he could do. Saint Genesis Peak had never gotten a champion of the peak selection ceremony for many years, and since he had encountered one at long last, Shen Taiyuan could only give it a try.
Of course he knew just how insanely difficult it was to encounter an exceptional genius like Chu Qing, but since there was no longer any way out, he really had no other option.
Thus, Shen Taiyuan soon reaffirmed his resolution, his gaze sweeping across the place as he said in a serious voice, “In a month, we will be having a cave match with Lu Hong’s faction. This match will determine who the final purple Genesis cave dwelling goes to, so we cannot fail.”
“Since all the purple sash disciples have already used up their turns, I will be sending gold sash disciples to participate.”
“Tong Long, Pan Song and Cao Shi.”
“I hope to send you three as our line-up.”
Tong Long and Pan Song were the current first and second seat gold sash disciples, while Cao Shi was fourth seat. The three of them were considered the strongest amongst the gold sash disciples.
No one immediately responded to Shen Taiyuan’s words. Tong Long and Pan Song’s eyes seemed to flicker in thought, while Cao Shi secretly shot a look at them, took a deep breath, and said, “Teacher Shen, we are willing.”
Shen Taiyuan’s impassive face relaxed a little.
However, before he could say anything, Cao Shi began to speak again, “But we hope to inquire how the purple Genesis cave dwelling will be allocated.”
Shen Taiyuan frowned. He had made himself very clear three days earlier. The purple Genesis cave dwelling was prepared for Zhou Yuan, and yet Cao Shi was still asking even while knowing the answer...
“I plan to give it to Zhou Yuan.” Shen Taiyuan’s tone was indifferent.
The corners of Cao Shi’s eyes twitched for a moment, before he gritted his teeth and said, “Although it is somewhat disrespectful, aren’t teacher Shen’s actions a little unfair? We have to do the heavy lifting of being sent out to battle, while Zhou Yuan reaps all the benefits?”
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 158
