Thus, even if Zhou Yuan ultimately failed, Yaoyao would not feel any disappointment. In her opinion, this boundary was actually quite good training for Zhou Yuan. If they failed today, they would just come again tomorrow.
Until the day Zhou Yuan would finally defeat Xia Yu.
“Oh?”
However, while these thoughts were swirling in Yaoyao’s head, her expression suddenly changed for the first time, as if sensing something.
On the surface of the ocean, Jin Zhang’s originally relaxed expression froze as he violently lifted his head to look in a certain direction, his voice tinged with disbelief, “The second boundary core has been destroyed? How can this be?! How can little junior sister Xia Yu lose?!”
He had just felt the second boundary core shatter, which meant that Xia Yu had lost.
A faint smile appeared on Yaoyao’s expressionless face for the first time, the breathtaking sight seemingly giving a little more vibrancy to the ocean around her.
“All of you only thought of how to deal with me… while underestimating him.” Yaoyao’s indifferent voice sounded.
Jin Zhang let out a bitter laugh. Come on, we’ve already dispatched the number one gold sash disciple of Spirit Rune Peak, Xia Yu, to handle Zhou Yuan. Is this still underestimating him? How could they possibly send out a purple sash disciple? It would only be far too disgraceful.
Yaoyao ignored his response. Since Zhou Yuan’s side was ready, there was no longer any need for her to wait, and she immediately stomped her foot.
Crash!
The water pillar below her feet instantly began to fall apart, ultimately bursting into a spray of water.
When the water pillar shattered, the two boundary cores were completely destroyed.
The ocean swiftly began to recede.
When Yaoyao and Zhou Yuan opened their eyes again, they found themselves standing before Spirit Rune Hall, while the giant mist boundary slowly vanished.
Meanwhile, they also saw the countless shocked gazes looking at them.
The majority of which were directed at Zhou Yuan.
After all, everyone already knew of Yaoyao’s mysteriousness and immeasurable strength, but no one had expected Zhou Yuan to triumph over Xia Yu...
One must know that she was the top gold sash disciple of Spirit Rune Peak, and one of the strongest contenders for the upcoming purple sash selection!
Wouldn’t Zhou Yuan’s victory over her mean that he also had the qualifications to vie for the champion spot in the purple sash selection test?
This realization was extremely astonishing to many of the disciples.
Lu Xuanyin’s pretty face was an ugly steely green, her fists tightly clenched as she gazed at Zhou Yuan, who was currently the center of attention. As she recalled how gloating she had been earlier, it made her feel as stupid as a clown.
The mocking words she had said earlier had now transformed into slaps that loudly smacked onto her face.
Beside her, Xu Yan’s expression was also a little unnatural. In the end, he could only release a dry laugh and say, “Why did little junior sister Xia Yu suddenly lose in the end? Did she decide to show mercy all of a sudden?”
From what he could see, the mid Corporeal stage Xia Yu who could wield the power of the boundary should not have lost.
He shook his head, turning his gaze towards the ugly looking Lu Xuanyin as he spoke some words in an attempt to comfort her, “No need to be angry. Avoiding this setback means that the heavens are leaving him for you to deal with. Don’t worry, I’ve already made all the preparations, and you will naturally be able to release your frustrations during the purple sash selection.”
Only after hearing this did Lu Xuanyin’s expression ease up a little as she gave a slight nod.
At another corner of the place, a grinning Gu Hongyi said to Su Wan, “So? Didn’t I say that you shouldn’t give your verdict so quickly?”
Su Wan opened and closed her mouth. Moments later, she sighed and responded, “I’ve been convinced. He is far too unusual. Can’t believe he managed to bring about a reversal even at that stage. However, what did he do to Xia Yu at the end?”
From she had seen, the advantage had been with Xia Yu. Even if Zhou Yuan had stepped into the mid Corporeal stage, the former should not have lost.
Gu Hongyi shrugged. Although she was also somewhat puzzled, she did not think about it too deeply. After all, all was right as long as Zhou Yuan won.
Amidst the countless gasps of astonishment, Ye Ge also gradually returned to his senses. He blankly stared at Zhou Yuan, and ultimately let out a bitter laugh. Who could have imagined that the error in his seemingly perfect plan would be Zhou Yuan...
Li Qingchan pursed her lips, a strange look in her eyes as she looked at Zhou Yuan. She never imagined that Yaoyao would be right...
Li Qingchan had been highly skeptical of Zhou Yuan earlier, and thus felt Yaoyao’s insistence to be unreasonable.
However, reality now told her that she was wrong once again...
“This guy…”
She stared at Zhou Yuan with tightly pursed lips.
“Have I really underestimated him too much?”
She had no choice but to admit that Zhou Yuan had pulled off a beautiful victory.
Chapter 361 Into the Hall
The area in front of Spirit Rune Hall was a boiling cauldron of voices, numerous disciples bubbling with excitement as they gazed upon the figures of Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao, who seemed to appear exceptionally dazzling at this moment.
The final outcome had clearly exceeded everyone’s expectations.
The boundary had been the joint effort of numerous Spirit Rune Peak disciples, with even some guidance from peak master Bai Mei in secret. In a certain sense, it could be considered a masterpiece for those on the level of the Spirit Rune Peak disciples.
Who could have expected that such a masterpiece would ultimately be broken by Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao.
Didn’t this mean that the two had basically faced all of the Spirit Rune Peak disciples and triumphed?
Just how amazing of an accomplishment was this?
There was now a trace of respect in the countless gazes that looked towards the duo, though most of it was admittedly directed at Yaoyao. Everyone knew that she had been the main contributor. After all, nearly eighty percent of the boundary’s power had to be used to deal with her.
Under everyone’s attention, Yaoyao glanced at Ye Ge and asked with icy indifference, “The boundary is broken, can I enter the hall now?”
Upon hearing the icy indifference in Yaoyao’s tone, Ye Ge could only let out a bitter laugh as he nodded.
“Both of us broke the boundary, so Zhou Yuan should also be given the right to enter Spirit Rune Hall, am I right?” Yaoyao mercilessly shot out another question.
Zhou Yuan’s heart shook a little when he heard this. Spirit Rune Hall was was basically Spirit Rune Peak’s bedrock, and was home to a vast collection of numerous ancient Genesis Runes. It would greatly help his Genesis Rune mastery if he could enter and have a look.
Since his Spirit had stepped into the mid Corporeal stage, it was a perfect time for him to be given an opportunity to study in Spirit Rune Hall.
Ye Ge was slightly taken aback, but soon smiled in a carefree manner. “Naturally. From today, junior sister Yaoyao and junior brother Zhou Yuan may enter Spirit Rune Hall any time you please. With the exception of a few restricted areas, you may freely browse through any of the other texts.”
This was quite generous of him, while also showing no of the frustration or anger he should have had after the loss. Such magnanimity caused several disciples to give faint nods of approval. As someone who could become one of the ten great Chosens, Ye Ge was indeed an extraordinary individual.
However, his magnaminty was only met by indifference from Yaoyao. In her eyes, if not for Ye Ge, she wouldn’t have needed to show her abilities in front of so many spectators.
Someone like her who preferred peace and quie
t had zero intentions of basking in the limelight.
She was clearly not fond of all these varying gazes.
“Let’s go.”
Yaoyao said to Zhou Yuan before turning around and walking towards Spirit Rune Peak, while Zhou Yuan hastily caught up upon seeing this.
In front of Spirit Rune Peak, Jin Zhang and Xia Yu watched the two figures approach.
Jin Zhang cupped his fists together towards Yaoyao, a look of admiration coloring his eyes. The duel they had in the boundary had given him an understanding of the extent of Yaoyao’s techniques.
Xia Yu, on the other hand, somewhat timidly hid behind Jin Zhang, as her large eyes cast a stealthy glance at Zhou Yuan. Her fair forehead was currently a little red, evidently due to the headbutt Zhou Yuan had given her earlier.
There was no longer any trace of the formidable and confident aura she had give off in their Genesis Rune fight earlier, making her appear to be nothing but a shy and weak little girl.
At the sight of this, Zhou Yuan smiled apologetically at Xia Yu.
The young girl immediately blushed a little at his gaze, a trace of fear still lingering in her large eyes due to the clash of their Spirits earlier, before she quickly hid away like a little fawn.
Creak
When the Zhou Yuan duo arrived in front of Spirit Rune Hall, its tightly shut doors automatically creaked open. A dusty, old aura surged out, as if what was inside had experienced countless eons of change.
Yaoyao’s footstops did not pause, stepping straight inside. Zhou Yuan followed, their silhouettes gradually fading from view under the countless watching gazes outside the hall.
The numerous disciples sighed as they watched the two figures disappear, wishing the spectacular battle from earlier could continue.
One could easily imagine how Yaoyao’s reputation would soon reach the pinnacle amongst the uncountable disciples in the Cangxuan Sect, standing shoulder to shoulder with the ten great Chosens.
The strength she had displayed today clearly proved that she possessed the qualifications to become on of the Chosens.
It was a fact that truly shook everyone to the very core.
Ye Ge had not moved from the spot, a melancholic expression on his face as he gazed at Spirit Rune Hall.
Li Qingchan arrived beside him, glancing at him as she said, “You’d best not have any other thoughts. If she is truly angered, you will not be able to bear the consequences.”
Ye Ge chuckled and responded, “Can’t I try a little after meeting someone who could finally stir my heart?”
“Although Yaoyao and Zhou Yuan are quite close, I can tell that there are no romantic feelings between them… so I feel that I still might have a chance.”
Li Qingchan nonchalantly said, “As a woman, my intuition tells me that Yaoyao looks down on you.”
Ye Ge frowned a little. As someone who could become a Chosen of the Cangxuan Sect, he was undoubtedly extremely talented. Though he may appear relaxed and carefree, he was also an exceedingly prideful individual. Thus, Li Qingchan’s words were a little hard for him to accept.
“Don’t waste your effort… you should give up on such thoughts, or you may not even have the chance to become ordinary friends.”
There seemed to be a hidden meaning in her words, that were not only directed at Ye Ge but also peak master Bai Mei. He was the one who truly hoped that Yaoyao would stay in Spirit Rune Peak, but his actions this time were really quite inappropriate.
Given Yaoyao’s intelligence, it would not be hard for her to figure things out. When that happened, she may even cut all ties with Spirit Rune Peak out of anger, an act that would surely make peak master Bai Mei want to cry in regret at his antics.
After speaking, Li Qingchan turned around and left.
Ye Ge hesitated for a moment as he watched her leave, and could ultimately only let out a sigh.
From the cold indifference Yaoyao displayed towards him, it seemed that she was indeed not the least bit interested in him.
The crowd of disciples in front of Spirit Rune Hall gradually dispersed. One could easily imagine the commotion that would follow after they brought news of what happened today back to their respective peaks.
Gu Hongyi stretched lazily, revealing her enchanting curves. Her satisfied eyes narrowed slightly as she grinned at Su Wan and said, “What do you think senior sister Su Wan?”
At the sight of her pleased appearance, Su Wan retorted in a slightly annoyed manner, “What are you so happy about, you’re not even related to him.”
She then began to closely examine Gu Hongyi as she mischievously said, “Although you’re quite a beauty yourself, I’m afraid that you won’t be able to tug at his heart strings with Zhou Xiaoyao around.”
Gu Hongyi blushed furiously. She glared at Su Wan and said with embarrassment, “What nonsense are you spouting, Zhou Yuan and I are only friends.”
“Is that so?” Su Wan was clearly unconvinced.
Gu Hongyi gritted her teeth, ignoring the former as she turned around and began leaving Spirit Rune Peak.
“Heh heh, is the little lass embarrassed?” Su Wan was grinning from ear to ear as she led the group of girls to catch up, their giggling drawing the attention of quite a few disciples.
At another corner of the place, Lu Xuanyin’s stared at Spirit Rune Hall with a stormy face.
“This Zhou Xiaoyao is quite terrifying.” Xu Yan sighed, his eyes filled with wariness and fear.
He turned his head to look at Lu Xuanyin as he smiled and said, “However, you need not worry. We may not have any way to deal with her, but our target is Zhou Yuan after all… he isn’t that difficult to deal with.”
“However, from the Genesis Rune mastery he has displayed, we should probably increase his threat level. I’ll make a few more preparations when we return to ensure that junior sister Xuanyin will have the chance to properly expel all of your resentment during the purple sash selection.”
“His spectacular performance today wil only result in numerous disciples having higher expectations of him. In fact, some may even entertain the notion of him being qualified to vie for the championship position. Since that is so, we will eliminate him at the start, making it such that he will be unable to even rank amongst the top ten. I believe this will make him quite frustrated, right?”
“Hehe, I do want to find out whether Zhou Yuan’s head is harder, or my Sword Cometh Peak’s sword is sharper.”
Lu Xuanyin nodded, a little joy and anticipation in her eyes. She had indeed somewhat underestimated Zhou Yuan, but the ones who would be dealing with him this time were the most elite gold sash disciples of Sword Cometh Peak.
Lu Xuanyin breathed in deeply, casting one final icy glance at Spirit Rune Hall, before turning to leave.
She did not believe that Zhou Yuan would be able to turn the tables in the face of such a line-up!
Chapter 362 Disadvantageous Praise
News of the boundary breaking trial on Spirit Rune Peak ultimately spread in the sect, creating quite a stir as expected..
As a result, Yaoyao’s already high popularity instantly soared to even greater heights, making it not the least bit inferior to any of the ten great Chosens, making her somewhat of a legendary figure within the sect.
In fact, it was rumored that even sect master Qing Yang and the other peak masters fell into a dispute of sorts after the event. All of them wanted to recruit Yaoyao to their peaks.
After all, from the strength Yaoyao had displayed, she already possessed the qualifications to take one of the seats amongst the ten great Chosens. Thus, wouldn’t recruiting her be akin to having one more Chosens from your peak?
In the Cangxuan Sect, the resources allocated to each peak was decided one the quality of their disciples. This was a rule that even sect master Qing Yang had to abide by.
Hence, gaining a Chosen would bestow the peak with more cultivation resources, which would be an extremely happy occasion for everyone from the peak.
The nu
merous peak masters clearly knew how much effort and luck was required to groom a Chosen, so everyone was naturally itching to get their hands on Yaoyao.
Therefore, this matter was fiercely debated over by the peak masters and sect master Qing Yang, but was ultimately unable to be resolved due to everyone being unwilling to back down.
In the end, their chose to respect Yaoyao’s decision, and let her decide which peak to join...
While Yaoyao’s reputation began to soar into the heavens, Zhou Yuan, who had also made some contributions in the boundary breaking trial, was also affected somewhat.
The main reason was because he had defeated Xia Yu.
Xia Yu was the number one gold sash disciple of Spirit Rune Peak, and one of the strongest contenders for champion in the upcoming purple sash selection. Zhou Yuan’s triumph over her undoubtedly drew the attention of many people.
Previously, news of Zhou Yuan’s participation in the purple sash selection had not really garnered much interest, and quite a number of disciples had even laughed at him in secret for overestimating himself. It had only been slightly over a month since he entered the inner mountains, and yet he dared to participate in the selection. One must know that even someone as outstanding as senior brother Chu Qing had waited half a year to take first place in the purple sash selection.
As such, many felt that Zhou Yuan was grossly overestimating himself by participating.
However, such thoughts faded away like smoke after the boundary breaking trial. Although everyone found out later on that Xia Yu had been defeated by Zhou Yuan’s Spirit attack due to being caught off guard, it was already enough to prove that his mastery of Genesis Runes was a force to be reckoned with, and should not be underestimated.
At this current time, just his Genesis Rune mastery alone was already enough to qualify him for the purple sash selection.
Hence, originally overlooked Zhou Yuan became one of the more talked about individuals in the purple sash selection, gradually becoming one of the highly supported contenders for champion, a 180 turn from his previous treatment.
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 197
