Li Qingchan, Zhao Zhu, Zhou Yuan and the rest were seated in a room lit by lamp light.
“Elder Wu.” Li Qingchan’s eyes looked towards the front where an elder with a head full of white hair and gray robes was seated. His back was straight, and his expression was cold and stern, making him appear like a strict, grumpy old man.
This old man was called Wu Lin, and was the elder sent to oversee the Black Flame Province affair by the sect.
“I did not expect you to be leading the team this time, Li Qingchan.” Elder Wu gave a brief nod to Li Qingchan. When dealing with a Chosen of a sect, even someone as stern as himself seemed to soften somewhat.
His gaze swept over the rest of the team, before coming to an abrupt halt when he saw Zhou Yuan. After being stunned for a moment, elder Wu frowned deeply as he said, “Why is there a fourth layer Alpha-Origin here? Which peak does this disciple belong to? Do you think someone of your level can dabble in such a mission? This is absurd!”
Elder Wu Lin was usually overseeing missions outside the sect all year round, and thus would only return one or two times a year. He was naturally very unfamiliar with Zhou Yuan, whom had only joined the sect for half a year.
A small smile appeared on Zhao Zhu’s face when he saw this. Elder Wu Lin was a strict person, and had a low tolerance for troublemakers. What he hated the most were people who were only in the team to make up the numbers. Zhou Yuan was really pretty unlucky to have met him.
By the side, Qin Hai and the rest secretly gloated.
Li Qingchan hastily said, “Elder Wu, this is the newly promoted purple sash disciple from Saint Genesis Peak, Zhou Yuan. Although he has only been with the sect for half a year, his battle achievements are extremely outstanding. He was not only the champion of the peak selection ceremony but also the recent purple sash selection. Though he is currently only at the fourth layer Alpha-Origin, his battle power does not lose to a seventh layer disciple.”
“Oh?”
Elder Wu cast a skeptical glance at Zhou Yuan.
“Even so, he is ultimately only a newly promoted purple sash disciple, and lacks experience when compared to the veteran purple sashes like Qin Hai.”
Elder Wu was originally going to skold a little more, but ultimately let out a helpless sigh. He glared at Zhou Yuan and said, “Fine, since you’re already here, it will be a good learning experience for you. Try your best not to be a burden.”
Zhou Yuan sighed in his heart, and could only nod his head in acknowledgement such that the old man would not continue on without end.
Elder Wu shook his head and withdrew his gaze, clearly taking Zhou Yuan as a disciple who was along for a free Heaven Credit, and thus did not have much expectations of the latter.
“Elder Wu, what exactly is the current situation?” Li Qingchan quickly shifted the topic. She had been the one to bring Zhou Yuan along after all, and was afraid elder Wu would keep him away from the task in a moment of anger. If that happened, it would be a completely wasted trip for Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan faded from elder Wu’s mind as they began to talk about formal matters. “The essence flame vein that appeared in Black Flame Province this time is very valuable. As such, even the three titans, Sacred Palace, North Sea Dragon Subduing Hall and Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace have been drawn here.”
“Black Flame Province is not within the jurisdiction of any of our four sects. Thus, it is extremely difficult to decide who the essence flame vein will belong to.”
Li Qingchan and the rest nodded. If Black Flame Province was part of their Cangxuan Sect’s territory, the other sects would have to start a war if they wanted a share of the pie.
Since the essence flame vein was located in Black Flame Province, it should strictly speaking belong to the local factions here. However, they clearly did not have enough power to monopolize this resource, and could only reluctantly allow the interference of the four overlord sects.
The four sects would eat the meat, while the local factions were left with soup.
This was how the world was. The stronger one was, the more meat one could eat.
Wu Lin slowly said, “Before you guys arrived, I’ve already discussed the allocation matter with Sacred Palace, North Sea Dragon Subduing Hall, Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace and a few of the local powerhouse factions.”
Li Qingchan asked in surprise, “Oh? Has it already been decided then?”
“It’s not that easy. Who amongst them will be willing to give in?” Wu Ling snorted, before continuing, “After our discussion, we ultimately decided that it will be allocated based on ability.”
With a wave of his sleeve, a surge of Genesis Qi shot out and turned into a giant map.
“This is a map of the essence flame vein. It reached deep into the ground and covers an extensive area, making it very profitable to harvest.” Elder Wu pointed at the map as he explained, “The method we eventually agreed on is very simple. In three days, the various factions will send their disciples into the essence flame vein area to decide on its allocation.”
With a flick, ten rays of light shot towards Li Qingchan and the rest.
When they received it, they found a small palm-sized flag within on which Genesis Runes shimmered.
“Every flag that has been placed will encompass a hundred mile area. As long as one manages to protect the flag for a day, the hundred mile area will belong to the faction of the flag owner.”
Li Qingchan, Zhao Zhu and the rest curiously observed the small flags in their hands. It appeared that the fight for the essence flame vein would be quite interesting.
These flags represented one’s territory. One only needed to plant to flag to gain a portion of the essence flame vein. Of course, this was with the precondition that one managed to resolve all the problems within this territory within a day.
“Each person can only occupy the area of one flag? If so, wouldn’t we at most occupy ten hundred mile districts?” Asked Zhao Zhu.
“Ten hundred mile districts will already be a huge victory.” Wu Lin helplessly shook his head. “The central region is only about three thousand miles wide, how can there be enough if all the disciples from the overlord sects occupy a piece?”
“There will definitely be a shortage of land to occupy in the end. That’s when the true fighting shall begin…”
The eyes of Li Qingchan, Zhao Zhu and the rest widened slightly. They could already imagine the intense battles that would certainly erupt to fight for the limited land.
After all, who amongst the Sacred Palace, North Sea Dragon Subduing Hall, Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace, and the powerful local factions wouldn’t want to occupy more of the essence flame vein? The resources to be collected after being mined was nothing to scoff at.
“We’ve already done a quick scout of the area, and found that it is filled with Heavenly Flame Lizards, a type of grade 4 Genesis Beast. You guys should be careful of these creatures when you’re inside.”
“Besides this, we also discovered that the most valuable district is this area…”
With a wave of his finger, a chunk of land at the central area of the map gradually turned red.
“Due to the limited amount of land we’ll be able to occupy, we need to do our best to vie for the richest deposits.”
Elder Wu pointed towards the center of the red region and said, “Li Qingchan and Zhao Zhu. As the strongest two, you will need to swiftly occupy this central area.”
“Qin Hai, Bai Li… and the rest will try to occupy these neighboring districts.” Elder Wu continued to instruct as he pointed towards several spots on the map. As they watched, the red area was continuously split into smaller pieces.
Elder Wu was obviously assigning every member their task.
In the blink of an eye, only Zhou Yuan was left.
Zhou Yuan had no choice but to speak up, “What about me?”
Elder Wu swept a glance at him and sighed, likely also having a headache due to this ‘freeloader’. The disciples sent by the other
factions were no ordinary individuals after all, making a fourth layer Alpha-Origin like Zhou Yuan appear quite unsightly.
Even though Li Qingchan had said that he was not weak, who knew how much of it was real.
Elder Wu was silent for a while, before he eventually pointed towards an area outside of the red patch and said, “You’ll be tasked with this region. Make sure you succeed.”
Amusement immediately appeared on the faces of Qin Hai and the rest. The area Zhou Yuan had been assigned was not even part of the core region, and was likely not rich in essence flame. It was obvious that elder Wue did not believe Zhou Yuan had the qualifications to compete in the core region, and thus half-heartedly allocated him somewhere else for safety.
There shouldn’t be many formidable opponents in this area.
Upon seeing this, Li Qingchan hurriedly said, “Elder Wu, Zhou Yuan is not as weak as you think, he…”
The rewards for a Heaven task was given according to one’s contributions. With such a pathetic allocation, Zhou Yuan may not be able to obtain a Heaven Credit in the end.
Elder Wu waved his hand, cutting off Li Qingchan’s words. “I am responsible for the safety of our disciples, and one should not bite off more than one can chew. If an accident occurs due to foolishness or stubbornness, even I will not be able to escape the consequences.”
“There is no need to discuss this matter any further. If he is capable enough, it should not be a problem for him to occupy this area.”
Elder Wu’s tone was firm, indicating that nothing could be changed.
“All of you should follow my arrangements. When the battle begins in three days, do you best to occupy the districts you’ve been allocated.”
Upon hearing elder Wu’s stern voice, everyone quickly acknowledged in unison.
Zhou Yuan looked at the area he had been allocated on the map with a helpless smile. However, he did not argue. Since he had already been given his task, he would first concentrate on occupying that area before anything else.
No matter what, a Heaven Credit would be his for sure.
Chapter 404 Flame Rock Gambling
Night descended, wrapping the entire Black Flame Mountain Range in darkness. At the edge of the mountain range, however, Black Flame City remained brightly lit, enveloped in a festive atmosphere.
Every faction of certain clout in Black Flame Province had sent their elite disciples to Black Flame City. Their goal was naturally the currently unowned essence flame vein.
Although they knew that the biggest slices of the pie would definitely end up in the hands of the four overlord sects, just a tiny slice from a vein of such an immense scale was already a sizable haul for them.
Thus, numerous factions swarmed towards this mountain fringe city, turning it exceptionally lively.
...
*Creak*
Zhou Yuan pushed open his room door and stepped onto the corridor. As he looked down from above, he found that the giant building was currently abuzz with activity.
He leaned against the banister with interest. This was the first time he had been outside after coming to the Shengzhou Continent for so long, since he had basically spent all his time holed up in the Cangxuan Sect for training.
As such, this was his first real view of the scenery in the Shengzhou Continent.
While Zhou Yuan was tasting the lively atmosphere, the faint sound of rushing wind was suddenly heard as a sharp force ruthlessly stabbed towards his back.
Zhou Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly at this moment, while his body instantly etherealized.
With a single step, the force brushed past his body as Zhou Yuan sent a strike towards a certain direction behind him. Genesis Qi surged as the sound of air being torn apart was heard.
However, Zhou Yuan was a little surprised to realize his fist had landed on empty air, before he quickly sniffed a whiff of fragrance.
“Not bad. You’ve grown much stronger in half a year.” A tinkling laughter sounded. Zhou Yuan raised his head to look, and found a young lady in a black dress seated on the banister beside him. Her fair and slender feet swayed slightly, the snow-white calves a dazzling sight to behold.
It was Zuoqiu Qingyu.
“Your speed… is very amazing.” Astonishment flitted across Zhou Yuan’s eyes. The speed at which Zuoqiu Qingyu had avoided his attack earlier was not the least be slower than his advanced Ethereal Form.
It seems that Zuoqiu Qingyu had also been quite lucky after entering the Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace.
“Since my battle power is not as insane as yours, I should focus on a way to protect myself.” Said Zuoqiu Qingyu with a wide grin, before she gracefully leaped into the air and appeared beside Zhou Yuan.
“Looks like you’re doing pretty well for yourself in the Cangxuan Sect. I almost can’t believe you managed to participate in a mission of such calibre.”
Although she was not familiar with the rules of the Cangxuan Sect, a mission like the Black Flame Province was surely something that only the elite members of the sect would be allowed to participate in. Since Zhou Yuan had reached this level in merely half a year, he was obviously doing quite well for himself in the sect.
“I’m just doing what I can.” Zhou Yuan chuckled. “The truth is… that everyone takes me as a freeloader for this mission.”
Zuoqiu Qingyu placed an elbow on the banister as she propped up a cheek with her hand. Her lovely body leaned slightly to the side, accentuating her astonishingly slender legs, as she displayed a wide smile and said, “Guess you’ll be giving everyone a huge shock in the end.”
“So much faith in me?” Zhou Yuan could not help but laugh. Even Li Qingchan did not have much expectations of him, and only hoped he wouldn’t be a burden. He had not expected Zuoqiu Qingyu, whom he hadn’t seen for half a year, to say such words.
“I’m only flattering you, did you really believe me?” However, Zuoqiu Qingyu laughed teasingly in response.
Zhou Yuan could only roll his eyes.
He asked, “How are you and Luluo doing in the Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace?”
“Rather good actually. That lass Luluo is very welcomed in the sect.” Zuoqiu Qingyu’s red lips seemed to stick out slightly in pride as she looked towards Zhou Yuan. “Although you managed to become the star in the Saint Remains Domain, don’t celebrate too early because you may soon be surpassed by us in the Shengzhou Continent.”
Zhou Yuan smiled and nodded. He knew that the girl before him was quite a proud person inside.
“Right, how’s Yaoyao doing in the Cangxuan Sect?” Zuoqiu Qingyu quickly followed up.
Zhou Yuan sighed deeply. “Obviously doing a thousand times better than me.”
Though Yaoyao was not a Chosen, her status was already on par with them. This was much better than being treated like a freeloader on a Heaven task.
Zuoqiu Qingyu patted Zhou Yuan’s shoulder and consoled, “Don’t be too sad. Isn’t this normal. Unless you think you can compare to Yaoyao? Has your brain short circuited?”
The corners of Zhou Yuan’s mouth twitched for a moment. Is this how you console someone...
However, the two of them grew more and more comfortable as they chatted, as the slight awkwardness from not seeing each other for half a year completely faded.
Zuoqiu Qingyu stretched her back, displaying her alluring curves as she cocked her head slightly and said, “There’s a fair going on below. Do you want to go and have a look? We may even find something nice.”
At the sight of the sparkling excitement in her limpid eyes, Zhou Yuan let out a bitter laugh. Looks like even the little enchantress can’t help but be a normal person at times...
“Let’s go.”
He knew of Zuoqiu Qingyu’s fondness for being part of the festivities and naturally did not decline, nodding his head to her in agreement.
The two individuals made their way down, gazes continuously looking over along the way. This was mainly because Zuoqiu Qingyu was just too eye-catching. She was the v
ery embodiment of flirtatious and sexy, making it hard for anyone to turn their eyes away.
The underground floor was extremely spacious. Countless figures shuttled about within it, while the stalls seemed to be haphazardly placed all over. Gasps and cries of surprise could be heard from time to time, as if someone had found something good.
Over all, it was a very festive place.
Zuoqiu Qingyu was full of interest as she roamed about like a black carp, while Zhou Yuan helplessly followed behind.
The two eventually stopped at a certain extremely crowded spot, where countless head-sized black rocks were laid out. These rocks seemed to give off a faint heat.
Zhou Yuan curiously asked, “What are these?”
“Some kind of rock gambling. You basically purchase one of the rocks and break it open to see how old the essence flame within it is. They are categorized into the ten year grade, hundred year grade, thousand year grade and even ten thousand year grade…”
“If you’re lucky enough to find a hundred year essence flame, you will have struck it big.”
“However, these black rocks are said to be essence flame rocks dug out from the depths Black Flame Mountain Range, and can block one’s Spirit senses. Thus, no one can know what’s inside.”
“Only a few extremely experienced masters will be able to find hints from the patterns on the rocks.” Explained Zuoqiu Qingyu.
Zhou Yuan nodded. It was no wonder that this spot was so popular, it was basically a lottery. After all, if you managed to strike a hundred year or thousand year essence flame, you will have earned several hundred or even a thousand times your initial investment.
A Genesis resources of such grade would be worth at least ten million Genesis crystals.
He began to observe. Many rocks were opened, but most of them only contained ordinary essence flames, while a ten year grade essence flame would appear once in a while, drawing numerous cheers and gasps of surprise.
“I wonder if the Decoder Saint Rune works.”
A thought suddenly struck Zhou Yuan as he watched, causing him to recall the Saint Rune in his eyes.
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 219
