After taking all the benefits, Zhou Yuan looked towards the rock gambling area in a longing manner. There were at least ten thousand Flame Rocks inside, but unfortunately, all of the quality essence flames had been taken away by him earlier. All that was left were the crappy ones.
“The rest of these Flame Rocks don’t have much value.” Zhou Yuan turned towards the countless gambling customers as he chuckled softly. Without further ado, he pulled Zuoqiu Qingyu’s wrist, bringing her into the milling crowd.
Su Duan angrily glared at Zhou Yuan’s leaving figure. His final words had been extremely malicious. It may seem offhanded, but due to the amazing ability he displayed earlier, there was likely no longer anyone who would come over to try their luck at rock gambling.
All the good stuff was already gone after all, and the remaining low quality stuff was obviously not going to be akin to winning the lottery.
Hence, these ten thousand Flame Rocks were basically now expired goods, incurring a loss of several tens of million Genesis crystals for the Flame Cauldron Sect.
“Zhou Yuan!”
Su Duan’s eyes were red with rage, a sinister look surging within his gaze as he watched Zhou Yuan leave.
…
While the fair was still abuzz with Zhou Yuan’s previous display, the second floor had likewise also fallen silent for quite some time.
“Wow! Qingchan, this little junior brother of yours is just too amazing!” Feng Ying was the first to return to her senses as she cried out in surprise, her pretty face filled with admiration.
“Get him to give me some pointers the next time I try my luck!” Feng Ying was in high spirits. She was quite interested in rock gambling, and would occasionally give it a try or two.
Li Qingchan’s frosty face was also quite stunned. Such an outcome had likewise surpassed her expectations.
However, she soon recovered and looked towards Zhao Zhu, Qin Hai and the rest as she said, “It seems that he does not require our interference.”
Zhao Zhu withdrew his gaze as the corners of his mouth pulled outwards. He did not say anything in response. Zhou Yuan had indeed astonished everyone this time, and no one had expected him to have such talent in flame rock gambling.
If they thought about it now, the so-called rock gambling competition had basically been a trap the moment Su Duan appeared.
However, they had believed Su Duan to be the one digging the pit for Zhou Yuan to fall into earlier. Only now did they realize that while Su Duan was digging his pit, he was completely unaware that he was already in a bigger pit that Zhou Yuan had dug.
“Let’s go.”
Li Qingchan’s coldly glanced at Wang Chi, Cao Jinzhu and the rest, before rising to leave.
Zhao Zhu, Bai Li, Qin Hai and the rest also followed.
Upon seeing Li Qingchan and her team leave, Feng Ying and the Chosen from the North Sea Dragon Subduing Hall also took their leave.
The burning hot metal ball in Wang Chi’s hand continued to revolve as he swept a glance towards the direction Zhou Yuan had left in and said with a faint smile, “This kid from the Cangxuan Sect is a little interesting.”
However, his attention only lasted for a brief moment. A four layer disciple was basically no threat. Even if he had a little skill in flame rock gambling, it was ultimately only useful in silly games.
Wang Chi’s gaze shifted towards where Li Qingchan and the rest had been seated earlier, before turning his head towards the still smiling Yang Xuan. “This meeting has given us a grasp of their capabilities.”
“Our Sacred Palace intends to occupy the best essence flame vein districts. If the Cangxuan Sects plans to compete with us, we’ll beat them to their knees.”
With his eyes still on Yang Xuan, he smiled and asked, “What do you think?”
Yang Xuan nodded with a chuckle. With a flick of his finger, the faint sound of rushing wind was heard.
“There’s not much difficulty. Besides Li Qingchan and Zhao Zhu… the rest are basically trash.”
He tilted his head slightly, looking towards the direction Zhou Yuan and Zuoqiu Qingyu had left in, as his lips curled into a playful smile.
“As for Zhou Yuan…”
“Since he likes to play with rocks so much, I’ll make sure he has a fun time kneeling to me in the essence flame vein…”
Chapter 409 Secluded Cultivation
After leaving the fair, Zhou Yuan brought Zuoqiu Qingyu to a more secluded place.
“You had your eyes set on his ancient wooden bracelet from the start, right?” Zuoqiu Qingyu looked at Zhou Yuan with an expression that seemingly resembled a smile, her red lips moving as she said, “Why do I feel as if I’ve been used by you?”
“Why do you have to put it in such an awful manner.” Zhou Yuan defended himself as he righteously said, “All we did was stand up for injustice and worked together to deal with a local tyrant.”
While he spoke, he lifted his hand as essence flames began to rise from his palm one after another. Each essence flame was wrapped in Genesis Qi, preventing their heat from spreading.
Zhou Yuan chuckled and said, “Take a few. After all, I was the one who roped you in, and can’t possibly keep everything to myself.”
Zuoqiu Qingyu’s eyes seemed to swirl in thought as she swept a glance at the essence flames, before letting out a soft chuckle. However, she did not reject his gesture. Instead, she took two of the essence flames with a nimble wave of her hand.
One was one hundred years old, while the other was five hundred years old.
The combined value of these two essence flames should reach a million Genesis crystals.
Zuoqiu Qingyu toyed with the two essence flames, as she grinned and said, “Since you have been such a good sport, let me divulge a piece of information to you…”
“What information?” Zhou Yuan was taken aback.
Zuoqiu Qingyu’s eyes narrowed slightly as she softly said, “In the Essence Flame Vein, watch out for that fellow from Sacred Palace named Yang Xuan.”
“Yang Xuan?” A handsome face wearing a warm smile flashed across Zhou Yuan’s mind. It was the young man that had been at Zuoqiu Qingyu’s side during the day.
“In this fight for the Essence Flame Vein, my Hundred Flowers Fairy Palace and the North Sea Dragon Subduing Hall have each sent only one Chosen. It is clear that we have no intentions of taking a lion's share, and just want a cut.”
“However, I am afraid that isn’t what your Cangxuan Sect or the Sacred Palace has in mind. Otherwise, neither faction would have dispatched two Chosens. Moreover, even such high ranking ones…”
“The Chosens from both sides are very powerful, and will be able to restrict one another.”
“Overall, both teams appear to be quite evenly matched. However, can sometimes feel from Yang Xuan’s words that he does not think your team will be much of a threat.”
Zhou Yuan frowned slightly. Yang Xuan wasn't a Chosen, and his status in Sacred Palace should be equivalent to the veteran purple sash disciples such as Qin Hai and Bai Li, right?
Furthermore, from their brief encounter during the day, he could feel that Yang Xuan’s strength should around the seventh layer Alpha-Origin stage, which was on the same level as Qin Hai and Bai Li. So where did his confidence stem from?
A thoughtful look flashed across his eyes.
He ultimately failed to come up with an answer. Hence, he nodded at Zuoqiu Qingyu and said, “Alright, I will keep an eye out.”
When Zuoqiu Qingyu saw this, she nodded.
The two of them talked a little longer, before they went back to their respective rooms.
The first thing Zhou Yuan did when he returned was to quickly retrieve the ancient wooden bracelet as he stared at it in anticipation.
This ancient wooden bracelet was filled with rich Yimu Qi, and was clearly made from some kind of rare thousand year ancient wood. One could just barely be able to make out Genesis Runes on the wood, a sign that it had crafted into a Genesis artifact
.
When wearing this bracelet, one would be able to swiftly recover from even serious physical injuries. This would naturally give one a huge advantage in a fight.
In a manner of speaking, it could be considered a defensive treasure.
Even if it was for the Taiyi Green Wood Mark, Zhou Yuan was still quite reluctant to absorb it...
With a sigh, he sat down cross-legged on his bed, and positioned one palm above the other. Golden Genesis Qi spread, causing the wooden bracelet to float between his palms.
The golden Genesis Qi vibrated gently, breaking the wooden bracelet between his palms. Ten mottled beads were left slowly rotating in the air.
He slowly shut his eyes.
Wisps of dark green Qi were gradually extracted from the spinning beads, flowing along Zhou Yuan’s palm and into his body.
“Such rich and potent Yimu Qi!”
Zhou Yuan immediately felt the difference when the first strand entered his body. The Yimu Qi he absorbed today was extremely pure, and filled with such rich life energy that it made his body give off a faint shine.
This sensation filled Zhou Yuan’s heart with joy. There was no way this thousand year ancient wood could be compared to the ancient wood he absorbed previously. Regardless of whether it was richness and purity, there was a vast gap between the former and the latter.
After a moment of joy, Zhou Yuan regained his composure and began to manipulate the Yimu Qi, slowly merging it with his blood and flesh. At the same time, his Spirit ensured that the Yimu Qi would take the shape of mysterious markings at the instant of fusion.
These actions were already very practised due to the numerous times he had done them during the past half a month.
The only difference was that he would often be forced to stop mid-way due to the lack of Yimu Qi. Though there was still some progress, it was extremely slow.
As such, not even a tenth of the Taiyi Mark had been completed after half a month...
However, as the Yimu Qi poured into his body this time, he finally felt the long stagnated Taiyi Mark finally begin to progress little by little at a speed which he had never experienced before…
At this current rate, Zhou Yuan felt that he would make significant progress on the Taiyi Mark in a few days.
By that time, even though the Taiyi mark would still not be complete, Zhou Yuan was confident that he would be more than half done. This was definitely considered extremely rapid progress.
Furthermore, some the Taiyi Green Wood Mark power should begin to reveal itself.
At this point, even with his mental fortitude, Zhou Yuan felt a tinge of excitement rise within his heart.
“Looks like I will have to go all-out for the next three days...”
…
The next day, the commotion stirred by Zhou Yuan in the fair caused his name to spread across the entire Black Flame City. Every genius from the various factions now knew that a disciple called Zhou Yuan had opened ten high quality essence flames in the rock gambling area, and there was even a thousand year one amongst them...
Furthermore, even Su Duan, the junior sect master of the Flame Cauldron Sect, had lost to him in flame rock gambling...
This became a topic of interest for a time. As such, every faction now knew the individual known as Zhou Yuan.
Meanwhile, when elder Wu of Cangxuan Sect called for Li Qingchan, Zhao Zhu and the other disciples to gather together and discuss their strategy for the upcoming fight, they realized that Zhou Yuan was absent.
“Zhou Yuan mentioned that he was going into secluded cultivation for the next three days.” Said Li Qingchan.
Zhao Zhu asked in an indifferent voice, “He was so full of energy last night. Is he hiding now to avoid the growing attention? Or is he trying to make a last ditch attempt to become a little stronger?”
Qin Hai and the other Sword Cometh Peak disciples began to laugh in a hushed manner.
There was an unhappy expression on elder Wu’s face. He was naturally aware of what happened last night. However, in his opinion, the art of gambling rock was merely a frivolous skill. Moreover, Zhou Yuan was not very strong, and yet he was skilled at these useless games. From what elder Wu could see, Zhou Yuan was clearly unreliable and useless.
Although he never had high expectations of Zhou Yuan, such frivolous behavior was quite infuriating.
Nonetheless, he did not say anything on this matter. Instead, he waved his hand and nonchalantly said, “Leave him be. If he won’t even help himself, he will only have himself to blame.”
His opinion of Zhou Yuan had clearly lowered once again. In fact, he was even considering giving Zhou Yuan a bad grade after the fight for the Essence Flame Vein.
“Let’s begin the discussion.”
…
Time stealthily passed as the atmosphere in the chaotic Blame Flame City became more and more heated
Three days unknowingly passed.
Chapter 410 First Signs of Taiyi’s Power
When the third day arrived, a blanket of restlessness seemed fall over the entire Black Flame City. Many factions from the Black Flame Province were currently gathered in this place, all of them clearly here for the Essence Flame Vein.
Although the Cangxuan Sect had evaluated it to be a grade 6 vein, one must remember that the Cangxuan Sect was one of the strongest factions in the entire Cangxuan Heaven. For a top tier faction of the Black Flame Province like the Flame Cauldron Sect, this single vein was more than enough to sate them several times over.
Normally speaking, once a hegemon level sect decided to get involved, ordinary local factions like the Flame Cauldron Sect would no longer have any say. However, the current situation was quite different from the norm. This essence flame vein was not under the jurisdiction of any of the hegemon level sects, thus making it an ownerless resource. Moreover, the four hegemon level sects were keeping each other in check, with no one wanting to let anyone else take advantage. As a result, the ordinary local factions were the ones who ended up benefiting. If not, they would not even have any soup left to drink after the four hegemon level sects were done.
Even so, the richest part of the vein was already reserved by the four hegemon level sects.
But this was fine, because the local factions were willing to settle for second best. Occupying any of the outer areas of the essence flame vein was already a huge haul for them.
Hence, during these short three days, nearly ninety percent of the factions in the Black Flame Province had dispatched their elites to Black Flame City to wait for the day of the allocation battle…
…
In a certain room.
Zhou Yuan was seated on his bed, his body completely still. Dark mottled wooden beads rotated between his palms as strands of pure Yimu Qi were continuously extracted before being sent into Zhou Yuan’s body.
Dark green light continuously flashed on the surface of Zhou Yuan’s body. If one were to take a closer look, one would discover that these flashes of light originated from deep within his flesh, a rather magical sight indeed.
Wisps of aura rose from his body, filled with abundant life energy.
Crack!
A faint crack was suddenly heard. Cracks had appeared on the wooden beads between Zhou Yuan’s hands as they rapidly began to dim before turning into dust...
All of the Yimu Qi within had been depleted.
When these beads turned to dust, Zhou Yuan’s tightly shut eyes slowly cracked open.
As he watched the dust flutter down, a look of regret flitting across his eyes. After absorbing all the Yimu Qi contained inside, the Genesis artifact was now ruined.
On the bright side, it had not been destroyed for nothing...
Zhou Yuan lowered his head to look at his body where shimmering specks of green light could be seen on half of it. These light spots seemed to call out to each other, as threads of light spread between them, linking them up.
If one took a step back, one would see what appeared to be a
n extremely ancient and cryptic pattern.
However, it appeared to be incomplete.
“The Taiyi mark is half done…”
Zhou Yuan felt both joy and regret. Regret that he had not managed to complete the Taiyi mark even after absorbing all of the Yimu Qi from the thousand year wood bracelet, but also happy that some of the Tiayi Green Wood Mark’s powers were beginning to manifest.
Zhou Yuan could clearly feel the surging life aura inside his body. Under its glow, every part of his body felt as if it was overflowing with vitality.
In fact, even the Genesis Qi in his body felt as if it would last longer than before.
Zhou Yuan slowly clenched his left hand, that was part of the half covered by the Taiyi mark. His gaze flickered faintly as he retrieved a sharp knife, cold light slowly swimming along its blade.
A flash of icy light swept past, leaving a trail of blood.
A sinister looking wound had appeared on Zhou Yuan’s arm, so deep that bone could be seen while blood flowed out.
However, dark green specks of light began to flash in Zhou Yuan’s flesh moments after the wound appeared. Rich life energy surged towards the wound, instantly stopping the flowing blood.
The deep wound slowly wiggled as new flesh grew. In a few minutes, the wound had fully recovered...
Zhou Yuan could not conceal the joy in his eyes when he saw this.
Though the Taiyi mark was not fully complete, its power was already beginning to reveal itself. At the very least, Zhou Yuan’s recovery ability was already comparable to the external cultivators who focused on using Genesis Qi to nourish their physical bodies.
When the Taiyi mark was perfected, his recovery ability would surely soar again.
The most terrifying thing about this was that it was only the beginning… once the Taiyi mark was formed, Zhou Yuan would be able to transform the absorbed Yimu Qi into the Taiyi Green Wood Mark.
When this technique reached the advanced level in the future, Zhou Yuan would possess... an undying body.
When that happened, as long as he did not receive an attack that instantly vaporized him, he would be able to recover from even the most serious of injuries...
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