He looked downwards with a frosty gaze at the still collapsing chief disciple peak. His gaze followed the tumbling rubble, and found Yuan Hong’s figure lying amidst numerous boulders in the bowels of the mountain.
His entire body was drenched in blood, his somewhat crooked arm clearly broken in quite a number of places.
A look of terror was still present on Yuan Hong’s face as he struggled to lift his head. His gaze penetrated the falling boulders to find the figure high up in the sky.
He emitted a struggling hiss from his throat as he reached out to grab at the figure with some difficulty.
His eyes were filled with an intense unresigned look.
He never imagined that he would actually lose to Zhou Yuan...
A new disciple he had never even registered as a threat… had managed to defeat him?! The almighty Yuan Hong?!
The gazes of two individuals met amidst the falling boulders.
“I... I refuse to accept this!! How can you possibly have defeated me?!” A hoarse howl of rage was accompanied by a gush blood.
His body glowed with scarlet light. In the end, a sword shot out, wailing as it stabbed into the ground beside him. It was the Heaven Flame Sword.
The Heaven Genesis Weapon had already turned extremely dim, a sign that it had also sustained serious damage.
After the Heaven Flame Sword left his body, the light in Yuan Hong’s eyes began to waver. He stared at the cold eyes of the young figure in the sky, as his outstretched hand slowly began to fall...
No matter how unresigned he was, Yuan Hong understood that in this chief disciple selection...
He had lost.
…
Boulders continued to tumble down, covering the giant pit.
Urgh.
In the air, Zhou Yuan spat out a mouthful of blood and saliva as the Genesis Qi around him gradually weakened. The intense battle had been an extremely difficult one for him.
If he failed to ascend to the fifth layer at the end, he would have no choice but to bring out Silver Shadow.
Currently, by borrowing Yuan Hong’s power, Zhou Yuan had not only mastered the silver bone stage, but also stepped into the fifth layer, a very satisfactory and perfect end indeed.
Zhou Yuan wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth and raised his head to glance at a certain spot in the distance, where Zhou Tai, Lu Yan and Zhang Yan were gathered, staring at him with gazes that were a mix between shock and horror.
It was as if they had seen a ghost.
Due to their close proximity, they had witnessed how Zhou Yuan had made a comeback from a near hopeless situation, and ultimately crushed Yuan Hong under his heel.
The resultant shock was so intense that it was impossible to increase it any further.
Lu Yan swallowed again and again, a complicated expression on her pretty face.
How could she have ever imagined that the new disciple she always looked down on would end up defeating Yuan Hong, doing something that even the combined efforts of the three top tier purple sash disciples had failed to achieve.
“Junior brother Zhou Yuan… this is… too fierce, right?” Mumbled Zhou Tai.
Zhang Yan was silent, but the shock in his eyes was unconcealable. In fact, there was even a trace of respect in his gaze when he looked at Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan smiled at them, before turning to the side towards the still dazedly standing Han Yu. The only person left who had yet to be eliminated was her.
“Senior sister Han Yu, shall we have a little bout?” Zhou Yuan grinned.
Once he eliminated Han Yu, he would be the only remaining participant, and the chief disciple position would naturally become his.
Han Yu was first stunned by these words, before she anxiously backed away as if having seen some kind of terrifying creature. In the end, she fainted.
Basically scared out of consciousness.
Zhou Yuan was stunned by this sight for a moment, before he awkwardly scratched his head, split between whether to laugh or to cry. It seems that watching him beat Yuan Hong earlier had terrified her too much, making Han Yu unable to bear the physiological stress of facing Zhou Yuan now.
However, being unconscious meant that she was now disqualified.
He was the only remaining participant in the entire chief disciple peak.
At this thought, even Zhou Yuan felt his heart begin to rise in his chest.
He lifted his head, looking towards the sky as he cupped his fists together.
“The Saint Genesis Peak chief disciple selection is over, will sect master please bestow the title onto me.”
His clear and powerful voice sounded in the silent surroundings.
Chapter 478 It’s Over
When Zhou Yuan’s clear voice echoed across the land, the silence over the place was finally broken as dazed gaze after gaze slowly returned to their senses...
The onlookers looked towards the still slowly collapsing chief disciple peak, where Zhou Yuan was standing in the air. Although he tattered clothes made him cut quite a sorry figure, the faint presence that spread from him made several disciples freeze for a second.
Only at this very moment did they finally realize that what many had viewed to be a mere new disciple, had already grown to such an astonishing level in a short year...
So much so, that even a veteran disciple like Yuan Hong had been beaten!
At this moment, the crowd finally understood that they could no longer view Zhou Yuan with the same lenses they had before… anyone who dared to adopt a high and mighty attitude due to seniority or experience, would only be seeking his or her own humiliation.
Outside the chief disciple peak, the three Saint Genesis Peak factions also returned to their senses.
Shen Taiyuan’s disciples were in disbelief. They looked at each other, and timidly asked, “We… won?”
The pressure brought by Lu Hong’s faction had been far too overwhelming. Hence, even at such a time, they found the impossibly beautiful outcome before them rather hard to accept.
The usual stern and strict look on Shen Taiyuan’s old face was currently disappearing little by little, as intense, unconcealable emotions surged out in his eyes. He forcefully nodded as he said in a trembling voice, “Yes, Zhou Yuan has won! We’ve won the chief disciple selection!”
With regards to such an outcome, even someone like Shen Taiyuan could no longer remain calm.
When the Zhou Tai trio had failed to defeat Yuan Hong earlier, Shen Taiyuan had already begun to despair inside. Yuan Hong had just been too overwhelming and unstoppable.
Although Zhou Yuan had repeatedly surprised them, Shen Taiyuan felt that he was still too new, and his chances against an experienced disciple like Yuan Hong were anything but optimistic.
Never would he have imagined that Zhou Yuan, whom no one had supported, would ultimately be the one to do it...
In the end, he had even gone against all odds to obtain victory against Yuan Hong!
Gratifications filled Shen Taiyuan’s eyes as he gazed upon the youthful figure. He was very happy that he had insisted on taking Zhou Yuan in back then, and even repeatedly supported him against the majority opinion.
Now, Zhou Yuan had reciprocated in the best way imaginable.
In the wake of Shen Taiyuan’s words, the nearby disciples finally returned to their senses. Zhou Yuan had really defeated Yuan Hong, and obtained the chief disciple position of Saint Genesis Peak!
As such, literal earth-shaking cheers erupted a split second later.
“Little Yuan bro is invincible!” An excited to the max shriek was heard.
The crowd jumped at this voice, quickly looking over, only to find that Shen Wanjin’s round face had flushed red with excitement, as if he was about to pass out from happiness.
“I… I put two hundred thousand Genesis jade on him!” Shen Wanjin trembled with emotion.
These words caused the group to fall silent once more, before their eyes began to turn red, and their breathing ragg
ed as they stared at Shen Wanjin. Only now did they recall that he had bet two hundred thousand Genesis jade on Zhou Yuan taking home the chief disciple seat!
Just how much was he going to get back in return?!
They had previously teased Shen Wanjin for basically ‘throwing away’ his wealth, but who could have expected such an outcome? After calculating the betting odds, how much Genesis jade did he win?
Such a fortune would stun even purple sash disciples.
Numerous disciples suddenly felt their hearts ache as they stared at the flushed Shen Wanjin. Was this little fatty going to become one of the richest disciples in the Cangxuan Sect?
What kind of luck was this!
While the many disciples on this side were cheering, somewhere nearby, elder Lu Song was the first to begin clapping, as he sent Shen Taiyuan a congratulatory smile.
His disciples also returned to their senses as they erupted into thunderous cheers. After all, compared to Yuan Hong becoming the chief disciple, they undoubtedly favored Zhou Yuan much much more.
The cheering of these two factions converged together, booming across the area like thunder.
Amidst their cheering, Lu Hong’s faction was covered in a stifling atmosphere as if someone had died. Numerous disciples, including Wei Youxuan and the others who had once dueled with Zhou Yuan, had deathly white complexions as they watched this scene.
They never imagined that the seemingly invincible Yuan Hong would fall at Zhou Yuan’s hands!
This was a devastating blow to their morale.
Amidst the heavy silence was an ashen faced Lu Hong. His body trembled as his legs turned to jelly, causing him to fall, butt first, into the chair behind him.
“How can this be…” Mumbled Lu Hong.
“How could he have defeated Yuan Hong?!”
Lu Hong’s gnarly hands tightly gripped the arm rests of the chair, the tremendous force crushing them to splinters. This outcome had clearly far exceeded his expectations.
Yuan Hong was his greatest disciple that he had poured all his heart into nurturing, and had even received tutelage from peak master Ling Jun. There should have been no one who was capable of matching him in Saint Genesis Peak.
He was also the source of Lu Hong’s confidence in obtaining the chief disciple position. However, the scene current before his eyes caused all of this confidence to fall apart at this moment.
His mind was a mess, because he dearly understood the heavy responsibility they carried by coming to Saint Genesis Peak.
It was a gamble between peak master Ling Jun and the other peak masters.
If they failed, Sword Cometh Peak would suffer a tremendous loss, a loss that even an elder like him could not possibly shoulder.
He had followed peak master Ling Jun for many years, and clearly understood the ambitions in the latter’s heart. It was to make Sword Cometh Peak the most powerful peak in the Cangxuan Sect.
However, all of that plotting had now ended in failure.
Lu Hong did not even dare to look up at this moment. He could already imagine how much rage there was in peak master Ling Jun’s heart...
With a glazed look in his eyes, Lu Hong gazed at the figure floating above the chief disciple peak, as endless regret suddenly began to flood his heart. If he had known this would happen, he would have done all his best to recruit Zhou Yuan back then.
However, Zhou Yuan had been of practically zero concern to him back then. He did not feel that there was anything noteworthy about this new disciple… in addition, because of Lu Xuanyin, he had even beared a little animosity towards Zhou Yuan.
If he had just recruited Zhou Yuan and then thrown him to the side, today’s events would at the very least not have occured!
However… as he recalled this memory, Lu Hong finally understood the meaning of regret.
“It’s over…” He mumbled as his body turned ice-cold.
Chapter 479 Chief Disciple Seat
Shocked noises continued to reverberate outside the Saint Genesis Peak chief disciple peak, before swiftly spreading at an alarming pace, quickly spreading to the other six chief disciple peaks.
All of the disciples who received the news were without exception, stunned and shaken to the core.
A rapidly growing uproar washed over the Cangxuan Sect.
Everyone had clearly been astonished by this outcome. It was after all common knowledge that Saint Genesis Peak had fallen into hard times, and could not match the other six peaks. Moreover, Lu Hong’s faction was originally from the rapidly rising Sword Cometh Peak, and had even established a place for themselves there back then.
Many people believed that the chief disciple position of Saint Genesis Peak would most certainly end up with Lu Hong’s faction, mostly because of their unshakable confidence in Yuan Hong.
Even back in Sword Cometh Peak, Yuan Hong would have been a strong contender for the chief disciple position.
After being transferred to Saint Genesis Peak, obtaining the chief disciple seat should have been a mere formality.
Hence, the news had thoroughly stunned everyone who heard it.
“My god, Yuan Hong really lost?!”
“Isn’t Zhou Yuan the one who recently joined the sect last year?”
“Who else in Saint Genesis Peak is called Zhou Yuan?”
“Is he really so amazing? To think that even Yuan Hong was not his match.”
“Looks like everyone has underestimated him…”
“……”
Countless disciples could not stop sighing. Although Zhou Yuan had a growing reputation in the Cangxuan Sect, the public opinion was that he was still a new disciple, and needed more training before he could begin challenging a veteran disciple like Yuan Hong.
No one had expected that Zhou Yuan would defeat Yuan Hong at such a time, and seize Saint Genesis Peak’s chief disciple position.
While sighing, numerous disciples committed Zhou Yuan’s name to memory. They also subconsciously felt a little respect for him, and no longer viewed him as a new disciple.
After all, once he became the chief disciple of Saint Genesis Peak, Zhou Yuan’s status would be vastly different from before.
Outside Cangxuan Peak’s chief disciple peak.
Gu Hongyi was likewise stunned when she heard the news, but a happy smile soon blossomed on her beautiful face, as she cast her gaze towards the far away Saint Genesis Peak.
The truth was that she had not been optimistic about Zhou Yuan’s chances either, and thus could not bring herself to go over and watch. She was worried that she would see Zhou Yuan’s faction being crushed, and never imagined that he would instead end up tiumphanting over all the odds.
Gu Hongyi laughed softly, displaying an enchanting smile. Though it was somewhat regretful that she had not been there to personally witness it, Zhou Yuan’s victory was still the best news of all.
“Hongyi, that guy called Zhou Yuan is quite capable. To think that he managed to defeat even Yuan Hong.” Around Gu Hongyi, several senior and junior sisters from the Cangxuan Peak also released surprised noises.
They knew that Gu Hongyi was quite close to Zhou Yuan.
Gu Hongyi earnestly said, “He wasn’t ordinary from the start, anyone who underestimates him will surely pay the price.”
Gu Hongyi was obviously very popular in the Cangxuan Peak. As such, there were always quite a number male disciples crowding around her like stars to the moon, who all adored her greatly.
Therefore, their lips curled in jealousy when they saw how highly she thought of Zhou Yuan. Some of the more senior disciples even wanted to step forward to compare themselves with him, but ultimately chose to shut their mouths. They realized that when Zhou Yuan obtained the chief disciple position of Saint Genesis Peak, his status was no longer that of a new disciple.
If they talked carelessly, it would instead make them appear like overly arrogant braggarts.
Hence, they could only look at each other in the end, and shake their heads in fru
stration.
…
“What?! Zhou Yuan beat senior brother Yuan Hong?!”
When the news reached Sword Cometh Peak, it caused the biggest reactions of all. Numerous disciples were dumbstruck, clearly unable to accept this reality.
Lu Xuanyin in particular, stared at the disciple who had told them the news with round eyes, and an ashen face, as a dispirited look filled her eyes.
“How can this be?!”
Her voice was somewhat panicked. She knew full well that it was precisely because of herself that Lu Hong had been so critical of Zhou Yuan at the start. If not for her, Lu Hong would surely have seriously considered recruiting Zhou Yuan.
She had even been quite pleased with herself back then, and felt good that Lu Hong was avenging her. After today, however, that pleased feeling had turned to panic.
Because she clearly understood why Lu Hong’s faction had gone to Saint Genesis Peak.
It was on peak master Ling Jun’s instructions.
Lu Hong’s failure today would surely draw peak master Ling Jun’s wrath. When that happened, Lu Hong would not be the only one to receive punishment. Lu Xuanyin knew that she would also be implicated.
The thought of such an outcome caused Li Xuanyin’s face to turn deathly pale.
She never imagined that the country bumpkin she looked down on back then would come to possess such power and status in the Cangxuan Sect after a short year.
…
High in the sky where the ten Chosens were seated.
Chu Qing’s bald head gleamed brightly as he gazed at the collapsing mountain peak in the distance. Surprise flitted across his handsome face as he slowly said, “This junior brother Zhou Yuan of ours is no simple individual…”
These words were no longer teasing in nature due to Yaoyao, but genuinely complimenting Zhou Yuan himself.
It had only been a year since he joined the Cangxuan Sect, but he had already become the chief disciple of one of the peaks. Though it was in the pitiful Saint Genesis Peak, it was still enough to show how extraordinary Zhou Yuan was.
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 260
