Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251

by Translator: Yeow

  He stretched his back before stowing all the jade pieces. His figure then rose into the sky.

  ...

  Wind Island, the pavilion master’s lodging.

  When Zhou Yuan appeared in the building, Ye Bingling and Yi Quishui swiftly appeared in front of him.

  “You’ve come out at last. Did you know that some rumors have begun spreading in the newcomer lodgings two days ago? These rumors are clearly aimed at belittling our Wind Pavilion. They’re saying that our Wind Pavilion is a garbage dump!

  “Moreover, these rumors have also been spreading that the fire pavilion master, Lu Xiao, is going to become the chief pavilion master of the four pavilions in four months, becoming the leader of the four pavilions!

  “I’m afraid that this new batch won’t have a good impression of our Wind Pavilion!”

  Zhou Yuan’s footsteps paused as he frowned deeply. “The Fire Pavilion’s methods are so lowly.”

  These rumors were clearly the handiwork of the Fire Pavilion.

  Yi Quishui helplessly sighed. “Although such tactics are lowly, they are also very effective.”

  A cold smile emerged from the corners of Zhou Yuan’s lips. It seemed Lu Xiao was truly as he had expected. Fine, since you guys want to play like this, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.

  “How’s the quality of the new batch?” asked Zhou Yuan.

  Ye Bingling sighed and answered, “Not bad. According to our investigations, there are more than thirty rankers on the Divine Dwelling List this year, though most of them barely made the cut.”

  “Oh?” Zhou Yuan was rather surprised.

  He knew that these individuals did not have powerful backgrounds and were mostly unaffiliated cultivators. They were from the various regions of Hunyuan Heaven and had likely come to the Tianyuan Region because of the Four Spirits Origin Tower.

  Having such a remarkable achievement despite the conditions was more than enough proof of their talent. After joining the four pavilions, they would likely make rapid progress in their cultivation, and a few of them may even rank amongst the top hundred of the Divine Dwelling List in the future.

  The top hundred of the Divine Dwelling List were basically equivalent to the likes of Ye Bingling.

  “Although the newcomer ceremony is tomorrow, the other three pavilions have already secretly made contact with these thirty or so individuals in an attempt to recruit them. We likewise tried to do the same in the past few days you were not around, but we did not achieve much results. Most of them become rather hesitant upon hearing about our Wind Pavilion.”

  Yi Qiushui somewhat angrily said, “It’s because of those rumors the Fire Pavilion has been spreading!”

  Some anger was also visible on Ye Bingling’s face. She was evidently quite disgusted by such tactics.

  Zhou Yuan’s expression remained composed as he pondered for a while. He said, “No need to be too anxious. As individuals who managed to achieve such heights despite not belonging to any factions, they should be quite prudent. They will not carelessly make any decisions until the very last moment.

  “Everything will be decided at the newcomers ceremony tomorrow.”

  Yi Qiushui nodded. Soon after, she smiled bitterly and said, “But, but even if we wait till tomorrow, our Wind Pavilion is still far less attractive than the Fire Pavilion.”

  When the four pavilions revealed themselves tomorrow, the newcomers would naturally realize that the Fire Pavilion was indeed the strongest of the four pavilions and had the best conditions.

  Ye Bingling’s face also dimmed somewhat.

  “That may not be so.” Zhou Yuan smiled mysteriously.

  Yi Qiushui was still somewhat anxious as she worriedly said, “Zhou Yuan, if you think the Mother Wind Rune will be enough to fight against the Fire Pavilion, I’ll have to inform you that you’re wrong. The Mother Wind Rune can only be sold in the Wind Pavilion, while the Mark Capturing Rune is highly sought after even in the other three pavilions!

  “Our Wind Pavilion will only suffer if you use the Mother Wind Rune to compete with them!”

  Zhou Yuan smiled and nodded. “The Mother Wind Rune alone is indeed insufficient.”

  “Then…” Li Qiushui and Ye Bingling raised their brows. Since he knew the Mother Wind Rune was not enough, why was Zhou Yuan still being so insistent?

  However, from his mysterious and confident expression, the two young ladies knew that he certainly had some kind of trump card. As such, their brows furrowed as they pressed him, “What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Tell us!”

  Zhou Yuan could only awkwardly laugh in response, not bothering to hide his preparations any further. It would all be revealed the next day, anyways. If he did not put them at ease, they would likely be unable to sleep that night.

  Hence, he retrieved three jade pieces and offered them to the two young ladies.

  “What are these?” The girls received the jade pieces in confusion.

  “Mother Wind Rune? Doesn’t appear to be…”

  Zhou Yuan softly chuckled. “These are the Mother Fire Rune, the Mother Forest Rune and the Mother Mountain Rune.”

  They froze, holding the jade pieces in their hands, then jerked their heads upwards and stared at Zhou Yuan in disbelief.

  They already understood everything from the names.

  “These, these...have the same effect as the Mother Wind Rune?” Yi Qiushui’s voice faintly trembled.

  “Exactly the same.” Zhou Yuan grinned as he nodded.

  Yi Qiushui and Ye Bingling were silent for a moment. In the next instant, killing intent suddenly blossomed in their eyes as they each threw a punch at Zhou Yuan’s face.

  Zhou Yuan bafflingly took their punches as a stupefied expression appeared on his face. He did not understand why they reacted in such a manner after revealing such amazing treasure. Weren’t they supposed to jump into his arms in joy?

  “Bastard, you dare to hide such a thing. How dare you make us worry so long for nothing!” Ye Bingling gnashed her teeth.

  “Humph, do you feel very happy watching us stress like scattering ants?” The usually gentle-mannered Yi Qiushui also glared at him.

  The corners of Zhou Yuan’s lips twitched. Were all women so terrifying?

  This was completely unreasonable!

  He needed to teach them a lesson! They completely did not respect him as the pavilion master!

  Zhou Yuan glared at the two girls.

  Ye Bingling said, “Looks like we should let him handle the newcomer ceremony tomorrow alone.”

  Yi Qiushui added, “He can also handle all the affairs of the Wind Pavilion by himself in the future.”

  Zhou Yuan let out an awkward cough. He lowered his gaze as he gently said, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have hidden this from you two.”

  Forget it, men should be flexible. There was no need for him to kick up a fuss.

  Nearby, Xiao Hong, Liu Zhixuan and the other watching Wind Pavilion commanders stealthily turned around and left.

  Chapter 830 Cream of the Crop

  Tianyuan Utopia.

  On one of the smaller floating islands in the outer perimeter.

  It was a rather remote location, and its concentration of Genesis Qi naturally could not compare to the four pavilions’. Despite this, it was an extremely alluring location to the many residents of the Tianyuan Region, and many would pay crazy prices in order to live here.

  This day, the center of the island was extremely lively. Countless people flooded over from all over the island and hovered about in the outer perimeter, their eyes filled with envy as they watched the several hundred figures that had gathered in the middle.

  After numerous tests and selections, these were the chosen that would soon enter the four pavilions.

  Once they joined the four pavilions, they would cast off their previous status as unaffiliated cultivators and gain not only a powerful backer but also a place to cultivate on the four islands that had highly concentrated Genesis Qi. Their future
prospects would practically be limitless.

  “The time has come again for the four pavilions’ yearly recruitment.”

  “However, I’m afraid this year won’t be any different from the last. A majority of the good seedlings will be taken by the Fire Pavilion.”

  “What can the rest do? The Fire Pavilion is the strongest of the four, and the Fire Pavilion’s master, Lu Xiao, is basically the face of the Tianyuan Region’s younger generation. His rallying power and influence is top tier.”

  “Tch, what rallying power? Isn’t it because they give the most origin coins? After all, none of these newcomers who passed the selections are ordinary. The first three on the Divine Dwelling List might be able to awe them, but as number nine, Lu Xiao does not have the qualifications.”

  “......”

  Numerous whispers spread in the outer perimeter. The four pavilions newcomer recruitment was held here every year, making the place very lively over this period.

  Swish!

  Glowing figures suddenly appeared in the distant sky. They swiftly approached the island and descended towards the center.

  These were members of the four pavilions that had come in advance to set up. Four giant flags soon rose from stone stages at the four corners.

  Not long after the flags were risen, four figures that gave off extraordinary auras arrived and slowly descended.

  As they secretly concealed the untamable pride in their eyes, the newcomers restrained their expressions when they looked towards the four figures. They had already done their homework on the four pavilion masters and knew how powerful they were. Not even the slightest trace of disdain was visible even when they gazed at the merely intermediate Divine Dwelling stage wind pavilion master, Zhou Yuan.

  This was because all of them were likewise aware of how Zhou Yuan had defeated Chen Beifeng.

  Zhou Yuan landed on the stage from which the giant azure flag of the Wind Pavilion rose, and Ye Bingling and Yi Qiushui moved forward to receive him.

  He nodded at the two girls before casting his gaze towards the crowd that consisted of several hundred individuals. Most of the practitioners gave off a slight ferocious aura, but this was not strange for people like them. They came from various locations in Hunyuan Heaven and were mostly unaffiliated cultivators. Unaffiliated practitioners that achieved such cultivation had definitely experienced countless life-or-death battles.

  Some of them might perhaps be lacking in talent, but they would also be tougher and more determined than the others.

  Zhou Yuan’s gaze ultimately looked towards the front of the crowd where a group between thirty and forty figures clearly distinguished themselves from the rest.

  From the faint but powerful Genesis Qi undulations that were spreading from their bodies, they were evidently experts that had reached the advanced Divine Dwelling stage.

  In addition, all of them were rankers on Hunyuan Heaven’s Divine Dwelling List; although they were mostly ranked near the bottom.

  Every member of this group was a talented genius with great potential. If they were recruited and provided with cultivation resources from the Wind Pavilion, their rankings on the Divine Dwelling List would surely rise in the future.

  Zhou Yuan’s gaze circled the group before coming to a stop on the four figures that stood at the very front. Three men and one lady. He could clearly feel that their Genesis Qi undulations were distinctively stronger than the rest.

  Beside Zhou Yuan, Yi Qiushui softly said, “The four of them are the strongest in the new batch. Ling Feng, Feng Si, Yuan Tiegang—and the girl is called Shang Xiaoling.”

  Zhou Yuan nodded. If these four were in the Wind Pavilion, they would not be weaker than the commander-level members.

  The four pavilions recruitment ceremony is indeed quite something. No wonder even Lu Xiao regards it with extreme importance.

  While Zhou Yuan and the other three pavilion masters were observing the newcomers, the newcomers were likewise observing them.

  Several swept their gazes over Zhou Yuan, likely curious about how he had managed to become a pavilion master despite his intermediate Divine Dwelling stage cultivation.

  While both sides were sizing up each other, on the Fire Pavilion side, Lu Xiao slowly walked forward in a calm and confident manner as he said, “Everyone, let the newcomer ceremony begin. I shall not elaborate much about the rules. Each pavilion will announce their benefits, and the newcomer can freely choose their pavilion.

  “Newcomers can voluntarily make their choices, and no one can force them otherwise! Anyone who breaks the rules shall have their quotas reduced.”

  Towards the end, he seemed to unintentionally glance at Zhou Yuan.

  Zhou Yuan merely chuckled, paying no heed to Lu Xiao’s action.

  As Lu Xiao’s voice rang out, an air of excitement suddenly washed over the crowd. The gazes of several newcomers darted towards the four pavilions, but overall, the Fire Pavilion was clearly the most popular, while the Wind Pavilion appeared somewhat lonely.

  However, no one made their decision yet because they were waiting for the four pavilions to announce their benefits.

  The mountain pavilion master, Han Yuan, was the first to step forward. With a faint smile, he said, “Mountain Pavilion members will receive 30 origin coins and 60 high-grade Divine Dwelling medicines every month. But we only accept those within the top 250.”

  There were about 500 newcomers in total, and they had already been ranked through the earlier selections.

  The Mountain Pavilion was only recruiting from the top 250. In other words, half of the newcomers did not have the qualifications to join. Of course, if they did not manage to fulfil the quota, they would naturally relax their conditions a little.

  As a result, disappointment emerged in several individuals who were unable to meet the requirement.

  After Han Yuan was done, the Forest Pavilion master Mu Liu also stepped forward and said, “Forest Pavilion members will receive 28 origin coins and 55 high-grade Divine Dwelling medicines every month. Our recruitment criteria is the top 300.”

  The Forest Pavilion’s benefits were slightly worse than the Mountain Pavilion’s, but their restriction was relaxed by 50 positions.

  Lu Xiao looked towards Zhou Yuan with a faint smile. “Do you want to go first, pavilion master Zhou Yuan? If I go first, it might not be so good for your Wind Pavilion afterwards.”

  His expression contained some hints of ridicule.

  However, Zhou Yuan shook his head. “Pavilion master Lu Xiao need not show such consideration towards me. I’m also interested to find out how much the Fire Pavilion is going to offer.”

  He did not intend to go first because he was preparing to act accordingly after seeing what Lu Xiao had.

  Lu Xiao softly chuckled and said, “Since that is the case, please don’t blame me later for not giving you any chances.”

  His gaze turned towards the crowd. As he looked at the numerous expectant gazes, he nonchalantly announced, “Previously, members of my Fire Pavilion could receive 40 origins coins every month.”

  These words immediately lit the fire of desire in many newcomers’ eyes.

  Lu Xiao’s tone suddenly changed: “But that’s the past. From today onwards, my Fire Pavilion has decided to increase that number by 10, so every member shall receive 50 coins per month!”

  Uproar!

  The entire place seemed to explode. Even the expressions of the elite group of Divine Dwelling List rankers in the front changed.

  Cheers erupted from the Fire Pavilion members as they proudly looked at everyone.

  “Of course, although being a Fire Pavilion member has tremendous benefits, our conditions are also quite strict. We will only take in the top 180 this time.”

  The excited atmosphere instantly fell silent as several faces of several individuals dimmed. Only the top 180 out of 500, this prerequisite was the strictest so far.

  After Lu Xiao finished, he looked towards Zhou Yuan with a superficial smi
le. “Pavilion master Zhou Yuan, it’s your turn now.”

  Zhou Yuan grinned and slowly walked forward.

  However, the crowd was still submerged in the shock from Lu Xiao’s words, and no one paid much attention to the wind pavilion master for a time. Moreover, they had already done their research and knew that the Wind Pavilion had the least benefits of the four. Thus, it likely held the least allure to them.

  Zhou Yuan took a few steps forward, ignoring the clearly preoccupied newcomers as he calmly said, “I’ll talk about our recruitment criteria first. This year, the Wind Pavilion only wants the cream of the crop. Hence, we’ll only be recruiting the top 150.”

  His words caused the entire place to turn deathly silent.

  Even the three pavilion masters, Lu Xiao, Han Yuan and Mu Liu, looked over in shock.

  In fact, Lu Xiao and Han Yuan nearly burst out into laughter.

  What had they just heard?

  The Wind Pavilion was only recruiting the top 150? The usual dumping ground—the Wind Pavilion—wanted only the cream of the crop?

  Strange expressions appeared on the newcomers’ faces.

  Was the Wind Pavilion’s new pavilion master crazy?!

  Chapter 831 Completely New Benefits

  After Zhou Yuan’s words rang out, the entire recruitment area went silent as amusement slowly began to spread.

  The shock value of Zhou Yuan’s words had been far too great.

  Even the many Wind Pavilion members could only look at each other in confusion, while commanders like Xiao Hong were at a complete loss. None of them knew why Zhou Yuan would say such...self-humiliating words.

  One must know that in previous years, the Wind Pavilion was only able to select from the leftovers after the other three pavilions finished choosing the best seedlings—this was also why the Wind Pavilion was often known as a rubbish dump.

  And yet, Zhou Yuan had declared their recruitment criteria to be the top 150. Was this aimed at getting no harvest in the newcomer ceremony this year?

  Why would the higher-ranked newcomers give up on the generous benefits promised by the Fire Pavilion and choose the Wind Pavilion instead?