Chapter 1157: Nine-Rank Lotus Platform

A nine-colored halo enveloped the lotus platform, mysterious and unfathomable. The aura it emitted had a long-lasting charm; merely observing it caused the flow of Origin Qi within one's body to become joyful and active.

Countless gazes, filled with shock and envy, fixed upon this scene.

Even figures like Guan Qinglong and Jiang Jinlin were momentarily lost in thought. It took a long while for them to gradually regain their composure, their eyes now filled with complex emotions.

A Ninth-Grade Lotus Platform!

The ancient stone tablet before them had given Zhou Yuan this assessment, clearly perceiving his talent and potential as superior to theirs.

This slight advantage was not to be underestimated. These individuals were already considered true prodigies, and making further progress was incredibly difficult. For Zhou Yuan to be a step ahead of them spoke volumes about the terrifying nature of his talent and potential.

Guan Qinglong sighed inwardly. Facing this sight, even he, who was typically calm and self-assured, could only offer a wry smile.

This Zhou Yuan was indeed a rare prodigy, one seen perhaps only once in ten thousand years.

If Zhou Yuan could truly advance into the late Heavenly Sun stage through this opportunity presented by the stone tablet, Guan Qinglong had a premonition that his title as the strongest Heavenly Sun stage cultivator in Hunyuantian might have to be relinquished.

Although a mix of emotions swirled within him, Guan Qinglong was not narrow-minded. His recent confrontation with the Saint King Heaven had made him aware of his own deficiencies. He felt that if he were to encounter the most mysterious Saint Ancestor Heaven, his current strength might be insufficient to shoulder such a great responsibility.

If Zhou Yuan could achieve a breakthrough at this crucial moment and ultimately lead Hunyuantian to a great victory, then in Guan Qinglong's opinion, he would willingly cede his title.

In contrast to Guan Qinglong's magnanimity, Jiang Jinlin appeared far more envious. He stared at Zhou Yuan's face, which seemed somewhat sacred under the nine-colored halo, and couldn't help but clench his jaw, wishing he could usurp Zhou Yuan's position at that very moment.

Ultimately, however, this was mere wishful thinking. He understood that if he were to do anything to disturb Zhou Yuan at that moment, he would likely become the target of everyone's ire.

Thus, he ultimately gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, adopting an "out of sight, out of mind" approach.

After their initial shock, the others also put aside their complex emotions and refocused on their own lotus platforms. Regardless of how enviable Zhou Yuan's situation was, digesting the opportunities presented to them was the most realistic and urgent matter at hand.

As the Ninth-Grade Lotus Platform took shape, Zhou Yuan paid no heed to the many shocked gazes from outside. He immediately calmed his mind and blocked out his surroundings.

In that instant, an unimaginably vast torrent of Ancestral Qi surged towards him. Thanks to the lotus platform, not a single wisp of this Ancestral Qi leaked out; it all poured directly into his body.

As the immense Ancestral Qi swept through his body, Zhou Yuan's Divine Dwelling trembled violently, seemingly with an intense longing.

The Ancestral Qi flowed along his meridians, surging into his Divine Dwelling.

Within his Divine Dwelling, the continuous and dense Ancestral Qi created a misty haze. Two Heavenly Suns hovered, frantically absorbing the Ancestral Qi. Subsequently, the Heavenly Suns rapidly grew more dazzling, and within them, numerous Origin Qi stars could be clearly seen emerging and being born.

Zhou Yuan's Origin Qi reserves were surging at an unimaginable pace!

The speed of this surge startled even Zhou Yuan himself. In just a few minutes, his Origin Qi reserves skyrocketed from 2.4 billion to 2.9 billion!

That was an increase of 500 million in Origin Qi reserves!

What was most astonishing was that this surge hadn't stopped; it continued to rapidly increase step by step, maintaining a steady pace.

Zhou Yuan suppressed his inner ecstasy and excitement, doing his utmost to control the Ancestral Qi pouring into his body, guiding it through his meridians. Under the nourishing influence of the Ancestral Qi, his meridians also became significantly more resilient.

As his Origin Qi reserves surged, Zhou Yuan also noticed the dragon claw patterns on his Heavenly Suns gradually extending.

Previously, his dragon claw patterns had reached the fifth mark.

In just this short time, the sixth mark had already formed halfway.

Besides the Ancestral Qi, the stone tablet also spewed out numerous Ancestral Qi treasures. These treasures were various crystalline substances, which Zhou Yuan directly fed into "Silver Shadow" and the Heavenly Origin Brush.

Silver Shadow and the Heavenly Origin Brush coiled within his Divine Dwelling, emitting incredibly joyous fluctuations as they frantically devoured all the incoming Ancestral Qi treasures.

This time, they could finally devour to their hearts' content.

And the benefits didn't stop there...

In addition to the surging Origin Qi reserves and the continuous supply of Ancestral Qi treasures, Zhou Yuan could feel a subtle change occurring in his physical body under the immense infusion of Ancestral Qi. His flesh and blood vibrated and boiled.

The Great Flame Devil, in fact, activated automatically, seemingly beyond his control.

The temperature within Zhou Yuan's body suddenly soared, turning him into a veritable furnace.

Some of the Ancestral Qi, carrying specific Ancestral Qi treasures with marvelous effects, gradually fused within this internal furnace, eventually transforming into a wondrous liquid that integrated into his flesh and blood.

In that instant, Zhou Yuan felt every inch of his flesh and blood radiating an unimaginable heat. Under this intense heat, his very being seemed to be undergoing a furious tempering, becoming increasingly robust and resilient. Terrifying power erupted as his blood and flesh boiled, as if he could move mountains and fill seas.

Drop by drop, golden blood was continuously generated within his heart through this tempering process.

Thus, without him even realizing it, the "Great Flame Devil" technique he cultivated was gradually nearing completion.

Besides his physical body, his Divine Soul was also undergoing changes...

It, too, was gradually condensing and improving!

Faced with the improvement and transformation of every part of his being, even Zhou Yuan couldn't help but tremble slightly with excitement and exhilaration.

Although he had long known that this profound wonder was a rare opportunity within the Ancient Origin Heaven, it was only after experiencing it firsthand that he truly understood how vastly superior this opportunity was compared to even a high-grade Ancestral Qi branch.

This truly possessed the power to completely transform a person.

Of course, Zhou Yuan also understood that his profound overall advancement was largely due to being assessed as a Ninth-Grade Lotus Platform by this ancient stone tablet. The tablet clearly possessed some sentience, and only those it deemed worthy could receive such abundant opportunities.

"Thank you," he murmured inwardly.

Zhou Yuan silently offered his gratitude in his heart, then began to focus his mind. Given such an immense opportunity, he naturally needed to seize it completely, absorbing every last drop.

Zhou Yuan knew that by fully utilizing this opportunity, his overall strength would undoubtedly undergo a stunning leap forward.

As for how powerful he would be at that moment...

Zhou Yuan himself harbored immense anticipation.