Chapter 184: Dragon Inhalation

On the long bluestone steps, the torrent flowed endlessly, but now only ten figures remained within it. These ten were all top prodigies with deep foundations, which allowed them to persevere until now.

At the fifth stone platform, Luluo and Zhu Ying chose to stay and compete for the fortune there, while the others continued to push forward. However, anyone could tell that after persevering this long, even these top prodigies were beginning to slow down, clearly having expended a great deal of energy.

"From the looks of it, people will likely choose to stay at every subsequent stone platform."

Inside and outside the Sacred Remains, many eyes watched this scene. They understood that the competition had reached a fever pitch; at each upcoming stone platform, people would stay, and perhaps more than one. In other words, to obtain the fortune on the platforms, extremely fierce battles were inevitable.

"These rats from the East Xuan Continent dare to sneak into our Cangmang Continent and steal our fortune! How despicable!" At this moment, representatives from various factions outside the Sacred Remains also learned the identities of Ye Ming and his group, immediately expressing their indignation. They looked up at the six envoys in the sky, but seeing that they remained silent, they could only reluctantly cease their complaints. After all, it was impossible for them to expel Ye Ming and his group from the Sacred Remains at this point.

"If the people from the East Xuan Continent are smart enough, they'll probably leave one person at each of the upcoming stone platforms to avoid fighting among themselves." Some shrewd observers saw the situation clearly.

"This way, the struggle for fortune has turned into a contest between our Cangmang Continent and the East Xuan Continent."

Within the Cangxuan Heaven, there were many continents, and Cangmang Continent and East Xuan Continent were just two of them. If the prodigies from East Xuan Continent managed to seize the fortune in their Cangmang Continent, word would spread, and Cangmang Continent would lose all face. Others would call their people incompetent. This was a matter of collective honor, not a small affair. After all, no one wanted to be seen as incompetent when interacting with people from other continents.

"We hope the remaining top prodigies can intercept the East Xuan Continent's prodigies and keep the fortune within Cangmang Continent..."

Under the gaze of countless eyes, the sixth stone platform finally began to appear. Ye Ming narrowed his eyes, silently observing the hovering platform not far away. Then he signaled to the remaining members of the East Xuan Continent behind him. Including Ye Ming, there were now four prodigies left from the East Xuan Continent. Seeing Ye Ming's gesture, they understood his intention: it was for them to try their best to claim the fortune on each of the upcoming stone platforms.

The young man named Jiang Quan exhaled a puff of water vapor. Then, with a sudden push of his foot, blue genesis qi surged beneath him like water, propelling him directly towards the sixth stone platform. Clearly, he would no longer advance but instead choose to seize the fortune on this sixth platform.

Zhou Yuan and the others naturally noticed his actions. In that instant, apart from Wu Huang, who remained oblivious, several other prodigies exchanged glances.

"I'll take the fortune on this sixth stone platform," a slightly cold and hoarse voice announced. It was Zhen Xu who spoke. The others fell silent for a moment, then all nodded.

"I hope you all put in more effort. Don't let the East Xuan Continent seize the fortune, or it will be a mockery of our Cangmang Continent's younger generation, calling us all trash."

After Zhen Xu finished speaking, he pushed off with his foot, shot out of the torrent, and landed on the sixth stone platform. "Cowardly rat! You dared not face me alone last time. This time, who will help you?" As he landed on the platform, Zhen Xu's chilling gaze fell upon Jiang Quan, a ruthless glint in his eyes. In their previous encounter, Jiang Quan's companion had secretly targeted Zhen Xu during their fight, preventing Zhen Xu from going all out and allowing Jiang Quan to find an opening. Zhen Xu had been holding onto that grudge for a long time.

Not long after the sixth stone platform appeared, the seventh one also emerged. This time, Zuoqiu Qingyu shot out first. With a flash of green light, she landed on the platform, then looked at the remaining three East Xuan Continent prodigies and asked, "Who wants to contend with me for this fortune?!"

Ye Ming's expression was indifferent. He looked at a young man whose body was as sturdy as an iron tower. This man's physique seemed cast from iron, exuding a violent and fierce aura. "Qin Tong, you go."

The young man with the iron-like body nodded at the command. He stomped his foot, shot into the sky, and landed on the seventh stone platform. He looked at Zuoqiu Qingyu and sneered, "What a charming little beauty. All the women I've played with over the years died quickly. Can you last?"

A hint of revulsion flashed in Zuoqiu Qingyu's beautiful eyes, but the smile on her seductive face became even sweeter. "Then come and try, won't you? Big brute."

The torrent poured down. However, the countless eyes fixed on the bluestone steps now grew tense as they watched the six remaining figures.

"I wonder who will take the eighth stone platform?"

"It should be Zhou Yuan. His ability to persist this far is already incredible to me. He must be nearing his limit, right?"

"Of the remaining individuals, who isn't a top prodigy? Wu Huang, Li Chunjun, Ning Zhan... they should be more enduring than Zhou Yuan."

Countless whispers arose. High in the sky above the Sacred Remains, Mu Wuji's brows were slightly furrowed. He stared at Zhou Yuan's figure; the genesis qi surging around him truly appeared the dimmest among the six remaining individuals.

"Zhou Yuan is, after all, still only at the Heavenly Pass stage. Although his high Qi Dwelling quality makes his genesis qi denser than that of an average Grand Initial stage cultivator, the remaining few are all top prodigies with equally strong talents and high-quality Qi Dwellings."

"So, compared to them, Zhou Yuan is still at a disadvantage." Mu Wuji sighed inwardly. He had realized that this blue torrent was a test of both genesis qi density and recovery ability. This was clearly unfavorable for Zhou Yuan, who was only at the Heavenly Pass stage.

"To have made it this far is already remarkable." Mu Wuji knew it wasn't Zhou Yuan's fault, but it likely meant Zhou Yuan would lose the ability to continue. For this, Mu Wuji felt great regret.

Zhou Yuan was naturally unaware of the many voices outside, as he was well aware of his own condition. At this moment, the genesis qi around him had dimmed considerably; the consumption along the way had simply been too immense. Even his occasional use of the Dragon Absorption Art wasn't enough for recovery. However, Zhou Yuan's gaze remained firm, his mind focused. In his eyes, there seemed to be only the pouring blue torrent. He was unwilling to give up easily here. In his heart, a low roar seemed to resound.

The entire world seemed to quiet down at this moment. In his mind, his rapid breathing echoed... *Whoosh! Whoosh!*

And in that very instant, his breathing seemed to become more prolonged. Without him even realizing it, a faint dragon's roar seemed to be subtly embedded in his breath. The genesis qi between heaven and earth subtly fluctuated. Below Zhou Yuan's nose, the world's genesis qi flowed in continuously, transforming into wisps of white mist that entered with his every breath.

"What is this?!" Zhou Yuan finally became aware, and his heart trembled slightly. He realized that at this moment, every breath he took seemed to contain the power of dragon absorption, continuously drawing in genesis qi directly from the world.

"The Dragon Absorption Art... it seems to have improved!" Zhou Yuan murmured in shock.

Initially, to use the Dragon Absorption Art, Zhou Yuan had to complete a full set of the "Dragon Forging Play" to absorb a single breath. Later, as he grew more proficient, he could activate the art simply by vibrating his bones, without needing the full play, making it much more convenient and faster. However, the true profound realm of the Dragon Absorption Art was to perfectly integrate it with one's own breathing, turning every breath into a dragon's absorption, drawing in and exhaling genesis qi from the world. Previously, Zhou Yuan had never been able to reach this stage, but now, under the pressure of the blue torrent, he found he had truly touched upon it! Although it hadn't reached perfection, the absorption efficiency was several times stronger than before!

*Whoosh! Whoosh!* Zhou Yuan's breathing continued. The world's genesis qi surged around him, transforming into white mist, which he inhaled and exhaled. Under this absorption, Zhou Yuan's previously dim genesis qi began to gradually brighten and grow more abundant. His speed suddenly increased. Stone steps flashed beneath his feet, and he directly leapt forward, rising from the last position among the six to become parallel with Wu Huang, Ye Ming, Li Chunjun, and the others!

His sudden change was immediately noticed by the others, who were all astonished. They had originally believed Zhou Yuan would be the next to collapse, but they never expected such a sudden transformation! A gloomy expression crossed Wu Huang's face, and the killing intent in his eyes grew even stronger. Because he felt that Zhou Yuan was becoming increasingly dangerous...