Chapter 218: Establishing Authority

On the colossal Genesis Mountain, silence reigned. Countless gazes were fixed on Zhou Yuan, who floated in mid-air, maintaining the posture of a launched punch.

At this moment, the violet-gold scales on his arm began to recede. His expression remained unruffled, as if the shocking punch he had just delivered had little to do with him.

The silence lingered for a long while before it was gradually broken.

Luo Song gulped hard, a hint of fear in his eyes as he looked at Zhou Yuan. Although he was also at the second layer of the Alpha Origin Stage, his combat power was likely a notch below Han Shan's. Yet, even Han Shan had been crushed by Zhou Yuan's single punch, let alone him?

"This is truly terrifying..." he murmured, finding it incredible. He couldn't imagine that Han Shan, a cultivator at the second layer of the Alpha Origin Stage, couldn't even withstand one of Zhou Yuan's punches. After all, Han Shan was considered a prodigy from the Shengzhou Continent, albeit only a mid-tier one, but certainly stronger than most. Despite this, he had been defeated so decisively by Zhou Yuan.

This demonstrated just how formidable Zhou Yuan's combat power was.

Luo Song grinned wryly. Earlier, he had felt regretful that Han Shan had taken the lead, but now he felt a bit fortunate. Otherwise, it might have been him who was sent flying to the foot of the mountain with a single punch.

"Brother Yuan is still so ferocious," Shen Wanjin and the other prodigies from the Cangxuan Continent breathed a sigh of relief after a moment of shock. They felt a sense of shared pride, because after Zhou Yuan delivered that punch, they noticed that the other disciples' gazes no longer held the disdain they had before.

"Let's see who dares call the prodigies from our Cangxuan Continent incompetent now."

Xiao Tianxuan remained silent, his body relaxing slightly. Although he and Zhou Yuan had a history of grievances back on the Cangxuan Continent, they both ultimately hailed from there. If Zhou Yuan had suffered a setback, it wouldn't have been good news for him either.

"Heh, he really does have some skill..." From the summit of Genesis Mountain, a first-class Shengzhou disciple chuckled, his gaze at Zhou Yuan tinged with amusement.

"This Han Shan is quite disappointing." These first-class disciples from Shengzhou itself commented, clearly dissatisfied with Han Shan's performance. After all, Han Shan's defeat by a prodigy from a remote continent would undoubtedly affect the exalted status of Shengzhou's own prodigies.

"Lu Feng, what do you think?" a first-class disciple asked Lu Feng with a smile.

Lu Feng glanced indifferently at Zhou Yuan's figure, then withdrew his gaze and said, "He's certainly someone notable. The Genesis Qi he cultivates should be at the sixth rank, which is quite rare. Remote continents seldom possess such high-grade Genesis Qi cultivation techniques, so it seems he's had some fortuitous encounter. However, his own cultivation level is too low. That previous punch, though seemingly effortless, actually channeled most of his power. So, if it were any of you, you should be able to withstand it. Overall, he poses a minor threat, but there's no need to make a fuss."

Hearing Lu Feng's assessment, the other first-class Shengzhou disciples merely smiled. Unlike the shock of the other disciples, their horizons were broader, and they naturally wouldn't be intimidated by Zhou Yuan's punch. While they had previously disdained Zhou Yuan, they now regarded him with slightly more attention. As Shengzhou disciples, they naturally harbored an arrogant, condescending attitude towards disciples from other continents.

Gu Hongyi's beautiful eyes, however, watched Zhou Yuan with a hint of interest. It seemed she had misjudged him this time; Zhou Yuan appeared to only have the strength of a quasi-Alpha Origin Stage cultivator, yet his true combat power was explosively formidable. "It seems this guy's first-class disciple status wasn't achieved through connections after all," Gu Hongyi murmured to herself before slowly retracting her gaze. Zhou Yuan's previous performance was quite perfect, but at most, it only surprised her. As for being as shocked as the other disciples, that was clearly unlikely.

Under the myriad gazes from across the mountain, Zhou Yuan slowly withdrew his fist. He looked at Han Shan, who had rolled to the foot of the mountain, his fate uncertain. Suddenly, with a flick of his sleeve, a streak of Genesis Qi shot out, directly snatching a cloth pouch from Han Shan's embrace. The cloth pouch swayed gently, and a crisp, jade-like sound could be heard—it was Genesis Jade. However, just as Zhou Yuan was about to pull the pouch of Genesis Jade back, another streak of Genesis Qi shot forth, entwining itself around the other corner of the pouch.

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He looked up to see a young man with disheveled hair, clad in a crimson robe, on a cultivation platform at the mountain's summit, observing him with an indifferent gaze. "Fellow disciple, since you've won, there's no need to be so aggressive, is it?" the crimson-robed youth said with a faint smile.

Many gazes turned towards the crimson-robed youth, and murmurs immediately broke out. "It's Zhu Feng. He really did intervene. I heard he has a very good relationship with Han Shan, and more importantly, he's also a Shengzhou disciple."

Zhou Yuan looked at the crimson-robed youth and smiled, saying, "Taking back what I'm owed shouldn't count as being aggressive, should it?"

The crimson-robed youth's eyes narrowed slightly. "Han Shan was indeed reckless earlier, but you've already taught him a lesson. For my sake, you don't need to take the Genesis Jade, do you?" His voice was calm, but it held no room for negotiation, as if the matter had already been decided.

"If this senior disciple had stepped forward earlier, today's incident probably wouldn't have happened," Zhou Yuan said. "As for now..." "I'm afraid it's too late."

Zhou Yuan's gaze turned cold. With a flick of his finger, Genesis Qi instantly ripped the cloth pouch, scattering the Genesis Jade. With a sweep of his sleeve, a streak of Genesis Qi caught all the jade and drew it back to him. If he had lost the fight today, Zhu Feng likely wouldn't have said a word on his behalf. Given that, Zhou Yuan naturally wouldn't be overly polite to someone who was so clearly biased.

"You!"

Zhu Feng's eyes turned cold as he saw Zhou Yuan blatantly disregard him and snatch the Genesis Jade. A chilling light flickered in his gaze as he looked at Zhou Yuan. "What an arrogant brat!" Zhu Feng said with an angry laugh. "I refuse to believe you dare trample over a Shengzhou disciple like me!"

Zhu Feng's words were vicious, immediately pitting Zhou Yuan against all the Shengzhou disciples. He clearly intended to incite public anger against him. Some Shengzhou disciples also cast veiled glances. They naturally held a grudge over Han Shan's crushing defeat, and thus inevitably harbored resentment towards Zhou Yuan for defeating him.

"Heh, Brother Zhu, you're mistaken. Before Han Shan's challenge, they had already made an agreement, which all the disciples present heard clearly. Therefore, it's only right for Junior Brother Zhou Yuan to retrieve his spoils of war. Why are you being so aggressive?" Suddenly, another voice spoke up, unexpectedly coming to Zhou Yuan's aid.

Zhou Yuan was somewhat surprised. He turned his head to see a tall, slender young man smiling on a nearby cultivation platform. Zhou Yuan vaguely remembered this person. He was also a first-class disciple, seemingly named Qiao Qing, and hailed from another continent. Moreover, he enjoyed considerable prestige among the new disciples from other continents, making him quite a notable figure. Evidently, after Zhou Yuan displayed his true strength and dispelled the impression that he was merely a beneficiary of connections, some people began to approach him and extend goodwill, though he paid little mind to it.

Qiao Qing held some renown among the disciples from other continents, so after he spoke, several other disciples from those continents successively voiced their support. Seeing this, Zhu Feng cast an annoyed glance at Qiao Qing. Realizing he couldn't do anything to Zhou Yuan today, he said no more, his icy gaze sweeping over Zhou Yuan before he withdrew his eyes. However, everyone knew that Zhu Feng had clearly marked Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan paid no attention to Zhu Feng's gaze. He simply turned his head to look at Qiao Qing, who offered him a friendly smile in return. Not wanting to be too aloof, Zhou Yuan nodded back, then his gaze swept across the crowd as he calmly asked, "Does anyone else wish to challenge?"

The mountain fell silent. Having witnessed Han Shan's dire state, the second-class disciples dared not provoke the tiger. As for the first-class disciples, they merely observed with cold eyes. Consequently, no one else stepped forward to challenge.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan said no more. With a movement, he returned to his cultivation platform and looked up at Chen Yuan, who was seated cross-legged in mid-air. "Teacher Chen, may we begin cultivation on Genesis Mountain now?" he asked.

Chen Yuan also snapped back to attention at this moment. He gave Zhou Yuan a deep look, clearly not having expected such a outcome. No wonder Mu Wuji wasn't concerned that Zhou Yuan's first-class disciple status would be snatched away shortly after he obtained it. It turned out this young man was not as simple as he appeared. However, this young man probably didn't realize that defeating Han Shan might instead provoke the native Shengzhou disciples. In the days to come, there would likely be no shortage of disputes. He just wondered if Zhou Yuan could maintain his composure as he did now.

Chen Yuan's eyes flickered before he withdrew his gaze. Then, his eyes swept over the tens of thousands of cultivation platforms across Genesis Mountain, and his calm voice resounded. "Open Genesis Mountain!"

As his voice fell, he waved his sleeve, and a stream of Genesis Qi plunged into the depths of the volcano at the mountain's summit, seemingly activating a Genesis Rune. Instantly, the entire world began to tremble. All the disciples looked up in shock, witnessing the Genesis Qi in the heavens and earth transform into surging mist, pouring overwhelmingly into Genesis Mountain.

The Heavenly Genesis Flower before them also swayed at this moment, continuously absorbing the Genesis Qi within Genesis Mountain. Finally, its petals slowly unfurled, and immense Genesis Qi, along with countless golden pollen particles, erupted forth...

On Genesis Mountain, myriad flowers showered down, creating a spectacular and dazzling sight.

Zhou Yuan also looked up, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. He wanted to see what miraculous effects this legendary Heavenly Genesis Flower truly had on cultivation...