Chapter 220: First Move

Wisps of primordial Xuanhuang energy drifted through the chaotic space, exuding an ancient aura.

Zhou Yuan instinctively felt a longing for these mysterious streams of Xuanhuang energy.

His spirit stood within this realm, his perception extending outwards. The space seemed boundless, with no end in sight.

"So this is the Primeval Realm," Zhou Yuan murmured. He mused that only by reaching the Primeval Realm could one sense the Primeval Heaven, and then their spirit could enter this place.

"Next, I should use the power of my spirit to transport the Primeval Qi from here back into my body and transform my Qi Manor."

Clearly, a stronger spirit offered a greater advantage in the Primeval Heaven, significantly increasing the efficiency of transporting Primeval Qi compared to others.

Zhou Yuan chuckled softly at this thought, as it was precisely his strong suit. Among cultivators of the same level, he rarely encountered anyone whose spirit could rival his.

The only exception was Yao Yao.

After all, not everyone possessed a profound soul-forging technique like the "Chaos God Mill Visualization Art."

After being tempered by the Sacred Blood, Zhou Yuan's spirit had become even more refined and solidified, reaching the late-stage perfection of the Illusory Realm. Only a small catalyst was needed for it to naturally advance to the Solid Realm.

Normally, if someone hadn't cultivated soul-forging techniques, their spirit would improve to some extent when their Genesis Qi cultivation reached the Primeval Realm, but this improvement would be limited, usually only reaching the early stage of the Illusory Realm.

This was clearly a vast difference compared to Zhou Yuan's perfected Illusory Realm.

Therefore, at least at the Primeval Realm level, Zhou Yuan's spirit would grant him a significant advantage.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yuan wasted no time. His spirit power emanated, transforming into invisible giant hands that stirred the realm, drawing in the wisps of Xuanhuang energy drifting through it.

His spirit power enveloped him, and the transported Xuanhuang energy flowed around his person, each wisp continuously strengthening him.

After about fifteen minutes, the Xuanhuang energy around Zhou Yuan's spirit flowed like silk.

By this time, all the Xuanhuang energy near Zhou Yuan had been transported.

Generally speaking, a spirit at the early stage of the Illusory Realm could only last for about fifteen minutes within the Primeval Heaven before being forcibly expelled due to excessive consumption of spirit power.

However, Zhou Yuan was clearly an exception. He felt his spirit power was still abundant, so his spirit floated forth, moving to a place where Xuanhuang energy was dense, and continued transporting it.

Thus, for the next period, Zhou Yuan tirelessly continued to transport the Xuanhuang energy until he faintly felt his spirit growing weary. Only then did he reluctantly stop.

By this time, Xuanhuang energy swirled around Zhou Yuan's spirit like a miniature tornado, presenting a rather magnificent sight.

Zhou Yuan gazed with satisfaction at the Xuanhuang energy he had laboriously transported, then nodded. With a thought, his spirit began to withdraw from the Primeval Heaven.

His invisible spirit, carrying a large amount of Xuanhuang energy, whistled downwards, continuously descending, guided by the connection to his physical body.

***

Origin Mountain.

At this moment, on the various cultivation platforms, the golden light had gradually dimmed. The Sky Origin Flowers had also retracted their branches and leaves, their golden glow fading, clearly having expended all their energy.

Numerous disciples sat cross-legged on the platforms, their faces filled with joy. It was clear that this cultivation session had greatly benefited them, and most importantly, they had truly tasted the advantages of joining the Azure Mysterious Sect.

This unique cultivation method was impossible to obtain elsewhere; ordinary sects simply did not possess the qualifications for it.

Yao Yao also stretched, her slender, delicate waist highlighting her graceful curves and drawing numerous subtle glances.

As a first-rank disciple, Yao Yao's reputation among the new disciples was now clearly higher than Zhou Yuan's. After yesterday, many people were secretly inquiring about her.

After all, Yao Yao was simply too beautiful, and her cool, indifferent aura exuded a sense of detachment that made ordinary people hesitant to approach her for conversation.

Only a few excellent disciples, also of first-rank, who considered themselves to have some standing, dared to even think about trying to get her attention.

"Huh?" Yao Yao, however, chose to ignore all those glances. Holding Tun Tun, her beautiful eyes looked towards Zhou Yuan's direction, and suddenly, a soft gasp of surprise escaped her red lips.

She had detected some unusual movement from Zhou Yuan's spirit.

"Is this... his spirit entering the Primeval Heaven? Has he finally reached the first layer of the Primeval Realm?" Yao Yao asked with a hint of surprise.

Just as Yao Yao finished speaking, a strange sound suddenly echoed in the sky. Numerous disciples looked up in confusion and were surprised to see wisps of Xuanhuang energy descending from the high sky like tassels.

"This is... Primeval Qi?!"

Numerous disciples exclaimed in surprise, gazing at the Xuanhuang energy.

"Someone broke through to the Primeval Realm?" Everyone was somewhat astonished. They were familiar with the scene before them; it was what happened when one entered the Primeval Realm, connecting with the Primeval Heaven and transporting Primeval Qi back.

In other words, someone had broken through to the Primeval Realm. But among them, was there anyone who hadn't broken through to the Primeval Realm yet?

"It's Zhou Yuan!" Someone quickly came to their senses. Among them, who else but Zhou Yuan hadn't truly broken through to the Primeval Realm yet?

So, gazes filled with surprise turned towards Zhou Yuan's direction.

And indeed, they saw Zhou Yuan sitting with his eyes closed, while the Xuanhuang energy descending from the high sky enveloped his body and began to continuously pour into him.

"Heh, this kid was so flashy even at the quasi-Primeval Realm. If he enters the first layer of the Primeval Realm, won't he turn everything upside down?" some first-rank disciples from Shengzhou chuckled playfully as they watched the scene.

Their words carried a hint of sarcasm and arrogance.

"Lu Feng, when you first broke through to the Primeval Realm, how long did the Primeval Qi you transported back last?" a first-rank disciple asked Lu Feng with a smile.

Lu Feng's expression was indifferent as he replied, "Nine hundred thirty-five breaths."

This duration was measured from the moment the Primeval Qi appeared until it fully entered the Qi Manor. Generally, it was calculated in breaths due to the rapid speed of the process.

When breaking through the Heavenly Pass Realm, Genesis Qi would surge through the Heavenly Pass, and its depth was measured in zhang.

Whereas in the Primeval Realm, it depended on how dense the Primeval Qi transported from the Primeval Heaven was. Clearly, the denser the Primeval Qi, the longer it would last.

"Impressive," other first-rank disciples exclaimed in admiration, their faces filled with awe. "The first time I transported Primeval Qi, it only lasted four hundred breaths."

"Mine was similar."

"It seems Brother Feng also has considerable achievements in spirit cultivation."

Lu Feng smiled faintly. "I once obtained a fortunate encounter," he said, "and when I broke through to the Primeval Realm, my spirit happened to reach the mid-stage Illusory Realm."

"No wonder," everyone nodded. Most of them were only at the early stage of the Illusory Realm, so naturally, they couldn't compare to Lu Feng.

"Heh heh, I wonder how long Zhou Yuan's Primeval Qi will last," they said, looking at him with smiles, their eyes gleaming with anticipation as if watching a show.

Zhou Yuan's previous defeat of Han Shan was considered a blow to the reputation of their Shengzhou native disciples. Now, if they could undermine Zhou Yuan a little, they would be very pleased.

As the crowd whispered, Gu Hongyi also looked over with her beautiful eyes. When she first transported Primeval Qi, it had lasted for a thousand breaths, which was even longer than Lu Feng's.

Therefore, she also wanted to see what extent Zhou Yuan, who had forcefully defeated Han Shan even at the quasi-Primeval Realm, could achieve.

Besides them, even non-Shengzhou native disciples like Qiao Xiu, who had previously spoken up for Zhou Yuan, also looked over.

In mid-air, Chen Yuan also cast his gaze.

And so, under all those gazes, Zhou Yuan remained with his eyes closed, while the Xuanhuang energy descending from the high sky continuously poured down.