Chapter 242: Blue Mountains Surpass Illusion

In the Outer Mountains, amidst the rolling ranges, a towering green peak stood.

Now, at the foot of this green mountain, a continuous stream of Genesis Qi lights descended from the sky, landing all around the peak. The tranquility of the mountain range was instantly shattered, replaced by a surge of excitement and noise.

Today was the day for Zhou Yuan and Zhu Yue’s competition, and the chosen venue was this very mountain. Consequently, this spot had become the most anticipated location in the Outer Mountains today. After all, in all these years, there had never been a competition between an Outer Mountain disciple and an Inner Mountain disciple. Even though Zhou Yuan and Zhu Yue were only competing in their mastery of a specific Genesis Technique, it was still enough to capture everyone's attention.

A dozen streams of Genesis Qi light descended from the sky, landing just outside the green mountain. They immediately drew awestruck gazes, for leading that group was Lu Feng, clad in white. Everyone in the Outer Mountains knew Lu Feng's name; he was widely considered the strongest among the current cohort of Outer Mountain disciples. It was easy to imagine that Lu Feng had a promising future, even within the Cangxuan Sect itself. Beside Lu Feng, Yang Xiu, dressed in blue robes, also commanded attention. Ranking third among the Outer Mountains' top ten disciples was clear proof of his strength and talent. This group essentially represented the pinnacle of Outer Mountain disciples, so when they arrived, numerous other disciples regarded them with reverence and respect.

Lu Feng, however, remained indifferent to these gazes. His eyes scanned the crowd, eventually settling on a spot not far away. There, Gu Hongyi and Han Qiushui stood side by side. Both women possessed slender, captivating figures and charming looks, drawing many eyes.

"Hey, Lu Feng's looking this way," Han Qiushui whispered, nudging Gu Hongyi's slender waist.

Gu Hongyi shot her a glare, then cast a cool glance at Lu Feng. When he saw her looking, a gentle smile appeared on his usually cold and arrogant handsome face. Gu Hongyi, however, merely gave a fleeting glance before looking away, her delicate brows slightly furrowed as she gazed into the distance.

As time slowly passed, more and more disciples gathered, making the area increasingly lively.

Suddenly, two streaks of light descended from the sky, landing at the base of the mountain. As their figures became clear, countless eyes immediately turned towards them, for the leading person was none other than Zhu Yue, one of today's main participants. Zhu Yue stood beneath the green peak, his expression aloof, hands clasped behind his back.

Shortly after Zhu Yue's arrival, a whooshing sound echoed from the distance. Everyone then saw Zhou Yuan and Yao Yao soaring through the air, also descending to the base of the mountain. The appearance of the two main figures instantly intensified the atmosphere of the entire area.

A Genesis Qi cloud floated down from mid-air, revealing Chen Yuan seated cross-legged upon it. He gazed at Zhou Yuan and Zhu Yue with a faint smile, an inscrutable glint in his eyes, and said calmly, "You both know the terms of today's competition: whoever loses will be forbidden from teaching the Void Transformation Art to other disciples. Do either of you have any objections?"

Zhu Yue shot Zhou Yuan a cold glance and replied, "No objections."

Zhou Yuan scoffed inwardly. These two had secretly arranged the competition without ever informing him or asking for his consent, yet now they were asking if he had objections — it was laughable. So he simply cast a glance at Chen Yuan and offered no reply.

Seeing Zhou Yuan's lack of response, Chen Yuan merely smiled faintly, muttering to himself, "Arrogant brat, you'll be crying soon enough." He then spoke again: "I will be presiding over this competition."

But no sooner had he finished speaking than an old voice suddenly interjected. Chen Yuan's brows furrowed, and his sharp gaze instantly turned towards the source of the voice. "Who dares to..." His words caught in his throat as he saw a gray-robed old man seated cross-legged on a large tree not far away, his expression serene, having appeared there at some unknown moment.

"Elder Zong Ming!" Chen Yuan forced a smile onto his rigid face, quickly rising and cupping his fists. "Elder, if you were coming, why didn't you inform me so I could welcome you?"

A ripple of murmurs spread through the surrounding mountains. Many Outer Mountain disciples stared at the gray-robed elder with astonishment. Since arriving at the Outer Mountains, the highest-ranking individual they had encountered was Chen Yuan. They had heard rumors of two elders in the Outer Mountains, but such figures were usually beyond their reach. They never expected one of them to appear today, let alone to preside over a competition between two disciples.

The gray-robed elder cast a brief glance at Chen Yuan and said coolly, "If I didn't make an appearance, I suppose you'd forget there's still someone above you."

Cold sweat trickled down Chen Yuan's forehead. His lips moved, but he dared not speak.

Elder Zong Ming didn't say much more in front of the assembled disciples, simply stating, "I will be presiding over this competition. Do you have any objections?"

Chen Yuan hastily replied, "By no means, Elder. Your oversight would naturally ensure the utmost fairness." His gaze subtly flickered towards Zhu Yue below, who had also been momentarily stunned by this unexpected turn of events, but quickly regained his composure.

*This kid has some good luck to actually draw Elder Zong Ming here...* Zhu Yue's eyes gleamed with a cold light. According to his original plan with Chen Yuan, Chen Yuan's oversight would have allowed them to secretly employ tactics against Zhou Yuan, ensuring he had no chance of winning. Now, however, it seemed those methods would be unusable. Yet, Zhu Yue wasn't bothered, as those measures were merely a precaution.

"Elder Zong Ming, how will this competition be conducted?" Zhou Yuan asked, cupping his fists.

Numerous other disciples also looked on with curiosity. They, too, were keen to know how the Void Transformation Art competition would be judged, as this particular Genesis Technique couldn't be assessed by its offensive power like others.

Zong Ming smiled faintly and said, "The essence of the Void Transformation Art lies in two aspects: speed and nullification."

Zhou Yuan nodded slightly. The Void Transformation Art allowed one to materialize, drastically increasing speed to an unattainable degree for ordinary people, and also to nullify forces applied to the body. These two points were indeed where the art's subtlety lay.

"Therefore, today's competition will test your speed and nullification abilities when cultivating the Void Transformation Art."

Zong Ming gazed at the towering green mountain before him. He suddenly took a deep breath, then exhaled sharply.

*Whoosh!*

The expelled Genesis Qi, like a roaring celestial river, swirled through the void, completely enveloping the green mountain before them. Inside, the immense Genesis Qi roared like billions of fierce winds, howling eerily. A colossal pressure subtly emanated from within.

Everyone watched the scene in awe. The elder's single breath of Genesis Qi was truly world-shaking; such power was simply unfathomable.

"This green mountain is now enveloped by my Genesis Qi," Zong Ming said with a faint smile. "Once inside, you will be suppressed by my Genesis Qi's pressure, as if carrying a mountain. Additionally, the billions of gale-force winds formed from my Genesis Qi will assault you. You cannot evade them; you can only rely on yourselves to endure. At that point, we will see how much of it your Void Transformation Art can nullify."

Upon hearing this, the disciples gasped in astonishment. This meant that ascending the mountain would require both speed and the ability to nullify the gale-force winds—a perfect test for the Void Transformation Art.

"Well then, do you both consider this fair?" Zong Ming asked, looking at Zhou Yuan and Zhu Yue.

Both wore solemn expressions but nodded in agreement.

"Since neither of you has any objections..." Zong Ming waved his sleeve, and two openings instantly appeared at the base of the mountain. His voice then resonated like thunder.

"Let the competition begin. Let us all witness whose Void Transformation Art is truly more profound!"