Chapter 245: Victory

Amidst the stunned gazes of the entire mountain, Zhou Yuan’s completely etherealized figure shot out like a shadow. The overwhelming source energy light blades swept towards him, continuously passing through his body. However, this time, the light blades passed through him as if striking mist, piercing through empty space, causing little obstruction or harm to Zhou Yuan.

The second stage of the Etherealization Art allowed Zhou Yuan’s body to completely etherealize, making him like a wisp of cloud, elusive and formless.

His speed also surged to an astonishing degree. Many disciples could only perceive a blurry shadow darting past, unable to clearly make out Zhou Yuan's form.

In just a dozen breaths, the distance between Zhou Yuan and Zhu Yue rapidly closed.

The commotion from behind was noticed by Zhu Yue at this moment. He glanced back, and his soul was instantly struck with terror, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock.

“How is this possible?! How can his body be completely etherealized?!” Zhu Yue’s mind echoed with a roar of horror.

He knew very well that complete etherealization of the body was the hallmark of entering the second stage of the Etherealization Art.

This meant that Zhou Yuan had already opened up all seventy-two acupoints within his body!

But how could this be possible?! How long had Zhou Yuan been cultivating the Etherealization Art? Could his talent truly be so monstrous?

Although Zhu Yue had temporarily boosted his Etherealization Art using a “Rank-Breaking Pill,” and was extremely close to the second stage, there was still a gap compared to the true second stage.

Zhu Yue’s face twisted slightly at this moment, clearly shaken.

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible! This guy must be playing tricks!” Zhu Yue roared internally. Immediately, his source energy surged, and he fully activated the Etherealization Art, shooting furiously towards the summit of Green Mountain.

The summit was within reach; no matter what, he had to reach it before Zhou Yuan, or he, Zhu Yue, would become a laughingstock.

Amidst his internal roar, Zhu Yue’s speed grew faster and faster, as if he had squeezed out all his potential, rocketing directly towards the summit.

Around Green Mountain, many spectators watched Zhu Yue, who was extremely close to the summit, their hearts in their throats, filled with intense nervousness.

“I’m going to win!”

“As long as I reach the summit before him, this competition is mine!”

Zhu Yue’s eyes were fixed solely on the rapidly approaching summit; at that moment, nothing else mattered to him.

The summit was getting closer and closer.

A hundred zhang... sixty zhang... thirty zhang... ten zhang...

The trees on the summit were reflected in Zhu Yue’s eyes, and a wild grin slowly spread across his lips. No matter what, as long as he won this competition, he could reclaim everything!

What if your talent, Zhou Yuan, is extraordinary? At least this round, I’ve won first!

However, just as Zhu Yue was mere zhang away from the summit, he suddenly heard a sharp whooshing sound from behind. His eye twitched, and as he swept his gaze back, he felt a chilling sensation throughout his body as he saw a blurry, completely etherealized figure, as if riding on clouds, catching up from behind. With a final stride, it brushed past him.

Their gazes seemed to collide for an instant.

But while Zhu Yue’s was filled with terror and dread, Zhou Yuan’s remained cold and unwavering.

“No!”

A desperate cry of anguish escaped Zhu Yue’s lips.

Then Zhou Yuan’s etherealized figure took another step, and amidst countless exclamations, ascended the majestic summit of Green Mountain.

On the summit of Green Mountain, Zhou Yuan stood on a large boulder. His etherealized body gradually returned to normal, and his gaze swept down, encompassing countless figures below.

The moment Zhou Yuan stood on the summit, Zhu Yue’s body stiffened. He stood mere zhang from the summit, his eyes blank and his face pale.

He never imagined he would lose.

In mid-air, Chen Yuan watched this scene, his expression somewhat unpleasant. He twitched his lips, muttering under his breath, “Useless!”

This outcome had also exceeded his expectations.

A collective gasp!

Around Green Mountain, silence reigned for a moment, then an overwhelming chorus of exclamations erupted. All the disciples watched the scene with astonished expressions; they, too, had not expected Zhou Yuan to emerge victorious...

An outer mountain disciple winning against an inner mountain disciple in a source art competition?

This was unprecedented in the Cangxuan Sect...

Gazing at the young figure standing atop the summit, even the proud native disciples from Shengzhou marveled. Though still somewhat reluctant to admit it, the young man from a remote continent had indeed achieved a remarkably brilliant victory today.

“Wow, this guy is really amazing!” Han Qiushui cupped her alluring face with her small hands, her beautiful eyes shimmering as she gazed at Zhou Yuan’s figure, a hint of admiration appearing in them.

After all, they all knew how difficult it was to defeat an inner mountain disciple, even in just a source art competition.

Gu Hongyi lightly nodded her pale chin, a faint smile gracing her lips; Zhou Yuan’s previous performance had indeed been astounding.

On the large tree, Zong Ming also stood up. Watching this scene, he moved, instantly appearing on the summit. His gaze swept over the ashen-faced Zhu Yue, and he stated, “Zhou Yuan wins this competition.”

“From today onwards, Zhou Yuan will have the qualification to teach the Etherealization Art, and Zhu Yue will be stripped of his position as an Etherealization Art lecturer.”

“As of tomorrow, you will return to the inner mountain.”

Zong Ming looked at Zhu Yue and said indifferently, “Furthermore, you violated the rules of the competition. You will go to the Law Enforcement Hall to receive your punishment.”

He had clearly seen that Zhu Yue used a pill during the competition.

Zhu Yue’s body trembled, his face growing even paler, and finally his legs gave out, collapsing to the ground.

He hadn’t expected to lose so completely this time.

As Zong Ming’s voice echoed through the mountains and fields, numerous cheers also erupted around Green Mountain. The disciples who had been hoping to cultivate the Etherealization Art under Zhou Yuan were all incredibly excited.

Many other disciples also sighed inwardly, remarking that Zhou Yuan had truly become famous with this single battle. It was unlikely that anyone in the entire outer mountain would dare to look down on him again.

Listening to the overwhelming cheers, Yang Xiu also watched Zhou Yuan with interest, then sighed, “He certainly has some skill. If we were to truly fight, his speed would be quite troublesome.”

Lu Feng’s expression was indifferent. He looked in Gu Hongyi’s direction, just in time to see her gazing at Zhou Yuan’s figure with a faint smile on her lips, and his eyes immediately darkened slightly.

He had used numerous methods to try and get closer to Gu Hongyi and advance their relationship, but there had been no progress. Gu Hongyi seemed to have no other intentions when facing him.

Now, although he didn’t know if Gu Hongyi was truly interested in Zhou Yuan, Lu Feng strongly disliked her attitude towards Zhou Yuan… because it was an attitude she had never shown him.

Lu Feng raised his head, staring at the figure on the summit, and murmured with a hint of malice in his eyes, “Zhou Yuan, some things are not for people like you to touch… The most important thing for a person is to know their place.”

“You had best not cross me.”