Chapter 284: Purple Origin Cave Estate

A golden ribbon was wrapped around Zhou Yuan’s waist, adorned with faint, intricate, ancient patterns. Threads of Genesis Qi from the surrounding environment surged and seeped into his body. Many disciples around looked on with envy. They knew this golden ribbon was not only highly beneficial for cultivation but also signified status and privileges.

Zhou Yuan, having donned the golden ribbon, stood to the side.

At this moment, Elders Shen Taiyuan, Lu Song, and Lu Hong suddenly turned their gaze towards the most captivating figure in the plaza. Naturally, it was Yao Yao.

Yao Yao wore a light blue dress, her beauty exquisite. Her delicate features seemed painted, flawless in every way, especially her clear, ethereal eyes. A subtle sense of distance emanated from her, making people feel reluctant to profane her presence.

When Yao Yao first appeared, many gazes in the plaza were secretly cast towards her, and whispers spread discreetly.

“She’s just too beautiful!”

“And her temperament is so outstanding, who is she? With such beauty and aura, she’s even a bit more stunning than Senior Sister Li Qingchan from Snow Lotus Peak!”

“They are quite similar, both a bit cold...”

“No, no, they’re different. Senior Sister Li Qingchan is usually like an iceberg, but that’s just an outward coolness covering an inner warmth. This girl, however, exudes a deep-seated indifference, as if she’s unconcerned with anything. This kind of coldness is simply untouchable.”

“Tch, you talk as if you know everything...”

Regardless of the whispers, it was clear that every gaze directed at Yao Yao was filled with astonishment. Even girls as confident in their own beauty as Lu Yan were left speechless. It seemed that from now on, Yao Yao’s position as the most beautiful woman on Saint Genesis Peak was solidified.

“Zhou Xiaoyao, your situation is unique,” Shen Taiyuan said after a moment of thought. “Peak Master Whitebrow has already sent word. You don’t need to join any of our three lineages. However, you may still reside on Saint Genesis Peak.”

They were clearly already aware of Yao Yao and knew that the Peak Master of Spirit Rune Peak valued her more than anyone before. In truth, they also didn’t understand why Yao Yao insisted on coming to Saint Genesis Peak. With her talent, if she went to Spirit Rune Peak, Peak Master Whitebrow would truly treat her like a revered ancestor. They had heard she came because of Zhou Yuan, but this girl exuded a detached coldness from head to toe. Could she truly be in love with Zhou Yuan? They thought for a moment but could not find an answer.

Upon hearing this, Yao Yao nodded indifferently. After all, her reason for staying on Saint Genesis Peak was merely to protect Zhou Yuan, and in her opinion, none of the three elders before her were qualified to instruct her.

With Zhou Yuan and Yao Yao’s situations settled, the remaining disciples began to make their choices. Most of them followed Zhou Yuan and joined Elders Shen and Lu’s lineages. After this round of assignments, perhaps because Zhou Yuan had led the way, the number of disciples under Shen Taiyuan’s lineage was surprisingly not much less than Lu Hong’s. Thus, when the last disciple was assigned, the newly admitted disciples were completely divided.

Among the three elders, Elder Lu Song had the fewest disciples. However, this elder indeed had a rather indolent nature, with little desire to compete; his fighting spirit was clearly low. Between Elder Shen Taiyuan and Elder Lu Hong, there was a sense of rivalry. The combined number of disciples under their two lineages was the highest, but clearly, the quality of Elder Lu Hong’s disciples was slightly higher. After all, he came from Swordfall Peak, and his background was always stronger than Elder Shen Taiyuan’s.

Once the disciples were assigned, Elder Lu Hong immediately stood up, and without intending to say anything to Elders Shen Taiyuan and Lu Song, prepared to leave. However, at this moment, Shen Taiyuan paused, then suddenly spoke, “Elder Lu, please wait.”

Lu Hong stopped in his tracks, turned his head to glance at Shen Taiyuan, and said plainly, “Is there anything else, Elder Shen?”

Shen Taiyuan hesitated and said, “I’d like to discuss the last Violet Genesis Dwelling in our Saint Genesis Peak with Elder Lu.”

Lu Hong’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then he swept a half-smile, half-sneer glance at Zhou Yuan and said sarcastically, “Elder Shen truly values talent, doesn’t he? To even want to prepare a Violet Genesis Dwelling for him. However, as a newly admitted golden-sash disciple, does he deserve such treatment?”

Zhou Yuan was slightly startled by these words and looked at Shen Taiyuan with some surprise. In the past few days, he had learned a lot about the inner mountain. Every inner mountain disciple would be granted a dwelling, similar to the small houses of outer mountain disciples. However, these dwellings were clearly more valuable. Each dwelling had a spring from which pure Genesis Qi continuously emerged. Cultivating there was greatly beneficial for one’s practice. The dwellings were also divided into grades corresponding to disciple ranks: the lowest-grade Black Genesis Dwellings, then Gold Genesis Dwellings, and the highest-grade Violet Genesis Dwellings. Under normal circumstances, Violet Genesis Dwellings were only for purple-sash disciples. So when Zhou Yuan heard that Shen Taiyuan actually intended to grant him a Violet Genesis Dwelling, he was quite surprised.

Shen Taiyuan slowly said, “Whether he deserves it or not, I will make my own assessment.”

Lu Hong scoffed and shook his head. “Elder Shen, don’t overthink it,” he said. “Our Saint Genesis Peak’s main peak is sealed, and many Violet Genesis Dwellings cannot be opened, so their number is limited. According to our rules, the three lineages distribute dwellings by martial prowess. The previous nineteen have already been assigned, and I am determined to get this last one.”

“All purple-sash disciples in your lineage already have Violet Genesis Dwellings,” Shen Taiyuan said with a slightly sinking expression.

Lu Hong sneered, “Since you believe a newly admitted inner mountain disciple is qualified to use a Violet Genesis Dwelling, then are my disciples not qualified?”

Shen Taiyuan’s expression was grim, but he suppressed his anger and said, “I can offer other conditions in exchange for this Violet Genesis Dwelling.”

However, Lu Hong waved his hand directly and said impolitely, “No need. I’ve already said, I am determined to get this Violet Genesis Dwelling.” With a slightly mocking and cold gaze, he swept a glance in Zhou Yuan’s direction. He naturally knew Shen Taiyuan wanted to grant this Violet Genesis Dwelling to Zhou Yuan, but he deliberately did not want Zhou Yuan to get his wish. Clearly, Zhou Yuan’s previous choice to join Shen Taiyuan’s lineage, although Lu Hong had shown nothing on the surface, had undoubtedly left him with some resentment. Moreover, Zhou Yuan was, after all, the top performer at the grand ceremony, possessing some potential threat. Therefore, reducing his cultivation resources would also lower the intensity of that threat. Thus, Lu Hong would absolutely not let this last Violet Genesis Dwelling fall into Zhou Yuan’s hands.

Lu Hong sneered inwardly, “Since you, Shen Taiyuan, value Zhou Yuan so much, then grant him the Violet Genesis Dwelling of another one of your disciples. But if you do that, let’s see if you’ll dishearten many of your disciples.”

Zhou Yuan watched this scene, his brows furrowing slightly. He had truly witnessed Lu Hong’s narrow-mindedness.

“Master Shen, while a Violet Genesis Dwelling is good, there’s no need to rush for it now. There will be other opportunities in the future,” Zhou Yuan said, cupping his hands.

However, Shen Taiyuan shook his head and said, “I have my reasons.” Seeing his demeanor, it was clear that his stubborn nature still wouldn’t let him give up.

Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two sides, Elder Lu Song could only stand up and say, “Since neither of you is willing to yield, then let’s proceed according to the rules: dwellings distributed by martial prowess. In a month, there will be the Dwelling Trial. Whoever wins between the two sides then, the last Violet Genesis Dwelling will naturally belong to them.”

Hearing this, Lu Hong let out a cold laugh and strode away, flicking his sleeve. “We’ll see in a month, then.” As he departed, he cast a sneering glance at Zhou Yuan. Though he didn’t speak, Zhou Yuan could feel the implication in his eyes: “You are not qualified to possess that Violet Genesis Dwelling.”