Chapter 290: The Battle to Seize the Saint

As the duel between Zhou Yuan and Cao Shi was decided, the atmosphere in the hall began to shift. Many gazes turned towards Zhou Yuan, filled with sympathy.

Clearly, few people genuinely believed Zhou Yuan could defeat Cao Shi, as the latter was a bona fide Fifth Heaven of the Alpha Origin Stage.

Some disciples even thought Zhou Yuan had concocted an excuse to save face, unable to bear the pressure of so much opposition.

This made some disciples nod approvingly in secret, concluding that the new disciple possessed some self-awareness, understanding that the Purple Origin Cave Dwelling was beyond his reach.

At the highest point of the hall, Shen Taiyuan cleared his throat, drawing the disciples' attention back. His face regained its stern and rigid expression as he scanned the room, saying, "Many new disciples have joined us this time. From now on, you are all fellow disciples and must look out for one another."

After some formalities, Shen Taiyuan continued, "Upon entering the Inner Mountain, you gain the qualification to choose your Genesis Qi cultivation techniques."

"Black Sash disciples may choose a fifth-grade lower-tier Genesis Qi technique."

"Gold Sash disciples may choose a fifth-grade upper-tier technique."

"And Purple Sash disciples may choose a sixth-grade technique."

As soon as Shen Taiyuan finished speaking, a clamor erupted among the new disciples. Their eyes widened, and their faces were filled with excitement.

They had come to the Azure Mystic Sect precisely because it offered higher-grade cultivation techniques, which were the most valuable assets, enabling them to cultivate higher-quality Genesis Qi.

"Truly worthy of the Azure Mystic Sect," Zhou Yuan couldn't help but praise inwardly. In their Great Zhou Dynasty, a fourth-grade Genesis Qi technique was already considered top-tier. Fifth-grade techniques were even regarded as national treasures in some great dynasties and major clans.

Most of the new disciples here cultivated fourth-grade Genesis Qi.

Now, having entered the Inner Mountain, they could finally obtain more advanced cultivation techniques, which naturally filled them with excitement.

However, Zhou Yuan didn't have much interest in Genesis Qi techniques, as the Ancestral Dragon Scripture he cultivated was too overbearing. Once he embarked on this path, he could not switch to any other technique.

Of course, his current Heaven-Connecting Profound Python Qi was already a sixth-grade Genesis Qi.

Moreover, even among sixth-grade Genesis Qi, Zhou Yuan believed his Heaven-Connecting Profound Python Qi was top-tier.

In terms of quality, Zhou Yuan was confident that no Purple Sash disciple in the Azure Mystic Sect possessed Genesis Qi of a higher quality than his.

If anyone wanted to compete with him on Genesis Qi quality, only the Ten Great Saints of the Azure Mystic Sect would be able to contend.

Of course, when measuring a person's strength, Genesis Qi quality is only one component; higher quality does not automatically mean ultimate strength.

But at the very least, it was an advantage.

Thus, while other disciples were excited, his expression remained calm.

Shen Taiyuan looked at the excited new disciples and nodded. Offering such a significant incentive, he thought, should undoubtedly motivate them to cultivate diligently.

However, as he pondered this, he noticed Zhou Yuan's utterly unperturbed expression.

"This young fellow..."

Seeing Zhou Yuan's demeanor, Shen Taiyuan felt a little annoyed. After a moment's thought, he continued, "Besides cultivation techniques, our Saint Genesis Peak also possesses numerous Genesis Arts. We have eight lower-grade Heavenly Genesis Arts and three mid-grade Heavenly Genesis Arts."

At these words, the entire hall erupted once more. Not just the new disciples, but even the older ones, had their eyes gleaming with intense desire.

After all, these were Heavenly Genesis Arts, capable of attracting countless powerful cultivators anywhere in the Azure Mystic Heaven.

Zhou Yuan's heart also stirred, and a look of interest appeared in his eyes. The Azure Mystic Sect truly possessed profound heritage, even having so many Genesis Arts of the Heavenly Genesis Art level.

Seeing Zhou Yuan finally break his calm, Shen Taiyuan felt a slight sense of satisfaction. He continued, "However, within our Azure Mystic Sect, the most renowned are undoubtedly the Seven Azure Mystic Arts."

"The Seven Azure Mystic Arts?" a new disciple asked, puzzled.

"The Seven Azure Mystic Arts were personally created by the Azure Mystic Ancestor back then. When combined, they form... the Azure Mystic Saint Art, a true Saint Genesis Art," Shen Taiyuan stated calmly.

Throughout the hall, there was a collective gasp of cold air.

Even Zhou Yuan felt his heart pound violently. He couldn't help but lick his lips. A Saint Genesis Art... it was the legendary Saint Genesis Art!

It was said that every Saint Genesis Art possessed world-shattering power, akin to the might of a deity.

For so many years, Zhou Yuan had never heard any information about Saint Genesis Arts; they were simply too rare. He never imagined he would hear about one today, here...

"The Azure Mystic Saint Art was later divided into seven parts, with each of the seven peaks guarding one part. Only the chief disciple of each peak is qualified to cultivate their respective part," Shen Taiyuan continued.

"And our Saint Genesis Peak's art is called the 'Supreme Profound Saint Spirit Art,' ranked as an upper-grade Heavenly Genesis Art."

Many disciples clicked their tongues in wonder. Even just one-seventh of the art could be ranked as an upper-grade Heavenly Genesis Art, showing how terrifying the full art truly was.

Seeing Zhou Yuan's faintly longing expression, Shen Taiyuan secretly smiled with satisfaction. "Boy, I refuse to believe I can't pique your interest."

"Master Shen, how can these seven arts be combined?" Zhou Yuan couldn't help but ask, his eyes burning with eagerness. An upper-grade Heavenly Genesis Art was indeed very high, but he was wondering what it would be like if the seven arts were combined.

Hearing this, Shen Taiyuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Each of the seven peaks possesses one of these seven arts. According to sect rules, anyone wishing to combine the seven arts can only initiate a 'Saint Seizing War'..."

"Saint Seizing War?" Zhou Yuan paused, surprised.

"A Saint Seizing War can only be initiated by the chief disciple of a peak. Simply put, it's a challenge issued to the chief disciple of another peak. If victorious, you can seize one of the seven arts from the defeated peak and cultivate it."

"However, this type of Saint Seizing War is not advantageous for the challenger, because the challenged party has a geographical advantage. By simply defending their peak, they gain Genesis Qi amplification, significantly boosting their combat power."

"Therefore, to win, one's own strength must significantly surpass that of the opposing peak's chief disciple," Shen Taiyuan explained slowly.

Zhou Yuan's face showed surprise. So this was the so-called Saint Seizing War; it sounded quite exciting. The Azure Mystic Sect certainly knew how to keep things interesting.

Shen Taiyuan continued, "Currently, within our Azure Mystic Sect, the disciple who has initiated the most Saint Seizing Wars is Chu Qing, the head of the Ten Great Saints. He has initiated five Saint Seizing Wars and succeeded four times. This means he has now gathered five of the Seven Azure Mystic Arts, making him the strongest among all past Saints."

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed. This Chu Qing was incredibly strong, having forcibly seized five of the Seven Azure Mystic Arts!

If he obtained two more, wouldn't he combine all seven arts and transform them into a Saint Art?!

"After Chu Qing, there's Kong Sheng of Sword Cometh Peak. He has initiated three Saint Seizing Wars and succeeded in all of them, now possessing four of the Seven Azure Mystic Arts."

"Li Qingchan of Snow Lotus Peak has also initiated three, like Kong Sheng, and possesses four arts."

"The other Saints... have all initiated one Saint Seizing War."

As he spoke, Zhou Yuan suddenly noticed Shen Taiyuan's expression become somewhat unnatural. His heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but ask, "So, which peak did these Ten Great Saints initiate their challenges against?"

Shen Taiyuan's face seemed to gradually darken, and then he suddenly cursed in a muffled, grumbling voice, "These damn brats, they only pick on the weak! Every single one of the Ten Great Saints has initiated a Saint Seizing War against our Saint Genesis Peak, and they all succeeded!"

Zhou Yuan was dumbfounded, almost choking. If that was the case, didn't it mean that all Ten Great Saints had obtained the 'Supreme Profound Saint Spirit Art' from their Saint Genesis Peak?!

He looked at Shen Taiyuan's darkened face, his lips trembling.

Damn it, the Saint Genesis Peak's top-tier Genesis Art ended up being distributed to every one of the Ten Great Saints! Were they running a wholesale business?!

He finally understood now just how pathetic the Saint Genesis Peak's standing was within the Azure Mystic Sect...