Chapter 292: The Best in History

Whoosh! In the primordial chaos, wisps of profound-yellow primordial qi drifted everywhere, imbued with an abstruse aura.

At one spot, countless streams of profound-yellow qi swirled in, eventually forming a massive whirlwind, entirely composed of dense primordial qi. In the very center of the storm, Zhou Yuan's spirit stood suspended in mid-air, constantly moving as he gathered primordial qi.

The Primal Chaos Heaven has nine layers. Having advanced to the second layer of the Primal Chaos Stage, Zhou Yuan was now in the second Primal Chaos Heaven, where the primordial qi was significantly denser than in the first layer. As a result, the amount of primordial qi Zhou Yuan gathered was far greater than before.

"This Primal Chaos Rock and Primordial Rush are truly remarkable," Zhou Yuan mused. "They can amplify my spirit so significantly." As he gathered the primordial qi, he also monitored his spirit's consumption. He realized that by this point, he would normally be approaching his limit, but now he still felt at ease. Clearly, this was the effect of the Primal Chaos Rock and Primordial Rush.

He couldn't help but marvel. The Azure Mystic Sect truly lived up to its reputation, possessing such a profound foundation. Even rare cultivation treasures like these were made available to assist numerous disciples. If these items were on his Boundless Continent, they would undoubtedly be deeply hidden treasures of great dynasties and powerful clans.

"When I first gathered primordial qi, I could only last over two thousand breaths," he recalled. "As I became more proficient, I could manage three thousand. However, this was all before my spirit broke through to the Reality Stage. After that breakthrough, I could last four thousand breaths with each gathering. Now, with the aid of the Primal Chaos Rock and Primordial Rush, I might even reach five thousand breaths!"

A surge of joy filled Zhou Yuan's heart at the thought, as the longer he persevered, the more potent the primordial qi gathered each moment would be, albeit with a greater drain on his spirit. The Primal Chaos Rock and Primordial Rush had helped Zhou Yuan extend his duration by a full thousand breaths, highlighting the immense power of these treasures. This would undoubtedly significantly boost Zhou Yuan's cultivation speed.

Filled with joy, Zhou Yuan's spirit power continued to emanate, swiftly drawing in wisps of profound-yellow qi. Unaware of the time, a long while passed.

At one point, Zhou Yuan finally felt a faint weakness deep within his spirit, a result of the immense consumption of his spirit power. Clearly, he was nearing his limit this time. By then, the profound-yellow qi storm around Zhou Yuan's spirit had grown considerably larger.

Zhou Yuan gazed at the profound-yellow storm with satisfaction, then prepared to exit the Primal Chaos Heaven. However, just as he was about to withdraw, a thought suddenly struck him: "If the Primal Chaos Rock and Primordial Rush can aid the spirit, what about the Sacred Soul Crystal?"

The Sacred Soul Crystal was also considered a supreme treasure for the spirit. Previously, Zhou Yuan hadn't thought about it in this context, but after experiencing the effects of the Primal Chaos Rock and Primordial Rush, he wondered if he had underestimated the Sacred Soul Crystal. Zhou Yuan's thoughts raced, and after a moment, he decided to give it a try.

With a thought, he began to sense the Sacred Soul Crystal. Just a few moments later, Zhou Yuan's heart suddenly leaped. He felt a sacred light slowly rising from within his spirit, eventually suspending directly above his spirit's head.

Within the sacred light, a milky-white crystal ball slowly rotated. Sacred light cascaded from it onto Zhou Yuan's spirit, and he immediately felt his previously depleted spirit slowly recovering.

"It actually works! The Sacred Soul Crystal can be brought into this Primal Chaos Heaven!" Zhou Yuan exclaimed, overjoyed. If he had known this earlier, his cultivation speed could have been even faster.

Feeling his spirit recover, Zhou Yuan wasted no time and continued to gather primordial qi. With the Sacred Soul Crystal's aid, Zhou Yuan persevered for a considerable time longer before finally feeling a deep fatigue emanate from his spirit. This was truly his absolute limit, beyond what even the Sacred Soul Crystal could restore.

His spirit swept across the massive profound-yellow storm surrounding him, and he nodded with satisfaction. Then, with a thought, his spirit, carrying the storm, whistled downwards, continuously descending along the pull connecting it to his physical body.

Inside the grand hall.

By now, many disciples had completed their cultivation. Newer disciples excitedly whispered among themselves, clearly having experienced the benefits of the Primal Chaos Rock and Primordial Rush. The inner mountain's treatment indeed far surpassed that of the outer mountain.

Amidst the excited whispers, someone suddenly noticed Zhou Yuan still sitting with his eyes tightly shut, which caused a stir. His cultivation had simply lasted too long.

"How is Zhou Yuan still cultivating?"

"Can he really stay in the Primal Chaos Heaven for so long?!"

"How is that possible? Even Senior Brother Zhou Tai and the others have already finished cultivating, haven't they?"

Many disciples looked on with doubt and surprise, especially the older ones. After all, two purple-sash disciples had spirits that had reached Grand Completion of the Ethereal Stage, yet even they had finished their cultivation much earlier.

Cao Shi opened his eyes, casting a cold glance at the meditating Zhou Yuan. "Our new third gold-sash seat certainly knows how to put on a show," he remarked indifferently. He clearly believed Zhou Yuan was deliberately feigning cultivation, an act of pure grandstanding.

The other disciples couldn't help but chuckle. Could Zhou Yuan really be so childish? Even the purple-sash disciples at the front looked on with doubt. This time, even Zhou Tai was uncertain, as Zhou Yuan's cultivation had indeed lasted an exceptionally long time.

"Silence!" Amidst their chatter, Shen Taiyuan, seated at the highest position, suddenly let out a low cry.

The disciples were startled and looked at Shen Taiyuan, only to see him staring intently at Zhou Yuan. This surprised them; Shen Taiyuan's strength far surpassed theirs, so could he have sensed something?

"Could it be that Zhou Yuan truly *can* persevere for so long in the Primal Chaos Heaven?" they wondered, looking at his figure with disbelief.

Hum!

As their doubts lingered, the space above Zhou Yuan suddenly vibrated. Then, streams of profound-yellow qi descended from the sky, continuously enveloping Zhou Yuan's figure. As soon as the profound-yellow qi touched Zhou Yuan's body, it merged into him, pouring into and integrating with his Qi Dwelling.

The disciples widened their eyes, staring intently, meticulously calculating the duration of the profound-yellow qi's descent.

One hundred breaths... five hundred breaths... one thousand breaths... two thousand breaths...

Unconsciously, three thousand breaths passed. By this point, the older disciples' expressions were already changing to shock, as even most gold-sash disciples couldn't achieve a duration of three thousand breaths. Only a handful of purple-sash disciples could typically reach that level.

Cao Shi's face, initially contorted in a sneer, subtly contorted further into an unsightly grimace. They had all noticed that even at three thousand breaths, the profound-yellow qi above Zhou Yuan's head showed no signs of diminishing. Under their stunned gazes, the profound-yellow qi continued to descend.

Three thousand five hundred breaths... four thousand breaths... five thousand breaths!

When the duration reached five thousand breaths, the grand hall finally erupted in commotion. Many disciples gasped, their eyes involuntarily drawn to the hall's wall. On the Primal Chaos Wall, five thousand breaths was enough to enter the top ten of all time! In all these years, no disciple had ever managed to exceed five thousand breaths on their *first* attempt with the aid of the Primal Chaos Rock and Primordial Rush!

From his elevated position, Shen Taiyuan's stern, aged face trembled slightly, his eyes fixed intently on Zhou Yuan. Because the profound-yellow qi was still descending, wisp by wisp.

"The top three on the Primal Chaos Wall, when they first used it, each lasted over five thousand eight hundred breaths," Shen Taiyuan murmured. "At that time, the spirits of all three had already entered the Reality Stage! From the looks of it now, Zhou Yuan's spirit should also have reached that level. The question is whether he can catch up to those three..."

Under Shen Taiyuan's tense gaze, the profound-yellow qi rapidly descended as time flowed by.

Five thousand three hundred breaths... five thousand five hundred breaths... five thousand eight hundred breaths!

When it reached this point, the grand hall fell into complete silence once more, with only heavy breathing echoing through the air. Because they all witnessed the profound-yellow qi continue to descend, ultimately surpassing five thousand eight hundred breaths and stopping at six thousand seven hundred forty-three breaths!

This figure not only surpassed the previous top record on the Primal Chaos Wall but even exceeded it by almost a thousand! Everyone broke out in a cold sweat, staring in utter shock at Zhou Yuan's figure. Even Cao Shi's expression was frozen, his eyes wide with lingering horror.

From his high position, Shen Taiyuan took a deep, trembling breath. His gaze towards Zhou Yuan was intensely fervent as he murmured, "Is my Saint Genesis Peak truly about to rise again?"