Chapter 322: To Hand

A splash! The waters of the Origin Pool parted. A figure, propelled by golden source qi, shot swiftly through the water. Behind it, a massive, thousand-foot water beast roared into view, casting a shadow as its greedy eyes locked onto Zhou Yuan. Numerous other water beasts, varying in size, trailed behind the colossal one.

On Zhou Yuan's shoulder, Tun Tun growled at the pursuing water beasts. It seemed to feel that being chased was beneath its dignity, showing every intention of turning around for a direct confrontation.

"Don't be impulsive!" Zhou Yuan quickly stopped Tun Tun. He explained that if they didn't first devise a way to trap the thousand-foot water beast, it could use the water to escape even if defeated, making it impossible to capture.

Though clearly displeased by Zhou Yuan's restraint, Tun Tun eventually quieted down. Zhou Yuan let out a small breath of relief, glanced back at the relentlessly pursuing water beasts, and abruptly accelerated his golden source qi.

"Still no movement in the Origin Pool," Li Qingchan murmured from the stone pavilion on the mountaintop, her beautiful eyes fixed on the calm, ripple-free surface. She then looked suspiciously at Yao Yao, who had told her to prepare earlier, but nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Yao Yao, however, paid little attention to the query. She simply held her jade source-rune brush and sketched in mid-air, creating a series of source runes that floated out and merged into the seawater.

"Let's see what kind of trickery you're up to," Li Qingchan said curtly, her graceful arms crossed over her chest.

Yet, the instant her words faded, violent fluctuations suddenly erupted in the Origin Pool, causing the previously calm surface to instantly boil.

This sudden change startled Li Qingchan. She then sensed the commotion deep within the Origin Pool. Channeling source qi into her eyes, she saw Zhou Yuan shooting through the seabed, followed closely by a dense mass of countless water beasts.

"So many water beasts?!" Li Qingchan's expression shifted slightly, her eyes wide with disbelief. Her normally frosty face showed visible emotion, especially when she saw the thousand-foot water beast leading the charge.

"This guy actually found a thousand-foot water beast?!" Even Li Qingchan was flustered. She knew how difficult it was to locate such a creature; in the past half-year, they had only detected the traces of one. But now, Zhou Yuan had found a thousand-foot water beast after only a few days in the water. Li Qingchan couldn't help but be astonished by his speed.

"What exactly did this guy do? Why do these water beasts look like they want to devour him whole...?" Li Qingchan was a bit dumbfounded, having noticed the crazed frenzy of the water beasts.

Splosh! As she watched in stunned surprise, the sea surface broke, and Zhou Yuan shot skyward.

"Yao Yao, now!" he roared. Behind him, the sea surface tore open as the thousand-foot water beast and countless other water beasts burst forth, their massive mouths snapping at Zhou Yuan, carrying violent source qi fluctuations.

In the stone pavilion, Yao Yao tapped her source-rune brush in mid-air, and ripples seemed to emanate from its tip. Simultaneously, countless ancient light patterns illuminated within the seawater. The next instant, light burst forth, spreading across the entire area.

In just over ten breaths, an enormous orb of light appeared on the sea surface, mostly submerged. Inside the orb was the thousand-foot water beast. The orb, covered in light patterns, continuously absorbed source qi from the surroundings. What appeared to be a thin barrier possessed incredibly powerful defenses. Furthermore, the orb constantly rolled, preventing the thousand-foot water beast from getting close enough to its wall to shatter it.

This was clearly a source-rune barrier set up by Yao Yao, far surpassing the Water Prison Barrier previously created by Ye Ge in terms of intricacy.

The barrier didn't block Zhou Yuan; he passed right through. Propelled by source qi, he stood in mid-air and glanced at the other water beasts in the sea, which were frantically attacking the light shield.

"You can go now; those are yours," he said, nudging Tun Tun on his shoulder and pointing at the countless water beasts.

Tun Tun, unable to restrain itself any longer, let out a roar upon hearing this. It transformed into its majestic combat form, plunged into the sea, and charged directly into the swarms of water beasts, engaging in a fierce battle.

Zhou Yuan paid it no mind. With a swift movement, he landed on the mountaintop.

Yao Yao and Li Qingchan had also approached the cliff edge. Li Qingchan's beautiful eyes were fixed on Zhou Yuan as if she had witnessed something incredible.

"How did you do that?" Li Qingchan couldn't help but ask.

Thousand-foot water beasts were extremely rare and incredibly difficult to find. Otherwise, Chu Qing would not have been the only one to successfully hunt one and achieve the Eight-Dragon Baptism in all these years. But this challenge seemed like nothing in front of Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan smiled and shrugged, naturally offering no further details. If word got out, the other Sacred Sons would likely set their sights on him.

Seeing this, Li Qingchan knew her question had been presumptuous and that this was likely Zhou Yuan's secret. She immediately stopped asking, though a hint of surprise inevitably flickered in her eyes as she looked at him. This Zhou Yuan, despite being merely an ordinary Gold Belt disciple, repeatedly surprised everyone. It was as if many hidden talents were concealed beneath his youthful face. For some reason, she had a premonition that this Zhou Yuan, despite being just a Gold Belt disciple now, would likely become a prominent figure in the Cangxuan Sect in the future. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before he even secured a place among the Ten Great Sacred Sons.

As Li Qingchan's thoughts spun, Zhou Yuan pointed to the thousand-foot water beast trapped in the massive light orb and smiled. "Now, Senior Sister Li, it's time for you to fulfill your promise."

They had previously agreed that Zhou Yuan would be responsible for finding the thousand-foot water beast, while Li Qingchan would undertake the task of slaying it.

"I will certainly do what I promised," Li Qingchan said calmly. Although she knew dealing with a thousand-foot water beast would be arduous, she showed no hint of displeasure. With a light step, a lotus seat appeared beneath her feet, carrying her swiftly into the light orb.

Boom! The moment she entered the light orb, an earth-shattering battle immediately erupted. Even with the barrier containing it, the lingering shockwaves still caused cracks to appear in the nearby giant peaks.

Zhou Yuan glanced at it, nodded reassuringly, and then returned to the stone pavilion with Yao Yao.

Although the thousand-foot water beast possessed strength comparable to a ninth-layered Origin Opening stage expert, it ultimately lacked diverse techniques. It couldn't truly contend with a Sacred Son like Li Qingchan, so Zhou Yuan wasn't worried. Of course, it wouldn't be easy for Li Qingchan to deal with the thousand-foot water beast either.

The two sat in the stone pavilion, sipping fine wine and watching the fierce battle in the sea, finding it quite enjoyable.

The earth-shattering battle lasted for a full stick of incense.

A streak of light shot over, landing gracefully outside the stone pavilion. It was the icy Li Qingchan. Before her, a Dragon Origin Marrow Crystal about five feet in size floated. However, Li Qingchan's pretty face was slightly pale, and her surrounding source qi seemed somewhat depleted, clearly indicating she had endured a bitter battle.

But when she saw Zhou Yuan and Yao Yao leisurely drinking fine wine in the stone pavilion, her delicate hands instinctively clenched. A surge of indignation rose in her heart, causing her ample bosom to heave slightly. She had been fighting tooth and nail below, while these two were simply drinking and watching the show!

"Take it and scram!" With fury boiling in her heart, Li Qingchan waved her sleeve, and the Dragon Origin Marrow Crystal shot fiercely towards Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan quickly caught it and chuckled, "Senior Sister Li is truly a Sacred Son; even a thousand-foot water beast is easily captured by you."

Li Qingchan scoffed, "From now on, we owe each other nothing!"

Knowing she was displeased, Zhou Yuan immediately laughed, "How about a couple of drinks to celebrate Senior Sister Li's accomplishment tomorrow?"

Hearing this, Li Qingchan was about to refuse. She cultivated herself and had no interest in drinking. But before she could speak, Yao Yao, playing with her jade cup, lazily said, "With me here, how could she dare to drink at the same table as me?"

"Nonsense!" Li Qingchan's beautiful eyes instantly widened. Facing Yao Yao, she wouldn't yield an inch and certainly wouldn't tolerate such a taunt. She immediately strode into the stone pavilion, snatched a jade cup from the table, poured its contents into her red lips, and drank it all in one gulp.

The wine went down, and Li Qingchan quickly coughed. Zhou Yuan, dumbfounded, couldn't help but blurt out, "That's my wine cup..." But then Li Qingchan's cold gaze fell upon him, making him quickly swallow his words. Yet... Li Qingchan's gaze seemed to betray a hint of embarrassment and anger. A blush appeared on her fair, jade-like face.

Li Qingchan slammed the jade cup heavily onto the table, her beautiful eyes fixed coldly on Yao Yao.

Yao Yao's red lips curved slightly, and she lightly tapped the tabletop with her delicate hand. "Good, at least you have some Sacred Son demeanor. But with this little alcohol tolerance, you dare to challenge me to a drink?" With a flick of her hand, jars of fine wine appeared beside her.

Seeing the array of jars, Li Qingchan's pretty face paled. But to make her bow her head and admit defeat in front of Yao Yao was impossible. She immediately gritted her teeth and declared, "Do you think I, Li Qingchan, am afraid of you?!" She immediately grabbed a jar, broke the mud seal, and began to drink heartily.

Seeing this, Yao Yao naturally also took a wine jar, elegantly tilted her pale neck back slightly, and drank with gusto.

Standing by, Zhou Yuan watched the two women chug their wine jars, their pretty faces flushed and alluring. He couldn't help but stare dumbfounded. If such a scene were witnessed by other disciples, their eyeballs would probably pop out. Who would have thought that Senior Sister Li Qingchan, usually as cold as an iceberg, possessed such a side to her?

He shook his head, ignoring the two women, and reached into his Qiankun Pouch. The thousand-foot Dragon Origin Marrow Crystal was now safely inside.

A smile appeared at the corner of Zhou Yuan's mouth, and his eyes grew much more eager.

Tomorrow, the Origin Pool would close, and the baptism would commence.

The Eight-Dragon Baptism... he truly looked forward to it.