Chapter 323: Baptism Begins

The next day, as a fiery red sun slowly rose from the horizon, its brilliant rays shone down, and the mist shrouding the Genesis Pool gradually receded.

Dong! Dong!

Simultaneously, clear chimes of a bell resonated through the heavens and earth, echoing in every corner of the Genesis Pool.

The moment the bells rang, it seemed to activate the entire Genesis Pool, and instantly, countless streaks of light shot through the air, moving majestically towards its exit.

These were the disciples who had entered the Genesis Pool to search for Dragon Genesis Marrow. Now that the ten-day period was over, they were naturally eager to leave the Genesis Pool and receive the Genesis Marrow baptism.

After all, ten days of hard work were all for this moment.

In the stone pavilion, Zhou Yuan, who was sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes. He then saw two graceful figures sprawled across the stone table in front of him, one on each side. Their dark hair cascaded down, and their dresses outlined their slender, captivating figures.

The two women's cheeks were soft and smooth like jade. Due to drinking too much, their faces were flushed, and none of their usual coolness remained. Instead, they looked incredibly charming.

However, just as Zhou Yuan was watching the two drunken women with interest, Li Qingchan's eyes suddenly opened. A few seconds of bewilderment flickered in the depths of her eyes before she immediately sat upright. Her beautiful eyes regained their usual coldness, and she glared at Zhou Yuan.

"Heh heh, awake now?" Zhou Yuan smiled. "You were actually quite cute just now."

A faint blush immediately appeared on Li Qingchan's face, which had just regained its coldness. She shot Zhou Yuan a fierce glare and said, "If you dare to speak of what happened last night, I'll kill you!"

Zhou Yuan gave a helpless smile. Her words made it sound as if they had done something illicit last night.

Li Qingchan calmed herself down. She then gave Yaoyao a resentful glance, wondering what had possessed her. A mere provocation from Yaoyao made her lose her usual composure and want to compete for superiority.

Drinking through the night was simply incomprehensible to the former Li Qingchan.

Zhou Yuan, however, could understand this. Both women primarily possessed cold and proud temperaments. Not only were they exceptionally outstanding in beauty and demeanor, but they were also quite competitive.

Therefore, neither was willing to concede to the other. Yaoyao, seizing upon this point, was able to effectively provoke Li Qingchan every time.

"You two should leave the Genesis Pool yourselves shortly," Li Qingchan said, rising to her feet. She caught a whiff of alcohol on herself and frowned slightly, planning to wash up first.

As she was about to leave, her beautiful eyes lingered on Zhou Yuan for a moment. Her expression was no longer as cold as before. She said, "Thank you also for this time."

She was naturally referring to the Dragon Genesis Marrow Crystal she had obtained. Had it not been for Zhou Yuan's assistance, she and Kong Sheng would likely have left empty-handed this time, with no gains whatsoever.

"We each got what we needed," Zhou Yuan smiled. "Without Senior Sister Li, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to get this Dragon Genesis Marrow Crystal either."

Li Qingchan knew Zhou Yuan was just being polite. At least with Yaoyao there, Zhou Yuan could still have hunted the thousand-foot water beast with her strength.

However, after a few days of interaction, her initial prejudice against Zhou Yuan, which stemmed from misunderstandings, had significantly diminished. Now, to be fair, she could also sense Zhou Yuan's uniqueness.

"You don't need to belittle yourself," she continued. "Despite being just a Golden Sash disciple, you were able to achieve an Eight-Dragon Baptism on your very first entry into the Genesis Pool. No one among the current generation of disciples in our Cangxuan Sect has been able to achieve such a feat."

Li Qingchan looked at Zhou Yuan with her beautiful eyes, her red lips slightly parted as she said, "At the very least, even Chu Qing only had the opportunity to achieve an Eight-Dragon Baptism after becoming a Saint Son. In this regard, you have already far surpassed him."

With her words spoken, she did not linger, turning and leaving directly.

Zhou Yuan watched the graceful figure with some surprise. He clearly hadn't expected someone with Li Qingchan's cold temperament to offer such comforting and encouraging words.

As Zhou Yuan was surprised, a lazy voice rang out. He turned his head and saw Yaoyao stretching lazily, her jade-like hand propping up her fragrant cheek, looking at him teasingly. "It seems she thinks highly of you," she said. "She even used Chu Qing to praise you."

Zhou Yuan gave a helpless smile and said, "That doesn't really mean anything."

His ability to achieve an Eight-Dragon Baptism on his first entry into the Genesis Pool was merely due to the unique nature of his Heaven-Connecting Mysterious Python Qi. He naturally wouldn't become arrogant or conceited because of it, thinking he could disregard the Saint Sons of the Cangxuan Sect.

"It's good that you didn't get carried away by a little praise," Yaoyao said, "and know your own capabilities."

Yaoyao nodded in satisfaction. She then stood up, picked up Tun Tun, and said, "Let's go too."

Zhou Yuan also nodded. Golden light source qi rose from beneath his feet, carrying both of them into the air, and swiftly streaked towards the outside of the Genesis Pool.

He was also somewhat impatient for the upcoming Genesis Marrow baptism.

At the edge of the Genesis Pool, there was already a massive, bustling crowd.

Countless figures, riding on source qi, flew in from the depths of the Genesis Pool, landing on the various mountaintops surrounding its edge. It was extremely lively as they called out to friends and greeted each other.

Many more disciples were tallying their gains from the ten days, estimating how many Dragon Baptisms they would receive this time. Some had joyful expressions, while others sighed in disappointment.

The golden light source qi streaked through the air, finally landing on a mountain peak, where Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao appeared.

"Heh heh, Junior Brother Zhou Yuan is finally out." As Zhou Yuan appeared, a voice came from ahead. Zhou Tai, Zhang Yan, and a group of disciples were already there.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan clasped his hands and smiled.

"Junior Brother Zhou Yuan, how were your gains these ten days?" Zhou Tai asked with a concerned expression.

Zhou Yuan could feel that Zhou Tai's concern was genuine. He hesitated for a moment, knowing that if he spoke the truth, he might startle them instead.

An Eight-Dragon Baptism; among this generation's disciples, only Chu Qing had been able to achieve it, and that was after he became a Saint Son. For Zhou Yuan to reach this level on his very first entry into the Genesis Pool was truly astounding.

As Zhou Yuan hesitated, Zhang Yan, however, smiled faintly and said teasingly, "If Junior Brother Zhou Yuan's gains aren't enough, we, your Senior Brothers, can share some with you."

The other disciples close to him also chuckled quietly, looking at Zhou Yuan with playful expressions.

Senior Brother Zhou Tai cast an unhappy glance at them, then turned to Zhou Yuan and comforted him, "After all, it's your first time entering the Genesis Pool, so it's not strange if your gains are insufficient. When we first entered, we were also quite clueless and didn't gain much."

Zhou Yuan nodded with a smile. He didn't take Zhang Yan and the others' teasing to heart, because when the baptism began later, they naturally wouldn't be smiling.

Not far from them were Lu Yan and others from Master Lu's lineage.

Lu Yan also noticed the commotion on their side. Her eyes swept over Zhou Yuan, and she let out a soft snort. Judging by Zhou Yuan's hesitant look, his gains in the Genesis Pool were clearly not presentable.

"Hmph," she muttered. "That Zhou Tai was still boasting earlier, saying this Zhou Yuan would have a chance to achieve an Eight-Dragon Baptism in the future, comparable to Senior Brother Chu Qing... He really doesn't know his place."

Her red lips curled in a dismissive manner. Did that Zhou Tai really think that anyone who came first in the Selection Ceremony could reach Senior Brother Chu Qing's level?

"Heh heh, Senior Sister needn't be angry," a handsome disciple next to Lu Yan said with a smile. "Once Zhou Yuan has experienced the Genesis Pool, he'll naturally understand what an Eight-Dragon Baptism signifies, and he'll know the gap between himself and Senior Brother Chu Qing in the future."

Lu Yan nodded. She then withdrew her gaze from Zhou Yuan, no longer paying him much attention.

As time passed, more and more disciples swiftly emerged from the Genesis Pool.

At the same time, countless disciples who had not entered the Genesis Pool also arrived from all directions. After all, this Genesis Marrow baptism was a significant event, and everyone wanted to witness it.

Thus, amidst this grand spectacle, the scorching sun hung high in the sky.

When a loud chime resounded, a streak of source qi rose into the sky, with a beautiful woman standing upon it. She was none other than the elder in charge of the Genesis Pool.

She was Elder Miao of Snow Lotus Peak.

She hovered above the massive altar over the Genesis Pool. Her gaze swept across the crowd, and her voice, enveloped in source qi, resonated in everyone's ears.

"Ten days have passed, the Genesis Pool is now closed!"

"Let the baptism begin!"