Chapter 332: 洞试开始

When Lu Hong’s faction appeared, gazes from all over the mountainside converged, drawn to them. It must be said that, compared to the other two factions, Lu Hong’s faction indeed had a far greater presence.

However, this wasn’t due to the weakness of the other two factions; rather, Lu Hong’s faction possessed an overwhelming advantage. Their strength was already evident at Sword Peak, and in the intervening years, they had recruited many exceptionally talented disciples. In terms of disciple resources, they were naturally far superior to the two declining factions of Saint Origin Peak.

Lu Hong stood at the forefront, his expression indifferent, his hands clasped behind his back.

Upon arrival, he merely glanced at Shen Taiyuan and Lu Song before proceeding into the last stone pavilion.

A large contingent of his disciples gathered around the stone pavilion, creating a strong presence.

Behind Lu Hong, only three figures were permitted to enter the stone pavilion with him: his chief disciple, Yuan Hong; Lu Xuanyin; and a tall, well-built young man with a faint smile on his lips. He had fiery red hair and sharp, aggressive eyes, clearly not someone to be trifled with. Although she was not Lu Hong's direct disciple, he was her elder from the same clan.

This individual was Xu Yan, also not a direct disciple of Lu Hong, but from the same lineage as Lu Xuanyin. His father was also an elder of the Cangxuan Sect, and Xu Yan himself was well-known at Sword Peak as a purple-belt disciple.

“Xuanyin, is that the one who took first place from Lu Feng in the Mountain Selection Ceremony?” At this moment, Xu Yan’s gaze swept over Zhou Yuan, who stood behind Shen Taiyuan, and he asked with a smile.

Lu Xuanyin nodded slightly, still expressing some indignation: “That boy is too cunning; he merely took advantage of Lu Feng’s unpreparedness to win by sheer luck.”

Xu Yan smiled, looking casually at Zhou Yuan. “It’s nothing,” he said. “After today, he’ll naturally become a laughingstock. With Wei Youxuan present, Elder Shen’s faction is sure to lose.”

It was evident that Xu Yan and Lu Xuanyin were quite close. Thus, despite having no prior interaction with Zhou Yuan, he clearly sided entirely with Lu Xuanyin.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xuanyin also smiled, feeling somewhat vindicated. “That boy deserves it. He got carried away, truly thinking this was still the outer mountain. He’s just a gold-belt disciple; there are plenty of people who can deal with him.”

“I really don’t know why Elder Miao gave this boy such a high evaluation, but I imagine after today, even Elder Miao will be quite embarrassed.”

Lu Xuanyin’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Him? And he still wants to compare himself to Senior Brother Chu Qing?”

As the two spoke, Lu Hong also lifted an eyelid, casting an indifferent gaze at Shen Taiyuan in the adjacent stone pavilion. “Since everyone has arrived,” he stated, “let’s prepare. Let’s finish quickly; I have other matters to attend to.”

His tone was relaxed, clearly not taking the upcoming cave trial very seriously.

Shen Taiyuan naturally caught the implication in Lu Hong’s words and immediately scoffed. “I’m just afraid that after the trial,” he retorted, “Elder Lu, you won’t be in the mood to do anything else.”

A hint of mockery played on Lu Hong’s lips. “It’s just a pity,” he replied, “that in most cave trials lately, it’s been Elder Shen whose mood has been sour.”

Shen Taiyuan’s aged face twitched. Stifled and speechless, his expression immediately turned ugly, and his breathing became uneven.

Seeing this, the mockery on Lu Hong’s lips deepened. Then he waved his hand and called out: “Wei Youxuan, Feng Yu, Cheng Ying.”

Outside the stone pavilion, three figures emerged and cupped their fists in salute to Lu Hong.

“Go,” Lu Hong said indifferently. “Today’s battle must not tarnish the prestige of my faction.”

All three nodded in assent. Then, under the gaze of countless eyes, they descended directly onto the three massive stone platforms on the cliff.

“Tong Long, Pan Song, Zhou Yuan,” Shen Taiyuan said, taking a deep breath.

Tong Long and Pan Song quickly stepped forward, and Zhou Yuan also emerged from the stone pavilion.

“In today’s battle, you must give your utmost,” Shen Taiyuan instructed. However, his gaze mostly rested on Tong Long and Pan Song, as they were the strongest, holding the first and second positions among his gold-belt disciples.

Tong Long and Pan Song’s expressions were tense; they were clearly a bit nervous, but they nodded firmly.

“Zhou Yuan, this is your first time participating,” Shen Taiyuan then cautioned him. “Don’t be too nervous. If you’re outmatched, preserving yourself is the priority; a temporary win or loss means nothing.”

Many disciples from other peaks had come to observe today, and Shen Taiyuan worried that if Zhou Yuan performed poorly, the overwhelming ridicule could be a severe blow to him.

Zhou Yuan felt a slight warmth within him and nodded with a smile.

As the three of them stepped out, even more gazes immediately fixated on them. However, it was evident that most of these curious glances were directed at Zhou Yuan.

Numerous whispers also quietly arose from all directions.

“He’s that Zhou Yuan?”

“He doesn’t seem special at all. Is someone like him truly worthy of being compared to Senior Brother Chu Qing in the future?”

“Heh, it seems like another person trying to gain fame by leveraging Senior Brother Chu Qing’s reputation.”

“But unfortunately, he’s chosen the wrong target. Senior Brother Chu Qing is too outstanding; even if this Zhou Yuan performs adequately, he will still appear incompetent in comparison.”

Most of the disciples who had come from other peaks were young, beautiful women, clearly fervent supporters of Chu Qing, much like Lü Yan. Their unrestrained remarks were indeed quite embarrassing.

Tong Long and Pan Song, standing beside Zhou Yuan, also noticed those gazes and immediately felt somewhat uncomfortable. This was the first time their Saint Origin Peak’s cave trial had garnered so much attention.

Moreover, most of that attention carried little goodwill.

The two exchanged glances, both offering a wry smile. They were truly caught in an unfortunate situation.

However, even though he was affected, Tong Long remained quite magnanimous and didn’t resent Zhou Yuan because of it. Instead, he offered reassurance: “Junior Brother Zhou Yuan, this is your first time in a cave trial. Later, you can let us go first; you can observe more and don’t be nervous.”

Zhou Yuan smiled and nodded in thanks. If Tong Long and Pan Song truly managed to secure the victory, then there would be no need for him to seek attention. As for the opinions of those who came to observe, he didn’t care in the slightest.

After all, he wasn’t performing a monkey show just to satisfy others.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, Tong Long, Pan Song, and Zhou Yuan also moved, landing on the three stone platforms opposite Wei Youxuan’s trio.

Gazing at the three figures, Wei Youxuan’s eyes calmly swept over them, a hint of a smile playing on his lips—an expression laced with mockery and amusement.

“It actually surprises me that you truly have the courage to accept the challenge,” Wei Youxuan said with a faint smile.

Tong Long’s eyes darkened. “Wei Youxuan,” he said, “don’t be too arrogant. Who wins or loses, we’ll only know after we fight.”

However, facing Tong Long’s angry retort, Wei Youxuan merely chuckled. Then his gaze swept over Zhou Yuan, who was on the far right, and he said mockingly: “Earlier, Senior Sister Lu Xuanyin instructed me to take good care of you, so don’t blame me later.”

Zhou Yuan’s eyes were slightly lowered, as if he hadn’t heard.

As the two sides exchanged words, Lu Hong spoke calmly from within the stone pavilion: “Begin.”

As his words fell, the atmosphere in the arena suddenly tensed, and gazes from all over the mountain began to converge.