Chapter 35: Jade Spirit Waterfall Duel

In front of the Jade Spirit Waterfall, as Zhou Yuan and Qi Yue made their bet, the atmosphere immediately grew heated. More and more students from the Great Zhou Institute heard the news and flocked to the area, completely blocking it.

After all, the bet between the two parties was truly enormous.

One and a half hours of cultivation time in the Jade Spirit Waterfall—it was important to know that, apart from the Alpha and Beta Institutes, all other institutes only had one hour each.

"The fish took the bait." Liu Xi, watching the scene with her beautiful eyes, immediately curved her lips into a satisfied smile, as if she had already foreseen Zhou Yuan's discomfited appearance after his defeat.

Xu Hong, standing nearby, also had a hint of coldness flash in his eyes. Zhou Yuan truly thought that because he performed decently in the Jade Spirit Waterfall, he had the ability to challenge Qi Yue. How naive of him.

Many students from the Beta Institute around them, though somewhat alarmed by the bet Qi Yue accepted, were immediately filled with excitement. They knew how strong Qi Yue was, and felt that this competition, even if not a true battle, would likely still not be too difficult for him.

Therefore, they already considered the one and a half hours of cultivation time belonging to the Alpha Institute a sure thing.

Compared to the Beta Institute's confidence in victory, the atmosphere on the Alpha Institute's side was much heavier. Many students looked downcast, as Qi Yue's past reputation was simply too formidable.

"Zhou Yuan, are you confident?" Chu Tianyang asked in a low voice, his eyes filled with some worry.

"I'll do my best," Zhou Yuan replied with a smile.

Seeing Zhou Yuan's relatively calm smile, Chu Tianyang's mood relaxed a little. Their opponents had come prepared and clearly would not give up until their goal was achieved, so accepting the bet was the only thing they could do.

"Go for it!" Su Youwei waved her small fist, cheering Zhou Yuan on.

"Zhou Yuan, the future of our Alpha Institute depends on you!" Song Qiushui also looked eagerly at Zhou Yuan. Currently, in their competition with the Beta Institute, their Alpha Institute was already at a disadvantage. If they lost an hour and a half of Jade Spirit Waterfall cultivation time this time, it was feared that by the time of the Prefectural Examination, no one from their Alpha Institute would be able to reach the Sixth Meridian.

Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say this bet concerned the future of all students in the Alpha Institute.

Seeing the anxious yet hopeful gazes of the Alpha Institute students, Zhou Yuan said nothing more, just nodded gently.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhou Yuan and Qi Yue stepped forward simultaneously, heading towards the Jade Spirit Waterfall.

"If Your Highness regrets it now, you can still concede early to avoid suffering unnecessarily," Qi Yue said with a casual smile.

"The same goes for you," Zhou Yuan replied indifferently, without even glancing at him.

"It seems you won't admit defeat until it's too late. Since that's the case, don't blame me," Qi Yue said, a hint of disdain appearing on his lips. He said nothing more, then tapped his toe, and his body landed on the other side of the Jade Spirit Waterfall.

Zhou Yuan and Qi Yue stood on opposite sides of the waterfall, their gazes meeting from afar, both sensing the coldness in the other's eyes.

The next moment, both took a deep breath, and then, under the gaze of countless eyes, stepped into the surging Jade Spirit Waterfall.

The powerful currents, carrying fierce force, violently slammed into their bodies. However, both stood like boulders, their feet firmly gripping the ground, allowing the water to impact them without moving an inch.

Zhou Yuan, moreover, slightly closed his eyes, his Spirit in his glabella pulsing. Strands of spiritual perception emanated, absorbing all the jade marrow qi from the nearby water, alleviating the intense pain caused by the water's impact on his body.

At the same time, behind him, the Ice-Fire Gathering Origin Rune began to emit a faint glow. Cold and hot intertwined, rapidly absorbing the jade marrow qi.

That absorption speed was far superior to ordinary Gathering Origin Runes.

"This Ice-Fire Gathering Origin Rune is indeed effective!" Zhou Yuan praised inwardly, feeling this change.

The mighty currents roared downwards as Zhou Yuan and Qi Yue's figures appeared and disappeared within the waterfall. Outside, everyone's gaze was fixed unblinkingly on them.

"Zhou Yuan's previous limit seemed to be one hour, but Qi Yue can last one hour and fifty minutes," Liu Xi sneered, staring at the two figures in the waterfall. "So, after one hour, the victor will be decided."

This Zhou Yuan, it seems, had too easy a time in the Great Examination and has become a bit arrogant. Does he think Qi Yue is like those useless people he met in the Great Examination? In Qi Yue's eyes, he and those defeated nobodies are probably no different.

Xu Hong also nodded slightly. He was very confident in Qi Yue; after all, the physical quality of having opened six meridians was enough to allow him to move with ease in the Jade Spirit Waterfall.

Many students from the Beta Institute also wore smiles, appearing quite relaxed. After all, Qi Yue's reputation in the Great Zhou Institute was too strong, and Zhou Yuan was simply not on the same level as him.

In contrast, every student on the Alpha Institute's side looked nervous.

Yaoyao glanced at Su Youwei, whose hands were tightly clasped, and calmly comforted her: "Don't worry, Zhou Yuan won't lose."

Her Spirit's strength was probably unmatched by anyone present, so she could naturally sense that Zhou Yuan was using the power of his Spirit to absorb a large amount of jade marrow qi. With the assistance of the Ice-Fire Gathering Origin Rune, Zhou Yuan could essentially persist in the Jade Spirit Waterfall without depleting his energy.

In contrast, Qi Yue was relying solely on his formidable physical conditioning. But no matter how strong a body was, under the continuous bombardment of the Jade Spirit Waterfall, it would gradually be depleted until it reached its limit.

Therefore, the outcome of this competition was clear from the start.

Although Su Youwei didn't know why Yaoyao was so certain, she felt a little more relaxed, influenced by her confidence. However, her beautiful eyes remained fixed unblinkingly on the waterfall.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, time began to pass quickly.

Ten minutes... half an hour... fifty minutes...

Time quickly approached one hour. However, to everyone's surprise, Zhou Yuan's figure seemed unshaken, appearing very relaxed, with no signs of reaching his limit.

Xu Hong's brows furrowed slightly. He glanced at Liu Xi, who gritted her teeth and said, "He's just faking it. Let's see how long he can pretend!"

And so, another ten minutes passed, marking one hour in total.

Low gasps of surprise emanated from the shore, as they discovered that after one hour, Zhou Yuan still showed no signs of being swept away by the waterfall, remaining as steady as a rock.

Xu Hong's gaze also began to waver with uncertainty, and Liu Xi felt a burning sensation on her cheeks. Her expression shifted, and she dared not speak carelessly anymore, because she could already feel the peculiar gazes of the surrounding Beta Institute students directed at her.

"This kid is still going?"

Inside the Jade Spirit Waterfall, Qi Yue also noticed Zhou Yuan still persisting. His brows furrowed. By this point, even his whole body was beginning to ache intensely, though still within his tolerance.

"Let's wait and see if he's faking it."

As Qi Yue waited, another half hour passed.

And Zhou Yuan still showed no signs of faltering.

At this point, even Qi Yue's expression turned somewhat grim, because he felt he was nearing his limit.

"This kid..." Qi Yue's gaze darkened. "No wonder he agreed so readily. So he also had something up his sleeve." He glanced at Zhou Yuan, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.

"However, did you think I would propose such a bet without preparations?"

Qi Yue slightly closed his eyes, waiting for time to pass. Another twenty minutes went by, reaching one hour and fifty minutes, which was Qi Yue's limit of endurance.

Qi Yue opened his eyes, a chilling light appearing within them.

"Zhou Yuan, since you refuse to know your place, don't blame me."

As his voice fell, he flicked his tongue, and a dark red pill fell into his mouth and was swallowed in one gulp.