Chapter 362: Peach Blossom Brew

In the Hall of Runes, a quiet room.

Zhou Yuan sat at the table, his expression grave. He held the Sky Origin Brush, and before him lay jade tablets. As the brush descended, a faint light bloomed, outlining marvelous Origin Marks. Subtle streams of Heaven and Earth Origin Qi gathered around them.

He was fully focused, the Sky Origin Brush outlining for a long time. Finally, his wrist trembled slightly. Looking at the Origin Rune formed on the jade tablet, he let out a sigh of relief.

Zhou Yuan carefully placed the jade tablet on the table. Dozens of jade tablets were already piled up, each one inscribed with a complex Origin Rune.

For the past month, he had been studying and comprehending the "Heavenly Thunder Profound Fire Barrier" that Yaoyao had chosen for him.

Even among Fourth-Grade barriers, this one was considerably powerful. To successfully set it up, hundreds of Origin Runes needed to be combined. To master these runes, Zhou Yuan had practically forgotten to eat and sleep over the past month.

Faced with such a heavy study load, even Zhou Yuan found it overwhelming and often collapsed into sleep from exhaustion.

Fortunately, he persevered. Over this past month, he had broadly mastered the hundreds of Origin Runes for the "Heavenly Thunder Profound Fire Barrier."

However, merely being able to draw the Origin Runes was not enough. These runes were like the components of a mechanism; for Zhou Yuan to complete it, he still needed to successfully assemble them.

This would still require a period of contemplation and practice.

*Creak.*

The door to the quiet room creaked open, and Yaoyao entered, carrying a stack of tattered ancient texts. She approached the table, set down the books she was holding, and then leisurely picked up the pile of Origin Rune jade tablets in front of Zhou Yuan.

She inspected them quickly, separating the dozens of tablets in less than a minute. Then, she pointed her jade finger at about ten tablets nearby and said, "These are all unqualified. Redraw them."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan's face immediately fell into a bitter expression.

Yaoyao's bright eyes swept over him. "Although these Origin Runes of yours can barely be considered formed," she said, "some of the rune lines are not perfectly smooth in their operation. They might be fine for looking at, but if used to combine into a barrier, even a tiny flaw could cause the entire barrier to collapse."

"If you don't want the barrier you painstakingly create to be a broken mess, easily shattered by others, then honestly put in the effort and practice diligently."

Chastised by Yaoyao, Zhou Yuan could only nod with a wry smile.

However, after scolding him, Yaoyao nodded slightly, offering a sweet word: "Still, to have learned the Origin Runes of the 'Heavenly Thunder Profound Fire Barrier' to this extent in just one month, your speed is quite good."

In fact, "quite good" was an understatement. If the disciples of Spirit Rune Peak knew, their jaws would drop. The "Heavenly Thunder Profound Fire Barrier" was a Fourth-Grade barrier, exceptionally powerful. Many disciples would take half a year or even longer just to barely grasp it.

Zhou Yuan casually pulled out a jade tablet, placed it in front of him, and smiled. "Don't worry," he said, "I'll have the 'Heavenly Thunder Profound Fire Barrier' completely mastered before the Purple Sash Selection."

Yaoyao nodded in satisfaction, her expression indicating that he was teachable.

She sat down elegantly nearby. "I hear people outside saying that your popularity for the Purple Sash Selection has caught up with the top Gold Sash disciples of the main lineages from each peak."

She said thoughtfully, "It seems someone wants you to fall flat on your face."

Compared to top Gold Sash disciples like Xia Yu from the main lineages of each peak, Zhou Yuan's foundation was still shallow. Yet, he was currently being pushed into the limelight, clearly by someone deliberately trying to make him look foolish during the Purple Sash Selection.

"It's probably those people from Sword Cometh Peak," Zhou Yuan said, unsurprised. He chuckled. "Besides, we ruined Kong Sheng's plans in the Origin Pool. They wouldn't dare trouble you, so naturally, they'll target me, the easier prey."

Yaoyao's jade finger tapped gently on the table. Her bright eyes met Zhou Yuan's as she whispered, "Didn't Patriarch Cang Xuan say before that he suspected his demise years ago had something to do with the internal affairs of the Cangxuan Sect..."

"Could that Peak Master Ling Jun of Sword Cometh Peak..."

Zhou Yuan looked up, and their eyes met. Both fell silent.

"Without evidence, we can't make wild guesses," Zhou Yuan said, shaking his head thoughtfully. "This kind of matter is too far-reaching. Without proof, even Master Qing Yang wouldn't dare to act rashly."

Yaoyao nodded slightly and said no more. Such matters were not for them to handle. The most important thing now was for Zhou Yuan to become the chief disciple of Saint Origin Peak by the end of the year, then enter the sealed main peak and obtain the second Saint Rune.

She always felt that when the main peak of Saint Origin Peak reopened, someone within the Cangxuan Sect would make a move.

The two ended their discussion and then went about their own tasks.

Yaoyao flipped through the tattered ancient texts. After a long while, she suddenly let out a soft "咦." Zhou Yuan looked up and saw a hint of joy appear on her usually calm and aloof beautiful face.

At that moment, Yaoyao's jade hand held a yellowed, tattered piece of paper, her pretty face beaming with delight.

"What is it?" Zhou Yuan couldn't help but ask curiously. What could make the usually cool-tempered Yaoyao show such an expression?

Yaoyao extended her delicate pink tongue and lightly licked her red lips. Then, with sparkling eyes, she handed it to Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan took it, first feeling a bit confused, then dark lines appeared on his forehead. He realized it was an extremely ancient method for brewing wine.

"Making a fuss over nothing," Zhou Yuan said exasperatedly.

Yaoyao snorted lightly. "What do you know? This is clearly a lost ancient immortal brew. To encounter it here is a tremendous stroke of destiny."

Her jade finger gently tapped the table. Cupping her cheek with her hand, she looked at Zhou Yuan and said, "I want you to brew this for me."

Zhou Yuan's eyes widened. This little mistress really had some nerve, making such a demand so brazenly.

"How would I know how to brew wine?"

Yaoyao stood up, her jade hands resting on the table, leaning her graceful body forward. Her exquisite face overlooked Zhou Yuan, and a fragrant breeze wafted over him. Expressionless, she asked, "Will you do it or not?"

Gazing at her exquisite face so close, Zhou Yuan's mouth suddenly felt dry. His eyes flickered, and he asked, "Will there be a reward?"

"What kind of reward do you want?" Yaoyao seemed to smile faintly.

Zhou Yuan licked his lips and blinked.

Before he could speak, however, Yaoyao extended a cool hand, gently caressing Zhou Yuan's face. Then, just as he wore an expression of enjoyment, she suddenly twisted his ear with a cold smile.

"Zhou Yuan, you're becoming naughty! How dare you try to take advantage of me? Do you believe I'll let Tun Tun eat you?"

In the corner of the quiet room, Tun Tun grunted, glanced at Zhou Yuan disdainfully, then turned its back, presenting its round posterior to him.

Zhou Yuan's face contorted. Finally, he quickly pleaded for mercy, saying, "Alright, alright, I'll find a way to brew it for you!"

Hearing this, Yaoyao sat back down, satisfied, and said with a smile, "That's a good boy. Hmm, I've already thought of a name for the wine... Let's call it 'Peach Blossom Brew.'"

Cupping her cheeks with both hands, she even showed a hint of anticipation.

Zhou Yuan rolled his eyes, but a chuckle escaped his heart. He noticed that Yaoyao's usual coldness seemed to have lessened recently—of course, only towards him. Moreover, he could feel that Yaoyao had become much more intimate with him.

This should count as an increase in intimacy, right?

He glanced at the nameless immortal brew in front of him, then at the extremely rare hint of anticipation in Yaoyao's bright eyes, and smiled faintly.

Years ago, Master Cang Yuan entrusted Yaoyao to him, wanting him to take care of her. But over the years, it was actually Yaoyao who had given him much help; otherwise, Zhou Yuan wasn't sure he could have come this far.

So...

As long as you like it, I would even ascend to the nine heavens to pluck the moon for you.

Time quietly flowed within the Cangxuan Sect. At this point, the Purple Sash Selection was drawing near...

As the date approached, the atmosphere within the Cangxuan Sect gradually grew more fervent. The Purple Sash Selection once again captured everyone's attention.

After all, for many disciples, promotion to a Purple Sash disciple represented honor and status—this was their paramount concern. Compared to it, even the previous Array-Breaking Battle on Spirit Rune Peak began to be overshadowed by the approaching Purple Sash Selection.

With the Purple Sash Selection imminent, what most interested the disciples was debating the potential champions. For this purpose, many betting pools had been set up among the disciples.

Among the contenders were Su Wan of Cangxuan Peak, Wu Yue of Hongya Peak, Mu Chunlei of Snow Lotus Peak, Le Tian of Sword Cometh Peak, Wang Chen of Thunder Prison Peak, and Xia Yu of Spirit Rune Peak. These individuals were the top Gold Sash disciples of their respective main lineages, possessing the strongest powers, making them the most popular candidates to win.

Many speculated that the champion this time would emerge from among them.

Following closely behind them, the most prominent figure was undoubtedly Zhou Yuan, who had made a splash on Spirit Rune Peak. Due to some behind-the-scenes manipulation, Zhou Yuan's popularity remained high, even showing momentum to catch up with the top few contenders.

This led many disciples to favor Zhou Yuan and place heavy bets on him.

However, some well-informed disciples secretly shook their heads and sneered. While Zhou Yuan had indeed performed impressively on Spirit Rune Peak, even breaking through Xia Yu's defenses, it later became clear to everyone that Zhou Yuan had merely relied on a surprise attack, taking advantage of Xia Yu's unpreparedness to narrowly secure victory. Otherwise, he would have had absolutely no chance of winning.

After all, even if Zhou Yuan had broken through to the middle stage of the Reality Realm, it was a recent breakthrough. Meanwhile, individuals like Xia Yu had been cultivating in this realm for a long time, and their Divine Soul foundation should be stronger than Zhou Yuan's.

Furthermore, after the incident at Spirit Rune Peak, Zhou Yuan's trump cards had been revealed. It was likely that others would be on guard against him, so it would be unlikely for Zhou Yuan to spring any surprises again.

At least, in everyone's opinion, even if Zhou Yuan were to face Xia Yu again now, the latter, being prepared, should be able to defeat him.

Therefore, Zhou Yuan's popularity as a championship contender was highly inflated. This overestimation would undoubtedly reveal its true nature during the Purple Sash Selection.

Consequently, some discerning disciples paid little attention to the recently prominent Zhou Yuan. Instead, when they encountered disciples placing heavy bets on Zhou Yuan, they would condescendingly offer advice, as if possessing superior insight. If the other party didn't heed their words, they would shake their heads and sigh, lamenting their foolishness.

Nevertheless, Zhou Yuan had, after all, begun to secure a place among the popular contenders for the championship.

It must be said that the methods of those who fanned the flames were quite effective.

And so, under this atmosphere, the highly anticipated Purple Sash Selection gradually approached.