Chapter 375: Top Ten

The towering mountain range was divided into ten peaks, resembling ten fingers. At the foot of these mountains, ten massive stone gates stood on the obligatory path, blocking the way for numerous disciples.

Zhou Yuan stood at the foot of the mountain, gazing at the ten stone gates with a sense of anticipation. Passing through them would elevate him to the rank of a purple-belt disciple, making him a true pillar of the Cangxuan Sect. Of course, this promotion also came with the enviable privileges accorded to purple-belt disciples. Countless disciples of the Cangxuan Sect had striven and struggled for these benefits.

Zhou Yuan stared at the stone gates, but he did not move immediately. He stood still, calmly recovering from the throbbing pain in his spiritual sense. As he waited, the sounds of rushing wind echoed continuously around him, and figures gradually arrived.

The number of participants was significantly reduced compared to earlier, but each of the remaining figures exuded powerful Genesis Qi, their eyes sharp and focused. Clearly, none of them were to be trifled with. After all, those who had made it this far had largely defeated numerous opponents and were considered the elite among the Cangxuan Sect's gold-belt disciples. Their strength was undeniably formidable.

At the very front of these dozens of disciples stood five figures. These were Su Wan from Cangxuan Peak, Xia Yu from Spirit Rune Peak, Wang Chen from Thunder Prison Peak, Mu Chunlei from Snow Lotus Peak, and Wu Yue from Torrential Cliff Peak. These five were the top-ranked gold-belt disciples from their respective peaks, their strength superior to all others. Other disciples dared not approach them, clearly indicating they had no intention of competing against them.

Of course, besides these five, the area within dozens of yards around Zhou Yuan was also empty, with no one daring to step inside. Even Su Wan and the other four top-ranked gold-belt disciples looked at him with apprehension. Clearly, Zhou Yuan's previous feat of completely eliminating the Sword-Come Peak disciples was simply too shocking. After all, among them was Le Tian, whose strength was comparable to their own. Yet, despite this, they were all ultimately eliminated from the selection by Zhou Yuan. Such combat power was truly terrifying. Therefore, no one dared to easily offend Zhou Yuan again. Even if they knew he had only succeeded by secretly setting up a barrier beforehand, it was still a testament to his strength.

As many disciples gathered below the ten peaks, Su Wan, Wang Chen, Xia Yu, and others were the first to move. They swiftly darted out, each landing before one of the stone gates. They then stood beneath the stone gates, their gazes sweeping across the crowd. The implication was clear: these five stone gates were claimed by them.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan wasted no time. He moved swiftly, landing beneath the sixth stone gate. According to the current rules, if anyone was dissatisfied with the six of them occupying the stone gates, they could directly step forward and challenge them. A victory would naturally allow them to take a gate. However, it was clear that not many disciples possessed the courage to challenge these top-ranked gold-belt disciples from each peak.

Normally, if Zhou Yuan had attempted to claim a stone gate, it would have undoubtedly attracted numerous challenges, as, in their eyes, the previous Zhou Yuan lacked such qualifications. But after Zhou Yuan's previous battle with the Sword-Come Peak disciples, everyone had dismissed such notions. They would rather challenge the other five than dare to face the formidable figure who had annihilated Sword-Come Peak.

This left only four stone gates. Consequently, fierce battles for control erupted before these four stone gates. To gain this path to becoming a purple-belt disciple, all disciples who had reached this point unleashed their combat power to the extreme, making the area before those four stone gates utterly chaotic. In contrast, the area around Zhou Yuan and the other six was quiet, with no one daring to challenge them. They simply observed the intense battles unfolding before the other four stone gates.

This fierce and chaotic struggle lasted for about the duration of an incense stick. Finally, amidst the groans of the wounded scattered across the ground, four disciples fought their way through the chaos. Bruised and battered, yet incredibly excited, they stood beneath the four stone gates, their elation unconcealed.

As the ten disciples stood before the stone gates, continuous exclamations of awe arose from outside the mountain range. This signified that these ten disciples now possessed the qualifications to advance to purple-belt disciples in the current selection. Countless disciples gazed at the ten figures, their eyes filled with envy. Becoming a purple-belt disciple was the ultimate goal for all Cangxuan Sect disciples. Only by reaching this rank could one qualify to compete for the chief disciple position of their respective peaks, or even... the future Saint Son.

"Now that the ten purple-belt disciples have emerged, the most exciting part of the selection is probably next...""Indeed, next is the battle for the champion.""I wonder what form this battle for the champion will take? I'm really looking forward to it...""No matter the method, I think Zhou Yuan has a very good chance. This time's champion might just be him.""That's not necessarily true. Zhou Yuan was able to eliminate Sword-Come Peak previously because Le Tian and the others were caught off guard, allowing him to secretly set up a barrier. Now that everyone knows his trick, if they fight, they definitely won't give him time to set one up again.""Indeed, without the aid of a barrier, Zhou Yuan might not necessarily be able to contend directly with Su Wan, Wang Chen, and the other top-ranked gold-belt disciples from each peak..."

Many disciples discussed amongst themselves, their eyes filled with anticipation. The ten purple-belt disciples before them were all top contenders who had fought their way out from among all the Cangxuan Sect's gold-belt disciples. And the next champion would be chosen from among them. One could only imagine how thrilling that would be.

Zhou Yuan stood beneath the stone gate and extended his hand. He watched as the marks on the back of his hand shimmered with light, then detached and merged into the stone gate before him.

*Rumble!*

As the marks merged, the stone gate immediately emitted a rumbling sound, then slowly opened under Zhou Yuan's eager gaze. Beyond the stone gate, faint mist lingered all around, and a gravel path stretched as far as the eye could see.

"The battle for the champion, huh..." Zhou Yuan's eyes flickered slightly. If it were merely the honor of being champion, he wouldn't be particularly interested, as he was a pragmatist. Instead, he was very interested in the reward for the champion: the "Origin Star Pill." With this pill, he would be able to swiftly advance to the Fourth Layer of the Alpha Origin Stage. This would significantly increase his chances in the chief disciple competition for Saint Genesis Peak at the end of the year, as that competition would be far from a mere skirmish.

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, then stepped through the stone gate without hesitation, walking onto the gravel path enveloped in mist. He walked along the gravel path, steadily ascending. The surrounding mist obscured his vision, but his gaze remained fixed ahead, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. He was equally curious about the format of this championship battle. Would it be a ten-person battle?

Thoughts churned in his mind, but Zhou Yuan's steps remained steady. After about half the duration of an incense stick, he finally felt the gravel path come to an end, and he saw the thin mist ahead begin to dissipate. As the mist cleared, a spacious gravel plaza appeared before him.

Zhou Yuan's gaze immediately locked onto the center of the plaza, where he saw a figure holding a dark gray longsword with both hands, its scabbard resting on the ground. Beside the figure, a large incense stick, about a zhang in length, was stuck into a huge rock.

Zhou Yuan's pupils constricted slightly as he looked at the person. The figure also raised their head and gave him a playful smile.

"Zhou Yuan, you certainly made quite a splash earlier..." the figure said. "But I never expected you to reach my stage."

Zhou Yuan frowned slightly. The figure before him was not unfamiliar; this person was also a disciple of Sword-Come Peak, seemingly named... Xu Yan? For this championship battle, they actually sent out veteran purple-belt disciples? The difficulty was truly high.