Chapter 447: Conflict

On the Dragon-Forging Platform, Zhou Yuan was beaming with joy, his body radiating a warm, jade-like glow. Coupled with his tall, slender figure and handsome face, he was quite eye-catching.

Of course, Zhou Yuan wasn't particularly concerned with his appearance. He was more focused on the immense power surging like a hidden torrent within him.

He slowly clenched his fingers. Even without activating his Genesis Qi, he could feel a powerful force rapidly condensing. This power originated from his physical body.

This was a sensation Zhou Yuan had never experienced before.

After all, he had never practiced true external cultivation. This was the first time he had truly developed the power of his physical body.

According to Zhou Yuan's estimation, even though he was still only at the fourth layer of the Alpha Origin Stage, with the enhancement of the "Lesser Mystic Saint Body," he was qualified to directly confront opponents like Yang Xuan, even without relying on the Heaven Primal Brush's power.

After all, with the formation of the "Jade Skin Stage," Zhou Yuan's strength had not only greatly increased, but the jade skin also granted him formidable defensive capabilities. Frankly speaking, if he were to face Yang Xuan again, as long as Yang Xuan didn't use a Heaven Origin weapon, it would likely be very difficult to break through Zhou Yuan's defenses.

Zhou Yuan's emotions were slightly stirred. After a good while, he gradually calmed down. With a thought, the jade glow flowing on his skin gradually dissipated, receding deep within him.

He tapped his toes, and his figure shot out, landing on the edge of the cliff.

However, he was clearly still unaccustomed to his surging physical power, so when his foot landed, even the rocks beneath his feet were crushed, leaving deep imprints.

"Not bad. You've cultivated the first layer of the Lesser Mystic Saint Body, the Jade Skin Stage, in about a month," Elder Xuan, who was nearby, nodded, quite satisfied with Zhou Yuan's cultivation speed.

"Under normal circumstances, most people would likely need a year to reach this stage, and that's still assuming constant nourishment of the body with various rare Genesis materials."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior," Zhou Yuan cupped his fists towards Elder Xuan, his eyes filled with gratitude. If not for the elder's instruction, he likely wouldn't have chosen the "Lesser Mystic Saint Body."

And without choosing the "Lesser Mystic Saint Body," the profoundness of his cultivated "Taiyi Green Wood Mark" wouldn't have been fully realized.

Elder Xuan waved his hand and said indifferently, "If you didn't have the perseverance to endure on the Water-Fire Forging Dragon Platform, any amount of guidance would have been useless."

Elder Xuan was well aware of the pain on the Water-Fire Forging Dragon Platform. For Zhou Yuan, someone who had never practiced external cultivation before, his first attempt would undoubtedly involve terrible suffering. Yet, Zhou Yuan ultimately gritted his teeth and persevered, even having the courage to raise the difficulty level at the end, succeeding in the tempering in one go and allowing the "Lesser Mystic Saint Body" to enter the Jade Skin Stage.

This kind of courage actually earned him considerable admiration from Elder Xuan himself.

"There's still some time until the chief disciple competition," Zhou Yuan said with a smile, "I plan to continue cultivating here afterward, so I might have to bother you again, Senior." Although he had completed the Jade Skin Stage, his ambition clearly didn't stop there.

Elder Xuan glanced at Zhou Yuan with a hint of surprise, clearly not expecting such strong ambition from him, to the point of wanting to further challenge the pain within, which would likely be several times more intense than what he had just endured.

"Since you possess such courage," Elder Xuan said slowly, "then this old man naturally isn't afraid to guide you on this path."

Zhou Yuan immediately brightened at his words. After all, if he wanted to cultivate on the Water-Fire Forging Dragon Platform, Elder Xuan's guidance was indispensable. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to enter the sealed area.

"There's also something I'd like to ask Elder Xuan for help with," Zhou Yuan said, scratching his head a little sheepishly.

"Speak."

"Could you find time to take me to the 'Dragon Scale Pagoda Tree' again later? All the previous tree scales have been refined and absorbed. During this month of cultivating the 'Lesser Mystic Saint Body,' the Taiyi Green Wood Mark I condensed earlier has also been depleted."

Hearing this, Elder Xuan immediately gave Zhou Yuan an exasperated look and said, "You brat, you're too bold. Do you really think the 'Dragon Scale Pagoda Tree' is your personal cultivation warehouse?"

Zhou Yuan gave an awkward smile, feeling a little helpless. To cultivate the Taiyi Green Wood Mark, he needed intense Yi-Wood Qi. With his current methods, it was clearly difficult to find enough ancient wood.

Therefore, the Dragon Scale Pagoda Tree was his only hope.

But to obtain tree scales from the Dragon Scale Pagoda Tree, he would clearly need Elder Xuan's protection.

Faced with Zhou Yuan's eager gaze, Elder Xuan sighed helplessly and started walking back with his bamboo broom.

"Fine, once you start helping, you might as well go all the way. I've helped this much, what's one more time?" Elder Xuan continued, "You go back today; tomorrow, I'll take you to chop some more tree scales."

"I just hope that guy doesn't go berserk."

Zhou Yuan was overjoyed and quickly followed, taking the bamboo broom from Elder Xuan's hand with a fawning expression.

"Senior, you truly are a good person!" Zhou Yuan chirped. "Here, let me carry this for you. Don't tire yourself."

Seeing Zhou Yuan's antics, Elder Xuan found it both amusing and exasperating, shaking his head. He let Zhou Yuan indulge in his playful display.

The two exited the sealed area. Then Zhou Yuan bid farewell to Elder Xuan. He propelled himself into the sky with Genesis Qi, soaring over numerous peaks, finally landing in front of his own cave dwelling.

As he landed, he stretched, feeling a little tired. The day-long tempering of his body, while not causing a loss of vital energy, had certainly taken a toll on his spirit due to the intense pain.

However, as soon as he landed, his gaze halted. He saw a figure pacing anxiously in front of his cave dwelling, seemingly wanting to call out into the dwelling but retracting several times.

"What's wrong?"

Zhou Yuan's voice came. He recognized the person, a disciple from his own lineage, though not a well-known one.

Hearing the voice, the disciple quickly turned around. Upon seeing Zhou Yuan, his eyes lit up with joy. He hurried over and said, "Senior Brother Zhou Yuan, you're finally back! Quick, go save Shen Wanjin!"

"Shen Wanjin?" Zhou Yuan was momentarily stunned, then his brows furrowed. "What happened?"

The disciple sighed and said, "Senior Brother Zhou Yuan, you must know about the recent atmosphere on Saint Genesis Peak, right?"

Zhou Yuan nodded. Due to the approaching chief disciple competition, the atmosphere on Saint Genesis Peak was exceptionally tense. The main source of this tension was the Lu Hong lineage.

The disciples of the Lu Hong lineage already considered the chief disciple position to be theirs. In their view, the position of the main lineage on Saint Genesis Peak would inevitably fall to them afterward.

After becoming the main lineage, their status would rise. In contrast, the other two lineages would be relegated to secondary status, their positions no longer equal. Thus, over the past month, the Lu Hong lineage had gradually become somewhat arrogant and domineering.

Faced with the Lu Hong lineage's arrogance, the disciples of the other two lineages naturally found them extremely displeasing. Consequently, conflicts on Saint Genesis Peak over the past month had been more numerous than in the previous half-year combined.

"Today, we were cultivating on a training platform, but suddenly a disciple from the Lu Hong lineage was accidentally affected by Genesis Qi when Shen Wanjin was sparring with someone. Afterwards, a large group of Lu Hong lineage disciples rushed out, drove us away, and directly seized Shen Wanjin. No matter what we said, they refused to release him."

"The leader of that group was Wu Hai from the Lu Hong lineage."

"Wu Hai?" Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He had heard this name before; Wu Hai was not an unknown figure in the Lu Hong lineage. Among the six candidates from the Lu Hong lineage for the chief disciple competition, Wu Hai was one of them.

However, would someone of his caliber actually trouble a group of ordinary disciples?

"Shen Wanjin is quite timid; he wouldn't intentionally cause trouble. But Wu Hai and the others went specifically for him..." Zhou Yuan smiled faintly and said, "It seems their true intention lies elsewhere."

On Saint Genesis Peak, everyone knew that Shen Wanjin was closest to him. And these disciples from the Lu Hong lineage, instead of finding trouble with others, specifically targeted Shen Wanjin. The deeper meaning was clearly a provocation aimed at him.

Shen Wanjin was simply caught in the crossfire.

Hearing this, the disciple nodded with a wry smile and whispered, "Wu Hai said that he wants Senior Brother Zhou Yuan to personally come and retrieve him. If you don't arrive before sunset, he'll throw Shen Wanjin directly off the mountain."

Zhou Yuan let out a speechless laugh. The Lu Hong lineage had truly become overly arrogant lately.

"Senior Brother Zhou Yuan, should I inform Senior Brother Zhou Tai first?" the disciple asked hesitantly. He had also guessed that the other party was targeting Zhou Yuan, so he was afraid Zhou Yuan wouldn't be able to handle it alone.

Zhou Yuan waved his hand.

"No need to rush. Let's go see first."

He flicked his sleeve. Genesis Qi rose from beneath his feet, and he shot straight up.

"I'd like to see what Wu Hai's capabilities truly are today, to be able to throw my person off the mountain!"

A faint voice came, subtly laced with a hint of coldness.

The Lu Hong lineage had become this arrogant. Did they really think they had already won the chief disciple competition?