Chapter 478: Chief Position

The shocking sounds emanating from outside Saint Origin Peak’s Chief Peak continued, then spread at an astonishing speed, quickly reaching the other six Chief Peaks. Disciples from various peaks and factions around those six Chief Peaks all received the news, their faces filled with astonishment and shock.

A rising tide of commotion echoed throughout the Cangxuan Sect.

Clearly, everyone was stunned by the final outcome. It was common knowledge that Saint Origin Peak had declined and couldn't compare to the other six peaks. Moreover, Lu Hong's faction originated from Sword Cometh Peak, which had been flourishing in recent years, and even within Sword Cometh Peak, they held a significant position. Many believed that in this Chief competition, the position of Saint Origin Peak's Chief would inevitably go to Lu Hong's faction, with Yuan Hong being the most likely candidate. After all, even within Sword Cometh Peak, Yuan Hong was considered a strong contender for the Chief position. Having transferred from Sword Cometh Peak to Saint Origin Peak, securing the Chief position should have been a given for him. Therefore, when the final news broke, it caused immense shock.

"My heavens, Yuan Hong actually lost?!"

"This Zhou Yuan, is he the one who only joined the sect a year ago?"

"Who else named Zhou Yuan could there be in Saint Origin Peak besides him?"

"This guy is actually so powerful? Even Yuan Hong wasn't his match?"

"It seems everyone underestimated him..."

Countless disciples sighed in amazement. Although Zhou Yuan had gained some fame within the sect previously, most still regarded him as a new disciple who needed more training before he could contend with experienced disciples like Yuan Hong. But who would have thought that Zhou Yuan would, at this very moment, defeat Yuan Hong and claim the Chief position of Saint Origin Peak?

As they marveled, many disciples unconsciously spoke Zhou Yuan's name with a newfound respect, no longer viewing him merely as a new disciple. After all, upon becoming Saint Origin Peak's Chief disciple, Zhou Yuan's standing within the Cangxuan Sect would be vastly different from before.

Outside Cangxuan Peak's Chief Peak, when Gu Hongyi heard the news, she paused, then a joyful smile bloomed on her beautiful face. Her lovely eyes gazed far into the distance towards Saint Origin Peak. She hadn't actually had much confidence in Zhou Yuan this time, so she hadn't dared to go watch, fearing she would see his faction being crushed. To her surprise, the final outcome was Zhou Yuan turning the tide.

Gu Hongyi chuckled softly, her smile bright and captivating. Although it was a pity not to have witnessed it firsthand, Zhou Yuan's victory was the best possible news.

"Hongyi, this Zhou Yuan guy really has some skill! He even defeated Yuan Hong," exclaimed the junior and senior sisters from Cangxuan Peak surrounding Gu Hongyi, clearly surprised. They knew that Gu Hongyi had a good relationship with Zhou Yuan.

"He was never simple; anyone who underestimates him will surely pay the price," Gu Hongyi said seriously.

Gu Hongyi was clearly very popular on Cangxuan Peak, and numerous male disciples constantly gathered around her like stars around the moon, clearly harboring admiration for her. So, hearing Gu Hongyi speak so highly of Zhou Yuan, some of them pouted enviously. A few more senior disciples wanted to say something to assert themselves and downplay Zhou Yuan, but they ultimately kept silent. They realized that with Zhou Yuan securing the Chief position of Saint Origin Peak, his status was no longer comparable to that of a mere new disciple. If they spoke rashly now, it would only make them appear shallow and arrogant. So, in the end, they could only exchange glances and shake their heads in frustration.

"What?! Zhou Yuan defeated Senior Brother Yuan Hong?!"

When the news reached Sword Cometh Peak, the shock it caused was the most intense. Many disciples were dumbfounded and found it hard to accept. Especially Lu Xuanyin; she stared wide-eyed at the messenger disciple, her pretty face turning ashen, and then her eyes became somewhat unfocused.

"How is that possible?!" she said, somewhat panicked, because she knew very well that it was precisely because of her that Lu Hong had a bias against Zhou Yuan in the first place; otherwise, Lu Hong might not have been unwilling to take Zhou Yuan as his disciple. Back then, she had been somewhat smug about it, thinking Lu Hong was helping her get revenge. But now that this outcome had occurred, that smugness turned into panic. Because she was well aware of Lu Hong's faction's plans for Saint Origin Peak. Those plans stemmed from Peak Master Ling Jun's will. Now, however, Lu Hong's failure would surely incur Peak Master Ling Jun's wrath. At that time, not only might Lu Hong be punished, but she might also be implicated. Just thinking of that outcome made Lu Xuanyin's face turn pale. She had never imagined that the country bumpkin she had once disdained would, in just a single year, acquire such status and power within the Cangxuan Sect.

High above, at the location of the Ten Saint Sons, Chu Qing's bald head reflected the light. He looked at the collapsed peak in the distance, a hint of surprise flashing across his handsome face as he slowly said, "Our junior brother Zhou Yuan is truly not simple..." This comment was no longer a jest made because of Yao Yao, but genuinely due to Zhou Yuan himself. To become the Chief disciple of a peak after only one year in the sect, even if it's the declining Saint Origin Peak, was enough to demonstrate Zhou Yuan's extraordinary nature.

Li Qingchan's beautiful eyes also fixed on that figure, a complex expression in them. She found that no matter how highly she estimated Zhou Yuan, her predictions always seemed to fall short of the final outcome. This suggested she had consistently misjudged Zhou Yuan. Li Qingchan's gaze shifted to another spot, where a graceful figure sat elegantly. The latter seemed to notice her look, slightly tilted her head, and then raised a wine pot towards her, seemingly chuckling. It was Yao Yao. Li Qingchan's red lips slightly twitched. She could imagine Yao Yao probably wanting to tell her again, "Did you misjudge him yet again?"

"This guy is truly a monster..." Li Qingchan muttered, looking at Zhou Yuan's figure in the distance. For a Saint Son like her to say such a thing indicated how highly she now regarded Zhou Yuan.

Beside Li Qingchan, Kong Sheng had long been silent, but anyone could see the thick chill on his face. Not far away, Zhao Zhu had already cursed out loud. He was simply cursing Yuan Hong for being useless. Seeing Kong Sheng's unapproachable demeanor, the other Saint Sons secretly chuckled and dared not provoke him at this moment.

Only Chu Qing sighed, then looked over and said, "Junior Brother Kong Sheng, I've outsmarted you again. When will you give me those Origin Jade?"

A vein pulsed on Kong Sheng's forehead.

Chu Qing rubbed his head, smiling brightly, "No rush, no rush. If Junior Brother Kong Sheng can't produce them right now, you can write me an IOU."

A chilling sound erupted from between Kong Sheng's teeth. "Get lost!"

Higher above the Cangxuan Sect, six majestic figures sat cross-legged in the void. At this moment, all six figures were gazing at the collapsed peak, somewhat lost in thought. Given their temperament and strength, for them to be momentarily lost in thought showed just how unexpected this scene was.

"Cough!" Sect Master Qing Yang was the first to regain his composure. He lightly coughed, then looked at Peak Master Ling Jun, whose handsome, youthful face was now unable to maintain its usual calm and collected expression; he clearly looked a bit displeased.

Peak Master Lian Yi, on the other hand, said with a smile, "This year's Chief competition was truly full of twists and turns. Hehe, Peak Master Ling Jun, we would be impolite to refuse the resources from your Sword Cometh Peak." Although the Peak Masters of the other peaks didn't speak, their mouths clearly twitched.

Earlier, Peak Master Ling Jun, against all objections, had transferred Lu Hong's faction to Saint Origin Peak and had also made a promise: if Lu Hong's faction failed to secure the Chief position, then Sword Cometh Peak would lose one-fifth of its cultivation resources, which would be distributed among the other peaks as compensation. That was an enormous amount of resources, enough to make even them feel the pinch.

Peak Master Ling Jun's face was ashen, his hands clenched tightly, clearly enraged.

Sect Master Qing Yang waved his hand, stopping Peak Master Lian Yi's gleeful provocation. He mused for a moment, then stated, "This time, Saint Origin Peak's Chief position has fallen to Elder Shen Taiyuan's faction. Lu Hong's faction has, it seems, failed."

"During the previous meeting, Peak Master Ling Jun also gave his word. Therefore, that one-fifth of the resources will be stripped from Sword Cometh Peak next year. I hope Peak Master Ling Jun understands this." Although he felt some sympathy for Peak Master Ling Jun, Sect Master Qing Yang naturally had to maintain fairness. So, even if this meant making Peak Master Ling Jun suffer a painful loss, he had to be resolute. After all, this was a promise Peak Master Ling Jun had personally made to the other Peak Masters; if he didn't uphold it, the other Peak Masters likely wouldn't let it go.

Peak Master Ling Jun took a deep breath, said nothing, and simply gave a heavy nod.

Seeing this, Sect Master Qing Yang said no more. His gaze turned to the collapsed Chief Peak. With a wave of his sleeve, the giant peak's collapse immediately halted. A mysterious power seemed to descend from the sky. Countless disciples watched in awe as the collapsed giant peak began to repair itself. Boulders rose, and greenery reappeared. In mere tens of seconds, a collapsed giant peak was reformed, standing in the world exactly as it had been before. This scene was truly astonishing. After all, destroying a mountain range was easy; even those in the Primeval realm could do it. But restoring it to its original state required a completely different level of power. This was practically changing heaven and earth.

A large stone, bearing the heavily injured Yuan Hong, slowly ascended and landed on the peak. Zhou Yuan was equally stunned by the sight before him, his eyes filled with awe. This kind of world-altering power was somewhat beyond his imagination. From high above, Sect Master Qing Yang's gentle gaze looked down. Behind Zhou Yuan, a stone chair slowly rose. On its backrest were the characters for "Chief." Zhou Yuan looked at the stone chair, his heart stirring. He bowed respectfully towards Sect Master Qing Yang from afar, then, under countless envious gazes, took his seat on the stone chair.

As Zhou Yuan sat on the stone chair, a beam of light shot up from it, like a pillar supporting the sky, standing between heaven and earth, clearly visible throughout the entire Cangxuan Sect. At the same time, Sect Master Qing Yang's majestic voice echoed throughout the world.

"The Chief competition of Saint Origin Peak has concluded."

"The Chief of Saint Origin Peak is Zhou Yuan!"

Simultaneously, countless disciples within the Cangxuan Sect looked towards the young figure seated on the Chief's stone chair, their eyes filled with reverence. They all bowed respectfully.

A unified voice resounded.

"Congratulations, Chief Zhou Yuan!"