Chapter 485: Nine Gods Mansion

The revelry on Saint Genesis Peak lasted for three full days. However, Zhou Yuan couldn't keep up and retreated to his cave dwelling on the second day. After all, he had just endured a series of brutal battles, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted, with no energy left for another celebration. Moreover, in three days, he would begin his challenge, which not only concerned the future of Saint Genesis Peak but also involved the second Saint Rune he had long coveted. Therefore, he secluded himself in his cave dwelling on the second day, diligently adjusting his condition to ensure he would be at his peak for the challenge three days later.

Inside the quiet, cool cave dwelling, lush greenery thrived. Zhou Yuan, having just finished his day's cultivation, changed into a loose robe and sat in a stone pavilion, leisurely sipping fragrant tea. His gaze, filled with admiration, was fixed ahead. Before him was a vibrant flower garden, where a slender, graceful girl, her hair tied up, was strolling among the blossoms, meticulously tending to the plants she had carefully transplanted. Sunlight filtered down from the mountain ceiling, illuminating her flawless, jade-like face, making her skin glow and captivating anyone who saw her. The sight was even more enchanting and beautiful than the myriad flowers themselves.

As Zhou Yuan watched admiringly, Yaoyao finished inspecting the flower garden, then stretched, revealing some graceful curves. She slowly walked out of the garden and sat in the stone pavilion. Glancing at Zhou Yuan, whose eyes had been fixed on her, her beautiful eyes grew slightly cold. Zhou Yuan immediately chuckled awkwardly, averting his gaze, and quickly poured Yaoyao a cup of fragrant tea. Yaoyao ignored him, simply took a letter from her sleeve, placed it on the table, and said, "This was sent by Elder Shen Taiyuan while you were cultivating. It seems to be about the Boundless Continent."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan's expression tightened. He knew that while the Cangxuan Sect couldn't directly interfere with his personal grievances, they would help him monitor developments on the Boundless Continent. He quickly tore open the envelope and read the letter carefully. A moment later, Zhou Yuan let out a soft sigh of relief. Looking at Yaoyao's clear eyes, he said, "The Great Wu Dynasty has begun to slow its external campaigns this year, and their attention is clearly shifting towards our Great Zhou. It seems King Wu has finally taken notice of the Great Zhou, which he had previously forgotten."

Yaoyao said indifferently, "You nearly crippled Wu Huang; of course, he wouldn't dare to ignore it anymore." Zhou Yuan nodded and said, "However, the Great Wu is currently in a testing phase. Their previous campaigns have offended many top dynasties, so they won't dare to act against our Great Zhou until they have absolute certainty. But this is only a matter of time." Zhou Yuan let out a long breath, his expression solemn, and said, "I don't have much time left..."

"But don't be too eager for quick success. Your cultivation speed is already very fast. If you pursue speed even further, you might end up ruining your precious foundation," Yaoyao said slowly, her tone cautionary. Zhou Yuan nodded, naturally understanding he wouldn't engage in such a short-sighted act.

He lightly tapped his fingers on the table and suddenly asked, "How strong are the Saint Sons of the Cangxuan Sect?" Yaoyao glanced at him and said, "What? You've just become a chief disciple, and you're already setting your sights on the Saint Sons?" "They're the next goal, after all," Zhou Yuan chuckled. While chief disciples are strong, Saint Sons are the ultimate objective.

Yaoyao rested her jade hand on her cheek and said somewhat languidly, "Don't even think about the Saint Sons for now. Even Zhao Zhu, who ranks tenth, would be difficult for you to contend with." "That strong?" Zhou Yuan asked, surprised. His Genesis Qi cultivation had reached the fifth layer, but his Genesis Qi foundation was exceptionally solid and profound, no weaker than that of an average eighth-layer disciple. With the addition of his physical strength, he thought he wouldn't necessarily be powerless against a ninth-layer disciple.

"The eighth and ninth layers are considered the biggest hurdles within the Alpha Origin Stage," Yaoyao said slowly. "How many Genesis Qi stars have you condensed in your Qi Dwelling now?" "Four thousand," Zhou Yuan replied. "To be able to condense such a number of Genesis Qi stars at the fifth layer, your Genesis Qi foundation is indeed extraordinary. But do you know how many Genesis Qi stars an average ninth-layer disciple has in their Qi Dwelling?" She looked at Zhou Yuan and extended a slender, graceful finger. "Ten thousand."

Zhou Yuan's heart trembled slightly, feeling a touch of emotion. A normal eighth-layer disciple usually had around four thousand Genesis Qi stars, but reaching the ninth layer meant immediately reaching ten thousand? This leap was quite significant. "For Zhao Zhu to become a Saint Son, even if he ranks last, he is clearly a talent of exceptional caliber. Therefore, his foundation would also be stronger than that of ordinary disciples, and the number of Genesis Qi stars would naturally be higher," Yaoyao said, her clear eyes looking at Zhou Yuan. "So, if you were to face him now, you probably wouldn't have much chance of winning."

Zhou Yuan gave a dry laugh, finally understanding why Yaoyao had stopped him from fighting Zhao Zhu yesterday—she knew the gap between them. "Don't underestimate the Saint Sons of the Cangxuan Sect... The top-ranked ones are even more unfathomable than you imagine. Do you really think that after all these years of arduous cultivation, they haven't been able to enter the Divine Dwelling Stage?" Yaoyao said leisurely. "What do you mean?" Zhou Yuan asked, bewildered.

"In my opinion, Chu Qing and the others could probably enter seclusion and break through directly to the Divine Dwelling Stage whenever they wish. It's just that they choose not to," Yaoyao explained. "Why?" Zhou Yuan asked, puzzled. "Because they are all proud individuals who are unwilling to settle for an ordinary breakthrough," Yaoyao chuckled lightly. "Elder Shen Taiyuan would have told you this once you reached the ninth layer, but I'll tell you in advance now."

"The so-called Divine Dwelling Stage is an evolution of the Qi Dwelling. A Divine Dwelling can accommodate much more Genesis Qi, as if your Qi Dwelling, once a river, has evolved into an ocean. When you first opened your Qi Dwelling, there were different grades for Qi Dwellings, and the Divine Dwelling is naturally the same. The Divine Dwelling Stage is also known as the Nine Heavens Divine Dwelling Stage, or simply Nine Divine Dwellings... This is because when the Qi Dwelling evolves and takes shape, it undergoes different transformations based on the strength of one's Genesis Qi foundation."

"When ordinary people break through, their Divine Dwelling will at most develop into a three-layered form, known as a Three Divine Dwelling. During a breakthrough, the stronger one's foundation, the higher the level of the Divine Dwelling that evolves, with the Nine Divine Dwelling being the highest! Chu Qing and the others have been delaying their breakthroughs precisely to continuously accumulate and strengthen their foundations, striving to evolve a higher-grade Divine Dwelling when they do break through. Their goal is likely above the Six Divine Dwelling, which is considered a true high-grade Divine Dwelling. To achieve this, they have been accumulating for what is probably several years."

"Therefore, in the ninth layer of the Alpha Origin Stage, the most important thing is to accumulate Genesis Qi and strengthen one's foundation. However, at that level, the foundation is already extremely profound, and increasing it even slightly becomes incredibly difficult, requiring significant fortunate encounters."

Zhou Yuan's expression gradually grew solemn. It seemed he had indeed underestimated these Saint Sons, having previously thought they simply hadn't broken through for years. In reality, they weren't unable to break through; they were intentionally suppressing their breakthroughs... And with years of accumulated foundation, just how profound must their current strength be?

"Is it very difficult to evolve and open up a Nine Divine Dwelling?" Zhou Yuan asked hesitantly. Yaoyao took a slow sip of her fragrant tea and leisurely replied, "Throughout the history of the Cangxuan Sect, no more than three people have managed to open up a Nine Divine Dwelling, and Patriarch Cangxuan was the first. So, what do you think? Is it difficult?" Zhou Yuan drew a sharp breath, only now truly comprehending the immense difficulty of achieving a Nine Divine Dwelling. The Cangxuan Sect had stood in Cangxuan Heaven for so long, witnessing countless heaven-blessed talents, yet ultimately only three had managed to open a Nine Divine Dwelling? This clearly showed what a terrifying Genesis Qi foundation one needed to accumulate in the Alpha Origin Stage to even hope of opening a Nine Divine Dwelling.

It seemed he still had a long way to go in the Alpha Origin Stage! For now, he needed to calm himself and successfully complete the mountain challenge scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

Watching Zhou Yuan deep in thought, Yaoyao's red lips curved slightly. How could she not sense that this fellow had become a little complacent since becoming a chief disciple? Therefore, it was time to give him a reality check, to make him clearly understand the gap between him and the Saint Sons, so he would diligently focus on his cultivation.