Chapter 500: Negotiation

The news of the summit quickly spread throughout Saint Genesis Peak, and the disciples of the two factions cheered upon hearing it. After all, for the past year, they had endured much bullying from the Lu Hong faction. The Lu Hong faction, being immensely powerful, had completely suppressed the other two factions before Zhou Yuan appeared, treating them with utter disdain.

This naturally led to irreconcilable conflicts between the two sides.

Now, the situation had dramatically changed. Zhou Yuan's sudden emergence completely reversed the tide; the Lu Hong faction no longer dared to be as arrogant as before, and even the chief disciple position had fallen to Zhou Yuan.

Elder Shen Taiyuan now held the Peak Master Seal and acted as the interim Peak Master, a move that instantly brought their faction significant influence and power.

With considerable boldness, Shen Taiyuan intended to exercise the Peak Master's authority to send the Lu Hong faction back to Sword Cometh Peak. This move was naturally welcomed by the other two factions, as removing this disruptive element would allow Saint Genesis Peak to truly unite.

Although Saint Genesis Peak's overall strength would indeed decrease significantly without the Lu Hong faction, the disciples of the two remaining factions felt a surge of confidence. After all, their current chief disciple had already created many astonishing miracles.

Who knew if their Saint Genesis Peak, now consisting of only two factions, could once again impress everyone at the Genesis Pool Festival?

At Saint Genesis Peak, in a stone pavilion nestled among green hills.

Zhou Yuan sat inside, with Zhou Tai, Zhang Yan, and Lu Yan seated before him.

“Who would have thought that the chief disciple position of our Saint Genesis Peak would actually fall to Junior Brother Zhou Yuan?” Zhou Tai looked at Zhou Yuan, sighing with emotion, but more so with admiration. After all, Zhou Yuan had earned this chief position through genuine strength, and no one could question it.

He smiled and looked at Zhang Yan next to him, playfully remarking, “Junior Brother Zhang Yan used to think the least of Junior Brother Zhou Yuan.”

Zhang Yan immediately felt a little awkward upon hearing this and let out a dry laugh. However, he was straightforward; he picked up the teacup in front of him and said, “It’s true that I was short-sighted before and couldn’t recognize Junior Brother Zhou Yuan’s abilities. Now, I’ll offer this tea in place of wine, as an apology.”

He raised the teacup and drank it in one gulp.

His previous resentment towards Zhou Yuan stemmed from Elder Shen Taiyuan's excessive regard for him, which Zhang Yan had felt was undeserved, leading to a sense of imbalance.

But the current outcome made him realize the gap between his judgment and Elder Shen Taiyuan's. He wasn't someone who refused to acknowledge reality, so he promptly apologized.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan also chuckled, picked up his teacup, and drank it in one gulp.

Lu Yan, seeing this, bit her red lips, feeling somewhat ashamed and embarrassed. Her beautiful eyes darted towards Zhou Yuan, showing less of her usual fierce demeanor.

“Saint Genesis Peak's gates have reopened; from now on, we must work together to make Saint Genesis Peak prosper. Let's not dwell on past minor issues,” Zhou Yuan said with an unconstrained smile.

“I invited the three of you here today to discuss the upcoming Genesis Pool Festival,” Zhou Yuan said, bringing the conversation back to the main topic. “I've only been here for a year and haven't experienced it yet, so I need your help to clarify many aspects of it.”

At the mention of the Genesis Pool Festival, the expressions of the three also turned serious.

“It was certainly satisfying that Elder Shen asked the Lu Hong faction to leave Saint Genesis Peak…” Zhou Tai said slowly, “However, without the Lu Hong faction, our Saint Genesis Peak’s strength has indeed dropped significantly.”

“Chief Zhou Yuan, you must have already learned something about the Genesis Pool Festival, right?” Lu Yan asked, her beautiful eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan nodded.

“During every annual Genesis Pool Festival, the sect activates the Origin Dragon Veins, strengthening the flow of Origin Dragon Qi into the Genesis Pool. This will cause a massive number of water beasts to be born within the pool, and their strength will also be greater. At this time, the Genesis Pool is at its most dangerous.”

“This poses a great threat to the disciples of all peaks. If one is not careful, they might be encircled and wiped out by the water beasts.”

Lu Yan slowly explained, “If we are wiped out early, the Genesis Marrow we collect will naturally be very little, resulting in a poor final evaluation. You know, entering the Genesis Pool might not mean much to us, but it’s a huge deal for disciples below the Purple Belt rank. They don't have the qualification to enter the Genesis Pool; this is their only opportunity all year.”

“If it gets messed up, it's a huge loss for them.”

“So this time, you need to pay extra attention. You’ve just become chief; if the Genesis Pool Festival results are too poor, not to mention what other peaks will say, even our Saint Genesis Peak disciples below the Purple Belt rank will likely be very disappointed.”

Zhang Yan also nodded, sighing, “Junior Brother Zhou Yuan, your burden is heavy.”

Zhou Yuan also nodded with a solemn expression, knowing that this Genesis Pool Festival carried the hopes of many Saint Genesis Peak disciples.

“Of course, if the Genesis Pool Festival yields good results, it will also greatly benefit you,” Lu Yan continued, “Because during every festival, the quantity and quality of water beasts increase, and perhaps in the end, a Nine Dragon Baptism could emerge…”

“Do you know why those Saint Seeds appear at every Genesis Pool Festival? They all rely on this, because to achieve a Nine Dragon Baptism, it can only happen during the Genesis Pool Festival,” Lu Yan quickly added, afraid of dampening Zhou Yuan's enthusiasm.

Although achieving a Nine Dragon Baptism was extremely difficult – even Chu Qing hadn't experienced it in all these years.

“A Nine Dragon Baptism?” Zhou Yuan’s heart stirred slightly. He had already experienced an Eight Dragon Baptism, so any baptism below that level would have a diminished effect on him. The Nine Dragon Baptism, however, was what truly excited him.

This could enhance his Genesis Qi foundation.

However, he quickly suppressed his excitement. Although he hadn't yet experienced the difficulty of the Genesis Pool Festival, he presumed it wouldn't be simple. Saint Genesis Peak was truly in a sorry state now. Other peaks had at least dozens of factions, large numbers of disciples, and even chief disciples and Saint Seeds.

Here, they had a pitiful two factions, barely hundreds of people in total. Their chief disciple had just taken office, still fresh and new to the role, and as for Saint Seeds, they had none at all.

“What were our results in previous Genesis Pool Festivals?” Zhou Yuan asked, pondering.

The three exchanged glances, looking somewhat embarrassed. “We received a 'lower grade' evaluation, and all participants got a Two Dragon Baptism,” they said. “Actually, at our best, it was only a Three Dragon Baptism.”

In the final grading of the Genesis Pool Festival, there were three ranks: upper, middle, and lower. Saint Genesis Peak's 'lower grade' Two Dragon Baptism in previous years was barely better than nothing.

“This was also because Sword Cometh Peak helped us in previous years, though they ultimately took 20% of our Genesis Marrow as 'protection fees',” Zhou Tai said with a bitter smile. “But this year, I'm afraid Sword Cometh Peak won't agree.”

Zhou Yuan taking the chief position had caused Sword Cometh Peak heavy losses. It would be good enough if Sword Cometh Peak didn't add insult to injury during the Genesis Pool Festival; could they still expect their help?

Lu Yan looked at Zhou Yuan, grinning playfully, “I heard you have a good relationship with Senior Sister Li Qingchan of Snow Lotus Peak. Why don't you talk to her and suggest our Saint Genesis Peak pay some protection fees to their Snow Lotus Peak this time? You're handsome too, so maybe we'd only have to pay ten percent.”

Zhou Yuan's mouth twitched. Was this a honey trap for men? How unpromising!

“Heh heh, Saint Genesis Peak doesn’t have many people, but it’s certainly lively here…”

As they continued talking, a faint laugh suddenly drifted over. Zhou Yuan and the others looked up and saw a figure slowly approaching from not far away. With a flicker, the figure appeared within the stone pavilion in just a few steps.

Zhou Tai and the others were startled upon seeing this person, unable to help but exclaim, “Baili Che?!”

The newcomer was none other than the chief disciple of Sword Cometh Peak.

This chief disciple of Sword Cometh Peak entered the pavilion and ignored Zhou Tai and the others. He cast a dismissive glance, his eyes filled with condescending arrogance.

He sat down by the stone table and poured himself some tea. His nonchalant demeanor, as if no one else was present, sparked a flicker of anger in Zhou Tai and the others' eyes.

Lu Yan scoffed coldly, “This is Saint Genesis Peak. What are you, a chief disciple from Sword Cometh Peak, doing here?”

Baili Che held the teacup in his hand, still ignoring them. After taking a sip, he finally cast his indifferent gaze towards Zhou Yuan, who had remained silent and expressionless throughout. He smiled faintly, his expression slightly arrogant.

“Of course, I’m here to show you a way to save face.”