Chapter 765: Cultivating the Sword Pellet

Although the Yi family intended to keep it a secret, news that they had designated Zhou Yuan as one of their external aids quickly spread throughout Xuanzhou City. With so many members, it was impossible to prevent gossip.

As the news spread, it predictably caused a great stir. Clearly, no one had anticipated that the Yi family would enlist an external aid at the intermediate Divine Dwelling stage for this provincial lord competition. Moreover, Zhou Yuan was utterly unknown in Little Xuanzhou, possessing no impressive achievements or reputation. Consequently, all factions found the Yi family's decision incredibly perplexing.

The provincial lord competition inherently grants each side five highly coveted slots. By assigning one of these precious external aid positions to Zhou Yuan, the Yi family appeared to be hamstringing themselves before the battle even began. Such a move was exceptionally unwise.

"The Yi family's decision is utterly foolish."

"With the Yi family head deceased, Yi Qiushui is now in charge. That young girl is, after all, still a bit green and naive."

"Heh heh, I hear Zhou Yuan is quite handsome, and Yi Qiushui brought him back herself. Could he be her lover? Is that why she insisted on bringing him in as an external aid?"

"How could the two Heavenly Sun elders of the Yi family possibly agree to this?"

"Alas, it seems the Yi family is set to suffer a significant loss in this provincial lord competition. If the provincial lord position falls into the Qiu family's hands, all of the Yi family's long-term plans in Little Xuanzhou will likely be gradually dismantled. In the end, they might even be forced to withdraw from Little Xuanzhou in disgrace."

"Yes, and the Qiu family has even recalled Qiu Ling, who was cultivating diligently at the Heavenly Spirit Sect, clearly demonstrating their absolute determination to secure the provincial lord position."

Within Xuanzhou City, numerous opinions circulated, though most were pessimistic about the Yi family's prospects in the provincial lord competition. The Yi family members were understandably indignant about the criticisms circulating in Xuanzhou City, but with no way to explain the situation, they could only swallow their anger. This, in turn, caused them to direct their resentment toward Zhou Yuan, the perceived cause of the entire controversy.

In the Yi family's backyard, an independent courtyard boasted lush greenery and ancient trees. Their vast canopies covered nearly half the small courtyard, giving it a secluded feel. Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged on the thick trunk of an ancient tree, his eyes slightly closed. Having accepted Yi Qiushui's significant wager for the provincial lord competition, Zhou Yuan was naturally very serious about it. While the single province of Little Xuanzhou was incomparable to the Cangxuan Sect, Zhou Yuan understood that Hunyuan Heaven was, ultimately, the supreme realm among all heavens, and he could not afford to truly underestimate it.

Hovering above Zhou Yuan's knees was a mottled black brush, absorbing and releasing the Genesis Qi of the world. It was the Heavenly Yuan Brush.

Zhou Yuan opened his eyes and glanced at the Heavenly Yuan Brush, a hint of helplessness in his gaze. Ever since the fifth Genesis Rune, "Source Breaker," awakened on the Heavenly Yuan Brush, the sixth Genesis Rune had yet to fully manifest. The Heavenly Yuan Brush was currently at the lower-grade Heavenly Genesis Weapon level. Another awakening might elevate it to the upper-grade. An upper-grade Heavenly Genesis Weapon would undoubtedly be considered a divine artifact, even within Hunyuan Heaven, a treasure that ordinary Heavenly Sun stage experts might not even possess.

Of course, Zhou Yuan valued the awakened Genesis Runes more than the Heavenly Yuan Brush's grade. The fifth rune, "Source Breaker," had previously brought him immeasurable benefits. If the fifth rune was already so extraordinary, how much more marvelous would the sixth rune prove to be? However, despite Zhou Yuan continuously nourishing the Heavenly Yuan Brush for the past year or two, the sixth rune had been slow to appear, revealing the brush's enormous appetite.

"It seems it will require some more time." Zhou Yuan murmured to himself. However, these years of nourishment had not been entirely in vain; he could see that the sixth ancient Genesis Rune on the mottled brush was gradually radiating light. Presumably, the awakening of the sixth rune was not far off.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhou Yuan temporarily set aside the Heavenly Yuan Brush. He brought his palms together, and wisps of Genesis Qi swirled between them. As the Genesis Qi continuously compressed and rotated, a faint yet exceedingly sharp aura subtly emanated. A sharp, sizzling sound filled the air. The surrounding void gradually showed signs of being torn by the intense sharpness. It was like sword qi.

These sharp sword qi continuously gathered and compressed in Zhou Yuan's palm. After a full half-day of this process, a small, pea-sized sword qi pellet began to form in his palm. Zhou Yuan gazed thoughtfully at the tiny sword pellet floating in his palm. What he was currently cultivating was, naturally, the Demon-Slaying Sword Pellet Art from Sword Peak. Having just arrived in the Tianyuan Region, he needed to continuously enhance his strength. The Seven Cangxuan Arts, which he had obtained before leaving the Cangxuan Sect, were something he absolutely had to cultivate.

Among these arts, the Demon-Slaying Sword Pellet Art was a pure killing technique with extremely formidable attack power. Zhou Yuan had greatly coveted it since his time at the Cangxuan Sect, so after acquiring it, he diligently studied it whenever he had time. Now, it was finally showing initial results.

"However, to truly condense a sword pellet, Geng Gold Qi must be fused with Genesis Sword Qi," Zhou Yuan murmured to himself. "Right now, my sword pellet is still ethereal and not very powerful."

However, Geng Gold Qi must be extracted from rare natural treasures, which are quite valuable. Zhou Yuan, being isolated and having lost all his possessions in the spatial turbulence, was currently penniless. He had even shamelessly asked Yi Qiushui for the materials needed to advance the Ancestral Dragon Scripture. How could he possibly afford the rare treasures required to extract Geng Gold Qi?

Zhou Yuan fiddled with the Cosmos Pouch at his waist, finding it utterly empty. This realization made his expression turn bitter; he was truly too poor. It was all because of that Saint of the Saint Race who disrupted the spatial teleportation! Zhou Yuan gritted his teeth, a fierce glint in his eyes. "I'll remember this debt!" he muttered.

As Zhou Yuan was lost in thought, two graceful figures approached from outside the courtyard: Yi Qiushui and her personal guard, Zhao Yue. Seeing them, Zhou Yuan moved, instantly appearing before them.

"Brother Zhou, are you settling in well?" Yi Qiushui asked with a smile.

"Very well," he replied.

Zhao Yue, standing behind Yi Qiushui, subtly pouted and mumbled, "You might be doing well, but our Yi family is about to become the laughing stock of Xuanzhou City."

Zhou Yuan gave a dry cough. "What do those ignorant people know?" he said.

Zhao Yue rolled her eyes dismissively. The entire Yi family was now talking about how unbelievably thick-skinned he was, and it was proving to be true. Yi Qiushui, however, watched Zhou Yuan with interest. His nonchalant and unconcerned attitude didn't seem to be an act.

She lightly patted the Cosmos Pouch at her waist. With a flash of light, several golden boxes appeared on the ground. "These are the materials you need," she stated. At the sight, Zhou Yuan couldn't help but feel joy. Hunyuan Heaven was truly a place of abundant resources; merely within this small Xuanzhou, he was able to gather all the materials required for the Ancestral Dragon Scripture's advancement. It was noteworthy that even Yaoyao had searched for a long time within the Cangxuan Sect without being able to gather all of them.

"Thank you," Zhou Yuan said gratefully.

Yi Qiushui shook her head and chuckled playfully. "These materials are quite rare; some were even hard to find in our Yi family's treasury. We only managed to gather them with the help of Uncle Liu's Black Eagle Merchant Association. Brother Zhou, your fee for this engagement is truly quite substantial."

Zhou Yuan's face flushed, and he could only manage a dry laugh. However, he immediately sighed inwardly. While the materials for the Ancestral Dragon Scripture's advancement were now complete, those for cultivating the Demon-Slaying Sword Pellet Art were still unaccounted for.

Yi Qiushui, being observant, noticed the worry etched on Zhou Yuan's brows and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhou, do you have any other concerns?"

Zhou Yuan coughed dryly, thinking, *You asked me yourself.*

"Indeed, there's one more thing I'd like to ask for your help with, Qiushui," Zhou Yuan said, looking a bit sheepish. "I still need some natural treasures that can refine Geng Gold Qi."

At his words, Zhao Yue's eyes immediately widened. She glared at Zhou Yuan, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

"Don't worry, I won't take them for free," Zhou Yuan quickly added. "I'll trade half of those one hundred portions of upper-grade Divine Dwelling precious medicines for them!"

Zhao Yue was so incensed she almost laughed. *Those one hundred portions of upper-grade Divine Dwelling precious medicines are only given to you if the Yi family wins the provincial lord competition, aren't they? You're already treating them as your own?*

Yi Qiushui's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She gazed at Zhou Yuan, who met her gaze, and in his eyes, she saw a hint of helplessness but no sign of guilt or evasion. Yi Qiushui paused for a moment before saying, "Brother Zhou, inviting you at such a high price already somewhat deviates from the Yi family's rules. If we were to provide additional items, it might be difficult to explain to the rest of the family."

Zhou Yuan scratched his head and offered a helpless smile. "I understand," he said.

Yi Qiushui paused, then continued, "While the family cannot provide anything further, I do have some personal reserves that I can temporarily lend to Brother Zhou."

Zhou Yuan stared at Yi Qiushui, utterly astonished and momentarily speechless.

"Miss!" Zhao Yue, standing nearby, couldn't help but stamp her foot.

Yi Qiushui waved her hand gracefully and smiled faintly. "I'll have someone bring the items over shortly." With that, she gave Zhou Yuan a profound look, then, without further ado, turned and gracefully departed, taking the indignant Zhao Yue with her.

Zhou Yuan remained standing, watching Yi Qiushui's slender figure as she departed. He sighed, muttering, "What a formidable person she is..." It was clearly meant to be a mutually beneficial transaction, yet with this subtle maneuver, Yi Qiushui had forced Zhou Yuan to accept a favor. Now, in the upcoming provincial lord competition, Zhou Yuan truly had to contend with all his might, because failure would mean a complete and utter loss of face. The crucial point was that one couldn't even accuse Yi Qiushui of deliberately scheming against him, because her subtle way of bestowing favors precisely struck a chord with Zhou Yuan. If Zhou Yuan were truly heartless, someone who would take everything and then abandon others, Yi Qiushui's move would have been ineffective. But she clearly understood that Zhou Yuan was not such a person.

This new head of the Yi family truly possessed extraordinary methods.

Zhou Yuan sighed, then with a wave of his sleeve, collected all the boxes from the ground. It seemed that for the next few days, he could not afford to relax. Whether it was advancing the Ancestral Dragon Scripture or mastering the Demon-Slaying Sword Pellet Art, he had to cultivate them with full effort in preparation for the upcoming provincial lord competition.