Chapter 790: Fivefold Mansion

Although Zhou Yuan felt a strong curiosity towards the Four Spirits Origin Tower, he wasn't in a rush to visit it immediately. Now that he was a member of the Wind Pavilion, he knew he would have ample time in the future.

Next, Ye Bingling led Zhou Yuan to his accommodation. Due to his status as a Vice Pavilion Master, he was assigned a private, detached building situated halfway up a mountain. The ethereal clouds drifting around it created a refreshing and delightful atmosphere.

Yi Qiushui, being only an ordinary member of the Wind Pavilion, received some preferential treatment as a woman and was given a simple yet serene cottage by the water.

After ensuring both were settled, Ye Bingling took her leave, but not before arranging for them to visit the Four Spirits Origin Tower together the following day.

Once the two women had departed, Zhou Yuan ate a simple meal before immediately beginning his daily cultivation on his bed.

With only two months left until the Pavilion Master competition, Zhou Yuan knew he had to maximize every opportunity to enhance his strength.

With a flick of his finger, two high-grade Divine Palace elixirs materialized. He took one in each hand. Now that he was the Vice Pavilion Master of the Wind Pavilion, he had a steady supply of these elixirs, allowing him to cultivate without the need for the previous frugality.

As Zhou Yuan entered his cultivation state, the Divine Palace elixirs in his palms began to glow, releasing countless luminous specks of Genesis Qi that surged into his body.

The barrier between the fourth and fifth layers of his Divine Palace within him gradually thinned, dissolving under the surging Genesis Qi.

Approximately two hours later, Zhou Yuan opened his eyes to see the Divine Palace elixirs in his hands crumbling into dust and dissipating.

"This Divine Palace barrier is finally showing signs of breaking through!"

A surge of excitement welled up in Zhou Yuan's eyes. He had been refining this Divine Palace barrier for a considerable time, expending many Divine Palace elixirs in the process. Now, he finally sensed the imminent completion of his efforts.

Once this Divine Palace barrier was breached and all five layers merged, his Genesis Qi reserves would receive another substantial increase.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Yuan did not let this rare opportunity for a breakthrough pass. With a sweep of his sleeve, over a dozen Divine Palace elixirs appeared around him, hovering silently.

He closed his eyes once more. The dozen or so Divine Palace elixirs circling him instantly shone, emitting countless specks of Genesis Qi that entered him through his nostrils.

Concurrently, the Genesis Qi within Zhou Yuan's body began to surge and boil violently.

As time passed, the brilliantly glowing Divine Palace elixirs gradually dimmed, one by one, eventually turning into dust and vanishing into thin air.

By the time the last Divine Palace elixir had dissipated, the barrier separating the fourth and fifth layers of Zhou Yuan's Divine Palace finally shattered.

From the fourth Divine Palace, a vast and surging torrent of Genesis Qi surged upward, pouring into the fifth Divine Palace.

Simultaneously, mysterious power flowed from the fifth Divine Palace, colliding with the Genesis Qi and rapidly fusing.

The fusion resulted in a dramatic surge in his Genesis Qi reserves.

Within the room, the surrounding Genesis Qi began to boil.

Zhou Yuan's body emanated a greenish-gold light, accompanied by faint, distant roars reminiscent of a flood dragon. Outside his form, it appeared as if a verdant dragon was coiled, inhaling and exhaling the Genesis Qi of the heavens and earth.

This phenomenon persisted for a full stick of incense before gradually fading away.

Zhou Yuan opened his eyes once more, a barely concealed joy radiating from them. As he sensed the Genesis Qi reserves within his Divine Palace, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved upward.

"These Genesis Qi reserves… they must be around eleven million now."

Before breaking through the barrier to the fifth Divine Palace, Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi reserves were over eight million. Following this breakthrough and fusion, his Genesis Qi 'star' reserves increased by approximately three million.

If Ye Bingling were to learn of such an increase, she would likely be utterly stunned.

This was because, by conventional standards, even for someone like her, progressing through a Divine Palace barrier in the lower nine palaces would only yield a Genesis Qi increase of barely a million. Zhou Yuan's increase, however, was a full three times that amount!

Furthermore, and most significantly, Zhou Yuan was still only in the mid-Divine Palace stage. Once he advanced to the late Divine Palace stage and broke through even higher-level Divine Palace barriers, the increase in his reserves would likely be even more substantial.

"According to this projection, once I reach the peak of the late Divine Palace stage and open all nine Divine Palaces, my Genesis Qi reserves could very well reach at least thirty million?" Zhou Yuan mused, astonishing even himself by the thought.

What did thirty million Genesis Qi reserves even mean?

Even without employing any Genesis techniques, the sheer magnitude of his Genesis Qi alone would be enough to overwhelm and crush some late Divine Palace stage cultivators.

It was at this moment that Zhou Yuan truly grasped the profound advantages of his mutated Chaos Divine Palace.

"I wonder whose Genesis Qi reserves would be deeper compared to Yuwei's legendary Ten Divine Palaces?" Zhou Yuan felt quite curious about this.

However, he swiftly dismissed these idle thoughts.

"Still, while eleven million Genesis Qi reserves aren't weak, it doesn't guarantee I'm stronger than Chen Beifeng or Ye Bingling," Zhou Yuan mused. Although he hadn't witnessed Chen Beifeng or Ye Bingling in combat, his interaction with Ye Bingling today allowed him to sense that her Genesis Qi reserves likely surpassed the eleven million mark.

Late Divine Palace stage cultivators with Nine Divine Palaces, even those from the lower nine palaces, were not to be underestimated.

Thus, while this breakthrough had narrowed the gap between him and them, it hadn't allowed him to overtake them. Relying solely on this level of strength for the Pavilion Master competition two months later would likely be insufficient.

"Tomorrow, I'll go check out the Four Spirits Origin Tower first."

A sense of anticipation swelled within Zhou Yuan; he felt confident that the Four Spirits Origin Tower would not disappoint him.

The following morning.

As Zhou Yuan pushed open his door, he saw three figures standing before a misty cliff. The first two were Ye Bingling and Yi Qiushui, but to Zhou Yuan's slight surprise, the third person was Liu Zhixuan, whom he had previously met.

"Liu Zhixuan is also a newcomer to the Wind Pavilion, so it works out perfectly for him to join us today," Yi Qiushui said with a smile as she saw Zhou Yuan emerge.

Zhou Yuan nodded and offered Liu Zhixuan a smile. While both Liu Zhixuan and Qiu Ling hailed from prominent families in Little Xuan Province, Zhou Yuan's impression of Liu Zhixuan was vastly different from his impression of Qiu Ling.

"I never would have thought that in just a few days, Brother Zhou Yuan would leap to become the Vice Pavilion Master of the Wind Pavilion," Liu Zhixuan said, giving a fist salute with a smile on his handsome face. "Had I known, I would have tried much harder to curry favor back in Xuanzhou City."

Zhou Yuan responded to the playful jab with a helpless, wry smile.

Standing nearby, Ye Bingling remained silent, yet her icy eyes fixated on Zhou Yuan with a hint of confusion. Upon seeing him again today, she subtly sensed a dangerous aura emanating from him.

Her internal Genesis Qi also fluctuated slightly in response, instinctively preparing itself for defense.

It was noteworthy that Zhou Yuan yesterday could not have caused her internal Genesis Qi to react so instinctively.

Zhou Yuan's gaze shifted, noting Ye Bingling's subtle reaction. He immediately understood that this was due to his recent breakthrough; his internal Genesis Qi had not yet been fully suppressed, allowing Ye Bingling to perceive it.

He then calmed himself, and the countless shimmering Genesis Qi stars within his Divine Palace gradually settled.

The subtle external emanation instantly vanished.

Ye Bingling's beautiful eyes flickered briefly before she gave Zhou Yuan a profound look. Without further words, she said, "Let's go. I'll take you to the Four Spirits Origin Tower."

As she finished speaking, she was the first to soar into the air.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan, Yi Qiushui, and Liu Zhixuan promptly followed suit.

The four transformed into streaks of light, shooting out from Wind Island. They passed through layers of storms and headed southwest. Along their route, countless other figures could be seen, riding on Genesis Qi, all seemingly bound for the same destination.

Maintaining their full speed, after approximately half an incense stick's worth of time, Zhou Yuan and the other two spotted a small floating island emerging into view.

From all directions, countless figures streamed across the sky, continuously descending onto the floating island, indicating its immense popularity.

As they drew closer, Zhou Yuan finally saw clearly that a massive, peculiar structure stood suspended over the floating island.

The building featured a four-cornered design, with a colossal tower erected at each corner. Long stone bridges extended outwards from these towers, ultimately converging in the center to form a large circular plaza.

Ye Bingling pointed her slender finger towards the colossal and unique structure, then turned to Zhou Yuan and the other two with a slight smile.

"Welcome to the Four Spirits Origin Tower."