Chapter 801: Capturing Scar Patterns

Among the eight chief commanders of the Wind Pavilion, including Jin Teng, four were Chen Beifeng's people, two were Ye Bingling's, and two had consistently remained neutral.

Chen Beifeng alone held four of the eight commander positions, which formed the foundation of his strong influence in the Wind Pavilion. However, no one had expected that after the recent turmoil, three of his four commanders would be lost, a truly devastating blow.

In contrast, on Zhou Yuan and Ye Bingling's side, the three newly appointed commanders, including Xiao Hong, were already marked as their allies. Adding Ye Bingling's original two commanders, they now controlled five out of the eight commander positions. This undoubtedly gave them even greater influence than Chen Beifeng had previously enjoyed!

Consequently, in the period following the commander competition, Zhou Yuan and Ye Bingling's popularity within the Wind Pavilion surged.

However, some clear-headed individuals did not join in, knowing that the current momentum and popularity were ultimately superficial. If Chen Beifeng were to win the Pavilion Master competition next month, this so-called influence would vanish like a sandcastle washed away by the tide.

The commander competition was, in the end, merely a minor skirmish. Only by honorably securing the position of Pavilion Master could one establish true overwhelming dominance.

Therefore, within the Wind Pavilion, more and more attention involuntarily converged on Chen Beifeng and Ye Bingling. These two were considered to have the best chance in the upcoming Pavilion Master competition. As for Zhou Yuan, many only saw him as an ally recruited by Ye Bingling and never believed he truly had the qualifications to contend with Chen Beifeng.

In fact, many believed that without Ye Bingling's support, Zhou Yuan would be swiftly suppressed by Chen Beifeng as soon as he tried to make a move.

Thus, determining who would truly control the Wind Pavilion in the future would likely depend on the thrilling contest between Ye Bingling and Chen Beifeng in next month's Pavilion Master competition.

"That kid certainly knows how to stir things up," Wang Chen, the Deputy Pavilion Master of Fire Pavilion, remarked with a cold smile, looking at the gloomy-faced Chen Beifeng in a private room of a restaurant within the Four Spirits Origin Tower. He had just learned about the commander competition within the Wind Pavilion.

"But there's no need to be angry," he continued soothingly. "Once you win the Pavilion Master competition next month and become the Wind Pavilion Master, Zhou Yuan and Ye Bingling will no longer pose any threat to you. At that time, if you want revenge, you'll have plenty of ways to make their lives miserable."

Chen Beifeng's face was grim. "I'm not worried about the Pavilion Master competition," he said. "It's just that Zhou Yuan, constantly jumping around like a monkey, really sickens me."

"Hmph, if not for Ye Bingling protecting him, I would have found an excuse to spar with him long ago and crippled him. Let's see how arrogant he'd be then!"

As he thought of Zhou Yuan, a hint of coldness flickered in Wang Chen's smiling eyes. "That kid, I don't know where he came from, but he truly doesn't know his place."

Thinking back to the day Zhou Yuan publicly humiliated him, Wang Chen still felt a blockage in his chest, gritting his teeth in hatred.

Wang Chen rubbed the teacup with his palm, then suddenly sneered. "Actually, teaching that kid a lesson isn't hard. Doesn't he want to win people's hearts in the Wind Pavilion? I have a method that will surely make him suffer."

"Oh?" Chen Beifeng looked at Wang Chen. Although he believed that all the trouble Zhou Yuan was causing now could be easily dealt with once he became Pavilion Master, saving some effort by suppressing Zhou Yuan's antics beforehand would be beneficial if Wang Chen truly had a way.

Wang Chen smiled slightly. "It's actually very simple."

He extended his hand and placed a jade slip, inscribed with a Genesis Rune, on the table.

Chen Beifeng took it, glanced at it, and asked suspiciously, "Is this a Mark-Catching Rune from your Fire Pavilion?"

When cultivating in the Four Spirits Origin Tower, burning Origin Gathering Coins could attract Heaven Spirit Gale and similar substances containing Genesis Marks. However, less than half of the Genesis Marks within these attracted substances typically remained in the body, with the majority dispersing into the wind.

This undoubtedly lowered the efficiency of condensing Genesis Marks.

The Mark-Catching Rune produced by Fire Pavilion could partially remedy this. By imprinting this rune onto the body before burning the coins, it would form a miraculous net-like structure within the flesh. When Heaven Spirit Gale and similar substances passed through the body, the Mark-Catching Rune could capture some of the Genesis Marks attempting to escape.

It was estimated that one Mark-Catching Rune could be used for the duration of an incense stick, and it could increase the number of Genesis Marks retained in the body by approximately twenty percent.

One should not underestimate this twenty percent gain; accumulated over a long period, the total number of Genesis Marks would reach a remarkably astonishing level.

Therefore, among the four pavilions, the Mark-Catching Runes produced by Fire Pavilion sold exceptionally well. The superior treatment of Fire Pavilion members compared to the other three pavilions was largely thanks to these runes, as each rune cost half an Origin Gathering Coin, with a minimum purchase of two.

The other three pavilions had tried to replicate it, but the Mark-Catching Rune was indeed incredibly intricate. Moreover, if disassembled, the Genesis Runes would automatically disintegrate, making it impossible to understand their principles. Thus, over time, the Mark-Catching Rune became exclusive to Fire Pavilion.

Wang Chen toyed with the jade slip, smiling faintly. "Our Fire Pavilion can grant you the sales rights for these Mark-Catching Runes in the Wind Pavilion. From now on, anyone in the Wind Pavilion who wants to buy them will have to come to you. And you know what conditions you can set for buyers, right?"

Chen Beifeng's eyes immediately lit up. "Are you saying... don't sell them to Ye Bingling's or Zhou Yuan's people?"

"Haha, not exactly 'don't sell,'" Wang Chen chuckled. "After all, no one turns down Origin Gathering Coins. But you can differentiate: your people pay the original price, while theirs pay double."

"Do you think Ye Bingling and Zhou Yuan's methods of winning support will be more substantial than genuine Origin Gathering Coins? I don't think the choice will be difficult."

Chen Beifeng burst into laughter. "In that case, in just a few days, the support Ye Bingling and Zhou Yuan worked so hard to gather will surely crumble! If they try to forcefully stop it, they'll only make themselves detested."

He gave Wang Chen a thumbs-up, praising, "Brother Wang, this move will definitely leave them with no words to express their bitterness."

Wang Chen's tactic, though not involving any use of force, would nonetheless make Ye Bingling and Zhou Yuan extremely uncomfortable, like caterpillars trapped in a spiderweb.

"In the face of absolute power, their petty tricks are meaningless."

Wang Chen chuckled lightly. "I hadn't originally planned to do this, but that Zhou Yuan is truly irritating. If I don't teach him a lesson, others might actually think I, the Deputy Pavilion Master of Fire Pavilion, am just a decoration."

He spoke casually, with the relaxed confidence of someone who could effortlessly bring Zhou Yuan to his knees.

Chen Beifeng raised his wine glass and clinked it with Wang Chen's. Although the plan had not yet begun, he could already imagine the grim expressions on Zhou Yuan's and Ye Bingling's faces, and his heart immediately swelled with satisfaction, prompting him to burst into laughter.

"I'd like to see how that kid gets out of this one!"