Chapter 803: 推衍

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged on his bed, contemplating the jade slip engraved with the Trace-Capture Rune that he held in his hand. A moment later, a spiritual glow flickered from his brow as a wisp of his spiritual energy quietly permeated the jade slip.

However, as soon as his spiritual energy entered, it triggered an extremely sensitive reaction. A subtle force erupted from the jade slip, and in an instant, the source runes on its surface rapidly dissolved like melting snow, leaving behind a smooth, blank jade slip.

"Such a sensitive self-destruct mechanism," Zhou Yuan murmured, his eyes flickering slightly. He wasn't surprised, though. This was merely his first attempt, and he would have been skeptical if it had succeeded so easily.

He casually crushed the jade slip and retrieved another Trace-Capture Rune.

Zhou Yuan then pressed this jade slip directly onto his chest, crushing it. The moment it shattered, a burst of light erupted, coalescing on his chest to gradually form a peculiar source rune.

This source rune directly permeated his flesh, its lines of light spreading out to form a strange, interwoven network that, at a glance, resembled a spiderweb.

This spiderweb covered his entire upper body. The connections of each line were remarkably intricate. Although it appeared incredibly fragile and possessed no defensive or offensive power, Zhou Yuan knew that within the Four Spirits Source-Return Pagoda, if source traces passed through his body, some would adhere to this web and remain within him.

"What an exquisite source rune," Zhou Yuan murmured, observing it with his spiritual perception and nodding repeatedly in admiration.

The Trace-Capture Rune appeared simple, yet it was quite complex. Its lines were in a constant state of flux, which was likely the primary reason others had failed to replicate it.

Furthermore, Zhou Yuan keenly sensed that creating this Trace-Capture Rune likely required a special material as a medium. He couldn't deduce what specific material it was, but he suspected it was the Fire Pavilion's greatest secret.

If he wanted to replicate the Trace-Capture Rune, he would first need to identify this material, a task that was clearly far from simple.

Moreover, the Trace-Capture Rune was extremely fragile, prone to collapsing at the slightest disturbance. This prevented Zhou Yuan from directly using his spiritual energy to observe it from within.

An hour later, Zhou Yuan withdrew his spiritual energy. He glanced at his chest, where the Trace-Capture Rune had already begun to dissipate.

A pensive look appeared in Zhou Yuan's eyes. The principle of the Trace-Capture Rune wasn't particularly complex; however, certain key elements, such as the special material it contained, were extremely difficult to decipher. Therefore, replicating it would indeed be quite a challenge.

"If I can't replicate it, then I'll create my own!" Zhou Yuan snorted coldly. Back when his eight meridians were still closed, he had at least practiced source runes as a core skill. Even after he began cultivating Genesis Qi, he never abandoned his study of source runes.

In fact, with a source rune grandmaster like Yaoyao by his side, his own proficiency in source runes had continuously deepened.

The Transcendent Soul expert of the Fire Pavilion had managed to create the Trace-Capture Rune, and Zhou Yuan refused to believe he was any weaker.

However, remembering Yaoyao, Zhou Yuan's gaze suddenly dimmed. If she were by his side, this Trace-Capture Rune would likely be deciphered in mere minutes.

"Yaoyao, wait for me," Zhou Yuan murmured to himself, his hand involuntarily clenching into a fist. "I'm working hard to obtain the Ancestral Dragon Lantern and then find the Ancestral Dragon's flesh and blood, so you can recover." He deeply missed the days when Yaoyao and Tun Tun were constantly by his side.

Compared to those times, he was indeed somewhat lonely now, all by himself in this unfamiliar Hunyuan Heaven.

However, Zhou Yuan was not one to wallow in the past. He took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions. Since he couldn't return to his old life, he would continuously strive forward instead of indulging in futile daydreams.

Zhou Yuan's eyes slowly closed, but the spiritual energy at his brow began to flicker. He intended to attempt a deduction, to see if he could create a source rune with an effect similar to the Trace-Capture Rune.

Zhou Yuan's secluded deduction lasted three days, during which there was no movement from him.

During these three days, the Wind Pavilion was in considerable turmoil over the Trace-Capture Rune issue. To appease her disheartened members, Ye Bingling barely had time to cultivate in the Wind Domain. Even then, her efforts yielded little effect. Source-Return Treasure Coins were simply too important, and with the three-year time limit, many felt they couldn't afford to waste any time.

Consequently, some who had initially supported Ye Bingling began to waver.

As a result, Ye Bingling was utterly exhausted, able only to listen dejectedly to the continuous stream of bad news, powerless to change anything.

While Ye Bingling and Yi Qiushui were plagued by severe headaches, in another small building on Wind Island, Chen Beifeng wore a wide smile. He stood at the railing, observing the bustling crowd in front of the building—members of the Wind Pavilion who had rushed to purchase Trace-Capture Runes. Many among them had once been staunch supporters of Ye Bingling.

Yet, it was clear that even the most loyal supporters couldn't resist the allure of Source-Return Treasure Coins.

"Brother Chen, in just these three days, nearly half of Ye Bingling's people have likely dispersed," Jin Teng remarked from behind Chen Beifeng, his face alight with glee.

Chen Beifeng chuckled faintly. "If this continues much longer, she'll likely be left with only a handful of stragglers—nothing substantial."

"When the next Pavilion Master competition comes, and I defeat her, I'll be curious to see if this 'ice beauty' will finally submit!"

He was feeling quite spirited, all traces of the earlier embarrassment caused by Zhou Yuan having completely vanished.

"Oh, by the way, where is that Zhou Yuan?" Chen Beifeng suddenly inquired.

Jin Teng grinned. "Rumor has it he's been hiding in his building for days, not showing his face. He probably feels too embarrassed to appear. After all, in this situation, coming out would only lead to more trouble; he might as well pretend to be blind and hide away."

"Ye Bingling must truly be blind to support him so much."

Chen Beifeng shook his head disdainfully. "An arrogant fool who doesn't know his place. Now he realizes he's hit a brick wall? Hmph, too late!"

"Let's ignore him for now. After I become Pavilion Master, I'll find a way to strip him of his Vice Pavilion Master position. Does he truly believe that being a Vice Pavilion Master will protect him after offending me, Chen Beifeng?"

"Then allow me to congratulate you in advance, Pavilion Master," Jin Teng said with a laugh, a look of triumphant vindication flashing in his eyes. He vowed to thoroughly humiliate that fellow once he lost his Vice Pavilion Master position.

"Keep spreading the word. Let's see how many more days they can last," Chen Beifeng said, patting Jin Teng's shoulder before turning and entering the building.

Meanwhile, on his bed, as Zhou Yuan's deduction entered its fifth day, his tightly closed eyes finally opened slowly.

A divine light seemed to surge within his gaze.