Chapter 806: Shocking

Inside the small building on Wind Island where Ye Bingling resided, she sat in the main seat. Her usually cold and glamorous face now looked a little haggard, and her tightly pressed red lips revealed her extremely foul mood. Beside her, apart from Yi Qiushui and Liu Zhixuan, there were more than a dozen other figures whose expressions were also somber. These individuals were considered Ye Bingling’s core supporters and held significant positions within the Wind Pavilion.

Ye Bingling gently rubbed her temples with her slender fingers, her beautiful eyes sweeping across the room. Suddenly, she asked, “Where is Li Jian?” Hearing this, some of those present subtly changed their expressions. A moment later, someone, suppressing their anger, replied, “That scoundrel seems to have gone over to Chen Beifeng’s side.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Bingling’s delicate hand couldn’t help but clench tightly, and a cold aura gathered in her eyes. But in the end, she merely slammed the table heavily without speaking. Yet, anyone could tell that Ye Bingling was seething with rage. Li Jian held the position of commander, and before Zhou Yuan’s arrival on Wind Island, he had been one of Ye Bingling’s only two supporting commanders. If others chose to defect to Chen Beifeng because of the Trace-Capturing Pattern, she wouldn’t have been too angry, as they hadn't gained substantial benefits from her and supported her primarily due to her personal charisma. But Li Jian was different; without Ye Bingling, he would never have attained the rank of commander. What she hadn't expected was that this person, who had received such great favors from her, would now choose to betray her because of the Trace-Capturing Pattern. Even Xiao Hong, Li Fa, and Lu Mingyue, the three commanders who had only recently joined them, had not shown any signs of wavering.

“That ingrate!” someone spat bitterly. Yi Qiushui softly added, “Commander Li Jian probably had this intention for a long time; the Trace-Capturing Pattern was just a catalyst.” Hearing this, the others grew even angrier, and even Ye Bingling couldn’t help but grind her teeth.

Ultimately, Ye Bingling could only sigh in defeat. In the current situation, she felt utterly helpless; the destructive power of the Trace-Capturing Pattern was simply too great for ordinary members. For now, it seemed they could only wait for the contest for the Pavilion Master position. If she could win and secure the title, she would then be able to directly forbid Chen Beifeng’s behavior. However… defeating Chen Beifeng and claiming the Pavilion Master position would not be an easy feat.

“Where is Zhou Yuan?” Ye Bingling asked. Yi Qiushui gave a wry smile. “He seems to still be in seclusion. No movement from him.”

Upon hearing this, some of Ye Bingling’s staunch supporters couldn’t help but express their dissatisfaction. “This Deputy Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan is too unreliable. He was clearly the one who provoked Wang Chen, leading to all this, and now he’s hiding when there’s trouble…” Yi Qiushui didn't know what to say, as, broadly speaking, Zhou Yuan did bear considerable responsibility for the situation, and it was only natural for others to voice their complaints. However, Ye Bingling waved her hand, saying, “There’s no need for such meaningless talk. Zhou Yuan isn’t hiding; he’s simply trying to see if he can decipher the Trace-Capturing Pattern and then replicate it.”

The others exchanged glances, then shook their heads with a bitter smile. “If the Trace-Capturing Pattern were so easy to replicate, how would the Fire Pavilion have such prestige today? And why would we be in such a sorry state?” This Deputy Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan was truly too naive.

Ye Bingling also sighed inwardly. In truth, she didn’t hold much hope for Zhou Yuan’s efforts either, but the lack of news for so many days inevitably left her feeling disappointed. “Forget it,” Ye Bingling said, steeling herself. “Let Chen Beifeng cause trouble for now. We’ll endure it temporarily and wait for the Pavilion Master contest to settle things once and for all.” The others nodded in silence, acknowledging that this was their only option for now.

However, just then, the living room door suddenly opened, and a figure walked in, smiling. “I don’t like to endure things,” he declared. “If I have a grudge, I settle it on the spot.” Everyone looked over. Wasn’t the newcomer Zhou Yuan, who had been in seclusion and unseen for several days?

Ye Bingling shot him a glare, retorting testily, “What else can you do if you don’t endure it? Go snatch the Trace-Capturing Pattern?” Zhou Yuan sat down in a chair beside Ye Bingling, stretched, and there was a hint of weariness in his eyes. The intense deduction work of the past few days had clearly exhausted him. He casually picked up a teacup nearby, gulped down its contents, emptying it completely. However, as he set the cup down, he caught a faint, delicate fragrance from its rim. He paused, then looked up, only to find Ye Bingling staring at him with cold eyes, and frost beginning to spread from her jade-like hand on the tabletop. Clearly, this teacup had been used by Ye Bingling earlier.

“Zhou Yuan, you’ve been quietly hiding for days, having quite a leisurely time, haven’t you?” Ye Bingling gritted her teeth, itching to give him a piece of her mind. Zhou Yuan chuckled awkwardly. “Don’t be so angry…” He cleared his throat. “Besides, why would I bother snatching his Trace-Capturing Pattern? I wouldn’t even want it if they gave it to me now.”

Ye Bingling paused, then scoffed, “Don’t brag!” The others, including Yi Qiushui and Liu Zhixuan, also looked at Zhou Yuan speechlessly, clearly thinking he was talking nonsense.

Seeing the room filled with skeptical and helpless gazes, Zhou Yuan smiled. He then took out a jade slip, placed it on the table, and said calmly, “This is the ‘Wind Mother Pattern’ I created. It can also improve the efficiency of absorbing Origin Marks.” He continued, “The improvement effect is higher than the Fire Pavilion’s Trace-Capturing Pattern. Theirs is twenty percent; my Wind Mother Pattern should be able to reach forty percent.”

As his voice fell, a series of tea cups instantly shattered in the living room. Everyone stared at Zhou Yuan in stunned disbelief. Even Ye Bingling’s lips parted slightly, and the expression on her cold, beautiful face seemed to freeze. “Wind Mother Pattern?!” “Forty percent?!” A few seconds later, exclamations of disbelief rang out, and everyone’s eyes were filled with overwhelming shock.

“You, what are you talking about?” Ye Bingling was also greatly shaken. She stared at the jade slip on the table, finding it hard to believe Zhou Yuan’s words were true. For Zhou Yuan to create an Origin Pattern that could absorb Origin Marks in just a few days was already incredible. Yet, he was now claiming that the Origin Pattern he created was twice as effective as the Fire Pavilion’s Trace-Capturing Pattern?! If she didn't have some lingering trust in Zhou Yuan, Ye Bingling would truly believe he was deliberately playing a trick on her.

“Zhou Yuan, did you really create an Origin Pattern capable of absorbing Origin Marks during your seclusion these past few days?” Yi Qiushui couldn’t help but ask. She was genuinely worried that Zhou Yuan might be fabricating things to appease them, which would only backfire.

Seeing their skeptical gazes, Zhou Yuan felt a little helpless. Too lazy to elaborate further, he flicked his finger, sending jade slips containing the Origin Pattern flying towards everyone present. He waved his hand languidly, saying, “Go try it out in the Wind Domain yourselves. It won’t take long.”

Ye Bingling snatched the jade slip with the Origin Pattern from the table, staring at Zhou Yuan with gritted teeth. “If I find you’re fooling me, Zhou Yuan, you’re dead!” She quickly rose and hurried out, clearly intending to try it herself, as she simply couldn’t believe Zhou Yuan otherwise. Yi Qiushui, Liu Zhixuan, and the others also grabbed their jade slips and rushed out. In an instant, the room became empty.

Zhou Yuan felt a little dejected at the sight. Did no one truly believe him? Even Yi Qiushui ran off so quickly! He shook his head and simply picked up the teapot to pour himself a drink.

Just as he finished the entire pot of tea, the sound of Origin Qi breaking through the air was heard again from outside. Then, the door burst open, and Ye Bingling rushed in with the others, their faces now alight with an expression of incredible ecstasy. Their gazes converged on Zhou Yuan’s figure in the living room. At that moment, even the proud Ye Bingling’s beautiful eyes sparkled with a wondrous brilliance.

“How was the effect? It should be better than the Trace-Capturing Pattern, right?” Zhou Yuan asked, setting down his teacup, a slight uncertainty in his tone, as he had only tested it himself previously. Everyone gazed at him with fervent eyes, nodding wildly. Xiao Hong, unable to contain his excitement, exclaimed, “Compared to your Wind Mother Pattern, Brother Yuan, the Trace-Capturing Pattern is just trash!” With this Wind Mother Pattern, their future cultivation efficiency would undoubtedly improve greatly.

Zhou Yuan chuckled lightly. “These are just the Wind Mother Patterns intended for sale, with a forty percent effect. Later, I’ll create some Wind Mother Patterns specifically for you all, and their effect can be increased by another ten percent.” He knew that those who had remained until now were staunch supporters, so he certainly didn’t mind giving them some extra benefits. As soon as Zhou Yuan said this, everyone gasped. Their gazes towards him were now so fervent they bordered on worship. A fifty percent increase in effect? What kind of Origin Pattern was this? It completely left the Trace-Capturing Pattern in the dust, unable to even see its shadow!

Ye Bingling walked over and sat down beside Zhou Yuan. Her eyes were still somewhat dazed, but she eventually looked at him, biting her red lip. “Zhou Yuan… you are truly amazing.” Even someone as proud as Ye Bingling had to concede defeat at this moment.

Zhou Yuan smiled, then sharply set the teacup heavily on the table, his eyes turning cold. “Everyone, spread the word. They’ve been happy for long enough. It’s time for them to cry.”