Chapter 809: 吕霄

The atmosphere in the hall was stagnant and oppressive.

Wang Chen remained silent for a while, then couldn't help but say, "Senior Brother Zhu Lian, you are the most skilled at Genesis Runes among the younger generation of our Heavenly Spirit Sect. How could you fail to replicate the Genesis Rune that kid haphazardly created?"

Zhu Lian slowly replied, "Judging by the Genesis Trace structure within this Wind Mother Rune, that kid wasn't just messing around. Moreover, neither the Trace Capturing Rune nor the Wind Mother Rune is actually of a high Genesis Rune grade; their strength lies in their uniqueness. When I first created the Trace Capturing Rune, there was an element of luck involved."

"If I hadn't accidentally obtained the silk of the White Spirit Spider and integrated it into the Trace Capturing Rune, it would have been difficult for the rune to be effective."

Lu Xiao, seated to the right, softly asked, "What is his core material? Is it also White Spirit Spider silk?"

Zhu Lian shook his head and said, "Definitely not. However, its effect on Genesis Traces is far stronger than White Spirit Spider silk. This is the main reason why his Wind Mother Rune is more effective than the Trace Capturing Rune."

"If we could know the core material he uses, then replicating this Wind Mother Rune wouldn't be difficult."

Lu Xiao stated calmly, "The emergence of the Wind Mother Rune has almost completely halted the sale of Trace Capturing Runes in the Wind Pavilion. In the long run, our Fire Pavilion will suffer extremely severe losses."

His slightly reddish gaze fell on Wang Chen as he said, "It's said that you transferred the selling rights of the Trace Capturing Rune in the Wind Pavilion to Chen Beifeng, which then forced Zhou Yuan to create the Wind Mother Rune?"

Wang Chen flinched under Lu Xiao's gaze and quickly explained, "Senior Brother Lu Xiao, I also received news from Uncle-Master Gu Xi, who said that Zhou Yuan offended our Heavenly Spirit Sect and wanted me to find an opportunity to teach him a lesson."

"He offended your Scarlet Fire Manor, didn't he?" Lu Xiao frowned.

The Heavenly Spirit Sect had nine Manors, and Lu Xiao was not from the Scarlet Fire Manor.

However, he didn't elaborate on that point. Regardless, all nine Manors belonged to the Heavenly Spirit Sect. So he waved his hand and said, "This matter was ultimately caused by you first, leading to significant losses for my Fire Pavilion. I have no choice but to punish you... Therefore, you are fined two months' salary."

Wang Chen dared not object and could only nod with a bitter expression. Then, gritting his teeth, he said, "So, what about this Wind Mother Rune? If we really let that kid continue selling it..."

"I previously told you to invite Zhou Yuan here for a talk..." Lu Xiao said, his eyelids slightly lowered.

Wang Chen replied, "I already sent people to deliver messages, but that kid refused them all, saying he needed to focus on refining Wind Mother Runes and had no time."

Hearing this, everyone else in the hall looked displeased. Their Fire Pavilion had been flourishing among the four pavilions in recent years, attracting young talents from all sides and showing signs of becoming the leader of the four. Yet, Zhou Yuan, merely the deputy head of the most declining Wind Pavilion, dared to put on airs in front of their Fire Pavilion.

If it weren't for this kid creating the Wind Mother Rune this time, as a mere deputy head, he likely wouldn't have been important enough for all the high-ranking members of their Fire Pavilion to gather here to discuss him.

Lu Xiao's expression was unreadable, revealing none of his emotions. He lightly tapped his red fan against his palm. A moment later, he said calmly, "Since Deputy Head Zhou Yuan cannot be invited here, I will go to the Wind Domain myself to meet him."

As soon as he spoke, Wang Chen was the first to express his displeasure, saying, "Senior Brother Lu Xiao, what is your status? How can you condescend to meet that kid? Why don't you give me a few more days, and I'll make sure that kid comes to see you voluntarily!"

Lu Xiao smiled and said, "While a mere deputy head of the Wind Pavilion might not be worthy, the Wind Mother Rune is."

He stood up, his posture tall and imposing, an indifferent air of superiority emanating from the depths of his slightly reddish eyes.

"This Wind Mother Rune is causing my Fire Pavilion to lose Genesis Treasure Coins every day..."

"I'll go talk to Deputy Head Zhou Yuan first. If he can show me some respect and we can make money together peacefully, then that would naturally be for the best."

As his laughter faded, his figure gradually became illusory, finally vanishing into thin air in the hall.

Wind Domain.

On a barren mountain peak, Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged, his spirit having already emerged from his body to refine Wind Mother Runes behind the layer of wind.

For the past few days, he had spent most of his time refining Wind Mother Runes, as they were currently in high demand. However, as time went on, he expected not to be so busy.

This refining session took Zhou Yuan nearly half a day. His spirit descended through the air, returning to his physical body.

Along with his spirit, a large number of Wind Mother Runes also descended; by their count, there were likely nearly a thousand of them.

Zhou Yuan waved his sleeve, collecting all the Wind Mother Runes. As he became more proficient, the refining process for the Wind Mother Runes also grew faster.

"The daily income of Genesis Treasure Coins is no less than five hundred, which is simply exorbitant profit," Zhou Yuan couldn't help but exclaim. In just these few days, his personal stock of Genesis Treasure Coins had reached nearly two thousand!

This was even after distributing a significant portion to Ye Bingling, Yi Qiushui, Liu Zhixuan, and others.

After creating the Wind Mother Rune, Zhou Yuan clearly no longer needed to worry about Genesis Treasure Coins. Now, every time he cultivated, he would burn Genesis Treasure Coins by the handful!

Of course, the cultivation effects were outstanding. Even though Zhou Yuan had spent most of his time refining Wind Mother Runes these days, the Wind Spirit Rune on the back of his hand had quietly reached 60% completion!

At this rate, he was very likely to fully condense the Wind Spirit Rune before the competition for Pavilion Head arrived!

Completing a Wind Spirit Rune in two months—if this speed were known, it would likely shock all four pavilions.

Zhou Yuan smiled contentedly and was about to get up. However, at that moment, his gaze suddenly sharpened. He looked towards a nearby direction and saw the void ripple slightly, as a white-robed figure gradually emerged.

"Zhou Yuan?" the white-robed figure asked, looking at Zhou Yuan with a smile.

Zhou Yuan's gaze swept over the figure, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He said, "If I'm not mistaken, you are Pavilion Head Lu Xiao of the Fire Pavilion?"

Although he had never met Lu Xiao, he had already heard Ye Bingling describe his distinctive features: white robes and a fiery lotus pattern on his forehead.

Of course, more importantly, Zhou Yuan could feel an extremely dangerous aura emanating from Lu Xiao. The intensity of this danger made his entire skin prickle slightly.

Lu Xiao took a step forward, his figure appearing directly in front of Zhou Yuan. He examined Zhou Yuan from head to toe, smiling slightly as he said, "I didn't expect such a talent to emerge from the Wind Pavilion again."

Zhou Yuan gave a faint smile and said, "Pavilion Head Lu Xiao, you must have something important to discuss, I presume?"

It was clear the other party wasn't there for pleasantries.

Hearing this, Lu Xiao also smiled, then said, "Deputy Head Zhou Yuan, the Wind Mother Rune you created has caused our Fire Pavilion significant losses."

As he spoke these words, the surrounding Genesis Qi of heaven and earth seemed to gradually grow hotter, and a subtle, suffocating sense of pressure began to permeate the air.

Zhou Yuan's Heavenly Python Qi also began to circulate within him at this moment, a dragon's roar echoing from within his body. At the same time, a divine soul light flickered between his brows, completely resisting the pressure. His expression calm, he then said, "Well, I'm truly sorry about that, but surely you can't blame me for having the ability to create the Wind Mother Rune, can you?"

Lu Xiao, still smiling, waved his hand and said, "It is indeed Deputy Head Zhou Yuan's skill to be able to create the Wind Mother Rune."

The powerful aura emanating from him slightly receded. He then stared at Zhou Yuan, chuckled softly, and said, "Actually, I'm just here to ask if you would be interested in becoming a deputy head in my Fire Pavilion. As you know, the Fire Pavilion is currently the strongest of the four. In the future, if I become the Chief Pavilion Head of all four pavilions, the Fire Pavilion Head position will become vacant, and it might just fall to you."

He wore a composed smile, his tone nonchalant, seemingly unconcerned that Zhou Yuan might refuse. Everyone knew the significant disparity between the Wind Pavilion and the Fire Pavilion.

What's more, he had offered the enormous temptation of becoming the Fire Pavilion Head, which most people would likely find impossible to refuse.

"So, Deputy Head Zhou Yuan, what do you think?"

Zhou Yuan was indeed surprised at first. He hadn't expected Lu Xiao to try to win him over with the position of Deputy Head of the Fire Pavilion. However, he quickly smiled inwardly, realizing that if he joined the Fire Pavilion, he would likely have to hand over the refining method for the Wind Mother Rune.

Lu Xiao was truly cunning in his calculations.

So, in the end, he smiled and shook his head.

"Not interested... because, in the future, I actually plan to compete for the position of Chief Pavilion Head of all four pavilions myself."