Chapter 811: Great Contest Eve

In the following period, sales of the Wind Mother Rune in the Wind Pavilion continued to soar, to the point where it was out of stock daily. In contrast, the Trace Capturing Rune gradually faded into obscurity in the Wind Pavilion, no longer attracting any interest.

After all, with double the efficacy for the same price, the Trace Capturing Rune was utterly crushed by the Wind Mother Rune, leaving it no chance to resist.

The booming sales of the Wind Mother Rune in the Wind Pavilion also caused Zhou Yuan's prestige to skyrocket.

Everyone in the Wind Pavilion who experienced the efficiency of the Wind Mother Rune felt a sense of gratitude towards Zhou Yuan. They clearly understood how much time the rune's appearance saved them. Over three years, the number of people in the Wind Pavilion able to fully condense the Wind Spirit Rune would likely increase significantly.

This was the ultimate goal for many who came to the Four Pavilions. While the creation of the Wind Mother Rune might not inspire profound gratitude—after all, it wasn't free and they had to purchase it with Source Nurturing Coins—compared to before, the current members of the Wind Pavilion now truly accepted Zhou Yuan, no longer rejecting him due to his sudden appointment.

Under these circumstances, Zhou Yuan's prestige in the Wind Pavilion naturally grew day by day.

In stark contrast to Zhou Yuan's soaring popularity, Chen Beifeng's days became much more difficult. Because Zhou Yuan and Ye Bingling consistently blocked access, Chen Beifeng's supporters found it hard to purchase the Wind Mother Rune. They, of course, knew perfectly well that this was Zhou Yuan's retaliation for their previous actions.

But Chen Beifeng was powerless to do anything about it and could only grit his teeth and endure.

However, while he could tolerate it, his supporters were gradually losing their patience.

After all, they had begun to realize that others, using the Wind Mother Rune, were gradually surpassing them in the completion of their Wind Spirit Runes.

Their previous support for Chen Beifeng was simply because he was powerful and following him brought benefits. But now, with the advent of the Wind Mother Rune, Chen Beifeng had been almost completely defeated. If things continued this way, they feared they would gradually fall to the bottom ranks within the Wind Pavilion.

This was clearly unacceptable.

Consequently, in the following period, the Wind Pavilion members who had originally supported Chen Beifeng began to abandon him.

In a short time, Chen Beifeng's influence in the Wind Pavilion plummeted.

However, despite these unfavorable circumstances, Chen Beifeng uncharacteristically made no counterattacks. Instead, he became strangely quiet, rarely even making public appearances. Yet, Zhou Yuan, far from relaxing due to this low profile, became even more cautious.

He knew that Chen Beifeng was not someone who would willingly admit defeat. Therefore, his current silence must be a prelude to a massive brewing storm.

Zhou Yuan only needed a moment's thought to deduce when that storm would erupt: it would undoubtedly be during the impending Wind Pavilion Master competition.

Once he became the Wind Pavilion Master, Chen Beifeng would no longer be restrained by Zhou Yuan and Ye Bingling. Instead, he would be able to issue commands to them, and if they disobeyed, he could even revoke their Vice Pavilion Master positions.

Clearly, Chen Beifeng had placed his last chance to turn the tables here.

Upon realizing Chen Beifeng's intentions, Zhou Yuan also began to slow down the refinement of the Wind Mother Rune, instead investing more time into cultivating in the Wind Domain. He knew perfectly well what his true goal was: the position of Wind Pavilion Master!

Only by securing this position could he pursue greater ambitions.

His ambitions included becoming the Grand Pavilion Master, participating in the Nine Regions Conference, and obtaining the Ancestral Dragon Lamp!

The Wind Mother Rune, after all, was merely a small means to achieve these goals.

Time flowed by, and before he knew it, half a month had passed.

***

The Wind Domain.

On a solitary peak, Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged. With a grasp of his hand, a handful of Source Nurturing Coins appeared. With a surge of vital energy, he ignited them all.

The Source Nurturing Coins transformed into rising smoke, causing the wind layers high above to churn violently. Finally, a furious howling sound erupted as a colossal azure storm, like an enraged dragon, roared downwards directly at Zhou Yuan, creating an astonishing spectacle.

However, Zhou Yuan glanced at it with a rather calm expression, having grown accustomed to such sights over the past half-month.

After all, now, whenever he came to the Wind Domain to cultivate, he felt uneasy if he didn't burn at least two or three hundred Source Nurturing Coins.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The azure storm howled down, crashing violently against Zhou Yuan's body. The ground around him was instantly torn into countless marks.

On Zhou Yuan's chest, a source rune vortex had formed—the Wind Mother Rune.

As the fierce winds swept over his body, though they drew wisps of blood, the source traces contained within them poured into the source rune vortex on his chest like birds returning to their nests.

This colossal storm lasted for nearly an hour before slowly dissipating.

When the storm cleared, it left Zhou Yuan covered in blood. However, though the injuries looked horrifying, the grotesque wounds were rapidly healed as the Grand One Azurewood Mark circulated.

Ignoring the wounds on his body, Zhou Yuan looked with a hint of eagerness at the back of his hand. There, an azure light swirled, and an azure source rune flickered into existence. As numerous azure light spots continuously converged, the source rune began to become increasingly complete.

When the last azure light spot merged, the azure source rune suddenly erupted with brilliant light.

At that instant, Zhou Yuan clearly felt his body become lighter, as if a spiritual wind was swirling within him, allowing him to float in the air even without circulating his Genesis Qi.

Feeling the changes within his body, uncontrollable ecstasy surged in Zhou Yuan's eyes. Just before the Pavilion Master competition, he had finally completed the condensation of the Wind Spirit Rune!

For this, Zhou Yuan had spent an unknown amount of Source Nurturing Coins, as the further one progressed in condensation, the more coins were required.

If it weren't for the fact that he could do as he pleased with the sales of the Wind Mother Rune, even with the Chaos Divine Mill restoring his spirit, he probably wouldn't have been able to condense a complete Wind Spirit Rune in just two months!

Fortunately, heaven rewards diligent effort, and all his sacrifices were now met with satisfying returns.

After lingering for a while, the light from the source rune on the back of his hand gradually faded. Zhou Yuan, overjoyed, let out a long howl towards the sky, then transformed into a streak of light, soaring upwards and speeding towards the exit of the Wind Domain.

Half an incense stick later, Zhou Yuan landed on the floating stone platform at the exit.

Wind Pavilion members passing by respectfully bowed when they saw Zhou Yuan, a level of treatment he certainly hadn't received when he first arrived at the Wind Pavilion.

Zhou Yuan returned their smiles. When he raised his gaze, he saw a cold, stunning figure emanating a chilling aura at the exit—it was Ye Bingling.

When Ye Bingling's beautiful eyes met Zhou Yuan's, the distant frost immediately melted considerably. A faint smile even appeared on her cold, beautiful face as she stepped forward and softly said, "Qiu Shui said she's reserved a private room at the Wind Drink Pavilion for tomorrow's Pavilion Master competition to cheer us on."

Zhou Yuan smiled in response, saying, "That's good. A little relaxation before the big battle."

As they spoke, they walked towards the exit.

However, they had barely taken a few steps when Zhou Yuan sharply sensed a whooshing sound from behind. Immediately after, a fierce surge of Genesis Qi erupted, and the surrounding sounds suddenly grew much quieter.

Zhou Yuan's gaze swept over, and his brows subtly lifted, for the newcomer was none other than Chen Beifeng. Rumor had it that this fellow had also been cultivating intensely in the Wind Domain recently.

At this moment, Chen Beifeng was expressionless, exuding a chilling aura that warned others to keep their distance. He landed on the stone platform and also saw Zhou Yuan and Ye Bingling.

Their gazes met, and sparks seemed to fly in the air.

However, Chen Beifeng merely sneered, then stepped forward. As he brushed past Zhou Yuan and Ye Bingling, he paused and said faintly, "Enjoy your last moments of happiness, because after tomorrow, everything you've done will revert to nothing."

He looked at Zhou Yuan with a hint of pity, knowing that Zhou Yuan had not yet sought out Lu Xiao. Thus, he presumed Lu Xiao would show him no mercy whatsoever from now on.

This fool probably had no idea of the consequences of offending Lu Xiao, did he?

Surely, for the past half-month, Zhou Yuan had been basking in all the attention and praise? Haha, well, no matter. After tomorrow, he would discover that all of this was merely a prelude to Chen Beifeng's triumph.

He wondered if that young man would still be able to smile then.

A sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart. Chen Beifeng curled his lips in disdain and contempt, then stepped through the light screen and vanished.

That scene was truly something to look forward to.