Chapter 900: Exposed

Chapter 897: Exposed

On the tenth day of Zhou Yuan's stay in the Myriad Arts Hall, the figure that had stood like a bedrock before the stone pillar finally trembled violently. Then, the tightly shut eyes slowly opened.

His eyes were filled with awe and ecstasy. After ten full days of comprehension, he had finally imprinted the Genesis Art Mark of the "Yin-Yang Lightning Rune Scroll" into his Divine Dwelling. Although the process was challenging, it was fortunately free of major incidents and relatively smooth.

With a thought, Zhou Yuan sank into his Divine Dwelling. Inside, he saw a mark shimmering with black and white lightning. This mark was complex and profound; even after nearly ten days of comprehension, Zhou Yuan still couldn't fully grasp its true mysteries.

However, now that the mark was formed, its power could be unleashed through continuous cultivation with Genesis Qi and spirit. Of course, to fully unleash the power of a Small Saint Art, it was beyond the capabilities of those in the Divine Dwelling Stage, or even the Heavenly Sun Stage. Only those in the Nascent Soul Stage or Law Domain Stage could truly manifest the full might of a Small Saint Art. Nevertheless, even if not at its full potential, the power of a Small Saint Art was far beyond that of a Heaven Origin Art.

Within his Divine Dwelling, countless Genesis Qi stars twinkled, and starlight poured down onto the black and white lightning mark. The mark accepted all, like a black hole, devouring the immense and mighty Genesis Qi entirely. And it wasn't just Genesis Qi; Zhou Yuan's spirit, located between his eyebrows, was also channeling spirit power into the Divine Dwelling, which then surged into the mark.

This was the unique aspect of the "Yin-Yang Lightning Rune Scroll." Other Small Saint Arts might only require the nourishment of Genesis Qi, but this one was different; it needed the dual power of both Genesis Qi and spirit. Genesis Qi represented Yang, and spirit represented Yin. This was Zhou Yuan's realization after ten days: to condense the Genesis Art Mark, a fusion of Genesis Qi and spirit was required. Without both, the mark could not be cultivated at all. This art was practically designed to complement the Chaos God Grinding Contemplation Method.

"As expected of my master's creation; it truly is friendly to disciples of the same lineage," Zhou Yuan exclaimed with emotion. Then, satisfied, he withdrew from his Divine Dwelling and bowed respectfully towards the mottled stone pillar before him.

At that moment, the space around Zhou Yuan began to fluctuate violently again. He knew this was a sign of exiting the hall, so he remained calm and didn't panic. Space twisted, and his surroundings shifted. The next moment, Zhou Yuan reappeared in the study filled with the scent of sandalwood.

As he appeared, the two figures in the study focused their gaze on him. Zhou Yuan found it a bit strange because he noticed that Xi Jing's gaze seemed to carry a hint of helplessness, while Elder Mu Ni's expression was a subtle, unreadable smile.

"Zhou Yuan, congratulations, you've obtained a good Small Saint Art," Mu Ni said, smiling.

Zhou Yuan, ignoring Mu Ni's somewhat strange gaze, quickly replied, "I still have to thank Elder Mu Ni for her guidance."

Mu Ni chuckled, "Why thank me? You should thank your master instead."

Zhou Yuan's heart jolted, but his expression remained calm as he said, "My master? My master isn't in the Tianyuan Region."

"Then where is he?" Mu Ni asked with a faint smile.

Zhou Yuan paused, then chuckled dryly, "Why is Elder Mu Ni so interested in my unknown master?"

"If he's still considered unknown, then how many people in the Hunyuan Heaven are truly famous?" Mu Ni scoffed lightly.

Zhou Yuan was at a loss and could only look at Xi Jing. The latter gave him an awkward smile and said, "Aunt Ni, she knows."

Zhou Yuan's mouth twitched. He was exposed just like that?!

Xi Jing looked at Zhou Yuan's slightly distressed gaze and said helplessly, "She wasn't certain at first, but since you obtained the 'Yin-Yang Lightning Rune Scroll' right under her nose, how could she not be certain?" Zhou Yuan immediately felt frustrated. So, the "Yin-Yang Lightning Rune Scroll" was a bait released by Elder Mu Ni, specifically to test his identity! He looked at the gentle-faced beautiful woman before him, smiling bitterly in his heart. As expected, none of these Law Domain Stage experts were easy to deal with.

However, although his identity was exposed, Zhou Yuan wasn't overly alarmed. After all, judging by Xi Jing's expression, though there was some helplessness, there was no sign of worry. Clearly, she didn't believe Mu Ni knowing about this would cause any trouble.

"Little fellow, now you can tell me, where is that old fellow now?" Mu Ni said with a light chuckle, elegantly holding a cup of fragrant tea.

Zhou Yuan sheepishly replied, "Master is fine, but for certain reasons, he cannot return to Hunyuan Heaven."

Mu Ni pursed her red lips. It was evident that her body relaxed considerably at this moment, seemingly relieved to finally confirm Cang Yuan's situation regarding life and death.

"I know he's planning something big, something we can't interfere with," Mu Ni sighed softly. "If even someone of Cang Yuan's power was forced to stay away from Hunyuan Heaven, how could I not know the level of the struggle involved? Facing that kind of level, as long as I haven't stepped into the Saint Stage, I can't intervene."

Zhou Yuan nodded and said, "Elder Mu Ni..."

"Since you are Cang Yuan's disciple, just call me Aunt Ni, like Xi Jing does," Mu Ni said gently.

Zhou Yuan glanced at Xi Jing. Seeing her nod as well, he didn't hesitate and said, "Aunt Ni." At the same time, he muttered inwardly, *This Elder Mu Ni seems to have an unusual relationship with Master Cang Yuan... Could she really be my master's wife?*

"Aunt Ni, please keep my identity strictly confidential, otherwise, it could lead to some unnecessary trouble," Zhou Yuan reminded her.

Mu Ni nodded slightly, indicating her understanding.

"Also, since Aunt Ni knows my identity, will Sect Master Xuan Kun and the others also become aware?" Zhou Yuan couldn't help but ask. "Aunt Ni's status is different; her knowing his identity is fine, but if Sect Master Xuan Kun and others found out, it would be difficult to feel at ease."

Mu Ni chuckled softly. "They won't know. The reason I became aware is because I also observed the Chaos God Grinding Contemplation Method back then and am quite familiar with it. Coupled with Xi Jing's unusual regard for you, I grew a little suspicious and wanted to test you." She couldn't help but chuckle aloud. "And the result... seems unexpectedly good."

Zhou Yuan's face burned. His eager reaction to the bait must have looked quite foolish.

Mu Ni's expression was gentle. She glanced at Zhou Yuan, then took out a green stone pendant from her sleeve. Within the green stone, an immensely vigorous life force continuously surged forth.

"It seems you've cultivated a Genesis Art that requires life force. Coincidentally, this is something I excel at. This is 'Vitality Jade Marrow' that I refined; it contains immense life force. In the future, when you cultivate, you won't need to search for ancient tree essences anymore." She smiled. "Consider it a small gift from me to you, a junior."

Zhou Yuan stared at the green stone pendant, unable to help but swallow. The life force Genesis Art Mu Ni mentioned was likely the Taichu Azure Wood Mark he cultivated. Although this art didn't provide much combat enhancement, it granted him extremely powerful physical recovery. If not for this art protecting him, Zhou Yuan would never dare to fight so ferociously against others. However, the Azure Wood Marks condensed by this art constantly needed to be replenished with life force from ancient tree essences, which was quite troublesome. Now, the "Vitality Jade Marrow" given by Mu Ni would free him from this worry for a period of time. Therefore, he simply couldn't refuse!

"Aunt Ni, Master having a confidante like you is truly his good fortune," Zhou Yuan said respectfully as he accepted the "Vitality Jade Marrow" and, without ceremony, hung it around his neck, then spoke earnestly.

Mu Ni covered her mouth, her eyes full of smiles. Clearly, she was very pleased with Zhou Yuan's sweet words. Xi Jing, beside them, gave Zhou Yuan an exasperated look. *This fellow really knows how to flatter!*

Just then, a stream of light suddenly shot through the air and entered Xi Jing's mind. Xi Jing's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of sharpness appearing in her gaze.

"What's wrong?" Mu Ni asked, seeing her reaction.

Xi Jing pouted and said, "A message from the Elder Council says there's some unusual activity from the Three Mountains Alliance in the north. No one knows what they're up to."

Mu Ni's willow-like eyebrows furrowed slightly. "The Three Mountains Alliance has grown increasingly arrogant over the years. When Cang Yuan was around, they wouldn't dare to cause any trouble."

Xi Jing said, "They can't pull off any major tricks. I'll handle it as quickly as possible."

She stood up and looked at Zhou Yuan, saying, "Since you've obtained the 'Yin-Yang Lightning Rune Scroll,' you should now focus on cultivating it well. Also, don't neglect your own strength. The Nine Regions are already discussing the Nine Regions Grand Assembly, and I expect it won't be long now." She warned, "The opponents at the Nine Regions Grand Assembly are not comparable to Lu Xiao. You must not underestimate them."

Zhou Yuan nodded, his expression solemn. For the next period, he indeed needed to enter secluded cultivation. Whether it was the Mountain Spirit Rune and Forest Spirit Rune that he hadn't yet condensed, the refinement of his own Divine Dwelling, or the newly acquired "Yin-Yang Lightning Rune Scroll," all required him to calm down and thoroughly comprehend and cultivate them.