Dong!
When the seventh ring echoed across the land, the entire Cangxuan Sect first froze for an instant, before a torrential wave of noise and activity exploded.
Countless disciples were stupefied as they stared at the mist-shrouded main peak.
The seventh ring!
Seven whole rings of the bell!
Didn"t this mean that Zhou Yuan had pa.s.sed all three trials?! The very mission so many Saint Genesis Peak disciples had failed in the past, had now been successfully accomplished by Zhou Yuan?!
Just how much of a monster was this guy?!
On the dilapidated plaza, Shen Taiyuan and Lu Song"s disciples were stunned for a very long time. When they finally returned to their senses, they immediately exploded into deafening cheers.
Shen Taiyuan"s entire body trembled with emotion, as tears flowed along the wrinkles on his face. Ever since the patriarch died long ago, Saint Genesis Peak had gradually declined year after year, unable to even reopen their main gates. Although they were currently still the seventh peak in name, if not for the patriarch, their status as the seventh peak would have been revoked long ago.
For a long-time member of Saint Genesis Peak, this was absolutely unacceptable.
Hence, Shen Taiyuan had continuously worked towards unsealing the peak, but each failure that followed caused his aspirations to grow weaker and weaker, so much so that he had even begun to despair a little.
The hope he reached for was just far too small.
It was too difficult to reopen Saint Genesis Peak.
When he heard that the champion of the peak selection had chosen Saint Genesis Peak, Shen Taiyuan was in truth only thinking about giving it another try. He had faced a tremendous amount of pressure later on due to the numerous cultivation resources and special treatment he gave Zhou Yuan, but he stubbornly put down his foot on the matter.
Shen Taiyuan was currently overjoyed that he was a stubborn person..
If not for his stubbornness, his final hope may have left forever.
By the side, elder Lu Song"s eyes were also a little red as he stared at Shen Taiyuan and sighed emotionally. "Old chap, I have no choice but to bow down to your foresight this time."
He was rather envious of the former. Back then, he did have a chance to recruit Zhou Yuan. However, the many years of failure had left him quite dejected, plus he didn"t want to compete too harshly with Shen Taiyuan"s faction, and thus ultimately decided to give in.
If he had chosen to fight a little harder back then, the glory of reopening Saint Genesis Peak may perhaps now belong to his faction instead.
Shen Taiyuan laughed, no longer able to maintain his usual stern expression. Even his eyebrows had spread apart, clearly unable to conceal the joy in his heart.
Compared to the euphoria of the two factions, Lu Hong"s side was deathly quiet. Every disciple had a look of disbelief on their faces, while elder Lu Hong staggered unsteadily, nearly falling onto the ground.
"How can this be? How can this be!"
Mumbled Lu Hong, his old face deathly white. The psychological blow he received from this result was not small at all. This had basically sealed his fate, the reopening of Saint Genesis Peak essentially meant that their Sword Cometh Peak no longer had any chance.
He could already picture how enraged peak master Ling Jun would be by this.
"How could he possibly have done it!"
Lu Hong trembled as he blurted out. Endless regret suddenly rose in his heart. If he had known this would happen, why would never have made things difficult for Zhou Yuan just to help Lu Xuanyin and the rest take revenge. If he had just earnestly tried to recruit Zhou Yuan, none of this would have happened.
Due to that single misstep back then, he was now headed into the bottomless abyss.
High up in the sky.
Sect master Qing Yang and the five peak masters dazedly stared at the main peak.
"Zhou Yuan really managed to do it?" Said peak master Lianyi in surprise, her mouth hanging slightly ajar. Though she had said that she was cheering for Zhou Yuan earlier, it was only so that she could pit herself against peak master Ling Jun. In her heart, she did not believe that Zhou Yuan would achieve seven rings of the Xuan bell, because she clearly understood just how difficult it was.
The other peak masters also had surprised looks on their faces. Only peak master Ling Jun"s was as rigid as still water as he released a smothered snort.
The other peak masters chuckled when they saw this, knowing that all of peak master Ling Jun"s plans had now gone up in smoke due to the reopening of Saint Genesis Peak. Moreover, Sword Cometh Peak had lost so much cultivation resources for nothing, basically making them the biggest losers of this affair.
At this moment, sect master Qing Yang"s eyes suddenly focused as he said, "It"s not over yet!"
The other peak masters were stunned, their pupils shrinking a little as they could not help but blurt out, "It can"t be, right?"
Not over after the seventh ring? Wouldn"t that mean that he had reached the eighth ring?!
Eight rings of the Xuan bell was extremely rare even in the golden age of the Cangxuan Sect!
Dong!
The instant their words rang out, the eighth ring loudly sounded from the main peak, instantly cutting all cheering and chatter.
The mouths of countless disciples hung wide open like ducks who had been pinched by the neck.
The eighth ring?
Their minds were a little blank, because in the history of the Cangxuan Sect, eighth rings were only spoken of in legend...
The eighth ring echoed across the silent land.
The numerous disciples did not know what to say at this moment.
In the sky, sect master Qing Yang"s eyes s.h.i.+ned brightly. Moments later, he slowly said, "There"s one more ring."
The expressions of the other peak masters changed.
Dong!
In the next instant, the ninth ring suddenly sounded.
All the disciples turned numb at this moment. They were truly unable to fathom exactly what Zhou Yuan had done. How had he reached this level?!
Was this something someone could even achieve?!
Shen Taiyuan had basically blanked out, not knowing what to say as he stared at the main peak. This outcome had far exceeded the realm of his imagination.
In his eyes, reaching the seventh ring was already an exceedingly amazing achievement.
So what about the ninth ring?
With regards to such an extreme result, even he could not comment for a time.
By the side, Lu Song was likewise confused and in disbelief as he looked towards Shen Taiyuan. In the end, he could only swallow repeatedly.
After a long time, the two of them arrived at an awkward conclusion. "Is the Xuan bell broken?"
"Nine rings of the Xuan bell…"
Sect master Qing Yang took in a deep breath, before he said, "How many years has it been since someone has achieved this…"
The other peak masters were silent. Since the founding of the Cangxuan Sect, only a handful of individuals have managed to achieve nine rings. How had Zhou Yuan done it?
"It seems that a dragon has been born in our Cangxuan Sect."
Sect master Qing Yang stared hard at the majestic main peak. Soon after, he chuckled as he vertically placed a hand in front of him and softly said, "Thank you patriarch for protecting our Cangxuan Sect."
While the entire Cangxuan Sect was immersed in their shock, on the hall at the foot of the mountain, old Xuan raised his head to look at the misty main peak. He sat on the stone steps, hugging his bamboo broom as a faint smile appeared on his old, old face.
This little one was truly surprising.
"Master… our Saint Genesis Peak has opened again."