A bustling and noisy atmosphere covered the giant plaza.
The new disciples were currently gathered in front of the seven stone stages. However, compared to the other six peaks, Saint Genesis Peak"s side was undoubtedly much less popular. At the end of the day, their foundations were just much weaker than the other six peaks.
What"s more, their chief disciple was not even present, and the two purple sash disciples, Zhou Tai and Lu Yan, were clearly unable to match up with the impressive line-ups from the other peaks. Hence, it was within expectation for them to be less well received.
Zhou Tai and Lu Yan felt exceptionally dispirited. If this continued, all the talented new disciples would soon be recruited away by the other six peaks. When the other six peaks fulfilled their quotas, the leftovers would likely be those unwanted and unremarkable disciples again.
The duo"s gazes swept across the crowd, suddenly finding a few dozen figures still observing from the center of the plaza.
Zhou Tai and Lu Yan focused on the spot right in front of the small group.
Of course, they were not the only two who had their attention on this location. The other six peaks were carefully making sure to keep an eye on the figure at the head of this group.
She was a young lady in blue, with bright eyes and pearly white teeth that made her look very elegant. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail, and her eyebrows were long and thin, giving her a capable and sharp look.
This girl was called Mu Xiaoman, and was rumored to be from one of the great clans in the Shengzhou Continent. She was exceedingly talented, and was also the champion of the latest peak selection ceremony.
Mu Xiaoman was straightforward, ambitious and compet.i.tive. Thus, she had quite some influence over the newest batch of new disciples. The new disciples gathered around her had all ranked pretty highly in the peak selection ceremony.
From the looks of it, Mu Xiaoman was their leader, and they intended to first see what decision she would make. After all, the current peak selection ceremony allowed everyone the freedom of choice, unlike the past where only the champion was given the right to choose, while everyone else would be forcibly allocated.
"Senior sister Xiaoman, are you still hesitating? Which of the six peaks do you like? All of us will follow you wherever you go!" Asked a smiling young man from beside Mu Xiaoman, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at the latter.
Mu Xiaoman"s eyes began to swim for a moment when she heard this, before casting a glance towards the lonely looking Saint Genesis Peak stage.
"Saint Genesis Peak?" The other disciples were taken aback. "Senior sister Xiaoman, you can"t be interested in Saint Genesis Peak, right? I heard that they don"t even have a peak master…"
Mu Xiaoman swept a glance at them as she softly snorted. "What do you guys know? Saint Genesis Peak has only recently reopened, and although they have no peak master, their cultivation resources are very plentiful, making this the best time for us to join. As long as you"re talented, you"ll be able to climb rapidly amongst their ranks. In comparison, the other six peaks are already very well established, and a little bloated with talent."
"Moreover… do you guys know how long the current senior brother chief disciple of Saint Genesis Peak took to ascend to his position?"
The other new disciples looked at each other. They were merely outer mountain disciples previously, and had not come into contact with any information from the inner mountains, and were thus naturally unaware.
Mu Xiaoman pursed her lips as she extended a single slender finger. "A little over a year. That senior brother of ours was the champion of the previous peak selection ceremony."
"If memory serves me right, he should be called Zhou Yuan…"
Shock filled the eyes of the other disciples. "Becoming the chief disciple in a year?"
Such rapid promotion of status was indeed quite terrifying. Inner mountain disciples would usually start at black sash, then white sash and finally purple sash, before gaining the qualifications to vie for the chief disciple position. Many disciples would often find it difficult to be promoted each year.
"Becoming the chief disciple of Saint Genesis Peak seems to be a little too easy?" Someone remarked, evidently feeling that it had likely been no challenge.
"I"ve heard that chief disciple Zhou Yuan led Saint Genesis Peak to claim first place in the recent Genesis reservoir ceremony. Moreover, he even defeated the chief disciple of Sword Cometh Peak. From this, we can see that his ability is the real deal." Said Mu Xiaoman.
A pretty young lady said from the side, "If he"s so capable, why has he not shown himself? We"ve spent most of our time in the outer mountains after all, and only occasionally hear some rumors about the inner mountains."
Mu Xiaoman hesitated somewhat when she heard this, because she too knew that her information was limited, and naturally did not understand why the chief disciple of Saint Genesis Peak was not present in an event like this.
She mumbled to herself, "Could there have been some mistake in the information I received?"
"We"ll find out once we ask!"
Mu Xiaoman"s pupils spun in thought, before casting aside her hesitation, and heading straight towards the Saint Genesis Peak stage.
As the champion of the peak selection ceremony, Mu Xiaoman"s every action was being observed at all times. Hence, the members of the other peaks were a little stunned when they saw her move towards Saint Genesis Peak"s stage.
Even Zhou Tai and Lu Yan were quite surprised as they watched Mu Xiaoman briskly walk towards them. They clearly understood what a desirable hot steam bun this young lady currently was.
After all, the previous champion of the peak selection ceremony had been Zhou Yuan, whose achievements were plain for all to see. Hence, everyone could not help but hold certain expectations for this year"s number one.
"May I ask about something senior brother and sister…" Mu Xiaoman arrived in front of the stage and respectfully cupped her fists in greeting towards Zhou Tai and Lu Yan. The former did not beat about the bush and asked straightaway, "I"ve heard that Saint Genesis Peak was first place in the recent Genesis reservoir ceremony?"
Zhou Tai and Lu Yan exchanged a glance, feeling a little happy inside as they quickly nodded and said without a change in expression, "That"s right, we were indeed the champions of the recent Genesis reservoir ceremony."
Mu Xiaoman"s large eyes blinked as she continued, "Is it true that chief disciple Zhou Yuan of Saint Genesis Peak defeated chief disciple Baili of Sword Cometh Peak during the ceremony?"
Zhou Tai could not help but feel somewhat pleased as he answered, "That"s something that everyone knows."
Boom!
However, the moment these words left his mouth, a berserk Genesis Qi undulations suddenly exploded from a nearby stage, sweeping with unstoppable momentum and power towards Zhou Tai and Lu Yan.
Zhou Tai and Lu Yan hurriedly looked over, and saw Baili Che"s stormy expression.
Baili Che frostily stared at the Zhou Tai duo and slowly said, "Two purple sash disciples dare to insult me?"
Zhou Tai resisted the enormous pressure as he gritted his teeth and said, "What are you trying to do chief disciple Baili? So many people saw what happened back then, do you think that you can deny it?"
Lu Yan also snarled, "You did lose to Zhou Yuan, did we say anything wrong?"
The chief disciples from the other peaks frowned a little when they saw this. Baili Che was indeed behaving very narrow-mindedly. It was public knowledge that he had been defeated by Zhou Yuan, and yet he was las.h.i.+ng out against two purple sash disciples. This was very unbecoming for a chief disciple.
Baili Che icily said, "I was merely careless previously. If Zhou Yuan appears before me now, let"s see if he"ll dare to do anything?!"
Rumble!
Powerful Genesis Qi swept out from his body like a storm, displaying the true power of the ninth layer, and was substantially stronger than his half-foot ninth layer from before.
Baili Che had clearly been brooding more about his previous loss after advancing to the ninth layer.
Zhou Tai and Lu Yan"s complexions turned ashen as they continued to resist the Genesis pressure, but they could only grit their teeth and endure. Baili Che was after all much stronger than before, and was not someone that both of them could match.
The atmosphere became rather chaotic. Although many disciples felt disapproval at Baili Che"s actions, they also inwardly shook their heads at how easily Saint Genesis Peak had been bullied. Some of the disciples, who had previously been a little interested in the newly reopened Saint Genesis Peak, also began to waver.
Nearby, the steward was just about to berate them to put a halt to this affair.
Boom!
However, a loud rumble suddenly rang out at this moment, as a giant golden pillar of light in the distance soared into the sky, clearly visible from even a hundred miles away.
A clear whistling sound spread like rumbling thunder.
Next, everyone watched as golden light streaked across the sky, ultimately falling from the heavens like a shooting star, and landing on the Saint Genesis Peak stone stage.
As the golden light faded, a slim, young figure walked out. On the first step he took, the Genesis Qi pressure from Baili Che was instantly pulverised.
His s.h.i.+ning pupils looked towards Baili Che like a falcon, as a voice echoed across the plaza like thunder amidst the calmness.
"Why is the great Sword Cometh Peak chief disciple bullying purple sash disciples? How about I accompany you if you wish to play?"