When Zhou Yuan’s clear voice echoed across the land, the silence over the place was finally broken as dazed gaze after gaze slowly returned to their senses...

The onlookers looked towards the still slowly collapsing chief disciple peak, where Zhou Yuan was standing in the air. Although he tattered clothes made him cut quite a sorry figure, the faint presence that spread from him made several disciples freeze for a second.

Only at this very moment did they finally realize that what many had viewed to be a mere new disciple, had already grown to such an astonishing level in a short year...

So much so, that even a veteran disciple like Yuan Hong had been beaten!

At this moment, the crowd finally understood that they could no longer view Zhou Yuan with the same lenses they had before... anyone who dared to adopt a high and mighty attitude due to seniority or experience, would only be seeking his or her own humiliation.

Outside the chief disciple peak, the three Saint Genesis Peak factions also returned to their senses.

Shen Taiyuan’s disciples were in disbelief. They looked at each other, and timidly asked, "We... won?"

The pressure brought by Lu Hong’s faction had been far too overwhelming. Hence, even at such a time, they found the impossibly beautiful outcome before them rather hard to accept.

The usual stern and strict look on Shen Taiyuan’s old face was currently disappearing little by little, as intense, unconcealable emotions surged out in his eyes. He forcefully nodded as he said in a trembling voice, "Yes, Zhou Yuan has won! We’ve won the chief disciple selection!"

With regards to such an outcome, even someone like Shen Taiyuan could no longer remain calm.

When the Zhou Tai trio had failed to defeat Yuan Hong earlier, Shen Taiyuan had already begun to despair inside. Yuan Hong had just been too overwhelming and unstoppable.

Although Zhou Yuan had repeatedly surprised them, Shen Taiyuan felt that he was still too new, and his chances against an experienced disciple like Yuan Hong were anything but optimistic.

Never would he have imagined that Zhou Yuan, whom no one had supported, would ultimately be the one to do it...

In the end, he had even gone against all odds to obtain victory against Yuan Hong!

Gratifications filled Shen Taiyuan’s eyes as he gazed upon the youthful figure. He was very happy that he had insisted on taking Zhou Yuan in back then, and even repeatedly supported him against the majority opinion.

Now, Zhou Yuan had reciprocated in the best way imaginable.

In the wake of Shen Taiyuan’s words, the nearby disciples finally returned to their senses. Zhou Yuan had really defeated Yuan Hong, and obtained the chief disciple position of Saint Genesis Peak!

As such, literal earth-shaking cheers erupted a split second later.

"Little Yuan bro is invincible!" An excited to the max shriek was heard.

The crowd jumped at this voice, quickly looking over, only to find that Shen Wanjin’s round face had flushed red with excitement, as if he was about to pass out from happiness.

"I... I put two hundred thousand Genesis jade on him!" Shen Taiyuan trembled with emotion.

These words caused the group to fall silent once more, before their eyes began to turn red, and their breathing ragged as they stared at Shen Wanjin. Only now did they recall that he had bet two hundred thousand Genesis jade on Zhou Yuan taking home the chief disciple seat!

Just how much was he going to get back in return?!

They had previously teased Shen Wanjin for basically ’throwing away’ his wealth, but who could have expected such an outcome? After calculating the betting odds, how much Genesis jade did he win?

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Such a fortune would stun even purple sash disciples.

Numerous disciples suddenly felt their hearts ache as they stared at the flushed Shen Wanjin. Was this little fatty going to become one of the richest disciples in the Cangxuan Sect?

What kind of luck was this!

While the many disciples on this side were cheering, somewhere nearby, elder Lu Song was the first to begin clapping, as he sent Shen Taiyuan a congratulatory smile.

His disciples also returned to their senses as they erupted into thunderous cheers. After all, compared to Yuan Hong becoming the chief disciple, they undoubtedly favored Zhou Yuan much much more.

The cheering of these two factions converged together, booming across the area like thunder.

Amidst their cheering, Lu Hong’s faction was covered in a stifling atmosphere as if someone had died. Numerous disciples, including Wei Youxuan and the others who had once dueled with Zhou Yuan, had deathly white complexions as they watched this scene.

They never imagined that the seemingly invincible Yuan Hong would fall at Zhou Yuan’s hands!

This was a devastating blow to their morale.

Amidst the heavy silence was an ashen faced Lu Hong. His body trembled as his legs turned to jelly, causing him to fall, butt first, into the chair behind him.

"How can this be..." Mumbled Lu Hong.

"How could he have defeated Yuan Hong?!"

Lu Hong’s gnarly hands tightly gripped the arm rests of the chair, the tremendous force crushing them to splinters. This outcome had clearly far exceeded his expectations.

Yuan Hong was his greatest disciple that he had poured all his heart into nurturing, and had even received tutelage from peak master Ling Jun. There should have been no one who was capable of matching him in Saint Genesis Peak.

He was also the source of Lu Hong’s confidence in obtaining the chief disciple position. However, the scene current before his eyes caused all of this confidence to fall apart at this moment.

His mind was a mess, because he dearly understood the heavy responsibility they carried by coming to Saint Genesis Peak.

It was a gamble between peak master Ling Jun and the other peak masters.

If they failed, Sword Cometh Peak would suffer a tremendous loss, a loss that even an elder like him could not possibly shoulder.

He had followed peak master Ling Jun for many years, and clearly understood the ambitions in the latter’s heart. It was to make Sword Cometh Peak the most powerful peak in the Cangxuan Sect.

However, all of that plotting had now ended in failure.

Lu Hong did not even dare to look up at this moment. He could already imagine how much rage there was in peak master Ling Jun’s heart...

With a glazed look in his eyes, Lu Hong gazed at the figure floating above the chief disciple peak, as endless regret suddenly began to flood his heart. If he had known this would happen, he would have done all his best to recruit Zhou Yuan back then.

However, Zhou Yuan had been of practically zero concern to him back then. He did not feel that there was anything noteworthy about this new disciple... in addition, because of Lu Xuanyin, he had even beared a little animosity towards Zhou Yuan.

If he had just recruited Zhou Yuan and then thrown him to the side, today’s events would at the very least not have occured!

However... as he recalled this memory, Lu Hong finally understood the meaning of regret.

"It’s over..." He mumbled as his body turned ice-cold.