Chapter 1077 Subdued (1/2)

They had been utterly frightened by Zhou Yuan’s terrifying Genesis Qi pressure.

A 2.3 billion Genesis Qi foundation!

And it was not even the advanced Heavenly Sun stage, but the intermediate!

The three of them were top practitioners among the numerous unaffiliated cultivators, but when had they ever seen such a frightening intermediate Heavenly Sun stage foundation?! Even the current king of the Heavenly Sun stage, Guan Qinglong, was not this terrifying at the intermediate stage, right?

The Han Jinhe trio finally experienced the meaning of a despairing gap. The three of them had stepped into the Heavenly Sun stage many years ago but had now been left in the dust by Zhou Yuan, who had only advanced to the Heavenly Sun stage half a year ago.

On the stone steps to the hall, Zhou Yuan’s face remained impassive as he stared at the trio below.

Under his gaze, the three gradually returned to their senses. For a time, ashamed looks colored their faces. Recalling their arrogant attitudes towards Zhou Yuan earlier made them feel like a bunch of clowns.

Zhou Yuan withdrew his imposing aura as he slowly said, “Do the three of you still feel that I am not qualified enough to lead the Tianyuan Region’s Heavenly Sun team?”

The trio exchanged a look. In the end, they said with some difficulty, “We are the ones who were blind.”

How could they not understand by now that grand elder Zhou Yuan’s goal had been to subdue their arrogance? The provocations from earlier were merely setting the groundwork.

Zhou Yuan gazed at them. There was almost no trace of the uncompromising stance from earlier as he said, “I understand the three of you want to become captain because you’re worried that we will give careless commands that will result in serious losses among the unaffiliated practitioners. However, I feel that my Tianyuan Region is still one of the nine regions after all, and we are still a formidable force to be reckoned with. To be blunt, if we do encounter something that even we are unable to handle, sending you guys out as cannon fodder won’t change anything.”

The Han Jinhe trio relaxed somewhat due to the softening of Zhou Yuan’s attitude. Although Zhou Yuan was implying they weren’t strong enough, they had already withdrawn their prideful attitudes after being intimidated. After some serious consideration, they felt that Zhou Yuan’s words were not unreasonable.

“The captain has the authority to command all of the Tianyuan Region’s forces. If there are too many people in this position, it will lead to confusion and chaos. For the sake of the big picture, I have to refuse your request.”

However, he knew that if he had begun in this manner, the trio would have likely felt that he was easily bullied and would have tried to take advantage of him, something the unaffiliated practitioners were particularly adept at. But with the “big slap” given to them at the start, although the trio’s expressions were currently a little ugly, they had begun to accept Zhou Yuan’s reasoning for rejecting them.

The three felt somewhat downcast. After all, they had not only failed to get the job but had also been roughed up by Zhou Yuan. This was quite a blow to their confidence, and they did not know how they would face their supporters outside later.

Zhou Yuan cast a glance at them as he smiled faintly. “However, although I cannot give you three the captain position, I have acknowledged your strength. I will appoint you as vice captains with the authority to command your own teams. Of course, you’ll have to first run them through me and captain Qin Lian.”

The Tianyuan Region had recruited quite a number of unaffiliated cultivators. These cultivators were used to freedom and were untamable individuals. If he were to forcibly supervise them, it would make them more rebellious towards him. Hence, it would be better to hand the lot over to the Han Jinhe trio to manage. If any conflicts were to occur, he would have the trio take responsibility, and he might even have the chance to act as the good guy and win their hearts over.

As such, he had already planned to give this position to them. However, he could not yield it so easily at the start. He needed to first teach them a lesson so that they would obediently listen to his words and not cause more trouble.

Sure enough, the downcast trio immediately perked up at his words. They joyfully looked towards Zhou Yuan. “Vice captain?”

Zhou Yuan nodded and smiled. “If the three of you don’t feel that it’s beneath you, we shall proceed accordingly.”

The trio exchanged a look before nodding. Somewhat embarrassed, they said, “We were too hot-headed earlier. I hope that grand elder Zhou Yuan can forgive us.”

By this time, they had no choice but to submit. After all, there was not much time left till Guyuan Heaven opened, and after experiencing Zhou Yuan’s strength, they were now somewhat expectant towards his performance. If they could get a share of the rewards in Guyuan Heaven, being ordered around like a little brother would not be unacceptable.

Unaffiliated practitioners like them could endure anything in order for a chance to grow stronger.

Zhou Yuan smiled as he nodded. “You guys will be in charge of grouping the unaffiliated practitioners outside.”

The Han Jinhe trio nodded repeatedly as they patted their chests. “Don’t worry, grand elder Zhou Yuan. We will take care of everything.”

After finishing, they hurriedly exited the hall.

As he watched them leave, Zhou Yuan chuckled softly.