Chapter 74: A Mouthful of Wine
Two months after the secret realm opened, Yu Nianzhen arrived near a lake.
This lake was called the clear water lake.
It was one hundred metres long and fifty metres wide.
Unlike its name, the lake was not clear, but rather a reflection of many colours.
This was because many aquatic plants grew in its depths, which caused the water to appear colourful.
"I hope I can meet him here." Yu Nianzhen said.
His voice was filled with longing, and his expressionless face was coloured with nostalgia.
However, this mood was only momentary.
Soon after, he collected himself and walked towards the lake.
At first, Yu Nianzhen didn’t realise that something was off.
However, the more he walked, the more he realised that something wasn’t right.
For one, there were many people on the other three banks, but only one person on the eastern.
Other than that, there was a mountain of bodies next to the only person on the eastern bank.
"What’s going on?" He stopped a random cultivator to ask.
The cultivator was a young man of no more than thirty.
He wore a brown robe and had a homely countenance that was very approachable.
When he heard the question, the cultivator sighed and tilted his head to the east.
"A dragon-scaled fruit is about to mature on the Eastern bank."
Yu Nianzhen turned his attention to the eastern bank.
"What’s happening?" He asked.
"That person has been here for more than a month. Anyone who appears on the Eastern bank will be killed by him."
Yu Nianzhen saw the mountain of corpses and didn’t doubt the young man’s words.
"He says he will give up the fruit if someone defeats him in a game of chess." The young man continued.
What he didn’t say was that he had also been at the clear water lake for three weeks.
In that time, many cultivators had challenged the young man, and their bodies were added to the mountain without fail.
"I see. Thank you."
After saying that, Yu Nianzhen waked toward the eastern bank.
"Wait." The cultivator was shocked when he saw Yu Nianzhen’s actions.
The two of them didn’t know each other, but talking was also a kind of fate.
Now that they had conversed for a few minutes, he wanted to warn the other.
However, Yu Nianzhen did not stop.
"Everyone has their own path." The young cultivator gave up and did not try to stop him again.
Instead, he took a position behind some trees and continued to watch the lake.
"I will give you two options." A black-clothed young man said as soon as Yu Nianzhen arrived a few metres from him.
"Say."
"Options one, turn around and walk away. I won’t pursue."
"What is option two?"
"Play with me. If you win, I will give up the dragon-scaled fruit, but if you lose, you will join the pile."
"What if you lose?" Yu Nianzhen asked.
His voice was cold and full of indifference.
When he heard this, the black-clothed young man was taken back.
He chuckled lightly and then looked at Yu Nianzhen for a moment.
"If I lose, I will let you drink my treasured win."
When Yu Nianzhen heard this, the corners of his mouth twitched in amusement.
What kind of deal was this?
Did the other equate his life to a gourd of wine?
This was a little insulting, but Yu Nianzhen wasn’t angry.
He just looked at the gourd that hang from the other’s waist before taking a seat across from the young man.
’It doesn’t matter either way.’ He thought.
"Let’s play." He spoke.
"Are you sure? You can still turn back now."
The black-clothed young man frowned after saying that.
Since he sat on the eastern bank, he had played against many cultivators.
However, this was the first he tried to dissuade an opponent from playing against him.
’What’s going on?’ He wondered as he looked at the young man who sat across from him.
’Don’t I want him to die? What a joke!’
After a moment, he converged his thoughts and arranged the pieces on the board.
"Do you want to go first?" He asked.
"I don’t mind either way."
Yu Nianzhen was very confident in his chess skills.
As the heir of the Yu family in his previous life, he was taught many things including chess.
He was also very close to his grandfather and often accompanied the old man to play.
"You can go first."
"Good."
Without hesitation, Yu Nianzhen made the first move.
His move wasn’t spectacular.
Rather, it was very ordinary, and the black-clothed young man frowned a little.
’The outcome has already been decided.’
When the black-clothed young man saw the other’s first move, he thought the game would be an easy win.
However, he couldn’t have been more wrong.
After five moves, he realised that his opponent was not easy.
His mood became a little complicated, and his mind became more focused.
However, this was of little use.
Three hours later, he put his piece down and glanced at the board in shock.
"I lost."He said.
In truth, he hoped to lose, but he didn’t try to intentionally lose.
Now that he lost, he couldn’t help but be surprised.
"You are good."
"So are you."
Yu Nianzhen also appreciated his opponent.
When he decided to fight with chess, he thought he could win easily.
However, his opponent wasn’t as easy as he imagined.
Even though Yu Nianzhen won, it was a narrow win.
"Here is the wine. There is only one mouthful."
The young man handed over a gourd.
Yu Nianzhen took the gourd and then looked at the young man.
"I staked my life for a mouthful of wine?"
"It’s a very good wine." The black-clothed young man was not daunted.
"I will reserve my judgement." Yu Nianzhen opened the gourd and was ready to drink.
"Are you so easy to risk your life? The wine could be poisoned."
Yu Nianzhen looked at the young man but didn’t answer.
He wasn’t a fool.
He knew the wine could be poisoned, but Yu Nianzhen was also very good at reading people.
Although his opponent was the ruthless kind, he was also very arrogant.
Their personalities were quite similar, and Yu Nianzhen felt that the other would disdain to use small tricks.
"Won’t I know when I drink it?"
Yu Nianzhen wasn’t too worried.
Maybe if he didn’t have the tree of life, he would be more reserved.
However, the tree of life had sprouted new leaves.
If his judgement was wrong and the wine was poisoned, Yu Nianzhen could still keep his life.
"I see."
The black-clothed young man was satisfied with Yu Nianzhen’s words.
His lips curled in a rare smile, and a hidden expectation could be seen in the depths of his eyes.
"Go ahead then."
Yu Nianzhen did not wait for another invitation.
He tilted his head back and drank from the gourd.
In the next moment, a liquid entered his mouth, and his body shook lightly.
As part of a rich family, Yu Nianzhen had tasted many kinds of wine.
After joining the Sea Cloud sect, he also drank many kinds of wine from his master’s collection.
However, none of the wines he had ever drunk could be remotely compared to the mouthful he drunk.
If he had to describe it, Yu Nianzhen would say it was a wine aged for a million years.
It tasted, unlike anything he had ever come across.
’What?’ Yu Nianzhen was shocked.
As soon as the wine entered his body, his dantian began to expand rapidly.
As the dantian expanded, heaven and earth qi rushed into his body and filled up his qi ocean.
In the blink of an eye, his cultivation began to increase.
The seventh level of the origin forging realm, late-stage
The seventh level of the origin forging realm, peak stage
The eighth level of the origin forging realm, early stage
The eighth level of the origin forging realm, mid-stage
The eighth level of the origin forging realm, late-stage
The eighth level of the origin forging realm, peak stage
The ninth level of the origin forging realm, early stage
The ninth level of the origin forging realm, mid-stage
The ninth level of the origin forging realm, late-stage
The ninth level of the origin forging realm, peak stage
When he reached the peak stage of the ninth level, his cultivation began to consolidate.
His qi churned in his dantian and began to purify itself.
However, this was not the only change.
Previously, his qi had gained a little mystery when he observed the mayflies.
This time, it became even more mysterious.
Yu Nianzhen couldn’t be sure, but he felt like his qi had gained a very ancient breath.
The breath seemed to have existed since the beginning of time and would continue to exist until the end of time.
Although he couldn’t understand the mystery, Yu Nianzhen felt that his entire existence had somehow been elevated.
’What is going on?’ He wondered as he examined his body.
