Wine Maniac and Sword Immortal

For now, though, he needed to check the quest rewards first.

When he completed the quest earlier, he had been so focused on leaving quickly that he hadn't heard the system notifications clearly.

Now that he was trapped in the room, he finally had time to look.

A system screen appeared before him.

All the messages he had missed were displayed.

"Congratulations to the host for completing the rare-grade time-limited quest [Xiao Mei's Worry]."

"Reward obtained: three cultivation levels. Current cultivation: Human Martial Realm Sixth Heaven."

"Reward obtained: title [Sect Leader Who Perceives the Finest Details]"

"Title effect when equipped: increases insight by 999. The host will now find it easier to notice subtle clues.

"Unique active skill attached to the title: [Lie Detection]. Upon use, you will know whether the other party's words are true or false. Duration: one minute. Cooldown: 24 hours."

"Mysterious rare reward obtained: [Bewitch Hearts], a permanent skill that allows you to control others for your own use. The duration and chance of successful control depend on your own vital Qi and the other party's will."

After reading the quest rewards, Chen Ning clicked his tongue inwardly. The rewards this time really were generous.

Three cultivation levels as a reward.

Others trained diligently day and night, while he had only completed two quests over a total of four or five days.

Yet he had already risen six levels in a row.

If he kept this up and continued to lie low steadily, it wouldn't be long before he could truly take charge of the sect.

When that time came, whether it was this undercover agent or that traitor, every last one of them could sit down.

Only now, when Chen Ning had a few trump cards, could he truly be said to have barely gained a foothold.

"I could find a chance to try out this title skill and see who really murdered the original owner of this body."

[Lie Detection], the unique skill attached to the title, was fairly practical. It could tell whether the other party's words were true or false.

But Chen Ning couldn't use it carelessly. With its 24-hour cooldown, he had to save it for a crucial moment.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the quest perfectly. An additional reward has been granted: a breakthrough in sect member Xiao Mei's cultivation bottleneck."

"Note: a peerlessly good sect leader must be considerate. The stronger the sect's members, the more prosperous the sect will be."

The sudden system notification left Chen Ning dumbfounded.

What?

It had even broken through that undercover devil woman's cultivation bottleneck?

Wasn't this a joke?

System, bro, did you even know who she was?!

Chen Ning wanted to cry, but no tears came.

If this were a normal sect, it would naturally have been a good reward.

Strengthening a sect member and bolstering his own ranks.

But right now, it had done the exact opposite.

Chen Ning felt as though he had personally nurtured a mortal threat!

Meanwhile.

In the Azure Mystic Forbidden Land.

A disheveled, filthy old man sniffed at his surroundings again and again, his expression excited.

"Where did it go... where did it go?"

Beside him, a boy dressed like a scholarly attendant asked in confusion, "Patriarch, what's wrong?"

The old man addressed as Patriarch ignored him and paced anxiously back and forth, as if trying to determine the direction.

"Hahahaha! Found it! I found it!"

Muttering under his breath, the old man rose into the air and sped off into the distance.

"Hahaha! Fine wine has appeared in the world! How could it do without me?"

Watching his patriarch act this way and recalling what he had just said, the boy dressed as a scholarly attendant could vaguely guess what was going on.

"Sigh... the world calls Patriarch the Wine Maniac, and he's become obsessed with wine. Still, it's been many years since he was this excited, hasn't it?"

With that sigh, the boy rode a cloud after him.

This boy had actually reached the Ninth Heaven of the Spirit Martial Realm.

He was only one fortuitous opportunity away from entering the Earth Martial Realm.

And joining the ranks of the strong.

In the mundane world outside, he would definitely be considered a genius.

Flying Cloud Valley.

A middle-aged man in white stood with a sword in hand, gazing at the stars on the horizon before looking in a particular direction.

His voice trembled slightly as he murmured, "There is wine in the north. How could I, the Immortal of Wine, be absent?"

With that, he moved and vanished from sight.

After the middle-aged man in white left, a message came from Flying Cloud Valley:

"The valley master has departed to wander. Those seeking the sword may return if fate allows."

Once those words got out, the whole Spirit Province was shaken.

Li Changtian, master of Flying Cloud Valley, was also known as the Immortal of Wine and the Wine Sword Immortal.

He was a peerless figure in the Sword Dao of the current age.

Across the entire Nine Provinces, no one could surpass him in the Sword Dao.

Countless cultivators came here in ordinary times to seek the Sword Dao.

"Fellow Daoist, I've already waited more than three years. Why has your valley master suddenly gone wandering?"

"The Wine Immortal has left the valley. Didn't he say when he would return?"

"Yes! Is there really anything in this world that could move the Wine Immortal so?"

Outside Flying Cloud Valley, countless sword cultivators voiced the questions in their hearts.

The disciple guarding the gate merely smiled faintly and said, "The answer lies in your own questions. Please go back, everyone."

At those words, everyone finally understood.

"That's right! The only thing that could move the Wine Immortal is probably wine..."

A night passed.

At dawn, Xiao Mei slowly woke up. The first thing she saw was Chen Ning sleeping on the bed.

She, on the other hand, had slept on the floor, with a layer of bedding laid beneath her.

Her head still felt a little foggy.

But she had slept extremely soundly.

Her gaze fell on the jar of wine on the table.

Xiao Mei's eyes narrowed.

"This wine really is potent..."

Then she looked at Chen Ning, who was still asleep.

"Huh?"

Xiao Mei was astonished to discover that his cultivation had broken through to the Human Martial Realm Sixth Heaven.

That in itself was nothing remarkable.

The Human Martial Realm was merely the entry level of cultivation.

In the Dragon-Seeking Sect, Human Martial Realm martial artists could be found everywhere.

Only after breaking through the Human Martial Realm and entering the Spirit Martial Realm could one be considered an expert.

But what surprised Xiao Mei was that when she had seen him just yesterday, he had only been at the Human Martial Realm Third Heaven.

After one night, he had risen three levels in a row?

At that speed, was he going to leave anyone else a chance to live?

Even she, as a member of the Devil Race, already cultivated very quickly.

But not to this extent.

Just then, she suddenly recalled that legend.

The Dragon-Seeking Sect's secret treasure.

"Perhaps... only that can explain it."

Chen Ning must have received the secret treasure from the old sect leader.

That was how he had gained such an astonishing cultivation speed.

There was one more thing.

The wine on the table.

Never mind a mortal.

Even the Immortal of Wine from Flying Cloud Valley couldn't possibly brew such fine wine.

To tell the truth, ever since Xiao Mei had tasted this wine last night,

She no longer had the slightest desire to drink any other wine.

"Could this wine... also have been brewed by him using the secret treasure?"

That was the most reasonable guess.

It was plausible that the Dragon-Seeking Sect's legendary secret treasure possessed such power.

But she still didn't dare be certain. She could only continue observing Chen Ning's subsequent changes to verify her guess.

Just then, Xiao Mei's slender brows furrowed as she noticed that her own cultivation bottleneck-

Had actually been broken through at this very moment...