Zhu Zhuqing Invites Li Zhexian to Shrek! The Wine Martial Soul Mutates

Crackle—!

Sparks burst from the campfire, reflecting one another with the fireflies drifting through the dark forest.

The fragrance of wine mingled with the scent of meat.

Once the melancholy had passed,

the atmosphere gradually turned somewhat intimate.

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head, her pretty face flushed.

Li Zhexian shook the slender Wine Pot, which had only one mouthful left, and said regretfully,

"The wine is good, but there's too little of it."

Though the wine in his Clear Spring Wine Gourd was rich and mellow,

an occasional change of flavor was quite nice too.

"Hm?"

As the floral wine slid down his throat, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Li Zhexian.

"Sister Zhuqing, give me my wine."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at the suddenly excited Li Zhexian in confusion.

She handed him the Clear Spring Wine Gourd.

Li Zhexian held the Clear Spring Wine Gourd in one hand and Zhu Zhuqing's wine in the other.

"What if..."

"I pour another wine into the Clear Spring Wine Gourd?"

"Would the Wine Martial Soul combine the strengths of every wine and become even more mellow?"

Li Zhexian's eyes gleamed.

In his plan, the Spirit Rings for the Wine Martial Soul needed to be at least ten-thousand-year rings.

Only then could he fully develop the talent of his Second Martial Soul.

But that would be rather slow.

Sword and wine were meant to complement each other.

Yet the Azure Lotus Sword was advancing too quickly. Sooner or later, the Wine Martial Soul would fail to keep up.

Thus, Li Zhexian wondered whether he could find a way to make it more powerful without consuming the Wine Martial Soul's potential.

"Let's try it!"

Li Zhexian poured Zhu Zhuqing's wine into the Clear Spring Wine Gourd.

Under Li Zhexian's delighted gaze and Zhu Zhuqing's shocked one,

a hazy glow actually lit up across the surface of the Clear Spring Wine Gourd.

There had initially only been a clear spring etched upon the gourd, but now markings of fruits gradually appeared, stroke by stroke.

Whoosh—!

White mist poured from the mouth of the gourd.

A refreshing fragrance of wine drifted through the air.

Li Zhexian licked his lips.

Just smelling it was enough to make his mouth water.

At once,

he impatiently took a sip.

The amber liquid slid down his throat. First came the faint sweetness of apricot on his tongue, then it transformed into a mellow stream of heat that rolled into his chest as abundant energy spread through his body.

Buzz—!

Buzz—!

Li Zhexian had not summoned the Azure Lotus Sword.

Yet somewhere beyond perception, the Azure Lotus Sword stirred without end, and a Sword-shaped Mark faintly appeared between his brows.

After absorbing the Spirit Ring of the Three-tailed Sword Scorpion King,

Li Zhexian's Soul Power had already reached the peak of level twenty-one.

With that single mouthful of fine wine, his Soul Power broke through its restraints and directly reached level twenty-two.

"Phew—!"

Li Zhexian let out a long breath.

The wine fumes alone made the campfire flare up several times more fiercely.

"Good wine, good wine!"

Zhu Zhuqing stared at Li Zhexian in astonishment, sensing that his aura had become far more powerful.

"Y-your Soul Power Level increased?"

"Mm."

Li Zhexian tipped his head back and took another swig.

A deep satisfaction appeared on his handsome face, but he suddenly said with regret,

"This wine combines a rich aroma with fruity notes. What a pity it has no floral fragrance."

Zhu Zhuqing: "..."

Could he stop talking about floral fragrance for now?

Seeing Li Zhexian like this, Zhu Zhuqing found herself craving a drink as well.

She smacked her rosy lips and said somewhat bashfully,

"Li Zhexian, can... can I have a sip?"

"Here."

Li Zhexian handed her the Wine Pot.

After taking it, Zhu Zhuqing eagerly took a sip.

"Mmm..."

The fiery wine entered her stomach, and heat exploded through her body.

Two crimson flushes immediately bloomed across Zhu Zhuqing's little face. Her eyes misted over, and her gaze turned unfocused.

"G-good wine..."

"Hahahahaha!"

Li Zhexian laughed loudly.

The combination of the two wines had greatly intensified their potency.

Even he, a Wine Enthusiast, felt a faint burning sensation.

It was foreseeable that the more fine wines his Wine Martial Soul fused in the future, the stronger their potency would become.

One day, even he would get drunk.

"Sword Dance in Drunkenness!"

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

Li Zhexian took back the Clear Spring Wine Gourd and began feasting heartily, taking bites of meat between swigs of wine.

Zhu Zhuqing, hazy with intoxication, stared at Li Zhexian with an adorably foolish smile.

Her usual coldness had long since been melted away by the fiery wine.

Suddenly,

Zhu Zhuqing seemed to recall something and said with a hint of nervousness,

"Li Zhexian, I'm going to attend an academy that claims to accept only monsters."

"I don't think anyone suits the title of 'monster' better than you."

"Will you come with me?"

Li Zhexian paused in the middle of drinking, then shook his head without hesitation.

"Forget it."

"My personality isn't suited for school."

Li Zhexian knew that Zhu Zhuqing was going to attend Shrek Academy.

And the reason he refused,

aside from not wanting to be controlled by an academy,

was another very important point.

Shrek Academy could not make him stronger.

He had his own plans

for the configuration of his Spirit Rings.

He had no regard whatsoever for that so-called Master.

As for whether he was also avoiding Ning Rongrong...

To Li Zhexian,

Ning Rongrong was not even as appealing as the Roasted Rabbit before him.

She was merely a stranger he would never have anything to do with again.

Though she had already known the answer in her heart, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes still dimmed when she heard Li Zhexian refuse.

After thinking for a moment, she asked,

"Then, Li Zhexian..."

"Where will you go in the future? What will you do?"

Li Zhexian chewed on the Roasted Rabbit in his mouth and looked up at the bright moon overhead.

"Me..."

"I'll drink the finest wines across the continent and challenge the greatest swordsmen."

Li Zhexian tipped back the Wine Pot and drank deeply. Wine flowed freely down the corners of his mouth, making the youth appear even wilder and more unrestrained.

"I'll fill my Wine Pot with every fine wine on the continent—three thousand realms of worldly fine wines, all transformed into rosy clouds within my gourd!"

"I'll also create a sword art that belongs to Li Zhexian alone—kill one man in ten steps, leave no trace across a thousand miles!"

That was right!

This was Li Zhexian's ideal life!

He could not live without sword and wine!

He had found a way to make the Wine Martial Soul powerful.

And beyond that, he had realized that his attainments in swordsmanship were still far from sufficient.

He only knew one move, Azure Edge Severance. His techniques were simply too limited.

As for Three Swords of Splendor, it was an enhancement-type sword skill.

He would not merely wait to cultivate Soul Power and obtain Spirit Ring skills.

That was for mediocrities!

Looking across the Douluo Continent, those powerful figures did not rely solely on Spirit Ring skills.

For example, the Tang Sect Secret Arts Tang San had brought from his previous life.

Or the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer of the Clear Sky Sect, used with the hammer.

Li Zhexian also knew that Chen Xin, hailed as the continent's greatest swordsman, possessed a set of sword arts uniquely his own.

How splendid, how splendid!

But Li Zhexian was no inferior to anyone!

He would surely create sword arts that belonged to himself!

Zhu Zhuqing stared blankly at Li Zhexian as he drank wildly beneath the moonlight.

Her heart began racing against her will.

How strange.

The wine had clearly worn off.

Yet she somehow felt even drunker.

"Li Zhexian..."

Zhu Zhuqing suddenly spoke.

"Mm?"

Li Zhexian looked at Zhu Zhuqing.

"Don't forget what you said. If I come looking for you in the future, you'll come help me."

"Of course."