Wine Lord

Lin Xuan felt no mercy. If he did not kill, he would be killed instead. Besides, that strange phenomenon of devouring others' blood essence had appeared within him. If word got out, he would surely be hunted by everyone.

Awoo!

Wolf howls rose all around him. The earlier fight had already drawn countless demonic beasts, and now that blood covered the ground, it further stirred these vicious creatures into a frenzy.

Lin Xuan was not in good condition. He quickly retreated. Zhang Bin's corpse would likely be eaten, making it difficult to trace the murder back to him.

After several swift dashes, he vanished into the mountain forest.

Not long after Lin Xuan left, those hungry wolves pounced upon Zhang Bin and the others' corpses...

By the time Lin Xuan returned to the sect, evening had already fallen. The setting sun sank westward, its lingering glow spilling across the land.

He dragged his exhausted body back to his room, collapsed onto the bed, and fell asleep at once.

When he woke again, a silver moon hung high in the sky.

Lin Xuan carefully examined the state of his body. The tiny glazed sword still hovered there. Green spiritual energy flowed slowly, leaving faint rays of radiance in its wake, yet there was not the slightest trace of the black aura or Black Lotus that had appeared during the day.

"Damn it!" Lin Xuan rubbed his chin and sank into thought.

The scene of absorbing someone's blood essence had been far too shocking. A living person had been sucked dry in an instant. Such a thing had never happened before. Too many strange events had occurred lately.

What exactly is inside my body? Why did Father tell me to enter the Lineage's ancestral grounds? Lin Xuan's heart was filled with questions.

"Not bad, little brat. Your swordsmanship is quite good!" At that moment, a voice entered Lin Xuan's ears.

Every muscle in Lin Xuan's body tensed. He cautiously scanned his surroundings, the longsword in his hand ready to strike at any moment, yet there was not a single figure nearby.

"Come out now, or I'm getting mad!"

"Stop looking. I'm here," the voice said lazily.

Then Lin Xuan felt the world spin around him. The little wooden cabin before him vanished, replaced by a grayish-white expanse. Ahead stood an enormous divine tree, but it had already withered.

Beneath that tree stood a figure with black hair cascading like a waterfall and white robes fluttering in the air. The figure had his back to Lin Xuan, so his features could not be seen.

"Y-you, who are you? Where is this?" Lin Xuan suppressed the fear in his heart and spoke in a deep voice.

"Hehe, not bad, little brat. You didn't wet your pants from fright." Upon hearing Lin Xuan's words, the figure in white turned around.

He was a middle-aged man, fairly handsome, but the stubble covering his face and the red wine gourd in his hand ruined his immortal, transcendent bearing.

"Hehe, I haven't met anyone in a long time. Seeing you really does feel rather familiar!" The middle-aged man in white shook the gourd in his hand as he spoke.

"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" Lin Xuan remained on guard.

"Little brat, don't be so tense. Who I am isn't important. You only need to know that I won't hurt you. As for this place, it's inside your body."

"What? Inside my body?" Lin Xuan nearly cried out. Then, as though he had recalled something, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Could it be that mysterious little sword?"

The middle-aged man in white tipped back his head, took a swig from the gourd, and merely smiled without answering.

"What is the matter with the lotus inside my body? And what exactly is this sword?" Lin Xuan pressed.

The middle-aged man in white said with a grin, "Little brat, you sure have a lot of questions. You'll learn these things later. There's no use telling you now."

"And what was that bloodsucking? Don't tell me you were the one who did it?" Lin Xuan recalled that terrifying scene again.

"There is another force inside your body, but it is hidden very well. It was this force that stimulated me and woke me from my slumber. As for what it is exactly, even I do not know." The middle-aged man's expression was rarely solemn.

But soon, he returned to his lazy appearance. "Don't worry. With me here, that force definitely won't dare show itself!"

Lin Xuan knew he would not get any answers, so he simply stopped asking. But it was no solution to let this fellow remain inside his body forever. He had to find a way to get him out.

"Hey, you're not planning to stay here forever, are you? My stomach isn't an inn!"

The middle-aged man in white smiled broadly and asked in a seductive voice, "Do you want to become an inner disciple? Do you want to return to the Lineage? Do you want to grow stronger?"

The middle-aged man's voice seemed filled with magic, making Lin Xuan's heart pound wildly.

"Without that Black Lotus imprisoning my meridians, with my talent, wouldn't getting stronger be easy?" Lin Xuan had confidence in himself.

"Your talent is indeed good, but have you considered how many years behind the others you are? What resources can you obtain now? Do you have the time to waste?"

"You have a way?" Lin Xuan's young face shifted between light and shadow. Sword Pool Prefecture opened its ancestral grounds once every ten years, and less than two years remained until the next opening. To enter the ancestral grounds, he had to rank among the top three of the younger generation.

Before he had left the Lineage, some of its young disciples had already reached the Spirit Sea Realm, while he was only at Meridian Condensation, Third Stage. The gap between them was like a heavenly chasm, impossible to cross.

Seeing Lin Xuan's somewhat dejected face, the middle-aged man in white smiled. "What do you think of the Eternal Life Art?"

"That cultivation art was given to me by you!" Only then did Lin Xuan remember the Eternal Life Art.

"Without the Eternal Life Art, could you have broken through to Meridian Condensation, Third Stage so quickly?" the middle-aged man in white said. "Now do you believe in my ability?"

"You're helping me so much—what exactly do you want?" Lin Xuan asked warily. He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch under heaven.

"My demand is simple. I'll tell you once your strength reaches the required level." The middle-aged man in white gazed into the distance, his eyes brimming with the weariness of ages.

"Fine, it's a deal!" Lin Xuan felt there was no problem with that.

"Then hurry up and raise me to the Spirit Sea Realm." He said it calmly.

Pfft! The middle-aged man in white sprayed out all the wine he had just swallowed. "I ought to spray you to death with a mouthful of strong liquor! What do you take cultivation for? You want to ascend to heaven in a single step? Keep dreaming!"

"Ah, what a waste of good wine!" The middle-aged man in white sighed.

Lin Xuan covered his face in anguish. No matter how he looked at this fellow, he seemed like a drunkard. Lin Xuan could not shake the feeling that he had been scammed.

"Call me Wine Lord from now on. I'll first brew you some low-grade spirit wine, so your meridians don't give out."

"Brewing wine? Are you saying you want me to drink wine to break through?" Lin Xuan felt as if he were about to go mad.

"What kind of expression is that?" Wine Lord was displeased. "Back in the day, how many mighty experts wailed to heaven and earth, begging me to brew wine for them? Being able to drink my wine, you should count your blessings!"

Without caring whether Lin Xuan believed him, he said directly, "Three Snake-Shaped Fruits and one Chinese Violet. Bring them to me tomorrow, and I'll brew wine for you."

"What? Three Snake-Shaped Fruits and one Chinese Violet? Are you telling me to go rob someone?" Lin Xuan roared. He had seen it at the Mission Hall: a single Snake-Shaped Fruit required fifty contribution points. How many contribution points did he even have in total? Besides, even with contribution points, such things were likely impossible to exchange for.

"If you can't get them, there's nothing I can do. It's not me who's in a hurry to level up anyway." Wine Lord yawned, waved his wide sleeve, and swept up a fierce gale that flung Lin Xuan out.