Testing

At the sight of the Overlord Drumsticks in the wine vat, Xuan Zi's first reaction was not to instinctively grab one for a taste, but to step forward and support Gao Ren.

The moment the wine vat had formed, he had noticed that Gao Ren's Soul Power had run dry, leaving him slightly overdrawn.

"A-Ren, are you all right?!" ×2

Holding Gao Ren steady, Xuan Zi quickly began replenishing his Soul Power.

As he felt Xuan Zi's immense Soul Power slowly flowing into his body, Gao Ren, whose steps had been slightly unsteady, regained his footing and replied:

"Teacher, I'm fine... It looks like I'll need some more time before I can fully control my Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill. At the very least, I'll have to become a Soul Ancestor."

Hearing this, Xuan Zi and Mu En exchanged a glance, then both nodded in relief.

Their examination confirmed that Gao Ren's condition was indeed exactly as he had described.

Once they were certain Gao Ren was in no serious danger, the three began studying the vat of drumsticks before them.

Overlord Drumsticks lay neatly arranged inside the wine vat, one after another. Soaking in a liquid that appeared to be Immortal's Drunk, they continuously gave off a rich, unusual fragrance.

Tempted by that fragrance, Xuan Zi was the first to lose patience. He grabbed a drumstick and began tasting it.

Gao Ren and Mu En followed close behind. Unlike Xuan Zi, who wanted to know whether they tasted good, they were more interested in the drumsticks' effects.

"Crisp skin, tender meat, and wine fragrance soaked right into the bone! These new drumsticks made with your Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill are right up my alley!" Xuan Zi's eyes shone alarmingly as he took his first bite.

Just as Xuan Zi had said, Gao Ren and Mu En, who took their bites a little later, experienced much the same sensation.

However, they paid closer attention to the drumsticks' effects, engaging every sense in their bodies as they tried to discern the special effects of this Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Soon, the two experienced the effects of the new-flavored drumsticks.

"Vitality and Spiritual Power-the strengths of both Martial Souls are present. It's just..." Mu En frowned. "The increase in those two strengths is truly limited.

"This little boost isn't what a Martial Soul Fusion Skill should be capable of. There must be other effects we haven't discovered yet."

"Maybe we've eaten too few to really feel it," Xuan Zi said casually. "Eat a few more, and the effects should become obvious."

Gao Ren and Mu En looked over at the same time and discovered that Xuan Zi was already eating his fifth. Their eating speed could not begin to compare with his.

Mu En: →_→

Gao Ren: →_→

You clearly just want a legitimate excuse to get your hands on more things related to Immortal's Drunk, don't you?

Xuan Zi: I already lost half a week's supply of booze. Surely I'm allowed to recoup a little somewhere else?

Gao Ren and Mu En exchanged a glance and decided to let Xuan Zi have his way.

After all, when it came to anything involving food, Xuan Zi was the ideal tester.

Under Xuan Zi's brute-force testing, the drumsticks in the vat dwindled at a rate visible to the naked eye.

This also brought about a change in Xuan Zi's condition. Before long, his aged face turned red.

Seeing that Xuan Zi was getting a little tipsy, Gao Ren released his second Soul Skill and created several Pure World Overlord's Legs.

"Teacher, have a Pure World Overlord's Leg."

Thoroughly enjoying his meal, Xuan Zi glanced at Gao Ren with a smile and accepted the Pure World Overlord's Leg.

After one Pure World Overlord's Leg went down his stomach, Xuan Zi's complexion returned to normal.

Yes, the Pure World Overlord's Leg could cleanse the negative effects of Immortal's Drunk.

After all, the Overlord Drumstick and the vat of Immortal's Drunk were Martial Souls of roughly equal quality.

However, this did not mean that, with the help of Pure World Overlord's Legs, someone could drink an entire vat of Immortal's Drunk and remain standing.

Xuan Zi's personal testing-which earned him a beating from Mu En-had proven that drinking an entire vat of Immortal's Drunk in a short period would still allow it to work its magic and send the drinker straight to sleep, no matter how many Pure World Overlord's Legs they ate along the way.

Finish a vat, and you were guaranteed to fall asleep. That was how Immortal's Drunk's underlying code was written...

After eating the Pure World Overlord's Leg and recovering, Xuan Zi threw himself back into the testing.

His goal was simple: if he could not taste the Martial Soul Fusion Skill's special effect, he would keep eating until he could.

Yet even when the drumsticks in the vat had nearly bottomed out, Xuan Zi still failed to discover any special effect.

He glanced at the few drumsticks remaining at the bottom of the vat, then shook his head.

"No more, no more. If I keep eating, I'm afraid I'll fall asleep again. I'll save these last few drumsticks for tomorrow."

With that, Xuan Zi prepared to pack up the drumsticks in the vat and take them away using the new Storage Soul Tool Qian Duoduo had made for him earlier.

Just as he was about to act, familiar voices came from outside the Sea God Pavilion.

"Gao Ren! Gao Ren! Are you there? We've come to play with you!"

Gao Ren walked to the edge of the terrace and spotted two familiar figures in the distance: the Auspicious Beast and the Scarlet King.

He greeted the distant Auspicious Beast and Scarlet King. "Auspicious Beast, Senior Scarlet King, good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Gao Ren." ×2

Even in Humanoid Form, the Auspicious Beast's nose remained keen. "Gao Ren, what are you sneaking bites of up there? We could smell it from miles away! Is it a new flavor of drumstick?!"

Gao Ren nodded. Since humans could not figure out the effect, perhaps letting Soul Beasts try it would work.

"You could say that. I only discovered it today."

"Then I want some!"

Immediately afterward, the Scarlet King carried the Auspicious Beast up to the Sea God Pavilion's terrace.

Noticing that Xuan Zi and Mu En were also present, the Scarlet King greeted them politely. "Good afternoon, you two."

"Hello." ×2

The Auspicious Beast came to Gao Ren's side and peered into the vat. "You all ate so fast. There's hardly anything left."

Gao Ren: Please leave out the "all," thank you.

The Scarlet King found the smell from the vat familiar. "This scent... I remember that girl who came to spar with the Auspicious Beast earlier smelled just like this.

"Were these new-flavored drumsticks made using the wine she drank before?"

"Yes. More precisely, they were made with a Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

"A Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill?" The Scarlet King stared at Gao Ren in astonishment. "Kid, don't tell me you have Twin Martial Souls too?!"

"That's right. Didn't I mention it before?"

Gao Ren's words made the Auspicious Beast and the Scarlet King doubt themselves, and they quickly reviewed their memories since meeting him.

"No! When did you ever mention that?!" ×2

"Haha, then I guess I didn't." Gao Ren laughed and changed the subject. "Come try the new drumsticks."

With that, he used the cafeteria's serving ladle to scoop up two drumsticks, placing them on separate plates.

"Help yourselves."

After the Auspicious Beast and the Scarlet King finished the drumsticks, Gao Ren could not help asking, "Do you feel anything unusual?"

Hearing this, the two exchanged a glance and answered in unison, "No."

"No? That's really strange..."

Just as Gao Ren sank into deep bewilderment, an enormous bovine bellow suddenly erupted beside him...