Inside Biyou Palace!
Tongtian and his eight direct disciples stared at the scene, utterly dumbfounded.
At that moment, they felt a profound sense of helplessness.
And to think they had assumed Gu Changqing was demanding the lion's share.
It turned out that when this fellow had asked to "choose whatever he pleased," he had been aiming for these treasured wines all along.
He was standing before a mountain of treasures, yet had chosen the most useless thing in it.
After all, how rare was a Sage's favor?
In their eyes, even the finest wine merely satisfied the desires of the tongue.
Choosing cultivation methods or divine abilities would have been a thousand times better than choosing wine.
"Junior brother, you... oh, honestly!"
"Any one of those spiritual treasures or cultivation methods would be worth more than these ten thousand jars of wine!"
With an expression of pained exasperation, Golden Spirit Holy Mother spoke in a tone that was half persuasion, half reprimand.
But Gu Changqing remained completely unmoved.
He eagerly took out a jar of the wine he had just acquired.
Right in front of everyone, he drank several hearty mouthfuls with unrestrained relish.
Only then did he smack his lips in satisfaction and say:
"What rich, mellow wine!"
"Master actually had such a superb private collection, yet was always too stingy to bring it out..."
Gu Changqing spoke with a broad grin, a hint of complaint in his words.
Everyone rolled their eyes at that.
Do you think Master treasures wine the way you do?
Still, only their eccentric junior brother Changqing would dare show such disregard for seniority.
Tongtian let out a helpless sigh.
"Changqing, my disciple, it is not that I was keeping it from you!"
"These wines were presented by cultivators from outside. Every jar is exceptionally potent!"
"If you continue spending your days drunk, I fear you may harm your cultivation!"
In truth, Tongtian had already phrased this very delicately.
Deep down, he even worried that if Gu Changqing kept drinking like this, he might drink himself to death.
A cultivator who died not on the path of cultivation, but from drinking?
That would be the greatest joke under heaven.
Tongtian tried to persuade him with painstaking concern.
But upon hearing his words, Gu Changqing merely waved a hand with carefree bravado and laughed:
"Haha, don't worry, Master!"
"Wine is the essence of all things. It can only aid cultivation, so how could it harm it?"
"The more I drink, the deeper my cultivation will become!"
Gu Changqing was telling the truth.
But everyone listening could only curl their lips inwardly.
Well, there he goes!
Junior brother Changqing has drunk himself into spouting nonsense again.
If drinking could improve cultivation, why would living beings need to cultivate tirelessly and comprehend the Dao day and night?
Utterly speechless, Tongtian waved his hand.
"Enough, enough. I promised you two rewards!"
"You may choose one more!"
"Once you have your rewards, hurry back to your cave abode!"
If this continued, Gu Changqing might well anger Tongtian into coughing up blood.
His words fell silent.
This time, Gu Changqing finally turned his attention to the spiritual treasures scattered across the floor.
He inspected the treasures one by one through hazy eyes, making everyone wonder whether he could even distinguish their quality.
A moment later, Gu Changqing's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Hehe, this is the one!"
With a grasp through the air, a treasured sword shimmering with violet radiance and flashing with cold light flew into Gu Changqing's hand.
"Master, I choose this sword!"
At this, Tongtian's gaze sharpened, an indescribably odd look entering his eyes.
"Oh? This sword is called the Purple-Green Nine Heavens Sword. It is a high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure!"
"Can you wield this treasure?"
Despite his unsteady footing, Gu Changqing immediately began a sword dance, holding the sword in one hand and his wine jar in the other.
"Haha, a high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure? I can wield it with effortless ease!"
The drunken air surrounding Gu Changqing now transformed into a wild, soaring spirit.
For a time, sword intent rose within Biyou Palace, its radiance interweaving in wondrous, unfathomable patterns, profound beyond measure.
Gu Changqing stood proudly amid it all, his bearing as flawless as jade, his heroic presence commanding every gaze.
Duobao and the others could not help staring in a daze.
What swordsmanship, flowing like drifting clouds and running water!
There was not the slightest stiffness in his movements. It was as though the Purple-Green Nine Heavens Sword had always belonged to Gu Changqing, sharing his thoughts and moving at his heart's command.
"Watching junior brother Changqing's swordsmanship truly lifts the heart and soothes the spirit!"
Yunxiao murmured to herself.
In the past, she had only ever felt this while watching their master, Tongtian.
Tongtian's expression also turned solemn, his eyes shining as he watched.
After a long while, Gu Changqing's sword intent subsided, and he stood within Biyou Palace.
Duobao and the others remained lost in a daze.
Even they had failed to realize that Gu Changqing, while demonstrating his swordsmanship, had seemed like an entirely different person from his usual drunken self.
"Haha, excellent, excellent, excellent!"
Tongtian repeated the praise three times, displaying an unusual degree of excitement and gratification.
"In that case, I grant you this Purple-Green Nine Heavens Sword!"
Gu Changqing wasted no words. He gulped down a large mouthful of wine and said contentedly:
"Thank you, Master!"
"Then I'll take my leave and return to my cave abode to savor these fine wines."
With that, Gu Changqing staggered out of Biyou Palace and gradually disappeared from everyone's sight.
Watching Gu Changqing's departing figure, Tongtian fell into thought.
A moment later, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
"Hehe, Duobao, Gongming, my disciples!"
"The eight of you should spend more time with Changqing from now on!"
"One day, this fellow may give us an enormous surprise."
Hearing this, Duobao and the others exchanged puzzled glances.
Give a Sage a surprise?
That was extraordinarily high praise.
Dubiously, Duobao said:
"Master, what happened a thousand years ago was merely a coincidence!"
"Even junior brother Changqing himself has no memory of it!"
"In my opinion, he is still nothing more than a drunkard who treasures wine as much as his own life!"
But Tongtian shook his head at Duobao's words.
"No, you are all mistaken!"
"You must understand that although the Purple-Green Nine Heavens Sword is only a high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, it differs from other spiritual treasures of the same grade."
"That sword carries a trace of innate purple qi."
"To wield it, one's Sword Dao cultivation must reach beyond the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal level..."
Tongtian spoke in a quiet, profound tone.
Everyone froze at first, then understood the meaning behind his words.
No wonder Master Tongtian had questioned Gu Changqing's choice earlier.
So the Purple-Green Nine Heavens Sword held such a hidden secret.
No wonder Tongtian had been unable to contain his joy upon seeing Gu Changqing begin his sword dance, and had burst into praise.
More importantly, when Gu Changqing had held the Purple-Green Nine Heavens Sword, his swordsmanship had swept like dragons and serpents flowing from a brush, utterly free and effortless.
He had wielded the Purple-Green Nine Heavens Sword without the slightest hindrance.
Did this mean Gu Changqing's attainment in the Sword Dao had actually reached the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal level?
At that thought, a thunderous shock struck everyone's heart!
Before you continue