Ten days passed by and the both of them had consumed tens of thousands of bottles of first level and second level spiritual wines.
Another ten days went by and nearly one thousand bottles of third level and fourth level spiritual wines were emptied.
In the ten days after that, Ning Fan and Yun Tianjue each took one hundred bottles of fifth level spiritual wines and drank together. Furthermore, they had yet to utter a single word.
For the entire month, the both of them did not even have a single conversation and the atmosphere was somewhat weird.
Ning Fan was secretly thinking that this so-called test was not as easy to pass as it seemed as he had yet to satisfy the white-robed gentleman after drinking so many bottles of spiritual wines.
One month has passed. I guess Bei Xiaoman has already been awake for one month.
I wonder if she would feel worried or not since she couldn’t find me after waking up, especially after her first time…
While drinking a fifth level spiritual wine, he delivered a message-transmitting flying sword at the direction of Penglai Immortal Island with the intention to calm Bei Xiaoman’s heart.
However, his attention was diverted because of this, causing the alcohol to disturb his mind. A burning sensation flowed across his body and his expression revealed a hint of intoxication.
The reason why he was not drunk after drinking so much spiritual wine was because he was tenaciously guarding his heart and soul, preventing them from getting chaotic.
Even so, if someone becomes distracted in a situation like this, they would lose their conscious self even if the wine was not intoxicating.
Ning Fan straightened his back, gathering himself together. His expression turned solemn as he cleared the feeling of getting drunk from his state of mind.
It’s a close call.
Just a little more and I would’ve been drunk.
Yun Tianjue who was sitting in front of him put down his wine bottle and looked at Ning Fan with displeasure.
“Your mind is disturbed. Was that message-transmitting flying sword for your woman? Sword cultivators like us should tie our hearts and souls to our swords and never be attached to lust and affection. Without a clear heart and a strong determination in persevering the Dao, it would be difficult to achieve the Dao of Swords in the end.”
“So what if the Dao of Swords will be difficult to achieve? What’s the point of achieving the Dao of Swords if one has nothing left other than himself and a sword ?”
Ning Fan shook his head. Attaching one’s heart and soul to their sword was probably the Dao of Swords that this senior had comprehended. However, this was not his perception on the Dao of Swords.
His Dao of Swords was not about attaching oneself to their sword. Instead, it was to keep his loved ones safe and happy using a long sharp sword. Whether he succeeds or fails to attain the Dao in the end did not matter to him.
“What’s the point of it if you end up with nothing other than yourself and your sword in the end… You’re right. I’m looking for someone.”
Yun Tianjue’s brows became tightly knitted together. He tightened his grip and crushed the wine bottle in his hand. It was clear that Ning Fan had hit a sore point of his as he also seemed to be in the state of being drunk.
As soon as Ning Fan caught sight of that, he was rather astonished.
I originally thought that this senior was just a sword cultivator who was only obsessed with swords. Now, however, it doesn’t seem to be the case.
The white-robed gentleman’s sword intent was extremely strong. Moreover, in terms of sword intent alone, Ning Fan had never seen anyone with a sword intent as strong as his.
Even the secret sword arts of the Sword Emperor seemed dull and ordinary in front of him.
This gentleman is not a cultivator of the Sword World but he is even stronger than the Divine Sovereign of the Sword World?
If I’m not wrong, his sword intent is the intent of the Heartless Sword. It does not allow even the slightest trace of existence of emotions. This person must also be a ruthless and cold-blooded cultivator.
However, the drunk expression that he suddenly had just now obviously showed that his genuine feelings are actually still around in the depth of his heart.
Ning Fan’s eyes shone with seriousness. In the Rain World, there were only a handful of Void Fragmentation Realm experts. Judging by his profoundness in the Dao of Swords, his identity was obvious…
He is Yun Tianjue, the White-Robed Sword God!
“Is Senior looking for someone? I am also looking for someone out there.” Ning Fan recalled Old Ancestor Dong Xu’s divination and changed the topic of conversation.
In order to discover your mother’s whereabouts, you have to find Yun Tianjue!
In the past, he had heard that Yun Tianjue was savage and merciless and that rumor made him hesitate. Thus, he did not go and look for him hastily.
Today, since that man had come straight to him, he could ask about Ning Qian’s whereabouts by means of devious questioning.
“You are also looking for someone, huh? Judging by how lonesome your figure looks, I suppose you haven’t found the person you wanted to meet, have you?” Yun Tianjue did not like to talk. However, he was no longer taciturn in front of Ning Fan.
“Indeed. I want to find a woman and her name is… Ning Qian!”
After Ning Fan said that name, he carefully observed Yun Tianjue’s expression.
Just as the woman’s name was heard by Yun Tianjue’s ears, his expression suddenly turned blank for a moment. Afterwards, he began to look perplexed.
“Ning Qian?”
“Senior knows her?!” A feeling of joy rose within his heart. If he could find his mother just like this, he could easily give her a peaceful life with his current capabilities and status.
“No. I don’t know her… This name just feels very familiar…” Yun Tianjue shook his head, feeling annoyed internally but he did not know why he would have such a feeling.
“Familiar?” A bit of disappointment filled Ning Fan’s eyes. His tone sounded like he was interrogating Yun Tianjue. He was very dissatisfied with such an ambiguous answer.
Does feeling familiar with the name mean that he knows her?
But judging from his expression, he clearly does not seem to remember who Ning Qian was, as if he has never met her before.
In Yun Ruowei’s dream, Yun Ruowei, Ning Qian and Yun Tianjue appeared at the Orchid Temple at the same time.
They should have met each other before…
Don’t tell me that they have never met each other since that day and he could not remember Ning Qian because their relationship was too shallow?
“You aren’t satisfied with my answer?!” Yun Tianjue’s eyes turned cold. With his personality, if any other person talks to him with a cold tone, he would have already drawn his sword and sliced that person into half.
Currently, Ning Fan who was a mere Divine Transformation Realm cultivator actually dared to question him with an indifferent tone. Even though he felt displeased, he was reluctant to kill him.
“With your shrewdness, you should have known my identity. Let me give you this advice – don’t and the token of a revered being, he would never be willing to drink with this anger me!”
Yun Tianjue uttered coldly.
“How would I be so bold?!”
Ning Fan withdrew his cold expression. If it wasn’t for Ning Qian’s whereabouts temperamental Void Fragmentation Realm old monster on the same ship.
Both of them fell into silence once more. Another few days passed by and they managed to finish all of the fifth level spiritual wines.
Yun Tianjue remained silent after finishing the wine. His left hand has already been cut off in the first place. Currently, however, he was using his illusory left hand to hold his empty wine bottle while being absorbed in his own thoughts.
“Senior, am I considered to have passed the test?!”
Ning Fan rose to his feet and cupped his fists. He had already finished up all of his spiritual wine without being drunk but he was unsure whether or not he had passed the so-called test from Yun Tianjue.
“This is not a test actually…”
Yun Tianjue undid his disguise and returned to his original appearance. His illusory left arm disappeared and became a hollow long sleeve which fluttered in the wind.
His long hair was messy. His eyes shone with a hint of desolation. Meanwhile, the massive sword behind his back gave off an intimidating sword qi.
“It wasn’t a test?” Ning Fan frowned. If it was not a test, it was an absolute waste of time to spend a month drinking wine here.
Did he have a lot of time? No. He didn’t.
Even though he had obtained nearly one thousand units of magic power after drinking such a massive amount of spiritual wine, such speed of improvement was way too slow for Ning Fan.
“Please excuse me. Senior can come and look for me again if Senior decides to give me a real test in the future.”
Ning Fan flicked his sleeves and made up his mind to leave.
Yun Tianjue’s face was filled with curiosity. He realized that the Divine Transformation Realm junior in front of him was actually not afraid of him.
The White-Robed Sword God becomes a devil whenever he holds a sword.
With a sword in his hand, the clouds of a hundred countries would move.
Even the Rain Sovereign would feel a little uneasy whenever he meets Yun Tianjue. However, Ning Fan actually dared to feel dissatisfied with him and talked to him with a cold and indifferent tone.
He is really an interesting kid.
“Don’t you like drinking on the same ship with me?”
“I’m afraid of dying here.” Ning Fan glanced sideways at Yun Tianjue. This man was a ruthless person who was willing to even kill his own fourth younger brother. Moreover, he was a man with a capricious mood. Since Ning Fan could not get an answer regarding Ning Qian’s whereabouts, he would only be putting himself in danger by spending time with him.
“I won’t kill you. I just like having someone to occasionally have a drink with me. Try this wine and see how it tastes.”
Yun Tianjue suddenly stood up. His face was as cold as ice. Neither anger nor joy could be found from his expression.
He took out a crimson-red wine gourd. The gourd was clear like crystal and one could clearly see the blood-red wine within it.
That wine gourd gave off an immense amount of aura force of a magical treasure. It was unquestionably a Mortal Void Realm Treasure. Moreover, it was in the middle grade of the Mortal Void Realm!
As for the wine within the gourd, when a whiff of its aroma spread out, it instantly made Ning Fan feel energized. His eyes then shone with a hint of joy.
By just sniffing a whiff of its aroma, his magic power had already been increased by one unit…
What is this wine?!
“Even though drinking with me is not a test, I, Yun Tianjue, will certainly not keep you occupied an entire month for nothing. There is still half a gourd left. You can only drink three mouthfuls. If you drink more than that, you will certainly die.”
“Three mouthfuls?!”
Ning Fan’s eyes burned with zeal.
The power contained within the wine of this blood-red gourd is reasonably not any weaker than that of the time crystal.
Since just a whiff of its aroma managed to increase his magic power by one unit, he would very likely obtain thousands of units of magic power by drinking a mouthful.
If he drinks three mouthfuls, he could get at least twenty thousand units of magic power!
If he could obtain this amount of magic power just like that, he would not suffer any losses at all in accompanying Yun Tianjue for one full month.
“Does Senior really mean it?!” Ning Fan still found it hard to believe that Yun Tianjue who was rumored to be a cruel and bloodthirsty expert would actually give him benefits.
“I don’t like talking nonsense.” Yun Tianjue remained silent afterwards. He stood at the bow of the ship with his single remaining arm resting on his lower back. He gazed into the skyline where the sun was slowly rising with an expressionless face.
“Thank you Senior for such a generous reward!”
Ning Fan also did not continue to act politely. His perception towards Yun Tianjue instantly changed.
This man is eccentric and unsociable. He does not like talking a lot and is rather moody. However, he clearly distinguishes kindness from hatred when he does things.
Even though he is a bit too cold, he would not kill his own blood brother for no reason.
Perhaps there are some hidden secrets behind the reason why he killed the fourth prince of the Rain Palace.
Ning Fan pulled the cork of the gourd. As soon as the heavy aroma of the wine assailed his nostrils, he almost became drunk. It was enough to show how strong the wine was.
The fifth level spiritual wines were crap compared to the current wine he was going to drink. Even Mortal Void Realm spiritual wines were also not comparable to it.
Because the current wine he had was Immortal Void Realm spiritual wine!
*Sound of swallowing*
Ning Fan held the wine gourd up and drank a mouthful without hesitation. Immediately, a hot and fiery sensation almost numbed his entire tongue and throat.
He had never tasted such a strong wine in his life. Besides, this wine became extremely raw and fishy, like the smell of seafood when it entered his mouth despite how aromatic it was when he opened the bottle.
As the mouthful of wine flowed into his abdomen, it turned into a rush of hot current which settled in his dantian, slowly heating up his entire body until he was boiling hot.
A mouthful of wine contained at least 8000 units of magic power!
A massive amount of wine power spread across his body. His face turned red and his robes became bulgy even though there was no wind. The color green and purple slowly stained his skin.
What a strong wine power! No wonder Senior Yun only allowed me to drink three mouthfuls of it and claimed that I will die if I drink more than that. I originally thought he was just threatening me not to drink a fourth mouthful. But now, it seems like it’s clearly because this wine is too strong. With my current physical body, I definitely can’t endure the power of four mouthfuls!
Besides, it’s only me who is able to drink three mouthfuls of this wine. To ordinary Half-Step Void Refinement Realm experts, they could drink at most two mouthfuls.
Ning Fan’s eyes turned grim.
This Senior Yun has very keen foresight. He has already seen through all of my capabilities with a single glance.
Without thinking any further, Ning Fan raised the blood-red gourd again and gulped down another two mouthfuls. He drank all three mouthfuls almost at the same time.
After he finished drinking, he stuffed the cork back to the opening of the gourd and placed it on the table again. Right afterwards, he instantly sat down in a meditative position and began assimilating the large amount of magic power within him which was nearly equivalent to 25000 units!
He took all three mouthfuls in a row!
Yun Tianjue did not turn around. However, his straight dashing eyebrows twitched gently. His eyes were filled with approval.
“This wine gourd is called the Bloody Gourd. Even though it’s just a Mid Grade Mortal Void Realm item, it has a magical effect and that is to refine demon blood and human blood into wine. What you have just drunk is the blood essence of the Divine Sovereign of the Sword World. I said you could only drink three mouthfuls but I didn’t expect that you would take three mouthfuls in a row. You aren’t half bad!”
*Hiss*
Yun Tianjue’s tone sounded bizarrely calm, as if he was talking about something very insignificant.
However, when Ning Fan heard his words, he immediately took a deep breath.
This Senior Yun certainly is vicious.
Using the blood of the Divine Sovereign of the Sword World to make blood wine… He is really insane!
It’s no surprise why this wine could raise so much magic power… In a sense, this is not wine at all. It’s clearly the blood essence of a Void Fragmentation Realm Divine Sovereign!
Ten days later, Ning Fan managed to assimilate all the power of the blood wine and exhaled a foul breath. He now had 338500 units of magic power in total.
It was all thanks to Yun Tianjue’s generous gift that he could have such a massive improvement in his magic power.
He rose to his feet and cupped his fists. His gaze then fell on the blood-red gourd on the table. He really wished that he could finish the entire bottle.
However, the blood wine was brewed using the blood of the Divine Sovereign of the Sword World after all. The baleful qi it contained was too strong. Even though its magic power could be assimilated, the brutal and savage nature within the sovereign’s blood could only be eroded by going through countless life and death battles.
Thus, even though this wine was excellent, it was not suitable to drink a lot of it. Otherwise, its baleful qi would cause a serious backlash and Ning Fan would have to face the risk of losing himself. The losses he would suffer would outweigh his gains.
“Once more, thank you Senior for your generous gift. This junior will make a move first.”
Ning Fan stared deeply at Yun Tianjue for a moment and expressed his intention to leave.
However, before he could leave, Yun Tianjue suddenly opened his mouth and uttered.
“You don’t have to be in a hurry to leave. I will now give you the test.”
“What test?” Ning Fan asked in a serious manner.
“Dragon Determining Valley! Blood collection!”
Yun Tianjue did not give him any further explanations. All of a sudden, a boundless sword qi rose around his body.
The sword ship beneath their feet then transformed into a thousand zhang* (3.33 m per zhang) long gigantic sword and dashed towards the sky with a blinding sword light.
At the next moment, the giant sword flew in the sky carrying both Ning Fan and Yun Tianjue. It headed all the way west. In an instant, it traveled millions of li* (500m per li).
Its speed was so fast that Ning Fan could barely catch a glimpse of the things that were flashing past his eyes. His Early Void Refinement Realm speed seemed absolutely insignificant compared to such a terrifying speed.
By riding this gigantic sword, they could travel billions of li* (500m per li) in a day.
Three days later, Yun Tianjue stopped the sword from flying and kept it into his pouch. He had already brought Ning Fan out of the Endless Sea. They were now in a snowy country.
The land here was covered with sleet and snow. With the sunlight being blocked by thick heavy clouds. The density of the spiritual qi in this place was far greater than in Great Jin.
This was not a Mid Ranked cultivation country or a High Ranked cultivation country… Instead, it was a Void Ranked cultivation country!
The size of its territory was billions of li* (500m per li) wide!
“Where is this place?” Ning Fan asked again.
“This is Snow Country. The land to collect blood.”
Yun Tianjue did not explain much either. Just as he showed himself, the whole Snow Country was startled. Countless Nascent Soul Realm and Divine Transformation Realm cultivators soared into the sky. Moreover, even three Void Refinement Realm old monsters had come to stop them from entering the country.
“The Rain Sovereign has orders! Void Fragmentation Realm experts are only allowed to enter the Dragon Determining Valley once every ten years. We hope that Lord Sword God would not make things difficult for us…”
“Get lost!”
A fierce and domineering aura force spread out from Yun Tianjue’s body.
His aura was like a sharp sword. The moment he revealed his aura force, thousands upon thousands of Nascent Soul Realm and Divine Transformation Realm cultivators were sent flying backwards gravely wounded. Even the three Void Refinement Realm old monsters were unable to endure Yun Tianjue’s aura force.
“Sword God, please calm your anger! We are not bold enough to block your way!”
Everyone was astonished.
The current Yun Tianjue did not reason with anyone at all. He only gave out a message – whoever stands in my way shall die!
Even if they had their orders from the Rain Sovereign, none of them was bold enough to enforce it as it would be similar to waving a chicken feather as a token of authority.
No matter who Yun Tianjue was planning to bring into the country, no one dared to stop him!
He, Yun Tianjue, was just so domineering. Who did he need to reason with?
He flicked his sleeve and a ray of sword light shone. He beckoned Ning Fan to follow him and they both disappeared in the snowy land in the next second.
He did not need to reason with anyone.
Because his sword was reason!
Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel.
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