Chapter 260: Accumulate Deeply, Unleash Swiftly (II)

Night fell as lanterns in the city were lit. One after another pushed back the darkness of evening. Crowds filled the streets shoulder to shoulder, voices calling out and chatter blending, bringing a liveliness to the air.

Lin Zheyu soon arrived at the Yunxi Pavilion, an attic used to host guests and enjoy the scenery, which was located within the Li Residence.

"Try this wine. I got it from a friend. It's a West Fragrance Wine that has been stored for many years," Li Mengxi poured Lin Zheyu a cup and said with a smile.

Today was Lin Zheyu's first day at the Li Family, and Li Mengxi specially hosted a banquet for him at Yunxi Pavilion. There were not many people present. It was only Li Mengxi, his sister Li Mengqi, Li Wensi, and Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu lifted the cup and inhaled its fragrance.

"This is some mighty fine wine," he praised.

The West Fragrance Wine in the cup was clear and translucent, its aroma rich yet elegant, light yet not thin, and full yet not overpowering. It combined the strengths of both delicate and strong fragrances.

Lin Zheyu raised his cup toward the siblings Li Mengqi and Li Mengxi, and also gestured toward Li Wensi.

"I offer everyone a toast. This time, thanks to your help, I was able to escape the Soulcall Tower assassination attempt."

Among them, excluding Lin Zheyu, Li Wensi was the youngest at twenty-eight. Having grown up in the Li Residence with little exposure to the complexities of society, she appeared especially simple and wore her thoughts openly on her face. She lifted her cup happily and drank it all in one go.

"So fragrant. Brother, pour me another cup," said Li Wensi as she handed her cup over and looked at Li Mengxi expectantly.

She had coveted this wine for a long time. Normally, Li Mengxi treasured it greatly and refused to bring it out. Thanks to Lin Zheyu, she finally had the chance to drink West Fragrance Wine and could not resist wanting more.

Li Mengxi shot her a glare and muttered softly, "Had I known, I wouldn't have brought you along."

He reluctantly refilled her cup and said in a low voice, "Drink slowly. This wine goes to the head if you drink too much."

"Yes, yes, I know." Li Wensi had been about to down the cup again, but seeing Li Mengxi's warning gaze, she set it down, wearing an awkward expression.

"Brother Zhao, come, have another. This wine is brewed with many precious medicinal ingredients and nourishes the body while clearing old lingering injuries," said Li Mengxi, filling Lin Zheyu's cup again and smiling.

"This is truly good wine. I wonder where it can be bought?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

Once the wine entered his stomach, its elegant richness and smooth sweetness spread through him. Its flavors harmonized, leaving a clean, lingering finish, and the aftertaste remained in his mouth long after drinking. It was endlessly pleasant. Although he was not a lover of alcohol, tasting something this good made him want to buy some for later enjoyment.

"This wine cannot be bought. It is brewed by Xifeng Palace, and only a few dozen jars are produced each year. Most are reserved for gifts or entertaining important guests. These two jars were specially kept for me by a friend in Xifeng Palace," Li Mengxi said with a proud expression.

The wine brewed by Xifeng Palace was extremely famous, and the West Fragrance Wine was its signature. Although well known, very few had actually tasted it. The fact that he could obtain two jars was indeed impressive.

"I heard that you condensed a Dominance true intent seed on Heavenly Blade Peak. Among the many types of true intent, Dominance true intent is one of the strongest. Why not choose it as your main path of cultivation?" Li Mengqi suggested.

Dominance true intent was an extremely powerful form of true intent. When true strength enveloped the body, it could weaken or even block the opponent's true strength entirely. In the past, the Heavenly Sage Sect had risen to become one of the top sects precisely because of this type of true intent.

"I would very much like to, but I do not have a suitable cultivation art. I wonder if the Li Residence has any techniques centered on Dominance true intent. I can purchase them with money," Lin Zheyu asked.

After comprehending Dominance true intent, the fastest way to increase strength was to follow its path and learn a corresponding true technique. As for cultivation arts based on Wind true intent, learning them later would be fine. Before condensing true strength, the advantages brought by true intent were not that significant and did little to increase his speed.

"You must be joking, Young Master Zhao. How could we let you spend money? However, true techniques centered on Dominance true intent are extremely rare, and even our Li Residence has none. Such techniques demand far more from a martial artist's temperament and comprehension than ordinary ones. Even with a true intent diagram, those who can fully understand one and condense a true intent seed are one in ten thousand. Back then, the Heavenly Sage Sect only succeeded by casting a wide net and accepting large numbers of talented martial artists," Li Mengqi said as she shook her head.

Hearing this, Lin Zheyu was speechless. He had assumed that the Li Residence possessed such a cultivation technique, which was why Li Mengqi had made the suggestion. He had not expected that they would not. Still, she meant well, so he did not feel displeased, only somewhat disappointed.

"Do not be discouraged, Brother Zhao. Every so often, someone entrusts the Li Family with auctioning complete true techniques. I can keep an eye out for you. If any art centered on Dominance true intent appears, I will inform you immediately," Li Mengxi said with a smile.

"Thank you, Young Master Mengxi," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile.

He raised his cup and toasted the group. Seeing this, Li Wensi's eyes lit up, and she immediately lifted her own cup, downing it in one gulp. She then held her cup out eagerly toward Li Mengxi, waiting for him to pour more wine.

"

Haha

." Witnessing this, Lin Zheyu could not help but smile.

In Li Wensi, he saw a faint shadow of Liang Yunhui and wondered whether she had found her father yet. Li Wensi's mental age did not match her actual age at all. She was nearly thirty, yet she behaved like a young girl. In esteemed families, martial artists with latent potential rarely married young. After reaching the Marrow Refining realm, their lifespans increased greatly. Ordinary martial artists lived to just over a hundred, but those from esteemed families usually reached close to two hundred.

Thus, disciples of esteemed families who possessed exceptional martial talent devoted their vitality to cultivation. Only after reaching the Marrow Refining realm or Force Transformation realm, when progress slowed, would they consider marriage. Someone like Li Mengqi was already in her forties yet unmarried. However, without knowing her age, one would never be able to tell by her appearance. She looked more like a woman in her early twenties.

"By the way, Brother Zhao, didn't you have an Ink Fox? I can help arrange things so it can enter Wuling City legally," Li Mengxi said with a smile.

"I released it into the deep mountains and forests. I have no idea where it is now." Lin Zheyu shook his head helplessly.

He had released Little Black into the wilderness. With its temperament, it had surely run far away by now. Without tracking powder, searching for Little Black in endless mountains would be no different from searching for a needle in the ocean.

"That is a pity. Ink Foxes possess extremely high latent potential. If fed rare medicinal herbs, one could raise a peak Marrow Refining realm beast within a few years. With the Ink Fox's powerful defense and speed, even some weaker Force Transformation realm martial artists would not be its match," Li Mengxi said regretfully.

"There is nothing to regret. I did not raise it to fight for me in the first place," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile. He truly had not raised Little Black for its combat ability, but to help him locate and hunt vicious beasts.

"

Haha

, that is true. I was overthinking it." Li Mengxi laughed, inwardly raising his opinion of Lin Zheyu.

***

Early the next morning, Lin Zheyu rose from bed. He had slept well, and after a full night's rest, a large portion of his essence, qi, and spirit had recovered. With another two days of recuperation, he would be able to break through his limit and obtain Origin Force again. It had been some time since his last breakthrough, and he found himself suddenly missing that feeling of spiritual elevation that accompanied surpassing one's limits.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 48]

[Skills: Boiling Blood Secret Art (Perfection), Forbidden Reversal Method (Perfection), Primordial Origin Technique {Modified} (Perfection), Golden Goose Technique (Tenth Stage: 100%), Spirit-Wondrous Movement Technique (Fifth Stage: 100%)]

48 units of the Origin Force remain. That should be enough to reach the Dragon Transformation. I wonder whether, after reaching that realm, it will still be possible to further temper my blood qi and induce additional qualitative changes.

Lin Zheyu examined the data within his consciousness as he pondered.

It would be easy to verify. He only needed to see whether using the Boiling Blood Secret Art, which burned essence, qi, and spirit, still provided an amplification effect. The principle of this secret art was to ignite one's essence, qi, and spirit to instantly increase the purity of blood qi, allowing one to unleash power far beyond their normal strength. Previously, Lin Zheyu had already sensed that as the number of qualitative changes in his blood qi increased, the amplification effect of the Boiling Blood Secret Art had begun to weaken.

This indicated that the secret art had a limit, and that limit was likely tied to the number of qualitative changes his blood qi could undergo. What he did not know was whether this limit corresponded to the Dragon Transformation, or whether it could still rise further after reaching that stage.

"Master, you are awake. The young lady instructed me to inform you that after you finish breakfast, you are to go to the Library Pavilion. She will take you to select a true technique," Ya Lan said respectfully.

"Alright." Lin Zheyu nodded and followed Ya Lan out of the courtyard.