Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, Li Xuan and the other four had drunk an entire jar of spiritual wine.
Without waiting for Li Xuan and the others to make a move, the woman in front of the second-floor railing waved her hand casually, and instantly a jar of spiritual wine flew out, landing on Li Xuan and the others' table again.
At this moment, Li Xuan and the other four were completely unaware that a jar of wine had been finished. With new wine, they naturally started drinking wildly again.
After several rounds like this, there were already five jars of spiritual wine on Li Xuan and the others' table. Yet, Li Xuan and the four were still completely oblivious.
Instead, the woman by the second-floor railing had a hint of surprise in her beautiful eyes, as over half of the five jars of spiritual wine on the table had gone into Li Xuan's stomach.
"My Forget-Worry Dream-Returning Wine can make ordinary disciples fall asleep after just a jin. I didn't expect this unfamiliar fellow to be able to drink so much. Interesting, very interesting," the woman murmured to herself, then glanced at Li Xuan again and slowly turned to leave.
Just as Li Xuan and the other four were falling into a state of blissful intoxication, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed Li Xuan's mind. The scene in Li Xuan's mind instantly dissipated. His previously hazy eyes immediately regained clarity.
"What material is this wine brewed from? It's so potent." Li Xuan, who had regained clarity, also felt a surge of fear.
If someone had attacked him just now, he would have been utterly defenseless. He then looked at Bai Yueze and Song Wuwen and the other two, and Li Xuan couldn't help but shake his head. All four of them were fast asleep.
Huh?
When Li Xuan saw the five jars of spiritual wine placed on the table, his heart stirred, and he immediately stood up. Alertness flickered in his eyes.
Although Li Xuan had also drunk too much, he clearly remembered that from the beginning, there had only been one jar of spiritual wine on his table. Now, there were four more. These extra four jars were clearly sent deliberately by someone. But as he woke up, no one had appeared.
"Now I understand. Those who can open shops in this market are indeed extraordinary."
After observing for a moment, Li Xuan withdrew his divine sense. He glanced at Bai Yueze and the other four, who were slumped on the table, and shook his head slightly. With a thought, the spiritual energy in his body surged out, lifting the four of them up.
"Thank you for the wine. If fate allows in the future, I, Li Xuan, will surely repay this favor in full." As Bai Yueze and the other four were lifted up, Li Xuan clasped his fists in the air and bowed. With a thought, he dragged the four of them and quickly walked towards the entrance.
"Li Xuan… judging by his appearance, he seems to be a new disciple of the Seventh Peak. Hmm, could it be that Elder Luo Kang has taken in a new disciple?"
After Li Xuan and the other four left the restaurant, the woman from before reappeared in a private room on the second floor. Staring at Li Xuan's retreating back, she murmured to herself, her beautiful eyes filled with thought.
"Senior Sister, that disciple's strength seems to be at the initial stage of the Freedom Realm. Why did he sober up so quickly?" As the woman fell into thought, a man behind her asked uncomprehendingly.
The thoughtful look in the woman's eyes gradually faded. She glanced at the man and said, "The wine makes one drunk, or one gets drunk on their own. When one wishes to be drunk, the wine is already empty. This new disciple of the Seventh Peak likely has many secrets. Investigate him thoroughly for me, find out where this fellow comes from."
"Yes, Senior Sister." The man bowed and cupped his fists in response.
Hoo.
Meanwhile, at the back of the Seventh Peak, Li Xuan, following the resting place mentioned by Bai Yueze and the other four, settled everyone down before letting out a deep sigh of relief.
Seeing that the night was growing darker, Li Xuan glanced at the spiritual waterfall, and with a thought, he sat down again beneath it to cultivate.
For three consecutive days, Li Xuan would shoot out of the spiritual waterfall when he could no longer persist. After a brief period of rest and recovery, he would enter again.
"When do you think our Fifth Junior Brother woke up? He sobered up before us." Not far from the spiritual waterfall, Song Wuwen and Su Yueze and the other two gathered. Looking at Li Xuan in the spiritual waterfall, Song Wuwen couldn't help but ask.
"What I'm thinking about now is how the four of us got back. Logically speaking, our Fifth Junior Brother has never drunk that Forget-Worry Dream-Returning Wine before, so he should have been even more intoxicated than us. If that's the case, how did the five of us get back?" Chai Jingyuan asked doubtfully.
He Xidong, hearing this, looked at Li Xuan in the spiritual waterfall and said, "In my opinion, it's best to wait for our Fifth Junior Brother to come out and ask him carefully. After all, judging by Fifth Junior Brother's demeanor, he doesn't look like someone who has just woken up."
"Exactly. I have the same feeling. But what I'm thinking now is, if Fifth Junior Brother wasn't drunk, and brought us back after seeing the four of us drunk, then that would be even more terrifying."
Su Yueze nodded upon hearing this, and his gaze towards Li Xuan was filled with anticipation.
Song Wuwen and the other two were stunned. They exchanged glances, their eyes clearly showing a hint of shock.
However, none of them spoke further. They all looked at Li Xuan in the spiritual waterfall, clearly waiting for him to emerge.
Two quarters of an hour later, Su Yueze and the other two exchanged glances. Li Xuan had been in the spiritual waterfall since they arrived. But now, two quarters of an hour had passed, far exceeding the time of Li Xuan's first attempt by several times.
Bang!
Just then, a bang echoed, and Su Yueze and the other two immediately looked towards the spiritual waterfall.
At the foot of the spiritual waterfall, Li Xuan's figure staggered slightly, but he quickly steadied himself and then cupped his fists towards Su Yueze and the other two, saying, "Greetings, Fourth Senior Brothers."
After Su Yueze and the other two questioned Li Xuan, they returned to their respective resting places.
Li Xuan did not hide anything from Su Yueze and the other two's inquiries. He merely claimed that he had stopped after drinking only two cups, and therefore brought the four of them back after they got drunk.
Su Yueze and the other two readily believed Li Xuan's explanation. After all, in their subconscious, no one had ever been able to drink Forget-Worry Dream-Returning Wine for the first time without getting drunk.
After Su Yueze and the other two left, Li Xuan pondered for a moment. After some thought, a bright light flashed in his eyes.
The reason he was able to sober up so quickly must have been because someone intervened. And the only person who could have intervened at that time, besides the mastermind behind the restaurant, was likely no one else.
"This Azure Hall is indeed a place where dragons lie hidden and tigers crouch," Li Xuan sighed softly, then with a movement, he shot into the spiritual waterfall again. With each entry, Li Xuan's resistance to the spiritual waterfall gradually increased.
Not only that, but Li Xuan vaguely sensed that his physical body was also becoming stronger with each impact.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed since Li Xuan arrived at the Seventh Peak of the Azure Hall.
Hoo.
An hour later, Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of turbid air, and then shifted his gaze to Su Yueze and the other four, who were also cultivating. As he observed their cultivation, Li Xuan was surprised.
He saw Su Yueze sitting on a tree branch, his entire aura subtly merging with the tree. Not only that, but a rich life force emanated from him. To Li Xuan, it felt as if Su Yueze had become one with the tree.
"Could it be that the cultivation technique of our Eldest Senior Brother is related to trees?" Li Xuan couldn't help but ponder this. Then, with a thought, his gaze continued to move to Second Senior Brother Chai Jingyuan and Third Senior Brother He Xidong not far away.
At this moment, Chai Jingyuan lay on a giant rock, appearing to be dozing. However, the aura emanating from him indicated that he was cultivating. Chai Jingyuan's aura had a hidden mountain-like momentum, giving an impression of immense stability.
As for He Xidong, he floated in a pool of water. As the breeze blew, ripples spread across the water's surface, and He Xidong's body swayed up and down with these fluctuations.
"The cultivation of Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Third Senior Brother seems to contain a certain profound charm, as if they are pursuing a balance. No wonder Fourth Senior Brother said that no one dares to provoke the disciples of the Seventh Peak. Just these four Senior Brothers are probably enough to handle anything."
After observing the cultivation of Su Yueze, Chai Jingyuan, and He Xidong, Li Xuan mused to himself.
From the auras emanating from the three of them, Li Xuan could tell that all four of his Senior Brothers were very powerful. Even he himself would not dare to say that he could defeat them.
"I wonder what Fourth Senior Brother's cultivation is like." Li Xuan thought to himself, then with a movement, he stood up and walked towards the distant peach blossom garden.
A moment later, before Li Xuan even reached the peach blossom garden, he caught the scent of fresh peach blossoms. Not only that, but within this fragrance, Li Xuan also sensed a faint trace of spirituality.
Taking a deep breath, Li Xuan continued forward, stepping on the scattered peach petals as he slowly entered.
After walking for a few minutes, Song Wuwen's figure appeared in Li Xuan's sight. At this moment, peach blossom petals were flying around Song Wuwen's body, circling him like an immortal descending to earth.
Of course, one had to disregard Song Wuwen's existence first.
"What a strange cultivation method," Li Xuan couldn't help but chuckle bitterly upon seeing this. From the aura emanating from Song Wuwen, Li Xuan could tell that it was very similar to that of his three Senior Brothers.
"Everyone's cultivation path is different, but their ultimate goal is the same. All paths lead to the same destination. Seeing this today has taught me a lot."
Li Xuan murmured to himself, then turned and strode out of the peach blossom garden, returning to the spiritual waterfall. He formed hand seals and began to cultivate.
What Li Xuan didn't know was that he had unknowingly spent two months cultivating.
Rumble!
With a thunderous roar, the spiritual waterfall where Li Xuan was located churned with splashing water and began to vibrate.
"Fifth Junior Brother is awake?" Su Yueze and the other four, who were cultivating, were all startled by the vibration. Their eyes lit up, and with a movement, they appeared before the spiritual waterfall.
"Good heavens, after two months, he's already gone from the early stage of the Freedom Realm to the middle stage." Upon seeing the abundant spiritual energy flowing into Li Xuan's body, Song Wuwen exclaimed with a laugh.
"Being favored by our Master is enough to show Fifth Junior Brother's extraordinary talent. I didn't expect Fifth Junior Brother to break through so quickly." Su Yueze nodded slightly upon hearing this, his eyes also revealing a hint of joy.
A moment later, as a large amount of spiritual energy merged into Li Xuan's body, Li Xuan's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. The aura he had been emitting instantly retracted.
"Haha, Fifth Junior Brother, congratulations, congratulations. I can't believe you've easily advanced to the middle stage of the Freedom Realm after cultivating in seclusion for two months. You know, it took me nearly ten years to break through back then," Song Wuwen said with a smile as he stepped forward and looked at Li Xuan.
"Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Brother." Li Xuan immediately stood up and bowed to Su Yueze and the other four, calling out to them.
"Fifth Junior Brother, haven't we said it before? On our Seventh Peak, let's forgo these formalities. By the way, Fifth Junior Brother, you've been in seclusion for two months, and you've missed quite a few things." Song Wuwen playfully tapped Li Xuan's forehead and said with a smile.
Li Xuan scratched his head and replied, "Alright, I've noted that. Fourth Senior Brother, when you say 'missed,' do you mean something major happened in the Azure Hall?"
Song Wuwen nodded and then said mysteriously, "A month ago, the ranking battles within the Hall concluded. This time, quite a few young prodigies have emerged."