"Such pure fluctuations of spiritual power… and within them, a trace of wine fragrance."
"Zhexian's second Martial Soul is Wine."
"So it really is him causing this commotion."
Watching the youth in white dart swiftly through the forest,
Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong exchanged glan
"Then it's no surprise," Ning Fengzhi said evenly.
"This boy could make even the impossible seem ordinary."
"Still…"
"It's time we began to prepare."
His tone was calm—
but deep in those gentle eyes, a killing intent as sharp as a drawn blade flickered past.
...
Within the Seven Treasure Starveil.
"Good… wine!"
Li Zhexian threw back his head and drank from the jug of immortal brew.
In an instant—
Countless illusions surged through his mind,
but a single lingering thread of wine fragrance kept his last shred of clarity alive.
As that cool liquid slid down his throat,
an indescribable sting mixed with the ecstasy of release exploded in his chest.
His mind snapped into perfect lucidity.
"The Glazed Dream Wine truly is extraordinary… intoxicating beyond measure!"
The fatigue in Li Zhexian's eyes vanished.
His dark pupils shone like polished obsidian,
and the overflow of spiritual power made even his hair shimmer with faint light.
Moments ago he had wandered through a thousand dreams,
reliving the mortal world in all its joys and sorrows.
His spiritual wounds were healed; his soul nourished,
as if washed clean by spring rain.
The glazed starlit sand beneath his feet flowed silently,
rising until it covered his ankles, then his knees.
He looked down.
A flash of silver flickered in his eyes—
the starlit sand suddenly began to spin in a vortex,
racing upward until it reached his waist in the blink of an eye.
"So potent?! The Glazed Dream Wine's power is this overwhelming!"
Startled, Li Zhexian's Spirit Power flared.
His Spiritual Power surged outward, wrenching him free of the quicksand-like pull.
"I see…"
"It's only natural—the first drink of immortal brew would stir such fierce reaction."
"Now that my Spiritual Power overflows like the tide, it's no wonder the starlit sands stir with it."
He poured the remaining half of the Glazed Dream Wine carefully into his Clear Spring Wine Gourd.
At the spout, a dreamy mist began to rise—
a dense, almost tangible fragrance filled the air.
The jade gourd, already carved with symbols of spirit beasts and herbs,
now glowed faintly with a veil of ethereal radiance.
"It's done!"
A rare gleam of joy crossed Li Zhexian's handsome face.
"From Yao Guang Brew to Glazed Dream Wine,
my Wine Martial Soul has now merged seven immortal brews into one—
each carrying unique auxiliary effects."
He took a light sip.
The moment the exquisite liquor slid down his throat,
Spirit Power surged,
his body felt featherlight,
and his mind clear as the dawn.
"With this…"
"There will be no more obstacles within the Starveil."
"Ordinary disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan can barely endure an hour within before their minds split with pain."
"But with the protection of the GlazedDream Wine, I can comprehend the sword ceaselessly!"
"A single day here shall equal a month of another's bitter training!"
Excitement and a shadow of fear flickered together in Li Zhexian's gaze.
As for the path to comprehend the sword—
He had finally found it.
Before him appeared a jeweled crown—not one of the true Seven Treasures,
but Li Zhexian didn't hesitate.
He struck out with his fist.
BOOM!
The crown shattered,
releasing a surge of wild spiritual turbulence.
Li Zhexian staggered back several steps,
a low groan escaping his throat,
yet he forced himself to feel—
to memorize every trace that the torrent of spirit left coursing through his body.
Wiping the cold sweat from his brow,
he grabbed the Clear Spring Wine Gourd and took another deep drink.
"Treasure hunting?"
"Worthless!"
"What I, Li Zhexian, seek… is the sword!"
"By shattering these false treasures,
by enduring the floods of spiritual power that scour my body,
I will uncover the truth of spirit itself!"
"And from that… forge my own—"
"Sword Intent of Spiritual Power!"
With a fierce motion, both arms swung outward.
Li Zhexian no longer cared which treasures were true or false—
his fists struck left and right in unison.
Two treasures burst apart simultaneously.
"Come, then!"
...
Half a month passed.
Throughout the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect,
from the Sect Master Ning Fengzhi down to the most ordinary outer disciples,
everyone came to understand what was meant by "madness in cultivation."
Because Li Zhexian—
had actually moved into the Seven Treasure Starveil!
When an entire day passed without him stepping outside,
Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong personally charged into the Starveil.
Moments later,
the three of the strongest experts in the world emerged again—
their expressions… strange and wordless.
Soon after, Ning Fengzhi personally designated a separate section within the Starveil,
reserved solely for Li Zhexian's cultivation.
Days bled into days.
At first, the sect disciples whispered ceaselessly—
But soon, the endless stream of seemingly trivial yet subtly intricate orders from Ning Fengzhi
had them too occupied to care.
Only a few kept silent count of how many days Li Zhexian had remained within.
The watchers by the barrier grew fewer.
Until only one small thatched hut remained,
quietly standing before the entrance of the Starveil.
There sat Ning Rongrong, hands cupping her cheeks,
gazing from dawn till dusk toward that silver-lit gate.
...
Deep within the Starveil.
Li Zhexian's black eyes had turned fully silver.
Even at their corners, threads of light spilled and shimmered.
Boundless Spiritual Power condensed beneath his feet into transparent tiles,
lifting him three inches above the flowing starlit sands.
No matter how the sands shifted beneath him,
he remained utterly unmoved.
Amid the endless river of brilliant treasures,
a faint speck of light appeared—
Just for an instant.
Seizing that fleeting moment,
Li Zhexian extended his hand with effortless precision,
catching the tiny mote as though plucking it from the air.
It was the Seventh Treasure — the Glazed Pearl.
Had any disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan witnessed it,
their scalp would have gone cold.
To claim all seven treasures after only half a month within the Starveil—
was sheer impossibility.
Yet Li Zhexian knew the truth.
"Half a month of sleepless cultivation…
compared to those who can endure mere moments within the Starveil,
the results I've achieved equal a year of their effort."
His voice was hoarse,
but steady.
"Fortunately…
it was not in vain."
The silver light in his eyes gleamed brighter.
"The heart of the sword illuminates all things.
Yet the impact of spiritual power is like murky water,
ever seeking to cloud the mirror of the blade."
"Spiritual power—formless, intangible, elusive as mist…
How, then, can it become a sword?"
Before his brow,
a near-invisible silver filament began to take shape—
so fine it seemed unreal,
yet radiating a sharpness that made one's mind tremble.
"The world often asks: What is the sword?"
"To call it sword for its edge—mere attachment."
"To name it sword for its aura—delusion
"The sword itself has no form.
It is shaped by the heart.
Wherever my will points—
there lies the edge of the ultimate sword."
"Can you not see?
The drip from an eave, the falling of a leaf—
all are sword intents expressed by Heaven and Earth."
"So why, then…
should spiritual power not also become a sword?"
The silver thread before him pulsed faintly.
The glazed starlit sands below him split open without a sound—
a thousand surging treasure streams were cleaved cleanly apart.
Every false treasure that shattered released a storm of psychic energy,
but before that silver filament,
all was swallowed into nothingness.
"The sword has form; Spiritual Power has none."
"Yet even the formless must take form to reveal its edge."
"To give it shape—is to forge its intent."
"Swift as a falling star.
Sharp enough to rend the void.
Flexible beyond silk.
Changing like the trails of the heavens…"
"This is—"
"The Sword Intent of Spiritual Power!"
...
That night—
Dark clouds smothered the heavens.
The stars and moon were nowhere to be seen.
Through the whispering forest,
a killing chill swept far and wide.
This night—
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan did not sleep.