Yun Ze took a step back, clearing a space.
Yu Xian passed through the window, not pausing before him, but heading straight for the table. He sat down, poured himself a cup of clear tea, and drank it in one gulp.
"Hmm?"
Yu Xian tasted the tea, then brought the cup to his nose to sniff it carefully. "Tsk, this inn is no good. The sleeping powder they use is from the previous version. Two thumbs down, two thumbs down!"
"Sleeping powder?"
Yun Ze didn't understand what 'previous version' or 'two thumbs down' meant.
But he clearly heard the words 'sleeping powder'.
He frowned, took two steps forward, opened the lid of the teapot, and sniffed it.
The smell was indeed wrong!
The Yun family couple had traveled the martial world for years and knew their child couldn't stay idle. So, they had laid a solid foundation for him early on.
He had familiarized himself with all sorts of common poisons found in the martial world.
This smell was indeed sleeping powder!
Yun Ze never imagined that a random inn he chose would be a place for such an incident.
Of course, he also never expected Yu Xian to chase after him.
The sleeping powder was a minor issue. Dealing with the current trouble was the priority!
"Senior..."
"Hey! Don't call me Senior! You're making me sound old!"
Before Yun Ze could utter a word, Yu Xian interrupted him.
He placed the teacup on the table, leaned in front of Yun Ze, and pointed to his own nose. "I'm only twenty-one this year. It's not too much to ask you to call me Brother Yu, right?"
"Brother... Yu?"
"That's right!"
As Yu Xian spoke, he reached for his waist and produced a jade pot from somewhere. He then took two teacups from the table.
He tilted the jade pot, and a layer of jade-like crystal poured out from the spout, flowing into the porcelain cups.
Instantly, a rich aroma of wine filled the room.
Just a light sniff made Yun Ze's head feel heavy. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Bu Bu, sitting on the bed, also opened her eyes. She glanced at the jade pot on the table, her brow furrowed slightly, and then she closed her eyes again to cultivate.
"Come, come, have a drink with me!" Yu Xian said, offering one of the cups to Yun Ze.
Yun Ze did not take it.
He continuously circulated his cultivation technique, doing his best to hold his breath and avoid inhaling the wine fumes in the room. While struggling to maintain his consciousness, he looked at Yu Xian and slowly spoke, "Senior Yu, I don't understand what you mean."
It was too strange!
Yesterday, this person had wanted to kill him, and today he wanted to share a drink?
As the saying goes, unusual occurrences must have a reason!
Yun Ze wouldn't believe that Yu Xian had no special reason.
This was also their 'next meeting,' so he should at least give him an answer!
"Hah, why so serious?"
Yu Xian maintained his playful demeanor, gesturing to Yun Ze. "Sit down first, let's chat while we drink!"
"I don't want to drink this suspicious wine."
Yun Ze's expression was serious, but his mind was racing.
Just smelling the wine fumes was making him dizzy. If he were to actually drink this cup of wine... he might not wake up the next day!
"Heh, quite stubborn!"
Yu Xian casually placed the wine cup on the table and tapped his fingers rhythmically. "You want to know what's going on, right?
Come, drink this cup of wine first, and I'll tell you everything."
Yun Ze's brow furrowed. "If I don't drink..."
"Then I'll turn around and leave."
Yu Xian curved his lips. "But you'll never know the answer, and you'll miss out on an opportunity."
"...Alright!"
Yun Ze pondered for a few moments, then finally picked up the wine cup and drank the jade liquid in one gulp!
Whether it was the answer or the so-called opportunity.
He wanted both!
As the wine flowed down his throat, it wasn't as hot as he expected. Instead, it felt like drinking iced water on a summer day, incredibly refreshing!
The coolness slid down his esophagus to his abdomen, then spread to every part of his body!
The vortex of energy within him seemed to be stimulated by this coolness, its rotation instantly accelerating hundreds of times, madly absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!
It was even more violent than when he had just broken through!
The next moment!
A strong wind raged within a ten-mile radius. The windows that hadn't been closed were slamming against the frames, and the surrounding trees were all bent over!
Yun Ze even felt as if the entire inn was subtly shifting!
This feeling was... a breakthrough!
Yes!
He was about to break through!
Yun Ze dared not speak further, nor did he dare to miss this opportunity. He quickly sat cross-legged and began to circulate his cultivation technique!
Seeing this, Yu Xian said nothing more. He also drank his cup of wine and then watched Yun Ze with a smile, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
As for Bu Bu beside him...
She didn't look up. Even when she felt the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathering, she quietly continued her cultivation without saying or doing anything.
In an instant, Yun Ze felt his second vortex of energy faintly taking shape!
However... the rotation of the vortex was still continuing!
Originally, only one vortex was spinning madly, but now there were two, doubling the speed at which they absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!
Time gradually passed, and the wind still howled!
About fifteen minutes later, Yun Ze's spiritual energy overflowed again. At this moment, a heavy rain suddenly began to fall outside the window!
His efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy increased again!
Gales, torrential rain, it was as if a natural disaster had descended within a ten-mile radius!
But Yun Ze was focused on circulating his cultivation technique, paying no mind to anything else.
He felt it!
He felt the third vortex of energy about to take shape, just a sliver away!
Just a little more!
But...
No!
He couldn't continue like this!
Besides the cultivation technique, the jade slip given by Elder Xiao also contained some common cultivation knowledge.
There were many spiritual items in heaven and earth, divided into nine ranks, similar to spiritual artifacts.
If one had a great fortune and obtained a certain spiritual item, consuming it would allow one to absorb a large amount of spiritual energy, and it might even lead to a breakthrough in the current realm.
But such breakthroughs were always achieved by borrowing external forces. In the short term, the realm would indeed be broken through, but in the long run, it would lead to an unstable foundation.
He was originally only a sliver away from the second level of Qi Refining. Now, breaking through with this spiritual wine should not have any side effects. But if he were to break through to the third level of Qi Refining, that would be uncertain.
No, he had to suppress this surge of spiritual energy!
The first level of Qi Refining was helped by Bu Bu, the second level was broken through by this spiritual wine, so for the third level... he would break through it himself no matter what!
Yun Ze's heart sank, and he tried to forcefully stop the two continuously rotating vortices.
But no matter how he controlled them, even if he stopped circulating his cultivation technique, the vortices still wouldn't stop.
It was as if they were determined to summon their third brother!
Yun Ze gritted his teeth, completely at a loss.
The jade slip hadn't mentioned what to do if one didn't want to break through!
Perhaps... he should just let it be?
If the third level of Qi Refining was forcefully broken through this time, he could just break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, which was even more difficult!
Just as Yun Ze was about to give up and let the third vortex take shape, Yu Xian's voice suddenly rang out.
"If you can't condense it inward, then try expanding it outward."