Chapter 329: Feasting Old Friends, Cultivating the Heaven-Rotating Art

Farewell!

At the sight of that six-meter-long Sky Piercer halberd, Li Yuan's eyelid twitched and he retreated without hesitation—he had no habit of seeking a beating!

Let alone the fact that he now had no Shan Xuan Whale Hammer to wield and no Dragon Mirage Belt on his person; even if he had both, he could never possibly withstand a master of the ages, a grand expert of such caliber.

But he had only retreated one step before he felt as if a thunderclap exploded directly in his heart, utterly ignoring the terrifying speed of his backward leap that had broken the sound barrier.

Boom—

The instant Li Yuan turned and raised his weapon to block horizontally, he felt as if the entire heavens had come crashing down.

"Bang!"

……

……

A hundred blades… this kid has actually progressed so quickly…

In the light patter of rain, the little tiger cub darted through the shadows. She did not deliberately conceal her tracks and returned to Dragon Gate's main peak with ease.

From the eaves she cast a glance at the small temple across the way where the lights had been extinguished, and her eyes flickered.

With a single turn, she was already back inside the room.

In the corner, that fat rat was still snoring away in deep sleep, while on the bed, Li Yuan sat cross-legged in meditation—and tears were streaming down his face.

The little tiger cub was somewhat puzzled. She paced around the bed a few times and discovered that this kid had entered deep meditation; his tears flowed fiercely, and even his lapels were soaked.

His eyes were nearly swollen shut.

What had happened?

The little tiger cub's head was full of question marks. She had originally planned to come back and find a chance to drag this kid into the tower to test his skills, but now she couldn't help but hesitate.

"Whine—"

She cautiously drew a little closer, but before she could even take a good look she sensed something was wrong, and with a 'poof' she flopped down at the head of the bed.

"That fierce?"

Li Yuan's eyelids snapped open with a 'swish'; his gaze was unfocused, as if he were still lingering in that instant when he had been slapped apart into fireworks by that Sky Piercer halberd.

Crossing realms is like crossing mountains; defying a master of the ages is like ascending to the heavens.

Li Yuan's mind buzzed, and he truly felt the enormous gulf between them.

"Brother Master Gongyang, come…"

"Master Douyue, this old man toasts you a cup!"

The atmosphere at the banquet was excellent. While Li Yuan clinked cups, the others were also toasting and clinking cups in turn, chatting loudly and boldly.

Lord Master Gongyang Yu had a fine capacity for drink. After sharing a whole jar of Hundred Herbs Brew with Yan Yan Sanxing, he switched straight to such fierce liquor as Immortal's Drunkenness, and before long was already somewhat tipsy.

With elders present, Fang Fang Bao Luo was a bit reserved at first, but later he simply threw an arm around Wan Chuan and started calling him brother; the Divine Craftsman Wan, who had been the first to get dizzy from being plied with drink, did not refuse either.

The two chatted until their spirits rose, and even embraced each other, weeping bitterly.

The siblings Yu Yu Xuanfeng sat together with Fang Fang Yunxiu and Qiu Qiu Changying; the few of them either conversed in low voices or sipped a few cups of Hundred Herbs Brew, appearing quite reserved and self-possessed.

"Brother Liu, I toast you a cup. Over these years, I've troubled you to manage the weapons forge for me—many thanks, many thanks!"

Li Yuan, meanwhile, pulled Liu Zheng aside to toast, and also clinked cups with Wang Wang Peiyao:

"Come, Young Lady Wang…"

"Brother Li, please!"

Wang Wang Peiyao was somewhat ill at ease, after all there were quite a few elders at the table, but after a few cups she gradually loosened up, toasting and clinking cups with each in turn.

"Kid Li, come clink a cup!"

Feng Feng Zhongyi was already a bit tipsy as well; at the feast he drank mostly with Yan Yan Sanxing and Gong Gong Jiuchuan, and they also discussed business.

Dragon Tiger Temple had its own weapons-forging grounds, but from time to time it would also purchase weapons from elsewhere—this was a major deal, and Feng Feng Zhongyi was very attentive to it.

Yu Yu Xuanji glanced sideways. Over this past year she had hardly run into Li Yuan at all; it wasn't that she was deliberately keeping her distance, it was simply that this gentleman hardly ever set foot outside.

Occasionally they brushed shoulders on the road, each hurrying along with purpose.

This was the first time she had seen Li Yuan so unrestrained.

"Junior Brother Li, come!"

Xin Xin Wenhua clinked three cups with Wan Chuan, then came over to drink with Li Yuan, patting the broken sword at his waist:

"When I get this broken weapon of mine repaired, I may well have to rely on you!"

"If there's any use for me, Junior Brother, just say the word."

Li Yuan had long since noticed the broken sword at his waist. Though broken, its quality was extremely high—it had once been a superior-grade divine weapon; if a divine craftsman devoted full effort to its repair, it might well recover its grade.

"Then let me thank you in advance!"

Having achieved his aim, Xin Xin Wenhua loosened up even more. Before long he was the first to leave the feast, and the disciples waiting outside helped him back.

"The contents of this cup—drinking a little now and then is fine."

Monk Douyue did not drink much; together with Ba Ba Wanli in the neighboring seat he buried himself in eating, and the two large pots of spirit rice along with the dishes on the table were nearly half gone.

When Li Yuan came to toast, Douyue cheerfully drank a few cups, then set his cup down.

His self-control was excellent; since shaving his head he had never once gotten drunk.

"Junior Brother understands."

Li Yuan smiled and toasted: "Eighth Senior Brother, come have a drink."

"Got to drink!"

Ba Ba Wanli wiped his mouth, and half a jar of wine went down his throat:

"This spirit rice of yours is truly a fine thing—where can one buy it?"

"What talk of buying?"

Li Yuan smiled. He now enjoyed the treatment of a true disciple; his quota of top-grade Purple Bamboo Rice was not large, but he could eat Red Jade Spirit Rice to his heart's content.

"What nonsense? If it should be bought, then it must be bought!"

Fang Fang Bao Luo turned his head:

"Junior Brother, you don't know; this fool has found a treasure. Your sister-in-law truly possesses some talent for business; he is now extremely wealthy!"

Ba Ba Wanli grinned, raising his jar to clink cups:

? co

"This time, when I return, I should wait for Father. When you return next time, let us drink heartily for three days and three nights!"

"Good!"

This banquet lasted from before noon until night; after seeing off Monk Douyue, Li Yuan finally dispersed the smell of wine from his body outside the door.

"I will never drink again!"

In the courtyard, Fang Fang Bao Luo's gait was somewhat unsteady, yet he still pulled Li Yuan into conversation.

In the year since Li Yuan entered Longhu Temple, Dechang Prefecture was quickly pacified, and even Zhelong Prefecture was subtly brought back under control.

"Before you entered the mountain, Huilong Palace was very powerful, ordering us to share Dechang Prefecture with Iron Sword Sect and Fire Dragon Temple. But once the news of your becoming a disciple of Master Long arrived, Huilong Palace also ceased its drumming and lowered its flags."

Regarding the news from Dechang Prefecture, Li Yuan was also paying attention; at this moment, he quietly listened as Fang Fang Bao Luo recounted various details.

"Has the Old Master sent a letter?"

Li Yuan asked.

"I almost forgot. On the way here, I received a letter from the Old Master; one of them is for you."

Fang Fang Bao Luo slapped his forehead, pulled a letter from his chest, handed it to Li Yuan, then, overcome by wine, waved his hand and entered the room nearby.

Inside the room, Ba Ba Wanli's snoring was like thunder.

"Brother Li, have a cup of tea."

After clearing the table, Wang Wang Peiyao handed Li Yuan a cup of tea.

Seeing he wanted to read the letter, she did not disturb him; she closed the door and returned to her own dwelling.

"To be opened by my disciple personally."

Li Yuan opened the letter; Old Han's handwriting was just as before; the first two sheets still spoke of the Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon.

Old Han seemed to have obtained much Wu Gong supplementation; this newly created supreme art already possessed a flavor of considerable perfection.

"Your talent surpasses mine by tenfold. I have only cultivated to the Hundred Beasts as Dragon; perhaps, one day, you will become the Dragon of a Thousand Beasts..."

In Old Han's letter, there were expectations for Li Yuan, as well as some admonitions:

"You are someone content with the status quo, accustomed to hiding your talents, but in the Dao Sect, do not deliberately conceal them. Only by appropriately showing your talents will superiors take notice, and furthermore, you may not be able to hide them anyway."

Old Han is indeed an expert; indeed, he could not hide it.

Li Yuan continued reading; subsequently, Old Han spoke very obscurely, but he still understood the general meaning; these were some habits between master and disciple when exchanging on the Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon.

The gist was that he had already found a lead to seek that "Dragon Demon Heart Sutra," but the path was treacherous; he barely survived death once to send this letter...

There might not be a second letter.

Additionally, he very obscurely mentioned a conversation the two had once had, stating that Longhu Temple might conceal the secrets of Pure Yang Daoist and Dragon Seal Chan Master completely mastering the Longhu Health Furnace.

"Star-Picking Tower is not a benevolent place."

Li Yuan felt some worry in his heart; Old Han thought he was content with the status quo, accustomed to hiding.

But Old Han himself was another extreme, fond of taking risks, too flamboyant.

"Old Han's obsession with that Dragon Demon Heart Sutra is too deep."

After flipping through the letter several times, Li Yuan did not see any characters related to place names; Old Han simply gave him no opportunity to search.

"Star-Picking Tower."

Li Yuan muttered the name a few times in his heart, feeling he should go to the Star-Picking Tower outpost to inquire about news.

So much time has passed; the aftershocks of the Star-Picking Tower Master's assassination of the King and regicide should have subsided by now, right?

"Huff!"

After a long while, Li Yuan blew out the oil lamp, assumed a stance in the not-large room, practiced Xu Tui Hun Tian Zhuang, and simultaneously visualized the Longhu Hun Tian Xiang in his mind.

"Longhu Hun Tian Hammer and Long Xiang Heliu are of the same lineage; the main focus is breaking cleverness with force, and suppressing people with momentum..."

Li Yuan's movements were very slow; when raising his arm or dropping his leg, there was a slight sound of wind; his control over his own internal force had reached a level of exquisite subtlety.

He had not practiced the hammer method much these past two days, but first breaking through six floors of the tower, then fighting a fierce battle against that Mount Mo Tian Master Xiang, the hammer method's improvement was actually faster than arduous cultivation.

After practicing several sets of Hun Tian Zhuang, he had gradually touched upon the Great Perfection realm of this hammer method.