Chapter 118: A Night of Celebration

Li Qiang, standing beside him, immediately noticed Long Feng’s expression. He couldn’t help laughing.

"What’s wrong? Didn’t you enjoy being famous?"

Long Feng glanced at him.

"Shut up."

Li Qiang laughed even louder. Before Long Feng could say anything else, one of the elders at the front stepped forward.

The crowd gradually became quiet. The elder looked over the returning disciples before raising his voice.

"Disciples of the Azura Heaven Sect!"

His voice echoed across the enormous training ground.

"This wilderness training has officially concluded!"

"The result of the competition between our Azura Heaven Sect and the Vermilion Flame Sect has already been decided!"

A smile appeared on the elder’s face.

"Our Azura Heaven Sect has won!"

The moment those words fell—

"WE WON!"

Thousands of disciples immediately erupted into cheers. The sound shook the entire training ground.

The elder waited for the excitement to settle before continuing.

"Because of this victory, our sect has obtained priority over the resources of Blazing Flame Mountain for the next three years!"

Another wave of cheers erupted.

Three years of priority over the resources of Blazing Flame Mountain was not a small matter.

For the disciples, it meant more cultivation resources.

For the sect, it meant greater opportunities for development.

It was something worth celebrating.

The elder then continued. "However, we shouldn’t forget the price we had pay for this."

His expression became slightly more serious.

Of the one thousand disciples who entered the wilderness this time, only nine hundred and forty-eight have returned.

Accidents are unavoidable during wilderness training, and this time was no exception. Some disciples encountered dangerous beasts, hidden dangers, or other unexpected situations.

The crowd also knew such things and became quiet. The number itself was enough to remind everyone of the cruelty of cultivation.

After a brief silence, the elder’s expression softened.

"Now, all returning disciples should return and rest. The sect will handle the distribution of rewards and resources according to the results of the wilderness training."

The gathering gradually began to disperse.

The enormous training ground once again became filled with movement. Disciples surrounded their returning friends, asking about the events of the wilderness. Others discussed the battle between Long Feng and Han Tianyu.

Long Feng quietly stepped away from the crowd.

’Finally.’

He let out a small sigh of relief. He had barely taken a few steps when his eyes suddenly stopped. Among the disciples gradually leaving the area, he saw a familiar figure.

A young woman stood slightly farther away. She wore the robes of a core disciple.

Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, and her calm, graceful appearance stood out even among the many disciples surrounding her.

Su Qingxue.

The moment Long Feng looked at her, her eyes also happened to meet his.

For a brief moment, neither of them moved.

The noise of the surrounding disciples seemed to fade into the background.

Su Qingxue’s clear eyes softened slightly. Long Feng smiled and began walking toward her.

He had only taken a few steps when she spoke.

"Congratulations upon your win." Her voice was soft.

Long Feng smiled.

"Thank you."

He continued walking toward her.

There was a faint warmth in Su Qingxue’s eyes as she looked at him.

"I heard about the battle."

"Then you already know how impressive I was."

Long Feng’s shameless response made the corners of her lips rise slightly.

"You’ve become even more shameless."

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

Su Qingxue shook her head helplessly. She was about to say something else when suddenly, a hand landed heavily on Long Feng’s shoulder.

"Where are you running off to?"

Long Feng’s expression froze, thoroughly displeased by the sudden intrusion just as he was about to sweep her away for a long-awaited night of breathless indulgence.

He slowly turned his head and found Li Qiang was standing behind him with a wide grin.

"Come on. Zhu Yuan and I are taking you to celebrate."

Long Feng stared at him.

’This idiot.’

He had completely forgotten that the two were still waiting for him.

Li Qiang continued without noticing anything.

"We already decided. Tonight, we’re drinking until you can’t stand."

Zhu Yuan, who had just caught up, nodded seriously.

"That’s right. You can’t escape this time."

Long Feng sighed. "I never said I wanted to escape."

"Good!"

Li Qiang laughed. Only then did he notice the person standing in front of Long Feng.

His smile gradually disappeared, his eyes widened.

"Senior... Senior Sister Su?"

He immediately straightened his clothes. The playful expression disappeared from his face, replaced by an unusually respectful one.

"Senior Sister Su, I didn’t realize you were here."

Su Qingxue gave him a polite nod, through also hiding his murderous intent.

Zhu Yuan also arrived at this moment.

Seeing Su Qingxue, he calmly cupped his hands.

The interaction was formal and respectful. Neither of them noticed anything unusual between the interaction of Long Feng and Su Qingxue.

To them, Long Feng had simply stopped to greet one of the famous core disciples.

Li Qiang looked back at Long Feng.

"Come on."

Long Feng glanced at Su Qingxue. He clearly didn’t want to leave just yet.

But with Li Qiang’s hand still resting on his shoulder and Zhu Yuan already waiting beside him, he had little choice.

Su Qingxue noticed his hesitation and smiled faintly.

"You all should go and enjoy, I’m waiting for someone else."

Then another familiar voice came from behind Su Qingxue.

"Senior Sister Su, are you waiting for me? I’m so touched."

Bai Liying walked toward her. The two women already knew each other, and after exchanging a few words, Bai Liying’s gaze naturally fell on Long Feng.

There was a faint, almost imperceptible change in her expression.

Under so many gazes, Long Feng suddenly felt that staying here might be dangerous for an entirely different reason.

Li Qiang pulled his shoulder again.

"Come on, Long Feng! We’re going to celebrate your victory! Tonight, you’re not leaving until you’re drunk!"

Long Feng sighed helplessly. "Why does it sound like you two are more excited about getting me drunk than celebrating the victory?"

"Because both things can happen at the same time."

Li Qiang answered without hesitation and couldn’t help laughing.

Then he and Zhu Yuan dragged Long Feng away.

As the three boys disappeared into the crowd, Su Qingxue quietly watched their backs. Their gazes remained on the direction Long Feng had disappeared.

The three of them soon left the training ground and headed toward the inner disciple area.

The Azura Heaven Sect was not merely a place where disciples cultivated. Over the years, the sect had developed its own economy, with markets, restaurants, weapon shops, pill stores, auction houses, inns, and various other establishments serving the disciples and elders.

The inner disciple market was naturally far more luxurious than the areas where outer disciples lived.

Among the many buildings, there were even several large hotels specifically designed for cultivators who wanted to relax, entertain guests, or celebrate important occasions.

Li Qiang clearly knew where he wanted to go.

After walking for some time, he pointed toward a magnificent building ahead.

"That’s the place."

Long Feng raised his head and saw a hotel of several stories high, with beautiful spiritual formations surrounding the building. Even from outside, he could sense that the place was far more luxurious than an ordinary restaurant.

"Since we’re celebrating, we can’t go somewhere cheap." Li Qiang grinned.

Zhu Yuan nodded in agreement.

The three entered the hotel and quickly booked a private room on the top floor.

The room was spacious and elegant, with a large table in the center and several comfortable chairs surrounding it. Large windows offered a view of the sect’s mountains and the brightly lit inner disciple market below.

Soon, various dishes were brought to the table.

There was roasted spiritual beast meat, several kinds of spiritual fruits, carefully prepared dishes containing medicinal ingredients, and, most importantly, several bottles of wine.

Long Feng picked up one of the bottles and examined it.

"What’s special about this?"

"Try it." Li Qiang immediately laughed.

Long Feng opened the bottle. A rich fragrance immediately spread throughout the room.

"This wine isn’t ordinary."

Li Qiang proudly poured some into his cup.

"Of course. Normal wine is basically useless to cultivators like us. Our bodies can easily refine it, so how could we possibly get drunk?"

He raised his cup. "But this one is different."

Long Feng took a sip. The moment the wine entered his mouth, his eyebrows lifted slightly.

A warm sensation spread through his body.

"Not bad."

"I told you." Li Qiang laughed as they began drinking.

At first, everything was completely normal.

They talked about the wilderness training, the treasures they had obtained, the battles they had witnessed, and the expressions of the Vermilion Flame Sect disciples after losing the competition.

Every time Han Tianyu’s name came up, Li Qiang would laugh.

"I still can’t believe you actually defeated him."

Long Feng shook his head.

"It was a close fight."

"You call that close fight?" Li Qiang stared at him. "You kicked him out of the arena."

Long Feng picked up his cup again.

"Either way, we won."

"Exactly!" Li Qiang raised his cup.

"To our victory!"

"To victory."

The three cups collided.

The wine disappeared quickly. After several rounds, their vision had become slightly blurred.

The wine contained a special medicinal energy that could affect even cultivators at their level.

"Damn... this wine is strong." Li Qiang’s face was already slightly red.

Zhu Yuan leaned back in his chair and laughed.

"Strong? It’s practically comparable to a powerful pill."

Long Feng looked at the bottle and said.

"Why didn’t you tell us earlier?"

Li Qiang laughed. "Because then you wouldn’t have drunk it."

Long Feng couldn’t argue with that.

None of them used spiritual energy to force the alcohol out of their bodies.

For once, they weren’t cultivating and simply wanted to relax.

As the night grew deeper, their voices became louder, their laughter became more frequent, and their movements became noticeably less precise.