Chapter 1759: Wine Fumes

Screech!

Manager Zhou didn’t bother with how the others processed his words. He stepped forward and lightly pressed a spot near the hall, upon which the grand door of the hall opened with a thunderous sound.

But for some reason, the strong aroma of alcohol mentioned heavily by Lu Ye earlier did not waft out from the open hall door, clearly due to a special method.

"It should be a kind of sealing array!"

Yun Xiao could naturally guess some clues with his insight. After all, he was not only a Half-step Holy Rank Meridian Refining Master but also a talented Array Master in his past life, possessing an understanding of array formations far beyond that of the people around him.

Realizing it was a sealing array further solidified certain speculations in Yun Xiao’s mind. Following the crowd, he stepped into the grand hall.

"Huh?"

Upon entering the hall, Yun Xiao was immediately overwhelmed by a strong fragrance of wine, much more intense than what he had encountered in Drunken Forest Garden, intoxicatingly so.

It seemed that Lu Ye’s earlier claim that ordinary people couldn’t withstand this aroma was not unfounded. Yun Xiao sensed that even some Earth Rank Third Realm cultivators might not be able to stay in this hall for long.

Many entering the hall were already flushed. Despite being ardent lovers of wine, the sudden assault of such a potent aroma caught them off guard.

Only a few formidable individuals at the Heavenly Realm Late Stage could maintain composure like Yun Xiao. Yet, upon seeing the calm demeanor of this plainly clothed young man, they couldn’t help but feel surprised.

"Could this kid have some treasure to suppress the alcohol aroma?"

Especially Ma Nanfeng, whose mind wandered at the thought. Admitting that Yun Xiao’s cultivation was similar to his was out of the question, so he sought alternative explanations.

To Ma Nanfeng, it seemed likely this young man knew about this trial in advance and prepared a treasure to counteract the aroma.

Possibly, this treasure not only counteracted the aroma but also sensed rare wines. Otherwise, how could this boy have easily found such exquisite wines as Thousand Flower Stone and Blood Erosion Intense Flame in the Drunken Forest Garden?

Some people’s jealousy leads to wild speculations, perhaps only someone like Ma Nanfeng could come up with such ideas, while Yun Xiao had no mind to entertain such thoughts.

Having entered the Zuichun Hall, Yun Xiao began observing the interior. The furnishings were simple and sparse, with barely a few tables and chairs.

Notably, Yun Xiao could hardly see the deepest part of the hall. As he gazed deeper, it seemed enveloped in a milky white mist, obscuring the view.

"Given the dense aroma within, it’s probably liquefying, isn’t it?"

With a solid understanding of wines, Yun Xiao knew that the mist-like substance wasn’t ordinary Qi miasma or fog but was instead condensed from a rich fragrance.

Legend has it that wines aged over a thousand years would have their aroma transform into a liquid, which could itself be considered a different kind of exquisite wine, the epitome of concentrated fragrance.

Some wines aged for ten thousand years could even solidify, and ordinary people could fall into an eternal slumber from just a whiff, quite possibly until death.

"Hmph, let this Chief see what you, Drunken Immortal Restaurant’s aroma, truly have to offer."

As Yun Xiao was appraising the aroma, a familiar voice came from nearby. Hearing the self-address, everyone knew it was Ma Nanfeng speaking.

With these words, Ma Nanfeng confidently strode forward, heading towards the hall’s depths. His steady steps seemed unaffected by the aroma.

In no time, Ma Nanfeng’s figure became blurred. Seeing this scenario, no one dared dawdle, fearing that Ma Nanfeng would claim the Holy Rank Wine first.

Unfortunately, not everyone possessed Ma Nanfeng’s strength and cultivation. Roughly a dozen breaths later, a figure suddenly collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again.

Thud!

The sound of someone falling to the ground startled everyone, who then looked up to see the person’s flushed face and rapid breathing, all signs of inebriation.

The alcohol aroma released from the treasure wine hidden below ground, bolstered by a sealing array, was no ordinary aroma. It was more potent than some strong distilled spirits outside.

In truth, this was no longer a challenge of wine enthusiasts’ resistance to fine wine but a test of meridian qi strength. After all, the higher one’s cultivation, the greater the resistance to the aroma.

Of course, some seasoned drinkers had their own ways of resisting the aroma, but nothing proved more effective than higher cultivation. Their path couldn’t take them as far as Ma Nanfeng’s.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

After a moment, several sounds came one after another, it turned out that some Heavenly Realm Early Stage cultivators finally couldn’t sustain it and fell drunk one after another, lying on the ground motionless.

This was just intoxication caused by the wine vapor, which had no serious harm to these people’s lives. Once the Drunken Immortal Conference ended, someone would gather the wine vapor in the hall and administer hangover remedies, allowing them to regain clarity.

Earlier, Lu Ye, who had good relations with Yun Xiao, was also a Heavenly Realm Early Stage cultivator. However, he had prepared some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to counteract the wine vapor, allowing him to last longer than other Heavenly Realm Early Stage cultivators.

But as they ventured deeper, a flush of extreme red finally appeared on Lu Ye’s face, his eyes became blurry, and his stance turned wobbly, almost unable to persist and about to fall to the ground.

Poof!

However, at this moment, when Lu Ye was about to fall headlong, he suddenly felt the sound of wind behind him, followed by a heavy poke at a certain acupoint on his back.

"Oh no!"

Initially, Lu Ye instinctively thought Yu Xu was taking advantage of his situation, because that guy was at the Heavenly Realm Middle Stage cultivation, certainly clearer than himself.

"Calm your mind, don’t be impulsive!"

Just as Lu Ye was about to muster his last bit of Meridian Qi to fight back, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears, making him instantly restrain his Meridian Qi, because he already knew who it was.

"Eh?"

Moreover, when Lu Ye realized it was Yun Xiao speaking, he suddenly felt his previously drowsy state vanish, replaced by a clarity.

"Thank you, Brother Yun Xiao!"

Turning around, Lu Ye indeed saw the rough-clothed youth had somehow appeared behind him, and that acupoint poke was clearly something the other did to help him regain clarity.

But Lu Ye couldn’t understand why a light poke on an acupoint could make him return to normal, which also proved that he had indeed underestimated Yun Xiao before.

In fact, Yun Xiao intervened because he had a good impression of Lu Ye; earlier, when Chang Shuo attacked, Lu Ye had rushed to help, only to be blocked by Yu Xu.

Therefore, Yun Xiao didn’t want Lu Ye to fall behind Yu Xu, which is why he took action. With his Meridian Refining Technique, sealing people’s acupoints to make them feel no intrusion from wine vapor was effortless.

Of course, this was also based on Yun Xiao’s understanding of various acupoints and the characteristics of different wine vapors; otherwise, even a Half-step Holy Rank Meridian Refining Master wouldn’t necessarily achieve this instantly.

Currently, the acupoint sealed by Yun Xiao only made Lu Ye unable to sense the wine vapor at that spot. As they ventured deeper, there would be stronger wine vapor invasions, and by then, the sealed acupoint would not be much use.

"Follow me, don’t wander far!"

Yun Xiao shouted softly, then stepped forward, and Lu Ye hurriedly followed, by now he was full of confidence in this youth, believing that as long as he followed, he would surely go farther.

Lu Ye knew himself well, attending the Drunken Immortal Conference, he never thought he could be the final victor, tasting rare wines like Thousand Flower Stone was worthwhile.

Now it seemed, following this rough-clothed youth might actually provide a chance to go farther; Lu Ye was in high spirits, sticking close to Yun Xiao.

Poof poof poof!

During the following 15 minutes, Yun Xiao walked with ease, constantly pressing Lu Ye’s acupoints, making Lu Ye regain clarity every time he was about to faint, much easier than the others.

Thump!

A moment later, another sound of someone falling to the ground was heard. When Lu Ye turned to look, he couldn’t help but be overjoyed because the person who fell was none other than Yu Xu, who he had always had a grudge against.

Earlier, Lu Ye knew his cultivation was a notch below Yu Xu, thought he would certainly fall before that guy, but didn’t expect to see Yu Xu fall drunk first.

"Haha, Brother Yun Xiao, you can guard me to here, seeing Yu Xu fall drunk is indeed a great pleasure in life!"

At this moment, Lu Ye was undoubtedly extremely thrilled, but didn’t continue following Yun Xiao; he had some self-awareness, knowing even if he went deeper, it wasn’t really his own merit.

And Lu Ye also knew that now he was only staying clear by Yun Xiao’s means. If any sudden change occurred, Yun Xiao might not have the chance to cover him, and the consequences would likely be unimaginable.