Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

"Master, you truly have your ways. You even managed to tame someone as proud as Princess Yunxi. She’s really acting as your maid now." Chu Yanwu sighed in genuine admiration as he watched Yunxi’s movements.

As one of the few Alchemy Masters in the Mo Yun Kingdom, he had visited the capital and seen Princess Yunxi on several occasions.

Although Yunxi always greeted him, that was the extent of their interaction. As for the princes and young lords who did everything to curry her favor, Princess Yunxi wouldn’t even spare them a glance.

But now, Princess Yunxi, proud as a phoenix, was pouring wine for Lin Hao.

If those princes and young lords in the capital saw this, their jaws would surely drop. It was no wonder Chu Yanwu had gasped in amazement at the sight.

At Chu Yanwu’s words, Yunxi’s hand trembled. Fortunately, she reacted quickly enough to keep the wine from spilling out of the jug.

"I..." Yunxi started to retort.

But Lin Hao didn’t give her the chance. Yunxi had barely uttered a single "I" before Lin Hao cut her off. "As a maid, this is what she’s supposed to do."

After saying this, Lin Hao sighed. "Sigh... having a princess for a maid is such a hassle. She can’t do anything besides pour wine."

Chu Yanwu nodded in profound agreement.

Yunxi’s face flushed crimson with anger, her chest heaving. She was too furious to even manage a retort.

"What are you spacing out for? Bring your young master his wine," Lin Hao goaded, adding fuel to the fire.

Yunxi’s temper flared. She desperately wanted to dump the entire jug of wine over Lin Hao’s head.

But the thought of the wine’s value made her resist the urge.

’For this jug of wine, I’ll endure, endure, endure!’ Yunxi had to repeat the word three times in her mind before she finally suppressed her fury.

Picking up the wine cup, Yunxi walked toward Lin Hao.

Once this cup of wine was in Lin Hao’s hands, her task would be complete. Then, the entire jug of wine would be hers.

With that wine, she could break through to the Soul Gathering Realm!

’A moment of impatience can ruin a great plan!’

Yunxi reminded herself.

Despite her self-reassurance, Yunxi was a princess; when had she ever had to do such a thing? The dozen or so meters to him seemed endlessly long.

Taking tiny, mincing steps, Yunxi finally reached Lin Hao at a snail’s pace and presented the cup of wine.

Lin Hao decided not to torment her further. He took the cup, then immediately handed it back to her.

Yunxi froze.

"Drink!" Lin Hao didn’t waste words; it was a single-word command.

The word was a command, absolute and domineering.

Yunxi took it reflexively, only realizing a moment later that something was wrong.

In that instant, Lin Hao had seemed like a sovereign king, leaving her with no choice but to obey.

’Lin Hao, you’re despicable!’ Yunxi fumed, staring down at the wine in the cup.

The next moment, Lin Hao’s detestable face seemed to materialize in the wine.

Exasperated, Yunxi tilted her head back and downed the wine in one gulp.

BOOM!

The moment the small cup of wine entered her stomach, it erupted into a violent surge of energy that coursed through every inch of her body.

Yunxi was aghast, for the energy was incredibly pure.

Under the force of this energy, the seal Lin Hao had placed within her body instantly shattered.

Yunxi had no time to celebrate before her expression changed drastically. If she didn’t circulate her own energy to refine this power immediately, her body would likely explode.

Without a second thought, Yunxi sat down cross-legged on the spot and focused all her power on refining the energy. Soon, she was lost to the world, deep in meditation.

"Master, the effects of this wine are simply heaven-defying! This old servant only drank a single small cup, yet my cultivation has already advanced an entire layer, reaching the Peak of the Fifth Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm!" With Yunxi now in meditation, Chu Yanwu hurried forward, his face flush with excitement.

As an Alchemy Master, he could identify over a dozen types of Spirit Medicines in the wine, along with dozens more he couldn’t recognize. Even so, Chu Yanwu knew the value of this jug far exceeded his initial estimate.

Forget an entire jug—even a Martial Artist at the Soul Gathering Realm Peak would find a single cup of this wine irresistibly tempting!

"No matter how heaven-defying its effects, it’s still just wine," Lin Hao said with a nonchalant shrug.

Chu Yanwu paused for a moment, then nodded.

’Since Lin Hao knows about Dao Heaven and doesn’t share the Chu surname, he might be a disciple from a later generation,’ Chu Yanwu thought.

In Chu Yanwu’s eyes, Dao Heaven Chu Tiandu was a god-like figure. It was perfectly normal for Lin Hao to react this way.

"You are absolutely right, Master," Chu Yanwu said with a fawning smile.

Lin Hao might not care about this wine, but Chu Yanwu certainly did. A single small cup had boosted his cultivation from the Fourth Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm to the Fifth Layer. ’If I had a few more cups... wouldn’t that be absolutely heaven-defying?!’

Lin Hao glanced at Chu Yanwu but said nothing. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

’It’s true that the wine is heaven-defying, but its primary function isn’t to raise one’s cultivation level. After a few more drinks, it won’t be of any help in that regard.’

But Lin Hao had no intention of telling Chu Yanwu this.

’Letting Chu Yanwu cling to his fantasy will only make him work harder for me.’

"Master, I can’t believe you’ve already reached the Peak of the Elemental Realm! Your rate of improvement is astonishingly fast!" Chu Yanwu exclaimed, having just noticed the change in Lin Hao’s cultivation.

And his compliment was sincere.

Chu Yanwu remembered that when he had entered his meditative state, Lin Hao hadn’t even begun Refining Energy. Yet, Lin Hao had managed to advance before he did. That speed was terrifying.

"Master, two old men from the Mo Yun Kingdom have ordered all Martial Artists below the Fifth Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm to attack you with their full strength. You should increase your cultivation again. I’ll pour you some more wine!" As he spoke, Chu Yanwu moved to pour the wine.

When he got there, he froze. An entire jug of wine was missing.

Lifting his gaze, he saw an empty wine jug lying on the ground nearby, tossed there by Lin Hao.

Suddenly, Chu Yanwu’s eyes bulged, and his breathing grew ragged.

"Master, you drank... an entire jug?!" Chu Yanwu whirled around and cried out in disbelief.

Lin Hao just shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it.

"My heavens!" Chu Yanwu was stunned beyond measure.

’Lin Hao drank an entire jug, absorbed it faster than I did, and yet his cultivation only rose by a single layer.’

’I only had a small cup, and the energy was already unimaginable. How much power was in that entire jug?’

’And for such an unimaginably vast amount of energy to only raise Lin Hao’s cultivation by a single layer... just how condensed must his True Essence be?!’

’On top of that, he’s only in the Elemental Realm right now. Once he breaks through to the Soul Gathering Realm, the energy required to advance a single layer will be... immeasurable!’

The more Chu Yanwu thought about it, the more incomprehensible it all seemed.

Staring at Lin Hao, Chu Yanwu was simply stupefied.

"Haha! This divine turtle feels absolutely overflowing with power! Carrying a mountain weighing a million jin would be a piece of cake now," an excited voice suddenly rang out from the side.

Chu Yanwu turned to look. The turtle’s body was now an even deeper black, and its shell was shimmering faintly, revealing the emergence of mysterious patterns.

Upon seeing those mysterious patterns, Chu Yanwu’s pupils contracted sharply.

’He had seen those mysterious patterns somewhere before... they held an extraordinary significance!’