The next day, a piece of news began spreading through Xuanhuang City without any warning.
And it spread with astonishing speed.
"Have you heard? Yesterday, someone incredible showed up at the Hall of Recruitment. His identity? Just saying it aloud could scare someone to death."
"Dukang, the legendary Ancestor of Wine, the first person to ever brew alcohol, the originator of winemaking. That Dukang Wine is named after him. They say that a single sip of his Dukang Wine can erase all sorrows. Everyone who has ever tasted it says it's the finest wine in the world—maybe even in the entire universe."
"Dukang Wine... I remember back in the day when I was in Chang'an, even the wealthiest nobles dreamed of obtaining a single jar of it. They would trade their entire fortune for just one sip. Yet they died unfulfilled. One of them even shouted with his final breath, 'May I drink Dukang in my next life!'"
"Yes, Dukang Wine has long been lost to the ages. Countless wine lovers have dreamed of it endlessly. Especially generals—soldiers have always loved strong drink. Who doesn't know of Dukang Wine? Now that Dukang has appeared in Xuanhuang City, people are going to go mad over it."
"This is huge. Xuanhuang City is going to become famous again. Once this spreads, countless wine connoisseurs will rush here, just for a single jar of Dukang Wine."
Apparently, the rumor originated from someone who had seen the old man at the Hall of Recruitment. Supposedly, they had talked to him before and knew he was called Dukang. But back then, no one had connected him with the legendary ancestor of winemaking. After all, the name Dukang wasn't exactly rare. But now, hearing it again, everything clicked.
"Dukang... The legendary Dukang Wine. I've tasted countless fine liquors in my life, but never this one. I must find a way into Xuanhuang City. There must be a way!"
Heshen stood outside a general store, sighing with emotion.
He, Heshen, had once been richer than nations. What wine hadn't he tasted? And yet, Dukang... that was one he could never buy, no matter how much gold he had. Now, just hearing the name stirred longing in his heart.
"What can relieve sorrow? Only Dukang."
In a tavern within the city, a man wearing a longsword drained his cup of Hero's Blood in one gulp. Though the wine was strong, his eyes grew even brighter.
He stood up abruptly and strode toward the Hall of Recruitment.
"I was planning to just live freely as a bounty hunter. It wasn't a bad life. My brothers... I don't even know where they are now. The Eternal Continent is so vast. I might never see them again. As Xuanhuang City says, our descent into this world is like a new birth. The past can be forgotten. So be it—I'll go to the Hall of Recruitment. This city lord's style fits me just right. Dukang! I must taste Dukang!"
A burly man with a rugged face and dark skin tossed back a bowl of Hero's Blood and picked up a long spear, striding forward.
Each step carried an overwhelming momentum, like an army thundering into battle. Clearly, this man was no ordinary warrior—he was a veteran of many wars.
At that moment, Yi Tianxing sat cross-legged inside a quiet chamber, still within the City Lord's Manor.
With the Palace Treasure Tree, the palace now drew in ten times more heavenly energy than other locations. As the tree matured, its ability to gather energy would only grow stronger. That was its miracle.
Cultivating here was no worse than training in the Pagoda of Ascension. Especially since the manor gathered destiny and public faith, allowing for deeper insights and a warding off of external evils.
As he meditated, Yi Tianxing calculated his current cultivation and strength.
"As a Qi cultivator, I've reached the Aperture Realm (命窍境). As a body cultivator, I've achieved White Cauldron Two Chimes, granting me a solid 200,000 jin of raw strength. Body cultivation advances naturally with fine food—I don't need to interfere much. But Qi cultivation requires my own effort."
He mused further:
"The Aperture Realm is divided into three stages: Reflecting the Void, Condensing Stars, and Shaping the Moon."
In Reflecting the Void (照虚), the apertures cast projections above the Sea of Divine Will, linking directly to it. These projections allow apertures to absorb heavenly energy and flood it into the sea, accelerating cultivation. The more apertures opened, the more projections form, and the faster energy is absorbed.
In Condensing Stars, the projections are fully solidified into life-bound stars in the Sea of Divine Will. This is done by injecting origin power from each aperture into the sea. The more powerful the origin, the faster and easier the star takes form. Once formed, the cultivator doesn't even need to operate techniques—energy flows naturally, blending inside and out, constantly refining Dao Rhyme into true essence.
"This is when your true essence becomes infused with the laws of heaven and earth, making your attacks flow with natural law. If your opponent doesn't have such infused essence, they're almost guaranteed to lose in a clash. That's also the step where true essence begins to transform into spellforce, allowing much easier activation of magical abilities."
He understood it clearly now—The Aperture Realm was the refinement of true essence with Dao Rhyme, like how a blade cultivator fuses saber intent into their energy to create saber essence.
"The more apertures I open, the faster this transformation happens."
Right now, Yi Tianxing had eleven apertures open:
Dragon Nest, Dragon Bone, Water God, Dantian, Spirit Sea, Springwell, Yin-Yang, Food Cauldron, Mystic Armor, Dragon Scale, and Dragon Tendon.
All had reached the Reflecting the Void stage, projecting into his Sea of Divine Will. But—
"The most important core aperture is still missing."
Among the Five Core Apertures, he had already completed four. During his dreamlike journey through Black Dark City, he had gained the Dragon Scale and Dragon Tendon apertures. Only the Dragon Heart Aperture remained.
But now, he had obtained the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Lotus, and he still had the True Dragon Heart.
"With those, I can forge the Dragon Heart Aperture Pill. Once I succeed, I'll have completed all Five Core Apertures. That will bring a fundamental transformation."
Once the Five Core Apertures were completed, the rest were just optional additions. They could be opened later as needed.
Yi Tianxing no longer hesitated.
With a thought, he retrieved the Heavenfire Furnace, as well as all the necessary ingredients, and began the pill forging process.
He had done this many times before. This time, it felt smoother and more natural.
He operated the furnace effortlessly. Time began to pass unnoticed.
Two full days went by.
Eventually, the firelight within the chamber dimmed.
Golden light shimmered within the furnace.
"The Dragon Heart Aperture Pill. Let's hope I can open the aperture in one try."
In his hand appeared a golden aperture pill, glowing with countless mystical patterns and radiating sacred music. It was priceless. Every one of these represented an aperture's creation.
Without hesitation, Yi Tianxing activated it.
Brilliant divine light burst forth as the pill shot directly into his heart.
An unimaginable pain swept through him.
It was as if ten thousand arrows pierced his heart. As though ants were devouring it alive.
The pain from cramping meridians was already infamous. But the agony from one's very heart? That instantly spread through his body, mind, and soul.
Even more terrifying than meridian spasms. Unbearable, soul-rending.