Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Back mountain.
A bleak autumn wind swept through the forest.
Crimson maple leaves fluttered down from the trees.
Some settled gently on the heads of a boy and a girl.
"Brother Zhexian…"
Ning Rongrong bit her red lip gently, her voice soft.
"Let's end things here."
Li Zhexian looked at the beautiful girl standing before him.
Though they were so close, it felt as if a vast chasm stretched between them.
"Alright."
Ning Rongrong raised her eyes to meet Li Zhexian's.
The boy who was once so free-spirited now seemed strangely silent.
She turned away, her back facing him.
"You've been in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan for six years now, haven't you?"
"I still remember the day you awakened your Martial Soul—sword qi erupted into the sky, and you had innate full Spirit Power."
"Father and the others all said you were a once-in-a-millennium genius. But now, six years have passed, and your Spirit Power is still stuck at Rank 10."
"As for me…"
Ning Rongrong lifted her slender hand.
In her palm spun a seven-layered pagoda, crystal-clear like colored glass.
Two yellow Spirit Rings floated around it—impossible to ignore.
"I've already reached Rank 26."
"Brother Zhexian, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is the continent's top auxiliary Martial Soul. Only when paired with a powerful battle-type Spirit Master can it truly shine."
"And even though…"
"Even though I really didn't want to say this…"
"You truly can't keep up with me anymore."
Ning Rongrong tilted her delicate face upward, like a proud swan.
"I'm the only daughter of the clan head. My future partner must be one of the strongest in the world!"
Li Zhexian remained silent for a long moment, then suddenly smiled with a carefree air.
The boy's clear, youthful voice rang far into the distance.
"Then let us each walk our own path in peace."
"Here. I'm giving this back."
He reached into his white robe and pulled something out.
Ning Rongrong turned around and saw in Li Zhexian's open palm a small tower made of clay—quietly resting there.
Her body trembled lightly.
Unbidden, memories surfaced.
"Brother Zhexian, I made you a little Glazed Pagoda. You must protect it, okay?"
"Alright, Rongrong. I'll make you a sword!"
The clay was messy.
The tiny sword and pagoda were crude and simple.
But they carried the sincerity and affection of a boy and girl from long ago.
Ning Rongrong stared at the clay pagoda for a long while, then nodded gently.
"Alright."
"Brother Zhexian… I'll return yours too."
She reached up and unclasped a small clay sword pendant from around her neck.
Li Zhexian took the little sword without a word—
And turned away.
Ning Rongrong watched his stubborn back.
She parted her red lips, but in the end said nothing, and simply pressed her lips together.
She turned and walked in the opposite direction.
High atop a picturesque hill—
Ning Fengzhi let out a sigh as he watched the two figures grow more and more distant.
"What a pity."
Though he said so aloud,
a flash of relief unmistakably flickered in the depths of his eyes.
Ning Rongrong was his daughter—heir to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, a daughter of heaven.
A boy who hadn't advanced a single level in six years—how could such a failure be worthy of her?
Granted…
Back when Li Zhexian awakened his Martial Soul—
When sword qi soared to the skies and his innate full Spirit Power stunned the clan,
it was Ning Fengzhi himself who had waved his hand and arranged the engagement between Li Zhexian and Ning Rongrong.
Now that he had gone back on that promise, he did feel somewhat guilty toward the boy.
But for the sake of his daughter's future, this was how it had to be.
Ning Fengzhi turned toward Sword Douluo Chen Xin and said:
"Uncle Jian, I feel bad for Zhexian. I'll arrange some compensation for him."
After all, it was Chen Xin who had brought Li Zhexian into the clan from the outside.
Now that the boy had been wronged, they had to at least consider Chen Xin's feelings.
"There's no need."
Chen Xin spoke coldly.
"Li Zhexian has no one to blame but himself."
"Six years without a step forward. He couldn't even absorb a ten-year Spirit Ring."
"He's unworthy of Rongrong."
Bone Douluo Gu Rong shook his head and sighed.
When Li Zhexian first awakened his Qinglian Sword Martial Soul,
Chen Xin had considered taking him as his successor.
But now…
Gu Rong stared at the boy's slowly vanishing figure.
"It really is your own fault."
Back mountain.
On a crooked tree branch—
Li Zhexian lay back, his left hand behind his head, his right holding a wine gourd.
Through sparse leaves, he gazed up at the moon.
"Six years…"
"It's been six years since I came to the world of Soul Land."
He took a hard gulp of wine.
Clear liquor dripped from the corner of his lips.
"Fantasy world booze really does hit harder than beer."
One drink after another.
Ning Rongrong's words echoed in his mind.
"Father and the others said you were a once-in-a-millennium genius. But six years have passed, and your Spirit Power is still Rank 10…"
"Even though I hate to say it… you really can't keep up with me anymore."
He wasn't still hung up on Ning Rongrong.
He just didn't understand—
Why?
He had innate full Spirit Power. His ability to absorb heaven and earth energy wasn't weak.
So why couldn't his Spirit Power increase at all?
Another gulp. And another.
Instead of getting drunk,
his eyes grew brighter with every drink.
Suddenly, he leapt down from the tree.
"I step out the door laughing at the sky—how could someone like me remain obscure?!"
"I, Li Zhexian, am no mediocrity!"
"The moon is my companion!"
"Fine wine in hand!"
"Let me dance—let me wield my sword!"
Beneath moonlight like flowing water—
The boy's figure moved like a startled swan.
A three-foot-six-inch longsword in hand, its blade gleamed like autumn water.
Lotus patterns on the sword's spine shimmered with moonlight—
sometimes blooming like a lotus in full, sometimes curling inward like a bud.
This was Li Zhexian's Martial Soul: Qinglian Sword.
He drank wildly. Danced freely.
Gradually, he entered a special state of mind.
One drink.
One sword movement.
The sword left behind shimmering afterimages, like a dancing lotus.
Frost-like sword light blanketed a hundred-meter radius, outshining even the moon.
And strangely—
That palm-sized wine gourd in his hand never emptied, no matter how much he drank.
Another swig—
His Spirit Power suddenly surged.
One more—
His Spirit Power boiled.
Yet another—
His Spirit Power rocketed skyward.
Just like that—
After six years of stagnation,
his Spirit Power began to rise with every mouthful of wine.
Rank 11.
Rank 12.
Rank 13…
All the way to Rank 20.
When he finally emerged from this trance-like state—
He could feel Spirit Power churning through his body. He was stunned.
"My Spirit Power increased ten whole ranks?!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
As someone who had been a liquor-lover in two lifetimes, he knew he couldn't possibly be drunk.
That's when he noticed—
The wine gourd in his left hand had changed.
What was once a crude ceramic jug
had become a smooth celadon flask, as fine as jade.
"This…"
Li Zhexian gave the celadon gourd a shake.
The sloshing inside proved there was still wine left.
He popped the stopper and took a sip—
Rich, mellow liquor slid down his throat, transforming into pure energy that coursed through his body.
Even his Rank 20 Spirit Power rose slightly.
His Qinglian Sword felt sharper, more alive.
"Hahahahaha!"
Li Zhexian raised his sword in his right hand, the wine gourd in his left, and laughed freely.
He understood now—
His Martial Soul wasn't just the Qinglian Sword.
It also included the Clear Spring Wine Gourd!
He possessed twin Martial Souls—Sword and Wine!
His Martial Soul had not fully awakened before. Of course he couldn't progress, or absorb any Spirit Rings!
Now that he understood why he had been stagnant for six years—
Li Zhexian's expression brightened. His refined face lit up with newfound spirit.
He glanced down toward the intricate buildings of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and his smile faded slightly.
"Those who abandon me—let the past die with yesterday."
His smile turned carefree again.
"Even if I hadn't awakened the Wine Martial Soul today, I had already decided to leave this place."
"These six years weren't wasted. I worked inside the clan, completed missions, and saved up a fair bit of coin."
"I left all my savings in my room. Let that be my repayment for their kindness. From now on, we owe each other nothing."
"Let us part in peace."
He understood now.
When Ning Rongrong spoke to him earlier—
Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong surely knew.
They had allowed it.
With a flick of his sleeve—
Li Zhexian tossed out the small clay sword.
Before it hit the ground—
A flash of pure sword light split it cleanly in two.
He didn't even look at it.
Tilting his head back, he took another drink, hooked the celadon gourd onto his waist, and leapt away.
In a few swift movements, he vanished into the mountain woods.
About the time it takes to burn a stick of incense later—
Several figures arrived in a blur of motion.