Jun Changxiao wrote characters well, but his skill in poetry, songs, and rhapsodies was somewhat lacking.
However, this didn’t prevent him from competing in literature with Xingyunzi, because when he stood up and leaped, wielding his brush gracefully, various selections of ancient poetry appeared in his consciousness like bullet screen comments!
Gou Sheng truly wasn’t fighting alone!
“With brush, paint the floating dust; with colors, depict the cosmos.”
“Ten thousand poems, a thousand toasts of wine, how many times have I ever looked at lords and kings.”
The first line fully expressed Xingyunzi’s world-swallowing momentum, even placing himself at the pinnacle, painting all living beings with his brush, controlling the cosmos with his ink.
The line Jun Changxiao selected from Northern Song Dynasty poet Zhu Dunru’s “Partridge Sky: Western Capital Composition” section revealed a kind of wild and unrestrained spirit.
“Wonderful!”
“Wonderful!”
After carefully savoring it, Xingyunzi said quite ashamedly: “This old one’s realm is not as high as young friend’s!”
Poetry could write out a person’s state of mind. For instance, the two lines he wrote placed himself as a king, standing at the pinnacle looking down upon all.
In contrast, what Jun Changxiao wrote represented transcendent freedom, even disregarding worldly power and prestige, only seeking to follow one’s heart.
“This old one is still infatuated with the mortal world, while young friend has already transcended it. This state of mind makes me ashamed.” Xingyunzi stepped aside and waved his hand: “Please!”
Jun Changxiao thought: “I won just like that?”
Randomly copying a line from an ancestor’s poetry and making the main criminal of the fourth level of hell concede—this was quite unexpected.
“I concede!”
Jun Changxiao cupped his hands with considerable grace, then stepped toward the teleportation array leading to the fifth level of hell.
How wonderful it would be if the remaining bosses were all literary contests rather than martial fights.
“You’re thinking too much.”
The system said: “Strong cultivators who enter the Way through literature are ultimately rare.”
Just as Jun Changxiao arrived before the teleportation array, Xingyunzi still stood in his original position, carefully evaluating every character and stroke written on the rice paper, sometimes falling into contemplation, sometimes seeming to have an epiphany.
…
The fifth level of hell.
Jun Changxiao walked out from the flowing, flashing light of the array.
No different from previous times, a large batch of prisoners had already come to ‘welcome’ him. Although some among them weren’t too high in level, their overall strength was clearly stronger than the previous levels.
“Kid.”
At the very back of the prisoners, a middle-aged man lay on the ground, grinning: “Did you come down to have a drinking contest with this old man?”
Many empty wine jars were placed around him, and his entire face was flushed red—clearly he’d drunk quite a bit. Even his speech was slurred.
Moreover.
Jun Changxiao discovered that the prisoners surrounding him all emitted strong alcohol odors. Some swayed unsteadily, about to lose their footing. So he muttered inwardly: “With just a few dishes, you got this drunk?”
“I’ll give you two choices.”
The middle-aged man burped, extending three fingers: “Either have a drinking contest with this old man, or kneel down and call me grandpa.”
Jun Changxiao asked: “How do we contest drinking?”
“Swish!”
Forty unopened wine jars flew over, neatly arranged in a row.
The middle-aged man floated over, then lay on top of them, propping up his head with one hand. He smiled: “You and I each take half. Whoever finishes drinking and can still stand wins.”
“…”
Jun Changxiao muttered inwardly: “This is using alcohol as martial weapon. I should have brought A Niu along.”
Gou Sheng probably didn’t know that at this very moment in the Eternal Ages Sect, Li Qingyang and the others were searching throughout the entire sect for Ye Xingchen, because the latter had drunk several bowls of Drunk to Life and Death in one go.
“Ah ah!”
From Spirit Beast Peak came Purple Lin Demon King’s furious roar, then Pei A Niu, drunk to unconsciousness, was thrown down.
“If I win, what benefit is there?” Jun Changxiao asked.
The middle-aged man said: “Since you dared come down from the fourth level of hell to the fifth level of hell, it means you’re very confident in your strength. If you beat me, you can be the boss.”
Jun Changxiao’s eyes lit up.
First using brush as martial weapon, now using alcohol as martial weapon—no fighting needed at all. This way he could preserve his spiritual energy well to deal with the subsequent prison bosses!
“Of course.”
The middle-aged man yawned, pointing toward a prisoner curled up in the darkness: “If you lose, you’ll be like him, becoming this old man’s exclusive punching bag.”
Jun Changxiao’s spiritual sense spread over and discovered that person’s strength was decent, but his body and face were covered in black and purple bruises—clearly he’d been bullied quite often.
“Good.”
Gou Sheng said: “Drinking contest!”
In terms of drinking, although Jun Changxiao wasn’t particularly skilled, if he used spiritual energy to force the alcohol out of his body, he could completely achieve a thousand cups without getting drunk!
…
In the central area of the fifth level of hell was a large round table. Not only were dozens of wine jars placed on top, there were quite a few below as well.
Jun Changxiao and the middle-aged man sat at the east and west positions respectively, separated by several meters from each other.
Thousands of prisoners surrounded them all around, clearly planning to be spectators eating melons.
“I say…”
Jun Changxiao said helplessly: “At least bring out a plate of peanuts!”
The middle-aged man said: “True masters of the alcohol way don’t need drinking snacks.”
“…”
Jun Changxiao was convinced.
“Kid.”
The middle-aged man pushed a jar of wine over: “This old man permits you to force the alcohol out of your body. If you can still stand up after finishing drinking, then it counts as your win!”
Jun Changxiao thought: “This wine is definitely not simple!”
“Young friend…” Suddenly, transmission technique sounded in his ear: “What’s placed before you is called Drunken Immortal Wine. Once drunk into the body, it cannot be forced out!”
Jun Changxiao maintained his expression, but in fact already learned that the speaker was that poor wretch curled up in the darkness.
“Can’t be forced out?”
Gou Sheng thought: “No wonder he’s so confident.”
“Smack!”
As he spoke, he slapped away the mud seal.
Rich wine fragrance immediately wafted over. Jun Changxiao sniffed it and praised: “Good wine!”
“Hahaha!”
The middle-aged man laughed loudly: “Seems like a fellow traveler!”
“I’ll drink first!”
Jun Changxiao first stood up, then grabbed the wine jar opening with one hand and lifted it high. The fine wine immediately flowed out like a waterfall.
The middle-aged man was a bit confused.
The distant prisoners were also dumbfounded.
Even immortals couldn’t withstand this wine, yet he actually directly lifted it up and drank freely. Wasn’t he afraid of it immediately going to his head and lying on the ground like mud?
“Still too young!”
“If he knew how strong the boss’s Drunken Immortal Wine is, he definitely wouldn’t drink it so recklessly.”
“No good, smelling this wine fragrance, I can’t take it anymore!”
The main criminal of the fifth level of hell extremely liked drinking wine, and moreover liked drinking wine with others. So over time, all the other prisoners became wine addicts.
“Gulp, gulp!”
Jun Changxiao continued drinking with his head tilted back. After the wine entered his body, it immediately dispersed, then fused into his blood and meridians, launching an assault toward his consciousness!
“Smack!”
The middle-aged man, unwilling to fall behind, slapped off the mud seal of the wine jar beside him, then lifted it up and drank heavily.
“Gulp gulp!”
“Gulp gulp!”
Both stood in a stance, each with one foot stepping on their chair, wildly drinking.
“Smack!”
Jun Changxiao first finished one jar of wine, skillfully opened another jar, then lifted it up again and drank freely.
The prisoners’ mouths hung open.
After drinking one jar of Drunken Immortal Wine without changing expression—this guy’s alcohol tolerance was impressive!
“Smack!”
“Smack!”
Jun Changxiao successively drained one jar after another, the entire process without the slightest pause, not even burping once.
“Bang!”
After another period of time passed, Gou Sheng smashed an empty wine jar on the table and wiped away the wine residue at the corner of his mouth, smiling: “I’m finished drinking.”
In front and behind him, nineteen empty wine jars were randomly arranged!
“…”
The middle-aged man put down the wine jar he’d just drunk halfway, his face showing a somewhat wonderful expression. After all, that guy had drunk twenty jars while he’d only drunk ten—just from speed alone, he’d already fallen short.
“Kid.”
He grinned: “Just finishing drinking won’t do—you still have to be able to stand.”
“No problem.”
Jun Changxiao folded his hands together.
From his complexion and tone, one completely couldn’t tell he’d been drinking.
The middle-aged man couldn’t help but mutter inwardly: “Could it be… he can neutralize the Drunken Immortal Wine that enters his body?”