Chapter 222: Wine Meets a Kindred Spirit

"Eh! You know something about wine too?" Elder Hu Yan exclaimed softly, looking at Han Li with slight surprise.

"I wouldn't dare claim to know wine, just a little bit," Han Li said with a smile.

He didn't know much about wine originally; it was only when crossing the Thunderstorm Ocean that he often drank with Sun Ke, who was well-versed in various wines. Through constant exposure, Han Li picked up some knowledge.

And the wine the old man had just poured for him happened to be one that Sun Ke had also treated him to.

But when he drank it back then, he hadn't had the same insights as today.

"Good, good. I already found you quite agreeable, and now to find you're a kindred spirit—couldn't be better. Come, come, keep me company for a few drinks," Elder Hu Yan said delightedly, rising to return to the house.

When he came out again, he was carrying seven or eight different wine flasks and drinking vessels in both hands, placing them on the table one by one as if enumerating his treasures.

These wine flasks were of various styles, but the cups were even more distinctive.

Bronze goblets, jade cups, wooden cups, stone cups, gold cups, and more—each wine vessel was also engraved with strange patterns, not ordinary decorations, resembling runes.

Han Li swept his gaze over them and found that each of these wine pots and vessels was a magic treasure, though what effects they had was anyone's guess.

"Elder Huyan has brought out so many different cups—could it be that each type of wine requires its own special vessel?" Han Li looked at the dazzling array of fine wines and cups, a flicker of interest rising in his heart as he smiled.

"Naturally! As the saying goes, 'A fine horse deserves a fine saddle,' and the same holds true for the art of drinking. Without the proper vessel, even the best wine loses three-tenths of its flavor. For instance, this Green Pear Immortal Wine has a greenish-blue hue and must be served in a jade cup made of sky-blue jade. Another example: this jar of Red Mulberry Immortal Wine is famed for its delicate fragrance and must be drunk from a cup of evergreen rattan to enhance its aroma..." Elder Huyan spoke with great animation, expounding at length on which wine matched which vessel.

Han Li nodded and picked up the Red Mulberry wine. Back on the sea-crossing giant ship, he had drunk this wine with Sun Ke.

Taking a small sip, his eyes immediately lit up.

The Red Mulberry Immortal Wine he had drunk with Sun Ke back then was a treasured personal stash, and its quality was certainly no worse than what was before him now. Yet this cup of wine had a fragrance far superior to the previous one.

Han Li took another sip, savoring it carefully, and soon discovered the reason.

This green rattan cup faintly exuded an ancient rattan aura, which intertwined with the wine's flavor, greatly enhancing it.

"This Red Mulberry Immortal Wine is brewed from thousand-year-old red mulberries, a fire-attribute spiritual material. The green rattan cup contains wood energy, and wood fuels fire—no wonder the wine's color and flavor are so greatly enhanced!" He showed an expression of admiration.

Although Elder Huyan had spoken with great eloquence earlier, Han Li had still harbored some doubts. Only now did he become convinced that his words were true.

"Not bad, not bad, young man has good taste. Try this pot of Radiant Immortal Wine." A glint of approval flashed in Elder Huyan's eyes as he picked up a white wine pot and poured another cup of amber, shimmering wine.

In the following moments, Han Li sampled several more fine wines, all of which were indeed rare and exquisite.

Though he knew only a little about the art of wine, he was an excellent listener. His eager and studious demeanor drew repeated nods from Elder Huyan, whose look of approval deepened.

These wines were no ordinary beverages; they could be considered a type of immortal wine, greatly beneficial to cultivation. However, Han Li was only at the early True Immortal stage. Having drunk so many cups in succession, his dantian was now filled with a chaotic mixture, and it would likely take considerable time to fully refine it.

After a moment's deliberation, he set down his cup and stopped drinking.

Elder Huyan, however, continued drinking cup after cup with great relish, clearly far superior in cultivation to Han Li.

"Elder Huyan, could we take a short rest? There are some matters I wish to report." Han Li waited a while longer, but seeing that the other showed no sign of stopping, he could not help but interject.

"You really know how to spoil the mood. Fine, out with it." Elder Huyan glanced at Han Li, snorted, and sat up.

Han Li gave an apologetic smile, took out a storage artifact, and handed it over.

"Inside are the Fire Essence Crystals mined from Firecloud Ridge over the past decade."

Elder Huyan took it, swept his divine sense over it briefly, then tossed it aside. He flipped his hand and produced a green jade slip, on which he began to make marks.

"Elder Huyan, the sect seems to place great importance on these Fire Essence Crystals. May I ask what they are used for? I observe that although they contain pure fire energy, their texture is brittle, quite unlike ordinary fire-attributed ores, and more similar to spirit stones." Han Li glanced at the storage artifact and asked casually.

"Just a type of fuel used in refining Immortal Origin Stones." Elder Huyan replied without looking up.

Han Li was taken aback, then a look of astonishment spread across his face. "Refining Immortal Origin Stones... requires these Fire Essence Crystals?"

Elder Huyan looked up at him, somewhat puzzled. "Do you not know of the Ninefold Immortal Origin Array?"

"Ninefold Immortal Origin Array?" Han Li looked bewildered.

He truly had never heard that name before.

"Oh, you must have joined our sect not long ago. Where are you from?" Elder Huyan looked Han Li up and down and asked.

"Elder Hu has keen eyes. I joined the sect less than a hundred years ago, hailing from a remote island in the Huanglan Continent." Han Li said after a moment's thought.

"No wonder. The Huanglan Continent is indeed remote, and few know of it. As for the Nine Revolutions Immortal Yuan Formation, it is a famous yuan-gathering formation in the Northern Cold Immortal Domain. This formation can condense the spiritual power of one hundred top-grade spirit stones into a single immortal yuan stone in a short time." Elder Hu continued.

"So that's it. No wonder immortal yuan stones are so rare in the Huanglan Continent, yet seem much more plentiful here at the sect." Han Li murmured with a deep breath.

"Of course. How could my Candle Dragon Sect be compared to a place like the Huanglan Continent?" Elder Hu said proudly.

As he spoke, he flipped his hand to put away the jade slip, took Han Li's elder token, and with a flick of his finger, added one hundred and eighty merit points to it.

"Thank you, Elder Hu! Please take a moment to assign me a task first, then you can savor these fine wines at your leisure." Han Li took the token and cupped his hand again.

"I rarely get a chance to slack off, yet you, lad, keep nagging."

Elder Hu shot Han Li a glare, took out a task booklet, flipped through a few pages quickly, stopped, and looked up at Han Li again, saying:

"You're in such a hurry to complete three tasks—are you trying to finish quickly so you can go back to cultivate? In that case, this task suits you. It won't take long; a few months at most will suffice."

"What task?" Han Li was delighted.

"For inner disciples of our sect to advance to true disciples, they must pass a trial. Your task is simple: secretly escort some inner disciples of our sect to participate in the true disciple trial." Elder Hu explained.

"Secretly escort?" Han Li was taken aback.

"Correct. Those inner disciples must rely on their own strength to pass the trial, and under normal circumstances, you must not lend a hand. However, the trial grounds are full of unexpected events, so one or two True Immortal elders are sent to follow secretly." Elder Hu said.

"I see. I understand. When does this task begin?" Han Li nodded and asked.

"What a coincidence—it starts in three days. Then go to Chaoyang Hall, where someone will inform you of the specifics." Elder Hu shook his head.

"Alright, thank you, Elder." Han Li paused briefly, then said with gratitude.

This drunken, wine-loving old man might be sharp-tongued, but he was still kind to him; the three tasks he had arranged were not particularly difficult.

"No need for thanks. If you have free time in the future, come and have a few drinks with me." Elder Hu waved his hand.

"Certainly." Han Li smiled, then rose to take his leave.

He left the room and walked outside. When he passed by the yellow beans, he couldn't help but stop again and take a few more looks.

"What, do you also understand Dao soldiers?" Elder Huyan's voice sounded. The man had somehow appeared behind Han Li without him noticing.

Han Li was startled, shocked that someone had approached so close without him realizing it.

But when he turned around, his face had already regained its composure, and he said:

"I have only heard a little about them. It seems Elder Huyan must be well-versed in the art of Dao soldiers?"

"Naturally. When it comes to Dao soldiers, if I claim to be second, no one in the Candle Dragon Dao would dare claim to be first!" Elder Huyan still looked drunk and bleary-eyed, but his tone carried a hint of arrogance.

"I have always been very interested in Dao soldiers, but there are few who are proficient in this art, and I have no one to turn to for guidance. I wonder if the elder could offer some pointers? I would certainly..." Han Li was overjoyed and cupped his hands.

"Want to learn my Dao soldier techniques? No, no! I won't teach you this. Don't even think about it," Elder Huyan interrupted Han Li before he could finish, shaking his head vigorously.

"This... Elder, is there truly no room for negotiation?" Han Li asked, unwilling to give up.

Elder Huyan was about to refuse outright, but recalling the scene of their drinking and cheerful conversation just moments ago, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and said with profound meaning:

"Well... it's not entirely impossible. This old man has two lifelong obsessions: one is wine, and the other is the art of Dao soldiers. If you can find a better recipe for immortal wine than those in my possession, then it might be negotiable."

Having scoured and collected for countless years, few in the entire Northern Frost Immortal Realm could surpass him in fine wine.

Han Li looked at Elder Huyan's confident face and sighed inwardly.

Although he knew little about the way of wine, he could see that Elder Huyan was extremely proficient in it. The immortal wines just now were all unparalleled brews—where could he find even better ones?

It seemed Elder Huyan truly did not want to teach the art of Dao soldiers.

"Very well, I will diligently search for it. I hope the elder will not go back on his word then." Han Li took a deep breath and said solemnly.

Though the chance was slim, he did not want to give up. At worst, he could issue a task at the Wuchang Alliance and pay a higher price—it shouldn't be too difficult, he thought.

"Hmph! This old man always keeps his word. There's no need for you to use such provocation. If you truly find a wine recipe, what harm is there in telling you the art of Dao soldiers?" Elder Huyan snorted and said.

"Then I shall take my leave." Han Li smiled faintly, cupped his hands in farewell, turned around, and drifted away.