Only the utensils on the Demonic Moon Villa’s table were unshattered. As for the utensils on the other tables, they were all ruined. The spectators were all dumbfounded. Lin Yun and Situ Yi’s eyes were shining. They didn’t fight, but they competed through the cup and were evenly matched.

When Situ Yi’s fluttering hair fell down, it revealed his outstanding looks that contained a touch of demonic aura, increasing his lethal looks towards women.

Lin Yun sighed, “The wine was good, but it’s just that it nearly killed me.”

“Your cup wasn’t easy either,” replied Situ Yi with a playful smile.

“It’s good that you know it.” Lin Yun returned to his seat.

The gaze of the crow alternated between Lin Yun and Situ Yi before they sighed inwardly. Only people like them were befitting of the monstrous genius title. Although Zuo Yun, Yue Qing, and Bai Yu were also talented, they were still somewhat lacking in comparison. But this small distance was the reason why they were overshadowed by Lin Yun and Situ Yi.

Lin Yun’s fame soared because of the banquet, and at the same time, it also allowed Situ Yi’s fame to reach a whole new level.

“Senior Brother, didn’t you say that you don’t know this person?” The Demonic Moon Villa’s disciples turned to look at Situ Yi.

“I do now,” smiled Situ Yi. The Demonic Moon Villa’s disciples cried out bitterly in their hearts. They had nothing to say about their senior brother’s arrogance. He clearly knew Lin Yun, and yet, he insisted that he only knew Lin Yun now. He just had to fight with Lin Yun before acknowledging the latter.

The maids started entering the hall to change the shattered utensils. After they were done changing the utensils, Bloomphoenix Princess looked around and spoke, “Gifts.”

The door opened and a team of maids walked out holding onto a silver plate covered by a cloth. Everyone’s eyes were filled with expectation as they looked at the maids.

“The princess is bestowing gifts again. It must be excellent wine from the royal clan again. Haha, it must be the Flowertoxicate Wine again!”

“It has been five years! How nostalgic!”

Many disciples licked their lips as they looked at their elders receiving the wine. Many elders opened it up on the spot and gulped it down. After the maid placed a jar of Flowertoxicate Wine on the table, the maid looked at Lin Yun and smiled, “Young Master Lin, the princess was impressed by your performance today, so she’s giving you an additional reward of Phoenixstand Wine.”

The maid’s voice wasn’t loud, but it caused a huge commotion from the surroundings.

“The Phoenixstand Wine?! That’s a seventh grade wine. I heard that there are only two in the Great Qin Empire. There’s one in the royal clan’s treasury and the other one is with the princess.”

“I heard that the emperor bestowed it to the princess when she was young. At that time, the princess was loved by everyone.”

“But she actually gave such a precious wine to Lin Yun as his reward for his performance…”

“Looking at the Phoenixstand Wine now, the third grade Flowertoxicate Wine looks dull in comparison.”

“You don’t want it? Give it to me then!”

“Dream on! I’ll save it for myself. A third grade wine is decent enough. You can’t buy it anywhere even with money.”

Many people looked at the jar of Phoenixstand Wine with envy in their eyes. Luo Feng was also feeling happy as he immediately gave Lin Yun a signal with his eyes.

Lin Yun received the Phoenixstand Wine and cupped his hands together, “Thank you for your reward, Your Highness.”

“No need to thank me. Thank the Sword Firmament Pavilion instead.” The Bloom Phoenix Princess’ ethereal voice sounded out. Without the Sword Firmament Pavilion, Lin Yun wouldn’t be able to shine so brightly today. However, no one noticed Qin Yu’s snort as he quietly left.

“We don’t dare to receive that praise. He naturally has to thank You Highness since it’s your gift. I believe that Lin Yun won't let you down,” smiled Luo Feng.

The princess did not comment. Rather, she waved her hand and announced, “I’m tired. You can all leave now.”

The various sects received their wine with smiles plastered on their faces. They cupped their hands together and bade their farewells. Lin Yun looked at the Phoenixstand Wine in his hand and fell into deep thought.

“Hehe, it looks like I was right. You shined brightly today and you received the princess’ attention. Everyone can call me the divine fortune teller in the future,” smiled Xin Yan.

Tang Tong and the rest also smiled, “Junior Brother is so handsome and has a bright future. Who knows, he might even be able to become the prince consort in the future.”

“What the hell are you guys talking about? Shut up!” Luo Feng reprimanded them immediately. But he wasn’t angry because he knew that everyone was in a good mood.

Everyone slowly left the island as they laughed while chatting. Lin Yun was feeling doubtful and turned around. His gaze met Bloomphoenix Princess, who was looking back at him. When their gazes clashed, Lin Yun was stunned.

He could tell that the Bloomphoenix Princess was dumbfounded briefly through the veil. But a brief moment later, the princess turned away and left.

Well, that doesn’t mean that she was looking at me. Lin Yun mocked inwardly. When he turned around, the scenery outside the island was enveloped by fog. The sunset might be beautiful, but there was also a cold aura that looked somewhat mournful. He liked the dawn better. It was bright like a fire that he would never be able to forget.

……

The moon hung high in the night. Back in the courtyard, Lin Yun slowly opened his eyes after he completed a full cycle of the Age Sutra. When he breathed out, his origin energy became more innate, especially since his Age Sutra had reached the second stage.

Casually placing the drained second grade spiritual jade to the side, Lin Yun raised his head and looked at the moon reflected on the lake. There was a figure standing on the lake and his gaze was directed at Lin Yun’s courtyard.

Lin Yun was briefly stunned when he saw that person. It was naturally Drifting Goblet. All Lin Yun had to do was to look at his bald head. Lin Yun waved his hand and stood up to welcome his guest.

The Drifting Goblet walked over. Looking at Lin Yun, who was sitting in front of a table, he asked, “Brother Lin, how did you know that I was here?”

“I naturally knew when I saw the moon in the sky,” smiled Lin Yun as he took out the Phoenixstand Wine.

Drifting Goblet was briefly stunned before he suddenly laughed and rubbed his head. He swept a glance at the Phoenixstand Wine and recited, “The Phoenixstand, blowing the flute on the Phoenix Stand. Only the flowing water before the pavilion remembers me.”

Drifting Goblet paused for a moment and then continued, “There’s good wine and there’s excellent wine. There’s a story behind every wine. I can’t accept this one since it was bestowed to you by the princess. Let’s have the Monkey Wine instead.”

“Cheers.” Lin Yun put the Phoenixstand Wine away and took out ten jars of Monkey Wine.

Drifting Goblet looked at the Monkey Wine with blazing eyes. He smiled, “I love the Monkey Wine. It’s the best in the world. There are many wines in the world and there’s a sad story behind almost all of them. Only the Monkey Wine is refreshing since it’s brewed by a bunch of monkeys. Come, let’s drink!”

Drifting Goblet patted the table and carried the jar of Monkey Wine. Lin Yun was sweating when he saw what Drifting Goblet did. He was truly worthy of his title as Drifting Goblet. Even the way that he drank made Lin Yun feel inferior.

After gulping down the jar, Drifting Goblet laughed, “This is great! Lin Yun, come and drink too. You shined brightly today and your fame is spreading throughout the Great Qin Empire. You have to drink a few cups...I mean a few jars.”

Lin Yun smiled and poured himself a cup before gulping it down. After they parted ways today, who knew when they would be able to meet again. So the two of them looked at the two moons and drank wine.

When Lin Yun was feeling tipsy from the alcohol, he mentioned how he wasn’t able to successfully practice the Heavenly Seal. Drifting Goblet smiled and pointed at his bald head.

Looking at Drifting Goblet, Lin Yun asked, “You’re saying that I have to use my head to think and my heart to cultivate for the Heavenly Seal?”

“Hahaha! That’s not it. I’m saying that you need a moon, like I have, on your head,” laughed Drifting Goblet.

Lin Yun was briefly stunned before he laughed. So it turns out that he had to shave his head and grasp Buddhism to cultivate the Heavenly Seal. It was more or less what he thought. He had no intention of going into Buddhism, so he could only give up on the Heavenly Seal. It was a pity, but at the same time, it wasn’t.

The two chatted happily as they drank. However, there was someone who had the opposite expression in the Princess Manor. It was the crown prince, Qin Yu, who was wearing a darkened expression. After he left the banquet, his face turned dark. This made Wang Yan tremble in fear as he stood next to Qin Yu.

Wang Yan had also watched the battle and he could only gnash his teeth when he saw how brightly Lin Yun shined. He also had a rough idea as to why the crown prince was so furious. It had been five years since the princess last held a birthday banquet. And this time around, the banquet was so grand that it far exceeded the past celebrations.

Many of the sects were still as respectful as they were before. This made Qin Yu even more unhappy since he was wary of the princess to begin with. Qin Yu suddenly stood up, “We have to get rid of Xin Jue.”

Wang Yan was shocked by those words. He asked, “What about Lin Yun?”

“Lin Yun?” questioned Qin Yu.

Qin Yu burst into laughter. “Your narrow eyesight only placed your focus on the sword slave. So what if Lin Yun is formidable? Can he compete with the eight titles in the Dragon Gate Competition at the end of this year? Can he prevent me from taking first place?”

“Yes, I understand,” said Wang Yan.

“Go!” Qin Yu’s eyes surged with a murderous aura. He had always been a decisive person when it came to killing. He wouldn’t hesitate once he made up his mind. With that, the two of them left the courtyard, but they were suddenly stopped by the grey-robed old man.

The old man smiled, “It has been a long time and the princess wishes to meet you. Please stay for a few more days.”

“My younger sister understands me well. She already grasped it before I even made up my mind. Thank her for me. I’ll wait for a few more days then,” smiled Qin Yu.

“That’s for certain,” smiled the grey-robed old man.

When Qin Yu turned around and returned to the courtyard, the smile on his face was replaced by a frosty look.