Rejin Doxuaxing has seen many things in his life. Lives.

However, the young man in front of him wasn't like anyone he had met before. He had met Gods and Devils, Dragons and Ghouls, even Demons and Fay, yet they were all similar in one aspect. They all followed tradition and the 'strength is power' paradigm. Even others from the Veritas Legion, as strange as they were in their suicidal righteousness, even they followed the rules.

Perhaps it was the young age, although subtle hints showed this Pef Xi wasn't at first rebirth, perhaps not even the second.

And then, there was that grotesque soul-scar, still pulsing with malice and spiritual corruption, something that should have killed or at least driven insane any low ranked cultivator.

"What do you say, friend? Should I teach you cooking and you teach me Alchemy?" the boy asked with a silly grin.

Rejin shook his head and replayed the discussion again in his mind, until he reached the latest absurdity.

"You definitely have talent as a cook, young one." he replied in a non-comital tone.

Truth was, the food was indeed exquisite, and even above his own ability to create, should he ever deign to cook. Not that Dian rank cultivators needed to eat anyway, except for the pleasure of their palate. A waste of time and effort, cooking. Although, eating scrambled eggs obtained from an eagle-type Godbeast was even more egregious.

Pef tilted his head, as if deciding something, then he nodded to himself. "Fine, I'll also teach you how to brew Godwine!" the boy offered as he was making a giant sacrifice.

Rejin watched his weaker companion pour a small quantity of this 'godwine' and took a small sip from the white jade cup.

His Dantian trembled, and aftershocks propagated into his alternate selves, as the Heaven's Laws diffused in all dimensions and shifted his mind-state into a higher realm of understanding. Of course, his cultivation remained unmoved, as it hasn't changed in a billion years and will probably not advance before he began his next life.

But something did change. Minutely, and almost imperceptible, but his soul grew!

Rejin knew himself quite well, an unfortunate consequence of living with himself for two dozen lives. Thus, any change was immediately noticed, and his nine selves in charge of self-diagnosis and repair began tracing back the source of the change. Dao of Wine!

Yet again, this boy has found another way to shake his preconceptions about what was important and not for a cultivator. A minor dao, one that almost nobody except veteran drunkards bother to observe, but for all that...

"Hmmm. This wine..." Rejin muttered softly.

"Yes. It does work wonders for lower tier cultivators, but for now I don't have the blood of a higher level Godbeast. Imagine what we could brew if we could find a Tier 7 Godbeast!" Pef exclaimed in a exuberant voice.

Rejin could imagine it, quite well. "There is a single known 'Tier 7' Godbeast, the Desolation Beast from the Desolate Ice Plane. That monster has obliterated a hundred universes and made his nest in the ashes and frozen stars left behind after its ascension."

To his ever-growing surprise, young Pef didn't seem deterred, or even impressed. "I see. I'd need to reach Elder God tier before I can butcher this beast, but otherwise, it's no problem." he declared with a confident shrug.

Rejin blinked in slight confusion, before he glanced once again at the slightly menacing glove this boy wore. And why did his senses warn him of a minor danger from a simple Universe-rank artifact?

He sipped a bit more of the special godwine, while considering how in the nine heavens did this Galaxy God boy managed to obtain the blood of a Universe Rank Godbeast, and its eggs as well.

"Butcher?" he asked, just to be sure.

Pef just nodded. "Took me 13 seconds to kill that Flame-Eagle Godbeast. I might not be the brightest man, or even talented, but I am way stronger that I appear." he boasted with incredible confidence. If it was confidence to declare yourself stupid...

With a frown, Rejin stood up and stored his wares in a special dimension...as he sensed the local Army Commander approach his booth. He checked his masking breath, making sure the Universe rank officer didn't sense anything amiss with his minor bazaar trader impersonation.

"Lord Xi, we have traced the ship...it passed via a realm-gate and left this universe. Their declared destination was Pearl Sea Plane, at the border of the Violet Devil Realm.

Also, the Pearl Sea is the main anchorage of the Shin Admiralty. We have few spies available there, as their species is difficult to infiltrate, mainly traders and convoy ships." The Imperial Army Commander reported in a deferential voice, almost like he was the one with a lower rank in the cultivation realm.

But young Pef didn't seem to notice or perhaps he always expected such behavior. "You did well Commander. Perhaps I will consider this, when the time of reckoning arrives. Give me the jade slip with the full info." he spoke in a command voice, while gesturing impatiently for something.

With a grimace, the Army Commander produced a green-glowing jade tablet, which Pef grabbed unceremoniously and then stored into his glove.

"Is this all?" the Universe God asked in a rather resentful tone.

Pef turned to glance at Rejin, as if considering to ask, then sighed. "Before I depart, send me a hundred Yin-Yang Demolishers, set for remote detonation. Keyed to my genes and all, you're in the military so you know the drill." he demanded as an afterthought.

Rejin blinked again, as the misnamed Yin-Yang Demolishers were galaxy-wide bombs, used by most advanced cultivator armies to cleanse galactic clusters or even entire universes of malicious life-forms, for example beast infestations or zombie plagues, or in the current lifetime, goliths and their thralls.

He awaited a swift rebuke, or at least a verbal admonition, but the Army Commander just closed his eyes to commune with his boss. A few seconds later, the armored man opened his eyes and nodded cautiously. "It will be done, Lord Xi. Please don't die." With a bow, the man walked away at a slow pace, as if in deep pain.

"Planning a war in the Pearl Sea?" Rejin asked curious.

Pef scowled for a second. "You should come as well, old man. Don't worry, I don't intend to ask you to fight. Only to rescue someone."

Although he should have known better, Rejin was curious. The hexapod squids of the Shin Admiralty were famous for the strong ships and piratical raids all over the multiverse, and this time it appeared they were about to be counter-raided. And perhaps, he could gain some more of this improbable godwine.

"A raid then. Are you going to bring your Legion too?" he wondered.

Pef smiled. "That would be over-kill, my friend. My Legion wives even carry Power-Word Guns. I alone will suffice." he declared in a strange pulsing voice, echoing the actual Word Guns he remembered so well, as they seared the lives and worlds of his home universe.

Rejin found himself laughing, for absolutely no reason. No wonder the Imperial Army was so polite. Nobody wanted to see their universe glow in cleansing radiance.

"You should have started with that. Here is your Universe Pill, young friend." Rejin offered, founding himself acting politely.

Pef swiped the violet-glowing pill and ingested it like it was nothing. In a second, his eyes glowed violet as well, then space around him wobbled as he Ascended into Universe Realm, just like that.

The young man examined his hands with curious eyes, before glancing upwards. "Is that a tribulation?" he asked with a almost confused voice.

Rejin nodded seriously. "Yes, I told you it is made from Heaven's Laws and condensed tribulation. I hope you can survive..."

Pef laughed out loud, as if the incoming tribulation was a joke. A Blue Jade armor appeared on him, just as the violet lightning fell violently then spread around the blue plates and scattered. "This is the normal tribulation? Or is it weaker for some reason?" he asked in clear disbelief.

Rejin shook his hand to scatter the painful current that splashed him as well. "It was a Universe Realm Violet Tribulation. Be warned though, the one for the next realm will be ten times worse!" he warned him seriously.

The boy laughed with tears. "I see how it is. I'll be fine then. I've had much worse at Tier 4."

Rejin observed the amused Universe God with a frown, as his world view shook once more. Perhaps, it would be worth to accompany this Pef Xi for a while, not just for the wine. Maybe, he will one day drink a Godwine brewed with the blood of the Desolate Beast. It didn't seem quite so impossible anymore.