Chapter 232: Chapter 230: Wondrous Item Wine Infusion

This was a treasured gourd, emerald green all over.

It was neither metal nor wood, and felt as warm and smooth as jade to the touch.

Intricate, ancient cloud patterns grew naturally on the gourd’s surface. In the center, the powerful character for "Wine" was inscribed in ancient seal script.

Despite the erosion of ages, it showed no signs of decay. Instead, it faintly emitted the fresh fragrance of plants, suffused with a vibrant life force.

"What is this?" Yang Zhen asked, leaning in curiously.

Su Yu held it in his palm, examining it from top to bottom before giving it a light shake.

SLOSH...

A faint sound of sloshing liquid came from within.

They exchanged a look, both seeing the shock in each other’s eyes. Ten thousand years of erosion had turned even many Spirit Medicines to dust, yet there was still liquid left in this gourd?

Su Yu hesitated no longer. He gripped the tightly sealed cork with his right hand and pulled hard.

POP!

The moment the cork came free, a strange, fragrant aroma of wine erupted. It wasn’t just the supreme mellowness of age; the air also filled with the scorching, tingling sensation of an approaching thunderstorm.

"Ngh..." Caught off guard, Yang Zhen inhaled a whiff of the aroma and immediately felt her Qi and Blood surge, her legs growing weak.

’What potent wine!’

Su Yu’s heart tightened. He quickly reached out to steady the faltering young woman.

Then, he carefully tilted the gourd and peered inside.

Only a thin layer of dregs remained at the bottom, less than a tenth of what it once held. Soaked in the shallow liquid was an object, barely submerged.

"Just a single sniff can stir one’s Qi and Blood. This is definitely an ancient treasure." Su Yu’s gaze sharpened. He raised the gourd and took a small sip.

The moment the liquid touched his tongue, it wasn’t harsh like ordinary liquor. Instead, it was like a glob of extremely mellow thunder plasma. A mixture of fiery heat, tingling numbness, and fragrant wine slid down his throat, exploding the instant it hit his stomach.

A vast amount of energy burst forth. It didn’t disperse into his limbs but flowed from his Dantian straight to the meridians in his lower body, finally converging entirely into the Yongquan Acupoints on the soles of his feet.

Su Yu felt the muscle fibers in his legs being tempered by a numbing Thunder Power, and a series of fine cracks echoed from his bones.

It felt as if a single step could let him ride the wind and command the lightning.

At the same time, the familiar ink-wash characters in his vision jumped wildly:

[Breakthrough Point Progress +2%]

[Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step Skill Level +50]

[Breakthrough Point Progress +2%]

[Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step Skill Level +50]

...

After about half an incense stick’s time, Su Yu finally finished digesting the medicinal power of that sip of wine. He was slightly tipsy as he stared at his panel:

[Martial Arts]: Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step (Greater Mastery 2950/4000)

[Breakthrough Point]: 0 Points (Progress 11%)

"The Breakthrough Point progress increased by nine percent, and the Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step’s Skill Level shot up by nearly two hundred points!"

Thoughts churned in Su Yu’s mind. He studied the emerald gourd again, unable to hide his delight. "This wine doesn’t just increase my foundation, it’s also specifically suited for Body Techniques?"

Yang Zhen softly conjectured from the side, "Brother Su, ancient texts record that mighty figures of old often used unique treasures as cauldrons. For this wine to have such a miraculous effect, perhaps it’s not just the wine itself, but the gourd possessing some wondrous creative power."

Su Yu had thought of this as well. He nodded slightly, his heart starting to race. "That makes sense. Once I finish the dregs at the bottom and figure out what’s soaking inside, I’ll try it with some ordinary wine."

Suppressing his excitement, Su Yu sent his divine sense into the black iron ring again.

A moment later, as the last broken magical artifact he took out turned to dust, the entire mustard-seed space became completely empty.

"Is that everything, Brother Su?"

"That’s it." Su Yu nodded. "A short sword comparable to a Profound Tier weapon, a wine gourd, and a whole rack of ancient jade slips. Oh, and this storage ring itself is also a priceless treasure. The haul this time far exceeded my expectations."

"Brother Su, let’s check that white Jade Pendant now."

Su Yu slipped the storage ring onto his finger and picked up the white Jade Pendant, which was warm to the touch.

Although repeatedly using his divine sense had left his mind feeling a bit heavy, he focused, formed a hand seal, and sent a strand of his divine sense crashing into the Jade Pendant.

BZZZ—

An indestructible, invisible barrier instantly repelled it, causing Su Yu to grunt and his face to pale slightly.

"It’s no use." Su Yu rubbed his temples and sighed. "The spiritual restriction on this Jade Pendant is damaged, but its level is extremely high. With my current divine sense strength, it’s like an ant trying to shake a tree. I can’t break through at all."

Seeing this, Yang Zhen offered a gentle word of comfort, "That’s a good thing. A restriction this powerful means the treasure inside is even more valuable than this storage ring."

Su Yu nodded helplessly. "For now, I can only set it aside."

"I’ll go look through those newly acquired ancient jade slips. Maybe there’s a way to break the restriction recorded in them," Yang Zhen suggested.

Su Yu agreed, but he also had another idea.

’Time to keep adding points and Breaking the Limit on my reading skill!’

’As long as my divine sense undergoes a qualitative change and becomes strong enough, I can overcome all obstacles with brute force and shatter this damaged formation.’

...

「Three days later, in the backyard storehouse.」

As Su Yu tilted his head back and drank the last of the dregs from the treasured gourd, a series of text flashed across his vision again:

[Breakthrough Point Progress +2%]

[Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step Skill Level +50]

...

For the past three days, he had been taking small sips daily, digesting the potent power of the thunder wine in batches. Now, the data on his panel had changed:

[Breakthrough Point]: 0 Points (Progress 96%)

[Martial Arts]: Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step (Greater Mastery 3920/4000)

"My Breakthrough Point progress has soared by more than ninety percent in total, and the Thunder Collapse Step’s Skill Level skyrocketed by over a thousand points."

Feeling the latent thunder essence dormant in his legs, Su Yu let out a satisfied breath. He held the empty gourd and shook it gently, hearing the CLANK of a hard object hitting the inside.

He turned the gourd upside down and tapped it sharply against his palm.

TAP!

A foreign object fell into his hand.

Su Yu looked closely. It was a bone fragment, eroded by time and wine until it was only the size of a thumb.

The bone was neither gold nor jade, and its entire body had a glazed, dark gold luster. Even more strangely, an ancient, lightning-shaped pattern grew naturally on its surface. When he touched it with his fingertip, he could faintly feel a weak, numbing tingle of lightning.

"Is this the bone of some ancient, lightning-attribute Exotic Beast?"

Having read many ancient texts, Su Yu immediately made his judgment.

’Perhaps it’s because of this infused object that the dregs of wine had the miraculous effect of tempering the legs and improving my Body Technique.’

’Next, it’s time to verify the true secret of this wine gourd.’

A hint of anticipation flashed in Su Yu’s eyes as he walked over to a curio shelf in the corner.

Neatly stacked here were seven or eight unopened jars of fine wine, all of them aged vintages gifted by the Yang Family and his fellow disciples from the Inner Courtyard. Each jar was worth at least a dozen taels of silver on the market. But in Su Yu’s eyes now, they were just ordinary consumables.

He broke the mud seal on a jar of Green Millet Spirit, lifted it, and slowly poured the clear liquor into the emerald gourd.

Soon, the wine gourd was full. Su Yu picked up the dark gold thunder bone, dropped it back into the gourd, and sealed it tightly with the cork.

’If this wine gourd is truly a treasure, then this infused object should work its magic again! We’ll know for sure in a few days.’

With a thought, Su Yu’s divine sense connected with the black ring on his finger.

SHING.

The wine gourd in his hand instantly vanished, landing securely inside the mustard-seed space.

"A storage ring really is convenient." Su Yu stroked the ring with satisfaction. ’In the future, when I’m out robbing and murdering, I can clean out entire treasure vaults...’

Su Yu left the storehouse, humming a little tune as he strode toward the Martial Arts Arena.

His Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step was just a little Skill Level away from Perfection. Soon, he would be able to grind it all the way to the top!